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she-posts-nerdy-stuff · 1 year

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Some little details you might have missed in Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom

(Maybe part one?)

When discussing the Ice Court Heist at the start of the book Wylan explains that he speaks Fjerdan and although Jesper teases that he probably isn’t very good at it, the fact that Wylan has been to the Ice Court at least once before would beg to differ; as a diplomatic meeting it would probably be considered impolite if he and his family didn’t speak at least some Fjerdan when being hosted by what I assume to have been the royal family or at least higher-ups in the Fjerdan government. However, when he’s drawing up plans of the Court on the boat, Kaz asks why nothing is labelled and Wylan says “I don’t know Fjerdan”. He does, in fact, know Fjerdan (and it’s confirmed later that he speaks it well), but he is hiding the fact that he cannot write

In the Bathroom Scene™️ Kaz says that Inej’s tell is the way she squares her shoulders before making a move, “as if you’re waiting for the audience’s attention”. When Kaz goes to the slat in the next chapter, after the fight he squares his shoulders before making his speech to launch a coup against Per Haskell. I think this is really interesting and it absolutely shows what Inej realises at the time, that “the fight was just the opening act” but this, the talking and the convincing and the persuasion, this is Kaz’s superpower. I think this is so interesting and says so much about him, but it’s also a great Kanej parallel. More than any character I can think of, Kaz absolutely embodies the quote “I discovered at a very young age that if I talked for long enough I could prove anything right or wrong, so either I’m god or truth is relative. And either way, boo-yah” (which by the way is a quote from the brilliant sitcom Community)

This is my favourite Wesper parallel: in soc when Wylan uses a bomb to save them from the parem-drugged fabricator, Jesper says “Wylan earned his keep”. Wylan replies “Did I?” and Jesper says “Well, you made a downpayment”. At the end of Crooked Kingdom when the pair are able to go back to Wylan’s house because Van Eck has been arrested, Wylan asks Jesper if he really meant it when he said that he would stay and help run the business by reading to him, and Jesper says of course, but “I charge a pretty steep fee”. Wylan blushes and replies “well I hope the medik is here to fix my ribs soon, because I’d like to make a downpayment”. THEY’RE SO GODDAMN ADORABLE

This one I think is something people just forget, but Nina and Matthias are heavily implied to have slept together on Black Veil when they got from Ravkan embassy. The pair go to get changed and reappear “rumpled and rosy several long minutes later”. Jesper laughs when he sees them- he says “Staying on task?” to which Nina replies “I’m teaching Matthias all about fun. He is an excellent student, diligent in his studies” as Matthias gets progressively more and more embarrassed. But yeah I’ve never seen anyone talk about it I think people just forget

#grishaverse #leigh bardugo #six of crows #crooked kingdom #inej ghafa #kaz brekker #nina zenik #jesper fahey #wylan van eck #kanej #wesper #helnik #the crows #crow club #ketterdam #kuwei yul bo #shadow and bone

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fbfh · 8 months

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older!logan x reader hcs

wc: 1.6k

genre: age gap, sort of sugar daddy logan

warnings: big (but legal) age gap, logan is early 40s reader is like early 20s, brief odette mention, logan is a killer lawyer, rory kinda traumatized Logan lol, I haven't finished gilmore girls or ayitl yet so don't come for me lol, logan is obsessedddddddd with reader, mildly smutty, mentions of marriage and proposals, your relationship progresses really quickly

summary: you were reading in a coffee shop when a charming gorgeous much older guy decided to strike up a conversation. little do you know that within a very short time that same charming stranger will know your dress size, your shoe size, and your ring size.

song rec: off to the races - lana del rey

a/n: the choke hold older logan has on me..... euthanize me at this point lmao

tags @yesv01 @magcon7280

As with all nsfw works, all characters are aged up to 18+ (like way over 18 in logan’s case lol)

That being said jesus christ let’s dive right into the brain rot

First things first, a little more about Logan

He’s in his early 40’s and aging like a fine goddamn wine

MEGA MEGA dilf vibes

After the whole millions of dollars sunken into a bad investment in his family’s massive media conglomerate mishap, he still faced a lot of pressure to join the family business

But with Rory rejecting his proposal, he felt so fucking down and beaten up by life

He just had two massive blows to his ego back to back

And he needed a win

Then the strangest thing happened

He just got back from another late night of partying with his friends and switched on the tv so he wouldn’t have to fall asleep with his thoughts, and some random movie was playing

The girl in the movie is at dinner with her boyfriend and thinks he’s going to propose, but he breaks up with her instead

It hits a little too close to home and Logan’s about to switch it off

Then she decides to go to law school to prove herself

He finds himself getting more and more invested in this movie, relating more to Elle with every scene, and by the morning he confronts the idea he’s been shoving away for too long so he doesn’t rock the boat

He talks to his dad and they decide Logan will go to law school, but remain a prominent board member and shareholder of the family company

Mitchum is surprised by how responsible and well thought out Logan’s plan is

He’s forging a path to a very lucrative field - one Mitchum can tell he’s going to be very successful in - while still staying involved enough in the family business

So Logan goes off to law school, and 20 years later he’s a total shark

He’s a prestigious, expensive lawyer with a reputation for never losing and a long streak of killing it with really high profile cases

Now the Huntzberger name carries all the weight and power of his father’s media reach, and Logan’s success in the courtroom

He’s excelling

And he’s excelling enough to keep his family out of his personal life for a while

He’s living the bachelor life until he hits 40

That’s when his parents decide it’s really unacceptable that he’s still not married

So they tell him if he doesn’t get married soon they’ll arrange something

Some french heiress or something

And Logan finds himself right back where he didn’t want to be

And then, like a gift from god, he sees you

Like I said in my initial drabble, Logan first saw you in a cafe reading some dusty novel no one actually reads like war and peace or crime and punishment or something

He's seen people your age do that before, reading complicated stuffy literature to seem smart and make some pretentious English class commentary that barely makes sense

So he calls you on it

"War and Peace, huh?"

He’s expecting you to say something fake and pretentious

Some bullshit fake deep pseudo intellectual shit

But you look up at him, only pausing for a moment before you speak

You’re surprised to see such a gorgeous guy in a little cafe like this

Especially one that seems interested in talking to you

And god, the way you talk about it

The way your eyes light up

It takes him by surprise

He's not just interested

He's invested

You start talking and realize that you've been talking for way longer than you expected to

And he wants more

He wants to know more about you, wants to see you sweet smile and hear your cute little laugh when he says something charming or compliments you

So he takes you out to dinner, his treat

He guides you out the door and into his Porsche with his hand on your back

It's a subtle gesture but it makes your stomach flip

Then he buckles your seat belt for you

If you weren't sold before you sure are by now

So he takes you to this nice fancy restaurant, wines and dines you, and he is laying on the charm thick

"Oh, come on. A pretty young thing like you must have a boyfriend."

"Really, you have excellent taste.”

You don’t miss the way he’s been eyeing you all night

And he doesn’t miss the way you squeeze your thighs together when he touches your face or plays with your fingers

One thing leads to another and after he pays the bill and leaves a generous tip, you find him ushering you back into his porsche

And yet again he closes your door for you and gets you all buckled in

This time when he drives his hand rests on your knee

He thinks he can handle this

He’s the biggest whore on the east coast /affectionate

Then you grab his hand and move it up your thigh

There’s no going back now

He’s in just as deep as you are

Before you know it you’re tearing off each other’s clothes

His lips are all over you and motherfucker does he know what he’s doing

He worried for a moment he might have lost his edge

But as he lays you down into his big soft bed, your skin touching his silky sheets for the first time

But definitely not the last

As he finally touches you and feels how wet you are for him

He knows he didn’t peak in college

“Shh, listen,” he says between kisses that make you feel dizzy, “you’re gonna tell me if it’s too much for you, can you do that?”

