#I have to choose a next story in my vault and this one is the one

[lescarbille]

Je t'aime l'été | Landoscar | Summer love AU

Lando needs a break. Lando needs a break from the heavy chaos of light and fame his life has become. His friend Charles suggests that he come on vacation to the Leclerc old country house in the south of France; there is no network or anyone likely to recognize him. Only them, George, Alex, his little brother Arthur and his friends. Lando thought it would just be two weeks of peace between wheat fields, in the shade of olive trees. He doesn't expect to fall in love, again, with a boy who only avoids him.

release on ao3 sunday

[olenvasynyt]

I don’t listen to Taylor Swift but here’s my analysis of Guilty As Sin? being Elucien coded

I am not saying SJM posting this song on her story is a sign that Elucien is endgame or that Elain’s book is next, this is just my interpretation of a song and it is not based in fact!  I also don’t know TS lore or her dating history, I only know about the football guy, and Matty Healy because I’m ex-The 1975 fan

Drownin' in the Blue Nile He sent me "Downtown Lights" I hadn't heard it in a while

Downtown Lights by The Blue Nile is one of Matty Healy’s favorite songs and a verse from that song is this:

“Sometimes I walk away When all I really wanna do Is love and hold you right There is just one thing I can say Nobody loves you this way It’s alright”

If I were to relate this to ACOTAR, this is reminiscent of the stairs moment when Lucien is leaving to find Vassa and an army and we can see this longing and affection for Elain but he walks away.  Sometimes I walk away when all I really wanna do it love and hold you right.  I think we are going to see her POV of that moment and I feel like it is going to be very prevalent in Elain’s book because Elain takes a half-step.  What does that half step mean?

My boredom's bone-deep This cage was once just fine Am I allowed to cry? I dream of crackin' locks

This could be about how Elain is being kept in a box in the Night Court, about how she might have been trying to love it before but she wants to get out, it’s not the right place for her.  She does not fit in the Night Court, we see this when she wears black and it sucks the life out of her.

Crashin' into him tonight, he's a paradox I'm seeing visions Am I bad or mad or wise?

Elain sees visions.  And people also suspect that she could be seeing visions of Lucien.

What if he's written "Mine” on my upper thigh only in my mind?

Mine is a song by The 1975 and this song is about commitment and questioning what’s right and having this assurance that love is right.

Looking back on 2009 When people said that it was raining all the time I see sunshine 'cause I know that you are mine

“No, we saw rain, you guys weren’t right for each other, but he still sees sunshine, because I know that you are mine.”  This also reminds me of when Lucien says in his head “I am yours and you are mine”. 

I'm slippin', fallin' back into the hedge maze Oh, what a way to die

This could be about Elain struggling to navigate her thoughts and the visions she is probably still having but pushing down.  She might be better at controlling them but her control is slipping.

I keep recalling things we never did Messy top lip kiss, how I long for our trips Without ever touchin' his skin How can I be guilty as sin? I keep these longings locked in lowercase inside a vault

Again, as I and many people talked about before, Elain could be having feelings of attraction and affection towards Lucien, her mate, but she is shoving it down.  

We've already done it in my head, if it's make-believe Why does it feel like a vow we'll both uphold somehow?

People often headcanon that Elain is having sexual feelings and maybe even sexual visions of Lucien.

And the vow is the vow of accepting the mating bond and she feels guilty of that.

My bed sheets are ablaze I've screamed his name Buildin' up like waves crashin' over my grave Without ever touchin' his skin How can I be guilty as sin?

Again, we get this idea that Elain could be having attraction towards Lucien.  And we got fire imagery too!

What if I roll the stone away? They're gonna crucify me anyway What if the way you hold me is actually what's holy? If long-suffering propriety is what they want from me They don't know how you've haunted me so stunningly I choose you and me religiously

It’s people saying “you guys are wrong for each other.  You are wrong, you guys don’t fit together”.  We see this with Feyre questioning why her and Lucien are mates, Nesta yelling at Lucien, saying “we’ll decide what she needs”.  A lot of people don’t think Elucien are right for each other but Elain could be thinking “we are right” but she is too influenced by other people’s opinions that she doubts herself.  “But what if she chooses him?  What if she rolls the stone away, officially bringing to life the feelings she could have for Lucien?

They don’t know how you have been haunting me so stunningly I choose you and me religiously

Lucien has been haunting her, and Elain decides to choose him.

[lilwetto]

Save a horse, ride a cowboy (18+)

Scrim x Y/N

Warnings: SMUT. Also will be written in third person BUT it might change to first since it's easier for me idk yet. might change it.

A/N this is my first scrim smut, so GO EASY ON ME. I also cannot do small paragraphs. I'M SORRY. I'm learning okay lmao, this is new to me all over again- this will not be light work, ok? Also would appreciate requests n shit, I want to actually test how far I can go with these while writing my stories on wattpad. I'll update whenever I can here, there's no hate here, only love. All my smut that I post here will be on my wattpad under LTE since I want to make an imagines book based on requests. It's difficult writing stories and trying to come up with ideas for imagines so pls give me ideas.

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

It's been a month since you've heard from Scott, the two of you had been fighting on and off for the last three years, being in a relationship with him had never been an easy one. You had been best friends from the start to failed lovers now, he had written a verse about you in their song Escape from Babylon- talking about how you had gone from saying "I hate you" to "I love you", you've been in love with Scott since before the fame, however he had never felt the same way about you until a few years ago. 

Your last falling out, you decided to pack all of your shit and move out of the home you two shared. He was entertaining the females on tour and that seemed to be the last of your strength to stay in that relationship, leaving hurt the most since you felt like he never fought for you. 

Unfortunately, you’d have to see him again, you were their stylist for onstage attire and helping with the style of any music video any of them would be in. You knew Scott had a music video coming up, he had been writing a new album for the last year and a half. some new genres for him to try. Autotune being his best friend of course. 

You were dreading that phone call from their manager, Kyle. He knew your relationship with Scott was in fact all over the place, everyone could see that the two of you would always fall out, it was no secret that you were slowly starting to hate the person he had become. 

The last few minutes were peaceful yet horrible as you were pulled from your thoughts by the harsh ringtone of your iPhone. You groan out loud as Kyle’s name flashed across the screen, knowing you couldn’t ignore it. He paid you to do your job. 

“What?” You mumbled after accepting the call. 

“Nice to hear you’re cheery, Y/N.” His chuckle rattled your brain, rolling your eyes in disgust. “We need you to style this next video, come out to Chihuahuan Desert.” The fucking desert? Great. You think to yourself.

“When?” You mumble. You already knew the answer to your question, now. 

“Now would be great.” You look at the time. 

“Why the fuck are you guys picking closer to 11pm?” You didn’t want to leave the comforts of your bed. You managed to find a small apartment in New Mexico since your house with Scott was located in the middle of New Mexico. 

“Y/N, we’re not doing this again, be here in the next hour.” Kyle hung up on you, making you more annoyed than ever as you climbed out of bed and threw on some clothes that’ll keep you warm for the night. 

You drive your car to Chihuahuan Desert, seeing parts of the crew already setting up the lighting for this music video. Scott hadn’t released any new music yet, he had so much in the vault and was too picky to choose what he wanted to do with them all. 

You weren’t happy that they wanted to do this music video at stupid o’clock, parking your car and climbing out. You walk towards the group of people, seeing Kyle getting hands on. “Where is he?” You ask. Clearly not wanting to see or talk to Scott. 

“He’s in that trailer.” He pointed towards the trailer park looking as home. You rolled your eyes and walked up to the doors, knocking loudly as you hear a grumble and the words “come in.” 

Scott was looking over a few pieces of clothing, keeping his eyes locked onto the table as you stepped into the trailer. A part of you wanted to hug him tightly, but the other part wanted to cuss him out and cry. You were the only two in the trailer, looking over at the thousands of clothing that he couldn’t pick from. 

You grab a white oversized shirt, orange sweatshirt and a pair of his baggy jeans, placing them to the side as you looked over at his accessories. “What were you thinking of wearing?” You break the silence first. 

“Was thinking maybe this chain and bracelet.” Your hand brushes against his as the two of you go to pick up the same item. “Sorry.” You mumble quickly. 

Scott shrugs it off and plays it cool as he picks up the white cowboy hat and places it onto his head, a different look for him. He was branching out, picking up new styles from what he does in Suicideboys. 

“I want to say I’m sorry.” He started, catching you by surprise. Scott never apologized; he was stubborn as fuck when it came to him being wrong. In Scott’s eyes he was always right, who was the female in your relationship, huh?

“Doesn’t matter, I’m over it.” You say before you can even stop your words from rolling off the tip of your tongue. Scott wouldn’t like that answer and it felt foreign coming from you as you turned your back to leave the trailer to let him get dressed. 

“What?” His hand enclosed around your right upper arm, making you mentally groan. This is the last thing you wanted to deal with right now. “You don’t give a fuck about us?” 

You let out the biggest laugh as you turn your head to look at him. “That’s rich coming from you. Scott, it’s you who doesn’t give a fuck about us. I have chased you and pleaded and what would you do?” You huffed in annoyance as he turned you to face him. 

“You know I ain’t mean it like that, shawty.” He was doing his little cheesy grin, the one that would get him what he wanted as he bit on his lip. 

“Get changed, you asshole.” You wanted to leave because this always happened, it was always a cycle with Scott, and you were too tired to keep going around like a merry-go-round. 

He pulled your hands towards his belt, lingering your fingers over the cold metal piece. “I think I need some help.” He mumbled that grin still sitting on his lips made you want to slap it off. 

You thought about leaving, but somehow you were in a trance, helping him out of his clothes to change into these new ones. He reached around you, locking the door from behind you before he pressed you up against it. 

His arm outstretched beside your head, resting his hand on the door. “Suck it.” He mumbled, his other hand now holding your chin as his thumb grazed against your lower lip. 

