#The Outer Limits Reviews

[spryfilm]

Blu-ray Review: “The Outer Limits” (1963-1965)

[visplay]

Chris: The Ghost of Sierra de Cobre is a b/w mystery / horror tv movie made by Josef Stefano who made the original Outer Limits tv series, starring Martin Landau and Diane Baker from The Silence of the Lambs, this film is like an Outer Limits episode, it was intended to be a pilot for a series that never happened, interesting and a remake could be great, Watch: On Subscription Service.

Richie: It was interesting, it had good music, the dialogue was extremely cheesy at times, it was an odd film, not too long, it had some nice effects, Watch: On Subscription Service.

[beefrobeefcal]

what the hell is wrong with tim feat. Tim Rockford

Summary: Tim is not acting like himself...and there's a coffee shop with only one bathroom.

Tim Rockford x f!cop reader | Rating: 18+ (MDNI) | Word Count: 3,565

Content Warnings: sex pollen, bathroom privilege abuse, handsy Tim - willing reader, consent is given to the needy man, scared coffee shop worker, talk of crime scene, police, public sexual encounter, high-as-ball oral sex, tim is a cunning linguist, oral (f receiving), eye patch required, gross bathroom floor, forced orgasm, squirting

Author's Notes: This is only a thing bc of the potential badge i could have earned from @pedroscouts... I am not sorry for my vanity. This fic is dedicated to @goodwithcheese - i hope - if nothing else - you enjoy my take on Tim.

Thank you to @strang3lov3, @noxturnalpascal, @bitchesuntitled & @weregirlbyknight for their eyes and love. dividers made by @saradika-graphics

One line is dedicated to @covetyou. I'll let you find it.

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Tim had felt hazy and off since he’d left the warehouse. That was one of the weirdest drug busts he’d participated in, finding the offending parties sucking and jerking each other off and barely noticing that half the city’s police force was watching.

He was a reserved man. Many of his coworkers, past and present, had learned that his rough, quiet exterior was just the outer shell to a pensive, shy, overthinking loner. His routines kept him in line when a case had others wanting to pull their hair out, and his isolation and limited social life had him solving said cases quickly and without distractions.

You weren’t that much different from Tim, but you understood the inherent value of networking and getting to know your fellow officers. You had more of an extroverted nature, and seemed to be one of the few who could hold a conversation with Tim that wasn’t solely about whatever case either of you were working on at that moment – sometimes you discussed past cases and different kinds of coffee. Because of this, he’d developed a slight affinity for you that he kept deeply under wraps. 

He tried to shake off the weird, hot feeling that coursed through his body, as he walked down the hallway to his office at the precinct; his hand rubbed the back of his neck. He’d barely noticed you coming from the copy room, and you in turn had your head down as you reviewed files.

“Whoa, Rockford! Walk much?”, you exclaimed as your shoulder collided with his. He looked up and you could see something was off, placing your hand on his shoulder to steady him. “Hey, are you okay?”

He looked at you, feeling the heat in him crank up to 11, and swallowed like his mouth was dry. He nodded and responded in a hoarse voice, rubbing his eyes. “I’m… yeah, I just… I just need some coffee.”

“Uh-huh.” You didn’t believe him. Tim was a man of few words, but not normally were those few words also stilted. You moved your hand to his chin, forcing him to look at you.  “Are you drunk?”

Tim’s eyes met yours and there was no differentiating his pupils from his irises. Despite this, it still made your body react to his intense eye contact. He smiled although it seemed more loopy and intoxicated than what he normally offered you. “I wish. Might… might feel better than this. I… I jus’need some coffee…”

“Let’s get you some coffee.”, you said with a crooked smile. Your hand, after making direct contact with his skin on his chin, felt a slight tingling sensation. You wiped your hand on your jeans and lead Tim down the hallway. 

You’d ushered Tim out of the precinct and over to a coffee shop located in a hotel lobby nearby. This place had won out over any other coffee shop, given it was the closest, it was usually quiet this time of day, and he looked like he needed to get out of the office entirely.

Tim’s head was swimming, and he was sweating profusely even though your table was directly under the AC vent; your skin was erupting with goosebumps and Tim was practically melting, a flush creeping up his neck and sweat beading on his forehead. You felt for the guy, you really did, but you knew this wasn’t a case of him just needing coffee.

“I’m not trying to be mean or anything but… you look like shit. Are you on something?”

He sighed and rubbed his hands over his face, groaning. “I’m not on nothin’.”

You nodded, giving a non-committal uh-huh, not believing him, and the two of you continued to sit and sip in silence. The fingers that touched his chin still tingled, and you mindlessly rubbed the pads together, making the tingling extend up into your hand. You didn’t give it another thought; carpal tunnel syndrome was something you knew could come with desk work and it’s what you assumed this was. When you finished your cup and saw his was empty, too, you walked over to the counter to grab a second cup for Tim; even if coffee wasn’t the solution, he looked like he needed it.

Tim’s eyes followed you and as your back was to him, his mind swarmed with dark, delicious, and depraved thoughts as he stared at your backside. His feet were moving towards you before he realized he’d even gotten out of the chair; his hands gripped your waist and pushed you up against the counter, your back flush with his front.

“Tim!”, you yelped, trying to turn around to push him away, but his hold on you was firm.

He buried his nose in your hair and inhaled deeply and breathed out a deep growl, his hot breath cascading over your scalp, neck and shoulders. The woman behind the counter just watched, wide eyed, holding your two to-go cups of coffee. You offered a sheepish and awkward smile, trying to act as casual as you could manage and took the cups from her.

“Thank you!”, you said, cheerily, dragging Tim behind you. You wanted to leave, but with Tim all over you, the few steps back to the table were all you could muster.

You put the cups on a side table and pushed Tim off you. He fell back onto the chair heavily, still looking dazed.

You sat down on the other side of the table and glared at him, then your phone buzzed. You held a finger up to Tim, who was looking like he was starting to move towards you like a drugged bear, and hissed, “Stay put!”

A message from the precinct’s administrator, Sally, read:

You have Rockford with you? Is he acting weird? Daniels saw you leave with him. Other cops at the bust are being treated for non-lethal aphrodisiac intoxication. He should be fine but just watch out 😉

Closing your eyes and groaning, you tried to calm yourself; you couldn’t lose your cool when Tim was clearly so out of it. While you were deep in thought, your eyes still closed, you tapped the rounded corner of your cell phone on your head. And upon opening your eyes, you saw that Tim was gone. You looked around and heard a grunt from under the table.  

You leaned down and got a good look at Tim crawling over around the table’s pedestal. His wild and fried eyes met yours and before you could take control of the situation, Tim grabbed your ankle, his hand moving up under your pant leg.  

The cashier behind the counter cleared her throat and looked at you, silently asking if you were okay. You gave her a forced smile and nodded. “I’m… we’re fine!”

The cashier gave you a slow confused nod. Clearly, she didn’t believe you and was seconds away from probably calling the cops on this deranged man getting too handsy with this poor woman. You couldn’t let Tim be seen like this by your coworkers; the embarrassment would kill him.

“We’re… we’re rehearsing a play… and he’s drunk - he’s supposed to be drunk.”, you quickly spit out, forcing a laugh, as you tried to pull your leg away from his out-of-his-mind determination.

Another buzz! from your phone and the screen lit up with another message from Sally:

 And don’t make direct contact with his skin. 

You paused and stared at the screen, feeling a wave of warmth start from your head and roll down your body. You were brought back to reality for a moment when Tim’s hands tried to take off your shoe. 

“What the fuck are you doing?”, you hissed at him, keeping your voice low as to not draw too much attention. His blown out and dopey eyes looked up at you and you could see a bit of drool in one corner of his stupid grin. “Tim. What. The. Fuck.”

