#anyway. just wanna gauge if anyone would want it

[ghostly-cabbage]

I have officially edited and updated my DP fic recommendation document

I've so far only used it for friends but now I'm wondering if any of you guys would be interested...

[prettyinpwn]

I know I'm gonna sound like a crazy old broken record... but hear me out. Lots of speculation as to the true purpose of the thisisnotawebsitedotcom.com thing beneath the cut.

So... does anyone else feel like the ARG website is... odd? Like it's leading to something more coming? And before anyone screams, "Well, ackshully, Hirsch said he doesn't want to do a Season 3-"

YES. I KNOW. He said no Season 3 a million times. I was there when he told us Season 2 was it for the first time. But what he didn't say, however, was, "No more Gravity Falls anything... EVER.". Hence why we've gotten Journal 3, Lost Legends, and now The Book of Bill. Hirsch is veeerrrrry comfortable making more GF stuff.

And as someone that studied programming in college, I can tell you, this website does not seem like it was easy or cheap to make. It's effectively a single screen point and click game in a browser. Looking at the code, it seems they did use a framework called Bridgetown, lacing in looped animated MP4 files with clickable assets on top that make up the interactive elements (e.g the computer), with a lot of content made for the website itself from image files and text for each prompt a user might type. Sure, it's not the most difficult thing to program, but it's a lot more complex than, say, the searchfortheblindeye site back in the day.

That, and as someone who has worked in the corporate world, I'm sorry, but you don't pour this much effort/money into something that is just "lol cool things after product for funsies". If this was just for The Book of Bill, the smart marketing decision would have been to make the lofi album and the website, tease fans with both of them, and let them lead to an announcement of the book itself to tempt them into buying it, not the other way around. Like... Disney ain't gonna do that just out of love for fans. It's Disney, come on. They do things for money.

It's possible that Hirsch paid for it himself just for the fans, but I doubt it. Wanna know why? Because of the website's security certificate and ownership. Let's take a gander at this:

There are two odd things here. One, the range of the expiration. Most security certs last 1-2 years, at least they did at one of my previous places of employment (and we had like 50+ of them). This one expires November 7th, 2024. Odd, but maybe they only want the website up for a few months? Anyways, as an aside, everyone keep an eye out for November 7th, 2024. Could be nothing, could be something.

The other weird thing is the domain holder. Looking it up on ICANN, it gives this address:

Look that up on Google Maps, and it takes you to a company called Dun and Bradstreet. Long story short, the company does a bazillion things, but the main thing we're talking about here is:

Oh gee, Sales and Marketing. And their Sales and Marketing tools? Basically, they use data to tell companies who their audience is, so that they can market to them. Now, why would Disney care about this for a fandom for a show that's been done for almost a decade, just for a book that was released before said website (so we know they're not gathering marketing data for the book)?

Well, if I were to guess... long story short, all this stuff is a tactic to gauge who the Gravity Falls audience is now. Release the book, make some dough and fans happy, tie in a secret marketing data collection gimmick (AKA the website) using D&B as a vendor to hook the data into your CRM, send fans to a website to collect marketing data, and shabam. Now you know who the target market is all this time after.

And why in the hell would a company care about that? You tell me. Why care about who a target market is if you're not planning on marketing something to them later?

It could be that Disney is planning something similar to Gravity Falls and wants to gauge if there'd still be a market for that kind of show. Or... it could mean that Disney is planning on something more substantial related to Gravity Falls or Hirsch pitched it, and they were like, "Well, wait, let's collect data on this, first, so we'd know if it'd be a good business decision.". Not sure.

I mean, maybe I'm crazy, but doesn't this seem fishy to anyone else? If anyone else has any hypotheses as to why Hirsch and Disney have a Gravity Falls website owned by D&B, let me know, but to me... this smells... very... marketing oriented. And Hirsch doesn't seem like the guy to pour his own money into hiring an outside company to gather marketing data, that seems more up Disney's alley.

[dronebiscuitbat]

Oil is Thicker Then Blood (Part 46)

He crawled back out of the vent, doing his best to conceal the way fear clung to his casing like a vice, the vile, offending piece of cloth stashed away in his pocket, it felt heavy there, like just having it in his possession was inviting something terrible into his life, he tried his best not to think about it.

“Find anything?” Hal asked, leaning back on the wardrobe, facing away from the ever watchful eyes of the porcelain dolls. They were extra freaky now, amplified the feeling he was having of being watched. His tail twitched, reacting to his inner fears and beginning to coil up, every single sense he had dialed up past eleven to the point he could hear the oil rushing in his bosses tubing with a startling degree of clarity.

Should he say something? He felt as though Doll was exclusively a him problem, something that he alone, or at least him, V, and Uzi should deal with alone. At the same time though, Doll had killed worker drones, many many worker drones, and was a equal threat to those that lived here then she was just to his family. The simple peice of cloth seemed to become heavier, he looked at Hal.

He’d not met him but yesterday, but still felt that he could at least trust the man, he’d defended Uzi, showed concern over both his daughter and himself, but a day wasn’t really enough to truly gauge how someone was, N wasn’t so naive.

“Yeah, I did. But it’s… complicated. Tell you when we get out of here?” He settled on that, he’d tell Hal, maybe more eyes and ears would allow them to find her faster, not giving her a chance to think about going after the people he loved, or anyone for that matter.

Hal immediately looked taken aback, like this wasn’t something he was expecting before he nodded and looked back at the doorway, Mrs. Hopkins still hadn’t arrived to check on them.

“She fell asleep sitting on the couch, what do you wanna tell her?” Hal asked, putting a strong hand on N’s shoulder, N appreciated the gesture and he sighed, turning over his decision in his head,

“I don’t think it would effect Mrs.Hopkins, whoever was up there wasn't here for her.” He said after thinking for a moment, if Doll wanted to harm the old lady… for whatever reason. She'd already be dead, and they would be here for a different reason entirely.

“So, say theres nothing to calm the paranoid old lady, while investigating the vents more closely?” Hal suggested, running a hand through his beard.

“That's lying…”

“That's keeping the peace, N.”

Hal was probably right, as much as N really didn't like it. If this lady was already paranoid, telling her it was justified would probably only double it, and possibly distract other officers by calling in false flags.

“O-okay.” It was more stammered then he'd intended, and Hal nodded, leading him out of the room and into the living room where the old drone was, head resting on the back of the couch, snoring.

Hal cleared his throat to try to wake her up, but if anything it only made her snore louder, Hal sighed, but before he could do anything else, N took over, kneeling in front of where she was on the couch and shaking her gently.

She woke up immediately, startling before quickly realizing who was in front of her, even if for her he looked like a tall blurry white and black blob.

“Oh! Did you find anything?” She asked him and him directly, and he froze for a second, he was terrible at lying, he'd always been terrible at lying, his eye's moved over to Hal, who looked at him expectantly.

“Nope! J-just a colony of robo-roaches, you and your apartment are safe.” He smiled, his eye twitched and he stammered, almost wincing.

Thankfully, she didn't seem to notice, and gave him a small smile.

“Ah, well thank you for checking anyway young man, I appreciate it.” She reached up and pinched his cheek, it didn't hurt, but it did succeed in making him feel leagues worse about lying to her face.

“No p-problem!” He quickly stood up, trying to make as much distance between them as possible as quickly as possible, sweat digitized on his visor as he looked away.

Lying was like a hot-iron on his soul. She'd probably be fine if Doll had already been here, but he didn't know that.

“We'll take our leave now Mrs. Hopkins, take care now.” Hal took over from there, leaving N to stand at attention beside him and begin to zone out.

He thought he'd been dealing with the threat of Doll decently well, but now, with this kind of upset, he had found that he'd simply not been dealing with it at all, putting it in back of his head in favor of anything else.

Why couldn't… why couldn't things just leave him and Uzi alone? Why couldn't he just have this? Domestic Bliss until their cores gave out, and they'd be surrounded by their kids and grandkids, hand in hand as they drifted off together into that sweet nothing.

That… was actually kind of sad to think about, and chances were one of them would probably fall permanently offline before the other, statisticly. But it was still a nice thought, going together.

But no. No they couldn't have that, clearly the universe wouldn't let them.

“N. You alright?” Hal's voice knocked him out of it, and he'd only now realized they were almost back to the office, had he really followed Hal back on autopilot?

“Talk about it in your office?”

“Deal, and I'll get ya a drink, I don't like that look on your face.”

