#a team should never have to depend on one or two players to be able to win

[pedripics]

Do you think there’s anyone who probably got equal talent as Pedri who can sub for him

do i think that there is a player who can replace pedri, and we won't notice pedri's absence? no. there is no second pedri (and there doesn't have to be). do i think that, in theory, there are players who can replace him in the starting xi and get the job done? absolutely. you will always notice pedri's absence, especially in the current system. but i think the team can (and should) be able to win without him. pedri does a lot of defensive work but also offensive work, if he's not on the pitch, both things need to be covered (maybe not by one specific player but by two) and ideally there needs to be at least one other creative player on the pitch such as lamine or olmo. as of right now, the big problem is that we don't have a ton of options for the double-pivot, casado and pedri (right) now are our best option, they work incredibly well together (which makes sense because their individual characteristics fit very well but also because they kinda had to work because we got no other choice until very recently). gavi is coming back from a long and serious injury, he needs time (and he's still doing a great job!), and even though he is very good defensively, he is not a natural dm. i am 100% sure that a pedri and gavi double-pivot duo can and will work, just give them a bit of time (and by default of course a gavi casado double-pivot as well) what's going on with frenkie, idk (it's his 'preferred' position but he just doesn't do much defensively compared to the rest...). eric isn't a natural dm either (even though i liked him in the double pivot with pedri against Villarreal). it's really unlucky that marc bernal tore his acl because with him, we would have had at least two natural dms. and i think having a natural dm in the double pivot is the key, which is also why i have been begging the club to buy an actual dm since like summer 2023. i am sure the guys and flick will figure it out but unfortunately that might take some time

[puck-luck]

Forever yearning for a jealous, dominant Luke Hughes. I mean spitting in your mouth, edging, mirror sex, etc. I need the filthy, down bad luke.

Scenario: maybe you’re becoming close with one of the other players (completely innocent-just forming a friendship) but Luke doesn’t see it as that way…

👉🏻👈🏻

warnings (in no particular order): spit(!!), jealousy, dom!luke, edging, mirror sex, one (1!) slap to the face just for the enjoyment of my friend jo, spanking, drinking (technically underage hiii luke turn 21 already stop being lame), beating yourself up, pet names and nicknames as FUCK (always bro do y’all even know me), road head, face fucking, unprotected p in v, dare i say breeding kink, implied subspace, allusion to size kink (probably established size kink to be fair), I THINK THAT’S IT BUT I’M NOT SURE! pairing: luke hughes x fem!reader summary: the one when luke gets jealous at the bar and doles out a bit of a punishment (code: luke is insecure about his performance on the ice, so when his gf starts talking with another teammate who is her friend, he gets jealous and feels like he has to prove himself by making her feel good, but he’s still a dom bc HOTTTT) wc: 6416

The Devils’ last game of the season was at home this year. There was no chance that they would make the playoffs and Jack was out in Colorado for his shoulder surgery, plus Luke’s parents weren’t able to make it from Michigan for his final rookie game. He was depending on you to be there, so there you were. You were cheering, you were yelling at the officials when they missed a call, you were laughing at Luke when he took a trademarked Hughes spill on the ice with barely anyone around him. Yeah, you were disappointed at the end of the game when the Islanders won (and it wasn’t even close), but it was just one game. It wasn’t the end of the world. It was a disappointment, but it wasn’t life-changing.

Luke, however, was much more upset with their performance when you met up with him after the game. He drove the two of you to the bar where the team was meeting for one last celebration before the off-season and he tried, he really did, to keep his complaints inside. He was stewing, just letting it well up inside of him and fester in the silence between you, until it spilled over.

“It should have been a better game,” Luke finally said, the harsh edge in his tone rubbing you in all the wrong ways. “We could’ve done more. If I had just–”

“Lu, baby,” you interrupted, voice soft. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“I was out there the longest, other than Jake,” Luke argued. “They depend on me and I let them down.”

“You were only on the ice for one goal, Lu. You couldn’t have done anything about at least the other three.”

Your statement was not something he wanted to hear. Your boyfriend, sweet as he was, always saw the best in everyone else and the worst in himself. Where he could have been blaming Brendan for the loss, since Brendan was on the ice for three of the four goals, he was instead blaming himself. He was never one to hold a grudge against his teammates or his friends or his family, which was part of the reason why you were so in love with him.

He grunted instead of giving you a real response, but you knew it was coming from a place of knowing you’re right but still feeling hurt.

“I love you,” you told him, just a reminder that his performance would never affect your affection towards him. 

“I love you too,” Luke replied, and you two fell back into silence. It was less tense this time, but his shoulders were still tense and he was frowning, almost pouting. He was so pretty, even now, but you hated how this expression marred his face.

When you pulled up to the bar, you were met by Luke’s teammates. While some of the men had gone home after the game, it was mostly the ones who had families. You knew their wives and girlfriends would have encouraged them to go out with the team rather than stay home with the kids, but you understood. If Luke had wanted to go straight home after the game, you would’ve gone with him and cuddled him until you fell asleep.

“Do you want to get out and get me a drink, baby, while I find parking?” Luke asked, always so considerate. 

“Yeah,” you agreed easily, leaning over the center console to peck his lips before you left the car. 

Waiting outside the entrance of the bar, Nico and John smiled as you got out of the car and walked over to them. You hugged each of them before entering the bar, Nico walking in ahead of you and John following you with a hand on your back. 

It didn’t mean anything to you or to John, but when Luke watched John guide you into the bar before he drove away to search for a parking spot, something sharp and green poked at his heart.

Luke finally made his way into the bar about ten minutes after you walked in, and your face had lit up when you saw him like it had been much longer. He didn’t see you at first, so you had the chance to watch him scan the room. His brow was furrowed as he scanned each person’s features. You knew that he was trying to spot you without looking for the other boys at first, but it was proving difficult with how crowded the room had become.

Timo appeared at his side and patted Luke’s shoulder in greeting. Luke talked to him for a minute before Timo pointed your way. Luke’s face split with a smile when he saw you and he gave Timo a pat before beelining towards you.

You looped your arms around Luke’s neck when he joined you, leaning up on your tiptoes to kiss him.

“Gross,” Nico complained from next to you. “It’s only been a few minutes since you’ve seen each other.”

“You’re not in love,” Luke replied, snarky and sarcastic like he tended to be when it wasn’t just the two of you. He then turned to you. “Where’s my drink?”

“What a priority,” you teased, rolling your eyes at him. He pinched your side. “I sent Johnny to go get it.”

Luke’s expression changed for a split second before he schooled his features. You wouldn’t have noticed it if you weren’t so in tune with his emotions, experience that comes only after years of dating a person. 

You let it go, knowing that it can’t be too important, or Luke would have said something. He knew you were friends with guys on the team. After being around them for almost a year, having moved out here with Luke at the start of his rookie year, it was bound to happen. Plus, Luke wasn’t the jealous type. He knew that you loved him and you’d love him forever, saying yes in a second if he chose to propose.

But to him, there was something about the way you said “Johnny” instead of John. It was that and John’s hand on your back as he guided you into the bar, on top of an already hard night, that had Luke questioning himself.

“I asked him to get you a rum and coke,” you said, tilting your head up to poke Luke’s nose with your own. “Is that okay?”

“It sounds good, thank you,” Luke replied. 

You resume conversation with Nico, turning to face him but staying tucked into Luke’s side. He had a hand on your hip and the other accepted the drink that John handed Luke when he returned. He nursed it quietly for a while, engaging in conversation here and there, but mostly just enjoying his time with his friends. 

The game was the last time that his whole team would be together like that, but this night out was the last time that his team, his friends, would be together in the way that mattered. Even if no one was traded, if no one changed in the slightest (except Jack, coming back from injury), things still wouldn’t be quite the same. It wouldn’t be his second year, his presence wouldn’t be new or exciting. He would have to try harder, do better, and be consistent to show that he wasn’t just an example of beginner’s luck.

He clutched you a little tighter to his side at that thought. He was comforted by the way that you melted into him, moving to lean back against his chest. Your hand covered his and the other polished off your drink. He took the empty cup from you and kissed your cheek before pulling away to toss your cup, and his, in the trash can behind him.

When he returned, he was taken aback by the sight before him.

You had stepped forward and were carding your fingers through John’s curls and Luke saw red before he saw the thoughtful look on your face. John had just said to you and Nico that he thought his hair was getting too long, too unruly. You didn’t agree– it was a good length, the curls were just settling into their shapes.

“I don’t think you should cut it, John,” you were saying before Luke grabbed your other wrist and yanked you towards him. “Luke!” You exclaimed, startled by the movement.

“Time to go,” Luke announced, loud enough that the other boys could hear. He clutched your wrist, not your hand, your wrist, and pulled you along as he stomped toward the exit.

“Luke, what is going on?” You asked, voice resounding in your ears like it’s much louder than it actually is. 

Luke kept walking like he didn’t even hear you, pushing through the door and leading you down the block to the car. He opened your door for you and helped you in, but he slammed it shut once you were buckled into your seat. He rounded the car and opened his own door, glaring at you in a passing glance before settling into the driver’s seat.

“Lu,” you implored, pressing your hands against the top of your thighs. 

When he didn’t reply, you tried again.

“Babe, talk to me–”

“I don’t want you to speak unless you’re spoken to,” Luke said. He refused to look at you. “You think you can touch John’s hair the way you touch mine? You’ll let him guide you into the bar the way I would? I’m not enough for you, huh, baby?”

You blinked, suddenly shifting up to sit a little straighter. Luke, your sweet angel Luke, the baby of his family who would never hurt a fly, who avoided hockey fights at every cost, had flipped his switch.

“Answer me. I asked you a question.”

“No, sir,” you said. Your eyes flickered down to where Luke’s knuckles were white with how hard he was gripping the steering wheel. You inhaled sharply as you made eye contact with the veins decorating the back of his hand.

“No?” Luke repeated, mocking. “I’m not enough for you?”

“No! Lu, you’re more than enough, you know you’re the only one I need.” Your words came out scrambled and you tripped over them. 

Luke clicked his tongue, disapproval written all over his face. “Can’t even speak, can you?” He scoffed, reached down with one hand, and popped the button on his jeans. “Let’s put your mouth to a better use until you can find your words.”

“You’re driving,” you pointed out, casting a worried look at the road ahead of you.

“It wasn’t a question,” Luke threw you a glance. He looked back at the road, then back to you, this time holding your gaze. He cocked his head to the side, eyes softening for a moment. “Was it?”

“No,” you breathed out. 

“Good girl.” A smile spread over Luke’s face and he turned back to the road. “Get to it.”

You clenched your thighs together and unbuckled your seatbelt so you could twist towards Luke and lean over the center console. You reached out to unzip his pants, but he knocked your hands away.

“I didn’t say use your hand. I said,” he paused, grabbing your hair and tilting your head up so your eyes met his, “Use your mouth.”

The noise that escaped you was involuntary. You moved forward that extra inch and carefully took Luke’s zipper in your mouth, dragging it down. His boxers were revealed by the action, but that was the extent of it. 

“Come on,” Luke encouraged, growing impatient. What you couldn’t see from your position was the smug tilt of his mouth, knowing there was no way to get his cock out of his pants with just your mouth. “Take it out.”

“Can’t,” you whimpered.

“Oh, you can’t?” Luke mocked, feigning sympathy. “Poor baby needs my help, yeah?”

You nodded and hummed an agreement.

Luke’s grip tightened on your hair and he gave it a sharp tug. “Use your manners.”

“Please, Lu, help me,” you conceded.

“Help you what?”

“Help me take your cock out so I can suck you, please, sir.” Your voice was close to breaking, you were itching to get your mouth on him and make him feel good. 

Luke obliged, revealing himself to you. You opened your mouth and he pumped himself twice just to tease you before slapping the lip of his cock on the flat of your tongue. He fed you his cock, returning his hand to your hair when you had taken as much of his length in your mouth as you could. He gathered your hair into a messy ponytail with his one hand, the other still on the wheel, and began to guide your head up and down. 

You gagged when he guided you to his base, nose touching the fabric of his boxers around his cock, but the groan he let out made the discomfort worth it. It was low and desperate, just pure relief.

“Wanna fuck your mouth,” Luke breathed out, pulling you up so just the tip of his cock remained in your mouth. 

You hollowed your cheeks and sucked, swiping your tongue over his slit and relishing in the taste of his precum in your mouth. 

He moaned aloud, the sound seeming to echo throughout the car. You could feel your heartbeat in your fingertips. You let out a sigh, suddenly overwhelmed with contentment for your situation. Luke was perfect. He was the perfect boyfriend, whether he was his soft and cuddly self or this dominant version of him that wasn’t afraid to tell you what to do, to communicate what he wanted. 

“Would if I weren’t driving, too,” Luke mumbled, mostly to himself. “Fuck, baby, make me come. You know how.”

Luke returned both hands to the steering wheel and allowed you to move your head freely, to go at your own pace. You bobbed your head with enthusiasm, spit dripping down his shaft and soaking the fabric around him. You gagged at times, but the tight squeeze of your throat around him just added to Luke’s pleasure. He wasn’t shy about telling you how good you felt, either, making you more determined to make him come.

“Fuck, pull off,” Luke said, his voice a little shaky.

You couldn’t. You couldn’t, not when he was so close. The idea of having his come in your mouth, on your tongue, the manifestation of how you made him feel, was too alluring. 

“Y/N, pull off,” Luke commanded, reaching down to yank you off of him by your hair. He clenched his jaw as he held you just far enough off his cock that you thought, with just one bump in the road, you could capture it again. He steered out of the lane and parked on the side of the road. “You don’t want to listen? You’re so cockdumb that you can’t follow my orders?”

