#but like barely and it's in BW but still

[nekrosmos]

Gortash's favorite attack dog <3

Spine, my durge, goes by He/They/It !

[ethanharmonia]

can i get a (B2W2) Nate??

also your interpretation of Blake is so neat! he looks like he'd taste like broken glass candy /vpos

WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN BROKEN GLASS CANDY😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

also heres Nathan 🕺🏻(in my AU version, i havent drawn him in a long time wat da hell)

I UnNate-ified him, MUAHAHAHHAHAHHAA

traumatised men are my favourite (mans 28 in this AU)

Fun fact for those that didnt know, Nate is Ethan's adoptive younger brother!!! :D

Those two arent related but they have a very nice brotherly bond together :]

They have a lot in common btw btw, 1. Both traumatised, 2. Both their biological parents died and have been adopted by Red and Blue, 3. Both of them have fire starters MUAHAHAHA, 4. They will beat someone to death, 5. They have marriage issues with their own husbands 😔

[parasolladyansy]

BW Survival AU - lesson 5

She will admit she was careless.

The woods around Nuvema looked especially beautiful today, some rare beams of sunlight catching the icicles on the bare branches. She brought her gaze higher, taking a few steps back when she bumped into him!

She yelped, startled then terrified, flailing then falling in a clumsy heap! Haze & Snow were by her side in an instant, but the man didn’t touch one Poké Ball (though he instinctively reached for them, just as startled).

Slowly, very slowly, he rose his other hand to say, “I’m not going to hurt you.”

They froze, catching their breath from the fright. As she looked in his eyes, every breath felt like an eternity…

His name was Ikrit.

He said their great-great grandmothers were friends, & that they were friends with a Unovan man who was friends with…her somehow?

She could scarcely believe it. Could she even chance believing him? But then…how else could he know she was friends with Ingo? She heard he had disappeared about 7 years ago from townsfolk. Could he truly have been in the past, in a completely different region?

He spoke to her in the same language she was born speaking (from Hoenn, he said…Fallarbor Town), & the Froslass who accompanied him seemed oddly familiar…as was the impeccably neat handwriting in the old letter she held in her icy fingers. It matched the script in the journal he offered as further proof, as well as the train postcard she still kept with her few belongings to read when she was feeling sad.

She paused, thinking.

Her first instinct was to make a run for it - have Haze create an illusion while Snow used Blizzard to offer more cover for them to disappear. That was still an option. The only reason she hadn’t already was something about the way he spoke to her - kindly, directly, without suspicion or fear.

Is Reshiram…telling her that this one was okay…?

…It has been a long, long time since she had a human friend…& maybe this strong, intelligent trainer could help her put things right in this region…

She can always disappear later if it turned out he was bad.

Lesson 5: Find safe people…but be careful.

—

A/N: Even in this very sad timeline, Ansy still met her Valentine (Happy Valentine’s Day!) 💌

It’s funny to think about how Ingo & Ansy’s fates seem tied together between DxP REWRITE & this AU, though as a twist of that same fate, Ingo is the one to try & save Ansy on this timeline. ;u;

Like in his canon timeline, Ikrit spent a lot of time traveling around the various regions, & while in Kitakami, he met Ingo (maybe at the Crystal Pool, maybe in Mossui - not sure). The results of that meeting, & his own research he conducted in Sinnoh (ever the researcher), is what led him to smuggling himself & his Pokémon with Ingo to frozen Unova.

Ingo told him to look for Ansy while he went to Gear Station, probably saying something like, “If you find her…bring her with you.” He’d have come with him, but it could be that he didn’t have the heart to, in case what Ikrit found was awful ;u;

[redroomreflections]

Before Sunrise - A Family Of Her Own Series

Natasha Romanoff x Fem!Reader

A Family of Her Own Series

3/7

Masterlist | General Masterlist

w/c: 3.3k

Summary: After the fall of the Avengers, Natasha Romanoff returns home to her secret family—a life she's carefully hidden away for years. Struggling to balance her role as a mother and wife while avoiding the dangers of her past, Natasha is forced to make difficult decisions that impact her loved ones.

This Chapter: Natasha has a secret family. Set during the BW films. She brings her Red Room family to meet them. She has a moment with her daughter.

Part 3 of many more.

Just like the night, the house was quiet in the early hours of the morning, the kind of stillness that only comes before the world wakes up. Natasha moved quietly through the hallway, her bare feet making no sound on the wooden floor. Despite being away so often, she knew her daughter’s rhythms like second nature—how Stella always woke up just before the first hint of sunlight touched the horizon.

As she pushed open the door to Stella’s bedroom, the soft creak of the hinges sounded louder in the silence, but it didn’t disturb the little girl. The room was painted like an aquarium, deep blues and greens swirling together, with playful fish and, of course, a giant shark on one wall. Stella’s obsession with sharks had taken over every part of her imagination, but despite the ocean theme, she had recently begged for a new princess-style bed set, complete with pink sheets and a tiara-shaped pillow.

Natasha smiled faintly as she took it all in, her heart tugging at the juxtaposition of her daughter’s fierce fascination with predators of the sea and her innocent love for all things sparkly and soft.

She quietly made her way to the rocking chair tucked in the corner, the same one she had rocked Stella in as an infant. Natasha eased herself into the chair, making sure her movements were slow and deliberate.

Sitting there she let her eyes trace over Stella’s small sleeping frame. Her daughter looked so peaceful, her soft breaths steady and uneven. This was the quiet Natasha craved. The moments when everything felt so simple.

The ticking of a clock was the only sound, rhythmic and soothing. Natasha knew Stella would stir soon, her internal clock always waking her before the first light of day. That was part of why she had come in early—to be here, to sit with her daughter before the day inevitably pulled her back into the chaos she couldn’t seem to escape. Even if she couldn’t always be present, she wanted to savor these moments, the ones where she could just watch over her without needing to rush off to fight someone else’s battles.

But as she sat there, a familiar ache settled in her chest. Being gone so much meant missing out on these quiet mornings. The guilt gnawed at her, especially now, watching how peaceful Stella looked. Remembering how excited Stella looked to see her just yesterday morning made her want to call all of this off. Leave Tony to deal with the mess they created. It would be too selfish.

Natasha allowed herself to settle into the rocking chair, peace finding her once again, and she closed her eyes. The familiar rustling of blankets caused her to open them again. Stella stirs against her blankets before sitting up. She sways gently, fighting whatever sleep calls to her, as she surveys the room. She rubs tiredly at her eyes.

“Mommy,” She calls out for you. Though you wouldn’t come. Not when Natasha asked for this morning alone with your daughter.

“I’m here, love,” Natasha says softly.

Stella turns to her, and even in the dimness of the room, she can make out her features—the slight smile that spreads across her face. It seems she forgot that Natasha was home.

“You real?” Stella asks.

Natasha chuckles.

It was a game they had played before. In the middle of the night when Stella would wake from a bad dream, sometimes she would think she was in the past, her mind playing tricks on her.

“I am real,” Natasha nods.

Stella crawls across her bed and onto her knees. She leans forward, reaching out to cup her cheek. She squishes it with her tiny hands and grins.

Natasha reaches out and takes hold of Stella.

“Mama’s home,” Stella whispered as she pressed herself deeper into Natasha’s arms.

Natasha presses her lips to the top of Stella’s head.

Stella curls closer to Natasha, a sigh leaving her. Natasha rocks her back and forth until her breathing steadies out and her body relaxes.

“I love you,” Natasha whispers.

“Mama?” Stella looks up at her with big brown eyes. Natasha studies the features of her daughter. She hums, letting her know she is listening.

Stella shifts in her lap, pressing her nose into her neck.

Natasha closes her eyes and holds her tight.

“Are you going on another airplane?” Stella asks. Of course, most of it sounds like gibberish as she is only two and developing a vocabulary but Natasha understands it nonetheless.

