#Camping chair review

[wanderguidehub]

Review of ALPS Mountaineering King Kong Chair - A Must-Have for Camping Enthusiasts

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 4.5 out of 5. Purchase on Amazon Pros Sturdy and Durable: With its powder-coated steel frame and 600D polyester fabric, the ALPS Mountaineering King Kong Chair is built to last, making it an excellent investment for regular campers. High Weight Capacity: This chair can support up to 800 pounds, making it suitable for individuals of all sizes. Ample Storage: It comes with…

[outdoorovernights]

Portable Camping Chair Review

Have you ever found yourself in the great outdoors, ready to sit back and relax, only to struggle with a bulky or unstable camping chair? It’s a common problem, especially for adventurers who value both comfort and convenience when they’re on the move. Well, let’s bring some ease and enjoyment back to your outdoor escapades with the Portable Camping Chair – an ultralight backpacking chair that…

[p0orbaby]

Mud, Sweat and Tears

summary: you like the outdoors, leah doesn’t, what could go wrong ?

warnings: none

a/n: based on this request ! thanks !

word count: 1.5k

-

It’s Saturday morning, early. Unforgivably early. The kind of early where the sun’s still hiding behind the trees, and any reasonable person would be asleep. But you’re not reasonable, and you’re not asleep. You’re packing the car with fishing rods, a tent, and Leah Williamson, who’s standing in the driveway, half-awake, holding a thermos of coffee like it’s the only thing tethering her to this planet.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Leah asks, squinting up at the sky like she’s expecting it to open up and swallow her whole.

“Yes,” you say, a little too cheerily for this hour. You’re from a camping family—one that considers sleeping bags and bug spray essential items. For you, weekends are made for hiking trails and catching fish with nothing but a stick and a string. Leah, on the other hand, is the type of person who thinks “roughing it” means staying in a hotel without room service.

Leah sighs, long and dramatic, and you can tell this is going to be a weekend of constant commentary. You love her, but she’s never been one to suffer in silence.

You get in the car and drive. Leah stares out the window, probably counting the number of coffee shops you pass that she’s being cruelly denied. You try to distract her with stories from your childhood, tales of catching frogs and sitting in a fishing chair eating beans out the tin, but Leah’s only response is, “Couldn’t you just do that in your garden?”

-

When you arrive at the campsite, Leah’s first question is, “Where’s the toilet?” You point to the woods, and she stares at you like you’ve just suggested she eat dirt.

“You’re kidding,” she says, though she knows you’re not.

You grin. “It’s called nature. People have been doing it for thousands of years”

“People also used to die at thirty,” she shoots back.

You set up the tent while Leah hovers nearby, looking like she’s trying to work out how to teleport back to London. She’s mumbling to herself, something about bears and serial killers, and you catch the phrase “the beginning of a horror film” as you hammer in the last tent peg.

“It’s not that bad,” you say, shaking out the sleeping bags. “Look, we’re surrounded by trees, fresh air, the sound of birds—”

“—and the nearest bathroom is in the next county,” she interrupts, arms crossed.

You laugh, but she’s still frowning, looking at the tent as if it’s a creature that might bite her.

“Is it too late to go back?” she asks, and she’s only half-joking.

“Yes,” you say firmly. “You’re going to love it. Just give it a chance”

Leah doesn’t answer, but you can see her mentally reviewing the terms of your relationship, wondering if it’s really worth it.

-

The first hike is a gentle one. You choose a path that’s scenic, with views of the lake, thinking it’ll win Leah over. She starts off strong, even enjoying herself for the first ten minutes. But then she hits a rock with her boot and lets out a string of words that would make a sailor blush.

“I don’t know how you do this,” she mutters, rubbing her toe through her boot. “I’m a footballer, and even I think this is excessive”

You offer her a hand to steady herself over a tricky bit of trail, but she swats it away. “I can do it,” she insists, right before she stumbles and nearly faceplants into a bush.

You help her up, biting back a laugh. “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” she grumbles. “But if I die out here, I’m haunting you”

“Noted,” you say, still smiling.

A little further down the trail, you stop to point out a bird—something you’ve seen a hundred times but you know will be new to her. Leah squints at it, trying to look impressed.

“Wow,” she says, without any real enthusiasm. “A bird”

“You’re not even trying,” you accuse, though you’re still grinning.

“I am,” she argues. “I’m trying to stay alive. This is a survival situation now”

-

Fishing is the next disaster. You’re by the lake, showing Leah how to cast a line, when she gets the hook tangled in a tree branch on her first try. She’s staring at it, hanging like a Christmas ornament, and you can see the moment she decides fishing is the worst thing ever invented.

“This is stupid,” she declares, as you untangle the line.

“No, it’s relaxing,” you correct. “It’s about patience”

“I have patience,” she retorts. “I put up with you”

You laugh, but Leah’s dead serious, looking at the water like it owes her something.

You manage to catch a fish—small, but it’s something. Leah just watches as you handle it with ease, her expression a mix of admiration and abject horror.

“Now what?” she asks, eyeing the fish like it might jump up and slap her.

“Now we let it go,” you say, holding it gently before releasing it back into the lake. “Catch and release”

“So we’re torturing fish for fun,” she sums up, crossing her arms.

You roll your eyes. “That’s not the point. It’s about being in nature, enjoying the peace and quiet”

She looks around, like she’s searching for this peace and quiet you’re talking about. “If by ‘peace and quiet’ you mean insects and dirt,’ then sure”

“Come on,” you say, leading her back to the shore. “You’re doing great”

She grumbles something about Stockholm Syndrome, but she follows you, brushing a mosquito off her arm with a look of pure betrayal.

-

The first night is the real test. You’re lying in the tent, cozy in your sleeping bag, while Leah fidgets next to you. You can hear her shifting around, trying to get comfortable, letting out exaggerated sighs every thirty seconds.

“I can hear you,” you finally say, eyes still closed.

“This ground is trying to kill me,” she replies, her voice muffled by her sleeping bag. “How is this comfortable?”

“It’s not supposed to be a hotel bed, Leah,” you say, still amused. “It’s camping”

“Right, camping,” she mutters. “Which is just paying money to pretend you’re homeless”

You laugh out loud at that, and Leah finally cracks a smile, even if she doesn’t want to admit it.

After a few more minutes of restless shifting, she huffs again. “I need to piss”

You point towards the trees, again. “Nature’s calling”

She doesn’t move. “You’re really not joking, are you”

“Nope”

Leah stares at you like you’ve just suggested she drink the lake water. “I’m not going out there alone. What if something eats me?”

“Like what?”

She thinks for a moment, then shrugs. “Bears. Wolves. A very aggressive squirrel”

You sit up, knowing you’re not going to win this one. “Fine, I’ll come with you”

You both get up and trudge out into the dark, Leah clinging to your arm like she’s convinced the woods are full of monsters. After she’s done, you’re walking back to the tent when she suddenly stops.

“What?” you ask, turning to look at her.

“Did you hear that?” she whispers, eyes wide.

“Hear what?”

She doesn’t answer, just pulls you along faster, practically dragging you into the tent. You both dive in and zip it up like you’re sealing yourselves in a bunker.

Leah’s heart is racing as she gets back into her sleeping bag, and you can’t help but smile at how seriously she’s taking this.

“Nothing’s out there,” you say, trying to reassure her.

“I’m not taking any chances,” she mutters, pulling the sleeping bag over her head like it’ll protect her from the unknown terrors of the forest.

You lie back down, still smiling to yourself. “Goodnight, Leah”

“Goodnight,” she mumbles, and you can tell she’s already planning how to survive the night.

-

By the end of the weekend, Leah’s still grumbling, still complaining, but there’s a softness to it now. You catch her smiling when she thinks you’re not looking, like maybe—just maybe—she’s starting to see why you love this so much.

You’re packing up the car, and Leah’s pretending to help, mostly by standing around and giving unhelpful advice.

“You know,” she says, as you load the last of the gear, “this wasn’t as awful as I thought it would be.”

“High praise,” you say, wiping your hands on your jeans.

“I mean, I’m never doing it again,” she clarifies, “but it wasn’t awful”

You grin, knowing that’s as close to a victory as you’re going to get. “I’ll take it”

Leah gives you a look, one that says, despite all the complaining, she had a good time in her own way. “You’re lucky I love you,” she says, and it’s the first time all weekend she’s said something without a hint of sarcasm.

“I am,” you agree, leaning in to kiss her.

And as you drive away from the campsite, back towards civilisation, Leah finally falls asleep in the passenger seat, the weekend’s adventures catching up to her. You glance over at her and smile, thinking maybe you’ll get her to go camping again one day. But for now, you’ll let her sleep, knowing you’ve survived the wilderness together.

Even if she still thinks it’s trying to kill her.

[mymindcreatedthis]

Netflix and Chill 18+

Reader x Beth Mead

Work count: 4,060

Warning: Smut, dirty talk, squirting, daddy kink, clit teasing, teasing, unprotected sex, Creampies, blow Job, throat pie, rough sex, R doming Beth, Beth Receiving, R using Beth’s folds for friction, cumshot, Positions: Missionary, on side, reverse cowgirl

*Y/n's pov*

It was the second week of camp. We had the next two days off, we were at breakfast I sit down at a table when I get my food. Leah, Lucy, Rachel and Millie join me at the table. The rest of the girls have their own conversation, Beth places her hand on my thigh and gently rubs my thigh.

I bite my lip as I get a bit turned on. "Wanna come back to my room after breakfast and we can cuddle and watch some movies?" Beth asks.

Beth grabs my dick over my shorts, I bite my lip and get more turned on. "S-Sure I'm down." I say.

Beth smiles, and nods. Coach walks in. "Okay ladies, sorry for the last minute notice but we are gonna do film when we are done eating so don't leave when you guys are done eating." We groan as coach says this.

We finish eating, coach turns off the lights so it was pretty dark in the room so we could see the screen. We had couches, and comfy chairs in the Lucy room with us. Me and Beth move to the couch.

I sit down, Lucy and Niamh sit with us on the couch, there wasn't enough room for all three of us so Beth was sitting on my lap.

Beth smiles. "Hey beautiful."

I smile. "Hi love." I smile and greet her.

I bite my lip, as she shifts around on my lap. I can feel how wet she is under her shorts. "B-Beth....you okay?" I ask her stuttering a bit.

"Y-Yes why?" Beth asks.

I didn't want the girls to hear so I lean in and whisper in her ear. "You're soaking wet baby, I can feel your wetness on my leg." I whisper.

Beth  blushes darkly as I say this. "S-Sorry." Beth pauses for a second. "I was really turned on. I was touching myself before breakfast and forgot to put my panties back on." Beth says.

I smirk and nip on her ear and whisper. "Yeah baby? Were you fingering yourself?" I ask teasing her. "So naughty not wearing any panties."

"S-Shut up." Beth says. She squeezes her thighs together and squirms a bit.

I giggle. "You're so cute mmm you're soaking wet baby."

*Beth's pov*

Fuck Y/n is really turning me on. I bite my lip as she whispers dirty things in my ear. I squeeze my thighs together as I feel myself getting more wet. I scoot back onto her lap, I blush darkly and bite my lip as I feel Y/n's bulge rub against my ass from behind.

"S-Shit." Y/n moans quietly.

"Shit baby I can feel your dick throbbing and rubbing against my ass." I moan quietly.

We finish the film and do a quick review, after a little while coach dismisses us. We leave the cafeteria and go back up to our rooms, Y/n follows me back to my room.

*Y/n's pov*

Beth unlocks the door and opens it. We go into her room, I close the door behind us and lock it. "The A/C is busted in here, so we can cuddle and watch movies in our sports bra and underwear." Beth says.

I nod. "I'm okay with that."

Beth nods. "I'll be right back. I need to use the toilet real quick."

I nod, she goes into the bathroom. I take off my shirt and shorts and lay down on the bed. I grab the tv remote and turn on the tv, I turn on Netflix and patiently wait for Beth.

Couple minutes go by, Beth comes back out. She smiles and bites her lip when she sees me in my boxers and sports bra. Beth smiles, she takes off her shirt and shorts leaving her in her sports bra and panties, she join me in bed.

I smile and cuddle her, we flip through Netflix trying to figure out what to watch. "What do you want to watch beautiful." I ask her.

"Mmm what about comedy." Beth says.

I nod, we watch Ride Along, Pineapple express and then No Hard Feelings. I get up and fix the tv, I lay back down in bed and spoon Beth.

