#but it's just super clunky to my ears

[panlight]

IS there a cringier piece of writing in Twilight than:

Aro started to laugh. “Ha ha ha,” he chuckled. Or is that like, the pinnacle? I'm not talking ~problematic stuff just like, clunky writing generally, dialogue that was so awkward it pulled you out of the story, etc. Please share!

[always-a-slut-4-ghouls]

I see those Etsy listings for earrings with “your favorite book cover” on tiny books and I’m always super tempted (when I have money) but I can’t think of any single novel that would qualify as my favorite (after the age of 14) and while I now think i have a favorite series, i don’t have a single favorite book in fiction. I can however think of two non-fiction books that I absolutely adore but I’m not sure if that would be a weird request or not 🤔

[taintandviolent]

Like Right Now? ; Peter Maximoff x Reader

summary: Part 2 of this fic! Peter waited as long as he could - which wasn't very long. He wants round 2 and you do too. Like.... right now.

word count: 3.3K words!

w a r n i n g s: shameless smut, smut with a little plot, unprotected sex, couch sex, sex while parent is in the same vicinity dry humping, kissing, neck kissing.

a/n: not beta-read. by popular request... aaaah I'm still as nervous as I was posting the first part of this! anyway, I hope it's good and satisfies the peter craving! as always, sorry for any clunky weirdo writing!!!

full fic & taglist under cut! ↓ / ao3 link here! /

With a contented sigh, you opened the door to the house you shared with your mother. Even though you were technically an adult now, you had decided to stay with her, helping her around the house. A child of divorce, you’d always been a little overprotective of her, and couldn’t imagine her alone. 

“Did you have a good skate, honey?” Your mother asked, watching from the living room as you hung your skates on the hook by the door. With your thumb, you furiously rubbed off a scuff mark off the shiny surface and nodded. Boy, did you. Best skate you’d ever had. Using your heels to slip your sneakers off, and kicking them towards the rest of the shoes, you laughed. “Yeah, I went real fast tonight and–” 

The phone interrupted your next words, ringing shrilly. You practically stumbled towards it, reaching out for it like a parched man reaches for water. Your insides wound themselves in knots, just knowing that it was Peter on the other end. 

“H-hello?” 

“Hey cutie.” He’d waited. As long as he could without losin’ his ever loving mind. Which, he wondered if he already had, considering how bad he was aching to hear your voice again. Maybe he’d already lost it. 

“Hi,” you hummed, turning away from your mother. You brought your tone lower, hushed. 

“Did you just get home?” 

“Yeah, Peter, I did.” 

“Dang, slow poke. I’ve been home for a while.” 

“Okay, well,” you laughed. “That’s not fair.”

“When do we get to uh… hang out again? Huh? I’m already jonesin’ to see you again. With or without skates.” Peter adjusted the phone against his ear, waiting. 

You peeked around the corner. Your mother was busy with her program, no longer paying attention to your conversation, likely assuming that it was just one of your girlfriends. How wrong she was… 

“Hang out? Is that what we did?” 

“Yea’, er… somethin’ like that.” 

“Whenever you want.” 

“Aw, man, don’t say that…” 

“Why not?” You ducked around the corner and plopped down on the third step of the staircase, winding the cord around your fingers. You knew why. You heard the way that Peter’s breath hitched in his throat, even through the phone. 

“Like… now?” 

“...Right now?” You asked back, almost in a teasing tone. “Like right now?”

“Yeah!” His tone was bright and excited, and it sounded like he was already out of breath.

“My house?” The suggestion was brave, but you knew your mom would be going to sleep within the half-hour. If you stayed quiet, she wouldn’t hear you over her bedroom TV. 

“Yeah! I mean…” He cleared his throat, trying to act casual. Way more casualness was needed - he was acting super lame and way too into you. Maybe you liked that. Maybe you didn’t. He couldn’t risk it. “Sure. If you want.” 

You began whispering your address, your eyes flitting to the living room. Your mother rose from the chair and went to the kitchen, none the wiser. You continued, knowing Peter had already committed it to memory. Your mother leaned down to cup your face as she went up the stairs and mouthed goodnight, and you covered the receiver with your hand.

“Night, mom. Love you.” 

“Be there in a flash.” You heard him say. 

You wanted to tell him to wait, but the line was already dead. As you moved, your hands shook and fumbled the receiver, dropping it once before getting it back on its cradle. Your mother had hardly gotten up the steps, and he’d be there any second, if he wasn’t already. You heard the door click shut and heaved a sigh of relief. 

“Mom?” You said, testingly. She didn’t respond, so you launched your body up the carpeted stairs, running up them like a four-legged animal. Her door was shut, nothing but the dull glow of her bedside table seeping through the crack at the bottom of the door. You raced back down the stairs, your socks padding quietly down them, despite the speed.

Your bedroom was down the hall, past the kitchen. You’d never been gladder to be on the bottom floor. You crept into your room, edging the door shut until the latch clicked into place and as it did, paused to laugh at yourself; you were doing everything so sneakily, as though you were a child acting out. You were a grown woman, albeit still in your mom’s house, but the point remained. Pushing aside the curtains, you carefully maneuvered the window up. It was a warm summer evening, there was no reason why you wouldn't open your window - perfectly normal, if your mother heard it. You stuck your head out. No Peter. Surely, he’d have been here by now. You breathed, looking at the base of the tree outside your window. A squirrel skittered up into the branches. Just as you were about to pull your head back inside, Peter’s head comically poked out from the corner of the house. He had clearly been standing by the front door, which horrified you.

“Took so long, I was about to knock – .”

You shushed him, and whispered harshly for him to get inside. He stuck one leg in, climbing in carefully – the last thing he needed was to be a total klutz and eat it on your bedroom floor.

“You’re crazy, you know that? The front door!?” 

“Cool your jets, babe. You didn’t tell me which window was yours. Where’s your mom?” 

“Upstairs, hopefully sleeping.” 

“Good,” he murmured into your lips, suddenly in front of you. He’d caught you off guard with his speed, but like everything he’d done from the moment he’d complimented your skates, he was so frustratingly cute. The kiss was warm and soft, you were in no position to resist it. He kissed you back towards the bed, his hands cupping your breasts, thumb tweaking your nipples over your shirt. Which reminded you… you were still in your skating clothes. There was far too much fabric in between his thumb and your nipple. 

“Lemme’,” you murmured sloppily into his lips, before finally pulling back. “Lemme’ change first, okay? It’ll look less suspicious. Who needs to cool their jets, huh?” 

“Sorry, sorry.” Hands up, Peter took a step back, watching you as you sauntered off towards your small closet. Your hips swayed back and forth to a song that wasn’t playing. Probably something you’d heard at the skating rink. You could admit it, you were putting on a bit of a show in hopes of arousing him. 

Still though, you hurried, sliding the doors open and pulling your shirt over your head. You reached around and undid your bra, glancing back at him cheekily. Woah, jackpot… he thought, hoping, that at that point, he wasn’t drooling like a cartoon dog. He was watching you intently, a crooked grin plastered on his face. Neck turned, you held his gaze, daring him to look as you slid your shorts and panties down over the curve of your ass. He looked, but it was so fast of a peek that it was impossible for you to notice. Now finished with your impromptu strip tease, you pulled a sleeping shirt from the shelf and threw it on, spinning on your heels to face him. 

Clad in nothing but the oversized t-shirt, you marched back to Peter, who had taken a seat on the edge of your bed. You climbed behind him, sliding your hands up the round muscle of his shoulders. On your knees, you were just taller than him and decided to take advantage of that by kissing his neck, slowly. You nipped here and there, suckling in other places while your hands explored the front of his shirt, ghosting over the faded print. 

Peter started sweating, and the stiffness between his legs got worse. Much worse. There was no hiding it, or ignoring it and he could’ve sworn that he heard you giggle behind him. His expression was a melange of pain and pleasure, and as your hands neared his crotch, he couldn’t really tolerate much more of your tender kissing… 

“Babe,” In a blur of motion, your back was pressed against your mattress, and he was back to tweaking your nipples again, rolling them between his thumb and forefinger. The action made you squirm. “Your foreplay is bitchin’, but you’re driving me crazy. Loco. I feel like I’m gonna’ bust.”

“Okay, so now what?” 

“Now what?” He repeated, almost mockingly. “It’s my turn.”  

His hand trailed down from your breasts over the curve of your stomach to the soft mound between your legs. You felt a buzzing directly on the sensitive bundle of nerves and looked down, equal parts confused and aroused. It was his hand, and not a vibrator, but instead of seeing his fingers move back and forth, you saw a flesh-coloured blur. Everything you’d learned about fingering… in the span of a few hours, he’d completely shattered. So, he could finger-fuck you at super-speed, and he could literally vibrate your clit. Of course he could. 

“Oh my god,” you moaned, an intoxicating lilt to your words. Peter groaned, and ground his hips against the side of your thigh. His finger dipped down, collecting some of your warm, slithery wetness and pulling it back up, smearing it around your folds.

You clapped your hand over your mouth, legs quivering. The pad of his middle finger continued tapping your clit and you felt the very rapid climb of your orgasm. Without warning from him, Peter’s hand drifted away from your pussy, his slick fingers gripping your thigh. “Babe, I’m thirsty.” 

“Wh-what?” Breathless and sweaty, you quirked a brow at him.

“You got a soda or something?” 

“Uh, yeah, in the kitchen. Y-you’re really thirsty right now?” 

Before you could protest, you stood in the kitchen. He had opened the fridge, popped the tab on a can of Coke, guzzled it, and tossed it into the bin. You blinked. “What… Peter…!” You sniggered, covering your mouth to muffle the sound of your own voice. Your mother’s bedroom was right above the living room, and the last thing you wanted was her to wake. 

He couldn’t help himself, couldn’t wait any longer. He’d gotten you downstairs, and now it was time to up the ante. Wrapping his arms around you, Peter zipped to the couch, and could’ve fucked your wet little cunt right there on the sofa. In the span of a few seconds, Peter could’ve drilled his aching cock inside of you, just long enough for you to feel it, just long enough for him to bust inside you and just long enough to make you quiver. Instead, he hovered over you, looking deep into your eyes, chest heaving. 

“What’re you so nervous for, babe? You know that the second I hear footsteps, we’d be back in your room.” 

“Peter, we can’t… my mom is right above us, dude!” 

“You’re no fun, c’mon.” He craned his neck down, pressing a few teasing kisses along your exposed collarbone. “C’mon, babe.”

You whimpered, rolling your lips inward and your eyes upward. For being such a top tier goof ball, he was unnervingly good at making you feel like your entire body was on fire. That electric current that you felt at the roller rink was back, buzzing through you at a high voltage.

“Peter…” you begged, hoping he’d change his mind because the reality was that he’d get his way if he didn’t. You were too turned on and too into him to say no. 

