#clearly shes not. but theres No Other Options

[rearranging-deck-chairs]

i havent really read hamlet but this is the most hamlet she gets i think

[roughentumble]

really really annoyed at the costuming in this scene. cordelia, in the script, VERY specifically told buffy "no black, silk, chiffon, or spandex, those are /my/ trademarks" to dress for the party. cordelia does indeed arrive in a silky dress, though it's very bright blue and covered in flowers. and buffy shows up in a simple BLACK dress

IT WASNT A LONG LIST!!!! WTF!!!

[kai-uh-arcadian]

Firsts

synopsis: a collection of the firsts you have with Aeri <3

cw: it's purely fluff until the end and it's a bit... steamy hehe, fingering, brat! aeri, begging, finger sucking, nipple play, tension(?), if theres anything else please lmk!

word count: 6.5k

notes! hi my loves I hope you enjoy this! It's (lowkey) a continuation of Project: Aeri but I guess you don't have to read it for this to make sense... but you should! It's my first time ever writing smut so pls be kind hehe

lmk how you feel about this if you'd like and if you wanna chat my dms/asks are always open!

ps. the pics are supposed to be from each first hehehe and also also also did anyone catch the 3 sunflowers meaning?? :0

xoxo love youuu

also s/o to my BAE @wintersera thank you for the ideas for the smut (;

First date 

After everything that had happened that night, you two remained in touch and saw each other quite often. The tension between you was clear, lingering in every glance, every playful tease. There was an unspoken fact but both of you had been too nervous to make the first move.

Until now.

After weeks of mutual pining, you finally decided it was time to take the initiative. You couldn’t wait any longer—you wanted her to be yours, officially (of course).

With slightly shaky hands, you clicked on her contact and pressed the call option, your heart racing as you held the phone to your ear– which was new because calling wasn’t foreign for you two.

“Uh, hello?” Aeri’s sweet voice rang through the line, smooth and familiar.

You cleared your throat, trying to keep your nerves in check. “Hey Aeri, you busy tonight? I, uh... wanted to ask you something”

There was a playful pause on the other end before she giggled. “Hmm... depends. What’s up?”

Your heart raced. “I wanna take you out on a date,” you blurted, a little more direct than you intended.

“Did you call me just to ask me on a date?” she laughed, her voice teasing, followed by a playful sigh. “How old are you, 80?” she teased, obviously enjoying your nervousness.

You rolled your eyes, trying to stay composed despite your pounding heart. “Oh, whatever! Do you want to go on a date or not, Uchinaga?”

“Hmm...” she drew out the sound, clearly toying with you, her tone mischievous. “Let me check my schedule. I might be able to pencil you in...” She trailed off for a moment, and you could practically hear the smirk in her voice.

You couldn’t help but grin, even though she couldn’t see it. “You’re such a tease.”

After a brief pause, she broke the silence with a laugh. “Yes! I can, is there like a dress code for this date?”

Your smile widened, the weight in your chest releasing slightly.

“Hmm. just something casual and comfy,” you replied, already mentally planning out the evening. “I’ll pick you up at 6?”

“Not even gonna tell me where we’re going?” she asked, her voice curious.

“Nope!” you said with a teasing grin. “It’s a surprise”

She let out a dramatic sigh. “Fine fine~, I guess I’ll trust you”

With a satisfied sigh, you hung up the phone and immediately began scrambling around your apartment. You grabbed extra pillows and blankets, carefully folding them and setting them aside. Then, you packed your laptop and collected an assortment of snacks and sodas, wanting everything to be perfect for your date.

You made your way down the staircase to the parking lot where your car sat. You pushed down the back seats of your crossover SUV, trying to make the space into a makeshift bed. You arranged the pillows and blankets neatly, trying your best to make it perfect. After placing the snacks and laptop down by one of the pillows, you felt a huge wave of excitement hit you.

Today’s the day

When everything was set, you hopped into your car, but as you started driving, a thought hit you—something was missing. A date wasn’t complete without a little something extra. Smiling to yourself, you made a quick detour to a nearby flower shop, quickly browsing through the fresh bouquets. After a few moments of searching, your eyes landed on the three sunflowers—vibrant, bold, and full of warmth, just like Aeri.

With the small bunch carefully placed on the passenger seat, you felt a surge of excitement. You couldn’t wait to see her reaction.

Finally, you arrived at Aeri’s apartment, your nerves kicking in again as you approached. You quickly texted her a simple, I’m here, before grabbing the sunflowers beside you. But the moment you saw her stepping out of her building, all those nerves melted away.

Dressed in casual sweats and a simple tank top paired with a black jacket, Aeri still managed to take your breath away. Her casual look only made her more radiant, and for a moment, you were speechless.

You hopped out of the car, sunflowers in hand, quickly making your way around to open the door for her.

Her eyes lit up when she spotted the small bouquet. “Are these for me? How’d you know they were my favourite?” she asked, her voice light with surprise.

“Of course they are,” you said, smiling shyly as you handed her the sunflowers. “And honestly I didn’t, they just reminded me of you”

Aeri grinned, holding the bouquet close and inhaling their sweet fragrance. “You’re too sweet, Y/N, and a little cheesy” she teased, her eyes sparkling.

“You look beautiful, by the way” you added ignoring her stupid little comment, your voice coming out softer than expected as you took her in.

She flashed a grin, her eyes twinkling with amusement. “Thanks, you don’t look too bad yourself, L/N,” she teased with a playful wink before stepping into the car, making you smile and roll your eyes.

Once you started driving, Aeri glanced over at you, interrupting the light music you had on, “Soo~ can I know where we’re going now, or are you just planning to kidnap me?” She chuckled.

“Damn. You caught me,” you teased back. “But if you keep talking, I might just reconsider and drop you back off.”

“Hey!” she laughed, lightly hitting your arm, and soon both of you were laughing.

“Okay, okay,” you said, not taking long to give in. “I’m taking you to this spot I used to go to when I wanted to relax or reflect on shit or whatever. It’s a pretty special place for me, and I wanted to share it with you… I even set up a little car picnic in the back.” Nervously rubbing the back of your neck before motioning towards the back seat

Aeri’s eyes lit up as she glanced behind her at the pillows and blankets you’d carefully arranged. “Y/N! That’s sooo cute!” she squealed, her excitement contagious as she reached over and gently rubbed your arm. “Thank you,” she added softly

“Yeah- Of course, Aeri,” you responded, your heart swelling at the way she looked at you

When you arrived, the sky was a breathtaking canvas of pinks and oranges, the sun slowly dipping below the horizon. You both made your way to the trunk of your car and you quickly connected your laptop to your hotspot while searching for a movie.

“And we’re watching a movie? You’re seriously the best,” Aeri said, her eyes lighting up as she took in the scene.

“Not just any movie... Deadpool!” you said with a grin, you remembered how it was her favorite movie.

“No way! Now you’re just spoiling me, n/n,” Aeri said, her cheeks dusted with a faint blush.

“Well yeah, nothing less for you Aeri,” you responded, feeling a little shy under her gaze.

The two of you settled into the makeshift bed, propped up against the pillows. Aeri’s head naturally found its place on your shoulder, and as much as you tried to focus on the movie, her familiar sweet scent made it impossible. You could feel her warmth, the weight of her resting against you, and your heart raced despite your best efforts to stay calm.

After a while, Aeri shifted slightly. “Can you lay down? My neck is hurting,” 

You blinked at her, not quite processing what she meant at first.

“Hm?”

“...So I can lay on you?” she clarified, her eyebrows furrowing with a smile

“Oh— duh, yeah, of course,” you stammered, feeling your face heat up. You shifted around, carefully placing one arm behind your head and the other around her, pulling her in slowly. She nestled into the crook of your arm like she belonged there, her body fitting perfectly against yours.

The top of her head rested under your chin, her warmth enveloping you, and everything about the moment felt just right—like it was meant to be.

“Your heart is beating so fast,” Aeri pointed out, still focused on the screen that was on your lap.

“Mm,” you mumbled, trying to play it cool and dismiss it, even though your stupid racing heart was betraying you.

A few moments later, Aeri commented again, her voice light with amusement. “Like, it’s really fast. I can barely hear the movie,” she giggled, propping herself up on one elbow. Her eyes gleamed with mischief as she looked at you. “What’s going on? Am I making you nervous or somethingg~?”

She raised an eyebrow, locking her gaze with yours, and suddenly, you were at a loss for words. The movie continued playing in the background, but you could hardly hear it over the pounding of your heart. You were completely lost in her eyes, your breath catching in your throat.

Before you could stop yourself, the words tumbled out. “Will you.. be my girlfriend?” you finally managed to say, your voice soft, almost a whisper.

Her eyes widened in surprise before softening, something shy and tender was in her expression as she stared at you. For a moment, the playful air between you shifted..  To something serious.

“Is that.. Is that what you really want?” she asked, her voice sincere. There was a flicker of something in her eyes—uncertainty? nervousness?—but it was quickly replaced by warmth.

“Well.. yeah…” you replied, your heart still pounding, feeling more vulnerable than you ever had before.

Aeri’s lips twitched into a smirk, her tone deadpan. “Then no.”

You blinked in surprise, your jaw dropping just as she burst into a fit of laughter.

You realized you had just walked right into her joke, you groaned. “Ahh~ you’re sooo mean,” you huffed, though you were fighting off a laugh of your own. “I take it back,” you added, dramatically turning your head away like a pouting child.

“Nonono~ Y/n~ Wait, I was kiddingggg~” she giggled, practically pouncing on you. Her hands gently grabbed your face, squishing your cheeks between her palms.

“Ask me againnn~” she teased, her voice soft and sing-song as she planted a sweet kiss on your cheek.

Your stomach flipped, but you were determined to keep up the bit. “Nope~,” you pouted again, causing her to giggle even more.

She began peppering your face with soft, feathery kisses. “Ask~ me~ again~” she sang between each word with a kiss while her laughter rang out with each peck.

“Okay, okay!” you finally surrendered, looking up at her with a tender smile. “Will you be my girlfriend?” you asked again, your voice warm and sincere.

“Duh!” Aeri squealed, she couldn’t contain herself as she leaned down, closing the distance between you. Her lips met yours in a deep and longing kiss as you snaked your arm around her waist. Everything in the moment was warm and soft, brimming with excitement. You could feel her seemingly melt into you with the way her hands gently cupped your face, pulling you closer like she’d been waiting for this moment for a long time. (You both were)

You couldn’t help but smile into the kiss—it felt like everything had finally fallen into place.

