#I feel like I’m going insane that it is not the biggest news story in the world

[theskydoesgreatthingsnow]

Donald trump saying illegal immigrants kill “hundreds of thousands of people a year” when there are only around 20,000 homicide deaths a year in the entire U.S. should be enough to have him driven out of politics. It’s insanity that it isn’t.

It’s insanity that the media isn’t hammering the hell out of him for that alone. It’s not just extreme fearmongering, it’s not just exaggeration, it’s not just pure lies, its not just scapegoating and paranoia, its not just hate for the vulnerable, it’s blatant, violent distain for common sense. Any news outlet worth its salt should treat that as if it is the immediate and humiliating end of his campaign.

[wraithdance]

Do you have any advice when it comes to dating straight men?

Short answer? Don’t. Long answer, under le cut we go for Calvary’s survival guide to dating men🙄

Actually curious why you want advice from my emotionally bereft ass but lmaooo. I’ll give you the advice I give my male dating family members and friends

1. Do not go into dating men desperate

you need to have at least the barest amount of confidence in who you are and what you want before dating a singular man.

Like I mean that shit, I’m not kidding. You don’t have to be self confident enough to write a self help book, but you need to be able to feel as if you can walk away when you are disrespected. no matter what fantasy you have of love, you WILL be disrespected babe. Learn early how to identify it when it happens and walk the fuck away with your self respect when it’s too much for you to ignore.

2. Do not let being ‘nice’ keep you from finding your dream partner

Start off with a working list of what kind of man you want and be as detailed and insane about it as possible. I mean everything down to what color underwear he wears if that’s something that might be a point of contention with you.

After you have that list write some hard rules for how a man is allowed to speak/act towards you and use that as a litmus test for if you continue a relationship. It is a privilege to be near you not a guaranteed right, so reinforce that or get walked over

3. Masturbate frequently and have your options open

Legit work out any hang ups surrounding sex and consider dating more than one person at a time so you don’t get stuck romanticizing one man.

No, that doesn’t mean you have to fuck all of them, but getting used to going on dates helps with nerves and prevents you from making the mistake of thinking you found ‘the one’ because you’re seeing the same dude. Please invest in a sex toy or 3. Being horny will get you into trouble!!

4. Do not trust a man’s word over your own senses

People lie. Don’t believe shit a man says unless he backs it up with receipts. He says he has a condo in France? ask to see the deed. He got his std labs done last week? Ask him to go with you to your regular doctor for a new screening.

Protect yourself always and if he gets mad that’s a red flag. Do not pass go because it’s life or death out here, babes. Which leads me to

5. Be a bitch. Be the biggest bitch you can be

Legit fuck every single thing anyone ever told you about being nice to a man. Work on getting comfortable with being an asshole and calling them out or you will be pushed over. This honestly goes for any gender like be a literal cunt when the time warrants it.

Someone pushy about you not letting them back to your place? Be loud and tell them they’re making you uncomfortable. Someone negging you? Look them in their eye and lean close, tell them “you know, when I first met you I thought you were a lot smarter. I guess not, since you had the nerve to say that to me without any regrets.”

Don’t like the date? Leave. That simple. It’ll save you heart ache and sometimes save your life.

Uh if you have more specific questions you can follow up but those are my top five rules. Men aren’t some scary mythical creature or hard science experiment. It’s all about setting yourself up to get what kind of love story you want. Good luck babes you’re gonna need it!!

MWAHH 💋💖

[felassan]

Snippets. 🐺💜

Nathan: "This team has done some amazing work 😍" [source]

devs Mack Carruthers and Greg Towner worked on Morrigan's transformation in the new trailer [source]

Violet: "🥰 can't wait to share more with you guys 👀" [source]

Violet: "Happy to finally have my first authored blog (with help from my AMAZING TEAM of course!) to share with you guys!!! Check it out and pre-order DATV now! 🥰🥰🥰" [source] [bloglink]

In this thread, Derek highlights a compilation of shots from the trailer that he made, worked on in-tandem with others, or polished

Derek: "And that’s all the stuff from me in the trailer! I feel so incredibly lucky that so much of my work made it into this AMAZING trailer. Can’t wait for you guys to see more. 🧡 I wanna add: it takes an army to make these scenes. While I did character layout, camera animations, animation polish, bug fixing and technical stuff, there’s still a plethora of folks who touched these scenes. Matter of fact, our work still isn’t done. So I gotta thank: writing, level art, VFX, lighting, sound, character art, performance capture, actors, production, and my fellow Cine folks who I worked on these scenes in tandem with. It all came together into one incredible package. 🧡 For anyone who’s curious, here’s a breakdown of what I do: - mocap assembly - scene layout (characters, props, cameras, mocap) - camera work (animations, framing, polish, etc.) - scene polish (character and camera animation polish, bug fixes) - integration - bug fixing" [source, two, three, four] Derek added: "PS: I count these as Cine folks, but to clarify - also huge thank you our incredible Creature and Character animators. They did some really insanely mind blowing shit. Dunno how they do it." [source]

User: "Okay, but is it on purpose that the drink/flask thingie is positioned almost like the stomach in Manfred It's like kinda in the correct area too if I'm not mistaken [image of Manfred]" / Derek: "Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s what character art was going for here 😂" [source]

Dev Tony: "Been hard at work bringing these scenes to life with an amazing team of cinematic artists and designers. Enjoy a small teaser of our work." [source]

Derek: "I worked on a few of [Lucanis'] best scenes. HE OWES ME." [source] / User: "Very much looking forward to seeing where his story goes. I have a feeling it'll be spicy." / Derek: "Oh it’s a doozy." [source]

Derek: "The hair in our game is ASTOUNDING." [source]

Derek: "Our lighting team are absolute MASTERS at this, every bit of work they did was incredible!!" [source]

Derek: "I can absolutely tell you that there are a PLETHORA of dialogue options, major choices, and a huge amount of variability. Trust me - it’s been challenging to work with all the variability LOL" [source]

Carly: "game dev is so collaborative, a lot of stuff in the trailer i've helped out on! most of the work id say i "own" isn't gonna be in flashy trailers, but hope we get to see some of it over the next two months ! :)" [source]

Crystal: "Some really beautiful cinematics shown off in this one. So proud of our team!" [source]

Carly: "ive worked on at least one romance scene for each follower and i still squeak when they flirt with me im With y'all" [source]

Dev Matthew: "👀 This is so hype! Might be a tad of my work in there as well. 😉" [source]

Siggi: "It's so exciting to see the some of the shots I worked on and worked along-side come to life! I was afraid that my work would never see the life of day. I can't wait for October!" [source]

Siggi: "My biggest contribution was the assan work I think. I got to do a lot of look and movement development on him. I even animated his whole intro scene." [source]

Siggi: "Look at my babies! LOOK AT THEM! They're smiling!" [context: Assan and the dragon that rises from the water, and having worked on them] [source]

Carly: "forever grateful to siggi for helping me onboard but okkkk their animation work is sooooo killer, set an amazing standard for the cines !!!!! 🙏🙏🙏 so excited for y'all to see" [source]

Dev Zara: "October 31st!! So excited for folks to enjoy it. And to finally be able to publicly share my animation work." [source]

Camille: "Time for you to meet some of them dragons ! And I don’t think you’ll be able to slay them so easily hehe" [source]

Varric's Bianca: "That’s us!! That’s our game!! 😭❤️ never in my wildest dreams would I have predicted that I’d end up where I am, working on my dream project. I’m so immensely grateful to this amazing team!" [source]

ikhandle: "Congratulations team! This has been an honour to work on! Amazing job all around." [source]

Michael: "the team really, really cares about PC." [source] / User: "The trailer was awesome! How soon do you think we'll hear about PC specific features? 👀" / Michael: "pretty soon! i know its in the works." [source]

For a while there was an error on the Steam listing of the game's PC specs. it said the recommended PC spec is the same as the minspec. the recommended PC spec is PC spec is i9-9900K. it looks like this has now been fixed [source]

ikhandle: "One of my dragon shots just made the trailer! 🐉🐉 Huge shoutout to the Cinematic team for absolutely crushing it—these are some of the best cinematics I've seen in years. Truly an honor to have the privilege to work on Dragon Age. Congrats to the whole team on their outstanding work!" [source] (context: dragon shot at the end of the trailer when the red one pulls a pike out its body)

ikhandle: "Had a lot of fun animating this big boi. Y’all not ready for him 🦴☠️🪓" [source] (context: the giant skeleton) / User: "Does he have a name? 👀" / ikhandle: "I’ll ask 😂. I’ve named him SeñorBones for now." [source]

The cinematics in the trailer are running REAL time in engine [source]

ikhandle: "Everyone has done such an amazing job… a lot of hard work to get these out. Shout out to the whole team!!’" [source]

Jess: "😎 I'm uncontrollably hype and I work on this….." [source]

Dev Yanni: "Dragons go roar! *internal screaming in excitement*" [source]

Nick: "Nuts to see how far this has come. Way to go to the BioWare team." [source]

[drefear]

Hail to the King

Chapter 5: Distractions

Summary: Miguel O’Hara is the head of the biggest mafia family in Nueva York, scaring almost all of its citizens. Except you. And that’s exactly what he needs. 

TW: mentions of smut, reader is a lot ruder now, Miguel's still kinda annoying, stalking, lying.

A/N: This chapter is not very horny, I know, but it’s a lot of story for the plot, so bare with me (there’s a little bit of sexy in the next part tho so don’t worry)

The days at Gwen’s were peaceful and calming, having someone around to help you mentally sort through your mess. She was sweet and honest about everything, and you couldn’t help but love having a friend through all of this insanity. 

Lyla visited the second day and brought some sort of news, although you weren’t so sure if it was good or bad. 

“So there was a man coming to my fire escape?” You cleared up and Lyla nodded, big sunglasses on the top of her head now. Her eyes glanced between you and Gwen before she spoke again. 

“I had facial recognition software identify him, and he seems to be a part of another mob in Nueva York.” She opened her laptop and activated the holographic spectating, using a special glove that only covered three of her fingers and poking at the holograms. Expanding to one area, she showed you his face closer. Your eyes scanned something before your eyes widened. “Stop.” You touched her shoulder, “That… that was Eddie’s best friend, he was at our wedding.” You mumbled, thinking to yourself about the guest list you’d worked so hard on. The two women stared at you as you pulled out your phone and scrolled through many photos, landing on one and zooming in. You were right. In the far left corner, smiling, was that man. 

“What was his name?” Gwen asked, and you and Lyla both answered at the same time. 

“William Baker.” The two of you looked at each other and you just sighed. 

“Listen, I know you’re not going to want to hear this, but you need to stay somewhere else for a few days.” Lyla continued and Gwen just nodded along, but you slumped your shoulders. 