“C’moooon.” Another kiss. Internally, he was ripping stuffing. His confidence was outrageous, where did he get the balls? He wished you were holdin’ his – no. Stop right there. You ran your tongue along your teeth, and Peter watched the wet muscle as it swept across the enamel, glistening. 

“You promise?”  you asked. 

He nodded, too eagerly, his silver hair flopping with the motion. “Scout’s honour, or whatever. She won’t know a thing.” 

With a little huff, you spread your legs, allowing him in. Peter wasted no time in letting that wet, aching monster free, immediately pulling his gray boxers down over his balls. You pressed your hips into the couch cushions, backing away from the heat that met your groin and Peter followed them, pressing his hips right back into you. He groaned breathily, rutting his hips. You were soft and warm underneath him, and felt so soo good. The shaft of his cock met your wet folds, and he immediately found a rhythm, humping you in long, steady thrusts that had you curling your toes. Every time the velvet plush head of his cock bumped into your swollen clit, you whimpered. Ecstasy deluded your senses, eyes rolling back in your head.  

“Peter, oh my god…!” His hand clamped over your mouth, his dark eyes widening in a warning. 

“Shhhhhhh –” 

You nodded underneath his grip, remembering the threat of the situation. Peter kept his hand on your mouth, pressing tightly against your soft lips. He reached down, taking hold of his cock and pumped it in and out of his own fist a few times before lining up with your entrance.

“Ready?” 

With lusty, half-lidded eyes, you nodded. 

Peter pushed his leaking tip inside of you, then with a shaky breath, sunk the rest of the way in. The sensation of your walls stretching to accommodate his thick cock was indescribable; hot, tight pleasure coursed through your body in waves as Peter found his rhythm. Fast. Fast rhythm. He fucked like a teenage boy, and you liked that – his bunny humps were deep and intentional, like the crimson head was trying to find the deepest point inside of you. Peter pressed his lightning-bolt patterned socks against the armrest of the couch, using it as leverage to push himself inside of you.

His cock made slick by your arousal, his hips moved against yours rapidly, hammering your cunt in a way that you physically thought impossible. In the darkness, you saw Peter smirk crookedly, pleased with the visual below him. Your tits bouncing underneath the shirt with each thrust, your eyes wide and lust-blown. His gaze dropped to them, watching, entranced. With your free hand, you reached for the hem of your shirt, pulling it up to your collarbone and letting your breasts fall free. 

“Oh fuck,” he whispered. 

Skates fast. Fucks fast. Cums fast. You thought, watching as his face contorted, his eyebrows knitting together, jaw dropping. His breaths came out in hurried little huffs as he pumped inside of you, filling your cunt with sticky, white heat. 

“Honey?” 

He froze. You froze. Stiffly, you turned your head towards the staircase, looking up into the darkness, petrified. 

“YEAH! YEah, mom, just… getting a drink!” You tried to keep your voice level, but there was something so inherently naughty about having a guy on top of you, his dick inside of you while you spoke to your mother. Your stomach was tight, muscles burning with the contraction. 

“Oh, okay! I thought I heard - I don’t know. I love you!”

“I love you too! Goodnight!”

Once the door clicked shut, and your head snapped back in Peter’s direction, who was still panting on top of you. Slapping his pectoral muscle hard, you mouthed go go go go! Naturally, before you’d finished the last ‘go’, Peter had pulled out and you were back in the safety of your bedroom before a drop of cum had time to leak from your swollen cunt. Back on your bed, your hair splayed out on the satin pillowcases. Peter was at your side, drawing circles on the exposed flesh of your stomach. 

“Did you uh -”

“No… I didn’t have a chance.” 

“Oh, uh… sorry about that. That happens a lot, y’know? Part of the whole speedster thing, I can’t always –” 

“Peter… shhh… it’s cute. It means you like me.” 

He pointed a finger at you, pushing his bottom lip into his top. “That… that is true. Hey. I have an idea.”

In the darkness, only illuminated by the moonlight that filtered in through the window, you saw Peter sink down to his stomach, resting between your legs. He moved both legs atop his shoulders, pulling you forward.

You felt a hot breath against your thighs, and whimpered. When a warm tongue licked between your wet folds, you moaned out, grinding your head back into the pillow. Peter slipped a single digit into your cunt gently, twirling his tongue around your clit as he did. He pumped it in and out a few times, feeling the way your cunt squeezed around him. Your wetness coated his finger, dripping down the length into his palm. 

You felt your cunt clenching, uncontrollably. Peter did too and withdrew his finger. His tongue flicked at your clit rapidly, the wet, slick sounds filling the quietness of the bedroom. His dark eyes flitted up to yours, watching every minute expression that flashed across your face. 

“S-slow down…” you whispered, not loud enough for him to hear. It was more of a desperate breath in the shape of the words. He didn’t hear you, and even if he had, he was far too busy burying his nose in your cunt, tasting your sweet fluids. His tongue lapped at your entrance and curled back towards his throat, swallowing. He groaned into her, the sound resonating through your core. 

“Peter… Peter!” You whispered harshly, gripping his head on either side. He didn’t budge, and his eyes drifted shut in ecstasy. Moving up to take a fistful of silver hair, you yanked him off your cunt, his reddened lips glistening and open, confused. His inky orbs looked up at you, dazed and desperate. 

“Whaaat?” he asked, a hint of annoyance tainting his usually upbeat voice. 

“Slow… down….” 

“Sorry but that’s not really… my…” He paused, looking at your weeping cunt again. “...thing. She doesn’t really look like she wants me to, either.” He reached forward, sweeping a single digit along the length of your pussy. You jerked, sensitive.   

“I can’t stand it, I’m gonna’ cum too quickly.” 

“Quick is in the name, babe.” He shrugged his shoulders, as if telling you that you were shit out of luck.

He dove back in, and picked up licking her again, from bottom to top. He was slightly slower than before – maybe he’d decided to have mercy on you. Or maybe he was just savouring the feeling of your cunt as it practically fluttered on his tongue, your clit throbbing with the sensitivity. You rocked your hips against his mouth, humping his pretty face with reckless abandon. It was the only control you had, because as soon as you started that, his tongue had returned to the speedy flipping of your clit.

You were going to cum – so fast that you hardly had time to process it. 

“Ffffuck… oh god,” you whimpered. Your cunt pulsed over and over again, and Peter was right there to feel it. He speared two fingers into her. Curled them upwards, feeling the clench of your orgasm as it came. He fucked you with his fingers until the throbbing stopped, and the first hint of overstimulation came – you whined, too loudly. 

Peter grinned, his slick fingers slipping from your pussy. With a mischievous little glimmer in his eyes, he observed them, watching as the thick, clear strands strung apart between his digits. 

You wanted to ask him on a date. He wanted to ask you on one. But neither of you said a thing. Neither of you said a thing, and just watched each other breathing, chests heaving, heavy with lust. Lookin’ cuter than she ever has… Peter thought, watching you in your post-coital state; sweaty and blushing. 

You knew you were going to be obsessed with him – were already obsessed with him. The high that you chased with skating was nothing compared to what you felt being around this silver dork, and all his little quirks.  

“So uh… same bat-time, same bat channel?” 

You chuckled. “Yeah, Peter. Yeah.” 

[lace-coffin]

I really want asa with a hybrid puppy reader, just thinking being on his lap and wagging my tail while he scartches my ears softly ;333

Asa Emory x Puppy Hybrid!gn!Reader

Hi! Sorry I’ve been gone so long, I’m hoping to get some stuff written soon! Thank you so much for all the asks!

Thanks for the super cute ask! I have such a soft spot for anything puppy related so I was super excited to write this!

The lights flicker on with a snap, rudely rousing you out of your sleep. You blink once, twice, getting your bearings and groaning, hands balled to paw at your sleep crusted eyes. After a few seconds of collecting yourself, it hits you.

He’s home! He’s home and he’s coming to play with me!

Almost automatically your tail starts to thump wildly against the pile of cushy blankets lining your dog bed. You know by now to stay and sit pretty despite your excitement, wanting to make your owner proud at your display of restraint. Propping yourself onto your knees in your dog bed and puffing your chest out proudly, you wait…and wait..and wait. God he always takes so long, the tension is killing you. At this point you think he does it on purpose, taking joy in rilling you up and seeing how long it would take you to loose your composure, just so he can punish you for it later. (He absolutely does)

After methodically hanging his jacket, kicking off his clunky and probably gore stained boots and throwing his keys in the bowl, he finally makes his way over to you, a small fond smile hidden behind his thick mask. Despite how hard headed and seemingly emotionless Asa can seem, he still has a soft spot for his things, the yappy little mutt that resides at his house included.

Bending down with a slight groan he pats your head gently, ruffling the hair between your floppy ears and scratching behind them in a way that makes your leg kick behind you. hands slide down to cup your flushed cheek before giving one final pat to the squishy flesh and rising back to full height.

You watch as he stalks over to the kitchen, tail swishing behind you, kitchen usually means treat in your brain and now it does for Asa too, even if that wasn’t the original intention it’s practically criminal for him to not offer you one whenever he enters that room now, influenced by your insistence and sad puppy eyes.

“Come”

Master snaps his gloved fingers, pointing to the cold linoleum floor infront of him. Needless to say you basically sprint over to him, waiting for the next command and more importantly waiting for the treat that’s sitting in his balled up fist.

“Sit”

Your butt hits the floor before he can even finish the command, master smirking at how well trained he has you, you’re wrapped around his finger without question.

“Shake”

You slap your hand into his larger extended one, skin meeting leather.

Nodding in satisfaction at your little show, the treat is offered to you from the other hand, now unfurled and hovering infront of your face. You eagerly snatch it up into your jaws, canines hanging over either side of it.

plodding off to the warn down brown leather sofa and sitting next to it expectantly, you fix your eyes onto your master. big doe eyes practically staring into his soul.

“Oh, is it that time pup?”

He chuckles, knowing it’s not worth fighting the inevitable, he slumps into the chair with a grunt and a pop somewhere from his back. The years haven’t been kind on his body considering his ‘extracurricular’ activities of choice. despite this it’s still nice to come home to someone who’s excited to see him, comforting almost. Away from all the gut wrenching screams, pleas that fall on deaf ears and the body’s littering the halls, there’s you. A soft creature completely dependent on him and absolutely thrilled that he’s home. Sometimes seeing a wagging tail at his arrival instead of a paling face makes him feel appreciated.

Shuffling to get comfy, master kicks up his feet onto the recliner, patting his lap to call you up. You’ve done this so many times that words aren’t needed, the physical signal is pretty much a formality at this point too, you’re coming up there whether he likes it or not.

You wiggle your butt/tail and angle the jump, landing successfully into Asa’s lap with a grunt from him, twisting around for a moment to seat yourself comfily across his legs, letting out a content huff once you do. Asa’s reflective eyes flicker to you, catching your attention.

“Have you been well behaved for me today pup? Or is there anything you would like to confess?” He quirks a brow, testing you.

