#it’s been a while since I’ve posted some nail pics

[bass-alien]

✨

[yanderenightmare]

can we have more yan DEKU who terrorises his exgirlfriend? like, he sends her creepy letters and gifts, without mentioning it's him of course, scaring her straight back into his arms??

Deku - Midoriya Izuku

TW: yandere, hints of dubcon/noncon, size difference, stalker, mental abuse

Green Paisley

You’d felt watched lately, and things were rarely where you remembered putting them. But thinking it was all in your head, you’d ignored it until you received the first gifts and saw the pictures. Eyes peeled while reading the letter with a shaky hand covering your mouth, you dropped everything on the steps to your apartment when quickly reaching for your phone.

I wasn’t going to write you any letters. I was happy just watching because I knew you were already spoken for. But I’ve noticed that the green-haired guy hasn’t come over lately, and I feel so sad knowing you’re home all alone…

You contact the police, but all they tell you is to invest in a new alarm system. After a little crying at the station, they show you enough sympathy to post a squad car in your neighborhood – but all in all, you’d say they didn’t seem very convinced.

That green-haired guy is a fucking moron. If you were mine, I would never let you go. I would take care of you, much better than he ever could. I would give you only the prettiest gifts and call you only the sweetest names. I’d treat you how someone like you deserves to be treated. Keep you safe and sound and happy to be mine…

You read the stalker’s letter again while browsing ways to upgrade your security – your thumb in your mouth, nail bending where you chewed on it – eyes panning over the photos that came in the box. Taken through the window – some innocent enough, candid pictures of you cooking in the kitchen or watching a movie on the couch. 

Others were not so innocent.

Your nail broke between your teeth as you looked at the revealing pics of you in your bedroom – wearing nothing but flimsy underwear. 

You looked back to the screen and continued scrolling through deals – but more than that, you were trying to distract yourself from what you really wanted to do…

Izuku had always been a source of comfort when it came to safety, and you know he’d come if you called, but since you broke up with him only a couple of months ago it seemed too selfish to ask. Besides, the reasons you broke things off were all because of his derogatory tendencies, and to beg him over because of something like this would only prove his point.

You couldn’t call him over. He’d see it as a win, and you’d decided you wouldn’t lose to his patronizing ways any longer. You needed to do this on your own – without his help.

You had to wait through the weekend until Monday to call a guy. A new box came both days, each one more terrifying than the last. But after installing a new alarm system you felt a little safer.

But the next box stripped that safety away.

I know I must be creeping you out. After all, you have no idea who I am, whereas I know you so intimately. But you shouldn’t feel scared. I would never hurt you. My gift to you today is proof of that.

P.S. Security systems aren’t enough to keep me away from you. 

Beneath the letters were more pictures of you – this time sleeping – inside the house. 

You fell apart – caving in, calling Izuku in tears, begging him to come over in a hurry. “Izu- please, please, please come home-”

He’s sitting on your couch only a curt fifteen minutes later, a tight arm around your midriff, holding you close for comfort while you sobbed against his chest – a furl deepened his brows while reading, holding your stalker’s letters in the other hand with green eyes narrowing for every sentence he finished.

I dream of making you mine. As I watch you sleep, I wonder what you dream of. You look so lonely lying there. Maybe if I keep you company, you’ll start dreaming of me too.

“How many of these have you received?” He questioned when done, looking around at the gift wrap on the floor, green-paisley-patterned, and the several boxes filled with crepe and untouched pieces of what looked like different arrangements of lingerie, candy, and sex toys.

“Four, I think…” You muffled against his tear-soaked shirt, clinging to him with your legs tucked onto his lap.

“Four? Why didn’t you call me sooner?” He echoed, looking down at you with heavy curls shadowing his eyes.

You looked up at him through the blur, lip sucked between your teeth before answering. “I- I went to the police-”

“The police? You went to the police instead of calling me?” He cut you off harshly, making you flinch.

“I-I-” You stuttered, crying, and he shook from his misplaced anger and took your face in his palms.

“Shh-sh- I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell at you.” He apologized with a kiss on your forehead before pulling you close to his chest again. “It’s just… this is exactly what I warned you about. You should have called me sooner.”

“I’m sorry.” You whimper, calming down to the warm strokes his large hand smoothed across your back.

“Shh- it's okay… I’m here now… and I'm not gonna let any sicko touch you. I promise.” He soothed – his voice a calm and strong anchor for you to grip onto. “Come, I’ll help you pack a bag. You’ll sleep at my place tonight.”

“Okay…” You sniffle. “Thank you.”

He drove with only one hand on the steering wheel, the other on your lap, holding your hand – your bag by your feet – and you’re reminded of the first days you started dating. Sleepovers and overnight bags – his hand between your thighs on the drive.

His new place is bigger than the last – like something out of a magazine. Modern and simplistic – a little too clean, maybe, but very stylish. 

You knew he’d been climbing the ranks a couple of spots a week since you broke up with him, but you hadn’t known the new paychecks could afford something like this. It made you feel a little guilty thinking about it, then a little embarrassed, causing you to flush – standing there in guest slippers, bag in hand – your presence sticking out like a sore thumb.

“You hungry?” He asked, shaking you out of your meekness, where you looked up with a small nod and a slight hum.

He smiled, turning to the kitchen. You were so cute.

At dinner, it almost feels like old times. Izuku plays with your legs under the table even though you give him a look. He gets you to giggle after a while, surrendering to his hopeless flirting. You help him carry the dishes after you’ve finished – and even though he has a washer now, you slip right into that old routine and start filling the sink with warm water and soap. And then you stand there, the two of you – shoulder to elbow, and your chest flutters, wondering if he was always that tall.

You blushed and ducked your head, not wanting him to see you getting so flustered. You pretended to be throwing some scraps in the trash and that's when your eyes caught hold of it.

Green paisley.

You’re stunned for a moment. Still crouched down, your head hovering over the trash – face blank, body still.

“You weren’t meant to see that.” Came a voice.

Izuku stood next to you. Washcloth in hand, dripping soapsuds on the floor.

You’re breath shivers in your throat, and you drop to the ground with a gulp, looking up at him – now with building fear accenting your still shocked expression.

You blink a couple of times, trying to make sense of it but getting nowhere. “W-why?” Left you then, along with sudden tears that started slipping down your cheeks.

And it really was the only question you had. Why would he do this? Why would he torment you like that? Why would he-

“’Cause you left… And I needed a way to get you back.”

You cringed. Feeling sick – almost sick enough to turn around and throw up the entire dinner in the trashcan, all over that stupid green paisley print. But you didn’t. “You’re pathetic.” – is what you said instead.

You got up from the floor. Upset tears still rolled down your face, but you were mostly just pissed – kicking off your guest slippers, you sat down atop the shoe bench and started doing your laces.

“I’m leaving. Don’t call me. If I ever see you near my place, I’m calling the cops.” You uttered, grabbing your bag before yanking the door handle.

It didn’t budge – some strange new type of locking mechanism, which really made no sense to have on the inside.

“I’m going home, Izuku. Unlock the door.” You huffed, turning around to look at him sourly, only he’d approached you all too silently – making you gasp to see him standing right behind you.

“You’re not going anywhere…”

You’re taken to the bed, kicking and screaming – then pinned by hands thrice the size of your own beneath the big-boned body they belonged to. And now you’re really feeling scared.

Before, it had been such a distant threat – something you could pretend wasn’t there for most of the day and otherwise deal with by the soothing presence of a weapon in your house or a quick phone call to the police. But now – there was no comfort to be found anywhere.

“Shh, baby~ don’t fuss. It’s better this way.” He tried soothing, holding your fighting wrists tightly above your head in one fist. The other kept your lips shut, muffling all screams. Barring your thrashing legs beneath his own. “You need me- you couldn’t even last a single week without calling me.” He justified, hunched over you with his mouth only an inch above the knuckles draping your mouth. “But that’s alright, I don’t mind it. I always planned on taking care of you.” He cooed, rubbing his nose sweetly against yours despite you trying to shake away from it. 

You felt something rub against your thigh, and you knew all too well what it was. Fat tears streamed down your cheeks, facing the next events.

But Izuku shared none of your discomforts, rocking the bump against you with a moan slipping into his rant. “You like the new place I got, don’t you? You can stay in all day- I’d give you all you’d ever need or want- you’d be so comfortable you wouldn’t ever even want to leave-”

He sounded just like the letters.

And where it had ached you to know that he’d been the one to write them all… now it terrified you to understand how he’d meant every last word of it, too.

[chlodoll]

Why do you think Zendaya’s nail artist stopped posting her?

😮‍💨 this is a question that has kept me up at night! (not really but i have gone in circles about it more than i should admit)

some reasons i’ve come up with :

lisa was busy and simply forgot to post

this was the case back in september when we got the delayed posts from august

that was also 3 months ago. how many times would someone forget to post about zendaya? come on now

maybe they’re trying to distance themselves from relying on celeb clients for engagement and promo of their salon

😂🤭🤭😂😭😭🤭🤣💀💀💀🤭😂😂😂

zendaya, kylie jenner and hailey bieber are literally the pinned posts and im pretty sure lisa doesn’t even do hailey and kylie’s nails anymore

celeb pull is always good

lisa is still posting other clients even at their events

z has a new nail tech

this is the most likely one to me

but if this was true HOW has no one found the new tech?

i just find it hard to believe they wouldn’t post about having z as a client (especially after she did try a few new techs while in london soooo)

if there is a new tech please share with the class

z is doing her own nails

this is possible. she can do her own makeup perfectly i’m sure she has the skill to do her own nails

but why would she do this? and for this long 😅

z asked lisa to stop taking pics for socials just because

definitely possible

i don’t know why she would suddenly want to stop especially since this has been going on since early september… what going on then would’ve prompted that? … hmm

i’ll add my own spin off for that theory 🤭 z asked for lisa to stop posting her nails because she knows we keep up with the nail posts. so she doesn’t want us to see what her engagement nail set. and the posts will start up again before dune press starts next year like nothing happened

-

truthfully, i don’t know. the break in consistency (outside of when z was filming for her movies in 2022!) is what makes me squint. we prob won’t get the answer either. but those are some of the reasons i came to most often. if anyone else has ideas please share!

[my-mt-heart]

Hey MT, Marketing Anon again.

Seeing all the Melissa and Caryl pics made my day! I’m so glad we’re FINALLY getting some confirmation.

But I’ve noticed a TON of confusion surrounding the spinoff since the snippet of the teaser a few nights ago. Then the subsequent internet explosion that occurred when my wish was granted, and we finally got some McReedus content (I may or may not have squealed with joy—you can’t prove this without witnesses).

I saw your post about the spinoff and the confusion around it. I figured I’ll add some info that may clarify why it all seems weird—MT, you hit the nail on the head with some points I’ll cover here. As always, this is my speculation, take what resonates <3

Why Does the Eventual Caryl Spinoff News Feel Confusing?

This may be a bit boring, but it clarifies a lot, so stick with me.

Season 1

Based on what we know about Season 1 of the spinoff—it's catered toward a younger male audience. It’s a fresh new audience that may stick around and won’t be resistant to new storylines, characters, villains, etc. So they can break the mould of the old show and veer into newer territory under the same branding umbrella, which over the years has garnered intrigue to pull a cold audience, aka those who don’t know what the content is but have heard of it. (How many times have you tried something because your friends raved about it? Heck, how many of you started TWD that way?) It’s FOMO—a tried and true method to pull cold audiences.

In marketing, you do market research to learn more about your target audience so you can create content geared toward them. IF used correctly, Reddit is an “untapped gold mine” of market research to help attract your target audience (source: pipeline.zoominfo.com/marketing/reddit-market-research).

Like you said, MT, 74% of Reddit users are people in their 20s who identify as male. Half of that audience is based in the US (source: blog.gitnux.com/reddit-user-statistics). This fits in with the criteria of attracting a younger male audience. And many Redditors from this demographic are resistant to Daryl being paired with a woman his own age that he has clearly been in love with for a decade (marketing anon, your Caryler is showing). You’re welcome to look it up on Reddit and see for yourself. So they’re not married to Caryl and are open to having new female leads on the spinoff.

So if I were marketing that show, that’s where I would go for research.