*Beth's pov*

I smile as Y/n spoons me and holds me close to her. Y/n presses her front against my back, I blush a bit as I feel her bugle press against my ass. Y/n wraps her arm around my waist, she slips her hand under my shirt traces and slightly scratches my abs.

I bite my lip as this turns me on and makes me wet. I move my ass back against her and slowly grind against her. Y/n quietly moans in my ear, I smirk and bite my lip. I lower my hand and rub her bulge over her boxers.

Y/n moans a bit louder. I lick my palm and slip my hand into her boxers. I wrap my hand around her dick and slowly stroke her dick. Y/n moans and grabs my ass, in pleasure as I continue to stroke her dick.

Mmm fuck, I wanted to feel her inside me so fucking bad. I rub my thumb over her tip and feel her precum leak out. She was really throbbing and really needed a release, I bite my lip to keep in a moan as she squeezes my ass.

*Y/n's pov*

I bite my lip and give her ass a squeeze, I quietly moan in Beth's neck. I place kisses on her neck, Beth pulls my boxers down freeing my dick from its confinement.

She strokes my dick a bit faster I quietly moan and squeeze her boobs. "Mmm fuck." I moan In her ear. Beth presses my tip against her ass as she continues to stroke my dick faster than before.

"Take off my bra baby." Beth says.

I moan and do as she says so, I take off her bra and toss it off to the side. Beth  strokes my dick faster. I moan loudly in pleasure  as I feel myself getting close to cumming. "I'm close baby, I'm gonna cum." I moan loudly in pleasure.

"Mmm lower my panties and cum on my ass baby." Beth says.

I moan in her ear. I smirk and get an idea, I slide my dick between her legs and folds. "I'll do you one better and your folds for friction." I moan.

I smirk and rub my dick through her folds. Beth quietly moans as I slowly thrust back and forth sliding my dick between her folds. Beth moans loudly in pleasure as I thrust back and forth faster.

I moan loudly in pleasure as I feel my balls tighten.

Cumshot:

I can't take it anymore, ropes of thick cum glazes her folds, cum shoots onto her thighs, onto her abs. The cum accidentally makes my dick slip inside her. Beth blushes darkly, her eyes widen as my cum oozes and spurts inside her.

Beth bites her lip and slowly slides back and forth on my dick helping me ride out my high as the last of my cum oozes and spurts inside her painting her walls white.

"F-Fuck I'm sorry." I moan.

Beth smiles. "It's okay baby you finished in the right place." Beth says.

I smile and nod, I warp my arm around her and hold her close to me as we continue to watch the movie. I smile and kiss her neck and shoulder.

"Mm you're so beautiful." I say.

Beth smiles and leans back against me. "Mmm thank you. So are you baby." Beth says.

I bite my lip as her walls clench around me. "Mmm fuck baby you're so tight. You feel really good clenched around me." I moan in pleasure.

The movie finally ends. "Thank god." Beth says. She takes the blankets out of us, she takes my dick out of her. She lays between my legs and slowly strokes my dick, I moan in pleasure as she strokes my dick.

I bite my lip and  moan as she strokes my dick, faster. I moan as she does this, "mmm fuck." I moan.

"You like that baby?" Beth asks as she strokes my dick even faster. I moan loudly in pleasure, once I'm hard Beth takes my dick in her mouth and slowly bobs her head. I moan in pleasure and run my fingers through her hair.

"Mmm fuck." I moan in pleasure.

Beth hums against my dick and bobs her head a bit faster. "Holy shit.... Mmm fuck right there." I moan.

Beth massages my balls and sucks the soul out of my dick as she continues to give me head. "Holy shit I'm gonna cum buckets if you keep doing that." I moan.

I moan as I feel myself getting close to cumming. Beth chokes and gags a bit as the tip of my dick hits the back of her throat. Beth  deep throats me as she continues to give me head.

"Guck...Guck....Guck." Beth makes noise as she deep throats me after 5 more minutes of an amazing blowjob I feel my balls tighten.

"Beth Baby I'm gon-" I'm unable to warn her in time.

*throat Pie*

I can't take it anymore, I bust my load in her mouth. Beth chokes and gags a bit as I cum in her mouth and down her throat. Beth swallows my load, she gets the last of my cum and swallows it.

"Mmm fuck." I moan.

Beth giggles and places kisses on my V line and abs. "Mmm you taste amazing love." Beth says.

"Mmm I need more of that dick baby." Beth says seductively.

Fuck that's mmm may have been this hottest thing I've heard. Beth scoots back against me I take off my bra and toss it off to the side. I lift her leg a bit, Beth bites her lip and spreads her legs a bit giving me access to her wet pussy.

I rub my tip through her folds and slowly slide my dick inside her. I moan as her walls immediately clench around me. Beth moans as she takes my dick deep inside her.

"Mmm so tight and Warm." I moan in pleasure.

"Mmm you're really deep in there." Beth moans.

*Beth's pov*

I moan in pleasure as Y/n slowly thrusts in and out of me. Fuck she's really deep inside me, I can feel her throbbing inside me she really needed a release. I moan and rest my head against hers, I look down and watch her dick slowly slide in and out of me.

Fuck she was balls deep inside me, she was so cute and sexy. Her cute moans as she thrusts into me faster than before. I moan In pleasure, I reach down and grip her ass as she thrusts into me a bit faster and harder.

I moan loudly in pleasure. "Fuck daddy, right there right there." I moan in pleasure.

"Yeah? You like that baby? Daddy balls deep inside you stretching you out?" She questions as she goes faster and harder than before.

"Mmm I love it." I moan In pleasure as her balls slap against my skin and our moans fill the room. She was so sexy when she was a Dom, fuck her being Dom made my legs weak and made me super wet. It was a major turn on.

I moan in addition leagues as my walls clench around her. It's only been 20 minutes and I was already about to cum. "Mmm someone close?" Y/n asks seductively.

"Mmm I'm so close, I'm gonna cum." I moan in pleasure.

"Let go baby, cum for daddy." Y/n sexily whispers and nips my ear.

I moan as she kisses and sucks on my neck leaving a few hickys. I moan as I feel myself getting close to cumming. "Mmm I'm gonna squirt." I moan. I squirt all over her abs, dick and all over the sheets.

Y/n smirks and keeps going, she goes at an angle and starts to pound my g spot. Y/n and I both moan in pleasure. My legs shake and buckle in pleasure.

"Mmm fuck, so tight." Y/n cutely moans in pleasure.

I wrap my arms around her. I look deep into her eyes as she continues to bottom out in my pussy. I moan and kiss her deeply, we both moan in the kiss. Fuck she has amazing dick game.

Y/n moans as she thrusts into me faster and harder than before. My tits bounce up and down as she continues to fuck me. Her balls slap against my skin as our moans fill the room. I feel her dick throbbing inside me she was super hard and really needed a release.

I moan as I feel that familiar knot coming in my stomach. I moan and grip the sheets. "Ugh fuck, Y/n baby in close." I moan in pleasure.

"Mmm me too baby." Y/n moans.

I feel her precum leak inside me letting me know that she was close to cumming and desperately needed a release. My legs shake and buckle in pleasure as she continues to pound my g spot.

I feel my walls clench spring her dick. "Need to cum baby?" Y/n asks as she moans in pleasure.

"So fucking bad." I moan in pleasure.

"Let go baby." Y/n moans as she fucks my brain out.

I moan and squirt all over her abs and dick. Y/n moans in pleasure as she goes faster and harder. Y/n's breathing gets heavier letting me know that she was close to cumming.

"Yes, yes cum in me." I moan in pleasure.

I smile and moan as I see pleasure on her face. Her face cutely contorts as she is about to bust her load deep inside me. "Mmm F-Fuck." Y/n Cutely moans in pleasure.

I giggle and moan. "Cum baby, cum in my slutty pussy." I moan.

*Y/n's pov*

I moan in pleasure as I feel myself getting close to cumming. My breathing gets heavier letting her know that I'm close to cumming. "Mm F-Fuck." I moan.

Beth giggles and moans. "Cum baby, cum in my slutty pussy." Beth moans loudly in pleasure.

creampie #1:

I can't take it anymore, I bust my load deep inside her pussy. Beth moans and cums all over my dick. We both moan as I shoot ropes of thick sticky cum inside her painting her walls white.

"Mmm fuck." Beth moans.

I slowly thrust in and out of her slowly pumping her full of cum. I help Beth ride out her high, once we both come down from our highs I slowly pull out of her. Thick cum glazed her folds as cum pours out of her, cum drips down her thigh and oozes into the bed.

We both moan and lay there panting and trying to catch our breaths. "Fuck you can really make a girl cum." Beth pants out.

I giggle at her comment and kiss her. "Mmm so can you." I say.

Beth lays in the bed and moans as my cum continues to ooze out of her and onto the bed. After we catch our breaths I lay Beth down in Missionary. I smirk and rub my dick through her folds.

"Y/n s-stop teasing and just put it in." Beth moans.

I smirk and slowly slide my dick inside her. We both moan as her walls immediately clench around my dick. "Mmm tell me when to move baby." I say letting her get used to my size again.

"M-Move." Beth moans in pleasure.

I smile and kiss her. We both moan in the kiss as I slowly thrust in and out of her. Beth wraps her legs around my waist and pulls me closer making me go even deeper inside her. We both moan.

"Mmm so wet and warm." I moan in pleasure.

I moan as I slowly slide back and forth. Beth moans in pleasure. "F-Faster." Beth moans.

I smirk, I hover over her and thrust in and out of her faster and faster. I moan and kiss her neck, Beth moans and scratches my back.

"Ugh fuck." She moans, her toes curl.

I smirk, I go at an angle and pound her g spot. "Oh fuck, right there. Right there." Beth moans.

My dick slips out from how wet she is. Beth Cutely groans and pouts. "Put it back in, put it back in." Beth says begging.

I quickly slide my dick back inside her, I moan I go at an angle and pound her g spot fast and hard. My balls slap against her skin as our moans fill the room.

Beth screams in pleasure. "I'm gonna squirt."

Beth screams in pleasure and squirts like crazy. Her legs shake and buckle in pleasure as she squirts like crazy.

"Ahh fuck." Beth moans.

I smirk, I continue to pound her g spot going faster and faster.

"Fuck....Fuck....Fuck." Beth squeaks out with each thrust.

"Mmm so good, I don't think I can last much longer." I moan.

Beth giggles. "Is someone close to cumming again?" Beth asks teasing me.

I nod and moan in pleasure. I lean down and kiss her deeply, I smirk against her lips as I feel her walls clench around my dick.

"Need to cum again beautiful?" I ask her.

"So damn bad." Beth moans.

"Let go baby." I moan as I continue to fuck the daylights out of her. I moan as I feel myself getting close to cumming. My breathing gets heavier letting her know that I'm close.

"Yes cum in me, cum in me." Beth moans.

I lean down and kiss her as I kiss her I feel her juices on my dick and abs. I moan as I continue to thrust into her faster and faster. I moan as I feel that all too familiar feeling in my balls.

"Beth baby I'm gon-"

Creampie #2:

I can't take it anymore, I bust my load deep inside her. Beth moans and cums all over my dick. We both moan as I shoot ropes of cum inside her and paint her walls white. We both moan as I continue to pump her full of cum.

I help Beth ride out her high, once we both come down from our highs I slowly pull out of her. My thick cum oozes out of her pussy and coats her folds and oozes onto the bed.

We both lay there panting and trying to catch our breathes. "Fuck you are amazing in bed." Beth pants out. I smirk, I wrap my arms around her and pull her back. We both lay down, her back to my tits, I spread her legs a bit with my own. Laying us in the reverse cowgirl position.

Beth moans and shudders as I rub her clit with my dick. "Mmm fuck." She moans. I smirk as her legs shake and buckle in pleasure as I do this.

"Put it back in, put it back in." Beth cutely begs.

"Mmm yeah slut? You want daddy's dick back inside you?" I ask teasing her.

"Mmm fuck please daddy, Ive been such a good girl. I'm such a slut for your dick and cum. Please I want more." Beth says.

I smirk and grant her wish. I slide my dick back inside her, Beth moans as she takes my 11 inches back deep inside her. I moan as her walls immediately clench around me.

Beth moans and leans back against me as my dick is back inside her cum filled pussy. I place my hands on her hips, I spread her legs a bit more with mine and slowly thrust up into her pussy.

"Mmm fuck, right there. Ugh just like that." Beth moans.

