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swiftllama · 1 year

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September Compliments ☀️🔍

[Compliments Masterlist]

Hey guys! Back for another month! A month of a lot of small compliments sprinkled throughout this time around, but we still got quite a few full-on great complimentary moments. One in particular was very special 🥰

So let's get into it...

September 2023

Thinking OUTSIDE The Box (Herd Mentality)

Right off the bat, first day of the month, we got a Games video, and this video actually started off a theme throughout this month. The boys were in quite a few videos where they were playing games this month and were either competing against or working as a team so we got a lot of them complimenting each other on a job well down, plus the bestie-ism was shining through :-

Q: 'Name a brand beginning with an A’

Anthony: "I went to clothing for some reason."

lan: "Oh then I know what you did then."

Anthony: "Do you?'

lan: "You went to clothing.”

Anthony: "I put American Eagle. I'm thinking mall culture."

lan: [nodding] “I was thinking- I actually thought you'd either put American Eagle or All Saints."

Q: 'Name an animal beginning with a P’

lan: "I'm giggling [at his answer]."

Anthony: "I think I know why you're giggling.”

lan: "I put p**sy!"

Anthony: "I knnnew."

Anthony: "Did you [lan] just win?"

lan: "Oh!'

Anthony: "That's a win!" [cheering and clapping] "Yoooo! Because the nose [lan's answer for that round] knows!'

Q: 'Out of all the animals in the world, which is the cutest?'

lan: "I said cat."

Anthony: "I said kitten."

[everyone debating whether it counts as the same animal]

Anthony: "Also Ian," [shows him his card] "I wrote cat and crossed it out. I almost wrote it."

Q: 'Who is the toughest Disney princess?'

lan: "I did, I think her name is Merida?"

Anthony: "I put the one from Brave."

lan: "Oh!"

Anthony: "Yeah!"

I actually made a post of this moment because it was so cute! How excited they were they had the same answer and also Anthony's little tap dance when he realises 😊

l also loved Angela pointing it out :-

Angela: "Wait, that was so cool that you both said that really random one."

Chanse: "That is fun. Yeah."

Anthony: "Yeah."

lan: "She's tough."

Anthony: "But isn't she- she's like an archer."

Angela: "Sure, but like nobody talks about that movie."

Jackie: "I thought of it too, but I was like 'That's too much of a deep cut.'"

What did I say about the bestie-ism shining through? 🥰

lan: "Hey everybody. Here's a good one, Anthony I feel like you and I are gonna be aligned on this one."

Q: 'Name a rapper'

lan: "I said Drake."

Anthony: "I wrote Snoop Dogg."

So obviously not the same answer but very cute how lan thought they would be on the same wavelength and he gives the reason as to why he thought that :-

lan: "So Anthony and I played a, we played a fun little game yesterday, where we went on Spotify and we were trying to guess who were the top artists, because it ranks them-"

Literally awing out loud! the fact they were just playing that game together, it wasn't for a video or anything, just something they were doing together in their free time 🥹

Bonus - HELP! I became an NPC!

So this next moment doesn't really fall under the 'compliment' umbrella, but it is something that has become a sub-genre of these posts - is the 'daddy’ thing. Yep, you guessed it folks, Anthony was at it once again. Although, like in the 'You Posted That' episode, he's switching it up and now he's referring to himself as 'daddy’ :-

Anthony: [face appearing as if through a phone screen like in the main sketch]

lan: [pretends to put his fingers up Anthony's nose and then into his mouth]

Anthony: "Ooooh, daddy like."

Why are they like this 🤦‍♀️

Also I think @lilac-hecox & @only-frann summed up a perfect description of this Compliments Series :-

Hope you guys don't mind me tagging you, but this is literally what this series is 😄

Anyways, that was just a jokey little one, but as I said, it's now a 'thing' of these posts so I couldn't not include it.

Moving on...

We Already Regret This Embarrassing Photoshoot ft. Smosh

The boys went back on Good Mythical Morning for the first time in almost 8 years, and although this time around we didn't get any frosting foot massages or Titanic re-enactments there was a few compliment-adjacent moments :-

Link: [talking about the photo they had to re-create] "And lan, I gotta give it to you, man. You remembered a lot."

Anthony: "He did! The glasses. The shirt."

Anthony: "I'm feeling good about that one [their photo]."

lan: "I'm feeling good."

And then we got one of their high-five/hand-grip moments that they do a lot.

[lan and Anthony announced as the winners]

Anthony: "Yeeeah!'

Another high-five, of course

Anthony: "Yeah! Let's go!'

They just absolutely live for congratulating each other on anything and everything now and it's very sweet. And there's more to come!

Food Battle 2011 - Flashback w/ Smosh

As they're rewatching Food Battle 2011, lan points out in one of the shots how his cross-country team photo can be seen in the background :-

Anthony: "That's you lined up with all the cross-country... pals.

Oop was that jealous!anthony shining through a little there 🫢

lan: [laughs] "Pals."

Anthony: "Backlit. Looking epic."

So again, just another small little compliment, but lan's cross-country/running is brought up again and praised/complimented by Anthony in...

HELP! I became an NPC! Watch Party

[discussing how American sports are confusing]

Anthony: "I feel like Smosh and sports just don't mix in my brain."

lan: [laughs] “What sport do you think that aligns the most with Smosh?"

They go through multiple silly suggestions between the two of them and ones they read from the chat, before lan suggests :-

lan: “I feel like, and it's probably just because I did it, but cross-country. Smosh is cross-country."

Anthony: "Just cause you're part of Smosh and you did it?"

lan: "And you just keep going, and you just keep going. Just keep running."

Anthony: "Is that how you felt doing Smosh even when I left?"

lan: “Yeah. Like just gotta keep going. Just one more mile. One more mile."

Oh lan 🥺 I just had to pause to react to that before I get to the complimentary part of this conversation, but that's so sad. But also a perfect description of what I imagine it was like for him during those times when Anthony was gone. Having to remind himself to just keep going and pushing forward regardless.

Anthony: "What was your longest run?"

lan: "I did a marathon."

Anthony: “Yeah, I remember you ran past my street and I woke up bright and early, and I was like [pretends to be half asleep and waves].”

lan: [smiling] “Yeah, yeah I did."

Anthony: "How long was that run?"

lan: "26.2 miles."

Anthony: "Daaaamm, I didn't know [the] marathon was 26.2 miles, shiiiit.”

lan: “Yeah, and I averaged a little under an 8 minute mile.”

Anthony: “That is not bad. For 20 times 26?! That's good!"

So couple things to cover here!

1. Anthony waking up early to catch lan run by his street so he could wave to him CAN YOU HEAR ME CRYING 😭 that's the cutest thing ever!

2. Anthony saying how good of a time lan got in the marathon is so sweet. I live for Anthony bigging him up 🥹

Anthony's Birthday

This next lot I'd call complimentary-by-extension. Anthony's birthday rolled around and in typical lan fashion this was the birthday tweet we got from him :-

Oh lan, wouldn't expect anything else from you 😅

Thought that was going to be it but then Mr. Padilla came through for us! And this was the particularly special moment I mentioned in the beginning of this post. He made the post linked in the main header of this section, thanking everyone for the birthday wishes and said how it had been Mykie and his anniversary the week previous and how she took him to the Grand Canyon. The post was all photos of the two of them, but in amongst it all, he included this gem :-

lan 💛

Isn't this just the softest thing.

I mean...

1. We finally get to see lan interacting with Anthony's dogs 🙌 Also the fact you can tell how comfortable they must be around him given the fact she's laying on his chest quite content which means lan is around them often enough to have that bond with them 🥹

2. The fact they spent Anthony's birthday together after so many years of birthdays unshared & it also makes Ian's tweet funnier, like him being next to Anthony, realising people are probably expecting him to publicly wish him 'happy birthday’, him writing the most basic tweet with a low-quality gif, posting it, and then going right back to hanging out with Anthony 😆

Aaaaand…...

3. Probably the softest thing about this, and where I'm going to get a bit emotional writing/thinking about it because I have a lot of feelings about it, is the fact Anthony included that photo of lan within his birthday/anniversary post. It's just so unbelievably soft. I cannot get over it. There was was no mention of lan in the caption or anywhere else, it was all photos of Anthony and Mykie, but within it, this one little candid shot of lan. It's so special. And says a lot without explicitly saying anything at all. It's just like, 'here's a post of things that matter to me.’ I like to imagine Anthony choosing the photos for that post, and even with it being a birthday/anniversary post, he still made the conscious decision to include that photo of lan. Something he didn't need to do, the photo wasn't relevant to the post, and yet, he included it anyways. He wants people to know that's how he spent his birthday, with the people he loves most - he couldn't not include that photo of lan. And I think it comes back around to the fact he's just so happy to have lan in his life again and he'll take every opportunity to say/show it. I can picture him sitting there looking at lan laying on his floor across from him, his dog on lan's chest, and his heart just feeling so full and happy at the fact he has his best friend with him again when a year ago he didn't think this would ever be a reality for him again. It's just so, so special ❤️

Finishing off Anthony's birthday was something that came a few days after :-

Anthony's response to lan's birthday tweet ☺️

What I also love about this, is the fact that lan never tagged Anthony in his tweet and given it was a few days later that Anthony responded and by that point the tweet would have been buried in his timeline, and also that Anthony barely uses Twitter. Knowing all these things it's very likely that Anthony searched for lan's account for him to see that tweet 🥰

POKEMON ROOMMATE BATTLE Watch Party

In the BTS for the POKEMON ROOMMATE BATTLE sketch lan keeps getting distracted playing Pokémon for the whole shoot, eventually getting the gameboy taken off of him by Erin 😅 In this livestream they're watching the sketch and Anthony says :-

[scene where 'lazy lan' is sitting in the beanbag playing Pokémon not wanting to move]

Anthony: “This is actually what you were like on set that day cause you were just playing Pokémon the whole day."

lan: "Oh yeah, so we rented that prop from like a prop house."

Anthony: “The gameboy."

lan: "The gameboy. And it was working - it was full battery, Pokémon Red was in it, and I booted it up and was like ‘There's no way. No. No’. and I was just straight up playing Pokémon on and it was-"

Anthony: "Was it everything you remembered?"

lan: "It was sick, dude. It was fun. I was having fun. I was getting really distracted and it was not good for the shoot. But I think I got my Charmander to like level 11 or 12."

Anthony: "Yeah, you nailed it."

Just a cute little compliment I felt should be included 🙂 But sticking with the Pokémon theme, it leads me on to the next compliment...

‘I Choose You' Smosh Hat

Anthony posted this Instagram promoting the Smosh Pokémon-style hat they released as merch, but what stood out to a lot of us is his choice of the first photo + the caption :-

THE IMPLICATIONS! Him crowning lan with the hat and him saying ‘I choose you' 🥹 It reminds me of something I covered in my first Compliments post - the section covering the Smoshcast with Anthony and Shayne saying how they came back together and "choose to be best friends again" 💛🖤

Our Actual Worst Puns (Puns of Anarchy)

Another round of games and compliment-adjacent moments :-

Ian: [handing the cards out]

Anthony: "Oh, look at you. You're providing for your family.”

Just found this moment cute, Anthony referring to them as a family 🥹

[Jackie chooses Anthony's card and he reveals it's his]

Jackie: "I take it back."

Anthony: “I'm also 'Hand Solo' though, so [the other card Jackie was going to pick]?

Arasha: "I'm so pissed [because Anthony is winning]."

Ian: "Wow. Anthony's cleaning up” [claps]

[Round Category: Baby Boomers]

Ian's card -' A Whole New World' changed to 'A new video of an old, white person freaking out’

Anthony: [picks Jackie's card] “That was good. Although, I will say, I know this was yours, lan [from his handwriting]. That was an adventure, man. I appreciate that."

This isn't the only time the handwriting thing is brought up in the video :-

Keith: "Dude, where's my car?' turns into, 'Dude, where's my car? Oh wait, I can't drive?’ By far the best one, lan. And I know this came from you."

Anthony: "I know it came from lan too, cause I can see the handwriting."

Why is Anthony being able recognise Ian's handwriting so cute. He just knows him so well ☺️

One other moment I loved from this video was something I already made a post about here. Of Jackie referring to them as 'best friends' and Anthony laughing the hardest at his answer firing shots at lan, again, bestie-ism shining through 😄

Joycon HIDE AND SEEK (Everybody 1, 2, Switch)

Last one of the month! This video was full of so many great moments - two lanthony piggybacks, so many bestie moments, and them just being overly cute the whole time 🥰

And also many moments of them complimenting each other on doing well in the games. So many that I decided to compile a little video. Enjoy! :-

And that was it for September!

Hope you all enjoyed and I shall see you next time ❤️

#smosh #ian hecox #anthony padilla #ianthony #☀️🔍#ian and anthony #smoshian #smoshanthony #ianthony compliments #my posts

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meaninglessblah-writes · 1 year

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Rule: Make a 24-hour poll with the names of your WIPS, let it run, then write one sentence for every vote the winner received. Tagged by the incredible @setsailslash

I'm extending this to a week, to give folks a chance to read the previews beforehand. Previews for each WIP below the cut!

And I'm forcing @daemoninwhiteround2 @scandalsavagefanfic @sarriathmg and @nightwang96 to join in the fun, because I know they've got some excellent WIPs tucked away.

Enjoy the previews! 💙

Wild West AU — Dick Grayson/Slade Wilson — Mature

The main street of Gotham rises like a vulture’s shadow over the prairie, solidifying before their eyes as Slade guides them towards the townsfolk milling through its paved streets. They strike Dick as odd; it’s not often towns this far out on the county’s border will bother with infrastructure. But even the wooden facades of the bank and the sheriff’s office are immaculately painted, not a single chip to mar their appearance.

Dick casts his gaze around, pitching his voice above the gentle clop of their horses’ hooves. “This place looks well-to-do.”

“You’ll do well to keep your mouth shut and your comments to yourself, boy,” Slade reminds him, and Dick sighs as he steers them towards the hitching posts of the saloon.

They earn a few wayward glances as Slade dismounts, the spurs of his boots chiming gently as he steadies himself and deftly lashes his reins to the timber. Dick leans his bound wrists onto his saddlehorn and offers him an amused smirk when he circles around to meet him.

The look Slade gives him is unimpressed, like he knows exactly what game Dick is playing at. To be fair, it isn’t the first time they’ve played, but Dick is always looking for the simplest, time-proven means to irritate the man. It’s the least he can do.

“Dismount,” Slade commands, and Dick’s gaze flicks to the slatted saloon doors and back again.

“Too tired to lift me off yourself, old man?” he purrs, flashing Slade a thinly veiled smile. That blue eye rolls, one hand snapping out to seize Dick’s belt. There he pauses, the threat obvious, and Dick tenses.

“Hop down, boy, or I’ll pull you down. Quicksmart.”

“That’d cause a scene,” Dick murmurs down at him.

A muscle in Slade’s jaw ticks. “If these townsfolk are wanting to see a criminal spluttering in the dirt, who am I to deprive them of the entertainment?”

Dick’s ribs twinge at the threat, the reminder of their last venture into a populated town still fresh in his mind. One snowy brow crooks, and Dick kicks his boot from its stirrup, shifting until he can dismount clumsily.

One broad hand falls to his hip to steady him when he staggers at the force of his descent, dust gathering around his calves as he sucks in a breath. Dick clenches his fists to curb the way he wants to flinch from under that grip.

Slade’s lips brush his ear, breath warm in the stagnant air as he murmurs, “Keep testing me, and I’ll leave you tied in the sun with the horses.” Then he straightens, that hand shifting back up to the small of Dick’s back, to press his shirt into the beads of sweat that have been slowly gathering there. “But I thought you said you were thirsty.”

It takes most of his self-control to unwind his jaw and mutter, “Yes.”

“What was that, boy?”

“Yes, sir.”

“That’s what I like to hear,” Slade murmurs, one wrist winding through the tether of Dick’s cuffs. His tongue clicks once as Dick falls into step, and he takes the time to glare at the man as they cross onto the timber floorboards.

Pacific Rim AU — Tim Drake/Jason Todd — Mature

You can begin to read this here.

“You know who they assigned me to?” Jason asks, and Dinah shakes her head clinically.

“Not my place to ask. I don’t need to know to provide my diagnosis.”

“But you know, right?” Jason presses anyway, holding her gaze, because he and Dinah go way back. She’s got a better map of his head than anyone, and he hasn’t even shared a drift with her.

Dinah purses her lips, considering her answer for a moment. “I don’t know,” she answers, honestly. “But I can guesstimate their height based on the dysmorphia.” Jason waits. “They gave you Drake, huh?”

“Has he seen you?” Jason asks, and Dinah nods. “You wanna give me a heads up on anything?”

“There’s legislation that prevents me from disclosing confidential patient information,” Dinah reminds him with a wry smirk.

