#piece 1 of 5 (at least) for the ball: done

[badassindistress]

My hoopskirt is done~✨

[starlightbuckk]

recents reads for me <3

Love You 'Til The End | perpetual_wallflower on ao3

summary: Buck offers up a date with a firefighter, himself, for a silent charity auction and ends up exchanging letters with a secret admirer and a first date set for Valentine’s Day several weeks away that will change his life.my thoughts: this was soooooo sweet, def one of my fav valentine fics i read this year. i particularly also was drawn to this characterization of eddie.

the rollercoaster | dqstcrdly on ao3 and twitter

summary: Buck has a manic episode. He slowly descends into the throes of mania, and the people who love him notice that something is wrong. All of them, particularly Eddie, are there to help him pick up the pieces in the aftermath. my thoughts: a fic you think about forever. buck's descent into the manic episode is deeply emotional and by the end i was crying.

I’ll tell them put me back in it (and I would do it again) | paleredheadinascifi on ao3/ palwritesfics on twitter

summary: Eddie doesn't know how to make his listening history private. Buck doesn't know what to do with the words in front of his eyes. Chris cannot believe he has to deal with either of them. my thoughts: i read lots of fun, lighthearted fics this past month and this one was no exception. silly boys who are in love with each other, one of whom does not understand how spotify works. chris was especially funny in this one.

the parts we play | @calinaannehart on ao3 and tumblr

summary: Buck isn’t a firefighter, he just plays one on TV, or at least that’s what he’s about to do. He’s offered the chance to shadow the 118 to learn what it’s like to be a firefighter. Eddie is fed up with these Hollywood types turning up and feigning interest in the job that he loves. Buck, however, is nothing like that and everyone can see the connection they have. my thoughts: okkkkk this is totally not what i would usually read (famous aus), but i loved it. it was interested to read a fic where eddie is the one confident in his sexuality and not buck, i enjoyed the dynamic and would love to see more of it done.

just like magic | weewooforever on ao3/ maydaydiiaz on twitter

part one of the witch eddie cinematic universe

summary: eddie diaz is a witch and his magic leads him right to evan buckley. my thoughts: have been LOVING!! this witch au, this is part 1 of i think 5?? and the series is ongoing. very lighthearted and sweet.

the mortifying ordeal of being known | Polish_Amber on ao3/ @the-amber-raven on tumblr

summary: the AU where miscommunication abounds as Eddie seeks advice about his new relationship, Bobby despairs over his adopted son's career prospects and his refusal to talk about it, and Evan Buckley-Nash juggles training at the fire academy, building a family with his new boyfriend, and trying to work out how to tell his overprotective dad that he's already chosen the life he wants, actually. my thoughts: this was fantastic. i need to make my way through the rest of the series. i honestly eat up any bobby and buck father-son relationship and this one was done in an honest, yet unique way.

plant new seeds in the melody | @bibuckleyforever on ao3 and tumblr

summary: Eddie's all but given up on dating when he meets Buck at the scene of a call. Chimney and Hen think of it as a sign from the universe. Buck and Eddie think of it as a chance to finally get the love story they've always wanted. my thoughts: sweet, different first meeting alternate universe. love when one of them isn't a firefighter because i love seeing what jobs authors have them do instead. this will be reread.

fill me full (of love and desire) | tiredwrites on ao3

summary: when buck comes in stormy-eyed and brimming with anger, they all confront him to get the full story and find out he's fresh off a breakup, has blue-balls, and is reeling from the reveal his ex has a micropenis, so what does eddie do to make it better? he loves (and fucks) buck better than tommy ever could. and finally makes buck realize he's been eddie's this entire time. my thoughts: this was Everything. i went from giggling to in awe of how well-written this smut was. i am so sorry tommy (not really), but i am not sorry for how well buck got fucked.

Look How They Align | allyasavedtheday on ao3/ @littlespoonevan on tumblr

summary: In which Buck has a crush on the hot dad of the new kid in his daughter's class. The hot dad who also happens to be his new co-worker. Yeah, this is fine. my thoughts: there is a scene in chapter two of this fic that made me cry. i love single dad+different first meeting aus. the relationship that grows between the 4 of them is simply so special and i loved reading it.

hope I make it through the night | arcanaphora on ao3

summary: Eddie and Buck go on an awkward first date. my thoughts: hehehehehe this is kinda canon for me. idc if its not realistic. i am a firm believer that buddie's first date will be awkward as hell bc neither of them know how to date someone they have actual feelings for (let alone their best friend).

as always, give a reblog, a follow, or share your fic thoughts.

later this week i will be posting my first rec for a specific prompt/trope. i'm excited for this one, it's one of my favs.

if you have any requests for a specific prompt/trope recs, leave it in my ask and i'll add it to my list <3

[billveusay]

Why I love mechas/real robots stories

In 2023, I played Armored Core 4, For Answer, and 6. And I loved them. On top of being incredible games, there was something about them... something that seemed to scratch an itch just right in some part of my brain I never noticed. A few months later, I got into Gundam and apparently loved it enough for it to become my biggest special interest ever. And for a while, I wondered why. I didn't like every gundam show/movie I watched but the ones I liked... seemed engaging beyond their individual quality. Something about them giant robots just works for me. And after giving it some thought, I think I finally nailed why.

Coldest take ever : there's something appealing about works of fiction that get crazy with scale. Larger than life, you could say, whether it's in terms of worldbuilding, action or aesthetics. Galaxy spanning civilizations are cool, huge armies are cool, big monsters are cool, big explosions are cool. However, for me at least, there's a threshold where the scale gets so big it becomes meaningless. This is why I kinda bounced off DBZ and 40k. Through no fault of theirs, mind you (DBZ is awesome and 40k... contains awesome stuff), they just weren't what I was looking for. Because most of the time, what makes stories click for me is immersion, so for the stories that go BIG it often means a human point of view to put the scale in perspective.

Now, this can be done in every genre or medium featuring large-scale setpieces, using their respective tools. For example, many action movies emphasize the size of their setpieces with grounded directing, filming at shoulder height looking up and making the big stuff break frame. However it's also baked in the very core of several genres. For example, it's a building block of Lovecraftian horror.

But not only is this contrast between human-sized and big as balls a large part of real robot stories, they also let the human-sized humans bust some big-ass balls. You can have fight scenes on par with Avengers or DBZ but inside the 20 meters tall death machine, there are relatable squishy dudes, which is an immediate +5 in investment for me.

However, this specific kind of appeal is a hard balance to strike. Super robot animes and superhero stories with giant piloted robots often don't have that tangible feel. But there are also pieces of media that lean harder on the "realism" aspect, and those tend not to work as well for me, because they don't give off the same sense of awe at seeing something incredible from a grounded POV. Real robot at its best is a bridge between immersive storytelling through human eyes and wild, massive concepts, setpieces and action. It also provides nice theming if your story is about humans being small in the face of overwhelming forces beyond their control, like war or capitalism. Funny how often that happens.

In Armored Core 6, the titular mechs are 10 meters tall, and they're mostly used to showcase how everything is even more bloody gigantic. There's a robot worm that's 1,5 km long, a walking mining ship boss that's 5 km long and 1 km tall, and if you're not familiar with it, just google "armored core vascular plant". In most games, this would probably pull me out of the story, but somehow it works here. Because despite only interacting with them through radio comms, the characters feel very believably human. With human feelings, motivations and relationships. Also, they did a great job making all the technology look and feel grounded, which helps the immersion. So er... yeah. Can you tell me if that made sense ? Or if I was just pointing out the obvious, because I genuinely can't tell. In any case, thanks for humoring me in this longexplanation of why I didn't watch Gurren Lagann. Cheers!

[feyburner]

hello mister feyburner sir i am in need of an easy flatbread/tortilla/something round that i can stuff with stuff recipe, do you have some that have done you right or some of your own? i can make rotis and that is the only thing i know so i would be forever thankful if u shared something new with me 🫡 thank you for your service towards the culinarily challenged

Oooh yes. I love making naan (if I don’t have yogurt on hand I use buttermilk* or coconut cream/milk), crispy flaky scallion pancakes and paratha (great paratha video here), tortillas, and this Tibetan-style pan bread (watch Jacques Pepin make it here).

*Homemade buttermilk: 1 Tbsp white vinegar or lemon juice:1 cup milk. Stir together and let sit 10 min to thicken and curdle. Generally works with nondairy milk as well.

Tips:

Watch videos especially for the flatbreads that require folding to get layers. Easiest way to see how it should look at each step.

Make sure to let the dough rest at least 20-30 minutes at some point before rolling out and cooking!! Resting is not a skippable step—when dough rests the flour absorbs moisture and becomes nice and hydrated. Whenever I am making any kind of bread, whether a flatbread or a loaf or cinnamon buns, I always stop after mixing the ingredients together and let it rest at least 10 minutes before kneading. The difference before and after resting is huge. Wet sticky dough turns beautifully smooth and workable.

Keep your pan nice and HOT. You want flatbreads to cook in like <4 minutes total. If it’s sitting there in a low-heat pan for 10 minutes before it starts browning, it’s going to be stiff and tough.

Err on the side of undercooking. You can always toss it back in the pan for a minute or so if it’s a little too tender, but once it’s overcooked it’s stiff forever.

Hope this helps!! I love making flatbreads to go along with dinner. There’s nothing better than homemade curry and garlic naan.

My personal quick (no yeast) naan and tortilla recipes:

QUICK NAAN (NO YEAST)

(Yeast naan is best!! But this is for when I’m running late and crunched for time lol.)

200g (1.5 cups) flour

250g (1 cup) plain full-fat yogurt

2 tsp baking powder

pinch salt

+

optional:

2 tbsp butter

1 tsp minced garlic

1. Whisk dry ingredients together. Add yogurt. Mix together.

2. Knead on clean, floured surface 1-2 minutes until dough is a firm, sticky ball.

3. Divide into 6-8 equal pieces. Cover and let rest 15-20 min.

4. With floured rolling pin, roll out into 6-8” circles.

5. Heat pan (no oil) over medium high. Cook naan 2-3 minutes per side until brown spots appear.

6. Melt butter and garlic together in microwave. Brush finished naans with garlic butter.

TORTILLAS

360g (3 cups) flour

1 tsp baking powder

pinch salt

+

1/3 cup olive oil

1 cup warm water

1. Whisk dry ingredients together. Add oil and water in 2 additions, cutting in with spatula until a ball forms.

2. Knead on clean, floured surface until smooth, 1-2 minutes.

3. Divide into 12-16 equal pieces. Cover and let rest 15-20 min.

4. Lightly sprinkle each piece with flour. Roll out into 6-8” circles between sheets of parchment paper.

5. Heat pan (no oil) on medium high. Cook tortillas 2-3 minutes per side until brown spots appear.

[queenie-official]

Chapter Fourteen: ‘Distractions’ Bridgerton Au!Anakin

part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

a/n: first of all i would like to say a big thank you to all of you ���� you’ve gotten me to 300+ followers 🥹 i wanted to get this out sooner as a treat but i knew it’d be much more of a gift if i waited and put all my focus into this💋 that being said this chapter has smut 👀

one would think with three heads working on all the preparations to be done for the big day it would be fast. you quickly realized how wrong that thought was, so much to be done in such a short amount of time. you probably would of had more time had you not spent so long avoiding the problem and pushing people away but you tried your best not to dwell on something you could no longer change. No you had much more pressing matters to attend to like planning a ball and a race. oh and figuring out what to do with the now former members of the royal court who’d betrayed the kingdom.

the simple solution would be off with their heads- a solution you secretly favored, it seemed right to you. an eye for an eye kind of deal, and they did kill your father. unfortunately it was your father who’d put an end to the death penalty and to bring it back for the death of a monarch- the same monarch who spoke of his people as equals, would suggest that his murder weighed more than if someone of the Ton was murdered and their killer was caught.

which in a way his death did weigh far more but that wouldn’t make it any less of a scandal in the eyes of the people. not to mention Lady whistledown would have a field day, she was quickly becoming one of the number one tabloids for all of the hottest news. it would be easier to look over if everything she wrote wasn’t true in a sense.

