#and I’m really excited for the edits this scene and future scenes will create

[littler3d]

If this episode got one thing right it was the reactions to Meleys’ head being paraded around. Like yeah the small folk would be upset and see it as a bad sign but also come to the realization that the dragons are just meat. They can die, see, the king showed us himself. Really sets up the future actions

[steddieunderdogfics]

This week’s writer spotlight feature is:  @wynnyfryd! Wynnyfryd has 34 fics in the Stranger Things fandom and all of them are in the Steddie tag!

i don’t know, you figure it out

Plot Holes

biting you biting you biting you- oh! kissing you!

Satanic Ritual: DO NOT WATCH!!

She's got some of the FUNNIEST writing in this fandom, and it's very snappy too like. She's an editing demon for sure, she can take a concept that I'd think would take paragraphs to explain and find the right words to make it hit just as hard with like, two sentences. I also really really love how descriptive her metaphors are, really visceral sometimes, and she's really good at writing realistic life events but still making them fun to read about even when it's about like, devastating shit. The sex she writes is also intense as hell! -- @griefabyss69

Below the cut, @wynnyfryd answered some questions about their writing process and some of their recommended work!

Why do you write Steddie?

I am but a humble bisexual — I see two beautiful brown-eyed men makin’ beautiful brown eyes at each other, I go a little insane for two years. It is what it is.

What’s your favorite trope to READ?

late-night moments of quiet hopeful hesitant intimacy over a shared joint or cigarette. Thin wisp of smoke between them, stars dancing in their eyes. Yeah. YEAHHHHHHH 

What’s your favorite trope to WRITE?

This isn’t really a trope so much as a dynamic, but I love a good dipshit 4 dingus dialogue-heavy scene. Don’t get me wrong, I think Eddie and Steve can both be very smart and knowledgeable in their areas of interest/expertise, but these are two young dudes with no access to the internet. I love letting them be confidently incorrect dumbasses. Just ‘yes and’-ing each other’s stupidity while an exasperated third character begs for mercy.

What’s your favorite Steddie fic?

Well, this question is impossible and furthermore rude. This question came into my home and didn’t take its muddy boots off. This question never mailed me a thank you letter for my lovely wedding gift. That blender was expensive; the absolute nerve. No but seriously, I think The Lathe by palmviolet is going to stay with me forever.

Is there a trope you’re excited to explore in a future work but haven’t yet?

I’m a big fan of doing canon divergence from different jumping off points — the beauty of having characters live in the same small town their whole lives is that you get so many great opportunities for these “what if our paths crossed sooner” moments.  I have some very loose notes for a S3 fic where Eddie is the movie theater employee who finds Steve and Robin in the bathroom after they escape the Russians, and I also have an old WIP set between S1 and S2 where lifeguard Steve rescues Eddie and then spends the summer teaching him how to swim. Would love to revisit those after I finish the trailer park AU (which I will be referring to as TPAU because my fingers are tired and because ‘toilet paper au’ makes me laugh.)

What is your writing process like?

Uhhhhh. 😂 I mean, for TPAU, basically just insert the scene from Dune 2 of Paul’s first sandworm ride: I’m shaking I’m sweating there is sand in my nostrils and I am surely about to die— oh wait, maybe I’ve actually got this? Am I actually doing it? Oh shit, look at me go!   For one-shots I like to use a more structured outline and bracket method. I start by dividing my doc into numbered scenes, with each scene getting a notes section and a prose section, like this:

This format gives me a lot of freedom to switch up the order of scenes and to move between scenes so I avoid writer’s block. I can also jump ahead to scenes I really want to write without making a mess of my outline. Once I have something written in the prose section of each scene, I go back and work on replacing each bracket with prose until there are no brackets left. Lastly, I create a new blank doc and copy the prose over in order so I can read the full fic and work on edits from there.  

Do you have any writing quirks?

I have been known to abuse a semicolon. And an em dash. And a conjunction at the start of a sentence. Yes, I do have ADHD.   I’m also a lyricist, so I feel like my prose tends to stray into poetry territory pretty often.

Do you prefer posting when you’ve finished writing or on a schedule?

When I’m finished! Which is probably why I tend to stick to one-shots; I get impatient and want to post stuff the second it’s ready.

Which fic are you most proud of?

‘i don’t know, you figure it out’ for SURE. I’ve never written a fic this long or stuck to a writing project this consistently in my life. Like ever. The last time I even came close was my first NaNoWriMo when I was 16, which was, uh… years ago, plural, and I’ll leave it at that. 😂

How did you get the idea for i don’t know, you figure it out?

“There’s a dead rat on his doorstep.” That’s it. That first sentence/scene popped into my head while I was bored at work, and then I started thinking, “hey, you know what? I don’t know that anyone’s ever done a fic where Max and Steve trade places for S4; that might be fun.”  And then NaNoWriMo was coming up, so I thought it would be cool to try live posting a fully improvised fic every day for a month to see how many words I could write. And then this tragic wet cat version of Steve Harrington grabbed me by the throat and took over my whole life.

When writing Satanic Ritual: DO NOT WATCH!!, what was something you didn’t expect?

How SAPPY these two got!! My god, boys, I’m trying to write smut over here, stop having a beautiful existential crisis! (I blame Briston Maroney for that though lol, I think I listened to ‘Body’ like 1400 times that month.)

What inspired Satanic Ritual: DO NOT WATCH!!?

@inklessletter posted this totally gorgeous art of Steve and Eddie recording themselves kissing, and I promptly lost my mind.  

What was your favorite part to write from biting you biting you biting you- oh! kissing you!?

This exchange: Steve: “What? I’m just asking!” Robin: “You’re being embarrassing!” Steve: “No, you’re just embarrassed. There’s a difference.” Like it’s just so them lmao

How do/did you feel writing i don’t know, you figure it out?

You know when you set out on a long hike in the summer and three hours later your calves are screaming and you’re covered in sweat and your sunburn’s starting to itch and this one horse fly won’t fuck off and your cell phone doesn’t even get service out here so literally WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO YOURSELF, and then you climb that last hill and look out on the most beautiful landscape you’ve ever seen in your silly little life? Basically that.

What was the most difficult part of writing Plot Holes?

Ooh, that one was fun! The only real difficulty was trying to keep it to a microfic because the concept could definitely be fleshed out to a full story — @griefabyss69 and I were joking around about “what if someone did ‘plot hole’ for the @steddiemicrofic prompt fill?” and then that fic just fell out of my head in about 15 minutes. 

Do you have a favorite scene and/or line from any of your fics?

For sure! I’m currently super proud of the graveyard scene in the most recent update of TPAU — I don’t write true horror often, but I love horror so it was really fun to give it a try! Favorite line from any fic is probably this reference to ‘You’re Divine’ in my fic Monsoon Season because I love uncomfortably-aroused prude Eddie, and his internal monologue cracks me up every time I think about it: Freddie Monsoon’s debut novel is called The Fourth Chime, and it is, as far as Eddie can tell, the first installment in a series of unapologetically filthy fuck fests about a man whose lover gets flung into an alternate dimension during an apocalyptic event and miraculously returns as some sort of… sexy bat-boy with a fucking horse dong and a bite kink. Critics are calling it “the most romantic novel of the last decade.” It’s me; I’m Critics.

Do you have any upcoming projects or fics you’d like to share/promote?

My main project right now is finishing TPAU if it kills me, but beyond that, I have a few one-shots for @subeddieweek in the works, including a collab with @griefabyss69 that I’m so so SO excited to share. It’s hot, it’s funny, I can’t wait for y’all to read it. 

Outside of these questions, Is there anything YOU would like to add?

First of all, as @wormdebut would say: I think you’re pretty. Thank you so much for all your hard work! I love this blog, and I love answering questions <3 Secondly: - Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. - Toss cubed sweet potatoes and parsnips, sliced sweet onion, and fresh garlic in a mix of olive oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary, and then spread in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet.  - Bake for ~40-45 minutes. (Potatoes and parsnips should be soft without being mushy when you poke them with a fork.) - Prep your sauce: I made a dijon drizzle situation by mixing olive oil mayo, a dash of dijon mustard, lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and a splash of water, but you could also add a little dab of hot sauce, bbq sauce, or different mustards. Basically just grab like four condiments out of your fridge and play around with the flavors you like until you make a mix that’s thin enough to pour. - Drizzle roasted veggies with sauce. - Enjoy a very tasty side dish (or do what I did and eat the whole sheet as a meal like some sort of parsnip goblin because you were too lazy to make the main dish after chopping all those veggies) okay thank you love you byeeeee

Thank you to our author, @wynnyfryd, and our nominator, @griefabyss69! See more of Wynnyfryd's works featured on our page throughout the day!

Writer’s Spotlight is every Wednesday! Want to nominate an author? You can nominate them here!

[kolbisneat]

MONTHLY MEDIA: June 2023

Summer months here we go! Just wrapped up my time with Zelda so I foresee more reading and tv in my future again. In the meantime, here’s how I spent June!

……….FILM……….

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) Saw it twice and the first time was very nearly too much to take in. The second viewing was far less overwhelming and still a joy. While it didn’t feel like a complete story following Miles, at least there’s some satisfying conclusion with Gwen. I’m glad part 2 comes out in less than a year. 

Ali Wong: Baby Cobra (2016) Maybe I wasn’t in the right mood or maybe going with one of her older specials wasn’t the right call but I wasn’t really feeling it. I can see hints of overlapping themes that pop up in BEEF (which I loved and why I wanted to watch one of her specials) but that was more interesting than it was funny. Still gonna check out her other specials.

Goldeneye (1995) I have more memories playing the game than watching the movie but still a big fan of this flick. Really great characters and locales and I forgot just how comedic it is. So many one-liners! Always feels a little long at the end but worth it to see Boris’ death scene.

Encanto (2021) Late to seeing this and really great! Beautiful and personal and peak musical songs where characters basically ONLY share their personality through song.

……….TELEVISION……….

Ted Lasso (Episode 3.11 to 3.12) I was really dragging my feet about finishing the series as I found season 3 wasn’t as consistently enjoyable to watch. But those last two eps really stuck the landing. Some beats were expected, some were welcome surprises, and there were so many callbacks that were naturally woven in that I was really impressed. Some of the best from the season (and on par with the rest of the series) and I’m really glad I finished it.

……….YOUTUBE……….

Do "gun buybacks" work? by Vox A really succinct breakdown of how the US can do better, and an honest look at why this needs to be a part of a more complex plan. VIDEO

Agnostic TTRPG Prep Method by Map Crow Really fun way to use all the books that you’re not currently using! Watch the vid and then if you like the process you can pick up the bundle HERE (not affiliated, just a fan). VIDEO

The Station Toronto Needs by RMTransit Hey I’m a big fan of trains and I just found this channel. This was my first introduction to them but I’m keen to watch more. More trains! VIDEO

How Editing Creates Comedies That Make You Cry... by The Editing Podcast Another channel I recently came across and I’m keen to watch more. I know very little about editing but am keen to learn more.  VIDEO

……….READING……….

Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber (Page 7 of 285) Clearly I’ve only just started this (thanks to me dragging my feet on The Righteous Mind) but really excited to dig deeper. The prologue is the original essay that inspired the book and that alone already has so much in it! A really great primer and I wasn’t expecting it to lay a lot of the blame at capitalism’s feet so I think it’s gonna be a great read. 

The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion by Jonathan Haidt (Complete) The first time I read this (at a time when the COVID-19 vaccine was just coming out and folks were choosing not to get it) the book really helped me understand the reasoning behind other people’s choices. For that it was really helpful. This time around, with more time and more political moves behind us, I find it glaringly obvious just how out of touch (or conservative-leaning) this book is. There’s a whole section about how the free market and capitalism is good for healthcare. Wild stuff. If you want more in-depth reviews explaining why this didn’t sit right with me this time around, I found Storygraph had a lot of great write-ups (also Storygraph is great if you want an alternative to the amazon-owned Goodreads).

Delicious in Dungeon Vol. 12 by Ryoko Kui (Complete) Listen I sing this series’ praises every time I read a volume and this is no different. Somehow the story, setting, and characters grow while still remaining connected to the main theme of “what if we ate the monsters we fought in an RPG?” It’s truly top-tier and I can’t stress enough that if you like charming, funny, expertly-illustrated comics, you should try out this series.

The Fade Out by Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips, and Elizabeth Dismang (Complete) Really fun read. Old Hollywood murder mystery with a lot of really nuanced characters. The resolution felt a little abrupt and unsatisfying, but without giving anything away I think it was appropriate. I’m also not sure if it was a stylistic choice but all of the women have different shadows than the men. It feels like they’re living in two different worlds but maybe that’s intentional? Still really great.

……….AUDIO……….

PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation by King Gizzard (2023) Loved King Giz’s first foray into metal and this continues that trend. I may not love everything that they do, but I love that they do everything that they do.

……….GAMING……….

Oz: A Fantasy Role-Playing Setting (Andrews McMeel Publishing) The Tuesday Crew is currently up against a young dragon (Dragonette) plaguing a mine (recap HERE) while the Mof1 Crew is divided across Munchkin District and each dealing with their own small crisis. They say never split the party but I think the trouble gets way more interesting when you do.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo) Finally moving on from this after countless hours spent in this world and it’s all bittersweet. Loved the familiar stuff, loved the new stuff, and loved the overall arc of the game. Hopefully the next game in the series goes back to something smaller and focused.

And that’s it. See you in July!

[scribblesbyb]

Writing Game Week #1: Use These Prompts to Get Back Into Writing

Prompt 1 Prompt 2 Rules: Sharing randomly generated prompts every day for a week. Create sth with it in only an hour (time yourself). Don't edit or proofread till the very end. Just. Write. A/N: Really loving this game ngl. This one was particularly out of my typical writing comfort zone or wtv but was fun! Enjoy.