“I can’t keep staying here, what if they find me here? I’d be putting Gwen in danger.” You frantically looked between Lyla and Gwen, and Lyla bit her lip. 

“Stay with one of the guys. Hoobie used to let me stay over all the time-” Gwen spoke, but your brows furrowed. 

“How do you know Hobie?” You asked and Gwen’s eyes snapped to yours, then to Lyla’s. Something was wrong again, you could feel it. You repeated your question, this time much more firm. “Gwen. How do you know Hobie?” 

“He’s… he would come into the restaurant sometimes, he’s a lot closer to Miles than he is with me-” She smiled, but you weren’t buying it. They were all keeping something from you. 

“He was closer to Miles, but he used to let you sleep over?” You clarified, and she scratched her head. 

“Yeah, well, it was only once or twice, I was just exaggerating.” 

“Uh-huh.” You stared her down before hearing your cell phone ring, MIguel’s name popping up as you shot her a warning glance once more. “I’m going to answer him, and then you’re going to tell me what you’re hiding.” A look of relief crossed Gwen’s face before you stood up and moved to go talk in the kitchen. “Yes?” You answered, now annoyed. 

“Has Lyla filled you in yet?” He spoke with finality. 

“Yeah, and I know him. He was friends with Eddie, and he was at my wedding, so I guess you were right about the outside help.” Your lips hated how the conversation tasted as you admitted he was right. 

“Miggy, come back to bed.” A feminine voice spoke from Miguel’s end of the phone and you just scrunched your eyes together. 

“I’m busy.” He answered, and you could hear the irritation in how he spoke. 

“You sound like you’ve had a good morning so far.” You shot at him and he groaned. 

“Not in the slightest. These women are too clingy, I can’t stand it.” He explained in frustration and you could hear a door slam shut. 

“Well, as much as I’d love to discuss your personal problems, I have other issues to ask about.” “Shoot.” 

“What is Gwen hiding from me?” You asked and his side fell quiet, something you weren’t used to. He always had some sarcastic one liners to shut you up, or shut you down with. His silence usually meant that the truth was bad. 

“In this line of business, if you’re not being told something, it’s almost always for your own good. Try not to meddle too deep, or you might not like what you find.” 

“Don’t try to say some hero shit, I want the truth if I can’t even sleep in my own bed.” You demanded and he just sighed. 

“Fine. Come to my apartment in two hours.” He concluded and hung up, leaving you without a solid answer once more. The bastard. 

Time felt like it was moving slower than normal as you got ready, Lyla sitting on Gwen’s bed as you got dressed.

“I feel like Miguel just needs a woman to put him in his place, ya know?” Lyla rambled on about how your boss was just a big softie with female problems, but you weren’t buying it. 

“He needs to see a therapist for his sex addiction, actually.” You answered, which made Lyla laugh as Gwen sat quietly. She’d looked guilty ever since you’d come back from your phone call with Miguel. Who could blame her? She was lying about your safety, hiding crucial information from you while you were staying under her roof. It felt awful. 

“Maybe he’s lonely?” Gwen chimed in, making both you and Lyla answer at the same time once more. 

“Definitely not.” The synchronization made you all laugh. Gwen was a wonderful friend, that was for sure, but Lyla was a whole other level of bonding. It was as if she was programmed to be your best friend, and she was doing an incredible job. 

The three of you gabbed on for a while until a car arrived in the lobby of Gwen’s apartment building to take you to see Miguel. 

Your feet felt like lead as you begrudgingly walked into the elevator and hit the button for the penthouse. A buzz rang through the wall of the elevator and a feminine voice answered. “Can I help you?” 

“Lyla.” You spoke and there was a laugh. 

“Yeah, I know! I just thought it’d be funny.” A ding sound indicated that she had let you bypass the security system for his apartment and the elevator moved. You leaned your head to the back of the elevator and sighed, closing your eyes. The exhaustion of the past few days had finally hit you like a ton of bricks, made your body want to bend over and curl into a ball. You wanted a nap. 

The doors opened again and your eyes darted around in surprise. You’d known Miguel was rich and organized, but his apartment was something you saw in a magazine. Nothing could have prepared you for how his personal space might look. 

He walked down a flight of stairs towards where you stood in the center of his living room, wearing nothing but a pair of sweatpants. You wondered if this man only owned suits and sweats. 

“You’re late.” 

“Nice to see you, too.” You answered his blunt rudeness as he gestured for you to sit on his couch. “Ok, answers.” You stated and he rolled his eyes, grabbing two bottles of water and handing you one. 

“Let’s start with the most important part. Your ex has been working with Kingpin, my biggest rival and one of the worst mobs in the city. He directly works with sex trades and child labor.” He sat next to you and leaned back into the soft cushions, as if he was just speaking about his day. You immediately hated this Kingpin guy. “We’ve found that your ex has been intertwined with Kingpin for a very long time, and even has some pull with Kingpin. His title among Kingpin is Venom, and he specializes in making people disappear.” 

“Disappear?” You asked, as if you didn’t know the answer already, and Miguel brought his hands up to make air quotes, confirming your assumption. 

“This is more of a newer specialty of his, in the last year. How long has it been since you two were living together?” You clear your throat, fear catching onto your tongue and making it feel heavy. “A-About a year. We were separated for a bit and I’d come home on and off, or he’d leave for long periods of time.” You touched your throat, imagining what he could have been doing while he was gone. “Was I- Did I marry a murderer?” Miguel just stared down towards the floor, expression unreadable and almost stoic except for the small crinkle between his eyebrows. 

“You’re surrounded by murderers, technically.” He answered and your breath caught in your throat, but he continued, “Something you should remember is that everyone has the ability to be a killer, and many people use that ability, but few people use that ability for the good of the world.” He spoke softly and you nodded, a chill creeping up the back of your neck. 

“Where do you fall?” Your voice was barely above a whisper, and he leaned forward onto his elbows, bowing his head. 

“I like to think everything I do is for the better of everyone, even if I go down in the process.” The gravel of his voice makes you feel warm and a flame sparks in your stomach, a new feeling. You scoot closer to him and continue to listen. “Those I train, or who work for me, they don’t just join for fame or notoriety. A lot of them were wronged by life, innocent until they were forced to learn how to see in the dark. That includes Gwen.” His eyes flash to you and it’s as if they turn you to stone, not being able to move on your own accord. “And that now includes you.” 

“What if I don’t want to?” “Then you can turn around and try to survive blindly. You can pretend nothing ever happened, and hope that it doesn’t follow you around for the rest of your life.” He stares into your eyes harder, more serious, and you begin to wonder when he got so close. “But that hope doesn’t usually last long.” 

Silence drips down the length of the walls as you two sit, inches from one another, smelling his breath and feeling the heat of his body so close to yours. As you're both about to collide, a loud ding sounds around the apartment and you jump backwards from the sudden interruption. Miguel barely even reacts, a deep frown on his features now as he turns to the elevator. 

“Hey!” A friendly voice echoes off of the walls and footsteps follow as you turn to see Peter walking towards you both. He stops at the sight of Miguel’s angry face and flashes a look between the two of you. “Am I bothering you?” 

“The answer is always yes, Peter.” Miguel stands and makes his way towards the other. 

“Jeez, I was just here to pick up the tech and lists for the event, but if I’m such a bother-” 

“Shut up and take it.” The larger of the two demands and you stand up, finally getting your bearings and coming to your senses. Your mind thought about Miguel saying those words to you in a very different scenario, but you quickly snapped out of it. He was your boss. Your whorish, annoying, rude boss with a taste for organized crime. 

That’s going to be a hard no. 

Standing up, you looked away and waited for him to be done. Peter’s eyes found your form and he launched over to you in a hurry. “How are you? It’s been so long, Miles says he misses you all the time, always making jokes you’d laugh at.” He rambles and you nod, smiling wide at the thought of being around Peter and Miles again. Miguel stands behind Peter, scowling at his distracted nature and folding his arms angrily. 

“I miss you all too.” You concluded. 

God, did you want to escape already. 

Peter finally left after going on and on about his daughter for around 10 minutes, to which Miguel finally snapped and started yelling in spanish. You just stood there and watched the interaction as they bickered and Miguel forced Peter out. He sighed once the elevator doors closed and leaned on the wall for a moment. As he stood there, almost statuesque, you took in his size and it finally hit you. How large he is. You bit your lip and thought about the seconds before Peter walked in unannounced. 

What would have happened if he didn’t break you two out of that seductive trance? Your cheeks began to heat up and you turned to look out the window. 

“Are you prepared for the gala?” His voice broke you from your trance, and you nodded, not meeting his eyes as he spoke. This seemed to irritate him. “You picked a dress? I want to see it.” He announced, and you finally looked up, now giving him a dirty look. “I don’t trust your sense of style.” 

“Too bad. Beggars can’t be choosers.” You hissed and he stalked to you in a few steps, showing his size from how few strides he had to take to walk across his wide apartment to meet you. 

His head bent down to give you a dark look. “I never beg.” He stated as a fact and you felt a shiver move through your spine. Shaking your head, you still refused. “You’re making me go, I’m picking the dress.” This seemed to be a battle of wills and neither of you were breaking. “Is that all?” You asked and placed your hands on your hips, attitude obvious in the snark of your words. He clicked his tongue. 

“That’s all, for now, but I might need to teach you manners soon if you keep this spoiled brat act up.” His words made your eyes go wide with anger. 

“Spoiled brat?” You barked and he smirked, enjoying getting a rise out of you. “Now, get out. I have someone coming soon, since my morning release didn’t work out.” He turned his back to you once more, and you admired how broad his shoulders were, how his back muscles rippled and shifted. He exuded power, and you’d be damned if you let him get the best of you. 

The words Gwen said echoed in your head. ‘Maybe he’s just lonely.’ 

“Maybe your morning release would be more satisfying if you didn’t get head at random times of day.” When he didn’t react, you continued, not fully understanding where this annoyance about his sex life was coming from anymore. “Maybe you’re just lonely.” The words came out before you could stop them and he finally turned back to face you, an incredulous look on his face from your audacity. “Either way, I don’t want to lay witness to whatever stupid married woman you convince to jerk you off with tweezers.” You stomped towards the elevator and pouted for a second before his hand shot out and grabbed your wrist. 

“Hijo de su-” You could barely hear the rest of whatever he said as he yanked your body towards him. He glowered down at your shocked face as he picked up his phone and listened to it ring. 

“Yo.” Lyla answered and Miguel stared down into your eyes. “Cancel the girl. There’s something I need to fix right now.”

