#It was very fun to insert them in the background

[y-so-hungry]

Joppa Stew

A commission for the lovely @the-elusive-libbin! Their commission was for 2 characters in T//he B//ad B//atch and their self-insert OC Lily! I did go over the required wordcount for what they paid lol, I just got so excited for it haha! I hope you all like it!

CW: hunger (LOTS), mild stuffing, and a couple of very embarrassed clones lol. Also this is S//tar W//ars, and I'm not SUPER familiar with it so I tried my best with the descriptions, and I'll have you know Joppa Stew IS an actual food in that universe. I did the googles its there

Hunter and Crosshair trudged into the base after a particularly long day. The mission itself had gone… fine, ish, but complications had made it go on for far longer than Hunter had anticipated. As such they hadn’t been given proper rations and well… Crosshair’s stomach has been rumbling for hours now. Not loud enough for a normal person to hear really, but he knew Crosshair was hungry. 

Hunter was hungry too, if he was honest with himself. But that was rare, so he wasn’t hungry, not the slightest bit. His stomach wasn’t even growling. Or… not loud enough for anyone to hear, which is what was most important. Technically now that they were back home at the base they could eat… but Hunter had a feeling that wouldn’t be happening. He had far too much work to do, and Crosshair himself looked bone-tired. Neither of them had the energy to cook, even if they wanted to. Needed to, with the way Crosshair’s stomach was beginning to sound. 

Hunter smiled at Lily as he entered the living area, and headed to his workspace against the wall. Inside, the base was a mix of military efficiency and scrappy improvisation. The main room was a large, cavernous space with rusted durasteel walls and exposed wiring, dimly lit by flickering overhead lights. On one side, a long, makeshift table made up Hunter’s workspace, and it was littered with datapads, empty ration wrappers, and scattered gear. On the other side was a more comfortable space, complete with a couch, coffee table, and Lily herself. 

 She was sitting on the couch there, a drawing pad in her lap, and when she looked up she blew a strand of grey hair out of her eyes as she waved at them. Crosshair was silent as usual, but waved back, then flopped down on the couch next to her, laying down so his legs hung over the armrest and his head was right next to her legs. 

“Good mission?” she asked cheerfully. 

“Mhm,” Crosshair grunted. 

“You two were gone a long time.”

“Mhm.”

“Did you get the bad guys?”

“Mhm.”

“Did you have fun?”

“Mmmm… mm-mm,” Crosshair said with a slight shake of his head.

“No? I’m sorry,” Lily said, running her hand through his short cropped hair. “Well you’re home now, you can relax.” Crosshair grunted a laugh. 

“Knowin’ Hunter he’s just gonna keep working. Reports ‘n mission logs, all that,” he said, cracking open an eye to look at Hunter. Hunter looked back at Crosshair with a tired smile. 

“Someone’s gotta do it,” he said. “You rest.”

Crosshair laughed. “You know him,” he muttered to Lily, though Hunter could still hear. “Always gotta be a big damn hero.”

Crosshair fell silent after that, except for the hungry rumbling in his stomach that Hunter could still hear. It didn’t seem to be quite loud enough for anyone else to yet though, and neither was Hunter’s stomach yet, despite how hungry he was. 

That’s how it went for about an hour. Crosshair dozing on the couch, Lily drawing next to him, Hunter working on mission logs and reports. The hum of a nearby generator provided a low, constant background noise, blending with the occasional drip of water from the cavernous ceiling. That, and of course all the while he can hear his and Crosshair’s stomach giving soft, hungry little gurgles. Every once in a while he felt his stomach clench particularly hard and he’d hold his breath, desperately trying to hide his hunger, and hoping his stomach wouldn’t rumble too loud. He tried to concentrate, but his mind just kept drifting to food…

Warm juicy meat, steaming thick stews, dense aromatic bread, visions of these filled Hunter’s head as he tried to work, and made his mouth water. His stomach clenched, shifting and gurgling with hunger as the images worked into his mind outside his will. It all looked so good, so filling. He took a few drinks of water, hoping it would keep his stomach quiet, but it only made his hunger sharper. 

But as it turns out, he didn’t exactly need to worry about his stomach deciding to make itself known, as a loud, desperate rumbling noise came from behind him. 

Crosshair grimaced as his stomach gave a plaintive growl, his face turning red. His eyes were already closed but he somehow wished he could close them more, like it would help with the embarrassment. 

“Crosshair?” Lily’s voice came from above him. “Are you hungry?”

“Mm-mm,” Crosshair said immediately, shaking his head again. Maybe she would think it’s just a noise from the base. Usually the walls settling didn’t sound like a stomach, but she might believe it if–

Grooooooowwwwwlll

…If his stomach didn’t decide to do it again. 

“It’s no use lying, Crosshair,” Hunter said. “I’ve been listening to your stomach rumbling for hours anyways. You’re starved.”

“Oh and you’re doing so much better, are you?” Crosshair snapped, looking up at Hunter. Hunter opened his mouth to speak, but it seems his stomach decided to fill in for him, as it too gave a starved rumble, forcing him to place a hand on his belly. He grimaced as well, and if it weren’t for his slightly darker skin then he would be just as red as Crosshair was now. 

“Hours??” Lily asked, looking down at Crosshair in surprise. Crosshair laid a hand protectively over his middle and spoke, not meeting her eyes. If he had though, he would’ve seen what Hunter did, which was a small blush coloring her cheeks, and a sparkle of interest in her eyes. 

“We didn’t have enough rations for this mission, it took longer than we thought,” Crosshair said. “They only give us so many for each mission, so… we ran out.”

Lily’s eyes followed as she heard Crosshair’s stomach rumble again, and he rubbed his hand over it. He could feel the vibration under his hand, his stomach was really begging now…

“When was the last time you ate?” she asked, looking up at Hunter this time. Again, that spark of interest was in her eye, but Hunter couldn’t tell if it was concern or… something else.

“Lily really, don’t worry, it’s not–” Hunter’s stomach cut him off with a deep groan, and his flush got deeper. “...Yesterday. At lunch, that was when the ration packs ran out.”

Lily’s blush deepened as her eyes immediately jumped to his belly, and it confirmed Hunter’s suspicions. She was enjoying this. She did seem concerned, a bit, but there was some part of her that seemed to enjoy their hunger. He smirked a little, and watched as her eyes grew a little wider when he placed his hand on his stomach, and started rubbing it. 

“Wow, you must be starving,” Lily said, her eyes still trained on Hunter’s stomach. Crosshair pulled a face however, and shook his head again. 

“It’s really not bad, I’m not that hungry,” he said. His stomach gave a low moan however, rumbling out its displeasure plainly. He sighed and punched a fist into his stomach, swearing under his breath. 

“Well don’t do that!” Lily exclaimed, and she quickly pulled Crosshair’s arm away and put her hand on his belly, giving it soft, gentle rubs. She could feel his stomach growling under her hand, starved rumbles making his way through his abdomen even though not all of them were audible. He felt just as hungry as he sounded, and her face flushed even harder as she stared at his belly. 

Crosshair himself however stared up at her in confusion, looking from his stomach to her face and back again. It felt… good, to have her rub his belly. He hated it, in a way, his stomach growling was just so embarrassing, but her rubbing his abdomen… that might not be so bad. It certainly helped with the feeling of hunger at least. It didn’t exactly ease his hunger, but the pressure felt rather nice. 

At least, until it caused a deep, starved growl to erupt from his stomach, so loud that she could surely feel it in her fingers, and he could feel it reverberate in his ribcage. He pressed his hand over hers, pushing her hand deeper into his stomach as he gave a small groan alongside his stomach. Hunter was right, there wasn’t much use in denying it anymore. She could feel it just as much as he could. 

“I’m starving,” Crosshair mumbled. 

Lily herself felt like she could barely conceal her excitement. The feeling of Crosshair’s stomach against her hand–was she gonna pass out? Fainting from hunger that’s not even her own, how silly that would be! How red was her face? It felt like it was on fire. She was going to combust, right here on the couch. Maybe the smell of the smoke would make their bellies growl louder…

Lily shook herself and snapped back to reality, looking down at Crosshair’s belly rumbling against her hand. 

“Y-You poor things!” Lily exclaimed, putting a hand to her cheek in an attempt to get it to cool down. “I should make you something to eat! Y-You both must be too tired to make anything–I-I can make whatever you want!”

“Joppa stew,” Hunter said immediately. Crosshair and Lily looked back up at him in time to see him clutch his belly as it growled at the mention of the food. He kept his eyes on Lily though, an analytical look in them. 

“J-Joppa stew?” she asked. 

“Doesn’t that take an hour or two to make?” Crosshair spoke up. “Couldn’t we–”

“No, no I think what we really need is some Joppa stew,” Hunter said, giving Crosshair a look. Crosshair frowned at him, but nodded. 

“Yeah, uh, actually that does sound pretty good right about now Lily,” he says. His stomach rumbles again, clearly disagreeing and definitely wanting something at more of the NOW time, but Lily jumped up anyways. 

“I-I’ll go get started!” she said, and she scurried into the kitchen area. Crosshair swung his legs off the armrest and sat up, glaring at Hunter. 

“What the hell? I’m damn near starving over here and you go and tell her to make something that will take until midnight to get done?” he says. His middle gives another growl and he gives it another punch, snapping at it under his breath as his face turns a brighter red. 

“She told ya not to do that,” Hunter said, gesturing at the fist in Crosshair’s stomach. “And if you hadn’t noticed,” he said, leaning down to speak in a lower tone to him, “our Lily seems to be enjoying this.”

Crosshair frowns and looks up at him. 

“Enjoying what?”

“This,” Hunter says, pressing a couple fingers into his stomach and causing it to growl deeply. Crosshair’s eyes widened, but he looked at Hunter like he was crazy. 

“I–What? No, she’s not–” he looked in the direction that Lily left, then back at Hunter. “Is… is that why she put her hand…?” 

“Don’t act like you didn’t enjoy that too,” Hunter said with a laugh. “I saw your face. You liked that just as much as she did.” He gave Crosshair’s belly a poke, earning a distressed gurgle in return. “Who knew the tough guy here liked belly rubs?”

“Shut–I do not!” Crosshair snapped, but his face turned a brighter red than it had all day. Another growl erupted from his abdomen at that moment, and he quickly clutched his middle and stood up. “I’m going to the kitchen.”

Hunter laughed and followed him in. 

The kitchen corner of the base was a modest but functional setup, tucked away in an alcove near the common area. It had clearly been pieced together from salvaged parts and repurposed equipment. The centerpiece was a battered but sturdy cooking unit, its surface blackened from years of use. The controls were a mix of original knobs and makeshift replacements—some patched with tape, others replaced with scavenged components from droid panels.

A few shelves lined the walls. They were stocked with an eclectic mix of supplies: ration packs, jars of pickled alien fruits, vacuum-sealed grains, and an assortment of spices in mismatched containers. Hanging from hooks along the wall were an array of cooking utensils, from long-handled ladles to a thin knife for precision cutting.

A small, round dining table sat nearby, its surface scratched but clean, surrounded by mismatched chairs scavenged from across the galaxy. The air carried a permanent medley of scents—burnt spices, roasted meat, and old ration packs.

Just the faint smell of food was enough to make Hunter and Crosshair’s stomachs growl loudly, reverberating around the kitchen. Both raised a hand to rub at their bellies, not that it helped much. Hunter actually knew for a fact that it only made a person hungrier, rubbing their stomach. He’d spent plenty of time nursing a starved middle when he wasn’t given enough rations for a mission, like on this one. 

Lily looked up from her spot at the counter at the sound of their hunger, and she grinned widely. “I’m almost done cutting up the vegetables for the stew! And I’ll get to work on cooking the meat soon–You guys are going to love it, it’ll taste so much better than those dry ration packs. No ‘nutritional cubes’ in this, this is real food!”

Hunter’s stomach moaned desperately at this, and by this point he’d learned not to take his hand away from his middle. Not only did it help just for rubbing it, but Lily seemed to be particularly entranced when he did so. He pressed his fingers into his belly, causing the growl to be drawn out for longer, crying out so desperately for food. 

“Damn, you really are hungry, huh Hunter?” Crosshair teased. He was sitting at a stool by the counter, directly across from where Lily was cutting up the food. Hunter sighed and sat next to him. 

“Starved,” he said, unwilling to deny or avoid it any longer. “My stomach’s been growling non-stop all day. Even last night, when I was trying to sleep. I’m surprised it didn’t wake up Crosshair in the middle of the night with how loud it was.”

“It was loud?” Lily asked, dumping the vegetables in a pot of water. Hunter smiled. 

“Not as loud as it is now, but it was rumbling so much it felt like my stomach was shaking,” he said. “I bet if you touched it now, you’d feel it shaking.”

Lily nearly dropped her cutting board trying to set it down, squeaking a little in surprise. 

“I-If I touched it!?” she squeaked. “O-Oh my–you–I–um–”

“You know I think you’re right, Hunter,” Crosshair said, laughing a little. “I think she does like this! You like this don’t you?”

“Wh–I don’t know what you’re talking about!!” Lily stammered, and she quickly turned back to the pot on the stove and stirred the broth, letting steam fill the air. The smell caused Crosshair’s belly to growl deeply, making him press his fist into it rather hard. He seems to have compromised punching his stomach with simply being rough with it. Still, Lily didn’t seem to think that was enough. 

“I-I told you to stop that!” she said, her voice somehow still nervous but stern at the same time. Crosshair rolled his eyes at her. 

“If you want someone to be gentle with it, you’re gonna have to find a gentle person to do that instead, I’m too hungry to be patient with it right now!” he snapped. Hunter raised an eyebrow. 

“Crosshair, you can just tell her what you want, you know,” Hunter said. “She clearly likes rubbing your stomach already, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind doing it again.”

Both Crosshair and Lily went so red in their faces Hunter was sure they’d both combust into fire right in the kitchen. 

“WHAT–No, no I do not need any more–I’m perfectly fine!” Crosshair stammered quickly, but his stomach gave another desperate growl at that moment, so loud that it echoed around the room. In that moment Crosshair sighed and rubbed his brow, still red in the face but also still unwilling to admit what he wanted. Hunter laughed and addressed Lily. 

“He did like what you did back there. He won’t admit it, but if you rubbed his belly after you were done with the food, I’m sure he’d be happier than ever. Or, as happy as Crosshair can get,” Hunter said, nudging his friend in the shoulder. Crosshair looked at Hunter with a glare, as he so often did, but his eyes softened when they fell on Lily. 

He shrugged, as if to say “he’s not wrong.”

