#Eye care Denton

[make-friends-with-the-rats]

we interrupt your regularly scheduled program to talk about

Late 1890s Waistcoats

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Believe it or not, men's waistcoats actually have changed throughout the years, and the waistcoats that were worn in the late 1890s are really quite different from the modern waistcoat worn today. So, if you are ever planning on dressing up as a newsie, there are a few things to keep in mind that, while they may seem minor, can add more authenticity to any costume/cosplay.

There are three major details to pay attention to.

First, waistcoats in the 1890s were comparatively shorter than the waistcoats of today. They generally fell just an inch or two below the natural waist or the slimmest part of the torso. You would never or very rarely see a waistcoat extending to or below the hips.

Second, the arms eyes (arm holes) of the waistcoat were very tightly fitted. Modern waistcoats commonly have larger arms eyes to allow for greater size range.

You'll notice that the costumes of both versions of Newsies have done a very good job on these details:

Third, waistcoats for daywear in the 1890s were generally cut very high up at the neck. Necklines did dip lower depending on the purpose of the waistcoat, for example evening wear dipped very low to show off the starched shirt front beneath, but the newsies would not have had particularly low cut waistcoats.

In the 1992 movie, Pulitzer wears one of these evening wear waistcoats. Compare to Denton's below, which is much more typical of daywear:

Denton's waistcoat is also an example of the notched collar/lapel which was quite common in the late 19th century.

Waistcoats could have a variety of collars, or no collar at all. A very fashionable collar, particularly in 1899, was the peaked lapel or step roll collar, which looked like this:

Be careful with this one, as modern peaked lapels tend to take after the 1920s style which is a little more streamlined and should be avoided.

A third common collar type in the 1890s was the shawl collar:

Taking all this into consideration, it is actually quite easy to turn a modern waistcoat into a late 1890s waistcoat. In order to achieve a shorter length, tighter arms eyes, and a higher neckline, you can simply take up the shoulder seam of any waistcoat for a more historical look.

It's that easy! Not taking into account fabrics and patterns, your modern waistcoat is just one alteration away from being the waistcoat of a newsie in 1899!

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Image sources:

1896-1899, Plate 020 - Costume Institute Fashion Plates - Digital Collections from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries (oclc.org)

1894-1899, Plate 029 - Costume Institute Fashion Plates - Digital Collections from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries (oclc.org)

Full & Informal Evening Dress 1890s (gentlemansgazette.com)

Fashion Plate | V&A Explore The Collections (vam.ac.uk)

[heartstringsduet]

heartstringduet's fall reads. 🍂

(this list by no means is encompassing all the wonderful fics I read and that deserve everyone's thoughtful comments. I will do more lists soon though. You peeps are so amazing 😭.)

Currently WIPs 💕 i closed my eyes inside of your darkness (and found your glow) by falloutmars S: After losing his mom and moving states, TK finds comfort in a stranger who may need the comfort just as much. A story of loss, love, and learning to live again. I love how careful and tender the different ways of coping with grief are portrayed. Plus, Andrea runs a café, Carlos runs a book club and TK finds his way into being a paramedic.

You Keep Coming Back With A Bird In Your Teeth by vaguenotion S: When a gesture of goodwill is misinterpreted, a patient begins to develop a dangerous attachment to TK. The whole point of the job is to save patients, not to have to be saved FROM them. what can I say but that I chew my arm off each time this is updated. Absolutely love the characterizations, the dialogues and the goddamn tension.

your gentle hands are stained with the blood of anothers by @birdclowns S: Denton Miller was Carlos' first case after being promoted to detective. The serial killer has escaped, throwing Carlos and his loved ones into his game as the next unwilling participants. The stakes are impossibly higher and the rules have changed - it's his husband on the other side of the screen. Such a sucker for a kidnapping story and a cat-and-mouse game and Jasper masterfully strikes a line between scary and intimate i language and plot.

see a friend (see a ghost) by @ambiguouspenny S: TK would always come home to him. It was a dinner table promise wrapped in explicit truth; a vow Carlos would bet his life on. A choice made at the edge of tragedy leaves Carlos living in the aftermath. TK tries to make it right. Weeping, letting the vivid details and the mystery and punchy dialogue keep me up at night.

Where All This Love Comes From by @carlos-in-glasses

S: Six months after Gabriel Reyes’ death, TK grows concerned about Carlos’ drinking and brings him to a meeting at the Y. TK reflects on meeting Carlos after years of addiction and self-destruction, while Carlos has continued to seek closure by uncovering two unknowns: The identity of his father’s killer, and how his father truly felt about Carlos as his son. I recommend anyyything cig writes, because I'm hopelessly devoted to her writing. Anything I read by her is nuanced, poetic, so insightful and heart-wrenching. This only has one chapter but a dialogue that punched me right in the heart.

a long time ago (we used to be friends) by @welcometololaland

S: The exes to lovers, college sweethearts, murder mystery fic where the motto is: be gay, solve crime. I can always count on anything Lola writes to make me laugh and to have me in the throws and woes of my emotions. And this one is one of my favorites of her because I love how she writes them finding their way back into each others life.

Teach You How Forever Feels by @three-drink-amy

S: TK is left with custody of his five-year-old brother, Jonah. With Owen's encouragement, TK moves to Austin for a fresh start, questioning every move he makes as he's thrust into the role of parenthood. But it all leads him to Jonah's new school where he meets Carlos Reyes, the kindergarten teacher. It reads like a warm hug to see TK growing into the role of a parental figure and Carlos be a teacher and read both of them so gone over the other.

Finished Stories 💗 for if i'm going down, i'm taking you with me by @mooshkat and @thebumblecee S: For years now, the rivalry between the Reyes and Strand families has run strong. Since they were young, Carlos and TK have been warned to stay away from the other family and never trust each other, but what happens when a job forces them together? Two contract killers in an enemy-to-lovers scenario? Absolutely loved the journey of this (and the hot smut scenes let's be honest)

The Knave of Hearts . . . brought back the tarts by @liminalmemories21 S: TK exhales and picks up his glass. “The mind boggles. What did Matt want?” “Wanted to ask if I’d heard any rumors about a new art thief nosing around town for targets.” This entire universe of art lover (and former art thief) TK and detective Carlos is so intricate and never forgets to highlight their love even in in well-constructed plot!

to build a home by @freneticfloetry

S: Twenty-five years of chasing hope and happiness and the place where he belongs. Or: Carlos begins, and ends, and begins again, until he gets it right. My heart? Gone. This fic took it and ran with it. Seriously, one of the best character deep-dives I've ever read.

Under A Star Spell by @orchidscript

S: In which Carlos practices folk magic and TK, needing to rekindle something, finds himself on his doorstep. In which two people cross-paths, hope for one thing, and find something else altogether thanks to coffee, vanilla, hyssop, and mint.

The descriptions of Carlos practicing magic is seriously making me weep with jealousy. And the growing love between them in this and the sequel is magic itself.

When I’m Like This by @cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut

S: TK Strand hasn’t known Carlos Reyes for very long. He’s slept with him, run out on his attempt at getting to know him better, and been processed by him after an arrest. Despite all of that, TK can’t get over Carlos. When TK gets bad news at an NA meeting, he quickly starts to spiral, and there’s only one person he feels safe enough to run to. The absolute tenderness of this and the rawness of emotions just rubs me open in the best way on each re-read.

Love From the Other Side by @lightningboltreader S: It's Exes to Lovers in One Bed! After two years apart, TK & Carlos find themselves face to face at a three-day training event for Texas first responders. Flirting leads to passion, then misunderstanding and ultimately the heart to heart they've each been craving. The exes in a single bed fic we all need in our life! This has so much tension and made me so emotional at the same time.

Sunshine On My Body, Rainbows Bloomin' In My Skies by @lemonlyman-dotcom S: After Carlos’s bold claim about hiking the Great Wall, TK reveals he’d been an avid hiker before moving to Austin. TK & Carlos go for their first hike together, and maybe learn some new things about each other along the way. Such a beautifully written, funny and heartfelt story that feels like you're overgrown with ivy and the feeeels. A Helping Hand by @rmd-writes

S: When TK’s bathroom sink is flooding and he needs help, pronto, he turns to Grindr to find someone close by. But what happens when the best one night stand of his life walks in the door? Or, the Grindr meet-cute AU

I can always count on Rae to give me grade-a smut with a heap of unbound joy and this is no exception. 29 going 30 by @alrightbuckaroo

S: During a trip to New York City to celebrate TK turning 30, TK and Carlos stumble upon a list of things TK always wanted to do before he turned 30, all of them being references to romantic comedies he loved so much growing up.

Just a biiiig old love letter to both TK and Carlos, to New York and to turning older and making your old wished come true. The night before Halloween by @ladytessa74 S: Carlos and TK have faced many fears in their lives. But has that prepared them for everything? As they get ready to celebrate Halloween with five year old Elijah, monsters lurk in the shadows. The only way to overcome fear is to face it. Tarlos as parents aren't always for me but Tessa has changed my mind! Plus, a little spooky and wonderuflly plotted halloween story never hurt anybody - or would it? come what may, I'll still stay by @strandnreyes

S: Nearly one year into their marriage and TK finds that life looks a little different these days with Carlos working as a detective. He knows change happens, but when the missed dinners start to pile up and the change begins to feel like too much change, TK struggles with how to remind Carlos that life exists beyond his badge.

One of my all time favorites by Jen which is saying a LOT with how many she has blessed us with.

The Firehouse by @paperstorm S: In 2002, TK and Carlos meet in a third grade classroom in Manhattan. 21 years later they meet again, at a nightclub in Austin called The Firehouse. Split between their friendship in childhood and the path that should set them up as enemies, this is such a beautiful story of kinship and eternal love to me. I just adore how Andie writes TK and Carlos - in love in any and all universes.

[sachiko6243]

Be my little good boy

Summary: Jasper and Y/N have been friends for a while, but both feel more than that for each other...

Word count: 3455

Warnings: smut, oral (f receiving), handjob, praising, degrading, top reader, bottom Jasper, first attempt at this xd, Minors DNI this contains adult content

This was made at the request of: @ch3rrybunnies and it is my first time writing top reader + bottom male character, so I hope it is acceptable at least. I really tried my best, as I am usually not doing that type of fic 😅

Jasper and I had been friends for some time now. He had saved me from a very dangerous situation I had maneuvered myself into, making sure I would get home save. Since then, whenever he could, he stopped by my house. A smaller cottage on the outskirts of a mining town. My parents had died, leaving me the house and garden, in which I grew vegetables, selling them on the market to buy the other things I needed to live.