Chapter 4

Tag list: @lady-necromancer @djarinluvr @itz-kiara @ashreblogsnow @enheduannasposts @misswonderfrojustice @onlysharkz @atrashpandaunderthestars @40-a-sad-bitch-04 @deputy-videogamer @loxbbg @not-aya @miguelsoneandonly @phd-in-simpology @neteyamsluvr111 @hayley1623 @oxrchd @kaqua @winteringfalls @ylnhmi @faithyourgirl @jospehquinnissexxy @foggyvoidtale @freeloverpeanut @sleepingwthemoonandstars @aawdrea @lex-dear @lareinamorgan @jkthinkstoomuch @skullslutt @rin0r1na @donovan-writes @miguelswifey04 @narmothewraith @december-dropout @teenzfrog-12 @somethingrad1 @spectr3inl0ve @woahhajime @chaoticbeanchild @swinginprunegothcop @yehsehneeah @siidmm @angel-xx-1 @ihateuguys @phd-in-simpology @blytheeboo @leonsgfs @berry-potchy @xxemmarldxx @cheerrioeoz @literallydontlook @definitelynother-871 @the-ashtronaut foundthem kiaraking viriexo mskye6522 ashleyk1001 xlustfulnightmaresx abeanthatcandothing fuzzy-beans azuresparky yumiko--cosplay distinguishedbananatastemaker jaydays-stuff sleepyyjaz gigglessoloud be-be-la-la sukjko

[rose-pearls]

Watching you go - Part 2

Summary: Peeta and Katniss come back but that doesn't mean everything is fine. A particular twist makes everything go to hell.

Previous Part - Next Part

District 12 had been celebrating ever since the news of Peeta and Katniss’s win was announced, there were only two people not celebrating and these were Gale and you. 

The man had stormed out of the mayor’s house furious until he saw you and quickly brought you with him to the meadows to calm down and talk about the phone call you both received.

“This is bullshit.”, he whispers angrily for the tenth time as he rips off some grass while you look in the distance.

“Are you okay?”, you turn your head to see Gale looking at you with worried eyes and you smile sadly.

“I’ve been better, never thought I would have to pretend to be my boyfriend’s cousin while he acts out the biggest love story ever with his childhood crush.”, you say sarcastically before sighing and closing your eyes.

“I’m sorry, it’s just driving me insane.”, you whisper after a few seconds, and you hear Gale sigh.

“One day we’ll get out of here and won’t have to answer to all of these stupidities.”, you look at him slightly surprised, it’s not that no one ever thought these words, but no one dared to utter them in fear of getting killed.

“Be careful when you say that, although I certainly hope you are right.”, you say and Gale scoffs before ripping some grass again. The two of you stay in silence before you hear some cheering in the distance and the both of you know that it is time to go to the train station.

“Let’s get this show on the road.”, Gale says with angry eyes, and you groan before getting up and walking back towards the district, feeling like you are getting sentenced to death with every step you take.

The train station is filled to the brim, but you manage to weave your way through the crowd to join Peeta’s family as their ‘cousin’. Gale takes his place next to Prim and her mother and gives you a quick nod of good luck. You try to ignore the pity looks you receive from Peeta’s brother and try to focus on the arriving train.

The whole crowd is cheering as the two victors appear and you can’t stop your heart from beating faster at the sight of Peeta alive and well. His smile is just as bright as before and he doesn’t seem all that different from the Peeta you know and love until your eyes turn to their clasped hands. 

The show goes on without a hitch until Peeta comes closer to you and hugs you tightly, you don’t want to let go of him, but you know you have to.

“We’ll talk later.”, he whispers before letting go of you and going to meet Katniss’s family, leaving you there feeling utterly confused.

Effie Trinket takes the victors to their village, and you can’t help but look at the train while everyone leaves the train station to get ready for the celebration tonight.

“That was quite a shit show.”, you can’t help but snort at Gale’s words and shake your head.

“Can’t believe we have to put up with this charade for the rest of our lives.”, you whisper so that only he can hear you and Gale lets out a sigh.

“Apparently Abernathy wants all of us to get together at Katniss’s house.”, you sigh before starting to walk towards the village with Gale walking next to you. The camera crew seems to be leaving as you arrive, and a chipper Effie Trinket welcomes the two of you.

“There you are! Come on in!”, Gale looks like he is going to kill her, so you step in for a moment.

“So nice to meet you.”, you say with a small smile, knowing that the woman hadn’t really done anything to deserve your anger. She looks at you with a pleased smile before glaring at Haymitch.

“See, that is a polite young lady.”, you hear Gale try to stifle a laugh, but he hides it behind a cough.

“Yes, she most certainly is now let’s get down to business.”, he says, and you roll your eyes at the mentor. At his words Peeta and Katniss arrive from upstairs and for a moment you don’t know what to do.

“Well, this isn’t awkward at all.”, the old mentor mutters under his breath and you see Katniss glaring at the man. Peeta smiles softly at you, and you try to smile back but it most likely looks forced making him look concerned.

“So, why do we have the pleasure to be here?”, Gale says sarcastically and Haymitch sighs before putting his hand on the table.

“We need a plan for this to work, we told you the big lines but now we need to make sure everyone understands their roles.”, he says while looking at all of us with a serious look in his eyes.

“What, is playing cousins not enough for you?”, you hear Gale say and Haymitch looks ready to retort.

“Gale, let him speak.”, you say curtly and Haymitch looks at Gale with a smirk.

“Listen to her.”, before any of us can utter a word Effie squeals and we all turn to look at her.

“You know this may sound weird but you two remind me of Peeta and Katniss only reversed. One is grumpy while the other is a pure sunshine.”, she says excitedly before everyone starts complaining.

“I am not grumpy.”,

“I am not a sunshine.”, your four voices erupt, and you are ready to tell Effie that much before Haymitch’s voice interrupts you.

“Effie you are a genius!”, the escort looks surprised at Haymitch’s words but just smiles widely while the four of you look at him surprised.

“You two are now a couple.”, he says with a smirk, and you look at him like he has gone mad.

“Have you finally gone mad old man?”, Gale says harshly but this time you can only nod at his words.

“To avoid suspicions, you two are going to be seen as a couple, Peeta and Katniss’s cousins have found each other while Peeta and Katniss were away to be there for each other and fell in love.”, he finishes with a smirk, and you can’t help but feel sick at his words.

“Like hell we are. No offense to Gale but he and I are never going to be together I have a boyfriend or did you forget that in you little scheme.”, Haymitch sighs before looking at his victors and looking back towards you.

“Look, Snow is not happy, and he wants these two to get their act together and that cannot happen if you two are too close to them while being reportedly single. They will see right through it and then we are all dead.”, Haymitch says harshly, and you can’t help but take a step back at his words. Gale is muttering some insults under his breath, but you just try to wrap your head around everything.

“Peeta.”, you whisper softly while looking at your boyfriend, but he just looks down towards his feet’s before looking up with sad eyes.

“It’s what we have to do to keep you safe and our families.”, Gale scoffs at his words but you just feel betrayed looking at him in shock.

“He is right.”, Katniss says, and this time silence takes over, Gale looks betrayed, and you get the feeling, your stomach is turning, and you feel like you are going to be sick with all of the situation happening. 

“So, you two got together while they were away and now you are happily together, is that clear?”, Haymitch asks and you can only nod, not being able to utter words.

“Perfect.”, you suppose that Gale also nodded as the mentor clasps his hands together.

“Now, I’ll leave the four of you to reunite and tomorrow you two are getting ready for your tour.”, he says before leaving, Effie following him with a smile.

The room is filled with tension, and you don’t know what to say or do as you look at the kitchen in the large house.

“Can we talk?”, you hear Peeta whisper, and you feel his hand on your arm before you flinch away. His blue eyes are filled with surprise at you action before looking hurt.

“What do you want to talk about? The fact that you told the entire nation that you love Katniss, that you two are together now or that Gale and I have to fake a relationship?”, you practically yell in the kitchen and Peeta has the decency to look ashamed.

“I’m sorry alright, it wasn’t supposed to go this far.”, he says, and you shake your head while looking at him.

“I don’t even know who you are anymore.”, you whisper with tears in your eyes and Peeta looks at you with hurt eyes, but you don’t even let him answer before leaving the house.

You are barely a few steps further before Peeta runs after you and stops in front of you.

“Just listen to me alright?”, he whispers pleadingly, and you try to contain your anger and your tears but it’s getting more and more difficult.

He takes you behind the house to be out of the open space were everyone can see you and brings you close.

“I’m sorry, I truly am but I cannot put you into danger I’m just trying to protect you. I don’t love Katniss, not the way that I love you and if I could I wouldn’t be doing this. You have to know that.”, he says softly, and you let him bring you closer, putting his forehead against yours.

“I’m so scared.”, you whisper softly and Peeta nods understandingly.

“I’m right here alright, and I’m going to do everything to protect you.”, you sigh softly before opening your eyes and looking into his familiar blue eyes.

“I love you.”, he whispers again, and you smile softly at his words.

“I love you too, I’m so glad you are alright.”, you whisper back and Peeta smiles lovingly before bringing you into a kiss. The kiss is familiar, like coming home and you bring him closer to you, finally being able to have him close to you.

You knew deep down it was going to be hell, having to see Peeta with Katniss during their tour and after that but for the moment you just hold him close hoping for the best.

--

Gale and you had been playing your roles to somewhat perfection, even when the idiot had to go and get himself into danger after pushing a peacekeeper to the ground. You had felt scared as you had seen him getting dragged to the middle of district 12 for punishment but luckily Katniss stepped in and stopped it.

Peeta and her had left for their tour a month ago and you tried to be optimistic, you were, but seeing the two of them acting like a couple was getting the best of you. They had seemed scared when they came back last night, closed off like something happened back there but you couldn’t get Peeta to tell you what happened.

“So, did he tell you what happened?”, you hear Gale ask and you turn around in time to see him arrive coming back from the mine.

“No, just told me that it went fine and that I shouldn’t worry.”, you can’t help but scoff at the words and Gale smiles understandingly.

“Got the same answer from Katniss.”, he says before sitting down next to you to see the children leaving school early to get ready for the announcement of tonight.

“I’m scared of what it’s going to be.”, you whisper under your breath and Gale sighs softly next to you.

“Me too, we don’t know what sick thing they are going to come up with.”, the two of us stay in silence, watching the excited children leaving school with their friends.

“Common we should head home.”, Gales says, and you follow him towards your parents’ house.

“I’ll see you later.”, you say before opening the door, but Gale stops you.

“It’s going to be alright.”, you look at him for a moment before nodding and smiling gratefully towards the man in front of you.

“May the odds be ever in your favor.”, you say teasingly and Gale chuckles before leaving towards his own house.