She sighs heavily and kisses the top of her head.

Natasha didn't want to tell her, didn't want her to have to go through the process of waiting for her mom to return.

“Not today,” Natasha answers.

“I don‘t want you to go on any more airplanes,” Stella shakes her head. “I just want you to be my Mama and stay home.”

Natasha feels tears prickle in her eyes. The little girl snuggled into her mother’s chest, unaware of the storm she’d just stirred.

Natasha squeezed her, her grip firm yet tender, but she didn’t say anything. She couldn’t. Her throat tightened, and for the first time in a long while, she felt completely helpless. She rocked them back and forth, trying to maintain the rhythm, as if that could soothe both of them, as if the gentle motion could drown out the ache in her chest.

Back and forth. Back and forth.

Each rock of the chair was an attempt to hold herself together, but Natasha could feel the cracks widening. The words repeated in her head, tearing through her defenses. I just want you to be my Mama and stay home.

She had faced down armies, survived impossible missions, but this—this tiny request from her daughter—felt like a blow she couldn’t recover from.

The tears prickled in her eyes, stinging with the weight of everything she couldn’t say. The truth, the life she lived, the constant leaving—it all flashed through her mind, and for the first time, it felt like she had failed at the one thing that truly mattered. How could she explain to Stella that being Mama wasn’t something she could always do? That her other life—the one filled with danger and sacrifice—wasn’t something she could walk away from, even if it meant breaking her daughter’s heart?

Stella pulled back just slightly, her wide eyes staring up at Natasha, waiting for an answer, for reassurance that Mama would stay.

But Natasha couldn’t lie. Not to her. Not to this little girl who looked at her like she was her entire world. The lump in her throat grew, and she felt the sting of tears pressing harder, threatening to spill over.

“Oh, baby…” she whispered, her voice barely holding steady.

She kept rocking. Back and forth. Back and forth.

But no matter how much she rocked, the ache wouldn’t go away. Stella didn’t understand why Natasha left, why she couldn’t be like other mothers who stayed home and tucked their children into bed every night. And how could she? Natasha had crafted a life of secrecy and danger, one that her daughter couldn’t begin to fathom.

The silence between them stretched, broken only by the soft creak of the chair and the quiet sniffle from Stella, who had already nestled back into Natasha’s arms. Natasha kissed the top of her head, holding her as close as she could, as if holding her tight enough might somehow make up for all the times she couldn’t be there.

But it wouldn’t.

And for the first time in a long time, Natasha let the tears fall. Not because she was scared, not because she was angry, but because she finally let herself feel the weight of what she had sacrificed. She could take down enemies and save the world, but she couldn’t protect her daughter from the one thing she longed for most—her mother.

Back and forth. Back and forth.

She rocked them both, knowing that no matter how much she wanted to, she couldn’t promise Stella what she truly needed. She could only be there for this moment, holding on for as long as she could, before the world would pull her away again.

And in that moment, Natasha felt like the biggest idiot for ever believing she could balance both worlds without breaking something—without breaking someone.

“Mama, why you not talking?” Stella asks, the confusion on her face reminding Natasha so much of you.

She smiles sadly and presses her lips to the top of her head, inhaling deeply.

She was here, holding her, and even though it wasn't forever, she would soak up every moment.

“I’m sorry,” It leaves her lips in a broken mess. One Stella doesn’t catch. “I’m sorry for leaving you.”

Stella doesn't say anything, her fingers clutching tighter around her neck.

Natasha sighs deeply, her fingers brushing softly over the crown of her head.

Natasha swallows tightly. “You’re my baby and I love you.”

“Yeah, I know,” Stella nods. “Mommy tells me that every day.”

Natasha nods, her lips pulling into a smile.

Her fingers curl into the hem of her shirt and Natasha leans forward.

She closes her eyes, trying to hold onto the moment for just a little longer.

“It’s almost my birthday and then I’m going to be three,” Stella reminds her. “So big. Right? I’m even taller right now.”

Natasha nods, opening her eyes, watching the way her daughter wiggles and moves, showing her height.

Stella stops moving, her eyes widening.

Natasha blinks back tears but doesn't look away.

“Mommy says I need a haircut soon,” Stella grips tendrils of brown hair before dropping her hand. “I want my hair to be like Rapunzel.”

Natasha lets out a watery laugh.

Her daughter was so beautiful and innocent.

Natasha presses her face against the top of Stella's head, the scent of her strawberry shampoo filling her nose.

“Mama, did you see my baby brother? He was sick yesterday but Mommy takes good care of him,” Stella reminds her.

“Your Mommy always takes good care of you both,” Natasha says. Stella simply chuckles. She agrees.

“Can we go eat breakfast now?” Stella asks her.

Natasha lets out a breathless chuckle, shaking her head at her daughter.

Natasha sets Stella on her hip, standing slowly from the rocking chair.

She carries her down the hallway towards the kitchen. They could eat breakfast together.

next part

[pyro-madder]

it then proceeded to be a massive letdown

it's only wednesday and i have to act normal for the rest of the week despite living in a timeline where endless ocean 3 exists

[froggibus]

Could I request some soft nsfw with Reyes during his Blackwatch era? Like he and his gn s/o (who’s maybe in Ow or Bw, choose whatever <3) just decide to take it slow and soft after a day of missions and work?

(Love your Reaper fics and your work in general 😞🫶)

Morning Glory - Gabriel Reyes

Pairing: Gabriel Reyes x reader (no pronouns are used but reader has a pussy)

Genre: smut/nsfw

Word Count: 1.1k

Summary: your husband has no problem being late to work if he can bask in your morning glory just a little while longer

CW: established relationship (married), finger sucking, morning sex, unprotected sex, creampie, slight dom/sub vibes, just some wholesome sex I swear, only the teeniest tiniest bit of plot

hey!! thanks so much for this request 💓 ive been really soft for Reyes lately so I had a lot of fun writing this ^^ I did change it a tiny bit to fit better, I hope that’s okay & you still enjoy it!! hope you’re having a wonderful day hun

Gabriel laces his fingers through yours, flattening his palms and forcing your hands further into the mattress. His brown eyes are near black, pupils bloated with lust. The golden sun from the window behind him pools on the back of his head, looking like a halo in your early morning fog.

“How’re you feeling, angel?” 

You whimper when his hips snap against yours again, the head of his cock brushing your cervix. That burning, searing knot inside of you only grows. You tighten your own grip, curling your nails into the skin on the backs of his rough hands. 

He slows down, his dick painfully still inside of you. “Y/n,” he says in that same tone you’ve seen him use with his agents. “Use your words.”

“G—good.” 

He smiles and rewards you with a kiss, pushing forward until his cock bottoms out inside of you. His hips roll into yours, the hard skin of his toned stomach brushing against the bare skin of yours. Your pussy flutters in response.

You sneak a glance at the alarm clock on your nightstand, the green LEDs reading dangerously close to the time you have to be at work. You squirm beneath your husband but the attempt is futile.

He kisses you once more, love and passion and the aftertaste of his protein shake flooding your mouth. The stubble on his face tickles yours, a grateful distraction from the assault on your pussy. 

“Where’re you trying to go, hm?”

You bite your lip and blink at him through tears after a particularly deep thrust, as if he’s trying to emphasise his words with every motion. “We’re gonna be late for work,” you say. “I didn’t realize it was so late, we need to get ready—”

Gabriel pulls all the way out of you before slamming back in, your whole body quivering from the sudden intensity. You cry out, eyes and hands clenching shut. You’re only vaguely aware of him laughing above you in the aftershocks of your pleasure. 

He releases your left hand, trailing his down to cup at your cheek. You flex your fingers awkwardly, the muscles stiff from the bruising grip he’s had on you all morning. He taps your face gently, prompting you to open your eyes.

“Work, work,” he taunts. His thrusts are slow once more, shallow and teasing as his cock barely dips into your heat. “I’ve been working all damn week. I can be late just once.”

