#But DAMN if there isn't some wild shit that goes on here

[shanie]

So, a quick internet search will tell you about the evils of capitalism and landlords and how renting is a necessary evil because of said landlords and rent and all that.

What they don't tell you is that, when you rent, you have the potential to get the absolute WORST of used housing.

Like, sometimes, the previous tenants were good people who kept it clean and neat and took care of the place.

But sometimes, you're the fourth tenant in there in three years and the previous three tenants were all absolute HOGS who got evicted because they refused to clean ever (note: they were able, they chose not to) and you find yourself saddled with a bug problem immediately upon move in that GOD HIMSELF CANNOT FIX

And, othertimes, you move in and come to find that the previous tenant had a fatal heart attack and laid in the apartment for TWO WEEKS before the neighbors smelled him and no, you will never get that funk out of the place, just burn the whole building down and try again. I've never had the first.

I'm living in the second.

And Christ ALIVE I pity the person who gets the third one when they move into the building behind me.

[evilbihan]

I'm not going to acknowledge that person by name because I have no wish to interact further with her, nor to have others find her and give her any attention. But with Noob Saibot being brought back, I remembered this rancid take they had, quote: "Bi-Han is a man who has time and time again become Noob Saibot, a man whose endings have shown the Netherrealm is where he wanted to be" which is wild af to say.

Because Bi-Han doesn't just 'become" Noob, he is literally made into Noob. Quan Chi resurrected him as a wraith that turned him into Noob Saibot and now Titan Havik tortures him and uses some insane magic even Liu Kang doesn't know, to turn him into Noob. It's not like some magical girl transformation. We're talking awful evil stuff being done to Bi-Han against his will, to warp him into this being known as Noob Saobot, who is stripped of his humanity and almost everything that made Bi-Han who he was.

And Bi-Han never wanted to end up in the Neatherrealm. In the previous timelines he literally had no choice. He was forced into the role of assassin. He was molded into one practically from birth. In Mythologies when he goes into the Neatherrealm he's informed that his soul is already tainted with evil, which is why he can exist there. That's not because he simply woke up one day and decided to kill some Gods for shits and gigs. He had to do what he was ordered to do or be a traitor to the clan and marked for death anyway. It was a lose lose situation. If anything this shows that Bi-Han was never where he wanted to be. His strings were always being pulled by someone else. History is repeating itself now. And leaks even say that Liu Kang doesn't fault him for his desires, but only the ways he goes about achieving his ends. Which further proves Bi-Han doesn't have some nefarious plots in mind with the deliberate intention of landing himself in the Neatherrealm.

She said she doesn't hate Bi-Han, but then this reads as a deep missunderstanding of his character. And at that point, if you can misinterpret his character to that degree, you probably don't like him much either.

Another day, another take so stupid it makes me want to never interact with anything MK related ever again.

Oh, who am I kidding? The trailer already achieved that.

Needless to say, you're 100% correct and this person, whoever they are, is obviously not the sharpest tool in the shed. People who think Bi-Han wanted any of this are either being ignorant on purpose and want to misunderstand his character because they hate him or they're so blatantly stupid they don't understand the very simple fact that Bi-Han being turned into Noob Saibot always happened against his will in every damn timeline.

Does it look like Bi-Han tied himself to that damn wheel we see in the trailer? Does this person have the attention span of a goldfish and just missed the part where he looks terrified out of his mind when those drills/needles approach him?

For goodness' sake, I didn't want to talk about the trailer because watching it made me want to gauge my own eyeballs out. I never felt this sick looking at something in my life (that's coming from someone who plays horror and fighting games on the regular) and yet here we are and I'm talking about it regardless now. I hate it here.

But anyway, you're right. What more can I say? Anyone with even an ounce of common sense would know that. Anyone who has ever played any of the Mortal Kombat games should know that Bi-Han was forcefully turned into Noob Saibot. He was never evil. He was always a neutral character and he's still a neutral character in the New Era.

What more confirmation do you need outside of Liu Kang himself admitting that there's nothing wrong with Bi-Han's ambitions, only with his methods of achieving them? Ashrah says Bi-Han can be redeemed, Bi-Han said only people who don't understand him would mistake him for evil, the Lin Kuei all stand behind Bi-Han and support him... He isn't evil and he never was.

He literally saves Liu Kang's entire stupid trainwreck of a timeline single-handedly in this DLC and people still have the audacity to say he's evil?

I wish he was.

I wish Bi-Han would just sit back and watch Havik destroy Liu Kang's timeline along with all the pitiful hypocrites in it. I wish he'd let all of the fandom's pathetic favorites get torn to shreds and laugh.

But he won't. Because Bi-Han is a good and honorable man deep down.

Disagree and be wrong. It's as simple as that.

PS: Wasn't MK:Mythologies Sub-Zero all about Bi-Han trying to avoid ending up in the Netherrealm? He reacted with shock and concern to being told his soul is tainted with evil by Raiden and he was trying to turn his life around. There's even an ending in one of the older games where he kills Shang Tsung and leaves the Lin Kuei with the prize money from the tournament. Bi-Han never wanted to end up in the Netherrealm. Claiming anything else would be ignoring canon lore.

[skyofdarkmatter42]

Ok I feel the need to give y'all my full take on ankh morpork future patrician and city watch commander so here we go

Vetinari retires not when he feels it's right for him, but when he knows it's right for the city. He fakes his own death and goes to stay in Uberwald to hang with lady margolotta, Drumknott comes with him. The only other person who knows for sure that he's still alive is Leonard, who gets a proper goodbye and an invitation to come with (haven't decided if he takes it or not). Moist and Vimes strongly suspect.

Vetinari leaves Moist in a position of power and he succeeds him, though perhaps not quite as patrician but in a newly presented process more similar to democracy. Vetinari has been planning this and only leaves when he knows for sure Moist has the elections secured, which isn't that hard to achieve but is nevertheless hindered by some wild shit because this is ankh morpork after all.

Vimes finally gives in to old age and resigns when he realizes he truly and honestly cannot give chase anymore. Angua becomes Commander of the watch. Carrot remains in pretty much the same position, helping her carry the load, it takes her way too much effort to convince him to not call her Commander or Sir. The two have dinner with the Vimes family quite often, and Vimes is still much too heavily involved in watch business for someone who's retired, but he knows it's in good hands.

At some point Vimes visits Uberwald on a diplomatic mission, he may not be commander but he's still a duke. He's always suspected, and sure enough Vetinari shows up for what is perhaps their last conversation. He asks how Moist is doing. "He drives Angua up the damn wall" Vimes says, "So just right by your book, I reckon"

[mystra-midnight]

Hello again miss Ash!!!

I DID have a different idea, but the 'Lamington' looks like too much fun 😂 so I guess here's an incredibly flattering self description, if it's not too muc trouble of course!!!! And again, I'll never stop saying how good your stuff is!!!! 😘

Let's see...🤔

I'd say I'm incredibly stubborn with a bit of an aggressive personality diametrically opposed to my emotional reservedness and shyness when first met, I have a dark sense of humor and I'm very petty. I can be a touch arrogant but deep down I care about others. I'm very giving and protective of my friends. I can be a bit prickly and have been referred to as moody 😅 [hope that's thorough 😂]

As for fandoms, I like both Supernatural, The Witcher and the X-Men, with no particular preference. I genuinely look forward to what your beautiful mind decides!!!

Vicky, my love, my life, my soul, thank you so so much for your support! And thank you for joining in the celebration; I cannot express to you how much it means to me. <3 <3 <3

I hope you enjoy this sweet treat! Also, tagging your new blog <3 @melpomenes-garden

I ship you with . . . Logan Howlett!

Logan is a man who isn't black and white but shades of grey, yet there can be no mistaking him. He doesn't speak for small talk but to get to the point.

Some people think he's aggressive, and maybe he is, but he doesn't really give a shit. He is who he is --- you know how that saying goes, old dog, new tricks.

He isn't afraid to butt heads with you --- in fact, he'd absolutely give you a run for your money when it comes to stubbornness and aggression. The man is a menace.

"Again," you snapped, chest heaving with heavy pants as you glared at him. Logan was smiling at you, no, not smiling — fucking grinning. God, you wanted to smack that smug expression off his perfect face.

"What's the matter, bub? You tired already?" He taunted, his voice a low rumble, casual like you were sitting at a bar flirting instead of in the Danger Room with sweat dripping from your brow. You clenched your fists, knuckles bruised and aching from the number of times you'd hit him. He'd shrugged off every hit as if it was nothing. You knew he was holding back — you could see it in how he moved. He'd dodge your blows just a little too slow, making it look like you were getting closer when, in actuality, nothing you did made a difference.

"I said again," you barked, feet shifting as you squared off, pulse thrumming in your ears. Every nerve and fibre of your being screamed for a break, but you refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing you quit. Not now. Not when he was pushing every single one of your damn buttons. Logan let out a chuckle, low and lazy. He rolled his shoulders as if sparring with you wasn't anything more than a warm-up.

"You keep glaring at me like that, and I might start thinkin' you don't like me."

You lunged at him, throwing a wild punch, and he quickly sidestepped. His claws were restricted, and his arms were relaxed. Fucking prick. He could have ended the fight in seconds, which was the worst part. Logan was toying with you, pushing you to your limits without breaking a sweat because he enjoyed seeing you flustered. "Logan!" You growled, spinning on your heel to face him again.

His blue eyes narrowed, his grin softening for just a moment before his hand shot out as quick as a flash. He grabbed your wrist mid-punch and twisted you around effortlessly so that your back was pressed against his chest. His grip was firm but not painful.

"You're fightin' angry," he murmured in your ear, his breath warm against your skin. You couldn't fight the shiver that coiled down your spine. That's how you lose."

Despite his gruff exterior and his acting like a surly old man 90% of the time, the dude cares — like a lot.

So if you’re feeling a little shy, he’ll tease you just for the fun of it, just so he can watch the way you get flustered and blush. He finds the difference between the shy you and the extroverted you incredible.

But is someone else teases you, and you don’t like it? If someone else makes you uncomfortable? You can bet your bottom dollar that his scary dog energy is going all the way to eleven. He’s all bite, no bark when it comes to you.

