#that gunslinger mood lmao

[astral-sphere]

[cluster-b-culture-is]

Cluster B Culture is 'thats me in my purest form, could I get away with being like that'

.

[love-triangles-au]

What are their weird couple things? Or I guess just kind of things they do?

Weird? This is half Bill we're talking about!

Alright but really, here's a brief list of weird couple things:

Going down to Earth to slaughter mutants together. For Venuz it's practice to keep his gunslinging skills sharp, and for Bill it's to let out some of that violent energy. Definitely weird and morally dubious :P

Bill catches pests from around the mansion and likes to arrange the corpses in various shapes, words and patterns for Venuz as a sign of affection. And, just like with a cat bringing you a dead mouse, Venuz makes sure to give him lots of grateful pats and kisses to let him know he appreciates it before tossing them outside lmao

Venuz will sometimes stroke along Bill's lashes as a tender gesture and/or to ground him. His lashes are actually whiskers, and doing this serves as an invitation to allow Bill to feel him and connect through Bill's more fine-tuned tactile senses

They enjoy swimming in Venus's various volcanoes, just because they can! Nice 'n toasty

Speaking of Venus, Bill is rather fond of the sulphuric acidic rain. Physical pain is something he enjoys (not like a self-harm thing, just some crossed wires) and the little droplets are almost soothing to him (so long as it doesn't get in his eye; anywhere but there). Venuz, being a Venusian, is adapted to be resistant to the acid and it's just kind of normal rain for him. So, sitting out in the rain together is a normal couple thing for Venuz and a really weird thing for Bill xDc

Every now and again, Venuz will allow Bill to possess his body (post-marriage). A weird and supremely intimate act

Venuz will occasionally gift Bill various flat or geometric objects. Paper, rulers, dice, abstract art, checkerboards, prisms, etc. as he's noticed over the years that Bill is fond of such things due to his heritage. One room of the mansion is dedicated to Bill's collection, and he occasionally naps or broods there when he's in a poor mood

If he's feeling particularly affectionate during a quiet moment, Bill may attempt to give Venuz a tongue-bath like the gross beast he is. Venuz tolerates this lmao

It's not uncommon for them to play-fight/wrestle. They are not immune to boys will be boys (and Bill has a lot of excess energy)

Not really weird, but they are fond of stargazing together. Venuz listens as Bill points out each star and tells stories and factoids about the planets around them (both true and untrue). Bill is happy to be able to share the stars with somebody :] (...and listen to himself talk of course)

~ Mod Emily 🦇

[boxwinebaddie]

hi uncle nina! sorry if this is kinda overbearing, but you havent posted anything today so i just wanna check in and make sure youre doing okay! <3

oh my god, sweetheart!!! this is not overbearing AT ALL! this is extremely thoughtful and makes me feel extremely validated. <3

i'm sorry for causing concern, but ty for being concerned about me.

because the school year is coming to a close, things around me at work have been pretty intense, so i've been tossed around like a ragdoll the past week and haven't had much time to write as a result. i also haven't been sleeping very well and rush a lot in the mornings, so i've forgotten to take my mood stabilizer the past couple of days which makes me v sluggish, zombie-ish and unpleasant in general. :/

...when i am like that, as a weird way of sparing you, i suppose, i try not to post on here too much because it feels quite shitty indeed for you to get a notification for my blog just to watch me bitch n moan.

however, i have taken my medication today and feel bad for fumbling kyle week...as we know i'm not really good at holding myself accountable or making deadlines. oddly enough, it's not that i don't want to answer my questions, it's just that other than not being able to really find the time recently, i just can't find the right...words?

( this ask is long and irrelevant, but read if you wish. ilysm. )

or, rather, i don't feel knowledgeable enough the subjects to answer? specifically in the areas of my tsot/tfbw styles and ncuniverses, i feel a little insecure because i don't know sp or the games as well as many other people do, so i'm trying to speed watch episodes/watch speed runs of the games online so i can at least keep some canon intact?

i also am finding that creating and understanding how high fantasy universes work is...difficult? lmao? also because i did crazy stuff with mutations and science and politics in my tfbw ncuniverse, that's also complicated and out of my wheelhouse...tldr: i have big ideas, but i'm not very good at backing them in fact or doing analytical stuff.

but...iiiiii need to, lmao. mental illness, but if i make a universe it has to be fully realized, it has to all make as much sense as possible, echo the canon, enhance it, feel real and be fluid...so if i'm not around too much it's because i'm trying to bolster myself with my sp knowledge ( ik, i'm a fake fan ) and watch/read/research high fantasy concepts and superhero/scientific fiction/dystopian stuff...so if anyone has any recommendations for me to watch or learn from in those realms, i'd appreciate it. again, this is intense...but i care a lot about my craft.

and specifically crafting something worthy of all of you, that makes sense, lives and breathes, reflects the show we love & is interesting.

ANYWAYS!!!! with that said, i got a cool ask about whether or not i have a gunslinger kyle? which? not yet? BUT YOU'RE A GENIUS BABY I AM SOOOOO ON IT!!! please let me cook and watch some things because actually, oh my god, i am very down. i'll update you. i might make a board to gather ideas, omg, omg, it'll be SPICY.

i got an ask about princess kylie, which, bless you, i am also still developing her character, i am going to pour over the books, watch some GOT, do some mapping out, watch some intricate dnd play throughs...and have some answers for you very soon: hang on, baby.

( she's little, bitchy, prissy and does need to be babysat, i'm afraid. )

got some on jersey i'm excited about! sorry for writing that ask meme about the sour skittles like that, again, writing has been trying for me lately and i had a concept that i wanted to share but wasn't sure how to express that. if you guys are alright with getting my asks in the form of notes some times i would appreciate it! anyways, keep your eyes out for some of those...if kyle week runs into next week, sorry.

idk...this is so long. all this to say...i'm really sorry? i haven't been a very solid creator lately, but i'm a little unstable rn. but i am working on it and i hope to be back on the horse by tonight and share my notes at least and show you guys how my brain is working.

in the mean time, please direct as many questions as you would like in the direction of riley, teri and ana who not only are epic writers but have been an epic support system/helping me get back into things.

thank you for caring, thank you for reading...keeping up with this blog and the questions and creating constantly is sometimes challenging, but very rewarding. i promise that i am not neglecting my asks or all of you because i don't care, its actually because i care very much and only want to give you stuff that is awesome and cool and well researched. so, again, just give me a second to get my barings and while it kind of eats at my bad bpd brain i might try and share stuff with you guys that's half baked because the feedback might help.

tldr: i love you, this made no sense, i'm a mess, but i am fine.

miss you and love you. happy kyle week.

-uncle nina

[screechthemighty]

Okay, going to start posting the Best Of for my Trigun/TriMax notes by volume. Note that this was my second time reading Trigun and all reactions are off-the-cuff; any hindsight-based commentary will be in italics. Also, there may be CWs I missed, but I did try to note things as I went.

Trigun Notes: Volume One

Trigun #1.1: The $$60 Billion Double Dollar Man

Injuries 603, murders 72, oof.

“This week’s satellite” like radio reports as a primary news method?

Screaming at the fact that he knew they didn’t have bullets and basically dared them to shoot him.

Trigun #1.2: Looney Tunes

Meryl: talking loud enough will give me authority, right

“More than 50 of our plants have died” due to a system bug…LOT of plants [Note: I do still wonder if they meant individual plants, because they seem a lot rarer in later adaptations. Then again, this is only the second chapter, so it might just be a continuity issue?]

Trigun #1.3: Hard Puncher

Stop backseat dueling y��all, he knows what he’s doing

This man can do full splits after 100+ years, damn lmao

“Officially designated a localized disaster” is the FUNNIEST resolution and IDK why the ‘98 anime didn’t keep that

“Very nice to meet you” “Likewise, I think” LOL

Trigun #1.4: Popo

Mild CW for this chapter, but one character lies about having been sexually abused.

“How long do you intend to follow me?” “Until we retire, probably” “Okay, perfect *runs*"

“That was more than I deserved, maybe” Lot to unpack there, buddy!

