#this new crop is pretty darn good

[absolutebl]

hi!! i got into bl in 2020 and watched just abt all of them i could get my hands on back then, but i’ve slowly stopped watching them over the last couple years. i loved the feeling watching them gave me, tho, so i wanna get back into it!

my favorites are to my star, semantic error, 2gether, we best love, and tale of thousand stars! i don’t mind high intensity (like physical stuff) but i definitely don’t need it to enjoy a story! if you don’t mind, can you recommend me some newer bls (or gls!) i might like? i’d appreciate it a ton!!! 💕

my favorites are:

to my star,

semantic error,

2gether,

we best love,

tale of thousand stars

I would call all these pretty classic romance BLs. This mostly jives with my own taste so I'll pull some of my favorites for you.

Did you make it to Old Fashion Cupcake?

If not just GO WATCH THAT.

Otherwise...

2023 High Romance BLs to suck you back into the fold

Our Dating Sim (Korea Viki)

If you haven't watched this, it's a must. I actually handed out a 10/10. I NEVER do that. It's a perfect short form KBL, an office set reunion romance featuring geeks that really suits 8 eps with no fluff and no chaff. Just comforting and yummy. I adored every aspect from the casting to the pristinely simple premise to the quietly smooth execution. Sure it’s low stakes, but that makes it high domesticity and extremely warm and gentle. This is a fuzzy blanket of a story - a cozy BL.

From your list this one is most tonally similar to we best love

Love Tractor (Korea iQIYI)

Most of this country-set BL had me feral for the beautiful broken city boy and his hot young farmer. Hyung romance, puppy/cat pairing, open frankness meets jaded reserve, language play, water hose frolicking, only one bed, just all my favorite tropes. This show was basically a light-weight Restart After Come Back Home and I’m not even slightly mad about that.

From your list this is most tonally similar to semantic error

My School President (Thai YouTube)

GMMTV gave us a classic high school set Thai BL with tropes like messy boys singing their feelings that made this one Love Sick for the modern age with all the gentle sweetness and pining ache, but none of the dated damaging tropes or issues. Yes, we’ve seen it all before, but I still ADORED this. And there is a lot to be said for the classics being re-executed perfectly. This show was fantastic, it’s only flaw was the singing (and that’s my baggage). My favourite GMMTV BL offering to date. And yes, I've watched them ALL.

From your list this is most tonally similar to 2gether.

Our Dining Table AKA Bokura no Shokutaku (Japan Gaga)

Lonely salaryman and talented cook (Inukai Atsuhiro - Absolute BL et al) gets accidentally adopted by a college kid and his little brother. I was always gonna love the show if they stuck to the manga (which is very dear to my heart). And they did, paralleling it almost exactly. It’s a quiet & cozy little parable of found family alleviating loneliness. Possibly too slow for some but definitely high up there for me with the best of what Japan can do. It’s only flaw (if I dare say such a thing) is that it is not really “romantic.” Lovely & sweet but the romance beats are being used to build a family relationship, not couple intimacy, it’s OK with me, but not totally BL.

From your list this on is most tonally similar to ... erm ... none, this is a new creature. Might not work for you.

The New Employee (Korea Viki)

So good, SO QUEER, so soft, a near pitch perfect office BL with conflict derived from that setting. Also found family and a lesbian bestie. Sweet & innocent (and out) Seung Hyun scores the office internship of his dreams. On his first day at work he gets into it with his cool reserved (and also v gay) boss. As you do. Frankly? This is what I wanted from this new crop of office set KBLs ALL ALONG.

From your list this is most tonally similar to we best love

Unintentional Love Story (Korea iQIYI)

A boy who just lost his job due to faked corruption charges accidentally discovers his ex-boss's favorite artist, now a recluse. Evil manager offers him his job back if he can convince the artist to rejoin society. Instead, they fall in love. I found the artist character a bit stiff and reserved but Gongchan (maknae of B1A4) is a fucking GIFT as the harried salaryman - he carried this show (which I do not expect from the idol). He was luminous with extraordinarily expressive eyes, just drown in the emoting abyss. The external conflict, social tension and pressure is complex and beautifully executed, plus Korea gave us legit side dishes (NOT a love triangle, hally-fucking-luya).

From your list this is most tonally similar to tale of thousand stars

The Eighth Sense (Korea Viki)

One of the longest BLs Korea has given us and it feels more atmospheric gay coming of age romance than strictly BL. It’s got a bit of an age gap, country boy/city boy, stellar acting, complex characters, and leads with great chemistry and tension. It’s a bit chewy and sticky and less perfect than most KBLs (do I detect a touch of Taiwan?) This one deployed BL tropes (messy eater, shoulder sleep, protective seme, there’s even some hyung-slinging) but front loaded them with painful backstory and tons angst drives the 2nd half. This isn’t in the KBL bubble, there’s sharp edges and lots of triggers. For a BL the darkness of the content left me feeling unsettled (which is the only reason it didn't get a perfect score) but it does have a glorious ending and is HUGELY romantic, that counts for a lot.

From your list this is most tonally similar to to my star 1 & 2. But it's quite heavy so... make sure you're int the right mood.

[danses-with-dogmeat]

Day 4 -- Rotface

The (nsfw) details for Kinktober, Day 4 are just below the cut!

Minors, please don’t interact.

Prostitution with Rotface x F!Six

GOODNESS I've waited so long to post something with Rotface 😩 He was like Gob 2.0 for me when I played New Vegas for the first time, just like... INSTANT love for him, ugh ❤️

This one I thought was pretty darn sweet, and a little glimpse into his life on that street corner where Six meets him.

I hope you like it!

Here is the link to my  Kinktober 2023 Event List so you can stay up-to-date, or re-visit these works as you please.

Included: Prostitution, drinking (alcohol lol), cunnilingus, vaginal fingering, dry humping, pining, hopes and dreams.

Words: 4.5k

--

Rotface lounged against his dusty curb like it was an elegant chaise, his body sinking lower and lower down throughout the long, hot day. The coolness of the air was refreshing as the sun bowed its head over the sand in the distance. Patrons, Freeside goers, and tourists alike had all hidden away in their homes or gone off to gamble and sin for the remainder of the night. 

But the ghoul had waited in silence, one ruined finger brushing over the neck of some cheap bottle of liquor he’d managed to get his hands on. Some whiskey, or bourbon maybe. Perhaps even rum gone a little bit… off. He didn’t know or care much, his stomach and tongue were impartial, but his head… Oh, his head needed it if he was to make it through another interaction with his favorite patron to date. 

And, like he'd called her over with nothing but the mere thought, over she came. It was unmistakable, the telltale click of her shoes on the pavement, the pacing of her steps, unhurried, but anything but relaxed. Even before Six rounded the corner, Rotface could catch her scent wafting on the light breeze: cheap perfume, cigarette smoke, and gunpowder. Always a hint of it, no matter what she wished to mask it with. 

It embarrassed him to even think it, but her scent was one he wished he could wrap himself in, like some strange desert creature burying itself in the sand for shelter from the elements, he wanted it to envelop him. 

Need to get over this shit. Hopefully the drink’ll help. 

“Hey, you. Fancy meeting ya ‘round these parts.” Six’s voice broke him from his thoughts, and he looked up at her, gazing wide-eyed, as if he was seeing her for the first time. 

Damn, how it always feels that way. 

Like a bullet to the chest from some Freeside thug, her visage hit him hard.

As per usual, Six was only partially clothed, in some bra-type, cropped shirt thing that only complimented the natural shapely curve of her body, her stomach was left bare, showcasing the smoothness of her skin, making it clear to him again why he’d spent so many hours daydreaming about laying his head upon her for a nap, her plush lap or stomach immeasurably preferable to the curb he usually called his pillow. Her skirt left even less to the imagination, especially from his angle looking up from the floor. Though, no matter what the angle was, the garment was made up of hardly any fabric at all, showcasing Six’s thighs and hips alike, both of which were frequent attendees in his daydreams as well. 

Rotface almost openly sighed as he saw her. Though it was nearly a nightly ritual these days, she still managed to draw his street-sharp mind into a tight bundle of fanciful nonsense. 

“Nice to see ya, Six.” Rotface managed to rasp out finally, pulling his gaze reluctantly from where it was tied to her form, her face, those eyes.

Suppose it doesn’t matter if I’m actually lookin’ or not. Always see her anyhow. Remember her face better than I do my own these days.

And that ain’t no bad thing. 

“Whatcha got there? Something to share, I hope.” 

“Nah, wouldn’t dream of it. Already had my fill, rest is for you, dolly.” 

“O-ho, what a gentleman you are.” Her smile shot straight into him, like a searing beam of light, right through his chest as she reached down for the bottle in his hand. No flinching away, no mildly disgusted look, no light, hesitant fingers as she brushed her hand with his in the transfer of the bottle from his possession to hers. 

“Wish I could take a seat beside you, but… Yeah, gotta stay visible.” She winked at him as she said it, but tipped the bottle back for a long swig a moment later, without even bothering to glance at the label. 

Didn’t seem to matter to her either. 

“It is still your corner though.” Six wiped delicately at her lipstick-framed mouth as she lowered the bottle down. “No matter who stands at it, they still know it as yours. So, if I’m ever intruding–”

“No way, doll.” He said, almost too quickly. “What’s yours is mine.” 

Rotface gestured to the bottle then, a soft expression adorning his face as he looked up at her. 

God, it must be obvious. Way I ogle her, night in and out. Maybe the drink wasn’t the best thought I’ve had… me a lil tipsy, her on her way… Could say something I regret. 

And she could actually hear it now. Not like my daydreams.

“You know, this street corner ain’t the only thing we got in common, I think.” 

Six raised a brow at him questioningly, but nodded a moment later with an odd sort of look upon her face. Another swig of the bottle, and then: 

“Hm. You’re right. Must be… Our fashion sense?” 

His laugh was much too raucous for the little quip she made, but dammit, the ghoul couldn’t help himself. 

Here I am, trying for once to be genuine, and then… 

Oh, but how could he ever be mad?

“Well, you do know how much I enjoy lounging on my curb here in the nude. Or in my leather panties. Heh.” 

Six giggled herself this time, and he felt proud to have inspired such a lovely refrain. 

“Nah, but, in all seriousness, I think… Well, we’re both one of the real people out here, you know? The ones out here trying to survive, yeah, but you’re not an asshole.” 

“Gee, thanks.”

He could’ve slapped himself for ending that sentence prematurely… and with no obvious tracks for it to go down in the highway of his drink-addled mind. 

Trying to speak from your heart is like engaging in an interview while under fire. Hearing the questions, formulating answers, wording them, all while remaining breathless and panicked. Scared for your life, even. 

“No, no... sorry, buzz is gettin’ to me a bit. But you’re just– hell, maybe we don’t even have it in common, I don’t know, but you’re one hell of a person, is what I was getting at. In some fuck-all roundabout way." He rubbed the bridge of his would-be nose, grinding his teeth as his confession only seemed to worsen.

"Just... Six, you doing all that shit for the NCR, for Freeside, The Wrangler, and all those ungrateful, privileged asshats in the strip, and look at you, still out here working street corners for scraps. You should have a fucking penthouse by now, you know? Be one of them fancy ladies with the jewelry and the colorful skirts and dresses. ‘S what you deserve, Six, that’s all.” 

“Glad you feel that way.” Finally relenting to the call of it, Six plopped down beside him, and Rotface felt his heart stutter as her hand brushed his bicep, giving him an affectionate little squeeze as she turned to him. “Nobody else seems to care, so you know… I suppose I’ll just keep... doing it, since I can’t sit by like the rest of those, ahem, asshats, as you put it so nicely.” 

He broke into a laugh alongside her, feeding off the warmth of her smile and wishing like hell he could see it a thousand more times in his life. 

“I couldn’t live with myself if I saw everything that’s going on around here and… didn’t help.” 

Six handed him back the bottle, nearly empty as it was, but with one last, decent gulp left. With a slow hand, careful not to dislodge the one she still had placed upon his arm, he reached out for it. 

“And… I guess I’ll just keep doing this,” Six gestured down to her scant outfit with unenthused fingers, “Until I can afford not to. However long that takes.” 

A pessimistic scoff finished her sentence for her, and Rotface felt his hand gripping the neck of the alcohol bottle so hard it might shatter. And he wouldn’t blame it. If it were possible for him to do the same in this moment, he just might've. 