I suspect nightclubs and nuns were part of that strategy, but they added the young male kid in to show Daryl’s fatherly side. Absent father figures may be a major pain point for the audience they want to reach in S1—because, sadly, approximately 12 million boys in the US grow up without a father (source: rb.gy/o72re). It fits the demographic they're trying to attract. And it’s also a good way to preserve the ‘Daryl we know’ to hook the old audience while attracting the new.

Unfortunately, the reactions by that audience to S1 have been mixed—which, as I mentioned in a previous anon, is a marketer's worst nightmare. So you either change your content/strategy or find an audience that engages with and wants your content/strategy. It’s obviously too late to redo S1 since it has wrapped filming. The only option is to modify it as much as you can to appeal to an audience that is engaging to them—Carylers.

Which brings me to…

Season 2

Season 2 is a whole other strategy—it's completely catered toward Carylers and Melissa fans. They’ve used Caryl content to attract the attention of Carylers for the last decade, they’re going with what they know. Think about the news in the last few weeks. How many of us wanted all of that? They KNOW how to attract us. So Season 2 is a no-brainer IF done correctly.

So How Does This Explain the Spinoff Confusion?

The information we have is extremely ambiguous—When does it air? Who is the main villain? Why are they shooting 2 seasons back to back? What does it mean by a complete ‘reset’? What’s the damn name—Daryl Dixon or Raise the Dead or Pilgrim or something else to fit Caryl?

To further complicate things, they have two sets of audiences that they’re trying to cater to, but only one is responding to them on social media. Just look at the trajectory of the news:

Bathtub leak (nothing)

Rumours of Carol returning (Melissa trends on Twitter)

Daryl “in production” teaser (nothing)

Melissa spotted in the wilderness (Melissa/Caryl trend on Twitter)

Daryl snippet and the promise of a teaser (nothing)

The next day we see Mcreedus and Melissa McBride (Melissa/Caryl trend on Twitter—I think Melissa is still trending 2 days later)

Yes, there were times Daryl was also trending, but if you looked at the top posts, they all had to do with his relationship with Carol or TF in some way. The news that is promoting S2 is getting more attention. Hence creating a cluster of fans (from both groups, S1 group and S2 group) who are confused about when Melissa is joining.

So without clarifying, they’re thriving on the confusion. And instead of doing separate promo for S1, they’re cruising on the buzz generated by all the Melissa and McReedus sightings and keeping people wondering.

That way, Carylers join in and watch S1 with the promise of more Caryl (more info in my previous speculation post to MT).

So What Is REALLY Happening With the Eventual Caryl Spinoff?

It's exactly that—an eventual Caryl spinoff.

S1 is still a solo Daryl show where he is a fish out of water—exploring France, meeting the nun and her nephew, fighting villains, and trying to find a way home.

Melissa McBride joins in S2 of the spinoff.

In S2, Caryl clearly join forces in a location that parallels Consumed.

S1 airs sometime in the fall (I’ve heard September thrown around a lot, but we may get confirmation of that and of Melissa’s return at SDCC).

S2 air date is still TBA.

That’s all the reliable source-backed information we have so far. Melissa may have a cameo in the S1 finale but it hasn't been confirmed. We don’t know if the romantic canon is in the cards yet, although they tried to tease it with that ring on Melissa’s finger. Again, a promise of what you get if you tune in.

Where Does That Leave You, Dear Caryler?

If you signed up for to watch Caryl together—there’s still time for that. S1 still seems to be mostly Daryl with the French entourage. But Melissa is back, and she looks extremely happy. For me, personally, that counts as a sunny day after a cold, hard winter of her absence, her brief SDCC sighting, and nothing but tearful pictures of her during the final days of TWD shoots.

Remember that the timing of every piece of news you got isn’t a coincidence. They’re doubling down on getting Carylers’ attention because they need you to tune in.

Your view has value, your perspective is important—and you deserve to withhold investment until YOU feel they’ve earned it.

You hold the power—No matter what they want you to think. Use it wisely. Caryl on. <3

That was a thorough breakdown, thank you!!

Catering to two (opposing) groups is making me want to rip my hair out. How do you maintain longterm viewership that way?? No one’s going to be satisfied, and I’m concerned I’m going to resent what they do with Daryl in S1 so much, I won’t have the heart for S2 anymore. So I’d really like that addressed somehow.

Panels may not happen this year, but still holding out hope for an official announcement on Melissa, Caryl, and that damn title. And I want language that emphasizes it’s Norman’s AND Melissa’s show. Not Melissa joining Norman’s show because that’s not true.

[kissyck]

hiii besties!! it’s been a hot minute since i’ve been on/posted on here and i’ve missed y’all <3 i did some cc shopping and finally opened sims yesterday for the first time in months. made this lil simmie and did a quick edit to post! i’m going to start getting caught up on reblogging and replying to asks, sorry that it’s been such a delay! (also am currently working on some new nails *wink* *wink*) love and appreciate all you lovely humans so much <33

more in depth update below the cut for those interested :)

so i genuinely have no idea how to do quality update posts, but i guess i’ll just go in order of events.

i would say july was fairly eventful. i finished my infusion treatments at the hospital, which ended up making me feel SO much better (i had severe anemia). i genuinely didn’t realize how bad the physical and mental toll that it was taking on my body. i gamed a LOT, just had lost pretty much any interest in the sims. fall guys had become my fixation, and i had started a perfection save in stardew which also became the only thing i wanted to do. i bought more squishmallows. i got another piercing in my ears, and that same day i got fitted and met with a physical therapist so i can start the painfully long process of getting a new wheelchair. i saw a rainbow while driving home from my dad’s house. i took wayyyy too many pictures of my puppy who’s literally ginormous now, and taking all the pics of my kitties!! july ended with a mini road trip to see a comedy show, and i took pictures of clouds the whole way there.

the beginning of august was bittersweet, but was followed by one of the best days i’ve had all year. august 1st i hung out with my best friend in the whole universe before she moved 13 hours away. we’ve dealt with long distance before and talk every day, but this is definitely the farthest we’ve ever been from each other. i’m soo happy for her and am so excited to see all the amazing things she’s gonna do in the future. a few days later, i went on another road trip to nashville!! another bestie of mine was having a concert that i could not miss. plus i love nashville, so i will take any excuse to go. this trip was one of the trips EVER!! i got to see a lot of my internet friends too that i never get to see and i love them all so much. the concert was SOOO good <3 ugh i wish i could go backkkk. i also bought more squishmallows in nash lmaooo. they’re addicting. the rest of august was pretty much uneventful. i played stardew and fall guys with friends, animal snuggles bc they’re all terrified of storms and we had some bad ones, and i bought myself a fancy new mechanical keyboard (the new logitech one from the aurora collection!!) it’s so beautiful, i literally cried when i first opened it.

september was eh. i started a new animal crossing island, which i spent a lot a time playing. that and any animal snuggle i could get. the end of september was a bit rough, i was in pretty low spirits. i lost a close friend of mine earlier this year and it was her birthday. i couldn’t stop thinking about her, which was also making me think of my dog that i had also lost earlier this year (both happened on the same day). there was also some other family stuff, so i didn’t love the end of september. good things did happen though! my furbaby niece came to live with us again. i missed her so much. she’s the cutest lil peanut ever. and i went to the movie theater which was fun! also prepped for my birthday trip since we were leaving the first of october!

and now we’re in october. this month so far has been good! it started with another road trip for my birthday (i turned 23 on oct 4!) this was hands down one of the most fun trips i’ve ever been on. we went to austin for a concert two nights in a row and they were both just so magical. i dressed up fun and went shopping too (yes i bought more squishmallows) honestly that trip would have to be it’s own full post bc so much happened. have just been chilling ever since. was supposed to go on another mini road trip yesterday for a concert but pneumonia went through our house (i didn’t catch it thankfully) so that kind of threw a wrench in our plans. oh and dr. ms. taylor alison swift released an album and it has such a chokehold on me it’s not even funny. i literally cannot describe how much i love her. every time i’m listening to it, my puppy runs in and comes to listen too. she’s got TASTE :) oh and omg i almost forgot, i reached perfection in stardew!!!!!!! this is the first time i’ve ever done that and it was so fun.

[jdeowrites]

Life Doesn’t Change After You’re Published, and other kinda-truths

It’s been one entire year since my debut novel, TJ POWAR HAS SOMETHING TO PROVE, was published on June 7, 2022. My little YA contemporary about a girl and her body hair, but also about so much else. 

It sometimes feels like no time has passed at all—like just last week I was on my way to my little local book launch with friends. I remember that day so clearly. I got my hair (on my head, ha) and nails done for funsies, and my brother came to town for the launch. On our drive to the bookstore I was happy and excited, but also had jitters in my stomach because I wore a dress that ended just above my knees—with my very hairy legs exposed. Yes, this was despite not having removed my leg hair in years, and despite having worn shorts so many times in the interim without any discomfort. I knew why, of course: It was because now I was wearing an outfit typically very strongly associated with femininity (a dress) and somehow it felt like the two things couldn’t go together. I mused that here was further evidence that unlearning harmful things society had taught me was going to be a lifelong venture. Which was an interesting, amusing, and somewhat fitting realization to have on release day. 

I still force myself into that discomfort often. In some ways, as I said to my audiobook narrator last year (Mayuri Bhandari, she’s amazing), I even feel some responsibility to do so. Whenever wonderful, open-minded readers say to me, “I didn’t even know brown girls grew that much hair,” I think to myself, well, then it’s even more important that I show them.

To not feel, as an artist, completely divorced from my own work once it was public was one of the many surprises of having a book out. People always say that life doesn’t drastically change once you have a book published; and that, I was prepared for. Frankly I was more than happy with that idea--I’d spent so much time on promo in the lead up that I was exhausted, and looked forward to a quiet post-release. I missed my writing. 

But although there’s no magical life-changing switch, I’ve found that things have changed. Just slowly, and subtly, as satisfying and long-lasting change often is.

I’ve talked at length about how the content of the book changed me. But in a general sense, I can think of many things in my day-to-day life that have changed since being published. For example, having friends in real life snapping pics of my book at stores across the continent; having people in real life ask me about my writing (a bit of a horror really); being tagged in blog posts and Twitter threads where people talk about their favourite books; getting DMs from people gushing about the book; talking to teens as a published author about books; having readers stand in front of me and excitedly tell me all the things they loved about my book while I smile silently thinking is this real? Is this real?; the opportunities I’ve had to sit down with other authors and laugh and compare notes and realize hey, we’re all going through the same weird-ass publishing machine; being asked to blurb other authors’ books; walking into random bookstores and seeing a copy on the shelf; being invited for lit festivals and interviews and to give talks and such as an established author. But most of all, it’s in the simple joy of knowing, every day, I am a published author. That has changed me. It’s a new piece of my identity. Once upon a time, it was my wildest dream. It’s a special privilege to be able to say I’m now dreaming of new things.

So, if you’re one of the people who’ve read TJ POWAR HAS SOMETHING TO PROVE, thank you so much for giving my little book a chance. It’s been amazing to see its impact over this past year, and I can only hope it will reach even more readers as time goes on. And for everyone who’s asked me what’s next... I can’t wait to share. Eventually. ;)

[karahalloway]

(Less Than) Noble Intentions: Chapter 13 - Invidia (Part 1)

Fandom: TRR

Pairing: Drake Walker x F!OC (Harper Gale)

Series Summary: The social season may be over, but Harper Gale's problems are just beginning. With everyone at court a potential suspect, can she and Drake survive the engagement tour and get to the bottom of the plot against her and clear her name? An AU take of TRR2 featuring my OTP - Harper & Drake.

Masterlist: (Less Than) Noble Intentions

Chapter Summary: Back at Applewood, things between Harper and Drake get heated... and not just because of the sweltering summer heat.

Word Count: 4,200

Rating/Warnings: M (swearing, angst, aggravation)

Chapter theme song:

A/N1: So... This chapter kinda ran away from me 😅 So much so that I’ve decided to split it into two posts, partially because I know I’ve been working on this chapter for a while and many of you have messaged me asking for an ETA, and partially to make people’s Tumblr’s reading experience easier (much easier to read a ~4k word post than a +10k post… which is how long the entire chapter will end up being lol). Part 2 available here.

