#bree mills

[watching-pictures-move]

Put On Your Raincoats | Come Out to Play: An All-Girl Warriors Parody (Mills, 2024)

This is more a scene than an outright narrative feature, and the most of the "parody" elements come in the first few minutes before the sex starts. It's been a while since I've seen The Warriors and I've only ever seen the director's cut with the comic book transitions, but I did appreciate the stabs at the neon look from the original and the bits of location footage. The most fun element here is Ana Foxxx as the DJ, in whose scenes the movie really goes for those eye popping colours, although Foxxx is more hands on in the conflict than I remember the character being in the original. Before the rival gangs here are about to face off, she tells them that "Power ain't about fist and fury, it's about tits and pussy." And to prevent a horrific gang war, she advises them to "Turn this clash into a sex bash."

It's probably unfair for me to hold my resistance to orgy scenes against this movie, given that it's one long orgy scene. This tries to navigate between the performers through drifting camerawork and rack focus, which I think is effective in establishing their geography early on but ends up undercutting the chemistry between individual performers as the scene progresses. There's also the fact that there is an abundance of overlapping dialogue in a manner one might call Altman-esque, which again takes the heat out of individual performers' interactions.

I gave this a look as it was directed by Bree Mills, but while she gives the gang members stylish entrances and fun end credits appearances, this lacks her usual emphasis on character development. She does however have a pretty funny cameo as a wino.

[luckythings]

PSA

There’s this thing I like to do. This is a none sexualizing tumblr. I block all ppl without a profile pic, a blurred profile pic or a sexualized name; and sometimes when I get that irk, I view a tumblr to make sure they ain’t on no bullshit. You should do that too if you’re a none sexualizing blogger. Yall keep bringing them to me, with that reblogging & liking shit. So get rid of them so I don’t have to experience another incel reblogging mines knowing good & well his bitch ass is a republican. I don’t fuck with no inhumane nazi racist shit. So everyone, for the sake of the 99%; do fucking better.

[bucketbueckers]

I'D RATHER PRETEND

CHAPTER FOUR

tags: @angryflowerwitch @avvwritesstufff @melpthatsme @rebecca-woso @bueckersg1rl @l0verl4ne @clouded-whispers @dolliest-thena @katemartinlvr @numberonepartyanth3m @glamourdaya @pbbucks @unadulteratedcyclepaper @paiges-1vur wc: 9.7k notes: mama a MASTERLIST behind you 💜 lots of filler content but it's kinda pivotal ig 😛 hope you're all enjoying, reading all of your comments makes my day 🫶

‘South Carolina Basketball Star Apologizes for Destruction Tour'

After a month of out of control behavior, Tess Kennedy has officially put an end to her destruction tour. In a heartfelt message on her socials, Kennedy apologizes to her team, coaches and staff, and basketball fans and she opens up about how her ACL injury “flipped [her] world upside down.”

“My injury forced me to consider a future where I could not play basketball,” Kennedy writes. “I moved to the States at a young age and basketball was the one thing that made me feel at home here. Believing that I’d lost basketball made me feel like I’d lost the one place I belonged. My thoughts were, ‘if I can’t play, then what’s the point?’”

Many fans responded well to Kennedy’s apology, understanding the guard’s feeling of homelessness. Many others appreciate the candor. One commenter noted that athletes don’t tend to discuss the darker parts of the ACL injury, claiming that this transparency is paramount in making mental health resources more accessible and more normalized for athletes. There are others who are firm in their belief that Kennedy’s reaction was unacceptable. Supporters rallied in defense for Kennedy.

[IMAGE TRANSCRIPTION: USER THOMASBLINKY39: “GOOD ATTEMPT AT SAVING FACE. YOU OVERREACTED AND LET DOWN MANY, ESPECIALLY YOUNG GIRLS WHO LOOK UP TO YOU. TELL YOUR PR MANAGERS TO WRITE A BETTER APOLOGY NEXT TIME.” | USER TESSKENNEDYUPDATES: “IT’S THE SAME WITH YOU PEOPLE, ISN’T IT? A MAN IS ALLOWED TO REACT. A WOMAN CAN ONLY OVERREACT. DON’T PRETEND TO UNDERSTAND WHAT TESS IS GOING THROUGH. ALL YOUR COMMENT DOES IS SHOW THE YOUNG GIRLS YOU PRETEND TO CARE ABOUT THAT THEY ARE NOT ALLOWED TO FEEL AND FALL APART WHEN THEY’RE HURT. TESS SHOWS THEM THAT THEY CAN COME BACK EVEN STRONGER.” END TRANSCRIPTION.]

Reactions aside, one thing is for certain. Tess Kennedy is fully on the road to recovery and things are looking up for her.

“I’m connected with great physical therapists to rehab my knee and I am meeting with a psychologist to address my mental health and alcohol dependence,” Kennedy shares. “I am thankful for my friends, family, and support system. They were patient and loved me when I couldn’t love myself. This process hasn’t been pretty and it won’t look pretty for a while – but I owe it to myself to do what I need to so I can play the game I love again. This is a new opportunity to compete, only I’m against myself this time, and the one promise I can make is that I don’t lose to the same opponent twice.”

-Penelope Lancaster, Bleacher Report

MAY 9, 2023

Tess’s alarm wakes her on Tuesday morning. It takes her a moment to blink the sleep out of her eyes, still feeling the residual exhaustion from accidentally staying up later than she’d been accustomed to the past week. It’s only 8am, but she can hear Kamilla and Bree milling about in the kitchen, presumably making breakfast, quietly laughing over the gentle hum of whatever music they have playing. Tess hauls herself out of bed, stretching the ache out of her body and making her way into the bathroom.

Tess was never usually one for sleeping in. It was a hard habit to break after years of being up bright and early to go on morning runs and hit the gym. She fell off of that part in her routine after her surgery, and although she can’t exactly do much running or lifting currently, trying to repair her sleep schedule and other routines helps bring back some normalcy in her life. So far, it was working pretty well, though it’s been a struggle to figure out what to do with her time on the days she doesn’t have PT in the morning.

As she brushes her teeth in the bathroom, she’s distracted by thoughts of the upcoming 12 hour drive she’ll have to power through. It was her only choice – she wasn’t cleared for air travel just yet, so it’s an unfortunate fact of life she’ll just have to deal with. She’s less stoked about the long conversation she’ll have to have with her parents. Between PT and her other obligations, Tess hasn’t really had the time to truly sit down and give her parents the closure they deserved. They’d texted and called numerous times; Tess felt terrible for ignoring most of it, but she just couldn’t stomach their worry and disappointment. She couldn’t stomach her own shortcomings, either, nor the fact that she let it get so bad and that she iced out the people who have been in her corner since day one. The more she thinks about how she ghosted her own parents and let them watch her crash and burn through gossip articles and online videos, the more she feels like she’s going to throw up.

She can’t avoid it forever, though. Not when there’s nothing between her and her parents besides their car’s center console and 715 miles of open road.

Tess rinses her mouth out, splashing water on her face, reaching for her cleanser and moisturizer. When she begins applying her skincare, it’s the first good look she gets of her face all morning. She stares at herself for a long moment. The bags under her eyes are fading and her cheeks finally have their fullness back. She feels okay – she really does, which she thinks is a weird feeling to celebrate, but she’s celebrating it regardless, knowing she’s felt anything but okay in the past month. The one feature, however, that almost brings a smile to her face is the subtle shine in her eyes, the flash of life that has otherwise been missing.

She looks good. She feels good. That much is enough to improve her mood. She ventures out into the kitchen, grinning at Kamilla and Bree who look up with matching smiles as they work. Kamilla is flipping something in a pan at the stove while Bree chops veggies. “Hey, guys. Need a hand?”

Kamilla shakes her head, waving the spatula at her in a way that reminds Tess of her nonna. “Nuh-uh. Sit. You want an omelette?”

Knowing better than to test Kamilla, Tess slides into a stool, careful of her knee. “Yes please.”

Kamilla hums, cracking a few more eggs into a bowl, adding milk, and whisking them together. “We didn’t wake you or anything, right?” Bree asks, dumping some peppers and onions into Kamilla’s bowl. Bree lowers the volume on their music just slightly so she can hear Tess’s response.

“Nah,” she reassures her. “I had an alarm set. My parents should be here around noon.”

Kamilla turns on her heel suddenly. “Oh, speaking of, you got a package like, twenty minutes ago. It’s by the door. What the hell did you buy? It was heavy as shit.”

Tess can’t help the flush that covers her cheeks, though she doesn’t understand why Kamilla’s question makes her feel as though she’s been caught red-handed. “Uh, I might have bought a PS5,” she admits, and Bree snorts. Tess shoots her an indignant look. “My therapist says I need new hobbies. Turns out I had zero personality outside of basketball, so I’m trying to find out what else I like.”

“Besides a certain blonde hooper, of course,” Bree says, straight-faced and deadpan. Kamilla nudges her with her elbow and they both break out into giggles.

Tess narrows her eyes. “You guys aren’t funny. We are literally just friends.”

“Well, you said y’all was strictly business last week, so which is it?” Bree teases. “I saw those photos of y’all at the airport, too. You looked heartbroken –”

“Stop,” Tess whines, burying her face in her hands. “It’s just for the media.”

“Cheer up, T,” Kamilla says comfortingly. Tess looks up to watch as Kamilla dumps the omelette onto a plate, sliding it her way with a fork. “Bree’s just jealous. The football player she’s been plottin’ on for months has a girlfriend back home, so she’s sad.”

Bree gasps, shooting her a scandalized look. “First of all, I wasn’t plotting on Shawn. I was just testing the waters, and the waters say football players are not husband material. Second of all –” Bree redirects her attention to Tess, whose fork hovers halfway to her mouth as she stares at her teammate, “–Tess is the worst actress I’ve ever seen in my life. Remember that time we tried to plan a surprise party for Aliyah and Tess couldn’t stop grinning the entire day?”

“That’s different!” Tess interrupts, the egg falling off of her fork. She groans as she scoops it up again. “I can’t lie to my friends. But I can lie to the media.”

“No the hell you can’t!” Bree retorts. “You can’t control your face. That’s why you trend on Twitter after pressers because half of the country turns you into a meme.”

Tess’s face falls. “Wait, they do that?”

Bree points at her as Kamilla snorts. “This is exactly what I’m talking about! Anyways!” She claps her hands, gathering her thoughts. “You can’t control your face. You are the worst liar I’ve ever met. Which is why I know that look on your face at the airport was real. You aren’t lying to the media – you’re lying to Paige, which is why you’re fumbling the bag. You fuck with Paige, whether you’ve realized that or not.”

Tess’s face burns red as her thoughts race. “What are you, my therapist? I don’t fuck with Paige, whatever the hell you mean by that.” Bree narrows her eyes at her, and Tess has to look away. “Christ,” Tess mutters, fingers pressing into her temple. “Look, me and Paige are just friends. I’m just a mess emotionally with everything going on and she’s like, the only person I’ve hung out with that’s not you two.”

Kamilla nudges Bree with her elbow, drawing her attention as she breaks her silence. “Maybe we don’t need to grill her on this now,” she suggests, but her tone of voice leads Tess to believe that it’s more of a demand. “She’s going through a lot. Let her friendships just be friendships.” Tess shoots her a grateful look as Bree sighs, crossing her arms and leaning against the counter.

“I’m just looking out for you,” Bree says after a while. “I know you – you’re my girl, Tess. You’re not good at lying, or keeping secrets, or pretending, or doing anything casual. You’re real, maybe blunt to a fault, and you always give everything your all. I just want you to be careful. Blurring those lines with Paige can make things really complicated and you need to focus on recovery – not her.”

Tess frowns, pushing around the egg on her plate. She suddenly doesn’t feel hungry anymore. The anxiety creeps up into her chest, kickstarting her heart, and she has to breathe through the what-ifs and the slight panic that comes with questioning everything you’ve known for the past week. “I know you mean well, Bree, but I’m good,” Tess states once she gathered her thoughts. She gives her two teammates a smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes, and judging by the way Bree deflates, she knows that she knows she’s soured the mood. “Trust. I’m not going to fall for Paige and I’m not going to blur those lines. We’re just friends who have to make the best of a weird situation because we fucked up our reputations. Nothing more.”