so now you’re stuck with the choice of damaging Alderaan’s image, one of peace and equality or resurrecting the old image of Alderaan your father fought to change. the Clock was ticking and everyone was watching, waiting for the next course of action. to simply throw them in a prison didn’t feel severe enough for the crime that was committed, personal bias or not they killed a king.

to distract yourself from the passing time you focused your energy into working on the ball with Padme. was it working? not at all but you liked to pretend it brought you at least some piece of mind. picking out color themes and what food was to be served, you ended up consulting Anakin quite a lot to your surprise- not because he had good taste in decorating but mostly because he’d attended enough balls in Tatooine to provide you with an idea of certain differences you could possibly include.

your goal was to find a way to intertwine both Tatooine ball traditions and Alderaan ball traditions. that was the whole point of hosting the Tatooine races in Alderaan to begin with, to unite the two kingdoms and become closer ally’s outside of a simple marriage arrangement- and of course showing them that all was well. the new king still lived and what happened in the past was not affecting the current.

you’d already written to Anakin’s parents to flesh out the details, and as it so happens they would all be coming to both view the races and join in the ball. so yes maybe you also wanted to impress them, and make them feel more welcomed. this would be the first time your meeting his father and sister after all. although you weren’t really scared of meeting his father at all, it was his sister you worried about.

you knew from what Anakin told you before that she was a good person, but you also knew from what he’d told you that she wasn’t exactly keen on you yet. that was an added pressure for the day to come, but Anakin repeatedly assured you that Ahsoka would go easy on you. which to be honest did not do that much to ease your mind but as he put it you’ve done nothing wrong and shouldn’t have reason to worry. which of course is easy for him to say as he knew the full story whereas you weren’t even sure Ahsoka knew you weren’t the one who made the arrangement to marry him.

the only thing you didn’t technically have to worry about was the races, Anakin was handling all of that himself- occasionally consulting you when needed. that of course didn’t stop your mind from thinking something might got wrong. Anxieties plagued your mind more often than not.

it was late as you found yourself mindlessly tracing circles on the desk in your new study- you couldn’t bring yourself to step back into your father’s after everything that happened, it was too much. you found grief strange in that way, what once brought you comfort as if it were a piece of him left behind was now tainted with the stains of a previously unknown tragedy. even looking at the door of it evoked a heart wrenching emotion from you. “you seem stressed” Anakin’s voice pulls you from all of the thoughts in your mind, looking up at him from where you’re sat as he enters the study closing the doors behind him.

had he even knocked? you weren’t entirely sure but even if he had you doubt you’d have heard him. “how can i not be” you huff letting out a small sarcastic chuckle before leaning into the palm of your hand, watching him as he now rounds the corner of your desk.

standing behind you he places his hands onto your shoulders, gently massaging the exposed skin. the robe that had covered them was resting on the back of the chair, you’d gotten hot with it on and didn’t think anybody would be up late enough to see you in just your nightgown. “well maybe i could help?” he offers his voice raspy from sleepiness. it brought a chill to your spin, your skin prickling with goosebumps.

“how could you possibly help?” to the defense of your oblivious nature, it truly was late in the night and you really weren’t thinking straight. your question doesn’t go unanswered even though he laughs, leaning down so that his face was at the crook of your neck.

warm breath fanning over you as he speaks “well i am your husband there’s quite a few ways i could help, the one i have in mind however could also serve as a nice distraction.” you feel your face heat up as you realize what he’s hinting at, you find yourself unsure of what to say or do.

he places a soft kiss to your neck as he waits patiently for you to react. turning in your seat to face him completely as he stares down at you, the look in his eyes making you burn. the usual pale blues swallowed by blown pupils, he was being completely serious and you felt your stomach swirl.

as a women you aren’t entirely taught as to what happens in the bedroom- society often shuns it, though thankfully for you Padme had given you a brief rundown as to what happens so you weren’t entirely left in the dark. an explanation however never translates to how it’ll truly feel, what you where currently experiencing for example was entirely new and barely anything had happened yet. it was strange but you felt thrilled in a way, excited for what could possibly come and also nervous. a very odd combination, but as the silence dragged on and the look in Anakin’s eyes burned hotter you felt your mind run blank ready to allow him to guide you completely in this moment through each new feeling.

you give him a soft nod that makes him smile, taking your hand into his and gently tugging you to your feet. “let’s take this to a more comfortable place then” he keeps hold of your hand as you walk out of the study and down the halls towards your bedroom, mindlessly rubbing circles with the rough pad of his thumb. it was silent in the castle, all of the servants sleeping.

the only thing you could really hear was the sound of your own heart pounding in your chest the closer you got to the room, you started to grow nervous again and you could only hope Anakin hadn’t noticed. ever the intuitive person the second he turns to you as you enter the room and the door closes he notices immediately. “you alright?” he asks concerned, cradling the side of your face with one of his hands.

you nod whilst leaning into his touch, he stares at you for a moment in deep thought before he speaks up again. “y/n if we’re going to do this i’m going to need you to use your words okay?” he phrased it as a question but you could tell by the tone of his voice it was a command. “okay” the response came out quieter then you’d meant, you couldn’t bring yourself to speak up though.

feeling shy from the intensity of his stare and power behind his words. “do you trust me?” he asks with a tilt of his head, moving his hand down to the base of your neck.

“this is my first time-”

he cuts you off with a chuckle “that’s not what i asked.” there’s a brief silence before you answer “i trust you Anakin.”

his eyes trail down to your lips as the words leave your mouth. “have you ever thought about it?” the question makes your face burn again, had you thought about it before? maybe a little, mostly out of curiosity. since marrying him however, well you’d be lying if you said you haven’t thought about it more often than you should.

“is it going to hurt?” you dodge his question with one of your own, his gaze returns to your eyes.

“not if i do it right.” not entirely promising in your mind, did he know how to do it right? you had to fight the urge to ask that question out loud. “we’ll take it slow” he uses his free hand to bring your hand to his lips, placing a gentle kiss to the tips of your fingers. “you say you trust me, so don’t worry so much. i’ll take care of you” he adds to further reassure you, you let out a soft breath as he finally pulls you closer to him. his lips now hovering above yours “i’ve got you” he closes the gap between you both, kissing you soft and with purpose. showing you just how much he cares.

it’s slow at first, his thumb subtly tracing your jaw as you relax into his arms. that’s when it picks up, he sucks your bottom lip as he moves both his hands down to your waist pulling you flush against him.

your whole body ached for him, you couldn’t resist threading your fingers through his hair. tugging slightly on the soft curls causing him to let out a low hum of delight. guiding you towards your bed with his body, never breaking the kiss until you fall back onto the bed. panting as you catch your breath before he crawls on top of you, kissing your lips again before trailing kisses down your jawline and to your neck.

tilting your head so he has more access when he kisses the delicate skin. opening his mouth and sucking gently, the feeling makes you mewl and you can feel him smile before trailing back up to your face. he looks down to your chest, reaching up to the strings of your nightgown before looking back up to you silently asking for permission to continue. “please..”

the plea seemed to spur him on, quickly pulling the strings loose and removing the gown entirely leaving you in just your underwear. your body on full display for him, he looked over you. soaking in every detail, you thought you’d shy away from his gaze but the way he was staring. like you were the most beautiful person he’d ever laid eyes on, but then the look on his eyes changed to hunger. it made you squirm, and he couldn’t help but groan at the sight. “you don’t know what you do to me” he says in a low growl that sends heat straight to your core.

“Ani-” he cuts you off with a open mouth kiss to your right breast causing you to gasp. the sound doesn’t go unnoticed by him as he sucks gently, leaving a small hickey before kissing down your stomach stopping just above your navel.

“Are you ready for this?” he asks while looking up at you, lips swollen from kissing all over you. he looked ethereal. “we can stop at anytime.” he quickly added, wanting to make sure you felt comfortable and safe as he hooked his fingers over your underwear waiting for your answer before he pulled them down.

"I am yours to do as you please." you answer in a sudden burst of confidence, he liked that answer. pulling your underwear off with a fervor "You'll be the end of me." he mumbles as he lowers his face between your legs, gently pushing them open and taking a good look at you. he moaned at the sight. your legs spread, thighs wet with arousal that dripped down showing just how much his actions affected you.

he didn’t hesitate to dive right in, licking up the mess he’d caused. the feeling had your head spinning, an intimacy you never felt before. so passionate and pleasurable, and he was skilled.

moaning into you, sending vibrations in all the right places as his nose nudged your clit with each movement. your hands gripping the bed sheets from how intense the feeling was, moan after moan slipping out of your own mouth that just made him groan more.

it wasn’t long before he deemed you ready enough for one of his fingers, slipping it inside of you slowly not stopping until he was knuckle deep. it didn’t hurt but it felt old at first, your body adjusted quickly as he moved it. you must not have given him the reaction he wanted because he added a second finger about a moment later making you gasp. both fingers now pumping in and out of you and they reached so deliciously deep inside.

you were completely lost at this point, head growing foggier with every passing moment. you hadn’t even realized what was happening until you felt the wave crash over you. he worked you through it, before carefully pulling his fingers out.

you open your eyes panting as he moves back overtop of you, face wet with your slick. the sight alone works you back up again. he leans forward, resting his forehead against yours as he catches his own breath. “You’re doing so well.” he says softly before kissing you on the lips, he didn’t start off slow this time- instead kissing you passionately and groping your breasts.

you moan against him and he takes the opportunity to slip his tongue into your mouth, subconsciously beginning to arch into him. everything he did was driving you crazy in the best way, and you couldn’t help but want more. you tug on his shirt causing him to pull away from you, a string of saliva keeping you connected. “want to see you to Ani” you practically whine at him.

he’s quick to remove his sleep shirt as well as the pants he’d half hazardly tossed on when he initially went to wonder the castle leaving him solely in his underwear just as you’d been.

he gives you a moment to take him in before he finishes, you can feel him watch as you trail your eyes down his body. paying extra attention to how toned he was and the way his tanned skin seemed to only glow warmer in the candle light. god he was beautiful in every sense of the word.

“you can touch me too you know, i am yours as much as you are mine.” his statement snaps you out of your daze, looking up into his eyes with a light blush on your face. he gives you a smile, always teasing you any chance he can get. you don’t try to resist his offer though, reaching out and placing your palms against his chest. caressing his abs before testing out the waters and running your nails against him. he shuttered at the feeling, his bulge becoming a bit more obvious when you notice it twitch.

to say it escalated quickly from there would be an understatement, you didn’t even have time to process him take off his underwear before he was spreading your legs and lining himself up. “i’m going to go slow okay, if it hurts i need you to tell me okay sweetheart?” the sweetness of his words helped ease your mind.

“okay” you breath out a bit nervously before he begins to push in. the stretch of him stings, not painfully so thankfully. but it was still odd, not as odd as him being inside of you. the feeling was foreign but with each inch he sunk in further the feeling began to stir into something else.

both of you moan out once he was fully inside you, filling you up in all the right ways. you can tell he’s holding back as he looks down at you, brows creased in focus. “you doing alright pretty girl?” the nickname makes you burn, that familiar warmth going straight to your core. you nod, finding words difficult from how flustered you are.

“come on, remember what i said? you gotta use your words” he gently reminds you, cradling your face with one of his hands and gently running his thumb over your bottom lip. you wrap your legs around his waist shifting slightly to get more comfortable, the movement making you both groan.

“doing alright Ani, want you to move please.” you say with a slight pout and you feel him twitch inside of you.

he doesn’t hesitate to move after that, beginning to pump in and out of you slowly. taking his time with you, he was doing it that way for your sake but god was it practically torture. teasing you with what’s to come and when one of his hands travels down slowly tracing circles around your clit, you can’t take it anymore.

“Anakin Please, move faster” you beg, small whimpers escaping your lips in between each word. you claw at his back as he begins to pick up the pace. your eyes fall shut as the pleasure takes over, forcing yourself to take in gasps of air in between breathless moans.

"Don't close your eyes. Look at me." he demands, snapping his hips roughly. you force your eyes open doing your best to maintain eye contact as he pounds into you, bringing you closer to a second climax with each thrust. “That’s it, taking me so good sweetheart” he coos into your ear, you felt like you could cry from the pure bliss you were in. his words making your whole body flush, burning from his praise and the newfound pet names.