They made their way quickly to Hal's office, and N quickly took note of the space. Many pictures of him and who he presumed was his wife, a redhead with bright, white eyelights. Her hair was braided, and in her arms was a little droneling with florescent pink eyes, he was smiling, but he looked… off.

Aside from the many pictures, there were trophies and medals congratulating the man on jobs well done

“Alright, what cha find that got your tail kinking up like a scorpion?” N blinked before looking back at his tail, it was poised, ready to dart forward at a moments notice.

He took the strip of cloth out of his pocket and handed it off. Hal took it and turned it in his hands, squinting his eyes as he turned a brow up, clearly questioning.

“It's-It belongs to an outfit of a worker drone. Doll.-” He paused, looking for Hal's reaction to his words, the older man remained calm, but his questioning look dissipated at the mention of the drones name. “She caused all those deaths around prom this year, and… she's after V, and my family, specifically.”

“I'm aware of what she's done, I launched a search for her, but we quickly lost the trail.”

“She can teleport, so that's not surprising.”

At that, Hal seemed startled, he opened his mouth, seemed to decide against what he was going to say, before starting again.

“I… didn't know that.”

“We… uh, Uzi, V and I. She was after V, and probably me by extension of… what I am. But Uzi stepped in, She's… a target as well.”

“Does she know about your daughter?”

N gulped, feeling his core shudder at that thought.

“I don't know…”

Hal looked away from him, once again tangling his fingers in beard, When he looked back, N was looking out the door, fist balled, a worried look that Hal recognized sometimes in the mirror.

“Yeah, I'll get some teams to do a through look through the vents.” He said eventually, stepping towards N in a way that both suggested authority and kindness.

“You. Go home.”

“W-what? Did I do something w-wrong?” Immediately N's head snapped back to attention, like a spring that had coiled up too tight.

“No, you've done everything right so far, impressed the hell outta me even. But I'm not gonna make you sit at work and worry till ya scream. Plus, If you all are a target, you should be in our short-range system now, you can call in any time.”

“Thank you. Thank you so much Hal.”

“Still want you in the office tomorrow! Need to talk to ya some more!”

He shouted at N's retreating figure, before he glanced at his old family photo, it took a moment, before he tore his eyes away and sat down at his desk, looking at the scrap of cloth with apprehension.

Next->

[johnslittlespoon]

lowkey been thinking about making a discord server for mota writers (or readers who wanna contribute ideas/just have fun reading brainrot), ik there are existing mota servers but i feel like having one geared towards queer fic/writing specifically would be nice to have, since there are a lot for rp/x reader/general fandom already? open for more info if you're curious! vv

i'd love to have a personal space for everyone in there, like maybe having a specific channel for each writer (if they want it) so if anyone's keen on seeking out fic updates or reading ab wips and stuff from certain authors, it's easy to navigate. but then general channels too for brainrot, writing help, drabbles, collab seeking, requests/prompt fills, chatting, music recs, etc!

+ tag lists to choose from, like selecting whether you're a writer or reader or both, selecting what pairings you write for, basic things like age/pronouns, whether you want nsfw channels to be visible to you or not, all that sorta stuff. maybe fun monthly events too, like themed writing challenges, fic swaps, that kinda vibe? but also very casual and easygoing bc ik some servers can get overwhelming <3

i wouldn't post the link publicly, not to be exclusive tbc!! but bc i'd like to sus people out first to make sure there are no minors (personal preference since i'm sure there would be ample nsfw discussion for smut writing and headcanons lmaoo) or weirdos/trolls.

anyway! just been thinking ab this for a hot minute now, but with the summer approaching and probs a bit of a mota drought what with lots of the cast busy with other projects/promo, it feels like this might be a fun time to do smth like this. would love to know if there's any interest so ik whether it's worth putting the time into! and very open to brainstorming/suggestions/etc just lmk <3

– if this ends up being smth enough of us vibe with, i'll make another post once the server is made, but feel free to reply to this post or shoot me a message anyway if it's smth you'd like to be added to just so i can gauge interest. :)

[miss-oranje-disco-dancer]

the prologue

pairing: leon x reader's mom*

cw: noncon, p in v, leon roofies a woman, degradation, woman pisses herself but not in a sexual context (is v drunk), heavily implied that leon has a history of doing this kind of thing

summary: short lil thing inspired by @thevirgincherry 's fic nymphomania wherein leon (reader's dad) is implied to have met reader's mom when he noncon'd her... basically, this is the story of reader's mom and leon in theory

a/n: ik i don't usually write (or at least don't post) dark content, but i was feeling inspired

wc: 1k

Leon’s 27, going on 28, he’s way too old to keep doing this, and yet, the pill in his pocket is nagging him. He’s trying not to stare at the brunette beauty down at the other edge of the bar. Just one more time, he tells himself. She’ll be the last. He moves past her on the way to the restroom and tries to gauge her reaction when he places his hand on her lower back to squeeze through the crowd. “‘Scuse me, sweetheart,” he says, “just gonna squeeze past ya.”

He swears he can feel her eyes on him when he walks away. He prepares himself in the bathroom mirror. Since he’s a good man, he has to rationalize the crime before he commits it. She’s a prime target. One might even say she’s asking for it by looking away from her drink, leaving it open for anyone to do whatever they please with it. Leon considers himself a bit of a feminist these days, so he wouldn’t say she’s asking for it. She is a little naive, though, and in this world, you can’t let your guard down for a second. Leon’s teaching her a lesson, he’s doing her a good deed by spiking her drink. He’ll be gentler than most rapists would be, he’ll even try to make her cum if he can. He’s a real gentleman. Claire always talks about how “men never pay attention to what women want in the bedroom, and how women never cum, blah blah blah”, so he’s doing his part here. When she gets up to go to the ladies room, she almost falls over, but Leon’s there to catch her.

“Whoa,” he says, stabilizing her, “don’t want you to fall over. It’d be a shame to get a bruise on that pretty face.”

She looks at him like he’s an angel, and on some level he detests her for it, but goddamn she’s making this so much easier.

“You think I’m pretty?” She slurs out, starry-eyed.

“The prettiest,” he says.

“Uh-oh…” she says, and he’s about to ask her what’s wrong, but he follows her gaze and she’s the wet patch from her crotch down her legs.

Dammit. She really is a ditzy girl. PIssed herself with little enough shame that Leon wonders if this is the first time this has happened to her. On the one hand, Leon’s not happy about the damage this will do to the nice leather seats in his car, but on the other hand, it’s extra lube. Sure, piss isn’t ideal, but neither is blood, and he usually walks away from these encounters with a thin layer of that coating his dick. 

“‘S okay, honey,” he says, “let’s get you out of here and get you a change of clothes.”

“Yeah, need new clothes…”

“You do, yeah, so how ‘bout you come with me and I’ll get you cleaned up, how’s that sound?”

“Really?”

“Of course. Wouldn’t wanna leave a sweet thing like you all alone out here. Put your arm around my shoulder and I’ll help you walk to the car.”

Leon had one beer that night, and it was really just to blend in. He can drive. He’s not really into the whole “raping in the alley behind the bar” thing. He prefers something more sophisticated.

He gets her home and she’s more than ready to get undressed in front of him.

“Lemme help you get these off,” he says, stripping her of her pants. He makes sure to cop a feel while he’s at it. She seems a bit confused when he takes her shirt off too, but she seems to find it somewhat amusing. Her laugh annoys him. If her panties weren’t covered in piss, he’d put them in her mouth. He’s a good guy, so he won’t shove them in her mouth tonight. She’s tiny, anyway, so he can hold her hips with one hand and clamp a hand over her mouth at the same time while he fucks her from behind.

He’s too lazy to get undressed so he unbuckles his belt and gets his pants down just enough to get his cock out. She mumbles a bunch of shit he doesn’t care to decipher before he thrusts inside all at once. 

She moans. Leon feels less guilty since she likes it, but it’s also a bit of a turn off. It really defeats the purpose if she’s into it. 

“Fucking slut,” he says, “can’t believe you like this.”

He slaps her hard on the ass and she moans again. It almost makes him laugh. It’s like she’s made for him. He’d be a lot happier if the girl were a virgin, but he doubts she is. Virgins tend to protest a little more. 

“You like me raping you, huh?”

She tries to say something and Leon thinks it sounds like a “yes” which makes his conscience feel better, but a “no” probably would’ve made his dick harder. 

Her moans start to piss him off, so he clamps her mouth shut, and to his surprise, she clenches around him.

He pulls her hair, bringing her head close enough that he can warn her - no it’s more of a threat, “I’m gonna cum soon.”