You pressed yourself against the bar, desperate to put some distance between yourself and the stench of liquor on his breath. He doesn't seem to notice. You don't know him, but his presence is suffocating, the heat of his body too close for comfort. His words slurred together as he leaned in, mumbling something about how pretty you looked in your little red dress, and you felt a chill crawl up your spine. The room suddenly felt too small, the crowd a blur of faces too absorbed in their own worlds to notice what was happening.

Instinctively, you curled your fingers around the counter's edge, gripping it tightly as if to ground yourself. His eyes, glazed and unfocused, flickered over you. It was as though you could feel the weight of his stare, the way he was undressing you with his eyes. Your heartbeat quickened, each thump somehow louder than the hum of music, and a familiar sense of panic began to settle it until —

"Hey," a voice cut across, pulling your attention from him and his from you. You could cry at the sight that greeted you — Logan Howlett in his leather jacket and cowboy jeans. He looked angry, fuming, but it didn't worry you. His presence was like a lifeline, his gaze sharp, locked on the man who dared to get too close to you. He flexed his knuckles. "Get lost, bub," he growled, his voice low, rumbling with an unmistakable danger and an unmissable possession.

The stranger flinched but stood his ground, his alcohol-fuel bravado pushing him to challenge someone he didn’t fully understand. Logan could break him oh so easily. “What’s it to you, man?” he asked, words slurred, eyes bleary, and swaying where he stood. You saw Logan’s jaw tightening, a muscle jumping near his temple. He didn’t repeat himself — he didn’t need to. The atmosphere around him screamed danger.

“Last chance,” he warned, and you knew there wouldn’t be another one. The air seemed to crackle with tension. Logan flexed his fingers, claws threatening to unsheathe at any second. His entire body was coiled, every muscle taut, waiting for an excuse. The stranger’s bravado finally cracked. You didn’t need to see his face to know that a flicker of fear spread over his features. He mumbled something before stumbling away, disappearing into the crown with a soured and defeated mood.

As soon as he was gone, Logan shifted his attention to you. His anger was still there, simmering beneath the surface of his skin like wildfires, but it wasn’t directed at you. “You alright, darlin’?” He asked, his voice gruff but with a gentleness reserved only for those he cares about. It makes your heart ache to know you’re among those people.

The weight in your chest lightened at that moment, but your hands continued to tremble—the adrenaline still pumping. You nod, releasing a shaking breath you hadn’t realised you were holding. Logan stepped closer, brushing his hand against your arm. He was familiar — the smell of his cologne, the leather he wore — his mere presence pushing away the fear.

“You don’t gotta worry,” he murmured, his eyes searching yours. “Ain’t nobody gonna hurt you while I’m around.”

And let's say you're feeling extra bratty. Maybe a little mouthy. Or perhaps you've had a bad day, and you're taking it out on him because, let's be honest, Logan can take anything you throw at him. You can rest assured he'd be the one to fuck the attitude out of you.

Logan might be arrogant and cocky, sometimes overbearing and unbearable, but rest assured, he doesn't just talk the talk; he walks the walk. His confidence comes from years of experience, battles fought and won, lovers lost, and a lifetime of experiences.

So when he finally musters up the courage or rather lets go of his hesitations, and he gets you in bed, you can bet your bottom dollar that he's going to keep you there all. night. long.

His hands were warm, one holding both your wrists above your head, pinning them to the mattress. Logan held you there, keeping you spread out like a pagan sacrifice, his actions sacrilegious as he ravages you. All you can do is take him, keening loudly beneath him as his rigid length spears through your still-fluttering walls.

His grip tightened, the rough pads of his finger pressing into your skin as he leaned down, brushing his lips against yours, swallowing your moans. Each ragged breath he takes reverberates through you, matching the rhythm of his hips. You gasped, back arching off the bed as his thrust deepened, his body demanding your submission, pushing you to the brink of delirium.

You felt it building — that familiar pressure between your hips. Your legs shook, thighs trembling, toes curling, spreading wider at his silent command. Logan roamed his free hand possessively over your body as if committing the feel of you to his memory. He traced the swell of your breasts and the curve of your thigh before pulling you closer.

Logan moved with purpose, like a predator savouring its latest kill. The bed creaked beneath the force of him, a testament to his lust.

“Again,” he demanded, and the sound you made in response was lost to the storm brewing outside — rain pelting the windows, thunder rumbling in the distance. He was taunting you, using your words from the sparring match against you. His name escaped your lips in a desperate, breathless plea for mercy, but he only chuckled in response, his lips ghosting over your throat as his teeth grazed your racing pulse.

There was something dangerous in his touch, a wild hunger that threatened to consume you both. And still, you offered yourself to him, mind and body unravelling under his unrelenting control. You felt yourself letting go, a third, no, wait, a fourth orgasm ripping through you, punching the air from your lungs as you came undone beneath him. 

Logan was unrelenting, more beast than man, wild and untamed. But you didn’t mind, not at all. You were content to float in the clouds as he loved you.

—interested in joining? check out the menu and send in your order!

[themostlesbianever]

ITS THAT TIME AGAIN ALL MY 9-1-1 THOUGHTS IN ONE POST

(i forgot to do this until the tommy started talking about how his ex ran off with someone half her age)

- okay but we knew maddie would want another kid

- i predicted it

- NO WAY TOMMY DO NOT SAY IT

- TOMMY IS NOT ABBYS EX

- NO

- FUCKING

- WAY

- OH MY LORD THEY ACTUALLY DID IT

- bless you

- bless you

- damn

- OH MY LORD THERE GOES HIS INTESTINES

- hihi spilled his guts

- ahw ur shirt is ruined☹️

- hen screentime crumbs😋

- i will eat up every single hen screentime crumb i can get

- (every screentime crumb where she is at peace/happy)

- that is crazy maddie

- HOW MANY MEN SHE TURNED GAY😭😭😭

- hihi josh fishing for tea

- i love josh the gossip magnet

- oh now buck is doubting tommy

- lets not

- oh buck baby

- so i think tommy had a gf just to have one, like because of his surroundings and shit, but its good he broke it off before marriage, he definitely should have before an engagement tho

- also i just KNOW people are gonna throw shit at tommy for this and im not excited

- the dreaded c word care

- "i CARE about good sole support"- hen (i think that was the line)

- JOSH I LOVE YOU

- oh josh babe you are so right

- YES JOSH

- SINGLE HANDEDLY ENDING TOMMY HATRED

- well people are still gonna hate but like, hes so right

- tommy had it so much harder and did things to protect himself he definitely isn't proud of and now it looks bad because a lot of people dont have to do tjose things to protect themselves anymore

- "do you want me to read you a story" oh maddie i love you

- not 9-1-1 but someone is setting off HELLA fireworks and its not even fully dark yet

- i HATE fireworks, yeah theyre pretty but theyre torture for ao many wild animals AND me

- back to 9-1-1

- did it almost kill maddie??

- oh wait yes, not the pregnancy and birth but after

- oops sorry maddie

- hard times for madney😔

- STOP CHIM NO MAKING ME CRY

- uh oh maddie is worrying

- RIPPED TANK TOP EDDIE

- YOURE SO GAY EDDIE

- OMG HOT PASTOR

- FUCK BUDDIE I NEED EDDIE x HOT PASTOR

- "no offence im straight" BOY!!?!????

- no you aint

- yes father but he could be your daddy

- IM SO SORRY I CANT SAY THAT

- oh god therapy time

- yea eddie you dont feel worthy of juice

- very handsome moustache

- OH MY GOD IS EDDIES MOUSTACHE GONNA BURN OFFF??

- PLEASE PUT IT ON FIRE JUST ENOUGH SO IT CANT BE SAVED

- "do" something that makes you feel joy, how about DO a man and make some realisations about yourself babes

- WORM

- would you still love me if i was a worm

- dont be a baby man he is a baby

- jack😔

- "a billion tons" STOP THATS ADORABLE

- eddie you are NOT going down a pipe again

- YES LITTLE MAN

- whats with this season and little hero boys

- they actually put a kid down the pipe omg

- please actually save this kid my lord this is stressful

- GET HIM

- YOU CAN DO IT MILES

- WORM

- WE ARE WORMS

- BE A WORM

- HELL YEAH

- chim is 100% telling maddie he wants another kid now

- hen you are adorable oh my lord

- tommy ur so adorable

- uh oh

- UH OH

- this has got to be the hurdle

- HES THE HIMBO

- that is SO crazy

- look at them being all open and having a cute little talk

- UNTIL NOW

- IS THIS AN I LOVE YOU MOMENT??????

- ahw tommy

- WOAH

- HELLO MOVE IN YES

- MORE GAY

- oh youre doing to much buck

- so sweet

- OH

- TOMMY STOP WHAT

- it is new

- tommy youre very right actually you are his first

- tommy is actually so right because buck is moving too fast

- buck isnt ready himself like he figured out he was bi like a week ago (not literally)

- WHAT NO YOU DIDNT

- god damn it the bucktommy haters got what they wanted

- fuck off so many buddie fans are gonna be so miserable and annoying

- OH HE CALLED HIM BUCK

- i hope we get to see more tommy

- like he comes back sometimes for a rescue or for advice for chimney or something

- WOAH CHIM NO TALKING ABOUT DEATH OVER HERE

- maddies eyebrows are so expressive i love it

- OMG WE KNEW THIS

- PERGANT

- BOMB

- ahw cuties

- OMG MIRROR SCENE

- they gave us literally like everything weve been talking about

- oh eddie what are you doing

- PLEASE MAKE CHRIS COME HOME AND WALK IN ON THIS

- wait no that would mean more trauma

- this man is CRAZY

- someone has a GOT to walk in on this no?

- oh maybe buck being all sad like "my hot boyfriend broke up with me☹️"

- i really hope IF they make buddie happen they dont do it yet, maybe next season because its too soon for both of them to be dating

- no walking in but there is someone there

- eddie put on some pants man

- it is sad buck

- ☹️

- i am not excited for all those insufferable buddie fans/ bucktommy haters to come and hate on tommy for every single line he said

[sungboopdee]

Jake was playing the game with jay, sunghoon and jungwon.

He's been playing all day and to be honest you were bored and needed some attention from your man.

You stood at the door way as jake yelled at jay to stop standing there and run.

"Dude my game is frozen. Just go without me." jay yells through the mic.

"Get better wifi." jungwon says before a monster kills him.

"That's what you get asshat." Jay laughed along with everyone else.

You decided to go up to Jake and sit on his lap. "hey baby, you okay?" Jake asked rubbing your thighs.