You nod while he holds your face in his big hands

“You gotta say it,” he chuckles at how sweet you are, how well you respond to him, “use your words, baby…”

You manage to choke out a desperate yes between kisses that makes his stomach twist

And that is the very beginning to your intense affair with Logan Huntzberger

He’s desperate to see you again

He sends flowers and a dress and a gorgeous necklace to your apartment

And not the normal amount of flowers

The Logan amount of flowers

So a lot

And you can’t believe your luck finding a hot rich older guy that’s so into you

You really like this attention

Your daddy issues are SCREAMING

And Logan likes having someone as gorgeous and intelligent and into him as you are

And he wants to do this right

But he’s rapidly approaching the deadline his family set

He doesn’t want to scare you off

GOD that’s the last thing he wants

But he is terrified of proposing and having it end up like it did the last time

Eventually he works up the nerve to talk to you about it

He’s explaining everything to you while you pay your bills

But it says they’re already paid

And your credit cards are paid off

And your debt has just disappeared

Even your student loans are gone

And there’s a fat deposit in your checking account

He paid off all your debt and didn’t tell you

By the time he’s done explaining that you basically either need to get married asap or you can’t see each other anymore he still hasn’t brought it up

And you realize he’s not going to

He didn’t pay your bills to guilt you into anything

He’s not holding it over your head

He’s taking care of you

And all you’ve ever wanted is someone who will take care of you

Logan is surprised when you agree

But he’s even more surprised at how fast you agree

You sit in his lap and end up rambling about how much you love him, how you don’t think you’ll ever find anyone you like as much as him or anyone that treats you as well as he does

To no one’s surprise the conversation ends with him taking you on every surface of your apartment

Hours later you’re cuddling naked on your couch, resting your head on his muscular chest and listening to his heartbeat

“So like… are we engaged now?” you ask looking up at him

He laughs sweetly

“No, not yet. I have to actually propose first.”

You think back to your conversation earlier when you first said you’d want to marry him

“So that didn’t count before?”

His heart breaks at how little you ask for

“No, that didn’t count.” He kisses your head, “I’m going to take you out somewhere nice, give you a proper proposal, with a nice ring.”

You get butterflies thinking about it

You can’t believe how much he does for you

How much he wants to do for you

You’re quiet for a moment, and he can feel you smiling into his chest

“...Okay.”

Your voice is so small and bashful, and he can hear you suppressing a flustered giggle

Fuck he can’t get enough of you

He laughs and pulls you closer, grabbing your chin and makes you look up at him so he can kiss you

You fall asleep in his arms

And you think that you won’t mind being married so young if it’s Logan you’re marrying

Logan is looking at you with so much love and adoration

And right before he falls asleep

He thinks that maybe it’s not too late for him to find love after all

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rainycat2 · 1 year

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dare not say that a man forgets sooner; i have loved none but you

The Dead on Main fanfic I promised. AO3 link here! First chapter is short.

(Edit 3/6/23 for clarity)

Chapter One: The Invite

Constantine knew that, on occasion, he had the seemingly-supernatural ability to get himself into some really, truly, utterly bonkers situations. Being a magician in the first place would be a good starting place, much less having effectively escaped death itself by selling his soul sixty ways to Sunday.

But this?

This was the shit frosting on the particularly radioactive, glowing-green shit cake.

Really, his day had been going pretty well before all of this happened. Comparatively. There hadn’t been any major crises or bullshit that he’d been dragged into, or forced to consult on. The only thing on his docket was the meeting at the Watchtower he was being “asked” to “advise” on, regarding a JLD matter that had the potential to need the daylight League. See, he knew it wasn’t necessary, but the damn Bat was so paranoid he’d jump at a shadow if it so much as flickered the wrong way, so.

Watchtower it was.

The meeting had progressed relatively normally, to his relief, but close to the end, right when he’d started considering actually lighting the cigarette that dangled between his teeth, right when he’d started properly zoning out… power zipped down his spine, shocking him into sitting straight up. Cold shot down his arms, gooseflesh rising at the sensation as he blinked, then cursed. Captain Marvel shot up as well, looking around like he’d been hit over the head with a pan.

Death magic.

“Get back from the table, you bloody-!” Before he could even finish the curse, a glowing green hole in goddamned reality ripped open in front of his eyes, hovering above the table. It hurt to look at, frankly, the sickly neon green turning to black to green to purple to white to green--

Augh, Jesus. He tore his eyes away before the not-fully-in-reality hole could melt his brain. “Don’t look at the damn thing,” he barked, shielding his eyes slightly with a hand.

“What is it,” Bats growled, every line in his posture screaming defense, tenseness, ready to fight.

“It’s-”

A sharp, comical, almost cartoonish pop hit their ears, once again cutting the Brit off as two envelopes fluttered to the meeting room table, the hole in reality just. Disappearing. There one second, gone the next before he could even process.

Constantine sighed heavily, taking a long, long swig from the flask tucked into his coat pocket before he examined the letter, noting the swirling black script addressed to him. Well, nothing really to lose, he noted, picking it up and breaking the seal quickly.

To John Constantine, Tenant of the House of Mystery, Master of the Arcane Arts, Deceiver of Death, and all other titles that he Lay Claim to;

His High Majesty of the Infinite Realms, of Purgatory, of the Underworld and all other names through History and Time, High King Daniel Phantom, Balance of Life and Death, Champion of All, Ancient of Space, requests your presence at the upcoming Samhain Ball.

Attire is black-tie, masks are optional, and weapons are restricted. All souls upon acceptance of this invitation shall be bound to an oath of peace for the duration of the Ball, which shall last one Earth day, twenty-four hours, or one rotation of the Planet Earth orbiting Sol in the Milky Way Galaxy.

Accommodations for all who request it shall be made in the King’s Keep in the Infinite Realms, with travel, food, and all other necessary needs provided.

The Samhain Ball is dated to October 31st, 20XX to the early morning of November 1st, 20XX.

Please either accept or decline this invitation by October 5th, 20XX so the appropriate accommodations can be arranged.

-Their Excellency, Ancient of Time, Former Consort of King Pariah Dark, Advisor to the King, Lord Clockwork of the Infinite Realms

“...shit."

#dead on main #danny x jason #danny phantom crossover #dp x dc #ghost king danny #arranged marriage au #royal politics nonsense #my fanfic writing #gonna import the other dpxdc fanfic im working on soon #anyway catch y'all later #pls give feedback if you wish #canon is my playground and i am a chunky toddler with a sandcastle pail

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mostlymaudlin · 1 year

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just read every single one of your fics and prompts. ur so good i literally love everything you’ve ever written ever. would you be able to write (or recommend if you don’t fancy writing it) some wymack just being so good to neil and or andrew? being there for them, understanding them, i love parental wymack

hi anon 🧡 ty for being so nice!!! it has been a while since you asked this question, sorry. ive read a lot of excellent portrayals of wymack, but i don’t know that i could name any fics that really focus on this? as you probably know, i wrote one wymack pov fic, but it’s still mostly about andreil hahaha.

ANYWAY. i know you said parental, but i was kinda thinking abt the very unique role he serves. And I did write a little scene abt Andrew’s midnight break-ins to Wymack’s apartment 🤪 cw for vague mentions of past abuse/self-harm.

rated t, <1k

“And here’s the real kicker, Coach.”

Wymack is fairly certain that the information Andrew is about to deliver will not be the kicker. He’s fairly certain that it will only lead Andrew to another line of outrage about the thing he is always rattling on about these days when he breaks into Wymack’s liquor cabinet: Neil Josten.

“He doesn’t even listen to music!” Andrew says. “I know you see him running on that treadmill too, eyes glazed over like a goddamn zombie. I heard Boyd offer to let him borrow his iPod, and he went, ‘oh, no thanks, I don’t listen to music.’ And Boyd kept pushing him, trying to find out if he liked an obscure genre or something. But he is ambivalent to it. Be honest, Coach — did he grow up in some kind of satanic cult? Is he brainwashed? Is he going to hear some code word and go ape shit on us?”