And Lily grinned widely, her face still flushed, and started again on their food. They teased each other over how loud their stomachs were beginning to be as the cooking process went on, Crosshair and Hunter both swallowing hard as their mouths watered, desperate growls filling in any space not occupied by words. Just when they thought it couldn’t get worse though, Lily started cooking the meat. 

The sound that their stomachs made was so loud that Hunter was certain he could feel it in the chair he was sitting on, and he was only barely keeping himself from drooling. He was so hungry, all he could think about was how desperately he wanted that food. His stomach whined and pleaded for it, growling like a starved animal in a cave. 

And when the food was finally placed in front of him… you’d think those two hadn’t eaten in days. Especially Crosshair, who’s stomach was now being rubbed by Lily, only coaxing more and more famished growls from his belly. 

“Fuck, I’m so hungry,” Crosshair moaned as he ate his stew quickly. His stomach grumbled heavily under Lily’s fingers, growling loudly even though he was eating, like it was digesting so fast he couldn’t keep up. They had second helpings. Thirds. Fourths. Crosshair himself needed a fifth, with how desperate his stomach had become from Lily’s gentle rubbing. 

By the end their bellies had swelled out so much they stuck out tight against their uniforms, gurgling happily with all the food packed inside. Hunter felt Lily reach out and give his swollen middle a soft rub, and he smiled at the quiet gurgles it emitted. Lily led them back to the couch with a smile, and she had them lay down next to her, rubbing their swollen bellies until they finally got the rest they deserved. 

[technoarcanist]

CALLING ALL DOLLS, DRONES, ROBOTS AND CODING ENTHUSIASTS

Are you a robot that loves to serve? Are you a doll maid who seeks guidance in your duties? Are you some form of drone or being with no free will, open to having your actions dictated by the will of your owner? Does the idea of your empty mind being programmed like a machine appeal to you?

Are you enticed by the notion of writing code for your robotic servants? Are you a witch looking to create more intricate control glyphs? Are you an owner seeking to create automated instructions for your drones? Do you love the idea of filling an empty mind with rules and instructions to reflect your will?

INTRODUCING DRONE RESTRAINT NOTATION!

WHAT IS IT?

Drone Restraint Notation, or DRN, is a pseudo programming language created by my good friend Errant Spark, a drone with a very creative <empty space>. I helped with some of the final tweaks for the 1.0 version, but this is almost entirely Its creation.

It is a programming language that is designed in such a way that anyone without a background in programming can execute the commands like a machine, doll, drone, or programmable entity of your choice. It is also simple enough that most people without a background in programming can pick it up fairly easily, and intuitively!

Once you understand the language, you can read and execute all kinds of dynamic instructions and instruction types, in a way that makes it easy to parse in a plain-text format.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

The main documentation document will provide far more detail to this question than I ever could, but effectively it goes like this:

There are a list of eight KEYWORDS, in block capitals, that show you the type of instruction you’re executing. Then, after the KEYWORD, the instruction’s details are shown. Commands are read and executed from top to bottom by the drone, and programs can be ‘inserted’ into the drone’s memory at will (Assuming prior consent, of course)!

These KEYWORDS all have different kinds of functionality. The most basic one just has you carrying out a task. One checks if a condition is true, one provides an ongoing task you have to prioritize and maintain, one lets you create loops, etc.

The language has been designed in such a way as to minimize the amount of actual memorisation a drone has to do, and only has to read what’s right in front of them, and memorize tasks they have to accomplish/maintain. Obviously, mileage may vary depending on the memory space of the doll.

WHY SHOULD I USE IT?

For fun, I suppose! If you are someone who loves the idea of being programmed like a machine, executing only the instructions given, then this provides that! If you are a programmer who wants to program your very own doll bot, then this is a great place to get started too!

You can keep things nice and simple with a headspace that accepts basic command inputs, or you can see how deep the rabbit hole goes and import whole libraries into your headspace to carry out a full day’s maid duties, or sexual duties, or more!

Have fun executing commands, writing new code, testing it on your dolls. Have some playful fun watching as your early code files cause unintended behaviors, ironing out kinks and bugs like a real programmer until you’ve got your bots performing all sorts of dynamic tasks- or insert purposeful bugs to make your robots twitch and halt~

As with all things, never execute an instruction that you cannot/would not consent to. This is meant to be fun, and is NOT meant to be a way to circumvent normal consensual kink play. Programmers who attempt to use DRN as a way to bully people into doing what they want (Unless you’re into that sort of thing, in which case go nuts) do NOT have my endorsement, or the endorsement of Errant Spark.

NOW GO OUT THERE, AND ENJOY YOUR PROGRAMMING <3

>> Posted by XCN-PSD/I-04135

[morallygreychaoticneutral]

Astarion was not a "corrupt" magistrate.

Hello again. Just more opinion about my favorite battle buddy. Warning, trigger words in use. Game spoilers.

It's not quite set in stone that Astarion really was a magistrate, but we are going to go with the idea he was for this thought pocket. Also this is just game as it is now info use.

I don't believe he was corrupt magistrate. There were a few things in the game that called that out, but one in particular really set it in stone for me.

His response to the Ansur lair puzzle regarding justice.

Astarion: “Mercy?! Please. Justice should be a harsh lesson. All the better to deter the next vagabond.”

This makes me think he was a bit of a hard ass as a magistrate, but not corrupt. Had he been dealing dirty in the background I really feel like this answer would have been more dismissive or flippant. But he is pretty intent that this is his stance. Very, iv said this a thousand times, type feel.

I think, he was more of a by the book, law is law type. You murder and rape you swing from the gallows. You steal from a shop keeper, you do time. Period.

My theory is, he got beat up because he wasn't lenient with a member of the Gur that was on trial.

"Leniency?! You have been found guilty of negligence resulting in the death of a innocent! You are owed nothing!"

Could you hear it?

"But he talks about being hedonistic and indulgent all the time. "

Yes, but most patriar level citizens were spoiled entitled brats that did what they desired. Have you talked to some of them in the upper city? Yeeesh.

Was he arrogant? Most likely. Prejudice? Obviously (insert gnomes here). But being a haughty jerk does not make one evil.

Sex, nudity, orgies, parties, over indulging etc are not taboo in Faerun. If everybody is consenting to be being naked in a fountain, hopefully in a private villa garden, its not a crime. He talks about that like its a memory, but I like to think his wine drunk giggly ass was actually in that fountain.

If you want to have a little rabbit hole fun, break down the name. Faerun = Fae Run = Run by the Fae. And last I checked, fairies were always down for some naked in the water time. I mean, come on, you can go to pound town with a bear. (No offence, Halsin.) You think they are going to draw the line at how may wieners you can have in the same pot? I think not.

I think the criminal behavior came after he was turned. Cazador may have been targeting him, but not because they were involved. But maybe due to him looking like his old master Vellioth? And he took advantage of a situation. Who knows, lots of ideas there.

"But he's always getting onto Tav for doing the "right" thing."

Yup, Tav is being too trusting and getting too involved with other peoples problems. Why is this an issue for Astarion? Kindness was what got him entombed for a year. He cared about that sweet mans life and was severally punished for it. Its akin to being mauled by a dog and then watching people just reach out a pet every one they see. The anxiety of that attack is still there and it paints every encounter with its opinion. Danger.

"He's not smart enough."

Oh I bet he is. You can be whip smart at a subject and socially akward at the same time. I'm very good at my job. I know it inside and out and can give you any detail, rule, configuration at the drop of a hat in the most professional and proficient way possible. But ask me to be eloquent in a social situation? HA! You are better off asking a rock to fart. Unrelated.

"But he wants to ascend, and that's evil."

That is more about who is is after years of torment and abuse. Not before.

I think the rogue role was adopted to stay alive while hunting. And what a gods awful fate to be turned into the thing you hated the most. A criminal.

I'm sure Caz was real tickled by that. Expletive Adjective.

[chosokamosbf]

⋆L⋆I⋆G⋆H⋆T⋆H⋆E⋆A⋆D⋆E⋆D⋆

☆ 18+ only/no minors. | jason todd x male! reader.

SUMMARY: a nsft fic where jason puts his boyfriend into a chokehold. WARNINGs: 18+, established relationship, choking, m! sub! reader, dom! jason, (reader receiving) light degradation, overstimulation. WORD COUNT 700+ NOTEs: second person & no plot. insert/reader is a woozy in this one sooo they act a bit "silly." ["Stupid/pretty boy," and no pronouns used to refer to the insert/reader.]

Your pants are caught around your knees; everything else is pushed aside to the barest amount so the desperation leaking in between an otherwise gentle make-out wouldn't have been left unattended. His boxers are ruined—stripped right to his thighs after a near hour or so of caged between them and the man sitting on his lap.

His head was resting in the crook of your neck the whole time, so every hitch in it was caught straight away whenever you had to adjust your sitting.

Whatever movie was playing ended long ago, and now some senseless drama is playing on mute.

You don't know how long you've been doing this.

He hasn't let you move much to even see the clock sitting by on the nightstand. Your only sense of passing time other than the building ache is how the sun is now descending over the city and, in turn, your two's little slice of paradise of a mediocre apartment. It cascades on one side of the room in a dark orange glow after hours of singing in a brighter tone through a small opening in the curtains.

It's all fun and games with someone with a trunk load of stamina until your endless pleas have gotten your eyes rolled back to the very edge, a hazy mind overwhelmed with every single sensation. It's almost painful, even.

Your stomach convulses as you come over and over on his cock while you're stuck being pulled back on it by the hip. His breaths are coming out in heated pants as he bottoms out in you again, pressed against your back like he's using you for support.

Words almost don't process through the fog. "You like this, huh? Fuckin' nasty." 

"Yeaa—yeah. Love it so much—love you. It feels so... so good."

Jason doesn't want to hold it in, so he doesn't—and so a snort carries through before he's mimicking how your voice slurs. He barely gets through his sentence before laughter bubbles up, and his chest is softly trembling against your back from the restraint.

"Awh, you looove me? Stupid boy's drunk on some dick."

An arm braces itself right next to yours, and then a hand toys and intertwines the tips of both your fingers.

The other hand wraps around your jaw to turn your face to the side, and he doesn't bother containing the smile that comes with watching the way you have to crane your head to meet his gaze. The few tears streaming down your face catch what little light is still in the room.

He presses a kiss against your own lips, and it ends right after so he can dry your face with his sleeve. That arm wraps around your neck to keep you against him—make you feel how fast the pace of his heart is through the fabric.

The thrusts of his hips into yours stutter, and he uses those few moments of peace to round his arm further off, bit by bit, so his hand can squeeze nicely around you. His teeth catch on his bottom lip, almost slipping through an old cut on it as he tries to muffle some groans.

Your head falls back onto his shoulder as most thoughts fade into the background with the fleeting air.

Jason presses down on the evident bulge in your lower stomach where his cock shows through, and he rubs it gently, knowing how overstimulated you have to be by now. Your body retracts back into his, moving away from the assaulting hand, and he just laughs despite his sore throat.

And he tries to make sure you share the feeling by tightening the grip around your throat.

Slowly, he settles you on your stomach.

He keeps your bottom half propped up by the knees, your legs pressed together so he can push in deep still. The arm holding the two of you up only seconds ago traces your back to rub rough calluses at the tense muscles building up around the top. He keeps your face from getting buried in the sheets and listens close to every sound that comes from the drooling mouth.

"C'mon." His voice trails out into a rough drawl, making sure you take every inch. "Be a good boy and cum f'me again, okay?"

[cripplecharacters]

A Quick Guide to Writing Dialogue for a Character with a Speech Disorder: Articulation

[large text: A Quick Guide to Writing Dialogue for a Character with a Speech Disorder: Articulation]

As both a speech-language pathology student and someone with what's known as a lateral lisp (more on that in a minute), I rarely see characters like me and my students portrayed, or portrayed well, so here's a quick look at writing a character with an articulation disorder. A warning that this is going to be a long post.

Learning

[large text: Learning]

The next section is a large look at the information and background of what this disorder/disability is and explains it.

What is an Articulation Disorder?

[large text: What is an Articulation Disorder?]

An articulation disorder is a disorder where a sound or sounds are affected and changed in some way (distorted, deleted, substituted, etc).

This is not to be confused with a related disorder known as a Phonological disorder. Phonological disorders are when sound related rules are affected.

A sound, in articulation disorders, can be substituted, deleted, inserted, or distorted. Substituted means instead of sound "a" they say sound "b" (wose instead of rose). Deleted means they get rid of sound "a" and skip to the next part of the word (ose instead of rose). Inserted means a sound is added (ruh-ose instead of rose), and distorted means the sound is off but not completely one of the other categories.

Specifics of Articulation Disorders

[Large text: Specifics of Articulation Disorders]

There are two common sounds related to simple articulation disorders - "r" and the lisps. A thing to understand about "r" is that there are two types of "r" that can have errors - "r" with a vowel and without a vowel. Another important thing to understand is that each sound comes at a certain age and "r" is the last sound to come for most children, meaning that a 4-year-old who can't say "r" is not disordered and has a possibility of learning to say it later without intervention (although intervention and assessment are always preferred sooner rather than later). Again, though, articulation disorders can be any sound or group of sounds.

What are the lisps?

[large text: What are the lisps?]

There are 4 kinds of lisps - we'll start with interdental (the stereotypical "th" for s and z - "have you theen my thlipperth?" usually assigned to a nerd or intellectual character) and the lateral lisp (air leaks out the sides and "s" can become "sh" - "can you pash me the notesh for clash?") There are two other types as well but we can come back to them later.

I'm largely skipping through phonological disorders, as they can be more difficult and there are too many of them to discuss in a short post without that being the entire post!

Personal Experience

[Large text: Personal Experience]

This next section is more fun - looking at my own experiences and opinions as someone with an articulation disorder.

What to add

[Large text: What to add]

There are aspects to a speech sound disorder/articulation disorder that I think is very important to keep in mind that seldom are. The biggest one is that a person with an articulation disorder that impacts them enough is going to have ways to get around their disorder outside of receiving speech therapy. This can include avoiding words that prove difficult and words with certain sounds (I know that "ss" in the middle and end of words is a problem so I may avoid it around people that I think would tease me for it). They may be silent during conversations or class for fear of embarrassment. They may use their body more, like pointing or gesturing to things.

Another important thing I would love to see is reactions to articulation disorders that are positive or even neutral - letting people repeat words until they get the sound right if they're able to or just letting it pass otherwise.

Stereotypes

[Large text: Stereotypes]

There are only 2 types of articulation disorders:

Many people when they think of articulation disorders think of either an "r" substitution (rhotacism) or an interdental lisp. There are so many types of articulation errors a character can have, and for several reasons, from comorbid and related illnesses (such as neurological disorders and dysarthria) to no known reason (known as idiopathic) to structural reasons (my hypermobility makes my tongue too long, which causes air to come out the sides of my mouth).