First I love you

Since getting together, your Friday nights through Sunday mornings were habitually spent at Aeri's apartment. This super early morning was just like the rest. The soft hues of the sunrise peeked through the small gap in her blackout curtains, casting a gentle glow over the room. The light stirred both of you awake, but neither of you was quite ready to leave the warmth of the bed. Aeri shuffled lazily, her body repositioning itself into the familiar crook of your neck, her hand resting gently on your chest.

Half-awake, you instinctively wrapped your arms around her, pulling her close. Without thinking, you pressed a soft, sleepy kiss to her forehead before sinking back into the comfortable haze of sleep.

An hour (or so) had passed, though it felt like quick moments, before you began to stir again. Your movements awoke Aeri, her body shifting as her eyes fluttered open, still hazy with sleep.

“Mmm,” she muttered, her eyes half-closed as she stretched one arm out lazily, her body snuggling deeper into yours.

You took the opportunity to nuzzle your face into the crook of her neck, inhaling the familiar, comforting scent of her skin as she wrapped her arm around you tighter.

“Hi, baby~,” you rasped, your voice still thick with sleepiness, your warm breath grazing her neck.

“G’morning,” she replied, her voice equally soft as her hand absentmindedly stroked your hair near your temple.

“Did you sleep well?” you mumbled, your eyes still closed as your leg slid to intertwine with hers, pulling her (impossibly) closer.

“Mhm..~” she hummed, her lips brushing lightly against your forehead in a sleepy kiss, which you returned with a soft kiss to her neck causing her to shutter.

For a while, the two of you lay in a comfortable silence, tangled together in a mess beneath the sheets. You could feel Aeri’s warmth against you, and the steady rhythm of her breathing lulled you back into a peaceful daze.

But then Aeri shifted again, her body stretching out as she let out a soft, tired groan.

“Baby~” she cooed sweetly, “I’m hungry.”

You felt her looking down at you, but your arms were still tightly wrapped around her waist, unwilling to let her go. “Five more minutes?” you whined, your voice muffled as you buried your face in her chest.

She giggled softly, running her fingers through your hair. “Mmm... okay,” she relented, her voice filled with sweetness. She could never say no to you when you looked so adorable, all sleepy and cuddly.

Inevitably, you both fell back asleep, the soft warmth of the morning wrapping around you like a nice blanket. You weren’t sure how much time had passed when you awoke again (maybe 20 minutes), but this time  the bed was empty. The absence of Aeri’s warmth made you frown a little, and the quiet clattering from the kitchen telling you where she’d gone.

Groggily, you got up, tidied the bed a bit, and slipped on your house shoes. As you made your way to the kitchen, the smell of doenjang jjigae filled the air, instantly waking you up.

“Aeri~! What’s this?” you mumbled, your voice still heavy with sleep as you stretched, making your way toward her.

She turned toward you with a playful smirk. Dressed in nothing but an (your) oversized t-shirt and panties, she looked effortlessly gorgeous. “Oh, good morning to you too,” she teased. “Your bedhead looks cute.” She ruffled your hair a bit

You grinned lazily, stepping closer to her, grabbing her hand and placing a quick kiss to it. “Oh, I’m glad. I actually styled it just for you,” you quipped before leaning down to plant a quick ‘good morning’ kiss on her lips.

“Oh, really?” she laughed softly, turning back to the stove as if she hadn’t been affected, but you caught the slight blush dusting her cheeks.

“Mmm,” was all you could manage in reply, the smell of the food and the coziness of the morning settling in. You wandered off to turn on the TV, opening up Netflix to put on a drama in the background as you tidied up the apartment that (at this point)  felt just as much yours as hers.

As you sank into the couch, you asked, “Need any help?”

Aeri shook her head, her attention still focused on the stove. “Nope, I’ve got it! I wanted to make you breakfast today.”

You chuckled at her determination in her voice, letting her take charge, though you couldn’t help but watch her out of the corner of your eye.

After a bit, Aeri groaned out an exasperated “Fuck,” and you glanced up from your phone, concerned if she had hurt herself or something.

“What’s happened, baby?” you asked, turning your phone off and setting it aside.

“Oh nothing, I was gonna make you a coffee and myself some green tea, but I just realized I ran out of ocha last week and forgot I didn’t pick any up yesterday, ugh! Like I was supposed to” she huffed, clearly disappointed.

A lightbulb appeared above your head as you were reminded “Oh babe! Check in the freezer,” you said casually. “I noticed you were low a few days ago, so I stopped by the Japanese market on 5th Street and grabbed your favorite. Ahh~ My bad I totally forgot to tell you”

“Ahh see! This is why I love you! Thank you Y/n!” she said enthusiastically.

Aeri continued for a second, her hands still submerged in the water as she was washing the rice. 

You both froze.

Moments passed as you both processed what she had just said,

A teasing smile tugged at your lips as you made your way smoothly from the couch and you leaned against the counter. “You what me, Aeri?”

“Wait no wait!”

The color rose quickly to her cheeks, turning a shade of red you weren’t sure you had ever seen before. “N-nothing!” she stammered, her flustered voice almost a whisper.

You smirked, taking slow steps toward her. Flustered Aeri was a rare and delightful sight. “Mhm... right.”

As she tried to focus back on washing the rice, you snuck up behind her, wrapping your arms around her waist and pressing a teasing kiss to her neck. “Say it again,” you whispered against her skin, enjoying the way she tensed up slightly in response.

“Oh stop~,” she whined playfully, trying to shrink down, but you weren’t going to let her off the hook.

You turned off the water, spinning her around gently so she was facing you. Before she could protest, you lifted her onto the counter, stepping between her legs and placing your hands on her hips.

“I love you too, Aeri Uchinaga,” you said softly, leaning in until your lips were just inches from hers. “Now say it again.”

The kiss that followed was tender, her lips soft against yours as her arms wrapped around your neck, pulling you even closer. When you finally broke the kiss, her eyes met yours, sparkling with a mix of affection and shyness.

“I love you, Y/N L/N,” she repeated, her voice quieter but filled with sincerity.

You grinned, brushing your nose against hers playfully. “Your hands are wet, by the way” you teased.

“Shut up, don’t ruin the moment,” she laughed, wiping her soaking wet hands on the back of your shirt before pulling you back into another kiss.

First time

Finals were just around the corner, and two of your dumbass professors decided to have an exam a week before their scheduled finals.

So, it’s a week before your two exams, and two weeks before your scheduled finals, and you’re about to arrive at Aeri’s place—to study, of course. 

You arrive in a cutoff and sweats, your hair messily tied up, and your glasses on. Aeri couldn’t help but notice how hot you looked.

You smiled as soon as you saw her. “Hi, baby~,” you said, pulling her into a big hug and giving her a quick kiss. She smiled back, squeezing you tight for a second before letting go.

You made your way to your usual spot—the one you had officially claimed months ago. Normally, the comfort of Aeri’s apartment would ease any stress lingering from your day. But today felt different. As you sat down, a heavy sigh escaped your lips, and Aeri (also) couldn’t help but giggle quietly at how frazzled you looked.

Any other day, she’d take the chance to tease you, probably throwing in a playful jab about how cute you were when stressed. But today, she sensed you weren’t in the mood. Instead, Aeri focused on her own work, letting the comfortable silence between you settle in as you both fell into an easy rhythm, side by side. Despite the closeness, it felt like you were worlds apart—your mind tangled up in studying and exams, while Aeri’s gaze drifted over to you every now and then.

Without you noticing, she snapped a few sneaky photos of you as you sat there, brow furrowed in frustration, your lip caught between your teeth in the way it always did when you were deep in concentration. Aeri smiled softly to herself, finding the sight ‘sooo cute’ despite your obvious stress.

Aeri stood in the kitchen, humming softly as she worked on making a quick study break snack, her ears tuned into your rant as you sat at the table, laptop open, books spread out around you.

“I just don’t fucking understand why they’d schedule exams a week before finals week,” you huffed, fingers tapping rapidly on your keyboard, frantically searching the internet for a damn answer on your practice test. “It’s like they did this shit on purpose babe! Like they wanted me to suffer”

Aeri chuckled softly from the kitchen. “Oh yeah! I think I heard they had a meeting on ‘how to make your life terrible’ ” she teased, the playfulness in her voice catching your attention for just a moment.

You barely looked up from your laptop, rolling your eyes while you took your hair out of the bun and ran your fingers through your hair. You continued to vent before going back to your screen. Your eyes were back to being glued to the screen, fingers flying over the keys. “I don’t fucking doubt that, god I feel like like I’m on the brink of losing it if I don’t start retaining this bullshit anytime soon” you muttered.

Aeri’s footsteps padded softly across the kitchen as she finished garnishing the fried tteokboki, setting it down on the table where you were. “I don’t know how you do it,” she said casually, her tone light. “ Maybe you should take a break pretty...”

Your eyes flicked up briefly as you gave her a small, dismissive and tired smile. “I know..” you sighed “I just need to finish this and—”

“You look really hot when you’re focused, you know?” Aeri’s voice dropped slightly, the casual playfulness gone, replaced by something a little more mischievous.

Your fingers paused mid-type, your heart skipping a beat at her comment. “W-what?” you asked, turning your head to meet her gaze.

She smiled, but there was a flicker of something else in her eyes—something teasing, almost daring. “Almost makes me jealous of that assignment you’re paying so~ much attention to.”

You swallowed, her words slowly sinking in as the tension in the room shifted. “Aeri,” you started, your voice hesitant, but she was already moving closer to you.

She crossed the distance between you in a stride, her fingers brushing lightly against your shoulders as she stood behind you. Her touch was feather-light, but it sent a spark through you as her breasts pressed up against you. “I just can’t get over how good you look tonight,” she murmured, her breath warm against your ear. “Wonder what it would take to get you to pay that kind of attention to me..”

Her fingers traced a slow line down your arms, and you felt your heart race as her hands rested lightly on your shoulders, her thumbs making small circles against your skin. The warmth of her body behind you, the casual confidence in her voice—it was enough to make your mind go blank, the rant you’d been lost in completely forgotten.