“Well, he’s gotta have all the pieces ticking up there if you’ve approved him for duty,” Jason reasons, and Dinah doesn’t acknowledge that, but she does smile like she’s proud of his deductive reasoning. Jason leans his forearms onto his knees, bowing forwards as he studies her expression. “And he’s gotta be pretty fucked up in there for him to still want to be a pilot. What’s his motivation?”

Dinah doesn’t gratify that with an answer, and Jason sighs.

“Fine. He said he’d lost people. How many copilots has he had before me?”

“That’s classified information,” Dinah provides on auto-pilot, and Jason frowns.

“Two,” Jason retorts, and lifts the fingers on his left hand for emphasis. “I’ve had two copilots so far. Tim’s my third. Based on what I’ve seen of the inside of his skull, I’m at least his third. But I get the impression with a career as illustrious as his, I’m well out of the ballpark.”

“Does the number of co-pilots he’s had previously trouble you?” Dinah asks.

It’s a digging question, and Jason’s lips twist, but he answers, “Just want to know if I’m up to scratch or if they threw me in here because they had no other option.”

"It can't be both?"

Royal AU — Dick Grayson/Slade Wilson — Mature

"Will you be back later tonight?"

The crown prince's skin looks bronze in the flickering torch light. Stretched out across the furs and linens, all plump sinew and firm muscle bared, Slade could mistake him for a sculpture.

Those blue eyes are heavy, indolent. The smile tugging at his lips even more so. He'll rise soon, to clean the stain of Slade's release from between his thighs; but for now he indulges.

Slade lowers his eyes to the teeth of his belt, scabbard rattling against his armour as he redresses. "I will. I'll wake you."

Prince Richard turns over, spine arching as he stretches into a more favourable position. Slade has never understood how such positions could be comfortable — far more suited to a hard stretcher or a thin bedroll from his earlier military days than the palatial silks that line Dick's bed — but he also supposes pleasure and discomfort are often bedfellows when it comes to the prince.

Slade pauses to press a lingering kiss to the prince's shoulder as he passed. He's enjoyed many luxuries since he came into the royal employ. Slade's still learning to enjoy them fully.

Dom/Sub AU — Dorian Chase/Dick Grayson — Mature

“Shit, kid,” Dorian sneers, half-impressed, half-disgusted. It makes Dick’s chest pang. “They really did a number on you, didn’t they?”

“Dorian,” Dick wheezes, but the rest of his sentence is swallowed in a groan when he’s dumped on the concrete.

“Stay,” Dorian orders, thrumming with command, and Dick’s muscles unspool of their own will. His shoulders roll forward, breath sighing from his lungs as all of him melts pliantly into the floor at Dorian’s heel. Beneath Dorian’s heel, when the vigilante rests a boot on the back of Dick’s upturned neck. “Good.”

He doesn't stay there long. It might feel like an eternity to Dick, all of his focus narrowed to the scrape of Dorian's tread over his skin. But it can't be more than a few contemplative minutes before Dorian is shifting down to crouch beside Dick's prone form.

“Tell me what Eddie and Liu did to you,” Dorian instructs, and Dick hiccups on his next breath. It hurts, even now, even after the months Dick’s had to work through it. The hours he’s dedicated in therapy to getting over one bad dom.

He doesn’t want to talk about it. He doesn’t want to talk about it. Dick doesn’t want to have to relive every excruciating moment, squeeze out every blind ounce of trust he put in his former doms. Doesn’t want to pick over every wrong word he said, to earn their betrayal. Doesn’t want to analyse every disappointed look, to work out when he should have seen it coming.

Dorian doesn’t give him the reprieve. Dorian’s never been that kind of person.

Bodyguard AU — Harvey Dent/Lincoln March — Explicit

Lincoln blinks. Harvey shifts, uncomfortable with being so vulnerable.

Repeats himself, rephrases it to, "Fuck me, damnit. Hard."

And he must have had a lot of champagne, because the words don't stop pouring out of him; every fantasy Harvey's had spilling up.

"Push me down on my knees and make me suck your cock. Throw me onto the bed and fuck me until I come without even being touched. Make it hurt. Make me enjoy it."

Lincoln doesn't move, and Harvey can feel the frustration ebbing; he's not going to get what he wants, he's drunk, this was stupid—

And then Lincoln moves.

Hunger Games — Dick Grayson/Slade Wilson — Explicit

You can read the beginning of this series here.

He forces a smile onto his face when the door whispers open, blinking back the last of his prickling tears to beam at his guest.

In all honesty, Dick is terrified. The thought of servicing Slade Wilson, the gamemaker who crafted his Games, who nearly sent Dick to his death… It’s too much to stomach.

If the dread is plain on Dick's face, Slade doesn't acknowledge it. He takes his time crossing the room, surveying Dick where he sits. Those eyes pin him to the bed like a butterfly to a board, and Dick's chest feels tight beneath the draping sequins and fabric.

When Slade reaches out, Dick flinches. Doesn't pull back, lest he provoke the gamemaker, and chastises himself for being so obvious. Dick's spent months playing at this game, preparing for this dreaded moment. He's a victor, for Christsakes; he needs to be smarter than this. His survival depends on it, now more than ever.

The earrings clatter, little gems chiming, when Slade tips his face up with two fingers beneath his chin. With the height disadvantage, Dick feels small and outmatched, his pulse a drum in his chest.

Slade fingers the sapphires, watching them refract the light. “Are these pierced?” he asks, and Dick glances down, shaking his head.

He tugs them free of Dick’s ears, tossing them aside. Dick swallows, summoning resolve as he’s made bare before his gamemaker.

Dom/Sub AU — Tim Drake/Jason Todd — Mature

You can begin to read this here.

"As his physician, I'm asking you to leave."

Tim does his utmost not to bristle. "And I'm refusing, as his dom."

When Jason flinches at that assessment, bare shoulders pulling together beneath the harsh fluorescents, Tim swallows and shifts into a less rigid stance.

"I'm not trying to be an ass," Tim begins with, and forges ahead despite Dr Thompkins' arched and acerbic brow. "But I have a responsibility to Jason, now that he's my sub. His well-being is my priority. If I'm responsible for his care and maintenance, I need to know his afflictions. All of them, not just the ones he wants to tell me about. Then I can be mindful of them when we scene. Can't soothe a bruise with a harder hand, or so the saying goes. I'm staying."

Dr Thompkins watches him for a moment before straightening and holding Jason's attention like Tim had never spoken.

Jason's lip twitches at that, the first hint of positivity that Tim's seen from the moping teen all week.

"Legally, I can't remove him," she tells him, and Tim bites his lip to let her have this small victory. "He's entitled to attend on you, as your dom. But I want to take this opportunity to remind you that I'm your physician, Jason. And my confidentiality does not bend, not matter how persistent the dom."

Star Wars AU — Jason Todd/Bruce Wayne, Jason Todd/Slade Wilson, Dick Grayson/Slade Wilson, Tim Drake/Damian Wayne — Teen & Up

You can begin to read this here.

Some of his lackadaisical grace is marred by the onset of adrenaline, sliding into that entrancing focus Tim’s all too familiar with.

It’s not like Tim’s focus; it’s more fluid, less tangible. Shifting around his opponents, to ensnare and entrance. Tim’s spent years beneath Dick’s leadership, learning to undo the effect that trance has on him. Learning to ensnare himself.

Dick rolls his sabers over his palms, the motion an outlet as much as it is a goad. He can see how tightly the jedi is wound, how firm a grasp he has over his control as they circle one another. Their footsteps are steady, pace languid if not for the thick undercurrent of anticipation that runs between them.

“Been a while,” Dick calls around a broad smile. The flares of his saber reflect off the whites of his teeth, carving them into vicious incisors.

Tim doesn’t bite. He knows every tactic the knight has to offer; distracting him with banter is hardly the sharpest tool in Dick’s arsenal.

He rolls his shoulders, sliding into a stance as he grips his saberstaff in a defensive lean.

Dick considers him for a moment, the last dregs of amicability dying as those lips close thin over his teeth. “Alright,” he says, dangerous and resigned, and springs.

Wild West AU — Jason Todd/Bruce Wayne — Mature

The boy is persistent, Bruce will give him that.

He’s swearing up a storm, wrists burning raw with the friction of the ropes he won’t stop trying to fight.

Bruce ignores him, checking his mare over. She’s remarkably placid, considering Bruce has never handled her before. Her tack is worn in places, repaired in others. Meticulously maintained, despite its age. The mare, too, is in good nick; her girth filled out, and coat gleaming in the midday sun.

Bruce flicks a glance towards her ears, and sensing no protest, dips a hand into her saddlebags.

Her owner isn’t nearly so neutral. “Hey!” the boy pipes up, slightly breathless. Bruce doesn’t even look down. “I said, hey!”

“You did,” Bruce agrees, retrieving a tattered novel from the saddlebags. He flicks idly past the worn cover, skimming the prose.

“That’s mine,” the boy snarls, with such indignant fury that Bruce glances up from his place on the page.

Hockey AU — Duke Thomas/Jason Todd/Slade Wilson — Explicit

"You're sloppy," Duke says without looking up.

That hits Jason under the ribs. He cocks his hip, tilting his head to survey the goalie. "Excuse me?"

Duke looks up, his gaze arresting. "You're sloppy. You miss passes. You make too many turnovers."

Abruptly, Jason feels defensive. "In the rush of a game—"

"Let me be clear," Duke says with a mirthless huff. He sets his stick against the goalpost to give Jason his full attention. "You miss easy passes. You make too many easy turnovers."

"Is that so?"

Duke crosses his arms over his chest at Jason's tone, unfazed. "The GM brought me in to give this team a breath of fresh air before playoffs. If you don't want my insight—"

"No, please," Jason says, haughty without being able to pin down why. "Give me the miraculous insight you gleaned from sitting at one end of the ice, watching through bars."

Vikings AU — Dick Grayson/Slade Wilson — Explicit

Dick laughs when Slade tips him back into the bed of furs, ankles still hooked over his hips. His dark hair looks like water in the nighttime, trickling between the soft white fleece as Slade lifts a hand to trail down his cheekbone.

He's still bloody, still stained with the rot of battle, but so is Slade. It flakes beneath his touch, Dick's warm, blemished skin waiting for him beneath.

Dick's eyes are hooded, his throat tipped back for Slade to kiss down as his fingers move deftly for the knots at the warrior's waist. They fall apart with a harsh tug that rocks Dick up the bed, drawing another chuckle from his smiling lips.

"You nearly died out there, today," Dick hums, arching to press his collarbones to Slade's fingers when he slides them up Dick's chest, shucking his tunic with heady care. "Again."

Slade breaks from his warm skin long enough to murmur, "I have Hel's blessing."

Dick scoffs, lips curling further in his mirth as Slade sits back on his heels to tug his own tunic over his head. When he looks back down, Dick is watching him, all indolence and amusement.

"You'll slight her one day," he warns, shivering when Slade's calloused fingertips trace the blue inked vegvisir on his wrist, trailing up his forearm to finger the heavy gold of his wedding band. "Outlive her graces, and then she'll take you from me."

Slade smiles, soft and amused, and dips his head to kiss Dick's shoulder, wrap his hands around his husband's narrow waist as Dick's ankles tighten around his back. Holding them together, as inseparable here as they had been on the battlefield.

"Never."

Omegaverse AU — Apollo/Midnighter/Jason Todd/Slade Wilson —Explicit

Apollo can feel Mid's temple cushioned on his collarbone, Slade's steady presence at his back. Cracking his eyes open reveals the murky shadows of their bedroom, sunlight lain across his brow like a lover's touch.

Everything is muted, the sweet dregs of slumber still clinging. Apollo becomes blearily aware of what's woken him:

Jason, straddling his thighs, his wet heat grinding against Apollo. Coaxing the alpha to half-hardness in the morning light. Enough that he can begin to lower himself into Apollo's length.

A whine fills the room when Apollo reaches a hand down to splay over Jason's thigh, anchoring him.

"Oh, starlight," he murmurs, voice thick with sleep.

Thank you for reading 💖

#meaninglessblah rambles #tag you're it

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gainprincess · 11 months

Note

4, someone gaining the freshman fifteen (Or more. A lot more.).

21, college AU

Let's see what a college Melusine would look like with some extra pounds~

"WELCOME BACK FOLKS! We're here, in the late, late minutes of the second half of our long awaited ladies' football game here! We've got the Albion University Drakes vs. the FBU Queens in a historic match for national qualifiers!"

As both teams form up to resume play, and the crowd cheers wildly at the announcer's bellowing voice, one might notice a particularly bottom-heavy player bouncing from one leg to the other near the center of the field.

"The Queens have the ball, and they're close to the Drakes' goal! Remember, it's anyone's game right now, though the Queens certainly have an advantage!"

"..."

She doesn't say anything, because she doesn't need to. All that matters is the score. The two teams are tied 3-3, with 15 seconds left on the clock.

Her hips jiggle and clap as she bounces about, hammy legs firm under the flab. She's a trained athlete, the ace of the Albion Drakes, and absolutely fine with the weight she's gained in the last few months.

Only a freshman, she enjoyed eating as much food as possible when she got to school, brushing off any worries by stating that she'd just work it off. Evidently that isn't true, and her new girlfriend from out-of-country MAY have something to do with it...but Melusine couldn't care less.

It's gone entirely to her hips and legs, meaning that the power behind her shots is even more monstrous and overwhelming than before, and her hips can box out other players even easier than before.

*TWEEEEEEEEET!*

'Go time.'

"The ball is back in play, folks, and Sith takes the ball- Passes it to Pendragon, who's charging down the- OH MY GOD!"

The crowd suddenly roars with hype and incredulity in equal measure as the clock rapidly winds down. Melusine can't even hear the words that're being said, because she's too busy running with the ball she just stole.

"I DON'T BELIEVE WHAT I'M SEEING! CAPTAIN MELUSINE HAS JUST STOLEN THE BALL, AND IS BREAKING AWAY TOWARDS THE QUEENS' GOAL!"

She dips around and passes to herself through the opposing players, thick legs wobbling as she makes a mad dash. All she can hear is the blood pumping in the e

8 seconds. 7 seconds. She's nearing midfield.

"IS SHE GOING TO RUN IT OUT INTO OVERTIME?"

6 seconds. No. 5 seconds.

Melusine rears her kicking foot back right as she reaches the center of the playing field, eyes narrowing as her leg flexes under all that flab, finally revealing the sheer amount of hardened muscle beneath.

4 seconds. 3 seconds.

"OH MY GOODNESS SHE'S GOING FOR A MIDFIELD KICK! CAN SHE DO IT, LADIES AND GENTS?!"

WHAM!

She sends the ball flying across the field at breakneck speeds, speeding right towards the goalie, who opens her arms wide to recieve it.

2 seconds.

1 second.

VFWISH.

The ball passes right past the goalie's head...and right into the goal.

BBBBBBZZZTTTTTTTTTT!

"THAT IS IT, EVERYONE! WITH PERFECT TIMING, CAPTAIN MELUSINE SCORES A GOAL ON THE QUEENS FROM MIDFIELD, MAKING OUR FINAL SCORE 4-3, AND ENDING THIS GAME! THE DRAKES! HAVE! WON!"

Melusine can't even hear the groans of the disappointed crowd from Camelot, or the roars of the cheering one from Salisbury. She can barely even feel her teammates barrel her over in utter joy, or when they hoist her up afterwards.

All she thinks?

'I can't wait to hold my girlfriend.'

#muse: melusine #circle girls tower #she's pretty much the same her legs are just way way thicker #she's also still a romantic and an athlete-

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graysongraysoff · 2 years

Text

Happy October! For this year's October writing challenge I thought I'd try @whumptober, and I couldn't think of a better fandom to do it for than Batman! Here's hoping I make it through and that folks have as much fun reading these drabbles/ficlets as I do writing them. 💕

Subscribe to the series for daily updates.

Links to individual works below the cut:

Day 1. Adverse Effects Red Hood gets hit with Scarecrow’s fear toxin.

Day 2. Caged | Cornered | Confrontation Bruce and Dick are about to be cornered by the police. Dick insists that Bruce leave him and his broken leg behind, but Bruce hesitates.

Day 3. Gun to Temple Red Hood meets the new kid.

Day 4. Hidden Injury Bruce rushes into the Batcave with an injured Dick in tow. Only later does Alfred realize that Bruce doesn't look so good, either.

Day 5. Running Out of Air Dick struggles uselessly against the weights pulling him down below the water, hoping Bruce will get to him before it's too late.

Day 6. Ransom Video Bruce Wayne's 13-year-old ward is kidnapped. Not long after, the kidnappers post a ransom video online.

Day 7. Shaking Hands | Silent Panic Attack After Conner Kent's death, Tim Drake is coming apart at the seams.

Day 8. Back from the Dead The mindless, fear-addled thing that emerged from the Lazarus Pit in Jason Todd’s body wakes up in a room he doesn't recognize and is interrogated by a voice he cannot place.