Being the good girl that you were, you slowly got to your knees and with the help of Scott had his pants around his thighs. He was semi-hard, almost waving at you. Your eyes doe-like, stared up at him as you slowly stuck your tongue out. 

You tapped the head of his length against your tongue, you were going to tease him. Scott didn’t deserve to get it how he wanted it, you slowly run the tip of your tongue from the head to the base then back again before spitting at the end. 

He was trying not to moan, watching your every move like a predator stalking its prey. His thumb caressed your cheek as you eased him between your lips, gently nipping your teeth against his sensitive skin. This earned you a small groan from him, this was new, you hardly ever took the upper hand when it came to sex. 

“Y/N, stop teasing.” He grumbled, getting flustered by the lack of contact that he wanted. You peered up to his eyes, seeing the sparkle glistening in his eyes from the lights outside. 

Scott didn’t care much for people hearing and sometimes he didn’t care if anyone saw the two of you fuck, you were his girl and only his. He grabbed your hair in an attempt to get you to do what he asked. The game you were playing with him? Dangerous as hell. 

You pulled your head away, gazing up at him like a deer in the headlights. The look he always loved seeing on you. “Stop fucking playin, Y/N…” He was becoming agitated. 

“Who said I was playing, Scotty?” A small smirk finally appeared on your lips as his hand moved from your face to your hair in seconds, forcing you to be face-to-face with his now hardened length. 

He was throbbing, you could see it with the way it moved like it had a pulse. Your tongue touched the tip, jumping in excitement over a little bit of contact. Your lips finally making the contact that he so longed for, wrapping around his length caused Scott to groan under his breath. 

“Fuck..” Those words weren’t meant to be heard especially by you. He didn’t want you knowing that he had been missing you, his stubbornness stopped him from calling and texting you, refusing to sleep with any girl that threw themselves at him. 

He gripped your hair and slowly began to thrust his hips as he forced you to bob your head against them, taking the upper hand like he always done. You gagged slightly, feeling him hit the back of your throat. It had been awhile, moaning against him before he pulled himself out. 

He forced you up, pinning your back against the door as he roughly pulled your pants and panties off, standing on them to keep them in place so you could take them off without falling over. Scott grabbed your hand as he fell back against the couch, pulling you on top of his lap as he then eased himself inside of you. 

A low groan fell from his lips as he held your hips tightly, allowing you to move when you wanted to. The feeling of him stretching you out caused a soft whimper to burst from your throat, you had missed this feeling of him inside of you. 

You began to slowly rock your hips back and forth, each time you’d build more confidence in each roll forward. Your hands rested on his shoulders as you began to spell ‘coconut’ with your hips. 

“Holy shit… Y/N, you been watching videos or some shit?” His eyes peered from under the hat, licking his lips as he thought about devouring you right there and then.

You laugh under your breath which turned into a moan as Scott began to thrust up inside of you. His hands holding your hips firmly still as his hip movements became faster. His groans were filling the empty spaces as you began to rub circular motions against your clit, you refused to let him be the only one to cum. 

“Fuck… I can’t hold it anymore.” He mumbled, you took the hat from off his head and placed it onto your own. 

Your hips began to move faster against his own movements. Your moans becoming louder as he quickly covered your mouth, grunting as he filled you with his thick, warm load. You whimper under your breath as you feel yourself tighten around him, releasing yourself all over him.  

“Shit…” He chuckled quietly under his breath before placing a couple of soft kisses to your lips. “That was good.” 

You hum in response and slowly slide him out. “What can I say? I missed it.” You placed the hat back on his head and pulled your panties n pants back on before heading outside again. 

Everyone was staring over as you exited the trailer. “What?” You mumbled as Kyle came over. 

“The entire team heard the two of you..” He laughed, acting as if he was embarrassed for us. 

“What can I say? I like to save the horses and ride me a cowboy instead.” 

[manekijinx]

Introducing 4 of my Hi-Fi RUSH OCs, part of a story project I have in the works!

Cayenne, Eclair, Yuzu, and Saffron. All employees of Vandelay Technologies under strict contracts.

More Info on these guys under the Read More ✨

These for are all people that Chai has gotten to know in his time working at Vandelay due to his role as the Project Armstrong Ambassador.

Cayenne is Macaron's niece! They have very little in common outside of their absurd strength (hereditary) and absurd work hours. Cayenne refers to Macaron as "Uncle Mac", Macaron affectionately calls them his "little firecracker". 💕

Eclair leads Marketing for Project Armstrong, situating her as a close coworker to Chai. They collaborate Armstrong advertising plans together, but more often than not, it's Eclair's job to handle the difficult things for Chai when he's too dense to work effectively.

Yuzu is a guard of Security. His arms are prototypes of a new GNR series called the "H20" model, designed for putting out fires and power washing. He's one of three volunteers of next gen Armstrong to gain these limbs and is currently the best at making use of them.

Most employees at Vandelay don't even know that Saffron exists. He's been staying in R&D for upwards of 3-4 years due to the fine print of his contract cleverly trapping him as an abandoned project to keep in the vault. As such, he's been hidden in R&D doing heavy lifting as an unpaid worker ever since. (He's not being paid under Roxanne Vandelay's demand, but chooses to stay due to having no home outside of Vandelay anymore.)

There will be more information on these guys in the future as well as many more characters shared! Stay tuned for more. 💫

[wastelandwhisperer]

Wasteland Woes: A Legacy Challenge

Hi! So I haven’t seen a ton of Fallout inspired challenges (except for @luxelattesims​​​ ‘ Vault one which you should also check out), and I wanted to try and make my own. This is very simple and up to a lot of interpretation! The premise of this is to do regular things in the Sims with the aspirations and goals but with some Fallout inspired things on the side. Aging, neighborhood stories, etc are all up to you. 

Note: this challenge will require a lot of packs like Strangerville, Cottage Living, Outdoor Retreat, University, etc. 

Aspirations and their subsections are here

Gen 1: Vault Dweller 

Your Sim has been dropped into the new world after the end with only the clothing on their back. It’s your goal to figure out what caused the end of the world, survive, and possibly find love out in this wasteland. 

Move to Strangerville

Aspiration: Strangerville Mystery 

Household lot must have Simple Living and Off the Grid

for extra challenge you can add Grody and Filthy 

Have at least one romantic partner

One child will be the next heir (adopted or having)

Make friends with at least 4 other Wastelanders and have them move in

Gen 2: Lone Wanderer 

Your parents found love and happiness in the Wasteland, but you just want to get out and explore. 

Move to another world (I recommend Evergreen Harbor) 

Aspiration: Outdoor Enthusiast 

Household lot must have Simple Living and Off the Grid

Have at least one child (whether adopting or having) 

Complete at least one collection (fish, gems, etc) 

Gen 3: Wasteland Whisperer 

While your family explored the wild wasteland, you found a love of animals. Now all you want to do is have your own little piece of land with some critters. 

Stay in the world or move to another

Aspiration: Country Caretaker 

Have at least 1 cow, 1 llama, and chickens

There’s mods to add other animals here by @kalino-thesims​​  

Collect as many plants as you’re able 

Household lot must have Simple Living and Off the Grid

Have at least one child (whether adopting or having) 

Gen 4: Nerd Rage

Growing up on the farm made you realize you didn’t want to live a simple life anymore. You want to learn about everything and anything. It is up to you whether you use this knowledge for good or evil.

Stay in the world or move to another

Aspiration: nerd brain and/or renaissance sim 

Household lot must have Simple Living and Off the Grid

Make a robo companion (servo) 

Achieve level 10 research and debate skill

Have at least one child (whether adopting or having) 

Gen 5: Local Leader

While your family loved learning new things, you wanted to be in charge. You either fell in with a group of settlers or raiders and climbed up the ranks. 

Stay in the world or move to another

Aspiration: Leader of the Pack 

Can either be for a leader of a good group or raiders

Household lot must have Simple Living and Off the Grid

Reach level 10 in crafting and fitness 

Ask at least 4 Sims to move in with you

Retire somewhere after choosing your next chain of command

Some fun Fallout mods: 

My own cc: Vault Suit, Vault Suit Extras, Nuka Cola Jumpsuits, Fallout Billboards, and Grungy Tops  (maxis match)

Synth skin & eyes: here (creator is Hagalazsims) (Maxis-mix)

 @surely-sims​​ Fallout 4 objects: here, here, and here (maxis match)

@litttlecakes​​ Fallout 4 objects: here  (maxis match)

@gen-sim​​ Synth eyes: here  (maxis match)

@remussirion​​ Hancock: here (alpha)

@plazasims​​ Vault Suit and Pipboy: here (alpha) 

@sforzcc​​ Fallout Conversions: here (maxis mix) 

@aniraklova​​ Raider/Badass Clothing/Accessories: here (maxis match) 

Plus a ton more! There’s lots of creations people have made or converted that’ll fit the end of the world vibe. The gallery has many amazing builds which I highly recommend using. 

[starkskeep]

When the Dragon Howls (1)

When the Dragon Howls Chapter One

Characters - Cregan Stark x OC (Maera Velaryon), Aegon Targaryen, Aemond Targaryen

Summary - Maera Velaryon feels consumed by the obsessive clutches of her uncles. A wolf from Winterfell could potentially be the one strong enough to confront the dragons.

Word Count - 1,071 words

Warnings - Typical Targaryen relationships

A/N - This fanfic will have the events from HotD pushed back a couple of years. I want some things to happen before the Dance of the Dragons without feeling rushed.

Previous Part Next Part

It started out simple enough. Aemond would practice extra hard. Aegon would conveniently fly Sunfyre over the Godswood of the Red Keep in a way that would reflect the sunlight off his great golden dragon’s scales. Both would gift Maera little trinkets: books about Old Valyria from Aemond and jewelry from Aegon. Those trinkets may or may not have been taken from the vaults of the Red Keep but King Viserys believed the boys to be acting with pure motives and he rather not put a stop to the one thing that was keeping the relationship between the two sides of his family from falling apart. Alicent and Rhaenyra were, quite surprisingly, willing to allow this childlike admiration of Maera from the boys to continue. It was better than the arguments that often exploded between their sons. Thus it became that Maera Velaryon was the glue holding the fragile bonds of House Targaryen together. 