“I... I,” you mumbled, but even you could hear how weak your nervous protest sounded.

“Mm,” Aeri hummed softly, interrupting your stuttering as she leaned in, her lips grazing close to your ear. “How ‘bout  just a little break? For me, baby?” she murmured, her fingers brushing your hair aside before placing a lingering kiss on your neck.

The warmth of her body so close to yours made the air feel thicker and heavier. Her hands shifted ever so slightly, sending a shiver up your spine. Your fingers hovered uselessly over the keyboard, your mind entirely abandoning your exams. All you could focus on was her, commanding your attention in a way that no textbook, no deadline, no nothing ever could.

“Ah~ fuck,” you sighed, leaning back into her touch, feeling the tension in your body ease. “I’m all yours,” you murmured, your voice breathy as you tilted your neck slightly, offering her more space.

“That’s my girl..”

She took full advantage, planting soft, lingering kisses from your neck up to your jawline before finally capturing your lips. Unable to resist, you pulled her around into your lap, and she straddled you, the closeness intensifying as both of you sank deeper into the kiss. Your hands instinctively found their way to her back, pressing her closer, while her fingers trailed up to your shoulders and tangled gently in your hair.

Slowly, your hands slid down to her lower back, pausing at the curve of her hips as you pulled her closer. She broke the kiss, her forehead pressing against yours, her breath coming in with shallow and needy gasps and you breathed them in. Her eyes were glazed with desire, a smirk playing at her lips.

“I need you, Y/n,” she whispered, her voice a mix of softness and urgency.

You looked at her, equally breathless, feeling every ounce of longing she held in her gaze. “Fuck~, I need you too,” you murmured in one breath before pulling her back in, your mouths meeting in a kiss that was all heat and intensity, tongues meeting halfway. Your hands roamed her back, tracing along her spine, and a shiver ran through you as her fingers grazed your skin, tugging at the hem of your shirt.

Without breaking contact, you hooked your arms under her legs, lifting her effortlessly as she wrapped her legs around your waist. You walked her down the hallway and managed to open her bedroom door with your foot, carrying her inside until her knees met the edge of the bed, where she let herself fall, pulling you down with her.

You caught yourself just before you landed, her arms still wrapped around your neck, keeping you inches from her lips. She giggled, her eyes dancing with mischief.

“Still wanna study?” she purred, her voice teasing.

“Oh, shut the fuck up,” you replied, a grin tugging at your lips as you leaned down to press soft, lingering kisses along her neck.

A soft moan escaped her lips as she tilted her head to give you better access. “That’s what I thought,” she murmured, her fingers weaving into your hair, holding you close.

“You’re so annoying,” you muttered playfully, pressing another kiss just below her jaw. Her eyes met yours, a gleam of challenge in them.

“And you like it,” she whispered, pulling you impossibly closer, her fingers tracing gentle patterns down your back.

You hummed in agreement, pressing your forehead against hers again. “Mhm,” you replied, voice low and filled with affection.

Your lips trailed down Aeri’s jaw, planting painfully slow kisses along her neck, each one drawing out a soft sigh from her. You could feel her hands gliding down your back.

Just as you were fully lost in her, her fingers moved lower, grazing along your inner thigh with feather-light touches that sent sparks up your spine and to your core. You let out a quiet gasp, which only made her smile even more, her eyes glinting with mischief.

She let out a teasing laugh as her fingers lingered at the inside of your thigh, not quite giving you what you wanted.

“Aeri…” you breathed out, the heat in your voice making her chuckle softly again.

But instead of moving her hand to where it should be, she slid it back up slowly, bringing it to rest just below your waist.

God she was teasing you

 As she did, you moved your hands up, slipping under her shirt to rest on her waist before slowly sliding higher. Your fingers found the soft curve of her perfect tits, and her breath hitched as your hands squeezed gently.

Her soft, breathy moans fueled you, and you pressed gentle kisses along her collarbone, slowly making your way to the curve of her chest, savoring the warmth of her skin beneath your lips. She arched under your touch, fingers threading through your hair, each sound she made, made you even wetter than you already were.

Letting out a soft sigh, you leaned in, brushing your lips across the peak of her soft perky nipple while using your warm breath to tease her with a smirk. Your free hand found its way to her other nipple, gently pinching it. The cadence of her breath quickened and  her hips began to slowly buck as if searching for some sort of release.

 A satisfied, desire-filled grin spread across your face as you watched your girlfriend unravel, her usually sleek black hair now a tangled mess against the silk pillowcase, her brows knitted in both frustration and neediness.

Aeri’s breaths deepened as your touch sent little shivers through her, her fingers curling around your shoulders, grounding herself against you. Your lips hovered just above her perfectly hard nipple, her skin flushed with anticipation.

“Please,” she whispered, voice barely audible. If you hadn’t been watching her so closely, you probably would have missed it.

You raised an eyebrow, teasing. “What was that, Aeri?”

She turned her head to the side, (trying to hide as much of herself as she could into the pillow), clearly flustered and embarrassed, before whispering again, “Please…”

Gently, you brought her chin forward, guiding her to look at you. “I can’t help you, baby.. if you don’t use your words. You didn’t seem to have any trouble being mouthy earlier, huh?” You shot her a playful and challenging look.

Her eyes fluttered open and her cheeks flushed even deeper, and she took a breath before meeting your gaze. “Please… suck on my… nipples’”

“That's my good girl” you gave her a smug grin before averting your attention to her chest.

You (finally) insatiably wrapped your lips around her nipple which elicited a gaspy moan

“Fuck..”. Aeri’s head fell back, her nails digging into your shoulders as you continued savoring each bud, your attention fully on Aeri as her gasps filled the room. You smiled against her beautiful tits, feeling the heat radiating from them. Her fingers tangled through your hair even more, making you stay as close as possible as your kisses and gentle nibbles drew more and more breathy moans from her.

Letting one hand roam lower, you found her clit, tracing slow circles with your middle finger through the thin soaked fabric of her panties. Her body responded with each touch, soft and needy sighs slipping past her lips and she began to grind on your fingers needing more than what you were allowing her. You glanced up, catching her expression—a mixture of bliss and anticipation, her eyes half-lidded as she met your gaze with a dazed smile.

“Need something, princess?,” you murmured with a grin and an arrogant glint in your eye, trailing more kisses along her skin, taking your time. Each new touch, every small shift in pressure, had her melting beneath you and her pussy dripping for more.

Aeri secretly loved hated this. Where did this sudden surge of confidence in you come from? Wasn’t she supposed to be the one making you beg and pleading to touch her? Why did the fact that you have her completely under your control make you so fucking hot and her so turned on? UGH! The tables had turned and it was as exhilarating as it was maddening.

“N-no…” she managed, her voice shaky as she bit down on her lip in frustration, fighting to regain some sense of control.

Slowly, you lifted your hand from her now-ruined underwear. “Well, I could just stop here. I mean, I do have to study—

Her hand moved faster than lighting, gripping your wrist firmly, threatening to leave a mark. “Don’t you…fucking…dare,” she breathed 'threateningly', guiding your hand back to her pulsing clit as her hips jutted forward trying to meet you halfway.

“Or what?” You raised an eyebrow, stopping just shy of her needy pussy, knowing you had the upper hand this time. You fucking loved seeing her like this—Her playful bitchiness, unbreakable attitude, all crumbling away because you wouldn’t fuck her like the brat she is.

Suddenly, her bratty facade wavered, and her voice softened. “Please…” Tears threatened to spill as she whispered, arching herself toward your touch trying to find some sort of relief, her voice barely audible. “Mm-Please, I need you…need you to fuck me so bad…” She finally muttered out

You grinned, feeling the satisfaction of winning this round. “Anything you want, my pretty girl,” you said, savoring the way her eyes rolled back with need.

With a quick motion, you rid her of her drenched panties, and your finger began to trace gentle circles around her swollen clit, making her gasp. You ran your hand along her slit to wetten your finger with her juices, taking in each small reaction as her breath quickened, her voice slipping into load moans. Aeri was a complete moaning mess at this point and you haven’t even finished her off yet. Her hair was splayed out and droplets of drool ran down from her chin to her collarbone as her mouth was open.

You lifted her head gently with your free hand, making her meet your gaze. Slowly, you withdrew your long  finger from her wet slick, and before she could protest the missing feeling, you pressed it to her lips, your thumb brushing her chin.

 “Tell me how good you taste, baby,” you cooed, holding her gaze. She drew your finger into her mouth, swirling her tongue around it, ensuring every drop of herself was savored while tears spilled from the creases of her eyes while you fucked her throat with your finger.

With a soft pop, you pulled your finger back, using your thumb to brush the excess salina from her lips. “I taste…so fucking good,” she whispered, breathless, before pulling you in for a kiss, sharing the taste of her with you.

Your tongues danced together as your now lubricated finger found its way back down,  and you teased her entrance briefly before going deeper, making her let out a gasp against your mouth. 

You kept a steady rhythm, her moans mixing with the sound of your movements. Her head fell back, and she guided your mouth to her neck.

Aeri let out a loud moan into your ear, pausing a bit as your digit inched deeper and deeper inside her.

Once fully inside, “You okay?” You asked, your voice laced with genuine concern

“Mhm,” she winced with pleasure “More than okay”

You pulled her back in for a kiss as you continued to keep pumping into her, keeping a steady pace.

The noises from her dripping wet cunt and her loud moans filled her bedroom and she gently pushed your head from her neck/mouth towards her milky white breasts

“Please~ I need you to.. Suck on them” 

Well... Who were you to deny your beautiful girlfriend?

You took one of her perky nubs into your mouth, using your front teeth to slightly nibble on them, causing her to moan louder than before as you felt her tighten around your finger.

“Oh~ Y/n.. please.. Please don’t stop.. I’m so” her sentence was interrupted by another lewd moan as you finger hooked at the right angle, finding her G-spot

“Fuckfuckfuck baby! P-plea~” she let out, her hand digging her nails into the back of your neck and upper back (probably) drawing blood

You pulled your mouth away from her nipple, “Are you going to be my good girl and say my name when you cum?” You said, looking up at her

You noticed she gasped in shock as her nipple suddenly lost the warmth from your mouth, brows furrowing even more

Desperately she tried to push you back on to her nipple, she was so close to her high but needed your mouth so~ badly to reach it.