I moan in pleasure and thrust up into her faster. My balls slap against her skin as our moans fill the room, fuck her pussy felt so good. She had amazing grip, her pussy felt like heaven. Mmm so Wet and warm.

"Fuck baby you're so tight and warm." I moan.

I thrust up into her faster and harder. Beth screams in pleasure and grips the sheets, I make her look at me and make out with her. We both moan in the kiss as I continue to bottom out in her pussy.

We break the kiss, we rest our heads against each other's. "Feels so good. Don't you dare fucking stop, don't you dare stop. we aren't stopping until you give me every last drop of cum." Beth moans.

I smirk. "Yeah slut? You want more, such a naughty girl."

We both moan as I thrust up into her pussy faster and harder. "Fuck, I'm gonna squirt!" Beth screams in pleasure.

I smirk, I slap and tease her clit. Beth moans and shudders as I do this, Beth moans loudly in pleasure and squirts. I smirk as I feel some of her juices go on my thigh. She squirts on the blankets and sheets.

We both moan, I continue to thrust up into her faster and harder. I moan as I feel myself getting closer to cumming. "B-Beth baby I'm close." I moan.

"Me too. Don't stop don't stop." Beth moans.

My balls slap against her skin as our moans fill the room. I rub her clit with my thumb at a fast pace. My breathing gets heavier letting Beth know that I was close to cumming.

"Yes cum in me, cum in me." Beth moans.

I moan loudly In pleasure as I feel that all to familiar feeling in my balls.

Creampie #3:

I can't take it anymore, I thrust up into her and bust my load deep inside her. Beth moans and cums all over my dick. We both moan as cum oozes and spurts inside her painting her walls white.

I slowly thrust up into Beth. I help Beth ride out her high. I slowly thrust up into her as the last of my cum oozes and spurts inside her.

I moan and slowly pull out of her, my dick falls limp. Cum immediately pours out of her. Cum coats her folds and drips onto the blankets and sheets.

"Mmm fuck there's so much. I feel so full With your cum inside me." Beth moans.

I smirk. "Good, hehe I stuffed you full." I say rubbing her sensitive clit.

We lay there panting and trying to catch our breaths. Once we catch our breath we shower together. Let's just say that we went another round in the shower. Once we are dried off we get dressed.

"Mmm I'm starving." Beth says.

"Mmm you wanna get dinner love?" I ask her.

"Yes I'd like that." Beth says.

I smile and nod, we finish getting dressed and get ready. We grab our phones and wallets. Beth grabs her key card, we put our shoes on and leave the room.

We leave the hotel and go to a nice Italian restaurant. We order food and make small talk, this is the happiest I've been in a long time.

Beth and I drink whine and eat our food. Beth reaches over and holds my hand. "Y/n.... I." She trails off for a second.

"Hey." I look at her. "What's going on in the beautiful that pretty head of yours?" I ask.

"I like you Y/n. I really like you, more than friends." Beth says.

I smile and kiss her hand. "I like you too Beth, more than friends."

"Y/n will you be my girlfriend?" Beth asks.

I smile. "Yes, a thousand times yes. I will be your girlfriend Beth."

Beth smiles and kisses me. I smile against her lips and kiss her back. We finish eating dinner, we pay the bill and head back to the hotel.

It was now 9 pm. We decided to call it a night, we get ready for bed. Beth smiles and cuddles with me, I smile and hold her close to me. I kiss her. Mmm I can get use to this, I fall asleep and hold Beth in my arms.

[eggtartz]

✧ 3rd October ✧

Eraserhead // Lazy (f! teacher reader)

kinktober masterlist

warnings : stressed aizawa, deepthroat, blowjobs, cum eating

these days at UA were especially stressful for the ground hero, eraserhead. not only his class getting into a direct attack with the villains, now they also needed to be held in dorms to ensure their safety after a second attack from the league of villains during their camp with pro heros, wild, wild pussycats.

then theres the whole deal of internships after the school festival and now the tired hero slash teacher classroom is going through dozens of applications of offers for his students, each must be reviewed carefully for the sake of the students quirks growth.

aizawa sighed as he slumped on the chair, putting away his scarf. his two students in particular has been fighting, after curfew and at a restricted area while using quirks. the both had amazing powers but horrendous dynamic that he frustratedly choked both of them in his binding scarf earlier. you were napping as the light from the computer screen turned on again. "hm? Is eraserhead still working on his shift?" you asked groggily, slowly sitting up to gaze at him, his long hair tied in a bun. "sorry, had to take care of the brats again. go back to sleep, i'll be there" he said without looking at you. you pouted as you silently hugged him from behind all the while rubbing his shoulders. "you haven't had a decent sleep after USJ, you realize right?" you gently said as he lightly sighed "it wasn't your fault" you said again, much softer this time as he hugged you back, tugging your forearm "im tired, so tired" he said under his breath that if you weren't behind him, you wouldn't have caught it. "i know, shouta, let me help you take some rest" you kissed the side of his head.

"really? thanks, you really know how to help me all the time" he smiled gingerly and kissed your temple. you pushed his chair slightly back as you went on your knees, unzipping his pants while he's slowly going through applications again. his boxers were strained as you fished out his half hard cock, kissing the tip that made him hiss. "haven't done this in what? three weeks?" he glanced down to you "mmh, more than a month I think" you said, giving slow and soft licks to the cockhead, warming it up as aizawa grunted in relief. your two hands are on his shaft as you lubricated it with your drool, licking and kissing it. aizawa's hand gripped the mouse he's using as his muscles got tense, until he felt a hand on his stomach "relax, shouta. let me do deal with everything" you said, swirling his cock in your mouth before slowly going down with it.

aizawa took a hair band on the desk and tied your hair in a ponytail, holding the ponytail upwards as you bobbed your head slowly, doing it repeatedly while licking his hard cock "you're.. really good. like always" aizawa frowned as he felt you humming, his cock nearing your throat. he can practically feel his sensitive dick at the edge of your tight throat but he held himself back, although it was growing difficult with how stubborn you are.

rubbing his slick cock, your lips went to find his balls and licked them. you fondled them gently as aizawa muttered curses under his breath. his balls was getting wet over how much saliva dn precum smeared on it as you gazed up to him "shouta? do you like it?" you purred, teasing his cockhead with your nails. "y-yeah.. it's really good. you give.. amazing blowjobs.." he panted as you took him inside your mouth again, this time hollowing your cheeks as you relaxed your throat and gagging on him. your nails buried on his thighs as you gurgled on his cock, enjoying the delicious girth stretching your throat and milking him dry.

aizawa in the meanwhile is moaning in pleasure, frantic hands trying not to shove you deeper to blow his aching cock. his hands rested on your jaw as he looked up to the ceiling, his Adam's apple bobbing with every saliva he's swallowing as he tried not to be too noisy. sweat started to drip on his forehead as you gagged on his cock, sounds of your whining and constant gurgles making aizawa at the edge. "h-hell.. I think I'm close.. mm, where do I cum darling?" he asked although you were adamant on keeping his cock in your throat.

you took out his dick and tapped the precum on your tongue, looking up to him "shoot it inside my throat.. please.. want your cum" you softly moaned, your hands going up and down his foreskin as he gripped your jaw again "you want help me, right?" he asked, getting a nod

aizawa smirked as he pushed his cock in your mouth again, two hands on the back of your head as he bullied himself inside you. you gurgled and gagged, eyes closed and hands are on your thighs as he used your throat like a fleshlight. he stood up from his chair and dragged you further from the desk, smearing precum on your face and bent down to kiss "look at that, such a pretty face" he cooed as he plunged himself right back in, forcing you to breath with your nose as you relaxed your throat. his cock was getting bigger (if possible) as he deepthroated you, his thrusts getting frantic as he chased his orgasm

"here it comes.. my fucking load!" he grunted, pushing his cum deep inside, choking your throat slightly as he felt his cum getting swallowed. when he pulled out, you opened your mouth as aizawa see it's already clean, smiling satisfyingly.

"that's a good girl. wanna go for another one?"

[tiredflowercrown]

I hate that I'm digging and digging through tumblr to find someone talking about what is going on at the USA Nationl Archives to help raise awareness and I can't find anything

So for those who are unaware

It has recently come out that head archivist Colleen Shogan and her team have been removing topics and key items from exhibits set to show in 2025. This includes removing Japanese-American Internment camps from a WW2 exhibit, switching photos of Martin Luther King JR., Dolores Huerta, and Minnie Spotted-Wolf for photos of Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, and removing the patent for birth control from an exhibit about patents that changed the world.

They have said that images are too negative and controversial. A senior official went so far to tell employees that visitors shouldn't feel confronted. Colleen Shogan when reviewing an exhibit on westward expansion asked, why is it so much about Indians?

All of this is horrifying amounts of censorship from an institution and a profession that is supposed to be and is rooted in nonpartisanship. The point of an archive is to keep everything without bias. To tell the truth of history. This exposes just how much rewriting of history and censorship is happening currently in America because if the Archives, the supposed last resort against this, are hiding information, what does that say about our education. About our history. About the knowledge that is available to the public.

Here are some links to read further on this news including the original article breaking the news and the official response from the Archives

[luminouslywriting]

Chapter 2: Toccoa, Georgia (The Prophecy)—A Band of Brothers Fanfic

A/N: I am so so so so SO sorry this is out late. This past week was super hectic! I hope that you really enjoy the chapter. I did my best to make it my own and different from other beginnings of BoB that I've seen, so you'll have to let me know what you think! Also, as a side note—I did, in fact, live in Toccoa area for 13 weeks a couple years back, so I actually do love that place!

Winnie could say that she had never been to Toccoa Georgia for any reason in her short lifetime and would probably have no desire to ever return. Though there wasn’t any snow on the ground here, it was just as gloomy as the rest of Georgia was in the winter months.  Everywhere she looked, there were men in uniforms and people bustling towards the wartime factories that had popped up.  

Her arrival at Camp Toccoa was a rather quiet affair, and so there she sat in a wooden chair inside a small waiting area.  Occasionally, Winnie glanced over at the precipitation building on the windows.  When she was a kid, she had long periods of waiting like this one—where her father was in jail or at some bar and she would just wait for him to come back home. 

It would usually rain—and considering how the weather in Georgia changed as quickly as a summer breeze, Winnie had taken to counting droplets of water as a way to keep her focus on something that she could control. 

The simple fact of the matter was that Winnie had precious little control over a lot of the circumstances in her life.  But the things that she did have control over, she kept those things close to her chest; clung to them like they were her most precious possessions and no one would ever come close enough to take that freedom of control away from her again. 

She clicked her heeled shoes together exactly once, eyes straying to the scuff marks on her simple church shoes.  She wondered how her brothers were all faring in their training at the moment.  If they were all coping with the reality of what war would be—if they were prepared to go and be on their own. 

Richie wasn’t the one she was worried about.  He was two years younger than her and was always rather serious.  He worked harder than anyone else that she knew and wasn’t one to get distracted by a pretty face or lofty promises.  Any day now, he’d be shipping out to go to the Pacific as a Marine and it made her truthfully want to follow him all the way down there and have his back with a gun herself.  

They were Allens.  And they trusted themselves and one another.  No one else outside of their circle of siblings had proven to be someone that they would trust their lives with.  But Winnie knew that they would never allow a doctor—and a female one, at that—to go down to the Pacific and be a part of the carnage and horrors there. 

Robbie was in the same boat, proverbially speaking of course, as Richie.  Set to go to the Pacific in a few weeks.  He was always so quiet and watchful.  Winnie hoped that it would serve him well to be on his guard and pick up on the things that the other soldiers wouldn't notice.  They had yelled a lot back and forth before he had enlisted—she had told him to finish his degree and go into the JAG-Corp.  He had told her to go to hell—which he had tearfully apologized for when she dropped him off at the train station.  

Winnie stretched out her fingers over her lap, letting out a breath.  It had been nearly thirty minutes of waiting to be allowed to see the Colonel—and this was just for him to review her application to join the Paratroopers as a Doctor and training officer for his medics.  She wished that the level of urgency the war truly had would transfer over to her wait time. 

Because if she needed to haul everything back to Buford, Winnie would almost certainly rather pick up and move to the Carolinas and try to sign up for a different branch of the military that would, in fact, utilize her. She hated being idle���hated being alone, even more than that.  

The younger three boys were the ones that needed supervision—needed all the prayers of the good congregation of Buford’s Christian Non-Denominational Church.  Nathan was the first problem in Winnie’s pleas to God.  That boy had been raised wolf-wild by herself and Richie and Robbie.  They hadn’t been much, but they had had each other.  He was always picking a fight with an older boy—and she could only hope that this whole army experience was going to straighten him out.   