He thinks about Claire - some parts of her, like her nagging tone, annoy him, but others, like her perky tits, make her likable enough for him to jerk off to her occasionally - the last time he saw Claire, she told him about the whole “orgasm gap” whatever the fuck that means. He pretended to listen to her because her hands move a lot when she talks, and when she’s not wearing a bra - and she wasn’t that day - it makes her tits bounce. Fine, he’ll be the good feminist man she wants him to be and make this girl cum. All he has to do is rub her clit for a good minute while he fucks her. He pulls out in time to cum on her ass. He wipes it off her with a wet paper towel from the kitchen and gets her dressed. Her clothes are dry by now. Perfect. He finds her ID in her wallet and drops her off at the address listed. He helps her in the door once he finds her key, and then he plops her down on the couch. 

He leaves, but not before leaving his business card in her wallet. “Had a great time tonight - Leon” he writes on the back. Just in case she wants to do this again sometime. 

[jisungsbff01]

.2.

.like i need you.

...pairing…Chan x reader

...w.c... 1.9K

...genre…slice-of-life, college au!

...warnings...swearing,

...characters...Y/N, (OC) Lilith, (OC) June, Hyunjin, Chan, Han, Jeongin, Felix, rest of SKZ mentioned

...synopsis...No one ever really knows what they wanna do in their 20s, but Y/N has always known what she was going to do. So, she began the journey to her dream and is so close to reaching it with no distractions at all. Until she is thrown into a project with Hyunjin, a fellow senior in college, and he introduces her to a few of his friends...connecting with one in particular...

Her whole plan is soon thrown off the track she’s had it on for 21 years….

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

The next morning, after maybe two hours of sleep, I stopped at the local student coffee shop, grabbing something for me and Hyunjin before heading to the bus top for a 15 minute drive to the closest stop to the dance studio Hyunjin and I have been using for the last couple of weeks. He said that rather than having to rent a room through the school, he knew the owner of a local one that hardly anyone used anymore. I’m sure the owner was more than happy to have both our company and our generous donations, since she refused to let us pay by the hour like she required for the public.

I punched in the passcode she offered for Hyunjin and me before pushing my way through the creaking door, the bell above ringing. I heard slow beats in the studio and I made my way in, assuming it was just going to be him. Little did I know, he was going to have two friends with him. I knew both, thankfully, I wasn’t very open to dancing in front of strangers…another reason I wasn’t a choreographer. I saw Jeongin conversing with Felix, who I met a time or two when I would meet Hyunjin at his dorm. I brought Hyunjin his coffee, then properly greeted the two other men in the room. Felix, surprising me with a hug, “Y/N, I’ve missed seeing you, Jinnie’s been hogging you up in studios too much. You need to come by the dorm sometime. I know I wouldn’t be the only one who’d ap-”

A loud clap sounded from the other side of the room, “Okay! You two heathens have two choices, sit on the side quietly or leave-your choice!”

Jeongin made a face at his demanding friend and dragged Felix to the bench spanning the side of the room the the right.

Hyunjin had me set our drinks where we wouldn’t spill them and we decided to start at the hook of the song. I watched a few feet away from him, so I could gauge where he had gotten with the choreo. I put in a few suggestions that made the dance look like it would flow more with his body, surprisingly enough, he took the offer, stating that it felt more natural anyway.

One..Two…Three…Four…Five…Six…Seven…Eight

The counting Hyunjin showed to me consistently sounded through my head and I jumped in when it felt right, following his languid movements. Once the song came to an end, our breathing slightly elevated he turned to me and smiled, “Why don’t you dance with me more? Ooh, I can ask my instructor if I can bring you on and make it a duet?”

I laugh with a hand on my chest, “Hyunjin, you’re being generous, I do NOT want this to be a duet, I will ruin your grade, I swear it. I am entry level, at this point you’re a pro, I am not willing to bring your final grade down. If you’re up for it, once you get your grade back, you can alter the dance as a duet and we can try that as a side project?”

He thought about it for a moment and his face lit up,” I love that idea! So, be prepared to be amazed and tired. But, I still would like you to practice with me, the studio feels empty dancing by myself.”

He gave me little puppy-dog eyes and I caved, “Okay, okay. Just be patient with me, I’m still new and learning.”

After a little “hehe” he started the song over and we started from the top, working on parts we each thought we could change slightly to make more impactful. Every once in a while, Felix would offer suggestions that neither of us thought of due to being to wrapped up in our own bubble of creativity. After an hour and a half, Hyunjin received a phone call and I gave him the go ahead to answer it. This giving me a break to drink water and to cool off. I pulled my arm out of the sleeve of my sweatshirt for more ventilation, leaving my sports bra slightly exposed. In the mirror in front of me I saw Jeongin turn a shade of crimson and choke on whatever he was drinking in his cup, Felix beside him starting to let out a broken chuckle. I hear my phone begin to ring and I jog to answer the call fom Lilith when I pick up I can hear the white sound from being in a vehicle,”Y/Nnie? Can you hear me?”

“Yes, love, what’s up?” I play with the end of my sleeve on my sweatshirt, a habit I’ve never been able to break.

“All the dance studios are full at the university and I remember you telling me about the one off-campus you guys used, do you mind if practice is over there today or would we be intruding?”

“Not at all, girl, come on over- you have my location, right? Just put it in and I’ll send you the code to get in, or have someone come down to meet you.”

“Sounds good, we’ve got like five minutes left, but I’ll let you go so you can continue practicing!”

With that she hung up before I could even ask who “we” were…

I feel warmth behind me, only for it to be Hyunjin towering over me, “Chris is on his way, all the studios are full at uni and they need a bigger space.”

I let out an “uh-huh” muttering that Lilith said the same thing. Felix said that he would go down to let them in once they got here and told us that we could just continue with what we were doing. With that being said, Hyunjin decided to show me one specific part I couldn’t get down because of the way he moved his hips and it just felt unnatural. He watched me attempt to do it, and waited a couple of beats.

“Is it okay if I touch you? I don’t wanna make you uncomfortable.” He asked.

I nod, “Hyun, I don’t think there is anything you could do at this point that would make me uncomfortable…unless it was kissing, that’s a different story and we know what happened the last time you kissed a girl.”

He looked at me with a “go to hell’ look and placed his warm hands on my waist and he asked Jeongin to play the music at a specific part. Once Jeongin pressed ‘play’ Hyunjin stepped behind me, looking over my shoulder still keeping a respectful distance away from me. Once the music began to flood out of the speakers, the man behind me began to move our bodies the way we had written out. I imprinted the way my body was supposed to move in this moment into my brain, trying to remember the way my muscles pulled at my back and thighs.

I looked at my partner through the mirror and asked him if we could run it again, hoping I could finally get this one right. He agreed and I walked over to his phone, rewinding the song and pulled off the rest of my sweatshirt, discarding it in the corner. We bagan moving again, midway through I started feeling anxiety rising in me the closer we got to the part we just went over.

It didn’t take long before we were interrupted by cat-calls from none other than Lilith, with two strays in tow. Chris and Han shyly made their way to us, Han quietly introduced himself and shook my hand. Chris shook my hand and said a quick ‘hi’ before hugging Hyunjin and quickly making his way to Jeongin, greeting him like a big brother would, sitting on top of him and rubbing the top of his head.

Lilith, on the other hand, yanked me to the side, “Okay you slut, whatcha doin with the little dancey dance there? But also, not bad..”

I just shrugged, “Hyunjin and I thought it would be a great idea for me to learn the routine because he wants to make it a duet once he finishes his exam, and he was talking about putting it on his socials with the song. All about publicity, babes.”

My friend squinted her eyes at me before calling over Han, “ Han, Y/N, Y/N, Han…or Jisung, he’ll respond to either.”

“I’m not a dog, Lilith,” he turns to me, “it’s nice to finally properly meet you, we’ve heard so much about you!”

“What the hell kinda stories does she tell you guys?” I let out with a nervous chuckle.

“ Now I said nothing about- OW!” Han was interrupted by Lilith stomping her foot ontop of his.

“Shut the hell up, shortstack.” She grits out as she turns to me “but, can we see the whole thing?”

My arms cross as a shout out to Hyunjin on the other side of the studio, “Hyun, she wants to see a run through.”

Before I start the music I let out a little disclaimer, “Now, the track isn’t finished yet, we’re still touching it up, but this is the main sample of it.”

“I hope you know we wanna see you dance with him too.” Felix requests.

Suddenly I feel shy, “Felix, I don’t know…I don’t feel comf-”

“Do it! You’re too hot to not do it!” Han shouts from his little corner, “Do your little dancey dance.” He sings out.