Even as Rotface's grip loosened on the glass, his jaw stayed tightly clenched. He… had no idea she was that desperate. Some part of him assumed this was-- well, a job, yes-- but maybe she’d enjoyed it? Six always seemed so free, so good-humored, even in the worst of times, even when she showed up on their street corner with bags under her eyes, with bruises and scrapes he wouldn’t let himself imagine the origin of; she still was happy to see him, still made fun and light of their horrid, ruined world right alongside him… Maybe that’s what they really had in common. 

Now that he knew though, now that her dejected voice, her listless mannerisms, the dullness in her eyes confirmed that she hated doing this shit more than he could’ve imagined, more than he hated baking in the sun waiting for a more successful, luckier man’s pocket change to fall into his roughened hands day-in and day-out for ten or so odd years, well... He couldn't just stand by anymore. Not like he has for so damn long. With all she's done in that time, even after being fucking shot? It made Rotface feel like a pretty awful person.

To think too, after all that, all his years of this shit, and how little he's collected in his time on the street corner... 

Another shitty thing we have in common, I guess. If the world decides not to change, we’ll both be doing this forever. 

“Well…” Rotface started a thought out loud, his fingers already twiddling nervously at his imagined proposal. “You know, I-I could start paying you.” 

He felt her body tense, felt her eyes on him, but he couldn’t dare meet her gaze. 

“J-just for this, you know.” He added quickly, “The pleasure of your company here on the corner. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t improve my evenings, having you here with me. But, since I’m taking up your time and all…” 

“I could never accept money from you, R.” 

He smiled at that, her tender voice, her sweet nickname for him. 

“You want to know something?" She continued, her fingers twiddling distractedly over the skin of his arm. "I could stand on any street corner in Freeside. In fact, between you and me, this one really isn’t the best for business, but… Well, I enjoy the pleasure of your company too. And I couldn’t dream of asking you to pay for it.” 

Another comforting squeeze radiated warmth from her grip over him, and Rotface finally gained the courage to set his eyes upon her face.

“No..." A soft, slight smile touched her vibrant lips as she looked right back at him, "We’re in this together, old friend.” 

“If you say so." Rotface's own rough hand, pausing only briefly on its brave journey, now laid overtop hers, giving Six a comforting little embrace of his own. "But... If that’s the case, then… Say I did pay you for a night. A night we don't spend on this street corner, lovely as it is. A-and not anything, ah, promiscuous," He added quickly, "Just… you know. A night. Do dinner or something.” 

“Dinner?” Her brow quirked up on her forehead and her eyes narrowed with mischief. 

She must be onto me. No doubt she is… 

But she keeps playing along. So, that’s gotta be a good sign, right?

“Well, we just shared a nice drink, some good conversation… You wanna just skip dinner?” 

He was wide-eyed at what she suggested, what he thought she might be suggesting.

Could it be?

Nah... Too good to be true, that's what that is. Shit doesn't work out for me that way, not Rotface the poor street-corner ghoul. Not with Six. No way.

And yet, in that moment, her hand turned quickly, taking his in her grasp, and before he could fathom any single bit of it, she hauled him up and the pair set off quickly towards The Wrangler. He was comically giddy the whole way there, all teeth-baring grins and school-child giggles as she tugged him along behind her. 

He didn't understand, but even more so, Rotface couldn't bare to question it.

Sure, the pair got some inquisitive looks on the way and in the bar, both of them well-known in this part of town, after all. The piss-poor ghoul beggar and the Wrangler prostitute who was a sucker for doing the right thing, the kind thing, getting a room together?

The looks all confirmed what he tried not to let himself believe. 

Even if it is pity she has for me… who am I to complain? To judge her? 

Nah, he couldn’t think one wrong thing about the gal beside him, in front of him now in the dim room, leaving even less to the imagination, as she let her skirt flit down to the carpeted motel room floor. 

Six stepped out of the garment like she was trying to seduce him. As if she hadn’t already, from the moment he laid eyes on her. 

“You’re the most gorgeous thing I’ve seen." His rough voice sounded in the dim of the room as his eyes stayed locked to her mesmerizing form, "All my years, dolly, and it’s not even a competition.” 

Rotface couldn’t tear his gaze away from her, not for anything, as she approached where he sat on the creaky, ages-old box spring. The bed dipped from her movements as she crawled up and between his legs, running her hands down over the smooth fabric of his worn shirt until they reached the bottom hem. 

His own hands, rough as they were, gently stopped her movement. 

“Not sure you wanna do that, doll. Might just ruin the moment.” 

Six shook her head, her brows drawn together in sympathy as one soft hand brushed over the side of his face. Her touch was so tender, her expression so kind, yet… so wanting. It made his heart throb and race all at once. 

“It won’t.” Her voice was the firmest he’d heard it. “R… I want this bad as you do. Honest.” 

He blinked, and in the smallest split of seconds, Six's lips were against his. Like an old reel of film, his mind raced and churned behind the scenes, the chaos behind the beautiful picture up on the screen.

She was loud as a symphony, vibrant as a painting, with her passions. A pessimistic part of him whispered that it was practice, it was work, but a louder part shouted, ‘this is happening!’ 

Because that’s what mattered. 

Six was here, with him. She said she wanted this, she followed it up with actions that had him in a frenzy, that had him questioning his sanity, and the life expectancy of ghouls once they go feral. 

His mind scrambled like this, the heat coursing through him, the kiss felt like it was sending him into a metamorphosis. 

Rotface wanted so badly to think, to respond, to ask a million questions and make a million remarks about his many faults to her. As much as he wanted this– more than anything he could remember pleading for in his life, and just… well, look at him, he had plenty he could've wished for in place of this, and yet, it was true. More than anything, he wanted this with her. And he was as afraid of it as he was enthused by it. 

None of that mattered though. Nothing did, but Six. 

Rotface ran his hands over her bare skin, hungry to feel every inch of her, to soothe every hint of pain, every cause of stress in her life, his lips pressed against hers, caressing her softness, like the sun hugs the mountaintops and bathes them in orange, pink and violet. 

It only became more explosive, as he felt himself sink back into the mattress, as she laid her body over his, and he finally allowed her fingers to haul his raggedy t-shirt off over his head. Rotface gazed up at her as they separated, so she could remove the shirt from him fully, feeling like he was trapped in one of his daydreams, only… this was so much sweeter. 

Even in the depths of his imagination, the ghoul never could have seen her like this. Looking at him this way. It was… utterly unimaginable, the affection he saw there. The attraction. 

Perhaps her eyesight is just poor, after the incident in the graveyard at point blank range. 

The sound of a zipper drew his eyes and thoughts downwards as she began to remove his battered jeans, pulling them off over his hips and taking his boxers with them in one movement. 

Rotface grunted as the hem of his pants caught on his erection, already straining up in the air from her words, the sight of her, her attentions. 

Just… Six. 

The liquor had worn off by now, and he could feel himself shaking slightly. Maybe from nerves, or anticipation, though… probably both. If Six noticed though, she didn’t say a word about it. 

“Hmm.” When his eyes snapped back up to her, watching her take in the sight of his gnarled flesh, his bony body, he expected any number of horrid, barely-held back reactions. 

But she just… Smiled. With tears in her eyes, her gaze met his. 

“I don’t know why you ghouls are so cruel to yourselves. You in particular.” She said as she began to crawl up his body, a hand on either side of him, hovering, until she could lay over him. Her breasts prodded his chest as she settled overtop of him, her stomach cushioning his sensitive erection lovingly between their bodies. “You’re no different than any other man.” 

“Gee, thanks.” He said with a breathless attempt at a laugh. 

“No,” Six giggled, letting her head hang for a moment, her hair curtaining her face so charmingly as her eyes crinkled. “I just mean… You’ve got scars, sure, but… we all do.” 

One hand grasped with his, and Six pressed his fingers to the concealed divots in her forehead. He swallowed hard, as he felt the depth of them. 

How lucky I am to be here… With her.

“It doesn’t make you worth any less. No matter what anyone says.” Six pulled his hand to her mouth then, one finger drawing a line over a particularly rigid scar on his wrist before her lips followed suit softly. 

“Doesn’t make you any less beautiful.” 

Rotface had to blink to keep the unwelcome mist at bay from seeping into his eyes. 

What did I do to deserve her? This? 

Just last night we were still only friends, something like this was a distant, unachievable dream. 

Now, he never wanted it to end. 

“Well, doll, you are the authority on all that’s beautiful.” 

“Sweet ghoul.” Six's fingers ran over his bald head in an affectionate caress, and then his lips were back on her. Rotface initiated this time, pushing into her and wrapping his arms tightly around her body until he could flip them on the bed, positioning himself on top. 

His cock twitched as her hips bucked up into him, the swell of her pelvic bone grinding against the underside of his cockhead until he felt himself drooling pre-cum out onto her skin. 

Damn, but she knows what she’s doing. 

“Fuck, alright–” Rotface pulled back from her lips, separating their bodies enough to alleviate the pressure on his erection. “I’ve gotta taste you, doll. That alright?” 

Enthusiastically, and with a bit of surprise written on her face, Six nodded, and he felt that giddiness encapsulate him again. The older ghoul felt like a boy on pre-war Christmas, pulling her legs undone like a bow until her thighs were draped over his rough shoulders. His sense of smell and taste both weren’t what they used to be, but even so, his mouth watered at the sight of her folds; dark and glistening, maybe just with his pre-cum where he'd rubbed on her briefly, but he’d like to think some of it was her own excitement as well. 

As Rotface took his first languid lick, right through the middle of her lower lips and up to drag over her clit, it was confirmed. She wasn’t just glistening a bit, Six was wet. 

For me? Damn, maybe she really is telling the truth about her feelings… 

Grinning, and with a hint of an uncharacteristically smug expression upon his ruined face, Rotface set to work on her.

One hand laid over Six's lower stomach, and his thumb pressed to that sensitive button that made her shudder in slow, teasing circles as he delighted in the sweetness within her folds. He may have been shy about confessing his wants to her, his own feelings, but his tongue showed no such coyness as it explored her so thoroughly. 

Once that first taste hit his welcoming tastebuds, Rotface began lapping at her feverishly, like a starving wasteland dog, until he could hear her breathy moans escaping audibly from above. Chancing a glance, the ghoul hauled his eyes open to take in her expression, and felt himself give an involuntary buck of his hips against the rough-hewn sheet upon the mattress below him at the sight that welcomed him. 

I made her look like that.

He marveled silently, feasting with his eyes as much as he was with his wanton mouth as he poured his attentions out onto her. Six's brows were drawn together from his efforts, her lips half-parted, her lipstick smeared messily against one cheek, her hair like a woven crown, all in tangles around her head. No detail of hers failed to captivate him, even as Rotface continued his hungry mouthing, his thumb’s circling over her clit, growing firmer and faster, just as his hips moved more frantically over the mattress, grinding his cock into the sheets like he was already inside her. 

Six’s eyelashes fluttered, as she took in his humble visage in turn, and his heart soared to see the way she smiled. 

“Didn’t know you had this in you, R.” She spoke, breathless, her voice damn near rough as his own. 

He only growled in response, tearing his eyes from her face to look down upon his labors. Her clit was standing tall against his movement over it, and her lips were becoming darker, more swollen, more slippery. His tongue glided easily around her folds, navigating them as masterfully as he did the streets of Freeside, and pressed periodically up to that sensitive button, giving it teasing licks and kisses that left her writhing beneath the pressure of his arms. 

“Think I’m wet enough for you now, R.” 

Rotface felt a pat upon his head as her voice reached down to where he was buried between her legs, but he didn’t budge. A groan acted as his rebuttal as his attentions hastened. His actions were better than explanatory words anyway. 

“Fuck, okay.” Six giggled out, and her sheer arousal was plain in the way the words left her. A moan trailed shortly after, as Rotface set his rough lips against her clit, and sucked like honey would pour from the spot. And well, it really sort of would, wouldn’t it?

Though, there was one difference. 

Six was much sweeter. 

The ghoul’s eyes rolled back in his head, his grip on her thigh and stomach tightened, he felt his cock give a painful throb from where he was neglecting it, and his hips picked up their pace into the mattress. 

In that moment, he was completely surrounded by her. 