Articulation disorders make a character less serious:

Often characters who are given an articulation disorder are the comic relief (Tiny Nose in the Owl House is an example of exaggerated rhotacism) and aren't allowed to be serious or leads because our voices and way of speaking are too "ridiculous". This leads me to my next point...

Articulation disorders make a character "stupid":

There's a myth that speech and intelligence are related, which harms not only people with speech disorders but mainly people with intellectual disability. There is no relation between speech sound disorders and low intelligence, but there is nothing wrong with low intelligence and there are absolutely people with speech sound disorders with low IQs* (which do not label all intelligence and have its faults) as well as people with high and average IQs.

Should you "write out" a speech sound disorder?

[Large text: should you "write out" a speech sound disorder?]

This is a complicated question with no specific answer. Many people would agree that it is jarring and unadvised to write out an accent or dialect, but a speech sound disorder is not a dialect. It may also be difficult for the reader to visualize and keep in mind the differences if it is not put down. However, very unintelligible dialogue will need to be adapted for or translated in some way in most scenarios and some readers may be annoyed by the stylization of writing out the errors. I would overall lean towards including it, for reasons mentioned and so the disability isn't one that's discussed but never shown or adapted for.

Why not call my character's speech sound disorder "severe" or "mild"?

[Large text: Why not call my character's disability "severe" or "mild"?]

This is a personal take from my time at a clinic but one that I personally think is really impactful. Especially for younger people reading or younger characters, hearing that their disorder is "severe" may be both alienating and insulting. It also often implies there's no getting better or growth, which is not true. There are better ways it can be phrased - the disorder is significantly impacting them, or their intelligibility is significantly impacted, for example. As for "minor" or "mild" I try to avoid it because any disability can still impact the person - my lisp is relatively "mild" now after a while of using compensatory strategies and learning how to navigate but it still is impactful to me.

When writing characters who are less severely impacted by their disorders it may be more internal than anything else - others may not notice how much the character is compensating. This is going to impact their internal view and narration, however.

And that's another thing I want to stress - these disorders can run all kinds of ranges, from very impactful to barely noticeable. There is no one way to have a speech sound disorder - or a speech disability.

[tanoraqui]

Trick or treat!

obviously all disabilities are totally underrepresented in mainstream and non-mainstream fiction, but I’ve been thinking recently that one I’d really like to see, which you could easily write in offhandedly or as a compelling character-building plot point, and have no trouble casting for in live action, is simply: anything that requires continuous, consistently timed medication.

According to CDC surveys circa 2017-19, roughly 1 out of every 7 women in the USA use birth control pills, which usually need to be taken at a very regular daily time in a very regular monthly pattern.

According to my personal experience, it’s extremely possible to live a basically normal life with low but functional vision and also half a dozen other petty ongoing problems, while also having every single day of your life—and, god knows, any travel you want to do—organized around the fact that you need to take multiple eye drops roughly every 12 hours, one of which needs to stay refrigerated at all times.

If you need regular medication, a portal fantasy adventure presents a real problem. An unexpected urban fantasy adventure that prevents you from going home for more than a day is a problem. Excuse me, aliens who have abducted me? If I list the drugs I regularly take, and tell you very roughly what each does, can you synthesize them perfectly? No, I don’t know any of the active ingredients, sorry. Hell, as a romance novel protagonist, an impulsive overnight stay with a hot stranger I met at a bar isn’t an option!

I think this would be a fun challenge for writers to work around while constructing plots, a good source of characterization as they examine how scrupulous a character is about their schedule (or how anxious once off-schedule), and, seriously, so easy to slide into the background if not a focus of the story. Do you know how often I wander into my kitchen half-asleep and take an eye drop? Roughly twice a day! The sitcom au of my life would just have this as background in a wide variety of scenes! AND it’s not something you need to do a lot of research in order to depict—just note “character must take macguffinex every 6-18 hours or they’ll start to get worried about the long-term health of their [insert organ here]” and use that as a background parameter for your story.

[jazzthatonewriterchick]

Playin’ Games (Choso x Self-Insert!Reader 18+ One Shot) [COMMISSION FILL]

Pairing: Choso Kamo x Self-Insert!Reader (Friends to Lovers & Forbidden Love)

Synopsis: In which your brother's best friend calls from his business trip to play a game of truth or dare over a Skype call, but it quickly turns into something else once your brother heads to bed and naughty pics and strip teasing get involved.

Warnings: Smutty Smut; 18+; No Curse AU; Reader is Black, Fem & Plus-Sized; Musician!Choso; Truth or Dare; Alcohol Consumption; Lowkey Flirting; Sending Nudes; Sexual Tension; Strip Tease; Fingering; Clit Stimulation; Facefucking; Blood Play; Feral MDom!Choso; fsub!Reader; Almost Caught; Sneaky Sex; Hold The Moan; Cowgirl; Spit Play; Spanking; Unprotected PIV Sex; Creampie; Aftercare 

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters mentioned in this fic. However, as this is my writing, I do not give permission for my work to be reposted on any other sites that are not from my own accounts. Thank you!

Writer's Note: Thank you again for @curiouscutie143 for asking me to write this for a commission & continuing to trust me to write about her fucking 2D animated characters lmaoo. I hope you enjoy! -Jazz 🩷🩷🩷

**********

“I dare you to go to the kitchen without using your feet.” 

“How in the hell am I supposed to do that?” Choso asks, dumbfounded. 

“You’ve got an ass, dontcha?” your brother shoots back from behind his laptop. Choso looks at you and then at your brother, completely done. “What are you, twelve?” he scoffs.

Your brother smirks at the screen while you giggle in the background, busy scrolling on Twitter while you watch this stupid game unfold on Zoom. “Thirteen, actually,” he answers. “Now you finna do it or not?” 

Choso sighs, but pushes himself back from his computer desk in his spacious hotel suite and angles the camera to his MacBook Air down so you and your bro can see him. With his back to you, he lowers himself down to the ground and scoots to the kitchenette on his very toned and firm behind like a dog without once ever using his feet. 

Your bro laughs wildly at this, slapping his knee. “You look so dumb!” he cackles. You can’t help but giggle too, having watched them play ‘Truth or Dare’ on the app he and Choso are connected on for rounds. Despite being grown-ass adults, they’re still kids at heart. 

You can’t help but love their relationship. Despite Choso being larger than life as a musician and the opposite of your brother (stoic and quiet while your bro is wild and a damn near crackhead), he never once treated your bro any differently when he started blowing up. Their decade-old friendship has only grown over time. That includes making calls when Choso is on business trips. 

Right now, he is an hour away from where you are for a press conference tour. “It’s for a damn movie cameo,” he sighed when he told you and your bro the news. “It’s only for three days, but trust and believe, I don’t wanna go.” To keep him company, your bro called him in his hotel room and suggested a game to pass the time on a boring Saturday night. 

When he gets to the kitchen, Choso gets up and goes into the fridge for some chilled wine. You watch his muscles flex underneath his shirt and his toned ass in his sweats. His black hair is styled in a mullet and hangs slightly in his face, his piercings (one on the eyebrow, the other pierced in his bottom lip) glint at you, and his arms sinewy with muscles and ink always have the girls wet…including you.

He then walks back to his laptop and he sits back down.  “Y/N, how do you approve of your brother’s childish behavior?” he sighs as he pops open the wine.

“Because she’s just as childish as me,” your brother chuckles. You smack him on the arm. “Not true, dickhead,” you grumble. “Only because it’s fun watchin’ you do all of these stupid dares…plus I can see that those squats are workin’ for you, Choso.” 

Choso gives you an almost bashful smile while your brother gives you a disgusted look. “Ew, Y/N,” he comments. “Stop tryin’ to fuck my friend.” You gape at him, scoffing. “Says the main one who’s been tryin’ to fuck my friends since high school!” you scoff and kick at him. “Slut.” 

Choso laughs as your brother tries to hit you back, but knocks his beer over. He swears, jumping off of the couch and under the coffee table to clean it up. “Thank you, Y/N,” Choso says through the screen in that smooth, soft, deep voice you’re so addicted to. “Maybe one day, I’ll invite you to my kickboxing classes, though I think I’d be a better instructor.” You think you imagine it, but you believe you see him wink at you. 

“I’m sure you would,” you reply, not meaning it to come off so seductive, but it just does. You see his gorgeous eyes, dark and intoxicating, briefly flit down to your cleavage that has been exposed from under your robe. All you’re wearing underneath it are your sweats and a cami…without a bra. Though it’s your usual sleep attire, Choso’s gaze makes you feel like it’s lingerie. 

“Whatcha say, Y/N?” your bro asks. “You made me drop my damn beer!” He shoves you out of the way and you quickly close your robe. “Just about Choso possibly inviting me to a kickboxing class just to show me up.” 

Choso raises his hands in mock offense. “Guilty as charged,” he chuckles. “So whose turn is it now?” He jumps right back into the game like he wasn’t just flirting with you and eyeing down his best friend’s sister. 

That’s another thing that’s grown over time: your relationship with Choso. You’ve always had a crush on him, but since growing up, that crush has only intensified when you began to see how fine he was. You don’t recall quite when the flirting started, but when it did, neither one of you could stop. 

You couldn’t get enough of it: the sly looks at each other over your brother’s shoulder when you go out together or whenever Choso visits; the lowkey, flirtatious compliments you throw at each other; the playful arguments; the small touches on the arm or the back, innocent and comforting but exciting. You feel in your gut that Choso feels the same way you do for him, but you don’t dare bring it up or acknowledge your feelings because of your brother. It would make things too awkward and uncomfortable, you’re sure! So you keep quiet. 

You groan, tossing your phone aside once you look at the time: 9:15 PM. “Can y’all stop here for now? Y’all have been playin’ this for over an hour!” Your brother, tipsy, narrows his eyes at you. “Hell no!” he exclaims. “Drunk truth or dare is the best! And you not even playin’, so why are you complainin’ ‘bout it?” 

You glare at him and plunk him in the head with your thumb and forefinger. “Because, smartass, I have a meeting tomorrow morning at 8 AM and I need to be up at 7 to get ready.” Choso scowls at the idea of this as he sips his wine. “A work meeting on a Sunday?” he asks. “Where do you work, Y/N? In Hell?” 

“Yes,” you joke, earning the sexiest laugh you’ve ever heard from him. “It’s some kind of team meeting my office does every month to check in on everybody and see if we have any issues with the company. It’s fine, just as long as it’s virtual which it always is.” 

Choso smiles happily at you, the sight of it almost blinding and tortuous. Why is this man so fine yet so unavailable?! “Congrats again on that promotion! I knew you’d get in eventually. I’m sure it was the pencil skirts instead of your brains.” He smirks teasingly at you. “Oh, yes, definitely,” you giggle. “And the heels.” 

That piques Choso’s interest intensely. “Oh, heels, hm?” he thoughtfully hums. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in heels before.” 

Your brother rolls his eyes, not at all catching onto what’s happening between you two. “Can y’all stop talkin’ ‘bout shoes and get on with the next game?” he huffs. “It’s my turn!”

Choso’s eyes trail over to you sitting behind your brother, a thoughtful expression on his face. “Actually…Y/N, you sure you don’t wanna play? We can just do truths with you if you’re not comfortable with dares. I’d feel bad to see you just sittin’ there without playing one round.” 

“Uh…” You think about it for a moment. It couldn’t hurt, especially since you don’t go to bed until 10 PM. Plus, the look in Choso’s eyes is getting to you…like he wants you to stay. “Sure, why the hell not?” You shrug, earning a joyous smile. “Truth or dare then?” your brother asks.

You look at Choso, who is already looking at you, on the screen. “Truth.” Your bro presses the button on his phone and laughs at the truth prompt written. “Who was your childhood crush?” he reads. “No celebrities or 2D animated characters allowed. Damn, this app is stirrin’ the pot!” 

Your eyes widen, panic striking you. How are you supposed to answer that when the man sitting here on call with you is your childhood crush? Not to mention how awkward the truth would make things. “Uh…” You trail off, the silence thickening as the two wait for your response. 

You can almost feel Choso’s eyes burning into you. You look away to your bro instead to avoid breaking out into a sweat. “Don’t laugh,” you begin, “but it was my second-grade bully. I thought about kissing him so many times even though he kept pullin’ my braids in class.” 

“Oh, yeah, I remember that guy,” your brother responds. “You gave him that anonymous V-Day card you made in art class that one time in third grade, right?” You nod, giggling. “Yeah!” you laugh. “He told me he still had it in eighth grade! By that time, he was sweet.” 

“Well, that’s cute,” Choso’s says, sounding odd. You can’t put your finger on why. “I remember I got an anonymous V-Day card in third grade too, but never found out who it was. What a coincidence.” You chew on your bottom lip and your body becomes hot with shame for lying. Choso knows damn well that you a damn lie because you gave that anonymous V-Day card to him all those years ago. 

“I-I’m gonna go get a drink,” you weakly say and hurry from the couch to the kitchen. You’re glad to have some privacy and to pour yourself some wine from the fridge. You take three greedy sips, letting it calm your rapidly beating heart. You should’ve never agreed to do this. It’s too awkward. Too tense. Maybe going to bed is a better idea. Maybe– 

“Oh, shit!” your overly-dramatic brother yells out. Immediately, you run back into the living room after nearly dropping your glass. “What is it?” you huff. “What happened?” Your bro hands you his phone as he opens his second beer. “Read this dare for Choso!” he guffaws. 

You take the phone and read it aloud for Choso to hear: “‘I dare you to take a thirst trap photo and post it on all of your social media accounts.’.” You gape at Choso who looks just as perplexed as you. Why is this game so horny?! 

Your bro smirks at Choso on the laptop. “Well, you gon’ do it, Cho?” he cackles. “You’ve gotta do what the app says unless you too pussy.” The black-haired, tatted stud contemplates this as he sips his wine. 

“Don’t listen to him, Choso,” you huff, slapping your sibling on the back of the neck. “He’s just bein’ a dick as usual.” 

But Choso is already standing up, angling the computer camera up so you can see him. “Nah, I’ll do it. Have you ever known me as someone who backs down from a challenge, Y/N?” He gives you a slight wink that even you almost missed and your mouth goes dry like the Sahara desert when he reaches for his shirt. Before you realize it, you’re watching him lift his shirt over his head and expose his impressive, toned body. 

Inked abs. Tatted biceps. Pecs and pierced, pink nipples you want to suck on. Your eyes run greedily down his form as takes his phone and snaps a quick picture, the flash on his phone going off. “There, happy?” he asks. Your brother shakes his head. “Post it or it ain’t happen!” he demands. Choso rolls his eyes but does as he’s told and takes a moment to type some things on his phone. 