Anakin grabs one of your thighs pulling your leg up higher and adjusting the position your in so that he’s going even deeper, the new depth making you see white. you could feel it building this time, the familiar wave growing closer.

Anakin’s voice rasping out a string of praises, practically babbling in your ear as he grows close as well. “let go for me” that was the final push you needed for the cord to snap, your body spasming beneath him. it took you a moment to register the added feeling of his cum pouring into you. the warmth coating your insides and spilling out as he fills you up.

panting as you tried to catch your breath. he waited for you to calm down before pulling out. then he laid himself down beside you and pulled you into his arms.

you could feel how fast his heart was beating in his own chest from the exertion, your own heart beating in a similar fashion. slowly you found your thoughts again, processing the new milestone you shared as you breath him in.

Anakin kisses the top of your head before moving down and burrowing himself into the crook of your neck. “I love you y/n” he whispered against you, not wanting to raise his voice in fear of breaking the quite intimacy of the moment.

you run your fingers through his sweaty hair, scratching lightly at his scalp and feel him relax against you. “i love you too Ani”

it was safe to say he’d done what he’d set out to do. all the stress from your body was gone as you lay together, a mess of limbs.

part 15

Tag list: @luvvfromme @gatekeepingirlboss @bimbo-baggins86 @iluvanakinskywalker @bby-imasociopath @curlycarley @burnthecheshirewitch @misscaller06 @sweetcheesecakesblog

okay a few things- first off this is my first time ever writing smut so i hope it doesn’t disappoint 😭 (it’s lowkey been eating me alive that i’d completely fail writing it) another thing i know i said chapter 14 was going to be big with all the stuff in one go but it was getting way to long for one chapter imo, so i decided to break it up into different parts. but don’t worry because i will be posting all these parts simultaneously so don’t worry the next part will be up in a few minutes (about 10-15 since i want to space them out) 💋💋 i hope you lovies enjoy 🫶🏼

[hbyrde36]

It's Only Forever

R: Mature | WC: 4931 | | Ch 6/8 | Read on AO3 | Mild Sexual Content

[Penny Art - Eddie's Introduction] [Penny Art Link - The Ball]

[SissayeRys Art Link]

Ch 1 Ch 2 Ch 3 Ch 4 Ch 5

Chapter 6: Magic Dance

Feat. a new art piece by @penny00dreadful!!!!!!!!! 😍

Tick, tock.

The further the unlikely fellowship of strangers-turned-friends got from the bog, the more the trees surrounding them began to fill out. Bare brittle trunks and branches were replaced with dense bark and vibrant leaves.

They were headed into another forest.

Great. 

Thankfully, even as the humidity eased, the air remained warm and free from falling ash—or whatever that stuff had been—and these woods lacked the vague yet distinctly sinister vibe of the last Steve had trekked through. He allowed himself to relax, knowing that, either way, at least he wasn’t alone this time.

“So, what’s in the castle that’s worth going to all this trouble for anyhow?” Jonathan asked from his perch atop Argyle’s shoulder, his poofy tail bobbing with each of the gentle giant’s footsteps.

Steve swallowed hard, the ever present guilt for what he’d done, unintentionally or not, sitting like a lead weight in his gut. “My little brother.”

“Oh,” Jonathan replied softly.

Argyle threw a sideways glance at Steve, smiling without a hint of judgment on his face. “Tell us about him?”

“Dustin—he’s thirteen, a huge dork, and the biggest pain in my ass,” Steve began simply, returning Argyle’s flash of teeth with a grateful smile of his own.  

“But he’s also the best little brother anyone could have. My mom and dad split up when I was really young, and before I knew it, mom was remarried with another baby on the way, and I—” he broke off with a little shake of his head, and stared out into the trees. 

“I should have been there for him more. It all feels pointless now looking back, but I was so busy trying to live up to what I thought I was supposed to be that I just… ignored him most of the time. Worse, like a total asshole, I was mad at him for still managing to stay his dorky self, no matter how much our parents tried to train it out of him. And Instead of protecting him from the same pressures they’d put on me, I was… jealous. I love that little nerd, and I need him to know that. I have to fix this.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll help you get him back,” Jonathan said, patting his steed on the head. “Right, Argy?”

Argyle nodded enthusiastically.

A little too enthusiastically, and the only thing that kept Jonathan from tumbling off Argyle’s back was a firm grip on the creature's horns. 

“Sorry, little dude,” Argyle murmured sheepishly. “Just excited to help. Y’know, I’ve always wanted a brother.”

Jonathan’s tail began to wag in earnest, his mouth dropping open into an unmistakably pleased canine grin. “I’ll be your brother!”

Argyle roared in celebration, spinning himself and his newfound brother around in circles as they rushed ahead through the trees shouting, “You hear that?! I got a brother!”

Steve chuckled at the display, turning around to share his laughter with Robin only to find her some yards behind, jogging towards him. 

When she caught up to where he waited for her, Steve tried to apologize, feeling terrible for not realizing she wasn’t with them, but Robin took one look at him and spoke first, interrupting.

“That’s not fair!” She huffed, annoyed, glaring at the top of his head. “How did your hair go right back to normal?!”

Steve tossed his head around, shaking his hair out before running tentative fingers through it. It did feel much less voluminous already, but without a mirror he’d have to take her word for it that it was already back to its former glory. Robin, however, still looked like a poodle who’d accidentally electrocuted itself. 

“Superior hair care products?” He offered with a shrug.

She grumbled something like, “superior hair care products my ass,” and together they turned towards the direction of Argyle and Jonathan’s voices, still hooting and hollering in the distance.

“Hey, uh, by the way, I found… I found this,” Robin said, resting a hand on Steve’s arm, stopping him, just as he was about to suggest they hurry and catch up before the others got too far away.

“I thought you might be getting hungry.”

Steve looked down as she pulled something from her pocket, and found resting in her hand the plumpest, most delicious looking peach he’d ever seen.

She was absolutely right. Steve was starving, and by the time the sweet smell of the ripe fruit reached his nose, he was already salivating. He could have kissed her. It was like she’d read his mind.

“Thanks, you’re a lifesaver!”

His hunger was suddenly overwhelming, and Steve didn’t hesitate to take the peach from her palm and dive into it, barely chewing before swallowing his first bite. The juice that rolled over his tongue tasted a little funny, but he imagined that was to be expected. Of course fruit from the labyrinth might taste different from what he had at home, and honestly he was famished enough not to be picky about it. 

On his second bite, the strange flavor, almost metallic in nature, settled on his tongue again. Everything from his lips, down his throat, and all the way to his stomach felt warm and tingly, as though he’d taken an extra large swig of cheap vodka. Not entirely unpleasant, but it made his head swim. That, and the fact that his entire body was breaking out in a cold sweat, set off alarm bells in his brain. 

“What…” Steve spat out what was left in his mouth, but he already knew it was too late. “Robin, what have you done?” 

The world tipped on its axis, sending him stumbling into a nearby tree, the remains of the peach falling from his grip to roll away and lay forgotten on the forest floor. He sank to sit at the base of it, looking up into Robin’s tear filled eyes as she slowly backed away from him. 

“Damn you, Eddie!” She cried out, adding softly, “and damn me too,” before turning heel to run.

Steve took a deep breath, opening his mouth to call out to…

To… 

To who? 

He was traveling with others, he was almost sure. 

Maybe he should go find them.

Hmm.

Where was he anyway?

And why was he sitting on the ground?

Didn't he have somewhere he needed to be?

He tipped his head back to rest against the rough bark of a tree that seemed to be propping him up. Standing seemed like way too much work, and the trees sure were pretty here.

And if he did have companions, surely they’d notice he was missing and come back to find him.

The wind picked up as he mulled it over, and the swirling air felt wonderful as it dried the thin layer of sweat sticking to his skin. It also brought along with it a handful of bubbles, like those you might blow with soap and a small round wand in your backyard in summer; iridescent, shining, and magical, except these were as big as Steve’s fist, and seemed to hover with a purpose around his head. A head that grew heavier by the second as he slumped further and further down the base of the tree, till he was nearly laying down atop its roots. 

There was something familiar about them, beyond the fact that they were bubbles. Something niggling at the back of Steve’s mind, equal parts unnerved and intrigued by these perfect, clear spheres. 

As he gazed into them, hazy images appeared. 

Couples in formal dress, dancing in circles across a polished marble floor. 

A crystal chandelier swaying gently back and forth, some distant light glinting off the many faceted strands that hung from it. 

A stunning stranger, lurking in the dark. 

And finally, Steve saw himself, standing in the same swath of shadow wearing a beautiful white suit of intricate design. 

But that couldn’t be right. If he was here, how could he be there? Or… was he there and not really here? Or maybe he was just tired, and in need of a nap.

Yeah.

Steve stopped fighting, and finally let his eyes fall shut. 

Everything would make a lot more sense when he woke up.

Steve stood at the edge of a sprawling dance floor, the shining tips of his heeled boots resting on the invisible border separating the center of a grand ballroom, the area meant for dancing, from the round banquet tables surrounding it on every side.

Slowly he took in his surroundings, getting the strangest sense there was something he was missing—no. Something he’d been looking for. 

Something, or someone he needed to find.

Hanging high overhead were a dozen or more enormous chandeliers, dripping in crystals that caught the room’s light, reflecting and refracting it to throw glittering rainbow patterns all along the white stone walls. 

Countless couples, all donning elaborate masks of various shapes and sizes, textures and colors, spun round and round the space to the sweeping and romantic melodies played by an unseen band.

The women wore exquisite full ball gowns. Their voluminous silhouettes with billowing sleeves, fine details of lace, beaded bodices, and other delicately embroidered designs were incredibly eye-catching. 

The men, wearing their own finery, were a bit more reserved—

Save for one. 

Weaving his way through the pulsing sea of bodies, Steve moved towards a dark figure in the crowd. It was a man, his mask unlike any other, starkly black, and adorned with the likeness of a goblin, topped with long devil-like horns. Though he held the covering up in front of him concealing most of his face, the mass of dark curls and deep brown eyes that peered out from behind it spoke of a beauty that no doubt extended to the rest of the man’s form.

He was unmatched in dress, outfitted with a distinctive double-breasted coat that cinched at the waist, accentuating the man’s lithe figure, the length of it fanning out to the sides and behind, hanging practically to his ankles. It was satiny black, with swirling floral accents and creeping ivy done in a dazzling midnight blue. A cluster of roses in the same dark hue clung to one shoulder, cascading down his arm to settle at his wrist.

Underneath it all was a bare chest wrapped in nothing but a black lace waistcoat, see-through enough to allow even more of the pale flesh beneath it to peek out, riding just above a pair of skin tight pants which left very little to the imagination.

Steve saw it all in a flash before the many dancers between them turned, and his handsome stranger was swallowed up by the crowd.

Of all the things Eddie might have expected to come out of Steve’s subconscious—a high stakes basketball game, with himself as captain at the helm of the winning team, perhaps? Or whatever other pointless pursuits spoiled rich boys and stuck up jocks dreamt of.

A Masquerade ball certainly wasn’t high on the list. 

Who was he kidding, it wasn’t even on the list.

Perhaps it was time to admit to himself that maybe there was more to Steve than met the eye. 

Eddie entered the extravagantly decorated ballroom and immediately began stalking his way around the perimeter, sparing little more than a glance at the beveled floor to ceiling columns wrapped in shimmering gossamer fabric—or the fine linens, in layers of white, gold, and silver that adorned the tables, their centerpieces made up of glass bowls of varying size overflowing with fragrant blossoms, white jasmine and gardenia.

And he paid no mind to any of the figures performing their elegant dance. He only had eyes for one of this soiree’s attendees. 

Steve. 

He had to find him, and see if the spell really worked.

A task, it turned out, that took barely any effort at all. Seconds into Eddie’s search, the crowd parted in such a way that left a clear line of sight straight across the dance floor. 

And there Steve was, sparkling like a diamond in the center of it all, a flawless, precious stone whose mere presence made everything around it seem dull in comparison. Or maybe a pearl was the more accurate analogy, with the way his crisp white suit shone, standing out in a sea of muted color. 