You smile brightly, letting out a cheery bark in response, knowing you were perfectly good in his absence. Pleased with your answer he shuffles you closer to him, reaching over to the side table and retrieving the book he’s currently been stuck into whenever he’s home. You take this as a sign to catch a quick nap as it seems you’re going to be here a while.

As he gets settled back into his book his unoccupied hand cards through your hair, rubbing over your flattened and relaxed ears. Your fluffy tail swings lazily off the end of the recliner at the attention, eyes drooping shut.

[icallhimjoey]

hi ! long time follower, first time asking on your page.

just read your italy joe story and i have a super sensual smutty oneshot idea; unfortunately i just don’t have your writing skills.

joe comes back to the flat after a long day of work so you decide to treat him to a massage as it’s your day off. but during the already therapeutic massage, one thing leads to another. you want more & he wants more…

i.... i just... BIG SIGH so, i read this, and... my mind just, it twisted it, but only slightly.... you'll see, im a sucker for massages so thanks for this request babe, hope you enjoy! Wordcount: 1.9K

---

Soothing Serenity

Joe's late. You use it as an excuse to be late too, and start dinner when you should've already finished the meal.

Tomatoes. Cucumbers. Lettuce next. Careful fingers, because the knife is sharp, but greedy fingers, because the tomatoes are looking particularly juicy and your stomach's rumbling.

You dump whatever you've cut up into a salad bowl and sneak little bites of everything. It's silly, but you're taking extra care to make it very noticeable that you've cut the vegetables yourself. Bigger clunky pieces and other stupidly small and thin pieces, none of them uniform or even remotely professional looking.

Good.

There was no way Joe could accuse you of buying pre-cut again, which, apparently, "is a waste of money" because "we have knives, babe".

Sure. Whatever you want, Joe. You absolutely could cut produce yourself, and Joe was just going to have to accept that it meant he'd sometimes just have a full mouth of just cucumber and nothing else.

He'll live.

The song playing finishes, and in the couple of seconds of silence it leaves the flat in, you hear keys jingle outside.

Joe's home. Finally.

He mentioned this morning he'd probably be back by late afternoon, but alas, the sun's already setting. It's not late, by any means, but the 3 a.m. call time this morning means his day has been long. You know you're right, because the first thing you hear after the door opens is loud groans and tired sighs as shoes get kicked off and a jacket slings onto its hook.

You refrain from calling out to him. You trust he knows where to find you.

If Joe's had a long day, you know what's going to happen next and you manage to put the knife down just in time.

"Hey," a low voice grumbles into your ear as you get pulled into a tight hug from behind.

His whole body presses into yours, strong arms squeeze you and you nearly can't breathe it's so tight. You feel how his cheek presses into the back of your shoulder in his hug, and Joe stays like that for however long he feels he needs it, until he raises his chin and plants it on top.

"You cooking?" Joe loosens one arm, but it's just to pick a crouton from the open packet on the side.

"S'just a salad,"

And through chews, Joe asks, "Nothing in the oven?"

You grin to yourself, knowing what Joe's asking.

"Nothing in the oven, nothing on the hob,"

There's nothing to burn, nothing that needs a close eye, or a timer, and it's exactly what Joe wants to hear.

"Good,"

His arms move from around your waist to grab onto both of your biceps and he digs his fingers in as he starts moving you, guiding you out and away from the kitchen.

"Joe," you warn, but willingly let yourself be lead over to your bedroom.

"Just a second, come on,"

Joe's hands move down a little, squeeze again. Down a little more, to squeeze just above your elbows. Joe's touching just to touch. To feel.

"Someone's touch starved, aren't they?" you muffle a giggle when you feel Joe's hands let go of you, just to sneak under your top, rounding from your back to your front.

Joe's not laughing. He just wants to rub the top ridge of his cupid's bow across the skin on the base of your neck.

"You skin hungry?"

You don't get an answer, but you don't need it. Two hands grab onto the hem of your top and pull it over your head before you receive a slight push. It means, go lay down.

So you turn and want to let yourself fall back, but before you can, Joe tuts and shakes his head at you, chin tilted down.

"On your front,"

Oh, it's one of those days.

You know how Joe's hands get itchy, will start to twitch at the sight of your bare skin, especially when he's tired. When he feels he's not seen you for a bit. Sometimes that would be a few days - normal people timing, because it wasn't weird to miss someone after not seeing them for a few days. But sometimes, you had to quickly run an errand and Joe would curl in on himself in agony, he'd miss you so much.

Today falls sort of in between.

Joe had done a lot of waiting today, standing around for people to tell him where to be and when to do his little trick when cameras were finally aimed at him. But they were filming outside, and the clouds and the sun kept doing their own thing which didn't work for continuity.

So Joe waited a lot. Got to think of the things he'd rather be doing a lot.

It's made you end up where you currently are. Under his touch, in just your bra and a pair of soft shorts, on your stomach on the bed with Joe straddling your thighs.

"You been working hard?" Joe asks, runs hands over your back until his fingers meet the fabric of your bra. He's quick to undo it, pushes the straps the side as you sigh into the duvet.

"So hard,"

You haven't. Not really. But Joe likes to be caring, it feeds something inside him it took you a while to understand when you first started dating.

Surely, when someone comes home from a long day at work, they should be the one to get doted on. But it didn't work like that with Joe.

"Hmh," Joe hums, stroking skin with his finger tips, feather light. Across your shoulders, down the back of your arms until his fingers tickle the insides of your palms.

You close your fists, trap his fingers for a second. It says, I love you, take what you need of me. You can't see it, but it makes Joe smile.

He moves back up your arms, across your shoulders, down your back, and starts adding more pressure. Really get his muscles to work into yours and you don't know what you've done in your life to deserve a boyfriend that unwinds by giving his girlfriend massages.

It's not like you haven't tried to switch roles. To have him on his stomach on the bed with you sat on his bum, but, Joe would just end up massaging your straddling legs. Would put his hands to work no matter what.

When two hands start honing in on your neck, moving hair out of the way to push knuckles into soft flesh, Joe audibly sighs.

Asks, "Do you mind oil in your hair?" because one time you said you did mind because you'd just washed it, so he wants to make sure.

"Go for it," you hum into the sheets and you can't help the groan that escapes you when fingers curl into the hair by the nape of your neck and softly pull.

With one hand full of hair, Joe uses the other elbow to push into the muscle that connects your arm to your shoulder, and Jesus... this is the good shit.

It's good.

It's really fucking good.

"Joe,"

It's not a warning, but both your hands move to find his knees. Joe shifts, adjusts slightly and switches arms, the other twisting into your hair to pull and your other shoulder getting worked by an elbow.

There's no sensual music playing, and the ceiling light's on, but still, the mood's serene. Joe's touches soothing and deeply relaxing.

You swear Joe knows exactly what he's doing.

He doesn't though. He's no professional. Just knows what gets the best sounds out of you. Just knows that he wants to feel all of you. To make you feel good. To make himself feel better.

Joe massages, takes his time and kneads your soft tissues real good. And then sometimes, he uses just his finger tips to trail, leaving goosebumps in their wake. Your body flipflops between building arousal and nearly falling asleep.

It's heavenly.

When Joe shimmies down and rolls down the top of your shorts, you manage to croak, "Joe, we've not eaten yet,"

"Just..." Joe breathes. "Just another minute," and he sounds wrecked.

When you don't argue him on his desperate need for one more minute, he tugs until the shorts are down far enough to expose your full glutes.

Or round ass.

Whatever. Same thing.

Joe uses both hands on both cheeks, squeezes and rubs, and then focuses on one at a time. Rubs upwards with full hands. Then just two thumbs that push in before he decides to use his elbows there too.

When you moan, Joe groans, and it's deep and gutteral.

He's got to be hard.

It takes longer than a minute, because of course it does, and he ends up just leaving his hands on your buttcheeks, fingers spread out wide. You can hear how deep he's breathing.

Just when you think, okay, we can absolutely let this graduate and take it there because you can feel how wet you're getting, Joe's hands move up to your lower back and then he squeezes you at your waist. You're ticklish, usually, but you're too relaxed to let it affect you now. Makes you smile though.

"Okay," Joe says softly, and you feel how he bends down. Places a small kiss between your shoulder blades.

You're a renewed person. Rejuvenated.

"I'm done,"

He's done?

You sigh, blissfully content and don't move. Just say, "No, you're not," and strain your neck to look over your shoulder.

Joe's still bend down, close, and presses a kiss behind your ear. Then at the corner of your jaw.

"You were making a salad," he whispers, but doesn't move.

"You're hard," you argue, even though you haven't felt it yet. You know he is, and you know Joe wouldn't want to suffer through dinner with an untouched erection. He'd do it. Wouldn't want it, though.

"Cutting up your own veggies," Joe says it like he's dirty talking, smooth and sensual, like he's trying to get you all riled up for him. Like you're not there already.

"Take your jeans off," you start to turn under Joe's bodyweight, and it's difficult, but Joe rises a little, gives enough space below his legs.

"Not pre-cut this time," he coos, and you can tell he's holding back laughter.

"Joe," your hands find the button of his jeans, and Joe laughs, falling off of you onto his back and you take the opportunity to get rid of your bra and to climb up onto your boyfriend.

"Got all your touching out?" you ask, working Joe's jeans down and biting down on your lower lip when you see how right you were. Joe's hard hard. Almost uncomfortably so.

"Hmh... I think I've got some touches left," Joe stares up at you, almost drunk with love and smooths hands from your thighs up to cover your tits. Squeezes there. Massages.

"Good," you quip, slipping your panties to the side because it's just easier that way. Gets you connected to Joe quicker.

You're grinning so widely, it infects Joe. Makes him copy it.

"Good," he agrees and moves up to kiss you on the mouth. Gets you there just before a shuddery breath wants to escape as you sink onto him.

"Good," Joe repeats, voice low and slightly constricted.

Joe loves that what he needs of you leads into you taking what you need from him. You're not complaining when Joe uses the warmth of your skin to get his fix. And he's not complaining when you take the lead and use it to chase his orgasm.

It's good. It's relaxing and serene and tenderly healing.

It's good.

Good.

---

The Taglisted: 

@ghostinthebackofyourhead @dirtyeddietini @jasminearondottir @cancankiki @sidthedollface2 @dylanmunson @thefemininemystiquee @alana4610 @emmamooney @thatonefan-girl @paola-carter @figmentofquinn @haylaansmi @thewondernanazombie @munsonmunster @kellyxo1  @chaoticgood-munson @sherrylyn628 @ohmeg @05secondsofsexgods @lovelyblueness @adoreyouusugar @nadixq @roosterisdaddy36 @alwayslindie @eddie-joe-munson  @ali-in-w0nderland @pepperstories @phyllosilicate-s @thebellenouvelle @luvrsbian @joesquinns  @choke-me-eddie��@alizztor @frootvelvet @did-it-work @capricornrisingsstuff @quinnsmunson @frogers @kennedy-brooke @daleyeahson @harringtonfan4 @emma77645 @tlclick73 @eddies-puppet @mvnsoneddie86 @everythinghasafacee @a-time-for-wolvess @lucifers-side @barfightzanddiscolightz

(taglist currently full, sorry!)