Her moans and breaths were all that entered his ears, her smooth skin all he felt, her musky, succulent juices all he could taste, the colors of her passion, all he could see behind his closed eyelids. In that moment, she was his whole world. 

And what a glorious world it is. 

Six was close now, so close he could feel the way her clit pulsed against his tongue. He smiled into her at the feeling, lowering one hand between her thighs as his lips stayed anchored to her sensitive, swollen nub. Rough, calloused fingers dragged through her plentiful wetness, before two of them tested her entrance, finding it pliant and wanting for him. For this. 

The digits plunged inside without any additional warning, instantly curling against her hot, tender walls and making her release a shout of pleasure that had his throbbing member ready to burst at the seams. 

A few well-placed rubs of his textured fingers against her clenching walls, and one last drag of his tongue over her swollen pleasure point, and Six was crying out her nickname for him into the still, stuffy air of the motel room. Rotface didn’t cease though, his fingers pulsed inside her gently, coaxing her orgasm to last as long as possible, helping her through it as he drank in her spilling essence with his whole mouth. 

Rotface found himself growing almost as loud as she was, with his sloppy groans and the great buildup of pressure in his aching, straining cock, until that too burst out without much warning. The ghoul spurted his seed into the sheets below, humping into the mattress needily as he continued to nurse on her clit, even as Six began to buck away from him in her oversensitivity. 

Finally, with a light push of her hand over his forehead, Rotface tore himself from her. His chin and hollow nose were dripping with her as he caught his breath, he could feel his thighs shaking from the force of his own release, which was still sending small aftershocks through his fatigued body as his cock leaked the last of what it had to offer onto the bed between Six’s legs. And Six... at that moment, she–

--

“R?” A loud snap sounded in his ears, and suddenly, tragically, Rotface was seated back on his curb, his mind swimming and his body aching as his thoughts raced circles around his mind. “Honey, are you okay? You were tryin’ to say something.”

“I– I was?”

“Yeah, you were gonna tell me what else we had in common? Besides fashion sense and this curb, and then you just… went all radio silence on me. You feelin’ alright?” 

Six’s hand pressed down to his forehead, and her touch sent a shock through him. 

Fuck… Another goddamn daydream. And… so real.

Stupid fucking drink. 

He glared at the bottle in Six’s hand as she sat down next to him. 

“You do feel a little warm. You wanna just take it easy tonight? I don’t have to take clients, maybe we could… I don’t know.” She laughed as she trailed off, and Rotface felt his heart renew its frantic pounding once again. 

With one sentence, one confession, one request, I could maybe, maybe, make that dream of mine a reality. 

Rotface took a breath as he felt her eyes on him, trying not to pay her gaze too much mind, as he began his confession. 

For real, this time. 

[daily-coral-reblogging]

I completed @coral-nerd's farmer questionnaire. Farmer OC info dumps below the cut.

Emily (she/her)

How does your farmer feel about:

Farming: Farming is very therapeutic once she gets comfortable with it. At first she’s afraid her depression will cause her to lapse in care for the crops and for them to die as a result. This is not completely inaccurate as especially bad depression slumps can make her lapse on care. However it does become pretty routine for her and she doesn’t suffer too many casualties. Once she’s able to get her hands on some sprinklers she feels much more comfortable keeping up with the non-daily tasks like weeding and treating for disease.

Mining: Emily loves Mining. She finds a lot of comfort in the caves. She had always struggled with staying fit and has found mining to be the best work-out routine she’s ever had. While nothing else ever seemed to stick, the breaking down and hauling of materials from the mine makes her muscles burn and her clothes become soaked with sweat but she ends up almost always having fun the entire time she does it. Emily enjoys the mines as a napping location and spends a lot of time there especially when her social battery is on low.

Foraging: This is the task that gets Emily moving around the island more than anything else. She goes foraging around once a week and finds the quiet and travel relaxing. 

Catching: Emily does not enjoy bug catching. While she doesn’t necessarily find bugs gross she really doesn’t like running around all day and finds it rather unnecessary. Being able to complete the museum collection is about all that gets her motivated to attempt it at all. She finds it frustrating when bugs frequently get away from her.

Fishing: This is one of Emily’s favorite activities, especially when she can post up under the shade of a tree. The trance-like nature of fishing is something that helps her recover some spoons and getting to cook up a fresh dinner out of it is always something she’s happy to do.

Ranching: Emily falls in love with ranching. Taking care of her animals gets her out of bed and feeling good about life more than anything else. She takes the details of her animal care very seriously holding their welfare, diet, and health above her own. She has a special interest in genetics and starts breeding projects on her farm.

Combat: Emily feels uncomfortable with the idea at first but it gives her an absolute rush. After the first time she’s hooked. Being engaged with something that so immediately demands her attention can break her out of what otherwise could be slumps or spirals. She’s also pretty darn good at it as well. She’s very happily a member of the Band of Smiles. Taking on missions to deal with the monster populations and protect others gives her a sense of purpose.

Diving: Emily refuses to dive. She went ahead and tried it once and nearly came out with a panic attack. The weight of the water pushing in on her, the extra effort to breathe against that pressure made her feel like the whole ocean was threatening to destroy her. She will go ahead and stay on the beach.

Interacting with the Islanders: Emily does crave community, bonds, and togetherness but does not enjoy meeting new people. Luckily Alice and Suki are some more familiar faces. She honestly avoids most social interaction but she made a promise to herself on not isolating and making an effort via delivering every single resident flowers for their birthday. She is terribly awkward at this and definitely still isolates. Overtime some of the townies are able to get closer to her.

Other:

What is their decor style? Emily has never been able to get motivated when it comes to decorating, her home matches herself by being somewhat depressing. This is definitely something she needs a positive influence on her life for.

Who's their love interest? TBD

What's their favorite thing to grow? She likes to grow things that she herself will eat most. Not every crop out there suits her tastes and the victory of growing them feels less tangible when she doesn’t get to experience some of the end product in a meal.

What's their favorite animal? Her favorite livestock animal is cows.

Bonus! What do you associate with your farmer in these categories:

Color: Orange

Season: Fall

Metal: Gold

Indy (they/he)

How does your farmer feel about:

Farming: Indy moved to Coral Island chiefly for the intent of growing, and selling, marijuana. At first they are reluctant on the whole vegetable gardening part of things but that does definitely help them prepare the soil and earn some money to start with. They do enjoy tending plants though and quickly get over any misgivings about not moving to Coral Island to grow food. Even when they are able to start cultivating their intended crop they continue growing rotating crops for the soil health, for the fresh food, and to keep supplying Sam.

Mining: Indy feels relatively indifferent to mining. The work doesn’t really bother them but they do enjoy getting to discover new things from the geodes found mining.

Foraging: Indy enjoys foraging a lot. They prefer it to farming and being in nature is something he values a lot.

Catching: Indy keeps their net on them at all times. They enjoy watching insects and springing after them. Indy however is very eco-concious and only begins catching regularly after consulting Eleanor on if any populations need to be protected and if any need managing and removal. They enjoy cooking with insects and raising crickets for cooking becomes a staple for them.

Fishing: Indy must be in a particular mood to enjoy fishing. Typically fishing feels much too boring and they end up struggling with under-stimulation. When they are feeling chill and wanting to relax in the sand though it’s nice to do it on the side. In most scenarios they prefer relaxing in the forest though.

Ranching: Indy enjoys ranching but gets into it mostly as a way to supplement his growing. To further offset their ecological impact of operations their main motive is actually obtaining manure on the farm so they can make a fairly closed loop system and don’t have to import fertilizer nearly so much.

Combat: Indy profusely refuses to participate in combat. They will bring a dagger into the mines since there’s insistence they must have some form of weapon but they very seldom use it. If for whatever reason they need monster parts they buy off of Mark or Kira instead. They do still need access to deeper levels of the mine though so they make slow progress and habituate the monsters to their presence instead. They are uncomfortable with the idea of coming into their home and not treating them with respect. They understand the need for culls to happen though but they leave that to those who want to fight.

Diving: Indy takes diving as one of their most important tasks. Being able to heal nature in such a visible way is something they wouldn’t trade for the world. They honestly let the whole farming thing fall to the wayside when given a task like this.

Interacting with the Islanders: Indy, like everyone, needs some time to themself and time with others. Indy is fairly outgoing in whatever interactions they find themself in but don’t do a lot of intentional connection making. Prone to periods of frequently being seen in social hotspots and periods of not being seen at all.

Other:

What is their decor style? Indy can be inconsistent with it. Different decor items seem to be from different themes. Sometimes they decide to decorate with a specific vision but usually it’s just a mishmash of anything they like with comfy places to sit or tuck away being a must.

Who's their love interest? TBD

What's their favorite thing to grow? Their specialty is marijuana. 

What's their favorite animal? They like chickens the most.

Bonus! What do you associate with your farmer in these categories:

Color: Green

Season: Summer

Metal: Bronze

[pargolettasworld]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOepZQwvAlo

In my experience, if Jacques-Fromental Halévy crops up in a music history class, it will be in connection with two points of interest.  1.  He composed the opera La Juive, which music history instructors like to trot out as a prime example of nineteenth-century French opera, and 2.  He was a Jewish composer whom Richard Wagner actually kind of liked.* Certainly if you went by the kind of music history teaching I received, you could get the impression that Halévy was just A Pretty Darn Good Composer, who just happened to be Jewish, a happenstance upon which the fact that he composed an opera called La Juive has absolutely no bearing.

But it did have some bearing!  Like a lot of Pretty Darn Good Jewish Composers, Halévy came from a cantorial family, and he knew his way around the liturgy, even the versions of it that emerged from the twin pressures of the French Revolution and Napoleon.  This is a choral setting of part of Psalm 118** that Halévy composed for his nephew’s wedding in 1858.  It was also used for a synagogue dedication in 1874, so one would imagine that it kept circulating for various events over sixteen years, and maybe built up some cachet to be used again rather than Halévy just composing something new for the occasion.

*I haven’t heard anything about what Cosima Wagner, the Natasha Fatale to Richard’s Boris Badenov, thought about Halévy.

**Psalm 118 is very long, and it has multiple jarring shifts of perspective, mood, and topic.  Noah Aronson thinks that Psalm 118 may be intended to represent the diverse thoughts of a whole crowd of people coming to the Temple for a festival, which is one of the better interpretations of it that I’ve heard.  But because it is so patchwork, not many people are inspired to set the whole thing to one piece of music.***

***That being said, if anyone were tempted to do that, I’d lay money that it would be a shape-note composer.

[creepling]

OKAY SO this isn't a request but i had a scenario i started thinking about last night when i tried to sleep that i wanted your opinion on (johnny on the brain always, unfortunately) and it's just... can you imagine being like, an honorary family friend of the sawyers (your grandparents were close with their grandparents back before times got hard and they had to resort to doing what they had to do, and now, while your folks are gone now and it's just you, drayton considers you off-limits out of respect for old grandpa) and you live a little bit far off from their farmland on your own dingy little farm. it's inherited from your parents, and it's... fucked up. you've got a lot of seeds, but nothing grows, and the house needs worked on and you just *don't* know the first thing about fixing any of it. you're, admittedly, pretty oblivious to what the sawyers do---you never come around without being invited and it's usually just a quick chat with drayton at the end of the road, and on the off chance you're driving your dad's beat up old truck close to their farm and hear any screaming you just think they have some really weird goats---but your visits are always short-lived and you haven't gotten to meet the new additions to the family yet. maybe you drive by to see drayton, drop off some seeds as a gift 'cause right now nothing's growing for you and they're just being wasted, and you mention something offhand about a rusty shed door that won't open or a leaky roof and drayton, after pulling him aside and giving him a very thorough talking to (you don't want to upset grandpa, after all, and your old folks WERE really good to them when they were living) about how he better not try anything, drayton sends johnny back with you to fix something as thanks for the seeds (because let's be honest, drayton doesn't have it in him anymore and johnny is arguably the most.. casual. able to act normal, if you will). so now you've got a sweaty, attractive greaser here to fix your roof that you've never met before. you feel bad about him having to do all the work because you're just so darn *clueless*, so you might as well make some lemonade and cut some watermelon so he can get a quick break from the heat! you keep sneaking glances and admittedly he's real charming, so it's not just the texas heat getting to you. maybe he thinks you're real sweet, if maybe a little oblivious. airheaded? whatever the word for it, you're certainly pretty amusing, and you're already pretty clearly off-limits for *killing*, but drayton never said anything about testing OTHER boundaries, now did he?

omg i love this sm. the fact that reader is normal because they never got brought up in some cannibal patriarch like the sawyers. but who knows, maybe the crops aint growing bc there’s family secrets buried in the soil?👀

also yard work johnny goes through my mind constant because he reminds me of the hot pool cleaners in movies or greaser mechanics. like i just know outside of killing this man is passed about made to do yard work and fix things up. drayton paps him off to fix cars and cut grass for extra cash or southern hospitality and johnny has to begrudgingly do it. but this time his client is hot and naive and fine to look at, so maybe he wants to stick around for a while. point out a leaked pipe so he can fix it and stay for longer, hnng

if you write you should defos make it into a fic, i’d read it in a heartbeat!!