Day 9. Protect In Bruce's final moments he's protecting his son.

Day 10. Made to Watch “And I thought, what better way to celebrate my relationship with Robin — or, I’m sorry, I know you’ve taken up my old moniker now, yet another bond the two of us share — but I thought, what better way to celebrate than with a reenactment of our fondest memory together?”

Day 11. Sloppy Bandages | Self-Done First Aid After the Joker uses Tim to stage a reenactment of Jason's death, Jason assesses the damage and helps him out as best he can.

Day 12. Stabbed It isn’t until his blade slides home that Damian senses that something is wrong. Silky laughter slinks into his ears; Poison Ivy’s laughter. His blood runs cold. He’d been fighting one of her mutant plants — her most advanced cultivation yet. It must have taken her ages to perfect it, to create a monster that could hold its own for as long as it had against a combatant like Damian Wayne. She should be furious… what does she know that he doesn’t?

Day 13. Fracture Dick Grayson tried to play Two-Face's game and lost, and now he has to pay the price for biting off more than he could chew.

Day 14. Carried to Safety Bruce rushes a gravely injured Dick Grayson back to the Batcave.

Day 15. Lies After his daughter dies as Batgirl, Commissioner Gordon promises he isn't going to let anyone else's children meet the same fate.

Day 16. Mind Control Dick regains consciousness as Jason is trying to get him back to the Batcave so his injuries can be treated, but it doesn't take Dick long to realize that something isn't right.

Day 17. Dazed and Confused Bruce wakes up in the hospital to find his mother beside him, despite the fact that she died decades ago.

Day 18. “Take my coat.” Officer Jim Gordon attempts to take Bruce Wayne's statement on the night of his parents' murder.

Day 19. Repeatedly Passing Out | Head Lolling Jason brings a battered Tim back to the Batcave for Alfred to patch up.

Day 20. Tears The Joker sets a bomb in Sheila Haywood’s agency warehouse, but this time Bruce arrives in time to save Jason — at the cost of his own life.

Day 21. “You’re safe now.” Bruce comforts Jason after Jason wakes from a nightmare. At least, he thinks he does.

Day 22. Pick Your Poison | Toxic Dr. Crane asks Poison Ivy why they’ve never teamed up. Ivy gives him a clear, concise answer.

Day 23. Tied to a Table | “Hold them down.” The Joker has teamed up with Jervis Tetch, and together they’ve come up with a game for Bruce and his boys to play.

Day 24. Blood Covered Hands Commissioner Gordon fails to comfort Bruce Wayne after Dick Grayson dies to protect him.

Day 25. Lost Voice Bruce Wayne talks to Dick Grayson after his parents’ tragic deaths.

Day 26. “Why did you save me?” | Birthday Wild Card! Yuji eats the last of Sukuna’s fingers and Megumi carries out his execution.

Day 27. Muffled Screams Dick reflects on his growing fondness for the new Robin as he rescues him from a band of thugs.

Day 28. Anger Born of Worry Dick's life slips through Bruce's fingers.

#batman #batfamily #batfam #dc #bruce wayne #alfred pennyworth #dick grayson #jason todd #tim drake #damian wayne #jonathan crane #talia al ghul #whumptober #whumptober 2022 #fanfic #dc fanfic

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lothedon · 2 years

Text

Hiatus Thoughts Part 1

1. Go see a doctor. Preferably a black female doctor but go see a doctor. I recommend Dr. Sabrina Williams.

2. I’m finally getting help with my ADD. 🥂 Here’s to better focus.

3. “Anniversary Reaction” is a real thing. Mentally you may think you’re past it but your body has its own memory.

4. At this big old age, I still hate needles. POKE-ahontas got my blood work done as SOON as I sat down. Barely a connection or nothing, Jeezus. She was smooth with it too. Quick & no pain. Great work POKE-ianna. Just sweet talk me a little before you put it in, aight!? 🤝

5. Ear worm: Thotianna Cardi B & YG remix

6. I LOVE BEING AN AUNTIE!!!!!

7. I want Indy to stop going viral for the WRONG reasons. WE make the wrong shit go viral.

8. The Last of Us is FINALLY a movie! 🙌🏽

9. I want to lose 14 pounds before Pardi Gras Ball.

10. My favorites songs from Drake’s “Honestly Never mind” are ‘Jimmy Crooks’ & ‘Calling My Name’. There were other good ones but those are my “go-tos”.

11. Sweet Nothing - Calvin Harris (Diplo + Grand Theft Auto Remix)

12. I need workout gloves.

13. Back work outs are my favorite! I want a sexy back 😜

14. Making sure my nieces & great nieces hear Destiny’s Child’s “Writing On The Wall” is imperative. My nephew needs to hear it cause he’s a natural musician.

15. I need to attend some theater plays.

16. Venus in Pisces requires us to spend more time recognizing our emotions, enforcing boundaries, & receiving love. 🥰

17. One thing I loved about myself in my early 20’s is that I marched to the beat of my own drum music wise. On a regular, I didn’t listen to what’s popular with those around me. You’re guaranteed to hear something new.

18. My goal is decorate my room & bathroom to be like an expensive hotel & spa.

19. I need a full time job that I love.

20. This book about boundaries is bomb. The beginning of chapter 5 lets me know a conservative white man is writing it though 😒.

21. Focalin got my hunger suppressed like a mug! No more random snacking.

22. 👉🏽Results are always in the work we avoid.

23. Twerking over Squats. I’m working these thighs at all the parties/events I attend. I need to be twerking for at least a good HOUR!

24. 👉🏽Success is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.

25. IM SO HAPPY TO BE BACK ON MY THYROID MEDS!!!

26. This tetanus shot is IRRITATING! 😣

27. I’m contemplating going back short & blonde 😩

28. Ain’t nobody engaged with me or reach out since I deleted the app. Ain’t no point in me having the app anymore. I put too much effort into engaging with folks for them to not want to engage with me. Time to become more exclusive.

29. Eargasm: Broken Clocks - Sza

30. Marc Jacobs need to come out with mini backpacks 😒

31. Progress. My legs are not shaking while skating.

32. Adding skating to my workout regime.

33. Feminine & Flirty.

34. Playing video games until 3am is a lot 😫

35. WHY IS MINECRAFT SO BORING???

36. Everybody needs to get back on Tumblr

37. Hopped on FB for a zip, did a quick scroll, & remembered why I need to keep the app deleted. Smh Too Much.

38. I’m about to just get a regular degular job somewhere. I’m tired of the emotional roller coaster with these jobs.

39. Sit ups/Crunches in variations REALLY makes a difference in one week with your normal work out. 🤯

40. I’m not even vegan but Tabitha is about to get all my coins.

41. I really miss the EDM & Hip Hop days.

42. I can’t date a man that doesn’t prioritize his sleep. You don’t care about your health at all.

43. Before I get back active on FB I need to unfollow a BUNCH of folks for various reason. The only way I’ll be happy online is if I see stuff that makes me happy.

44. 👉🏽Anger lets us know our boundaries have been violated.

45. The Lat Pulldowns gonna slim this waist. 😜

46. I want y’all to stop walking up on peoples cars unless you asking for help because it’s an emergency.

47. Stop paying non-existent debts with folks & do what’s best for you!

48. So y’all going to Target in robes and house shoes????

49. 👉🏽 Sometimes the answer is in the process. - Megan Brooks

50. 👉🏽 Proof of desire is in the pursuit. - Megan Brooks

51. I know Vasa is all the rave but what I do love about Planet fitness is that when I go, it ain’t packed.

52. NOT EMILY IN PARIS CALLED INDIANAPOLIS BORING????😫😂

53. Emily In Paris makes me want to move to another city SO BAD! Or at least travel & stay for a week 😭

54. Got my STD/STI/HIV test results back & they were all negative/non-reactive. 🎉🙌🏽🤩

55. Emily in Paris IS the “Sex In The City” -ish show I needed.

56. If I can get my vitamin D levels elevated in normal range I can lose weight, get rid of my asthma, calm my allergies, & have better focus. 🙌🏽🤩

57. I’m really gonna lose this weight & get the breast reduction. I want to go down to a C cup.

58. Before I die, I have to see Paris, France.

59. Who is this fine caramel man in Emily In Paris???😍

60. 2023 = Overdressed, Mix Match Print, Polished, Out The Box, Head Turning, Main Character, Neutrals & Pop Of Color/Colorful

61. For every sandal/heel purchase I must buy a tennis shoe. Build your sneaker collection.

62. Black, Brown, Purple, Cobalt Blue, Green, Orange, Dusty Pink, White, Navy, Yellow, Red (order in that order). For every black version order the color version. For every color version order black.

63. The Husband & Wife of Mielle Organics are still the CEO & COO of the company. They have NOT stepped away from the brand.

64. Can someone bring Fabulous back to Indy? He’s my favorite toxic.

65. This year I’m twerking to Back That Thang Up Juve every time I hear it.

66. Emily In Paris gives me “Sex In The City” + “Devil Wears Prada”.

67. I’ll never forget how “Go DJ” by Cash Money Records had y’all in a chokehold in middle school.

68. If Erykah Badu had “punk” or “goth” baby it would be Rico Nasty.

69. I wonder if the offspring of Vietnam veterans that were effect by Agent Orange are the ones who also have ADHD & Autism as well. (Of course not all people with ADHD & Autism)

70. Done is good. Good is extra. Completion over Perfection! For people with ADHD it’s better to half ass it & get it done versus never starting due to procrastination/fear of not doing it perfect!

71. If you want to see some black father & son content, watch 2Chainz & his some on YouTube as well as another black father & son duo called Daddy Seed. I’m here for the black father & son content.

72. I also love the black man luxury self care content too.

73. I’m learning to not be afraid to ask the “stupid” questions. And to ask people to be patient with me.

74. Yagi World is giving me Baby Phat track suit popularity trend in the early 2000s.

75. Not being apart of anything going on with the NBA ALL STAR 2024 makes me feel like I’m not enough or haven’t done enough. Personally, I’ve been feeling both simultaneously for years & I think I’ve had enough. Im ready to let it all go & pivot to the nothing related to marketing, PR, communications, ……nothing. Im 31 going on 32. I’ve been working in this since I was in college around the age of 21. Altogether 10 years. I have nothing to show for & no more doors are opening. It’s just not in me or for me anymore. I quit.

76. I hope to be out of town All Star Weekend. I don’t even want to be in the city. Hell I hope to have moved out the city.

77. I think I’ve been fighting depression and it’s caught me.

78. Mental Healness on Tik Tok is a great guy. It’s refreshing to see a black male open up about his mental illness to help others. He is a diagnosed narcissist & has so many men & women in his comments who has narcissism that are getting help because of him.

79. Values over goals. Ex:. Instead of “I will work out 3-5x a week.” You will say “I value movement. I value being pain free in basic tasks such as walking. I value energy. I value an able body.”

80. I want to go on a cruise for NYE 2024.

81. Prostate cancer is on the rise due to low testing. Fellas start getting tested as early as 40.

82. Beyoncé - “Church Girl” should be played more often.

83. It takes one day to get married but a lifetime to stay married.

84. I got all y’all looking at my story to see this light chick with the big butt. With the amount of attention y’all ran to my story with, I don’t want to hear y’all say anything about chicks who get BBLS, wear make up, &/or brighten their skin. YALL LIKE THAT VISUAL! 🤷🏽‍♀️

85. I’m unfriending a lot of men when I get back on Facebook. If we not family, genuine friends, you’re not inspiring me, we not hunching, or making money together….then I don’t see the point of remaining Facebook friends.

86. I may be single but I ain’t out here physically fighting a significant other. 🙌🏽

87. Everyone should watch “Bao” & “Red panda” 🥹

88. I LOVE BEING AN AUNTIE!🥰

89. Stop having relationship conversations with people you’d never consider dating or that are not on the same wave length as you. You’re wasting your energy.

90. I feel some type of way about the “hot Cheetos girl” trend in Tik Tok.

91. RIP Grandma Holla 🙏🏾

92. Teaching kids to set boundaries, how to respect other people’s boundaries, & supporting them while they are practicing is important. It is also important for them to watch YOU set boundaries, respect other people’s boundaries, & see you receive support from your tribe.

93. “It’s clear that I’m not feeling you & you not feeling me. On the G, what comes after A? Just let that let that Nigga B.” - Freaky T

94. Sunday is not a rest day from the gym or from moving the body.

95. Go watch “Shadow In The Cloud” on Hulu.

96. I got new bras! 🎉

97. If they make you anxious when they’re around then they don’t need to be around. Id have to say that is one time I realize my anxiety was actually the way my body is telling me something is wrong.

98. 🔑 “Sometimes your point is in your silence.” - Megan Brooks

99. “High value but no core values.” 🚫👎🏽

100. “Drake wants a Ayesha Curry but is Drake a Steph Curry!?” - KnoForSure Podcasts

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dancingwithdecay · 2 months

Text

Sunday, January 09, 2005

wake the dead

i promised a more well written journal entry, and one shall be written, right now. first off, ive been home since decemeber 29th and i must say i'm lovin' it, much like the people who gorge themselves with the royal with cheese while shooting hoops. but in all seriousness, ive been hanging with my friends, seeing my family, watching my dog pee on the carpet, and it's all good. so i ate a lot today. sue me. that's right, i said sue me. just like you used to in 5th grade. and you know what? i'm still freakin hungry. i'm sitting here at my apartment, it's quarter after 5 am, theres a scary looking corpse-like women on tv telling me how to discover free money, and i have to be up in less than 6 hours for a fun filled trip with some of my friends to the field museum, or as it should be called, the natural history museum. i'm going to touch dino bones. i cleaned out my car a few days ago to find nothing of interest except i guess i spilled some coke everywhere and forgot to clean it up and my car was very syrupy. ew. funny thing happened today, i was leaving to go to my friend's place to play some card games and enjoy spicey chinese food that made my tounge cry, when this awesome homeless couple was hanging out by the garbage can in back of my place. they were really cool. they gave me one of their beers which i think i left in my friends fridge, and we talked about my car for a while because they were suprised someone had a black toyota rather than a white or red one. they assumed i had a black car because i wore dark clothes. they also thought i was a "computer whiz". i just nodded. they were really nice. i felt bad i didn't have money to give them. i also felt bad taking a beer, but i wouldve felt just as bad turning it down. it was kind of awkward. but none the less very pleasent folks. so im putting some cds on my computer to put on my ipod. im gonna continue on that path and then head to the resting place. nights.

currently enjoying:

music:

m83-dead cities, red seas and lost ghosts

the dears-no cities left

nick drake-pink moon

darkest hour-hidden hands of a saddist nation

(sorry, nothing new)

dvd:

the micheal gondry. chris cunningham, spike jonze dvd set

south park season 3

garden state

books:

none my friend

other:

-cooking steak

-putting up my empire strikes back poster after i framed it

-playing apple to apple

-having ipod parties with my one friend who would hit me in the goods if i said his/her name, so we'll just call this person 'sanders'