Bree stares at her long and hard, as if she doesn’t believe her. Tess doesn’t believe herself, either, but she has all the time in the world to start convincing herself that she’s just fine with her situation and there’s nothing to read into. “If you’re sure,” is what Bree says instead.

Tess can only give a half-hearted nod, suddenly feeling a lot less sure.

Her parents arrive shortly after noon as expected. She moved all of her packed belongings to the living room, anticipating their arrival, and she’d nearly teleported to the door once she heard the knock. Kamilla and Bree made themselves scarce after their uncomfortable conversation after breakfast. Tess isn’t sure if it’s because they knew that she needed time alone with her parents or because they were regretting bringing up the Paige situation at all. Maybe it was a mix of both, but Tess remembers she has other things to worry about as she opens the door to her apartment, coming face to face with her parents.

Her mother and her father, Alessandra and Mateo, stand just a few inches taller than she does with her father tallest of their trio. When she was younger, she used to hate that she stopped growing at 5’10 when her parents were 6’0 and 6’3 respectively. It used to make her feel small, like she wasn’t meeting her potential. Now, after everything she’s been through, she falls directly into their open arms and it feels like coming home all over again. They wrap her up tightly, engulfing her completely, and she finds that she has a newfound respect for being the shortest of them.

She doesn’t realize she’s crying until she feels her tears soak her mother’s blouse and her mother starts smoothing the hair at the crown of her head. The gentle touch is enough for the dam to finally break. Tess shudders through heaving sobs as her parents hold her tighter, whispering pleasantries in murmured Italian that only makes her wish she’d never shut them out. She wishes she asked them to come down for her surgery, that she asked them to take her home after the fact. She wishes she was cognizant enough to have asked for their help before she let everything consume her. It’s too late for ill-timed wishes, although there’s still plenty of time for her to make up for her misgivings.

Her parents let her cry until there’s nothing left, and only then do they pull away. Her mother wipes away the residual tear tracks on her cheeks with her thumbs, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead as her father stares at her with a look that mirrors both his concern and his love for her. She stares back at him, at her mother, at the two people who have dropped nearly everything to support her and her dreams. They let her have her way when she couldn’t bear to see anyone after her surgery, they let her have her way when she wanted to move several hundred miles down south for basketball because she believed in what Coach Staley was preaching. Tess feels so much remorse and grief and love constrict around her heart and she can’t stop herself when she rushes out, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I–”

“You have nothing to apologize for, piccola,” her father says, interrupting her spiraling thoughts, but his understanding does nothing to quell the guilt.

“Yes I do,” she chokes out, eyes wide as she stares at the both of them, fresh tears beading at her waterline. “I got hurt and I pushed you guys away and I almost killed myself. I spiraled for a month straight and said awful things and almost ruined my knee for good. People tried so hard to help me and I didn’t let them.”

Her mother squeezes her hand, smiling softly at her. “We are your parents. You do not need to do anything to earn our forgiveness. You have it. Unconditionally.”

Tess’s lip trembles. She tries to fight the tears. “That’s not how that works,” she says weakly. 

“Some things don’t have to work any certain way,” her father says. “Sometimes they just are. We’re proud of you, Tess.”

Growing up, people always said that Tess was a mix of her parents. She had her mother’s coiled, dark brown hair, her laugh, her nose, her sarcasm. She had her father’s eyes, his smile, his heart, his drive. Now, she’s beginning to realize that the trait her parents share – their ability to forgive – hasn’t quite reached her just yet.

“You don’t need forgiveness from other people,” her mother says, halting her racing thoughts. “You just need to forgive yourself, sweet girl. Learn from this, bounce back and recover, but you cannot do any of that if you hold the blame close to your heart.”

“I’m trying,” Tess confesses.

Several thoughts swim in her brain. She hears it all. Trying isn’t enough. Try harder. Why did you let it get this bad in the first place? It takes her far too long to realize the voice is her own. Her parents would never say any of that to her. But what they do say instead is, “Sometimes trying is all you can do,” and that’s enough to make her bottom lip wobble again. She launches herself back into their arms as her father continues, “We know you can heal from this. We know it’s hard. But you need to believe in yourself and try.”

The words get stuck in her throat as she tries to breathe through the pounding in her chest. All she can manage is a nod, but they understand her – they always do. Her parents hold her until she comes back to earth, her mother flashing a familiar smile at her. “Are you ready to go?”

Tess nods again, wiping her cheeks again. “Yeah. Just let me say bye to Kam and Bree first.”

Her parents nod, picking up her suitcase, her backpack, and her Amazon box by the door. They exit her apartment with her belongings in tow as Tess makes her way to Bree’s door first, knocking on it gently and waiting for her to open it.

When Bree does, she opens her arms immediately and Tess falls into her embrace. “Have a safe drive, okay?” Bree says, squeezing her. “Call if you need anything.”

“I will,” Tess promises, pulling away.

“Listen,” Bree says. “I’m sorry about earlier. I shouldn’t be in your business like that.”

Tess shakes her head. “It’s okay. I know where you’re coming from. Thank you for looking out for me. Just trust that I can look out for myself, too?”

“Done,” she agrees, and she sweeps Tess into one last hug before saying her goodbyes and venturing back into her room.

Kamilla’s room is her final stop. She doesn’t even have to knock before Kamilla opens the door and wraps her arms around Tess. “Don’t miss me too much,” Tess says jokingly, and Kamilla laughs, her chin resting on Tess’s head.

“Too late,” her best friend states. “Come home, Tess Kennedy. The kids miss you.”

Tess grins, rolling her eyes. “Sorry, Kam. I gotta go my own way.”

Kamilla pulls away but smiles fondly at Tess. “Text me when you’re home safe. I don’t care how late it is.”

“I will,” she promises again. Kamilla wraps her up one more time, saying goodbye, and returning to her room.

When Tess makes it back to the living room, her parents are back and empty handed. Tess smiles at them, slipping her crutches under her arms, and together, the three of them begin the 12 hour journey back to Brooklyn.

The first few hours of the drive are dedicated to the much needed conversation with her parents. Tess recaps the last few weeks to her them, explaining her thought process, the loneliness, the near constant knee pain. It’s all smooth sailing until she reaches last week’s events and the meeting with Amaya. She honestly has all intentions of leaving out the Paige situation, not wanting to lie to her parents because she and Paige agreed they wouldn’t tell anyone. If there was one thing Bree was right about, it was the fact that Tess was a shitty liar, and she would prefer to avoid the situation as a whole.

“So what about that blonde guard you’ve been hanging out with?” her dad asks innocently, completely ruining her entire plan.

Fuck. So much for that.

“Um,” she says smartly, a blush rising on her cheeks. Her dad glances up, meeting her eyes in the rear-view mirror, and his lips twitch into a smirk. “We’re taking things slow right now,” she says slowly. “Paige reached out after I tore my ACL and offered her condolences. I didn’t really want to accept help from anyone, but she flew out and surprised me after my meeting with Amaya, and, I don’t know, but it was really nice.”

“Do you like her?” her mother asks.

“Mamma,” she groans, exasperated. Her mom levels her with a look that makes her insides crumble. She remembers that her and Paige aren’t even publicly official, so what’s the harm in downplaying it? “I mean, she gets it, you know?” She gets me, is the clarification that goes unsaid, but Tess gets the idea that her parents understand her meaning just the same. “We play on different teams. I didn’t, um, want to let her get close,” she says tactfully, feeling as the words hit a little too close to home. “But I couldn’t stop it. I like being her friend and talking to her. That’s good enough for me for now.”

Her parents share a look in the front seat. Tess is sweating bullets in the back, trying desperately to distract herself by flipping her phone mindlessly in her hand. Truth be told, she’s not even sure where the truth ends and the lie begins. This whole situation is so messy, she thinks to herself, only snapping out of her thoughts when her mother speaks up. “Well, you sound happy,” she says, which genuinely surprises Tess. Another thing Bree was right about. She cannot control her expressions. “She may be good for you, piccola.”

Tess swallows thickly, craning her head to stare out the window. The trees on the side of the interstate pass by in a blur. She finds them much more interesting to look at now. “I hope so,” Tess says, the words coming to her easily.

Thankfully, her mother cranks up the AC and adjusts in her seat, aiming to take a power nap before she swaps places with Tess’s father to finish out the drive. Her father glances at her once more through the rear view, a knowing smile on his face, which unsettles Tess more than she’d like to admit, but the underlying softness in his eyes makes it hard to be too worried. Releasing a deep breath, she pulls her own blanket over her legs, pops her earbuds in, and leans against the car door as she closes her eyes, hoping to speed the drive along by sleeping through it. They still had another 10 hours to go, and Tess will be close to losing it if she has to talk about Paige for any longer.

The rest of their drive passes in relative peace. Tess crashes for a few hours and wakes up in time to order dinner from a drive-thru. Her parents switch driving duty an hour later at the closest rest stop and Tess takes the time to get out of the car to stretch her leg and use the bathroom. She stocks up on a couple of overpriced vending machine snacks, and before she knows it, they’re back on the road again.

She tries to nap again, but after the three hour snooze she took, she feels more restless than anything. Combined with being in the car for six hours, she’s ready to start running laps, knee be damned. She’s running out of playlists to listen to and she can only play Subway Surfers for so long before she starts getting exhausted of it. As if she senses her turmoil, a text from Paige comes through, and Tess can almost cry with relief, knowing that the blonde will have something stupid to say that will distract her.

Are you alive?

barely the longer we drive the more i wish i took a plane there’s got to be a donor somewhere out there who can give me their knee

So I don’t think that’s actually how that works!

so i don’t think you’re qualified to say that!

I am The ladies call me Dr. Bueckers Okay that was actually worded really bad

“the ladies” huh

Please don’t make this a thing I regretted it as soon as I sent it

every day i wonder how and why girls throw themselves at you you literally can’t flirt for shit you just annoy people and say the stupidest things so confidently

Well you’re still talking to me I think it works

my choices right now are entertaining you or staring out the window for another six hours

This is progress cause a week ago you would have said you’d prefer to stare out the window Tess Kennedy MIGHT like me 🤩

paige bueckers MIGHT be delusional 🤩

The line between delusion and manifestation is thin but I get what I want so just keep on hating

ok bars ur still delusional though

One day I’ll get you to admit it I’ve grown on you

much like a fungus

You think I’m a fun guy!

[8 Ball]

Don’t deflect

are you chicken?

Okay I see how it is

Tess and Paige probably set the record for the most pool games played in one sitting, which is surprising for two reasons. The first being the fact that Paige apparently had nothing going on for six hours, the second being the fact that Paige actually sat and played pool with Tess for six hours. Tess’s eyes had started drooping around 11:30 pm, but she and Paige were tied in how many wins they had (318 each – they kept track in a shared note), so she kept pushing through, even though her eyes burned and she wanted to crash. When Tess claims victory 319, Paige almost loses it.

You’re actually cheating

how tf am i cheating at 8 ball?

You seem like the type to take a screenshot and use the ruler

i’ll have you know i’m a woman of honor and integrity you’re just ass

You say the nicest things Okay one last round and I need to go to bed You’re almost home right?

we have like 20 more min yeah

Lock in

Tess, in fact, does not lock in. Six hours of pool is probably detrimental to her eyesight, so she cuts her losses and accepts one final draw between her and Paige. 319 each is good enough for her – especially with the time inching closer and closer to midnight and the fact she’ll likely see the pool table in her sleep.

Rematch tomorrow?

i don’t think i can ever play 8 ball again it will be too soon when my therapist said to find a new hobby i don’t think this is what she meant

You’re welcome!

i did not say thank you

You didn’t have to But you’re welcome for spending 6 hours on 8 ball with you

thank you

Oh my God that sounded genuine

and you just killed the moment

We were having a moment? 🤭

ok goodnight don’t text me again

You’ll miss me Lemme know when you’re home for real I’ll stay up

you don’t have to

So notice how that wasn’t the request

fine i'll let you know

Paige simply reacts to her message with a heart, and with a soft smile, Tess shuts her phone off and finally gives it a rest after six hours of non-stop use. Her screen time was probably off the charts, but that’s a problem for another time.

The last fifteen minutes of the drive passes by quickly and before she knows it, her mom is pulling into the driveway of their house. Tess could cry in relief, though whether it’s from lingering homesickness or the need to get out of the car, she doesn’t know. Her mother shakes her father awake and together, the two of them grab Tess’s bags from the back while she slips her crutches under her arms as they make their way into the house.