The familiar song of the tv starts as you step into the living room, and you can see President Snow arriving with the famous card. 

“For the 75th Hunger Games we wanted to remind everyone that even the people that seem to have won everything can also lose the things and people they love.”, Snow opens the envelope, and you feel your heart beating hard into your chest, feeling scared.

“This year to celebrate the third Quarter Quel the tributes will be picked from the victors’ families.”, the rest of the explanation’s get lost as your head starts spinning and your ears ringing. You can hear your mother letting out a loud scream at the words, but you just get out of your seat to get outside. Everything is blurry and you don’t know where you are until you feel a pair of hands on you.

“Hey, hey!”, you look up to see Gale looking at you with frantic eyes, he looks even paler than before.

“It’s okay, calm down.”, you nod and try to calm your breathing until you come to a relative normal breathing and tears start to form in your eyes.

“We are getting picked Gale, we are their ‘cousins’ so we are their families.”, Gale has his eyes closed and you can’t stop the sob from leaving your lips.

“I know, these assholes really planned it didn’t they.”, he says angrily, and you nod quickly trying to brush your tears away. 

At one-point Peeta and Katniss arrive looking scared and the four of you stay there, Peeta holding you while whispering how sorry he is, but you can only think of what is coming.

And when they call your name a month later, you knew you were right to be scared but when they call Gale’s name you feel even more scared at the thought of having to enter the games together.

[itstheoneshot]

Relief

request

Summary: Although you don’t get involved in any of the real business, you serve a purpose to your gang leader husband that nobody else could.

Word Count: 1.8k

Pairing: Chanyeol x Reader

Warnings: 18+, NSFW, Oral, Praise Kink, Mafia AU.

You feel bad for thinking it, but you like it when your husband has a bad day. Not because you want him to be miserable, not at all, but because of the way he treats you when that is the case.

He is a leader of one of the city's biggest gangs. Underground, but with power above ground, giving you a life of luxury. Cars, clothes, jewellery, and all he ever wants is for you to be happy, comfortable, and know that you are his number one, ride or die, the love of his life.

That is why you like it when a fight breaks out, or a deal falls through. You know that it will resolve, Chanyeol never lets anybody down, just like his father before him he is unstoppable and intelligent enough to fix any problem, but he always reacts the same way before a resolution is found.

He loves you. That is one thing that he feels he has complete control over, a situation that he can always predict and because he knows that he comes home to you after any shitty situation, the story repeats itself and you know exactly what to expect.

“Jagiya!” He calls out to you, and you hear the front door slam behind him, “Where are you?”

You don’t miss the trace of whining in his voice. You were expecting him, and aware of how today went down. He had been keeping you up to date, though without the finer details, as he likes to keep you separate because it’s safer that way, my love, you know it wasn’t good.

“Daddy!” You giggle, skipping down the marble staircase to greet him, watching his expression soften as you meet at the foot of the stairs, “I missed you.”

Chanyeol picks you up off the floor and you cross your ankles around his waist, kissing him all over his face before colliding your lips together. The kiss is deep and slow, passionate, a reminder to him that you are here and ready for him to relax and restore the sanity lost from today's earlier event. His hands settle on your ass to help keep you steady, and he steps back to press you up against the wall. It is hot and heavy so quickly, Chanyeol’s desire for you is insatiable, it has been this way ever since you met, only growing stronger as the years go by.

“I missed you too, baby,” He purrs, “I wanted nothing more than to come home to you all day, I’m so happy to be back.”

You never get enough of Chanyeol’s praises, loving the way that he always builds you up and makes you feel like the most important person in the world. You nuzzle your nose with his before kissing him again, moaning into his mouth as he grinds into you against the wall. You drag your nails up his back, tickling his neck and then tugging on his ears when you reach them, knowing full well that this makes him fold. Now it is his time to moan, and you are carried away from the wall and down the hallway towards the living room. Chanyeol tries to mix it up, taking you in every room in the house, and not always just the bedroom. It is fun, finding new positions and new things that you both like, keeping it fresh after all these years is so easy with him.

He stops at the sofa where he places you down, and he quickly begins to undress you. You playfully try to stop him, pushing him back with your feet, but this only makes it easier for him to pull your leggings down. You whine in want for him as he tugs his t-shirt up over his head, and he responds by moving forward to take your shirt off, too. He palms your breasts with one hand as the other unfastens your bra to take it off, and he kisses down your neck, your chest, now moving to kiss your breasts, nibbling softly on your sensitive buds, your back arches for him, begging for more.

When you are nice and marked up, he guides you to turn around, half hanging over the back of the couch, staring into the mirror on the wall behind it. Chanyeol looks insane behind you, fully taken over by desire as he catches you staring. He trails his fingers down your back to your panties before removing them too. You are now naked, and he is in only his underwear after he desperately pulls his jeans down, you can see how hard he is and you try to grind back into him, but he is not close enough. He leans down again to kiss the back of your neck, and you are transfixed as you watch his reflection, feeling the way he kisses each vertebrae as he moves down your back, past your waist, down to your ass. He moans against your skin as he kisses the plump flesh, and he guides you to spread your legs for him, which you do with no complaints, finally realising what he is going to do to you.

He finds the perfect position and wastes no time diving in, the feeling is electric as his tongue hits your clit. You push back into him, wanting more, chasing the pleasure he so effortlessly provides. He moans into you, the vibrations travel through your body and have you gasping for air. You aren’t sure whether you or Chanyeol are enjoying this more, but from the look on your face in the mirror in front of you, it is pretty clear that you are loving it. Chanyeol’s tongue presses easily between your folds, lapping up your juices, he is obsessed with the way that you taste. You feel goosebumps cover your skin as you ascend to your high, your legs begin to shake but Chanyeol holds them still, not letting you close them on his head like you are involuntarily threatening to do.

“Daddy,” You whimper, biting your lip to try and centre yourself, “Gonna cum, can I cum, pretty please?”

Chanyeol pulls away for only a second to utter his reply, “Cum for Daddy, baby girl.” before he moves back down, suckling on your clit to help you get there, thrusting into you with two fingers because Daddy always has to feel you sucking him in and then it happens.

Your orgasm is intense, your cries are loud but strangled, caught in your throat from the overwhelming pleasure. You can barely hear Chanyeol’s own moans over the sound of yours, he doesn't slow down until you try to clamber away from him, overstimulated but wanting more, wanting him to fill you up instead, knowing that he needs to get his fix too.

He retraces his steps, kissing up your back to your neck, his lips slicked with your arousal, he looks so hot when he leans back to take off his underwear. His cock is hard, red and leaky, but that won’t be for too long, as you push your ass out, wiggling it to tease him, and he resumes position behind you, guiding the tip to your oversensitive cunt. You cry out as he thrusts into you, not giving you any reprieve he fills you straight away. He stares at you in the mirror, his eyelids heavy, siren eyes while yours are more that of a doe, innocent and empty, lost and needing guidance, and that is what he is there for.

He thrusts into you fast, sweat beading on his brow bone, fingers tangled in your hair to keep you conscious, keep you watching the way that he fucks you in your reflection. This is hotter than you would have thought, watching him take you, feeling the way that his cock hits that sensitive bundle of nerves inside you, knowing the best positions to get you reeling.

“So perfect, baby,” He murmurs, “Look at you, so sexy, taking all of me.”

You admire the picture of you two, knowing that he is right. You two are the perfect match in appearance and personality, soulmates probably, definitely each other’s, other half. With a particularly hard thrust you cry out, tears pricking your eyes as the sensitivity begins to overwhelm you, and though you could tap out here, you are not sure whether Chanyeol is anywhere near done.

“Anything for you, Daddy,” You moan, using all your strength to push back into him, matching his rhythm because you can see how much this turns him on, “You feel so good inside me.”

It is unspoken, the fact that he takes you like this as a reprieve to recover from an awful day. You are sure that he knows that you know, but you never point it out, instead being warm and wet and ready to take him, pretending that it is only out of love, and not also because he needs to feel in control and in charge. You are willing and wanting, feeding into your praise kink, loving the way that he worships you and has to prove that he can do well, always getting you to orgasm as many times as he can.

You can barely hold yourself up now, slumped over the back of the sofa, as Chanyeol continues to fuck you, one hand in your hair, holding your head up so that you can watch, the other hand at your core, touching your clit in time with his thrusts into you. As one orgasm ends, another starts, you can barely breathe anymore and it feels so fucking incredible.

“Daddy’s gonna cum,” He growls, and you feel it, his movements faltering, “Fuck.”

He pulls out just in time, grabbing his cock and stroking only two more times before he releases in hot spurts all up your back, the feeling familiar, but strange every time. His breathing is heavy, and you admire the way his face contorts, overcome with pleasure and in pure bliss. He falls forward to kiss you, as both of you try to catch your breath, unmoving and not wanting to be anywhere else. You feel so lucky, to live the life that you do with the person that you do, enamoured and obsessed in exactly the same way that he is.

Chanyeol repositions you, he sits himself on the sofa and pulls you onto his lap with your knees either side of his hips. You feel his cum dripping down your back and it makes you shiver, but you are soon distracted as he guides your arms over his shoulders and pulls you in to kiss him again. He is insatiable, and you think that his day must have been worse than he had told you, but you are loving the attention too, it has been a few days since you have had this much from him, so you’ll take it.

“I love you,” He murmurs when he breaks for air, “You know that, right?”

“Of course I do,” You giggle, kissing the tip of his nose, “I love you too.”

[hanzidanzi]

Draw whoever you think fits perfectly in the rolls!!!!

(If you want. No pressure!)

Hello Val, hope you’re doing good💕 I’m assuming you mean to the boys!

These are my placements!^^ (click for better quality)

Just the placements I thought worked best considering the boys and their s/o, I go into detail below:

1. Red and Dust;

Red being the flirtatious jackass he is, flirts with everyone and is known to do so... Sooo! When he finally gets a crush, the person he flirts with finds it difficult to take him serious. You might find he has changed his flirting slightly however, making less "dirty" jokes towards you and he might try more romantic advances...

Dust is so far removed from anything and everything, being caught in a circle of kill or be killed has really fucked with him sadly. It's been such a long time since someone flirted with him too... He definitely wouldn't take the hint if you did.

2. Blue and Classic;

Blue is such a sweetheart! He is definitely your biggest fan if you let him, if not he'll be your biggest fan in secret... He'll support whatever you like, whatever sort of hobby you have... and generally he'll be your number one cheerleader whenever he can!

Classic is a huge nerd, which is really no secret! He can ramble on on about anything in particular, can you blame him? He doesn't feel comfortable with just anyone, so when he meets someone like you?? He just can't help himself from gushing with all the exciting new information he just learnt.