#p #05 #journalarc

0 notes

my-weird-news · 1 year

Text

Tory Lanez's Fate Revealed! Shocking Hip-Hop Drama Unveiled! 😱

Megan Thee Stallion's Wild Ride: From Hot Girl Summer to Courtroom Drama 😲 Alright, gather round, folks! 📣 Let's dive into the tale of Megan Thee Stallion, the fiery hip-hop sensation who went from twerking anthems to courtroom showdowns. 🎤🔥 Strap in, because this story is like a roller coaster ride with more twists than a pretzel factory. 🕵️‍♂️ So, there's this rapper named Tory Lanez. You might remember him as the guy who somehow thought it was a great idea to fire a gun at none other than Megan Thee Stallion. Yes, you heard that right. Who knew guns and hot girl summers were a match made in musical heaven? 🤷‍♀️ Megan wasn't just going to take this lying down. Oh no, she came out swinging like a furious dance move. She accused Tory of being the human equivalent of a malfunctioning carnival game - you know, the one where you aim for the big prize but end up hitting something entirely different. In this case, Tory allegedly aimed for the stars but hit Megan's foot instead. 💃🩰 But wait, there's more! 🎉 Enter the skeptics, the naysayers, and the meme makers. They came out in full force, tossing shade and doubt like confetti at a clown convention. Drake even dropped a track suggesting Megan might be fibbing about the whole ordeal. 🎵 "This bitch lie about getting shot but she still a stallion." 🎶 Seriously, Drake? Just stick to singing about your feelings. The plot thickens! 📜 A court case ensued, and it was like the hip-hop version of "Law & Order." Complete with tweets, Instagram Live sessions, and the finest of celebrity courtroom fashion. And guess what? The jury was all ears for Megan's mic-drop moment. They actually believed her! 👂👀 🔒 Lanez found himself on the wrong side of the judge's gavel, slapped with three felonies. One for the gun, one for the gunshot, and one for the "Did you really think you could get away with this?" look. A sentence of 10 years in prison followed, leaving us all wondering if he'll drop an album from behind bars. 🎶 Now, let's talk about the online circus that ensued. Imagine the meme fest that erupted when Megan's foot injury was compared to stepping on broken glass. 🦶🍷 Is it just me, or is this the world's most unfortunate game of "Would You Rather?" Other gems include 50 Cent's meme parade and Chrissy Teigen's attempt at a punchline. Ah, celebrities, they really do know how to make light of everything. Amidst all the drama and virtual facepalms, let's not forget the deeper issues at play. Megan's journey from fierce rapper to gunshot survivor has spotlighted the violence that Black women often face. It's a symphony of misogyny and racism, with misogynoir as the conductor. 🎵👮‍♂️ So, here's to Megan Thee Stallion, the hip-hop heroine who danced her way through adversity, sass intact. 🕺💃 It's a story of resilience, power moves, and the undeniable strength of Black women refusing to be silenced. And as the curtain closes on this chapter, we're left wondering if justice was truly served or if this is just another plot twist in the grand saga of the music world. 🎶🎤# Megan Thee Stallion's Wild Ride: From Hot Girl Summer to Courtroom Drama 😲 Alright, gather round, folks! 📣 Let's dive into the tale of Megan Thee Stallion, the fiery hip-hop sensation who went from twerking anthems to courtroom showdowns. 🎤🔥 Strap in, because this story is like a roller coaster ride with more twists than a pretzel factory. 🕵️‍♂️ So, there's this rapper named Tory Lanez. You might remember him as the guy who somehow thought it was a great idea to fire a gun at none other than Megan Thee Stallion. Yes, you heard that right. Who knew guns and hot girl summers were a match made in musical heaven? 🤷‍♀️ Megan wasn't just going to take this lying down. Oh no, she came out swinging like a furious dance move. She accused Tory of being the human equivalent of a malfunctioning carnival game - you know, the one where you aim for the big prize but end up hitting something entirely different. In this case, Tory allegedly aimed for the stars but hit Megan's foot instead. 💃🩰 But wait, there's more! 🎉 Enter the skeptics, the naysayers, and the meme makers. They came out in full force, tossing shade and doubt like confetti at a clown convention. Drake even dropped a track suggesting Megan might be fibbing about the whole ordeal. 🎵 "This bitch lie about getting shot but she still a stallion." 🎶 Seriously, Drake? Just stick to singing about your feelings. The plot thickens! 📜 A court case ensued, and it was like the hip-hop version of "Law & Order." Complete with tweets, Instagram Live sessions, and the finest of celebrity courtroom fashion. And guess what? The jury was all ears for Megan's mic-drop moment. They actually believed her! 👂👀 🔒 Lanez found himself on the wrong side of the judge's gavel, slapped with three felonies. One for the gun, one for the gunshot, and one for the "Did you really think you could get away with this?" look. A sentence of 10 years in prison followed, leaving us all wondering if he'll drop an album from behind bars. 🎶 Now, let's talk about the online circus that ensued. Imagine the meme fest that erupted when Megan's foot injury was compared to stepping on broken glass. 🦶🍷 Is it just me, or is this the world's most unfortunate game of "Would You Rather?" Other gems include 50 Cent's meme parade and Chrissy Teigen's attempt at a punchline. Ah, celebrities, they really do know how to make light of everything. Amidst all the drama and virtual facepalms, let's not forget the deeper issues at play. Megan's journey from fierce rapper to gunshot survivor has spotlighted the violence that Black women often face. It's a symphony of misogyny and racism, with misogynoir as the conductor. 🎵👮‍♂️ So, here's to Megan Thee Stallion, the hip-hop heroine who danced her way through adversity, sass intact. 🕺💃 It's a story of resilience, power moves, and the undeniable strength of Black women refusing to be silenced. And as the curtain closes on this chapter, we're left wondering if justice was truly served or if this is just another plot twist in the grand saga of the music world. 🎶🎤 Read the full article

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sanjosenewshq · 2 years

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Group 49s Nick Bossa returns from harm to coach forward of the Falcons match

WHITE SULFUR SPRINGS, WV – Two years in the past, Nick Bosa with 49 folks arrived right here at The Greenbrier Resort regardless of struggling a knee harm on the finish of the season. That is the one harm that has stored Busa out of video games in his NFL profession. On condition that, it wasn’t too stunning to see him return to observe on Friday, when a thigh drawback triggered him to query his availability in Sunday’s recreation on the Atlanta Falcons. He tightened Bossa’s thigh and stored him out after the primary half of Sunday’s 37-15 defeat at Carolina, and he missed the following 49-man practices on Wednesday and Thursday. Apart from his 2020 torn knee ligaments, Bossa has performed via accidents, similar to a sprained ankle initially of his rookie season. In final season’s playoffs, a concussion stored him alive after a first-half win over 49 gamers on a wild card in Dallas, however he got here again to play (and scored two targets) of their win over Inexperienced Bay. Though he did not have a sack earlier than popping out final recreation, his six gamers this season are tied for the NFL lead. #49ers Nick Bosa is taking part in his first coaching this week and isn’t working regardless of a thigh drawback that stored him after the break final Sunday in Carolina, so he can play in Atlanta. Official report coming pic.twitter.com/HuyLwJY3da CamInman (@CamInman) 14 October 2022 The 49ers (3-2) dominated defensive tackles Arik Armstead (foot and ankle) and Javon Kinlaw (knee), however their defensive entrance is not precisely barren, and that depth ought to assist secondary fill in a nook level vacated by Emmanuel Mosley, who picked up a season-ending knee harm in Carolina. Samson Ibokam, the 49-man protection finish initially in entrance of Bossa, has three sacks. Extra appropriate for this recreation if Bossa misses are the appearances of Charles Ominiho and Drake Jackson, who every have two luggage. Omenihu arrived by way of commerce final October from the Houston Texans, and Jackson was the 49ers’ prime draft decide this 12 months (second spherical, USC). Omenihu stated it wasn’t till this spring and summer time that he settled into the 49ers protection plan: “It is much more technical than it appears to be like, (with) the angles, your steps. It is a very detailed protection for the underside line man.” Maybe that is why the 49ers proceed to reward Jackson cautiously, as defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans stated, “Sure, he nonetheless has a methods to go, however he is doing an excellent job calling in no matter we ask him to do.” Jackson confirmed off his signature athleticism within the final recreation when he rolled the wheel when not ending second, however the objective was to keep away from a teammate quite than make a festive transfer. “Drake is a brilliant athlete. This man matches the game mildew of somebody you need in that protection,” stated Ominiho. “As a rookie, it’s a must to hold bettering. You may’t get caught the place you’re since you had a foul day. There are veteran guys who’ve been on this league for 10 years, so that you suppose you are simply going to run and do that, you are mendacity.” Notes Cornerback Jason Verrett has not been noticed on the coaching floor for the second day in a row. That is the second of three weeks 49 folks must assess if their surgically repaired knee is prepared for him to be faraway from the listing of bodily unable to perform. Kicker Robbie Gould seems to be clear to play on Sunday regardless of a knee bruise that prompted the 49ers to signal kicker Sam Sloman to their teaching workers on Tuesday. Scouting gamers of the week: huge receiver Ty Martin and attacking line Jason Poe and Keith Ismail. Originally published at San Jose News HQ

#San Jose News HQ

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moon-ursidae · 2 years

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GAME SESSION 5 RECAP

i’m super sad to say that this might be the last session recap! i want to try to finish the game tonight bc i feel like i’m so close to the ending. idk what i’m gonna do with my life afterwards haha

i plan on writing a big post about my experience playing this game as a whole, and other thoughts i had other than me just writing down gibberish as i play lmao. i just love this game to fucking bits.

as per usual, spoilers for both games and the hbo series below!!

i genuinely am scared to finish this game bc it’s been the only thing that’s kept me going this week before the semester 😳

hours played: 3-4ish?

ALRIGHTY FOLKS! SHOWTIME!

alright so we’re at the section called highway exit

starting off in the stairwell directly after joel asked ellie if she really wanted to go through with this

“well i ain’t leavin without ya. let’s go wrap this up.” ALREADY STARTING OFF WITH A BANG HUH?

i love them.

this poor dude died on the shitter

elvis?? HAHA SORRY

“i’m sorry joel.” “that’s okay ellie.” 😭😭 AHH

i genuinely could not imagine losing your daughter like that, then having to move on so fast for your own survival. fucking insane.

and the piano in the back? so beautiful

SHE TOOK THE PICTURE OF SARAH AND JOEL😭😭

“well, no matter how hard you try, i guess you can’t escape from your past. thank you” AFTER HE TOOK A DEEP BREATH😭😭😭

oh my god that is very much a bloater

THERE ARE SO MANY?? WHY??

that had me C L E N C H I N G

“that’s something you can do when we’re done.” “what?” “teach me how to swim” “you got it.” go away i’m emotionally unstable

oh god it’s the hospital

every time they tell each other to be careful, specifically ellie telling joel to be careful and he ALWAYS reassures her. like just now i’m ferrying her across on the palette and she said “be careful” and joel responded “i gotcha” UGH my heart strings dude. they’re being tugged

joel pulling a nathan drake w the ladder breaking lmao

i’m amazed i figured out how to get across that fast

oh damn these are some rapids

i have an inkling something is going to give way and joel or ellie is going to be swept away by the current

“you’re gonna catch me?” “i got you” 😭😭

“see? you didn’t even need me” I’M GONNA CRY HE’S SUCH A DAAAAD

WHAT DID I FUCKING SAY DUDE

OH MY GOD ELLIE NOO

HER JUST FLOATING STOP IT

OH MY GOD

HE’S AT GUNPOINT BUT STILL GIVING CPR OH MY GOD😭

“c’mon ellie” DESPERATELY GIVING CPR

NOOOOO FUCK THAT GUY FUCK YOU ASSHOLE YOU’RE A PIECE OF SHIT

MARLENE!

“and ellie?” SUCH. A. DAD.

“it was her. she fought like hell to get here.” crying in da club

“maybe it was meant to be” yes that they bonded and became father and daughter. was absolutely meant to be i agree.

”take me to her.” “you don’t have to worry about her anymore. we’ll take ca-“ “i worry. just let me see her please.”😭😭😭😭

they’re so hopeful for a vaccine no matter what and he’s just so worried about ellie🥺

“find someone else” JOEL ANGY

aye! lay off my man here bro

yoooo i didn’t know marlene knew her that long!

“then why are you letting this happen?” the desperation and anger in his voice :(

“if he tries anything, shoot him.” marlene all due respect but i feel as though joel is the one that will be doing the shooting

THE WAY JOEL LOOKED BACK AT HIM AFTER HE WAS SHOVED 🫢

this dude is so fucked

BRO DO NOT F U C K WITH JOEL OH MY GOD

“i don’t have time for this” GODDAMN

this shit is so intense my hands are SWEATING and i only just cleared the first area of fireflies

the west wing? but i was taught by beauty and the beast to never go there! lmao

that guy coming out of the door scared the shit outta me

OOF this surgeon’s recording about ellie’s immunity and that it’s huge for the better of mankind

wait that would be abby’s dad then right??

damn. marlene’s recording. fucking crazy. i couldn’t imagine being joel though and getting confirmation that they HAVE to kill ellie to make a vaccine.

so in game, it’s april 28th. gotcha. noted

marlene talking about how they radioed in that they spotted an old man and a young girl 💀 joel’s not that old guys c’mon

“yea that’s it. i’m comin’ ellie.”😭😭😭

marlene’s voice recordings :(

she won’t kill joel bc he understands how difficult the choice is

and he’s kept her safe from boston to fucking utah. across the damn country

OH MY GOD THE SURGEON TEAM’S SHADOWS IN THE FUCKING WINDOW

jesus fuck bro

“sweet jesus.”

GUYS LOOK IT’S ABBY’S DAD

one choice and the second game would go SO differently dude.

god seeing ellie on the table hurts my soul

i’m hesitating shooting them dude holy fuck

i shot 2 of them i feel horrible i left the woman i feel horrible oh my god oh my god oh my god

i feel so fucking bad right now i feel so GUILTY

“come on babygirl” 😭😭😭

THE WAY THIS IS SO FULL CIRCLE

I KNOW JOEL IS HAVING FLASHBACKS RN I FEEL HORRIBLE

RUNNING FROM PEOPLE IN GEAR SHOOTING AT HIM WHILE CARRYING HIS DAUGHTER😭😭😭😭😭😭

this music dude. i’m gonna fucking cry.

joel keeps saying that he’s gonna get her out🥺

the way it just fucking cuts to the pov of him driving. insane.

“turn out there’s a bunch more like you ellie. people that’re immune. dozens actually.”

the way he stuttered after the shot of him shooting marlene AH

i kind of hate the way that he’s lying to her, but i understand. we see how it affects them once she learns the truth about what happened.

“i’m takin’ us home” 🥺🥺

“i’m sorry.” HE’S APOLOGIZING FOR SO MUCH THAT SHE ISN’T AWARE OF RIGHT NOW AND THAT UUUGH

i am indeed crying

“you’ll just come after her.” BRO. JOEL.

i fuckin- need a MINUTE bro

another outfit change slay sorry i felt like that was a big switch up from what just happened haha

oooooh i’m playing as ellie? this is weird

“sarah and i used to take hikes like this. i think the two of you would’ve been good friends.” 😭😭😭😭😭😭

ELLIE AGREEING🥹😭😭

jackson!

the fucking music is making me emotional

“i struggled for a long time. surviving.” AND THEN RUBBING HIS WATCH I’M FUCKIN- I CANNOT DO THIS

THEM OPENING UP TO EACH OTHER😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

“swear to me. swear to me that everything you said about the fireflies is true.” UH OH.

“i swear.” i-

THE SHOT! THE FAMOUS ELLIE SHOT! AH!

“okay.”

CREDITS?

i- wh-

i’m just kinda sitting here frozen bc i don’t know what to do now

my life is so different now

there was a version of me before playing this game and now i’m here and do not know what to do

it’s bittersweet. i feel like a tightness in my chest bc i’m sad but a happiness as well bc this game was amazing.

chills. goosebumps all over my body.

i cannot believe this is over.

great i’m C R Y I N G now lmao

THE LAST OF US THEME PLAYING NOW YYYEEEAAAAAAAA

HER KNIFE IN THE WINDOW STOP. OH MY GOD.

i have so many things to say, so i’ll do a seperate post on that like i mentioned earlier.

all in all, jesus fucking christ.

#the last of us #the last of us spoilers #tlou #tlou spoilers #joel miller #ellie williams #joel and ellie #mads plays the last of us!🌿#joel miller🌿

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peppersjam · 3 years

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My Top 10 Albums of 2021

Where are we now? I'm listening to the women of indie rock more than ever. I still haven't listened to much rap since I lost my footholds in the last few years. Kanye got MAGA-then-gospel; Drake got boring, Kendrick went missing). Those are among the most obvious rappers to be a die-hard fans of, but they at least primed me to seek out other rappers/hip-hop acts via collabs/guest verses. I've had fun listening to some rap, e.g., JPEGMAFIA, but nothing has stuck with me aside from Tyler. I moved to Austin at the end of this year and I'm hoping that reinvigorates my live music calendar (a hope that is hinging on COVID chilling out for a second, so, who knows).

My most-played-on-repeat songs of this year didn't actually show up on albums that made this list: Silk Chiffon by Muna feat. Phoebe Bridges, Like I Used To by Sharon Van Etten and Angel Olsen, and Renegade by Big Red Machine feat. Taylor Swift. The first is an unabashedly happy jam in a sea of emo (ok, emotional) indie rock. I tend to prefer emo-leaning music (I've been burned by Happy Jams before, see the time I listened to Black Beatles on repeat during the afternoon of the 2016 election before everything fell apart) but Silk Chiffon is just absolutely transcendent. Like I Used To is a perfect, chill-inducing duet. Renegade is probably the best Taylor Swift song since... All Too Well? That can't be. But maybe...?

My biggest disappointment of the year was Clairo's Sling. It's not bad, but after the intense subtlety of Immunity, I was hoping for something magical. Instead, Sling adds baroque-pop production that I have never been a fan of. Lorde's Solar Power was also a bit of a disappointment, especially when Lorde herself was hyping up the album so much beforehand (tweeting something to the effect of "been working on my new stuff and it's REALLY REALLY GOOD"). I like the album — it almost made the list! just not going to get the replays that Pure Heroine and Melodrama get.

Runners up:

The War on Drugs - "I Don't Live Here Anymore" (hard to leave this one off because it's so good, but at the end of the day it's a safe next step for the band. Still: always glad to have more The War on Drugs songs!)

Japanese Breakfast - "Jubilee" (a great album, but faced a lot of ear competition)

Big Red Machine - "How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last" (some excellent songs, but doesn't work as well as an album for me as their first record)

And then there are two exceptional re-releases: Sharon Van Etten's Epic Ten, and Taylor Swift's Red (Taylor's Version).