[tepkunset]

Rating all* the Hellfire Gala 2023 Outfits in my Correct Opinion

*At least, all that I can find, because Marvel decided fuck making that easy in a little book or a single post like last year.

(Long post alert!)

Iceman, I love most of this look. The accented orange is perfect for the mostly blue look, and I love that he has a matching earring for his cuff-links. Such a nice touch! But those rubber boots, man... those rubber boots ruin it for me. 8/10

Fisk is giving off some Doctor Doom vibes with this outfit. I love the regalness of it, especially the golden leaves behind the ear. 9/10

??? I'm not sure who this is, but their outfit looks like they're going to a Halloween party rather than a gala. 3/10

Emma, oh my god, YES. Almost always delivering, and this is definitely one of those cases! 10/10

Xavier... I hate to say it, but I genuinely love this look. He's bringing major space man vibes, and it's super elegant at the same time. 9/10

Bishop doesn't even get points for effort. He got a red suit then slapped some belts on it. Boring as fuck. 1/10

I was about to write another "???" because I had no idea who this was, until it occurred to me that I think this is supposed to be Scarlet Witch? Except she is super duper whitewashed, so I did not even recognize her. Auto-failure regardless of the look. 0/10

Proteus looks moderately snazzy, but out of the Five is the least interesting in my opinion. 3/10

Egg has a cool coat, but those balls around his neck are way too big and awkward. 4/10

Hope looks a little like a fairy princess here, and I like that! 7/10

Tempus looks like she's going to a prom more than a gala, and I don't know what's going on with that giant shoulder piece. Did Cable lend it to her or something? 4/10

Elixir, my golden boy, is embracing the shiny and I love it! 9/10

Exodus seems to be trying out a new costume rather than a gala look, but in terms of style, it's fine. 5/10

Vision's outfit is as boring as he is. 1/10

Miles, holy shit. Miles should be giving lessons to everyone else on how to actually make a suit look unique! Bishop, take notes. 9/10

Old Laura looks like she's dressed for a gothic funeral more than a gala, but at least that's to her style rather than some crazy OOC look. So, points for that. 5/10

T'Challa... I. Am. Swooning. I know he's not a king right now but damn does he ever look like it in this outfit. The beautiful patterns and complimentary colours, holy shit. 10/10

Synch has certainly done way better in the past. It's just a plain black suit without a shirt, for fuck sake. 2/10

Captain Marvel looks like she's a marching bad, lol. The stars in the hair are a nice touch, though. 3/10

Jean's look is, I know, divisive. I've seen some people say they adore this design, and some people say they hate it. I'm personally on the fence. I think it would be better without the stupid helmet, that's for sure. And I think it looks a little too much like an Emma Frost design, if you were to just colour it white. 5/10

Fantomex? Where the fuck have you been? Anyway, he literally just looks like he always looks but with some sunglasses lmfao. 0/10

Dylan looks like a moody teen as ever, lol. I do like the black and white though. 6/10

Black Cat... Like I said, I like black and white together, but this is giving me too much Cruella de Vil vibes. 4/10

Mary Jane just picked up an evening gown off the rack I guess. 2/10

Firestar, I think? Not actually positive if it's her. Anyway, the sleeves are a bit too much for me, but I love the fiery frills on the cape. 5/10

Thor looks so ugly here lmfao I'm sorry but I hate this look. It's way too clunky. 0/10

At first I thought this was Kwannon, but then I remembered seeing panels and I believe it's Kitty/Kate. Anyway, I like the lace-up boots and I like the frills. 7/10

Hellcat looks like she's took some inspiration from a wrestler's pre-fight look, and I like that. It's simplistic but just enough stylish to pass. 6/10

Nova, going with a tits out look as well I see. I like the feathered shoulder pads, and I like the skirt. 6/10

Moon Knight, oh my god, I have a strong feeling it was Steven who pulled the strings to get a gala look, because there's no fucking way Marc or Jake would be caught dead there. Anyway, this is exactly the type of vibe I would expect from MK, maybe even a bit more playful than that with the mesh part of the top. And I really like it up until the strange boots. He and Iceman must've compared notes or something. Still, 8/10

Psylocke - now THIS is Kwannon for sure! I like the classical ninja meets evening gown look, and I like that she's sexy but not to the point of being objectified, which is a refreshing change for how artists often treat her. 8/10

Destiny and Mystique I will rate together because the score is the same: A what the fuck level of 0/10.

Forge looks fucking awesome, especially compared to last year. I love the fringe and the scarf and the jewellery and the cane... it's a complete look that gives me great vibes. 8/10

Cyclops, come on, man. You can do better than this, can't you? He looks like Mister Sinister dressed him or something. 1/10

Cuckoos look like they stepped off the set of Tron: Legacy. Or a Daft Punk concert. Not complaining to be clear, this look fucks. 10/10

[maxipad33]

my mouth wide open like a hungry chick: snippet of your maxiel wip? 🐤

omg my maxiel wip yes! i'm always happy to talk about it, the fic is called oubliette and it's a clunky pit of angst that i've been chugging away at slowly!

more abt the fic below in the read more, but some warnings before opening:

cw: non-con, non-consensual drug use

disclaimer: i don't consider myself a writer in the slightest i just really love reading fic and decided to try to write one myself LOL

oubliette follows a canon-adjacent max after he discovers he was drugged and raped despite having no memory of the event. very slowburn but daniel tries to be there for him later in the aftermath and recovery.

here's a snippet of max after getting examined in the hospital:

“Do you want to call anyone?” she asks, and when he nods she leaves the room to give him some privacy. With a gentle snick the door closes behind her, and Max exhales as he’s finally alone. He fishes his phone out of the pocket of his jeans, still piled in a heap on the empty chair in the corner. He can feel the cold linoleum of the floor through his socks. He sits back down, staring at his contacts list, before laying down fully when the wall of names makes him feel lightheaded. He scrolls down, hovers over his mother’s name. She hasn’t spoken to him since…since before, but surely she would… He thinks of his mother, who likes to busy herself with gardening and recently learned how to crochet little hats and mittens for her grandchildren, who used to look blankly out the kitchen window before Jos would come home from work. Max thinks better of it and calls his dad, remembers the way his hand felt so much bigger and warmer than his when he was younger, the way he could grab him and swing him up onto his shoulders in one cool movement, the way he felt bigger than the entire world. The phone rings, and rings, and rings, and clicks over to voicemail. His throat feels tight as he dials again.  Alsjeblieft, he thinks, Papa, he begs, and misses the way Jos’s arms held him tight when he skinned his knee falling off his bike, when he got his super license, when he first won the championship. It’s all going away now, he realizes, and the phone keeps ringing. He doesn’t even let it go to voicemail, just hangs up and dials one last time. His father is slipping out of his fingers, probably slipped out of them a long time ago, when he looked down on his only son and didn’t recognize him, pathetic and lost, sitting alone on a couch in an apartment filled with decay. If desperation was an animal it would look like Max Verstappen, phone clutched in one hand as he lay lonely in an examination room. Papa, Papa, he begs like he’s a child again, but the phone goes to voicemail, and he breathes shakily into the receiver. I’m scared, he thinks, and knows it to be true. “Ik ben bang, Papa,” he chokes out, but the dial tone sounds in his ear and it’s over. Unbidden, a single tear falls from his eye, and then suddenly a flood, and his whole head feels hot as he cries.

[styrmwb]

I beat Rift of the Necrodancer

my fingers are sore but my ears are thriving

I love rhythm games. I love em a whole lot. I'm not the best at em, but I'm pretty good. So when I see a friend of mine playing one that has a really nice art style and has monsters? I'm interested For Sure. (then said friend gifts the game to me cause I'm poor and they are a wonderful, Wonderful person).

Rift of the Necrodancer is more of a Guitar Hero like rhythm game; my experience mainly lies in things like Theatrhythm or Taiko, so it's a bit of a learning curve (the last time I played Guitar Hero was with Warriors of Rock during the PS3 days). I also haven't played the original Crypt of the Necrodancer, nor was I SUPER familiar with it? So this was a pretty new experience for me. Let me share my thoughts, as I do.

Gameplay (of the Necrodancer)

Very unique. Like I said, it's SUPER Guitar Hero like; but instead of notes, it's monsters that all have different patterns (the activatable point increase still exists). They took their dungeon crawler and turned it into a traditional rhythm game, and I think they absolutely succeeded with that. Food items to heal your health, traps to adjust enemy behavior, it absolutely feels like that transition was clean.

I do have a couple problems with it though. Now, before I go into this; I did actually beat this game a couple weeks ago, but I know how rhythm games go. You HAVE to grind them, get used to the mechanics, and get slowly and slowly better. Hell, I know from writing this post I am going to improve. But at my current point, I feel like the two biggest problems with the game are the 3 lanes, and the visual overload.... which I guess could be combined into one general idea of "overcompression".

With only 3 lanes, especially on the higher difficulties, there's A LOT of enemies, and with the angle you're given, as well as the beat indicators being a shadow, it's really hard to tell who is where, what the patterns are, and also to execute it properly. I only got 3 fangors they can't dance that well. HOWEVER. I do recognize there are fixes to these problems. You can adjust controls. I personally have been trying my best to use two hands, but it's hard to learn. I also think this would benefit from something like a fightstick, unironically?

When it comes to not really being able to figure out what's what, I would say this drawback is one side of a coin, the other side being something I applaud the game for. The trick is to learn the music. I know that feels obvious, like what rhythm game has you NOT learn the music? But like... I feel like the notes are very well linked to the track itself, so once I figure out the melodies, I can rely on my ears, rather than my eyes (I still need my eyes). Something about this game feels like it very much rewards you for feeling the beat and the groove with super fun combos. Although, at least in my personal experience, sometimes things like traps or the stranger enemy movements can still really get in the way of this and create more overload for my fingers and eyes. I acknowledge that's a skill issue though. (I'm reading this paragraph back and I think it's obvious how limited my rhythm game experience is)

There's 2 other bits of gameplay unlocked in the story mode. Minigames and boss battles. I love the minigames so much, they feel just like Rhythm Heaven, which is one of my favorites. The boss battles are a wonderful mix of Punch-Out and Osu, which is amazing, something I would have never thought of but it works really well. Both of these also have hard modes which is awesome; the minigames work really well, but I still to this day do not comprehend the hard boss battles.

One last thing I wanna talk about that I love is the custom music. GIves a bunch of replayability to the game, which is so essential for a rhythm game. I made my own track (self-promotion); while the editor felt kinda clunky at first (It's a holdover from the last editor from what I've heard so I get it), I got the hang of it quickly. That's something I never thought I'd enjoy doing, but honestly I might make more.