“Yesyes ah~ fuck baby! I’ll be your good girl and cum.. Ah~ just for you” She used her free hand. desperately rubbing her clit

Your name felt like sweet honey as it rolled off her tongue, you couldn’t help but insatiably pump faster in her. Her moans, the wet sounds from her dripping wet cunt, along with the thought of her screaming your name. You almost finished right then and there.

“Oh fuck, Y/n y/n y/n,” she screamed out like some sort of mantra, “I’m gon-”

“You gonna cum just for me?” You bit into her neck, sucking and marking her as yours while moaning right into her ear.

“Yesyesyes, I’m.. fuck~!  all yours Y/n~!” she yelped, she tightened around your fingers as her juices pooled into the palm of your hand and you gently slowed down the pace to ride her high as long as possible while she cried into your neck.

After a moment, She shuttered from her high and found herself in the crook of your neck for a bit, while both of you caught your breath for a second. She winced a bit as you removed your digit from her wetness and sucked it off quickly before wrapping your arms around her.

Another moment passed and a surge of embarrassment rushed through you as you realized her neighbors most definitely knew your name now. The sole thought of that  made your cheeks heat up.

Moments of silence passed of you both catching your breath, you finally calmed down and  gave her a soft kiss on the forehead before wrapping your arms around her fully. She sighed contentedly, her fingers tracing light, lazy patterns on your shoulder near your back.

In the quiet that followed, with both of you still laying there, you broke the silence. “Are you okay, baby?” you asked, your voice (still) breathless but full of tenderness as you looked down at her.

She nodded, smiling softly as she nuzzled closer. “More than okay,” she murmured, her voice laced with warmth. “Are you okay?

“Yeah” You gave her another kiss on the cheek “ I’m just.. A bit surprised” a sly smile crept on your lips

She looked up at you, sweat glistening off her skin while her hair stuck to her and raised a warning eyebrow as if she was thinking 'watch what you say', “mhm?”

“Ya know... for as mean as you are,  I never expected you to beg like that” you teased

“Oh, you shut the fuck up!” she laughed, giving your shoulder a playful smack, which only prompted you to wrap her up in your arms as a reflexive defense.

“I’m for sure putting you in your place tonight,” she murmured, her voice low and rich with desire as she pulled you in for a deep and needy kiss.

[chimychoo]

HUGE TPOT 12 SPOILERS!

BUCKLE UP CHAT. CAUSE THIS IS GONNA BE A LONG THEORY!!!!!

Where do i begin?

So heres the thing, I watched TPOT 12 then took a shower right after. While taking said shower i took a moment to think about everything that went down. And thought of the wildest theory ever..

• XFHOV

LETS START FROM THE BEGINNING,

One and Three, right?

These two fellas have FINALLY appeared after 15 years! Why is that?

Here is the scene when X found out their value: 7!

Four, Seven, and X are celebrating and generally very happy. Who isnt happy?

Three and one.

Theyre clearly angered by this whole situation, but why? Who are they angry at?

Theres three possible options:

1. Seven. But that wouldnt make sense, huh? Basically every algebralien has SOME sort of grudge held against him, so its nothing new. Scratch that!

2. Four. Its possible, four has done alot of things. But thats not who im personally going to focus on. Well, partially at least.

That leaves one more person!

3. X. But why them?

"Theyre just a little silly dude, they did nothing wrong!" And youre right. Thats exactly why theyre a target.

• THREE AND ONE'S CAPYIVITY

Youre probably wondering, why am i focusing on X, and not four? Four is more of a suspect, after all.

Think about it this way,

Three is trapped in a prison inside of Four's school, so four put him there! (They are the only one with control over that place anyway.)

One is trapped inside of the moon. There isnt really any solid proof to prove my theory with this one, but she came out during TPOT. She clearly had the ability to escape and didnt seem tired out and/or surprised that she finally left her prison. One actually seems happy and collected, even going as far as "greeting everyone" once she's out. She chose to come out at this time, just like how she chose to mess with Two's show.

One also confirmed that shes an "old friend of Two's." If One is suddenly against Two after all the years of them knowing each other, Two clearly did something to her.

• MUTUAL CONNECTIONS

And youre STILL probably wondering, "Chim! You still didnt explain what X has to do with all of this!"

Four and Two hate eachother, this hatred being caused by Two when they stole more than HALF of the bfb cast.

(They seem to not be familiar with eachother when they "first" meet. Im not exactly sure why here HELP.)

But anyway!

Who does Four have a good friendship with? X!

Who does Two have a good friendship with? Also X!

X is what keeps them sane around eachother, the only main reason why they stick around.

If anything bad were to happen to X, Four and Two clearly have the power and ability to get back at whatever or WHOever caused this harm.

One and Three did something to X, and it resulted in Two and Four snapping.

• THREE'S PERSONALITY

Three has basically ZERO information on himself, we know nothing about the guy. But what we do know, is that hes agressive.

In the Number Playground Chronicles, we get an article that explains an event that takes place, Three being apart of it. The article reads:

(To reduce confusion, ill be adding the names for you guys to differenciate whos who.)

"(Five)Integer did not pick up the ball when dropped, and Three Integer, the person playing with him, became impatient. (Five)Integer was angry at (Three)Integer because, Three Integer could simply pick up the ball and throw it to (Five)Integer, and (Three)Integer and (Five)Integer could keep playing.

"FOAMING THREE INTEGER"

The horrible, tragic incident happened at 10:13 AM. Three Integer became Upset.

Three Integer at 10:16, Angry.

Three Integer at 10:31, Furious.

Three Integer at 10:24, and "Foaming."

Three Integer at 10:39, when he started to produce smoke.

(Five)Integer picked up the ball at 6:17 PM."

This event did truly happen, we can see the beginning of it play out in the first few seconds of XFOHV:

Three was so angry and REFUSED to even touch the ball. Five had to go pick it up themself HOURS after the incident.

Three also WILLINGLY closed the cell door after it was opened. He couldve escaped, yet he didnt. I have two possible reasons for this:

1. He's afraid of Four catching him, so he followed orders and stayed put.

2. Three's gone insane after a decade and a half of being all alone, to the point that he WANTS to stay inside.

• ONE'S MOTIVES

One seems like a friendly character, shes smiling in basically the ENTIRETY of her screentime, (minus the part when she conversed with Fanny.)

But something about her smile isnt right, its almost disturbing. The way she grins in the oddest situations,

She is seen with a list during the post-credits scene, with four names on it that are all crossed out, meaning they are "completed."

□ Bell.

□ Bomby.

□ Fanny.

□ Ice Cube.

Notice how all four of these contestants were in some sort of distress during that moment, and One helped them out! In exchange for a "favor."

1. She helped Bell escape elimination by removing her string (something that annoyed Bell constantly due to contestants activley climbing it.) And hiding her.

2. She helped Bomby escape elimination by hiding him.

3. She gave Fanny a new mouth, discarding the need to spend hours at a time searching for it in the ocean.

4. She gave Ice Cube a new pair of legs, allowing her to walk again.

What exactly does One need these favors for? Revenge against Two, of course!

● ONE AND TWO'S FRIENDSHIP

Theres a popular theory stating that Two was kicked out of the equation playground, this would clear up the confusion as to why they basically NEVER appear in the subscriber specials.

Maybe this is because Two hates math! They said it to Gaty in one of the episodes.

I also believe that One was also kicked out. Why, you may ask?

Take a look at this scene in the beginning of TPOT 11:

One's picture was hidden underneath Seven's. As if nobody(COUGH COUGH. Espcially four) wanted her to be mentioned so they simply hid her.

Maybe this is how One and Two became friends, two rejects.

● RANDOM THINGS THAT GET THEIR OWN SECTION CAUSE IDK WHERE ELSE TO PUT THEM

1. How the HELL did One get a mouth and... legs?

2. Judging by One's little room, she probably really likes space and astronomy, maybe thats way the moon was where she was sent.

3. Kinda freaky to think that One was there in the moon the ENTIRE time. Throughout every single episode of the series from BFDI 1A to TPOT9, and we never knew.

Yeah tbh idk what else to say this was just a little info dump cause my mind was PACKED. anyways yeah tell me if i missed anything anf let me know about your little theories and opinions on mine! :3

[pokemonshelterstories]

i'm a contest trainer, and i've got a ribombee, alolan raichu, and minccino who all get along really well.

theres a wild galarian ponyta that's been wandering my area, and i know it doesn't have a herd since my area doesn't typically have galarian ponyta, but we do have kantonian ponyta, who often travel in herds. im concerned since it seems like she's pretty injured, but I know ponyta can kick real hard so i don't want to freak her out when i approach.

i think she's hurt enough that i could catch her with a pokeball, but like i said, i don't want to freak her out.

i called the local rangers and the person who picked up the phone seemed really casual about this, saying that regional forms that aren't native to the area tend to die out(!?) and that its just nature taking its course(!?!?). i really want to help her because it hurts my heart to see any pokemon in pain, but is there any reason catching her would be bad? the plan probably wouldn't be to release her, since she's not a natural part of the niche here.

i have the resources to take care of her if i were to catch her, but i'm worried that she's going to upset my other pokemon. my raichu is on the smaller side (closer to 1'7") so the ponyta would become the largest pokemon in the household. would this cause a massive upset in my team?

(also i wouldn't be using her for contests, at least not until she's recovered from whatever injuries she has, so don't worry about that)

honestly, it's not unusual for us as rangers and rehabbers to let nature take its course on an injured pokemon that's still out in the wild. given that she's not a native variant, she's likely either an escapee or a released pokemon. an individual vagrant likely wont have any ecological impact, so we wouldn't need to remove her immediately. but capturing a pokemon for rehab (which we typically only do with native species/variants) or euthanasia (more likely what would happen here) takes time and resources, and it also removes resources from the natural ecosystem. if we grabbed every injured pokemon out there, things would fall apart pretty quickly! it sucks to think of a pokemon suffering, but injury and death are a normal part of life in the wild.

now, if you wanted to capture her to be your own pokemon, i don't see any issue with that in and of itself. she clearly doesn't have a social group she belongs to (i imagine some of her injuries are actually from a kantonian herd chasing her off; ponyta are a prey species and often wont tolerate a vagrant who might make them an easier target). but you're looking at a pretty tough time bringing her back to health if she is indeed healthy enough to save her, and you'd have to make sure you have access to pasture. you'd need to make sure you have the right environment to raise a ponyta in, which can be tricky if you don't already own farmland.

as far as social concerns....i don't see too many issues from your ribombee, since they're not terribly fearful and like helping injured pokemon with their pollen puffs. your minccino and raichu are more likely to be fearful of a larger pokemon, but could be slowly introduced. the main issue is that ponyta need interaction with conspecifics or at the very least pokemon that are of similar physiology/social structure to them. skiddo and mudbray are common companion pokemon outside of members of their own species. if you want to keep this ponyta, you need to be ready to also take in a buddy for her, which may be more than you're willing or able to do.

there's always the option to try and nurse her back to health with help from a vet and then rehome her as well. but at the end of the day, while i think the ranger you called should have given you a bit more of an explanation, they weren't wrong: letting this pokemon die naturally is not a bad thing to do.