Then there was Joshua, also set to end up in the Pacific as a medic.  That had granted her a degree of peace, knowing that his evenings helping her study for school were going to come in handy where he was going.  It might, in fact, just be the thing that ends up saving his life.  

But Charlie? Charlie was, in every sense of the word, hers.  She had raised him from the time of his infancy and so to Winnie Allen, Charlie was her child.  Currently, he was in Texas and Winnie had never been more grateful for the fact that the Air Force programs were long.  She would take those 9 months like a sacred gift from God that he wouldn’t be anywhere near the fighting—at least for a short while. 

And then there was her.  Just her—with no idea where she’d end up, with no clue what her side of the war would entail.  Which of course, would be typical of her life thus far. 

Just then, the door opened and a man stepped inside, clipboard in hand.  “Dr. Allen?” 

“That’d be me,” Winnie said, rising to her feet. 

The man piqued an eyebrow, but said nothing about the fact that she was a woman.  He just let out a weary sigh and gestured towards the door with his head.  “If you’d follow me, ma’am.” 

Of course, a moment ago she was Doctor, and now she was ma’am.  God, she loathed the South.  

Winnie obliged, following after the man with quick steps.  As they crossed out of the building and onto a dirt path, Winnie caught sight of some of the trainees—some of them in the field and doing jumping jacks in the field, some of them running towards a trail through the trees.  There weren’t too many of them at the moment, but that didn’t deter Winnie in any way. 

“Are these the officers that are in training?” Winnie questioned, speeding up her stride to match the man in front of her. 

He let out an annoyed breath.  “You catch on quick.  Sink will like that.  Though I can’t account for how he’ll feel about a woman applying to train our medics.” 

“I’m a trauma surgeon and doctor.  I think my credentials speak for themselves,” Winnie retorted dryly. 

No response from the officer this time, just a huff of air as he came to a stop in front of one of the buildings on the camp.  “Wait here, please.” 

Winnie just crossed her arms and waited patiently, inhaling the cool air.  Not even thirty seconds later, the man had returned and gestured for her to enter the room.  Winnie was grateful for the slight reprieve from the cold air as she entered the room.  And there, sitting in a chair and smoking a cigar, was Colonel Sink. 

“If you’d please take a seat, Doctor Allen,��� he gestured at the seat across from his desk with his cigar.  Usually quick to follow orders, Winnie slid into the seat, looking at Colonel Sink expectantly.  It was another moment of silence before Colonel Sink set down his cigar and fully looked at her.  “I’ll be honest, we don’t see too many female doctors come through the military.” 

“I expect you’d see more nurses, sir.” 

“Damn right, we do,” Sink stated.  “This whole war—unpleasant business, not really meant for women.” 

“If I can speak freely, sir?” 

“I’d be appreciative of the honesty, if you did.” 

“You’re right, it’s unpleasant.  But those women are still going to bury husbands, sons, brothers, and fathers.  It affects them just as much as it does the men.” 

“I can’t say I disagree.  Your point?” 

“I’m not a married woman.  I’m a trauma surgeon and head of the trauma department in Buford General.  I was the top of my class and as it so happens, I don’t have any children or brothers—they’re all off in training to fight in this war.  I don’t particularly like sitting on my ass or fancy myself a factory worker.  But I can help you train damn good medics, sir.” 

Sink stared at her for a long time.  His gaze reminded her a lot of her mentor’s, from back in college.  He was always trying to figure out her angles too.  Trying to figure out if she was as good as she claimed to be. 

“I’ll be honest with you, Allen.  We’ve got hundreds—thousands—of men coming in the next few months to train to be paratroopers.  Now I want them to be the best of the best.  And if I want them to survive more than five minutes over there, then that means I also need the best of the best doctors to train my medics.  So I’ll concede to your point.  Your application was good—I’m a self-made man myself and I respect that work.” 

“Sir?” 

“But I’ll also be honest with you.  This isn’t going to be pretty.  It’s going to be bloody and long and tiring.  This isn’t the type of place where you can just escape from whatever life you don’t want to live.  At some point, you might be elbows deep in some man’s guts and I need someone unflinching.” 

“October 27th.” 

“Pardon?” 

Winnie shifted in her seat, leaning forward.  “October 27th, a man and his two daughters are brought into Buford General.  Automobile accident.  The man flung his arm in front of his daughter sitting in the passenger seat.  His arm was hanging by a few strands of muscles and he was going to bleed out.  Now the daughter in the passenger seat got impaled by a fence post—it went straight through her stomach.  The daughter in the back was flung through the car and landed 15 feet ahead.” 

“That’s both gruesome and tragic.   Your point being?” 

“I was the surgeon on call that night.  I triaged.  I assessed.  I delegated.  The father lost his arm but he kept his life.  The daughter who flew through the car wasn’t going to make it.  She was 11.  We were short-handed and I had to tell the nurse assisting me that the little girl wasn’t going to make it and that she needed to focus on the other one.  So she did.  We lost the one—but she was mostly gone by the time she had arrived,” Winnie stated.  “My point here is that I can give your men skills that they won’t get anywhere otherwise.  Real life experience teaching practical application of the skills.  Triaging, assessing, not hesitating in doing the work and saving lives.” 

Sink leaned forward in his seat.  “You’d be hard on them?” 

“I’d be brutal. Because that is exactly what they are going to face out there.” 

“You be the hard-ass doctor that trains my medics, then.  But if you’re gonna be here, then you’re gonna train like my men train.” 

“I’m not a fragile southern belle like Melanie Hamilton, sir.” 

“No, I imagine you’re not.  I’ll give you two nurses to assist with actual injuries on base—and based on performance, you and them might just end up traveling with us wherever we end up.” 

“Sir?” 

“What?” 

“Thank you for letting me advocate my case.  I won’t let you down.” 

“You sure as hell better not.  Or lots of good men are going to die and that’s going to be on your shoulders.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Within the first hour of being there, Winnie had selected her nurses from the pile of applications.  It hadn’t been that hard of a choice to begin with—some were just practical eliminations, and the rest were a careful read-through of letters they had sent in along with the application.  

Reba Garrett and Eileen Gray were the two chosen candidates that she had landed on.  Reba was from New England and had been working as a nurse for well over five years now, placing her as one of the older and more experienced women applying for the position.  But it wasn’t her experience that attracted Winnie’s attention—it was the letter, and the way in which she described wanting to do some real good in the war and that started with saving lives rather than ending them. 

That sounded exactly like the type of person that Winnie wanted to have on her side.  

Eileen, on the other hand, was from Savannah, Georgia.  While her experience time of only two years wasn’t quite as well-established as Reba’s was, it was the picture that she had included of her brother that caught Winnie’s attention.  Eileen’s brother had been stationed in Pearl and he had been one of the many men to be immortalized under the ocean there. 

That gave her motivation, it gave her righteous anger—and in Winnie’s eyes, it was exactly the sort of thing that God would do—place Eileen in her path to ensure that justice was seen. 

So Winnie penned her first letters to the two women that would soon be joining her here in Toccoa.  And then she took those resumes straight to Colonel Sink—who wholeheartedly approved of the decision, though it was made in haste.  Just another reason for him to see her as a capable doctor—as someone he could trust. 

And in two weeks time, Eileen Gray and Reba Garrett would be joining her at Camp Toccoa.  In the meantime though, Winnie’s own training was set to begin.  And she’d be damned if she let herself be torn down by any man—her superior officer or not.  She was determined to earn her place amongst the men here—and earn their respect.  Consequences be damned. 

[earthbaby-angelboy]

Imagine what happens if you, say, skin your knee while you're little and playing around the Chautauqua fairgrounds; you come running up to Walter just crying that you've got a boo-boo.

too much of a good thing | little!reader x cg!walter hale (wc: 1,004) - A/N: i was thinking of doing headcannons, but this idea is so cute that it deserves a full fic. with that, i'm going to start calling his little one "adne." it'll make my writing a bit less ambiguous/confusing. enjoy!

It was a hot and sunny morning, so you'd spent most of the day helping Charlene with small tasks, while Walter was nowhere to be seen. As the sun went down, the only illumination on the camping grounds were the small lamps and string-lights some of the performers had pitched up earlier. You began to worry. It was getting dark; where was your daddy? You and Charlene sat in the music tent, with her behind the piano and you sitting on a chair near the bottom of the stage.

"Leenie?" You asked, looking up at her. "Yeeeeees?" Charlene responded in a sing-song voice, while reviewing sheet music for tomorrow night's performance. "Where's dada? Haven't seen him all day."

Without missing a beat or looking away from the information in front of her, she responded "I haven't seen Hale- your daddy, either. I know he's very busy, but I'm sure he'll be done soon."

A small frown appeared on your face, and you murmured, "that's not fair."

Charlene tried not to let out a huff. "I know, honey, but your daddy is a grown-up and needs to do his job, so he can keep paying for all your plushes and pretty little dresses. You wouldn't want to go without those, would you?" She gave you a pointed look that had a playful air to it. You shook your head with a small smile. "No, wouldn' wanna go without those."

Propping a hand under your chin, you began to think. What could you do while waiting for Walter to get back? A few minutes of thinking later, and a lightbulb went off in your head. "Leenie, 's it okay if I go n' catch lightnin' bugs? That way, I can have a jar full of em' for dada when he gets back!" You asked excitedly.

Charlene sighed and finally tore her eyes away from the papers. She looked at you, practically bouncing with excitement at the idea of doing something to appease your daddy. She sighed, and gave in. "You know, honey? I think I've done enough work for today. Let's go catch some of those lil' buggies."

Getting down from her seat on the stage, she took your hand, and walked you out to the middle of the Chautauqua, near Walter's tent. As soon as you saw the little bugs, you took off in a run! The actual objective of catching some had flown out of your head as soon as you saw the beautiful iridescence they provided to the plain atmosphere.

"You better be careful, young lady! We don't need you getting any bruises," Charlene called after you. You giggled and continued to run around the grounds, hopping over the tent stakes and being careful of any rocks. As you continued to play, you became more tired, and a bit more clumsy. Charlene had noticed, but she too was now worrying about where Hale had went. Before she could even think of where to look, she heard a commotion from a tent halfway across the camp. She couldn't make out any of the voices or what they were saying, but she knew that it was bound to get rowdy.

Wanting to get you out of harms way, she called, "Adne, how about we come inside now?"

At the same time, Walter emerged from the tent the commotion was coming from. He was clearly agitated, with some of the performers in his face, shouting things that Charlene couldn't make out. Something about "cutting wages" and "lying about taxes."

She called you again. "Adne, come on-," but was promptly was cut off by the sound of a small thud, then a loud wail.

"...DADA!"

Everyone who had been previously arguing with Walter went silent. Stopping mid sentence, he held up his hand to signify that the silence should remain.

"Baby? You alright?"

"Hale, just get over here!" Charlene called.

Hearing that, he pushed through the crowd and jogged over to where you were on the ground. With the way you'd wailed, Walter was expecting a broken bone or some blood. He breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Charlene say, "baby, it's not that bad! Just a small boo-boo, nothing a bandaid can't fix!" Which was promptly followed by you shouting, "I'M BLEEDIN' LEENIE!" A smile came over Walter's face when he realized that you had not gotten seriously injured, but had just scraped your knee. Sighing with a slight smile, he crouched down in front of you and tilted your chin up to look at him. "What are you cryin' about, little miss?"

Sniffling, you responded, "got a boo-boo. Don' like boo-boos."

Walter looked up at Charlene, who responded, "she wanted to catch fireflies for you, but got a bit too excited. She's been asking after you all day." He sighed, then went back to you. "Alright, you got daddy's attention. Will ya stop cryin' now?"

You shook your head back and forth, your face puffy and red from the tears. "You gotta kiss it better, dada," you said in a soft voice.

The truth was, you had been thinking about your daddy all day. You wanted him to hold you and give you the attention you needed, but it seemed that he had "more pressing" matters. If the day had gone differently and you had still fallen, you wouldn't be in shambles. But it just seemed that this was what opened the floodgates.

Walter looked behind his shoulder at all of the performers who had been eavesdropping on the conversation, and for sake of seeming tough, he wanted to tell you to stop acting silly. But looking at the pretty little one sitting in front of him, dress splayed out and eyes wide made him throw all hesitation out the window. Softly, he leaned down to kiss your knee.

