#I'm almost there ;;;; i think i only have about 7 more rows to go

[altruistic-meme]

i am so so sleepy guys

[roosterforme]

Adult Education Part 6 | Hangman x OC

Summary: Jessica can't catch a break at work, and things are just made worse when she's required to plan an event for alumni weekend. Looking forward to seeing Jake on Saturday was only trumped by a surprise visit from him.

Warnings: Fluff, angst, swearing, eventually 18+

Length: 4100 words

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x Female OC

This story is part of the Beer Boy and Sugar universe but can be read on its own! Adult Education masterlist

Seriously, who let Jake on my masterlist!? Banner by @mak-32

The next morning, Jake was ready to go and standing outside with his travel cup of coffee at 7:25 just to be sure he didn't piss off his ride. At this rate, he was going to owe Bradshaw and his wife something really nice for all of their help with his truck. And with Jessica.

When they both pulled up in the Bronco at exactly 7:30, Jake climbed in the backseat with a smirk. "Sorry I interrupted your evening last night."

She smiled at him and shrugged saying, "It's fine. I hope your truck is repairable." But Bradley just glared at Jake in the rearview mirror as he pulled away from the curb.

"Gonna buy a new one, I think," he replied. "Just to be on the safe side."

As the Bronco coasted to a stop at a red light, she turned to face him. "How was your date with Jessica?"

Jake groaned and said, "That's why I'm getting a new truck. I had to run five miles, and I was late meeting her. Almost fucked it all up. I love that shitty, old truck, but I'll need something more reliable if she actually agrees to date me."

Bradley snorted. "Yes. Get something more reliable so you don't inconvenience Jessica." He gestured to his wife in the passenger seat as the light turned green. "She was asleep when I got home last night. Just in case you were curious."

"I wasn't. But thanks," Jake replied coolly, watching as she laughed and leaned in to kiss her husband's cheek. "And thanks for the ride. I owe you. Again." Jake tried to think about what he could even get for Bradley. What did he even like? Wasn't that Grateful Dead cover band coming to town?

"Wait. You ran five miles after your truck broke down?" Bradshaws's wife asked him. "That's actually kind of romantic. I would have been a mess after that."

"It's not as romantic as all the doors," Bradley grumbled. But now they were driving through the college campus, and Jake's eyes caught on the building where Jessica worked as they pulled up in front of it. Jake also had a front row seat to watch the way Bradley leaned across the seat and kissed his wife as if he wasn't going to see her for a week. 

"Bye, Sugar. I love you so much," he whispered, handing her a lunchbox with a tie dye pattern. She bid him farewell with a similar sentiment and then waved to Jake. And then Bradley sat there and watched to make sure his wife got safely into the building before putting it back in gear. 

"Do you drive your wife to work all the time?" Jake asked awkwardly now from the backseat. 

"Of course. As much as I can."

Jake was quiet for a beat, and then he asked, "I know you and she met a long time ago. Were you ever in love with anyone else?"

"No," came his immediate reply. "Always been a little bit obsessed with that one in particular."

Jake could tell. And that level of devotion was starting to sound more and more appealing to him.

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

Jessica was so tired of the way she always ended up in tears at the end of every department meeting. This time she was sitting next to Leland, and it just wasn't fair that she was always being singled out. They were going to force her to volunteer to be a faculty advisor for an on-campus event for alumni weekend. She could already tell. It was going to be a tedious waste of her time, and Brian Conley would make some vague promises about getting her on a tenure track. But she just knew he'd never let that happen.

"Let's chat when we're done here, Dr. Reed," Conley announced in front of everyone like Jessica was a small child who needed to be reprimanded. And when everyone else was dismissed, she didn't move from her seat towards the back of the room. If he wanted to talk to her, he could do it from there. Because now she was just getting mad. 

Almost all of the warm fuzzy feelings leftover from her Chippy's date with Jake were gone and replaced by self loathing. She had fucked up her career. She had fucked up her relationship with probably everyone in the science department. And she would most likely fuck things up with Jake, too. 

"Jessica," Conley said softly, shaking his head. 

"Please, call me Dr. Reed or Professor Reed," she managed to say without letting on that she was about to cry. 

He sighed like she was the biggest inconvenience in his life and raked his fingers through his sexy salt and pepper hair. "Dr. Reed," he said with a sarcastic looking smile. "If you want to even stand a chance at tenure, then you need to comply with my ideas."

"It's so convenient that you are the one in charge of tenure for the department, isn't it? You know how hard I work. You know how much I care about my students. This shouldn't even be an issue."

Then he strode across the room and walked down the row of seats she was sitting in and loomed over her as he said, "You are the one who made it an issue. Not me."

Jessica was torn between the urge to tell him to fuck off and the desire to burst into tears. But she sat there quietly with her eyes trained on his as he added, "Now pick one of the events to manage for alumni weekend, or I can guarantee you'll be an adjunct professor as long as you remain at this school."

It didn't matter which one she chose, he would make it miserable for her. So she grabbed her bag and stood as tall as she could in her high heels. "Just shoot me an email and let me know the details. It doesn't matter which event I have to manage; I'll do a fucking amazing job with it while you try to bring me down."

She didn't wait for a response. She was out of the room and down the hallway to the elevators before he could say anything. The whole day was going to suck now. She could just tell. If only it were Saturday, she could be at Jake's place where at least her past wasn't hanging over her head constantly. 

After three lectures in a row, she checked her emails upon returning to her office. The first one made her smile, because Advanced Calculus invited Jessica to stop by her office for lunch. The second was from Conley, letting her know that she was in charge of helping to plan and execute a beer pong tournament at one of the fraternity houses. 

"Fuck my life," she moaned, reaching into her desk to get her peanut butter and jelly sandwich and room temperature bottle of water. Now she really didn't feel like having lunch with another actual person, but she didn't want to lose her only friend here. So she slowly made her way down to the other end of the building and the math department. 

When she knocked on the door, she was greeted with a cheery, "Come in!" And Jessica once again marvelled at the spacious office with windows and the beautiful lunch spread out on the desk in front of the other woman. Today it was a delicious looking veggie wrap, an array of mixed nuts, and assorted artisan cheeses.

"Your husband always makes my lunch look even sadder," Jessica said, tossing her sandwich in its ziplock bag onto the desk and sinking into the open chair. 

She responded with a laugh, saying, "Help yourself. He always packs too much in case I need an afternoon snack. How's your day going?"

"Horrible," Jessica whispered, reaching for some of the nuts. "I'm getting roped into helping with an event for alumni weekend. All because I don't have tenure. And even though I've been assured this type of thing will help me get there, I already know it won't."

"The fucking patriarchy," the other woman replied before biting into her wrap. 

"Right?" whined Jessica. "Like I can't win. I'm never going to get ahead here. I wonder if Penn State still wants me. Maybe I should call them." She honestly didn't have much keeping her in California, but Jake immediately came to mind. Which was ridiculous, because they had kissed all of a handful of times last night. But he did run five miles. And he did want Chippy to like him.

"You can't leave me here alone!" Advanced Calculus complained, and Jessica smiled. "Which event do they have you working on?"

As Jessica nibbled on her sandwich, she said, "A beer pong tournament. At a fraternity house." She deadpanned, but the other woman started howling with laughter. 

"I might actually be able to get my husband to come to alumni weekend even though neither of us went to school here!"

"Was he in a Kappa Pi chapter? I could probably make him some sort of guest of honor if he wants."

"No. Beta Gamma. We have the fraternity paddles at home to prove it. But he and I used to play beer pong in college, and I just know he would be more than happy to spend the fifty or hundred bucks per ticket to try to relive his glory days."

Jessica smiled tentatively. "Do you want to help me plan the event? I'm sure I could waive the fees for both of you."

She was expecting a loud resounding no. So when Jessica saw her nod and say, "Sure," she thought she might fall out of her seat. "Let me text my Beer Boy right now so he knows not to make any plans for that day. Not that he ever plans anything except a night out at the bar where I have to babysit him and Jake and the others, but you know..."

And then Jessica sat up a little straighter. Maybe Jake could come to the event, too. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad at all if they were all there. Maybe then Brian Conley would get off her back about everything, or at the very least, she wouldn't be alone when he tried to pick apart every little detail. 

"Thank you," Jessica blurted out. "Like honestly. Thank you for agreeing to help me. And just for inviting me to eat lunch with you."

The other woman looked up from her phone with a surprised expression on her face. "You don't have to thank me. Now.... why don't you tell me a little bit about your date with Jake. I heard that man ran like a hundred miles to see you."

Jessica felt warmth in her cheeks as she divulged a few details about the evening, but then she realized it was nearly time for her to teach her lab class. "I'm sorry, but I need to run. Maybe we can do this again next week?"

"Sure. And I'll start brainstorming some ideas for alumni weekend. I'll recruit Bradley to help. Or maybe not... everything would be tie dye."

Jessica was still smiling as she walked to the lab.

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

Jessica was no longer smiling when she was three quarters of the way through her office hours and nobody had stopped by. Her stomach was growling so loudly, she was sure you could hear it down by the elevators. And she was shopping on the Victoria's Secret website for something to do. Really, she just wanted to stop at In-N-Out and head home, but then there was a knock on her open door. 

"Reedy," Jake drawled, and she dropped her phone onto her desk with a soft thud. "You got some time for me?"

He looked so damn good in some well worn jeans and a Texas Longhorns shirt. But to make him even more appealing, he was holding some flowers and a container that looked like it was filled with food. 

"Jake," she whispered, standing up behind her desk. She felt goosebumps on her arms and legs as a crooked little grin appeared on his face. He headed straight for her and set the container down, and when he held out the flowers, she took them. "Thanks."

Then she noticed his eyes catch on her phone which was next to the container, and Jake's cheeks flushed pink. He swallowed hard and asked, "You doing some shopping?"

Jessica turned the phone over just as the screen faded to black, but it was too late. Her Victoria's Secret shopping cart full of thigh high stockings, a new garter belt, and a pretty green set had been plainly visible to him. 

"Maybe," she whispered, realizing that the green bra and thong set matched his eyes perfectly. And now she was thinking about how he might react to her wearing them. Jessica whimpered softly. And then his lips came crashing down against hers. She dropped the flowers onto her desk so she could have full access to his body as she stumbled back a step and hit her chair. But Jake had one arm wrapped securely around her waist, keeping her on her feet. 

She let her fingers sink into his silky hair as his tongue met hers, and she whimpered again for him. His kisses were so intentional, so sure. Like he really wanted to be here in this moment. With her. Yet he kept his hands very respectfully on her back. And she realized it had been a year since she'd let anyone touch or kiss her like this. It had been a year since she even tried, and she never expected it to feel this good.

"Wait," she gasped, wrenching her lips away from his and pulling herself from his warm grasp. Jake held his hands up like she'd burned him, and his cheeks grew pinker as she walked around her desk, high heels clicking along the floor.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, his tone bordering on questioning as his eyes followed her across the tiny room. She closed her office door with a soft thud, and then turned to look at him.

"Too many prying eyes around here," she said with a laugh as her fingers skimmed along the doorknob, already missing the feel of Jake. 

"Understood." He looked mildly relieved if no less pink as she made her way back to him. And then she was right in front of him again, and his lips were parted and his fingers were flexing, but he didn't make a move to touch her again as she adjusted her glasses.

She had somehow managed to pour cold water all over the moment by wanting to close the door, but just the idea of Conley walking by and catching them was too much for her to think about. Then Jessica's eyes trailed down to the lettering on Jake's shirt, and her fingers traced the T in Texas before she really knew what she was doing. She made it to the X, before she met his eyes again. 

"Jessica." His voice was deep and a little raspy as he reached for her wrist and flattened her palm against his chest. He covered her hand with his larger one and said, "You're in charge. You set the pace."

How could those words possibly turn her on the way they did? How was this happening? She just nodded and eased both of her hands up along his chest and around his neck while he stroked her arm with one big hand. And then she pushed herself up onto her tiptoes and kissed him softly, guiding his other hand around her waist. 

"I want you to touch me," she whispered against his lips, and that hand rubbed along her hip and then up her side in the most enticing way. 

As Jessica kissed down Jake's neck to the collar of his shirt, he said, "I can't stop thinking about you. Didn't want to wait until Saturday to see you."

She giggled against his stubbled jaw and said, "You come to my office hours so frequently, you're probably my best student."

Jake grunted and said, "Now you're just teasing me."

Jessica pulled away and looked up at his handsome face. "If I wanted to tease you, I would ask what you thought about the thong I was about to order on my phone."

His head tipped back, and she watched his Adam's apple as he swallowed. "You're right. That's a much better way to tease me. And I would say that green is my favorite color." 

When he met her eyes again, he very slowly brought his hand down along her butt. And then they were making out, hands everywhere. Jessica's glasses were crooked on her nose as he pushed his fingers up into her hair, tipping her head back for better access to her kisses. Her tongue was tangled with his again, and her fingers were tucking underneath his shirt when he moaned into her mouth. 

Jake cupped her cheek with his palm and let the kisses taper off, but he still held her reassuringly in place against him with his other hand on her butt. "So are you going to buy it?" he asked breathlessly. 

"Hmm?" she hummed, brushing her lips on his chin.

"The lingerie. Are you going to buy it?"

She gasped. "I don't really need it. I have so much already."

Jake just groaned and shook his head with a look of agony on his face. "You need it. The green ones. You should buy them."

She was in charge. He made it a point of telling her that she was, and now she felt powerful. "Alright. I will."

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

Jake was a little nervous that Jessica would be able to feel how hard he was in his jeans when she told him she was going to buy that bra and lace thong that he was dying to see on her. His current state of need was only exacerbated by the way she vaguely told him she already had a whole collection of lingerie at her disposal. 

Maybe it was the high heels or the fact that he could see her light pink bra strap peeking out of the top of her blouse right now. Or maybe it was her glasses and her kiss swollen lips. It didn't matter. Everything she did turned him on. And she wasn't even really doing anything intentionally. Well, except maybe for the slight dirty talk. 

He wanted to make a comment about how pretty that shade of green would look on her or about how he'd love to take it back off of her, but he didn't. Instead he kissed her softly and said, "I stopped by to bring you dinner, so getting to see what you were shopping for was just a bonus, Baby."

She laughed and ducked her head before asking, "What's for dinner, anyway?"