All you could do was look at him, eyes wide. 

He spoke through his teeth, never once blinking or breaking eye contact. “Since you want me inside you so bad, I’m gonna fuck your mouth until I come. You’re gonna take it. Even if you gag, even if you cry, I’m not going to stop until I come. Then, you’re going to sit back and buckle yourself in and I’m going to finish driving us home. You will not swallow. You’re going to hold my come in your mouth until I say so. Do you understand?”

Your jaw dropped at the words, the tips of your ears growing hot. “Yes, sir.” It’s nearly inaudible and you can feel your panties growing damper with just the thought of it– minute after minute ticking by, Luke’s come coating your tongue, not being able to speak or swallow. You’re completely under Luke’s control.  

He leaned back in the seat and motioned toward his cock. 

You allowed him to guide you onto his length again, getting comfortable with its size. You hollowed your cheeks and looked up at him, pausing your movements and staying statue-still.

A smirk took over Luke’s face. “That’s my girl.”

He took your head with both hands, keeping your hair out of your face and keeping you from moving an inch, and began to thrust into your mouth. It was sharp and hard and you tried to create a vacuum-type suction around his cock, as tight as you knew he liked it, but it was hard with the head of his dick hitting the back of your throat with every buck of his hips. You ended up gagging, and crying, and drooling all over his cock, just like Luke had said, and he fulfilled his promise that he wouldn’t stop.

“Look at you, making such a mess of yourself,” Luke scoffed. “Such a mess all over my cock, just to make me feel good. You’d let me do whatever I wanted, wouldn’t you, baby? You’d never let anyone else take you like this, just me, yeah? No one else gets to see you just leaking all over my cock because you’re mine.”

Your eyes rolled into the back of your head at that and the moan you released around Luke’s length caused his hips to stutter, made him unable to hold back his orgasm any longer. He came in stripes all over your tongue, some of it leaking down the back of your throat before you could stop it. He pulled you off of him and crashed his lips against yours, a close-mouthed kiss because you wouldn’t dare disobey, couldn’t handle the idea of disappointing Luke.

“My good girl,” Luke cooed when he pulled away.

You offered him a lazy smile, head foggy and bones mushy. You were sated, an elevated version of just happy, and so, so comfortable. You loved him. He was everything.

“I’m not done with you yet, am I?” Luke asked softly, thumbing over your bottom lip. 

You shook your head.

“Open,” Luke said. “I want to see my come on your tongue.”

You hesitantly opened your mouth, pushing your tongue out so he could see the milky white substance coating the muscle. 

Luke captured your cheeks with one hand and leaned in with the other holding your head in place. You stared at his eyes, which were watching your tongue as a line of his saliva mixed with the come in your mouth. When his eyes rose to meet yours, it was the embers of desire that made your head roll back and the instinct, the pure instinct of having something in your mouth, that caused you to swallow.

Your head snapped forward, eyes wide and not doe-eyed, not purposefully innocent to make Luke’s heart jump. No, your eyes were wide with worry because you disobeyed him. It wasn’t something you did to spite him or push him further over the line. 

“I’m sorry.” The words leaked from your mouth and you scrambled to take Luke’s hand in yours, clutching his right with both of yours. “Luke, it was an accident, you know I’d never–”

His mouth was open in shock, briefly, before it snapped shut and his eyes twinkled with something downright predatory. His hand was limp in yours (though not pulling away) and he was still.

“But you did,” He interrupted. “You did.”

“I didn’t mean to.” You were trying to reason with him, but you knew the damage was done. Whatever he had planned for you when you got back to the house, it was going to be ten times worse now.

Luke just shook his head and removed his hand from your grasp, pulling back onto the highway and resuming the drive home. You weren’t far, the area around you looking more and more familiar with each passing second. The minutes stretched for what seemed like hours with Luke’s silence. You held your own hand nervously, pinching at the skin of you knuckles and avoiding Luke’s face. You couldn’t handle seeing the disappointment etched into his features.

Luke pulled into the garage of the apartment complex after just about five minutes. Suddenly, it hits you– you have the apartment all to yourselves tonight. There’s nothing to stop Luke, or you for that matter, from being as loud or as public as he wants. There’s a window in the living room, one that Luke mentioned after your last session. A spark traveled up your spine when you realize that tonight might be the night that he fucks you out in the open, for anyone to see.

When he shifted the car into park, Luke turned to you expectantly.

You apologized again, softly, once he looked at you.

His features softened then, seeing your apprehension. He reached out and took your hand. “Are you okay?”

“I feel bad that I didn’t listen,” you replied. Your eyes fell on your shoelaces, which were an off-white color after plenty of use. You made a note to yourself that maybe you should wash them soon. You wondered if they’d return to their original color. The shoes were much more interesting than looking up at Luke and meeting his eyes.

He tilted your head upward with a guided hand anyway. “You’re still my good girl,” he reassured. “Are you okay to keep going? Or do you want me to stop? I won’t be mad. Whatever you want, we can do it. We can leave this in the car and I can take care of you, baby.”

You could cry at his words, how great he is about your slip-up. You did want him to be sweet, but you knew that he needed this. He needed to work through whatever was going on in his mind and if he could just be in control of this, just for a little while longer, it would be so much easier for him later.

“I want to keep going,” you admitted.

“You know your word?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Tell me?”

“Flower.”

“That’s right, baby.” Luke pecked your lips, but when he pulled back he was back to business. “Now, are you ready to listen to me?”

You nodded, eyes trained on his. Neither of you blinked, a silent contest that he ended up losing (something that would normally cause you to gloat, but now doesn’t seem like the right time).

“When you get to the apartment, you’re going to strip. You’re going to sit on the edge of our bed. You’re going to touch yourself while you wait for me and I want you to watch yourself in the mirror. If you come, and you know I’ll know if you do, you’re not going to come at all tonight. I want you to bring yourself right to the edge and stay there. Can you do that for me?” He spoke slowly and clearly, his voice gravely and dominant. He didn’t stumble over his words or pause and “um” like he did in interviews. No, this was when Luke was at his surest. This was when he knew exactly what to do, exactly what to say.

“I can do that,” you agreed, unbuckling your seatbelt and gathering your things.

“I’m going to give you a five minute head start.”

You nodded at Luke, opened your door, and left the vehicle. When you got up to the apartment, you didn’t bother to hang your coat or purse on the hooks Luke put up just for you. You didn’t put your shoes neatly like the door like you normally did. Instead, you dropped your belongings and kicked the shoes off one by one on your walk to the bedroom. You shed your clothing in a similar manner, leaving a trail behind for Luke to chuckle at when he walked in the door. 

Fully naked, you stared at yourself in the mirror that faced your bed. You read once that it was bad luck to have a mirror face a bed, that your reflection could like… capture your soul, or something, but you kept the mirror there anyway because if there was anything Luke enjoyed, it was seeing himself fuck you in the mirror. He liked to watch you ride him in reverse cowgirl, so he could see your ass jiggle as you bounced on his cock with his own eyes and your whole body in the reflection. 

Sometimes, his hands would drift up and he would hold your tits, watching how he could envelop them in his palms. You tilt your head to the side, watching your own hands slide up your body to do the same. 

For everything you could imagine Luke doing, there your hands were trying to satisfy yourself. If you closed your eyes, you could convince yourself that it was him instead.

His cock would disappear into your pussy, thrusting in and out and causing you to whine. His fingers would circle your clit or pinch your nipples. He would palm your ass, or reach up to wrap his hand around your neck. He would reach just that spot…

You didn’t ever hear it when Luke opened the door and joined you in the room. He thought you knew he was coming, with the way you were whining his name and begging for him. Your eyes snapped open as he closed the door behind him and you quickly pulled your fingers out from inside of you.

Luke walked over to you and sank onto his knees between your legs. “Gimme a taste, love.”

You offered him your fingers, which he took into his mouth. He sucked on them softly for far too short a time, in your opinion, with the way his cheekbones became more prominent as he cleaned your fingers of your wetness.

“Tastes good,” he told you with a smile when he was finished. 

“Thank you,” you replied, practically a whimper. Your chest felt tight, like someone was squeezing your heart in your chest. You were waiting, just waiting, for Luke to tell you what was next.

He rose to sit on the bed next to you, guiding you to shift over so you were sitting on his lap. “I’m going to spank you,” he whispered against your lips. “Just ten times. That’s all. It’ll go fast, but I’m not going to go easy on you. I know you can take it.” Luke kissed you again, snuck his tongue into your mouth for a quick, far too quick pass, before pulling back. “Turn over, baby, and lean over my knee, yeah?”

Your movements were slow, your brain turning foggy again like it was in the car. Luke helped you over his knee, still clothed. The contrast between how clothed he was and how naked you were almost made you drool. It was nearly embarrassing, being this down bad for Luke when he seemed to be completely fine, unaffected.

Luke snapped you out of your thoughts with a spank. The pain was only there for a split second before Luke was rubbing soothing circles over your skin. You shivered when he dipped his hand lower and trailed a finger through your folds.

“So wet,” he murmured.

You clenched down and he pulled away, only to deliver a second slap to your cheek. You shivered, goosebumps rising over your arms.

“So, baby, tell me,” Luke began, bringing down his hand again. “Why am I spanking you?” He waited for you to answer before bringing his hand down again. “Because I swallowed– oh– when you told me not to.”

“Mhm. Why else?”

Another spank. Now, it was starting to sting. Your ass had turned a pretty shade of pink that caused Luke to bite his lip and run his hands over your skin, feeling the heat radiate off the surface.

You were quiet. You weren’t quite sure. Holding his come in your mouth had been the punishment for not pulling off when he told you to. You had been slow to say please in the car, but that wasn’t ever something Luke would punish you for, just something he’d remind you to do. “For, um…” You trailed off, not sure what to say.

Luke scoffed and spanked you three times, harsh enough that his handprint stayed imprinted on your body for longer than it normally did when he spanked you. You cried out, your head dropping and tears welling up in your eyes. 

“‘For, um,’” he mocked. “You don’t know? You’re that fucking dumb that you can’t remember what happened less than an hour ago?”

“Lu, please,” were the words that escaped your mouth instead of an answer to his question. They were teary and he almost stopped, almost, just because of how your voice shook. 

“Please what?” He spat, another slap echoing throughout the room. 

“I don’t know,” You sobbed. “I don’t know why you’re mad at me.”

“Five more,” Luke warned you and you nodded. 

It took a lot out of you, agreeing for five more, but Luke wouldn’t do anything he didn’t think you could handle.

“How about this, baby?” Luke said. Slap. “For touching John’s hair the same way you touch mine?” Slap. “For letting the boys guide you into the restaurant like you’re their girlfriend, not mine.” Slap. “For sending John off to get me a drink when I told you to do so?” Slap. “For not listening?” Slap. “For being a fucking brat?”

You wailed, slumped against Luke. He got a good look at you in the mirror, boneless over his knee. He took in the red skin of your ass, tracing the line of his raised handprint. 

“You’re mine,” Luke continued, sounding off. You turned your head towards the mirror, eyes hazy but still able to make him out. He was waiting for you to look at him, for your eyes to meet his. “You can’t– you can’t treat him like he’s special.”

And suddenly, it all clicked. Luke was jealous because he was scared of the same thing you’d skated around in your conversation right after the game. Luke wanted to be special, wanted you to see him and need him. He needed you to need him, to let him take control and take care of you and decide things for you, all because he didn’t want to be the person who lost everything because he wasn’t good enough. Even the idea that John could possibly take Luke’s place, as preposterous as it was to you, sent Luke into a spiral.

“Fuck me, Luke,” you said, voice shaky and light because of the headspace you were in. “Take me. I’m yours. Prove it.”

Gently, so gently in contrast to his prior actions, Luke helped you up and lay you down on your back on the bed, placing a pillow under your hips. You lay there for a few minutes, blinking slowly and watching as Luke shed his clothes and rummaged through his dresser drawers for something. His back was to you and you smiled to yourself, too fucked out to let out a giggle, at his backside. When Luke turned around, two of his gameday ties in hand, he cocked his head to the side at your smile.

“What are you smiling about?” He asked.

“Boy butts are so funny,” You answered. “They’re just so small. Like… where are your hips, Lu?”

Luke blinked a few times, then shook his head. “Oh my God, you’ve lost it.”

“I’ve been thinking it. We need to get you in the gym.”

“You’re being a brat.”

“And your butt is small.”

“Oh, fuck you,” Luke scoffed. He had walked to the bed and was tying one of your hands to his headboard.

“I’m waiting.”

Luke huffed out a laugh at your response. “You’re making it hard to dom you, baby.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, was the road head not enough?”

Luke shushed you, moving to your other hand and tying that one with the other tie.

“What about the spitting in my mouth and spanking me?” You continue, goading him. 

Luke crawled up your body, kissing up your stomach and chest and neck as he went. 

One more sentence, and he wouldn’t find it so difficult to dominate you for this final stretch. 

He’s hovering over your lips, his breath fanning out over them.

“I bet Johnny could do it better.”

Luke pulled back, jaw dropped. His mouth returned to a strait line and his eyes turned murderous. There it was, there’s the dominance that he thought he lost.

 You smirked at him, proud of yourself for the comment you made, until Luke’s palm made contact with your cheek. Your head turned with the impact and you swore your heart stopped. You were too surprised to say anything. As the seconds of silence passed where you and Luke just stared at each other, same shocked expression on your face, you realized: huh. That’s not so different from when he spanks me.

Then, another second after that: That was kind of… hot.

