Tumgik
#its just a little thing but it IS the first time recording dialogue on the new/actual mic
madelynhimegami · 1 day
Note
To my knowledge, you like Puyo Puyo! But what do you enjoy most about it?
Honestly, it might be easier to explain my intoduction to the series. Ideally we'll get there in the end either way. You ever seen one of those "What I Played/What I Expected/What I Got" memes? My story is pretty much like one of those.
I don't remember when I started learning bits and pieces about it, or when Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine went from being itself to a Puyo game in a trenchcoat in my mind. But by mid 2017 I knew the aforementioned (I called the CPZ boss in Sonic Mania a Puyo boss on twitter when I played it), recognized Carbuncle, recognized Draco Centauros (thanks to a friend who is still a big fan of her), and had heard that there was some sort of story to it, but didn't know a lot of details.
Then in September of 2017, a friend of mine mentioned that he had been playing Puyo Puyo Tetris lately as his go-to "pick up and play" sort of game. I looked it up in the eshop, saw it was cheap, and thought a pick-up-and-play game was what I needed and bought it. Not that I knew shit about playing Puyo well, but I at least had some basic competency at Tetris to balance things out.
And hey, at least the story mode would be a good way to learn! So I dove in to the story and started playing.
I was expecting the story to be inconseqential to my enjoyment of the game. Something either generic or corny, with characters that ranged from "tolerable" to "painful anime cliche."
The thing that knocked me on my ass almost immediately was that the writing was actually funny, made better with the English cast's fantastic delivery.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Those are all from just the story's first chapter! The first one is from the prologue! The other two are from the third scene (couting dialogue before and after a round of gameplay together as one scene)! And it kept going!
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
For the record, even though I was picky with what to include, and stitching lines from the same scenes together, I still had almost fifty (50) funny moments I wanted to drop out of context, in a game with a rough total of two hours of story material collected to write this post. And then I had to narrow it down further just so I wouldn't hit the image limit too quickly.
Was it a little corny and awkward at points? Sure. Several voice actors had to grow into their roles. Plus, the impression I always had from the script-- an impression that's only gotten stronger the more I learn about this series and then come back to this game-- is that someone on the development team was not expecting this to be all that successful overseas. And not for no reason, since Puyo Puyo's tried to get its foot in the door in the west several times by this point. But the end result of this lack of faith was a localization team that tried very hard to make this game stand on its own merits with as little understanding of the games that had come before as possible. Which, honestly I think they did a pretty dang good job of! Especially since it didn't shy away from the hard-hitting stuff when it came. Which I'm going to intentionally leave even further out of context so as to not give away all of it.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
There was also this line here, which was what first clued me in that the writing's quality wasn't an accident, that the writer is actually thinking all this stuff through:
Tumblr media
Fun fact, the only people you will see in your dreams are people you have seen while you're awake. The parts of the brain responsible for dreams can't make up new faces, or throw together composites of preeviously-known ones. Hence, this question, which does in fact get answered in the next scene, in a way that made me go, "Ohhh, that's really smart, actually!"
But yeah. That was just this one game. It took me a few more years before I tried other games that had been translated, fan or otherwise, but the more I've played and the more I learn about these characters and their worlds, the more engrossed I get. It's a hyperfixation now. It seems like there's always something new I'm learning about it, but it's not overwhelming, it just feels like I'm knowing a good friend better and better. The modern artstyle is deceptively simple and very endearing, and so many of the characters are interesting and fun. And the current writer is just so galaxy-brained, I'm not even kidding.
The characters in the Puyo Puyo series are all morons. They're all crazy. But at the end of the day, they care about each other, no matter how little they want to admit it. And they all have their own theming to the magic they use. It's a lot of fun. From your standard-fair RPG spells, to cosmic forces, to math terms,
I can't recommend this series enough, no matter what your skill level with puzzle games is! There's something in it for everyone.
Unless you're looking for genuinely evil characters, I guess. Like, there are characters that are intimidating or sinister or threatening, but almost none of them are actually evil. Fraid the closest to that this series has is a(n as-of-now) gender-ambiguous Elon Musk with better hair in the Japan-excusive gacha game.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Further reading from the author (that isn't already on their tumblr):
[1]
[2]
[3]
21 notes · View notes
waterfallofspace · 9 months
Text
While picking the movie, (or more accurately, N/ejire begging M/irio to pick anything but E/ncanto) the Big Three find one of their members is a little a lot worse for wear.
I had a bunch of clips on my phone to clear out, soooo this was born~ A bit heavy on the snz since the goal was to get rid of clips, and it's a biiit choppy in places, but hopefully it's still alright!~
PRO HERO AU: ALL CHARACTERS POTRAYED AS 20+
106 notes · View notes
invinciblerodent · 6 months
Text
About the altered animations in Astarion's first romance scene
I already knew that there's something of a precedent for large updates to change camera angles and facial animations around a little bit, so, on a lark, I loaded in my save from before the first romance scene in my current, Astarionmance playthrough, just to see and compare it to my recorded version, see if there's been any changes since then.
Well... honestly? My feeling is that the two scenes are pretty much only roughly comparable to each other at this point. Like not to be dramatic, but it's kind of almost a case study in how much body language can alter the perception and interpretation of the same dialogue.
In the version of this that I got originally in my game (on october 21st so in patch 3, through high approval, quite a bit before the party), the short conversation before leaving the main campsite has him wearing sort of a... heavy, darkly suggestive, almost predatory expression. He looks, overall, very serious: head pitched strategically forward so he's both leaning towards- and looking at the PC through his lashes (maybe crowding them a little bit, stepping into their space), his eyes are more narrow and provocative, and he's not wearing even a hint of a smile. I think it makes it very clear what the intent here is: to present Desire™, and show a façade that suggests his impending performance of the "ooh, the sexy vampire is now going to steal you away to have his wicked way with you" fantasy.
Tumblr media
Comparing this to the latest version (as of the 4th of december, so shortly after patch 5, which from the patch notes I'm guessing is likely what brought these alterations on), it's... very strangely different.
I had not altered my settings, or the shots in any way (beyond cropping and resizing), the lighting just... seems to have been brightened. But, the most obvious change is that his entire body language is sort of... tipped more back and away from the PC now. His brows and eyes are a lot softer and more open, rounded, more like they appear later on in the confession scene, and he's smiling this.... kind of cordial, unsettlingly friendly smile, that seems (at least in retrospect) very obviously fake and plastered on. I think he's selling the illusion of the rakish debaucher, the dashing scoundrel about to rock your world, a lot less convincingly this time around.
Tumblr media
Even though the voicelines have not been altered in a way I can detect, his face is saying something completely different, and it recontextualizes a lot of things for me.
[Also in addition, him breaking character momentarily ("I do mean sex, to be clear") now does also lose a bit of its humor for me. Just because this new way, there isn't as large a gap between the capital letter Performance, and the little side note he gives himself in the middle of it. Now it's somehow... less theatrical overall, and so the aside is less like he knows he sounds unnatural and his real self is peeking out from behind the lines, and veers a twinge more towards "in case you're dense and didn't actually notice that I'm seducing you, I'll dumb it down for you".]
Even as he's waiting for the response in that silly "ta-dah!" pose, his face is very different: instead of that sort of blank, "haughtily and hauntingly sexy", determined kind of look, he's now gazing at the PC with what (in motion at least) looks to me like it's kinda... going rapidly back and forth between almost a pained/unsure look, and... a thinly veiled disgust, maybe?
Tumblr media
Like, that's... that's straight-up a grimace, man, I don't want anyone I'm considering sleeping with to be looking at me like that.
Within the scene itself that follows, the animation appears unchanged (or at least not changed significantly enough for me to notice without playing them literally side by side), but the following conversation in the morning is... also a bit odd, and has been edited heavily?
Tumblr media
In my original recording, he seems to be making sure to look at the PC more, though only over his shoulder, and his features are harder, more severe again, as it is in line with the conversation before. The whole little exchange, before the arcana check and before it'd segue into talking about Cazador more directily, ends on a bit of an eyeroll and a hidden smile that can be construed as conspiratory, or just a bit sly and self-satisfied.
Tumblr media
This kinda straddles the line between "hehe, you're caught in my web now" and "hehe, I'm SO good at sex"- the former being closer to what he's likely thinking, and the latter being one of the more obvious ways the PC can interpret that look. A+ on that, no notes.
But now, (first of all the lighting is overall much less warm, the whole scene looks cool and less afterglow-y) he doesn't really turn to face the PC, not even over his shoulder. This keeps his expressions concealed from them, but open to the player, which is an interesting choice, and his expressions are, again, a lot more in line with those from later scenes, when the relationship is well underway: it's less openly performative, and more just a... a sad, unguarded, almost forlorn, private look. My guy looks like he is speedrunning through all his emotions over the span of like 10 seconds here-
Tumblr media
-and lands notably on this kind of unsettling shot, of this expression that's, while somewhat similar to the old one for the line "I didn't want to go too far" (that the PC can halfway see), is both more exaggerated, and kept entirely to himself:
Tumblr media
I for one find this one a little.... creepy and cartoonish, tbh???? Which, I guess while it's in line with the whole "I'm such an evil mastermind, they've fallen right into my honeypot" way of thinking he is supposed to have in this precise moment, it, uh.
Listen, it just conjures in my mind a violently clear image of Robbie Rotten from Lazytown. Because it's just such an "I'm clearly being a villainous villain with a nefarious scheme and agendas aplenty" expression, he's all but twirling his mustache, and the fact that it's turned right to the player's face rather than being only hinted at for both person and character, makes it look... pretty heavy-handed. Which I guess is more indicative of this man having a charisma score of a whopping 10, but it takes away from the subtlety of the entire exchange, and kind of creates a rift between what the player, and what the PC can know/suspect.
Overall, these new animations look... very different, bit more like they're trying to drive the point all the way home? Now there seems to be a big neon sign that says "HE IS NOT DOING THIS FOR PLEASURE" over his head, rather than letting your figure things out for yourself later on.
Needless to say, I.... personally prefer the old version of this scene over this new one, lol.
(...... One final, mildly notable change I noticed is that they seem to have taken out the little moan they had my character make as he bit into her neck? In my old recording, there was a tiny, barely audible little "a-aah!", and that's just.... not there now. I'm not sure what that's about, if it's a bug or a feature, and I don't know if they had it for other player voices or not, but prior to now, they did go pretty hard into how getting bitten is, to many, quite pleasurable, so downplaying that now comes off as a tiny bit odd to me.)
(I do like how her tits look less squashed though. They perked my girl's girls up a little bit, which is kinda nice lol.)
Editing to say this: it seems like these animations are the same as the goblin party ones, only... in the daylight? Which, it could be a bug of some sorts. I reloaded it once and it was the same once more, but... it could be that my save is kinda weird there for some reason. Idk. Turning reblogs off because it could just be a bug.
237 notes · View notes
chrollohearttags · 14 days
Text
Mic Check: Miami Heat | The Trailer
Tumblr media
hello all and welcome to the reality show au (within an au) for reverb! This is a little bonus mini series that I’ve had in the works alongside the upcoming chapters of the story. These are some of the excerpts from dialogue of the show. I’m really excited for this one, even though it’s been ages since I’ve worked on it! I hope y’all enjoy! as always, reblogs and comments are HEAVILY APPRECIATED! it’s very hard to keep motivation for long winded series and fics when we don’t feel like anyone is paying attention.
side note: blue = narration
pink = dialogue from the ‘show’
══✿══╡°˖✧✿✧˖°╞══✿══ ══✿══╡°˖✧✿✧˖°
When you think of Miami…you think palm trees, South Beach..the glitz..fame..
“This house is literally perfect. It’s my dream home..” “it better be for $5 mil..”
“AMG is hosting the very first music festival of its kind. No other record label has done anything like this. Last year, the talent agency reportedly earned $7.2 billion—“
“You grew up sailing on a yacht. That’s some next level shit, dude!” “Yeah, it was definitely crazy.”
“You know you’ve made it when you can ride back through your old hood in a McLaren.” “And that bitch paid for too.”
“People asking for pictures and autographs when I go out is ‘sum I don’t think I can ever get used to. It’s all still new to me.”
“You’re the it girl now, get used to it.”
..and the glamor. The home to some of the biggest names in the music industry and they’re showing everyone what they’re all about..
“This is our year..believe that.”
“We’re doing our first international tour, dawg. This shit crazy.”
“This next album has to be my best..I owe that to everybody who’s supported me for the past ten years.”
“I’m gonna prove to them why I deserve to be here. This is just as much my passion as everybody else’s.”
“We’re more than just stripping or dancing, this is our art and we wanna show the world what Pole Assassins is all about.”
“You ever thought about making a solo album while Atelier Kiss is on hiatus?” “I don’t even know what that would sound like.”
“Dead Boys for Life. We doing this shit till we in the dirt.”
══✿══╡°˖✧✿✧˖°╞══✿══ ══✿══╡°˖✧✿✧˖°
..Welcome to the Magic City, like you’ve never seen it before! Watch your favorite stars as they navigate careers..
“AHHHH! IT’S SO PRETTY!..” “That's all you, baby. You earned it.”
“EJ the Don is the motherfucking blueprint. Everybody in this game has tried to imitate your style.” “There’s only one though.”
“Thank y’all so much for getting me to one million! I’m so happy right now—“
“This could be a huge opportunity for you..I think you should go for it. You could become the next big name in the modeling world if you play your cards right.”
“They want me to model for Playboy—“
“I’ve never done anything like this before..”
“I get one song to show them why I belong here. I can’t fuck this up.”
“You’re really nervous, aren’t you?” “Yeah..” “..don’t be, you earned this for a reason.”
“Can I throw up now? Because I feel like I want to..”
..love
“I just really love spending time with you. I always have so much fun when you’re around.”
“When are you gonna let me make you mine?” “When you stop playing games and ask me to.”
“That man really got you smiling like this! It’s so cute.” “Maybe I’m feeling him a lil’ bit.”
“I get to spend the rest of my life with you and that’s all that matters.”
“You wouldn’t know what to do with me..” “I can think of a couple things actually..”
“I swear, he’s everything I could ever want. I’ve never felt like this, I don’t know what to do.”
“Can I kiss you right now?” “You didn’t even have to ask.”
“After 20 years of marriage, how do you keep the spark in your relationship?” “I don’t think I can answer that on the radio.”
“I think you’re falling in love.” “What if I said I already am?..”
“All eyes are on us now. Everybody knows we’re dating.” “So let’s give them something to see, baby.”
..and..their biggest challenges! They’ll be tested beyond their limits and some..may even break.
“You abandoned me! I didn’t even know who you was..now you want to be a fucking mom?!”
“You were never a fucking dad to me. I barely even saw you and you wanna tell me what I’ve done wrong with my life?!”
“It’s been seven years since she passed away. I can’t even bring myself to go because it’ll all come back to me.”
“They tryna give me life behind this shit, dawg.” “That’s the thing about making it out. Everybody else gets left behind. The only way you can ever visit them is behind glass or at their grave.”
“I never forgave him for what happened and I don’t think I ever will. It’s some things you don’t talk about as a man.”
“Nah, I’m done playing these fucking games with you! Leave me alone.”
“My dad is sick and he wants me to take over his company. I don’t know if I can handle that responsibility.”
“It’s okay to be angry or cry, that’s what healing is all about. You’re not perfect.”
“Are you sure you wanna quit making music?” “I don’t know what I want anymore.”
“I’m just tired of feeling like I'm not being taken seriously. I’m just forever going to be the guy in second place.”
“Could we see another Mika ASH album in the future?…” “I don’t know if Mikasa Ackerman can survive that. It might kill me..”
“I’ve been fighting this addiction alone and I just can’t do it anymore.”
“I can’t afford no shit like this to happen right now. I don’t wanna go through with it..”
confronting their biggest fears..and each other.
“I always felt like you had a problem with me.”
“You just fake as hell and I can’t fake like I’m with all that.”