"Chicken parmesan casserole and garlic toast. Oh, and a brownie for dessert."

Suddenly she was reaching for the container and peeking inside the lid. "This looks homemade. You made this?"

"Mmhmm." He rubbed circles into her hips through her skirt with his thumbs. "Trying to get you excited for Saturday."

She laughed and looked up at him. "I was already excited for Saturday."

He kissed her cheek and whispered, "Game starts at one o'clock. And I'm completely out of journals again."

And then Jake found himself standing behind Jessica at her bookshelf while she looked for the titles she wanted. He had one hand on her hip, and the other was held out so she could stack the journals she wanted for the weekend on his palm. "Oh, you'll like this one," she mused, adding one more to the pile. "I've read it a million times."

"Maybe I can read it to you," he murmured, and then her lips were on his again. 

In an ideal world, this would be something already established. He could just take Jessica home with him for the night. Probably have sex and then cuddle. And then they could both leave for work from his place in the morning after a nice shower together. And that sounded so good to him, he was actually willing to put in the work to try to get there. 

But tonight, he helped her carry her bag and her dinner and her flowers to her car. "You take the journals home with you," she whispered, kissing him just below his ear before she climbed into the driver's seat. 

"Enjoy your dinner," he drawled.

"I will," she said with a smile before Jake closed the door for her. And then he walked the two blocks to where he had parked his brand new truck less than an hour previously. 

The engine started up like a dream, and he drove home to clean up his place for Saturday. Not that it was ever too much of a mess; he lived there alone. Regardless, he wanted everything to look perfect. He wanted his couch to look extra inviting. He wanted to impress her. 

Jake didn't even go to the bar on Friday night. Two weeks in a row now he didn't bring a girl home with him and kick her out early Saturday morning. He could have gone to the Hard Deck, and it would have been fine. He could have played pool and annoyed Bradshaw by buying drinks for his wife. It would have been fun, and he could have come home empty handed, no problem. 

But he went to bed early after he jerked off in the shower to the daydream of Jessica in light green lingerie, and he couldn't remember the last time he slept so well. Then he spent Saturday morning getting food prepared for later. 

Jessica told him she wasn't picky and would eat just about anything, so he was getting the ingredients ready to make chili with the pregame show playing on his massive TV. Then there was a knock on his door. Jessica was standing there holding a six pack of Sam Adams bottles and wearing a fitted Texas A&M shirt and tight black leggings. He couldn't really tell if she was wearing any makeup, and she had traded in her high heels for some beat up sneakers. And Jake felt a little weak. 

"Hi." Her voice was soft as he opened the door wider.

"I told you not to bring anything," he said, eyes fixed on her body as she walked past him into his living room and looked around.

She turned back to smile at him over her shoulder. She looked maybe a little younger and so much more petite like this. Jake had to fight the urge to pick her up and carry her around. "Nice place. You going to give me a tour?"

"I dunno," he mumbled, closing the distance to her. "You're wearing an A&M shirt. The Longhorns' biggest rival."

She pressed her lips together, trying not to smile. "I thought you could make an exception for me?"

He took the six pack from her and brought his other hand up to cup her cheek. He kissed her slow and steady until he felt her fingers meet the waistband of his jeans. "Just for you," he promised. "Nobody else."

When he led her into the kitchen to put the beer away, Jake had to laugh. Her maroon and gray shirt perfectly matched his new truck. "What's funny?" she asked as he closed the fridge. 

"I just realized my new truck is maroon with gray trim. Just like fucking A&M. I've gotta be the worst Longhorns fan around."

"You got a new truck?" she asked, eyes wide. 

"Yeah. Thursday right after work, before I brought you dinner. Can't be late to meet you again."

"Seriously, you bought a new truck?" she asked, lips parted as she gaped up at him. 

"Yeah, it was time. Still hoping the old one can get fixed up. I tend to like to hold onto things once I get attached to them."

"That sounds nice," she said, lacing her fingers with his while he took her on a tour of his condo. He showed her his bedroom and the balcony after she inspected all of the food he had out on the counter for later. And she just kept getting closer to him until they were right next to the couch.

The game was about to start, so Jake just went ahead and told her what he wanted her to know. "I think I'm getting attached to you, Reedy."

She closed her eyes and let her cheek come to rest on his chest. "Are you going to try to hold onto me?"

Jake wrapped his arms around her and said, "Yes."

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

I can't get enough of Jake (who even am I?). And I love Beer Boy being so snarky to Jake and so loving to Sugar. Reedy + Sugar = bffs? Thanks to @mak-32 and @beyondthesefourwalls

PART 7

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[wonderfull-star]

My own idea of ​​Peri as an antagonist(updated)

Some believe that he may become an antagonist because of his disagreements and arguments with Dev, some believe that it is because of the childhood trauma after leaving Timmy (which I also like), but I believe that it will be connected with his ambiguous attitude towards Irep. As I wrote in previous post, Peri and Irep have a special connection with each other than other fairies and anti fairies. Irep in the original cartoon series played the role of "cartoon villain". However, everything Irep/Foop did goes downhill. And not only because the main characters and some other ones thwarted his plans, but also because of himself. Irep has never been and will not be pure evil, and with each episode and season he will show it even more(in the new show too I think?). The same with Peri, but vice versa. Almost the main protagonist, ready to come to the aid of the main character. Always had a charming trait that many liked. However, there is a tougher and more chaotic side to him. It feels like he can always sense his interlocutor and when he needs to stop in time. Peri also has another side of his personality, just like Irep.

That's why I think Irep will appear in Season 2, but not as a threat as before and not as an antagonist as he was at the end of Season 1. That is, I think everything will be like in the original cartoon series. In that case, there would be another great parallel that has already been present a couple of times in the new show.And I think in that case Peri’s and Irep’s "break" will come to an end. That is, they will get along again like they did in season 9 (correct me if I'm wrong).

Okay, it's angst and drama time.

My idea is that over time Peri will start to break the rules a little bit. And the first "break" of the rules was that he wanted to go back to Dev. And that was the starting point when he wanted to leave the "rules" on the back burner for Dev. And it will even go so far that he will change his style of clothing to be similar to Irep's.

Do you feel some irony yet? Yes, my idea is "role reversal". Peri from the one who was constantly worried about following the rules to the one who later began to break them himself. And also Irep who loved all this chaos and destruction will become more worried about many things and more reserved. After further rule violations, causes Peri’s sphere on a wand to shatter, releasing the accumulated energy and causing severe damage to everything around it. This was the final straw for Jorgen to remove him as a godparent after being given a second chance, saying "even Irep could have done better than you". After that, Peri felt betrayed and angry at everyone, including himself first of all. At that moment Peri believed that everything was over for him: “all his efforts, earned authority and most importantly – the trust and love of his parents.” And this gave rise to another emotional breakdown and a wave of magic. He started attacking everything in a row and the first one who stood up for everyone was Irep. Another irony in the style of "you became what you once hated"(Yes, I decided to take a little idea from season 7 of the original cartoon series.). In the end, it will all end with Irep becoming Dev’s godparent again, but already officially from Jorgen seeing how he tried to protect Dev, showing himself from the better side. And you know what? I see it. At that moment at the end of season 1, Irep liked spending time with Dev. And I see how he, just like with Chloe in the past, like Peri, will become attached to Dev. Then he saved Chloe from Vicky and now I like to imagine how he will also treat Dev like this.

So seeing how Peri’s once former enemy who tried to destroy him became a godparent instead of him will hurt Peri. He knew that he failed as a parent for the second time, caused great damage with his magic, and most importantly for him- let his parents down. Therefore, the only thing Peri did after realizing all this was start crying causing rain.

Now it's all over. Now Peri and Irep are enemies again, but this time from Peri's side. And now hatred for Irep has awakened in him with the only thought- that only he can be a godparent…

[sugar-grigri]

An overlay of games

Two injured arms? What are you trying to tell us, Fujimoto ?

The interesting thing about the first part of the chapter is this page in which Denji hesitantly answers. It's another way of accentuating his existential crisis, even when he's called an impostor, Denji can't defend his position firmly and confidently.

It's normal, he's still bound by the dilemma of the public hunters who have forbidden him to reveal and be Chainsaw Man himself, and above all he's competing with the impostor for his own identity.

Denji isn't THAT scandalized by being pointed out as a wannabe CSM because he is one now, he's been so robbed of his identity that he's almost willing to become himself.

This chapter also hints at the fact that the public hunters don't agree on everything, probably because of a hierarchy or unity game. For example, some hunters only thought that the church was having fun playing CSM, not knowing that it was fighting against the prophecy of Nostradamus.

However, this information was gathered by Yoshida through his interview with Fami, but it remained highly confidential. Here again, this public hunter doesn't know that Denji is CSM. In short, information isn't leaking out of the Special Division 7.

Yoshida is the mediator between the public hunters and Denji, but also with the church with Fami. Katana, Quanxi and the possessed man with the dripping brain are the henchmen. Fumiko is the one in charge of preventing any temptation on Denji's part to get closer to the church.

But there's something else that I find even more interesting that follows this point. If we try to untangle everyone's role. We end up with Yoshida; Quanxi; Katana; the possessed one with the overflowing brain; Fumiko; Denji and on the other, on the church side, we have Fami, Barem, Miri, the weapon of the whip, the bow and finally Asa. That's six against six.

Asa's room is 606. And as I've explained several times, Fujimoto tends to play with numbers in this part 2. So I'm going to try and give you an explanation.

When I saw that not only Quanxi had her arm bruised but Yoshida had sliced Asa's arm, the first thing I thought was "a tie". On one side we have Quanxi losing her arm to protect while on the other we have Yoshida attacking with a slice. The fact remains that an arm has been lost on each side, so there's a certain balance.

Let me remind you that there are six against six in this game, and nobody has won any points yet, which makes 0. 6 0 6, ball in the middle.

I sincerely believe that what Fujimoto is setting up is a form of game, a war in which we're going to have to keep score. Barem is called Barem BRIDGE, a card game of 2. against 2. This time it's not just a game about the clan war but the whole manga: Fami and Barem on one side, the demon of Death and maybe Fake! CSM on the other

Did you know that one of the players called himself the dead man? ;))))))

I think the human usurper and fake!CSM are two different entities because the demon has twice interfered with Fami's plan by eliminating the fire demon (Yuko) and saving Denji and Asa.

But it doesn't stop there, so let me come back to a few bridge rules (I don't know how to play, so if I'm wrong, please correct me). The game opens with the "contract", i.e. declarer commits to making a given number of tricks. Just like the beginning of the game in CSM started with Barem announcing his contract with the fire demon.

A game of bridge is played in several moves, each move corresponding to a deal. Each player holds 13 cards, which they have arranged in a row to form what is known as their "deck" or "hand". Again, this is not to say that game 2 works exactly like bridge (and its horribly complex rules) but rather to emphasise the symbolism.

Every time one of the sides moves, an injury occurs, a limb is neutralised or even pulverised.

I wanted to end this analysis with the "strong" part of the chapter, Yoru's return in force. I was stuck on the symbolism of the arm, its symbolism in art and its relationship to war. So much so that I forgot to read the line: Yoru is a team player, she speaks as "we".

And then everything fell into place. There's a contrast between Yoru's exaltation and the fact that she's still missing a member. But everything makes sense with this fusion introduced by the "we".

Yoru is missing nothing, not even an arm, and Asa has become the perfect continuity of her being and her limbs.

Asa may have transformed her flat, her home, but she hasn't lost her bearings, because each of these girls has become the home of the other.

While Denji denies the duality of his being, Asa is embracing it.

While Yoru, even without her arm, feels her strength reaching its peak thanks to her completeness with Asa.

Now, don't you think that making room 606 a weapon whose number symbolizes the status quo is just the beginning of hostilities?

To be obsessed with victory, even if it means leaving your mark, isn't that the definition of waging war?

Or is it just playing a card game ?

[salethe2]

Okay, so instead of sleeping, I'm here writing this, but I just had to share my thoughts on episode 7 and the relationship between Armand and Louis.

I'll probably need to rewatch the episode a few more times to fully grasp everything and maybe make another post but wow—episode 7 was absolutely devastating.

Okay, so starting with Louis… Honestly, I can’t even be mad at Louis anymore. Initially, I was yelling at my screen, wondering if he was just blind. Armand’s manipulations have become so blatant, yet Louis doesn’t seem to notice. Watching this episode, seeing how Daniel doesn’t even get angry or judge Louis or get angry at Armand like he did last episode—it hit me. Louis probably knows deep down that Armand is behind everything, but he’s in denial. Because, as twisted as Armand is, Louis feels he’s all he’s got left. And I think Daniel starts to see this towards the end of the episode. Sure, he still states the facts, as a journalist does, and makes it obvious that he knows Armand is hiding things, but he doesn’t call Armand a liar like he did last episode, he just listens, and is calm because what else can he do?

Not only is there manipulation going on from Armand, but Louis also remembers and tells the story differently from how it happened as a coping mechanism. Because as much as I’d like to blame Armand on everything, the changes in Claudia’s turning, and his fight with Lestat were done by Louis, so he is very much lying to himself.

And what can Daniel do? What would Louis do if the last thread holding him was cut? Can Daniel do that to him? Does he have the right to do that? Would he cause him even more pain by doing that? Because as much as Louis is ignoring the obvious manipulation, as soon as it all comes to light, that bubble will burst and there will be no going back. At the same time, Daniel is not excusing Armand. I mean, the look he gives him in this scene is so telling. His voice is soft and almost surprised. "Wow, you saved Louis. How nice of you." But the way he looks at him, it's as if he's saying, "I know this is all a lie and you're the one behind all this, but I'll play along for now." I mean he could have easily just asked Louis if all of this doesn’t seem weird to him, driven that point forward more like at the beginning of the episode or last episode, but he just says “but not her” and that small sentence nearly broke the bubble of ignorance around Louis but oddly enough Daniel stops there, does not push a bit more. (I guess we’ll wait and see if this remains the same next episode).

As for Armand…I mean, I love him, and I think he’s a is brilliantly written character because he didn’t just isolate Louis; he stripped away everything in his life, turned his heart further against Lestat, and crafted scenarios where, even if Louis confronts the truth about his manipulations, he’s still trapped. Because what can Louis do? Abandon the only semblance of connection he has left? Lestat remarked in this episode that anything is preferable to loneliness for a vampire. Consequently, Louis would rather turn a blind eye than sever the last tie he holds. Even when Louis considered ending it all—something he already tried before—Armand wouldn’t permit it. Louis can’t even challenge Armand, given the disparity in their power. So, what else can he do!!