3. Black and Edge;

Black loves a challenge!! Please, please challenge him! He won't admit how much he likes that you are better than him in certain areas, but he sure will admire you from afar. And the way you snap at him when he's being a jackass towards you? It lights something in him, what can I say!

Edge is a tsundere! Really he is! He takes some time to warm up to/takes a while for him to warm up to you. But he admires your passion and spirit! The way you don't take shit, the way you talk back. In his world it means you can survive without him being too worried about you, and that is a HUGE pluss for him! This man seriously worries 24/7.

4. Buns and Cream;

Buns my baby!!!;; On a serious note, don't mess with him. He is baby, but he'll fuck you up if he has to! Sadly your little Bun has been through hell and back and knows how to protect you if he has to. But please, he is so so tired of all the violence and inconsistencies! All he wants is a calm and safe life with you, where he doesn't have to worry about food and enemies.

Cream is tough! Like tough tough. Sure he hasn't been through hell necessarily, but he has been through tons of hard training to become a royal guard! Don't think Undyne goes easy on him, only because she has a soft spot for him. He also has such positive energy, whatever you go through he'll have your back! And he'll make sure you get through it unscratched!

5. Mutt and Stretch

Mutt is chaotic... but like in a chill way? He'll bring you along on the stranges of adventures: bring you with him to his shop, to the lab, to the store and so on. And pretty much each and every time you come out of it with the strangest of stories? Like you were going to the store and now you're in a completely different AU saving the world? He can't help it either, like these huge changes happens to his plans and he just goes with it?

Stretch is such a meme, man doesn't take anything seriously. He had to be a grown up from a really young age, so he could properly take care of Blue. Honestly, he's just so tired and he want to makeup for all the time he lost. It has taken a toll on him, so he's basically making it his life mission to just mess around with everything and everyone! Beware you'll be his number one target you know...

6. Dust!Paps and Axe;

Dust!Paps is really just a little coward, now it is a little difficult to place him! Since he is basically made up by Dusts imagination and insane guilt for killing his brother. But if we were to say he was his own body and soul for a second, this man is spiteful af. Tired of being killed because of Dusts complete obsession to kill the human and gain LOVE. So he is spiteful, but still the sweet and kind Papyrus deep inside. Something you will get to see if you're patient enough with him.

Axe is a dom daddy for sure... He probably wouldn't say it like that, but this man has literally no shame. And I'm not just talking with sexual encounters, but in general! He is the boss and he will let you know. Taking care of you the way you should, making sure you've eaten, gotten enough water, gotten enough sleep. Did I mention he is basically just pure instinct? Like sure, he is just a funny more morbid version of Classic. But at the end of the day, this man is also the most animalistic out of the bunch.

Now I'm so so late answering this!! I've been busy with college and barely gotten to draw for several months, but thats life. I'm happy I've gotten to this one at last💕

[lemotmo]

https://x.com/buddieonair/status/1799875538519003370

What do you think about this ?

I…kinda have to agree. Like I’m already a little iffy going into season 8 because I honestly felt like if nothing massive happened in season 7 then it probably wasn’t going to happen since they had new network, new audience, it was the time to weed out any of the old (old as in everyone who watched it on fox) audience who would have an issue with buddie, get the new audience on board with it etc. Which Bi Buck helped but then nothing else really happened. Are there threads? Yes. But the shows more known for having threads and then just pretending they never existed.

So if after season 8 it’s still not happening then I really do think it’s time for the fandom to accept it’s not going to. Because at this point, the shooting and then breakdown were the perfect set ups for it. And it was such a baffling concept to learn it was shut down and then for us to have to sit here and think how are they going to reach the same level of the shooting and breakdown aftermaths to make it happen again. And they have hit it now with what is probably the only realistic way with what happened by the end of season 7 with the Kim of it all and the Chris of it all. So if they don’t do it now? I really and truly do not think they plan to because there really won’t be any other way to reach those levels for Eddie to look deeper and accept and acknowledge etc.

Hey Nonny! I had already seen this on Twitter and I fully agree with it. The time is now. If they don't start Eddie's journey and eventually Buddie's journey in season 8? I don't think it will ever happen and ABC will have wasted the biggest chance of making history.

A lot of people will be disappointed if that happens and I won't lie, so would I. 6 years of shipping, only for one half of the ship to end up in a lackluster, unsatisfactory and boring relationship and the other half probably shoved into a new nothing relationship again? No, not for me. Thank you. I would retreat to fanon-land where Buddie are happily in love and together.

However, I feel like we have seen plenty in season 7 that is highly promising for season 8. So I really don't think my retirement into fanon-land will be happening anytime soon. :) I have a good feeling about season 8.

It's obvious that they were planning to go all in with Buddie when they thought they would only get one season. The promo was insane. But then they got that renewal and I think they decided right there and then to push Eddie's storyline to season 8, giving them time to prepare it properly. Since we now know that they are already writing season 8, I think they have a chance to really do the storyline justice.

The thing is, when Buck was outed as being bisexual it was a big shock to the general audience. Not to any of us, because we have seen this coming for years now. Buck was always queer-coded and so was Eddie by the way. Even more than Buck in my opinion.

However, Eddie having some sort of queer awakening in the same season? I really think ABC wanted to slow the pace a little. See how the general audience would react with Buck, which didn't turn out to be such a big problem after all. 911 is still leading strongly in viewership.

Another perk of pushing the Eddie storyline to season 8? It gives the story room to breathe and percolate. It will only make the payoff even more satisfactory.

The reason why Tommy was used to out Buck is obvious as well. He's an easy choice. Nobody remembered Tommy from season 1 and there is no emotional attachment to the character. He came into season 7 as an established gay character. When eventually Buck and Tommy break up, not a lot of people of the general audience will actually care about it, because there is no emotional connection to Tommy. He is just a new character they brought in as a narrative device. He will eventually disappear again, maybe showing up once in a while as a friend to Buck.

If they had gone for Eddie, the stakes would have been so much higher, because he is a beloved main character. It was safer to start with Tommy.

Besides, Eddie has so many canon issues with his previous relationships that his story needs more time. With the Vertigo arc (which I hated by the way) he is now in a perfect place to take a good look at himself and his past relationships. He might start comparing all these relationships to what he has with Buck.

Who knows how they are planning this? I just know it has the potential to be so good and satisfying after 6 years of shipping. And the fact that this show will now have a canon queer slow burn? Epic! Something ABC wouldn't want to drop. It's dream promo for a network.

Also, the reason why they never went through with the original storylines was because of FOX. Seeing as ABC has shows like 'Grey's anatomy' which has had many popular queer characters, I really don't think they have told 911 to cut the storyline. I just think it's all about pacing and getting the general audience on board.

Now, all that being said, if season 8 ends up giving us nothing? Sorry for being wrong about this. I humbly apologise. :b

But I don't think I'm wrong though. And a lot of people in this fandom share that conviction.

So yeah, who knows? Buddie season 8? Yep, it's highly possible at this point.

[outerbankspov]

- thank you love for your passionates ❤️ @giannadrichardson-blog

You and Drew have been dating since outer banks season one and you adore one another more than anything. The way you both met was a story you both say “We will tell our kids about this one day”… you needed a job asap in order to get recognized by the public for your future singing career so you signed up to play the love interest of a character name “Rafe Cameron’ WHO happens to be played by Drew Starkey. You for sure saw his face around in your favorite movie “Love Simon” and since then you’ve been together and laughed about him in that film.

- Present day.

“Drew!!” You squeal as you run into your shared bedroom before you jump up and down in excitement. “What’s up, baby?” He smiles while asking you. “My agent just called… and they gave me a green light to tour my album!!’ He jumps off the bed to catch you in his arms. “BABY?? WHAT THE FUCK THIS IS GOOD!” he kisses your lips as you smile up at him nervously. “What’s that Face about?” He asked as he Brough you down with him on the bed. “Thing is it starts in 3 weeks..” You closed your eyes shut. “Well, that’s good news. What with the face?” He asks again, You bit your lip and shook your head “Can you come with?” Knowing this the worse idea to ask is because you know Drew has to stay just in case he gets a call back from his agent about the new movie he was offered that will be filming in ITALY. “Baby.. you know I would to go with you but I can’t” You nod and looks down, pushing your hair behind both ears and smiling weekly as you plaid with your nails. GOD you know you can’t do this without him, you would be a wreck you know that for sure. “What’s going on in that pretty little mind of yours?” “I just really wish you could come, what if I fuck up?? I will never forgive myself” A tear slipped passed your eyes and Drew brushed it away.

“My love you are gonna be so good I promise you” you sniffle and nod. “You’re just saying that because your my boyfriend-” , “No I’m saying that because I believe you can. Baby of course you can” he kisses your forehead and you finally accept it.

-

Tour has been a real fun… scary experience. Going out on stage and seeing a huge crowd every two days and seeing them actually enjoy your music made you feel like you’re doing something right. But apart of you still wishes Drew was there, you go to sleep every night after a FaceTime with him and talk about your day and how nervous you were. This time when calling Drew, he didn’t answer. You started to get worried but soon after got a text saying “a bit busy. Talk later” confused you just decided to go to sleep.

“Y/N YOU ARE ON IN- 3,2,1 GO” your manager tells you. You put the biggest smile on your face and runs out on stage greeting everyone. “Hello NEW YORK CITY!! As you might know I’m dedicating this night to my love Drew Starkey, we actually met on this day 4 years ago… kinda insane! All I’m asking for you all is to enjoy this night like I’m gonna be and yell loud !!” The group cheered and smiled. You started singing and you Just felt so free until a gut feeling and the feeling in the air made you want to shut down. God you hate this, it’s a big night and your stupid mind wants to shut down now ???. You finish the song and runs off of stage.

“Y/n? What’s up?” Your manager ask calmly.

“Stacy. I can’t do this- it’s like my hearts being pul-“ you was interrupted by a call she picked up. She nodded and said okay to the person and hung up. “Wiped those tears baby! Go back on stage !! You got this” she encouraged, and like the person you was you walked out again and started singing. At this part of the song no one sings because they know it’s a slow part that you enjoy so much. Nope not today- you start to sing and it seems like you got 6 sense because all of a sudden you felt better, it’s like their was this light telling you to continue. Once you was done you made your way back stage ready to run to your manager put stop in your tracks, turning around you see him, them.

“DREW??” You squeal as you jump into his arms. “You’re here? You’re really here!” You kisses his lips and he chuckles. “ m’course I’m here. Wouldn’t want to miss this day ever. Or any other” he looks at you with a knowing look at you jump in excitement. “You’re staying ?” He nods and you kiss him again. So beyond excited and your heart felt completed. “How about we get something to eat baby?” You smile up at him and nod. “I will like that”. You couldn’t believe it, you look at your other friend and runs into their arms. “You guys are amazing”. The day was spent like any other, Drew by your side constantly kissing you and your best of friends next to you.