Trigun #1.5: Assault

“They sure are good (especially that big one)” Milly supremacy

“You’re like those people from the big fall over 100 years ago. A nice person” So kindness is seen as a legit rarity here

Brilliant Dynamites Neon sure is a gang leader name

Trigun #1.6: Die Hards

Meryl + Milly coming out of the dark to beat up some dudes = SO ominous lmao

“I’m gonna need all the empty spots in my soupy brain” Oh, mood.

Vash using tough love on Kite = always hilarious

Trigun #1.7: Rem

Vash smiling sheepishly after he beats a guy in a fight…angel man…

“You’re far too easy on the whole human race” Kite citing everyone’s sins and Vash responding with “Then start all over again. [...] Your ticket to the future is always blank.” AHHHHH

“He’s got a helluva arm and the devil’s luck.” Just gunslinger things.

Trigun #1.8: Duelist

No bodies found at July, even with the city leveled; Vash doesn’t remember anything but the aftermath. [Note: At the time I thought this was the same thing as how in the '98 anime there weren't any casualties but...nope............TriMax made it worse.]

Trigun #1.9: Between the Wasteland and Sky…

Meryl: eff it, retail therapy

“Do your nerves even work?” Yes, but his baseline pain levels are a 4, so…

“You’re glorious, sister” right when he called her a brat earlier, lmao

Heart/breathing DO synchronize, because his vitals stop when hers do–wings not visible between panels, maybe representative of the Plant recognizing Vash as a sibling? [Note: could be reading that wrong, though]

“Maybe this is what it means for people to go on living. This must be what she believed, why she traded her life for everyone else’s!” So he’s still struggling with that as a concept, oof.

Trigun #1.11: Son

“People do say that strangers’ faces all cook the same” Oh, Milly

People: betray their families Milly: Chooses violence

Father makes the point that Morgan only wants the land to have it but won’t cultivate or respect it; Badwick more worried about his parents’ safety [Note: Honestly you could easily read an environmental theme into parts of Trigun with very little effort.]

“Guns are our second-to-last resort” Ma’am what is your last resort???

Trigun #1.12: River of Life

“This is not the time to come apart like this. Fight, Meryl!” My girl!!!

“What are you gonna do with a derringer and a stun gun?” “Would you care to find out?” YES, BITCH

Meryl’s “?????” at her gun = classic

Theme of trusting others even if you don’t understand or agree with their path, believing in others in a family setting–ohh, hurts a bit in light of Wolfwood and Knives!!!

[joyus-whimsy]

Hey there, I’m Andy (he/him)! I’m a neurodivergent, disabled trans guy who currently has a special interest in RDR2.

I’m on my second play through of RDR2, currently going for 100% completion (best in the west) I am currently on:

97%

I’m pretty new to tumblr, and I only really use it for red dead stuff (I need somewhere to indulge in my special interest and this is the perfect space I love y’all sm you’ve unknowingly helped me with unmasking)

I’m 18 and from Aotearoa (New Zealand). I’m a big art guy, whether that be visual arts, music or performance.

I don’t really post my artworks here as I try to keep my tumblr a safe space where I don’t need to prove my worth (and I just get really obsessed with perfection when I share my work)

Playlists

‘You’re a good man, Arthur Morgan’ playlist that gives me the same feeling as Arthur/his story

‘By 1899 the age of cowboys and gunslingers was coming to an end.’ Red dead mood playlist, no lyrics just vibes

‘JM’ John playlist I made to try get me to like him lmao, rdr1 and 2

[sprinklesandshatters]

A Review on NCT 127′s 3rd Album <Sticker>

So NCT 127 just came back with their 3rd Full Album <Sticker> and this is my first 127 comeback since I became a fan last year! Neozone is such a special album for me as it was their first album that I explored entirely. I've known NCT as the group who never fails any expectations so I've kept mine up although I know they'll exceed it anyway. And guess what, they did! I absolutely love their new album hence this review~

This isn't a technical music review—as I am not a musician myself—but rather a listener's honest takes, goofy notes, and interpretation on each of the tracks in the album. I admit I've also struggled to build my own opinions on some of the tracks until I listened to them over and over again.

I have also heard there are mixed opinions on the title track <Sticker> and a lot says it's another acquired taste. But I think it's not just that, as it can be a grower, just like how most of NCT's songs were for me. Maybe after a few listens and a right passage of time, it will grow on those people. The bottom line here is, I like it a lot! 😛

So I listed down the songs according to their respective track numbers and followed each with a bulleted list of my opinions and interpretations.

(Viewer/reader discretion: before you continue, minors, do not interact as there are few 18+ contents under the cut. Thank you.)

1. Sticker

THEY DIDN'T JUST PUNCH A NEW NOTCH ON THE BELT LIKE THAT

THIS SONG SLAPS, LITERALLY SLAPS… AND WHIPS 

The recorder at the intro boyyyy I thought something was wrong but then I remember it’s NCT lmao

It already stuck in my head from my first listen from the Instagram audio.

With Taeyong opening the verse with his divine rapping, I knew I'm in for a new ride.

STICK-UH STICK-UGH STICK-UGHGHGH

To those complaining it sounding like noise music, imagine it sounding generic. I don't think it would fit as the title track. Not a b-track or in their repertoire, even. They are called NCT because they define the NEO in the music culture and music technology!

It honestly was an unorthodox, just like all of their title tracks, which I’m inherently here for.

Literally, no one does it like them!

The growls and the vocal flexes and adlibs! (You can tell it has Yoo Youngjin's brand.)

The crisp metronome sound that’s consistently ticking except for the pre-chorus and the dance break adds depth to the soundscape. I love how it’s used instead of the usual snaps.

The production quality blew my mind. Like how can someone think those melodies would sound so exquisite? CAN I CALL THEM GENIUS?

The piano at the back, oh my God—Yes! It adds this mystifying element to the song.

I'm not sure if it's a midi violin at the pre-chorus, but it added thrill to the song. It was a great transition from the bass line in the verses to the combination of the flawless harmony with the same instrumental.

"You treat me like a boy, like a grown-up child chasing a dream" JUNGWOO BABY NO MORE HUH

Taeil, Doyoung, and Haechan—the bridge vocal trinity!

But why the heck are they cowboys? I dig the concept, but why? LMAO

BTW GUNSLINGER MARK I’M ON MY KNEES YEEHAW

This is easily one of my favorite tracks from NCT 127's entire discography 💚

2. Lemonade

(⌐■_■)

Jaehyun starting off this song with his deep voice eee

The song opens to a verse oozing with chill confidence. They're like, yeah you're lurking because we’re cool.

This is such a huge slap to their haters. NCT's not chillin' like a villain, nah they're the main characters!

Well maybe they’re villains, but still ya not cooler than them ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Funny enough how they could have just referred haters as simply lemons whose sour/bitter to the taste, but 127 squad's success is sweeter than all the haters' spiteful remarks so yeah, SIPPY SIPPY LEMONADE 🧃

"WOOF"

I might have just barked too wOW

Yuta’s vocals hooooO his voice just sounds so glamorous mhmm

Also Mark referencing their previous title tracks such as: Firetruck, Cherry Bomb, and Regular (it's Irregular in the lyrics) in his rap part 👌💅

I just love Mark's energy when he raps. HE RESOLUTELY BITES AND STRAIGHT UP EATS EVERY TIME HE DOES.

3. Breakfast

Now breakfast time, oh jeez!

AAAHAHFU—

Summer 127's bestie!

If Summer 127 talks about dancing all night long, Breakfast is the morning after.

You know what it is.

"Even if I gulp and drink you, it's not enough for me." oho Taeyong no you ha—STOP

Sexual innuendos aside, isn't it just sweet if someone tells you they'd want to have breakfast with you every day?  Okay maybe I'm melting at the thought 😩🙈💞

And I can see myself dancing to this song as I make breakfast (in the afternoon or at midnight bc I’m crazy)

This was an okay b-track for me at the first skim on the album, but boy it grew on me wildly.

Honestly one of my favorite tracks in this album.

4. Focus

Did I just invade a private call? LMAO

The analog voice filters make it like so.