“You just… you smell… you smell so good…”, he groaned, biting and mouthing your knee through your pants.

You froze, your eyes wide. You couldn’t help the fuzzy sensation that was starting to grip your mind, making that heat bloom in your core. His hands were on your bare skin as he soaked your pant leg with his drool. Even though your brain felt like it was beginning to fill with marshmallows, you still had enough senses to realize what was happening and you tried to diffuse the situation. “Tim, did you take or ingest anything…  anything at that drug bust – “

“Need…”, he grunted, interrupting your questioning. His hands slid up your thighs and gripped your hips.

Tim’s head was getting dangerously close to your lap, his loud huffing and inhaling making it apparent where he was headed, his mouth leaving a drool path up your pant legs, and you needed to get control of the situation. You pulled yourself from his grip and stood up, stepping away from the table. You offered another sheepish, fake smile to the cashier, and leaned down to pull Tim up off the floor, eventually dragging him as he held on to your leg to the washroom near the backdoor of the coffee shop.

Getting into the washroom for you was one thing; trying to cajole Tim into standing up so you could get a better look at him under the fluorescent lights while your body was trying to pull you into a frenzied, horny abyss was completely different. 

Similar to a sedated toddler, Tim’s body was like a balloon filled with cooked spaghetti. No matter what hold you had on him, he seemed to be drawn to the floor like a pile of wet laundry, and eventually, he was trying to pull you down with him. 

“Tim, I need you t-”

“I need you, too…” he grunted, pulling himself up onto his knees with his grip on your hips.

His eyes were wild and fully black. You couldn’t help but see a bit of Mr. Burns when he’s drugged up on that episode of the Simpsons with the X-Files tie-in. As you were distracted in thought, he pushed you up against the sink counter and buried his face in your lap, the sound of his inhale obscene.

You squealed out, “TIM!”, and tried to shove him back, making contact with the bare, clammy skin of his neck. Your fingers tingled and your head felt light and fuzzy. Tim’s face contorted to that of a wild dog fighting for the last scrap of meat and he growled. Your body froze but your hazy brain didn’t give you the signal for fear; instead, you felt cautiously optimistic. His huge hands gripped the back of your thighs, pushing his face back into your crotch, and you seriously considered not stopping him this time.

Until your phone dinged repeatedly, bringing you back to reality. You managed to get your foot on Tim’s broad shoulder and kick him back while you fumbled in your pockets to find your phone. Tim landed on his back with a grunt, but, undeterred, he pulled himself up off the floor. You didn’t see it as you scanned the continual messages from Sally, telling you to bring him back to the precinct ASAP -  demanding to know where you were and telling you that this could become a volatile situation. Your brows furrowed, confusion at the messages still coming in, asking for a response…

You need to come in with Rockford NOW. He is not stable.  RESPOND NOW I PROMISE YOU THIS IS NOT THE TIME OR THE PLACE TO BE A HERO ROCKFORD IS COMPLIMENT FJCK FUCK I MEANT COMPROMISED. ROCKFORD IS COMPROMISED. YOU NEED TO TELL ME WHERE YOU ARE

Reading through the messages left you unprotected from Tim, as he stumbled towards you with a classic Kubrickian stare, grunting and panting and sweating. Before you could look up, he had you pinned up against the counter, his forehead against yours, his breath hotly washing over your mouth, and his hand planted on either side of you on the counter, caging you in. 

You stared at him, your wide eyes so close to his that he looked like a cyclops, your own breathing becoming more of a pant as his sweat dripped down your face. He smelled like he was sweating a high end cologne with a hint of pine needles.

“Is… is it getting ho-hotter in here?”, you croaked out, trying to say something - anything - to diffuse the situation.

Tim only grunted back, one of his large hands moving to your side, clumsily gripping your waist. He dug his fingers in and groaned as if this was the only thing that was going to get him through whatever psychotic episode he was currently in. 

You needed to get control of the situation. You cleared your throat and spoke in the most authoritative voice you could muster. ��Offic-”, you squeaked out before lowering your voice. “Officer Rockford. This is inappropriate on so many levels and I must ask tha-that you k-keep your hands to yours-”

“Wanna eat your fucking pussy.”

Although the words he spoke came out clearly in a grunt, it took you a moment to realize that THAT was what came out of his mouth. You silently mouthed the words back to him with a furrowed brow, trying to relay the message to your brain. Your pussy, despite having no ears, heard the message loud and clear, and chose violence by deciding to clear house and flood the basement.

He closed his eyes and inhaled, his forehead pressing into yours, and let out a deep grumble of a grunt. 

“I can -”, he shuddered out in a growl. “Fuck me gently, Jack - I can smell her…”

You could only let out a whimper and watch helplessly as he grabbed and pulled you to the floor, The slightly off-white tiles with stained grout were of no consequence once he had you down there. He crawled up your body like you imagined a drunk crocodile would lumber across a beach and his feverish body heat radiated off him. You felt like you were under a heating lamp, or under the spotlight during an interrogation, and he was trying to sweat a confession out of you. Your brain swirled with ideas and thoughts - all of them major HR violations - but you couldn’t bring yourself to care. Tim sat up on your thighs and hands were sluggishly - yet deliberately - pulling at your belt and your standard issue detective dress pants, trying to get them open. You didn’t stop him, Instead, you gazed up at him; he was a vision. His white dress shirt was translucent with how drenched in sweat he was and the perfectly coiffed curls on his head were limp and dangling, wet and dripping. His face was flushed, and his neck - oh fuck, his neck - it was glistening; you watched one bead of sweat make its journey from his patchy beard all the way to join its brethren in making his shirt wetter. 

Your head felt like it was under water, sounds muffled, but you did hear the sound of fabric ripping, and you watched his hands rip open your pants, no longer able to wait for the slow burn of a zipper being pulled down. 

Everything moved in slow motion for you, like whatever had affected Tim had seeped into your bloodstream and you were both on a magical journey together on a hotel coffee shop’s bathroom floor. In a whirlwind that moved at a snail’s pace, Tim managed to stand up and pull your pants off, but didn’t make it over your shoes. Much like Peter Pan’s shadow, your ripped open pants laid on the floor, inside out, still covering your feet. Your underwear didn’t fare any better as he balled up the front of them in one fist and yanked them off your body, leaving deliciously red welts on your hips. If you cared, you didn’t realize it. 

He snarled and brought the shredded remains of your panties to his face and inhaled. He grunted and mouthed them like he was a man starved, and the sounds he made were euphoric. 

His large palm came down and clumsily stabilized himself next to you as he knelt down between your open thighs, grunting and snorting. Your hands shakily moved to his head and you felt his wet curls pull through your fingers, leaving your hands slick from his sweat and melted hair wax. His head moved down between your thighs as his hands brutishly pushed them up and apart.

The sound of his breaths panting out against the wet crux of your thighs was obscene and loud and so insanely hot, and above his sounds you swore you heard the angels weeping in envy as soon as his nose pushed against you into your folds. He groaned through his open mouth as his wide, flat tongue laved over your fluttering hole; his nose pressed tightly against your twitching nub, and you squeaked out a whine in response. 

“So… fucking… good…”

His timbre and tone was deep enough that the vibrations alone pushed you closer to the edge and you let out a gasping moan. Tim pushed you, gripping the underside of your thighs, up onto your upper back as he got up on his knees, butting them against you. He shoved more of his face than should have been possible between your legs and opened his mouth wide and licked his tongue in your hole, like a teenager French kissing for the first time. If anyone had walked in, you swear they would have assumed that Tim had the most perverse-looking bong and he couldn't stop taking hits off it. The sounds you made were muffled and distorted from the angle he had you at as his nose repeatedly pressed against your clit, bumping and smashing it as he sucked the life out of you through your pussy.