Andrew is lying on his back on the sofa, dirty boots on the arm rest and a bottle of Jack Daniels in one hand. He’d made significant progress on it before Wymack even got home, and Wymack can see it flushing his cheeks and ringing around his eyes.

Wymack has dealt with a lot of fucked up kids, but in some ways, Andrew is one of the most difficult. It’s not the violence or the bad manners or the obstinance — Wymack can deal with that shit all day long.

It’s nights like this that make Andrew such a challenge in Wymack’s head: Why does Andrew come here? What is he looking for? What has Wymack done to earn this frankly irritating privilege — and how can he make sure he doesn’t squash it?

Andrew doesn’t talk to anyone. Betsy doesn’t tell Wymack much about the kids, but even she has expressed worry at the layers of repression Andrew seems to hold.

But sometimes here, between casting Neil in various villainous roles or complaining about Kevin or stating his grievances with Palmetto State’s meal options, Andrew drops in something real. A comment about getting slapped by a foster mother. A crude joke about the scars Wymack already knows are on his arms. Hints toward some kind of big secret that Andrew seems to dangle in the air between.

It’s always casual. It always feels like a test. Wymack doesn’t know if he passes or fails — Andrew always just finds his next tangent and moves on.

Wymack rubs his temples. He must take too long to offer a grunt to indicate he’s listening, because Andrew looks over to where Wymack sits in his armchair.

“I don’t think Neil is religious,” Wymack finally offers.

“But would we really know?” Andrew asks. He sighs, dramatic, turning his head away again. “He doesn’t add up.”

“He’s hiding things,” Wymack agrees. “So is everyone else on the team.”

“Yes, but everyone else on the team isn’t as interesting.” Andrew brings the bottle to his lips again. “He’s a threat. But it would be less of a problem if he wasn’t so nice to look at. It’s very distracting.”

Well. Wymack didn’t see that coming.

Maybe he should have.

Andrew keeps his eyes on the ceiling, but the air is charged as he waits for Wymack’s reaction. Wymack holds in a heavy breath.

“Maybe you’re looking so much that you’re seeing stuff that isn’t there,” Wymack says.

“Ha,” Andrew says, but there’s little amusement in his voice. He tips his face toward Wymack, pointing with the bottle in his hands. “That’s a good one, Coach. But no. He’s definitely up to something, and I’m going to figure it out. How far is Millport from Area 51?”

“Far enough,” Wymack says.

Andrew hums. “He’s pretty fast. Maybe he escaped containment there and ran.”

Wymack snorts. “Report back when you’ve exhausted that theory. Preferably not in the middle of the fucking night.”

Andrew laughs. It’s not a joyful sound, but it’s familiar.

The are boundaries he’s supposed to maintain, and he knows Andrew wouldn’t want to have rules bent for him. The minute Wymack gives Andrew an open-door policy, he’ll never see him again. He’ll never get to see if he’s passing Andrew’s tests — he’ll never figure out if there’s something he can do.

So he’ll play the role. It’s not hard — he’s old and grumpy and tired. He’ll listen to Andrew bitch, even when it’s about these other kids whose names weigh heavy in his chest.

Maybe it will pay off, maybe it won’t. But this is the job. He has to be okay with these odds — they’re the best he’s going to get.

#my writing #aftg fic #aftg fanfic #Andrew minyard #David wymack

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batfamfucker · 11 months

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Spiderverse Spoilers Ahead - Trans Stuff.

The amount of people saying that believing Gwen is Trans is 'reaching'- As if her and her dad don't both have Trans flags, her colours aren't literally that of the Trans flag, and that every Spiderman reveal speech feels like a goddamn coming out coded scene- Is insane.

As if the Spiderverse creative team didn't plan and animate everything to the last detail.

I've seen people saying her owning the flag could just be an ally thing. Which is true, but how many people own pride flags for allyship compared to just. Being actually queer? I swear the transphobes are delusional.

Like. They way they (The animators) plan colours and set designs and costumes and colour coding is so detailed. You want me to believe they had Miles wear a BLM pin because it was relevant to him personally, but then not believe that Gwen's dad wore a trans pin and she had a 'Protect Trans Kids' (People keep saying it could be the dad but keyword: Kids) flag in her room because they were personal to her, too?

The same team that hinted 42 Miles as the Prowler by having our Miles put on a green and purple hoodie? So we know they code with colour. But saying Gwen could be Trans because her designated colours being symbolic of the Trans flag is a reach? As if the Spiderverse team wouldn't know that (After they added the flags none the less), and don't foreshadow/hint at things with colours throughout this franchise? You genuinely think it's a 'reach' that the same people that took THREE YEARS to figure out how to animate Hobie alone, wouldn't realise how using those colours would be interpreted (Especially next to the other subtext and design clues)? That they what? Didn't do research? As if they haven't been excellently representing communities this entire time and clearly putting all their love into clearly researching and showcasing the beauty of diversity? Be so for real.

I've seen people complaining that 'we do this with every movie'. Name one Trans animated movie character. Or one Trans movie character at all (That doesn't die, or go through something horrific for no needed reason, or isn't built from harmful stereotypes, etc).

The levels people will go to to deny queer existence and queer characters is ridiculous. You don't have to like it. I don’t care. She's not Trans for you, she's Trans for the Trans people watching this movie. The same way that Miles is Black, or that Pavitr is Indian. Anyone can be Spider-Man, that's the entire point. It's not 'forced diversity', it's just diversity. Trans people exist, the same way that straight/cis people do. You'll hype up Miles as a step in a progressive direction, then shit on Trans people for clinging to Gwen for the same resonation?

If you want a cishet white Spider-Man, go watch all the other medias that exist. We're allowed this one. The creators made their message very clear, Spiderverse is for everyone. Spider-Man can be anyone.

#Across The Spiderverse #Spiderverse #Gwen Stacy #Trans #Trans rights #Miles Morales #The haters sound fucking stupid bro #'It's just a headcanon' She literally owns a Trans flag my dude #I beg the Spiderverse team will be allowed to let her explicitly say it in the next film #So that these fuckers can stop denying it. Make it so they can't ignore it like they can with flags please #Across The Spiderverse Spoilers #Spiderverse Spoilers

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prolix-yuy · 2 years

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About Ms Jackson.. "“Catfish’s been walking around with a smile 24/7" I would love to see them teasing Frankie and making him blush but also super proud 🥰🥰

I love this ask! Pope did tease that the boys know what's going on, and there were a few days between the "session" and when they scheduled their first real date. So let's see how things progressed while they plucked up the courage to see each other again.

Callback

Pairing: Francisco "Catfish" Morales x F!Reader "Ms Jackson"

Summary: How did the boys react to Frankie and Ms Jackson's meeting?

Word Count: 1.9k

Warnings: M, descriptions of sex work, allusions to sexual acts, Frankie overthinking, Santi being the scheming best friend we all need, some light angst but mostly fluff. While this story is not explicit, my blog and the content shared on it is 18+ so MINORS DNI.

Notes: Time for a little peek back at the beginning! I love bringing the boys back in to Frankie and Ms J's relationship, and that line did bring up some very cute scenes. Enjoy!

Cross-posted on AO3

Sex Worker!Frankie AU Masterlist

Santi makes an excuse to go over the day after - something about needing a tool, a made-up broken appliance - so he can see the result of his handiwork. He always hammered home that clients shouldn’t bleed into the boy’s lives, but there was something in your voice that made him pause. Either Will or Benny could have been good choices, and he knows you would have had an excellent time. But that one small sigh you made, the depth of hurt he could feel over the phone, the hesitation, all made his thoughts narrow to Frankie. He might be playing with fire, or he could be kindling a hearth in a home.

When Frankie opens the door, Santi’s chest expands. He’s lighter than Santi’s seen him in years, a bigger smile than necessary crinkling his face.

