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just-french-me-up · 2 years ago

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Harmonies

@hardly-an-escape recently had this FABULOUS idea of acclaimed writer Morpheus who secretly publishes popular romance novels under a pen name, who shamefully gets off while listening to voice actor Hob Gadling acting out an explicit scene from one of his romance stories. I would say my hand slipped but this was 100% planned and thought through.

Morpheus refreshed his inbox. Early afternoon, Lucienne had told him. He gave a quick glance at the clock. 5:42PM. Early afternoon was fading into late afternoon one second at a time, with nothing to show for it.

Morpheus refreshed his inbox. Again.

This is stupid, he thought, frustration seeping in. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Surely, they had not finished editing or formatting the whole thing yet, he shouldn't have gotten his hopes up. Perhaps they had forgotten. Morpheus didn't usually request to be sent the beta recordings. He was more than happy to let them do their job unencumbered, trusting Lucienne to green light everything once it was done. Truth be told, he was barely involved in the whole audiobook side of things, except for, well, writing the damn thing in the first place and having his pen name slapped on the cover. Lucienne had arched an eyebrow at him when he'd asked for the latest recordings out of the blue, but had not been overly curious. A good thing, really. Morpheus carefully avoided any occasion that required him to lie through his teeth. This, no doubt, would have been one of them.

His phone buzzed, startling him.

[6PM 09/05/2023 – The Kindly Ones – Edit Zoom Meeting]

Morpheus turned off the reminder. Too many fires at once. That was his problem, his sister had told him once. Stretching yourself thin until you're see-through, she had said. She was not wrong, of course, although Morpheus would not admit it to her face. She would be far too smug about it.

He refreshed his inbox.

Inbox (1)

Morpheus froze and stared at the screen. There it was. Finally. His pulse racing, he reached for his headphones, struggling to plug it in in his haste. The file was slow to download, the recordings accounting for more than half of the book. Morpheus' fingers tapped impatiently against his desk as he watched the bar crawl to the finish line.

5:51PM.

Surely he could allow himself a quick browse through the file. The meeting with his editor―his other editor―wouldn't start for five more minutes, if not more, should they run a little late on their side. Morpheus found himself wishing they would. Unprofessional, a little voice admonished him.

He opened the file. It had been divided into sections, each corresponding to a chapter. Skip. Skip. Skip. He knew what he was looking for. The book had come out a year ago or so. He still remembered the outline well enough. For a while, he heard nothing but the initial breath of the voice actor, one for each chapter, before he would skip ahead. When he finally let the recording play, the voice engulfed him in its warmth.

Although Morpheus had been the one initially weaving the words and sentences together, they found another dimension and depth in that voice. He was rediscovering his work on someone else's tongue, and the effect left him... intrigued. A few voice actors had given life to the words on the page over the years but this one... This one breathed a soul into the story like none had ever managed to before.

When Morpheus had learnt Robert Gadling would narrate another one of his books, he could not resist.

The beta recordings were rough, lacking the polish of the final product, leaving intakes of breath in and other little imperfections editors would cut out. Morpheus could hear every huff, every chuckle when Gadling would stumble over a word and correct himself, going back to the beginning of the sentence. He could picture the smile on his lips then, the playfully apologetic look at the tech team. He had looked up pictures of him online, once. His face matched his voice: warm, inviting, with a hint of mischief. Suave, even. Morpheus had then closed the tab, embarrassed at his own thoughts.

The scene he had skipped to was professionally relevant, or, at least, he tried to convince himself it was. He had always understood sex scenes to be a tricky thing, for actors. At least, when it came to traditional acting, it was a shared awkwardness, a simulacrum of pleasure played by multiple people who could find solace in the fact that they were all on the same vulnerable boat, camera crew included. Now, voice actors... Acting choices could either make or break a sex scene. It required a subtle mix of smoothness and confidence few could manage. The last thing he wanted was for his words to sound clumsy and awkward, when the goal was quite the opposite. It was Morpheus' authorial prerogative to check every aspect of the audiobook fit his vision, after all.

As the chapter began and Robert Gadling's voice filled his ears, Morpheus imagined him in his recording booth, alone. Some audiobooks had multiple actors playing different characters, but this one only had him credited. There were slight fluctuations of tones, accents and speech patterns, as he switched characters. Morpheus listened intently.

"Gabriel gave a fleeting look downward. Nathan's shirt was soaked, revealing hints of the skin underneath. He tried not to stare, but only managed to do so through conscious and continuous effort. 'You should change your shirt before you catch something,' he told Nathan, his tone as casual as he could manage. 'You could borrow one of mine.' "

The acting was good. There was tension in the words, in the tone. The characters sounded like different people, even though they were played by the same man. Morpheus continued. In the book, things heated up quickly after a long, tentative courtship. He braced himself for the following scene, replaying the words in his head from memory.

" 'It smells like you.' Gabriel stared at him, stunned, unable to look away as Nathan stood in front of him, his own t-shirt and boxers for only garments. 'What?' he managed, his throat dry. 'It smells like you,' Nathan repeated, lifting the fabric to his nose with a smile. 'I like it.' Gabriel's gaze trailed down Nathan's body, only now noticing the growing outline of his cock aga―"

Morpheus paused. He had written those words. He knew those words, from having read and reread them a few dozen times during the writing and editing process. Yet he had never heard them. Especially not in that voice. Even the narration was sensual, almost cheeky, dripping with lust like honey. Clumsy and awkward it was not. It was.... something else entirely. Shaking off the feeling, Morpheus hit the 'play' button again.

" ―inst the taut fabric of his boxers. 'I like it,' Nathan repeated, slowly reaching for his cock through the thin fabric, his fingertips brushing the shape of it, well aware of Gabriel's undivided attention."

The rest of the scene followed, word for word Morpheus' work, yet somehow completely new to his ears. He sat there, enraptured, his eyes staring into nothingness while the rich, luscious voice surrounded him, filled him until it became his only focus.

A lewd, enthusiastic hum rose from the headphones, making Morpheus jump. Every word he had been anticipating thus far, but artistic license? It fitted with the narrative well. Too well. Not Gadling's first brush with erotica, he immediately guessed. He played it again for good measure. The sound was deeply erotic, with just enough warmth and breath. Real. It sounded real. It was followed by a breathy sigh Morpheus could almost feel at the back of his neck. God.

He played it again. He could feel the sound, the anticipation, the desire, the pleasure. Gadling conveyed it with such ease it felt genuinely intimate. Arousing, even. Morpheus ran his hand against the front of his own trousers, feeling the very real erection pushing against the hard fabric. This was ridiculous. Yet he could not stop. The scene kept playing, Robert Gadling's voice purring in his ears, words like caresses and gentle tugs, and he could not help but cup his cock through his jeans, seeking friction. He imagined him in the recording booth, leaning over the microphone, his features fitting the suggestive sounds, his lips wet from running his tongue over them. If he could just get a little further in the scene―

His Zoom alarm went off. Instantly, Morpheus removed his hand and his headphones, his back stiff as a board, a cold wave of panic rushing through him. Fuck! He gave himself a quick look through the camera of his phone. He was blushing slightly, to his utmost annoyance. Nothing he could not blame on bad webcam settings, he thought. The rest could be concealed easily enough. Especially when he was only visible from the waist up.

It was with a slight flush and a distracting, frustratingly hard erection that Morpheus answered his Zoom call, his mind scattered between book royalties, publishing dates, and Robert Gadling's voice still deeply embedded in his skull.

It was hours before Morpheus found a minute of free time. Night had fallen, the evening spent in front of a screen or on the phone, discussing the imminent release of his upcoming novel, one whose cover would feature his actual name, this time. Book releases were always exhausting affairs, between planning podcast appearances, book signings, press tours, and the likes. Morpheus disliked the fanfare of it all, the exposure, but could hardly complain. There were worse flip sides of the coin, out there.

At least writing under a pen name saved him the hassle, with the other half of his published work.

Lying on his bed, fresh out of the shower, Morpheus sighed, staring at the ceiling. He felt both exhausted and wide awake, his coffee-fueled brain refusing to quiet down. There were a few things the editor needed his input on in person, tomorrow, something to do with the cover art. He'd promised himself to write, too. Perhaps clean the flat a little. Too many fires at once, his sister's voice echoed in his mind.

His phone buzzed again. Incoming email from Lucienne.

Listened to it yet? Thoughts?

Plenty. Enough to know it was good. Enough to keep the reader listening. Enough for him to want to go back for more.

Going through his emails, Morpheus found the link to the beta recordings, and downloaded it onto his phone. He reached for old earbuds in his bedside table drawer. Where were we?

" 'Come here.' "

The latent desire in that voice was enough to get Morpheus right back where he had been, a few hours ago. Lying on his bed, he kept listening, swallowing hard at any well-placed sigh, any improvised grunt and whimpering sound. Was it even improvised? Did he plan on adding those? Did Gadling discuss it with the adaptation team beforehand? Marked the exact spots where he would do it in the printed script?

" 'You're so beautiful like this, love. Look at you.' "

God.

" 'I have thought about you like this. Hard under me. For me.' "

Hesitantly, Morpheus reached under the waistband of his pyjamas, finding himself hard already. He blushed at his own embarrassment, alone in his bedroom, his hand wrapped around his cock, his own words spilling in his ears. Vain, perhaps. Awfully self-absorbed. But deep down, he knew it was not that. Not really.

" 'Do you want me, Gabriel?' Can you feel I much I want you?' "

He hated himself for including so much narration in this passage, keeping him from the lascivious heat of Gadling's voice, waiting for the dialogue to return like a starving man begs for food. How could he do that? A wanton moan reverberated in his ears, quickly echoed by one of his own, harmonies of pleasure filling his head and his room.

" 'Fuck, you feel so good!' "

Why did his editor even let him publish that? Morpheus' mind was bridging the gaps between dialogue bits, ignoring the narration in favour of more pleasurable mental stimulation. He pictured Robert Gadling in his recording booth, focused over the microphone, his lips pressed into a sinful hum, his eyes closed. Gadling next to him, his mouth pressed against his ear, spewing new words, ones he did not write, ones of his own.

" 'Let me see those eyes.' "

Morpheus whined against his pillow, both from pleasure and frustration. He hated this. This was... mortifying, and yet he could not stop. He arched his back, chasing his pleasure.

" 'Fuck! I've waited for this for so long.' "

Morpheus came in his pyjamas in a muffled grunt, the release helping nothing with the shame spreading through him. It brought him some clarity, at least. Disgruntled, he yanked the earbuds out of his ears, Robert Gadling's voice reduced to a hushed whisper, the siren's song finally muffled. He looked down at himself, suddenly aware of the mess he'd made. Great. Fantastic.

His phone buzzed again. It was Lucienne.

Do you want the edited files once they are done? They would love your feedback before they start trimming it down.

Morpheus sighed, struggling against the brightness of the screen.

Yes, tell them I would like them.

#the sandman #dreamling #dream x hob #dream/hob #sandman #sandman fics #sandman fanfiction #smut #my writing #the brain worms were too real and too demanding #so they made me do it #in my defense it was pretty fun to write #also i know nothing about the publishing or the audiobook industry #most of this is just adlib #Morpheus finally meeting Hob for the first time #being absolutely unable to handle Hob's voice without getting a hard on #now that's a thought

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erxxi3 · 2 years ago

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could you write something like jill in a strip club in her STARS uniform, r sitting on her lap and taking jill's beret and placing it on her head all with jill's watchful eye? i'm deadddd i can't stop thinking about that

Omfg ofccc I can 😍😍

This idea is so fucking hot oml literally on my knees w mouth watering like my tongue is going to roll out.

