#-like the idea that. had things gone differently. they might have had a genuine friendship wayyyyy sooner

[irkimatsu]

I love your Husk works! Could you please write one where fem!reader gets along with everyone and Husk doesn't even realize that he's catching feelings, but maybe on a night out with everyone, someone comes up and starts heavily flirting with her. Ends with confessions and sugary sweet tooth rotting fluff please. 😍

God damn, anon, do you have any idea how hard it is to wring a confession out of this man? I was going along at a steady pace and then I got stuck for hours! I genuinely hope you like slowburn, because Husk doesn't go from zero-to-love easily. I think he's gotten a nice start here, though. It's definitely fluffy!

Husk/Fem!Reader starting a relationship. Mentions of drinking and attempted sexual assault that Husk interrupts before things get too heavy. SFW, 2.8k words. Enjoy! I hope this is what you had in mind, anon! Thank you so much for reading my works!

Your first few months staying at the Hazbin Hotel have gone quite smoothly; as smoothly as anything there can ever go, anyway. Charlie took an instant liking to you - she takes an instant liking to everyone, so it’s nothing special, but still. She can be a bit overbearing, but you know she means well, and she’s grateful to have someone who doesn’t immediately write off her trust exercises from the start.

Still, after all the sharing circles and art therapy, you occasionally find yourself craving more “adult” fun, and that’s where Angel and Cherri come in. It’s not that you don’t want to be redeemed, but what could be so sinful about enjoying yourself a little? You’re not doing anything dangerous or drastic, no drugs and no getting involved with the wrong people; you’re just having fun drinking, dancing, maybe smashing up some abandoned property if the opportunity strikes. Charlie can’t get mad at destruction if no one cares about the thing you just blew up, right?

The bartender, Husk, isn’t nearly as keen on those nights on the town, but you’ve still managed to bond with him on nights where you prefer to stay in. He’s a surprisingly good listener underneath his gruff exterior. (Perhaps too good of a listener; you hope he keeps ignoring whatever bullshit you might have spouted off after one too many of his cocktails.) He also has plenty of stories of his own, mostly from the time he spent alive. When you could get him talking, he’d weave incredible tales of nightlife, both from his home city in Las Vegas and all the other places he’d visited in his life. He seemed especially wistful when talking about a woman he knew back then. He could talk for hours about all the famous sites he was able to take her to, all the songs he would sing for her, and all the starry skies he’d dance with her under.

“It’s not like I blame her for leaving. I’m the one who screwed it up. But being in love… it was nice while it lasted.”

You try to encourage him with the hope that he could fall in love again, but he shakes his head with a bitter smile.

“I lost the ability to love years ago.”

—-

Your friendship with Angel and Cherri is so different compared to your friendship with Husk, so it took a few months before you could have a night out with all three of them. Charlie is once again less enthused about the idea of you four going out to party, but you promise to be relatively well behaved.

You promise, anyway. You can’t make promises for Angel’s sake, and as much as you love her, you know better than to have any faith in Cherri.

You’re surprised Husk agreed to come to a sex club at all. He never seemed like the type to be into that sort of thing. You’re less surprised to see that he has no intention of flirting with anyone and is instead perfectly happy to sit by the wall and knock back shots as quickly as the bartender can pour them.

Couldn’t he drink himself stupid back at the hotel, though? Why did he even come?

Is it just you, or has he been watching you the whole night?

The hours tick by, and you, Angel, and Cherri become progressively more wasted. Angel is currently hanging off of a muscular bull demon - damn, good for him - while Cherri tells you about another resident who used to stay at the hotel before he tragically lost his life during the last extermination.

“He was such a fucking idiot that it was charming, ya know? God damn I should have gotten to know him better when he was still around! I heard this rumor about him and never even got to find out if it was true!”

As she speaks, Cherri catches sight of a cobra demon who is currently chatting up a cluster of punk girls.

“Well, damn… maybe I’ll get to find out tonight. Don’t wait around for me, I’ll find my way back!”

With that announcement, Cherri is gone, leaving only you and Husk with about a dozen bar stools between you. He’s definitely keeping an eye on you; there’s still liquid in his glass, and  he’s watching you instead of guzzling it.

What’s his deal? If he wants to spend the night with you, why doesn’t he just come over here? You decide not to go over there yourself; no sense in rewarding him if he’s playing mind games.

You instead turn your attention to a handsome wolf demon who has taken Cherri’s seat. “Drinking all alone, love?” he says, his deep voice smooth as butter. Right away this man gives you the air of a natural-born charmer who can win anyone’s trust within seconds, only to break their hearts within hours.

He’s hot, and you’re drunk. You’ll let him break your heart a little.

Your conversation starts normally enough, with low stakes topics like the music and the drink selection in the bar. You’re in no hurry to tell this man anything personal or leave this spot with him, but you’re enjoying looking at him and hearing him enough that you don’t mind being a bit of entertainment.

He bumps your knee with his at one point, but you pull your own knee away. At first he seems to take the hint, and time passes without any more advances.

Soon, however, he grows more bold.

“Why don’t we go somewhere else, baby?” he asks as he lightly squeezes your thigh. “Somewhere more private?”

“No thanks,” you say as you jerk your leg away, though the motion doesn’t make him let go. “I’m fine talking here.”

“You know this is a sex club, don’t you?” he says. His smile and voice haven’t changed, but somehow he seems much slimier than he did five minutes ago, and the strong paw gripping your leg that seemed so enticing in your head feels suffocating in reality.

“I’m not here for that, I’m just hanging out with friends-” You try to leave the stool, but the man throws his arm around your shoulders and pulls you in.

“Come on, babe! What did you think I was after by chatting you up like this? You’re not gonna leave me hanging, are you?” He’s holding you closely enough that his hot breath is hitting your face, and the stench of his cologne is making you gag. “C’mon, baby, I’ll show you a good time. You won’t regret this-”

“She said no.” Husk had somehow snuck his way to your side without you noticing, and was now glaring daggers at your pursuer. “Back off.”

“Who are you, her grandpa?” the wolf laughs, refusing to unhand you. “Or just a nasty old man who likes ‘em young?”

Your captor’s laughter is quickly interrupted by a high-pitched howl. His face is now adorned with four jagged, bleeding lines.

“What the fuck, old man?” he yells as he unhands you. Just as quickly as you’re unhanded, you’re grabbed again, this time by Husk grabbing your waist and pulling you away.

“I knew I fucking hated this place,” he growls. “Where are Cherri and Angel?”

You have no idea, but your first guess has you looking toward the sex rooms in the back of the club.

“Jesus Christ… they’ll find their own way home. Come on, we’re going back to the hotel.”

You don’t appreciate being dragged out of the club like a misbehaving child, but as the alcohol clouds your thinking, you can’t quite formulate a protest.

Considering how pissed off your admirer must be right now, maybe it’s for the best that you don’t stay.

—

The walk back to the hotel is blurry; if Husk had anything to say to you besides pissed off obscenities muttered beneath his breath, you don’t remember it. Your next memory finds you laying on the couch in the lobby, your head aching from a combination of a hangover and the time spent laying on the couch’s arm with your neck at a weird angle.

“What time is it…?” you murmur as your eyes try to adjust.

“About noon,” answers Husk from the bar. 

As you continue to look around the lobby, he appears to be the only one here. “Where is everyone?” you ask through a yawn.

“Angel and Cherri still aren’t back, but I’m sure they’re fine. Charlie and Vaggie left to give you some quiet. Alastor and Niffty…” Husk shrugs after their names, then falls silent.