Embossed with a thick mesmerizing pattern of trailing stems, leaves, and thorns, and laden with glittering beads sewn in, the jacket was expertly fitted and uniquely cut to perfectly frame an impressive swath of chest hair—just begging for someone to come along and run their fingers through it—wholly visible through the sheer white top he wore beneath.

His crown of hair, impressive as it’d been before, was now impossibly styled to defy gravity and reality itself, with its ornate swirls and swoops, decorated with flashes of silver and gold, sparkling jewels, strands of iridescent pearls, and a few delicate sprigs of baby’s-breath.

Eddie might be the king here but it was Steve who truly looked like royalty now. Someone deserving of the truest love and deepest devotion. A figure worth serving—worth falling to your knees for. 

And underneath it all—the magic, the attitude, the trappings of the Goblin King, Eddie was still just a man. 

Powerless to resist.

While Eddie was busy staring it seemed Steve had taken notice of him too, and began walking towards him. 

In a moment of panic, Eddie took advantage of a passing couple, using them for cover as he vanished from sight. He reappeared in a different corner of the room, leaving Steve wearing a puzzled expression, head swinging back and forth around the floor, searching. 

Had Eddie’s spell failed?

There was definitely something in the other boy’s gaze, in those seconds when they’d briefly locked eyes, some spark of recognition. 

Except… Steve didn’t seem in any distress. Surely he would be at suddenly finding himself in these unusual surroundings if his memory was intact.

As Eddie watched from his new position, Steve picked his way through the assembly, his eyes constantly scanning the crowd until again they locked eyes. Eddie's heart pounded in his chest as he watched Steve’s mouth spread into a sly grin. Steve took two steps forward, and for a second time Eddie magicked himself out of sight.

Only now, he moved closer instead of away, placing himself just behind the other boy’s broad back. 

It was now or never.

Still holding his mask up with one hand, Eddie reached out with the other, settling his palm on Steve’s lower back, and leaned in to speak softly in his ear. “Looking for someone, sweetheart?”

With a quiet gasp, Steve whirled to face him. 

On the outside Eddie made sure to put on a confident smile, but inside he was on his guard, waiting for Steve to pull away, to be scared, to be angry… something. But the boy in front of him only bit his full bottom lip, his cheeks turning the most alluring shade of pink.

Eddie had never wanted to taste something more than this boy’s mouth ever in his life. 

“Not anymore,” Steve replied, reaching up to wrap his hand around the stick Eddie held, pulling the mask away from his face and letting it fall to the floor. “I think he just found me.”

Feeling suddenly unmoored, and breathless, Eddie fought to keep his cocky persona in place and not squirm under the scrutiny as Steve openly admired his suddenly bare face.

“Do I… know you?” Steve asked, narrowing his eyes a little, but quickly shook his own head, not waiting for a response. “Sorry, that was a silly question. There's no way I could forget meeting such a beautiful creature.” 

Everything from the base of Eddie’s neck to the tips of his ears went hot. In an effort to hide the sudden blush that was sure to be wreaking havoc on his paler-than-pale complexion, he took one of Steve's hands, raised it to his lips, and kissed the back of it. 

“Eddie,” he introduced himself, looking straight into Steve's captivating hazel eyes with his mouth still inches from his skin. He had to do something to regain a little footing in the wake of Steve’s charm.

“Steve,” the other boy replied with a tilt of his head, when Eddie finally let him go. “Can I confess something to you, Eddie?”

Eddie studied his face for a long beat, looking for any sign that this was all an act, a ruse to throw him off guard, but Steve really did seem to have no idea who he was.  

He nodded.

Steve stepped into him, sliding his hands up and over Eddie’s shoulders while he leaned in close enough to press their bodies together, their cheeks brushing as he whispered into Eddie’s ear. “It’s my first time. I think it might be best if you lead so I don’t embarrass myself.”

Eddie’s breath hitched, and he found himself clinging to Steve’s lapel to steady himself. “W-what was that?”

Steve let out a low, breathy chuckle. “Dancing, Eddie. It’s my first ball, of course.”

Oh and if Eddie didn’t already want to eat him alive.

“Of course,” he repeated back, squeezing where he gripped Steve’s hips for a moment before backstepping, forcing Steves hands to slide back down over the length of his arms so he could take hold of them again, leading the other boy in a turn away, only to snap him right back in so they danced chest to chest. 

Steve’s smile was wide when they came crashing back together, his eyes sparkling with it, and he tossed his head back with delighted laughter.

It was the second time in as many minutes that Eddie saw and heard what Steve was like when he was happy, when he was enjoying himself and not running for his life, or searching for his brother. 

It wasn’t something Eddie’d gotten to see very much in his spying, or since. But he supposed that was his own fault… wasn’t it.

Right.

As they danced Eddie did his best to ignore the uncomfortable feelings, the guilt and shame threatening to bubble up to the surface and ruin everything, and remember what the goal was here. But Steve really was something else, coy one moment, and pressing himself into Eddie the next with a confident smirk. 

It was all too easy for Eddie to let himself get lost in it, to forget who he was supposed to be, who Steve was supposed to be, and enjoy it—just for a little while.

“So, why me?” Steve asked as the music slowed, and the pace of their dance along with it.

For a split second Eddie panicked, thinking of only one reason for the question, but Steve quickly went on.

“I mean, to look at you I wouldn’t exactly think I was your type. And let’s be honest, you could have your pick of anyone here.”

They definitely made an unusual pair on the surface. Even discounting their greatest difference, namely that Steve was a normal human boy, and Eddie was… whatever he was. They were all contrasts. Dark and light, like the sun and the moon herself.

But what was one without the other?

With a little shake of his head, Eddie tugged Steve in close by his hips. Then, with a supportive hand, guided him back into a low dip, leaning over his stretched body. The urge to lick his stomach through the thin fabric was almost overwhelming. “Have you seen yourself, sweetheart? You are quite literally the belle of the ball.”

Eddie brought him back up carefully, until they were practically nose to nose.

“I bet you say that to all the boys,” Steve said, breathy and a little demure, but he also tipped his head in acknowledgement. 

He knew exactly how good he looked.

Eddie was in so much trouble.

“Tell me something about you. Something no one else knows.”

It was dangerous territory, unless Eddie was willing to make up stories, and it was probably well past time to give up the charade, but Eddie just couldn’t find the will to stop.

Still, he chose his reply carefully.

“I know I look like a winter, but deep down, I'm an autumn.”

Steve rolled his eyes, playfully swatting him on the shoulder. “You know what I mean, something real.”

Real. 

It was such a foreign concept to Eddie at this point, and something he only allowed himself to be when he was alone with Chrissy, or just, alone period.

“I… I had an uncle—Wayne,” Eddie began hesitantly. “I, uh, lost touch with him some time ago.”

“You miss him.”

It wasn’t a question, but Eddie nodded anyway. “He and my dad didn’t get along. Couldn’t blame him, my old man was a piece of work. Made it hard for Wayne to see me when I was a kid, but whenever he did manage to steal me away he made sure I knew I was loved. I don’t even know if he’s still alive.” 

Eddie didn’t realize he’d started welling up until the first hot tear escaped from the corner of his eye. Before he could reach up to wipe it away Steve was already there with a gentle stroke of his thumb.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you sad,” Steve said quietly.

“Don’t be. It’s—I don’t let myself think about the past very often, but it’s kinda nice to talk about him, even if it hurts.”

“Okay—” Steve cleared his throat, as if seeing Eddie upset had made his own voice thick with it too, before speaking again. “How about… sunset or sunrise?”

“Are we playing twenty questions now?” Eddie asked, casting him a crooked grin.

“Maybe not the full twenty. I wouldn't want to bore you.”

“Not possible,” Eddie countered without hesitation. After everything he’d seen the other boy accomplish and overcome, he knew nothing, not even a mundane conversation with Steve could ever be boring. 

“Again with the flattery,” Steve tsked. “What’s your answer?”

“Sunset,” Eddie said finally, after making a show out of thinking about it as they made another turn around the room. “Sunrise almost always means something has gone horribly wrong and I've stayed up far too late. What about you?”

“Personally I think it depends on what sort of activities have kept me awake so long past my bedtime. Watching the sunrise in a lover’s arms, for instance. It sounds… romantic, don’t you think?”

Eddie made a noise low in his throat, deep and rumbling. He could picture it all with ease. Steve in his bed, the wide open windows of his bedchamber giving them a perfect view of the sun’s first light as they lay tangled together, sweat still drying on their skin. 

“Is it too late to change my answer?”

Steve laughed brightly, a knowing smile playing on his lips.

They danced in comfortable quiet for a while, eyes fixed on each other as they moved to the music as one, finding their rhythm together whenever one song ended and another began, until a particularly melancholy tune filtered through the air.

Their movements slowed to the point that they were simply swaying in place, holding one another. And though they were still surrounded by other couples, it felt as if they were the only two people in the room.

“What are you most afraid of?” Steve whispered into the space between them. 

Eddie could have gone easy on himself, gave a more standard answer like spiders, or snakes, something tangible, easy to understand—easy to dismiss with a laugh or a scoff. But it seemed he was under Steve's spell just as much as Steve was under his, and so, truth.

“Ending up alone forever.”

Steve’s eyes swam as he held Eddie’s gaze, the wetness there spilling over as he answered in kind. 

“Me too.”

They weren’t even dancing anymore. 

Eddie took Steve’s face into both of his hands, returning the favor of drying his cheeks. “Not heights?” He asked, hoping to soften the heavy and bring a smile back to Steve’s face. 

“How did you know?” Steve asked, and there it was, a small but growing upturn of lips. “But not my biggest fear. In fact, I’ve always thought that with the right person by my side, I could handle just about anything.”

Mirroring Eddie’s own stance, Steve reached up to cradle his face and surged forward.

The moment Steve’s lips met his, Eddie lost all sense of space and time. There was nothing but the softness of his mouth, and the sweet taste of him. The way their tongues danced together, as their bodies had been doing all night, like they already knew each other intimately.

They separated too soon, bumped by another pair of dancers in passing, and Steve looked as gone as Eddie felt. 

He grasped Steve’s hand and led the way through the crowd, eyes searching for a doorway, a hallway, a dark corner—anywhere they might be able to be alone.

Nothing. 

As they reached the end of the room Eddie waved his free hand at the wall. From one blink to the next, a pair of french doors appeared in the middle of the once solid surface. Without stopping or even slowing down, Eddie pushed them open, and he and Steve walked out onto a wide terrace under a midnight sky.

The only light came from the stars above, but even in pitch black Eddie’s lips would have had no trouble finding Steve’s again. Like muscle memory they came together in the shadows, kissing like it was a need greater than air.

Eddie groaned as Steve’s hands wound into his hair, fingernails scratching, gripping lightly at the root. His own hands made their way south, finding heaven in his palms as he at last allowed himself to touch the swell of Steve’s ass, caressing and kneading the supple flesh through too many clothes. 

With a desperate whine, and without breaking their kiss, Steve forced Eddie back until his body met wall, and he found himself sandwiched between hard stone and Steve’s firm body.

Steve's mouth wandered from Eddie’s lips to the side of his neck, sucking a bruise into the delicate skin of his throat before moving down his chest, to where bare skin was cut off by clothes. Still, Steve continued to slide down his body, hot puffs of breath  making Eddie shiver even through fabric as Steve slowly sank to his knees.

In his current state, Eddie wasn’t exactly sure if he could die or not, but if he could he was pretty sure the sight before him would have sent him into an early grave. But goddamn, at least he’d go happy. 

Steve rested his hands on Eddie’s thighs, gripping tight as he leaned in to nuzzle his cheek over Eddie’s groin, where he was already almost painfully hard, had been halfway there since they started kissing. 

He wasn’t sure he’d ever been looked at or held like an object of desire before, and he hadn’t been touched at all in… well, decades. Even before he came to be in the Labyrinth, as a queer boy in the middle of nowhere in the 80’s, he wasn't exactly drowning in dick.

Steve mouthed at his length through the cloth, tilting his eyes up as he reached for Eddie’s waistband, as if asking for permission.   