“Are you okay?” Luke breathed out. He’s practically frozen in place.

“Yeah,” you replied. “Oh my God, Luke, yeah.” You pulled on the restraints above you, itching to get him inside of you. You circled your legs around his waist and raised your hips, trying to make contact with him. “Fuck, Lu, that was so hot, please fuck me.”

Luke blinked twice and searched your face for any discomfort, anything that would show him that you were upset or hurt by his slap. He hadn’t even done it intentionally, just driven by the pure rage of you mentioning John, saying that John could be better for you than Luke was.

It wasn’t until your wiggling hips caused his cock to make contact with your weeping pussy that he began to move.

He started by pinning your hips down.

“Greedy,” he chastised. 

“I need you in me, don’t treat me like I’m made of glass,” you whined.

Luke positioned himself at your entrance and snapped his hips forward, burying himself inside you in one fell swoop.

It knocked all the breath out of you. Even after dating Luke for ages, his size still surprised you.

“How’s that, huh? Can you feel me? Do you think I’m treating you gently?” Luke asked, grinding his teeth as he fucked in and out of you. His skin was slapping against yours and he moved one of our legs so your knee was thrown over his shoulder. “You think Marino could fuck you like this?” He practically spat out John’s name, disgust coating each syllable.

“Probably,” you quipped, your voice snarky. You were itching for Luke to slap you again, or something, because he wasn’t giving it everything. He was still shaken up by the fact that he hit you at all.

“‘Probably,’” He repeated, incredulous. “You’ll never know, will you, baby?” He snaps his hips harder, faster. “This is my pussy. It only gets wet for me, you only spread your legs for me, you can be a slut all you want but only in the confines of these four walls. You can be bad, only right here… where I’m able to fuck. it. out. of you.”

You moan, wanton and long in the back of your throat. Your hands are aching to grab his hair, to twist the curls between your fingers. “Lu, my hand,” you told him.

“What about it?” He asked, not slowing his pace.

“Untie it, please!”

Luke looked down at you, confused. “Why?”

You whined, keening as your back arched and you squeezed his cock. “Need to get a hand on you, Lu, fuck. Wanna pull your hair. So pretty, so much prettier than John’s.”

“Oh,” he whispered, his stomach turning. He reached up to undo the knot, trying to continue to fuck you and untie it at the same time. When your hand came free, it immediately found purchase in his curls. Your fingernails scraped his scalp and his eyes rolled in the back of his head as he bucked into you with uncoordinated thrusts. “Fuck, Y/N,” he groaned. “Gonna make me come.”

“Please,” you begged. “Inside me, inside me–”

Your vision went white and your pussy was like a vice around him as you came.

“Yeah, yeah,” Luke agreed, voice strained. He watched the bliss wash over your features and whined. “Fuck you til you’re full, show everyone you’re all mine.” 

It’s the thought of pumping his seed into you, making you round with his child, that sends Luke over the edge. No one would think to take you from him then, not that you’d ever go. No one would ever be able to call you theirs like he could call you his, not when he’s fucked you full, not when you’re carrying his baby.

“So perfect for me,” Luke mumbled in your ear, collapsing on top of you as he came down from his orgasm. 

“Just for you, Lu.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.” You paused, rubbing his back. “You know we have to talk about this, right? You’re more than enough and I don’t want you to feel insecure anymore.”

Luke pulled himself out of you, wincing at the sensitivity. “Can we talk about it tomorrow? I think we could both use some rest.”

He got up from the bed and walked into his bathroom, grabbing a towel and coming back to wipe you clean. 

“Can it wait that long?” You fixed him with a look of concern.

“Baby.” Luke cut his eyes at you, then finished wiping you down. “It can wait until tomorrow.”

You shrugged. “Okay,” you agreed, then made yourself comfortable, pulling the covers over your body. You turned over, back to Luke, and spoke like it was an afterthought. “I loved it when you slapped me, you know.”

Luke groaned, leaned over to give you a kiss on your cheek. “I’m sorry I was mean.”

“Mmm, mean Luke gets me hot just like sweet Luke,” you replied. You turned your head and kissed his lips. “I like sweet Luke more, though. Sweet Luke cuddles me while I’m asleep.”

Luke laughed, going to toss the dirty towel in the dirty clothes hamper. “Sweet Luke will be back to cuddle you after he brushes his teeth,” he said.

When he returned, your breath was even and you had already fallen asleep, the ghost of a smile still gracing your lips. Luke bit his tongue, joined you under the covers, and threw his arm over the curve of your waist. Within just a few minutes, he was fast asleep next to you, softly snoring with his nose pressed into your hair.

notes: so, I, uh..... got a little carried away. I just kept having ideas. And I hope it worked out for me, to be fair. Hiiiiiii anon I hope this was good for youuuu love you bigggg I felt so awky-tawky writing some of this because as much as I would looooove a man to treat me like this, it feels so silly to write. Anyway. Loving y'all.

SEND MORE REQUESTS! I'LL GET TO THEM EVENTUALLY (they might not all be this long LOLLL)

[odetojupiter]

can never wrap my head around how kevin and riko managed to play on three teams (EAU ravens, baltimore wildcats and US court) whilst also following the 16 hour ravens schedule AND going to classes. cause the way the 16 hour days work means ‘night-time’ in the nest would not be aligned with real night time so what are they supposed to do when the schedule says they should be sleeping but they’re actually supposed to be at practice in baltimore (and they have to travel to baltimore from west virginia?? i have no idea how long that would take but they’d have to cross state lines for that so??) or the schedule says they should be doing whatever but they’re actually supposed to be playing a game for court. like when the hell are they sleeping?? eating??

i feel suspension of belief is required but ultimately it shows how tetsuji really was not setting the two of them up for a long and successful career - it seems he mostly wanted to set himself up for success. cause once kevin and riko went pro they’d have started to burn out and crash, and tetsuji would have been able to spin it so that their success seems dependent on him. like, look what they were achieving when i was the one coaching them, they managed three teams and college and were still the best in the country. without me, they’re nothing.

i’m not gonna talk about how tetsuji’s mentality mirrors the mentality of late stage capitalism but i could i really could but i won’t

it would end up with their early success reflecting well on tetsuji, and their later failures reflecting badly on themselves. and since i’m assuming there was no agreement that tetsuji would take any of their earnings post-ravens, tetsuji would no longer benefit from their success after they graduate, beyond how their reputations and the reputation of the ravens reflects on him. and if he can spin it that it was the him that gave them their success, more people - exy players, the media etc - will vie for his attention, endorsing him financially and applying to the ravens, becoming more willing to abide by his control in an attempt to reach the success kevin and riko did during their time with tetsuji.

personally though i don’t think this operation would last, because there’s only so many star players that tetsuji can create, and if they all wash up less than five years after graduation eventually people are gonna become suspicious

[phightinghottakes]

HOT TAKE/ RANT?

I'm not going to lie... Playing Phighting on phone or on mobile is a Skill that you have to unlock... I haven't unlocked it... I think I'm on level 18... and have atleast two skins...,but I still suck at the game... To any mobile players out there...Big Shut out to you. Even IF YOU still play this game... The game lags whenever someone uses their Alt on you.You can't run away that quickly on mobile either , and it just is really lagging... I am a Subspace main so whenever I try to use one of my attacks that I can disappear really quickly.I never get the chance to. I usually die... Because it's so Laggy... If anyone tells you that this game is easy on mobile, they're lying.... It is not.

-You either miss when you're aiming to the Enemy team!

-You either can't use your alt at all because it lags so bad. Or You get killed because you can't run away that quickly...

-And you can't really defend yourself...

- It does not help that there's Maylay characters.I played as Bam hammer from one around or so and I still sucked... It's even. Recommended for mobile players to play that. Characters...

If you were able to kill anyone as a mobile player. In my opinion, that's the biggest flex that you can give....

And?The end of the day.It just depends on how you play Fighting games.For example , I usually choose support classes because it's Easier for me... This isn't about which fighter is the best. It's about your gameplay style and it's really hard to find that on mobile....

The worst part is. I already know it's not made for mobile players. It just sucks because I think some of their audience members could really enjoy playing at automobile. I could really see this becoming a mobile game. Pressure could do it just fine... But then again, I don't know anything about coding on Roblox.... In my opinion, I think they should work on the mobile players. Status a little bit more. So it's not as laggy if you know what I mean....

Thank you for listening...

.

[cordership]

I posted this on a discord a while back, but I decided I should post a version here too. That being said, I present to you:

I HAVE GAZED INTO THE ABYSS AND THE ABYSS ASKED ME IF I WANTED TO WATCH A GAME

or

The culmination of a feverish night of theory crafting after a sudden epiphany like a vision from an angry god, which may or may not be pertinent to the plot of “20021, a Football Story” by Jon Bois, whenever that comes out

See, okay, the whole deal with this thing is; If either Nick and Manny get caught and fail to bring the footballs home, or succeed and bring the footballs home, it will become a big story that it was only two guys who stole the footballs from Georgia Tech. This tells Michigan State that the locomotive lateral was performed by two guys, and thus, it would have been almost impossible for them to split the balls up, meaning the 9 balls that MI ST went up by at the end of the locomotive lateral would have been all the balls that GTECH had (given that it dropped in rank to the 0 ball teams at the same time as MI ST increased by 9). If someone from MI ST took a screenshot of their scoreboard before and after the lateral they would be able to tell that by the time the lateral was completed:

1: MI ST has 24 balls

2: GA SO has at most 14 balls because they were a place below MI ST before the lateral when Michigan had 15 balls

3: SC ST has at most 8 balls because they were a place below GTECH, which (based on the number of balls MI ST increased by and GTECH’s ranking afterward) had 9 balls before the lateral

4: CIN, HOW, and TEX likely have 3 balls each, and if they’re not sure MI ST can collaborate with one of them. Additionally, if you know that a certain team has a certain number of balls at any point in the game, then if the ranking group that team is in never drops below 2 teams, then you will always know everyone in that ranking group will have that same amount of balls even if the original team drops out of that ranking group, due to the sheer unlikelihood of every team in a ranking group gaining or losing exactly the same amount of balls at the same time. Remember, it can be days between scoreboard changes. There is a good chance that every team already knows the tied for 5th ranking group have 3 balls each.

5. If you know CIN, HOW, and TEX each have 3, then MO through to UTEP must have 2 balls each

6. There are 28 teams with exactly one ball each. The 1 ball teams extend into the remaining teams section, where you normally would not be able to see rankings and wouldn’t be able to tell which ones are 1 ball teams and which ones are goose egg (0 ball) teams. However: all teams in the same rank are organized alphabetically, and you can see that the alphabetization resets between Washington State University and Air Force Academy. Therefore a MI ST player would be able to know there are 28 one ball teams.

So: 24+14+8+3*3+2*5+1*28=93

111-93=18 balls hidden off the field, one more than the number UAB is hiding in Stannard Rock Lighthouse

Will Michigan State find 18 missing balls alarming? I don’t know. Depends on the kind of story Jon Bois wants to write. I want to believe they will, starting a frenzy that uncovers UAB’s hidden dynasty as the most powerful team in the entire college bowl, which somehow forces UAB to resurrect their steamroller play One Last Time.

Maybe that’ll give Val something to talk about, other than loathsome mosquitoes lurking in limestone quarry ponds, which may or may not have contributed to the construction of the Empire State Building.

I can only say one thing for certain:

Stay in school, kids. It makes you better at cross-country football.

[84reedsy]

The Mentorship, Part 18

The Mentorship

Characters: Curt Hennig/FemOC , Scott Hall/FemOC

Part 18 of 22 (Parts not chapters, parts length varies)

Warnings/Considerations: Smut, Age Gap, Power Dynamics, Dirty Talk, swearing

Word Count: 4711

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17

Taglist: @writeandsurvive @theweaselandthekilt (DM or comment to be added!)

Eventually worried that if she didn't make an appearance, Scott may return to look for her even more drunk, Brinkley did get dressed.  She chose a black v-neck halter top and short white shorts.  She put half her hair up and added some dangly earrings that she couldn't wear in the ring for fear of them being ripped out. Maybe if she looked good, Scott might forget he was upset. If even for a moment. 

By the time she made it downstairs, the party was in full swing and she was able to slip through the crowds relatively unnoticed. That was at least until she made it to the kitchen when a very inebriated and very loud Steve Borden announced her arrival with a Sting-esque howl.

“Jesus, I think half the county heard you,” she walked over to where he stood next to the counter, recognizing the setup for beer pong. She noticed Curt on the other end of the counter, spinning a ping pong ball in his hand. She knew he was uncannily good at these kinds of skill games and he was likely not as wasted as Steve.

Brinkley noticed him smirking the way only a shark would before annihilating the competition. 

“We're short, wanna play?” Rick asked from the other side. 

“Depends…” She barely managed to save an empty beer bottle from crashing to the floor as Steve bumped into it,  “Who's team needs a player?” 

Now both Rick and Curt smiled,  pointing to Steve. He never partied with them much so his tolerance was clearly minimal.

“Well that hardly seems fair…” she stood with her hands on her hips, watching Steve sway in place now,  “But fine. We're starting over though…” she motioned to the two cups already missing from the end in front of her,  “I’m not playing a pickup game,”

“Fair is fair,” Bryan Adams filled two red plastic cups 2/3rds full, “This is where the big boys play,  no wimpy shot cups here,” he arranged them in the typical ‘V’ pattern.

“Any terms?” Brinkley asked, taking the ping pong balls from Page.

“Hmm, terms. I guess we should set a wager,” Curt stroked his chin in sarcastic thought. Of course his mind spun through a litany of erotic suggestions, but that was only a selfish fantasy. He didn't want to degrade her like that in front of the guys. 

