#3 to 4 years of delay and it's awesome

[shanastoryteller]

Happy birthday Shana!!! I hope you have an awesome one!!! WWX and Jiang Yanli run away please?

a continuation of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

When Lan Xichen hears that the juniors' night hunt that his brother was supervising hasn't arrived back when expected, he's mostly unconcerned. There are very few things that Wangji is unable to handle on his own and he assumes there's some sort of benign, logical explanation for the delay.

When he hears that they've spent the past couple days at Lotus Pier, that peace is instantly broken.

Jiang Cheng is not inhospitable to his brother, exactly - he mostly leaves that to Li Shichuan - but their mutual hatred means they spend as little time as possible in the other's presence. While a night hunt headed by any other senior could have multiple explanations for why they might choose to stay at Lotus Pier, for Lan Wangji to do so must mean something dire. He has to hope that if his brother were grievously injured or ill, the Jiang would send notice to him, if only to get him out of their keeping, but perhaps they're preoccupied or -

It does him no good to speculate. He can get to Lotus Pier faster than correspondence can get there and back, so he'll just see for himself.

Seeing guards at Lotus Pier's entrance where there usually aren't any doesn't do anything to east his anxiety, especially when they refuse to let him enter.

"We cannot allow any foreign disciples entrance without Sect Leader Jiang or Sect Heir Li's permission," she says, less patiently than she'd said it ten minutes ago. "We apologize for the inconvenience, Sect Leader Lan."

"My brother's in there," he begins, frustrated.

"We are not at liberty to discuss the goings on of Lotus Pier with foreign disciples at this time," she interrupts.

He's really very close to losing his temper. He and Jiang Cheng get along well enough, but certainly not well enough for him to forgive him trespass without a very good reason, which unfortunately he doesn't think this qualifies. If only he could -

"Aw, don't be like that," says a familiar voice that he hasn't heard for thirteen years as a lean man that he would have sworn was dead bounds up to them, a large grin on his face as he throws his arm around the Jiang disciple's shoulders. "It's okay, Lan Xichen, I'll walk you in."

The disciple sighs deeply. "Senior Brother Wei may also grant permission for foreign disciples to enter Lotus Pier."

No wonder Wangji hadn't returned home.

[noiriarti]

Just Practice: Anakin Skywalker x Reader (Modern Best Friends AU) Ch. 3

NSFW!!!!!!! Literally so NSFW!!! Summary: Anakin is your best friend, the one person you can't survive without, and you're about to go to different colleges. You bring up your worries about your inexperience and he offers to help. Pairing: Anakin Skywalker x AFAB!Reader Word Count: 5.4k CW: usage of 'good girl,' rough sex, lots of masturbation, orgasm delay/denial, overstimulation AN: All the love for this fic has really blown me away!! This is quite possibly the raunchiest thing I've ever written and I hope you all enjoy it! As always, requests and asks are open!

Ch. 1, Ch. 2, [Ch. 3], Ch. 4, Bonus Chapter

Chapter 3: Black Lace

Did you love Anakin? Laying on your bed that night after he had just upended your world by kissing you for the first time, you were coming to realize that the answer was likely yes. You loved him platonically, that was a given, but the amount of desire you felt to hold his hand and kiss him wasn't quite normal friend behavior. Over the past year, you had found yourself breathless a couple of times that surprised you. Once, the two of you were wrestling over something (a water bottle? A keychain? It was unimportant), and he pinned you down harshly, a memory that plagued you when you were in bed touching yourself for three whole months after. His eyes, boring into you with that look that you now realized was desire haunted you.

Now that you had finally had his lips on yours, you had started thinking that you weren't just horny, that there was something there. Maybe you had always wanted him a little. Hearing about him and Padmé had made you jealous, but you chalked it up to how he had pulled away from you just slightly to spend more time with Padmé. But that was normal friend stuff, right? Sometimes, when you were in the stands, watching him play, and he ran over to the bench for a drink of water or during a break, his golden brown hair glinted in the sunlight, fluffy pulled back with a headband. The thin sheen of sweat would cover his brow, and Padmé would rush up to the front of the bleachers to wave to him and get his attention. When he waved back, which he always did, though with differing degrees of enthusiasm, you wished he was waving at you. Playing for you. That he'd run to you when he won the game like he ran to Padmé.

So that settled it. It turned out that you were in love with Anakin. What you would do about it depended entirely on him. If he was into you, awesome, but, if not, you couldn't risk your friendship. It was too important.

You made three decisions that night. First, you had to get through tomorrow at the airport with dignity, and not shake things up too much. Second, you had to "practice" with him again, and as soon as possible. Third, you could not get naked in front of him before you knew that he felt the same way about you. The third decision came from your own knowledge. If you were naked in front of him, and he didn't want to date you, you'd spend the rest of your life thinking this man has seen me naked, and he knows how my nipples look whenever you laid eyes on him. So you couldn't get naked yet, but you were planning to tell him how you felt as soon as you were more certain that he liked you than not.

It had been an incredibly horny two weeks for you. Your discovery that you, in fact, loved Anakin resulted in you getting horrendously turned on by every single move he made. Every text had you rushing to the lecture hall's bathroom to shove your hand down your pants. One time, he sent you his official team photo, in his pretty jersey, and you literally ran across campus to your dorm to jerk off. You were down horrendous.

Ahsoka had listened to all this (minus all the masturbation) with an amused expression and insisted that you were stupid, and he obviously liked you. But she didn't know him like you knew him. He was really, really friendly. This was all plausibly deniable. Ahsoka, however, was not stupid, so she just rolled her eyes. It was kind of cute, watching this develop. Ahsoka asked you if you'd seen any cute guys, and you mentioned that the guy who sat next to you in Intro to Sociology was passable, some guy named Jake who you exchanged numbers with for homework sessions. Jake didn't matter at all, though, really. You had eyes only for Anakin.

In your horny haze, you started watching more and more porn featuring men who kind of looked like him. When they would call the girls they were fucking sluts, you felt a shiver as you imagined Anakin saying that to you. In that one session, you really dropped down a rabbit hole that culminated in you taking the BDSM test and lighting up like a Christmas tree. Well, shit.

You desperately wanted to try some of what you had seen, so you found a local sex store and decided to go on Tuesday. There, you walked through the aisles and made mental notes, like research. In the back, you found a rack of lingerie in your size, one of which was a black lace set on sale. Perfect. They were out of fishnets in your size, which you cursed. You really wanted him to rip them. After that, you still had an hour left to explore the store before Ahsoka would be home. For a long time, you stood in front of a display of plugs and debated whether to buy one. Then you moved on to the wall of vibrators, which was overwhelmingly brightly colored. Every box yelled out the benefits--Xtreme Suction, Boyfriend Experience, 17 Vibrating Settings--and you almost didn't buy one. Almost. You took a big vibrating wand off the wall, which at least seemed beginner-friendly. So, after spending altogether too much, you half-walked, half-ran back to your room to try out your new toy while you thought of Anakin. It turned out that the vibrator was incredibly powerful and made you cum in one minute flat, which was lucky because Ahsoka's class let out early.

For the rest of the week, every time you thought of what he was going to do to you, you used the vibrator. Even on the day he was arriving, when the two of you texted about kinks, you pulled the vibe out even though Ahsoka was due to return any minute. You were halfway to your orgasm when you heard the key in the door, so you turned it off in a hurry, shoved it under your pillow, and pulled up your blanket. You just had to masturbate as soon as you heard about him enjoying thinking about you two doing kinky stuff. That's how crazy Anakin made you. 

One short hour later, Anakin was with you. You were trying your best to be normal around him, but that was an impossible mission. When Ahsoka brought up Jake in front of Anakin, you died inside. It wasn't like that with Jake. Only for Anakin. Then, when she asked if you were dating, you had to deny it, hard, so that Anakin wouldn't think you were telling your roommate how in love with him you were.

But you did love him, and you were about to do your best to rock his world. (This failed, almost immediately. He was about to rock yours, hard.)

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"Okay. First of all, I won. You touched me first," he said. He was right, you had, but it was unfair. How were you supposed to resist when he asked you like that? He was always telling you what to do teasingly, but when he did it seriously, it set something off within you. You opened your mouth to snark back in defense, but he interrupted you. 

"And, second of all, shut up and kiss me." You rose up on your toes, tangling your hands in his hair and giving him a long look before finally connecting your lips. His kisses were needy and bruising as he devoured you, wrapping his strong arms around your lower back and drawing you to him. Your bodies slammed into one another, connecting from thigh to chest, and you felt him grow harder against you. You definitely weren't imagining it last time, he was big. You mewled into his mouth, and felt him smile against you at your noisiness. Then he grabbed your bottom lip between his, swiping his tongue across it, and you made an even louder noise, which drew a groan from him. As you tilted your heads this way and that, trying to get even deeper, he slipped his tongue past your lips, exploring tentatively. He had a vague aftertaste of mint, and some distant part of your brain registered that he had probably prepared for this with a mint or gum or something. When you started teasing his lips with you tongue, he pulled away, and you feared for a moment that he was about to tell you that you had done something wrong. Instead, he just said, with his telltale smirk and half-lidden eyes full of desire,

"You're such a good kisser. Been practicing without me?" You shook your head no, and that was the truth. Was he worried about someone else? There was no one. There hadn't been anyone but him in your heart for a very long time.

"Good," he growled. You weren't sure what that meant, and it didn't seem like Anakin thought about it before saying it, based on the way his face fell for a millisecond before he recovered his cool. He dove back into kissing you with grace, like that didn't even happen. Somehow, you found yourself pulling him toward you so much that the back of your knees hit the bed, and you almost lost your balance. He caught you with those strong arms and turned you around so that he sat on the bed, with you standing over him. Just like last time, you yearned to be in his lap, so you straddled him. As soon as you sat on his dick, Anakin groaned, and you dragged yourself along the length trapped by his zipper. He rolled his hips in tandem, which only made you intensify your actions, rutting against him and practically bouncing on his lap. At some point, the friction finally rubbed your clit in exactly the right way, and you threw your head back while you rode him as a broken moan tumbled from your lips. The denim skirt you were wearing was intentionally short and tight, and, with your feverish movements, it rode up until it sat on your hips. You could feel the cool air hit your warm pussy and thighs, so knew he could definitely see the lace you were wearing underneath it. You just hoped it was something he liked.

"What are you wearing? Let me see, baby," he cooed. That pet name, baby, and the sultry way he said it, were enough for you to let the hope in your chest that he felt the same way about you flourish. He pushed up the hem just a bit more with his right hand, running his finger along the top of the underwear, back and forth. You were about to scream in frustration, and you tried to thrust into his hand, but he shook his head.

"Patience," he tutted, as if he had any himself. Anakin's thumb moved down the front, tracing you until he reached your clit. He cast a tentative look at you before he touched it, but you tapped him twice with your hand, and he gently pressed against it. Your moan sounded so loud in the small space that you were worried the neighbors would complain, but he kept going. The little bundle of nerves was so sensitive under his touch that you were shocked it could even feel this way, so intense just because someone else was there. Anakin moved his thumb in small circles, the tendons in his hands jumping as he applied more and more pressure. You kept letting out a string of curses and his name, not caring who could hear. This was too good not to enjoy fully. His other hand gripped your hip so roughly that you were certain it would leave bruises that you would masturbate over for weeks.

