#it may or may not look good and then you gotta solve this new problem

[hoth-and-cold]

I’ve run into a problem where I decided to play around with a dadstache and now I have this issue where they both look good

[vrystalius]

I HAVE A REQUEST

WHO WOULD LET ME BITE THEM TO CONFORT ME FROM OVERSTIMULATION

Yum!

Who would let you bite them in order to feel better? How willing would they be? (Human/Hashira version)

Includes: Sanemi, Kyojuro, Gyomei, Mitsuri, Genya

Sanemi Shinazugawa 8/10

Sanemi has a high pain tolerance but is not good at observing and understanding emotions. You’ll have to ask him to bite down onto his shoulder or hand and he’ll happily offer his hand. He’d curiously watch as you chomp down onto the side of his hand. If Sanemi feels like annoying it teasing you, he’d start pulling his hand away, playing some sort of pulling game like you would with a puppy. He’d grin slightly when he does that. You look kind of cute when biting him..

If you chomp down onto his shoulder, his body would shudder slightly. Arousal would pool in his stomach while letting you bite him. Sometimes, he wonders if he has some kind of thing for getting bitten.

But overall, Sanemi’d let you bite him whenever you please. Just warn him beforehand. You didn’t once and bit down onto his hand, making him flinch ans accidentally punch you in the face. He was both insulting and apologising to you over, over and over while trying to stop the bleeding.

“You’re weird, I haven’t showered yet. I gotta taste like shit.”

Kyojuro Rengoku 9/10

Kyojuro will try everything to help you feel better, and that includes letting you bite him as hard as you want. His fingers are a little chubbier, meaning they’re nice to chomp down on. It takes a second for him to notice your distress/discomfort, but after you ask Kyojuro if you can bite him he’d offer his arm to you in an instant. He would stare at you with wide eyes as you bite down onto his hand and pat your back as some kind of encouragement or attempt to make you feel better. Kyojuro knows that biting him may be soothing for you, so he sometimes offer you his hand even if you don’t ask for it. He just wants you to feel better.

Surprising him by biting down onto his shoulder or hand makes him feel worried for you rather than upset or surprised. Kyojuro is worried for why you acted so suddenly and if you are being okay. He would’ve pulled you a little closer, wrapping his arm around you and offer a soft smile.

“Oh, you seem downcast, my flame. Would you like a bite?”

Gyomei Himejima 6/10

You remind Gyomei of a kitten, the way you bite down onto his thick and large palm. He believes that there are different ways to solve your problems that include not biting him, but he doesn’t mind your urge to bite him. Sometimes, he’d pet your head in a comforting gesture or offer a hug, but only if you’d like.

He sometimes worries if his skin is too thick or tough for you to bite, and if your teeth are hurting.

Sometimes, Gyomei will offer you something else to bite down onto, like his red pearl bracelets. They’re hard and not nice to bite down onto, but for you, he handcrafted a bracelet with smaller beads that are nicer to chew onto. He may not be sure why exactly you want to bite his finger so badly, but he will let you anyway. It’s adorable to him.

“Are you sure you want to bite me? Would you like my ricebun instead?”

Mitsuri Kanroji 8/10

She finds it absolutely adorable! Mitsuri would worry about you feeling distressed/overstimulated and would immediately offer up her hand or arm to chomp onto once she has the slightest suspicion that you are feeling anything but content with something. Soon after discovering your biting habit, she might start to try out different types of lotions and find out wich one tastes the best for you. Mitsuri wants to make sure she tastes well for you! One time, you caught her thinking about applying a thin layer of honey onto her skin, but you managed to talk her out of it.

Mitsuri would sometimes ask if she can bite your hand, just to try out how it feels. She accidentally bit down too hard and gave you a bruise, so she never really asked you again.

“I just applied a new sakura lotion Shinobu gifted me! Wanna try it out? Here, bite me!”

Genya Shinazugawa 10/10

He doesn’t mind at all. Genya wants to make sure you feel good at all times, and if making you feel better may include biting his hand, arm, shoulder or whatever, then he’ll happily oblige. Genya is worried that he might be the reason that you feel bad or overstimulated, so he won’t offer his hand right away. He’d just hover around you silently, trying to give you silent comfort of sorts.

His fingers are a little thicker and calloused, so Genya won’t mind if you bite down harder. Besides, in case you draw blood, his demon blood will heal him almost instantly.

Also, sometimes, he himself gets the urge to bite something. He might feel overwhelmed or have too much energy left over, so sometimes Genya would gently take your arm and bite down onto your wrist. He tries to be gentle and to not leave any bruises, but sometimes he gets a little to distracted by the taste of your skin and might leave a bite mark or draw blood.

“O-Oh- Fuck, sorry- you’re bleeding! Oh, sorry, fuck! wait- let me grab some bandages. Agh, I’m so sorry!!”

💠

Genya my sweet baby 😭 I love him so much. But anyways, about that one dog video you tagged me in, I think that dog will solo Kokushibo any day. The Upper Moon demon has no chance against a stick wielding dog, that’s simply impossible!

Also, thank you so much for requesting! This was very fun! Sorry if I haven’t included many characters or the ones you wanted me to write about 😅

Anyways, make sure to EAT, SLEEP and DRINK enough!!

Take care of yourselves <3

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Wicked Games 9

Warnings: non/dubcon, cheating, and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

Character: Steve Rogers

Summary: you had a one night stand. Or did you?

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging ❤️

You sit in the front room of Steve’s apartment. The vague recollection of that morning you fled tugs at your mind. You should have left Barrett then. Maybe if you hadn’t been such a coward, he would still be alive. 

It’s not just your mistake you ran from. It was reality. You put off the inevitable for far too long. You didn’t want your relationship to end. Not like that. On top of all that mess, you ignored yourself, your body, for too long. 

By the count of it, you’re nearly two months along. There’s no question who the father is. You and Barrett barely slept in the same bed, let alone got anywhere close to intimate. 

You drop your head and shiver. 

A shadow approaches and something clinks gently on the polished coffee table. You wince and glance up with only your eyes. You don’t move as you feel him looming over you. 

“Tea. Uncaffeinated. Gotta be safe--” 

“Why are you doing this?” You drone to the floor. 

“It’s been a long night. I figured it would help--” 

“Not the goddamn tea.” You lift your head and glare up to him. “We don’t know each other. I don’t want to know you. I don’t want this baby inside of me--” 

“You’re emotional. It’s hormones.” He says calmly. “I can recognise that. You’re not speaking from a good place right now. A lot has happened. You got big news and you’ve lost someone you loved. Once.” 

“You killed him. You—you murderer!” You stand and he shifts to meet you. He’s big. Not that you didn’t notice before but face to face, it’s even more obvious. You’re no match for someone like him. Not for Captain America. 

His jaw ticks and his eyes narrow. “I protected you. He was choking you. I could hear his pulse. He was full of adrenaline. He would’ve killed you if I hadn’t stopped him.” 

“And? All my problems would be solved--” 

“Don’t say that,” he snarls. His veneer cracks and his face contorts in anger. “You won’t talk like that when you’re carrying my child inside of you.” 

“I’m not keeping it--” 

“It’s not your decision.” 

“It’s my body,” you snip. 

He takes a deep breath and his nostrils flare as he lets it out. He considers you and his features ease. “Like I said, you’re not thinking straight right now. Sit down and have your tea.” 

You stare at him then look past him to the door. He puts his hands on your shoulders, drawing your gaze back to him. He pushes until you sit. Enough to warn you of his full force. You gulp as your butt meets the couch. 

“Stop acting like this is the worst thing that could happen to you,” he drags a hand away and grabs the tea. “I’d say it’s the best thing you could hope for.” 

He hands you the cup, holding it by the body even as it steams. You take it by the handle and watch him. He releases it as your knuckles touch the searing porcelain and you tremble.  

“Besides, where are you going to go?” 

His question breaks the last of your resolve. Your shoulders slump and you look down into the depths of the pale herbal brew. You blow over it and drink without feeling the singe on your tongue. That simple act keeps you from devolving into a new fit of horror. 

He turns and sits beside you. You want desperately to move away but you don’t have the energy. You’re not sure if it’s acceptance, fear, or just complacency.