Brinkley could only imagine what ideas he was thinking of,  looking at Rick, he wasn't thinking much. Steve was useless. 

“How about…winning team picks one from the loser team to go jump into the pool,” she suggested. Both Curt and Rick seemed to mull the idea over,  “Naked” she added. 

“FUCKING YES! THAT!” Rick slapped his hand on the counter.

“You better think that shit through,” Page nudged her with his elbow, “Hennig is one competitive mother fucker,” 

She made eye contact with him from across the counter. 

“Oh, I know,” she smirked, “So? Do we agree on the wager?” She knew by Curt's shit eating grin that he agreed.

She looked around, not seeing Scott or Kevin anywhere.

“If you're looking for Hall, I'm pretty sure he and Kev are outside blazin’ it up,” Page said, noticing she was looking around.  

“Well, I figured he was around here somewhere,” she shrugged, turning back to the game, “Ladies first?” She postured to the opposition. Hearing no argument,  she took her first shot,  landing it in the front cup. She pointed at Curt who chugged the cup and spit the ball back to them. 

There was a decent crowd that built watching them. The game was going quickly, but only she and Curt were landing them. They switched off having Brinkley and Steve chug the beers; it only took two for Steve to find his place on the floor.

Down to only one last cup on each end, Brinkley was starting to feel the effects of the alcohol, though she tried to play it off. She knew Curt probably knew her well enough to know though.  It was his turn.  As he lined up his shot, she leaned her arms on the counter behind the cup, letting the counter amplify her cleavage in a shameless attempt at a distraction. 

Too bad Rick wasn't throwing, he was definitely glassy eyed and drooling. 

Curt cocked his eyebrow at her,  feeling that Scott may very well come through on his promise to lay him out if he ever touched her again if he were to walk through right at this moment.  He tossed the ball and it hit the lip and skittered off to the side.  He was a little stunned that he missed,  but he didn't have long to wonder what happened as she sailed one back toward him right into the lone back corner cup in front of him. 

Cheers erupted and she shrugged at him,  pointing at Rick to chug the last one. 

“Hope you feel like swimming, Ricky,” she said aloud, but was staring Curt down still. 

“Aw, Hell!” Rick cursed, but didn't seem to be too bothered as he was already stripping on his way to the back door. The crowd followed him as he went outside and took a Tarzan worthy leap into the very occupied pool completely naked. 

Brinkley and Curt watched from the kitchen window. 

“Well…I was gonna say he could keep his underwear on…but he doesn't seem to mind,” the pool emptied a little as Rick floated front-side up in the water,  blatantly showing off everything.

“Not me,” Curt took a swig, smirking as Brinkley raised her eyebrows at him, “I'd have made ‘ol Stinger jump in stark ass naked,” 

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

Scott watched from the kitchen doorway as Brinkley laughed at something Curt had said.  She had no business looking as hot as she did in that outfit. Damn,  if he wasn't ready to fuck her again. 

“Hey,  there you are,” Kev came down the hallway, seeing Scott lurking near the kitchen.  He saw right away what had Scott's attention. It looked innocent enough,  but he also knew Scott had been in a mood tonight. When Page joined in on Curt and Brinkley's conversation, it seemed even more innocuous. 

Brinkley noticed Scott and Kevin first, feeling anxiousness twist in her belly.  She ignored it,  smiling and walking over to Scott.

“Finally! Where have you two been hiding?” She tried to keep the tone light,  still seeing that darkness stewing in Scott. But, he slipped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against him. 

“Just enjoying the festivities,” Scott kissed the top of her head,  before taking a long swig of beer, “Why don't we go somewhere quieter?” He mumbled to her. 

Brinkley was enjoying being against his body,  pretending that their interaction earlier hadn't happened.  But now, she felt fearful that it might happen again and potentially even worse. 

“But what about all your guests?” She kept her tone light and positive, pleading with Kevin silently, “We can go upstairs later…” she suggested, hoping he would be passed out long before then. 

“C'mon man,  let's head back outside, I could definitely use another ‘j’,” Kevin nodded towards the front door, encouraging Scott to follow. 

“What, don’t want me anymore?” Scott ignored Kevin’s suggestion as he looked down at her. Brinkley frowned a little. 

“Of course I do, just need a little time to recover after the last time,” She said, playfulness returning to her tone. Kevin rolled his eyes, but she was relieved that Scott smirked slightly, squeezing her against him a little more tightly, his hand grabbing her backside possessively.  

He followed Kevin back outside, leaving Brinkley in the kitchen. She breathed a sigh of relief, leaning against the door jam. Curt walked over,  having only guessed what happened. He nudged her into the privacy of the hallway as he walked by. 

“That looked...interesting,” he struggled to find the right word for it, “Everything OK with you two?”

“Fine.  Why?” She asked,  taking the beer he opened for her. 

“Well, just seemed a little tense,” He shrugged, “And because I know when you're lying to me,” he challenged her. 

She looked at him, irritated. 

“Well…if you must know…things are a little weird today.  And I  don't know what's wrong with him.  He just kinda…flipped a switch or something.” She shrugged, “Probably just all the alcohol,  right?” She gave a weak excuse.

“Could be,” He was more than curious about what made her feel that way, “But, I'm headed up to bed,” he needed to get out of the habit of telling her what to do,  though he was dying to suggest she give Scott his space and take a break, “see if things are better in the morning…”

She offered him a smile as she nodded, waving as he headed upstairs. Another beer or two and she'd forget that for the briefest moment,  she considered following. 

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

The party was slowly winding down, but far from over.  These boys had stamina. Just because some of their brethren were passed out, didn't mean the good times stopped.  In fact, it only invigorated them as they schemed on a slew of potential ribs. 

Brinkley laughed as they slurred through sloppy suggestions. Though a little too drunk herself at this point, she tried to sideline anything too dangerous. She knew at least one person’s eyebrows were in danger. As she began to feel more and more drowsy, she knew hers were at risk as much as anybody’s. She made a pass through the house, unable to wake Scott from his couch coma, Kevin slumped against him. She didn't try very hard,  not very keen on the idea of sharing a bed with him tonight after what happened in the bedroom. 

She couldn't do much about their predicament, leaving to go to the thankfully empty master bedroom. She was sure the other spare rooms were likely occupied with people in various states of dress.  She'd definitely remembered seeing Bret sneak off with some lady she'd never seen before.  

She chugged one bottle of ice cold water as she went upstairs, bringing another to combat her likely morning cottonmouth. She locked the door behind her,  knowing it was a weak defense, though no one really had the coordination to stick a paperclip in the release mechanism. That is if they didn’t just kick it down instead. She relaxed completely in the space by herself.  She stumbled over her own feet a little as she went to grab her pajamas. That new silky set Scott had bought for her sounded exquisite, but she only found the shorts, settling on them with a white tank top she found next to them. 

She didn't bother turning on the bedside lamp, feeling more drowsy now.  She pulled back the covers just enough to slide into them. 

The slick, cold, mushy feeling against her legs was startling and slightly sobering as she leapt out of the bed with a squeal.

“What the fuck?!?” She exclaimed, looking down at her legs covered in some sort of creamy, sticky substance, “this better not be the fucking jizz of 50 guys….” She blurted aloud, now grossed out and gagging at the thought of that covering her legs.  She reached over her head to flip the light on,  minorly relieved that it looked too thick to be semen. The smell of cocoa butter started to waft up to her nose and she timidly touched where it was caked against her thigh. This was definitely sunscreen. Another part is her leg had something far fluffier. Shaving cream.  

She stood, trying not to get anything else on the carpet and pulled back the comforter. The entire king bed was covered in at least an inch of sunscreen with at least a couple cans of shaving cream swirled into it.  

“What…. the…..fuuuuuuuuuck,” she questioned again, ignorantly wondering who would do something like this.  But even her drunken brain could easily guess.

Brinkley collected herself, a shocked, angry laugh coming from her. Still looking at the carnage soaking the sheets, she toweled off the concoction from her legs.

“That ass is DEAD,” She considered for a moment waiting and perhaps pranking him back, but no way this man was going to just get to sleep soundly down the hall while her bed had been graffitied by toiletries  She threw on a robe, grabbing her bottle of water before making her way down the dark hallway. She could hear some party commotion still down towards the den and kitchen. 

She ignored the quiet objections in her head. She had no plans to do anything beyond giving him a hard time. It was not fair for him to just peacefully sleep as if he deserved no retribution. He brought this on himself. She turned the door knob to his room slowly, wincing when it clicked, waiting a moment to slowly push the door open. 

The room was dark and still, she snuck in the small opening of the door and closed it behind her. She stood unmoving, waiting for her eyes to acclimate to the darkness. She also made sure she hadn’t woken him, listening for deep breathing or light snores. She could see a body under the covers and as she crept closer, could see that it was Curt. 

She slowly poured the entire bottle of still very cold water from above his face, startling him awake suddenly. 

“Rise and shine, asshole,” She said, jumping on him before he could turn on the light or comprehend what was happening. 

“Jesus Christ, Brinkley!” He tried to wipe the water from his eyes and face, gasping for breath having nearly been waterboarded, while also protecting himself from her lightly wailing fists as she jumped on him. 

“My bed, man, my freaking bed? That’s not even my bed, its Scott’s!” She couldn’t help but giggle as Curt moved under her. 

“What? I have no idea what you’re talking about?” He lied, unable to keep from smiling. She could see him now, adjusted to the soft light of a night light coming from the bathroom. 

“The hell you don’t…you think this is funny??” She tried to wriggle out of his grasp as his large hands grabbed ahold of her wrists. She was no match for his brute strength.

“And what are you gonna do about it?” He cocked an eyebrow, trying to maintain his control though her drunken wriggling was making it harder to control her and harder to ignore the way she was moving against him. 

At that moment, one had slipped free from his grip and she dove it under the blankets, tickling his sides - his known weakness. He tried not to laugh, but let her other hand go as he tried to stop her. She did the same on the other side. She was amused by the way he reacted, making herself easier to overtake as Curt flipped her over to her back, pinning her to the bed by her arms. Her laughter still came, though it was subdued as she looked up at Curt hovering over her. 

Her robe splayed open and she knew the thin white tank wasn’t hiding anything - but then again, he’d seen it all before. 

“Scott probably wouldn’t be too happy with you in my room like this,” Curt said, reminding himself as much as he was Brinkley. 

“Probably not…” She agreed, but didn’t stop the wanting lure of her upward gaze, “But I don’t think you’re going to let that stop you…” She called him out.

“Stop me? I haven’t done anything, miss late-night intruder,” He tried to stall, hoping his better sense would take hold. He was still buzzed from drinking (among other things). 

“You think I don’t know that look in your eyes by now?” She challenged him, she let her buzz be her excuse for her loose tongue, “You think I haven’t seen the way you look at me in the locker room? In the bars? In the ring? Do you really think I don’t know that you’ve been dying to fuck me since the moment we got back on the road?” She maintained a knowing smirk, though throughout her monologue, Curt’s face grew darker. She knew it wasn’t completely true, but at this moment she wanted it to be.

“You're playing with fire here, girl…” He warned her, “You better get out of here before things go too far.” He knew she had to feel his arousal against her leg. 

“And where do you suggest I go?” She postured, “If you'll recall, my bed is out of commission. I'm starting to think you did this on purpose…thinking I'd coming running here,”

“Well, if that was the plan…you played right into it didn't you? Barely any clothes on,  jumping  right into my bed,” He slowly leaned down closer as he spoke.  He could tell she wanted him to kiss her and he couldn't deny that he knew it would feel good.  But it had been weeks, he'd gotten used to not crossing that line.  He couldn't just regress and expect his life to get better. 

“You're lucky I didn't kick your ass when I got here,” she snipped at him,  squirming to get out of his hold, knowing she was worked up and failing to do the same to him,  though she was sure he was rock hard against her thigh, “my original plan wasn't as nice as what you got,”

“You'd really kick my ass, huh?” Maybe if he kept the repartee going,  the tension would fizzle out, “after all I've done for you?”

“I think with what you got out of it,  we're pretty even,” she nearly huffed, not getting her way, “You had your own personal fucktoy at your disposal…what do you have to complain about?”

“Brinkley,” his grip softened around her wrists, “That's…that's not at all what you were,” he felt an extreme wave of guilt wash over him. 

She slipped out of his hands and sat up on the edge of the bed, pulling her robe around her tightly.

“Well what the hell else would you call it?” She felt that familiar sting of insecurity. 

Curt didn't have an answer for her,  sitting back and turning on the bedside lamp. 

“That's not what it was,” he reiterated.

“Yes.  It was.  Otherwise,  you'd have come up with something. You improvise better than anyone here,” she hated that in the moment she still found a way to compliment him. 

“Brinkley,  I know you love Scott…” he admitted, wondering if in another life she might have loved him instead.

“Yeah and look what it got me…just a different guy's fucktoy, just jumping from one dick to another,” she had hoped she wouldn’t subject herself to this;  that somehow she'd be able to resist what so many women before her had fallen prey to. She felt foolish for thinking somehow she would be better than them.

“Stop,” he said with some force, “That's not what you are to him either. Not him and not me,”

“Whatever,” she rolled her eyes and stood, shrugging off his hand that gently touched her shoulder. She knew her drunken self was about to start crying and she didn't want to cry in front of him. 

“Brinkley…” He stood following her as she ignored him, “Don't leave like this,” he stopped her as she reached for the door, “Talk to me, tell me what happened tonight,” He pleaded, knowing that she was still hiding something from him.