Minutes later, your and your bro’s phones go off, signaling the arrival of new notifications. Your brother erupts with laughter, throwing his head back. “There it goes!” he laughs. “Damn, Cho, you been workin’ out on your trip?” 

You go to IG and sure enough, there it is: the thirst trap that is now making rounds and generating thousands of likes and horny comments below. So many people talking about how they’d let Choso fold them like lawn chairs and use their holes up. You definitely understand and relate, your mind going to crazy places as you stare at his abs and his hair that you want to yank on while he fucks you. “Damn,” you whisper. 

“See somethin’ you like, Y/N?” Choso asks, his voice washing you in heat and tingles. You don’t look at him, too afraid that he’ll see you drooling or you may start fucking your brother’s laptop. You have no choice but to keep your thighs clamped shut and your mind straight despite the sips of wine you take as the game rolls on.

At some point, as time goes on, your brother gets tired and drags his drunk ass upstairs, leaving you and Choso alone. You feel like you should hang up the call and go to sleep, but you find yourself staying with your wine glass half empty. “So what are you gonna do now?” Choso asks after a beat of awkward silence. “Go to bed?” At this point, he has put his shirt back on, much to your dismay. 

“I’m more interested in talkin’ to you,” you say and then flush at your boldness. Usually, you’re not afraid to shoot your shot first, but to do it to Choso so brazenly makes you feel odd. Or maybe it’s just the wine talking. “I-I mean, it’s been a minute since we’ve seen each other, y’know?” 

Choso looks like he’s happy you made the first move regardless. He rests his chin on his knuckles, staring you down from behind the screen. “So what’s this about your childhood crush bein’ your bully?” he asks. You nearly choke as you sip your wine, feeling warmer and bubblier the more you drink. “Damn, you get straight to it.” 

Choso flushes, his pale skin turning red. “Sorry, it’s the alcohol. I can stop if you want me to, but it’s kinda buggin’ me, especially since my childhood crush was you for so many years…which I probably wouldn’t have said if it wasn’t for the wine.” 

You gape at him, shocked. “Really?” you softly ask. “I…didn’t know that.” He gives you a sheepish smile. “That’s ‘cause I didn’t want anyone to know,” he explains. “But we’re both grown and mature…most of the time, anyway. I think you can handle a little crush from when we were kids, right?” 

You go quiet, letting this information wash over you. Despite the flirting you would do behind your brother’s back, it hits different when you now know that without an inch of uncertainty, he’s felt the same way about you that you have always felt about him. “Y/N?” he asks, his soothing voice pulling you back to reality. He’s looking at you with those burning, passionate eyes. “Was that V-Day card I got from you?” Whether it’s the wine or his magnetic pull, you answer him: “Yeah,” you confess. 

“So that story of your bully was bullshit,” he chuckles. 

“Yeah,” you repeat because what else is there to say? Choso takes a sip of his wine, still staring you down from behind his laptop. “Whatcha wanna do, Y/N?” he asks. 

It’s a simple question, but the way he says it–so deep and seductive–makes something come alive inside of you. It makes your stomach flutter and your nipples harden beneath your top. He has put the ball completely in your court to either continue this little game or call it quits. You choose the latter. “I’ve got an hour before my bedtime,” you say, keeping your voice leveled. “How about another game?” 

Choso looks worried. “Don’t you have that meeting tomorrow?” he asks. “I wouldn’t want you to miss out on your rest.” You laugh, pouring yourself some more wine…which probably isn’t the best idea. “I once didn’t go to bed until 3 AM because I was binge-watching Korean dramas,” you giggle. “I think I can handle some rounds.” 

As soon as you say it, you realize how it sounds. Choso smirks to himself, tapping his finger against his desk. “Oh, can you?” he purrs. “We’ll see. Truth or dare, then?” You choose carefully, weighing your options. “Dare,” you decide. 

“I dare you to send me a pic of you in your favorite pumps,” he says without missing a beat. “If you’re comfortable with that. It can be an old pic or a new one. I ain’t picky.” He gives you a warm smile that’s supposed to be unnerving, but it only makes you feel more nervous. You weren’t expecting that dare, but then again, you opened the door to this. “O-Okay,” you stutter.

You proceed to scroll through your phone for the sexiest selfie you can find. You find one of you at a Christmas cocktail party for work in a dress that had heads turning and heels that made you feel like a straight vixen. Without a second thought, you send it over to Choso. There is a ding from his phone and, for a moment, only silence. “Did you get it?” you nervously ask. 

Choso is staring at his phone, not moving an inch. “Yeah, I got it,” he answers, his voice light and breathy. “Damn, Y/N, how the fuck are you single?” His question makes butterflies flutter rapidly in your stomach. 

You then get a ding from your phone and look down to see the thirst trap photo in your messages. “Oh, you sent me your thirst trap privately, huh?” you chuckle, not looking up, so you don’t see Choso taking another very risque photo of himself. “I feel so special.” 

“I sent you somethin’ else too.” The way he says it is like sex to you. Sure enough, a second attachment comes in. You open it and nearly choke on your wine: Choso leaning back against his computer desk, a hand resting on the outline of his very big, very hard, and very obvious bulge beneath his pants. Your lips part in shock, your eyes widening as big as saucers. 

“Too much?” he asks, worried that he went too far. As if learning how to function again, you shake your head. “No,” you exhale. “It’s just…big.” You wonder how it’d feel in your hands…or in your mouth…or in another throbbing hole that is bothering you between your thighs. “So I’ve been told,” he sniggers. “I’m guessing it’s up to your liking, then?” 

You don’t know why that turns you on–the idea that he’s so interested in whether or not he turns you on–but you find yourself scrolling through your camera roll again and picking one of your faves: a mirror photo of you laid out on your bed on your stomach, your ass tooted up in the air in a thong while the rest of you is naked, your juicy breasts squished against the mattress under you. “Maybe this will tell you so,” you purr and hit send. “I had this saved in my camera ‘cause I looked so hot in it.” 

Ding! Choso looks down at his phone and the way he bites his lip makes you drip. “And that you do,” he exhales. “And I’ll ask you again: how the fuck are you single? Shit, princess.” 

You bite your own lip, struggling to control yourself. “You’re makin’ me blush,” you giggle. “You know, it looks much better in person.” You pause, scolding yourself and the wine for making you so damn bold. 

Choso’s eyes light up with interest. “Oh, yeah?” he asks, practically tossing his phone aside. “I think I should be the judge of that.” He leans into the camera, making your heart pound. “Take that off,” he demands, nodding at your robe. “It’s just me, Y/N.” 

Yes, just him. Just your brother’s best friend. Just the man you’ve known since childhood and have been crushing on for years. But something in his eyes makes you realize that you can trust him with anything. So you rise from the couch and slowly slip off your rope in front of the camera. Choso watches, drinking in every move you make. You then turn around and slip off your pants, revealing your panties swallowed by your magnificent ass to him. “Is this okay?” you softly ask. 

You turn back to face him and he looks damn pained as he stares at your behind. “Fuck,” he gasps. “It’s more than okay. I’m so tempted to jump in my car and pull up right now.” You scoff with laughter, but at the look in his eyes, you can tell he’s dead-ass. 

“Wait, you would?” you gasp. “But…it’s the middle of the night and we’re an hour away!” His eyes flick up to meet yours, firm and not up for the bullshit. “If it’s something you want too, I’d drive to you if you were a week away,” he softly growls, conviction in his words. “I can come over tonight, Y/N, but it’s only if you want me to.” 

You gape at him, silenced. You can’t believe this is happening! This is beyond your wildest, wettest dreams! And yet your mind drifts to your brother. If you do this, will it change things? Wouldn’t he hear you? Would he find out? You’d feel so guilty if things were to change between him and Choso because of you. And yet… 

“I…I want you to,” you decide. “I really do, but what about my brother?” He shakes his head, chuckling to himself. “If he’s wasted, he can sleep through a tornado. Nothing has to happen if you’re nervous about that, but I’d like to see you.” 

And those words, sweet and considerate yet honest, are what make you fold. “I’ll leave the door unlocked. Get here in sixty.” Choso nearly knocks over the table as he shoots up from his desk. “Thirty ‘cause I’ll be doing sixty,” he growls. “Don’t move from that spot.” He blows you a kiss and ends the call, leaving you feeling drunk despite not having sipped that much wine. 

Already tipsy and feeling the alcohol’s effects on your body (tingly nipples; brief dizziness; horny thoughts), you switch it out with some water and sip on that while you clean up the living room. You busy yourself wiping down the kitchen countertops, straightening up the couch cushions, and cleaning up your slob of a brother’s beer cans. By the time you finish, thirty minutes have passed and anticipation hits you like a truck. 

Where is he? He hasn’t called you yet. What if he’s in traffic? What if something happened? What if he changed his mind? What if– 

A ding from your phone makes you jump and you race to answer it, seeing a text message waiting for you: 

Chosi: Hey, I’m outside

*read at 11:12 PM* 

You roughly swallow and close your robe before walking to answer the door. Choso is standing behind it when you open it, dressed in a jacket and jeans that fill him out so well. You both smile at each other, happy to see one another despite the circumstances.

“Uh, c-come in,” you stammer. He thanks you and walks inside, the scent of his cologne making your kitty purr wildly. You shut the door and shuffle behind him as he strips off his jacket. “You want somethin’ to drink?” ” you ask, nervously wringing your hands.  

Choso looks back at you as he hangs up his jacket on the coat rack near the door, his arms talking to you. He turns toward you fully, giving you a good look at how tight his top is on his body. “Do you want me to have somethin’ to drink?” he questions. 

You bite your lip, the silence mixed with the sexual tension too much. “No,” you breathe. He then saunters up to you, stopping when your nose is nearly brushing his chest. “I’m gonna ask you again if you want this, Y/N,” he whispers. “We can stop here and I can leave.” You look up into his eyes–those firm, beautiful eyes–and trail your hands up his chest. “No, don’t,” you plea. “Don’t leave.” 

His hands softly caress your sides, moving across your waist. “Tell me what you want,” he murmurs into your ear, his minty breath fanning across your cheek. Your eyes flutter shut, his seductive ways finally getting to you. “I want you,” you answer through a dry mouth. “I want this.” 

That’s all he needs to hear. His lips are on yours immediately and you nearly melt. His kiss is sweet and soft yet passionate, making you feel like you’re in a Disney movie when the princess finally kisses her prince. His hands move down to your ass, squeezing it, emitting a moan from you. Pulling away, he moves down to your neck and peppers it in kisses, coaxing you to tilt your head back for more. 

“You have no fuckin’ right to be this hot,” he growls against your neck. “Makin’ me feel this fuckin’ crazy.” 

He pushes against you, insisting that you feel his hard-on in his jeans. “Choso, please,” you mewl. “I need you.” You grip his shirt, imploring him to understand how goddamn horny you are. He pulls away and smirks down at you, chortling. “So impatient. Did those pictures rile you up?” He doesn’t need an answer. Instead, he sits down on the couch with his leg spread, staring up at you in hunger. “Get naked for me.” 

Like a puppet on a string, you do as he says and slowly take off your rope. Then it’s your top and bottoms. Then the undies. The more you take off, the harder Choso gets, forming a more obvious bulge in his pants as he stares you down. When you’re finally done and standing naked in front of him, he sits back against the cushions and pats his lap. 

You feel somewhat weird about it since Choso is so much smaller than you in terms of size, but the man welcomes all of your rolls, curves, and softness when you sit down in his lap naked while he remains clothed. “Your pictures do not do you any justice, babe,” he murmurs before leaning in to kiss, suck, and lap at your nipples. You moan, your hands tangling in his mullet. “So sexy,” he whispers against your nipples. “I’ve wanted to do this for so, so long.” 

His fingers toy with your plushy thighs and ass, squeezing the flesh to his liking. “Me too,” you moan. He chuckles against your nipple, nibbling at it with his teeth. “Yeah? You’ve dreamed of me touchin’ you like this?” His hand is suddenly probing your thighs open to toy with your pussy, his fingers gently rubbing your clit. 

You gasp, not being able to control your body. You find yourself sitting fully on his lap, your back to his front, with your legs wide open while he toys with your sobbing, wet cunt. You drip all over his jeans the more he rubs you, creating more and more wetness that floods over your pussy lips. “F-Fuck, Choso!” you whine, the pleasure just too much. 

“Hush, baby,” he chuckles. “I appreciate you bein’ so responsive, but your brother is right upstairs. You wouldn’t want him to come down to find my fingers stuffed in that pussy, would you?” You’re confused, feeling his fingers still on your clit. “B-But you don’t–” 

Your voice is cut off by a moan when he suddenly sticks one finger inside of you, using his palm to rub your needy, throbbing clit as he finger fucks you. “That’s better,” he laughs into your ear. “Oooh, that pussy is so tight for me. Have you been wantin’ me to this to you, baby?” He curls his finger up against your G-spot and you swear you almost cum. “Tell me,” he demands. 

“Yes!” you sob. “Yes, Chosi, I wanted this so bad!” Feral, Choso moans into your ear as he feels you squeeze and squelch around his digit. “You’re too fuckin’ cute,” he says, his voice strained and rough. “I wanna see the face you make when you cum. Can you take another finger for me, babe?” 

You nod and your pussy flutters around his magical finger, only getting worse when he inserts another one to fuck you silly. You cover your mouth as moans and whimpers escape you, loving how full you feel. You can only imagine how full you’d feel with his cock finally inside of you. The image brings you closer to the edge and Choso can feel it. 

“Cum for me, baby, c’mon,” he coos. “Cum on your brother’s best friend’s fingers like a good little girl.” You have to bite your lip to keep from crying out when you explode all over his digits. 

Your moans and cries are muffled by your mouth as you cum all over Choso’s fingers, coating him in your cream. He hums appreciatively and kisses your cheek, slowly stroking your walls as you come down from your high. He finally slips his fingers out of you and puts them up to your lips soaked in your cum. “Taste yourself.” You do so, opening your mouth and letting him insert his digits into your mouth where you swirl your tongue around them and suck on your juices. 

“Shit,” Choso groans, grinding himself up into you. You gasp, feeling his hardened cock pushing against you. “I can feel that you liked that,” you giggle. He hums in agreement, gripping your hips as he continues to roll himself into you. “Can I…see it?” you carefully ask, teeming with excitement. 

He coaxes you to get up off of his lap and face him. “You’ll have to take it out then,” he murmurs, giving you a stare as hot as molten lava in the dimly lit living room. “Take what you want, Y/N.”

