#(not very subtle imo but ig subtle)

[haveihitanerve]

Can I just say I rewatched the disney movie Strange World the other day(like a month ago but i just thought of it for some reason) and I love the casual gayness they threw in? I know it got a bunch of hate from like old people who still fear being gay like its a disease, but like- it was so good. (honestly the storyline was okay but its also a disney movie so not really geared at me tbh) anyway, its never like, overly explained that hes gay, and it doesnt really matter to the story- its just something embarassing his parents tease him about, and then they kiss at the end and its a basic disney love story just with gay love instead of hetero and i just??? love that??? like- its nothing shoved down your throat- no open real force to make people understand he's gay. Its just casually mentioned, the way its casually mentioned that other characters are not gay. Like its a norm. Like its standard. Anyway I just love it so much

[goldenspringmornings]

this is something I’ve said about h*td too but I really don’t think that writers and fans understand how fictional monarchies work anymore.

sjm has created a high fantasy absolute monarchy where the title is passed on genetically through magic, but fails to actually like….think about the consequences of that. absolute monarchs don’t answer to anyone, there is no council they have to get approval from or send out a vote on matters of state or anything like that- law is whatever they say it is, the monarch might have advisors but the final decision is always theirs.

which of course brings us back to the night court because unfortunately we spend the most time there. I’m not saying anything no one else has said but the night court is not run like a true (fantasy) monarchy. not with the way illyria and the hewn city are treated, the hewn city especially actually because how can rhysand still call himself high lord when he explicitly lets the hew city govern itself up until he needs something from them?

rhys even mentions at one point he either dismissed all his fathers courtiers or they left (I don’t remember which, it was tamlin’s thing first) and then he installed the ic in their places. but then doesn’t actually….do anything after that. well okay he does do one thing- bitch and moan. and that’s annoying.

western media (american media especially) has shifted imo into this cultural need to force everything they read/watch/consume through a narrow modern lens that just doesn’t fit well with this pretty well defined fantasy trope and you can see it reflected in the absolute vitriol people will spew in regards to h*td specifically. this is an acotar post I swear but to tangent for a second: the team black/team green divide is, again imo, largely based in the fact people aren’t thinking of politics when they’re watching the show- they’re more focused on having a good time and liking the characters. and a large, large percentage of people watching the show aren’t book readers and don’t understand that fire and blood is a piece of propaganda written long after all the events it’s talking about have happened. that doesn’t translate well to tv. and the showrunners hopefully know that and that’s why they’re taking the show in the direction they are (not that I like it, I’m team black and they’re even isolating me with the shit they’re pulling).

bringing this back to acotar though, you can tell this… irreverence ig is the best word for it, for monarchs right from the first chapters of maf and feyre’s complete disinterest and disdain for the role of Lady of Spring. yes it’s also due to her very recent trauma, and I do think it would have been best for everyone if they’d waited longer to marry, but feyre desperately doesn’t want political power and views tamlin’s incredibly mild and indulgent exercise of it through the tithe as morally reprehensible but finds the taxes of the night court as fine and good even though they’re the same thing in the end. one is a direct and obvious example of monarchical power- tamlin and feyre had to physically be there to collect the tithes- while the other is more subtle and not as harsh sounding and more palatable to the modern reader because just like irl it’s (presumably) an automated and invisible process.

feyre and rhys don’t have to engage with politics in the night court if they don’t want to, and overwhelmingly they don’t. they’re perfectly happy hiding away in velaris and leaving illyria and the hewn city to their own devices until it benefits them and even in velaris they have the city governors actually running things. at best feyre and rhys are figureheads and at worst they’re puppets.

for a world designed to need the high lords, they’re surprisingly irrelevant. high lords and their magic could just as easily be replaced with Some Guy and nothing would inherently change except the name were ostensibly supposed to remember as Important (I cannot tell you how many times I’ve have to look up kallias thesan’s names). high lords don’t really do anything and I’m sure that’s just the failings of sjm as a writer but it also makes the world supremely unserious. there’s no weight to the power they have, it’s just some words we as the audience are supposed to find significant because they would like they would be Important People irl with a title like that.

I’m starting to ramble now but hopefully this makes sense; I’ve got a lot of opinions on the politics of acotar obviously and it’s getting really tiring seeing people say that fictional monarchies are bad just because they’re monarchies and that everyone should just switch to democracy when it could be fun to have a monarch instead.

[3rddimension]

Since the holiday season is around the corner and 2023 will end soon, what have been the biggest Shourtney highlights for you this year?

This year was super eventful for us Shourtney shipper since they started to opening themselves up. Here's my list of top 10:

Bucca di Beppo front and centered IG post. It's feeling like a hard launch to me tbh and the most affectionate smile that I ever saw from both of them. 💚💙

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Creator Crash 2 Afterparty red carpet. First red carpet since 2019. That's enough said. (Also the candid video is soooooooooo cute.)

Court wearing Shayne's ASU sweater. This one definitely caught a lot of people off guard because it's his signature sweater that he loved to wear on a lot of Smosh video and a lot of hardcore Smosh fan definitely would notice this one instantly. It's pretty much seal the deal for a lot of people that's still doubt that they're together for sure.

Family Guy Reunion. I mean the plot doesn't required them being touchy but they still did it anyway is super iconic and making us scream the whole way. lmfao

Edinburgh drunk karaoke with fans. Probably the first time we saw Shayne being the touchy one with Court in the fan video. Which make so much sense. lmao

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All the shirt swapping in official Smosh video. I never thought we would see it officially on Smosh video but here is at least 2 videos that Court swapped his shirts.

A subtle hint of "our" cats & Shayne's arm in Court's vlog. It's very subtle because it's pretty much blink and you miss it but you can see Shayne's arm during her ads read. Also the first time (I think) that Court mentioned anything related to their cat as "our". Which as you know she has been slipping up even more lately.

Smosh Games Livestream. The lego sleepover live one. Probably the first time we see them being silly to each other and with so many BF/GF coded moment in just one livestream. Probably the most out of all this year livestream imo.

Anthony Is Dead Livestream promo picture. Them posing for promo picture is already hot in itself but doing it as Bikini Girl & The Chosen with his top off?!?!?! So iconic it's insane that if you tell us last year that it would happen we would call you nuts. lmfao

[wellnoe]

what about emma dies and jean pulls emmas consciousness into her head to keep her alive (for scotts sake?) but now emma is always inside jean and theyre forced to bond until they can build her a robot body to put emma in. and then they kiss? (visavis plausible jeanemma scenarios)

oooh ok i do love a body share/incorporeal person situation.

to me the interesting part of the scenario you've laid out here is like. the jeannie condescension of it all. like i think removing scott as a motivator for saving emma, you have jean doing it bc she's a good person and an x-man and she's not going to let emma die, that's not what she's about. which is prime emma needling material imo, bc i think one of emma's big emotions about jean is that she thinks she sees through all the performance of jean as perfect person/perfect woman, in contrast to emma's own performances. like the identification is there bc they both have an audience and emma knows it and is obvious about it and jean knows it but can't be obvious about it, yk. so emma gets to point out the ways that jean doesn't actually want to save her but can't be honest about it and how she's just trying to show that she's a better person than emma when she isn't the saint she pretends to be blah blah blah. like thats prime je dynamic material to me.