He captures your lips in a ravenous kiss, teeth gnawing at your bottom lip until you submit and open wide for him. His tongue swirls around your mouth, tangling against yours, running along the backs of your teeth, feeling every part of you. 

His other hand tightens against yours with another roll of his hips. His mouth is steady on yours while he rocks back into you, building up to a steady pace that finally starts to relieve the pressure you’ve felt all morning. Every movement of his cock, every forward motion, has your walls stretching apart, splitting open against his width in a way that has your eyes rolling back.

He pulls away from you, a string of spit connecting your lips until it splits in the centre and coats your lips. He flashes you a lusty smile, running his thumb across your swollen mouth to smear it even more. He loves you like this—all desperate and messy and whiny beneath him in the morning light.

You tilt your head to look at the alarm clock once more but he fucks into you harshly, his thrusts increasing to a pace that even he struggles to keep track of. His hand grips your chin tightly, forcing you to look at him.

“Eyes off the clock, angel.” His tone is kind but there’s a new desperation behind it, something telling you to just submit and let him use you. 

You open your mouth to protest but he slips his thumb inside, running it over the ridges of your tongue. On reflex, you close your mouth and start sucking on it, circling your tongue around it the same way you did to his cock earlier this morning.

Gabriel smirks at you, as if remembering the same thing. His other hand finally releases yours—your fingers almost numb—and grabs your waist. He uses his grip as leverage to fuck into you deeper, faster. His fingers prod into your skin and drag you to him with every thrust, meeting him halfway every time.

His thrusts are so intense that you have no choice but to close your eyes, that unbearable heat in the base of your stomach threatening to explode at any second. Your toes curl into themselves at an especially harsh thrust, stinging waves of pleasure racing up your spine until you feel dizzy.

You cry out for him, your still sore fingers lacing through the dark strands of his hair and tugging hard. He pulls his thumb out of your mouth with a pop, cleaning it off in his own mouth before placing it on your waist to mirror his other hand. 

“Fuck, I missed you.” He babbles, “feel like I haven’t gotten to fuck you in forever, baby. Missed this pussy.”

You nod along with his words, but through the intense thrum of pleasure filling your ears, you hardly hear what he’s saying. You tighten your grip and arch your back, trying to angle him deeper. Gabriel follows your motion, pressing a firm hand down on your stomach, palming his cock through your skin.

He grunts at the feeling, only spurring himself further until he’s pistoning in and out of you, your walls fluttering around him in warning. Heat washes over your entire body, sweat starting to slick your temples. He presses soft kisses to your lips, grinding himself so deep into you that it almost hurts, and then your orgasm washes through you.

You clench, every muscle in your body tightening as pleasure takes over completely. Your pussy squeezes his cock, stilling his movements and sending him over the edge with you. Hot ropes of cum flood your pussy, Gabriel grabbing your face tightly and kissing you with all the desperation in the world.

You pant into the kiss, finally relaxing and letting your body drop into the mattress. Your ears ring and blackspots dance across your vision, but the feeling of your husband’s cock filling you up, his rough lips on yours, are incomparable.

Gabriel is sweating by the time he’s sliding out of you, the gushing combination of your slick and his cum running out of your pussy and staining the sheets. You look at it with a frown—you’ll have to wash those later.

He rolls off of you and glances at your alarm clock. “Wow,” he says, voice hoarse. “We’re gonna be really late for work.”

You fix him with a glare. “No kidding.”

He smiles sheepishly, though you know better than anyone he has no regrets. None whatsoever.

masterlist | overwatch masterlist

thank you so much for reading ^^ every like, comment & reblog is so appreciated ♥

[ciaomarie]

The Bear S3 Thoughts/Feelings at 4am

Warning: So much hateration below. I'm disappointed overall. It's gorgeously shot and the acting is still top tier from the main cast, but OOF.

See below the cut

I want to say this first. Napkins, Tina's episode, was lovely. Okay, moving forward...

The first couple episodes started off so strong and then….what was this?!?I LOVED THE FIRST EPISODE SO MUCH. Episode 2 was pretty good, but soon the energy was off, it was painfully slow in some places, THE FAKS ARE NOT FUNNY, Claire "haunted" the whole season and it wasn't even her fault. Most of the "comedy" came from those Fak morons, instead of our LEADS, like Richie for example. It got so bad, I faced an existential crisis during "Ice Chips." I literally started thinking, "It's just a show. It doesn't matter." Seriously, I have real life problems and this show is not only, not an escape right now, but who cares?!?!

Anyways, Donna and Nat acted their butts off, but Ep 8 was too long when we needed more development from the others. And where was Carmy during the delivery?!!? And finally Sydcarmy, FINE, if they want to go the platonic route, after placing her at the literal center of his relationship all S2, but it felt like their soul connection was severed now. They teased us so bad at the end of Ep 1, gave us a trickle in the ep 2-3, and then...nothing, unless you count Syd's panic attack. My heart dropped when she wasn't the first to notice how messed up Carmy was at the Ever dinner. Plus, he's hasn't picked up on her inner turmoil for weeks!!!!! Aren't these two supposed to be close friends with a shared passion according to Chris, Joana, Ayo, Jeremy, and the Anti-BW/WM Brigade on Reddit? I doubt I'll be staying up until 4am to binge S4 next year.

Did Chris and Joana let the acclaim get to their heads and they fell off? Matty (Neil Fak) is a producer, but is he blackmailing them to be in 9/10 episodes?? John Cena's cameo felt like it was 4 hours.

Saddest part I have to go back to. I guess the cast really wasn't lying about Sydcarmy for S3. Basically, Syd and Carmy barely know each other anymore. I HATE IT HERE. Looking forward to other more positive takes on the season and Sydcarmy.

[neon--glitch]

I'm so incredibly normal about Anthea and Concordia. Just like N they're orphans taken in by Ghetsis, and seemingly all they do within team plasma is care for N. In other languages they each have the title of 'goddess' or 'muse'. When you speak to them in Black and White they're both aware of the ways Ghetsis manipulated N, yet they did nothing - did they have any other options? Could they only watch? In both games they only ever speak about N. Concordia says that she doesn't "understand N's pure and innocent feelings", but she wants him to be happy and find his own goals. They have so much potential!!! Did they stay with the members of Team Plasma who still follow N because they wanted to, or because they had nowhere else to go? They've barely changed over the two years between BW and B2W2, swapping their more goddess-like outfits for more practical but just as feminine ones. Do they stay like this they want to, or because just as N was raised to be a king, they were raised to be caring, motherly 'goddesses'?

[doubleddenden]

Onto gen 7- an underrated cast of characters and gen imo. I feel like people just hate on this because of lack of gyms and more text- even though the island challenge is the best breath of fresh air we've had in years. The story is really good and the characters have so much depth- they walked so the SV cast could run and the SwSh cast could trip, cry, and pee a little

Let's start with Elio, our boy for Sun and Moon. Vanilla wise he is about as generic as you can get, looking pretty much any little boy on vacation, minus the pants- I have literally never seen pants like that in my life. They look like they'd fall down a lot. He's so generic, but thankfully there's a pretty decent character customization option- a little less than xy in some regards, but you CAN remove the hat, so that's a plus.

The sun and moon/ultra protags are confirmed to look about 11- I've seen some funny people get creative with Wicke and say "actually miss I'm in college," which is pretty fitting for the time period of release for the majority of players. This a simple callback to RBY, but I will say it's kinda sad that they took that little ambiguity away and makes it a bit harder to project yourself onto the character. Not impossible, mind you, but you gotta try a little harder vs XY or BW, especially with regular Elio here. 6/10, barely tries.

Meanwhile, his Ultra variant gets a massive improvement all around. You're still said to be around 11, but the right art can make him seem older

Like this INCREDIBLE piece done to show off Ultra Megalopolis. Elio looks anywhere between early to late teens here.