The pre-2021 albums that should've made the cut in their respective years:

Bartees Strange - "Live Forever" (2020) My most listened-to album of 2021!

Bartees Strange - "Say Goodbye To Pretty Boy" (2020) Ok, this may not have actually made the list last year, but it's fantastic.

Misc Vulfpeck records. Most notably "The Beautiful Game" (2016)

10. The Staves – Good Woman

I discovered this album because I was looking for live shows in Austin when I moved here. I was immediately entranced by The Staves' blend of indie rock and folk. This music sits neatly on the periphery of the female-driven indie rock that I've been obsessed with in the past few years. The show was canceled amid the Omicron COVID surge, but I've kept The Staves on repeat.

9. Bachelor – Doomin' Sun

Bachelor is Jay Som and Ellen of Palehound. Doomin' Sun is one of those albums where you listen to it once and it kind of lulls you into a sense of comfort. It seems easy, almost too easy, how seamlessly it strings together its lyrics, melodies, and riffs. The production does great work here, making these tight songs seems as if they're ladled directly from the same big bubbling chill indie rock cauldron that spawned Pavement's Slanted and Enchanted.

8. Rostam – Changephobia

Rostam's music, specifically his production and his vocal timbre, are peak nostalgia for me. They remind me of listening to music while wandering around Budapest in 2009: Discovery (of course), Dirty Projectors' Bitte Orca, Of Montreal's Hissing Fauna, and a bunch of Animal Collective.

It doesn't really sound like any of those older albums, but it reminds me of the feeling I had listening to that music at that time (immersing myself in indie rock for the first time, coming out of the year where I basically only listened to The Beatles). That's nostalgia, I guess. I don't know if any of this is Rostam's intention, but it's a unique draw to the record.

7. Olivia Rodrigo – SOUR

The first time I heard "drivers license," Amy played it for me in the car while we drove across San Francisco for pastries and a hike. I deconstructed it, immediately following it up with Kesha's "Praying." It's the exact same song structure! And Kesha has better voice control! Oh, this is the lead from High School Musical The Musical The Series. That makes sense... it really has a musical theater quality about it.

I was comparing the two because I love "Praying." And it turns out, I soon would love "drivers license." The whole album, as derivative as it is at times, is such a delightful spin. I can't wait to hear what Olivia does next.

6. Fleet Foxes – Shore

Fleet Foxes always create gorgeous music, and Shore is another entry in that lineage. It gives me a sort of synesthetic response: the music is round and whole. It's a complete system with no room for entry or exit; we're just lucky that they let us listen in.

5. Snail Mail – Valentine

Snail Mail's Lindsey Jordan has clearly lived a lot in her 22 years. The way her voice drops registers when she sings "Take me with you to Nirvana, baby / Take me all the way" feels so... exhausted? I mean that in the best way. Like, she can't even believe she to deal with all these people expecting her to make another album of enigmatic indie rock. Wasn't one, 2018's "Lush," enough for a lifetime? I would've been satisfied if she never made a follow-up, but "Valentine" is superb.

4. Porter Robinson – Nurture

This is the most out-of-left-field entry on my list. I don't listen to much electronic music outside of Gold Panda/Four Tet/Caribou/Jamie xx. That's not intentional, it's just that I don't have great discovery channels for it. A friend recommended this Anthony Fantano interview with Porter Robinson and I felt a kindred spirit in Porter. I can't quite put my finger on what it was. Maybe the heart-of-sleeve millennialness of it all? Either way, this is a tight album of euphoric electropop bangers. Who says no to that?

3. Indigo De Souza – Any Shape You Take

I usually need several plays to situate myself in an indie rock album, especially one by a new-to-me artist. But the very first note of "17," the "Dah" of "Darling if you need / I'll be right here / I come to rescue," is such a gripping, direct start to an album. The rest of the album toys with this directness on songs like "Die/Cry" (which is almost punk in its simplicity) and subverts it on songs like "Late Night Crawler," a song that I'm having a very hard time to that I'm transfixed by but having a very hard time explaining why.

2. Tyler the Creator – Call Me If You Get Lost

Do I have to explain this one? It's Tyler at his Tylerest. It's a swirl cake of all the best parts of Flower Boy and IGOR, with DJ Drama's hilarious adlibs as the sprinkles.

1. Lucy Dacus – Home Video

Lucy was my favorite of the boygenii when I saw them perform in late 2019, so I've been eager for her next album. Like sometimes-bandmate-and-last-year-number-one-album-artist Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy is an incredible writer. I didn't realize this until "Home Video," though. These are all slices-of-life that make me nostalgic in a completely different way than Rostam's album.

I think a lot about high school, not because I'm dwelling in that past and want to go back to that life, but mostly because it was so weird compared to my current life. Any of my time that wasn't consumed by schoolwork and school activities was filled with lifelong friends that I would never live near again. Nearly everything that was important to me at the time is now just a curio or an anecdote. Like many millennials (judging by Emo Nite attendance), I listen to music that reminds me of being in high school, your Falls Out Boy and whatnot. And I listen to music written by people currently in that mindset, like Olivia Rodrigo. But I don't listen to a lot of adult reflections on the coming-of-age experience, which is kinda surprising, because adults making coming-of-age stories is a bankable (and generally adored by me) trope in the film industry.

"Home Video" is a coming-of-age album. Lucy's experience is, of course, quite different from my own, but there's a lot to latch onto. Like, casually creating an evocative earworm in "VBS" that's entirely composed of actual anecdotes from her diary. Or "Brando," a delightful vignette about dating a pretentious jackass in high school. Does anyone know where I can find one of those? The finale, "Triple Dog Dare," more or less scripts the ending of a movie that will probably get nominated for an Oscar in a couple years.

So, put some headphones on and close your eyes and think about walking around your high school after hours. Lucy will meet you there.

#lucy dacus #Tyler The Creator #indigo de souza #porter robinson #snail mail #olivia rodrigo #rostam #bachelor #the staves #vulfpeck #sharon van etten #angel olsen #japanese breakfast #taylor swift #big red machine #the war on drugs #clairo #muna #lorde

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mack3030 · 4 years

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Types of Paywall Abuse --- A post...

I think it’s time to tackle a topic that might make a few simmers uncomfortable, but we need to talk about it, because in addition to seeing a lot of people complain about it in general, I’ve also been getting some anons in my inbox talking about it. So let’s discuss this.

Now, first of all, I would like to clarify a couple of things:

When I speak of PAYWALLS here, I am talking about custom content that can ONLY be accessed by paying, or viewing an ad through a virus filled ad shortener link (which is just as bad). Pure early access content, where you pay for it and get it earlier than everyone else who gets it for free IS NOT PAYWALLED CONTENT.

This is why it is called a pay “WALL” because the wall portion indicates that you cannot access it without paying a fee/toll.

Second of all, I would like to remind the public at large that this is not hate, it is a critical commentary. I am not going to go for these creators personally, nor do I want to. I, as a member of the community who plays the sims 4, and downloads/uses CC, would like to simply hold some of these creators accountable for actions that are unethical and unsatisfactory to the community in which they serve. That is it. No more, no less. I simply believe they CAN do better and BE better than this.

Now, let’s get into the meat of this.

The main type of abuse that I have focused on has been what I call Permapaywalls.

Permapaywalls:

Content that cannot be accessed ANY other way than either paying a certain amount via patreon or another service, OR viewing a link through a virus-filled ad that puts your computer at risk.

There are many creators who are well known permapaywall creators, with at least 80% or more of their content being locked behind these permapaywalls. Sometimes they may release a few items for free, but this is very similar to being allowed to test drive a car before buying it. It’s to entice the user/viewer into liking the brand, and then buying in.

I’m not going to delve into this too much because I’ve already expounded on this topic a bit. So let’s go further.

The next type of abuse is what I like to call “Exclusive Loopholes”.

Exclusive Loopholes: Creators who try to “get around” EA’s early access policy by offering a majority of their content as early access, but holding back certain items only to those who “subscribe” to their “patreon exclusive” content.

There are some who are okay with this, thinking of this as a neat “bonus” for those who subscribe and support. However, the sims team made it clear:

Folks who have a Patreon page are welcome to provide folks with "early access" incentives for their content but it should be made available to the general public within 2-3 weeks of it being given to folks early.

- Simguru Drake, The Sims Forum

Notice nowhere in this answer does it say anything about BONUS CC incentives. Nowhere. This is just a method that certain creators try to use to keep people from decrying them as “big bad paywall creators”. This way they can say “oh look, we do early access, we’re following EA’s rules~!” while still holding content hostage.

If you want to offer your patreons some exclusives, here’s some ideas: * Share pictures of your process, or work in progress content coming up. * Allow them to have input into your process via polls and questions. * Have an exclusive discord community just for your patreons where they can talk to you easier and share excitement and input about your content with you and each other. * Have exclusive streams where only you and your patreons have the link to see you go live making content. * Host a workshop on how to make CC using your process. (I see all of you who steal meshes from other sites sweating over this. ;D) * Pause billing for a month and say “you know what, since you guys have been loyal and supported me, have a month of patreon on me!” * Anything that honestly doesn’t involve only giving those patreons CC and not releasing it to the public.

Let’s talk about another type, and oh my lanta, this type has had some anons messaging me ALL up in arms. I like to call this type “The Donation Disaster”.

Donation Disaster: Someone who CONSTANTLY uses the “downs” in the up/downs of life as excuses to not release content on time, or delay it while still collecting payment from patreons. Bonus “you’re a jerk” points if they then try to use those misfortunate circumstances to beg for even more money from their patreons on multiple occasions.

Look, we all have junk that goes on in our lives. But when that junk is used as an excuse for you continually delaying content while still charging your patreons (and not using the pause feature), it makes them feel cheated. In addition, when you then ask for donations to help you during your difficult time, and turn to your patreons instead of the support networks that are around you (ex: friends, family, religious communities, etc.), that can be VERY off-putting. You might be able to get away with it once, maybe twice, without a large chunk of your community turning against you. But the more regular it becomes, and the more they hear about how strapped for cash you are and how you’re asking them to give more than their pledge, and you’ll soon find yourself being called a scammer. Regardless of your intent, or if your problems are reality, you’ll find people’s empathy for your situation will be lacking.

I’ve had a few anons in my inbox talking about different patreon creators that always seem to have an excuse for why updates aren’t coming just yet, or why x is broken, and with their excuse comes a plea for help with bills, and a link to a paypal or venmo.

Everyone has junk, don’t get me wrong. And it sucks to go through the junk we have in life, but if you’re reaching out to random people on the internet as your first method of support, you might need to be looking someplace else for support first before you come to the people who are already paying you for content you make. A one time “hey I’m in a bind, I need some help” donation thing might not be a bad thing, but when it becomes a constant pattern on your patreon....people aren’t going to take it well...at all.

And last, but not least, I’d like to talk about the last kind of patreon abuse, which frankly, is really upsetting to me. I don’t even really have a name for it, because it’s literally so much of a “what?” thing in my head. I don’t even understand why it goes on. Now, this practice involves the black/POC community, and frankly, as a white girl, I don’t feel I should be speaking over the community and what they have to say. Thankfully @xmiramira spoke on it, all the way back in 2019. Here’s an excerpt from her fantastic POST:

Even new creators who JUST joined the community sliding up in TBS with locs and braids talking about Patreon only. GTFOH. I’m not okay with creators doing Patreon only CC PERIOD, but my main discussion is focused on NON BLACK simmers making CC catered to US, and making it PATREON EXCLUSIVE IN AN ATTEMPT TO FORCE US TO PLEDGE, and how people are ASSUMING that I’m OKAY WITH THIS, and ASSUMING that I’m letting it FLY in my community. Just because I don’t go off about shit as frequent as I used to doesn’t mean I cannot see and I am not doing what I can to keep the fuckery OUT.“Oh but your friend has a Patreon” I don’t have an issue with what @ebonixsims is doing because it’s all early release. It gets released to the public a few weeks later. It’s not being kept behind Patreon, forcing people to pledge to her. Despite this, she’s still doing really good with it. So don’t get it twisted, I’m not on social media arguing with folks so people just assumed I’m okay with this shit, I’m really not. I’m actually two seconds off dropping Patreon share folders. (That also have my shit in it) Supporting people is one thing, but a lot of these motherfuckers are becoming extremely exploitive, and it’s aggravating. It’s like you goofy motherfuckers sit in DMs like “yeah let’s make some CC for the negros and put it on Patreon” Fuck outta here. And it’s not even just hair, it’s skins and even CLOTHING STYLES. Y’all are really wilding the hell out. African necklaces, black girl magic chains, Juicy Couture sweatsuits. Who the fuck do you think you’re fooling? IM TIRED! Next time someone asks me where I got something and it’s Patreon exclusive I’m dropping a SFS link. FUCK OUTTA HERE!

Here’s the deal. The black community has been fighting for a while to be able to feel represented in this game. Here’s two articles (ONE, TWO) talking about this issue. But the thing that has me upset is the fact that SO many creators of content that is AIMED at Black/POC simmers are locking that content (or a good majority of it) behind paywalls. And what’s even more shameful is some of those creators are POC themselves! They understand what it’s like to feel that they cannot make themselves or have sims that look like them in this game, yet they still lock their content away and expect people not just in the SIMS community, but in the POC community to pay through the nose for it. The fact that this is STILL going on, two freaking years after she made this post, and that both NON POC creators and POC creators are engaging in this behavior is honestly disappointing and shameful. I believe black/POC creators should be supported, BUT they should be supported without depriving their OWN community of representation and access. And frankly, if you’re a NON POC creator and you’re specifically targeting this group to make money off of them with paywalls, I have only one thing to say to you:

I’d speak on it more, but frankly, I’d rather let the people who are actually in the black/POC community speak on it, so if any of you want to let loose in the comments about this problem, go wild. I’m happy to sit back and listen, and I suggest others do the same.

#nopaywalls #sims4 #sims4mm #sims4alpha #support early access creators #stop being a jerk #patreon abuse

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bbrandy2002 · 4 years

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Happy Birthday Burnsy!

The Country AU -- I'm Gonna Live Where The Green Grass Grows

Pairing: Drake x Alyssa, Liam x Riley, and a whole host of other TRR characters.

A/N: This was a silly little idea I had months ago for an AU built around the places and people where I grew up. I never had plans to actually write it, but I mentioned it to Burns, and well ... she wanted it lol so here we are. And she’s already read half of this and is the one who made the mood board for it and the song inspo hahaha. Thank you to @mskaneko for the edits of our OTP’s, and @charlotteg234 for pre-reading the first half of this.

Trigger warning: Gun usage, hunting, mild language ... I think that’s it

@burnsoslow

My dearest friend, when I think back at where we were one year ago, I can’t help but be reminded of the vastly different world we live in now. On February 5, 2020, there was no covid keeping us sheltered and fearful, families were complete, jobs were stable, and so many of the things we worried about then simply pale in comparison to now, Life wasn’t so bad. But here we are with all these new changes and mindsets. Through it all, one thing remained consistent: YOU. You have been my strength, my rock, the anchor that grounded me. We have cried together, laughed a lot together, worried for each other, and celebrated those small victories that were important to each other. And I get so happy when someone comments about how much they love the friendship between Riley and Alyssa because it's the most real part of Fearless. If anyone ever wanted to know what we’re like, it's all written out in that story. I’ve got your back, and you have mine. You’re my best friend and I just love the hell out of ya! I hope your birthday is amazing and that this fic is everything you wanted for this AU.

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On Sunday mornings in southern Georgia, you did one of two things: You woke up early for church services or woke up late to watch NFL football.

Some people figured out a long time ago how to do both.

Sitting in the back pew of the First Cordonian Church of Everlasting Peace, Alyssa Walker sat quietly with the sweetest southern belle smile, nodding her head along to the beautiful words spoken during Pastor Hakim’s sermon and hiding a pair of earbuds lodged in each ear.

She and her husband, Drake, had laid claim to the pew when they were teens trying to sneak a kiss or two during prayers. After ten years of marriage, they no longer needed to sneak kisses but stayed in that same seat, believing the biggest sinners should stay as far away from the minister as possible. Why be the barrier that may prevent the spirit from reaching the rest of the congregation? The couple felt it was the least they could do.

They were actually pretty good folks and well respected in their community. Alyssa had taught first grade for eight years at the local elementary school, where her two children, nine-year-old Audrey and six-year-old Patrick, also attended. Her best friend since third grade, Riley, was the art teacher there.

Drake worked nearby as the lead mechanic at Rys and Sons Chevrolet out on North Ramsford Avenue. Constantine had owned the auto dealership for 35 years before passing it down to his sons, Leo and Liam, when he ran for and became the town's mayor. Leo peaced out, heading to South Florida, while Liam took on the sole responsibility of ownership himself.

And while most people in this sleepy little town of Cordonia were Falcons fanatics, Alyssa grew up rooting for the team where her parents were born and raised before settling in Georgia as newlywed lawyers: The Chicago Bears.