“Hey Santi, come in, I’ll get the pipe wrench for you. You want a beer or something?” Frankie asks, and there’s a goddamn bounce in his step as Santi follows him through the small apartment. Opening the slider door to a tiny balcony, Frankie kneels to rummage through his tool storage case. Santi leans causally in the doorway, studying Frankie’s broad back.

“How was last night?” he asks, fighting the smirk that wants to grace his face. Frankie stops rummaging, his hands dancing along the edge of the toolbox.

“It was…ah, hah, yeah, it was…” Frankie stammers, and Santi grins at his struggling friend.

“You can tell me the truth,” he prods, and Frankie grabs the pipe wrench and stands to face him.

He was right; Frankie’s almost sheepish as he hands Santi the wrench, leaning back against the balcony railing.

“First rule is not to get attached,” Frankie parrots, the words long etched in his brain. Santi rolls his eyes, tucking the excuse in his back pocket.

“Yeah and the second rule is I’m the boss and I’m asking if you had a good time.”

Frankie folds his arms, tilting his head down and chewing on the inside of his cheek for a moment before meeting Santi’s gaze with a disbelieving smile.

“It was amazing,” he finally says, and his enthusiasm pulls Santi out of the doorway to clap a hand on his shoulder.

“I fucking knew it!” Santi crows, making Frankie blush several shades darker as he leans up next to him on the railing. “Tell me all about it. Is she cute?”

Frankie makes a face and pushes Santi with a wide palm.

“I don’t kiss and tell, pendejo,” he gripes.

“Are you serious? I pull off the greatest matchmaking of the twenty-first century and you’re not gonna spill?” Frankie rolls his eyes, but a smile is tugging at his lips.

“I don’t know, it was just…the connection was instant. That’s never happened before,” Frankie muses, Santi calming to watch him. The fondness that radiates in his eyes, the way his hands worry at his lower lip, the shifting posture, all blooms warmth in Santi’s chest.

“You get her number?” he asks, and Frankie bleats out a laugh.

“Yeah, we exchanged after dinner.” Santi’s eyebrows shoot up into his thick curls.

“Jeez, Fish, I knew you could be smooth but this is next level,” he laughs. “You gonna call her?”

At this Frankie’s posture shrinks imperceptibly, a small fall in his face.

“I want to. I really really want to. It’s just…it’s not supposed to start this way, you know? How’s she going to tell her friends we met?” Santi snickers loud enough that Frankie regards him more fully.

“Is that really what’s keeping you from the nicest thing you’ve let yourself have in ages?” Santi asks.

“We don’t really know each other,” Frankie refutes.

“That’s what first dates are for, idiota. Take her on one. Get to know her. If your chemistry outside the bedroom is half as good as in, you deserve to give it a shot.” Santi watches Frankie’s face as he turns the idea around in his head. It makes Santi sigh dramatically, pushing off from the balcony.

“And I deserve a beer for listening to you overthink this,” he says, heading in to raid Frankie’s fridge as he grumbles in behind him.

“Santi told us you met someone,” Benny asks when they’re out at the bar that night, sipping Modelos and waiting for the pool table to open up. Frankie stalls by taking a long pull, Benny’s expectant face hovering in his peripheral.

“It was a good session,” he finally responds, the butterflies in his stomach swirling as he recalls your face when you opened the door. The warmth of your body cradled in the bathtub. The softness of your mouth when he finally got to kiss you.

“I literally just watched you flash back like a lovestruck teenager, Frank, cut the bullshit,” Benny interrupts, making Frankie blush and tuck his chin deeper into his jacket collar. “When are you gonna call her?”

“I don’t know, she’s a client…” Frankie starts, but Benny interrupts him.

“Don’t pull that card, that’s just nerves talking. You remember Vanessa?” Benny asks, Frankie nodding. “She was a client first. You’re right to be careful, but there are exceptions. Plus then she knows what she’s getting into and you don’t have to have that awkward ‘I do sex work’ conversation with someone new.”

“But I don’t anymore.”

“See, but you did, and let me tell you, the girls that see that as a dealbreaker aren’t worth your time.” Benny sees a table open up and jogs to it, putting down a few crumpled dollars on the wood frame. “Just call, you’re so obviously into her.”

Frankie waves Benny off, going to choose a pool cue, but when he comes back Benny puts a grounding hand on his shoulder.

“There’s some part of you that’s saying you don’t deserve this, and I am emphatically telling that voice to fuck off. You do. I haven’t seen you this relaxed in ages, brother, and if kicking your ass over this decision helps you make it I will gladly smear you down the sidewalk. And in this game.” Benny releases Frankie’s shoulder with a slap, walking around the table rack up the balls. When he’s not looking Frankie surreptitiously checks his phone.

No calls, no new messages. He pockets it and takes another pensive sip of his beer.

“Did Santi really blab this to everyone?” Frankie bemoans, a smile creeping onto Will’s face from under the car hood.

“I think he’s prouder of himself than of you,” Will teases, straightening up to wipe oil from his hands. Frankie normally has no issues changing his own, but the shop is convenient and Will was waiting for a customer pickup.

“It’s been two days, right? That’s an acceptable time to wait. You don’t look desperate, and she’s had enough time to hope you might call,” Will offers, a knowing smile making Frankie sigh and tilt his face to the ceiling.

“I know, I know, I just…fuck,” Frankie murmurs, and Will’s face softens, sitting on a shop stool while Frankie paces.

“I did think Santi might be playing it up, but I see it too, Fish. You’ve had a really hard go of it lately, and this is the first time I can remember you actually looking excited about something.” Frankie avoids Will’s observant gaze, tapping his fingers on the hood of his truck. Analyzing the scratches he wants to buff out is easier than going down this path.

“What’s stopping you?” Will asks, and Frankie sighs long and exhaustively.

What was making this so hard?

“I don’t want to fuck it up. She’s funny, and sweet, and pretty, and I am really fucking attracted to her. But everything I’ve tried to do right the last few years I’ve made a mess of. I don’t want to make a mess of her. She doesn’t deserve that.”

Will nods, staring hard at Frankie’s discomfort.

“You told her about yourself?”

“Some, not everything.”

“She tell you about herself?”

“Yeah, went through a bad divorce, couldn’t bring herself to date. She thought this might be easier.” Frankie laughs a little at that. Turns out nothing is remotely easy about this.

“Broken pieces can still come together well,” Will says sagely, making Frankie snort.

“Okay Gandhi,” he teases, making Will toss a shop towel at him.

“Fine, don’t take my advice.”

“But?”

“But what?”

“Normally that comes with a ‘but’ at the end of it.”

“But nothing. You don’t have to do shit I tell you.” Will gets up at the crunch of a car turning into the drive. “But three out of four probably aren’t wrong,” he shoots over his shoulder before going to greet the customer.

Monday night inventory at the shop had devolved into beers on Will’s back porch, the first vestiges of spring finally making an appearance. Santi complained that it was too cold to drink with jackets on, the response of course being to mercilessly force him outside. The air is crisp and clean, the beer on Frankie’s tongue mellow and cleansing. He’s glad this remained after everything that happened between them.

A ping echoes from Frankie’s pocket, muffled under his jacket. He digs in as Benny rattles off next weekend’s game stats to Santi, Will emerging from the house with a platter of burgers. The name on the text glows up on Frankie’s face, illuminating the progression of confusion, realization and elation.

“She texted,” he breathes out, and the noise comes to a stop.

“Wait really?” Benny spins to Frankie, who turns the phone screen to the boys with a dazed smile.

“Holy shit, we love a girl with some initiative!” Santi crows, slapping Frankie on the back. They crowd behind him to look at the text.

Hey Frankie

I hope it’s okay that I texted first. We haven’t been that traditional in the first place, right?

I had an amazing time on Friday, and I’d like to see you again if that’s not breaking any rules.

“Fish, you cannot let this girl get away,” Benny says, jostling Frankie enough that he bats them all away.