You just lay your head on his shoulder not saying anything.

"oh I see, my baby's needy for me?" he whispers into your ear,

"turn your mic off." you say, rubbing your hand up his chest sending shivers through his body.

He nods turning it off. He looks into your eyes before leaning in making his lips meet yours.

Hands roaming your body the kiss gets deeper. He bites your bottom lip wanting more.

His wet muscle massaging yours making you moan into the kiss.

His hands travel to your ass. You can't take it anymore, getting down on your knees.

He looks down at you with a little smirk. You keep eye contact while pulling his shorts down revealing his boxers.

You rub him from over the boxers making him groan loudly.

"Fuck baby, don't tease me," he complains. You smile then pull his underwear down.

His tip is leaking precum. You give it a lick while looking straight into his brown eyes. He groans.

You start to fully take him into your mouth, bobbing your head.

You gag a little but not too much.

He was about to grab your hair but you pull your head up. "Not the hair, I just got it braided yesterday ." he nods.

You go back to what you were doing making his dick hit the back of your throat.

"I'm gonna cum baby, you do that so well." He groans already so close.

Soon enough you feel a twitch then his white cum hit the back of your throat.

You swallow and wipe the rest of his cum from the side of your mouth, licking your fingers.

You get off your knees and get on his lap taking him into a deep kiss.

His hand travels inside your shorts, rubbing your clit. You moan.

"Fuck me jake." you say, with that he takes your clothes off and sits you right on his dick making you scream from the stretch.

"Your so tight for me baby." he says as you ride his dick, feeling it hitting all the right spots.

You kiss him. The kiss was wild and the two of you were like animals for eachother.

You rub your clit but he slaps your hand away. "Don't do that." he says into the kiss.

You moan and wrap your arms around his neck. You start to feel that familiar feeling in your stomach.

You were about to cum.

"Cum for me baby, I'm right behind you." he says as he thrusts up into your pussy making you go wild.

You cum so hard it makes your whole body shake.

Soon jake cums inside of you and as he pulls out you feel all the cum leak out of your pussy.

"Damn baby, where did you learn that?" he asked very out of breath.

You shrug feeling tired. "porn" that's all you say and the both of you laugh.

"Shit, I totally forgot I was playing with the boys." he does over to turn his mic on and put the head set on.

"What the hell happened to Jake?" asked Jay.

"I'm right here, I...Had to take care of something." he says this as he looks at you with a smirk.

You just smile back then look down.

"That's code for fucking my girlfriend isn't it?" Sunghoon says making the boys laugh.

"No, it's code for shut up and mind your business." he says.

"Damn my bad, don't gotta be rude." sunghoon says rolling his eyes.

You can't lie, you wanted more of his attention and he noticed that so he took the head set back off and goes over to you on the bed.

He cuddles next to you putting a kiss to your forehead.

--------------------------

That's was something lol 💀 sorry it's short.

[emotionallyattachednerd]

Speed of Light | TP Smokescreen x f!human reader | NSFW 18+

Word count: 2200+

Warnings: Smut ( car sex and robot holoform on human ) and mentions about sexuality. NSFW 18+.

Notes: Greetings! First story for Smokescreen. Love the rookie! Sorry for the delay but hope you're all enjoy, and thanks @seasonschange32 for sending in the request. 🥰

☕ Coffee

Racing is like an addiction for you, the speed and the vibrations always made your head spin, in the most delightful way possible. Sometimes you do get carried away but you lived through what you loved doing, and you always were more than happy to let your friends tag along to find something to race against. You owned a Chevrolet corvette thanks to your parents high cash earning jobs. You could have anything and never worry about money. It's nice.

It was late in the evening as you drove around, no doubt running a red light or two, but it truly got your heart beating. You and your friends laugh, enjoying yourselves on that evening together.

You're forced to stop at the next set of lights and you were very glad you did, because right beside you was the most beautiful nissan fairlady race car that takes your breath away, even your friends hover over through gazing eyes. That wasn't all though, the guy driving was fucking cute!

"Hey hot stuff!" You suddenly yell making your friends react through giggles and squeals. The guy looks at you surprised, cute blue eyes darting between you and your friends with his beach blonde hair you just want to run your hands through.

"Um...hi?" What a charming baby voice he has! You bit your lips through a lusty smile.

"Wanna race?" You ask through a silky purr before revving up your car.

Smokescreen was out enjoying a drive, exploring more of this planet's cities and understanding the humans behaviour better. These females seem riled up for some reason, he isn't sure, but he knows that lusty stare you're giving him all too well.

"Sure." He answers through a smile. "Two laps around the city right back here."

"And the prize?" One of your friends asks from the passenger seats. "There has to be a prize! Winner takes all!" You smirk and look back at the guy.

"Well...young man, if you win, you can have all of me." She suddenly moves her hand under her skirt and tugs her panties off, hanging them on her finger as she hangs it out the window. Your friends are going wild! The guy seems quite stunned before you flick it into his open window for him to have.

"And if you win?" Smokescreen really wasn't sure what to expect, but not this, though he can't help but wonder just where this might go. After all, he was out and about learning about human behaviour.

"Same thing." You finish, right before the light goes green and you hit the gas, speeding off through the race with him already catching up behind you.

This is going to be so much fun!

You're already a skilled driver so you weren't afraid as you sped through the city and swerved in and out between other drivers, the sound of their echoing horns only made you grin before you make it out of the outskirts of the city onto the long strip road and pushing forward with speed.

"Shit! He's catching up!" One of your friends yelps through her own buzz of adrenaline. Not that it matters much to you, as you were just as excited to get some action from the guy, but you did want to impress him with your driving skills first. It's a win win.

Looking in your mirror you see he is indeed right on your tail, though it looks like he's holding back, almost like he's admiring your rear which makes you smirk. He's teasing you.

Suddenly, he pulls up beside your car, matching your speed, looking over at you casually and gives you a wink before getting ahead of you. On the second lap you attempt to overtake, but the guy was just too damn good. Cute and skilled. You feel you've hit the jackpot!

As good as the race was, he's declared the winner before you both pull up on another. You and your friends were emotionally going wild. What a night this is turning out to be.

"Good race, but it seems I won. So, does that mean I get to have you?" The way he tilts his head is fucking gorgouse.

It's decided. You let your friend drive as you trust her with your car. You'll see them all tomorrow anyway. They make suggestive comments and erupt in giggles as you get out of your car and slide around to the passenger side, gently gliding your hand across the polished hood. You feel the car vibrate under your touches, as if responding to your actions.

Settling yourself in his car you can't help but let out a quiet purr as the new car smell hits your senses, along with the cleaness and the silence within as he drives off with you. Not bad at all.

"You got a name?" He asks you through a polite tone.

"Y/N. How about you stud?"

"Just ah...call me Smoke."

"Interesting nickname, Smoke." Not his real name, you think to yourself, least this is what you're convinced. "So, wanna get this party started?" Your hands move over your skirt and tuck up the hem over your upper thighs. Your panties you had tossed in before lay on his dashboard, and you're madly eager for a good orgasm.

"Sure! I know somewhere private."

Smokescreen keeps it together. Not the kind of evening he had planned but he was all charged up because of you. He keeps his holoform in a stronghold, using his solid-light projector to the max without limitation. Sure, I uses more energy, but nothing he couldn't handle. He wants to feel you through his holoform, to experience what it's like to interface with a human and enjoy himself, while giving you the kind of party you crave.

Once in a good spot, Smokescreen's holoform adjusts his seat to allow more room, and you understand the meaning before climbing across to setting yourself in his lap.

"Hey stud." You hum softly, feeling his shoulders under your hands and letting them linger as you take in everything.

"Hi." He says through a nervous smile with a handsome baby face.

"You don't do this often, do you?" You sort of picked this up already.

Smokescreen gives a small innocent shrug. "Am I that obvious?"

"A little, but it's fine. I'll take good care of you." With that said, you lean forward and kiss him, feeling him stiffen slightly before relaxing back down quickly. Good, at least he's relaxing under your touches.

You coil your tongue with his, tasting a new sweetness that makes you deepen the kiss between you two, savouring the tasty treat. He leans into the kiss more slowly, feeling his hands slowly roam up against your waist and over your hips, fingers gently dragging into the thin fabric of your dress.

Skillfully, you slide your hand down between your both and towards the zipper of his jeans, feeling around for only a few moments before you manage to drag the zipper down, gently digging under the waistband of his boxers and moving out his semi-hard cock.

For a young looking man, he was quite a remarkable size you think to yourself. Smiling smugly at him you then proceed to stroke his cock and get him more hard for you.

Your pussy is throbbing to be filled. All the adrenaline still bubbles in your from the racing, and you're eager to ride the stud into an oblivion.

While stroking his cock under your warm hand you can't help but watch his face, studying his reactions. He's liking it, you know this, but something was off, so you decided to ask. "Are you a virgin?"

"No!" His answer was quick, almost offended, but this quickly disappears from his face. "I-I mean...well, sort of?" He's never been with a human before, so does that count?

"Sort of?" You're a bit confused. "Well, it's a yes or no question?"

Smokescreen needed a way out from the awkward talk and hopefully still goes along with this. "I mean I've done it before, just not..."

Your brows are furrowed before you raise them a little. "Wait, are you gay?"

He's not familiar with this term, so he does a quick search on the world wide web. He finds it without trouble. Oh.... "Um, yeah." It seems the only thing to get her to understand.

"Oh, so you've never been with a woman." You declare, which you do find interesting, "Do you just want to feel like a woman?" You can't help yourself, since you've never fucked someone who was gay, or confused by whatever they were feeling.

"Yeah, that's it." Smokescreen feels himself grow even more warm and holds back a moan. "I just want to feel you."

The fact he says 'you' and not just anyone got you feeling warm and bubbly inside, or maybe you are just horny and desperate to fuck. Whatever it was, you liked it, and you craved more from him.

Once hardened more under your pumping hand you then position yourself over, teasing yourself against his throbbing tip before sinking down on him. His cock stretches you like nothing else before, so thick and pulsing, sending electric pulses against your channel and through your body.

"Holy fuck." You whisper between soft heated pants against his gaping lips.

Smokescreen has never felt something so tight before wrapped around him. Sure, different with the tangible holoform, but he feels it all, the arousal and pleasure building rapidly through him, and you all the same.

"Primus." He says through a whisper that catches in your ears.