ig the problem here is like. i don't think emma being in a needling position gets us close to kissing territory. emma is good at needling and being cruel and condescending and unflappable, and like. i think she very easily gets to fall back on that here w/out a super long term plot to make that harder to maintain. like we kind of want emma on the back foot here too, right.

i'm almost more interested in the idea of jean in emma's head? bc first of all, to me. jean's anger in this scenario is just funnier. like jean tends toward the explosive, and so i just think her anger w/in emma's head could lead to fun stuff for both jean and emma. i ALSO think that like. ok. so emma has lost her body due to shattering (and had to be rebuilt w jean's help) before. and also emma is like. very into the idea of using jean's image/body? she's an inhabitor and possessor in that way. also i think emma's telepathy is like. more subtle than jean's.

anyway my point is i think jean in emma's body/head is a fun reversal of a couple of plots/set-ups, which could lead to interesting dynamics. i also think that jean's tendency to explosiveness and her sledgehammer telepathy makes navigating being in someone else's head something that has a lot of plot potential? like jean is limited not by her lack of power, but by the possibility of fucking up so severely in her anger that she fundamentally fucks with the stuff keeping her and emma alive (or distinct? that could be fun)

a++++ scenario i will be thinking of it for a long time even if i still struggle w conceptualizing the stuff immediately before the kissing.

[concernedbrownbread]

Hi I read your This Unbearable Tragedy and I’m having a blast! And yes please I would like to hear your thoughts on your fic

OMG thanks for asking!! Sorry for the late reply. I had so much to say that I wrote wayyy too much and then had to cut it down, lol.

(Also for those reading the fic rn, Chapter 3 is delayed to next weekend.)

So, the main things that I immediately thought of when I started planning a fix-it was "there's not enough Ben in s4" and "why would they set Allison and Reginald up to parallel each other and not follow through?" and also "that is NOT where I saw these characters going". In essence, I thought that s3 was setting up a certain narrative with all of this and then was like ???? when they went (haha) off the rails. So I'll talk about those three points below. SPOILERS for the fic and s4. It's a long post!

Before I start: one of the major points of this fic (and s4 ig) is that timelines are spilling into each other. That doesn't just mean artifacts. It means people. The Keepers get memories of other timelines. Why shouldn't Ben and Reginald?

Character Arcs

Yeah ... I think the general consensus was that the characters weren't themselves in s4. I actually had no problems with the set-up in ep 1-2, but then ... Five and Lila happened. And the narrative seemed to hate Diego, reduce Luther to a himbo and not much else, and for some reason try very hard to make Reginald a dad to Viktor. Klaus, Allison and Claire had a kind of nice sideplot but I didn't love it. It tortured Klaus for no real reason and made Allison his saviour? And for what?

Anyway, for my fic, I start off the characters the same with some subtle differences.

We don't see Diego at his job. His job is to be a dad. That's his whole thing, that's the best part of him. He's a brother and he's a father, and the narrative will reward him for that

Lila starts by screaming. Can you tell she's NOT okay? She deserves a break and a breakdown, and she'll get both I swear. She is NOT a house wife because she simply wouldn't be. She loves working. I did almost make Diego a househusband though

Side note on Lila's parents: they don't exist because why on earth would Allison think of that and not think of bringing Sissy back? It's clear her fantasy timeline is selfish.

Luther is a stripper still but again, his job is a side note. His first scenes is with Klaus (which, again, was a relationship set up in s3 and never explored??). He's trying damn hard to keep his family together and I want people to appreciate that!!

Allison's first scene is still the studio, but I wanted to expand it to include Klaus. Her story is still of love.

Also Klaus has his own place because he has goddamn agency in this narrative. He and Luther deserve to have a home of their own, and they'd make hilarious roomates imo.

Ray of course, exists

Five is interesting to me because while it makes sense for him to be in the CIA, I can't see him staying with the CIA. This will be explored in ch5. I have a really cool piece written for him.

Viktor my beloved <3 I have no notes, I just want to say I love him. I will of course not let him near Reginald unless to beat Reginald up.

Anyway, I'm going to write a whole separate post for the characters. You opened the Pandora's box anon!

Ben (and Klaus)

I gotta say ... I tried, I really tried, to like Jennifer. She's just such a non-character. We know very little about her, her trauma barely gets explored, the Squid is stupid because all it does is exist and then Ben is like "hehe I have tentacles too! Means we're connected" WHAT?

I was excited for Jennifer. Curious about the Jennifer Incident. Very vindicated when I learned Reginald killed them because lets face it, that's super in-character. But I just ... couldn't get behind Jennifer. So I scrapped her.

Look, if there was anyone that Ben was going to be soulmates with, it was Klaus (platonically).

I mean, isn't that what we learned over two seasons? That Ben and Klaus are inseparable?

(I also don't get the whole Durango thing. TUA has never been all that science-y but at least they tried, but this season they didn't care at all. They really just threw in matter/dark-matter and pretended it was something.)

Anyway, I also don't understand why the fact that Ben was DEAD in another timeline is never bought up properly. In fact, Ben is barely bought up by the siblings? After they discuss his death, they all go off on their own. Viktor's the only one who seems to care (which is fine, I love Viktor and seeing him try to reach out to Ben was nice). Five and Diego are fighting each other during their fight against Ben??? Doesn't make sense - Five saves Ben in s3, Diego hugs Ben so tightly in s2, WHERE. IS. THE. PAYOFF.

(I think that is really what I hated about s4. There is no payoff to all that was built in s1-3. They bring in whole new narrative points without concluding the old ones, and then everyone dies. The end. UGH.)

Anyway, MY BEN needs his Klaus. His memories are a little janky, because timelines, but there has always been one constant. There has always been Klaus. I think even in childhood, they were close (and I'll try to explore that more in the memories). More than that though, Ben needs his FAMILY.

And he might deny that they are his family, but they are. And they will do so much to help him. Including, but not limited to, BEATING REGINALDS ASS (/j)

Allison and Reginald's choice

Okay, the final scene in s3 where we see Allison & Ray and Reginald & Abigail made me think that s4 was going to take this further. Allison and Reginald both made a selfish choice - not in resetting the timeline, but in directly going against the wishes of the loved ones they magicked into the timeline. Ray in s3 is very clear that though he loves her, and will always love her, his place is in Dallas 1963, where he has people he cares about. A life he cares about. Abigail is a bit more subtle, but I remember thinking that it was clear that she wanted to die/was content with dying. I was a pretty casual fan then so I don't know if this was true, but that was the vibes I got from s1, and I was pretty happy that s3 confirmed it just ... not in the way I wanted? I don't mind she destroyed the world because she wanted to die - it's clear Abigail and Reginald think themselves above human lives. I just wish they explored it more.

And again, this parallel was something I got from just the ending of s3. It wasn't a deepdive or anything. I feel like it was such an obvious choice for s4 to go "What happens if you can't let go of the person you love?" And then ... they don't even mention Ray properly. Damn.

I just don't understand why they didn't do it? They set it up so perfectly. UGHHHH.