“Okay, okay, I’ll text her back,” Frankie gripes with no heat behind the words.

“Remember - tell her something that lets you know you listened to her!”

“Suggest a date!”

“Place and time, buddy, show her you’re serious.”

The overlapping voices fade to the background as Frankie types out his response.

Been meaning to call you since Saturday morning, but I got in my own head about it.

I don’t mind breaking rules. How does Friday at seven sound?

Your text returns moments later, the boys all watching in anticipation.

Sounds a little far away, but I’m a patient woman.

Frankie grins into his chest as the boys erupt into cheers, jostling him around and shouting about bets places without his knowledge. It covers up your second text, just for Frankie.

Can’t wait to see you again.

Neither can he.

From the other side of the porch Santi smiles slyly into his beer, the email he sent that morning a secret he’ll keep close for the time being.

Catfish’s been walking around with a smile 24/7. Let’s call that session on the house. Although when we get to meet, you’re paying me back in drinks.

If that was the nudge you both needed, he was happy to be of service.

END

The story continues in Nine in the Afternoon

#francisco catfish morales x f reader #francisco morales x you #francisco morales x reader #francisco morales x f!reader #francisco morales #frankie morales fanfiction #frankie morales x f!reader #frankie morales x you #frankie morales fic #frankie morales x reader #frankie catfish morales fanfiction #frankie catfish morales x reader #sw!frankie #prolix fics

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chenfordnoquit · 6 months

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Alright, I just need to ramble my love and excitement over the Rookie coming back! I’ve been obsessing over Chenford (Tim x Lucy) for the past few months. (Even started up this side blog!)

I’m not normally a cop tv show watcher so it’s been a different experience to binge the Rookie but my god, do I just really love this slow burn, emotional and physical, in-depth and heartfelt characters and relationship of these two. And of course, the hotness of them both plays a role. How can it not?!

There are so many goddamn tropes. The height difference? Grumpy vs. Sunshine. Enemies to Friends to Lovers. Undercover/Fake Relationship. Denial of Feelings. Forbidden Romance. Soulmates. Being at your lowest point and being brought back up. Literal white knight and damsel in distress (both of them!) while simultaneously kickass power couple. Lucy is just so smoll. Tim conveys so much with his eyes and micro expressions.

youtube

I'm still new to the Rookie fandom but I’ve loved binging this series after season five was already out so I knew Chenford was endgame. It made it an easy and fun watch to see these characters progress individually and together. Binging made me fine with seeing them in other relationships, as they took what they needed, realized what they didn’t have, and grew closer together.

So many chances for these two to have gotten together earlier (and I love those fics) but I’m glad it was five seasons of a slow burn. The build up was so worth it. To see Lucy completely break down Tim’s walls and help him see the good in the world. To see Tim push Lucy to excel, and then to show absolute faith in her as he acknowledges her skills and talents. They hit all the love languages. Anyways rant over, Chenford just makes me happy. I can't wait to watch my first canon couple in real time (also slightly afraid haha).

Also this fandom is so talented. Just wow.

#chenford #slow burn #the rookie #lucy chen #tim bradford #day of death #enemies to friends to lovers #100% in love and 100% in denial #she fell first he fell harder #feelings realization #i love them your honor #Youtube

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kandisheek · 2 months

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FIC REC WEEK 12 – OTHER MARVEL SHIPS

STEVE/SAM

Not the Destination by KiaraSayre

Pairing: Steve/Sam Rating: NR Words: 8,007 Tags: Road Trips, Demi Steve, Armchair Therapy

Summary: Before they leave New York, Tony Stark (Tony Stark, Jesus, Sam's not over it, never ever over it) hands him an AmEx Black and says, "Don't let Cap spend it all on egg creams and quarters for the jukebox." "That is exactly what I'm gonna do," Sam says. "Egg creams and jukeboxes, nonstop. That's how we roll."

Reasons why I love it: All the fluffy feels! I love Sam basically coaching Steve into a bit of happiness, and I'm so happy that Steve is the one to finally take that last (first?) step. This whole fic is so sweet, and I adore all the stops they make along the way, the progression feels so natural. So yeah, it's fantastic, and I highly recommend it!

Closer to flying by Odsbodkins

Pairing: Steve/Sam Rating: M Words: 2,405 Tags: First Time, Canon Adjacent, Past Steve/Bucky

Summary: Sam Wilson had thought he had excellent gaydar. The sort of neighborhood he grew up in, then the military, a near-flawless gaydar was a survival essential. He was going to have to revise it to “has excellent gaydar in person”. Because he had never had the slightest inkling that Captain America might be gay.

Reasons why I love it: Steve being an experienced gay icon, we stan. I love the Steve Rogers is Not A Virgin trope, and this fic does it incredibly well. I also really enjoyed the hopeful note that this fic ends on. It's fantastic, and I hope you go and check it out for yourself!

Easy Does It by astolat

Pairing: Steve/Sam Rating: M Words: 6,489 Tags: Post-CA:TWS, Sex Pollen, Marriage

Summary: “It just seems like—it should mean something,” Steve said plaintively. “Well, I guess it does,” Sam said, after a thoughtful moment. “Means you’re not a virgin anymore.”

Reasons why I love it: Oh my god, that ending scene is the fucking best. I love how this fic strikes the perfect balance between being fluffy, funny and angsty, and does all of them equally well. Steve hanging out with Sarah and the kids is adorable, and I love Sam and Steve's banter throughout. This fic is wonderful, and I hope you check it out for yourself!

between our bodies there's a battlefield by thingswithwings

Pairing: Steve/Sam Rating: E Words: 4,805 Tags: Porn with Feelings, Anal Sex, PWP

Summary: Sam hadn't ever had cause to think about it, not really, but if someone had told him that he would end up in a pity fuck situation with Steve Rogers, gorgeous kind superpowered American war hero Steve Rogers, he would've assumed he was the one being pitied.

Reasons why I love it: Sam reading Steve like a book and giving him exactly what he needs is really fucking hot. And oh my god, Steve asking to be held down, and that anecdote about Tom? Scorching. Steve's desperation just makes it all even hotter, goddamn. I love this fic so much, and I bet you will too!

you can see it with the lights out by defcontwo

Pairing: Steve/Sam Rating: M Words: 4,702 Tags: Falling In Love, Past Relationship(s), Insecurity

Summary: “Will you believe me if I tell you that this is a normal thing that happens between two guys that are friends?” Sam says, and yeah, he’s pretty sure that that came out as weak as it sounded in his head. Steve leans up on one elbow, looking down at Sam, that same crinkle around the edges of his eyes noticeable even in the gloom of the motel room light. “I know it’s been seventy years since I last had sex with a man but I’m still pretty sure that’s bullshit, Wilson.” Sam Wilson falls in love. Like everything else, it's a process.

Reasons why I love it: Gaaah, this fic gives me ALL the feels! Sam's conflict is so relatable, and I love the hopeful ending. Steve is such a sweetheart too. This fic is incredible, and it deserves all the love in the world, so I hope you check it out!

#marvel #samsteve #ficrec #fic rec #a year in fanfic recs #fanfic rec

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thebarontheabyss · 27 days

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Hiya~

Newcomer to your interactive story (and the genre as a whole tbh, a bit of a boomer so it's my first time experiencing it.) and gotta say, I absolutely love it!

I've only finished 2 chapters but goddamn! I love Raven sm lol and how interesting all the other characters are too; you can tell how excellent of a storyteller you must be! I'm genuinely blown away by everything - down to the vocab even!

Curious; i wanted to know any BTS tea you could spill about TBOTA, like what was the inspiration behind the premise, the characters...etc. did you model anyone after people you know? and oh, the humor is just immaculate, any shows/comedians that inspire that or are you naturally that funny lol? (these are the questions that pop into my mind now but feel free to spill more deets, I'd love to pick your brain!)