And sure that’s why he dragged Steve out here, but that was in a moment of weakness. He… he didn’t think. 

Or maybe he just hadn’t dared to hope. 

But it wasn’t right, not like this, not when Steve was being deceived in such a complete way.

He had to stop this now before it went too far. 

“Wait—” Eddie said, the word choked off as he fought back a moan.

But Steve didn’t seem to hear, too lost to Eddie’s body and his own desire.

“Steve, stop—” Eddie managed to force his voice to sound strong and steady. Steve froze, looking up with confused eyes as Eddie bent down and helped him to his feet. “You don’t want to do this, trust me. You wouldn’t want me… if you knew.”

Steve was only more confused, the look in his eyes quickly bleeding into concern. He reached up, tucking a stray curl behind Eddie’s ear. “If I knew what, baby?”

Baby.

Eddie shivered, his grip on Steve’s arms tightening. How had he ever harbored such awful thoughts about him? The sweet boy he’d met tonight and, let’s face it, the dedicated brother he’d seen all along but chose to ignore, willing to do anything, and risk it all to get Dustin back. It didn’t matter that Steve wished his little brother away, what mattered was that he's sorry, that he knew he made a mistake and wanted to make it right.

“What I’ve done. What I am,” Eddie answered, leaning in, resting his forehead gently against Steve’s as he whispered the admission.

“What are you?” Steve asked, just as softly.

“A fool.”

Eddie knew now what he had to do. 

With one final feather-soft brush of lips, he let Steve go, stepping back to squeeze his eyes shut. He imagined this reality resting inside the protective bubble of one of his crystal balls, the walls holding it together clear as glass and just as breakable. In his mind he raised one closed fist in the air, and with a flick of his wrist spread his fingers wide.

The unseen explosion sent a shockwave through the air, shattering the ball into a million pieces, breaking the vision along with it.

Consequences be damned.

Chapter 7: Thirteen O'Clock

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[tepkunset]

Rating all* the Hellfire Gala 2023 Outfits in my Correct Opinion

*At least, all that I can find, because Marvel decided fuck making that easy in a little book or a single post like last year.

(Long post alert!)

Iceman, I love most of this look. The accented orange is perfect for the mostly blue look, and I love that he has a matching earring for his cuff-links. Such a nice touch! But those rubber boots, man... those rubber boots ruin it for me. 8/10

Fisk is giving off some Doctor Doom vibes with this outfit. I love the regalness of it, especially the golden leaves behind the ear. 9/10

??? I'm not sure who this is, but their outfit looks like they're going to a Halloween party rather than a gala. 3/10

Emma, oh my god, YES. Almost always delivering, and this is definitely one of those cases! 10/10

Xavier... I hate to say it, but I genuinely love this look. He's bringing major space man vibes, and it's super elegant at the same time. 9/10

Bishop doesn't even get points for effort. He got a red suit then slapped some belts on it. Boring as fuck. 1/10

I was about to write another "???" because I had no idea who this was, until it occurred to me that I think this is supposed to be Scarlet Witch? Except she is super duper whitewashed, so I did not even recognize her. Auto-failure regardless of the look. 0/10

Proteus looks moderately snazzy, but out of the Five is the least interesting in my opinion. 3/10

Egg has a cool coat, but those balls around his neck are way too big and awkward. 4/10

Hope looks a little like a fairy princess here, and I like that! 7/10

Tempus looks like she's going to a prom more than a gala, and I don't know what's going on with that giant shoulder piece. Did Cable lend it to her or something? 4/10

Elixir, my golden boy, is embracing the shiny and I love it! 9/10

Exodus seems to be trying out a new costume rather than a gala look, but in terms of style, it's fine. 5/10

Vision's outfit is as boring as he is. 1/10

Miles, holy shit. Miles should be giving lessons to everyone else on how to actually make a suit look unique! Bishop, take notes. 9/10

Old Laura looks like she's dressed for a gothic funeral more than a gala, but at least that's to her style rather than some crazy OOC look. So, points for that. 5/10

T'Challa... I. Am. Swooning. I know he's not a king right now but damn does he ever look like it in this outfit. The beautiful patterns and complimentary colours, holy shit. 10/10

Synch has certainly done way better in the past. It's just a plain black suit without a shirt, for fuck sake. 2/10

Captain Marvel looks like she's a marching bad, lol. The stars in the hair are a nice touch, though. 3/10

Jean's look is, I know, divisive. I've seen some people say they adore this design, and some people say they hate it. I'm personally on the fence. I think it would be better without the stupid helmet, that's for sure. And I think it looks a little too much like an Emma Frost design, if you were to just colour it white. 5/10

Fantomex? Where the fuck have you been? Anyway, he literally just looks like he always looks but with some sunglasses lmfao. 0/10

Dylan looks like a moody teen as ever, lol. I do like the black and white though. 6/10

Black Cat... Like I said, I like black and white together, but this is giving me too much Cruella de Vil vibes. 4/10

Mary Jane just picked up an evening gown off the rack I guess. 2/10

Firestar, I think? Not actually positive if it's her. Anyway, the sleeves are a bit too much for me, but I love the fiery frills on the cape. 5/10

Thor looks so ugly here lmfao I'm sorry but I hate this look. It's way too clunky. 0/10

At first I thought this was Kwannon, but then I remembered seeing panels and I believe it's Kitty/Kate. Anyway, I like the lace-up boots and I like the frills. 7/10

Hellcat looks like she's took some inspiration from a wrestler's pre-fight look, and I like that. It's simplistic but just enough stylish to pass. 6/10

Nova, going with a tits out look as well I see. I like the feathered shoulder pads, and I like the skirt. 6/10

Moon Knight, oh my god, I have a strong feeling it was Steven who pulled the strings to get a gala look, because there's no fucking way Marc or Jake would be caught dead there. Anyway, this is exactly the type of vibe I would expect from MK, maybe even a bit more playful than that with the mesh part of the top. And I really like it up until the strange boots. He and Iceman must've compared notes or something. Still, 8/10

Psylocke - now THIS is Kwannon for sure! I like the classical ninja meets evening gown look, and I like that she's sexy but not to the point of being objectified, which is a refreshing change for how artists often treat her. 8/10

Destiny and Mystique I will rate together because the score is the same: A what the fuck level of 0/10.

Forge looks fucking awesome, especially compared to last year. I love the fringe and the scarf and the jewellery and the cane... it's a complete look that gives me great vibes. 8/10

Cyclops, come on, man. You can do better than this, can't you? He looks like Mister Sinister dressed him or something. 1/10

Cuckoos look like they stepped off the set of Tron: Legacy. Or a Daft Punk concert. Not complaining to be clear, this look fucks. 10/10

[samanitamusc-art-ia]

Funguary Week 1 Recap

I wanted to do a recap for each week of Funguary going over the pieces I've created so far and the inspirations I took from their real-life mushroom counterparts!

This is gonna be a pretty long one, so everything will be under the cut!

(CWs - Trypophobia, body horror)

Day 1 - Veiled Lady

My main source of inspo was obviously the 'veil' that gives the veiled lady mushroom its name, but I was also heavily inspired by the statue that came up every time I accidentally searched just 'veiled lady' without specifying that I was looking for the mushroom. Her giant fly friend is based off the fact that most stinkhorns like the veiled lady attract flies with rotten-smelling slime called gleba to spread their spores.

I liked the idea I had going, but I would probably draw it differently if I did it again. The lighting's a little too bright for my liking.

---

Day 2 - Chicken of the Woods

This one is relatively self-explanatory. What if the chicken mushroom was actually... a chicken??? Insane, I know. I was also inspired by the game mechanic in Pokemon X and Y where you got to pet your Pokemon and take care of them. Despite never having owned a Pokemon game, I remember playing on my friend's DS just to pet and feed the little guys.

This one came out well considering how rushed it was. I had a killer headache the whole time, so I was really just desperate to get it done. I would prob make the shading stronger if I had to do it over.

---

Day 3 - Spotted Cort

I was inspired by this one particular image of a spotted cort I found. It looked so mystical I knew immediately I wanted it to be a crystal ball. The spiderwebs in the corners were inspired by the cort's 'cobweb-like' partial veil (as described by wikipedia at least lol)

I am very happy with how this one came out. It was right in my comfort zone - I love playing around with purples and strong, directional lighting.

--

Day 4 - Morel(?)

Technically I cheated on this one - that spooky fella is actually a false morel, not a true morel. I was inspired by the hollowness of true morels and the freaky-looking insides of the poisonous false morels, which combined to become a morel skinsuit with a false morel hidden inside.

This is another one I'm pretty proud of. This kind of shading is exactly what I was going for with the Veiled Lady. Plus it was fun messing around with color theory fuckery.

---

Day 5 - Enoki

The fungi making up Enoki's designs were originally going to look like snakes with eyes and everything, but I couldn't fit the eyes in the resolution I was working with. On an unrelated note, hyphae are the branches of filament that make up the mycelium of a fungus!

Out of all the pieces I've made so far, I think Enoki's my favorite in terms of character design.

---

Day 6 - Inky Cap

---

Day 7 - Wrinkled Peach Mushroom

For a while I straight up thought this mushroom was fake. It looks so unreal. Not much to note in terms of inspo - I thought the mushrooms were pretty, so I wanted to make a pretty character to match.

I don't use pastels too often since I prefer rendering harsh lighting, so it was fun to step out of my comfort zone. I'm pretty happy with the results.

---

Final Thoughts

Altogether a great first week! I'm more proud of myself for not missing a day than anything else (if you count Day 6 lol). I look forward to the next!

[fridayincarnate]

Fic Questionnaire

Thanks for the tag @jaynesilver! Oops, this has been sitting in my drafts for ages. Better late than never....

1. How many works on AO3?

19, currently.

2. Total AO3 Word Count?

167,690 (and many more languishing in WIP docs, lol)

3. Top 5 fics by Kudos?

Break the Lock if It Don't Fit (Kylux, T, 4k) It cracks me up that this is number one when most of my work is longer and smuttier, but I'm glad this little hurt/comfort fic resonated.

Diplomatic Indulgence (Kylux, E, 13k) The progenitor of the "weird space fruit as lube" tag. Smutty political intrigue, slave outfit Hux, Supreme Leader Kylo as both psychic and oblivious, etc.

Into Retrograde (Kylux, E, 27k) My 2022 Kylux big bang project with @annihilatings, a fun pre-canon adventure with Kylo and Hux on the run in the New Republic after Kylo's mission goes wrong. Yes, this is the one with the zero-g smut.

The Thaw Will Come When It Is Good And Ready (Kylux, E, 15k) Within hours of meeting Snoke's new apprentice, young Major Hux gets stranded on an alien planet with him. They'll have to either learn to work together or die in a blizzard.

Lift Up the Receiver, I'll Make You a Believer (Kylux, E, 6k) Kylo senses intense, heated thoughts coming from Hux's quarters. They have phone sex about it.

4. What fandoms do you write for?

Star Wars sequels (Kylux, Hardinal, Hitaka). I'm currently working on an Arcane WIP (Jayvik) along with a few Star Wars WIPs.

5. Do you respond to comments?

I love responding to comments! It really makes my day to receive a nice comment, and I really enjoy chatting with people about fandom and sharing behind the scenes info about my writing.

6. Angstiest Ending?

A Traveller From an Antique Land, one of my pieces from @kyluxshortshorts last year. I haven't done many angsty endings, though I like a bit of angst along the way.

7. Fic with the Happiest Ending?

Probably The Art of Delegation. Hitaka lends itself more easily to fluff than Kylux and Hardinal, IMO. But most of my fics have hopeful or bittersweet resolutions... for the POV characters, at least. "Happy" for Kylux usually means "unhappy" for the rest of the galaxy!

8. Do you get hate?

Not yet. I hope it stays that way.

9. Do you write smut?

Yes. 42% of Friday fics come with free smut!

10. Do you write crossovers?

Not presently. I'm not opposed to it for the right idea.

11. Ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge. (Other than the AI scraping that stole all of our AO3 fics.)