Tess hardly has the time to soak it all in. The last time she was home was during spring break, but right now, her main concern is hauling her ass to bed and passing out. Her parents carefully deposit her belongings on the floor in her room. Sharing one last hug for the night and exhausted goodnights, her parents leave her be and Tess all but collapses into bed. She adjusts the pillow under her knee, plugs in her phone, and opens her messages with Paige.

i'm home

Paige’s response is near instantaneous. Tess wonders if she was hovering, patiently waiting for her message before she let sleep consume her. Tess doesn’t dwell on it, not liking the way the thought made her chest tighten.

Thank you Night ma 🫶

Tess bids her goodnight, too, and she shuts her phone off, placing it on the bedside table. She stares at the ceiling, wondering why Paige’s message leaves an almost foreign stirring feeling in her stomach. But as her eyes slip shut, she determines she’ll just have to deal with it at another time, and she lets sleep finally take her.

MAY 11, 2023 - JUNE 20, 2023

The next month of Tess’s life passes in a blur of PT, weekly therapy appointments, mentoring from various Liberty members (although that was unplanned for), movie nights with her parents, and truthfully far too much Fortnite with Paige. She had her first PT appointment with Theresa, or Terri as she’d insisted Tess call her, on May 11th. As her appointment was in between the Liberty’s first two preseason matches, Tess saw a lot more of the Liberty players than she was expecting to. Stewie is taller than her Wikipedia led Tess to believe and Betnijah was even prettier in person. They all expressed their condolences as they filtered in and out for last minute screenings and check ups, and Tess couldn’t quite lose her stupefied awe no matter how many pros she talked to. She even got a follow back from Stewie, who joked that she was “alright for a Gamecock.” 

Tess genuinely felt like she won the lottery. She couldn’t believe Sabrina had reached out for her or that it was even this easy in the first place, though she probably has to give more credit to the Liberty front office for granting their permission and monopolizing on the opportunity. So far, it’s been pretty mutualistic — Tess works with Terri, learns from seasoned veterans, cleans up her image a little more, and honestly increases her draft stock through league exposure; in turn, the Liberty monopolizes on Tess’s branding and status as a college athlete, aiding in growing the scene. There’s a lot of viewers out there who tune in solely for college athletics. The Liberty have already reported an increase in traffic on their websites and even some ticket sales, which Tess is honestly surprised by. She still has another year minimum in college; the fact that people are tuning in for her (when she isn’t even in the league yet) and the fact that she’s helping grow the WNBA simply by hanging out with the Liberty and rehabbing her knee is insane. 

That was something Paige had teased her relentlessly about when they both found the time to FaceTime that Friday. Paige’s flight back to Minnesota was delayed a few hours, so she spent most of Thursday at the airport. She and Tess were supposed to chat after she landed, but the blonde went straight to bed once she made it home. 

“With the 1st pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, the New York Liberty select—”

“Okay, you’re not funny,” Tess gripes, narrowing her eyes at Paige, who can’t control her laughter from across the screen. Tess is in the middle of setting up her Playstation account, trying — and failing — to remember where most of the buttons are on the controller. Paige already has Fortnite loaded up on her screen and tries her best to help Tess with the logistics, but she keeps getting sidetracked. “The Liberty won’t have first pick for a hot minute. And you’d think they’d take me over Caitlin?”

“Stop talking about other women!” Paige cries. “Am I not enough for you or what?”

“You are so easy to mess with, it’s unreal,” Tess states. She leans in closer to her screen. “What the hell is L1?”

“Top button on the left,” Paige supplies. “The one on the back is the trigger, L2.”

Tess sighs, pressing the button and finishing up some of her customization as she navigates her way to the console store to download Fortnite. “Nerd,” she says under her breath, but the indignant gasp from Paige is the only reaction she needs. “Honestly,” she begins, hesitating slightly. “I might not declare in 2024.”

“What?” Paige blurts. “Don’t tell me you’re quitting ball. An angel just lost its wings.”

“Not like that!” Tess rushes to say. She stares at the download bar as it fills up, not looking at Paige. “I was talking to Sabrina this morning — chill, she is grown and she has a man —” her words do nothing to quell Paige’s dramatic huff, “and she suggested I use my redshirt eligibility and take an extra year. I mean, I’ll be back in time for March Madness and can play a few games with the new redshirting rules, though I’m honestly not feeling confident in returning from an injury, taking on high level play with little to no practice, then declaring for the draft fresh off of recovery. I’m not, like, worried about my ability, but from a purely logistical standpoint, no team would willingly want to draft me in this condition, right? It wouldn’t be safe. I wouldn't be a reliable pick. I feel like it would be good for me to stay, get back into it, and declare when I’m actually at my best.”

Paige is quiet for a moment, and when Tess glances down at her phone, she can see that Paige is deep in thought. When she finally responds, her voice is soft. “I know what you mean. I think you should,” she says. “Stay, I mean. I don’t think I’m declaring in 2024, either.”

Tess smiles knowingly at her. “Oh, you just wanna keep getting dunked on by me, huh?”

Paige rolls her eyes, but grins at her. “You’re 5’10. Only way you’re dunking is if they lower the rims.”

“You’re such an asshole!”

“You started it!” They dissolve into laughter. Tess’s download finally finishes and she opens Fortnite. “I’m serious, though,” Paige continues thoughtfully. “I’ve missed so many games due to injuries. I want a healthy offseason. A healthy season in general. A natty.”

“I always forget you barely have two seasons worth of games played,” Tess admits. “Your stats are kinda crazy.”

Paige smiles smugly. “Super efficient, I know. Don’t get too jealous.”

Tess scoffs. “Every time I say something nice, I immediately regret it. You can never just say thank you, can you?”

“Thank you, Tess Kennedy, I can’t wait until we play each other in 2025 and I stat pad my 3-point percentages 'cause you can’t guard me,” Paige declares confidently. 

Tess’s jaw falls open. “I’m more likely to go #1 in the draft than you are to score on me,” she states. Paige raises a brow, as if to say really? and Tess rolls her eyes with an amused smile. “Okay, friend me or something. I don’t know how this works.”

“What’s your Playstation name?”

“tkennedy25.”

“Super original,” Paige says dryly, but quickly enough, she gets a friend request from pboogers1. “Don’t ask.” Tess accepts it with a wry smirk, as well as the party invitation. She watches as Paige’s character spawns on her screen, fully decked out. Tess’s character honestly looks like a loser next to hers, though it’s probably because her starting character is a man. “Where’s your drip at?”

“I don’t know,” Tess whines. “Why am I a man?”

“You gotta play more to get skins,” Paige supplies unhelpfully. “Are you ready to spend the next month playing Fortnite?”

“Do I have a choice?”

“Nope! Ready up!”

Tess does just that. Her first few games are frustrating. She’s still getting accustomed to the button layout and the building in the game sucks, but Paige has endless patience (somehow) and Tess finds herself having more and more fun as Paige tries to guide her through it. She spends a fair bit of time begging for Paige to revive her (fall damage is not a fun concept) and even more time yelling that she’s getting shot at. They’re halfway through a match and making their way into the zone when they come across another duo.

“Flank them!”

“What the fuck does that even mean?!” Tess cries, trying to aim and shoot. Multitasking has never been so difficult.

“I’m at the top of the key,” Paige says. “Go to one of the wings.”

“What do you – ohhhhh.” Tess does as instructed and with both her and Paige firing, the other players are quickly taken down, leaving their loot. “Wait. Why was that actually a good call?”

“There may be hope for you yet, ma,” Paige says, placing a hand over her heart like she’s swooning, and it’s enough to make Tess crack a smile despite the flush on her cheeks.

When they take the win at the end of the round, Tess isn’t sure who’s more surprised – her or Paige. Tess drops her controller on her bed as she cheers – loudly – and Paige buries her head in her hands. If her knee was in better shape, she’s certain she’d be taking victory laps by now.

“I can’t believe you stole my fucking kill,” Paige says in near disbelief. “I did so much damage–”

“Oh, my God!” Tess screams, not processing any of Paige’s words. “We won! Did you see that?” she asks excitedly, barely hearing Paige’s initial response. She digs around in her blankets to locate her phone. When she finally fishes it out, Paige is already gazing at her through the screen, face and smile softening as she takes in Tess’s excitement.

“I did,” Paige confirms. Tess finally keys in on her stupid grin and she feels the flush travel the length of her body.

“I feel like you’re making fun of me.”

“I’m not!” Paige exclaims, and her grin widens. “Just proud, s’all. You went from not knowin’ where X was to gunning people down.”

“We make a good team,” Tess says nonchalantly, but, fuck, Bree is always right – she can’t keep the dumb expression off her face. Her eyes are bright with elation, with the satisfaction that comes with finally understanding something. Paige’s raw honesty and the simple ‘Just proud’ means something different coming from her, even if her pride stems from Tess sucking just a little less at a video game.

Paige’s smile turns tender, and instead of a witty remark, her voice is soft when she admits, “Yeah, we do,” and it makes the warmth creep onto Tess’s cheeks once more. “Couple more?” she asks hopefully. “I got nothin’ but time.”

And that’s how they spend the rest of their day, learning more and more about each other in between game queues and early game rotations. Tess eventually has to get off to save her eyesight and do some PT, but it’s hard to get rid of her smile even after she shuts off the console and she and Paige hang up. When she ventures out of her room for dinner, Tess tries her best to ignore her parents’ knowing smiles. The look in their eyes explains more than their words ever could, and briefly, as she’s layering salad on her plate, Tess thinks of a future where everything is less complicated, where she and Paige don’t have to put a fake label to something they’re not.

But that thought sounds suspiciously like something Tess isn’t ready to face, so she wipes it from her brain and drizzles the balsamic over her salad.

On Saturday, Paige introduces her to Drew. He’s off school for the weekend and Paige asked if she’d be interested in running trios with him. Tess honestly couldn’t think of a world where she’d say no to that, to learning more about who Paige Bueckers is outside of basketball and being a charming mix of annoying and unbelievably sweet. Looks aside, Tess would have assumed that Paige and Drew were fully blood related the way their mannerisms were exactly the same, all the way down to their sassy, “Alright now,” that never failed to make her laugh. Drew tells her all about how his classes are going and how he’s going to be better than Paige at basketball one day. Tess is pretty sure she and Drew become best friends when she tells him, “I think you’re already better than her,” and Paige gasps so indignantly that she almost chokes.

Tess is an only child, but with the speed at which she and Drew bond, she thinks he might become an honorary brother. She’s so focused on Drew that she misses the look of complete adoration on Paige’s face, the tender curve of her smile. She only registers something is off because Paige is unnaturally quiet – which never happens because Paige has a near inability to shut up. It was something Tess had to convince herself was annoying, but now she knows it’s just another part of who Paige is.

“Lock in, Paigey,” Drew tells her, realizing she’s unfocused, too, and his demand makes Tess erupt in laughter.

“Bro, I am locked in!” she exclaims.

The three of them load into the game and Drew drops a marker in the middle of the map. He looks at Paige with an expression that is menacing in the way only a younger sibling can ever be capable of. “You should pay more attention to the game,” he says innocently, “and less on your girlfriend.”

“Drew!” Paige cries, her face reddening. Tess feels the burn on her cheeks but she can’t stop herself from bursting into peals of laughter. Paige drops her controller long enough to bury her face in her hands in exasperation. Drew’s giggles are infectious, which makes it harder for Tess to get the air back in her lungs. “Bro, do not kill my girlfriend. I will hunt you down, swear.”

Drew sticks his thumb and index fingers up in an L shape, shoving his hand in Paige’s face, who pushes him back dramatically. “You both need to lock in,” Tess gripes, but she can’t wipe the smile off her face. “You promised me a win, Paigey.”

Paige scoffs, picking her controller back up. Together, the three of them begin their descent, along with dozens of other players, into the most populated location on the map. “Don’t trip, ma. You know I got you.”