"Primus?" You question, confused by what he said.

"Oh...nothing. It's fine, this is good, really good." He tries to brush it off.

"You're a strange one." You can't help but smirk softly through a light moan. "But lucky for you, I like strange things."

Before he could say something back, you start to ride him, making him let out a stuttered moan and feel his hands gripping into your hips, your own resting against his shoulders for support.

You slowly move yourself, grinding down into his lap with skillful movements, slowly swaying your hips on him as you let out gentle moans against his neck, tongue darting out to slide it against his skin. There was no musky man smell or sweat much to your surprise, guess he's just a very clean guy, with an impressive thick cock.

"I've got to say stud, you're an interesting man." You make small talk while riding him, clenching around him as you purposely grind your pussy down hard, stimulating your clit.

"Oh...thank you." Smokescreen smirks through his moans before the car lets out a loud rev. "Sorry! Foot on pedal..." A lie. He just slipped a little and reacted without his holoform.

"It's alright, I liked it. Do it again." You pant through a lascivious smile. The vibrations of the car feels nice rocking through your body.

He seems to like hearing this due to his childish smile. "You've got it."

With your rocking motions and the vibrations of the car, both your arousals continue to boil and grow. Your heart is hammering wildly, head spinning, both the speed of racing and sex all froths through you completely erupting louder mewls from your plump lips.

Smokescreen can feel this won't be a lasting moment as he can already feel himself about to overload. His focus is on you, but also on himself, not wanting to slip up again and freak you out even further.

"Oh fuck, fuck!" You curse out through the pleasurable joy, clit stimulated and clenching harder on him, feeling every pulse and twitch through your soaked depths. "Come on stud, cum with me, let us ride this orgasm together."

It's like he is given the command, or permission, because he suddenly grabs hold of you tightly, burying his face against your collarbone and lets out a startled groan as he erupts his hot seed in you.

It's oddly hot, but damn it feels good. You don't hold back as you suddenly fall apart as goosebumps erupt through you, right before cumming on him, hips slowing down to a stop and keep yourself embedded on him, savouring every moment of it.

Smokescreen vents heavily as you collapse onto his chest while still embedded on his cock as you both let yourselves cool off for a moment. You move your hands up to wrap around his neck, curling your fingers into his blonde hair and leaning closer to give him a heated kiss.

"Wild stud indeed. Would you mind giving this lady a ride home?"

"Only if you promise me more races in the future." He wants to see more of you and you can't help but giggle through your diminishing arousal.

"Racing with the wild stud? Definitely."

He smiles like an excited kid. "Awesome. Want your panties back?"

"You keep them, as a reminder of the first woman to fuck you."

Smokescreen is going to remember you indeed, as the first human he had lots of fun with. Perhaps there is plenty of fun on earth with the humans, though he does find you quite a lot of fun all for himself. He looks forward to your next race.

[digenerate-trash]

Yelllow your friendly neighbor hood [RETRACTED] here

Just to take over the anon with the pregnant PC ask (also cuz I saw it and just wanted to do something in life for once.. I swear I feel my skin rotting and feel the bugs crawling)

Anyways Yan bailey finds a positive pregnancy sounds good just make Yan robin find out too mkay? That dumb little shit deserves trauma or at least feel depressed for not being the father and find out that the caretaker is the father

(Damn baby we hate Robin on my blog???? At least yan robin. That's wild. Please read the tags!!!!)

AMAB Bailey | AMAB Robin | AFAB PC

TW abortion mention | TW somno | TW pregnancy

It's been sitting on his desk for a week now. He found it during one of his infamous "visits" with you and his heart nearly stopped.

God must be playing some kind of cruel joke because wasn't he sterile? Wasn't that why he never thought to use protection- why would he? Why would he even think that this was a possibility?

But here was the proof. A little pink plus on a stick. Such a little thing that would ruin his life.

He wasn't sure if he was thinking of you, the test. Or the little "bundle of joy" but whatever he was thinking of his plan was simple. Get rid of it.

Maybe he could salvage you. But the kid couldn't stay. And neither could evidence of him viciously attacking you. Maybe his plan to make you vanish would have to move up a bit. After this whole.... pregnancy thing was dealt with.

He still... cares for you. In a strange way. But he can't have you telling the whole town that the newest orphan is Bailey's.

But when he goes to confront you the padlock key in hand there's Robin outside your door. They're a little disheveled they must have been here all night.

"Move," Bailey commands it startles the little brat and when they look up at Bailey they glare at him.

"No! You're not gonna hurt them!" Robin shouts. It's almost loud enough for the whole hall to hear. Bailey's a bit surprised the little brat has gained so much confidence but that's not what's important.

Bailey reaches out and grabs Robin by the scruff and throws them to the side. Grabbing the padlock and shoving the key in

Robin still tries to tear Bailey away from the door making it harder and harder to focus on what he's supposed to do.

"You're not gonna hurt my baby!"

Now this... gives Bailey some pause. Robin knows. But he's under some strange impression that it's theirs? You and Robin can't even get near each other in the orphanage. You go to school together but that's hardly a safe place to.... unless you were as much of a slut as the whole town condemned you to be...

Bailey shook that thought off before he looked at Robin "What makes you think it's yours?" He asks. Bailey is desperate for more details. You are his after all you shouldn't have even touched the boy but now he wants every sick detail so he can decide what to do with Robin.

"The d-door was unlocked o-once..." Robin stutters out. He knows he's been caught pregnancy doesn't just "happen" and as far as Robin knows the padlock is just to keep you trapped.

"So what? They invited you in?" Bailey snarls. Maybe after this whole pregnancy thing is dealt with he really will make you disappear.

"They... they were asleep. And It was just one time! I didn't mean to. I wanted to- but I lost control a bit and...." Robin tries to explain but tears start to form.

Bailey doesn't know what to say. He left the door unlocked once and this little ungrateful monster decided to fuck you- did you even know?

Bailey decided it was better to ease Robin's mind in the worst way he could think. The brat deserves to be punished for thinking he's entitled to something that's Bailey's.

"The baby isn't yours," Bailey says patting Robin on the shoulder in a deceptively kind gesture robin seems kind of relieved if puzzled

"it's mine," Bailey explains and the orphan goes pale. He looks like he's about to pass out or cry or something in between.

"It's not- you... you haven't-" Robin tries to muddy the water and rationalize why that couldn't be.

"Three times a week for about a year now. Maybe you should check my odds against your one-time violation."

Bailey unlocks the padlock leaving Robinn outside your room to come to terms with this new info. Telling Robin probablyy wasn't smart. But it's not like anyone in this town will believe him.

Besides. You have a doctor's appointment to get to.

[sirpuddingcup]

Before I get into it

SPOILERS FOR THE END AND THE DEATH VOLUME 3

Holy shit this book is great! It genuinely is everything I wanted and more. Volume 3 ties everything up so well that even though I knew the plot outline already just from lore it had me gripped from cover to cover. An emotional and bloody ending to the to the galaxy spanning series.

First off I really enjoyed getting the little updates on what some of the other players are doing while it all goes down. Bobby G and his endless strategy meetings as he tries to figure out how to get to Terra. Lorgar pulling a jonestown as he arrogantly misinterprets prophecies. Perturabo wallowing in self pity as he destroys his room like an angry teenager (the image of him pouting in his broken chair as the room lies devastated around him gives me life). Finally Eldrad and the others arguing over shoulda woulda coulda as they realize this is way worse than they thought. It was nice to check in with everyone before we dive into the trauma of it all.

Speaking of trauma let's talk about the black rage! We see sanguineous's mangled corpse in the lupercal court as the psychic shock sends the entire ninth legion (minus Zephon) into a berserk rage. I really can't think of a better word for it than traumatic. After all they've been through together during the siege to have the blood angels turn into actual monsters against their will is just twisting the knife for the loyalists. From Rans desperate fight for survival against a man he idolizes to Amit waking up dazed and confused at the end of a trail of corpses ("why do the bodys end here?" "That's as far as you got" kills me), it's safe to say nobody is having a good time.

Scratch that you know who is having a pretty good time? Rogal Dorn. Fresh out of the desert of endless boredom Rogal finally gets to let loose a little as he fights his way to Valdor. I love their dynamic and I wish we got more of them hanging out("damn you!"(frustrated) "damn you too."(affectionate)).

We check in with Fo and the genocide crew which ends predictably. I saw him completing the Terminus sanction then getting killed trying to escape a mile away. I did not see him making a fucking clone body and replace Xanthus! I love me a devious old scientist causing problems on purpose! I really hope he comes back in a big way.

The library crew didn't do a whole lot other than Ariman being a creepy magic man. It is buck wild that the archivist turned out to be Lilean Chase at the beginning of her career she goes on to found the fucking Cognitae so get it girl I guess.

The did my boy Loken so dirty in the end but fuck me was it good. They planted seeds earlier on talking about how a demon is made, a reaction in the warp to a traumatic event in real space, how in the warp effect can come before cause. But fuck me I wasn't expecting this. After the dust settles and Loken almost convinces Abaddon to give reconciliation a chance Erebus (fuck Erebus) stabs him in the back dooming the galaxy to endless civil war. And why did he do this? Because Samus is the man beside you, Samus right behind you, Samus is the guy she told you not to worry about, look out it's fucking Samus! The abrupt murder of Loken gives birth to the Demon Samus kicking all of this shit into motion. It truly is all Erebus's fault.

I saved the best for last. The showdown on the vengeful spirit. This is where Horus really gets tho shine. I haven't loved his character like this since the first couple of books. He's a fucking mess and I love it this is the man who's daddy issues burned the galaxy to the ground, and as someone who has a difficult relationship with my father fuck me I get it. Dan Abnet is so good at making fights feel intimate, Horus isn't a one dimensional avatar of evil hes a son confronting his abusive father. Horus doesn't want to kill his father he wants to be better than him, and not just stronger but a better person. He needs the Emperor to acknowledge that he had hurt Horus. Horus loved his father and wanted to reach out him on an emotional level so badly, but the Emperor was simply no longer able to do that. When the Emperor purged himself of the infant god the dark king his kindness and empathy went with it ( going on to create the star child). This emperor is nothing but power and cold fury. He enters the room having already written Horus off as dead. It's such a tragedy from top to bottom because we know from Malcador in his all knowing position on the golden throne, that there is a version of this confrontation where they both walk out alive. That does not happen.