You groan as you push yourself into a sitting position, one that has you facing Husk. He doesn’t appear to have anything to do, and is instead standing with his chin resting on his crossed arms atop the bar. An awkward silence falls between the two of you, giving you plenty of time to observe Husk’s body language, particularly the way his tail is lashing behind him while his ear gives the occasional twitch.

He is not in a good mood.

“Are you okay?” you ask. Your well-meaning question only seems to piss him off further; he answers not with a word, but with a growl. “Is this about last night?”

“Don’t worry about it,” he insists.

“I’m sorry I caused you trouble…”

“Wasn’t your fault.” His tail lashes even harder. “Just don’t worry about it, all right?”

You’re going to keep worrying about it until he stops looking so on edge.

“Thanks for getting me away from that guy last night,” you say, just in case you didn’t thank him in your drunken haze.

“Hey, it’s what a good bartender does. When you see someone starting shit with another patron, even if it’s not your bar, you take care of the problem. That fucker had no right to put his hands on you after you told him to cut it out.”

He may be gruff, but at least he has standards.

“Can’t believe Cherri and Angel left you alone in there… those two better not take you to anymore fucking sex clubs, you don’t need to be around shit like that…”

“I’m a grown adult,” you protest. “I didn’t want to sleep with that guy, but if I did want to get with someone at that club, that’s my business.”

Husk’s eyes widen for a moment, before he returns to his original dour expression. “Yeah… guess you’re right.”

“And what about you? You didn’t look interested in picking up anyone last night. Why’d you even come?”

“How do you know I wasn’t interested?” he shoots back. “Maybe I was interested in someone! Maybe I just… didn’t have the balls to go for it.” He stands up straight and shakes his head. “Look, can we drop this? Hang out in sex clubs if you want, I don’t fuckin’ care.”

He’s speaking with the tone of voice of someone who very much cares.

“I’m done with ‘em, though. You’re right, you’re an adult, you don’t need me hanging around like some fuckin’ guardian angel.” He pours a glass of clear liquid, and you expect him to down it himself, but he instead steps out from behind the bar still holding the full glass. “I overreacted last night. Shouldn’t have made it your fuckin’ problem.” He approaches the couch, takes a seat, and offers you the glass. “Here, one last favor. Drink this and I’ll get off your ass.”

You take the cup, wondering if for some ungodly reason he’s trying to get you to down straight vodka.

“Why are you looking at me like that? It’s water. That headache’s only gonna get worse if you’re dehydrated.”

You take a sip of the water, and after only a few swallows you’re already regaining a bit of your desire to live. “Thanks,” you say before taking another large gulp.

“No problem,” he responds. You expect him to return to the bar, but he remains next to you on the couch. His body language has gotten no less agitated. What is going on with him?

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you doting on Angel or Cherri like this,” you observe before finishing the glass.

“They’re used to it, and they’ve got each other,” he says as he takes the glass from you. “You want some more?”

You shake your head, and he remains seated with the glass.

“You, though… I don’t know, something about that guy just pissed me off,” he says. “Even before he started touching you I didn’t like him. Bartender’s intuition, maybe? I’m still not over the awful feeling he gave me.” He sighs heavily. “I just… hate the idea of seeing you get hurt in a place like that. I know Angel and Cherri can take care of themselves, but you’ve never seemed as wild as they do, so I wasn’t sure…”

“Is that why you were watching me the whole night?” you asked.

Husk’s body jolts. “Shit, you noticed?”

“I kept looking over there wondering if you’d ever move from that spot, and if you weren’t actively drinking you were staring at me,” you said. “You weren’t subtle.”

Husk groans as he pinches the bridge of his nose. “Sorry. I know you’re capable. I was just…”

“You weren’t there because you were interested in someone at all, were you?”

“I never said I wasn’t. I mean it when I said I just didn’t have the balls to say anything to ‘em. Instead, I just wondered… what I’d do if someone else asked ‘em. Knowing it’d be my own damn fault for not speaking up sooner. Trying to tell myself it wasn’t that big a deal if they went with someone else… until someone started flirting with ‘em, and touchin’ ‘em, and-” His body tenses as he growls, but relaxes after a moment. “Damn it, I haven’t had to do this in years...”

“Done what?”

“You know what I said about losing my ability to love years ago?” He turns his head and looks directly at you for the first time since he sat down. “...I think I’m remembering how to do it again.”

Things are starting to fall into place. “And the person who helped you remember is…?”

The slightest of smiles crosses his face. “Who do you think?”

You wouldn’t have guessed it before today, but it all seems so obvious in retrospect. He’d spent so many nights with you when he could have been in bed, just chatting with you or comforting you after a bad day. You’d really grown so fond of his smile, and Angel had told you before that he used to never smile.

But surely, you thought, he couldn’t have been smiling because of you…

“What am I even saying?” he asks as he turns away from you. “You died in the prime of your life, and down here you can have that prime forever. You could do so much better than a washed up old drunk.”

“You’re not washed up,” you assure him as you place your hand over his. “I think it’s great that you got to live such a full life! You have so many stories to tell, and so many talents… I bet there’s so much you haven’t told me yet.” You try to reassure him with a smile and a light squeeze to his hand. “So much you haven’t shown me, either. You talk a lot about when you were in a band, but I’ve never gotten to hear you play…”

“I haven’t touched an instrument in years,” he says. “I bet I don’t even remember how to play anymore.”

“Well, you don’t know if you don’t try, right?”

You don’t think you’re just saying that about instruments.

“It’s been such a long time… what if I screw up?”

You don’t think he’s just talking about instruments either.

“It can’t hurt to try. Maybe… maybe you’ll enjoy it even more than you remember.”

“Hmm…” He doesn’t seem fully at ease, but he hasn’t taken his hand back yet. “If I can get my hands on a saxophone, and I really haven’t forgotten how… sure. I’ll play for you.

…you just have to give me some time, okay? I’m not used to it anymore… especially with another person…”

“Take all the time you need,” you assure him.

He turns his hand around so he can hold yours back, and his smile seems to grow slightly. “Just gotta start slow… get used to things again…”

“You’ll be fine, I know you will,” you assure him. He seems content to leave the conversation there, but there’s one more thing you need to say. “Husk?”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t think I’ll be going back to that club. No point when I’m not interested in picking up dates anymore.”

He squeezes your hand. “Glad to hear it.”

[emma23]

The unexpected hug:

Steven Grant x reader

Summary: Steven Grant has been friends with you for years, both of you having a mutual love for history and mythology. Always keeping things on a friendship level, Steven is caught off guard when a friendly handshake turns into a hug—an unexpected moment that leads to revelations about feelings neither of you had dared to voice.

————————————————————————

The British Museum was quieter than usual, the low hum of the lights creating a serene atmosphere among the towering artifacts and ancient statues. It was Steven Grant’s favorite time of day—the moments just before closing, when the hustle of tourists faded away, leaving only the whispers of history behind. Steven glanced at his watch, realizing he had only a few minutes left before his shift at the gift shop ended. He shuffled through a few more keychains and magnets, adjusting their display with the kind of care that belied his genuine affection for the place.

You, however, had different plans for him. You had been friends with Steven for years, ever since you’d both taken that ancient Egyptian mythology course together. You worked at the museum as a researcher, always a little more behind the scenes, while Steven was out front dealing with the customers. Your love for history and shared passion for mythology had bonded you two from the start, but somehow, that bond had never gone past the borders of friendship. Despite the connection, neither of you had dared to step into the unknown territory of expressing deeper feelings.

“Hey, Steven,” you called, stepping into the gift shop area. Your voice broke through his thoughts, making him jump a little. “Lost in thought again? I swear, I could stand here for ten minutes and you wouldn’t notice.”