We had established a friendship, but he always remained his stoic and retreated self. And whatever I tried to get him to loosen up, didn’t work. I had seen him feed on a human before, nearly dying myself, when he attacked me in his frenzy and after that he had become even more wary of me. Making sure to never stand too close to me, or make me feel cornered. I was very thankful for that, but I grew annoyed with his behavior. His gift of course told him and so did I many times, but he wouldn’t budge, always arguing it was better for me that way.

 But I was determined to make a move on him. He wasn’t married, didn’t pursuit another woman and look wise, he fell completely in my department. Taller, muscular, good looking, a gentleman. Something very rare in the current times. The civil war causing several men to die fighting for their beliefs and those that remained simply were either scared from what they had seen, or never even bothered to integrate back into society.

Suddenly, a whirl of wind announced Jaspers arrival. He had become more relaxed with being himself in my home and I was glad he did. He needed to relax and have at least some sort of save haven. “Good evening, Jasper.” I greeted him in an amused tone. “I am glad to see you took at least the time to take off your hat.” I teased him and he frowned at my remark: “Always, my Lady.” Tilting his head slightly and bowing, before he sat down at my kitchen table. “Anything I can offer?” I asked with a smirk. We played that game every time he stopped by. “I take my usual.” He answered and I sat an empty cup down in front of him. Settling onto my usual spot, I looked out of the window watching the sun finally retreat on the horizon.

“Where have you been the latest?” I asked, looking back at him with curious eyes. Jasper only chuckled, disregarding his cup, before he reached into his pocket pulling out a little dangly necklace. “Denton. I was visiting the statue of the founder of that city or more like the name giver, since he was already dead, when it was built. Anyway, I also found this one and it reminded me of you.” Handing me the small necklace. It was a golden locket and when I opened it, I couldn’t help but smile. In it, there was a dried leave of my favorite flower and a small picture of him. “Thank you Jasper. That’s… This is so nice of you.” Looking up, I beamed at him with a wide and honest smile, to which he only shrugged. “It’s the least I can do to thank you for not turning your back on me.”

“The only time, I would turn my back to you is when you bend me over this table.” I teased, knowing fully well that hiding the feelings I started to grow for him was pointless. He had probably already figured the last time he was here and since then, they only became worse. Still, he cleared his throat, skidding around on his chair. “Y/N. We both know that this cannot happen.” I sat down the locket: “Why not? Its not like somebody would know or care?”

“It is not right in the first place and most important of all, dangerous.” He held his ground and I groaned: “Yeah I know. You could kill me and all that shit.” But then his words replayed in my mind and I looked at him with furrowed brows: “Wait. That’s the only thing keeping you from allowing us to happen?”

“I think it’s a very good reason.” Jasper answered, getting up to probably help me with the necklace, but I didn’t give it to him. “If you were human, would you have agreed to it?”

“Let me help you with the necklace. I want to see how it looks on you.” Dodging my question, he tried to reach for the locket, but I didn’t let go of it. “Don’t sidestep me, Jasper.”

“Probably not like this. I would have asked you properly to court me. I would have made sure you would be treated very good, asking you for walking dates, steal a kiss or two, before I would have asked for your hand in marriage. I would have married you in the towns chapel, built a home for you and me, planning to have several kids with you, to grow old, eat your horrible cooked food, help you in the garden. All of it.”

“What is keeping you from still doing it? I mean you could turn me and we could do all of that without the kids part and visibly growing old.” Letting go of the necklace, I allowed him to put it around my neck. He stayed silent for a while, leaning against the kitchen wall with a stoic expression. “Like I said. It is not right this way. You deserve a better life than me.”

“Stop downplaying yourself. You know I don’t like that.” I growled at him, causing him to straighten up. “Yes, Ma’am.”

“Atta boy.” I teased and when I saw his eyes flicker for a little moment, I started to wonder. “Everything alright? Have you fed enough?”

“I always do when I visit you. I wont risk anything.” His answer was strained and I got up stepping closer to him. “Then what's wrong, Jasper? You know you can trust me. I am here for you anytime you need it, however you need it.”

“I am alright.” He gritted out, but his breathing was agitated and when I came even closer, his hands started to shiver. “I think it is better for me to leave. I am sure, you are tired, I can smell the garden on you. You must have worked in it all day.”

“Don’t go.” I whispered, letting my hands wander over his shoulders and down his chest. His eyes were darker than the usual red, now turning into a darker tone switching into black. “Tell me, Jasper. What's going on inside your head?”

“I am nervous.” He answered honestly, his fingers fidgeting with the hem of his vest.

“Why?” I pressed on and he let out a shaky breath. “You know why…”

Grinning slightly, I let my hands wander over his chest and lower. “Are you letting me help you with that? Or do you want to stop?”

“But… but what about our friendship?” He stuttered out. “Wouldn’t it be weird for us to… I don’t know… do it?” He added and I just smiled at him: “It doesn’t have to be weird. Think about it as me doing you a little favor. I just wanna help you, Jas.” I whispered into his ears and he shivered at my words, a little gasp leaving his mouth and I knew I was starting to win. “We don’t have to go all the way. I can just take care of you.” Letting my hands slide down further, I sank to my knees, dragging out the words while I spoke. He reached for the kitchen counter on his right, stabilizing himself, while watching me with big doe eyes.

“Yes, Ma’am.” He whispered and I heard his suppress a moan. Grinning up at him, I played with the strings of his pants. “Then ask for it. Be a good little boy for me and ask me nicely.” My fingers slid over his stomach and the waistband of his pants. “Please, Ma’am. I… I want you take care of me.” His eyes were trained on my face and my hands and I applied the smallest amount of pressure against his crotch, but even that was enough to pull a desperate whimper from his lips. It sounded wonderful. The total opposite of his usual composed confident self. And having him give in to his softer vulnerable side made me proud, stroking my ego just right.

I didn’t waist anymore time, opening up his pants, pushing them down a bit to free his erection. It was already leaking precum and I carefully let my fingers wrap around his length. Jasper leaned his head against the wall, letting out a high moan. “Does that feel good, sweetie?” I asked to which he only nodded weakly. “Be a good boy and use your words.”

He opened his eyes slightly to look at me: “So good, Ma’am. Please don’t stop…”

“I wont if you are behaving like I want you to. I want to hear you and I want you to trust me, do you understand?” I increased the pace of my hand while I spoke, imposing a punishing rhythm on his cock.

“Yes, Ma’am. Whatever you want.” He whimpered desperately, struggling to keep his stand. I clicked my tongue: “Straighten up, soldier, or you will get nothing.” And he instantly changed his position, stretching his legs again. “N-no… I… I will do better, Ma’am.” He managed to say between ragged, sharp breaths and his desperate whimpers. The way his strong southern drawl changed into sweet little moans aroused me, every little sound that left him going straight to my core and I could feel myself grow wetter with every second. “Good boy.” I praised him, feeling his length throb against my hand at the nickname. “You like that? Being called my good boy?” I asked further, a smile tugging on my lips.

“I do, Ma’am.” He whined out, another loud moan escaping him when I circled my palm over the sensitive tip of his cock. His hips thrusted against the rhythm of my hand and I grinned even wider. The knowledge of having the power to either bring him immense amounts of pleasure, or take it away and leaving him to be crying out for more made me feel powerful. I picked up the pace, the throbbing tension between my legs growing to a point where I started to grow impatient.

Jaspers face contorted in pleasure, eyebrows furrowing and lips twitching as the endless sounds of his moans mixed with his soft whimpers. He became more and more desperate with each second and it was one of the most arousing sights I had ever seen. “Are you getting close, sweetie?” I asked him with a teasing tone.

“Yes, Ma’am.” He cried out, his hands digging into the wall and kitchen cupboard and I heard wood splinter, but I ignored it. “Are you going to come for me like a good little boy?”

“Yes, fuck yes, Ma’am. Please… Don’t stop, please, I will do everything you want, but please let me come.” Jasper whined, looking at me with half-closed, glassy eyes.

“Everything?” I pressed further and he nodded wildly. “Yes. Everything, Ma’am.”

“Good boy.” I said softly, encouraging him even more: “Then go on. Give into the pleasure, sweetie. Be a good boy and come for me. I got you.” Jasper took my words as a command, and only couple seconds later, I felt his cock twitch in my hand. I couldn’t help but stare at his beautiful face twitching like that when his orgasm took over. Ropes of pearly white sticky cum poured out of his cock and onto my hand. I helped him through his orgasm, the grunty moans slowly changing into sweet little whines. He had his eyes closed, his breathing going rigid as I pushed him even further overstimulating him a bit. Only when his whimpering turned pained, did I pull away my hand, reaching for a towel to wipe my hand and then his cock clean.

“Feeling better?” I asked him, when I was sure he would be able to answer me again. An adorable smile formed on his lips: “I feel great. This… Thank you, Ma’am.” The pure bliss on his face made me chuckle and I looked at him with a raised brow. He didn’t dare to look at me, when I took his hand, slowly leading him into my bedroom. Closing the door behind me, I looked at the young vampire standing in the middle of the room and looking everywhere but me.

“So…” I began. “Is it true that you have never courted a woman?”

“I… uh… no.” He stuttered out, clasping his hands behind his back.

“Well, do you want to test it?” I asked, now looking at him with a soft smile. I could see he was still scared, but curious at my offer, so I added: “I don’t mind going further.” Taking off my clothes, I let him decide what he wanted, but me being so at ease seemed to ease his tension a bit, because he finally laid his eyes upon me. I stepped back, allowing him to take in my naked form entirely. “What do you want, sweetie?” I asked seductively, watching him gulp harshly at my words. “I… uh… I… Can I touch you?” He shyly asked, his hand already reaching out to me. I smiled at his innocence, walking over to the bed and sitting down. “Of course. You can touch me everywhere you want.”

He slowly followed me, stopping in front of me, before he sunk to the ground, kneeling before me. His eyes roamed over my body, taking in every inch, before he slowly reached out with his hand, gently cupping my breast with it. Then he looked at me with curious eyes: “Why would you even pursue me? Aren't you scared?”

I shook my head. “No. I know you would never hurt me. You are stronger than you think and if you let me, I will show you exactly how strong you are.” I chuckled lowly

Jasper stayed silent for a while, weighing his thoughts. Then he looked up at me, a blush creeping on his cheeks. “Can you… Would you teach me how to pleasure a woman?” He silently whispered, averting his gaze quickly after he spoke. I smiled at him, taking his chin in my hand. “What do you want to know?”

“Everything.” He blurted out and I just chuckled. “Alright. Then follow me.” Slowly I climbed up the bed, propping myself up on the pillows, while he settled at the end, still completely dressed. “Lose those clothes.” I whispered, watching him blush again, but he followed my orders.

Once he was naked, I spread my legs, inviting him in. “What do you want to learn first?”