As for wether or not Armand is a villain, I can’t really say without watching the last episode, but I will say that know it’s easy to label him as merely evil and manipulative—traits he undoubtedly possesses—but I beg to differ on the notion that he feels no remorse. Yes, he’s orchestrated some truly horrible acts, even gave himself a front-row seat to watch it all go down, but to say he harbors no regret? I don’t believe that’s entirely accurate. I think, in his own warped way, a part of him believes he’s helping Louis, possibly as a coping mechanism for his own guilt.

As for what he did to Madeleine and Claudia, it was downright horrible and he 100% meticulously planned it all, still, I suspect a sliver of guilt does linger within him—not specifically for what he did to them, but for the essence of his actions and the hatred towards the loneliness that’s shaped him.

I mean, we have to remember that this is a man who endured unimaginable horrors even before he was turned, and has lived in solitude for 500 years! Lestat, at 150 years old, moved a man to tears by sharing his loneliness. Can you imagine the depth of pain, loneliness, self-loathing, sadness, anger, and a myriad of other emotions this man has borne for half a millennium?

This isn’t to say that Armand’s actions are justified—far from it. But it does highlight the devastating impact of loneliness on vampires and how it can profoundly twist their minds. For 500 years Armand has been alone and the only light he saw through that darkness was to take this half broken man, take everything he had and make him as broken as him to make sure he would always be his. Again, this does not justify his actions, but merely explains them.

All of this being said, the presence of guilt, albeit slight, likely twists inside him. Armand might reinterpret this feeling as ‘helping’ Louis, keeping him blissfully unaware of the harsh truths as a way to alleviate his own conscience. Kind of like, “I know I did this horrible thing, but there was no way around it, and I hate myself for it—for being this way. But I have to keep this man by my side for his own good and my own, by any means necessary.”

Also, just adding this, can we take a moment to discuss the lighting in this shot? Notice how Armand's face is partially shadowed when facing Louis, yet the side that's illuminated is turned towards Daniel. Honestly loved the lighting in this entire episode.

Anyway, this is precisely why I believe Louis DID asked Armand to erase those memories in San Francisco

And why he remove the torn pages from Claudia’s journals. Because he prefers a life of blissful ignorance over the agony of truth.

Of course Armand willingly, and easily went along with all of this because it keeps Louis by his side, so it plays nicely into his manipulations. Still, I do believe that Louis did in fact ask him to erase those memories. Does his consent to all of this make it any better? If anything, it makes it worse. This is a man so ensnared and without any escape that he’d rather erase painful memories—those that remind him of the grim reality of his situation—than live with them. And Armand’s mind is so twisted that he probably convinces himself it’s all right. In his mind, as long as he has consent, he isn’t doing anything wrong.

Anyway, that’s all I have for now but honestly, Louis’s only real escape now is through Lestat. Otherwise, he needs to figure out how to outmaneuver the master manipulator himself—because I doubt Armand will let go without a fight.

[imonlyanangel]

🪷 Manifesting Success 🪷

The most recent thing I manifested was self confidence! In this post I'll go over what worked for me.

I've successfully manifested several things in the past, but not nearly at the speed I would've liked to. There were months and months without success. I started to consider why- was I focusing on the 3D too much?? Was I engaging with negative, doubtful thoughts, or believing negative comments from others? How was my trust in myself?

Sure, sometimes I focus too much on the 3D, but I always catch myself. I've had some doubtful intrusive thoughts, but I always catch myself. I've over consumed at times, but I always catch myself. I'm human, and I'm still fairly new to learning how to manifest. None of these slip ups are a big deal! None of them can really affect my ability to manifest unless I allow them to. Unless I assume that they do.

The real reason I was struggling to manifest was this: I had a fear of being seen. A fear of being myself where others could see. A fear of succeeding in front of others. How can I successfully manifest if I'm afraid of success? How can I bring my reality into light if I only feel safe in the dark?

Self-confidence has been a struggle for me nearly my entire life. I've worked on improving it, but there was little progress over the course of my life. I didn't talk to people, or share my thoughts with family. I couldn't make decisions. I couldn't just be without being scared I was doing it wrong.

When I realized that this pervasive fear was keeping me from manifesting my desires, I made a decision. I wasn't going to work on manifesting anything else until I successfully manifested confidence in myself.

I tore a scrap of paper from my bedside notebook and wrote down an affirmation to stick under my pillow. All I wrote was: I always feel amazing about myself- I am overflowing with confidence. <3 I had read that the pillow method takes 7-10 days at most to manifest your desires. I wrote this down on the other side of the paper, and decided that it wouldn't take me more than a week to manifest it.

Before I fell asleep each night, I recited the affirmation in my mind. Some nights I only did it once, sometimes 2-3x. I imagined feeling like a pillar. Feeling upright, tall, visible, and strong. I imagined the heaviness and tension that came with being seen disappearing. I imagined feeling amazing about myself, or how it would feel to be confident all the time. I did this for 7 days in a row.

It didn't take me 7 days to notice a change!! The first morning I woke up after doing that was different. I was different. I went after what I wanted that day with no regard for whether or not I was being perceived. Since I started I've noticed many changes in behavior that have almost all felt natural to me. Sometimes I got nervous, but I had the confidence in myself to push through it.

Instead of shying away from looking at my face or my body in the mirror, I smile genuinely every time I see myself. Sometimes I catch myself thinking "wow, I am so f*cking pretty!" Now I intentionally make a comment about my confidence or my beauty every time I look in a mirror while washing my hands. I'm so confident. I feel amazing about myself today. I love the way I look. Complimenting myself in the mirror worked wonders and I recommend it 100%!!

Changes since I started manifesting confidence:

Engaged in my hobbies in front of others

Deep cleaned my room

Wore what I wanted

Voiced my opinion in family discussion

Decided to do a social media fast for a week

Made purchases to start a hobby I've always wanted to try (and started said hobby)

Had a difficult conversation with my mom that I was avoiding

Answered a phone call from a girl I've hardly ever spoken to, and we enjoyed talking for over an hour

Started decorating my room

Went out to eat (at a buffet) and chatted with a relative that I am not familiar with

This post! Whether anonymous or public, I've never posted or commented on social media till now, because I was too nervous.

All of these things are huge compared to where I was at two weeks ago. Some, maybe all of these things, would be small to others. But to me, especially with consideration for my neurotype and mental health, these are big steps of progress.

Am I the most confident, outspoken, assertive woman in the world? Not yet. But I improved so much in just a week. My sister noticed I was in a better mood every morning since the day I started. My mom has been complimenting me more often because of the difference in my countenance. My family noticed behavioral changes within 2 days.

I've been happy, and so much more confident. I have had more enthusiasm for life and for growth. And it doesn't take me more than 5 minutes a night. I will continue using this method of manifesting! I've already started a new affirmation.

XOXO,

Evangeline

[mindventilati0n]

I'm rewatching Criminal Minds to continue the episodes I didn't get to. Since Spencer is my favorite character, I've noticed a bunch of little things that I almost feel most people have overcooked entirely within the show. (Most of these are prevalent ideas based on more memorable moments that predominantly transfer to fanworks.) And, as of current, I've (personally) seen no mention of (including Wikipedia and alike sources.)) For now, these are my headcanons.

Starting with the season I'm currently on and progressing forward with likely updates as i continue the series. :)

1. In season 3 - episode 6 - Spencer Reid momentarily does not wear his gun with it awkwardly in the front of his belt. (I will go back to find more detail but—) the camera is focused on Morgan and Prentiss, they're hunched over Rossi's (newly acquired?) desk and trying to profile him, and Spencer is in the background leaning against the door frame where you can faintly see his gun directly on his side (the same as Emily and Derek). The camera focuses on Spencer when he mentions the "no profiling team members rule" and then pans again to Emily and Derek while Spencer walks forward. When the Spencer is within the frame with the other 2 the gun is where it usually is.

In another episode (same season; I'll go back and check to get the episode), Spencer is with a group of local PD entering a building(?), and the camera is behind him where you can see the gun is also on the back of the belt. The camera angle changes and when it goes back to focus on spence his gun is it The Place.

RN those are the only instances I remember seeing, but I'll definitely come back and mention more if I find them. The main point I'm trying to relay, though is that when the gun is not in The Place, it seems like it's positioned off-camera without trying to bring attention to the fact that it's not where it usually is. Like... sweeping dirt under the rug.

2. SPENCER SHOOK HANDS !!! Season 3 Episode 14, Reid and Hotch go to interview a serial killer on death row. They're in the warden's(?) office; he shakes the Assistant Warden's (Abner Merriman if you guys want to look it up 😳 about 7 minutes in) hand when he walks in !! It makes me think there may, perhaps, be specific criteria to whom he allows himself to interact physically upon first impressions. Definitely the more headcanon-y observation but I digress.

3. TBA 🙈

[reikunrei]

I'm not gonna make as in-depth a post about it as my other DW analyses, but a month or so ago I watched the season 1 episode "Dalek" and now I'm thinking about it in relation to what Vecna's ending might look like.

A lot of people complain when they hear folks (such as myself and my friends) say they want Vecna's end to be tragic in some way. They interpret it as us saying we want him to be redeemed, or forgiven, or be made into a "good guy" who actually did nothing wrong, or whatever. Which (setting aside all the Henry/Edward stuff, which I'd argue is a separate discussion anyway) isn't the case at all. Not necessarily, at least. Vecna has done a lot of heinous things that can't be overlooked.

However, that doesn't mean he's entirely unsympathetic. He's very relatable in his motives and is a fun way to explore revenge and justice in the extremes. He's an example of the cracks in the Capital S System. However, I would agree that Vecna as a person and as a concept shouldn't be given a full pass on everything he's done just because his reasoning has a strong foundation.

"Dalek" offers a really interesting alternative where the Dalek in the episode is given multiple chances to "redeem" itself or is shown sympathy, only to constantly push back against it and refuse the kindness offered to it up until the very end. Even so, its eventual self-destruction is still tragic.

This is for multiple reasons, but the one I want to introduce here first to set the tone is: It's tragic because there's no changing what's been done to the Dalek, what the Dalek has done, and the general circumstances of what a Dalek is and their history. Rose wants to help the Dalek, but it's simply not feasible given the circumstances.

So, let's get into some of this episode.

We open on the Doctor and Rose landing in an underground bunker in Utah, USA, having followed a signal "calling for help." Inside this bunker are rows and rows of glass cases containing extraterrestrial artifacts, owned and collected by a man named Henry van Statten. We learn that one of these is a live specimen, which van Statten keeps in "The Cage," where they've been attempting to get it to speak for some time, often resorting to physically harming it and making it scream. Okay, NINA silo.

The Doctor goes in to speak to it, since van Statten wants to know what it is, and we get this exchange:

Some abridged Doctor Who history to explain this interaction: The Daleks are an alien race that's been around for the entire run of the show, first introduced in the original series. As it pertains to the 2005 reboot, early in the show we learn that the Doctor is the last Time Lord in existence because all of them died in the Last Great Time War. The Last Great Time War was fought between the Time Lords and the Daleks, and it was ultimately ended by the Doctor themself killing (or sealing away) both the Time Lords and the Daleks to stop the conflict and save the universe(s).

The Daleks and the Time Lords have had beef for... basically forever, as far as I know. The Daleks also make multiple returns throughout the rest of the series and still remain a recurring antagonist, though I don't know what's been going on with them past like... season 7 or so. We even get a few more sympathetic portrayals of them, but we don't need to talk about that today.

I should also briefly explain here that the Daleks were bred and evolved to hate. They exist only to kill things that aren't Daleks because they see anything that isn't a Dalek as "wrong." They have such a strong will to live in order to push this regimen that they almost don't die, as their bodies will simply refuse to do so, unless ordered or killed by force. Okay, Vecna. In short: they basically only know hatred and anger, and anything else simply isn't part of their genetics. There's some nuance to this in the greater lore, but I won't touch on that here because it's not introduced in this episode.

Anyway, back to the episode!

Once the Doctor realizes that the Dalek is damaged and can't actually kill him, he starts laying into it, circling it and asking "What are you good for?" and "What's the point of you? You're nothing." The Dalek says it's awaiting orders (something it's bred for), and the Doctor breaks the news that all the other Daleks have been destroyed by him and it won't be getting any orders.

Admitting to his own self-hatred, the Doctor switches on the chains holding the Dalek, electrocuting it. The Dalek begs for pity, and the Doctor says, "Why should I [have pity]? You never did." Then, van Statten enters The Cage with guards and pulls the Doctor out, at which point the Dalek returns to refusing to speak.

The Doctor speaks to van Statten more, telling him about the Time War, learning how the Dalek fell from the sky "like a meteorite" and surmising that it must have fallen through time as the only survivor. And at this point, van Statten smugly eyes up the Doctor, now knowing that he, too, is an alien not of this Earth, and chains him up to be studied and tortured just like the Dalek. There's honestly so much I could say about van Statten and his similarities to Brenner, so I might do that some other time.

Meanwhile, Rose, who's been tagging along with van Statten's assistant, unaware of what's happened thus far, sees security footage of the Dalek being tortured by one of van Statten's scientists and goes to The Cage to investigate and try to help.

She talks to the Dalek, asking if it's in pain, saying that she can help because she has her friend, the Doctor, with her. The Dalek says yes, it is in pain.

Rose continues to insist they help, but the Dalek says that its race is dead and it will simply die alone. Rose places a gentle hand against its "head," which burns her, and as she pulls away, that Dalek shouts, "Genetic material extrapolated. Initiate cellular reconstruction."

Having gotten DNA from Rose, a time traveler, the Dalek is able to regenerate, fixing all of its damage and breaking free of its chains before hacking out of The Cage and gaining access to the entire bunker. In short, it starts killing people indiscriminately and drains all power from the bunker, from Utah, and from the entire west coast of the USA, also downloading all of the information from the internet at the same time.