Steven turned to face you, his usual sheepish smile on his face. “Oh, uh, sorry about that. Just, you know, organizing the, uh, the trinkets here,” he said, gesturing awkwardly at the assortment of museum souvenirs. “Didn’t see you come in.”

You laughed softly, moving closer to the counter where Steven stood. “It’s fine. That’s why I come to find you. You’re always right here, same time, same place. A creature of habit.”

“Well, you know me. I do love a good routine,” Steven replied, his eyes meeting yours for a brief moment before flickering away. There was something endearing about the way he looked at you, as if he was always afraid you might catch him in some secret he hadn’t yet discovered himself.

“I wanted to show you something,” you said, holding out a small, leather-bound notebook. “Found this in the archives today. It’s a translation of an ancient Egyptian love poem. I thought you’d appreciate it.”

Steven took the notebook from you, his fingers brushing against yours, and you swore you saw him blush. He flipped it open, his eyes scanning the delicate script. “This is beautiful,” he murmured. “Did you do the translation?”

“Some of it,” you admitted. “I’ve been working on it in my spare time. Thought it might make a good addition to one of the upcoming exhibits.”

Steven’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Oh, absolutely! People love this kind of thing, you know, the whole ancient love affair idea. It’s romantic, in a historical sort of way.”

You chuckled. “That’s exactly what I was thinking. Maybe we can work on it together, make it something special.”

“I’d like that,” Steven said softly, his eyes lifting to meet yours again. “I really would.”

There was a moment of silence, a comfortable sort of pause where neither of you felt the need to fill the space with words. You looked at Steven, his disheveled hair, the way his shirt always seemed just a little too big, his eyes tired but kind. It struck you how much you cared about him, how easy it was to be with him. Before you could second-guess yourself, you reached out, closing the space between you.

Steven, caught in the habit of your usual greeting, extended his hand out for a handshake. But instead of grasping his hand, you stepped forward and wrapped your arms around him in a hug. You felt him stiffen in surprise, his body going rigid as if he had been struck by lightning.

“Uh… um…” Steven stammered, his arms awkwardly hanging at his sides before they slowly came up to return the embrace. “This is… new.”

You pulled back slightly, looking up at him. “I’ve been thinking, Steven,” you said softly. “We’ve known each other for a long time, and maybe… maybe it’s time we stop being just friends.”

Steven blinked, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. “Just friends?” he echoed. “You mean… not friends?”

You couldn’t help but laugh at his confusion. “No, still friends, just… more than that. You know, maybe we try something else, see where it goes.”

He swallowed hard, his brain trying to catch up with his racing heart. “You want to… with me?”

“Yes, Steven,” you said, smiling at him. “With you.”

Steven’s face broke into a smile, the kind that lit up his whole face. “I’d like that,” he said, echoing his earlier words. “I’d really, really like that.”

————————————————————————

The following days were filled with an undercurrent of excitement. You and Steven continued your work on the translation, but there was a new layer to your interactions. The stolen glances, the brushes of hands, the way his face would light up every time he saw you—all of it added a spark to your usual routine. One evening, after the museum had closed, you found yourselves alone in the research room, the soft glow of the desk lamp casting a warm light over the ancient texts scattered about.

“Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be in one of those love stories?” you asked suddenly, looking up from your work.

Steven glanced at you, his face thoughtful. “You mean, like, in ancient Egypt? With the gods and the pyramids?”

“Yeah,” you said, nodding. “Imagine having someone write a poem about you that would last for thousands of years. That kind of love.”

Steven’s cheeks turned pink, and he looked down at the notebook in his hands. “I think… I think that kind of love is still around,” he said quietly. “Maybe not with poems and pyramids, but… it’s out there.”

You smiled at him, a feeling of warmth spreading through your chest. “I think so too,” you agreed. “And I think… maybe we could have that.”

Steven’s head snapped up, his eyes wide. “Really? You think… with me?”

“Why not?” you said, leaning closer. “You’re sweet, you’re kind, and you care more about these dusty old books than anyone else I know. You’re special, Steven. More than you realize.”

Steven’s heart pounded in his chest. He felt like he was standing on the edge of something big, something life-changing. Without thinking, he reached out, cupping your cheek in his hand. “I’m not… I’m not really good at this sort of thing,” he admitted. “But I do care about you. A lot.”

You leaned into his touch, your eyes closing briefly. “That’s all I need to hear,” you whispered.

Steven moved closer, his face just inches from yours. “Can I… can I kiss you?” he asked, his voice trembling.

You smiled, your breath mingling with his. “Yes, Steven,” you said. “You can kiss me.”

His lips met yours in a gentle, tentative kiss, as if he was afraid you might vanish if he wasn’t careful. But you didn’t vanish. Instead, you leaned into him, deepening the kiss, your arms sliding around his neck. Steven let out a small, content sigh, his hands resting on your waist, pulling you closer. The kiss was sweet and tender, filled with all the unsaid words and emotions that had built up between you over the years.

When you finally pulled away, you were both breathless, your foreheads resting against each other. Steven’s eyes were bright, his smile wide and genuine.

“I’ve wanted to do that for a long time,” he confessed.

“Me too,” you admitted. “But I guess we were both too scared to make the first move.”

Steven chuckled softly. “Guess we don’t have to be scared anymore, do we?”

“No,” you agreed. “No more being scared.”

That night, as you lay together in Steven’s small apartment, the city lights casting a soft glow through the window, you couldn’t help but feel a sense of peace. Steven’s arms were wrapped around you, his breathing slow and steady, his heartbeat a calming rhythm against your back. You turned to face him, your fingers tracing the lines of his face.

“Steven?” you whispered.

“Hmm?” he murmured, his eyes half-open, filled with contentment.

“Thank you,” you said softly. “For being you.”

He smiled sleepily, leaning in to kiss your forehead. “Thank you for seeing me,” he replied.

As you drifted off to sleep, you knew that whatever challenges lay ahead, you would face them together. For the first time in a long time, Steven Grant felt whole. And that was more than enough.

[rottenpumpkin13]

Yeah, wouldn’t that be nice.

All the things that could’ve gone differently if Sephiroth had had just one friend. I’m still of the mind that if he’d had just ONE person who genuinely cared about him and hadn’t deserted him he wouldn’t have snapped. Yes he would’ve still been shocked and destroyed, but there would be someone to put him back together. He still would’ve have one person left to live for who he knows cared about him. Literally the whole source of his misery was his loneliness, and if he’d had a connection with someone it wouldn’t have been nearly as severe.

This issue was not helped by his former perceived best friend calling him a monster and deserting him, on top of having been nothing but angry and jealous towards Sephiroth of superficial things he had no control over nor desire to have.

I guess you could argue that he did have Zack by his side in the end, who was someone who genuinely cared for him. They were developing a bond as Sephiroth took over from Angeal, and vice versa for Sephiroth. The source of his misery was an aggregate of many things that exploded when he found out it was all rooted in the Jenova Project and realized he had been lied to his entire life. Even if Zack had entered Sephiroth's life earlier, and they had a pre-established friendship when Angeal was alive, it wouldn't have been enough to lessen the blow of the revelation, but Sephiroth might have let Zack in, but even that's a huge maybe given how Sephiroth was when Zack found him in the library. When Zack reached him—referencing the Nibelheim scene from Rebirth—Sephiroth was past the breaking point. You could see how hurt and angry he was, his mind completely shattered, and he had lost his sense of self.

But if he had someone else there for him all along, he would have likely processed everything differently from the very beginning, starting with Genesis and Angeal's desertion all the way to the reveal at the reactor. It's a significant "what if," and I tend to lean towards the idea that an extra friend (or a deeper relationship with Zack) would have been enough to lessen the incident (or avert the fire and murder), although not enough to prevent something bad from happening, because he would've released his anger, sadness and emotion out either way.

