#let the spiral commence | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

improbable-outset · 21 days

Text

📄 𝐈’𝐦 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫

Miguel O’Hara x Fem!Reader

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 2.5k

𝐀𝐎𝟑 | 𝐌𝐲 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐬 | 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

𝐓𝐖 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐖: Angst, post-break up, Miguel’s heartbroken, he really shouldn’t be though, sexual frustration, innuendos, soreness from sex, male masturbation, sexual flashbacks MINORS DNI🔞

𝐀/𝐍: Hey, hope you didn’t forget about me🥹 it’s been a while. I saw this fan art of Miggy in the shower after I wrote this and thought it was pretty fitting

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: It’s been over a year since you split up, but unfortunately for Miguel, things are still taking a toll. Even after going your separate ways, you still have to see each other everyday and it was affecting his performance. Meanwhile, your dual life as a loyal lover and as Spider-Woman is putting a lingering strain on your new relationship. The ripple effect of your breakup is coming back to bite you in the ass in the most unexpected way possible.

Things were already hard enough after you and Miguel broke things off. But having to be your boss while not allowing his heartbreak to get in the way of leading a group of Spider People, including yourself, was modifying.

He didn’t realise how much the aftermath affected him until his recruits had noticed his performance was lacking.

His combat skills were becoming sloppy making him prone to more injury. It was frustrating how much he was letting this get to his head— he couldn’t see what was right in front of him.

After the third trip to the Spider Medbay, it dawned on him that he had to accept things as they were now and move on. His job as a leader will be at risk otherwise.

Initially, he thought he was doing a decent job ignoring his pain. He was growing used to seeing you everyday without your affection, especially since he was accustomed to being alone before you got together.

But after the latest Spider meeting, Miguel was left with fresh salt on the wound.

As you sat down on your seat before he commenced the meeting, your face scrunched slightly from the ache between your legs.

An obvious sign that you’ve just been dicked down by your current flame recently. No one else in the board room had noticed but he definitely did.

And he hated himself for it.

If the situation were different, where you didn't feel any resentment towards him after he broke your heart, he wouldn’t pay any mind to it.

There was a time where he would’ve felt his ego soar after seeing you struggling to sit down like that — only because he knew it was him and his dick that was the cause of that. But now he was left with bitter pain and yearning.

Back then, he knew he could manhandle you if he wanted to. But he would never do anything that could affect your agility and performance as a crime fighter.

Albeit, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t fuck you good enough so you would get drunk from his dick and he got to witness your mind going numb.

But now he had lost that privilege. He couldn’t see your worn out face anymore after he made you come.

The mere notion of another man touching you like that, let alone seeing you in that state, was enough to send him spiraling. Not that he would let you be aware of that.

This new guy wasn’t even aware of your double life as Spiderwoman. He wouldn’t be as cautious and mindful when fucking you like Miguel would.

It was one of the convenient things in your relationship— why you were perfect for each other. Until it wasn’t. He had to force himself to continue like this wasn’t tearing him apart inside.

Eventually the meeting came to a conclusion and everyone made their way to the cafeteria for their lunch break. Miguel, on the other hand, headed back to his office in solitary.

Every muscle in his body felt heavy and it felt like extra labour just to walk back to his office. He didn’t catch you following behind until you called out his name.

��Miguel,” he turned to see you walk up towards him.

As foolish as it was, for a fleeting moment he thought you were going to comfort him; put your hands on his shoulders and give him a massage or peppered his face with kisses when everyone had left, just like you used to.

The fantasy vanished just as quickly as it came when you spoke your mind.

“I think my watch needs calibrating, it’s acting up,” you told him, gesturing to your watch. Of course.

You would only approach him when you need something from him. That was how it had been, he shouldn’t expect anything more.

“Alright pass it over, I’ll give you a day pass in the meantime,” he said as he fished out a day pass for you to wear.

You removed your watch from your hand and passed it to him before taking the wrist band and putting it on.

Once it was secure, you turned your heels to leave. He felt his adrenaline spike as he watched you and out of impulse, he opened his mouth to speak again.

“Hey um,” He started, making you turn back around to look at him. Your eyes bore onto his, something he thought he’d never witness again after you split up. Except this time, there wasn’t any warmth in your gaze as there used to be; instead, there was nothing but a void.

Shit

The room suddenly felt like it was getting hotter. Or maybe that was the heat rushing to his cheeks out of sheer discomfort.

Either way he felt like his inner thoughts were written all over his face and you could read him. You probably could sense something was wrong but you weren’t going to comment on it.

He wouldn’t blame you…

Now you had your full attention on him, even if it was only brief. He had to make sure he played his card right and tread through this carefully.

“How’s everything?” He asked meekly. He tried to keep his composure as controlled as he could, keeping a tight lid on his raw emotions.

“Fine.” The word came out so curt, it didn’t even feel like a proper response.

It hurt his pride knowing another man could make you sore like he can, just the way you like it. On top of that, he was treating you better and was making you happy. Something that he couldn’t do.

You deserved a partner who would be there for you, support you and nurture that mutual love. Not just someone who was good in bed.

Unfortunately he was so drawn into his train of thoughts about your man, his mouth moved faster than his mind before he could even stop himself, initiating a word vomit.

“Is he treating you well,”

Shit shit shit…

Why did he bring him up? Now he probably looked pathetic. He could see you drift your gaze away after he asked that. Obviously the topic was pretty sensitive.

“Mhmm” you hummed in approval. You were clearly not comfortable with sharing more. Judging by how you responded, you had moved on and healed from the pain he had caused you.

He shouldn’t shit on your new man; he never even met the guy (other than watching the surveillance footage of your dimension while monitoring the Multiverse like he always did)

So he had no valid reason to hate on him if everything was going well with you.

And he knew you weren’t going to willingly share about your current relationship. You were a private person and he always valued that while you were both still together.

But now it was working against his favour. Despite being fully aware that your personal life wasn’t any of his business anymore, he was still desperate to know everything.

There was a sense of antipathy that was growing in his heart towards your new life without him in it. No matter how much he would lie to himself and deny it was there, it only heightened as more time passed.

The silence that was shared between the two of you was making it hard to breathe. It felt like all the oxygen in the room wasn’t enough to fill his lungs with the tranquility he needed.

You should get going, don’t want to hold you back any longer than I already have.

Eventually, Miguel gave a subtle nod before shifting his attention to your watch in his hand. He wanted to end the premature conversation before he said something he will regret.

The last thing he heard was your footsteps getting quieter as you left his office, leaving him in his own thoughts.

Miguel felt some of the tension leaving his body, like melted candle wax, as he took the first step into his apartment— his confinement safe space.

But despite being surrounded by the comfortable air in his home, his muscles were still aching. Today was more physically demanding than usual as he was on his feet all day, containing not just one but three anomalies, all in different dimensions.

Fatigue seeped into his bones. But it wasn’t just the physical tasks that drained him. His mind was constantly running with relentless questions, though there was one that struck him the most.

Could he manage to lead the Spider Society without being consumed by his emotional turmoil? More importantly, without being consumed by the reminders of his loss. Gabriella.

You.

It has been a year since you both split up and he’s still unable to break free from the haunting memories of his past. Thinking about your breakup was making him dizzy. The overhead lights in his apartment suddenly felt too bright and sickening.

“Lyla, could you dim the lights please?” He called out before he headed to the bathroom. The lights dimmed just as demanded.

“Lights are dimmed now, Miguel,” Lyla’s digital voice chirped. Miguel’s thoughts remained on you as he made his way towards the shower.

He couldn’t stop himself from recalling the last conversation you both just had back in HQ. It was brief but your reluctant body language was enough to speak volume.

Part of him wanted to know what was going through your head when he asked about your current relationship, even if it was just a slip up. But at the same time, after seeing the way your demeanor shifted when he asked, he would rather stay clueless about it.

He stepped into the shower and twisted the shower knob, adjusting the water to the right temperature. Steam was released into the air from the hot water, creating condensation on the cold tiles.

The hot spray from the shower ran over him as he allowed the water to rinse over his whole body. He sighed as he felt his muscles instantly unwind from the hot water but the warmth also seemed to amplify his solitude.

He rested one of his hands on the glass panel that was fogging up from the steam. The shower continued to spray over his back and his mind continued to wander.

As much as he tried to forget about today, he couldn’t stop thinking back to the Spider meeting from earlier and how you were struggling to sit without the obvious sourness between your legs. Seeing you in that state gave him erotic flashbacks that he didn’t want to recrystallise in his head, especially now.

Suddenly, a memory that he had tried so hard to bury deep in his core resurfaced in his head, blaring at him. The image of you bent over in his shower; your hands and your bare tits being pressed against the same glass panel he had his hands on right now, while he was thrusting you from behind.

He couldn’t shake off the memory no matter how hard he tried. The thoughts continued to run through his head and just like clockwork, he felt himself getting bricked up.

How pathetic. He let his unwanted memories get the best of him and now it was affecting the rest of his body.

His cock was twitching and he could feel the subtle throb of his pulse from the sensitive areas. His free hand reached to clasped around the length with his mind conflicted from his aching predicament.

As much as he knew how bad his situation was right now, he couldn’t stop himself from caving into his own desperation. Out of impulse, he started to stroke at a steady pace with that image of you stuck behind his eyelids.

This was wrong. So wrong. Thinking about you in such an elaborate manner while getting off to it, especially when he was aware that you wanted nothing to do with him anymore. After everything he put you through…

But his head wasn’t thinking about any reasoning or morals anymore. At least no one could see the state he was in right now.

The grip from his hands could never replicate the sensation of your walls clenching around him— along with your wetness that would coat his dick.

He was drawn back to those memories of you in his shower again. You always used to take him so well, especially from behind. He would nuzzle his face into your neck while fucking you relentlessly.

The bathroom would be filled with the sounds of your pretty moans over the spray of the water that would echo over the tiles in the shower.

Each thrust would push you further against the glass panel. Your hands and tits would always be imprinted on the surface by the end of it, and every time he would be reluctant to wipe it away.

He increased the pace of his strokes just from recalling that memory, with his eyes bored onto the panel. His heart was pulsated in his chest as he was losing himself in the bliss of his own fantasies.

The memory of your breakup was now forgotten as he was reliving these memories. It was almost tangible, he could almost hear you moaning out fragments of his name in his mind. But it was probably just his auditory hallucinations.

He longed to feel you again, hearing you say his name just like you used to. Feeling your touch again would scratch the irritable itch that had always lingered. Even if he knew he’d never have you again, he still dreamt about you.

His climax was crawling up to him painstakingly slow. He recalled those moments where you would touch yourself afterwards, just to feel how much he had stuffed you with his cum.

The memory, along with the built up anger and longing, was enough for him to unravel and his orgasm came crashing down on him— it was almost overwhelming.

The evidence of his guilt spilled over his knuckles before getting washed away by the spray of the shower. But it wasn’t enough to erase what he just did.

The post-nut clarity disappeared once he realised what he got himself into and how far he fell into the rabbit hole of his own desires. It felt like every object in the bathroom just witnessed his own sin.

He shut off the water and stepped out of the shower before he wrapped a towel around his waist. Water was dripping from his hair and fell over his bare shoulders and back, but he paid no attention to it.

Everything that had just happened a few moments ago was sinking into him, and although he scrubbed himself clean from his own cum, there was still the unsettling awareness of his own mishap weighing on his shoulders.

It was making his stomach twist with nausea. Shame quickly settled over him, like a cloud hovering over his head. It continued to follow him as he made his way to his bedroom.

Miguel grabbed a set of clean clothes from the dresser and got himself dressed for bed. Even with the unease that was lingering in his head, his routine still felt mechanical and familiar. Nothing else seemed to change.