Most of the rest of the episode is an extended chase scene, where Rose and the assistant, Adam, are trying to get up to a higher level of the bunker, though are often relegated to stairwells and detours in an attempt to keep the Dalek locked away as deep as possible. At one point, Rose and Adam are being escorted by an armed guard when they come face to face with the Dalek in a stairwell, and the armed guard starts trying to talk it down:

Martin "but but but I locked you kids up because I loved you" Brenner, over here.

The first major hint that we start to see something is awry with the Dalek is it and Rose making eye contact, and Rose leaving the interaction feeling like the Dalek saw her as more than just a target for extermination, and rather that "it knows [her]."

Then, after some more chasing and some more mass murder, the Dalek addresses the Doctor. It says that, now with no place to get orders from, it will follow "the Primary Order," or the "Dalek instinct to destroy" and conquer. The Doctor asks why, though. What's the point of doing that at this point when it's the only Dalek left? The Dalek can't answer that and just asks what it should do, wherein we get this impeccable line that aired on public television in the year 2005:

He rips into the Dalek again, really showing his anger as he screams, "Why don't you just die!?" at which point the Dalek responds with, "You would make a good Dalek" before ceasing communication. Mic drop of the goddamn century!!! That scene still drives me absolutely batshit. Anyway.

Rose and Adam are rushing to try and escape the vault portion of the bunker, but they're running out of time. Adam makes it through the final door as it's shutting, but Rose doesn't and is now trapped with the Dalek. Rose talks to the Doctor over her cellphone, telling him that it wasn't his fault and she wouldn't have missed any of this for the world. The Dalek fires its laser, the call drops, and the Doctor reluctantly accepts that she's dead.

However, unbeknownst to him, the Dalek didn't actually kill Rose.

They have a brief back-and-forth, and Rose questions the Dalek's hesitation to kill her.

The Dalek speaks to the Doctor again, revealing that Rose is actually alive and uses her as leverage to get him to open the bulkhead and let the two of them out. Rose pleads with the Doctor to not open the door, but the Dalek uses the Doctor's emotions against him, saying, "What use are emotions, if you will not save the woman you love?"

Rose and the Dalek take an elevator up to where the Doctor and van Statten & co. are hanging out, with the Dalek all the while continuing to act strangely.

The Dalek approaches van Statten, threatening to kill him for torturing it, but Rose tells it not to do it, and it listens. She asks it what else it could want that doesn't involve killing, and the Dalek answers with "freedom." Vecna when...

Rose takes the Dalek ahead, closer to the surface. It blasts a hole in the roof, bringing in a ray of sunlight. Rose says she thought she'd never feel it again, at which point the Dalek asks what it feels like before opening its metal casing to expose the actual Dalek inside. It feels the sun on its skin and reaches out toward the light.

In this moment of vulnerability, the Doctor appears, having grabbed one of the alien-made guns that van Statten has in a feeble attempt to actually kill the Dalek. He yells at Rose to get out of the line of fire, but she refuses, even when he tries to justify it with the number of people the Dalek killed that day, or the fact that it was the Dalek race that created the downfall of the Time Lords. She urges the Doctor to pause and just look at what the Dalek is doing.

Love a good TFS word.

The Dalek asks, "Why do we survive?" and the Doctor doesn't have an answer. When the Dalek once again says that it's the last of its kind, the Doctor explains that it no longer is a Dalek. Having absorbed Rose's DNA for its regeneration, it's begun mutating into something new. Rose asks why that wouldn't be a good thing, but, as I explained earlier, it's because Daleks view themselves as superior, so if they're no longer a Dalek, then they're not worth living.

The Dalek is experiencing human thoughts and emotions, ones that it can't, nor wants, to comprehend, and it asks Rose to order it to die, saying that "This is not life. This is sickness. I shall not be like you!" With some more pushing, Rose finally relents, quietly saying, "Do it."

Guy who says he's not gonna go as in-depth before proceeding to do so anyway. But trust me, I could say a lot more about this episode, I just wanna keep this brief and explore this one concept without the plethora of off-topic potential references.

I hope you can see some of the bones of what I'm getting at in how this could potentially be applied as inspiration for ST5, but let's get into some of my thoughts.

1) Paralleling the Doctor and the Dalek

This is something I've talked about in a lot of my other DW posts so I won't rehash it too much, but it's incredibly telling to me that we, once again, get this emphasis on muddying the waters between "good guy" and "bad guy."

Through the season, we've seen the Doctor grieving his people, constantly saying he's the last Time Lord in the universe and being generally depressed about it. We're very frequently reminded of how sad he is about it, and we're meant to be sad about it, too. More often than not, it's meant as a way to show a deeper bond between him and his companion whenever he shares that information.

Then, we meet this Dalek who is also the last of its kind in the universe, and who is also suddenly made to grieve the loss of its people. From the get-go, it's framed as a sympathetic creature begging for help as it's tortured, and only once the Doctor's bias is brought to light do we get any sort of inkling of an opposing stance.

Then, almost right away, we see their roles essentially swapped. Sure, the Dalek is a formidable opponent with an innate desire to kill everything it sees and perhaps maybe should be eliminated for the sake of the greater good. However, the Dalek is weak and vulnerable, with no way to defend itself, and the Doctor does the objectively shitty thing and tries to kill it while it's cornered. The entire episode has a bad ick about it. Even if the Doctor is technically justified, you still feel bad watching him take advantage of a situation to harm a defenseless creature.

The Dalek says it itself: the Doctor would make a good Dalek, allowing his hatred to drive him to make some morally fucked up decisions. He encourages his fear and rage to guide his hand, and it's not until he has an outside perspective - specifically from someone he cares about the opinion of immensely - that he backs down. If and when we get a similar scenario with Will and someone else having to talk him down... I'm seated.

In the end, it's hard to have sympathy for the Doctor without also extending that to the Dalek.

It very much makes me think of the larger fandom's perspective on Henry in ST, and how they'll dish out heaps of sympathy and empathy for the other characters, and even encourage them to do shitty things for the sake of "revenge" or "taking what they deserve," but then turn around and look at Henry's objectively worse situation and claim that he doesn't deserve that same courtesy simply because of a slightly less appealing past.

To specifically tie it to comparing the Doctor and the Dalek, I'm looking at how we're meant to compare Henry and Will to one another. We see two sensitive boys who come from imperfect households with a desire to be loved and accepted for who they are. We see them go through hardships beyond our imaginations and, the key here, is how their situations during and thereafter are different.

We see the perspective of the Doctor first, and we feel bad for him! When he attacks the Dalek, it feels justified given the history between their races. In ST, we see the perspective of Will first, learning everything he's been through, and thus when he says "we have to kill [Vecna]," it makes sense! We've been led to believe that everything that's happened to Will has been enabled by this one guy, so of course it's justified to want to put a stop to him, and we cheer on the other characters when they come to Will's aid.

But then we get the perspective of the Dalek. We see it admit that it's in pain, that it's sad, that it yearns for freedom and an end to its torture. In ST, we learn more about Vecna, about his (alleged) past, and the trials he's been through to shape him into who he is today, and his desire to make things better. It, then, also makes sense for these characters to react the way they do, even if it's not ideal, and even if their methods and motives aren't the most morally clean.

(I'd also be remiss if I didn't at least briefly tap in on the whole "perspective" thing with what James is discussing in his upcoming big thesis post about TFS. Definitely keep an eye out for it, because it's a super interesting exploration of perspective and how that paints certain behaviors/scenes in different lights than we may have initially been led to believe.)

When I first watched ST4, I wasn't in the fandom at all. I was entirely unaware of the vitriol being slung at Vecna and Henry. I watched him do all these inexcusable things, but then... we have NINA Henry explain what (allegedly) happened and why he is where he is, and I thought... oh.

We're told that this guy had a good reason for doing everything he did. Even if everything he's done is reprehensible, I still sat there thinking "wow, he didn't deserve any of that, everything could have been avoided if he was just treated with decency."

With the Dalek, even after we see what it's done, we're meant to feel bad for it. Should it be forgiven? Perhaps not, but it was just doing the only thing it knew how to do after being put in a situation by someone else (van Statten) that allowed it to do the damage that it did, much like Brenner essentially enabling the creation of Vecna by cornering a child into the lab and forcing his hand.

All in all, it really pushes you to accept that someone who is "good" can do bad things because they think it's what should be done, and someone who is "bad" can be offered a chance to change and become better, and it doesn't even have to be detraction if they refuse that help. And, ultimately, I wouldn't be surprised if Vecna is offered help, but refuses it because it's too late. Not because he's being petulant and stubborn, but because there's genuinely no point, much like with the Dalek (even if the Dalek is being more petulant and stubborn than anything).

2) Vecna and the Daleks

By no means do I want it to come off like I'm directly correlating Vecna to the Daleks. There's too many key differences, particularly in what they are, for me to do that with a straight face.

I already explained that Daleks are born and evolved to hate. That's the only emotion they feel, because anything else would give them doubt in their Primary Order. Meanwhile, Vecna very much is a person. Even if he's not fully human, there's a human core there that allows him to hesitate and feel something other than disdain for humanity (I will always and forever stare at the way he kept El alive. Sir, I know you're not that cocky. Just kill her. Unless she....... means something to you......?).

Throughout ST, everything that comes out of the UD is distinctly nonhuman. I remember very early on in ST4 thinking it was weird that they made something from the UD so close to human. So, even if we're led into the story believing that Vecna is something purely monstrous, by the end we're shown that he is, in fact, still a human and always has been a human.

It's similar, if not slightly inverted, to what happens with the Dalek in this episode: We open on this strange alien creature and learn it was the reason for the downfall of the Time Lords, but by the end, it's been infused with enough human DNA that it becomes even harder to treat it with cruelty.

And I know I said I wasn't going to get into the deeper lore of the Daleks, but I have to just mention one of the myths of their creation from the short story "We are the Daleks!" published in 1973:

So like... um... anyway... just chew on that a little bit, I guess!!

As a final note for this thought, I do also find it interesting that even their motives could be considered similar. The Daleks kill everything that isn't a Dalek. And, yes, it is because of hatred, but it's also specifically about guaranteeing their own survival and making the universe fit for them. Not too far off from that, we have Vecna wanting to reshape the world into what he wants it to be so that he can exist freely. It's not exactly one-to-one, especially given that Vecna's motives are more of a commentary on the flaws of society while the Daleks are committing a "racial cleansing" (the Doctor's words, not mine), but I'd be remiss to not at least touch on it.

3) Objective Perspective

Rose gives us a very stark show of what bias can do in this episode. She showed sympathy before she knew anything about the Dalek, and while she does become frightened and tries to flee from it, by the end of the episode she's managed to either fight against or accept her fear and continue to try and help the Dalek and show it kindness.

It reminds me a lot of what we see with D'art in ST2, to the point that Rose's experience is almost beat for beat what happens with Dustin:

Finding the demoslug and growing fond of it because he doesn't know what it is.

Becoming frightened when he learns it's a "baby demogorgon" and tries to trap it.

Learning that he can have a connection and cooperate with it even if he's still scared.

Even Will manages to fight against his fear, understanding that D'art is just in a vulnerable position and needs help more than anything.

On top of Rose's demeanor with the Dalek, we also get to study how she reacts to the Doctor as the episode progresses. By and large, she's disgusted with the way the Doctor is behaving, calling him out multiple times and begging him to see the bigger picture. He's hurt, of course, but he can't continue to resort to violence under the guise of being afraid when this Dalek is no longer the same as the Daleks he hates. She doesn't even fully understand that until the very end, and still she can see that it's changing and it's been deserving of compassion this whole time.

The Doctor and the Dalek both hate each other and hate themselves, and Rose is the only one who can cut in, generally understanding both sides of the argument, to get everyone to back down. She's viewed both the Doctor and the Dalek with a clean, unbiased lens, which allows her to take in all the information she's given without any sort of judgement clouding her decisions.

Sure, her fear does take over a few times, but it's almost exclusively when her life is in immediate danger and she never takes it out directly on the Dalek. As soon as the Dalek refuses to kill her, she can wrangle herself into at least trying to approach things calmly and objectively and attempt to talk the Dalek down rather than resorting to brute force.

It makes me wonder just how, exactly, this is going to go down for Vecna. We've been given a lot of information thus far, but everyone has a different set of pieces without a way to combine them correctly just yet, and there's so many personal stakes involved that it becomes hard to parse out what's really an objective reading.

Will has been personally affected by the UD and the MF, which also affected his immediate family and friends.

El lived in the lab for her whole life and knew Henry personally, and potentially was the catalyst for finally creating Vecna.

Brenner has a desire to make himself look good as he works for his own selfish gains, and puts others in harm's way to get there.

Multiple people have had their lives directly altered by something Vecna did.

Vecna himself has a mess of wrongs against him that he's desperate to "fix."

etc. etc...

It's really just a whole big mess, and it's going to take a lot of work for someone to break out of the personal feelings involved in order to get everyone on all sides to step back and do some self-reflecting.

It's interesting to me that "Dalek" is not only a lesson in sympathy for others, but a lesson in sympathy for oneself. It's a large part of the Doctor's arc in this first season, and sympathy in general has been a huge part of ST throughout the whole show (which I know I've talked about endlessly irt these comparisons to DW), and it's a sentiment becoming increasingly pushed on our "villain" characters.

Like how the Doctor is "brought down" to the Dalek's level of cruelty and the Dalek is "brought up" to the Doctor's level of deserving sympathy, our "villain" characters in ST are being brought up to the protagonists' level of deserving sympathy, and our protagonists...? Well, we've already been blessed with loads of imperfect "good" characters in this show thus far, so I will not be surprised when that gets taken to the extreme.

It's already in line with El's monster vs superhero internal debate: a good character can do something morally reprehensible, with or without "proper" motive, and they will still be deserving of compassion.

In conclusion, while obviously I don't think it'll be a one-to-one, I do think that this DW episode offers an interesting route for Vecna's arc to take, specifically in regard to his demise. While a character such as Henry or Edward, who were dragged into this situation against their will, might be deserving of forgiveness/clearing their names and may still be able to be "saved," in whatever form that may be, someone like Vecna might simply be too far gone. There's no going back at this point, and it just has to be accepted.

I was talking to James about this, and I agree when he said it wouldn't be surprising if Vecna was offered help, he earnestly thanked them for it, but then had to refuse it anyway. I wouldn't be shocked if El wants to help him so badly but ultimately has to accept that sometimes things can't be undone, and they simply have to run their course, even if it has an unsatisfactory outcome. Especially if that outcome was one that could have been avoided had they gotten to the problem sooner. That is the tragedy.