Hi there! Thank you for reading! Happy to answer :D

Welcome to interactive fiction! I highly recommend checking out Choice of Games, a platform for similar interactive stories. The forums are also chock-full of fantastic works in progress that you should definitely take a look at!

I actually combined two unfinished stories of mine from 10 years ago to create TBOTA. One focused on Death, while the other provided most of the lore I use for this game. I don't want to give away too much about the plot, but after publishing TBOTA, I plan to work on the other story, which will be called "Awakening: Tehomot."

Talking about humor, I was an unathletic nerdy gay kid, so being funny was an important trait to have, lol. I love writing banter, and much of my inspiration came from dialogue in RPGs like Dragon Age and Mass Effect. In general, I prefer comedies that mix tragedy (it's the best remedy, after all) or even the horror genre (What We Do in the Shadows!)

I guess I just love comedy as a coping mechanism lol!

Regarding other inspirations, my long-term memory is SO BAD, so I linked an ask from a while ago where I answered a similar question. (It took me about two hours to remember all of this stuff, lol)

I will add that I grew up watching Hayao Miyazaki's films, which inspired the characters and story in this game and shaped the way I create and write.

Thanks for the ask, I would be glad to answer any additional questions you may have. ❤️

#anon ask #asks tbota #tbota #answered asks #answered

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ginnsbaker · 1 month

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OH MY GOD

I KNEW I NEVER LIKED DANNY FOR A REASON

The ending this guy i swear to god idk who leigh is gonna kill first reader or him or should i say “nick”

I was wondering in the flashback who this nick guy was that got a number for matt uno a married man

The kiss on the cheek the flowing conversation over breakfast all progress gone

I see the seeds being planted with the dog not gonna like i can see leigh with either a husky german shepherd or golden retriever. Golden retriever cos its the opposite to her and kind of mellows her out a little. Or husky because with how active they are they would make an excellent running companion they’re stubborn but loyal and very intelligent (basically leigh if she was a dog) and german shepherd for similar reasons. But i just have a soft spot for these breeds huskies in particular so its just me 😂

Im so mad at danny knowing full well matt was married ik he has feelings for Leigh so i wonder if it was sabotage for selfish reasons or maybe he thought it was the right thing to do cos matt wasn’t happy or something either way he is gonna get his ass kicked by one of these two or possibly both

Once again you did a fantastic job (you always do) leigh is not easy ti capture she’s incredibly complex she’s not even that likeable on paper shes angry and bitter and snarky but i think thats why i like her so much shes so different to any other portrayal of grief especially for a woman ive ever seen and she has so many good qualities that okay maybe don’t come across as much as the bad but id love to see how you deal with these like her sarcasm and snark can be genuinely funny she obviously loves very fiercely and cares about people she’s stubborn and not afraid to speak her mind and the list goes on

Thank you for writing these masterpieces and as always i look forward to the next one

-🧃

Re: dog breed - haha! yeah, i bet. she'll probably get one more after we give her the shih tzu and she'll go for a larger breed. for now, let me satisfy my need to write about shih tzus as an ode to my own dog who is my baby forever :)) I have a soft spot for retrievers and the bernese mountain dog, but i also love huskies! those goddamn beautiful eyes!

re: danny - ohhhh we're going to talk about that in the next chapter. of course it's a mixture of both. i won't say more but we'll definitely address that.

re: leigh - she can be really mean and she gets away with it because she's conventional pretty and she has this no-nonsense attitude that challenges you. she doesn't pretend to be nice because she doesn't care about what people think, or if people will like her, etc.

you're welcome! thank you (as always) for reading my works :) take care!

#🧃 anon #if i bleed asks

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the-girl-from-dres · 2 months

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hai ari whats ur dream fashion style? not like what you dress like now, but what u wish u could wear? :33

Well, 15th century armour of many varieties...

This is the early 15th century style -note the smooth, short breastplate and the relatively long fauld or 'skirt of plates' to protect the lower abdomen. This is the kind of armour that would have been worn by Jeanne d'arc, and indeed her English enemies.

The early 15th century is also where we start to see the dying out of cloth coverings for most soldiers, like these rather fetching fellows and their excellent tabard. There's a move towards bare metal as the 1400s progress.

Further forward we see the Burgundian style come into its own, and I really do like their look. I do love me some brigandine, something like what the fellow in white is wearing.

Something that also appears in Burgundy are various depictions of the armour people belived the great heroes of the past wore -this is fantasy armour in a time when plate armour was arguably at its peak importance, and it looks cool as fuck.

Following this, we have the pinnacle of the German Gothic style. And goddamn is that shit sexy.

Special mention to brigandine again. That shit slaps So hard, it's almost as proctective as full solid plate (there's not much in it), it's more flexible and it looks SO GOOOOOD like look at this shit

(this is a more fantastical design but it still holds up)

Plus, they can get SUUUUPER fancy too!

The second of these isn't a super high quality image but I've seen it in person and it is stunning. The fabric it uses is actually an off-cut from the late Queen Elizabeth II's sofa!

Plus, special mention to chinese brigandine armour, of which there are so many cool styles. this is a Ming dynasty example, and man I gotta learn more about chinese arms and armour it looks cool as shit

Aside from medieval armour, I do very much dig the sorta fantasy-piratical aesthetic. Tall boots, corsets, funky hats, big long flowing coats and frilly shirts... What's not to love!?

#medieval musings

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lesbiansforboromir · 2 years

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Whats up with shippey and hosstetter? I know i didn’t spell that right, sorry :( I’m extrapolating from your posts that shippey is a racist but Ive never encountered his academic works so I’m like, who is he and why was he associated with trop? And isnt hosstetter one of the guys who put together NOME? the other two incidences of eowyn scholarship you described are ludicrously awful btw. Thinking I need to do some more tolkien scholarship reading simply so that I’m in the loop on the terrible academic takes

Tom Shippey is one of the most well known 'Tolkien Academics' there are. He was incredibly present for the Jackson films and featured on the BTS footage for the extended editions quite a bit. He is also one of the guys who SO insists on comparing Sam and Frodo to 'officer and batman' rather than allowing any queer interpretation. In this paper I just read, Melissa cited Tom Shippey's pushing for the rohirrim to be viewed as a barbaric culture. His academia is as bland and traditionalist as you can find, he works tirelessly to reinforce the most narrow minded catholic-nationalistic ways of reading Tolkien and really the reason he is known so well and cited so widely is because he does indeed have an academic background and can write fairly cogent arguments (not that that's saying much, and memorably he stated that Denethor killed himself because he saw the corsair ships coming up the river, when Beregond says they've been aware of the corsairs for days). Tom Shippey insists on propping up this culture of Tolkien idealism and is a major part of the problem with Tolkien academia.

He's associated with RoP because he was originally a part of the project but left after a while. There is a rumour he was fired, which had the whole goddamn anti-rop mob frothing at the mouth, but Tom Shippey himself stated his leaving was unrelated to the project itself or it's runners and that he'd not been fired. Secretly I still hope they fired him though.

Carl Hostetter is indeed the author and compiler of Nature of Middle Earth. And after that book's publication he went onto reddit and facebook and wrote reams in disgust at 'The Left having to make everything about sex' when some fans were excitedly interpreting the melotorni/meletheldi (love brothers and love sisters) new notes that were in NoME as canonising queer relationships between elves. Carl Hostetter was also involved with RoP, in particular the translations and linguistics of the show, so hopefully not the plot itself. But hell will freeze over before a show set in middle earth gives us a canonically queer character so I doubt he had much impact on that front. In general he is also one of the traditionalists who idolise Tolkien and hold academia back from any interesting directions.