You’re done. It’s over. Each time you close your eyes, you see the blood pooling under Barrett’s battered head. 

“That’s it, deep breaths.” He reaches to rub your back. “All that excitement, you gotta be exhausted.” 

You don’t react. Not even a twitch. He caresses your shoulder and his fingertips flutter across to your neck. His touch creeps up and he pets your hair. 

Your eyes search and land on his shield. It hangs from the wall. The edge is still dark red. Your vision blurs as you fixate on it. 

“Wash it off.” You grit through your teeth. 

“What?” He winces and runs his index and thumb along your neck, resting his hand across the back. 

“His blood. His fucking blood!” You slam down the mug and it sloshes, scalding your hand. You yelp and wrench away from him. You stumble to your feet and storm across the apartment. “Get rid of it! Gone! Gone!” 

You grab the bottom of your shirt and wipe the reddened metal. The blood chips away and flecks onto your hand. You whimper and drop the shield, recoiling. You cover your face and heave. 

“God! Just make it stop!” You shriek. “This can’t be real. It can’t!” You spin and stagger around dizzily. “No, no, no--” 

“Sweetheart,” Steve’s footsteps mirror his placid tone as he approaches. “Stop it.” 

“What is wrong with you?” You tear your hands away from your face and growl. “Why don’t you care? You killed him!” 

He stares at you. His expression is tepid. His head tilts as the corners of his lips curve, just a little. 

“Why would I care? I got you.” He shrugs. 

[befuddledcinnamonroll]

Catching up on My Stand In episode 6, and I gotta say - I understand Joe.

I'm not talking about whether he's made all the right decisions or not, there's a lot to consider on all sides, but I do understand why he would take the deal with Ming.

It would be lovely to live in a world where it's possible to borrow money from friends & family without strings, but we don't. The nature of our society's relationship to money doesn't allow it.

There's a reason so many marriages fail due to money. There's a reason groups of siblings will stop talking after their parents' estates are distributed. There's a reason friends will fall out over 50 bucks, much less thousands. Money changes relationships.

Because it's never just money.

Sometimes the strings are ones of love, and guilt, and shame, worries that you are letting someone down, or holding someone back.

Look at the relationship between Joe and his new mom - absolutely one of unconditional love. And they are both utterly wracked with guilt about the financial cost the other one incurred due to their illnesses. His mom was ready to fucking die! Over money!

Taking money he doesn't feel like he's earned causes pain for Joe, because it is a huge fucking deal and he knows it. There will be strings. And it will change things.

And I know Joe is a trusting dude and only consciously thinking of not being a burden, not bringing his problem to people he wants to keep as friends, but also, subconsciously, it makes sense there would be hesitance with them.

Wut has been helpful to new Joe, yes, but when old Joe revealed he had been literally kidnapped, what was Wut's response? Sorry, can't help. He didn't even try to talk to anyone, didn't try to problem-solve, come up with a way for Joe to still work - maybe he doesn't go to sets, maybe he trains the new crop of stuntmen, maybe he learns to do something else. The point is, Wut just shrugged and said sorry. That's when old Joe decided to take the dangerous job. And sure Wut feels guilty now, and is trying to make up for it, but - but what would he do when the chips are down? What would he do if Joe struggled to pay him back? If it impacted his wife, his kid?

And sure, Sol may generally be a "good guy", but he still didn't give a shit about knocking Joe to the ground while fighting Ming. He's not entirely selfless. And what happens if he decides he likes new Joe? Wants to date him? You think Joe would feel like he could say no? Striiiiings.

Those relationships would never be the same.

But with Ming - Ming already destroyed his life. There's no guilt in taking from Ming. Joe sees it as going to work, to once again being a stand in. The strings are laid out upfront, he knows just who Ming is, and thinks he can manage it (which of course we know is not true, but he's trying to believe it!)

So yeah, I get it Joe.

[luffyvace]

Nami x male reader

FROM MY LIST

SO YUP FINALLY DOING IT

there needs to be more fluffy content for her x male reader. RIGHT NOW. :) enjoy ♥︎

OKK SO

why i gotta start like that every time🧍‍♀️

NAMI WORKS U TO THE BONE

less then other men tho

she cares about u obviously

but ur still her man!!

so you steal still gotta do stuff for her<3

even more so really

bc like

YOUR HER MAN

of course you have to carry her bags, watch her fashion shows, bring her drinks, take her out expensive places, help her pick the outfit of the day, wrestle the boys not to bother her, carry her, protect her from too strong of foes and be forced to wear girly stuff for her own amusement?? wym?? your her boyfriend!

yup and i mean it, you gotta do all that

if you can’t carry all her bags and buy all her stuff how else will it get done??

and you better have money too

i assume you do since she wouldn’t GET with a broke man…

i mean unless you really charmed her

its too high of a priority for her to over look unless you have a golden personality or something

dw about it tho either way she loves you and money<3

and yes you do have to sit there and watch all her fashion shows til the end

and you BETTER give good replies too

i’m talking you gotta be the boyfriend who turns into her best friend for a hot sec to hype her up 🤪

”you go girl”

”omg your that girl frfr”

”that outfit ate DOWN.”

LOLOL it’s fun for both of you

unless your like strictly masculine or smth

then u might be more annoyed

but the combo of you loving your girlfriend and her being really good at persuading people leads to you doing it anyway

honestly for bringing her drinks and food

sanji usually makes it

he tells you to give credits but you don’t

especially if you can cook yourself

sanji insists he should do it since he’s the official cook

but sometimes you do it anyway

so it can come straight from the heart yk?

you and sanji may or may not beef

if you have no problem with him then it’s prob one sided on his side

definitely mad you bagged nami before he did

or any woman for that matter

but anyway

you mostly bring her refreshments and food when she’s working on her maps :)

btw it takes like 80 minutes to pick out the outfit of the day

she gets you up early so you can help her

that way by the time everyone else is up it seems like she whips up really good outfits just like that

when in actuality

“ok this one or this one?”

”uhh that one..?”

“NO WRONG ANSWER”

💥

nah i’m playing she doesn’t hit you

(yes she does but it’s lovingly)

[no it’s not but she doesn’t do it as often to you as she does the other guys]

anyway again..

yeah there’s such thing as a wrong answer

”why’d you ask me if you already had one in mind??”

“you were supposed to agree with me!”

”how was i supposed to know which one to pick??”

😡

as far as tackling the rest of the boys

”honey~ handle my light weight”

the way i wrote it made it seem lighthearted but the glint in her yes tells you—you better do it

annddd you do!

you fling luffy outside, he lands onto usopp who starts playing with him

you drag (snoring) zoro out onto the deck to sleep

you remind franky about the project he was working on

you tell brook to go play some music for luffy and usopp

you ask chopper some doctor sounding question which gives him a new idea to try out and he rushes off

robin is being quiet already<3

and sanji’s just cooking dinner:)

so now, problem solved, nami can have some peace and quiet

yippie!! mission accomplished!

now there’s not gonna be a expensive place on every island but if there is you can bet your beli she’s making you take her there

and she’s blowing off all your money

at the least it’s just you two tho

you somehow shake the rest of the crew to get some alone time

the date turns out to be really romantic and sweet so you enjoy it even if your pockets hurt

y’all def steal stuff from the restaurant

you don’t have her swiping habit but the silverware was real gold and oh boy did the opportunity of money sound sweet like honey 😋

carrying her is self explanatory

she just wants to be treated with grace and care

likes he’s delicate and beautiful the way she is

which she is

so you do:)

you carry her all types of ways but never roughly or 💥💥

mostly bridal style

cuz duh it’s romantic

you’ve even kissed her like that quite a few times

random but she likes to watch the sunset with you

btw you definitely kicked some fish butt if you joined early enough

even if you only had a crush on her back then

you fo’ sure weren’t gon let that slide 🤨🤨

what arlong thought this was⁉️🗣

not on your watch‼️

i hope your strong cuz even if your not you gonna become her shield or smth cuzzz..

