#the way me and my man have been so invested in this beef

[spamgyu]

I barely know what's happening (like the reason for this whole thing), but that part of the diss is my new personality. I have someone in my life that whenever I see, I throw hands at but every single move Drake makes, Kendrick drops another diss track. I need to level up my pettiness and hater game

i know EXACTLY what part you're talking about.

unfortunately i was put on this earth to be a hater (scorpio rising and sun with an aries moon) and i am at the level of hater that kendrick is... maybe even more...

because listen.... before i am human... i am a hater.

anyways thats just me tho.

[copperbadge]

[ID: A photograph of a building in Chicago through my window; in one corner my spider plant is photobombing the image. Through the window, snow can be seen falling against the urban backdrop.]

It's snowing in Chicago for New Year's! Everyone who bought a cute cocktail dress to wear out to the parties tonight, I'm so sorry. Maybe invest in some kind of dramatic greatcoat that will keep your butts warm.

Me, I've put the stracotto di manzo on to slow cook (fourth dish I'm cooking, third course in the Festa Alla Cinque Cibi) and I'm about to sit on the sofa and not do much for a bit.

The stracotto di manzo recipe, like the burik recipe, comes from Portico, a Jewish-Italian cookbook (there's an online version here) and I did make a few alterations; I hope people know that whenever I talk about changing a recipe it's because I'm changing it to suit my tastes or laziness, and that's not a critique of the recipe. In this case, I halved the recipe since I'm only one man and four pounds of pot roast is too much. I also replaced the sauteed onions-celery-garlic mixture with my Special Sauce, but mainly because I had the Special Sauce handy and it's the same flavor profile more or less. No celery note, but I'm indifferent to celery.

[ID: three images; left, a photo into the instant pot, showing a golden-brown mess on the bottom; center, a bottle of Bay Bridge Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon; right, the "special sauce" after the wine has been added, which is now a surprisingly appetizing-looking green liquid flecked with gold.]

The "special sauce" is a mixture of caramelized onions, roasted garlic, and my homemade pesto (roasted cashews, fresh basil, salt, roasted garlic, olive oil). I browned the beef chunks in olive oil and removed them, added the special sauce just long enough to get it good and hot, then added the wine and deglazed the pan. They say you should only ever cook with wine you'd drink, but I don't like wine at all, so like a good San Francisco boy I bought some California Cab in the $5-$10 range and hoped for the best. When it arrived it turned out it had been on markdown, so that is right there some of your finest $2.50 wine. I'll use the rest in a ragu sauce or to thin paint or something. How long does jet fuel keep in the fridge?

[ID: A shot into the instant-pot of large chunks of beef bubbling away in a red sauce, bits of gold "special sauce" still visible here and there. None of you can smell the garlic and basil I'm smelling right now but I wish you could.]

Anyway I didn't get a photo of the beef browning, but once the special sauce and red wine were on the boil, I added a massive can of tomato puree and the browned beef, brought it up to bubbling, then switched over to slow-cook. I've got it on the lowest possible setting but that might be slightly too low, so I'll check the temp in two hours and re-evaluate. It's just feeding me and I have no set time to eat, so if it takes all day it takes all day.

All that's left now is the second fry on the Carciofi Alla Giudia, which will be the last thing I do because you serve that warm and there's no real way to re-heat it after the second fry.

Breakfast was a slice of homemade pizza and like four amaretti cookies, because I am only ever classy by appointment.

[prettyboykatsuki]

My white ass little brother is getting all the Kendrick v Drake tiktoks for some reason and has been INVESTED even without listening to rap much. He said 'have you seen the Kendrick diss stuff?????' and it was the biggest 'LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING' moment of my adult life. Had to give him all the backstory, starting with Meg!!!!

KDSHFKJSD it's genuinely like CRAZZYYY. LET ME TELL YOU SMTH FOR REAL BECAUSE MAN......

i have a lot of the thoughts on the situation because like. i think a lot of people who are only hearing the recent diss tracks don't know how deep the drake kendrick beef and speculations go !!!! like almost as far back as drakes career as a musician.... that tension is so long-standing and they mutually have several records that people have speculated have been digs about the other.

THE THING IS THEY'VE KEPT THAT RELATIONSHIP MOSTLY OUT OF PUBLIC VIEW. when kendrick dropped a verse dissing the other two in the supposed big three - it was a big deal because the three of them have had a mostly amicable relationship to outsiders. there was a rumored jcole kendrick record for years (which ill mourn forever). everyone was anticipating the response!!! jcole even made one before pulling away !!!!

when drake releasd his intial response it was like.. the first time we've heard drake actually rap in YEARS LMAOO. IT WAS CRAZY AS IS!!! but then they just kept going. AND THEN KENDRICK RELEASED DOUBLE DISSTRACKS??? the same move drake pulled when he had his beef with meek mill years ago!!!! AND THEN DRAKE RELEASED ANOTHER RESPONSE FAMILY MATTERS AND KENDRICK RELEASED MEET THE GRAHAMS WITHIN A FEW HOURS OF THAT?

it's crazy. some of the most influential musicians of the genre and kendrick, one of the greatest lyricists of the 2010's , publicly beefing in such a way is insane. it's genuinely historic in terms of rap beef. and all of kendricks tracks have crushed all of drakes - despite the fact drakes diss tracks WERE GOOD!!! if he were going up against anyone else it would hold up. but it's kendrick, pulitzer winner, so he really hasn't been able to get up since 😭😭😭

on top of that kendricks disses and generally his music are heavily intergrated with black american culture and issues - and his criticism of drake through these means can't be overlooked. again these are longstanding critiques rappers have had against drake. its largely not just about music but about black culture overall. outside of celebrity drama its unbelievably relevant in that aspect as well. and i say this as an outsider to it repeating from other people interested in it, but its just too relevant to the conversation to ignore

meet the grahams is FATAL TOO. kendrick has been consistently bringing up the industrys issues with drake as a rap artist and how it's been in contention with his upbringing in his disses and then drake brought up his family. meet the grahams is making insane allegations that supposedly kendrick has receipts for, and it's not like people haven't known drake is fucking weird. but the way meet the grahams set it up.... im not over it.... shot after shot after shot. it is nothing like 6:16 in L.A. or euphoria it is crazy to me to witness real time.

like no wonder there is so much media attention for them right now this is like. INSANE. AND I HAVE NO INVESTMENT IN EITHER OF THESE RAPPERS as much as i just have for rap and it's history. and i cant believe the direction its been going on

im wondering if this is going to be the era of drake disses releasing and im dying to see who and what has something to say because the industry has had issues with drake for YEARS. its just crazy all of it is insane

[toptophat]

Top Hat's thoughts on the FNAF movie (Spoilers)

I thoroughly enjoyed it! Smiled throughout the whole thing

As a FNAF fan, seeing some key moments from the games as well as acknowledging the fandom (e.g Game theory's MatPat and The Living Tombstone's iconic song at the credits) made my jaw drop

FNAF veterans such as Dawko enjoyed it so that made me optimistic

The animatronics were replicated perfectly and the entire set for the restaurant is just too beautiful

Scenes such as the break-in, while not exactly scary, were still intense enough to keep me invested

Unpopular opinion - I kinda liked the pillow fort scene, it was cheesy but it could be seen as the animatronics trying to gain Abby's trust to lure her to be stuffed into a suit. Also I'm jealous, i wanna make a pillow fort with them 😭

And here's where I'll address (some of) the main critiques people gave to the movie (references: anything in the media that would link to this in a way)

"The movie wasn't scary at all, it should've been gory"

Yeah, I agree, even though I got shocked a couple of times (like the balloon boy gag) it wasn't really terrifying

But honestly, after watching countless "playthroughs" as a kid, you start to realise... The games were never that scary in the first place

To be honest, the only thing scary about it was actually some areas in the fandom (you know who you are..)