Those bonds began to wear down as Maera grew into a young woman. The attention she was receiving from her uncles became less childlike and more like the actions of men attempting to take a wife. Not even the marriage of Aegon and Helaena tampered Aegon’s obsession with Maera. As his obsession grew so did Aemond’s. The combination of sibling rivalry and the attentions of a pretty girl was toxic. The announcement that Princess Maera Velaryon had reached the age of marriage fueled the obsession as if it were dragonfire. Rumors swirled around the Red Keep and King’s Landing of the actions of Aegon and Aemond. Courtesans would whisper of Aegon exclusively requesting the company of young women with hair color as close as possible to the iconic Targaryens. Moans of the princess’s name could be heard from the brothels of Flea Bottom shortly followed by the sight of a cloaked prince exiting the establishment. Aemond would simply threaten to feed the young lords who vied for Maera’s hand to Vhagar. As enticing as the thought of marrying a princess was, these lordlings much preferred to keep their lives rather than meet their demise of becoming a dragon snack. 

It was a couple moons after the announcement of Maera becoming available for marriage that Rhaenyra took her and the rest of the Velaryon/Targaryen family back to the Red Keep. It was the celebration for the anniversary of King Viserys’s reign over the Seven Kingdoms and there was no instance where the heir to the throne could miss the festivities nor could her family. So this is where the story begins, in a carriage on the way to the Red Keep from the harbor. 

Maera bounced her youngest brother Viserys on her knee as she watched the scenery of King’s Landing pass by outside of the wheelhouse. It was only Maera, Rhaenyra, and the two youngest boys stayed in the wheelhouse while Daemon and the Velaryon boys rode horses. “Maera, my sweet girl, what is troubling you? I’m your mother. I can help you if you just tell me what it is. My world is less bright without your smile.” Rhaenyra asked her daughter softly. As the only daughter of six children, Maera held a special place in Rhaenyra’s heart. Maera stopped the nervous biting of her lip, aware that this is what made her mother aware of her emotions. “I don’t know how I am going to accomplish securing a betrothal for myself. I know that this is what is expected of me and I am grateful that I am allowed to choose a husband for myself. Very few ladies are awarded the same opportunity as me. Its just that…” Maera pauses as she searches for the correct words to express how she is feeling. “Its just that I am worried that no one will want to marry me for me. My father respected you. You were happy with him. You are now happy with Daemon. I’m afraid that the man I choose to be my husband will only want me for my name and then leave me for a mistress after I birth an heir for him.” Maera looks away from the window so that she may face her mother. “Aemond has been sending me letters describing how horrible the lords after my hand act. He has warned me that they may try to conceal who they truly are so that I agree to a marriage with them. I don’t know how I will see past the image that they present to me. Being tricked into an unhappy marriage is a fate that I do not want to befall me.” Rhaenyra’s eye twitched at the mention of Aemond sending letters to Maera. She tried to keep her voice calm as she spoke. “Maera. You have time to find a suitor. No one is requiring you to marry right away. I understand how hard it is to find a husband. After all, I ran away from my tour of suitors when I was around your age. Do not rush this decision. You have Daemon and I to guide your decisions. We will not let your heart be harmed by those unworthy of you. This does, however, include Aemond. As true as you may believe his letters to be, keep in mind that he may have an ulterior motive behind his words. He is a viper, just like his grandfather. Do not trust the Hightowers in the keep.” 

With the advice of her mother swirling in her head, Maera spent the rest of the ride contemplating this new information until the wheelhouse came to a stop inside the gated courtyard of the Red Keep. As the coachman opened the door to the wheelhouse, Maera spotted Queen Alicent and Princess Helaena along with a small retinue of nobles standing in the courtyard to greet the remainder of the royal family. Rhaenyra and the children were helped out of the wheelhouse first and exchanged a tense welcome with the queen. The young princess was about to exit the wheelhouse when a hand reached out to help her. “Maera.” Daemon leaned in close to Maera as he took her hand and subtly passed her a dragon glass dagger. “If any of those green cunts try to get close to you, cut off their cocks.” After whispering those words to Maera and without allowing her to respond, Daemon escorted her to where the rest of the family had entered the Red Keep.

A/N - Thank you for reading this part. I promise that the next part will have actual interactions with Aegon and Aemond. I just felt like I needed to showcase the relationship between Maera and Rhaenyra as well as the relationship between Maera and Daemon.

[thisselflovecamebacktome]

My Taylor Swift inspired playlists masterpost 3.0.

I’m going to put these under a read more because otherwise this post is going to get super long but the TLDR update is that I’ve added the Speak Now + 1989 vault track, Midnights and TTPD:TA playlists to my “[album]... but not by Taylor Swift series and a new playlist specifically inspired by You're On Your Own Kid to add alongside the Folklore and Evermore song playlists I have (I will eventually get around to ones for the rest of her discography lmao). Have fun.

“[album]... but not by Taylor” series:

(all compilations of songs that Taylor has never worked on that give me the same vibes as Taylor’s did on a song by song basis)

Debut deluxe version

Fearless platinum version

Fearless vault songs

Speak Now deluxe version

Speak Now vault songs

RED deluxe version

RED vault songs

1989 deluxe version

1989 vault songs

Reputation

Lover

Folklore deluxe version

Evermore deluxe version

Midnights lavender version + 3am tracks

The Tortured Poets' Department: The Anthology

Song Inspired playlists:

Midnights

You're On Your Own Kid (Where I am is a journey of all the steps I've taken and I take responsibility and am proud of that while still wishing I was kinder to my younger self)

Evermore:

Willow (Finding love when you least expect it)

Champagne Problems (Wishing you were in love with someone you loves you)

Gold Rush (The love that never eventuated)

Tis The Damn Season (Leaving the love of your life but wishing you could stay)

Tolerate It (Questioning an unstable relationship)

No Body No Crime (Getting revenge against your murderous best friend’s ex husband and his mistress)

Happiness (Accepting that both your ending relationship and what comes next did and will bring you happiness)

Dorothea (Missing your first love who you dated in the 2000s/2010s)

Coney Island (The sadness that comes with knowing you are the reason a relationship ended)

Ivy (Cheating/Going after taken people is bad... but these songs are all bops)

Cowboy Like Me (Songs that make me wish I believed in love)

Long Story Short (Songs that make me feel good about myself/my journey)

Marjorie (Songs that were written about family)

Closure (Moving past people you know will never truly be sorry)

Evermore (Love will always guide you through the toughest times)

Right Where You Left Me (Feeling stuck and left behind in life)

It’s Time To Go (Knowing when to choose yourself first and walk away)

Folklore:

The 1 (When you can’t forget that one person from your past)

Cardigan (Knowing your worth when someone comes back to you after wronging you)

The Last Great American Dynasty (The highs and lows of finding yourself)

Exile (Different gender duet songs I like)

My Tears Ricochet (Fuck Scott Borchetta)

Mirrorball (Breaking free of needing validation)

Seven (Songs with an age in the title)

August (First teenage heartbreak with someone you thought was your person but who didn’t love you back)

This Is Me Trying (Picking yourself up after a depressive episode)

Illicit Affairs (Being the other, younger woman)

Invisible String (Everything will turn out okay)

Mad Woman (Feminist songs)

Epiphany (Societal based songs)

Betty (Accepting you have to move forward after hurting someone)

Peace (Songs that make me feel a sense of peace)

Hoax (Holding on for far too long)

The Lakes (Wanting to escape from reality with your partner)

[delafiseaseses]

Thinking about Passwords found in Fallout New Vegas

For some reason I just remembered that Big Sal's password. Which is: D@ddyZH0M3!

An... interesting choice of password. Provide's an extra bit of characterisation to Big Sal.

And it got me thinkin' about the other password notes in the game. Every password tells somethin' of a story, I reckon. So, let's go over the other ones I can find that have notes that actually display the password (and we're, of course, thinkin' about placed passwords, not the hacking minigame).

First that comes to mind is Raul's password for his cell that he puts in a terminal entry near his cell, looking at it creates a note that reads it: 123456789

Raul didn't care, and it provides some humour.

Next is the Overseer's password, found in Vault 34 on the Ghoulified Overseer's body after death. It reads: Sunflower

That's an interesting password for a man who presumably lived his entire life in a Vault with no such flowers. Gives me an almost melancholy feeling, that password.

Staying on Vaults, Vault 3's overseer had a password given to you by Fiend prisoner Rick Lancer. It doesn't just have the password, it has a preamble before it. The note reads: The password for the Overseer's room in Vault 3 is: 1L0V3B@Nana5

I Love Bananas is also the name of the quest to rescue Rick, Rachael and Dennis from Fiend captivity in the Official Game Guide (not that I'd trust that guide as far as I could throw it given what it says about Goodsprings). I don't know why the password is I Love Bananas written like that. Out of game, I think it must be a joke from a dev. In-game I'd guess it's a sign the Vault 3 Overseer knows how to choose a password nobody would guess since, y'know, if the Overseer George Stault chose it after election before the Fiends killed him, he'd have grown up in a place that had no bananas (the alternative is that it was the password of the first Vault 3 Overseer nobody bothered to change).

Next is the Hidden Valley self-destruct password, this is from when you generate the password via the keycards, I'm not gonna check if it shows up if you use science instead: From my cold, dead hands.

That's an interestin' 'un. Apparently the phrase is a slogan associated with the NRA in America? I had no idea. You reckon that chosen by the Brotherhood at Hidden Valley or was that the default password for the bunker? Both would fit, I think. And overall there's a decent amount of style to a self-destruct sequence password being that.

Anyway, that was a little diversion thinkin' about passwords we know and can find in New Vegas. Needless to say, if any of those are your password: Change it to somethin' that isn't in Fallout New Vegas (especially if its Raul's password).