“You’ve always been a pussy. I don’t expect much.”
“I ain’t switch up on nobody. I grew up and that’s some shit you don’t know nothing about.”
“All you’ve ever gave a fuck about is music, nothing or no one else..” “Music is the only thing that’s never let me down. More than I can ever say for your sorry ass.”
“You let that bitch disrespect me in your face and said nothing to check her. I could never be with a man like you.”
“You gon’ tell her you’ve been fucking her man or do I have to?”
“Everybody keeps saying you’re bad for me.” “Maybe you should listen to them.”
“Bitch, I’m from that other side. I don’t do no back and forth!
“Either we all in this or Pole Assassins is done. I’m not bringing any deadweight with me to the top.”
“It just feels like I’m working so hard for nothing. Like this shit never gets easier.”
“You’ve always had a nasty spirit on you and I see why you have no friends.”
“Do you really even want to marry me? Or do you feel like you have to because you couldn’t have who you really wanted?”
“I can’t do this..oh my godddd!”
“I wonder why I’m still here sometimes. I just feel like I don’t want to see another year.”
“He’s lost his fucking mind, truly..”
“It’s them..or me. Make your choice.”
“Everybody in this room can kiss my ass. Fuck every last one of y’all and I mean that from my soul.”
Welcome to Miami!
“This is going to be crazy.”
New episodes every week!
111 notes · View notes
waitmyturtles · 7 months
Text
THE MORNING AFTER: ONLY FRIENDS, EPISODE 11 -- 1 OUTTA 3 AIN'T BAD
Preamble! I had a HELL of a day yesterday, woof. So if this comes out garbled, y'all will know why. I'll try to keep this short, but... I'm likely lying to myself, let's see.
TW: FORCEBOOK -- I'm going to say a few words about ForceBook below, so if words about ForceBook are not your thing, please move along!
I'm gonna start this post with thoughts on the three main pairs, and then get some last little thoughts out at the end.
a) I have a feeling that I don't need to write THAT much, because the lovelies @lurkingshan (here), @neuroticbookworm (here), and @chicademartinica (here) all covered the top points of this episode nicely: this episode was a BostonNick WIN. On Nick, dear Chica nailed it so hard that I will have to link AND screenshot her m'fucker:
Tumblr media
And Boston, BOSTON, MY MAN! MY MAN! MY MAN!
(Nick says the first line below, with Boston saying the second:)
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Fuckin' a. There are two reasons why I STANNED BostonNick in this episode.
1) First of all, as you see above, Nick still had to be a tiny bit of a shit. Nick was in Atom's shoes once. Nick remembers the feeling of having feelings for someone who didn't have feelings back for him. So Nick took a little passive aggressive dig at Boston by calling Boston's sex and predilections "terrible."
And Boston shot back at Atom -- and maybe indirectly at Nick -- with his perspective on sex: "[h]ow can you love me after sleeping together just once?"
I've written before (and forgive the foggy mom brain, but I believe @emotionallychargedtowel has also written on this), that the hormonal experience of sex can impact people in incredibly different ways. Some people, like Boston, feel no connection with the person he's slept with after sex; other people, like Nick and Atom, catch feelings. All of it is normal.
What happened in the dialogues that we were privy to earlier in the series vis à vis Nick and Atom was that WE, the audience, heard THEIR perspectives, and the narratives allowed US to contemplate sympathizing for them -- by playing off of a general assumption that an audience would JUDGE people like Boston for having casual sex. Boston's positions on sex (heh) pissed off people like Nick and Atom! So Boston got fuckin' wiretapped and smeared by these dudes.
However: BOSTON REMAINED CONSISTENT, CONSTANT, AND ACCOUNTABLE to his position, AT ALL TIMES, that he wasn't someone who caught feelings after casual sex. I am sure for many sectors of the Only Friends audience, that this may not have been easy to parse, especially considering the very early and popular judgements levied against Boston. (For the record, I never took Boston as a predator, and I established my thoughts early in the series run on this as rhetoric about Boston's "badness" around sex was flying around. I'm a Khai girlie. Boys, girls, and non-binary friends can be playas, too, and deserve to enjoy their sex lives without judgement.)
What I UTTERLY admire about the pace of this series vis à vis BostonNick is that it took its TIME in establishing Boston's AGENCY to be able to LEVY his position on sex SO STRONGLY and CLEARLY, with Nick's support. While much of the series allowed the popular and condemning rhetoric to swirl around Boston, this scene put a fuckin' NAIL in that coffin. I believe this scene said: you can't only listen to one side, the crying, sobbing side of a person who wants another person after a one-night stand. You HAVE to listen to both sides. The hormonal aspect of wanting to be close to your sex partner is valid, but also -- if the other side is talking, you MUST listen to what the other side is SAYING.
Boston was always clear about his position -- and Nick and Atom HAD to take responsibility for their unreasonable demands from Boston after their one-night stands with him; unreasonable, because Boston CLEARLY stated to the both of them that he wasn't a relationship guy, and would not be forced into it. And both of them ignored those statements, and all hell broke loose, TWICE.
2) HOWEVER! Boston realized, after spending more time with Nick than with any other sex partner, and after he lost his friends, that he HAD caught feelings for his fave, his Nick! Remember last week, when I got all mewdy that MONOGAMY might be the dramatic device that the show would use to "redeem" Boston? BLECH.
DAMN, did this episode SPIN THAT AROUND for me. GOD, I LOOOOOOOOOOVED THAT CONVO WITH NICK AND BOSTON ABOUT FIGURING OUT THEIR STATUS!!!!!
Paraphrasing! "I want to spend the next few months loving on you," or whatever Boston says?! FUCK, YES! Nick, all OVER this, setting boundaries, allowing himself TIME and SPACE to figure out what's best for him, with both Dan and Boston! SHIT, MARK PAKIN SHOWED UP! Omg, BostonNick for the win.
My head's spinning, because that was seriously one of the BEST conversations I've seen written in a drama about the consideration of a relationship and a status check. That impressed me as much as Pharm asking Dean for a break in UWMA -- and then Pharm straight up LIVING HIS LIFE, BBQ pork grills and all, without Dean for a few months.
And. Boston was cool with Nick's boundaries and thoughtfulness. Boston knows what he wants, but he's not gonna push Nick into anything. Boston knows time is ticking, but will wait for Nick's answer.
It was so cool to see. My heart was full.
So that pairing, the NeoMark/BostonNick pairing -- SOLID.
b) Moving on! Thanks to @lurkingshan, I got clarity on what the fuq was happening with Sand and Boeing. At first, I thought Boeing was a little SHIT for showing up to Sand and stirring unnecessary drama in his ex's life after getting rejected by Mew. (Mond, though. 🤤)
But, as Shan pointed out to me in my insane day yesterday: Sand has a problem saying no to dudes. (Homey, RELATE.) So like, then they all go back to Ray's place, and Ray KNOWS that Sand has trouble setting boundaries and saying no, because that's what Sand's mom said to Ray, but also, that's the way Sand's been engaging with Ray himself, and Ray will DEF know what will be up if Sand gets closer to Boeing again, and Ray's like, uh, come into my pool so we can nip this in the bud?, but no, we know what Jojo's thinking, so.
I mean, have sex already, you three, chop chop. I see the FirstKhao gworls on my dash not happy about not having a complete episode of SandRay peace, which I get, but also, this continues to reiterate my bleh on Sand, which like -- get a backbone, Sand. You have a literal boyfriend now, and you're still not saying no to dudes? What if Mild strolled in for a foursome? (NO, DON'T TURN THAT DOWN, SAND, DON'T.) But I'm just saying -- maybe listen to a person in your life, like your mom, to set some boundaries, like your roommate. I'm throwing my hands up in the air on this one, but at least we may get our threesome, and, Mond.
c) Okay, last pair! TopMew. For a hot second, I was impressed with Top.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
I liked this, ::waves index finger in a circle::, this worked.
But I have decided. I'm done with ForceBook. I just -- please remember the TW, FB girls. I'll get back to TopMew in a second as characters, but this was my first ForceBook show, and it might be my last. Watching them is as exciting to me as breaking down Amazon boxes.
We have seen Mew waffle this whole dang series. (WELCOME BACK, THE ONLY FRIENDS VENGEFUL WAFFLE! HEART YOU, @starryalpacasstuff!)
Tumblr media
And there was more Mew waffling, more talking to moms, and Top is just like, I'm gonna peace out, DEUCES, and then, OF COURSE, HE COMES BACK INTO THE KITCHEN, LIKE HE NEVER LEFT THE HOUSE AFTER SAYING HE WOULD (I cackled), and then they're together in bed. And now they'll move in together.
This was a BIT of a storyline ride. But -- and I HAVE TO ADMIT, part of this is my tiredness talking -- I'm just kinda bored of ForceBook at this point. Do I actually get the sense that Top is *excited* about Mew moving in? Do I get the sense that Top and Mew *love* each other? I.... don't! Is it the chemistry between ForceBook? I.... I think so? I think so!
And, so... Mew will try to convince Ray to accept Top in the next episode? I dunno. (Episode 12 previews, we've learned to distrust them.) As much as I want to try to sit here to analyze TopMew at this point, I kinda just wanna throw my hands up in the air and be like, I'll leave these characters to fiction. And I think it's because I was unfortunately spoiled by the FANTASTIC chemistry emanating out of Neo, Papang, Mark, First, and Mond in this episode (MARK! MONNND. PAPANGGGG.).
I have to admit it, and I'm sorry to admit it. ForceBook do nothing for me, acting-wise and chemistry-wise, and I am done struggling with analyzing TopMew. I'll let 'em be.
d) Last thoughts! Bye, Cheum. We haven't had enough of Nonnie in this series, and I wanna see Nonnie as April dump Cheum's ass and break shit in episode 12, the way Nonnie's real-life brother goes and breaks shit on social media. Way to hold no one, including yourself, truthfully accountable, Cheum.
(What in the. I would love a Soonvijarn episode on Jojo's thoughts on Cheum one day.)
Anyway, bye, B.
THAT'S ALMOST IT! Ephemerality? I hope Boston makes a whole bunch of righteous new homies in NYC. This whole series has made me sick and tired of proximate friends, lol. We'd better see Mond suck face with Khao and First. Andddd, bleep, bloop, that's all I got!
HOME BASE NEXT WEEK, FAM!
[EPHEMERALITY SQUAD, second-to-last weekend meta for ya! @slayerkitty (SK... I am so tired, lol), @ranchthoughts, @chickenstrangers, @twig-tea, @neuroticbookworm, @lurkingshan, @distant-screaming, @clara-maybe-ontheroad, @thatgirl4815]
153 notes · View notes
kaiowut99 · 4 months
Text
youtube
A Special Announcement~ | Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V Tag Force Special Re-Translation Project!
I've been itching to get around to posting about this for a few months now, but wanted to wait until I'd worked on enough for it, but also had the idea to create an announcement trailer to go with it for added good measure--after recording and editing clips for a couple weeks and leveling the audio last night, heremst we are! (For some clips, I forgot to turn off the PPSSPP emulator's DevMenu option so that shows up in the top-left, buuut I didn't feel like re-recording those, lmao.)
Details worth reading below the cut here, but tl;dr work has been in progress for over a year in between things, work will continue to be in progress for a while, and the release will happen when everything's ready, but stay tuned, fun's getting started etc etc~
So, I'm sure most of us are familiar with the as-yet-unlocalized-by-Konami TFSP, the seventh and last entry in the Tag Force series on the PSP that came out early in ARC-V's run (featuring the first five series which was a cool first), as well as the current translations out there originally worked on by the guys at XenoTranslations (omarrrio and ScrewTheRules/ClickClaxer01 at GBATemp handling the card and story/etc translations, respectively) and how there are... some issues with what's out there. Everything from the DM story mode being loaded with YGOTAS references (no shade to YGOTAS and much respect to LK/Martin for his ongoing work on it still making me laugh sometimes, ofc) to the off-the-cuff edginess of 2014-2015-era internet culture and the problematic (in some cases, derogatory) language that permeated it--though to its credit, some parts do have some level of translation attempted, but taken as a whole, it can definitely turn people off from giving the game a try and seeing what it brings to the table (which is still a good amount despite the corners Konami cut here/there compared to prior TF games).
I actually did attempt a translation of my own back in 2015 (if you've been following me for a long time, you might remember it lol), tackling the GX story text starting with Judai's heart events, but eventually put it on the backburner as I focused more on my GX subbing work and beginning to finalize everything (which I'm still doing). Sometime in 2022, a friend over on NeoArkCradle (the "anonymous YGO fan" in the opening screen) was poring over the story text and patching it up the best he could to remove the references and inaccuracies with more coherent work, and after a while of seeing what he was working with in the Discord, I was a bit blown away by just how inaccurate much of it was--so alongside him, and using the better tools available since then (including some really awesome work from both nzxth2 [who did a proper re-translation of 5D's TF6 not too long ago and was kind enough to release his tools for it] and our coding helper Xan1242 who we eventually reached out to for some help), I decided to *cracks knuckles* get involved and help give everything a more accurate and professional translation, much like I do with my GX subs, working directly off the Japanese text and files. I've been taking cracks at everything in between the GX episodes I've been finalizing going back to at least last January (and I'd used my little hiatus after finalizing GX Season 2's subs to really get at some other stuff throughout the game), starting with re-translating DM's story text but also properly translating other aspects of the game, from the character names (using the original Japanese names, including those of the TF-exclusive characters, partly since Konami made a whole mess of them in English TF1-5), in-duel dialogue, pack descriptions, and more to images with Japanese text (such as localizing the in-duel cut-in onomatopoeia as you see in the video above, or other little images throughout) using some Photoshop skills I've picked up. And it's been a joint effort, as said NAC friend and I have been bouncing off how we'd like to see this go between us to stay on the same page and all, while also checking with other translators there for second/third opinions as needed.
Our plan is to release two versions of a translation--one which uses the OCG [translated] card names in Story Mode, in-duel, and other text but not in the game's card system (mainly to deal with story-relevant notes like Osiris vs Slifer with the Gods or things like not-Utopia Hope being symbolic between Yuma and Astral, akin to how I do my GX subs), and one which uses the TCG card names in everything (like how the official subs go about it). While we're mostly working with the Japanese game files due to how the Xeno team went about decoding everything, we'll be using the card-system-related files from the fixed ISO provided by FLSGaming which fixed some issues that had been present there. And Xan has helped us with a plugin that will be used to apply our translations to the system files that were hard to edit otherwise (things like the character and recipe names, as well as the pack names pulled from for the Card Description screen), but more on how that'll work once this is ready for release, lol. At some point, I'd like to also look at HDifying textures and things, but that's definitely a bonus-level thing for after the main work here is done.
SO.
Currently, Story-Mode-wise, I've gone through everything up to Yusei's events--so Dark Yugi/Kaiba/Jounouchi/Ishizu/Mai in DM, Judai/Manjoume/Asuka/Misawa/Ryou in GX, and Yusei in 5D's have been fully retranslated, though I took initial cracks at Yuma and Yuya's events to get content for this video lol (I've also been intentionally holding off on as much ZEXAL as I can until I've properly watched the whole show so I have context). I haven't tackled overworld text yet, though (like pre-duel or the tournament-related text, which is all in the same file as all the story text). I've also been handling the in-duel dialogue as I go through the character stories, so also just up to Yusei, though I did take initial cracks at Aki's, Yuma and Shark's, and Yuya and Yuzu's for the video.
Other things tackled that were sprinkled into the video, along with some other notes:
Pack names and descriptions have been retranslated, though the descriptions may see minor edits closer to release for a little variety between worlds given the different characters at the shop. Character recipe names were also retranslated, with Yugipedia's translations for them used as an occasional second opinion, though ones based on pack names had to be abbreviated in spots.