The actual physical fight is nothing to write home about besides the fact that different people see it happening in different ways Dusk sees it as a clumsy slugfest between two lumbering giants while LE2 saw it as the greatest display of skill he had ever seen. In truth it was both. The psychic battle had them tossing each other across time and space and fighting through the sites of each other's greatest sins. They use the settings to try and undermine each other emotionally holy shit. Then the do the next logical step AND HAVE A FUCKING TAROT DECK YU-GI-OH DUEL! I need an imperial tarot card game right now GW take my fucking money. It ends with the cards predicting the fall of cadia (the despoiler unlocking the silver door) and the emperor loses. It has become obvious by this point that the Emperor can't beat Horus. Horus outclasses him in every way but Horus doesn't want to kill his father he wants acknowledgement. So what we get is several desperate attempts by the emperor and several others to fight back as Horus beats his father bloody. But nothing works until Oll and John show up having magically teleported much closer than they ment to. They stand right in front of Horus. Horus is bemused at best giving John just enough time to use the word he learned from the tower of Babel directly in Horus's smug face. The resulting blast nearly kills everyone in the room, but it's the first thing so far to actually damage Horus. While her recovers John makes a run for it but Oll goes to the Emperor gives him the athame (stone knife used to commit the first murder) and tries to wake him up. Only for Horus to wake up first and turn poor Oll to a fine red mist.

Finally Horus stands there triumphant and who is there but his own favorite son Loken. Loken is the only one who tries to reason with Horus to make him see the the chaos gods are using and manipulating him. It was a great touch to frame Horus pov in 2nd person as if someone is telling Horus his thoughts. Loken convinces Horus that he's not really in control anymore and the only way Horus can take back control is to give up the power that the gods gave him. The moment he does back on Terra Keeler uses the power of millions of praying souls to relight the astronomicon and and give the Emperor a font of power to tap into. The emperor rises as if from the dead. Horus at first tries to pull the power back but the gods hold onto it as punishment for spurning them. Then Horus looks at the Emperor empowered as an avatar of humanities faith and he finally understands. The gods panic and try to force their power back into him and Horus begs his father to kill him now while he can resist. Then it happens a father murders his son. The emperor tells Horus "I forgive you and I'll wait for you". Excuse me Dan Abnet what exactly does that mean? Horus returned? Ghost Horus? Reincarnated? What the fuck? From there it's mostly just wrapping up they teleport home and we get the last gasp of Malcador as they place the Emperor on the golden throne.

If you read this thank you this was mostly for me because I needed an outlet for my feelings and I don't want to bother my friends to much with Warhammer. It's been a wild ride and I can't wait to see where it goes from here (especially the third Bequin book).

[lcandothisallday]

A Shot Worth Taking - Jeremy (WMCJ) x f!reader

Part 4 - Sister’s Know Best

warnings: except for an awful ending🤡 but mentions of drug/drinking abuse!

series masterlist!

You stood in your tiny kitchen, cutting up cucumbers for the salad you were making, while your friends Vanessa and Destiny hung around the island helping you with the rest of the dinner.

It had been about a month since your first date with Jeremy. You've been seeing him rather consistently in this month, and to say you were slowly yet surely falling hard for him was a severe understatement. All of him was addicting--his smile, his humour, the way he made you feel all giddy--all the way down to the way he dressed even. It's been a while since you felt like this and it was truly refreshing to meet a good guy.

"You know, Jeremy put me on some of these organic drinks...and they're actually so good," you pointed out to your friends. "You should definitely try it. They’re in the fridge--"

"Girl I'm not trying no damn nasty ginger drink that looks like murky water," Destiny scoffed, shaking her head. You tossed your head back in laughter. "I promise it's good!" you defended. "He also took me to this vegan restaurant the other day and like it genuinely changed my perspective on the whole diet.”

Destiny groaned and smacked her hand against Vanessa’s arm. "C'mon Nessa! Tell her his dick game can't be that good for white boy to have her out here eating rabbit food!"

"Actually, we haven't slept together yet," you hummed with a smirk. "So that argument is now invalid...but he seems like the type to have a good dick game," you shrugged, continuing to slice up some more vegetables.

"Speaking of Jeremy though..." Vanessa began. "I don't know if its such a good thing that you're seeing him," she admitted to you reluctantly.

You couldn't help your scoff before you set down the knife you were using and looked up at your best friend. "And why is that?"

"Danny goes to the same gym as him. And he told me some wild shit. Y/N--he pops pills, gets drunk in the gym and starts fights--apparently he used to date a dancer that taught classes there--"

"Yeah I know about his ex," you stated firmly. "They dated for like six years--and Danny's probably getting him confused with someone else! Jeremy isn't like that at all. He rarely gets mad or frustrated. He's always meditating--"

Vanessa shook her head. "You've only been seeing him a month!" she exclaimed. "How well do you actually know him babes? The pill popping--the drinking--probably the reason why him and his ex broke up if they were together six years! Don't be delusional, Y/N. Not to mention he's broke broke. Like I know we all struggle financially in this economy but he goes around selling those detox drinks around the gym--that can't be the best sign," she sighed. "Y/N...I just don't want you to get hurt. You clearly don't know the full picture."

You scoffed again and crossed your arms over your chest. "Oh so Danny does apparently?--God Vanessa I actually really like him! You guys are the ones who told me to shoot my shot!"

"I'm just telling you what Danny told me," she said calmly. "It's simply a warning before you get too deep with him.”

You let out a sigh of defeat and nod your head. “I’ll be careful.”

__

It was now the next day and Jeremy had invited you out to the pier for a late evening date. Your fingers were intertwined with his as the two of you walked along the water.

“How have your knees been?” you ask him.

Jeremy grinned and gave your hand a squeeze. “Really good! I think getting more movement in while playing more basketball lately has really helped.”

“Is that how it really works?” you questioned with an awkward chuckle, causing Jeremy to catch on. He stopped walking and took both your hands into his, before he looked down at you with a raised brow. “What did you hear about me?”

Your cheeks heated up immensely and you looked away. “C’mon Y/N—someone must’ve told you something for you to question my knees,” he sighed. The only reason he even caught on was because Tati had asked him the same question before, vying for a reason to suspect he was on his pain meds again.

You let out a sigh. “Vanessa’s boyfriend--"

"Damn--I needa properly meet this Vanessa chick cos she clearly has it against me--"

You interrupt quickly. "I'm being serious, Jer. Her boyfriend Danny goes to the same gym as you…told her that you pop pills and that you pick fights while drunk,” you explained.

Jeremy chuckled as one of his hands moved up to run his fingers through his curls. “I only ever picked a fight once—and it was right after my ex left me…and as for the pain meds…they just help with my knees,” he shrugged. “Believe me if my knees weren’t still an issue after the multiple surgeries I’ve had I wouldn’t still be taking them.”

“So it’s not like…an addiction thing?”

Jeremy shrugged, “would you even wanna know if it was?”

“Touché…” you mumbled lowly, biting your lip in thought. “What about you and Tati?” you asked. “Why did you two break up?”

“Y/N I already told you,” he groaned.

You shook your head. “No that was before I knew what I knew,” you say stubbornly.

Jeremy scoffed, his hands leaving yours as he began to feel cornered. “So what? You want me to fucking admit it was because of the pills? And because all I cared about was basketball? Because yeah I guess it was and--"

You cut him off by leaning up and pressing your lips to his in a gentle yet determined kiss. Jeremy's words trailed off, his surprise evident in the way he momentarily froze before he responded to your kiss with equal intensity. The worries and doubts that lingered in your mind were momentarily pushed aside as you allowed yourself to get lost in the warmth of the moment.

After what felt like an eternity, you both pulled away, breathless and eyes wide. Jeremy's expression softened, and he reached up to cup your cheek. "I didn't want to bring this up so soon, but you deserve to know the truth," he admitted, his voice filled with sincerity. "So uh yeah. That's why we broke up."

"I really like you Jer...if you're working on yourself with these things then--"

"I am I am!" he rushed to confirm. "I'm in therapy and I'm getting better being off the pills and I'm not a violent guy--that fight was just at a bad time and--"

"Jeremy!" you interrupted him with a laugh. “I appreciate your honesty. That’s all I wanted,” you explained with a smile.

He let out a breath of relief as he nodded. “Can I kiss you again then?” he asked, his fingers anxiously playing with your own as he felt his cheeks heat up. You giggled as you nodded.

With a grin, he dipped his head back down again, connecting his lips to yours in another searing kiss. Your arms moved up to wrap around his neck while his hands rested on your hips. The kiss deepened, the world around you fading away as you lost yourself in the taste and feel of Jeremy's lips.

Perhaps you were being stupid and let the whole thing slide too easily, but you truly didn’t care in that moment. The way his lips felt soft against your own and how his beard lightly scratched your skin was all that mattered as you kissed under the moonlight and the waves crashed against the shore.

[kob131]

Lily Orchard and Pokemon: Gen 2

Gen 1

"How did GF manage to fit all of this into a Gameboy? Simple, they had Satoru Iwata do it!"

False.

Satoru Iwata's contributions were him writing a formula to help cut fractions of a second off the numerous load times in the game, like with trainer battles, wild Pokemon and probably stuff like loading in cities. The real reason why Kanto made it was because, quite simply- they had double the space.

Kind of goes to show how much of a basic Pokemon fan Lily is, considering people slightly more informed like me found this out. A limited view that goes onto explaining some of her questionable points, like the Psychic type not being that busted.

But hey, at least it's not offensive terri-

"The games start becoming more directed and firm in their pacing!"

... Really? Now of all times you bring up that idea?

That doesn't even work here. Gold and Silver's tutorial opening may take a few minutes more due to having to go farther and slightly more text but that's likely because GSC has an actual plot and characters to set up. You know, stuff that someone who cares more about the main gameplay rather than features would probably like as it engages the brain more?

I get that Lily doesn't like Pokemon's stories but this stuff isn't very much and it helps make the game more memorable and engaging.

... You know, I honestly thought the follow up would have been worse.

"Silver is an uninteresting rival! He's just edgy and a punk bitch who slags everyone off while getting beat up! He's just an ignorant loser, like Hop!"

Like that. So much worse like that.