With the game against the Packers blaring into her ear, she kept a keen eye on the rest of her fellow parishioners. When they clapped, she clapped. When they sang, she sang. She raised her hands in hallelujahs when they did. She had learned to read lips and could “Amen” and “Praise God” right on cue with the rest of them. All the while, she sat in contentment, listening to her weekly football games.

“The score with 14 seconds left in the second quarter is Chicago -- 14, Green Bay -- 17. The Bears have the ball on the 5-yard line. It’s third and goal. If Trubisky can score here, they’ll go into the locker room at halftime with a lead for the first time in this game, or possibly tie it all up with a field goal after this down. This is a huge, HUGE play, Jim ...”

Alyssa twined her fingers together and lowered her forehead onto them as she waited with bated breath for the announcer to call the play-by-play. As far as anyone else knew, she was praying fervently for the Hebrews crossing the parted Red Sea away from Pharoah's army that the pastor was chronicling.

“And here comes the snap. Trubisky backs up. He tosses to Robinson in the end zone. OHHH! So close… batted away by Alexender …”

“JESUS!” Alyssa yelled out in anger. With earbuds in, she didn’t realize how loudly that just came out of her mouth. Drake nudged her in the thigh. She glanced over at him for a second before he nodded to the 123 pairs of eyes that had all turned at once in her direction. It instantly dawned on her that everyone in the congregation heard the outburst.

Feeling the color drain from her face, Alyssa placed a hand over her chest and addressed, “I am soooo into this sermon, Hakim. Woohoo! Go, Jesus, go!” She pumped her fist in the air like she was rooting him on.

Drake dropped his face onto Patrick’s shoulder, who was sitting on his lap, to cover the incessant laughter that threatened to spill out of him. He was doing a terrible job of it, as a momentary burst of muffled snickers could be heard through the sound of the game playing in Alyssa’s ear. Her husband was nothing but a big kid himself -- she wouldn’t change that for anything.

“Mommy,” Audrey whispered next to her. “It’s about Moses. Not Jesus.”

Alyssa smiled, patting her daughter’s knee. “Same thing, baby. They both performed miracles.” She cut her eyes to the phone hidden under the cardigan draped across her thighs. “And the Bears need a miracle right now, guys,” she muttered, “Part those shithead Packer’s defensive line, Lord. It’s time to help my Bears get to the promised land.”

“Going for it on fourth down, Trubisky drops back. The Packer defense is putting a lot of pressure on the Bear’s offensive line. Every man is covered in the end zone. He has no one to throw to, Jim. They’re running out of time. Four seconds left. And, NOOO, they sack Trubisky on the 10-yard line … WAIT THE BALL IS LOOSE … THE BALL IS LOOSE ... he fumbled the ball. The Packers are scrambling to get it. There are green and white jerseys all over that ball. BUT LOOK … Green Bay’s Klark picks it up. He’s running the other way … and he just slipped … he just slipped, and the football fell right into the hands of Chicago’s Robinson --”

Alyssa grabbed Drake’s thigh, her fingers digging deeply with hope and panic. “Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck,” her stressed words weren’t audible to the crowd, but they were speaking volumes in her heart.

“--Robinson’s on the 20, now 15, he’s sweeping past the defense to the 10 -- 5 -- TOUCHDOWN, CHICAGO!!!”

"FUCK YES!" Alyssa jumped up, her arms outstretched in a V shape. “Hallelujah. Holy shit. Thank ya, Jesus.” She let out a huge sigh of relief, feeling nothing short of elated, not concerned in the slightest by the heads that twisted around again.

Hakim stood slack-jawed from the raised platform for a moment, his tallish physique slouching on the pulpit, before adjusting the microphone and clearing his throat deeply. "I'm certainly glad, Sister Alyssa is ... feeling the spirit this morning."

"I am feeling it, Brother Hakim," She shook her head profusely. "I. Am. Feeling it." She shot him a dimpled grin.

Drake snorted loudly, covering his face with one hand and grabbing the side of her dress to pull her back down with the other.

They turned to each other, neither one able to control the snickering and shaking of their bodies. Drake lifted a sleeping Patrick over his shoulder while Alyssa grabbed Audrey's hand; the Walker couple decided they were too immature for church this morning.

They laughed all the way to the parking lot.

"It's never a dull moment with you, baby girl," Drake chuckled, turning over the ignition.

"You know me …” She blew on her nails before rubbing them against her chest. “... just doing the Lord's work."

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

It was customary in Cordonia for families to gather together each week for a big supper after church.

The Walkers traditionally took turns hosting with Liam and Riley, and Constantine and Regina. This week's meal was at the elder Ryses.

Sitting down at the dining room table, everyone licked their chops, hungry and ready to dig into all the made-from-scratch southern goodness Mrs. Regina had prepared: Fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, coleslaw, macaroni and cheese, green beans with hamhock, corn-on-the-cob, deviled eggs, biscuits, sweet tea, and coffee. It was all accompanied by two containers of broccoli salad, Alyssa picked up from the Piggly Wiggly deli after church, and Riley's lopsided carrot cake.

There was always a lot of food, a lot of love, and what would it be in a small town without a little gossip here and there.

"Regina, you've outdone yourself on this meal," Liam raved while placing his five-month-old son in a high chair and fastening the clasps. "If it tastes as good as it smells, we're all in for a big treat."

Everyone agreed as she sat down, Constantine pushing her chair in with a peck to the top of her head. "Thank you, Liam." She looked up at her husband with a sincere smile, rubbing his arm. "Only the best for our family."

She meant every word of that as she and Constantine glanced around the table at all the cheerful faces of the people they loved most — that included Drake and his family.

Drake's father had been the sheriff for many years before his untimely death, while the younger Walker was a teen. Connie had never met a braver, more hard-working man than Jackson; the now mayor stepped in after that death to be the father figure in Drake's life. Drake was already best friends with Liam, and over time, the family just considered him one of their own. Drake and Alyssa's children referred to them as Mamaw and Papaw Rys.

As everyone settled in and passed the food around the table, the doorbell rang; 7-year-old Ellie -- Liam and Riley's oldest -- jumped up to answer it. With everyone focused on getting their helpings, Riley leaned over and whispered to Alyssa, "Any more scoop on Savannah?"

Alyssa passed the potatoes to her and answered in a hushed tone, "I drove past her house yesterday ... Chuck was there. His big rig was backed right up into the driveway. They're not even trying to hide it anymore."

"I knew it." Riley slapped a scoop of potatoes onto her plate, passing them across to Liam. "When does Bertrand get back from that Bankers Convention in Atlanta?"

"I think Max said on Tuesday. And I guarn-damn-tee, Chuck will be there until then."

"Of course he will. Have you told Drake yet?"

Alyssa shook her head, peeking over at her husband, who was in hog heaven, dousing everything on his plate with white gravy, blissfully unaware of their idle chitchat. She turned back to Riley. "Not yet. You know how protective he is. I'll need to hide the gun cabinet keys when he finds out ... if he finds out. You remember how upset he got when Bianca got caught at the Love's Truck Stop with Landon Ebrim over the summer. His mama can do what she wants, but not with a married man."

Riley agreed with a nod before taking a sip and swallowing her sweet tea. "Ya know, I've never seen sweet Emmaline that angry."

"Yeah, me neither. She sure whopped ass that day." They both giggled lightly. "Landon's dentures flew clean across that truck lot."

"I saw her the other day at the Food Lion, grinnin' like a baked possum. Got that ol' dog for everything he had."

Alyssa huffed, "Cept' his nuts."

Ellie ran back in and hopped in her chair. "Miss Olivia is here!"

Alyssa stiffened, clutching her fork a little tighter before letting out a faint groan. Not that she didn't like the Assistant Principal of Cordonia Elementary -- she was her boss, after all, and they grew up together -- she could just be a little off-putting, sometimes with her treatment of Drake. In light of Olivia's recent divorce, she had, however, started directing most of her scorn on her ex-husband, Anton.

Everyone greeted Olivia as she strolled in behind the youngster, shrugging her jacket off and tossing it on a counter with her purse. "I smelled your chicken and taters all the way from Lythikos Drive, Regina. You know how I love a good rib stickin' meal."

"Is Travis and Waylon here?" Patrick piped up eagerly from the children's table, hoping to have some boys to play with rather than the three little girls who kept ganging up on him.

Olivia pulled out a chair and started loading her plate down. "They're with their daddy this weekend, sugar. I'll tell them you asked about them."

Drake lifted his coffee mug, not making eye contact with anyone. "Speaking of ... I saw Anton yesterday at the Dollar Tree ... with someone." He smirked into his drink. While everyone else knew who and was trying to avoid the elephant in the room, he owed her for years of squabble.

"Who? Madeleine?" Olivia spat, adding heaping spoonfuls of sugar to her already overly sweetened tea. "Bless her rotten heart, he was seeing her before our break up. Moved in with her right after the divorce was final, so I hope she's enjoyed cookin' and cleanin' after my youngins' all weekend, cause she's gonna be doin it a hell of a lot more now that she got herself fired."

Madeleine was a bank teller in the drive-thru at First Cordonia and also Leo's ex-fiancee.

"Madeleine got fired?" Alyssa asked in surprise. "She's been there for years."

The redhead swirled the sugar around in her tea with a spoon before licking it off and continuing, "Mmm-hmm. Bertrand caught her on video, stuffing her gaudy drawers into the vacuum tubes at the bank and sending them to that bastard when he drove through to make a deposit. He was making deposits alright. Right between her scrawny, cankled ass --"

"Olivia!" Liam quickly interjected, knowing once she got going, it would likely turn R-rated with several little ears listening. "I'm dying to hear how the Christmas Festival for next Saturday is coming along." He shot a look across the table at Drake for getting her worked up. Drake simply grinned.

By late afternoon, supper had been eaten, dishes cleaned, and pants unbuttoned. After a couple of hours of chatting on the back porch and watching the kids play, the two younger couples packed up leftovers Regina insisted they take home and were ready to hit the road.

Liam and Riley lived next door and walked out with the Walkers who were making their way to the Tahoe parked on the street.

Alyssa bounced and cooed over baby Jacob before handing him back to Riley and getting into the vehicle's passenger seat.

Liam was leaning into the driver's side window, having a casual discussion with Drake about the opening day of deer season next Saturday and asking what time he wanted to head out.

Alyssa was half-listening and half-working the stereo when an idea popped into her head. "You know what would be fun?” Both men stopped talking and glanced over at her. “We should all go?”

Drake knit his brows. “Go where?

“Hunting. We can make it a double date. You and me, Riley and Liam. The great outdoors. Some quality time together. I’ll even make snacks for everyone. It’ll be fun,” her voice was chipper. She was excited about it.

She was also deadly serious.

So were the dubious looks Drake and Liam gave each other over the thought of taking their wives on the most important hunting event of their year. Not that either didn't enjoy spending time with their significant others, but hunting was a whole different world. It was a one-person sport where you spent the day away from reality and responsibilities and just enjoying the great outdoors —a place to be alone and experience the thrill of a good hunt.

“Guys, I’m serious. We go fishing together, and I’ve shot targets plenty of times. I really wanna go hunting with you. Riley wants to go too, don't you?” She cast an inquisitive glance out her window at Riley, who glared back with the biggest what-the-fuck look she'd ever made. “See, she wants to go too.”

“Baby,” Drake began softly, giving her knee light squeezes. “I don’t mind taking you, but this is opening day. We’ll be in the woods for hours, in the cold. It’s not really what someone would consider a ‘date.’ And we’re going to the Festival that night … we’ll get a chance to spend time together there.”

She held his gaze as her lips began to quiver. “I understand. You .. you need time to be away from me, and it was a dumb idea anyway --”

“No,” Drake cut in. His heart plummeted from the sadness in her voice and eyes. “That’s not it at all. I love spending time with you. And if you really want to do this, then … let’s do this.”

“Really? We can go together?” Drake nodded with a smile before she squealed in his ear and pulled him into a tight hug. “I can’t wait! Thank you!”

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Liam let out a heavy breath as he looked over at Riley -- The woman he knew would not be a fun hunting partner next week -- still standing on the sidewalk, appearing like she might faint. “Yeah ... I can’t wait either.”

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Saturday. 5:15 a.m. The cellphone alarm on Drake’s bedside table let off a series of rhythmic beeping sounds and vibrations.

The alarm wasn’t needed. The man had been awake for hours, listening to his wife's gentle snores; the anticipation of bringing home at least a 12-pointer keeping him from falling back asleep.

Letting out a ferocious yawn and a hearty stretch, he picked up his phone to dismiss the alarm and rolled over to wake Alyssa.

With her ass perfectly curled into the space between his stomach and thighs, his hands settled on her curvy hip, jostling her slightly. “Time to get up, my little peach. We gotta get crackin’ before all the good deer are gone.”

“I just need one more hour, okay? Thanks,” she protested with a drowsy murmur, pulling the pillow over her head.

Drake chuckled, rubbing soothing circles over her back. “No. We have to get up now. We’re wasting time, sleepyhead. Unless … you don’t want to go.”

Alyssa’s heavy eyes stung as she tried to peel them open one at a time. “No, I wanna … go ...” she trailed. Her eyes slowly shut again, and she was out.

On a day like today, Drake was usually up and ready in ten minutes. Once he could finally get his wife out of bed, dressed, and back awake again from where she fell asleep on the toilet, it was close to 45 minutes.

Maxwell, who was also a childhood friend and the music teacher where Alyssa taught, rented the room over their garage. He agreed to come down that morning and watch the kids while the pair spent their morning in the woods. Bianca used to help out in that regard, but the kids complained she slept the whole time, and Alyssa was pretty sure her mother-in-law smoked pot around them.

Drake loaded up the truck, placing his rifle and a smaller .22 caliber for Alyssa behind the seat. Dragging herself slowly to the vehicle, the night sky still pitch black and her breath turning to thick vapors in the frigid air, she listlessly tossed a Taylor Swift tote bag on the floorboard and climbed in.

Drake looked at his phone after everything was packed up to see if Liam had sent a message about being late. It was unusual for him not to be there already. Typically, his best friend was up and at his house before Drake was even ready. He sent off a quick text to check.

Drake: Where you at, man?

Liam: Running late. Riley had to put makeup on and do her hair.

Liam: I’m having so much fun already 😑

Liam: snark

Drake: Lyss couldn’t decide which gloves looked the best with her orange vest. I guess she wants to impress the deer before she kills them.

Liam: We’re not catching deer today. We’ll be lucky if we catch a cold. Be there in 10.

Twenty minutes later, Liam’s gray Silverado pulled onto the Walker’s gravel drive. Riley had wanted biscuits and gravy from McDonald's, and she had to run back inside to pee, so that set them back. But, with everyone now there, they were finally ready to head out.

Just down the rural road from where Drake and Alyssa lived, the current sheriff of Cordonia, Bastien, owned several acres of unoccupied land that he used for recreation. He had been a close friend of Drake’s dad and agreed to let Drake and Liam hunt and fish on his property whenever they wanted.

Turning onto the dirt road and opening the gate, the four friends arrived at their spot just as dawn was breaking.

No one spoke much as they trekked through the mud, sticks, and brittle fall leaves that littered the path to the deer stands. Riley and Alyssa were too exhausted to say anything. Drake and Liam just weren’t used to talking at all.

"Riley, love,” Liam whispered softly. “Can you watch how you’re walking? The noise is going to scare the deer away.”

“I can’t help it if … " She reacted loudly in frustration before Liam placed a finger over his lips, and she resumed speaking more quietly. “I can’t help it if there're leaves everywhere. I’m walking on them as delicately as possible.”

“How much further? I think my toes are frozen and I need coffee.” Alyssa bemoaned while walking on the balls of her heels. Drake was basically dragging her sluggish body by the hand. Her eyes were still drooping from exhaustion with every careful step.

“Just over yonder of that fence row is our stand.” He pointed out.

Alyssa aimed her flashlight around the woods in several spots. "And where do we pee at?"

Liam lightly snorted as Drake answered matter-of-factly. "Just over yonder of that fence row below our stand."

"Oh ... " her tone was small and apprehensive, "... I guess that's ... okay." She glanced back timidly at Liam, who was following close behind.

He shielded his eyes from the beam of her flashlight in his face and frowned. "I'm not going to watch you pee, Alyssa."

Riley gasped, "Eww! I don't want Drake watching me pee either."

"Shhhhh." Liam was quick to remind her again of the volume of her voice.

"Stop, shushing me, Liam! Those deer don't know I'm out here."

Drake grunted, then whipped around to face the three of them. "Would you keep your voices down? No one's watching anybody take a piss," he whisper-yelled. "Lyssa and I will be at least a hundred yards away from ya'll. Riley, I promise you can piss your little heart out, and I won't see it."

"We're separating?" Alyssa asked wistfully. "What if I need to ask Riley something, and she can't hear me yelling across to her?"