Menu text, from the Options to Help screens and stuff in between, has been retranslated, as have in-duel text strings (so, you'll see a full "Activate Effect" instead of "Activate" or "Switch to Attack/Defense Position" instead of "Switch to ATK/DEF Position", etc--also fixed the "BATTELE PHASE" graphic typo, and NAC friend created a new translation for the "Turn Change" graphic for accuracy since ENG TF1-5 made that into "Next Player's Turn").
Database stuff, such as the Sound Test, Tutorials, Duel Missions, etc., have been retranslated closer to the Japanese text; originally I retranslated the Tutorial text via hex editor, with compromises done on quite a bit of it due to the space limits, but as Xan recently updated a text extractor tool of theirs to more cleanly pull out and reinsert that text, I've been going through and fleshing out those translations more (on my commutes to/from work mostly, to be productive lol).
As mentioned, I've been localizing/translating Japanese-text images throughout the game as I come across them, like with the in-duel onomatopoeia that come up during cut-ins or images in the shop/duel/etc screens using Japanese text, to make sure the game is fully translated.
The series logos, used during the title sequence and in the Series Select screens, were updated with translated fan edits shared on Deviantart (which we'll credit in the final release) for DM and GX, while the 5D's-ARC-V logos were edited to enlarge the "Yu-Gi-Oh!" text on them that was pretty hard to see originally.
The game's original opening sequence starts on an anti-piracy message before going into the Konami logo and then a "From Yu-Gi-Oh!..." screen before the opening animation for each series logo--the original team decided to use the first image to vent their frustration at Konami for not localizing this game, and while that's valid (to some extent), we thought we'd use the opportunity to dedicate this project to Kazuki Takahashi for inspiring our love for YGO and the place it's had in our hearts for all these years.
We'll be updating the names of cards that had TCG releases after the original patch was worked on/updated by FLSG to those corresponding names.
Xan has been working on many UI fixes for us to apply with this, among them 3-line dialogue box text as is used in the ENG TF1-5 games--once implemented for TFSP, I'll be going over everything to make full use of that extra space where needed, so things might not look as they do in the video by then.
Character bios will be worked on after I've done the story stuff, though I've taken initial cracks at it for Yuma and Yuya's bios for the video, along with translating the location/affiliation names ("Domino High School," "Satellite," etc).
Currently no release date is planned, as I'm working on this between my GX-finalizing work and actual IRL work, though we'll see how later this year looks as more work gets done--but as noted in the video, all things being equal, it will be released when everything is ready. I'll try to post regular updates or rambles now that this announcement's been made, lol, but do try not to constantly check in on a release date. 🙏🏽
All that said, I think that covers just about everything I wanted to put out there with this, lol. It's been fun to work on this so far and getting to see what I've re-translated in-game is definitely neat; looking forward to us being able to release everything when ready.
Stay tuned for more; the fun's just getting started!
83 notes · View notes
buckets-and-trees · 11 months
Text
Buck's Eleven
Title: Buck's Eleven Fandom: MCU Characters/Pairings: Bucky and Steve with mentions of Bucky x ex!wife Reader Word Count: 1.6k
Summary: Going into a job this big, you have to take the house or know the house will hunt you down and swallow you into its belly. Vegas is unforgiving. Good thing they're the best at what they do.
Content/Concept Warnings: Thief/Con Artist AU, smoking, 1960s elements, references to sexual acts
Notes: CONQUERING FOUR EVENTS/CHALLENGES, which is my crowning moment this summer:
@buckybarnesevents WEEK FIVE of Hot Bucky Summer: "When I First Met You..."
Sixth square of @buckybarnesbingo U4: "AU: Historical"Playing Games"
Featuring Lemonade and a Road trip for @the-slumberparty's June Challenge
AND MY FOURTH AND FINAL SQUARE for Connect4 Alternate June-iverse: C4 "Thief/Con Artist" (and including an Alpine sighting so I can collect my TOE BEANS)
This is an MCU homage to Ocean's Eleven drawing direct inspiration from the 1960 and 2001 films. The 2001 has been one of my favorite heist movies since it came out, and I had never seen the 1960s original until this week, but once I started watching it, my jaw dropped with excitement over how ripe it was to adapt for a Bucky (and Steve) AU because in the original, it's 15 years after WWII and the crew is a reassembled group of guys who were in the army together!
I borrowed some dialogue beats directly from the 2001 film, and those are in bold italics.
Story graphic by me, story dividers by @firefly-graphics, reblog graphic by @vase-of-lilies
Masterlist | Aspen's Ask Box | Field Guide to the Forest
Tumblr media
“Good morning.”
“Good morning.” Bucky takes a seat in the chair across from the penitentiary’s release board and settles his hands casually in his lap.
The man in the center taps his cigarette in the ash tray before returning it to his lips. “Please state your name for the record.”
“James Buchanan Barnes.”
“Thank you. Mr. Barnes, you’re meeting with this board today to answer a few questions so we can determine whether or not you intend to break the law again.”
Bucky nods. Contrition. Congeniality. A touch of charisma, but nothing too memorable. That’s what he must serve up.
“This is your first conviction, but you have been implicated in a long list of other cases for confidence schemes and frauds. Is this a fair and accurate record?”
Bucky glances at the doll off to the side at a small table of her own, clicking away impressively at a typewriter.
“I expect your records to be nothing but accurate, though – as you said – I’ve been implicated but never charged.”
“Mr. Barnes, what we’re trying to find out is: was there a reason you committed this crime, or was there simply a reason you got caught this time?”
“My wife left me. I was upset. I fell into a self-destructive pattern.”
Exactly what he knows they would like to hear.
“If released, is it likely you would fall into a similar pattern?”
Bucky cocks his head almost imperceptibly. “She already left me once; I don’t think she’d do it again just for kicks.”
Tumblr media
“Fellas, you know I’d do almost anything for ya, but not… not this,” Banner looks between them, rubbing the back of his neck.
Steve smiles warmly, the smile he knows tricks his friends and his marks into whatever he needs. “Why waste all the little tricks that the army taught us just because it’s sort of peaceful now?”
The din of the night club around them – games of cards, dames performing on stage, drinks being served up all around – gives them all the privacy they need to hold a sensitive conversation around the table, just the three of them.
“We’re trained men,” Bucky adds.
“I know. I know you are, and we always did good work.”
“Better with you on the crew, you keep us careful.”
“You remember a little operation called Stacks back on the Sokovian front?” Steve asks.
“Do I! Eleven of us in and out under the cloaking of the trees at night with more Axis piles of cash than was decent for either side to have stockpiled away.”
“We should have buried it,” Bucky says.
“Speaking of money, you’re going to need an enormous amount of backing to pull this off in Vegas. The city’s not a sleepy little town tucked away near the mountains and off the grid of the main occupation, it’s got a million neon lights glowing on it every night.”
“Fury, easy.”
“None of us are gonna be as easy as you think. You’ll need the best electrician around, and Tony’s out.”
“Got religion?” Bucky asks.
“Naw, he and Pepper have got a kid now.”
Bucky looks to Steve, but he seems unconcerned. “Morgan – she’s cute.” Steve looks back to Banner. “I think he’ll do it.”
Banner shakes his head, but grins. “Pepper’s already unhappy he’s back in the game on the fluffy jobs, but if you think you can convince him… You get Fury and you get Tony, I’ll play ball with you.”
Tumblr media
“You can’t do it. It’s impossible. I made it impossible. I invented casino security. When I first met you boys, you were bright young cocky upstarts. Now you’re bright and cocky – and just lucky that most of the time you’re not too cocky. Now I like you boys, but it can’t be done.”
“You know what? You’re probably right.”
“Eyes were too big for our stomachs.”
“You would know better than anyone.”
“Sure, sure. I just don’t want to see you boys behind bars, especially since you’re fresh out, Barnes.”
“Well, we appreciate the lemonade all the same,” Steve says, setting down his now empty glass.
“It’s hand pressed every morning down at the river market.”
“And thank you for taking care of Alpine while I was away,” Bucky scratches the the head of his white cat, who hasn’t stopped purring since being reunited. He scoops her up to his chest, and he and Steve stand to leave.
“It was good to see you, Nick,” Steve says.
“Give Maria your addresses on the way out, she’s got me a good source on Cuban cigars, I’ll send each of you a box.”
Bucky nods. “That’s sure nice of you.”
They turn and start to walk across the terrace toward the patio doors.
Fury looks after them. He sighs. “Tell me the marks.”
They slowly turn back, appearing to casually answer, but knowing this will bring him in.
“The… Sahara–“
“–Sahara, the Riviera, and the Dunes,” Bucky finishes.
“Hold on.” Fury stands. “Those are Pierce’s places. What do you two got against Pierce?”
“Pierce is the king on top of the mountain right now, nothing more than that.”
“I still owe him for how he got me with Project Insight,” Steve adds, “but I could get him back some other way. The golden opportunity to knock over his casinos on the fight night of the year, Thor vs. Starlord in a few weeks? That’s just destiny giving me the gift to make it sweeter that it’ll be his money.”
“And, Rogers, you’re okay with this knowing full well who the dame rumored to be attached to his son’s arm?”
“Yep,” Steve says without hesitation. “It’s not about her. Pierce is the king on the top of the mountain right now, we just want to topple him over. I still owe him for Project Insight. Besides, Buck’s not stupid enough to make this about a dame who divorced him, and like you said it’s only a rumor that she’s his doll.”
Fury turns his stare to Bucky. He shrugs. “She’s made it pretty clear with the divorce papers.”
He studies him for a moment, then seems satisfied.
“And you’re just going to go on your little road trip across the country recruiting your team?”
“Who doesn’t love a summer road trip?” Bucky asks, a full grin on his face.
“Sam’s already in Sin City, picked out a nice house for us to set up and lay low in Henderson.”
“Henderson’s nice and sleepy. Banner will be there by the end of the week, and we just came from seeing Tony.”
“You should swing through Salt Lake City, look in on the Maximov Twins, they’re pulling off some impressive stuff among the locals there.”
“I’ll put them on the list.”
Tumblr media
Steve leans up against the side of the convertible while Bucky starts to pump the gas.
“Sam’s not eager about the kid.”
“I know he’s not,” Bucky smirks. “But he’s our grease man. There’s a reason they’re calling him the Spider Boy Wonder now. Besides, he was a kid before I went in, it’s been four years, he’s not a kid anymore.”
“He’s impressive.”
Steve lets silence fall for a beat.
“Tell me it’s not about her. Tell me you are not stupid enough to make this about her.”
Frankly Bucky is shocked and impressed that it took Steve thirty minutes to press him about you now that he knows.
“It’s not about her, it’s about five million cool a piece.”
Steve looks dubious. “Because when we say ‘till the end of the line…’”
“It’s not about her, she just happens to be there, but I’m not ignoring that fact – we’re just going to use it to our advantage because she’ll be a blind spot for him.”
“Because she was a blind spot for you?”
“No, she was never that.” She was fireworks, electricity, what kept him sharp when he was on his game, before he got caught and sulked behind bars.
Steve sighs and his face softens. “I know. Just promise me we don’t do anything stupid.”
"No, nothing stupid. Too much riding on this. Heist of our lives."
As they pulled out onto the street, car aimed for the interstate, Bucky wouldn't spend the duration of the road trip thinking about you, but you would cross his mind frequently, as you always had.
With the miles ahead of them, the memories of you could distract him in peace. Thoughts of when he first met you. Thoughts of sneaking into rooftop parties and pools at places like Fury’s like you two had done when you were both too broke to get in any other way. Thoughts of his hand disappearing under your skirt and up to tease the delicious heat between your thighs. Thoughts of your head falling back and exposing your throat to him. Thoughts of your head falling forward to rest against his. Thoughts of you gasping beneath him as he thrust inside you. Thoughts of you wrapped up in his arms, leaning against his chest as you watched the sun set on your little balcony of that third-floor apartment in the city. Thoughts of the soft mornings and late nights in the bed you had shared together until you didn’t. Thoughts he fights both to hold onto and forget.
But you were unforgettable. You were his. You had to be his again. He's waited for just the right angle to set you in his sights again, and he knows he can get you as sure as he knows they will walk away with over fifty million and without a trace.
Tumblr media
Masterlist | Aspen's Ask Box | Field Guide to the Forest
172 notes · View notes
shawnxstyles · 2 years
Text
addicted in the afterglow
DATE: OCTOBER 11, 2022
summary: you and harry despise one another, but have close mutual friends. at your friends’ party, the two of you get into an argument. when harry’s contradictions shock you, you consider if you’ve become addicted in the afterglow.
request: yes!
song: Afterglow- driver era!! (fucking love this song)
words: 4.6k
warnings: SMUT BITCHES (f- receiving [choking, rubbing, fingering, a little nipple play, mild edging] m- receiving [slight hair pulling, scratching] protected sex, dirty talk!!), language, loads of dialogue as always
note: part 2 is here!
frat/college!harry x college!reader
Tumblr media
There were a lot of things in the world that you liked. Loved, even. Some of those things being your family (most of them), your dog back at home, your school, and your friends. You were grateful for so many things and tried your best to appreciate them. Your friends would say you’re one of the most kind-hearted and modest people they’ve ever met. Your friends meaning Sabrina (Rina), Raquel, and Rina’s twin brother Sean. You were probably most appreciative of them and for encountering them in your life. However, when they decided to bring other people into your little circle, you second-guessed their decision.
At first, you felt slightly offended like maybe you weren’t a good enough friend to each of them. But that changed the second Sean brought one of his friends to one of your “Hang Out and Hangover”s. Hang Out and Hangovers are kind of in its name; you all hang out after a long week of lectures and drink at someone’s place. The next day usually results in headaches and strong coffee, so that’s why it has to be somewhat planned out. You’re not really the impulsive type, as your friends would say.
But when it comes to Harry, the newest addition to your used-to-be perfect circle, you become everything your friends say you aren’t.
Harry is… appealing. He has this chestnut hair that spring curls naturally but he covers them with a hat. An annoyingly sharp jawline that he’d probably cut you with if he got the chance. He’s every girls’ dream height at a solid 6’0. He has the persona of a stereotypical frat boy, yet he still gets any girl he wants (but you would never, ever admit that to him).
You could stand him from a distance. Well, you could have. Past tense.
The day you actually talked to him shocked you, even though it shouldn’t have. Why wouldn’t the semi-popular frat boy be a dick? Why wouldn’t he be so arrogant? Why wouldn’t he flat-tire the back of your shoe? Or make sure the elevator was closed before you got on it? Or switch the song on the aux just because it was your favorite song? Anyone else could do the same things, but for some reason when he did it, it felt personal and on-purpose.
He joked around constantly with Rina and Raquel, and yes, they would agree-to-disagree occasionally, but he never had full-blown arguments with them like he did with you.
On one Friday night when you all decided to get together, you didn’t know Harry would be coming. Your friends knew you didn’t “fancy” him or whatever they said, but tried their best to make you two civil. But he didn’t know you would be there, either.
Which makes no sense because it was at your house.
“Oh great, he’s here. When were you guys going to break the news? Attention, attention, the biggest dickhead on the planet just walked through my living room,” You dramatically pretended to act shocked and put your hand on your heart. He closed the door behind him and rolled his eyes.
“It’s always a pleasure to be with you, truly. And for the record, I didn’t know you would be here, either.”
“It’s my apartment!!”
“Ohhh, I thought it was Raquel’s place. Now the horrible interior design makes more sense,” He says so sarcastically and mockingly, you wished you could wax his tongue off. You step closer to him, slowly closing in on him.
“Please! I bet my place looks ten times better than yours! Oh wait, you don’t even have your own place,” You sass back, crossing your arms. You’re pretty sure he just moved in with Sean and Rina.
“Having roommates means cheaper expenses. And I get to hang out with my friends. Work smarter, not harder, babe,” Harry taunts and it drives you cynical. Your friends just stand there awkwardly while you shout at him and he acts nonchalant. You’re nearly chest to chest with pointed fingers when the ding of the doorbell shuts you both up.
“Here,” Raquel said, annoyed while chucking the bag of food in between us. “I got some food. Maybe you two will finally shut up.”