[darexirepublic]

Today on Republic News Update:

-Work continues for the @aradak-tribunal! Medical officers and representatives of Republic aid efforts on the planet report that there has been significant progress made in providing aid and comfort to the Tribunal's people, even with fierce fighting still taking place across the planet. New crops and clean, fresh drinking water are now becoming more common place for the people of the Tribunal once more. Construction designs for new homes have been prepared for post-war rebuilding, also.

Members of the Quaztoul Dynasty, who reside in their hive city on Laxtara, have continued to provide willing warriors and support drones to help with the liberation of their ancestral home; some of them wish to settle back on Aradak permanently once the conflict is over, but others also wish to remain on Laxtara; they will be free to come and go as they please, of course!

-Today, Chancellor Caloxi announced that as the long and noble efforts of helping our @pactargent friends restore their home-world to full ecological stability has been completed, the environmental restoration technology that has been running constantly for many seasons will be shut down, and the technology transferred to Pact control as a token of our continued support.

"It's been a long road for us all," Minister of the Environment Pavlox said, "but the work that we have completed together with our friends has helped them enjoy the splendor and beauty of their home-world once again."

-The Ministry of Health's latest Health Census finds that the efforts of the Utopia Drive have continued to pay off! Stress-related illnesses and diseases have dropped another 30% over the past year, and stress as a whole has seen a dramatic decline since the upgrade and improvements to the social welfare systems.

Minister of Health Sid Cantelope said of the census that the results "prove that removing stressors such as fear of homelessness, ill-health and economic anxiety helps to contribute to, well, a pretty darn good society that we have here!"

-Weather: Sunny with a gentle wind out of the south-east

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

Stroke of Luck.

Where did they go!?

I-I don’t know, ok!? I was tracking the Chairwoman’s signal, and tried to perform a geo scan of the lab as her directive!

But as soon as I started, her and Shuichi’s signal disappeared.

You think Zetsubou caught them?

If they were captured, at least we know they’re alive. I doubt Shirogane will kill him.

We’re not having much luck tracking the signals ourselves. With the limited information, we’ve hit a roadblock.

Even you ERR0RM3SS4GE guys can’t figure out what’s happened!? So much for relying on you assholes!

We pass around information, Kuwata. We aren’t omnipotent gods or the shadow cabinet or something like that!

Shuichi...

Don’t worry Kaede. Trust me when I saw Kyoko’s gotten out of worse scraps than this. If Shuichi’s with her, they’ll be fine.

Mind you, Shuichi can take care of himself when it counts.

Yeah, you’re right. Guess you’re pretty used to your partner doing this, huh?

It’s part of the job. Expect Shuichi to end up in this situation a lot in the future. Kyoko told me she’s been kidnapped multiple times even before she was his age.

That said, it doesn’t mean we can just leave them as they are. We need information and we need to find out where they’ve gone.

But what are we going to do? It’s not like info is just gonna turn up on our doorstep.

???: BOSS!?

!!??

*Everyone looks up to the floor above, as they hear a familiar cry above them.

Boss!

KURIPA!?

What the-!? Where the hell have YOU been!?

Hold on! We’re coming down! YEET!

HYAH!

Woah!?

*Kuripa walks away from the ledge. Though everyone expects him to take the stairs down, he instead jumps over the railing and slams down in front of the meeting table. Kibin also jumps over and lands more gently next to him.

Hey! You coming down!?

???: Give me a sec! Hup!

What the heck!?

Ugh! Hey, that’s pretty fun! Sure beats takin’ the darn stairs!

Kuripa, what’s going on? You’ve been missing for almost a whole day now! 

Well I...kinda got bored and started to do my own investigation into the lab.

Wait...how did you know about it?

Does it matter? “I’m psychic” isn’t that what you always say?

*He leans in towards Makoto.

Please tell me you read my note.

Yeah, but you’ve still got a lot of explaining to do. But I can’t wait to see what kind of excuse you crop up, so I’ll hear what you have to say.

Thanks.

*Kuripa pulls away and addresses everyone at the table.

I’ve got lots to tell you, but I’ll start with what you WANT to hear. I found out during my own investigation...Saihara and Bosswife got caught by the thugs at the lab, and have been captured.

No...!

Dammit! I had a feeling, but hearing it confirmed is...

Why in the balls did you all let those two on their own without any backup anyway!?

Kuripa, you know what Kyoko’s like. She’s pretty stone-faced, but she’s hard to convince once she’s made her mind up about something. AND she’s been a lone wolf for as long as I can remember.

...Good point...I know what you mean.

Hey uh...I have a question. Who’s your new companion?

Oh her? This is Eden. Kuripa met her on his  way here.

*Eden steps forward and courtesies.

Hi. Name’s Eden Owari. My sister, Akane, works for Branch 8.

Akane’s sister? What are you doing here?

Kyoko Naegi told me I should get away from the river for safety. Then I encountered these two folks and they brought me here.

Eden was the last person to see Kyoko and Shuichi before they disappeared. Figured it was wise I bring her in as a witness.

Good job Kurafto. So...what’s the call?

Hm...

Kaede?

Uh...yes?

Would you kindly take Ms Owari back to the river? See if you can find where they were taken. But be careful. The last thing we want is for you to be captured too.

You want me to scout? But...what about the siege?

Don’t worry. Focus on finding the lab, and wait for us there. We’ll bring your squadron with us when we arrive, and you can take over command from that point onwards.

Both of you come with me. I’ll grab you some equipment and gear in case of an emergency.

Alright, guess I’m doing this. Can I at least go let my friends know?

Of course. I’ll wait for you. Ms Eden Owari, if you’d be so kind.

Yeah, I’m comin’. Thanks for the hospitality.

*Eden, Kaede and Munakata exaunt.

Siege?

Munakata has been preparing the soldiers for an attack on the lab once we found it. We were rather hoping Kurafto here would lead the third squadron while Kaede and Munakata take the other two.

So you were waiting for me to get back? Surely you could have found someone to replace me? Like...I dunno. Komaru or Toko?

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t consider it. But given the more recent developments, I thought it would be best to wait for you after all.

What “recent developments?”

*In place of a reply, Taichi calls over to two guards, who carry in a large box covered by a blanket. Taichi lifts the blanket to reveal a severed Monokuma head underneath it. He then starts plugging the head into his laptop, and then connecting his laptop to the big screen?

I’ve already made Munakata aware of this, and he has adapted accordingly. But my fellow researchers in third branch did a robo-lobotomy on the Monokuma’s Yoruko and Setsuka ambushed and...found an important piece of memory.

*After a few seconds, an image starts to fuzz into the screen. Everyone starts to watch.

Thank you, thank you all for gathering here!

Who is that?

!!?

Doc!?

That’s Dr Ando, Sayaka. The very man we’ve been looking for.

What kinda luck is that!? We were just talking about finding the guy and then after 7 years, he just randomly appears now!?

Well, chock it up to Mr Naegi’s return, hey guys?

I don’t think I can take credit for this Hifumi, besides, it looks like some bad luck came with it...

Yes...he doesn’t seem to be a prisoner or a victim in what we’re looking at here...In fact, he seems to be the man in charge.

But that doesn’t make sense! Dr Ando is one of the most selfless men in the world, and he goes out of his way to ensure everyone’s comfort and safety! I can’t readily believe that he would ally himself with Zetsubou like this!

Well you’d be right. Ando would never side with Shirogane and her cronies...not willingly at least.

Are you saying he’s being blackmailed?

No...something worse.

Let me guess...He’s getting the parasite treatment?

Parasites!?

Yep...Same little worm bastards that fucked Gokuhara and Munakata’s brains. And there’s more to it than the doc just being controlled.

There’s another thing we found out during our own investigation. Zetsubou are making him DEVELOP those little shits at that institute. The river got poisoned as a result of the creation of those things.

So the lab is where they’ve been making their brainwashing parasites!? But what’s he planning now?

Fujisaki. Mind playing a bit more?

*Taichi resumes the video.

Good news my soulless, automaton, ursine friends~

We now have enough samples of Zetsubou parasites to start filling the bombs!

H-He said...bombs...!?

Yep, I heard that too.

We will only need to send a handful of bombs to each city around Japan. Work quickly I want them to bè̵̢̤͙͍̖͖̭̍̊̊͜ ̷̫̫̜̞̜͎̰̥̂͑͒̒̿̀̕͜d̷̜̐̆̎̄̕̚͝͠͝e̴̘̙͔͎͙̣͍̻̽͗̓̆̀̽̇ͅl̷̟͇̮̞̀͐͜͝ḯ̵̛̛̞̲̣͕̈́͊͗̅͑v̶̛̛̗̦̒̒͋͂̆͘è̸̪̚r̸̫͈̖̯̘̠̜͇͎͑͋̑͗̒́̾̊e̴͔͙͚͙̘̺̒̄͝ḑ̷̡͇̹͇̐͌͒̔̀̀̕͝ͅ ̶̟̘̳̦͍̳͝b̷̠̼͇͔͑̂͆́ỳ̶̝̯̖̜̥̯̲̞̝̿͆̍͠≠̳͐͊̃̃̍̐̔͘̕

*The footage fizzles out and ends there.

The Monokuma’s memory is scrambled, so unfortunately that’s all we have.

What bombs was Dr Ando referring to in that footage?

The bombs that he’ll be using to dispense the parasites. Pretty sure you got that part at least.

I see...I think I get what’s going on here...And it’s not good. Well...I don’t see how you ever thought it could be.

If Ando succeeds in getting those bombs delivered and detonated, we’ll be facing a nation-wide brainwashing pandemic. Rescuing Zetsubou’s captives will be the least of our worries...!

What the hell are we gonna do though? Kyoko and Shuichi went missing before Taichi could get any information on the lab. 

The only good news is that I have the rough coordinates. But without a geo scan, I can’t get a map of the lab or figure out how big it is.

...

*Kuripa casually strides around to Taichi and hands him a hard drive.

This might help you.

*Taichi reluctantly takes the hard drive and plugs it into his laptop in place of the Monokuma head. He checks it’s information and his eyes widen.

What the!? There’s doubt about it! This matches with the coordinates I was sent!

*Suddenly, a full-scale map of the entire lab appears on the monitor. Everyone gathered around the table gasps in surprise.

K-Kurafto...!? How in the hell did you pull this off!?

Does it really matter?

Yes, it does matter! You can’t expect to just get away with not telling us how you came across this!?

Instead of being up my arse about how I came across it, how about a little thanks for getting you what you need?

Ahaha...Don’t mind him Mekaru. Kuripa just loves to take people by surprise...

Boy I’ll say. A real magic maker that one. His girlfriend too.

Thanks~

Alright, but can we focus less on Kuripa and more on the lab? Because I don’t know if anyone else is seeing it like I am, but the damn thing looks ENORMOUS!

What say you, commander?

Hm...It looks to me like there are three main entrances...Here, here, and here.

*Taichi highlights certain areas on the map as he explains his analysis.

This one in the center appears to be the hatch that the detectives found before they were kidnapped. The other two appear to be large heavy duty doors that are hidden by the foliage of the forest.

And this area here appears to the main research lab. If Ando really is in charge, it’s more than likely where he’s keeping them.

And the bombs?

Hm...There appears to be an above-average amount of radiation in THIS area. It’s likely where they’re being assembled. 

So are we even sure a siege on this place is a good idea anymore? If Naegi or Saihara made any indication to Ando that we’re coming for him, it could throw a wrench in our plans.

Not to mention if we dive into the lab guns blazing, we could get both of them brainwashed or killed. 