Dude, this feels intimate in the level of eavesdropping a phone call between seasoned lovers. Then you realize you hear them whispering their kinks over the line and you're ooh, that's sexy! hfgklhfhf

My first listen to this, I almost went feral because,

"I can't wait to eat you…" when it's actually "I can't wait 'til we chill…" aahaha

"Baby call me when you want me." OKAY!

This sounds relaxing and chill. I'd love to play this on a late night drive or just before bed time along with Fly Away With Me, Sun & Moon, My Youth, and Long Flight.

Belongs to ‘make out session’ playlist  ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

That was lowkey a playlist recommendation, huh?

I'd be kidding if I don't say I could touch myself while listening to this song AHAHAFGHFJFJ

I didn't know this would grow on me this much lol I love love LOVE THIS!

5. The Rainy Night

Ooh, the holy melancholy!

Piano at the intro—I knew I'd cry to this.

This song isn't just about break-up, but the heartbreak after one.

The yearning; the remnant pieces from the shattering of what was once there.

I think I crumbled from this one.

This hit so hard I felt like I fit in the shoes with the lyrics throughout the entire song.

What’s fascinating is I clearly forgot the title when I mentally said this sounds like a sad rainy day song from the first listen.

Something I’d turn up when it suddenly rains, just because I want to feel the blues.

Taeil and Haechan singing in lower register? I wanna cry :( they’re just one of the best vocalists in K-music industry right now.

Could have been also nice if they added Yuta to the vocals.

"My selfish heart who waits for you to come back," OKAY WHO HURT THEM?

And the fact that they sang it so good that it translated every ounce of the emotions well even before I looked up for English translations is the reason why I love this song too.

6. Far

Hmm… What the hell?! Do I like this? Wait...

Alright!

The jumpy vibe from the first verse to the pre-chorus set the mood for this song. It sounds merry and heavy. It was honestly too much to take until I’ve reached the chorus part.

Honestly, I think this song could fit NCT Dream better, as it gives off a vibe similar to Hello Future's b-tracks. If some credible source say this could have made HF’s track list, I might believe you too fast.

Also Dream’s Deja Vu where they go na nananananana na na na~

Playful yet confident! That’s what I mean!

As usual, the vocals are insane! Vocal flex from left to right!

I swear Jungwoo sounded a bit like Taemin at the second verse that I had to replay it hahaha

I love hearing Johnny as a vocalist! SM, how many signs do you need until you utilize his vocal talent???

Taeil's part where he sings, "go nuts, go nuts, 'til we go bust, go bust" IDEK BUT I SNORTED A LAUGH AT FIRST LISTEN HFCAHKFHK

Not my favorite, but still great though!

But wait it’s actually stuck in my head???

7. Bring The Noize

Yes, they never beat those noise music allegations

HERE'S SOME NOIZE, BITCHES

I love me some noisy percussions. AND THE BASS YO

This screams so much confidence!

The build up from the pre-chorus to the chorus—FIRE!

This song reminds me a lot of SuperM's Super Car, especially with the engine roar samples and the battle cry-like singing at the chorus.

JAEHYUN RAPPING? You mean Jaehyun the visual, the vocalist, the actor, the model, the funny dude, aka my everything?! (markie bb look pls look away for a moment)

THEY DELIVERED IT STRAIGHT FROM NEOCITY THAT'S SOME NCT MUSIC RIGHT THERE NO ONE DOES IT LIKE THEM

When I said I'd play Focus on a late night drive, and if I add this in the playlist, VROOM VROOM SPEED LIMIT WHAT

OUTTA MY WAY

“We got no shame” ouh TAEYONG’S FLOW IS JUST VERY HIM AND HE’S IN A LEAGUE OF HIS OWN

You know what's so clever about this song? It's how it ended with Mark's final rap without any instrumental, leaving you  standing there with a doppler effect-like post experience.

A super car on a super speed just whooshed past you and you look its way as it zips through the road. It's gone in an instant but you're floored dumbfounded at a sidewalk. That's how I describe this song.

8. Magic Carpet Ride

This song… Wow. Oh gosh it's so beautiful.

Their harmony in the chorus—it makes me want to kiss someone so passionately that I'd cry.

This makes me want to feel love that transcends the universe. Literally, just please take me on a magic carpet ride :(

The background harmonies too oh my goodness—HEAVENLY.

Jaehyun's voice is so warm and soulful it fits perfectly with songs of this genre.

Okay alright Doyoung Grande!

And Taeil makes me feel like I'm listening to old school R&B.

The first time I heard this from the track video, I can't stop replaying because it's just that great.

This makes me want to love. I think that sums it up.

9. Road Trip

This is such a soothing song for me, especially how I easily become nostalgic thinking about the road trips I've had.

Whenever I listen to this, my brain immediately conjures up thoughts of my ideal getaways. Gazing at the sky through the car window, stirring up from a nap in the middle of the ride, and   eventually reaching your destination.

Oh, to travel around anywhere... (curse you covid-19)

Okay that's it. I'M PACKING UP.

But where do I go—

I could also imagine Mark playing this on the guitar and the other members sing along together, something like that.

Just Wholesome™ vibes.

I love how it evokes such a nice emotion within me effortlessly.

This isn't my favorite, but I still love this.

10. Dreamer

Eyyyy such a refreshing song!

This song is so bright it makes me want to dance. I play this first in the shower!

It reminds me so much of Elevator (from Neozone)

The horns make it more lively I think!

Yuta and Jungwoo's voice suits lively songs like this.

The background vocal in low register in Taeyong's part in the first verse is so good ahhfhf

Taeil, the R&B vocal king you are...

There's this part where Doyoung and Johnny harmonized, that at first listen they seemed to clash, but it sounded actually fine after a few listens. Maybe it's just that I've never heard them do it before.

And I think it's Doyoung's laugh at the end of the bridge? Oh my goodness I really love this too!

11. Promise You

MY FIRST LOVE AND MOST FAVORITE SONG IN THE ALBUM!!!

The first time I heard this from their NCIT Sharehouse Sitcom, I fell in love with the song already.

It sounds like something you'd feel from a warm, welcoming hug.

The lyrics are so beautiful and endearing. It's definitely a be-there-for-you type of song that will touch your heart.

It definitely sounds like a promise.

A song about platonic intimacy.

This really fits to be the closing song of the album. It's like the end of it but holds a promise that says “see you soon.”

Because they cherish their fans like that.

It's also like I've watched a movie with a happy ending, where the camera pans up to the clear sky and this song starts playing.

Speaking of ending, I would love to hear them sing this as an encore stage in their concert. You know, that moment just before the stage lights die down at the end of the concert where they send final blows of flying kisses to NCTzens. Then you come home smiling and crying.

This wasn't supposed to be this long since I originally planned to write this with just simple phrases and emojis but I got too engrossed lol. I also meant to include my own ratings but I figured it’s pointless since I can’t really decide about them hahaha

I really enjoyed the whole album and I love how they're progressively defining what NEO means by breaking through standards. It's not NCT music if it doesn't make you say "WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?" But then you realize it’s stuck in your head and you’re enjoying it already.

✨ OVERALL RATING: 127/10 💚

if you’ve reached until here, thank you for letting me share you a braincell or two 💞

[johnnycranes]

“I need you to pretend we’re dating”

Micah x F!Reader

But it’s the 1800s so “we’re together” instead of dating i guess lmao. This was supposed to be a short fic, how in the world it reached over 2k words idk. 

Anyway I’ve missed writing for Micah so here’s my attempt at a comeback. Prompt masterlist here.

Rating: T with just a splash of M but nothing too crazy. 

Micah x F!Reader

Karen finally convinced Arthur to let you and her go back to Valentine after what happened the last time the blonde woman visited. 

‘Course, this time Karen decided to bring Sean along. The Irishman just happened to be free when Arthur said he’d be too busy himself, taking care of something for Dutch. 

So here you were, in the Valentine saloon with the two lovebirds. You knew you should’ve stayed at camp and shared stories with Tilly and Mary-Beth but noooo, Miss Jones just had to bribe you with a free drink and a “I heard a real interestin’ lead the last time we was here!” 