Tess hums, unconvinced. Eventually, they do end up taking the win at the end of the match, which results in Drew showboating after he successfully stole the final kill from Paige. Tess giggles as she watches him run a victory lap around their living room over the phone. Paige meets Tess’s eyes, a fond expression on her face, although she rolls her eyes good-naturedly. The blonde isn’t a different person around her brother by any means. She’s still sarcastic, freakishly charming, but there’s an underlying softness in how she speaks to him that reminds Tess of how Paige speaks to her. She’s not soft because Drew is younger or needs coddling, but Tess suspects that Paige just treats him that way because Drew just means that much to her. There’s an immeasurable amount of care in her heart that most people miss simply because Paige likes to tease, but having grown up similarly, Tess is fine-tuned to the way Paige shows her love, fine-tuned to the way it manifests in their own friendship.

For the next month and some change, this is their routine. Tess and Paige spend hours on FaceTime playing Fortnite. Sometimes it’s with Drew, who yaps just as much as Paige does, but as the time goes by, Tess finds that she truly enjoys listening to the both of them go on. They talk about their blended family and their other siblings, Ryan and Lauren. Paige lights up when Tess asks more about them – it’s obvious that she’s an amazing older sister and her siblings clearly adore her. In turn, Tess opens up about her cousins. Her mother had fertility issues and Tess was their miracle baby; her cousins were the closest people she had to siblings, and she wouldn’t change a thing about it. One day, Drew declared that Tess is his sister now, too, and that was enough to shock Paige and make Tess tear up.

Other times, it’s just her and Paige hanging out alone. They talk about any and everything, poking fun at each other over the simplest things, laughing at stupid shit, and stirring the pot online when they share photos of their wins with cringey captions like, “my duo.”

Tess has never verbalized it before, but she knew it was just as true: Paige gets her. The knee, the on-court pressure, their other shared interests. The understanding between her and Kamilla is different from the one between her and Paige. She lacks the ability to define it, and honestly, she’s not sure how important the actual definition is anymore. She’s acutely aware of just how much of her life she’s inadvertently dampened by trying to understand something before experiencing it. The moral is that Paige has quickly become an integral facet in her life. That thought doesn’t scare her as much as it used to.

“Okay, so what do you notice that’s different about me?” Tess asks coyly one day after she props her phone up on her nightstand, taking a few cautious steps backwards. She places her hands on her hips, watching as Paige taps her chin dramatically.

“Wait, you’re not using your crutches anymore!” the blonde exclaims.

“Nope! Officially cleared.” Tess wiggles her leg, a beaming grin on her face. “Still got the brace, though.”

Their friendship progresses over the month and so does Tess’s recovery. Her wins easily become Paige’s wins. Paige celebrates her with just as much enthusiasm as she celebrates wins on the court, all teeth and wide smiles when Tess reports back with crucial developments in therapy or new developments with her knee. Tess is just as invested in Paige’s life as she is in hers; Tess “officially” meets some of her teammates when they’re on live one night and Paige forces her to join. They spend hours together, and judging by all of the screen recordings they’re tagged in the morning after, they clearly did a good job at pretending to be together (although Bree’s factual statement about Tess being unable to lie swims in Tess’s head on repeat).

When they’re not playing Fortnite or fucking around on the other games Paige forces her to try out, they’re building LEGO sets together. They were on FaceTime one night building two different sets: Tess with a tuxedo cat and Paige with a red rose, and the jokes were flowing. When Paige finished her rose, she displayed it proudly with a cheeky smile, holding it up to her phone screen as if she was giving it to Tess. While Tess rolled her eyes, she couldn’t curb her growing fondness for the blonde, and they both seemed to know it.

“What do we think about the white?” Tess asks another day, holding the aforementioned dress over her body, displaying it for Paige, who sits patiently on the other end of the phone.

The blonde raises an unimpressed brow. “Who all’s gonna be there?”

Tess levels her with an unimpressed look of her own, lowering the dress slightly. “P, it’s my cousin’s baby shower. Take a wild guess.”

Paige raises her hands defensively. “All I’m saying is the white looks good as hell on you. I might have to fly out to make sure no one brings a plus one who’s on some funny shit.”

Tess flushes, but rolls her eyes with a pleased expression. “The white’s nice, right? But look at this gold one I have, too.” Tess hangs the white dress back in her closet, returning with the gold one in tow – it has a slightly longer skirt but it’s a little more snug at the top. Paige is quiet for far too long. Tess narrows her eyes at her, stepping closer to the phone to see what’s going on only to realize Paige is just shamelessly checking her out. “Eyes up here, Romeo. White or gold?”

Paige clears her throat. “Can’t you just wear a paper bag or sum’?”

“To my cousin’s baby shower?” Tess deadpans.

Paige stares back at her with a serious expression. “Well, it’s either the paper bag or you figure out how to become ugly. Only one of those is possible.”

“You are no help at all. Let me call Sabrina –”

“Gold,” Paige interrupts quickly. “You don’t need Sabrina. She’s not even six foot.”

“And her height makes her unfit to pick out dresses, because…why?”

“She don’t see the vision like I do,” the blonde says simply, smirking in a self-satisfied way. “The gold? Immaculate.”

“Spell immaculate.”

Paige gasps indignantly. “Alright! It’s like you’ont even want my help. What am I even here for?”

Tess grins mischeviously at her, returning the dress back to the rack in her closet. “Clearly just to stare at me. You have no shame, Paige Bueckers.”

She raises her eyebrows suggestively, her expression appreciative. “Well, I mean–”

“Goodnight, Paige!”

Somewhere in between late night FaceTimes and breaking the Internet one Instagram comment at a time, their friendship seems to shift. It all becomes natural. She wakes up, responds to Paige’s timely Good morning! texts, reposts her stories and comments on her posts. The longer that this goes on, the less that Tess cares about whoever they’re supposed to be pretending for. Her brand deals are trusting her again and the trolls in her comments start disappearing. Her PT and therapy appointments are going well and she starts feeling like herself again. She’s sure she could credit that to Paige’s near constant presence in her life, but she knows the blonde well enough by now – Paige would emphasize that it’s all Tess. For a while, Tess was fearful of letting this get out of hand, but she’s coming to realize now that she doesn’t mind how their friendship has evolved.

But Tess has been around for long enough to realize that the ball drops sooner rather than later. Late at night in early June, Tess gasps awake with debilitating pain in her knee. It was unexpected – she hadn’t felt it like this in quite a while. Her exercises were going well and she was usually cautious to not overwork herself, but perhaps she did a little too much that day and it’s coming back to bite her in the ass. She groans in pain as she pushes herself into a sitting position, blinking the sleep out of her eyes and blindly reaching for the insulated cup full of ice that she keeps on her nightstand for times like this. Tess digs through her blankets until she finds her phone and turns the flashlight on. She pours some of the ice into a ziplock bag she keeps on hand, zipping it shut tightly and pressing it to her knee. It does little to soothe the pain, but it’s better than nothing, and her breathing becomes a little easier.

It’s only after she takes care of her knee that she finally registers the dryness of her mouth, the thirst for something to numb the pain. She falls back onto her pillows in equal parts frustration and grief – she thought she was past this. She’d made so much progress in therapy and figuring out how to fill her time with new hobbies and activities to distract her. She hadn’t felt an actual craving in a few days, but now, it feels like undoing a month’s worth of work. Tess reaches into the cup and shovels a handful of ice into her mouth. As she chews, it soothes the dryness and the cold is enough to shock her brain, but it’s not enough to regulate her. The pain in her knee combined with the urge to do something she’ll regret makes her feel like she’s drowning again. She could easily satiate it – her parents moved their liquor (not out of distrust, but to keep it out of mind), although she knows where the hiding spots are. She grew up with younger cousins. Knowing how to keep it out of reach was just a matter of responsibility. But now, that responsibility feels uncomfortably like temptation, and it takes everything in her to keep herself rooted to the bed.

Tess reaches for her phone before she even fully processes what she’s doing. She types in her passcode, swipes over to her contacts, and hits call. The phone only rings twice before the line clicks through.

“Tess?” Paige’s voice is quiet, but rough with sleep. Part of Tess feels guilty for waking her up, although the other part of her knows that Paige would have been upset if she didn’t call.

“Hey,” Tess says softly, unconsciously relaxing.

“Are you okay? What’s up?” Paige sounds a little more awake now, shifting around on her bed, and Tess exhales. She hates how much better she does feel just from hearing her voice. Her knee still aches but her brain clears. It’s like coming back up for air after diving.

“I’m sorry for waking you–”

“Don’t,” Paige says firmly, interrupting her. “What's wrong, ma?”

Tess smiles, forgetting Paige can’t see her. “I woke up and I was in so much pain,” she admits in a near whisper, listening to the sound of Paige’s breathing. “Felt like I was tearing my ACL all over again. And then the cravings came back. I was doing so well, like I was improving, but… I’m frustrated and exhausted and my knee hurts so bad, and, I don’t know, I just wanted to hear your voice.” Her confession rings out in the silence of her room. She tries to ignore the way her voice cracks, but her honesty makes the weight on her shoulders feel a little lighter.

“You know you can call me whenever,” Paige says after a while, her voice soft. “I’ll answer.”

“I know.”

“You are improving,” she continues, trying to find the words. “This isn’t a set back, ma, just part of recovery. It’s never gonna be linear. Some nights are gonna be harder than others. But that doesn’t mean you’re going backwards. It just means you gotta fight a little harder.”

“I don’t want to fight anymore,” Tess admits. “I just want to be okay again.”

“You will be,” Paige says confidently, endlessly patient. “Tess Kennedy doesn’t lose to the same opponent twice, right?”

Tess chuckles. “That was kind of a bar.” Paige hums in agreement. “Thank you for picking up.”

Paige makes a noise in the back of her throat, like the idea that she wouldn’t pick up is preposterous. “Always, Tess, you know I got you.” Tess can’t stop the slow smile from spreading across her face. “You want me to stay?”

Tess opens her mouth, hesitating, but reminds herself to be honest. “Can you? Please?”

Paige hums again, her voice sounding sleepy, and Tess relaxes as Paige begins to ramble. “Lauren and Ryan are comin’ up this week. We’re just gonna hang, do a big dinner and shit. I wish they lived closer, but I mean, I’m in Storrs most of the year and they’re getting older so they’ll be goin’ off to college, too. I just really miss them a lot. I think you’d like them. Maybe you can fly up for the holidays and I can introduce you. My parents ask about you. They might like you more than they like me, which is insane…like these past 21 years didn’t mean anything to them.”

“Poor baby,” Tess teases in a soft murmur. She hears Paige snort.

“Are you free, um, fuck – on the holidays?” Tess listens to Paige shuffle around, a smile growing on her lips. “Do you celebrate?”

“Thanksgiving, no; Christmas, yes,” Tess responds. “My parents and I usually just watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV and order a pizza.”

“Lemme fly you out for Thanksgiving? Meet my family?”

Tess hardly has to give it a second thought. “Sounds perfect to me,” she says. “You wanna fly out here after Christmas? New Year’s in New York?”

“Whatever you want,” Paige replies. “You’ll have to give me that insider Kennedy knowledge. How do I get your parents to like me?”

Tess laughs, feeling her eyes droop. “You don’t have to worry about that, trust. My mom thinks you’re good for me. And my dad thinks you’re the worst kept secret in the history of Tess Kennedy’s worst kept secrets.”

“Yeah?” Paige huffs out a quiet laugh. “And what does Tess Kennedy think? Am I good for her?”

Tess struggles to stifle her growing smile as she answers coyly. “What do you think?”

She can almost visualize Paige’s grin. “I make you smile. I think ‘m doing somethin’ right.”

And for that, Tess truly has no rebuttal, embracing the warmth that creeps up her cheeks. Paige keeps speaking and Tess tries her best to stay awake to listen, but the timbre of Paige’s voice reverberates throughout her room and lulls her to sleep. It makes her forget about the ache in her knee and the chaos in her mind. Paige’s soft laugh as she recounts her first dunk is the last thing Tess hears before she succumbs to a blessedly peaceful slumber.