Anyways hope you like this my lovely! 💋

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« Woman In Uniform

Pairings: Jill Valentine x F! Reader

Genre: Smut w plot || Word Count: 11.2k

Sypnosis: You were working as the manager of the stripper when a woman you’ve never seen before arrived in a uniform that looked familiar, you’d thought to introduce yourself while intoxicated leaving her to take you home and kick it off with a intimate session claiming you as hers, she wanted you since you met at the station.

The clock struck six in the evening as a dark sedan pulled up to the curb outside of the lit up building. The driver got out and unlocked the door. As soon as she was inside, the door slammed shut, and the club was plunged into bright led lights. With all sorts of colors and textures, from vibrant colors to stark white, this kind of club seemed even more colorful than usual.

The woman you saw looked like she had never been to one before, though atleast one like this. She wore a uniform that had STARS written on it, along with a cap that had its signature symbol stamped on it. looked like some sort of star logo. Maybe you seen something like this before? Yes you have at the only police station in town because you visited once or twice to bail one of your closest friends out leaving a cute guy your number too.

The moment you did that turned to instant regret when there was a woman who couldn’t help but take her eyes off you, the same had gone for yourself. Never got the chance to exchange numbers or chat, so this would be a good time to show off to get the girl you’ve always wanted. The woman sat in a chair next to one of your buddies you recognized while working obviously they were there for the free drinks nothing more than to be the alcoholic they have always been.

Your friend noticed a girl sitting alone with no drink in hand by themself staring straight ahead in an almost trancelike state looking lost. You approached her and started talking to her asking if she was alright. She looked up and spoke not saying much and simply nodded. Deciding to introduce yourself she said her name was Jill.

Yet the uniform she was wearing couldn’t keep your eyes from trailing down her as if you wre undressing her with such a look. Taking notice immediately. “You’re a cop?” you asked, which caught you a bit off guard. “How do you know?” she responded, still looking at her, which confused yoy, since why else would you think she was a co, she replied. “Oh, sorry, I thought a cop wouldn’t be in a place like this.” You apologized. “No, I’m a cop but not momentarily.” She clarified. “But I am off duty right now just trying to live a little like my friends say.” She added smiling at you, whilst you can feel a strong gaze looking at you up and down.

“So what are you doing here?” she asked you with a raised brow.

“Well, I’ thought to party and let loose on the job I’m working here as a manager of the dancers.” Jill smiled again, “That’s great, I bet you make lots of money.”

“Yeah, actually I do! I earn like 40 bucks every week, plus tips.” You said.

“Sounds pretty lucrative.” She commented.

You nodded. “Not bad for a cute girl such as yourself. Say why don’t I take a couple shots here with you for a while?” You drank a bottle before you got into her lap, as you faced her reeking of alcohol intoxicated with it like you were swimming in a pool of booze.

Not long after you started acting under the influence of it, taking Jill’s hat off and wearing it as you pretended to ride her like a cowgirl, her gaze became fixed on you and only you.

“Let’s get you someplace else sha’ll we, then others won’t take advantage of you, sweet thing. What do you say?” Jill said seductively while stroking your cheek with her thumb.

“ya we Sha’ll.” You giggled drunkly. “Yes you’ll come home and I will make sure you get something out of this tonight, sweetheart.” Jill whispered seductively into your ear, while carrying you like a bride to her car.

You didn’t want anyone to see how drunk you were, nor did you want to stay in that club longer than needed. Once in her car Jill took control and drove you away. “What was the address?” Jill asked you as she drove. “I can’t remember.” Was your simple answer while trying to concentrate. “Don’t worry, I’ll drive you to my home safely.” She told you reassuringly. That’s right, she is the officer in charge of making sure nothing goes wrong for me.

That’s right, she’s in charge of making sure nothing happens to a pure girl under the influence of alcohol or anything is protected in any way. But even though you trusted the officer you were still quite confused about everything.

How does someone who is supposed to protect you know you just met have to be so fucking hot?

How did she have you wrapped around her little finger so fast? Where exactly does she plan to take this with you?

And most importantly how the hell does she know you haven’t done this kind of stuff before?

That you are still a virgin? Are you?

Have you ever done it? If so why the hell didn’t you tell someone!?

But none of those questions came to your mind, you weren’t thinking much of anything really. Just letting the woman take control of you for the time being. She was going to pay you for a good time at the club and possibly take what was rightfully hers when she first laid eyes on you in the station.

As you arrived at her house she carried you once again walking towards a bedroom, her bedroom. When you entered the room she threw you down onto the bed while getting on top of you straddling you. You started to help unbutton her shirt while feeling your face flushed a red. Jill removed your hands from her shirt then continued to remove her clothing.

After she was finished, she looked you in the eye again. Before assisting you in removing your clothes, after thus she grabbed something from a drawer looked to be a long curved object though you couldn’t tell because your eyes were closing. Feeling your stockings rip with your panties she lubricated the silicone strap-on before inserting it slowly into you and asking you “ngh..so t-tight. Is it okay if I move, sweet girl?” She asked gently. Hearing her speak that word made your insides tremble while your heart began racing faster and faster.

You opened your eyes and said yes, she moved and the pace increased gradually. She started moving in tandem with it, increasing speed and intensity until finally reaching where you need her the most. All of a sudden, it slowed down then stopped completely. She stared at you with lustful eyes, her expression changed slightly, her lips curled up slightly. Her voice sounded softer now. “You’re mine for the whole night.” That wasn' her words but she sounded so seductive, so sexy you couldn't say a word.

Her smile grew wider showing her teeth, and her tongue ran out, licking the tip of her tongue over her upper lip and she could already taste the liquor on your lips from earlier. Without warning she pushed herself further into you and your legs buckled a bit. “I’ve never— ah…felt like this before! mmh— my god— I love you, I love you so much— haah~!” You mumbled between each moan, Jill's body rocking with every sound you let loose with your moans. “Shhh...baby, baby, shhh I love you too. Just hold on tight and enjoy this for me. We’ll go slow, we have all the time in the world, and it will all be worth it once we're done.” With that, she sped up her movements.

Your entire body felt like it was exploding, you were on the brink of orgasm and you wanted to come but you couldn't. The more Jill rocked against you, the more your inner goddess was enjoying it. In addition her body rubbing against yours felt as if it was burning you up alive.

It was as if your nerves had become sensitive enough and your flesh had already hardened and ready to receive the ecstasy Jill was giving to you, while you were feeling all kinds of things. The pleasure Jill was giving you surpassed the limits making you scream her name “J-jill! O-oh~! f-fuck—” as your head fell back against the pillows with a loud thud, unable to control yourself, or yourself as it turns out. Jill's thrusts went on for some time, and eventually you couldn't stand it anymore crying out “C-Cant take no more! Please Jill~! Ah! I'm cumming!” you cried out as the climax took place causing the room to spin in circles while Jill’s thrusts became faster, harder, even deeper than before, causing her to start panting with every thrust.

She kept hitting her spot repeatedly until you exploded inside her, your inner goddess taking complete control over you and Jill. As the last wave of ecstasy hit you you lost your senses. Everything disappeared and you couldn’t focus on anything anymore. “You’re all mine sweet thing, I’m gonna fuck you till you cry for me.” Jill said in a gentle voice as she rolled off of you while continuing to lay on top of you. A few seconds later Jill kissed your nose tenderly and then said “Thank you for being so responsive for your first time, sweetie”. You smiled whilst blushing furiously, she gave you the best sex I ever experienced! “Mmm…” you responded softly, you didn’t want her to leave your side.

She caressed your cheek and replied “Shh, I love you so much baby, you can stay for as long as you need to and that you belong to me and only to me, so no one else.” You gazed into her gorgeous dark brown eyes with admiration, they were captivating. “Yeah I’m staying here forever.” You replied while kissing her passionately and then proceeded to fall asleep.

After you woke up from a deep slumber you sat up and noticed you hadn't gotten a single clue on where you were. All of a sudden you remembered everything that happened. Jill, how she got me to leave with her. How she seduced you from the moment you met her again. How she swept you off your feet from that strip club. You couldn’t forget it. It was unforgettable. You heard soft footsteps approaching and then you saw Jill holding two glasses filled with sparkling golden liquid in her hands. “Good morning, beautiful.” She said looking straight into your eyes while smiling. “good morning.” You replied while gazing into her beautiful brown eyes.

When Jill handed you one of the glasses you immediately recognized the contents of the glass. “Drink up, it’ll give you a little wake up call, sweetie.” Jill said before sipping her own drink. ‘Oh God, this is strong stuff. This must be a very expensive drink considering its quality. I wonder what it tastes like. You can never get enough of them these days.’ You thought while sipping it as she poured another glass and gave it to you, she placed her other hand on your shoulder and massaged your muscles. “So, darling you feel better today? You can relax now. We don’t have to be so strict with you anymore. Just like last night, it wasn’t too bad was it?” Jill said while putting both arms around your neck kissing you tenderly while running her fingers through your hair. The smell of the fruity drink and the kiss sent goosebumps down your body.

“Naw, not really, it felt great, actually. I’m still embarrassed you caught me like that tho…you’re such an expert!” you exclaimed looking directly into her diamond like eyes. “Well thank you sweetheart, but I’ve been wanting to do that since I met you. Now that I know that you really aren’t a virgin anymore , everything has to change. You’re mine now, and nothing can stop that.”

“Hmmm...yeah...okay I guess.” You whispered softly trying to suppress the blush on your cheeks. She peppered you in kisses before taking you by the hand pulling you closer to her, rocking you back and forth in her arms.

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A/N: Trying something different with my story themes/layouts bc I had thought it looked a little plain so I wanted to spice things up! ;)

#resident evil #resident evil 🚔#jill valentine smut #jill valentine x reader #jill valentine #jill valentine x fem! reader #jill valentine imagine #jill valentine x you #jill valentine x y/n #resident evil x reader #resident evil smut #resident evil jill #jill resident evil #lesbian

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yazthebookish · 1 year ago

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There's a difference between wanting Gwyn to be a more multi-layered character (which doesn't necessarily mean she has to be evil or deeply flawed e.g., Yrene, Elide, etc) whose journey is to overcome her obstacles and show what a resilient character she is like all SJM heroines.

Vs.

Villainize her in the name of "adding complexity and different layers to a character" but her main role would be a plot device used to keep apart two lovebirds, rather than it be a journey of her overcoming her "so-called flaws and darker side" becauee she's just that—a plot device. It doesn't benefit her character at all no matter how you look at it.

So tell me which one genuinely benefits her own arc if people are so eager for her to face challenges and master whatever power she has and to make her as flawed as possible?

Doesn't this whole "luring argument" stem from the fact that she was in Azriel's bonus chapter? Azriel having a positive interactions with her? The slight romantic coding at the end of the chapter?

Although I'm not a fan of the Lightsinger theory because where the canon stands they're nothing but monsters (who knows if she'll elaborate more on those creatures or not)—but the arguments I read from the few Gwynriels who support this theory (a different version from the villain one), they provide much more compelling arguments and theories because the outcome is how to overcome that power, how to be in control, how to not let it define you, and all of that benefits Gwyn's journey alone, no one else.

This series is a romance and I read it for the romance but I also love those healing journeys Sarah writes for these characters regardless of their background and history. I'm by no means an expert in Sarah's writing style or storytelling, but as an avid reader of her books I have faith that she will do all these characters justice, including Gwyn. I always depend on Sarah on writing the most beautiful healing journeys for them alongside a sizzling romance.

And people don't get this... readers can still love Gwyn even if she had a monstrous or darker side. Lidia "The Hind" has so much blood in her hands. Manon has so much blood in her hands. Aelin has so much blood in her hands. Nesta was literally Death. Yet all these characters we managed to love because the author made us love them regardless of their bloody and dark past. They still have love interests who loved them and accepted their past.