A- Silver isn't just an edgy and arrogant kid. He starts this way but becomes better over time, developing from being beaten by Lance and the player so much. Compare his line in his second fight in Azalea Town-

"I hate the weak. Pokémon, Trainers. It doesn't matter who or what. I hate to see them hanging around. That goes for Team Rocket, too. They think they are big and tough as long as they are in a group. But get them alone, and they're weak. I hate them all. You stay out of my way. You won't be an exception if you get in my way."

To his final line.

"…Oh, no… I still can't win after all that training… I…I have to believe more in my Pokémon… …No big deal. Sorry to have got in the way. Don't forget to rest your Pokémon before you challenge the Champion!"

In fact, Silver is the FIRST rival to actually react properly to being constantly beaten by the player, much like Hop.

B- Does Lily's complaints sound...familiar to anyone? As if these complaints do in fact fit a Pokemon Rival...but not Silver?

It should- This applies to BLUE, not Silver. Since, by necessity, Blue WILL lose more to the player than win. And yet he will always brush off his losses and act superior even as the game.

In fact, take his loss line in Oak's Lab-

"WHAT? Unbelievable! I picked the wrong Pokémon!"

To his loss line at the Pokemon League as Champion.

"NO! That can't be! You beat my best! After all that work to become League champ? My reign is over already? It's not fair!"

Lily's point about Blue before and why she liked him kind of contradicts her slagging off Silver...for the same shit Blue pulls but without the context that he's SUPPOSED to be wrong.

"Falkner's gym was kind of a pushover. yeah I nearly fainted but I didn't lose-"

You almost lost. ...To Falknier Lily.

Falkner...regarded as being one of the top 10 easiest Gym Leaders in Pokemon. ... How did you look at that and not go 'Damn, maybe I should change my strats.'

Like, this WILL undercut any points about Pokemon's gameplay and difficulty because it's coming from someone who nearly lost to FALKNER. A guy I beat at age 7.

"Team Rocket's so pathetic in Gen 2. In Gen 1, they were a legit criminal orgnazation and fun but now they're just pathetic."

And here's the problem that's likely gonna rear its ugly head in any Gen with half a story: Lily's not paying attention. Team Rocket is MEANT to be pathetic and lost without Giovanni. Because they are clinging to the past and refusing to move on with their lives even as the world does so. This gets hammered home pretty hard given the changes to the world introduced in Gen 2, like Lance becoming the Champion or through characters like Silver letting his daddy issues define him.

That's the point Lily. Complaining that they're boring because they've changed from before in order to fit a new story isn't analysis, it's just you mouthing off.

"Hey, isn't it funny that I tried using Mud-Slap twice in a row even though it didn't fucking work the first time and almost got wiped by Bugsy? I'm such a bimbo!"

Funny yes but more in a 'public humiliation' way. Joking about almost being beaten by a children's game does not make it better: you're still claiming to analyze these games.

"SILVER WORST RIVAL EVAR! BLUE GOOD BECAUSE FRIENDLY AND DYNAMIC! SILVER BAD BECAUSE ANNOTING! HE NO CHANGE UNLESS YOU LOOK! YOU LIKE EMOS!"

That or Silver is well liked because he was the first rival to have an actual arc in the games. It isn't optional either, Silver starts to realize he was wrong in his Victory Road fight, which is mandatory. And it's a logical progress from losing to the player and Lance, reinforced by the sage from Sprout Tower. As much as you bitch about the games' stories being invasive, Silver is an example of the game showcasing a natural progression in character without using a thousand words.

Meanwhile, Blue is the one slagging you off after every fight even as you have to beat him and then proceeding to throw a fit when he loses.

You don't pay attention Lily.

"Silber and Hop are fundamentally the same character!"

So...your point is that Silver is fundamentally the same...as one of the best rivals in the series?

Not the own you think it is.

I mean, she's correct since what Hop does in SWSH is just a more detailed, expressive and in depth version of what Silver does just more on the softer end. But Lily's too blinded to see it.

"Imma go ahead and ignore all the daily events in Goldenrod because WoW!"

Again, Lily telling on herself on how badly she's handling this video. The past 30 minutes could have been compressed down to 8 and nothing of value would be lost. Hell, cutting out Lily's reasonings and leaving people to insert their own explanations would actually make the video better.

Not a good sign.

"Johto's level curve isn't a problem! You can just go rematch trainers, it's intended! These games weren't meant for internet reviewers focused on progress, they're focused on kids!"

Yeah, Lily?

That bit about kids PROVES the issue with Johto, not debunk it. Because a kid might explore the rematches- it's far more likely that the kid is gonna want to keep moving forward and see new things and not back track for the sake of refighting the same guys with lowsy teams and just as little EXP as the wild Pokemon.

A kid is also gonna wanna catch new Pokemon and try them out-And the new Pokemon just got KO'd because it was so underleveled it's general stats aren't enough to face the trainers ahead. Now the kid is probably just gonna stick to the starter, one or two Route 1 Pokemon, the Red Gyrados (which is at least somewhat appropriately leveled) and the legendary. Oops.

I could also talk about how a good level curve in Pokemon aids in the feeling of growing stronger while providing something stimulating to the player to engage them in story, making each victory feel like a logical progression due to previous one but I doubt Lily would even understand what I'm talking about.

"Why do all the gyms in this game have some kind of side-quest?!"

Story and worldbuilding to make the core gameplay more interesting and engaging. It shows that the Gym Leaders are people who interact with their community. It's something to supplement the core gameplay you're supposedly focusing on.

"Oh shit! Chuck's Gym requires the Strength HM!"

Hey Lily, remember when you were complaining about people bitching on about HMs? You think maybe shit like this, creating unnecessary roadblocks that require restricting a player's self-expression and choice, might just factor into their complaints.

*Lily uses a Butterfree's Psychic on a Primeape, knocks off only 40% of the Pokemon's HP*

You know, Lily. If you made a habit of questioning yourself and your opinions- now would be the time where you would think back to the statement about 'Butterfree not being considered good because no STAB is stupid because coverage!' and admit there might be a point. You can still use Butterfree while admitting it's something of a handicap.

If you're observant, you will also notice that Lily's team is slightly below Chuck's in Level and that she wins her fight using battle items instead of, I dunno- engaging in those rematches she said negated the criticisms of Johto's level curve to train up her Pokemon.

"Ugh! The level curve in Johto is so awfu-"

Wait.

Lily. Didn't you DEFEND the level curve in Johto or at least try debunking this idea behind the game not having enough EXP earlier by talking about the rematches, talking about kids just rematching as they go back to explore unlike Youtubers? Which you are now admitting is 'extremely inelegant and forces you to wait' which...debunks your own view?

... This is a DIRECT contradiction of your stance from before. This is why you question yourself: you find contradictions in that self reflection.

"Johto's distribution of Pokemon suck! You can't even catch Houndour, Misdreavus and Larvitar until the post game! It's shitty because if you like these Pokemon, you can't catch them! It doesn't make them more valuable- just less fun!"

God damn it.

1-Lily, gating Pokemon out is not inherently a bad idea. Locking say...the pseudo-legendary into near the end of the game isn't a bad idea. That way you can't just power level one Pokemon into one of the strongest possible.

2-I do agree with Lily on this instance though. Johto locking away three of their new families of Pokemon behind KANTO is fucking insane. But issue here is that Lily just says they're locked behind the post game and just ends there, without giving context to why this is a problem. So- I'll do her job FOR her.

Let's start with the weakest one- Houndour. You catch this Pokemon at Route 7 (between Celadon and Saffron) in Kanto at Night. Seems like a good placement, since Houndour's type (Fire/Dark) counters the two nearby Gyms (Erika and Sabrina). Problem.

Houndour is caught at a max level of 18. Sabrina and Erika's teams average Level 48 and 44 respectively. There's no Trainers on this route either. Same with Murkrow btw.

Larvitar you catch at MT. SILVER (aka WHERE RED IS) at Level 20...at a 9% catch rate...right before Red. And Larvitar is a pseudo-legendary btw, so it levels up SLOWER than normal. Similar to Misdreavus, except it CAN'T evolve to get better.

And it's not like there aren't better options. Umbreon can be gotten as early as Level 21 by the fourth Gym Badge to cover Dark. Growlithe and Vulpix at Level 13 on ROute 36 as soon as Whitney to cover Fire. Geodude as early as ROCK CAVE for Rock. And Ghastly as soon as Sprout Tower. And many of these Pokemon are or become better than their counterparts so you have NO incentive to switch out Pokemon in your likely finalized team for newer, likely weaker Pokemon that you need to train up.

This summarizes the issue with Johto- the Pokemon MADE for Johto don't get to shine and the level curve makes adding new Pokemon pretty fucking shitty.

"Only pathetic shits think Shinies have any value!"

Lily, you are comparing locking off new Pokemon to a post game where they can't be effective to...an aesthetic change.

Move on. Also we get it with the capitalist dig- You want a social system that would have killed you off long ago.

"It's wrong to lock off Pokemon! See, this difficulty ROM Hack has so many!"

Yeah, DIFFICULTY ROM HACK Lily. As in, a hack of an already finished game that ends up tweaking certain aspects to increase difficulty likely for experience, adult Pokemon players. But for the ACTUAL Pokemon games- they have to be built for the new, casual or more relaxed fans as well.

Shoving a bunch of Pokemon into a single route, dropping multiple encounter rates down as low as 5% just to cram in as many Pokemon as possible is just gonna tire those poeple out as they search for every Pokemon possible. Even I, someone who likes Pokemon fan games, don't really like it when they try cramming 15 Pokemon into one Route just to accommodate them all because it feels like a slog trying to get one specific Pokemon I like that likely isn't even good enough to justify this. I would like all Pokemon catchable in a game (hence why I like the DLCs- they let you catch everything they add) but it would require so much effort to actually do that it's not feasible for Pokemon's release schedule.

Also all those Pokemon are available because it's balance out the difficulty with variety and the ability to EV train early. Most people still don't know how EVs, IVs and Natures work Lily. Most people wouldn't like this level of difficulty. Case and point: SMT has far less complexity and thus can be understood more easily yet it's difficulty, despite being easier to adjust to, is a turn off by itself.

"Pokemon games should give you all this variety so you can make unique and varied teams each game!"

Really Lily? You think having a bunch of Pokemon available at the start will allow you to use varied teams every game?