Prompt 3: Scrolling, you saw a meme coin for $1. Laughed, "Why not?" and bought 500 coins. Next morning, the phone buzzes like crazy. The meme coin? It skyrocketed! $30 million a pop! the $500 turned into a mind-blowing 15 billion! What to do with this life-changing windfall? Decisions, decisions...

You’re doomscrolling through your phone—as you do before bedtime when you notice that all your targeted ads are about investing in cryptocurrency.

Invest today! Invest in the future! You’re missing out! Now! Today! Crypto!

Sighing, you remember how adamant your friends were about this very thing over today’s lunch. It seems everyone is riding that crypto train but you. 

The next ad you scroll through features the meme coin you liked when Lizzie showed it to you. Feeding off your reaction, she tried to get you to invest in it right then and there, pushing that “...it’s only a dollar! Investing is a win-win; trust me!”

You scratch your head for a moment, still staring at the stupid coin on the screen. The colorful hues of the ad dance across your face in your dark bedroom. Realizing you’re biting your nails, you decide, hey, what’s the harm?, and click on the ad.

You win, you think.

When that little window opens asking how much you’d like to invest, your brain halts to weigh your monthly budget first. Your eyes dart back and forth as numbers swirl in your head. This was a risk at the end of the day, you thought idly, you didn’t even believe in this crap but minutes ago!

You decide to text Liz. She had to be up at this hour, right? Didn’t she work night shifts?

You: hey, so, don’t get too excited but i’m caving in. how much of the meme coin should i buy? 👀

Liz: finally!

Liz: which one though lol you do know there’s like…tens of them?

You: dude…

This information almost makes you abort mission. But you text back.

You: that crypto of my fav meme?

You: you know, the one that made me chuckle at lunch?

Liz: Oh, yeah!

Liz: 500, easy

You: That much?! 😲

That’s ridiculous, you think, that’s more than 20% of my paycheck damnit! You’re closer now to pulling the plug on this whole fiasco.

Liz: Yeah dude, like, the value of return will be crazy at some point

Liz: Just do it 💪🏼

You:  You and the “just do it” crap 🙄

Liz: You’ll see tomorrow when we’re filthy rich who’s laughing 😉

Sighing, you scratch your eyebrow in thought. Maybe it was the it’s-after-midnight-let’s-make-bad-decisions fever or how sleepy you were, but you did as told and begrudgingly invested 500 dollars of your hard-earned money. 

Feelings you only get when you make an unnecessary purchase just ‘to feel something’ creep into your heart right away. You lock and throw away your phone. Let’s just go to bed, you nod to yourself, cuddling into your pillows. Que sera, sera, right?

The next day, your phone almost buzzing off your end table wakes you up 30 minutes before your alarm was supposed to go off. Grougy still, you reach for it, using your instinct to unlock it without looking. A deep groan escapes you when you see the time. 6.30 am. 

What the fuck could it be at this hour?

Eyes half-open, eyebrows crossed, you look closely to see over 100 notifications and counting. Your GC with your gal pals is going crazy. What are these idiots talking about now? 

Lazily, you open the chat app, assuming it might be an emergency of some sort. Though it rarely was. The last time this happened, the season finale of y’all’s favorite show was a little too intense. The girls spent the night talking about the scenes in detail and consoling each other.

But even though it might be nothing, your duty as a close friend is to know what’s making the GC flood with messages, Then you can catch those extra 20 minutes of sleep.

Liz: I’m going to pay off my debts first duh! 

Deb: Vegas baby!!!! 💃🏼💃🏼

Liz: Omg no guys, we should toootes travel! Paris, just like we all dreamed about!

Deb: Vay-gas. Vay-gas. I’m craving some man candy, c’mon!! 🤑🤑

Jordi: Shouldn’t we be quitting our jobs like…right now? Like I feel that’s the most fun part of all this! 

Jordi: Ngl calling my boss a dick would be nice 🙊

You: …

You: What the fuck you guys?

You’re in the middle of typing a follow-up message when Liz’s name flashes through your screen. Clearing your throat, you accept the call.

“Holy shit, dude, what did I tell you!”

“You’re screaming and I just woke up,” you reprimand, rubbing your eyes. “Are you guys planning something? Why is Deb talking about Ve—?”

“Shut up and sell your crypto.”

“Wha—”

“Just do it!”

You roll your eyes. “Always with that damned phrase,” you say, putting the call on speakerphone to exit the app and open the crypto one. “But I just bought the damned thing yesterday!”

You ramble on while you type in your account details and the screen loads.

“Seriously was it worth waking me u—holy shit!!!”

 You sit up, awake immediately. 

“What. The. Shit.”

“I told you! I fucking told you, didn’t I?”

 Your friend’s muffled screams echo off the phone’s speakers. Utterly flabbergasted, you just keep cursing out loud, in total disbelief at the number in front of you. 

30,000,000.

30 million.

30. Fucking. Million. 

“Are you selling them yet?!”

Your friend’s voice wakes you up from your trance. 

“Yes, yes, one sec.”

You find the sell button and watch as the numbers transform into an even more unbelievable one.

15,000,000,000

You keep counting the zeroes, thinking there must be some sort of mistake. There was just no way.

Is there even that much money in the world??

The thought was foolish, of course. Your hands tremble, maybe in shock, maybe in fear, maybe in anticipation of what’s to come—you didn’t know. 

“Holy shit, Liz.”

“I told you! I told you tomorrow we’ll be rich!”

“Wait,” you shake your head, “you knew this was going to happen today?”

“Well…no.” She laughs. “But imagine how cool that would’ve been?”

You laugh, too, not helping the stupid grin on your face. You hop back into the GC, scrolling through the influx of messages still going on.

“This was totally worth waking me up.”

Lizzie laughs again. “So what are you going to do with the money? If you read through the chat, you’ll see we were taking bets while you were sleeping.”

“You didn’t??” You gasp. “What did you bet?”

“Knowing you? You’re probably gonna spend it on expensive food first.” You laugh aloud and Liz piles on with, “Tell me I’m wrong! You’re the one always saying you want to try new foods but can’t afford shit.”

“Ain’t no lie there.” You agree, brushing your hair back. “Oh god, Deb bet I’ll spend it on hookers? Is that girl ever not thinking about sex?”

“Well, you know Deb.”

You take to the chat to respond to the blonde bimbo you love and respect.

You: What the shit, Debbie? Hookers?? We’re not all you 🙄

Deb: HAHAHA y’all wish you were as fun 😘

Deb: And at least my bet is plausible. Have you seen what Jordi bet yet?

“What did Jordi bet?”

“Uh…” Liz pauses in thought; then clicks her fingers. “Ah! She bet on charity work l-o-l.”

“Charity?”

“Yup.”

“Seriously. Charity?”

“E-y-up.”

“Do you guys even know me?” You laugh, a little quizzical and hurt, to be honest. You’re the only charity you’ll spend money on—you even joked about that a few times over dinner.

“Just tell us what you’ll be doing! C’mooon! Paris awaits!”

“Okay, alright already.” 

You hang up and take to the chat.

You: Sorry bitches, but you all lose. First thing imma do? Take you guys out for drinks. On me. 😉

Liz: That’s it? 😂 It’s 7 in the morning! 

Deb: Who cares! We’re billionaires! 🤑

Jordi: Just quit my job. I suggest y’all do the same before getting WASTED

[qnewsau]

Why this is Australia's most queer Eurovision yet

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/why-this-is-australias-most-queer-eurovision-yet/

Why this is Australia's most queer Eurovision yet

The Eurovision Song Contest is back for another year and it may just be the queerest yet for Australia. 

This year’s edition will be held in Malmö, Sweden following Loreen’s historic win last year with Tattoo.

Australia is back for another year and will be represented by the truly fabulous Electric Fields with their song One Milkali (One Blood).

Queer identity

Electric Fields is made up of Zaachariaha Fielding and Michael Ross and they put their queer identity at the very forefront of their music. 

Michael told the Guardian about growing up gay in conservative Queensland. 

“I had to try to walk differently, I had to move my hands differently. And it’s a very unique experience that only queer people would really understand – pretending that you’re the opposite of what you are,” he said. 

Zaachariaha was raised in the remote desert community of Mimili in South Australia’s Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara lands.

“With my family, I didn’t even come out … There was no reason for it. My brother reminded me of it a few years ago – he said, ‘You know, you didn’t really come out to us.’ I didn’t really verbalise it, I was just more being it,” Zaachariaha told the Guardian. 

Michael shared with QNews the importance of being authentic.

“What is always a focus when we create a track is that both Z and my authenticity as people, as artists are truthfully woven into the lyrics and music. Because of this, our queerness naturally shines through same can be said for when we perform,” he said.

And why is the queer community so drawn to Eurovision?

“One of my core values is equality and I don’t believe in stereotypes but is it just me or are the queers just naturally more creative, I think we are,” Michael explains.

“Eurovision is one of the freest creative platforms around.”

Courtney Act joins Australia’s team

Not only are the entries queer but so is the SBS team! 

Comedian Joel Creasey will be on commentary duties (alongside Myf Warhurst) while Courtney Act will be providing behind-the-scenes coverage from backstage. 

Although Courtney is there for TV duties, she still has performance ambitions. 

“Think of this as reconnaissance. I’m going into the Eurovision arena to watch it,” Courtney said.

“And I am, only in my own mind, going to take notes and see what it’s all about, how it works. So that when I get there in the future, I’ll be better acclimatised to represent Australia.”

Brendan Maclean is in support

Queer singer-songwriter and actor Brendan Maclean will be a backing artist on stage for Australia’s performance.

He told QNews about his excitement of being involved.

“As a backing vocalist, you’re being asked to help debut Electric Fields, these beautiful two people I have adored for years, to over one hundred million new fans. So while it’s a fun job it’s one I take very seriously,” he said.

“There’s no room for error, you get one shot at this.”

Where to watch 

Live broadcast on SBS and SBS On Demand:

Semi Final 1 – Wednesday 8 May at 5:00am AEST (Australia performing) Semi Final 2 – Friday 10 May at 5:00am AEST Grand Final – Sunday 12 May at 5:00am AEST

Primetime broadcast on SBS and SBS On Demand

Semi Final 1 – Friday 10 May at 7:30pm AEST (Australia performing) Semi Final 2 – Saturday 11 May at 7:30pm AEST Grand Final – Sunday 12 May at 7:30pm AEST

More on Eurovision:

Courtney Act has a big plan for her trip to Eurovision 2024

Brendan Maclean’s surprise Eurovision news for Australia

Electric Fields in Sweden for first Eurovision rehearsals

UK’s Olly Alexander reveals “dirty” Eurovision rehearsal

ABBA rules out reunion on 50th anniversary of Eurovision win

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

[little-peril-stories]

2024

It's the time of year where many of us think about the future and what's to come. I don't really do New Year's resolutions, and I've never done a real list of goals before. But as I'm thinking about what 2024 will bring, I'm feeling for the first time the desire to lay out my goals - or, at the very least, create a to-do list.

It might be interesting to see how much I overestimated my ability to get stuff done next year. 😅

No pressure to read this, it's largely for myself!

The Queen of Lies

Continue posting semi-regularly. Given the way the first half of the school year has gone, I figure that's probably the best I can do.

Rewrite Act 3. I'm actually so excited for this, and it's all planned out! But it's still not written, even if a lot of the juicy dialogue is sandwiched between bullet points of what happens.

Edit it...eventually. Perhaps in the latter half of the year. Or perhaps that's a 2025 job. Who knows?

angsty heist wip

Reveal the title. Coming sooner than you think.

Post the WIP intro early. TPOT's came when it was about half posted, and TQOL's came only a day before Chapter 1. I think I'll mix it up for angsty heist wip. Nobody peek on my drafts and see how long the wip intro has been chilling there. 😅

FINISH WRITING THIS DAMN BOOK. It's just got to happen. I've hit 2/4 POV character's midpoints, and the delicious confrontation/finale still needs to be written. It's all the good stuff!

Figure out posting plans. It's not coming until TQOL is done, so this is a very vague and fluid goal.

Book 1

Review beta feedback thoroughly.

Make a concrete plan for what I actually want to change and what I don't.

Apply feedback.

Reread and edit for typos/little things.

Do a second beta round.

Start preparing query materials in earnest.

Book 2

lol. start it again? postpone to 2025? who knows. low priority.

The Prince of Thieves -- the journey to self-publishing

Okay, real talk: the list below is long. I've never done any of this before, so I have NO clue of what's realistic and what's not. Is all of this possible in the year 2024? Maybe not. Is that okay? It's gonna have to be! The point of it isn't to marry myself to this list or else I've FAILED, but to have a clear idea of what commonly needs to be done in order to self-publish a novel. If some of the stuff doesn't happen, well, so be it! I’m also quite aware that the list below is not exhaustive. There are probably a million things I haven’t thought of!!

DONE - ISBN account made and approved

DONE - decide on pen name. Finally!

Beta stuff! Send it off, wait for feedback, review feedback, and then apply it. I'm almost there.

Attempt cover design. I am 73% confident in my ability to do it well. With an artist AND a graphic designer/marketer in my family, I think I've got a team who can help me with the technical/Photoshop stuff.

Hire cover designer if failure. (Definitely a possibility.)

Decide on book format/interior design elements. Pretty confident I can do this myself. 96% sure.

Make an author website. For realsies. (aaahhhhhhhhh)

Increase social media presence. Try not to cry about the existence of TikTok. Try not to get in my own head about this. The truth is the thought kind of makes my skin crawl but I also understand how it is is pretty much a necessity.

Learn marketing and create a marketing plan. I got this. probably. maybe. ennnhhhh.