Karen and Sean were off by the piano, singin some tune while you were trying to scout any leads from the drunks by the bar.

You were about to ask the bartender for another drink when one of the locals, breath reeking of alcohol, placed an arm around you. 

"Well hellooooo there, beautiful. I ain't seen you 'round here before." he said, his words slurred and voice a little too loud from where he was. 

You smiled politely as you could back at him, tried to put distance between you two, but his arm felt like lead on your shoulders. "Just passin' through, mister. Here with a few friends." you pointed towards Karen and Sean, who, unfortunately, weren't looking at anyone but themselves. 

And apparently the man with you picked up on it as well. 

He chuckled. "Awww, there there, sweetheart. Seems your friends ain't leavin anytime soon. Why don't I keep ya company instead, hmm?" 

As much as you wanted to slap the man or kick him where it hurts the most, Dutch specifically requested that there be no more rowdy bar fights after all the trouble the gang caused in town already. 

Smile unwavering, you tried to look around for anything or anyone to help you get rid of the local. 

So when you heard the saloon doors swing open and saw Mr. Micah Bell III himself enter, you prayed he was sober and in a good enough mood to help you out. You were always one of the friendlier people towards him in camp, so hopefully that little friendship meant something. 

"Oh, there he is!" You yelled, looking at Micah. This distracted the local enough so he could loosen his hold on you and you slipped out, making your way to the blonde cowboy. 

He looked surprised to see you, even more so when you put your arms around him, leaning your head near his.

You felt him tense up and had a feeling he was going to push you away so you knew you had to say something quickly. "I'll wash your clothes and sew 'em for a week if you please just pretend we're together. Feller by the bar's tryna do more than just buy me a drink." you said by his ear. 

You could sense he was processing what you just told him. But suddenly his arms were around you and he pushed you away just enough to place a kiss on your cheek. 

You look up at him, even more shocked when you see the unmistakable smug grin on his face. 

"I was only gone a few minutes, darlin'. Didn't think you'd miss me that much." he said in a surprisingly sweet voice that didn't sound at all like the tough gunslinger you knew him to be. He placed his arm around you and started walking up to the bar. 

Not missing a beat and thankful that he seemed to be ok with playing along, you wrapped one arm around his waist and placed a hand on his chest. "You know me, just can't get enough of ya."

You both stopped by bar, Micah tipping his hat to the bartender and signalling for two more bottles. 

Unfortunately, the man who was harassing you hadn't left. "She with you, mister?" he asked rather blatantly, turning towards Micah. 

The blonde tightened his grip on you. "That is correct. Ain't I just the luckiest feller?" he actually tapped your nose with a finger. Seems Hosea has some competition in acting.

And you couldn't help but blush when his voice became just a bit huskier at the end there. The poor local didn’t seem to be giving up though. 

“Really now? ‘Cuz the little lady told me she came with just those two.” he said, pointing to Sean and Karen who were giggling about something or other.

Man, they really did have eyes for only each other, especially when they were both drunk.

Micah let go of you and you were quick to shove down the disappointment you felt, no longer in his arms. He was surprisingly warm.

Micah stood in front of you, blocking you from the drunk local. 

“Not that it ain’t any of your business, feller, but I passed by the gun store, left my woman with our two friends over there.” He glanced back at you. “Startin’ to think that was a bad idea.” 

You smiled sheepishly, knowing Micah meant to tell you that it was your fault for not thinking about how drinking with Karen and Sean was going to be anything but good. 

“I’m sorry, love.” You said, and you swore you saw Micah’s cheeks turn red from calling him love. “I leave ‘em for 5 seconds and suddenly they think they’re the only people in the world or somethin’.”

Micah laughed and you felt heat pool in your stomach from the sound. “Quite all right. I know you can handle yourself.” 

The local scoffed. “Actually mister, who knows what woulda happened to the girl if I hadn’t shown up.” the man said rather smugly.

“She woulda finished her damn drink in peace, that’s what.” Micah growled.

And it really did seem like the feller had a death wish because the next thing she knew, he was leaning towards Micah, glaring at him. “We was just about to have a lovely evening if you hadn’t shown up.” 

Micah barked out a laugh, obviously not intimidated by the other guy’s rather poor show of masculinity. “That’s real funny, friend. Cuz I reckon that’s my line, not yours.”

“Listen yo-” 

Before the man could finish talking, you heard Karen Jones squeal, saw Sean Macguire break a bottle on top of some poor feller’s head, and then the whole saloon was in an uproar.

Micah took the opportunity to punch the drunk man square in the jaw. It was no secret he wasn’t the toughest fighter among Dutch’s boys, but his ‘opponent’ was drunk enough that he went down without much of a fight, knocked out from all the alcohol. 

Micah took a swig of his whiskey, placed a few coins on the bar, then grabbed your hand, guiding you around the chaos until you finally got out of the saloon. 

“Well, that ain’t what I had in mind when I got to town, but that was fun.” he laughed, adjusting his hat. 

You couldn’t help but laugh with him. “Trust me, weren’t what I expected either.”

You looked down and saw you were still holding hands. You hesitantly let go, remembering how all this craziness started. 

“Thanks, Mr. Bell. I was tryna avoid another bar fight but it seemed Sean had other plans.” 

He smirked. “Well I can’t blame the boy. He only wanted to help his woman. ‘Case ya forgot, I did the exact same thing.”

You grinned, not sure if your cheeks were warm from the alcohol or from his charming words.

Probably both.

“Yes, and as promised, you’ll get clean and sewn clothes for a week, no more waiting for Ms. Grimshaw gives it to one of us girls.” 

Micah chuckled lowly, moving closer to you and you forgot how intimidating he could be. “As lovely as that sounds, miss, I actually had another... reward in mind.”

He leaned towards you and you could feel his breath touch your skin. You unconsciously licked your lips. “And what is it?” you asked, surprised at how small your voice sounded.

He grinned. “Oh, somethin’ we’ll both enjoy, I assure you.” 

You felt his fingers gently tilt your chin up and you didn’t stop him. You closed your eyes and thought you felt the prickle of his moustache on your face-

Before two familiar laughs and the saloon doors swinging open hit your ears. You jumped back and saw Micah do just about the same, only much more subtle, slowly backing away from you and adjusting his hat. 

Sean and Karen all but stumbled out of the bar, the Irishman still holding a bottle in his hand as he kept an arm around his woman.

“Micah you bastard, what the hell you doin’ here then?” Sean said, his accent thicker now that he was drunk.

Micah scoffed. “Savin’ Miss (Y/N) here, I reckon.” he said, tilting his head towards you. “Now I ain’t no stranger to a bit of fun at the saloon either but what do you suppose Dutch’ll think if anythin’ happened to these fine ladies?”

Sean laughed, almost falling over if Karen hadn’t steadied him. “Since when did you care about anyone other than yourself?”

Micah stomped towards the younger man. “Easy there, cowpoke. Don’t think I wo-”

You stepped in front of Micah, placing your hands on his chest. He looked down at you. “It’s fine, Micah. The idiot’s drunk.”

“Hey!” Karen yelled. “He ain’t an idiot.”

Sean leaned his head on her. “Aww Miss Jones you do-”

“He’s my idiot.” She finished. “Now, I don’t fancy headin’ back to camp just yet. Stole enough money from one of the fellers in the saloon to afford a bath and a decent room at the hotel.” Karen faced you. “You gonna be okay gettin’ back yourself? Or I do have some leftover for another room if ya want.”

Sean took one last swig before dropping the bottle on the ground. “Hey, I ain’t drunk enough that I can’t bring Miss (Y/N) back to camp meself.”

“You Irish fool, the room’s fer us!” she yelled.

Sean blinked before going “Oooohhh” and you laughed when you heard Micah mutter  “They’re both morons.”

You smiled at the other woman. “I’ll be fine. Mr. Bell can bring me back.” you looked at the blonde man and saw him shrug. Karen however wasn’t convinced, as she glared at Micah.

“Don’t you try anythin’ now or I’m tellin’ Arthur and kickin' your ass myself.” she said.