[pupsmailbox]

SCENE︰EMO ID PACK

NAMES︰ acid. adder. adrian. aisling. alex. alice. alix. amethyst. annabelle. aqua. ash. ashlee. ashley. aspen. astley. avril. awe. axe. ayesha. bates. bell. bella. belladonna. bellatrix. billy. blade. blair. blitz. bloodie. bloodscene. blythe. bow. bree. butterfly. callie. candi. candy. celeste. chase. checkerz. clarity. click. coraline. couture. crow. cyril. cyrus. dakota. demi. demonia. devin. dino. dizzy. doge. dom. dominic. ebony. electra. elliot. emery. emmett. emo. epic. erin. evan. flash. fred. galaxy. gavin. gerard. ghostie. gif. gloom. gray. grayson. grim. gutz. happy. havoc. hazel. heyley. hunter. hyde. indigo. ink. iris. ivory. ivy. jack. jade. jason. jasper. jax. jeff. jet. jett. julie. kai kandi. kandiz. kat. kayden. killer. kit. kitt. kobi. kyler. lady. lapis. lee. lexie. liam. luna. lurk. lynx. lyric. lyxzen. mace. maddox. madeline. mae. malice. marceline. marcie. mars. mavis. meow. mia. midnight. mika. mill. nana. neo. net. nick. nina. noah. noob. nora. nyan. nyx. obscene. octavia. olivia. onix. onyx. opal. orange. orchid. pearl. phantom. phoenix. pierce, pierce. pitch. pixie. pop. punk. pusheen. rain. rainbow. raine. rainer. rave. raven. raver. rawr. razorz. reaper. ripley. river. rogue. ronnie. rose. rouge. roux. rubi. ruby ruby. sable. salem. sally. sapphire. sash. sasha. scythe. silvi. silvia. smiley. smoke. smokey. snap. snow. sonya. soot. sparrow. spike. splatter. spook. stella. steve. stripe. sunny. suzi. suzie. suzy. taffi. taffy. tag. tech. tempest. travis. trend. tyler. vesper. vine. vista. vivi. waffle. wave. web. wentz. wesley. wild. willow. wound. xander. z!m. zach. zack. zade. zaire. zak. zander. zara. zero. ziggy. zim. zircon. zoe. zoom. zyair.

PRONOUNS︰ awesome/awesome. ay/aym. bark/bark. bi/bim. bite/bite. black/black. bling/blingee. blood/blood. bone/bone. bow/bow. brace/bracelet. bright/bright. bright/colour. byte/byte. cat/cat. cata/catatonic. ce/cer. check/checkered. chem/chem. cir/circut. color/color. computer/computer. cool/cool. cos/cos. creepy/pasta. cringe/cringe. cry/cry. cut/cut. dead/dead. death/death. die/die. dino/dino. emo/emo. emoticon/emoticon. epic/epic. ev/ev. exe/exe. ey/em. eye/strain. fang/fang. fringe/fringe. game/game. gamer/gamer. ghost/ghost. gir/gir. girr/girr. glit/glitter. glitter/glitter. gloom/gloom. glow/glow. glow/stick. gore/gore. grr/grr. gun/gun. gut/gut. hor/horror. hx/hxm. hyper/hyper. hyperpop/hyperpop. internet/internet. it/it. ix/ix. kan/kandi. kand/kandi. kandi/kandi. kill/kill. kit/kit. knife/knife. lix/lix. loud/loud. luv/luv. mask/mask. meme/meme. meow/meow. mew/mew. mlp/mlp. mon/monster. mspaint/mspaint. music/music. neo/neon. neon/neon. net/net. nostalgia/nostalgia. nya/nya. nya/nyan. nyan/cat. old/old. online/online. pika/pikachu. pix/pix. pixel/pixel. plur/plur. pony/pony. pop/pop. pop/tart. queen/queen. quiet/quiet. rain/rain. rainbow/rainbow. random/random. rave/rave. rawr/rawr. raz/razor. red/red. rei/reina. scene/scene. scene/scenester. scenecore/scenecore. scream/scream. shx/hxr. si/silent. silly/silly. skull/skull. slash/slash. slice/slice. sound/sound. spi/spider. spook/spook. stab/stab. stick/sticker. sticker/sticker. stud/stud. swag/swags/swagself. thxy/thxm. troll/troll. tutu/tutu. txt/txt. vamp/vamp. video/game. virtual/virtual. vocaloid/vocaloid. web/web. windows/window. xe/xem. xey/xem. xy/xyr. youtube/youtube. ze/zem. ze/zer. ze/zero. zi/zim. zim/zim. zom/zombie. zomb/zomb.

[silmarillion-ways-to-die]

Bilbo Baggins of Bag End, Bagshot Row, Hobbiton, The Shire has a clock on his mantlepiece.

Nobody else in Middle Earth has clocks, outside The Shire and Bree. No clocks are mentioned in Gondor. They certainly don't have them in Rohan. Elrond doesn't announce the start of the Council of Elrond by saying "oh look at the time." Only Hobbits have clocks.

Only Hobbits have mills. Laketown has all that water and no mills. Erebor has a stream coming out of the entrance, where's the mill? What about Thranduil's halls, they have a river running through them, where's the mill?

The Hobbits of The Shire don't wear medieval clothing. It's all waistcoats and jackets—19th Century clothing. They might as well be wearing spacesuits!

And don't get me started on tobacco. Nobody in medieval Europe had tobacco.

Everyone in Middle Earth lives in the Middle Ages except the Hobbits. They're Victorian.

They're from The Future.

THE LORD OF THE RINGS IS A SCIENCE FICTION BOOK.

[sassenach77yle]

THE YEAR ENDED clear and cold, with a small, brilliant moon that rose high in the violet-black vault of the sky, and flooded the coves and trails of the mountainside with light. A good thing, as people came from all over the Ridge—and some, even farther—to keep Hogmanay at “the Big House.”

The men had cleared the new barn and raked the floor clean for the dancing. Jigs and reels and strathspeys—and a number of other dances for which I didn’t know the names, but they looked like fun—were executed under the light of bear-oil lanterns, accompanied by the music of Evan Lindsay’s scratchy fiddle and the squeal of his brother Murdo’s wooden flute, punctuated by the heartbeat thump of Kenny’s bodhran. Thurlo Guthrie’s ancient father had brought his pipes, too—a set of small uilleann pipes that looked nearly as decrepit as did Mr. Guthrie, but produced a sweet drone. The melody of his chanter sometimes agreed with the Lindsays’ notion of a particular tune, and sometimes didn’t, but the overall effect was cheerful, and sufficient whisky and beer had been taken by this point in the festivities that no one minded in the least. After an hour or two of the dancing, I privately decided that I understood why the word “reel” had come to indicate drunkenness; even performed without preliminary lubrication, the dance was enough to make one dizzy. Done under the influence of whisky, it made all the blood in my head whirl round like the water in a washing machine. I staggered off at the end of one such dance, leaned against one of the barn’s uprights, and closed one eye, in hopes of stopping the spinning sensation.

A nudge on my blind side caused me to open that eye, revealing Jamie, holding two brimming cups of something. Hot and thirsty as I was, I didn’t mind what it was, so long as it was wet. Fortunately it was cider, and I gulped it. “Drink it like that, and ye’ll founder, Sassenach,” he said, disposing of his own cider in precisely similar fashion. He was flushed and sweating from the dancing, but his eyes sparkled as he grinned at me. “Piffle,” I said. With a bit of cider as ballast, the room had quit spinning, and I felt cheerful, if hot. “How many people are in here, do you think?”

“Sixty-eight, last time I counted.” He leaned back beside me, viewing the milling throng with an expression of deep content. “They come in and out, though, so I canna be quite sure. And I didna count the weans,” he added, moving slightly to avoid collision as a trio of small boys caromed through the crowd and shot past us, giggling. Heaps of fresh hay were stacked in the shadows at the sides of the barn; the small bodies of children too wee to stay awake were draped and curled among them like so many barn kittens. The flicker of lantern light caught a gleam of silky red-gold; Jemmy was sound asleep in his blanket, happily lulled by the racket. I saw Bree come out of the dancing and lay her hand briefly on him to check, then turn back. Roger put out a hand to her, dark and smiling, and she took it, laughing as they whirled back into the stamping mass.

Hogmanay ~The fiery cross

[boringkate]

Lesbians doing porn scenes with men? Where

Everywhere!

"A lot a lot" is probably an exaggeration even with the help of bi erasure (in my defence: I was comparing ppl to myself and I'm bi in theory and a transbian in practice), but I've definitely seen cis girl performers (who perform with men) post on twitter etc about being lesbians or only dating women.

Pulling a few from an old adultdvdtalk forum thread: Indica Flower says explicitly that she's a lesbian and doesn't date or sleep with men off set. Sara Luvv has done scenes with men and is married to Bree Mills who is very much strictly a lesbian despite having directed pornos with men in them. Annabel Redd says she's a lesbian and does scenes with men. Alana Rains apparently says she's a lesbian in her personal life and yet does scenes with men. Abella Danger is bi and is or was dating Keisha Grey.

I don't personally know any of those girls, but I have personally dated tgirls who have shot scenes with men despite only dating women off camera.

I'm honestly surprised that scenes never get promoted as being straight for pay scenes. I feel like there must be a market for that.

It's even more of a thing with girls who do FSSW because (well you can kinda easily get away with doing porn without having sex with men these days) it's basically impossible to escort without taking male clients.

[albinodino]

Legendborn Chapters 31&32

there's no WAY will has the time to study medicine while in the order. imagine being wounded in battle and he's like 'sorry i have an exam in the morning and it's 50% of my grade :/'

"It's easier for couples where pregnancy is one hundred percent impossible." okay ally, the order says love is love <3

nick pissed me off this chapter like your protectiveness is worth nothing if you're not listening to the person you're protecting. but he was very funny for calling a liege "one of the good ones" ahahahahah

"This won't be a... normal session." UNLIKE THE OTHER STANDARD RUN OF THE MILL THERAPY SESSIONS?? show me your lisence.

crossroads creatures is a such a good name it's got alliteration, 'crossroads' is vaguely meanacing and 'creatures' like they're too otherworldly to be described. or you can call them shadowborn, because they're born from the shadows.

"Would she still be angry with me" oh well now im crying.

a psychic reading where they gasp, get scared and/or say something ominous is one of my FAVORITE tropes ever, awful for bree but a banger of a plot point

[snapthistiger]

exercise 07052024

bike ride to the gym

3 x 10 lat pull

3 x 5 dips

3 x 10 tricep press

3 x 10 row

30 minutes on the step mill

3 x 10 overhead press

worked lifeguard job 8a to noon

bike ride to my Mom's, then home

the gym workers and lifeguards received Reese eggs

my Mom had just woke up so i visited with her and then rode home

for the 1st 2 hours of work i watched swimmers. for the next 2 hours i worked with 2 new lifeguards, Bree (15) and Louisa (17), and we went over primary and secondary duties. primary duties are watching swimmers and enforcing rules to keep people safe. secondary duties are checking the water chlorine and pH and cleaning stuff

1 hot dog for lunch

mowed front and back yard with mother in law's riding mower, then it rained. it has rained very day since Monday and we are expecting rain every day until the end of next week

top left = road Powerade

bottom = photos in the gym of children involved in park, gym and water park activities

hope you have a peaceful afternoon and evening..

[drghostwrite]

Masterlist

prompt list: -> here

“rules”: -> here

Shows & Characters:

Criminal Minds:

Any character

Jennifer “JJ” Jareau:

Two hearts collide

A baby for Christmas

Did I hit too hard…

Derek Morgan:

• Under fire

Once Upon A Time:

Regina Mills (favorite to write in like love/wife stories)

Scars for Love pt. 1, pt. 2

Until My Last Breath

Out at Sea

Running Back to You

Black is my color

Power bottom(request)

Spellbound

Power Plays

Zelena Mills

Wife gives birth(x reader request)

Emma Swan

Other characters

Agatha All Along

Rio Vidal

Dancing with Death Herself

Agatha Harkness

Your Honor, She’s Irresistible…

Hold my hand, pt. 2

What love left behind

This Christmas

Wednesday:

Larissa Weems:

Always You, pt. 2, pt. 3

Give You Everything

Seeing Green

Morticia

other characters per request

Marvel CU:

Natasha Romaoff:

You’re Not Alone

Dark Nights

Jealousy looks good on you

Maria Hill:

You are the Calm to my Chaos

Steve Rogers

Thor Odinson

When Lightning Strikes

Bucky

DC Universe:

Diana Prince

Lena Luthor

When the Sky Falls

When the Sun Sets on Us

Alex Danvers

Bond of Steel

Arthur Curry(Aquaman)

A Royal Bloodline

Grey's Anatomy:

Arizona Robbins:

If I Just Lay Here?