YOUR HER BOYFRIEND

YOU GOTS TO PROTECT HER NOW

WHICH MEANS YOU TAKE ONE FOR THE TEAM FOOL!!

if your strong and have muscles she prob secretly or not so secretly admires them

and yes my mans, as the last topic you will wear makeup and girly hairstyles

especially if you have long hair—then she def wants to play in it

there’s no saying no either

i don’t know what to tell you if you don’t like it my brother

have fun 🤷‍♀️

LOL i love these they were so fun n silly 🤪

enjoy male readers!! come eat good!!

[thenameisgul]

The thing with Castiel is that he had a lot of storylines that had potential to develop, but were cut short for whatever reason I don't understand: like Godtiel, humancas. For example, with humancas, an entire season could be devoted to exploiting that, it could be a separate storyline unrelated to Sam or Dean, he could meet other angels and have to solve problems himself. etc. But no, they abandoned it after a few episodes, for what? to make Dean not look like an asshole for abandoning Cas when he was most vulnerable, so as not to divert the audience's attention away from two brothers? I have a feeling the writers kept Cas/Misha around because of his popularity with fans, but never gave him the status he deserved for a character with so much potential and importance to the story line. I'm only in ss10 and heard that Cas is treated even worse in the later seasons, I don't know if I should continue watching or not.

if there's one thing I realized pretty early on when I was finally watching season 7 after a decade long break, was that in the Supernatural universe, there was no other character that was as interesting and multifaceted as Castiel.

The second thing I realized was that it was not a very good thing for the showrunners to have a supporting character be like that when your entire show revolves around two brothers.

The reason they killed off Castiel in early season 7 was because they wanted the show to go back to being about Sam and Dean and with Apocalypse over, they didn't know what to do with Castiel. But clearly, he was too popular and they brought him back because the network itself told them to bring him back.

Now, a good writer would've been able to find a balance to keep Cas' story relevant and entangled with the Winchesters, as they did in season 6 but with Kripke leaving the show and new management in the writer's room, that didn't happen.

I almost, almost get it? Like, you have your story, you have your lead characters and people love them but suddenly you bring a supporting character who becomes an instant fan favorite, who's, debatably, a lot more interesting because of the history you gave him but never intended to explore and now he's sticking around so you just don't know what to do to make him not take over the narrative? You make him weak.

Cas couldn't have stayed the badass, powerful angel who's lived for a millennia because then that'll require the show to have villians even more powerful than that to be any competition and that leaves the Winchesters irrelevant.

So they tamed him down alot, which in itself wouldn't have been such a bad thing, especially if they went with the human!cas arc for longer like you said but to do that would've meant they couldn't use Cas as an easy way out of all winchester's problems and they needed that too so 🤷‍♀️

My main problem with all of that, mostly comes from the fact that, and I may be wrong here, but it seemed like the writers actively resented misha/castiel for being popular. Like he was, in misha's words "a foil to the boys" and while the writers couldn't let him go because the show would lose ratings, they actively diminished him. The random demeaning comments about Castiel from other characters, especially, from dean seemed a little too pointed. Not to mention how the producers actually publicly said 'misha wasnt a good actor' when he's literally one of the best actors on the show!

So yeah, if supernatural had better writers, or atleast if they kept hold of the good ones (because there were some good ones) they could've given Cas and the show a better story.

I hate to say it but they did it to Sam too. Sam was such an complex character but they just stopped trying after a while with his character. So I guess it was a theme with these writers.

And as a Castiel fan, its frustrating, I gotta say that. But you know what the best part is? that no matter what they did, how dumb the storyline they gave him he still came out as the most interesting character every time. So there you go.

So I'd say watch the show, its really good when it gets good or maybe just open Misha's page on Supernatural wiki and only watch his episodes if that's your thing because tbh, you wouldn't miss much if you left the rest. lol

[backtothe99]

(18Trip Translation) Tao Kinouchi Novel: Back to the 99 - Track 4

all novels have spoilers for information about the characters revealed in the main story, proceed with caution!

CW: Tao's parents' religious fanaticism reaches a Snake-goes-missing-esque (999) climax

Wednesday, June 30, 1999

— Wednesday, June 30, 1999

I involuntarily let out another sigh.

I didn’t go to school today.

Taiki’s fever had gone down, but he still seemed under the weather.

“Tao-nii, enough… Go to school…”

Taiki told me in the afternoon, after his condition had calmed down.

“I already skipped the morning classes, there’s no point in me going now.” I said and stayed home.

And in case you’re wondering, our parents hadn’t come home at all since the night before.

After Taiki fell asleep due to the side effects of the medicine I had given him just in case, I sat alone in the living room, just staring at my phone.

Should I call Goz, or no? Even if it’s by mail, should I apologize? 

“... What am I even gonna do tonight?” I muttered.

I actually had plans with Goz tonight.

About two months ago, while the two of us were having lunch at school, we started talking about King Anglomois’s prophecy, and I told Goz:

“I don’t know what my parents will do the moment July arrives. They seriously believe in that prophecy.”

There are people out there who believe in this prophecy so much that they become desperate, and there are people who vow they’ll spend all their money by the time June ends. There’s even TV specials.

Our generation has been hearing about this prophecy all our life, and even if we don’t believe it, we still feel a vague sense of fear when we hear the words “July 1999”.

I may be a skeptic myself, but I honestly don’t know what will happen to my parents, who believe in it blindly.

“I don’t wanna be home on that day.”

I had complained to Goz, and as if he just had a great idea, he said, “You don’t gotta be!”

“Let’s sneak out in the middle of the night and jump together the moment July hits!”

“Jump…? This ain't New Year’s Eve.”

“It’s cool, maybe the King of Terror will let us off the hook if our feet aren’t touching the ground?”

It was a silly, ridiculous suggestion.

But the way Goz talked about it with so much excitement somehow comforted me. I knew jumping the moment the clock struck midnight wouldn’t help me figure out what to do with my parents, and it wouldn’t alleviate Taiki’s pain.

But seeing Goz smile as he talked about it… I felt as though my problems were so simple that just jumping could solve them.

“Then, let’s do it. If I remember.”

“Huh? What’s that, Tao? You want me to write our plans on your forehead? Make sure you remember.”

It was just a light-hearted promise, so Goz might have already forgotten about it.

Just as I was at a loss about what to do, my phone’s notification rang, and a mail came through.

“Minami-cho Park. 11:55PM. If you don’t come, I’ll beat the crap out of you.”

The mail was from Goz.

A smile spread across my face.

I was happy that Goz remembered our promise, and was trying to suggest we make up.

I was determined to apologize properly for what happened yesterday when we met.

— I haven’t been able to talk about this with you until now, but truth is, Taiki hasn’t been going to school.

I can’t rely on my parents.

What can I do for Taiki?

This time, I’d be honest and ask for advice.

Goz is a good guy, if I explain the situation with Taiki and our parents, I’m sure he’ll understand.

And just like when he laughed and said we should jump, I’m sure he’ll make me feel better this time, too.

I looked at the time, it was already 11:30PM.

There wasn’t much time left until the arranged time, so I just got changed and ready to leave the house.

When I opened my room’s door, Taiki stood on the other side.

“Taiki, you’re awake? How’s your fever?”

“... It’s gone down. Are you going somewhere, Tao-nii?”

I lied and said I’m going to the convenience store.

I figured I’d be home in about 20 minutes, anyway.

I didn’t think I had any reason to tell him about my promise with Goz.

“Do you want me to buy you something? Like an ice cream?”

Just as I was thinking of really stopping by the convenience store, a loud noise rang from the entrance.

“Tao! Tao, where are you!?”

The next sound I heard was our parents’ screaming.

Taiki’s face suddenly stiffened.

They came into the house with heavy footsteps, looking for me. They’ve always been aggressive people, but they’re especially bad today. 

I hurried downstairs, not wanting to get Taiki involved.

“What are you doing here? Don’t yell, you’ll disturb our neighbors.”

When I got downstairs, my parents, who I hadn’t seen for some time, were running out of the living room.

Honestly, their behavior was strange–

Their hair was messy, their clothes were rumpled, and their eyes were bloodshot.

“There you are! Come on! Hurry!”

My mother screamed as she grabbed my arm. She put so much strength that I felt my bones were going to crack.

She pulled me and I stumbled a step forward, my phone slipping out of my pocket.

“Hold on, what are you doing…”

“Hurry! There’s no time!”