“I don’t know… I never have… What do you usually start with?” He asked, eyes trained between my legs. I grinned: “You wouldn’t be able to give me that today. How about I ease you in first, and we keep the adult stuff for a later time?” “I… What?” Jasper breathed, this time his tone was even more shaky, making my smile grow wolfish: “That’s a discussion for another place. Just watch and learn.” Collecting some of my slick, I flicked my fingers over my clit. “See that little bundle here is your best friend when you want to pleasure a woman. You have to be very careful though. Its really sensitive, but I promise knowing how to use it, will have any woman on her knees in seconds. You can either use your fingers or your mouth. Whatever you want.”

“I have read about this.” He stated, watching my fingers pleasure me. “Can I…?” I nodded, taking my hands away. I expected him to use his fingers, so I gasped in surprise, when he buried his head between my thighs. His touches were soft kisses, trailing up my thighs until he reached the middle, pressing a sloppy kiss to my heat. I moaned softly, letting my fingers weave into his hair, to guide his movements.

“Gosh Jas…” I gasped, causing him to look up. I stared into his brown hues. “Just like that… Eat me out like a good boy. Fingers and tongue.”

“Is that what you want?” He rasped and I saw a glimpse as to why he grew to be a Major so quickly. There was no doubt that he could be demanding if needed. I let squinted my eyes, staring him down: “Are you questioning my orders, soldier? Put your fingers inside of me and suck on my clit.”

“I am sorry, Ma’am.” He answered, immediately going back to work.

“You better are. I give you a pass this time, because you are learning. But the next time you don’t follow my orders, I will make sure you will learn your lesson.” Holding his head back by his hair, I stopped him from doing more. “You should be thankful, I even allow you to do this.”

“My apologies, Ma’am. Thank you for letting me learn.” Jasper whimpered, visibly melting at my harsh tone. “Please… Let me pleasure you. I want to be at your service and learn from you to be better boy in the future.”

“I sure hope you do. From now on, whenever you fail to follow my orders, I will chastise you for as long as I think it is needed, have I made myself clear?”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“Then get back to work.” Shoving his head down again, I let go of his hair, watching as he sank down, cursing as I felt one finger intrude my core, slowly pumping in and out of me, a second finger following very quickly. Then his mouth was back on my clit, circling it and softly sucking on the sweet pearl every now and then. I could feel my orgasm starting to build inside of my stomach, the heat of my pleasure, slowly filling my body. The knot in my stomach tightened with every move of Jaspers tongue, a hot sensation spreading through my body, as my legs started to tremble.

Suppressing a moan, I praised him, causing Jasper to moan against my core, the vibration only adding to my pleasure. He must have realized, I was getting closer, because he slightly picked up the pace, curling his fingers upwards, stroking my sweet spot deep inside of me. I fought very hard to keep my hips still, not wanting to overwhelm him with too much going on, but I couldn’t help but buck every now and then.

Wrapping an arm around my hips, he totally sank against my body. I moaned this time, wrapping my hand in his hair and wrapping my legs around his shoulders to keep him in place.  “That’s it…” I rasped out. “Just like the good boy you are. Keep going and I will reward you with my orgasm.” Pure bliss was spreading through my body and it was hard to focus and keep my hold on him. That seemed to spur him on even further, because he sucked on my clit harder this time, while curling his fingers up perfectly hitting my sweet spot.

My orgasm hit me like a brick wall, wave after wave the pleasure rolled through my bones. I allowed myself to moan, bucking up my hips and tugging harshly on his hair. My legs closed in, holding him in place for a while, before I remembered that it was Jasper not any random man, that I had pressed so hard against my body. Letting go of him with a sigh, I let my head fall back into the sheets to catch my breath. “Fuck… That was… How come this was your first time? You are obviously lying.” I gently teased him, causing him to blush. “I have been reading a lot. I wanted to be prepared.”

“You really are made to please, aren't you?” Letting him go, I patted the mattress next to me, pulling his head onto my chest when he had settled. Instantly, his arms wrapped around my body and he snuggled into my warm embrace.

“I only live to please you.” Came his quiet answer and I felt him relax more and more into me. Starting to stroke his hair mindlessly, I watched as his breathing pattern slowed down, the tension in his fingers holding onto me starting to fade as well. “That’s it, little boy. Let go. I am here for you.” I whispered, lulling him in with my soft little praises to help him come down.

[crystalverse-project]

i thought this was relevant for the season, i've been wanting to draw this all month but only just got round to it

the crystalverse doesn't have a physical "evil dan" equivalent, they have enough evil people to deal with. however there IS a part where dan has a nightmare about becoming this corrupt version of himself being a mad scientist. (well, he is one anyway, but he's a good mad scientist. this is the other end of the morality scale)

this "evil dan" is the build up of every awful thought and emotion the real dan has ever had, both about himself and about other people, + unhealthy dose of japanese horror movie about torture.

he took on this in an attempt to get the lingering thoughts about denton out of his head, but even that wouldn't satisfy him, and in his dreamscape he turned on all of his friends and started using them for "experiments" as well. but it was never for any research, he just uses science as a means to torture everyone and make them feel the pain he has, without realising this makes him no better than denton. he has no morals, no cares, nothing him holding back.

you probably noticed he's not wearing his goggles, that's because trayaurus gave them to him as a gift in the au but seeing as he didn't need trayaurus anymore he didn't need his comfort anymore either...his eye colour went dull and he has shadows under his eyes from being tired of night after night being plagued with bad dreams

the general mad scientist dan design (with the scarf) was something i saw on deviantart a few years ago but i can't find the user who drew it. i just loved the design, if i can find it i'll link it

[sashaisready]

I'm Still Here - Chapter Two

Lee Bodecker (The Devil All The Time) x Femme Reader

In late 60s Meade, you’re married to Sheriff Bodecker, pregnant with your first child. On paper you’re the perfect couple – the respectable Sheriff and his homemaker wife. This should be one of the happiest times of your life…so why are the two of you living like ghosts? And is it too late to bridge that gap? Especially when your husband is playing a dangerous game.

Series Masterlist

Warnings: whoaaaa that escalated quickly!! Dark themes so please tread carefully - references to martial issues, references to infidelity/cheating thoughts, pregnancy, forced imprisonment and physical violence, some light smut references/breeding kink (hehe), allusions of violence toward a pregnant woman, threats of violence/murder.

Wordcount: 2.4k

Doug, the young bag boy from Denton’s, dutifully stacked the pantry items in the cabinet as you looked on.

“Thanks Doug. You want a sweet tea or anything?” you asked, your voice honeyed.

“No ma’am” he replied sharply, the tone slightly quivering.

You smiled behind his back. Some of the local young men got a little bit like that around you, you being the Sheriff’s wife and all. They didn’t want to do anything that might get back to Lee. That meant some of them froze up entirely, refusing to even engage with you in case the smallest thing could be interpreted as hostile or rude…or worse, flirty. You were like a deer they became perfectly still next to, as if even the slightest move might send you running. It was cute. You knew it was wrong, but you couldn’t help playing with them sometimes.

“You sure? I got some fresh cookies too. You should have some for all your hard work” you teased. “A growing man like you sure needs his calories”.

“N-no ma’am” replied poor, sweet Doug. He put another can in the cabinet and kept his eyes straight forward.

“Well…it means a lot to me” you continued. “Coming all the way out here to help me with my groceries. It’s harder for me to get around now I’m getting bigger”. You added a sigh for dramatic effect.

“Y-yes ma’am” Doug nodded. “N-no trouble. Mr. Denton is happy to help out his loyal customers. And a lady in need, of course”. He fixated on a can of beans as if it contained the meaning of life.

“Well, thank-you. And it’s nice they sent out such a handsome guy, too” you purred seductively.

Doug cleared his throat, his back visibly stiffened as he became flustered. “Uh…thank-thank you, Mrs-Mrs Bodecker”.

Sometimes you wondered if you could have an affair. Maybe it would be fun. You weren’t sure if many men would be open to sneaking around with a pregnant woman, and the Sheriff’s wife at that, but there sure were a lot of horndogs out there too stupid to care. But no. You wouldn’t do that to Lee. You loved the big lug too damn much, even if things weren’t great with him right now.

But that didn’t mean you couldn’t play.

You were about to carry on needling Doug but could practically hear Lee’s exasperated voice in your head. ‘Honey, leave that poor boy alone’.

Sigh. Fair enough. It was less fun when they were this skittish. You would release poor Doug.

“A-anything else you need, ma’am?” he choked out.

“No, that’s all – thank-you Doug. You’ve done a great job”.

You paid the bill, plus gave him a nice tip for his trouble. He rushed out of the door in a flash, the money barely in his hand. You sighed as you felt remorse and guilt flood you, that was mean of you. It’s not his fault you’re bored and stuck. Doug shouldn’t have to suffer because Lee hasn’t touched you in months. Don’t project your bullshit onto him. You don’t hurt people anymore, remember?

You would call Denton later and sing Doug’s praises. Insist on a raise for him, maybe throw Lee’s name around. Lord knows he needed it for working with the people in this town – yourself included.

You checked the wall clock as you rubbed your stomach. Baby gave you a few cursory kicks in response, just checking in. It was barely 11am. So much of the day to go and you were already bored out of your skull. Maybe you’d make yourself an early lunch. Watch a bit of TV. A walk if you felt up to the cooing and bump rubbing from the neighbourhood hens. Then back to chores. Same old, same old. Rinse and repeat.

*

“Motherfucker…” Lee seethed quietly as Leroy struck him once more.

He bared his teeth, the rage inside him so strong he felt that he could pull the ropes apart with his bare hands. Leroy hit him again, Bobo looked on and smiled.

“I told you, we’re done” Lee growled, spitting a crimson wad onto the concrete ground and pulling on his binds. The chair he was strapped to clanged loudly as the ropes hammered against it.

“I’m out. We’re not doin’ this anymore. I got a kid on the way. I’m going straight”.

Leroy sighed. “You don’t just get to leave, Bodecker” his tone was patronising, mocking. “We have an arrangement. A profitable one, for all of us. You’re really think you can just put in your two weeks’ notice, and we’ll let you go? Leave us high and dry? You can have your rugrat and your money, Sheriff. This doesn’t need to be the end”.

Lee shook his head vehemently. “I told you. I’m done. I’m not doing this anymore. Now you’ve got two choices: you let me go, I walk away – and I leave you alone. I look the other way if I hear about the shit you get up to. But your other choice…”

Leroy simply laughed; Bobo joined in.

“Way I see it, you’re not exactly in a position to bargain” Leroy explained as he leaned over into Lee’s battered face. “How about we make you a deal? We all carry on what we’re doing, and you go home to your pretty little wife, only slightly roughed up…”.

Lee snarled. “Don’t talk about my wife…”

Leroy snorted. “…Or, if you continue your sudden moral crusade…that poor little Bodecker junior grows up without a daddy. And that’s no life for a child”.