The main reason Ray exists in my fic is because Allison has to reckon with the fact that she really did pull Ray out of his time, out of his life. And I want her to realise how awful a choice that was. At the same time, I want Reginald to face the exact same thing and choose to do the opposite - hold onto Abigail tighter. Chapter 3 is going to explore a bit more of Allison and Ray, while further down the line we'll see more and more of Abigail.

(ALSO OMG!!! Abigail and Five parallel each other in wayyy more interesting ways than Reginald and Five. I cannot WAIT to write that. But this is more a headcanon hehehehe.)

Other Notes

I think s1-3 set up a lot of things that I assumed was going to be explored and wasn't. I'm going to try and touch upon all of them

the Jennifer Incident felt lacking. s1-2 really were so good because there was a slight mystery to it all, and when there wasn't, there was a ton of dramatic irony - ofc we knew Viktor was the bomb, but it was interesting to see the family figure out that mystery. In the same way, ofc we know Ben is the bomb, but I really though s4 would allow the family to actively search for why and how to stop him. I'm more of a angst & fluff writer but I shall try to write some semblance of mystery here.

Marigold. I will explore. I have Thoughts. chapter 3 will answer more on why it was found by Ben in particular.

Relationships that were set up in s1 will be revisited because as the "last season" I expected it to be. Ofc, Klaus and Ben is the big one, but also Klaus-Diego, Viktor-Allison, Allison-Luther, Five-Viktor, etc. Some new ones will be there, especially with Ben who had little interactions (on account of him being a ghost) and with Lila.

Five continues to be old man on this side of crazy. Sometimes he has good advice. Other times his ideas are unhinged. Early chapters he's mellow because life is normal now but when things go to shit ... oh boy let's NOT forget how paranoid this guy is.

Lila is also a little crazy. Good for her.

Commission!Five is explained more than just a throwaway line in the Five Deli. Five Deli and the Subway is explored more too ofc.

DOLORES MENTIONED BECAUSE SHE IS GODDAMN IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTANDING FIVE. Not even as a "love story" (Five's love story is his familial one), just as a part of his psyche. She is mentioned in EVERY season. She deserves to be mentioned here.

Pogo. I will not say more.

Reginald. Is Reginald.

Anyway, I have a lot more to say but I'll stop here. Sorry this is so long! Thanks for the ask <3

[alex-turners-world]

“Some like to ignore Louise's obvious intentions on IG and underestimate how manipulative she is” i definitely dont deny how she tries to play victim on IG to get sympathy from ass kissers but we can also tell she seems more toned down when shes with him, presumably to not rock the boat. so i dont rlly believe she has the ‘power’ (for lack of a better term) to just throw around the dead mom card all willy-nilly, imo.

I don't know I think she can. She can do it in a very subtle way, like looking at her mother's photos while she's with Alex, or telling how she misses her, wearing some item of hers and mentioning it to him, or maybe even sharing some memory of her with him so he could feel sorry for her.

[daz4i]

ohh if you do a character design analysis, i'd love to read one on atsushi and the removal of his beloved (to me) black stripe. could just be laziness but it's always been very strange to me

oooooo yeah i think the removal is out of "it would be a pain to add this to every frame he's in" D: same as the chain on chuuya's hat 😔

but as a general design analysis! atsushi actually has a lot going on!

lore wise, we know from some manga omake that 1 his hair looks like this bc he got a haircut from the kids in the orphanage 2 his clothes are a collection of stuff from the ada, each member got him a different piece

first off that's adorable. he's so cute. second i think it goes to show how affected he is by those around him - everything you can see on him besides his actual face was someone else's choice. i don't think it's entirely out of wanting to please others, more like being grateful to those who help him and are there for him, as well as not having enough of an established identity to make these choices on his own

atsushi's whole driving force for a good chunk of the story is to help others, so he can earn the right to live. and i think this is a good reflection of it! he is very dependent on the people in his life to confirm even the most basic of things (that he's allowed to live), and so it makes sense it'll be reflected in his design c: even if it ends up being mismatched or a mess of a haircut, he'll keep it this way, because that's physical proof that someone else gave him this permission, on him all the time

in addition to that, his design is mainly white with some splashes of black. that is ofc to oppose akutagawa's design, with the whole ying yang thing they've got going on

and ofc! to mirror the tiger! that's also why he has the black stripe in his hair, i think. black stripes on white fur hehe. as well as mirroring the smidge of white in akutagawa's hair imo! really hammer in the ying yang thing :P

it's interesting how his eyes are yellow and purple, usually a mix but sometimes with one overtaking the other. i think i read once that they're yellow when atsushi's more... protective and ig "good"? and purple when he's being vindictive or petty, but i could be misremembering/the thing i read might've been inaccurate, so pls take this with a grain of salt 🙏

still, whether or not that's true, i think this mix of colors is very interesting. to get into interpretation (which, tbf, this whole post is just that lol) it might be related to the time of twilight, governed by the agency? a connection between night and day, darkness and light. in a way, atsushi himself embodies that, by being the key to finding the book that every group in the story is looking for, that is the connecting force between everyone in the world due to its reality altering powers, but i like the idea that it's a subtle way of saying atsushi definitely belongs in the agency, and always has.

that's all i have now! i encourage others to offer their own takes, or cover anything i might've missed in the reblogs 🫡

[random-basil-lover]

I really disliked the pacing of the manga. There is no plot twist with Mari's death, and knowing that she's dead already makes the church scene and Aubrey's emotional moment not working, also, for me, knowing a kind Aubrey before the bully version of her was better, since the impact is strong (especially after seeing her caring about Basil). Sunny seems to have many facial expressions, i would like it more if they were more subtle. Aubrey is very aggressive imo, really removes any charm. Aubrey is my least favourite character from the game, but in the game i still think of her a bit fondly since i saw her being vulnerable even when she was bullying Basil, at least i could empathise with her, like, i really don't hate her at all, i forgive her as a person, even if i feel like her apology was rushed. In the manga, she's just aggressive and mean. It made me instantly hate her (only in the manga). I don't really want to keep reading, I probably won't. Not saying it's bad, it's just not for me ig.

[vonkarma2]

14 + 20 + 22 + 25?

14.) whats your favorite part of this story/project?

if I’m being real ok this is the most horrible and shallow answer but honestly like. The aesthetics of everything. Most of which only exist in my mind but idk I like the colors I like the time period + clothing and the character designs. It’s really fun for me to think abt + to work on personally. Not that I don’t like the other aspects as well but that’s what stands out the most to me ig 😋 also some of the characters due to my insane favoritism. Like I only ever have one favorite at a time it’s rocio right now but literally everyone has had their turn. So they could all have been considered my favorite part of the story at one time or another for sure.

20.) your ocverse just got a movie trilogy a la hunger games style. how have they horribly mangled your message/theme so that the movies are now a showcase of what the original was condemning?

Rocio dramatic final sacrifice or something probably… they die forever and everyone is like wow… this was the right decision to make… there was no other way… this truly was our [working title pending]. It’s like part of the point of the story is looking for alternative ways to solve problems that aren’t self destruction + being able to change your mind so this ending would be like validating her preconcieved notions of despair + only listening to her own convictions as correct and necessary. 

22.) you have been given unlimited funds to make two adaptations of some sort, however you cannot make any other adaptations of any other sort. which two formats do you choose?