But enough about that- the in game customization doesn't see too many additions, but enough to be different. Vanilla wise, Elio looks so much more unique and fun to play as on his own. The pants and tights definitely look a bit like Nate's (and also are one of a kind last i remember, unfortunately), but Nate is a terrible design, so it's fine. The bucket hat i didn't initially get, but now that I'm older and losing hair, I've been wearing one myself, and I think it is pretty neat now. This actually looks a bit how I'd dress in the summer, and I think that's pretty great all around. 9/10 design, massive improvement on vanilla

Chicken-Chan, or Selene as people call her these days- which I think is bad right after Serena- is a hit or miss depending on your audience. I'll say, minus the hat, this design is similar to Hilda in that this is an outfit I've seen women wear often in the summer around where I grew up. The baggy shirt is really comfy looking, covers a lot while allowing a nice breeze to keep you cool. The bag- as it turns out- is supposed to be a watermelon slice, changed to avoid racial stereotyping when selected as someone with darker skin. That's kind of sad, I mean I get why, but it would have been a fun thing to have in an ideal world. As it is, it's fine. The colors definitely feel more inspired compared to Elio, very tropical and summery, looking even more like a tourist on vacation.

The design definitely reads as younger than the last few FemCs, and this is sort of the point where Game Freak really starts making the girls especially look younger and younger each gen (except Akari of course). That's not necessarily bad on its own and for those not online or aware of the skeevier side of the internet, just leads to some unfortunate "art" that gets shown everywhere that maybe wouldn't have been nearly as creepy if they left them as ambiguously aged blank slates like usual.

Weird rant aside, I think Selene is a fine enough design, and in my Moon playthrough, I had plenty of outfits to choose from- definitely more of a defined binary compared to XY, imo, but still plenty to work with. 8/10, cute, but I hate the hat

Selene's ultra variant imo is just another improvement, ditching that awful chicken hat and taking a nice sun hat instead. This is definitely something I can see worn on vacation, and the colors of a mostly orange and white just look so good- makes me think of a refreshing glass of fruit juice. The braids are also really cute, and the sandals are more or less what I think Shauna should've had instead. It's such peak tourist, I love it. 9/10, cutie, love the hat

Of course, we got Hau now, the first standalone friendly "chooses the weaker starter" rival that kind of... becomes another pattern. Actually, a lot of Gen 7 becomes a pattern for future games, including hoodlum teams with a white collar real bad guy using science for their own selfish goals, bigger pokemon than average, angrier pokemon than average, the rivals having a chip on their shoulder or being in someone's shadow, etc etc etc. That's another rant on its own.

Hau is fine, not really my favorite rival, but I do think he tries harder than people give him credit for. In SM, I especially like that he kind of has an unrequited crush on Lillie, and that drove him to be a little braver and do a couple of bigger things beyond his pay grade- it's weirdly relatable, especially the heartbreak when she leaves. Otherwise he's a chill dude, kind of unrealistic in how happy he always is, but honestly he's a peak buddy I could see myself being friends with as a kid. He's strong- maybe not scary like Blue or Silver, but you do need to actually lock in for a few fights if you aren't overleveled. Not my favorite rival, like 7 on that front, but as a friend? That's an 8.

As a design, I think it's a good one. Definitely not threatening, super safe and chill looking, even when serious. I guess that's why some people dislike him as a rival, along with his pretty laid-back and cheery personality, but as a buddy, he looks pretty zen. I'd definitely wear his fit, it's so comfy looking and perfect for the summer, minus the not-crocs. I think I'd just make those black or brown sandals instead. Colors are a nice and warm tropical feel, definitely someone who enjoys the sunlight and radiates joy like it, too. The hair, I think, should just be black, but that's not really a crime to have green hair that dark- in fact it's so minor, I forget often that it's that color. Idk man, I don't get the hate. 9/10 buddy design- as a rival, sure, maybe that's a 6 on design, but a 9 on design alone. I'd definitely want a rival that looks like they would stab me, though.

HEY, a rival that looks like he could stab me! Gladion is a very complex and edgy looking character at first glance... and second when he starts doing chuuni shit mid battle... and third when he tells you to get out of his hotel room and fourth when- you get it. But, underneath all of that, he's a guy that clearly wants to do good- he looks like he'd stab you, but a lot of the Pokemon he has on his team- both in game and anime- rely on friendship to evolve. Lucario, Crobat, especially his Silvally. You could even argue his Porygon Z is a mark of his character- not super integral to his team until the title bout, but it is the only pokemon that needs to be traded TWICE to evolve, which alone says that he's a trusting and trustworthy individual. To top it off, in the Ultra games, he even gets a (ugh) Kanto starter, which would imply that Prof Oak maybe met him and gave him one, and we know Oak is a decent judge of character.

The complexity doesn't stop there- he's mean and intimidating as a defense mechanism, out of necessity after stealing Type: Null from horrific experiments and running away from the Aether Foundation. In fact, the anime, Masters, and Ultra games really do their damn best to try and make you forget that Gladion and his sister are survivors of child abuse. Gladion especially struggles a bit with the thought that he abandoned his little sister. He knows his mother is crazy and dangerous, and yet he goes in guns blazing to rescue Nebby abd Lillie, and also is more than willing to lead the Aether Foundation in Lusamine's absence. He doesn't smile often, but it feels like a reward, knowing all the pain he's gone through for the sake of something bigger than himself.

His design even exemplifies that- the tears in his clothes are supposedly from Type: Null going out of controll and attacking him once, which he's clearly developed some sewinh skills to make look part of the vibe, as if on purpose to push others away and make people worry less about him. As a character and design, I'd give it a 9/10.

As a rival, I feel like we battle just enough to get there right at the end, but I will say that I think he should have appeared and battled more often. 7/10 on that front, because he's less of a rival and more like someone testing us constantly- which being fair, I see why.

I know what you're thinking. "Lillie isn't a rival! What's she doing here?" Well, I think any fan of gen 7 will tell you that she is just as integral to the story as you are, and thus I'd say that makes her a secondary Main Character alongside you. Plus, it'd feel weird not to include her, she's the fries to the bacon cheeseburger of the rest of the cast, and arguably the soul of the story.

Her character arc is definitely more impressive in SM than Ultra- a fellow survivor of abuse that actually wears a symbol of it: her first outfit is heavily based on Nihilego, who we know Lusamine has a very unhealthy obsession with. She's less like a little girl and more like a doll made to dress a part she didn't want. Still, her bravery is off the charts- stealing Nebby without a single other Pokemon to help her is very, very brave, especially considering she was in the heart of enemy territory.

It isn't really until she's brave enough to stand up to her own mother that she finally decides to try something new. "Z POWER" Lilly looks so much more confident and sure of herself. She's still in white with hues of baby blue, but that's her choice, and sort of paints her as a protagonist that's a blank canvas- her future finally being her own to decide. She has no Pokemon (other than Nebby and later a Clefairy), but she's still brave enough to jump into ultra space to try and rescue her mother AND tell her off. She didn't have to forgive her for anything, but she does acknowledge that her mother was under the poisonous influences of Nihilego and opts to travel and find a way to save her. Her decision to go to (ugh) Kanto on her own is such a massive step for her, and her maturity to leave Nebby in our care is something that actually made me cry the first go around.

...then ultra sm kinda... undid a lot of that, lol. Lusamine isn't regretful for a single thing she did, but gets to continue like nothing happened. It makes some sense as to why Lillie decides to just keep living with Kukui lol.

Anyways, her design is part of her story, and her story is very deep and engaging. 9/10.