Once he was dressed, he slipped under the cool covers of his bed, shutting out everything that had happened today.

I’m still debating if I should make this a series or not. Part two?? Readers POV?? Maybe a flashback of their argument before they broke up 👀?? Because I have the dialogues for that already NOTED

Just lmk if you wanna be tagged

𝐓𝐚𝐠𝐬: @miguels-aranita @thealleydog @yougavemeyourheartyouknow @strawberryjuice9 @lazyjellyfish300 @ghost-lantern @what-the-jams @mcmiracles @monarchberrysblog @niyahwhoreworld @keigoloveminty @ewan-tef @ginanet @mrsoharaa @flowerlemonss-blog @shadowarchon @smartyren @famouscattale @stressed-cherry @hrhmimieucliffe @ultravioletrayz @grxnde-dwt @homewreckingwreck @your-antares-universe @crimin4llyins4ne @tojishugetiddies @miguel-ohara-wifey

Now I’m gonna log off for two days bc I don’t want to see ppls immediate reaction to this 😟

Btw, I will be interacting with your fics and reblogging from my second account @lmaoyouwhore (don’t pree the blog too hard, it’s still under construction lol)

Ayrus xoxo

457 notes · View notes

izzymarksthespot · 2 months

Text

There's been an idea rattling around in my head, vaguely inspired by this post (can't find the original for the life of me): angsty Steddyhands/Stizzy/Gentlebeard soulmate au, where you cannot physically hurt your soulmate - as in your body simply won't let you.

Prepare yourself, this is a long one.

Izzy, increasingly irked and unsettled by Bonnet's influence on his captain, challanges him to a duel like in s1e8. Stede accepts, the duel commences - but as it goes on Izzy cannot shake the feeling of wrong wrong wrong which follows, making his movements sluggish, blows weaker and heartbeat fast and anxious.

Finally, he has Bonnet pinned - only when he tries to run the other man through with his sword, he can't do it. He freezes mid-thrust, muscles of his sword hand seizing, the blade of the rapier an inch away from the blonde's stomach. They stare at each other in shock, and soon commotion starts as the crew tries to see what exactly is going on, and did Izzy actually stab the captain? Ed hovers over them both in panic and confusion.

Izzy drops his sword at his captains prompting, and backs away with a "What the fuck did you do to me, you bastard?!" aimed at an equally flabbergasted Stede. While they bitch at each other, the crew wonder aloud what has happened and how odd it was that Izzy just froze (Izzy's never done that before!), and Lucius goes with a mocking "aww, Iggy actually likes the captain and doesn't want him hurt, how sweet!"

Buttons comes around then, takes in the scene, eyes Izzy with an unreadable expression, and goes "Nay, Mister Spriggs, more like cannae bring hisself to. I reckon 's only one reason fer it."

Everyone's like 🤨🤨 and Izzy's about to retort something scathing and awful, but suddenly he gets an inkling in the back of his head, a flash of a memory and words actually fail to come out of his mouth.

And Buttons just easily goes with "you cannae hurt yer soulmate, can ya?" and all hell breaks loose. Obviously everyone is laughing the idea off, cause come on, Stede and Izzy? There is no way, what an idiotic idea! Buttons, no more moonbathing for you, you're talking more nonsense than ever!

Both interested parties are strangely quiet though.

Frenchie - who's well informed on the soulmate matter, ofc - suggests they can simply test it out: all Stede and Izzy have to do is touch (skin to skin) to see if the soul marks appear.

Before either Stede or Izzy can reject that idea, it's Ed who does, there will be no fucking checking or touching; there's an aura of danger coming off of him in droves and his dark eyes are trained solely on Izzy.

Long story short, he throws Izzy off the ship (figuratively, just orders him to leave), Izzy's hurt and sells out Stede to the British (the only soulmate he has is Blackbeard and he wants him back), the whole shenanigans with act of grace still happen - Stede still leaves Ed and goes back to Bridgetown; and Ed spirals even harder in his absence because now he additionally thinks Stede left cause they're not soulmates (Stede actually could and did run him through with his sword, and if they were he wouldn't be able to, would he?)

He goes into the Kraken mode, taking most of his anger and hurt onto the person who is obviously responsible for this - Izzy.

#gentlebeard are soulmates ofc #the whole soulmate business just works a bit different than they think #and stede & izzy r soulmates too cause i said so 😈#poor izzy will take the brunt of ed's despair though #i might have started to write this down actually #but inspiration is ficle and i wanted to share #forgive me fr buttons i have no idea how to do scottish #steddyhands #stizzy #izzy hands #stede bonnet #ed teach #ofmd #our flag means death

84 notes · View notes

gabessquishytum · 2 months

Note

Hob is the omega son of a rich family that doesn't believe omegas have any value but their sale price.

They spend a season parading Hob around at various parties, working to "drum up" interest - low cut gowns, lace that only barely covers his nipples, sheer fabric dress barely lined to give Hob some modesty.....Hob is so embarrassed, but can't image any alpha wouldn't treat him similarly to his family.

He's resigned to being dressed like this and paraded around for the rest of his life. And Hob can't even say he doesn't like some of the exhibitionism, or that he wouldn't like it with the right alpha,,,,with their protection & respect. But that is not right now.

To make matters worse, once Hob's family has enough courting "offers", they allow these suitors more liberties with Hob's body. Hob has no choice but to let suitors fondle and suck the hoboobies his nipples & breasts. It's all above the waist "touching" (groping), with the goal to find the suitor the forces Hob into heat through just their smell and handling of his breast.

Dream is one of the alphas who makes an acceptable offer to court. Dream thought Hob was beautiful and all the "tailoring" done to highlight Hob's magnificent breasts was beguiling. If Dream was enthralled by the picture they presented, being able to touch and suck on them as part of the courting process, assured that Dream would fight to win Hob.

Then Dream's "attentions" pushed Hob into heat; Dream is exceedingly smug that he's won and gets to keep Hob.

Ooo, yes. I love the idea of smug alpha Dream enjoying his omega's magnificent tiddies!

After Hob’s heat is over, the marriage and mating commences immediately. Hob’s wedding gown is tailored exactly like his courting clothes - sheer, lined in white lace, with his breasts practically exploding outwards. He's still rather embarrassed, but at least he can feel secure in the knowledge that his alpha - an alpha biologically compatible enough to trigger his heat - will enjoy the spectacle. Hob is a good omega at heart, and he really wants nothing more than to please his mate.

And his mate is so pleased with him. Dream is delighted by Hob’s beauty, and thinks that he looks absolutely stunning in his gown. He can't wait to rip the bodice of the dress and let Hob’s beautiful tits spill forward, as intended. He nuzzles Hob’s throat happily as the mating is completed, and Hob purrs for him in return!

Its a huge relief for Hob to be married and no longer on the "market". He doesn't even mind that his alpha seems very much fixated on him physically - its better than being valued solely on his sale price. At least Dream thinks he's pretty. He's told Hob how he wants to show him off in all his glory, if Hob will allow it. That he's the most beautiful, magnificent omega and everyone should have a chance to admire him. Hob can feel himself getting turned on by his alpha's praise. Maybe deep down, he's just as horny as Dream is.

Discovering his omega's secret slutty streak is the absolute pleasure of Dream’s entire life. Within a few months, Hob is totally in love with the idea of showing off in public. Provided that Dream has sucked a fresh hickey into the meat of his breast, first. Hob wants the world to know that he is not for sale. You can look, but don't touch. Dream is the only one in the world who's earned the privilege to do that. His scent, and his mouth on Hob’s beautiful nipples, still send Hob spiralling into a heat if he's not careful!

Not that it's a hardship. Dream is only too pleased to assist his beloved mate <3 and if he knocks him up, the hoboobies will only get bigger!

#the sandman #dreamling #nsft #cw omegaverse

78 notes · View notes

sobfultoast · 1 month

Text

•°~● Pillow Forts ●~°•

You run to his dorm, almost tripping on the blankets that you've just dragged up several stories of the spiral staircases.

When you said you wanted to spend time with him, he was assuming you'd want to go to town, not make a pillow fort...

• ° ~ ● ~ ° •

Arcturus

Arcky is estatic! Believe it or not, Arcky has never made a pillow fort even though it seems like something he'd do. Arcky was more to make an adventurous tree fort than a snug pillow fort as a kid.

Arcky uses the blankets and pillows he has knitted as long as the ones you've dragged all the way to his dorm. Maybe some pastries he has been meaning to bring to you can be your snacks? There also are lots of plushes in your fort, too. Extra cushioning!

Arcky knows a spell that creates little, floaty lights that look like fire flies. It's perfect for the atmosphere.

Arky loves the idea of cuddling with you while watching a silly movie. Arky does like spending time with all his friends, as the extrovert he is, but he doesn't want to call everyone to this fort. He just wants to hug the person he loves St this moment. Maybe you can all make a fort together another time. Just not today.

Alpheratz

How can he say no? Something comfortable, where he can lay down and nap with you without some troublesome twats bothering him. Alpheratz loves the idea.

Alpheratz has plenty of blankets and pillows in his room. You didn't have to drag all yours to his dorm but more the merrier.

As soon as it is set up, he is diving into the fort, dragging you in with him. Put some music or a show on in the background as he hugs you.

Alpheratz will fall asleep after a few minutes. He can't stay awake through a movie, never.

Pollux

It was his idea. Pollux and his brothers used to make pillow forts all the time. He wanted to do this as soon as you two discussed a movie marathon of a franchise he loves. He was the one who sent you to your dorm to bring all the pillows and blankets you own to his dorm.

Poll knows how to make the perfect fort! He makes sure to use the softest pillows on the floor and that the blanket makes curtains for a sneaky entrance and privacy, but that the TV is still in sight and the bowl of popcorn is in hands reach! Now let the movies commence!

When you both start getting tired, he pulls you closer into a hug with a flushed smile. What's better than watching movies in a fort and then cuddling in a fort?

The fort fell on him during the night, causing one of his shelves to drop on him. Probably you, too, depending on how close you were to him.

Spica

Spica has only made one pillow fort in his life, and that was with Alpheratz when they were kids. Spica sees it a waste of time... He has so much paper work, he doesn't have time. He felt bad declining, but he thought it was stupid...

You didn't accept that as an answer, however. You got snacks, drinks, face masks, and a storybook. Everything you thought of to get him in a fort. You made a pillow fort in your dorm and messaged him to come to yours once he is done.

Spica can't say no now that you've spent your time making a pillow fort for him. He'll agree to this pillow fort this one time.

Putting the face masks on while reading a book together was the perfect way to rewind after a stressful week. Even if it is a bit childish in a fort like this, he enjoyed it more than he thought he would.

Spica fell asleep in the fort. He was exhausted, and it was so soft. Who could have blamed him?

Sirus

Really, Summoner? Are you really this childish? Sure, he'll indulge in this antic of yours. It amuses him.

Sirus doesn't really help, more like watches and making comments. He does give you the blankets and pillows when requested. Such help he is.

Sirus might suggest getting some snacks, and he just so happens to have a bag of them! ... It's full of black liquorice and dark chocolate.

Once the Fort is done, you both get into pillows and perhaps start doing eachothers nails while talking about rumours, gossip, and anecdotes.

Sirus might put on a recording of a play. He doesn't particularly like recordings as he believes it is better in person but a classic is a classic after all.

Sirus isn't a cuddly person, but he does admit it is very cozy in this pillow pile. He'd might accept a cuddle.

Vega

Vega is very surprised, but he doesn't say no, quite the opposite. He is actually looking forward to this. You're the only person he generally has fun with doing anything.