A/N2: Most of you will know that many of my chapters feature so-called ‘chapter theme songs’ that either helped inspire the contents of a particular chapter, or I feel do a particularly good job of capturing the mood. This is the case for this chapter as well, and I would actually encourage all of you (especially if you had some choice thought/words to say about Drake’s behaviour in the preceding chapter) to listen to the song accompanying this chapter, as it will give you a surprisingly astute insight into Drake’s frame of mind (never thought I’d say this about a Nick Jonas song, but here we are 😅).

A/N3: Translation of French terms/phrases at the end. Also, I’ve provided to links in the chapter itself to help you guys visualise what I had in my head re clothes and other details - the pic of Drake is as close as I could get, but it should give you a taste 😋

A/N4: Invidia is a Latin term and it means ‘envy’.

Chapter 13 - Invidia (Part 1)

"I thought this was supposed to be an apple pick," I grumble, reaching up to grab a luscious Cordonian Ruby from its branch. "Not a picnic."

A slew of camera shutters click eagerly from the sidelines.

I swallow a groan as I drop the fruit into the wicker basket at my feet.

As if the paps hadn't taken enough photos of me already today... and it wasn't even lunchtime yet.

"No one said it couldn't be both!" declares Maxwell, expertly rolling an apple down an outstretched arm and over the nape of his neck to pop it into the air with the flick of a shoulder.

The clicking intensifies manically.

"True," I concede, filching Maxwell's impromptu juggling ball out of the air and aiming it into the basket. "Except we're the only ones actually picking apples."

When Bertrand had told me that we'll be spending the day out in the Applewood orchards, participating in the annual Cordonian Ruby harvest, I imagined that we'll be doing some serious agrarian labour — climbing trees, sorting apples, and crating.

But — as always — the aristos seemed to just like making a show of it all, without wanting to actually break a sweat... or a manicured nail.

So, instead of joining the seasonal labourers and the kids from the local area who were busy with the real work, the court had set up a private camp in a secluded corner of the orchard — complete with fancy hors d'oeuvres and mint julep — from which they could pretend to be contributing to the collective effort while the paps snapped stylish pics of them from the press corner.

The whole self-aggrandising sham made me want to laugh.

And I would've... had I not been so ticked off by it all.

I toss another apple forcefully into the basket.

Especially since I too was stuck in this pointless PR stunt, instead of with Drake, trying to mend the rift that Christian's unexpected reveal had opened up between us.

"The press seem to love it, though," observes Hana, strolling past in a pretty pink spaghetti-strap sundress, a basket of apples in hand.

"And we must please the press," I mutter with a sarcastic roll of my eyes.

I'd already spent the whole of this morning posing for photos in Valtoria's gardens, fielding a million and one questions on topics ranging from how I felt about becoming a duchess (ambiguous), how I planned to decorate the chateau (with furniture), through to my secret morning beauty hacks (concealer can fix anything).

And, since the whole intrusive affair had taken much longer than planned — because for whatever reason, the paps were fascinated by anything that came out of my mouth, and Jonathan had kept encouraging them on the basis that it was 'good for my image' — we'd had to rush back to Applewood for the apple pick, I hadn't had the chance to get changed.

Which meant that I am still dressed in the same embroidered red dress that I wore for the photoshoot, my hair remains piled into an elaborate braided up-do on top of my head, and I still have an entire drug-mart's worth of make-up smeared onto my face.

And because it’s hot, the long, tight sleeves of my designer dress are causing me to sweat like a pig, the tightly pinned hairstyle is starting to make my skull hurt, and my face is itching like crazy.

In short, I am uncomfortable as hell.

But I can’t go back to the manor to swap clothes because Bertrand is watching me like a hawk, making sure that I don’t 'slink off' as he called it, and 'get into trouble' again.

I chuck another apple into my basket irately. "How much longer do we have to posture here for?"

"Usually until late afternoon," admits Maxwell.

My eyes widen. "You're joking! I'll have melted into this stupid dress by then!"

"If you're hot, you can always go under the marquee to grab a drink and cool off," Maxwell suggests, now expertly juggling five apples, much to the delight of the press.

"And fight my way through a sea of judgemental looks and snide remarks?" I snort. "No thanks. I had my fill of that at Madeleine's ball. I won't be willingly putting myself through that again."

"I can understand that," he concedes, landing an apple on his chest, where it totters unsteadily for a second before falling to the ground. "Bugger! I thought I had it!"

"Close, but no cigar," I tell him wryly.

He quickly catches the remaining airborne apples and cradles them against his sternum so he can pick up the wayward specimen. Looking back up at me, he adds, "If you'd prefer, I can get you something while you stay out here."

"You'll get the same treatment if you go in there," I remind him.

Despite the fact that all the evidence now pointed to Maxwell being the one behind the bachelor party photo sell-out, I've come to the somewhat optimistic conclusion that that since he hasn’t tried anything similar since I've arrived in Cordonia, combined with the fact that he's pretty much consistently had my back over the past few months indicated that Drake had probably been right in his assessment that the whole thing had been a one-off act of financial desperation.

At least, that's what I sincerely hope... My list of allies is already worryingly short, and I don’t want to indict Maxwell until I have clear-cut proof in my hands.

He shrugs unconcernedly. "As Taylor Swift says, the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate. But you just gotta shake, shake, shake, shake, shake. Shake it off... Shake it off! Whoo-hoo-ooh!"

Despite my foul mood, I can't help but crack up as Maxwell throws his head back to emphatically vocalise the end of the catchy stanza. "I wish I had your positivity..."

"Don't worry, young Padawan," he winks. "I have plenty for the both of us."

"Well, we're definitely gonna need it!" I harrumph. "But, if you really are willing to go in there, I'd love a drink."

"Are you going to the marquee?" asks Hana, having just returned from depositing her basket of apples in the unofficial collecting area that Maxwell and I had set up. "I was just heading there myself."

"I can walk you over," offers Maxwell. "That is... if you'd like me to..."

Hana flashes him a blush-filled smile. "I'd love that. Harper? Would you like to join us?"

"I'm good," I respond. Based on the way Hana and Maxwell are sneaking coy glances at each other, they could do with some alone time together, without me playing awkward third-wheel. "You kids have fun."

"Alright," concedes Hana. "See you in a bit!"

But as I wave them off, I sense a presence behind me.

Turning cautiously around, I feel my stomach tighten involuntary when I realise who it is.

"Err... Christian...!" I exclaim. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd be with Madeleine..."

"I took the chance to escape while she was otherwise occupied," he murmurs, taking my hand in his to brush a kiss against my knuckles, eyes not leaving mine. "You look sensational, as always, Harper."

"Thanks," I reply sheepishly. "But you should give your regards to Jonathan. This get-up was his idea."

"The man does have an unrivalled sense of taste," affirms Christian, his gaze travelling over me appreciatively. "He is a firm believer in the adage that style is a way to say who you are without having to speak. So, the best way to make people think that you are a duchess, is to dress you like one. And, as always, he did a marvellous job."

"That's why you pay him the big bucks," I quip before my brain has a chance to slam a filter on my mouth. "Err... What I meant was—"

Christian laughs. "You know I value your forthrightness, Harper. And you are right. If you want the best, you need to be willing to pay for it — be it with money, time, or favours. But a smart investment is worth its weight in gold."

"Is that why you’re giving me the duchy?" I ask pointedly. "Because you're investing in me?"

"In a manner of speaking," he admits. "I saw an opportunity to fulfill multiple needs with one, simple deed, and I couldn't afford to pass it up. Especially since the arrangement is beneficial for both of us."

"Why?" I query. "What's in it for you?"

"At the moment? Nothing." He spreads his hands categorically. "I am simply trying to help a friend."

"But down the line...?" I press meaningfully, knowing that a gift of this size would never come without some serious strings attached.

"Down the line, I hope you'll settle at Valtoria permanently."

My eyes widen. "Permanently? But I thought—"

Christian chuckles. "You truly believed that Valtoria is simply a temporary set-up while we work to uncover the plot against you?"

"Yeah..." I admit. "I mean, you said you were doing it to complement my status as the Royal Consort. But once my name is cleared..." I bite my bottom lip, leaving the end of the thought hanging.

"...the charade is no longer necessary," finish Christian, catching my meaning. "That is correct. However, I hope that once the scandal has been put to bed, you will stay in Cordonia and use your newfound position for the benefit of the kingdom. As I said before, I firmly believe you would be an asset to this country. Because of your unique situation, you would be able to bridge the class divide between the general public and the nobility – bringing important matters to the attention of the Council that have previously been overlooked, or deemed inconsequential by those who have known nothing but privilege. And, at the same time, you could breathe new life into our oftentimes archaic processes and institutions, galvanising transformation from within. You would be a true envoy of change... of progress. More than I could ever be. And the gift of a duchy is a small price to pay for such immeasurable benefits."

"And I am grateful... Truly," I say, twirling the horseshoe charm around my wrist. "For helping me... For always seeing the best in me. And I don't mean to look a gift horse in the mouth, but being a duchess... Managing an estate... That's a huge responsibility! I wouldn't even know where to start! And I'm still not sure if I—"

"I appreciate that I sprung the whole thing upon you rather abruptly," he interjects, taking my hand. "But given that we talked about this arrangement previously, surely it cannot have been that much of a surprise?"

"I know... I just..." I shake my head reticently, trying to find the right words.

I knew I should be more enthusiastic about the whole prospect. But I just couldn't seem to shake the echo of the door slamming in Drake's wake as he stormed out of the observatory.

"Harper," he says softly, stroking his thumb over the back of my hand. "I know you have qualms and often doubt your own abilities. But you already are a duchess — in everything but name. After all, you represented House Beaumont during the social season as if you were a born-and-bred member of the family. All I am proposing is making your status official. Which we should ideally do sooner, rather than later, given that we will be starting the international leg of the tour in a few days. And having the paperwork squared away before our departure would grant significant boon for your image."

"Oh. Okay…” The knot in my stomach tightens. "What do we—?"

I trail off as I catch sight of a familiar flash of blue over Christian's shoulder.

Drake.

He's marching towards the mound of apple-laden baskets that Maxwell and I have amassed with Hana's help, blue plaid shirt hanging open in the face of the mid-morning heat, and a Kimes Ranch baseball cap wedged low over his forehead.

I take an involuntarily step towards him, raising my hand to try and grab his attention without being too overt about it, given where we were.

But if he's spotted me in turn, he makes no move to advertise it. Instead, he focuses on piling as many apples as he can into the two metal buckets that he brought with him.

I glance up at Christian apologetically. "I'm sorry... I need to..."

"Of course," he nods dutifully, stepping back.

There is something in his expression that I can't quite place, but I don't have time to think on it because Drake is already double-timing it back the way he'd come, and I have to catch him before he disappears on me again.

Grabbing the half-full basket at my feet, I hurry after him as fast as my stiletto-clad feet allow me to on the uneven, grassy ground. Even though I am desperate to unpack what happened this morning in Valtoria, I know I can’t just chase after Drake like a damsel in distress, in the middle of a royal event with an army of reporters hanging around, so I need some sort of plausible deniability for following after him.

But as I emerge from the final row of trees, I see a sight that nearly sends my basket of apples tumbling to the ground.

Kiara — dressed in a lacy black romper with a plunging neckline and a high-low, see-through skirt — was sitting on the tailgate of a vintage-looking Renault pick-up, body strategically angled so that there is no way that Drake could overlook her push-up bra-enhanced cleavage that is all but being thrust into his face.

What the hell...?

I try to come up with some kind of explanation for what I am seeing that is anything other than what it looks like.

But I can't.

It’s right there in front of me, in plain black and white.

She is saying something to him, a playful smile on her face. I'm too far away for me to make out the words, but as she filches an apple from his hand to lift it to coquettishly her mouth, her aim is clear... She is blatantly making a move on him. And if there is any room for doubt left about her intentions, they are quickly dispelled by the low moan that floats out of her mouth as she bites suggestively into the shiny red flesh of the apple, her eyes fluttering shut in over-exaggerated delectation.

I can't see Drake's face — given that his back is to me — but I can see that he's no longer focused on unpacking the remainder of his bucket. Instead, his head is turned towards Kiara as she offers him a taste of the fruit in her hand.

I feel my hand tighten on the basket handle.

I have no idea what is going on, but whatever it is, it’s going to end...