Easy ok 1) long ass novel series 2) comic book. The impulse is to say arcane style animated series but tbh I think the comic format would work better I think it’d be better at conveying a lot of the emotions in a more subtle + muted yet efficient way. Idk I like animation a lot ofc but IMO comics with really nice illustrations + that are well made and well written ofc can hit really hard they stick with you a lot I think. Bc there’s an interesting balance between seeing what’s on the page and having to imagine the details like the movement and how everything sounds yourself. Whereas with reading regular books the reader has to put in more effort + with watching tv they have to put in less. Long novel series self explanatory it’s long it fleshes everything out the pacing might not be great objectively but there’s just a lot of it there which would be fun for me :3

25.) best scene you havent yet written, but have an idea for?

😞😞😞 I used to have more specific ideas but ever since I dismantled it for parts and got rid of a solid 2/3 of the story now there’s just like scenes that have been there for years that I don’t want to talk abt bc I’d be repeating myself. And vibes. And things I have mediocre WIPs of. I’ll try to come up with something. I do have a couple of really vague general ideas. Lucia + Cirillo arguing over whether they should kill Rocio kind of funny. A little too darkly comedic (or if taken 100% seriously then very depressing but I feel like it is inherently a little funny) compared to what I was going for initially but whatever times change. I like the idea of conflict between 2 characters that start out with such a close relationship + both care deeply abt other people but their specific motivations make it so that’s what tears them apart or whatever idk it’s interesting. Cirillo defending Rocio + Lucia trying to protect everyone would be kind of sweet I feel like idk it’s not a very fleshed out idea but I do think it’s interesting :3

[whatiwillsay]

Hey Cam ik this isn't gaylor but can you breakdown the selena and hailey (and kylie ig) thing? They had publicly mended the fence not too long ago. I've been following the vids on tiktok but tbh the 'shade' seemed very minor and feels like there's more going on. idk why everyone's fighting and taking sides over very minor instagram stories. Even if shade it's very subtle. I'd say maybe I'm getting too old to get it, but Sel and Hailey are both older than me🤐

we just deep dived it for two hours on the patreon!

but if you don't have patreon i'm team selena always but i think she needs to chill on social media for a while. this all was a bunch of nothing imo. i agree the instigating shade... did not seem directed at selena imo.

BUT I'M STILL TEAM SELENA LOL.

fuck hailey and kylie they both suck as people.

[llycaons]

monster baru: notes as of ~halfway through

Dickinson's exploration of topics related to culture, sexuality and colonization is pretty neat to see in a fantasy series. I liked the discussion around cultural relativism, sexual fluidity, and Stakhi gender roles. a white man he may be, but careful and well-researched

I did think it was weird when baru extended sympathy to svir for the discrimination he faced as someone the reader would recognize as white, but ig it does follow the prejudices of the setting to their logical conclusion, and it makes sense that a series so involved in breaking down bioessentialism and misogyny would also challenge assumptions around white supremacy and the idea that white is the default

I kind of dislike that baru has non-sight senses/esp (?) on her blind side. I can't imagine this actually exists, but I suppose DIckinson would know

ulye xe is a GREAT character. her mannerisms and perspective are so cool to get into, and her sense of humor is subtle in a way that rules. also reminds me of lwj, actually, in that sense

I really liked the depressing bath sex scene. it was perfectly appropriate and it made a strong point about baru. also the sex scene itself was really good! hasn't been as graphic as other I've read, but I think the vagueness really works in the scene's favor

the switching POVs is still kind of confusing, but at least they're not doing it in the middle of the chapter anymore. and xy's voice is so strong, and her backstory is insane, I love it. her passion! her outlook! her commitment to the common people! I didn't realize how much she hated the ducal system. but who is XY addressing? 'my friends??'

also antiroyalist XY killing the Duke fucks. WILL THAT BE ALL YOUR GRACE

I picked up on a sense of 'tear down the ducal system' in traitor but it was never explicitly laid out. it certainly doesn't factor in baru's plans

anyway xy's 'side' is so much more complicated than just 'empire or rebel', she's a tactician who sides with the masquerade strategically in order to protect the most powerless of her people.

tain ko is so fucking cool. all the tains are honestly they rule

TAIN SHIR!!! HOLY SHIT!!!! I want her. and to see how she started...oh my god

TS and TK's backstory... 'I am not mastered'. I have chills. star wars WISHES

I love seeing more of oriati society, and the class critique thereof was super compelling.

it's nice that orientalism was so thoroughly avoided (especially compared to the dany chapters I'm forcing myself through 🤮stop talking about ~strange spices~ dany you have lived there for YEARS just eat the fucking locusts) but imo the world seems kind of small (Taranoke, Aurdwynn, Stazhi, Falcrest, Oriati, with some other peoples to the far east and west) - I would love to see more places and peoples. they all feel like vibrant, living, dynamic places that could actually exist

baru's relentless self-reflection is endlessly fascinating. she never stops questioning, either herself or others

unfortunately I still dislike the try tryhard chapter titles. DIckinson got so excited about all the new elements he wanted o incorporate and is trying to do so much at once. it feels overburdened and needlessly complex. like, tighten it up!

many many beautiful women. it continues to astonish and delight me that so many characters just continue to be women

very confused by this passage

I'm going to ask a mutual but the matricide line jut has me so baffled. how are lachta and the tain family related? why would lachta need to kill HIS mother?

it's really neat to see how Falcrest took over a different country. the weapons adapted to the situation of the place they conquer

Stakhi sounds really cool too! I want to go there!. the concept of 'a necessary king' is so neat. they're a people who don't like to be ruled, by anyone

finally I wish they hadn't used to word weed. it sounds silly and modern and informal when stuck into the language of the narration. just say cannabis

baru's crush on lao seemed like it came out of the blue and I was slightly weirded out that they were cousins, but then she clarified second cousins and honestly I met my second cousin this weekend at a family reunion and I think he's kind of hot so I can't even judge

the interrogation island is REALLY neat

I think the oriati concept of trim, and the critique of the princes, is one of the most fascinating and realistic aspect of the worldbuilding. look forward to reading more

[ayyyyysexual]

I JUST SAW THIS AND ALSO THAT YOU ASKED FOR RECOMMENDATIONS SO!

off the bat, i watch like... 7? hermit povs? and it's literally just All the hermitgals + skizz/joel bc I'd been wanting to get into them and hey, new season new hermits might as well.

also I have no idea which POVs you watch currently so I'm just gonna go off of the basis that you watch none (which I assume is incorrect JKASHDJK) and recommend my faves regardless of whether I think you already watch them

also these are basically just ranked by the order I usually catch up on their videos when I'm behind, I love all of them very much

My first recommendation has always gotta be Cleo, this season especially she's a lot quicker to catch up on bc I think all of their episodes have been between 10-20 minutes total, with a lot of streams interspersed — I don't catch streams very often but they're always fun. honestly i barely have anything to say cause it's just. watch cleo. do it. you wanna watch cleo sooo bad