I'm aware that FNAF was never for kids, no matter how many elsagate vids were made on it. So it would make sense for it to have blood and gore. It definitely would've made scenes like the spring lock scene more traumatising to look back at

You know what else was expected to be more adult oriented? Cuphead's Netflix adaptation. While I understand that both of these beloved franchises could've been adapted to be more adult, it can also be noted that the Cuphead show is actually accepted by the fandom as while it did have a rocky start with S1, it showed that the writers were testing the waters to try something new, and by S2, they had a better idea of what they wanted, and a lot of people fell in love with it. While it would've definitely been cool to see more gore, it wouldn't improve the movie automatically

"The movie doesn't follow the original lore"

While, yes, it would've been cool to see all theories confirmed by Scott himself during the film, it's also good to remember this: they're called "adaptations" for a reason

Many popular franchises, when adapted to the big/small screen can experience changes in the known story and lore as a way to bring this fresh new start and perspective, they never aim to continue or tell the story again when it wasn't necessary in the first place (*cough cough* Lion King 2019). Last time I checked: Luigi wasn't the one who gets kidnapped by Bowser (SMB23), Cuphead never lost the right to his soul due to a carnival game (TCS), The Echidnas never had beef with freaking owls over the master emerald (The Sonic movies)

Let's be honest here, Scott may have made FNAF, but all the popular fan theories wrote the story, so everything is kinda messy. Maybe this was Scott's chance to rewrite everything, to start over and stray away from the messy lore that others made, MatPat seemed to be cool with it, he was even in the damn movie!

While, there have been times when repeating the same story makes it stale and repetitive (Disney), Changing important elements of the story (Also Disney) can make it unfaithful and pointless, so I understand that.

The changes that were made in this movie were interesting, making Vanessa, Afton's daughter could add more impact on the whole Vanny thing as she's been around this horrible man her whole life. Not making Mike, Abby and Garrett, Afton's children doesn't really deepen the personal connection and conflict between Mike and Afton so it'll be interesting to see how that one goes especially with Circus Baby now that Abby has no real connection to Afton other than that one encounter

Also I heard from one review that the movies take more inspiration from the books, but I don't have enough knowledge on the books to elaborate on that argument

Unless there's some weird twist, which is highly unlikely, I'd love to see how they develop these newly established dynamics if there are sequels being planned (pls make more, I need to see how this goes)

Besides, like I said, often, the first movies, seasons etc are there to experiment, it has the potential to improve in each new installment. For example, JJBA, it took until around parts 3-4 for Araki to have a better idea of what he wanted it to be.

Conclusion

That's about all I really have to say. I understand that many had high expectations going in and, who wouldn't? It shows we value ourselves and that we want to experience things that are worth our time. People are not obligated to love everything and don't have to agree with everything I said. I personally found the movie to be enjoyable and worth my time, and, while i know it lacked in some aspects, who knows?, as it progresses, opinions could change and if we get more of the revamped FNAF, then, we could see if it changed for the better or for the worse. And while first impressions do matter, it won't always be the same impression moving forward (for people who liked and didn't like the movie)

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk!

[survivalist-anon]

Log 1: The first encounter

It's been a year since my falling out with my boyfriend. What was supposed to be a trip back home to collect my gear has now ended up becoming a whole move back to Pine Hills....talk about going back to square one...

It's another lovely, foggy day in Chehalem Ridge. Hoping to bag at least deer for the next few weeks of meat rations. Honestly, I'm starting to become grateful for grandpa incessively bringing on his hunting trips, this move has done an absolute number on my bank account. Beef here is starting to get expensive ever since that garbage Wonder Mart bought out the local stuff. Well, times have changed. I've always liked the taste of venison anyway.

Things here have been even more worrisome over the past few years too.....farm animals being slaughtered left, right and center....those clowns from the National Guard Tillamook base have been hounding the town for answers on some sightings of "big, metal men". An absolute mess.

What has been giving me a biting gnash on the back of my mind is how poor ol' Grandpa passed away. Well....the fact he died on a hunting trip isn't what's surprising, it's the fact he was killed so brutally that even his buddies believed that no way a bear could have done it. Robbie (our local mortician, ex-butcher and currently the one braincell helping at City Hall) said that "no bear could just tear up a man like a chainsaw can"....the closed casket funeral was already a disaster.

Call it depression, call it suicide, but I going to the very place he died ...I need to know what happened. Yeah, naive on top of the cliche is definitely going to be on my tombstone. It's been 4 months since his death, will I find anything? Fuck no of course not...but hey, it's productive.

As I'm looking at the river bank, I'm not surprised to see what a shoty job local PD did in clean up the place....there's pieces of his old camouflage jacket. He didn't believe in the modern stuff, so he just used an old jacket he had back in when we enlisted in Vietnam. I glanced over the scene, trying to pieces together what the hell could it have been. Walking around, I'm not too surprised how much of a waste of time this was....at least the scenery was perfect...

At least, it was.

I suddenly realized that the birds has just stopped singing, all I can hear was the sound of my heartbeat. But there was something new, a heavy smell of metal and industrial chemicals? I know theres an illegal logging company around here but no one back at City Hall has been able to fight them for years. That's when I heard movement.

This is when I begin to regret not investing in a hunting rifle, but bow and arrow to the eyeball works just fine. I draw and scan for whatever that smell was coming from ....all I saw something big and metal....but for something to be that big....it was no man.

It was in the thicket of the treeline, glowing...angry eyes, it had spikes just absolutely everywhere, it's dark black body was interrupted but glimmers of bronze or gold....at it was coming right at me.

I couldn't move, I just stood there trying not to shake the fucking arrows out of my quiver, I don't even know what I was even doing from that point on.

It just stomped twords me, it knew I wouldn't be able to do much to it.

But like hell I wouldn't.

I locked up, and shot right it it's eye. Going straight in! It's head leaned back at the arrow sunk through......then...it chuckled....that sickening laughter you give when you know you're about to win...it looked straight back at me, still chuckling....now with my arrow sticking out it's face like a complete moron.

Looks like I'm going to get see grandpa. Hell I would probably get to tell him I found his buddy too.

"... aren't you... just adorable........thank you for your.... little gift", snapping the arrow yet keeping its other half in his eyesocket...."a most cherished gift.....from a weaklings like girl like you...just...like that old bastard....". He was now 10 feet away from me.

He pointed to a set of faded dents in his chest, three shots that only chipped the paint.

Grandpa's last shots

"....at least he went out fighting."...I stepped back and fucking tripped on the rocky bank...great I made it earlier for him.

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks, glanced at the trail behind me and growled.

That's when I heard the familiar click of a trigger pull, than the loudest gun shot I have ever felt! Closing my eyes, it was like a small rocket had been set off just feet away from me.

All I could hear was a loud ringing in my ears, I felt something warm and wet cover half of my body. Shaking, I slowly opened my eyes, and saw gore.... just where.... sprayed on me, on the rocks .....I looked up....half of that monster was there.....I couldn't take it anymore....and i blacked out.

I woke up in the hospital back home, Nurse Amila (town doctor at this point since the last guy quit) said I was found soaking wet near a sheep farm several miles off the course of Chelhalem Ridge. I told her everything I could remember but of course she told me to just rest so I can collect myself a little later. I was in shock, but I had to tell her. The look on her is what worried me, she.... wasn't surprised.

She did tell me that who ever it was that brought me to safe place, left me in good hands .....a gift?

Nurse Amila points to the hospital nightstand, it didn't look like any of the native tribal artifacts I've studied for....it looked.... Nordic? It was a huge candid tooth.

"Looks like a bear tooth, guess someone finally sees you're worth a look, right Lorey?", she chuckled.

"....I....think it's a wolf tooth", I feel like I'm going insane, first the absolute horror movie scene I've just experienced and now...possibly .... giant unextinct......dire wolves?

What the shit is going on......

End of log 1.

@kit-williams

[rachetmath]

Jaune Vol 10 Character Analysis

You know what I planned to make this a few pages long, but screw it, let’s talk about it. In Volume 10, I want Jaune to have that same energy back in Volumes 9 and 6. I’m sorry, but after everything Jaune has been through should not go back to being a comic relief character. No, not a chance, considering they're in the kingdom of Vacuo.

Vacuo, the desert kingdom might as well be the crime invested, savage, and brutal nation in all of Remnant. And this was the best place to bring thousands of people to? Imagine the amount of stress Jaune will be under due to the amount of work needed just to have stability. And he just got back from the Ever After. Imagine how hard it will be for him to readjust to Remnant, especially if the people start losing faith in the hunters. Not only that despite being reverted to the age he left in, he still is mentally older than everyone else. 

Remember what Jaune’s mother told him, “A stranger is a friend you haven't met yet.” Well, that’s debatable now after being betrayed by so many people. So imagine Jaune thinking twice about trusting anyone, regardless of good intentions. Hell, have him question Emerald so she can prove herself or his allies for a change considering they barely do anything for him. Either way, Jaune… won’t be as trusting as before. 