You hadn’t even noticed Raquel left to get take-out, but how would you with Harry practically spitting his minty gum in your face?
The rest of the night was quiet to everyone else, but between you and Harry, it was loud. You would give him a snarky look every time he happened to look at you and he would stick his tongue out mockingly. It was like children fighting on a playground with you two; immature and useless. Similar scenarios went on for months. But after a while, your friends just decided to leave themselves out of it.
The only reason why Harry is even in your mind right now is because Rina is trying her very best to convince you that ”he’s not that bad”. You’ve heard the same story for months.
“Y/N, he’s really not that bad,” You almost laughed because she’s just so predictable when it comes to this situation. “I know he can be a little… into himself—”
“A little? That is the most conceited man I’ve ever met! Or should I say boy?” You shake your head as you look in the mirror. You comb through your hair softly, even though you’re frustrated about Harry. You can’t take out your fury for Harry on your luscious hair.
“You can’t expect him not to go. It’s Sean and I’s birthday for crying out loud. We’re not just going to have two different parties because you two are big babies who can’t stand a night together,” Rina falls onto her back, laying on her bed. “and he kind of lives there now.”
“Just kick him out for the night. Or forever!” You turn to Rina and act like you just invented something unheard of.
“You know what?” She lifts herself from the bed and heads toward the mirror. “we don’t need to focus on him tonight. You know that one guy from Literature class? He’s gonna be there.”
Your eyebrow perks up as you glance at Rina in the mirror. She nods up and down in confirmation until you’re both squealing like little girls. You haven’t been on a date in what? A year? Your recent hook-ups have been kind of lousy, too. And Rina is right, you need to not focus on Harry tonight, and just be free-spirited. And who knows, maybe something will happen with that guy from your lecture.
When you first got to college, you didn’t like the idea of partying. You had been to a few in high school and it just wasn’t your thing. But you realized that the problem was that you weren’t with the right people. Now every time a party opportunity approaches, it’s hard to say no.
Raquel said she was going to be late to the party, so when you and Rina had finished getting ready, you set up the party as best you could. There was a table with snacks on them and another with drinks. However, the good drinks were under the counter. You knew those would be pulled out later in the night.
Their house was relatively small for three people, but being in college with a house isn’t easy. But it made decorating fast. There was a large banner across a window and some balloons tied to the stairs. Although it’s their birthday, it wasn’t really a birthday type of party. But people should at least know what’s being celebrated. Speaking of people, you had no idea who was going to show up besides that guy from your Literature class. Since it’s Sabrina and Sean’s friends, it’s probably going to be a pretty packed house tonight.
The party was planned to start at around eight and was already packed by nine. You didn’t even really know that you knew this many people until they said what’s up or heyyy as you passed them. It wasn’t until around ten, though, when you saw the real life of the party waltzing into the room.
Of course he’s late to a party at his own house. He’s just too cool for that.
Harry would smirk and half wave at girls as he walked by them. He’d fist bump his “homies” and laugh ridiculous loud for no reason. You couldn’t help but roll your eyes and attempt to avoid gazing at him at all costs. Even if you found him the most annoying man boy in the world, you couldn’t deny the fact that everything he did was unbelievably hot (when his mouth was closed).
He had this confidence that was cocky, but his charm would hide it. The way he would lick his lips in the middle of a conversation distracts you far more than it should. His hand around a red solo cup along with a solid silver ring on his middle finger looks so natural— why did you wish his hands were somewhere else, though?
On you, maybe?
Your wild thoughts are disrupted just by the man who’d caused them. Harry comes up behind you as you’re refilling a bowl with chips.
“You look like you’re having a great time, really,” Harry shouts with his iconic sarcasm that you just love oh, so much.
“The best!” Your own sarcasm pops out. You weren’t having the worst time, you’re just a bit bored.
“Why don’t you go and dance with me? I know you got some moves,” He gets closer to you and you can feel his breath on your ear. Your breathing hitches in your throat for a moment before responding.
“I’ll pass—” You barely got to finish your sentence when you felt a light tap on your opposite shoulder. Nate, the guy from that lecture class, was standing next to you. Your eyes grew wide in a panic.
“Hey, I just wanted to know if maybe you wanted to dance..?” He looks at you, before noticing Harry, and then has the same, wide eyes as you. “Um nevermind, sorry.”
“W-what…” Your shoulders drop in disappointment and confusion as he walks away. You didn’t want to chase him because maybe he found the actual person he was looking for. Plus, chasing isn’t attractive, right? You turn to your right, forgetting Harry’s presence. You look at him for a single second and see… something in his eyes. He plays it nonchalant like he didn’t do a single thing.
“What did you do? What did you say to him?!” You shouted over the loud voices and booming music.
“What? I did nothing. He looked at me and got scared,” He shrugs off defensively with raised eyebrows. Harry takes another sip of his drink, and your growing frustration got to you, so you slapped it out of his hand. There was maybe a drop in the cup, not much left. His eyebrows raised again, but he didn’t even flinch. He knows that he’s ticking you off. You stomp away up the stairs because you needed to cool off. You are acting immature right now, but goodness, he brings out the worst in you.
The party didn’t halt nor notice your little incident with Harry and you were grateful. Harry makes his way upstairs soon later, honestly concerned for you. He knows he upset you, but he doesn’t know that you also kind of upset him. He catches you right as you’re walking into the bathroom.
“Y/N—”
“What, Harry? What do you want?” You pull your arm away from him and eye him irritatingly. You were looking at him directly and could see him thinking. The cogs in his head were spinning and you were impatient.
“Were you really going to dance with that bloke?” Is the first thing that came out of his mouth.
God, he’s such an idiot.
“Oh my God, of course you came all the way up here just to tick me off more.” You pushed him by his chest, but he grabbed your wrists, stilling you. Your breath hitches again slightly, like it did earlier. You mentally refuse to let him affect you, so you brush it off. You look up at him as you both stand in the doorway of the bathroom. He quickly checks behind him before shoving you two into the tiny room.
“God, you make me so mad,” He says through clenched teeth. He pushes you against the counter and you forget how to breathe.
Lungs? What are those? Air? Oxygen? What…?
However, you get your senses back. A little bit, and shake your head.
“I make you mad? Are you joking? You’re the one that scares off the first guy that seemed genuine!”
“Pfft, that bloke just wants to get in your pants—”
“Oh what, and you don’t? God, you just think you’re so much better—” One of Harry’s hands releases your wrist and latches onto your neck. He doesn’t squeeze, but you halt your rant and then you actually forget how to breathe. Harry holds both of your wrists with one hand while the other puts little to no pressure on your throat. Harry drifts even closer to you now.
“You never know when to stop talking, huh?” He taunts you while slightly nudging your head up. You instinctively roll your eyes because that’s just what he makes you do. Everything he says is just worth an eye roll. But he doesn’t like that. Every time he sees you roll your eyes, he just wants to… fuck. He doesn’t know. But he did know it got under his skin every time and he just wanted to make you shut up. He adds more pressure to your neck as a note that he doesn’t like that.
“You always roll your eyes at me. Am I really that annoying?” He teased, while rubbing your chin with his other hand. He runs over your bottom lip slowly enough so that he can see all of your bottom teeth. When he releases it, it bounces back and you bite it nervously.
“Yes,” You choke out, still being choked by him. You can feel your wit and smart-ass remarks getting to him by the amount of pressure under his fingertips. His head tilts closer toward your ear and you’re sure he can hear your racing heart.
“You just never learn do you?”
“What’s there to learn? You’re the world’s greatest dick—” He pushes your legs apart and lets go of your neck, with that, you naturally sit up straighter. Your heart beats intensely as you wait for him to do something since he likes to interrupt you so much.
“Well, I guess I’ll have to teach you then,” He kisses down your neck softly, teasingly so. The tender kisses contradicts the kinky act of choking, which still wasn’t enough for you. You wish you could just push him off of you and be fine, but you were pulled to him. Your body yearned him the second that he touched you. You wanted more, but you hated begging. But you had a feeling he loved it. Right above your collarbone, he bites and sucks, making you gasp as you bite your lip. His tongue glides across your skin so effortlessly and his teeth sink on one of your pressure points and you nearly moan out. You can feel the beat of the music from downstairs throughout the whole bathroom. Suddenly, he releases himself completely from you and rests his hands beside you on the counter. You thought he was going to leave you high and dry, so you shouted.
“You’re such a fucking tease! God, I was right, you are a dick,” A fire was burning inside of you both that was fueled by frustration and lust. You were ready to get up and leave, but you didn’t want to. He doesn’t even think twice before smashing his lips onto yours and locking the door to the bathroom while doing so.
The kiss was not pretty; your teeth were clashing and your lips were squished. Your lip gloss was all over him now and his tongue gladly roamed your mouth. He hummed against you, loving your taste. You smelt of orange juice and vodka, while Harry smelled like minty beer. A shock struck between your lips, which ignited something in you. Your hands rested on the baby hairs on the back of his neck, which you used to pull him closer to you. He lifted you onto the counter, temporarily breaking you two apart.
You both discard your shirts, throwing them behind him. His chiseled torso shocked you every time you saw it. You always tried to act like it didn’t affect you, but he was a walking turn-on. His tan skin was littered in creative tattoos, and you instantly rubbed on his angel wings. He steps closer to you, moving his hips toward you.
“I like these, but they don’t fit you. You’re more of a devil type,” You sass, looking at him with a sarcastic smile and a lip bite. Harry reaches behind you while giving you a quick are you sure? look before proceeding to unclip your bra first try.
“Don’t get so cocky, we all know who’s in control here,” He smiles sadistically at you, and your little smile fades. You clench your thighs together, but he pulls them apart again. His hands are warm and rough on your legs. He runs them up and down, until he’s just rubbing the insides.
“Harry, we don’t have all night! If you’re going to fuck me, just do it!” You whisper-yelled. You didn’t want to beg, but God, were you getting desperate. This is the nearest you’ll get to begging. Especially for him.
“Aw, is the princess getting impatient?” He mocks, thumbs edging towards your aching cunt. You despised these thick jean shorts you were wearing right now because every time you moved at all, you would feel a light friction on your clit. It wasn’t nearly enough to get you off, so you needed Harry to just rip them from you already. Maybe it was your turn to tick him off…
“I bet Nate would give it to me. He’s probably good, too. Oh, can you imagine how big he probably is?” That caused Harry to make an animalistic sound that nearly shredded the rest of your clothes right there. Before you knew it, your shorts were gone and your underwear was being stuffed into your mouth.
“Not much of a talker now, yeah?” Harry smirks. You could taste your own arousal, which turned you on even more. He grabs your wrists in one hand, stopping you from touching anything.
“You’re so infuriating. Talking about other men while I have you spread open for me. I can see you dripping all over the counter,” He rubs you achingly slow, right on your throbbing clit. He increases his rhythm, giving you more pleasure. But you needed more. “tell me it’s for me.”
You roll your eyes. Of course, he has a praise kink. That makes his mountain size ego make sense. He stops rubbing you and you nearly whine as he removes the underwear from your mouth, dropping it beside you. You’re so desperate and so frustratingly needy, you nearly want to beg.
“And if I don't?” You breathe out, staring at him right in the eyes. His eyes are strong and you almost back down. He puts his free hand on your breast, pinching and twisting the bud. You arch slightly into his touch.
“Then it’s going to be a long night, isn’t it, princess?” You swallow, biting the inside of your cheek. His hands still hold your wrists as he drifts back down to your clit. Harry rubs you quickly, waiting for your response.
“Tell me Y/N. Who made you this wet?” Harry can hear your juices spreading around as he rubs you. When you don’t immediately answer, he flicks you and you jump. You bite your lip, adding a few seconds before you give in. The need to come continues to increase as you withhold your pleas “speak, or I’ll stop.”
“You!” You couldn’t help it— you gave into him. The rough pads of his fingers and his irritatingly attractive words were making you crazy. If he stopped, your body would never forgive you. Before your eyes tightly close, you see Harry arrogantly smirk.
“That’s it, baby. Say my name. Go on,” Harry inserts rapid fingers in you, curling them oh, so good. Your arousal was slushing in and out quickly, along with his fingers. He edged you enough and you were about to come fast.
“Fuck, I’m gonna come, Harry!” You whine out his name as you reach your peak. Seconds before you release, his fingers are removed from inside of you. Your climax dangles in your stomach, forgotten.
Your irritation from earlier becomes even more vehement now. You were about to slam Harry’s head into the door, before his loud mouth speaks.
“You can come around my cock,” He basically growls as he vastly unbuckles his belt and unzips his strangled jeans. He slides down his boxers and you can’t deny that he’s pretty big. You feel more arousal leak out of you just looking at it. You nearly roll your eyes again when you see him pull out a condom from his jeans.
Of course, he brought condoms to a party. Why are you letting him fuck you again?
Because he’s just so… ugh. You don’t know the word.
Feeling dazed, you feel Harry rubs himself on you for a few seconds before slamming into you without warning. You try your best not to scream out, for the sake of the party, but also for Harry’s ego. You gasp loudly, as he goes in and out roughly.
He cannot know how much you actually enjoy this.
Your hands wrap around his neck naturally, scratching crescent moons on the sides. His moves are fast, yet deep, making you clench around him hard. When Harry finally moans in your ear, you don’t stop the strong reciprocating one that leaves yours.
That must mean he likes it too.
Harry growls, attaching his lips to your neck, probably to quiet his sounds. When you begin to reach your climax again, your legs get tense. You bite your lip to near bleeding so you don’t alert the whole party.
“God, Harry,” You groan out, clutching his hair with your right hand. You can tell you’re both close because everything is messier; you’re about to fall off of the counter, Harry’s strokes are sloppier, and your grip is everywhere.
You’ve both been dying for release.
“Come, Y/N,” He wasn’t asking; it was a command. Somehow, his assertiveness brought you over the edge and you finally came. Hard. The sensation was such a relief, you loudly moaned without caring who could hear. Harry groans by your ear as he releases into the condom, moving slowly in and out. You rub your clit to calm your body and breathing. You hadn’t realized how deprived you were until the weight of your sexual rut was gone.
Once you come to realize what actually happened, you blink and instantly grab your underwear. Harry had already been pulling up his jeans by then.
“You,” You grit out. Your breathing wasn’t completely calm and was definitely wavering as you zipped up your jean shorts. “are not allowed to tell anyone about this, okay?”
“Me? Why would I ever do such a thing?” He says innocently, followed by a devilish smirk. His shirt falls over his head and covers his sculpted abs.
You hate to think about it, but those abs will be missed.
“I’m serious. If anyone, especially one of our friends finds out, I will personally kill you. I will torture you until you can’t take it anymore,” You successfully clip your bra and arrange your shirt correctly. You look in the semi-foggy mirror as you attempt to tame your hair.
“Sounds kinky. But don’t worry, princess, no one’s gonna find out how I made you beg for me,” Harry stands behind you, looking at you through the mirror. Your eyes widen at his words and you turn around.
“Harry!”
“Yeah, it sounded just like that—”
“I fucking swear to—” A knock interrupted both of you. Sudden panic rushed through your body as your mouth became dry. Harry eyed you with a finger over his lips. You stay silent, listening to him, as the stranger soon walks away. You release a breath you didn’t know you were restricting.
“See? That is why we can’t do this. That was too close. I’m leaving and we’re never speaking of this again,” You slowly open the door and peek near the area. When you fully exit, you try to act as relaxed as possible.
You feel flushed and flustered, but that can easily be mistaken for alcohol or dancing. You walk down the stairs and into the kitchen because you need another drink. Maybe seven because you’re feeling a bit too sober after what just happened.
Rina suddenly comes behind you, startlingly you.
“Where have you been, girl?! I haven’t seen you all night!” She shouts over the booming speakers and loud people. Your gut wrenches suddenly in guilt, feeling the weight of being a liar.
“I was dancing with Nate,” The lie flew through your mouth and you bit your cheek. Your clench your solo cup in your hand. He probably left a while ago because of what happened earlier. You wouldn’t blame him.