Story (of the Necrodancer)

This is actually the only section I wrote right after beating the game, so like being pulled out of a rift, it might feel really out of place! (I mainly wanted to do this cause the story would be fresh out of my brain and I know I'm about to go into rhythm hell)

It's fine. It's a vessel to have you play the songs, use the characters in cute ways, and introduce the minigames/boss fight mechanics. It's nothing special, and honestly personally I didn't really understand the "being controlled by the rift" bit, and the villains felt... kinda nothing? But I acknowledge I could just be dumb there. I also think that the NecroDancer being presented as a fry cook but then actually being the big bad was a Bit of a cop out? It felt like it was leading to a new force and "no never mind it's him again". That's me being awfully negative, though. I liked the character interactions, I liked the isekai setting; I think Suzu's arc was the absolute best part of the whole thing, it felt the most solid and like she had a genuine motivation there. Honestly? If they ended it with that and not with "The NecroDancer did it" I'd probably feel a lot better about it. But again! This isn't the focus of the game. It's not the same sin as if like, an RPG did it. We're here for the songs and those do not disappoint.

Speaking of!

Music (of the Necrodancer)

Dude. This soundtrack FUCKS. Granted, you really can't have a rhythm game worth playing if you don't have a good soundtrack, but that doesn't take away the fact that it's a banger. A wonderful mix of lo-fi songs, heavy metal, techno, funk, and other genres I'm sure I'm missing, it's got a wide variety that also manages to feel nice and unified.

I ended up making a little tier list of songs for my friends that have been playing this alongside me, so I think something like this is a perfect thing for me to slot in.

This tier list is lucky it only had the main songs because Unglamorous J.O.B. tops everything

What's really cool about this soundtrack is seeing names I recognize. I've been following FamilyJules and Alex Moukala for a while, so it was awesome to see them in this. Definitely listen to it if you have the chance.

Art (of the Necrodancer)

Short bit, but I LOOOOOOOOOVE the way this game looks. I love the vibrancy, the simple coloring/shading, the outlining. I subscribe to the theory that every artist must have two styles: big and small. This game has the big "serious" portraits for most of it, but then in the minigames you get the characters looking small and silly and dumb (in a good way), and it brings a lot of joy to my face.

Also, love the character design. Modern Cadence is fucking peak.

Final Fugue (of the Necrodancer)

I feel like my post might give a sense that the game was a bit of a mixed bag, but I did really enjoy it. I'm still not great with writing about indie games (crazy that that's all I've played so far this year who am I) cause there's simply not as much as a full AAA RPG, but it's been nice. I'm gonna keep grinding this game, and hopefully be able to start taking on hard rifts.

8.5/10. Creative concept with amazing soundtrack, but with a skill floor MUCH higher than I'm used to.

[keptalivebymagic]

I finished A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal! I hated it! I'm heated about how bad it was!!

I'll start off by saying that I hope the people who loved it are all very, very young. Or very, very new to reading. In which case, I'm happy for you and I sincerely hope you continue reading and I hope you discover more books, at least some of which are well-written.

Also, I know this book is in the same universe as We Hunt the Flame and We Free the Stars, but I understood it to be separate from them. Still, it's clear there are bits in this that should have been explained further but aren't because (presumably) Hafsah Faizal has already gone over them in the previous duology. It doesn't take away from the fact that the magic system (and the existence of elves, to a lesser degree) are just tossed into this book with very little rationale, purpose, or consequence. Which is a giant goddamn waste. She could have just kept this as a vampire story and moved along.

More thoughts (with many spoilers):

What exactly have the Casimirs done to earn any kind of reputation on the streets? Arthie ruins the former business that occupied the Spindrift building but nobody is supposed to know who did that. Jin is said to have killed someone for Rose Ashby (off screen and in the past) (and why? For money? We never find out how Rose knew him nor what has happened to their relationship since). Jin shoots Matteo but since the latter is a vampire, we know it's more of a statement than physical harm. Jin then attacks the guy at the foundry to defend Flick, which is probably the only actual instance of violence he perpetrates. Arthie, meanwhile, mostly just threatens people. We don't get to see the two of them in a proper fight until page 274 of a 336-page book.

Arthie's "cleverness" is demonstrated to us a couple of times when she threatens to reveal someone's secrets to get her way. She does this with the government official who's secretly a vampire, and that guard at the door of the Athereum. But we don't ever see her learning those secrets, nor do we see Arthie ever doing anything else with those characters, so it just comes across as a convenient way for the author to overcome a plot barrier.

The description of spaces and physical orientation of characters is so clunky. I had to re-read multiple key passages because I'd get a paragraph along and be like, "what? When did we get here? Who's that?" And the thing is, I wasn't missing bits. The prose is. This happened during the house fire in Jin's past, during Jin and Flick's break-in at the home of the vampire sisters, during Arthie and Laith's visit to the government official and the subsequent escape through the abandoned warehouse next door, and I'm sure other times I don't recall.

The overuse of "specs"; baffling, given that it's never "spectacles" but others do call them "glasses" (which might actually be an anachronism but I haven't checked).

Speaking of anachronism, Jin is said to be wearing a surgical mask at one point (at the foundry). My ghast is flabbered. There is absolutely no reason for him to be wearing a surgical mask of all things. The concept of surgical masks wasn't even a thing until 1897 and it wasn't common for another decade-plus after that. Even then, they certainly didn't have "black bands" to go over the ears like the one Jin wears; they were metal frames with a gauze bandage hanging from them. I hate so much that Faizal has tossed in this anachronism for absolutely zero reason and with zero logic internal to her own goddamn story. We never see him in a mask again, nor is it mentioned that he wears them at all.

"It's teatime, scoundrels." 🥴 Is this meant to be a catchphrase for the inevitable Netflix adaptation?

Ah, the lights. There's always lights off in the distance and they're always a metaphor. The lights are abandoned souls. No, they're abandoned wishes. No, they're abandoned souls.

Laith and Matteo are the same goddamn character. Super flirty, sexy guy with a mysterious interest in Arthie, times TWO?? Please. They also both call Arthie a "kindred spirit" and Arthie even internally acknowledges the repetition but it's not a plot device or anything! It's just an offhanded remark.

None of the characters ever have questions about the unexpected stuff that happens. Why do guards show up and catch Laith (and Arthie)? Did Matteo alert them? Why was nobody mad about that betrayal?

Why was there build-up about how scary and powerful Penn was only for him to be a nice vampire papa who, for some reason, believes in justice and has faith in the flawed system? It's so anti-climactic that they go to all this trouble to break into his office only for there to be zero consequences when they're caught, and furthermore zero personal consequences for Arthie who is revealed to have had a history with him. And then he dies anyway, and we're supposed to feel bad about it.

[metanarrates]

since youve finished isat, id love to hear if post-act 4 changed your mind on any aspect of the game! (character/overall game rating, theories, opinions on certain things, anything you didnt expect to enjoy as much as you did, etc)

i liked the game post act-4 a lot! the characters really ended up growing on me. i think a lot of my initial dislike of parts of the game came down both to personal taste and the game being perhaps a little clunky in its beginning stages. I'd certainly recommend it now to anyone whose personal taste is a little less averse to certain types of prose and to found family plots than my own taste tends to be. it's got some great stuff in it!

spoilers all below

theorywise I was guessing all through act 5 what siffrin's wish was, and it clicked for me during the mal du pays scene. i was actually a little surprised that the king's wish wasn't one of the wishes that contributed to the loop - I had been thinking that the time loop was likely a result of vaugarde's wish to be saved and the king's wish for eternity almost canceling each other's out, and siffrin's wish to stay with his party creating sort of a paradox state where all three wishes were fulfilled via the loop. id figured that the king getting frozen in the final fight took his wish out of commission which is part of why the loop was able to end. but that doesn't seem to be part of it, which is fine.

the ending scenes were pretty good btw! there were some parts of the end conversations with the party that were a tad cloying for my taste, but I felt like mirabelle saying that they'd hash out being mad at siffrin later smoothed it over enough where I accepted it as an ending. I did end up being touched more than expected than everyone trying to help siffrin. odile stopping them from looping had me straight up cheering in voice chat! and i felt it was the right ending for this story for everyone to stay traveling together :)

I was spoiled on the loop stuff beforehand due to a mutual blogging about the game a bunch (everyone say thank you @entryn17 for getting me into the game and to enthusiastically letting me chat their ear off in dms about it!) but i was still SHOCKED at how great it was. i already loved that freak but now they're an all time fave. person who is Not Normal about their clone getting out while they just get fucked up. also person who says this as they're about to attempt murder <3

I'd been pretty vocal about my dislike for siffrin as a character (not a fan of characters who quip all the time to Hide Their Feelings; i find it gets annoying easily) but now i think they're pretty great. he's got a lot of traits I find unenjoyable, but there's plenty of stuff I love if I look past the stuff that isn't to my taste. absolutely loved everything with them losing their home and their desperate desire to hold onto the people they care about and also their spiral into self destructiveness. i thought the entirety of act 5-6 did excellent things with his character. (the king parallels went CRAZY.) I wouldn't consider siffrin a favorite, but I really do see why someone would.

speaking of unexpected favorites, odile's relationship with siffrin actually ended up being my favorite in the game! I'd already liked her character a ton, but completing the side quest where she finds out that siffrin is a time traveler cemented her as a favorite, and her dynamic with siffrin as one of the most interesting in the game. she cares for him in a far blunter way than anyone else does, and her proclivity for noticing things and not allowing bullshit creates a relationship that draws such interesting character facets out of each of them. they're parallels, they're friends, and they're both travellers who lack roots. it's good!

both bonnie and mirabelle also had great stuff in acts 3-6, though I admit to thinking that both of them could have had the knife twisted a tad harder in act 5. i super love mirabelle, and the last conversation she had with siffrin was by far my favorite in that segment. yes girl open up to people and demand honesty from yourself and those around you! and a lot of bonnies jokes in the last segments made me laugh a lot more than I expected to.

still an isabeau disliker </3 I'm less negative on him than i was, but I just don't like most romance so I didn't enjoy his last scene. sorry isafrin enjoyers. i thought him in protector mode during both the king and Big Siffrin fights was unexpectedly great. he's just not my taste as a character, but I have no real quarrel with him being in the game. I just wish there was more I liked about him.

but overall the game was very good! the music and art in the last bits were especially excellent. i actually apologize a bit for being overly snarky in my first parts of the game - I was having some personal stuff going on, which I think caused me to be a little less open to looking past things that annoyed me than I otherwise would be. now that I've given the game more of a chance I had a blast playing! and i would officially consider myself A Fan now :)