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! My first Kylux fic, A Concession Bound in Salt, is available in Russian here. Break the Lock if It Don't Fit is also available in Russian. Both translated by Our_Own_Star_Wars/Lenuchka on AO3!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

As the delightful and talented Jayne mentioned in her answers, yes, we are working on a large Kylux project together! I've been having a ball with it. Literally, in one particular chapter... 😉

14. All time favourite ship?

My "all time" favorite today isn't the same as my "all time" favorite 10 years ago and likely won't be 10 years from now. But I will say that Doctor/Master will always have a special place in my heart for being the first OTP I was really bonkers about way back in Ten's era. So will Kylux for being the first ship I shared fic about. Most recently, Jayvik has crawled inside my brain and seized control like a Yeerk.

15. WIPs you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

For various reasons I'm unlikely to finish Strange Orbits, the first Kylux longfic I started posting on AO3, but never say never. These days I generally don't start posting longfic until at least a draft is done so I don't leave people hanging.

16. Writing Strengths?

I've received some very kind comments about characterization and dialogue. I like to think I'm funny when the situation calls for it, lol.

17. Writing Weaknesses?

Setting descriptions and brevity. Overthinking prose and plot also tends to slow me down during the writing process.

18. Thoughts on mixed language dialogue?

Tricky to pull off. If it makes sense for your writing, the characters, and the audience (or you're okay with some of the audience not getting it, or you have footnotes) then it can be cool.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

The first fandom I wrote anything "serious" for would be Mass Effect.

20. Favourite fic you’ve ever written?

Of the fics I've finished, I think By Any Other Name may be my best. Writing from Cardinal's POV is a fun challenge. I am quite excited about a couple of my current WIPs, so stay tuned... eventually. No promises on timelines with all of the (gestures at everything), lol.

No pressure tagging -- anyone who wants to do this! (I lose track of who's already been tagged, especially when I'm late to reply.)

[eclecticwitchbitchsworld]

Homemade Attraction Oil (for attracting money/success/ect.)

Hi! first thing's first, this is an easy way to make attraction oil that is not to be confused with attraction oil used for attracting love or potential partners. This oil is specifically intended for attracting other things and opportunities. Again, this oil is not intended for attracting love or potential partners, but rather opening up new opportunities for you in life and opening new doors. This oil is made to increase your luck and prosperity, so if you feel like you're in need- please try out this recipe! Any ingredient listed can be substituted out for one of similar correspondence to really make this working your own- just do what feels right. This is a recipe brought to you straight from Lazarus and I, so I do hope you try it and enjoy. -Leviathan

Step 1: Find a jar or container to hold your oil- substitute the amount of each ingredient depending on the size of your container.

For us, we chose one glass bottle with a cork for each of us - and filled them up about a quarter of the way full with a carrier oil. Our oil of choice was extra virgin olive oil, though you can substitute that for coconut oil or almond oil if you prefer. It is ultimately up to you.

Step 2: We began adding our ingredients in this order:

clear quartz and citrine crystal chips

frankincense resin (an odd touch from Lazarus but fuck it, we ball)

gold mica powder for a little umph (it is not necessary for the attraction oil itself, do not fret)

at least 5 pieces of Star Anise

several juniper berries

a healthy pinch of rose buds

some ground ginger root

next, we moved on to the essential oils.

sweet orange, juniper, and the smallest pinch of rose. Remember, this is a different kind of attraction oil.

Step 3: Creating a sigil for the bottom of the container/side of the container to really set our intentions

Using one of several methods available to us, Lazarus and I workshopped an attraction sigil to put at the bottom of each container we made. Once we agreed upon our sigil, the working was done and we had finished our attraction oil. :

Each ingredient amplifies our intention in different ways. The star anise amplifies your luck, the clear quartz chips amplify any and all intention, citrine attracts wealth, abundance, success, ect. Juniper berries for attraction, good luck, and prosperity, ect. As you can probably tell, each ingredient was carefully chosen to promote a different intention, all leading to this very powerful concoction we like to call our own brand of attraction oil. Try it for yourself and see how you fare!

[lazyvase]

TMNT LEGENDS: Class Fit Ranking 5 (Final)

There are five classes in TMNT LEGENDS: cunning, might, tech, spirit, and swift. These classifications are largely inconsequential, for they don’t affect stats and abilities. All they determine is how much damage you do to an enemy, and how much damage an enemy does to you.

As such, I can rate the matchup between a character and a class purely superficially. All I need to consider is the character and the connotations of the word. We may also consider the characters they are weak and strong against (class wise) if need be.

The matches will be graded 1 through 5. 1 meaning that they should’ve been a different class. 5 meaning that they must be this class.

Today we go over:

CUNNING

Karai: 5/5. I'm almost tempted to put the "Gee. I wonder if the class based specifically on this character will be the perfect fit." copypaste phrase here. The cunning class fits Karai to a T. She's constantly outwitting and outmaneuvering her opponents. She gets Leo with the smoke in the eyes trick three times. Speaking of Leo, Karai is also able to manipulate him through... methods. Regardless, when I think of cunning, I think of Karai. I especially like how this means that each one of the Hamato siblings are a different class. You can have them all on one balanced team.

Shinigami: 5/5. Now one would think that Shinigami would be in spirit class. After all, she is a witch. However, she doesn't use magic all that often, or at the very least nothing impressive or useful. The closest she gets to a magic based attack is summoning bats at Super Shredder, and trying to use hypnosis on Tiger Claw. Her magical prowess is rather lacking. However, what little prowess she does have is used to mess with and trick her foes. Her tactics and tricks consistently give her an edge. And for that, she goes into cunning. Also, obviously the Karai connection.

Fishface: 5/5. Originally I though Fishface should have been Might instead. But after some consideration, I realized that cunning fits him better. Fishface has no shortage of cunning due to his life-long experience as a thief. Fishface showcases his cunning ability through his manipulation of Jason and his whole Mr. X charade. He also proved his cunning by ditching the Foot Clan when zombie shredder showed up. Furthermore, Fishface being in the cunning class also acknowledges his dynamics. Being in cunning, Fishface is a counter to Raph, reflecting their rivalry. Also, Fishface is countered by Rahzar, reflecting their distaste for one another.

Stockman-Fly: 3/5. More smart than cunning. Some of Stockman’s greatest scientific work is done as a fly. However, his plans never go well. He doesn’t get demutated. His bug army fails. He demutated when he realizes he doesn’t want to be demutated. His mutation of Shredder has major downsides. Overall he's more of a scientist than a schemer.

Chris Bradford: 1/5. While he was able to fool Mikey for a bit (which is not difficult at all), he ultimately dropped the ball. A common occurrence for him. Most of his plans fail. Especially his attempt to take the turtles down with him. That backfired incredibly for him.

Pizza Face: 4/5. Very effective plan. He had the whole city on lock.

Shredder: 4/5. Shredder has had no shortage of schemes to take down the turtles and Splinter. And while he's often short-sighted. He's typically one step ahead of the turtles. The alliance with the Kraang. The creation of more mutants. The whole Karai-bomb trick.

Rat King: 5/5. While there's a good argument for him being in the Spirit class due to his psychic powers, ultimately he belongs in the Cunning class due to his manipulation of Splinter. He knows exactly which buttons to press. Not to mention as Victor Falco he did a pretty good job of fooling the turtles.

Armaggon: 2/5. While a skilled foe, Armaggon is no schemer. His plan to use the abandoned space station blew up in his face. His mere presence jeopardized his attempt at stealing a piece of the black hole generator. But in all fairness, who's idea was it to hack into Raph and Mona's emails? This guy.

Bebop (Bunny): 2/5. It's not 1/5 because:

Casey Jones (Movie): 2/5. You know, he's gonna be a detective someday. In all seriousness, throughout the movie he consistently outsmarts Bebop and Rocksteady (world’s lowest bar). He also got the drop on the police chief twice. While Movie Casey has a tendency to outsmart his foes, his targets aren’t exactly impressive. I mean, a rhino and 2 pigs? Come on.

Donatello (LARP): 1/5. HE IS LITERALLY CASTING SPELLS (in game). HE SHOULD BE SPIRIT. This is at least excusable

Leonardo (Original): 4/5. Being the leader takes cunning.

Shredder (Classic): 1/5. Krang has said it better than I ever could and more times than I can even count: “You metallic moron!”. Shredder at least tries to have successful plans.

Slash: 4/5. At first thought, one would think Slash is Might, what with being massive and having a huge spike ball. However, him being cunning makes sense. In his first appearance he was doing horror movie shit to the turtles. He was incredibly efficient in taking them down. He even was somehow able to perfectly imitate Leo's voice. And once he becomes the leader of the Mighty Mutanimals, he becomes even more cunning. He starts strategizing and having plans. As said before, being the leader takes cunning.

Steranko: 2/5. His scheme to get out of the city with Karai as a bargaining chip was pretty smart. But it backfired horribly of course.

Splinter: 0/5. Let's start with the positives first.

Splinter has proven himself to be cunning. He easily outwits some of the turtles' toughest foes. His class parallels him with Shredder. He and his daughter are in the same class. You can have a balanced team with all four turtles and Splinter.

Time for the negatives:

WHY IS HE NOT SPIRIT

!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!!?!?!??!?!!!!!??!?!??!?!?!?!

HE'S LITERALLY THE MOST SPIRITUAL CHARACTER ON THE THE SHOW. HEALING HANDS. CONSTANT MEDITATION. ASTRAL PROJECTION. FORESHADOWING SENSES. BEING ABLE TO CONNECT TO LEO AFTER DEATH.

AND SPEAKING OF LEO. WE ALL KNOW THEIR BOND IS THE CLOSEST. MAKING SPLINTER SPIRIT ALSO ACKNOWLEDGES THAT CONNECTION.

WHAT THE FUUUUUUUUAAAAAA-

Sorry about that. I must have LOST myself there for a moment.

Conclusion

Total score: 3/5. While cunning has some sure fits. There are also some egregious misses.

Much like Spirit. Cunning is kinda a dumping ground for when the developers don't know where to put a character. That doesn't excuse the misses though.

And there we go! I've rated all the characters in terms of how they well they fit into their class. I don't know what else I can say about TMNT Legends. But sooner or later I'll figure something out.

[nbula-rising]

QUICK NAAN WITHOUT YEAST PREP TIME 15 mins COOK TIME 10 mins TOTAL TIME 25 mins Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS 1¾ cups all-purpose flour 2 tsp sugar 1 tsp salt ¾ tsp baking powder 2 tsp oil (use anything relatively mild) ½ cup* milk Butter + herbs for seasoning

INSTRUCTIONS Combine all dry ingredients, and whisk together. Create a well in the middle of the dry ingredients, and add the oil and milk. Mix everything together until it forms a ball. Turn out on the counter and knead until very smooth and elastic — at least 5 minutes — adding more flour as necessary. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Divide into 8-10 equal pieces. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Roll one piece of dough until very thin (less than ⅛"). If the skillet isn't non-stick, melt some butter before each piece. One at a time, cook the naan for about 90 seconds, or until parts are blackening, on each side. When they are done, you can brush them with butter and add seasonings (cilantro, garlic, etc.), if you want.

NOTES *This is an estimation. You may need to add slightly more — you want it to be moist, but not loose.

[velourfrog]

-Advanced Bread Recipe

EQUIPMENT

Measuring Cups and Spoons

Mixing Bowl

Mixer

Pastry Mat

French Bread Pan

Knives

Cooling Rack

Baking Pans

INGREDIENTS

2.5 cup warm water

6 tsp instant dry yeast

3 tsp sugar

3 cups bread flour (plus up to 1/4 cup more as needed)

3 cup whole wheat flour

3 Tbsp brown sugar

3 Tbsp cocoa powder

2 tsp salt

7 Tbsp canola oil

0.63 cup honey

8 Tbsp molasses

1.25 Tbsp white cornmeal

Oats for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

In a small bowl mix the water, yeast and sugar and let sit for 3-5 minutes until frothy.

In a large mixing bowl whisk together the bread flour, whole wheat flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder and salt.

Add the yeast mixture, oil, honey and molasses.