Just as you felt it all start to build, not quite there yet but definitely on the right track, he drew his hand away. He tugged on your skirt, which was like an extra-thick belt at this point.

"Why don't we get this off you, baby?" You nodded, and Anakin quickly popped the button and helped you stand up and kick it off. You could pick it up later. You felt a bit silly in your crop top and nothing else, so you took it off in what you hoped was a sexy way, lifting it over your head to expose the black lace bralette you had bought just for him. Anakin's gaze was locked onto your body, practically drooling. When your shirt was off too, he grabbed his cock through his pants and stroked it, to your joy. He found you sexy. You didn't know if he loved you, or if he wanted to date you, but, in this second, it was enough just for him to want you.

You climbed back up onto him and tugged at the simple burgundy tee he was wearing, as if to say I want to see you too. He obliged, shirking it quickly. As he did, you took a long look at his bare chest. 

When you were kids, you would go to the pool, so you knew what he looked like shirtless. But he had started training so much more since then, and some of the softness was gone, replaced with nothing but muscle and sinew, taut under your touch. You ran a hand down his pecs, to his abs--he had actual abs-- going lower and lower until you reached the trail of hair under his belly button. Anakin's eyes were following your hand, then flitted up to your face. His skin pressed against yours when he tightened his arms, letting them fall to touch your ass. A tense second passed with you staring at one another before he continued to kiss you feverishly. One of his hands trailed up your body to grab your tits, pawing at them and occasionally rubbing gentle circles where he could feel your nipples hard under the fabric. The feeling was so intense that, as you groaned into his mouth, you kept moving your hips until he grabbed your hips to hold you still.

"If you keep going like that, baby, I'm going to cum," he whispered raggedly into your ear, still holding you tight. Hearing your best friend say those words, so dirty and sexy, almost drove you mad. You wanted to see him try to hold back as you rutted against him, then get overwhelmed by pleasure. Next time, you vowed.

"Can I go down on you?" You asked, not sure of the sexiest way to phrase the question, but it seemed to work for him. He smiled widely, nodded, and leaned back on his arms as you got down to your knees on the floor, sitting between his legs while he stayed on the bed.

Nervousness washed over you again. After this, there was no going back. You would have seen all of him, and touched it. He wasn't just your best friend anymore, he was more if you did this. So much more. And that was exactly what you wanted.

You fumbled with the button of his pants for a second before it finally opened, then you pulled the zipper down slowly. You'd never understood why people found that sound sexy, but, now, it was making you soaked. You were met with his briefs, which had a wet spot on them that turned the grey fabric dark. You grabbed the waistband and pulled them down, following the dark brown hairs until you saw the base of his cock. When you pulled it down, and his cock sprang out, you paused, sitting completely and utterly still. Seconds passed in silence, and Anakin started staring at you.

"You okay?" He asked the question so gently, so caringly with those eyes full of worry that you thought for a moment, just for a second, that you could sense a flicker of love. It was enough to keep you going for years. You nodded up at him, eyes wide, and he cupped your face tenderly. He could tell you were a little worried that you would be bad, but he was going to make it better.

Holy fuck. This was Anakin's cock. Of course, you'd seen photos before of penises. This was something completely different. He was big--almost huge, as far as you were concerned, and thick. The tan skin of his cock accentuated the darker head. The gently upward curve of his shaft was wrapped in veins, some bluish and some purplish, and you felt a pull to trace them with your tongue. At the very tip, a bead of precum was gathering, and you wanted desperately to see if it tasted how you imagined. You looked up into his eyes, and he was giving you a concerned look, like he was about to suggest you pause for your sake. Instead, you reached out one shaking hand to grip the base of his cock, which was so much warmer than you imagined. Anakin hissed at the contact, then muttered out a "good" as you started stroking the base gently. His praise sent a rush of joy and arousal through you, and you vowed to get more. 

You lowered your lips on the tip of his cock, kissing it with your slightly open mouth as Anakin hissed. Your tongue flicked out to lick off the precum, which was salty, musky, and a bit bitter, but definitely better than you expected. You licked your lips before tracing the contours of the head of his cock, teasing the slit and the edge before trying to take some of it into your mouth. You opened your jaw as wide as you could, because, based on what you read, teeth were to be used sparingly. His cock was surprisingly warm and wet in your mouth, and when you glanced up at him from between his knees, his lips were parted and his face had gone slack as he groaned your name. You sank down further on his cock until the entire head was in your mouth. His skin was so smooth under your tongue as you swirled it around, so incredibly delicate. As you started to bob up and down, getting a bit deeper each time, the noises and words started pouring out of him.

"God, that's great--ah, right there baby, fuck, that's my good girl." The words were so dirty, so right. The praise tumbled out of his mouth so easily, and it only made you get more and more frantic on his cock, taking him in deeper and deeper. At one point, you went too deep, and he hit the back of your throat, making you gag around him. The spasm of your throat around his cock drew out another groan from Anakin, but he gently grabbed your hair and pulled you off.

"Are you alright?" It was your first time gagging around it, taking it deep, and all you could think was how you wanted him to make you do that. To make you gag on him over and over until you couldn't think straight.

"Yeah, Ani, I'm fine. I just--I. I want to do that again," you admitted. He leaned down to kiss you gently, then took your chin in his fingers.

"Can I fuck your throat, baby?" He hid it well, but you could tell he was a bit nervous, most likely worried about hurting you. Anakin was always like that with you, so gentle, so considerate, that it made you all the more certain. You nodded emphatically, because God yes you wanted that, and then he stood up, getting to his full height above you. You shifted to your knees, which were aching from the carpet at this point, then looked up and found yourself in line perfectly with his cock. He dug his fingers into your hair, grabbing hold of it at the root, then started drawing your head closer until he was engulfed in your mouth again. Once he reached a bit of resistance, he drew back and thrust, shallow and quick, then drew back again. Anakin went a bit deeper the next time, then started thrusting faster. The physical feeling itself was nothing compared to the heady rush from the look he was giving you. Anakin was always sunshine, but now he was dark and sinful, using your throat for his pleasure. Your eyes locked, which obviously affected him based on the way he took a ragged breath and tipped his head back.

Watching him get so much pleasure from you made your right hand go down to your pussy, giving it much-needed relief by slipping underneath your underwear and rubbing your clit directly. The stimulation only made you more relaxed, which then allowed him to thrust further into your throat. He was getting faster, so you hollowed your cheeks and put your left hand on his tense thigh, which was almost shaking, before wrapping it around the base of his cock and stroking. Anakin growled and sped up, losing himself in the pleasure of your mouth, about to cum.

"Fuck, baby, I'm gonna--ah, fuck, I'm cumming," he choked out as he buried himself deep inside you. Your hand sped up as you felt his cock start to spasm. It was thick and warm and incredibly bitter, but it tasted like Anakin, so you swallowed it as the cum slid down your throat in spurts. After he came, he pulled out of your mouth with a sigh, then slid his thumb over your swollen and spit-covered lips.

"That was amazing," he said, out of breath, "How are you feeling?" The hand on your mouth went to your cheek, holding it gently.

"Good," you breathed. "Horny." He chuckled, still panting and looking down at you with genuine adoration. Anakin sat down on the bed, then got on it as he pulled up his briefs to cover up his sensitive cock.

"Come up here. I'll take care of you," he said as he shifted backward onto the bed, leaving space for you to lay down next to him. As he moved, then adjusted your pillow so you could be comfortable, you realized you had made a mistake. You stood up to try and stop it, but it was too late. You hadn't moved the goddamn vibrator. He found it, of course, with a gentle "oh." He held it up for you to see what he had found, and the dread nestled in your stomach. He was so going to make fun of you for this.

"Someone's been practicing on their own, I see," he said with a raised eyebrow as he flicked the on button, sending the tip of the vibrator shaking in a frenzy. Anakin gave you a shit-eating grin. You felt your cheeks and the tips of your ears grow warm.

"Fuck, I meant to move that, I--" He interrupted you with intense eyes. His hair was wild around his face, waves messed by your hands earlier.

"Embarrassed?" Yes, obviously. You nodded, looking away and adjusting a strand of your hair that had fallen into your face from when he fucked it. He was obviously enjoying this more than a little bit, and you started to wonder how much he really enjoyed you being embarrassed in other situations too. If his teasing was all platonic. His grin grew wolfish.

"How many times have you used it?" That caught you off guard. Your teasing was something you had both enjoyed, but the way he turned it into a little game for his own pleasure made you want to be teased by him all the time. Your stunned silence had obviously riled him up, so he kept going.

"Huh? How many times, baby? How many times have you made yourself cum with this?" Oh, he really wanted to know. He brought the still-humming vibrator to the inside of your knee, then slowly started tracing it up your thigh. You jolted, but answered him.

"Got it four days ago. I--five times," you whispered as he brought it closer and closer to where you wanted it. Anakin chuckled, a sound so dark and almost condescending that you could hardly believe it came from your best friend. It flared in your pussy, sending blood to your clit until you could feel your heartbeat in it. The vibrator was so close, you could practically feel it already.

"Twice in one day?" Anakin gritted the question out with a hungry smirk, the dark echo of the one you knew so well. You loved it. You wanted him to devour you and destroy you. You nodded slowly, well aware of how close he was to finally touching you. He finally reached your clit, and gave you one-two-three seconds of pleasure before he switched the vibrator off.

"Get on the bed," he commanded, pulling you by the hips into his embrace on the bed. He shifted to the headboard, so that you were between his legs and laying back on his chest. Anakin was so warm, so comforting behind you as his arms wrapped around you and brought the vibrator back to your clit. When it hummed to life, you turned your face and buried it in his arm, muffling the moans and words you babbled out.

"Ah, FUCK. God yesyesyesyes more, please, Ani!" The vibe never failed you before, and it wasn't now. The stimulation, the aftertaste of cum in your mouth, and the smell of Anakin's sweat and shampoo all mingled together to bring you closer and closer, until you were about to finally--Anakin ripped the vibrator off of you, and your hips thrust up into the empty air as you mewled and cried out for him.

"Fuck, please let me cum! I'm so fucking horny Ani, please," you begged, not even caring about dignity anymore. You needed this, so so fucking badly.

"You want to cum? Fine. You get to cum, but you're gonna do it twice." He pressed the vibrator to you again and gently circled it on you. It was so much, the heat of the room, the strain in your legs, the way your mind was going fuzzy at the edges, filled with nothing but Anakin. You came like you never had before, jolting as your legs shook and making a series of strangled noises that included shouts of his name intermixed with breathy moans. You could hear him, vaguely, curse at the sight in front of him. The waves hit you over and over, extending longer than you thought you could, your pussy twitching repeatedly. But Anakin didn't take the vibrator off you. It almost hurt, but your sensitivity made it overwhelmingly good, like the breath was leaving your chest. Getting back to being able to cum took a minute, but you were feeling it build again, stronger this time. Your abs clenched, and Anakin started to read your tells. He could tell, just like you could, that you were about to cum.

"That's it, baby. Cum again for me, you can do it," he murmured in your ear as you let out a desperate wail and came violently. Your whole body was shaking, back arched, and your breathing was ragged like you had just run a marathon. Your pussy was desperately clenching on nothing as the feeling surged over you, so much stronger this time around. The knowledge that it was Anakin making you cum only made it more powerful. When you had come down from the peak of it, and were just riding out the last aftershocks, Anakin turned off the vibrator and rested his hand on your knee.