Now.

Kiara may not know that Drake and I are together — given the stupid, platonic charade that we have to maintain while we worked to clear my name —but I expect more from Drake. Especially since this is the second time that I've caught him alone with Kiara in a situation that was more than questionable, and he didn’t made any move to shake her off until after I interrupted them.

Which begs the question... Had I been too quick to believe him when he'd told me at the Coronation Ball that she was not his type, and there was nothing for me to worry about?

There is only one way to find out.

Squaring my shoulders, I march up to the back of the truck, slamming the basket forcefully down on the tailgate. "Looks like you forgot something, Walker."

Kiara drops the apple with a startled gasp. "Oh, mon dieu!"

I ignore her, my eyes fixed accusingly on Drake.

He barely even looks at me as he scoffs, "You're the one to talk, Gale."

I was perversely hoping for some kind of guilty reaction from Drake as well. But the fact that he's not only non-pulsed by my appearance, but apparently irritated by it, only serves to drive my pulse higher.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I demand.

"You know exactly what it means," he growls, before turning on his heel to tromp back into the orchard without a backwards glance.

I stare after him, flabbergasted.

I catch him in a comprising situation with another woman, and he is pissed off at me? In what world does that—?

"Était-ce vraiment nécessaire?" demands Kiara huffily, hopping off the tailgate. "I don't know what your issue is with Drake, but you could've at least waited until we'd finished talking, instead of interrupting si grossièrement..."

"Sorry," I mutter sarcastically. "It really couldn't wait..."

She harumphs under her breath. "You Américains are always so impatient... While in Europe, you'd do well to remember to wait your turn."

Flicking her hair behind her shoulders dismissively, she saunters after Drake.

I briefly contemplate picking up the apple she'd dropped and flinging it at her. But I've always sucked at softball, and the last thing I need is for her to run crying foul to Madeleine on the off chance that I do manage to nail her in the back of the head. Because my life at court is difficult enough already without Miss Wannabe Queen Bee going out of her way to make it an absolute hell in retaliation for me picking on one of her hench-maidens.

So, I settle for simply kicking the half-eaten Ruby across the grass in frustration.

"Ne vous inquiète pas, Demoiselle," consoles Schweitzer, stepping out from the shadow of the trees once Kiara was out of earshot. "His passions sometimes get the better of him."

A derisive snort escapes me. "Yeah. Tell me about it."

My bodyguards had shown up — as if by magic — after Drake's abrupt departure from Valtoria this morning, and have been at my side ever since. And while I would've normally been annoyed at the fact that third parties had witnessed my less than amiable interaction with my boyfriend just now, it is heartening to know that someone else has drawn the same conclusions as me.

Schweitzer's mouth twitches. "I mean his passion for you."

My eyes widen. "For me? But he—"

"You are the only one who arouses such a formidable strength of feeling inside of him," confirms Allard, also making an appearance. "And he's been especially unquiet today."

"I know..." I sigh dejectedly, the fight going out of me at the reminder of what happened this morning. "But I don't know why. Every time I try to talk to him, he storms off."

"Then prevent him from doing so," shrugs Allard.

"You say that like it's easy..." I accuse.

But, having dispensed their impromptu wisdom for the day, the two Guard have already melted back into the shade, like a pair of cryptic Jedi Masters returning to the Force, and I get no further response.

I blow a frustrated raspberry as I assess my options.

The sooner I talk to Drake, the better. I hate having all this unspoken tension between us. Especially since I have no idea what I did wrong. I mean, I was just as surprised by Christian's unexpected gift as Drake, so it can't be that...

But I know that I can’t just confront him in the middle of a royal event with a platoon of reporters milling around, on the lookout for even the slightest whiff of a story.

I have to get him alone. Ideally somewhere private.

But where?

My eyes land on the pickup and I give myself a mental smack on the forehead.

Duh.

Walking around to the cab, I open the passenger-side door and climb in.

Drake is obviously taking the picked apples somewhere — a packing centre, a barn, a warehouse. I can hitch a ride with him, on the pretext of helping him unload the crates when we get to wherever he is going. And — most importantly — we can talk on the way. Without him being able to shrug me off.

I close the door back around and settle into the well-worn seat to wait.

Before long, I catch sight of him in the driver's side wing mirror as he emerges from between the trees — alone — with another load of apples.

If he's surprised by my disappearance, I can't see it on his face. Instead, he concentrates on making his way to the tailgate, and I lose sight of him as he rounds the side of the truck. But I can hear the sounds of his undertakings as he proceeds to stow the apples away, as well as the rattle and creak of the slightly rusty springs when he climbs into the bed to rearrange the crates.

I tap my fingers against my thigh, waiting — both nervously and impatiently — for him to finish, so we can get going, literally and metaphorically. Because while I am anxious to clear the air with Drake, I am also fully aware that even though I may have managed to give Bertrand the slip earlier, it’s only a matter of time before he comes looking for me. And I want to be well away before he does.

Finally, I hear the tailgate clang shut.

My pulse thuds in my throat as I wait for Drake to appear on the other side of the cab...

"The hell you think you're doing, Gale?"

"Argh!"

The unexpected sound of Drake yanking the passenger door open behind me causes me to slam myself head-first into the low-slung roof panel with a bang.

"Ow..." I grumble, rubbing the top of my skull painfully. "Why do you insist on doing that?"

"You're the one who keeps letting your guard down," he counters in a deadpan manner. After a beat, he asks, "You okay?"

"I'll live," I assure him wryly, checking my fingertips to make sure that the thousand and one bobby pins that had been wedged into my hair haven’t ended up stabbing through into my skin as a result of the forceful collision.

"Great," he declares, pulling the door wider. "Now get out."

I meet his gaze impassively. "No."

The muscle in his jaw clenches. "I'm not asking again, Gale."

"I didn't hear you ask the first time, Walker," I riposte, leaning back against the worn leather with crossed arms.

He cusses under his breath. "D'you want to get caught?"

"No," I tell him flatly. "So, you'd better start driving."

"Bordel de merde..." he grits, slamming the door shut.

I watch him stomp around the front of the truck with a murderous expression...

...which makes me all the more determined to find out what the hell has gotten him so worked up.

He wrenches the driver's side door open and climbs into the cab, teeth gritted and eyes fixed ahead. Grabbing the bottom of the open window panel, he bangs it shut again before reaching for the key in the ignition.

Giving the key a forceful twist, he holds it in place while he gives the gas pedal a couple of aggressive pumps. After a few coughs and splutters, the arthritic diesel rumbles into life. Dropping the handbrake, he throws the shifter into gear, and soon we're trundling along the dumpy orchard path.

"So? You gonna tell me?" I ask after a couple dozen yards of total silence, save for the puffing of the engine and the creak of the suspension.

"Tell you what?" he asks gruffly, eyes fixed firmly ahead, a death-grip on the steering wheel.

"Why you're fuming like an active volcano."

His eyes flick over to me briefly before focusing back out through the windshield. "We're all allowed shit days, Gale.”

"Obviously," I concede. "But I want to know what caused it and why you're taking it out on me."

"I'm not taking it out in you."

"Yes. You are. And I don't—"

He scoffs. "Trust me. If I were taking it out on you, you'd know it."

"Oh, so you giving me the silent treatment since we got back from Valtoria isn't taking it out on me?" I demand archly.

His continues to torch a hole through the glass in front of him.

"How about you storming out on me without explanation — not once, but three times so far today? Is that not taking it out on me either?"

His grip on the wheel tightens.

"And what about whatever the hell that was with Kiara just now, huh? Was that also not—?"

He suddenly slams the breaks on, and I nearly face-plant into the glove box as the truck lurches to a stop.

"Hey! What the fuck, Wa—?"

But he's already thrown the cab door closed behind him with such vehemence that it rattles the whole truck.

Straightening myself back up, I see that we've arrived at our destination, which is an old stone barn with heavy wooden doors and an open gable roof.

I hear Drake drop the tailgate with a clang. Opening the passenger door, I hop out of the cab and quickly make my way around to the back...

...but by the time I get there, he's already tramped into the barn.

Gritting my teeth, I pick a crate out of the bed as well, and follow him inside.

We’re going to finish this conversation, whether he likes it or not.

The story continues in Chapter 13 - Part 2.

A/N: Here is a list of translations for the French terms/expressions:

Kiara

Oh, mon dieu! = Oh, my God!

Était-ce vraiment nécessaire? = Was that really necessary?

Si grossièrement = so rudely

Schweitzer

Ne vous inquiète pas, Demoiselle = Do not trouble yourself, m’lady

Drake

Bordel de merde = lit. ‘brothel of shit’ (I know - I love French swearing 🤣) English equivalent is ‘for fuck’s sake’

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[gregorvorbarra]

I just realized I never gave you all a Lee Update

So,

Lee tore is Cranial Cruciate Ligament in his right knee. The vet thinks it’s been torn for a while because he has some mild arthritis in the knee now, but we noticed him limping in mid-October. It didn’t stop him from trying to be insane though.

He had Tibial Plateau Levelling Osteotomy this past Tuesday to fix it. I know not everyone wants to read surgical stuff so details on that and how it went under the cut, but Lee is doing well so far!

Enjoy this picture of Lee in jammies:

So the TPLO involves cutting the tibia and rotating it and reattaching it with a metal plate, to stabilize the knee joint. The torn ligament is removed completely. It has a really good success rate, with no post-op complications or need for long term pain management. Which is great!

Bad news is that it’s a 12-week recovery process, and Lee is going to be on “crate” rest through most of that. We don’t have a crate for him anymore, so… he’s confined to the guest room when we’re not home.

Sad!

Lee was apparently very very good at the vet the whole time. Here’s a pic the vet sent us:

Good job Lee! Best Boy.

He’s been doing well since he got home! He was Very High when he got home on Tuesday, and cried a lot, but he’s been okay since then. He’s been trying to get up and follow people around the house, which he CANNOT be doing, so we’ve had to sedate him to make sure he’s resting as he should. I’m amazed by how well he’s moving just a few days post-surgery, but I know that he needs to just SIT so that his leg actually heals. Just because he’s trying to walk doesn’t mean he actually should be. (Had an argument with my dad over this, but I won’t go into that.)

I got a pet camera so that we could check up on him while we’re not home. Best decision, no regrets, and I got a great deal on it, too.

Check out this picture from last night:

Lee, please sleep on your bed, thanks.

He’s also been reluctant to eat, so I’m having to add chicken broth to his meals. THANKS LEE!

It is EXTREMELY common for dogs with one CCL tear to blow their other knee within a year or so. So we will likely have to do this again, but I am looking up ways to try to prevent (or at least delay) it. What I’ve learned so far:

- Steps/staircases for getting onto high surfaces (beds, furniture, etc, stuff they use frequently) helps a lot.

- Rugs on hardwood/tile/slippery floors is also helpful. Gives them more traction and prevents them from slipping. (Especially when they’re going to be jumping onto something, like furniture.)

- Keeping nails short, again to prevent slipping.

I already have steps for the bed from when Lee was refusing to jump, and I’m getting some rugs. Lee usually keeps his nails very short, but I think being on crate rest for 8 weeks will lead to some long nails, so nail clipping time.

Overall, I’m very optimistic about the outcomes of this, but the recovery period’s going to suck a bit.

Anyways, thats the update on Lee! Thanks for reading, pls wish Lee the best right now. And if you have any advice, I’D LOVE TO HEAR IT!!!

[zanshlou]

Been a while since I’ve posted something related to XIV so here’s some Carmina. There was something about next patch using portraits for more dungeons and stuff or something? I dono I don’t really pay attention to announcements and just skim patch notes for stuff I care about when things actually come out but I heard something about this and decided that I needed to go in and make portaits for every class. This also resulted in me tweaking a couple glams and making a few new ones. Sadly I use two of my glam plats for my Crafter and Gatherer glams so MNK/SAM and DRG/RPR have to share outfits for now. PLEASE SE I just need 2 more glam plates (though also like a nice rounded 5 would be nice to keep holiday outfits separate on). Anyways random details about all the tweaks and new outfits (along with some of my general long winded ramblings) below the cut I guess.