It’s a risk we have to take! I suggest we wait to hear from Kaede Akamatsu for now, but under NO circumstances, and I mean NO CIRCUMSTANCES, are Ando and those parasites allowed to leave the lab!

And if they, or we, detonate one during the attack?

I imagine it could put Hokkaido at risk...But it’s better to have a handful of brainwashed citizens than an entire country of them...or an entire world for that matter.

[ediblegardenspointloma]

Results of my USDA "Soil Your Undies" Challenge

Here’s the background information from my blog post earlier this year. You can see the full piece here. Read the method and rationale then see the results of my challenge below.

Officials are encouraging people to “soil their undies”—but the suggestion is not as unseemly as it sounds. To help gauge the health of local soils, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends planting a pair of fresh cotton underpants 3 inches deep in the ground. Wait at least 60 days, then dig them up.

Healthy soil contains billions of microbes that will break down organic material like cotton, so the more holes-filled and threadbare your unearthed undies, the heartier your soil. And the heartier your soil, the bigger the role it can play in producing nutritious plants, reducing erosion and storing carbon. Source: The Nature Conservancy Magazine

Here’s the how-to:

Plant a pair of new, cotton underwear horizontally about 3 inches deep in the site you're curious about. Don't forget to mark the spot you planted!

Wait at least 60 days. This gives your soil microbes time to do their magic! Then dig the undies back up.

Share your results by sending us a photo of your "harvest" and a little info about your operation to orinfo@nrcs.usda.gov.

My Soil Your Undies Challenge

This is how I started my Soil Your Undies Challenge—a little boy’s pair of 100% cotton briefs. I removed the elastic waistband but left the leg bands in place. On May 30, I buried the undies three inches deep and marked the spot with a large rock. A butternut squash plant covered the area all summer.

Then it was time to prepare the bed for cool season crops so on October 8 I removed the marker rock and excavated for the briefs.

This is what I found. The little chunk of brief had worked to the surface but otherwise, only the narrow elastic band around the leg openings survived. I dug around the soil and could find no other evidence of the brief. The soil microbes took care of all that cotton, suggesting my soil is pretty darn good.

See the results of others who took the challenge here. Consider taking the challenge in your garden or farm.

[victorluvsalice]

Welcome back to the Chill Valicer Save, everyone! When we left off, the trio had just hit Summer Monday, which I thought was a perfect day to spend selling things at their store --

-->But first – at the end of the last episode, Victor had just realized that holy SHIT did poor Shadow need a bath. XD So I had him take her upstairs to give her a scrub in the new fancy tub, while Alice (hanging out in Smiler’s room) got send to bed to top up her energy and Smiler finished upgrading their video production station with the “auto-update” upgrade that keeps it from breaking. Nice. :) They then studied the trends and discovered people were interested in tech reviews again, so I had them do a gadget review – and to my shock and amusement, the gadget they chose was what looked like an old early 2000s cellphone. You know, those “candybar” models that just had all the buttons and the little screen right on the front? Successor to the flip phone? That sort of thing. I promptly put “less of a review and more of a history lesson” in the description when they finished. XD

-->While that was happening, Victor finished up Shadow’s bath – and while I was clicking on her to see what I wanted to do next, I realized something: despite Shadow being an Adventurous dog, I had NEVER actually taken her on an adventure! And as Victor was feeling pretty darn good, I decided that 3:30 AM was a perfectly good time for them to dive down the rabbit hole. XD Literally – the “go on an adventure” option involves a Sim and their dog disappearing into a rabbit hole and having a little text adventure off-lot. Victor and Shadow thus headed down the front path, where – as per the pop-ups – they headed to Brindleton Bay and Whiskerman’s Wharf! Their adventure involved Victor and Shadow tracking an interesting scent past the still-hopping Salty Paws Saloon and along the edge of the harbor – only for the trail to go at an empty dock. Apparently whatever Shadow had sniffed out had already left on whatever boat had been moored there. Victor assured her it was all right, and when they got home, I had him give her a treat for being a good girl. :) It wasn’t anything spectacular, but hey – always good to engage with a part of the game I haven’t really messed around with before!

-->With the adventure over, though, it was time to start getting on with the business of the day! Victor went and hit the bathroom before going to tend his greenhouse (the new set of overgrown crops were looking VERY weedy), while Alice woke up, licked herself clean, then went out onto the front porch to call all their Free-Spirited cats home from their own adventures. And to finally take the cone off poor Surprise, who was probably sick of not being able to lick herself. :p She then set about cleaning the spoiled food out of the fridge and having a chat with Gino the MySim statue before getting herself a plate of berry waffles. Smiler, meanwhile, edited their “tech review” of the candybar phone, then went outside to feed the chickens and clean their coop –

[tomyo]

Story of seasons friends of Mineral town: The Powertrip

I would like you to come back to a simpler time with me, dear reader. Do you remember Kanye's Power? Do you remember the mlp version? Around that time, I shared on this exact blog some cringey art reveling in exploiting the ruby spice farming trick to for the first time properly fun my wonderful life farm. Now and again, a bokumono game gives its players some way to break the game, but the friends of mineral town took it to a new level.

Okay, let's rewind. Amidst playing ANB, I became frazzled from the sheer amount of mechanics I had to keep track of. I have moved Yuri into town, but now I was struggling to complete restoration project 3. At some point, I messed up a day and took a step back. Now I have not kept track of switch games on my backlog, but this past winter, I was gifted fomt but had not touched it. Fomt was my first HM game and something I knew intimately since it was so straightforward. I decided to take a quick shot at it. Oh, how novel it was at the start.

Within one night's worth of work, I had basically become the kingpin of quaint Mineral Town.

I did not intend it, in fact I barely read anything major. Just some basic costs and a crop guide. However, during the first horse race, I was saving money for a new rucksack but now was unable to buy it. I take a look at the medal information and figure I'd try my luck at getting the power berry seeing as save scumming was much less tedious now. However instead, I ended up with a good number of broaches. That was when I made my first 50k.

Now you can ship the broaches just fine but I had learned of selling to Huang and figured I should befriend him for next time. Pretty much a day later I ended up with van's favorite (VF from here out) to which I believe is a new addition that you can sell to Huang for ~50k each.

Apparently, you get this every time your transaction count lands on a 10 in its count. Heavily exploitable, but you don't even need to try. So far I have received 3 without even trying and it's been more than enough money to basically complete the game.

By mid summer I had enough to pay for one of every animal, upgrade the house fully and furnish it fully, upgrade all weapons to max, and upgrade the barn and coop one level up AND buy the materials for that rather than slowly accrue it.

The thing is, I also had completed most of this by late spring. All the animals I needed and plenty of seeds, it was time to call upon the sprites. As one should know, sprites love flour, the easiest bribery ever. Had all seven won over in time to plant 90, yes 90, pineapples. And even more plants with that, about 10 of everything I could have at the moment. The money every couple of days was ludicrous. I was making thousands without some cheat. I was even smart enough to not hire all of them at once so there was always coverage. It was basically great assistance while I built up my skill with the watering can. Sadly not mythril yet but gold works fine.

So I'm living large, what now?

Well child me was not as good at patience with this game and would do dumb shit like make myself pass out and only talk with Karen. I guess it's time to befriend the town.

Now this time as I had remarked previously, I intended to marry Elli. Though as a divergence back up, I also confessed to the harvest goddess my interest and was giving some stuff to karen too. Oh, but there is romancable gift options? Darn, and the new guy has a boyfriend gift for you too. Oh wait, the game ENCOURAGES YOU to date all the singles. Yes. Bokumono outprogressed stardew valley in the same game that it first let you date same sex (not as a conditional feature). I mean, how can I say no to that? Why shouldn't I date the whole town before settling down? I WANT FREE HOUSE DECOR DAMMIT.

And boy have I achieved that. Guess what. Most singles have a really simple to get thing in their likes category. Most people in fact like store bought flour too as I've learned.

So now I am in early Fall, collecting various foliage and woeing some people to let me into their rooms and give me recipes. I am mostly waiting around to repeat my sudden wealth gain at the fall races but now with tens of thousands instead of the previous 3k I had at the time. It would take roughly 5000 broaches to buy that cabin from Gotz, although that doesn't factor material or if they'll let me keep that many broaches. Moreover I'm holding out for the free beach house at 150 gifts to which should come in fall of next year if I am pious.

But what's most on my mind is buying my first dog and learning cooking so I can spend the winter lake mining for kappa jewels, some of each gem, and the power berry. If I get the cursed tools as well is up in the air since I still need to upgrade 5 of 6 tools to mythril which takes quite a lot of time especially since not every one is full exp yet. Likely I will try to upgrade the hoe and hammer before winter, the watering can at the start of it, and get the axe and pole done in time to trek the depths one last time.

Sadly what has truly stopped the glory of this progression is simply my real time availability to play it. I started at the end of my free time week and have been busy since. Maybe one day i'll finally be able to gain those mythical houses that were so unattainable in the og.

[beargreys]

Priime styles photoshop

Priime styles photoshop movie#

Priime styles photoshop series#

Priime styles photoshop download#

NOTE > After clicking on the Preset you will probably need to fine-tune the effect by adjusting some of the sliders in the Basic panel. Select one of your images (it is better to start on an image that was correctly exposed so that you can clearly see the effect of the preset). However, you’ll need the premium subscription version to get access to all of the editing tools.

Priime styles photoshop download#

Photoshop Express is a freeload for iOS, Android, and Windows devices. After first grading this image with one of my Dirty Dozen grading presets (freeload from this site) I then applied the ESP Border: Black preset. No, not by any means, but for a do-it-all mobile editor (mobile being the keyword here), it’s pretty darn good. This landscape image (after first cropping to the 16 9 aspect ratio) had the Landscape POP Preset applied and then the High Contrast Black and White preset. I have also included three different ‘Zero’ Presets so that you don’t have to completely reset the image if you decide to go back to a certain stage of your editing workflow.

1 X ESP POP Preset that creates a better starting point for editing images where you would prefer a starting point that is a lot less ‘flat’.

1 x Landscape Pop Preset – creates a better starting point for editing Landscape images (this includes two graduated filters already set up – you will however, need to fine-tune their position and strength).

4 x Vignetting Presets (these utilise the Radial Filter rather than Post-Cropping Vignette controls) – this enables you to use them in conjunction with the border presets.

3 x High Contrast Correction presets – for creating a better starting point when editing images that were captured when the subject brightness range (contrast) was high or extreme.

2 x Defocus Presets for creating a simulated shallow depth-of-field look (you may need to refine the position of the Graduated Filters to perfect the effect).

4 x Border presets – These apply a white or black border around your image or burn the edge darker.

2 x Black and White Conversions (Standard and High Contrast variations) – apply AFTER the Landscape or ESP Pop if you want to retain the drama of these Presets.

The link below will follow this import workflow. xmp presets into one ‘ User Presets‘ folder. lrtemplate develop presets into Lightroom Classic as the folder structure is added to the Presets panel rather than just importing all new. It is easier, however, to load the older style. xmp files and moved to the Settings folder in the Camera Raw folder.xmp Develop Presets can now be used in Adobe Camera Raw and Lightroom CC as well as Lightroom Classic.

Priime styles photoshop movie#

lrtemplate presets (as directed by the movie below) they will now be converted to. IMPORTANT NOTE > Adobe Develop Presets changed file format from ‘. It also recommend that after applying the Preset you optimise both the Whites (white clipping) and Blacks (black clipping) in the Basic Panel of the Develop Module. It is recommended that you optimise the Exposure of the image before applying the Preset. It is possible to apply more than one Preset to build up a desired effect.

Priime styles photoshop series#

This an overview of my 24 Lightroom ‘ Prime‘ Presets (for patrons to download) that I use most often when I want to fast-track my editing workflow. Lightroom Presets are ‘One-Click Wonders’ and enable a series of complex edits to be applied to an image with a single click of the mouse. Selecting a region changes the language and/or content on Presets are available for Patrons to download from /markgaler Dashed Line: Customize the look of your dashed line by inserting numbers for the number of dashes and gaps in the repeating pattern.Line cap shapes determine the shapes of the beginning and end of the line. Caps: You can choose between 3 line cap shapes: Butt, Round, or Square.Stroke weight will not display if Insidealignment is selected. Photoshop Photoshop Tutorials Tutorials Video Tutorials. Preset: Choose from, solid line, dashed line, dotted line, or click on More Options to create a custom line preset. Darrell Heath opens up Photoshop and talks about creating table styles.Alternatively, you can click the color swatch in the Appearance section of the Properties panel to choose a color. This will color the line and the outside of the arrowhead. xmp Develop Presets can now be used in Adobe Camera Raw and Lightroom CC as well as Lightroom Classic. Select a color from the list or click on the color picker to select a color.This will be used to fill the center of the arrowhead. Adobe Photoshop - Adobe Photoshop is a webtop. Alternatively, you can click the color swatch in the Appearance section of the Properties panel to choose a color. What are some alternatives When comparing GIMP and Priime, you can also consider the following products.