Already Taken

You’re my Comfort

The Shooting(request)

Next Time We’re Driving

My House, My Rules

Snowed In

Screaming into Silence

Callie Torres

A Superstar with a Scalpel

Holding onto you, pt. 2, pt. 3, pt. 4

Addison Montgomery:

Code Black

Supply Closets & Satin Sheets

Operating Rooms

Some other characters but those are primary

X-Files:

Dana Scully (obvi):

You Remembered(prompt)

True Temptation

Fox Mulder

Monica Reyes:

Monica Reyes

When I say go(promp)

Others are special request

Desperate Housewives:

Lynette Scavo

Bree Van de Kamp

To love again(request)

Other wives and some other characters can be special request

Law & Order SVU:

Olivia Benson (The only right answer for a wife)

Something to Fight for...

ED(request)

other taskforce members

Rizzoli and Isles:

Jane Rizzoli:

That Thin Line pt. 1, pt. 2

Maura Isles:

Drown Our Problems

When the Music Fades

Frankie or Tommy Rizzoli

The Rookie

Lucy Chen:

Survivors

Scream:

Sidney Prescott:

We All Scream Sometimes pt. 1, pt. 2

Blood on the knife

Orange is the New Black:

Alex Vause:

Ex-Lovers (request)

Saints and Sinners

The 100:

Clarke Griffin:

Takes a Village

Abby Griffin

Octavia Blake

Game of Thrones(GOT):

A Rightful Heir

The Walking Dead

Reader gets shot (request)

Reader has baby during run

911

Evan Buckley:

• 911, What’s your emergency?

Crossovers:

(Criminal Minds) x (X Files), Pt. 2

There are some things I just won't write for but I do case by a case basis, I will put warnings if there is anything I view as may be triggering. Please give me more shows or characters to write for, I'm begging you! most fics are reader x character, some involve pregnancy and marriage but they will mostly be one-shots.

[watching-pictures-move]

Put On Your Raincoats | Under the Bed (Aususi, Angel, Falardeau & Mills, 2019)

It looks like there's a release of this that consists of just the first two segments, but I'd suggest seeking out the third and fourth segment as they're quite a bit stronger. A few thoughts on each segment:

"Within": This one benefits from some diet Argento lighting, and plays out differently than you'd expect, considering it opens with an unkempt psycho in the woods skinning animals. There is some gore, but it's thankfully sufficiently divorced from the sex so as not to catch any hapless viewers mid-fap. To be perfectly honest once it gets to the sex it gets a bit repetitive, but I appreciate that it gives us a character who is enough of a horror movie fan to watch a maggoty, garishly lit Italian horror throwback.

"The Night They Came for Lacy": This is definitely the worst one. I suppose the sex when it happens is energetic, but the dialogue during the action barely seems related to the heroine's actions, and I had a hard time getting into this from the beginning due to how annoying I found the supporting characters. And while the cemetery set is nicely done, this is a lot more aesthetically generic on the whole.

"The Thing from the Lake": For a modern, digitally-short porno, I think this gets a good amount of visual texture from its forest environment, and thankfully avoids the generic dark grey look that a lot of modern porn opts for when aiming for a darker tone. While I wished the titular creature had more distinct makeup than green eyeshadow and gills, and I found the initial hetero encounter a bit generic, I think the subsequent lesbian encounter has a compelling sense of mystery and trepidation, filtered through the perspective of an uncertain heroine. Unlike the preceding segments, I found this genuinely erotic.

"Fertile": This one is directed by Bree Mills, and you can clearly sense her hand in the dramatic sturdiness here. The first third of this segment follows a woman trying to get pregnant and the resulting arguments with her husband. To be honest, I don't think Alina Lopez is entirely pulling off the material, but I appreciate the extent to which Mills commits to her pain. This also provides some emotional grounding for the subsequent turn to horror, when she seeks out experimental treatments from a shady doctor played by Angela White. White has many obvious charms as a performer, among which are her rather striking eyes, which she puts to great use finding sinister and seductive dimensions to her mad scientist character. If anyone wanted to make a porno giallo, or even a regular giallo, they would do well to cast her, is what I'm saying. Aesthetically, Mills' approach is a tad blunt, going from generic indie style to purple sheen to black and white, but I appreciate that the sex here has a clear sense of escalation and seems to work with the sense of horror instead of against it.

So this is definitely worth a look, although if you lack the patience for the whole thing, I'd suggest skipping to the third and fourth segment.

[marcmarcmomarc]

RWBY (Behind the Voice Actors)