Consider character/scene art commissions. I am uncertain about this one. Finances will determine whether this happens or not.

Cry a lot and be okay with that. I think I'm going to struggle a lot with this whole process. And you know what? That's all right. I will learn a lot. And even if it's scary...well, that will make it all the more rewarding in the end. 💕

[albertonykus]

Doraemon Movie Review: Nobita's Great Adventure into the Underworld (1984) and Nobita's New Great Adventure into the Underworld (2007)

What is Doraemon? The title character of the Doraemon manga and anime is a blue robotic cat from the 22nd Century who keeps an array of high-tech gadgets in a portable pocket dimension on his belly, and has traveled from the future to improve the fortunes of a hapless schoolboy named Nobita. Although relatively obscure in the English-speaking world, Doraemon is a Mickey-Mouse-level cultural icon in East Asia (and some other regions, too). The Doraemon franchise was a big part of my childhood, and there are still elements of it that I enjoy now.

Doraemon has released theatrical films almost annually since 1980, most of which involve Nobita and his friends (kind Shizuka, brash Gian, and crafty Suneo) getting swept into adventures thanks to Doraemon's gadgets. Despite being of potentially broad appeal to fans of science fiction and animated films, there are very few English reviews of the Doraemon movies, so I'm embarking on a project to write about all the films that have come out so far. Good luck to me…

Movie premise: Nobita creates a world where magic exists. He and his friends then have to fight literal demons.

My spoiler-free take: The original is an exciting adventure story that takes a few unexpected turns along the way. One of my favorite Doraemon movies.

The 2007 remake presents a mixed bag of story edits. Some of these changes are satisfying, but others raise questions of their own or remove enjoyable elements of the original. Also, the way it treats Shizuka is really gross.

POTENTIAL SPOILERS AFTER THIS POINT

Review: Out of the Doraemon films I saw when I was little, this one may well have been my favorite, and I think it still holds up very well on a rewatch. It’s certainly one of the most thrilling adventures in the series, with an eerie mystery set up at the beginning of the story, a couple of potentially surprising twists and turns in the plot, and even a fake-out ending.

(Also, this moment of Doraemon asking Nobita if he wants to play is cute.)

Doraemon’s sister, Dorami, is the indisuptable MVP here. (Fun fact: though Dorami makes frequent appearances in recent Doraemon films, this is the only movie written by the original manga author, Fujiko F. Fujio, in which she appears.) However, an honorable mention goes to Gian, who has two very memorable scenes: one in which he scares off a sea monster with his “infamously horrible” singing, and another in which he lands the attack that finishes off the main villain.

There are still quibbles one can raise with the story (as we’ll see shortly), but I don’t think they severely detract from the enjoyment of watching this movie. If anything does bother me about this film though, it’s the tasteless recurring “gag” that Nobita’s magic only works when it’s to sneak a peek under Shizuka’s skirt...

Star rating: ★★★★☆

Not to worry though, this movie has a remake! Panty shot “jokes” in a piece of children’s media are exactly the type of thing a modern remake would downplay or remove, right? Right...?

Review: Although the remake keeps many of the same story beats as the original, there are also numerous major changes. Some of these I liked. For example, the fate of a prominent secondary antagonist, Medusa, was a notable loose end in the original film. Here, she gets much more screentime and actual closure to her role in the story.

In addition, this movie alters the scene where the heroes first confront the main villain. In the original version of the story, they uncloak themselves in front of the villain for no explained reason, whereas here, he sees through their disguise first, which seems like a much more logical sequence of events.

However, there are other changes that I felt less positive about. In the original, the main characters had to travel by flying carpet for a week to reach the demons’ planet. The remake, on the other hand, adds an earlier scene in which they are able to access the planet instantaneously using Doraemon’s Anywhere Door, and yet when the protagonists need to take another trip there, they instead use the flying carpet!

(Previous Doraemon stories have established that the Anywhere Door does not work when it lacks a pre-programmed map to the destination, as would likely be the case for interstellar travel in a parallel magical universe. It’s thus understandable that it was not used to reach the demon planet in the original film.)

The remake removes most of the “adventurous” part of the heroes’ journey on the demon planet in the original, during which they faced a series of hostile environments and dangerous creatures with the help of Doraemon’s gadgets. Sequences like that are often some of the most fun parts of Doraemon movies, so I think it’s a shame that this one was cut. (This also makes it ironic that the remake is still titled the “Great Adventure into the Underworld”.)

Partly as a result of that, Gian’s time in the spotlight is lost in this version, given that him driving off the sea monster was part of the adventure sequence in the original. Not only that, but his role in finishing off the main villain is instead given to Nobita here.

Although the remake still contains plenty of action, the overall tone feels more comedic. In a way, this is reflected by the movie poster: just look at how much brighter it looks than the original! (Note as well how Dorami is prominently featured here, whereas her involvement with the original plot came as more of a surprise.) So... what did it do with those “jokes” about Nobita exposing Shizuka’s underwear?

Curiously, it made them worse, even showing the other boys (including Doraemon) eagerly watching when they happen! Out of all the questionable things that Shizuka is subjected to in the franchise, having Doraemon express any kind of perverted interest in her might be the most horrid. (Keep in mind, Doraemon is programmed to be a child-caring robot...) It’s not even a consistent part of his character—other times, he has no issue stopping Nobita from or telling him off for practicing such behavior, as he should—and besides, it was not in the original version of this story. There was absolutely no reason for it to be here.

Star rating: ★★☆☆☆

Original or remake? The star ratings probably speak for themselves here. The original is one of my favorite Doraemon movies. The remake... is not.

[aquaticlime]

JIMMY FALLON INTERVIEW

February 11th of 2024 I was invited to guest star on an episode of the tonight show which Jimmy Fallon. The teaser trailer for my debut film had just been released on February 8th creating a lot of excitement and buzz surrounding my name.

I’ve mentioned this interview before I believe on my BAFTAS post. But it’s the first interview I do in my Fame Dr, in it I almost reveal my celebrity crush on live Television, how girly pop of me! I seriously had so much fun with this idea I’ll probably be so embarrassed by the repercussions of it but c’est la vie! Below is what I wore nothing to crazy, fancy but still comfortable and of course red for the movie I’m promoting. Enjoy!

❝ [Transcript of the interview]

Jimmy Fallon is in bold, My answers are in normal text.

I cut out the pleasantries in the beginning.

"We saw the trailer for your new film, and everyone here was blown away by it. How does it feel to finally be starring in your first full-length feature film?"

“Euphoric is the first thing that comes to mind. It’s all happened so quickly and now I’m a guest star on jimmy Fallon of all things”

"No kidding? I would have thought you'd been in the business for years judging by that trailer. Tell me, is there a lot of pressure working on a big film like this for the first time?"

“I think there should be but I haven’t felt much, I’m still riding the high from everything. Plus everyone I’ve met and worked with so far has been so kind and supportive.”

"Ah, so you've gotten lucky with your first project, then! How do you feel about all the hype surrounding this film? does it make you nervous, excited, how are you feeling?”

“It’s amazing I hope everyone loves the story and my Character Dinah as much as I do. There’s a lot to appreciate in this movie from costuming and world building to the more behind the scenes like camera work and editing.”

“So how did the whole journey of becoming the star of a blockbuster movie happen? Was it something you always wanted, or was it somewhat unexpected?"

“Uhm A bit of both, I hadn’t known want i wanted to do in life til I was 14 or so, once I found acting though I dove straight into community theatre. But for this particular project I had read the book series it’s based on and fell in love with the story, so I practically stalked the authors instagram and found it was in the process of becoming a movie, I auditioned and the rest is history.”

"Wow, you really went for it, huh? You didn't just wait until an opportunity came along; you made your own. And I see that things are looking bright for you. Besides this film, do you have any other roles or projects lined up in the future?"

“I may have something else coming in the near future”

"Alright, now to get to know you a bit more personally. I'm sure some of the people in the audience here want to get to know you better. Do you have any siblings?"

“Yes I have two younger siblings, we’re quite far apart in age though.”

"Oh, really? How far apart are we talking?"

“My sister and I are 5 years apart while my brother is 14 years younger than me.”

"Wow, that is quite a gap, especially between you and your brother. I imagine you were pretty close to your sister growing up, since she was closer to your age?"

“Yeah we definitely were pretty close, she’s at that age now though where she thinks I’m embarrassing and would rather be with her friends”

"Ah, I know how that goes. It can be tough when your younger sibling just wants all their friends around or to be out living their lives. So, for your next question, let's talk about love and relationships. Are you in a relationship right now?"

“Oh haha nope nothing”

"Really? Nothing at all, not even a special someone?"

“You mean like a crush?”

"That's right. Is there someone in your life that you secretly have a crush on, maybe a school crush or someone you met on set?"

“I’m guessing you’re referring to David Iacano, who plays Wardley my characters love interest, but no. There’s nothing like that between us.”

"Okay, so not David. He's a very good looking guy, though, right? Plus, I heard you had some amazing chemistry during filming. Are you sure you don't have a little crush on him, even if you won't admit it?"

“Nope we’re just great friends, I’m sure my saying that isn’t going to change many peoples mind though.”

"Well, I'm not sure you'll convince me and a lot of people out there. But we can drop that line of questioning. So let's move onto the "Celebrity Crush" bit, then. Got any Hollywood actors that you swoon over?"

“Yeah I do”

"Oh? And who might that be?"

“I won’t say, if they know I’ll be so embarrassed. I’m hopeful that I’ll meet him on day and that I can play it cool, instead of freezing or saying something stupid like ‘omg you’re aar-‘“

“next question please”

"Alright, alright, let's leave that for the audience's imagination because we still have some questions about the movie. Without spoiling anything, can you tell us your favorite aspects of this show/movie?”

“Uhm- ooh that’s a good question. I- I would say the world of Wonderland is unlike any other you’ve seen yet. It’s fully flushed out but it changes with Dinah. She’s sort of the lens you see everything through. That might be my favorite bit, the audience seeing the way I saw it when playing Dinah.”

“Where will we be able to watch this movie once it comes out?”

“In Theaters April 20th”

❝ [End of transcript]

˗ˏˋReturn to masterlist ✦ main masterlist´ˎ˗

[tmwcs]

MT.. im intrigued by the 1 chapter!! im excited to see more!!

also how many chapters will mre have? the series is too good!!

Yay!!! I’m so happy to hear that I’m so glad bc MT is really good (I’ve been really enjoying reading it as I re-edit) I don’t think it will be as long as MGR (I could be very wrong bc there are alot of pages) but the build up is what’s getting me along with the storyline. Once you get to the first fluff/smut encounter it’s like “whoa”. There’s a lot that goes to the story that all will make sense, such as you lacking physical sense and touch, as I continue to post the other chapters I think readers are going to be very surprised in a pleasant manner. And so far, there’s 3 smut scenes and maybe 1 major fluff one. But I need to hurry and finish re-editing for you guys. I honestly can’t believe I forgot about this story (drafted in 2018) but I wish I gave it a better name bc I feel like MT is going to generate a simplistic assumption of what readers think the story will be, but there’s a little bit more to it. It’s not complex, just has a lot of creativity. Story is very heavy (starting next chapter in fact) very hunter vs prey heavy.

Next chapter of MT introduces Heeseung and that’s where it starts getting good. I’m going to try and post that today. Future chapters are going to contain bits of historical (fictional) monologues that plays key roles into both you and Heeseung’s characters. So I hope everyone hangs in there and enjoys the story. I actually think after re-editing it to replace the male lead with Heeseung, which required me to adjust the storyline just a smudge, especially the fact that he’s from Korea, I had to make a few alterations to make it make it fit the story. But it made it better IMO and I prefer it this way with Heeseung over the original male lead I created who was European.

I’m not sure how many more chaps MRE will have just yet, theres still quite a bit of pages I have to finish re-edit, but the next few chapters are really good, although I’m a little nervous bc the content might make a lot of ppl uncomfortable, so a thorough warning will be attached to it. A dark side comes out and yeah…it gets a bit psychological.

And I believe after MRE, there’s the third and final series to the arc that I drafted about two years ago, after MRE, but I didn’t finish it. So that will be a project I’ll work on right after these current projects. The third series (I had labeled it as “My Jekyl and Hyde” although I might change it) revolves around Heeseung’s character and his pov on you compassionately and sexually. That one is also going to be a good one because we get to learn a lot about his character and what it is about you that makes him infatuated.

[immortaldesiresproject]

Hello friends and fans!! I finally have some updates for ya’ll!

I’ve been working on this project alone for months, specifically since the day Pixelberry announced they will no longer continue forward with Immortal Desires. I was so crushed and saw so many other players and fans feel the same way. So, I decided to start messing around with making my own fan sequel after seeing @itlivesproject @thedistantshoresproject and @nightboundthesecond doing so well and seeing amazing products. I’m going to school for a BA in Game Art and Design, and my minor is Creative Writing, and I thought this would be a good go for my first video game. And I couldn’t be more excited to see things falling into place! I now have a writer onboard! Meet Mir! @timetravesty​ Hey everyone, I’m Mir and I’ll be helping out with the Immortal Desires 2 project! I’m a writer here on tumblr (couple of months till I hit the 1 year mark😯) and am really excited to be a part of this amazing project with everyone, but more importantly, helping deliver an amazing story to a series that ended too soon! Since we might know each other for a bit, some fun facts about me 🤔I’ve wanted a dog since I was around 6. I probably listen to my Spotify account 20/24 hours in the day.My favorite video games to play are animal crossing, stardew, undertale, Minecraft, and I was pretty into Haven recently, which I highly recommend 😌My favorite ghibli movie (since I had a marathon recently) is spirited away.I’m very excited for the future of this project and please look forward to future updates! 😗Nice to meet you all!