Second rec is Gem and Pearl! Pearl was my first pov when I returned to hermitcraft after like. 10 years. bc I started watching her hermitcraft s8 after binging her pov of the life series just after double life ended <3 Pearl is so fun, so goofy, so entertaining, and her content is very charming in a way I wouldn't have expected to resonate so much now that I'm older, but I absolutely adore how she gets silly with it. also her ORGANICS her BUILDS her LANDSCAPING her PLANT LIFE and THIS SEASON SHE'S EVEN STARTING TO LEARN REDSTONE SOLO AND WITH TANGO'S ADVICE ITS SO FUN <3

I didn't start watching Gem until I branched out to more POVs during S9 but I was SO glad that i did bc she is AMAZING, and definitely earns her spot in my top 3 faves, the builds are awesome — especially her statues, like i dont think ive seen anyone else make statues as much as she does and it really shows that she's good at them.

very closely following those three are False and Stress! Both of them feel VERY underrated to me, I looove their videos (and am in the process of catching up on False's rn). False has a very dry humour that I love, and im still never gonna recover from her (mostly subtle) s9/esmp lore like oh my GODD the false twins will never leave my brain ever again. she added so many small touches that made everything so damn interesting and just. grahhh. also her builds are always very cool, I loved her s9 ice mansion (with the secret underground bunker and-) and in s10 she has so much going on with her base already it is SO FUN also her bit with the rivers is ridiculous and very fun. she just carries rivers in her briefcase (NOT a suitcase.) and bestows them upon people like some kind of fae

and stress <3 i feel like she gets mischaracterised a lot in the fandom as the nice cutesy gentle hermit by people who don't watch her (cause she's pink and has a flower crown ig-) but she is an absolute menace (especially to iskall, but she branches out ). like the perry the platypus going around the server? that started with her, and then perry just kept walking around to other places mysteriously, no clue how they got there no siree. also this season she's been tormenting iskall with an endless stream of cats he Really doesn't want. ALSO ALSO HER AND ISKALL ARE PLANNING TO SET UP A MURDER MYSTERY SERVER-WIDE EVENT LATER IN THE SEASON AND IT SOUNDS RLLY FUN, THEY'VE BEEN BUILDING UP A HIGH STREET FOR IT TO TAKE PLACE IN! she's fun, she's dramatic, i originally didnt watch her bc her accent reminded me a little too much of an aunt of mine but im very glad i decided to check her out anyway bc <33 also s10 is her "sentimental stress season" where she's basically bringing back elements from her old bases throughout the seasons, so its a really fun season to start with for her, imo!

and finally, skizz and joel! i've ran out of brain space to talk about them but they are very fun. (i wrote this, and then immediately proved myself wrong) both of their episodes can get a tad unhinged, especially joel's, uh, special segments. skizz has a segment in most (? could be all) of his episodes where tango shows up to teach him server etiquette and remind him to Not Be That Guy (like with leaving floating trees, off the top of my head), he also got meta with it and used it to summon him when he needed an extra person for a stunt, great bit. most of skizz's episodes end with a bloopers segment as well which is great. Skizz is very humble, leaning into self-deprecating at times, and Joel on the other hand is. uh. well he's definitely not humble (/aff)

joel is one of the people who've decided to dive headfirst into armour stands this season (I FORGOT TO MENTION ARMOUR STANDS IN THE CLEO SECTION BUT THEIR ARMOUR STAND WORK!!!! SO FUCKING GOOD I RECOMMEND S9 SO HARD BC SHE DID SO MUCH AWESOME SHIT WITH ARMOUR STANDS, SHE IS SO GOOD AT MAKING PLACES FEEL SO ALIVE, LIKE, SHE DID ATLANTIS (her base), THEY DID SCARLAND, THEY DID THE CRASTLE, SHE DID SO MUCH AWESOME SHIT) and its really cool. he likes to insult his audience, and his friends, and basically anything that moves, but in basically the same way i do so he gets my humour's stamp of approval. he's self-aggrandising in a very entertaining way, and also just acts like a complete freak (complimentary) sometimes, very good. also he's in the middle of the strangest love web atm.

anyway on an unrelated note i am becoming a full-time hermitcraft blog

[starthistled]

so i’ve never seen snk season 2 before i watched it this weekend and i already know everything that happens up to chapter 138 of the manga but my ass was still shook seeing the beast titan for the first time, ymir’s titan reveal, the whole shenanigans with bert/reiner. they just know how to put on a fkn show.

[ry0chann]

i wasn’t that thirsty for oda until i read ur writing for him and WHEWWW. *fans self* u are too good at this. could u possibly write a piece where oda takes y/n’s virginity and y/n has a praise kink?? 👉👈

haha thank you!! 🥰 and yes i can

a lesson in something new

pairing // Odasaku Sakunosuke x fem!reader

genre // smut

wc. // 4056

warnings // ⚠️ nsfw!! , college au, teacher/student relationship, slight public sex (ig?), fingering (f), vaginal penetration, virgin!reader, loss of virginity

notes // goodbye there's so much plot, why am i like this? i could've just made it pwp but nooo, i just had to give context smh.. it’s still good imo tho. also, the praise kink part is very very subtle- i just didn't want it to be too dialogue heavy

(tagging @nameless-shrimp bc she very kindly read this before it was even close to being complete. i appreciate the feedback, ty shrimp <3)

Sitting in his class was always difficult. His stare was so gentle but it intimidated you; it made you nervous. Every time his eyes landed on you it gave you butterflies. The fact that you could never tell what he was thinking is what had you on edge. Of course, he was oblivious to that at first, but he soon started to catch on. He’d begun to notice how you squirm in your seat whenever he looked at you, and he’d see how flushed your cheeks got whenever he called your name. He assumed you were just shy— and while that may have been part of the reason, that wasn’t all of it.

You would sit through his long lectures, trying your best to pay attention but finding yourself unsuccessful. You’d get distracted so easily; eyes glazing over his toned body and heart quickening at the thoughts that flooded your mind. He was all you ever thought about, and that shouldn’t have been the case. It was wrong of you to think of your professor in a way that was unprofessional, but you couldn’t help it. You couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like to have him touch you, or kiss you. To have him do all the things you do to yourself at night.

The only thing that made this situation wrong was the fact that he was your teacher, unfortunately. He was only a handful of years older than you, and you knew he was experienced- with looks like that there was no way he wasn't. Luckily for you he wasn't tied down to a relationship either, or at least you assumed he wasn't; he wore no ring and never mentioned anything about having a partner. Maybe he just preferred to keep his private life to himself- rightfully so- but that didn't matter to you. It was ridiculous how desperate he made you feel. How badly you wished for him to be the one to take your innocence; a slightly older and experienced man who you knew would treat you right.

Of course, it was sinful of you to attempt to get that kind of attention from him, but it couldn't hurt to try right? Sure, he'd probably deny you, but you wanted him to at least know how you felt. It was parlous, you knew this, yet here you were; sitting before him in the front row of the large and empty classroom, as he sits at his desk and catches you up on the book you've been reading.

He taught literature, which happened to be your easiest subject. But for the sake of getting some alone time with him, you'd pretend to be behind on the reading. This behavior would be seen as unacceptable coming from you. You've always done well in class; keeping up with assignments and never missing a due date. So why were you suddenly slacking? It was suspicious, to say the least, and just as you feared, he'd question you for it.

"Hopefully that was enough to catch you up. Be sure to do tonight's assignment."