"That was perfect, baby. You were so good for me. So amazing," he whispered as he pulled you closer. If you were less floaty and light-headed, you would have thought more of his use of baby, like this was something more than practice. Now that he had touched you like this, you knew that there wasn't any going back, and that you were going to tell him eventually. Tell him how you felt. But not right now. Right now, all that mattered was his strong arms engulfing you, keeping you warm and safe after everything you had done. 

Nearly fifteen minutes passed with him holding you like that before you realized that you should probably pee and change. But he was so comfortable, rubbing your knee with his thumb idly as he monitored you. His hands supported you as you tried to sit up, still tired and shaky from the effort of all of it.

"I should really go pee," you said, obviously unenthusiastic. 

"You okay? Feel good about everything?" When you turned around to look at him, Anakin was so visibly concerned, it was too sweet. His pupils were blown wide, his features soft in the low light. Your heart tugged when you realized this was only making you love him more.

"Yeah, you?" And that was the truth. You did feel good about everything, almost too good. He was so perfect for you, kinky in just the right ways, and you were terrified you wouldn't find that again. When he heard you were alright, he grinned, back to his usual bright, happy self. There was also that. You were terrified you wouldn't find someone who loved you this much, even if he only loved you as a friend.

"Fuck yeah. Alright, go clean up," he said. His hands on your lower back gave you a gentle push to help you get going. With your PJs, you stepped into the bathroom you shared with the double bedroom next door, locking both doors, and tried to wipe up the wetness on your underwear. There was no use, they would go straight into the wash. Whatever. You tossed them into your hamper and got ready for bed.

When you left the bathroom, you were shocked to find Anakin naked in the middle of the room, halfway through changing. It felt almost normal, which was weird, given that you couldn't conceive of him having a penis a year ago. He noticed your strange look and pulled up his flannel pajama pants.

"What? It's not like you've never seen me naked before," he joked with a wink. You supposed that was true, but this seemed very... intimate, somehow. The first time was practice, but what was this?

"Oh, could you grab my phone charger? It's in the big pocket of my backpack," he called idly from the bed. His shirt was still off, and the flannel pants sat low on his hips, so you found your eyes roving over the wide expanse of his chest. On your way back to the bed from the bathroom, you stopped by the bag he had left on the floor. As you dug through it, you found underwear (ew, though really not ew because you had just had his cock down your throat ten minutes ago), his computer, and a couple shirts, but no tell-tale charger cord.

"I don't think it's in here," you said to him, but you stuck your hand deeper into the layers of his overstuffed backpack. This must be what performing a colonoscopy is like, you thought. Your fingers closed around something thin, wrapped up with what felt like a crumpled paper, and you started fishing it out. He was notorious for stuffing paper in his bag without thinking in high school, and you once found his report card somewhere in the depths of it during senior year. It was from four years ago. You chuckled to yourself at the memory as you finally got the knot loose, along with the crumpled paper trapped within it.

You unwrapped it carefully. The piece of notebook paper looked frequently used but recently discarded, and was covered in Anakin's distinctive scrawl. Your flitted over the first line, expecting to read something about resistors. Instead, you saw something else. Since we were kids, I've considered you my closest friend. You kept reading.

"Anakin, what the fuck is this?"

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Tag List (let me know if you'd like to be added!): @doblasftcisco @aliciaasky @cultofsin @avalovesjoe1 @akixxrafiiy @princearthur4 @sythethecarrot

[updatingranboo]

tips and tricks for ranboo fans to make chat (and the community) a better place!

hello! since the rebrand is coming up i decided i wanted to make a list of certain things ranboo fans should be discouraged from saying/doing, to keep chat/the community fun and keep from pushing ranboo back into the box of a streamer they no longer are. i personally don’t believe in cringe culture, i think everyone should be able to have fun, but at this point certain jokes and comments restrict ranboo from growing as a person and do reflect on the community. this got a lot longer than i was expecting, apologies! lets begin.

gender jokes (“genderman”, you stole my gender etc)

a super obvious one. getting gender envy from ranboo is normal and super awesome! nothing wrong with that. but the jokes have been overused. the genderman one specifically has ties to minecraft which, while ranboo doesn’t care about being associated with minecraft, it’s still a tie to their past content they would prefer to leave behind. this is the same level as calling them an “mcyt”, while there’s no harm in it and ranboo really doesn’t care, it’s also just.. not really true anymore and hasn’t been for years. let them grow!

2. *blank*boo/general spam

*blank*boo is nothing but spammy. all it does is fill up chats and replies and brings no substance to anything. spamming “tiredboo” when they yawn, “madboo” when they yell etc. is not contributing anything meaningful to a chat. it’s annoying and drowns out actually fun and interesting comments. as for general spam, you can use a few emotes here and there! but when all you do is spam emotes it again just floods the chat. when ranboo tells chat to stop spamming, you stop. don’t take it as a challenge, you will just get banned. yes there is delay, but you can see what other people in chat are saying too. spamming lag, telling them they missed a dono, anything where you find yourself repeating what other people are saying to either get their attention or just because (except for using bttv emotes) just don’t. i know most people are used to speaking in a fast chat, but the truth is chat doesn’t have to be fast! if you don’t have anything to say, you can just stay quiet. even spamming the PETTHEMODS emote defeats the purpose !!

3. telling off chat

slightly related, you don’t have to tell off chat either. going “chat stop” “oh my god chat” just adds to the spam. change the subject! ignore the spam and let the mods take care of it. focus on reacting to the stream and being silly, not being backseat mods.

4. the swearing obsession

ranboo is almost 20. they make so many innuendos every stream. they are heavily considering adding a mature warning to most streams from here on out, and as we have seen they no longer are the “family friendly” kid who they used to be. he can say shit and fuck and people can be normal about it. you don’t have to say LANGUAGE or go THEY SWORE ?????? he’s an adult and can swear. all of his friends swear and a huge portion of us in the community do too. it is not a big deal

5. telling ranboo what to do

back seating in video games, as well as in other situations when it’s NOT ASKED FOR is not fun. let ranboo do what they want. this applies to just general things too- you don’t need to tell ranboo to go to sleep. they can make that decision themself. again, he’s almost 20.

6. assuming ranboo is uncomfortable with something

it’s always good to be careful about respecting boundaries! but don’t confuse your own boundaries for theirs. ranboo has said many times that if something bothers him, he’ll talk about it! it’s safe to say they are more uncomfortable with you harassing an artist for drawing something you personally don’t like, over the actual art itself.

7. the chat hopping/mentioning ranboo unnecessarily

we all love ranboo. that is very obvious. their friends love them too! but when you go into one of ranboos friends chats or comment sections and start either asking about ranboo, telling his friends to play with them, or making unnecessary references to their content, it makes their friends want to do things with them less! streamers are their own people. there’s nothing wrong with watching one of ranboo’s friends streams because ranboo is there, i do it all the time. a lot of us do. the biggest thing is to be RESPECTFUL to the person who’s stream you are watching. if you chat, chat to the streamer! you don’t have to mention ranboo. or, just stay out of chat if you don’t think you’ll be able to stay on topic. you don’t have to speak in chat! there is the flip side of this, don’t bring up other streamers in ranboos chat unnecessarily either! no one cares if you saw two colors and it made you think of something unrelated. it’s so disrespectful to the streamer to do this.

8a. unnecessary negativity

the internet can be a very negative, reactionary place. seeking out negativity just for the sake of an argument is unhealthy and can also expose others to arguments that they wouldn’t have had to see. bait, obvious unchanging bigots, and also people who just don’t like ranboo (which is valid!) don’t need to be engaged. in the case of trolls, bait and bigots, they only bring negativity and are there to cause arguments. don’t give them the attention they want. As for people who just don’t like ranboo, you can leave them be too! Not everyone has to like ranboo. he can handle it, you don’t need to defend him or try and change someone’s mind. now, unnecessary negativity does not equal call outs/criticism!

8b. please criticize !

if something happens in the community, or from ranboo directly that hurts you or makes you uncomfortable, don’t be afraid to say something and help make us all better people! ranboo wants criticism. if it’s purely in the community, try reaching out to the other person first! often things can be settled privately so as to not hurt others by dragging them into the conversation or making things heated and causing people to attack each other. on the other side of this, if you see criticism from someone and feel the need to defend ranboo: don’t. if you are affected by something (ie. you are a person of color and the topic is racism) feel free to add to the conversation! if you do not have an opinion on something (ie lesbians call out lesbiphobia, and you are straight) keep it to yourself. let the people actually affected by something talk and have an opinion, and support them. it may feel like people are “attacking” ranboo (or you!) but they are not. they are real people with real, valid feelings, who want to feel safe in a community when in real life, they may be constantly victims of horrible things. listen first. if you still have your own opinions, reflect on them and why you feel the way you do, and dissect any implicit bias you may have. these are all important things that keep a community safe, happy, and mutually respectful!

ranboo encourages everyone to be good people and use common sense. remember when you say something, people other than ranboo see it too! every account has a person behind it, so treat each other with respect and help make the community a more fun and safe place for everyone to be in. ranboo has no tolerance for bigotry, racism, misogyny, antisemitism, ableism, and so on. remember to be aware of the things you are saying, and if you don’t know why something is wrong, look it up or try asking someone politely!

thank you for taking the time to read all of this! this list is non exhaustive. there are plenty of other things you can do in the community to make this a better place, from uplifting the minorities in the community more, to supporting artists by reblogging/sharing and commenting on their art, and more. at the end of the day though we are here because we love ranboo, so by following guidelines like these and putting in the effort, you show ranboo and the other people in the community you care and make everyone proud.

that’s all for now! keep boobing!

[miss-bushido]

you make me feel like I am home again

Written for @steddiesmuttyseptember week 2: prompts ‘backseat’ and ‘clothes on’

Rating: Explicit (very explicit)

October 3, 1988

Steve leaned against the column just outside of the Arrivals exit at the airport, lightly tapping his finger against his arm. Eddie’s flight had been delayed coming in from Boston: he’d opted to take a different flight than the other guys so he could take a quick trip up to Salem and see all the quote-unquote spooky shit up there. Steve had teased him about coming back with a witch’s hat or a spell book or something, and Eddie had threatened to put a spell on him if he didn’t be quiet. Steve had laughed and pretended he was going through a tunnel and had to go.

“You’re on the phone in the kitchen!” Eddie had scream-laughed as Steve made his words fade in and out before he clearly yelled back, “See you at midnight!” and then hung up.

Delayed Flight 5498 now arriving from Boston. Baggage will be available at carousel number 4 sounded over the speakers.

Steve checked his watch as he stifled a yawn and shifted his stance. He was tired- it was after midnight after all- but he knew that he was going to get a burst of energy soon. Being around Eddie always did that. His energy was infectious even under normal circumstances. Especially when he hit you with that dimpled smile. God, it made Steve weak every time.

It would be more potent now considering how long it had been since they’d been in such close proximity to one another. Eddie and the other members of Corroded Coffin had done a mini-tour of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. Their Wraiths on Wings Tour had started in late August, kicking off in Indianapolis before moving to Cleveland, Columbus, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Syracuse, New Haven, Providence, and finally culminated with two nights in Boston. Steve had only been able to go to the one in Indianapolis, but he’d been more than happy to support Eddie doing something he loved. On the numerous phone calls they’d shared after each gig was done, Eddie had gushed about how electrifying it was to be on stage. How fucking awesome it was to be able to play on the same stages that bands like Dokken, Metallica, and Iron Maiden had years before.