Azriel did fucked up shit, would you really think he of all people would judge and resent Gwyn if she had a darker or monstrous side? Would it deter him? He did worse than what we already know.

Sometimes the discussions around Gwyn just strip her of everything we know about her from the canon text because it becomes easier to taint her intentions and actions.

#acotar #acosf #gwyneth berdara

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orcelito · 17 days ago

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I've been working on Finally finishing Naruto Shippuden (after being a Naruto fan for nearly 15 years), & I just finished episode 420. And I have some THOUGHTS about the "Naruto is the reincarnation of Ashura" thing. This started as just me rambling for my normal liveblog posting, but I had a LOT of thoughts about this actually, so I am presenting them to u all Now.

So. Naruto meeting the Sage of Six Paths! Cool!!! I'm finally learning about Naruto being the reincarnation of Ashura, which... honestly is not a choice that I like very much. Narratively speaking, I mean. The Point of Naruto's journey was that he was the underdog, the bottom of his class, the orphan that everyone hated and made fun of. Through hard work and perseverance, he managed to drag himself from being a complete social outcast to someone generally really loved and respected. That's compelling!!! It means a lot!!!

But then the show is like. "Oh...actually, he's the son of the fourth hokage. And Also, he's the reincarnation of the son of the literal creator of ninshuu aka the precursor of modern ninjutsu." I mind him being Minato's son less as a narrative choice (for reasons I will get into shortly), but making him Ashura's reincarnation?? I've got Several things that bug me about that.

So First, for him being Minato's son. It's not like that's ever Actually given him any sort of status (since most people don't know), & Minato was also kind of just a random guy?? Just incredibly skilled, enough so to become the 4th hokage. And then there's also Kushina, descended from a very successful and very Feared clan that ended up almost entirely killed bc of that fear. Naruto being an Uzumaki means great power, huge chakra reserves (not even including the extra chakra he gets from Kurama), & some innate skills (that Naruto mostly didn't inherit, but one can play pretend sometimes). BUT ALSO, they were almost entirely killed off. He's a survivor of his clan's genocide that happened well before he was even born, and he doesn't even REALIZE it yet. So even though being Minato's son means he's the son of a very influential person, it doesn't give him the same leverage as being a Senju or Uchiha would. And the clan he Does belong to bc of Kushina does not give him status either, bc they're almost all fuckin Dead. And we know that Minato is a Namikaze, but as for what that actually *means*.... it's basically nonexistent. There is no mention of a Namikaze clan. Minato was just a prodigy in his own right.

SO.... All that is to say that while appending Naruto's orphan story with a "well, Actually, his parents were very powerful and well respected" does discount it a little bit, it's still not Especially unique in terms of what other people in their world may experience (there are other descendants of current and/or former kage + Many other powerful clans running around) OR in the benefits that it gives him (essentially nothing, outside of his physical strength and the inheritance of Kurama himself)(which inheriting Kurama did grant him access to IMMENSE power, but it also was the source of So Much of his suffering growing up, so I think it balances out).

The "reincarnation of Ashura, son of the Sage of Six Paths" thing tho... that one really kinda does. At that point, Naruto is no longer just the orphaned son of two respected shinobi & the current jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi (something special, but not entirely original, given that there are Other jinchuuriki who are descendants of powerful shinobi). He is now something that NO ONE ELSE ALIVE can be. It is saying that He, above Everyone Else, is special in this way. Outside of Sasuke lol, but I'll touch on that in a moment.

It just feels kinda cheap. It's cool I guess, but at this point it feels like we've completely lost the Plucky Orphan who works hard to overcome his circumstances plot. It's saying that he was Always one of a kind, he was Always destined to become Someone Special (or that he was, in fact, special the whole time). It removes the importance of his hard work in the equation. It makes it so that this is no longer something he earned for himself, but rather something that was a Given, since he is, of course, Ashura's reincarnation.

Cheap. It's cheap. And I don't like it.

Then we get into Sasuke being the reincarnation of Indra. Which I haven't gotten to that yet in the show, but I know from seeing it around. I do enjoy the sun and moon aesthetic between Naruto and Sasuke (so SO much, in fact), but. Making Sasuke the reincarnation of the Other son of the Sage of Six Paths is... frustrating? In several ways. There is of course the fact that Naruto and Sasuke have such extremely gay vibes (and Always Have), so making them the reincarnations of brothers so late in the story feels like an insult to anyone who reads their relationship in that way. Which to be fair, we do see Naruto mention at a few points that he thinks of Sasuke like a brother, but it's only a few points + feels like a kind of narrative cop-out. Sasuke himself said he doesn't think of Naruto in that way (though that could also be his self-denial speaking & it could change. Haven't gotten that far yet.), & I think there are much better choices for Naruto's "brother" figure (primarily Iruka, but people like Killer Bee and any of the other konoha 12 would be fitting too). Personally, it feels like Naruto was trying to put a name to his very strong feelings for Sasuke, & since he doesn't realize being gay is an option (since Kishimoto is clearly homophobic & made this ninja society to reflect that), he settled on Brother. But Sasuke is like "what the fuck? No, my only brother is Itachi." Instead, Sasuke has called Naruto his best friend. Which also doesn't fully encompass their relationship, but it's still closer than Brother.

So here we are, Kishimoto saying around 555 episodes into the plot (only 80 more to go) that they're actually the reincarnations of brothers. And not just any brothers. THE sons of the Sage of Six Paths. Incredibly influential, incredibly powerful, two sides of the same coin and very historically significant figures. Sasuke always had the "descended from an elite, yet disgraced clan" thing going for him, so in my opinion it doesn't hold the same kind of insult to his story that it does for Naruto. But it still feels like an insult to THEIR story.

Naruto and Sasuke were just two orphan boys. Their moms were best friends, but they didn't know that. They died when they were too young. But Naruto and Sasuke still gravitated towards one another. Understood each other like no one else. And got on each other's nerves like no one else. But that irritation stemmed from their genuine admiration of each other. They wanted to be able to beat each other. They became Rivals. And it was on their own terms. No one else pushed them together. Outside of them ending up on the same team, their entire relationship was fueled by their recognition of one another, Jealousy of one another, and the simple enjoyment of being around one another. They were the ones to decide the importance of their relationship. Sasuke recognizing Naruto as his closest friend & thus thinking he was the one he had to cut off to achieve power, and Naruto recognizing Sasuke as his first peer that acknowledged him, a precious bond he finally made, and thus someone he had to cling to FIERCELY. That was all them.

But here we are. They're a reincarnated set. The sun and the moon, but Officially. One could say soulmates in a way, in a non-romantic kind of context (considering the first iteration was a pair of brothers). While this is cool from a story standpoint, it really takes some significance away from their relationship to me. It makes it less of something they chose for themselves and more of a given. Pretty much just like Naruto being Ashura's reincarnation cheapens his own story, it cheapens their relationship too.

I dont want a story about two boys who were destined to be important to each other!!!! I want a story about two orphans who just happened to become important to one another thru a series of coincidences and personal choices. In that way, their relationship gains greater gravity bc it's born from their own hearts Alone. It's Naruto moving mountains for the sake of this boy he loves, and it's Sasuke finally coming back around bc of the force of Naruto's dedication. It means so much more than the implication that they were always meant to be a pair. So I really don't like this narrative choice.

#speculation nation #fanny watches naruto #naruto #narusasu #sasunaru #(i talk about how the reincarnation thing affects the context of their relationship lower down in the post)#naruto spoilers #if anyone still cares about those lol #anyways it's been really cool to finally see all this late-show stuff for myself after being in the fandom for so long #(i was caught up once upon a time. but that was around episode 200 or so lol)#but as much as im enjoying some things in the show. there are other things that i just... dont like.#part of that is nearly Half the entirety of shippuden being the fucking war arc. it's precisely what's kept me from catching up until now #but then theres the loss of the story's original Feeling. the anti-war and anti-child soldiers sentiment.#Naruto being an absolute nobody and watching Haku and Zabuza's ending & being so moved by it that it informs his entire ninja way #but Kishimoto is turning around and saying 'he was actually destined for this the whole time'. which just... i just really don't like it.#this + Neji's death feels like it's discounting their fight's entire point. Neji's entire character arc.#the fact that fate doesnt matter as much as dedication. being a 'genius' doesnt matter as much as effort.#but Neji. the caged bird. dies to protect the main line. driving home that it was pointless for him to resist it the whole time.#and Naruto. the one who worked tirelessly to become hokage against all odds and adversity. turns out it was Meant To Be after all.#sigh... i really do love this anime so much. ive loved it for most of my memory and its characters are so so dear to me.#but i also. really. REAAAAAAAAALLY hate this anime sometimes. damned anime discounting its own points...#alas. i shall continue to watch. because i do want to finally finish it.#i shall simply. probably not watch Boruto afterwards lol

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ajaxbell · 8 months ago

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Story of Kunning Palace is everything I shouldn't like and I love it

I picked up Story of Kunning Palace rather spontaneously, something to watch when I couldn't sleep, something to replace the run of really awful xianxias I keep quitting after a couple episodes. I went in knowing nothing about SoKP.

I was not prepared.

Oh, I said to myself, Zhang Linghe is in this. Fun!

Well my friends, while you should watch this because it's excellent, you should also brace yourselves. I did not expect to be utterly obsessed with this show and binge it all in like a week. Like literally I never do that. But the plot is interesting. It's beautifully shot. The cast is quite excellent. And the chemistry is off the charts.

Bai Lu is fantastic in this. She takes a complex roles and nails while giving the character an undercurrent of vulnerability that should win anyone over. She has sizzling chemistry with everyone she encounters, including one character who is the human equivalent of cream of wheat, and with the princess which is utterly delightful.

But Zhang Linghe. Whew, let me sit down and fan myself for a second. This is not the man who deftly played both Changheng and Xiao Run in Love Between Fairy and Devil. This is not the sweater-clad romantic his Studio seems to want to portray him as. This is... something else. Let me start with the caveat that I rarely go for the villain. I especially do not go for the villains who do not seem redeemable. And here in SoKP his character, Xie Wei, does not initially appear to be redeemable. He is a red flag a mile wide. He is a calculated mask of refinement over seething rage that always seems on the verge of breaking through. He appears capable of real violence. He sneers. He threatens. He's possessive and jealous to a disturbing degree. He generally looks disgusted with the world around him. And it is sexy as fuck. Why I am so in to this character? I can barely explain it beyond good acting and good storytelling. He is an utterly unhinged character, a veneer of civility over a feral creature ready to kill you at the slightest provocation, at least until you penetrate his armor. And then whew. You're in for quite a bumpy ride from beginning to end with his character, but so worth it for some incredible character development.

This is a reincarnation story of sorts, though slightly muddled since Chinese censorship won't allow those stories. It opens on the Empress, Jiang Xuening (Bai Lu) narrating her rise to power by any means necessary only to fall when rebels over take the palace. We see a lot of cruelty and violence and then rather than dying the Empress wakes up in the past with all her memories intact.

In this new life Jiang Xuening does everything she can to change events from the future she remembers, but ends up in the thick of it anyway. Along the way she collects an incredible cast of characters who all seem to fall in love with her (as you will too) and a long list of enemies so vile you will find yourself shouting at the screen for our heroes to just poison these assholes already.

It is especially interesting that here many of the side characters are the kind of good and honorable heroes, with excellent fighting skills or noble birth, that you often find at the center of these stories. Our secondary characters are sunshine, sweetness, and upright morality. But our leads are intensely morally grey, rely only on their wits, and are so packed full of trauma it's amazing they can function at all. And yet the story manages to wring some incredible depictions of friendship and loyalty out of this morally dubious center and make a story so irresistible that I lost sleep to watching several nights in a row.