[vamppilled]

‘murder family’ is such an interesting part of nbc hannibal especially within the fandom because theres a weird idea of it ingrained into half the fandom’s brains and i think it skews people’s perception of some parts of the show. i feel like i’ve seen so many people talking about the idea of ‘murder family’ running away together post mizumono if will hadn’t betrayed hannibal, and a lot of hannibal fans genuinely believe their dynamic would have worked and they would all live happily together which makes,,, absolutely no sense. a lot of the fandom has this idea that hannibal and will loved abigail and she loved them which is a nice idea but it’s just so far from the truth. abigail was a traumatized teenage girl who lost her father and was desperately trying to survive in a world where everyone was after her. she and hannibal were both keeping each other’s secrets and she was close with him because that was her only option for survival. i can see the argument for abigail caring about hannibal, she clearly was bonded with him since he offered her the possibility of a new life. her relationship with will is so much more complicated because it’s the one that the fandom gets the most wrong in my opinion. will clearly cared deeply for abigail, but this wasn’t born out of love. he obviously felt immense guilt because he enjoyed killing her father, and he says very early on in s1 that he feels responsible for her. he also says himself in his discussion with alana in episode 1 that he knows his idea of his relationship with abigail is in his head, she says “dogs keep a promise people can’t” (might be getting that quote wrong i’m writing this all from memory) and he says (very loosely paraphrasing here) that he knows his idea of who abigail is to him isn’t who she really is. as he desperately tries to connect with her and assume a weird sort of parental role throughout s1 we see abigail become visibly uncomfortable. she doesn’t love him or even care about him the way she cares about hannibal, he killed her father who she loved despite his crimes and their fucked up relationship and she can’t forgive that. she physically flinches away and looks scared when he holds her hands in s1 (don’t remember the episode but it’s during the discussion about how she enjoyed killing nick boyle i think?? the lighting is greenish and it’s in the psychiatric facility). hannibal found abigail interesting and used her to manipulate will, she was just an instrument in his plan and he couldn’t love her because he didn’t see her as an equal.

[ganondoodle]

so, doing this as an extra post bc i dont want to spam op nor invite more disaster into their post (sorry)

(i get annoyed, i get frustrated, but i rarely get pissed off, so if this sounds aggressive to you, it is; i have had enough of arguing with people -even if most of that arguing has happened on twitter-)

someone had replied (and later apparently deleted) something along the lines of "well zelda wanted to restore hyrule at the end of botw and what is so bad about ganondorf always being the bad guy in the way that he is?"

so first off, while i know hyrule and KINGDOM of hyrule is often used as an equally interchangeable word to refer to the world there, i dont think she meant the kingdom or its or its monarchy when she said that (does she? i dont have the end in my head rn and pretty sure its a lil different than english anyway) and much more the LAND of hyrule, its still in shambles even if people have found ways to live with it- that is an interpretation of me mostly, you can think what you want in that regard idc

secondly .... im not gonna get into that rant bc you cannot be seriosuly asking what is bad about how ganondorf is presented, treated in the games (espeically in totk) and his role and "writing" (oh geez i dont know maybe all the racism and stereotypes?? also, frankly boring ass writing, if your villain can be replaced by a cloud of toxic goo incapable of speech and nothing would change except saving money for voice actors that dont fit the role that is not a great look- hes never gotten much but totk is a new low)

then theres this reply

astro-shark3113 replied: "You're kidding right? If she cared about reinstating the monarchy then why is the castle still in disrepair after five years? Why does she become a teacher and live in a cottage with her boyfriend instead of taking on duties as princess? She clearly wants to help people and be a leader but she can do that without wanting to be a Queen. Please be real"

i am not kidding and i AM being real, i think you need to look at the game without your rose tinted glasses for a second; the castle is still in ruin? what the hell do you expect, theres no soldiers and very few servants left, repairing anything is quite impossible in that time and frankly not a priority (not proof of her not caring lol) also there is a plan for it at the very least given the camps with the hyrule crest all over it in the ruins of castle town- we dont SEE her as a teacher, or living a "normal" life, that happens in between the game, its flavor text, what HAPPENS in the game is her being taught a lessson on who she needs to be and what hyrule needs to be (pretty in your face too, she gets sent to paradise past of the "first" king that is some supposedly godly thing from the HEAVENS and watches him and his queen die at the hands of the eviiil guy, the last scene in the game mimics perfectly the scene where everyone that god king got under his rule swears undying loyalty to her ffs); she does live in that house, but what other option is there, set up camp in the collapsing throne room all alone?? nigh everyone from that time is long dead and the only one she actually knows is link who happens to have a house (bc impa doesnt care i guess idk), with her ""boyfriend"" is also interesting, a "boyfriend" that apparently is locked in the basement, lives in the woods or straight up dematerlializes when theres no big bad in need of stabbing bc why the hell does no one fucking know him in hateno??? not even the kids that come to the house EVERY SINGLE DAY?? and taking on duties as a princess, she very much does? just bc she doesnt get physically carried around in a castle doesnt mean she isnt doing royal stuff (also, again, that happens BETWEEN the games, not actually in totk), she still sees herself as the princess, everyone calls her that, she herself calls herself that (if the memorial stones are anything to go by) and everyone listens to the most overtly stupid and nonsensical stuff that zelda puppet says (even her friends follow that order without even asking back???) after over 100 years of there not being a kingdom as such its pretty weird how everyone immediately, even the ones not alive for the calamity event, snaps into blindly following her orders

"she can still lead without being a queen", did we play the same game?? totk? TEARS of the KINGDOM?? (its zeldas tears, she IS the kingdom) that game?? the game couldnt be more directly telling you that its whole point is that royal family holy and good and how much everyone has to sacrifice to uphold the holy kingdom bc its the only thing that keeps evil man from overtaking it!! including turnign herself into a farmable, glorified stone pedestal for the entirety of the actual game and then that sacrifice not meanign shit bc she just gets deus ex machina'd back (i didnt need her to stay a dragon, though it would have been the better choice if she still didnt get an active part in the game i would kill for her to have been a capable companion instead of the stupid ghost sages, and you dont even get to actually do anything for it, it just happens), not even the nuclear pebble is lost, how great! she and everyone else that is a leader of their people has a nuclear pebble now!! they will not let a bad evil man be a threat ever again!! like the point to bring her back in that utterly unsatisfying way is that otherwise the royal line wouldnt exist anymore, its a blessing of her ancient ancestors!! woohooo!!

and the thing is, i LIKE botw zelda, i liked her character, that she wasnt the typically maiden princessy type, her struggle (even if i find the way she unlocked her powers lame), i do NOT like totk zelda, after the intro of the game she is a princessy maiden standing prettily at the side of the god king that rules the only thing keeping evil at bay, the level of how much totk disrespects her makes me mad on her behalf but i have ranted about that alone enough as well

and with this i am DONE talking about this game, i have ranted so much about it, made my points carefully clear over and over, said that i dont have the nerves left to be nice anymore about it given how much shit alone on twitter i had to live through just bc i dared mildly critisizing the damn game, if you comment some snarky "be real" thing again im just gonna go straight to blockign people bc i am done with this

[hockeyshmockey]

FEA- Daniel Ricciardo

summary: in which daniel's return to the redbull family brings her back into his life too

warnings: none other than some cursing

“Did you hear?” Max asked her casually in between interviews, the Dutchman trying to be nonchalant but failing epically.

“Hear what?” Shay asked the driver as she looked up from her phone with squinted eyes.

“Mclaren dropped Daniel,” Max revealed with a frown, making Shay's jaw drop.

Rewind to 2016.

Shay, a young assistant media manager had been called by a frantic Stella, who was the head of Red Bull F1 PR at the time. One of the two media managers had come down with pneumonia and been unable to travel to Melbourne for the first race of the season.

It was that moment that Shay had been thrown head first into her role she held now. Stella had told her that Shay was now the Media Manager for hot shot Daniel Ricciardo until told otherwise. The moment the Aussie and the girl from Cambridge started working together began what many called two years of pain.

Professionally, Shay and Daniel were a dream pairing. The two had a rapport many other drivers tried to have with their media managers. There had to be a delicate balance of friendship and work, which Shay was able to achieve with the never ending enigma that was Daniel. She never hesitated to joke around with him, but was also able to bring him back to earth and out of the slumps that became more common further on in their partnership.

Personally, Shay and Daniel were the biggest “will they won’t they” the paddock may have ever seen. Shay had blushed around Daniel their first few weeks working together non stop. Daniel would never hesitate to flirt with Shay, smirking when eventually the girl learned to give it back just as good as she got.

On celebration nights, Daniel and Shay were almost always found together in a dark corner leaning in close and sipping their drinks. The two spent time together away from the track, Shay meeting his family and Daniel going on vacation with Shay and her brothers one summer break. When Daniel was on the podium, Shay was on the barrier waiting with a hug.

When Max joined Red Bull, even as tensions within the team rose, the Dutchman never failed to tease Daniel about Shay. When the time came for Daniel to announce his move to Renault, most of the Red Bull staff expected him to announce at the same time he and Shay were in love and she was heading across the paddock with him.

Little did they know, Shay heard about Daniels departure at the group meeting with everyone else.

Things after that were tense. Daniel spent the rest of the season soaking up his last moments with the team, but things with Shay were off. He understood he had hurt her, but her never realized how badly until she iced him out. The last five races of the season, there was none of the banter that their relationship thrived on. Shay was all work while Daniel tried to revert back to their normal.