Seeing the relief on your face, he asked, "better?" You nodded. "M' better. Thankie, dada." He shook his head with a smile. How lucky he was to have someone as gentle and sweet as you.

"You're welcome, lovebug."

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

April 30, 2024

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

MAY 01, 2024

This morning, Time magazine published a cover story by Eric Cortellessa about what Trump is planning for a second term. Based on two interviews with Trump and conversations with more than a dozen of his closest advisors, the story lays out Trump’s conviction that he was “too nice” in his first term and that he would not make such a mistake again. 

Cortellessa writes that Trump intends to establish “an imperial presidency that would reshape America and its role in the world.” 

He plans to use the military to round up, put in camps, and deport more than 11 million people. He is willing to permit Republican-dominated states to monitor pregnancies and prosecute people who violate abortion bans. He will shape the laws by refusing to release funds appropriated by Congress (as he did in 2019 to try to get Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky to smear Hunter Biden). He would like to bring the Department of Justice under his own control, pardoning those convicted of attacking the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, and ending the U.S. system of an independent judiciary. In a second Trump presidency, the U.S. might not come to the aid of a European or Asian ally that Trump thinks isn’t paying enough for its own defense. Trump would, Cortelessa wrote, “gut the U.S. civil service, deploy the National Guard to American cities as he sees fit, close the White House pandemic-preparedness office, and staff his Administration with acolytes who back his false assertion that the 2020 election was stolen.”

To that list, former political director of the AFL-CIO Michael Podhorzer added on social media that if Trump wins, “he could replace [Supreme Court justices Clarence] Thomas, [Samuel] Alito, and 40+ federal judges over 75 with young zealots.” 

“I ask him, Don’t you see why many Americans see such talk of dictatorship as contrary to our most cherished principles?” Cortellessa wrote. No, Trump said. “‘I think a lot of people like it.” 

Time included the full transcripts and a piece fact-checking Trump’s assertions. The transcripts reflect the former president’s scattershot language that makes little logical sense but conveys impressions by repeating key phrases and advancing a narrative of grievance. The fact-checking reveals that narrative is based largely on fantasy. 

Trump’s own words prove the truth of what careful observers have been saying about his plans based on their examination of MAGA Republicans’ speeches, interviews, Project 2025, and so on, often to find themselves accused of a liberal bias that makes them exaggerate the dangers of a second Trump presidency. 

The idea that truthful reporting based on verifiable evidence is a plot by “liberal media” to undermine conservative values had its start in 1951, when William F. Buckley Jr., fresh out of Yale, published God and Man at Yale: The Superstitions of “Academic Freedom.” Fervently opposed to the bipartisan liberal consensus that the federal government should regulate business, provide a basic social safety net, protect civil rights, and promote infrastructure, Buckley was incensed that voters continued to support such a system. He rejected the “superstition” that fact-based public debate would enable people to choose the best option from a wide range of ideas—a tradition based in the Enlightenment—because such debate had encouraged voters to choose the liberal consensus, which he considered socialism. Instead, he called for universities to exclude “bad” ideas like the Keynesian economics on which the liberal consensus was based, and instead promote Christianity and free enterprise.

Buckley soon began to publish his own magazine, the National Review, in which he promised to tell the “violated businessman’s side of the story,” but it was a confidential memorandum written in 1971 by lawyer Lewis M. Powell Jr. for a friend who chaired the education committee of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that insisted the media had a liberal bias that must be balanced with a business perspective. 

Warning that “the American economic system is under broad attack,” Powell worried not about “the Communists, New Leftists and other revolutionaries who would destroy the entire system.” They were, he wrote, a small minority. What he worried about were those coming from “perfectly respectable elements of society: from the college campus, the pulpit, the media, the intellectual and literary journals, the arts and sciences, and from politicians.” 

Businessmen must “confront this problem as a primary responsibility of corporate management,” he wrote, launching a unified effort to defend American enterprise. Among the many plans Powell suggested for defending corporate America was keeping the media “under constant surveillance” to complain about “criticism of the enterprise system” and demand equal time. 

President Richard Nixon appointed Powell to the Supreme Court, and when Nixon was forced to resign for his participation in the scheme to cover up the attempt to bug the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee in the Watergate Hotel before the 1972 election, he claimed he had to leave not because he had committed a crime, but because the “liberal” media had made it impossible for him to do his job. Six years later, Ronald Reagan, who was an early supporter of Buckley’s National Review, claimed the “liberal media” was biased against him when reporters accurately called out his exaggerations and misinformation during his 1980 campaign. 

In 1987, Reagan’s appointees to the Federal Communications Commission abandoned the Fairness Doctrine that required media with a public license to present information honestly and fairly. Within a year, talk radio had gone national, with hosts like Rush Limbaugh electrifying listeners with his attacks on “liberals” and his warning that they were forcing “socialism” on the United States. 

By 1996, when Australian-born media mogul Rupert Murdoch started the Fox News Channel (FNC), followers had come to believe that the news that came from a mainstream reporter was likely left-wing propaganda. FNC promised to restore fairness and balance to American political news. At the same time, the complaints of increasingly radicalized Republicans about the “liberal media” pushed mainstream media to wander from fact-based reality to give more and more time to the right-wing narrative. By 2018, “bothsidesing” had entered our vocabulary to mean “the media or public figures giving credence to the other side of a cause, action, or idea to seem fair or only for the sake of argument when the credibility of that side may be unmerited.”

In 2023, FNC had to pay almost $800 million to settle defamation claims made by Dominion Voting Systems after FNC hosts pushed the lie that Dominion machines had changed the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, and it has since tried to retreat from the more egregious parts of its false narrative. 

News broke yesterday that Hunter Biden’s lawyer had threatened to sue FNC for “conspiracy and subsequent actions to defame Mr. Biden and paint him in a false light, the unlicensed commercial exploitation of his image, name, and likeness, and the unlawful publication of hacked intimate images of him.” Today, FNC quietly took down from its streaming service its six-part “mock trial” of Hunter Biden, as well as a video promoting the series. 

Also today, Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over Trump’s criminal trial for election fraud, found Trump in contempt of court for attacking witnesses and jurors. Merchan also fined Trump $1,000 per offense, required him to take down the nine social media posts at the heart of the decision, and warned him that future violations could bring jail time. This afternoon, Trump’s team deleted the social media posts. 

For the first time in history, a former U.S. president has been found in contempt of court. We know who he is, and today, Trump himself validated the truth of what observers who deal in facts have been saying about what a second Trump term would mean for the United States.

Reacting to the Time magazine piece, James Singer, the spokesperson for the Biden-Harris campaign, released a statement saying: “Not since the Civil War have freedom and democracy been under assault at home as they are today—because of Donald Trump. Trump is willing to throw away the very idea of America to put himself in power…. Trump is a danger to the Constitution and a threat to democracy.” 

Tomorrow, May 1, is “Law Day,” established in 1958 by Republican president Dwight D. Eisenhower as a national recognition of the importance of the rule of law. In proclaiming the holiday today, Biden said: “America can and should be a Nation that defends democracy, protects our rights and freedoms, and pioneers a future of possibilities for all Americans. History and common sense show us that this can only come to pass in a democracy, and we must be its keepers.” 

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[mariacallous]

U.S. President Joe Biden’s decision this weekend to step down from the race leaves Vice President Kamala Harris as the almost-certain Democratic candidate. As vice president, Harris has largely focused on domestic issues such as labor rights and gun violence. Since the Supreme Court’s Dobbs vs. Jackson decision, the matter of reproductive rights has emerged as Harris’s signature issue—but her record on international affairs and her use of the office’s power, such as it is, offer important clues as to how she might use her potential role as president.

But what exactly are the criteria for being a good foreign-policy vice president?

Since the late 1970s, when then-President Jimmy Carter and Vice President Walter Mondale reinvented the office so that the vice president could be a governing partner and not just a spare leader in case of disaster, vice presidents have had access to both the policy process and the president. But that vice-presidential power and influence are completely derived from the president’s compliance, without any constitutional or legal force. While serving as vice president, Biden himself once said, “I’m the highest-paid staff officer in the government.”

A good staffer makes their principal more effective, identifying gaps and weaknesses in the administration and filling them. Recent vice presidents have been across-the-board advisors who have balanced policy with politics, acted as surrogates and messengers, and taken charge of critical issues or task forces. Mondale helped Carter with legislative affairs, while his relationships with Israel and U.S. Jewish communities were critical in Carter’s signature foreign-policy achievement, the Camp David Accords.

George H.W. Bush was a utility infielder with a range of administrative experience as vice president, plugging gaps in then-President Ronald Reagan’s chaotic national security process. Vice President Al Gore played a key role in the Clinton administration’s Russia policy as co-chair of the Gore-Chernomyrdin Commission. Vice President Dick Cheney, among other things, was the architect of the post-9/11 domestic intelligence operations. As a former White House chief of staff, member of the House Intelligence Committee, and secretary of defense, Cheney and his staff developed the Terrorist Surveillance Program while keeping it secret from much of Congress and the government. And Biden played “devil’s advocate” during then-President Barack Obama’s Afghanistan policy review process in order to help prevent the president from being boxed in by the Defense Department.

Harris has faced significant barriers to helping Biden. Since the expansion of the vice-presidential role in the late 1970s, most presidents have been outsiders to Washington, D.C. These presidents tended to select experienced D.C.-insider VPs and turned to them for advice and help with Congress and international affairs. Biden, with 36 years in the Senate (during which he focused on foreign affairs) and eight years as vice president, had little need for assistance.

Further, he has a deeply experienced staff, some of whom have worked with him for decades. Harris, meanwhile, was new to D.C. four years ago. She is an experienced politician—but primarily in the context of California and domestic politics, meaning that she had limited opportunities to fill the gaps, few as they were, in Biden’s experience. Nor did she have a deep bench of experienced staffers who knew both her and Washington. The early turmoil on her staff—along with some of her poor public appearances—was the result.

But the turnover in personnel eventually produced a solid and capable team in a town where personnel is policy. Harris’s first national security advisor (VPNSA), former Ambassador to Bulgaria Nancy McEldowney, left the position in March 2022. The deputy VPNSA, Philip Gordon, then took the top spot. Gordon had worked as an assistant secretary of state and a senior National Security Council staffer in the Obama administration—and he had many options to serve in the Biden administration. His choice to remain at the vice president’s office suggests that it is not a policy backwater.

Under Obama, the VPNSA also held the title of deputy assistant to the president (the second tier in the hierarchy of White House staffers). However, Gordon is instead described by the Biden administration as an assistant to the president—the top tier of White House staffers. Gordon’s deputy is Rebecca Lissner, who had previously been the acting senior director for strategic planning on the National Security Council, where she oversaw the development of the Biden administration’s National Security Strategy. Harris also has a speechwriter dedicated specifically to foreign-policy issues as well as a military advisor.

Harris was never cut out of the process, and she had input to major decisions. Members of Biden’s team, many of whom also served under him when he was vice president, have publicly acknowledged the challenges that she faced. Vice presidents, however, are expected to be discreet in advising the president to ensure that there are no damaging leaks, and the Biden White House ran a tight ship—so until memoirs are written and documents are declassified, it is difficult to know the extent of her influence.

The foreign-policy issue that Harris is best known for is immigration and the border. The matter highlights her strengths and weaknesses. Biden assigned her to help mitigate illegal immigration after she offered suggestions for working with Central American countries to address the root causes of immigration. She had not sought the assignment, and when she received it, she tried to distance herself from the related issue of border security.

This did not prevent Republicans from dubbing her the “border czar,” and it led to a disastrous interview with NBC News anchor Lester Holt, in which she tried to avoid talking about the border. Holt pressed Harris about not having visited the southern border, and she replied, “And I haven’t been to Europe. I don’t understand the point you’re making.”

Her efforts to evade being tagged with the border issue only heightened her association with it—and her sometimes maladroit communication skills. But over time, she built relationships with players in Central America that paid dividends. The public-private Partnership for Central America that she led helped generate more than $5.2 billion in private sector commitments to El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. These efforts also supported the administration’s successful effort to ensure a peaceful transition of power after a contested election in Guatemala.