Next, after failing his friends multiple times at least story-wise…Jaune might as well be more obsessed with getting stronger than ever before. Even though Weiss, Yang, and Blake slightly helped him, it’s not enough to help him move past the amount of pain he went through like isolation, paranoia, and self-doubt. These things can make Jaune question himself, and lead him to want to quit, leaving the hunter world for good. Or die. This isn’t a good idea, considering Jaune is needed and is a hero in other people's eyes. (Jaune has been doing a better job than most characters, despite being the weakest in the group.) 

Sadly, his friends may be unable to talk to him about it. I’m talking about Ren and Nora, mainly due to relating. But it's because they are both horrible teammates. 

Okay, I explain my beef with these two. Ren and Nora, I tolerated at the beginning volumes. However, after volumes four to eight, I got frustrated with them enough that I didn’t mind if either of them or both of them died. Jaune always has to be there for both of them but neither is there for him when he truly needs them. I get it he is their leader but still. And before you all say “Ren and Nora have moments with Jaune.” My counterpoint is that most of them are forgettable and were outweighed by their other actions. Don’t believe me? Then let us discuss the volumes.

In volume four, it’s crazy that Ruby knows what Jaune has been doing more than his team. Let’s not forget during a fight with a Nuckalavee they were conversing while Jaune and Ruby were fighting for their lives. Look I understand, the Nuckalavee killed Ren’s parents but still. And don’t get me started on how they were willing to stand aside in the fight with Tyrian. At least Jaune was trying to help in response to Ruby jumping in between Qrow and Tyrian’s fight by herself.

Volume five, not going to lie, Nora was worried about Jaune but that was in a trap set up by Cinder and Raven. And to make matters worse they fought one man together while Jaune faced a maiden alone. Then when Jaune was healing Weiss, not knowing how long it would take, the moment Ren got hurt, Nora rushed in to help him, knowing Jaune may need protection. (I know it was under Jaune’s orders but come on.)

Volume six…. No. Let us skip this because even though it was a bad time, at least Nora and Ren said the sweetest thing ever. It’s too bad I can’t say those same words held up for volume seven. Nora and Ren were barely with Jaune at all. Jaune is more with Oscar than they were combined. Then they were useless in the fight with Neo and argued half the volume onto volume eight.

In volume eight, I truly started hating these two even more. Nora seems to care more about Oscar, to the where she has hugged him more than once, while I don’t recall one time she ever hugs Jaune. So far, in many volumes, she was straight-up rude to him. And even when he and Ren return from almost certain death she never says “Hi” and after healing her, Nora and Ren start having their moment again. Nora never said “Thank you”.

Speaking of Ren, we can’t forget this man calling Jaune out like he did, over something they all agreed to do. Understand, the circumstances they were in. Oscar got kidnapped by an unknown enemy. They were in a snow field with no shelter insight and they could die. All while Oscar was in enemy clutches with no way to reach him. With the facts in mind, was addressing any of what Ren said, important? “No. Why?” because not only was it not of any importance, there were too many counterpoints to his statements.

And what makes this worse, is when the portal to Vacuo, appears before them, they immediately use Jaune as a test subject instead of Emerald. Nope, these two are unless to Jaune if he starts going on the deep end. Emerald and Oscar might be a better choice than either of them. Hell, I’ll take the red-haired woman over them. I want Raven to talk to him or at least Qrow. 

I want Raven to come back and talk to him, due to being one of the same. The only difference is Jaune’s actions were based on circumstances, while Raven’s were purely by choice. Imagine Raven telling Jaune every cruel thing she’s ever done. And how some of the decisions she’s made in her life, caused her more grief and hardship than good. She tells Jaune not to make the same mistakes she did. Telling him to press forward despite everything he has gone through. I wouldn’t mind if Raven bothers to train him if Jaune asks of her. And if that can't happen then give that role to Qrow. However, there is one person Jaune needs to stay away from and kill. Tyrian.  

Tyrian is one of those toxic individuals, who will use and manipulate people to do things recklessly. Like I said before, the people's faith in the hunters could be diminishing. People like Tyrian will take advantage of this by using violence and chaos as a solution. When it's simply him pushing his own agenda. Tyrian was already interested in Jaune, but he never expressed why. Tyrian, in theory was like Jaune but life changed him somehow to be a monster. Jaune who's already close to insanity might as well be another reason fueling Tyrian’s curiosity. Tyrian wants to see how long it will take to break the knight’s spirit until he becomes just like him. Or push him to become another ally for Salem. Basically, instead of like Marco where he just forgets and moves on with his life, Jaune, I agree, becomes more like Samurai Jack. Or in this case, Odysseus, who I probably talk about later.

Samurai Jack, as many know was a Samurai, sent to the future and out for revenge against a demon known as Aku. He has experienced multiple failures, especially trying to find a way home to the past. Soon, he lost all chances of getting home to his family. And to make matters worse, he loses his sword and his way. This led to Jack being on the run and hiding from Aku. Sending him into a downward spiral as he felt all hope was lost. It wasn't until he met Ashi and remembered the good he had done for the people is when he rose to fight again, overcoming his demons. Odysseus, on the other hand, learns a different lesson. Again later.

If that’s the direction Jaune’s character is taking, then these are the requirements. Jaune moves on and embraces the reality that he isn’t the same person he once was before the Ever After. And he needs to find his strength once again. Planning and making better choices than the supposed headmasters and rulers of the world. And the best way to do that is to work on himself while separating from the group. What I’m theorizing is, when Alyx said “You’re not meant to be the hero.”, what could she have meant by it? Probably because while being a hero is good, being a ruler and leader for the people is a lot better.

[annabtg]

In continuation of this post, @apalapucian wanted to know how getting into HP fanfic after HBP came out ruined DH for me. Let me count the ways:

(cut for length)

1. After HBP's release, there were a ton of theories. Being in the fandom meant I was now exposed to all sorts of fics and meta. Many of the theories came true, such as Snape actually being a double agent and working for Dumbledore. I don't think I would have seen it coming, so that was a big reveal that was "spoiled" for me by fandom and lost some of its glamour in the book.

2. Being exposed to theories and then getting into the whole fanfic mindset led me to develop a whole Book 7 in my head (as any good fanfic writer is wont to do). I didn't finish writing before DH came out - which then led me to losing interest over time and never finishing it - but the whole plot of it, Harry defeating Voldemort etc, were very clear in my head, and frankly, a lot of it I believe was better than what we ended up with.

3. After HBP, I became very invested in Remadora, got into the fandom, read and wrote fic, participated in fests, the whole deal. There was so much creativity in that part of the fandom - prequels, stories parallel to the books, stories speculating about their future - and we got a wonderful wealth of complexity, of deep and nuanced characterizations, of stories ranging from cracky humour to heavy angst.

Then DH comes out. They get married immediately, they have a child, then they die. I HAVE SO MUCH BEEF WITH ALL OF THAT. It's a lazy repetition of Jily's story that's supposed to work as a parallel, but what it really does is take two characters who we have already met and know, and force them into a function that doesn't fit them. I spent two years with fic where Remus was a man struggling with his feelings of inadequacy, working through his issues, finding support in a wonderful woman that he loves, and what does DH give me? Wham bang we're married now! I may not have the right to call Remus and Tonks OOC in DH, since it's their canon characterization, but I was super disappointed in how their arc played out. I understand that Remadora is not the focus of the book and they're just a plot device so that we get an orphan who gets the childhood Harry didn't, but man. Getting invested in them just to have it all blow up on my face. Not fun.

4. Same with Snape - a fascinating story of a double agent who's fooled everyone becomes reduced to "he did it all for love". There's a lot to be said about the intent behind it, I can see some merit if I squint, but again, I expected something more original, and I'm also not particularly satisfied with the execution of what we actually got.

I could probably think of more to say, but that's enough to allow me to stop here and summarize:

Overall, getting invested in fanfic, which explores the characters in depth, created in me expectations that DH was not able to hold up to, because it was not meant to do it. DH was not there to get Remadora through a long and hard relationship journey nor was it there to psychoanalyze Snape. These characters were only there to serve Harry's story.

To be entirely fair, I think it wasn't only the fanfic. There are probably more reasons I didn't enjoy DH so much - I was a little older than the target group; JKR probably wrote the book in a rush; I read it in the original English first, whereas the translations are better quality writing, etc. DH isn't bad, but fanfic showed me it could have been done so much better! And, as a story, it could have been so much more.