We’re still slowly moving, but, Mir and I have started expanding upon the plot points I’ve had planned for a while. We’re confident we’re going to be able to work well together to deliver a wonderful, full story for all of you.

And I couldn’t forget Ally! @fuckyeahilovemarcolinfan​

I’ve been a long-time fan and player of Choices; I started playing in December of 2016, but I started getting into the fandom somewhere around the end of 2018, and started on an IG that I created way back in 2014. I didn’t really intend to make my IG account about Choices, but I wanted to connect with people who have the same interests as me, and to share my ideas and opinions about the book releases. A very dear friend of mine started teaching me how to collect assets at some point in time, and I’ve been kind of considered a Spoiler Queen ever since then lol. I focused on posting premium scenes because I want everyone to see those scenes since not everyone can afford them. I started making edits way back in October 2019 because I really wanted people to distinguish me. All in all, I’m very fortunate that my best bud showed me how to access these assets.

Ally has been wonderful in helping me acquire assets and just being super supportive and so helpful. She is so enthusiastic about this project and has been just giving the best vibes!

Now that you’ve met the team, time for some awaited updates for ya’ll! First, lets start with the preview!!.

So, to state the obvious, this is everyone in their formal wear! I have also given all of the side characters formal wear, but I felt like these are what the people are screaming for! And of course, we have our lil Sethy-poo included in here too and he got a makeover! If you would be so kind to click play at the video at the top because it’s featuring a rough draft of the title song. It’s my own lil creation, however, I’m recruiting folks from my local music scene to not only help out with this project, but to help support their bands and their projects!

Super bummed that the quality of these dropped because of the formatting, but I have included all three of the new expressions I’ve created: playful, shy, and disgusted. All of the main and primary characters have these faces! I have also gotten all of the female MC sprite sheets done, most of the female clothes, and all of the hair; I’m so excited to give you guys that update in the future!! From here, Mir and I will be working on a very rough draft of the story. I will continue working on assets for the MC since almost all of the primary/main characters are done. 

The next update will likely be a few weeks from now; I’m not sure what I’ll have for ya’ll quite yet, but please stay tuned and ask any and all questions. Thank you all for the overwhelming amount of support and love; it’s greatly appreciate between me and the team.

[fandom-imagines-for-days]

Paring: Tom Holland x Reader

Warnings: SMUT, fluff, some angst, minor injuries, mentions of black eyes, mentions of blood (fake blood but still)

Summary: Tom and the reader meet on set, and their relationship develops into something new

My guys this is NOT super edited on Tumblr, I write on Google docs, so it should be good, but trying to edit or format on my phone will be hell, enjoy this "little" piece of writing❤💫

_____

Walking on set for the second time, since the first was just the intro to the place was as exciting as it was terrifying. You were really just an assistant to the Makeup artist, and thus believed it better to sit in the background, help out where needed and leave it at that. Chat if people spoke first but just keep yourself to yourself. 

You had heard of Tom, seen a few of his movies and now to be working on one of his was a real dream come true, despite your position, being on set was something that brought you immense joy. You just loved being around a group of people, creating something spectacular. 

You dropped your bag off in the makeup department and greeted your mentor, a lovely woman with short bright purple hair. You loved her enthusiasm for the place and her odd joy when splattering blood everywhere. 

As you turned to offer to grab her a coffee, someone bumped into you and immediately grabbed your hips, going to apologise for being in the way. You notice who has a hold of your waist. You swallow the lump that had formed in your throat and back off quickly. 

“I’m sorry, I’ll be more careful in the future.” you say instantly, going to stand behind your mentor, dipping your head. Tom frowns and tilts his head. “Not at all love, I’m the one that walked into you.” he said simply. Despite knowing he was a good person, you were still taken aback by his demeanour. Once more, you just stared at him. “Uh. Hm.” you bit your lip, truly at a loss for words.

“What's the matter, love? Cat got your tongue?” he raised an eyebrow playfully and glanced between you and your mentor. “She’s new yeah?” he asked her. She nodded, a warm smile present.

“It’s lovely to meet you, I’m guessing you're going to be helping with makeup?” you nodded mutely. He watches you carefully and you feel your breath hitch in your throat as his eyes roam your form, dragging over your figure from tip to toes. You shift in your spot. 

“I’m Tom, and your name is?” he introduced, holding out a hand politely. Very awkwardly, you reach out an arm and shake his hand, telling him your name. He smiled. “Lovely name, it’s going to be great working with you, I have to go meet up with the directors but I'll see you shortly.” with that, he let go of your hand and walked off. The sensation of his skin against yours lingered dangerously long. 

“He’s a charming one isn’t he?” your mentor commented, going to unpack her makeup kit. You didn’t say much, instead just going over to help her. It was going to be a long day and being star struck and developing a crush on the first day of set was not what you wanted. Or needed right now. 

All of the actors came through to get their makeup done. Mostly the extras, but soon the main cast came through to get their makeup ready for the first scene. Your mentor, being the maniacally lovely and evil human she was, called you over. 

“Dear would you mind taking over for Tom here, I need to get on Zendaya’s hair.” 

You nod instantly, scan what she was working with and get to work. Tom sat back calmly as you applied the makeup.

“Are you planning to be a Makeup artist too or just working with Angel for a while?” he asked, looking up as you used some setting powder gently across his nose and cheeks. 

“Well honestly I’d like to act, but I don’t think I’d ever look good on camera. So I’m sticking to some behind the scenes stuff you know?” you told him honestly. He nodded.

“Have you tried any acting?” he persists as you get out a brush and the hairdryer. “Not too much, I did some school plays back in the day but that's about it.” you shrug, turning the dryer on and going to fluff up the front of his hair, expertly twirling and shifting the brush, getting just the look that was needed for the scene. Peter Parker had an interesting flick in his hair that you had to perfect. When that was done you got the hair spray out and did that, covering his eyes as he spoke to you.

“Well maybe you could help me run lines or something sometime. I like to get in early to read them so it’s fresh for the scene.” you nod simply. 

You made sure everything was good and sent him off to finish with Wardrobe. As Angel walked past she winked. “You’re evil.” you comment and she chuckles. “No, I’m merely assisting with young love.” you roll your eyes. It’s just a stupid crush. It’s not going to go anywhere. It never will. You’re just a simple makeup student, nothing special. Especially not Hollywood Marvel star status.

During lunch break. It seemed that Tom had purposely picked you out to sit with. Was Angel up to something? She bloody had to be. You shifted awkwardly while you guys spoke. 

“What did you think of the scene?” he asked. You shrugged, feeling somewhat bad. “Uh, I was in the back packing up most of Angel’s things for her. There aren’t too many more takes for this last scene left and she wanted it clean for when she left.” he nodded simply.

“Fair enough. Are you going to be here tomorrow?” you frown internally but don’t show it.

“Yeah, I'm here until Angel lets me go or I annoy someone to death.” you say, mostly jokingly. Tom tilts his head. “What makes you say that?” he asked. You shift uncomfortably. “Sorry, what?”

“What makes you say you’re annoying?” he clarified. You shrugged. “I don't know, I’ve just been told it a couple of times so I'm more mindful of it in the future.” you say. His expression softens. “You aren’t annoying at all, you’re lovely.” you wanted to counter back with the fact that he barely knew you, but you didn’t say anything.

“Before we start shooting again would you mind spotting some stunts for me?” this time you did frown. “Wha. Why?” you ask. There are like four stunt coordinators on set right now. Any one of them were four hundred times more capable than you.

“I don’t know, just thought I’d ask” he said. Tom gave you a smile and stood up from the table. You decided to follow him anyway. He walked to an off section of the set, with training mats and some larger mats for stunts. Tom looked over his shoulder at you, gave an excited smile and raised his brows. “Do you have any experience with stunts and stuff?” he asked, standing up straighter and stretching, twisting his body side to side and pulling his arms. You nodded. You had done a little cheerleading in school. You weren’t the best by any means, but you always tried when someone was there to support you.

“Awesome.” he said happily, “I want to try that flip into the Spiderman pose, see how smooth I can get it before we shoot it.” you nodded simply and stood off to the side. Close enough to jump in and stop him from falling but far enough not to get kicked in the face because lord knows that's happened more than a few times. Tom counts in and launches up on a trampoline before doing the flip and landing. Honestly, you were impressed. You knew Tom was a gymnast and whatnot, but man was this guy was smooth when he did flips. The selfassurdness was also a plus. 

“That was awesome!” you say happily. He gives you a smile. “One more time.” you had a flash to your high school coach, that meant at least three more times. You prepared for it and the next two went great, him landing the stunt better each time. The third and final time he tried it again was when things went wrong. As he flipped, someone called him, so he twisted differently, which resulted in you being elbowed in the face as Tom landed awkwardly. You cried out in pain and dropped to a crouch. Angel and one of the grips guys ran over to check on you, but Tom was beside you instantly. “Oh my god are you okay!” he asked, trying to lift your head to check the damage. You nod carefully, breathing though the shock of pain that waved across your face and down your body. 

Angel handed you an iced coffee she had and let you hold it to your left eye as you got to your feet. Tom apologised profusely and you just waved it off. 

“I'm so so sorry!” he said again, and then got called off for the next shoot. “I will make this up to you.” he promised before dashing off. Angel looked at you and smiled. 

“Having fun?” you glare at her with one eye.

“Loads.” you say sarcastically. 

Tom tried to catch up to you before you got into your car and he did. He pulled himself into the passenger seat beside you. 

“I'm so sorry.” he repeated. You chuckled. “Tom, really it’s nothing.” you insist. He shakes his head. “I still feel awful.” he admits. You shrug at him. “I’m just going to ice it for a bit, not harm no foul.” he gave you this look.

“Lunch, tomorrow. My treat. To make up for it.” 

“No, don’t stress yourself about it.” but Tom was determined. “I will see you tomorrow.” he says. You sigh and agree. What on earth had you just gotten yourself into?

Sure enough the next morning, Tom was there, rather early, holding two coffees. You parked, got your things and walked up to him to say good morning and then get to your station. Today was going to be a stunt heavy day and you needed everything ready for reshoot after reshoot. Despite loving the job, the repetition was irritating sometimes.  

Tom followed you. “Hey, how is your eye?” he asked, seeming a little sheepish. You sigh and put down your things. “Like I told you yesterday, it’s fine.” he squints and leans in closer, lifting his hand to your face. You daren't move. He gently brushed at your cheek and just under your eye. You winced at the feeling and pulled back slightly. He had rubbed the makeup off. Clearly in your rush to get here early for set up, you had forgotten to set the makeup. Damn rookie mistake.

“I’m fine.” you repeat, turning away and getting your things, going to busy yourself with work. You couldn't get involved with him. You couldn’t let him become a distraction from your job. You just couldn't.

“Your eye is swollen and nearly purple.” he said, clearly upset. 

“Doesn’t matter.” you say insistently. “I have a job to do and it’s not stopping me.” Tom sighs. “Fine, if you insist. Again, I’m really sorry. I’ll let you get to work then.” With that he left behind a coffee and walked off. You felt a little bad but it was true. You were fine and you had a job to do. In this line of work, you can become replaceable very quickly and that wasn’t something you wanted.

The day dragged on and doing Tom’s makeup was awkward. But you made due and kept to your job. At lunch, he brought you your favourite meal. You had to pause. 

“Where on earth. How did you know I loved this?” you asked in shock. Tom gave a sheepish smile. “Angel told me. I said I’d get you lunch didn’t I?” you had almost forgotten. You had a bit of a constant headache and felt dizzy on occasion, but you felt fine-ish. Nothing drastic. 

“Thank you Tom, you really didn’t have to, but that was very sweet of you.” 

“Nah of course I did.” he said happily. “Had to make it up to you somehow.” he shrugged. 

You two ate together and he asked about what you knew of stunting, so you shared your Cheering past and he seemed really excited to hear about it.

“Man that’s awesome.” he said. “I’ve always wanted to try some of those stunts.” he added. You smiled. Cheering was a really fun thing, despite the danger of it and the hard hours, it never felt like work.

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah, they look super cool.” you explained a little more about it and showed him some videos on your phone from the good old days. 

Later on, after some of the cast had left and they were doing simple set ups for a few other scenes Tom pulled you aside. “Hey, I’m sorry if I’m bothering, I just wanted to ask if you could maybe help me with this?” you nodded and let him pull you past the makeup section to another end of Set. “What is it?” you asked. He sighed and looked around. “Zendaya was really busy today so we didn’t get to go over this scene earlier, because we’re shooting it tomorrow and I just wanted some kind of prep ya know?” you nodded and waited as he handed you a spare script. You read through it briefly and felt your cheeks flush, heat rushing through your body.

“Why ask me, couldn’t you ask someone more qualified to-” he shrugged.

“I just thought you could help me go over it. If you don't feel comfortable or anything that’s perfectly fine. I just… I don't know what I was thinking. This is crazy. I’m really sorry.” he said, seemingly shrinking in on himself. You frowned. You weren't against practicing, but. You just felt like someone else would have been better suited to the role. 

“I’m fine going through it with you.” you said, and explained your train of thought. “Are you sure?” you nodded and got into position.

You went to give him a hug, delivering the first few lines. He smiled softly, his demeanour changing slightly as he fell into his role.

“Ah, Anyway, there was this sweaty guy, I uh, I think he works for you or something? He gave me this.” I read off the script, pretending to pull a necklace from my pocket. Tom stepped closer, his practiced American accent coming into play.

“No, Aw MJ I’m so sorry.” he said, looking regretful. He was good at this. “I had this. This plan, this stupid plan.” he continued, seeming esasperated. The script did say he was banged up and bloody after a fight, so I guess he was setting into that. “And I wrote it all down and I was going to buy you this and give it to you in paris on Top-'' he paused. You swallowed and waited. Tom looked up at you and gestured you forward with his hands. A simple, keep going, we’re getting this. You breathed in carefully and nodded. He repeated the last line. 