The Dalek is a bit more complicated than that, obviously, given what it is as a species and its refusal for help being because it sees no point in existing now that it's "contaminated," but I think you can pick up what I'm putting down. The Dalek could have accepted the help and could have striven to change like Rose thought it could, but it simply wasn't in the cards and would have caused more pain than not.

The Daleks come up again in future episodes, which I might talk about someday, but I felt like this one was a good exploration of what you can do with an established villain and flip the narrative until they're almost entirely sympathetic while our "good guy" seems ridiculous for behaving the way he does. It is not a stretch to apply that sentiment to ST, especially because we have even more of a foundation for compassion toward our "villains" in that show than the Dalek got in this episode.

I could talk a lot more about this episode, too. There's so many trains of thought that this inspired, but, again, I want to just talk about this topic for now, so all the weird "why is this so ST" bits can stay in the vault (or you can go watch the episode yourself, which I highly recommend! It's a good one).

Overall, just knowing that DW was some level of inspiration for ST makes me excited to see what the Duffers took from that classic series and how they'll use it to inform their own final season, and specifically how they'll further the "no one is special/better/worse" message they have going on. We'll see!

[gaylittlefantasies2]

The Rugby Team Studs

I had been horny for a week looking for someone to give me cock, give a few blowjobs and maybe find someone to fuck me until I couldn't walk anymore.

Anyway, I downloaded the app and created a Grindr profile: “I'll come to your house, blow you out, you cum wherever you want and I'm out. Hugo, 19 years old (although I was 16), 170, 65kg, toned, thin, brown eyes, black hair. Bottom, vicious and very kinky.

Replies started coming in right away. Most of them were older guys who didn't interest me too much: “I want you to eat me out, 55 years old”; “I'm looking for a boy to cum in his mouth, 49 years old.” None of them interested me particularly, so I forgot about it, I jerked off thinking about blowing a good cock and fell asleep.

Around 12 at night I woke up and looked at the computer. I had received 7 or 8 more messages. All along the same lines, but there was one that caught my attention: “Hetero, 26 years old, sporty, good body, horny and milky. I'm looking for someone to drink my milk for tonight. We'll meet up, suck me off and get lost. If you want, I'll give you 10 euros for broth or to buy yourself something.”

Ten euros for broth? But could he be any more cocky and presumptuous? I immediately got horny and sent him a message. We started talking. He told me he had a girlfriend, he showed me a photo of him. From what I could tell he was a tall guy, very toned, with good arms and very broad shoulders. We decided to meet that same night, so I sneaked out of the house while my parents were sleeping, got in the car and showed up at his house at 1 in the morning.

It was an urban area of ​​the city, on the outskirts, almost 20 minutes away. A 1.90 m tall hunky guy opened the door wearing only grey tracksuit bottoms and worn out old trainers. His big bulge was showing. You could see that he had a big cock because the outline of it was asking for attention. He greeted me with a handshake and took me to the kitchen. He had a three-day beard, some hair on his chest and a row of hair that went down to his pubis. He was sweaty and looked like he was walking around the house.

He was the typical horny 26-year-old guy, jock, who thinks he can do everything, super cool and a bit of a hooligan. He was wearing a thick silver chain around his neck and an earring with a diamond in one ear.

-What's your name, kid? - he asked me while I was there with two bottles of beer.

I answered a little awkwardly with a voice that wasn't mine. -Hugo-.

-You look like a brat - he looked me up and down and stared into my eyes. -You're a kid-.

There was something about him that intimidated me. Maybe it was his deep voice or those muscles that stiffened when he spoke.

His hand ran over my face and touched my lips roughly.

-Nice mouth- he complimented me.

Hugo: -Thanks… I'm 19. I'm of legal age-

He laughed as he took a long drink of beer. I could see his defined pecs, his huge bicep and a bush of black hair in his armpit.

He smelled like he hadn't showered and had sweated all day. -You're of legal age to go from house to house putting cocks in your mouth, huh? -I'm sure your father doesn't have a fucking clue about the vice his kid has- Well, I'm going to feed you cock tonight until you burst, baby- He had a murderous look and a face like a brute who hits hard. He also gave off a mix of cologne and sweat smells that made me very horny. He handed me the beer. I almost don't remember how fast I drank it. "If you behave today I have a surprise. I haven't cum for 4 days. Do you like to eat it like a beast?" he asked me.

"Yes." I hesitated for a moment to change my answer at the sight of the hunk in front of me but thought better of it. Yes… I finally reaffirmed. And I took another swig of beer, which was beginning to take effect.

"Good boy, that's how I like it. You're going to enjoy it like a little boy. You'll see how you get," he said firmly and in a deep voice as if he were my older brother. "Let's go to my room, I'll give you what's yours," he said smiling at me with white, well-kept teeth.

The room was on the top floor. It was a den that gave off a tremendous macho smell. There were used clothes everywhere. On the bed, on the floor, on top of the computer desk. The sheets were in disarray. This guy hadn't cleaned his room for at least a month. He had a well-used weight bench, dumbbells around the room, a playstation, and beer cans and bottles. There were posters of naked chicks, which reminded me that I was in a horny straight guy's house. On his laptop he had put straight porn on in a very low volume. I could hear a girl screaming while she was sucking two black guys' cocks, while another guy was fucking her hard. I stared at the porn, not knowing what to say, absorbed in the penetrating smell of that guy's burrow.

-Hey, wake up, this one is waiting for you - he shouted at me with his cock in his hand. It was a 18 cm cannon with several veins and uncut. He had it super stiff, looking at the sky, and he shook it, wet, up and down. He put saliva on his hand and smeared his cock in circles. -Come here and get on your knees-

I approached him, noticing his penetrating smell and he pushed me down by grabbing me by the shoulders. He pulled down his tracksuit pants and used underwear. His cock gave off a smell of sweat, piss and pre-cum worthy of a stallion. He grabbed me by the nape of the neck and placed it on my lips. In that atmosphere I couldn't even think. My temples and ears were buzzing and my heart was pounding.

-Open your mouth wide. I'm going to show you how to blow it, so next time you'll know-.

Did he want me to suck him off more times? I opened my mouth and he slowly pushed it in, brushing it nicely across my tongue. The taste was indescribable. That's what a straight guy's cock tasted like. I sighed. He made a move to take his cock out of my mouth.

-Dude, I'm sorry, I just came from playing a game and I haven't showered. I've been lifting weights at home and then I've been jerking off watching those sluts when you came over. Do you mind the smell or should we continue? I shook my head.

Quite the opposite. I loved it. I'd never eaten such a fat, aromatic cock. It was veined and its soft bud throbbed on my tongue. The guy had it really hard, and he loved playing with my mouth. He had me by the nape of the neck and was slowly delighting himself with his cock in my mouth. He was setting a very slow but firm pace. His cock went all the way in, but he didn't let me choke.

-You suck it so well, boy- he whispered. -You're going to be my cock-swallowing whore for a while- But you have to learn to do it the way I like it. He put his balls in my mouth while he gently jerked off. -Suck my balls, you'll see how delicious they are, run your tongue over them well, with desire-. We played for almost 10 minutes, between his sweaty balls and his big cock that kept releasing pre-cum that dragged all over my face. My face, covered in his sweat, his pre-cum and my saliva began to give off a soft sweet smell that hypnotized me.

After a while of playing he laid me down on the bed face up, with my head hanging down. The bed gave off a soft smell of man. He was a real stud and judging by the hardness of his cock and how much he was enjoying himself, he was very horny.

-Now I'm going to fuck your mouth for a while. I don't want any complaints. Understood? You have to keep your mouth wide open and be careful with your teeth or I'll shoot you with a cannon that will blow your head off. I nodded. -Open your mouth wide. He gave me a soft slap with his hand. I opened it automatically. -That's very good, this is a gift-. And he spit on my tongue. -It's so you can lubricate it and it goes well- Another spit. -I don't want you to swallow your saliva, release a lot so your little mouth is soft- he explained to me how he wanted to play. I touched my cock and unbuttoned my pants.

I can tell you like it, huh kid? -You blow it better than the whores I fuck on the weekends. He leaned on the bed with his arms and put the whole length in my mouth. He began to fuck my mouth non stop, hard, reaching the point of hitting his balls all over my forehead. His black and unkempt pubic hair gave off a manly smell that left me stunned. Even though I was gagging, I endured everything the stud was giving me, with my face red as a tomato, the guy fucking my mouth hard and my tears falling freely.

It felt like it would never end and then, his cell phone rang. It was a message. He stopped abruptly and went to the bedside table. It was under some used underwear. He answered. He received a response on his cell phone.

Listen, kid, I have a very hunky friend who wants to meet you. He has a good body and a very good, milky cock. I should tell him to come, right? - he said, almost assuming that I would accept. I had my cock out, my jaw hanging open and my face red. I lay down on the bed and told him that I was leaving. That I had come to suck him off.

-I don't know, man- I said -I was enjoying your cock, but two guys… -I don't know you- I tried to argue as best I could, a little stunned.

-He's a friend of mine from the Rugby team. A fucking bull. From time to time we have parties with some faggot like you or some whore. We're not going to do anything to you, we just want you to suck us off. We're two straight men and I'm enjoying it so much that it's a shame you're leaving. It's your call- he explained.

-I don't know, man… I remained thoughtful. I didn't know what to do. The truth is that I was enjoying myself, but I was scared. This guy looked like a donkey and the guy, who knows what he was like.

-Dude, say something, you look dumb-funded- And he hit me with his rock-hard cock right in the face. -Look how you've got me, I've never had it so good for so long. And I haven't cum for four days and I've been jerking off like a monkey all afternoon. Look, I'll tell him to come and you decide when he's here. And I'll keep giving you cock while I'm at it. Plus, you're hard. I'm sure you like two jocks with girlfriends giving you cock. Come on, let's do our thing.

He sat on the bed with his legs open and his pants and underwear around his ankles. He had his sneakers on. His thighs were very defined and he had a layer of hard, curly black hair. The guy was handsome. All pure unleashed testosterone. He turned me on a lot. He grabbed me by the hair and brought me closer to his cock. He had it so hard, it seemed like he was going to burst his cock. I uncapped it and inhaled the smell. The guy let me do it calmly, while with the other hand he sent messages. I imagine he was telling his friend that he had free will to fuck my mouth.

-If you keep sucking my cock like that I'm going to fill your face with milk and I don't want to cum yet-

He gave me a horny blow in the face. He dragged me from his cock to his balls pulling my hair. I felt comfortable being the sexual toy of a straight male older than me. The truth is that the guy was tough but at the same time he wasn't a bully who was going to hurt me. It seemed that he only thought about enjoying his cock in my mouth. Suddenly his cell phone rang. And I moved to look at him.

Shhh. Don't move. Go on with your business, you have work to do. My friend is going to come up now. I want him to see you suck cock like the faggot you are.

-Come up, he answered. You don't know what I have here tied to my cock, dude- and he started laughing.

When his friend came into the room, I had his friend's 18 cm cock stuck in my mouth and I had just gag. He was a huge guy in his twenties with more body than brains. He had a well-kept beard and was wearing sports shorts, sneakers and a t-shirt.

-Fuck, but oh well! Look what we have here. Why didn't you wait for me, you fucker!?- He came up to me while I was trying to Marcos' cock out of my mouth. I looked at him and he started laughing.

-Is this guy of legal age? Because he doesn't look like it, he looks like he's 15 years old, man-

-That's what he says, but I don't give a damn. He sucks like an angel. Do you like my friend? And he shook my head imitating a nod, both of them burst out laughing.

But at no point did he let me get rid of his cock. It was quite humiliating, I could only look from one side to the other with my eyes and choke on that hunk's cock.

-Aitor, whatever your name is, whatever your name is, Aitor. I don't even remember his name anymore, dude. He sucks it like a motherfucker- he explained.

-Well, what's up? You pass him to me for a while or I have to watch until you cum. I didn't come here to pass the time, I have to unload my cum, I'm full-.

-Here, all yours. Lube it up well, we've been here for almost an hour and it's getting dry-.

The guy grabbed my face gently. He made me look at him, he put two fingers in my mouth and spit a tremendous amount, from high up that reached my mouth with precision.

-Don't swallow, this is to welcome my cock. Come here, sit down.

He stood in front of me, pulled down his pants and a huge cock appeared, not too long, about 17 cm, with a huge bud that almost didn't fit in my mouth. His balls were huge. He was uncut and it gave off a sweet and sensual smell of cock. These guys were really horny. First they took turns giving me cock successively, without letting me rest for a minute. I was exhausted, but I loved it. Sometimes they fucked my mouth hard and other times they put their balls in me while they jerked off. They both smelled of sweat, but the first one smelled tremendous. As if he hadn't showered in two days. Or had just come from work at the construction site. They immediately started sweating profusely and the whole room was filled with locker room smell. They laid me face down, face up, on my knees, sitting, lying on the bed. They spit at me every so often. Aitor spat in my face several times, Marcos, the hunk, smeared his cock with his own spit or that of his bro and put it in my mouth. And I gently jerked off while enjoying the show. Those guys were made to give cock. -Dude, I'm going to cum, I'm bursting- said Marcos. -Me too- answered the friend. I saw that they looked at each other with knowing eyes and looked down to reprimand me. -Now, you're going to stay quiet, okay buddy? Marcos, the hunk with the chain around his neck, told me. - Pay attention, this is important-, while he was jerking off, - I want you to be very submissive and do everything we tell you-.

They put me on my knees between the two of them, between their enormous rugby player legs. Aitor put two fingers in my mouth, again, and made me open it as much as possible.

-Stick out your tongue baby, you'll see how much you're going to like our cum-

They took turns spitting on me while they masturbated in front of my face. Their cocks made noise because they were so wet. And they didn't stop jerking off and alternating between each of their balls.

-Pfff bro, I can't take it anymore-, Marcos said.

He brought his cock close to my tongue and started shooting long jets of very hot, very white milk under pressure, with a lot of force, which bounced off my palate and my tongue, filling my mouth. He had been working his cock all day and was cumming like a crazy.