“Tim!”, you panted out. “Oh fuck!”

He groaned a response, unintelligible due to his tongue being out and his face being buried, but you could have sworn he said, “I know, right?”

The white hot coil that had been slowly tightening over the past hour suddenly snapped and you screamed out, involuntarily trying in vain to arch your back. Tim held you firm and kept pressing his fucking nose into your clit and fucking you with his tongue. It was almost too much, and you screeched and writhed as much as you could, your hands gripping his arms and digging your nails in. Your whole body felt like it had been set on fire and it was consuming you. 

But he didn’t let up. There was no respite, no chance for you to take a breath and reset. Another orgasm came crashing through you and then another one right on top of it. Through them all Tim kept going. And going and going, and you didn’t know any longer when one climax started and another began. 

Tim held you firm in his arms, his large hands splayed out on your belly as your legs tensed and flexed over his shoulders. All you could do was hang on and scream while he devoured you over and over and rocked his hips against your back.

You swore you couldn’t handle anymore. Whatever drug or intoxication Tim had gifted to you was wearing off and you didn’t think your body could handle another mind altering orgasm. But he kept going, forcing another one out of you as he grunted and bucked and rutted against you faster and faster. 

He let out an animalistic groaning growl into your pussy

The feeling in your lower belly was different this time. The build up was greater than before as his nose pressed harder and he panted into you while tongue fucking your hole. You felt the urge to let go as that coil released again and Tim simultaneously pressed his crotch to you and wailed out as a warmth bled over your back. He lifted his drenched face from you just enough with a high pitched moan that when you squirted, it got him square in the eye.

You don’t know how long you both laid on that bathroom floor. Your limbs felt heavy, like they were filled with concrete, and Tim didn’t seem to be faring any better. When you were finally able to catch your breath, you groggily sat up and looked at the carnage that was Tim; his whole body was shaking and the front of his navy blue dress pants were wet - not damp, not moist -  and there seemed to be liquid pulsing still from his crotch.

“Tim - .”, you called out, but your voice was hoarse. 

His head rose and he looked at you, dazed. 

“What in the heck - “, he groaned as he sat up, rubbing his eye. When he brought his hand down to wipe his face, his eye looked red and irritated. 

You both looked each other over and no further words were said as you pulled yourselves together. You left the coffee shop still straightening your clothes, not making eye-contact with any of the employees.

After taking a desperately needed long weekend, you returned to work. Walking in, you saw your coworkers and everyone behaved as if nothing had happened. Until Tim came into the morning meeting with an eyepatch on.

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[aesthet]

Love Brew 𓏊 ๋࣭°

Childe x fem!reader, aphrodisiac, top!childe, pet names; sweet cheeks, hun and girlie, light swearing

︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦

When you heard the news that a researcher founded a new invention that causes excitement in the lower region of your body, of course you're intrigued. And so, you read the papers that has big bold letters that say

"𝑹𝑬𝑺𝑬𝑨𝑹𝑪𝑯𝑬𝑹 𝑭𝑶𝑼𝑵𝑫𝑬𝑫 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑳 𝑳𝑰𝑭𝑬 𝑳𝑶𝑽𝑬 𝑷𝑶𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵"

This title alone is crazy in itself, so coming from the trusted source being the Steambird you read it. The newspaper explains that an Amurta researcher accidentally came across a kind of flower that is able to make people aroused and this flower acts as the activator of the 'Love Brew' that gives excitement to the people who drinks it. Though it's still in the works, it's not the final and not the strongest product, the researcher admits that they want to test the waters and decided to sell a limited batch and distribute it.

After reading this, you can't help but get reminded of a certain orange haired man that you dearly loved. So while he was away to deal with some clients at the Northland Bank, you managed to get your hands on the bottle of the brew while the both of you are in Liyue.

Time passes by and the both of you returned to Wangshu Inn, and as soon as you stepped through the door of you and Ajax's room, you tell Ajax about your recent purchase. "Hey, Ajax" he closes the door as he begins to take off his outer layer of clothing. "Yeah? What's wrong, hun?" You pulled out the box from your bag and put it on the table, he tilted his head seeing the box. Seeing his reaction you can't help but smirk and open the box, beneath all the pink and white confetti sat a beautiful glass bottle with gold vine markings and a heart shaped lid, inside is filled with a glittery pink liquid that glistens under the light of your room in Wangshu Inn.

You put the bottle on the table beside the window and present it to him with a small 'ta-da~'. He chuckles at you and goes over to you, picking up the bottle and wrapping his arm around your waist "What's this? did you bought it in the market today?" you smiled seeing him examining the bottle in his hand "Yeah, it's a Love brew! a researcher from Sumeru found it, they said on the.." you continue to explain to him about what you read on the newspaper.

As he listens, he opens the bottle and takes a sniff. His nose is hit with a very sweet and floral smell, a mixture of berries, fruits and-

'Is that mint?' he thought to himself before snapping back to the real world after hearing you call out his name for the third time. "Did you listen to the last part?" you put your hands on your hips when he laughs awkwardly and scratching the back of his neck.

You sighed and repeat your words "Okay, so this potion isn't the final formula" he holds the bottle in front of his face, examining the glittery liquid "It isn't?" you nod "Why's that?" you take the bottle from his hand "It's still testing- a prototype, I suppose. It has a limited stock too" he nods, by then he smirked when an idea popped into his mind. "However" you cut off his thoughts by putting a finger in front of his face "the potion still works, but it isn't guaranteed. This bottle is enough for two people, so to put it simply, this potion has a 50/50 percent chance. Either you don't feel bothered at all or you feel an unbearable amount of heat and-" "excitement?" he smirks as he towers over you with hooded eyes.

"Uhm- yes, so are you up for it? We can leave a review once we're-" before you can finish his sentence, he pulls out two tea cups that was already in the room. He sits down across you and puts his arm on the table "Bring it on" your eyes widen but you can't help but chuckle, you then stand up to close the window beside the both of you for some privacy.

"Do you want to drink this whole? or add some tea or maybe water?" he looks at the bags of complimentary teas behind him and looks back at you "What's the fun in that?" he teased. You laugh at his competitiveness and poured for the both of you. After taking a breath you finally drink it, when the liquid enters your mouth and hits your tongue, you're hit with a sweet taste that also has a slight mint to it. It's almost addicting..

"Damn, that was good" he hums after chugging it all "Yeah, i wish it's just a regular drink and not a literal horny drug" you lick the left over potion on your lips. You then read the small instructions paper "It says wait for about two minutes" he hummed "Wanna place a bet?" he smirks, and this piqued your interest, placing down the instruction paper, you fold your arms over your chest "Go on" he then smiles widely "If the potion takes effect on you.." he trails off, pretending to think "You're not done until I'm satisfied" hearing this, you nod.

"If the potion chose you" you put fingers on your chin "I'll tie you up with my red rope" he barks out a laugh. "What? there's no way you actually bring-" you cut him off by pulling the red rope from your bag His face drops and his cheeks redden "My my, you got me. I didn't know you're so freaky" he teased. "Says you, you were the one who brought home the new Fontaine 'massager'. I admit, I really did believe for a second that it was a massager, until i saw the sucking part" now it's his turn to fold his arms. His muscles flexing, 'aren't those sleeves too small? when did he rolled them up? Did he start working on those arms more?' your train of thought was stopped after hearing his chuckle.

shit, he caught you staring..

You cleared your throat and looked away "Aw, did the potion affected you already? that quick?" he cooed, slightly leaning to the table and thus making his pecs stick out. When he leaned in, you almost gasped but managed to hold back, he smirked even more when he noticed you staring at his chest. The buttons do look like they're holding onto dear life "Eyes up here, sweet cheeks" he said.