Thanks for the ask! 😘😘

[bengiyo]

La Pluie Ep 7 Stray Thoughts

Last week, I got all of my life from Patts and Tai almost having their first time on the floor, and all the implications of that. Patts learned about Tai's parents' proposal, and so organized his work trip to give them the opportunity to learn more about themselves. Independently, Tien and Lomfon decided to tag along on this volunteer trip to make their documentary for their class. Bow came along so Tai can write about the trip, and to make sure he progresses with his soulmate. Now, all of the characters are in one location, and I will get to see Patts show disdain for Lomfon.

Lomfon is always just so rude. What is his deal?

Tien is so excited about all of this. Poor Patts is consistently surprised by the enthusiasm from everyone in Tai's life.

Patts is so funny. He absolutely needed Tai to know he's still on from their last meetup. My man has waited a month for this!

I'm so invested in this beef between Now and Kung. Instant dislike always amuses me.

Now I'm curious how (presumably) Tai saved Lomfon's life.

Glad Patts and Tien aren't dumb. They see the way Lomfon is looking at Tai.

Lines are being drawn! I'm ready for Tien to start plotting Lomfon's murder.

Tien told Lomfon, "I'm the third son. You gonna find out what that means. I keep a ready clip."

I'm with Bow. They're taking all day on these damn dishes.

I love Bow. I'm glad she put everything on the table for Tai. He's been dodging the Lomfon question for a bit now, and I need to know what Tai intends to do. This is probably his first experience with attraction, and I don't think he has the experience to proceed with purpose.

I wonder at Lomfon and his experience with hearing loss.

Being a bunch of city kids, I bet the night sky would be stunning for them.

Okay, I will never shut up ever again. You could see that Tai was uncertain going into that makeout, but once again Patts was willing to stop for him. What intrigues me is that Tai decided on his own to offer to blow Patts. I can't remember another time we've been here in BL or queer cinema where the characters were in a developmental stage and one was willing to perform but not receive.

Now I'm wondering how much of a virgin Tai actually is.

Oh shit. Nara is here. Actually excited to see Tai accidentally befriend Patts' ex.

I love Bow so much.

Tai and Tien feel like brothers every time they interact. I like that Copter keeps acting in the background.

Goddammit. The vets tried to prevent this, but the drama requires Tai to see Nara pulling Patts into a kiss that he doesn't want to have.

Dramatic running up the mountain next week to wish the soulmate away!

I'm so glad I wrote my post about the overt sexuality of this show last week! I feel so righteous about that blowjob right now! Tai crossed a line with Patts and now feels like a fool! This is so exciting!

[darklydeliciousdesires]

Runaway - Chapter Nine.

Happy Friday, besties! Awww, it makes me so happy to see you all enjoying this, it really does. I love to create something that gets people talking, and thank you so much for investing in it :) If you want to go slower with the notes over the weekend to get to 30 then go for it, completely up to you, as ever :) Now, back to the story. You all get to meet Manny’s grandpa. Something tells me you’re going to like Ed... 

Previous chapters - Prologue  One  Two  Three  Four  Five  Six  Seven  Eight

Taglist - In the comments, please DM to be added/removed

Words - 2,288

Warnings - 18+ content throughout, minors DNI!

“You fucking what?”

Oh yes. There went the sound barrier. And his eardrums.  

“Baby, I’m so sorry. This is a shock, I know it is, I know,” he began, his fiancée amping up to irate within a blink.

“How could you do this to me!”

“It happened before I met you, Carmen,” he revealed, attempting to placate her.

“And how do you know she’s yours, huh? This bitch could be just passing her off as yours, could have had any number of dicks all up in her and she’s trying to pin it on you!” His eyebrows knitted at that.

“Hannah isn’t a bitch. She’s a nice girl who I ended up having a one-night stand with. Trust me, I believe her when she says she knows I’m the father. The only other guy it could have been didn’t match on a paternity test. Plus, you ain’t seen the kid. She’s my double. Ain’t no doubt over her parentage, mi dulce. She’s mine.”

“And so, what now? What does this mean, going forward? She sticking you for child support, huh?” Money. Of course, that would be at the forefront of her mind. It always was. “We have a wedding to pay for, you know!”  

Manny took a breath, opening the fridge and pulling a beer out, twisting the cap off before swinging the door shut and leaning back against it. “She didn’t mention anything about child support, but I will be contributing. Ain’t no question there. That don’t mean you go without anything, though. I make good bank, you know that.”  

Despite the fact she was being selfish and thinking of herself first in all of this, Manny was, as ever, understanding, selfless as he was. At that moment, Carmen was of course tits deep in the world according to bride, not wanting anything to get in the way of her special day. He wouldn’t let it either, he loved her, after all. At the same time, though, he would not welch on a commitment to his own blood.  

“I’m going for a bath.” She tore a path through the kitchen, out towards the bathroom, the door slamming shut. He couldn’t help but note that she hadn’t even asked him, not once, how he was coping with the news. It was all about how it affected her.  

‘I’m mindful of what I just dropped on you, and it matters to me, that you’re alright with it.’

Hannah’s concern came back to him immediately, wanting to make sure he was okay after her life changing revelation. The difference was not lost on him. He sighed, pulling his phone out, scrolling through to the pictures he’d taken, pictures of his baby, ones Hannah had taken of him holding her, too, smiling widely. Oh, she was so beautiful, such a precious little thing.  

“As if I made something as fucking perfect as you, Lola Lydia Gray,” he beamed, his thumb stroking her image. “Shit, I’m a dad. I’m someone’s dad.”  

It was there that his thoughts went to his own father, Manny’s mouth thinning as he moved to go and sit down in the lounge. Manuel Santiago Snr had walked out on him, his mother and two sisters when he was five, the family moving back to his mother’s home of La Paz County, Arizona, to live with a considerably better father figure; his grandfather, Ed.  

Edward Ellison was a formidable force, half Apache, half white, and one hundred percent no nonsense. A rancher all his life, working fourteen hours a day, come rain or shine, producing some of the best, if not the best beef cattle in Arizona, breeding horses as well as a lucrative second income. A tough life for a tough man. He had perhaps the kindest heart Manny had ever encountered for his family and friends, but still, there was no doubting his mettle.  

He sat and remembered the first time he’d ever put him on a horse as a six-year-old kid. Not a pony, oh no. A fully grown quarter horse. ‘The boy needs to learn if he’s gon’ drive cattle in’ he’d explained, when his mom had pitched somewhat of a fit about seeing her little boy sitting up on a huge steed led by her father, Manny’s feet barely reaching the bottom of the saddle flaps. He had got him something a little more suitable once he did learn, though, a little dappled grey horse of just over fourteen hands in height named Chester.

Driving cattle was exactly what Manny had done, too, until he was twenty-four, spending eight years working the same hard job. It was rewarding, but he couldn’t continue, meeting a girl who lived over in Yuma and leaving to join her down there. His relationship with Corrine hadn’t lasted, but the outlaw life he’d fallen into had.  

She’d been the daughter of one of the members of the Yuma charter of the MC, hence how he got involved in it all in the first place. He missed the ranch sometimes, but definitely not the 4am starts of a morning. Thinking of his grandpa, Manny knew he was the first person he wanted to reveal the news to.  

“Hey mijo, hold on. He’s in the kitchen, doing something to the coffee machine,” his grandmother, Rosita spoke, the words ‘I’m trying to fix the godforsaken thing, Rosie!’ muttered from his grandpa, Ed taking the phone.

“You’re calling late.”

Manny checked the time on his phone. “It’s 8:06pm, gramps.”

“That’s late for me, you know I go to bed at eight thirty.” It was true, he did. In bed by eight thirty and out of it by 4am, even still at seventy-one years old.  

He couldn’t help but be smart. “Well then we have just over twenty minutes, don’t we?”  

“Fucking kids and their sass,” Ed muttered, Manny laughing. “So, how are you?”

“I’m great, gramps, really good. I had some news today, and you’re the first person I wanted to tell. I’m a dad.”

Ed stood much taller than his 6ft 2 height at hearing that, a smile lighting up his still handsome features. “You and Carmen ain’t wasting any time, huh? Congratulations, son. When’s she due?”

“Um, that’s the thing. Baby is here already, twelve weeks old, and not Carmen’s.” He waited for it; the no doubt comically delivered reaction.

“You been philandering in some other woman’s honey pot, boy?” He didn’t disappoint, his grandson hissing softly with laughter.