Odasaku let out a sigh as you rose to your feet. You fix your skirt and get ready to leave- though, you're stalling and taking your sweet time doing so. Slowly, you walk passed his desk towards the door, but his words stop you.

"One question, if you don't mind. What was the reason you got behind? You're normally so studious."

You contemplated coming up with a lie, but you assumed his question was rhetorical, so you just came out with it.

You laugh a little, cheeks turning a bit pink, "I um, I'm actually not behind on the reading..."

He chuckles softly, looking down at his desk before his eyes come back up to meet yours. "I figured. And what was the reason you felt the need to waste your own time by listening to me talk for an extra thirty minutes?"

He spoke monotonically yet he sounded stern. The urge to give him the truth was very strong, but was it really smart to tell him what you really came for? Were you even bold enough to do such a thing?

"I simply stayed to talk to you. I just felt I needed a reason."

Perhaps you were.

He tilted his head in question, "Did you now? Hm." He thought a moment, then spoke again. "You don't need a reason y/n. I'll always be here."

Odasaku gave you a small smile; a smile that you rarely ever seemed to see, but one that quickened the beating of your heart.

"I appreciate that, thank you." you say quietly.

You knew his offer was on the table for every one of his students, but you selfishly had the thought that it was exclusive for you. You stood there fiddling with your fingers, trying to find any excuse to stay a few minutes longer. Oda gave you a look- a concerned one- and asked if everything was alright. You simply nod your head and begin to walk out but he tells you to wait. As if your legs had a mind of their own, you turn around to face him; he was still sat at his desk and he gestured for you to come over.

"You look unsatisfied. Are you sure you're okay?" his tone was flat but you knew it was genuine.

He looked at you with kind eyes, despite his stoic expression. It was a look that implied you could tell him anything, and you wanted to. You wanted to tell him why you were here, but you also didn't want to make a fool of yourself. The dilemma bounced around in your head and it sparked your anxiety. To avoid his worry, you move to stand in front of his desk. His eyes run over your body- it was most likely an innocent stare, though, you hoped it wasn't.

"Yeah, I'm okay," you say quietly, trailing your fingers across the edge of his desk delicately. "But... I guess you could say I'm unsatisfied."

You really were bold, huh?

He sighs, "Is there something you're not understanding that you're not telling me?"

Oda was oblivious, though you guessed it wasn't entirely obvious what you could've meant. There seemed to be small rush of confidence running through you now, and you weren't sure why. That probably wouldn't bode well for you, however, you could tell you piqued his interest. Nervously, you toy with the hem of your skirt, immediately feeling that confidence fade.

"There's just been something on my mind and... It's related to you."

He raises his eyebrows- still unsure of what you were implying- and his cheeks wear a very light blush. He clears his throat and straightens his back, "Does it have something to do with my teaching? I try to make the material digestible."

"No, you're teaching is fine Sir." you laugh. "Um, but I do wish you would teach me something..." Your words were so vague, and you knew he probably wouldn't catch on unless you spelled it out for him.

With your heart beating out of your chest now, face hot and red, and butterflies flooding your stomach, you lean down to be directly at his eye level. Your palms rest atop his desk and your eyes are glued to his. The words you wanted to say struggled to come out- of course they did; you weren't really gonna confess your love to your professor, were you? It was too late to back out now and you were already here, might as well get it over with.

"I just, um... I'm quite fond of you professor. I know I'm wasting my time telling you this, but I can't keep it from you anymore. And... I've always had this favor I wanted to ask of you, however, it'd be wrong of me to ask."

Your face was as bright as a tomato and you felt like you'd drop dead from the anxiety any minute now. You shake your head and whisper an apology before quickly making your way back towards the door. The regret had set in much sooner than you thought it would. Odasaku rose to his feet and called your name, the sound of him doing so making your heart drop to your stomach. As to not be rude, you turn back around but you hang your head low- like a puppy who had gotten in trouble. He walked over to you and placed a finger under your chin, lifting your head so you'd look at him.

"I can't say I'm too surprised... I see the way you look at me y/n."

His eyes scanned over your face, lingering on your lips before meeting your gaze.

"I'm flattered, to say the least" he says, "However..." He steps a little closer and his voice drops to a whisper, "You know it'd be unprofessional of me to speak on the matter."

His hand falls back down to his side, and you nod knowingly. Of course he wasn't gonna say anything about what you had said, you knew better than to expect him to. Yet, you still hoped he would. You let out a tired sigh followed by another apology, diverting your attention. Odasaku's eyes never leave you- it was like he was observing you; trying to read your expression.

"You said there was a favor you wanted to ask? Do you mind telling me what that favor is?"

Something was telling you he already knew- or at least had an idea of- what the favor was. The red of your cheeks couldn't have been more prominent and you were sure he could hear the beating of your heart.

"It's um... not very professional, Sir." Your voice trails off out of embarrassment.

His eyes widen but it's a subtle reaction. He crosses his arms, a sly smirk coming across his face.

"Is it? That's not very like you y/n. I'm a little disappointed; I wouldn't have thought you would think of me in such a way."

You turn your head from him and speak with an inaudible tone, "I'm sorry Sir."

You felt ashamed, and humiliated. All of this for him to scold you, and for you to leave feeling like your heart had been stomped on. What did you expect? Odasaku leans forward a tad, dropping his voice to a whisper- you could nearly feel his breath on your neck as you keep your head turned.

"I remember asking you what the favor was. I'd still like to know." he says.

The flush of your cheeks deepen. Your breathes hitch and you gulp, trying to find the courage to tell him what you want.

"I-I um... I'd like a kiss..." you whisper, embarrassed.

He chuckles, "That's all? Hm."

No that wasn't all, but how could you bring yourself to tell him what you really wanted? Slowly you turn your head to look at him- his face is closer than you thought it'd be and he wears a devious smirk. Your eyes dart between his eyes and his lips, finding it difficult to maintain eye contact or say anything.

"I could lose my job y'know, if someone found out about this. But..." he pauses, "I'd hate to see you leave here upset."

Your heart quickens and you swear you felt faint. He wasn't offering to give you what you asked for, was he? You fidget with your fingers, nervously mumbling "um's" as you try to form a sentence. Shockingly, his hand found your cheek, softly caressing it with his thumb.

"Is this alright?" he asks politely.

You nod, still speechless.

Oda gives you a kind smile and closes the gap between you. As soon as it started it had ended; a peck to your lips so quick that you couldn't even process it, or savor it. He knew what he was doing- what a tease. You pout a little, feeling disappointed that that was all he gave you. His eyes linger on your lips before he speaks.

"Did that satisfy you, y/n?"

He knew it didn't but of course he'd ask anyway. You shake your head, chewing your lower lip in attempts to calm your nerves. A smile comes across his face at your response.

"I really shouldn't give you another..."

He pecks your lips again.

"Y/n... Tell me to stop." he whispers close to your mouth.

You know you should, but you couldn't bring yourself to. You didn't want him to stop, and the fact that he was telling you to do so indicated that he didn't want to stop either. At this point, he didn't even need to say that he shared your feelings; it was obvious to you now he did feel something for you.

"I- I don't want you to stop." Your voice is so quiet you thought he may not hear you.