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Psycho Analysis: Seto Kaiba

(WARNING! This analysis contains SPOILERS!)

Every good anime revolving around a game, sport, or competition needs a great rival to antagonize the main character. A rival is a character who helps push the protagonist to their limits, and forces them to apply what they’ve learned in order to beat them. Now, a rival like that typically isn’t someone who is going to get a Psycho Analysis, as most rivals are just garden-variety jerks at worst. For instance, Gary Oak is a bit of a snot, but he’s literally a child and he turns things around and becomes a decent guy relatively quick. Or hell, look at Miles Edgeworth; he spends most of the first Ace Attorney butting heads with Phoenix Wright in court, but he’s pretty quickly shown to be far more concerned with finding the absolute truth than any truly nefarious purpose. Ultimately, most rivals end up being genuinely decent people who just take competition a little too seriously and eventually develop into staunch friends and allies.

But imagine a rival who never changes. A rival dead set on being the most antagonistic douchebag possible, one who is driven solely by the sheer spite and hatred they feel at being second banana to someone else, someone who can’t bear that their massive ego is even slightly bruised. A rival who may help when the chips are on the table, but who is only doing so for their own selfish and self-centered reasons. That’s a character I could reasonably review on Psycho Analysis! And if ever there was a character who fits that bill, it’s Seto freaking Kaiba.

Now, to be clear here, Kaiba isn’t a villain. He’s an antagonist, he’s an anti-hero, but for about 99% of his screentime he’s not technically a villain. But just because the series is called Psycho Analysis doesn’t mean I’m literally only reviewng psychos, and it’s about time I broke out a bit and experimented in this new year by looking at characters who aren’t totally evil, but maybe are a little bit. And as you’ll soon see, no one is a better choice to break the mold than the second best duelist in Domino City.

Motivation/Goals: To put it simply, everything Kaiba does is motivated by his ego or by spite. This is a man who has done genuinely great things, from dismantling his father’s bloodthirsty legacy of profiting off of war to opening theme parks and creating new technology to make Duel Monsters more fun and engaging for all players. All of this on paper makes him look like the most ethical animated billionaire this side of Scrooge McDuck, but there’s one little issue: Nothing he does is out of the goodness of his heart.

Do you think Kaiba actually gives a shit about anyone affected by his father’s business? No, he just dismantled it out of sheer hatred for his adopted father who, to be fair, really was a massive cunt. Do you think he went through all the trouble to make massive strides in Duel Monsters technology just so people could have fun? No, he did it all so he could exploit it in some way to defeat Yugi once and for all.

And that’s one of the biggest things that drives Kaiba: His unquenchable desire to defeat Yugi and be crowned the true king of games. The thing is, every time they have a fair fight, Kaiba gets his ass handed to him; the one time he won was by essentially threatening Yugi with suicide. His sheer petty desire to one-up Yugi extends far into the future, where he names the loser dork house of the academy in GX after Yugi’s Egyptian God card Slifer, while the ultra-cool prestigious house is named after the God he got, Obelisk. And in one possible end of his story, he goes to the most insane and ultimate extreme to try and settle his grudge (but more on that shortly).

Performance: In English, there are two main voice actors of note who have portrayed Kaiba. The first is Eric Staurt, who outside of Kaiba is best known for his Pokemon roles of Brock and James. It leads to a bit of whiplash hearing someone who sounds so similar to the affable yet horny Brock be an absolute arrogant prick, but I definitely think Stuart is able to pull it off.

The other VA of note is Martin “Littlekuriboh” Billany, creator of Yu-Gi-Oh: The Abridged Series and the man who voices about 90% of that gag dub’s cast. His take on Kaiba is pretty much what happens if you cross Stuart’s performance with Solid Snake, and it works very well for a Kaiba who’s weirder and wackier yet somehow even more insanely egotistical.

Final Fate: Kaiba, seeing as he’s just a douchebag and not a truly evil person, doesn’t get any sort of major comeuppance save for constantly getting his ass handed to him by Yugi. There are really two possible endings for him, though if you want to be charitable they’re not necessarily mutually exclusive. The first ending is, of course, that he eventually goes on to found the Duel Academy, which means he helps kickstart the events of Yu-Gi-Oh GX in a way. Anyone even partly responsible for the rise of bisexual monsterfucker king Jaden Yuki is getting high marks in my book.

But the much more notable ending for Kaiba comes from Dark Side of Dimensions where, so consumed by his desire to duel Atem one more time despite the pharaoh finally being at rest, he leaves his company in the hands of Mokuba and goes to the fucking afterlife to challenge him. Whatever way you want to read it—that he actually used science to travel to the great beyond, that his tech killed him and he’s not coming back—Kaiba really cements his legacy as the most insane, obsessive rival ever created. If he still feels like he has something to prove by beating you, you ain’t getting your eternal rest; he will bust down the barriers of life and death to have a chance of whooping your ass. Absolute madman.

Evilness: So in this new segment, I’m going to establish how evil any given villain is and rate them on it, separate from how I rate them as a character overall. This score is basically just a reflection of how evil their actions are, with a 1 being “Barely a villain at all” and a 10 being a “Complete and utter monster.”

As we’ve already established a bit, Kaiba is more just an egotistical asshole than anything. In his early appearances in the manga you could definitely say Kaiba was a villain, and his first appearance as the starter villain of the anime definitely paint him as a dick… but after his mind crush, he definitely veers more into anti-hero territory for the rest of the series.

Normally, this would net him a solid 1, but that’s the thing. Despite the fact Kaiba frequently does genuinely good and helpful things and despite constantly aiding the heroes, he only ever does it because he feels like he has something to prove. For instance, look at his handling of the Big Five as he dismantled his father’s legacy; do you think he tore down the military dealings KaibaCorp dealt in out of the goodness of his heart? No, Kaiba did all that out of sheer hatred and spite, negative emotions that motivate just about everything he does no matter how nice it seems. Even if he isn’t actually evil by any stretch and even though he’s undoubtedly bettering the world with what he does, he’s doing it for impure reasons that mainly revolve around reasserting his own superiority. The only genuinely selfless things he does are for the benefit of his beloved brother Mokuba.

So for the first ever Evilness Score, I think Kaiba is going to score a 2/10, which denotes being a huge dick but not neccesarily evil. He’s not actually evil enough to warrant anything higher, but he’s too big of an asshole to get a 1.

Best Scene/Quote: Abridged!Kaiba gave the world “Screw the rules, I have money,” a line that perfectly summarizes a good chunk of Kaiba’s character in both the main and the abridged version of the show. But his best quote (and his very best scene) come during his duel with Ishizu in Battle City, where he decides to give fate the middle finger and beat Miss Ishtar despite her clairvoyance while giving her the following speech (in the dub):

“Hear me now! I won't be controlled! I decide my future! So now, I sacrifice my monsters! Obelisk and Gadget Solider, I send you to the card graveyard! You're so quiet, Ishizu. Where's your magic now? Or have you realized that there's no such thing as destiny? Now observe as I summon my Blue-Eyes! Show yourself!”

And more than anything, this sums up Kaiba: He has the most massive ego in history, the strength and cunning to back that ego up, and a steadfast and stubborn refusal of destiny. He plays by his own rules and follows his own path, and nothing will stand in his way. Not Egyptian gods, not prophecies, not magic or shadow games or what have you. He is unstoppable, implacable, and he won’t be denied that duel with Yugi no matter what anyone says. Not even the barrier of life and death can stop him.

Final Thoughts & Score: Unsurprisingly, as someone who grew up with Yu-Gi-Oh, I fucking love Kaiba.

Going into this, I knew he wasn’t going to be a straight example of a villain, because his evil is mostly relegated to the early parts of the manga and the start of the show, with his post-Mind Crush self being more of an anti-heroic jerkass with a heart of gold. But I think he’s just enough of an asshole to be worth talking about, and talking about antagonistic jerks opens the door to talk about characters like Toy Story’s Sid or the more hostile Pokemon rivals like Silver, Blue, and Bede here. It would have to be Kaiba blazing that trail, though; there’s no jerk more perfect to open the door to discussion of other jerks.

Kaiba is just genuinely fascinating in that, despite being incredibly static as a character, he never really feels shallow. Sure, he steadfastly refuses to change and never really becomes on the best terms with the Yugi squad, but his interactions with them are still fun to watch and he never gets flanderized to the point of being obnoxious. It’s honestly extremely impressive they were able to walk that tightrope of him never really progressing past being an asshole while still remaining a fun, likable character who it’s fun to see in action. I suppose it helps they gave him the most ludicrously badass backstory where he as a plucky little orphan boy manages to beat a businessman in chess to get adopted, fleeces him out of his entire fortune and company, and then dismantles said company’s military division to focus on gaming. And if that’s not enough, they have him do stuff like throw trading cards to jam guns!

Of course, his most appealing aspect is his single-minded obsession with defeating Yugi and proving himself as the superior duelist, a character trait for which there is quite simply no heterosexual explanation for (I’m half kidding). With most rivals, they don’t really get so consumed by their desire to defeat their opponent that they essentially kill themselves just to get another chance at beating them, but most rivals ain’t Kaiba! Really, I think the only rival I’ve seen who’s close to being on his level is Vegeta. Once again, they found a nice balance, keeping Kaiba from being too obnoxious even with his single-minded obsession with one-upping Yugi.

Kaiba is really a character who so easily could have been obnoxious or insufferable, but instead he quite honestly stole the show. Yes, Yugi and Atem’s trials and tribulations are crucial and all, but seeing the insane lengths Kaiba goes to ensure he gets another chance to summon his Blue-Eyes against Yugi’s Dark Magician is just a blast. You’re always wondering what insane rich guy nonsense the man is going to pull off next, and he rarely disappoints. Kaiba may not be evil, he may merely be an antagonistic rival, but I think he still deserves a 10/10 for being the egomaniacal asshole opponent every arch-rival should aspire to be.

[needle-noggins]

Sav's Author Highlight: Lenipez

For the entire week of @trigunfanfic appreciation week, I’m going to highlight my favorite authors and friends whose writing I adore and why. Now it's @madnessmadness's turn >:3

Oh man. I gotta start first with the fic series that low-key changed my life, Becoming Eden.