So SCH, RDM, MCH, and NIN got completely new looks. My old SCH was too close in color and used a lot of the same pieces as my SGE look I put together for story this expansion so it had to go. RDM used a top that I had modded and so didn’t look right anymore. The top it has WAS originally on my new MCH look but I had shifted that to be more pirate-y and still wanted to use the top and it looks great in red. NIN was going to get a modified version of a Cait Sith cosplay I put together for a group Halloween shot my FC did but then I realized when lookig through stuff that I had the Neo-Ishgardian top and that plan went out the window as I decided I had a need to work around that top for the look.

Meanwhile... BRD continues to get stuck with my holiday look whatever that ends up being. So for now it gets to support my Christmas gear. Maybe after the holidays I’ll change it but the look is solid on its own holiday season or not so it may just stay.

For more minor changes... My DNC used to sport a hat, I might even have some screenshots somewhere on here from the past where it still sports that hat. The look was built around an old old glam from the HW days that I made that was very... tap-dancer-esque. These days the new look has kind of been a Mina default look and is what I base a lot of my art and designing around but I always leave out the hat so decided I’d switch it with glasses. They might not stay but I do always love the look of glasses on Mina. Second only to hair flowers (I just didn’t feel I had any good ones on hand to go with the look).

MNK/SAM got new earrings and DRG/RPR got new nails. These were both super minor style changes. I wanted some earrings that were lowkey and that I didn’t really use much (instead of my usual heart earrings) for the MNK/SAM look. That look has always been a staple of my wardrobe since at least early HW if not sooner than that. It’s simple and effective and was built entirely around the gloves and going “what else can I make black that has gold accents?” The DRG/RPR look is similarly an old classic of mine, built completely around the Maelstrom coat. I used to have the sharp beastly nails on the look and I just switched those out for the like regular painted nails. Super minor change for a look that has never stopped being amazing. The way the Y’shtola HW boots pair with that coat is too dang powerful.

As one last random aside, BLU continues to be my most extra look. I have tried to make it over the top and extravagant in ever incarnation I’ve made of it. This one is decidedly less silly than it’s first main glam (which I should dig up some old pics of) but it still has that very loud, “LOOK AT ME” showmanship to the design. Every time I make a new outfit for it I have a lot of fun with it. The only look that I think brings me more joy from the sillyness of it is my blindfolded “I can’t read” SMN look.

[cydhouseofgryffindor]

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Episode 8

Chile EZ no longer in the building…like that man is completely gone! Is it bad that I’m kinda turned on by it? 🙃

Louisa does not need to be anybodys mom…not rn at least…she needs to do some major healing. But Angel is such a cute daddy omg 🥺 I wonder why he hasn’t said anything to Felipe or EZ about the baby.

Angel semi trying to be there for EZ is adorable. He’s not that good at it probably because he always felt he never had a support system

They just ok Nails girl bye lmaoo

I’m sick of Emily like why? Just why?

Felipe is just heartbroken all the way around and it’s breaking my heart

Miguel can’t catch a break lmao

Taza giving Bish the same attitude now and I am all the way here for it.

Jess girl should’ve just minded her damn business because now look at her ass smh

24 notes - Posted May 31, 2022

#4

It still think it’s hilarious that JD plays the younger brother and he’s older than Clayton lmaoo

26 notes - Posted April 6, 2022

#3

Mayans spoilers

This shit is out of control chile!

I was so conflicted when EZ and Manny (idk his characters name yet) were fighting 😭

Gilly is forever about that action lmaoo

Angel and Nails? No just fuckin no. She is not built for this life. Her trying to stop him from going after his brother pissed me off so bad…even though I know it’ll hurt Angel I really hope the baby ain’t his because I can’t take much of her and all her crying. Like idk why they’re forcing this…mans literally dreads having to go home and then deleting his other baby’s pic? Ion like that. At least he isn’t sleeping in jeans anymore though.

I thought we were going to get two whole episodes without Emily but…

Bish has officially lost it…idk mans needs a hug and therapy

While I’m happy Manny has a neck tattoo (they knew) that shit is so ugly lmao like wth?!

They did not have to make me think they killed Angel..I was about to turn the whole show off and never watch again

EZ with that fake ass beard had me crying lmaoo but I’m happy we get to see more of his time in prison

The time jump was weird though..like why?

Letty needs to relax like foreal

EZ also needs a whoopin for many things but do not ignore my father in law like that sir! Also that big ass dog in that little ass trailer?

Taza just seemed out of it man…he’s battling his demons like shit

I’m guessing we’re going to get a lot of flash backs? Because they didn’t explain some shit within those 4 months. I mean was coco punished or anything? Or they just said fuck it. I’m so happy he’s clean again thought but he needs to let Hope go.

This man from jail is gonna set EZ on a rampage I feel like…

I’m excited for this season though

27 notes - Posted April 19, 2022

#2

Mayans Spoilers

Episode 6

Manny is back!!!! Been waiting on boo and he’s ready to tear some shit up!

So like I know Angel is the bad boy, fuck boy and everything else but them making him sleep with Letty? I feel like he really never would’ve done that. That’s so fucked and messy and her ass better not be pregnant! He shouldn’t have been the one to go anyways

Gilly was really the only one visibly upset about Coco and I don’t appreciate that at all

I hope something actually happens with EZ and that girl. Especially since Emily is on his line again. Can she just go to jail or something?

Miguel coming out of hiding? 👀 I wonder who he called. Where is Nester? 👀

Once they showed Luisa finding her baby I knew they were going to make Nails lose hers. Which is fucked up. But she can go ahead and take that ring off because we all know…

I don’t like that they made Angel lose another child though and papa Reyes was excited about having a grandchild.

Also what is papa Reyes doing? Is he moving like what’s going on? Did I miss something?

I guess we’re going to war 🙃

29 notes - Posted May 17, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

My chest 😩😭

216 notes - Posted April 5, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[petnews2day]

Canterbury councillor left needing surgery after suffering dog bite while posting leaflets in Sturry

New Post has been published on https://petnews2day.com/pet-news/dog-news/canterbury-councillor-left-needing-surgery-after-suffering-dog-bite-while-posting-leaflets-in-sturry/

Canterbury councillor left needing surgery after suffering dog bite while posting leaflets in Sturry

A councillor has spoken of the harrowing moment her fingernails were ripped off in a dog attack as she posted a flyer, leaving her needing emergency surgery.

Deputy leader of Canterbury City Council, Rachel Carnac, was leafleting on behalf of a fellow councillor in Sturry when the animal snapped at her fingers through a letterbox.

Cllr Rachel Carnac

The attack on Saturday left Cllr Carnac needing an emergency operation at East Grinstead Hospital, which specialises in hand surgery.

The senior Tory, who feared she might lose her fingers, has since described her ordeal.

She told KentOnline: “I’ve got bites on my right hand, the nail beds have had to be sewn in, which is what they did at East Grinstead, and I’ve lost my nails as a result.

Cllr Carnac shared a pic of her bandaged up fingers. Picture: Rachel Carnac/Twitter

“My nails will grow back, and for the next 10 days I’ll be resting my hand and taking the antibiotics.

“I’m lucky I haven’t lost any of my fingers, that was my initial worry.”

Cllr Carnac, who represents Reculver on the council, was full of praise for the QEQM Hospital in Margate, where she initially received treatment.

“The QEQM can sometimes get a bad press, but the staff were fantastic and I can’t fault the care I’ve received at all,” she said.

Cllr Carnac says she usually uses a posting peg when leafleting – a plastic gadget used to push post through a letterbox while avoiding any contact with unruly dogs.

She hopes her experience will serve as a “timely reminder” for dog owners to be responsible, and anyone who delivers door-to-door to be careful.

“With an election coming up next May, it doesn’t matter who you are, you have to put yourself out there,” she said.

Some of Canterbury’s councillors had been out campaigning. Picture: Hilary Scott/Twitter

“It’s a timely reminder for volunteers all over the county to remain cautious.

“Even if people don’t necessarily want the stuff coming through their letterbox, it’s still the owner’s responsibility to make sure their dog can’t get someone through a letterbox.

“I really do think something like a cage on the back of letterboxes would be best to help prevent these sorts of issues.”

The dog’s owners were not home at the time of the attack.

In the aftermath of the attack, Cllr Carnac took to Twitter to share her experience.

She tweeted: “Morning out delivering for [city councillor] Louise Harvey-Quirke until bitten by a dog. Thanks to [Maidstone councillor] Louise Brice for her help and to staff at East Kent Hospitals who promptly saw me.”

Well-wishers were quick to send messages of support, including Cllr Brice, who replied: “You were very brave, hoping it is patched up okay now.

Cllr Louise Brice of Maidstone Borough Council

“Rest up and no leafleting for you for a while.”

Another commented: “Sorry to read this. My wife had a similar experience.

“To anyone leaflet delivering, please use a wooden spoon or spatula to push leaflets through.”

It isn’t the first time a dog has caused serious harm to a leafleting politician in Kent.

In September 2015, former Dover mayor Pam Brivio had part of her little finger bitten off and eaten by a pit bull while she was posting newsletters.

The dog was subsequently put down, while the owner narrowly avoided jail time.

Cllr Pam Brivio, a former mayor of Dover

Labour councillor Pam Brivio’s little finger was ripped off by a pit bull when posting a newsletter through a door back in 2015.

At the time, Ms Brivio used the traumatic ordeal to back up calls for more responsible dog ownership.

Earlier this year, Royal Mail revealed that, on average, 32 members of staff are attacked by dogs on a weekly basis.

The RSPCA is renewing calls for dog owners to take precautions to avoid any possible incidents.

Dog welfare expert Dr Samantha Gaines told KentOnline: “There are different reasons as to why dogs might display aggressive behaviour.

“Some dogs can be territorial while others may be frightened by strangers.

“We are urging owners to take precautions. Doing things like putting your dog in a safe and secure room, or providing an alternative place to leave post, can help keep your dog happy.”

[thefanficmonster]

Love For The Faceless

Corpse Husband x Youtuber!Reader(Female)

Warnings: Swearing

Genre: Fluff 

Summary: Y/N is a YouTube gamer who has recently gained a much larger following thanks to the streams she does with her friends. Naturally, considering her faceless and bodiless nature, people are starting to get curious about her. When she finally follows her friend Corpse’s example, a lot more than her hands is revealed.

Requested by anon, you know who you are 😉 Thank you so much for placing a request and hope this fic fulfills the expectations you have for it.

“Hey!“ I greet the lobby as I finally hop into the Discord call after quickly saying ‘hi‘ to my audience.

I’ve been a YouTuber for four years now and I’ve only recently started streaming, encouraged to do so by my best friend Rae. She’s the one who got me in multiplayer games such as Among Us and Phasmophobia which led me to meet her amazing gaming squad that consists of some of the most famous names on the platform. They are all wonderful people and I will forever be in Rae’s debt for introducing me to them. However, becoming friends with Felix, Sean and the rest of the team brought not only a more fulfilled life, but also a small boost in following. Who am I kidding, it wasn’t small. It was overwhelming, terrifying even.

My YouTube channel had a little over a million subscribers at the start of quarantine and now....now it’s closer to three million. Speaking of three million, I’m about to reach it any day now and it’s really hard to believe. I’m a gaming youtuber and I’ve never considered changing my genre despite expecting to not get any attention whatsoever, with all the big names on the platform. I was convinced not even as many as a hundred people would stumble across my videos and now here we are.

My OG subscribers are very supportive of my sudden growth and are defending me when my newer fans ask for a face reveal or whatnot. While we’re on that topic I might have to mention that not even my YouTube friends, and that includes Rae have seen my face. I’ve been faceless and bodiless for the entirety of my time on social media. Some claim I do it to grab more attention or for dramatic effect, but the reason is beyond that. I’m not shallow. Actually, shallow people are the reason I don’t show my face. I’ve never been the prettiest, but my middle school bully thought that I wasn’t lacking self confidence enough. As a result, I ended up with a not so handsome scar on my right cheek that starts from the corner of my mouth and nearly misses my eye. Yeah, it’s a long and pretty noticeable scar that has thankfully become less and less obvious as the years have progressed. Still, it’s not something I’d like to show to my viewers.

Eight ‘hi’s greet me back, each making my smile grow wider. “Sorry I’m late guys. Technical difficulties.” 