[gingeraleluke]

🎀 dolled up: congrats on 1000 dear!!! also i have no idea how to send pictures lol but could you come up with a concept for timothée chalamet x reader based on timmy in that slytherin sweater?

BASED ON THIS PICTURE

(in this fic, y/n plays chani in dune, not zendaya!)

timothée sat down at the desk that buzzfeed had set up for him, wearing a plain white tee and some jeans. to his left, his girlfriend, and costar, y/n sat beside him. she wore a bright pink cropped shirt with the words ‘dune’ bedazzled on it and a pair of jeans with fuzzy heels. they were adjusting their mics as they began to get comfortable, a man dropping off two lap tops for them to use.

“oh, are we getting started?” timothée asked people behind the camera. they nodded before giving them the cue to do the intro.

“hey! im timothée chalamet and i play paul in the new movie dune.” he looked over at y/n, watching her follow his lead.

“and im y/n y/l/n and i play chani in the new movie dune!” she smiled through her red lipstick and slicked her hair back.

“today, we are finding out what dune character we are with buzzfeed.”

“okay so, do you want to read the question and i’ll read the options and we can switch off, or…?”

“yeah, i’ll go first.” timothée’s finger slid down on the pad of the laptop, scrolling to see the first question. “okay, choose a dune.”

four pictures of the desert were listed as you and timothée compared the pictures. “the first one is very orange- lots of orange sand.” you chuckled, nodding. “and the second looks kind of like arrakis, actually!”

“mmhm, so does the fourth one.” she remarked.

“the third one seems peaceful, so i’m gonna pick the third one.” timothée clicked it, making y/n look at him funny.

“what? the third one looks boring, i think.”

“really?”

“yeah! i’m gonna pick the fourth one because its speaking to me.” timmy chuckled at her as she read the next question. “where would you want to live?”

“okay, so we have more deserty places— very on theme for our film.”

“yeah, there’s a lot of sand in dune, just saying.” timmy mentioned, looking down at the laptop.

“yeah!” she laughed, “so the first one is like a sand— like a human morocco sand castle with some bushes and shrubs and… signs of life. um, the second one is like an underground sand house and the last two are more rocky hills in a desert— very arizona vibes for me. i’m picking the third one with the nice blue sky and the view in the background.”

“yeah? i’m gonna pick the second one with the underground building, it’s pretty darn cool.” he nodded.

“alright, choose a space view. wait, babe, what would you do if you got paul and—“

“and you get choni? i would honestly laugh so hard, wow.”

“i swear— anyways, choose a space view, um… im picking the bright pink one because it’s really pretty and i like pink galaxies, how about you, y/n?”

“umm, im actually gonna pick the third one because it looks like the big dipper.” she tapped on it before scrolling.

“wait, what?” timothée bursted out laughing.

“what?” she chuckled, confused.

“how does it look like the big dipper? it’s literally just some stars.”

“shut up, i see the big dipper. next question.” she became flustered and quickly moved on while timmy laughed at how cute she was.

“‘the big dipper.’” timothée snickered, shaking his head. his girlfriend shoved him, “oh shut up!”

“OH! here’s a good one,” she tapped his shoulder and pointed at the screen. “‘which is your favorite: paul or chani?’ well, obviously chani.”

“yeah, i’m picking paul, because well… he’s the best.”

“mmhmm, okay.” she kissed her teeth and looked over him as he read the next question.

“which planet from dune would you want to live on? arrakis, caladan, geidi prime, or kaitain?”

y/n instinctively rested her head on his shoulder, before remembering that they were on camera and sitting back up. people knew that they were dating, but she didn’t want to be extra touchy with him, incase people would be upset.

“i’m picking arrakis, what about you?”

“um, i think i’m gonna pick caladan because it looks really peaceful there.”

“incase you guys haven’t noticed, y/n likes being alone in quiet places.” he smirked.

“i do! it’s true.” she adjusted her position and scrolled down on her laptop, making eye contact with the camera for a brief moment. “last question, what would you want to be? a fremen, an emperor, a lord, or a soldier? im definitely picking an emperor because i think i’d be a good one.”

“yeah, i can see that… i’ll pick emperor too.” they watched their screens load the results and held hands in excitement. “ready?! three…two..one!”

“IM JESSICA!” y/n squealed.

“IM YOU!”

“WHAT?” you looked to see you dressed as chani on his screen. “OH MY GOD!”

“YOU’RE MY MOM?!” you buckled over laughing as you guys began to film the outro, when you were stopped by the producer.

“actually, we have a gift for you..” a lady approached them with two gift bags, handing one to y/n and one to timothée.

“what? me?”

“a gift?” timmy asked, grinning as he opened it to find a Slytherin sweater. you opened yours and found a Ravenclaw sweater, just like his. you both looked at one another before shouting;

“THIS IS THE BEST INTERVIEW EVER!”

COME JOIN THE SLUMBER PARTY!

[strangerlucysfics]

Highschool Sweethearts part 1

Sweet pea x FEM!Reader

None of the character are mine!

None of the gifs are mine!

Warnings- bad writing?

It was a cool October morning. Your first day of school. At Southside high. You have always lives on the

Southside. It wasn't anything new to you. However, you've also never gone to a REAL school before. You had been homeschool for as long as you could remember. So this was going to be a VERY eventful day.

You stepped out of your trailer in your tall boots, blue jeans, and maroon crop top with your signature (H/C) hair, with newly colored tips of purple, pulled back into a loose braid.

You walked to the trailer nextdoor and nocked on the door 3 times. With a warm smile your friend jughead jones opened the door. Fixing his signature beanie and stuffing his face with the last of his breakfast sandwich he stumbled out the door.

"Hello (Y/N)! You ready for our first day of south side high?" He asked as he swallowed his mouthful of egg and cheese biscuit.

Jughead had transfered to south side high and was starting today. It was nice to know you wouldn't be the only new kid but jughead still had an upper hand compared to you. Given the face you've never been to a school before. Let alone the one with a high drug rate and gangs.

You two walked to school talking about anything and everything but mostly about how much of a change it was for the both of you. As you arrived at the school you both walked down the halls in search of your classes.

"I have room 127 for english. How about you jug?" You asked your friend, looking up from the floor for the first time sence you had entered the school.

You had to admit this was scary. Going to a school for the first time- and in the middle of junior year at that. It was definitely intimidating. Especially sence you've passes at lease 3 drug circles sence you entered.

"Oh darn I have room 263 for History first period. I better head upstairs mouse!" You jokingly glared at your nickname. (Given to you because of how you sqweeked when you where scared)

Before you could protest however, jughead was speeding away up a flight of stairs. You looked around nervously, having no sence of where your class was.

You faintly met the eyes of a pretty girl with brown and pink hair but quickly looked back to your gray boots trying to avoid talking to new people.

"Hey are you new here?" The girl asked, walking in your direction with a friendly smile. "I'm Toni! You are?"

"I- um- (Y/N)." You looked up and forced an acward smile. She seemed friendly but your anxiety was getting the best of you.

"Princess is something on your mind?" A tall boy of whom Toni was talking to before seeing you sneered looking you up and down.

"Oh shut up Sweet Pea. Give the girl a break." Toni retorted. Looking back at you "Sorry about him. He's a big softy once you get to know him."

You look up and smile faintly, "really? Him?" You questioned looking up a little more confedent. "Seems like he's just a guy with misdirected emotional issues." You sate with a shrug.

Toni and the other boy laugh at your bluntness and Sweet Peas eyes go wide as you half smile at him looking inescent, completely unfazed.

He composed himself and punches the other boy in the arm.

"Ow! I didn't do anything Pea!"

"Shut up fangs. I didn't hit you hard."

Toni stopped laughing and looked at Sweet Pea glaring slightly, "Ok ok. Before you wrongly kill fangs let's see where (Y/N) needs to go." Toni says looking back at you.

"I- oh! My first class is in room 127." You state looking at them helplessly, having no clue where to go.

"Umm- I don't have that class I think it's by-" Toni starts but is cut off.

"I have that class first period. Let's go princess." Sweet pea states gesturing for you to follow him as he begins to walk down the hall.

You quickly stumble after him catching up to him at the door of your class.

He looks you up and down with an unreadable expression.

"uh- thanks." You say acwardly, smiling a little.

"Princess? You got a boyfriend?"

Your eyes widen at his forwardness and blush slightly, "I- no. Why?" You look at him puzzled, still blushing slightly.

Sweet peas blank expression changes to a smirk as his eyes meet your, "Good. Common in princess, I have the best spot in the class."

You follow him to a desk in the back of the class, he sits down and leans back against a filing cabinet next to his desk as you sit in the desk in front of him.

The is the same routine for a couple weeks. Just you and pea walking to classes together. Him flirting like he does to most pretty girls. But with you, it was different. You just didn't know it yet...

That was until about a month after you came to southside high. You and Sweets became good friends, sane for you and fangs and Toni.

However this particular first period class was more... Eventful.

As the class goes on the teachers goes on about The Raven. And old story you've read many times. You zone out ignoring the lesson as you suddenly are snapped out of you thoughts as you feel warm breathing on the back of your neck near your left ear.

"So princess, no man, new school..." Sweet pea whispers into your ear, his low husky voice mixed with the things he was saying made you start blushing madly.

He paused and kissed just behind your ear, "You under stand what I'm implying right baby girl?"

And blushed more at his nickname for you and turned around slightly to face him and nod yes.

He smirked at your blush, "Aww did I make you blush princess?" He asked being extra cocky, bringing his hand to cup your face as you look into his beautiful eyes and he deeply looks into yours.

"Be mind baby doll?" He asked lowly as his eyes darted from your eyes to your lips and back up again.

You continued to blush as you shakely reply, "Ofcorse Sweets"

He smiles as kisses you cheek and you melt under his touch.

"Wonderful." He said smiling as the bell rang.

[shireness-says]

Coming Soon: Seeking Shelter, Seeking Solace

1895. Emma Swan answers an ad in the paper from a man looking for a wife in order to flee Boston - only to arrive in rural Storybrooke, Minnesota and discover that her intended husband is dead. Left with no other options, Emma takes a position at the local tavern alongside the sullen, dark-haired barkeep with demons of his own. But what will she do when the forces she’s worked so hard to escape reappear in the new life she’s building, forcing her to turn to this unlikely savior for aid?

Presenting my contribution to @csjanuaryjoy​! Which, true to form, has spiraled from an anticipated 15k for the whole fic to 10k for one chapter, and the other two unfinished. I promise some delicious marriage of convenience, pining, and even some action. This will begin posting in a few days, so let me know if you want to be tagged! In the meantime, enjoy this preview:

Emma can’t help but fidget in her seat as her train tears across the Midwestern landscape. Though this was her choice, she still can’t help but be nervous; after all, this is a very different world from Boston, the only home she’s ever known. She’s used to bustling streets and the lap of the waves against the docks at the harbor, not these miles after miles of plains and crop fields. It’s almost enough to make her second guess this whole thing.

It’s not a mistake though, she knows. She’d needed to get out of Boston, as quickly as possible, and this had been the best of a variety of bad options. Emma has never been particularly romantic, even as a little girl, but in the few imaginings she’d allowed herself of her future, answering a newspaper ad for a wife had never factored in. Then again, her fantasies had never anticipated the particular situation she’s trying to escape: a man who wouldn’t hear no, who was willing to pursue her relentlessly, from city to city, always a threat on her tail. The security of marriage, and of distance, had only made sense. And then again, she’s never been sentimental ; true love isn’t something she anticipated in a union, or even particularly believed in, for that matter. 

The man she’s travelling to meet seems kind, she consoles herself with knowing. Emma hadn’t been particularly picky in selecting a man from the handful of querants in the paper, but Graham Humbert seems to be a good one. He’s the sheriff of a small town in Minnesota, who found himself lonely and wanting companionship.