Lee’s eyes darkened at the mention of his unborn child. He didn’t even know if he was having a son or a daughter yet, but Leroy wasn’t allowed to speak of them regardless. He wouldn’t get away with this.

The pounding continued, Leroy doing his best to beat Lee into submission and have him ‘forget’ this whole walking away thing. Bobo would tag in occasionally too. They berated him, telling him he had no choice in this matter. But Lee wasn’t stupid. They needed him. Leroy was running scared. His whole operation would collapse without the Sheriff’s involvement, smoothing out the legal lines and distracting any boy scout deputies for them. Yeah, taking his cut had been nice. But enough was enough. He didn’t want to be a dirty cop with an innocent baby back home. A perfect baby that never did nothing wrong, who would grow up needing guidance. A baby who needed an honourable sheriff for a father, not some corrupt asshole taking bribes from scumbags like Leroy and Bobo. It was time to start over, to be good. Not just the baby, but for you as well. Leroy knew damn well it would all collapse once that happened.

Whatever happened, they needed Lee alive. This was all sheer panic.

Lee glanced at the beat-up clock leaning against the rickety desk. Barely 11am. He cursed himself, he had known they weren’t going to take too kindly to his announcement, but he’d underestimated their anger. He was woefully unprepared. Foolish. But there would be time to scold himself later. Now here he was out the back of some storefront, his deputies believing him to out on patrol, his wife thinking he was sorting some land dispute. Nobody knew he was here, so he had to find his own way home.

He winced as he thought of you. He wondered what you were doing right now. Maybe singing to your bump. Baking. Cleaning. He sure as hell hoped you hadn’t gone to the market yourself, but he wouldn’t be surprised if you had. You didn’t exactly have a track record for doing what you were told. He knew that better than anyone.

He had so badly wanted to feel you and the baby this morning, to touch you, connect with you both. But he ran scared. Things had been so weird between the two of you for so long, and he wouldn’t have been able to handle it if you’d recoiled or rejected him. It scared you how little he knew you these days. He never knew what you were thinking, your face a perfect mask – the same one you wore for the rest of the town. But before, he could see underneath. He used to know the very bones of you.

He admitted he’d withdrawn into himself a little as your bump grew. Maybe more than a little. But you had, too. And the truth was he was scared, his father wasn’t around when he was a kid, and he was determined to break the cycle – but he found himself so overwhelmed that he was paralysed by fear. So afraid to get it wrong that he barely acted at all. He knew the irony in this, not acting was still an action. And not the right one. He was eating more, watching his weight creep up as he tried to replace you with candy and junk. But it never tasted as sweet anymore. The two of you had inched further and further away from each other, and he was worried you wouldn’t find your way back. Lee was scared that if he tried to bridge that gap, you’d just push him away even further. It was easier to pretend everything was fine rather than have his worst fears confirmed. Maybe you were having doubts about him. Maybe he wasn’t enough for you. That was his fear when you first got together, too. With how you met and all. He thought he was over it, but it had lurked in the darkness, striking when his defences were down and rearing its ugly head once more. But now it was worse, because maybe it included the baby too.

He knew the night you’d conceived, the math added up, but he also just knew. And God he’d been so proud, he just knew it would take. Something in his soul told him that this was the one, that he’d taken you and claimed you and given you a part of himself to grow and create. The animalistic excitement of marking you and filling you, as nature intended. His beautiful wife becoming even more beautiful, the swell of your stomach would be a show of his virility, his duty as a husband. That idea alone had been what pushed him over the edge, his mouth over yours as he greedily swallowed your moans and filled you entirely with his spend. He’d held you tightly, still seated inside of you. His nose tracing the side of your face as your collective panting stilled. You’d told him you loved him, and he told you he loved you too, that he always had. Always will. How long ago that moment seemed.

Lee was rudely pulled from his thoughts by another smack from Leroy. He groaned slightly at the sting but keep his head up. He wasn’t a great fighter, but he could take one hell of a beating. One thing his daddy gave him, at least.

He blinked up at Leroy and could see the fatigue written all over him. He was worn out. Punching a guy over and over does take its toll. Especially a big one like Lee. Bobo looked pretty exhausted too. Lee felt himself brighten - here was a glimmer of hope he could maybe take advantage of. He could still get himself home to you and baby.

“There’s still time to walk away, Leroy” he spat menacingly. “You’re tired. I’m tired. Just untie me, and let’s go our separate ways and draw a line under our whole damn engagement”.

Leroy scoffed, but Lee heard his small pant of exhaustion - clear as day. Leroy shook his head, glancing at Bobo who stared back anxiously. They were running out of options. Even if they didn’t need Lee, they also didn’t need the heat of killing a Sheriff either. God only knows who might start digging and poking around in their business if they did.

Leroy huffed. “I didn’t want it to come to this, Bodecker, but you leave me no choice…”

He picked up his jacket from the desk and shrugged it on. Bobo, seeming to understand immediately, pulled on his hat in response.

Lee’s eyes narrowed. “And where are you goin’?”

“Sorry Lee” said Bobo almost regretfully as they walked towards the door.

Leroy sighed. “If you’re not going to listen to us, maybe we need to focus our efforts closer to home”.

Lee’s eyes widened. “You better not be suggestin’ what I think you are…” he snarled.

“We need insurance, Sheriff. A sure-fire way to know for certain that you won’t leave us high and dry or do anything stupid. And your wife fits the bill”.

Lee began yelling, screaming. He pulled and pulled on his binds as he used all his strength to try and break free.

“DON’T YOU FUCKIN’ TOUCH HER. SHE’S NOTHIN’ TO DO WITH THIS. SHE’S PREGNANT, YOU SICK SON OF A BITCH!” he howled, stamping his feet fruitlessly against the floor as he did his best to kick out. The anger radiating off him in waves.

“Oh, relax. We ain’t gonna hurt her too bad” chuckled Leroy. “We just need to make it clear who’s in charge here, and what might happen if you have another attack of conscience”.

Through his rage, Lee had a sudden moment of clarity. He needed to calm down to keep you safe. Both of you.

“Alright…Alright. You win.” he managed to puff out as he attempted to regain control of himself. “I don’t quit. I’ll stay. I do whatever you want. Just don’t hurt her. Don’t touch her. Or the baby”.

His voice was desperate. He looked between the two of them, begging for mercy.

Leroy’s jaw clicked. “I’m sorry Bodecker. It’s too late for all that now. We need to be sure you understand”. He smirked mockingly over at Lee and continued towards the door.

Lee let out a deafening roar as he fought, pulling on the ropes so hard he had burns on his fingers.

“I swear to the God almighty, you’ll die in that house, you motherfuckers!” he bellowed.

Leroy just laughed as he and Bobo left the store, leaving an apoplectic Lee in their wake.

As the door slammed, he took a second to steady his breathing. Shaking the sweat beads from his forehead, he took a deep breath and began to methodically tug at the knots of the rope. He would be out of those binds if it was the last thing he did.

“I’m comin’ Honeybee” he muttered. “I’m comin’…”

Soon, he felt one of the knots finally begin to give.

And he thought about the first time he met you.

[fantasy-mixtapes]

Gorgug Thistlespring Junior Year Playlist: Side A

Heres Gorgug's playlist! Literally the sweetest ever, deserves the world and more. Spoilers for Episodes 1-10

Genres Include: Alt Rock, Anti-Folk, Punk, Metal

1. Dashboard, Modest Mouse

Well, it would've been, could've been worse than you would ever know Oh, the dashboard melted but we still have the radio Oh, it should've been, could've been worse than you would ever know Well, you told me about nowhere Well, it sounds like someplace I'd like to go

Ok nothing made me laugh harder than the image of the Hangvan beat to shit and Gorgug still having to drive it back for two days straight. TWO DAYS STRAIGHT. Despicable. Deplorable. Hilarious.

2. The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton, Laura Jane Grace

When you punish a person for dreaming their dream Don't expect 'em to thank or forgive you The best ever death metal band out of Denton Will, in time, both outpace and outlive you Hail Satan, Hail Satan, tonight Hail Satan, hail, hail

This song is less of a 1 to 1 representation of Gorgug's situation and more like a song that, if he heard it at this specific time in his life, would utterly destroy him. I am really never gonna forgive Porter for the way he treated Gorgug, and as an educator, I never ever want to make anyone feel the way these fake people felt in their fake game. While this song is originally (and famously) by The Mountain Goats I really like the Laura Jane Grace cover. And I love it for Gorgug as a kind of wink to @rabdoidal 's transfem Gorgug hc, which is another thing I absolutely love.

3. Overbite, Sincere Engineer

Could have been a doctor if I really cared enough But I didn't have it in me I got distracted by a bunch of stuff I'm so stupid and empty My mind just wasn't in it And neither was my heart ... I'm not basing my intelligence on some fucking letters And now that it's over I did what I was told I had to do But I still feel just about as dumb as I used to I still feel just about as dumb as I used to

Gorgug Thistlespring took FOUR YEARS of classes. He did that. He did it and he fucking crit. He fucking got straight As on Artificer and didn't flunk Barbarian, which is basically a genius-level thing to do. Fuck Porter, and honestly? fuck Henry Hopclap for letting a 17-year-old do this to himself when he could have just confronted Porter himself LIKE HE WAS SUPPOSED TO LIKE AN ADULT

4. Dragged Across the Finish Line, Sincere Engineer

I'm not trying to win I'm just trying to finish I don't know when it ends But I'm counting the minutes And I'm counting on you Yeah, I'm counting on you I remember when I knew it 'cause I saw it in your eyes And I did what I had to, I dragged you across the finish line It would be so nice If you could do that for me this time

Is this the second song in a row by Sincere Engineer on this 6 song playlist? Yes, it is, and I am not apologizing for it because it's perfect. Also, Sincere Engineer sounds like a band name that Gorgug would think of because that's what he is. Also I really like the way this kind of makes a parallel to Gorgug helping his friends (it's gorgug keep going) and them helping him do well in his classes with studying and everything.

5. Terrifyer, AJJ

Then it got personal, I saw my rage I just wanted to rage, but all I got was tired I tried to walk to the building, but the beauty it brittled me I tried to talk to the waiter, but the beauty gentled me I ran away from the security guard Because security guards dishearten me I said goodbye to my dignity Said goodbye to my dignity

I know that the structure of an adventuring school is different than something in the real world, and if we were to apply the current utilitarian models of education towards a system that prioritizes people who freak out and fight stuff and not just people who can churn out content and do services, it would make sense that teachers in this system can freak out on students and that's like normal, but I'm gonna say the most lukewarm take ever and say it's fucked up that Porter kept bending the rules for Fig and didn't do fucking anything for Gorgug, just to say that it was to "make him embrace his rage"

Like if we're gonna prioritize class excellence, then Porter should have been more than happy to help Gorgug find a class in which he felt more comfortable, even if, at the end of the day, Porter thought Gorgug should ultimately drop Barbarian.