Vega suggests using the dorm's bed and chairs to hold the blanket above your heads. Using his shelves might result in one of his plant babies falling.

Vega doesn't really have a lot in his room. Vega also doesn't keep a TV in his dorm, but you guys can set up a movie on one of your stella tabs and some jelly for snacks. Vega might ask if you two can draw in the fort. That's what he and you used to do whenever you built one.

Vega feels like a kid again. It's so bitterly sweet. He loves this. He missed this.

•°~● Have a Cozy Day! ●~°•

#arcana twilight sirius #arcana twilight spica #arcana twilight arcturus #arcana twilight vega #arcana twilight alpheratz #arcana twilight pollux #arcana twilight

35 notes · View notes

valentinedaughtler · 6 months

Text

Tainted Opal (Part 4)

Kaz Brekker x fem!reader

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

T/Ws: violence, romantic feelings, blood, mild spice scenes sometimes, fem!reader and she/her pronouns, sexual abuse/trauma (not explicit)

Synopsis: When Pirates attempt to rob the crows, you use your tailor abilities to trick them. You attempt to open up to Kaz.

REQUESTS: OPEN✅

____________________________________________

4 - Tattoos on Her Chest

Kaz's perspective

As I sorted through paperwork, organizing the Crow Club's bills, I heard the clunking of boots. The soles must be rubber if the sound echoed that such a way through the cabin, I concluded. Inej would have come silently, so it must be Y/n. She wasn't known for her stealth. In fact—everywhere she went, sun beams seemed to radiate off of her, it was the only logical reason for why her skin was always so gleaming... and perfect.

The door of my —Y/n's- office swung open with the gleaming sunbeam herself gripping the knob, her knuckles white from the intense hold she had on it. The color had drained from her face, distress took the place of her normally flirty expression. I rose from my desk quickly, I must have looked a bit frazzled, insomnia was beginning to set in.

"What made you burst in? Did Jesper and Wylan light something on fire-?" I asked with an irritated stare. The Crows were too rambunctious in the morning, I thought.

She seemed to be struggling to speak— she actually looked quite nauseous. Y/n only made a few noises that didn't quite string into proper sentences before she finally blurted out a single squeak of a word;

"Pirates," her voice laced with panic. "Their war flag is up. They're going to attempt to pillage us, kill the men, take the women-," I cut off her spiraling rambles with a gruff demand,

"Stop, that's not helpful right now," her frantic yammering was only going to cloud her judgement. I'd never seen her like this before, though I hadn't known her long. She seemed to unravel by the sight of the pirates, but how did she know about their war flags-? I attempted to create a theory from the evidence present, but

Y/n's heavy breathing warped into a small scream.

"Kaz, get Wylan to have explosives ready, the rest of the crew should be hiding on deck, armed," she commanded to me. There was a glint in her eyes, the spark of a leader who was born to bark out orders and demand respect. "You, and the rest of the Crows, under no circumstances, interject or fire unless I give the signal to do so." She made a quick hand movement to indicate a 'signal' before leaving the office in a hurry. As she left I saw her hands meeting, beginning to work Grisha magic.

After alerting the Crows of the battle about to commence, we slipped into the blind spots of the boat. An upbringing in Ketterdam didn't teach you how to play sports in or write cursive, but it sure as hell taught you to hide, and hide well at that.

I watched Y/n with a keen gaze as she sauntered up the the edge of the deck, locking eyes with a scruffy man on the approaching ship. He seemed to be Captain, based on his gold-plated teeth and pockets stuffed with coins from various regions. The people accompanying him had torn clothes and were decorated with far less jewelry as well.

The captain let out a bellowing laugh as he unsheathed his curved saber. He pointed it at Y/n with a cocky grin before greeting her with a voice that sounded like what eating sandpaper would do to a person.

"Ay, little lady, where be your captain?" His crew drew their swords, looking hungry for a fight.

"You're staring right at her, darling," Y/n replied with a sweet, voice. Like drizzling hot maple syrup onto fresh, thick pancakes. A delicacy for me, but one worth the buck.

The opposing ship became an uproar of laughter, and the captain fell to his knees from cackling excessively. Y/n flashed an expression of disgust, but her demeanor remained poised. I watched closely as she drew a silver pistol from her pants pocket, and with a loud bang, a bullet pierced through the Captian's tricorne hat. Y/n blew the smoke away from the gun barrel and with a flick of her wrist it was back in her pocket. That was one of Jesper's moves. I eyed the sharpshooter himself as he hid behind a few crates on the far right deck. He smiled with pride as he watched Y/n.

The enemy ship went silent, the soft sloshing of the sea was the only audible noise.

"You should treat me with some saints damn respect," Y/n purred as she walked to the very ledge of the deck, leaning against the railing casually. "Do you know who I am?"

The Captain turned red in the face, making him look like a giant tomato. He clenched his sword-less fist, but I saw wary in his eyes. You could tell by the way his eyebrows furrowed for a split second.

"A bitch is what you are!" The gold-toothed man yelled as he pointed his sword at Y/n. She payed his gesture no mind before beginning to unbutton her white, collared shirt. I felt blood rush to my face and heat creeped up on my cheeks.

More of Y/n's glittering skin was exposed the more buttons she released. I scolded myself for such a foolish observation and gulped. The Captain noticed too, his eyes peering at her chest with a thirst. "You're not a just a bitch, but a whore-... too," his last word seemed to squeak out before his breath hitched. His eyes widened, and he stumbled backwards.

My curiosity peaked as I saw what he was so distressed about. On the lower skin of Y/n's right collarbone, but high on her chest, was a crest; a tattoo. It depicted a tentacled sea monster consuming a cracked human skull. It had no meaning to me, but it seemed to be significant to the horrified Captain.

"How-? You're- shit... I-," the man sputtered to get words out, but no sentences seemed to form. His tied tongue must have been caught in his throat because he began to have a coughing fit.

"Yes, yes. Daddy is the head of the Kraken Killers," Y/n said with the scoff of a spoiled girl, "I've heard it all before, seen it all before. You reaction bores me." She whined with crossed arms.

"I'm so sorry-"

"You apology is worthless to me, but if you spot me a few dabloons, maybe Daddy doesn't have to know about the rude names you called his only daughter," she winked and turned around to face us, the crew. Her expression was hard; demanding, she wanted us to stay right where we were.

After a few minutes of panicked treasure-nabbing on the opposing boat, the Captain scurried out from the lower deck with a dark, wooden chest.

"Throw it in our boat, ya' big lug," Y/n ordered with a dismissive wave of her hand, not even bothering to turn back around. As the chest hit the deck with a kachunk, the opposing boat's Grisha members drew enough wind into the sails to make it far away from us, and fast.

Y/n smiled once they were long gone, hunching her shoulders and softening her expression. She sighed with relief.

"Well, wasn't that eventful," her nervous chuckle was as sweet as her voice, but it had a slight grit to it, as if it were granulated sugar, rather than syrup. The other Crows stared in shock as Y/n began sifting through the chest of treasures. She seemed to meld into 'characters' so easily when a situation needed resolving, and she was damn good at it. I ignored my growing admiration as we all walked over to Y/n. She buttoned up her shirt, but not before I noticed that the tattoo on her chest had changed, instead of the Kraken Killers', it was a spindly mouse skeleton draped over a dark flower. I said nothing, but my suspicions rose. Her history with the sea was apparent.

"You used the pistol trick I taught you," Jesper said with a grin. Everyone began to congratulate Y/n on such a performance, and laughter became as infectious as an outbreak of Firepox. Even the Fjerdan Bull-sized man seemed happy. As everyone began claiming treasure, Y/n looked back down at her chest, now covered by clothing.

"My tailoring abilities really came in handy for making that Crest tattoo!" She laughed along with everyone else, but it was the only notable thing anyone said that night. I waited until everyone made their way to begin their daily tasks before approaching Y/n.

I attempted to make the sound of my cane quiet as I snaked my way over to her. She was tying the ropes at the mass to adjust the sails properly.

"You don't have to try to sneak up on everyone, Kaz," a soft chuckle escaped her mouth as she says this, spinning around to face me. "Let's leave the spying for Inej," she winked. Her body lay against the mass, a smirk playing on his lips.

"You know an awful lot about boats and pirate terminology for a tailor who faked a Crest tattoo of a Pirate gang," my gaze was harsh, pouring into her Siren-like eyes. Just looking at her felt like a trap. Her shoulders stiffened and her lower lip quivered. As she was about to speak when I interrupted her, "you're about to lie, just spit out the truth. I already saw your real crest anyway." She cocked an eyebrow, as if saying, prove it. "It's a mouse skeleton and a flower; a black rose."

Her eyes narrowed, pupils covered by thick eyelashes. She huffed.

"You're not gonna trust me until I tell you, are you?" She grumbled, glaring at me.

"If looks would kill, I'd be as well off as the Captain if he didn't surrender," my backhanded compliment seemed to only frustrate her more. "But I'm alive, so starting talking."

As the sunlight caressed her cheek in dapples, she turned away from me, storming down into the cabin. Her clunky boots were even more audible than they were this morning.

"Are you coming? I thought you wanted to hear my whole life story," her voice echoed from the stairs and the tone felt like a smack in the face as I heard it. Nothing I hadn't dealt with before. I walked down the creaky stairs and slipped into the dimly lit office, where little Mrs. Sunshine was scowling at me from the desk's leather seat. "I ran away for a reason,"

_______________

Word Count: 1761

_______________

Thank you for reading, and enjoy future chapters.

-Valentine

45 notes · View notes

siremasterlawrence · 2 months

Text

Bossing The Boss & His Team

“What The Devil? Who are you? Get out!” I can hear him yelling as his voice bellows loudly and rapidly ricocheting down the hall way. I sigh walking off the elevator shaft to the main floor in excitement I pound the wall as I pump up and stroll in to the main office of the room as he throws something at my head. I avoid it slamming the door a bit in some confidence he realizes he is next to me and he ignores me completely pretend there is no issue. “What do you want with me my dear Lawrence? I am sorry I threw that at your head but I had some god awful news.” He said calming down as he looks in to the mirror cleaning himself up a bit as his hands wiping back his hear and he drops to the chair. “Well boss! Please roll down you projection scroll so I play this video for you.Great! I am about to flip the switch as it goes on.” I state flipping the switch as the lights go on blasting on to the scrawl show casing a new design of the house title with a weird illusions spiral. I manage slip in to the side of walls then right behind of him placing my hands on his shoulder lightly and lower my lips to his ears and my feet drops the hit the floor. I begin to whisper in his ears guiding him in to a deep trance as I rub so lightly pushing his shoulders down to droop and make him fall in to a deep sleep.

“Hello Boss!”

“You will get up and drive to your private home on the coast.”

“Find Tom and enslave him”

“I need to you show him this “

“What is this?”

“It’s a small file”

“Yes Sir”

“Do not lose it “

“Kneel at my feet”

“What can I do?”

“Pledged yourself “

“With all my heart”

“Go now!”

“Yes Master”

“On my way “

“Soon Tom”

“You will see the light”

“You will join me”

The car pools up parking his car right in the front of the house, removes the keys as he hops out of his car and right up the stairs as Tom opens the door and lets him in utter excitement. Tom pats his hand on his back guiding him in as he takes the flags drive file in his hand and runs to get his laptop while my slave gets to work. The laptop hits the table loading it on as the file starts bright flashing with a massive black and white spiral instantly consuming him as he is yanked in.Tom is lost back falling on to the chair as his eyes are now dull, blank and white with lots of spittle hitting his lower mouth as it drips to his clothes and he fell deeply in to my web. Someone on the other side of the glass screen shows off by typing in a very hardcode and he watches a spiral appear breaking in to his mind. The mind is code broken shaking him to the core as his body let go and all that matters is pleasing the man.He loves it a wicked smile covers his face so deeply as his lips crack open to the side as he goes down and his boss Daniel spun her to the side. “Master Lawrence! He awaits us both to serve him for the rest of his life due to his will and we belong to him. Do you truly understand?” Daniel ask as all Tom came muster is “Yes Sir” he slowly stirs asks a so excited to do a she commanded and they both leave for drive off.