“And give it to you in Paris on top-” this time you followed the script, stepping forward and placing a chaste kiss on his lips. You felt your lips and face explode. Man he was a beautiful human and his lips touched yours and you felt far too hot for the cold air around you. Tom kept going with the scene.

“And you kissed me,” he said, raising a brow with a small smile. Everything about him in this moment screamed Peter. You swallowed and kept going. You tried to make the words a little awkward and shifty.

“I don't really have much luck when it comes to getting close to people.” you said, glancing back at the script. “So I lied. I wasn't just watching you because I thought you were spiderman.” you admit, shifting into the role of MJ.

“That’s great.” he said. His acting was superb, you almost believed he liked you.

“Black dahlia,” you commented, holding up the pretend necklace. 

“Like the murder.” you said in sync. There was a soft chuckle.

“Sorry it’s broken.”

You gave a tight lipped smile, keeping it sweet but still a little awkward. “I actually like it better broken.”

There was a pause before ‘Peter’ said the next line. “I really like you.” you breathed carefully.

“I really like you too.” he stepped closer and looked from your eyes to your lips then back up. You glanced at the script. 

He was dedicated to his craft.

You stepped in too and leaned closer. Tom closed the gap and kissed you. The kiss lasted longer this time, a few seconds at most before you two parted. He smiled. 

“That was great.” he said, breaking character. “That really helped me visualise the whole thing and get it right in my head. Thank you so much.” you nod and turn away, going to walk off. 

Tom caught your wrist and called your name. You swallowed hard and turned around to him. Despite knowing it was acting. Knowing it was just a practice run so he could get it better tomorrow, a small part of you felt betrayed. Your mouth was a straight line. 

“Yes Tom?” you answered, voice far firmer than you felt. 

He paused, looking you up and down, like he did the first day you met. He sighed. 

“This is incredibly unprofessional of me.” he said, looking away before back at you, as though you were the only thing here worth looking at. “May I kiss you?” shock smacked the expression right off of your face.

“If this is a joke it’s in incredibly poor taste.” you tell him, steeling yourself against whatever came out of his mouth next. 

“Believe me this isn’t a joke or a prank or anything. I just. I really feel something for you and… If you don’t feel the same I’ll walk away. No hurt feelings, you don’t have to worry about it.`` He was such a dork. 

“Of course I feel the same way, you idiot.” you said flatly. He broke out into a grin and what sounded like a sigh of relief. 

He stepped in slightly closer and the warmth you felt earlier returned with a vengeance, he placed a hand on your cheek and sparks shot through your body. Shit like this only happened in movies. Or on movie sets apparently. He repeated his earlier question softly. You wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss. This time your lips locked and moved in sync. You were close enough to hold him and he used his other hand to grasp your hip firmly. Man it was hot when he did that. After about a minute of solid making out, you two parted. “That’s probably the best kiss I've had in a while,” he said, smiling wider. You chuckled softly. “Better than the previous ones?” you joked. He gave a laugh. “Well of course.” he answered. “That was acting. This isn't.” he said, gesturing between you two. 

You looked over your shoulder and saw how dark it was outside. “I should probably get going Tom. I’ll call you later?” he nodded and gave you a final hug, kissing the top of your head and walking you to your car. 

The next few weeks on set were very sweet, you guys would get in early, have coffee and get his makeup done, let them shoot throughout the day and then go your separate ways. The next week however was when your relationship shifted. That day was more focused on the rest of the group rather than ‘Peter’ and that meant that Tom pulled you aside and dragged you to his trailer so you guys could hang out -and makeout-

Tom sat beside you on the small couch and held your hand. “You’re wonderful.” he says simply. “No, you are.” you shoot back. He goes in for a kiss and lets you close the gap. All the time he would ask before kissing you and it was incredibly sweet. Your only other relationship before then was far less loving.

Tom kissed you and licked your bottom lip to ask for entrance, you granted it, shifting to sit in such a way to face him better. He held your face with one hand and gripped your hip with the other. Man it never got easier. Your breath hitched a moment before you kept kissing him, coping his movements. He pulled back softly. “You alright?” he asked, looking you up and down. You nod. “Sure? Could have sworn you stopped breathing a tick or two ago.” you flushed red and looked away. “Uh yeah, but it's nothing.” he raised a brow, “If you’re at all uncomfortable please tell me.” he says, his voice shifting. Him giving you as much control in what happened just made him more attractive. Your cheeks are definitely bright red by now and there’s no point in hiding the heat between your thighs. “Believe me Tom, if I was uncomfortable I’d tell you, that wasn’t discomfort.” he leans back a little, studying you and the flush decorating your cheek and neck. He got the idea and smirked a little.

“You like it when I do this, don't you?” he teased, pressing his thumb into the dip of your hip, massaging the muscle there. You nearly choked on your own saliva, involuntarily bucking your hips into the touch. Tom chuckled, somewhere deeper in his throat. God that sound was hot.

“What else do you like?” he asked, still massaging your hip. You shivered and bit your lip, face burning brighter. “It’s alright darling,” he said. “I don’t mind working for the answer.” Tom assured, leaning in and using his other hand to grip your hair carefully, guiding your head to the side so he could place soft kisses down your neck. Your carotid artery was practically thudding with all the blood flow traveling through your body. God, everything about this man was just a turn on. He paused to suck at the base of your neck and you whimpered softly, slowly melting into his touch. He massaged a little harder and pulled your hair slightly, gauging your reactions. You just moaned very quietly. He was drinking in every sound you gave him. He lifted his hands to the buttons of your blouse and paused. Your heartbeat had definitely dipped lower at this point and you nodded your affirmation. Tom carefully undid each button, kissing your neck at the same time. Your hands were frozen where they were on his waist. He chuckled and slowly brought off the blouse, tossing it behind you. This exposed your bra and a shiver went through your body. Technically, you had never done anything like this before and you were nervous. 

Tom kissed your collar bone, across to the other one and started sucking. Your breathing shifted. As nervous as you were, you were also practically on fire with anticipation. Tom laid one hand behind your head and gently scratched at your back. The sensation combined with his lips on your skin only heightened your arousal. He was very very good at this. His other hand rested on your thigh, not moving until you gave the word. You shifted and went to straddle Tom’s hips. Knowing he had to be on fire too. Sure enough you were right on the money. Or right on something more…

Tom hissed carefully but grinned against your chest, resting his hands on your hips in this newfound position. “This okay?” you manage, your voice far more raspy than you would have liked. He chuckled and nodded. “It’s actually wonderful.” he admitted, breathing across your torso. “You can touch me too you know,” Tom added. You looked over the incredible man before you, and under you. “I know, I just don't know what to do.” you say. Tom slows, “You haven’t done this before?” he asked, pausing his motions entirely. You swallowed carefully. “Well not this, just like, oral I guess.” you admit sheepishly, looking away from him. You suddenly felt incredibly self conscious. “We can keep it here if that's what you want.” he said simply. “I'm more than happy to do more if you are.” you say. He looks you over. 

“Okay then, but seriously, let me know of anything.” he looks at you seriously. You nod. “Same for you.”

You slowly got back into the mood. Tom held your hips as you wrapped your arms around his neck. You rolled your hips into his and Tom’s breathing changed. “That feeling will never get old.” you chuckle softly at him and do it again, slightly harder this time. “If you’re going to keep doing that I’m going to need to remove these pants.” he said. 

“What’s stopping you?” you challenged. He raised a brow and smirked. Tom wrapped his arms around your waist, stood and hoisted you higher onto his torso so he could use his forearms to balance you while his fingers swiftly undid his belt and jeans, letting them drop. He sat back down and you fell back into your previous position. You could feel a lot more like this and that arousal came back with the force of a hurricane. 

“Your move princess.'' he said. You met his eyes and bit your lip. “Alright, bet.” with that you reached back and dropped your bra. Not breaking eye contact as you disrobed and tossed it aside. He smirked. “Fair play.” he answered, gripping your hips tighter and rolling his up into yours. The feeling was wondrous. You steady yourself against his shoulders and went to take it off, Tom complied, allowing you to take off his shirt and pulling you in for a long, passionate kiss. 

You shifted back, kissed him again and went to kneel in front of him. Tom looked down at you, those brown eyes shining. “Do you mind?” you asked, hooking your fingers in the hem of his boxers. “Not at all.” he said, lifting his hips to help you get them down. You ran your hands up and down his thighs. His cock was a beautiful one. Somehow the perfect length, and near perfect girth. You admired it and carefully pushed his thighs apart. He couldn't help but smile. “May I?” you look up for approval and the look on his face screamed that he would bust a nut right then and there. He nodded profusely. You closed one hand around his dick and slowly lowered your mouth over it. He shivered and breathed out, carefully placing one hand through your hair. You sucked experimentally and he whined. The sound went straight to your arousal, making you feel even more desperate. You wanted to please Tom though, so you sucked harder and moved your hand slowly up and down as you bobbed your head over the top of his cock. Tom’s breaths were very pant-like and he squeezed his eyes shut. “Oh my god.” he managed, the muscles in his thighs and hips were poorly holding back a thrust. “You’re doing beautifully.” he praised. You smiled internally and worked him slightly faster, using your other hand to fondle his balls. He choked at the sensation and then immediately moaned. “Jesus, I never thought about that before.” he huffed. You loved each and every sound, committing each movement and noise to memory. You pulled off with an audible pop but kept stroking him. He tensed and shifted. You played with your grip and kissed the tip. “Show me how you like it.” you whisper. Fuck. the tables had really turned here hadn’t they. He definitely wasn’t complaining. 

“Fuck.” he moaned, going to hold over your hand, changing the pace so something a little firmer but faster than before. He panted and you watched as his abs moved with each breath. God this was beautiful. He helped you stroke him off for a little longer before he let go and moaned again, dropping his head back. You kept up the pace, changing between speeds here and there, dropping your head to suck his dick again. He cried out and breathed harder. “Oh my- fuck. I’m so close.” he warned, his hips bucking involuntarily, you took him in deeper and sucked harder, twisting your grip. With a loud moan, and resounding huff he came. Hot strings of come shot to the back of your throat. You nearly coughed but didn't. Swallowing the release instead, milking him for a moment or two until he sighed heavily. “That was fucking Marvelous.” he praised. You smiled and wiped your mouth. Knowing he was pleased and relaxed made you feel warm inside. The heat between your thighs hadn’t subsided and Tom helped you get to your feet, going in to kiss you. You kissed back, stopping abruptly when there was a solid knock on the door. You both froze. 

“Tom? You’re needed on set for a while. You okay?” he flushed a bright red. Nearly being caught by Zendaya was a very very awkward moment. He cleared his throat. “Yeah I’m good, just relaxing for a bit. Give me a minute yeah? I’ll be there now.” he covered. 

“Okay, I'll see you shortly.” she said before walking off. You two locked eyes. “Oh my lord. I did not expect that.” he said hastily. “I’m so sorry, I will make this up to you okay?” you nodded happily. 

Swiftly, you helped him get dressed again and fixed his hair. Still half naked, he pulled you into a hug and kissed your neck. “I’ll be back soon and we’ll finish this. Yeah?” you kissed his cheek and nodded. “Yeah.” with that, he dipped and you collapsed back onto the couch. You considered finishing the job yourself but decided against it. He had to make it up to you apparently. So you found one of his jackets in the trailer, pulled it on and rolled over on the small couch. For now you would just keep yourself occupied until he came back. 

It was nearly an hour and a half until Tom arrived back at his trailer. You guys would be ending soon and that meant going home, alone. Again. He opened the door and peeked inside. “Babe?” he called. You answered. “I’m so sorry about that, since we're going to be closing soon, would you maybe, want to come back to my place?” he offered. You agreed. 

“You’re wearing my jacket,” he commented. 

“Is that a problem?” you asked, hugging yourself. He shook his head. “Not in the least. Keep it love, it looks good on you.” he said, coming over to kiss your forehead. You notice Tom had already packed up all of your stuff for you. 

Shortly, you two were on the way back to his apartment. You were still topless underneath his jacket, with your top and bra hastily stuffed into your bag. The whole drive, Tom had one hand on your thigh and the other on the steering wheel. You left your things in his car and followed him inside. As soon as the door shut he hoisted you up and you instinctively wrapped your legs around his body, your arms snaking around his neck. He grinned, kissed your neck and made for his bedroom. 

“You’re still comfortable with this?” he asked, holding you close before he put you down.

“I am incredibly comfortable with this.” you confirm, going to kiss his neck. He sighed contentedly and placed you down on the bed. You loved how vocal he was. 

You pulled at the buttons on his jacket and Tom reached up to keep it in place. You raised a brow at him and got a short response. “You look good in my clothing.” he answered, undoing the rest of the buttons but leaving the item of clothing on. He went for the waistband of your flowy black skirt. You helped him pull those off and tossed them into the darkness of his room. You look around and Tom pasues. “What's the matter love?” 

“I want to see you,” you say. He kisses your forehead and moves to turn on the lamps at his bedside. They provided enough light to see comfortably but not too much so as to ruin the mood. “Better?” 

“Much.” you say, leaning up to catch his lips again.

“Remember what I said earlier?” he questioned, kissing past your jaw and going down your neck, his kisses turning to little nibbles. Faintly, in the back of your mind. 

“Remind me?” your voice was soft but inviting and he huffed out a breath then smiled, clearly amused at your antics.

“Gladly,” with that he held your wrists in place above you on either side of your head. Capturing your lips in a deep kiss, your breath hitched as he kissed and licked at your bottom lip, you opened it so he could explore your mouth. You struggled slightly against the hold he had. 