“Curt, just leave me alone,” she tried to leave again,  but he held the door closed, “Please…just leave me alone,”

He should. He should let her go. But he hated the idea of her leaving upset with him. He wasn't built for complicated relationships,  but he had sure created one. 

“I can't let you leave like this,” he blocked her exit,  now on the receiving end of a warning look from her. 

“I don't give a fuck what you want!” She gritted her teeth, but couldn't stop the tears blurring her vision. She also couldn't stop herself from leaning immediately into him. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, swallowing her up against him.  He felt her warm tears falling against his chest. 

Brinkley leaned into him,  missing the way she used to lay against his body.  She knew she missed it because she was craving familiarity, something of comfort. That's what he'd become to her.  

She wished the opposite, mostly because of how it seemed to continually complicate her life. 

“You're drunk baby girl,  everything seems bad when you're drunk. Trust me,” he rested his face against the top of her head, “Tomorrow you’ll feel better, probably won’t even remember this,” He knew deep down he hated the idea that she’d forget seeking anything in him. 

“Promise?” She leaned her head back just enough to look up at him. 

He didn’t stop her as she slipped her hand around the back of his head and leaned up to kiss him. He hadn’t felt the softness of her lips in so long, but he hadn’t forgotten their taste. His arms were tense around her, resisting letting his hands wander. He couldn’t help but deepen it though. He sucked in a quick breath when she nipped at his lip. He pulled back, steadying his breath as he rested his forehead against hers. 

“I promise,” he clenched his jaw as he restrained himself. He could feel the disappointment in her body language as she slumped against him, “But…you can stay in here tonight if you want, I can find somewhere else to crash,” 

Brinkley huffed, but turned away from him silently. Shedding her robe, she climbed into the bed, pulling the covers up high around her neck. Curt sighed at the idea of trying to find somewhere that wasn’t already littered with passed out bodies. He went to the bedside, turning the lamp off. He only paused as her hand reached for his wrist. 

He looked back as she pulled at him with a pleading look.

“I’ll be fine,” He assured her, but she didn’t relent. He sighed heavily again, giving in as he lifted the covers to get under them himself. As soon as he was comfortable against his pillow, Brinkley lay herself nearly over him as she snuggled against his side. 

“At least until I fall asleep,” She mumbled, her arm draped over his chest. She had no intention of letting him sleep anywhere else by the way she laid over his arm that he wrapped around her. 

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

Scott woke groggy and hazy. He pushed a snoring Kevin from leaning on his shoulder. The late morning light was pouring in through the large windows. The brightness stung his sensitive eyes, making him blink several times before seeing how trashed the room was.

“The fuck, man?” Kevin grumbled, rubbing his eyes as he also squinted in the harsh light, “What time is it?”

“Late…probably,” Scott shrugged, rubbing his head as if it would help relieve the pressure behind it. He kicked a beer can and it skittered across the floor. He was surprised that most people had left. As he walked through the main floor, he only saw Rick Steiner passed out naked in a lounge chair on the back patio, Steve on the floor by the kitchen island, Page and Kim sat at the kitchen table, drinking coffee.

He wondered where Brinkley was, becoming worried.

“I'm sure she's upstairs, man,” Kevin tried to reassure Scott, but knew that wouldn't calm him down. He poured two cups of coffee and pushed one towards Scott, “Drink up, she’s probably hung over, too,”

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

Brinkley woke first, sitting up in bed as she felt the effects of her consumption. She groaned quietly to herself. She should know where her tolerance was by now. She looked next to her,  Curt splayed out on the bed, the covers resting just below his hips. She admired his body with a platonic admiration; he was so very strong and he worked hard to maintain his stockier build. 

She averted her eyes as he moved and began to stretch. Opening his eyes,  he looked for her first, selfishly relieved she was still there. 

“Good morning,  Brink,” he mumbled, still stretching out his muscles, “been up long?”

“Not too long…just long enough to start thinking about how I'm gonna get you back,” she lightly teased.

“Maybe if you'd just take it,  I'd move on to a different target,” he played back, but regretted the way his words sounded. 

“Relax,” she pacified him,  “I know what you meant,”

Curt sat up,  leaning against the headboard as well, “may be a little inappropriate.. but I'm proud of us.  Slept all night in the same bed and both kept our clothes on,” he joked,  getting a slight smile out of her,  “Sorry, I shouldn't joke about that, Scott wouldn't like it much,”

“Screw Scott,” she mumbled, crossing her arms protectively across her, “I don't really care what he thinks,”

Curts eyebrows shot up. 

“What happened with you two? You can't tell me it was nothing,” he linked his hands together in his lap to keep from reaching for hers. 

“I just didn't like the way he made me feel last night,” she tried to keep her voice flat, but she felt it waver at the end, “He just…I didn't like how he treated me,”

“Did he hurt you?” Curt knew he had little room to judge without being a hypocrite.

Brinkley didn't answer right away,  worrying him. 

“No…I guess not…he just was mean and it was rough…in a way I didn't like. And then he just left.” She recalled the coldness of the encounter,  “I'm probably just being overly sensitive about it,” she shook her head trying to brush it off. 

“If you don't like something, you have to tell him. Don't put up with guys disrespecting you.  Me included.” He tried to give her the best advice he could.  

“He said I belonged to him.  That I was his. But…he treated me like…well.. what I said last night” she felt embarrassed to be having this conversation with him,  but she wasn't sure who else she could talk to. She didn't want her dirty laundry aired around the locker room. She wasn't sure who else she could trust. 

“So that's where that ‘fucktoy’ nonsense came from,” pieces were connecting now, “I assume he was drinking?” 

“By the time I met him in the bedroom, half his bottle of whiskey was gone,” she felt foolish as if she shared blame in staying in the situation, “I should have known,”

“Don't blame yourself.  None of that is your fault just like what happened with me,” he hated to bring it up,  but he had to own up to his own mistakes if he was going to point out others.

“Curt, I told him I loved him,” she looked upwards, trying to keep her eyes from welling up, “He wouldn't say it back. I feel like an idiot. Like…how disappointing am I to you after all you taught me, and then to end up like this.  Already.” 

It was all he could do not to pull her into his arms. 

“You're not a disappointment to me, Brinkley,” he did tilt her chin gently to look at him, “If anything I'm the disappointment for the way I crossed the line with you.” 

She offered him a smile as her forgiveness, nodding to agree. 

“I know you're upset…but don't go dark just yet. Don't get me wrong,  I don't like what you told me…but I have seen a different side of Scott Hall with you around.” He was not fond of defending Scott at the moment,  “But promise me you'll stand up for yourself. If he won't respect you…you can't stay…”

She nodded,agreeing with him, hoping that he was right about Scott. She tied her robe around her as Curt dressed, leaving the room together.

Scott stood frozen outside of his room as he saw Brinkley in a robe exit the guest room, followed closely by Curt. He'd seen his bed,  the prank reeking of Hennig. His blood had run cold when she wasn't in his room. It chilled him even more now seeing them together.

“What in the fuck is this??” Scott felt himself tensing.

[thankyouforthememoriesworld]

Hey friend!

If it means anything, while each of these games she scored 8 points, a few things are getting better: her Game Score is increasing across these games. I never really look at +/- because it is highly dependent on who you play with on the court. There's a good article explaining it with this quote:

"If you send Damian Lillard onto the floor of an NBA game with four preschoolers, he’s going to have a horrible plus/minus even though he’s a fantastic player. His individual play-making and/or skills won’t be able to overcome the gravity of the team’s demise. Nor would the loss (and the terrible plus/minus stat on his boxscore line) be his fault."

Anyway, her on the court often distracts the defense so much leaving Sarah wide open with her own off the ball movement. They can only track 2/3 for PSA at a time honestly. There isn't a good box score stat to show this unless we can get breakdowns for productivity per each starting 5 on the floor. (I think there is a website for this but I'm blanking on the name).

The thing that really was a regression was her usage rate aka the percentage of a team's possessions a player uses while on the floor. Remember, we need her getting 14-20 shots off and she only had 5 today. That's nearly the same number as the USC game where she only played 8 minutes and had a higher usage rate in that game than this one. I would rather see her take more shots than not take them at all (that feels like a Geno-ism at this point). Her shots were falling today, just didn't take enough. For reference, Paige averages at least 15 shots per game, Sarah is at around 12, and Azzi is at 10. We need Azzi to start making those easier two point shots ASAP. I don't want 80% of her shot attempts being from the three point line. That isn't a sign of a confident Azzi.

I hope P is okay. KK posted her and Paige responded so hopefully everything is fine. Next games are Xavier and Georgetown and they are rated incredibly low on the SRS scale so we really don't need her and I hope she gets rested fully. They have 8 games before Tennessee and none of them require her so Geno better not let her come back prematurely I'm bummed she won't break 2000 pts immediately but she will eventually. Healthy P means more to me than records. The only record that matters to her is that national championship.

If anything, maybe I'll look at this glass half full (a fan's survival guide to UConn should come with the tag line "always look at the glass half full") -- now the players are forced to look for Azzi and actually develop that chemistry because right now the only players that look for Azzi are Paige, Sarah and KK and maybe Kaitlyn but not always at the best time because she is a tad too late. With Azzi, you got to be able to read what she is doing before she does it to get her the pass in time. Here's to hoping we see more of that.

Hey love (I always think of Liam Neeson in Derry Girls as I write this 😅),

We should have fans in the stands for every game with signs reading “Azzi shoot the ball”. 10 shots per game is so few 😭. She drives me crazy because she forgets how incredible she is.

I think Paige is alright and was really angry/frustrated/scared, which is why she was emotional rather than responding to pain. We don't need her back for a while, so she should use as much time as she wants and needs to be 110% healthy. I don't care about records, she's already broken so many and will continue to do so no matter what, I just want her to be well.

Azzi (and Sarah) are going to have to take charge of the team, and that's usually something that spurs Azzi into action.

[theastralassist]

Hey Yami!

I plan to go back to play HSR and tbh with you i didn’t play that far in the game and only still in first chapter of the game so i am basically playing as a new player lol.

What I wanna ask is what type of relics I should get as a new player and what best team I should use?

I know seeing my character levels is a pain but in my defence I never really played the game sooo~ any advice and tips when I play the game again?

zero points! /ref

anyways, hii klai! your relics will heavily depend upon what characters you're using in your team, so we'll create a team and THEN go through what relics to use on them! For the sake of simplicity, we'll go with one team and expand on relics from there.

I shall refrain from my... Dr. Ratio team propaganda (Dr. Ratio, Pela, Tingyun, and Natasha in this case! ... oops I did it again.) and give you. a different option! I introduce to you... the ✨Qingque team✨fun team to play, silly unit to build, my girl is just a DELIGHT to play tbh.

The Qingque team consists of the following: Qingque, Gepard, Pela/Tingyun and Natasha! Gepard will be your sustain, responsible for keeping you alive, Qingque will be your DPS, Pela/Tingyun will be your support character, providing buffs/debuffs, and Natasha will be your healer!

Depending on if you play this team on auto or manual depends on how skill-point-heavy this team will be, unfortunately. For the most part, you can get away with not using Pela, Natasha, and Gepard's skills, thus obtaining skill points for Qingque to use in her next turn. What is the most important for those three are their ultimates, which give DEF down, healing, and shield!

As for relics, here are my suggestions! Since you're still in Belebog, your options will be limited, unfortunately! So, I'll be giving you two relic sets, one you can work with now, and the ideal set once you get to the proper places in the story!

Qingque - For Qingque, I would suggest the Genius of Brilliant Stars set, which boosts quantum damage and ignores enemy defense! You'll find this set in Belebog at the Cavern of Corrosion: Path of Providence in the snow plains! As for what to use on Qingque later on... honestly you could just stick with GoBS since it is technically her best in slot set. Alternatively, you can also use Pioneer Diver of Dead Waters on her and still get decent damage. It boosts damage dealt to enemies with debuffs and increases crit rate and crit damage.

Natasha - For Natasha, I would suggest the Passerby of Wandering Cloud set, which increases outgoing healing (meaning Natasha will heal everyone for more HP) and recovers a skill point at the beginning of the battle! Which, with Qingque, you will NEED that skill point. You'll get some of these pieces as you travel through the game, so no need to specifically grind for them! But, once you get past the Silvermane Guard Restricted Zone, you'll be able to find the Cavern of Corrosion: Path of Drifting if you want to grind for better pieces. As for later on, I would suggest Messenger Traversing Hackerspace if your team is having issues with speed and attacking before the enemy! This set boosts speed and grants the entire bonus speed when they use their ultimate.

Pela - For Pela, I would suggest the Guard of Wuthering Snow set, which you can find in the same domain as GoBS! So, I would start here for artifacts here since that's two characters in one shot! It reduces the damage Pela will take and restores HP and energy when she falls below 50% hp. Honestly, I would continue to roll with this set in late game, since there is not really a better set for Pela since she's kind of a broken set kind of girlie? What she needs is effect hit rate, but there's no set out yet that boosts that specifically... If you do end up wanting to change her, I would suggest Messenger Traversing Hackerspace once again! But, just be aware if you have two MTH users in a team, the teamwise SPD boost on ultimate will not stack.

Gepard - For him, right now, you'll want to run him on the same set as Pela, Guard of Wuthering Snow, since his best-in-slot set is not available until you start the Xianzhou Luofu. This set is the Knight of Purity Place set, which increases defense and the maximum damage a shield Gepard makes with his ultimate can absorb. You'll find this set at the Cavern of Corrosion: Path of Holy Hymm and it's Gepard's best set.