I counted three or four when suddenly, the guy who looked like a bull, put his huge, swollen cock very close to his friend and started shooting jets of very thick, white milk. They were cumming like real animals. My mouth filled with cum and some jets splashed my face. They were shooting milk with great force, under pressure. They moaned, sweated and snorted with pleasure. I started to swallow as much milk as I could and a lot of it fell out of the corners of my lips. Then, when Marcos saw that I didn't swallow, he put his cock in my mouth and finished unloading his balls down my throat. I couldn't help it and I choked. He continued fucking my mouth while his buddy finished cumming on my face. A few minutes later they were playing with their cocks on my face and collecting the remains of their cum to put them in my mouth.

"Fuck dude, did you see? What a huge cumshot," the hunk said. "I haven't cum for four days and today I've been jerking off all day. I told you I'd get to nine cumshots."

"Fuck dude, you're the man. I want to do the same one day," he replied. He looked down and found me staring at them, stupefied, choking and covered in semen: "Do you want us to try one day if I can cum on your face like my buddy?"

They didn't even wait for me to answer. They dragged their cocks all over my face, taking turns shoving them into my mouth, scooping up the remnants of their cum and bringing them to my mouth. I had never felt what it was like to have two guys cum on my face and mouth at the same time. Especially two guys like that. It was like they had never cum before. The salty taste of their cum was mind-blowing to me. I was a little flustered, my face sticky and covered in half-dried cum. I looked for my shirt and pants while they were lying on the bed smoking and commenting on a game. Then Marcos got up and stepped on my shirt so I couldn't get it.

-Where do you think you're going, kid?- he said sarcastically. -I'm going home, it's late. - I said a little surprised. Well, no way, buddy. We're not done with you yet. I want another blowjob and my buddy might fuck your asshole. We're still very horny. Right, Aitor, do you want to fuck his asshole?- he asked the bull.

-Dude, leave the kid alone, don't you see he wants to leave? - said his buddy smiling.

-This kid isn't going anywhere- Have you seen how eager he is for cum? This guy loves to swallow like no one else, and I have to cum at least two more times. He bent down to my height, smiled at me with his white teeth and piercing black eyes and grabbed me by the neck.- Stay with me tonight. I swear I'm going to treat you like a princess. We just want to have fun, plus, tomorrow is Saturday. I promise that I'll take you home first thing in the morning if you want or I'll drop you off wherever you tell me-. He told me affectionately while he stroked the hair on the back of my neck. I got goosebumps.

-I brought my car. I don't need you to take me. And I have to go because my parents don't know I'm out-

Suddenly I realized: Nooo! I messed up: Why did I tell him that my parents didn't know I wasn't home? I turned red, now there was no turning back. And I wasn't wrong, because my new straight friend caught it right away. His eyes lit up.

-Better then. There's nothing else to talk about. Your parents think you're sleeping like a good boy, so there's no problem. Tonight you stay and tomorrow morning you'll go home early- he decided for me.

I looked at his friend with a sad face waiting for him to give me a hand. He was spread eagled, naked, with his stiff cock leaning to one side. He looked at me and started jerking off.

-At least you'll give us one more blowjob before you leave, right?

I remembered that I hadn't cum. I was still horny, my cheeks were burning, and I had an incredible taste and smell of cock all over my mouth and face.

-Come on, get up, lie down on my bed. We're going to rest for a while and I promise you're going to have a great time. Look at how Aitor is, he's dying for you to give his cock some pleasure- he told me, referring to his friend, who was slowly jerking off and playing with the precum that was coming out in fountains from his huge, red and swollen bud.

I lay myself down between the two of them on the bed and Aitor got behind me. He slobbered on his cock and started rubbing it on my ass.

-Fuck bro, what a tight and hot ass he has, you have to try it- he said to the hunk.

-I'll sit this one out. I'll do his mouth for a while. Fuck him well, I want him swallowing me more. Are you vicious, did you know that? He told me, caressing my temples.

Aitor lifted one of my legs and put his fat cock at the entrance to my anus. I wanted to ask him to wait but when I opened my mouth, his hunky friend stuck his stiff cock in my mouth. It tasted like dried cum. My whole face was tight and dry from the cum those two had released into me. I could feel the heat coming from their bodies, which were like two stoves at full blast. I felt good and very horny.

Aitor put an arm around me and grabbed my chest tightly. I could feel the heat of his chest on my back and his cock trying to make room for itself in my asshole. His arms were super strong and held me firmly. Between those two guys, I looked like a rag doll. The truth is that I was fulfilling a fantasy. Two horny men fucking me hard without thinking about my pleasure. Using me at will like I was their little whore to fill with cum. The pleasure the stallion was giving me in my asshole made everything go away and I was overcome with an incredible feeling of calm. Of protection. Suddenly, my ass swallowed his bud and I let out a deep sigh and relaxed.

-Just like that my boy, very good, you'll see how slowly I do it, you're going to touch the sky- he reassured me.

The guy knew what he was doing, he did it very slowly, without hurrying, and the natural hardness of his cock made the job easier. Every so often he would take it out and smear it with saliva, and put it back in. He did it about 15 times, so my asshole was nice and wet and lubricated, so it wasn't hard for him to put it all the way in. He waited a while for me to adapt and started pumping. I had never felt so much pleasure with such a big cock. It didn't hurt a bit. He was an expert ass fucker. The guy was right next to my neck, huffing and puffing and talking dirty in my ear. We were sweating like three animals in heat. The atmosphere in the room was already unbreathable. Marcos' rock-hard cock was already firmly lodged in my mouth. He was pounding me hard again, guiding my head and making me choke on his cock. He had his gaze fixed on the porn movie on the laptop, watching a blonde swallow cocks like crazy.

Aitor put me on all fours on the bed and started pumping me hard. Each thrust made me swallow his friend's cock deeper, which drove him crazy. They didn't stop bellowing, like bulls. His cock started to swell in my ass and pump me hard. Without touching me, I started to cum like never before, shooting jets of cum against the sheets and squeezing my asshole with each discharge, which turned the man in my ass on and, while he held my hips tightly so I wouldn't move, he filled me with cum. His thrusts were deep. I noticed how his cock grew inside me and, how slowly and steadily, he released his cum inside me. I was drowning my sighs and gasps with the big cock in my mouth. I guess Marcos must have liked it because he didn't give any signs when he started to cum, he just grabbed me by the neck tightly so I wouldn't move, he opened his legs wider and emptied himself for the second time in my mouth, without warning me. He pressed himself against me, lifting one leg and panting desperately. His milk didn't come out copiously, a sign that he had enjoyed that orgasm in my mouth, but he released five or six good jets of milk that I swallowed. Very hot and thick.

Both Aitor, who was still with his cock inside my ass, and Marcos who had his cock grabbed by the base and stuck in my mouth, stayed there for a while moving slowly and enjoying the moment. Marcos, the owner of the house, pulled me away from his cock. It must have been four in the morning. We had been having wild sex for three hours without stopping since I had walked through the door of that house. He put on his boxers and carefully pushed me aside. I was half asleep. I had Aitor behind me, his cock still hard and he was gently running it along my slit while he hugged me. They both fell asleep almost instantly in the bed. It took me a while to fall asleep, and I stayed asleep floating in the atmosphere filled with the incredible smell of sex between men that was in that room. Between the two men I had just met and who had destroyed me with their cocks, making me cum with pleasure without touching me.

[iffeelscouldkill]

Lost in a Familiar Place pt. 7 (of 7!)

(Aka the ‘Nicholas never applied to Kings Row’ AU)

In which Harvard finds Aiden, Nicholas gets a visitor, and things are set in motion.

Previous chapters: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

A/N: I know I've traditionally serialised this fic on Tumblr first and then posted it later to AO3, but this chapter will be different. This is because this chapter is a bit (a bit) spicier than normal and I don't trust Tumblr at all, given that I'm pretty sure the reason part 4 wasn't visible in the Fence tag is that I used a word that rhymes with "corny" (and starts with an H) in the tags.

So, I'm posting the first part on Tumblr, and then the rest can be read on AO3. It's also longer than normal chapters (almost 3x as long!), so I think the reading experience will be a bit better on AO3 anyway. It's already up on AO3, so you can also go straight there if you prefer!

Harvard tore across the darkened Kings Row campus – and then stopped abruptly. He suddenly had a feeling that Aiden wouldn’t be waiting for him back at their dorm room. It wasn’t really Aiden’s style to sit around twiddling his thumbs; it also wasn’t like Aiden to make things easy for him.

So, Harvard would need to find him.

Harvard thought about the places in the school that they liked to go together. After more than three years at Kings Row, there were quite a few, although (he thought with a guilty pang) he wasn’t sure when they’d last frequented one of their old hideouts.

He considered, and dismissed, the fencing clubhouse – they’d had a lot of fun times there, but only as part of a bigger group. There were some good trees on the grounds that he and Aiden had challenged each other to climb, but that didn’t really seem practical. But wait– climbing–

It sparked a sudden memory, of being fifteen and gangly and laughing as he followed Aiden up a narrow, rusting fire escape bolted to the corner of the Music and Drama building. The building itself had a sloping roof that didn’t look climbable, but if you were intrepid enough to try, you could scramble up the fire escape and then wriggle onto a nearby ledge, and from there you suddenly found yourself in reach of a flat rooftop area that was almost completely concealed from the ground.

Harvard knew it was where Aiden would be.

He had more co-ordination now than he had done at fifteen, but also more bulk, and the fire escape creaked ominously as he hauled himself up. Harvard held as much tension as he could in his core and moved as smoothly and quietly as possible. If not for the fact that he wanted to keep this spot a secret, he’d assign it to new team members as a fitness challenge. Up to the top, and he saw the ledge now – wow, it was further away than he remembered. How had they done this?

He stretched, grasped the ledge, flailed and kicked a bit against the wall and then he was up, with only slightly scraped palms to show for it. He edged along it, crouching slightly to keep his centre of gravity low, and also to hide the movement from the ground. Helpfully, no-one was stirring on the campus at this hour. Harvard carefully straightened up as he came into sight of the flat rooftop – and the figure sitting at the far edge, shoulders slightly hunched, facing away from him.

Harvard would have liked to climb gracefully up onto the rooftop, maybe attracting Aiden’s attention with a slight sound, or maybe he’d wait until he was standing there and then say, “Aiden–” urgently, and then Aiden would turn and see him–

Instead, he scuffed his knee as he scrambled up onto the rooftop and flopped inelegantly onto the surface with a little “oof” noise. When he managed to get up, Aiden was staring at him like he hadn’t expected Harvard to actually be there.

“That was a lot easier when we were fifteen,” Harvard said dryly, dusting his hands off. Aiden gave a tiny grin, climbing to his feet.

“Speak for yourself,” he said, and then the smile faded. “So…”

“I figured it out,” Harvard blurted out, quickly, before he could overthink it. “About what you meant when you said – I mean, I figured out-”

Crap, he was already overthinking it. Harvard started again. “When you told me you joined the team because of me – that you started to love fencing because I love it – I was really surprised, because I didn’t think that you felt that way too. Us fencing together means a lot to me, Aiden. It always has done.”

“Just fencing?” Aiden asked, his tone brittle. Harvard shook his head quickly.

“Let me finish. Look, I was – mad at you, because it felt like you’d stopped caring about something that was really important to both of us, or at least, you didn’t care enough to really show up for it. You’d pulled away, and I didn’t get why. Then I realised that it’s something you do when you actually do care about something, but you want to protect yourself.”

He took a step towards Aiden on the rooftop. Aiden looked a bit panicked, like he was considering fleeing from Harvard and this conversation, and Harvard knew he had to get to the good part quickly, before Aiden pulled away again.

“Do you remember when we fenced against each other during the team try-outs?” he said. “And I said… uh… We were joking around, and I said, ‘I miss this you?’”

Aiden nodded, a blush creeping down his neck. Not many people knew that Aiden blushed that way when he was caught off-guard (Harvard wasn’t completely sure that Aiden knew it). He felt like his own face was aflame, although mercifully it was too dark for it to be visible.

“I thought I’d misheard you,” Aiden admitted.

“You didn’t mishear,” Harvard told him. “I guess I was – starting to realise something, subconsciously, that I’ve felt for a long time. It shouldn’t have taken me this long to put the pieces together.” He gave a lopsided, self-deprecating smile.

“I… I was thinking about how you are when we fence together – it’s like I get to see a side of you that no-one else gets to see. I’ve always seen that side of you, but I thought it was just because we were best friends, and now I’m realising maybe it’s… something else. Or maybe it is because of that, but I want it to be something more.” Harvard was babbling a little bit, but fortunately, it didn’t matter, because Aiden was looking at him like he was saying amazing.

“Aiden, I really like you,” he said, and then laughed a little at himself. Why had he taken such a long time to say something so simple? “Uh. Yeah.”

Aiden gave a shaky laugh, and took a half-step towards Harvard. “Just to be clear,” he said, slowly. “You mean that in a more-than-friends way. Right?”

“Yes. Definitely,” Harvard said. Even though it had only been ten minutes since his revelation, it felt like he’d known this whole time. The feelings had crept up on him so gradually that he hadn’t realised what they were until Aiden had all but laid things out for him.

But Aiden had been self-aware enough to know what he was feeling. And that, Harvard was sure, was what had freaked him out. “I really, really do.”

Aiden’s breath whooshed out of him all at once. “Oh, thank god,” he said. With two steps, he’d closed the remaining distance between them.

“Do you-” Harvard began, but that was as far as he got before Aiden kissed him.

(Okay, Harvard had been pretty sure, but it was nice to have confirmation).

Harvard breathed in through his nose, inhaling soap and the cocktail of hair products Aiden used daily (it probably said a lot that the scent had become something like ‘home’ for him), and tilted his head to press more firmly into the kiss.

He’d never kissed a guy before, but the basic principles were all the same: reaching out to tuck golden strands behind Aiden’s ear, cupping the side of his face with one hand, exploring the shape of his mouth. Aiden made these little humming noises of pleasure that Harvard didn’t think his best friend was consciously aware of.

Harvard had been expecting Aiden to have – moves, maybe, born of his much more extensive experience, but he seemed content to let Harvard take the lead. Not that he was tentative about it – no, Aiden kissed like he knew he was a fantastic kisser, and well, he was. But Harvard felt as though Aiden was holding something back, enough that he broke the kiss to say, “Are you okay doing this out here? We can move inside if you want–”

Aiden smirked at him. “I’m not shy about this sort of thing, in case you didn’t know. Besides, we’re really well-hidden up here.”