“Don’t worry.“ Rae’s voice dominates over the rest, “Corpse still isn’t here so we’re waiting for him.“

I mute myself on the Discord call and take a look at my comments. I’m most flattered by the comments about my voice. Seeing as how they don’t have much to compliment about me other than my content, they make the nicest comments about my voice, personality and humor. Those comments are the ones who warm my heart most. Even when people in my day to day life compliment my appearance I can’t find it in me to believe they are being genuine. I’d like to believe these amazing people are being one hundred percent honest when they tell me they like me for who I am and not for what I might look like.

“Sorry I’m late guys.“ A deep voice causes me to even physically jolt, switching my focus from the comments to the Among Us lobby where my eyes land on the newly materialized black avatar.

“Hi Corpse.“ Rae greets him.

“Hello mister who broke Twitter!“ Sean laughs, provoking the laughter of the rest of the players.

“Yeah, congratulations man. That’s a big deal.“ Felix chimes in.

“Thanks guys, but I think you’re forgetting we’re talking about a picture of my hand.“ Corpse chuckles timidly. I have noticed how shy he gets when someone gives him a compliment - like a snail slowly withdrawing in its shell. I find it adorable.

“That’s what makes it even better!“ I unmute my mic, sending my own congratulations.

“While we’re on that topic...“ Rae begins, waiting for the rest of us to shut our traps, suggesting she has something important to say. “Y/N, do you ever plan on doing a reveal like that? Not a face reveal. Just a body part reveal.“

I have no problem talking about the subject with friends but I get nervous when I’m supposed to discuss it with my fans. Seeing as how everyone, including myself, is streaming right now, I get a bit of a stutter in my speech. “Haven’t thought about it yet. But I guess a body part reveal is harmless.” I cringe immediately after letting the words leave my mouth, “That sounds so weird.”

Rae knows that I’m not too fond of my face, but I haven’t told her about my scar yet. I let almost all people I’ve met online think I’m using my lack of appearance for effect. For the mystery of it all. Mysteries attract people which equals attention. Attention equals views and the domino effect continues.

“Just a suggestion. No pressure.“ Rae adds quickly, knowing full well I get anxious when the subject is brought up in front of cameras. “Let’s get this game started, shall we.”

                                                          * * *

The idea dwells in my mind, sitting on the back burner even after I disconnect from the Discord call. I’m sitting in my gaming chair, which was a gift for my two million milestone, and weighing out the pros and cons of the action Rae suggested I take.

“It’s a picture of your fucking hand, dummy. How bad can it turn out?“ I say out loud, shaking my head at my indecisiveness. “You’ll be fine.”

In a blur, two pictures are already posted on my Instagram. The first one captioned ‘Took a leaf from my friend’s book. Did I do it right @ corpsehusband?’ and the second ‘Thanks, Rae. These are on you.’

Rae’s POV

As I’m watching a movie in my living room, I get a notification from Instagram, informing me that Y/N has posted for the first time in a while.

I scoff, “More like the first time in forever.”

The first thing that comes to my mind is the possibility of her reaching that three million milestone that’s been long time coming. I bring the glass of water that’s sitting on my coffee table to my lips, taking a sip as I tap the notification. The picture I see makes me hurry to put the glass back down so I don’t drop it. Y/N’s hand. Her fingers are covered with several thin rings each. And here I thought Corpse had too many rings, this girl has at least two on every finger! 

Then my eyes land on the second picture she has posted only minutes after the first and my heart drops. I struggle to get the water that’s been sitting in my moth down my esophagus while my mind is struggling with the task to comprehend the picture I’m looking at. 

Another hand is resting on top of Y/N’s. A hand also covered in rings but fewer and larger. The nails are painted black. 

I think I know who it belongs to.

Before I can even finish the thought, I’m dialing Y/N. She picks up after the second ring, sound cheery as ever as she greets me. “Hey Rae!”

“Don’t you ‘Hey Rae’ me!” I practically scream. I hate being kept in the dark about anything ever so this is just driving me mad. On top of all, she’s my best friend, for fuck’s sake. “Is that Corpse in the photo with you?!”

“Ugh....“ the cheeriness to her voice is all but gone now.

I go on with my rant, not giving her the time to reply. Not that she would reply. I bet she doesn’t know what to say. “So he knows where you live?! Or was the picture taken at his place?! He knows what you look like?! You have seen him! He has seen you in real life but me, your best friend, haven’t!!! You are breaking Covid 19 protection laws to take pictures?! Are you fucking serious, Y/N?!”

There’s a long moment of silence which frustrates me even more but I literally have run out of things to yell and the power to be angry. I mean, I still am, I just can’t express it.

“Rae, sweetheart, please calm down. You’re scary when you’re mad.“ This girl has some fucking nerve! She’s on the verge of laughing!

“Listen here you...“ 

“Rae, please stop scaring my girlfriend.“ That oh so distinguishable, oh so familiar voice interrupts me.

I am flabbergasted, for a lack of a better term.

“Now that we’ve got you quiet, I can explain.“ Y/N pics up the conversation, “Corpse and I have been dating for six, almost seven months now. We started dating around Easter after talking for quite some time. We moved in together at the end of September. All thanks to you, Rae. You’re the best.” She pauses to breathe in real quick, “There, all caught up?“

I’m in no less shock than I was before she explained. Actually, I think I might be even more confused now. It all just feels like a fever dream. “Yes...no. I don’t fucking know! I need details, Y/N!”

“Details later.“ Corpse makes his presence known once again, “We’re watching Family Guy right now. Talk to you later.“

“Love you, Rae!“ Y/N calls out before the line goes dead.

My arm goes limp, dropping my phone on the couch next to me. 

“Motherfuckers” I mumble under my breath.

Y/N’s POV

It’s been a week since Rae has stopped talking to both Corpse and me. I know she just needs some time to cool off. In the meantime, the rest of our friends were informed and, as oppose to Rae, were nothing but supportive and overjoyed. I bet Rae feels the same way though. Sean, Dave and the rest of the gang have confirmed that she’s incredibly happy for us and says she noticed a spark between me and him since day one, but she can’t help but be mad at us, and especially me, for not telling her sooner.

“Any regrets?“ I remember Corpse asking me when we hung up on her after dropping the bomb.

“Not being able to see her face when she saw the picture.“ I beam at him, feeling as content as ever.

He laughs, agreeing with me before leaning down to kiss me.

@susceptible-but-siriusexual  @simonsbluee  @save-the-sky  @hacker-ghost  @itsminniekat  @bi-andready-tocry  @imtiredaffff  @jazzkaurtheglorious  @hereforbeebo  @fandomgirl17  @chrysanthykios

[obeymeluv]

QUICK! KISS ME! [Bros x Reader]

A lead-up blurb before I go to bed.

School is killing me. This has been in the drafts far longer than I wanted.

No offense if your name is Bethany. It’s a name I picked at random.

The follow-up piece will have the kiss scenarios.

△▽△▽△▽△▽△▽△▽△▽△▽

Some of Asmo’s friends may have used you to get into a special makeup event, but it’s okay! They bought you a lip gloss as a thank you! The shade ‘Sealed with a Kiss’ was not what you thought it’d be

△▽△▽△▽△▽△▽△▽△▽△▽

Being one of the first humans in the Devildom could be uncomfortable and sometimes down-right dangerous! It also had its perks. To you, that meant being close with the Seven Lords of Hell (and Diavolo). To other lesser demons and classmates, you were kind of a ‘get out of jail’ free card.

Were they late to class? Oh, just helping the human out!

Caught sneaking in food or drink when they weren’t supposed to? It’s to split with the human, of course! They thought you’d love to try it!

Everyone was keen not to overuse it and you’d actually made good friends this way. It was starting to feel less like an excuse and more of a way to be included. You were the friendly, reliable human that had won hearts and saved some asses. As a thank you, one of your closer friends (a repeat offender for lateness), invited you out to an exclusive makeup release. She was a VIP member and had early access an hour before the store opened to the Devildom public. 

The fact that she chose you, a human, over some LITERAL century-old friends caused a bit of tension but she could care less. “I’ve seen them every day for over a hundred years. You get one year, and we’re going to make it awesome!” Bethany breezed through the store at a dizzying pace, picking through concealers and opening a box of mascara to look at the packaging. She moved at a pace only demons could manage; you thought you saw her by the nail polish display but when you looked again she was throwing sheet masks in her basket. Hooking her arm with yours, she picked up some foundation on the way back to the coveted display of lip glosses and lipsticks.

You weren’t totally versed in the differences between Devildom makeup and human world makeup. In all honesty, there didn’t seem to be a difference. Bethany swatched powdery cream lipsticks on her wrist and followed with ribbons of liquid lipstick. Every now and then she dotted them on your arm; she was adamant about finding a shade the both of you could wear as your thing.  

“This one,” she decided, waving the tube at you and booping your nose with it carefully. “This is our color!” she took you by the hand and joined the checkout line. She had two in her hand but refused to let you so much as hold one, wanting to pay for it first. It wasn’t technically breaking the purchase limit rule; if they tried to nag her she’d just say she was holding onto it so another demon didn’t bully you out of it. You didn’t know if it was her VIP status or the fact that her defense made sense, but you were able to check out without a problem.

A few sour faces and mean glares met you outside but Bethany ignored it all, eager to have a Devilgram-worthy celebratory snack break (snack victory? You know, since you got the makeup?) The plan was to eat, hold down a table at the nearby cafe while her other friends shopped, and have group makeovers (or try-ons) before calling it a day. That plan was interrupted three bites into a croissant sandwich when Lucifer summoned you back to the House of Lamentation. He’d gotten wind of all the girls you’d be with and didn’t feel totally comfortable letting you hang out with them,

Had Barbatos seen something? Did Lucifer feel spurned that you weren’t hanging out with the Seven Lords of the Devildom? He gave no answer, simply asking you to stay put while someone came to escort you back to the house. Bethany was put off by the turn of events but few people dared to complain about the Seven Lords due to their connections with Diavolo (she was no exception). “If we can’t get the full makeover, we’re getting the selfie!” she declared, deftly breaking the seal to her Sealed with a Kiss gloss and swiping it on with help from the front-facing camera on her D.D.D

You busied yourself with opening your tube. Before you could ask for her phone (since the camera was already open), she took the tube from you and tilted your chin up. She dabbed the center of your lips playfully before carefully tracing your lips with the color. The heat rose in your cheeks and she smirked. Being part succubus, she could draw energy from emotions like embarrassment and the feeling of being flattered. Her fingertips pulsed under your chin as she drew on that energy. 

Getting energy sucked could feel like a lot of things -- being light-headed, getting a rush of excitement, all prickly and tingly like your whole body was pins and needles. Whatever it was, it usually faded into drowsiness and kittenish contentment. She probably only touched your chin for seconds but the wash of coziness had you melting against your chair, your cheek cradled in her palm. 

Did she take the pic? What was happening? It felt like Asmodeus had materialized out of thin air, helping you stand and making small-talk with Bethany before pulling you away, out of her aura that was trying to suckle the vestiges of happy energy you offered.

“And what shade did you get on those pretty lips, hm?” the cotton fell out of your head and ears, allowing you to really hear Asmo now that the aura effects had worn off.

“Uh,” you fished around in your bag and looked at the packaging. “Sealed with a Kiss.”

Asmodeus stopped so abruptly it’d almost yanked you back to him. The two of you were barely tangled at the pinkies and now he’d completely laced your hands together. He held your hands captive, drawing them up in surprise and basically dragging you into his torso. You were forced to look up into glittering pink eyes and if you didn’t know any better, they looked a little panicked.

“How long ago did you apply it?”

“I don’t know.” you blinked helplessly at him. That energy suck thing had a way of making your brain tune out and turn to pudding. That aside, who knows how long Asmo stood there and talked to Bethany while you were being siphoned?! “Bethany applied it, not me.”

Asmo clicked his tongue, huffed, resigned himself to only holding one hand. and started scrolling on his D.D.D to find that selfie Bethany posted. You were being dragged along like a child as Asmo’s shoes clicked towards the House of Lamentation. It amazed you how well he could navigate his D.D.D with his long, painted nails. 

Whatever he was looking for, he found it.

Asmodeus tucked his D.D.D into his pants pocket, scooped you up in a way that terrified and amazed you (two people being supported by one set of heels?), and flew to the House of Lamentation. He didn’t always use his wings, as he preferred to decorate them and maintain them with oils, but the fact that he was flying made you nervous.