I give in, first throwing on my sweatshirt I had discarded in the corner, finally pressing play and getting into place.

I put all my focus and energy into getting this whole thing right, wanting to prove to myself that I can do anything I put my mind to. The last note rings out and I feel like I am dying for air…real air. I need to work on my stamina for sure. Hollers echo around us and Hyunjin embraces me in a hug, his arm lazily slung around my shoulders, “Y/Nnie, you did so good for a producer!”

“THAT’S where I know you from! Y/N, do you take Professor Kim’s Producing class block?” Han asks, running up to us.

“Yeah, have him every Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays.” I inform him. From there, he gets so excited and begins asking questions.

“What row do you sit it? How come you don’t talk a lot in class? You should’ve introduced yourself to us!” This little man doesn’t stop rambling, and I already adore him for it.

Through a few chuckles I explain that I sit directly behind him and Chris, and that I actually record the class to I can take proper notes later and didn’t feel the need to talk. We all get acquainted more while Hyunjin and I take a break, laughs sounding through the room frequently- the company feels nice…feels warm. After being a part of a few side conversations, I watch how well Lilith gets along with the other four. I notice how quiet Chan was and I accidentally make eye contact with him, my face heating up slightly and I send him a reassuring wink. He blushed and a smile grows on his face, he pulls his ball cap down and looks into his lap.

“So when are we all free so that way we can have a hangout night, I’m sure since I like you two, the rest of us will get along well.” Hyunjin asks loudly, pulling my attention away from the blushing man.

Suddenly I find six pairs of eyes are on me, questioning me in silence.

———————————

Thank you for reading! Let me know what you thought!!

[sakasakiii]

Hi!

I love your work!! Your art is very pretty. Do you have a specific idea of how old everyone is ? Do you lean more towards canon or do you have your own dates in mind ? If don’t wanna a answer it’s ok!

Hope u have a nice day

(Remember to drink water!)

hiiii nonnie!!! thank you for checking in, and im happy u like the stuff i put out!! when it comes to ages, it's difficult to answer sometimes bc of the way professor tolkien's timeline is-- it makes gauging one singular place where most of the cast can be compared something that makes my tired brain go 😵🤧🤕 but i love the prompt youve given! and thus heres my attempt at it

with most of my tolkien stuff, i always try to stick to canon wherever possible emphasis is on try lmao and the topic of ages is one such place. i do make exceptions to the Professor's canon sometimes for a few reasons: 1) i like some of the scrapped ideas in his drafts, or 2) i just prefer other options. with ages, i think the only charas with canon-established ages i deviated from are fingolfin, finrod, turgon, and aredhel. i try to keep cases like these minimal tho, so i hope it doesn't bother anyone too much... 👉👈

anyways i figured just dropping a list of numbers would be kinda boring to look at so heres an illustrated guide to what the ~rough~ ages of the finweans are in my head whenever i write or draw. Y.T. 1495 (the year Finwe dies) is the controlled medium ive used to enable a fair comparison of the Finweans

note: "born Y.T. xxx" means this is the canon date of birth listed on Tolkien Gateway. "est. born [xxx]" means this is a noncanon estimate:

the First Age gets a lot more muddled from there due to the hullaballoo of everything going on, so ill only be including the doriathrim and a few other denizens of nargothrond:

it's mostly the older elves that are more undefined/vague with their ages (i.o.w. others like elwing, earendil, the peredhil twins, and most Men all have set dates of birth), so they're all i'll be doing for now. but it's that vagueness which makes hcing all the more enjoyable, isn't it! plus since we’re on this subject, under the cut are just a few headcanons and musings ive had that i wanted to put somewhere 😙

Finarfin and Earwen were born within months of each other! Finwe and Olwe made a Really Big Deal out of when they found out their wives were pregnant at the same time. As a result, the two were often sent on many playdates with each other to “bolster healthy relations” between the Noldor and the Teleri. It wasn’t an arranged marriage situation, but I like to think they were goofy for each other from the start… Resulting in the two eventually getting married as soon as they came of age, the fastest out of all of Finwe’s kids to do so. 

The reason the Ambarussa are significantly younger than the other Finweans (especially the Feanorians-- there’s a 100 Valian year gap between them and Curufin alone!) is because I imagine they were accidental babies that even Feanor didn’t expect to conceive. too bad morgoth said "its morgin time!" and started Messing Things Up shortly afterwards.....

Anaire was Lalwen's good friend long before she married Fingolfin; they met through Lalwen who wingmanned Fingolfin the whole time. i like think Anaire'd be the best out of all the wives at keeping good, healthy bonds with all the women of her family :DD

luthien's potential 姐姐/big sis dynamic with all the younger doriathrim elves is something i daydream about a lot 😌 but sometimes the fact that she's older than finarfin keeps me up at night

this has been really fun, so thanks again for asking-- annnd yessir, i am chugging water as i write this so you better be doing the same ❤️ have a great start to your week!

[xxkylarthelonerxx]

Hi Kylar :( Long-time blog follower here. I want to ask for some advice, but this may be too venty >-< so it's okay if you don't wanna give me input. You're the only one I follow that I could think of to say anything useful... one of my friends told me to shut up.

I have someone who I really want to keep to myself, but he's so... Ah . I feel like I don't deserve him, especially now that all the things I've done in the past are making a lot more sense to me due to the environment I had to grow up in. He loves me so much, and it's been like a dream... but I have this gnawing feeling that I have to tell him what I did in the past, and I feel like I'm being dishonest to his extreme sincerity, and I need to reciprocate, but it could go horribly...

I've killed people, for the most part, indirectly. I don't even think I feel bad about the fact that they died because I didn't know them, but I'm scared about how okay I was with it. I'm not even very much to look at, while he's a head-turner wherever he walks... I feel like someone could take him away from me. Our relationship started because of our shared interest that no one else seemed to follow but us, which made us feel like two kindred souls. However, the ways we came to it are so so different and I'm afraid that if he learns of my past, he'll look at me in horror.

Just last week after we had spent the nught together, I woke up before the sun rose in the morning, entranced by the idea of trying to capture the color of his slightly bruised skin and killing someone to use as raw materials for that project. I didn't do it, but I realize now that it... isn't normal to think like that.

What do you think? If he finds out my past from another's mouth, he could be crushed. If I tell him, I could... try softening the blow... Or I could just say nothing. I want it to work out between us so bad :((( - 🎨🖌

hi. i haven't seen you on anon before... i guess i didn't think i stood out enough to have any long-time blog followers that would send in this much, um...

okay, i can try to help though. i'm good at giving advice from a yandere point of view, and i'm usually right about things.

so, um. i haven't killed anyone, but i have had others spread rumors about me being the kind of person to do that. that i'm a "creep" and that i carry a knife around with me and whatever... i understand people's reactions a little, basically.

what i'd do is prepare for someone to tell this person about your past. you want to quell your anxieties about it, right? get him used to the idea of murder.

you can start by just asking questions or talking about it to gauge where he's at... i've done the same with my darling and my stalking of them. if he's neutral to it, then that's good. if not, you can always try subtly warming him up to the idea, giving examples of in what situations it can be good... it's not good for the long term to keep secrets, but you have to be sure he'll be receptive to it once you decide to tell him. maybe even some sort of demonstration would help, if you need to. just depends.

also, you can always find ways to remind him that you're destined to be together, if the passion you're talking about is real to you. sometimes the world tries to separate soulmates, and you have to be active in keeping together. a little manipulation never hurts, if you need to go that far. cut him off from others, make sure he doesn't have anywhere to go if things go wrong for a little while. just make sure he'll stay with you. it's always a good failsafe.

...that's my perspective, anyway. hope this helps.

[discodeviant]

HARRINGROVE FLIP REVERSE IT DAY 1: School Project SFW NSFW | Mature | 2.2k

Sort of unofficially doubling up with Harringrove Week for this one since both events have similar prompts. Also been sitting on this one for a WHIIIILE so I'm excited to share it! Please enjoy 🥰🥰

Read on AO3

Made for @harringrove-flip-reverse-it!

Steve told Billy to bring over a shoe box.

“You’re lucky I keep these.”

“Nice to see you too.”

And it was, despite the odd circumstances that served as an excuse for them to see each other, and for Billy to go to Steve’s house after school without being asked too many questions. When Miss Brown assigned them together, it was because they were the only two no one else wanted to partner up with. Steve and his C-average, Billy and his attitude—a match made in Hawkins High Heaven.