You feel your cheeks warm up, you tried to laugh it off and joke about how big his tits are "Did you switch out your normal shirt? it looks tighter than usual" he tilts his head "Hm? but this is my regular shirt, i always buy them in the same size" oh-shit.. he's got you cornered "Oh.. really?" you laugh awkwardly as you feel your body starting to warm up.

Ajax noticed you moving in your seat and he smirks "𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮" he said in a deeper tone 'was his voice always this sexy?' you thought. "You alright there, girlie?" you look up at him that's now standing in front of you "Oh..yeah-of course!, why wouldn't I?" you laugh nervously, as you scratch the back of your neck as he looks down on you with hooded eyes an that familiar gaze.

"What?already? seems like i won this time-" his words are cut off when you begin fanning yourself and bouncing your feet in your seat. "What's happening?" you managed to squeak out "Hm? don't you remember?" his lips curled into a wide smirk. "You bought the potion..and we drank it with no added dr-" "I know! it's just so-" beads of sweat trickle down your neck as you try to play it cool "Is it hot in here? are you hot? I mean you are hot, i mean-" he broke into a fit of laughter after hearing you stuttering.

"Thank you, sweet cheeks" his gaze, playful. "Say. why don't I help you cool off, after all you lost didn't you?" and all you did was just let out a groan of his name "Alright alright, let me help you, yeah?".

︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦

As soon as he made that offer, you immediately kissed his delicious lips. A breathy chuckle comes out of his mouth as your tongue wrestles with his, you then push him onto the bed and climb on to him.

"So hot...too warm" you whimpered as you take off your clothes with him doing the same but doing it slowly, teasing you. "I didn't know the potion can make you incredibly sweaty too" he teases "Oh shut it" you click your tongue. Seeing this Ajax grinned widely and pull you by your waist, placing you on top of him. Your chests touch each other and your hole is dripping with pre cum as you grind on his boxers, wetting it too. You reached out to touch the big bulge hiding underneath the last piece of clothing that he's wearing as you let out small pants, begging for him to fill you up already. "I didn't know you can be so needy" he pulls down his boxers and his dick grazes your pussy slightly and you let out a small whine "I like it" he says and rubs his tip at your entrance. You grind back, trying to get his dick in, only to be slapped in the ass by his rough hands. You let out a pathetic moan from the sting, and without warning he immediately pushes himself in you, making you gasp loudly.

"So desperate" he begins moving his hips, as you grab on to his shoulders. "So whiny" he says between pants, holding your hips in place and occasionally moving them to meet his thrusts "So cute" he then goes faster and deeper than before, making your eyes widen as you let out a loud moan. You clawed his shoulder "A-ajax! s-slow down agh-" you were cut off by a harsh spank given to your right cheek "Nuh uh" he rasped out as you lean your head into the crook of his neck with drool leaking out of your mouth and onto the sheets.

He's abusing that soft spot inside you that has you seeing stars. Not to mention, he's quite thick and because of that it's easy for him to reach every spot in you with ease. After rubbing against that sweet spot multiple times Ajax feels your walls grow tighter around him, making him let out a deep groan. "You're squeezing me s-so tight, sweet cheeks" he grabs your ass to use them as handles "Let loose will ya?" he said, breathless and desperate. You shook your head 'no', "You're too de-ep! wah-" he pushed his foot against the bed, thus making a leverage for him to push himself quicker and sloppier into you.

You let out a cry when he did that, holding on to his shoulders and scratching them in the process. Your vision begin to blur as your orgasm approaches, you whined out his name and he pants your name "Let it out for me- give it to me, come on girlie i know you can do it" you tried your best to not be too loud but the way Ajax moved his hips, the task at hand is proven to be impossible.

With tear filled eyes and a loud moan, you finally came and not long after Ajax does too. After the both of you catch breaths, Ajax pats your head and kisses your forehead but as Ajax's breaths start to become normal, you start grinding your hips against his dick that's still inside you. Even though you're filled already, you need more. "It's still hot..so hot" she mumbled as if she's in a trance of some sorts. She then sat up, bouncing on him. This forces out a gasp out of the Harbringer, he then lets out an amused chuckle "Well I did say you're not done until i said so" he chokes on his groans "But from the looks of it-ah~" he said between whimpers "It seems like I'm the one who lost the bet" you continued to bounce on him, losing yourself on the Harbringer's cock until the heat subsides.

︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦

I never wrote for Childe, this is my first ever time writing about him. I hope you (Childe stans/fans) enjoy it. I was feeling a little silly writing this, don't mind me hihi

Also, I want to ask. Would you guys be intrigued by the idea of a weeping angel but instead it's those horse statue enemies in genshin that eventually bangs you. Would you guys want that? Comment down below, if u want to see it

also, free palestine y'all🍉

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved in our archive

By John Flint

A landmark study has found the virus that causes COVID-19 accumulates and persists in the body - especially the brain - for years after infection.

The international team of scientists believe what they have discovered can help explain long COVID.

The research builds on other studies showing the invasiveness of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the long-term implications.

“Using optical clearing and imaging, we observed the accumulation of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in the skull-meninges-brain axis of human COVID-19 patients, persisting long after viral clearance,” the study authors reported in leading biomedical journal Cell Host and Microbe last week.

Meninges are three layers of membranes that cover and protect the brain and spinal cord.

Infectious disease experts in Australia have acclaimed the peer-reviewed study.

Professor Brendan Crabb, Director and CEO of the Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health in Melbourne said the study underlined the need to treat COVID more seriously.

“This work uses cutting edge imaging technology to see things (molecules and cellular structures) to a resolution not achieved before in and around the brains of people infected with SARS-Cov-2 and mice infected with a version of SARS-Cov-2 modified to (infect) mice.

“The virus moves around the body, elegantly confirming what we already know.

“This paper shows that the virus, and especially shed spike protein, can persist around the brain for a long period of time, driving a pathological inflammatory response. This is proposed as a likely cause of the neurological symptoms people with acute and long forms of COVID experience.

“Although not without limitations, this works adds substantially to a large body of work that says COVID enters via the respiratory tract but goes into your bloodstream and so quickly moves around the body accessing many tissues, including the outer regions of the brain.

“Virus in this brain region likely persists and seemingly sheds spike protein which can be further neuro-invasive and persist even longer, (for) years even. This spike persistence is pathological, driving inflammatory responses that have likely consequences for proper brain functioning, such as memory, cognition and neurodegenerative diseases.”

“Next time you think of dismissing COVID as just another annoying common cold it may pay to visualise what you see so starkly in this paper, the virus moving freely around your body and finding a long-term home in all sorts of places where it can really cause trouble, including the brain and the heart,” Prof Crabb, who’s on the board of the WA-based Kids Research Institute Australia, added.

“This work further emphasises the need for individuals, and societies as a whole to take this infection more seriously and try and reduce the amount of transmission using the tools we currently have, most especially vaccination, clean indoor air approaches and well-fitted masks in crowded and poorly ventilated indoor settings.”

“It also showed mRNA spike-based vaccines are protective against spike accumulating in the brain periphery, consistent with what we already know about their protective effect in long COVID.”

Perth long COVID sufferer Melissa Challenor has been sick for two years.

“It’s not getting any better for me,” she said on Friday. “People like me are not making shit up. It’s in our brains, it’s in our bodies, it’s in our organs.

“I’m still being seen by the senior neuro physio at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital who’s been amazing, but now he’s sort of going, ‘Well, where do I refer you? Do I refer you to the Parkinson’s people? Do I refer you to the dementia people?’ Because the neurological symptoms are really quite bad.”