Next up... oh God it's Galar again

[chogiwow]

member: professor! jake x uni student, gn!reader

warnings: slight age gap bw jake and reader, hinted suggestive themes

wc: 0.7k+

a/n: one word: hands. i love hands :'>

the sleeves of jake's shirt are folded right up to his elbows, your eyes finding it following its movement.

you were barely paying attention to what your friend was saying, quite blatantly staring at your professor, who stood a ways apart, leaning over a book that another girl was brandishing under his nose and pushing his wire framed glasses up his nose in concentration; no doubt she was smitten by the hot professor and you wouldn't blame her for it.

taking the pen from his student, he starts writing something down on the page and you're more than aware of the veins in his hands that stand out. lately that has been the only thing that you've been raptured about, especially since jake has almost never buttoned up his sleeves entirely, choosing to roll them up till his elbow.

it gives you a nice sight of his veiny hands and his attractive fingers, holding a chalk or marker or flipping a page of a book, and it's very attractive.

jake himself is attractive for that matter. you've almost never seen him in a shirt that is anything but white in colour, black pants, polished shoes and neatly cut brown hair. his choice of the material of his clothes though...interesting.

you hold this to the account of the singular time you had seen some of your batchmates pleading with him to join a game of basketball. while him on the court itself, dribbling a ball while unbuttoning yet another button had been quite a sight to behold, you don't think it was anywhere close to what your eyes had feasted upon the very next period.

his shirt, obviously moist with sweat due to his previous endeavours, had somewhat of a sheer quality to it which made it almost impossible for you to look away from his broad shoulders when the cloth insisted on sticking to his naked back and he'd have to ever so often shake the front of his shirt because he was too hot.

you hum absentmindedly at something your friend says, eyes still trained on the professor you've spent too many weeks fantasizing about when the man in question looks up and catches your eyes.

you somehow don't feel the need to look away, holding his gaze and responding to his smile with one of your own tight lipped one. eventually he has to attend to the student who looked like she was stalling him at this point and you chuckle at the sight. this catches his attention and he spares you a glance for a split second, slightly raising his eyebrow before getting engaged yet again.

he talks to his student patiently, answering her questions and indulging in something she says because you see him laugh and scratch his head, bashfully pushing up his glasses even though he didn't need to, as if he were embarrassed of something and was merely trying to keep his hands occupied.

you keep looking at them even though jake no longer has his attention on you – well, not physically no, but mentally he's wondering about your amusement – and it seems like your patience was finally paying off.

jake's little questionnaire ends and he finally looks up at you. your friend has long abandoned trying to engage you in her conversation, taking to scrolling through her phone in listless amusement and this lets you direct your undivided attention to your professor.

he walks over to where you were, slowly and purposefully, smiling and nodding at a few students who greeted him. an apprehensive excitement bubbles in your stomach, your fingers twitching as he approaches you and your oblivious friend.

almost as if he were teasing you, jake buried one hand in his pocket, holding the books in the other, his stride never ceasing to be any less alluring than his usual charismatic aura, only heightening in the way it almost turned heads his way.

it's a split second of contact you have, a whiff of a scent you don't recognise, nor having time to register given that it only lingers for less than a second and the sensuous way his shirt grazes your arm like a playful touch. it doesn't even last that long, this moment, but it does remain in your mind for a long time.

you're almost certain you hear him chuckle. you wouldn't know, you didn't turn back. and you also didn't know that jake had to turn right back after you left, for he had taken a detour just to walk past you.

[urapunk]

headcanons on all nerds if a girl flirted with them

Ive been putting this off. sorry i admit it guys ive been ignoring you 😔😔 also lmk if i forget one of the nerds,,,

(also hey i just finished the end of this and realized you said flirting anon. not crushes, but flirting. can you send in another ask and ill make that one too im sorrh foe the mistake. pls dont be mad😔😔)

Melvin first. Cause hes my baby guys. But melvin is a sweetie pie, he's a nerd, but really only because he plays gng. Hes just dorky with it though, speaking with the 'hello fair lady/lad' type of style. He totally gets flustered and nervous when it comes to real talk

Bucky,,, i guess,,,,, i like to think bucky has ocd guys. The two watches are do hes completely sure what time it is(off topic😔)

Bucky wouldnt realize. He wouldnt. Hes too focused on what needs to be fixed or changed and refixed, but when you tell him how you feel he juet stares. he's never heard that one before.

Thad...... I dont r3ally examine thad. You can correct me on this one but he strikes me as someone whos narcissistic but i could bw totally wrong. But, when he notices the signs of someone having a crush on him hes overjoyed. Someone loves HIM! as they should. he might love you back but not nearly as much, he sees your love as more of a compliment.

idk donald. i simply cannot care for him. sorry folks ill write another later

Cornelius,,,, my boy... Hes a sweetie. A total ootie tootie whos a littlw smipnippy. binper🫶 he likes to make cute little poems to try and fluster you when he starts noticing it, and it feels like even when you begin to like eachother it still feels like a friendship, just much more intensified and sweet. The honeymoon stage lasts forever. hes a dork but in the sense he attracts like a magnet.

Fatty.... Uhm........ Fatty wouldnt really know what to do. He doesnt know what to do with crushes because he dowsnt get them nor feel them, hes just kinda livin man. He appreciates it though, and thinks its sweet sorta.

Earnest. He'd look at you and screech.

Earnest is gated when ir comes to crushes. Ymif you're a woman he'll call you plastic and if youre a man he'll call you gay. Through hes kinda gay himself. A bisexual homophobe. He starts to appreciate it after a while, liking the notes and all that you may or may not give him. He sends some back but theyre just cute little equations for you to solve.

Algie. A cutie pie but.. A nasty one. Ew, dudee,,,,,

He buys cute little flowers which are usually lilies. He really like lilies guys. He doesnt catch onto your crush first but when he does he gets so so red. Hes the same color as an old angry white man

Beatrice,,, ehehe

Beatrice would be the one crushing first, scribbling messy hearts on lockers and giving you test answers. Shes so sweet but so hard to catch on to, because she barely knows how she feels herself. She write you little corny poetries.

[jtavington]

And now for a scalding hot SWTOR take:

I don't see IA/Lana.

(Want to preface this by saying that what got me to try SWTOR was someone who didn't even like Lana telling me I should romance her. That's how much my type she is. So this is from an IC point of view from somebody who always romances Lana)

Lana is the closest we will ever get to a genuinely heroic Sith, but she's still a Sith. She sacrifices people she considers expendable and submits them to torture even when the necessity is dubious. She wants you to use the holocron against Valkorian which is super sensible but does involve the spirit staying enslaved. She gets promoted to head of Intelligence over you even though she has trouble reading people. For someone who has has their agency taken away like Cipher Nine has she feels like someone they'd eventually learn to respect after she frees them from carbonite not a love interest.

And yeah making the hot take partly because I'd like to change that. IA was my first class and I consider it the finest BW RPG since the original KOTOR. My Impside preference for Lana was a BH I created but 1)"Fascinated by Force artifacts and not caring about honor" are only barely possible to RP and 2)Bisexual and Torian is a catch. Got a JC who fits the romance like a glove, but Impside Forged and Fractured Alliance have some of the best romance bits.

[mjonthetrack]

bw 14

tw- mentions of sexual assault, torture, kidnapping, etc.

“Please I don’t know what happened but I promise I won’t tell nobody!” Zarina screamed out her throat raw from screaming and crying pleading with the three masked figures who stood in front of her. The taller one threw a rope around her neck tightening the woman went hysterical crying loudly begging God to spare her. Zarina felt bile reach her throat as she threw up when the men unmasked themselves, they were some of the towns proud boy cops, the deputies rookies. Zarina froze, she began thrashing harder,”I don’t know nothing, let me the fuck go!” The one man laughed gripping her chin as he barked out for the other one to hit record. He tossed the rope around a branch only barely leveraging the screaming woman.