Steve was so proud of Eddie, and the other guys, and he always made sure to let Eddie know that. The praise always made Eddie’s tone turn soft on the phone, almost bashful. Whenever Steve heard Eddie ask, “You really mean it, Stevie?”, that was when he dialled up the praise: telling Eddie what a good boy he was, how hardworking and dedicated he was. And all of the things Steve was going to do for him once he got his hands on him again. He sincerely hoped that none of the switchboard operators of the hotels they stayed at ever listened in on their phone calls, or else they would have gotten an earful of the lead singer of Corroded Coffin and his boyfriend having phone sex more than a few times while the guys were on the tour.

Apart from the quick call earlier in the day, the two of them hadn’t been able to connect before the show in New Haven five days prior. As it was, Steve was itching to get his hands on Eddie more so than normal. The fact that the flight had been delayed was like rubbing salt in the wound. He just hoped deplaning and getting the baggage wouldn’t take too long. And while he didn’t drive like Eddie did, he was planning to go a little bit faster to get them back to their apartment sooner rather than later.

About ten minutes later, he saw the shadow of a familiar figure making its way through the arrivals corridor towards him. It rounded the corner, and there stood Eddie: looking every inch the rockstar sex god he showed to the world. He had developed an on-stage persona to play to the audience, which allowed him to separate a little from how he acted onstage to how he was normally. Onstage Eddie was more cocksure, ten times more brash, and he exaggerated his movements as he played and sang, really milking the sexy rockstar angle. The clothes he wore- tight black jeans, a tank top with a deep v-neck (or sometimes no shirt at all), combat boots, studded bracelets- and the way he carried himself fed into this, and the audience couldn’t get enough of it.

Eddie looked up and broke into a big grin as he saw Steve at the end of the corridor waiting for him. It wasn’t Onstage Eddie. It was His Eddie. Still sexy and brash, of course, but also nerdy; shy at times (which always surprised Steve when those times happened); in constant motion even when he was sitting down; and happy to stay in rather than going out and partying.

Steve stood up straight and gave him a little wave, immediately holding out his hand for Eddie’s suitcase as the distance between them closed. The Warlock was in its case across Eddie’s back, and Steve had learned very early on that only Eddie would carry his beloved guitar. “Good flight?” Steve asked as they fell into step, moving out of the airport and into the cold damp air of the Indiana night. “How was Salem?”

“Decent flight,” Eddie answered, brushing his hair away from his face. “Salem was nice. Kind of crowded, though. I want to go again. One day wasn’t enough to see everything.”

“Did you get a spell book?” Steve asked as they approached the Beemer. He opened the trunk and put the suitcase in, letting Eddie maneuver his guitar on top of it, before they both got in the car.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Eddie asked as he buckled up.

Steve shook his head, giving him a smirk as he started up the car. The radio came to life at the same time the engine did, the last few chords and lyrics of ‘Hazy Shade of Winter’ by The Bangles filling up the car. As Steve drove them out of the parking lot and down the road, INXS’ ‘Don’t Change’ came on.

Eddie smiled. “I actually don’t hate this song.”

Steve raised an eyebrow, putting on the windshield wipers as he turned onto the dark back road. “Really? I didn’t realize you listened to INXS.” It was beginning to drizzle, so he slowed down a little.

“Not usually,” he admitted. “Just this one song.” He turned his head to look at Steve, the orange glow of the passing street lights reflecting in his eyes as they drove. “It makes me think of you.” As if the radio heard him, the lyrics he was thinking of came on, and he couldn’t help singing along with Michael Hutchence:

Resolution of happiness, Things have been dark for too long. Don't change for you, Don't change a thing for me

Steve reached over and took Eddie’s hand in his, bringing it up to kiss the back of it. “You’re sweet.”

“You’re just saying that to get into my pants,” Eddie countered, sliding over a little. He kissed Steve’s wrist and took his hand back, sliding it up Steve’s arm and onto the nape of his neck. He used his nails to slide up the back of Steve’s head, feeling him shudder at the touch.

“Babe,” Steve breathed, adjusting in his seat. “I’m driving.”

“I know,” Eddie said, massaging the back of Steve’s scalp. He leaned in closer and kissed Steve’s neck. “You look so sexy. And I don’t know if I can wait until we get back home.” He placed his other hand on Steve’s inner thigh, mere inches from his dick. Steve gasped and gripped the steering wheel tightly.

“I’ve really missed you, Stevie,” Eddie purred, sliding his hand from Steve’s inner thigh to his bulge. He squeezed him lightly, his own moan echoing Steve’s at the feeling of his cock pulsing inside his jeans. “I want to taste you, baby.”

Steve groaned loudly, slowing down as he pulled the car over, the gravel crunching under the tires as he made his way off of the road. As soon as he put the car in ‘Park’, he undid his seatbelt, and pulled Eddie almost onto his lap to kiss him in one fluid motion.

Eddie smiled against Steve’s lips, fumbling for the seatbelt to unhook it. Once he did, he straddled Steve, kissing him hungrily, hips grinding against him. “God, fuck, I need you so badly.” he groaned.

“Me too,” Steve moaned, sliding his hands up into Eddie’s hair. He moved his leg and hit his knee on the steering wheel. “Ow,” he hissed.

“Backseat?” Eddie asked, almost breathless with desire.

“Backseat,” Steve agreed.

Both of them scrambled over the front seat and into the back, limbs tangling as they resituated in the backseat. Steve pulled Eddie back on his lap, hands sliding up the back of his shirt. The familiar feel of his skin and the muscles underneath made Steve gasp. “God, I missed the feel of you,” he said against Eddie’s mouth. “I missed your mouth, how you taste.”

“I missed you, too, baby,” Eddie moaned, breath catching in his throat as he rolled his hips, feeling Steve’s erection below his own. “I want all of you. Your taste, your smell, all of the sounds you make. The phone calls helped, but it wasn’t the same. How you sound in person? Fuck. It was all I could hear in my dreams.”

Steve tilted his head back, sliding down in the seat. The new position made Eddie loom over him, his hair falling around them. “I want to fuck you. I need you so much,” he rasped.

Eddie grinned, all teeth, as he resumed kissing Steve. His hands travelled between them, quickly undoing Steve’s belt and the button on his jeans. He unzipped him and gave his jeans a tug. Just enough to move them from his hips to the middle of his ass. It allowed his briefs to be pulled down, too, so Steve’s cock could be released from the cotton confines of the briefs.

Putting his thumb in his mouth, Eddie sucked on his finger pad. “Touch me, Steve,” he breathed.

Steve made short work of getting Eddie’s cock out of his jeans, too. Steve’s tip was wet, but Eddie’s was wetter, precum streaming out of him to drip down onto Steve’s lap. He let out a deep groan at the sight of his boyfriend’s cock, mouth watering at the image of wrapping his lips around it.

“Thought about you every night, Steve,” Eddie rasped, rubbing his wet thumb over the tip of Steve’s cock, making his hips jerk forward. He wrapped the rest of his hand around him and began stroking, the slick sounds of precum filling the car. “Thought about deep throating you, spreading your legs on the bed and fucking you hard into the mattress. Thought about cumming all over your face, having you lick all of it up and then beg me for more.” Steve let out a sharp gasp at this, eyes rolling back into his head.

“Thought about you too, Eds,” he managed, panting hard as Eddie stroked him and put all those pretty images in his mind. “Thought about eating you out from behind while I stroked your cock. Thought about you using your handcuffs on me to keep me in bed, fucking me over and over until we’re both spent.” As Steve spoke, he had also begun stroking Eddie.

“Stevie,” Eddie whimpered, closing his eyes as he bent forward, his forehead resting on Steve’s shoulder. “Oh fuck I’m so fucking close.”

“Me too,” Steve gasped. “I thought about you riding me, my hands gripping your hips as I fucked deep into you. Your cock was dripping all over me, and when you came, you covered my chest and stomach. And after I came deep inside you, I fingered you until you came again while you straddled my shoulders and your cock was deep in my throat. So I could get every drop you had to give me.”

“STEVE!” Eddie shouted, hips thrusting forward as he came hard, the loud groan turning into a whine. “Oh my Go-o-o-od!”

The sight and sounds Eddie made meant Steve followed with his own orgasm no less than ten seconds later. He repeated Eddie’s name over and over before he kissed him hard, still feeling himself pulsing for a good minute afterwards.

Eddie caught his breath first, giving a few breathy chuckles as he pushed his hair out of his face. The back of his neck was sweaty, his cheeks were flushed and his throat was raw. “That was so fucking hot!” he exclaimed.

“Mmm,” Steve hummed in agreement, blindly reaching with his free hand for the hand towel he kept in the back of the front seat. Ostensibly, it was to get rid of condensation on the windows, which he did use it for: they had steamed the car up something fierce. It was also a good way for them to quickly clean up.

Eddie kissed him hard before he threw himself to the right, extricating himself from Steve’s lap so he could catch his breath and get his pants back up. He watched as Steve did the same, cheeks ruddy and mouth wet as he got himself together. “Let’s shower together when we get home,” he said, reaching out to run his hand up Steve’s arm.

“Yes,” Steve breathed, leaning over to kiss Eddie on the mouth. “I want to fuck you on the stairs before I eat you out in the shower.” He gave Eddie’s lower lip a quick bite before pulling away. With a grunt, he pulled himself back into the driver’s seat, getting himself situated once more.

Meanwhile, in the backseat, Eddie watched Steve, wondering how he’d gotten so lucky to deserve him. His sweet, handsome, surprisingly kinky partner. He zipped his own jeans up and moved back to the passenger seat. “Sounds like you’ve had this planned, huh?”

Steve gave him a smirk as he put the car back in Drive and started off down the road. “I guess you’ll just have to find out when we get back to the house.”

“It wasn’t a spell book,” Eddie said abruptly.

“What?” Steve asked, confused until their earlier conversation came back to him. “Oh. What was it?”

Eddie didn’t immediately answer. It was only when they were at a red light, about two miles from home that he finally said, “It was two rings.”

Steve bodily turned to look at Eddie, eyes wide and shining at the implications of this purchase. “Eddie,” he breathed.

Eddie leaned over and kissed Steve on the lips. “Get us home, big boy, and I’ll give you one of them.”

Steve seemed at a loss for words until Eddie kissed him again. “However far away,” he sang-spoke quietly, “I will always love you.”

“However long I stay,” Steve responded, also sing-speaking, voice thick with emotion, “I will always love you.” He kissed Eddie once more and then leaned back, wiping his eyes. “Since when do you listen to The Cure?”

“Not usually,” Eddie answered, watching as Steve continued the drive back to their house. As he parked in the driveway, Eddie continued, “Just this one song. It makes me think of you.”

[ofmdrecaps]

9/10-17/2024 Daily OFMD Recap Pt 3

TLDR; David Fane; Lindsey Cantrell; Nat Torres; Damien Gerard; Dominic Burgess; Fan Events: OFMD Rewind; S2 Trailer (Because the Night, Belongs to lovers); Trends; Fan Spotlight: Relax I'm From The Future; OFMD Colouring Pages/Paper Pete; Love Notes;

Part 1 / Part 2

== David Fane ==

David is teaching at ICAN International! Check them out on their website!