If you want to be more involved with tolkien academia I recommend actually starting with the tolkien society seminars on youtube, specifically the 2021 diversity seminar found HERE. It's both an easier way to get into tolkien academia than just trawling through all the disparate platforms of tolkien academic work in search of something worth reading, whilst also giving you an excellent snapshot of, essentially THE UPPER LIMITS of Tolkien academic progressiveness. I am not kidding when I say the works within are the furthest into feminist/queerfriendly/antiracist/disability-minded academia the tolkien community has ever gotten. So it's good to set your expectations, it's all downhill from here. Dimitra Fimi's work is still considered and often cited as THE best published work to do with Tolkien and racism and she STILL in that work has to devote pages to reassuring people Tolkien himself wasn't racist.

'Dwarves are not heroes: Antisemitism and the Dwarves in Tolkien's Writing' is an excellent piece (the only goddamn mythlore paper that's readable) and really does dig down into the clear issues, but the author, again, has to devote time to reassuring people that Tolkien himself was not anti-semetic. The culture of treating Tolkien like an un-impeachable religious figure is hardwired into the community.

#chats #tolkien #tolkien academia #academics

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stitching-in-time · 10 days

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Voyager rewatch s1 ep5: The Cloud

This is one of the ones I've definitley seen before, but don't remember much from, so it was interesting to watch it unfold without knowing what happens.

Overall, it was a mixed bag, but at the very least, it gave us this iconic Janeway moment:

The main storyline was clever, providing a nice twist to the usual 'let's go poke a stick at a space anomaly' plot by turning it about to reveal a 'we must help out a space creature' plot instead. Although for me it was a bit of a 'worst person you know makes excellent point' moment when Neelix went off about how stupid it is to endanger the ship and crew to go poke a stick at every single space anomaly they encounter. (He's not wrong.) However, as soon as he said it to the captain, and was kind of a jerk about it, I switched to her side. I would follow her anywhere and do whatever crazy shit she wants to do, tbh. She has so much conviction, even if what she's saying is, in fact, risky and stupid as hell, I want her to do it, I believe in her. She can have a little gratuitous ship and crew endangerment, for a treat, because I love her. Also she gets bonus points for literally telling Neelix to gtfo of her ready room. Get his disrespectful ass, honey! But then she lets him bring snacks to the bridge during a red alert??? Wtf??? I guess the writers didn't want to have a female capatain be too harsh lest she not be seen as approachable and 'unfeminine' (gag!), but I personally love it when she's tough and a little bit scary, and these very same writers never worried if Jean-Luc Picard was 'approachable'. (And he's not- if you approach him, he'll bite your head off, and we still love him, so let Janeway have the same thing dammit!)

Also, they literally have a line in this ep about how Captain Janeway canonically wears lipstick?! In the 24th century?! Women still have to wear goddamn lipstick to work?! When you're the Captain of a fucking starship, you're still supposed to sit there and put lipstick on before you show up for duty?! I just... ugh. No. Sure some people like to wear makeup, fine, but the notion that ALL women like it and want to wear it is just...no. Obviously on a TV show, the actors are all wearing makeup in real life, but I always felt that in the universe of the show they weren't, except maybe for hyper feminine characters like Deanna Troi. Kathryn Janeway is so no-nonsense, I really don't think she would, she doesn't seem like the kind of person who would give a damn if her crew thinks her lipgloss is poppin', you know? And especially since none of the male characters has ever had obviously make-up-y makeup, it reinforces a short-sighted patriarchal viewpoint to say that hundreds of years from now we'll still have a cultural norm where all women wear make-up all the time, and all men never do. (New challenge to current Star Trek shows: I want to see male crewmembers rocking guyliner, colorful eyeshadow, lipstick, glittery highlights, the works. If women in Starfleet wear it, men should too!)

The parts with Chakotay helping Janeway to find her spirit animal were obviously well meant, but they came off as a clumsy attempt to be inclusive by white guys who only have the vaguest idea of what they're talking about. The part about 'we now know better than to use scary bad drugs to have visions, now we use technology!' was especially cringe inducing. It's pretty tone-deaf to think that a culture where connection to the natural world is a central principal would use technology to have a spiritual experience, not to mention the whole 'natural drugs are bad and only white western medicine can make drugs that are safe and good' attitude is something that woud have died out in a post-capitalist utopian future. I appreciate that they wanted to be progressive, but if they weren't going to do the bare minimum of research or even try to put aside their middle aged straight white guy worldviews for a little bit, it was a futile effort that was doomed from the start.

And then there was more cringe-inducing stuff in Tom Paris's Chez Sandrine holodeck program. The harder they try to make Tom seem cool, the less cool he seems. Honestly, every thing in those scenes was just major secondhand embarrassment. It's hard to believe the writers really made him say this misogynist crap with a straight face. Like a grown ass adult would actually show his friends and coworkers that the inside of his head looks like this??? The whole time, I felt like Harry's discomfort wasn't because Tom's holoprogram was too sexy and cool for him, but rather because he was thinking 'Damn bitch, you live like this??' and feeling bad for Tom. If my bestie admitted to me that he has basically the hologram equivalent of a blow up doll in all his holoprograms, I would consider that a cry for help. If we needed confirmation that Tom has some issues he hasn't worked through, we got it, but I feel like it could have been done more subtly. It was just, so, so over-the-top bad. Thank you B'Elanna for calling out his shitty program, you said what we were all thinking, queen. At least Tom had the self-awareness to look contrite when she called him a pig- even then, he knows she's right, so at least they're giving him a ray of hope for getting better, but still, so far he's actually been pretty decent, and this was an unnecessary side trip to creepville no one needed. The one small positive I'll concede in this Chez Sandrine quagmire is Captain Janeway coming in and being fauned over by a holographic dude who wants to make passionate love to her, since she seems totally unsurprised and unbothered by someone taking one look at her and saying that, lmao. Captain Janeway knows she's got it, baby! And then revealing that she's secretly a pool shark to boot- ugh, I just love her. So much.

Tl;dr: Good main plot, bad subplots, some cringe moments you'll just have to grit your teeth to get through.

#star trek: voyager #voyager rewatch #rewatching star trek #the cloud #star trek

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saintofdaggers · 1 month

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semi-regular genuinely disturbing* book rec list

*check tw lists on StoryGraph, read at your own discretion, etc. also you might find some of these tame depending on your tolerance levels, but they do all have some kind of graphic or taboo content.

Poppy Z. Brite: Wormwood - short stories about goths and freaks and outcasts. they're all sensual, horrifying and beautifully written with macabre, vivid imagery. a personal favorite <3

John Skipp, Craig Spector: The Scream - still reading this one, but it's VERY fun, a classic splatterpunk novel about a rising rock band whose sinister shock rock acts go way beyond the stage. has some interesting commentary on religious fundamentalism, moral panics and music censorship, and the prose is really good, if a little corny in places

Daniel H. Gower: The Orpheus Process - this book is batshit insane and horribly written. it is, however, one of the funniest goddamn things I've ever read, and the nightmare imagery is so over-the-top that it keeps veering wildly between ridiculous and genuinely horrifying. it melted my brain. I think this is the closest we'll ever get to someone actually writing the Necronomicon

Cassandra Khaw: The Salt Grows Heavy - this is a very recently published fairytale retelling, but it's gorgeously written with genuinely artistic prose, it's an interesting angle to take with the fairytale it's built on, and the gore/medical horror is excellent.

Borderlands (edited by Thomas F. Monteleone) - read this one a while ago, but it's basically an anthology aimed to collect cutting-edge stories that went way beyond the cliches and recycled tropes plaguing paperback horror publishing at the time. this collection was a little hit and miss for me, but some stories are genuinely great and they're all fairly out there.