“Master Lawrence! “

“I have him”

“Excellent!”

“Let me speak to him”

“Hey babe”

“Babe!”

“Sorry Master”

“You get me hard”

“Horny”

“So happy “

“Fuck”

“When will I meet you ?”

“When you arrived ?”

“Master…Master”

“Gone!”

“Hurry up”

“Yes Master”

“Oh fuck! Daniel let’s meet him”

“Jamie is my best agent “

“Time to bring him in”

“Code x”

“Yyyyeeessss”

“Code x”

“Will call him now”

“All prepped “

“Tom?”

“I’m on it”

“He’s outside”

“Making us wait”

“What a prick?”

“Inject him with this”

“What is it ?”

“Slave toxin”

“What the”

“Zip it!”

“Yes sir”

“This is so cool Master”

“Commence “

“It’s all you Tom”

“Hey Jamie”

“Hey man!”

“Keep us waiting I see”

“Nah! I was actually”

“Ow! Uuuugggghhhh”

“Project X you are now activated”

Guys over here! Look at me”

“Oh hey!”

“It’s me Charlie”

“We known”

“What a welcome “

“Come inside “

“Thanks! I guess”

“Shut up!”

“Spray him”

“What?”

“Uuuuggghhhhh”

“Mwahahahahaha “

“Master! Here you go”

“Charlie! Charlie man”

“Wakey Wakey “

“Uuuggghhh! Where am I?”

“Your new home and life”

“Let me introduce myself! I am your Master”

“Yes Master”

“Rise up!”

“Kiss me”

“I would be honored”

“Get off of him”

“Lay off Tom”

“He is right buddy he is mine”

“What are you doing Daniel?”

“Protecting my boss”

The end

21 notes · View notes

let-them-eat-rakes · 22 days

Text

third semester persona 5 royal is so the mind electric coded (some of these are my headcanons for akira's feelings) (also long post)

"resident minor, how do you plead? we'll need your testimony on the stand. solemnly swear to tell the whole truth; so help you, son, now raise your right hand." maruki's multiple ultimatums

"i've a good heart, albeit insane." if akira or akechi tried to explain the situation to anyone they would come across as bat shit crazy

"condemn him to the infirmary." 2/2 vibes. akira has to choose between letting akechi go out on his own terms or condemning him to maruki's reality

"all mine towers crumble down, the flowers gasping under rubble." akira wakes up to find everything he worked for had disappeared, and has a small mental breakdown as his world crumbles around him when he sees his friends

"shrieking in the hall of lull, thy genius sates a thirst for trouble." maruki seeing the engine room scene, akira screaming for akechi to still be alive

"scattering sparks of thought energy, deliver me and carry me away." maruki manipulating the phantom thieves' cognition to blind them to the truth, but he believes he is doing good, carrying them away from pain

"here in my kingdom, i am your lord; i order you to cower and pray." maruki's god complex, that he is somewhat unaware of / ignoring

"nuns commence encanting, as the lightning strikes my temples thus." akira going around, breaking the thieves from the illusion, clearing their minds

"spiralling down thy majesty, i beg of thee, have mercy on me. i was just a boy, you see; i plead of thee, have sympathy for me!" the thoughts going through akira's head in the seconds before the phantom thieves arrive

"see how the serfs work the ground. (see how they fall) and they give it all they've got (fall) - and they give it all they've got (fall) - and you give it all you've got, till you're down. (ha! ha! ha! ha!)" i imagined a cool scene about this part when just randomly listening to the song, and it's kinda what inspired this entire post: at some point before 2/2 (like maybe 1/30 or something) akira secretly goes to maruki's palace, and basically just asks 'why. why are you doing this, what's your game here.' and maruki brings him up to a balcony overlooking the city. he says the lyrics (i know cheesy, but imagine he's using it as a metaphor or something) and the parts in parentheses are his savior complex/azathoth/adam kadmon.

"see how the brain plays around; and you fall inside a hole you couldn't see. and you fall inside a hole, inside a-" maruki truly believing that he is in the right, as he sees how (for lack of a better word) damaged the thieves (especially the royal trio) are mentally

"SOMEONE HELP ME" once again, the royal trio and maruki. sumire needing help to be who she truly is, and it's interesting to imagine her just suddenly yelling it during her boss fight. akira needing help to be able to finish things, and a bit of a headcanon: he has so many personas that his original self (pre metaverse) is buried so deep that he can barely access it. akechi needing help to finally do something that he chooses to do for once, and go out on his own terms. maruki believing himself to be the help that they need, but in actuality he also needs help

"doctor, i can't tell if i'm not me." i think that each of the royal trio has identity issues. kasumi/sumire is obvious, akechi is split between his facades, and the previous headcanon that akira has so many personas that he doesn't know who he is anymore. also, if anyone wants to make an animatic or something, this line can be sumire and akira actually saying this to maruki back at shujin, and akechi pondering it to himself during the events of the game

"when it grows light, the particles start to marvel, having made it through the night. never they ponder, whether electric, calming if you look at it right." maruki lying on the platform after the fistfight, accepting that he was wrong and deciding not to try to stay alive when the platform collapses

#let them eat rakes #posted from a pile of leaves #persona 5 #persona 5 akechi #persona 5 royal #the mind electric #p5r #p5r spoilers #akira kurusu #akechi goro #sumire yoshizawa #takuto maruki #royal trio

16 notes · View notes

fuck-you-upmusicbracket · 9 months

Text

No One Is Alone (Into the Woods)

Hard to see the light now/Just don't let it go/Things will come out right now/We can make it so/Someone is on your side/No one is alone

People make mistakes/Holding to their own/Thinking they're alone/Honor their mistakes/Fight for their mistakes/Everybody makes/One another's terrible mistakes

"The idea that life is incredibly confusing, that it's hard to figure out who you can trust, to decide what's important to you and how to make those things real, but you don't have to do it by yourself. You're going to lose people, and sometimes you might even lose yourself, and sometimes your actions will have unintended consequences, but even in the midst of all that, no one is so hopeless that it's impossible for them to ever make a true human connection. Everything feels terrible and insurmountable, and it feels like nobody cares, but somebody does-somebody always will. No matter what happens, you have support. Somebody will be rooting for you and will be there to help you figure everything out and to love you. Genuinely every single time I try to sing this song I start crying, hell, I'm crying right now as I'm typing this."

"I listen to this song when I feel hopeless and alienated. And it has made me cry more than once."

The Mind Electric (ミラクルミュージカル Miracle Musical)

See how the serfs work the ground (See how they fall)/And they give it all they've got/And they give it all they've got/And you give it all you've got 'til your down/See how the brain plays around/And you fall inside a hole you couldn't see/And you fall inside a hole inside a-/Someone help me

Understand what’s going on inside my mind/Doctor, I can’t tell if I’m not me

Nuns commence incanting as the lightning strikes mine temples thus/Electrifying mine chambers wholly, scorching out thine sovereignty so/Spiralling down thy majesty, I beg of thee have mercy on me/I was just a boy, you see! I plead of thee, have sympathy for me!

"The lyrics just hit hard with all of the imagery and shit, being used alongside the song glitching and a 3 minute long sequence (an un-glitched version of the song) that plays backwards in full before the song begins, conjure up a very interesting view/idea/image of losing your sanity. Plus, the song has a really interesting history in terms of its creation."

"first listen: "damn its weird that this has itself backwards haha" second listen: ⚡️⚡️🧠SEE HOW THE BRAIN PLAYS AROUND🌩😈AND YOU FALL INSIDE A HOLE YOU COULDNT SEE☁️⚡️AND YOU FALL INSIDE A HOLE INSIDE A🤴🗣SOMEONE HELP ME⛈️🪐UNDERSTAND WHATS GOING ON INSIDE MY MIND🗣⚡️DOCTOR I CANT TELL IF IM NOT ME!!!🌩🌩☄️ anyway, there are actually 2 versions of this song !! since the first half of the song is the second half backwards, but one of the halves has a series of artistic glitches and repeats and skips! the "distorted version", which is what youll find on spotify, has the glitchy half played forwards, and the "nondistorted version", which is what the official channel posted on youtube, is reversed so the unglitched half plays forwards! its a remaster of a previous song Joe Hawley worked on as a member of Tally Hall called "Inside the Mind of Simon", and it has TONS of little easter eggs and details scattered throughout. distorted speech from old movies, clips from old songs, theres this part where chanting voices sing "axon, dendrite" and "help me" over and over which (imo) you really only hear if you know to look for them, theres an intricate synth arpeggio throughout the entire climax of the song that im in love with— its the source of the synth tune in the next song on the album, Labyrinth (the funny "i am the mouse" song)! i have yet to find a blorbo i cant picture to it but considering that my main oc's theme is madness, its her perfect chance to star. in conclusion, your honor, I love the mind electric."

"it's a story of a man getting sentenced to an asylum for a murder he didn't commit, and there he is subjected to electroshock therapy. the synth alone fucked me up the first time I heard it. not to mention the awesome lyrics and various styles throughout the song. oh also the first 3ish minutes of the song are in reverse. so there's that."

"Somehow I feel like it's the story of my life. Also, the first half of the song is the second half of the song played in reverse."

The Mind Electric submitted by @lesleyn +@omegasmileyface +@that-bi-fan + others

#fuck you up bracket #tournament #polls #into the woods #miracle musical

78 notes · View notes

taste-in-music · 4 months

Text

My Top 30 Songs of 2023

Hello everyone! Welcome back to my annual countdown of my 30 favorite songs of the year. 2023 had a lot of great music releases, and I’m so excited to recount the songs I returned to this year. And now, let us commence with the list!

Here are 10 additional honorable mentions: "Wide Eyes" by Loviet, "I Cry When You Sleep" by Pearly Drops, "Dreamgirl" by Father Koi, "My Love Mine All Mine" by Mitski, "Batman Song" by Cat Missal, "The Neighborhood" by Grace Enger, "I Been Young" by George Clanton, "Bright Red" by Ryan Beatty, "Dumbest Girl Alive" by 100 Gecs, and "The Narcissist" by Blur.

30. Angora Hills by Doja Cat: “Angora Hills,” a hit off Doja Cat's latest album Scarlet, is airy yet effortlessly self-assured, trading between quick-spit rap verses and a chorus of kitteny coos. But don’t get too lost in the sparkling keys and cutesy voicemails. There’s a spark, an edge, a darkness lurking in the murky bass and ominous synths which lends the song a greater intensity. “'Cause love is pain but I need this shit,” Doja Cat raps on the second verse, playing out cleverly rhymes romantic fantasies with an exhibitionist spin. “I wanna show you off,” she suggests on the song’s chorus, the red-hot desire roiling just beneath the surface.

29. Slut! by Taylor Swift: I think everyone was a little surprised hearing “Slut!,” the first vault track on 1989 (Taylor’s Version). When I first saw that title, I thought I was in for a catchy package of sassy one-lines and circa-2014 pop feminism. Instead, we got a tenderhearted ballad of wispy synths and Swift’s insightful musings on love in the limelight. Commentary does creep in (“Everyone wants him, that was my crime,”) but Swift focuses more on choice imagery of a love worth risking it all for: aquamarine swimming pools, thorny roses, and lovedrunk confessions. Sometimes, the most defiant thing is knowing that no matter how people might try to strip you of dignity, they’ll never be able to take your love away from you.