[tewwor]

wait sorry hyello me again, f1x in my head, i don't know if you've covered this somewhere already, but... and this is silly goofy, but does f1x... come with noises. like, if you pressed your ear on any part of his body where this could be possible, would you hear the inorganic parts working within (like a heartbeat if you press your ear to someone's chest, or your tummy if it's full of water and you jump), or would that be something he could/would dampen?

unprompted once again x2 because you're simply amazing and fantastic — @ptternminds

had to ruminate for a hot second, but i've concluded that it's been different! like how i was talking about his weight and how that went in stages of heaviest / most clunky early one with poorer quality parts vs. now when he's arguably the 'lightest' ( if he didn't have all of that additional tool and weapons shit inside of him ).

but he does come with noises overall! it's just a matter of what time period we're talking about.

when he first started going from human to cybernetic implants, he still had all of those normal internal organ type sounds. his heart still pumped blood, his stomach still gurgled when digesting food ( or had little to nothing in it ), there was still an auditory intake and exhale of air from his lungs since he started on his limbs first. worked his way to the more vital organs over an extensive period of time, because .. i mean, he didn't want to accidentally kill himself by rushing into things.

now there's no more organic noises. instead of a heartbeat, he has a very, very faint sort of electrical hum. almost like trying to hear what tv static feels like ( if that makes sense ). like super distant fluorescent lights. the fluids that pump through him can be heard if you put your ear up against him for a while, but again — not super noticeable. there used to be whirring sounds back when he relied on internal fans instead of like, the equivalent of coolant. sometimes, when he has to hard reset a part ( fingers and toes jam, limbs go wack, things don't snap back into place right, etc. ) there can be a rapid clicking noise like trying to reset a fuse box. when parts of him do open or rearrange, there tends to be a subtle hydraulic sort of hissing.

what i'm trying to get at is how he more or less sounds like a very, very quiet generator. could write it off as mechanical purring depending on how you think tbh.

[alvfr]

can i ask how long have you been writing? it blows my mind how good it is. you are very gifted and we’re all so lucky to get to read your works for free and i really hope you publish something big one day

also do you have any tips for new writers? i’ve been writing intermittently for some time but i still find it so hard not to compare myself and get bummed out or discouraged when there’s writing like yours out there 💔

Ps: I’m loving all the snippets of everything you’ve posted. keep up!

Oh, probably forever? I mean, I was making up stories before I could write and made small books by hand before I could type and I remember using my grandfather's clunky old laptop to painstakingly write my first "real" stories after I started school.

I started writing in English when I was probably 12-13 years old though and I'm 30 now so it's been a while. I posted some stuff on Quizilla back in the day (which oddly wasn't fanfic, but original stories), and I posted my first story on FFN when I was around 20 years old I think?

I go through periods of time where I write a lot and then I don't write at all for a while, mostly because real life gets in the way or something drains my creative energy. Like I couldn't write more than one sentence at a time the first year after I had my baby. Not because I didn't have time, but because the baby took all my focus and I did not have anything leftover to be creative.

Anyway, I think my best tip for new writers is just to write a lot. Like allow yourself to practice, to be bad, to experiment, to learn - just like you would any other hobby, you know? I have posted more than 1 million words on AO3, but I probably have more than twice that much that I'm never going to post that's just collecting dust in my dropbox. And that's fine! It's just practice!

Right now, I'm trying to re-learn how to write in my own language again (Norwegian) because it sounds awkward and weird to my ears and that is probably because I haven't written in Norwegian since I left high school - I need to practice.

Also, be careful comparing your first draft with someone else's finished product. I don't spend too much time editing my fanfics (because it takes the fun out of it and I never make progress), but even I re-read my writing a few times and change phrasings here and there to make it flow better. I personally like to read everything out loud (making funny voices during dialogue) to catch if it flows how I want it to flow.

Another tip is to read a lot. Preferably published books, but fanfiction too. I'm a bit weird here because I can't read fanfiction for the fandom I'm writing for and that is just because I know I will start to compare myself to others and be discouraged, just like you mentioned. Both when it comes to writing style and level of engagement. I mean, some fics have 1000s of notes or kudos/comments and I start wondering how bad my writing is because it doesn't get the same response. At one point, I almost wished someone would post a bad review of my story because it would have felt better than the complete radio silence I received. Truth is, I think engagement is mostly related to coincidence. Summaries, tags and format matters, of course, but after that it's just down to luck. If you're lucky, your story will find its readers and if you're especially lucky, those readers will let you know that they liked it :)

I'm wary of reading nothing but fanfiction though because we fanfic writers tend to get influenced by each other and use a lot of the same expressions, I think. There's a reason I never have characters smirk, chuckle or hum anymore because I'm still traumatized by how much I used that when I started writing. It's bad enough with how much eyebrow quirking and raising I manage to add in a single story. Also when it comes to characterizations, I try to stay true to the source material, but it's easy to mistake fanon for canon when you read too much of the same stuff.

Sorry, this got super long. I'm just sorry to hear that you're discouraged, especially because I am the exact same way when it comes to comparing myself to others. We are our own worst critics, but I highly encourage you to keep writing! I cringe when I look back at my first stories, but I would never have improved if I hadn't written those stories in the first place :)

[misfitdollies]

In depth thoughts on the new Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Skullector set

We’ve known about this set for a bit now but I’m finally getting around to posting about them!

Starting off easy with the box, overall I have good things to say about it. It’s our first use of the new Skullector logo on a movie based doll and I think it fits nicely on the box itself, it doesn’t look too clunky despite being bigger than the original Skullector logo. I really love how they staged the dolls for the photos too, but in general I like the photos they do for the Skullector boxes.

One thing I noticed is they’re sticking to the box design where the sides pull off, which I really prefer over the flap design the original Beetlejuice Skullector had, but don’t prefer over the slip cover boxes we had for a few Skullectors

I’ll start with my least favorite of the pack, Beetlejuice. Don’t get me wrong though, I do not hate her! It’s just hard to outshine miss Lydia.

Her face up is pretty similar to her original doll, but with a green lip which I really like. Something about dolls with green lipstick, I guess. Overall face wise she’s super cute, I’ve always liked that they chose Moanica’s face for her despite being a g2 character, the smirk just fits and I’m glad they kept it for this set.

Her hair is also pretty similar to the original 2 pack we got, both style and color wise and I can’t really say a whole lot about it since there really isn’t much going on. I do really hope they didn’t go with poly for this release though, that was something they did for her original release and for a $90 doll? I don’t want a hair to maintain hair type. Fingers crossed she’s saran!

Her headband is cute and makes her top half a bit more interesting, but I do think something like a top hat would have been cool to see too and would have fit with the outfit too.

Her earrings are a nod to the waiting room scene as far as I know, which is silly and cute, but I do wish it was a bit easier to see what they’re meant to be. If you aren’t super familiar with the franchise, it would be pretty easy to just assume these are just plastic blobs.

Her outfit is a suit jacket, body suit and a plastic bow tie. I don’t mind the colors and the overall look of the suit itself at all honestly, it’s pretty on par with what we seen from the OG set and what he wears in the movie, but I do wish the top and bottom were two separate pieces. I genuinely think it would not only make her look higher quality, but it would just be a nice detail in general. As for the plastic bow tie? I don’t mind it either way, fabric would be cool but the plastic doesn’t exactly kill the look for me either.

Her shoes are definitely the weakest part of the look for me. I think the solid white gets a bit lost with her skin tone and even the slightest bit of paint on them could have helped a bit with that. I’m not an object heel hater though and I don’t hate them here, I think the gravestone in particular is a cute nod to the movie and I would have been fine with them choosing to do both heels with that. Her other heel is Beetlejuice’s beetle form, which is fun, but does feel a bit clunky for the heel, especially paired with the gravestone. Similar to the gravestone, I would have preferred the beetle heels alone if they wanted to do a heel like that.

Now onto my favorite accessory in the set, her heart! I absolutely love this piece, it’s so fun and creepy! It’s probably one of my favorite accessories they’ve done so far.

While I definitely prefer her original doll with the striped suit (it’s hard to beat that look) I do like this version of Beetlejuice. Overall she’s a fun doll despite areas where I have gripes.

Now onto the star of this pack, Lydia Deetz!

Her eye makeup is super dark red and it just makes her eyes pop so well I think, while the nude lip balances out the harsh red. It’s very similar to her original look, while also different enough to be interesting.

Her hairstyle is pretty similar to the original set, but it’s complimented by a bright red veil. Her dark hair really helps the red pop, just like in the movie. I really like the fact that they chose to make the elastic red too!

Her outfit is a red dress with red knee high socks and it’s so cute, I love how similar to the movie it is. The one thing they didn’t add that I do wish they would have is the bit of frill across the chest she has in the movie, I think it really could have elevated the look, but overall I think the dress is adorable.

Again there’s a plastic bow and I have the same opinion for it that I had for the one on Beetlejuice; fabric/ribbon would have been nice, but the plastic doesn’t ruin the look for me.

I don’t have much to say about her socks because they’re just a solid red color, but it does look like the fabric is nice and thick, but stretchy.

Her shoes are fairly simple too, they’re just a basic Mary Jane style in solid red, with a black heel that’s sculpted to look like Delia’s sculptures. I actually think the heels were a fun way to incorporate that into the doll and I think the black provides a nice pop of color to an otherwise really monochromatic look. Again though, I would have preferred they chose one heel to do on both shoes instead of having a mismatched heel.

The weakest part of her look for me is her accessory, which is this solid red bouquet purse combo. I’m sure they were trying to keep with the monochrome look, but the lack of any paint detailing on this really makes it appear kind of blobish. If you look closely there’s a ton of super cool sculpting done on this piece, like the center of the flowers being Skullettes, but all of that detailing gets lost because there’s nothing to help define it, which is really disappointing.

Personally I think this version of Lydia is just darling and definitely beats out her original Skullector doll for me, red is just so her color and she’s so eye catching! Honestly, they could have sold her as a stand alone doll and I wouldn’t have complained, she totally sold me on this pack.

These are just my personal thoughts on it and you may disagree which is totally fine! Overall this set is cute, it definitely has areas where I’d change or alter things, but I don’t hate it and I’ll definitely be trying to get it once it drops. Also I really love these promo pics, super cute!

[mega-byte]

He poses like garbage and I can't get his right shoulder to tab down all the way but his grumpy lil face is so cute and I love the bear ears in place of his horns

Hes clunky, a bit flimsy and v ugly from the back, I wouldn't not recommend buying him for the current price im seeing him online, if you find him super cheap like I did I'd say go for it the novelty is great! Just don't expect to do any cool or dynamic poses.