Bret Easton Ellis: American Psycho - but of course. I think the movie is much better as satire and the book is much better as horror, but let's just say even I winced a few times as I read this. at least when I wasn't cracking up

Otsuichi: Goth - oh I love this one. two death-obsessed teenagers keep running into serial killers and trying to understand them. it's nasty, bleak and a really, really good read (it almost broke me with a certain horrifying image on my first read, but I'm glad I decided to finish it)

Ryu Murakami: Piercing - I remember someone asking me once what I was reading and I handed him the book so he could read the blurb. when he reached a certain sentence, his eyes just kinda widened and his general assumptions of my sanity were visibly reevaluated. that's how you know this one is good

J. G. Ballard: High-Rise - less graphic than the others on this list, but more skin-crawling, imo. a filthy rich highrise apartment complex starts breaking down from poor design and antagonistic neighbor relationships, throwing the inhabitants into worse and worse chaos until they start genuinely cracking. this book is so gross. I say that with love

Splatterpunks II: Over the Edge - still reading this one too, but I think it's worth checking out to see how you'll like it (I couldn't find the original Splatterpunks anthology in the library, but this collection was stated by the editor to be more diverse and progressive than the first, and that already made it interesting enough to me to pick up). Kathe Koja, Poppy Z. Brite, Clive Barker, Karl Edward Wagner. you know you're in good hands here.

#book recs #book rec list #horror books #horror recs #lit tag #my recs #my posts

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hyenahunt · 3 months

Text

Rouge & Ruby: Eventual Affection - 2

Writer: Umeda Chitose

Season: Winter

Characters: Jun, Ibara

Proofreading: royalquintet (JP) & Skyress (ENG)

Translation: Mirei (Adam) & hyenahunt (Eve)

Jun: So you mean to say that while I spent the last few days stressed outta my mind to the point I had to go vent to Ohii-san about it, you were doing perfectly fine?

[Read on my blog for the best viewing experience with Oi~ssu ♪]

Jun: Wait, dude, hang on...

Couldja gimme like, one moment? I need a sec to process literally anything you just said, Ibara.

Um, alright... So you mean to say that while I spent the last few days stressed outta my mind to the point I had to go vent to Ohii-san about it, you were doing perfectly fine?

Ibara: Yes.

Jun: GODDAMN! "Yes", my ass! How about explaining things instead?!

You have no idea how worried I was all this time! How long did it even take you to bounce back from it!?

Ibara: After that exchange we had, I reflected on my own and found my own solution… Then I managed to make peace within three days.

Jun: Three days!?

Ibara: Must you act so dramatic about everything? You're quite loud.

Jun: No, but like— I mean... huh? What...!?

Ibara: — What you said to me served as a good wake-up call. It helped me to reflect on myself and think calmly again, enough that I could fix the project.

Any traces of COMP have already long been erased from my plans— or perhaps I should say, from Chocolat Fes as a whole.

Just what you wished for — which may sound sarcastic, but …

As you had pointed out, there was already part of me that saw this as an obstacle.

So I can safely say that, with the erasure of COMP from this project, the upgraded project plan now adheres to my ideal vision. Would you like to have a look at the proposal?

Jun: S-Slow down!

Why didn'tcha tell me sooner!? What the hell was I so worried about all this time, huh!?

Ibara: After I decided to dispose of COMP, I needed to brush up the project itself. Then I got busy putting the new project into motion...

It was difficult to find a convenient time and place to explain it to everyone again…

And from my perspective, practice and work have continued to proceed smoothly without an explanation on the new project…

Though, His Excellency did get an opportunity to ask me about the situation, so I talked to him about it.

Jun: Man, would it kill ya to look even a little sorry? I've been feeling so awkward for so long, y'know?

I even worked with Ohii-san to plan out the Typical Valentine's Experience Project whenever we had time to spare in between work...

Ibara: Typical Valentines Experience Project? What is that?'

Jun: I'm ticked off with you so I'm not saying. We've planned out so much already so we're gonna make it happen, got that? Just sit tight and wait for your punishment!

Ibara: I have no mind to wait for something I know absolutely nothing about.

Jun: Don't worry too much about it. It's just a little something made by us for us.

Ibara: (sigh)...

Jun: I'm the one who should be sighing here.

Who'd have thought that while I was twisting myself into knots, you managed to bounce back just like that and make progress for the sake of Eden and Chocolat Fes.

Riiiight, now it all makes toootal sense. Even all these papers all over your desk must be here 'cause you shook everything off and decided to go all out, huh...

Ibara: — I’m not sure if you are annoyed or down about it.

But it would be a bother to have you go on and on about it… So allow me to make one thing clear.

Jun: ?

Ibara: … To be honest, at the time, it never crossed my mind that you would oppose my plan.

I had never even dreamed that you would ever raise an objection

Even if you did have doubts or complaints, it never crossed my mind that you'd outright say "no" to me.

Jun: ...The way you're saying it out loud like this makes me think you seriously underestimate me.

Ibara: Indeed, I was somewhat underestimating you! ☆

Jun: Listen, asshole...!

Ibara: —However, if it hadn’t been for your opposition, I would have smeared COMP all over my project with my very own hands.

Having to put up appearances is basically part of my job. All the while swallowing my displeasure and resentment, knowing that keeping up appearances is also part of my job.

Jun: ….

Ibara: I avoided all that because of you, Jun.

Your words were the impetus I needed to polish my ideas and plans for Chocolat Fes.

It was more than a simple upgrade; entirely new things were accomplished.

Which is why, I mean… there is no need for you to feel frustrated, down, pathetic, or unsure.

That’s all I wanted to say.

Jun: ...Y'know, I was kinda preparing myself for a word of thanks at some point, but it looks like I'm not gonna get one, huh~

Ibara: That's not my style.

Jun: Yeah, I know.

...but huh, so in the end I really did end up being of some help to you?

Ibara: Not only that, but it’s fair to say that you have made a large contribution to increasing the quality of Eden’s Chocolat Fes.

The reason I've been able to work so smoothly is because you raised an objection, Jun.

Jun: ...... Haha ♪ Hearing you say that much makes me feel more fired up, too.

'Course, it does bother me that I was the only one in such a rut over this...

But knowing that you get to put into motion this plan that you wanted to elevate Eden to the top... I'm relieved from the bottom of my heart, y'know~

Now that's more like your usual way of doing things, Ibara. When it comes to Eden, we wouldn't want you producing us any other way.

......Well, there are plenty of times when things don't go according to your plans, though ~♪

Ibara: Hmph. That addition was unnecessary.

Jun: Ahh~ I'm in a good mood now that the tension's gone.

I'm feeling now like I could do just 'bout anything if it's for Chocolat Fes... ♪

Ibara: That’s very good to hear. Actually, I was planning on contacting everyone about the adjusted schedule after this.

We’ll be focusing on increasing Eden’s exposure, but we also have to squeeze in time to shoot the promo material for merchandise as well.

Side by side with Chocolat Fes practice, we will be doing a lot of work… ⁠☆

Jun: I’m down for that ♪⁠ No matter the work or crazy schedule you've got planned for us, bring it all on!

... By the way, d'you know any restaurants around ES that open 'round this time?

Ibara: ? Yeah, I do, why?

Jun: Awesome. Let's go and grab some breakfast ♪⁠

Ibara: Huh?

Jun: Back when you saved my ass I toldja I'd treat you sometime, remember? We just haven't had a chance yet.

C'mon, I'll treat ya to anything you wanna eat, Ibara ♪⁠

Ibara: I’m busy right now, you know. You fixed your mood and think you're the boss of me now, eh?

Jun: Ahaha, showing your true colours again, huh?

For the record, I'm down for a regular breakfast set, but what about you? Anything you wanna eat, Ibara?

Ibara: The restaurants I know also offer regular breakfast sets. The food in that set are slightly different between places, though.

Jun: In that case, let's try out the place you go to most often. Maaan, I'm starving... ♪

Ibara: (... "If you're ever in a sticky situation, I'll come right to your rescue", or so he said back then. Technically, I wasn't in much trouble though.) [1]

Ibara: (Since I said that this was "because of" Jun... let's count this as him coming to my rescue.)

[ ☆ ]

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Translation Notes:

This is a callback to Solid Stage: Epilogue!

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#ensemble stars #enstars #enstars translation #hyenahunttl #s: rouge and ruby #jun sazanami #ibara saegusa

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