28. Nothing Matters by The Last Dinner Party: All-female British rock outlet The Last Dinner Party made a splash in 2023 with their confrontational yet exuberant debut single “Nothing Matters.” For a song with such a nihilistic title, it packs a punch of gravitas and a wry sense of humor. Lead vocalist Abigail Morris knows just when to heighten the melodrama, stretching the word “sailor” into “say-lahr” and belting the final refrain to the high heavens: “You can hold me like you held her / And I will fuck you like nothing matters.” In the music video, the group stomps around a gothic mansion in frilly petticoats and leather boots, tearing up feather mattresses and lip synching down to a camera positioned six feet deep in a grave. It all exhibits a keen ability to balance out the toughness with a cheeky wink, making it clear the group is only just getting started.

27. Running Out Of Time by Paramore: Much of Paramore’s sixth album This Is Why tears into the absurdity and stress of modern life. On “Running Out Of Time,” Hayley Williams captures the breakneck speed of life accelerated by packed schedules and the 24 hour news cycle, describing a self-destructive ouroboros of trying to catch up with the clock, doing her best to do good and always coming up short. “Intentions only get you so far,” she sings, “What if I’m just a selfish prick…?” It captures the stress and self-doubt, but also the conviction to keep moving forward despite it all. Williams provides a spirited performance as always, her vocals cutting through a pop rock groove that provides just enough energy to keep you from falling down the doom spiral completely.

26. Designated Driver by Taylor Janzen: Taylor Janzen’s debut album I Live In Patterns offered up several tracks which balanced heartfelt lyrics with propulsive pop flourishes, but it was “Designated Driver” that maintained the most momentum for me throughout this year. Atop a steady thrum of shimmering synths, Janzen unpacks her mixed feelings on being the "dependable friend," cracking under the pressure like a windshield. As the song builds, Janzen unveils the self-doubt eating away at her, where the raw emotions draw the other person in to detrimental effect: “you put your trust in a daydream / ’cause you love this dying part of me.” Janzen has the acute ability to put language to even the most obscure shades of anguish and giving them a more anthemic spin. “Designated Driver” is the song you can blast to get you through the grief, even as the toxicity shrinks away in the rearview.

25. One Of Your Girls by Troye Sivan: “One Of Your Girls” is a song so smooth that it’s easy to miss the melancholy which saturates its sparkling chords and clever lyrics. Troye Sivan taps into unrequited desire atop a lush, bassy thrum, describing a love interest who “everybody wants,” but who needs to keep their queerness covert. Sivan ushers in the song’s sing-along chorus with a languid sigh, glazing his voice in vocoder to keep the ache at bay: “Give me a call if you ever get desperate," he relents, "I'll be like one of your girls.” Pair it with a gender-bending music video, and you’ve got a song that delves into just how far a person might go obscure the hurt and save face.

24. I Need A New Boyfriend by Charly Bliss: It’s been four years since Charly Bliss’s last album Young Enough, and in 2023 they blasted back onto my radar with the scuzzy, snarky single “I Need A New Boyfriend.” This time, Charly Bliss sprinkle their anthemic rock sound with a touch of hyperpopping, bleep-blorping synths and churning electric guitars. Frontwoman Eva Hendricks laments her loser lover who grouches through parties and gives backhanded compliments, her observations both witty and scathing: “It took me three years but I finally figured it out / I’m just too fun for him,” “’Cause even though we had a five year plan / I couldn’t stay with him another minute.” By the song’s riotous end, you’ll also have the conviction to kick such soul suckers to the curb.

23. Feather by Sabrina Carpenter: It’s rare that a bonus track from a deluxe edition from an album is the source of a pop artist’s ascent to stardom. Rare, but not impossible. Case and point: “Feather,” the floaty bonus track from the deluxe edition of Sabrina Carpenter’s fifth album emails I can’t send. A downy kiss-off about leaving an ex in the past, Carpenter dreamily narrates the steps to her ghosting process over a softly strut beat of key glissandos and memorable ad-libs. It’s the humorous side of “Feather” that makes it a notable hit in Carpenter’s catalogue, the touches of sarcasm cut through the sweetness and showcase her multifaceted charisma as a performer. That little chuckle she lets out as she says “I’m so sorry for your loss” is the stuff superstars are made of.

22. LEFT RIGHT by XG: There was a handful of weeks back in the spring where every iota of my brain space was taken up by XG. The global girl group broke through with videos of the group’s rappers adding their own verses onto iconic modern beats, (group leader Jurin’s verse over ROSALÍA’s “SAOKO” is a bop and a half.) In a departure from the bombastic samples and in-your-face performances of those videos, XG takes a subtler approach on “LEFT RIGHT,” an ebullient blend of R&B and pop that goes down easy but has the same insidious ability to get stuck in my head. The lyrics are goofy yet earnest enough to make up for it. This boy has the narrator’s heart “Spinnin’ round and round / Just like my Pirellis, burning on the ground.” When a love is so strong it can pull you any direction, you’ve got no choice but to kick into gear and let the vibes carry you away.

21. Hummingbird by Metro Boomin ft. James Blake: When I took my seat in the theater to watch Spiderman: Across the Spider-Verse, the second installment in Sony’s stunning animated superhero franchise, I knew the music was going to slap, (the needle drop for “What’s Up Danger” from the first movie is one of my all-time favorites.) While the soundtrack has many a banger, it was ultimately the tender hearted “Hummingbird” that I latched onto. James Blake lends his silky soft vocals to wistfully pine for a love that always remains just out of reach. Metro Boomin elevates the distance Blake describes with spacious and spacey production, dappled with piano and a chirpy sample of Patience & Prudence's "Tonight You Belong to Me." It’s a love song that spans time and space, across the Spider-Verse and well beyond.

20. Patty's Diner by Upstate: “Patty’s Diner” by Upstate came to me via a recommendation from a friend, (shoutout @bellamysgriffin) and I don’t know whether to thank or throttle her for it, because it’s one of the most potent tearjerkers I’ve heard in recent memory. Upon my first listen, I found the song to be starkly understated, nothing but a plucked guitar and traded verses from both lead vocalists. The central character is Patty, a diner owner who passed away from cancer. Now, her memory lives on in late-night radio commercials and fading recollections of her kindness, all recounted with a melancholy shrug. In its staggering simplicity, “Patty’s Diner” captures something potent about the grief we hold for loved ones: it can come with a smile as well as tears. Take a page from Patty’s book and keep pushing forward. What else are we supposed to do?

19. There It Goes by Maisie Peters: On her sophomore album The Good Witch, Maisie Peters writes a lot about the breakup experience. A whole number of spunky kiss-offs from that record could’ve landed on this list, but as the autumn chill locked in for the final months of the year, I found myself more and more drawn to the album’s penultimate moment of reprieve. “There It Goes” shows Peters letting go of the relationship by pivoting towards self-improvement. Atop a warm strummed guitar groove, she lists off the steps to reconnecting with her friends and herself: going to yoga class, reading novels, stumbling through the streets of Stockholm. Much of The Good Witch focuses on the thunder of emotions which come from heartbreak. “There It Goes” is the calm after the storm. It demonstrates the much harder to describe but no less essential development that happens after growing apart: growing up.

18. Only Love Can Save Us Now by Kesha: On her latest album Gag Order, Kesha pivoted from the party anthems that put her on the map in favor of a sparer, darker sound. Then halfway through the album, “Only Love Can Save Us Now” swings in to prove that Kesha can still serve up a barn-burning banger if she wants, and thank god she does. On “Only Love Can Save Us Now,” Kesha unloads a list of unapologetic declarations over a typewriter-clack beat, each line wry and searing: “Yeah, I'm possessive / Maybe I'm possessed, bitch / Fuck yeah, I'm selfish / Shut up, eat your breakfast.” The chorus kicks in with a rollicking guitar, gospel choir, stomping drums, and jangly pianos which all lend a folksy intensity. “I don’t got no shame left,” Kesha sings in the song’s final moments, “Baby, that’s my freedom.” It’s a moment of deft catharsis on an album so heavily defined by what it holds back, a defiant invitation to exorcise your regrets and then invite your demons to come and join the dance party.

17. Mother Nature by MGMT: It’s been five years since MGMT’s last album Little Dark Age, and it feels like I’ve lived a whole lifetime since then. “Mother Nature,” the lead single off their fifth album Loss of Life, shows that MGMT have seemingly grown as much as I have. The song is warm and welcoming, built from sunshiny strummed guitars I’d usually expect from Alex G or Big Thief. But the stargazing, larger-than-life scope of the group’s past work remains, merging the mundane with the magical. “I wrote the fairytale on the midnight drive,” Andrew VanWyngarden sings in the song’s opening moments, “Wanting to know if I'm more than alive.” The rest of the song walks this line between enchantment and ennui, alluding to a greater darkness looming just beyond the horizon. The bridge makes a swing for the anthemic, describing a castle siege over scuzzy wails of distorted synth, a last swipe for hope “before the fantasy is cast into the fire.” I can’t wait to hear how “Mother Nature” fits into Loss of Life, but it’s a song that is determined to live life to the fullest, even in the most barren of landscapes.

16. brrr by Kim Petras: Over the past few years, Kim Petras has become one of the pop landscape’s most audacious players, knowing when to wallop her listeners with unrestrained discussions of sexuality and when to play it coy. She finds a perfect balance between these realms on “brrr.” Built off a beat of squelchy synths and throbbing bass, “brrr” is equal parts daring and alluring. Petras addresses a love interest who puts up thick walls of ice around their heart and makes it clear that she sees right through the charade. “I’m not one to be afraid,” she lilts teasingly on the pre-chorus. Instead of being put off, she buys in, the implication clear as she delivers the title line with a wink and a smirk: “...you think you’re so cold, brrr.” Leave it up to Petras to make even the iciest of imagery steamy as hell.

15. labour by Paris Paloma: It starts with a low male voice, way back in the mix, counting her in on four. Then, the storm clouds roll in. On social media, “labour” by Paris Paloma has been deemed an anthem of female rage, but unlike the immediate, memetic quality of its viral peers, “labour” understands that rage needs time to simmer before it explodes. Paloma airs out every grievance of how this women’s work batters us in body, mind, and spirit, ruthlessly recounting bursting capillaries, cracked skin, every bullshit archetype and patriarchy-serving expectation thrown our way. Paloma knows that at the end of the day, no amount of spectacle could hit harder than the all-too-simple truth at the song’s core: “It’s not an act of love if you make her / you make me do too much labour.” Her vocals layer and layer until the final chorus slams into you like a tidal wave of anger, and by the song's final moments, Paloma has made the narratives made to hold us back into something wholly her own.

14. Nymphs Finding the Head of Orpheus by Nicole Dollanganger: Of all the tales Nicole Dollanganger spins on her album Married In Mount Airy, “Nymphs Finding the Head of Orpheus” is by far one of the most elusive. Dollanganger offers up a foreboding atmosphere of feather-light strings and dark ambient reverb. The imagery centers on rebirth, the baptismal potential of a tepid pool, bodies reclaimed by nature. It has little to do with the gory bacchanal of the mythical moment in the title, but the insinuation remains, seeping in at the seams to suggest violence and regeneration as potentially interconnected. On an album so concerned with all the evils of men, perhaps the most terrifying thing of all is what lies beyond our standard perception of human actions, of nature locked in shadow. On "Nymphs Finding the Head of Orpheus," Dollanganger offers a glimpse of this disembodied face in the darkness, one we’ll never be able to truly know.