6. St. Anger, Metallica

And I want my anger to be healthy And I want my anger just for me And I need my anger not to control And I want my anger to be me And I need to set my anger free And I need to set my anger free And I need to set my anger free Set it free

I have mixed feelings about the way Gorgug finally got his MCAT signed, because, like - yes, anger and rage aren't necessarily bad, and while Gorgug initially was repressing his anger in season 1, I really think that isn't the case anymore. And yet we have Porter pushing rage so hard in the "corrupting rage" season.

I truly believe that anger can be a beautiful and natural thing, that it keeps you safe in certain situations, that it shows you when you are being mistreated and lets you advocate for yourself. And I think that that is a lesson that a lot of the bad kids need to learn, specifically Kristin, Riz, and even Adaine (with the transition to using a sword and also the whole deal with Adaine's furious fists). But Gorgug already learned that lesson. Sometimes you don't have to be angry????

[or-echo]

When I first drew that JC reference like three months ago, I didn't really expect that I'd turn it into a full *project,* but here we are anyways lol. I also didn't expect to draw Alex, let alone redesign her! But that's a long-ish story. All of them are relatively janky looking in their own right, but they're all just personal reference points so who cares.

Since this isn't exactly a *thrilling* artwork and I'm a little low on ideas for funnier/more engaging stuff, I think I'll do a little analysis on each design. Some cross between analysis and personal interpretation. Also explaining the intention behind the Alex redesign, since it's a departure from the original.

FOR PAUL;

Most of the visual interest in his design comes from the trench coat. Most evident when you *take* it from him. He looks almost bare without it. A lot of it may be the lack of the purple in his design; my hypothesis is that his design manages to be so eye-catching through a relatively successful triadic color scheme. Purple, green, and orange (brown, but it's a dark orange, in this case). Usually, triadic schemes are best used for their sharp contrast, but that's not the case for Paul. His design may not be outright *eye catching* but it is unique and will draw the eye, mostly due to the low saturation of his color palette. The colors don't fight or pop out too much. They share emphasis.

A funny side note- Paul's eyes are not the same as JC's, which I didn't realize until I colored him in properly. His eyes sit on a darker blue base- the bright blue, which IS the same as JC's, takes the place of the pupil. Meanwhile, JC's pupil is an even lighter blue.

Drawn at approximately 5'11.

FOR JC (male);

JC's outfit is undeniably a ripoff of Blade (1998), therefore, the best means to distinguish the two is through color palettes. JC gets to have his cold, moody colors, but they're not completely *dark.* Where Blade wears black, JC wears blue. Dark blues (mostly), but still blues nonetheless.

I took a few liberties with JC. I didn't quite like the look of the leg straps (and then I gave them to Alex- oops) so I replaced them with leg pouches instead. Better for storage & the tactical look JC is going for.

I also toyed with the idea of changing his hairstyle to a short one, but thought I'd keep the slicked back hair because I like the idea of him taking inspiration from his older brother. After all, the Deus Ex Bible said he admired him greatly when he was younger; the whole secret agent deal. I like to attribute the very 'action hero' look to that idealization as well. JC as a character is very idealistic, almost- if not outright- naive. His picture of the world is more fiction than reality until the events of the narrative rip it from him- or at least, that's what I interpreted. Compare him to Paul, who has a much simpler, more practical design. Aside from the embellishments on the trenchcoat, Paul looks extremely normal. Meanwhile, JC sticks out quite a lot.

The boots were fully improvised. I had no clue what was going on in the texture and couldn't find a reference I liked.

Headcanon name for him is James Chris because I like how it sounds. :) I only remembered that James Bond exists AFTER I thought of it and couldn't find a name I liked better.

Drawn at approximately 5'11.

FOR JC (FEMALE)

Drew her shortly after I played the Lay D. Denton mod for the first time. I was so inspired that I *had* to make my own design for her. I love the idea of a female JC.

I did take some liberties from the mod's design, though. I returned her widow's peak, for one. One of the odd tidbits I remember from biology class was that widow's peaks are a dominant genetic trait, so even if she *wasn't* a clone of Paul, the chances of her having one would still be 50% at minimum. As for her hairstyle overall, I thought I'd let it be loose but still slicked back- reminiscent of her male counterpart. JC struck me as the type to keep her hair short rather than put it into a bun or ponytail. More convenient overall. Not a buzz cut- since male JC didn't get one either- but still above the shoulders.

I also removed the nail polish. It's an idea I love for a secret agent of her type, but I just don't get the idea that she'd wear it from her personality (+ refer to the bit about JC's 'tactical look'). It would suit someone like Navarre better in my opinon, showing efficiency in her job- that she's so good she wouldn't need to worry about chipping a nail as well as the fact that she has time to re-paint them. Unfortunately, Navarre has cybernetic arms. Maybe she can paint her nails anyways- don't know.

Ditto for the lipstick.

I removed the stiletto heel- though that's not the fault of the mod. They had to use a generic model & re-texture it for her design, after all. I did, however, let her have about a ~2 inch heel. Nothing *too* obscene. More of just a reference.

The vest is modeled on one I saw online that I liked the look of.

Headcanon name for her is Joan because I've loved the name 'Joan' as long as I've been listening to Joan Jett's music. Kept Chris because I like the sound of it as a gender neutral name.

Drawn at approximately 5'6, with 2 inch heels to make her 5'8.

FOR ALEX:

Hers is somewhat of a story.

I was considering making this into a full Denton lineup- as I now have- but thought it would be incomplete without Alex. Issue is that I don't especially like Alex's design all that much, male OR female, but female especially. That's when I thought to redesign her. Side note, I went w/ female Alex because I liked the voice performance better + I just like the idea :)

It spiraled from there, starting as a design more consistent with the other Dentons (one of the gripes I have w/ the original design), into a rewrite. So I wouldn't say that this is by *any* means the same Alex as Invisible War.

Given that it's relevant to the design, the premise is as follows; rather than being Alex 20 years in the future, this Alex would instead be the one found in Area 51, the one who was retconned out of the story. The intention behind that setpiece in the level always interested me a lot, whether or not it was later retconned. The idea of accelerated clone growth + memory implantation also caught my eye, and I wanted to use her to explore all of those things a little more. Therefore, that would be her function. The Dentons are prototypes, after all. She exists in an alternate world, a take on the scrapped UNATCO route everyone wonders about, though it would differ in the sense that it only happens if JC fails the Lebedev mission. Paul goes fully MIA, and Alex is deployed early to fill the empty space. Without having led a full life & full outside control over her memories, she'd be a complete UNATCO zealot; what MJ12 wanted JC to be. There's more detail than that, but that's about what's necessary for the design to make sense.

It's a blend of the other Dentons & prominent UNATCO figures. She has the same physical features as her siblings- same face, same approximate build, same nanoaugmentations, so on. Her clothes, however, are meant to resemble the mech-augs more than it does the Dentons. Where the Dentons wear looser clothing, Alex's is more form fitting, akin to Anna Navarre & Gunther, even if she has no cybernetic joints that loose fabric could get caught in. It's meant to reinforce the idea of her loyalty to UNATCO rather than anything else.

The jacket is meant to resemble the Dentons, however. Even then, it's cropped because she wouldn't necessarily be a "full" Denton (for lack of a better term) or share a true connection with them beyond genetics.

As for color scheme, it follows that pattern. She relies on a black base more than her siblings do, again akin to the mech-augs. The prominent blue is meant to be similar to JC's, but it's also worth mentioning that JC and Paul (Paul especially) have much more of a green tint than what I selected for her. Alex's is more metallic, once again to mimic Navarre & Gunther. Still, she is a Denton, fully manufactured or not, so the blue of her design is meant to be more prominent & full than it is with the mech-augs.

The hair gave me some trouble. It's meant to be the same-ish style as the Alex of Invisible War, but I'm ngl I was struggling to draw it. I had also wanted to give her some kind of facial accessory- Paul has a beard, JC has his sunglasses, but I couldn't find something for Alex. I didn't like the look of a facemask or gasmask- I also considered goggles, but they would be too reminiscent of JC's shades while also being made redundant by her augmentations. In the end, I left her face as-is.

Drawn at approximately 5'6, with 1 inch heels to make her 5'7.

Anyways, I made an Invisible War version of the lineup too for fun, and because I wanted to see what the Alex design would look like with the original purple look. :)

isn't character design fun

[simslegacy5083]

NSB (Straud Legacy) Gen 9 Ep 85: Fatherhood, Incoming

Now that Storm and Noemi had been introduced, they all headed over to the fairgrounds to pick their “team” for the evening.

Mischief was a big part of their curriculum as Computer Science majors at Foxbury, so Luigi and Noemi both felt that siding with the pranksters was a no-brainer. Since Storm had never been much of a comedian and Denton really didn’t care, the whole party grabbed dark tea.

The outing started out strong, with Noemi taking to Storm just like Luigi had hoped. It was often hard for her to make new friends, but Storm made it easy with his sincere interest in her studies and easygoing manner. He even turned out to be a pretty good prankster, which helped temporarily distract Noemi from the “little problem” weighing heavily on her mind.

Sadly, as the event began to fill up Storm’s celebrity started to ruin the mood for the sensitive sim.

He was quite used to being recognized in public and took it in stride, smiling politely when sims who had read about his exploits or seen highlight reels of him on the soccer field came up and gushed about how excited they were to meet him.  While he was happy to engage them in conversation Noemi wished they would just go away, her anxiety increasing by the minute as more and more sims inserted themselves into their bubble.

Usually quite good at mischief she began to fumble, her face turning beet red after she tried to spoil a movie Storm had just mentioned seeing.

Luigi, no stranger to Noemi’s social awkwardness, quickly caught on to her distress.

She smiled gratefully as he told the others that they really needed to get home and do some homework to prepare for the next day of classes, before rising and thanking his grandfather one final time for the invite.

Back at the apartment a wave of nausea swept over Noemi as she waited for Luigi to join her in the living room. At that point she wasn’t sure if it was from the baby or the butterflies merrily flying around in her stomach at the knowledge that it was time to tell him about their child.

Noemi had been trying to find a gentle way to break the news to her boyfriend, but in the end, she just cut to the chase.

Pulling the pregnancy test out of her inventory she handed it to him along with the simple statement “we’re going to have a baby, Luigi”.

As her words sank in, Luigi stared at the two lines on the little stick and felt his stomach tie itself into a tight, uncomfortable knot.

Surely, she was joking… they’d been so careful! He knew he had to have a child someday, but he had WAY too much left to prove academically and professionally to even begin to think about fatherhood! He looked up at her, hoping to see that this was one final prank to end their night.

When instead she reached out with gentle concern reality came crashing in and the dinner he’d enjoyed a short time before curdled in his belly.