MAIN RWBY CAST

Ruby Rose: Lindsay Jones

Weiss Schnee: Kara Eberle and 1 other

Casey Lee Williams

Blake Belladonna: Arryn Zech

Yang Xiao Long: Barbara Dunkelman

Jaune Arc: Miles Luna

Nora Valkyrie: Samantha Ireland

Lie Ren: Monty Oum and 1 other

Neath Oum

RECURRING ROLES

Qrow Branwen: Vic Mignogna and 1 other

Ernesto Jason Liebrecht

Oscar Pine: Aaron Dismuke

Professor Ozpin: Shannon McCormick

Cinder Fall: Jessica Nigri

James Ironwood: Jason Rose

Emerald Sustrai: Katie Newville

Sun Wukong: Michael Jones

Pyrrha Nikos: Jen Brown

Penny Polendina: Taylor McNee

Mercury Black: J.J. Castillo and 1 other

Yuri Lowenthal

Winter Schnee: Elizabeth Maxwell

Salem: Jen Taylor

Neopolitan: No Voice Actor

Dr. Arthur Watts: Christopher Sabat

Tyrian Callows: Jessie James Grelle

Hazel Rainart: William Orendorff

Bartholomew Oobleck: Joel Heyman

Peter Port: Ryan Haywood and 1 other

Anthony Sardinha

Maria Calavera: Melissa Sternenberg

Adam Taurus: Garrett Hunter

Robyn Hill: Cristina Valenzuela

Roman Torchwick: Gray G. Haddock and 2 others

Billy Kametz

Christopher Wehkamp

Neptune Vasilias: Kerry Shawcross

Glynda Goodwitch: Kathleen Zuelch

Jacques Schnee: Jason Douglas

Raven Branwen: Anna Hullum

Clover Ebi: Christopher Wehkamp

Elm Ederne: Dawn M. Bennett

Marrow Amin: Marrow Amin

Harriet Bree: Anairis Quiñones

Vine Zeki: Todd Womack

Ghira Belladonna: Kent Williams

Whitley Schnee: Howard Wang

Ilia Amitola: Cherami Leigh

Kali Belladonna: Tara Platt

Taiyang Xiao Long: Burnie Burns

Vernal: Amber Lee Connors

Little: Luci Christian

Somewhat: Luci Christian

May Marigold: Kdin Jenzen

Joanna Greenleaf: Marissa Lenti

Fiona Thyme: Michele Everheart

Dr. Pietro Polendina: Dave Fennoy

Klein Sieben: J. Michael Tatum

Corsac Albain: Derek Mears

Fennec Albain: Mike McFarland

Leonardo Lionheart: Daman Mills

Curious Cat: Robbie Daymond

Coco Adel: Ashley Jenkins

Velvet Scarlatina: Caiti Ward

Yatsuhashi Daichi: Joe MacDonald

Cardin Winchester: Adam Ellis

Caroline Cordovin: Mela Lee

Jabberwalker: Richard Norman

Jinn: Colleen Clinkenbeard

Flynt Coal: Flynt Flossy

Neon Katt: Meg Turney

Saphron Cotta-Arc: Lindsay Sheppard

Terra Cotta-Arc: Jamie Smith

Blacksmith: Kimlinh Tran

Lil’ Miss Malachite: Luci Christian

Willow Schnee: Caitlin Glass

The Hound: Ernesto Jason Liebrecht

Hei “Junior” Xiong: Jack Pattillo

Miltia Malachite: Maggie Tominey

Melanie Malachite: Maggie Tominey

Zwei: Penny Layne Matthews

Ozma: Aaron Dismuke and 1 other

Shannon McCormick

God of Light: Chase McCaskill

God of Darkness: Bruce DuBose

Ambrosius: Valentine Stokes

Jinxy: Brendan Blaber

Red Prince: Michael Malconian

Herbalist: Christopher Guerrero

Creatures of Grimm: William Orendorff

MINOR ROLES

Announcer: Jeff Williams

AK-130 Android: Shane Newville

Shopkeep: Patrick Rodriguez

Goons: William Lopez and 1 other

Isaiah Torres

Cyril Ian: Patrick Rodriguez

Lisa Lavender: Jen Brown

Student: Kerry Shawcross

Russel Thrush: Shane Newville

Police Officers: Burnie Burns and 1 other

Joel Heyman

Sailors: Isaiah Torres and 1 other

Daniel Fabelo

White Fang Goon: Chris Martin

Penny’s Driver: Alan Abdine

Tukson: Adam Ellis

CCT AI: Megan Castro

Schnee Corp Operator: Emily McBride

Atlas Soldiers: Jon Risinger and 19 others

Patrick Rodriguez

Shane Newville

Kerry Shawcross

Josh Flanagan

Jeb Aguilar-Kendrick

J.D. Arredondo

Kirk Johnson

Alena Lecorchick

Tony Salvaggio

César Altagracia

Quentin Holtz

Nicholas Swift

Ed Whetstone

Cody Hawkins

Andrea Ratsos

Noël Wiggins

Dalton Allen

Nick Cramer

White Fang Lieutenant: Gray G. Haddock

“Deery”: Maggie Tominey

Student: Jacob Strickler

Perry: Kyle Taylor

White Fang Goons: Austin Hardwicke and 3 others

Miles Luna

Dustin Matthews

Josh Ornelas

Councilman: Gray G. Haddock

Reese Chloris: Erin Winn

Bolin Hori: Jon Risinger

Brawnz Ni: Blaine Gibson

Roy Stallion: No Voice Actor

Nolan Porfirio: Aaron Marquis

May Zedong: No Voice Actor

Bartender: Markus Horstmeyer

Nebula Violette: Kate Warner

Scarlet David: Gavin Free

Dew Gayl: Kim Newman

Sage Ayana: Josh Ornelas

Gwen Darcy: Mylissa Zelechowski

Octavia Ember: Claire Hogan

Video Game Announcer: Gray G. Haddock

Ciel Soleil: Yssa Badiola

Salesman: César Altagracia

Woman: Kate Warner

Man: Robert Reynolds

Large Man: Alex Leonard

Inn Keeper: Joe MacDonald

Crying Child Illusion: Maggie Tominey

Amber: Laura Bailey

Paramedic: Jon Risinger

Atlas Security Guard: Jonathan Floyd

Haven Tourist: Robert Reynolds

News Reporter: Tyler Coe

Broadcast Op: Cole Gallian

Warning Announcer: Kate Warner

Atlas Ship Captain: Travis Willingham

Blue Three: Andrea Caprotti

Mayor: Mike McFarland

Blacksmith: Christopher Guerrero

Dying Huntsman: Alejandro Saab

Captain: Bruce Carey

Reporter 01: Tyler Coe

Reporter 02: Amber Lee Connors

Reporter 03: Jason Douglas

Crew Member 1: Yunhao Zhang

First Mate: Derrek Ziegler

Crew Member 2: Chris Kokkinos

Oscar’s Aunt: Marissa Lenti

Higanbana Waitress: Kim Newman

Businessman: Scott Frerichs

Businesswoman: Amber Lee Connors

Henry Marigold: Alejandro Saab

Angry Businessman: Nick Landis

Waiter: Kyler Smith

Trophy Wife: Felecia Angelle

Husband: Chris Kokkinos

An Ren: Dawn M. Bennett

Lie Ren (young): Apphia Yu

Young Blacksmith: Connor Pickens

Tall Boy: Scott Frerichs

Short Boy: Marissa Lenti

Medium Boy: Amber Lee Connors

Li Ren: Kaiji Tang

Nora Valkyrie (young): Kristen McGuire

Mistral Pilot: Stan Lewis

Atlas Pilot: Richard Norman

Train Announcer: Alena Lecorchick

Mistral Pilot: Reina Scully

Menagerie Guard: Gio Coutinho

Bartender: Zane Rutledge

Shay D. Mann: Clifford Chapin

Sienna Khan: Monica Rial

Bandit One: Chris Kokkinos

Saber Rodentia: William Ball

Bandit Two: Billy B. Burson III

Worried Mother: Victoria Holden

Mata: Scott Frerichs

Yuma: Nick Landis

Ramen Shop Owner: Nick Landis

Small Girl: Emily Fajardo

Trifa: Emily Fajardo

Menagerie Guard 1: Stan Lewis

Menagerie Guard 2: Jenn K. Tidwell

Faunus 01: Willem W. Keetell

Faunus 02: Ariel LaCroix

Young Faunus Woman: Christine Stuckart

Older Faunus Man: Patrick Rodriguez

White Fang Members: Luis “Paco” Vazquez and 2 others

Willem W. Keetell

Jenn K. Tidwell

Mistral Police Captain: Jamie Smith

White Fang Guards: Christine Stuckart and 2 others

César Altagracia

Connor Pickens

Dee: Alex Mai

Dudley: Christopher Guerrero

Mistral Woman: Lauren Aptekar

Newscaster: Ethan Marler

Body Guard: Jenn K. Tidwell

Frightened Man: Richard Norman

Eldest Daughter: Jenn K. Tidwell

Youngest Daughter: Lauren Aptekar

Tock: Ruth Urquhart

Adrian Cotta-Arc: Lucella Wren Clary

Nubuck Guards: Kyle Phillips

Red Haired Woman: Jen Brown

Terminal Soldier: Connor Pickens

Argus Air Control: Danzer Koehler

Manta Two-Two: Noël Wiggins

Manta Three-Four: Dalton Allen

Manta Two-One: Melanie Stern

Manta Two-Four: Joe Clary

Atlas Air Traffic Female: Alena Lecorchick

Drunk Mann: Joel Mann

Drinking Buddy: Dustin Matthews

Forest: Eric Baudour

Pilots: Billy B. Burson III and 1 other

Todd Womack

Fria: Luci Christian

Newscaster: Scott Morgan

Mantle Citizen: Kirk Johnson

Mantle Patrol: Quentin Holtz

News Broadcaster: Kyle Taylor

AK-200 Driver: Ed Whetstone

Patrol: Connor Pickens

Waiters: Kirk Johnson and 1 other

Christine Stuckart

Female Dinner Guest: Lauren Aptekar

Councilman Sleet: Chad James

Councilwoman Camilla: Anairis Quiñones

Mantle Child: Brooke Olson

Citizens: Quentin Holtz and 5 others

Nikita Steele

Nicholas Swift

Jenn K. Tidwell

Alena Lecorchick

Ed Whetstone

Manta Team Delta: Richard Norman

Atlas Pilots: Ed Whetstone and 1 other

Alena Lecorchick

Atlas Commander: Zoe Terhune and 1 other

Kate Daigler

Atlas Technician: Alena Lecorchick

Reporter: Nick Schwartz

Mother: Jenn K. Tidwell

Disgruntled Grandmother: Christine Stuckart

Fiona’s Uncle: Gus Sorola

Crimson: César Altagracia

Mechanical Voice: Andrea Ratsos

Operator: Nick Schwartz

Madame: Linda Leonard

Step-Sisters: Amanda Lee

Rhodes: Christian Young

Commanders: Billy B. Burson III and 2 others

Kdin Jenzen

Zack Watkins

Child: Alexia Cruz

Father: Matthew Cruz

Computer Terminal: Alanah Pearce

Atlas Officer: Billy B. Burson III

CCT Voice: Jackie Izawa

Civilian: Chris Demarais

Summer Rose: Morgan Lauré Garrett

The Bird: Richard Norman

Mouse: Brendan Blaber

Mouse Leader: Jamie Battle

Townsperson: Jamie Battle

Toy Soldiers: Nick Cramer and 4 others

Billy B. Burson III

Kdin Jenzen

Cody Hawkins

Michael Malconian

Toy Guard: Brendan Blaber

White Pawns: Brandan Blaber and 3 others

Billy B. Burson III

Jamie Battle

Michael Malconian

Hawker: César Altagracia

Teapot Lady: Kdin Jenzen

Blue Paper Pleaser: Connor Pickens

Yellow Paper Pleaser: Dalton Allen

Green Paper Pleaser: Dustin Matthews

Red Paper Pleaser: Paula Decanini

Purple Paper Pleaser: Yssa Badiola

Genial Gem: Paula Decanini

Alyx: Shara Kirby

Vacuan 1: Eddy Rivas

Vacuan 2: Melinda Bonifay

ADDITIONAL VOICES

Austin Hardwicke

Blaine Gibson

Daniel Fabelo

Dustin Matthews

Harley Dwortz

Jeff Yohn

Kris McMeans

Kristina Nguyen

Luis “Paco” Vazquez

Maggie Tominey

Megan Castro

Shane Newville

Sheena Duquette

Stefanie Hardy

[drvcxrys]

hello (: so finally this is my starter call/plot call. slowly i'm going to post all my outfits for my characters and you can find them here. i'm going to be capping at 4 per muse so ask away :D

prob not going or maybe just lurking outside the ball or something:

annabeth chase: thalia grace or clarisse la rue

jean grey

malia tate

samantha carpenter: tara carpenter

yelena belova.

alice cullen going solo.

she really doesn't need a date to just have fun. right now alice wanted just to have an excuse to wear a very nice outfit for the night because let's be honest, everything is an excuse when it comes to shopping and buy something pretty to wear. thread (2/4): yoon chi woo, apple

alice jones/tilly going with robin hood-mills.

she just wants to have a blast with her fiance, just enjoying their date night with no worries about anything else. of course she might just look around and explore a bit from time to time as well. thread (0/4):

alicent hightower going with ridoc (blind date)

she doesn't know how she ended up doing this but she decided to just be out of her comfort zone and see what the night lead her, she just want a night for herself to relax a bit because work has been stressful as well so this was perfect for doing that. thread (0/4):

anna of arendelle going with kristoff bjorgman

she's very touched that kristoff decided to go with her here, it's been a while since they actually get to be in a ball and she kind of miss those interactions. anna is a very social person so honestly she would love to meet new people as well and just enjoy herself. thread (2/4): xie lian, elsa

annie cresta going with finnick odair

annie loves the idea of spending time with her husband so being here with him is just fantastic so she's going to try and take advantage of this night to just having a good time and trying to be as social as she can as well. thread (0/4):

betty cooper going with ning yingying (blind date)

she wasn't expecting doing this at all but she wanted to try and get out of her comfort zone and this blind date was a good thing in a way, so she just want to have a good time here, that was all, being social because that's why she's here, for being social. thread (1/4): lee jordan

beverly marsh going with peter hale

this is her chance to just let loose and relax a bit and what better way than with her boyfriend? she's going with peter and her idea is just to have fun and trying to forget about almost everything. of course that besides that she's also going to be very social even wanting to meet new people and interact with others. thread (0/4):

bianca di angelo going with lucerys velaryon

this is her first time in an event like this, she's not used to a ball or dressing up to go to one but she wanted to try and give this a chance, she's going to have a bit in a awe about some things that's for sure, especially about some new things in this place. thread (1/4): - parvati patil

bree tanner going with diego

she just wants to spend her time with diego now that she has her in her life once again, this time was the perfect opportunity for that because this seems like a very fun event. however, now that she will be with a lot of humans in the room she might try to have more control than ever, she was able to have that control until now but she's still new about this so is still hard. thread (0/4):

buffy summers going with angel

buffy loves to put a nice outfit and going to dance, to interact with people so this is the perfect opportunity for that, hoping that maybe everything is going to stay like that for the moment, that's what she would love, a night off from the supernaturals and the sources of evil and all of that. thread (0/4):

caroline forbes going with stefan salvatore

she's all over the moon about this, being here with stefan was perfect considering she never thought that she was ever going to see him again so this was just perfect for her. and besides, she loves these events so much, she loves planning them of course but she also just loves going to them as well. thread (1/4): - josie saltzman

carrie white going with dorothy gale

last time she went to an event like this one ended up really badly so she didn't know about being here but dorothy told her and she is starting to trust some people so she decided to give this a chance, she's very shy and a bit reserved so it's gonna be hard to open up but she will try to do that and give this night an opportunity. thread (0/4):

choi nam ra going with evangeline ennar (blind date)

she never thought that she was going to put herself in this blind date thing but she did, maybe to be out of her comfort zone, to try something new so that's why she was here and she wants to just spend her night in a fun way, without caring much about anything else, like a regular girl. thread (0/4):

claudia going with abigail blyg

this is new. she loves a good party but she never expected to go with someone here but she is not upset about this, she's just enjoying herself right now and she will try to do just that, enjoy herself and her time here, trying not to cause too much chaos at least. thread (0/4):

clove kentwell going with cato hadley

not her ideal scenario but she decided to just go and going with cato was a plus so at least she wasn't alone here, at least that was something. she's going to try and relax a bit here but who knows, since this is not her type of scenario she just feels a bit out of place at times. thread (0/4):

daenerys targaryen going with nehemia ygter

this is a very nice place to be in. she must to admit that she's a bit excited to be here with nehemia, it's not her first time in an event like this one but still she's not used to events in this place so she will just try to enjoy the night and forget about everything with her date. thread (1/4): - nehemia

daphne bridgerton going with simon basset

a night off with her husband now that he remembers everything? of course. she's very excited about this. this is really daphne scenario, she loves a ball, dancing, putting a nice dress...it's like back home so she will really enjoy this night. thread (1/4): diana

elizabeth midford going with ciel phantomhive

this is like back home, she loves to dress up and going to an event like this, especially if she's going here with ciel because let's face it, she might've insisted a bit for him to take care, her mission is to make him have a good time as well because she knows that she will have a good time here. thread (0/4):

emma swan going with silco (blind date)

this is new for her because honestly is not like she enjoys the idea of a blind date and she's not sure this is even going to work but she decided to go and just enjoying her night here, that was all, she deserve this kind of break after everything that happened here in washington. thread (0/4):

gwen stacy going solo

she enjoys something to distract herself so this was perfect, she has been alive for a month or so and she's trying to adjust so this was the perfect opportunity. thread (0/4):

hanna marin going with ahura boltagon

she's not holding any king of hope to this blind date because honestly she is not really the type of girl that do that but she ended up doing this anyway just to see how it goes. but one thing is for sure, she will really going to enjoy her time here because she loves those type of events, she really loves to put a nice outfit and going there. thread (2/4): - emily fields, charlotte dilaurentis

heidi volturi going solo

she wasn't going at first but she ended up going mostly because maybe just maybe she could even hunt in here, it could be a good buffet in her eyes so she was going to see, basically is that. thread (1/4): lu junyi

hermione granger going with harry potter

she really wants to have a good night here just a night off from everything but besides that, she thought this could be the perfect opportunity for harry and her to talk about some things that happened before maybe and see how that goes as well. thread (1/4): cho chang

hope mikaelson going with landon kirby

now that finally she has landon with her, she's so happy that she's able to go with him to a ball like this and that everything finally seems okay so even if this is not her type of event, she just wants to have fun with her boyfriend and friends too. thread (0/4):

isabelle lightwood going with simon lewis

she really enjoys this type of events because she can dress to impress and she just loves that. being here with her fiance was just perfect because finally they can do something out of their routine, having a night off. just in case though, she will always be alert because who knows what can also might happen here. thread (2/4): max lightwood, jester

jane going solo

she really enjoys this type of dance, dressing up and just being able to enjoy herself so she's going to do that or at least try to do that in this place hopefully nothing really is going to ruin that. thread (0/4):

jessica riley going with mike munroe

this was the perfect night for them to just have some fun like good old times. this was her second chance to live once again so she's going to take advantage of this at full. thread (0/4)

jill roberts going with billy loomis

it's been a while since she goes to an event like this one and honestly she's kind of excited about this because it would be the perfect date night, not really thinking about anything else but this and just have a good moment. thread (0/4)

kagome higurashi going solo

she decided to go to this valentine's mini gala because she was basically bored so she decided to try something new and that's why basically she was here to try and be more social as well. thread (0/4)

kara danvers going solo

she likes the idea of being here and distract herself from everything that's been happening in washington. but she's also here just in case something bad might happen, she's always on guard just in case but she is going to try and have a good time as well. thread (0/4)

katara going solo

she wants to do something new so that's why she's here, trying to be social and interact with people as well, just blend in, in general, she's here to just have a good time. thread (0/4)

leslie macher going with feirge (blind date)

this is new to her, blind date and all, but she decided to give it a try, trying something new is something that she likes to do so she's very determinate to have a good time and just forget about everything else that might be troubling her. thread (0/4)