The other male laughed loudly putting his mask on he wandered over putting a stool under her feet,”be a good black cunt and tell the people what’s wrong.” Zarina’s legs shook knowing what would happen if the stool went away she cried out pathetically, the man wound his arm back sending her head snapping to the side from the slap,”shut that crying shit up bitch!” Zarina stared defiantly at the man, she knew would die here in these woods alone, she decided she wouldn’t go out weak. Zarina turned her head back ignoring the stinging of her lip and bruised cheek, spitting blood at his face. The man growled out landing a swift kick to her ribs that she had to take whilst keeping her feet planted,”I’m not scared of any of you, where’s your uniform if you’re so fucking brave you pussy ass crackers!”

The other male came moving the one who hit her,”you’re doing it all wrong, she won’t learn her lesson that way,” the angry man moved to stand by the one recording. The huskier one who reeked of alcohol and chewing tobacco grinned roughly squeezing her jaw smushing her face,”my grandpa used to tell me your kind were the best to take, so lippy and loud when they were put in their place.” Zarina clenched her jaw clamping her mouth shut she defiantly tilted her chin up in defiance,she kept her eyes on the camera, refusing to satisfy the sick fucks. Whoever would see her last moments would know she went bravely and never bent to the white demons. She couldn’t stop the tears from spilling when his dirty hands ripped at her shirt exposing the bra she had on.

“You dirty bitch, what would some ghetto girl like you have such a nice skin, I wonder how many of them gangsters gang bang you for needles and smoke in that hood you all crawl around in,” the man spit at her as he tied her hands behind her bounding her arms and waist to the tree as her neck was still bound by a rope.

The man holding the camera laughed loudly hollering,”hey put that gasoline on her dirt skin, I wonder if they burn the same way.” Zarina cried out thrashing against the tree whilst the man gagged her. The man who was angered earlier stalked over slapping her harshly turned on by the tears she spilled and the blood that flew from her mouth. “I wonder how much you bleed, they say you all have a higher pain tolerance,let’s see if you feel the same as the real women.” He had cut the woman’s bra off, the camera man came close recording the woman being stripped down. Zarina felt light headed from the drugs he’d used in the cloth, she struggled flailing against the man’s touch.

When she tried to kick at him he tsked,”uh uh bitch play nice and we may just go easy on you!” His laughter was demonic, the group were enjoying the torture they put her through. The camera man complained wanting a turn, he switched places with one of the others then went up. He roughly squeezed her breast, when she head butted him he growled biting down on the skin above her right breast making her scream. The man pulled his dick out from his pants making the woman cry out in hysterics again, he groaned,”that’s right bitch cry out for your ancestors.” The man finished cumming onto her stomach smirring it over her body, the others cussed following through similarly defiling her, the taller one going as far as forcing his hands in between her legs. It was only when their radio went off on a truck they groaned cussing, reporting back they were out on a parole and would be on their way. The chubby one who smelled bad grinned tossing alcohol all over her as they’d saved the recording backing away and leaving the woman weakly trying to stand on the stool.

Zarina couldn’t help but feel defeated, her legs were wobbly and she couldn’t cry anymore. The woman watched them speed away and left her like trash hanging by the mercy of the stool, degraded and alone in the woods, naked. She lowered her head trying to free herself but it was no use, giving up she slumped forward her legs gave out. The woman began praying for God to give her a merciful death, as her vision went black.

—————————-

Jimmy was pacing in the house,”nah she knows, I can tell she was too defensive, look how she fucking left Uce!,fuck she ain’t never gonna talk to me again!” Zilla was equally as concerned but for a different reason it had been four hours since the woman dipped out and the group was trying to figure out what to do. Jacob rubbed his beard,”you two closer to her we will hold it down go catch up with Za at her mamas place.” The two cousins nodded at the older men who were calm despite being found out. Jimmy growled in frustration storming out the house, it was all crumbling apart and he was just getting to knock her walls down. He just got her back in his life and he probably fucked it all up now, he saw Zay rushing into his side of the truck mumbling,”we shoulda been followed her ass, she shouldn’t be down there alone.”

The pair made their way to the restaurant sighing in relief seeing her car still parked in the parking lot. Zilla hopped out nervously rubbing the back of his neck,”what the fuck we gone say, we sorry?!” Jimmy was already rushing down the sidewalk then calmly shoved the front door open. “Z! Yo! Come on out we gotta talk!” he noted the tv was on and figured she was in the kitchen. He jogged to the kitchen not seeing her he called out again,Zay had knocked on the bathroom door when no answer he banged on it,”cmon Zari let’s talk about it we aren’t gonna hurt you, let us explain!” When the man received silence seeing Jimmy shake his head at the kitchen he kicked the door open doing the same with all the stalls seeing them empty.

Jimmy cussed out not seeing her in the men’s bathroom or the janitor’s closet, he jogged to the back door to see if she went out back, when he came up blank his head whipped when he heard Zilla yell. He ran, bursting through the back door, he saw Zilla crouched down to the floor his hands through his hair as there was a video recorder, and splatter of blood on her notepad as well as smeared blood on the dessert case. Jimmy shook his head his brows furrowing, “nah uce,” he laughed out in disbelief, he felt a ringing in his ears. He sat down on the nearest chair pressing play. Zilla flinched hearing the woman’s screams, his blood running icy as guilt overtook his system to what happened to his family.

Jimmy couldn’t ignore the ringing in his ears, he couldn’t pry his eyes from the small screen, angry tears fell from his face,”Nah uce! Nah!” He yelled throwing the video recorder it smashed against the wall when he’d seen them assaulting her and the ropes. He could only see red, his vision was blurring as the ringing in his ears increased. Zay’s hands shook as he updated the cousins as well as the others, “we got to find her, she got to be close!” he choked out past his own tears having seen the last bits of the video before Jimmy threw the recorder. “What fucking way Uce! Tell me! Because all we got is fucking blood and a tape, they probably kil-,” he choked out shaking his head dropping down to his knees,”Uce- I can’t! She’s my purpose! I can’t fucking lose her! I don’t give a fuck what happens to me, she has to be okay!” Zilla feeling an anxiety attack coming something he dealt with privately in the cells rubbed his chest, the images of her in his head made him feel light headed he was a useless ass friend, she trusted him with all of this and he couldn’t even help her.

Zilla saw how his cousin was self destructing, he saw him grasp a glock from behind the counter something he’d put there for protection. Zilla rushed grasping Jimmy’s shoulder,”they want you to go out in a blaze Uce! Don’t let them win, we gone get them Uce! We gone avenge her I swear to God!” Jimmy laughed out with a crazed expression rubbing the barrel of the glock against his temple losing it,”if she shows up dead I’m going to kill every last cracker in this fucking town,on my momma, I’ll paint this fucking city red.”

——————————

Two hours had turned by and the two were now joined by Jacob, Jey, Roman, Sefa, Solofa and Talisua and De’arra. Chloe was at the house in case she showed back up. The group was covering the woods even when it grew darker they were spread out trying to find the woman. Jimmy was hellbent sprinting around screaming for the woman he loved, he didn’t have the mental capacity to deal with that realization. He was beginning to feel hopeless his heart sunk with every single step he took and the radio silence from the others. The women were besides themselves trying to keep brave faces but hearing what Zay could manage to explain to them all through his panic attack was enough to shake even Roman and Jacob who never saw the younger man lose his composure.

“Baby just call out!,” Jimmy screamed out desperately feeling bile rise he threw up as the images of her hanging or dead after potentially being raped and all alone made him empty his stomach for the third time. He had hot tears blinding his eyes,”Baby please!” He called out his voice cracking as his legs gave out, Jey caught him worriedly,”Uce! yo Uce!” Jimmy looked at his younger twin in desperation,”fuck I can’t lose her-,” he choked out a sob. Jey had hot tears fall down his face feeling the pain coming from his twin, he tried to keep a strong expression forcing his brother to his feet.”Cmon Jon, she’s out here and she needs you! let’s get her okay!” Jimmy was growing weak in his legs from the dread in his system.