In fairness some of that was because I just sort desperately needed more of Xie Wei the walking red flag, because whew he was so compelling. But it is truly a good and intricate story so full of twists that the constant surprise makes it even more satisfying. Highly recommend. But don't go into it looking for a sweet love story, it's a violent palace intrigue story with a side of very morally dubious and toxic romance with a smattering of consent issues, but weirdly, maybe even better for that? (And if you have a choking kink, this show will reward you!😅)

(And I'm not much one for celebrity gossip, but I will say that Zhang Linghe and Bail Lu gazing at each other in promo appearances for this has real 'get you someone who looks at you like Wang Yibo looks Xiao Zhan' vibes. Their on screen chemistry is searing, but it seems to have somehow carried over to or from real life because these people seem to very much, uh, admire each other.

gif from here

#Story of Kunning Palace #宁安如梦 #Zhang Linghe #ab-ZLH-mine #张凌赫 #Bai Lu #白鹿 #cdrama #ab-reviews #seriously though Xie Wei is a walking red flag #truly no real world redeeming qualities #and he's such a petty little bitch #I love him so much it's embarrassing #cannot get enough of his look of disgust with the whole world #his violence #his jealousy #awful man #he's my little murder babygirl and I will defend him forever #shameless frankly how much I dig his awfulness

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remarcely · 11 months ago

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I didn't like Sylvie in S1, mostly because of the whole sylki thing, but S2 has made me her number 1 defender.

It blows my mind that people watched the show and went away with 'wow, Sylvie's a bitch' because it just reeks of misogyny and not having the capacity to understand a complex character.

Sylvie, since the age of 10-ish, has been fleeing a constant threat to her existence and grew up in apocalypses. She couldn't have anything permanent other than herself because she has to keep moving and anything she leaves behind is destroyed. No friends, no family, and no universe of her own.

Then she gets put in a room with the one guy who ruined her entire life and countless others, of course she's going to be determined to kill him. She started as a scared child, it makes sense that she became and angry adult. Nothing, not even Loki begging her, could stop He Who Remain(ed)s death.

And lets be honest he deserved it.

Then in the finale, she watches a variant of herself and a friend she faced hell along side sentence himself to an eternity of sitting on a throne, holding the multiverse in place. Loki gave everyone a chance to live and, most importantly, a choice. To stay at the TVA or go home. Verity (Hunter B-15) and Frank (Casey) chose to stay, Mobius found it too difficult without Loki and left, and Sylvie's choice was obvious.

It's unfair to be angry at her for showing happiness in the finale. Time has clearly passed since Loki left, though we're not shown how much, of course she's managed to move on. I don't see anyone pissed off at B-15 for continuing with their life? What about Casey or Ouroboros?

Also, we saw Sylvie's face as Loki made his sacrifice.

Does she look happy to you?

That is a face of horror and distress as she watches yet another person in her life essentially give up his freedom while she survives.

Do you ever think about the survivors guilt Sylvie has? That in all of the apocalypses she hid in, she saw men, women, and children be killed knowing she technically could save them but it would make them a variant and doom them further. That she is the only one from her own universe that wasn't reset, making her the lone survivor of her world?

Even with the infinite possibility for the future multiverse, those worlds will have their own Sylvie. There's no place for her there, so she has to make her own somewhere else.

From the end of Season 1 to most of Season 2, Sylvie has been fighting for the chance to live a normal life. When she gets it, through such suffering and loss, is she really supposed to be miserable forever because one person is gone? She quite literally got the only thing she's ever wanted, that's got to give her a lot of relief.

Don't be the person to think 'this silly woman gets between my gay ship, brrrr rage what a bitch' or take her as one dimensional.

She's selfish because she's sacrificed everything she had, I think by now she's allowed to be. Sophia Di Martino did a wonderful job and deserves to have her character be enjoyed and understood, not labelled as annoying and 'the real villain'.

Some people only paid mind to the shipping when watching the show, ignoring the plot, and it really shows.

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narhinafan · 10 months ago

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One thing I'm really getting sick and tired of is how people low ball Hinata in terms of her abilities and her feets despite the fact that she is actually stronger than most of the Naruto characters that we've seen on screen. I mean for crying out loud Hanabi is one of the strongest people of her generation yet Hinata kicked her ass despite not being active for over a decade. Just because a character hasn't been shown to do as much things doesn't mean they're not powerful or don't have impressive feats I mean has anyone ever forgotten about Shino? Another character who is possibly one of the most overlooked characters who's possibly one of the strongest characters yet doesn't get much showings.

Or what about our boy Rock Lee? He hasn't really done much yet he's one of the strongest Shinobi of his generation. They have gotten the chance to do anything like they yeah we have Sakura fans over hyping her character none of her feets are really that impressive. The 100 healings has to be one of the most misunderstood an over-hyped feats that Sakura has her feets are nothing to write home about all she is is basically a weaker Tsunade. Let's not even get started on how 100 healing is bullshit it was only given to her because Kishimoto had to give her something because how pathetically weak she was compared to Sasuke and Naruto she got it because of plot and it was an organic it wasn't foreshadowed compared to everyone else who legitimately earned the feats that they have.

I know if we go out of the Konoha level she is likely top 4-5. Her taijutsu is top tier and the gentle fist and Byakugan are overpowered. The only reason Hinata hasn't been shown much cause she is that strong that unless there is a huge difference of power it makes no sense for her to lose. Just take a look at Pain Hinata is the only character that has managed to blitz him and land hits when his jutsu wasn't on cooldown, not even Kakashi, Choza and Choji could manage that.

Fact is put Hinata against most of the Akatsuki is stacked in her favour the gentle fist and Byakugan are a hard counter for almost anything. Literally I think only Itachi, Kisame, Pain and Obito can deal with her properly everyone else even if she can't beat them one on one her Byakugan and gentle fist give a big advantage.

Plus that is only if Hinata sticks to the gentle fist, she also has lightning and fire change in chakra nature. If she add them to it can you imagine what she can do. Heck with the Byakugan she could even pull of Chidori if she was taught it.

Like I made a post ages ago about her lion fist its truly OP and shows how amazing Hinata is. If she got more spotlight she would be kicking ass there is a reason she has only fought the best of the best at those point in the story as other then them few can deal with Hinata.

Agreed Sakura is average at best her feats are only pulled off by surprise or cause she gets carried. Then the 100 healing does not make her stronger in anyway just makes her harder to die it means nothing when even Chunin level ninja can one shot her.

#pro hinata hyuga #anti sakura haruno

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arenee1999 · 4 months ago

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I thought I had found something special in OFMD and its fandom.

There have been characters through the years that I've identified with in a fairly superficial way. Studious, likes to read, awkward, lonely, bullied -- and my list of favorite characters paints a rather revealing portrait. But then I found Our Flag Means Death and I found myself identifying with multiple characters in a deep, visceral way that I have never had before. And I found a fandom full of people that felt the same way.

Then the darker side of the fandom began making itself known. Close minded, racist, homophobic, puritanical twats. The canyon that despises Ed and Stede, the gentlebeardies that despise Izzy. All of the people treating Rhys, Taika and Con like dogshit and treating your fellow fans even worse.

And yet, through that many of us still managed to love the show, the characters, the cast and crew and each other.

Then, right when literally everyone was expecting a renewal announcement we were told it was cancelled. Many of us fell into depression. We rallied as best we could to fight for our show. But we were still left reeling.

That same day one of my only friends (and the only one I could talk to about anything) stopped talking to me. But I pushed that to the side and spent all my energy on the fandom, on Xitter, posting and talking and making as much noise as possible with everyone else.

Then March came around we got that announcement. Despite our efforts and a large portion of the industry on our side, we weren't going to see anything come of our efforts. At least not for the foreseeable future. Long term has yet to be decided, but short term there's no hope. Many of us that had been holding our depression at bay with frantic activity, crashed, hard. Some of us were still able to find solace in the fandom. Our love of the show hasn't diminished after all. So we reinvest in what made us love the show from the start and we let it heal us once again as best it can.

I'm one of the ones that crashed. And I was left with no one to talk to. I held myself together for awhile but eventually began to spiral. Tried pushing away everything because if I don't feel anything it won't hurt as much. I had made rather startling progress on extricating my last couple hyperfixations. And I was rapidly becoming dangerously, severely depressed. Then a month and a half ago I find out why my friend suddenly stopped talking to me. Apparently I talked about OFMD too much and he just couldn't handle it. I was simultaneously too much and not enough. And as I was suddenly and violently smacked in the face with a wave of despair, I dug around to figure out what pulled me out of the last few bouts of heavy depression I suffered. Because fuck knows, I was in desperate need of something. Turns out the last two times it was Taika (both directly and indirectly with Thor Ragnarok and OFMD) and before that it was HP fanfiction (for 10 years HP fic kept me mostly stable and functioning). Which explains entirely why my depression kept getting worse by leaps and bounds as I was in the process of purging all of that from myself as much as possible. So I took a good hard look around and decided my mental health was more important than protecting someone else's feelings. I immediately quit trying to unravel my core psyche and personality and was just starting to reach something resembling functional.

And now the fandom has once again erupted into puritanical, homophobic bigotry and hatred. And I'm finding myself shutting down. The joy I was just starting to find again in this fandom is gone. I see nothing but ash and dust. Even the clips of Ed and Stede's first kiss, that usually bring an immediate swell of joy, leaves me feeling nothing but numb.

If you are that full of hatred for an aspect of the show, be it a character, a pairing, a plot point, a cast or crew member, keep it to your fucking selves. Create closed groups, communities, discords etc. with the rest of the hate filled "fans" and spew your garbage where those of us that are here for what we love can't fucking see it. We do not need to be splashed with the muck from your cesspit.

Better yet, listen to DJenks -

#under a cut as it's a long post with personal shit #tw depression #ofmd #fandom wank #ofmd fandom #fandom drama

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anti-katsuki-lounge · 2 years ago

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Another submission from a lurker/fan. Thank you so much 😊.

Them: I have to come in and point out something that I notice with Horikoshi. He isn't interested in friendly, nice characters. I read some of his previous works. Oumagadoki Zoo was about a very clumsy girl, named Hana, wanting to do something with herself, and found herself working in a magical zoo. She is literally like Izuku: kind, sweet, friendly, has a passion for the thing she loves, is knowledgeable, determined, heroic...but it's clear in the manga that Hori is interested in other characters other than her. The readers don't see her school life anymore after the first chapter. No look into her personal life outside of the zoo, even though she's the main character! The only positive is that she has more screen time than Izuku does, because her job revolves around caring for the magical humanoid animals and helping them work out their problems. Sensei no Bulge, or Barrage, didn't get to stick around long enough to be judged properly. But it did give its main character, Astro, better treatment than Hana and Izuku...Then again, it didn't last long for the problems to show (though, like Izuku, the whole "chosen one" thing reared its head in it). Honestly, you can see Horikoshi is TRYING to be invested in them: he makes them the main characters, he gives them backstories that folks easily relates with, and even give them cool moments!

It's just...his love for edgy characters (jerks, stoics, maniacs, etc.) is far too strong. Characters like Shiina and Bakugo are jerks and buttholes to the other characters in various ways in their plots (Shiina's more oblivious with his, while Bakugo's is intitional), yet they originally started with personalities that had them being more likable in some regard (Shiina started as a somewhat stoic, but caring character who saves the magical animals caught by poachers in the Oumagadoki Zoo oneshot, Bakugo starting out as a super friendly person who is honest to a fault in the concept stages). Horikoshi just struggles to keep interest in this character type, and it's ironic since those are the character's he seems to work best with...WHEN he puts in the effort of focusing on them.