“Yep, but this was before I met Carmen,” he explained, Ed snorting.

“You were cutting that finer than a flea’s nut sack hair!”

Manny was in hysterics at his words, sipping his beer. “I met her two months after I was with Hannah, that’s my baby mama, by the way. Well, I wasn’t really with her, more of a one-night thing.”

Ed sighed, coughing as he let himself out of the back door, looking out over his vast property as he sat down in the porch chair. “Still no fan of condoms, then?”

“Nope,” Manny confessed, knowing it was bad. HPV had made him finally learn his lesson, though.  

“Cesspool,” Ed grunted. “I’m surprised your dick ain’t dropped off yet.” He rummaged in his pocket, taking out one of his slim cigars and lighting up. “So, what kind is my first great grandbaby? Pink or blue?” His comment sparked a memory of the time his grandmother had bought him a new shirt, one he’d refused to wear in his stubbornness, all because it had a trace of dark pink in the plaid, Manny laughing softly through his nose at how rigid his grandpa could be over such simple things as colours.

“Pink, her name’s Lola,” Manny revealed proudly. “Hold on, I’ll send you a picture.”

“Alright, I’ll put you on the speaker phone so I can talk and look.” Manny accessed his pictures on a message, clicking a few and sending them through. A few seconds passed before Ed’s phone pinged, and then a couple more before he spoke again. “Aw, hell. Would you look at that little face. She’s a peach, boy. Damn, she looks the double of your mama when she was a baby. When you bringing her here so granny and I can meet her?”

“I dunno. I only found out today, so let me settle into a routine of things with Hannah first and I’ll see.”

Ed made a ‘umhm’ noise, taking a drag on his cigar. “You told your mama yet?”

“Nah, I’m working up to that. I kinda guess she’s gon’ scream at me.” Truly an understatement if ever there was one.  

“Well, of course she will. She inherited her mother’s lungs, if nothing else. How about Carmen, is she good about it all?”

Manny sniffed, finishing his beer, rising from the couch to go and fetch another. “Not really, but I’m guessing she needs time to get used to the idea.”

“Hmm.” Ed’s tone was non-comital, choosing not to voice the truth that he wasn’t surprised at all. He didn’t care for Carmen one bit. ‘That girl, she’s bougee and self-centred. Ain’t what he needs’ he’d said to his darling Rosita after meeting her for the first time. “Yeah, I guess she’ll come round to it, eventually.” Instead of being his usual, mildly abrasive, truth spewing self, he chose diplomacy. His grandson had enough to think about, without him throwing in his two cents.  

Manny said he’d call again soon, Ed telling him he’d relay the news to his grandma before getting off, leaving him to make the phone call he was carrying a certain amount of mild dread over.  

“You fathered a child with a woman who isn’t the one you’re marrying? For the love of god, Manuel! How could you be so reckless? Poor Carmen! This must be breaking her heart, and who is this woman you got pregnant in the first place? Is she an ex-girlfriend? Please don’t tell me it’s that little whore from the dry cleaners, I couldn’t stand her and...”

“Mom, breathe,” he interjected with.

“It’s her, isn’t it? It’s that girl! Oh my god, I need a drink! I mean, did I not always tell you to fucking use contraception? You’re thirty-nine, for heaven’s sake, and...”

“Mom, I’m sending you a picture.”  

“...I’d like to think that you’re at the age where you’d kno-OH MY GOD! She’s so beautiful!”  

He knew that would shut her up.  

“Ain’t she? Her name’s Lola, and no, she isn’t Esther’s. Her mom is a girl named Hannah, she’s really nice, you’ll like her,” he explained, hearing his mother virtually whimpering with joy on the other end of the line.  

“How old is she?”

“What, Hannah or bubs?”

Val sighed audibly. “The baby! As long as this Hannah girl is over eighteen then It's all good.”

“Oh yeah, well over. She’s fifty-two.”

“Manny!”  

He laughed hard, never able to resist winding the key in his mother’s back and watching her go. “I’m just playing, calm down! She’s twelve weeks, well, a little under actually. And Hannah is thirty-eight.”

“So, when can I meet her?”

He told her the same thing he had his grandpa, his mom understanding and asking him to please send more photographs in the meantime. They chatted a little more before ending the call, just as Carmen was exiting the bathroom, swathed in towels and still looking sour. “You have a nice bath, mamas?”

No reply.  

“Baby, come on. Can we just sit down and talk about this calmly?” he tried with again.

“Fuck you!” 

He winced at her ire, shaking his head as the lounge door slammed shut, picking up the remote and turning the TV on, wishing he wasn’t already four beers in so he could head back to the clubhouse and hang out. He’d come home early at Carmen’s request so he could spend some time with her, but now that idea was shot to shit entirely. He got it, why she was mad, but he couldn’t help it. A baby didn’t come with a return to sender option. Besides, he wouldn’t want her to. He was thrilled at becoming a father; he just hoped his fiancée would land on the same page sooner rather than later.  

It was a few days before she seemed to settle a little more, but he knew she was still pretty sour over the whole thing.  

“Hey yo, come look at this,” he called to Lily and Jodie a few days later, he and Carmen hanging out at the clubhouse, Angel and EZ’s wives approaching to look at the picture he showed them.  

“Awwwww! Look her smile!” Jodie gushed, bouncing on the spot, grasping her hands to her own heavily pregnant belly, Lily reading the message that accompanied it.  

“Hey daddy, look how happy I am that I just spit up all over the seventh romper mommy put me in today. Can’t wait to see you on Friday and puke all over you, too! Love Lola. Oh, that’s so sweet!”

“I know, right? She always sends a little message like it’s from the baby. Imma ruin my street cred thinking that shit is adorable, but I don’t give a fuck,” he laughed.

“You shouldn’t! She’s your first born, it’s an exciting time for you,” Jodie enthused, rubbing his arm affectionately. Carmen was within earshot, snorting and throwing herself down from the barstool, stomping out of the clubhouse. “Something I said?”

“Naw, baby girl. She’s just having a time of it, adjusting to the fact.” he replied, Jodie nodding sagely. She’d expected as much, but what Manny didn’t expect was to get blasted about it as soon as they walked through the front door upon their arrival home a few hours on.  

Carmen, it seemed, was not done being pissed off about it just yet.  

[hanasnx]

no yeah i need more of the indy x beef love story!! add a cut if you have to (jokey joke i'm not trying to nag) i've got a cup of ice water and a bowl of popcorn beside me (also a joke. the popcorn, not the ice water. it is toasty rn) i'm invested, i'm seated, i'm tuned in!! much love xoxo

part one sorry this took so long

i had this sense of belonging with him. i was already comfortable with him even though we'd only had a handful of conversations. this was a big step for me seeing as how i'd only ever been with people that gave me that thrill in my stomach especially if i was doing something wrong. in this case, that thrill was completely gone, replaced with a sense of safety i'd never felt before besides a friendship that was very dear to me. so i thought i needed to be his friend. i wanted to hang out with him.

i think i decided this when i went out walking late at night because its my favorite thing to do and it started pouring rain so i went to the little mailbox garage to keep my phone/earbuds dry otherwise i wouldnt have minded the rain. but i was sitting there and i found myself wanting to run into him. i was wishing he'd, for some reason, come check his mail so that we could talk more.

now that its decided that i knew i wanted to be closer to him, i did not have a game plan. instead, i applied the logic i usually would apply to this situation: if it's meant to be it'll come back. because i was too scared to make a move when he came in for coffee in the morning. we said our usual hellos etc but i did not give him my number. i was disappointed, even though it was my own fault, because its rare that i see him twice in one day. so the "if it's meant to be it'll come back" was kind a way out for me, 1) i wouldnt have to do the thing i was dreading, creating a sense of relief 2) but that would mean i dont get to do the thing i wanted to do, creating a sense of disappointment.

i was working all day and my boss left early, which means that when i went home for lunch, i put on non-corporate dress code socks because my feet were cold. ones that her micro-managing ass would've noticed and told me to take off. but i was behind the desk, it was nearing the end of the day, no one would notice my crazy socks. my coworker that knew i liked this guy was sitting next to me, and my head maintenance guy who didnt know and could not know. we were all talking when beef came in.

like i said before, it was rare to see him twice in one day, so my stomach did a flip. it meant i had to give him my number, i made that commitment. i wrote it down on a sticky note, waiting for my chance. but my maintenance guy wouldnt leave, and beef was making his coffee. i was running out of time. i didnt know how to find a situation to give it to him in which my maintenance guy wouldnt see it because i knew his ass would report me or hold it over my head. and beef left before i could figure it out.