It’s okay. I’ll be back in no time.

I didn’t say that out loud, but I tried to convey it with my expression.

I figured that if I resisted, they’d make a commotion and scare Taiki, so I obediently followed them.

I barely had time to put on my shoes, and I was taken to a park near our house. It was a dark place filled with trees.

A huge coffin was placed there.

“By God’s will! As God’s child! You have the right to board this “Ark”!”

“You don’t have to worry, this is a machine created by God that can transcend time by channelling the energy in space. The church inherited this “Ark” from space!”

“No matter how much we paid, they wouldn’t lend it to us, so we brought it here in secret! Mom and Dad don’t mind becoming sacrifices, Tao is the only one who has to go to where God is!”

I couldn’t understand a thing they were saying.

Their eyes weren’t entirely here, but I couldn’t match up their strength–

Before I knew it, I was shoved into the coffin.

“Hey, hold on, I…”

— I made a promise.

And I have to stay by Taiki’s side.

I wanted to say that, but I couldn’t.

My parents closed the coffin’s lid.

Once I heard a loud noise and realized the lid was locked, I blanked out and everything went dark.

What? Are my screw-loosed parents finally going to kill me?

My parents were still making some kind of noise on the other side of the coffin, so I banged on the lid and yelled, “Let me out! Let me out!”

I’m late for my meeting with Goz. 

I don’t have my phone on me because I dropped it when my parents dragged me. I haven’t even replied to the mail.

— I want to meet him, I want to apologize and make up.

… And there’s also Taiki to think about.

If he starts crying…

Just as I thought that, a sharp pain struck my head.

My vision started to falter, and I felt my consciousness fade.

I can’t remember anything after that.

When I woke up –

I was thrown into an unfamiliar city in the future.

Novel directory: Tuesday, June 29, 1999 / 1 | Tuesday, June 29, 1999 / 2 | Tuesday, June 29, 1999 / 3 | Wednesday, June 30, 1999 | Souta Gozu

[apomaro-mellow]

Part 2

"Steve, that Byers boy is here for you.”

Steve was in the middle of clearing the dishes from breakfast when he heard. “Okay.”

“We’ll be back late tonight. Money for the landscapers is by the door.”

Jonathan came in just as the man walked out, brow furrowed. “Who the heck was that?”

“Uh, my dad?”

“Is you say so. Look, we gotta hash this thing out. No one else but Dustin was supposed to know.”

Steve leaned back against his sink. “Yeah but if we tell everyone we were lying, then we’re back to square one.”

“You’re back to square one. As I recall, this was a Steve problem.”

“Here’s the thing about problems, they can spread to other people. Like if Dustin continues to pester me about dating, maybe I stop being so generous with my car. Maybe those kids will have to hound someone else for rides.” Steve raised his eyebrows at Jonathan.

Jonathan rubbed at his face. “Everyone else is gonna know by now.”

“I know, I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you.”

“Yeah you will.”

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

Eddie was in the middle of walking down the street, ignoring the dirty looks when who should he see, sipping milkshakes but the new set of lovebirds. He knew most people thought of him as shady so he had no shame ducking behind a mailbox to watch them from across the street.

To most, it definitely looked like just a couple of guys being pals. And before, Eddie would have seen it like that too. But now that he knew the truth about their relationship, he couldn’t help but read more into Steve’s smile.

And Jonathan seemed relaxed in a way that he only got when he was high. Just what in the world did they talk about when they were alone?

“I wanna go. And I wanna study photography. But like, how do I explain that to my mom?”

“You think she’s gonna fight you or something?”, Steve asked.

“No, not really. If anything, she’ll be mostly supportive. But unless you’re a big name, you can’t make a lot of money. And I know that’s gonna be her first thought. ‘How are you gonna pay your bills? Or tuition?’ That kind of thing.”

“I mean, personally, I wasn’t always a fan of your work. But if you have a dream, you should go for it. Even if you failed, at least you tried. I don’t even have...” Steve trailed off and swirled his shake around.

“Have, what?”

“Even if I could get into college, what would I even do?”

“Sorry man, I’m not a career counselor”, Jonathan said.

“You’re supposed to offer solutions and ways to help solve my problems. Some boyfriend you are.”

“Bring it up with the Better Business Bureau.”

Eddie bit his fist as he watched them. And things just went downhill after that. Whenever Steve and Jonathan were around, and they were surrounded only by their closest friends, they were holding hands. Or they were standing really close together, or sitting really close. And Eddie couldn’t stand it. It sort of felt like Jonathan had stolen his spot. But could he really claim something that he’d never had?

Meanwhile, Steve was putting up an impressive front but only because he was avoiding alone time with Robin like the plague. Which she could tell he was doing so she had no choice but to corner him. Her plan involved going into his room, stealing some of his hair products, and waiting.

And like clockwork, he realized he was out, went to the store, and Robin trapped him in aisle 6.

“Spill the beans, Harrington.”

Steve looked down at his basket of products, then Robin, and realized he’d been played.

“Robin, seriously? You know better than to mess with my hair.”

“And you know better than to keep secrets from me. Especially secrets like this.”

“Please tell me you still have my stuff and didn’t just dump it.”

“Of course I do. I’m not an evil witch.”

“Good.” Steve began to put the products back on the shelf. She may have been conniving, but at least she didn’t make him spend extra money. It was only when they were back in his car that she started the conversation again.

“You and Jonathan....makes zero sense. Especially since you’re straight.”

“Who said I’m straight? I’m allowed to appreciate guys.”

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner then? Hm?”

“Because!”, Steve shouted with fake indignation as he tried to stall for an explanation. “Because, I called one of your crushes a Muppet and I didn’t want you to tease me about Jonathan, okay?”

“Steven, I’m not a child. I don’t hold grudges like that. And Jonathan’s fine. Isn’t it weird though? To date the ex of your ex?”

“We’ve seen our fair share of weird stuff. Me and Jonathan don’t even make the top ten.”

“Point taken. So like...what do you like about him, I guess?”

Steve smiled at her attempt. “Are you trying to do guy talk?”

“Yes! I thought it might be doable since you’re gay but it’s still talking about dudes and I feel like I’m horribly out of my depth. How can you do girl talk so easy?”

“Well, I like both, so...”

“Bullshit.”

“How is that bullshit? I’ve dated girls and guys. Do you only like one kind of sandwich?”

Robin was quiet for a moment. “Just when I think I’m done discovering you, you get a little bit deeper.”

“I’m a man of many talents.”  

Part 4

[suicidalgamergirl]

Long Chapter Is Long

TW: Language

****

YEARS AGO

She was walking down the street with Ken. Ken didn’t like her trying to walk next to him and holding hands.

Like couples do.

Ken demanded her to always walk with her head hanging low. He told her that she may scare unwilling children with her disgusting facial features. Scaring them to believe that monsters really do exist in this world.

But this is what a boyfriend does. She should be happy.

Right?

Ken then whistled at a hot chick that was walking aside on the other sidewalk. He looked back at Nessa.

“You know,” Ken stated, “you should ditch the pink dye and go for a bleach blonde. That way, no one will mistake you for a fat dyke.”

A chuckle was across his lips.

“You’re probably not hot enough to attract those people anyways,” Ken said, “just stick with me. I’m the only one who knows your dirty secret. Wouldn’t want your family to know their daughter is a whore.”

Ness just slowly nodded her head at him. Ken smirked.

”Good Girl,” Ken commented at her obedience, “perhaps you’ll finally give me a good lay.”

The two started to head home. He enjoyed having Ness wrapped around his fingers, letting her drop everything for him, and never leaving his side.

There was no way this relationship could backfire.

Right?

****

There’s a vampire on her bed.

Red faced, flustered with embarrassment. The vampire could pick up her pulse as she felt nervous around him.

Her parents are going to arrive later today to give her a new phone and hope for her to get a new phone plan for it.

There’s a vampire on her bed.

She stated she wasn’t afraid of him. It seemed he ignored her and he went back to flip pages of her journal from a crazed white woman.

There’s a vampire on her bed.

Oh god. How is she going to tell her parents when they see this porcelain skinned gentleman with a proper fashion sense roaming around in her apartment?