"You'll just have to ask her when we're done, baby girl. And ... please don't yell questions to her while we're out here. Low voices."

They continued on with their noisy hike.

"Having so much fun," Liam grumbled to himself.

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

Liam and Riley headed to their tree stand as Drake helped Alyssa climb up the ladder to theirs.

The stand and ladder were made of plywood -- chipped and faded from years of exposure to the elements -- and were attached at the apex to an oak tree about twenty feet off the ground. At the top it had enough room to take a step onto, with a wooden seat just wide enough to accommodate them. One plank rail came out on both sides.

Alyssa plopped down onto the seat, clutching her tote bag of goodies on her lap. She lifted the brim of the orange beanie she borrowed from Drake -- that smelled of animal carcass and gun powder -- above her eyes and peered out to the wilderness spread monumentally below. She closed her eyes and slowly inhaled the fresh, dewy air, taking in the sounds of twittering birds, branches clashing from the nearby squirrel frolicking on them, and the rippling of a bubbling brook streaming down the hill.

A pleasant warmth overcame her as Drake's much larger body sat down next to her and protected her from the frosty wind blowing in from his side.

Alyssa wrapped her arms around his waist, snuggling into him. "I can see why you like this so much. It's so quiet and peaceful ... look how purty it is out here, Drake. It's just real purty, isn't it?"

Working diligently on getting their gear together, he stopped briefly to look out; affection glowed in his eyes. “It sure is, darlin’. Almost as purty as you ... and notice I said 'almost.'” He winked, and Alyssa blushed, feeling that same love trickling up inside her she'd had since they were teenagers. Drake could charm the pants off a chipmunk, but she was thankful he only used that gift on her.

"Sooo ... " She drawled in her thick Southern accent. "How long will it be before the deer start coming out?"

Drake drew the barrel of her gun back after loading it with shells and explained, "Don't know. It could be minutes. It could be a few hours. Just whenever they head this way, I reckon."

Perplexed, Alyssa nodded slowly. "A few hours? I s'pose that's okay. What do you do while you're waiting?"

He shrugged, passing a gun to her. "You just ... sit here."

"You just sit here and do what?"

Drake leaned over to kiss into her orange cap and replied, "Wait."

"Wait." She acknowledged. "I can do that. I'll just sit here ... and wait."

Several minutes had passed, and Alyssa was already bored with listening to nature, Drake's gurgling stomach, and sitting quietly with nothing to do. Every so often, a shotgun blast was heard in the distance, signifying either someone out there had gotten their prize or Riley had driven Liam insane. It was the only break from the monotony that came with the boredom of sitting in a tree for who knew how many hours.

Letting out a giant exhale that caught Drake's attention, she propped her rifle against the railing and pulled the cloth tote that was sitting between her boots into her lap. Rummaging through the bag, she pulled out her phone and began thumbing out a message.

Drake furrowed his brows and asked, "What're you doin'?"

"Just texting Riley,' she answered dismissively. He shook his head and leaned it back against the tree while she formulated her message.

Alyssa: You still alive over there? How's it going?

Riley: This is boring as shit.

Riley: And now my texting is apparently scaring away the deer. F the deer Liam. F all the damn deer!!!! What were you thinking, Lyss?

Alyssa: I was thinking we could spend quality time with our husbands. The men we love and cherish with all of our hearts. I’m having a great time with Drake so far 😍😘

Alyssa: And no one twisted your arm to come bitch.

Riley: Liam's just staring through binoculars. He hasn’t spoken in 20 minutes except to tell me to point the gun away from him or to quit moving. Let’s go get our hair did at Adelaide's.”

Alyssa: OHHH Yes! And get Chinese food ... CRAB RANGOONS!! I'll have Drake drive us back. Girls Day Out. Love you!

Drake let out a belch and blew it away when Alyssa turned to him with a dazzling smile and a sparkle in her blues. "Can you drive Riley and me back to the house?"

"What? Right now?" he shrieked. She answered him with a cheerful nod. "What happened to all that talk about wanting to spend quality time with me?"

"I still do. But ... we're just sitting here, not really doing anything. I could be getting my hair done for tonight's festival. I also have a ton of laundry to do, some papers to grade, and I’m supposed to be making the Devereaux’s famous peach cobbler for the raffle. If I leave now, I’ll have time to do all of it.” Alyssa knew she probably wouldn’t do half of that, and Audrey would likely make the cobbler, but it made the situation sound more urgent.

"It's opening day, baby. I'm not leaving this spot." He reached into the pocket of his overalls and pulled out his keys. "If you and Riley wanna take my truck, I'll ride back with Liam."

She gave him an exasperated look. "I don't know my way back to the truck. And I sure as hell know Riley doesn't."

He smirked, stuffing his keys back. "Then you're stuck."

The next hour was brutal. Alyssa texted Riley to alleviate the boredom for several minutes, but there had been no responses in a long while. She wasn't aware that Liam tossed her friend's phone over the hill when she started making TikTok videos of her plight -- Liam took his deer hunting seriously: No noise meant no noise.

Drake wasn't much better; he was quieter than his usual self. It wouldn't have been so bad if she could at least talk. An occasional whispered word was not going to cut it.

Alyssa sighed heavily. She wiggled around for comfort. She unwrapped a Nutty Bar. She crunched. She opened a can of pop. She tapped her fingers. She flipped the pages of a magazine. Each one got that look from Drake that let her know it was too loud. If she ever made it out of there, she planned to jabber and stir until she couldn't do it anymore.

After another half-hour of stewing quietly in her thoughts without a sign of a deer anywhere, Alyssa decided now was the time to finally just talk.

"Do you ever think about having another baby?" It was a topic that had been on her mind for a while. To her surprise, Drake didn't give her a look or even freak out the way she anticipated. Despite his own rule of silence, he even responded in kind.

"Yeah. Kind of a lot."

Her right brow darted up. "Really?"

Drake took a breath and shifted the gun across his lap. "I mean, of course. It's always been my dream to settle down and have a bunch of youngin's with the woman I love." He studied her lit-up face; he'd swore she'd gotten more beautiful with age. That's why he hesitated when he added, "But ... "

Her shoulders slumped at his words, and a deflated look impressed upon her face. "But ... " The word barely made it past her lips.

Drake reached for her hand and gripped it tightly. "Lyssa, we have so much going on right now. You're working on National Boards, Audrey has piano recitals and basketball, Patrick has peewee football and Boy Scouts. We barely have time -- except for right now -- for just ... us. I'm not saying,"never"... just that right now ... isn't a good time."

"I understand that, but ... we've always made it work. And don't you miss those tiny little fingers wrapped around yours? And the way they smell fresh out of the bath? And those chubby little cheeks pressed up against yours?" she goaded.

“Of course I do. I remember the first time I held Audrey and PJ in my arms -- there’s just no better feeling in the world than ...to look down ... " Drake paused as his voice cracked, and his brown eyes glistened like glass. " ... and to see someone so small ..." When she sniffled, it made it that much harder for him to speak. "... that you created with the woman you've loved since you were 16 years old. But I like who they are now, and watching them grow, and doing things with them ... And, well ... there’s no shit clean up.”

“You obviously haven’t washed Patrick's clothes in a while,” Alyssa retorted with a chuckle that brought out one in her husband.

"I’ll have to talk to him about that." He gazed deeper into her eyes. "But I do love you ... more than all the peaches in Georgia, Lyssa Claire.”

Alyssa smiled.“That’s what you said to me when you promised to marry me when we were teens.”

Drake returned his own smile. “I did. I remember like it was yesterday too. Sitting in your parent’s basement, watching Friends reruns, eating pizza, making out. And hell, it’s still as true today as it was then. Somehow, even more."

Their cold lips parted and joined halfway for a fervent kiss, with Drake's hand meandering around the subtle groove at the junction of her waist. Just as it became more intense and desirous, a rustling of twigs off in a nearby thicket caught Drake's ear, and he broke away, his eyes scoping the perimeter. Alyssa wasn't offended, she heard it too, and her heart raced with excitement.

Lifting the binoculars hanging from his neck, he spotted two deer eating from a blackberry patch some thirty yards away. He pointed in their direction; Alyssa gave a quick thumbs up, letting him know she saw them too.

Drake carefully lifted the rifle resting in his lap as Alyssa leaned forward and squinted to get a better visual. "Is that a buck and a doe?" she whispered, not moving an inch.

"Sure as fuck is." He mounted the stock of his .30 caliber, Winchester, just beneath his collarbone; the rush of this moment coursed ravenously through his body. He lined up the scope and placed a steady finger on the trigger -- his thumb pulling the hammer back.

“Wait.” Alyssa loudly whispered. “You can’t shoot him.”

"I'm gonna. Better cover your ears."

"No, Drake. There's a doe with him. What if that's his wife? You can't just leave her all alone without him."

"Lyss, this is the whole reason we're out here."

"So you can make a widow out of her?"

"No ... so I can make deer chili out of him."

Alyssa's mouth flew open. "No. No. RUUUUUUUUN! RUUUUUUN!"

Drake pulled his face away from the scope and fired her a look. "What the hell are you doing? They're getting away!"

She tilted her chin boldly. "I don't care. That was her husband, and they're in love, and you can't take that away from them. I would be so sad if we were just out eating berries and someone came up and shot you, ALL SO THEY COULD EAT DRAKE CHILI!".

Drake dropped his head. He knew there was no point in arguing with her. As long as he’d known her, she was stubborn, and at that moment, she was dead set in believing those two deer were living out the greatest romance of all time. Nothing he said or did would change her mind on that.

A thought emerged while he attempted to comprehend the logic of the situation. Those deer ran off in the direction where Liam was set up. Maybe if he could give his friend a heads up, it was still possible at least someone would leave those woods with the prized buck.

Turning his back from Alyssa so that she couldn't stop him, he pulled a small walkie-talkie from his pocket and radioed Liam. Alyssa knew what was up and jumped to her feet, thrusting her arms around him in an attempt to stop the travesty.

"You can't do this, Drake," she hollered, "That’s her soulmate. And why don't I have a walkie-talkie? I want a walkie-talkie!"

While seated next to Liam, Riley was swinging her legs, purposefully making the soles of her boots scrape against the platform. Liam tried to ignore her; maybe he had been a little too uptight about every little noise and utterance she made. But this was playing a whole different ballgame now: she was now making it her mission to piss him off.

Prepared to pound his head against the tree, Liam gritted his teeth, skimming his eyes in her direction. "Love, do you have to do that?"

"Did you have to throw my phone in the woods?" She spat back.

Liam rubbed his hand over his face. "No, and I am sorry that. I apologize for all of eternity. I promise I will get you another one as soon as we get back, okay?”

Riley huffed. "Fine, but that phone had all of my contacts on it. It had our babies' pictures and videos on it ... our vacation photos. I can't get those memories back ever, and I have to find it, and God only knows where it landed. It could be ..." She stopped rattling on when she caught sight of the distressed look Liam was giving her. Knitting her brows, Riley asked, "What?"

"Nothing ... just ... can you lower your voice a little? You're gonna scare the deer away,"

He regretted it as soon as it came out.

“LIAAAAM!”

He saw the steam gushing out of her ears. There was no time to answer the incoming call on his walkie-talkie from Drake.

Belting out a furious screech, Riley jumped up and tried to jerk the gun from his hands. There was no question she wouldn't shoot him, but she'd sure as hell shred his favorite gun apart piece-by-piece and toss them all the way to Portavira Lake on the other side of town.

Riley tugged with all of her might. "I have HAD IT with being quiet for those damn deer, Liam. HAD IT!"

"Sweetheart, you need to calm down ..." He stood up in front of her, pulling back on the rifle even harder, surprised -- and not pleasantly so -- his considerably smaller wife had this much struggle in her.

"Don't you sweetheart me. You have shushed me for the last time, Liam Preston Rys!"

“Okay, I’m sorry! But can you at least admit us fighting over a gun is dangerous? Somebody is going to get seriously hurt, and I don’t want it to be you, Riley. Please. I won’t shush you anymore, I promise.” His face softened, eventually adorning a loving smile at his wife, who, with a sigh, was unable to resist that handsome face and relaxed her grip.

Riley gave him a half-smile in return. “I’m sorry, too. I’ve ruined your hunting trip.”

“Yes ... you did.” Liam agreed, dodging the playful slap she nearly made to his upper arm. “But I don’t want to fight anymore.”

With the War of the Ryses finally over, they went in for a makeup kiss until Drake’s voice called out to Liam again through his walkie talkie. Liam set the gun down on the bench and leaned it against the tree before he started digging into his pocket to answer the device. Riley dropped down onto the seat, her elbow brushed against the rifle and caused it to slide away until the barrel end hit the railing and set off a powerful blast.

When the ringing in both of their ears subsided, and the smoke had cleared, Liam and Riley collected themselves from the sudden spine-gripping explosion that shook them both. While Riley explained to Liam what happened, a hysterical sounding Drake came back over the walkie-talkie, wailing, “Alyssa’s been shot! Alyssa’s been shot! Help me!”

__________________

Later that evening, in the courthouse square, the street was lit up with zig-zagged rows of red, green, and white lights. Strands of garland were wound around every lamppost in perfect spiraled loops, and red bows hung and waved with the wintry breeze.

With traffic rerouted away from the area, vendors lined sidewalks selling local goods to put the town's citizens in the festive spirit. What would this small town in Georgia have been without boiled peanuts, low country boil, fried green tomatoes, barbecue, and peach everything?

Once Constantine had lit the 30-foot spruce, surrounded by hundreds of merry people from all walks of life that made up this small community, the festival was officially kicked-off.

In a large tent set up on the square, Liam and Riley laid out styrofoam containers and drinks they’d purchased from a barbeque vendor on one of several picnic tables inside. With their two young daughters munching away on their meal, and the stroller with their sleeping son beside them, they both sat down with heavy hearts and restless minds.

Liam bit into his barbecue sandwich, noticing Riley only prodding at her mac-and-cheese while staring off into the distance. He didn’t have to ask what was wrong; he knew what happened that morning was bothering her with guilt and worry. It wasn’t every day she accidentally shot someone.

“Are you going to be okay?”

Riley shook her head slightly with a sad look. “No. It’s just not the same without Alyssa here. You know how much she loves Christmas and the festival. She was so looking forward to it too, until --”

“You shot her.”

“Yeeeeeesssss,” she cried out. Liam reached across the table and gave her hand a comforting squeeze, his thumb caressing her smooth skin. Riley continued to sniffle as she grabbed a handful of napkins and wiped the barbecue sauce off Liam’s sticky fingers that were now smeared all over hers. “I didn’t mean to, I swear it. And the way … and the way Drake cried. It broke my heart. Now he has her on bed rest AND house arrest. He won’t let her take calls. I’ll never see or hear from my bestie agaaaain.” The tears continued to flow in steady streams.

Liam stiffened, feeling the eyes of everyone in that tent, gawking at his overly-dramatic wife breaking down. He started to tell her to lower her voice, but after the gun battle in the woods, he thought better of it. “Riley, darlin’, you know Drake is really overprotective of Alyssa. And as scary as what happened was, she only needed the one stitch and band-aid for her graze wound. Something tells me Drake won’t be able to keep her down long.”

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

Liam was right. As much as Drake tried to keep her in bed so he could wait on her hand and foot, protect her from the careless friends of the world who could inadvertently do his baby girl harm, and check to see if she needed a new band-aid every few minutes, he could not keep her down. She had been far too excited to hang out with the people she loved so much and celebrate at one of her favorite festivals.

Maxwell had left for the events with Audrey and Patrick an hour ago; they were part of the children’s caroling group and needed to be there early. Against Drake’s wishes, Alyssa showered, got dressed, and made sure he knew in no uncertain terms would he be able to prevent her from going. The only thing he knew to do was to go, follow her around the entire night, and make sure she wouldn’t get shot again.

They circled the block where everything was held several times, but spaces to park were impossible to find. Three blocks away was the church where they attended, and the parking lot was completely empty. Drake didn’t like the fact that Alyssa would have to walk so far in her debilitated condition and was prepared to haul her piggyback style if he had to, but this was the best spot he could find.

Drake moved the gearshift into park and reached over to grab Alyssa’s arm, who was already bounding out the door. He pulled Alyssa back inside, the chilly air blowing through her open door swept her straighten hair this way and that way.

She cocked her head to the side and exhaled, “Drake, I can open my own door. I’m not broken. It’s just a scratch. I’m fine.”

“I know.” He smiled that tenderhearted smile only Alyssa had ever seen. The same one sending a shudder through her already chilled body. “I changed my mind,” he replied simply

Alyssa slammed her eyes shut and groaned. “I just told you I was fine --”

“No, no,” He shook his head. “About having another baby. I want to start trying.”

Saddled with curiosity, she slid back into the truck and shut the door. “But, I thought you said we didn’t have time for that --”

“Yeah, I did say that. I still believe it. But … today made me realize that yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today …”

Alyssa’s hand flew to her mouth as she laughed out loud. Drake gave her a confused look before chuckling awkwardly to himself, “What’s so funny?”