My response: now, I haven’t read any of his other manga, but from what I’ve heard from you and everyone else is that this unfortunately seems to be a theme in his work. Now, there’s nothing wrong with him liking edgy, darker, or asshole characters but Hori doesn’t know how to make this work. He doesn’t give us a good reason to want to follow these asshole characters nor does he give them any meaningful development. His best written characters seem to be the ones that have kindness to them. Shoto for example, despite being cold to his classmates, still had an undying love for his mother and felt guilty over his father’s abuse breaking her. Eventually he managed to bond with Izuku. Sadly it feels Hori is bored with his MCs who have immense kindness, which begs the question as to why he even bothered writing them in the first place.

#submission #anti katsuki bakugou #anti bakugo katsuki #anti bakugo #anti bakugou #mha critical

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morningdewer · 9 months ago

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1. At the beginning of Book 1, Sokka is sexist, cautious, and constantly trying to fill the position his father left behind, taking care of both the village and his younger sister and grandmother.

And he may be dumb, but he is not stupid.

He won't be the warrior he became in Book 3 yet, of course, but he was smart enough to manage to - at least - hit Zuko with his boomerang, whether accidentally or not. That was one of the many scenes I expected to see that never came.

And as far as I can remember, in the original he was protecting his people from the Fire Nation, not explicitly Aang, of whom he was always wary and only agreed to help him because he couldn't let Katara go alone with someone they have barely known. However, in the show, he just agrees to help him for no reason at all?

I was waiting for the "Yip, yip" scene, another of Sokka's iconic ones. You know I was once again left disappointed.

And do you know what other scenes we didn't get? Him trying to eat Momo. Completely left out. The scene where they make him dress up as a Kyoshi warrior too.

I've only seen up to the beginning of episode 4, but the scenes on Kyoshi Island left me (once again) feeling disappointed. I remember he had a little bit of a crush on Suki, but not so much to the point of physical contact and *lovey dovey* eyes like in the Netflix show. He's literally going to have a girlfriend in the next episodes.

And by the way: Sokka's lack of sexism ruined the character development he had in the first episodes of the original show, where upon meeting the Kyoshi warriors he realized that women could be stronger and much more powerful than he thought.

2. I have very little to say about Katara because she barely has anything to offer in new show. I've never heard her talk about her mother even though in the original she took every chance she got to talk about her or simply to mention about her hatred for the Fire Nation. In fact, she and Sokka haven't even mentioned their parents yet and I'm in episode four.

She doesn't even have that motherly attitude that always got on my nerves in the original, nor is she having the same struggles with her waterbending. I find her boring and I don't even understand why she's interested in Aang when they've barely known each other.

3. Aang isn't that bad. I don't like that they made him worry too much about being an Avatar when the main plot in the first book is how he prefers to have fun. I remember him going around making fun stops and annoying Katara.

In the Netflix show we barely see him play or actually be a kid. I mean, so far, I've seen him playing around once because he's always talking about being an Avatar and not knowing how to do it, only for Katara to give him the answer - which I don't know why she should have them to begin with - and then he suddenly realizes he can do it.

Like with Avatar Kyoshi, for example.

That lecture she gave him was totally unnecessary coming from her when to begin with, Aang has a connection with Avatar Roku. That possession happened during a trial in the original and that's why it made more sense, but the fact that in the Netflix show she did it for him to defend Kyoshi island not only took away a bit of Aang's protagonism, but it's also like: if he can do that, let Kyoshi possess him and go kill Ozai at once so we don't have to see Book 2 and 3.

Long story short, Aang is too serious for a character whose problems in the original is being a child with responsibilities he doesn't want.

4. Zuko is boring. I have nothing else to say because I skip his scenes.

5. Ozai. God, I can't believe we've already seen his face. I liked that air of mystery he had around himself in the original, but now not only do we have scenes with him but we also have Azula? I haven't gotten to see how they interact and I don't even care to know. I dropped the show as soon as they appeared because I simply don't understand what they're doing there so soon.

#aang #avatar aang #aang the last airbender #atla netflix

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hiroukeimou · 1 year ago

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My thoughts on the (hopefully) season finale.

Let's hope I can keep myself sorted because I have had a long week in real life. Also, I'll be bringing up a few callbacks to previous episodes during this so bear in mind if you're super behind on the show.

Spoilers under the cut.

Right off the bat, let's tackle Rafael.

There is something I began to notice last episode in-between all the joking about his hair/posture: How much do we know about this antagonist from his own mouth? All we know about Rafael going into the finale is he might have been betrayed by his own comrades and fell into human hands (as per Shall concluding this without direct confirmation or flashbacks). There isn't much to go on about how or why he desires to be king over his own species other than for power. Because, if you think about it, if fairies betrayed him and humans subjugated him, why should he want to be king for anything other than power? And yet, in the finale, he's supposed to feel sympathetic in his final moments on screen. The problem is this is the final episode and he has primarily served as an exposition dump for the previous two episodes (outside of antagonizing Shall & Anne's relationship). Genuinely, I did not know if I was supposed to feel sorry for him or not because I know literally nothing about his person (of course, Lusul saying "I feel sorry for him" doesn't help). The worst part is he's been here for close to eight episodes…

The fight between him and Shall is… anti-climatic. There's an issue I had during this episode: The big confrontation they hyped up since last episode barely lasts two minutes in the episode itself. No joke, they trade blows for a bit then Hugh and Earl of Downing finally find their place (thanks to Shall) and Rafael simply throws himself off the fortress out of the blue. … … I'm sorry, WHAT!? That's it? This was my problem with the finale following the source material so faithfully because it shot itself in the metaphorical foot here. The animation is fire though; in fact, it's like that for basically all of this episode.

The lull after the fight feels alright. The downside of this small arc is I know none of the fairies names aside from Lusul and their time on screen is super short compared to the artisans earlier on. Regardless, at least they're free. I do have to question when and where Shall found all of their wings and still managed to catch up to them before the soldiers arrived. Especially since he was fighting Rafael most of the time...

The scene of Anne falling to her knees to hug Shall will forever live in my heart. The handholding scene, too.

The timeskip is a bit jarring since it goes from "soldiers incoming, explain thyselves" to "we're home everyone" within one cut. The reunion of Anne & Mythril was the most adorable thing. All of the artisans looking relieved also felt sweet. Even though it's a bit jarring everyone is acting like Anne was on vacation, I found it kind of cute how they all know Anne is worried about the sugar confections above everything else.

If I had not received vol.4 of the light novel on the day this aired, I would have found the conversation between Anne & Bridget odd. I'm not surprised she dissolved her engagement to Elliot or her relationship with Orland blossoming in the background.

Finally, Anne & Shall (plus Mythril at the end).

The ending of the show is bittersweet, of course, but it also isn't really uplifting either. The Holy Festival goes down without a hitch. However, Shall & Anne are now affected by Rafael's words and so there's no confession. The romantic tension of the previous six episodes has now died. It's sad because the trio themselves feels disconnected from every bit of plot that's happened in the last six episodes, I swear. They're optimistic for the future, and I love them for it, but I also felt so conflicted watching this scene in particular. There's something off about this bit of the episode, and looking at social media, I'm glad I'm not the only one feeling like this.

Hopefully J.C. Staff will come back to this. Until then, it's a long four-year wait until all 18 volumes of the light novels are finally released in English (provided Yen Press doesn't give up). Maybe I'll come back to this episode a bit more positive once I can read the volumes of the light novel these last few episodes covered. For now, this is all I can articulate.

#sugar apple fairy tale #my thoughts #spoilers #the finale is a mixed bag for me

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griefpersevering · 2 years ago

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the ripples they cause

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Chapter Nineteen: You Know Where to Find Me

Notes:

Hii everyone!! I hope you're having a lovely tuesday <33 This chapter includes the brilliant Jen from She-Hulk! There's very minor spoilers for the series if you haven't had a chance to watch it yet (you absolutely should, it's so good!) but I mostly wanted to say that we're sticking to all the canon of the show, except for her and Matt being a couple. They're cute, but unfortunately for canon, Matt and Foggy are cuter :D

Sneak peek:

Peter has only been sitting in a cell for twenty-two hours and he already regrets his decision.

He's made the right choice — he would sacrifice himself a thousand times to save his friends — but he didn't realise how boring prison would be. All the movies make it look dangerous and exciting, but when you're the only superhero in a block of cells designed for enhanced people, there isn't anyone to chat to.

If there wasn't a power dampening collar around his neck, he would literally be climbing the walls by now.

Peter will be the first to admit that he's never been the best at sitting with his thoughts for extended periods of time. But after explaining the plot and production history of all twelve Star Wars films to a brick wall, he's losing his mind.

When the metal door at the end of the corridor screeches open and Matt steps through, relief courses through him.

"Mr. Murdock!" he exclaims, walking up to the reinforced glass at the front of his cell. "I'm so happy you're here. I'm so bored."

Matt chuckles, but his expression quickly turns serious. "Are you alright?"

Peter sits down on the edge of his metal bunk. "I'm fine. They took the suit, but only a handful of people know my identity. The food's kinda gross."

"They've announced a trial date for you," Matt says, dragging a plastic chair over and taking a seat. "Monday."

Time has lost all meaning for him, but... "That's less than a week away!"

Matt folds up his cane. "I know. I imagine it's not the only thing they'll rig against you, but Foggy and Karen and I are doing everything we can to help."

"I know," Peter says. Foggy must be somewhere important if he isn't here with Matt, because the two are attached at the hip.

"Your friends are helping as well," Matt adds. "MJ has set up a campaign, and she has someone else your age financing the whole thing. He even offered to pay us."

"Ned?" Peter guesses. He has no idea how much a lawyer costs, but he's pretty sure Ned doesn't have that kind of money. The only thing he saves for is buying new LEGO sets.

"I believe his name was something ridiculous, like Flash," Matt says.

Peter groans. Of course Flash is inserting himself in this whole catastrophe. After finding out that his hero and the nerd he bullied were one and the same, he'd been insufferable. How on Earth he'd published his book so quickly is beyond him.

"I don't have much time," Matt says. "I need you to tell me every detail of what happened with Mysterio, if that's okay."

"I've been thinking about it, but I can't figure out the hole in his plan," Peter says. "The guy was clever. Even though he lost, he still managed to get his revenge."

"We're smarter. All we need is one piece of evidence, and the entire case starts to unravel." Matt rifles through his bag, pulling out a sheaf of papers covered in braille and a small recording device. "Remember, this is confidential. You need to tell me everything, even if it paints you in a bad light."

Matt insists on talking him through the entire school trip twice, including all the embarrassing moments. Peter lies a few times to omit MJ and Ned from the story, but tells Matt every other detail that he can remember.

"One more time," Matt says, pressing the button on his recording device again.

"Do we have to?" Peter groans. "There's nothing new to say." And he'd rather not keep relieving one of the worst few weeks of his life.

Matt lowers his voice. "Peter, I can tell when you're lying."

"What?"

"So either tell me what really happened, or we can sit here in silence until someone throws me out."

Peter swallows. He trusts Matt, and he understands why he's frustrated that he isn't telling him the whole truth. But how does he begin to explain what really happened? 'Oh, sorry for lying to you, but you see, Mysterio revealed my identity and then I nearly broke the multiverse. By the way, we've met before.'

Matt folds his arms and Peter sighs.

Continue reading on AO3!

#marvel #mcu #spider-man #peter parker #no way home #matt murdock #daredevil #she-hulk #jennifer walters #lina lore #my writing #the ripples they cause #long post

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sreidisms · 9 months ago

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Let Me Ease Your Worries

Spencer Reid × Midsize!Fem!Reader

Summary: Spencer finds it hard to understand when you need reassurance. When you tackle the topic, he wants to show you just how much he loves your body (smut with plot).