Micah waved his hands mockingly. “Oh I’m shakin, Miss Jones.” he brought them back down. “We’ll be fine. Now you two get the hell outta here before Mr. Macguire pukes all over the damn ground.”

Karen told you to take care before guiding a giggling Sean towards the hotel. 

Once they were inside the building, Micah faced you. “The hell were ya thinkin? Hanging around those two drunk idiots?” 

You shrugged. “Hey I was bored, ok? And Karen offered free drinks.” 

Micah huffed.  

Part of you was buzzing to continue what Sean and Karen interrupted between you and Micah. You rarely interacted with the blonde cowboy whenever he was in camp, but you knew you were friendlier towards him than most of the others.

He’s flirted, or tried to flirt with every girl in camp already so you weren't surprised at him trying to kiss you.

But dammit you really wanted him to.

He coughed, more to get your attention than anything else. “So… if you’re done here darlin’, we better get back to camp.” 

You felt yourself blush hearing him call you darlin’ again. You also almost laughed at his complete personality change. First he was a charming and dashing cowboy, next he was growling at Sean and now he looked a little nervous and unsure. It was kind of endearing. 

Feeling like a little girl too afraid to talk to the boy she was sweet on, you actually tucked your hair behind your ear, trying to avoid his gaze. “Actually I… I ain’t exactly lookin’ forward to headin’ back just yet.”

Micah’s expression looked guarded and you weren’t sure what he was thinking. “What did you have in mind?”

You blamed the alcohol for wanting to grab his head and kiss him senseless then and there. 

So you did.

Your lips were on his and you felt him go stiff before relaxing and kissing you back with just as much force, his hands going to either side of your face. You felt the rough texture of his beard and moustache on your skin, tickling you yet he couldn’t get enough of him.

It didn’t take long for Micah to take charge as he bit your lower lip gently, you opened your mouth just a bit but it was enough to allow Micah's tongue entry. You moaned against him and Micah was the first to break the kiss, letting you breathe while he placed some more open mouthed-kisses on your jaw and neck.

“Been wantin’ to do that for a while now.” he whispered against you.

You laughed breathlessly. “Reckon Sean and Karen killed the mood earlier. Glad I went for it, anyway.”

“Oh so am I sweetheart, so am I. Weren’t sure when the next opportunity was gonna present itself.”

You smirked as Micah finally stopped kissing you, and looked at you with those beautiful blue eyes of his. “Who knew all it took was a drunk cowboy to get us together, hmm?”

Micah brushed your hair out of your face and, in the most un-Micah way you’ve seen him be, placed a soft kiss on your forehead. “The man was a pathetic loser but I made sure to give him somethin’ as thanks.”

You looked up at him, brows furrowed. “You did?”

He grinned before he placed his arms around you and guided you towards Baylock. “Yep! Was about to break a bottle on his head, good thing I didn't, he can have the free whiskey as thanks.”

You couldn’t help but laugh.

The next morning at camp, John yelled at Sean for the… mess that was left in his tent. Sean tried to defend himself saying “Excuse me sir but Miss Jones and I had a lovely evenin’ at the Saints Hotel back in town.” John wasn’t having it though, unconvinced and already asked Ms. Grimshaw to just burn the sheets while he goes and gets some new ones. 

As Sean grumbled on about how he didn’t do anything for once, Micah approached him, with a shit-eating grin on his face. You were close enough that you could hear what he said. “Awww, don’t be so sour, cowpoke. I reckon you should be more careful, like (Y/N) and I were last night. No one knows a thing.”

Micah walked away, hands on his gun belt and a swagger in his step. You waited about five seconds before-

“MICAH BELL YOU OILY TURD!”

You made a note to yourself that next time maybe make sure John’s tent is immaculately clean afterwards.

Or get a room in town.

[taz-writes]

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1U6TLmZlLaTj7GzAuPeyNooWFs5AVm_CInTva4pcFUok/edit

so remember how i was talking abt posting my dnd character fanfics? well here we go, i am in a mood and thinking about my gal, so if anybody feels like reading a couple pages of anxious gay shit go wild. this is 99% just me validating myself lmao but it’s the first thing i’ve written in several years that i’ve actually finished

requisite context for anyone who is vaguely interested: jube is my recently-retired d&d gunslinger, marigold is her now-fiancée; their relationship was a big part of jube’s arc bc they’ve been BFFs since childhood and dated for 15 years and jube was secretly a career criminal who lied to marigold for the entire length of their relationship in order to cover up gang shit, until marigold found out and dumped her. it was EXTREMELY WARRANTED, marigold p much went “well if you love lying so much, you dug your own grave, go lie in it, i don’t wanna hear from you again until you’ve figured out how to be even half a decent person,” then took all her shit and left. the same day marigold dumped her, the gangs jube worked with discovered that she’d been double-crossing them for extra cash, and jube’s apartment got blown up while she was inside in an assassination attempt. she barely escaped with her life, fled across the country, had a moral existential crisis, and decided to start adventuring to try and redeem herself so maybe she could prove to marigold (and herself) that she’s more than just a lying piece of shit. which she did! she figured it out! pulled her life together, learned to feel genuinely sorry for what she’d done, made some new friends & helped found a lil adventuring guild with them, she and marigold reconciled and marigold actually proposed to her during the campaign finale. but like, she’s still got a LOT of lingering issues, trauma from the apartment fire, anxiety, the works. she convinced marigold that she’s a good person but she hasn’t convinced herself, & most of the fics i’ve been writing (like this one) are exploring various aspects of the aftermath.

i just think she’s neat ‘w’

[knifefather]

In the words of Open Mike Eagle, “This is what I need to do. I know I need to do something to feel better. This is it.” So I did! I wanted to write some headcanons about weed and also something cute, so this happened! I give to you: Smoking weed with each member of the Bucci Gang for the first time. This is all platonic. Under the cut for length!

Content warning: Use of marijuana. That’s it. That’s the post. Enjoy!

Bruno

🍃 The Capo is probably the best one to smoke with for the first time. He’s very careful about making sure that you have a good experience! Bruno would more than likely invite you somewhere private for you guys to smoke together, like his home. He’s the type of person that would explain to you about what marijuana does to your body while you’re smoking. It’s really interesting and makes for a good conversation point.

🍃 Bruno would pack you guys a bowl in a pipe! That way you can’t take too large of a hit. Getting too high the first time is definitely a mood killer. He definitely doesn’t want the experience to be ruined for you because you smoked too much. 

🍃 After you take a few puffs and your eyes start to get a little red, he checks in with you. “How are you feeling?” he asks. You look back at him and his eyes are also red. You had never seen Bruno like that before, and that combined with the substance makes you giggle uncontrollably. He ends up chuckling a bit too, a lot more than he normally does. You like the sound of his laugh. “I’m taking that means you’re doing well?” You just nod and reach for the bowl again. 

🍃 After you’re feeling chill enough, the two of you can hang out alone or Bruno would invite the rest of the gang over. You might just hang out in his living room, or he would suggest taking a walk to the park close by. If that’s the case, he is the one that leads you out and around so you can be stoned and not worry about anything. 

🍃 He also brings water because he knows you’ll get cottonmouth! What an angel, really. 

Mista

🍃 Smoking weed for the first time with Mista is an adventure, that’s for sure. Mista is a stoner, so when you told him you’ve never smoked before he is all over it! “Dude, we have to smoke together! Some see me after the meeting at Libeccio,” he tells you, clamping you on the shoulder before walking off. 

🍃 After the meeting is over and the group begins to disband, he approaches you and gives you a funny look. Definitely not suspicious or anything lmao. “You wanna step out back?” he asks, still giving you that strange look. You aren’t sure what to say, so you just nod and go with him. When the gang sees you two leaving together, it really looks like you guys are gonna fuck. They start giggling and gossiping until Bruno breaks it up, but even he is curious about what you two are up to.

🍃 Mista takes you to the side alley next to the restaurant and gets on one knee. “I knew that that meeting was gonna be boring as hell so I brought something to make it worth it,” he says, grinning before pulling something out of his sock. He straightens himself  out and you get a closer look at it. It’s what you think is a cigarette. He sees your confusion before giving you a toothy grin. “This is a joint,” he proclaims. “We’re gonna smoke it.”