So, the war. One of them. A battle sometime in the late 19th century was the object of their diorama, which would be constructed in a Doc Marten’s box. Steve already had the materials laid out in the garage, all thanks to Dustin, whoever that was. Billy didn’t care, not when he had Steve to focus on.

“Steve, that’s not gonna stick,” Billy told him close to an hour later, after they’d decided to let Billy handle the note cards. Steve was gluing something to the box’s roof, a piece of clay with a glob of Elmer’s. It was laid flat, but still.

“It’s still wet, asshole, of course it’s not.”

Billy laughed. “You got a hot glue gun?” he asked, and Steve pointed to a cabinet where one might have been. “Here, you copy that stuff down. I’ll do this for a bit.” So Steve agreed, and they switched for a few minutes once the glue gun heated up. Steve said he was clumsy and didn’t want to use it anyway. “Can’t let those pretty hands get hurt, huh?” He slapped Billy’s thigh.

Saying so was an omen, apparently, because soon after he started, Billy hissed and swore under his breath. “What happened?” Steve asked, and Billy just laughed and picked at his finger.

“Fucking burned myself,” he said, laughing. “Christ, of course I did.”

“Shit. I’ve got some stuff in the bathroom—“

“It’s fine, man, I’m alright.”

Steve sighed, and Billy surprised himself by letting Steve drag him to the upstairs bathroom anyway, if only because it was Steve. “Max said you like to play nurse,” Billy said. Steve looked through the medicine cabinet until he found a tube of burn gel, sitting it on the counter expectantly.

“You get hurt in my house, you fix it.” One of Steve’s hands perched on his hip, the other flat on the surface of the counter he leaned against. Billy looked at him with both brows raised, a skeptical grin, then held his finger up to Steve’s face.

“You do it.”

Steve blinked. “What?”

“Wanna play nurse, play nurse,” Billy said like it was obvious. “Come on.”

So Steve rolled his eyes and picked up the tube, twisting the cap halfway before flipping it into the sink with his thumb. Billy, suddenly, was aware of how close they really were, surprised that it had gone this far even though he initiated it and knew very well that he did. Steve Harrington, then, was holding his hand; not conventionally, but he was. It was tender. Billy’s playful edge wavered.

Maybe they had passing moments like this sometimes, brief glances upon skin that never led to anything. In the gym, the showers, but mostly the parking lot where there were too many people for anyone to notice. Neither were shy; just cautious.

Now they didn’t have to be. Not in Steve’s bathroom when his parents weren’t home, behind the safety of a locked door, the warmth of Steve’s two-handed grasp. Billy looked from his hand to the tube of burn cream on the sink, expecting Steve to have used it by then, but he only stood and stared at the tip of Billy’s finger. Inspecting the burn, perhaps, but it wasn’t that bad.

“What the hell are you doing, Harrington?” he asked with no bark, no bite. Steve’s thumb rubbed over his knuckle. Billy swore he saw the gears in his head turning ever-so slowly, contemplating, gauging Billy’s pulse from his palm.

Then, just as slowly as those gears turned, Steve tugged just enough for Billy’s finger pad to reach his mouth and press against soft lips—they were just as hot. Billy flinched, and Steve’s hold tightened, but he made no move to pull away completely. He held his ground enough to let Steve know that, yes, he wanted this, and, yes, right now. Steve glanced up from beneath short lashes that Billy hadn’t yet the chance to see arched over his eyelids so perfectly.

“Is this how you charm every project partner?” Billy asked with a smirk and jealous eyes, but Steve shook his head.

“Just you,” he said. A second kiss. Billy relaxed. “I put your name down, you know.” A third.

“Did you?”

“Mhm.”

Billy faltered before asking, “Why me?” and Steve shrugged, teasing him.

“Wanted to see you up close.” A forth right at the bend of his knuckle. “Have a real conversation.”

Smiling, “What’s a real conversation?”

“One where I don’t flip you off…” A fifth to the back of his other knuckles, as if Billy was the royal. “One where you call me pretty boy and mean it.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah,” Steve said and smiled coolly, resting his chin against Billy’s palm. Billy thought he was dreaming when Steve lay his finger between parted lips, first only until the tip hit his teeth, and then right over his tongue. Sweat prickled at Billy’s temples; Steve pulled off, mouth still pressed firmly to warm skin. “You’re salty.”

“I’d have washed my hands if I knew you’d be all over them.”

Steve chuckled. “Mm, it’s okay…” And he licked at Billy’s finger pad like a cat. “I like it.” Then it was two knuckles deep and rolling over to the dip in Steve’s cheek.

“You trying to tell me something?” Steve’s eyes opened, found Billy’s, arched into a smile as he shrugged.

“I don’t know,” he said, slurred from the space Billy took up in his mouth. “How’s your finger?”

“Better,” Billy said, and Steve leaned in closer, so deliberate that he thought time was slowing down just for them. He pulled his finger out from Steve’s mouth that chased it reluctantly, wanting more but not allowed to have it. His mouth hung open dumbly, and he was leaning against Billy with most of his weight, melting into the other hand that slid up his arm.

Steve was the one to lean even further, up until his open mouth found Billy’s closed lips, overwhelming him to the point of being perfectly still. The face he made when he pulled back was heartbreaking. “Kiss me back,” he said, pleaded, yet Billy could still only stare at his perfectly pink lips, freckled cheeks and forehead that frowned. His eyes were so big, filled with yearning that tugged at every heartstring Billy had.

“Steve…” It came out as a whisper. The last crumb of aching denial rolled away. Billy’s chest worked before his brain, a deep inhale fueling the surge of want that hit him like a train. He kissed Steve back. Oh, did Billy kiss him. Slow, heavy, his movements were sharp, and it was like learning how to do it all over again. He didn’t know what to do with his tongue or his teeth—or his hands, besides gripping tighter to Steve’s hair and t-shirt. He was long gone.

They weren’t so different in height. A couple inches, if that, in Steve’s favor, so even weak in the knees, Billy’s chin turned up to meet his kiss. To look at him in the brief moments they pulled away for air and let their eyes flutter long enough to capture a still of the other, desaturated and pale but beautiful nonetheless. Steve’s arms wrapped around Billy’s shoulders, pulling him closer while pushing back against the wall. Words became blissful sighs and groans, one body dragging the other against it from head to toe. Hips rolled in waves with their spines and sent shivers up their cores.

If Billy tried moving his hands to Steve’s shoulders or back, he nuzzled his head back under Billy’s palm. If he tried to leave Steve’s mouth for his neck, those runaway lips were chased. “Stop it,” Steve said. “Just—let me—please.” Billy huffed a breathy laugh as he was rubbed against like a scratching post.

“I’m sorry I kept you waiting, baby.” His voice was low enough to vibrate through Steve’s brain and turn him to mush, a useless block of melting ice trying desperately to hold its shape.

“Then don’t make me wait,” Steve told him, pulling away for just long enough to send a message through his eyes. There might have been fear in that look for a moment, a question of whether this was a good idea, whether they would do this and regret ever letting themselves have it, but decidedly they didn’t care about that. Steve was kissed once more, and then began sinking lower to the floor, stamping open-mouthed kisses over Billy’s neck while both hands found shelter under his shirt. It took the two of them to rip it off and throw it into the sink; Steve froze.

“What’s the matter?” Billy asked, suddenly self-conscious when Steve glazed over his torso with sad, pleading, yearning eyes—Billy had never known the difference. “We showered this morning, what’s wrong with you?”

“I know, I know, just—“ Large hands pressed into his sides, thumbs drawing over the front, up to his chest, over each nipple and back down again. Steve lost his train of thought entirely. Then he lowered himself down onto one knee, pressed the side of his face against Billy’s abdomen, listening for the heartbeat as it pulsed through him in waves. A kiss placed just next to his belly button slowed Billy’s breaths down before they accelerated again, both hands still wading through Steve’s hair and following the motions of his head.

Lower it went, lips and teeth and tongue still dragging over Billy’s skin like a thirsty hound, and frantic hands followed with reluctance to part from their station on his bare hips. He hadn’t even realized when Steve unbuckled his belt until the zipper of his jeans was being pried apart. Embarrassment washed over him and rose goosebumps everywhere. Steve chuckled, and Billy started to yank them back up when he was asked, “Do you always go commando?”

“What?”

Steve moved Billy’s hands away and pushed under the waist of his jeans, kneading his hips, seemingly unbothered by his unimpressive size: small enough to get away without briefs and not draw prying eyes. “Just for me, then?” Steve looked up, matching Billy’s gaze between kisses to his pelvic bone, cheek and jawline dragging over the hair and making brief points of contact against an aching cock.