The last race of the season ended with a party in a club. And instead of hanging out in a corner, Shay and Daniel were in a screaming match that ended with Shay in tears and leaving and Daniel pounding beers till he couldn't see straight.

The next four years, Shay and Daniel kept their distance. They nodded to each other across the paddock, but there was no chats. They usually ended up having polite conversation when Max would force them together. But overall, Daniel's handling of his departure from Red Bull had clearly damaged their relationship.

"God, what is he going to do?" Shay was unable to keep the concern out of her voice as she looked at Max.

"I don't know yet," Max shrugged. "Theres some options, but I'm sure they aren't ideal for him. I'm sure Blake is working in overtime."

"God," Shay shook her head. "I really thought after all the comments made about his contract, Mclaren would've been smarter than this. Dan better get his money out of that one."

"Maybe you should reach out," Max said lightly, throwing his hands up in surrender when Shay whipped around to glare at him.

unknown

fuck em all. show them what they've lost

daniel

did you literally change your number to ignore me?

shay

and now im going to do it again

shay

I was trying to be nice but nvm

daniel

no no. I appreciate it

daniel

FEA

"Hello?" Shay asked with stuttered breath as she answered her phone. Her chest had gotten tight as soon as she saw the caller ID.

"Hi Shay," Daniel sighed into the receiver. "I'm sorry to call out of the blue. Do you have a sec?"

"Yeah Dan," she smiled slightly as she leaned on her desk in the Red Bull F1 office. "What's going on?"

"I just," he sighed. "I want you to know I understand that the blame of how things went down between us is on me. I should've-."

"No Dan," she cut him off. "It's not all on you. I reacted poorly. I knew you were struggling and I could've cut you some slack, but I let my hurt cloud everything. I could've been a bit more forgiving."

"Well, thank you for saying that," he smiled to himself. "I do regret things. And thats why I wanted to be the one to tell you this. Christian wants me to come on as the third driver. And as long as you and I are good, I want to say yes."

"Oh Dan," Shay beamed. "You are so fucking back baby."

And so the game began again. Daniel was back with Red Bull and in the garage, and though Shay was Max's Media Manager this time around, it just meant the three of them were attached at the hip. But the Daniel and Shay betting pool had absolutely been restarted.

The energy in Red Bull was at an all time high. The team doing so well, and having Daniel back was like a double boost in morale. Daniel's reputation within Red Bull was excellent, clearly so since Christian had jumped at the chance to bring the Aussie back.

The team though had a lot of new faces since Daniel had left. And so he was learning a lot of new names and team members. And he already had a few to keep his eye on based on the way they acted with Shay.

"Have you not shut that down?" Daniel asked Max quietly as the two stood in the garage and watched as one of the newer mechanics put his hand on Shay's shoulder as the two spoke.

"Mate," Max laughed. "No. She's my friend, I don't care if she dates a mechanic."

"She's too good for them," Daniel frowned. "I always gave my boys the shovel talk back then."

"Dan, you did that because you wanted to be the one dating her," Max said dead pan. "You gave me the shovel talk too. Everyone knows why you're doing it."

"Do you think she knows?" Daniel asked with a panic, running after Max's retreating form

*

"You okay?" Shay asked as she peaked into the drivers room in Alpha Tauri where a down trodden honey badger resided.

"Think it's broken," Daniel said with a sad smile. He had been racing for three weekends before it was ripped away again.

"Okay, we can work with that!" Shay tried to encourage as she went as sat next to him, resting her hand on his thigh. "You'll see a doctor, and then we can get a treatment plan in place and-"

"You know I'm in love with you right?" Daniel interrupted, watching Shay's face as his comment sunk in.

"I mean I love you too bud," she laughed nervously.

"No, like, I'm in love with you," Daniel said assuredly. "I think we're meant to be together. And today, flying toward that barrier, I couldn't help but think that I didn't want to go another day without saying it."

"Daniel," Shay murmured as she looked into his brown eyes for a moment before smirking. "Come here you idiot," she grabbed a hold of his collar and yanked him in for their first kiss of many.

*

Christian and Gerri split the multi thousand dollar pot, compiled over years of betting with attendees across the paddock. A phone tree had to be used to inform everyone that the bet terms had been met. Retired drivers, old team principals, and even ex partners had to be called to let everyone know that Daniel and Shay were finally, Daniel and Shay.

[couldtransitionsaveher]

RUSTIN "RUST" COHLE from TRUE DETECTIVE

JUSTIFICATIONS:

"Addicted to saying super depressing stuff which just reminds me of how eggs are before they realize they dont have to live in a dark cave all alone all the time. Constantly talking about how everyone lives in delusion of being a real person, how the only reason for men and women to be together is to make children (while still trying to have relationships with women but clearly feels uncomfortable about it"), talks about not being able to overcome his "programming", how theres no escape from the cycle of life and you cannot make real choices. Cuts his hair into and ugly short haircut and then grows em out long but gets a denial moustache. Likes to make art but thinks its too late to become an artist. Generally has this vague unhappiness that underlies all of his other problems in life. I think realising that lesbianism is an option and letting herself do what she wants instead of insisting theres no hope of change would open a new and exciting path in her life and god knows she needs those." - Anonymous

"transition couldve saved her." - @boeing747

Reminder: Submissions are always open! Submit here!

[thedeafprophet]

Finished drawing my character designs/ line up of the Light Fingers Crew to formalize my drawing of them

Overview/ Design talk under the cut if anyone is interested in that sort of thing

For all the designs I used the art given for them in the game as a starting point and then went from there. For all but Hephaesta of course that means using a non character specific art. I also wanted all the colors to sort of fit together so where i would have done more vibrant stuff and i strayed away from that.

Clara and Her Sister

Putting the discussion for these two together, as their designs recieved similar thoughts because they are identical twins. ('She is wearing the Fading Music-Hall Singer's face, which seems rude.')

The basic art of the bohemian faction is used to depict the sisters.

So this was my basic starting point for the visual design. I ended up diving further into research into bohemian fashion, which of course lead to me reading up on the history of the term and the connection to the Romani people. According to wikipedia, the word comes from the french term 'bohémien', which was the word for the Romani people.

This of course put a complex spin when i looked into the clothing used in the time, as theres a question between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation, and one I don't have the full understanding for.

Nevertheless i did take some inspirtation for the clothing here, Clara with having her hair loose and down and looser clothing, the singer with the hair scarf and the necklace among some inspirations.

Inbetween the two I imagine the singers appearance to be more reserved then Clarabelle's. For one, my interpretation of the singer is as someone who uses her singing as a backdrop for sneaking and gathering information (per her role as a 'contact' of the player). The other being that we are told Clara's title is the 'eccentric opera singer' to me implies a grander sense of creatativity and wilder clothing. In less stressful times I imagine her wearing brighter clashing colours and skirts with patterns on them and jewlery (which i intend to draw at a later time when i get better at adding patterns to clothes lol).

We also know the two of them are 'not young' so i attempted to not make them appear so.

Hephaesta

Heph is of course the one character of the group with a personalized art, which i used as the base for my design.

Hephaesta is supposed to be a large figure, as she is a strongwoman, and is described as towering over even jasper and frank. So of course I had to make her tall compared to the others of the group.

And of course i can't go without bringing up Katie Sandwina (again), a real strongwomen of the time who serves as a great inspiration both in body type and height.

What a woman huh.

Dr Vaughan

The Campaigner template art was the one used to depict her when you first speak to her and was a starting point here.

To me i always pictured her as a fairly older women given her experience and amount of time she's been researching. Clearly someone with a lot of exprience. And also i just vibe with it.

I kept her outfit simple, as i dont figure her as someone to put too much into the latest fashion given her focus on her work. I took the green from the art to use as her skirt to tie in that colour. I also looked up some photos of female doctors of the time and that partially influenced my art direction here.

Obliging Silverer

I debated including him or not given that you only have him as part of the team if you use the light fingers exclusive option to access the parabolan basecamp. But given the fact that he literaly dies defending the camp, I think its only fair that he gets included.

i just had a bit of fun with the design as there wasnt too much to restrict off. I dont draw a lot of characters with mustaches depsite them being a thing of the time, so I figured this was a good excuse as any. I kept with some orange colours within his colour scheme for further callbacks to parabola and his work.

Also hey did you know that people of an ashkenazi background can also have red hair? Fun fact heh.

[soulidarity]

companion

based on the companion robot chat story | xavier x reader/mc

after mc gets the new robot companion, xavier grows a bit jealous of the perfect companion

A knock at the door was heard, before MC could open it her new companion robot she had nicknamed phel was already on it.

as soon as it opened the door, a confused xavier greeted it. he looked at the robot and the door number, double checking he hadn't knocked on a stranger's door. chuckling at the situation, MC quickly went to greet him.

"thank you phel, i got it"

phel nodded and walked away, leaving a frowning hunter at the door.

"i didn't know you were busy." xavier said, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"oh no! thats just phel, the robot companion we had talked about. I got it a few days ago, guess i forgot to tell you. come in"

the two walked in to the living room, the taller one wearily looking at the robot doing something in the kitchen as he sat down.

"whyd you get one?"

"im always too tired to do household chores, thought itd be a good way to lift up some stress from my shoulders"

phel aproached the two with tea, pouring it onto two cups, adding sugar to one of them.

"just how you like it, MC"

"thank you phel!" she smiled at it as xavier added sweetner to his own drink. the robot bowed and left the pair alone.

"i dont like it."

"oh is the tea not to your liking? i think i have other types, i can ask phel to make another pot-"

"no. i dont like the robot."

"...why?"

"its off putting. you dont need it"

"hm... i think it looks pretty great. its customizable"

"so you designed it?"

"if by designing you mean i selected the short brown hair and blue eyes option then yeah. i think i did some other stuff to it but not much."

the comment had made xavier frown even more. MC sighed and put her cup down.

"okay this is clearly a bigger problem than phel just being off putting, do you wanna talk about it?"

"well... not in front of it" he mumbled. MC rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand. "Phel, we'll be in my room. Please dont enter unless an emergency has happened" the robot nodded and continued wiping the kitchen counter.

she dragged the sulking hunter and sat him on her bed, looking down at him she spoke "so, whats wrong?"

"is it your ideal type?"

"HUH?!"