"ICAN’s focus is to help create opportunities in work force development, build infrastructure and establish placement goals by amplifying training with extensive ongoing master classes, by bridging connections beyond Hawaii." More videos on the Repo

Source: David Fane's Instagram Stories

== Lindsey Cantrell ==

Our beloved set designer, Lindsey Cantrell has so much going on too right now! Did you know she's going to be at Comic Con LA! Our friend petrichor (aka gheyandwoke on twitter) is spreading the word about the OFMD Panel happening Oct 6, 1 PM PST featuring none other then Linds Cantrell!

Source: GheyandWork on Twitter Oh and in case you are a fan of Only Murders In The Building, it just won an Emmy for Outstanding Music Composition For A Series! This was another great show she worked on and if you'd like to check out some BTS/other things she shared for it, feel free to visit here!

Source: Lindsey Cantrell's Instagram

== Nat Torres ==

One of our fabulous writers, Nat Torres making a quick appearance.

Source: Nat Torres Instagram Stories

== Damien Gerard ==

Damien, our dear Father Teach has some WONDERFUL NEWS. Five Years Clear of Cancer! Congrats sir!

Source: Damien's Twitter

In other news, he's on Dragon Age: Vows of Vengeance Episode 1! Listen in if you're interested!

Source: Damien's twitter

== Dominic Burgess ==

Dominic, (aka Jeffrey Fettering) keeping up with the current events!

Source: Dominic Burgess Twitter

== Fan Events ==

OFMD Rewind Eps 5-8 with @adoptourcrew and @astroglideofficial is happening tomorrow, 09/19/24! Did you miss out on the fun on twitter on the 12th, or just don't have access to twitter? No problem! You can see the whole thread here on the repo.

"Join us and @astroglideofficial for our rewatch of Episodes 1-4 of S1 of #OurFlagMeansDeath! We’ll see you on Twitter at 2:30PM PDT to talk it through…as a crew 🏴‍☠️ #LubeAsACrew#OFMDRewind#ofmd"

Source: AdoptOurCrew's Instagram

== S2 Trailer Anniversary ==

Adopt Our Crew lead the charge with the S2 Trailer "Because The Night Belongs To Lovers" S2 Trailer, anniversary on Sept 14th! They asked some fun questions to boost engagement! Feel free to reach out to them to answer any of the questions! Don't know which trailer we're talking about? Check it out below!

Source: Adopt Our Crew Twitter

Source: Adopt Our Crew Twitter

== Trends ==

Oh and great job everyone, looks like some great trends on twitter from the 14th!!

Source: Politest Menace's Twitter

Source: AOC's Twitter

== Fan Spotlight ==

= Relax I'm From The Future! =

So this is VERY late because of my delays but I was given permission by the fabulous @citrussyndicate and all folks involved to share this phenomenal Relax I'm From The Future Cosplay w/Rhys! Thank you so much for allowing me to share this, it's so cool!

Source: @ CitrusSyndicate's Twitter

== OFMD Colouring Pages / Paper Pete! ==

Our fantastic friend @patchworkpiratebear is back with more colouring pages, and something new and exciting-- Paper Pete! These were all done as part of the @ofmdaction event, and they are awesome!

Source: Patchwork Piratebear's Twitter

== Love Notes ==

Hey there lovelies. Gosh, I can't believe it's been a week. I have to give it up to the ofmd fan crew cause they do week long reports and oh my god is it exhausting. I tip my hat to you lovely folks for all the work you did for so long with weeklong updates. Tonight, I wish I had more in me so I could properly express myself. I am so very grateful for all of you wonderful crewmates who have been patient, and kind and supportive over the past week to me. It's been a lot, and I try to keep people up to date, but I also try not to go too crazy cause it's a lots of heavy stuff going on (not just with me, with everyone on a personal level, with the world, etc), so whether you left passing hugs, or a kind word, I just want you to know you are so very incredibly appreciated and it means so much to me. So please accept so many hugs coming your way from me, and some ghostly forehead kisses.

Sometimes life hits us with some of the absolute craziest shit, and you know what helps get us through it? Each other. A hug, or a kind word makes a world of difference. Someone checking on you, or reminding you to drink water, it can honestly save someone's life/sanity and it kept me going this week. So please know that you make such an amazing difference, in my life and so many others. <3

But also, please remember. if you need support too, reach out, I know sometimes it's hard to ask for help, but we're here for you <3. We only have this one life, and there's no use going through it alone. Love you so much crew, thank you again for being such a wonderful group of kind hearted, compassionate folks. I am so honored to know so many of you <3.

Source: The Latest Kate's Tumblr

Source: BloomWithChristie Instagram

[korstudying]

Day 21 || Full study plan

Looking back on a Fascinating Journey of Korean Grammar Marvels! 🇰🇷✨

Greetings, awesome people! 🌟 Are you excited to look back on everything we've done this week? Get ready to unlock these linguistic treasures that breathe life into our conversations with intrigue and depth. 🎉📚 Here's an array of examples to test yourself once again:

1. -을 테니까 - Because I Will [Do Something], [Reason/Result]

1.1. I'll study hard because I want to pass the exam. 1.2. I'll clean the house because guests are coming. 1.3. I'll save money because I plan to travel next year. 1.4. I'll practice diligently because I want to improve. 1.5. I'll start exercising because I want to be healthy.

2. -느라고 - Because of [Something], [Result/Action]

2.1. Because of the rain, I couldn't go for a walk. 2.2. Because of a headache, I couldn't attend the party. 2.3. Because of the traffic, I arrived late at work. 2.4. Because of a flat tire, he missed the appointment. 2.5. Because of the noise, I couldn't concentrate on my work.

3. -를 지경이다 - [Extreme Result] to the Point of [Situation]

3.1. I was exhausted to the point of collapsing. 3.2. The movie was hilarious to the point of tears. 3.3. The traffic jam was frustrating to the point of rage. 3.4. The dish was spicy to the point of sweating. 3.5. The music was beautiful to the point of giving me chills.

4. -는바람에 - Due to [Something], [Result] Happened

4.1. Due to the rain, the picnic was canceled. 4.2. Due to the delay, I missed the bus. 4.3. Due to the mistake, the project was delayed. 4.4. Due to the accident, the road was closed. 4.5. Due to the shortage, the product was out of stock.

5. -아/어/여서라도 - Even If I Have to [Do Something], [Purpose]

5.1. Even if I have to wake up early, I want to see the sunrise. 5.2. Even if I have to walk, I'll make it to the concert. 5.3. Even if I have to study all night, I'll pass the exam. 5.4. Even if I have to save money, I'll travel to a new country. 5.5. Even if I have to wait, I want to meet my friend.

6. -아/어/여야 할지도 모르다 - Might Have to [Do Something]

6.1. I might have to ask for help to solve this problem. 6.2. I might have to change my plans if the weather doesn't improve. 6.3. I might have to stay up late to finish the assignment. 6.4. I might have to leave early to catch the train. 6.5. I might have to make compromises to reach a solution.

Let's not forget to also look back at the past grammar points ✨ If you have questions or crave more examples, feel free to reach out. Happy learning and exploring, fellow student! 🌈📖💬

[justanotherpersonsuniverse]

Hey Cap!! (DISCLAIMER I WENT ON A SCOTS HISTORY RAMBLE IN THIS FOR IDEAS FOR ANARKA'S ANCESTRY I'M SO SORRY)

OKOKOK so I'm sending a follow up ask cause you gave so much information in the last one (it's awesome)

ok! so. Badass that you read Powers of invisibility, you're so real for that but I get going back and editing stuff to make it less similar, my worst fear is being accused of intellectual property theft fr

I DIDN'T KNOW THE TOXIC LADYNOIRE YURI HINT WASN'T PLANNED!! OMG. this is insane the power of prophecy hit you.

I absolutely do enjoy how you've written Adrien. He's a difficult character to plan for when he doesn't have a miraculous but I think you hit it perfectly for him still being relevant to the plot (main villains son) but not overtaking it (now more a tertiary character).

hmm, i can accept question 3's answer but it doesn't mean i have to like it! Fu is a wonderful character in this because as you learn more and actually look at his motivations he's not some irredeemable guy but he's still not likeable because of how he goes about things now. Complex characters are so much more interesting than flat cliches though so I love it.

question 4; I forgot about that!! I didn't know she had a Scottish flag, that's awesome fr.

On that subject of Anarka's origins about how Luka has his magical hearing and Juleka has her evil sight (terrible name) my immediate first thought was you could have her be related to someone like William Wallace because of how much Blind Harry mythologised him and made him seem better than human.

sorry i actually studied this last year i'll give a brief explanation for William Wallace.

So, during the 1200s Scotland had a succession crisis - known as the Great Cause - because Alexander III King of Scotland died without any available heirs. Alexander III first wife - Margret of England - was the sister of Edward I King of England, so the two were brothers in law and were documented to be close.

This was a huge issue as Scotland had no official laws for how to proceed in this, as the last time this happened people basically just faced each other in battle to prove their prowess.

Due to their relationship, Edward I was trusted to be the arbiter for the succession crisis. However, England had had it's eyes on Scotland for centuries at this point so to make a long story short he interfered both by increasing the number of candidates, delaying meetings, and declaring he was overlord of Scotland which basically made him high king and in charge of everything while he took his time deciding who to crown.

So Longshanks over there prolly shouldn't have been trusted.

Eventually, John Baliol was chosen because of primogeniture and because Edward I was very good at manipulating him. So, despite Scotland now having a King, Edward forced Baliol to kneel and swear fealty to him after he'd been crowned so Scotland was just independent in name. Many noble families were forced to sign the Ragman Roll and attach their seals so they could not rebel against English rule without being punished. This pissed off nearly everyone in Scotland aside from a choice few English Allies.

However, someone's name was not on this list. Care to guess who? Yep, William Wallace. By pure chance of not being the first son, and his family not being particularly notable he was able to rebel without violating any fealties. His legend largely comes from his victory in the battle of Sterling Bridge, where they won a huge victory over the english despite being outmatched at every turn due to using the landscape to their advantage. After this battle he famously flayed the Hugh De Cressingham and made a sword belt from his skin. Cressingham had been appointed as Scotland's official treasurer but was just some English bastard who stole money from both sides. Before this he was well known as a brigand and fought under Baliol's banner while the King was trapped in london.

Wallace was appointed Guardian of Scotland afterwards which was a position designed to be shared but he was the sole holder of it.

eventually he was captured by Edward and, uh, pulled apart by five horses and his head was stuck on a pike on london bridge which made him more of a martyr than anything.

I'M SO SORRY THIS ISN'T BRIEF YOU DON'T HAVE TO READ ALL THAT I JUST REALLY LIKE THE SCOTTISH WARS OF INDEPENDENCE. I THOUGHT I'D KEPT THINGS BRIEF. I'VE NOT EVEN SPOKEN ABOUT ROBERT BRUCE.

William Wallace was kinda raised to a like higher point of standing because of how he lived and died he became this legendary figure who's all distorted so it's actually really hard to find accurate information on him. but it could be cool to lean into the mythology side of things and have his family be connected? Or druids. though for that you'd have to go allll the way back to when Boudica was, funnily enough, fighting for Scottish independence from the Romans. Luckily for you I didn't study the Druids I just know that while the Romans were off wiping out the Druids Boudica went on a rampage across Britain. She's super cool too tbh.

why are we always fighting for independece. I'm doing it rn too politically wise literally just let us be free fr.