With a fire burning inside of you, you take off his pants and boxers while he strips off his shirt, tossing it aside somewhere. When his hard, pulsing cock finally pops up, you have never been more happy to finally see a dick. He’s absolutely beautiful with smooth skin and a toned stomach leading down to that gorgeous cock. 

You settle onto your knees, ready to give him head to last him into next winter. “Your knees okay?” he worriedly asks. Before you can answer, he pulls you up and sits you down on the couch. “Here, switch with me. I want you comfortable.” You flush at his sweetness, never having received such care. “Such a gentleman,” you softly laugh. 

Choso gives you a sheepish smile. “I try. Now where were we?” he stands over you, appearing like an Adonis statue with tattoos and a thick cock in your face. 

You stand up on your knees on the couch, your greedy hands stroking up and down his body. “Your pictures don’t do you justice either,” you purr, running your palms down his toned, well-defined abs. “How you’re single is a mystery to the world, Sho.” You wrap a hand around him, beginning to stroke his cock up and down, up and down. 

Choso bites his lip, looking like he’s been waiting for this moment to finally come. “I didn’t want nobody else,” he softly moans. “I’ve always wanted you.” Overjoyed and completely horny, you give his cockhead a peck and then a kitten lick. “Tell me more,” you beg before you envelop him in your mouth. You immediately go to work, hollowing your cheeks and bobbing your head as you pump him in and out of your mouth. 

“Fuck,” he sighs, tossing his head back. “I-I’ve always wanted you, but–oh, God, babe, yes–I never said anything in fear of ruinin’ things with your brother.” You pop off of his cock, spit connecting his head to your lower lip. “Well, he doesn’t have to know,” you whisper. “We can take things slow.” He raises a brow at you. “This is takin’ things slow?” he chuckles. 

You giggle, still pumping his cock with your hand. “After this,” you laugh. “I want you too bad to stop.” You lower your mouth on him again, swallowing him whole.

“I guess a date is on the table for us then,” he groans. “Especially when you look that good on your knees.” He watches you continue to swallow his dick whole, flicking your pink tongue along the head and swirling along the throbbing vein trailing from his head to his heavy balls that you fondle. 

“Look up at me,” he demands. “Keep lookin’ at me while I fuck pretty face.” You do so and open your throat, allowing him to fuck your face. He grabs the back of your head as he does so, nailing his hips into your face again and again, his balls slapping your chin. He tosses his head back, overwhelmed by the feeling of your magical mouth sucking him dry. 

It doesn’t take him long to go faster, gripping your hair to allow him to pump his cock down your throat like it’s his personal toy. You feel your pussy throb at the sound of his soft moans and the gagging coming from your own mouth, wanting desperately for him to cum. “Fuck, baby,” he groans. “You ‘bout to make me cum! I-I’m gonna–” 

“Choso?” your brother suddenly calls. Choso freezes and you tear yourself away from him, your stomach flipping in absolute fear. From the steps, you see the hallway light flicker on and your brother’s shadow against the wall. ‘Shit,’ you think. You try to scramble away to hide, but Choso stops you, putting a finger to his lips. “Just keep quiet,” he whispers. “And keep suckin’.” 

His dark eyes flash with mischief and lust as his heavy cock bobs in your face. Tentatively, you place your lips around him again and proceed to suck on him. “Yeah, bro?” he calls, keeping his voice impressively normal. “Yeah, it’s me.” His hand once again finds your head, gently pushing you down farther to muffle the sounds of your wet, lewd sucks. 

“When the fuck did you get here?” your brother asks. “Why you here?” Choso bites his lip at the sensations you’re giving him, loving how your plump lips look wrapped around his dick. “Uh…just decided to visit ‘cause I was bored in that hotel,” he lies. “Y/N let me in before she went to bed. She let me sleep on the couch after I promised to make you guys pancakes tomorrow morning.” 

His hand reaches over to give your ass a quick spank, making you jump, mostly at the possibility of your brother hearing it. He doesn’t. “That’s cool with me,” he replies, sounding excited about the promise of food. “Lemme see you real quick though. I feel like it’s been ages since we–” 

“No, no, don’t!” Choso panics, gripping the back of your head to keep you still. “I look real bad, man, and I wouldn’t wanna break your sleep routine. Just go back to bed! I’ll see you in the morning when we both don’t look like shit.” He and you share a wide-eyed look, both scared shitless but also not wanting to stop. 

“Alright,” your brother decides. “But I want my pancakes!” You sigh in relief, feeling Choso do the same. “Alright, man, fine. Just go to bed.” You look up the stairs and see the hallway light flicker off. You stop sucking, listening intently to your brother’s footsteps as he shuffles back into his bedroom. Finally, the bedroom door closes and you hear silence. Choso pauses, waiting with bated breath. 

You pop him out of your mouth and sit up, spit dribbling from your lips and your hair a mess. “He’s asleep,” you tell him. “I know: he gets real quiet when he’s asleep.” He looks beyond relieved by that, but still appears worried. “Do you wanna keep going?” he asks, wiping some spit from your lower lip. His touch burns your skin. 

Your pussy throbs insistently, pushing you to give her what she needs. “Yes,” you whisper. “We just have to keep quiet.” Choso smiles, bringing you close to him. “I know a thing about quiet cumming,” he chuckles. “I don’t wanna do it down your throat though. I need you fuck you, baby…if you want that too.” 

You nearly cum right there. “Yes,” you softly moan as he begins to kiss your neck. “Yes, Choso, baby, I want that.” You’ve wanted that for so, so long! So many nights of dreaming about him in your bed have finally led to this. He pulls away, giving you a look dripping with molten lust. “Get on top then,” he whispers. “I wanna see you bounce on my cock.” 

You don’t need to be told twice. He lies back on the couch and keeps comfortable before patting his muscular thighs for you. Softly giggling, you get on top and straddle him before wrapping a hand around his cock and slowly guiding him toward your pussy lips. You glide his head against your slit for a moment, teasing him and earning some luscious whimpers. “Please, baby, don’t tease me,” he begs. “Just put it in.”

You shiver, loving the sound of his pathetic begging. You’re half inclined to keep going just to hear him plea and beg for your pussy, but you’re too horny to do so. So instead, you slowly slip him between your wet, slippery folds. You gasp and brace your hands against his chest, feeling him stretch you. He pauses, searching your face for any sign of pain or discomfort. “I’m okay,” you whisper, giving him a wobbly smile. 

He takes your hips, holding them securely. “You take the reins then,” he says. “Ride me, baby. I’m yours, so take it like you need it.” And so you do. With his big hands gripping your hips, you begin to rock and grind against his cock while your fingers rub your clit. The sensations are indescribable. You can’t help but moan and sob at the pleasure though you have to keep each sound hushed. 

Choso is losing it below you, overwhelmed by the sight of your perfect titties and stomach jiggling with every move you make. “Fuck, baby,” he whispers, his voice strained from the sheer pleasure. “You feel so fuckin’ good on top of me. Does it feel good for you too?” 

Vigorously, you nod, biting your lip so hard that you nearly dra​​w blood. “Yes!” you whimper. “You’re so good, Choso! You feel amazing inside me!” The p​​roud smile that stretches across Choso’s face is almost comical, loving that it’s his cock making you feel this good. For so long, he’s wondered how you’d feel and look fucking him. And now that he finally has it, he’s going to make it last. 

He sits up and holds you flush against him, your titties squishing against his chest and his cock sinking deeper into you. Your jaw goes slack and you have to cover your mouth to keep from wailing out in pleasure. “Keep it down, baby doll,” he chuckles in your ear. “You wouldn’t want your bro to come downstairs and see you gettin’ that pussy filled by his buddy, would you?” 

You don’t answer, too busy riding him like a stolen car and rubbing your clit against his pelvis. He fucks you back, moaning and whimpering into your ear while his cock drives into you again and again, hitting a spot inside of you that turns you into an animal. You grip his shoulders and back, digging your nails into him. Your nails dig into his back so hard that they puncture his skin and leave long, jagged, angry red lines up and down his back muscles. 

If Choso is in any pain, he pretends like he isn’t. Instead, he just keeps fucking you, grinding his hips into yours in one passionate, pleasurable, sweaty dance that quickly sends you over the edge.

“Choso,” you whine. “I’m gonna cum! I-I can’t…” Your voice dies, too lost in the blinding ecstasy. “Bite me,” he demands. His dark eyes stare into yours, begging you. “C’mon, baby, it’s okay. I fuckin’ want it.” 

Though alarmed, the pleasure begins to reach its peak, especially when Choso tells you to lean back and begins to rub your clit​​ in small, fast circles. “Cum for me, Y/N,” he whispers. “Do it. Give it to me.” To muffle your moans, you do as he says and bite his shoulder, sinking your teeth into the skin so hard that you break skin. 

Choso grunts at the pain, but you also feel him throb and grow harder inside you. Could it be possible that he likes that freaky shit? You have no time to wonder as your orgasm washes over you, making you buck and writhe in his arms. He holds you against him, giving you something to grab onto as the mindblowing orgasm finally fades. “Better?” he chuckles.

You blink at him, your vision adjusting, and finally see the bloody bite mark on his shoulder. “No!” you gasp. “Look at your skin! I’m so–” 

“Don’t.” Choso shakes his head, firm and dead serious. “I love that shit. Seein’ you like that was so fuckin’ hot.” Once again, you feel his cock throb inside you and shudder. So he is a freak!

“I can feel that,” you purr. “You’ll need help with that, won’t you?” 

Choso looks so happy that you even volunteered. “Turn around,” he demands, his voice low and intoxicating. With a soft moan, you slip off of him and twist around so your ass is in his face. He gives you another spank before dipping down to lightly run his teeth against the soft, fleshy globes and nibble on them. Ass bites. How did he know you love ass bites?!

His ministrations get your pussy throbbing again, especially when he holds his cock up for ​​you to settle down on. “Sit on it,” he whispers and you do, both of you gasping as his cock sinks into your pussy that is even wetter from your second orgasm. “I’m gonna cum you till I cum, okay?” he breathlessly asks. “Can you handle that?” 

“Yes, sir,” you whimper, the last word slipping out. That makes Choso go completely feral. He doesn’t talk for a while as he fucks you stupid from the back, but he doesn’t have to. The way he grips your shit and nails his hips into your backside makes your pussy talk to him, your walls squeezing and gushing around his thick cock. You have to bite a cushion to keep from wailing like a banshee at the way he’s fucking you from behind, the soft clapping of your ass against his thighs making you crazy. 

He then tugs you toward him so your back is to his front as he continues to fuck you. His lips attach themselves to your neck, sucking harshly at your tender skin. You weakly moan at the feeling, wincing slightly when his teeth bite into your skin a little too hard. You feel a wetness that Choso quickly licks away, peppering you with kisses.

“You’re so perfect,” he groans, his breath tinged with the metallic scent of your blood. “So fuckin’ mine. I wanna cum in this pussy so bad.” 

You can feel it. And you want it. “Do it,” you plea. “Please, Choso, cum in me! I’m so close!” Your hand begins to rub your swollen clit once more, desperate to cum with him.

Luckily, it doesn’t take too long and Choso warns you when it happens. He grips you tight to him and ruts into you like an animal, whining as he does. “Gonna cum!” he pants. “Gonna fuckin’ cum in you! Take it all!” 

His cum erupts inside of you like a warm river flooding your insides. He muffles his moans by pressing his face into your neck, gripping your b​​ody tight to him as if he is afraid you’ll disappear. You cum right after him, triggered by his slutty sounds, and dig your face into the cushion as you moan and sob. Your pussy flutters and squelches around him as you cream around his cock, creating a ring around the base that marks him as yours. Yours. Finally. 

Once your orgasms fade, you share a chaste, exhausted kiss and he gently slips out of you, causing all of his cum to drip down your thighs. Quickly, he grabs a few tissues from the kitchen and cleans you up before tossing them in the trash. Once finished, he lies on his side with you facing him, both of you taking up the couch. “Wow,” he pants, his toned body still soaked in sweat. 

You slowly nod, the gravity of what you just did sinking in. “Yeah,” you chuckle. “You’ll have to visit more often on business trips.” He chuckles at your little joke, but his smile quickly fades. “So…you’re okay with this?” he carefully asks. “With us?” He looks down at you, worry in his soulful eyes. 

You weigh your options for a moment, understanding what is at stake here…but the feeling of his heart pounding against your fingertips sways you to the side of temptation and what could possibly be. “I am if you are,” you murmur, too embarrassed to look up at him. “I mean, of course, we can go slow if you want. I know we just did that, but we were also tipsy and–” 

“Stop,” he interrupts, pressing a finger to your lips. You look up into his eyes and feel like you’re falling. “I want whatever you want, Y/N, and if you’re okay with us being together despite your brother, then I’m down for it. I’ve been wanting this for so long.” And to hear that makes you realize that you’ve made the right choice. With a happy giggle, you lean up to kiss him before cuddling him tight. “I want that too,” you whisper, snuggling into his chest. 

You feel warm, kept, and safe. As he snuggles in close to you, you smile as you drift off to sleep and continue smiling as the night goes on. You stay like that, the two of you, until the morning comes and Choso leaves you to sleep while he gets dressed and goes to the kitchen to whip up the pancakes he promised your brother the night before. 

You awaken on the couch, naked with the sun pouring through the blinds. Immediately, you remember: your meeting! You look at the clock, sighing in relief when you find that it’s only 6 AM. You have time. You won’t be fired! 

 You hear Choso in the kitchen whisking pancake batter and sizzling eggs in a pan. The scent of breakfast cooking coaxes you off of the couch and you grab your rope before slowly walking upstairs. The ache of your body and the muscles that you haven’t used in a minute makes you smile to yourself, loving that this ache is from something other than the gym. 

You’re glad you decided to cover yourself up when you run into your brother standing in the bathroom brushing his teeth in his sweats. “Hey, you,” you greet him. “You’re up early? You got a girl comin’ over or somethin’?” 

He smirks at you, his mouth coated in foam. “Nah, Choso promised me pancakes.” His eyes flick up and down your form. “Why are you up early?” You tap your wrist where an imaginary watch sits. “Meeting, remember? So hurry up with that so I can brush my teeth.” You turn to walk into your bedroom, needing some deodorant and fresh clothes. 

“And cover them hickeys,” your brother adds. You immediately stop, frozen. 

“As happy as I am that you finally bit the bullet and got together with Choso after pinin’ after him for so long, I’m sure your boss would ask questions.” You turn and look at him, finding him smiling knowingly at you from the bathroom. 

“Breakfast is ready!” Choso calls. “Come down if you wanna eat!” 