"i mean you designed him to be what you like, right? if you want me to dye my hair thats fine-"

"woah hold on. are you jealous of it?"

xavier fell silent, fiddling with the string of his hoodie. MC sat down next to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and placing her chin on his shoulder.

"y'know i love you right? i could never replace you. much less with a robot."

"it can be here all the time, it can cook, entertain, comfort and other cool features the ad talked about..."

"yknow what it cant give me? it cant give me warmth during an over night mission. i cant feel its heartbeat rising because i did something cheeky. i cant see its gaze softening as it wakes up and realizes its me. it cant be xavier, and thats all i need."

the two stayed in their position as a soft silence filled the room, xavier placing a hand over hers and squeezing it.

"...i can learn how to cook"

"i- xavier you dont need to-" she said as she laughed.

"and im good at cleaning, ill help so get rid it"

she chuckled a bit more before placing a quick kiss on his lips. "ill return it tomorrow. and for the sake of our building, you can just buy me takeout."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

i always liked android and robot stories, i feel like theres a lot to explore even tho it has been getting repetitive in recent media. so when i got this chat i was inspired to do a fic based on it. first time writing xav kinda nervouse

[rosorbus]

my thoughts on evangelion 3.0+1.0

(as someone who only recently finished it)

as much as i loved shin eva, something about it didn't sit right with me. i've been doing a lot of reflection lately, and i think i've sort of unpacked it?

theres a lot of incoherent rambling here i think but i don't care, i'm not editing shit

spoilers for the rebuilds, don't read if you haven't seen them.

to start, i think it was a- no, not excellent, uh ... it was a satisfactory conclusion to most? i liked it, cried my eyes out obviously.

shinji's character got a great conclusion. i don't think that's a hot take by any means. seeing him actually talking to his father, having a real conversation with gendou, and in turn making that character, who'd probably felt like a walking plot device beforehand, human? that's powerful shit.

↓ please excuse my pathetic whining below

but... oh, mari. she was definitely a fun character, if not a little shallow and fanservicey. her presence never really bothered me though, not until shinji ended up with ...her??

that final scene genuinely shocked me. i guess i sort of get the idea?? like, his only other romantic options were the following:

A: Rei Ayanami

a clone of his dead mother that barely understands the concept of being human, and whose care for him clearly, at least to me, stems from her practically being his family.

B: Asuka Langley Shikinami

an angry redheaded girl who, unlike her version in the original series, is also a clone. this one's backstory is much more shrouded in mystery, but regardless, she's violent asf with shinji, tried to force feed him, etc. as far as we know, she no longer has feelings for him after the 14-year timeskip and is implied to be in a relationship with kensuke.

C: Kaworu Nagisa

(we'll get to him in a minute)

A and B... not great options. A is a weird dynamic, and they give off a sibling vibe to me anyway. B is jusy plain fucked. i've never thought asuka and shinji's relationship was remotely healthy, not with soryuu OR shikinami.

but did the writing team just forget about C? i understand it was established towards the end that kaworu didn't truly understand shinji's happiness, but ...that doesn't fit with the relationship i saw, at least.

to me, yeah, he fucked up a couple times. his existence ended up causing more pain to shinji but this was through no fault of his own.

"all he wanted was for shinji to live and be happy."

kaworu realizing that maybe it was not just a selfless act, that maybe it was also for himself, and acknowledging that, is absolutely character development. in exchange for becoming human, he acknowledged his own flaws.

and that is beautiful to me.

so why am i weirded out by shinji ending up with mari, you ask?

it's because she does not have depth as a character.

she feels so utterly flat to me, and that is not a dig at her, i'm not a mari hater by any means, but OH MY GOD. how do you just end like that? with this one person who doesn't feel like a real person?

and it's not like i'm mad about it because she's new, hell no. it's because she has no flaws. she feels like this perfect shell of a character to me. and maybe that's the point? i have no idea. i have no idea what was going through anno's head when he was cooking up this film.

again, to clarify, i still LOVED the movie. but mari becoming important is weird. kaworu was right there and they just kinda ??? tossed him aside ???

to me at least, it should've been him, or shinji's love life should've been left up to interpretation. mari didn't earn that ending.

(this is the only real criticism i have about the movie btw it was fine)

[meowsgirldrawing]

Small idea for my Fellow Sebastian Lovers! Hear me out!!

So we all know that Sebastian from Stardew is the famous emo marriage option, a very popular one at that if media doesn't fail me.

So during the time him and the farmer are starting to get to know each other, like see each other more, hang out more, all that fun definitely platonic pinning stuff

Its all nice and sweet, like Sebastian is starting to get somewhat comfortable, not a whole lot, but definitely better than before.

So much so that hes seen sometimes lingering just a little longer outside or inside when he leaves his room, kinda hoping to catch at least a glimpse of the farmer.

Doing little actions like these while he doesn't even realize it!

But someone does 👀

Not only Abigail and Sam- Not only the other two of the ASS squad- The two who share knowing smirks and small nudge nudges all while Sebastian is too busy talking with the Farmer infront of them.

More like stuttering and flustering about-

Who am I talking about?

Maru? Ehhh, not exactly.

The frogs? Yes but also no-

Demetrious?...HAHAHHAAHA-

No.

Robin? Nohoho- Oh wait, your right!

HIS OWN MOTHER-

Robin, the beloved only Carpenter of this amazing town!

She notices after witnessing Sebastian cross by the hall, taking a tad bit longer glance at the door before leaving. Multiple times!

Shes like "Hm. Is he waiting for someone? One of his little buddies?"

But she never says anything cause she thinks its probably nothing, y'know?

Until one day it occurs-

Sebastian stays long enough for the farmer to waltz in, at the right time, at the right place.

Instantly she notices a change-

Sebastian sticks near the doorway, waiting for the Farmer to finish their order for a new addition to the farm, and once their finished, he greets them.

Robin stays near the counter, counting through whatever blue prints for the commission, but keeps glancing up.

We just love mothers, dont we?

Her jaw nearly hangs when Sebastian gets offered a crystal but gets a bit flustered at it, taking the gift with such gentle hands as he thanks the Farmer.

He ducked his head a little, gave a small chuckle, and grateful nod- all while giving the Farmer all his attention without an inch of seeming like he wanted to be or hide somewhere else.

She knows. She immediately knows.

But she doesnt say a word-

Not to Sebastian at least-

She does tell Demetrious a bit of it, the more she notices.

What can you say? The woman, who thought her son just wasn't interested in just about anyone or anything besides his room and computer stuff, finally sees her little man find someone he's clearly interested in.

Demetrious is all like "Thats great, honey :)"

....We know you were just thinking of your work, Demetrious, you dont gotta lie. 💀

Anyway! Robin feels satisfied, knowing her Sebby will probably-

Wrong, she knows that man will never confess on his own terms.

She starts planning like its the Egg Festival and she got put in charge of hiding all the eggs- aka, the clues for Sebby to figure out

First- Find out if the Farmer likes him back!

Shes not just gonna do it if she knows theres a chance the Farmer will reject Sebastian. If that were the case, she would let Sebby handle it the way he feels is just.

The next times the Farmer comes around, she asks subtle questions.

"How's the Farm doing? It doesnt feel too lonely, does it?"

"I seen you met my son, Sebastian! Hes treating you good, I hope!"

"Do you like my son-" (Robin no-)

Little stuff like that until eventually- she gets her answer. The one shes been hoping for!

The Farmer, despite their usually calm persona, turns a wee bit heated at the cheeks, scratching their neck and giggling/chuckling nervously while answering yes, Sebastian is a good guy!

HOOK LINE SINKER-

Boys, we got em.

Robin-

Now Robin can do what mothers do best, interfere

(Mom, if you are ever reading this cause whatver reason, I love you and promise that isnt the truth-") what I said, y'know, like a liar.

Now that we think about, Robin probably cant do too much in the position shes in. She doesnt want to overwhelm her son, nor does she want to accidentally scare the Farmer away. Hmmm.

Maru, the beautiful genius comes in with, "What if you sent Sebastian to help the farmer ?"

So she does.

Anytime she can, Robin asks Sebastian if he can either go drop off something or help the Farmer bring something into the shop, or plain and simple like "Sebby, I need you to run this fish down to the Farmer."

"Why do (they) need a fish? Cant they just get some-"

"Go talk to your crush already-"

"MOM-"

He does so.

She doesnt just do that, whenever they're at the Saloon, she'll ask Sebastian and the Farmer to help her bring drinks to their table even if they arent sitting with them.

Maru even pitches in sometimes with asking Sebastian if he can ask the Farmer to bring her something for one her experiments/robots.

Anything and every chance is given directly to Sebastian to talk to the farmer when hes free.

And it pays off- On calls Sebastian takes for Robin from the Farmer, Robin can hear him laughing a bit with them after getting their order in.

Maru catches them jokingly nudging each other as they walk to the table with drinks.

And Sebastian seems to take a good bit longer to come home even though they have a shortcut to the Farmer just a little higher up the mountain.

Even Demetrious commented about one time seeing Sebastian snuffing out his smoke as the Farmer immediately came into view, and quickly striking up a conversation as they were walking through.

The girls were giddy with excitement and Demetrious was.....there.

Listen, I dont hate him but he isnt exactly my favorite either-

Then it came!

The day the Farmer walked into the shop, grasping a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a Tear Drop in the other.

Robin had to hide the large and practically beaming grin on her face with a handbook of what you guessed? Carpentry, infront of her.

Maru noticed the Farmer walking past with a handful wave and waved back so fast and so giddy like.

When the Farmer came from the basement, you could tell no one can wipe the smile cemented onto their face. The items were gone and they were basically skipping in their walk out.

And that ladies, gents, and nonbinary boos, is how Robin (noname), Pelican Town's only Carpenter earned her rightful spot upfront for her son and new in-laws wedding in the future.

And you can just imagine the look on Sebastian's face when he realized how his mother had a hand in getting him and his now S.O. together HAHA💜💜

[clatoera]

What’s everyone’s phone lock screen in ARWBFTB au :) just thought I’d send a fun one today 😅

Oh this is sooooo fun omg especially bc like…theres so many options ✨Ironically the answers are mostly like…each other. I’m so excited okay sooo

Cato’s is definitely Clove looking annoyed. Like giving him enough attitude in her face that you can see it in the picture. I don’t know exactly what she was doing IN the picture but she looks annoyed and he loves it. Thats the like outside lock screen picture, the INSIDE  picture is absolutely one that should not be seen publicly. LIke…absolutely not for public consumption but for his yes indeed okay. He later becomes obsessed (and I mean obsessed) with pictures of Clove and their son so it’s an ever changing combo of pictures he takes of them. Not the inside picture. That one NEVER Changes (except to other pictures that should not see the light of day).