Genre: angst, fluff, smut

Word Count: 5.7K

Warnings: negative self talk, body dysmorphia (may be sensitive for people with ED experiences), swearing, kissing, nudity, oral sex (f!receiving), intimate touching (Spencer and reader touch each other's genitalia briefly), unprotected penetrative sex, creampie.

A/N: This is the first smut fic I've posted in literal years, so be patient as I edited this super quickly 🙏 there's no real sub/dom dynamic although there are moments where Spencer is on the subbier side. Although this is listed as midsize!reader, plusize!readers are also welcome, I just thought certain descriptions wouldn't fit the exact experience of a plus-size person.

Spencer was the smartest person you had ever met. IQ of 187 with 3 PHDs and 2 BAs under his arm deemed him an academic weapon. He was an expert when it came to statistics and basically everything else that piqued the genius’ interest. Literature and texts were no match for him as he whizzed through them at lightning speed, each glyph sticking to his brain in a lifelong bond.

With all his knowledge, it wouldn’t be unrealistic to assume there was nothing Doctor Spencer Reid could not achieve - except being able to comprehend the fact you needed constant reassurance, that is.

You had been dating the boy wonder for two years and it was safe to say you had never felt happier or luckier. He was sweet and caring, yet timid; but that didn’t stop him from worshipping the ground you walked on. Spencer thought he was subtle about it, but he clung to you like a lost puppy - he was hopelessly in love.

Thus, it was near impossible for the young man to think that there was ever a doubt in your mind that you weren’t the most beautiful girl to him.

Self-confidence was never your forte. Your childhood and teenage years were spent focusing on school rather than boyfriends and first kisses. Not that you wouldn’t have liked to. The opportunity just never revealed itself before Spencer - and you blamed that on your body. A soft, friendly face had no effect when paired with your round stomach and filled-in hips and thighs.

Spencer hadn’t actually realised you were insecure about yourself, because why would you be? All he saw was a natural beauty and happiness gleaming off of you.

So when the time came where your insecurities got the best of you, your boyfriend wasn’t the exact blueprint of awareness. Ever the oblivious boy, he couldn’t figure out why there were days when you went quiet or didn’t reciprocate his affection as much. Being a profiler at the BAU should have made him better at this, you thought.

That was until you had a particularly harsh day after work. With long shifts at the bookshop and days spent apart from Spencer because of his job, you were mentally exhausted. At 5.30pm, you shoved the key into your front door and sighed, happy at last to be home. A tired Spencer clad in red checkered pyjama pants and a Caltech t-shirt was sprawled on the sofa. He had messaged you a few hours before that the case had closed and he was returning home for the rest of the weekend.

He flashed you his signature toothy grin and got up from his comfortable place amongst the cushions and blanket, padding across the wooden floor in his cute purple and red socks.

“Hi,” he spoke softly as he leaned down to give you peck on your cheek. “I missed you.”

You smiled and nodded, reaching for his hand and rubbing your thumb across his knuckles. “Missed you too.”

Despite knowing each other for five years, you were both still shy in the other’s presence. You had had the occasional make out session and even managed to share a few nights tangled amidst the sheets after mustering up the courage. Nonetheless, you acted as if you had only been dating for a month.

After kicking off your shoes and throwing your bag on the floor, you plopped on the sofa in your usual corner, resting your head on the back.

Spencer remained by the front door, standing awkwardly and playing with the fingertips of his right hand. He looked utterly adorable with his pyjama bottoms loose at his hips and his t-shirt sliding off a shoulder - but his eyes hid something flickering behind them.

The sound of him clearing his throat resonated around the room and you looked upwards. Spencer opened his mouth to say something and then quickly shut it.

“What’s wrong? You’re gaping like a fish.”

You giggled and he smiled in return, letting out a light-hearted sigh.

“Is something up? You … you didn’t kiss me like you usually do when I’ve been away on a case.”

And he was right. It was like a routine to jump into his arms and cover him with kisses every time you were apart. But today you couldn’t shake the heavy feeling looming over you: that you were less than he deserved, both in actions and looks.

You didn’t want to display your worries so openly, so you beckoned him to come over with a stretch of your arm and a weak smile, holding his face between your palms once he neared. You craned your neck and placed a soft kiss on his cracked lips.

“I’m sorry, Spence - nothing’s up, just tired.”

Spencer quirked his head to the side as he looked down at you, the profiling cogs in his brain turning to read the expression on your sullen face.

“On average, women tell three lies to their partners and co-workers daily - and I can tell you’re lying.”

You rolled your eyes, avoiding his gaze to escape the intimidating and unblinking look he sported when trying to guess what was going on in your head.

“You’re annoying when you’re smart, do you know that?”

He knew you were teasing him and he chuckled, shaking his head before sitting down next to you. He hovered his hand over your thigh before setting it back down in his lap; outright displays of affection were still a guessing game for Spencer, never knowing if you wanted his touch or not, or if it was the right course of action.

“It comes in handy when I know you’re worried about something. You gave a vague answer, you avoided eye contact, and you scratched your neck before answering. All of those factors, especially self-grooming and self-soothing behaviours, are signs that one is lying.”

Although often a blessing, Spencer’s intellect was a curse when you tried to hide your anxieties.

“Just a bad self-image day, darling.”

Only confusion spread across your boyfriend’s face.

“What do you mean? You’ve never mentioned this before.”

“Because I didn’t need to before. I just …” You paused. “Not feeling very good about myself. About how I look.”

It should’ve been easy for him to understand what you were getting at, but he looked completely lost.

“I don’t follow.”

You shifted to better look at him and crossed your legs underneath you, Spencer mirroring your position. Somehow, you had to explain what insecurity felt and looked like to this supposed all-knower of things.

“Sometimes Spence, I don’t feel very confident in how I look. In how I am perceived.”

Spencer looked at his hands for a few moments before looking up and saying, “61% of adults express negative thoughts regarding their physique, but I wouldn’t think you’d showcase that. Did something trigger this?”

You shrugged, wrapping your arms around your torso in an attempt to shield your body from his strong stare.

“I feel like maybe … I don’t deserve you, like I should look better for you, be prettier.”

Spencer’s mouth fell slightly agape, the first time he had been rendered speechless all evening. His eyes seemed empty, searching for the next thing to say to an answer he never expected leaving your mouth.

“What do you mean prettier? You’re my girlfriend, you’re the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen,” he said this with a slight tremble in his voice which indicated disbelief.

“You just say that because you have to.”

If he was puzzled before, now he was completely dumbfounded.

“I don’t understand where you’re going with this. No one forced me to say that.” He went silent for a second. “Covering one’s body with their arms is an attempt at shielding oneself, thus indicating fear and insecurity.”

Spencer wasn’t sure if he gave you a reason to feel insecure about yourself. Sure, he wasn’t the best person at expressing his love through words and physical affections, but to him it was undeniable that he adored you.

“Why do you feel insecure about yourself? Did I say something or imply that I don’t want you?”

The opportunity to speak up about the deep-rooted hatred you had for your physique had never surfaced until now. It was a situation you weren’t too keen on taking, even though you wished he’d asked about it earlier.

“No, no at all, you didn’t say anything! You’re nothing but kind to me.”

Spencer raised his eyebrows, urging you to continue.

“I feel like my body shape isn’t ideal and one day you’re going to realise that and leave me.”

You didn’t mean for it to come out all at once: a breath, a tumble of words, two years’ worth of worries and unsaid thoughts out in a matter of four seconds.

A tense silence blanketed the room, the small distance between you feeling larger than ever. It was difficult to decipher the expression on the boy’s face: his eyebrows furrowed deeply as he often did when he couldn’t grasp something and his mouth shaped itself into a sad pout. Spencer stuttered before speaking.

“I don’t understand. What do you mean I’d leave you? I- I- “

“Spencer, I’m fat.”

That was it, that’s what you had been implying all this time, what you ached to confess. His eyebrows went back into place, straight as a line.

“Actually, when it comes to measuring one’s weight in accordance to their height, you’re at a healthy weight. Although the BMI scale was used as a way to calculate this in the past, it has been deemed inaccurate because-”

“Spencer, stop! I don’t care about facts, I feel ugly and I’m scared you’re going to realise that!”

You huffed, the strand of hair which had fallen across your face flying out of the way. You rubbed your hands across the expanse of your thighs, squeezing your knees. Spencer’s erratic hand movements and scientific explanation were halted.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to shout,” you said more calmly.

It was clear he didn’t know what to say. You had never interrupted him mid-rant, you always reassured him you were more than happy to listen. He made a scratching sound at the back of his throat, shifting his eyes down before meeting yours again, his cheeks now flushed in embarrassment.

“I think you’re beautiful. I always have.”

The comment hit a sore point in yourself. Beautiful. A word only your boyfriend had ever told you; and well, your parents, but that was a different scenario. It felt foreign, like you were taking something that didn’t belong to you.

“Spence, please, you don’t have to say that-”

“I mean it. I truly mean it.” You could tell he was being honest because of his gentle voice and wide eyes. “I don’t lie about these things. I look at you and I see someone I love, and that someone happens to be beautiful in my eyes. Nothing about you could push me away, I’d be crazy to do so. You’re stuck with me forever.” He smiled softly, trying to ease the tension in the air.

His words were sweet, but not sweet enough to dissolve your doubts.

“But you work with women who are so much prettier than I am.” You paused and said the next part quieter. “Thinner than I am.”

“Yeah, I know that. And?” That wasn’t the response that would exactly help.

“And! And, Spence! Thinner is prettier.”

“Actually, aesthetics are subjective-” You glared at him before he could continue his next statistical lesson.

He nodded, playing with his fingertips again - a habit he had developed in order to collect his thoughts.

“The first time I saw you, I thought you were prettier than anyone else I had ever met. I liked how your clothes hugged you, the way your shirts and sweaters settled around your torso. I liked that pants and skirts looked a certain way on you, because your hips and thighs made them stretch out. I still hold those views.”

He lifted his head to utter the last part.

“If what you’re implying is that because you don’t have a flat stomach - the current beauty norm - I’m going to find you unattractive, then I’m going to have to ask you to re-evaluate your method of deduction, because I prefer your body over anyone else’s.”

That’s all you wanted to hear. “Thank you, sometimes I forget.”

Spencer took a few seconds to ponder before asking, “I’ve never told you that, have I? Like, out loud.”

You shook your head meekly, smiling at him to show that you weren’t angry. “No, not really.”

Now he understood. He had never expected that you needed to be told what he thought about you to know that he was crazy about your body, about you in general. Or that it needed to be repeated, or else you’d forget.

“Can you tell me when you’re feeling this way? I didn’t know you had these thoughts, you never told me. I assumed you just … knew that I found you attractive, always.”

Communication. This was new, but a step into the right direction.

“I’m sorry for never being open about it - I will from now on.”

The brunet placed his hand over yours, which had been resting on your knee for a while now.

“I really love you, I’m sorry I don’t say it a lot. I find the weight you’re at to be really appealing, although you don’t need my approval - weight has no correlation to the strength or amount of love one is capable of receiving.”

It was impossible not to kiss him: this perfect man sat in front of you in his home attire, messy strands and waves of hair surrounding his face, uttering the kindest words which were specifically directed towards you.

You grabbed his face between your hands once more and pressed a kinder, more loving kiss to his lips. Spencer further smooshed his face against yours, playing with the frayed ends of his pyjama bottoms to ground himself - that fluttery sensation in his chest when you kissed never went away after all this time together.

Once pulling back, you rested your forehead against his, blindly searching for his hands to take them into yours. You stayed like so for a while until your boyfriend whispered, “Can I try to show you how pretty I find you?”

You straightened your back in surprise. “Show me how?”

A faint blush tinted his cheeks as he traced the bumps of your knuckles with his forefinger. “I’m never the one to initiate this, but … I’d really like to be intimate with you. I-In bed.” His stuttering was nothing short of cute. Spencer wouldn’t be Spencer without being formal when it came to your sexual life.