crestfallen, i hadnt fulfilled my commitment. i was really upset with myself, it was perfect. he came back just like he was supposed to, just like the mantra. if it's meant to be it will come back.

i was beating myself up for it tbh. "you always do this shit, indy, you always do this shit." which is so rare considering how kind i am to myself, which goes to show just how upset i was at myself for not manning up about it.

some time passed and it was probably the last thirty minutes of the day, so i was gonna go put the golf cart back. i was walking out when something told me to go back to my desk, so i went back, and i grabbed the sticky note with my number on it. to this day i have no idea why i did that. something came over me that i went back to my desk and grabbed the sticky note with my number on it to shove into my pocket to take with me. maybe it was because i didnt want other people to see it on my desk, but i couldve just thrown it away.

i drive around and i go the longways because i usually did that. its about evening time, the sky is orange, im still upset over earlier.

and i see in the distance a familiar silhouette. one i've seen a thousand times. it was beef roller blading alongside his running dog. i cant believe my eyes it was like magic. i was genuinely, to my core, shocked. a third time. a third time in one day.

he goes to the sidewalk to let me pass, but i turn in to a parking spot like a mad man. i am determined to get this over with. a third time in the same day, ive never seen him three times in one day, this had to be it. i have to give him the number and miraculously i brought the fucking note with me. i march up, i say "hi (name), hi (dogs name)" quick asf. "dont look at my socks" i tell him because im still wearing the crazy socks that dont go with my shoes or outfit and the first thing he fucking does is look down at my socks. he laughs at them. i hand him the note "call me if you wanna hangout sometime." i say and get back in the cart to take it to the garage.

an hour later he texts. "hi :) this is (name)" and we text for hours. paragraphs about our pasts and shows we like and what we do for fun, everything. at one point he texts that he feels like he needs to say that hes "not ready for a relationship, and hes happy being friends" and i said "thats fine because thats why i gave you my number. to hang out" which is true. i asked him if he wanted to go around the community yard sale on thursday with me, and he said yes.

around 11 o clock that day, we meet up, and i remember he looked me up and down. he gave me that scan. it was subtle but i was like oh?

we walked around together and i got a bunch of stuff for my roommates cats and a lemon soap dispenser for my roommate who loves lemons etc. beef hasnt gotten anything, but he helps me carry my stuff :) he had insisted on it. at one point we come across a collection of framed paintings, and he looks particularly taken with a small portrait of a snowy landscape with a man in furs. he sets it back down. i check the price, its $5 so i buy it for him. he looks touched.

we text a little for the next week, but he says hes really busy with work and has to focus on that so i give him that space. at one point i subtly try to hang out with him late at night using the excuse of putting our crystals out for the full moon, and he says that he'd love to but can't, and i had to backtrack and act like i wasnt trying to hang out 💀

towards the end of that week, i had started texted with an ex-best-friend of mine we'll call her EBF. ebf invited me to a kava bar, then asked if her boyfriend could come, i said no that makes me uncomfortable bcos i dont know her boyfriend, she says "oh then i cant go", im like wow i wonderrr why we stopped being friends u pos but whateverrr so i said "if you get to bring someone, i get to bring someone" and invited beef. i said "hey i know its short notice but im going out tonight at a kava bar you should come" he says "great! give me the address ill be there" so i do. while im getting ready, EBF texts to cancel last minute. fucking dick n balls, right? so i had to text beef to be like "hey man so sorry but my friend cancelled. do you still wanna go just us?" and he says yea :)

he picks me up and at one point i pay a compliment to myself, i say i've got nice curves. he looks at me while hes got a spare moment driving and gives me a little once over again... and says "yeah, you do have nice curves" i couldve died

we talk about anything and everything on the way here, at the kava bar, and then when we take a walk. we walk up and down that strip for like an hour and a half. we drive back to the community and we take another walk. when i look at my phone after all this walking and talking it realize its 2am and we started hanging out at 7pm. so i have to run back home bcos ive gotta get ready for work in 6 hours.

the next day my roommates rly wanna meet him, so invite him over to hang with them. after that, i walk him home, and spent a bit of time with him there. i tell him im cold, and he says "heres my favorite hoodie". i go home and spend a few hours apart at my place. we keep texting, and he says "let me know if you wanna play some games tonight" as in like online, but i was like "im literally packing up my ps3 to bring over rn" bcos he had mentioned he wanted to play black ops 2 and i was feeling spontaneous. around midnight im back at his place and we play games until way later, and im feeling too tired to keep playing so we put on a movie and we "cuddle" which was kind of spooning but he kept his crotch away from my ass. (he tells me later that the reason he did that was because he got a boner laying down with me)

we fall asleep watching rio, our first sleepover. he had set an alarm for me so that i wouldnt miss work and i didnt even ask.

the next day he asked me to come over again. he cooks me dinner. we have another sleepover. i got to work, and then i go right back to his place. that night we're sitting and facing one another in the dark, that invisible string is pulling us together. he's murmuring, "i don't wanna be friends. i wanna be your boyfriend." and we kiss. its soft and slow, and it marks may 7th our anniversary.

since our first sleepover, i did not sleep again at my own place, which means that before we were officially dating, we were technically living together first.

[krisseratops]

Hi! How about A9, B9 and C6? Oh, and D10!

Hiiii hon! Alright lets see...

A9. Who was your first ship?

The earliest ship I remember that I got actually invested in is Reaper76 from Overwatch. I mean, traumatized old gay men who like to shoot at each other and have a HistoryTM? It covers all the basics for me. Also this ship is what made me find AO3, so it kinda introduced me to fandom as a whole and is therefore technically responsible for all the madness that came after it.

B9. Who is your OTP?

You know, I was going to say this is a hard question because I have so many pairings I like in several fandoms and I dont really pick favorites because I like different aspects about them and also Im indecisive. And then I remembered Symbrock. And nothing really comes near the level of absolutely messy devotion of (comics!)Symbrock. So yeah.

C6. Is there anything in canon that made you want to quit the show? What was it? Why do you hate it?

Oh boy, here we go... So not a show, but allllll the shit Cates did with absolute garbage & co and what came after essentially made me quit venom comics and comics in general. Do I even need to explain myself? Like I was keeping up with Venom and also Spider-man and some others because it was fun and enjoyable. And then came the egregious retconning, inconsistencies, character butchering (both how they were written but also literally), characters dying and coming back and dying again and coming back again and fucking gods apparently and how every single issue was The Most Shocking And Dramatic Things The Characters Have Ever Been Through and everything is just edgy and grimdark and angsty and so fucking STUPID and it was just. It wasnt fun or enjoyable anymore, only exhausting and frustrating and sad. And not sad like a sad story makes you feel, but sad like watching something you care about irreparably crash and burn in real time without being able to do anything about it and knowing you can never have it back the way it was (which there is enough of IRL). So I powered through until king in black where I just said "reading this bullshit is draining and depressing and doesnt bring me anything, its not worth it anymore so fuck it" and just stopped. And with my main reason for reading comics gone I ditched marvel comics altogether because lets be honest keeping up with all the different stories and timelines and crossovers and whatnot is exhausting cuz theres just so damn much going on all the time. And why torment yourself with shitty canon when you can have wonderful fanfics tailored to your specific tastes all for free? So I quit comics, read fics instead, got into some new fandoms, indulged my hc and have ever since been living blissfully unaware of the burning dumpster fire (derogatory) that is canon. I only see glimpses of it when it crosses my dash, which I use for cherrypicking for my hc and aggressively ignore the rest.

D10. What is one story idea you really want to read but no one has written yet?