Your brother laughs at you as he shuts the bathroom door, leaving you standing there in a deer in headlights. Well…at least he isn’t mad. 

THE END. 

[helpforintrusivethoughts]

Resources 🌼

(Updated regularly)

🪷 Emergency resource: oh no I’m having a bad thought

🌻 Apps and Games

Finch: mental health app where you care for a little bird! Offers many features such as focus timers, rant zones, nature sounds, fun questions, and more! You can even make friends on it and send them encouragement :) (my friend code)

Adorable Home: a precious game in which you have a tiny spouse, cats, and a little house you can decorate! You can check in and enjoy peaceful music, different scenes, and upgrades through collecting tiny hearts you earn through easy tasks! A truly adorable and relaxing game!

Seashine: a game set underwater in which you guide a tiny luminescent jellyfish through the abyss. Beautiful, relaxing music and distant whale noises; some scary enemies, so if you have thalassophobia this might not be the one for you. Very calming otherwise though, and the creator is coming out with an enemy-free version soon in which you can just float around to the music!

Cat Snack Bar: an adorable app where you operate different business venues with the help of chubby, adorable cats! You check in periodically to collect money and update your venue, but otherwise it doesn't require much brain power. A very cute game to help you relax!

Webtoon: a comic app that allows you to browse thousands of creative and often relaxing webcomics!

1010!: a fun little game where you match up blocks. Fairly simple and satisfying, and you can update your backgrounds to fun designs!

Papa's Cupcakeria: a relaxing and satisfying game where you make cupcakes! And of course there’s a whole series of games in the Papa Louie universe to choose from that are fun and happy :)

🪸 Fun Websites

Neal.fun: features many creative pages you can visit such as— a stack of movable rocks, a page that shows how deep the ocean really goes, who was alive [insert year], draw logos from memory, and more!

WindowSwap: lets you go through windows around the world! You can log in and save your favorites, and make it fullscreen if you need to study and want a nice thing in the background to keep you from distractions.

mrdoob.com: a wacky website with lots of fun features you can draw and mess around with

boredbutton: for when you're bored out of your mind and want a pointless website to mess with!

theuselessweb.com: takes you to a completely useless website, such as a page where it rains corndogs or a page where you can create different forms of art.

ashortjourney.com: lets you take a small and beautifully drawn trip on a trolley and pick up/drop off tiny creatures!

Forestopia: allows you to explore images of forests and the things inside, with background forest noises!

boredpanda.com: full of memes, funny stories, and more!

listverse: contains many lists, some horrifying (so be warned for those) and some just fascinating!

🍄 Focus Sites and Playlists

rainymood.com: a site/app that lets you listen to rain for as long as you want!

asoftmurmur.com: lets you listen to a variety of sounds like rain, thunder, or a fire!

Open ocean: 10 hours of underwater videography of a spot in the ocean!

imissmycafe.com: site that lets you listen to the noises of a coffee shop! You can change the different noises too :)

Secret Forest Playlist: peaceful music; 2 hours

Rain on Leaves on a Forest Road in Autumn: rain in the woods; 10 hours

Haunted Village Halloween Ambience: eerie but quiet music; 3 hours

Relaxing Autumn/Fall Forest: sounds of wind, crows, songbirds, and creaking trees; 7 hours

Chill Beats for Worldbuilding and Writing: Fabulous lofi music; 1 hour

It's Just a Dream/Dreamcore: Very peaceful and ambient music; 4 hours

Autumn Acoustic: Autumn inspired songs; 5 hours

Sad Piano Music: beautiful piano pieces by Jurrivh; 6 hours

The Most Relaxing Waves Ever: beach noises; 8 hours

Rural Autumn Ambience and Music: gentle autumn-y music; 1 hour

Yanni: a playlist of beautiful word-free music by Yanni

pov- you're a pirate: a pirate-themed playlist for inspiration

soft music for the end of the world: soft instrumental pieces

autumn: Autumn-themed songs; 5 hours

Have your own recommendations? Drop a comment or ask!

[ninjago-oc-appreciation]

Ninjago Oc Secret Santa 2024

What is a Secret Santa? - A Secret Santa is a gift giving event; you’ll be assigned someone to secretly make a gift for, and someone will make a gift for you. - It’s very important that no one knows that you are making them a gift and vice versa, that you don’t know who is making you a gift! Are there any rules? - Absolutely no N/S/F/W or Suggestive content is permitted for prompts, gifts, or references. This is /not/ an 18+ event. - No direct contact with the person you’re making a gift for; you can communicate through me or ask through anon on tumblr if you can. - No AI art/writing, Gacha edits, face claims, picrews, or bases will be permitted for oc reference submissions or gifts. - Oc x Canon and Oc x Oc ships are 100% allowed. - Fankids, sonas, and self inserts are also allowed; my only rule is that fankids of Lloyd x Canon ships are not permitted. - Please respect requests regarding holiday or seasonal preferences when making a gift. Don’t depict an oc participating in a holiday or seasonal activity that the creator asked not be depicted.

- For the art portion, you must draw the character(s) you were assigned and they must be visible (feel free to ask for clarification) How many ocs can be submitted total? - At least one oc is required, but up to three can be submitted ^^ What will I need for sign ups? - Refs or art that show a clear, colored depiction of your oc. - OR at least two pieces of writing for said oc (does not need to be a whole fic. Could easily just be a quick blurb showing how they’re written as a character) - Basic Information/Fun Facts about your character. This can be background information, relationships, likes/dislikes, age and height, personality, etc. - Suggestions or prompts for your gift giver. Stuff to help get their brain going. - Your blog name (not the name you go by online but the url name. Like @/Ninjago-Oc-Appreciation. Make sure it’s a tumblr url, and not from any other social media) What’s the general timeline for this event? - Sign ups will officially begin near the end of October, around the week of Halloween. - Assignments will be within the first couple of weeks of November. - You will have until December 23rd to January 7th to finish your piece. These will be the designated posting days. - January 8th to 14th will be the designated late week. How do I sign up? - In Late October, I’ll post a google form where you can submit your oc(s)! There will be one for writing and one for art! - Please reach out to me in someway after signing up. This can be through messages, asks, comments, etc. In the past we’ve had issues with the forms, where they’d “eat’ a submission, and I’d like to know when to check to make sure this doesn’t happen again. Additional Notes: - This will likely be the last year I host the writing portion of the event, unless a significant amount of people show interest. Last event we only had one person sign up, and the one before that we just barely got two. - Google forms does require an email in order to make submissions with images and documents, a necessary part of the sign up process. The process is entirely private on your end, so I will not be seeing the emails used. - We’ll be using #NOSS2024 and #SecretNinja2024 as tags for this event! That’s all! If you have any questions feel free to let me know, I tried to cover everything but I may have missed something!

[lgbtqiapnfreak]

Why I think Byler is endgame

Before we start, you must know I'm really skeptical about theories and all. I like to read and have fun with them, but believe them? It's really hard for me as a 20 years old queer person. Since young I've suffered being queerbaited by mainstream series, Stranger Things wouldn't be the first nor the last to do that.

I know today things are a little bit better, but for the sake of my poor broken heart, I'm always expecting a deception. Yet, I can see byler happening in season 5.

Here we go to the reasons why.

The existence of Robin

I've heard a lot of straight people say, before season 4 and even now, that "Will can't be gay because Robin is the gay person in the show. There is no reason for another one".

Like? The show can have 38272 straight, developed and important for the plot characters, all of them with love interests and happy endings, and one gay character inserted as a comic relief is fine. Two? To much to deal with.

I know, I know, disgusting. BUT what if I say that Robin was not a character added to the show only for a comic relief or identity representation at all? That she was presented for the watchers to consider the existence of a gay character in the show. For them to recognize some queer coded things that, without Robin, they wouldn't be able to?

Robin was presented to us in Season 3. As we must know, the third season of the show is mainly dedicated to character and relationships development. Thanks to it, we got to see the characters way more cylindrically, their fears, mistakes, who they are in their normal daily life. Mike, El, Hopper, Joyce, Erica and Steve gained many new layers in this season, but Will had the most special one: the first explicit hint of his sexuality.

And then, Robin appears. At first we are conditioned to think she likes Steve, the Duffers play a game with the watchers' heteronormativity using the dubiousness of their dialogs. And then, boom! She is lesbian. Not only lesbian but repressedly in love with a girl - at least was - and jealous of Steve.

Thanks to this coming out scene

The interpretation door was open to see this as Will being in love with a boy, repressing his feelings and being jealous of the girl the boy is dating with.

Will's jealousy and feelings for Mike back then stamped the background of everything, it was being slowly built inside the show - but not inside the character, remember the Snow Ball script? It was always there, just unseen.

Until here we are only remarking that Will is gay. But what Robin has to do with byler as a ship?

Well, if she is the queer character created to open this door for Will, created to gain the sympathy of the general public as comic relief character who bonded with two of the most popular characters of the show - Dustin and Steve - since s3, showing the watchers the struggles of a queer person in the 80's in a "light" way and making the viewers to cheer for her love life, of course her character holds a big role with byler building a romantic relationship.

Robin appeared in Season 3 because the viewers wanted Milven to happen in season 2 - thanks to the heteronormativity and kids sexualization I may say - when it wasn't going to, it wasn't scripted like this and it's not going to be endgame. So Robin's creating a scape route for the writers.

The hints given about Will being called a f@g and Mike over protective and supportive behavior with Will were not enough to create this bridge between friends and lovers as we know very well.

Movie Date and Schrodinger Cat

Moving on. We know Will is gay. Okay. What is still uncertain in the show is Mike's sexuality and required feelings towards Will. Here, we are focusing in the required feelings part.

I read a lot of analysis about the "movie date scene". I remember people discussing the blushing frame and the holding hands theory even before s4 coming out and at the time it sounded like joke to me - as I said I'm really skeptical. Yet, after rewatch the part and reading a lot (especially @greenfiend 's one about the holding hands thing), I feel like I finally understood why the scene is so spoken of.

It's pretty simple, it's another open door. Not like Robin who is there to guide us to read between the lines but as something that is open to interpret and rely on when they finally get together. It was made for when people start to question "where did this relationship came from?" and create assumptions like "it came out of the nowhere".

In the scene, Lucas, Max, Mike and Will go to Starcourt's movie theater to watch a horror movie together. When arguing about Mike's behavior, Lucas remarks that he is spending romantic time with his girlfriend by going there. When they are finally inside, lumax and byler sits separately, then things start to get really fishy.

The construction of the whole next part, when they are inside the movie theater, from the beginning of the movie to the black out and end of the scene, are basically hands. Hands everywhere. In the close ups, in the people around them and even in the movie. Why? For us to see it, to think of it, to imagine. To imagine what? It's up to you of course, but we know people hold hands at movie theaters, specially when watching a horror movie, and we also know byler is the main focus on that scene for some reason.

But they didn't show us their hands, did them? No. Because of that, no one can really say they were holding hands, but the same can't be said about them not holding their hands. The construction of the scene deliberately leads us to question the possibility, however there is no true answer. Like the Schorodinger Cat, they are holding and not-holding their hands.

Also, the "are you okay?" Mike says, the camera play and Noah's acting leads us to think that, if they are holding their hands, it was Mike's initiative, not Will's.

The whole scene is purposefully dubious.

Noah looks down at his hand at the end of the interaction, up again, and then smiles. It's there but they don't show us! At the same time, if it was an unromantic moment, they would've shown us they were holding hands as they did before, so why not? Why do they keep the whole thing subtle, calculated, and masked by the MF plot if not to hold a secret meaning behind it all. A secret meaning for us to discover yet.

Like pleaseee, I swear this is some kind of torture for us gay people.

Mike's character construction and Finn's acting

I'm a ST fan since the beginning. I was here when the major public liked Jonathan better than Steve, when Mike was the favorite member of the party, and Finn was treated as one of the best child actors of the show. Looking back, it's pretty obvious things changed a lot since the third season.

Why things changed? In the last two seasons, Finn was accused of being "out of the character" and "having a bad acting". And Mike turned into a douchebag in public eyes.

The truth is: the way the writers had chosen to show us Mike changed. He still is the same insecure, paranoic, loyal, compassionate character who is a jerk sometimes from the beginning, but we didn't get the chance to see his POV since s2.

Mike is a character trapped in the expectations of the viewers. They expected him to date El, to love El as a girlfriend, to treat her the way she deserves - what he can do, but clearly not as a boyfriend. Their relationship wasn't scripted the way it happened, so his character needed to go through some changes to remain himself. And, of course, for mlvn to end, the viewers needed to hate his version with El. Again, it is a scape route.

His character is still the same, but the way we see him is different. The truth is the viewers expected Mike to acts towards El the way he did with Will after they started dating: unconditionally supportive, trusting, and understanding, but guess what? This was never on Mike's character to begin with.

He doesn't understand, trust, or support people unconditionally. They are showing how much he is inflexible and selective in what he wants to believe since the very first episode, we can see that in the relationship with his family and friends. Just remember his fights with Lucas in s1, s2 and s4 and Dustin in s2 and s3, they are his CHILDHOOD FRIENDS, but even them don't have the pleasure of Mike's unconditionally support and trust. The only character he is truly open to is Will.

These changes were made for us to see the difference between Will and the rest of the world for Mike. In season 3, when he appears to be a jerk to everyone, no exception at all, the only person he seems to retract this behavior for is Will. In season 4, Mike fights El and Will, but again, the only one he seems to understand and retract from his defenses for is Will. Again, the only person he is really open with.

Now, speaking about sexuality, the other reason for people to blame Finn's acting is the awkwardness in kissing and intimate scenes - like the first I love you he heard from his girlfriend.

I don't know about you, but for me, it is almost painful to watch them kissing. Not only kissing, the whole dating thing looks like a performance, and it's not a good one, if I may say. But here is the thing, it's on purpose! The same goes for the looks he gives Will's and Eddie's body.

Don't even think that every look, expression, or camera play is not calculated. These people spend so much money in the show for it to be half assed by bad acting or misinterpretation of the script.

[evil8keta]

Ok so I have a request and it’s kinda like a self-insert..

So.. A Platonic mercs and fem!reader who wears masculine clothing and has short hair. (Like a pixie cut or half-shaved head) The mercs think she’s a boy at first. But then they find out that.. *gasp* it’s a girl! How would they react? Again, platonic please, I don’t ship myself with any of them!

- Random Anon

I LOVE THIS REQUEST SO MUCH!! the scenario for this is that you had no idea that the others think ur a boy lol....also they all found out during a group meeting or something

the mercs find out that... *gasp* you're a GIRL?!