"Babe, let me quickly move my arms," he released your wrists. You smiled and moved them higher, above your head where he could hold them with one hand. He smirked. "So I got one thing you like." You gave a playful shrug, the best you could here. 

"My arms were getting sore, this is more comfortable." You tell him, wiggling a little. He giggled and kissed your nose. 

"You're adorable." He said, holding you in place with his right hand, his left running down to tease your breasts. You whimpered softly at the sensation and watched him as he bore down your nearly naked figure. He kissed your neck again and lifted up to move lower. "Stay," he whispered and released your arms, you obeyed, keeping in place as he shifted down your body to your panties. He looked up at you and kissed down your torso, in-between the valley of your breasts and to the right side of your hip, where he drew down the fabric just enough to nibble at your pelvis. And holy fuck did that feel nice. You told him as much, he looked up and smirked, using his right hand to grip the other side of your hip while he bit and sucked at the skin, so close to where you wanted him but still so far. God it was amazing and infuriating. 

You quietly said his name as he worked his fingers near the hem of your panties. "Can these go?" You nodded and he waited, "I'd like a verbal confirmation, beautiful." You whined and rolled your hips up into his grasp. "Please get rid of them." You managed to huff, a thin layer of sweat had gathered over your skin and seemed to be staying put. He grinned and latched onto the fabric with his teeth, drawing them down your legs. You helped him pull the article of clothing off. Leaving you entirely bare except for his jacket. Tom, still fully clothed, seemed very pleased with himself. You were far too turned on to be embarrassed about the position. You whined again and he crawled over top of you. 

"What's the matter beautiful? You look exquisite like this." His eyes raked over your form, anticipation burned through your gut.

"I want to touch you." You spoke breathily, catching his gaze. He nodded and allowed you to switch positions, straddling his hips as he lent up to pull off his shirt. You threw the garment aside carelessly, going in to leave hickies near the base of his neck. You knew where each piece of clothing would sit on his body and thus where you could and couldn't leave marks. Tom's breathing got louder as you did this, his hands finding permanent residence in the crevices of your hips. You moaned at the feeling and kissed down his torso. Your hands roamed his form, detailing each muscle and mark, rolling your hips over his, you both groaned. You went for his belt and he stopped your hands, you looked up instantly, pausing your movements. 

"I'm meant to be making up for lost time beautiful, we'll get there." He promised, leaning up and holding your hips firmer as he captured your lips again, rolling his hips up into yours. God you needed the friction. Your lower half seemingly gained a mind of its own, chasing some kind of relief for the built up tension. He chuckled at this and flipped your positions, dropping you onto the bed, mostly laying down as he discarded his shoes and undid the buckle of his belt, dropping his pants. Only a thin layer of fabric was stopping you from getting what you wanted. You knew he would feel amazing. You gently scratched at his biceps, silently urging him on. "What do you want gorgeous?" God, you internally sighed. Was he really going to make you spell it out for him. The smirk on his lips told you that was a yes. "Could you eat me out?" You finally say with a huff, hoping that he would comply. He grinned and captured your lips in his, gently biting your lower lip and fuck was that hot. "Of course my love, I knew I could get you to tell me." He mumbled, going to suck a hickey right into the nap of your neck, you sighed contentedly and rolled your hips upward. He chuckled and nibbled the spot, "I'll get back there later." He said, kissing past your collar bones before latching onto your right nipple, teasing and sucking it while rolling the other with his other hand. You whimpered and bucked your hips again. Tom kissed and sucked his way down your form until he finally reached your core. 

He sat back on his knees and gripped your inner thighs, spreading them for him. You immediately moaned his name as he licked up your wet heat, detailing his tongue in every crook and crevice before sucking on your clit. You gasped loudly and bunched the bedsheets in your fists. Him buried face deep in between your thighs, strong hands holding your legs apart as he ate you out. God this could have been a dream. Tom sucked and licked at your clit with some level of expertise as he massaged your inner thighs, the sensation had you rolling your hips up into his mouth. He gladly took it, moving one hand from your thigh to tease your entrance. He pulled back from sucking but used his thumb to keep the sensation flowing as he asked: "What feels better to you?" You moaned again and shook your head. "Common love," he asked, rubbing his thumb around your clit in an attempt to coax an answer out of you. 

"I don't really know." You admitted, your knuckles turning white from where you gripped the sheets. He raised a brow at you.

"Really? You never experimented." He commented, slowing his movements, which was just evil to say the least. 

You nod your head. "Not much." You tell him, gripping your teeth and moving your hips to try and get more friction. "Okay, will you let me test a few things?" He asked. You trusted Tom to look after you, to please you and stop if that's what you wanted. "Yeah, try them." You answered. Tom lowered down again and started sucking your clit again, reigniting the flames of arousal as you moaned. He used his hands to tease your entrance, slowly going in and out, not too deep but the sensation was lovely. You told him as much. "And this?" He asked as he plunged them deeper, rubbing your insides. You were incredibly turned on and it did feel nice, but not the same. He hummed to himself, "Interesting, and this?" He curled his fingers upwards and stroked, the feeling immediately collected with him rubbing your clit with his other hand and you gasped loudly. "Fuck Tom, that's beautiful." You manage. "Perfect." The man said as he moved faster, sucking and licking your bundle of nerves, with a newfound passion, stroking your insides perfectly. You nearly yell out as your orgasm catches you off guard, claiming your entire body as it tensed and spasmed with your release. Tom happily rode you through your high, keeping pressure on your clit as he slowly and carefully milked your orgasm. You breathed heavily and tried to focus on reality again. That felt fucking amazing. 

"Oh my god." You huff, shaking with the aftershocks of relief. 

"That was beautiful, my love." He tells you, moving up to kiss your forehead. You smile, a blush finally forming over your cheeks and neck. You noticed he was still rock hard and clearly hadn't done much to relieve it. "Babe." You complain, sitting up and cupping his cock with one hand over the fabric. He moans softly and shivers at the feeling. "We could take care of this now?" You suggest, fondling the bulge. He whimpered and nodded into your shoulder. "Can I ride you?" You ask, kissing his cheek and going to nibble his earlobe. The goosebumps forming over his skin made you feel accomplished. "Holy fuck, please." You smile and flip him over, grabbing his boxers and tearing them back, you toss them off the side of the bed. "Condom." He reminded you. You nod and look to his right, he nodded. You got out a condom from the dresser and found a bottle of lube too. Might as well add to the fun. You remove the condom from its confines and kiss the tip of his cock before sliding it down the shaft. He breathes heavily as you do this. 

Experimentally, you pour some lube over the condom and rub it around a little before lifting yourself up. "If I do this wrong it's because it's my first time." You warn as you line up his head with your entrance, slowly sinking on top of it. It filled you completely and you immediately moaned, going to grip his shoulders. He was softly panting. "There isn't a world in which you could do this wrong." Tom tells you, grabbing your hips. He held you in place for a moment, letting you adjust to his perfect size. You nodded into the crook of his neck and held him. Tom rolled his hips up and you gasped. You knew it would feel good but holy fuck, not this good. "You alright love?" He asked, one hand supporting your back. 

"You feel so good." You manage, lifting and rolling your hips back down. You both groan. "Fuck you feel just as good." 

You two start moving together, first nice and slow, then faster, him pounding into you at a wonderful pace. Every second or so breath that escaped your lips was a moan as you gripped his shoulder with one hand and pulled his hair with the other. He moaned into your ear as you did this and the sound went straight down. Finding a rhythm fairly quickly, you guys kissed, sloppy and dirty but full of emotion. "Can I flip us over?" You nod hastily. He pulls out for a moment and you whine at the loss of contact. Tom quickly solves this by twisting you around, ass in the air and on full display as you gripped the bedsheets. He filled you once more, gripping your hips tightly he slammed in once, twice. You cried out each time, moving back into each thrust. The two of you moved in perfect sync, him into you and you back onto him. The new angle allowed for better leverage and a deeper feel which was amazing. "Fuck. This is so good." You cry, panting through each breath. "You're doing perfectly my love." He groaned, his voice gravelly and so hot. Tom thrust into you at a quick pace, his movements slowly just slightly as he poured over you to reach one hand down to your clit, rubbing it in time with each thrust. You cried out his name loudly as he moved, pouring everything he had into making you come a second time. As soon as you got close enough to warn him he said "Not just yet love, hold it for me." You whined but nodded, hoping the pause was worth it. He thrust a good couple of times more and you were shaking with the effort of not coming just yet. Whining with need Tom finally said: "Now love, come for me." And you did, instantly and insanely hard, your orgasm ripped through you as you cried out, tears brimming in your eyes. You saw white. Tom's motions slowed but he stayed buried inside you. You both panted heavily.

"That, was fucking amazing." You say savoring the feeling of your body still shaking with the aftershocks of your orgasm. 

"Pun intended." Tom added cheekily, going to kiss your forehead. You chuckled and rolled your eyes. "Let's get cleaned up and then we can sleep, it's a long day tomorrow." He suggested, pulling out carefully and discarding the condom in the nearby bin. 

You relax for a little while longer. "Alright," you agree. "We should definitely do this again sometime."

Tom looked over his shoulder and gave you a smirk. "Of course beautiful." He winked and came to collect your hand to take you for the shower.

Sleeping that night was absolute bliss. Working on this movie set was a great idea. And sometimes, dreams come true, in the most unexpected of ways.

[fatehbaz]

I’d like to read a sci-fi story and say, “Gee, I’d like to live there. This place seems like it treats people fairly or at least values doing so.” I’d like to see more stories where resilience tools from the past are put to use. Obviously, there’s sci-fi that does this, but I’d like to see more. Perhaps that’s why I write in the genre, as a way of problem-solving futures, or as Toni Morrison said, to write stories you’d like to read. [...]

Afrofuturism existed long before the term was created and will exist beyond this period. I don’t see the times as dictating its necessity. People of African descent and the African diaspora will have a relationship with the future, space, and time and will pull from culture, experiences, and the resilience tools to navigate it in part because that’s what humans do. [...] Black people don’t have the luxury of abandoning hope and dreams because of shifts in politics. W. E. B Dubois wrote the sci-fi story The Comet in the 1920s, and while there was a literary cultural renaissance afoot, I wouldn’t call that the best of times for Black Americans. Ezekiel’s wheel as a spaceship reference was in Black spirituals during enslavement. People looked to hope because they had to. Sojourner Truth in the early 1880s said she’s “going home like a shooting star.” When François Mackandal led a six-year rebellion of self-emancipated Maroons against plantation owners in Haiti in 1752, nearly forty years before the Haitian Revolution, people claimed that during his capture he turned into an animal and flew away.

Many African cosmologies from the Dagara to the Yoruba are inherently interdimensional, as evident in the symbolism of the art and architecture. [...] Brazil has a robust Afrofuturismo scene of theory and works. There’s a book called Afrofuturismo written in Portuguese that I’ve just ordered. I’ll have to translate it via Google until an English edition comes out. I spoke at a virtual conference of Brazilian Afrofuturists recently and I’m really excited by the depth of their work. Jelani Nias of Toronto, Canada, has a cool book called Where Eagles Crawl and Men Fly. Toronto has a robust scene and is home to the annual art show Black Future Month curated by Danilo McCallum and Quentin Vercetty. Afro SF: Science Fiction by African Writers edited by Ivor W. Hartmann is a good anthology. The book came out a few years ago and has a wide range of works from authors across the African continent. I also like Cameroonian filmmaker Jean-Pierre Bekolo. [...] 

I don’t want to say it’s a template. People all over the world have relationships to space, time, and the future with a unique cultural lens. However, the term has created ways to narrow the focus on literary works, music, and more from specific cultures. I think it’s given rise to conversations on the shared aesthetic and philosophical thought within other cultural lenses. It’s pretty exciting. Within African/African diasporic communities, the term “Afrofuturism” helped people to anchor and frame the works they were creating or ideas they were tossing about. I think terms like “Indigenous Futurism” and others are doing the same [...]. 

[A] veil was broken during this period. Many have awakened to the fact that there are grave disparities and that they could consciously or inadvertently be contributing to [them]. [...] However, walls, gentrified neighborhoods, and gated communities can’t protect people from a virus. [...] There’s an abundance of “neighborliness.” I had three neighbors pass away during this period. After one neighbor’s funeral, the procession of cars came to my block. The cars were led by a purple and gold carriage carrying the body. Yes, I wrote that correctly. A carriage. A fairytale Cinderella-style carriage with gold trim. A minister on a remote microphone asked if any neighbors wanted to say a few words. Some said prayers. One guy came to the mike and gave this rousing inspirational prayer for the block, all followed by a balloon launch. Over a hundred balloons were sent into the sky in honor of this man who most in our society would describe as ordinary.

-------

Ytasha L. Womack, interviewed by Wade Roush. ““A Veil Was Broken”: Afrofuturist Ytasha L. Womack on the Work of Science Fiction in the 2020s.” The Reader - MIT Press. 19 August 2021.

[animeomegas]

Omega!Obey Me characters forgetting a mating anniversary

Anon: reactions to their alpha missing an anniversary? or you could switch it and do reactions to realizing they forgot an anniversary. either or !

Anon part 2: hi! i’m the anon from the anniversary request. i was thinking maybe the obey me! fandom? whichever characters you like. my exams are coming to an end so i’m looking forward to spending hours on that app during the summer 😤😤 i hope you’re doing well ! 💕

(Hey hey!! I’m going to do their reactions to forgetting a mating anniversary, because they’ve been alive a long time, I imagine it would happen at least one hehe. Let’s see~)

Warnings: Mention of sex in Asmo’s section

Lucifer – He denies it at first. He can’t have forgotten, he would never forget something so important, you must have the date wrong. His response is very likely to make his alpha either more angry or more upset, and he inadvertently blows the whole thing out of proportion because he struggles to admit that he’s wrong. But when he realises that he is wrong? That he was so caught up in paperwork for Diavolo he did forget? It’s a hard pill to swallow. He would probably buy his alpha some expensive flowers as an apology of sorts, but unless he’s been in a relationship with his alpha for several hundred years, I don’t see him directly apologising. He does feel guilty, but he really finds it hard to articulate. The upside is that it’s extremely unlikely that he’ll ever do it again. He’s checking four times every week at least now that he hasn’t missed any important dates by mistake.