This was the most dynamic I could get lmao

I still adore him, hes my lil pookie bear 💚

[rabbitechoes]

may was a decent, but not extremely exciting month for new singles. some of the songs here are among the worst i've heard this decade, some are just alright, and a select few are absolutely incredible! the biggest singles released this month were apart of the feud between Drake and Kendrick Lamar. i covered those songs in a separate post which can be found HERE! to check out my thoughts on some of the albums, EPs, and mixtapes that came out this month click here!!! also feel free to follow me on rate your music and twitter <3

"Risk" - Gracie Abrams

◇ released: May 1, 2024 ◇ featured on The Secret of Us - Gracie Abrams (not yet released) ◇ genres: folk pop, indie pop

I don't think I've heard a single Gracie Abrams song before, but unfortunately "Risk" doesn't make me want to hear more. The folk pop stylings here are so generic and Abrams presence isn't felt at all. One of those songs that just goes in one ear and out the other. A song built out of cliches. Not sure if I'll give The Secret of Us a chance after this, we'll see. What a way to start the month!

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"Buried Alive" | "Together" - Chance the Rapper

◇ released: May 2, 2024 | May 17, 2024 ◇ featured on Star Line Gallery? - Chance the Rapper (not yet released) ◇ genres: conscious hip hop, jazz rap, pop rap

Chance the Rapper has released two new singles this month seemingly in preparation for his new album Star Line Gallery. It's been like 10 years (wow) since Chance's heyday with mixtapes like 10 Day and Acid Rap. Since then, he's been on a bit of a downtrend culminating in his catastrophic debut album The Big Day in 2019. These new songs set him back on the right track a bit. You can tell they mean a lot to Chance, but they can sound a little dull at times. I do really love the beat on "Together," but I enjoy his verses more on "Buried Alive." So, yeah these songs aren't super fulfilling, but maybe he can recover nicely into a decent album.

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"Starburned and Unkissed" - Caroline Polachek

◇ released: May 2, 2024 ◇ featured on I Saw the TV Glow (Official Soundtrack) ◇ genres: indietronica, indie rock

Caroline Polachek's dreamy contribution to the I Saw the TV Glow soundtrack is really good. This sounds unlike what Polachek has become known for. These long, spacey verses are a surprise, but a welcome one. As is the atmospheric production. The chorus amps up the energy nicely, it's really beautiful. I haven't gotten a chance to see the film, although I've heard it's really good, but this song rocks.

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"Tennessee" - Kevin Abstract

◇ released: May 2, 2024 ◇ featured on (maybe) Glue - Kevin Abstract (not yet released) ◇ genres: trap, pop rap, cloud rap

I used to be a massive BROCKHAMPTON fan back when I was in high school and I've tried to stay up to date on what the former members have been up to in the wake of the boyband's dissolution. I feel like I've done a decent job until now. It's like two days before this post goes out and I'm just now learning of this new Kevin Abstract single featuring Lil Nas X. I mean, it's fun. There's some funny bars, but it does feel far too loose and clunky. Kevin was the driving force behind BROCKHAMPTON in the group's later days, but I fear the bloom might have fallen off of the rose just a bit. Maybe I'm overreacting because of this silly single, but he just hasn't made anything interesting in years. He also released that god-awful "Once in a Lifetime" cover this month. I truly hope he can recover and make something cool again.

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"Whiskey" - Arooj Aftab

◇ released: May 7, 2024 ◇ featured on Night Reign - Arooj Aftab ◇ genres: chamber folk, chamber jazz

Covering this song here in case I don't get the chance to cover the full album this month (it comes out the final day of the month). This song rules so hard. This is my first time hearing Arooj Aftab's stuff and this beautiful blend of chamber folk and jazz tickles my brain in the right way. Her vocals are so gorgeous too. "Whiskey" is the kind of song that sounds like ocean waves gently brushing up on the shore. The lyricism cuts deep too, both in the words themselves and how they're delivered. Great song.

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"Ronald" - Falling in Reverse, Tech N9ne & Alex Terrible

◇ released: May 7, 2024 ◇ featured on Popular Monster - Falling in Reverse (not yet released) ◇ genres: metalcore, nu metal

The first time I pressed play on "Ronald" I paused it barely 3 seconds in. I've had a profound dislike for Falling in Reverse and Ronnie Radke in particular, not just because I think their music sucks extremely hard, but because he's a terrible person to boot. He likes to claim he's being "cancelled" or whatever, but if you keep getting allegations thrown your way ... y'know where there's smoke there's fire. Anyway, I'll be honest the farthest I can get into this song is the 1 minute mark. I don't dislike metalcore (see my glowing review of the new Knocked Loose album), but this is BAD metalcore. One of the worst things I've heard all year. Deeply unpleasant song whose target audience is men who go out of their way to make women uncomfortable and also punch holes in their drywall.

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"Take a Bite" - beabadoobee

◇ released: May 9, 2024 ◇ featured on This Is How Tomorrow Moves - beabadoobee (not yet released) ◇ genres: alternative rock, pop rock, indie pop

beabadoobee's last full-length album was an enjoyable listen. Not something incredible, but just some really solid indie pop. "Take a Bite" is a bit more of the same, except everything feels a bit punchier. Her vocals have more bite to them and the instrumentation feels weightier. Pretty impressed by this one, decently high hopes for the upcoming album.

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"360" - Charli XCX

◇ released: May 10, 2024 ◇ featured on BRAT - Charli XCX (not yet released) ◇ genres: bubblegum bass, electropop

Alongside a star-studded music video, Charli XCX has dropped another single from her upcoming new album. This could be my favorite single so far. It's just a fun listen with some incredible production. It's so bold, especially in Charli's delivery. There's not really a big chorus or anything here, it just sort of strings you along in an entrancing way. Seeing this opens the record has me excited. I'm loving each new single for BRAT more than the last, my hopes are getting higher!!!

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"Gold River" - Parannoul

🥇 BEST SONG OF THE MONTH

◇ released: May 10, 2024 ◇ genres: noise rock, shoegaze

Holy shit. "Gold River" has Korean shoegaze sensation Parannoul cranking up the noise and sharpening his songwriting chops which yields absolutely stunning results. This track wastes no time at all, it just fires on all cylinders all the way through. That chorus is just noise rock bliss. Also, the drums on this track are fucking killer. It's just so well-crafted while also maintaining the scrappy energy that's present throughout his previous work. If this leads to a whole album of material like this, we could be in for Parannoul's strongest work to date. Regardless, I still see very big things ahead for him.

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"HIND'S HALL" - Macklemore

◇ released: May 10, 2024 ◇ genres: political hip hop, conscious hip hop, hardcore hip hop

We've all given Macklemore a hard time over the years, but I do have to commend him for dropping this track. In the midst of the beef between megastars that's defining the hip hop landscape currently, Macklemore, of all people, drops this scathing protest anthem. Here he raises support for the ongoing student protests against their universities investing in Israel and companies with ties to them as they commit this ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people. I agree with Macklemore's sentiments here more than I enjoy the track, admittedly, but it's bold of him to do this. More artists with much larger platforms than Macklemore should be speaking out on this. Here is the link to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund.

Free Palestine 🇵🇸 !!!!!

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"I Had Some Help" - Post Malone & Morgan Wallen

◇ released: May 10, 2024 ◇ genres: country pop, pop rock

I mean, it isn't good. Shouldn't be a shocker to like anyone at all. Post Malone has been in his feature bag over the last few months after middling appearances on both Taylor Swift's bloated new album and Beyoncé's new record, but this is definitely the least enjoyable of them all. I simultaneously see the appeal of Morgan Wallen and I don't. It's like he was made in a lab to be the next big country star. To make sure the genre never evolves in the public eye and keeps clinging to its worst aspects. Just a piss-poor attempt at a country song of the summer and with our luck it will probably be just that.

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"BOA" - Megan thee Stallion

◇ released: May 10, 2024 ◇ genres: trap, hardcore hip hop, southern hip hop

Despite the harassment lawsuit leveled against Megan thee Stallion last month by a former cameraman, she seems to just continue on business as usual. Who knows if that lawsuit will hold any weight, but I will say that "BOA" is an excellent single. Like she just kills it. The beat rocks and her presence is so distinct. No one sounds as confident and brash as Megan thee Stallion. It's not unfounded confidence either, her talent speaks for itself. Loved this, I just hope one day she can channel all of this energy into a consistently great project.

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"HE KNOWS" - Camila Cabello & Lil Nas X

◇ released: May 10, 2024 ◇ featured on C,XOXO - Camila Cabello (not yet released) ◇ genres: alté, dance-pop, alternative r&b

Y'know what? I know "I LUV IT" was universally clowned, and rightfully so, but "HE KNOWS" is surprisingly pretty decent. It's nothing remarkable, but it's got some nice production and it's the least grating that Cabello has potentially ever sounded. Lil Nas X offers some sultry verses that are also a pretty nice touch. I wanted to be a hater, but I can't be with this one!

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"Gimmie A Light" - Ice Spice

◇ released: May 10, 2024 ◇ genres: hardcore hip hop, sample drill, uk drill

More standard fair from Ice Spice on "Gimmie A Light." If you like her stuff, and I enjoy a good bit of it, you'll probably put this one in your playlist too. Besides that, not much to comment on. I will say though, can she stop with the poop bars? It's becoming a trademark for her and she needs to break away from it before it's too late.

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"Delphinium Blue" - Cassandra Jenkins

◇ released: May 14, 2024 ◇ featured on My Light, My Destroyer - Cassandra Jenkins (not yet released) ◇ genres: art pop, downtempo

I enjoyed Cassandra Jenkin's last single and this one is pretty great too. Very atmospheric art pop that just draws you in so nicely. The minimal instrumentation makes you just sink into it all. Like you're diving gently into a pool that is just the right temperature. Beautiful track. Looking forward to the new album even more now!

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"FromHere" - NxWorries ft. Snoop Dogg & October London

◇ released: May 14, 2024 ◇ featured on Why Lawd? - NxWorries (not yet released) ◇ genres: neo-soul, west coast hip hop

NxWorries, Anderson Paak and Knxwledge, have released another - far more substantial single this month. Featuring some jangly guitars and Paak's smooth vocals. It also features incredible vocals from October London and a lowkey verse from Snoop Dogg. Dogg's verse sounds like it was recorded on an iPhone, but it's masked pretty well by the gorgeous beat underneath.

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"Samurai" - Lupe Fiasco

◇ released: May 17, 2024 ◇ featured on Samurai - Lupe Fiasco (not yet released) ◇ genres: jazz rap

Lupe Fiasco has unveiled the opening track to his upcoming album Samurai and it's really good. Every time I hear something from Lupe, I'm like "holy shit, this is incredible. I need to dive into his discography soon!" but I never do. Getting the same feeling here. He's a very distinct rapper and lyricist. He also has an incredible ear for beats. I love the jazzy production on this cut. Really looking forward to this new album! Maybe I'll finally dive into his albums soon.