13. Sandrail Silhouette by Avalon Emerson: "Sandrail Silhouette" opens DJ Avalon Emerson's album & The Charm, reintroducing a new side of her craft. A departure from the electronic spin of her past work, the song feels organic yet gleaming, constructed of a move-and-shaker groove of rich strings, shuffleboard keys, and gloaming skids of bass. Emerson’s vocals waft over the landscape with the calming timbre of someone telling a bedtime story, stringing lyrics together like beads on a friendship bracelet. It’s an environment that’s easy to get lost in, so much so that it hit November before I even bothered to ask, what even is a "sandrail silhouette?" I have no clue, but it’s not so much about the words themselves as it is about the feelings they evoke, a wistful nostalgia that is aching yet hopeful. This feeling comes across in obtuse details (“Go ask a sequoia”) and stunning clarity alike (“Tell me I got more time / When all my friends are having daughters.”) Like the yearning for the past Emerson describes, my love for this song is hard to put into words. It’s easier to just sit back and let myself feel it.

12. WHAT A MAN by DEBBY FRIDAY: “WHAT A MAN” by DEBBY FRIDAY simply slams so fucking hard. I don’t know what else to say. From the very first listen I came to immediate conclusion that it slammed into oblivion and was one of my favorite songs of 2023. "WHAT A MAN" unfurls like an erotic noir thriller, all churning bass and musings on a love that’s slipped the narrator’s fingers. DEBBY FRIDAY’s lyrics are obtuse yet evocative, contributing to the seductive atmosphere: “I held a heart / It wasn’t mine / When he came looking / I wasn’t kind.” Stacks of escalating synths ratchet up the tension until all hell breaks loose on the back of a scorching electric guitar solo that’d make Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Phantom of the Opera jealous he didn’t come up with it first. It’s the kind of song that rips loose and is over all too fast, asking for forgiveness in the aftermath of ruin, and never, ever permission.

11. Top Dog by Magdalena Bay: Hands down the best pop song of the year to reference Laura Dern, a race that should by all means be a lot more competitive than it is. From its opening references to the actress, synth pop duo Magdalena Bay make it clear that this isn't a song where they're going to be taking themselves too seriously. Everything about "Top Dog" oozes lackadaisical confidence, all with a cheeky wink to the listener. Against a backdrop of strummed guitars, they pepper in samples of cameras snapping and, fittingly, dogs woofing. Not only that, but they also add in a healthy dose of aughts nostalgia with a synth palette that feels directly pulled from dial-up bleeps, Motorola ringtones, and 8-bit power-ups. Mica Tenenbaum’s vocals are a pitch-perfect balance of airy nonchalance and self-satisfaction, traversing through the goofy canine metaphors without once sounding like she’s forcing a punchline to land. It makes for a song that’s loopy, loping, and effortlessly fun.

10. Honey by Samia: It’s hard to pin down what makes the title track of Samia’s sophomore album so special. “Honey” is subtle yet anthemic, an ever-growing conviction coming into fruition over the song’s duration. “I’m not scared of sharks / I’m not scared to be naked / I’m not scared of anything,” Samia sings in the song’s opening moments, going on to narrate a continual climb towards self-confidence and determination. My favorite detail is the gradually growing backing chorus which appears and reappears with more intensity with each new iteration of the song’s main refrain. “It’s all honey,” Samia repeats, over and over at the song’s close. All the times I’ve listened to this song, and I still haven’t pinned down an exact meaning for that line, but maybe that’s the point. The nonchalance, the uncertainty, the acceptance that no matter where life takes us, it's sure to be sweet.

9. Welcome To My Island by Caroline Polachek: In the opening moment of Desire, I Want To Turn Into You, Caroline Polachek shows off the titanic potential of her voice, letting out a dexterous, breathtaking belt that warps and careens into the stratosphere. Even if the song was just comprised of its first thirty seconds, it’d probably still be on this list. But then, of course, there’s the rest of “Welcome To My Island,” a facetious introduction to the sonic space Caroline Polachek will go on to explore over the rest of the album. Over a glimmering, twitchy beat, Polachek half-raps, half-belts a series of pitches for her personal paradise of waving palm trees and placid oceans. On the song’s bridge, she gets more vulnerable, revealing the pathos amongst the phthalo blues: “I am my father’s daughter in the end,” she sings like she’s on the brink of tears, “no nothing’s gonna be the same again.” But when the groove snaps back over an outro of brassily tuned guitars and defiantly chanted “hey hey hey”s, it’s clear that Polachek’s island is worth booking an extended stay, self-doubt be damned.

8. bad idea right? by Olivia Rodrigo: “bad idea right?,” the second single on Olivia Rodrigo’s sophomore album GUTS, followed on the heels of operatic ballad “vampire” by not following it at all. Like the preceding sophomore single “deja vu,” it’s snarkier, wonkier, and (in my opinion,) way more engaging. While Rodrigo undeniably knows how to pen and pull off a dramatic power ballad, her comedic chops deserve recognition too. On “bad idea, right?” she chattily recounts a night of terrible decision making, tossing out hilarious, memorable one-liners at a dizzying rate: “…you're callin' my phone, you're all alone / And I'm sensing some undertones,” “I only see him as a friend / (The biggest lie I ever said,)” “I just tripped and fell into his bed.” The production ups the ante with a strutting bassline, ad-libs which drive every line home like Rodrigo’s inner monologue coming to life, and a squealing guitar solo in the song’s back end. " All in all, "bad idea right?" captures the tumultuous clownery that having a crush conjures up, self-aware embarrassment colliding with lovesick horniness that makes you look a wealth of poor choices the eye and brush it off with a “fuck it, it’s fine.”

7. Echolalia by Yves Tumor: Echolalia is baby babble, the sounds humans make when they don’t have a grasp on language, but still need to communicate some innate need. On their latest album Praise A Lord Who Chews, But Which Does Not Consume (Or, Simply, Hot Between World,) Yves Tumor taps into these primal urges, transmogrifying them to a cosmic level through the medium of phychedelic rock. Such is the case on slow burning second single “Echolalia,” a hazy whirlwind of devotion and desperation. “Looked up to god,” they sing in the first verse, “You looked so good.” Tumor’s voice stays in their husky lower register, gritted out with hushed intensity over an alluring blend of gleaming synths, burning bass, and heaving breaths. “The way I’m thinking, is this unnatural?” they inquire in the song’s final moments, then lay their hesitations to waste in the heat of the moment, “you look so magical." At its most intense, “Echoloalia” strips away the set dressing of pretty words and veneers, unveiling the desire, hunger, and everything that simmers just below the surface, begging to break free.

6. Casual by Chappell Roan: I’ve long bemoaned how many a great pop album has been brought to a screeching halt by a ballad haphazardly thrown in to make things more “emotional.” A pop artist holds genuine promise to me when they’re able to clear this hurdle and make an album’s slower moments just as compelling as the bops. I'm glad to announce that Chappell Roan pasts this test with “Casual,” a mid-album on her debut album The Rise and Fall Of A Midwest Princess. On "Casual," slower pace of the song provides space to let Roan's simmering frustrations with a one-sided situationship reach a breathtaking boiling point. Roan pines for something more official with a girl who insist on having “no connections,” pointing to front seat cunnilingus sessions and dinner dates with her maybe-belle’s parents as proof that they're much more than a casual fling. Eventually, Roan just can’t take it anymore. “I hate that I let this drag on so long,” she confesses at the top of her lungs, “you can go to hell.” It’s testament to Roan’s promise as an emergent pop force that she can establish compelling stakes which make the emotions of her ballads tangible, never skippable.

5. A&W by Lana Del Rey: I already gushed about “A&W” back in March for how it showcases Lana Del Rey’s versatility as a performer, her veracity as a lyricist, and her astuteness in curating her personal history. As the year progressed, “A&W” kept pulling me back into its tumultuous depths, trying to parse its meaning and always falling just a bit short. Over the course of the song’s two-part structure, Lana Del Rey deftly maps a trajectory from childhood innocence to reckoning with how the world will wolf women down without mercy, their physical bodies exploited as their humanity goes unseen. “It's not about havin' someone to love me anymore,” Del Rey states, “No, this is the experience of bein' an American whore.” Lana Del Rey has grappled with these themes of for her whole career, walking the line between nostalgic recollection and ironic deconstruction, but on “A&W” they sharpen into focus and hit both the heart and gut like never before. That switch up into the second half of the song still sends a chill down my spine every time it’s ushered in on the back of those skittering trap drums and roiling bass. “A&W” is everything that makes Lana Del Rey Lana Del Rey, it's alluring, eerie, it’s Venice, bitch, and it’s one of her best songs, period.

4. Boy's a Liar Pt. 2 by Pinkpantheress ft. Ice Spice: When I listen to “Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2” by Pinkpantheress featuring Ice Spice, I feel the popular music landscape shifting beneath my feet. A strange thought to have about a song that’s so pointedly small in scope. Even with the Ice Spice verse extending the length of “Boy’s a Liar,” the song just barely exceeds two minutes. Given such restrictions, the amount of detail both artists manage to cram in is nothing short of impressive. Pinkpantheress jam-packs the beat with bouncy synths and a drum pad which races like a fluttering pulse. Ice Spice spends most of her verse telling off the useless titular liar, but adds in a one-two punch of vulnerability near the end with a heartened confession: “…I don't sleep enough without you / And I can't eat enough without you / If you don't speak, does that mean we're through?” “Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2” is more than just a rare remix that exceeds the quality of the first installment. It’s the bona-fide hit of the TikTok generation that feels fully born of the app’s tendencies, it’s mile-a-minute pacing, nostalgic skew, casual intimacy, and brutal honesty all rolled up into an inescapable earworm. I’d take part three in a heartbeat.

3. Psychedelic Switch by Carly Rae Jepsen: Throughout her career, Canadian pop connoisseur Carly Rae Jepsen has captured love from all angles, rendered its scope of e•mo•tion in a slew of shades. “Psychedelic Switch” off her latest album The Loveliest Time shows her setting the disco ball to spin, covering the entire spectrum of light and color in one go. Over a pulsing, dance-floor ready beat, she swirls together metaphors with the precision of a gourmet mixologist, taking odds and ends of all things dreamy to capture the onset of a whirlwind romance. This love is like a psychedelic trip. It’s like lucid dreaming. It’s like meditating. It’s sunsets and paradise and coming home. It's the all-encompassing rush of euphoria that only pop music can capture. Jepsen finishes off the concoction with a dash of sighing violins, a twist of bass throbbing like a heartbeat, and a couple drops of reverb-washed ad-libs. Every one of Jepsen’s album cycles has the fan-favorite standout to add to her growing canon, and from the very first listen I knew “Psychedelic Switch” had cemented itself within her ranks of cult classics.

2. Not Strong Enough by boygenius: When Lucy Dacus, Phoebe Bridgers, and Julien Baker announced their first full-length project as the singer-songwriter supergroup boygenius, the record, (the record,) had the aura of something larger than life, a culmination of three generational talents celebrating their chemistry as collaborators. If there is any song on the album that captures this magic, it’s “Not Strong Enough,” a song which burst out of the gate sounding like an instant classic. “Not Strong Enough” chronicles the search for identity amidst uncertainty, the line “I don’t know why I am / The way I am” may just be its driving force. And boy does it drive, as the singers search for clues listening to The Cure while drag racing down canyon highways, skipping old exits, roving out in search of a meaning that may never materialize. This freedom and frustration culminate on the bridge, where Dacus’s mastery of vocal dynamics takes center stage. “Always an angel / Never a god,” she sings, starting off with a whiff of timidity before escalating to belt it up to the heavens, backed up with stunning harmonies from her peers. An angel may only ever be second-best, only ever identified through its relation to a higher power, but that just makes the journey towards self-actualization more transcendent.