I hope this was useful information to you, Klai! If you need any more information like how this team would play on manual mode or anything else, just send me another ask!

Oh yeah.

And build your Dr. Ratio when you get to his stuff. Trust me, having him as an option makes life so much easier and so much funnier. Will hearing "Knowledge is the measure of all things. It reveals truth... and falsehood" and "zero points... next" a million times in an hour's time drive you up the wall? Yes. Will he absolutely kill everything in a 20 mile radius? Also yes.

[words-and-threads]

So I've been having this problem in BG3 where I try to port over my OCs from my freeform text roleplays. The problem is they're the kind of characters who make plot happen and they don't fit very well into a plot that's pre-written. What's more, I as a player want to see as much of the content as possible and I'm not going to do that if loose cannon Tommy over here starts blasting or wary Ioannis won't stick his neck out for the grove.

Making a new OC who facilitates my goals has also been a challenge because I just don't quite know where to start. There are parameters for such a character dictated by the dialogue options, backgrounds, and in-game consequences as well as the world itself. So I found myself thinking back to other RPGs where I created OCs and looking for the difference, and the answer was simple: narrow down the options.

In Dragon Age and Mass Effect, your backstory is either fully pre-written or there are a few canon events that ensure your character will be in the right position and have the right skills and temperament to continue the story. It's not perfect, to be sure, but it does help give one a direction if, like me, one is obsessive about characterization. Especially in a game like Baldur's Gate 3 where the other origin characters are so well fleshed out, I want my OC to at least feel coherent.

SO! I have written some more detailed character prompts with a few main criteria in mind. The character must be logically possible in the setting. They must be a reasonably functional adult with some understanding of the world's social expectations. They must have some interest in other people, team spirit, and willingness to get involved with the events around them. They must have enough combat experience not to freak out when there's blood everywhere. Finally, their background should explain the skill bonuses that background provides. This still leaves a lot of creative space but I think a character based on these prompts should generally be able to fit into the game with minimal difficulty.

I don't know if anyone else has had the same problem, maybe you're all better at this than me, but in case they're useful to someone, here they are.

I've done 3 backgrounds so far, the Charlatan, Entertainer, and Soldier.

Charlatan – you were working in the city when you were abducted.

You learned to lie and steal early out of financial necessity, as well as some other sharper skills. It started with picking pockets and crooked street games, but you eventually graduated to more elaborate cons. You’re still cautious, keenly aware of the risks of your work, and you keep your poker face steady and your cards close to your chest. Whether the people you meet are a useful resource or a threat depends entirely on how well you manage them.

You have always been the life of the party. You were so lively, in fact, that you were eventually cut off from your primary means of support. You’ve bounced from one party to the next ever since, living off your charms. It’s not your fault people like you and want to give you things, even if the “you” they’re giving them to is entirely fabricated. And if people decide they don’t like you, for instance because they caught you taking things they didn’t give you, it never hurts to have a weapon or a spell handy. Well, it doesn’t hurt you anyway.

You trade in information, saying, doing, or being whatever is necessary to get it. You’re a consummate professional and a near-perfect actor who doesn’t let their personal feelings interfere with their work. Those who know you for more than a day or two (and there aren’t many of them) would doubt you even have feelings. You do, however, know how to look at the bigger picture and will act on your own if it seems likely to bring long-term benefit. 

Entertainer – you were working in the city when you were abducted.

Early on, you developed a passion for stories that eventually drove you to an explorer’s life. Everywhere you go, you learn from the people there and share the wisdom you’ve found with them. You have a great sense of perspective and good advice for all situations, resulting in a measured and practical demeanor.  While you prefer to resolve conflict with an appropriate fable, you have learned to defend yourself with force when necessary.

You live for the adulation of the crowd. You have a big personality and a showy flair for your artistic discipline. Every movement screams “tadaa!” Your ambition for bigger crowds and new rapt faces has led you to a few dubious places, but you’ve learned to fight off would-be showstoppers with that same flair.

Your art is violence. Whether on the battlefield, in the arena, or in the middle of a bar brawl, you inflict damage with the grace of a dancer, the care of a painter, and the passion of a musician. Some find you off-putting, but those who can appreciate your skill and commitment are more than welcome to share in your glory.

You never intended to have adventures. You were happy to work away at your discipline, sharing with a small crowd, making a comfortable living. When disaster struck your community, you had no choice but to take up arms. You remain an unassuming, sensible person and a reluctant fighter, but you can hold your own and won’t hesitate to stand against those who threaten you and yours.

Soldier – you were on leave in the city when you were abducted.

You joined an army or mercenary company for a cot to yourself and maybe even a new pair of boots. You were inexperienced, but scrappy and committed to proving yourself. In time, you learned combat skills, strategy, and how to get along with 5 other people sharing a tent, all of whom snore. While you do know how to mind your business, the sense of order instilled in you by your training makes it hard to ignore larger problems in the world around you.

You joined an army or mercenary company to dodge the law, angry relatives, or some other dire consequence. You had some skills already, but you’re still a bit secretive and twitchy. Your commanders know better than to ask and your comrades, well, some of them have their own secrets. A squad at your back gives you the courage to take risks and you give the same loyalty to them that you get. You have a soft spot for people in tough situations. After all, once that was you.

You were already a strong fighter in your own right when you joined up with a mercenary company, but you saw the value of having someone to watch your back. There was an adjustment period as you got used to following orders, but your commanders find your experience useful even if they could do without your ego. Some of your comrades still see you as an outsider, but some, especially the younger ones, are awed by your tales of derring-do. Overall, you make it work.

[notion-technologies]

Having A Local Business? Hire Best SEO Team Online

In the present time market situation, even your local business may struggle to survive. Getting potential buyers for your goods or services may never be easy today. Even local businesses have to depend a lot on Internet marketing tactics. They have to hire the best SEO team within their budget.

You can hire these services if you are still not comfortable doing digital marketing on your own. You also hire these services if you have less time to invest in SEO strategies. You can search for the best SEO services India for your local business at affordable prices.

It is better to hire an SEO team if you lack basic knowledge of SEO strategies

If you are using the best team then you get to see positive results within a short time

You need to hire a team that you can afford for the long term

How to find the right team for local SEO?

You cannot overlook the benefit of SEO when promoting your business in the local area. When you begin your search for the best team, you always have to choose between hundreds of services today. To make your search easy, you can narrow down the search parameters.

Do not overlook Top-Performers

People are often looking around for the number one ranked team for performing SEO. When doing so they often fail to identify the top performers in this industry. They only end up hiring the wrong team. they have to pay more if they hire the wrong team to do local SEO tasks. You have to keep in mind that international services may not know the local market best.

You need to select medium or small-sized SEO experts if you want to target local buyers. There are top players even in the local market. You should never avoid them. They can help your business advertise its services in the local market area.

Testimonials and reviews

Before you hire Global SEO services you may always want to go through the testimonials and reviews online. How can you completely overlook these two factors if you need to hire a local SEO team? Any service that operates in the local market also gives stress the best customer satisfaction. The services they offer to the clients can be trustworthy.

Local SEO teams may also have positive ratings online. You can sort the list of the best local service providers just by going through the feedback and reviews online. This simple technique makes it easy for you to hire the best team for your project. You need to look for the best team that has good reviews.

Focus on case studies

If the team has been in the market, then they have worked on different projects. These become the case study of the team. It is important to hire a team that has been successfully performing local SEO for different clients in the market. You need to look around for the best SEO services India that hold expertise working in the local market. It is more challenging to target potential buyers from the local market.

You may have to focus on past customers. You have to convince yourself that the team maintains a success rate. You can speak to satisfied customers and see the results for yourself. Do not hire a team if you are not fully satisfied. The team you hire must be able to deliver the results they have promised.

Understand their specialization

You come across many services in your lifetime. All of them are not similar. They hold expertise in performing different types of tasks when performing SEO. They also use different strategies to get positive results. All of the services may not guarantee success. Before you hire the best SEO team you have to look into their expertise.

The team should offer positive results if they use strategies they have mastered. This also reduces the failure rate. If you are using Global SEO services then you have to be sure that they have researched the local market as well. You cannot hire a team that does not understand the demands of the local buyers.

The team should be educated

If the team you hire is the best, then you may not have to regret your decision. Right services will always keep you updated on any latest trends. You gain mental peace if you have hired the best team for local SEO services. If you are using international services, then they may take time to understand the local market demand.

Based on their understanding the team will have to select strategies. They have to be successful so results can be noticed with time. You should hire a team that is educated and familiar with the strategies they need to use to target local customers.

Once you have checked all details you can now work out the budget you are willing to invest. You have to keep in mind that working on budget at first before focusing on other areas may never help you hire the best team. Your selection of the best SEO services can never be focused only on budget. You have to spend money based on the services the team is going to offer.

[itsmetheabnormalone]

Heya, so I'm juuuuust starting to watch some stuff about F1 after previously having zero interest in the sport (I dislike most sports in general, but thats another discussion). Anyway, the friend who helped spark my interest in it offered some places to start consuming and getting a handle on the sport, Drive to Survive being one of them. I was wondering if there was any advice you'd offer to someone trying to feel out the sport for the first time. Cheers!

p.s. This friend mentioned she follows players more than teams and mentioned Lewis Hamilton bc he seems like a really cool person. I googled him and yeah, he really does and when I saw him on your blog I thought, "Nice! Maybe I should pester this person a bit about advice 😏"

Hey ☺️

Welcome to the circus!

To cut right to your questions: You got good timing coming into the sport 😊 The new season is beginning soon 🥳 Following the team(s) on IG or twitter is a good starting point to get news.

To be honest, I’m kinda divided on DTS. I personally don’t watch nor much like it, because they like to up the drama (not that this sport needs that. there’s been enough drama for centuries the last two years alone lol). Also I dislike the way they portray certain drivers at times. Generally it is a good starting point, but I wouldn’t take all my impressions from the show.

I think the best way to get into it is genuinely just watching a race, preferably with the community 😁 F1blr and F1twt both have huge followings, although Twitter is, as always, more difficult/toxic. Gotta make use of that block button. What I definitely can recommend tho are the TeamLH twitter spaces, often hosted by 7hanos876. Another account I can whole heartedly recommend is Athena (@tarmactorque).

You could also watch some older races if you want to see what F1 can be when the stars all align lol. There’s some strong contenders from the last few years alone, my absolute face as a Lewis fan being Brazil 2021, where he was disqualified in Qualifying and started last on the grid. What’s also always very emotional is first times. Every race won by someone who has never stood on the top step of the podium before is a tearjerker, no matter who it is. I recommend Italy 2020 for that, or Hungary 2021.

One silly goofy race was Spa 2021. It was a very rainy day and they postponed the race start for hours, but continued to broadcast. A lot of memes were born that day lol.

If you decide to start with this year’s Bahrain it might be good to know that there’s tracks with less racing action (which for most fans means less fun) and tracks where the talking is “done on the track”. There are strategy nerds who really enjoy the more tactical races tho. When pit strategy and qualifying position decide the outcome of the race. Bahrain is usually not the MOST exciting, but also not the worst.

Regarding the drivers, it really depends on what is important to you 😄. I’m TeamLH with my whole heart, followed by GR63. I personally don’t support racers who have publicly shown to be bigots. Idk what everyone does behind closed curtains, but if they’re comfortable saying slurs on live radio, they can’t be that great of a person (aka VER who has a long history of… well. All of that.) Personally, I’m kinda neutral towards half the grid, w my two faves and a few ones I really dislike. With interviews, social media and the reactions towards certain things (e.g. BLM kneeling a few years ago, Abu Dhabi 2021) I think its quite easy to see which drivers align with your interests and morals.

I guess I don’t have to explain where one can watch F1 but just to get it out there: Some countries have free streams, so if you have a vpn you can watch it there (swiss for example). Also F1Tv can be tricked by a vpn 😄 I normally would have to subscribe to sky here in Germany, but use nordvpn to be able to watch f1tv for a LOT LESS money.

I think that’s all I wanted to say 😁 Sorry it took me so long to answer, you probably have all that info by now but I still wanted to reply.

Again, welcome to the circus 😊 Enjoy the last few days of emotional stability before the season starts 🥲 also bc it’s practice week rn: never trust practice results 😬

[ssa-atlas-alvez]

Tw: reader accused of multiple homicides

I'm not sure if this is okay with ya but maybe Hotch having a singer brother or Gideon having a singer son who gets accused of murder when a concert goes extremely wrong? Like the bass player is found in a trunk of a car and the drummer is found caught in the stage lights?

Warnings: Murder, cheating,

Word count: 1042

You were close to home for the first time in a little while and had excitedly messaged your brother that you would be performing close by, asking if he would like to go.

You: hey i’m close by for my next concert, want to be a cool boss for your team and score some tickjets?

You: tickerts?

You: Tickets, this damn phone

Eyebrows: Sure, when’s the concert?

You: Fridauy

You: I give up :’(

Eyebrows: L.O.L.

You: No. No. Never ever do that again. Please

Eyebrows: What?

You: never text lol, I beg of you

Eyebrows: L.O.L.

You: You want those tickets or not?

Eyebrows: Yes, we should be able to go, will depend on if we have a case though

You: I see how it is

You couldn’t wait for Friday to roll around, you hadn’t seen your brother in what felt like years (even though it had only been a month or two). You hadn’t seen the team in years, despite seeing your brother a month or two ago, he had quickly been called away on a case. You pocketed your phone, standing up and heading back to rehearsals.