In fact, change yer passwords anyway. They say y'should do that every few months. If that's all y'get outta this post, it'll've been enough, I reckon.

[mayhemchicken-varneyposting]

Varney the Vampire, Chapter 23: That Satisfaction Due From One Gentleman To Another

[Previous chapter] [Next chapter]

Charles sits his uncle down and tells him his secret plan: he intends to duel Varney. The admiral thinks this is a fantastic plan, to the point of wanting to also duel Varney, but Charles asks him not to, and to instead look after Flora financially if anything should happen to him. The admiral agrees; he also agrees to be Charles' second in the duel, and Charles writes out a formal challenge for him to deliver to Varney. The admiral leaves, along with Jack Pringle, on his errand.

While he is gone, Charles works himself up thinking about dueling Varney, including making plans for how to keep him from coming back in case he really is a vampire. He reflects that, based on the appearance of the portrait, Varney must be around 150 years old, and marvels at the thought of what he must have witnessed in that time. Finally, he resolves that his duel with Varney must surely be life or death - either Varney dies, or he does.

Admiral Bell meets with Varney and delivers the challenge. Varney casually insinuates that he will kill Charles if they duel. The Admiral now reveals his own secret plan, which is to offer to duel Varney in his nephew's stead. Varney points out that this is highly unusual, but agrees. He continues to talk as though the death of his opponent is a foregone conclusion, and insists on using swords, which the admiral is peeved by. Varney winds the admiral up a bunch with his usual brand of mannerly insults before sending him on his way.

Oh baby, the DUELS are here. Let's fucking go.

Charles' written challenge to Varney is the most hilariously roundabout way of saying "I want to fight you" I think I've ever read.

"To SIR FRANCIS VARNEY. "Sir,—The expressions made use of towards me by you, as well as general circumstances, which I need not further allude to here, induce me to demand of you that satisfaction due from one gentleman to another. My uncle, Admiral Bell, is the bearer of this note, and will arrange preliminaries with any friend you may choose to appoint to act in your behalf. I am, sir, yours, &c. "CHARLES HOLLAND."

This is so vague. The first sentence of this could just as easily be asking Varney out. (Imagine.)

The admiral is acting slightly suspicious as he accepts the letter; secretly, he's plotting to challenge Varney in Charles' stead. Once he's gone, Charles is left to stew in the pre-duel anticipation, which I imagine is about the same feeling I get when I have to make a phone call.

Rymer seems, at times, almost resentful of the fact that there's a vampire in his vampire story about vampires. It's the way he talks about the characters like they're being silly for believing in vampires, in his story he's written about a world which contains real vampires.

It was strange to imagine that such was the force of many concurrent circumstances, that a young man like Charles Holland, of first-rate abilities and education, should find it necessary to give in so far to a belief which was repugnant to all his best feelings and habits of thought, as to be reasoning with himself upon the best means of preventing the resuscitation of the corpse of a vampyre.

Yeah of course he should find it necessary to believe in vampires in your fucking vampire novel, Rymer, what do you WANT from him.

I'm convinced, by now, that the author has no conception of how long a hundred years is. First there was all that business about rates of decay, in which he was convinced that a coffin sealed in a stone vault for a hundred years would decay away to nothing, and now, well...

"That portrait," he thought, "on the panel, is the portrait of a man in the prime of life. If it be the portrait of Sir Francis Varney, by the date which the family ascribe to it he must be nearly one hundred and fifty years of age now." This was a supposition which carried the imagination to a vast amount of strange conjectures. "What changes he must have witnessed about him in that time," thought Charles. "How he must have seen kingdoms totter and fall, and how many changes of habits, of manners, and of customs must he have become a spectator of."

150 years is only about two lifetimes, it's not like he witnessed the collapse of the Roman Empire. What kingdoms are you talking about? (This gets even sillier if we assume the story is set in the late 18th/early 19th century, as is insinuated at one point, because in that case Charles himself would have been alive for multiple revolutions.)

It would be aside from the object of these pages, which is to record facts as they occurred,

Oh, is it now, Rymer? Is it really? What important facts were being recorded when you went on a tangent about construction projects in Kent? Or when you paused the narrative to soapbox about religion for multiple paragraphs? Or the entirety of chapter 19?

The admiral knew well he could trust Jack with any secret, for long habits of discipline and deference to the orders of superiors takes off the propensity to blabbing which, among civilians who are not accustomed to discipline, is so very prevalent.

This is just...patently not true about Jack. Also further revealing of Rymer's shitty beliefs, which we've seen earlier in the form of the Bannerworth's servants gossiping about the vampire attack to the entire surrounding countryside. This "poor people be gossiping" idea keeps getting worse throughout the story, too.

"Confound the fellow!" muttered the old admiral, "he is well lodged at all events. I should say he was not one of those sort of vampyres who have nowhere to go to but their own coffins when the evening comes."

An interesting statement coming from the guy who keeps getting vampires mixed up with mermaids. Many of the vampire superstitions raised in the story are not true within its worldbuilding, but I like to imagine there are indeed vampires of the coffin-dwelling sort in the Varneyverse, and Varney simply isn't one of them. (Or he is, and that's why he can never get a peaceful night's sleep.)

Now we reach a real treat: Admiral Bell and Varney interacting. You will recall that Varney loves winding people up until they snap, and that Admiral Bell is already perpetually wound up. A conversation between them, therefore, ought to be incredibly entertaining, and it does not disappoint.

"Why, he is a young man just, as you say, entering into life, and I cannot help thinking it would be a pity to cut him off like a flower in the bud, so very soon." "Oh, you make quite sure, then, of settling him, do you?" "My dear sir, only consider; he might be very troublesome, indeed; you know young men are hot-headed and troublesome. Even if I were only to maim him, he might be a continual and never-ceasing annoyance to me. I think I should be absolutely, in a manner of speaking, compelled to cut him off." "The devil you do!" "As you say, sir."

(First speaker Varney, second Admiral Bell)

Varney remains pleasant and good-natured throughout the conversation, which only serves to wind up the admiral all the more. He's also being an annoying little shit, of course, which doesn't help. Behind it all, however, is a fairly serious threat. Varney isn't simply confident in his ability to kill any challenger, he takes it as an obvious fact.

"Ay, with swords; but I must have everything properly arranged, so that no blame can rest on me, you know. As you will be killed, you are safe from all consequences, but I shall be in a very different position; so, if you please, I must have this meeting got up in such a manner as shall enable me to prove, to whoever may question me on the subject, that you had fair play."

Speaking of swords, we get more witty vampire insinuations from Varney.

"I cling to the customs and the fashions of my youth," said Varney. "I have been, years ago, accustomed always to wear a sword, and to be without one now vexes me." "Pray, how many years ago?" "I am older than I look, but that is not the question."

I never get tired of him doing this.

And now...okay, I know the purpose of this series is to keep people from having to read Varney the Vampire, and pasting in huge chunks of text is antithetical to that purpose, but goddammit I just enjoy this next part too much. I'll break it up with commentary so it's not such a huge wall of text.

"Is that all?" "Not quite. I will have a surgeon on the ground, in case, when I pink you, there should be a chance of saving your life. It always looks humane." "When you pink me?" "Precisely."

I love the line "It always looks humane." It really highlights his skewed priorities, and the way he treats the death of his opponent as a foregone conclusion not even worth fretting over.

"Upon my word, you take these affairs easy. I suppose you have had a few of them?" "Oh, a good number. People like yourself worry me into them, I don't like the trouble, I assure you; it is no amusement to me. I would rather, by a great deal, make some concession than fight, because I will fight with swords, and the result is then so certain that there is no danger in the matter to me." "Hark you, Sir Francis Varney. You are either a very clever actor, or a man, as you say, of such skill with your sword, that you can make sure of the result of a duel. You know, therefore, that it is not fair play on your part to fight a duel with that weapon." "Oh, I beg your pardon there. I never challenge anybody, and when foolish people will call me out, contrary to my inclination, I think I am bound to take what care of myself I can."

He may sound flippant here, but Varney really is mostly averse to violence, finding duels annoying and tedious and preferring to run from a conflict whenever possible. I won't say this is a consistent character trait of his, because there are a number of later chapters which blatantly contradict this characterization, but it does come up fairly often, and several times is milked for angst. That's right, Varney is the original tragic tortured unwilling monster vampire, and every adaptor who's ever done that with Dracula owes me 20 bucks.

"D—n me, there's some reason in that, too," said the admiral; "but why do you insult people?" "People insult me first." "Oh, nonsense!" "How should you like to be called a vampyre, and stared at as if you were some hideous natural phenomenon?" "Well, but—" "I say, Admiral Bell, how should you like it? I am a harmless country gentleman, and because, in the heated imaginations of some member of a crack-brained family, some housebreaker has been converted into a vampyre, I am to be pitched upon as the man, and insulted and persecuted accordingly."

"People insult me first," he says, grinning while showing all of his big sharp vampire teeth and constantly making little verbal jabs at literally everyone he talks to.

Varney voice how dare you call me out for being rude when I'm literally neurodivergent and a vampire

"But you forget the proofs." "What proofs?" "The portrait, for one." "What! Because there is an accidental likeness between me and an old picture, am I to be set down as a vampyre? Why, when I was in Austria last, I saw an old portrait of a celebrated court fool, and you so strongly resemble it, that I was quite struck when I first saw you with the likeness; but I was not so unpolite as to tell you that I considered you were the court fool turned vampyre." "D—n your assurance!" "And d—n yours, if you come to that."

Damn, roast him Varney.

After Admiral Bell leaves, so frothing mad that he kicks Varney's servant on the way out the door (uncalled for), he starts to worry about what he's going to tell Charles, now that he's arranged the particulars for his own duel instead of for Charles' like he was supposed to. Yeah, dude, maybe you should have thought about that beforehand.