Choaking out “I think I’m going to be sick” Luigi made a mad dash for the restroom, retching over and over until there was nothing left inside him but an overwhelming feeling of fear and dismay.

Luigi’s unhappiness intensified when he returned to find Noemi curled into a tiny ball on the couch, tears in her eyes and a haunted look on her face.

Luigi mentally kicked himself. Once again, he’d only been thinking of his own feelings and made the woman he loved feel awful and alone. They’d talked about children, and he knew that while she didn’t feel as strongly against the idea as he did, she hadn’t been ready for parenthood yet either.

Determined to make it right Luigi quietly settled down beside Noemi, wrapping her in a tight embrace. After they’d both calmed down, Luigi scooted over slightly so they could face one another, apologizing for his reaction. Taking a deep breath, he prepared himself to face facts and start coming to terms with this new development.

I’m sure it got overshadowed by the whole pregnancy announcement thing 😄, but for context on Storm and still being recognized so many centuries later I see him as someone like Babe Ruth or Michael Jordan. He maxed the career, becoming an MVP. In my mind he was so good at the game that his fame transcended his era and typical sports fans to capture the imagination of a wider audience.

View The Full Story of My Not So Berry Challenge Here

[cchr11]

a couple of deus ex ocs that are more of background characters.

in a nutshell:

'Wu' (25, name unknown) was a Red Arrow assassin and one of Yuen Kong's personal bodyguards. He was notable for barely employing weapons for combat and killings, making full use of his mechanical limbs, fast dexterity and silent approaches. Naturally curious and pretty bold, he strikes an unlikely friendship with Paul Denton back in his Hong Kong days, teaching him self-defense for mech-augs. He believed Paul to be smart enough to adapt and make use of them as a nanu-aug. He goes missing along Yuen Kong during the stealing of the Dragon's Tooth. Kong, however, was later found death in the canals while Wu remains missing since.

'Lucy' (21, Lucia Fuentes) was a mechanical-augmented spy and mercenary hired by Tracer Tong to be one of his many eyes, ears and hands in the outside world. Specialized in the use of cloaking technology, she is Hong Kong's equivalent of New York's Filben and, despite her serious appareance, she's quite extraverted, cheery and a bit cheeky. Lucy was ordered by Tong to briefly aid JC Denton in some missions with information and artillery if necessary. She mostly moved in the shadows and provided extra info as JC was more than capable on his own aquiring data and taking care of hostiles. She was later sent by Tong to help a weakened Paul Denton arrive safely to the Luminous Path compound once he set foot in Hong Kong. Shortly before JC left to New York, Lucy was unfortunate enough to cross paths with Gunther Hermann and perished in combat.

[pendulumstarway]

Meet Blythe Denton, an Ancient Gear user set in the 5D's universe. He's a shady, sly man who relies on fear tactics and manipulation to survive in the slums.

Backstory stuff under cut!

Content warnings:

Motorcycle accident

Loss of limbs

Eye trauma

Attempted murder?

Not the most detailed or fleshed out, but for what I do have:

Blythe was born in Satellite, and ended up becoming one of its many orphaned children. Less because of his parents died, more because they abandoned him due to financial reasoning. Blythe ends up staying at an orphanage for a good portion of his life. Once he's a teenager, he starts dealing in shady business and makes some money by smuggling in high-demand high-priced items. It's a dog eat dog world out there, he has to do what he has to do.

Eventually Blythe got all buddy-buddy with a guy from Sector Security, ended up getting some really high-priced and rare items smuggled into Satellite. They were decently close friends, 'til his buddy went MIA for a week. Turns out his cop friend ratted him out due to pressure. He backstabbed Blythe and tried to be a coward and run off, not wanting to face the consequences. Absolutely infuriated, Blythe tracked down and chased his ex-friend on his motorcycle, ready to beat him down.

They duel and other sector security gang up on him. Blythe's d-wheel is slammed against a wall and spins out, sending him flying off violently. His arm gets mangled by his own machine and becomes unsalvageable. Blythes helmet is destroyed, and the impact breaks the right side of his face. He's transported to a hospital in Neo Domino, his arm is amputated, and he needs surgery and stitches in various places. Alongisde that, his left leg is rendered permanently injured from said accident, and Blythe lost his right eye.

After he's stable, Blythe's arrested and thrown into jail. He get his first marker, which is the tear-streak line under his right eye. [Not including the broken line marker.] His buddies have to gather up everything to pay his bail, and he's taken back to Satellite.

Wracked with anger and grief, Blythe dedicates himself to seeking revenge. With nothing but his mouth and his other working arm, he manages to build himself a working prosthetic, and then a fully functional cybernetic eye. Since his leg didn't need amputation, and therefore cannot be replaced by a cybernetic device, Blythe designs himself a sword-cane. It's a great way to defend himself, while also accommodating his chronic injury. He ends becoming part of a mafia/hitman situation, since that's the only other way he can think of making proper money- and acting out his revenge. He's got people to pay back and take care of anyways.

Until the reformation of Neo Domino and Satellite, Blythe takes the lives of anyone, really. Money's money, and he's making a decent living off of it. Once full access is open to Neo Domino, he's given his biggest job. Yusei Fudo.

This happens Pre-WRGP, before Bruno's arrival/addition. Assuming it's another team wanting the win, Blythe's initially hesitant, but with the sum offered he'd be able to move from Satellite and maybe even quit this gig altogether.

Unfortunately with the rest of Team 5D's present, Blythe's caught, and gets the snot beat out of him. He's given another chance to finish the job, and fails miserably once more. It's argued he did so on purpose, but nobody can be sure. In a twisted manner, he ends up becoming a contact of the teams. He's got connections in the shadows, and he proves to be useful.

Although, he does camp out to hide from authorities, and steal the teams snacks. Much to their dismay.

[noxexistant]

Hi i momentarily fell into a deep slumber only to be broken by true loves kiss (which apparently includes my dogs slobber)

Developing on the Medda adoption:

There’s a reason she can’t have all these boys at once. She would love to have all of them, to see the same fierce protection that Oscar has for Morris encompass little Jack Kelly as well. But, they’re too distrusting. Of her. Of him. Of everyone but each other.

The first time they pick a fight with him, Jack’s only six. He comes to Medda in full blown sobs, rapidly trying to explain that he’d been trying to play with Morris and Morris got upset and Oscar just hit him to get him to back off. And he’s got a black eye and a bloody nose.

Medda worriedly reprimands them. If she gives them up, they’re left at the mercy of the system, where broken is a kind word for something far messier.

The second time, Jack is only seven. It had only been a few months since the last one, but Jack once again burst into Medda’s room in tears, running and burying himself in her arms, babbling about how he wished Oscar and Morris loved him like he loved them (he’s seven, he gets attached very easily, doesn’t understand why they’re so distant when all he wants-all he’s ever wanted-is brothers) and it isn’t fair that they get to be brothers and not him.

He tells her it was Oscar that hit him, even though it was Morris who had bruised him this time. The older Delancey had told him that he’d better tell Medda it was him-or else. Told her he’d been messing with them instead of just touching Morris’s favorite blanket. He’s just wanted to feel it, honest. He wanted to know what made it so special.

Medda can’t keep letting one of her kids get hurt.

But what to do?

She calls up their social worker-Denton, she remembers- and asks his opinion. He tells her that she’s got to either give up the two brothers, or she’s got to give up Jack. She can’t have both under her roof, not while they pose a threat to each other.

She’s never had to make a harder decision in her life.

And she hopes Oscar and Morris don’t despise her for it.

dog slobber absolutely falls under the umbrella of true love’s kiss. my puppy is currently snoring in his bed across the room - deceptively loud for something so little - and it’s my own personal lullaby.

also, [even more utterly feral screaming]

god, this is so good, it’s like you read my mind.

poor little jack just utterly cannot wrap his head around oscar and morris’ dynamic - not for what it is. how could he? he just sees their closeness and love for each other and wants in. he wants to be a part of it so badly, wants to be their brother, without understanding that their bond was built as a survival mechanism. that it was a lifetime of trauma in their short lives so far that made them so desperately close and so dependent on each other - and it was the same which also made them so quick to violence, so distrusting of anyone who comes close, so quick to lie even when medda promises them it’s safe to tell the truth.

morris’ blanket had been his only possession beyond the clothes on his back when he’d been introduced to medda’s care. oscar’s closest thing to a possession had been his grip on his brother’s hand, and he hadn’t let go for a single second for days, especially not in front of medda - he’d glared relentlessly at her, wouldn’t take his eyes off her, wouldn’t let her anywhere near morris. jack has a bag of things when he comes to medda’s - old clothes that don’t really fit him anymore, but they’d been the last ones his dad had bought for him; a couple books; a few toys - and he doesn’t have the years of abuse the brothers have, but he of course still has plenty of trauma. jack’s mom had been loving until she’d been dead, and his dad had been good too until he’d fallen apart, and he’s just got all these memories of the good times and what could’ve been. all these wants for what could be now, and he wants so badly to be part of a family again, even if he doesn’t really understand the dynamic at medda’s, he knows it’s his new family.

he’s so excited to have brothers. and he really does love them, wants to love them, wants to be their brother. even though he doesn’t understand why morris is so scared of harmless innocuous stuff like the kitchen, and covers his ears when men are talking - even on tv - and sometimes screams when jack is just trying to play with him. he doesn’t understand why oscar won’t play, and glares at medda even when she’s being nice, and has these big outbursts where he throws and breaks things and then hides like he’s terrified and has to be coaxed out by medda promising gently over and over that he’s safe here. there’s nightlights all over the house and there’s nothing glass and there’s silent alarms on the front and back doors if anyone opens them. jack’s not allowed to go anywhere near oscar and morris’ bedroom at night - even if he can hear one of them having a nightmare or medda talking to them - because morris starts screaming if he does, and then he can’t be calmed down, even by oscar.

and that’s another thing - jack doesn’t understand why neither oscar or morris run to medda when they’re upset, like jack does. they cling to each other, and they hide. they don’t tell medda if jack’s bugging them, they just hit him. they don’t tell medda anything, even important things or things they need help with. like when morris wets the bed - oscar just tries to change the sheets by himself, and starts beating on jack when he trails oscar into the laundry room to tell him medda says they’re not allowed to go in there. and medda tries to explain it to jack, sits him down and tells him gently and slowly that awful things happened to oscar and morris and that they’re not like this on purpose, they just need extra patience and looking after and accommodations made for them so that they can get better - just like someone with a physical injury would - but jack’s a kid, and he can’t help from growing to think that the delanceys are just cruel and strange.