Because in practice, due to players valuing efficency- They will likely centralize around six extremely good Pokemon that synergize together to steam roll through the game. Limiting Pokemon helps CREATE variety by gate keeping strong Pokemon until the challenge matches up with them while you use weaker Pokemon as they were given a chance. It's probably why you like Butterfree so much: You used Butterfree as a kid and blowed through the early game with it and got attached. This likely wouldn't have happened if you had access to, say, Scyther instead.

Also, kind of funny you go off about making varied and unique teams when A. You started this rant talking about the cruelty of gatekeeping Pokemon so people who love them can't use them (thus forcing them to use different Pokemon) and B. we already know from your earlier Butterfree rant that you're gonna be using the EXACT SAME TEAM in each game.

Practice what you preach.

"People talk up the newer villains like Cyrus and N and the bigger plots but they suck!"

Lily. You couldn't even get Blue right.

Your opinion on the story means nothing.

"Mahagony Gym makes you take the path that faces you against the most Gym Trainers and that's bad! But the Gym is like an endurance test and that's good!"

So the gym making you fight trainers rapidly before facing the boss is bad...while also being good because it's an endurance test?

Proofread your scripts.

"Ice Cave is great because there's barely any trainers and there's little to no random encounters!"

Look I get that random encounters are annoying when you can't control them and Trainers can be tedious if you wish to get to your destination but...come on Lily. Battling is the main gameplay loop.

"I beat Silver and he doubles down-"

"…I couldn't win… I gave it everything I had… What you possess, and what I lack… I'm beginning to understand what that dragon master said to me…"

He doesn't.

And that ends Lily's view of Johto. Yes, she doesn't tackle Kanto or Red. Pretty sure she hates playing post games. Probably why she bashes Gen 5 so much.

Now for Gen 3. Which she calls the one with 'her favorite characters, best story and most beautiful locales in the series.'

... And I really hate Gen 3. Yay...

[blubushie]

Hi, hope you're having a good day, here's one of my aunt's puppies and frog in a bucket

(Sorry for that last ask, I think i was tring to express a sympathy on "dealing with this thing sucks", pretty sure I fucked it completely, learned I shouldn't send asks after midnight, sorry)

OHOHOHOHOHO

And nah it's fine <3 Tbh just didn't know how to respond cuz I'm in the same boat. I was basically deported and don't have Aussie citizenship despite trying for years and living there most my life lmao. I know exactly how it goes and it's a chore. "There's no demand for shooters" suck my dick I am singlehandedly saving our natural ecosystems rn 😭

Slight rant under cut

ETA: Also I've met too many people who genuinely talked about wanting to get Australian citizenship because of TF2. Because they think Australia is just Sniper or something. Or the best country ever while ignoring the climate change/racism/housing crisis/inflation/price gouging/cost of living/inhospitability/natural disasters/etc. Australia isn't in a good state right now, most people are barely able to survive, and our middle class is practically non-existent. But people see Sniper TF2 and go "omg Aussie..." and decide they wanna be Australian for some fucking reason while literally knowing zack about the country OUTSIDE of how it's portrayed in media. Nothing of us or our culture, they think they know some slang terms or some shit and that's enough to be considered Australian. And that gets on my fucking nerves cuz I'm still tryna get citizenship cuz it's literally my home and I grew up there.

People also only do this with Sniper btw. You don't see people going "I'm gonna move to GERMANY!!" cuz of Medic, or Russia for Heavy, or Texas for Engie, or Boston, or France, or anything else. It's literally just Sniper. This fandom is fucken weird fetishy about Australia sometimes and on rougher days I genuinely wanna leave it because of it. Any time someone says they want Australian citizenship my first question is why? What do you think Australia has/can give you that your home country can't? Too many bad experiences. This goes extra double for countries on the same development scale as Australia—America, Russia, the UK, South Africa, cuz then it's obvious that it's usually more about what they think Australia is like (because of what they've seen in media) rather than them trying to seek a better life/better opportunities elsewhere.

Anyway the amount of people coming into my DMs/inbox going "how do get Aussie citizenship/immigrate" is too damn high. My brother in gaming if I knew how then I wouldn't be stuck in America. And when I know they're in the TF2 fandom it basically always leaves a bad taste in my mouth cuz my kangaboo detector goes ding. So most those asks get deleted

Sorry for the ramble. This has been on my head a while though. I've met too many people who fetishise Australia/Aussies cuz of shit they've seen in media. Hits me in that "white people seeing exotic nature of locals" bone. Australia is still a "wild land" in some people's eyes so naturally people (usually white) wanna come here and be weird about it. And it usually leads to exploitation (see: arguing with First Nations to give up land rights to built fucking houses)

Rant over I'm burnt out lol. None of this is directed at you I'm just explaining why I deleted the ask. Didn't know how to respond + my kangaboo detector went off. So I played it safe

[virnuileva-peto]

Hello! I wrote a Käärijä fanfic.

Content warning for self-doubt, swearing and sad thoughts that can ruin your memories of Kaivohuone gig. Don't like = don't read!

-

One last time

Summary: Käärijä misses the way his gigs looked before he became famous and after a bunch of sad thoughts decides to perform Cha Cha Cha in the crowd at Kaivohuone.

First person POV, 713 words, choppy style. Very sad! Proceed only if you like sad writing!!! Mostly inner monologue but there is some plot there too, I swear!

-

Shivers.

This crowd goes crazy. Excitement, joy, satisfaction, all these kinds of feelings pouring out of them. And rightfully so - this was one of the best gigs this summer, if not the best one.

The crew did a fantastic job. The vibe landed just right. The audience, welcoming and magnifying everything they received, giving it back to further power up the performance.

Both sides of the barrier resonating until it all started vibrating, shaking, quaking, inevitably leading to a disaster.

Break it down and be free.

The fans are having the time of their lives. They got everything they wished for and more. Surely they will remember this night forever. Sweat, spit, tears, screams. Photos, livestreams, gifts, memories. The whole club is completely filled with cheering and ecstatic shouts. And yet, even in this tightly packed atmosphere of celebration and fulfillment, something is jarringly missing.

Weirdly enough, it used to feel so much more complete and satisfying before this craze started. Back when there was only the front row at the gigs. Back when it was still possible to jump into the crowd and go wild, constantly in direct contact with the audience, almost tangibly feeling the energy flowing into the people and returning back in a feast of show and applause, performance and appreciation.

This was the norm before. Then this whole circus started, filling every waking second with duties, forcing the awareness to lag a few months behind. Only now it becomes obvious that this is all long gone. Now there is only security and bodyguards and barricades and limits.

The feel of longing to bring this back invites a thought to come to the surface. An oddly familiar thought, whose shadow for weeks has accompanied my every attempt at guessing the exact distance between the fence and the stage, but never bold enough to make me actually think it.

This will only get worse. I can no longer deny it. And the thought soon spawns another one: this will never come back.

I did not expect that in order to live my dream and conquer the biggest stages I will have to sacrifice what now might turn out to be my very soul. So damn cruel and wrong that I cannot have both. It's either sold-out venues filled with crowd partying like they never had before, or the ability to experience it alongside them. Impossible to decide, and once I choose one of them, the other is gone. This is bullshit.

Stop. Wait.

Who said I cannot have both?

There is one song left for tonight. Last chance to try and combine the best sides of my current and past life. Right here, right now. Let's do it as it's supposed to be done.

Insane.

Is it selfish? Is it the alcohol? Is it safe? Isn't it my own show after all, damn it?!

I'm doing it. Into the crowd, further, hotter, right in the middle. This is where everything will be fixed. This is where I return to life.

Not even Jesse's frightened face can stop me now. Shit, I hope nothing happens to me. If I die here, he will kill me.

And everything he and the whole crew will tell me afterwards will be absolutely true. This is ridiculous, risky, stupid, outrageous, and I know, and I agree! They will never allow it to happen again, and I will never try to do it again.

Fuck, this really is my last chance. This will never return. Just this one gig and I will have to part with my soul. Only the outer shell will continue into the future, selling music as a product, making money, never feeling complete again.

And if this thing right now doesn't work out, I won't even have anything to remember. Forced to live in the spotlight, smiling and accepting compliments, praised as successfull and fulfilled despite never really reaching the dream.

Is it so?

No, stop, wait, come on!

Stop.

What am I doing? Mourning things that did not happen?

Not a chance. Fuck it, we ball.

The audience is ready to have their minds blown. This is already the best gig of their whole lives.

I can make this the best gig of my own life as well.

Let's go.

-

[gubbles-owo]

y'all it is hyperfocus scream time

Alright so sporadic Arknights posting is cool and all, but tumble here is THE website for info dumping your weird fascinations unto the world. I worry enough about being annoying or overbearing all the damn time, so fuck it, it's time to scream about something I love. I've always loved music, and I'm fascinated by splitting it apart and studying it, figuring out what makes things tick. One of my favorite ways to do this is via stems-- that is, when a fully mastered track is broken down into audio files for separate instruments or parts: vocals, drums, bass, guitar, synths, all that. This way you get to hear all the lil intricacies you might've otherwise missed! Unfortunately most music out there doesn't have stems just lying around, but sometimes we're graced with the next best thing: instrumentals. There's a lot to it but TL;DR, we can pull some fancy phase shenanigans between a full and instrumental version of a track to isolate the vocals! It's not perfect, there'll be bits of the full mix poking through, but it's enough to catch some cool things you might not have otherwise heard. Buckle up bitches, cause I'm gonna take you for a ride. Today I'm gonna take you through some of the intricacies of one stellar vocal performance: Suisei's TEMPLATE.

Let's get started!

In fear of the boundless wrath of the copyright gods, I don't wanna post any bits of the og or instrumental raw, so I'll reference parts in the original with timestamps like this (0:00)! I highly recommend you first listen to the song in full, then reference the noted segments in the og as we go through the audio examples. I really want you to appreciate how cool this all is xD To give you an idea of what our instrumental phase cancelling sounds like, here's a short bit from verse one (0:15 - 0:25)

Neat, huh? Already we're hearing the slightest touch of reverb that mostly gets buried in the full mix. It's subtle, but it gives a sense of depth and space that'd be noticeable if missing. As far as performance goes, I love the tension of power in this, the swell of intensity followed by reeling it back in. It's subtle at first but it really evolves as the song progresses. Let's dive a bit further. Here's the vocals for the first chorus (0:34 - 0:59)

Alright now we've got some interesting stuff going on. I wanna stress here that Suisei is a phenomenal vocalist, and the sense of careful control over power and projection she's got starts to show here. Specific syllables are thrown out like a gut punch, and just as quickly retract in this delicate weaving of intensity, and it is so goddamn cool. We also get to hear some harmonies that accompany the lead vocals, but they're still a bit buried under that lead. What if I told you there's a way we could further isolate those? Another technical TL;DR but in addition to left and right, we can also split stereo audio into mid and sides. Most modern mixed music will have lead vocals straight up the center, while backing harmonies are either doubled or effected to trickle out to the sides, to give that lead room to breathe. So what does this same chorus sound like if we listen to just the sides?