lila pitts going with diego hargreeves

this is what people call normal and it's something they were actually looking for, trying to be normal for a change so being in this mini gala was something perfect for them to just let loose and enjoy their time here. thread (0/4)

lissa dragomir going with isaac lahey

that's something she's used to, she likes about being here and just trying to a good time, it's the first time that she celebrates valentines here so she's wondering how is going to be the event, she's curious about it. thread (0/4)

lucy gray baird going solo

a dance, an event like this is something she actually enjoys. now that finally she's free, she wants to try and just have a good time, that's all without caring much about anything else and just enjoying herself. thread (1/4): tigris snow

mary stuart going solo

mary enjoys this kind of events, and the museum seems nice to just explore a bit and see what this place has to offer. thread (2/4) - chu wanning, jane

myrcella baratheon going with baela targaryen

she feels so excited to be here, especially with baela because she likes her very much and she's so happy that they can do this together. she's here to just have a good time, explore the place and being social as well with people around her. thread (0/4)

nancy wheeler going with steve harrington

nancy is really hoping that this valentine is going to be calm and not like the last one but for now she's happy she can be here with steve, she wants to have a good night here, being with her friends. thread (0/4)

narcissa black going with rabastan lestrange

being here with rabastan was just perfect especially because they've been looking for a way to just enjoy a bit of calmness and just a good night and relaxing as well, so in her eyes this was perfect, at least for now. thread (0/4)

rachel amber going with jessica stanley (blind date)

she is unsure about this, this is her first time going in a blind date but she decided to have a good night and just enjoying herself here, not really her scenario after everything that happened in arcadia bay but she might try to get out of her comfort zone. thread (0/4)

rapunzel corona going solo

this is going to be a fun night for her and just trying to enjoy herself and since she's like a social butterfly she will be interacting with people, just dancing and exploring the museum as well. thread (1/4): wei wuxian

regina george going with emily davis (blind date)

this is really something she enjoys to do, being in this mini gala is perfect to dress to impress and be the queen she is. this blind date seems interesting as well so she's going to play nice or as nice as she can be and see how it goes everything. thread (0/4)

rhaena targaryen going solo

this a very nice event, she's here just to have a great time and she doesn't really mind about being here alone, she just wants to explore this place and even meet new people as well. thread (0/4)

sakura kinomoto going solo

sakura is in awe about those type of things, she is just sad that her best friend tomoyo is not here with her or that syaron is also not here but she's going to try and enjoy her night here and especially meet people and be social because she's a very social person. thread (0/4)

santana lopez going with brittany pierce

being here with brittany was perfect, she really loves the company of her and she just wants to spend the best night with her, that's all. she's going to be there dancing, drinking and just having a blast. thread (0/4)

sara lance going with fiona gallagher

honestly for sara being here with someone she likes is perfect, usually she flirts a lot more with girls but this time is a bit different because she actually is smitten by fiona so she is going to spend her night mostly drinking, dancing with her and if there is kissing perhaps. but she would also be social with people if she bumps into someone she knows or if she bumps into someone in general because she's basically a talker. thread (2/4) - ava, hunter

tohru honda going solo

this is her first mini gala event so she's very excited. she misses her friends, of course, but she decided to try and distract herself going and of course she's going to also try and just socialize with people in general. thread (0/4)

usagi tsukino going solo

she is going alone basically because she can't see herselg going in some type of gala without mamoru, it makes her sad he's not here or her other friends are not here as well but she decided to try and have a good time, at least this time she's not that alone here considering setsuna is also around. she's going to be a social butterfly here as well. thread (0/4)

veruca salt going solo

this is the perfect opportunity to show off her dress, accesories and everything that she was able to buy for this special occasion and also the perfect opportunity for her to meet new people as well. thread (0/4):

victoire weasley going with teddy lupin

a date night with teddy is something she honestly would love so much to do so this was just the perfect opportunity. she feels this night is going to be perfect to just enjoy herself, being with the people she loves and relax herself as well. thread (1/4): scorpius malfoy

wednesday addams going with louis weasley

honestly, she didn't want to go but after louis insisting a lot, like really a lot, she ended up accepting but is not like she's happy about it, she's just going to be herself and trying to enjoy herself just how she is, that was all. thread (0/4)

win wanichakarnjonkul going with team siriyothin

being here with team was perfect, win really loves the idea of having some kind of date night in this mini gala with him and just enjoying themselves, he's very happy about this. thread (0/4)

[frodothefair]

A Yuletide Visitation.

Author's note: I had hoped to have the next installment of Flowers of Mordor ready by Christmas, but sometime within the last week it became unfortunately apparent that that was not going to happen, considering my levels of energy, the fact that the holiday season had proved somewhat busy after all, and the unexpected complexity of Chapters 18 and 19. So, here is a fun, Yuletide-themed sneak peak of what's to come!

Tags: @konartiste @hippodameia @brigwife @bumblingbriars @meluiloth-of-rivendell @luna--nyx @invisiblewashboard

It was well past eight o’clock, and the two cups of spiced cranberry tea had been drunk, and the pie eaten – along with a spot of roast chicken and mashed potatoes that Frodo had extracted from the larder – and by all accounts, it had proven a pleasant evening. [...]

In fact, it was not until the miserly Man of Bree had finished interfacing with the ghost of his late partner, setting the stage for the rest of the book (1) – when Marigold suddenly felt her ear twitch, and felt the pie, acutely, in her stomach.

For it was all well and good, up until that point, to have been sitting next to Frodo in the warm and comfortable parlor, and to have thought that there little else of consequence as long as she was with him – but then, beyond the frozen-over glass, she heard the sound of voices.

Familiar voices.

Gamgee voices.

And they were singing.

Singing, or if it could be called that, to the accompaniment of a ghastly cacophony of sounds that could only have been produced by the most out of tune set of instruments in all the four farthings.

She did not need to see them to know what they were: a lute she had many times sworn she would break in half and throw into the mill-pond, a fiddle made of wood so warped that it was nearly all whorls, and a pair of metal sticks that had replaced the tambourine that was lost some days ago, and had apparently never been recovered.

Here we come a-carolin’ Amon’ the leaves so green Here we come a wanderin’ So fair to be seen (2)

If it had not been clear before, Marigold was now irrevocably convinced. Her family existed for no other reason than to torture her.

(1) A reference to Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Middle-earth, apparently, has its own version of the tale. (2) The traditional carol Here We Come A-Caroling.

[mirandamckenni1]

LEANA LOVINGS: Cuddle Puddles & The Sex Machine | The ADULT TIME Podcast With Bree Mills SEASON 2, EPISODE #01: Season 2 of The ADULT TIME Podcast is HERE! In this inaugural episode, host Bree Mills is joined by Adult Time Ambassador & award-winning entertainer Leana Lovings! Listen to hear Leana Lovings' journey in the adult industry, including how her experiences with sensory processing disorder led to her entry into s*x work. Leana discusses her exploration of kinks within the BDSM community, and how she learned the importance of consent and communication from the kink community. Bree and Leana share their favourite Adult Time creative projects like FUTA WORLD, and Leana’s role as an ambassador for Adult Time. From cuddle puddles to riding the F*ck Machine & League of Legends, tune in to an episode full of sensory delights! ABOUT ADULT TIME: Adult Time is a digital subscription platform for a new era of adult entertainment. We are a brand built by people who believe in a future where mature audiences can safely, securely, and proudly have a place in their lineup for premium adult content. In addition to our addictive programming, Adult Time is dedicated to creating a personalized content experience for all our viewers with 400+ channels, 60,000 episodes, and VR and interactive toy integration. THE ADULT TIME PODCAST: Leana Lovings: https://ift.tt/zu9j7aN Bree Mills: https://ift.tt/zLOx5i7 Podcast Website: https://ift.tt/Grj7LlI Apple Podcasts: https://ift.tt/4SCjG5c Spotify: https://ift.tt/P5SshYb More Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrl2wwrIXahpSfP2VOPQ79aH9F7Xa_cPl YouTube Shorts: https://www.youtube.com/@AdultTimeHQ/shorts TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Introduction to Leana Lovings (00:31) Podcast Introduction (01:17) Leana's Journey Begins (02:40) Exploring Kinks and Fetishes (03:30) First Experiences in Sex Work (05:00) Importance of Consent in Porn (06:22) Introduction to BDSM (07:10) First BDSM Experience (09:35) BDSM as a Safe Space (11:24) Cuddle Puddles and Community (11:30) AD BREAK: SPUN | A Girlsway Original Film (12:54) VR in Adult Content (14:49) Intimately POV Concept (18:19) Directing Experience (20:37) AD BREAK: THE BOTTOM FLOOR | An Adult Time Original Film (21:28) Memorable Adult Time Projects (23:21) Working with Prosthetics (24:15) The prosthetic penis experience (24:50) Filming the doll scene (26:20) Challenges of machine scenes (28:04) Importance of consent (30:05) AD BREAK: HOME SWEET HOME | A Pure Taboo Film (31:27) Mental health and influence (32:55) Guidance for new talent (34:00) Anonymous emotional workshop (36:09) Personal interests outside work (37:35) RAPID FIRE QUESTIONS! (37:43) Self-consciousness about watching scenes (38:25) Favorite roleplay scenario (39:28) Preference for League of Legends (40:38) Food vs. sex dilemma (41:54) Best way to slide into DMs SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHANNEL ➡️ https://www.youtube.com/@AdultTimeHQ?sub_confirmation=1 #adulttime #streaming #movies #tv #entertainment #tvshows #film #shortfilm #podcast #podclips via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mrQhLLNBN0

[sassenach77yle]

THE YEAR ENDED clear and cold, with a small, brilliant moon that rose high in the violet-black vault of the sky, and flooded the coves and trails of the mountainside with light. A good thing, as people came from all over the Ridge—and some, even farther—to keep Hogmanay at “the Big House.” The men had cleared the new barn and raked the floor clean for the dancing. Jigs and reels and strathspeys—and a number of other dances for which I didn’t know the names, but they looked like fun—were executed under the light of bear-oil lanterns, accompanied by the music of Evan Lindsay’s scratchy fiddle and the squeal of his brother Murdo’s wooden flute, punctuated by the heartbeat thump of Kenny’s bodhran. Thurlo Guthrie’s ancient father had brought his pipes, too—a set of small uilleann pipes that looked nearly as decrepit as did Mr. Guthrie, but produced a sweet drone. The melody of his chanter sometimes agreed with the Lindsays’ notion of a particular tune, and sometimes didn’t, but the overall effect was cheerful, and sufficient whisky and beer had been taken by this point in the festivities that no one minded in the least. After an hour or two of the dancing, I privately decided that I understood why the word “reel” had come to indicate drunkenness; even performed without preliminary lubrication, the dance was enough to make one dizzy. Done under the influence of whisky, it made all the blood in my head whirl round like the water in a washing machine. I staggered off at the end of one such dance, leaned against one of the barn’s uprights, and closed one eye, in hopes of stopping the spinning sensation. A nudge on my blind side caused me to open that eye, revealing Jamie, holding two brimming cups of something. Hot and thirsty as I was, I didn’t mind what it was, so long as it was wet. Fortunately it was cider, and I gulped it. “Drink it like that, and ye’ll founder, Sassenach,” he said, disposing of his own cider in precisely similar fashion. He was flushed and sweating from the dancing, but his eyes sparkled as he grinned at me. “Piffle,” I said. With a bit of cider as ballast, the room had quit spinning, and I felt cheerful, if hot. “How many people are in here, do you think?” “Sixty-eight, last time I counted.” He leaned back beside me, viewing the milling throng with an expression of deep content. “They come in and out, though, so I canna be quite sure. And I didna count the weans,” he added, moving slightly to avoid collision as a trio of small boys caromed through the crowd and shot past us, giggling. Heaps of fresh hay were stacked in the shadows at the sides of the barn; the small bodies of children too wee to stay awake were draped and curled among them like so many barn kittens. The flicker of lantern light caught a gleam of silky red-gold; Jemmy was sound asleep in his blanket, happily lulled by the racket. I saw Bree come out of the dancing and lay her hand briefly on him to check, then turn back. Roger put out a hand to her, dark and smiling, and she took it, laughing as they whirled back into the stamping mass.

Hogmanay ~The fiery cross