In a commentary published by the Medical Journal of Australia two weeks, researchers from the Burnet Institute said long COVID may be driven by “long infection” and that persistent replicating SARS‐CoV‐2 may be the “unifying driver for long COVID”.

The institute’s Dr Michelle Scoullar said studies had found traces of the virus in many tissues, blood and the gut well after an initial infection.

“We know vaccines can reduce the risk of long COVID, but if the virus continues to be active, antiviral treatments could be a potential treatment for long COVID and might even offer a cure,” she said.

“By prioritising prevention, advancing treatments, and improving access to vaccines, we can take significant steps toward addressing the global challenge of long COVID.”

In the United States, about 5.5 per cent of people infected with COVID experience long-term health effects, including fatigue, muscle pain, and impaired cognitive function.

A recent study demonstrated a lowering of IQ by six points in individuals with long COVID relative to unaffected individuals. Individuals with mild acute infection showed a three‐point drop in IQ. Children can also get long COVID. A US study in August reported symptoms in 6-to-11 year-olds were different to those for adolescents.

Researchers at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine found that “younger children were more likely to experience a cluster of symptoms relating to stomach and digestive problems, and another characterised by sleep and memory/focus issues, while adolescents had a cluster dominated by change in smell or taste.”

Long COVID also carries an economic burden in terms of lost labour hours. It cost the Australian economy about $9.6 billion in 2022, a study by The Kirby Institute at the University of NSW, reported.

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Inside Climate News:

The buildout of renewable energy projects in downstate New York—the region that includes the Hudson Valley and below—is often complicated. The space for these projects is limited, particularly in New York City, and they’re often expensive. 

Though an approach of smaller battery storage and solar projects could inch the state closer to its ambitious renewable energy goals, it must be complemented by utility-scale renewable energy generation. 

That’s where Empire Wind 1, the first project in a massive buildout of offshore wind off the coast of Long Island, came in. The project, which was granted a lease from the federal government in 2017, promised to create over 1,500 jobs and ultimately power 500,000 homes by building 54 wind turbines. 

On Wednesday, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum instructed the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to halt all construction on the project “until further review of information that suggests the Biden administration rushed through its approval without sufficient analysis.”

Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump has expressed strong opposition to offshore wind energy, saying he would not support “big, ugly windmills” that threaten wildlife. In February, his administration fired National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration employees who were monitoring the impacts of offshore wind projects on marine wildlife.

On his first day in office, President Trump signed an executive order that withdrew all parts of the Outer Continental Shelf from new or renewed offshore leasing activity and suspended the approval process for all new onshore and offshore wind projects. The executive order also directed a review of all existing offshore leases, with termination possible. 

A spokesperson for Equinor, the Norwegian energy company behind Empire Wind 1, said construction will halt on the project. Empire Offshore Wind LLC, the limited liability company in charge of the project, is “engaging with relevant authorities to clarify this matter and is considering its legal remedies, including appealing the order,” the spokesperson said in email.

The Trump administration’s stop work order could have important ramifications for New York State’s climate goals and the growth of green job opportunities in the downstate region. Around 44 percent of New York city’s census tracts are home to low-income communities who have experienced a disproportionate amount of negative impacts from pollution. 

[jacethebeltsculptor]

Outer Wilds Expedition Log #3

Since I've discovered people find these tremendously entertaining, I figured I'd continue journaling my expedition into the Outer Wilds here on Tumblr. Where we last left off, I'd just made my first few runs to Space Florida (Giant's Deep), gave Frog NASA's resident slacker a scathing peer review, found some hints on how quantum objects work and how I might go about locating that ghost moon that allegedly exists. I also had some theories about what happened to the Nomai which didn't pan out that I'll get into in a moment. After my first few runs to Giant's Deep, I discovered that both my spaceship and space suit function as a submersible and diving suit as well. I'm not well-educated enough to know if the physics of that check out or not, but either way, I think I might've not given Outer Wilds engineering team enough credit. This was a game-changer to me, since basically the first thing I did when I booted up the tutorial was throw myself down a geyser in the name of scientific interest. Despite allegedly being aquatic, I drowned pretty quickly, but I noticed evidence of a camp being down there. This, combined with the dude on the moon mentioning that Feldspar's signal was broadcasting from Timber Heath, really piqued my interest. I spent a loop just exploring the geysers as best I could, but the caves didn't seem to lead down to the core of the planet or anything, and once I was down there, I realized Feldspar's signal was coming from somewhere on the surface. I did, however, find old Nomai writing which remarks on observing a nascent aquatic species, which dashes my theories that the Forerunners Nomai evolved into the player's species over millions of years, explaining their disappearance. I managed to do this without drowning, which is a rare show of competence from me. After that, I made me way up to the surface to look into that seed from DARBIS (Darkness and Relative Bramble In Space) that coincidentally seemed to have Feldspar's signal coming from it. Shockingly, it's bigger on the inside. So, gonna have to visit Dark Bramble at some point to figure that one out. Then, I took a nice cozy position on the observation deck to watch the supernova in peace- a lovely, sentimental gesture that I utterly screwed the pooch on due to the planet turning to face the other way. Despite having active investigations going on 2.5 different planets, I decided that I was done being afraid of the sun and decided to check out those two paired planets orbiting it. Once I was there, I noticed something closely orbiting the sun itself, so I decided to be a badass and land on that instead. I failed and got burned to a crisp. On my next loop, I went to visit the Twins. I originally landed on Ash Twin, but after finding nothing of note, I- in my endless foresight and wisdom- decided to just jump to Ember Twin. This led to me to breaking both of my shins and storing my femurs in my lungs, but did not kill me. Immediately, anyway. I started by finding the crashed escape pod below and working my way through the caves, before dying at the entrance to the safe zone by jetpacking my way straight into a cactus and losing the last of my blood. Now, I'm only about halfway through my last play session- you know, the part where nothing gets accomplished- but I'm apparently reaching Tumblr's character limit, so I'm going to have to split this into a whole separate post. Which is probably good, because there should and ought to be a legal limit to how much stupidity should be allowed in one post. Until next time, Tumblrites!

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Mike Luckovich

* * * *

We have every reason to be hopeful, but no reason to be complacent

April 2, 2025

Robert B. Hubbell

From 2017 through 2024, I frequently used the closing tagline, “We have every reason to be hopeful, but no reason to be complacent.” I haven’t used that closing since Kamala Harris’s loss on November 5, 2024—because I feared that readers would react negatively to the optimism in the statement.

As of Tuesday evening, it is appropriate to resurrect the long-standing, optimistic closing. Between the Florida and Wisconsin election results and Senator Cory Booker’s astounding filibuster in the Senate, everyone who values the rule of law should be looking forward to 2026 and 2028 with new confidence and hope.

Indeed, the electoral results in Florida and Wisconsin were so strong that Democrats have reason to hope for relief long before 2026. Dozens of Republicans who won their 2024 races by less than 15 points should reconsider their unquestioning commitment to Trump and Musk. The American people have given Republicans a job review that is tantamount to a “second warning” before termination.

The electoral results in Florida are encouraging despite the losses by Democrats seeking to flip seats in the House. Although votes are still being counted, it appears that both Josh Weil (FL 06) and Gay Valimont (FL 01) cut in half the 2024 winning margins of the Republicans who vacated those seats (NSA Mike Waltz and failed US Attorney nominee Matt Gaetz). Politico, Republicans win — but underperform — in both Florida special elections. The Florida results reflect the surge of voter anti-Trump-Doge-Musk sentiment sweeping the nation.

Susan Crawford’s successful bid for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court is encouraging on many levels.