Next: Varney asks Charles out arranges a not-at-all-suspicious meeting

[merakiui]

Ok so omegaverse au right? Omegas are controlled by the government as a precious commodity. Darling is an omega that was controlled by the state as soon as he presented as an omega,taken by his family and groomed to be a perfect little omega for there next chosen alpha. And I just 👉👈 rly think that would go nicely with yandere malleus ok. There’s not nearly enough asks about him!!!!

What if it��s something like a government-sanctioned auction that allows wealthy alphas and betas to bid on well-kept omegas? So long as the bidder swears to provide the omega with safety, stability, and a comfortable home environment, everything that happens at these auctions is fair game. However, no one’s going to dare bid against the Draconia heir once they realize his bodyguards have been sent to buy an omega for his sake. And soon you’re in the clutches of Silver and Sebek, the former who assures you everything will be fine and the latter chastising your anxiety. “You ought to be honored to be my lord’s omega!” he exclaims, but it’s impossible to feel honored when you’ve never even met this figure before.

You’ll sit across from both men in a horse-drawn carriage, listening to hooves clip-clopping against slick cobblestones. Rain batters the carriage windows, falling in torrents from a sky darkened with gloom. You watch the city fall away into oblivion, and soon dense forests take over your vision, sharp, protruding brambles and thorns tangled amidst the trees.

Once you arrive at a grand, gothic castle, you meet a petite man who introduces himself as Lilia, and though you’re certain there’s something off about him he’s kind enough—full of life and enthusiasm as he looks you over with bright, wine-colored eyes. He has you bathe almost immediately and your rags are switched for those of fine silks. You feel like a completely new person when you spy your reflection in the mirror. Lilia insists on preparing a feast to commemorate your arrival, but he’s quickly persuaded otherwise by Silver and Sebek. Instead, Lilia takes you through the castle, pointing out unique structures, panels of expensive stained glass, certain rooms that hold fond memories, and much more. He keeps your attention pulled taut with each story, and when lightning flashes in a crackling arc in the sky you flinch. He chuckles at your fright and muses aloud about how the prince will simply adore you.

Come dinner, you’re escorted to an expansive dining room with a vaulted ceiling and arched windows, each curtain drawn back to let in the moonlight. All sorts of dishes have been set along the length of the table, and it looks like it should fit more than two people. Someone’s already waiting at the head of the table. He’s taller than you imagined, with sleek horns and piercing green eyes, and he looks through you with an unreadable expression. Lilia gushes over how he’s already taken a shine to you, but there’s no indication in his expression that suggests he likes what he’s seeing. Lilia and the others leave the two of you alone before you can even think to raise any questions.

You force an awkward smile, lower into a stiff bow, and ask if it’s all right to sit closer to him. The fae prince, whose eyes glint strangely at that query, hazards a small, measured smile. With a flick of his wrist, your chair moves on its own until it’s situated directly near him, and you follow on your own two feet.

You don’t have much knowledge of fae customs, so you’re not sure what you’re meant to do or if you’re meant to indulge in any of these luxuries. You almost give the man your name, but he holds his hand up to silence you. Instead, he chooses a name for you. “Little omega,” he calls you. It’s spoken so softly, a cherished set of words filled with tenderness. You suspect you’ll be hearing that alias plenty of times in the near future.

When you look so sweet and defenseless, it’s nearly impossible for Malleus to resist wanting to make you his forever. And with your lack of knowledge on the fae, he doesn’t have to try very hard to trap you. Not that there’s any need for that at this moment. After all, you belonged to him the minute Silver and Sebek decided you would be the one for their prince.

[blueesnow]

(3/6) Hyuga Yamato's Private Story [Utapri Live Emotion]

Ch 1: (unlocked if you reached intimacy lvl 6 with Yamato)

-Waterfront Park- Haruka: (I did bought a running clothes for now but I wonder if this one's okay…hm? There's a crowd over there…) Yamato: If it's around this size then I can just jump over this vaulting box in one go! Here we go… Haruka: (It was actually Yamato-san! That attraction… don't tell me it was actually a broadcasting program) Yamato: Oh, now it's basket huh. I just have to throw it right through that ring, right. Yamato: I can do whatever kind of shooting that I wanted? Well then…! Yamato: I've decided to go with a dunk shoot. Next is a bouldering, huh. Oh well, come right at me! Haruka: (Wow… that was so amazing! He already reached the goal just by in the blink of an eye…!) Yamato: …And with that, the stage is cleared! Your support gave me lots of power. Thanks. Yamato: I'm amazing, huh. You all too, if you want to become strong just like me, then it might be good for you to go and start a training. Yamato: If you're serious about it, then 100 push ups, 100 squats, and a 10 km of running might do. Yamato: But don't overdo it 'kay. Always aim for the best within yourself. Got it! - Haruka: …Yamato-san. You've done a pretty good job. Congratulations for clearing all of the stage! Yamato: Nanami? What, you saw all of that. Haruka: Yes. I actually know the producer of this program so I was just about to go and say hello to them. Yamato: Is that so…hm? That bag that you were holding, isn't that from the sports shop that I usually went to?

Ch 2: (unlocked if you reached intimacy lvl 11 with Yamato)

-Waterfront Park- Yamato: That shop sells a lot of things so it's fun just looking around it. So, what did you buy? Haruka: I haven't been doing much exercise lately, so I bought a running clothes. It's this one… Yamato: … This… you said it was a running clothes, right? Haruka: Eh? Um, yeah… Is it weird? Yamato: Rather than weird… I think you got it wrong. This one is not suits for running. Yamato: If you're going for a run, it's better to choose one with a material that can absorbs sweats more easily and dries quickly. Haruka: I see. The more you know… Yamato: The training equipment that you choose depends on what kind of training you wanted to do. Yamato: If you use one that suits your goal then your performance will surely risen. Yamato: Also don't forget to drink water too. Squeeze bottle are quite handy. They're light and easy to use. Haruka: I didn't even think that far ahead… As expected of Yamato-san, you're very knowledgeable! Yamato: I'm the strongest after all. No one can ever defeat me when it comes to training. Haruka: Yes…! Seeing Yamato-san's performance today got me motivated. Haruka: As Yamato-san had mentioned, I will try my best to do a 10-kilometer run as well! Yamato: …Ha? No, wait. Are you for real…?

Ch 3: (unlocked if you reached intimacy lvl 21 with Yamato)

-Waterfront Park- Haruka: That's right, I also wanted to try to follow Yamato-san's example and do my best at exercising too! Yamato: Although training is indeed important, your job was composing music, right? I think it's better if you were to try with something much more lighter. Haruka: Oh…you're right… I got my head up in the clouds, it's so embarrassing. Yamato: Looks like you're really up for it. If that's the case then I could help coaching you. Haruka: Eh…! But Yamato-san, you're busy as it is, I don't think I can ask you to do that much… Yamato: It's not that much of a big deal. I mean, I also help my other members too. Yamato: And besides, if a beginner like you were to start without knowing anything, you'll only get injured. Don't take too lightly of training. Haruka: (That's true, it might be really helpful if I could get Yamato-san to teach me…) (choices) <Then…I'll take you up on your offer.> Haruka: Then…I'll take you up on your offer. Please let me learn a lot from you! Yamato: Of course, you can count on me. Once I accept it, I'll take responsibility for it until the very end. Yamato: First of all, we need to start with the equipment. Besides the running outfit, it's also good to have shoes, towel and a sports bag. My recommendation will be… <I'm in your care!> Haruka: Well then, I really appreciate it to be in your care! Yamato: Ain't that a good answer? It's good to speak in a louder voice. It will get you fired up and help strengthening your abs. Yamato: I'm sure that you can do much more better. I'll teach you how make your voice come out from the bottom of your stomach. (back to story) Yamato: Oh… Wait, I don't think we need to go that far. Am I bothering you, by any chance…? Haruka: That's not true…! For the sake of being healthy, I would like to learn more about it. Yamato: True, if your body's not strong enough, then you won't be able to put any energy in your job. …Well then, leave it to me. Yamato: I'm not going to go easy on you. I will be training you with a menu specially designed for you.

Ch 4: (unlocked if you reached intimacy lvl 31 with Yamato)

Ch 5: (unlocked if you reached intimacy lvl 41 with Yamato)

Ch 6: (unlocked if you reached intimacy lvl 51 with Yamato)

[whiskeyswifty]

Hello, we're not mutuals, but I've been a long-time follower of yours, and I've always associated you with New York. So today, when my job told me they're sending me on a mission there next month, I immediately thought of you haha. This is my very first time visiting. I am staying over a week, but I'll be working weekdays up until like 5 PM. If you have time, could you please recommend me some must do/see things in your opinion? Thank you 💕

this is so incredibly sweet and lovely!! taylor swift move over I'M NEW YORK CITY NOW BITCH!! kiddingggggg but i'm still so warmed by you saying that. I'd be happy to be your unofficial tour guide of sorts, and i'll give you a mix of places that you should definitely see since you haven't been before and some fun offbeat places that might not be first on tourism lists but i particularly love. You can peruse the list and pick and choose as you wish! No pressure to do anything of course and i won't be offended if things don't seem interesting to you. Also this is in no particular order, just how they popped into my brain haha.

Grand Central Station - one of my absolute favorite places in the city. It's a architectural marvel from a bygone era (literally we don't build them like this anymore) and is actually as stunning as in pictures! The teal vaulted ceiling painted and lit up with constellations from the night sky, the original chandeliers, the Tennessee marble floors. It's also a fully working transit hub so you'll get to feel the hustle and bustle of the city. Lots to eat here too if you want a bite, like the famed Oyster bar or something quick from the food hall in the basement, which isn't much to write home about but convenient and hardly ever crowded. There's also a bar off the side of the station that used to be the office of a very wealthy financier, called The Campbell. One of the most stunning bars and lounges in the city and if you time it right, you can enjoy a drink or a bite to eat without a huge crowd!