I have a whole lot of story ideas I really want to read (my hcs) that no one has written yet (that would be cuz of me not writing them). But for real, I would love more stories with symbiote & spider-people shenanigans. Like there was this one comic of Peter, Miles and Gwen meeting Venom and fighting Doc Ock toghether and they were kinda buddies? More stuff like that, that has spider/symbiote interaction besides them just trying to kill each other. Maybe it exists and I just havent found it. But like, Venom in spiderverse, they have to team up with the spider gang and they kinda get along because he doesnt have any personal beef with them. He will absolutely recite and discuss Shakespear with that medieval spiderman, be enamored with little Mayday, and be nothing but gentlemanly toward spider ma'am. The other spiders find that "yeah he is freaky and has some dubious morals but isnt actually just an evil monster, he just doesnt like you Peter". The Peter in question does not like it one bit. Him and Venom (barely) tolerate each other, as they always do when they team up, but are constantly petty and passive aggressive towards each other in a funny way, bickering like an old married couple. Because of the nature of their history they also know stuff about each other and will casually drop highly personal details about the other that makes the other spiders go "👀 you sure he's your enemy and not just your ex?". Which Peter likes even less. Other story ideas i desperately need is ANYTHING WITH ANTI-VENOM HOLY SHIT WHERE IS MY BABY!?!?!?! I need stories that let him be a silly dumbass and a pathetic wet beast and occasionally getting railed that dont just exist in my head. But the amount of content on him is just dismal. I often feel like the sole inhabitant of the ghost town that is the Anti-Venom fandom. I've come across one (1) quality fic that portrays him properly (thank you @kitausuret for your invaluable service) and good art is hard to come by compared to other characters. And I realize that if I want more art of him and an Anti-Venom x Agent Venom arch-enemies-to-reluctant-allies-to-even-more-reluctant-friends-to-how-the-hell-did-this-happen excruciating slow burn, I will probably have to do it myself, which hghgnghgnhhh will take forever, but oh well.

Well, this sorta turned into an essay that turned into an impromptu vent post. Hope thats okay and you got your answers!

[enam3l]

hi mona! i’ve read a few of your pieces before and loved them (specifically eddie hates tommy lee & three fucking weeks) but i’ve spent a few days now bingeing your rockstar!eddie masterlist and omfg… i’m so in love with what you write and how you write it. i think you’ve managed to portray eddie so perfectly; his experiences with fame, children and obviously love seems so genuine and true to character (or at least the version i have of him in my head). the relationship between eddie and reader is perfect in my eyes. it’s made me feel incredibly lonely reading about it but honestly very few pieces have had as much of an effect on me like your work does so i do mean that as a compliment. i can’t wait to read more of what you write (i’ll get round to love, lola eventually) and if you want requests for blurbs or fics let me know because your version of eddie has just invaded my brain. amy <3

AMY!! this has just made my little heart triple in size and burst. I don't even know what to say, this is so ridiculously kind and thoughtful and means so much to me. I've loved getting notifications this week each day seeing where you've got up to on the master list 🥹

I'm so glad you love my version of Eddie! I've never done fanfic before and hadn't written fiction since I was like 16 in school. Then I watched Stranger Things for the first time last year just before S4 Pt2 and was just ??? so awestruck with Eddie's character in a way I just have never been before and I'm 24! I felt like a little kid again. I got plenty of beef with Duffer bros but they really did something with Eddie and I'm not even sure they realised what they did but regardless it was just perfect and obviously Joseph Quinn's characterisation is a big part of it.

I just felt so invested in him and found myself reading fanfic for the first time ever. Then I made the Tommy post as a joke because I didn't like everyone thinking my precious baby Eddie would like him. Then I stuck with it and it's been so fun. I think Eddie throughout the show is continually shown as someone who's always felt lost and wishing for a real family and in turn seeks out those who seem lost to give them a family. And yeah I just wanted to give him that!

Writing it has been so fun and emotional and same, it makes me sad because I kind of created a dream man and relationship. It hits hard because Eddie is so in need of love and so full of it. So I write how I would want to be loved.

Love, Lola is like an alternate version of rockstar Eddie. If maybe things didn't work out so smoothly and he has to wait a little longer for his happy ending but it's okay because he will get it!

My inbox is just always open for anything related to Rockstar Eddie: requests, blurbs, prompts, questions, debates - whatever!! I have a bank of them waiting and I just go back and pick one to do every now and again when I feel ready to reveal that part of his and reader's story.

But eeep thank you so much for reading and for this beautiful message, it's made my month. I can't wait to have some time again next week to start writing again 💕🫶🥰🦝

[minimoefoe]

thoughts after watching ftwd s3 for the first time:

- first eps got me Invested fr

- obsessed with when troy said 'we can be friends now' or whatever it was

- didn't really care about strand daniel or ofelia for the most part but i did kinda like having ofelia back with the gang for a bit idk

- strand started growing on me through s2 but he kinda annoyed me this season like the whole 'con man' bs just irritates me like be normal omg

- luciana just pissing off somewhere is so ?? like okay bye I guess, after her and nick were so cute in s2 it's kinda makes all that feel like a waste of time idk (I know she comes back in s4 which I'm cool with bc I like her but her being gone for a season so I guess nick didn't have to be attached to her all the time is odd idk. tho at the same time I can't say I missed her bc there was so much other stuff going on)

- nick and jeremiah were kinda an interesting duo????? obvs jeremiah can choke like he's a full racist but they had some cool moments

- alicia and jake were kinda cute. I find it funny that they specify she's 18 bc it felt like they did it so ppl wouldn't complain a guy in his mid 20s was with a 17yo lmao

- can't decide if I like madison or not ngl she toes the line between interesting and annoying I think

- troy and nick are interesting as fuuuck. I don't think I like them like other ppl seem to? I defo see the shipping appeal but I was expecting them to have more shipping appeal than they actually had I think. the dynamic they Actually have within the season is cool enough on its own, I didn't need it to be a romantic thing. I saw a lot of s3 gifs before I watched it and the gifs of them out of context had strong ship vibes but in context it was like.. not Really ship vibes? either way I loved them a lot

- everyone meeting up again feels soooo convenient liike daniel and strand finding each other, ofelia meeting otto and then being found by taqa who happened to have beef with the ranch the clarks had moved to and then madison happens to find strand at that place???? PLEASE

- I loved troy a lot and I wish madison didn't kill him like ughhhhhhhhh feels like wasted potential either for a full redemption or even just a mild redemption where he's still a lil fucked up but is able to work with the group

- nick is still defo my fave, troy is probs second, then alicia, then the rest idk. I really liked taqa so he's high up there as an s3 fave but idk if he's that high as a fave in the show in general

- gave this season 4.5 stars. I can't imagine it will ever go up to 5 or down to 4 but who knows

- I lowkey am worried the show is just gonna be down hill from here partly bc I know nick dies next season and he's my fave by miles but also bc I've heard ppl say it becomes the morgan show and I've never been that obsessed with morgan. I know alicia stays on the show forever(?) tho so that good bc I like her a lot, and dwight and sherry show up at some point which is also good news for me

[effervescentdragon]

Okay so thoughts on shadow & bone S1? If you feel like rambling a bit - opinions about the characters/ships/plot? Ty 💕✨️

Hello! I'm navigating the hell of academia and as im waiting for friends who have the application process figured out to get back to me, why not answer this lovely ask :) thank you for asking me btw i love to give my opinions about stuff :)) under the cut bcs its probably gonna get long... hugs! <3

i mean.., its silly. not to say stupid but like, it very much shows that its a ya novel. i wasnt expecting much, given that i wasnt invested in it since i havent read the books or anything, but its just... silly and cliched. the writing choices are very much in like with ya literature, there werent any surprises or plot twists that i havent foreseen at least a bit in a way, and its a good show to like, semi watch when your brain is foggy and you need sth to rest your brain bcs you dont need extreme brainpower to follow it, or much brain power at all if im honest.

i have absolute beef with the completely insane way that language was butchered, alongside slavic naming conventions. it grates on your brain when youre familiar with it, so thats a minus. on the other hand, i didnt like the worldbuilding around the shu - you choose a fake russia to be the center kinda good guys, and you choose a vaguely mongolian-chinese resembling guys to be the villains. there was no nuance to the racism, and from what i understand, the author is american, so i dont get why theyd even write about these things without bothering to do even basic research. idk if im explaining it well, but that pissed me off.

i like the crows? kaz is hillarious, as are the rest, and all ive been hearing tells me they are the best part of the series. i figured out nina and matthias are also crows, or will become so, so thats cool. love their "priest witchunter falls in love w the witch" story, it very much reminds me of illya kuryakin and napoleon solo from man from unkle, and im a sucker for that. cant wait to see more inej and jesper too, they are literally the most interesting part of the show.

alina is a typical chosen one protagonist, tho her and mal are cute. i liked ben barnes more as prince kaspian. im thinking (and friends told me), that he gets babyfied and uwufied by the fandom, whichis honestly expected. imma browse the fanfics to see if theres sth interesting but im not holding my breath xD hes just... basic wannabe antagonist villain. loki wannabe xD idk.

anyways, it was fun to watch it and to bitch about it, imma do it again when s2 comes out probably, if i dont forget about it by now. its not a very memorable series for me. im more excited for a single episode of tatort saabrücken than i am for this tbh xD but oh well. i'll take whatever holds my attention (broadly speaking) these days :)

thanks again for asking me! all the hugs to you <3

[brick-a-doodle-do]

I got sick again and caught a whole new virus and the doctor could've tell me what it is but I now have sores on my lips that really really hurt that, despite what it might seem like, aren't from me biting them...this is also annoying bc I can still attend school with it, or so she figured, but I don't feel like I can

I need medicine...