Rating: mostly M (main series), some T or E (side stories) | Ship: Gen, +/- Mashwood if you squint, previous VashMilly | Genre: Sci Fi, Drama, Very House of Leaves, Psychological.... horror? fuckery? | Trigun Soup (all three characterizations in a blender)

Last summer I started this fic on a whim and had no idea that I was in for the wildest, most interesting fic I'd ever read. I have to chew on every word so slowly, sucking as much meaning as I can out of every metaphor, trying to figure out what the POV character is saying versus what they mean vs what is true. The prose is unlike anything I had ever read before, and the formatting is so unique and interesting. I was sending screenshots of this fic to my irl friends who haven't watched Trigun, that's how intensely this fic had me in a chokehold.

Becoming Eden is always reminding me that I can write weirder, I can write sillier, I can do whatever I want. It's a masterclass in sci fi weirdness, diving into different character POVs, unreliable narration, and using unusual formatting to help tell the story. It's a visual experience as much as it is a verbal one. Even with a huge cast of characters getting POVs, there is such an interesting difference in each one of them, and they all feel so unique and rich. And the imagery and metaphors! Damn!! This series has in turn inspired some of my own writing, particularly a one shot I wrote about Rem and plants.

Also, Waterloo is my new on repeat anthem. It calms me down, okay?

I also highly highly recommend Leni's other works, particularly their other interesting poetry if you like what BE has to offer, a Pacific Rim AU, their Millyknives if you're into that, and their fairy AU. ALSO! Their smut! Their smut is so delicious that I actually want to highlight some of it on its own.

First Rodeo - Mashwood, E. 11K of Meryl weaponizing her rope tying skills into the longest slow burn oh my god. Makes me insane just thinking about it. Everyone is pitiful in this and the tension is insane. This is one of my favorite smut fics of all time, and I read a lot of smut.

Jar of Marbles series - Vashmeryl, Vashwood. E. Weird alien xenobiology. I can never look at an ultrasound the same way. I love the implications in this fic, both funny and not. Wolfwood's weak little "Oh yeah?" makes me die laughing.

White Lie - Vashmeryl, E. But in the fun stupid way that is catnip to me.

Hog Tied - Stryfewood, E. You want stupid bickering Stryfewood? You got it!!

ANYWAY. I'm not sure how else to describe Leni's writing style other than that it's vivid, wonderfully metaphorical, and has a stream-of-consciousness flow that is so interesting and sucks you right in. It's really just something you're going to have to experience on your own. It's inspired some of my own writing too, and it's a really fun style. Leni's biggest advice is that fic is always for fun, and you can just tell how much fun they have writing their fic. And I want to sit down and dissect every little bit of Becoming Eden. I want a bound copy. I want a full college course and a dissertation on the themes. Makes me crazy in the best way, and to really just add the icing on the cake, Leni is a wonderful, kind human through and through.

[bambibreanathebarbiebimbo]

I wrote this little sissy story to an Alpha BBC Daddy I’ve been talking with for years! He enjoyed it so much I thought I’d share it here! 🏳️‍⚧️♠️😳🏳️‍🌈💖💋🍆💕💁🏼‍♀️

I wanna wake up in a completely pink girly princess themed room and be handcuffed to a big pink fluffy bed with girly stuffed animals and look down to see I’m in a ridiculously over the top girly princess outfit with super girly nails and all of a sudden the door unlocks from the other side and you come in…You have a cruel grin on your face and you are holding a remote control menacingly.

“Hey princess. You got your wish! Your fate is finally sealed!”

My heart starts pounding as I realize it’s you.

“You’ve been out of consciousness for a little over a month baby girl! I can’t wait to show you all the changes I’ve made!”

You come over and unlock the handcuffs and help me out of bed. My muscles have atrophied and I am so weak I can barely stand on my own. You try and hold back a chuckle at how weak and feminine you’ve made my body but it comes out of your mouth as you help me out of bed like some little helpless teen girl.

“You’ll regain some strength in no time princess but I had to make sure we got rid of all of those yucky muscles. You’ve lost about 70 pounds my skinny little baby!”

I notice that I feel very weird and my brain feels super fuzzy. I have a strong urge to walk with my heels up as if I’m wearing stilettos and to make my wrists out and limp like some poseable doll. You laugh as you lead me over to an enormous glam mirror with pink glittery rhinestones all over it.

My heart drops into my stomach… I can barely even recognize myself.. I look like I should be in a literal dollhouse..

My face is still somewhat my face but subtle changes have made it look so much more feminine and doll like. Plump cheeks plump lips and a killer jawline. My teeth have been touched up and made hyper white. I have tits now… and big ones too but to the point where they look natural but still soooo slutty.. My curves are INSANE I look like I got send to the same place the kardashians go my hips and ass are so plump and juicy it actually starts to turn me on a little bit and that’s when it hits me….

Something’s missing..

Oh no…

Oh fuck…

“That’s right princess! The biggest surprise of all!” You grab the frilly floofy bottom of my dress and pull it up to reveal my crotch…

Flat… completely flat…

You grab my ass and squeeze and whisper in my ear “Bambi sleep” and you press a button on the remote in your hand an insanely powerful electric shock along with a vibration surges through my entire body as pain and pleasure explode from the buttplug that’s been in me all this time. I squeal like a little girl and almost pass out. The last thing I see before being carried back to my big pink bed is you leaning in for a long sexy tongue involved kiss and then the last thing I hear as I drift back to a hypno induced slumber is “I can’t wait to show the new you to that girlfriend of yours. She’s gonna love that that pathetic little worm of yours is gone forever.”

[adrift-in-thyme]

Hallo! I wanted to share some of my theories and other things I noticed from the latest LU chapter-- feel free to completely ignore this, these are just some things I thought were interesting

First off, Time's entire demeanor this chapter. It's clear that everything that came with Twilight's injury deeply scared the man. He's not treating this as casual as he did in the beginning and even middle of the story- he is terrified and acting based on his experiences. I'd like to think that Time understands that if the situation is underestimated, then more harm will befall the Chain- and although I think it's good that Time is being cautious, it's obvious that he's pent up, and I think that pent up, terrified state is what will lead to him getting hurt (maybe targeted).

At the end of the chapter, Time agrees to splitting up, but no one is to go alone. Time is absolutely gonna get separated from the group- just singled off. I think that in later chapters Time's fear will only grow, potentially causing him to panic or mess up in a critical moment, once again, leading to him being separated.

I don't think I really need to explain why (if my theory is correct) Time would be the one targeted- it's shown that he plays the main leadership role in the Chain.

I understand that everyone in the Chain has their own experiences with danger and working alone, but in this large group setting, Time helps create a connection and guiding force which adds to their functionality as a team.

Now normally, I think everyone does a great job of staying on topic and understanding the situation, but in this chapter (and other recent ones), the Chain has seemed a bit... relaxed? I'm not sure how to put it- they've mostly just been more distracted(?). So much relief over Twilight's recovery that they've almost forgotten just who hurt Twi. Time is acting to remind them of recent threats and to get them back on track.

Overall, my biggest theory is that Time is going to get seperated from the group.

Have a great day/night

(Also, that one panel with Epona in the background- I swear if Dink hurts Epona we're gonna have some issues)

First off I’m SO SORRY that I took forever to answer this!! Life’s been insane lately

But you make some great points and I completely agree!!

Time’s always been on edge a bit more than the others have imo (the Like Like incident, him repeatedly ensuring the boys team up/stay together when in new situations, taking the lead in heavy emotional situations) but this last update he’s gone over. As you said, he’s absolutely terrified (I’m wondering if this has anything to do with Malon’s letter in addition to Twilight’s near-death experience).

I can see him wanting Twilight with him when they inevitably split up to tackle the dungeon, and the rancher’s presence worsening his panic. He wants to protect him, he knows the dangers of the dungeons, he knows how easily one can lose and that point has just been driven home for him YET AGAIN. Having his pup beside him will make him more comfortable cause he can ensure he’s ok. But bring some crazy powerful villain into the mix? He’s gonna crumble. He’s too panicked and while anxiety can heighten senses (fight or flight anyone?) too much of it dulls them big time. It leads to slip ups.

And what if the worst happens and the Shadow shows up? From previous updates it seems like he’s gonna go after Twilight. If he shows up and Time jumps in between them, things are gonna get real FAST.

And yeah if Epona gets hurt I’m gonna throw hands. NO ONE TOUCHES MY GIRL

[crumbsssscookie]

i adore girl! logan, like if she has zero fans then i'm dead! so seeing the update made my day amidst midterms season, so thank you!

but yes, i looooooove hearing logan's thought process and i also love how quickly she soaks in all the information that she is given. because logan isn't taken seriously and probably doesn't get the same attention from other people as her male counterparts. so i feel her hunger this chapter— that hunger for good advice especially from someone like jenson; that hunger to get her name out there by taking a chance with an upstart hire and her hunger to be on top of the podium. god, i am so excited for her to take the world by storm (even more because she is already an icon).

and also, having logan have the (potentially but probably) backing of nico and jenson is perfect. especially nico, who has been an advocate for women in sports and a certified girl dad. i think having them, two world champions, as an immediate well of knowledge is making me so giddy. i think nico will be her biggest defender (besides her family and sister ofc), will not let journalists or the hosts to doubt or discredit her in typical rosberg energy.

ALSO THE TRIO <\3 MY BELOVEDS </3 liam and yuki coming to her defences ):

and yes, i can imagine yuki's excitement at the arrival of L² in f1 esp since he probably mentions them like ... all the time ... (which he does with liam which is so sweet). but NOT TO MENTION THE PREMA TRIO ??? very excited for oscar to give the heart eyes energy towards logan; her being blissfully unaware ("omg new bestfriend!) and fred being an unwilling third wheel.

thank you again for this new chapter because ugh its so good. also are you surviving the break or are you also going insane? AND ALSO LOGAN TO INDYCAR POTENTIALLY? a win for us i think

— sunnie ☀️

Sunnie, I missed you ♥️ So happy, that I could brighten your day :3

If I didn’t have fem!Logan I’d probably gone completely insane tho, but the break is generally treating me well. Nevertheless I’m ready to watch this gaggle of men drive in squiggly circles again. Also manifesting for Logan to get an Indycar seat, I was sooo happy when he finally posted on Instagram again today about his whereabouts 😍

You’re right, if boy Logan felt kinda lonely and starved for attention, it’s unfortunately ten times worse for fem!Logan. She has to be a sponge in that regard, because even though she knows the future, she cannot say if the people that helped her along the way the first time, will do it this time around too. That’s why she hit up Nico, because she knew that since he’s that champion for women in sports, the likelihood that he would help her, would be high.

I don’t want to diminish the role he’ll play in the story, but he was a kinda fail-safe for Logan in the case Jenson would’ve said no. Again, with Jenson too, she knew the likelihood would’ve been high that he would help, but this Logans fail-safes have fail-safes have fail-safes. The prerequisite for her taking revenge at James is getting into F1 which is currently her highest objective.