What had he found? What was the deal?

“Asmo--” you started nervously, the flapping of his wings nearly drowning you out as he pushed himself. Flying against the wind didn’t help. Your hair was a mess and the wind was in your face; the Devildom was always a little chilly but now it was enough to make your face tingly.

“She gave you enchanted makeup. There is a reason humans don’t use enchanted makeup.” Asmo’s pretty brows furrowed as he cut a hard angle and glided over a portion of the square. The tell-tale thicket of trees that lined the winding path back to the House of Lamentation were on the edge of the horizon.

“What’s going to happen?” should you ask that? Did you really want to know?

“You’ll feel something in your lips--some people felt tingling, some people felt pulsing, it can be anything, I think--and then they’ll seal shut.”

“SHUT?!” you yelped. It was enough to make Asmo wince. The startle carried over to his wings; they shuddered and locked; the two of you dropped for a heartbeat or two before he corrected himself.

“If I can’t get some makeup remover on it first.” Asmo panted, tucking his wings in and preparing for a quick descent. He wasn’t sure why he hadn’t thought to teleport first--the panic? Trying to one-up Bethany by walking home and being extra cute with hand-holding?--but a quick touch down could roll into a simple skip teleportation and everything should work out!

“But my lips are already tingly!”

“Ugh, Bethany! I can’t believe you! I mean, I can because it’s you, but really, Bethany?”

“Asmo, focus!” you’d already skipped several feet ahead, clearing the front yard in two teleports. The third put you in the foyer. “I don’t want my lips to seal shut!”

The House of Lamentation was huge but when the occupants had supernatural hearing, that exclamation turned heads. 

“What’s this about your lips sealing shut?” Lucifer appeared at the top of his stairs, his head already shaking.

“DID YOU MAKE A PACT WITH A WITCH?!” Mammon screamed down the hall, clearly not far behind.

Asmo scoffed, lowering his D.D.D with a pout. He was halfway up the main stairs, fingers working at lightning speed. “It’s the lip color!” he explained, stomping his foot. Noisy people were just so annoying! If everyone was talking he couldn’t explain! How rude! 

“All this over some makeup?” skeptical Satan peered over the banister, book and arm casually propped up on it.

“If two people apply the color and kiss, they’re locked in a makeout session until it dries down. When one person applies the lip color, they can use it like a cheat sheet to see who secretly wants to kiss them,” his words tapered out from authoritatively informed to quiet and shy. “It’s from their ‘Liquid Love’ collection.” he muttered into the stunned silence of the room.

You were trying to open your lips and ask why. The magic had already taken hold. Asmodeus could see you trying to move your lips and strain your chin. Luckily, demons could read minds. “It’s because Bethany is stupid.” Asmodeus rolled his eyes. “Ambitious, but stupid.”

“Please explain, Asmo.” even when using the dear nickname Lucifer couldn’t hide the demand. His demon aura was creeping up his body and slowly becoming jagged and suffocating.

“Bethany has had a HUGE crush on our little human here, and wanted to seal it with a kiss, so to speak.” Asmo’s cheeks got pinker and pinker as he explained. Mostly because he was mad he didn’t think about it. His heart did something funny at the thought of you kissing someone else. Lucifer also looked like he wanted to murder someone about now, and Asmo had to remind himself that he was being looked through, not looked at.   

“Just grab a napkin and wipe it off.” Mammon shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

Asmodeus shook his head angrily. “It’s too late now. We need to find someone for them to kiss! Someone’s lips will break the seal on theirs...that’s kind of the point of the enchantment.”

“So they just pick someone to kiss?” Levi’s face was turning tomato red. Would it be him?! It would at least be one of them, right? What if your person wasn’t in the House of Lamentation and you NEVER SPOKE AGAIN?!

“Sort of.” Asmo patted your shoulders with his gentle, smooth hands. He started to rub them like he was trying to warm you up. Partly in encouragement and partly to get your attention because he could feel your brain spiraling down into panic. “They basically follow their mouth.”

“So that lip color is like a crush detector?” Satan abandoned his book at the top of the stairs and was now perusing articles on his D.D.D as he sauntered down the steps. It sounded like he’d found the one that sent Asmo flying to the House of Lamentation.

“Basically.” Asmo sighed. It was the stupidest way to confess to someone, he thought. Demon to demon, it was fine. Demon to human?! NO! The whole thing gave him a headache. The fact that Bethany thought she could just steal your little lips and be greedy with them was the biggest annoyance of it all.

“So,” Satan’s green eyes cut sharply from his phone to you. The corner of his lips curled up in a smart little smirk. He knew it was wrong to find your predicament so funny, but this was a very human thing to get mixed up in. “Who do your lips want? Who do you feel yourself being drawn to?”

[ask-rp-devra]

The slow pace was pleasant, despite the snow the sun shone brightly, and the pair was able to enjoy taking in the routes sights and sounds, plenty of Pokemon near by, you could see their tracks in the snow, the odd traveller moving from the station too. As Devra moved to the tree, Peach followed, standing out of her shot, looking up at the trees immense size and fresh colour.

“‘it’s really beautiful here...” her eyes squinted up further into the tree, something beyond the lower branches moving, then suddenly flying at speed from the tree. A moment later and snow hit the Professor square in the face, going down the back of her coat, getting an ungodly screech from her as she jumped about very suddenly to get the snow out, her poor Pokemon holding on for dear life.

Devra jumped at the sound, clutching her camera to her chest to keep from dropping it. She turned around to see the woman in distress. She rushed over and started to help shake the snow out of her coat. “Can you warm things up please Valka?” She finished getting the snow out and then started patting Peach’s back to try and warm her up.

The woman was already having a wailord of a time, the snow being so horribly cold, she was great full when Val fanned her tail out, increasing the ambient temperature around them all by easily 15 degrees, trying not to melt too much of the snow around them while heating up her trainer. Peach huffed, laughed a bit, and tanked everyone, hacking her bag to see if Dreepy was ok. He had been shocked yes but seemed fine once the situation had been explained, returning to the bag, his little face sticking out to watch everything going on.

“ok, ok. I think I’ll survive, got to remember not to stand under trees so much here hah.” She grinned in her weird lopsided way at Devra and thanked her, a little damp but otherwise fine now Val was doing her heat thing. “hope you got the shot you wanted, sorry to startle you all.” She even looked to Cole who had stopped what he was doing to investigate.

The little pup was sniffing at Peach’s feet, her behavior making him very curious. “Don’t worry I got it. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had snow fall on me while taking pictures during the winter. But yeah, maybe avoid that.” She laughed with the Professor as they continued down the road. “Must have woken you up real food though.”

“‘I don’t think I’ve ever been this awake in my life, and I don’t know how to feel about it.” A bit of a joke, as the pair wandered towards the town, the tops of roofs starting to show up in the distance, and the smell of chimney smoke giving them both a sense of the warmth to come.

She took a deep breath of the cold and crisp air. “First thing I’m doing is getting some coffee. I might like the snow but I like it with hot drinks even more.” She glanced around, noticing a small open area tucked to the side of the trail. “Hey! Why don’t we let Aliza see the snow there?”

Spotting the same opening the woman nodded, honestly focused on the mention of a hot coffee, but the untouched snow begged for prints to be added to it.

“you know she’ll be all legs, excited, trying to jump things, running about madly. Yes. Let’s let her loose.” It’d be cute, a pokemons first snow is always a special little moment. The pack moved to the opening, peach sitting to one side, Val and her scraping snow off of a fallen tree, sitting neatly together, while the little Dreepy came out to see what was going on.

“‘get your camera ready for it, you know it’ll be cute.”

Devra was already ahead of her, getting her camera set for the bright light of the snowy area. She then took out a pokeball and released Aliza, camera ready for anything. The young ponyta shook herself after being in her ball for so long, then looked around her her person. She snorted in confusion when she noticed all of the white around her, ears flicking about. “Look Ali! It’s snow!” Devra snapped a couple pictures before kneeling down to show her it was okay to touch. Coal even came over and showed her you could leave prints in the snow. Aliza slowly lowered her head, sniffing at the snow. But before Devra could warm her the ponyta let out a loud sneeze as some loose snow got into her nose. She reared back and snorted, shaking her head before she started running laps with little bucks and kicks.

Yep. Disgustingly sweet. Dreepy looked to the little hybrid ponyta with fondness and familiarity, but while she bolted about in excitement, kept his distance. Peach noticed this little moment, petting him every so slightly as he sat on her lap with its little arms folded. “‘don’t worry bud, she’ll come over when she’s ready, she’s never seen the snow before, I bet you were excited your first time too.” He made a weird chirping sound before continuing to watch quite patiently. Devra was busy snapping pics and playing, Coal too, everyone seemed content for the moment, it was very quaint.

“‘I don’t think anyone would mind us travelling with the whole group out of their pokeballs, they’re not exactly a difficult bunch of Pokemon. You should keep her with you, she’s obviously enjoying it a lot.” A laugh escaped her as coal and Aliza collided with a skid and sudden stop, not bothered by the slippery terrain, or the tumble taken, back up in no time.

“I think I will. She’s having so much fun I don’t want to stop her.” She finished taking her massive amounts of pictures, going over to join peach on the log. Aliza kept going for another ten minutes before she came skidding to a halt, snorting from all the running she’d done. She then trotted over to Devra for attention, leaning into her for the pets she so desperately wanted. As the ponyta stood there she noticed the little dreepy, abd stretched her nose out to give him a sniff.

Dreepy hid, just for a brief moment, before slowly peeking out, touching noses with the pokemon, to get to know her smell. He seemed happy after a moment where they got to interact, Aliza reminded him of the other ponyta he had gotten to know, though not quite, and he couldn’t quite put his little mitts on why.

“I must admit, I’m worried about this Dragon type with all this snow around. I’ve seen nothing but ice types since we got here, hopefully he stays out of too much trouble, maybe the ghost in him will balance it out a bit.” Peach was unfamiliar with both dragons and ghosts, having had very few in her lifetime, mostly dual type grass or bug, making them much easier to work with, this Pokemon actually did unnerve her a little, she couldn’t help but worry about him constantly in the back of her mind.

“‘fire types are so straight forward in comparison hah!” The cluster of Pokemon around them all fell into the fire category, bar the little dragon, and you could tell, their ambient heat was slowly melting the snow where they sat, puddles forming around their feet over time.

“I’m sure he’ll be okay. Just got to keep him out of any fights for the time being.” She stood up after a minute to stretch. “Should we get going then? It looks like the little girl got her energy out for the time being.” Aliza snorted and gave Devra a little headbutt, making her giggle.

“sounds like a plan.” And so the group stood, brushed any snow off, and began their trek to the village close by, all Pokemon actually quite happy to walk together, aside from Val who took her watch post on Peach’s shoulder as per usual. It was however nice to see that little Dreepy being part of something now Aliza was out and about. He seemed a bit more confident for it.

“Hot coffee sounds amazing right about now, you really hit the nail on the head with that earlier.”

Aliza stuck close to Devra at they went, wanting to be close to the human that smelled like home. Coal on the other hand kept bounding ahead, keeping the group in eyesight. “So what area do you think we should go to first?”

[pynkhues]

.... any succession fic recs? 👀

Yes!! I haven't read a lot for it yet, but some of the stuff I've read has been staggeringly good. I'm generally more into gen fic in this particular fandom, but have enjoyed some Stewy x Kendall, Gerri x Roman and Naomi x Tabitha too.

A few recs under the cut!

“I wanted to get out. From under all this. Take the money and run.”

Kendall tells Stewy even though he knows he’ll never get it, not like Naomi does. He’ll never understand the crush of it, the heart-stopping head-fucking fear of failing a tyrant. Kendall’s been ignoring the shape of it for a long time, putting pieces of it together in the back of his mind in total darkness like a blindfolded man. It doesn’t matter that one day his dad will die. It doesn’t matter about the money or the hostile takeover or the stolen files or any of it. There’s no running. Kendall’s Logan Roy lives inside his head.

Stewy laughs. Stewy laughs for a long time.

“There is no out, Ken, what the fuck are you talking about? You were born this and you’ll die this. You are what you are, and what you are is a fucking Roy.”