Anyway. you could totally tie this sort of power into scottish history stuff what with how much fucking nonsense we've been through powers for knowing who to trust and understanding their character would make sense

i am so sorry i didn't mean to talk about all this I keep contemplating deleting it but it was too much fun to write and accurate context and information for William Wallace is frustrating to come by so it's a helpful start if you go that route?

ANYWAY!!!

I knew I wasn't crazy! I was like "i could've sworn she saw Luka on tv and his leg got crushed..." I did download a recent version for this readthrough but I think I've an old version? yeah i just checked, I've got one from 2022 (wtf) sat in my files for fics, I agree that it makes more sense for her to find out in person but I never thought it was too weird that she saw him on the telly :3

Question 5: Ooo this is really cool and also makes sense. Wait I just realised I've never thought too hard about how Marinette would react to her kitty being Juleka. Why tf did I not- Oh it's cause Juleka does know. Glamour fuckery is fun though, it's frustrating because the character is having difficulties with it not because the reader already knows the answer. Which is not pulled off well in some fics or even the show, so I applaud you for that :3. Rena and Panthera trying to figure each other out is always super fun btw i love any of those scenes

Question 6: waitwaitwait I didn't realise they were actual proper in love with each other hang on. this is a paradigm shift. this will change how i read their relationship hang on. It makes. so much sense. I just hadn't read it like that cause they have their whole other relationships going on? silly me thinking a character couldn't love multiple characters in different ways. This genuinely shifts how I see their shit and I will bring it up in future I thank thee Cap for sharing.

I WILL ALWAYS LOVE HOW THEY REACT SO DIFFERENTLY CAP. I WILL BRING IT UP MORE WHEN THERE'S A GOOD EXAMPLE BUT TRUST ME IT'S FANTASTIC AND IS ALWAYS THERE IN AN UNDERCURRENT.

-

tax evasion for the fuckign win lets goooo. Hang on what? It looks expensive. 12 QUID A KILOGRAM AT TESCOS?? i mean it's not cheap as fuck but it's no the luxury price i was expecting wtf? Plagg absolutely would want like the A5 wagyu equivalent of camembert tho so it doesn't matter

Question 7: Oooo, very fun, very cool. I can't imagine Juleka would ever realise her nails are stronger. the only way she'd find out is like. never breaking a nail while opening a can of juice (sorry, soda is the american term (i think your american?)) i suppose?

LITERALLY THO LIKE THAT'S INSANE AND WE JUST. MOVE PAST IT??? I'm so mad I might change it for my own ml au. It's basically a whole ass revamp at this rate anyway, why not change the iconic first appearance of ye ol' butterfly face?

Question 8: AAA nah that's so fucking tragic, glamour messing with people's emotions C 2020 fr. Rose's POV would be wild. She'd be over there thinking Panthera is familiar and her feelings developing as she like. internally notes the same things about Juleka- gah. Power of love not being enough goes crazy fr though

ofc i still enjoy the first chapters :3 I may have kept going on about looking forward to things but the chapters themselves are fantabulous when alone

totally get hating to reread old stuff though, i've not got as many old scenes for writing but by god can it be painful to look at old art lmao.

YAYYY SCOTTISH HISTORY YIPEEE!!!

This was fun to read dude thank you, your kind commentary always has me hyped to write more

[d0d0-b0i]

deltarune thoughts

omg. omg. OMG. i honestly have no words (lie. i have many). when playing the chapters, its abundantly clear as to why it took 4 years to make. THE MINIGAMES?? FIGHTS? ALL OF IT!!!!!!!!!!!!??!?

im going to have to replay much because, like always, my mentality follows gaming george, and i manage to proceed in the right direction even when i dont want to.

chapter 3:

tenna was an awesome antagonist. i dont have much else to say! very sympathetic character, makes me incredibly glad i still have a tv with shows i never asked for because it is a better experience to have in the living room than youtube (imo).

i absolutely loved how alive every single character felt! susie and ralsei having their distinct playstyles of gaming every once in a while vs. has never touched a controller made me want to watch their hypothetical twitch streams rather than play the game myself. loved the music band minigame, not a huge fan of the cooking one but i feel thats the point (i did end up tanking the flames for the most part)

still disappointed toriel was unconsious the whole time but the rest more than makes up for my diappointment! UNDYNE !!!!!! TTOTT ong we r gonna save your ass you need to be lesbians with alphys NOW!

absolutely loved the conversations and susie starting to take more charge when it comes to narrative decisions. ralsei has my heart. i have kris' heart, so i mainly feel bad for them.

chapter 4:

O.M.G. i didnt realize entering and touching dess' guitar would immediately shift the gameplay, so i missed out a few things a replay will fix. absolutely chilling, my heart (real) was pounding as i moved the heart (game) around the vents trying to avoid kris. GAAAHHHHHHHH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i just loved it !! i wouldve let susie and noelle flirt more when the breakers broke, but i also felt like being a little shit. i wonder what happens if i dont move around?

carol scares me. shes for sure in cahoots with the knight, or at least knows something we do not (duh).

speaking of...... it might be a red herring, but i really hope it is dess thats the knight. (also HAHA to all of you who thought kris was the knight XD) the horns..........(i wonder if its a gaster thing or a staying in the dark world too long thing to be so freaky and goopy...) i will say the silhouette /does/ really look like papyrus but im still just kinda shook at the titan fight. so fucking freaky absolutely loved it !!!!!!! i didnt find a secret boss or anything mainly cus i was lowkey speeeding through the game to see most of everything, but i know theres one in chapter 3. gerson i love you <3

generally:

ralseis moral conundrum of being plastic horns but also very much being a person is so interesting! i mainly feel bad for him. i wonder if the prophecy we didnt get to see is kris closing all the fountains, effectively killing him and lancer and the rest..? either that, or all three of them sacrificing themselves. idk. personally i want the roaring to happen cus i know that shit is gonna look cool as fuck. has to happen right after asriel comes home though.

i will acknowledge soriel here. it has been acknowledged. (i agree with kris here)

i wonder if kris even wants to do the stuff theyre doing. they seem to be honorbound in some way to gaster or whoevers on the other side of the phone. loved seeing them shine through on our actions these two chapters as well! their piano solo was incredibly touching, and i adore that we can see that they really like susie and ralsei. they were referred to as a cage in the prophecy... we might be a bad guy? makes me wonder if the roaring is a naturally occurring thing like solar flares, and we are delaying the inevitable while the knight is trying to bring it along faster.

also but damn lesbians move quickly. susie and noelle have only properly talked to eachother for two days and already acting like theyve been in love for years (this might be true for noelle, but i dont think susie ever noticed that her mercy mightve been due to something else). cute!

last thing. FUCK that fight with the jack-o-lantern. that shit took more tries than my fight with the titan (1st try vs like 8th try.) infuriating that you needed to fight it for climbing gear smh

[rukimakino-heirofheart]

ZUN's Music Collection vol. 10: Mugen Noh of Tanabatazaka ~ Taboo Japan Disentanglement.

Getting a new Hifuu CD after so long is extremely exciting, especially when the cover looks like this (Maribel's design getting ever so slightly closer to her completed Yukari appearance) and especially when one of the arranged tracks is fucking AoCF Necrofantasia. The CD was fully uploaded and translated within 24 hours of the Reitaisai release — never change, RenMerry shippers — so I immediately went to check it out.

Track 1: Dawn Breaks on Tanabatazaka (Original)

Not very much to say about this one other than that it's nice and the soft instrumentation lends it an interesting tone.

Track 2: Tinkerbell of Inequality (Original)

Surprisingly heavy percussion and bass here. Unlike the minimalist Fires of Hokkai, though, this track has a complex "mechanical"-sounding drumline that feels more like something you'd hear out of Len'en. I like this a lot.

Track 3: Does the Forbidden Door Lead to This World, or the World Beyond? (HSiFS)

A hard downgrade over the original. I get what ZUN was going for — stage-1-ifying the song makes it more of a tonal fit with the album — but making it less punchy and softening the drums in the mix makes it sound kind of generic.

Track 4: Smoking Dragon (UM)

Mostly the same as the original but with a key change and a more complicated piano harmony. Not much to write home about.

Track 5: Mugen Noh ~ Taboo Marionette (Original)

ZUN rarely writes in 3/4, so this was pretty surprising. I like this a lot; the mood is tranquil but with plenty of drive at the core, and its instrumentation gives it DiPP/PCB-era vibes while still being unmistakably modern Touhou.

Track 6: Crazy Backup Dancers (HSiFS)

Woah. I like this a lot better than the original from HSiFS, the updated arrangement does a great deal here and the new section in the second half makes the track as a whole a hell of a lot less annoying.

Track 7: Yorimashi Between Dreams and Reality ~ Necro-Fantasia (AoCF)

Opening right off the bat with an original intro (is that 12-string guitar(?) patch a new instrument???), the long-awaited AoCF cover sounds fucking awesome in the newer style! Cutting down the mix to just the ZUNpet and one or two other patches for percussion texture is a fun technique and it's cool to see it deployed so well here. My only real complaint is that it feels like it should be longer.

Track 8: The Lonely Road of Hitachi (Original)

3/4 swing melody over an unswung 3/4 beat (with occasional 4-tuplets?), neat. The heavy arpeggio delay on the piano gives the track an "asynchronized" feeling that I like a lot.

Track 9: The Lamentations Known Only by Jizo (WBaWC)

The addition of the choir layer is a good choice imo, and the tone overall is more melancholic which fits its context in this album. Feels a bit space-filler-y but it's still solid.

Track 10: The Concealed Four Seasons (HSiFS)

This sounds pretty much the same as the original. Don't get me wrong, the original was a good song (if atypical for a stage 6 boss), but it's kind of disappointing that the arrange isn't very distinctive.

Track 11: Ghosts Exist Even When It's Not Night (Original)

A slowly-building staff roll-ish track that works nicely to cap off the album. I like it.

Overall thoughts & story

Eight years since the last Hifuu CD, ZUN still has it. The worst it ever gets is "well that was disappointing" and the best it gets is fresh and exciting. The story is an interesting development while leaving plenty of room for future exploration — it explicitly connects the shared features of Okina and Yukari's abilities to Merry's use of time travel in CoSD, for one thing — and the choice to include Okina's narration stands out and has me curious what volume 11 is going to be like.

9/10 definitely worth it.