“You want to have sex with me, is what you’re trying to say?” You couldn’t help but blush as well, at the fact the prettiest boy you had ever laid eyes on wanted to be intimate with you; touch your body and make you feel good.

“Y-Yes, that’s what I mean. Precisely.”

“That’s the first time you ever proposed that yourself, y’know?” you teased, knocking your fist into his shoulder lightly. He chuckled and shrugged. “I try my best.”

You wrapped your arms around his neck, shifting yourself onto your knees. “You can show me. Right here.”

And that was the go-ahead he needed.

He surged towards your lips, covering them in a clumsy but loving kiss, while he held your face in his large hands. A whimper escaped your mouth at the sudden movement, letting Spencer lay his weight on top of you after pushing your legs forward by pressing his fingers on the bend of your knees. Your thighs encapsulated him, a feeling which he never admitted to enjoying so much - until now.

“I really like …” He kissed you. “The way …” Another kiss. “Your thighs feel around me.” Kiss, kiss, kiss.

Your thighs tensed around his waist, tightening the grip around his body in response. Your hands moved from behind his neck to his back, rubbing them up and down in a soothing manner.

You could already feel Spencer softly rutting into you, his body flush against yours as he ground his half-hard cock into your inner thigh. You had never seen him so eager, always hesitant and embarrassed to make the first move, or take the lead.

But this was different. Although nervous, he wanted to show you how much you meant to him, how beautiful he thought you were, how your body drove him insane.

Spencer started kissing down your neck, finding the way to the sensitive spot between your neck and jaw. “I r-really like kissing you, because your skin is so warm,” he whispered near your ear. You whined, gripping his t-shirt in your fists as your hips cant forward.

You wanted to say so much, needed to. However, you were caught in the feeling of the brunet’s lips moving downwards, carefully pushing the buttons of your shirt through the slots as his open-mouthed kisses trailed across the top of your bra.

He finished unbuttoning your blouse and knelt down between your legs, cautiously placing his large palms over your clad breasts, giving them a gentle squeeze. You could tell he was mindlessly ogling them, focusing on the way the flesh moulded into his touch, and this made your face heat up.

“I don’t t-think I need to explain how much I like your um …” He cleared his throat. “Y-Your chest.” He flicked his eyes upwards to meet yours, smiling bashfully - you bit your lip and nodded. Spencer took it as a sign to take off your bra, reaching his hands behind your back to unclasp it. The garment billowed and he quickly pulled it away before discarding it onto the floor.

His pupils dilated when he glanced at your breasts, all bare in front of him, only for him to see. You felt exposed and went to cover yourself with your arms before he grasped your wrists. “You’re beautiful, you don’t need to cover yourself.” His expression radiated warmth and comfort. I have to trust him, you told yourself. With hesitation, you set your arms aside and Spencer’s hands were instantly on your chest again, his fingertips digging into the supple flesh and leaving red dotted marks behind.

You squirmed underneath his touch as you felt so seen, so exposed. It was still hard to focus on the moment and let the boy you love so dearly show his attraction to you. It was always such a challenge to do so, but now more than ever because the little confidence you had had a minute ago slipped away from your grasp when he started to undress you.

You clenched your fists by your sides, looking anywhere but at Spencer as the anxiety bubbled at your sternum. Suddenly, your face was moved and you were looking at your boyfriend again, his palms warm against your already-blazing cheeks.

“Do you need to stop?” You shook your head, unable to speak.

Spencer bit his bottom lip in thought. “I know I don’t express it well, b-but I really am attracted to you. There’s no doubt in my mind that you’re beautiful. We’ve done this before, h-haven’t we?”

You nod.

“Then trust me when I say I want to see all of you. I just want to …” He swallowed deeply. “Want to be close to you.”

In reality, you were both nervous and you knew that Spencer was probably just as self-conscious about his own body as you are about yours. With a deep sigh through your nose, you nod once more to tell him to continue.

His lips were back on yours and his hands moved down to grip your hips, squeezing the fatty tissue; you felt so undeniably soft, between his fingers and against his stomach.

You pawed at his t-shirt, signalling him to take it off. He clumsily pulled back and attempted to remove it in typical Spencer Reid fashion: his head got stuck and his right arm bent in the most uncomfortable manner. You snorted underneath your breath and helped him out by pulling the bottom of the shirt over his head.

“Are you that eager?” you teased, slowly easing into the atmosphere and finding comfort.

“I’ve literally been trying to tell you that,” he exclaimed with a huff and pulled your body down from your thighs, scooting himself down until his face is hovering over your stomach.

“Spencer, what are you-”

“Please, I just want to taste you”, he said with doe eyes, his fingers already on the button of your jeans.

You shifted your hips a little, now extremely aware of yourself and how your tummy looked from Spencer’s angle where he was situated between your thighs.

“I’m not sure, my stomach looks odd-”

“I’ve dreamt about having your stomach pressed against my forehead as I eat you out for the entire week I’ve been away, please just trust me.”

Your face heated up.

“Fucking vulgar, I thought you were a sweet boy.”

His face flushed in embarrassment at realising what just left his mouth. “Can we stop focusing on what I said and just let me get on with it?” You giggled and agreed with his statement.

In a few seconds, your jeans were slipped off your legs and Spencer’s nose was buried in your panties, nuzzling the faint wet spot in the middle of the fabric. Your breath hitched at the sensation as you tried to mentally convince yourself to enjoy the moment.

His index and middle fingers hooked around the edge of your underwear and moved it to the side, finally revealing your glistening pussy. He sighed and his eyes fluttered shut once his tongue met your slit for the first time in ages, dragging the muscle along your sex.

Your thighs shuddered around his head and you tried your best not to let out a sound. This was soon deemed useless once Spencer flattened his tongue against your clit, gently spreading your lips with his index fingers.

“Oh shit.”

Your brain already felt like mush - your hyper-sensitivity was something you were ashamed of, but it deeply pleased your boyfriend.

He hummed in approval of your comment, pushing his nose against your clit to slip his tongue into your entrance, basically tongue-fucking you at a slow pace. It contrasted the usual way he hastily lapped at your pussy and made a mess of the entire thing, getting drunk on your taste. This time, however, he was really trying to show you how much he worshiped your body, despite his shy demeanour.

It eventually got impossible to stifle your sounds, even if a hand was clamped over your mouth. Soft breaths and gentle moans floated around the room, while you subconsciously moved yourself against his face.

In order to get a better hold of you, Spencer hiked your legs over his shoulders after removing your panties and placed his hands on the smooth expanse of your tummy, tenderly kneading it. What you could only describe as butterflies, although cliché, erupted inside of you. You wanted to move his hands away, tell yourself that part of you was disgusting and unworthy of admiration, but the pleasure Spencer was giving you and the love radiating off of him stopped your worries.

He continued to suck on the raw skin and flick his tongue against your sensitive bundle of nerves, every so often pushing his entire face into you and exhaling out of pure hunger. You loved how he always made sure you were enjoying yourself when he went down on you, how he showed no discomfort in having his mouth, nose, and chin buried between your legs and getting drenched in your arousal. And you knew how much messes rubbed him the wrong way, but he surely seemed to be relishing in making a mess of you.

You hadn’t noticed yet, but Spencer had been rutting his hips into the cushion of the couch for a while. He was aching to be inside you, to have your warm walls tighten around him; but your pleasure came first and foremost, especially since you were so concerned about him not being attracted to you - that was definitely not happening.

He whimpered into your cunt as he grew harder, his poor weeping cock restraining against the fabric of his boxers, his pants, and the surface beneath him.

“Fuck, I’m c-close”, you gasped, sooner than usual.

The comment sent Spencer into overdrive: he alternated between sucking harshly on your clit and spreading his tongue all over your lips and inside of you, just dying to have you cum on his face. One of his hands was still on your stomach, but the other was holding onto your waist tightly. All he wanted was to feel your soft flesh between his fingers, against any part of his body. Even the pudge of your stomach that you tried so desperately to hide drove him mad.

With one last lick to your clit, your orgasm hit you abruptly. Your hands fumbled until they found Spencer’s hair and tugged and pulled, pushing him deeper against your pussy as you soaked his face in arousal. You felt him groan as it vibrated against you, mirroring the way you were gasping for air and moaning out in pleasure. His arms were wrapped tightly around your thighs, using them to ground himself as he suffocated between them.

After a few more laden breaths, you relaxed your legs and loosened your grip on his hair. You peered down to see a blissed out Spencer resting his cheek against your inner thigh, his thumb drawing circles into your hip.

“I’m sorry about that,” you said with a laugh.

He hummed as he pushed himself upwards, subtly moving his crotch to settle against your pelvic bone for more friction.

“I should be saying thank you really.”

You pulled him in for a kiss, a thank you for what a wonderful job he had done. The taste of yourself lingered in your mouth.

Although you attempted to lengthen the kiss, he pulled back and heaved, “now please can I be inside you, I really need it so badly, it hurts.”

There was the usual needy and whiney boy you knew.

“Yes yes, I’m not going to leave you hanging, pretty boy.”

You swiftly pushed his pyjama bottoms down with his boxers and Spencer kicked them off to help. His length was hard against his pelvis, the tip all red and swollen after having nothing but humping the couch to help him get off. Gently, you wrapped a hand around the base and squeezed. That got a whine out of him, his jaw slack and still covered in your slick. You slowly dragged your hand up his shaft, tightening your grip as you neared the head and circled your thumb over his slit that was already spurting pre-cum.

“Please f-fuck, please just let me inside you, I’m already close to coming.”

“Already?” You raised your eyebrows teasingly.

“S-Shut up,” his voice wavered as he struggled to hold himself up, his hands planted on either side of your shoulders.

You let out a chuckle before letting go and resting your palm on his waist to encourage him. Nervously, he lined himself up to your entrance and tried his best not to push in all in one go. In his excitement and neediness, he missed and his cock slid up between your folds, his tip rubbing against your clit. You both exhaled.

“F-Fuck sorry, I just-” Spencer could hardly speak. His knuckles were turning white from the way he was holding the arm of the couch; he was dying to have you engulf him so he could place his hands all over your sweaty skin.

“It’s okay,” you breathed out. “Let me help.”

You reached down and grabbed his cock once again and pushed the head against your pussy. Spencer could already feel the heat emanating from you and it only spurred him on more.

With a little wiggle of his hips, he started to inch himself inside you. The warmth of your cunt gradually surrounded his dick. So warm, so wet is all he could think about.

You took him further by placing your hands on his ass and pushing. Once he was fully sheathed inside you, your boy genius could no longer think straight. All he wanted was to cum and tell you how much he loves the way you make him feel.

Hurting you or causing any pain was the last thing Spencer wanted, so he carefully pulled back until he was almost entirely out and then pushed in again with a quiet squelch.

“G-God, you feel so g-good,” he whined.

Honestly and truly, you hardly heard what he was saying because you were completely focused on how he was stretching you out so deliciously, mouth agape and eyes closed.

It didn’t take long before Spencer started to shallowly thrust into you, your gummy walls fluttering and spasming around his throbbing cock.

In an effort to be closer, Spencer laid on top you, chest to chest, and hid his face in your neck. His hands found a home in your hair, gently massaging your scalp.

Nothing could have felt any better than this: your lovely boyfriend making love to you, his nimble fingers caressing your body into a state of peace and bliss. And for him? Well, his girlfriend’s plush body pressed against his skinny figure was better than anything he could imagine.

You lazily ground into each other, whimpers and hot breaths leaving the both of you. Your hands were splayed across Spencer’s back, desperately keeping him as close as possible.

“I love you, I love you so much,” he whispered.