Odasaku instinctively took hold of your waist, leaning in again and kissing you once more. Time seemed to stop and your head felt fuzzy. You did have questions about how he truly felt, but right now they didn't even seem worth asking, you just wanted this to continue.

The kiss had become heated faster than you expected. Before you could pull away to say something, he had your hips pressed against the edge of his desk while he kissed you more eagerly. Your hands run across his chest, messing with the buttons of his shirt. You feel him smile against your mouth before he slips his tongue in, a soft whimper escaping you in response.

Words couldn't describe how you felt right now. The best you could do was "elated, aroused," and "nervous." There were so many things jumping around in your head, yet it all seemed clouded by the feeling of his tongue in your mouth and his hands roaming your body.

Odasaku brought his hands under your arms, lifting you up and setting you on his desk. His lips kissed at your jaw, lower and lower, until arriving at the base of your neck. He started to suck at your skin, dragging his hands down your body and up your thighs. His hands were quite big, yet his touch was so gentle- it gave you goosebumps. Your breath hitched at every little touch, you finding yourself to be extremely sensitive.

It was almost embarrassing how wet you already were. You'd squirm beneath his touch, sighing when his hands inched up your legs. Oda had left a few marks on your neck, marks that you'd definitely have to cover with make up if you didn't want anyone to question you about them. His fingers lightly brushed against your clothed sex, causing you to close your legs a bit. He smirked, parting your thighs and pushing your skirt up.

"This is what you want, yes? You can tell me stop at any time, y/n." he says kindly.

You bite your lip with a nod, "I do want this... I'm just... nervous."

Your cheeks had become darker than they already were and you felt more anxious than you did previously. He gives your lips a tender peck, speaking close to them when he pulls away.

"Nervous because of me, or nervous because of something else?"

"Something else..." you exclaim quietly.

"Hm." He backs away almost knowingly. "We can stop if you're not ready."

With widen eyes, you straight your back. It wasn't ending already, was it? Damn him for being so considerate.

"N-no, I'm okay. I promise." your eyes fall to the floor, and your voice gets quiet again when you realize how accidentally loud you had gotten. "Please keep going."

He licks his lips with a grin, trailing his hands back up your thighs and leaning in to kiss you. You tilt your chin up, deepening the kiss, as a form of reassurance that you were alright with continuing. His tongue slips into your mouth again, a little more eager this time. You shiver when his fingers graze the waistband of your panties. Feeling eager yourself, you prop yourself up on your elbows and lift your hips. He removes your panties, letting them fall to the floor.

Oda's fingers press onto your exposed clit, feeling how swollen it had become. He smirks at how your body twitches, and starts to rub circles into your hardened nub. You whimper, closing your eyes as your head falls back. His slender digits slide through the slick of your folds, the pads of his fingers teasing your cunt which was already dripping for him. He admires you a moment, drinking in how pleased you already are.

Without warning, Oda slipped in a finger, a high-pitched moan coming from your mouth when he does so. Your head rises to look at him, your stare meeting his admirable one. His eyes seemed to glimmer with desire, fixating on your flushed face. He uses his thumb to play with your clit as he inserts another finger. They slide in so easily, the feeling of them inside you only making you wetter.

"You're much naughtier than I would've expected, y/n." he shakes his head. "Letting me do such a vulgar thing to you..."

His teasing tone turned you on, in spite of the slight humiliation you felt from being called out. You sit up straight- bringing your arms over his shoulders and catching him in a kiss- as his fingers continue moving in and out of you at a steady pace. He groans into your mouth, quickening his pace slightly.

It was difficult trying to keep still, his fingers felt so good. The amount of times you've zoned out in class because you were thinking about this specific scenario was ridiculous, and the fact that it was actually happening had you over the moon.

He'd curl his fingers in your warmth, moaning into the sloppy kiss you were caught up in. His lips fell from yours and moved to your ear, his hot breath tickling your skin when he spoke.

"Do you think you can take more than this? I just don't want to overwhelm you."

You let out a pleasured sigh; his fingers were still twisting in and out of your cunt. Trying to respond to his question wasn't the easiest task.

"P-please Sir, I-I want you so bad..."

Your face was buried in the crook of his neck, tiny kisses being peppered onto his skin. Oda hums with acknowledgement, taking out his fingers and leaving you feeling empty. He wipes them clean on your thigh and separates from you, backing up to undo his slacks. You stare as his pants pool at his feet, your eyes fixating on the bulge beneath his boxers.

There was a slight anxiety running through you, though you hoped it was just an excitement that your brain had mistaken for nervousness. Oda pulls his briefs to the floor, gently grabbing you by the bend of your knees afterwards, and bringing you closer to the edge of the desk. He kisses you reassuringly, almost to help you relax from noticing how you appeared uneasy- for lack of better words.

"Are you ready?" he asks, now kissing along your jaw and lining himself up at your entrance.

You nod, bringing your hands under his arms and up his back, holding onto his shoulders as if to brace yourself. His length slide in easily, which surprised you because you didn't think it would. Despite that, it still hurt a little; you've never had anything more than your fingers, but the stretch felt so indescribably amazing you couldn't do anything but mewl.

He hisses at feeling you clench around him once he's filled you. "Mm you're so tight, fuck-"

Oda held onto your waist, dragging your body a bit closer to his and beginning to buck his hips. Your eyes rolls to the back of your head and you pull on his shirt, a breathy moan slipping your tongue. He moans against your skin, leaving messy kisses on your neck while he picks up his pace. Your legs had wrapped themselves around his body, attempting to close but obviously not succeeding. His deep moans rumbled through your ears, the sound further turning you on and making you wet.

He moved your skirt up a little higher- just so it wasn't in his way- and thrusts a bit harder. His hand was flat on your stomach, the other on your waist, while he ruts into you. Oda decides to lie you on the desk- figuring it'd be more comfortable for you- trailing his hands up your body and holding you right beneath your breasts. Your eyes were shut tight and your hands ran down his back to his chest.

"Good girl~ Y-you're doing such a good job- shit-"

Continuously, he'd praise you; reminding you how well you were taking him, and how good it felt to be inside you. His words of affirmation drove you crazy. You still couldn't believe what was happening. You were lying atop your professors' desk, he who was god knows how many inches deep inside you, and actively stripping you of every last bit of innocence you might've had left.

The noises you let out were bouncing off the walls of his large classroom, filling his ears and making him grunt every time his body snapped with yours. He was making you feel so good, making you feel things you didn't even know you were capable of feeling. The pleasure was like nothing you've ever experienced; your hand was only capable of so much, after all.

Every thought, every fantasy, you've ever had about him was practically unfolding in front of you. You were experiencing it all for real- something you didn't think would ever be possible. Your eyes were glassy and the bright red blush of your cheeks never went away. Oda took your hands in his, pinning them above your head and giving them a firm squeeze.

"Fuck you feel good- Mphm, say my name for me, y/n."

"Aah Oda-" Your voice got caught in your throat, a squeak escaping you mid-sentence from feeling him hit that sweet spot of yours.

He moans your name after hearing his own come from you, thrusting quicker and causing your moans to get louder. You arch your back, cursing through your moans and bucking your hips up, growing more and more antsy the longer this went on. It felt so good you couldn't sit still. You began to whine, your stomach coiling and your walls tightening around his shaft.