[inchidentally]

I don't think Oscar and lando is good friends. They might be friends but not good friends. Their characteristics are so different they just can't become besties.

I'm unable to read tone from asks anon so I'm going to lean toward this not being intended in a bad way!

(also quick apology bc some of these asks have answers that overlap so I'm repeating myself a lot - block "inchreplies" to be spared lol)

the first thing to clear up is the idea that to be best friends you have to like the same things or be similar people which I personally (jokingly) take huge offense about. my entire tightest friend group consists of none of us agreeing on ANYTHING. if anything liking someone just because you're similar means you've got less of a friendship than people who love each other regardless of what you perceive as terrible takes on things. obv I'm talking about frivolous shit and not like human rights etc.

but also reminder: Lando doesn't have besties in F1. not one. the whole car|ando encroaching on his own brand that he's worked extremely hard for all on his own is definitely wearing thin on him and it's clearly why he was a bit iffy doing the whole let's do a really obvious bromance schtick with Daniel sometimes. so he's making it very clear that there are some guys he spends down time with in F1… and then there are his real private life non-professional friends. but professionally as a driver, Lando is Lando. he's not one half of anything and he's not another driver's creation or admirer. he is F1 driver Lando Norris, then a McLaren driver, then a teammate, and wayyyy down below that are the guys on the grid he hangs with sometimes (Carlos, Daniel, Max, Charles, Yuki, sometimes Lewis).

so in terms of if Oscar and Lando are good friends I think it would be hard to class anyone on the grid as Lando's "good friend" and not just a friend. Ga|ex is really the only F1 pairing I'd refer to as good friends and not just guys who seek each other out to chat during down time, but who actually cross over into the winter break as well. I don't follow the whole grid super closely but I can definitely say Lando doesn't have anything to do with guys like Carlos and Daniel if it's not to fill time during racing weekends. Lando is a businessman and a lot of us forget that because he's so open and often relatable but this dude is a CEO, a content creator and a top F1 driver - his life is FULL. his real closest friendships are happening off the clock and the most we see of those friendships are caught on his streams and sometimes his videos just with Max.

honestly part of what a lot of us really like about the landoscar friendship is that they've gone completely against the grain of the usual bromance/PR thing that new teammates do and they're just being themselves. Lando cannot hide a single thing on his face and his mouth isn't much better at it so the fact that he is always smiling and happy around Oscar is as genuine proof as you can get that he likes Oscar. even despite (or maybe partly because of?) Oscar being so quiet and calm and unlike the other drivers on the current grid. and the fact that Lando has gone through the entire LN4 Spectrum of Different Moods and Emotions around Oscar and Oscar just seems to want to study Lando like a bug he is particularly fond of is also genuine since that boy wouldn't perform for the cameras without a gun to his head.

but tbh anon more important than that is that Lando is no longer the rookie playing second fiddle to a seasoned driver and he isn't the baby brother to a PR darling, he's Mr. McLaren and he's got his own rookie who looks up to him. which is about damn time for someone who's been in F1 for 5 years. AND they've already had a fiercely competitive first season together where they've both responded with respect and maturity to people desperate to stir things up between them. if that doesn't result in them playing gay for the cameras or having shared hobbies then I can't really say I care.

and while I absolutely think we should all enjoy any rpf we want in the privacy of tumblr's lack of an algorithm or popular appeal, publicly I kiiiiind of feel like it's time for Lando to no longer be defined by bromances or have to answer about them. I'd even lean a bit into saying maybe he's done with that as well. so landoscar not having the usual bromancey corporate engagement hashtag appeal feels pretty comfortable.

[tokkiasnanowrimo]

nano | day 28

words: 2,231/1,667

notes: FIFTY K BAYBEEE!!! FIFTY THOUSAND WHOLE WORDS IN TWENTY-EIGHT DAYS ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? like what do you mean i wrote a whole 50k words in less than a month. i'm??? like i didn't think i would hit 25k so?? idk i don't have words i'm just kind of baffled. when i submitted my word count to the official nanowrimo website and got to the winners page i genuinely started crying. i watched the 2023 winners video and when they said congratulations i just started fucking bawling because i did it!!!! i'm so proud of myself. i've gone through a horrible, terrible, shitty year, i've felt every sort of doubt and self-hatred and insecurity about my writing you can imagine, but i did it and i'm so happy i finally got around to seriously working on the last chapter and for the first time this whole month i just wrote like my life depended on it. i wrote nearly 500 words in 15 minutes because i just got on such a roll. it felt sort of apt because it was a bittersweet reflection on everything that has happened in the fic so far, referencing things that happen in earlier chapters, talking about the relationships i had built between lucy and other characters in the story. i said very early on that the wendy-lucy friendship would be important in this fic and as i wrote a little part of introspection about that in this chapter i began to get teary eyed while i wrote. while i was writing that i actually came up with another really great idea for the fic that i'm excited to implement. the main scene coming from that idea is short but i'm going to sprinkle hints and foreshadowing throughout the whole fic. there's actually already a line in a part i had already written for the first chapter that works as a hint to it. i hope that when you guys read it you will be on the lookout for the breadcrumbs i'm leaving you and more than that, i hope that the payoff is worth it for those of you who do pick up on it i have two more days left after this and i'm not sure what i'm gonna do now. i have three options, 1) stop and take a break, 2) keep going on this project and try and hit the update every day and hit par every day badges on the website, 3) try get my final two badges by working on a different project (gift exchange fic). i don't know which one i will do, i'll decide tomorrow based on vibes but that might mean the end of this blog for the year. even if i continue nano goals with my gift exchange progress, as per the rules i can't talk about it publicly so there wouldn't be anything interesting to say in these posts (not that i've said anything interesting in any of these posts but. lol) i might do a wrap up at the end of the month but if i don't update this blog again this year, thank you everyone who has followed along for all your support. could not have done it without you. love you lots <3

quote: He had imprinted himself on her lips, on her heart, and she feared that nothing she did would ever make that go away.

total word count: 51,236/50,000

[witchthewriter]

𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧

Want one? Here’s more info 🦋🌈  

𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬

𝑫𝒆𝒔𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏

𝑰 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑱𝒐𝒏 𝑺𝒏𝒐𝒘! This was a pretty easy choice. When you said you wanted someone who you could ... just be with. Be in each other’s company with, I knew exactly who to choose. He’s a quiet man himself, with strong morals and he is very very capable. You would always feel protected, even if he wasn’t there to do so himself, he would have Ghost sent with you (Ghost absolutely ADORES YOU)

𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒏𝒔

(I hope you don’t mind, I’ve made you a dragon seed here, as it’s linked to your pet and interactions with certain characters).

・You didn’t come from a wealthy family, but you did grow up stable and without needing. You always had food on the table, a house over your head and clothes without holes (your mother taught every single one of your siblings how to sew - it wasn’t just a woman’s job). 

・You and Jon met after the events of Sansa being crowned Queen in the North. He was travelling when suddenly there was a snow storm and he had no choice but to find the nearest house to take shelter in. Unluckily, or luckily - depending on who you ask, it was your home. 