First, it is a tremendous victory for the people of Wisconsin, who can heave a collective sigh of relief that their civil liberties will be protected by an enlightened state supreme court that will adhere to the rule of law. Second, we have witnessed the outer limits of the corrupting influence of Musk’s obscene and malign fortune. Musk invested $25 million in his attempt to buy a seat on the Wisconsin supreme court—an investment that does not include payments to Wisconsin voters for performing a civic duty. Third, Susan Crawford’s resounding victory serves as a strong rebuke to the lawless policies and mean-spirited, rapacious dismantling of social services and intellectual treasure of the federal government that protects the health and safety of all Americans. Fourth, Susan Crawford’s strong win serves as a personal rebuke of Elon Musk, who lacked the self-awareness to understand that injecting himself into the race hurt the GOP candidate and boosted Susan Crawford’s prospects. As an added bonus, Musk will forever be branded as a loser in Trump's eyes. And the photo of Musk awkwardly leaping into the air wearing a cheese-hat will be his legacy.

For an excellent analysis of why Musk is the “biggest loser” in Wisconsin on Tuesday evening, see Dan Moynihan’s discussion in To the Contrary, The Biggest Loser in Wisconsin.

Moynihan writes,

Musk’s candidate lost by about 10 points. In Wisconsin terms, that is a landslide. By contrast, a GOP-backed referendum to add voter ID to the constitution, intended to boost Schmiel, passed. Dems won a less visible race, for State Superintendent for education, but only by about five percent even with an incumbent candidate. All signs suggest that Musk was a drag, rather than a boost, to the candidate he invested so much personal and financial capital into. [¶¶] The change in the national mood is real. Sometimes political leaders direct followers, and sometimes they are directed by their followers. And right now, voters are angry and want pushback against the Trump-Musk agenda.

All in, it was a very good day for Democrats.

In the Senate, Cory Booker’s 25-hour speech from the floor of the Senate was in equal measure majestic and poignant, plain-spoken and brilliant, fiery and tender. He gave Democrats a reason to hope about the future of the resistance in the Democratic Party. Rather than whining about “being the minority” and “having no legislative power,” he used his only political asset: His voice.

And did he ever use his voice! Senator Booker did what desperate Democrats have been begging their leaders to do: Speak up, make good trouble, raise a ruckus, and rally the faithful! Senator Booker did so in a way that surpassed everyone’s expectations. It was his finest moment.

Senator Booker ended his speech with these words:

This is a moral moment. It is not left or right. It is right or wrong. Let’s get in good trouble. Madame President, I yield the floor.

The above closing was delivered after 25 hours of non-stop “on-his-feet” filibustering. An obviously exhausted Senator Booker nonetheless delivered an emotional and powerful closing. See ABC News / YouTube, Cory Booker ends record-breaking Senate speech with tribute to late John Lewis.

By daring to step into a leadership role in the resistance, Senator Booker is now the Senate Minority Leader in all but name only. Chuck Schumer should do the right thing and step aside.

And Senator Booker has placed himself at the head of the Democratic presidential pack for 2028. Good! Senator Booker’s historic effort should motivate other Democrats to engage in bolder, more aggressive pushback than has been the status quo in Congress to date.

And there is evidence that Democrats understand that more leadership is needed from everyone in the party. They are establishing a “Social Security war room” to help coordinate efforts to stop the GOP’s secret plan to gut Social Security. See Axios, Senate Democrats to launch Social Security war room. (“Senate Democrats will launch a war room Tuesday dedicated to fighting back against the Department of Government Efficiency's cuts to Social Security.”)

As Senator Booker was speaking on the Senate floor, House Democrats were holding a “shadow hearing” on the Republican assault on Social Security. See WNEM Michigan, Democrats hold hearing on Social Security. And Senators Warren and Schumer held a press conference in which they assailed the GOP stealth plan to dismantle Social Security.

In another welcome sign of resistance on Tuesday, Senator Adam Schiff announced that he is placing a hold on the confirmation of acting US Attorney Ed Martin in the District of Columbia. See Statement: Sen. Schiff Announces Hold on D.C. U.S. Attorney Nominee Ed Martin.

Senator Schiff said the following in announcing the hold:

No one embodies Donald Trump’s personal weaponization of the Justice Department more than Ed Martin. He is unfit to serve as a lawyer, let alone one with the resources – and cover from the Senate – to further twist the power of the law and law enforcement to go after Americans who stand up for the rule of law and for our democracy. With all of the power I am afforded as a United States Senator, I intend to place a hold on his nomination and block attempts to jam through his appointment at every stage.”

That’s exactly what we need from Senate Democrats—and more of it!

While Republicans may ultimately be able to overcome Senator Schiff’s hold, it will consume significant time and effort, while giving all Senate Democrats a platform on the floor to attack Ed Martin.

All of the above suggests that Americans are disgusted with Trump's agenda of revenge and destruction. Despite the reasons for hope, we cannot be complacent. Instead, we must redouble our efforts. Trump isn’t letting up despite his losses on Tuesday. We must not let up either. But we should move forward with a new spring in our step and confidence in our hearts!

Trump continues the cuts that fueled the GOP's weak electoral showing on Tuesday

Even as voters punish and warn Trump and Musk to stop their dismantling of government programs, Trump continues his rampage unabated.

On Wednesday, Trump will announce a new round of tariffs, which will likely inject new uncertainty into the stock markets (never a good thing for stock prices). See The Guardian, Trump set to announce new round of tariffs on his so-called ‘liberation day’.

And the tariffs follow massive layoffs and forced retirements across Health and Human Services. The cuts will approximate 25% of HHS’s staff—which account for less than 1% of its budget. See AP, Mass layoffs are underway at the nation's public health agencies.

The cuts will affect the FDA, NIH, and CDC. See AP, Here's where jobs and programs are being cut at the nation's top health agencies.

According to a report from Rachel Maddow on Tuesday evening (which I cannot independently verify), the HHS cuts will close all HHS programs that provide care and support for Alzheimer’s victims and their families. If true, this is a particularly cruel and heartless move, especially given that the savings will be converted into tax cuts for billionaires and millionaires.

These cuts—and more to come—will continue to fuel the resistance to larger scale and greater involvement by Americans. That resistance will eventually stop Trump’s campaign of revenge and destruction.

Law Firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher surrenders to Trump

The law firm of Willkie Farr & Gallagher surrendered in advance to Trump, agreeing to work for Trump for free while dismantling diversity and inclusion programs. Willkie Farr is the law firm where Kamala Harris’s husband works. See Reuters, Doug Emhoff's law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher reaches deal with Trump.

The law firm released a statement saying that it would donate $100 million of pro bono legal services to areas specified by Trump that, inter alia, reflect “conservative ideals.”

Per the firm’s press release,

Willkie’s pro bono Committee will ensure that new pro bono matters are consistent with these objectives, and that pro bono activities represent the full political spectrum, including Conservative ideals.

Trump should have NO role in determining which clients Wilkie Farr represents. Willkie Farr’s surrender to Trump is disgraceful.

And in case Doug Emhoff doesn’t realize what just happened, Willkie Farr has fired him by making it impossible for him to stay. He should have quit before the deal was announced. The sooner he quits the firm, the better for all concerned.

Concluding Thoughts.

It was a good day—and there will be more to come. We arrived at this pivotal moment because you raised your voices in protest and resistance. You should be proud of yourselves! Take a moment to reflect on what we have accomplished.

For the first time in five months, I feel confident in saying, “We have every reason to be hopeful, but no reason to be complacent.”

[Robert B. Hubbell Newletter]

[truevedicastrology]

Retrograde Realities

🌠🔄 Cosmic Backspins and Their Astrological Impact 🪐✨

You've probably heard someone blame Mercury retrograde for their latest mishap, but did you know that all planets (except the Sun and Moon) go retrograde? Let's dive into this fascinating astrological phenomenon!