Things had been a little… strained to say the least over the last few months. Danny, the bassist had wanted to change the band up a little and try different genres, Johnny, the drummer, slept with Danny’s girlfriend, and Joe, the lead guitarist had slept with Johnny’s sister. And you, the guitarist and singer, had steered clear from the drama. Despite all three of them wanting you to get involved. The only one you really felt sorry for was Danny, all he wanted to do was try a different genre. The others had broken the bro code. 

It was nearly show time, you were nervous. This was the first time in a while Aaron was going to be there and the first time the team would be. You sighed, bouncing on your feet, trying to embrace the nervous energy and put it into something productive. 

“(Y/N) Hotchner, you’re under arrest, put your hands behind your head,” The voice causes you to freeze, and you follow the orders, placing your hands on your head. You don’t fight as they clip on the handcuffs, only worried about the fans that had paid for the concert and  were now unable to see you. Maybe there was a way you could get them all a refund. 

They led you to an interrogation room, removing the cuffs, before leaving you alone in the room. You sighed, pacing for a moment before sitting down. You bounced your leg up and down a few times before standing back up again. After pacing the room a few times, you sat back down with a sigh. 

“Aaron? What the hell’s going on?” You asked, seeing your brother walking into the room, you don’t pay his colleague much attention, keeping your gaze on your brother. 

“(Y/N), I need you to be honest with me.”

“What? Of course, no one’s telling me what’s happened,” 

Aaron sighed, “We found two bodies.” Your eyes widen and you’re about to ask who’s but Aaron continues, “They’re Danny and Johnny,” Your hand over your mouth as you draw in a shaky breath.

“What?- How?”

“Danny was found in the trunk of a car, your car. And Johnny was found caught in the stage lights.”

“Oh god…” You draw in another breath before looking at your brother, “Do you think I did this? Is that why I’m here? Aaron, I didn’t do anything, I swear, I would never-”

“I know,” Aaron’s quick to reassure you, “But we have to interview you anyway,” You nod, quickly wiping at your eyes.  

“What about Joe? He’s still alive?” You asked, Aaron nodded.

“He is, but he’s missing,” 

“Aaron, you need to believe me, I need you to believe me, I didn’t do this,” You pleaded, Aaron gave you a look, the corners of his eyes softening.

“I know,” He said, taking a seat in front of you, “But I need you to tell us everything that’s been going on with the band.”

You nod, sitting up straighter, wiping the tears quickly from your eyes. “Okay, okay, where do I start?”

“Wherever, we can piece it all together after.” He reassures. 

“Um, they were all angry at each other for different reasons,” You explained, “Johnny was sleeping with Danny’s girlfriend, Joe was sleeping with Johnny’s sister, and Danny wanted to try a different genre,”

“Where did you stand in the disagreement?”

You turn to look at the person as they speak, realising it was Derek, you give him a small smile, “I steered clear, I don’t want to get involved in stuff like that. I only really had an opinion about them being annoyed at Danny, we’re supposed to be a team and if one of us wants to try something different, I didn’t see the harm in trying,”

“Hotch,” A woman you recognised as JJ poked her head into the room, “Joe’s been spotted at a gas station three miles out,”

Aaron nodded, “Stay here,” He instructed before leaving the room, JJ and Derek following. You sighed, resting your head in your hands as you waited for your brother’s return. 

It was an hour before he returned, sitting quietly in front of you. “Joe confessed to killing them both and trying to frame you. That’s why Danny was in your car.”

You sighed, shaking your head, “Did he say why?” 

“Apparently he and Johnny got into a fight about him and Johnny’s sister and he hit him, he hit his head and it killed him.” Aaron said. 

“And Danny?”

“He had told Joe that it wasn’t cool to date your best friend’s sister behind their back,” 

You exhale deeply, “Over something so stupid?”

“People have killed for less,” He replied, you nodded. You knew it was true, but it just seemed so stupid. “Come on, you can stay with me and Jack for the night, Jack would love to see you,”

You nodded, “Okay,”

“And maybe in the morning I’ll take you to the mall so you can buy a phone with a keyboard you can actually use,” You laughed, rolling your eyes at him.

[realm-sweet-realm]

Galar’s Ultimate Showman and Attempted Saviour: A Partial Rewrite of Chairman Rose

Like most people, I’m not exactly crazy about how Chairman Rose was handled, and I thought I’d take a shot at making him a better villain by giving him a more comprehensible motive and more early signs of being an overzealous and single-minded, albeit well-meaning person. In summary, Galar’s economy depends on its sports tourism, and Chairman Rose will do anything to keep the show rolling. Anything.

Thank you very much to @standardizedbogey and @deerdeardarling for helping me to flesh out these ideas!

Here’s how I would write his story in the game:

-imply that Dynamax energy is already on its downturn. In addition to having it be mentioned by a random NPC or two, it could be demonstrated by having one of the gym challenges experience a partial breakdown in energy, resulting in Dynamaxxing only lasting two turns. Afterwards, Chairman Rose apologizes to the crowd and announces that, towards the end of the championship, he will unveil a solution that will ensure that nothing like this will happen again.

-Have some NPCs discuss how Galar isn’t a resource-rich nation, but it doesn’t have to be because it’s so rich in tourism. Of course, that doesn’t serve the towns without Dynamax spots very well. A good candidate for this would be Piers, Marnie, or even a Team Yell grunt after the Spikemuth gym has been completed.

-While Piers never used Dynamaxxing, his gym used to be able to let his opponents Dynamax, and it was more popular back then. Piers’ reason for never Dynamaxxing? Spikemuth has been experiencing buffers in energy since before Piers took over as gym leader, so he believes that the whole region should be preparing to give up the gimmick and find ways to make traditional battles more entertaining instead.

-Chairman Rose acts as Leon’s mentor/manager and isolated him from a young age to mold him into not only a great trainer but a great showman. Have there be a few hints that Leon was isolated earlier on, and have Leon take the player aside before the final match and admit, with uncharacteristic somberness, that being the champion before you’re grown isn’t what it’s cracked up to be, and that he will fight tooth and nail in the finals to protect the player from it. Chairman Rose then pops in and says something overbearing to Leon about him being Galar’s hero, and they step out onto the field.

-Chairman Rose’s reasons for adopting Bede were that, now that Leon is grown up, he can no longer be controlled and is taking the show in a direction Rose dislikes. He wants to start fresh with a new champion of his choosing. This would explain why he outright disowns Bede after the Stow-n-Side event, instead of just revoking his endorsement and punishing him: he wasn’t useful anymore. This is something Opal or someone else close to Bede could mention in the post-game.

-Have some Marco Cosmos NPC mention that most of the mining for power that Rose’s company is responsible for occurs outside of the region, both because Galar doesn’t have many resources to mine and because Rose believes that Galar shouldn’t have to deal with the dangers and environmental degradation that come with mining. He wants to keep the place beautiful for Galarians and tourists alike.

-Rose’s reason for starting the darkest day? He’s known for a while that Dynamax energy is fading. If he doesn’t do this, one day all of Galar could share Spikemuth’s fate. If he does, well, Galar would practically be a utopia! Not only would this give Galar enough Dynamax energy to last a thousand years, it would be enough energy to power everything! They would have cheap, pollution-free, limitless energy for centuries. And summoning Eternatus will allow him to put on, as he calls it in the announcement before the final match, “the ultimate show.”

-His reason doing it on the day of the championship match? He wanted Leon, who he still loves as a performer even though he’s losing control of him, to be the one to get Eternatus into a usable and safe state: the star of his ultimate show. Leon might not be the champion tomorrow. He didn’t think the protagonist could do it, or at least, didn’t think that they’d make as impressive a show as the man who’d been Galar’s hero for a decade, or that as many spectators would stick around if he were to summon Eternatus after the championship.

-Leon actually agreed to catch Eternatus (he’s a dumbass, your honour), but not with an audience: they could end up getting hurt. Rose summoned Eternatus during the championship to try and force Leon’s hand, and when that failed, he had his staff straight-up kidnap Leon and force him to do it. It’s only after Leon tries and fails to catch Eternatus that the protagonist, Hop, and the legendary wolves are able to step in.

-Rose turns himself in willingly as he does in canon, because he realizes that his attempts to bring glory to Galar have given it nothing but grief. He also passes the league onto someone more pleasant. Thankfully, though, Eternatus has averted the Dynamax energy crisis, allowing even Spikemuth to Dynamax. Piers is still going to stick to traditional battles, however, just in case.

[koolfrogz]

Misconceptions Regarding MCC14

Recently there have been a load of misconceptions regarding many of the controversies that happened this MCC, especially on Twitter and Tiktok, so I thought I would make a giant post detailing these and why they are wrong so I can scroll through my dash in peace.

1. Hbomb purposely abused a glitch in HITW that got Illumina and Mefs banned from MCC on the practice server. 

This one can easily be broken down into three components: 1. Misinformation about the glitch itself 2. Misinformation about the Mefs and Illumina incident 3. When does abusing a glitch count as cheating?

Firstly, the glitch Hbomb used is actually very common in HITW and has been around since the game was first introduced. The devs know about it and have not made any complaints about it because the usage of the glitch itself is heavily luck based (depending on the ping of the player) and does not guarantee a win to any player who does get it. Take for example PearlescentMoon who has used the glitch repeatedly throughout many competitions (i.e MCC 11), yet has not gained any significant advantage through it because, again, there is still an element of skill required to use it. This glitch is not only known by the devs, but has been used before in HITW. It is not something new that Hbomb exploited as a means of getting ahead.

Secondly, the Illumina and Mefs situation is not at all comparable to the Hbomb one. Illumina and Mefs were using a completely different glitch which did guarantee a win to the player because it allowed the player to afk on the platform and allow the blocks to pass through them. They were not banned for exploiting this glitch, but rather reprimanded by Scott and the devs for not reporting it to them sooner. Mefs and Illumina are still allowed in MCC and only didn’t compete this time because the teams had already been formed.

Finally, in regards to the idea of cheating itself when using such a glitch, the idea that what Hbomb did counts as cheating is absurd considering past MCCs and the various glitches which have been abused as well. I’ve seen a lot of people mention the infamous Wilbur Glitch and I think its a perfect example. The Wilbur Glitch is from the game Rocket Spleef which was not played this MCC but certainly will be in the future. The glitch involves the player becoming stuck in a block and seemingly floating in the air allowing them to basically secure a win without admin intervention. This glitch is much more OP than the glitch Hbomb used, and we have even seen admins purposefully try to kill players for using it (i.e Philza MCC11). However, even when players have purposefully attempted to get it (Wilbur, Phil, Quackity, etc.), I have never seen the fandom react so negatively as to accuse them of cheating. It is not fair to accuse Hbomb of cheating when he abuses a glitch which has been in the game for ages and not do the same with your favourite creators who do a much more busted glitch as well. Personally, I don’t consider either of these cheating, but that’s my opinion.

2. They removed Parkour Warrior because Dream was too good. That’s not fair.

Okay, this one is very simple as its just not true. This falls under the assumption that Dream was the only player to finish Parkour Warrior which is not true (PeteZahHutt completed the course twice and was the first to ever complete it in MCC 6). While the reason the Parkour Warrior map was destroyed in MCC 11 is said to be that EpicLandlord destroyed it because “he was annoyed at how good Dream was at it”, this is mainly a joke (think of the Ranboo being banned from MCC situation, while Ranboo isn’t in MCC there’s no actual beef and he’s not actually banned.) Secondly, if you weren’t around for Parkour Warrior when it was still in MCC, or have only ever seen Dream or Pete’s POV, you might not know, but Parkour Warrior was a miserable game mode (think Build Mart/Bingo but ten times worse because there was no chance to improve your placement other than just being good at Parkour). The game was 10 minutes of pure rage and frustration from competitors, which while entertaining at times, wasn’t the best for content when only two POVs in the entire competition were deemed watchable. This also wasn’t good for a competition because it meant that only two teams at most were progressing (and by a large amount) due to one player while the rest lagged behind. It gave the teams which had Pete and Dream a huge advantage and made the game unfun and unfair to everyone else, so they revamped the game (to Parkour Tag) to make it an even playing field where everyone had a chance to win (in the spirit of MCC). 

3. Scott had an unfair advantage in the competition and should be removed from the Dev Team or the Participants List.

This one is slightly more nuanced and may not have a definitive answer. Yes, Scott does have a slight advantage due to being a part of the dev team in every MCC. However, this MCC was definitely an outlier in that fact. Scott has been known to share info and tips with his teammates in past MCCs, but it has not truly impacted their performance on a significant level because the players knew a majority of the information anyways (the game rules, maps, etc). This MCC was unfair because Scott had a bigger advantage than originally assumed (it doesn’t mean he did it with malicious intent, it just means there was a severe oversight when designing the maps and explaining the rules to players). Also, the idea that Scott was guaranteed a win because he was part of the Dev Team is ridiculous and untrue. 

Scott has always been treated on the same level as any other player and has not been giving special privileges because he helped work on the tournament. Take for example MCC 8. Scott was teamed with Tommy, Philza, and Wilbur, and they were doing very well! Then came (wait for it), Ace Race. Scott experienced a glitch which allowed him to remain with his Elytra activated for half the course and allowed him to skip over multiple checkpoints and placed him in first. However, by skipping over these checkpoints the game corrected his placement and put him in last. This was seen as not fair at the time and the Red Rabbits did complain, to which Noxite responded that there was nothing they could do and Scott would just have to finish the round as normal. This glitch severely impacted the Red Rabbits standings and possibly led to them not being able to compete in Dodgebolt that MCC. Yet, Scott was never treated differently than any other player throughout the glitch despite being a part of the Dev Team.