Anything about any au you...have an idea for you might wanna ramble about? That's great medicine...

I also used the stuff my mom gave me and I can't feel my mouth anymore lmao

ahh 3d i'm sorry D: that's really strange, i hope you find out what it is soon! and are you able to take time off of school to deal with it? i hope so :I

hmm well i will play my medical part by givin u some stuff to read!

vamp au talk below cut if you're cool like that !!

i've been thinking about aus and i'll just settle on vamp cause you seem to like that one!

i'm debating adding tubbo. if i did, he'd probably be a borrower that lives across from tommy. maybe he's the one that tells tommy that sbi are vampires! not sure tho, i might keep it strictly sbi,,,

uhh little secret! not really a secret, just a sneak peek. the first chapter opens on tommy moving out, including him being very indecisive about what to pack!

lately i've been thinking of a crack scene where phil beefs with a crow as a bat. think it'd be funny. bonus if wilbur is there (as a bat) just watching phil struggle LMAO

tommy would toootally ask for techno to train him in the arts of being a vampire before he really knows the textbook definition of one. then he gets kinda spooked off (while still asking to be trained in fighting)

one time tommy borrows (and cuts) one of techno's old-timey clothing (post reveal) without knowing exactly what it was cause the man never wore it, like, ever. wilbur overhears techno talking about it and immediately traces it to tommy. spoiler alert they both work together to dispose of it (meaning wilbur goes bat mode and they bury it. far away.)

phil after getting so attached to tommy genuinely looks for ways to turn tommy without biting him. he gets so invested. like knee deep into research. turns out there's nothing and tommy doesn't really want to be turned just yet.

in this au i'm rolling with just stomachs and no storage so if tommy ever gets stored he's falling into a shit ton of blood (does that mean techno noms him? :D)

i'm sorry i wish i could offer more! my brain is having a hard time staying awake cause i haven't done my community ritual yet. anyways, hope these suffice and that you feel better soon! :]

[cavefillcorp]

To repay a culinary investment

Jake Adams turned off the conveyer belt that led from the kitchen to the customers. He wondered why he really needed it. For the Sushi restaurant that had just been finished, he could understand, but not for his burger joint. Then yet again, he wasn’t the one who installed the equipment, so he didn’t know what else to think. Not having to serve people and pay for more employees was also a bonus. As he went to start helping his fellow chefs clean the kitchens, the little bell above the restaurant’s entrance rang, signaling that a customer had walked inside. Jodie must have forgotten to lock the door again. He then turned to the stranger, who had a military cut haircut, deathly pale skin, and a scar on his lip.

“I am sorry sir, we are closed.”

The man then spoke in a weird accent, one that he had not heard before. He didn’t know it, but the accent sounded like a Prussian one, even though the man was not a Prussian.

“Please, I have traveled a long way. Perhaps an exception could be made?”

As he said this, he reached into his coat and pulled out four gold coins. Jake looked at the coin, back at the man, and back at the coins again. He had gotten familiar with these types of coins. Despite the crazy inflation in his country, they were the one type of currency that was stable these days, with each coin paying for a single full-sized meal. He knew of only one group of people who paid with gold or jewels: The Cave Filling Corporation.

“Please, take a seat. We will be ready with your order right away!”

He then barked orders to the two other chefs that ran the restaurant with him, as they prepared their specialties. He wasn’t going to turn down the Corporation, after all, they were responsible for keeping his business afloat. They had invested in his restaurant, and given him the training, the supplies, and the technology to run this restaurant with only him and the two chefs that he called friends. Not only that, but when inflation started rising exponentially, the corporation decided to give him giant shipments of beef and the funds to pay for fresh produce, all so that he could keep his prices the same before the next wave of inflation hit. He still felt bad, because his prices were still in the thousands, but considering that the inflation had moved well beyond that… he couldn’t feel too bad.

Eventually, all of the dishes were complete. Nico had worked on his wide assortment of items, Jodie had crafted her specialty burgers to perfection, and he had created the best assortment of desserts that he could produce. He didn’t know if the man really wanted four meals, but he figured that he would be safer than sorry, especially for a member of the Corporation. The man didn’t seem to care, as after a weird moment where he could swear his eyes lit up or something, he begun to eat through all four meals. As he continued to eat, Jake took a closer look upon the man, noticing that he had a very fancy uniform on. In fact, it was an admirals’ uniform, but with all of the medals removed so as to try and blend into the civilian areas. He wasn’t just a member of the Corporation; he was a high-ranking member at that.

Eventually, the man finished, and Jake went out to talk to him. He clearly wasn’t here just for nothing, not somebody of this stature.

“So… what brings you here anyways?”

The man than paused, thinking for a bit, before replying:

“I was on my way back from visiting the Corporation’s headquarters when I decided to pass though. I’m not usually the one to do this, but I figured I should go ahead and check on some of our operations around the area, especially the atmosphere harvesting. I also wanted to check in with you… well, you and the other restaurants.”

He knew it. Before he could say anything in response though, the man than asked a question.

“Tell me, how bad is the inflation around these parts?”

“Very bad sir. I keep getting tips that are in the quintillions, and from those tips alone we’re seeing profits in the sextillions.”

The man’s eyes widened upon hearing the news. “I knew it was bad, but I didn’t realize it was that bad!”

The man than thought to himself for a moment, muttering:

“No wonder those incompetent invaders were able to infiltrate society. They were the competent ones in comparison.”

The man than stood up, addressing Jake directly.

“It will only be a matter of time before governmental collapse, or a depression so vast that it incites insurgency. Either way, your business will not be able to survive in the chaos that is sure to come.”

Jake was aghast. He wasn’t wrong but… being an excellent chef was everything to him. What was to happen to him now? The man than saw the worry on his face and reassured him.

“The Corporation does not like to see talent wasted, especially talent that they had invested so much into. That is why I am offering you and your friends chef positions in the Cave Filling Corporation. We have many cafeterias that serve our employees. You will find no shortage of work there.”

Jake was uncertain about this job offer, looking back at his restaurant as he thought of it. After all, it was a cafeteria, not a restaurant like he has. It wasn’t the same. Besides, he had three stars of culinary excellence to his name. He didn’t want to be forced to make slop.

 Once again, the man reassured him: “Don’t worry. The cafeterias won’t be too different from this place. In fact, the restaurants use much of the same technology that cafeterias have. It will be the same as this, just larger.”

“Will that go for the quality of food?”

“Absolutely! We keep our cafeterias to a high standard, but if you prove yourself, you should be able to move to cafeterias with better standards as before, perhaps even cooking for the Heroes League.”

As the man continued to reassure him, Jake’s apprehensions did not go away, even though there was no reason not to join, at least where the work was involved. He was also a single guy with no living relatives alive, so he had nothing to tie him down to this place… except for his friends, which he assumed were also getting this deal, but…

“What about my friends? Are they part of this too?”

The man had a look of surprise after the question. “Of course… I thought that was implied.”

“But what about their families? Jodie has parents that she lives with, and Nico has a girlfriend that he’s engaged to!”

“They can come too. Both their immediate relatives, their friends, and anybody else related to them who takes the offer. They don’t even need to work, assuming you can afford to pay for their lodging… not that that’s a good idea of course.”

With this, his fears were starting to melt away, and he was becoming more and more comfortable with this deal. And yet, there was still one thing keeping him back.

“What about my customers? A lot of them are good people, and we have good conversations and such.”

“They can come too. If they can work, they can join the company. Financials, engineering, science, mining, processing, art, we can take anybody.”

That was the only thing that could have kept him there, the only rational thing that would prevent him from leaving. He still had fear in his stomach, but he figured that would never go away with such a large decision like this. So, he decided to do it, shaking the man’s hand. The Corporation had invested in his life more than he could ever dream of. It was time to start repaying his debt.