which is why it feels like such an inevitability when medda - looking utterly grief-stricken, which jack hates - says as gently as she possibly can that oscar and morris are going to move on to somewhere new. she says it’ll be somewhere better for them, with this look on her face like she’s trying to believe it. and jack’s kind of sad too, an odd loneliness filling him at the thought of not having his brothers anymore, even if they’d never liked him back - maybe they could, if he kept trying - but he’s maybe glad too. he’ll have all of medda’s attention, even though he’d always had most of it because oscar and morris never wanted to join in. she’d still always been worrying about them. and she looks worried now, maybe more worried than ever, because she and jack both had been expecting some sort of outburst from the brothers at this news - oscar hitting and kicking and destroying, morris screaming and wailing. but instead oscar just looks cold, looks detached as he glares at medda and curls himself around morris, who’s crying quietly, and his understanding is clear.

they’re being abandoned again. they’re not loved, again. they don’t fit in here. they’re not wanted here. he was right to not trust medda, and he was right to keep morris close and protect him too. because everybody’s the same, and all the brothers will ever have is each other.

medda hates the system and hates the situation and hates herself for having to make this choice, because she knows the damage she’s just inflicted on these already brutalised boys is permanent now. and she wants so badly to keep them, but she can’t. she had considered just keeping morris, the quieter and less rough of the two boys who has never hurt jack (as far as she knows), but then she’d thought about oscar and morris being forcefully separated - thought about those tiny, tiny boys who’d first come to her and been unable to let go of each other - and almost made herself sick. it’s her only comfort, really - that they’ll have each other, still, no matter what happens.

jack continues to grow up under medda’s care, and he gets plenty of siblings over the years - who are kinder to him, and stay his siblings even after they leave medda’s care. antonio and sean and patrick and plenty of others. medda becomes mama somewhere along the line. jack goes to school, where he does his best and does okay, and he makes friends, and he visits his parents’ graves when he can, and he starts drawing and painting and flirting. he builds a life. he largely forgets about oscar and morris.

oscar and morris are sent to “the refuge” - a notorious low-rated care facility for at-risk and troubled youth in new york. wards of the state. they don’t go to school, and they fight everyone but each other, and they’re punished constantly and drilled into submission and stripped of everything they never even got to be. they’re taught they’re not worth anything, not anyone’s time or effort and certainly not their love. they’re all they’ve both got in the world and that’s the only thing they can both trust. oscar ages out age eighteen and pulls morris out with him, they move in with some estranged uncle who never wanted them and hardly wants them now, and they don’t build a life so much as they survive. same as they always have. and they never forget jack kelly.

[the-lavender-lapin]

“I’m sorry I’m not strong enough.”

Javey

The crowd erupted in cheers as Les signaled to the crowd what Jack had just told them, they had won. The strike was over. And for a moment David was elated, they had actually done it. They had done something that nobody had tried before.

David was celebrating, that was until he heard the conversation between Denton and Jack.

“I told him you could use a ride.” Denton informed Jack with a grin.

“Think he’ll take me to the train yards?” Jack asked him.

The train yard… Of course, Jack was still set on going to Santa Fe. Even after all they had accomplished. Even after they had that kiss in the alley before Jack scabbed. The smile on Dave’s face fell and he put a hand on Jack’s shoulder.

“Can I have a word before you go?” He asked softly, pulling Jack out of the crowd and away from listening ears.

“Whas a matta Davey? We won ya shoul be celebratin! Ya can tell ya ol man ya will be gettin mo money.” Jack laughed, patting Dave on the shoulder.

Dave didn’t join in on his laughter. “Jack, you can’t go.” He stated, forcing himself to meet his eyes.

“Wha ya mean? Santa Fe was always tha plan David. Ya know tha. Win tha strike then go west. I ben planin this fo yeas. I hav ta go. Francis is thee.” He replied, eyebrows knitting together. David had known this. He told him how his brother, Francis, moved to Santa Fe to get them a home. He had to go.

“Jack, he hasn’t written to you in years. Santa Fe is a big city. Face it, he’s gone. But Jack, here you have a family. You have the boys and Medda and..” he paused for a moment, looking around to make sure nobody was listening. “And you have me. That kiss, I know it meant something to you.” He said softly, hand resting on Jack’s bicep as he spoke.

Jack ripped his arm away from David. How dare he. How dare he talk about Francis like that. Sure he hadn’t written in a while but they were brothers. “Ya don know anythin bou Francis. I goin Dave. I alredy made up me min. Now I have ta go, cant keep tha govana waitin’.” He huffed, turning around to start walking towards the carriage Teddy Roosevelt was in, but Dave caught his hand before he could leave.

“Please, Jack. Stay.” He pleaded, tears now swimming in his baby blues. And Jack hesitated, frozen to the spot. Was Davey really crying over him? Did he care that much?

“Jack, I can't do this without you. I’m sorry, I’m not strong enough. So please. Stay.” David added, tightening his grip on Jack’s hand ever so slightly.