“You don’t—you’re not—“

“Billy.” His jeans were down to his ankles by then, and he was more exposed than he’d been in his life. Physically, emotionally, intimately with someone he’d fantasized about and drooled over for months. Someone whose palms were firmly pressed against his glutes, whose fingers they melded to effortlessly. “You’re gorgeous.”

He could have cried, but Steve’s mouth fitting around his shaft kept those tears behind his eyes and made him shudder hard. He supposed the king’s tongue was a myth, then, only rumor dictating how sophisticated Steve’s palate was. Perhaps Billy was a delicacy, which he considered while Steve rolled over and under, pulsed against the tip, pushed a hand between Billy’s thighs to rub palm-up against his balls. There weren’t words or a sound he could make to express, with uninhibited honestly, what this meant and did for him, but Steve didn’t mind the quiet.

Billy’s huffs and hisses filled the space, harmonizing low, long hums with Steve’s. Every so often, his hips jerked, and he got teeth in return. Not hard but softly gliding along the stretch of his cock and around the base, sucking where his scrotum started and coaxing louder grunts.

Steve swallowed. Kept a hand firmly against Billy’s groin when he stood back up and kissed him some more. “Salty, salty, salty…” For a moment, Billy was reluctant to kiss him back but did anyway when his face was turned forward by a firm hold on his jaw. It was disgusting and arousing at once, to kiss Steve with the ghost of his own flavor. Not that he cared all that much, because he was still kissing Steve Harrington; Steve Harrington was still kissing him. It was bliss.

Breathless, Billy pulled his jeans back up and tugged on his shirt with languid arms and Steve’s assistance. “We can go to bed if you want,” Steve said against Billy’s ear, a hand on his chest and fingers tracing over reddened collarbones.

“We’ll—let’s—“ God, he was so dizzy. “Project first, Harrington, come on.” He sniffed, trying to play it cool, like he hadn’t just had the next week’s energy sucked out of him. “You’re not getting a C on my watch.”

One more kiss—there was a joke in there somewhere—and they were back in the garage for a while. Closer this time, more touchy, more distracted, and more sure than they’d ever been that this was right.

[hopetorun]

I'm currently dating (as in, trying to go on dates like off the apps) and saw you mentioned you went on a date last night so first of all, how was it??? (If you wanna share) also do you have any tips or tricks for first dates?

first of all best wishes and also, depending on your opinion of the apps, my condolences! (i personally cannot stand them and have had horrendous luck with them to the point that i paid real cash money to go to an in-person speed dating event last weekend which was in many ways deeply weird but also got me more dates (1) than i've had since 2015 and allowed me to screen people for something that's really important to me and really hard to gauge on an app, which is being a good conversational partner.)

my date was pretty nice! not like instant desperate passion or anything but a few hours of nice conversation and i'm going to try and see him again. we'll see, lmao, and perhaps this will make you think worse of me but i'm not opposed to just getting some practice even if my expectations of it going anywhere aren't high.

anyway ... do i have any tips or tricks for first dates? well given that, as mentioned, i have been on one date since 2015, i don't think anyone should be taking my advice on anything to do with dating 😂 but assuming you're dating with the intent of being in a relationship (if you're dating with the intent of getting laid quickly i simply cannot provide any help) i just always say that it's okay to present the best version of yourself but don't misrepresent yourself! obviously you don't need to show up with a numbered list of all your worst traits but it's kind of an audition for both of you! can we enjoy each other's company? does the conversation flow in a natural way? are our values generally aligned? have you devoted all of your free time to being the drummer in a screamo band and practicing your screamo band drumming?* so there's not anything to be gained by lying except potentially a relationship where you're up to your eyeballs in a lie that you just love spending your weekends playing ultimate frisbee or weeding invasive plants out of the local park or doing flashmobs in times square or whatever seemingly benign thing you said.

other than that: huge fan of first dates that make it easy to bail. coffee, drinks, whatever. you can always extend the date but if you're locked into some three-hour outing and you realize 15 minutes in that you have nothing to talk about ... nightmare.

*this would probably not be a dealbreaker for everyone but it would be for me

**none of these things are bad i just personally would not want to spend my weekends doing them. insert your own personal disliked hobbies.

[oddmawd]

“— There’s Fire” -  CHAPTER 4

Synopsis: When Commodore Smoker’s unit receives orders to escort a wealthy woman to her new home in the Grand Line, he regards the task before him as little more than glorified babysitting. But there’s more to the Asset than meets the eye, and soon Smoker finds himself drawn to the one woman he’s certain he cannot have. Justice, honor, obligation…what do these things mean if holding true to them will lose Smoker something precious?

Lady Oxley Noa would do anything to protect her family — including sacrifice her own happiness. But when she meets Commodore Smoker, the line between the demands of her duties and the needs of her heart begins to blur. Stolen moments, smoldering glances, unspoken promises…she knows what they all mean, but she can’t afford to place a name to them lest she risk heartbreak unimaginable.

But love doesn’t care about your plans. Soon the spark of shared affection blazes too brightly to be ignored, and while neither Smoker nor Noa wants to admit what burns between them, it is an undeniable fact that where there’s smoke — there’s fire.

[Smoker x OC. Inspired by Bridgerton and other period romance. Slow burn, very eventual smut.]

TAGS & CONTENT WARNINGS

PAIRING: Smoker x OC

RATING: T+ (will change in future chapters)

CHAPTER 4 WORD COUNT: 11,000

FANDOM: One Piece

GENRES: Romance, Drama

TAGS: Slow burn, Romance, Set during the One Piece timeskip, this was definitely inspired by Bridgerton, Duty, Family Dynamics, Social Class, Nobility Honor, One Piece Politics, mutual pining

CHAPTER 04 - Excerpt:

Tension and silence knit a blanket of anticipation, material of the moment pulled taut, just waiting for someone to tangle a fist into the strands and yank. Fittingly, Lady Oxley’s hand found its way to Smoker’s collar, winding fingers into fabric so hard the cloth cut into the back of his broad neck. His own fingers tightened on her waist in response. Protective. Possessive, even. Because Smoker didn’t like the way the men were looking at her, and he liked the way she trembled even less.

She was the Asset. He was her keeper. He’d be damned if anyone tried to snatch her away.

He didn’t react rashly, though. Smoker was too busy calculating, planning, gauging enemies. He needed a moment to regroup before springing into action. Normally he was a punch first, questions later sort of man — a man of action — but here? Now? With Lady Oxley tucked against his side? He’d best have a plan before he put the Asset at risk. No way, no how would he let them get to her. He needed to stall. And while he didn’t have the Asset’s silver tongue, he tried to get the men talking anyway. Talking seemed as good a stall-tactic as any, and he had few options at hand.

“What was that?” Smoker said, head tipping back until he stared down his nose at the men in the alley. “Wanna run that by me again?”

“Didn’t you hear me?” said the ringleader. “I said hand her over.”

Ringleader (presumed as such from the way he stood in front of the others and did the bulk of the talking, not to mention the predatory look in his eyes; Smoker knew the type on sight) pointed at the Asset. Ringleader’s lackeys grinned and murmured agreement. Smoker counted the voices in his head. Five, no six men behind them, and another seven out front. They were well and truly surrounded. So much for constant vigilance; Tashigi would tan his hide when she heard about this.

And Smoker intended for her to hear about it. They’d make it out of here. He had no intention of losing whatever fight lay ahead, just as he had no intention of losing his grip on the Asset.

Speaking of which — his arm tightened around her waist, pulling her even closer. She didn’t resist. In fact, she almost melted against him, turning her body until her hips faced him, one leg nearly curling around his own. Her weight on his hip was grounding, a reminder of the stakes in hand.

“I think you’ve got the wrong woman.” Smoker’s teeth tightened around his cigars. “This is my wife. We’re just on our way home.” He spared her a glance. “Ain’t that right, doll?”

And she played along beautifully. “Of course, darling,” she said, leaning her head against his chest to stare mournfully up at him. “Is it much further? I’m ever so tired. You may even need to carry me.”

Lady Oxley faked a yawn. He almost believed it was real. She was a stunningly good actress, after all. The look of warm, sleepy affection she aimed his way seemed damn near genuine, too...except he stood close enough to detect the barest wobble of her flushed lip, not to mention the subtle dart of her wary eyes toward the men surrounding them. She was scared, but she masked it admirably, and Smoker couldn’t help but send a word of silent gratitude toward the finishing school she had no doubt attended as he pulled her a little closer still. If he didn’t know she was lying through her teeth, it would be too damn easy to fall for her little fiction — too damn easy to think she meant it when she sighed and pillowed her head on his chest, eyes fluttering, contentment and ease written all over her.