”YOOO!” Roman’s loud voice boomed echoing in the distance, somehow the older twin found a new sense of drive flying in the direction of his cousins yell with his twin. The two arrived along with the others who’d sprinted hearing the man’s voice. They saw the tall male crouched down grabbing something he had an expression like he’d seen a ghost. Zilla looked away seeing the lace bra with no trace of its owner, he moved away throwing up, imagining the worst now crying without shame, Jacob having to support him even the seasoned og looked scared.

Talisua clung to her husband crying now as De’arra crumpled screaming out, Sefa catching her as he had his own look of distraught for the woman who was always a kind sister to him. Jey felt a new sense of dread flood his system he couldn’t even look his twin in the face, who was frozen in place. Something in Jimmy snapped, he started laughing hysterically, he snatched the bra and began shaking violently, he let out a loud scream of anger, it ripped through the forest causing birds to fly off.

Zilla who had wiped his mouth feeling dizzy nearly lost his balance leaning against Jacob who tried to avoid looking at Jimmy never hearing that level of anguish from any man,from the streets or not. Zilla squinted his eyes, he pushed himself off Jacob rushing forward, he crouched down feeling impressions on the muddy ground,”fuck!” he cried out in hope. Jimmy shoved away from his twin stumbling in the direction of his cousin,”Zay?” The shorter male laughed out tears in his eyes,”Uce, footprints, work boots.” That’s all Jimmy needed taking off in the direction of the footprints with Zay trailing him. Neither filling the group in a new sense of desperation hit their systems fueling their stamina.

Jimmy started back,”Baby! Cmon let us know where you are!” he yelled, he out ran Izayah by a few yards thanking his time in football. Jimmy thought he could see something in the distance and he sprinted, closing in he saw the outline of a slumped figure and ropes,”Zarina!Fuck!” He felt his heart plummet at the sight of her, he fell by her feet,”I’m so sorry!” He cried out by her feet delirious at the sight in front of him. Zilla cussed out seeing the horror in front of him, he rushed forward trying to cut the ropes struggling.

Jimmy felt a panic attack coming on as he forced himself to his feet, he pressed his hand to her face which was cold,”baby cmon it’s okay!” he cried out his large hands shook as he forced the rope from around her neck at the same time as Zilla worked the ones from her hands and waist sending her slumping forward. Jimmy caught her in his strong arms, he landed on his ass, he placed his head near her chest, his heart racing when he didn’t hear a pulse,”baby please don’t! please don’t do this!” He began to lose it, Zay had to pull her away from him as he had started hyperventilating, he could hear the others catching up, but he was already starting cpr, aiding with mouth to mouth as Jimmy was rocking back and forth his eyes were glazed over in denial.

[freddiemercurylegendabovelegends]

Today, on September 2nd, 1985

Freddie Mercury released ‘Living On My Own’ bw ‘Love Is Dangerous’ (4th solo single), taken from 'Mr. Bad Guy', first solo album 1985

🔸Freddie Mercury: Well, that is ‘Living on my own’. Yes, that’s like… Basically if you listen to ‘Living on my own’ that is very me, it’s living on my own but having fun. There’s a bit in the middle where I do my scat singing and I’m just going… When you think about somebody like me, I mean my life-style, I mean I have to sort of go around the world and live in hotels and that can be very lonely but then… I look upon it and I don’t want people to say ‘Oh…’ you know, I just say that’s my life, it can be a very lonely life, but I mean I chose it and so, that song, it’s not dealing with people who are living on their own in sort of basement flats, or things like that. It’s my living on my own, and they are going to say ‘Oh my God, how can he live on his own ?’ But I mean, you can have a whole… a shoal of people you know looking after you, but you can be still living on your own because in the end they all go away and you live, you know, you live in a hotel on your own. And so basically what I’ve got to say is that I’m living on my own but I’m not complaining. I’m just saying I’m living on my own and I’m having a bogey time. Does that make sense, honey ?

Interviewer : It does, yes it does.

Freddie: It’s a different kind of living on my own, but I’m just saying that people in my.. with my success can be lonely and can live on their own as well.

Interviewer : So how do you hold on to real friends ?

Freddie: I don’t, I discard them. I don’t have any real friends. I don’t think I do. People tell me though they’re my friends.

Interviewer : Don’t you believe them ?

Freddie: No, no. Yes and no, I mean, I think what happens is when… I’m not afraid of them, but it is frightening, that’s the difference. Sometimes when they get too close I think they seem to destroy me, I don’t know, may be it’s my nature or whatever. When they get too close they seem to tread all over me, and when I lay myself bare on the floor it just seems to be my downfall. Maybe that’s my role in life and so I don’t… Yea, I’m very skeptical in terms of that. I seem to be at this point in time I think, I seem to be… make fewer and fewer friends, but life goes on…

Interviewer : So do you live for today rather than for the future or…

Freddie: No, I live for tomorrow. Quite different too, fuck today, it’s tomorrow. Oh, that’s nice…

Interviewer : That must have been a controversial remark.

Freddie: Somebody didn’t like what I’ve just said ? !

Interviewer : Shall we carry on ? In view of that, Freddie, surely there comes a time when you want to share your life with someone one day ?

Freddie: Yes, but nobody wants to share their life with me. Yes, I do, of course I do. But I think it’s… not easy living with me and I think at maybe I’m trying too hard you know, something… Of course, I think about that and in one way I think the more mishaps I have the better the songs are going to be, you know. Once I find somebody, I can find a long lasting relationship, bong goes all the research for wonderful songs. At the end I’m sort of you know, I’m sort of living on past mishaps. Well, anyway having said that, I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know what’s in store for me.

Interviewer : So we can take it that your songs reflect the state of your life ?

Freddie: I think so, I think so, yes.

Interviewer : And that’s why on your songs there is always quite a diverse selection of moods, isn’t it ?

Freddie: Yes, it is because that’s my character too, you know. How boring to just be, you know, to have just one side of your character coming across in everything you do, you know, I just gather information… I’m a man of extremes, you know, I sort of change from day to day like a chameleon and each day is different to me and I look forward to that, you know. I don’t want to be the same person everyday and who knows ?, the way this Album has turned out it’s just a whole spectrum of what my life is, to be honest. But I was not ‘made in heaven’. A lightening bolt suddenly goes ‘crack.

Interviewer : You talk a lot about love on the Album.

Freddie: Yes, I know, I don’t know why.

Interviewer : It obviously means a lot to you.

Freddie: I’m possessed by love, isn’t everybody though ?

Interviewer : Yes, I suppose they are. Deep down there in spite of the tough fade you put on, are you a romantic at heart ?

Freddie: Well, I guess so, you know. Well i think, yes I just… I like writing songs about love, because I mean there’s so much scope and also they have so much to do with me and you can talk about your kind of lover. It’s something that maybe I’m striving for. I’m trying to say that I can be somebody’s lover, you know, a good lover, that’s another aspect of me too. I expect something different now, come on

- Freddie Mercury

Extract from interview 1985

👉 In 1993 Freddie Mercury received in memoriam Ivor Novello award for 'Living On My Own'

📸 Pic: September 1985, Henderson Nightclub, Munich, Germany - Peter Straker, Freddie Mercury and Jo Dare on the set of promotional video 'Living On My Own'

👉 Jo Dare (died in 2024) remembers meeting with Freddie Mercury

[blackwolfstabs]

BWS MINDTOBER 2024 ▸ Day III

Prompt: Circle

────────                                                                                  GIFs is not mine

October 3rd | "some things change, and some things won't."

“Where’s your mother in all this?”

My mother gets a bad rep. She’s an alcoholic. She’s impulsive. She’s selfish and can be extremely cruel. But she is my mother. And no matter what she’s done, I still love her.

She’s done some hurtful things in the past, some of which I can’t speak of. She’s picked work and her boyfriends over her own daughters. And had it not been for me doing what I wasn’t supposed to at 13, maybe she’d be very different. Maybe she’d be just how she was when Tara and I were convinced we were biological sisters through and through, and I was a gem in her eyes. 