What is Retrograde? 🤔 Retrograde is when a planet appears to move backwards in its orbit from our perspective on Earth. It's an optical illusion caused by differences in orbital speeds, but astrologically, it's so much more!

🪐 The Major Players and Their Retro Rhythms:

Mercury ☿

Frequency: 3-4 times a year

Duration: About 3 weeks

Themes: Communication, technology, travel

Effects: Misunderstandings, tech glitches, travel delays

Venus ♀️

Frequency: Every 18 months

Duration: About 40 days

Themes: Love, beauty, finances

Effects: Relationship re-evaluations, financial reconsiderations

Mars ♂️

Frequency: Every 2 years

Duration: About 2.5 months

Themes: Energy, action, desire

Effects: Frustration, misdirected energy, reviewing goals

Jupiter ♃

Frequency: Annually

Duration: About 4 months

Themes: Growth, luck, expansion

Effects: Introspection, philosophical reassessment

Saturn ♄

Frequency: Annually

Duration: About 4.5 months

Themes: Structure, responsibility, limitations

Effects: Karmic lessons, restructuring life areas

Uranus ⛢

Frequency: Annually

Duration: About 5 months

Themes: Innovation, rebellion, sudden changes

Effects: Internal revolutions, unexpected insights

Neptune ♆

Frequency: Annually

Duration: About 5 months

Themes: Dreams, intuition, illusion

Effects: Heightened creativity, spiritual awakenings

Pluto ♇

Frequency: Annually

Duration: About 5 months

Themes: Transformation, power, rebirth

Effects: Deep psychological changes, unearthing hidden truths

🔍 The Retrograde Lowdown:

It's not all bad! Retrogrades are times for the "Re-" words: Reflect, Reassess, Revise, Redo.

Personal planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars) tend to have more noticeable effects in daily life.

Outer planet retrogrades (Jupiter through Pluto) often bring more subtle, long-term changes.

Your birth chart might have retrograde planets - these influence your personality uniquely!

💡 Pro Tip: Check which house in your natal chart the retrograde is happening in. This shows which area of life will be most affected!

🌈 Retrograde Survival Guide:

Don't panic! Retrogrades are natural cycles.

Use the energy for introspection and review.

Be patient with delays and miscommunications.

Avoid starting major new projects if possible.

Double-check important documents and communications.

Take time for self-care and reflection.

🤔 Food for Thought:

How have you experienced retrogrades in your life?

Do you notice differences between various planetary retrogrades?

Any personal stories of retrograde challenges or breakthroughs?

Remember, retrogrades aren't cosmic curses - they're opportunities for growth and realignment. Embrace the backward dance of the planets and see where it leads you! 🌠💃

[toddhowardh8r]

I Need the Elderscrolls fandom to listen to me!!

“tHe DwEmEr DidInT zERo sUm bEcaUsE ThERes sTilL eVIdenCe oF ThEiR eXisTANCe”

YES THEY DID OMG DID EVERYONE COLLECTIVELY FORGET ABOUT YAGRUM BAGARN???

Yagrum was on a plane of oblivion when the disappearance happened and he himself said he has speculation but no actual idea what happened BECAUSE HE WASNT THERE!!! The only rational way almost all except ONE Dwemer disappeared would be zero summing. The logical Dwemer found out about the tower, the dream and just *poofed* after tampering with the heart of lorkhan because they realized they didn’t exist. All the city’s in Skyrim and morrowind are famous ones that Yagrum knows about and the lost pieces of Dwemer text is as much as Yagrum remembers the Dwemer secrets die with Yagrum Never to be seen again…

Yagrum Dialoge: "Hmm.... I cannot say what happened. I was not there to observe. I was in an Outer Realm at the time, and when I came back, my people were gone. I left Red Mountain, wandering Tamriel for years, searching our deserted colonies, looking for a survivor or an explanation. Then, a long, long time ago, I returned to Red Mountain, still looking for answers. Instead, I found corprus disease, and I have been here ever since. I have theories, if you are interested."

Lord Kagrenac, the foremost arcane philosopher and magecrafter of my era, devised tools to shape mythopoeic forces, intending to transcend the limits of Dwemer mortality. However, in reviewing his formulae, some logicians argued that side effects were unpredictable, and errors might be catastrophic. I think Kagrenac might have succeeded in granting our race eternal life, with unforeseen consequences -- such as wholesale displacement to an Outer Realm. Or he may have erred, and utterly destroyed our race."

[roarrrgame]

What’s such a shame about so-called “AAA slops” is that they have all the resources and talents but are cursed from the start due to corporate greed or whatever.

The only thing I had issues with Avowed was the facial animations from Mocap were hilariously bad. Some said it was just not the strong suit of their artists? Then The Outer Worlds 2 gameplay came out and people were saying the lighting artists were not using the ray tracing right.

I don’t know the first thing about art or graphics but it does seem like a resource limitation to me in that they couldn’t just throw money at a group of artists who were already experts to work on these new things as they transitioned to ARPGs.

Why I mentioned this is because Veilguard had such great looking models and the facial animations were phenomenon, even though their previous games had a lot of problems with them. Concord also had really good character models and animations, if a bit uninspired, and according to reviewers the writing was great too.

It’s just a shame some other studios and games could really do with this kind of resources, but they are casually wasted on some executives’ flimsy decisions.

[yellowjacketsfashion]

Hey, do you know if any of the yellowjackets (adult and teen) wears cozy jackets/coat or windbreakers?

I already know about the Misty one, this L.L bean windbteaker is one of my most prized posessions ;)

I think a lot of the characters have jackets that look comfy but I don’t really know for sure as I’ve never worn nor felt most of them. I have a few of the hoodies and a coat though so I figured I’d review those for you in case you find that helpful!

Lottie’s I Love H81 faux fur coat:

This coat is the warmest of all the Yellowjackets outerwear I have and would be good if you live in a colder climate. It doesn’t have a ton of stretch so it does have the potential to limit some of your mobility (if you have experience wearing a leather jacket you might use that as a frame of reference but it’s not that extreme). The fur isn’t super soft but it’s not bad, though if you don’t like the feeling of hair on your neck this would probably irritate you if you wore it for a long period of time.

Natalie’s "UO Yogi Fleece Cropped Zip-Up Hoodie Sweatshirt”:

I love this hoodie. I think it’s so soft and comfortable plus it’s pretty thick too so it’s nice and warm. It’s great to just throw on and has a loose fit. Natalie wears a grey hoodie but it comes in lots of different colors so theres lots of options if you’re not a fan of the grey. The fact that it’s cropped though might be a deal breaker for some but I’m short so it fits me fine (if you don’t like wearing cropped clothes I wouldn’t recommend this because it is pretty cropped).

Lottie’s American Eagle "Women's Oversized Button-Up Shacket”:

This is a nice hoodie that is pretty soft and comfortable. It’s not as thick as Natalie’s hoodie but it’s not too light. It is longer in length so it’s a good option for those who like things that aren’t cropped plus it’s pretty big so it has a lot of room (I actually got one a size smaller so that it would fit better under the fur coat Lottie has). I think it would be especially nice to wear in the spring and fall.

The Yellowjackets’s Holloway "Argon Hoodie":

I think this is a pretty standard hoodie. It also isn’t cropped so it’s nice for those who like a longer jacket. It feels like every other polyester sports hoodie I’ve felt before (slightly itchy) but the inside is pretty soft which I think is really nice. It was hard for me to find one so I ended up with a kids XL but it fits me fine (I generally wear a women’s S/M top for reference).

Misty’s “Uniqlo Windproof Outer Fleece Jacket”:

While I don’t have this one, one of the listings I saw of it on Poshmark specifically said it was “cute, soft, and cozy.” If you take that statement at face value it seems it might fit the criteria of what you’re looking for.