Also, on the topic of Logan’s grid parents. You’ve nailed it completely. Nico has birthed Logan himself and he will not accept slander of any kind towards her. That’s his daughter for all he is concerned, the heir to the Rosberg dynasty, nobody will discredit her 💅And Jense is the quintessential proud father. He’ll do anything to make his daughter happy. Also he’d definitely put Mark and Nando on babysitting duty if he’s off racing Le Mans or something 🤭

2020 will bring the rise of the Prema Trio™️ and probably a little bit of jealousy by our resident Kiwi bc social distancing bans him from seeing Logan as much and Yuki’s off to F2 (so he doesn't even have anyone he can cry to in person about it). But I’ll make up for it with them trying their hand at streaming, since the pandemic will still be a thing

[kt-the-lee]

so much can change in a year

just a lil positive irl storytime for your thursday evening! it’s a bit of a long read but i really hope it makes someone smile and maybe gives hope or inspiration to people who have ever been in a situation similar to mine <3

a year ago, i had just been broken up with. i won’t go into many details except one important piece of information: she was the only person who knew about The Thing™️.

well, she didn’t FULLY know. she didn’t know about tumblr, and how tickling has been a lifelong, life-defining special interest of mine. as i’m sure many other autistic members of the community will agree, tickling as a special interest is the most wonderful and sacred thing in the world and it just talking about it brings me unmatched joy that i don’t think anything else could, let alone receiving it.

she did not know That much, but she knew the simple fact that i loved being tickled, and because we were both massive physical touch people anyway, tickling me became such a special thing between us two. and i was, of course, absolutely devastated to have lost that.

i was stuck. i was feeling every massive emotion you get with a breakup. i had put all of my energy into this relationship, and had nobody to catch me when i was left alone. this alone was crushing enough, on top of the devastating fact that my special interest would no longer be acknowledged for the forseeable future after becoming so incredinly accustomed to it. i felt lonely, scared, depressed, and had absolutely no idea what my future held.

i wish every single day that i could go back in time and give past-me the biggest hug ever and assure them that everything would get better. not even just better; but the best it’s ever been!

my situation changed a few months after this. i moved out of the town where old memories haunted me, moved into university accommodation and met the most wonderful people walking this earth. very quickly, i realised this would be my journey to healing and that these people would be in my life long-term.

as we all slowly found out everything about each other, i got brave. i started talking loosely about “a special interest”, not revealing what it was initially, but it made everyone insanely curious. this game carried on for a couple of months, of me being a bit mysterious and shy about this part of me, and it became my only remaining secret from this new friend-family i had acquired.

in the meantime, people pretty much figured out on their own that i liked being tickled generally since it was noticed that i never really protested and lowkey subtly encouraged it, one particular incident on my birthday cemented this (i will not tell this story now but perhaps another day👀).

i won’t lie, the more of a mystery this became, the more anxious i got because i knew i’d HAVE to reveal it one day. the same doubts i’ve had my whole life came flooding back: what if they think i’m weird? what if they don’t understand? what if i get burnt at the stake if i admit that i enjoy this and find it interesting? i kept putting it off for as long as i possibly could, every time i got close to telling someone i chickened out because i was just so AFRAID. also, how the hell am i meant to explain this to another person when i can’t even say the word “tickle” out loud???

after debating the best way to actually be able to talk about it, i intended to reveal this special interest in the form of a Special Interest Powerpoint™️: a 20 slide masterpiece (if i do say so myself) documenting everything from the psychology behind tickling, tumblr and it’s terminology, to every single thought and experience i’ve had about tickling ever. i let all of my friends know that a powerpoint had been created and perhaps, if they were lucky, it would be revealed at our next powerpoint night. and so, the game continued, and i put off telling them even further.

until one day, out of the blue, one of my friends GUESSED that tickling was my special interest!! this absolutely FLABBERGASTED me as i realised i clearly wasn’t being as subtle as i thought! she told me that she figured it out because she’s seen how much i enjoy it and that it’s become a recurring thing, so it was a decent guess for my special interest. i also gave a hint awhile ago that this interest was LITERALLY lifelong, for as long as i can remember, so that ruled out many other interest i wear more proudly than this one.

and guess what guys: she was completely fine with it! intitially curious of course, as you would be, but generally just accepted the fact and moved on!

this gave me a small degree of confidence, so i then decided to show the full Special Interest Powerpoint™️ to my bestest best friend one evening. she was the first person to know the FULL extent to what tickling means to me and quite how life-defining it is, AND SHE WAS SO WONDERFUL ABOUT IT. she was so genuinely interested and supportive because she could tell how much this meant to me (i was Shaking while i showed her lol). she then assured me that it wasn’t weird nor as big of a shameful thing as i have made it out to be in my head (as i’m sure most people in the community can relate to), and she just really helped me to get out of my own head with the whole thing.

her perfect reaction to this led me to slowly reveal it to everyone else in my life, and in just under a month i had told every wonderful friend i’ve made about this interest and how much it means to me.

and guess what, everyone else has reacted in the exact same way! people are always curious, interested, been genuine and supportive, and i was even told by one friend that it’s “such a lovely interest to have!”. most importantly, i am always assured by everyone i tell that it was’t as weird or a big deal as i think it is.

and, in less than a year from feeling lonely and devastated about this interest possibly never being acknowledged again, i wore a feather printed shirt to our university end-of-year-prom, which everyone complimented and said “omg this is because of the tickle interest!!!”

this brings us to today: i can openly talk about my most sacred special interest as much as i like, i also get tickled on the regular now because people know it’s a thing that brings me unparalleled joy, and for the first time in my life i feel fully authentic, known, accepted, and loved.

so, to my fellow lees, lers, switches, members of the tickle

community. this is your sign. you are not weird or wrong for having this interest, you belong and you are so loved. and, if circumstances are right, this is your sign to tell the people in your life. because i know from firsthand experience people will find it interesting and, dare i say, adorable <3

[jujumin-translates]

[A3!] ★ Main Story | Act 14 - DREAM CATCHER | Episode 11 - Overseas Training

Izumi: Umm, this is 7th Avenue, so…

Tenma: Is that it?

Muku: Ah, it is!

Misumi: We’ve arrived~!

Kumon: It’s so crowded here!

Kazunari: No matter where you snap a pic, it looks great and makes such a great ref~! Yukki, Kumopi, pose for the camera~!

Yuki: Sure.

Kumon: I love New York! (1)

*Camera clicks*

Kazunari: Here, here, Sumi and gang, you join too~!

Izumi: (Even after a little under 13-hour flight, everyone’s still full of energy. That’s Summer Troupe for you.)

Izumi: (But time really has flown by so fast from the time when we decided to go to the U.S. to now…)

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

*Flashback*

Yuki: Training in the U.S.?

Tenma: I got a call from my dad out of nowhere.

Tenma: There’s a film festival coming up in the U.S., and he suggested that all of Summer Troupe come for a training trip. He said the agency would cover the cost too.

Muku: Huh? The cost too!?

Kazunari: If the cost is covered, then it’ll be a-okay with Frooch-san.

Kumon: I wanna go to the U.S.!

Izumi: But is it really okay for him to do that much?

Tenma: Partially, it’s because he feels bad about not being able to do anything for the company back when we were struggling with the whole Amadate mess.

Tenma: I think we should just be grateful for it.

Tenma: Theater and musicals included, the U.S. isn’t only about entertainment culture.

Tenma: It’s also cutting-edge in design and fashion, so I think there’s a lot we could all learn from it.

Tenma: He said that if we want to win the Fleur Award, the highest theater award in Japan, we should experience some authentic theater as actors.

Yuki: I am pretty interested.

Muku: Issei-san does have a pretty significant presence in the world, so it’s a pretty convincing argument coming from him.

Izumi: Well then… I guess I’ll take your word for it.

Tenma: Yeah. I think it’ll be a good opportunity for us to relearn some stuff, too.

Misumi: Let’s go to the U.S.~!

Kumon: I can’t wait to be on a plane~!

*Flashback end*

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Izumi: (We didn’t exactly have the greatest experience with Issei-san during the debut performance, but…)

Izumi: (Now he truly is supporting Tenma-kun’s path as a stage actor. I really am thankful for that.)

Izumi: (I hope they can all return home full of excitement and having absorbed a lot during our short stay.)

Muku: If we move a little further left, we should be able to fit the building in.

Kazunari: C’mon, Director-chan!

Misumi: Take a picture with us~!

Izumi: Ah, sure!

*Camera clicks*

Kumon: I still can’t believe how many people there are~.

Yuki: I mean, it is a tourist attraction, so it’s no wonder everyone’s taking pictures.

Tenma: And with the film festival coming up, there will be even more people than usual.

Kazunari: I’m so hyped for the film festival~. It’s something we never would’ve gotten to go to if we weren’t invited.

Kumon: I wonder if we’ll get to meet some of the world’s biggest stars~.

Tenma: But first we’re seeing this play before any of that.

Muku: Ah, we should start heading towards the theater now.

Izumi: The theater should be around-- Ah, over there.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Kumon: That was so impactful~! I feel kinda fluffy like I’m still in the story!

Tenma: I’ve never seen a production like that before, so I was really amazed by the whole thing and overwhelmed by the performance skills of the actors.

Tenma: It really reminds you of the wide range of possibilities that exist within theater.

Kazunari: The lighting and music were supes cool. Everything was so powerful and the impact was insane~! I feel like I’ve got ideas bouncing all around in my brain!

Misumi: It was so much fun~. I couldn’t take my eyes off it, it was filled with so much heart-pounding excitement!

Kumon: Yeah, yeah, it was like an emotional roller coaster…

Kumon: I couldn’t understand the language, but it was still conveyed through all they did~.

Muku: There were so many different types of actors. Not just in age, but in the way they acted too…

Muku: They each seemed to be making the most of their abilities.

Yuki: The costumes were good too. Those are what stage costumes should look like.

Yuki: This place really is authentic, and you can see that the pros are working hard to improve each other and create the best things they can.

Izumi: (Looks like each of them was inspired in their own way. I guess there are just some things that you can only get a feel for when you actually see them in person.)

Izumi: (We’ve hardly been here a day but I’m already happy we came…)

Muku: It’s all in English, but I just had to get a brochure too.

Kumon: Me too! Even though I can’t read any of it~.

Muku: When we get back to Japan, let’s read some of it together with a dictionary.

Kumon: Yeah! Looking at the credits, there are some Japanese-sounding names, though. Like the costume person, Aiko Kataoka--.

Yuki: Ah--.

Muku: Do you know who that is, Yuki-kun?

Yuki: Yeah, they’re famous.

Kumon: Really~?

Yuki: I see, so that’s…

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(1) Kumon says this in English.