She wasn’t always “bad.” She was a great mother. I remember times when she was the only person I wanted around. That was before Tara was born. And now, we rarely speak.

But there is one thing that she taught me better than anyone. 

I was 5 years old, and like every other kid, when I learned something new, I wanted to learn it on the first try. Like every other kid, when there was a process to follow, I wanted to get through it easily, because challenges were the most annoying thing in the world.

In tears, I stormed into the kitchen, where Mom was making dinner and threw down my untied shoes, which I had originally thrown across my room because I still couldn’t tie them myself after what had felt like forever. 

I shouted at her, “I can’t do it! I want you to do it!”

It was annoying and stupid. Why should I waste so much time trying to do something I can’t get right, if my mom could easily just tie my shoes for me?

Mom laughed and shook her head, “You can do it, Sam. It just takes practice.”

I didn’t want to practice, I wanted to do it and be done with it, but I could barely even get past the first step. So, that’s what I told her, “No! I can’t do it! I don’t know how!” Even though she and Dad had shown me over, and over, and over again.

She nodded, “Yes, you do. Daddy and I showed you many times.” Then, she left the counter to pick up my thrown shoes and knelt down in front of me. “Come on.”

I felt so angry at the time, but despite my whining, I let her put one of my shoes on and I watched her tie it as she explained how to do it for the 100th time. I crossed my arms in defiance, when she expected me to try again.

Then, she told me to go sit at the kitchen table. One shoe on and the other off, I did as she said and sat at the table. She met me there and put a piece of paper in front of me. 

“Here,” she pulled out a drawing compass and placed a pencil in its designated divot. She handed it to me. “I want you to draw a circle using this.” As I took it, she guided my little hand with her own, placing the tip of the compass on the paper. “Hold this here with your other hand, and move the pencil in a circle.”

I didn’t understand what drawing a circle had to do with tying my shoes, but I did it anyway. I remember having to restart a couple times because drawing compasses weren’t exactly equipped for 5-year-old hands. 

“Good!” Mom praised, when I finished, “Look how good that is! A perfect circle.”

Seeing her smile at what I had just done made me smile too. She was right, it was a perfect circle, just like I’d see in the cartoons and on patterned fabrics. It blew my mind at the time, and in the moment, I was ready to jump down from my chair and slap it on the fridge for Dad to admire when he got home.

But Mom had different plans and took the compass, removed the pencil, set the compass aside, and gave me the pencil again. “Now, draw another one.”

“Without that?” I pointed to the discarded tool.

She nodded, “Mm-hmm. Just do your best.”

And so, I did. I drew another circle, free-handed, except it wasn’t smooth or rightfully curved at all. Not like the other one. This new one was rocky and awkward, leaning to the side a little to almost give off an oval appearance. I frowned at it, but Mom praised me again.

“Very good, Sam! You drew another circle!”

I just sat back in the chair, disappointed that I had just messed up my masterpiece with that second addition. “It’s no good,” I sulked.

“Is it a circle?” she asked.

I nodded.

“Then, it doesn’t matter what it looks like,” she assured, “You knew what to do. You knew how to draw a circle, and you did it. So what if it’s not exactly how I showed you with the compass? You still drew it all by yourself, without my help!”

I looked up at her, a little confused by the point she was making. I didn’t have to be confused for long though. 

“Samantha, there are always going to be things that you are going to have to learn how to do. It’s okay to not get it perfect on the first try, or the second, or the third one. Even the millionth, zillionth one,” she’d used such terminology to put my young mind into perspective. “All you have to do is try again. If you do that, you can do anything you want. All by yourself.” 

It was still fuzzy to my ability to understand, but that didn’t stop her from encouraging me.

“Just think, by the time Tara gets to be your age, you’ll be a big girl. You’ll be 8 years-old, and you’ll be able to tie your shoes without even thinking about it. Then, you can teach her.”

Tara was only a year at the time. She had so many things to experience, and I would be there to help her learn through them all. It sounded like a good idea, and it was enough for me. So, I nodded, “Yeah! And then I’ll be able to draw the best circle ever in the world, ever! I can teach her that too!”

Mom nodded and kissed my head, “You can teach her anything, Sam. Anything and everything you want.”

It’s been 20 years since then. Yes, I can tie my own shoes now; I can even do it blindfolded if you asked me to. Still can’t draw a perfect circle without help, but that’s fine with me.

Because I’ve learned that there’s a perfect way to everything… and then there’s my way.

[rayetherna]

Reached my boiling point after Fontaine AQ & all the consumed fan content, and decided to dive into my dream-based post-canon/ canon divergent dragon!Aether AU, in which the Traveler "unlocks" himself a dragon form through [4.2 AQ spoilers]. So I snatched a liner to not get "stuck" in sketches, and found him during work breaks ^^

Think of this AU as taking place after the final (successful) war with Celestia, in which Aether participated in the form of that huge eldritch gentleman from the last sketch page. Also, most of my Genshin content revolves/will revolve around my polyamorous Kaeya/Aether/Ajax (Kaetherajax) OTP in any dynamic. Although "my" Aether is far more on a leading side, a "connecting link", and an anchor for Ajax and Kaeya - all three ultimately being a secret safe space for each other.

So wth did this come from:

I once had a dream about Aether being stuck in the dragon form in a different world xD He looked similar to a dragon OC of mine, as if he +- belonged to the same species but with his own quirks. In the dream he looked somewhere in-between the "condensed" (was also a liiiiittle bit bigger than that) and "uncondensed" versions. The twins found themselves in a "classy fantasy" world with different branches of magic, and Aether turned out to be a metamorph-healer. They helped to alleviate this world's global crisis, but a fragment of something connected with the local "dark side of the force" got lodged in Aether's chest, seized control over him and forced him to slip away in an unknown direction, stuck in the form of a dragon. Lumine and the local Chaeya set off to search for him - and succeeded! He almost R.I.P.ed them, but came to his senses in time. Most memorable moments:

Aether's appearance - he had three eyes, and when he was under control of the shard, the right and third eyes were just rolled back white, while the left had multiple pupils, similar to a demon from my bw pict attached. But he was overall incredibly creepy in this "possessed" state.

When Aether began to struggle for control, he moved like... I don't know how to describe it, but it was SO fucked up - it was clear from the movements that two entities were fighting for the "seat at the helm", and the body looked like a marionet at times. The closest I can think of is the monkey boss from Sekiro in its headless phase, when it does plunge attacks and forward dashes with a sword x'DDD The sight was absolutely chilling.

When Aether "surfaced" and allowed Lumi, Kaeya and Ajax to get their hands almost elbow-deep into his chest and try to pull out the shard. But while it was budging, it was burning their hands almost to the bone, even despite Lumi's healing and the combo of water-ice cooling from Cheya. In the end it tossed them all aside by some sort of shockwave - so Aether dove into his own wound while he was still "lucid", and ripped the shard out with his own teeth, for Lumine to destroy it.

And the last but not the least was the most hilarious scene of licking the wounds of the companions - Aether was capable of healing almost any damage but in such a strange way, 'cause dragon incarnation enhanced all the abilities, but something about its "composition" influenced "magic conductivity" xDD He carefully used Kaya's palm as an example for what he had in mind (he had a hard time speaking in this form). Kaeya immediately bared Childe's nasty wound (on his side) from Aether's claws, and Childe was instantly alarmed for the most ridiculous reasons:

Сhilde: Nononono wait - he's her brother, right? A human! Another very human man licking me! How is that okay?! Kaeya: ... Do you HAVE to make things even more awkward than they are? Lumine: does a discreet eyeroll

Turns out it was very much okay, but there was one very awkwardly fluffed up Aether licking the wounds of a tomato-grade red Childe, who was hiding his face in his hands.