Using the dough hook, mix on medium-low speed for 5 minutes. (If you hand knead you will need to do it 10-12 minutes.) If you find your dough is not coming together or is too sticky, add up to 1/4 cup additional bread flour- just add it 1 Tbsp at a time so you don’t add too much. Once done, the dough should not stick to your hands.

Form the dough lightly in to a ball and spray around and under it with non-stick cooking spray.

Let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until doubled in size.

Line a baking sheet or French bread pan with parchment paper and sprinkle with the white cornmeal.

Punch down the dough and divide in to four equal pieces. (I weigh mine to make sure they are close.)

Roll out each piece in to a rectangle and then roll tightly, press down gently, then pinch and tuck the ends to close. Roll lightly with your hands to complete shaping – they should look like a log, mine were about 8-9 inches long.

Place each roll on the prepared baking sheet, spacing at least a couple of inches apart. Score 3-4 times on each loaf with a sharp knife.

Brush with warm water and sprinkle each loaf with some oats.

Cover loosely with a towel or saran wrap and let them rise another 30-40 minutes until they are almost double again.

Preheat the oven to 350 with 1 rack placed in the bottom position and 1 rack in the middle position. Place a spare baking sheet on the bottom rack.

Remove the towel or saran wrap and place the bread pan on the middle rack.

Throw 4-5 ice cubes on the spare baking sheet on the bottom rack and close the oven door immediately.

Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Serve with butter!

[journaldecuisine]

APPLE PERSIMMON PIES

Ingredients:

Apple juice pie dough:

2 1/4 cups (280 grams) of all-purpose flour

1 tsp of baking powder

1/2 tsp of salt

1 stick (113 grams) of very very cold unsalted butter, cubed

10 tbsp of very cold/iced apple juice

Apple and persimmon filling:

1 large or 1 1/2 small Fuji apple (or Granny Smith), flesh weights 175 grams/6.2 oz

2 tbsp of unsalted butter

1/4 cup + 1 tbsp of sugar

1 tsp of lemon juice

1/4 tsp of ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp of ground allspice

1/8 tsp of grated nutmeg

2 ~ 3 ripen persimmons, flesh weights 185 grams/6.5 oz

1 tbsp of cornstarch

1/4 tsp of vanilla extract

Cinnamon and cardamon sugar:

1/3 cup of sugar

1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp of ground cardamon

Make the filling:  Peel and remove the cores from the apples, then cut into smaller-than-bite-size cubes.  Add the apples, unsalted butter, sugar, lemon juice, ground cinnamon, ground allspice and grated nutmeg in a skillet.  Cook over medium-heat while stirring occasionally, until the apples are soft and the sauce is very thick, sticky and dark brown, approx 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, remove the flesh from the persimmons and discard the skin.  It can be a little tricky to do so with ripen persimmons and sometimes you have to “squeeze” the flesh off from the skin.  You’ll need 2 ~ 3 persimmons to get 185 grams/6.5 oz of flesh.  Smash the persimmon flesh with a fork and set aside.

Once the apples are ready, remove the skillet away from the heat and add the persimmons.  Stir to mix up all the ingredients evenly, which at this point should be quite runny and “saucy”.  The persimmons should give out some juices and cool down the apple considerably.  Add the cornstarch and vanilla extract, and mix until there’s no visible clumps of cornstarch.  Return the skillet back to medium-heat and cook until the mixture has thicken up completely. Continue to cook for 2 more minutes to reduce it even further.  Transfer the fillings into a bowl and chill in the freezer for 1 ~ 2 hours until borderline frozen and workable (Don’t bother working this filling at room-temperature).

Make the pie crust:  In a food-processor (or you can do this inside a large bowl with a pastry blender), mix together all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt.  Add the cubes of very very cold unsalted butter, then pulse until the mixture resembles a very COARSE meal, with the largest bit of butter about the size of a large pea.  Add 4 tbsp of iced apple juice and pulse 2 ~ 3 times to incorporate, then another 4 tbsp and pulse 2 ~ 3 times again.  Check the consistency of the dough by pinching a piece of it together and see if it stick easily.  You’ll most likely need to add another 2 tbsp of iced apple juice to bring the dough together.  Now transfer the dough onto a working surface and knead JUST A COUPLE OF TIMES to bring it into a big ball.

Press the dough into a flat disk, wrap with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour before using.

To make the pies:  Lightly dust the surface with flour and roll the pie dough out into a thin sheet, NO THICKER than 1/8″ (3 mm).  Use a round pastry-cutter (about 3 1/2″ in diameter) to cut out as many wrapper as you can.  Gather the scraps, roll it out again into a thin sheet and again, cut as many wrappers out as possible.  You should get about 16 ~ 18 wrappers out of this dough.  Take the filling out of the freezer, which should be relatively hardened but workable.  Place about 2 tsp of fillings in the center of a wrapper (don’t even think about stuffing more than 2 tsp… or good luck with closing that one), dab a little water on the edge then close the wrapper and pinch the seams together FIRMLY with your fingers.  Use a fork to make DEEP impressions along the seam/edge to make sure it is securely closed.  Repeat with the rest.

If at any given point the fillings start to thaw and soften, return both the wrappers and the fillings back to the freezer for 15 min to firm up.  Once you are done with making all the pies, keep them in one single layer on a sheet pan and keep in the fridge (or freezer I suppose) until needed.

To fry the pies:  Evenly mix sugar, ground cinnamon and ground cardamon in a large bowl then set aside.

Add enough canola oil in any frying-pot until you have about 1 1/2″ (4 cm) deep of oil.  Heat the oil over medium-heat until when a wooden chopstick is inserted in, the oil bubbles up along the surface of the chopstick (supposedly the oil should reach 365ºF/185ºC, but I never measured).  Without crowding the pot, slowly lower 2 ~ 3 pies into the oil to fry (keep the rest of the pies IN THE FRIDGE).  Turning them occasionally until they are golden browned and crispy on both sides.  Drain through a slotted spoon for a few seconds then roll them in the spiced sugar.

Repeat with the rest.

By: https://ladyandpups.com/2013/11/05/apple-persimmon-pies/

[dballzposting]

ok. ok. i have only seen DB/DBZ/DBS and have not reached GT yet (working on it ......) so mmy understanding of adult goten is from the perspective of somebody who has watched broly second coming on loop and replays the first episode of super like a healthy individual & has seen like 3 screencaps of gt goten. also that one goten side mission from Kakarot for the Play Station Five(5). anywayz. about the threeway you propose in your post. now assuming we live in a beautiful world where akira toriyama is introduced to the concept of polyamory and 1) thinks its banging and 2) accepts homosexuality into his heart of hearts (aka we are no longer operating by feasible canon standards) i do think it is PLAUSIBLE. ebcause. here is da thing. in PREMISE 7 you state Trunks is competition BUT (and again.......maybe GT would contradict this....all i know is my beautiful world where trunks pisses on broly) i think he only views trunks in competition for like...normie things. in Kakarot there's this exchange between the two of them, where Trunks (speaking for the both of them) says smth like, "we're not RIVALS that's LAME. We like competing but we're FRIENDS." (<- he then goes on to dunk on his father because "you're friends with goten's dad, right?? you're not RIVALS are you? that's TOTALLY uncool... you lamer.") and while i acknowledge this is New Canon (DBS-era where trunks's "13yr old on xbox live saying slurs" personality got nerfed a tiny bit) i think it says a lot about how they view competition/rivalry between them. It's like, all fun and games and a drive to be better but it's nothing they're losing sleep over unlike whatever da faq vegeta has going on with goku. this is all to say i don't think goten sees trunks as romantic competition. if anything he probably trusts trunks wouldnt like cheat on his girlfriend or whatever. now idk if goten would have hangups abt a 3-way being bizarre to him or smth but knowing how cra-zay and adventurous that little man is i assume it's something he would TRY at least, like, posing it as a joke like "haha could u imagine..." but its obvious he's like, trying to present it as a valid concept to trunks. the unspoken conclusion of "it could be kinda epic doe" is loud and clear 2 trunks. i think the better question is would palace be cool with this. would she do this. it's trunks briefs of capsule corp so like, if you were a worser person you could be like, hell yeah im fuckin that man if my bf gives me the green light i want tobe able to say that i know mr. trunks briefs biblically. but at the same time thats like, mean. i dont know much abt her but she seems like a sweet gal i think she wouldnt do something just for #bragging rights u kno....but u would know more on that methinks.

by the way you should watch the solar entertainment dub of broly 2 & 3 if you haven't they are life changing.

FASCINATING AND POWERFUL ARGUMENT.

I Didnt Fucking Know That TRunks Said That Shit & I Went and Found it on DA YOUTUBE!!! Timestamped video below but below that I will also attach screenshots of the whole scene but TBH I WATCHED THE WHOLE VIDEO AND IT'S PROFOUNDLY ADORABLE & PERFECT

Trunks said that he wanted to be friendas eith Goten for FOREVER .. He didnt stop at merely commenting on the present, but he had the confidence to project his feelings into the future: He's friends with Goten, he wants to continue being friends with Goten, and he wants it to be for forever.

I mean piece and signerture done right there. Signed sealed & delivered. Closed case. I'm willing to accept this as a total refutation for Premise 7 and what i was getting at in that post in general. Trunks looks at Goten with genuine appreciation when he said that they were friends

Ohhhgm my god and this video is so adorable .. I've said this before but as much as i love madness I also LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE So Much how on dragon ball everyone is depicted as truly happy healthy open free and LOVING EACH OTHER. Trunks and Goten just wanted to spend time with their fathers whom they love so much. They both assumed that their fathers loved each other as much as goten and trunks themselves love each other. They thought that the world was just that beautiful and lively. Also Gotenks in this video is 101% perfect and he is exactly swag and epic as i hoped he would be and it's really remarkable stuff. Great video. Great footage. Great writing

It is true that this is, as you put it: "New Canon (DBS-era where trunks's '13yr old on xbox live saying slurs' personality got nerfed a tiny bit)." But I dont honestly trhink that that's THAT relevant becasue what we mostly saw of Goten & Trunks in DBZ was friendly fun anyway, just with a bit of teeth, and then in DBGT Trunks is totallllyyyy chilled tf OUT and we don't see any acidity from him ever I think. So the fact that he's not saying slurs in DBS is I think okay. (I am actually greatly intrigued by his personality in DBS becasue I believe that it offers a great transition into the eventual DBGT and becasue it offers A LOT of insight on his Nature and his Nurture. Now is not the time.)

OK back to the aspect of the post that is about the throuple with Palace. This here ask offers the perspective that if Trunks sort of entered the relationship, then Goten wouldn't take it as striaght up competeition, but instead it would be sort of like "Ok well you know what You're a good man. I trust you'll treat her well." And in fact perhaps Goten & Trunks AREN'T Sick to Bastard Death ofn each other by now and ARE in fcat FRIENDS FOREVER like Trunks wishes for in this Kakarot for the ps5 footage.

This ask also offers the third propositon that Goten & Trunks may consider the prospect of a threeway involving them and one nice woman to be "kinda epic." No comments on that one

Palace definitely is not a bragging-rights kind of person so her motivations would literally be becasue she loves love and she loves Goten and she loves that he has a best friend and that they love each other and maybe she thinks that trunks is cute becasue hes so polite around her. Or maybe she thinks he looks sad and she wants to do something about it. But she has also been shown to enjoy badboys against her better judgement. Just remembered that. Wonder if we could work that in somehow

I don't member what movies I've seen or haven't seen but I'll keep that in mind chief. It's a beauotufl world ...

END POST

[megafreak400]

Watching All of One Piece - The Sky Island Saga

It's definitely been a bit since the last post but I've been slowly making progress. Part of that has been due to breaks I've taken here or there but I'm committed to finishing this show...at some point. This saga is interesting since most of it is just 1 very long arc. Because of that I don't see this blog post being as long as the past ones.

Music

This section is becoming shorter and shorter. Part of that is while i'm sure new songs have been added, they haven't stood out to me in the way the ones from the first Arc did. There is a cool remix of Rubber Wrecking ball, but for the most part the songs I really like I still like and there is just a lot of good music in general.

The only new OP in this arc is this one, Bon Voyage. It's....fine. Better than OP 2, but compared to the one it replaces it's just alright. It doesn't help that most of the visuals have muscle chopper and I much prefer Brain Point Chopper.