The spell broke when Ringleader said, “Do you think I’m stupid?”

Lady Oxley’s eyes snapped open, warmth vanishing as she muttered, “I had certainly hoped you were.”

READ MORE ON AO3: Chapter 01 (<- click here)

[pirateborn]

“People will hate me.” It’s not a question.

Shanks knew that being a pirate would not make him loved, exactly. He was prepared for people to hate him because of that decision. But this wasn’t a decision he had any control over! It wasn’t fair!

His father–what a strange thing to call a man he had no memory of (and wasn’t the man before him, Roger, his father anyway?)–was a bad man. And not bad in the way that people thought pirates were bad. Celestial Dragons hurt people. Though not overly familiar with them, Shanks had heard more than enough to gauge that much.

They kept slaves. And killed anyone who they thought was beneath them. They thought they were gods.

Tears sting at his eyes and he tries to rub them away before they fall. He’d never liked crying in front of his Captain.

“I don’t want people to hate me because of him.” But they would. Would Buggy hate him, too, if he found out? The mere thought put knots in his stomach. Not many people knew where he came from–even most of those on the crew didn't. It would be a secret. “Does Rayleigh hate me?” he asks, voice shaking. And the worst yet: “D–do you?” He didn’t, did he? How cruel it would be. Shanks stared up at Roger, eyes large and wet with tears.

“I–I just wanna be a pirate.”

✧.   He watched in rare silence as Shanks spoke, his figure looming as he stood tall over the child, hands hanging loose by his side. Standing, waiting, forcing himself still from reaching out and wrapping his arms around his boy. His heart twisting in his chest at Shanks’ tears as he allowed the boy the chance to speak.

     And if he were truthful, he still couldn’t wrap his mind around why it seemed to be of such significance for Shanks to be of Celestial Dragon blood, regardless of how hard Rayleigh — or even Garp — had tried to hammer it into his head. Yet, looking at the sheer distraught upon Shanks’ face, perhaps he could still begin to understand.

     At Shanks’ admission, with a silent breath, he reached down and rested his head upon his boy’s head, its steady weight a gesture of comfort shared countless times, and one that would be shared countless times more.

“ Some will hate you for it, if they were to learn, yes, ”   blunt but not cold. Never cold,   “ People within this world can be fools. They judge for reasons unworthy of judgment. They would believe one’s fate is decreed within blood and flesh, rather than soul, ”   he smiled, small and rueful,  “ We have seen such hatred and indifference time and time again, and we will continue to see such beliefs, regardless of how shortsighted they may be. ”

     He would never understand it, not fully, not personally, but he'd witnessed more than enough atrocities to know it as reality and to loathe it. Yet that was neither here nor there. Getting down to one knee, Roger moved his hand from the top of Shanks’ head down to his cheek. Time and time again, it struck him just how small his boy was. Grown, certainly, though still he remained so incredibly young. How tragic it was that fear cared not for such things.

“ Yet, you tell me you wish to be a pirate, is that not so ? ”   he carried on, his smile widening just a touch, crinkling the corners of his eyes,   “ Well, Shanks, you see, that is the beauty of piracy. It is a choice. The choice for freedom. The choice to answer only to that which we desire, no matter that which tries to impede us, as blood holds no power of the Sea, for she takes and claims without care. ”

     That was what he’d grown to learn, to trust. He had no memory of his own parents, nor did he find care for whether they lived still or existed at all. He was raised by the streets of Loguetown and the Voices of the Earth, the Fire, and the Sea. They were what he knew, and they were what he believed. If only all could hear what he did. Perhaps then Shanks would know no doubt, but it wouldn’t stop him from trying anyway, cupping his boy’s face with both hands with expression turning serious.

“ Trust that your blood has never mattered to me, and I swear to you that Rayleigh feels the same, ”   his voice held no trace of hesitation. After all, why would he doubt when Shanks was theirs ?  And Roger knew that he and Rayleigh would both fight till their last breaths to keep stake of such claim,   “ Trust that, no matter what you desire, no matter what you choose, I could never hate you, ”   a simple fact of life, to even think of otherwise would be sacrilege,   “ My boy, there is nothing in this world that could change how much I care for you. ”

     His conviction as true as the sunrise, staring at Shanks as if he could will his boy into believing him. After a pause, his expression gentled, thumb wiping away a tear from his boy’s face as his smile grew a touch wistful and his eyes flickered up towards familiar straw hat.

“ That much I promised you when I gave you this hat here, ”   his voice mirthful, a faux whisper as though he were sharing a secret,   “ It was my treasure, you know ?  Not just any, but the first. From the very day I knew that this life of mine would be the one I’d follow. I've known it for even longer than I’ve known Rayleigh. No crown which dons this hat could be unworthy of my love or unworthy of the freedom the Sea swears to us. ”

      He recalled it had come to a surprise to all, even to himself, how easily he’d given that which he’d always so closely kept guarded of in order to try and calm the toddler they'd been bestowed responsibility of. A decision he'd never once regretted and never will. And he knew the crew had seen it as confirmation that Shanks was theirs, regardless of blood, if they hadn't already.

“ I hadn’t found any importance for the others to know ”   his head inclining to the side,   “ But if you wish, we can tell the crew of it all tomorrow. They will not despise you over something so out of your control, my boy. I would hope to have trusted better men than that, ”   both Rayleigh and Gaban were aware, and he wouldn’t be surprised if others — those who’d been there that eventful week — knew as well. He wasn’t certain, but they had all chosen and were chosen by him for a reason.

“ They would not mind, but know this, Shanks, that if any were to show stubborn issue over it, they are not, and have never been, welcomed upon this ship of mine, ”   it wouldn’t come to it, he already knew, and how he hoped Shanks knew as well. Yet if he didn’t, than at least he know know that Roger would always stand by him,   “ Know that you are safe here, my boy. Know that you are loved. ”

[todayisafridaynight]

The topic of the dub is a complex one for me. Because while I do love the cast as well, it's also like, I genuinely think it's a problem with the industry that they can all be traced to like 1 or 2 other Smash Hit properties with few exceptions.

Like of course the Japanese actors are also household names, but I would be comparatively really hard-pressed to find that big of an overlap in casting. I totally understand it's exciting for people who enjoyed those properties to be able to say "Hey, that's X!" and I'm exactly the same way, but I just find it hard to believe that the same couple of US voice actors who've dubbed nearly everything for ages are always the best choice.

But way way more than that, it's the knowledge that the actors were essentially told to "direct" their own performances that has left me with kind of a bad taste in my mouth. I don't see the point of having an experienced cast of "actors everyone likes" and not harnessing their talents. It's pure insanity to me in comparison to how much care Yokoyama and the other directors put into each and every line.

Of course it's a huge credit to the actors that they understood The Assignment well enough that it turned out as good as it did, and I would still say it's the best dub in RGGS history (not that this is saying much), but at times it was painfully obvious that they didn't have enough to work off of.

So, you know, it was still pretty good, but I feel like that was in spite of how it was handled, and that I only used to say it was "great" to fit in with all my friends who were saying the same thing. I don't fault anyone who does think so at all, of course, but in my case I don't wanna do that anymore. (Though I'm sorry to be so overly critical in your inbox haha, it's no problem at all if you don't wanna talk about that)

Anyway! The Mole Song! My Blood and Bones in a Title I'll Never Remember! Great movies IMO and both fortunately very very easy to find. I hope you enjoy them, and thanks so much as always for taking the time to indulge my recommendations!

SPEAKING OF...... I SAW YOU READ SOLILOQUY AND CONFESSION............. I love how the exact same things stood out to us like yes, I've been wanting to draw That Exact Scene for ages too, How Did You Know. LITERALLY IMMACULATE RIGHT... Love the character interactions and themes discussed soooo so much.

But it's also really funny you mention it on that particular post because I had a dream we were discussing an AraSawa fic (that you may or may not have written in the dream?) the same day I recommended them. You know, now that you mention it, I've had a metric ton of Mine dreams, a few Jo and/or Arakawa dreams, even a few with Mine and one of The Joes, but as far as I can tell I've only ever talked about one dream with Daigo in it.