You’ve never been a good liar. Clearly. But maybe it was easier to lie to a drunk person…
“Ooo, I’m so drunk right now! Did you know that Raquel heard two people fucking in the bathroom? She thinks it was Harry, and I wouldn’t be surprised. Oh, this is my song!” The song changes to Rina’s favorite dance track, which causes her to slip away back into the crowd of dancing drunks. As she drifts away, that gut wrenching feeling becomes more intense when you take in what she just said.
Raquel heard you in the bathroom. Oh fuck. She doesn’t know it was you and Harry though. Hopefully, she is extremely drunk too and doesn’t remember a lick of tonight.
You hate to admit it to yourself, but that sex with Harry was really good. It wasn’t like the typical sex you have. It wasn’t intimate and loving, or soft and sweet. It was rough and fast, and you really liked it. You’re kind of left in a state of shock because you know it won’t ever happen again.
He had control over you. And even though it was Harry out of all people, there was some type of passion beneath it all that just aroused you so much. Stuff like that is what gets people addicted. And you couldn’t be… addicted to Harry.
You knew everything was now messed up, yet a part of you was satisfied and relieved.
It was one time. You can’t be addicted.
YAY! thanks for reading 🤭
652 notes · View notes
roninkairi · 8 days
Text
Hey, Remember Those DC x Looney Tunes Comics From A Few Years Ago? (Part 1)
I have seen quite a few vids and posts on Twitter about certain memorable issues. But there is one that has been my personal favorite:
Tumblr media
A special issue that focused on Harley Quinn meeting one of the most unusual of Looney Tunes antagonists, Gossamer.
Tumblr media
The comic is split into 2 different art styles and the first half is done in the more "traditional" art style (And yes, Harley just broke the 4th Wall there. Don't be surprised.)
Tumblr media
A hurricane sweeps through NYC and after everything settles down, Harley finds a curious crate on the shores of Coney Island. Whats inside?
Tumblr media
Gossamer.
Apparently monsters in crates are a normal thing in the DC Universe.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
I think there are a hell of a lot of guys (and girls) who wants to trade places with Gossamer right now...
Tumblr media
To answer your question that is NOT the Iron Giant.
Tumblr media
Hey, could have been worse. It could have been some giant marshmallow sailor!
Tumblr media
And now its time for Harls to do a little detective work on her own.
Tumblr media
...
Me: ...
Harley: I'm just saying.
Me: That is one of MANY images I want to erase from my memory, I must state for the record.
Harley: But the last panel is completely ok.
Me: ...do you really think I'm gonna be against that?
Velma: (saves a copy of that page) I don't think none of us object to that.
Tumblr media
Batman always knows just what buttons to press.
So does Joker, quite literally.
Tumblr media
Is it wrong that ALL of them have given chuckle inducing dialogue here?
Even Batman?
Tumblr media
Me: You ALL have issues.
Harley: We are aware, there are entire YouTube videos detailing our many, MANY personal hang ups. ESPECIALLY HIM.
Batman: I'm not apologizing.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
...yeah what IS that guy's name anyway?
Tumblr media
Well, all's well that ends well, I guess...(lets not ask about the sheep dog and his wife.)
But of course there is still one unanswered question...
..and the answer is one that has been missing from all of these DC x Looney Tunes comics.
Tumblr media
At least we know now what Bugs has been doing while Daffy had to deal with Lex!
(And you do realize, of course, this means that Harley's met Bugs WAY before Multiversus.)
22 notes · View notes
itwoodbeprefect · 5 months
Text
Fic Writing Review 2023 🌈
i wanted to take a moment to reflect on the past year and bring it to a nice close, so i took to tumblr search and google to see if there was some sort of tag game going around. i frankensteined this list of questions from a few different versions of what was probably originally the same thing, but the nature of The Website of course makes it impossible to locate an original, so this is me just sort of, well, joining the fun by starting a parallel thread.
-
Words and Fics (on ao3) 📚
words posted: 73,947, but this is a little deceptive because all the words for A flip-flop state of mind currently get counted for 2023, so it's probably something closer to 45-50k
fics posted: 21, which will eventually go down to 19 when i update the two multi-chapter works and they get sorted into the new year
first fic: Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream Throuple [Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948)]
last fic: Bases loaded, do your dance [h50]
-
Ships and Fandoms ⚓
ao3 tells me the following:
Starsky & Hutch (8)
Hawaii Five-0 (2010) (7)
Ted Lasso (TV) (2)
Stargate Atlantis (1)
Hard Core Logo (1996) (1)
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948) (1)
Top Gun (Movies) (1)
and for each of those it's probably the ship you most expect if you know the thing (and the way fandom works), except maybe ted lasso (both fics are keeley/roy/jamie) and sga (a gen team fic, no ships).
-
Top 5 Fics by Kudos 🏆
no big surprises here. ted lasso was easily the biggest fandom i've written for this year (not to mention that these two fics had the good fortune of being posted very soon after the finale), followed by h50 long before s&h comes on the scene:
How To Build A Triangle (or accidentally fall headlong into one, or whatever the fuck) [ted lasso]
Honey honey, how you thrill me (Honey honey, nearly kill me) [ted lasso]
A flip-flop state of mind [h50]
Oh, kiss me like the final meal (Yeah, kiss me like we die tonight) [h50]
Something old, something new [h50]
-
Top 5 Favorite Fics 💖
these are in no particular order!
3 AM, the time when most people die - this is a hard core logo (1996 canadian movie) fic which just kind of Happened, and it hung around on ao3 for a solid few days in a 0 kudos 10 hits sort of state, which had me giggling every time i thought about it. 2023 goal of writing for me, myself & i achieved (0 kudos on a fic)! ✅ (that said, it does also bring me great joy to see that the number is upwards of zero now. lovely to see an obscure thing find its audience. <3)
Your hands in my back pockets - a starsky/hutch fic, and in some ways the opposite to the previous one. i had a "this is alright" sort of feeling about it when i hit post, and the (lovely! very flattering!) way people responded to it surprised me somewhat. reading it back now, i don't know what bothered me about it at first - it's nice, it flows, it's all good! plus, i really like the title. it's a good s/h title.
POV: It’s a lovely day, you’re sipping a refreshing cold drink on your 70s apartment balcony, and the upstairs neighbor who always waters the sago palm outside your front door when you forget about it has that one friend over and his windows wide open. - this is a starsky/hutch all dialogue fic, and it was just plain fun! very easy to write, thankfully not hard to read, and the title is completely ridiculous in a way that still gives me a kick.
How To Build A Triangle (or accidentally fall headlong into one, or whatever the fuck) - can't not mention this one, i think. it's the roy/jamie/keeley ted lasso fic i wrote in record time (for me), and i had a blast doing that and i think that's palpable in the end result. i have warm memories of this!
Oh, kiss me like the final meal (Yeah, kiss me like we die tonight) - h50! steve/danny! they'd gotten swamped by all the starsky/hutch in 2022, but they made a minor comeback this past year. and again, this fic was just plain fun - a scene that really needed the mcdanno rewrite, and i'm glad it happened, and that it decided to flow so smoothly it grew twice as long as intended. the gag with the gun is still good, the banter works, and i like "it tastes like a laugh".
-
Fandom Fic Events 🤝
my knee-jerk first thought was none, which would have been a blatant lie for this year! i wrote a fic for the SHareCon (starsky/hutch con) zine, which is currently still zine-only but will appear on ao3 at some point in the future, and i also wrote something for this year's Starsky & Hutch Advent Calendar, which can be found here (which will also lead you to all the other lovely advent calendar gifts of 2023 and previous years!). neither of these things would have happened if starsky & hutch fandom hadn't been such a warm, welcoming, unbelievably well-organized space. <3
-
Projects for 2024 👀
oh god. oh god i have so many things on the grill.
the end of 2023 was a stretch of time where i did write some, and at times even a very decent amount, but nothing seemed to be getting finished - which was annoying for a bit, and then sort of petered out into oh well. it'll happen, eventually, when it wants to. which means that currently i have a whole bunch of nearly finished things for a whole bunch of fandoms:
bad buddy - should this be top of the list? who knows. but oh, i need to write something for this - i have to, i need to, you know. it's just that it's turning out to be more of a challenge than most new things i start writing for, because i do feel i have a reasonable grip on the characters, but the fact that it's a thai series which i'm only consuming through fan-generated subtitles is clashing with some of the fundamentals of how i usually write fic, as it turns out. usually i watch a thing and then mimic character voices to write a section of (probably mostly, maybe only) dialogue, which then gets filled out with descriptions and an actual setting later on. the problem with bad buddy is that i love, love subtitles, and i love, love the people who write them, but they do (understandably! naturally!) lead to some very clunky english at times, and i just can't write things like "are you chickened out, fierce eyes". i cannot. which means i need to half-invent the right english character voice (and how that blends with the little i know of thai speaking patterns and customs), which takes away the thing i usually lean on way more heavily than i previously realized i did, so. it's a journey! it's an experiment! i'm learning things! i'm making choices! and i'm pumped about it but it's also REALLY slowing down the bad buddy fic production.
starsky & hutch - many things are happening! many many! they're just happening slowly. there's one particular fic about starsky and hutch comfortably out at a party and hutch fielding questions about names which has been 98% done for a month or two, but i need one (1) more connective paragraph to wrap things up, and apparently i'm in no hurry. and i love that for me, at the same time as i'm tempted to flick my brain and go Do It. Just Do It. oh god, and then there's a much older comedy fic stuck in close to the same situation only there it's 95% and the missing part is the end, which is at least a little more serious, and there are. i think literally a dozen probably. things that are cooking, bubbling, making interesting little noises. it's yet to be seen which of those turn out tasty.
h50 - there are some shorter wips here that have great potential to go somewhere, but mostly i want to finally (finally!) wrap up a flip-flop state of mind, which only needs finishing touches (albeit a bunch of them) on the final chapter, and then maybe 200 more words for the short epilogue to round things out. i had somewhat hoped to get that done before the new year, but it didn't work out that way, and i'm at peace with it - the longer this fic takes, the more comical my initial estimate of "i can probably get this done within the month" becomes. and after that's done, i can refocus my energy on Sweet like a chic-a-cherry cola, another ill-fated plan which i Will see through (while also enjoying myself), dammit, but i think for that one i'll need to pre-write the whole thing before i start posting again or i'll just keep going in circles.
nashville - it's been a while since my rewatch, so i'm not sure it will ever really come together, but i have a fun little 5+1 will/gunnar thing which lives half in a google docs file and half in my heart. could be nice!
sga - there's One Fic that's near done and has a few turns of phrase in it that keep making me go "oh, this might be worth finishing, actually" every time i return to it, but i think i'll need to let that happen a few more times before we actually get there. there's also a light and comedy-ish aro/ace john fic (heavily featuring john&rodney and john&team) on a low boil. i think that one might need to wait for me to rewatch the show at some point so i'm correctly immersed in the Vibes of it all, but it's very dear to me, so it still gets a permanent In Progress label.
due south - there's one particular thing that i might get back to? maybe. it could happen. @redgoldblue's dedicated live reporting on their due south watch, as well as their ds fic, did stir something in my brain.
other - there's literally two paragraphs of hard core logo fic kicking around in my notes which might turn into something some day. (when i started writing 3AM those new words were intended to blend with the two existing paragraphs, but they never did.) there's some ted lasso that can still be considered wip, but my ted lasso fic moment burned bright and short, it seems, though it's nice to know the framework is there if i ever do a rewatch. oh man, and there's a weird homoerotic over the top (because that's what this canon is) tango & cash wip which i hope will make it across the finish line some day, but i wouldn't be surprised if in the end that's, like. coming to an ao3 page near you soon! in 2026.
-
Tagging ✨
tag any number of people you want as far as i'm concerned (which can be zero! that's a valid number), but i haven't spotted this going around in my fandom circles yet, so i'll shoot for some good coverage: @redgoldblue @luredin @actingcamplibrarian @stephmcx @pterawaters @the-arya-silvertongue @logicgunn @incognito-insomniac @dedkake @spaceradars @spurious @sparrowsarus @flownwrong @theroseandthebeast @jimmyandthegiraffes @soleadita @ivycross @murphyhatesme @bgharison @thekristen999 @cowandcalf @msbeeinmybonnet @ruztyryan and you, reading this. i fully tagged myself to do this, so please don't feel shy about doing the same! i really do want to read your answers, if you feel like giving them.
obviously there's no pressure, and also feel free to modify this any way you want! give different stats, list top 5 by hits instead of kudos, name just one favorite fic, add in fics you only posted to tumblr rather than ao3, skip a category or invent a new one or throw the whole thing out and only reflect on a single piece of writing in more detail - it's all fair game, as long as it suits you.
34 notes · View notes
unlikelyjapan · 10 months
Text
s2e5 rewatch notes
Ah, "Pop" - it's so weird to have one of the least-satisfying episodes of television you've ever watched be sandwiched in the middle of one of the most satisfying television series you've ever seen.
"But the viewer uneasiness, the juxtaposition, that's the point of the episode!" cry future Storer/Calo** in unison, tearing at their shirt collars and throwing themselves prostrate in the middle of their 7th podcast interview moderated entirely by men "in the spirit of John Hughes, we wanted to convey....."
** For the record, I respect/love them for creating my 2nd favorite TV show of all time, they just grind my gears with the offensive stance on these narrative choices that were, in fact, very bad.
It was an over-reach, an unenjoyable viewing experience for most people outside a specific segment of uncritical (mostly white) men and the women who placate them.
Alright, preamble over - let's dig in!
We open with Tina getting a crash-course in Syd's vision. I bet this woman has never been exposed to breaking food down in the abstract - "earth, air, fire, water" , nor the overwhelming prep of the daikon and the fennel - but her just being like "this is a lot for a tasting menu" and then reassuring her with "it's okay ma, I got you!" - she has my full heart.
Tina's intuition on the food is good, though - it is, in fact, too busy. Sydney is still learning how to be a mentor, and she negates that Tina's background isn't automatically going to make her know what a play on an XO sauce is, or even how to identify a panzanella.
Remember Carmy explaining Japanese plum wine to Marcus? That's how you do it. Sydney still has a learning curve to go through, but Tina will weather it gangbusters.
Sydney - "It's a lot, it's a lot...I'm seeing that its a lot"
I see that iterative recipe development between Carmy + Syd fell into oblivion three weeks earlier when he blew her off, and she's suffering greatly.
Carmy is trying to get the 7 seconds down to 5 between stations when Cicero comes in, and Cicero sees it as a fruitless exercise after Natalie points out that he's been at it for over an hour. I can almost see the flash in Carmy's eyes where we're back 5 years ago, his family seeing him and his work as weird and irrelevant. This was probably the first blow of the day that led him to flake out completely.
I'm including all of Cicero's dialogue here, because I didn't realize it was so weighted on my first pass through the show:
"I'm a little concerned that we're taking our eyes off the ball here, and I want to be hyper-clear - if I ain't seeing no progress, I don't want to keep pissing money away. I'm calling this out now, because we are - How far from open, Sug? - Six weeks! And I somehow anticipate that the coming six weeks, there will be more pissin'.
The thing is, I like to control the pissing to the best of my ability....your schedule is kinked. You're doing whatever the fuck you're doing here. Thundernuts is out there making sandwiches for his entire family? I mean, look, as much as I look forward to selling this place - and trust me, I do look forward to it - I think it's just in all of our best interests if we have a maximally efficient place of business. I really would like to tell you a story of complete and utter failure...."
Syd interrupts.
Holy shit - this is the second time he's tried to tell his Gonzalez/Bartman story. I can't believe I missed this, TWICE (s2e1).
Instead, he tells it to Carmy on opening night - and I think by then Cicero has seen the writing on the wall and knows that Carmy is the only person who really needs to hear it - this is a big CP.