Okay so right off the bat we hear this harmony that has a graceful snap upwards to its last note. To my extremely limited jp knowledge it's something like: Boku wa zutto kurushi kattan da That kattan da harmony is beautiful in its own right, and it's not something you get to hear on its own. (also if u know better than me plz correct me if i'm wrong on that jp for the love of god) And after that? It turns out the whole chorus has a layer underneath that's sung an octave below the lead. Like. Holy shit. To my limited knowledge I don't know if we ever get to hear Suisei sing this low in isolation, so this is wild to hear on its own. Her tone and inflection is way different here. Notice the power and projection isn't really there, how it's a bit more lowkey? It doesn't get in the way of the powerful lead, and helps round out the bottom end into a wall of sound when combined. You don't notice it much in the full track, but you'd definitely notice its absence. See, often with music I do this hyperfixation thing where I latch onto the tiniest details imaginable and listen to them over and over again, just to appreciate how enormously fucking cool they are. This low octave chorus is no exception. I heard it when first listening to the full track, but it was awesome to finally hear it in (relative) isolation. ...when excitedly showing this all to some friends, one of them said "gubs you are so fucking down bad." And you know what? She was goddamned right.

Moving onto something a lil smaller, there's an additional higher octave for a moment in verse two (1:11 - 1:15)

And the same thing with the sides isolated:

Simple things like this really help add texture and dynamics to a performance. A harmony that persists for an entire song is often more boring than having it weave in and out! It's especially effective in helping to emphasize certain lyrical bits. The 2nd chorus has different lyrics, but from an arrangement standpoint it's mostly the same as the first. Let's fast forward to the start of the bridge (1:42 - 2:01):

This part isn't particularly buried underneath the mix, but I thought it was worth isolating anyway. I really want to point out how beautiful the additional higher melody is in the second half.

Alright, it's time for one of my favorite parts of this track. Let's take a listen to the latter part of the bridge (2:10 - 2:20):

...do you hear that? Do you fucking hear that?? There is something incredible in here. Let's isolate it.

That last line, with the lead taken out of the mix, has not only a harmony sung an octave above, but also an octave below. Holy fuck. Okay. I need you to understand. Being able to sing the same line in 3!! THREE!!! Different octaves! IS FUCKING WILD. For fuck's sake the melody line itself nearly spans an octave in range!? God. My fucking god. I'm sorry for losing my shit over this (not sorry at all) but this demonstrates an incredibly flexible range, and that is not something you'll hear flexed quite as hard as it is here. I've only heard a handful of examples of this sort of thing before. I adore this shit so much. I am such a gay fucking loser oh my g od *ahem* alright let's wrap this up by listening to this fantastic outro segment (2:42 - 3:01):

Personally I tend to dislike when a slowed, half-tempo chorus is replaced by/followed with a full-speed section in an effort to ramp up intensity. Speed doesn't equate to power, and if anything, I feel that a slower feel is often more methodical and powerful. But here? The chorus to this song is sublime, and it feels like all three have been building up this boiling tension that finally explodes in this segment. It's so fucking good. And while she still demonstrates a more than competent grasp on how to project and emphasize, Suisei gets to let lose and go all out here. And for funsies, here's the backing harmony behind that whole segment:

I love shit like this. I cannot sing to save my life (god i wish i could) but over the years I've picked up a lot on how different vocalists construct their backing harmonies. It's not something most people think about, but carefully crafted layered vocals can really enhance, emphasize, and expand on a performance. They add so so much color and personality to an artist's style. Fuck y'all this shit is so cool.

_____________________________ Welp, that wraps it up for this one!! I hope you got to hear and learn something new, maybe pique or cultivate an appreciation for the intricacies that often bury themselves in the mixes you listen to. Or maybe you just thought it was neat, that's fine too xD I'd love to scream more and do similar breakdowns of other songs and vocalists, so I dunno, I may or may not already be plotting another one of these :3c

[cr1mson5returns]

Yet another idea I've been tossing around...

Cassie isn't really happy about the whole arrangement she has with Tim when he finally shows his face in Gotham City again. It boiled down to "I know I was an absolute ass to you last time we talked, but I desperately need you to trust me on this one and just let me run wild for a little bit, okay?"

She was not okay with that. But she had to be okay with it in the end, just to avoid losing one of her closest friends. She had been worried about Tim for a while, but the worry levels exploded exponentially after she learned about the Anti-Life Equation. There had been a disturbing lack of Tim during the Crisis, after all, and nobody had really been able to explain it away until then. She knew enough about the whole thing to know that he'd been made to do awful things, things he probably still remembered. And honestly, Cassie starts to wonder if maybe some part of that stuck around in his mind a little longer than it should've, if maybe he's acting the way he is because he was influenced a little too much by the Equation.

After the team effort that goes into besting Ra's al Ghul, Cassie does check in on Tim. Makes sure he's okay and planning to heed Alfred's request of no patrol for a week (under threat of house arrest), and asks Tim to text her sometime. She doesn't want to be overbearing - not sure how he'd react, given their last couple of conversations and everything he's gone through so far - but she wants him to know she cares.

It becomes irritatingly apparent that Cassie can't just let Tim be the director of how often they check in with each other. She gets one or two texts in six weeks, and both are sort of vague assurances that he's still alive and will probably be alive tomorrow. But it's sitting wrong with her. She pulls the best friend card and bullies Dick into giving her Tim's new home address before she flies to Gotham.

In this weird little interim period when Tim isn't feeling welcome or wanted at the manor, but doesn't quite have as much money in his own personal bank account as he needs for anything else, he's renting a spot in one of the historic neighborhoods of the city. It's an older building, and Cassie can tell that there's been no effort to fortify this place on Tim's end from how easily the window slides open. Still, she climbs through and finds him sprawled on his back on the bed. He lifts his head to give her a look - puzzled? Mostly annoyed. Cassie doesn't care. She sets a fresh-made smoothie down on the bedside table. "Here, it's black cherry."

And with that, Cassie sits down on the edge of the bed somewhere in the space between Tim's right arm and leg. She doesn't say anything when he expends a little more effort than usual pulling himself up into a seated position. What she does say is: "I didn't forget what you told me, you know. About the Crisis and the Equation."

Tim takes a drink of his smoothie. "I think you should," he tells her.

Cassie rolls her eyes, gulps down a mouthful of strawberry banana. "I disagree. You can't just drop that shit on me and expect me not to wonder if you're okay."

She doesn't turn around but she knows Tim shrugs at that. "It doesn't matter. I've been through worse."

"Have you?"

Tim doesn't say anything to that. "You're about to make me go to therapy."

Cassie snorts. "No. I'm about to make you spend time doing things you actually like for once."

"I like being Red Robin."

"Can I please just have one conversation with you where you're not lying to my face? And besides, you know damn well I'm not talking about that. When was the last time you had a camera in your hands? Went to the skate park? Fuck, when was the last time you did anything that wasn't hero work?"

She does turn, then, to see Tim just looking down at his lap. He's straining not to squeeze the smoothie in his hands, she can tell. "Long time ago," he admits.

Cassie just nods. She figured as much. "Well....it's not too late to start again."

[localcryptidsteg]

Black Myth Wukong and the Kiang-Jin Long Dilemma

Is it just me or does the lockon system shit itself and die during the Kiang-jin Long fight?

In all seriousness though, pivoting focus for a minute, I've been hearing some complaints that the dev team is sexist and has said they don't want women playing the game, and I'd like to clear that up a bit.

The actual translation of the comment was that they didn't want to use women to sell the game. There's a chinese streamer who goes more in-depth on it (no clue where the link went so bear with me) but essentially, tldr, China has been pivoting towards American-style advertising using sex to sell lately and the dev team didnt want to do that.

And as for the "lack" of female characters... a) this is meant to be a sequel to Journey to the West, not everyone from the first run is going to be involved and b) Kiang-Jin Long/Star, one of the only female characters Ive seen to far, is READILY capable of handing you your ass several times over and shes just a miniboss, and, in a game that doesnt give you much context anyway until youve beaten a boss, of course shes not gonna have a ton of focus in the gameplay itself?? BUT SHE GETS TWO WHOLE JOURNAL ENTRIES WHERE MOST MAINLINE BOSSES ONLY GET ONE. That's kind of a whole LOT of attention, actually!!

More importantly though, the ONLY people I've seen complaining are Americans, which brings me to the main point: it's a Chinese game, based on Chinese mythology and characters, made for a Chinese audience. It's more than fine to enjoy the game if youre not Chinese, God knows its going to be one of my favorite games of the year and thats DAMN impressive considering Hades 2 is in early access currently and Monster Hunter Wilds is creeping closer to release date, but it's just not for us.

The culture there just isn't as focused on minority or womens representation as it is here because that's just not a relevant thing there at the moment.

The only reason I have even a fraction of the understanding I need to get the references in this game is because for the last 22 years of my life I've been obsessively reading every myth, fable, legend, and ghost story I could get my hands on (slight tangent, if anyone can recommend any good Scottish ones, Ive got a significant gap in my knowledge in that area).

Even I will readily admit I have only the loosest understanding of just how far into the mythos of Journey to the West this game goes because I only have a loose understanding of Journey to the West. Ive read the unabridged version and several abridged versions (cannot reccomend the unabridged version as recreational reading its very long and very repetitive) and I can tell you right now: its a satirical take on the religion and politics of the time it was written, so I have little to no historical context outside of mythology to understand the nuances of that.

Im sure there are a million little significant details about Buddhism and Taoism and bureaucracy buried in this game that I will never ever catch and Im ok with that but God Damn some people need to learn theres more to some media than what their frame of reference allows them to see.

This game is a piece of someone elses culture that was important enough to a large team of people that they decided to retell it in a way that was accessible to the rest of us on even a surface level, and some of yall are bitching about how it doesnt align with your own culture. Like, no shit? It's NOT your culture!