I do have a couple of the flannels and some of the close match jackets if you want me to review those too but I didn’t know if they counted so I didn’t include them in the post. Just let me know if you’re interested though and I’ll review them as well.

If anyone else has any of the other Yellowjackets coats, jackets, or windbreakers feel free to share your experience and/or suggestions!

[flameswallower]

@librarycards tagged me to do a reading-related thing!

I'll be honest, I am a slow reader compared to most people for whom reading and writing is a job or vocation. I also read more articles, essays, and short stories than I do novels or "whole books." I am also suffering from clinical depression and some adjacent mental health stuff right now. Therefore, I have...probably finished ten books total so far this year, not counting unreleased books or drafts of yet-to-be-published manuscripts, and a lineup of the best nine wouldn't be especially informative re: what I like or would recommend to other people. It would, if anything, just be a weirdly over the top diss to the one or two books I finished but left off the list.

That said, one book I strongly recommend is Dale Stromberg's Gyre. It's an intense, upsetting novella about reincarnation and cycles of abuse (and also a surprising number of other complex/dense themes for a book this length) that reminds me a little of something from The Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits, only with a far greater depth of characterization. I reviewed it on Goodreads.

Another rec, albeit perhaps more of "a game" than "a book" (???), is Slake House, a work of (and this is both complimentary + meant as a take-it-seriously content warning) filthy, creatively and relentlessly depraved, dark-as-pitch, dubcon/noncon-heavy choose-your-own-adventure horrorotica written and illustrated by several different authors and visual artists. It's available for a limited time, so check it out!

A few short stories and essays I'd recommend:

"The Maiden," by Julia Elliott

"Mirror-hole," by Beth Goder

"The Cuddled Little Vice," Elizabeth Sandifer's thorough, scrupulously fair, and very damning/unsparing novella-length essay on Neil Gaiman's career, life, and sex crimes. Note that this is technically part of a series in which Sandifer (who is a practitioner of chaos magic) looks at the comics work of Alan Moore and Grant Morrison through the lens of magical work. (Moore and Morrison are also chaos magicians, and consciously, vocally view their creative practices as magic.) I bring this up not because the essay isn't comprehensible without that context-- it totally is!-- but because I think having that context will clarify a couple points that I imagine would otherwise make the average reader go "wait...what?"

"Green," by Ivy Grimes

[nightingaelic]

If you missed the Xbox Summer Showcase + Starfield Direct, here are the highlights:

Fable trailer featuring that awkward guy from The IT Club as a gardening giant

South of Midnight giving bayou blues and beasties

Obsidian's medieval fantasy romp Avowed, which looks like it's borrowing Outer Worlds graphics a bit

Cutesy Fallout 76 video celebrating the player base and hinting at an upcoming in-game journey to Atlantic City (???)

Jusant, a pretty rock climbing sci-fi adventure featuring a cute blob in a backpack

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty DLC official trailer with Escape from New York-style shenanigans, releasing September 26, 2023, possible new ending for V, LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOO???!!!???

BioShock-ish time travel steampunk adventure called Clockwork Revolution that features a villainess with the coolest mohawk I've ever seen and ticky-tocky mustachioed killer robots

Star Wars Outlaws, 33 Immortals, Dungeons of Hinterberg, Metaphor: ReFantazio, Sea Of Thieves: The Legend Of Monkey Island, Microsoft Flight Simulator X Dune, Payday 3, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, Persona 3 Reload, Path of the Goddess, Towerborne, Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Cities: Skylines II, Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom, and a brand new Xbox in carbon black with the sickest Xbox console edit this side of TikTok

No leather jacket for Todd Howard, smh

An in-depth look at Starfield's gameplay, including character creation, weapons mods, ship mods, planets, space travel mechanics, combat, locations, inspirations, companions, and the one and only Vasco who can say your name (like Codsworth), and a release date of September 6, 2023

Starfield limited edition smartwatch, case, Xbox controller, and headset, coming soon to a tech review channel near you

Still no Elder Scrolls VI news

[vague-humanoid]

Judged by its own merit (cultural and political context aside), Black Myth isn’t a particularly inventive game, even if the boss fights are very fun. The environments feel stale and small when you realize most doors stay glued shut and most walls aren’t climbable. When I ran through the outer limits of each biome, I found a deserted terrain with nothing to do. In between big bosses, the game doesn’t offer you any chance to reflect, rest, or enjoy the scenery. Instead, it merely pushes you to the next stage. The assets for the lands repeat; it’s almost as if you’re trudging through a maze. I haven’t come across any side content in the 12 hours I’ve explored the game. And for non-Chinese speakers, a common refrain is that the narrative and rough translation are confusing. I recommend turning on Chinese dialogue for more flavor and ambiance, but even then it sounds like one guy is acting out all the voices.

If Black Myth: Wukong isn’t as good as reviews say (it’s currently got an 81% on Metacritic, while Steam users have given it a 10/10), then what’s behind the title’s astronomical success? Months before the game’s launch, it had already drummed up an online furor that would eventually translate into Steam sales. And some self-proclaimed Gamergaters even suspect it’s part Chinese nationalism and part hype driven by the side of the internet that hates diversity and inclusion. This unholy combination may have inadvertently revealed a new path to success for edgy but ultimately mediocre video games.

Last year, IGN published a report about the studio being plagued by claims of sexism, a piece that was critiqued by online users, which said that the evidence of sexism was merely vulgarity. The evidence cited included social media posts that likened game development to birthing a child and the creator’s excitement to sporting an erection. (Inverse confirmed the translations independently.) The logo for Game Science was also noted by Chinese content creators for its resemblance to sperm. The reality is that IGN’s report likely did not dissuade Chinese gamers from supporting Black Myth very much, as it described an internet culture many are familiar and comfortable with. In fact, the controversy may have boosted sales by raising awareness of the game.

Once upon a time, coming forward with cultural complaints about a piece of media might have facilitated healthy discussions and smarter consumption a few years ago, but in today’s climate, it’s more likely to trigger angry factions online and fuel sales of an otherwise ordinary product. It’s possible a similar phenomenon happened to PlayStation’s Stellar Blade, where a series of articles about the misogyny and objectification contained in the game ultimately worked to drive engagement.

[simlicious]

inZOI looks promising

I have watched a review video by RachelPedd, talking about Zoi character creation. Here are my personal highlights: pros

Sims 4-like sliders, just pull the region you want to change

color wheels for clothes and makeup!

different recolorable areas, glossiness slider on certain types of makeup

opacity slider for makeup

sliders for iris and pupil size, color and brightness for eye, separately recolorable outer rim of iris

clothes can be layered (jacket over a dress, or a shirt...)

clothes can be individually changed (change collars, style of sleeves, hem length on a shirt, etc)

character are trait-based, but with general traits likeopenness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism, which I think is excellent! You can pick one trait from each of these categories. These traits unlock at different life stages, some earlier, some only when becoming a young adult, which is interesting.

male/female ZOI's seem to have a height difference

a lot of clothes are for both for male and female bodies

in addition to regular animation, you can enable different fixed poses in character creation

cons:

you can only create adult ZOIs in character creation, life stages younger than young adult are only accessible through gameplay

there is a pattern system, but only AI-based (AI images are very hit-and-miss)

limited hairstyles, especially textured/curly hair is lacking at this point

No color wheel for skintones

limited body weight sliders, face and neck stay too slim

But this game is still in development and will change a lot, and Krafton has said they are very much looking for feedback to improve what they have! So I just went and added something to their wishlist.

If you want to be able to have human-made recolorable patterns and load in your own patterns too, please visit the😸 inZOI discord 😸 and upvote my suggestion with the title "Non-AI patterns/textures and user-imported images". Thank you!