The scenes that follow just reinforce Ciceros current narrative - it's too casual for essentially being a House of Usher - everyone is interrupting, Fak's pal/contractor wandering in eating a sandwich the electrician made him, the drywall falling, Timmy's "no worries, it's still billable hours" crack. Mobster uncle or not, the man has already spent $550k just to witness this.
Tina telling Ebra that it's weird she hasn't spoken to him in a few days, and can't recount the last time that happened - it's amazing that with all the talk of platonic relationships this season, no one is pulling this one out of their hats in comparison *smirks*
But again (like Sugar faux-charming Cicero moments earlier). women be managing men's emotions along with their own lengthy lists of challenges, as the men retreat wounded and overwhelmed.
Cut to Syd perfectly laying out dining wares for Carmy while Fak blathers about 'Can't Hardly Wait' being "the greatest High School Song ever written" while his contractor friend sits idle....
"That's $55 a plate for that silence" - "Okay, then we can use the shitty ones" - Carmy is being so frigging childish and dismissive, right after he called Sugar "fucking disgusting" for being cutesy with Cicero to de-escalate him, but both women are doing what needs to be done - not what they WANT to be doing.
This is when Carmy completely checks out to call Claire for the ridiculous errand run to Winnetka. In my memory, I felt like "oh, he wanted to see her and he took the first opening to bail", but watching this episode now, he feels defeated and infantalized, and so he runs to a guaranteed source of flattery/unchallenging comfort. I don't think it was initially his M.O for the workday, just "later".
He exits with "Um....chaos menu. I dunno? I'll get back to you?" after we already watched Syd suffer on it until the wee hours - he's off to provide himself with amusement and enjoyment, so he can take care of Syd others- he just wants to give the menu to her straight-up (as he thinks this will please her), and this is his way of apologizing for bailing.
The same goes for his non-thank-you to Natalie as he's leaving. "You're not doing this because I'm pregnant, are you?" - No, he's doing it to provide himself with amusement or enjoyment so he can be better for you - enjoy working the entire day at the restaurant pregnant, though! If it makes you feel better, he appreciates you.
"Total Control" by Motels is playing as Carmy and Claire drive to the suburbs - I included the link to the lyrics, because it was an....interesting choice.
I really tried to analyze their conversation during their first foray into the car, but my raw scribbled notes look like this:
"It's perfect timing, I had all this extra adrenaline after resetting this guys Tibia" - screaming
"Whoa" (but not really impressed/getting it) "Does that shit really fire you up?" - oh my god
"It really fucking fires me up. Plus, I love driving. I'm a horrible driver, but I love the risk." - oh my fucking god
I can't do it. I'm sorry.
I'll only note that the chemistry during the envelope drop is non-existent. I think it was supposed to be scripted as a funny/awkward scene, but it just came off as two actors standing in a mail room - before this moment, I never perceived JAW as a guy who's just acting in this show, and it's jarring.
Why the hell didn't FX exert more pressure to get the chemistry read they asked for?
Sydney and Natalie's sit-down is just them acknowledging that they're managing the feelings and work of all the men that orbit The Bear, on top of the extensive labor demands they already have. Richie's interjections due to lack of purpose, Fak's inexperience with managing contractors, Carmy being checked-out and incapable of participating in things that don't rely on his existing ADHD skill-set.
One of these women is a bit green and needs support, the other is pregnant and overwhelmed, and all the men are mad or threatened by them for one trite reason or another - if season 3 isn't an overt celebration of female competence and resilince, I'm out.
"The menu is fucked - and I need Carmy, but he is....being Carmy, somewhere."
"At least he's hanging out with Claire, that seems moderately healthy, right?" - Sugar delivers this as not good, not bad, just completely ambivalent - a far cry from the Fishes discourse.
And Sydney's eyes fire up with the intensity of hell behind a smile and the "who's Claire?" - Ayo is such an amazing actress, that was a nice palate cleanser after the letter drop.
OK, we're back in the car - again, I couldn't extract much from the vapor, but here are some rough-hewn observations:
Claire saying "We've hung out so much, but we've never actually talked" - add it to the list of "telling, not showing".
I wonder if Molly Gordon is truly a great actress and intended to look at Carmy like that while he was talking about drawing pants (intense psychoanalysis eyes) or if she was attempting to look dreamily at him and just failed the assignment.
It's becoming a bit more clear to me that there's a weird brother-oedipal thing going on with Claire when Carmy talks about how she had so many friends, as Mikey did.
"Speaking of dead brothers, do you want to go to a party?"
Ignoring the totallykookycoolgirl line, I don't believe Carmy wanted/needed the tension to break there, he actually wanted to talk. The 'hmmmm' he lets escape is discomfort on multiple levels.
The party scene - "Pretty in Pink" by the Psychedelic Furs plays as they enter a house filled with 35-year-old fraternity dudes.
For those who maybe missed this, John Hughes also wrote "The Breakfast Club", wherein Molly Ringwald's character was named Claire. They just beat us over the head with this regression repeatedly, and I resent it. I came here for a high-caliber show, and I feel like I'm watching Zach Braff disassociate in a Scrubs dream sequence or some shit.
At least KJ (a 38 years old man with meth face) says that Carmy was in wrestling with him back in high school - maybe this will tamp down the "why is a chef so ripped" debate.
Even when Claire is comforting her friend (which is played by Mitra Jouhari, Molly/Ayo's friend in real life), the delivery is so wooden and sterile and not how adult women console one another in crisis.
Maybe it was the fact that she was forced to maintain the whispery voice through it for consistency in Carmy's presence, but even that seems out of sorts - imagine Syd, Tina, Sugar, anyone consoling a friend in a similar situation - and she uses that consolation to further her agenda with Carmy by dropping that no one has ever made her dinner before (at age 30???)
"Am I stupid?" "No, no....he's the one who sucks".
Wait, these are the lines of a very adult woman who has friends who are doctors getting over a 5-year-breakup? This script is stupid.
Jeremy Allen White is such a serious actor, I'd kill to hear his earnest drunk take on this.
"He's so nice. Why don't I ever meet anyone who's nice?"
*sighs deeply* - Again, y'all are 30.
Tina taking a shot and then getting up to sing "Before the Next Teardrop Falls" by Freddy Fender. I'd love to know if this song has a massive place of significance in Tina's life, but I choose to see it as her being a ballast of support for whoever needs her. Her heart is completely open - no notes.
Hold the phone - they chose "Here Comes The Night" to play as Claire is staring back at Carmy and comforting her friend leading up to the fireworks scene?
Here are the lyrics - Van Morrison/Them is great, but I wonder why they picked this song? Feel free to slap the Syd goggles off me, but this literally just chased Tina's ballad about being there when someone breaks your heart.
KJ saying "busted for having fun, busted for having fun!" as the cops are hauling him away. Loga....I mean, Carmy, was looking for "fun" in his life - I feel like this scene summarizes that pretty succinctly. He's not a man searching for fun, he's a man searching for meaning....and now he's going to conflate the fact that he's completely touch-starved with this type of fun, because the man is emotionally illiterate.
The one lyric from Strange Currencies (when they're driving to the restaurant) that they chose to flare prominently is "where were you when I kissed you" - at least they're driving home the message that these two aren't on the same wavelength.
Carmy walking into the Richie-fight-shitshow and being more concerned about the optics Claire receives when it's obvious that his whole staff has just been through a hellfire of a day, ugh. At least his acting chops are back on display in this scene.
Ahhhh, Claire's sourpuss face as soon as Sydney blurts out "I'm sorry you're here" - it almost makes this episode worth it. Almost.
For the record, I side with everyone who's stated that her introduction to the crowd was exclusively to draw Syd's attention to her.
The same goes for Richie's "Interesting." - if we based everything on what Fishes was trying to sell us, he would have thrown Carmy an arm-punch or something. It's more bemusement, not pride, in Carmy for "bagging Claire". Compare that with the "ooooooooohhhh" when Syd and Carmy are fighting - there's way more tension/acknowledgement of their dynamic.
Ugh - even Richie is like "Cousin, who's going to watch the copper?" as Carmy kicks everyone out. Even if they're ham-fisted about it (as Richie definitely is), everyone is concerned about something to do with the restaurant/their labor except for Carmy, who curtly dismisses them all with fake gratitude.
I won't talk much about Syd's exit, because it's already been discussed to death - yes, he's confused she's leaving. Yes, the only time he can look her in the eye is while Claire is distracted. Yes, he see's she's pissed and it's making him die a little inside.
I will offer a trite story, though:
When I was a young pup, I had a co-worker who had a massive crush on my friend - and the affection was mutual, but unacknowledged due to lack of experience.
He (being a traumatized, ill-equipped man-child) immediately sought out a less challenging girlfriend who even looked like a close approximation of my friend and excitedly brought this new girlfriend to a party I was throwing because he REALLY hoped that my friend would love her. She obviously didn't love her, he came to me confused/upset, and after I explained things slowly and carefully, he dumped the girlfriend a few days later. He dated my friend weeks after (and for transparencies sake, it ended terribly).
Where I'm going with this is that I think somewhere in the recesses of Carmy's damaged mind, he REALLY needed Syd's approval of him being with Claire since he was caught red-handed. He imagined her staying, asking leading questions or chaperoning the situation, or giving him a knowing smile or a "thata boy" - whatever. Even though he told everyone to leave. It's bizarre.
The Fak thing is so cloying - someone mentioned today about the Berzatto clan of fools wanting to live vicariously through Carmy and Claire, and they are 100% correct.
Finally, 30-year-olds don't kiss like this.
This whole thing was as unsatisfying to write as it was to watch. Hopefully, I caught something of use - thanks for sticking with me through this!
114 notes · View notes
onlyseokmins · 2 years
Text
strawberry & cream • k.m.g.
Tumblr media
Pairing: kim mingyu x fem!reader
Genres: smut (minors dni!), "established" undefined relationship (?)
Warnings: alcohol, swearing, delayed orgasm (m), subby!gyu technically yeah uh huh, he's pussy whipped okay, lots of baby/good boy, lowkey i'm crying, consensual video recording/nude pictures taken, cumming inside wheee, mild aftercare!! lmk if i missed anything :)
WC: ~3k
A/N: I finally posted smth!! Was thinking of one of the dialogues in class last week lmfao and this is what happened. I'm procrastinating on everything else bc i'm unhappy w/ how they've been turning out but this one isn't too bad... turned out longer than i thought and i even made a quick banner ehehe 🤞🏻 enjoy ~
Tumblr media
"You look like you've never felt the touch of a real man."
It's a comment that would have pissed you off if a stranger dared to say it to you. But you know who this tall drink of water is so you agreeably play along. First, taking a sip from the golden liquor swirling in your glass before smirking.
"How observant of you to pick up the fact that I prefer the company of women. They're lovely, kind, beautiful… " Your pointer finger extends to tap against tan skin exposed by the black dress shirt's two unfastened buttons. You lean in close to the tall man as your nail lightly draws circles causing him to groan. "And so soft and supple."
You pull away the minute Mingyu's eyelashes flutter shut when he breathes in the scent of the familiar perfume you're wearing. 
"Unlike you."
Chocolate brown eyes snap back open at your comment but you've already disappeared from his sight. Easily navigating through the crowded dance floor, the gyrating bodies grooving to the catchy techno beat naturally part for you to make your way through.
A large hand wraps around your wrist right before you arrive at the open center. You're swift to hide your knowing smile before he spins you around to face him, sweat glistening on his brow. It doesn't surprise you that Mingyu finds it difficult to move as lithely as you. Although tonight, it just might be the fastest time record he's found you.
"You were quick."
It's a chase and it's a game. Not the way one might think. Even with such a tall figure staring into your eyes, it's you who holds the upper hand. Like a cat tricks a mouse into thinking its escape and safety are secured, you let Mingyu play his cards like he has the winning royal flush.
Unlike a rodent, though, he very well knows to not have a false sense of security. He's well aware of who has the control. You.
But that doesn't mean he'll give in easily.
"Didn't let anyone catch me."
"Atta boy."
He preens under your praise. Mingyu's approachable. Despite his devilishly handsome features, one goofy smile is enough to put anyone at ease. Convince them to talk him up, thinking they might score a chance. But ever since this little "thing" between the two of you started, when that sly glint in your eyes lured him right where you wanted, he's gotten more efficient at blowing people off. 
Just to be the lucky one to have you.
You wish you could be annoyed or tired of him. Content to flirt with one of the many other pretty women and men vying to get your attention. But once again, it seems like you'll be going home with your little brother's best friend.
Warm hands roam your body. Eager to nudge his thigh between yours, you can feel the pleased grumble in his chest under your palms. He likes your outfit. Fingers tease at the large open slits around your waist, hooking underneath the silver double chain that decoratively runs across your hip bones. He tugs up questioningly and raises his eyebrows at the saucy wink you send him.
"Lace and beads," you challenge, "or nothing on at all?"
Mingyu wrinkles his forehead in thought, biting his lip at the faint detection of something hard amidst the heat of your cunt pressing into his thigh. "Fuck, you're dirty."
"What's your guess?"
"What do I get if I'm right?"
"Shouldn't you be asking what's the punishment going to be if you're wrong?"
"I'm sure I'll like it either way."
The disco lights blur when he spins you again, the narrow tip of your heels almost make you lose your balance if he didn't have such a steadfast hold on you. Like he'd let you go on his own accord. If possible, he presses the back of your body even tighter against his firm body so you can feel how much he wants you. Not that it's hard to miss, tight pants almost unable to contain such thick thighs, well-shaped ass, and specifically his dick bulge — especially when it's straining against its leather confines.
"Naughty boy."
"Says the one that always looks so fuckable every time we meet," his tongue plays with the tiny hoop on the upper part of your ear. "So goddamn sexy."
"Bet if I told you to, you'd take out your dick for me right now. Slip it right inside of me in front of all these people."
The change in music drowns out his reply but you can easily tell what it is by the desperate roll of his hips. Like a puppy in heat, he grinds pathetically against the thin blue material covering your body searching for some semblance of relief.
You snake an arm behind his neck to grab at the fluffy locks he's growing out because he knows you like to pull at it. Mingyu readily brings his lips to your neck to lather you in hot, open-mouthed kisses. Throwing your head back against his shoulder and swaying to the beat, he continues to casually explore. Wandering hands move upwards, appreciating the access to your midriff above the high waistband. 
Brushing underneath the swell of your chest, you hear his frustrated moan at the crisscrossed laces just barely stretching enough fabric to cover your breasts. His brain goes fuzzy with the thought of one light tug freeing those gorgeous tits. The only thing holding him back from doing exactly that is the not-so-subtle gaze of the pretty woman that's been keeping her eye on the two of you moving around the dance floor. 
Who she wants is uncertain. Maybe both? The two of you are trying to blend in, acting as if you're not about to tear each other's clothes off right now. A fleeting glance and you probably look like the average dancers surrounding you but a steady, piercing gaze is enough to figure out the undeniable sexual tension between the two of you.
"And you say you're not naughty, Mr. Kim."
He knows you can read him like an open book. "Only for you, god… you know the things you do to me. You alone. But fuck, is this a one-piece?"
"Yeah, you like it?"
"'Course I do, how could I not? But how am I supposed to take it off? I like you better naked, after all."
"Who says you'll be the one taking it off?" Your aloof tone makes him whine and you chuckle. "Luckily, I know a very efficient way to undress."
"Gonna give me a hint?"
Mingyu knows you've started to pay zero attention to any flirtatious gazes when you're in his arms. Which is why he refuses to let go. But of course, you have other plans. You pry one of his hands away from your waist, interlocking your fingers together. Once his grip loosens enough, you step away from his warmth and firm body. Keeping your hand in his, you turn to face him and tilt your head.
"Your answer?"
Brown eyes sparkle mischievously as he weighs his options on how to answer the initial question asked. Your patience will grow thin if you have to wait any longer so he makes up his mind with a toothy grin. 
"Bet you have nothing covering that pretty pussy of yours."