Well mom, I was trying to get a bat to solve my mosquitoes problem. Turns out said bat is a fucken vampire.

Just the mention of a vampire would be reasonable doubt that you’re insane, Nessie. She can pictured herself in a padded room and wearing a straight jacket, as her family signs her rights’ away. She’ll be a permanent client in the mental hospital ward, constantly ranting and raving about that fucken vampire on her bed.

****

Astarion looks up from the journal, amused and intrigued as the woman turns red and becomes panicky. He can hear her pulse beating faster, and see that her mind is racing.

He puts the journal to one side and looks at her.

"Don't worry darling,” he said as he was looking at her, “I ask before I bite."

He smiles as gently as he can at her, not wanting her to become more worked up.

As he speaks, Nessie is surprised to hear his voice is actually quite soft and friendly, not at all what she expected from a vampire.

He does not seem to be anything like the vampires she has read about.

Astarion gestures at a chair in the room. "Why don't you take a seat darling, and tell me what has got you all upset?"

Her face changes to one of shock. He is asking her to take a seat in her own room? And he wants her to talk?

She is not sure what to make of this. He seems to be asking her to tell him why she is upset. Is he mad? Isn't it obvious? He is in her room, uninvited reading her journal. Although, yes, she did make a bat house to help her insecurities and did research on bats too, she did not know he was a vampire obviously. She isn't that stupid.

And what about her parents? What is she going to tell them?

She finds herself walking to the chair and sitting on it, shaking. There was so much tension between the two of them.

Not to mention, her birthday was tomorrow.

Regardless of this intruder, this was her place. She had to plead her case.

Otherwise it’s back to the mental ward with you. Some birthday gift, right?

Gotta keep a straight poster. Holding onto the box cutter, she turned her head to stare at her intruder. Have confidence.

“Look,” Nessa stated as her hands were clutching the box cutter, “we’re both consenting adults. I made that bat house because I had issues with mosquitoes. It’s foolish of me to try to use you in your bat form for my own personal gain. I apologize. For once, I thought I gained a cute pet, a fluffy white bat that needed comfort and spoiling.”

He noticed some small streams of tears running down her eyes. He pondered whom or what had made her feel this hurt. Such a plump woman shouldn’t be harming herself, as he saw her write in her journal. He then noticed the bandage wraps on her arms. They were wrapped in the same gauze he picked up from her trash bin earlier.

Nessa then stretched out her right bandaged arm towards said vampire.

“I know you’re a vampire,” Nessa said with her arm shaking a bit, “my parents will arrive in the late afternoon. It’s best if you drink from me and use said blood as strength to get yourself out of my apartment. I can’t jeopardize my freedom if you stay here.”

That’s right. Humans tend to assume that vampires like him were always needing blood, the essence of living creatures. Her body language was reflecting the pain she wrote in her journal. She wanted to protect him, despite him being a quite powerful vampire ascendant.

She is a very brave woman. Not even the vampire hunters that confronted him showed such bravery towards him. She is quite an interesting human.

“Darling,” he stated as he rose from the bed, “you do not need to do this. Though, I shall take my leave. Perhaps, you can clear your mind after your parents’ visit.”

He wanted to learn more about this human, but he will respect her wishes.

For now.

Opening her window, he used his dark vampiric powers to morph into said fluffy white bat. He flew out of her room and into the city.

She watched the creature. Red flustered face. He is quite an interesting character.

For a vampire.

Now she had to prepare for her parents’ arrival.

****

Ken and Katsy were walking down the street as a lovely couple that were enjoying the city.

Perhaps a little too much. Someone was walking the opposite direction and was going to walk into the couple.

They accidentally bumped into each other.

“Hey, watch it!” Ken cried out as he was being brushed aside from his girl.

Katsy was in starry eyes as she saw the peckish young gentleman, with porcelain skin tone, grayish curls, deep crimson eyes, and pointy ears that was standing in front of the couple.

“Oooh,” Katsy began as she slipped herself onto the gentleman, “never seen one of those dorky LARPers being as hot as you.”

Ken looked at the gentleman, getting kinda pissed off that his girl was latching herself on a new man.

The gentleman looked at him and just smirked. He knew this was the person that had an X marked on his face in the journal he read. How wonderful.

“How about you and me go exploring my dungeon?” Katsy asked as she stayed near the gentleman, “I’m sure my dragon will behave.”

Ken then saw his girl being wooed by another man. This made him realize that this is how he acted when he was with Nessie whenever they went on a date together.

“Get your hands off her, you pasty pale pointy ear freak!!” Ken yelled at the gentleman. He shoved Katsy off of him, much to her disappointment.

She booed at Ken as she got herself together.

“What’s you gotta do?!” Ken asked as he was gonna fight this well behaved gentleman, “Cat got your tongue?!”

The gentleman revealed a set of fangs. Without realizing the danger Ken was about to be in, the gentleman moved so quickly and dug his fangs into Ken’s throat. Ken went limp. His tough facade faded while the gentleman feasted on him, blood gushing from the piercing of Ken’s neck with his fangs.

Katsy screamed and started to run off. The freakishly pale gentleman was a monster.

Satisfied with his meal, he dropped Ken onto the ground. He realized that the woman who saved his ass as a bat will no longer have a need to worry about Ken anymore. No longer will she have the urge to harm herself and make new scars on her arms.

The board left Ken, trying to save her own ass. No matter. Humans are such idiots at times.

Liking his lips to get the blood off his lips, he felt Ken made a decent meal…

For a horrible human.

Bloodlust racked his brain. Now he should have taken the offer of drinking Nessie’s blood. She wasn’t a virgin, but someone who was offering themselves to him, not as a sexual favor, made him realize how pure she is. Made him think she needed protection from him. Such a brave human she is.

[some-triangles]

2023 IN REVIEW

So, the most important thing that happened this year is I got married. My wife likes to dress me up in extravagant outfits and draw me little cartoons. I am more content as a human being than I ever have been.

This doesn't mean my brain problems have gone away. If anything, the good stuff I have now has thrown the bad stuff into sharper relief, internally and externally. It's harder to ignore depression and anxiety when you're not by yourself. When the people around you aren't actively contributing to your agita and there are no more ambitions you got which remain unfulfilled (apart from the silly ones like being so rich you never have to work again) it kind of highlights how, y'know, the call is coming from inside the house, where the house is my body, and the gremlin living in the attic is my brain.

I am feeling less and less apt to tolerate bullshit. Maybe less willing, maybe less capable. This has unfortunately coincided with a significant uptick in bullshit in the outside world, as we continue our transition to an overtly scam-based economy and our sensible centrist president continues to fund genocide overseas. There don't seem to be any good guys left. I find myself unable to shrug and say that it is what it is with quite the same nonchalance as before. Maybe it's a product of getting old.

Oldness may also contribute to the fact that I no longer seem to be interested in listening to new music. My track of the year is 4Lung's "Sarab&e", which is a cancelled furry rapping anemically over a Satie sample - you gotta really kick me in the shins to get my attention these days. On the other side I find myself listening to a lot of jazz on the radio. Did you know Orville Johnson (that's right, of https://orvillejohnson.com/ ) put out a dobro-led cover of Gravy Waltz? And it's pay what you want on Bandcamp? Maybe there are some good guys.

In sum I don't care what band that sounds like one band but also another band came out with their music album anymore. Boards of Canada already solved music and that's fine.

Comics are still good. Gray Folie's "Idletry" continues to be completely fascinating. There seems to be an endless supply of good artists on Tumblr just making stuff and putting it out there for me to look at. Thank you to all of them. Also I hear a new zine from my favorite might be dropping soon - stay tuned for more on that.

All I read is contemporary SF for the podcast and that's also fine. Most of it. Apparently the new thing is books about raising autistic children or being raised by autistic parents or both, and that certainly works for me. My favorite book of the year is not about that, though, and instead asks what if the founder of the Ming dynasty was actually an ace AFAB transmasc with ADHD. It manages to achieve grand tragedy with this concept, particularly if you ignore the ending. (Also you have to read the first book first or it won't make any sense.)

My goal for the new year is that I manage to get the energy together to find a therapist or change my meds up or whatever. Things are good but they could be better, might as well try. I would also kind of like to move back to the east coast but we'll see. Maybe get a cat.