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"Sexy to Someone" - Clairo

◇ released: May 23, 2024 ◇ featured on Charm - Clairo (not yet released) ◇ genres: sophisti-pop, soft rock

This new single from Clairo sounds like it's trying to capture the feeling of a soft rock hit from the 70s. She does it pretty well, this is a fun listen, but I just wish it was more exciting. I think Clairo is a really good songwriter and I've enjoyed a lot of her past material, I just think she's gotta do something with some more bite sooner or later. Anyway, I don't want it to seem like I dislike this track. I don't, it's a very pleasant listen and I'm excited to hear what the rest of the album will sound like!

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"How Sweet" | "Bubble Gum" - NewJeans

◇ released: May 24, 2024 ◇ genres: k-pop, contemporary r&b

The only K-Pop group I have the energy to keep up with, NewJeans, have dropped two new tracks this month and they're a lot of fun. They have made some of the most enjoyable pop bangers of the last two years. These two tracks are no different. I absolutely adore the production on "Bubble Gum" especially. Those funk guitars and cloudy synths just sound so amazing together. Just so much fun. I'm always gonna lock in whenever NewJeans drop some new stuff.

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"Turn it up" - PinkPantheress

◇ released: May 24, 2024 ◇ genres: contemporary r&b, alt-pop

PinkPantheress dropped a new single which means I had to clear out like a minute from my schedule to give it a shot. I kid, this is one of her more substantial cuts at 2 minutes 30 seconds. The short song formula really works for her, so I understand why she doesn't buck the trend too much. This track is no different. Love the hazy melodies here. Sounds like a club banger for people who don't go to clubs, i.e. me. I'm not sure if a new album is on the way given it wasn't too long ago that she gave us her debut album, but we shall see.

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"Grippy" - Cash Cobain & J. Cole

◇ released: May 24, 2024 ◇ genres: drill, east coast hip hop

A song so bad that I don't believe it's real. In the midst of the Kendrick/Drake beef that Cole tapped out of before things got too messy, he drops this collab with Cash Cobain entitled "Grippy." Ok look, I get being horny, but this song is like disgustingly horny. Filled with some of the worst bars all year courtesy of both perpetrators. One line of Cole's in particular, "She said she was gay until I slayed, now she strictly dickly," was so disgusting I physically cringed. The whole "fuck you straight" thing was gross when The Weeknd did it years ago and it still rings horrible here. Alongside "Ronald" from earlier, this is a contender for worst song of the year. I'm sorry, but if you even dare consider J. Cole to be in the "big 3" of anything other than corny weirdos after these last two months in particular, you're delusional. "Don't mess with Cole when he's in album mode" my ass.

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"Death & Romance" - Magdalena Bay

◇ released: May 28, 2024 ◇ genres: baggy, pop rock, neo-psychedelia

Magdalena Bay have been teasing stuff for the last few weeks now with very cryptic videos on social media, but there wasn't an announcement of new music until this past week. The duo's last album, Mercurial World, is one of the finest pop records of the decade so I'm always hyped to see what they have in store next. "Death & Romance" is one of their best, bar none. A psychedelic, piano-driven banger with one of the best pop songwriting I've heard all year. Despite the aesthetic surrounding the song and the lyrics about death, this song is such a fun listen. The instrumental bridge in the middle is so exhilarating. God, this song just rules. I have incredibly high hopes for the next full-length project from them, this is fucking awesome.

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"Frogs" - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

◇ released: May 29, 2024 ◇ featured on Wild God - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (not yet released) ◇ genres: art rock, neo-psychedelia

Nick Cave and his pals in The Bad Seeds have released another single in anticipation for their first new album in 5 years. I might like this more than the last song they dropped. I love the sounds they play around with here. It's incredibly lush, almost triumphant sounding. Cave's vocals sound a bit strained as he belts out almost exclusively in a higher register. The choral backing vocals and the occasional horn flourishes are a nice touch too. It sounds so much more hopeful than The Bad Seeds' last few records, but Cave's lyrics still have that edge to them. I'm very much looking forward to this record!

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"Houdini" - Eminem

◇ released: May 31, 2024 ◇ featured on The Death of Slim Shady - Eminem (not yet released) ◇ genres: pop rap, comedy rap

Unfortunately Eminem released a new song right as the month was drawing to a close. This is the lead single to his new album, The Death of Slim Shady, which sounds like one desperate plea to people outside of his audience that he's not completely washed yet. Remember Slim Shady? Yeah, now come listen to my new album! This song's music video proves that too as Eminem faces off with his older self and even brings back the Rap Boy persona from years gone by. "Houdini" itself isn't very good at all, but what did you really expect? Eminem has been doing old man raps for years now and he's desperately trying to still come off as edgy and whip-smart, but he fumbles at every point. The core of the song is a shitty sample flip of "Abracadabra" by the Steve Miller Band and the bars just sound like a bratty child trying to be provocative. This sucks!!! Can't wait to be terrorized by new singles from him leading up to this album!

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psssst. i made a discord server ... if u wanna join here's the invite https://discord.gg/rsHMenTU see u there and thank u for reading :3

[anewlandwrites]

The air buzzed around me. Our apartment was small, and my mother zipped back and forth, picking things up and setting them down. My ears were full of white noise, and my body wobbled on unsteady legs. I reached out, placing a hand on the plush couch, stepping forward slowly. Pressing my feet into the floor to ground myself, I grasped onto a side table with my next step. The pressure in my ears expanded and finally receded.

"Mom," I croaked. My voice sliced through the stifling tension.

She looked in my direction, still lost. The skin of her face seemed to melt, and her lips drew up in the middle. I could see the lines of tears tracking down through her makeup. It hurt me to see the way the salt water encroached on her foundation and cut across the blush of her high cheek bones.

I remembered the story of Moses leading the Israelites through the desert and imagined manna falling over us and nourishing our dejected hearts. She held a small stuffed bear in one hand and clutched her keys in the other. My father flew to the hospital with my toddler sister, Dominique, and the rest of us were to follow in the clunky Buick. I imagined filling the wheezing thing with bags and children, the force of highway speeds peeling back the beige spray paint my mother was so proud of having applied.

"Hey, mom. I know it's a lot right now, but we're going to take it one step at a time, okay?"

She nodded back at me. She was still whimpering, and I could tell her nose was congested from sobbing.

"Okay." I steadied my breath as a timeline sorted itself. "The kids need to be fed. We have eggs. They will need to wash up a bit, and we can dress them. Food first, though. They seem hungry. They can watch cartoons while we get stuff packed. They don't understand, but they're nervous. We have to stay calm for them. We can pack the car together. And we should take a bag of toys to keep them distracted on the road. Dad said we are going to stay at the Ronald McDonald House. What about Baby?"

Softly crying, my mom answered, "When the ambulance came, our neighbor Ashley said she would feed him. Oh, Baby!" She scurried over to the orange cat and hugged it. "Thank Jehovah for you, Baby!" Clutched to her chest, the big kitty relented to the affection and purred.

"Knock, knock!" Ashley slid the patio door open. "You're still here? Let me help." She saw my mother and turned instead to me.

"The kids haven't eaten. I was going to make eggs."

"Mmhmm, have you two eaten, Miss Amber?"

"No," I admitted.

"Okay, I'll get on the scrambled eggs and then help your mother load the car."

"Okay." The tightness in my chest began to relax. My mother was now sitting on the loveseat with the cat. Her gray blue eyes had glazed over, and her nose was red. I turned on my heel to the kids' room.

Spider Man cartoons played on the squatty television. I stepped in front of it for their attention. "Hey guys. Sorry to interrupt. I know things are crazy right now, but we're getting it sorted. Ashley is so super nice that she is gonna make us some breakfast and take care of our sweet kitty, okay? After you eat, we will get you into some fresh clothes, and we're going to drive to where Dad and Neeky are. Sound good?" I smiled, hoping I was convincing.

My four year old absolute cherub of a brother, Noah, croaked, "Did Baby really save Neeky's life?"

"She was having what's called a seizure. And he woke Mama up by jumping on her chest. And that's how she knew to call for help." His cerulean eyes were filled with a sadness that cracked my heart right in half, and Gabby just stared down into her lap. She was so quiet without her twin. "Hey, hey, everyone. She's got some really great doctors that are gonna fix her right up, okay? And we're going on a road trip to be with her, and we're gonna stay at a super cool place. You know Ronald McDonald? Yeah, he's got his own fancy hotel we're gonna stay at. Dad even said there's an arcade."

Six little eyes were now on me, and Gabriel finally spoke, "I like arcades."

"I know, bud. So y'all are gonna go to the living room, and eat some yummy breakfast while I help Mom pack." I guided them to the breakfast bar and could smell the Tony Chachere's Ashley seasoned the eggs with.

"Nuh uh, you sit right down and eat, too, little miss."

My mother was in a trance, but eggs were going in her mouth. That relieved me enough to sit and shovel food back. "Thank you. I had better get started."

Ashley gestured with the wooden spoon. "Jeanene and I-" my mother finally looked up, "are gonna go clean that car out. It's too full of fast food trash to pack."

I nodded and cleared my place at the bar. We do eat a lot of fast food. The floorboards are covered with evidence of that.

After that, we were able to get packed, dressed, and loaded pretty quickly. We played the radio. It would intermittently crackle at us as we passed through small towns on our way to Dallas. Our spirits had raised significantly by the time we stopped to gas up halfway through. My mother returned to the car with Cokes and packages of Nutty Buddy bars and Star Crunch cookies. As I passed out the goods, my mother dug through the center console and began to curse.

"No, no, no. Fuck shit dammit."

"What is it?"

"My emergency money. I had two hundred dollars hidden in here in case of car trouble or another fight with your dad."

"Are you sure you didn't move it?"

"I'm sure. I don't see anywhere it could have fallen, either. It doesn't make any sense. I was just telling Ashley how relieved I was to have squirreled it away, because I only had $60 dollars in my purse. Fuck, now I've only got $37. I shouldn't have bought all those snacks. This stupid piece of shit guzzles gas." She leaned back and hit her head against the head restraint, trying to focus. Her eyes narrowed. Her face twisted into a thing of rage. "Fuck! Fuck fuck fuck, fucking bitch!"

I turned to see the kids in the back seat. They seemed unfazed and continued to play with their toys. "What? What is it? Are we not going to make it there?"

"No, we will make it there, thank goodness. But when Ashley and I were in the car, she just kept handing me cups and napkins and bags, sending me back and forth to the dumpster. I thought she was just being helpful, but I think she stole the money." She looked at me, and I could see heartbreak tugging on the sides of her eyes. Ashley was her first friend here.

"Do we go back for it?"

"No, if she's willing to steal from me in a time like this, there's no way she'll give it back."

"Okay." My thoughts were going so quickly, it felt like they were tick tick ticking in my skull. "But we're gonna be okay?"

She reached out and took my hand. She looked into my eyes for the first time since the chaos took over at three this morning. "Yeah, we're gonna be okay."

"Okay," I sniffled. My shoulders shook, as I finally let myself cry.

For the first time today, my mother saw me. Really saw me.

"You know, sometimes I forget that you're only ten."