Mingyu lets himself be willingly yanked forward by the hand you're still holding. His lips collide with yours and he's quick to brush his tongue across your lips, asking for entry. You hum in contemplation once you feel his hands wander down to squeeze at your ass and press your pubic bone roughly against his bulge. Your mouth opens slightly, enough so your tongue can poke out and tangle with his. It's a battle he's suddenly determined not to lose as he fights and wrestles against your dominance in his overeagerness.
You press a hand against his pectoral to try and steady him so he doesn't knock you over and feel his heart beating at a rapid pace. Pulling away, you shake your head at the way he chases after your lips. 
"You're awfully bold for someone who knows their answer is wrong."
"I love kissing you," Mingyu admits more to himself than you yet you catch it anyway. It had taken months for even a peck on the cheek to be allowed. Of course, he'd be delighted with whatever few opportunities he's granted to lavish you in and with a kiss or more.
"Savor it now, baby boy 'cause you won't get another chance tonight."
He's elated, smiling at you and puffing out his chest. Eyes darkening with a carnal desire at the strawberry and cream flavor he can taste with a swipe of his tongue over his own lips. Grateful that you said "for tonight", not forever. A thumb daringly smears the complementary lip tint even further from where it's smudged and escapes the desirable shape of your mouth.
"Oh, I look forward to whatever you have planned."
Mingyu lowkey regrets those words an hour later when his cock is still achingly hard — oozing precum that's dripping down the entire angry red length and coating his abs. He wishes he could let his mind wander to ward off the orgasm that's been denied its release but that's impossible with you in his vicinity.
Naked. On top of him. Fuck.
You'd shown him how effortlessly you could take off a difficult clothing set. To know one's surprise, you were the one who taught him how to effectively unclasp a bra with one flick. Obviously, anyone would easily shed their clothes to have a chance with Kim Mingyu, so you figured it wasn't that big of a deal.
But guiding a man on how best to pleasure their partner was no small feat. Although the man only cared to focus on what pleased you.
Of course, it was torturing him. Duh.
Even now, the thought of you simply undressing has his jaw tensing. No one should look that good getting naked. But it's you. Doing it for him. 
"Shit!" he rasps out through clenched teeth.
"Aw, what's wrong, Gyu? Wanna cum already?"
"N-no."
"That's right, I didn't give you permission yet. Good boy."
He's panting, trying to keep his senses together but they're so dizzyingly saturated with everything that's you. 
The flashbacks.
When you'd loosened the laces and let your tits bounce out from their binds, putting on a little show for him per his request. Squeezing them together and releasing before bending over to show off the round curve of your ass and the pretty little thong you had on. Lace, chains, and beads in all the right places he'd felt earlier, you knew you could wear fancier lingerie without him ripping it because Mingyu wasn't allowed to touch.
The present.
His hands are gripping the sheets so tightly they might rip but both of you could care less about a hotel's bedding. Veins lining his arms pop out in irritation as he struggles to rein in how much he wants to touch you, knowing you let him get his fill out on the dancefloor and you'll more than likely let him cum faster if he's well-behaved.
The visuals.
You're gliding back and forth on top of his dick, not sheathing it fully inside you. Alternating between jerking him off with your hand instead while you sit on his thighs so he can feel your slick arousal all over them. He's doing so good for you and you're pleased. You'd already cummed once, making sure to slip just the tip in so he loses his mind over how tight you clench around him for kicks and giggles.
He was not beneath begging for you, knowing you thrived off of it. It would be a lie to say it didn't stroke your ego to have such a big, broad, beautiful man fall apart and break into pieces for you. He might've even cried, definitely feeling his eyes water in desperation now. You love it.
So much that you dismount, turning your back as you reach for your phone on the nightstand. Mingyu moans without shame but this one's out of despair. He'd rather be denied any release from the immense pleasure you've subjugated him to than ignored.
"Hush, baby boy, I just want to capture how pretty you look for me. That's okay, right?" 
"Will you let me cum? I wanna cum so bad. Pretty please?" Hips jutting up at the chill in the air making his dick uber sensitive as it flops pathetically against his stomach. "Please, please, please!" 
His "pleases" trail off into a mumbled mess of plaintive begs, big brown eyes pleading. You purse your lips in sympathy when he sniffles, shifting so you can run your hand through his bangs and then cup his flushed cheek.
"Shh, I'll let you cum baby, I will. But you know I need you to answer me." Taking pictures was already established between the two of you — both having your fair share of candid polaroids and videos stored away. But it was still a vulnerable decision and you wanted his clear consent. "Want to hear it from this mouth of yours."
Your thumb traces Mingyu's plump upper lip the same way he did to you earlier. Although you don't hesitate to slip it inside. He readily sucks on your finger and closes his eyes, using it as an anchor to stabilize his breathing and try to clear the haze clouding his senses.
"Y-yeah… Go ahead."
"Good boy, see that wasn't so hard." You snap a few pictures, eating up how good his dewy skin looks under the lighting. You're kind enough to not leave him wanting for too long, finally returning to wrapping your hand around his leaking cock. "Unlike this bad boy."
"'M sorry."
"Don't apologize, you're a vision to behold, Mingyu," you scold seriously. "And never forget that."
"Oh… kay."
"You deserve to cum don't you, baby? Sorry for making you wait so long." You both know you're full of shit. You're not sorry. "Well-behaved boys deserve their rewards, I'll even film a good shot of when you cum — you decide where so you can save it for when you're lonely."
"Th-thank you," Mingyu wheezes out when you begin easing his cock between your pussy lips. Achingly you start to sink down, light spasms causing your hole to ripple delightfully around the full stretch of his girth.
"As long you don't cum until I say so or you'll end up licking it off the bed."
He's so tense you're starting to fear he could tear the mattress. Consolingly, you bring his large hands up to your breasts, encouraging him to squeeze and tug at them as he pleases. Like his favorite set of stress balls, he focuses on kneading them in a way that has you arching your back and causing you to fully sheathe him inside faster.
Sometimes Mingyu can win in the smallest of ways.
You let out paired sighs of relief when the bottom of your ass meets his thighs. "Where do you wanna cum, baby?"
"Inside, god please, inside!"
He babbles helplessly at the sensual way you swivel your hips but you know he can't hold on much longer and want to ensure your puppy man gets his much-needed relief. "Your wish is my command."
The guttural noise he lets out is followed by an incoherent gibberish of him thanking you as he starts to paint your inner walls white with his release. It's a long one that lasts spurt after spurt with an enormous amount of tension unloading from his entire body. You ride him through it, the pleasant way he's twitching inside you setting off your own climax and milking all that he's worth.
You're quicker to recover, obviously. Tilting your phone camera at the perfect angle, you press the red recording button and slowly move your hips up. He grumbles at the loss of your warmth but you coo at him, fingers tapping soothingly where you've braced your hand against his abs for some support.
"Look how good you filled me up, Gyu." You're speaking more to the future Mingyu that will definitely be watching this but the Mingyu now is still listening. "Such a good boy."
He whines at the view he can see, the way globs of his release ooze out of your cunt at every clench you make for show. It's dirty and sinful which is your strongest suit. You save the video and send it to him once you're satisfied, noticing the way his eyelids are starting to droop.
Shaky legs carry you to the bathroom. You return with a washcloth, making sure to be very gentle wiping him down. He shifts onto his side when you've finished and extends his arm over the spot beside him, a silent invitation for you to crawl under the covers you pulled up over his broad shoulders.
And of course, you do. Well aware of how much he likes to cuddle and cling. Mingyu's a needy man all over and a large part of you feels guilty at being unable to give him what he deserves the most.
But he keeps this game going, continually showing up at every bar or club you inform your brother you're stopping by. You're not sure if you hate it or like it. You've left many openings for him to slip away and yet the man doesn't — only insisting on getting even closer. 
Not even the cold, empty side of where you laid next to him as he fell asleep is enough to discourage him. You see, you're not wrong but Mingyu's not simply needy. He's stubborn too. 
A dreamy grin graces his face at the sight of your trademark pink post-it note left on the nightstand for him. It never says much of any substance but it's not like he bothers reading it. He presses a kiss against the lip stain you always leave on it, breathing in the tantalizing strawberry and cream scent he knows so well that emanates from it. Then he slips it alongside the many others in his wallet. Right next to his favorite nude picture of you and the expired, unused condom from the first night he tumbled into bed with you.
Tumblr media
onlyseokmins: October 2022 ©
Personal Taglist: @aceofvernons @joshibambi @junhui-recs @pandorashbox @rubyscoups @woozluv @yeosayang @dejavernon @httpswonwoosglasses @noraehey @charcharfairy @buffhoshi @horanghae8star @onlymingyus
340 notes · View notes
llzrabin · 5 months
Text
A recent interview of Alison Mosshart from The Kills for music magazine Dans Ta Face B. Full interview under the cut and French version on their website.
La Face B : You’ve just released your sixth album, God Games, twenty years after your first record. Which means you’ve been making music together for two decades now. You’ve mentioned a few times in recent interviews being ‘terrified’ of the process of recording this album. Obviously, danger is inherent to creativity and passion. What were you scared of in particular, regarding your own history as a band? Can one as a musician actually ever get rid of this fear? Alison Mosshart : I think as an artist, fear is good. Fear keeps one alert and desirous to discover something new in oneself, in one’s work, and about the world. Fear is a simple word to describe “facing the unknown.” At the start of every album, you are facing the unknown. There is nothing, a blank page... and you have to muster up the courage to turn this nothingness in somethingness. And not just any old thing. But something truly great. Even though we’ve been writing music together for 20 years, nothing is a given. Nothing is taken for granted. We constantly must prove to ourselves and to one another that we’ve got the goods. Every record is as important as the first, at least to the artist.
La Face B : When I first heard the album, I was under the impression that I was listening to a movie sequence or a journey, with some kind of movements. You kept the traditional verse-chorus structure in most songs, but they also sound like something else. What do you think evolved the most in your music over the years? And on the other hand, is there something that definitely stayed true to your first sound?
Alison Mosshart : A couple of things. We both think the traditional verse chorus structure is a little at odds with the mind. Whereas novels and poetry and film... can veer around elegantly, it’s a little hard with rock n’ roll structure sometimes. It’s nice not following the traditional rules and allow some abstraction.
Thoughts by nature...zig zag, skip, don’t really work in liner or predictable order. Thoughts lead to thoughts lead to other thoughts say “california can’t be trusted” to “I love rollercoasters” to “Thursday’s good for me,” to “I wonder what happened to Bob?” “Green car,” “dog bit my face,” “phone’s dead again” “papercut!” And on and on and on.
Having said all that, I do think our music is very visual. It seems to contain its own colours and shapes and tactility. I know when a song is done by listening to it and seeing it from start to end. When it feels like I’m watching a play or a short film and I’m satisfied with what I’ve seen, I’m happy with the song. If I’m listening and the scene freezes, there is still work to do.
La Face B : Did having another person involved in the studio give you a different perspective on your music?
Alison Mosshart : Having another person in the room always gives you a different perspective. You know right away if a song is working by feeling the energy of that person hearing it for the first time. They don’t have to say a word. The truth is just there.
La Face B : Your lyrics almost always address another person, like a dialogue between two people. Love and hate, hope and failure, tenderness and violence blend into each other in the stories you tell. They also almost always convey a sense of urgency. Alison, do you still record and write your lyrics in your car while driving at fast speed, CARMA-style?
Alison Mosshart : Sure. We’re all contending with one another and ourselves. There is surely a lot of back and forth and push and pull going on in the lyrics. The war is never won, right? About cars, I love to drive. It’s very meditative for me. A lot of ideas come when I’m behind the wheel. I do still have a little Dictaphone in the car that I keep handy. It’s a safer option then a pen and pad.
La Face B : When I first saw you in 2011 at Rock en Seine during the Blood Pressures tour, there were two other musicians with you onstage. Lately, it looks like you’ve gone back as a two piece again. Is it important to you not to depend on anyone? Is it a way of not having to compromise?
Alison Mosshart : Different times call for different measures. We love playing with other musicians and we love playing as a two piece. During certain records, it made a lot of sense to have the back up. But it was a different time in the music industry too. We’re in a different world now 6 years later. Streaming has made it unaffordable to hire extra musicians. Which I think is ultimately a very bad thing. I hope one day things change.
La Face B : The Kills have always been a very visual band. Alison, you’re also a painter, and Jamie, I’ve heard in a recent interview that you would have loved to collaborate with Lucian Freud… Do you feel the need to explore other art forms to maintain this global approach to music?
Alison Mosshart : We’ve always painted, drawn, taken photos, filmed things. I love every art form. I don’t think it’s important to do all these things to maintain a global approach to music. I’m not sure what a global approach to music even is. I just love making art. It all comes from the same place I think.
La Face B : A friend of mine who doesn’t like rock music was telling me the other day how he thought he witnessed the best rock concert he’s ever been to after seeing you live in Paris, precisely because your music didn’t sound like rock to him. I found that very interesting because you do have that kind of bluesy-guitar signature style, while also playing with noisy textures that could come from a cut-up approach, like hip hop music does. Do this kind of approach inspire you? Do you pay any attention at all to genre while writing?
Alison Mosshart : We see ourselves as an electric guitar band before a rock n’ roll band. With an electric guitar and a vocal, you can do anything, any genre, any style, fuck around with any rhythm you want. Being a two piece is the only limit we have, everything else, every idea that we can conceive of starting from that point, is fair game.
La Face B : Lastly- I recently came across these images and immediately thought of The Kills. A series of photographs by John Divola titled ‘Dogs Chasing My Car in the Desert’, which he took in 96-98 while driving in the Southern California desert, conjuring existential themes like isolation and desire, man versus wild, joy versus fear. It made me think of God Games’ cover, with the bull and the matador, but it also reminded me of Don Van Vliet’s painting retreat in California after Captain Beefheart’s ending, and of Vanishing Point’s iconic car chase. Basically a lot of the things you’ve often mentioned as an inspiration. I wanted to point it out to you, see if you knew this photographer. What does it evoke for you?
Alison Mosshart : I love this photo series. Meditative again, like driving a car. It’s cool to see stills of animals running, their shape, their sleekness, the body transformed into a bullet. I don’t know why but it makes me think of Benton Harbor, Michigan in the snow and the dogs at Key Club (a recording studio we worked at a lot)  running down the desolate main street in a town that time forgot. These photos look like love and loyalty to me. 
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
22 notes · View notes
short-and-ugly · 5 months
Note
Hey yuor the Skoodge guy!
Two questions:
1. What does Zim see in him?
2. What does he see in Skoodge?
Wait isn't this the same question phrased in two different ways
im gonna assume its "Zim see in him" and "He sees in Zim" for this!!!! ... im the skoodge guy.... you flatter me. far too much. eradicated.
and endeared.
i Want to answer this as unbiased as possible....... so im going to do so under the assumption that we are talking about Canon.
Zim... doesn't see a whole lot in Skoodge, I don't think. Maybe a pawn, maybe a loyal follower which he 'rightfully' deserves. But then again, Zim has been given the opportunity to have followers before, and he's never really... taken advantage of them. Mostly, Zim seems to want nothing to do with people worshiping and idolizing him! Gets all... jittery and weird. Space morons episode I think. Whichever one was the one where the alien cultists/conventionists found him.
So then if Zim doesn't see Skoodge as a follower, and pawn is still up in the air... does he see him as. A nuisance? Probably. But Zim ALSO has a tendency to regard Gir as a nuisance, despite the facts pointing towards him enjoying the robot's company/general existence.
There's not too much canon Zim-Skoodge interaction dialogue, but Hobo-13 establishes a strange dynamic of Zim bossing Skoodge around and Skoodge blindly accepting it. I don't know if that's because of the situation (Zim being the leader there) or if that's just their whole Thing, but I'm leaning towards the latter, because in Day of Da Spookies (script) their relationship remains pretty much the exact same. The only thing that changes is Zim is a lot more hostile? To Skoodge, for conquering his planet first (obviously jealous/upset that Skoodge has managed to beat his in record time, whereas Zim hasn't made much, if any progress, on Earth).