・Jon is actually a very jealous guy and when someone is giving you too much of - that - kind of attention, than he stops it immediately. He really doesn’t like people getting to close

・One of his favouite activities to do with you is to sit by the fire and hold you, he loves your smell and the calm energy that you bring. It really helps him open up - he can talk to you about anything

・You’re the only person who can genuinely make him smile. He knows that you aren’t being political or trying to create an alliance. You’re there because you love him. And that brings out a different side to Jon that no one sees

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒆 𝑺𝒐𝒏𝒈

Into My Arms by the Midnite String Quartet

𝑹𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝑻𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒔

・ Madly In Love (You) x Ridiculously Oblivious (Jon)

・You Fell First, But They Fall Harder

・Closed Off x The Person They Warm Up To (This one works both ways)

𝑷𝒍𝒐𝒕 𝑻𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆

Stuck Together

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖

Your sarcasm, your loyalty, your logic. He loves that you want to think things through before jumping into action. He’s been so sick and tired of being the voice of reason for so long. 

𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅

Would be Sansa and/or Dany. I think you need a best friend who understands you on a deeper level - yes having a friend with humour is great, but without a deep connection the friendship won’t go anything. It won’t be anything other than surface level. 

𝑾𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆

I think you’re a mix of Sansa, Bran and Jojen Reed. You have this quiet yet mysterious energy about you. A quick-wit, that doesn’t take crap from anyone - and yet you don’t yell, or need to be loud to hold people’s attention. 

𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒑𝒆𝒕

As a dragon seed, even though you might not be able to trace your family history, you do have a special ability that helped the Targaryen’s conquer Westeros. I.e., you are a dragon rider. 

Dany didn’t understand how this could happen, she only knew about her history through her brother, but he was long gone now. So she could only rely on Jorah, and Tyrion to explain it to her. Dragon seeds exist - bastard children that have the blood of Old Valyria. 

When you approached the three dragons, you had no idea that one would have such an impact on you. 

Viserion. 

The youngest, and yes, the smallest, but the most affectionate. 

It shocked everyone when he let you get close, when he whined when you gave him a rub. 

And then Dany nearly fainted when you climbed ontop of him and flew off. 

[strywoven]

@bitterarcs has requested a story : Considering all the rumours Reno had heard about her, the spark of an idea came instantly . . actually, it arrived after he killed someone. Idea and execution were two entirely different things however. It took a decent amount of money for a cake artist to make cake and chocolate to look like a severed hand. Nails, veins, flesh — it all looked surprisingly genuine except for the blood which was little more than crimson syrup. The hand was wrapped with single thin red bow and placed inside a box. If Verona did not eat people, then the thing would be a delicious treat. However if she actually did enjoy flesh and blood, she would've found it very disappointing. Either way, it was a trick or treat. 🎃

belated oct. 31st things.

Rumors are often founded by some modicum of TRUTH .  To say that Verona is a character who left behind a history of barbarism and bloodshed is no sore hyperbole ; alas , for every hand she shook in diplomacy , there was another she tore and devoured.  As with ShinRa , Verona’s power came in totality from f e a r , from the reaping of the sins and lucrative wretchedness of man.

But the world has changed ( is making to change , at least ) , a new era dawns as the sun sets on such a time ( however glorious it might have once been ) .  Once-enemies are looking inward , doing the i m p o s s i b l e by offering an alliance.  And despite all which has transpired between them – a past fraught with a rightly bloodied bitterness , brutality , and a seemingly endless conflict – the two pillars who cast their thrall of power over the realm now REJOINED AS ONE ENTITY .  Very few , beyond Rufus and Verona themselves who made such a dangerous decision , were content with the choice ( though some might tell you the two even still hesitate to share space & time , as if each other’s company be a bane to endure ) .  Such that it is , there is no sense stoking the ire , is there ?

That has been the general air for m o n t h s ; to give Verona a WIDE BERTH , both from distrust and warranted anxiety.  Although Rufus has given her his blessing , the rest of the Turks were slow to display the same faith.  So surprised is she to find a little … TREAT … Awaiting upon her desk for the 31st ( which also happens to be her birthday ) .  Perplexed , she blinks down at it.  There is no note , though she has a sneaking suspicion of who could have decidedly left her such a gruesome looking confection ( reno , she thinks , trying hard not to laugh , you know nothing of me & yet— ) .  A s m i l e twists the painted seams of her lips , a shake of the head given.

❝ You think you know me so well , don’t you ?  F o o l ! ❞

Hardly spoken with anything more than a playful vitriol as she regards the cake.  Perhaps it might not be a real meal to her – indeed , not exactly the cooked f l e s h she might be inclined towards – but it is very much appreciated just the same ( how sweet of him to consider her today , even if as a joke ) .  It left her a’wondering : Is this gesture of mocking good-will truly a sign of cease-fire , a symptom of faith and friendship gone unspoken ?  One may only hope.

[piglet26]

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Rewatch Part 3

Harrison Ford looks like he's genuinely having fun running around with Chewie and shooting things.

While it's hilarious that Finn's first instinct is to run, it's great that once it's understood that Rey is in trouble he actually goes not only into battle to directly into the First Order HQ. It's a great friendship especially with those iconic Rey's! Sad that's it's kind of mocked for being simpish.

Reylo - heart eyes - him appearing out the forest like a dark prince and freezing her. The bridal carry at the torn down castle. It's just a hint at what's to come but it's enough that you understand something is different about them. Fairytale vibes for real.

Finn "He took her did you see that. He took her, she's gone."

Han "Yeah, yeah, I know."

Finn stares after him stunned. haha

Finn he's a little preoccupied right now. He just saw his son with a girl, he's about his meet his wifey again after how long. Rey is like 5th on this list right now, while she's your #1

Han and Leia finally back together 1 hour 20 minutes in. Someone was mad.

Poe/Finn is a great bromance.

See Finn, Han did mention Rey to Leia as soon as he got other stuff out the way.

I love Leia as a leader. Side note: the sexism, yes sexism, Carrie faced for aging and gaining weight while Harrison ford is grey and Mark looks like a drunk is bull crap.

R2D2, 3PO Iconic.

Leia and Han scene about their son going bad is a great scene and you see the history and the love between them.

It might sound odd that with an interrogation scene Reylos said we're never letting this go - but yes, that's how it is. So many things are fascinating about this scene. How long has he sat there and observed her? He's kneeling as opposed to standing over her. He refers to her as his guest. He doesn't like her friends, but tells her he doesn't know where they are.

Kylo Ren "You still want to kill me"

Ren "That's what happens when you're being hunted by a creature in a mask."

Kylo Ren reveals a handsome dark prince look literally made for vaginas

Rey: Girl, same

It's also canon in this scene that their force bond is made her and they both feel it. Read the books. Honestly, the chemistry here really is great between them and the dialogue. Daisy Ridley is a great actress having to act while strapped to a table. She just doesn't get the credit.

Poe Dameron is the kind of fighter you want. Brace, fearless and rowdy.

Han "Ok, how do we blow it up. There's always a way to do that." Love Han! You need people like this around in the midst of crisis.

I wasn't an OG fan and I didn't grow up with Star Wars so I don't have the attachment to the OG3 but this was a touching scene.

Han "What was your job when you were based her?"

Finn " Sanitation"

Han " Sanitation?! Then how do you know how to disable the shields?"

Fin " I don't. I'm just here to get Rey

"Han "People are counting on us. The galaxy is counting on us."

This exchange, them kidnapping Phasma, the whole it's great.

Yes Rey, put those scavenger skills to use and climb.

Rey: "Finn, what are you doing here?"

Finn "We came back for you"

Chewie: Roaring

Finn " What he say?"

Rey "He says it was your idea."

Suffocating hug. Honestly, you want people like Finn, Han and Chewie to have your back. Yes people! Please come and save me and don't leave me like a Martyr.

Oh it's hurts to know that Han and company had escaped and only went back in to help the resistance.

Aww Finn gave Rey his jacket and....... then got the jacket back in the next scene?

The infamous scene

Adam Driver and Harrison Ford had a lot of ground to cover in this scene since this was literally their only scene. You had to not only believe in their history but care about it.