🍃 And smoke it you do. You and Mista face the entire joint behind the restaurant and you get mega stoned. The gunslinger has to usher you out of the alley and walk you home because you’re high as fuck. “I don’t want to be alone.. Can you stay?” you ask him after plopping on the couch, almost too stoned to move. He agrees quickly and flops down next to you. 

🍃 After a few minutes, yall begin to get the munchies... So you eat whatever you have at your place before deciding to order a pizza. The two of you just watch a movie and hang out for the rest of the evening!

Giorno

🍃 Doesn’t smoke weed, but he isn’t a jerk about it. He doesn’t have a problem with people who do but it’s really not his thing. He doesn’t like the way it makes him feel, or the way it smells and tastes. 

🍃 Just doesn’t like any kind of drug. He seldom even has more than a few glasses of wine. Being intoxicated is not really for Giorno. 

🍃 However, if you wanted to smoke weed around him, he would be supportive and watch over you. He’d make sure you weren’t going to get yourself hurt and that you’re feeling okay while you’re high. 

🍃 Even though he sucks at driving, he would offer to drive you anywhere you need because he doesn’t want you to get hurt. He would even go get you food if you started getting the munchies really bad! Giorno thinks that you’re hilarious when you stoned and has a blast hanging out with you every time.

Abbacchio

🍃 Abbacchio doesn’t really tell anyone that he smokes pot. The only way you found out was because you had to swing by his apartment to get some paperwork from him. You knock on the door and received no answer. You’re growing worried, so you try again, only to hear nothing. Curious, you round the corner of the apartment building and see that his window is open and smoke is drifting out. 

🍃 After a minute of making you wait, Abbacchio comes to the door. He hands you the paperwork, and you get a good look at his face. His eyes are red as hell and they look smaller than usual. Not to mention that he smells of it. But he totally tries to play it off like he wasn’t just smoking. 

🍃 “Um... Is that weed that you were smoking?” you ask. He’s immediately defensive, brushing you off. But you call him out and nail him. “I know it was bud. Do you maybe... wanna share? I-I’ve never had it before--” you start to say before he cuts you off. 

🍃 “I’ll let you hit the blunt if you promise to go home after that.” You accept his conditions and go inside. 

🍃 He hands you a marijuana cigarette, this time wrapped in brown paper. “It’s a blunt. It’s made out of cigarillo paper. The paper has tobacco in it, so be careful when taking a hit...” he advises, handing you the lighter. You did you best to hit it, and, like Abbacchio expected, you cough your fucking lungs out because of the paper. He claps you on the back a few times before continuing. After you have finished the blunt, you’re dummy stoned. 

🍃 “I know I said I’d go home, but do you think--” Abbacchio interrupts you again. “Yes, you can stay. Just don’t eat everything in my fridge.” You do anyway. 

Narancia

🍃 Oh boy. Oh fucking boy. Narancia literally does everything you SHOULDN’T do with someone who is smoking weed for the first time. 

🍃 You guys are hanging out and he brings out his bong and starts packing a bowl, no big deal. You’re sweating because you have no idea what that big glass thing is. Narancia is under the impression that you’re a stoner like him even though he’s never smoked with you? You don’t understand it either.

🍃 He takes a huge hit and then hands you the bong, and you awkwardly take it in your hands. You’ve watched how Narancia hit it, but you’re not sure if you can do it like him. Narancia can see your uncertainty. “You can hit it. That’s why I passed it to you,” he said, smiling. 

🍃 “I don’t... I’ve never...” you stammer, looking helplessly at him. Narancia put the pieces together, his eyes going wide. “Oh shit! You don’t smoke?” You shake your head in response. “Well damn. Here, lemme show you how.” Narancia’s “demonstration” may or may not have served a double purpose for him to take another hit, but whatever.

🍃 He instructs you on how to use the bong. Fill the bowl, light it, inhale from the top tube, take the bowl out when the chamber fills with too much smoke. You think that it’s simple enough, so you go to try... and cough. You cough, sputtering on the bong, all of the smoke entering your lungs leaving you a whoosh. Your face turns red and Narancia paps you on the back, letting you a have a few sips of his Diet Coke. That was the first and last hit that you took, and it made you high as a motherfucker. 

🍃 You crash at Narancia’s and play video games with him all night, the two of you laughing at the game and making a ton of new inside jokes together. You still quote the inside jokes to this day, and none of the guys understand what the fuck you’re talking about. 

🍃 He does end up turning on a really loud, violent movie that scares the shit out of you, though. He turns it off and does his best to help you calm down, apologizing profusely. After a few minutes, you feel better, but it crashed your high. You’re okay with that, and just curl up next to him while he continues to play games. You’ve had enough for the night. 

Fugo

🍃 Also doesn’t smoke at all. Though, he’s lame, and he’ll probably try to discourage you from it. He’ll hit you with a ton of false facts about what weed does to your body and how it is actually the worst thing in the world for you.  

🍃 Narancia and Mista would usually step in and telling him he’s being a fucking tool. If they start arguing, Bruno breaks it up. He doesn’t take a side, but he admittedly is biased because he smokes weed too.

🍃 Not much to say on Mr. Party Pooper over here. 

Trish

🍃 Lmao. This girl is a stoner as hell. She doesn’t smoke flower very often, but she always has her weed vape pen on her. 

🍃 This bitch will just hit her pen in the middle of a store. On the train. On the sidewalk. In a church. Wherever the hell. Bruno gets on to her about it sometimes, but she always brushes him off and just does her thing. 

🍃 You smoke with her for the first time while you guys are out shopping. The two of you have a few bags in tow and are on your way to the next store in the mall. Trish whips her pen out from her purse and, you guessed it, hits it right in the middle of the mall. You’re absolutely baffled and not sure why anyone hasn’t noticed or called her out. 

🍃 Oblivious, she turns to you and points the pen at you. “You want to hit it? I can see you staring at me,” she says plainly. You’re kinda shocked at how forward she is about it, but you take the pen from her. You try to get her to move away to a less populated part in the mall, but she has to go to the candle store. So you hit it and watch a bubble form in the golden liquid.

🍃 It’s one of those good ass carts, and you get stoned from just one rip. It’s actually really fun walking around with her while you’re high! You guys enjoy the rest of your shopping trip no problem, and Bruno comes to pick you guys up after you guys are finished! He knows you two are stoned, but he doesn’t say anything. Thanks Bru. 

[soft--dragon]

Hi dragon!

It's me again!

I just wanted to vent my lee mood with a bit of a thinkeroonie:

My favorite thing to do with my oc's is make a super like hardcore character who's cold and stuck up

And boom, super ticklish.

Why? Idk, it's just my favorite thing

Or even intimidating characters (maybe such as techno) not being ticklish at all, but giving that spine chilling smirk if ya try to tickle them

That is all, good day to you

- the 💜💜 anon

I have some OC's of my own and one of them is a stoic, broody gunslinger but he's ticklish as hell lmao

Mans cannot escape his boyfriend who loves taking him down a peg when he gets sassy/snarky

[midnigtartist]

I love your dnd party so much??? Your art is fantastic!!! Would you mind telling a little about each PC? They look very interesting!!

Oh yes absolutely i love my party i love talking about them

Blue haired lady is Rhiess, shes our human barbarian. Shes a werewolf and she’s literally the sweetest and loves birds. She also married our bard and its peak wlw mlm solidarity i love it sm aaaaaa (played by the lovely @millimauk ^3^)

Red haired dude is Lexa. Hes a human monk/sorcerer with a mood ring that lets him know what hes feeling (it’s usually annoyed). Hes the default dad friend of the group and is constantly trying to keep us from wandering into danger. Cursed or some shit

The blond elf is Lillian, shes our druid. Playing the wii shop music on repeat in her head. We found out that the deer skull she usually wears is named DEER-mitri and i LOVE it. Her goddess is trying to abduct her

Brown hair man is our bard/ recently warlock Barnabus. Hes human and HIGHLY CURSED OH MY GOOD. I cant even list all the things hes done oml. Hes tried to have my character kidnapped TWICE bc he was jealous, he robbed a monastery an hour into is being in town, and is currently romancing my characters cousin. He’s horrible and I absolutely love him.