And once again none of the endings stood out, not even visually this time.

Arcs

Same as last time, no summaries just my thoughts on each arc as a whole. Way less to go through this time, so let's get to it.

Goat Island Arc

A short 3 episode Anime only arc, but honestly I really enjoyed this one. How can you hate these cute goats. But the crazy money lender guy was fun and unlike the Dragon Anime only arc the characters get to shine and bounce off each other here. It also helps to act as a buffer for us to get familiar with Robin before the next big arc. I know a lot of people hate the anime only stuff, but this one was short and sweet which to me is what they should aim for when doing these.

The Rainbow Mist Arc

This arc was....fine. I did like a lot of the character moments, and I thought Robin in particular got to shine here. I think it didn't need to be 5 episodes but the weird dimension/time shenanigans was an interesting concept. They also finally made the joke of claiming someone has devil fruit powers, and it's just a technology lol. I saw the twist for this arc coming from a mile away but that's not really a negative. It was clear by the end I was ready for the next big adventure though.

Jaya Arc

And the crew died, the End... Oh wait this wasn't the 4-kids dub. This is similar to Whisky peak, in that it's less it's own arc and more set up for what comes next. A lot of stuff for the future is also discussed here, like more info on the Warlords of the Sea and also a peek at Black Beard. But mostly a lot of what's discussed here is just backstory for where the Pirates head in the next arc. And I think it does a good job of building that up while still being entertaining enough on it's own. The silly Monkey men and Mont Blanc Cricket are fun guys. And seeing the crew realize a city in the sky is probably real and slowly find a way to get there is fun to follow. It just sucks this arc also has the worst character in the entire show, but eh at least he gets punched. (Also probably just One Piece in a nutshell I assume)

Skypia Arc

So this is really the meat of this saga, since it is the Sky Island. I know a lot of people have said this is a low point of the show and honestly I get it. I think there is a lot of cool stuff in this arc, but it also drags a bit. It doesn't help to that some of the issues previous arcs are done even worse here. Starting with fake deaths. It's starting to become a little annoying that the stakes of the show are so poorly laid out. I want to have you recall back to Luffy telling Vivi people are gonna die in the last arc. At least there it's implied people did die in that conflict. But even then it's always been ambiguous when characters die or just get knocked out. Some of the Fish Man in the Arlong Park saga absolutely died, but hell if I can tell you which ones. So when you have a show that is very ambiguous about if people can die, it makes the moments when it happens or when someone overcomes the odds and survives means less. DBZ is a good example of this. People mock the power levels or the fact that death means nothing due to the Dragon Balls, but for those that actually watched the show it does a good job of establishing the limits and rules of it's battles. You know that Frieza is powerful and even if death can be reverse it's still possible and still something the character want to avoid. Important moments leave and impact because the rules are clearly established, even if they're done better in later Animes.

Skypia is the peak of this flaw really hurting the show. The bulk of the arc is a 'survival game' of sorts with the end result being basically no one really died when all is said and done. Plenty of characters are made out to be dead (honestly how did Chopper survive?) but pretty much almost all of them live. It's possible some of the Skypians did die, but again it's let so vague at times and not made as a big moment. No the big moments are for all the character who for all intents and purposes should have died. It doesn't help that there is literally a character who can sense when people's 'life energy' disappears and is freaking out due to the implications they're all dying. And nope, they just got knocked out I guess. On top of that, this ends up hurting the main villain because he's supposed to be this over powered character who gets unlucky with his type match up against Luffy. But every other character survives his lightning blasts. Sure they get singed, but again the consequences of this are poorly established. One of the characters, Wyper should be on deaths door and chopper just like gives him a pill and he's good? They literally go over the fact that the dial he uses can kill a man...and it just doesn't. Hell the show does a better job of establishing the consequences of poor ship maintenance then it does of the results of a deadly fight to the death. If it wasn't for the bulk of this arc being the fighting and surviving this wouldn't be as big a deal. But because it is, it just really gets annoying and feels like we wasted our time watching drawn out fights that meant little. The other big flaw is Luffy. Look, I get why Luffy was kept away from fighting Eneru for so long. But I'm sorry, Luffy's snake adventure was stupid. There has to be better ways to pace things out then just keeping Luffy out of the fight in the most ridiculous ways until the finale. I also think going from a long saga about a civil war to a long saga about imperialism.....uh maybe we can try a more unique subject matter for the next big saga? That said it's not all doom and gloom. The entire backstory of the island is very awesome and the final fight between Luffy and Eneru is a cool twist even if I saw it coming. I really enjoyed learning about the society of the sky islands and I did really enjoy a lot of the characters in this arc. And fights by Nami and Chopper were awesome because with them being established as weaker, them coming out on top does feel awesome and the risk of harm is still there. I just hope we leave some of these bad habits behind before the next big saga.

G-8 Arc

This arc is very fun and arguably the best Anime only Arc so far. I do think I personally enjoyed goat island more, but this arc is 10 episodes and it doesn't feel like it. It's a very funny arc, with a fantastic villain and all of the Straw hats are completely in character here as they try to escape the military base. After the long haul that was Skypia, this felt way more lax and just a fun breather before the next arc.

Characters

So since there is no new crew members and i'm unsure if any of the Skypians will be recurring after this point this section will be a bit truncated. Let's get to it since there is a lot of characters I want to talk about even if they don't get a spotlight.

Saga Characters

Noland and Kalgara's entire backstory is great and I love both of their characters so much. I think even though the flash back being before the final battle was a little annoying, tying the Skypia arc back to how it all began was a good way to really give the arc a lot more heart and soul. Even if the arc as a whole was a bit messy I love how it's all tied together.

Masira and Shoujou are very silly. I love these stupid monkey men. Why are they monkey men? Who knows but i'm so glad they are. Their relationship with Cricket is super sweet and they're easily the best part of the Jaya arc.

FUCK THIS MAN. I hate Bellamy. Like he is easily my most hated character so far. Yes Arlong and Crocodile are way more vile but this guy just wouldn't shut up. Luffy taking him down in one punch (man), was so satisfying. I'm glad we'll never have to see this guy again. Everything in mock town was painful due to how rude the entire town was.

Black Beard is like Robin last time in that he really doesn't do much here. Clearly he'll be important later but right now he kind of just gets in a funny fight with Luffy about pie and then fails to chase after them before they head to sky island. Interested to see what happens with him in the future.

Ganfall is great, even though it feels like he spends most of the arc getting his ass handed to him. Though, I guess that's mostly everyone in the Skypia arc. Still him and his dumb horse bird were good fun, on top of how sweet and caring he is. That's really why I still enjoyed Skypia despite it's faults. It's got a lot of good secondary characters. Conis and Pagaya are wonderful. Conis character arc is peak, and the moment where she chews out the Skypians while trying to save them is incredible. Pagaya is good fun and his stupid boat horn never failed to make me laugh. His 'death' is stupid but, but that problem isn't exclusive to him so i'll let it slide. FUCK BALL MAN, FUCK BALL MAN, FUCK BALL MAN. Look I hate Bellamy more but Ball Man is also awful. His stupid voice, his stupid face, his stupid ball body. The fact that he gets defeated due to basically pure luck sucks and every minute spent with him felt like a waste of time. The rest of the priests are either funny (so careless) or just kind of ok, but Ball Man sticks out the most due to how awful he is. Aisa is adorable and everything after she meets up with Nami made me love her more and more. I'm still confused about her abilities or importance but that didn't stop me from caring about her and loving her reactions out the crazy stuff happening like bird horse and Luffy. Wyper and the other Shandorian warriors are...fine. Like most of them are one note characters and Wyper is very much just, tough guy doing tough things. He absolutely stood out in my mind but as far as likability, he's kind of just there. FUCK BALL 2 AND BALL 3 TOO!

Eneru/Enel is cocky as hell. And honestly he should be? The man freaking restarts his heart. He just got the misfortune of going up the one thing that could resist his abilities. Beyond that though, he does get a bit boring after a while. Like again it's clear he's powerful with his lightning attacks, but that doesn't make for interesting fights. The voice actor in the English dub enhances him for me, since it's the perfect cocky condescending voice for this 'god.' Maybe we'll see him again, but I doubt it, kind of looked like he was going to the moon so....good luck? Captain Jonathan is a great 'villain', and made the G-8 arc a ton of fun. Him and his reactions to Condoriano's pathetic attempts to stop the straw hats made this arc.

The Old Guys Luffy is more of the same here. I do like him in Jaya, but then he spends most of the next arc in a snake. I still like Luffy but he needs to get smarter (a man can dream.)

Zoro is more Zoro. He keeps being Zoro and that's awesome. Yes this is the same thing I said last time, It's still true. (He does have an awesome outfit in this saga though, and I love his reaction to chopper 'dying') Man I did not think I would like Nami as much as I do. Maybe it helps she's surrounded by idiots, but she continues to be smart and resourceful which makes her fights super engaging. I still think her greed is a little annoying, but they mostly do a good job of it only being for laughs and never really interfering with her actions. I can't wait to see more of her, easily one of my favorites. Ussop and Sanji sure were in this saga. Look these guys are already my least favorite and this saga didn't really do much to change my opinion either way. They fight ball man...badly. Ussop invents Luffy's Arm which is...neat? Sanji does get a bad ass moment of blowing up Eneru's ship, though since it literally end up not mattering moments later IDK how bad ass it can ultimately be. I'm sure there two will get some better moments coming up but they're very much just there for most of this arc. Chopper is the best boy and I feel so bad that he thinks he's not helpful. Little dude protected the Merry from being totally destroyed after being left by himself, called Ganfal after some quick thinking, was one of the only crew members to defeat a priest single hoofedly, and is a doctor. Yea he's cute and that is always gonna keep him near the top of my list, but I think he had a lot of good moments in an arc that was out of his depth. Robin is still an enigma, but i'm growing to love her. Everything involving her and archeology is super interesting to watch. She's still not fully apart of the Straw hats I feel? Like her part of the story kind of felt like her doing her own thing, even her reading the glyph near the end and finding out about Rogers having been here before. I'm very excited to see where her story arc goes, but i'm happy she's apart of the crew.

Crew Ranking

Chopper > Zoro > Nami > Robin > Luffy > Ussop > Sanji Yea, no real changes here. Nami and Zoro are pretty much tied and the gap between Robin and Luffy is wider than it should be. I'm sure Ussop and Luffy will make up for it eventually though. Maybe we'll get a new crew member next saga too, that's be cool.

Mysteries and Questions

ok so at this point in the show, there have been several things brought up that I think are going to be important later and I figure now is a good time to write down my thoughts about these things. That way those that have seen the show can be like "OH JUST WAIT" or "YOU POOR NAIVE FOOL." So here are a few things I have questions on (I don't want answers, these are just my inner thoughts) - Obviously, the mystery of the glyphs and of Gol D Rogers is a big one. I'm sure this one is going to not be solved fully until the manga wraps up, but it's cool to see a long running plot thread start to be established in a show that has been semi aimless at times. - All the stuff about mantara. It was never explained, so clearly it's going to come back. I feel like it kind of hampered my enjoyment of the arc too that there was some magic system that was important to what was happening that we still don't get, so I'm hopeful i'll eventually understand better what was going on. - So Black Beard in the anime was kind of hyped up as this big deal when Ace was hanging out with them, but now he's less famous than Luffy it seems like. Very curious to see more about the pirate world in general including him. We've gotten bits of the world government and of the warlords, but only a bit of teasing here or there. - The Ghost ship wright. WHO FIXED THE BOAT? Like I honestly have no ideas unless the going merry is sentient and we're gonna get a talking boat soon. This is the mystery I really want to know the answer to. - So other Sky islands were mentioned, does that mean we'll return to the sky at some point? Curious if this is just throw away or if it will be important in the future. - I was told the wolf party was plot relevant possibly. HOW?! WHY!?

Final Thoughts

I did enjoy this arc overall, but I'm hopeful that One Piece will leave some of it's bad habits sooner than later. I'm very interested in what the future arcs will contain as our crew begins their quest for a ship Wright.