She lowered her hand, still laughing. “You got that saying from a quote on a poster in my classroom. You’re the one who hung it up for me.”

The memory dawned on him, and he lowered his head, attempting to cover the guilty grin that spread over it. “Well, hell. Here I was trying to make you think I was all insightful and smart and stuff.”

Alyssa’s hand splayed across his rugged chest as she leaned over to kiss him.“You are very insightful and smart. You know I never settle for anything less than the best.”

“I s’pose.” he said, forking his fingers through his hair. “But … I guess what I wanted to say was … I know that bullet missed you, barely … but what if it hadn’t? What if I’d left those woods without you today? Just like you were afraid that doe might. Time wouldn’t matter anymore. There will NEVER be enough time with you. You’re my life, Alyssa Claire. You’re my lover, my friend, my heart, my confidante, my soul, my everything … my little peach. I want to experience all that life has given me with you as my wife … and forever make time with you.”

“DRAAAKEY!” she bawled, spreading her tiny arms wide around his bulky body. Alyssa drew him into her so hard it nearly crushed the wind right out of his lungs. “I -- love -- you -- so muuuch!” Drake patted her back and kissed into her hair as she sniveled into his shirt. He hated when she cried, but damn if this didn’t feel good to him. Anytime she was happy made him that way too.

They took a moment to kiss and pet each other a little before Alyssa sat up and asked, “So … when do you want to start trying for a new baby Walker?”

He shrugged. “Whenever you want, baby.”

Alyssa looked through the back window of the truck and scanned the parking lot. She bit her lip and looked back at him impishly. “What about … now?”

Drake’s eyes flew open wide. “In the church parking lot?”

Pursing her lips, she affirmed, “Yes. We’ve done it behind the Piggly Wiggly plenty of times. And let's not forget the ‘Great Ass Blow-out of 2019’ in the Atlanta Convention Center parking garage.”

“I will never forget that.” Drake shook his head as that momentous sexual experience replayed in his mind. “Mmmm, you performed magic that day, woman.”

She raised a brow and coaxed him on, “So? What’dya say?”

Drake took a tentative look around at the dark, empty lot, then back at her. “We’re so going to hell, but I’m in.”

“Eeeeeee,” she squealed, jerking his arm around in excitement. “Try to keep your ass out of the window this time, okay?”

Thirty minutes later, Pastor Hakim pulled into the church parking lot with Mara, the game warden, following behind in her truck. There had been several reports from passerby’s of loud animals howling and screeching behind the church. The stray cat population was out of control in that area, and several cats had burrowed their way inside the church on occasion.

Hakim parked his car, with Mara pulling in beside him. They both got out simultaneously and listened quietly to see if they could decipher where the commotion was coming from.

Within seconds, a load moan roared out, followed by several consecutive whimpers that were hard to make out by the duo.

Mara listened intently, then gestured with her flashlight to an area near the back of the lot where clusters of shrubs and dry brush bordered. Hakim ambled behind her, the noise getting closer and closer until the pastor's brow furrowed at the shaking of a nearby truck.

“Damn, teenagers,” he grumbled as they tipped toed discreetly.

Mara crouched down by the truck's tailgate, Hakim bending over while she duck-walked toward the driver's side door.

The game warden turned to the pastor and instructed, “On my three. 1 -- 2 -- 3.” They both jumped up at the same time, flashing the light inside the cab. “HAHA Caught ya! OH MY GOD!”

Alyssa, who was on top of Drake, completely naked except for the band-aid on her left arm, looked up in utter humiliation and shock. She crossed her arms over her chest to cover her breast, feeling like she might faint. Not knowing what to say at that moment to rectify their actions or why those two were still staring inside the truck, Alyssa smiled sheepishly. “I’m still feeling the spirit, Hakim.”

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

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#drake x alyssa #Liam x Riley #gun usage #hunting

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estpgal · 4 years

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Uncharted Character Analysis: Chloe Frazer

Finally, an ESTP female in fiction!

Red in a combat zone.

Chloe Frazer is a fan favorite, partly because an accurate representation of women like her are hard to find. Not only is she a WOC who got her own game with another WOC (in the video game world, that’s big); she has a personality that is reserved in fiction for male characters, despite many women being like her in real life (me included). In the world of MBTI stereotypes, ESTPs are considered your frat boy Chad, with no regard for the female aspect at all. But Chloe Frazer is an ESTP to the bone, and it’s what makes her so lovable despite being a selfish dickhead at times. Let’s break down how Frazer sees the world.

Se- Extraverted sensing. This is an ESTP’s favorite, and main, function. Chloe sees the world very clearly, focusing on the here-and-now rather than the future or the past. She’s a risk taker, which is an Se trademark; contrast this to Nadine’s more careful approach and concern for safety. Chloe is calm and even jokes during conflict, taking things as they come. She acts first, thinks later, and it usually works out because she quickly works out the kinks. Se basically means the world is your playground, and Chloe really highlights this.

Ti- Introverted thinking. Introverted thinkers seek to be self-taught, and take a more holistic approach than their extroverted counterparts. Again, counter with Nadine, who is very precise and focuses on details. Chloe, on the other hand, eyeballs things, subconsciously processing, and is generally more impromptu in nature. Ti allows Chloe to make her spontaneous, split minute decisions, solving problems her own way.

Fe- Extroverted feeling. As an ESTP’s 3rd function, this is less developed than the prior 2, but ESTPs are masters of Fe when they want to be. Fe is a social chameleon, ensuring that they get along with all types of people. Folks with highly developed Fe stray towards the humanitarian side, caring to better the world (this manifests in Nate Drake). For Chloe, though, her Fe is only partly developed, and this is where Amy Henning makes her the ‘darker’ version of Nathan Drake. Due to Chloe’s life experiences, she’s less trusting of people and looks out for herself above others. She can dominate a social scene, sure, but she also doesn’t stick her neck out for anyone but a select few. She initially uses her Fe to manipulate people and play both sides. We see Chloe fully develop her Fe in the Lost Legacy, when she realizes through Nadine and her late father that sticking your neck out for others is worth it when it amounts to greater good.

This is a key takeaway in MBTI- just because you and someone share the same personality type doesn’t mean you’re the same people. Life experiences shape everything.

Ni- Introverted intuition. This is an ESTP’s Achilles heel. Ni looks for patterns in life to essentially plan for the future, and that’s never been Chloe’s MO. ESTPs lean on Ni when they are in unhealthy states, such as stress; it’s basically an overthinking hell because most ESTPs haven’t developed it. Chloe doesn’t really care for the future or the abstract; she handles things in the moment, and has such a “here and now” attitude that her Ni doesn’t really show at all in the video games.

Chloe Frazer is the first time I’ve seen an accurate portrayal of an ESTP woman in fiction, and she wears the personality well. Her growth from Uncharted 2 through Lost Legacy allows us to journey with her as she becomes a better person, all while breaking gender stereotypes (along with Nadine and Elena) and proving herself to be as capable, if not more, as Nathan Drake in the end.

#chloe frazer #the lost legacy #lost legacy #uncharted #ESTP #MBTI #mine #nadine ross #uncharted 2

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danny-chase · 3 years

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Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Batman (Comics), Batgirl (Comics) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Cassandra Cain & Stephanie Brown Characters: Cassandra Cain, Stephanie Brown, Dick Grayson (mentioned), Tim Drake (mentioned), Damian Wayne (Mentioned), Alfred Pennyworth (mentioned) - Character Additional Tags: Cassandra Cain is Black Bat, 2009 Batfam vibes, Stephanie Brown is Batgirl, talks about the batgirl mantle, Cass comes home to Gotham, technically she's Cassandra Wayne in this, but idk if people use that tag, Girl Talks, possibly romantic, no beta we die like Cass, POV Cassandra Cain, Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown centric, mentions Gates of Gotham, you don't need to read it though, Cass comes home from Hong Kong, sorry Bruce is dead folks, takes place in Dick!Bats era, sliding around in socks, a wee bit of fluff, Cassandra Cain gets a hug, Stephanie Brown Gets a Hug, because i think they should hug, romance or not, late night conversation between besties Summary:

Cass has a surprise visitor after returning home from Hong Kong. She hasn't been in Gotham long, a lot's changed, but there are still people here she's happy to see.

Cass glided through the halls of the penthouse; the floors were perfect for sliding around in her socks. Though, ‘halls’ was being generous, she supposed. It was large, the rooms were spacious, but there were only two hallways. So much smaller than the manor. Less rooms, though more people, and plenty of space to fit them all.

She could hear the chatter from the kitchen. The boys had decided to play a board game before she’d gotten back for the night. Dick wanted her to join in for the next round, but she found those games a little boring, and she wouldn’t fall for Tim’s puppy dog eyes tonight. But… she was tempted. It was a collaborative game, they’d explained. You don’t fight each other, you work together. That part, she liked.

She brushed past Tim’s guest room, which was slowly becoming more permanent. The door was cracked open, and she peeked inside. Neat and tidy, with trinkets lining his desk and shelves. Tim had changed a lot; his room was never this clean before. On a hunch she poked her head around the door. Behind it sat a mound of dirty clothes, just next to the bathroom door. Smiling to herself, she noted the mess of products on the sink. He’d changed, but not all the way.

Damian’s door, she found closed all the way. Tim said he liked privacy, so she moved on. Dick’s door was wide open. The room was empty, aside from a messy bed. Hers was the same.

At least she thought her room was empty.

As she approached, she heard something moving inside, or someone. Whoever it was, was light on their feet, not very large, in the range of 120-150 pounds, and a bit anxious. The door was closed. She thought for a moment, and swiftly threw the door open, without making a sound.

A blond girl in jeans and a green sweater stared out the window at the night sky.

“Stephanie?” She recognized. The girl jumped and swiveled around.

“Cass?” A joyous grin broke out across her face, though her shoulders stayed tense and anxious. They quickly strode toward each other and met in the middle of the room. Steph’s hands twitched, reaching up, as if asking for-

Cass buried Steph in a hug at the realization. Steph laughed, giggling at her enthusiasm, and squeezed her back tightly. “I missed you.” They said at the same time. Steph laughed again in delight.

They parted, and Steph sat on the edge of the bed, Cass following suit. She still looked a bit nervous but radiated happiness as well. They sat there, staring at each other for a moment. Cass smiled, also a bit anxiously, but eagerly, she hadn’t seen her oldest friend in forever.

“Are you back for good?” Steph broke the silence. Cass nodded, she’d decided, after the gates of Gotham case, to stay. The family had fallen apart after Bruce had died, but she was ready to give it another shot, and so far, things were going well. Board games, movie nights. ‘Team bonding’, Dick called it. It had only been a week, but she’d gotten a turn to pick already. Rooftop tag. It was fun.

“Things are good.” She replied. Damian was starting to trust her, and Dick and Tim were happy. And well, she was happy too. She loved having her own city, but it’d been lonely. Spending time with people was exhausting, but her family made it easier somehow.

“That’s good.” Steph replied. Not a lie, but she still looked anxious. A thought flashed through her mind.

“You’re not happy I’m home?” She asked quickly, her heart sinking at the notion. Steph’s eyes widened in surprise.

“What? No! Cass, I’m so happy you came back.” Not a lie. Cass sighed in relief, she didn’t want anyone to be upset she was back.

“Then why are you nervous?” Steph’s hands were fidgeting slightly, hadn’t stopped since they’d met.

“Huh, I’m not- Okay never mind.” Her shoulders dropped sheepishly. “I can’t lie to you, can I?”

“Nope.” Cass popped the p, just like Steph used to whenever they talked before. No one could lie to her. Well. Almost no one.

“Okay but… promise you won’t be mad.” She looked serious. Cass nodded slowly, watching as Steph pulled a box off the corner of the bed and carefully opened the lid. Her old Batgirl costume was inside.

“Why would I get mad over that?” She gave the suit to Steph after all, she had her Black Bat suit now.

“You let me borrow it and I ruined it!” Steph’s voice was guilty. Cass looked at the costume again. Bullet holes and tears marked it.

“Are you okay?” Cass asked, those were a lot of holes.

“Ugh, none of us deserve you.” Grateful. For what? Cass tilted her head to show the confusion. “I thought you would be mad because you can’t use it anymore. I thought you would want it back.” Cass shrugged.

“I have a new suit now.” She assessed. She didn’t really care what she wore. Besides, if she wanted another Batgirl costume, Alfred could make one.

“Don’t you… want to be Batgirl again?” Steph sounded concerned, but Cass wasn’t sure why.

“I’m always Batgirl.” Cass stated. She thought for a moment. “Like Tim is still Robin.” It didn’t matter what they called each other; they were still them. “And you’re always a Spoil-sport.” She grinned smugly at the pun. Steph rolled her eyes, but she was amused.

“Well, you can be Batgirl if you want. I kind of miss eggplant.” Her eyes twinkled mischievously, and the corners of her lips twitched up into a smile.

“It’s a good color on you.” Cass agreed.

“How about, we both be Batgirl, and we can switch costumes, and no one will know who’s coming.” Stephanie grinned in excitement. Cass grinned too. It sounded fun.

“Deal.” She flopped back on her bed. Steph followed suit. “How was Gotham?”

“It’s been wild. It’s different, you know.” Cass hummed in agreement. “I’m in college now, that’s going well. My mom’s working as a nurse. I mean, you’re right, things are good. It’s just… different.”

“Batman and Robin.” Cass noted. Steph sighed.

“Yeah, I mean it sucks Bruce died, but Dick’s doing great. And Damian’s coming around.” Steph shifted, turning to face her. “I’m sorry he died, I know he just adopted you, that must suck.” Cass took a deep breath, watching sympathy pour out of Steph’s baby blue eyes. It did suck. Her chest panged in regret, wishing they’d had more time together. But she didn’t want to focus on the past.

“Yes.” She thought for a moment. “I still don’t understand.” She confessed. Butterflies swirled in her stomach, she didn’t want to make Steph upset, but she needed to know. “Why did you leave?” It had hurt, felt like her world was ending. It had hurt Tim too, and Bruce. Steph grimaced, she was clearly uncomfortable, rolling back, she faced the ceiling once more.

“I was mad at first. I didn’t really choose to go.” She admitted. Cass understood, she’d been made to do things she hadn’t wanted to do before. It sucked. “But it was good too. It took time to heal.” She pointed at her head. “Up here too.”

“You hit your head?” Cass had been shot in the head once. Wasn’t fun.

“No like. I needed to think things out. Get in the right headspace.” She shook her head, not really understanding.

“Why’d you go to Hong Kong?” Steph asked. She thought for a moment.

“It hurt. To be around people.” She wasn’t sure how to describe it. She couldn’t stay in the manor. It was painful to be in the Cave. She never bled, but her chest had always ached, and something felt stuck in her throat. So, she left. And being alone hurt too, but in a different way. Steph looked at her sympathetically.

“That’s why I stayed, thinking about coming back hurt. I was scared, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I just… didn’t know what to do.” Groaning, she rolled over again. “It’s a mess.” Regretful. But a little hopeful. “Can we… still be friends?” The hope made her heart flutter.

“Yep.” She agreed. Steph smiled, warmly, like the sun.

“Thanks Cassie.” She didn’t really understand what she was being thanked for, but as the nickname rolled off Stephanie’s tongue, she felt more at home than she had in years. They lay still, enjoying each other’s company for a while longer.

Eventually, Steph sat up, hopping off the bed. “Alright, let’s go do something fun kay? How bout we go kick the guys’ asses at Just Dance.”

“Wait.” Cass walked over to her suitcase. “I got you something.” She pulled out a box. She’d collected things, from everywhere she visited. Picked up things that reminded her of family. She hadn’t really planned on giving them away, but now she had the real people, she didn’t need them anymore. She pulled out a purple ‘Lucky Cat’.

“Oh my gosh! I love it!” Steph cradled it carefully in her hands. “Cass this is so sweet, I love it.” Cass beamed; she liked it too. And she made Steph happy with it, maybe it really was lucky. Steph smiled wider, clasping her hand and dragging her out through the hall, running so she could slide behind her on the perfectly slippery floors.

And so, with whatever luck the cat could grant them, they were on their way to kicking butt at Just Dance. As the night wore on, laughs grew louder, and Cass was reminded again, how things had changed, but how change wasn’t always bad. The penthouse wasn’t as big as the Manor, and Gotham wasn’t as big as Hong Kong, but with her family, somehow her life seemed larger, and fuller again.

Things could have turned out better, but they could have been worse too. And they would get better. Much better, as long as they all stuck together. There would be more difficult conversations to be had, but it was reassuring, knowing that after all they’d been through, she still had her best friend by her side.

#my writing #Cassandra Cain #Cassandra Wayne #sorry was stuck in a Steph Cass mood after the crocs story #so this happened #actually nope not apologizing #I love them both romantically and platonically together #read whichever way you prefer

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