[h50europe]

Brand new interview with Scott. He is talking about his new show Alert, the special bond he has with Alex, and his movie career in general.

AVC:For a lot of actors, especially after playing a character for a long time, there are certain mannerisms or parts of past characters that might creep into the new characters they play. Do you see any similarities between Jason and maybe Danno from Hawaii Five-O or any of the other characters you’ve played?

SC: I’d like to say no, but I guess the answer is of course, right? I don’t care if you’re playing a part that’s the opposite of you. You gotta figure out a way to put the most of you into that person that’s not like you, so yes, I guess the pitfall of doing the same character for such a long time is that you can’t help but have little bits or mannerisms from other characters come into play. When you do a movie, you can really dig in and become somebody else for two months for 90 minutes of cinema, as opposed to when you’re doing a show, [and] the character kind of becomes you or whatever version of yourself that you’ve created from the beginning. After two seasons, three seasons, there is no separation between you and [the character], which is good and bad, right?

AVC: Ending a show almost feels as difficult as starting and launching one. How do you feel about the way Hawaii Five-O wrapped up?

SC: To be honest, I don’t remember how they were wrapped up. [Laughs] I literally have no clue. You could tell me, and I’d be like, “Okay, yeah.” But as far as a job, man, the people I was working with on a daily basis, even the ones I didn’t like, were still family. I was closer to a lot of the people on that show—crew members and other actors—than I was with family members.

Alex [O’Loughlin] and I went through so many ups and downs. That dude’s my brother for the rest of my life. And sometimes I wanted to strangle him, and sometimes he wanted to strangle me. [Laughs] But that dude’s my family until the day I die.

AVC: You and Alex became the show’s fan-favorite duo with your explosive ability to banter and bounce off of each other on and off the set. What do you miss most about working with him in particular?

SC: Look, I think that’s the key to any show: The people you’re watching have that banter. And by the way, let me just reiterate: I didn’t want to strangle him more than I did want to strangle him. But I’m just saying after 10 years, there were moments he wanted to kill me [Laughs].

I just miss working with somebody [where] we have so much history and it was just easy. You couldn’t throw us an acting problem that we couldn’t solve together. And I don’t mean any disrespect, but when you’re trying to write 25 episodes in nine months, some of it is not going to work on the page. And a lot of the time, they would hand us something [where] Alex and I had to figure out how to make it work. And by the end, we didn’t really have to talk. I’d just look at him, point to a line, and he’d be like, “Yeah, yeah, I got it.” We’d know how to get through scenes, and then I knew his strengths. When there was something that could be fixed with his strengths, I’d back up. And when he knew that there was something that I could fix, he would back up. It takes a while to build that.

There’s a power struggle in the beginning of a show. I think I’m really good at certain things, but the people I’m working with don’t know that I’m good at it. I feel like I know how to make a scene that’s not working work, and when you’re working with new people, they may think, “Well, why does he think he knows?” And it’ll take me six or seven episodes for them to go, “Oh, okay, Scott knows how to do that part.” And then there’s certain things where I have to figure out, “Oh, Dania knows how to do that part.” We’re just getting there now, and who knows if we get another season, right? So we might just have to start over with another show or we’ll continue on.

The thing with Alex and I is, we could figure anything out easily and our egos would, for the most part, go this way [motions his hands separating and going in different directions]. We’re two alpha males. Season one, we were like, “I know!” [Motions his fists to clash] “No, I know, I know! I got this.” By season four, five, and six, our egos kind of floated away a little bit, and we were able to work together and figure out anything.

FULL INTERVIEW HERE: Scott Caan on landing Ocean's Eleven, his new show Alert, and instructing his dad on set

[a-small-batch-of-dragons]

This Distance Between ‘Probably’ and ‘Certainly’

Ok, here's an idea (sorry in advance if this is too long!): A fic about the ordinary (or, as ordinary it ever is) day-to-day of the Mindscape. Except... We're following a self-aware Janus. – amateurmasksmith

Janus is happy right now. Everyone has been accepted, issues are being healed and fixed. He's friends with the light sides, he got Virgil back and Remus hasn't left him. Janus is genuinely happy...And it scares him. He's waiting for the other boot to drop. He's waiting for the one thing to take his happiness from him like what always happens. He's flinching at every disagreement, freezing at every mistake he makes, and holding his breath when things get quiet or when Thomas has a bad day. He knows something is going to take his happiness away and he's scared. But the others notice and are there to reassure him that they're not going anywhere. 💜- insanitori

Read on Ao3

Warnings: none!

Pairings: none!

Word Count: 1594

You know what they say: if it seems like it's too good to be true, it probably is.

No one knows that better than Janus. Come on, he's Doubt, Deceit, whatever you want to call it, it's his job to know when something's afoot. Even when the lie is perfect, undetectable even, he'll know. He was made for it, after all, it would be quite a feat to be able to get something past him. He's fairly smug about it too, able to do everything from tell who ate the last muffin—Logan—to who spray-painted dicks all over the Imagination door—Virgil—to who's been telling everyone they're fine when they're actually on the verge of a mental breakdown—everyone.

So when there comes a time that everyone is just…happy, it sends a chill up his spine.

There are no arguments. No barely-hidden resentments. No double meanings behind words, no thinly veiled threats, no glares at backs when the others aren't looking.

Everyone's…fine.

Now, it's not perfect. There are still things that need to be fixed and problems that need to be solved, a few of them are…testier when alone together as opposed to with the group, and there are still rifts and rough patches that lead to people needing to go calm down before it can be properly resolved.

But it's…good. It's really good.

Which means that it won't stay good.

Nothing lasts forever, especially nothing good, and the fact that they're all on an upswing means that when it inevitably takes a turn for the worse, the fall will be all the more devastating. Admittedly, this is a tad dramatic.

Janus snorts. "You would be equally as dramatic, you know."

"Huh?" Patton turns. "What was that, kiddo?"

"Nothing, nothing." Janus smiles—must not have been quiet enough. "Don't mind me."

Patton gives him a bit of a strange look but passes it off as just Janus being Janus and turns back to the conversation. They're all in the living room, talking about what they're going to watch for the next movie night. Roman and Remus are advocating for one of the new Disney movies, Logan is asking for a nature documentary, Virgil said he'd be fine with anything, and Patton, well…

"Patton doesn't have an opinion."

"J?" Virgil nudges him. "You gotta speak up, bud, otherwise we won't hear you."

"No, no, just talking to myself."

"Do you have an opinion?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact: you should embroider ACAB on your hoodie."

Virgil snorts. "Okay, I will, but I meant about movie night."

"Oh. On that, no, I don't, as long as we get to snack while we watch."

"Snek gotta snack," Remus says as Roman nods seriously, "them's the rules."

"Speaking of rules, have we checked content lists for everything?" Patton shudders. "I'm not in the mood for nightmares tonight."

"Aw," Remus whines, "but those are fun?"

"What? No, they aren't!"

"Yes, they are!"

"They are not!"

Roman just whacks Remus in the face with a pillow and Logan rolls his eyes. "We won't get anywhere if you start derailing us at this point, Remus, I—Janus, what are you staring at?"

"Oh, just the wall."

"I see that. May I ask why you're staring at that particular wall?"

"No reason."

Sure, Janus, sure.

His mouth tugs up into a smirk and he turns back to the conversation. "Logan, you should know better than anyone that we rarely stay on the rails at the best of times. That's not why people watch these."

Logan frowns. "Watch what, Thomas's videos?"

"Those too."

"He's being cryptic again," Virgil stage-whispers, "just let him do it."

Logan just shakes his head and moves on—smart. "I've taken the liberty of looking up the content warnings, yes, and…well, I've seen this one already and—Remus, I think you'll be more alright with it than you think."

Remus narrows his eyes. "Go on?"

"Oh, hey, wait," Virgil says, scrolling through something on his phone, "is this the one where the dude is basically in love with an octopus for like, two hours?"

"Sold!" Remus scrambles onto the couch and crouches there like a little hellion. "We're watching this."

Roman, the only other proponent for the Disney movie, is too busy laughing his head off to make any sort of convincing argument.