The little one is our halfling cleric Haru. They’re literally baby. So sweet, so shy, so wonderful. Technically they’re part assimar so theyre like a little cherub !!!!! They glow i love them. They call the bard “mister wizard” i would die for them.

And then the tiefling is my girl Dotty. Gunslinger/ artificer. She’s basically El Woods from Legally Blond but if she hand a gun lmao. Her fiancé left her like a month before the wedding to marry a richer girl and shes been spiraling ever since.

Our dm ( @dungeonnovice ) is amazing for putting up w all our nonsense and continues to put together incredible sessions for us every week ❤️❤️❤️

[kinetic-elaboration]

February 8: Mountain Lion Mean Notes

Okay, so I was writing up notes on my Troped Western fic and then I clicked something and it all disappeared! I’m very upset and I hate the idea of starting again but like... I guess that’s what I gotta do :/

Mountain Lion Mean on AO3.

Written for @troped-fanfic-challenge​

So as I said in my notes, I watched Hell or High Water on the Sunday the trope document opened and immediately became obsessed, and that was my main inspiration. I saw it and loved it and, like with most things I love, my first thought was how can I do this too?? I didn’t want to do a straight AU of it, because it’s just too good and I don’t want to mess with that kind of perfection, but I knew I wanted a similar mood. I also figured pretty early on that I would try to include a bank robbery.

For the first days after the trope doc opened, I mostly just gathered inspiration and tried to think Western thoughts. In addition to HOHW, my inspiration included:

The Western episode of Charmed

A Western Rock playlist I found on Spotify

This post of southwestern gothic aesthetics

“Ranch Girl” by Maile Meloy (also the inspiration for it is new moon and twilight, which, fun fact, was originally going to be a Western; I didn’t re-read the story but it’s been haunting me since I first read it c. 2001 and is probably a partial inspiration for everything I write)

William Faulkner (especially “A Rose for Emily” and A Light in August) for the “town POV” narration

Sigrid Undset for the floating third-person-POV

The wikipedia article on Westerns, for succinct summaries of the themes of Westerns

The original aesthetic, quoted from my notes: “The vastness of the west, the frontier, a little uncivilized, a little dangerous, tough looking men who don’t talk much, extrajudicial justice, the heat and the desert…“

By the time I sat down to brainstorm, I had a few ideas and a few images already in mind. I wanted to include a bank robbery. I liked the idea of Clarke as a gunslinger and/or purveyor of vigilante justice. I thought I might use Gina as a bartender (this was during the half-moment I thought I might write a Bartender Mechanic fic; obviously neither of these things happened). And I liked the idea of including Murphy as some kinda criminal or unsavory type. The image of Bellamy as a taciturn cowboy came fairly early too.

I was a little uncertain at first if I wanted to do an 1800s western or a neo-western, mostly because I felt like the tropes I was attracted to and the images in my head fit better in the 1800s. But ultimately I settled on neo-western pretty fast, because I thought the imagery and themes would work better in the modern day. Plus I just thought it would be easier tbqh.

My first concern was to not just re-write a shittier HOHW. I was really caught up in the logistics of the bank robbery; including too much of that would necessarily make it a copy of the film, so I tried to keep just the bare bones of the robbery + the general justification (saving the family land). Then I added additional portions of the scheme--not too difficult since I knew I wanted Gunslinger/Vigilante Clarke in there, and I needed some way to show that she takes Justice into her own hands--and additional characters. Again, most notably Clarke, but also Raven and Octavia. The characters have their own backgrounds, personalities, relationships, and motivations, all of which make the story more mine imo. I’m satisfied with the balance of Obvious HOHW Influences and original content.

At some point, I described it to my mom as “Bellamy is Toby, Murphy is Tanner, and Clarke is canon Clarke but in the modern West.” Which I still think is accurate.

Including Clarke, though, and privileging the various relationships among the trio of Bellamy, Clarke, and Murphy, made me feel like I was making an it is new moon and twilight knock off except with Clarke for Raven. I still kind of see it, tbh, in the sense that twilight was itself supposed to be a western--I think it would be fair to say that Mountain Lion Mean IS the fic I set out to write in February 2020--and in the sense that I could have written a different story in the same universe as Mountain Lion Mean that explored the Clarke, Murphy, and Bellamy relationships in a way that is similar to twilight. As is, a lot of that is unsaid and unseen. The two fics have different focuses, so it’s probably only apparent to me just how similar they are. Just like, to me, Mad Women and The Wanheda Tape are the same story even though they have very different aesthetics and plots.

Some excerpts from my notes that I think are fun:

I really want to work with the themes (haha themes) of frontier justice and also the sense that the west is infinite but also small, that nature is hard and impossible to wrangle but that the opportunities are narrow and it’s easy to get trapped in it, the melancholy nature of it, the dichotomy of nature (huge, powerful) versus man (small, struggling against nature and against man). Or some such. Or Murphy just robs banks.

Bellamy owns a struggling ranch. Clarke is a gunslinger (don’t really know if I can use this trope in the current day but possibly?) who doesn’t trust the law. Has a conceal[ed]-carry permit. Is the best shot in three counties. Murphy’s been in and out of prison most of his adult life, mostly for crimes like robbery and assault.

How do they know each other? Possibilities: Murphy knows Bellamy through Octavia (idk why…but I do feel like O should appear, riding a horse) (background Octaven? Just a thought), Bellarke are exes, Murphy used to work on the ranch. Clarke has killed someone (someone Bad) and gotten away with it.

I do like the focus being on these three characters, who have a long history but aren’t currently close, coming together for a mission (to rob a bank) for the benefit of one who is struggling (Bellamy) even thought this is an awful lot like both Hell or High Water and it is new moon and twilight lmao.

I like that mood from HOHW where actually Toby was the most dangerous, and the smartest, and he won—the idea that Bellamy is the taciturn cowboy who’s not good at sharing his feelings but he’s also the mastermind in the end. Is that the twist? You get the impression Vigilante Gunslinger Griffin and Actual Ex-Con Murphy are planning something, but then it turns out to be Bellamy who executes the plan? [Not quite how it turned out lol in that I think it’s decently obvious that Bellamy was a major part of it the whole time but I did try to get some of this in with Octavia in the final scene--to really drive home Bellamy’s importance, as the ring leader, since otherwise one could ask, what does he even do?]

Midway through the planning process I came up with some more images to work from:

B and C out at dusk on the ranch, she’s shooting can, a bit of UST perhaps

M shows up at the bar and there’s an awkward silent entrance—perhaps he’s just out of prison

Murphy or Clarke guns akimbo [I picked Clarke to emphasize that she’s the gunslinger, but I had Murphy shoot out the security cameras to show that they were using his robbery experience]

Bellamy being silent and awkward

At this point, it was just about putting all the pieces together. That’s how I tend to plan Troped fics: I lay out all the pieces I need or want to include and then I figure out the shortest and most efficient distances between them. For example, I knew I needed a bank robbery and for Clarke to administer some vigilante justice--so I use that justice as a way to launder the money. They fake a will for her victim and “give” the money to themselves.

I did worry, and still worry, about the timeline re: the Bellarke marriage and the will because I’m quite sure it doesn’t make sense and doesn’t work. But it also... it doesn’t keep me up at night because the whole point is that it’s a scam!! Worrying about legality in a scam is sorta... lol. What I mean specifically is that I wanted it to be clear that Clarke does not kill Kane FOR this scheme. They use something she already did to their advantage. So she and Bellamy can’t be married at the time Kane is killed. That implies the murder was pre-meditated for the bank robbing purpose. But I’m also fairly sure (and I should know this because I took T&E but like...honestly can’t remember) that the people in the will are counted at the time of death, not the time of probate, or you could like... adopt extra kids or marry or divorce someone to affect the will. Plus all that stuff about simultaneous death etc. etc. Also, on a practical level, if Clarke wasn’t married, Kane wouldn’t have an obvious reason to write her spouse into the will. But I get away with this in my head by saying, first, no one’s going to say the husband that’s standing right there doesn’t count as a husband--the law is the law but it’s implemented by people and they fudge corners all the time. They do what seems to make sense even if you’d lose points for it on a law school exam. And second, the will could have been written with the assumption or hope that Clare would marry. Possibly even, though I don’t say this in the fic exactly, on the condition of marriage--Clarke gets 100% to share 50-50 with her husband if she’s married, 0% if she’s not. Doesn’t really matter. It’s supposed to read as outwardly clever and create Mystery and play with the Exes Aesthetic even if it doesn’t hold up the strictest scrutiny. (JDs don’t @ me.)