I can darn my own socks and cook my own dinner, though neither with any exemplary skill, he had written. I’m not looking for someone to look after me in that way, regardless of what my friends’ wives think; I’d hire a lady to do the cleaning if that was the issue. I’m searching for someone to speak with at the end of a long day, someone to listen and to laugh with. I don’t believe myself to be a sweeping romantic, but I will be happy to give and receive a kind of gentle affection. Maybe we can come to love each other in time; I would be happy with that too, though I am not counting on it. 

She’d liked that about him, that amiable practicality so evident even in his letters. It’s what had made her agree to travel to Minnesota with the intent to marry him, really - the feeling that they viewed a union in the same way. There will be a trial period, of course, a month during which to decide whether the two of them will suit each other before anything is formalized - but Emma is determined to make it work. What other choice does she have?

The train will be pulling into Storybrooke soon - a tiny dot on the map, where Emma doubts anyone else will be alighting. All of her belongings have been tightly packed into two measly carpetbags in order to, hopefully, start a new life. Maybe it’s foolish, but Emma had splurged on a new, sleek jacket before she’d left the city, a cheery blue to pair with her navy skirt and white blouse in an attempt to impress. Mostly, she wants to look neat more than anything else: a capable woman, one who won’t be afraid to adapt to a new life with a minimum of fuss, one who won’t make Sheriff Humbert’s life more difficult. Pretty is of secondary concern.

She sees the town coming long before the train pulls into the tiny station, roofs and chimneys rising above the flat landscape and copious corn fields. Somewhere in this state, she knows, are hundreds and thousands of lakes; however, they’re nowhere to be seen here. Storybrooke itself is a bare cluster of buildings seeming to group around a single main street, with homesteads and farm plots doubtlessly stretching out to the surrounding area. It’s a whole different world from what she’s used to, but that’s the entire point, really; no one will think to look for her here, in the rural midwest as the wife of a sheriff. 

When the train finally pulls into what passes for a station, a single cramped building with barely enough room for a ticket office and a luggage closet, a man is waiting on the platform, sheltered from the late-spring sun by an awning off the station roof. The star-shaped badge on his coat and the way he shifts nervously from foot to foot make Emma think this must be the anticipated Sheriff Humbert. His hair is rather more golden than the sandy blonde-brown color Mr. Humbert had tried to describe in his letters, but Emma supposes that’s to be expected. She likely didn’t give a perfect description of her appearance either. 

Quickly, she gathers her bags and alights to the station platform with the assistance of a young porter. The man waiting quickly doffs his hat, playing with the brim in another nervous gesture. “Miss Swan?”

Carefully, Emma arranges her face into something she hopes passes as an amiable smile. “Yes, that’s me. And you’ll be Sheriff Humbert, I presume?”

“I - well, no,” the man who isn’t Graham Humbert stutters out. “I’m David Nolan, actually. One of the deputies here.”

Unexpected - but there are countless excellent reasons that Deputy Nolan might be sent instead. Trouble can happen even in a small town, dozens of minor disputes that can somehow only be settled by the sheriff himself. “In that case, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Nolan. I must admit, I was expecting Mr. Humbert. Pardon my mistake.”

“About that —” Deputy Nolan cuts himself off, looking curiously uncomfortable. It sets Emma a bit on edge, but there’s no way to dance around it - not when she doesn’t have all the information.

“Yes?”

Deputy Nolan swallows heavily, visibly, his fingers tightening around the brim of his hat again before he drags his eyes to meet hers. “I’m sorry to tell you, Miss Swan, but Graham - Sheriff Humbert - died two days ago.”

Of all the things she thought he might say, all the ways she imagined this might go, that certainly wasn’t one of them.

[grailfinders]

Fate and Phantasms #99: Queen Medb

Today on Fate and Phantasms we’re making the queen of Connacht and queen bitch of Chaldea, Queen Medb! (Pronounced Mae-ve) Medb is plenty charming in her own right, but unlike other charm-heavy servants like Stheno and Mata Hari you’re skilled with a riding crop and come packing some goodies from your various lovers as well.

Check out Medb’s build breakdown below the cut, or her character sheet over here!

Up next: The big 100!

Race and Background

Some people think you’re the incarnation of a god, but we’re going to keep things simple and canon compliant and make you a Human instead for +1 to all ability scores. Like many other servants, you’re also a Noble, gaining proficiency in History and Persuasion. This also makes it a lot easier for you to hobnob with other nobles at social gatherings. There is no party like a Medb party, because a party without you in it isn’t really a party at all.

Ability Scores

Make your Charisma as high as possible- it’s your spellcasting modifier and also you’re just good at it anyway. Second is Constitution to help you keep up with Fergus. Dexterity comes after that, the closest thing to a riding crop in D&D is a whip, and that’s a finesse weapon. You’re a clever girl, so keep that Intelligence on the positive side. Your Strength isn’t that high, but you have other people to do that for you. Finally, dump Wisdom. You built your perfect husband, but forgot to include a sex drive. No, I will not let you live that down.

Class Levels

1. Fighter 1: Don’t worry, the obvious class is coming. This just gives you more health, and the starting proficiencies work for you anyway. Speaking of, starting as a fighter gives you proficiency in Strength and Constitution saves, as well as two fighter skills, like Acrobatics and Insight. You’re very flexible, and you can read the room. You don’t care about the room, but you can still read it. You also get the Dueling fighting style to make your whip a slightly less bad idea, and you can use your Second Wind as a bonus action to heal yourself once per short rest. You’ve got to be able to get your beauty sleep in, no matter what you’re doing at the time.

2. Bard 1: Despite the lack of a musical instrument, I don’t think this is coming too far out of left field. Multiclassing gives you and additional skill proficiency; grab Performance for roughly the same reasons as Fergus. You can also give Bardic Inspiration to your adoring braves as a bonus action, adding 1d6 to an attack roll, check, or save of their choice within the next 10 minutes. You’re a giver, what can we say? You have a number of them per long rest equal to your charisma modifier.

You can also cast Spells, using Charisma as your casting ability. Grab Friends and Vicious Mockery to have the full range of social encounters available as cantrips. You also get leveled spells though, we’ll have to go over those as well. Grab Heroism and Charm Person to empower your braves and add new ones to the fold. You also get Earth Tremor thanks to Fergus letting you borrow his sword for a bit and Cure Wounds to protect your Golden Rule.

3. Fighter 2: Second level fighters get an Action Surge, letting you add an extra action to your turn once per short rest. Your time is valuable, so treat it like it is.

4. Fighter 3: Third level fighters get a martial specialty, like the Echo Knight. This lets you Manifest Echo as a bonus action to create an Echo near you that you can switch places with as a bonus action, attack from their position whenever you would attack, or make attacks of opportunity from their position by spending your reaction as usual. The echos only have one HP, but you always have reserves. Yes, technically they’re all copies of you, not your braves, but I’m sure a bit of reflavoring is fine.

While your echo is out, you can also Unleash Incarnation when you make an attack action to make an additional attack from your echo. You can use this a number of times per long rest equal to your constitution modifier.

5. Fighter 4: For your first Ability Score Improvement, pick up the Defensive Duelist feat to add your proficiency bonus to your AC as a reaction when attacked. Your armor may be light, but you’re really good with that riding crop.

6. Fighter 5: As a reward to making it to fighter level five, you can now make an Extra Attack each time you attack as an action. You can still only Unleash Incarnation once per action, but that still means you’re up to three attacks per turn until they run out.

7. Bard 2: Popping back over to bard for a bit makes you a Jack of All Trades, adding half your proficiency bonus to checks you aren’t proficient in. Rocking people aren’t bad at stuff, and you definitely rock, Queen Medb. You can also perform a Song of Rest over short rests, adding 1d6 to healing done during them. Your inspiration also becomes Magical Inspiration. Inspired creatures can now add their inspiration die to magical damage and healing, boosting a spell’s effect on a single creature.

Speaking of spells, you also pick up Identify as a gift from King Conchobar. I’m not entirely sure how one gives people their clairvoyance, but I guess he’s figured that out well enough.

8. Bard 3: Third level bards graduate from college, and like the charmers before you you’ll also graduate from the College of Glamour. This gives you a Mantle of Inspiration that you can make as a bonus action by spending a use of Bardic Inspiration. When you do so, a number of creatures up to your charisma modifier gain temporary HP and can react to move without causing attacks of opportunity. Some people are so pretty it hurts, but you’re so pretty it prevents damage. 

Your Expertise doubles your proficiency bonus for Performance and Persuasion checks, making you very persuasive, as well as very “persuasive”.

You can also make an Enthralling Performance, charming a number of creatures that fail a wisdom save after making a performance of at least 1 minute. This charms lasts up to an hour, and creatures that succeed on their saving throw can’t tell you tried to charm them. You can use this once per short rest.

Speaking of Enthralling, did you know Enthrall was a spell? It is! Any charmable creatures within hearing distance that you choose must make a wisdom save, and on a failure, they have disadvantage on perception checks to notice any creature other than you. The spell lasts up to a minute if you can keep talking for that long. You always thought you were the center of the universe, but now a lot of people will agree with you.

9. Bard 4: Use this ASI for the Slasher feat! Dealing slashing damage causes a target creature to lose 10′ of speed on their next turn, and critical slashes force the target to make their next turn’s attacks at a disadvantage. Like I said, you’re really good with that riding crop.

You also get the Dancing Lights cantrip for a bit of a lightshow, and the Shatter spell as another gift from Fergus.

10. Bard 5: Fifth level bards see their Bardic Inspiration increase to d8s, and they become a Font of Inspiration, meaning your inspiration replenishes on short rests rather than long ones. The amount of temporary HP given by your Mantle increases at this level too.

One last gift from King Conchobar nets you the Clairvoyance spell, letting you see or hear a location of your choosing that is either familiar to you or obvious (such as behind a door you can see). 

11. Fighter 6: I think you should be charming enough for a while. Back in fighter, you get another ASI, and it’s one we’ll finally use to improve the score of an ability. Bump up your Charisma for better spells, tougher saves, and more Inspiration.

12. Fighter 7: Seventh level Echo Knights can make an Echo Avatar, using your action to see and hear through your echo. You can do this for 10 minutes at a time, and while this is happening they can move up to 1,000 feet away from you. You’re typically a bit too in the limelight for spy shenanigans, but it never hurts to have some flexibility.

13. Fighter 8: Use this ASI to round up your Dexterity and Constitution for more health, more incarnation unleashing, a higher AC, and a stronger whip. A good level all around for you!

14. Fighter 9: You’re now Indomitable, meaning you can re-roll a failed saving throw once per long rest. Now your wisdom score is slightly less of an issue! ...Congrats?

15. Fighter 10: Thanks to Shadow Martyr your braves are now as expendable as they should be. When a creature you can see would be attacked, you can use your reaction to teleport your echo within 5′ of them and have them take the attack instead. You can use this feature once per short rest. Darn unions.

16. Bard 6: Our braves are nice, but I think we should take a couple “me” levels. Sixth level bards get Countercharm, eating your action to give nearby creatures advantage against being charmed or frightened. You also get a new mantle, the Mantle of Majesty. When activated and each turn afterwards as a bonus action you can cast Command without spending a spell slot. Creatures charmed by you automatically fail the save to be commanded. You can use this once per long rest, and you have to use your concentration to keep it up, but you can literally turn a gaggle of men into your slaves while this is active. Or women, we won’t judge here.

You also learn how to cast Leomund’s Tiny Hut for some “private time” with up to nine other medium or smaller creatures. It’s not quite your chariot, but it’ll do in a pinch.

17. Bard 7: At seventh level of bard you get fourth level spells, like Compulsion, which can force creatures you see in range of the spell to move to your tune if they fail a wisdom save. I’m pretty sure “towards me” can technically count as a direction for this spell. Check with your DM about that.

18. Bard 8: Use your last ASI to maximize your Charisma for the most inspiration and strongest charms. Speaking of, you also get Charm Monster this level. I know we just made a humanoid build for Cu Alter, but there’s a pretty good chance he’d be a monstrosity if he showed up as an NPC, so we should take that into account.