This man was a dream come to life and he was so sweet while being so.

You swallowed the saliva pooling in your mouth before replying. “I love you too, a lot.”

He peppered kisses across your neck and traced your skin with his lips, leaving a layer of dew behind. In return, you left a few kisses on his shoulder when your head wasn’t tilted back in pleasure.

You were so tight around him and you felt so unbelievably full. Now, you weren’t going to say that Spencer had the biggest dick you could think of, but that wasn’t the point - you fit perfectly with each other and your pussy had basically moulded itself to fit snuggly around his length like a glove. You couldn’t imagine yourself having sex with anyone else, not that you wanted to anyways.

You moved your head to the side and kissed his cheek, moving a hand to rest amidst the mess of hair you loved so dearly. He had just shaved that morning so his stubble wasn’t there to scrape against your lips.

“I r-really love- oh fuck.” Speaking during intercourse wasn’t a skill Spencer had mastered as of yet. The feeling of his approaching orgasm had him reeling and he was mustering all the strength he had left to express how much he enjoyed your body and how it made him feel.

“I love … I love how you feel a-against me. You’re so soft and warm.” He gasped as he teetered on the edge.

“Your s-stomach and thighs and h-hips … God.” He hiccupped. It was hard to talk, his hands holding onto your waist.

“They’re all s-so … so soft. It drives me … insane, it- fuck drives me insane.”

Never had you felt so loved as you did at this very moment: enveloped in the arms of the boy you loved, skin-to-skin, whispering the most heartfelt words into your ear.

You wanted to reply, tell him that his words meant so much to you, but the way his tip was stamping into your sweet spot had stolen the breath out of your entire body. All you could do was gasp and let out moan after moan.

Spencer’s bony hips were smacking into the plush of your ass as he fucked into you deeper, his rhythm faltering as it all just became erratic.

“Gonna come,” Spencer whispered, as if he was asking for permission.

“Y-Yeah, go ahead,” you managed to mumble. And that’s all he needed.

With a high-pitched moan, he spilled into you as his hands moved around, just trying to grab any inch of you that he could, loving the feeling of the fat around your thighs and waist. I love you’s were muttered into your skin while his orgasm kept hitting him in waves. His hips stuttered as rope after rope of cum was milked from his tired cock, your cunt pulsating at the fact you were so close as well.

The brunet finally stopped thrusting after a while, going soft inside of you as his breathing slowed down.

“I love you too by the way,” you said quietly, scared to break the silence.

You could feel his smile on the side of your neck.

“You didn’t come yet,” he murmured before his hand found its way between your bodies, a thumb pressing onto your clit. Your body jolted in surprise.

“You really don’t h-have to, darling.”

“But I want to, want to make you feel good.”

You giggled. “You already have, silly.”

“Yeah, but you deserve more.” What an angel.

At least, you weren’t so far off from climaxing and thus a few tight circles helped you come for the second time that evening.

You laid on top of each other, not wanting to move from such a sweet embrace. Spencer had shuffled a little lower once he pulled out of you, not caring that his cum had started to ooze out of you and smear against his upper thigh, and rested his head on your chest. He couldn’t resist putting his hand on one of your boobs either.

“All that I said … it’s true,” he confessed. “I love you a lot and I think you’re pretty. And I love the parts you hate about yourself.”

You hugged him tighter, not sure how to express the appreciation you had for him. “Thank you, you don’t know how much you mean to me, Spence.”

He left a kiss on your collarbone before saying, “We need to get you cleaned up before you get a UTI. Do you know that up to six out of every ten women in the United States experience one?"

#writingreidisms #criminal minds #spencer reid #dr spencer reid #matthew gray gubler #mgg #criminal minds fanfic #spencer reid fanfic #mgg fanfiction #criminal minds smut #spencer reid smut #mgg smut #spencer reid x reader #mgg x reader #midsize reader #plussize reader

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alexwatchesshows · 10 months ago

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Black Sails V (S1E5) review

Spoilers for up to and including E5.

The plot is really picking up now.

Flint is starting to really show why he's a captain. I mean, sure, we've seen his big speeches and all that, but he's also quite good at the day-to-day stuff. He can see that Billy doesn't trust him and knows exactly how to get his support (or at least enough of his support to get them through the next few days). It's also interesting to note that he describes Mrs. Barlow as "a nice puritan woman who shares his love of books" given that a) I'm not exactly sure that she's even puritan and b) there's definitely more to it than that, but I guess that also goes into what will make Billy happy, even if it doesn't give a huge amount of insight into their relationship. We also see that Flint really knows his shit when it comes to the technical side of running a boat. He's willing to (literally) take the wheel and can hold his own against De Groot when arguing about what the ship is capable of doing (and he's right). At this point it also becomes clear that Flint has won Billy's trust (at least for the time being) as he sides with him over De Groot on the whole t'gallants thing (don't ask me what any of this stuff actually means). Also, as an unrelated sidenote, it was cool to see what "knots" actually means in terms of boat speed.

This episode also gives some interesting insight into different styles of leadership. Flint, although he keeps himself apart from the crew, is absolutely willing to get involved in the nitty gritty of managing the ship. This is especially pronounced in comparison to the other captain (Bryson?) who is more concerned about the china than anything else, and won't even see to that himself. Then we have Billy, who's very hands-on. To be fair, the difference between Billy and Flint is possibly also due to the difference in the roles of captain and quartermaster, but still, Billy is absolutely there for the crew (more so than Gates even), he's on their level, giving that very helpful explanation of tactics with the brushes (which also gave me a fighting chance of understanding what the hell was going on), he's there with them. Then there's Vane, who's aloof in a different way. He's going through his own shit (more on that later), but even without that, the fact that he responds to the loss of his crew by just leaving Jack to deal with it is a different thing altogether. Then there's the shitshow that is the Guthries. I wish I knew what Richard Guthrie was thinking because, even when I factor self-preservation in, I can't fully see the logic behind his decision. Eleanor, on the other hand, really shows her full potential as a leader in this episode. She clearly knows the various crews/captains very well and comes up with an effective solution very quickly.

Billy is starting to realise the responsibility that he holds as quartermaster. There's the discussion with Flint, where he acknowledges that although Flint has command over him, his main responsibility is to the crew, which I think more or less sums up Billy as a character so far. He's dedicated to nothing more than his crew. Then there's also the Dufresne plotline. I'm going to put myself out there and say that I actually like Dufresne. I know a lot of people feel either neutral or negative towards him at this point but honestly I think more brutal pirate shows just need the one nerd who's also there because he's good with numbers. I respect him for that. But also Billy's perspective of needing every man he can get is true and he's evidently really good at reassuring Dufresne. We see him try multiple approaches to convince him and he does ultimately succeed (maybe a little too well), and Dusfresne thanks him for it. This does mark something that's not yet a theme but still a little more than coincidence for Billy. He's lied about the note, keeping Flint in power and, in doing so, put the crew on the hunt for the Urca. Now, it was his words that got Dusfresne to fight, putting him in the position where he went (for lack of a better word) completely feral. Billy's good at determining the course of events, but maybe he's a little too good.

Meanwhile, Jack has somehow managed to just about save his, Vane's and Anne's situations by obtaining a brothel. His ability to bullshit is impressive, but Mrs Mapleton clearly couldn't care less. All within the group is not well, though: the rest of their crew are leaving them, there's tension between Jack and Anne, and Vane's going through god only knows what. Max is still a topic of conflict between them and I think, for the first time in the show, Anne's gender is becoming a point of internal conflict for her. She's the only female pirate that we've seen in the show, and one of very few women who holds any kind of position outside the brothel. Jack expects this to be all that matters and for her to share his priorities (keeping as much of the crew as possible, Max paying of her "debt", etc.) but evidently her experience in this world as a woman is making her much more aware of Max's suffering than Jack or Vane are. Vane is also going through some shit (probably linked to that man he kept seeing) and ends up disappearing off into the night without telling anyone anything in a way that's quite reminiscent of Sophie in the opening scene of Mamma Mia.

I do like that we got much more of Anne as a person in this episode. We've absolutely established her as a skilled fighter and recognised-- if not respected-- pirate, but we've seen very little of her internal world. Following her argument with Jack, she evidently goes to get Mapleton, but still stands over them like a guard, and stands up for Max when Mrs Mapleton is being too harsh on her. She's then very gentle with Max as she uses what I can only assume is some strange yet moderatley affective (otherwise they wouldn't be using it) form of 18th century contraception. We get a brief conversation between them, in which we see the clear difference between their views of the world-- Anne can't see why Max wouldn't just leave while she could, whilst Max (once again) asserts her own moral code in which she owes the crew something because she was partially responsible for the loss of the pearls. There's also Anne's comment of "I only thought they'd kill you" in response to Max pointing out that she helped capture Max, which I think shows both what she'd do and a sense that, while she has experience sexual harassment before (as she tells the story about cutting a guy's balls off), she hasn't in a while and hadn't considered that the people she lived around were capable of the levels of violence that they showed, but also shows to us as an audience that Anne wasn't being as callous as we may have assumed in handing Max over.

Eleanor is not having a great time. After RG's dealings with the pastor and whatever the hell kind of change of heart he's had, he gives a long, very misguided speech essentially just screwing everything up and leaving. It's very clear that he doesn't know or care about his daughter very much, especially giving the subtly misogynistic language he uses when talking to her later (claiming she was "seduced" by Flint, talking with Bryson "like men", etc.). He hasn't played a very active role in Nassau in years and hasn't been around to see how much work Eleanor has put into it and how much she cares about it. I think there's also a level of ignorance on his part, as a man, in that he doesn't understand that maybe the reason E cares so much about Nassau is because it's one of the few places in the world where she can hold authority and autonomy, and that maybe she likes being in this kind of position of power. After RG fully fucks off we also see that E's actually a pretty talented leader. Hornigold does sort of help whilst being pretty condescending about it, but it's E who comes up with an effective (and clever) solution. She also proves that she can hold her own in a room full of older men, despite her father's utilisation of her youth and gender to belittle her. Her "strong and stable" thing was giving me Theresa May flashbacks but I must remember that this season was released in a blissfully pre-Brexit world. We also see other people's views on Eleanor's power, and her father seems to be the only one underestimating her, showing just how out of touch he is (I mean, seriously, when fucking Hornigold knows more about your daughter than you do you know you've failed as a parent). Admittedly "tyrant in a petticoat" isn't a glowing endorsement of how she's been running things, but at least he recognises the power (however abused) she holds. Vane probably comes the closest with his idea of "power that just is", power that he seems to be aiming for on his voyage of self-discovery, and Jack is also right in his cautious statement of "to assume we've seen the last of Eleanor Guthrie is not to know her". She, Silver and Jack are currently vying for the prize of Scrappiest Nassau Inhabitant and it's a close battle. We also see that Mr Scott still believed in Eleanor and actually allowed himself to be captured into slavery rather than betray her. There's a father.

Then, to make matters worse for Eleanor, she has fucking John Silver tied to her sofa. He's trying to make the best of a bad situation by giving random unsolicited advice and, admittedly, does actually have some success, but still can't fully get past the barrier of Eleanor blaming him for Max's situation. It seems like Eleanor just can't figure out what she feels about the whole thing-- she blames Silver, she blames herself, she's mad with Max for not accepting her safety, she thinks she made the right decision-- it's all a bit of a mess, and John Silver isn't the guy to help her figure it out.

Then we end with more plot twists. Dufresne being in complete shock, still covered in blood, turning to accounting to calm himself down is honestly why I love S1 Dufresne. Unfortunately, his organisation is going to raise some questions for Flint. Everyone's covered in blood and things are only getting worse.

#my posts #tv shows #spoiler #tv #tv show review #black sails #black sails spoilers #black sails review #tv reviews #episode review

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