2. The Met (aka The Metropolitan Museum of Art) - my personal favorite museum in the entire world, although i am biased and used to live a few blocks from the steps so it might just be the museum i've been to the most lol. However, it's phenomenal in it's range of pieces and in how immersive the curators try to make each exhibit. Instead of putting objects in cases, they try to display them in the context with which they were used! The Arms and Armor hall is my FAVORITE with several suits of armor on horseback parading down the middle of the whole exhibit, and flags hanging from the balconies that each represent one of the knights of the round table!! i mean how COOL is that!! Also, a must see is the temple of dendur, obviously. moved so Egypt could build a dam in the area it resided, they gave it as a gift to Kennedy for the millions he allocated to help Egypt preserve their monuments. it was accepted on behalf of his wife Jackie, who then was instrumental in *ahem* suggesting quite forcefully to the presidential successor LBJ that it be put indoors and not outdoors (obviously). go to the Met who agreed to pay for an entire addition just for it. It just so happens that the addition they built to house the temple has floor to ceiling windows that look up into the very apartment on 5th Ave that Jackie was living in at the time. Whether you find that a burst of sentimentality for her late husband or hubristic, that's up to you, it's probably a bit of both, but i love that story as it gives the temple a fun bit of context. Another highlight is the furniture collection, which sounds boring but to display them the met recreated entire ROOMS from the eras the furniture is from, including a full transplant of the living room of one of Frank Llyod Wright's most famous homes!! and you can walk IN IT. (i could go on for days, as could you wandering this museum and all of it's fantastic collections)

3. Time's Square - which is loud and dirty and crowded and horrendous BUT is still pretty magical, especially if you've never been. My advice, go late at night if you can for smaller crowds and it just looks so damn cool all lit up, even I can't deny.

4. The West Village - broad i know, but i'm a huge advocate for walking around residential areas when you visit a city. something my mom taught us as kids and it's a great way to get a feel for how people actually live and not just the Disneyland areas. also it provides a bit of a sensory and energy break on your trip as most residential areas are mellow. This is one of the more lively areas, but you'll find yourself wandering around stunning colonial town homes and adorable shops. It's a bit grimy and crowded with NYU kids in some parts, even on weeknights, but i think it adds to the charm of it. It's a lived in neighborhood! Washington Square park is a fun little central area to people watch, but honestly sitting at a cafe table anywhere is really fun just to see people walk by, ranging from 80 year old hippies who have lived there for their entire lives to 18 year old kids who look like the coolest people i've ever seen in my life. Also, you'll always find a swiftie taking a photo under the cornelia st. sign, so if you want a little piece of swiftie new york, that's an easy one to get. (there's a section that is particularly grubby and awful that is a series of blocks below west 4th under Washington square park and above Houston st, bordered on the east and west by Broadway and 6th ave respectively. It's not horrible, but it's super crowded and the less charming chunk of the area for sure. however feel free to venture down there for some trendy food and interesting shops if you're feeling up for it! a fun little store that's cool to peruse is called Chess Forum where they host chess tournaments but also sell incredibly intricate themed chess sets! don't go out of your way, but if you're around, pop in and check it out for five or so minutes)

5. Statue of Liberty (including the ferry itself) - something that should be overrated but really isn't! It's genuinely cool, even to me who's lived here for so long and to my friends who are lifelong new yorkers. It's such a monument in the truest sense of the word and honestly, bigger than you expect. It's not that you think it's going to be small, just the mere fact of seeing something you've only seen in photos, your brain will just be shocked at how big it is. No need to go up in it, imo, but do what you want! I think the last ferries leave around 5 each day so if you can make it out of work a biiiiiit early one day, and you're nearby, you can catch it! Not a must do of course, but if you find the time, it's one of those few things in life i have found that is worth it. Also, the ferry to and from there is a bonus sightseeing element as you get GREAT views of the tip of manhattan! makes for some gorgeous photos and one of the lesser known tips is manhattan as seen by a boat is one of the best views you'll get. If you can't make it to the official ferry tour, here is a pro tip: take the Staten Island Ferry. i KNOW that sounds weird, but the route to Staten Island is pretty much the same as the Statue of Liberty tour route. You won't stop at the island to get off and see the statue, BUT you'll get very close to it! Why the Staten Island Ferry? Well it runs all hours of the day and night and it's FREEEEEE. You can just hop back on the returning ferry and get double the views! You can board the ferry in Manhattan at the tippy tip on the bottom right at Whitehall terminal. The second best view of Manhattan is......

6. Brooklyn Bridge - another great monument that is open to you 24 hours a day if you cannot get out of work early enough. Another architectural marvel (which i'm super into so apologies if you don't care about buildings lol) but also a true monument! You can walk across it at any time of day and be sure to turn around half way for a spectacular view of manhattan. my advice to you, as corny as it is, do NOT turn around until you get halfway at least. the contrast of walking away from the city and turning around and seeing it up close like that is really a delight. I always make people i go with do that and they hate me until they turn around and then they're begrudgingly happy they listened. Also, truly any time of day is great, but if you happen to do it at dusk on a lovely spring day, oooooo boy it's glorious. I have dozens of stories about the bridge, as it's one of my favorite stories in the entire history of the world (again biased sorry but it's SUCH A GOOD STORY) but two anecdotes i'll tell you. 1. the man who was supposed to build the bridge was the son of the man who designed it, and he had everything ready to go but got sick and bedridden shortly after starting. So, his wife, who had been studying engineering alongside him this entire time, was taught by her husband specifically about bridge engineering as he was bedridden for ten years. Over the course of that time, she eventually took over as Chief Engineer on site and technically is the person who oversaw and instructed the construction of the bridge, her husband never really setting foot on the project site. Her name is Emily Roebling and for her work, they awarded her the privilege of being the first person to cross the bridge on opening day, leading the parade. Also, there is a street named after her on the Brooklyn side near the bridge. 2. It was the largest suspension bridge ever built at that time and people were freaked out by it, thinking it would fall. To prove to the public how sturdy it was, Emily enlisted the help of the circus star P.T. Barnum (yes that Barnum) who brought 21 elephants, including his star Jumbo, to cross the bridge!

7. Broadway rush tickets - since you sound like you're traveling alone, or at least with a small group, broadway rush tickets will be very easy for you to get! You can look up the process online, there are lots of resources. It's the only way to see something cheap these days, and even then it might not be so cheap. I'm not a huge broadway person so I can't say what is particularly good or bad, but currently Stereophonic is a hot new show that seems really interesting! It's more dramatic and play-esque than your typical dazzling brassy musical, so if you're into that, check it out!

8. Top of the Rock - most people will send you to the empire state building to see skyscraper level views. and that's good too, but here's the thing, you're IN the empire state building.... so you can't SEE it. people don't think of this and walk away from their new york visit with no photos of the damn thing because they stood on it instead. Also, it's a fenced in balcony for.... obvious reasons and much more limited in scope. Top of the Rock is not only in the very cool rockafeller center, which is fun to walk around and admire, but you can see the empire state building while up there! Also, it has northern AND southern views, all at the same time on the roof deck, with glass walls. So you get no obstructions! It's also situated a bit further north so you get a fantastic view of central park sprawling north. It's open until midnight, so after work you can get some dazzling sunset views or glittering cityscape night views.

Some food recs:

Pizza: the most controversial of all, and sooooooo particular to each person's taste. Most pizza places on Best Of lists are great, you can't go wrong. Word of advice to you though: L'Industrie is great, but the lines are insane and it's not THAT worth it. However, if you want a typical "slice" then look no further than these two:

Joe's - the most accessible since it's all over the city, but is honestly the perfect slice imo. Which means there's not much to it in terms of frills, but that's what tourists seem to not understand. it's just a damn good slice. Crust perfect, crispy and not droopy, sauce to cheese ratio is perfect, sauce has a bit of flavor but not too much. I go for the cheese cuz i'm basic but the pep is great too! Don't get anything else. Carmine's is the original shop but any of the locations are great.

Scarrs - this is my ACTUAL favorite slice, however there's only one location and it's pretty out of the way. It's on the LES, which is a fun place to wander if you don't mind a bit of grit and grime. Again, super simple, but my man mills his OWN FLOUR so he can get the right ratio. as far as i know, nobody else in new york is doing that. Dough is also fermented, so it has the perfect amount of crisp, tang, and saltiness. Also, Scarr is afro-latino which is rare in the pizza world, but a welcome wakeup call to all the italian goombahs slinging mediocre pies. As always, get the plain cheese, but the hotboi is so fucking good, don't miss it. and get the honey on top!!

Bagels: Honestly, anywhere you go will have great bagels. I've gone into the shittiest looking dump and gotten a bagel better than outside the tristate area. (Yes the water is what makes it great, it's been proven and it makes the pizza great too).

Personally, my favorite is Tompkins Square Bagels as i lived next to it for many many years. Bagel purists shut upppppp i don't wanna hear it!! They churn out bagels pretty frequently so you're likely to get a hot one! DONT get it toasted, especially if its a fresh bagel. It'll be perfect on it's own, but do what you must to enjoy it. You MUST however get an everything bagel, scallion cream cheese is optional but it's highly recommended. If they have it, the french toast bagel is wild and kind of sacrilegious, but soooooo fucking good if it's warm. get plain or if you wanna develop diabetes, birthday cream cheese if they got it.

Russ & Daughters - an absolute knockout place, both the storefront/bagel shop and the restaurant. It's incredibly stylized to evoke old school LES bagel counters of yore, but the quality is unmatched. There is usually a line, so i don't really emphasize this as a MUST GO place, as new yorkers don't wait in lines lol. But weekdays you might fare better! If you're a lox person, this is the place to get your bagel and lox. (i'm not, which is blasphemous to my jewish family, but i won't turn down one from Russ and Daughters).

Gonna list my other favs here just so you have some in other neighborhood: Baz Bagels (LES), Murray's Bagels (WV), Apollo Bagels (EV), H&H (UES), Orwashers (UES & UWS), Tal Bagels (various locations).

Other Food spots that i like that are pretty classic new york food!

Daily Provisions - get the BEC (bacon, egg, & cheese) to feel like a real new yorker. it's one of the more gourmet versions, but my god it's a good one. also, go early as you can to snag a cruller. one of the BEST doughnuts in the city.