SCOUT

- WHAT?! WHAT???! he can't believe it.... scout immediately ran up to you and drowned you in questions like "are you sure you're a girl?? are you ABSOLUTELY sure??" eventually he was peeled off of you by spy cause he was being too annoying lol. anyway this big gender reveal surprisingly doesn't change how he behaves around you he was just very dramatic when he found out

PYRO

- gasp!!! no way!! pyro is so surprised!! they all have been misgendering you this whole time and you had no idea!! :( because of this pyro feels bad... but again, it doesn't change how they feel about you at all lol. they would definitely go up to you later and apologize to you for thinking that you're a man (not like you can understand their muffled voice through the mask anyway)

SOLDIER

- stares at you like this >:O for a whole minute then shrugs it off like eh whatever. nothing changes, he's glad they got your gender right now but it's not a big deal! he's going to treat you the same... at least NOW he understands why you gave him a feminine flowerly deodorant when he asked to borrow one from you

HEAVY

- oh... well, that's interesting. he tries his best to stay calm and not look surprised but the confused expression on his face and wide eyes say otherwise. he eyes you suspiciously, but stops suspecting you pretty quickly. it's obvious that you weren't hiding anything, and they all just assumed incorrectly, so it's their fault not yours lol. he's pretty chill after that, and the way he treats you doesn't change either, maybe he's just a little bit more careful towards you

DEMOMAN

- starts shouting and is the second one to question you right after scout is peeled off of you, smh. "SINCE WHEN WERE YE A LASS???" really confused and dramatic and it takes like 10 minutes to calm him down. after that he might actually start acting nicer towards you? idk to me he just seems like he really respects women. it's not a big difference he's just more of a gentleman

ENGINEER

- bamboozled but not for long. like at first he's like scratching his head and thinking about how come no one noticed sooner. but then he shrugs it off, smiles and starts congratulating you as if you had your own gender reveal party. you're his daughter now

MEDIC

- ALWAYS knew you were a girl, he read it in your medical files, but after he noticed that most of the other mercs view you as a man, he played along. for fun. however when you said you're a girl in front of everyone he was like gasping and covering his mouth, like omg?? you're a girl?? wowww right he sure had no idea... /s

SPY

- is....very surprised, but tries to not show it. spy ran background checks on literally everyone in the base, including you, so how did he not figure out you're a girl sooner..? perhaps he was too convinced that you are a man that he didn't bother to check lol. anyways after his initial surprise he's quite indifferent but he might but he might be more wary of you from time to time. like what else could you be hiding, huh?? you're secretly the president of Czechoslovakia or something??

SNIPER

- not gonna lie bro was sleeping the entire time of the meeting....then he heard the world "girl" lol and immediately woke up, looking around in confusion. after he came to his senses he was speechless for a while, like woah... you're a girl? okay. yeah he really doesn't care and just went back to napping. like yeah, good thing that everyone knows now, but it's really not any difference to him. he might treat you more gentlemanly afterwards tho, but that's just his manners

[lloydfrontera]

You know, regarding Lloyd's achievement in history and whether ordinary citizens know him or not made me crave post canon modern au.

Imagine seeing an in universe fanfic authors notes in ao3 or twitter crying about how they simply wanted to write a story set in Lloys time but they just keep diving into rabbit holes.

Kinda like

"So i was writing an historical au set in Alician era where the MC had a detour in Cremo and he was admiring a statue by the sea with a local explaining its history. Of course, I needed to do some research only to found out that Lloyd Frontera, YES, THAT Lloyd Frontera who made the Pantara railroad defeated some sea monster, nearly died and got statue for it"

Maybe someone from Beneto Kingdom being so confused because all he learned from history in school (Beneto history) is that Lloyd is just some brilliant engineer so he got specially confused on why in the movie he was watching set in Alician era is Lloyd fighting a goddamn bone dragon.

I'm interested on how scholars and political figures bemoan and analyse Lloyd's action and achievement but ordinary people's Internet discourse could be so much fun as well.

Javier and Lloyd getting the Alexander and Haphaestion treatment on whether they were lovers or not. The discourse would be so toxic lol.

oh my god forget changing the history of civil engineering forever, sparking the nastiest discourse ever on history/fandom internet forums is lloyd's true greatest achievement akshfksdg

he's the go to historical domain character used to set the time period for a historical movie/book/series. he's the guy writers insert to give their work a more period accurate vibe. everyone knows just enough about him to make really passionate history nerds very angry about all the inaccuracies and made up facts that are taken as common knowledge.

i'm thinking people of completely different online circles all knowing about lloyd in some capacity but regarding completely separate facets of his life and work and being so surprised when they accidentally find yet another whole field lloyd revolutionized. like.

a sword nerd who's really into the concept of the asrahan core technique and knows perfectly well that lloyd helped invent it getting gobsmacked about the fact that's the same guy that laid the ground for modern sewer systems.

a fan of historical romance stories who is used to seeing lloyd as a fun cameo in the background of stories set in the alician period being really confused when they open their book on thermodynamics and see there's a whole chapter dedicated to a method lloyd figured out to create ice without the need of magic.

a train enthusiast who is really fascinated by the rudimentary switchback system lloyd frontera implemented when the concept of a train wasn't even known in the empire being completely dumbfounded when their friends invite them to see a movie about that one time lloyd frontera and his knight defeated a knight of hell in namaran.

i think it's definitely a meme to post "so i was doing research for my asfahan au and went on a rabbit hole and guess who fucking built the qanat that's widely regarded as the only reason the kingdom didn't fall into civil war. take a wild fucking guess" "was it lloyd frontera" "IT WAS FUCKING LLOYD FRONTERA OF COURSE IT WAS"

i'm also certain there would be some guys who think he's overrated and people should really stop talking so much about him when there's so many other historical figures who are just as interesting and not as recognized 🙄. to which people immediately go "mad cause your history blorbo didn't defeat a bone dragon aren't you" at them

Javier and Lloyd getting the Alexander and Haphaestion treatment on whether they were lovers or not. The discourse would be so toxic lol.

they definitely get the alexander and hephaestion treatment you are so correct. they're also the achilles and patroclus of the modern magentano girlies. there's a bunch of 'queer retellings' of their lives. they're the go to example for homoerotic friendships. there's a bunch of edits that mix historical paintings of them with ship fanart with that 'history hates lovers' song playing over them. dudebros get really angry about it. llojavi truthers pull out their 20 pages long annotations that start with "they fucking slept in the same bedroom for years" and it only gets worse.

there's one poor person online who just really fucking wants to know how and why lloyd frontera changed faces one day out of the blue with no one ever explaining it. there's no official records. no member of the royal family ever made a statement about it. why is everyone acting like the frontera family didn't have one eldest son for 25-29 years and one day suddenly had a completely different one. what the fuck is going on.

so. yeah. i'm a little obsessed with this concept actually ajkshdksa

[maxmagic]

Dropping him here like an nuclear missile

MY HOME BOY ZEKE!

And oc-ified version of one of the background characters (who's real name is Flea but I reject canon). I made him into a little vigilante guy, ain't he spiffy

Longer description below:

Ezekiel “Zeke” Salazar- Part of Phil's nefarious bully group and surprisingly does the least amount of bullying, mostly parroting Phil's insults. Kinda quiet, people often assume he is stupid (or even mentally challenged) cuz of it, but he's a bright and friendly fellow. Doesn't talk much, to the point of being selectively mute. Although, if you're close to him, he can be quite the chatterbox. Sticks around Phil for his own protection, cuz he used to get bullied cuz of his appearance. He's very nice and caring, but has to play up a tough act when with Phil and Janette. Very helpful and kind of a sweetie. Has an affinity for the arts, specifically of the graffiti variety. Actually kind of shy about his art and will freak out if you look at his sketchbook (ehem Sam). He likes to paint, specifically make graffities in cool abandoned places. He also has niche hobbies like yo-yos and close up magic. Part of the art club at Symphony High (with a cult like following in the art department). Not very popular at school, tho not disliked either.

Admires Shred Force and thinks they're really cool. His favorite is Sam, cuz he finds her dynamic moves fun to draw. Draws self insert fanart of SF for Phil. Actually became a vigilante because of them, but only really started being good when he found a magical melodica (former property of The collector). The gas mask might make him look scary, but he's a sweetheart.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

A year in illustration (2024), Part three

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/12/07/great-kepplers-ghost/art-adjacent

Part one

Part two

Live Nation/Ticketmaster is buying Congress

I had a lot of fun scouring Victorian woodcuts for cool tentacles to add to this image. The garish concert lights in the background were a fun find – I was halfway through using them when I realized that the image came from my old pal Matt Biddulph, who has many claims to fame, but my favorite is that he once sarcastically called the area in Hackney where some tech startups were clustered "Silicon Roundabout" and then experienced the monkey's paw curse of having the government turn this into an official designation.

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/30/nix-fix-the-tix/#something-must-be-done-there-we-did-something

(Image: Matt Biddulph, CC BY-SA 2.0; Flying Logos, CC BY-SA 4.0; modified)

The specific process by which Google enshittified its search

Around April, I realized I needed a visual signifier for "enshittified Google" – I created a cartoon mascot with the head of a poop emoji, colored in the original Google logo colors. I put him into "The Junior Partner Speaks," an old ad for Pacific Woolens and Worsteds, which I've since used several times:

https://craphound.com/images/juniorpartner.jpg

I'm very fond of using the homely old original Google logo as a way to differentiate pre-enshittificatory Google from modern, enshittocene Google.

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/24/naming-names/#prabhakar-raghavan

Podcasting "Capitalists Hate Capitalism"

Real Gilded Age corruption-heads will instantly recognize the editorial cartoon image of Boss Tweed as a suited figure with a sack of money for a head; his body language is impeccable, conveying a sneering disregard for decency and others' wellbeing. He works very well inserted into this tapestry of feudal peasants threshing grain.

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/18/in-extremis-veritas/#the-winnah

No, "convenience" isn't the problem

It's stupidly, unnecessarily hard to find hi-rez scans of Rube Goldberg cartoons online, but this one is perfect and it was a delight to lovingly crop out all its little details. Throw in Cryteria's HAL 9000 and a Matrix code waterfall and you've got a perfect image of the complex, hostile traps of digital systems.

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/12/give-me-convenience/#or-give-me-death

The unexpected upside of global monopoly capitalism

This one's pretty subtle! I mostly just added the monocle, mustache and top-hat to the fallen head of Goliath in Bosse's 17th century engraving of the triumphant David. The planet Earth in David's sling is a NASA image and thus in the public domain.

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/10/an-injury-to-one/#is-an-injury-to-all

How to shatter the class solidarity of the ruling class

Goodness, but "canceled" is a tedious cliche. If you must describe someone being ejected from polite society, please consider the far more delightful "defenestrated," not least because the many paintings and etchings of The Defenestration of Prague gives us a lot of public domain visual material to work with when illustrating such events.

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/08/money-talks/#bullshit-walks

(Image: KMJ, CC BY-SA 3.0, modified)

General Mills and cheaply bought "dietitians" co-opted the anti-diet movement

The minute I saw this unsourced midcentury commercial illustration of a scientist working in a chem lab, I knew I'd get a lot of mileage out of it; I spent a long flight productively slicing it onto layers so that I could replace his head and put arbitrary objects in his flask:

https://craphound.com/images/labflask.jpg

I've used him before, but putting the Trix rabbit's head on him and sticking a box of Cocoa Puffs in the flask worked great.

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/05/corrupt-for-cocoa-puffs/#flood-the-zone-with-shit

Too big to care

I spent the whole flight to SXSW last year slicing up a super hi-rez (10,000px wide!) image of Hieronymus Bosch's "Garden of Earthly Delights," slicing out individual demons, with special attention to the hoof-footed, anus-baring demon in a hat with a whole secret demonic clubhouse in its rectal cavity. At the end of that flight, I had a very funny conversation with my perplexed seatmate, who was dying to know what the actual fuck I was working on.

The background here is made up of desaturated, magnified brushstrokes from Van Gogh's "Starry Night."

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/04/teach-me-how-to-shruggie/#kagi

Red Lobster was killed by private equity, not Endless Shrimp

I inserted a rogue's gallery of "evil boss types" from various editorial cartoons into this vintage Red Lobster ad, including Boss Tweed, an impatient guy from a midcentury John Falter commercial illustration, possibly for a radio station (?) and a William Gropper sketch for a cartoon making fun of the business lobby's opposition to the New Deal.

https://pluralistic.net/2024/05/23/spineless/#invertebrates

You were promised a jetpack by liars

The newsie with the great grin makes a reappearance in this one, beneath a jetpack flyer taken from a 1928 Amazing Stories cover by R Frank Paul. The control panel is one of several midcentury electronics consoles I've spent idle hours cropping out (this one comes from a Schlitz ad depicting a HAM radio enthusiast). The hypnotic head is from the October, 1953 cover of Doll-Man, likely by Reed Crandall. I started playing around with halftoning with this one, on the background, as a way of hiding the JPEG artifacts that emerged when I uprezzed small source images. It worked really well.

https://pluralistic.net/2024/05/17/fake-it-until-you-dont-make-it/#twenty-one-seconds

AI "art" and uncanniness

I was so happy with how the extra fingers on this Victorian woodcut of a hand on a Oujia board planchette came out. And the green tinting worked perfectly with the Code Waterfall background.

https://pluralistic.net/2024/05/13/spooky-action-at-a-close-up/#invisible-hand

Part four

[sumicchin]

CHIMES OF THE HEART

❃ a wind breaker (satoru nii) reader insert.

CHAPTER 4

Violence is the answer to everything in this world (not really). (3.3k words)

content warning: female reader, original characters, character background, slight ooc i fear

When I was little, I often found myself looking forward to the sound of the wind chime as it danced with the breeze. It was fairly quiet inside the shrine when it was just Hayami, me, and a man named Sojiro while waiting for the officiants to inhabit the divine structure.

Furin was my only companion—acting as if its bell were telling me stories from the outside world. It's been there ever since I could remember, and no one bothered to place another one.

Just like the wind chime, I was alone.

While the grownups worked, I occupied myself with little tasks that my stubby fingers could manage. Sometimes I took out a book they had in the study and ran to the adults to ask what certain words meant. I became more involved with the shrine as I grew older, not as a Miko, but just as a random helper. 

I was essentially free to do what I wanted. So when I was 10, I expressed my wish to venture out of the shrine.

"Hey, old man," I greeted Sojiro, tending to the flowers near the statues. His head perked up upon hearing my voice and greeted me back. As odd as it sounded, Sojiro wanted me to call him that way despite his youthful appearance.

"Hi there, little miss," Sojiro says as he stands up to face me, "what's today's agenda?"