19. Bard 9: Ninth level bards have a stronger song of rest, as well as fifth level spells. Your Geas forces a creature to make a wisdom save, and on a fail they’re forced to obey a command for 30 days. Once per day, disobeying your geas deals 5d10 psychic damage for a bit of encouragement. Remember when I said you were so pretty you prevented damage? I lied. You’re definitely so pretty it hurts.

20. Bard 10: Your capstone level gives you an even stronger Inspiration, a round of Magical Secrets, and another round of Expertise. Double up on Insight and Acrobatics for a little more flexibility, both socially and physically.

You get two spells this level, from any spell list you want. (You also get another cantrip, grab Prestidigitation for the hell of it.) Dominate Person gives you a much more fine-tuned control over your braves than your other spells, and Conjure Woodland Beings grants you a way to summon even more braves to the battlefield, as long as you’re okay with your braves being fey creatures. 

Pros:

You’re very charming, and I mean that in every sense of the word. A maxed out charisma stat, expertise in persuasion, and plenty of charming spells means that you stand a pretty good chance of defeating a lot of your problems without ever throwing a punch.

Unlike other charm-heavy builds, you’re also pretty good when the punches start flying! Echos are great at covering the battlefield, and when you add your whip’s range to that, plus your conjured braves, and it’s going to be really hard to avoid your influence in a fight. You can also affect the flow of battle, slowing down creatures with your whip and keeping them at arm’s length the entire fight.

Not only are you good at charming, but your spells specialize in affecting large groups. Enthrall and Compulsion don’t have an upper limit of creatures you can target, so you’ll be even stronger against larger armies. Just as long as a lone, dashing spearman doesn’t show up, your victory is assured.

Cons:

Whips are good for covering ground, but not so much for dealing damage. Sorry, 1d4 just isn’t very powerful.

You have one use of Indomitable later into the build, but your low Wisdom means you’ll probably be using it to avoid someone else’s charms. Building your own army is fun, but turning it on the rest of the party after one bad roll is probably going to cause some problems.

Most of these builds end up with too much to do in their bonus action, but you have to deal with crowded reactions instead. You can make attacks of opportunity, defend yourself with your whip, or defend your allies with your braves. You’ll also always have to weigh the current situation to every later turn between now and your next turn. Nobody ever said it was easy being queen.

[imnotwolverine]

The Monster’s Lair - A Belle Tune

Vampire!Henry x Belle - multi-chapter

Chapter 1 - A Belle Tune | Chap 2 >

Disclaimer: Dark adult fairytale - stalking, mild injury, angsty vibes

Author’s note: Here we go dear readers, a whole new series!! As I was setting out the plotline I kept saying to myself; “Let’s make this 3-5 chapters, a short series, okay, Wolfie?” ...Welp... Apparently I have many talents, but writing short series is not one of them. I’ve tried again and again to reshape the plot into a shorter, snappier version, but I just couldn’t. So, here goes; 12 chapters of broody vampire Henry and sweet Belle. I hope you are ready ❤️

Word count: 1.991

Reading music: Agnes Obel - Tokka 

(Link to my Masterlist)

-

It was the first day of Autumn, summer finally past, as a tale of old was sung anew.

The land was cracked open dry and dusty after months without rain, the crops starting to fail just before harvest season. It made the tensions run high amongst the town folk, their worried eyes aiming upwards. The air had been thick for days now, the clouds drifting heavy and grey on dreary skies, foreboding a long awaited storm that just wouldn’t break.

And yet, not all were worried. At this moment the morning air felt slightly cheery too, as a soft tune wove through the ancient pine tree forest that lay like a prickly blanket over the rolling hills. 

It was a familiar tune, sung by a familiar woman’s voice, her pale skin and dark braided hair a sight he saw often in these parts of the land. Before her, two mutts sniffled happily, their wet noses pushing through the fallen leaves and shrubs that covered the dry forest floor. 

From the shadows of that same thicket, he was watching her, watching her rosy lips curl up in that dreamy smile, her feet kicking her blue skirts with confident strides.

Belle, he knew her name by now, was one of the few who dared to wander so close to his grounds, his domain, her skirts rustling as she conjured a book from the depths of her pockets. Always reading. 

At first he had been somewhat surprised to see a woman of her position even owning a book, a proper book. Her father was but a poor horse handler and her family long deceased. 

But, indeed, she could read. 

With an elegant hand she brushed down her skirts before sitting down on that same fallen down tree that she used everyday; her hide-out whenever the weather allowed. Clicking her tongue she instructed her dogs to lay down, her hand flicking through the book, returning to the page where she had left off a day ago.

Away from the snarky remarks and jealous whispers of the town folk, here she could read as dawn cracked over the horizon, her presence welcomed by the listening embrace of the forest and its inhabitants. The birds quieted their song and the mice and squirrels halted their squabbling, just long enough to look and listen, bewitched beady eyes watching the pretty woman as she started to read aloud.

It was an old and leather bound rendering of Apuleius’ Cupid and Psyche, an ancient fairy tale, the book nearly falling apart as she brushed her fingertips over the yellowed, vulnerable pages. She had read it a dozen times now, and yet the monster couldn’t help but listen, his lips moving in a silent joined recital. He knew the words by heart at this point.

What exactly she did by the day time he couldn’t tell, his disposition making it impossible for him to visit town when the sun was out. And thus he would just imagine it. Perhaps she worked as one of the chambermaids for the Les Comtes. Perhaps she helped her father in the stables - he had seen the old man during the nights many a time, his rough hands being ever so gentle with the handsome beasts that belonged to the Les Comtes. In fact all was owned by the Les Comtes, the family so rich that almost all villagers worked for their estate and businesses.  

Far too soon Belle’s voice would silence again, her finger tracing the page she had ended on, memorising it before gently closing the book, her eyes looking up through the thicket of the tree branches, watching those looming clouds up above. He knew what she thought; it was going to rain and she probably couldn’t return to this spot for a long time.

After the rain would come hail, winds, winter. And as it goes with reading outside, her natural reading nook was simply not able to hide her from the elements, and, with her reading hobby sneered at by the town’s folk, this might very well be her last reading session for this year.

With a sigh she got up, calling for her dogs and making her way back to the village, long skirts kicking, her book hidden back in the depths of her pockets. Oh, how he was going to miss her. Even if it was just for a day. Here in the forest he was awaited by an eternal nothingness. No job, no destination, only empty days that wove into a long string of months, years, centuries.

Returning to the crumbling ruins of his castle, the grande structure long past its glory days, he wandered endlessly through its halls, dust collecting on items that shouldn’t ever run into such disuse. Plates, cups, the fireplace, the beds. For centuries now he could not feel the pleasure of the simplicity of life. The food ashen on his tongue. His eyes, though closed, never truly resting. His skin no longer feeling the comfort of a warm hearth. His still beating heart but a mousy whisper of its once roaring strength.

Watching those heavy clouds above the treetops, he knew that it would be long before he would get to hear her voice again. A storm was looming, the long dry spell finally coming to an end and taking with it the long awaited rains. He knew it was a necessity, the listening critters around him feeling desperate for food now winter was soon to arrive, but he couldn’t help but feel a deep disappointment all the same. Because with the dreary days would come even more dark hours for him, the last sparkle of joy ripped from his life until spring would probably come again.  

—

‘Another one dead.’ The hunter growled, heaving the dead dog’s body from his cart, the boneless heap of bled out sinew and fur unceremoniously dropping to the dusty ground. With the ongoing drought, food has become more and more scarce. Crops were failing, wild animals were roaming nearer to the village and despite their best efforts, the hunters had great difficulty to actually catch anything. Something strange was afoot in the forest and rumour was about; it was the beast!

‘So no luck then.’ Arthur said in a hushed tone, his old knees cracking as he squatted down to inspect the remains of the hound. And indeed. Neck cracked, jugular torn, the required strength for such an act belonging to no less than a bear..or beast..of sorts.

‘Twas a mad dog anyways. But still..’ The hunter squinted, looking out over the yellow grassed meadows, to the edge of the forest where that monstrous beast hid away. ‘..we must see to it. The darn thing must be done with once and ..for..’ He blinked, then looked at Arthur with mild confusion. ‘Is that Belle?’ He pointed at a figure that appeared from the tree-line, two dogs at either side of her light blue skirts.

Arthur pushed himself up with a groan and also squinted his eyes, his sight no longer what it had been. ‘If it’s a pretty thing with two mutts, a dress of blue and a smile for days, it must be Belle.’ He said, his vision too blurry to discern anything that resembled his daughter. The hunter gruntled his disapproval, though not denying that it was indeed Belle, his strong, broad shouldered frame turning back to his cart to bring out what few rabbits and pheasants he had managed to catch in his traps. ‘You ought to bring some sense in that girl, Arthur..’ He warned, bushy eyebrows frowning as he looked back at the girl, her skirts twirling as she threw a stick for the dogs to fetch.

‘She is just so very much like her mother.’ Arthur sighed, not fully agreeing with the hunter’s sentiments as his lips curled in an amused smile.

‘Tcould be the death of her, old man. The beast is out there, I know that much. In fact. There’s a meeting in the town hall by sundown, in case you wish to join.’

‘Good..good...’ Arthur nodded, only half-listening now, his eyes finally managing to focus on Belle as she kicked her legs over the wood log fence near the stables he worked, her face all smiles and skirts a muddy mess.

Oh..Belle!

--

The shutters of the barn-like town hall shuddered, the wind outside picking up and the torch flames dancing wildly in the draft. It was a busy night, the floorboards creaking as the town’s men got up from their benches to express their bewilderment and frustrations, loud “Aye’s” and “Nays” echoing in the air as the discussions roared.

Now the food reserves of the town were running low and people had to ration, the tension was near tangible. Winter was coming and the people felt as restless as the storm that was picking up outside. The pigs needed to be fed, the elderly were struggling, sickness was spreading and all fingers pointed angrily at the direction of that wicked forest. The Beast’s forest.

‘Dear people! My people!’ Old Master Le Comte stood up from the throne-like seat that was situated right at the head of the hall, his fatty fingers balancing a shiny cup of wine. He raised his hand to calm the uproar, old furrowy brows raising up to show two grey, beady eyes. ‘Say AYE and agree, that we must see to the end of this beast for once and for all. He threatens our livestock, steals our hunted bounty and his cursed evil talons bring us only disease and misfortune. This drought? I would not be surprised if it were by HIS design!’ He exclaimed.

The town roared up with enthusiasm, fists raised in the air as a loud ‘AYE’ resounded front to back. In fact only the old man Arthur sat quiet, far in the corner, thinking fingers pulling at his moustache. He had discussed the matter with Belle and all she had to say was; “It is indeed quite practical to make a simple minded animal responsible for all your sorrows. But is it right to kill it because you conjured an image of beastly proportion, fed by your own fears? From what I heard he only has killed those who came too close..far too close.” 

‘HELP HELP!! The church! A FIRE!’ The large doors of the hall swung open as a young man burst through, arms waving in despair, the discussions regarding the monster quickly forgotten as everyone made haste to stop the flames as they quickly swept around them, the simple wooden structures of the inner town feeding themselves like perfectly dried logs to the hellish bonfire.  

Arthur looked up from his daze and slowly followed the hastened crowd outside, his feet no longer so fast as he felt a sudden, surprising coolness in his neck. A wet coolness. With a question in his eyes he looked up at the darkened sky, feeling another drop on his wrinkly skin. Rain? Did the gods bless them just in time? Would all be well?

A conclusion made prematurely, as a new alarm was struck from the village’s heart.

‘THE BEAST! TIS THE BEAST!’ The loud screams came from the village square, Arthur’s attention immediately drawn back to the people that sped past him. Oh no..oh no...BELLE! She was alone, she was..

*FLUNK*

With a loud thud Arthur smacked to the ground, his eyes blinking in shock as he saw the person who had bumped into him rush passed, the silhouette of the person already fading from his vision as all he could do was claw into the dusty road, eyes seeing all black.

Oh no...he thought, his body now fading out of consciousness. Belle! She must be warned! She was all alone! The beast..Oh Belle..the beast..and...Belle...

With heavy blinking eyes he scratched and cried, trying to gain the attention of people rushing by, but failing. None could hear or see him as the storm drowned out his wails and the night hid him in unblinking dark, leaving him with little else but hope, hope that Belle’s joyful tunes would indeed not be ended at the slashing of beastly claws, like the hunter had warned him for this morning.

Oh Belle, dear Belle..

--

Chap 2 >

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