Magnolia Bakery - GO ONLY FOR THE PUDDING. the cupcakes are mid as hell, you can feel the sugar granules in the frosting, not great. Their signature banana pudding is fantastic though, and if the seasonal one sounds good to you, grab that too! they offer very small sizes so you can try both, or a big tub if you want.

Veselka - another spot i kind of am biased about because i lived near it, but it's a CLASSIC new york haunt that doesn't exist anymore for the most part elsewhere. It's a Ukrainian diner from 50s, and has typical diner food and service, but the pierogis are the star here. Any kind, go nuts. Open 24/7 and always filled with NYU kids, but still retains that city-that-never-sleeps charm somehow.

Pastrami Queen - for.... a pastrami on rye sandwich lol if that wasn't clear. Most people will send you to Katz, which is fine! It's not what it used to be, but it is a very cool experience. The pastrami is still good, and the matzoball soup is good. Knish's are a little greasy for my taste though. Best pastrami though imo is at Pastrami Queen. one on UES and one on UWS (plus a location in the new moynihan train hall) so it's not super easy to get to, but i highly rec it.

Parm - now this is my biggest cheat rec. new yorkers will read this and go, pfffft who cares about Parm? Well, i'll tell you why. You might have heard of the famed rigatoni alla vodka from carbone, which is good! but not worth the hassle of going to carbone. You CAN get it at Parm though, which is much easier to get into, cheaper, and more relaxed. They have several locations and the rest of the menu is really solid! Meatballs are great, garlic bread is fantastic, and the italian sandwich is wonderful. They've always had the rigatoni on the menu for those that knew, but only recently has the secret got out and so they changed the name to say "carbone rigatoni alla vodka." Don't go out of your way, but for a trendy new york dish you can brag about, that's a little tip from me to you.

Peter Pan Donuts and Pastry shop - LITERALLY MY FAVORITE PLACE EVER ok it is just a 50's style donut counter, and yes it is in greenpoint which makes it almost impossible to get to. HOWEVER if you manage to make it out there, you're in for a treat. Any doughnut you get is fantastic, and the pretty green interior and counters are so delightful to sit and enjoy as you get frosting/powdered sugar all over yourself. i try not to hype this place up cuz i don't want it to be even more popular than it is with locals, but for you anon i'll let you have it.

Xi'an Famous Food - a great hand-pulled and hand ripped noodle chain that is somehow still pretty authentic despite it's many locations. Great lunch spot for while you work, which most of these recs aren't lol. If the menu is overwhelming, i rec N1 and N2, or N9 if you don't love spice.

Morgansterns Ice Cream - also something you can't really go wrong with all of the Best Of lists. but this one is my absolute fav. Their traditional flavors are all exceptionally creamy and delicious, but they always have wild flavors on deck! You can't sample them, so getting a scoop is a commitment, but for fun, pick a wild one that you think you'd like and dive in. They're great at balancing flavors and making it actually delicious, not just shocking instagram fodder, so you might surprise yourself!

Los Tacos No. 1 - another trendy place that is actually worth the hype. There might be lines here as well but they move quickly, and there are many locations! A great lunch spot to grab some quick tacos, and one of the first in the city to bring al pastor to the masses. If you're mexican or come from the southwest, you might be underwhelmed or skip it altogether. but for new york, this is a shockingly fantastic mainstream taco place, and more authentic than you'd get most places.

Other than those big things, my recommendation to anyone visiting is to wander! Everything below the 80s is pretty safe, despite what you hear. The financial district shuts down daily after about 6/7 pm so avoid that for evenings mainly because it's boring. If you see something in a store, pop in! Also this list is particularly New York Staples, but it's one of the most racially and ethnically diverse places in the world. Seriously. any kind of food you want, it's here, and it's made by someone from that exact country/community. A quick google and you'll probably find whatever you're looking for.

I hope you have an amazing trip and no pressure to do anything you don't want to, honestly! Pick the things that interest you and go with your gut. It's a bottomless city and there's no definitive list of things that make it a New York Trip. Locals will tell you one thing and ex-pats will tell you another and transplants will tell you something completely different. It has something for everyone, but not everything is for everyone, is what I like to tell people. The city is YOUR playground, so do whatever you want! Just make sure to tip your drivers and servers generously and ALWAYS walk at a steady pace and on the right side of the sidewalk. ❤️

[houseofsnarry]

💚 HoS Members’ Recs: Self Rec ❤️

photo source

*Sorry for the repost! In the process of fixing a mistake, I accidentally deleted the original post. This mod and Tumblr are not on good terms right now. lol BUT! We added one more fic and it's a doozy! Check it out! And hopefully there are no more mistakes. *crossing fingers

- Scarlet It's NaNoWriMo! While we are busy creating new fics and art and rec lists and everything under the sun for our fav ship, what about some self-recs? Here are some of our fav Snarry works made by us! As we look forward to accomplishing our goals, we got to give appreciation to the works we've done in the past. <3

Art

🎨 Little Christmas story - @flymetosnarryland (AO3) with a snippet on Tumblr

🎨 Severus in red + Under the Influence Harry - @ofnightsndsongs (AO3)

Choose Your Own Adventure

🌸 What Comes Next (And How to Like It) - @likelightinglass (AO3) Rated E, Word Count 28.6k

A choose your own adventure fic! You are Severus Snape. You survived against all odds, and now it's time to take life into your own hands. What will you do with this gift of a second chance, and how will you find your happy ending? Your happy ending is pretty much always Harry Potter, but there's so many fun ways to get there.

Fanfic

📚 B.R.E.D - Elffaw Rated E, Word Count 5.3k

“You have been summoned here today,” he said, each word crisp and clear, “to partake in a physical examination required by the Ministry itself; in other words, you will be B.R.E.D.”

📚 Certain Dark Things - @liladiurne (AO3) Rated E, Word Count 50.3k

“You want me. I know you do.” I was too worn-out by then to even deny it. In the light of day, with only the summer wind and the cicadas to hear, it didn’t seem necessary to hide it. “It doesn’t matter, Harry. This can never happen.” He stared at me some more, and I did my best not to falter under those shimmering eyes. “I won’t tell anyone, if that’s what you’re worried about,” he assured me.“ I know you wouldn’t,” I added, insisting on the conditional. I didn’t like the way he’d spoken as if it had already happened. As if I had already lost. Perhaps I already had. In which Severus takes a trip to Italy, thinking he'll have a quiet time at the Malfoys' villa, but Harry has other plans. Written for prompt #182: AU. Harry never lived with the Dursleys. He was adopted by the reformed Malfoys as an infant. He is secretly in love with his adopted father's best friend, Severus Snape.

📚 Contempt - @danpuff-ao3 (AO3) Rated E, Word Count 20k

Harry hates Snape, and he always will. (He will, won’t he?)

📚 Courting Day - wendymarlowe Rated M, Word Count 42.8k

It's Courting Day: seventh- and eighth-year students get the chance to declare their intentions to formally woo each other. The only way for Harry to avoid being a matrimonial target is to put in a declaration of his own. Surely if he picks someone who would never in a million years accept his suit, he'll escape unscathed...

📚 dream a little dream of me - @dandelionstars (AO3) with art by @acydpop (AO3) Rated T, Word Count 4.6k

While Severus was not a strong enough Seer to receive complete soulmate dreams, unfortunately, he had just enough power to catch fleeting moments of his soulmate. These flashes of intense joy were more of a curse than a blessing. Despair was suffocating when his hopes were dashed again and again like carved crystal, inevitably shattered on the floor. A Snarry Soulmate AU

📚 For I Have Found Salvation - @lumosatnight (AO3) Rated E, Word Count 7.1k

Severus is a priest, and Harry is the parishioner who may just make him break his vows of celibacy.

📚 Harry Potter’s Avada Kedavra Wedding - whythehellnothavefun Rated M, Word Count 11.4k

(From The Book of Terms And Their Definitions, page 101) Avada Kedavra Wedding: noun, informal, see also: Avada Kedavra Marriage An enforced or hurried wedding, due to one member being pregnant or under blackmail, potentially to gain access to another’s vault(s) and/or properties. (See also: Muggle Oxford English Dictionary, shotgun wedding/shotgun marriage)

📚 Invisible String - @givereadersahug (AO3) Rated G, Word Count 3.7k

The first time Harry saw Snape's black eyes — him truly acknowledging Snape's existence beyond him being his mean professor — it was the night after Harry killed Professor Quirrell. He was dreaming, and in his dreams, he was screaming. Harry dreams of Severus over the years.

📚 On the Origins of Dementors - DarkTony Rated G, Word Count 2.6k

Amidst the pages of tomes that now remain unread,there a story, a fable, a legend goes of a man made of misery…

📚 Sir Saisir - @coconutice22 (AO3) Rated E, Word Count 27k

Some things that glitter are gold. Twenty years after defeating Lord Voldemort, Severus has a meet-cute at a, ahem, private members' club.

📚 The Beat of Their Own Drum - @aeternumregina (AO3) Rated M, Word Count 2.4k

Harry sees Snape dancing at a bar, and is instantly enthralled by this new, carefree person who barely seems to resemble his old teacher.

📚 The Way Death Clutches At Life - @tax-onomic (AO3) Rated E, Word Count 7k

Death is permanent, unless it is not.

📚 This is not my beautiful wife - Klari Rated M, Word Count 35.9k

What happened after Harry smashed up Dumbledore’s office? With Sirius dead and his plans to run away from the Wizarding World on hold, Harry is on the edge— literally, and Severus manages to learn rather a lot about him at the top of the Astronomy Tower.

📚 Wish not for a soul that is full of sin - @serenaew (AO3) Rated T, Word Count 4.7k

After all, a flighty soul could not return to the water, or to the earth, as they maintained all life eventually should. (What one did not have, they believed, could not be broken.) Prologue to the merman!Snape, amnesia AU no one asked for.