[mysteryandnonstopfun]

content creator tag game

I was tagged by @willsilvertongue back in 2021 to play this awesome game. I am probably very delayed in doing it, but here we are ˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ RULES: answer the questions and then tag 10+ other creators to answer the questions!  first creation and most recent creation of 2020: To make this more interesting, here is my first gif set of 2020 and here is my last current gifset. I have improved, but I'm never going to let go of Swanfire. one of your favourite creations from 2020: Back in 2020, I felt that I had nailed it with this one, especially the typography part, but now that I take a look, it could have been better. Special mention to this one a creation you’re really proud of: This one has a special place in my heart. That's why it's my current header. a new style you tried this year and a gifset that uses it: I'm not proud, but I was really into the saturation settings; they were cool back in the day, okay? A lot of my gifsets had them. My favorites were this, this, this, this and this. Special mention to this one because swanfire

your favourite colouring: I used to be the worst at coloring, but from time to time I did a good job. How? I'm not sure; I'm always playing around with Photoshop. Loved this, this, this this this this and this. Spacial mention to this because swanfire, it always swanfire with me.

a creation that took you forever: I'm the most chaotic creator you will ever meet, so most things take me forever. A few examples are all of the ones for Swanfire Week because I love my babies and always want to do my best, but I don't always nail it. Example 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and i could keep going but let's keep at it. your creation from 2020 that received the most notes: my cuties. It was probably a case of timing a creation you think deserved more notes: I think all of them had the right amount of notes. Of course, I wish all of them had more, but it's okay a creation with a favourite scene/quote: Fun fact: the other day I was talking with @wehavegotthedreamersdisease about this quote and how I made a gif set with it a long time ago. It's funny how things come back to you in weird ways. Also I needed to do this one. a new fandom you joined and a creation you made for it: That was the year I got into Astro, and my favorite edit I have done for them is this one. a creation you made that breaks your heart: The first time I decided to gif Bealfire's death, I was crying the whole time I did it. It was kind of therapeutic. a ‘simple’ creation that you really love: Probably this one a creation that was inspired by another one (add both your creation and the one that inspired it!): I loved the quote and i had to use it. the inspo / my edit a favourite creation created by someone else: I love everything made by these awesome girls @elphabasthropp @odjnsons @doontpanic @neverfindmegone @heatherfield some of your favourite content creators from the year:  2020 was way too long ago; but I'm sure all the people above

I'm not going to tag anyone to do it because I know it’s kind of late, but maybe if you want to do it for 2024, it would be awesome— but don't feel pressured.

Let's normalize answering messages years later.

[leche-flandom]

It's been quite a week

Well, quite a summer. I just looked at my docs and saw that I haven't opened any of them since May 😭

My BIL, his girlfriend, and his 3 kids came for a visit from the Midwest. They were supposed to visit last year, but when our banyo repairs were delayed BIL decided to postpone the trip by a whole year to avoid staying with their dad. Grandpa Asshole is universally viewed as an unpleasant, racist, and sexist manchild. My husband would have gone no contact a long time ago except he wants to keep a relationship with his stepmom.

It was awesome seeing my kid have fun with her cousins, despite all the noise. She sometimes wishes she had siblings and I just tell her one day we'll get a cat 😹 And the new girlfriend is nice too. We spent a long time chatting about Agents of SHIELD, which she first watched 4 years ago and has watched about 7 times since. I'm afraid to get too attached to her though, because she keeps hinting very unsubtly that she wants to get married and my BIL is now a commitment-phobe. Although I disagree with her pressuring him to the altar, I do think that my BIL is the type of guy who needs a woman to keep him from falling apart. Really, his actual offspring should be enough motivation but eh...

Grandpa Asshole was annoyed/confused that his grandkids didn't respond well to his antics. We don't know why he thought he could have an automatic relationship with grandchildren he can't bother to visit because he prioritizes his golf and tennis schedules higher (he's not a pro or anything, just retired with lots of free time). He made my daughter cry because she wouldn't smile for a picture, and he picked her up and swung her to cajole her into a better mood. My kid absolutely hates being maneuvered against her will. I think it's because she's little like me, so lots of people think she's younger than she is and treat her like a baby to pick up all the time. So that was the first loud kerfuffle.

And then one of her cousins, who is on the autism spectrum, had a meltdown on a trip to a farm. BIL took the cousin away from the animals and to the parked car so he could calm him down, and Grandpa Asshole followed them to yell at the poor kid over BIL's shoulder, saying something like "If you don't stop crying nobody's gonna have fun!" I wasn't there, thank god (because I made up a doctor's appointment to avoid spending time with Grandpa Asshole) or I would have lost it. BIL is a dickhead in many ways, but I have to hand it to him for not reacting with his usual temper. Instead of yelling back at Grandpa Asshole, BIL just told him that he wasn't helping and told him to go away. I guess BIL is slowly but surely maturing. Later, Grandpa Asshole had the nerve to expect hugs from everyone. As the youngins would say: bruh.

Now that they're gone, all the stress-inducing obstacles are over with and we have a month left of just regular summer vacation. The husband has hinted that maybe I should organize a vacation for just the three of us before school starts, but I'm just too exhausted so I hope he forgets.

Now back to my regularly scheduled fanfic rereadings, lol.

[katanadepapel]

-At the lair, Donatello, Raphael, Michelangelo and Casey Jones with their mask and hood on their heads, are on the couch watching TV, while Leo and April are at the dojo training with Splinter, Naomi arrives, as always, super excited.

"Hey guys! I arrived! Man, you won't believe what I saw on the way here, there was a guy taking a taxi wearing a Mighty Guy cosplay, that's it, the figure was stupid, he had bushy eyebrows and a bizarre, identical haircut! Identical to him!"

"Is that what Nigame is doing here?" Raph comments, pointing at Mikey.

"I prefer Rock Lee!" - Says Mikey with a mouth full of pizza.

"Mixed with Naruto, right Mikey, preferably in the stomach!" Donnie replies, while playing with his cell phone.

*Everyone laughs*

"Slander! I'm not hungry!" Mikey retorts, taking a box of pizza for him to eat alone in front of the TV.

Everyone looks at Mikey, Casey laughingly takes off his hood, and Naomi notices him with furrowed eyebrows.

"Speaking of which. Raph, shouldn't Jason be at Camp Crystal Lake?" Naomi asks, looking at Casey with his personalized hockey mask.

She sits next to Raphael, who was reading a comic book, he lets out a sigh and introduces the two.

"Nami, this is Casey! Casey, this is Naomi!"

An exchange of "wide-eyed" looks between Naomi and Casey and a silence invades the place, Raph, Donnie and Mikey are confused without understanding anything of what is happening.

"Casey... Cas-... I don't believe it! Case?! CASEY JONES?!" Naomi shouts, who gets up quickly.

"Wow, you're a good guest Nami, how are you..."

"Nami? Naomi Mendes? Is that you?" Casey interrupts Mikey, and is very surprised and happy, he takes off his mask and also stands up.

They both run and hug each other, Casey Jones spins Nami in the air, having met again after 4 years without seeing each other, they were excited and talking a lot, Raphael, Donnie and Mikey look at each other even more confused by the situation.

Upon hearing the screams, Leo, April and Splinter leave the dojo apprehensive. Upon seeing their friends' embrace, a wave of jealousy falls over Leo, who approaches without delay.

"Do you already know each other?" Donnie asks, surprised.

"Yeah Nami, I didn't know you and CASEY were so 'close'!" Leo says, disguising it with a small smile, and looking at Casey so deeply that the poor guy let go of Naomi and walked away immediately.

"But of course Leo! We were neighbors! I met Casey when I was 11 years old! I had just arrived in New York with my father and stepmother!"

"At that time I was about 12 years old when I saw them packing the moving boxes, I met her when my father and I helped them with the boxes and how we are 'down to earth', It was really easy to be friends."

"Yeah, are you still skating? We slay in skating before. Well, how are your parents and little sister? You disappeared 4 years ago without giving any news!" asks Naomi.

"Well... yes, i still skate!And... they're fine! In these 3 years we moved to a new apartment and now Angel is 6 years old!"

"Wow, how fast, well, my little brother Thomas turned 5 last week!"

"Wow! 5 years, awesome! Well, you could go to the house one of these days with your family, I know Angel would love Thomas, she loves visits and making new friends, my father would also love seeing you again."

"Really? Cool! I think it's a great idea!"

While Naomi and Casey were there, everyone noticed Leo's closed and sullen face that never changed, he stared at them both so much that deep down, he wanted to stop it right away, but he didn't do anything to not ruin the moment of their "reunion". , and also to avoid being compared to Raphael and being mocked after being jealous, but it seems like it didn't help, and the only thing Leo had in mind was 'Casey and I will have a talk later'.

.... poor Jones.

[hylianengineer]

Fic rec friday

This is a weekly event, 5 fanfic recommendations per week. It was supposed to be stuff I've read recently but I fell down the rabbithole that is my bookmarks page so that's been delayed for a bit. If anyone wants recs for a specific fandom, let me know, my AO3 bookmarks are formidably extensive.

Hazel's Hair by Vikingfangirl23

Hazel is spending her 16th summer at the Chase Space in Boston. A regular visit with Blitz at his shop turns into a hairstyling extravaganza which turns into deeper exploration of her past and how she wants to move past it. With a little help from T.J., Frank, and Nico, she begins to see herself as more than the girl who cheated death. (Featuring happy, peaceful days at the Chase Space and cameos by Samirah, Alex, Magnus, Hearth.)

Hazel is my underappreciated Beloved and this fic is so insanely awesome. Slice of life, warm and happy and life-affirming.

2. That's What Friends Do by PuzzledPegasus

Leo is a touch/affection starved lil baby and also Jason kind of platonically seduces him a lot idk how else to describe it lmaoo Anyway this is just Jason finding out Leo is a lil bit touch starved and he snuggles him and its so nice :3

If you know me, you know I adore fics about gratuitous cuddling, especially platonically. This is that. Enjoy.

3. feeding the hearth by grainjew

Percy, Chiron, the joy of teaching, and happily ever afters. Percy took a deep breath. "I really, really like teaching, I think. Well, obviously I don't mind it, or I wouldn't have taken over all the swordfighting classes let alone be in the process of fixing how we teach canoeing and setting up swim classes for the new campers, but... making sure these kids can survive, giving them something to come back home to... it's so much more rewarding than finishing a quest."

Future fic about Percy becoming a teacher at Camp Half-Blood. It's so so fluffy and hopeful and awesome and it makes me want to CRY.

4. Being Us by HonorH

Starting with the three days in the infirmary, Nico di Angelo learns to heal as he and Will Solace negotiate their relationship, discovering how two people so unlike each other can become "Us."

This is a very, very long series and it might be my favorite Percy Jackson fic Of All Time. It's got worldbuilding like crazy, explores Nico's child of Hades powers in-depth, and features an ensemble cast of demigods focusing on the Apollo Cabin. It will make you laugh and cry and everything in between. I am deeply, deeply invested in some of the original demigod characters in this fic even years after reading it. It haunts me.

5. Staccato by decayaslife

The first time Nico hears Italian in the camp infirmary he nearly impales himself on the scalpel in his hand. Once the shock wears off he discovers that not only are the Apollo kids proficient in the language of music, they’re also all horrible gossips. In which Will shamelessly pines behind a perceived language barrier and Nico just lets him.

I am such a sucker for language barriers (real or perceived) and this fic delivers. Pining, humor, and a happy ending.

[anoray]

Ahsoka trailer

I’m late to the table with my two cents on the official Ahsoka trailer, but here are my thoughts:

1. Glad we’re getting Lars Mikkelsen back as Thrawn. I’m very curious to see what has been going on with the grand admiral all these years, how it ties into what we’ve seen on the Mandalorian, plus what happened to Ezra, of course. In a nutshell, why has it taken so long for the search for Ezra to happen when the war ended years ago?

2. Speaking of Ezra, Eman Esfandi seems like perfect casting for his character. Like many others, I think it is likely that Ezra and Thrawn won’t come into active play until later in the season.

3. Live action purrgil, yay! From what I can see, the creatures look awesome! Same goes for the Loth-cats :)

4. Natasha Liu Bordizzo appears to be a perfect choice for Sabine. I’m not quite as content with the look or sound of Hera thus far, but that could totally change once the series begins. After all, Vanessa Marshall’s voice is a very hard act to follow. (But why do the distinctive tattoos on Hera’s lekku seem so muted?)