And with the Trial, too, it's clear that this is how the two have interacted with each other for a long while. I just. Have no idea why.
Skoodge just. Seems to blindly follow Zim, regarding him in just about the same light as a typical irken would the Tallest.
Taking his command with much less hesitation, too. He looks at the Tallest before going into the cannon, but whenever Zim has a plan, he takes it in stride. Even though he MUST be aware of the usually explode-y consequences that Zim's plans tend to generate. No irken wouldn't know. Is he just ignorant? I really doubt it. He's been there since the beginning. He was definitely there to see the second power outage on Irk, and the mayhem of OID1. He's just... that thoroughly blinded by his whatever that he has towards Zim.
And I really really want to call it a crush, but this is canon I'm talking about! Love doesn't exist in this show, yadda yadda, whatever! Who cares! If it isn't a crush, it's definitely the closest irken equivalent to it! Maybe Zim looks like a giant donut to Skoodge! Who knows. He's deranged. Just about as insane as Zim is. Thankfully, all his energy is directed towards surviving whatever Zim or the universe throws at him, instead of anything else. That might end up resulting in a bunch of casualties.
So. The questions. They remain!
What does Zim see in Skoodge?
I think he sees a tool. Something to be used at his disposal. Easily and readily accessible, because that's what Skoodge has molded himself to be.
And maybe, underneath that. Just the TEENSIEST tiniest bit. Zim sees an ally. (Or a friend.)
What does Skoodge see in Zim?
Everything.
Or at least way more than he should.
Or maybe he just sees someone interesting. A short irken with the complex of a taller one. Strong and commandeering despite his height. And he admires that.
thanks for letting me be insane about them. i love you dearly.
somehow this still ended up being about my specific interpretations of them. theres just so little in canon....... and i dont wanna just end it at ''zim hates skoodge and skoodge is okay with that'' because the tallest hate skoodge! and skoodge is okay with it! expects it! and the way skoodge reacts to the tallest and zim are different i think! he speaks out to purple! and obeys zim without question!
and zim....... is fine with him following him around. for the most part. he at least never kicks him out of the base. and that has to mean something
skoodge runs away a lot from things........ but he always comes back to zim
26 notes · View notes
cal-writes · 6 months
Note
hi, i'm here with a couple of bits for the ask game! ❤️ in general AND specifically 221 Beika Street series. 💥 for both one piece and detco. and ✨️👓🦋🦈📚💛 please! may you have a blessed day, Cal!
damn you did not mess around! lets hope mobile doesnt destroy me trying to answer
i will put this under read more bc it got long!
❤️ What is your favorite line that you’ve written in a fic?
i have many! generally i like my dialogue the best usually so this one is from my most recent one piece wip
-
Kureha scoffs and waves him off. “Oh, please. You’re practically glowing like a young bride. You definitely got laid.”
for detco i loved this exchange in A Matter of Deduction
“For the record, you’re a terrible liar.” Shinichi threw over. Hattori hung his head briefly with a sharp laugh. He shut off the water in the sink and dried his hands on a dishtowel he threw at Shinichi with too little force, causing it to land on the floor between them.
 
“And you’re a terrible detective.”
-
for 221 beika street specifically i loved writing amuro and shinichi being bitchy at each other
“I like him better than I do you.” He told Amuro plainly. It wasn’t much of an achievement, considering, but Shinichi still felt like it needed to be said. Since they were being so honest with each other after all. 
 
“I’m well aware,” Amuro said, chuckling. “I hate you less than I do him.” He was still idly turning pages in the book and Shinichi slammed it shut in his hands.
 
“If you bring your gun here again I will make you regret it.”
💥 What is one canon thing that you wish you could change?
for one piece i think it would be the reveal of why sanji wanted to have to power to turn invisible. listen i have a tough time liking sanji in canon and i thought when it was first brought up that yknow that could be an interesting thing to explore esp with his backstory later with his shitty family like do something with that! and then they were like nah he wants to harass women in the bath. like i pretend i do not see it
for detco its hard bc i think there is so much thats only debatably canon. for me detco isnt really one continuous story so i like to pick and choose with canon anyway. maybe just more queer representation. or any i suppose (the movies arent really canon but the lupin crossover movie has like two or three lines in it that i despise and wish to delete from out universe entirely)
✨️ Out of the comments you’ve received on your fics, what are two or three of your favorites?
there is a lovely person called hikarinomajin (i forgot what their tumblr user name is and cannot find it for the live of me rn) who made a thread on twitter as they read 221 beika street and linked it in the comments and that was a joy to read. they leave lovely comments but that first one and the thread is special to me, ive never had someone make a thread live blogging them reading my writing.
also @blithe-bee is the best hype woman for my wips, lots of comments from her in my google docs drafts that are a huge motivation, i have posted one of my recent favorites on this blog about stabbing zoro being my brand
also a very different but hilarious one is this one on Glue Trap from BnuuyTales, makes me cackle every time
Tumblr media
👓 What helps you focus when you write?
playlists! i make playlists for everything. when im starting to get serious about a story i will sit down and make a playlist. here is part of the 221 beika street one
Tumblr media
🦋 Which character is your favorite to write?
they all have their unique quirks. i think i feel the most at home in heijis and laws head bc i can project my own way of thinking on it. a bit scattered and a bit overdrive and run on sentences. its the easiest to write as them i think. a few other characters are fun to write though just because i can use a different style. ive really been enjoying writing robin from one piece and my one shot from sonokos pov bc they think very differently and have different focus and expressions
🦈 Which character is the toughest to write?
i really struggled with kaito at first. ive mostly seen the movies for detco in the beginning and hadnt read the kaito manga yet so i felt like pulling teeth trying to get his voice down.
for one piece i tried my hand at usopp recently too and i definitely am not as comfortable in his pov yet as other characters but i could see myself really enjoying him down the line
📚 Is there a fanfic or fanfic writer you recommend?
@the-pen-pot is someone ive been following since livejournal and shes (i hope thats the right pronouns) a great writer! merlin unfortunately isnt my fandom but if you are into merlin im sure her stuff is still great if not better then when i read her fullmetal alchemist fics back in the day
specific fics is a little though for op and detco bc as soon as i start writing fic i will read less of it in any given fandom xD
but here are some favs
i think a classic for detco is a study in scarlette great work by kittebasu
kaishin power hour, great plot and fantastic pace, also really interesting character exploration
for one piece i absolutely loved Cut My Feelings Clean Off by Augment
zoro as the heart pirates first mate, fantastic dynamics here. absolutely love how their wrote law
if you are into grandmaster of demonic cultivation and horror Post Mortem by Cataclysmic_Calamity was a breathtaking piece of work but do be mindful of the content warnings. the climax is so fantastic i read it multiple times
and for some red vs blue fans P versus NP by @glassedplanets
wash and maine in a canon divergent story. one of my absolute favorites, i followed the progress for years and the author recently started writing one piece too! (that ive been meaning to read as well) so definitely check their stuff out. they also make beautiful art
i wish i was better with names bc i know some of these people have tumblrs too that i follow but i cannot remember the names. i just see vague icon blobs when i scroll my timeline
💛 What is the most impactful lesson you’ve learned about writing?
i know its hard especially in this current age of social media but just write for yourself. like i sometimes call writing exorcising things from my brain and i think thats where the passion comes from. dont write for numbers and likes (although those are of course nice too) but they arent a sign of quality or capability.
ages ago on a different website i once did this test where i took the same fic, changed the names into one from a bigger fandom and posted them both. and to see the difference in numbers just based on which fandom or paaring it was from really helped me move on from that mindset of “if there are no comments or likes its bad” sometimes it just means less people have seen it
wow thank you for asking all of them!! this is fun
21 notes · View notes
scoops-aboy86 · 2 months
Note
not to add to your wip's but... Eddie saying this to Steve as he watches him cook breakfast on their six month anniversary https://www.tumblr.com/heavyheavycream/735906040127930368/small-dialogue-i-thought-would-be-cute?source=share :)
Oh you. (I'm not complaining, this gave me something to do on a three hour flight. 😋)
Ugh, this turned out so domestic and sweet that I'm getting a toothache.
❤️🥞🫐❤️🥞🫐❤️🥞🫐❤️🥞🫐❤️🥞🫐❤️🥞🫐❤️🥞🫐
Eddie has never been in a relationship where he got to celebrate anniversaries before. Hell, he’s never been in a relationship before, full-stop, let alone a long term one. 
Steve has, but he always points out that it wasn’t exactly a successful one—whatever was between him and Nancy to start with had started its emergency descent the night Barb died, or maybe the afternoon he’d stood back and let Tommy H. spray paint slut on a movie theater marquee. Either way, he’d missed the memo and never assumed a crash position, and that had been one hell of a thump on the head. 
And Eddie knows this. He knows that bullshit eroded a lot of Steve’s confidence in keeping someone interested long term, not helped by the way his parents seem to have forgotten they have a son and a home in Hawkins. He and Steve have talked about it, just like he’s admitted his worries that he’s only ever a temporary attraction, a warm willing hand or mouth, or a hard dick, good only for back alley or bar bathroom lust. He’s had some grimy one night stands that never moved on from standing and lasted less than ten minutes, and on some level he’d likened that to his mom dying (leaving him) when he was still little and his dad’s short attention span for anything that wasn’t shiny and easy to pawn. 
They’re both damaged goods, is the thing; they even have enough scars to prove it to any casual observer at a quick glance. And everyone has always taken one look at Eddie Munson and thought they knew exactly what he was: poor, abandoned, trailer trash, nerd, metalhead, super senior, cult leader, trouble. 
But he wakes up and rolls over, stretching and yawning, to find a note on Steve’s side of their shaded bed, right on the pillow that still smells of expensive shampoo, and it reads, Happy 6 month Anniverasry Eds!
It makes Eddie feel warm all over, spelling error and all. So loved, that Steve never lets his runaway imagination get the mistaken idea that his boyfriend is gone gone. 
He continues stretching, going lazily through the morning routine that will help keep his right leg from cramping up the way it’s prone to doing now. Luxuriates in rolling around without restriction, arching his back up from the mattress and letting out a little moan as his spine pops a little, because it feels satisfying. An outward (inward?) echo of how his life has fallen into place since the Upside Down. First a free man, then a high school graduate, an honest to god boyfriend, and now gainfully employed at a record shop. It’s not glamorous, but he doesn’t need glamor anymore. Rock star life doesn’t hold the same appeal now that he’s been in the worst kind of spotlight, and as a taken man the only other appeal would be the freer access to hard drugs, which… pass. He’s retired his old metal lunch box, except to house his personal weed stash. 
Speaking of, he sits up and looks around for it only to find a joint already rolled and waiting for him on the nightstand. He recognizes Steve’s handiwork with a smile, and takes it up along with the lighter waiting beside it to hit the green. 
It’s gonna be a good day. 
He feels nice and loose by the time he leaves the bedroom, barefoot and clad in boxers and a faded crop top that’s seen better days. His stomach rumbles and he gives it an absent pat, scratching idly beneath where it curves out more and more these days as he shuffles down the hall to the kitchen where he can already hear Steve singing a Tears for Fears song. 
“—Don’t take my heart don’t break my heart don’t, don’t, don’t da da da da…”
Eddie takes a seat on one of the tall chairs along the outer counter that separates the kitchen proper from their second hand breakfast table. He knows that Steve notices the scrape of it against the linoleum because he perks up, not turning yet because he’s alternating between flipping fried eggs and pancakes in different pans on the stove, reaching over them to give the third pan of bacon on one of the back burners a shake to make sure it isn’t sticking. The fourth burner is occupied by a lidded pot with steam leaking faintly around the edges, likely some sort of berry topping for the pancakes, because Eddie likes to drown his in more than just syrup and melted butter. 
And, frankly, Steve likes to spoil him. It shows in the way Eddie’s arm spreads a little where it rests on top of the open counter shelf and pushes his softened pec up to a rounded curve at the stretched collar of his top, and the way his belly plops onto the countertop below when he leans forward. His thick thighs have sent the legs of his boxers riding up again, pushed to kiss the waistband where it’s been rolled in the opposite direction by the weight of his midsection. He knows that his ass is spreading on the vinyl seat and will make a noise whenever he stands up, and that he’s developed some serious love handles and back rolls. Who the fuck cares about that, though, when his man is cooking him a mouthwatering spread for breakfast and humming a dumb pop song about being head over fucking heels? Eddie props his other arm on the shelf and his cheek on one hand, swinging his legs contentedly and enjoying the way it makes parts of him wobble with the motion. 
“What’s cookin’, good lookin’?” Steve calls over his shoulder, and Eddie chuckles indulgently at how dorky it is, keeps kicking his feet. 
“A feast, by the looks of it, Stevie,” he teases. “Did you invite anyone else to our special anniversary breakfast without telling me?”
“I didn’t even invite you, nerd,” comes the retort. “You were supposed to still be in bed so I could bring it to you and feed you there.”
Eddie smirks. “What can I say, baby. I got hungry. Got the little gift you wrapped for me, though… smoked it all up, hope you didn’t want any.”
“That’s alright,” Steve says, and flips a perfectly golden pancake onto an already stacked plate with a grace born of practice. “I knew you wouldn’t leave leftovers.”
“Damn right,” Eddie murmurs, ogling both the food and Steve’s perfect pert ass in white briefs. It’s nothing compared to his own these days, but he’s quite partial to it. Could make a feast of it in fact, and has. But that’s not what this morning is about. 
Steve must feel his gaze, because he wiggles his hips enticingly before sliding the eggs out onto another plate, piling the bacon on next to and a little on top of them. A third plate has a stack of pre-buttered toast, and Eddie licks his lips at all of the above as Steve takes the lid off the pot and ladles a thick, sticky substance over both toast and pancakes—smells like blueberries today. Of course it is; blueberries are Eddie’s favorite. 
His empty belly gives an anticipatory rumble. 
“Hey, sweetheart,” Eddie says, licking his lips. “You remember our first night together?”
And oh, what a night that had been. Back when Eddie had still been thin as a rail, thinner than usual after his near death experience and still fresh off a hospital discharge. All pent up from a long stretch of heated fantasies about what Steve sticking by his bedside almost constantly could mean. So of course Steve had been the one to drive him home, since Wayne had run out of time off from the plant. Of course Steve had stayed to keep him company, and Eddie had suggested they smoke up because he had to do something to keep from getting all in his own head about it, and Steve had agreed and then kept watching him with those eyes. Fuck, a guy could drown in those things, and Eddie had, and then Steve had kissed him and whispered wonderful things. And Eddie had thought, Okay, at least I get to live the dream for a bit, then life’ll go back to normal once I fall asleep and he takes off. 
“Yeah,” Steve says now, turning off the burners and turning to face Eddie with a tender look on his face. The same one Eddie had first seen upon waking six months earlier to find he’d been wrong, that Steve hadn’t left after all. 
Eddie favors him with a slow smile. “Remember the next morning, when you told me that food was your love-language?”
“Yeah, I remember.” A hint of red warms Steve’s cheeks, and he starts picking up the plates. There are only three this time, but he can stack two on each arm when he needs to, Eddie’s seen him do it. His man is so capable, it’s really such a fucking turn-on. “Why?”
Smile turned up to full-on dimples now, Eddie leans forward just a little bit more. Puts the full heft of himself even more on display because he knows Steve loves it, loves how soft and insatiable he’s become, outsides matching how he’s always felt about Hawkins’ golden boy on the inside. “Because, baby… I feel very loved right now.”
Steve’s laugh is delighted, giddy, perfect. He shoos Eddie down the hall back to the bedroom of their new apartment, following with the food that means I love Eddie Munson even though neither of them has officially said it yet. They’re still both a bit broken, a bit fragile, but healing. 
It’s the first major relationship milestone Eddie has ever gotten to celebrate, and it’s sweeter than syrup mixed with homemade blueberry compote.
19 notes · View notes