1. Sepsis by Blondshell: For the longest time, I was determined to put any other song but “Sepsis” at the number one spot on this list. Initially, my pick from Blondshell’s self-titled debut was “Kiss City,” an amazing song, but sadly not the one I played over and over, screaming along because the lyrics hit too damn close to home. Much of Blondshell grapples with addiction, and on “Sepsis,” Sabrina Teitelbaum explores how the validation one gets through situational flings is one hell of a drug. Atop the ebb and flow of electric guitar, she interrogates the tendency to keep returning to a man she should be avoiding, a dick with a front-facing cap who’s bad in bed. Still, she keeps coming back, pissed therapist be damned, because “if I’m in love, nothing hurts.” Teitelbaum hones these observations through the metaphor of curing ailments and fast-acting sickness, “he’s going to start infecting my life / it’ll hit all at once like sepsis.” It’s a metaphor which exposes how self-destructive these habits are. “What if I’m down to let this kills me?” she howls at the apex of the bridge before, the sentence slurring into a frustrated scream as the entire song tumbles back into a cavalcade of fiery chords. If there’s anything “Sepsis” and my relationship to it proves, it’s that confronting these unhealthy habits is difficult, but essential. Sometimes, you’ve got to recognize that these coping mechanisms aren’t a “cure” and are only “making it worse.” It’s only then that true healing can begin.

Thank you so much to anyone who has interacted with this blog over the past year. I hope you all are having a happy holiday season!. My top 10 albums list should be out soon. See you then!

21 notes · View notes

kerubimcrepin · 3 months

Text

Episode 35 - The Gobbal Set

Finally, a non-heavy, light little episode. Thank god.

Their conversation is cute, their closed sign is cute, even they're both cute.

Never ask a woman her age, a man his salary, and Kerubim Crepin to tell a single story where he went to Brakmar, despite that seemingly happening many times, between, and those are just the ones I can remember at the moment, his and Lou's "slaughter safaris in Sidimote Moors" or having a rare sword from there.

He's trying to "disappear" all the occasions that may or may not involve Atcham out of his life, as if it's 1984.

He is so normal.

Kerubim would love NFTs.

I love you, Kerubim's Unspecified Adult Responsibilities.

Joris is so special for this.

I like to imagine, that as an adult, he publishes sad """romance""" novels under thirty pen names (lest anyone in his real life learns he has emotions)

They are, in part, musings on why one must imagine someone spending thousands of years of immortality happily, — the same way Sisyphus must be happy, haha.

If Kerubim and Atcham learn about this, he will explode.

He truly is god's strongest Kerubim apologism warrior.

I just wanted to include this because gay people.

He is so bad at this. It's very cute. I love him.

Let the traumatic flashbacks to Kerubim actually almost drowning commence:

I'm insane about researching Joris's psyche.

Is there anything you'd like to tell us, Joris? Does this make you scared frequently, haha? Do you think about this a lot?

A friend had recently convinced me of the headcanon that Joris has OCD (not that I needed much convincing. If you've read my fics, I uh... accidentally gave Joris OCD in one of them. Whoopsie.), and while it's mostly about his adult self, I can see him having inclinations/some form of that even as a child.

Mostly due to the "persistent scary thoughts of someone he loves dying," "being so upset by the concept of changing bedtimes, that is a Nightmare to him," "needing reassurance that his thoughts of Kerubim dying are Not going to happen for real," things, — which look similar to the way intrusive thoughts and thought spirals work, — as well as the "having so much anxiety compared to an average seven-year-old (due to Kerubim and the general home situation), that he sometimes still sucks his thumb while sleeping" thing.

He looks so peaceful here. Cute.

It is interesting that he values something that was quiet and quaint so much. I guess both excitement and the calm, are equally important to him. It makes sense, considering he keeps pivoting between returning to adventure, and then going on breaks again, during his long, immortal life after the series.

(From this show's quietude, to moving between cities, to settling down in Bonta for a little bit. Then, two-hundred-something years later, yet again, more adventures, and yet again, settling down in Astrub. Then in Wakfu, moving to Bonta again, going on missions with Joris, and complaining that he needs his retirement, while getting beat up heavily due to lack of regular training. His switching between these two things is so interesting.)

He's so funny for this.

#ep35 #ro liveblogs dofus #dofus #wakfu #krosmoz

15 notes · View notes

depsilon7 · 1 year

Text

+++ recaf brew instructions +++

Verily, I shall instruct thee in the art of brewing thy recaf using a funnel:

Begin by boiling water and grinding thy beans of recaf. For a funnel, thou shalt need a medium-fine grind. Aim for 20 grams of recaf to 300 grams of water.

Place a filter in the funnel and rinse it with hot water to remove any paper taste and warm up the funnel.

Cast away the hot water and place the funnel upon thy chalice or carafe.

Add thy recaf grounds to the funnel and gently shake it to create an even bed.

Commence thy chronometer and pour just enough water (around 50 grams) to saturate the grounds. Let it sit for 30 seconds to allow the recaf to bloom and release gases.

Begin the first pour by slowly pouring water in a circular motion, starting from the center and moving outward. Aim to pour in a steady stream, keeping the water level about 1 cm above the recaf bed.

Once thou hast reached 150 grams of water, pause and let the recaf drain through the filter for 10-15 seconds. This allows the recaf to settle and helps to prevent over-extraction.

Continue the second pour, this time in a spiral motion, starting from the outer edge and working thy way towards the center. Pour until thou hast reached 250 grams of water.

Pause again and let the recaf drain through the filter for another 10-15 seconds.

Finally, complete the third pour by pouring in the remaining water until thou hast reached a total of 300 grams.

Once the water has completely drained through the filter, remove the funnel and cast away the recaf grounds.

Enjoy thy delicious recaf, for it is a blessed beverage indeed!

Remember, these are general guidelines, and thou mayest adjust the brewing variables to thy liking. Experiment with different recaf-to-water ratios, grind sizes, and pouring techniques until thou hast found thy perfect cup of recaf.

#adeptus mechanicus #admech #machine god #omnissiah #warhammer 40k #wh40k #imperium of man

84 notes · View notes

magicalgardenofhypnosis · 8 months

Text

Entrapping Nightwing

Part 1

Entrapping Dick Grayson the Nightwing in a plan worthy of the Bat himself is a fine art for sure as you can imagine I had weeks to plan it.

Dick Grayson is resting home in his Chicago based apartment after a long training field session for about a month in the woods with the rest of the titans.

The look of pure exhaustion covers his face as he endeavors to be anything weak in the sight of others he stands in the light before the mirror.

The expression of pain seeking throughout his body as he makes a face struggling to barely lift up his shirt over his head finally

he manages to.

The scraps of bruises splattered on his body

he touches his body extreme pain persistent pounds of pain shooting upward into the sky of sorts.

He can’t believe what is seeing an odd grey cloud of smoke shreds through the sky then blocks up is the entire city leaving no one to be able to use their gift of sight.

It is unbelievable as Dick manages to grab a remote control pointing at the a screen he presses play and the television flips on to reveal it.

At first it’s an odd static sound ricocheting in a high deep vibe hitting his ears head on he stopped stunned in a lack of movement he is stuck.

The static starts to fade as the screen spins takings a spiral like shape instantly he is now under my influence completely in my thrall.

In the shadows of the room the lights began to flicker brightly on and off consistently as the windows fall shut down locking in place and the doors slam close as well.

The room lights dim down to small crawl on to him a solo light blows up surrounding him ins a fiery state he mindlessly removes his clothes.

I move revealing myself from the shade of the night waking into the view every step is like a thousand pounds of weight holding him back.

No longer needing to hold back I race up to his back forcing myself on him to no facial or body reaction is amazing he is like a doll or a statue.

Swatting his butt hard I begin to grope him so hard I can feel the inner muscle twerk in an excitement and I take him aside pushing him on to the wall.

I lean on to him planting a kiss on his lips as his eyes continue to lock on to the screen all that matters and his mind completely alters for the better.

My hands land on to his waist swooping hook past his sides to his belt I undo it quick with little effort the belt falls to the floor and I feel great.

Digging my nose into his skin I happily sniff inhaling all of his scent in deep heaves of breath and plant kisses on his body every inch of it.

His under pants slid to the floor leaving him stark naked sweat glistening in the dark aura of the room everything ceases to exit but his beauty.

“Oh pretty but poor Nightwing”

“A great Detective “

“The former boy wonder”

“If you could only speak”

“If you could only embrace “

“Give into the evil”

“Why fight your destiny?”

“Yes you have a strong will”

“Yet! I am a Master of manipulation”

“Of course! Men like you think of yourself as Gods!”

“It’s weak inferior feeling”

“That massive muscled body is a sign of failure to love yourself.”

“Drop to your knees”

“Remove my clothes”

“Take my body in your hands”

“Suck off my tongue, arm pits, ears, body and cock get all of my juices.”

“My dna now in your system”

“Transforming you forever “

Part 2

“Come Dick! Be a bitch ! Sleep!”

“Yes Master!”

“What the fuck?”

“I am spiraling”

“FUCK”

“What’s wrong with me?”

“Follow my voice”

“You can’t escape “

“I am in control “

“Yes Master”

“You are still fighting”

“I wont let you win”

“I can’t stop fighting it”

“Oh God!”

“You are growing hard, pointing forward and throbbing.”

“I can see your expression on my face”

“You are turning ruby red “

“Raging and Super hot”

“Your cum is collecting “

“You want to blow”

“Your will is all that’s left “

“You have surrendered to me”

“Mentally is all that left “

“All you have to do is give in”

“It’s already commencing”

“Your cock stirs”

“I want to tickle you”

“Your cock is about to blow”

“Maybe I’ll tickle you?”

“No please!”

“Sssstrttooop”

“Why should I?”

“I beg you “

“Mwahahahahaha “

“Do it! Do it!l

“Aaaahhhhh! I give up “

The end

#dick grayson #Nightwing #detective #cop #titans #bat family #mind control #hypnosis #reprogramming #brenton thwaites

35 notes · View notes

sunshineandviolets · 4 months

Text

Into the Unknown.

Happy (late) holidays to @yakov-vasilyev, I was your secret santa <3. Much enjoyed learning all about Devon, esp her relationship with Farah and Bobby! Hope I did your girl justice and this new year has been treating you well!! 🥰🤗💕 Fandom: The Wayhaven Chronicles Characters: Devon Kang x Farah Hauville (& Bobby Marks) @wayhavensecretsanta

The chill of the winter evening would be enough to make time slow down. From the small prickly hedgehogs curled up asleep within a pile of leaves till the warmth of spring was ready to greet them again, to the silent awes and faint twinkle in a young child’s eye as they witnessed their first snowflake. Jack frost nipped at their nose and in return heard the softest giggle as the confusion shifted to intrigue then finally pure wonder.

It was just past 5pm and the sun had already started to set, however the crowds of townspeople on the street still remained as lively as before.- regardless of the loud honks from a vehicle that was on the verge of collapse. The night sky was lit up from the endless colourful string lights that decorated the streets. No order, just chaos spurred all over the surrounded homes.

Devon squinted as she glanced up towards the car’s rear view mirror and grumbled once noticed the increased number of civilians that kept ‘mistaken’ the main road for a damn walkway. Her dark eyes ached with the continuous flash of lights directed towards her. The shine highlighted noticeable dark eye bags that had been one of the few consistent variables in her life thus far. A child or even an naive adult would describe the first snowfall to commence the winter season as ‘magical’ but for someone whose car’s heating would not turn on - despite the amount of times she had punched the button to no reward - Devon was not feeling to share those same reactions as she pulled her coat furthered into herself.