"O-oh I'm- fuck- I'm so close, p-please. Please Oda~"

His eyes scan your face, pupils fully dilated from how pretty you looked beneath him. He was getting close too, he was nearly seconds away. A mumbled "c'mon baby" was said before a swear replaced it, his movements becoming harder. Now overwhelmed with pleasure, you cum around his length, not being able to keep yourself from doing so. He bucks his hips a little more, letting you ride out your orgasm, before pulling out and spilling onto your stomach.

Both your breathes were labored, bodies feeling hot and sticky from the sweat that had formed on your skin. You felt so weak all of a sudden, yet you couldn't prevent the smile that spread across your face. Odasaku gives you a kiss, whispering in your ear something about how well you did- you didn't really hear him, honestly. He redresses, then walks to the other side of his desk, grabbing some tissues from a drawer to hand to you.

Oda helps you clean up, and you tiredly slip back into your panties afterwards. You get off the desk, fixing your clothes and standing on slightly wobbly legs. He holds onto your arms, just to keep you steady, and kisses your cheek.

"Don't hesitate reaching out to me if you need any more help, okay?"

You blush, biting your lip. "Yes Sir. I'll be sure to let you know if I need anything."

He gives you one last kiss then lets go you. You grab your bag from the floor and throw it over your shoulder, giving him a small smile as you exit, feeling giddy that you ended up getting exactly what you came here for.

[patroklides-archive]

so, now that i have played scarlet blaze, some thoughts! under the cut because spoilers.

THE GOOD

the premise of the route (and the game itself) is very interesting and i thought the game did an excellent job of showing how the characters have been impacted by the ripple effects of byleth being absent.

i really enjoyed getting to see a softer, warmer side of edelgard than what is shown in CF. i have a lot of thoughts on why, but in short: it has little to do with the difference between byleth and shez and everything to do with monica's fate. (i'm going to make an entire headcanon post about this at some point.)

i really enjoyed hubert and lysithea's supports, and after a bit of consideration i have decided to incorporate hubert having living siblings into his primary canon as well. marie and i are working on developing his sister and hashing out the specifics but i will make a big post once we have things nailed down.

ALSO HUBERT+HAPI SUPPORTS? COFFEE BUDDIES? I DIDN'T KNOW I NEEDED THEM TO HAVE SUPPORTS BUT THEIR SUPPORTS WERE PERFECT.

the game did a fantastic job of showing edelgard as someone who wants to minimize casualties and even had her explicitly say that she didn't want to kill rhea — which was also there in the first game, but ig it was too subtle for a lot of people becaue "edelgard wants to murder all the nabateans" is such a popular "edelgard critical" talking point lmao

i love everything about monica von ochs.

shez is a delight and they make for a FANTASTIC foil for byleth.

byleth having spoken dialogue is SO good bc i feel like while byleth's character is essentially the same as the base game, having them be voiced and not player-controlled means you get to see it from the outside, so it makes byleth feel like a character in a way that they didn't in the main game.

scarlet blaze's treatment of petra was a HUGE improvement over cf's. she gets much more agency, it's clear that she's there of her own volition and that edelgard sees her as an equal, and in particular, she's allowed to be angry and bitter (particularly in her supports with caspar).

the lords getting to actually talk to each other in the chasm???? edelgard and dimitri getting to actually speak???? edelgard and claude getting to actually WORK TOGETHER for their common goals??? GOD. it's not quite the "golden route" people wanted/hoped for but it's still very good.

the game's take on ferdie's relationship to his father is VERY good and i really enjoyed his supports with edelgard and hubert in this game.

edelgard not having any particular romantic interest in shez but then immediately going "sooooo 😳 what do you think about the ashen demon" to hubert as soon as byleth is recruited and talking about how she feels "drawn" to them is SO funny to me. A+. perfect. no notes.

THE LESS GOOD

the game very much feels like it's trying to "fix" three houses and/or respond to complains from the fans, to mostly good results, but there are a few instances of it trying to fix what's not broken. (the ferd.ithea supports, for example, and cute on their face, but feel a bit like a reaction to the people who thought that dorothea was unfair or too mean to ferdinand in the main game, which imo kind of... undermines their dynamic a bit.)

they just made the empire dads act just like their kids which feels like the laziest possible way of characterizing them. esp count varley. while they do have bernie acknowledge his abuse and she seems to have moved past being afraid of him into just not liking him/not caring about him, and i do like that in a sense, it feels like it's a bit at odds with what bernie says to byleth in their A support.

the ending felt a bit... underwhelming. i get that they wanted/needed to have rhea die but didn't want el to be the one to kill her, and there is something kind of poetic about thales and rhea killing each other, but i did just sort of stare at the screen like "...that's it?" when that happened and then after the game immediately ended.

i feel like i will have a lot more thoughts esp of the "mixed feelings" variety when i get to azure gleam given what i know of el's fate

[kalinara]

For me, I do think Din's tribe is a cult. Or at the very least, it has cult-like elements. But it's not really about the helmet. Or at least, the helmet isn't the real problem. After all, there are plenty of real world religions that have complex rules about modesty that don't always make sense to an outside observer.

The thing is though that those customs, in the real world, usually make sense to them. And generally, there are ways and workarounds for situations where following the custom to the letter would result in someone's death.

For me, the point where Din's Tribe went from "strict religion" to "cult" was in the first season finale, where Din had an injury that would have killed him, had he not been convinced to take his helmet off by a droid. It took one spray to save his life, but if IG hadn't been there and it was just Cara and Greef, he'd have died.

The Book of Boba Fett reinforced that for me, because at no point do they ever ask Din WHY he removed his helmet and violated their creed. If they'd asked, Din explained, and they still found him apostate...well, okay, that's fair. (I don't think Din had a choice in the first instance, but I do think taking the helmet off to say goodbye was a much clearer violation.) But they didn't ever ask. NO exception is good enough.

Din was raised in this group. They found him as a traumatized child, and he was basically raised, at least as far as we can tell, in near complete isolation. He doesn't know anything about Mandalore as a whole, the history of any group but his own, and arguably he doesn't even know that. He's taught that there is a very strict definition of what a Mandalorian is, and is never told that there are other groups of people have a different definition and different practices. We can't really say that young Din CHOSE the customs of the Children of the Watch, when he never knew there was a choice at all.

I actually liked that Din didn't take off his helmet in season 3 though, because I think it was a nice, subtle-for-Star Wars emphasis that it wasn't the traditional values that were the problem, but the extremism and the lack of flexibility. One of the best parts of season 3, for me, was seeing the Children slowly become part of the larger Mandalorian society, through the efforts of Bo and Din. They learn to accept Bo and her allies, and their ways, without giving up their own identity. They don't feel as much like a "cult" by the end of the season as much as people who just have their own way of doing things, and that's ok.

IMO, Din really should never easily take off the helmet. It should always be something special and important. But I do think he should have the ability to do it if and when he really wants to, without having to worry about losing his home and family in the process. And it seems like it's going in that direction.

Need to know exactly why Din Djarin's helmet rule arc was reversed and I need it to not be blamed on Pedro Pascal's busy schedule