Clove’s is the two of them together probably looking at each other and not at the camera. She’s probably in his lap, they’re probably staring at each other, her arm over his shoulders kinda thing. Like taken candidly by one of their friends at a party or something, like Glimmer seems the type to just take random pictures of people and friends because love is all around her blah blah blah. So yeah. It’s them together. Looking hot. The usual. His giant hands on her waist is a focal point. 

Finnick and Annie absolutely have the same exact picture, it’s each other and their son like a professional picture of the three of them probably on the beach. They do that thing where they’d both pick up each others phones and get so confused when they lock themselves out because they cant tell them apart. 

Marvel’s is Glimmer. He’s in the picture too but the focus is very much Glimmer like he’s stand-in behind her with his arms around her shoulder and he’s Clearly saying something in her ear because she’s laughing and THATS why it’s his favorite because she’s laughing and smiling and there is literally nothing he likes better than Glimmer being happy enough to actually laugh at something. It later becomes ever changing pictures of Glimmer and the girls and they are definitely all three matching and have the same smile and eyes and hair and it’s everything and it changes like monthly because theres constantly new outfit updates. 

Glimmer also I think has two. The like front lock screen is definitely her girls. All different variations of them but it is always them together. Usually in matching outfits. Or like snuggled up together. She is DEEPLY obsessed with them. The inside picture like barely ever changes it’s from when the girls were really little and they were exhausted with two little babies and it’s him asleep on like the recliner or something with both of them also sleeping onto of him. It’s a favorite of hers. 

Enobaria’s is just Cashmere. Like at a wedding or something with her elbow on the table and her chin in her hand. Or like laying in bed. Or literally just any way shape or form of cashmere. But it’s not like the capitol/D1 glamour shots it’s her all excited in the winter bundled up holding her little peppermint coffee, or laying on the beach in 4 in a big sun hat. Or one specific moment in the like 6 weeks of whirlwind wedding planning of Glimmer which involved Cashmere literally laying in the living room covered in sparkly light pink tulle and flowers because it was literally covering the entire house. Like moments where she seems genuinely happy and genuinely smiling because thats the part of her she never got to be prewar ya know? Sometimes rarely it’s the two of them together but mostly it’s like..just little happy pictures of cash. 

Cashmere’s is always people together. The like main one is usually her and Enobaria, like one of them looking at each other at one of the like 7890 parties they end up at post war and by that I mean dinner parties and weddings. Theres a picture of the two of them at Glimmer’s, Enobaria covered in a layer of Glitter from Cash’s dress just so so cute. I feel like theres a lot of beach gatherings because of Finnick so theres definitely pictures of the two of them extra tan that becomes a favorite of like…Cash practically sitting ontop of her. The inside picture is always like of her/gloss/glimmer I think. Sometimes the girls make the cut in the group picture, but it’s usually the three of them. 

One time Marvel got so severely sunburned he couldn’t move and Finnick made him take a picture holding up a cooked lobster for comparison and that became like at least the group chat picture if not everyone’s contact picture for him en masse. It’s not a phone screen but it’s a funny thought. 

so this got waaaaay out of my hands i'm sorry I just got so excited it was a lot of fun 😅 Thank you my friend this was SO so fun!!

[cherryfennec]

hot take: the bosses in super paper mario permanently damaged any chance of the game ever getting rpg mechanics, it would make the rpg mechanics feel cheap and the bosses feel boring, especially super dimentio

abandoning the flippage and making the game be fully 3d like sm64 would be a good move though

Super Paper Mario stands out in the Paper Mario games especially because of the fact that the bosses aren't turn based. The fact that they mixed RPG and platformer elements was interesting, in the end some of them hit while some miss.

The bossess definitely have quite a lot of charm from being in full motion and not locked to turns, you get to see personality through movement like O'Chunks being a little slow to react, Dimentio and Mr.L being hard to catch and Bleck taking advantage of the background. A few that especially benefit are: Fracktails entire battle, Mimi climbing the ceiling midfight (and also her and Dimentio being able to flip after you), Brobot L-type or even Super Dimentio like you mentioned.

Despite this I have to admit that some fights might feel underwhelming gameplay wise. Getting personality is awesome but if it's at the expense of difficulty or unfun mechanics then it might be better to not push it. Especially with the problem of BIG open spaces. Chapter 4-4 boss room is super open and super empty which feels a little anticlimactic while Mimis boss room is super small and has little wiggle room. Mimi was in fact harder than Mr.L just because of the fact i couldn't jump or evade her as easily.

This doesn't mean that everything should be crammed into a small area but it is a little cheesy seeing the AI struggle to attack you in the few ways it can. (again with Mr.L, he makes mighty leaps in this large room and with how slow he descends and predictable the landing spot is you can just. walk under.)

When it comes to making it 3D sm64 style it would be conceptually interesting but personally? I think it should remain paper style. A story like this would be difficult and very time consuming to execute in the mainline 3D Super Mario style, especially considering the time it released in. The main focus here was clearly the lore and dialogue which a lot of people agree is the best thing about it. It's cut like a story book, which ties with being Paper Mario, and the idea that these characters are already doomed by the narrative.

But that's an entirely different discussion so I won't delve deeper or else we'll be here much longer.

If I could personally offer any changes to SPM it would be:

The timer on the FLIP ability sucks, either extend or remove completely. I want to see all these beautiful assets and bosses in 3D which are already fully programed but the timer is actively discouraging me from doing so because of the damage penalty. "Mario is getting nauseous that's why he can't stay there long" is a cool in-universe explanation but it's not fun gameplay wise.

Personal design nitpick but some areas could use some retouches. What do you mean you associated the colour of the Pure Heart to the worlds palette only in 4 Chapters? What about the rest? Please keep going!!

Increase the difficulty a little (aka make the AI somewhat smarter). Personality and struggle is what makes a character memorable in games. (really big detour but for example take Malenia from Elden Ring, she has lore that is optional to learn and yet theres a big chance you'll remember her anyway because she's a super hard boss)

This ones more of a 'what if' but I've been trying to imagine for a while the possibility of: normally everything is 3D/with depth like the other Paper Mario games and when you FLIP it becomes 2D (basically reversing the effect). I know this ruins Fracktail and would require more work with sculpting the environments but I like the thought of the hub being 3D. If not that at least add more assets to the environment when you flip. A lot of the time every tree and rock is in 2D while 3D is just so empty. Also consider just for a moment how little people FLIP during bosses and areas, probably forgetting they even can, and missing out on these cool models. Either that or they're aware that when they do FLIP they won't see anything because the cameras obscured by a wall (looking at you chapter 4).

In conclusion I think this take has stable ground and in the end I agree to an extent! There are some rather specific cases that I feel would work better in a turn based system but overall a lot of them are good as they are!

Making the game like sm64 sounds fun but could be difficult to execute without loosing any of the beautiful charm the Paper Mario format/style provides to it's stories.

[alicentsgf]

ok so fans who hate alicent LOVE to say shit like "book alicent was beefing with a child lol" totally unironically. and it just confuses me. like Bro... all f&b tells us is she Stopped Being Nice to rhaenyra after aegon was born (when viserys showed no sign of naming him heir). because, reportedly, she was originally kind to rhaenyra. apparently kind enough for at least one or two people to note a sudden change in demeanor.

and like im sorry. is it that crazy that when alicent began to understand rhaenyra and her own son were going to be pitted against each other in the future she chose aegon and distanced herself from rhaenyra? she wasnt "beefing with a child" like i feel thats so clearly just a little joke someone made thats been taken at face value and regurgitated. because its not true. or at least f&b gives us no indication of it - we're never told about her acting maliciously toward a young rhaenyra. in fact i dont think we're given much indication they really interacted at all. and anyway, wouldnt it have been worse for her to continue to keep rhaenyra close ? so she could try and manipulate her?? people make book alicent into this great seductress and manipulator and theres basically no textual evidence to support it. if anything i feel like alicent distancing herself shows she very possibly DID genuinely care about rhaenyra once, perhaps enough to worry her attachment might undermine her cause to prioritise aegon in some way. and this is only further supported by rhaenyra's decision to spare alicents life later when the rest of the greens became dragon snacks.

then theres the fact book alicent was the one who asked viserys to betroth aegon to rhaenyra. why would she do that? a woman from a house with such close ties to the faith no less. she asked when aegon was 6 and she must have known by that point viserys was likely never going to name aegon heir - imo she was exhausting options to try and protect her children. no matter what choices aegon made he had every chance of becoming a symbol others would use, forcing rhaenyra to make an example of him to maintain control. marrying them to each other would do a lot to avoid that eventuality. it was both a smart political match and what Targaryen tradition demanded. viserys was convinced alicent was only acting out of ambition which is why he rebuffed her, but we're repeatedly shown viserys is kind of an idiot. especially politically.

theres this Obsession with the idea alicents characterisation was changed so dramatically for the show. 'i wish they'd made her like book alicent' they did...? they made her a victim who is scared and anxious and bitter. theres nothing to suggest that wasnt who book alicent was. everything we know of her is filtered through layers of bias - her story told by men who dont give a shit what she felt or desired. and what? you dont like it because you wanted her to be some one dimensional villian? because doubling down of f&bs oft misogynistic, cardboard cutout representation of her would have been So great. like please, i get that so much of f&b can be interpreted a whole bunch of ways but 'alicent the evil step mother' is the most basic, boring interpretation. it shows no depth of thought at all. theres at least a few clues in there as to who she Actually might have been, if you bother to look.

its just insane to me honestly. you read that book and thought she was pure evil? this woman who doted on her daughter and grandchildren so completely that her grandson's murderers knew to find them in her rooms. this woman who spent her last moments embracing death, pining for her dead children and speaking fondly of the old man she used read to as a girl. its really not that hard to percieve book alicent as a trapped and embittered woman desperately scared for the lives of her children. seriously. where is the critical thought? the empathy?? im so tired.