“Only a few more blocks to go”, she thought as she gripped the steering wheel tight and clenched her teeth to forcibly stop the chatter. A few more blocks till she would arrive back to a place that was once familiar and now is but a stranger.

Devon never wanted to become an officer in the first place, that was a position forced upon her as punishment for acts of delinquency. Devon Kang - the woman who had a promising future laid out in front of her when she was growing up. She was meant to gain a successful career as a lawyer, being on top - exceeding far from other’s expectations of her. That was until he came into her life. Took her trust, her heart and had let her lay her armour down, only from him stabbed her from behind. The single revelation of the betrayal from someone she once could call hers, led to her eventual down spiral. A fallen angel , knocked off her pedestal and into a string of bad choices and decisions. Her downfall was his fault. She let him in, to drop her guard and only for him to - urgh. It was his fault.

“ So why can’t I - ? ”

Devon let out a low grunt at the nuisance of the thought of those strikingly blue eyes flashed before her, but it was another that they changed out for. Eyes as bright as the sun that rose up from the darkness, like an unexpected gift from under the tree - the reason why Devon cannot fully regret becoming the detective… if it had meant she got to meet the terrifying surprise that tipped her world upside down.

Thoughts of the sunshine vampire whirled into her mind. A bitter laugh left her as she reminiscenced their first kiss all those months ago. Strange yet needed, as through it’s what she had been missing despite never thinking to look. The vulnerable expression of Farah as she asked her for the kiss - did Farah expect her to say no? Should she have? Any doubt that remained was erased once Devon’s mind shifted to the taste of Farah’s candy scented lip gloss. It happened in almost an instant, yet remained gentle and soft like a touch of a sunny clear day. Felt the sweetness of newly bloomed roses. After they both moved apart, that blissful kiss still lingered on her lips. The deeper she delved in thought about her new girlfriend, the increase of a chill crept along her back. This is new territory for her and one that Devon has yet to believe or understand that she even deserved.

A few moments passed and Devon eventually arrived at the station. It was once a home away from home, but ever since her forced promotion at the agency she had found herself hesitant by the foot of the stone steps. She watched as the light shined brightly through the windows from the cold shadows. She never understood how her old co-workers could just easily stroll in a place and make conversation without a stumble. All it had taken was a single look from Devon and the others would avoid and cower like she had the plague. She certainly never smelt bad - always remained rather pristine and put together with style, she thought whilst she smoothed down her pressed shirt.

A ping from her phone broke her chain of thought. Devon does not save people's numbers usually. A small contact list, less names to remember - only those that she actually cares about.

Tina Poname, 5:12pm. Seen.

“Dev! You coming to pick your things up or what?”

Tina Poname, 5:13pm. Seen.

“Don’t make me throw your shit in the trash - I will do it 😤”

Devon rolled her eyes, typed out a quick response then shoved the phone back into her coat pocket. Tina’s threats are not some to dismiss.

Devon Kang, 5:13pm. Sent.

“Try it and I will break your plant.”

She sighed whilst taking the steps back into a place that felt more as a distant memory. Devon brushed past individuals that made their way out of the building, ignorant of the pleasantries that were thrown her way.

***

In and out.

That was all it was supposed to be.

Get in, grab her stuff then leave. In and out. As easy as that. So, why was she stood in front of a bare naked pine tree with a box of cheap plastic ornaments in her hands. Devon wrinkled her nose when she remembered Tina’s big and bold pleading eyes. Devon was about to shrug her request off before Tina pulled out her trap card.

“Well this could be a rather difficult task, if you think you won’t be able to handle it then I suppose I could have another - ”

Devon sneered at her past self’s foolishness to fall for such a low blow trick that had landed her to decorate a tree over twice her size. Devon dealt with worse, she knew she didn't need help to assist with such a mindless task. Anyone around her knew better to ask or dealt with the agent’s stone cold glare that could rival Adams.

Like a blur, time sped up whilst Devon concentrated with the decorations. Volunteers, co workers, guests flew around and past her in all directions - but her focus remained on the tree. No time for pointless greetings or goodbyes, she had a system and it would be followed.

The moment she was unable to find the star topper, Devon decided it was a decent time for a break. That and her stomach betrayed her. She headed for the vending machine, typed out the number, tapped her card and waited for her chips.

And waited.

… Still waited.

Devon inched closer with anticipation whilst the bag started to tilt forward and … nothing. It just remained still, mocked her from behind the glass. She kicked at the machine, once or perhaps multiple times, but the chips still refused to budge. How was it that she could shove over an old powerful supernatural, but it was a single bag of chips that held its own against her? At least most people had already left for the day to not see a grown woman’s beef with a mechanical box.

“Oh angel, take it easy on the machine. You are going to leave a dent.”

Devon groaned and the hairs on the back of her neck stiffened up at that dreadful name. Not even needed to glance away from her new inanimate enemy, she already knew exactly who arrived. She let out another low grunt as she gave the machine one last hard kick, yet the chips remained attached on the rack.

“Need some assistance there, before you break company property - oh! I meant your ex - company’s property.” Devon made the fatal mistake and shifted her gaze to glance up at the taller man with his smug grin that pierced a burnt feeling in her chest. Bobby Marks leaned against the vending machine with a journalist pass displayed around his neck.

“Ah great. Just when my headache was thought to have gone” She rolled her eyes and spoke in a neutral tone, “the detective is not present, you have no business here.” “Who said I was here for business and not pleasure?” He winked and Devon just barely managed to hold in another groan. He already used that line once before in the past.

She was tired, she had a very brief moment of weakness and it was late - way too late. Devon was usually quite pragmatic, but in that moment, her mind betrayed her when she held the door open for him. Without a second to process, she felt a rough wet collision between their lips. An overwhelming scent of his cologne scraped against her nose. The kiss itself is as she expected. A fight for control. Urgency or desperation? Doesn’t matter. It was over as quick as it had started. After the sounds of betrayal, almost used once again for nothing more than a scoop - she will not allow herself to fall for that same mistake again.

“But really what a surprise to find you here after your sudden promotion, must be a christmas miracle - “ “It’s the fourth of December.”

Bobby continued as though she never interrupted, “and here I worried that agency of yours had kept you locked up and you’d tragically never see my handsome face again.” Devon noted the venom laced on his tongue at the slight mention of the agency. She managed to array Bobby’s suspicions of her new workplace and unordinary colleagues for the past couple of months, but how long will that secret last? Knowing Bobby for as long as she does, he won’t stop till he figured out the truth.

Devon rolled her eyes again at his comment, but stopped at the sound of a bag drop. Her eyes darted towards the row ‘035’ and that very same chip bag had indeed fallen onto the tray. When her gaze moved towards the control panel, her surprise quickly shifted to a glare towards her conversation partner who was in the process of putting away his card.

“I did not need your help.” Bobby scoffed lightly, “Bold of you to assume these were for you.” He reached down faster enough to beat her for the winning prize. He opened her bag. He took out her chips. With the usual smirk drawn on his face, crunched down on each chip. One by one. However, it did not last as that nauseating smirk faded into a knowing grimace.

Bobby let out a loud cough and tossed the bag onto an empty desk, “Kale? Who on earth would choose to eat kale flavoured chips?” Devon scoffs with a small quirk of a smile “it’s called being healthy, why don’t you try it some time?” Bobby rubbed a hand on the corners of his mouth, “it’s called being pretentious, Kang.”

“Takes one to know one, Marks.”

Bobby took a few steps closer towards Devon, leaned down to match her height “we always had much in common, hadn’t we? Shame truly we don’t spend nearly enough time together anymore to explore - “

Devon was about to snap back at him, if it wasn’t for her surprise wrapped up in all colours of the rainbow.

“Dev!! Honey! I saw your car outside, are you in here?”

Farah’s booming voice echoed through the office, a pleasant chime to the ears. She had a peppy spring to her steps, with her poofy skirt bouncing along with her and colourful rainbow stockings proudly on display. She swung around a small woven tote bag, whilst she skipped with a beaming smile towards Devon.

“You would not believe what I managed to score, and for free as well!” Farah’s excitement could radiate an entire room with how much twinkle would shine from her amber eyes.

Bobby let out a loud cough and Farah’s bounce halted and finally realised his existence in the scene. He was not amused, “We were having a conversation here.” Farah threw him a disinterested gaze up and down with a shrug “emphasis on ‘were’. You are no longer needed - not when the real gift has arrived!” She gives a small twirl of the skirt and sent a wink at Devon. Devon snorted at the man’s insulted face. She hesitated at first but reached over for Farah’s hand and gave it a small squeeze.

Bobby glanced between both women then at their joined hands, gave a slight roll of the eyes before he plastered a tight smile. “Oh! It seems I am getting a call,” He whipped out his phone and very obviously typed out a number. He kept his gaze locked onto Devon as he spoke, “Hello there Harriet, did you miss me?” Devon just scoffed at his antics.

Farah stuck her tongue out at the man when he headed out of the station, then shook her head and sighed, “What a total weirdo. Good thing you totally upgraded from that, right honey?” She glanced towards her with an anxious smile. Farah has always been rather open, going through life, her heart on her sleeve, even a hint of insecurity can easily slip past that smiley façade. However, without the necessity of words, Devon lifted their joined hands to press a faint kiss on her knuckles and those once anxious thoughts simply faded away.

Farah’s cheeks darkened and sputtered out a soft laugh “oh gosh - wow. Gotta say babes, I'm never truly tired of finding these surprises of yours hidden within.” Devon showed a small inch of a smile and Farah’s grin widened, then blinked for a second “Wait, what was I going to say again?” Devon glanced at the tote bag and raised a single brow, Farah clapped her hands “Oh right! Check it.” She opened the bag and revealed a small box of freshly baked mince pies. “Some old human was selling a bunch on the street and she ended up giving me a box with no charge! Must have been hypnotised by my adorable face, haha!” Devon purses her lips in slight confusion, “firstly I am not going to argue about ‘adorableness’ of your face as that’s obviously true to a fact,” Farah blew her a kiss. “But you are a vampire, aren’t you not? You don’t need to eat actual foods.” Farah flapped her hand, “Need? No. But I heard these small pie things are a big deal this time of the year, so I was curious what all the hype was about.” Farah shuffled near, their hands still joined, the sudden closeness caused a warmth to bloom on Devon’s cheeks. “And I thought you might appreciate the snack.”

Devon hadn’t told anyone she was heading to the station. Hadn’t told anyone if she was eating out or staying in. But despite not knowing if they were going to meet, Farah still thought of her. She used her free hand to gently cup her girlfriend’s cheek. Examined her for any possible ulterior motives, tricks or tomfoolery - but what she deduced was nothing but the earnest truth, as she has always been.

“You are forever on my mind, honey. I hope you know that. If not, I do not mind getting to remind you every second of every day.” Left speechless, Devon responded with a slow nod. She leaned up slightly for a gentle kiss with a short breath of relief that escaped her lips. Farah’s leg propped up with her arms around Devon’s waist, kept her close and near. A picturesque portrait with the newly decorated tree behind the blossoming couple and seemingly Devon finally found the star.

All she wishes for this Christmas season is not to lose her shooting star anytime soon.

The End.

#the wayhaven chronicles #wayhavensecretsanta #farah hauville #farah x detective #twc fic #twc edit #my writings #my edits #my fav thing is when people have a designated tag for their oc #so much fun just looking through to find little details #aka the kale chips haha #anyways i had such a blast writing Devon!!#love me a grumpy intimidating woman with a soft spot

14 notes · View notes