Other successes are more far-reaching. Trump reestablished the National Space Council (a traditional vice-presidential assignment) early in his term, and Harris succeeded Vice President Mike Pence as its chair. In that role, she has overseen the highly technical process of developing regulations for space commerce while doing yeoman’s work quintupling the signatories to the Artemis Accords, an agreement that encourages common standards of behavior in space, from the original eight. On April 18, 2022, Harris made a bold diplomatic stroke by announcing a unilateral U.S. commitment to not carry out anti-satellite weapons tests—which create debris that crowds the atmosphere and threatens the use of space. This was a much-lauded move to create norms for space activity, and it places China and Russia, which have not committed to a test ban, on the defensive.

Harris has also represented the U.S abroad. Vice presidents have long been high-level diplomatic envoys—not just seat-warmers at funerals. Almost exactly 45 years ago, for instance, Mondale gave a speech in Geneva that galvanized the world into action to rescue the “boat people” driven out of Vietnam. His vice presidential successor, George H.W. Bush, led the diplomatic efforts to gain European support for new intermediate-range missile deployments.

In November 2021, Harris visited France—officially to commemorate Armistice Day, but also to smooth over tense Franco-American relations. The French were perturbed by a deal between the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia that had ended a lucrative French submarine contract with Australia. While there, Harris enjoyed a good rapport with French President Emmanuel Macron and successfully persuaded the French to sign the Artemis Accords, facilitating collaboration in space. Since then, she has met innumerable foreign leaders abroad and at home, including when she represented the United States in 2022 and 2023 at the Munich Security Conference.

This limited survey of Harris’s foreign-policy work does not indicate a grand strategy or worldview. Instead, her work has been about developing a skill set of policymaking and implementation, as well as learning and using the tools available to her office.

Should Kamala Harris become president, this experience will be critical.

[fairyniceyeah]

LOLLAPALOOZA EXPERIENCE

My review of Lollapalooza Berlin 2024

First of all, have some low quality screen pics!

Hi Carats!

A lot of you asked about Lollapalooza Berlin in private messages, so I thought I’d just write about my general experience for all of you. Especially about SEVENTEEN of course.

So, we were there for both days and explored the whole area on Day 1. There were so many cool stands, though we didn’t check all of them all out. There was a lot of food and drink stands, enough that you never really had to wait in line. Also it was hot. SO DAMN HOT. Drop it like HOT. Runnin’ too HOT. It was basically 32°+ degrees both days all day and damn… but there was enough shade. Especially around the Olympia stadium you could always find a spot to rest and they had lots of resting areas in the shade! It was pretty good!

Queuing for entrance tho was a pain in the ass at first and very unorganized but I guess it could have still been much worse.

Well, since I made some freebies I got to talking to a lot of Carats that day already. It was a really cool experience to chat with them and swap freebies or just giving them out. I didn’t have much for each member but I was pleasantly surprised that Jun’s and Jeonghan’s bracelets were gone first! Well, and Mingyu’s to like nobodies surprise. I gotta be honest and I really don’t want to offend any Mingyu-stans but a few people actually refused other members freebies. I had some general group stuff and diamond-bracelets to represent Carat and I noticed that mostly Mingyu-stans (were maybe not solo-stans but) would not take other members’s stuff. Other people listed their bias lines and may not have ended up with their favs but were happy enough to have something from their bias line. I was very happy that a lot of people asked for Seungkwan – I didn’t realize he was that well-liked! Sadly, though I also had more Vernon stuff because I had more turtle charms, his weren’t much asked for.  

We later went to the Carat café in town which was cool! We managed to get there at a time where the line wasn’t too long – we still wait like an hour but we got to talk to some people and the bubble tea was good. I have a lot of bracelets now, as well as photocards and stickers so I am very happy with that!

Sunday was the worst. Camping started at 6am and when we woke up at like 8am we saw on TikTok that we didn’t want to be there. Honestly, queuing for entrance the second day we already kinda felt ashamed to be associated with Carats. There was so much trash just laying around, it was disgusting. People had left chairs, jackets, blankets whatever there which was really respectless. Security was pretty pissed off with Carats, it seemed – and rightfully so! We could feel how they were already exhausted just seeing people with bracelets, carat bongs ad cut-out etc.

Starting from 10am people were sitting in front of SEVENTEEN’s stage and blocking the view. The organizers had either completely underestimated the amount of Carats coming or they were plain stupid. There was a band paying for kids on that stage and did they get to see them? No! Carats kept blocking the way and parents were scared to enter the area with kids. Whenever they asked for cheers from kids they were coming from like behind the third barrier. In this case, we also were in the second barrer area, so we also were the assholes I guess. We had brought our friends food, since they hadn’t eaten by 12pm and fought our way into the area but after the first band we left. It was so crowded and you couldn’t see anything either way. We made friends with a group of Carats that we hung out with most of the day which was cool because finding a group is always easier than just with two people.

Short side story: Eating ice cream is dangerous, people! As I said it was hot and the ice cream was frozen pretty good – enough so that my lip froze to the ice and my whole inner lip area was torn open. It was a blood bath… so yeah, I may use that for further fics maybe but dear God, I just wanted ice cream…

We went to see Nothing but Thieves and Cro where we stood frontal to the stage in the open area and it was so crowded. Most German carats at least could sing along to Cro, and Nothing but Thieves also was received well, but you could see that all artist that day were annoyed that their fans couldn’t see them and the fans weren’t happy either. They were so done with Carats. Between sets security and organizers worked on making people go back a few steps so people could sit down but it didn’t work well. Nobody wanted to give up their precious spots. We managed to sit for a few times in the open area but damn, it was hard not getting stepped on. Leaving for the bathroom or getting water was nearly impossible. Especially me, who with 150cm am very short, had already given up on seeing anything by then. Some people were nice enough to let me through when they realized just how tiny I am but going without my friend also felt wrong and scary. I don’t do well with crowds, I was kinda scared and also I hate the feeling of not being able to leave.

When I fought my way to the bathroom I spotted a less crowded area in the open area where we stood in the end. Why was it less crowded? Well, Carats in the second barrier area were misbehaving (pushing and stuff) and so the security (I wasn’t there, so I only heard what others said) had put up higher, view-blocking barriers there. A lot of Carats who didn’t want to go into the “hot” or as well called it the “delulu”-area were suddenly unable to see despite standing there the whole day. I know a few who want to refund their tickets tho I don’t know if that will work. I can understand their frustration, however. They were punished for stuff they didn’t do while Carats inside were still able to enjoy their life (*cough* pushing and being rude). This meant we had this amazing view of the stage. What you can see is the raised area but that's only my phone's view, not mine.

We didn’t get to see SEVENTEEN in real life in a way. The only way was the big screens that we could just barely see from below. I could only see the stage if I held my phone up high.

I got to be honest – yes, I can stay I was in the same area as SEVENTEEN, yes, I breathed the same air, and yes, I heard the concert live – but I am disappointed in the Carats who ruined it for everyone.

People seemed to be giving us annoyed looks – especially those who couldn’t really see their artist perform and saw that Carats were sitting down for the stages. Sitting down between sets is cool but refusing to dance with other artists is just plain rude. Hell, I am not even a Cro-fan and barely like any of his songs but it was cool. It seemed as if he had even made his setlist with older, more famous songs so that Carats were not completely lost with stuff they didn’t know.

And also the first band (Deine Freunde), who were there for the kids, commented in a joking way that they didn’t really care about performing and were also just waiting for SEVENTEEN. I didn’t really think it was that funny because what the hell? The band was basically playing for people who couldn’t care less about them…

Well, now to SEVENTEEN’s stage: It was good! Very good! They “only” had 90 minutes which meant there weren’t that many songs but it was nice. It wasn’t completely the set list I expected but it was cool. I could tell that a lot of Carats were sad that the Hip-Hop Unit performed Fire instead of LaLaLi but it was amazing still!

The atmosphere, especially in our more relaxed area, was great. People were singing along and jumping up and down and happy. It was a great feeling.

I know this text is very unorganized and jumping between themes but honestly I am too tired and I still have to think about a lot of my emotions. I don’t think I can watch the livestream/recording – honestly seeing that those rude people who were blocking space and behaved so egotistical all day (leaving thrash, holding signs despite them being forbidden, didn’t let others see their artist and were even respectless to the members’ personal space) get rewarded with interactions and actually seeing stuff while we were just fighting to get a glimpse of them in real life makes me feel sad and tired. It was my first K-Pop experience (except for The Rose which I am not sure if it counts) and I don’t know if I want to go to a concert again.

Before anybody comes at me: Yes, I know people waited in the hot sun for hours to see SEVENTEEN. They didn’t move from their spot just to see them. But honestly, it was just sick how they acted. We all want to see them and they ruined the whole vibe. I never want to be ashamed of my fandom but I was, I am. Because of some delulu-people we were hated by staff and other fans. Did I want to see Deine Freunde, Nothing but Thieves and Cro? Not really. Did I watch them either way because I knew otherwise I could give up on SEVENTEEN? Yeah. It’s crazy and I am sure as hell also part of the problem but did we get a choice? No. It’s not my fault I can’t see above people’s shoulders and god damn, the fucking signs that block the view? Fuck the people who think that’s okay!

Maybe it would have been a better experience if they had let SEVENTEEN play in the stadium itself – it had better capacity and views and people wouldn’t have blocked off so much space with waiting all day. But there were no screens inside so I don’t know…

But on a better note: The members were amazing!

S.Coups is just crazy while performing and he sure as hell knows how to let the team shine, meaning he barely spoke.

Jeonghan was often in focus and still very quiet. You could see him fighting not to cry over his last SEVENTEEN’s stage and members were constantly hugging him.

Joshua, as a translator for them, was often shown as well and damn, he just has the vibes. You could tell he had fun.

Hoshi, damn, I still don’t get how he can so easily make people fall in love with him – he is just a born entertainer! Props to his stylist too, the blue leopard hair? Damn!

Wonwoo, as Wonwoo is, was very silent but he killed all his parts. However, he truly was only shown on his parts so I can’t say much about him.

Woozi seemed a bit off? Maybe he was jet-lagged, maybe he was overheating in his long clothes, but he seemed exhausted. He killed his parts but he was soaked in sweat from the very beginning and I was kinda worried (but maybe that’s also my sickfic-brain, which I kinda hate rn since I really don’t want to project that on the members in real life). However, he danced with Seungkwan when they left the stage which was pretty sweet.

Minghao was cute, so cute. He was having fun and vibing and though not as present as other members, he was very nice on the eyes. However, not his fault at all, but his make-up barely matched his skin...

DK is, as expected, just a ball of sunshine! He is so damn talented and you could see how much fun he was having. He kept smiling all the time and he truly looked so happy.

Mingyu, damn, I get why he is a fan-favorite, I do! He was doing a lot of interactions and well, you could tell whenever he was on screen without looking, cause people kept screaming.

Seungkwan was hands down the one who drew me in most. You could tell how genuinely happy he was about seeing the fans and performing and he just killed it! See thrives on the love he receives and I am willing to fight anybody who makes his smile go away.

Vernon, woah, just woah. He was so very, very present and he has just a crazy stage presence. It was fun to see him enjoy himself.

Dino, my child, was distracted during the beginning ments which was funny as hell and he just had fun. You can tell who he really loves dancing and how his hyungs kept hyping him up was very lovely too see.

All those opinions are obviously fabricated by the fact that I could only see what the camera has shown us but I can’t be completely wrong, I think!

In conclusion: I had fun and it was nice to hear SEVENTEEN live but I am very disappointed in the K-Pop community. Maybe K-Pop isn’t for festivals, maybe they should have had a different concept but I don’t think the fear of the crowd and they way some fans act makes even hearing my favs live worth it. Basically, I was there but it didn’t feel that way at all. I heard them live and I saw them on a big screen which was really cool! But it doesn’t even really feel like I was there – I could just have watched a recording on my laptop too. I could do without the yells of “Omg, I am going to pass out” and “O, I think I am having a stroke, I am so happy” – it’s ridiculous?

Before I am done, I know I have been very critical and maybe that is my post-concert/post-festival depression and maybe the fact that I was pretty annoyed with Carats the whole day – but I really don’t mean to insult anyone. It’s just how I perceived things and I know others may have had different experiences! I want to underline the fact, that I don’t blame the members for anything that happened, they can’t do anything about it. It’s not Mingyu’s fault I was annoyed with his fans! I just wish the love Carats (and K-Pop fans in general) have for their groups be more equally shown. Have your favorites? That’s fine. But just cheering for one member is just awful. Do I stan all members equally? No, I think you all know that I am very much a Woozi and Seungkwan fan, but I sure as hell cheered for all members.

Honestly, the best thing was the interaction with the Carats who enjoyed the freebies and we talked with for some time! There are so many nice people out there and thank you for making Lollapalooza enjoyable!