I justified including the marriage as a necessity because Kane could possibly leave money to Clarke’s husband but he wouldn’t leave money to some rando. I do stand by that part.

I also decided at some point that I wanted to include Background Octaven but be really subtle about it so it was something else the reader would have to piece together: that Raven has a girlfriend, then that Octavia has a girlfriend but, hey, isn’t Raven a bartender?--and then it comes together in the last scene as we see that their relationship was factored into Bellamy’s plan all along: some of the loot goes directly to Octavia and her partner, officially as payment for Raven’s services, unofficially because Bellamy wants to give O a gift. Anyway. Either it was too obvious or too subtle/boring because no one mentioned it but I thought it was cool lol.

At this point in my planning I basically had everything I needed, so I wrote a quick outline of scenes, as I always do, to see how it would flow scene to scene and if I had a place to put all the necessary plot info. I also ended up doing “what I need from this scene” lists for each scene so that I knew what I had to have on my mind to include before I sat down to write each one.

The actual writing was done over 3 days and fairly easily and quickly. I had a lot of fun not just with planning but with the actual process of creation. I think it’s because I was just honestly excited to be in this universe and play with this aesthetic.

Not to blow my own horn here but some parts that I was particularly pleased with were:

“Arkadia hasn’t seen a drop of rain in thirty-two days. The asphalt on the highway shimmers with heat; the air crackles with heat; the heat rises, stifling and strong, from the parched dirt and the cracks in the pavement.” Like I’m sorry but that’s a good image, I like that a lot. Whenever I felt discouraged, I just read that again and felt better.

The description of past Bellarke because boy howdy do I not care to write romance anymore but that was fun. I thought it was hot.

Transitioning Murphy laughing until the coyotes can hear into Bellamy hearing coyotes at night into Bellamy still hearing them during the day. I don’t know if it worked quite like I wanted to but in my head that is a very Cinematic transition, okay? I also like that even though Clarke and Murphy aren’t literally riding off together in that scene, for the reader, they are leaving the narrative never to be seen again. So they get their Dramatic Exit.

Octavia’s explication of the Theme and Bellamy’s possible motivations. I’m pretty proud of myself for actually having a theme and I think I did a good job of explaining it without being too heavy-handed. I also think it was perhaps risky to end with the POV of Octavia, a character who’s barely been in the fic before the last scene, but ultimately that decision felt right to me and I think it had a good flow, a nice mellow exit from the narrative.

What I didn’t like as much was a lot of the first scene. I think it has some great bits but it was the most re-worked part of the fic, and there are still some paragraphs and phrases that I feel are a little stiff. For example, this is a paragraph that I cut entirely:

Diyoza was sure the Griffin daughter did the deed back in January and she's sure about it still. She even gives a quote to the Sun-Times about it, despite her troubles with Green. But she had no proof then, not even a body to justify a murder charge, and she has little proof now. So no one believes the investigation will come to anything.

As you can see, it gives no new information. There were other sentences and phrases that weren’t doing work but were interrupting the flow, which also got cut, but I’m still not sure that the flow is perfect in the final version.

Also displeased that I edited out a * from the version on AO3, thus letting two scenes run together. How embarrassing!!! It’s fixed now though.

Overall though I’m so pleased! I love this fic and I love that I can love things again. This year has already been so hard, just like being battered again and again by waves of a storm, and it’s only 5 weeks in but this experience was so unabashedly good and I’m so grateful for it.

[tehrevving]

Do you remember the moment you first fell for The Legendary Devil Hunter?

Lmao. So admittedly I’ve always had a crush on Dante ever since I played DMC3 when I was 14 or something, but I wasn’t obsessed or anything. I was already into Dante before I played DMCV, like I was already in a Dante thot mood when I finally played the game. Like you start the game and it’s like, yeah okay I love him. And admittedly while playing through The game I was pretty into V and even Nero. I did live tweet my first impressions on my twitter somewhere lol. But then Dante shows up again, with his long hair and his fucking smirk and his god damn personality.

I fell for him when you first play him, when he does an upside down spin with his guns in gunslinger, when he yells “GunTrickSword” over and over again. I’m a self diagnosed moronsexual and I just couldn’t help myself. Lol

[fjoundfjamily]

xxii + xxiii

xxii

why do i need a whole shot of flint’s ass

not complaining but. why

oh to be a pirate with a dagger in my boot

vane’s voice is just so grating? and his accent keeps slipping?

i love anne bonny and if she and max don’t end up together i will be sad

flint rubbing his hands over his buzzed head? mood

scott! no!

xxiii

dream flint 2: death marsh boogaloo

hello pls can they specify the [native language] in the subtitles since they specify french even if they don’t translate it

partly bc like. wtf and partly bc i wanna know what language it is!!

oh to be a pirate with a dagger in my boot

flint: my life is meaningless now

sb: i could do with your help

flint: nm i’m now the most important person in the world

lmao ok that’s not actually what happened i wasn’t paying attn

god i. love max

skdjsj love that blackbeard just. chucks away his pistols when he’s fired one shot

this show has really made me realise how unrealistic the dnd gunslinger class is. 2 shots in six seconds? and that’s like. nowhere near the max it reaches by l20??

i do love billy bones

oh so they have the decency to sub spanish?? i get that it’s plot relevant but still.

eleanor really said i will kiss everyone and i think that’s very sexy and bisexual of her

[tannithvibes]

Murphy Darrow was born a Siren, the middle-most child out of seven (the order being; Ramsay, Lochlin, Logan, Murphy, Islay, Blair and Macaulay). While her parents doted on her far more than any of the other children, they weren't the greatest at parenthood. They viewed Murphy more as a trophy to give them importance rather than their kid.

She was always a self-centered wildcard and from the moment she could fight on her own until the age of 22, Murphy fancied herself a warrior for the people. At 15 she lost control of her power, Phaseshatter, and eviscerated her right arm completely. That's also when she got the scar on her face. If anything, it made her even more reckless with who and what she fought for. 

Around the age of 22 she met a Leech Siren (im not sure if i want Murphy to be alive when canon characters are or not, so either the Leech will be just a random person, or it would be Tyreen. this is working as if its rando) and fell head over heels for her. Murphy didn't care how bad of a person the Leech was and p much sold all of her morals to answer the Leech's every beck and call. Unfortunately the feelings were not reciprocated fully and after faking a relationship for a few years, the Leech decided Murphy's powers would be more useful if she owned them and ya know, stole Murphy's Siren powers.

So, at roughly the age of 25, Murphy suddenly lost the biggest sense of self she'd had her entire life. Once she lost her Siren powers, people stopped really caring about her and looking to her for help. She was just another person. Coming from someone who spent her life being a Siren, a people person, the hero, this was a devastating turn of events

Murphy grew violent and volatile, with a temper that didn't discriminate on who it lashed out upon. Slowly she changed from the wildcard with good intentions, to a dangerous gunslinger that you could never quite trust. Now whenever Murphy showed up somewhere, people feared her because they had no idea what mood she'd be in that day.

She might show up in your town and seem as charming and charismatic as ever, but if it didn't result in the response Murphy wanted then somebody could wind up dead. It's a nasty combination of an already mean person who has experienced a life-altering loss, as well as an incredibly messy break up. 

aaaand the rest is sorta up in the air? Originally Murphy was 100% going to end up as a villain type, but I've grown too attached to her to just...straight up make her evil and then subsequently kill her. For now I imagine, with a lot of time, effort and help, Murphy might learn how to function as a regular person for the first time in her life. But she will Absolutely still be a huge jackass compensating for her lost abilities lmao