Discord || Recs Lists

[nani-nonny]

Setting Sun: Part 1

Welcome to Setting Sun, a rottmnt vote-based short story where readers dictate how the story continues on. Your goal as the reader is to choose the best option to 1. Continue the story and 2. Learn what you can about the “lore” behind this story.

Every update has a week to vote for how the next part of the story starts. Be cautious in making your decision! Your decision could very well end the story before you learn anything or before the “planned” happy ending.

The readers only get one (1) chance to change a voted decision if you get a “bad” ending(or have some unanswered questions). So remember to be cautious when voting (nothing spooky/gory happens so no stress).

If you have any questions or something doesn’t make sense, feel free to ask and I’ll fix it or make it easier to understand! This is a first for me so this could be rough hahah!

Enjoy this short story and be patient in the wait time. (I would have made it one day to vote, but I need time to write other stuff too hehe... that and work and shit.)

Mikey can’t count how many days, weeks, months he has been in this place. Everyday is the same, every person he encounters is the same as the last, every day is the same. But the only thing he can count on, the only thing that changes the most in this godforsaken place is the setting sun.

No matter what he is doing, even if he is on the run or hiding in the deepest cave, he runs for the nearest height. He runs and runs even after his lungs burn and his heart can’t keep up. He runs until his blistered, burning, calloused feet slid to a stop on a cliff or remnants of a building.

Then he watches the sunset. He sits down and tries to control his breathing as he takes in the new colors of the sun. He takes in the brilliant array of colors, embedding them into his mind. He watches as the orange tones consume the redness of the flaming sun, enveloping the tint of hidden yellows.

Nothing could compare to this. Not even the sunrises he sought out in hopes to capture the same feeling he gets when he watches the sunset. But it didn’t feel the same. The soft blue that rises with the sun didn’t make him feel warm and calm like the sun pulling the navy blue canvas freckled with white points into the sky.

God, how he wanted to encapsulate this moment. He wanted to replicate it with his own hands, each and every sunset. He wanted to hang them up on every nook and cranny of the vault that was his memories. But he knows he can’t. He knows that he can’t afford to stay in one spot longer than necessary.

Not when they’re after him.

He doesn’t know how he got here, or why he’s being chased. He doesn’t know what this place is and if he can even call it what used to be home. He doesn’t recognize anything—not like there was much to make an attempt off of.

That was this place’s constant. A large, open plain that stretches beyond what seems like infinity. Sandstorms seem to always be brewing, whipping around clothing and blinding views. There hardly is any time to rest in between sandstorms, and the harsh whip of wind accompanied by clusters of sand hurt like hell.

Even the occasional person he met was a constant. They always wore the same attire: a long beige cloak to blend in with the sand, large beige scarf that hid their eyes from the sand, and voices that Mikey could barely hear over the wind. He would try to ask them anything—get some clues as to where he was, but they would give one of three replies.

“What? I can’t hear you!”

“Sorry, can’t chat!”

“Heed my warning, stay away from the Riots!”

Mikey never got to know what or who “the Riots” are, and he’s not entirely sure he wants to find out. He learned quickly that mentioning it to anybody he passed would result in immediate silence paired with avoiding eyes.

He wouldn’t have a problem with that as it was easy to tell they were trouble. The problem is that he doesn’t even know how he was supposed to avoid “the Riots” should he ever come close to encountering them or whatever it is.

And he’s not entirely sure if they’re actually bad news. If anything, they could be his ticket out of this unchanging place. Maybe they could be his saviors and provide all the water, food and protection he needs instead of constantly running to and fro. Maybe they could provide shelter instead of having to find some remnants of a building sticking out of the ground or sleeping dangerously out in the open.

And forever the optimist, he hopes that he just might meet these people. He hopes that he will find something new.

But it’s hard to keep holding onto that hope when everything—as far as the eye can see—is the same no matter what direction he looks.

So, he stops for a moment. Just like every day in this strange and unchanging and windy plain, he must choose his path.

Going in circles wouldn’t do him any good, so he has to make a choice: Forward or turn tail.

[rolling-in-guano]

31DOD Day 2 (Day 17)

I have never played either game because I am more of a tile based strategy kind of person so I'm going back to Day 2!!

Choosing a favorite issue is so difficult so I'm just going to slap some down.

Secret Origins (1986) Annual #3

This is a great issue because it recaps a lot of Dick's youth in a really strange angsty way. I also find it hilarious that Dick has managed to make not one but TWO interdimensional demons hat him. Gargoyle and antithesis should make a come back in modern comics. I guess Trigon hates him too but I'm kind of sick of him. (I know Titans Hunt exists but it was kind of lame and very ooc)

Let Them Live: Unpublished Tales From the DC Vault #2

This one is so much fun! It is the kind of crazy comic book stuff I live for. I imagine Dick does this shit all the time.

Nightwing (2016) #9

Dick and Clark are one of the coolest duos in comics! One of my favorite quotes comes from here too:

Nightwing (2016) #42

Another wonderful story similar to the unpublished tales. I also love the implication that a dragon lives in the batcave now. (add another cult to the list of cults that hate Dick Grayson)

Nightwing (1996) #150

This one is super nightwing to me. It brings back his beef with Dent which is always nice to see (and feels very forgotten these days). He does parkour between a bunch of blimps to save the day after not sleeping for way too many hours. 'wing is definitely a workaholic and it shows in this one.

Nightwing (1996) #151

This next one has Dick breaking a world record. Also very entertaining.

Superman/Batman Annual #5

I love this one because Dick!bats is out there fighting for his life against the greatest Justice League Villains while Supergirl gets a therapy session down the hall. Dick and Kara also have the cutest sibling relationship. I miss that for them.

Batman/Superman: World's Finest Issue #6

I've said it before, but I am living for the current world's finest comics. Enjoyable read :)

There are definitely others that I go back and read, but I think these have the best stories.

[inspector-montoya-fox]

What are your thoughts about it not being brought up through Thieves in Time that Carmelita lied about Sly being her partner when he pretended to have amnesia? I don't mean this as slander or hate towards Carmelita, I love her a lot, but I think it would have been interesting to see her and Sly discuss how she didn't tell him the truth about who he was when he was acting amnesiac. Though from Carmelita's perspective, I could imagine that having to explain to an amnesiac that they are a master thief in their family's vault would be dificult, so just telling him he was her partner was the easiest story to tell him.

you know what, i've neglected my asks for a hot minute but i'll answer this one just for you silly anon.

the way SP left things off between Sly and Carmelita at the end of Sly 3 is really interesting because you have a romantic relationship being built on a foundation of lies: Carmelita lied to Sly about him being her partner, and Sly lied to Carmelita about having amnesia. going into the next game, it'd be really cool to see if the two would be able to overcome this situation once the truth came out or if it'd break them. other interesting questions: Sly chooses to ignore that Carmelita lied about him being her partner so why wouldn't Carmelita do the same? the last thing that occurs before the lies start is that Sly sacrifices himself to save Carmelita, so doesn't that action show her how much he actually loves her despite the lie? how would the other characters react? would they take sides?

now, keeping all of this in mind, what did we actually get in TiT? well, none of this actually. instead or receiving a really great B-storyline for the game, where Carmelita and Sly are forced to deal with the reality of their lies, we get... Carmelita getting shoehorned into (a) the angry ex girlfriend stereotype; and (b) the loud latina stereotype, both played for laughs while Sly does the bare minimum to fix things and just casually hangs out with his buddies while things calm down on their own. it's so infuriating to see this storyline get neglected but also fully handled through the male gaze, because if the fact that Carmelita also lied was brought up it could make for fascinating dialogue and character development. perhaps it could speak on Carmelita always wanting to be right, or how Sly chooses to let shit slide for the sake of getting what he wants which is very toxic? but no, let's just have Sly's literal ancestors have furry boners for her in the miniskirt and completely remove her for several levels because she's the damsel in distress and needs some time to cool off. because y'know she's a girl and she's way too emotional.

imagine if S*nzaru were capable of telling multifaceted stories, like what a treat that would be. instead of Sly abandoning Carmelita within 3 seconds of the opening cutscene, what if we got a look into their relationship and how they co-existed in a reality they created through lies? instead of having Carmelita fully join the gang in the game's fourth episode and having the entire story presented through Sly (except for those shitty flashbacks with Carmelita voiceover), what if we got to play through Carmelita's version of the story? what happened when Sly told the gang that Carmelita lied about him being her partner? what if Bentley fully took his side because he was always a bit skeptic about her but Murray was all-out Team Carmelita, causing a rift in the gang? what if Murray stormed off with her in Clan of the Cave Raccoon and we got Carmelita & Murray missions?

interesting thing about S*nzaru's take on Carmelita is that it reflects more on them than anything else. because, despite the misogyny and really harmful clichés they attached to her character, i think they never intended to hurt her the way they did. instead, they're just a bunch of horny guys who didn't really have a clue. in their eyes, they were given a character who is overpowered and they chose to trophy her because they don't see the miniskirt, the damsel in distress, the 1cm waist, the angry poc stereotypes or the bellydancing thing as bad or distasteful. in their eyes, Carmelita was a "Mary Sue" (i hate that term) and that's how they chose to handle her even though SP never actually treated her as such. i think Carmelita's scarce appearances in the original series made her flaws a bit more subtle, like her inability to acknowledge Sly as a grey instead of black or white. and S*nzaru never picked up on that or chose to fully ignore it, so they wanted to preserve her as a perfect character who can jump extra high, has a gun, possesses solely positive traits and can get whatever she wants because all the guys go cartoon eyes bonkers over her. and for them, allure = womanhood or femininity, and that is so deeply shallow. everything about their treatment of Carmelita is deeply shallow to the point where their intentions backfired and we got a prime example of misogyny.

so, to answer the question: i think Carmelita's lie isn't brought up in TiT because it would present her as a flawed character. a woman who lies doesn't align with the S*nzaru guys' perception of an ideal woman, and that's what they set out to make Carmelita: the ideal female. it would also over-complicate their shit for brains plot but whatever