Have Aju Nice and Jeonghan and DK!

[wit4writ]

PJO Episode 2 Detailed Review (Part 1/2)

So, episode two serves as our introduction to Camp Half-Blood and the world of demigods, and it wasn’t…great. I really didn’t want to write this review, hence the delay.

Before you come after me with torches and pitchforks, remember what I wrote about exposition robots? Well, this episode was FULL of them, which interfered with the flow of the story and development of characters. So, time to write a detailed review of episode two! (Which will be split in two parts because it’s so long.)

First up, a recap, which I didn’t have an issue with, so moving on.

Percy is in the infirmary after his big fight and sees a girl watching him. When he asks where he is, she tells him, “You drool when you sleep.”

This is a classic line from the book, but my biggest issue with putting the line here is that it feels very abrupt. Framing it as, “You know you drool when you sleep?” would make it flow easier.

Percy falls back asleep and wakes up again to Grover sitting beside him, and their conversation is fraught with tension as Percy grieves and Grover rambles. Again, this conversation could’ve been tightened up with less words.

Mr. D was great. Perfect casting, but I would’ve liked if we had character clues to Mr. D’s identity and Percy figuring it out instead of Grover telling him who he was. I appreciated Percy being a bit sassy, but I think he could’ve given him more attitude. I also didn’t need the whole “Mr. D pretends to be Percy’s dad” part, that felt a too cruel. My ideal scene would go something like this:

// Percy walks in to see Mr. D dozing.

Percy: “Excuse me?”

No response. Percy tries again, a bit louder.

Percy: “Excuse me? I’m Percy Jackson, I’m new here…Hello? Did you hear me? I said—”

Mr. D interrupts him, sitting up straight.

Mr. D: “Yeah, I heard you, Peter Johnson!”

Percy: “That’s not my name.”

Mr. D: “Well, that’s not my problem.”

Percy: “Hey, I’m just looking for the office, or someone who’s in charge?”

Mr. D scans Percy carefully, a gleam in his eye.

Mr. D: “You want to know where the office is? Well, maybe if you grab me that 1985 Chateau Haut-Brion in the galley I’d be able to remember.”

Percy: “Why can’t you just tell me?”

Mr. D: “You help me, I help you. It’s how the world works, Peter.”

Grover runs in, having overheard that last part.

Grover: “Mr. D, you know you can’t, you—”

Mr. D glares at him and Grover takes a step back and swallows hard.

Grover: “Uh, Percy, this is Mr. D—Mr. D, Percy.”

Mr. D: “Yeah, heard him the first time when he was interrupting a great nap.”

Percy: “Did you though?”

Grover: “Percy! Sir, he didn’t mean it—”

Percy: “Why are you so scared of this guy? Maybe if he could get off his own lazy butt, he’d get more blood to his brain and be able to remember my name.”

Mr. D stares at him darkly, Grover looking frantically between them both.

Mr. D: “Are you mocking me?”

Vines twine around Percy’s ankles, trapping him in place. Mr. D leans forward.

Mr. D: “You know, I could blast you, but if you get me that bottle, I’d be happy to forget this whole thing even happened.”

Mr. Brunner/Chiron (offscreen): “That’s enough.”

He enters the room on his wheelchair.

Percy: “Mr. Brunner?”

Mr. Brunner/Chiron: “Hello Percy. I’m afraid Mr. Brunner is a pseudonym I used while I was at Yancy—please, call me Chiron.”

Percy: “Oh. Okay…”

Chiron: “Mr. D, remember your restrictions.” (to Percy) “Zeus forbid Mr. D from consuming alcohol while he’s here.”

Mr. D: “Apparently, I need to ‘set an example,’ well I don’t think so, Dad!”

Percy: “Dad?” He thinks hard. “You’re Dionysus. The god of wine.”

Mr. D: “Wow, someone give the boy a prize before I blow him up.”

Grover: “Sir, Percy’s just distraught. His mom—”

Chiron: “Yes, I think we can be a little more accommodating, considering…”

Mr. D thinks it over.

Mr. D: “Sure. If he apologizes.” //

Percy then grudgingly apologizes, and Chiron ushers him out, quickly stepping out of his chair to reveal his true form. The last little scene where Grover says something doesn’t feel right is cut, instead he goes with them before Chiron sends him away to give them privacy. I think these changes would improve the flow and serve as characterization for not only Mr. D, but demonstrating his relationship with Grover, Chiron, and Percy.

The camp looked great, but Chiron’s speech over top of the montage served as more exposition. It would’ve worked better for Percy to be asking questions to make this an active conversation which he was a participant in. That’s why I appreciated Percy talking to Chiron about the pen, but I would’ve had Chiron introduce the name of the sword here and cut some of the words during his “magical items don’t obey the laws of the physical world,” bit. I would’ve rewritten a LOT of this whole conversation. I did like how Percy saw through Chiron’s rambling and realized the possibility of being unclaimed.

The Hermes cabin looked cool and Percy finding the blue candy still in his bag was a nice touch.

When Luke approaches, I think he should’ve said something so that it makes Percy’s first reaction to him more logical. Something like:

// In the background: “He’s the guy who killed the Minotaur, I think.”

Luke (offscreen): “We should find out.” (to Percy) “Hey.”

Percy looks over and sees Luke and his friends approaching.

Luke: “You’re the kid who killed the Minotaur, right? Percy something?”

Percy: “Yeah.”

Luke and his friends exchange looks.

Luke: “Wow. You must be pretty tough.”

Percy: “Look, if you want to give me a hard time, do it tomorrow. I can’t do any more today.”

Luke: “Relax, fighter. I didn’t mean it like that.”

Percy: “You didn’t?”

Luke: “Nah. I just wanted to say we heard about what happened on the hill. We’re sorry about your mom.”

The other kids nod.

Luke: “I know things are tough right now, but you’re gonna get through it. Believe me, it gets better.”

Percy: “Thanks.”

Luke extends his hand and Percy shakes it.

Luke: “I’m Luke. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood.” //

Then, I’d have Luke invite Percy to lunch and say something about giving him a tour the next day, to allow for a smoother transition to the next scene.

Unfortunately, now that we’ve been introduced to Luke, we need to…talk about Luke. His actor, I mean.

Firstly, I have no issue with how Luke looks. What I do have an issue with is how his actor is portraying him.

Luke is supposed to be charismatic and confident, a leader and camp counsellor. He’s lived at camp for ages, and everyone acknowledges his amazing swordsmanship, and even if he has failed a quest (though I’m not sure if they’re going with that storyline) he’s seemingly good-natured about it.

I’m not getting any of that from the actor. He comes off as more anxious than confident, someone who’d rather not be in the spotlight. Unfortunately, that impression carried throughout the whole episode, and it was not helped by the fact Luke was mostly an exposition robot to spout facts at Percy.

The darkness transition is now three seconds—still feels a little long, but better than the first episode.

Grover’s scene in the woods I would’ve cut entirely. It was sweet to see him with the dryad (who may or may not have been his mom), but it honestly wasn’t needed. I would’ve had Grover be in the background in the previous scene, maybe watching Percy go to lunch before heading off, then started the next scene with Grover, Mr. D, and Chiron already altogether, and had them vaguely hinting instead of outright saying Percy’s mom was alive, to increase the suspense. Something like:

// Grover: “I don’t understand, why haven’t you told Percy yet?”

Chiron: “The truth can be very dangerous if not handled carefully.”

Grover: “But it’s his mom! He deserves to know!”

Chiron: “Grover, there are powerful forces at work, and we still don’t fully comprehend their motives. If we tell Percy the truth too early, we may lose him.”

Mr. D: “Then you’ll be the worst Protector on record, between Thalia and this kid.”

Grover: “But I don’t want to lie to him. He’s my best friend.”

Mr. D: “Then I suggest you avoid him, because if you say one word of this, one word—I’ll put you on stable cleaning duty for the next year. Understood?” //

So that's the end of Part 1, PART 2 will be linked here. Thoughts, reblogs, and comments are welcome!

[buoyantsaturn]

C.J. buoyantsaturn's 2023 year in review

JANUARY

But I can't help getting caught up in it all [12,446 words] summary: Nico, Leo, and Will are living their happily ever after - until an old friend moves back into town.

FEBUARY

Then you hold life like a face between your palms ... and you say, yes, I will take you / I will love you, again. [4,718 words] summary: “You’re still going to marry me someday, right?” Nico’s head snapped up, drizzling paint across the floor as he lifted the roller from the pan too early - which was exactly why they’d chosen to finish up painting first. Nico snorted, a gorgeous sound that sent Will’s heart fluttering. “Of course I am. What kind of question is that?”

MARCH

crocheted mushroom [1,618 words] summary: It had started off with something Will had mentioned in passing - a specific plant that only grew in the Underworld with its own magical healing myth. The next time Nico had gone to run an errand for his father, he returned with the flower, pressed and fragile, blandly announcing to Will that - according to Persephone - the myth was bullshit, even if the flower was pretty.

APRIL

How many kinds of love might there be in the world, and how many formations might they make [5,908 words] summary: Nico turned toward his husband with a smile, crossing his arms over his chest. He took a second to admire the work that Will and Annabeth had done - she’d designed a coop that was a perfect scale replica of the Apollo cabin back at camp, complete with nesting boxes where the bunk beds were placed. Nico called back, “Where do you think we’re going to find magic chickens in the middle of Texas?” Or, five friends who come to visit Nico and Will, and one who doesn't.

MAY

Work and play, they're never okay to mix the way we do [77,579 words] summary: “We don’t have an appointment,” Reyna stated without greeting, lifting her eyes from her computer screen to look at them both, though her hands stayed where they were on her home row keys. “We shouldn’t be long,” Jason replied as he took a seat in one of the chairs opposite her desk. When Nico didn’t move to follow, Jason glanced back at him and nodded to the other open seat. He didn’t speak again until after Nico had sat down. “We want Will Solace to open for Lost Heroes when we go out on our next tour.”

JUNE

Put the Car in Drive (don't stop running 'til you're long gone) [17,487 words] summary: Because, no matter what, Will would always come home to Nico. 

JULY

lemon drops [3,753 words] summary: "Um. Did you ever do the whole…law school…thing, like you said you wanted to? Because I think I might need a lawyer.” 

AUGUST

Doctor Doctor, Give Me the News (I've Got a Bad Case of Loving You) [29,023 words] summary: As he started out from behind the reception area for the first time in four hours, Leo called out to him, “Hey, by the way, Apollo’s doing that thing again where he talks about adding more staff members. Just be prepared, ‘cause you know he’s going to ask your opinion. Since you’re his favorite, and all.”

SEPTEMBER

(all i really want is to be your) Boyfriend [2,941 words] summary: “Nico, you’re never going to believe this!” Hazel exclaimed. “CPR got back together!” Nico turned his face toward the ceiling, wondering what he could have possibly done to deserve this.

OCTOBER

yet i need to talk to you [4,116 words] summary: “Being away from you just makes me think about how I never want to be without you, and--” Nico snorted. “Are you asking me to marry you? Haven’t we done this already?” 

NOVEMBER

Remember nights we spent on hard wood floors [67,859 words] summary: A sudden, tense silence passed between them. “Is it really this easy to start a band?” Lou asked. “Probably not,” Nico replied, “but we should meet up sometime to see what we can do.”

DECEMBER

bear skin rug [1,077 words] summary: Nico spun back around, a bright smile on his face as he said to Will, “See? How cool is--” Black spots danced in his eyes, and before he could say another word, Nico passed out.