“Okay,” Harvard said, reassured. “You just seem like you’re… waiting for something.”

Aiden looked away, flushing down his neck again. “No, I just thought– well, I wanted to see what you liked, first. And I figured you’d want to take it slow.”

A smile spread across Harvard’s face, first because the consideration was sweet. But secondly, because he felt like Aiden had, for once, mischaracterised him a little. Oh, Harvard would never rush anyone into anything, and he tried to be a receptive and respectful partner. But his past romantic partners had all liked it when he showed enthusiasm, and Harvard had always been happy to oblige.

“I think we’ve been taking it slow for a while now,” he replied. “So, as long as you’re on board with moving ahead…” Harvard fitted his hand again to the side of Aiden’s face, running a thumb along that sharp cheekbone, but he waited until Aiden had given a nod before leaning in to kiss him again.

Harvard had one move, but it was a pretty good one, so he used it now, moving a hand down to the small of Aiden’s back and applying pressure. Aiden raised his eyebrows at Harvard but allowed himself to be dipped backwards and then lowered down onto the rooftop (which was smooth tarmac and not uncomfortable, though there were a few leaves on it at this time of year). Harvard braced himself on his hands and leaned over Aiden. “How’s this?”

For a few incredible seconds, Aiden seemed lost for words, running his tongue over his bottom lip and staring up at Harvard. Then he came back to himself. “No complaints at all,” he said, one side of his mouth quirking up. “Let me just–”

Aiden was wearing a light jacket, and he reached up to his throat and unzipped it, letting the material puddle around him. With one hand, he balled it up and then tucked it behind his head. “That’s comfier,” he said, smirking up at Harvard. He was wearing a thin white shirt underneath, which in typical fashion was unbuttoned so that a deep V of pale skin was visible. It was Harvard’s turn to stare. Aiden’s blond hair was messy, wisps escaping from his ponytail and curling around his ears. Shadows played about his face, sharpening his smirk and giving his green eyes an almost otherworldly intensity. He looked like a siren who lured men to their doom on a rocky island. Harvard was a goner; always had been a goner.

Aiden arched his head back ever so slightly under Harvard’s gaze. “Like what you see?”

Harvard shook himself. “You know I do,” he said, his voice sounding uncharacteristically rough, and Aiden’s eyes widened and then darkened. “But–” practicality was winning out, still– “won’t you be cold?”

Aiden visibly rolled his eyes. “That’s the last thing I’ll be. Now get down here-” He fisted his hands in Harvard’s shirt to pull him down, and when that didn’t happen fast enough, used his legs to hook around Harvard’s waist.

“Okay, okay, hnghhh– Jesus. Okay-”

Continue reading on AO3

[practically-an-x-man]

for the Secret Ask List- 1, 4, 7, and 27 for Kat, and 6, 11, 26 (lots of aquatic possibilities... feel free to answer with a non-plant like kelp!) and 29 for Vivienne!

Ooooooh thank you so much!!!

Secret OC Ask List

Katherine:

1) Does your OC have a voice claim, if so who?

I don't normally think much about voiceclaims, honestly! I've mentioned Dara Reneé as a possible faceclaim for Katherine, and I do usually double-up on voiceclaims with the faceclaim (since that's usually a fair bet for choosing a voice that "fits" their appearance) - I do see Dara Reneé's voice as a pretty good match for Katherine's in tone, but she'd have to put on a Southern accent!

4) What song describes your OC and their partner/love interest?

I mean... her whole fic is titled from the lyrics of Who Wants to Live Forever by Queen, and that was definitely meant to fit her and Ahk! And Rami Malek joke aside, I do feel like most of Queen's love songs fit them well (Love of My Life, You Take My Breath Away, etc.)

7) Vice-Versa! If your OC is in the modern day, what fantasy class would they be? Would they be a different race?

CLERIC!! I mean, she's basically a cleric already, even in the modern world, so you just KNOW she'd be a cleric to Bastet (or whatever the fantasy-fiction equivalent to Bastet would be)

As for a different race... no, I don't think so. I think she'd be best just to stick with being a human, though it could kinda be funny to have a running joke where the other members in her party joke about her being half-dwarf because of her height (don't worry, she'd absolutely find some way to get them back XD)

27) What's their spirit tamagotchi? Or an animal you associate them with?

I mean, the obvious answer would be cats, namely for her connection with Bastet, but that does fit Katherine very well (almost like it's by design... lol).

Outside of that, I could also see her as something like a spotted genet, raccoon, or marbled polecat - something small and cute but deceptively capable, and not entirely dissimilar to a cat (not in terms of biology, just mental association).

____

Vivienne:

6) If your OC is in a fantasy setting, what profession would they be in the modern day?

Answered here!

11) What was your inspiration for your OC?

Answered here!

26) What flower do you associate your OC with?

Ooooooh, I know it's not a plant but I really see Vivienne as fire coral!

Just these beautiful, branching aquatic forms, but with a hidden venom that's incredibly painful and dangerous!

But in terms of actual flowers, I'm going to go with sundew!

Similar story here: a very outwardly beautiful, unique, enchanting form, but secretly carnivorous! I feel like that's a good metaphor for being a siren :D

29) Imagine a mood board for your OC! What's on it? (Make it if you want!)

Oooooh so first things first, @negative-speedforce actually made me a moodboard for Vivienne and it is GORGEOUS!! It's on display here in her OC bio!

I really do love that misty, Gothic atmosphere in the moodboard, especially with the indistinct silhouettes that come from deep water or oceanic fog. That fits Vivienne SO well, and really matches the tone of the fics I've written for it!!

I do think it could be cool, if a second moodboard were to be made, to take things in a more colorful direction. Bright fish scales (betta fish baby!! Vivienne's inspo!!) and coral reefs, but also some more mundane or "human" things like rows of pastries from a bakery or formal dresses from the late 19th century, even something that represents oral storytelling (though I'm not sure what that would be). It would be neat to have this moodboard be bright and vibrant as a contrast to the Gothic moodboard I already have for her, and I think it would especially capture that dichotomy in Vivienne's character - not only land and sea, but the contrast between her behavior as a living sea storm/omen of danger and her behavior as an energetic and fun-loving storyteller.

[lena-in-a-red-dress]

Previous Husband AU, Pt 7

(Content warning for abuse and violence)

---

Over the next week, Lena mutes Tom's number on her personal cell and routes her work cell through to her assistant for screening. She works from home-- well, Kara's home, technically-- rocking the satin blouse and pajama bottom look when she needed to be on video chat.

Besides that, she keeps a low profile as she worked out her next steps. During the day, she reaches out to her lawyers, quietly investigating her options before making any moves. Each night, when Kara returns home with takeout, Lena always asks before sharing what strides she's made.

"Are you sure you want to hear about this?" she confirms for the third night in a row. "I have people to help me with all this."

"Lena," Kara says bluntly. "I want to hear about it. I'm in this with you. I want to know what's going on."

Lena gives her a grateful smile. It helps to talk through it-- it not only vents the pressure of stress that builds in her chest throughout the day, but also makes her exit plan all the more real. The light at the end of the tunnel creeps closer by the day.

The good news, Lena explains that night, is that their finances were never joined. They'd signed a pre-nup-- the one thing Lena will ever thank her mother for insisting upon-- which means that besides a few joint investments that Lena won't be hurting to lose, her resources are safe.

Her main concern is her apartment, which has been Tom's home ever since he arrived in National City. Lena doubts he'll move out evem if she demands it, but if push comes to shove, she reasons she can have a team in to pack the place in one day and have the unit listed on the market by noon the next.

No reason for her to step another foot into the apartment again.

It stings a little, she confesses to Kara, to be driven out of her own home. To make even a single concession just to be rid of Tom. But to be rid of him with minimum fuss and zero risk of confrontation is worth sacrificing her pride.

In fact, despite the dread and anguish that had first driven Lena to Kara's door, she now feels... hopeful. She feels like in a way that makes her realize how miserable she's been-- and for how long.

So it's with a smile that Lena sends Kara to work a week to the day since she arrived in tears. Today she upgraded to jeans and a blouse that's soft on her skin, allowing her comfort while also remaining a tad more presentable than her previous hodge podge of dress codes.

Settling onto the couch to thumb through an R&D report, Lena takes a moment to pause, and simply breathe. She feels good.

When she opens her eyes to get down to business, Lena spies Kara's lunch and keys on the counter. Almost as soon as she notices the forgotten items, a knock sounds at the door.

"Dork," Lena mutters with a grin to herself. She plucks lunch and keys both from the counter on her way to the door.

When she opens the door, it's not Kara she sees on the other side.

"Tom."

The air instantly seems to suck from the room, leaving Lena's chest hollow. Every muscle tenses, teetering on the edge of fight or flight.

The smile Tom gives her would be considered congenial, if not for the dark glint of anger in his eyes.

"Hey babe."

Lena swallows the reflexive "what are you doing here?" that rises in her throat, clinging to what little dignity she feels she has left. She lifts her chin, jaw clenching.

"What do you want?"

Tom heaves a sigh. "I missed you too," he drawls sarcastically. His gaze scans the apartment behind her, before Lena too late tries to close the door tighter around her.

"I almost forgot how dramatic you are," he continues. "But a week is stretching it, don't you think? Even for you."

Saying nothing, Lena scowls at him. "You hurt me, Tom."

"You know I didn't mean to, Lee."

"Don't call me that." She's always hated that fucking nickname, and he knows it.

"Look, I'm sorry. It's just, sometimes you get so irrational, it makes me nuts. I snapped, okay? But I promise it won't happen again. We can work through it, together."

The last sounds almost like the promise Lena had made to Kara, but this time it rings hollow. Even as his words spark guilt and shame in her chest, Lena retains the presence of mind to recognize the red flags his tactics are.

Flipping the blame on her.

Casting her as hysterical, irrational.

Downgrading the severity of the event.

Empty promises to do better, next time.

Lena's hand curls into a fist at her side. There won't be a next time.

Tom looks her in the eye. "It's time to come home," he tells her.

Panic rises in Lena's chest. This is it. The final moment between reconciliation or outright confrontation. Lena hates conflict-- always has. She avoids it wherever possible, but right now, she has a choice to make: a single confrontation now to cut ties, or countless more in the future if she goes back.

She makes her choice.

"I'm not going anywhere."

Tom stares at her, his features suddenly unreadable. Then, before she has a chance to react, he lunges towards her and grabs her bicep in a vise grip.

"Hey!" Lena yelps in reflex, pulling back too late to escape.

"We're leaving," he growls. He yanks her from the doorway into the hall, and starts dragging her towards the elevator.

Lena's socked feet slide too easily on the smooth floor, even as she pries unsuccessfully at his fingers. "Ow! Tom, let go! You're hurting me!"

"Shut up!" he growls, yanking her sharply, making her cry out in pain. "If you had just come home, we wouldn't have to go through all this mess."

The elevator door opens, and Tom flings her inside. She bounces off the back wall with a grunt of air escaping her lungs, winding her. Before she can take advantage of her momentary freedom, Tom is right there, pressing against her to pin her against the wall as the elevator closes behind them.

"Stupid bitch. You're so fucking predictable. You know all I had to do to find you was think who would be gullible enough to take your pathetic ass in. And of course it's the cunt who tossed you aside like it was nothing!"

Lena hisses, grimacing as the handrail presses sharply against her spine. "You're the cunt, Tom," she snarls back. "Poor little boy who has to throw women around just to feel like a big strong man--augh!"

Tom's palm cracks across her cheek just as the elevator dings its arrival at the ground floor. He takes Lena roughly by the arm again and pulls her forward once more-- only to stop short of bouncing off another body waiting to step inside the elevator.

"Kara!"

Relief isn't quite the word she'd use to describe the feeling that lifts in her chest. Fear still coats her throat, strangling her. Meanwhile, Kara's pleasant features freeze in surprise-- then darken a moment later as she takes in the scene before her.

Her gaze bounces once between Tom and Lena, scanning Lena for sign of injury before narrowing in on the grip Tom still has on Lena's bicep. Then her eyes flick up to the wide fear in Lena's, before turning her entire focus on Tom.

All this happens in the space of a heartbeat, and in the next breath Tom puffs upright and thrusts his chest out menacingly.

"Get out of--"

Kara winds back her right fist and punches Tom square in the face.

Lena's left to sag a little and catch her breath when Tom's hand lets go to fly up and cradle his face.

"Motherfucker!!" Tom yells, his voice claggy with blood. Even through his fingers, Lena can see his chin coated with the stuff. Before he can do anything more, Kara grips him by the shirt and hauls him around and out of the elevator, releasing him with a shove towards the door.

"Stay the fuck away from her," Kara growls. She plants herself in the threshold of the elevator, ignoring the repeated bumps from the door trying to slide close.

"Or what, bitch!" he roars back. Anger seems to have dulled the pain in his face, because he struts back towards them, seemingly ready for more.

This time, Lena is the one to stand between them.

"No!" she bellows, sharp enough to stop them both short. Tom only pauses a moment though, before continuing to press forward. Finding her nerve and fueled by her own anger, Lena smacks both hands into his chest, shoving him back. "No."

"Lena--"

Lena cuts Tom's threat off with a glare. "I want a divorce," she declares bluntly. She scowls.

"Until then I'll settle for a fucking restraining order."

Stepping back into the elevator, Lena grabs Kara by the hand and pulls her inside as well. Together they stand side by side, glaring at Tom until the door finally slides shut. They both bristle from the altercation on the ride up, storming back down the hall to Kara's apartment.

Only then, after the door has closed behind them and Kara turns all the locks, does Lena's chest catch. Her breath suddenly shortens, and her next attempt to inhale is sharply abbreviated.

Kara's arms wrap around her as Lena's anger falters, leaving only a bubble of tears that soon bursts into a bevy of sobs. Kara says nothing, and simply holds her as she cries.

[ninjigma]

RexObi Week Part 3/7 - First / Previous / Next

Day 3: Amusement Park Track: 'Friday I'm In Love' - The Cure (Spotify / YouTube)

"The more of these games I see the more I'm surprised there isn't people fighting everywhere."

"Well, I do believe people are not here mainly to win cheap stuffed animals. There are many other things to enjoy."

"Is that why you keep using the Force on the clearly rigged games?"