Whatever good will this movie built up it just squandered it for the OG fans. Not only killing Han but not putting Luke, Leia and Han in a scene together. Yeah, it's down hill from here for these fans.

*Reylo criticism* he pushed her into a tree! To defend himself cause she was about to shoot him.

Yes, it's stupid that Rey beat Kylo Ren. If she fought more streetwise which is something she was used to then that would have made more sense. I don't care that he was wounded, spiritually fucked up and already fought Finn. Scratch him? Yes. Outright beat him? No.

*Reylo criticism* They fought. He mostly played with her honestly until she got the jump on him.

!Reylo Moment! You need a teacher! He's got a soft spot for her.

!Finnrey Moment! Rey watching over Finn. "We'll see each other again. I believe that. Thank you, my friend"

Special shout out to Leia final princess outfit.

And we're off to find Luke thanks to R2D2 waking up.

This planet is called Ack-Tu? I think. Anyways it's beautiful. Rey don't go back to Jakku I love a desert as much as a scorpion but there's greenery, water and fresh air here.

Disney plus has special features?! Wow.

Overall, a pretty solid film for a new fan.

[sugar-omi]

While I'm very invested in this angst au of Baxter and Jamie, I do wonder about Frankie's relationships in Golden Grove.

Since it's a timeline reset does that mean Frankie may have had a chance to fall in love with Qiu and Tamarack? Or was it purely friendship since no matter how close they were, or how many feelings they caught, Frankie's heart always belonged to Cove.

mmm i like to think frankie tried to dated qiu and tamarack, after all they've been living the same life so many times, you gotta try different things right?

even if they (frankie) didn't catch feelings, sometimes qiu and/or tama would, and after consideration the first time, frankie would accept

i think frankie might try Not to date them, or anyone else really, bc they feel restless, and they've been through this before, why bother dating other ppl when they know what its like to date (cove)?

ofc if they do date qiu or tama, they do have genuine love for them. its hard not to when you spend decades next to a person and take them as your lover, especially if you marry them once or twice. but sometimes they're laughing with qiu or tama and they imagine cove, and frankie just has to swallow it down.

qiu/tama can always tell there's something wrong, but since you've behaved like this your whole life, they shrug it off as your depression or something like that clouding your mind. and maybe thats why you look at the beach with longing, maybe that is why you always seem to yearn, and that's why you move so slow, taking your time with everything you do.

but it's not, you take that time because you know time is all you have.

i also could see frankie trying to be mean or distant from qiu + tama. they've gone through it so much, they're tired of experiencing the same thing over and over. instead of exploring the woods, they sit behind a tree with opal can't see, they walk to school by themself, they leave before the bell can even ring... frankie tries to grow up as fast as possible to go to cove.

IDEA. frankie sees cove, he's laughing with some friends. and baxter is next to him as well.. frankie feels like running towards him, but they also know that the life they've led trying to get to him wasn't worth the trouble. the loneliness. the rejection of anything that wasn't cove or getting close to cove...

so frankie turns around and goes back to golden grove where they collapse in opal's arms, holing themself up for weeks before they come out and try to befriend their neighbors.

well.. befriend is a strong word. be nice is better.. like helping tama's grandparents with moving boxes or bringing in the groceries, returning qiu's lost notebook pages they've kept from day 1.

whether they become friends or not isn't frankie's worry, they just hope this run will be over so they can start again.

[kiss-my-freckle]

This is what Rose's actress said about her character. Interesting she cut her hair for this role:

As for Rose’s final undead moment, Cohan says there was a lot of conversation about how to stage it. “Did we want Damon to be looking at her when he did it, or with her strength being totally gone, was he holding her?” She and Somerhalder had to deal with a bit of extra drama (or comedy) with a malfunctioning stake. “There’s a series of stakes that they use for the vampire stunts. Sometimes it’s a rubber stake. Sometimes it’s a solid stake with a rubber tip, and you just use that to mime going toward someone. Sometimes it’s a retractable stake. And if it’s going into a dummy, then it might be a full-on solid stake. You have to keep track of which ones you’re using, and all the protocol for each one. Our stake was retractable. I had all this padding where he as gonna plunge it into my chest, and we practiced it a couple of times. When you turn the stake a quarter it [retracts] all the way in, and when you turn it off that quarter turn, it doesn’t go in. So Ian has to make it look like he’s really plunging it, and the thing kept sticking,” she says, laughing. “So after 10 minutes of reassurance that it was gonna be fine, we’re about to do the take and then the stake won’t actually retract. We’re like ‘Ohmygod, stop! Stop! Stop!’ So it actually felt really real. Obviously nobody would get hurt, but it was just funny.”

Another fun tidbit: We asked Cohan about that conversation between Rose and Elena that was in the promo but not in the actual episode — specifically that line in which Rose told Elena it was okay to love both Salvatore brothers. She says they shot a bunch of stuff that she assumes was trimmed for time, including “a deranged rampage through the parking lot, which really felt like the peak of the dementia” in between Rose killing the janitor and the car couple, as well as that revealing portion of her chat with Elena.

“I loved that piece between Rose and Elena because I think Rose looked at Elena like a younger sister in a way, and it really was okay that Elena loves different things in both of these men. Being conflicted doesn’t make her a bad person. It was almost like Rose needed to tell her to not be so hard on herself and to not give up,” she says. “It was really cute because Elena tried to cover the fact that she does love them both in a way. That’s when Rose kinda pushed her to say it. [She’s saying] ‘Come on. Just admit it. You don’t have to feel bad about it,’ in the same breath as, ‘Own who you are. It’s okay to let them fight for you. It’s okay to want to live. And it’s okay to be conflicted. Keep going.'” Cohan says she would be open to the idea of returning to the show somehow — if the writers intentionally left open what Damon did with her body after showing it to Sheriff Forbes in the trunk of his car in the woods.

Why did Rose suddenly want to protect Elena?

Because I think she saw a lot of herself in Elena. At the end of the day, what Elena wanted to do was stop the people that she loves from being hurt, even if it meant sacrificing herself. She had respect for her.

How has the experience been different than other shows?

It was so much fun because I got to be unglamorous. We did the chop of my hair, and I learned that she was bit older than the other characters on the show, she had more history to her. It gave me a chance to explore things I hadn’t gotten to before... It liberates me. Rose wasn’t about being glamorous, she was about genuine friendship and the connection she had with Damon.

I love Rose's hairstyle because I view it like I view the streaks Elena gets in season 4. It's great to have beauitful vampires, but I feel they need to be... edgy. Part of that is in their look. It's not glamorous, but it's what I would expect of a vampire bound to the night for as long as Rose was. I felt Elena's hair needed to have that same edge, but not as much because she lives as a human. This made the streaks perfect for her.

I love Rose. I love that she wanted to protect Elena in a way that she didn't wanna protect Katherine. It's a shame she wasn't in the show longer because she was a great character.

[randomlycynical]

Lent

Every year, I often find myself looking forward to Lent, even craving it.

I feel like in the weeks or months that lead up to Lent, I inevitably get stuck in the same rut, somehow. All of my addictions and compulsions always seem to reach a critical mass at around the time before, as I gorge myself with video games and other bad habits.

Lent to me has always seemed like the chance at a reset. I’ll put aside my bad habits, my obsessions and compulsions, and I’ll read so many books, do so much writing, be much more calm and at peace.

But Lent, I think, is supposed to be less about giving up a specific thing and more of an opportunity to really slow down and reflect on your life. I wonder how closely I’ve lived up to that idea in all of the Lents I’ve gone through. How often was it that in giving something up, I really just filled it in with something else, yet another thing to wrap my mind around?