For as long as I can remember, Hayami and Sojiro have been caring for me since. I haven't really asked about their relationship, or who my parents were since there was no need to do so. I was fine with how things were for the past couple of years, but the books I read and my trips to the market while accompanying Hayami made me yearn for more.

And so I was determined to confront them that day.

I showed him the book I was carrying. Kusamakura by Natsume Soseki.

Not really something a ten-year-old would read, but I had nothing better to do in this shrine.

"Oh, that's one of Hayami's favorite novels," Sojiro says. "An artist sets on a journey in search of beauty and inspiration for life and art. It's a simple read but very worth it to understand what it's like to be an artist." The man beams, totally lost in his thoughts. I let out a sigh, "That's not what I came for, old man."

"Ah, my bad! You know I get too excited about stuff like that." Sojiro laughs and pats my head, "So, let's cut to the chase. You want to go outside, right?" He chuckles as soon as my face contorts to that of a shocked expression. Sojiro is a man full of secrets.

"H-how'd you know?"

He shows me his infamous grin with eyes closed, "It's a secret power of mine!"

He pats my head, ruffling it in the process, "But sorry kiddo, we can't really make that happen." Already rejected before I could speak the speech I prepared. "Hayami will explain to you once you're older, but right now you have to stay here, 'kay? Think of it as a special mission given by the gods!" I was about to sulk and curse whoever made that decision when Sojiro perked up, "But hey that reminds me! The priest decided to assign you as bodyguard for the Mikos." I let out an audible sound of confusion, telling him I barely knew how to throw a punch. The best I could do was to bite someone like a sewer rat.

"That's why I'm gonna train you starting tomorrow!"

By sheer determination and fear of being on the receiving end of Sojiro's sword and fist (both hurt equally), I became a competent bodyguard for the officiants at the age of 14.

"The wind feels very nice, doesn't it (F/n)?" Manami, one of the older Mikos, glances at the fully bloomed cherry blossom trees by the river.

"Yeah, pretty lucky we got to go out today!" I excitedly say. Becoming the bodyguard for the Mikos allowed me to at least go out more often. It was always fun accompanying the women of the shrine outside, teaching me all sorts of stuff that can't be picked up from books.

"The priest doesn't really trust outsiders let alone men to protect the girls, so he's hoping to rely on us, (F/n)." I recalled Sojiro's words on our first day of training. It was a day full of bruises, and many more came after that but the strength I currently possess made it all worth it. I find myself more comfortable fighting with a sword though, and Sojiro encourages me to keep at my training.

I established one rule as a bodyguard.

To never take someone's life.

The two of us continue talking, heading back to the steps leading to the shrine after buying gifts from the market. We were a few blocks away from returning to our refuge, until I felt a tug on my hakama's left sleeve.

"What is it, Manami?"

"Can we maybe, stay outside for a bit longer?" She timidly asks.

"But we promised to only go to the market," I reluctantly answered, but seeing her crestfallen face made me double take. I guess she's just tired of Miko duties...

"It's just for a moment, I promise! There's something I need to see."

She leads me to a shop that sold fireworks and the like.

"I'd like to get one of these for summer!"

I watched as she hurriedly went inside the shop, already browsing the many varieties of explosives. How do we hide the fireworks from Hayami and the priest, I deadpan.

I was too occupied with my thoughts, but I know for one someone in black just went past me. Still bothered by how I'm supposed to hide the fact we went somewhere other than the market, the scream of a woman registered late to me.

I hurriedly ran inside the shop and saw a dark-haired man in a suit dangerously near Manami.

"Let her go!" I yell as I grab the hilt of my sword.

Upon closer inspection, it became clear that the man was actually just a tall teenager from his features. He must be an artistocrat or something.

"Please fight outside my shop!" The shop owner yells to no avail.

"Are you cosplaying a samurai?" The boy hums, letting go of Manami. She stumbles back but was helped by the store owner. "She took the last sparkler I wanted to buy," he says mockingly while approaching me.

"But I've lost interest now." His tone suddenly drops, approaching slowly as he inspects me and my sword—and to say I'm frightened is an understatement. I've fought many men before, but his aura screamed something awfully dangerous.

I knew right then and there I'll die if I try fighting him.

"Is that sword for real? Must be serious business, huh?" he grins as he points at my sword.

I scoffed, "Wanna see for yourself?"

"Fine with me..." He raises his right arm, my grip on my sword's hilt and scabbard tightening, "been wanting to take out someone armed."

He swiftly tried to go for my neck, but I nearly blocked him with my sword, the blunt edge of the blade near my cheek and the sharper side near the man's wrist. "Don't move a muscle, or the blade will cut you."

His lips twitch, but not so much to pass as a grin, "I'll look forward to that."

Even though I tried resisting, his strength overpowered me by the end and I lost control over my blade. I stared helplessly as my sword fell to the ground, waiting for his fist to strike me. It

"You're interesting! Let's meet again when we're a bit older." He pats my shoulder, walking out of the store. "How about when we're both 16, 'kay?"

He walked unscathed out of the store as I scrambled towards Manami who was shaken.

She and I swore to never talk about the incident ever.

It was then that I realized I'm still weak.

Was I even fit to protect others?

Although I never wished to encounter that man again, the world had different plans for me.

Turns out he was just the start of this madness, and there were more to follow.

❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋

You watch the boy from across the room as he sleeps peacefully, just like a child after throwing a fit. That night, he established social distancing before heading to bed, saying he didn't want to accidentally do stuff he'd regret in his sleep.

It was painfully obvious that he was nervous the whole night, stiff as a rock and barely breathing. He eventually (and with difficulty) fell asleep though, thankfully. Sakura would probably stay asleep for a couple more hours, so you decided to get a head start and freshen up for the day.

You unfold the piece of clothing that served as a makeshift pillow last night, recognizing that this is what Sojiro called a hoodie. It smelled very minty and upon checking the pockets, you see some suckers with different flavors. These look really good...

This must belong to Sakura, but no harm in trying it out right? The hoodie, that is. You've had enough of stealing's someone's food. The apparel was obviously loose and too big, but it makes one admire the craftsmanship with how warm and comfortable it felt. 

He told you that night that his friends brought in food and clothes, so you excitedly checked the bag. It's filled with clothes that you used to dream of trying out, too tired of the usual hakama back at the shrine. Nothing bad about being traditional, but seeing vibrant colors and patterns other than flowers and birds makes you feel all giddy inside.

One of the shirts had a drawing of a white cat with a red ribbon. This character often appeared in the teen magazines Sojiro brought back from trips. Why he bought them is beyond you (it's so that you can check out what girls your age like, he says).

This is super adorable! You think while holding the shirt.

The bumpkin has now been in contact with Sanrio characters.

Taking out pants that you think fits the shirt with the white cat, you find the bathroom to freshen up and change.

If Hayami saw you right now, she'd probably start calling you out for looking scandalous. A huge part of your legs and thighs were exposed, and the shirt definitely hugged the torso a bit too much to what I'm you're to, but the cute design is too much to pass up on.

Styling your hair in your preferred way to complete the new look, you step out of the bathroom, seemingly trying your best to fit in with the folks of this city (and accordingly to the magazines).

It seems that Sakura is still out cold. Worriedly, you approached his figure hunched in a fetal position to check his temperature. Your face neared his and touched your foreheads together. Upon contact, it didn't seem like he was ill, but after a few seconds he began heating up rapidly.

You were greeted by his heterochromatic eyes, too wide for someone who was just sleeping moments ago. Didn't this happen already?

"W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" He stammers, backing to a wall behind him.

"Checking your temperature, what else? You were out cold for a while."

He wipes his forehead rapidly like you spread germs on it. Rude.

"Aren't you the sick one here? Stop worrying about me, damn it!"

You unknowingly pout and look at the floor, "I was just worried." Rolling your eyes towards him, he looks away in return.

He clicks his tongue, refusing to look you in the eye. Is he allergic to affection or something?

"So much for a morning call." You stretch, standing up to head out. "I'm feeling all better now, can we go outside?"

"Someone's gonna pay you a visit, so sit your ass down!" He turns on his phone and starts swiping his fingers.

Nirei

Sent a sticker [good morning!].

Suo

Sent a sticker [happy wake up].

Kiryu

Sent a sticker [cat wake up].

Tsugeura

Sent a sticker [muscle ohayo!]

Nirei

Suo and I will be visiting!

Sugishita

Seen

Sakura sees the group chat for his class, then checks out the ones his upperclassmen sent.

Kaji

bring my hoodie to school i cant drop by cuz of errands

Tsubaki

Good morning!

I'll be visiting after school with Kanji and the twins~

Umemiya

Morning!

Kotoha and I will visit soon!

Breakfast is on me!

···

He sees Bofurin's leader still writing another message and waits for it. When it does get sent, he suddenly gets conscious.

Umemiya

Kotoha hopes you're wearing something other than a shirt and boxers, she says!

Sakura immediately looks at himself and suddenly whips his head towards you.

"How come you didn't tell me I was just wearing boxers in front of 'ya the whole time?!"

You blink repeatedly, "You were bothered by that? If it makes you feel better, I've seen uncles only in their loincloths."

He turns red and immediately scrams to the bathroom to check for his used pants.

❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋

"Wow, so this is your school uniform?"

Sakura comes out of the bathroom in his iconic green gakuran and pants, acting smug and proud to be wearing symbolic garments. You clapping and looking with amazement just made his head bigger, saying stuff like "Woah, so trendy!" and "You look like a model!"

A knock on the door interrupted the duo's little fashion show, with Sakura heading towards the door to invite his guests.

He sees Umemiya, Suo, Nirei, and Kotoha all carrying bags.

"Morning, Sakura!" Everyone followed suit with their morning greetings, taking off their shoes as they entered his apartment.

"Oh! Looks like our little ghost has recovered now," Umemiya smiles as he takes a seat in front of you. "I'm Umemiya Hajime, but you can call me big bro if you'd like!" He beams.

He starts rummaging the bag he brought out, "Hope you like soup and omurice!"

Kotoha approaches you and waves hello, to which you bow in reply. She was taken aback, saying there was no need to be formal. "Kotoha is fine! And the clothes look really good on you!" She starts gushing about taking you to the shopping district with someone named Tsubaki, happy to have another female companion.

"We've brought you some snacks, courtesy of the class!" Nirei shows you the contents of the bag filled with unfamiliar bags, "O-oh! I'm Nirei Akihiko by the way. If you need help navigating Makochi, I'm your guy!"

The last of the visitors wore an eye patch and felt immensely mysterious, boasting quite the powerful aura. Thinking about it, three of them held overwhelming auras, Umemiya's in particular was overflowing. You didn't notice that you were staring too hard at the eye-patched boy.

"My name is Leonardo DiCaprio!"

Oh! A foreigner, you beamed.

"Don't fall for that, (F/n)!" Sakura points accusingly at Suo, "That guy's Hayato Suo, make sure you're extra careful around him."

"You wound me, Sakura. I thought we were friends," Suo fakes a sigh. "And you're on a first name basis with her."

Sakura blushes, "That's her first name?!"

Nirei realizes and hides his face using his notebook, feeling giddy to have another female friend on a first name basis, "I-it feels really embarrassing to be on a first name basis already!"

"You already gave her your lap yesterday, a name is nothing at this point," Suo chuckles.

You think for a bit, and it reminds you that everyone back at the shrine never mentioned a family name. Gods, am I adopted? Am I the next Momotaro?

"I don't know my parents, and no one really told me about other stuff about them."

Everyone stops and looks at you with a somber expression.

Umemiya lets out a loud wail, eyes comically tearing as he tries to go in for a hug, "Ume-nii and Kotoha over here will be your family then!!!"

Nirei feels himself tear up as well, unable to imagine living a life without knowing who his parents were. Suo's face remained neutral, mouth forming a line and unable to say something to lift the mood.

Sakura on the other hand just stares at you, eyes soft and looking as if he sees himself in you.

"But don't worry about me! I still grew up with caring adults," your smile falters for a bit, wondering how Hayami and Sojiro were faring after your escape. "Let's all eat! Big day ahead of us."

Kotoha begins handing out soup and takeout omurice, "What happened to you anyways? If you don't mind me asking,"

You choke on a potato, clearing your throat before speaking, "Oh uh...I made an enemy out of an aristocrat, he decided to marry me or else he'll destroy my home, but my caretakers wanted me to run away, and now I am searching for something here in this town. Yes, I think that accounts for everything so far!"

"That's quite the story." She says, not sure if she was concerned or amused.

Suo pieces the situation in his head, "I assume that's why you were in a white kimono." Everyone realizes and looks at him, "Do you think your husband will search for you?"

You correct Suo, saying you're technically not wed yet. He mutters a small apology. "I don't want to get married to a man like him."

They all feel the spite and anger behind your words.

You look sternly at everyone, "It's also why I needed to get away from everyone as soon as possible. I fear I'll get you all caught up in this mess."

Everyone hears a scoff from Sakura who was gulping down food just earlier, now looking at you with a smirk.

"Thanks for telling me bits of your story," he puts down his now finished bowl of soup and omurice.

"We just gotta beat up that guy, right?"

changed the writing style for a bit, hope its okay (⁠；⁠^⁠ω⁠^⁠）

[coastalraccoon]

[ID: A digital comic with 7 panels. All panels except for the second and sixth are a solid green-blue. The background outside the panels is a very pale brown with faint splatters. The first panel is an upper corner cut out of the larger second panel. Riptide shouts "MUDWING!" with a startled expression. In the second panel Riptide is stopped in his tracks by the larger Brine, who glares at him. Fen stands in front of them with a dead boar, looking at him with a furrowed brow. Brine tells Riptide "Don't lay a claw on her. She's our bigwings". The background is of tropical plants bleeding out onto the beach. The third panel is Nebula saying, "He's loud, we gotta kill him", to which Outcrop responds, "No we don't." The fourth panel is Majesty looking nervously and saying "Can we not talk about killing someone? Please?" The fifth panel is a confused Fen asking, "Who is this guy?" The sixth panel is a larger bust of Brine on the right and a smaller Riptide on the left with a confused expression. A couple of question marks radiate off him. Brine says, "We're not killing him. I doubt he's a snitch. He could help us". The background is waves crashing onto the beach. The seventh panel is Riptide with a raised hand asking, "Who are you guys exactly?" End ID.]

Decided to start working on an OC-insert (or whatever it's called) dragonets of destiny. Here's a comic of them meeting Riptide because I thought it'd be fun.

The SeaWing dragonet is Brine, the MudWing is Fen, the SandWing is Outcrop, the NightWing is Nebula, and the RainWing is Majesty. They're not as outgoing as the canon DoD but they still love each other and make friendship bracelets :)