[cock-guillotine]

more BoB modern AU headcanons please 🥺🥰

oops all webgott

as previously mentioned, web writes pop culture articles for a living, despite not actually needing the money, but he writes reviews purely for the joy of being a hater. they’re scathing. 

despite having to keep up to date with current pop culture and internet drama and such for his job, he has some weird, glaring gaps pop cultural knowledge that joe loves to bully him about. 

joe would (and did) happily live in an unfurnished straight boy house. mattress on the floor, beanbag chair and foldable camping chair in the living room, fuck off massive tv sitting on the cardboard box it came in. web is not happy with this and demands nice things, but he’s fucking awful at household chores. cannot keep things clean and tidy to save his life. leaves clothes everywhere, piles of dishes in the sink, crumbs in the bed etc. joe finds this infuriating and gross. 

neither of them can cook, they're absolutely useless. joe’s a pickier eater than he has any right to be, web is not—his food creations and combinations are equal parts horrific and fascinating. He had a brief dalliance with baking that joe had to put a stop to after a particularly heinous loaf of bread.

web also makes the worst coffee known to man. somehow makes even instant coffee feel like it has coffee grounds in. web can't seem to taste this and thinks joe is just being dramatic.

despite being rich and pretty, web was a loser in college. people would try to talk to him and invite him to things only to find out he was annoying, pretentious, and kind of a bitch. 

joe’s a baby when it comes to cold weather, thinks anything below 15 degrees is practically a blizzard.

web has terrible hand eye coordination.

joe always beats him at games and web always sulks about it. web's not really a video games person but he does occasionally play animal crossing. has to get joe to help him with fishing though

[happyk44]

Hazel tucked her chin against her knees. Shadows were blustering around her, picking up pens and making notations on a dozen different stray papers while Pluto stared, wide-eyed, at the three monitors in front of him. His eyes never flickered away from the one in front of him, but the mouse scrolled rapidly to either side, opening spreadsheets and clacking in numbers.

She liked watching him work. It was kind of funny. For other people it was probably creepy, his dead-eyed stare, pale skin illuminated by the bright monitor in the dim office. Shadows twisted around like tertiary limbs. He barely moved anything but his fingers. Didn't speak a word.

But work was done, vacations approved, overtime denied, gem and metal requests from various gods reviewed, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

It was so neat. She wondered if this is how she looked when she reviewed Camp Jupiter's spending. She probably moved more than he did, but the wide-eyed hyperfocused stare, everything else falling to the wayside of shadows and unimportance - she was sure that existed in her. Although she was definitely more startled by sudden presences than he was.

He didn't mind her watching him. He was fully aware she was there, greeted her when she walked in and patted her head when she sat on the edge of his desk, observing.

She glanced over to the monitor. Her eyes scanned through the data. It was an update on the recent mining activity - a couple dozen souls had recently been sentenced to the mines as punishment. Production would increase. Naturally. They'd need to figure out what to prioritize in digging out. No sense in increasing production if the gems being pulled weren't in demand.

Off the top of her head, Hazel considered what she'd do. Review past requests, see what was most popular around this season, what would be most popular in the upcoming season, start on the prep for that. Maybe she'd have some people look over the current trends in jewelry. People weren't clamouring for diamonds the same way they used to be. She was pretty sure pearls were coming back into style this year. Moonstone looked close enough.

She poked Pluto with her finger. He hummed, curiously, sparing her no look, but one of the wiry shadows blustering around poked her back.

She tucked her smile behind her knees. "Do you have moonstone availability?"

"I can," he said easily. "Moonstone does require more pressure to form. And very high temperatures. I usually build it closer down to Tartarus and near the Phlegethon." The screens blurred in a piston of movement as his fingers clicked and clacked at the keyboard and deftly moved about the mousepad. "Yama has very fine moonstone beneath his earth, as well. I'm sure he'd be happy to take some of our beloathed for punishment in exchange." He tilted his face in her direction. "Do you think moonstone will be viable this period?"

Her lip bit raw in her mouth. But she relaxed and nodded. "I do. Pearls are popular this year, but expensive. And there still exists concerns over harvesting. Moonstone is a much more inexpensive substitute and, if well crafted, will be indistinguishable from the untrained eye."

His eyes held her in that same dead-eyed stare. And then they softened. A smile gently graced his face. He slid his chair closer to her and caught the back of her head, bringing her down for a gentle kiss on the head.

"Smart girl," he mused as he slid away. "I'll make a note to increase our moonstone production then."

She grinned widely and resisted the urge to wiggle in excitement. Instead, she relaxed and let herself lean into the wall. The monitors twisted ever so slightly so she could still see them at her new angle.

Maybe Pluto would take her to meet his Hindu counterpart. She considered that, herself tucked into her father's side, dressed clean but not flashy, a little businesswoman at a godly business meeting.

It was exciting to think of. Already thoughts were flowing about what she'd say to urge his "Yes" to the moonstone mining beneath his earth. Pluto had friends across all the chthonic pantheons. They thought he was interesting, and his temperance was smooth enough to handle even the most rowdy of them, but still. She wanted to prove herself in this way. Prove she was of him, the same way Nico was. That she deserved a place at their table too.

I am my father's daughter, she thought. The underground, where all the mineral wealth hides, is my world too.

[gemwing1988]

Rugrats: Ghost Story Review 👻📖

Yet again, another spooky review of another well-liked episode I had enjoyed and a very rare crossover episode to feature in the franchise aside from the Rugrats Go Wild movie. Even though it’s not a Halloween episode, it might still be considered one with its kid friendly spookiness and the vibes to it.

It begins a dark and stormy night at the Pickles family household as Tommy, his little brother, Baby Dil, best friend Chuckie, the twins Phil and Lil, and of course, Dil and Tommy’s mean and bossy 3-year-old cousin, Angelica, were “camping out” in Tommy’s bedroom, “roasting” marshmallows in front of a battery powered campfire.

Dismissing Tommy’s suggestion to sing campfire songs, Angelica decided to tell ghost stories, much to Chuckie’s dismay. Of course, Angelica was surprisingly generous enough to allow the babies to each take a turn to tell the story.

Angelica ominously kickstarts the story about a haunted house where a mysterious light is always shown lit up in the old attic of the house and one scared little boy dared to venture into the house to uncover the mystery. And, being the spiteful bully as she is, Angelica deliberately inserted Chuckie as the unwilling main character.

Seriously, why does Angelica always pick on him so much? I know Chuckie’s afraid of some of the silliest of things like the guy on the oatmeal box but that doesn’t excuse her to be so mean about it.

Anyway, when Tommy reminded that each of the kids have a turn to tell, an annoyed Angelica agreed to let Chuckie to do his turn, on the condition he should make it scary, which is the whole point of ghost stories.

Of course, knowing Chuckie Finster, things are easier said than done.

Desperate to dodge around the scary parts and avoiding getting nightmares afterwards, Chuckie sugarcoated the part where he enters the house where the interior was cutely decorated, complete with soft pillows on the couch and a full bowl of tasty sweets, promptly claiming it to be the end.

Angelica, unamused, objected to the hastily shortened story and demanded Chuckie to redo his turn again, which poor Chuckie reluctantly did, even adding in the pillows are as hard as solid rock and the candy tasted terrible. As insult to injury, Angelica added in cobwebs and some of those spooky paintings of creepy people on the walls with eyes that seem to move and watch you whenever you’re not looking like in one of those old Scooby-Doo cartoons.

Angelica: (voiceover) And don’t forget about that loud “thump, tump!”

*Cue the ominously loud thumping behind a door.*

Angelica: (voiceover) Comin’ behind the close door!

I’m also familiar with that one, Angelica. 🙄

As Chuckie hesitated on the part where the character opens the closet door, a frustratedly annoyed Angelica impatiently hijacked his segment and reveals that hiding in the closet where a pair of “creepy people”, who are Phil and Lil in the role of a butler and maid.

Excited that the story was getting good so far, the twins took their turn to tell the story where their characters decided to escort Chuckie up the stairs towards the attic.

The twins decided to make the stair climbing much more interesting by conjuring a giant and friendly (yet slimy) worm to give them a ride, much to Chuckie’s disgust and dismay yet to the twins’ characters’ delight as they were enjoying the lift.

Of course, Angelica wasn’t impressed with the little plot twist herself, disgustedly adding in that not only was it not scary but also gross. I can totally agree that the worm could be a little less slimy but you gotta admit it’s kinda cute in the standards of a Rugrats episode.

Meanwhile, Chuckie (in the story), not wanting to continue, decided to literally sit out as he rested on what was supposed to be a chair covered in a sheet. Unfortunately, much to Chuckie’s horror, Angelica added in a part where the “sheet covered chair” was actually a great, big, ugly and spooky old ghost who proceeded to chase Chuckie around.

Luckily, it was Tommy’s turn to tell the story as he improvised with the ghost scene, transforming the scary ghost into a cute and friendly little ghost played by none other than Tommy himself.

Angelica: (annoyed) A cute ghost?! That’s NOT scary! 😠

As Tommy the friendly ghost was about to happily lead Chuckie and the twins to the attic, Angelica hijacks the story yet again, inserting herself as a wicked witch, who tells the scaredy boy and his companions that the door to the attic won’t open without a key, which is hidden away behind one of the doors in the hallway.

So, the babies decided to split up and search through each door to find the attic key.

And, I was in for a real surprise when we get some very special surprise guests in this episode where the main characters from Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, Ickis, Krumm and Oblina, are featured in the episode as the monsters in the story. As well as a few unnamed monster characters from the franchise.

Talk about a huge plot twist! 🤯

As Angelica sics the monsters on the babies, Tommy tries to convince them not to eat them because there is some chocolate pudding downstairs in the kitchen, which the monsters happily chose over eating the babies.

In all honesty, that came off confusing for any fans of this classic franchise. I’m kinda rusty on the show but it’s said that the monsters can’t eat human food because it’s bad for their health. On the other hand, it is just a story made up by a group of young toddlers since some things don’t have to be accurate.

While Angelica angrily flies down after the monsters to force them back up the stairs to terrorise the babies, Chuckie’s group find the attic key was hidden underneath the rug near the attic door the whole time. Wow, that’s surprisingly convenient.

Once they opened the door, Chuckie was surprised that the attic didn’t seem as scary as he thought it would be. But just as Tommy and the twins went up ahead and as Chuckie was following behind, Angelica grabs him back, only for the worm the twins added in to slink behind and give her a kiss on the cheek.

While the disgusted Angelica was distracted with frantically wiping off the worm kisses, Chuckie started to have a change of heart about telling stories, realising they don’t always have to be scary if you use your imagination to make them much more entertaining with fun stuff and funny plot twists, ensuring a happy ending.

Chuckie: (giggled and turns to us, the viewers) Tellin’ scary stories is fun! 🙂

Once the group reached the attic, they were in awe to see it was a rather cute and cosy little bedroom, complete with a comfortable looking bed. And the light in the attic was coming from a cute giant teddy bear nightlight.

Mystery solved.

Contented with the happy ending and tired from the adventure, the babies happily climbed into the comfortable for well-deserved nap.

Then, we cue an angry and dissatisfied Angelica barging into the attic, declaring it to be the “dumbest story she had ever heard”. In a fit of frustration and an attempt to scare the sleeping babies out of spite, Angelica tries to retell the story of being up in a creepy old attic inside a haunted house filled with kinds of scary monsters.

But as she was saying this, Angelica started to grow very nervous just as Ickis, Krumm and Oblina walk, deciding to stir up some harmless mischief by scaring her.

*Krumm playfully roars while Oblina happily yells.*

Ickis: (cheekily) Ha ha ha ha ha. 😁

Angelica: (as Krumm was offering her a glass of water)😱😱😱😱😱!!!

Then, cue a clap of thunder and a lightening flash, we cut back to reality as Angelica had ended up scaring herself, prompting her to frantically run out of the bedroom, calling out for her parents while the babies are sleeping peacefully under a blanket, ending the episode.

I have to consider this one of my most favourite crossovers and I really enjoyed it. I especially loved it that they used some of the music pieces from the old Rugrats PS1 game, “The Search for Reptar” in certain segments. Pure nostalgia.

It was a pity it was shown first after the theme intro because I thought it would make a great Karma Houdini Warranty for Angelica when she callously “written” down a mean spirited complain letter from Chuckie to Reptar when Chuckie wasn’t happy with Reptar eating some kid’s cereal (bowl and all) on a Reptar Cereal commercial, all the while getting off Scot-free.

Hey, The Cuphead Show TV Tropes website’s recap of “The Devil’s Pitchfork” added in a Karma Houdini Warranty for Cuphead after how he had been done dirty in “Lost in the Woods”. Yeah, not a huge fan of the ending when he deliberately launched Mugman on a rocket for the LOLs just as Mugsy was making a heartfelt apology. 🙄

Despite that, it was still a fun episode and it most certainly has some Halloween vibes to it and quite the spooky charm that would make a great choice to sit back, relax on your couch with a bowl of popcorn and a nice cold bottle of soda and enjoy watching with the lights off to get into the spirit (pun not intended 😅).

I most especially love Tommy’s ghostly persona being a huge reference to Casper the Friendly Ghost. Very cute.

Well, that wraps up yet another spooky review and I do hope you all enjoy it as much as I had fun writing it.

Hope you all have a Happy Halloween next week and may your dreams shine. ✨🎃