Because I often find that without my various habits, my mind craves distraction more than anything else. And I think this past year has made me really start to understand that distractions, which obsessions and compulsions are a subset of, are ways to avoid confronting the deeper issues. The really messy, painful, scary problems. OCD, in fact, numbed me from having to think about anything more serious than surface level things. I was, and still am, trying to clog my pipes, distract my anxious mind, with endless trash, so that things like fear can’t get through. But the problem with that is, fear might be kept at bay, but so does real, genuine emotion.

I’ve realized that for so much of my life, I’ve been numb, scared and unwilling to feel things largely and proudly, because I’m so deathly afraid of the consequences.

I want this year’s Lent to be different. I want to give up, fast and sacrifice, yes, but along with that, I want to gain something, too: perspective. I want to see things for what they really are now that the distractions are out of the way for this brief period in time, these short 40 days. I don’t want to simply give something up. I want to use this opportunity to really sit with myself and to understand and to change and to grow — even though it feels like to do that is like sitting on hot coals.

So what is the issue? What is the real issue, deep down, once you wipe away all of the superficial excuses? What is the explanation behind all of my behaviors and compulsions? The reasons why I want to be writer and well known, famous? The reasons why I wanted to be an educator in the first place?

The truth of the matter is, I’m so lonely. I feel so scared and alone. I crave and desperately yearn for connection, real, genuine connection of any kind. The saddest part of this is that I’m so scared of that, too. So often I’m unsure whether my fear of being alone outweighs my fear of other people, outweighs my desire for connection. I want to connect with other people, to feel like I’m part of something larger than myself — but I’m scared that I’m too unwilling to make that leap and to be brave and to really connect with others and take with it all that comes: messiness, discomfort, uncertainty, embarrassment.

I mourn the fact constantly that the two realest, deepest friendships I’ve ever had have all gone away. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten over this, and part of me thinks that I never will, and that I just have to live with this fear of abandonment, this trauma, this grief, with no resolution. That I have to just carry the weight of all of this shame and guilt and regret. I know the attempt is all, and I want to say that I’ve really tried to build real friendships in the time since, put in a real effort, but nothing has ever seemed like it was enough. I have friends, people who care about me, but have I ever been really willing to go further than the surface? To really challenge them, and myself, and our friendship, to get to something deeper and more genuine, even though the possibility of abandonment is so high?

My desire to be a writer, my desire to be famous — it’s all a cry for connection, a desperate bid to escape loneliness. To be located in a community, to be cared for, looked after, really recognized — perhaps not in a world-famous kind of way, but in a way that really matters to me. A way that feels earned and true.

And so, as I make no attempt to connect, I’m left feeling jealous and resentful at those who are more successful and well-known than I am, knowing full well that they’ve earned it and only got so far to where they are now by building those connections, nurturing them, maintaining them, challenging them. No one, in fact, gets successful on their own. The myth of the singular man is just that: a myth. It takes coalition building, a support system, a network of people who are rooting for you. Those are the things you don’t see behind every famous or successful person. And unless I have those things, I will never achieve any form of renown, not in any way that truly matters, much less than that on a national or global scale.

Because all of those things require you to be vulnerable, to take chances, risks. To break out of complacency and to tell yourself that you want and demand and expect more for yourself and from yourself. And I’m just too scared to do that, too resigned as I am to my own low self-worth, to my inability to be a better person and to improve. I hold too dim a view of myself, and that’s the truth.

I’ve been brought to the realization that what I want isn’t in fact world fame, but fame of a more localized kind. If I nurture the connections and friendships I have, really invest in them, I could reap those benefits. I could do away with all delusions of success and grandeur. I know that I need to take that first, scary step. I know what I lack — and I want to face that head on, need to face that head on.

But maybe I could do away with all of those delusions right now. That’s all that they are: shadows. I don’t need to have anything or to be anything, in fact. I never really have had to. But all my life I’ve had this pressure to be the best. But things can be enough, they have to be enough — they are enough. They are. They are, they are, they are.

I just have to be here, right now. I don’t have to be anywhere else. Not in the past or the future. I am here, right now. Fasting, and hopeful in the present.

[simpuritysims]

So. Hi. It's been eight whole years, man.

A lot's changed! I go by Blue, now, and primarily use they/them pronouns. I've graduated from university twice over. I've moved out of my parents' house to live in the city I studied in with my best friend. My mom died, and so did my first cat. I've been diagnosed with hypermobility and fibromyalgia. I still haven't finished that damn book I was working on, lmao.

And now I've reinstalled the sims 3 because a whim to re-read my old sims stories hit me like a nostalgia brick to the face. Bit of a different process in this the year of 2024 of course, but so far it seems to be working alright. Even with the ungodly amount of CC I downloaded, but we'll see if that holds up during gameplay or if I have to trim... (said as if I'm not already thinking 'wow do I really only have this many hairs?)

Recreating them took forever even with genetics to go off but. The boys live!

More rambling under the cut, but TL;DR: I'm in the process of re-creating the most important Pierces and keeping the core family tree as intact as possible, and may get back to posting about my families on a more casual basis than I once did. I also have a sims 4 legacy that might pop up, and a sims 4 version of Elanya and Calypso that might appear. Plus I might need some new actually active blogs to follow.

I'm genuinely kicking past me for deleting my old sims 3 files for reasons I no longer remember, and I'm also kicking them for not having uploaded any of gen 4 for download. BUT, I have access to the the throuple and a chunk of the family from early on, plus the original downloads of all but three of the werewolves. So I think I can recreate part of the family, even if I have to re-make at least those three sims (little Calypso included) by referencing screencaps. Which is going to be easier said than done, as my adventures with the boys have proved, but it'll have to do.

Setting up Cottonwood Hills is proving an adventure 8 years later when finding builds for the residental areas is harder and also half the CC is dead, but I'm getting there.

All those WIP poses I was working on are, unfortunately, gone for good, and I doubt I'm going to get back into making them. I don't even have access to any of the poses I finished and used for the story but didn't upload. I think if I start playing the Pierces again, it's going to start off much more gameplay heavy and only start pulling in more story once I'm sure I'm actually committed. So, even re-downloading other people's poses is going to be a lower priority than other content for a while.

I've been playing sims 4 in the years between, on and off. I have a legacy called the Higas that's on gen 3/4 that maybe I'll post about if I do get back into posting. If it had all the right occults I might have just recreated the Pierces in sims 4 wholesale, despite the things I miss about sims 3 but no fairies = no chance. I might play that AU of Elanya and Calypso without occult traits, though. They are very cute!

I'm going to have to find some new blogs to follow, probably? I think a lot of people dipped around the time I did, or not long after/sometime in the time since, and my dash seems rather slow, but it's hard to really say since I haven't been around in a long time and have no idea what the current vibe is like.

We'll see how it goes. I'm still looking for a job IRL, and I have a lot of other creative commitments, but I really do miss sims 3. I'm sure there'll be features from s4 that I'll miss when actively in 3 (I already forgot there weren't separate friendship/romance bars, for one example, and my god the build mode struggles...) but I saw so many little features when re-reading that I miss.

So. Who knows! We'll see!

[muslimintp-1999-girl]

I agree with you that it's always been Bellyjere since the start of the show even in the books I think people miss how she talks about Jere in both books 1-2 (I don't count book 3 as canon that was an abomination) I think Belly just idealized a lot of Conrad in her head they didn't interact that much in the books the show did favors for him giving what Jere did and make it seem like that was Conrad they really did undercut the Bellyjere friendship to me. Also people say Conrad changed when he found out his mom had cancer but they do say he's always been moody and he treated Belly like shit so I think that is just who he's.