"Well, then," Logan says, looking entirely too pleased with himself, "I'd say we're in agreement."

"If Remus starts trying to recreate parts of this at two in the morning, L, I swear to god I'll never forgive you."

But the threat is empty and Logan knows it, chuckling and reaching out to ruffle Virgil's hair. Virgil lets out an indignant squawk and flails out, making Logan laugh more.

See? Everything worked out fine. If this had happened before, it would have boiled down to a screaming match with insults being thrown left and right and eventually, everyone settling down to watch whatever it was while quietly stewing in resentment that someone made it so hard to just get along.

But they're here now. They made it.

Janus scoffs. "Yeah, for how long?"

Of course, the problem with holding a hammer is that everything looks like a nail.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

If a reflex becomes too ingrained, it runs the risk of being applied to situations where it has no business being applied. The brain is like a muscle, after all—

"It's an organ, not a muscle."

—like a muscle, like one, where habits can form just as easily as your body instinctively turning to walk down one path as it's where you always go.

"That's a stupid metaphor."

Metaphors, unlike similes, are when you directly state that something is something else, unlike a simile, where you compare something to another thing using 'like' or 'as.'

"Oh, aren't we smug."

"Janus?" He turns, raising an eyebrow at a very confused Roman. "Who are you talking to?"

"Oh, no one important."

"That's the second time you've done that," Patton says, frowning a little, "are you sure you're okay? You can talk to us, you know."

It occurs to him in this moment that often believing that something will happen can slide very quickly into behaving in a way that makes it happen.

"Oh, fine," Janus mutters under his breath before raising his voice, "I'm…worried."

"About what, the documentary?" Logan shifts his weight to face him properly on the couch. "It's got plenty of perfectly sound science and the cinematography is beautiful—"

"No, not about that. I, um…" This is much harder out loud. "Shush, you, I'm—I'm worried about…us."

"Us?" Virgil nudges him. "Say more?"

"We're…we're all getting along," he mumbles, hiding his face, "and it's—it's good. We're not fighting, we're talking, we're…it's good."

"I think so too," Patton says gently, "what about it is worrying you?"

"…what are we going to do when it isn't good anymore?"

The room is quiet for a moment. Then Logan lets out a slow breath.

"Janus," he says quietly, "can you look at me, please?"

Janus looks up.

"Thank you." There's a soft smile on Logan's face. "It's not going to be easy. We're imperfect, as everyone is, but we're trying. Do you…you do want things to keep being good, don't you?"

Does he?

"Yes, of course I do."

"That's good. So do we."

"Logan's right," Roman adds, smiling a little at Janus's look of surprise, "it's going to be work, I'm not saying it's not, but…we can do it. Right?"

"Come on, J," Virgil teases, nudging him again, "don't be all doom and gloom. We get to watch Remus laugh at stupid people, that's always fun, right?"

"That is fun."

"It's gonna be okay, J," he continues, "we're okay right now, and that's what matters, yeah?"

"Just because something's impermanent doesn't mean it's not important!" Patton adds.

"…I suppose you're right."

"Of course we are." Remus claps his hands. "Now come on, I want to watch this thing."

"Right, right, here, let me help—"

"Patton, let's go to the kitchen, I think the snek needs his snacks."

"On it!"

"Hey," Roman mumbles as he comes to sit next to him, "it's gonna be okay, yeah? I get it, I—I'm not the best at this either."

"Yeah."

Roman pats his leg. "We'll figure it out, okay?"

"Okay."

If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Then again, the distance between 'probably' and 'certainly' is enough to make a little home.

"Proud of yourself for that one, aren't you?"

"Okay, who are you talking to?"

"Don't worry about it."

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[cricketnationrise]

8.24pm, Alexia Tarabotti and Alanna of Pirate’s Swoop and Olau, outside on the terrace. Song lyric: “and I resent you just a little if I’m honest, one of us has gotta try to keep a promise”.

this prompt made me realize how long its been since i read Parasol Protectorate, so that series is back on the list and moving up -- i miss them! all that to say, I went with Alanna for your ficlet because I just reread Song of the Lioness in December so it's a lot fresher. hope you like it!

want your own ficlet? submit your prompt using these guidelines through January 31, 2024.

⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️

past the eighth bell, terrace

Alanna is not cut out for this kind of sneaking around.

She may have won the duel against Kel, may have faked good humor, may have joked around with the New Hope soldiers and commanders all afternoon, but she can’t pretend anymore tonight.

Dinner’s barely over, but she excuses herself to her quarters, waving off offers of just one more round with a forced smile. As soon as she clears the mess hall, she lets her face drop with a sigh and makes her way across the compound to the guest quarters with a purposeful stride.

Thankfully, no one stops her.

Alanna isn’t tired, per se, she just can’t handle being around people any longer—the only people she wants to see right now are miles, possibly oceans away.

Her rooms are too small to contain her frustration, so Alanna slips out onto the terrace attached to her suite—perks of being the Lioness. She leans heavily on the railing and looks up at the sky. The Cat constellation seems to wave at her somehow, and a reluctant grin tugs at the side of her lips. She can hear echoes of Faithful’s reproaches in her mind. He’d certainly have an earful for her if he could see her now.

Are you really sulking because someone else gets to be the hero this time around?

As she gazes up at the stars, Alanna lets her vision blur, trying to center herself before she retires for the night. It would be a lot easier if George had come with her. Or if he’d already found their wayward daughter and brought her back to the Swoop, safe and sound.

But they’d agreed: Alanna would go about her business as normal—saying nothing about Aly’s disappearance, so as not to draw attention from the wrong sort of people—and George would search for Aly.

Alanna wasn’t built for this, for maintaining a placid face, for lying about her family, for doing nothing. She had never been one for downtime. Gods, even during the Tusaine War as a squire she’d been helping out in the healer’s tents every chance she could. She’d never come up against something like this, a problem that some action on her part couldn’t solve.

It’s maddening, actually.

And she knows—she knows, okay?—that she can’t be the one to search for her daughter, to rescue her, to bring her back home. Alanna knows she’s too inconspicuous, too famous—that any hint of Aly being the Lioness’ daughter would put her in even more danger.

But damn it all, she resents the fact that she has to maintain a front, that she has to pretend, to friends and enemies alike, that all is well.

In her pettier moments, she even resents George.

Alanna scrubs a hand over her face in frustration. Dwelling on the impossibility of her situation won’t help her sleep tonight, won’t bring Aly back any sooner.

All she can do is hope. And put her faith in her husband, and the gods, to bring her daughter home.

[waitmyturtles]

Alllllright, a quick and dirty late review of the BELOVED show, Bed Friend, episode 8, which I referenced yesterday as getting just BETTER and BETTER with each ticking minute. A warning in advance that I am dizzyingly jet-lagged, so this may be non-sensical at times, but just roll with me, because:

IT WAS A GREAT EPISODE. Like I said in the comments of the post linked above, god, this episode had so much! I love the beach-vacay-and-temple-shots trope. I love that King jetted to see Uea. I love that they reconciled. I LOVE THAT WE GOT TO SEE FAMILY THAT LOVES UEA. I love King’s thirst for revenge -- we didn’t even SEE Krit in this episode, buh-bye! I love King’s desire to continue to make things right for Uea vis à vis the private investigator.

King didn’t just say that he’d take care of Uea. He is showing the hell up and doing the job, and damn. Yes, yes, he’s gotta channel that repressed energgyyyyy somehow, heh, but no, seriously. 

King’s in love with Uea. And I love how this show showed that development, and shows how committed King IS to Uea. While the plot is complicated, and full of STUFF -- King’s commitment to Uea is UNCOMPLICATED. It’s piercing through our hearts. He’s a man in love, and he’s gonna do shit for the man he loves, period. 

Geez. I so didn’t expect this from this show (as @wen-kexing-apologist noted in their review of episode 8 -- the seriously complicated plot at the start of the series made me wonder if this script was going to weakly solve everything with Uea just falling in love and being like, ooooh, everything’s great now). I didn’t expect that the very uncomplicated DRIVE by King to dig into Uea’s issues and help him problem-solve through his past would be the ultimate anchor for this series. 