Kendall hates him, for a moment. Lightning-strike furious. What the fuck does he know about any of it, about his dad’s swinging dinner plate-sized hands, about getting 24% name recognition in reliable international polling, about puking every time you think about a car swerving off the road in the rain. About finding out that you can do something unthinkably, unimaginably terrible, and it doesn’t matter to anyone you know but you. There’s a scar on his arm that no one else who hasn’t already been told how it got there can ever know about, and he’s sick of it, and it’s not fair. He hates Stewy for a moment because Stewy’s right.

“I wanted to do the right thing, Stewy, for once in my fucking life.”

Stewy laughs again, more briefly, and the predator flash of his eyes in the neon of the motel sign is a torture all its own.

‘There is no right and wrong, Ken. How the fuck do you not know that yet? Not for people like you. Like us. There’s shit you get caught doing and there’s shit you don’t.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about. You really, really fucking don’t,” says Ken, and fuck, there it is. The road less travelled, that only he has ever driven on. The path he’s down where Stewy can’t follow. That place beyond Stewy Hosseini where he never thought he could go.

“You’re not telling me something, and when I find out what that is, and I will find out what it is, Kendall, don’t you think I won’t, so I am warning you that when I do find out I am going to be righteously fucking pissed,” says Stewy, and if Kendall thought those were a predator’s eyes before—

“Yeah, you will,” says Kendall, because he knows exactly how perceptive Stewy is. Exactly how weak he is. Exactly, precisely what both of them are.

And treat this night like it’ll happen again by postcardmystery. 8k words. Kendall x Stewy. Post s2. (CW: internalised homophobia, some homophobic language)

I tried to pick a shorter excerpt, but I literally couldn’t, this fic is so. good. The voices are pitch perfect, and it’s got this incredible build to it overall that goes back and forth between time and point of views and just rips your heart out. The premise itself is pretty simple – after the press conference at the end of 2.10, Kendall calls Stewy, and they drive through rural America while Kendall has a breakdown, and it’s just - - unspeakably good. I love it so so so much, I have no words.

r/roysucks Connor’s gf just posted on Instagram (instagram.com) submitted two months ago by webbedscrum_2279 23 comments share save hide report

[–] DM_ME_SAMESMAIL 40 points two months ago I too like to escape to my yacht in the Mediterranean when my family and I are on trial for covering up rape and murder. permalink embed save report reply

AITA for accusing my father of multiple crimes on his own news station? By amleth 3k words. Gen fic. Post s2.

And now for something completely different – epistolary fic which is just reddit news threads of the Roy family drama. I love an epistolary fic and this is just totally charming, and made me laugh a lot out loud.

“You’re quiet,” she observes. “That’s a first.”

“Yeah, well, the Turks beat it out of me. Gave you a run for their money.” He waggles his eyebrows. “So what is this? Whips and chains? Are we doing the whole boat-sex thing? I heard Shiv and Tom are looking for a third —“

Gerri finds what she’s looking for: a black leather binder. She drops it on the bed and begins paging through it, and Roman cranes his neck enough to recognize that it’s just full of documents, not like, dick pics. “I’ve given some thought to what you proposed a few weeks ago, and I agree that we should make things official in some way,” she says, and he blinks.

“Uh,” he says. “Which — what part of it?”

“Take a look.”

Gerri closes the folio and hands it over. It’s deceptively heavy, and the print on these pages is way too fucking fine, he thinks, paging through it. “Is this some kind of, like, Fifty Shades of Roy sex contract? Because it’s not that I’m not into it, but I think there’s a strong argument for going paperless —”

“Strictly speaking, this isn’t legally binding,” Gerri says. “Just something I threw together with regard to our business arrangement going forward. But with no respect to the family — the past few weeks have really illustrated that no one should take anyone at their word right now. Give me a little more than your word.”

Evacuation strategies for a yacht on fire by devourthemoon. 11k words. Gerri x Roman. Post s2. Explicit.

After the events of s2, Roman and Gerri fake being married as a professional alliance, only, y’know, maybe it’s not so fake. This fic is just so, so much fun, and messy in the best possible way. The author nails all the character voices, and the sex scenes are just the right amount of hot and ridiculous, and I just love it all a lot too.

Kendall estimates it will take an hour for the first articles to go up. Some rapid-fire blog without oversight—the New York Post, maybe, or wherever those Vaulter hippies have skulked off to—will slap a catchy headline on it and report his words verbatim. Give or take a gif of his face when he switches to script number two. New York Times, Washington Post, AP, those fuckers take longer. They like to bleed the story like Middle Ages plague doctors for its marrow, fact-check and add context and analysis and as many backlinks as their servers can handle. Still, a couple of hours, and his face will be plastered on every major news outlet. His voice will play over the nightly talk shows. He’ll trend on Twitter. A few more days, and he’ll be the star of analysis segments, podcasts, weekly briefings. Maybe, fuck it, maybe he’ll trend on Twitter again.

It’s been years since Kendall read Shakespeare. But that shit sticks with you, gets under your skin and emerges when you least expect it, like eczema or Keynesian economics. He knows how the media will spin this. Kendall Roy Attacks CEO Logan for Years of Corruption. Prodigal Son Disrupts Family Legacy to Restore Credibility. That’s how Hamlet ends, right? And Macbeth, Lear, Othello, Romeo and Juliet, even Titus fucking Andronicus. The spilled blood sinks into the ground, the seedlings sprout forth from the soil, and a new castle is built on the bones. Order out of chaos, or at least close enough an approximation that the tabloids will buy it.

Legacy for profit by owlinaminor Post-2.10. Kendall Roy. Kendall through Shakespeare analogies – just - - ooooof. It's a beautiful, lyrical character study that weaves through Roy family history and teases at a future none of them are even sure they want. It's gorgeous writing.

For the next few days Shiv would have to keep the pressure on Kira like an open wound because there were other women, victims that Nate’s people were going to find one by one as soon as that phone call disconnected. Mo was her father’s friend, good friend, for a long, long time. Nate and Gil, Sandy and Stewy, too many sharks in the water and the share price probably dipped to a new low but she would never check a stock ticker. Her husband’s nerves fraying at the edges on national television. She had promised a woman she’d never met before that she would kill roughly one third of the top male executives of her family’s company. Her company.

The last look Rhea gave her before she shut the car door was concern close to fear—no longer the same woman who heard their pitch in the safe room, who laughed with her at Argestes. Rhea had only looked into the abyss; she got cold feet and she didn’t even know what it’s like to grow up in it.

Her family’s company is hers, will be hers. Even from a whale fall, new life would spring.

Feed his flesh to wayward daughters by reogulus. 2k words. Shiv Roy. Set during 2.09.

This entire fic is set around Shiv bribing Kira not to testify, and god, it is so good. It’s bleak and rough, and really hones in on the complex ground Shiv walks as a character. It's another brilliant study of what it takes to be a Roy, and the way they make the awful choices in order to fulfill this legacy that they don't even know they want.

Kendall sets down his fork. “So. Tell me. Is it everything you wanted? Is it what you thought it would be?”

Roman stills. He never does that. He’s constantly a menace in motion, slouching and fidgeting, worse even than Kendall at his amphetamine peak. “What? The view from the tippy-tippy-top?”

“His regard.” Kendall wipes his mouth with the edge of the white cloth napkin. It comes away pink from the steak. “Dad. He’s all yours now.”

Roman still hasn’t moved. Finally, he lurches, like corroded machinery come uncertainly to life. “Yeah, man. It’s fucking tight as hell. I love every beautiful daddy and me moment I was a good enough little boy to earn.” He snorts. “Fuck you.” His face goes curiously slack then, like something Kendall’s own face would do. An intermission in the performance, an energy cut. Something genuine finding its way to the surface. “Why don’t you tell me. When you got everything you wanted, how the fuck did that make you feel?”

Nauseous, is the first word that springs to mind. Sick. Scared. I’ve never had everything I wanted, there’s that. I’ve never once had a single fucking thing I wanted. There’s that, too.

Interim leadership by arbitrarily 2k words. Roman + Kendall. Post s2.

I love Roman and Kendall scenes generally, but this one which features Kendall and Roman meeting for the first time a few months after the press conference in 2.10 is just a bit magic. The push pull dynamic that's just inherent to them mixed with the genuine affection and brotherly love is really special, and arbitrarily embraces both in equal measure. It's a great little fic.

There are lots more of course, and I'd also recommend checking out other works by these authors, but I hope this is a good place to start! :-)

[blazinbeautywrites]

Woman Crush Wednesday

Note: Due to the rampant uprising of plagiarism on this site and others I am stating once and once only that this is my ORIGINAL work. If I find out that you have stolen/taken any part of my work I will handle you and the situation the way I see fit.

None of the pics or gifs I use belong to me unless stated otherwise. Full credit goes to the originators of said gifs and pics.

A/N: I’m proud of myself! I’ve been on the roll with the content. As you know I’m doing Smut Week, which you can find here. Anyways here’s day 3 WCW.

Length: 687 words

Genre: Smut

Tasha had tried Richard for the last time. They were currently chilling in her apartment and he was fuming. He checked his ig and saw she made a post for WCW. Normally he wouldn’t mind, but this particular post had him pissed. Tasha had posted her best friend as her WCW. The thing is, her best friend is also her ex. Richard felt a little disrespected but instead of letting his anger get to him, he decided to just sit in silence.

“Oh my god are you still mad at me for posting Bria? It’s not that serious, Rich.” Tasha said.

“Yall used to fuck……..of course I’m mad. Why you ain’t just post a celebrity like a normal person?” Richard asked.

“Bruh stop being a little bitch and get over it.” Tasha said.

“Mira, I don’t know que jueguito tu estas jugando conmigo like I won’t fuck your shit up.”

“Excuse me? Boy you can shut that shit down right now. You ain’t gon do shit.” Tasha said. She laughed and went back to scrolling on her phone. Next thing she know her phone’s being tossed on the couch and she’s being tossed over Richard’s shoulders.

“Okay since you wanna keep talking shit, let’s put that mouth to good use.” Richard walked into her bedroom and threw her onto the bed.

“What the fu-”

“Shhhh babygirl. Now come over here and suck daddy’s dick.” Richard said. Tasha looked up at him and smiled. She knew she was about to get it. She moved to the end of the bed and pulled down his sweats and watched them pool around his ankle. She turned her attention back to his hard dick, staring her in the face. She took him in her hand and began stroking him slowly. Richard watched as her white acrylic nails contrasted nicely against his beautiful brown skin.

“Mmmmm, I can’t wait to taste you. Feel you moving in and out of my mouth.You want that baby?” Tasha asked as she looked him in the eyes, stroking him.

“So fucking much.” Richard moaned. After a few more strokes, she took him deep into her mouth. Her lack of a gag reflex was something Richard always loved about her. He felt himself hit the back of her throat and he nearly exploded. Tasha bobbed her head in an agonizingly slow pace, annoying Richard. He grew impatient and began fucking her mouth. She was caught off guard, but let him have his way with her. She let go of his length and relaxed while he fucked her face. She leaned back on her hands and let him use her as he pleased.

“Mmmmhhmmmmm.” Tasha hummed. The vibrations sent shockwaves through Richard as he fucked her mouth. He felt his orgasm fast approaching and he grabbed the back of her head and pushed her until her lips touched the back of his dick. He shot his load deep into her throat, making sure she took all he had to offer. He pulled out and watched as a line of spit and cum dripped out of her mouth.

“You’re so fucking nasty.” Richard sighed as he grabbed her neck and kissed her. He licked some of his cum off of her lips and used his tongue to push it back into her mouth. They made out until she finally pulled away for some air. She smiled at him and stroked his cheek.

“You still mad at me?” She asked timidly.

“No but I’m not done with you just yet. I said imma fuck you up and that’s exactly what I’m gonna do. So I hope you called off work for the next few days cuz I’m fucking you into next week.” Richard answered.

“Ooooo. I can’t wait…….daddy.” Tasha smirked.

“Yeah you better say my name.” He said. He pulled her in for another kiss, a more gentle one, as he caressed and squeezed her breast.

Tasha knew she was in for a treat. Pissed Richard was the best and she knew she’d be confined to her bed the following day. Mmmm maybe she should make him mad more often.