“Our anniversary is next week, my beloved, you must have confused the dates.”

Mammon – Mammon metaphorically shits himself when he realises he forgot an anniversary. His scent is pure, unadulterated panic. His first instinct is to plan an anniversary event that moment. Hell’s Kitchen must still be open right? He tries to pull his alpha with him right that second. If that doesn’t work, he starts to panic that he’s ruined the most important thing in his life. This is when the begging starts. He says sorry about a hundred times, will get on his knees, offer whatever you want as long as you forgive him. Mammon is actually a very compassionate person who doesn’t like upsetting his loved ones, so it’s very hard to stay mad at him. Unfortunately, he’s not great at keeping track of dates, so it might happen again. The best thing to do is organise something together and give him a few reminders when that date’s coming up.

“Oh shit! Er, Hell’s Kitchen is still open right?? I’ll buy you whatever you want, we’ll order one of everything, does that work?”

Leviathan – He almost certainly forgets because of some game event or new releases. And to make everything worse, at first he acts like the game and event was more important than the anniversary and he thinks it’s a legitimate excuse that you can’t argue with. He realises pretty quickly after the event finishes that he’s completely alone because you’re mad at him. He turns to tell you everything about the game but you don’t want to listen to him?? He sulks in his room for a while. What pushes him to apologise is when he sees you hanging out with other people instead of him. He growls away the other person, pulling you into his room and sobbing angrily against you, asking why you love other people more than him. He apologises then, desperate to have his best friend and lover back with him. He might do it again, but he learns pretty quickly to just communicate when he wants to partake in a special gaming event and then he never forgets again.

“W-Why don’t you love m-me, like you l-love him?! I’m sorry, p-please don’t leave!”

Satan – He feels guilty, but he handles it well. He is phenomenal at apology dates. He organises the perfect romantic date, taking into consideration his alpha’s likes and integrating them. If you have a favourite romantic novel, you know he’s going to recreate a date scene with you. If you have a favourite restaurant, he’s booked the best table and ordered a bouquet of your favourite flowers for the centrepiece. It’s very hard to stay mad at Satan, especially because it’s very out of character for him to forget a date so important.

“If you want any more drinks, just let me know. I want you to enjoy this evening as much as possible.”

Asmodeus – He also deals with it fairly well, even if he can’t believe that he forgot! He’s honest and upfront about forgetting and expresses regret. He will definitely try to seduce you as an apology though, offering to let you do whatever you want to him. If that doesn’t work, next step is a joint pampering session! He’s pretty good at conveying a genuine apology without making anything too dramatic. I think it’s unlikely that he would do it again, because he loves, loves, loves anniversaries!!! He genuinely can’t believe that he forgot because he normally plans everything months in advance.

“Oh! I can’t believe that I… Oh dear, here come to my room and let me make it up to you…”

Beelzebub – He’s heartbroken that he forgot! He is so upset. He apologises immediately, looking like he’s on the verge of tears, and he asks you to tell him what he needs to do to make it up to you. He doesn’t offer up solutions, he wants his alpha to pick something, so he knows they’ll enjoy it. The only thing he definitely does immediately, is offer whatever food he’s been saving for them to share with him while they discuss. He will likely ask for advice from some of his brothers, probably Belphie (who doesn’t help) and Asmo (who’s slightly more helpful). He may do it again, but he always tries his hardest to make your anniversaries as special as he can.

“Here, you can have my ice cream… I’m really sorry… What can I do?”

Belphegor – He doesn’t think it’s a big deal that he forgot, because you can both just rearrange it, right? I think it’s pretty unlikely that his alpha takes kindly to that opinion. It takes Belphie a little while to realise that a) he’s in the wrong and b) he needs to apologise. He’s not good at planning, but when he genuinely puts his mind to it, he’s actually pretty good at giving gifts. He buys something you’ve been wanting for a while, he might even put a sticky bow on top if you’re upset enough. He gives you the gift while mumbling apologies. The second you forgive him, he drags you to take a nap with him because he hasn’t been sleeping well since you’ve been mad at him. He’s pretty likely to do it again at least a few times, but he learns not to be such a dick about it eventually.

“Oh, I guess I must have forgot… We can just go tomorrow; I want to take a nap.”

Diavolo – He is gutted that he forgot. He organises the most extravagant apology dinner possible (which is pretty extravagant, because he’s a king, very dramatic, and very in love all at once). He gives a dramatic speech about how there’s no excuse, how he never wants you to think he doesn’t value your relationship etc. At this point, I imagine most people would be begging him to chill out and promising that they already forgave him. Either way, I don’t think it would ever happen again, especially because he tells all of his staff to remember your anniversary and always remind him the week before. He isn’t going to let this happen again.

“My love, I will never forgive myself for hurting you in this way. I will never stop trying to make it up to you, even if it takes me a millennium.”

Barbatos – This would never happen. He is amazing at keeping organisational data in his brain, especially data that means so much to him. Also, he can see the future, so, even if by some miracle he did forget, he would see your future reaction and know in advance that he forgot. Barbatos isn’t perfect, but he’s not one to forget important dates.

Simeon – Simeon is another one who is heartbroken that he’s treated his most beloved one this way. He feels awful. He does tear up a little bit if the relationship is old enough. Simeon makes a huge effort to create some adorable picnic date, cooking baskets and baskets of food and picking the most beautiful park. He brings flowers and bunting and a little cake that he ices with an apology in an unbelievably cute handwriting style. It’s very, very hard not to forgive him when he’s so apologetic and good at making you smile. He goes out of his way to make sure he never upsets his alpha in this way again. 

“My beloved, I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I will seek to make it up to you for as long as you’ll let me.”

Solomon – He doesn’t care that much about anniversaries but he’s not dumb enough (like some other people on this list *cough*) to think that saying that to your face is a good idea. He definitely tries to play it off as though he had something planned all along and that making you think he forgot was part of the plan. He then scrambles to plan things last minute, and he’s quite good at covering up his mistake. If his alpha doesn’t believe him, he makes up for his mistake with expensive and rare gifts. He will find something special for his alpha. A first edition copy of your favourite book or limited edition merchandising of your favourite media, something like that. He knows the excitement will help dull any negative emotions you have towards him. I could definitely see him doing it multiple times, but if his alpha ever expressed genuine hurt long-term about that particular habit, he would readjust his priorities. He’s not a complete asshole after all, he just sometimes has a hard time pulling his head out of said asshole.

“Here, it took me three days to track down someone who had a copy, but I finally found a first edition for you. I hope you will accept this as a token of my apology, my dearest.”

[evertidings]

SEPTEMBER 12, 2021

WHAT I DID.

like last week, i still have a bit of a writer’s block. i wish i could say it magically went away and i’ve worked through it, but i didn’t. not really. i struggled through it for most of what i wrote this week which will leave a big mess for future me when i eventually edit this, but at least the chapter is turning out to be what i want it to be. at least, underneath the mess it hopefully is.

the intro to this chapter is very character and relationship centric so far, but this time, rather than focusing on the relationships between all the ros, it’s focused on the relationship certain ros have with the hunter. there’s obviously group scenes and fun banter along the way, but i promised you all date scenes (platonic options are available) and date scenes you shall get.

and if you don’t believe me, i’m currently writing a two thousand word choice set about who you catch your eye with when you first walk into the room wearing your club outfit. it’s long mostly because of the various different relationships you can have with each ro, but it adds a lot of personalization so i’m hoping it pays off.

i also had a lot of fun creating the outfits for the ros. i’m not good with describing clothes so it was definitely tricky, but i liked being able to pick out pieces and create something in my head that i think someone would wear. some outfits will be surprising, others are quite obvious. i think we can all guess who decided to dress up and who didn’t want to.

GOALS FOR NEXT WEEK.

finish planned out choice sets

write pov scenes for all the ros

finish chapter six intro

STATS.

163,800 words (+ 4.96k)

—

that’s all for this week! i have an exciting announcement coming up so keep an eye out for that; i’ll talk to you all soon. thanks for reading <3

[vintagesimstress]

1848 velvet dress

04.05.2021 edit: added an add-on with different colours of the buttons, found under tights. It's not necessary, but might come in handy if you didn't like the original colour combos!

***

Happy birthday @theroyalthornoliachronicles​!

This dress is dedicated to my friend Ali who's probably not having the time of her life right now - as some of you might have heard, she accidentally deleted her blog, losing a story that she'd been working on for a year. She's back though, planning to repost everything, and I'm excited to finally read her story from the beginning! Especially when she intends to even rewrite some parts... Anyway: I was planning to make another birthday gift, something more relevant to the future chapters (I might have had a little glimpse behind the scenes ;) ), but in this situation it felt like it'd be just cruel. So, I quickly skimmed through my inspo folders in search of something more universal, and found this beautiful velvet dress that I'd been thinking of making already for some time. When if not now?

As you can see in the inspo picture, the original dress had a lace collar. I skipped it for now as any attempts to make one in a quick and easy way failed, so I decided I'd rather make a collar accessory which you could use with a bunch of dresses. Btw: click HERE and help me decide which style I should go for! Right now it looks like compatibility with laptop mode is more important than polycount, which is bad news for me, as it means really meshing the damn thing... I'll try it, but try is the keyword in that sentence ;).

Back to the dress though. Comes in 25 swatches. Personally I'm a fan of the jewel colours, but I added some pastel options too because why not:

polycount: ca. 9K for LOD0

Base Game compatible

HQ mod compatible (pictures taken with the mod)

all LODs

custom thumbnail, bump and specular maps, satin texture, no extra shine

tagged as everyday and party

found under long dress subcategory

colour tagged

disallowed for random

PDN for recolours included - you don’t need it for the mesh to work. Let me know if you’d rather have the PSD file! (Also, it has a bazzillion layers, esp. when it comes to the lace cuffs, sorryyyyy)

The only problem I spotted is that the buttons can get a bit deformed on some body types & in some positions, but you have to really pay special attention to notice it. So I hope it's still ok. Let me know if you notice anything else!

Hope you'll like it, enjoy :)

DOWNLOAD (free on Patreon, no ads)

***

Terms of Use

Don’t: claim it’s yours or monetise in any way

Do: convert, recolour, include the mesh, edit the mesh to create something amazing - just please tag me once you publish it, so that I could also see it!

[celepeace]

A monster-taming game recommendation list for fans of Pokemon

Whether you're a pokemon fanatic obsessed with all things pokemon past and present, or a veteran fan disillusioned with GameFreak's recent adoption of monetary philosophies and strategies reminiscent of other major game publishers, or looking for a monster-taming fix as you await new Pokemon content...

I'm compiling here a post of little-known games in the genre that Pokemon fans are likely to enjoy!

Under readmore cause long, but some of these games really don’t get the attention they deserve, so if you have the time, please read!

(I am also likely to keep updating and editing this post)

First up is Temtem!

Temtem is a game made by and for Pokemon fans, from the spanish indie developer Crema. Temtem is currently in early access on Steam and PS5, and is likely to remain in early access until sometime late next year. Full launch will include a Nintendo Switch release, too. Despite this, it has plenty of content to explore before full release. The developers are active, release new content on a semi-regular basis, and are responsive to the community as a whole and individuals if you happen to come across a bug you want to report.

Temtem boasts a wide variety of monsters to collect and train. It takes place in the Airborne Archipelago, a system of floating islands that orbit their star, the Pansun. The monsters inhabiting the archipelago are called Temtem, or tem(s), for short.

As far as game mechanics go, it has many similarities to Pokemon, but also many important distinctions. The biggest one, in my opinion, is that the element of chance has been removed from battle entirely. Moves cannot miss, have the same power constantly, and status afflictions have an obviously displayed countdown to when they will wear off (for instance, sleep lasts as long as it says it will last. Not 2-4 turns). PP does not exist, either. Your tems can battle for as long as their HP holds out. In place of PP, a new system called Stamina exists. Stamina is an individual stat, like HP and Attack. Each move costs a certain amount of stamina. If you go over the amount of stamina your tem has, the deficit is detracted from your health instead, and that tem cannot move next turn. Stamina passively regenerates a certain amount each turn, and items and moves exist that can heal stamina. All battles are also double-battles, you and your opponent will typically have two tems on the field at a time. This is just a few of the differences Temtem has from Pokemon, but they're some of the biggest ones.

Temtem is also a massively multiplayer game. You complete the storyline independently (or with a friend through co-op!), but in the overworld you can see other, real players moving around and interacting with the world. There is also public and area-specific chat you can talk to other players through. Despite this, all multiplayer functions are (currently) completely optional. You do not need to interact with others to complete the game.

Overall, Temtem is suitable for the Pokemon fan who is looking for a more challenging experience. Temtem is not a walk in the park you can blaze through with a single super-strong monster. For one, individual tem strength is more well-balanced than it is in Pokemon. There are very few (if any!) completely useless tems. Even some unevolved tems have their niche in the competitive scene! Aside from that, enemy tamers are scaled quite high, and you typically cannot beat them just from the exp you get from other enemy tamers. You have to do some wild-encounter grinding if you want to progress.

Temtem is a very fun game and I've already gotten over 100 hours out of it, despite only 3/5-ish of the planned content being released!