For the next MCC, I certainly think that Scott should be allowed to play as normal. I truly believe this MCC was a fluke, and although I too felt a little salty seeing my favourite go from 2nd to 30th, I believe that it is not worth getting up in arms about it because at the end of the day there is a whole season of competitions where any team has a chance to win. 

4. They should have restarted the round and allowed the participants to retry the map.

While I too would have loved to see a rematch for Ace Rae, I would like to say that I, and probably many of the people playing, knew that it wasn’t going to happen. Noxcrew is very strict about the way MCC is run, it’s why I think it works so well. However, this means that they will not budge on these rules even in the face of something such as this competition’s Ace Race debacle. In the entire time of MCC, Noxcrew have only once ever restarted a round. This was in MCC 7 during Battle Box after there were server issues causing extreme lag for everyone (and Wilbur and Magistrex blew up their own teammates). It was unlikely that they were going to restart the round due to the mistake, and honestly, it might’ve caused more trouble than good to reset the points and the entire round of Ace Race. 

5. The Spirit of MCC

This last one is more of a general statement than a misconception, but I would like to say that I have seen a lot of newer fans confused and upset about this MCC’s outcome. However, I would like to remind everyone that at the end of the day MCC is a for-fun tournament which brings MCYTs of every background to compete and have fun. Yes, there is an element of competitiveness as it is a competition, but it goes against the very spirit of the competitions to be toxic and rude in spite of not winning or placing lower than you expected. At the end of the day, it is a MC tournament that has no monetary prize other than a golden coin. It is immature to slander, spread misinformation, or send death threats and harassment over such a tournament and I wish shame upon anyone who’s first reaction to not winning or their team not winning was to do such a thing. MCC is a brilliant tournament that has changed the game for how MC Competitions have been done, and it is disheartening to see the hard work Noxcrew and Scott have done be disrespected as such. I hope next MCC the fandom can come together and make this the lovely fandom event it once was. 

[pattysplaceofplaces]

Can I make a Yandere request for Carmen Sandiego where carmen kidnaps fem reader and reader escapes and on the run from team red and reader manages to stay under the radar for 2 months and she decides to go out to get groceries but what she don’t know is that carmen found her and has been tracking her every move and one day reader comes home to her door being half open ( side note: reader has/had high tech security installed into her apartment) and she was wondering why her alarm didn’t go off so she went to turn around but before she can she felt a cloth go over her mouth, reader vision is getting blurry but before she blacked out she heard a very familiar voice (Carmen’s voice) say “I finally got you back in my arms”

The Truest of Treasures 

[Author’s Note: I decided to tweak the story a bit but I made sure to add most of everything! I doubt normal Carmen would do something like this so let’s say when Dr. Bellum brainwashed her it caused something no one expected to happen] 

Content Warning: Good character becomes evil, yandere themes, obsessive themes, reader gets kidnapped, kidnapping, reader is going through severe depression.

[From Patty to Readers: There are no “Yanderes” in real life, but there is people who have been so messed up from trauma they become violently dependent on a person. People with OLD (Obsessive Love Disorder) do not deserve to have the label of “real life yanderes” they are victims in their own right and should not be fetishized. As someone who has OLD due to severe neglect and abuse as a child that made me feel so detached from the world. It’s not fun, it’s being trapped in your own mind, being scared of your terrible thoughts but knowing you can’t stop them. Please recognize that. 

Thank you and proceed with caution.]

Yandere Carmen Sandiego x Fem Reader

     “Dr. Bellum, have you been able to pin her location?” The green glow of her many screens reflected back into her goggles, lips curling down in displeasure. 

Professor Maelstrom squeezed the bridge of his nose as he sighed. “What kind of malfunction turns a super thief into…that?” 

Coach brunt slammed her large fist against a wall. “Of course something has to go wrong! That girl is more trouble than she’s worth!” 

“No matter,” Countess Cleo spoke up. “We need to find her now or she’ll blow our cover and bring VILE to light. With ACME on our tailcoats we’re on thin ice.” 

—————————-

You hesitantly peek  through the slip of the blinds and sigh. Ever since Carmen changed you couldn’t sleep, in fear she would find you. How long had you been staring at the ceiling deep in thought? It didn’t matter. You slip out of bed and to the bathroom in your bedroom despite knowing you would be unhappy with what you see. Yet everyday you seemed to look worse. 

Two weeks in the same pajamas, your hair was starting to get too long and tangled in the sloppy ponytail you had it in, your lips were cracked and coated with dried blood from dehydration.

Who were you? 

How did this happen? 

You knew how. Team red used to be your home, they used to be your family. It was a challenge not to fall in love Carmen. She was moral, courageous, witty, everything anyone could want. She loved you too but unfortunately you guys never went further than friends. It hurt but you knew it was for the best, her work would always come first.

You shuddered thinking about it. How VILE changed her, twisted her into their model thief. Yet despite the cruel brainwashing she loved and remembered you.

Not in the way you wanted though. 

For the safety of Zack, Ivy, Player, and everyone else you separated yourself from them. 

You didn’t even realize you hadn’t eaten in several days until black spots appeared in your vision from moving too fast. Despite your fear you opened your room’s door and went down the stairs. No matter how many times you searched the pantry or the fridge you couldn’t find anything palatable or fresh. You didn’t want to believe that the time had come so soon. There’s no way you ran out of food that fast. Yes you could have just ordered groceries but you tried to limit your digital footprint so you couldn’t be traced. 

You would have to go outside again, be around bugs, the stuffy weather, away from the safety of your bed, and around so many people. 

You changed into a clean pair of clothes, grabbed your wallet, old flip phone, and pepper spray then you were out the door.

Like your expected, this was absolutely terrifying. Anyone resembling her made your fight or flight response activate and you can tell people would whisper about Your rotten appearance under your hoodie and you couldn’t blame them. You were disgusted at yourself too. Once you got enough as you could pay for you started to walk home, relieved that people were still around and the sun was still up. If Carmen did find you there’s no way she would do anything in public…Right? 

While walking home you were filled with hope and even liberation from your fears. It has been two months, if Carmen had found you she would have made her move. Yet everything was okay. You went out there, got your groceries and nothing happened. You passed a park where you saw kids playing, dogs roaming about, and cheerful couples. What if you didn’t have to isolate yourself from the world? What if you could finally be happy without fear? For a moment all you could do was savor the moment. The wind on your face, the joyful sounds, the colors you couldn’t find in your dull home. This was your world and it was time you be apart of it. 

With a newfound perspective you walked back home with a sense of purpose to turn yourself around. 

Yet all that hope was gone with one sight. Your door was ajar. It wasn’t all the way open but noticeable enough. Carmen was toying with you. She wanted you to know she was in there. It was foolish but you had nowhere else to go and you knew she would find you again if you ran. You set your groceries down and opened the cap of your pepper spray as you went inside. 

Like you guessed, there she was: Sitting leisurely on the couch as if it was hers. “Nice place doll, if you like dingy, empty houses.” Carmen stood up and you took a few steps back which caused her to snicker. As much as you wanted to pepper spray her or stand up for yourself you were frozen, allowing her to stroll up to you. Her hand moved forward and all you could do was flinch away and squeeze your eyes shut. Yet instead of any harm was a soft hand placed on your cheek. Then it glided upwards and removed your hood down in such a way that made you wonder if you could get the old Carmen back. 

“Look at you…” She muttered softly, so much care in her tone as if she wasn’t just trying to scare you moments ago. “Look at what you’ve done to yourself.” You couldn’t open your eyes out of fear, standing there as stiff as a board. “If I had known I would have done this sooner.” 

For a moment it really did feel like you had the old Carmen back with you. You hated this, you hated feeling trapped. You missed her and you wanted her back more than anything. Warm tears glided down your cheeks as your breaths became erratic. You finally opened your eyes to see her staring at you in concern. She let out a sigh as she shook her head. “I knew it.” Carmen pulled you into a hug and you found yourself holding onto her tightly in fear your legs would give up on you. “I knew you needed me.” She picked you up and you were too emotionally and physically exhausted to resist. “I’m gonna take you home doll, no VILE, no ACME, just you and me.” 

[utilitycaster]

I'm curious on how you would rank the CR cast in terms of how well they understand the mechanics of dnd. Because I agree with something you said a while ago, which is that Sam somehow has this rep as being "the mechanics guy", but I feel like that just isn't true honestly. Not that he's terrible, but I think he does tend to like having one "go-to" move like bigbys hand or sneak attack, and seems to be struggling a little now that he has more choice. And perhaps controversially, I think Marisha has come such a long way in terms of mechanics. Like, sure, Keyleth had some bad moments, but Marisha mostly killed it as Beau and she's killing it now as Laudna, yet she gets very little respect for it I feel.

(answering this along with this from earlier today):

So in terms of strongest, Matt. I think DM-ing is the fastest throw-you-into-the-deep-end way to get good at mechanics, and so an experienced DM generally is excellent at mechanics. We can see it from him as a player, as Dariax or in one shots.

In terms of the rest of the cast, it gets a little murky in that I think everyone but Sam and Ashley is very, very strong (and I have my eye on Ashley because she's catching up fast), and the people I perceive as strongest are in part a matter of my personal taste in how to play/their playstyle beyond just mechanics. As a result I explain a lot of things and this is going to get long so I've put it below a cut just to save your dashes.

Unsurprisingly for followers of this blog, I think Travis is among the top players. I remember sitting with my father watching the boys basketball team at my middle school play a match and he pointed at the team's star player, who I should point out had not hit his growth spurt yet and also iirc never broke like, 5'8" as an adult, and said "that kid has incredible court sense" and anyway Travis has court sense. He asks all those questions because he's thinking about the battle map like, well, an athlete. And as someone who in some small part plays casters because my spatial reasoning is adequate at best, this is really impressive to me. Like, there's a reason he's taken the mobile feat twice, and why he's confident in melee, and this is on top of the fact that he managed to build out a utility hexadin with so many short range teleports, swapping out spells thoughtfully and picking highly useful invocations that also tell the character's story, like, part of why I've been so outright derisive towards the people who have insulted his skills is because this guy recognized Vespin Chloras within seconds. This guy is reading the manuals.

Liam is also among the top players. Hilariously, he exclusively has played Core Four in D&D with two exceptions (Vax's multiclasses and the For Legal Reasons This Is Neither HP nor the Breakfast Club one-shot) so he knows what he likes but he is, to be fair, very good at what he likes, and what he likes is utility casting and fighters and that's the most valid. He is perhaps the strongest at the table at integrating mechanics and story, though Travis and Laura are very close, and like Travis he can handle a highly modular build skillfully and thoughtfully as we've seen with both Caleb and Orym.

Liam and Travis were also the two players I said who I think could at least take a reasonable stab at the Empathy Domain, in that they are both the pragmatists of the group. I think Ashley may be one as well, hence why she's one to watch, but: they are able to quickly make peace with tough decisions or a bad turn and see it through, which, with the finicky nature of the Transfer Suffering feature and the highly RP dependent Sympathetic Bond, is crucial. When will one of them play a cleric for more than like, a two-shot. Please.

I think Taliesin is extremely good at mechanics broadly and has a lot of DM-ing experience and so he's counted in the "very, very good" section with Laura and Marisha here mostly because I happen to also be more of a brutal pragmatist and so that gets extra points, and Taliesin is one of the more optimistic playstyle cast members. He also tends towards min-maxing (obviously for Percy; Caduceus is min-maxed for healing and perception) and I respect that but I prefer the broader utility that Liam and Travis tend to pursue - although Ashton is, mechanically, super fun and has a more diverse array of skills/abilities than many barbarians (though a lot of credit goes to Matt here for the subclass) and I'm excited to see more.

I do have to disagree with the idea that Marisha "got much better". I mean, she has improved at D&D as has the rest of the cast but she was one of the strongest players from the start and the narrative that she's vastly improved since C1 instead of being consistently excellent is outright incorrect. I think people do not appreciate that she was usually the only prepared caster on screen, she was the only person with crowd control while also trying to be the healer and the tank simultaneoulsly, or that druids in 5e are significantly different than in Pathfinder. Like, literally, the only example of a bad Keyleth moment that comes to mind was the Wind Walk in the purple worm fight, and not to keep dunking on Sam but if Sam got a rep for being the mechanics genius for two great moves 3+ years ago it seems, uh, mad fucked up that Marisha still has a reputation for not being great as Keyleth for one bad spell 6 years ago. (In fact, to stop dunking on Sam: most criticisms of Sam and Marisha from C1 should probably stop. If suddenly you're down a sorcerer and usually down a cleric? You get a GENEROUS leeway.) I also was more impressed by Beau than by Laudna in terms of story incorporation - like, eyes of the runekeeper is great but why does she have that, and also I personally believe no warlock should ever have higher wisdom than intelligence unless they multiclassed. A sorcerer/warlock should not be in the business of having a positive wisdom score. Which isn't a knock on Laudna in general - some of this is personal taste and some will be resolved as we learn more - but I need to say that your Marisha mechanics opinions seem really off to me.

I think Laura is quite good and I think everyone who insults Jester's healing is an idiot who listened to Laura complaining and forgot to keep in mind that Jester actually did a great job healing while complaining, up until Caduceus "the healing guy" Clay showed up at which point she pivoted. This is called "responding to what else is going on" and I highly recommend it because mechanics in a vacuum are mere thought exercises. I think Laura is mechanically good but she also I think knows what she wants to do, which is to hit big and hit hard - I think she's aware that certain aspects of mechanics (support casting, tanking) aren't her interests, so she's not quite as strong all-around, but she's very good at what she's interested in. She's also showing a lot of utility as Imogen. Sorcerer is a really good fit for her and she's killing it.