I fucking LOVE that this show spun me for a loop. In a little bit of a Bad Buddy-ish way -- it took a player trope, the image of a player, and totally spun it on its head. King is weak for Uea. The kind of power that we think a player would have -- welp, King is using that kind of power instead to help Uea resolve real and tangible issues. 

I love that Lampang serves as a place of respite for Uea. I love that he has that, in physicality, and that King met him there. I love that it becomes, through Uea’s aunt and Uea, a place of love for Uea. We know he fucking deserves that.

I love seeing Uea fall for King. The corner smiles, the teasing, the silent giggling. The intimate confessions at the table near the kitchen (love all the implications of sitting at a place that means so much to making a HOME together, à la Kinou Nani Tabeta). 

I FREAKING LOVE LOVE LOVE THE COMPANY TEAM, Y’ALL. JADE AND GUN AND THE LADIES, come awn! Jade = MVP, one of the best.

This isn’t so much of an analytical review (I can’t muster the energy right now) as it is more of a love letter to how this show has fucking just held. its. own. against a tremendously complicated plot line. In particular, as many have mentioned, especially @bengiyo‘s stray thoughts, it was SO IMPORTANT, SO SO SO IMPORTANT, to see Uea take meds and talk about how receiving mental health care is helping him get through his days (@bengiyo, I’m also curious about the question you pose about survivors being offered mental health care at their companies -- as someone in the social services, that strikes me as a good idea, but I wonder if survivors have other interpretations, particularly related to privacy and labor retention, and the company avoiding harassment lawsuits).

In other words, this episode simply had everything. It doesn’t reach the Bad-Buddy-episode-10 echelon by way of both acting AND writing, but damn, did it ever close a hell of a lot of loops in a very convincing way.

And we get more next week. With all props to @wen-kexing-apologist: #pransdaddarktimeline edition looks like it closes out (and I HOPE that fucking mom GETS HERS TOO, pardon my franche). And a new guy in Uea’s life... this show keeps throwing curves, but now I trust that it’ll be handled well. 

[chevvy-yates]

[PAST_YEARS]_27022048 steyr_v_portraits_timelines.file ///core:_vijay_steyr.file\\\

⚠️ READ: Please do not repost/reupload any of my art here or to any other platform, or I will be forced to do anything to get it annihilated.

—

VIJAY'S BACKSTORY (short version)

—

Vijay was born in Monterey, North California on the 27th February 2048 as an only child, where he also lived his first 10 years spending his childhood mostly alone living in his own fantasy worlds. His parents barely had time for him but thankfully with going to school he started making friends. In 2058 his parents decided to move to Portland because they got better jobs there and Vijay lived the usual life of a teenager. When he was about 17, he more or less ran away from home to live the next three years with a street gang instead he got to know through his former first love Reva. Given the lack of parental love he had received all those years it was an easy decision for him to leave home.

However, that next chapter of his life is a part he never talks to anyone about. The good thing about it: Since he was quite much into hacking, he got his first cyberdeck, had lots of time to get highly skilled using quick hacks and learned how to shoot a gun. The bad thing about it: He took drugs, got involved in vandalism, thievery and also murder using his netrunning skills in a bad way. And to make it even worse: he had to experience his girlfriend falling into Cyberpsychosis not ending in a good way. He realized the way he lived was wrong and senseless, and since he was literally given a second chance, he left Portland behind at the end of 2069 to start anew in Night City. 

For the first two years he studied marine biology and soon met Ryder von Scharfenberg at a Depeche Mode party (yes, Depeche Mode is still up-to-date in my hc). They liked each other and started a relationship that would last for about a year. They would become best friends a few years later, after Ryder decides to join V’s and Jackie’s merc team in 2074. V met Jackie just a year prior who introduced him into the business because V was in need of more money to be able to afford living in NC. The last one to join the team is Hizumi in 2075 after they helped them with a Tyger problem.

In May 2077, Jackie sadly died on a secret Job he told V and the team nothing about. Vijay only found a shard mentioning a 'top secret' gig that fell behind a shelf in Jackie’s garage. Every other trace about it got already wiped off there, so he stopped digging and tried to go on with his life instead, not giving up on the team. Ryder and Hizumi still wanted to continue on and so they took every job they could get in the Afterlife for the next half of the year, trying to make the abyss, the city is getting soaked into, narrower. Night City sure can't be brought back to any of the glory it was supposed to be but if no one is doing anything about it, it won't solve itself. And as a team you can achieve more than a solo.

One day at the end of January 2078, V went to look into an interesting urban legend story all alone by himself, Hizumi told him about: the Golden Demon of Kabuki. News reported lately the unexplainable demon could be active again. He gets confronted with said creature and meets a mysterious man named Arki. Whether it is just a coincidence or really fate, V and Arki are soon to notice their stories might just go together from now on, so after a while, he offers Arki to join his team and yeah — something between them is sparking intensely as well as they start the journey to find out about Arki’s past. 

—

FYI: This is just a shortened version. I left out the most important details. If you wanna know more, you gotta have to wait for me to post it. I don't know when it will be though – writing stuff is though for me and I wish I had more time for it. But I'm happy to share whenever I can.

Also I'd like to point out: Vijay is my only 'V' — but I don‘t give him the canon story of Cyberpunk 2077 anymore. It’s simply because him and Arki having a thing together makes Arki be the guy, who ended up having Johnny in his head and got the honor to end Smasher and who is now continuing his journey of the battle for his own freedom. My boys help Arki from now on to find out about his past and will have to face their own fears.

Thank you for reading. <3

[seitosokusha]

Writing Evaluation 2022

Playing House (Building Home)

trails of fire (lead me to you) - ch1/?

watch me light up the sky

your strength is like deja vu

the beats are the same despite the different melody

may the odds be ever in your favor

the cracks within my heart run deep in time

not all roads lead home

Head Bunting

Blanket Burrito

let the sparks fly

flame at the end of the tunnel

I'll be your lighthouse (let me light your way) - ch 2 only

Dress in Style

embrace the story (that we wrote into history)

Drawing Days

Diamond Crossing

becoming older doesn't make you wiser

gotta get that fire, fire, back in my bones

how can we not talk about family (when family's all that we got)?

Everyone smile!

Gokudera Hayato’s School of ‘disarm a bomb in 10 seconds or die.' ch 8-10 only

Mark of a Teacher

curled on the bed next to me

Forward Proposal

the pieces of you in the mirror

Stuffing and String ch 2-3 only

What was that promise that you made?

you are the reason (that I'm still breathing)

memories echo

will you marry me?

smooth like butter

Wrong Target

sleepy cuddles

somehow, someday, we'd have to say goodbye

The Last King AU

what is a name

fear the thunder, ride the storm

the hazard of doorknobs

numb little bug

keep my heart under lock and key au

pancakes

Spite Adoption

Hibari Standards of Strength au

know thy self (because who else does?)

separating the do not separate

Stay

nothing to celebrate

BSD Titles - ch 7 only

make lemonade au ch 2-6 only

beautifully photogenic

too much tsuntsun

solving problems by creating problems

Dear Tomorrow AU

Take a Bullet For You

okay but have you considered fuck canon? ch 6-7 only

to a brighter tomorrow

organized chaos

earrings

hungry for the love you give

choose your name

sunshines, moonbeams, and starlights

come to the dark side, we have good benefits ch 2-8 only

pull out your pen and write down your memory ch 27-32 only

dripping like a saturated sunrise ch 17-40 only

worthless, priceless

sometimes life gives you limes au ch 1/?

redemption is growth

tomorrow's a wish away

+4 smut fics

Total Fic Count: 73 new fics

Total Word Count: 253730

Fun Fact:  Your original novel averages between 60k-80k  

Once again, a year of BSD and surprisingly Pokemon fics. PLA grabbed me by the throat and didn’t let me have any peace. -points- Like look at dlss. it went beyond -double- for both it’s chapter and word count.

BSD fic count is up to 87 and it’s going to outpace KHR at this rate haha. This is only the second year of my BSD obsession and I already am halfway to my KHR count (which is an obsession that lasted close to 7 years)

AO3 Stats (for Seito Account)

Last Year 12/30/21

This Year 12/30/22

I just wanted to thank you all for this wild and crazy journey you’ve come along with me on.