Apparently, in the dream, MineDai were confirmed a couple in the 10th anniversary book. Because they were participants in an experiment that was trying to gauge whether there was some kind of psychic link between partners, and while that whole thing turned out bogus, MineDai were the only gay couple and the only ones to stay together after the experiment was over. Like what in the SUBSTORY--

I don’t mind the criticism: everything warrants it and nothing can appeal to everyone, so it’s totally welcomed! Again, I’m purely biased, so it’s as you said my adoration can be influenced from someplace personal (which is a habit I try not to fall into: I’d like to appreciate the work for what’s presented, not from what I know or ‘nostalgia’ I suppose, you know). I know other people still have their grievances about the English dub, so I wouldn’t say you’re alone in that and I think you should make your honest feelings known! We criticise the media we enjoy because we know it can be better (or we’d like to see better), so again I totally have no issue with you sharing your thoughts (especially since voice acting is a special interest of mine, so I’m always happy to hear people’s word on it)! :]

BUT YEAH ONTO THE FICS THE TONE AND EVERYTHING WAS SO GREAT for sure to have special spots in my fic list (though tbh it’s a small list- but I guess it’s still an honor in that right, right lmao). And the rain scene is SO good I don’t blame you for wanting to draw it too- the fic in general was everything I was hoping, and that scene was just especially so good and something I’ve always wanted to see between Jo and Masato :’] With Arakawa’s perspective, I loved the drama theme- like it makes sense and is obvious, and I loved how the author executed the concept and ‘outline’ of Arakawa’s life.

I still stand that I have no idea how dreams work (the thought of writing a AraSawa fic, while surely temptig, I doubt I have the ability for), but that MineDai one does sound right goofy. Genuinely some kind of silly substory moment, dubious experiments and fake surveys and all ☠️☠️

[the-light-of-stars]

idk i'll just write it down, no read more this time cause i don't want this to get deleted like the other one because i dont wanna type it out multiple times. like mentioned for the other post - take this with a grain of salt, as you should everyone's personal opinion, cause erring is human etc etc (kind of wanna make a post about that too):

so the thing about "death of the author" is that it seems like it sometimes gets misinterpreted as meaning "the author sucks and we should treat their work as a separate entity unrelated to them so that we can enjoy it in peace without having to think about the author's bigotry or shortcomings" - an argument i've seen especially often in regards to the Harry Potter books on here but applies to other works and authors as well - and also a dangerous sentiment imo because treating the work as separate from the author isnt suddenly gonna get rid of the bigotry that has already seeped into every line and every fibre of their work, in some obvious and some less obvious ways, but rather what this mindset will achieve is allowing teh reader to ignore these influences of bigotry because 'its ok if i see it as separate from the author and without their influence'. An authors influence is woven through all of their work, even of authors that are trying not to let their own personhood influence their creation (like for example some surrealists claimed to do) , so completelyseparating a work from its authors opinions, experiences and socio-economic circumstances is - imo - impossible.

that said, separating a work from its author in this way is not what "death of the author" is actually about. I am sure others on here have already put it more succinctly but basically "death of the author" means that as a reader you have to rely on your own analysis for interpretation of a work since you (usually) can't just go and ask the author what their intentions for their work were, a circumstance that essentially makes it irrelevant to a reader wether the author is still alive or not, because either way they will not be there to explain their every thought and intention behind each symbolism and metaphor in their work to you.

It means that as soon as it becomes distributed a work becomes separated from its author in the way that it is now open for interpretation for anyone that looks at it, that the author's intent is not the end all be all anymore since individual readers won't be able to always correctly gauge what the intent was anyways (unless an author includes a guide listing every intention and thought behind every single ever so small part of their work with it), that the reader's individual interpretation is subjectively valid and just as valid as the interpretation of every other reader. (although while all readers interpretations are subjectively valid , as they are the only interpretation the reader comes up with in the moment at least and that is something that holds merit, i would argue that there are interpetations that are more objectively true or succinct than others. its the same as with paintings - e.g. one person that doesnt know about the circumstances of the painting's creation might interpret Picasso's Guernica as a representation of depression or inner struggle, which is subjectively a valid interpretation for them as a viewer since it is what they felt when seeing the image and there is intrinsic truth to that connection as far as this individual viewer goes, but objectively this is a painting with a specific historical context intended to portray a specific historical event so the interpretation of it as such is the more "objectively true" one. But still each individual interpretation still is true and valid at the very least as a direct result of the individual viewer or reader's experience)

A book is an orphan in this way - it bears the name of its parent and creator but does not and can not explain the reasoning behind every one of their actions. An author may include a scene or description that may or may not be intended as something carrying symbolism, but wether or not it holds an intention like that is something the reader will never be able to tell with absolute certainty unless they somehow have the opportunity to ask the author about it, which most readers will not have.

Take the infamous "the curtains are blue" for an example: when you as a reader see this description of blue curtains you will not without a doubt know wether this description was meant to hold any symbolic meaning or wether the author added it for as simple a reason as enjoying the color blue and, if it does hold a symbic meaning, you will not without doubt know what the exact meaning the author intended was. You can guess and make logical conclusions based on context of the story, based on its historical and socio-economic background and based on the author's biographical data and their known opinions on things - all of this being part of literary analysis (although ofc you dont necessarily have to know all the context to analyse a work, there's even academic schools that insist you dont need that kind of context at all) - but even the writer of the best most detailed analysis of a work can never be completely certain that their interpretation lines up perfectly with the author's original intent, because in most cases said original intent can't be referenced exactly anymore.

so in conclusion: "death of the author" has to do with literary analysis and isn't a free pass for 'reclaiming' a work by a shitty creator, in fact the creators shittyness cannot be fully separated from their work cause it will have influenced their writing and should be kept in mind while reading and analyzing.

[bookwyrminspiration]

I would take the survey if you made it!

I personally loved Stellarlune and it's one of my top books in the series because we finally opened Kenric's cache as well as got more information on him and Oralie as well as some about Emery, Bronte, Claretta, and Prentice, I also liked Sophie stepping up as a leader and taking charge and standing up to Mr. Forkle, one other thing that I enjoyed is it showed the dynamic switch between Oralie and Sophie and how they argue more now that the secret is revealed, but there are still boundaries Sophie won't cross because even if she's mad at Oralie she doesn't want to hurt her

Good to know! I think that makes...four? maybe? confirmed yeses so far, which is enough that I'll probably be pulling up a google form real soon.

Trying to consider what questions to ask to try and figure this out. I'm planning on like "did you like stellarlune?" "do you ship sokeefe?" or a "how do you view sokeefe?" on a sliding scale to gauge how much people like it. Give space to explain what you did or didn't like. Things like that

I'm also curious how age plays into it, because I have a theory that being closer to Sophie's age gives her actions more of a positive impression. But also I don't wanna ask people their age that's like. The opposite of basic internet safety. So maybe I could phrase it like "do you consider yourself to be around Sophie's age/to be Sophie's peer?" That way there's some data but no one's actually giving anything specific away. And also it would be anonymous

I think it will be fascinating regardless of the results, because even just reading your explanation here is different from my own experience with the book! I felt the cache took too much time and focus all at once, making it anti-climactic and frustrating for the most part. And I've talked about Sophie in this book before but it's a love/hate situation.

But anyway! My point is I guess I know what I'm doing between all my readings! If anyone has any suggestions for questions/things to look into for it, feel free to let me know!

[hockybish]

I wanna start posting but I’m too scared☹️

friend. im still scared to post half the things I do.

I have 30 things sitting in my drafts, most of it is things im worried or scared to post. like I have a second part to the whole thing where trevor drunkenly told bean that he wish zephyr was never born and she takes zeph and leaves or but I never posted it because well a. I didn't think anyone was would be interested in and b. I thought the time to post it was passed like with Nico and Trevor's cooking show I thought of a couple of funny thoughts pertaining to that but it was a week later and I thought the time had past with it.

(there is another big reason why im scared to post certain things but that's a me problem)

and im always scared to post more personal things and I feel annoying when I ask you guys for things.

im scared people won't like my ideas because I can't gauge what people will think of them because I don't always get a lot of feedback other than likes that come from a lot of regulars who I love.

but you know what?

I posted anyways. and most times im happy I did.

I created this blog because there were things I was too scared to post on the other one. and I wanted somewhere safe that I could post for just me. and then you all came along and here we are.

this is a lot of rambling from me, and honestly im not sure any of this makes sense. there was more I was gonna say but yeah.

I want to encourage you to post, even if its just something for you. if it's the player that you're worried about writing for and you think not a lot a people want that person. post it anyways, I can assure you someone will adore you for it.