However, I do feel obligated to warn any prospective players of one thing: the current endgame is quite inaccessible. After you complete what is currently implemented of the main storyline, there is still quite a lot left to explore and do, but much of it is locked behind putting a lot of hours into the game. You kind of have to get perfect temtem to do the current PVE (and this is also somewhat true for the PVP too). By perfect I mean you have to breed a good tem and then train it to get the preferable EVs (called TVs in temtem). This takes... well, for a whole team... tens of hours. Of boring grinding. Some people enjoy it! But I don't. Regardless, the game was still worth buying because the non-endgame content is expansive and fun.

So overall, pros & cons:

Pros

Battle system is more friendly towards a competitive scene

Cute monsters

Lots of gay characters, also you can choose pronouns (including they/them) independently from body type and voice

Less difference between the objectively bad tems and good tems than there is in Pokemon

Lots of stuff to do even in early access

Most conversations with dialog choices have the option to be a complete ass for no reason other than it’s fun

Having less type variety in your team is less punishing than in Pokemon due to the synergy system and types overall having less weaknesses and resistances

At least one major character is nonbinary

Cons

Falls prey to the issue of MMOs having in-game economies that are only accessible to diehard no-life players

Related to the above point, cosmetics are prohibitively expensive

Endgame CURRENTLY is inaccessible to most players unless you buy good monsters from other players or spend tens of hours making your own. However I must add that the grind is great if you like that kind of thing and is quite easy and painless to do while watching a show or something.

Here is their Steam page and here is their official website.

Next is Monster Hunter: Stories!

This is a spinoff game of the Monster Hunter franchise released for the 3DS in 2018. If you're anything like me, and you've played the core Monster Hunter games, you've often thought "Man, I wish I could befriend and ride these cool dragon creatures instead of killing or maiming them!"

Well now you can! In Stories, as I will be calling it, you play as a rider rather than a hunter. Riders steal monster eggs from wild nests to raise them among humans as companions and guardians. And yes, egg stealing is a whole mechanic in of itself in this game.

This game works pretty differently from most monster-collecting games. You do battle (usually) against one or two wild monsters using your own, except you fight alongside your monsters too. With swords and stuff. There's armor and weapons you can smelt to make yourself stronger. Type match-ups also kind of don't exist in this game? Except they do? But not in a way you'd expect?

The vast majority of attacking moves you and your monster use fall into categories reminiscent of rock-paper-scissors. Moves can be categorized as power, speed, or technical. Speed beats power, technical beats speed, and power beats technical. The matchup of your move vs your opponent's determines how a turn will go down. If one move beats the other in matchup, then the winner's move will get to go and the loser doesn't get to do anything. If you tie, you both get hit, but for reduced damage. There's also abilities and basic attacks, with abilities basically being the same as pokemon moves, and basic attacks just being "I hit you for normal damage within this category". Also, you don't control what your monster does all the time in battle. You can tell it to use abilities, but what kind basic attacks it carries out is determined by its species' preference. Velicidrome, for instance, prefers speed attacks, but Yian Garuga prefers technical. Stamina also exists in this game in a very similar manner to Temtem.

Overall this game carries over a lot of mechanics Monster Hunter fans will find familiar (how items and statuses work for instance). You don't have to have played a core Monster Hunter game to enjoy Stories though! It's fine and is easy to understand as a stand-alone.

The story has some likable characters and is rather long (it was actually adapted into an anime!), for those of you who enjoy a good story.

I'd really recommend this one especially. If it sounds fun to you and you can drop $30, just do it. I bought it on a whim and I got a few weeks' worth of playing almost nonstop out of it, and I didn't even get to do everything! (I got distracted by Hades, oops)

Stories is also getting a sequel later next year on the nintendo switch! How exciting!

And yes, you do ride the monsters.

Pros & cons:

Pros

Large variety of cool monsters to befriend and raise

Pretty lengthy story

Every tamable monster is also rideable

Deceptively simple combat mechanics, easy to be okay at, hard to master

Incorporates some mechanics from early turn-based party rpgs like Final Fantasy for a nice twist on the monster collecting genre

Cons

Many monsters are objectively outclassed by other ones, making what can be in an actually good team more limited than you’d expect

3DS graphics inherently means the game looks like it was made 7 years before its time

Here is the Monster Hunter Stories official 3DS product page.

And here is Monster Sanctuary!

Monster sanctuary is a game that just had its 1.0 launch- meaning it was in early access and no longer is! Although the devs say they still plan to implement a few more things into the game in future updates. It is available on Steam, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PS4.

Monster sanctuary is a metroidvania twist on the typical monster collecting game, meaning it is also a sidescrolling platformer in which you use abilities you gain throughout the game to explore the world around you. The abilities in this case are the monsters you get! Every monster has an ability that helps you traverse the sanctuary.

Speaking of the sanctuary, the game is set in one. The monster sanctuary is a magically shielded area, cut off from the rest of the world, created by an order of monster keepers, people who befriend and protect the mystical monsters inhabiting the world. Humankind encroached too far on the natural habitat of monsters and were hostile to the native wildlife, so the keepers created an area of varied environments to safely protect and preserve the remaining monsters of the world.

Unlike many other monster collecting games, this game only has 5 types: fire, water, earth, air, and neutral. However, the types themselves do not possess resistances and weaknesses. Instead, each monster has its own assigned weaknesses and resistances. And yes, this can include things like debuffs, physical vs special attacks, and the typical elemental types.

All battles are also 3 vs 3! And unlike in pokemon, where you can only hit the enemies nearest, all monsters have the ability to hit any opponent they want. Turns also work a little differently in that speed doesn't exist, you just use 1 move per monster in your turn and then it goes to your opponent's turn. Your monsters hit in whatever order you want them to.

There is also a quite important combo system in this game, where every hit builds a damage multiplier for the next. Moves often hit multiple times per turn. Healing and buffing actions also build this combo counter. So what monsters you have move in what order really counts!

But the main mechanical difference between this and other games in the genre is how it handles levels and skills. Instead of learning a set move at a certain level, this game incorporates a skill tree, and you get to allocate points into different skills as you grow stronger. And jeez, these skill trees are really extensive. Monster sanctuary is a theorycrafter's dream. Each monster has a unique, specially tailored skill tree, making every monster truly able to have its own niche. You can make use of whatever monster you want if you just put thought into it!

And like Temtem, this game is not made to be beatable by children. I'm sure a child could beat it, but it's not made to be inherently child-friendly like pokemon. It's honestly quite difficult.

On top of that, you are actively encouraged to not just be scraping by each battle. Your performance in battle is rated by an automated system that scores your usage of various mechanics like buffs and debuffs applied, type matchups, and effective usage of combos. The rating system directly influences the rewards you get from each battle, including your likelihood of obtaining an egg from one of the wild monsters you battled (no, you don't catch wild monsters in this game, you get eggs and hatch them). If you're not paying attention to how the game works and making good, effective use of your monsters, you'll have a hard time expanding your team!

The music is also really good, it's made by nature to be able to play over and over and not get old as you explore each area, and the composer(s) really did a good job with this. Some area songs, namely the beach one, I especially enjoy, so much so I've actually played it in the background while I do work.

This is a game I would really recommend. If I made it sound intimidating, it is by no means unbeatable, you're just gonna have to put some thought into how you play. At no point did I actually feel frustrated or like something was impossible. When I hit a wall, I was able to recognize what I did wrong and how I could improve, or I could at least realize something wasn't working and experiment until I found a solution. It's challenging in a genuinely fun, rewarding way.

Pros & cons:

Pros

Extremely in-depth combat system

I genuinely don’t know if there’s an objectively bad monster in this game

Evolution exists but is completely optional, as even un-evolved monsters can be great

Entire soundtrack is full of bangers

Large and diverse variety of monsters to tame

Cons

Story is a little lackluster, but passable

That’s the only con I can think of

Here’s a link to their Steam page and the game’s website.

A kind of unorthodox recommendation is the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series!

Likelihood is that everyone reading this has heard of this series already, but just in case anyone hasn't, I thought I'd include it! I would categorize this as a hybrid between the mystery dungeon genre and the monster collecting genre, because you recruit pokemon as you play and can use those pokemon on your team!

If you're unaware, the mystery dungeon genre is a small subset of dungeon crawler games where you progress through randomly generated levels called mystery dungeons. Throughout the dungeons, there will be enemies to fight and items to collect. The challenge of these games is mostly due to the stamina aspect of them, in that you have to manage your resources as you progress through the level. If you go all out in each fight, you will inevitably lose quite quickly. You have to learn to win against enemies while balancing your use of items and PP, so you have enough for the next fight, and the fight after that.

Pokemon mystery dungeon in particular is famous for its stories, the likes of which isn't seen often in Pokemon games. They are hugely story-driven games and are notable for the emotional depth they possess. It's pretty normal for the average player to cry at least once in the span of the game. There's lots of memes about that specifically.

This entry in my list is also unique for being a series. So, which one should you play first? It actually doesn't matter! Each storyline is entirely self-contained and requires no knowledge of prior entries. The quality of each entry varies and is a point of contention among fans. I say you should play all of them, because they all have their merits (though some more than others.... coughgatestoinfinitycough). They're mostly distinct for the generation of Pokemon they take place in. Rescue team is gen 3, Explorers is gen 4, Gates to Infinity is gen 5, Super Mystery Dungeon is gen 6, and Rescue Team DX is a remake of a gen 3 game but has the mechanics and moves of a gen 8 game.

My only real caution is that you play Explorers of Sky, not Darkness or Time. Sky is basically a combination of the two games with added items and content. It's an objective upgrade over its predecessors, and I honestly wouldn't waste money on the other two. 

I’m not going to include a pros and cons list for the PMD series because I’m incredibly biased and it wouldn’t be an honest review.

Next is Monster Crown!

Monster Crown is a monster collecting game that seems to take heavy inspiration from early-gen Pokemon games in particular. It is currently in early access on Steam and is not expensive. I learned about it through the developers of Monster Sanctuary, when they recommended it on their official Discord.

The game has lots of charm and interesting creature designs, and an entirely new take on monster typings as well. Instead of monster types being based off of natural elements like fire, water, electricity, etc. Monster Crown uses typings that seem to be influenced by the personalities of the monsters. For instance, Brutal, Relentless, and Will are all monster types!

It also captures a lot of the charm many of us look fondly upon in early GameBoy-era games. The music is mostly chiptune, with some more modern backing instruments at times, and the visuals are very reminiscent of games like Pokemon Crystal in particular. Monster Crown is definitely the monster collecting game for fans of the 8-bit era!

The thing that stands out the most to me about this game is the breeding system. Instead of one parent monster passing down its species to its offspring, you can create true hybrids in this game.

However, it is very early access. I would consider the current build as an alpha, not even a beta yet! So temper your expectations here. I have not encountered any major bugs, but visual glitches here and there are quite common. The game also could definitely use some polish and streamlining, and is quite limited in content currently. But the dev(s) seem quite active, so I fully expect these kinks to be worked out in time!

The reviews are rather positive, especially for being in early access. I'm all for expanding the monster collecting genre, so if you're looking to expand your horizons in that sense, I would recommend you at least give this one a look! I personally had quite a bit of fun playing Monster Crown and am going to keep an eye out for updates.

Pros & cons:

Pros

Charming artstyle, appealing monster designs

Faithful callback to a bygone era of gaming

Controls are fairly simple and easy to get the hang of (and are completely customizable!)

Cool breeding and hybridization mechanics

There's a starter for each monster type!

You can choose your pronouns, including they/them!

Cons

Inherent nature of being very early access means can be clunky and unpolished at times

Also not much content as of right now, see above

User interface could use some redesign in places

Here’s their Steam page and the official website!

Here’s an oldie but a goodie, Azure Dreams!

This is one I actually haven’t played, mostly because it’s really old and therefore only practically accessible if you play it on an emulator, unless you're one of those old game collectors. Azure Dreams was developed by Konami and released for the PS1 in 1997. My impression of it was that it either didn’t sell well or only took off in Japan, because it’s actually really hard to find any comprehensive information about it on the internet.

Azure Dreams is a monster collecting - dating sim hybrid. You can build relationships with various characters and can pursue some of them romantically, although that isn’t the main draw of the game. There is also a stripped-down version that exists for the GameBoy Color, which forgoes the dating portion of the game entirely.

Azure Dreams is kind of like a mystery dungeon game in that you progress through a randomly generated, ever-changing tower using the help of the familiars you have accrued throughout your adventure. Similarly to Monster Hunter: Stories, you yourself also take part in the fighting alongside your monsters. Each time you enter the tower, your character’s level is lowered to 1, but your familiars keep their experience. Thus, progression is made through strengthening your monsters. To obtain monsters, you collect their eggs, just like in Monster Sanctuary (which, turns out, was at least partially inspired by this game!)

Due to this game being very old and on the PS1, the visuals leave a lot to be desired... but if you can get past that, Azure Dreams has lots of replayability and customization to how you play the game. To this day, it appears it has a somewhat active speedrunning community!

If you don’t mind the effort of using an emulator, and like old games, Azure Dreams just might be that timesink you were looking for in quarantine.

Honorable mentions:

Pokemon Insurgence (or any Pokemon fangame/ROMhack, really!) is a Pokemon fangame that introduces Delta Pokemon, which are really cool type-swapped versions of existing Pokemon. It’s sufficiently challenging and has a lot of variety in what you can catch in the wild, so you can pretty much add whatever you want to your team! The story is quite good, and the main campaign is multiple times longer than a typical Pokemon game’s campaign. Download it here!

ARK: Survival Evolved is NOT a monster collecting game BUT you do get to tame and fight alongside a lot of really cool extinct species, including but not limited to the dinosaurs we all know and love. This game is genuinely fun as hell, especially with friends, but I must warn you: never play on official servers. I highly recommend singleplayer, playing on a casual private server, or making your own server. Here’s the Steam page.