Jack forced himself to look away from Davey, biting his lip. “I’m sorry Dave, it’s my dream. I.. I have to go.” He whispered before walking towards the carriage. Jack kept his eyes forward as he walked, he knew if he looked back at David he would cave. He had to keep looking forward. This was his dream, right?

~~~~~~

It turned into angst… oopsie 😇

૮꒰˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ꒱ა

-Lav

[adamwatchesmovies]

Lift (2024)

I rewatched the “original” Ocean’s trilogy not too long ago. 2024’s Lift aspires to play in the same league. It's no Ocean’s 11 but it’s so much better than Ocean’s 12 and Ocean’s 13 that I left feeling positive. Compared to other big-budget heist films or heist-like action films (the Mission: Impossible series), this is standard fare. With a fairly predictable plot and underutilized characters, I should be much harsher on it than I am now but what it does well pushes me to recommend it.

Cyrus (Kevin Hart) leads a crew of international thieves: master of disguise Denton (Vincent D’Onofrio), pilot Camila (Úrsula Corberó), safecracker Magnus (Billy Magnussen), hacker Mi-Sun (Yun Jee Kim) and engineer Luke (Viveik Kalra). Interpol agent Abby (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) is THIS close to apprehending Cyrus when her boss, Huxley (Sam Worthington), asks her to recruit him for a dangerous mission. Lars Jorgenson (Jean Reno) has hired the criminal hacker group Leviathan to unleash a massive flood in Europe. Through his investments and stock manipulation, he’ll make billions while thousands die. There’s no way to convict him in time. The only way to prevent the impending catastrophe is to steal the gold he’ll use to pay Leviathan - a job made for Cyrus and his crew.

I bring up Ocean’s 11 because it’s impossible not to compare this film to it. Essentially, everything this film does wrong, the 2001 picture did right. While the flood that will kill all those people means the stakes are high, they’re too high. A part of you knows the mission will succeed. That’s sort of always the case, but I’d argue less so in a movie like Ocean’s 11 where there are two plots: one about the heist and one about the love between the lead thief and the lady who got away. Did I mention that Cyrus and Abby were briefly an item? Another uncertainty concerns the crew: if the heist is a success, it does not guarantee that they will stay together or that gulp everyone will all make it out alive. At making you wonder about the characters and the team, Lift fares ok. I say this because some members of the crew seem almost useless. The best example is Denton, which is unfortunate because Vincent D’Onofrio has great chemistry with Kevin Hart.

I enjoyed the film but have a few more criticisms before telling you why Lift is worth seeing. It’s subtle, but I would argue an essential part of every heist film: it doesn't make the thieves sympathetic. The characters are charismatic, they're not flat-out evil like Jorgenson (who gets to be cartoonishly villainous by the end), but when you lay it all out, they’re motivated by the same thing as he is: money. While Cyrus also has his eyes set on Abby, the film begins when he and his crew steal a Van Gogh to sell it on the black market. With the money, they buy an NFT, whose value they increase as a way to profit even more. While their scheme is clever and that goes a long way, the Van Gogh they stole is never seeing the light of day again and they don’t care, which makes them unlikable. The film tries to counter this by giving us what is essentially a second villain, Abby’s boss at Interpol, but the things the movie does to make him detestable feel contrived, particularly considering how many lives are at stake. I do think it’s a good bit of casting, however, as I’ve always found Sam Worthington a bit abrasive.

Now, let’s be more positive. Any film like this is inherently entertaining because it builds suspense. The plan is laid out. You see how complicated it is. You start tallying how many things could go wrong. Whether Cyrus and the others are on the right side of the law or not, they’re professionals at what they do and that’s always compelling to watch. Jean Reno is fun to hate so you want to see him fail. Kevin Hart and Gugu Mbatha-Raw have good chemistry. You want them to see their characters together. I’m particularly impressed with Hart because this is not a comedic role. I wouldn’t call this movie serious and this isn’t the first time he’s done a non-comedic film (The Upside is an example) but director F. Gary Gray uses him correctly. He banks on Hart's charisma and screen presence to carry us through the problems that might come from this kind of story and it succeeds. 

Lift (clever title) has a bit of romance, plenty of suspense, high stakes, action and charismatic actors, along with everything you like about heist films. It’s not reinventing the wheel and because it isn’t, you'll foresee several developments in advance but that’s ok. It wins points for being the kind of film you could only make now (NFTs and other modern technologies have a prominent role) and for being available “for free”/for the price of a subscription. If they make another, I’m interested. (July 17, 2024)

[emmedoesntdomath]

emme’s 92sies review

@sparkedblaze I stole your idea because I was bored xoxo so here's my 92sies thoughts, with occasional running historical commentary:

okay having max do the intro was genius, he's a perfect introduction

they're on the horace greeley statue that's cool (editor of the tribune) (left, came back, died) (yer a nerd, emme)

kloppmannnnnn my guy

we really ditched the cowboy bit in livesies huh

max: *smack*

mush is RIPPED

god I love skittery and his relationship with race so muchhhh

ooh christian did a little dance- kind of. he twirled once. love you babe.

I actually love the 92sies lyrics and I know that's an unpopular opinion, but they're so funny

christian bale was either high or drunk whilst filming this and that's a fact

morris is older. fight me (not you, @noxexistant, I love you. just blaze.) (IM KIDDING IM KIDDING)

race's jokes are funnier here just because max casella looks like he's having the time of his life saying them

"must be from brooklyn"

no way my guy just counted all those papers that quick

I love how jack just straight up mocks davey,., like bro that's not how you get a bf

PULITZER HAS A MAGNIFYING GLASS HE HAS A MAGNIFYING GLASS (at this point, pulitzer was nearly blind because of health issues. we love to see historically accurate choices)(or I do at least)

that is how headlines worked, actually. stealin from the competition, stealin again

GUESS WE BOTH GOT AN EDUCATION

yessssss 92sies les drink that beer

why does every fight scene look like it's from a cartoon

davey's such an asshole. I adore him.

medda I love you but literally every part of your casting and story in this movie is wrong and makes me mad

davey: -and our friend

jack: fucki- excuse you??? since when

sarah's so prettyyyyyyy and not interested in jack at all

this version of santa fe is like,.., sweeter. I'm pretty sure I've fallen asleep to it before

oop except for the dancing bit. forgot about that.

HELP WHY IS THERE A HORSE AIN'T NO WAY FRANCIS SULLIVAN KNOWS HOW TO RIDE A HORSE

Imao oscar imitating kid blink

are you outta your MIND- racetrack higgins, 1899

look at davey being the voice of reason and then immediately doing a 180 after making eye contact with his crush. proud of you bro

FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT

boot's lil solo is the best and so cute oh my god

dentondentondentondenton

you're just gonna let your little brother walk into the world with a guy you met a week ago????

jackie boyyyyyyyyyy

dominic lucero has my entire heart. he does everything with a grin and enthusiasm I,,, *brb sobbing into my pillow*

..they are throwing hundreds of dollars in papers away like it's confetti

NOO CRUTCHYYYY

iS tHaT dAvE hEyA dAvE

cartoon fight.2

gabriel damon is like a literal child and he is doing the absolute most

THE CEILING FAN TRICK YES BUMLETS (I take it back, dominic is still doing the most) 

every word out of crutchy's mouth makes me want to hit a brick wall (affectionate) 

bro sarah's gay and thinks you're an idiot

ON THE GROUNDS OF BROOKLYN YOUR HONOR (-my favorite part of the entire movie)

I love that gabriel and max seem to be actually friends, despite their age difference. that was definitely the reason people started seeing sprace.

denton seemed to care about davey, at least a little bit, which is interesting to me, because he seems to only care about the other newsies a little bit. I feel like it’s a sees himself in him deal.

don't hide under carriages kids

they would not let him use a very expensive printing press as a bed. I refuse. I’m in denial about it. 

RALLY RALLY RALLY

spot conlon is an icon

do I have problems with medda? yes. do I think the swing is kind of cool? also yes. 

jack, you’re an idiot 

NO DAVEY LOOKS SO HURT STOP IT

the jokes weren’t funny I took the money my friends from home don’t know what to say

there’s no bill and darcyyyyyyyy. sad times. 

this version of once and for all is too slow and boring. sorry not sorry.

90s CGIIIIII FOR THE WIN

I feel like this version of the strike has gone on for like three minutes, not two weeks, but that’s fine

pulitzer and jack are both approximately two years old shouting SHUT UP at each other

look at all those kids (is this reality? meh. hundreds to thousands of kids did show, but that seems like overkill)

the goveaNAH

why are all of the jacobs crying??? they’ve known this guy for a month at most???

oooo carrying the banner’s backkkk (again, these lyrics are better, you shall bury me on this hill)

bro he came back and the first thing out of his mouth was davey come over here. gay.

oh hi denton

YES SPOT BE THE KING THAT YOU ARE RIDE THAT CARRIAGE

and then they got a happy ending. so cute. 

okay, okay, so. cinematically? the movie needs some help. it wasn’t very planned out, and it’s clearly a disney movie at some points. 6.5/10

historically? they did better than I remembered. certainly better than the stage production. my biggest issues lie with medda and probably jack himself. 7.5/10

musically? I like their carrying the banner, king of new york, and santa fe a lot. but most of these kids weren’t professionals, which does give the stage production a better quality. still, they worked with what they had. 7/10

overall? I adore this movie. I really do. I’m going to be honest, though, and say 7.5/10

okay I’m done now because it’s midnight. I’ll post this tomorrow. byeeeeee

[omniblades-and-stars]

Blossoms on the Water?

This one's a bit of an odd one for me. So this is me exploring one of my Shepard's characterization and backstory via her journey through the drell afterlife. She is being guided to unburden herself so she can float freely on the waters.

I dunno if I'll ever finish it, it's more for me than anyone else. It's both a way for me to work on character stuff and also confront my personal and deeply held fear of death.

So here's a huge chunk, one of Eden's memories. It's not a happy one.

Mena’s music blares too loud from her car as her tires squeal against the gravel driveway. She recklessly peels down the drive and swings around in the cul-de-sac before she is gone.

The girl, a teenager now, softly closes the door, hopeful her father didn’t hear all the noise. She darts up the stairs to her bedroom where she frantically grabs a sweater to pull over her shirt, which is little better than a bra.

“Eden,” her father says angrily from the threshold of her bedroom. He’s alway angry with her. She never does anything right, gave up on doing anything right a long time ago. She is failing her classes, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. “Where were you tonight? You missed dinner.”

His tone makes her skin bristle. Like the air before a thunderstorm, his anger is palpable. His rage is a physical presence, a bystander to the storm that’s about to start. She knows if she just tells him the truth, he’ll just shake his head and call her a disappointment, maybe ask what’s wrong with her.

She doesn’t know the answer to that.

“Studying for my biology test with Ximena. We got distracted by extranet vids and lost track of the time,” she lies. She doesn’t know why she lies.

Her lie is the match, and his temper is the kindling. “I know goddamn well you weren’t fucking studying, Eden!” He steps inside her room, his arms are crossed, but his fists are balled. “Sheriff Denton called, are you stupid, or do you just not care if you go to jail anymore?”

“I don’t fucking care, dad!” She shouts and lies. She’s terrified that Denton is finally going to come and take her away. Stealing from a convenience store isn’t even the worst crime she’s committed, just the most recent one. It was a stupid thing to do, she knows. It seems like all she does is make bad decisions, like a compulsion she can’t ignore.

“Eden, I didn’t raise you to be a thief and a whore!” He shouts at her.

She hates him.

“You didn’t fucking raise me! Mom died and what, I just have to fend for myself? Putting fucking food down on the table and staring at the TV isn’t raising a kid! You won’t even talk to me unless I do something wrong!” He only ever talks to her to yell.

He’s looking down at his feet, and she realizes that he hasn’t looked her in the eyes in months. “Why won’t you fucking look at me?” She screams her question. She just wants him to love her. She’s so alone. She’s been alone for years.

His next words come so quietly, but they hurt so bad, she wishes he’d just hit her. “You look too much like her.”

The breath is pulled from her lungs, and the tears she’s only barely been holding back fall.

“More and more every year,” he continues. For just a second, Eden tries to reach out. He’s her father, they can repair this, right? She’s so desperate for his love that she is about to offer to dye her hair, or even get fucking surgery to change her face. Just for a chance.

He looks at her and all she sees is hatred. “You look like her, Eden. But you’re nothing like her. She would hate what you’ve become,” he says with such conviction, she knows he means it.

Eden reaches behind her and grabs the first thing on her desk that she can throw. It’s sailing through the air and she can't take it back. She regrets it as soon as it slips free from her fingers. A ceramic deer, purple with green antlers, shatters against the wall. Her mother made it, and she painted it. Her last tether to her mother.

“I wish it was you who died, instead of her,” she sobs. She wants to crawl into her closet and hide. She likes the small dark places, they are safe for her to think in.

She wants her mother.

“Get out,” he says so quietly, she can barely hear it.

“Dad, please, I didn’t mean it,” she tries to beg. She panics. She’s only fifteen, where can she go? She doesn’t have any other family.

He points at the door, “Get the fuck out of my house and don’t come back!”

She’s scared. She starts cramming as much of her clothes that she can into her book bag. She forgets clean socks.

Her father doesn’t try to stop her. Doesn’t say goodbye. Doesn’t say anything at all. Those are the last words they ever say to each other.

She stays the night under the pavilion at the park she used to play at with her mom when she was young. She eats an old leftover protein bar that was left in her bag from days before. It is dry, and it is disgusting.

She doesn’t know what to do with herself. She doesn’t know how to be an adult.

[highly-opinionated-ramblings]

"Since we're all together for the night," Bruce said loudly over the Wayne family dinner table chatter, "there's an idea I'd like to pitch to you all."

"Shoot," Dick invited, gesturing with his fork.

"What would you say if I said I was thinking about taking a family vacation this summer?"

"I'd say 'who are you and what have you done with the Bruce I know'," Stephanie exclaimed.

"Yeah, we never do that kind of thing."

"I'd say 'why?' and raise my eyebrows in suspicion of ulterior motives, like this," Tim said, demonstrating exaggeratedly.

Bruce shrugged. "I feel as though I've been slightly neglecting the public persona of Bruce Wayne lately. The last thing I want is people speculating that I don't have adequate free time for that sort of thing. Although, I suppose keeping up appearances counts as an ulterior motive to simply just being on vacation."

"Hm. At least you're honest about it."

"I, for one, would fucking love to be on vacation at some rich kid resort somewhere."

"Well, Jason, that's the whole point, so, good."

"Where, though, Bruce?"

"Oh, somewhere in Europe. Maybe a tropical island nation. Something typical of other families in our standing. In fact, I'm sure several of our neighbors have vacation homes they'd be thrilled to host us for dinner at."

"Request permission to find out where the Dentons' vacation homes are so we can avoid going there!"

"Seconded!"

"Granted."

"Is Barbara invited?"

"Yes, of course. In fact, Jim can come if he wants, too."

"Nooooo, it'd be weird being on vacation with the Commish!"

"He's still an important friend of the family, so he's invited."

"Well, I'm in, Commish or no Commish," Duke shrugged. "What about you, Cass?"

"I want to go!"

"I'm fine with it, as long as we go somewhere warm. No skiing trips, Father, please."

"No skiing, Damian, I promise."

"Why not? I like skiing!"

"Being cold and wet the whole time defeats the entire point of being on vacation!"

"I vote for a coastal city somewhere," Tim said loudly, deftly cutting off whatever snide remark Jason was about to make that was sure to start an argument. "That way we can spend some time at the beach, and some time exploring, like, other touristy attractions."

"An excellent idea, Tim. That still leaves us with lots of options, though. Barcelona, Venice, Nice... most of Greece could fit that description as well..."

"Barcelona!" Stephanie yelled, banging her fist on the table. "I've been practicing my Spanish!"

"No, Venice! Or, even better yet, Florence! I want to see the Duomo!"

"I'll compile a short list of options, and we'll put it to a vote," Bruce said. "Barbara and Jim are, of course, invited to vote, as well, if they'll be joining us."

"What about Alfred?"

"Good question, Cass. What about you, Alfred?" Dick called across the table, where Alfred was busying himself loading Jason's plate with seconds. "You'd come with us on vacation, right?"

"And leave the care of the house in the hands of outside help? I should think not!"

"Oh, just for a week or two, Alfred! Come on, you're part of the family, you have to come with us!"

"Yeah, Alfred, pleeeeaaaase!"

"You deserve a break just as much as anyone," Bruce pointed out, smiling. Alfred just huffed and rolled his eyes.

"With enough time to plan ahead, I suppose, I could make arrangements..."

"Great, that's settled, then."

"Yes, thank you all for your enthusiasm. Don't schedule anything the first few weeks of July, and look out for a list of places sometime in the next few days."