Obi-Wan raised his nose slightly, carefully tucking his hands behind his back after one last flick of his wrist at a rubber duck with a tiny loop on the top. The squeal of joy from the young child holding a much too flimsy hook nearly drowned out his prim response. "My dear, are you suggesting I would cheat?"

"Well," Rex grinned crookedly. "Never for yourself, but yes."

Obi-Wan made an affronted noise, though the mirth in his eyes couldn't fool anyone in the galaxy, as he slid an arm through Rex's and began walking a bit further. They were in absolutely no rush, the sun beginning to set and stars already blinking above them. It meant that dozens if not hundreds of lights were flicking to life, bright and vibrant in a way that almost reminded Obi-Wan of Force signatures when he was younger. Unfocused, youthful, undetermined futures; a swirl from hot to cold and so much life it was near overwhelming to open yourself to. In fact, Obi-Wan wasn't fully sure how to really feel about this date suggestion, mostly going through with it for the adrenaline of the rides and the sweets he thought Rex would enjoy trying, but leaning into Rex's side and watching that little one proudly accept the stuffed bantha from a perplexed looking worker was quite worth it.

He also found he minded the heat and overall stickiness of things even less when, five minutes later, Rex was crouched behind a water gun with a look of utter clone stubbornness and efficiency, and Obi-Wan was trying not to literally cheer as the clone won his second round in a row. It was all Rex here, beating the neigh impossible game and gathering a few further youngsters around him that wished to watch as he nailed the target perfectly.

"That's insane!" a child to Obi-Wan's right whispered to their friend, who only nodded wide eyed back. "I have never seen anyone win even the first round of this!"

"Do you think he is a bounty hunter?" another murmured.

"Maybe he's a Jedi!" 

This last one was said much louder, and met with a small outbreak of whispering that Obi-Wan couldn't help but laugh at, much to the upset of the child that said it.

"He could be!" They defended, small yellow cheek markings rising with his scrunched nose, and the face paint of a rainbow crinkling. 

"Well, I can assure you he isn't, young one." Obi-Wan gave a soft smile, as more curious children looked to him.

"Why should we believe you?" the first one asked, their friend still clinging to their side and watching Rex. "How else could he be so good?"

"Because he is one of the best," Obi-Wan answered simply, without specify who exactly Rex was the best of, seeing as Obi-Wan believed it was just about anyone anyhow. "As for how I know he isn't a Jedi..."

Rex then won the fifth round, maxing out the prize and earning the stuffed animal that had caught their eye to begin with as the perfect gift for Cody when they returned home. Though before the stunned worker had the chance to fully process he needed to unhook the creature and deliver it, Obi-Wan had raised a hand for the children to easily see and twisted it up and towards Rex to use the Force to toss the waiting clone his prize. 

"It is because he told me himself he isn't." Obi-Wan finished firmly. And before the kids could close their mouths or Rex had finished rolling his eyes, Obi-Wan was once again next to his partner and linking them together to stride away into the crowd.

"Showing off again sir?" Rex asked, handing the plush animal, a varactyl in a strikingly familiar pattern, to Obi-Wan.

"Me? Showing off?" Obi-Wan curled an arm under the plush. "I was merely correcting assumptions."

"The assumptions of a child?" At this Rex had slid behind Obi-Wan more properly, giving an accusing squeeze of strong, lean arms. 

"The assumption that you are a Jedi," Obi-Wan turned his head to smile more properly at Rex behind him. "First, I have heard you plenty of times state otherwise, which, in a way you are fully aware of, I am more then grateful for. And second, I know that nothing of the skill you just showed has to do with being born Force sensitive. That was all my lovely, talented, handsome rún."

And though Obi-Wan knew Rex still didn't know the exact meaning of the word he used, he had said it enough to bring color to the clones cheeks even as he shook his head. the he had declared it over in a dozen different circumstances of praise to Rex to make it clear. Knew he had put enough truth in his smile and joy in his eyes to make the adoration obvious, even past how Rex pulled Obi-Wan back into himself more firmly, with a quip already clearly set to make Obi-Wan blush much worse. 

So, when Obi-Wan cut Rex off to press a kiss to his lips that gave a much more obvious hint at exactly how much Obi-Wan appreciated watching Rex win the stuffed plush, he was met with more love then Obi-Wan had ever dared want for, and would be grateful every day to have.  

@rexobiweek

[kayo-min]

Anime Expo 2023 | BLEACH TYBW panel

Wow, what an experience! It was such a huge honor to be part of this panel by being on the stage with other cosplayers, Viz staff, and Ichigo's JP voice actor, Masakazu Morita!!

I wanted to write about my experience with it in case anyone is interested!

One of my best friends and I were cosplaying Rukia and Orihime (in a shihakusho) this day and we got in line early that was outside for the Bleach panel. As the line moved, we got stopped by Viz Media staff who handed us these numbers (7 and 8) and told us to enter to be part of the "Bankai Contest". At first, all of my friends and I thought it was a raffle because they first mentioned that we can win prizes. But when they told us that we get up on stage, I got nervous and was so hesitant that I almost said no, but thanks to my silly friends peer pressuring encouraging me, I chose to take it, thinking that if I changed my mind later I could just not go up.

The panel started and after about 3/4 of Morita's Q&A, there was a brief pause and the cosplayers who were given numbers were asked to come up to the front for the Bankai/Cosplay contest (There was a total of 11 of us). I thought, "Okay, I'll come up, I'm nervous as hell, but maybe I just stand there. I don't have my glasses on so I won't be able to see the audience's faces or see the sheer amount of people there, right?"

But we were told that the contest is more so who gives the best "Bankai!" shout and Morita will be the judge, and I was like oh no, I have to use my voice?! My mind was racing with how I should deliver my "bankai", trying to get a sense of how Rukia would say it. (Because well, we haven't heard it yet, but soon!)

At this point I think I astral projected because it was truly an out-of-body experience. After my silly and cringe "bankai" I stood next to my friend and the other cosplayers, as depicted in the photo above, while my brain and body were processing the shock of everything.

The Tosen cosplayer accidentally got chosen as being part of the Top 3 but to be fair he was really good so it wouldn't be surprising if he got chosen anyway! Morita then had to choose another cosplayer but when he said "Rukia", I physically turned my body slightly away from him because my brain was like DO NOT PERCEIVE ME, there are 3 Rukia's up here so surely I wouldn't be perceived, but he came up to me and picked me, and I was pretty much dying inside. ;;w;;

The winner out of the Top 3 was chosen out of audience applause, and the Tosen cosplayer won! The prizes were an autographed poster from Morita for each cosplayer, and the Top 3 received Bleach merchandise in a Bleach tote bag.

I didn't even realize I got 2nd place, I only found out about it when my friends told me after the panel ended LOL

Afterward, the panel showed 3 scene previews from Season 2 and they were phenomenal! Anime-only (new) scenes, the visuals, the sound design, it was so good! The cosplayers got front-row seats so my eyes got to drink it all up >:)

Sorry if this was too long of a post, but this was my experience at the Bleach TYBW panel at AX this year! It was absolutely crazy but a lot of fun, and it's crazier to think that I almost refused the number to get up on stage. Thank you so much for reading!!~

[kuu-stuff]

09 December 2024

Yesterday I went for a late walk after it rained most of the day. I feel alive again ! Why do I keep listening to Americans when they obviously haven't walked more than 10 min in a row for the past decade ToT My in-laws always stress when I go out after 4 pm like I will be stranded in darkness or something. Or saying that it's too cold to go out like if I'm not used to walk in the snow. Or some neighbors worrying that I'm not carrying pepper spray or weapon going through the NEIGHBORHOOD that is pretty much only used by the people living here since most of the roads are dead ends. They make it feel like I could die at any moment. Always worried about snakes/insects, luminosity, weather,... I was literally home by 7, it wasn't even completely dark yet and everyone was shocked that I was outside. This is so silly... I used to go to the forest at night, even in big cities I would walk after sunset, here even during the day I get sometimes comments trying to dissuade me. Do they think crime doesn't exist in Europe ? I'd argue that there is less chances of being attacked here. And as much as we don't have as many wild life, in 3 years I only encountered snakes in our yard and in a shed and the only other wild life that gives me hard time are mosquitoes and ants. I could ramble for hours but my point was that walking in the evening after a light rain when the water still drops from the trees when almost every houses are decorated for Christmas and no one is out is sooooo great. The weather is finally cold enough for me to survive. The smell in fall, after the rain is so aromatic. The sound is soothing. The animals are calm and play around. It's just so awesome and I missed it so much.

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I tried the site blocktoon to post "This time I can share it with you" on it, just to try it out and I don't wanna complain because it's free and seems to be good for many people, but it's kind of trash ? It's little things like automatically only showing jpeg files while uploading while ... who tf still use jpegs for pictures ?? Then I couldn't upload some infos on my page without disclosing every single infos. The uploading time was loooong and I couldn't even preview it before posting. And especially, it made my pages look soooo bad quality. It's true that I didn't read what format they wanted and didn't want to go through the trouble to change each pages into jpegs, but come on, this is laaaame. We'll see if anyone reads it. I haven't advertised anything so maybe no one will. Bah, I'm just doing it because I lust for comments. ✰✰✰✰✰✰✰ I got a great neeeew idea for a comic and I got a ton of scenes and stuff already, maybe after finishing this part of "Contained" and next part of "This time [...]" I could try that ? I did want to take commissions in January so I could just relax and work on those and the new comic, like I did for "Here, within reach" (that I still have to finish too) ahlala...

[tia-amorosa]

🌴Lucky Palms🌴

Marisol - Saturday Night Fever (long) Part 1

It's just before 7 pm. The old warehouse, which has been converted into a discotheque/bar/arcade hall, is expecting many guests today. Clark and his band have invited virtually the whole town. Anyone who wants to come is welcome. And nobody knows how this evening will end….

"Man, don't overdo it now, Ozzy, do you hear me?"/ "Why… It's all for shit now anyway…"/ "But you're not doomed to die, now come back down and put the bottle away again. You'd better take care of the music system". Oscar received two pieces of news today that threw him off course. Not just him… but also his future wife and all his other close friends.

As no DJs were available today, the decision was made to use the Auto DJ system. Lots of music, put together on the computer and now played via USB stick. "System running"/ "I can hear that too, at least turn it down a bit so that people can still talk".

Shortly before 8 p.m., Marisol enters the hall. The music is loud, but not booming. She looks around, not too many people, but at least there's a bit going on… She was almost two hours late. But there was no need to get upset… "Hey…".

After she heard his voice and then saw him, she went to him. "Well, it's a bit lame, isn't it?"/ "yeah, but I'm sure there'll be more going on later. I didn't realize that the Super Bowl was still on TV today… Are you okay?"/ "mhm. Are the others here too?"/ "Only Oscar, the others had other plans today".

"So, are you excited about the tour yet? How many gigs do you have?"/ "um, I think 23 or so…". She raised an eyebrow with a grin. "You don't know exactly?"/ "Spike has more of an overview. Do you want a drink?"/ "hm, if there's something non-alcoholic here, you know…" She pointed to her stomach with her two index fingers. "Oh, sure, we don't want our child to become an alcoholic, right? There are non-alcoholic drinks upstairs".

After a few minutes, Vivienne, Oscar's fiancée, also arrived at the bar. "Hello you two, have you seen Oscar?". Marisol looked over at her in astonishment. "Vivienne? No, I've only just arrived…". Quark reacted a little annoyed, because things are always a little tense between him and Vivienne. "He must be buzzing around here somewhere, what are you doing here anyway, didn't you want to watch your show?"/ "You know I'm not at peace about my future husband at the moment. Well, I'll find him". After Vivienne was out of sight, Marisol turned to Clark again, "Is everything okay with them?"/ "Yes, yes… Shall we go upstairs?".

Slowly the hall filled up and people went to the bars, or to the dance floor if they felt like dancing. But the drinks here are the best in town at the moment. Clark is nervous on the one hand, but on the other, at least outwardly, calm…a few things have had to be sorted out in the last 24 hours. "hi, one orange juice with elderflower, please".

The barman looked at her, somewhat perplexed. "Elder… What?". And Clark immediately intervened. "Are you deaf? Elderflower, the syrup, is downstairs, front row, I filled it up the Bar myself…". The barman was a little piqued. "Are you the boss here?". Clark grinned a little. "Almost, so, what is it now, the lady is thirsty"/ "o.k. o.k.… what mix ratio?"/ And again Clark had to shake his head . "Haven't you studied the recipe book? Oh man, what's wrong with you?".

It took a while for the guy behind the bar to finally finish making the drink. He searched for the recipe, which was actually quite simple, for almost a minute: "I think I need to talk to your boss, apparently you've only had a crash course. Marisol looked over at him and had to laugh a little: "hnhn, hey, don't get upset, Clark, the drink tastes good, really".

Clark also had a drink made. Then they both got up and carried on talking. "And otherwise… everything okay?". Marisol took a sip from her glass. "mhm, yes… I'm just writing the last chapters of my new book" / "o.k. …. What's it about?" / "hm, about a broken family" / "Oh, o.k., and, is there a happy ending?"…

"Do you think I'm going to tell you the ending now? You should just read it when it's finished…"/ "Do you know when I last read a book? Just tell me"/ "Nope, I'll let you stew. There are definitely a lot of twists and turns in the story, it's exciting…"/ "hehe, and then you just grin like that". It was a casual conversation between the two of them. And they made jokes from time to time. And so Marisol continued in a cheerful tone. "Yes, because I'm convinced it's a good book."/ "hnhn, you know I only read the newspapers or something on my smartphone, but never a book"/ "hm, but on a long bus journey, from city to city, it certainly wouldn't be wrong…"/ "hnhn, yes, maybe. ". Clark finished his glass and placed it on the bar. "Fancy a bit of dancing?". She smiled and nodded.

Before they could even reach the stairs, they heard Vivienne shouting loudly. "Oscar! My God…" . They saw her bending over him, he seemed to be unconscious.

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What happened? We'll find out in the next part…

@cozygirlsimmer

Note: Sometimes things happen unexpectedly when I'm doing story or gamplay. And when I saw Oscar lying there on the floor, I thought to myself, that's so fitting right now! I had a similar scene in my head, but I dismissed it again. He gave me a good template, so to speak, and that's how this and the subsequent scenes in the next part were able to come about. 🙂