5. I have no idea yet what to think about the non-Sith/non-Jedi Force user villains and mystery Inquisitor. Gonna just stay neutral on them for now.

6. I am intrigued by what type of Legends material might be interlaced into the series. Not that I’ve actually read much from Legends, but there sure is a wealth of imaginative stuff on Wookieepedia. 

7. I will be very surprised and rather ticked off if they actually give Sabine Force powers. How could Kanan and Ezra not sense that ability in her if it existed all those years, especially when Kanan trained her with the Darksaber? I do recall the Bendu was lurking around during that episode, but I think it had more to do with Kanan and Ezra learning lessons themselves as they taught Sabine, not because she is Force sensitive. Anyway, my bet is that Ahsoka simply trained Sabine on how to use Ezra’s lightsaber like Kanan did with the Darksaber due to all the rising threats.

8. I’m pretty sure we’ll get at least some Zeb, not sure about Kallus.

9. If Hondo is going to show up, they’re keeping a tight lid on it. 

10. We already know Jacen will appear, huzzah, and I’m 100% sure he is Force sensitive like his poppa. Perhaps Huyang is involved with training Jacen as part of his involvement in the story? I’m super curious about how all this will be handled and what, if anything, will be mentioned about Kanan. Regarding the green hair, maybe they couldn’t get it look believable in live action? Or he dyes it to look like his dad? We shall see...

11. Live action Chopper = chaos in a good way. And I would love some AP-5 sass to go along with it, but that’s probably not in the cards.

12. As for Ahsoka herself, I stand by my puzzlement that the quest of finding of Thrawn and Ezra was laid at her feet when she had nothing to do with Thrawn and zero screen time with Sabine in Rebels. Yes, Ezra said “come find me” when they escaped the World Between Worlds, but at that time he had no clue what he was going to have to do to get Thrawn out of the mix, so he was just telling her to meet up with him and the Ghost family again. All the information presented in the SWR epilogue pointed to the search for Ezra starting around 5-6 years after the war ended, so I hope the show gives us some solid reasons for the long delay, plus Ahsoka being front and center instead of the Ghost family members themselves if this is SWR Season 5 per Filoni.

Bottom line, the trailer cements the fact that Ahsoka is 100% different from what I’ve been imagining since SWR ended, but I intend to approach Ahsoka with an open mind and enjoy the new canon as much as possible. Thankfully, there’s always great fanfic on AO3 to soothe my tattered soul ;)

[slaughterverse]

GAMES (And DLCs) PLAYED 2023!!

10. The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog. I am NOT! The Visual Novel enjoyer. BUT MAN!! WHAT A DELIGHT!! It honestly brought be around in the genre again after DR3 muddied my enjoyment of it. Totally unexpected and so so SO enjoyable. Which is why I’m giving it a spot on the top 10! Play this game!! It’s free and awesome! I’ve even had people with know knowledge of Sonic tell me they liked this game! I’m serious! Go play it!!!

9. Bastion! LOVED this one! A beautiful game! I honestly don’t have much more to say on it though because it’s kinda just another really good game from Supergiant. I love how many styles of combat exist as options in this game, like, more than Hades had which felt like a lot compared to Transistor (which also had a lot of cool options but you can only use a sword so many ways). Good game! 8/10! Definitely recommend!

8. Frospoken. I’m being generous to this one because despite the super lackluster story. THIS WAS SO FUCKING FUN TO PLAY!!! I literally had such a blast with this one!! The abilities made running around the world so so so fun!! Of course I am disappointed that it didn’t live up to my expectations after following its development through the years, but honestly, they can’t all be bangers and I’m fine with that. Some games are just fun and have sick as fuck boss fights, and sometimes that’s all I need. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it though.

7. Sonic Frontiers: The Final Horizon. Okay I didn’t think they were gonna fully redo an entire level of the game. When they said “new story content” I thought that was gonna be like four new basically Cyber Space levels and that’s it. ALSO IM SORRY!! I’M SORRY FOR COMPLAINING ABOUT THE DIFFICULTY I’LL BE DIFFERENT NEXT TIME. All in all it was solid as hell. Like I’ve always said with Frontiers, this one GETS Sonic. This is what it’s all about. But Christ this was hard to beat….

6. Kingdom Hearts. The first one. BANGER!!! SUPER FUCKING CUTE. Also Cloud and Yuffie are there :]]]!!! The whole concept of Final Fantasy meets Disney still feels like an absolute buck wild concept to turn into such a well beloved franchise but hey! It’s good shit!! My favorite level overall was probably the Little Mermaid one! I love unique level mechanics!! Excited to play more of these games next year!

5. Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Cannot believe I delayed playing this one for so long! IT WAS SO GOOD!! These games are doing so right by my boys Miles and Ganke. The Spider-Verse movies could never (Taking shots at my own favorite movies). I’m REALLY glad I didn’t skip this before 2 came out. I loved the side quests on this one most of all! Really made you feel like a Friendly Neighbor Spider-Man instead of just Spider-Man. Also Haley I love you so much my sweet girl Haley :]

4. Destiny 2: Lightfall. This might be the lowest a D2 expansion has scored on this list in years. But that’s entirely because the other games this year were FUCKING SWEEET! But GOD. UAGH. I LOVED THIS ONE!!!! IT WAS SO GOOD!!! WHAT THE HELL… Nimbus my best friend Nimbus. AND GRAPPLING HOOK??? YEAHHHHH!!! God Strand is a fun subclass. It definitely doesn’t beat Stasis for me right now but it is SOOOOOOO FUNNNNNN. I loveee itttt. It was so exciting to start unraveling more about the Witness. Also the seasons this year? Mostly bangers!! We got a Pirate Season AND a Dragon Season?!?! WOOOOO!!!!!

3. Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. MOTHER!!! FUCKING!!!!!! DRAGONS!!!!!!!!!! DRAGONS!!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! DRAGON BOSS FIGHT!!! WOOOOHOOOOOOOO!!!! LETS FUCKING GOOOOOO! 10/10 THIS GAME ROCKS. BEST ZELDA GAME. DRAGONSS!!!!!!!

2. Lethal Company! God this game rules. Enough to surpass the other games on this list purely because it’s gotten me through this whole month. It’s designed in a way that it’s always fun to come back to and it’s just been hours of fun with my besties! Plus it looks fucking stellar. Literally peak. 10/10, cannot recommend this one enough.

1. SPIDA-MAN!!!!!! 2!!!!!!!!!!!! Was so fucking good HOOOLLLYYYYY SHIT! I literally have raved on and on about this game and honestly I could just keep going. The gameplay was PHENOMENAL!!! The characters were so good. It was SUCH a good take on the Black Suit and Venom AND a really cool take on Kraven’s Last Hunt!!!!!!!!! Literally I couldn’t have asked for more from this game! It’s earned a spot as one of my all time favorites!!! :D

[changterhune]

FRONTIERS CHAT

On Monday Sept. 4 I did a livechat on Bandcamp during the FRONTIERS listening party. I’ve edited it for coherence. I hope it sheds some light on the music and me the music maker.

I will talk a little bit about what FRONTIERS is about. I'll split it into the meaning, then the music, then the recording unless it's still just me. Okay, so about the music itself. What I wanted to do was gather newer music I've been working on. My last 2 releases were of older - but still balls out awesome! - tracks. Since Jan '23 I've been working on both my recording and composing skills. Both have improved I believe.

I guess FRONTIERS is about 2 things: expanding your horizons and letting yourself groove. By that I mean allow yourself to explore and learn, educate and illuminate yourself. FRONTIERS for me encapsulates one of the few resolutions I've made at New Year's Eve and kept. And that was to get out of my own way. So that I could explore the frontiers.

With SUBTLE DISTINCTIONS I created something a bit lighter and peppier than my usual stuff. I hope. I think that's what the EP is about to be honest. HOPE. It's something I've not had a lot of lately. But over the course of this year things improved immensely and it seems like maybe there's some sunlight up ahead. What the songs on FRONTIERS have in common is they're all pretty upbeat, brighter in sound. I've been working on more space in my recordings and FRONTIERS is the newest and best example of that.

My tracks have always had a lot going on tho I came to realize they were sometimes muddy and unclear. I actually discovered that driving back from my sister-in-law's funeral in February. I was playing tracks for my wife on the drive back and half of them sounded muddy with a lot of the highs lost.

Of course a 2018 Subaru Forester isn't a great listening environment but it still sounded blech. When I got home I listened on my studio monitors and read up online and came to realize that I needed to up my recording game. So I did and I'm happy to say that not only I think they sound better but my beta listeners all agree they do. "Modal Auxiliary" is a great example of a lot of soundscaping and sound bed taking up space while the actual melodic/harmonic/ percussive stuff is up front. It was fun to craft it to mix the more ambient soundscape parts with the melodic ones. I reeeeeaaaaallly love how the last half of the song is pretty much just audio sludge.

SOMETIMES I do wonder if my outros are too long but that's what my beta listeners are for. They'll tell me if it is too long. And you can blame Autechre for that. After decades of their long, deconstructed endings it's one of my favorite things to do. Oh man that ambience at the end always gets me. "So CRT what's up with your titles?" Great question! OUTPATIENT is sort of about my time in an outpatient program. hence the name. Now that was a fun one, too, because the main synth parts are almost all Arturia plugins. The Buchla Music Easel is especially wild. 

This and INSECURITY can best be summed up as inspired by Meat Beat Manifesto. I got sick of A/B comparing my songs to MBM songs. I thought I was doing everything right but they still sounded weak. So I went to the woodshed so to speak (the real one is full of spiders), studied and I think this track and INSECURITY both slap about 60% as much as an MBM track. Okay 50% but still I just want to make big bangers sometimes ya know? Boom bapp beats, dub delays, noisey shit! What's funny to me is how all it takes is a little extra time and a little tweaking and then BOOM the track just opens up! Long ago a friend said it's all about panning & EQing which I came to find is 2 out of 3. I'd say the 3rd part of that is gain staging. It's more technical than I want to get into now but it's made all teh difference in my mind. About 1/2 way through OUTPATIENT there's a big long ambient part that I sometimes wondered was too long. Now I think it works as a break between the two parts. A… frontier if you will.  After 6 minutes in the track is basically a long slow fadeout lol I love how it all combines into this weird, glitchy thing where all the loops go in and out then come together. The noise gets big and brash then slowly washes out. The last 2 minutes are a nice bit of ambience themselves. I even thought about breaking it into 2 tracks but they don't work either alone or as a shorter track. You need to hear the whole damn thing to get the entire idea. Imagine being only shown one square foot of the Sistine Chapel at a time? Okay my work isn't on the par of Michelangelo but you get what I mean.

Now INSECURITY was actually never supposed to be on an album. It's a track I started then used as my guineau pig for teaching myself about recording. And in the end it ended up sounding pretty dope. When I sequenced this ep I was surprised how well it worked with the other tracks. And that beat is straight up MBM. Boom boom bapp! Well kinda.  I have become obsessed with one section of this song at about 4:15. This break came out so smooth. Last for almost a minute. Almost as funky as Funky Drummer! And the buildup after works nice too I think. I will say I'm considering 2 followups to FRONTIERS. One will be a remix and the other will be an ep exploring what separates frontiers... Well I hope I've enjoyed learning a bit more about FRONTIERS and my methods. Or madness. 

- CRT