I feel like Jenny tried to pass Con off as a complicated, bad, dark, broody, mysterious, introverted, suffering from anxiety, poor little meow meow character but she failed to do so coz she genuinely doesn't know how to write such a character. Coz like we have all seen examples of such characters in media where they are presented so well while Conrad just comes off as annoying isntead of any of those things. So her writing of Conrad is the problem, like he's not a well-written character (if we are assuming Jenny wanted him to be deep & not you know just a jerk even by the end of the books. Coz it's either that Con is written as a straight up red flag on purpose or Jenny tried to make him *complicated uwu*).

I hate the Con was suffering coz his mom was dying & everyone grieves in a different way argument so much coz :

It doesn't give him the right to behave the way he did with jelly esp Belly in the car ride

His anxiety/sadness magically disappears when he wants to flirt with Belly

Belly was the one who delayed dating him coz she didn't want him or Jere to suffer while their mom was sick. And Con honestly didn't care or give a fuck about either Jere or his mom (or Belly when he decided to straight up lie to her coz he couldn't wait any longer instead of respecting her decision), he just wanted to date Belly and he wasn't the one putting a pause coz his mom was sick or his bro might get hurt, it was the girl he constantly calls a kid & tells to grow up who did that.

Again he didn't even give Belly a heads up before coming to her place to pick her up (as far as I know. Plz correct me if I'm wrong coz I skip or forward a lot of their scenes tbh). And Belly still came with him regardless. While he probably knew about the prom beforehand for weeks and he still acted like it was such a big chore. His "sadness/mental health" comes up whenever it's convenient for him?? Like is that a coincidence?? Their relationship being so much on his terms just doesn't sit right with me. It needs to be 50/50.

Now, this one is just purely my opinion and no one has to agree but it was very iffy to me that if he deep down still felt he wasn't fully ready to be in a committed relationship with her coz of the issues he was dealing with, he shouldn't have gone through with the fireplace scene with her. I mean I know he couldn't have predicted their breakup but I like boys who take it slow idk 🤷. I just didn't get the rush. And I have no idea if making this change in Conrad's character in the show compared to the books does him a favour or not lol.

So yeah despite the show being lenient and making his character more digestible, I still find the show Conrad to be annoying and especially just not compatible with Belly (neither atm nor in the future)

[sasquatchwrites]

So. Starting to unpack the idea that my porn and masturbation addiction has critically affected the parts of my brain that are key in forming and maintaining relationships and friendships. On the one hand, it kind of sucks finding out that one of the biggest problems I’ve had in my life may have gone hand in hand with the other problem and that it was self inflicted. On the other, it’s a relief knowing that I wasn’t just “destined” to be this way, or that it was just some cruel twist. I just didn’t develop the skills necessary for dating/relationships, and that was coupled with the fact that my porn/masturbation addiction was literally making it harder for me to do so. Stunting the areas of my brain that helped those things function/manage. I can definitely feel a shift in my thoughts recently, with the limerence gone dating or escalation doesn’t feel so fucking stressful or do/die. I’m a lot calmer or indifferent about it now, but I’m starting to realize that I’m not into nearly as many people as I thought I was. I’m starting to question whether my sexual/physical attraction is just visual stimulus hitting that same addiction circuit in my brain releasing dopamine and whatnot, and if that’s different from feeling genuine attraction to someone. Much less reciprocated attraction, which I’m still not 100% sure what that looks or feels like anymore. Can I take signs? Do I just not get any? I’ve definitely had people hitting on me before and I know what that looks like in some aspects. Should I even bother with hints? (Probably not) It’s starting to feel like I really did swing super hard away from limerence, starting to mull over how I’m attracted to people, what kind of people I’m into, and just how raw, neurotic, and pained being limerent has made me my entire life until recently. Sam’s kind of been a proving point, as I just do not have very much interest. Whether it’s because she’s kind of plain, or because she’s a little meek for my tastes I’m not sure, might be both, might just be my brain having a super flattened affect after the searing intensity of limerence that was my norm for so many years.

[rivalishq]

TRIDENT

Full name: Vincente “Vince” Espinoza 

Age: 34

Gender: Demi man

Pronouns: he/they

Alignment: Chaotic good

Mutant class: Anatomical

FC: David Castaneda

BACKGROUND.

Trident discovered their powers at a horrible and inopportune time and there was no way that after that they could deny that they were a mutant. They were revealed in front of their entire school and were shunned by the people who they used to consider friends. So their parents thought it was best to send them to the academy where they could be among kids like them. They tried to put up a fight, insisting they could change their peers minds but their parents insisted out of fear for their child’s well-being. 

STATS.

INTELLIGENCE:  ▮▯▯▯▯▯▯ STRENGTH:  ▮▮▮▮▯▯▯ SPEED:  ▮▮▮▯▯▯▯ DURABILITY:  ▮▮▮▯▯▯▯ ENERGY PROJECTION:  ▮▯▯▯▯▯▯ FIGHTING SKILLS:  ▮▮▮▮▯▯▯

POWERS.

Trident’s mutant abilities are simple but effective: they have retractable spikes in their forearms. From the top of each wrist, a seven inch long, obsidian black natural blade protrudes. It is virtually unbreakable, and extremely sharp. It does not hurt Trident to release or retract, but it is more comfortable to have the blades out, since they limited the turn of ulna and the radius when they are inside. Trident is trained in combat, and is especially deadly with their natural blades. Recently, they’ve discovered that they also have poison immunity, and when in fight or flight mode, they can channel a natural venom through the spike. Which means that their mutation is actually two large retractable teeth in their arms 

PERSONALITY.

Trident has a good heart and is always looking for a way to protect innocent people and the ones that they love. They are guided by righteousness and duty, but sometimes they take it too far. They believe that they are the law, and that their judgement is absolute. They often only listen to one side of a story before making a call on who is right. They can be reckless, aggressive, stubborn, and bull-headed. They rush into a fight first, and think about the consequences later. But they do it all in the name of the greater good. 

CONNECTIONS.

CHARMER - Trident was absolutely enamored with Charmer when they were a teen. And they know they weren’t the only one, since there were many people in their peer group who remarked on how good-looking Charmer was. those comments only served to build charmer up in Trident’s mind. And Trident just felt privileged to be able to talk to and fight alongside Charmer. Now that they’ve grown up and time has passed, they feel a little embarrassed about their crush and even more embarrassed that it hasn’t fully gone away. 

SEW - Trident has always been jealous of Sew. Not just how they are so well-liked by most of the team or how they seem to keep their cool even in the most dire of situations, but because they always go the attention from Charmer. Trident knew that their envy was petty and stupid, but they couldn’t help the feeling. Now that they’ve grown up, things are a lot different and they see how silly they were. They want to take the chance to get to know Sew in a way they never allowed themselves to when they were younger. They want to give the friendship the chance it deserves. 

BLADEBENDER - All Trident ever wanted was for Bladebender to see and respect them. Bladebender was their hero and inspiration, although Trident never said this out loud. They wanted Bladebender to think they were strong and had good ideas, so they always tried to voice their opinion even if it was in agreement with Bladebender. This resulted in them arguing a lot, but Trident though that Bladebender even being willing to take them time to debate was a sign of respect. They never detected that Bladebender might find them genuinely annoying. 

THIS CHARACTER IS CURRENTLY TAKEN. THEY ARE WRITTEN BY MILAN.

[mattdcblog]

Both guy and Ted are canonically fans of star trek. What I'm saying is that, if given room to confront their differences and talk honestly with each other, especially with the growth they've gone through (more guy than Ted), they might be able to tentative, if not good frie- [I'm dragged away by a pack of eagles before I can continue]