#cn block party

[hmanster004]

i found out this is how they do Samson in the CN block party comics

he doesnt even have any of samsons characteristics they made a version of him that does not suffer at all its fucked LOL

always with that grin on his face, everything's a big joke to him

[cncomicz]

Higher quality reupload of the Ed, Edd n Eddy comic "Sugar, Spice, & Ed" from Cartoon Network Block Party #9.

[bugeyedfreaks]

Am I crazy or there a comic with Mojo Jojo fighting HIM or a concert or movie theater line that their fight ended in a stalemate and the girls arrived the next morning and sent them to prison as mojo and HIM are serving the prisoners lunch at the cafeteria. Kudos to mojo to able to survive a full out fight with the demon that a underrated movement but was the comic DC or IDW?

I literally have NO idea what you’re talking about, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it doesn’t exist. Does anyone else know if this is a thing? If it is I wanna see it!

…and of course Mojo could survive Him in a fight! He’s no slouch! If he can survive brain damage from the girls punching him, he can survive Him giving him, uh, psychological damage (maybe… he already has a lot of psychological damage to begin with, so maybe he’s immune 😆).

[tieronecrush]

hot & heavy

chapter ten: a hidden gem, my own goldmine

neighbor!joel x f!reader

series masterlist

series rating: E (18+ MDNI)

series summary:

over the course of three summers, joel miller becomes woven into your life. the first summer is spent falling for him; nannying his daughter and sneaking around with him in a burning love affair. you know how you feel about joel, he isn’t so sure about how it all is gonna work. the second summer is brief. a month spent at home after graduation and before you move to boston for your dream job. one look at you, one time hearing your voice, and joel is hooked again. he pines over you for that month, but you think — how is long distance of over a thousand miles going to work for a single dad? the third summer, you return home burnt out and pride bruised from your post-grad life. you need time to feel at home again, like your complete self, so you’ve come back home with no return ticket booked. it’s only a matter of time before joel seeks you out, slowly spending more time with you. without an inevitable end to the summer looming over you both, what chances are you willing to take?

word count: 10k

warnings: NO OUTBREAK (don’t need to worry about the mushies), no use of y/n, inexperienced reader, age gap (joel is 30/31, reader is 22), canon-divergent (sarah is 7 y/o), nanny au, pet names (sweetheart, darling, sweet girl, mariposa, etc.), polite southern manners, feeling familial and self-pressure, ESTABLISHED relationship FINALLY, spanish cause joel is latino, fingering, unprotected p in v, dirty talkkk king joel miller, soft (and soft dom) joel, possessive joel, mentions of depression diagnosis and symptoms, struggling with self, discussion of co-parenting, angst, MAJOR doubt! and a slumber party! yay!

a/n: thank you as always to the bestie/cousin/sister wife/sweet, sweet gf @northernbluess for beta-reading this chapter, seriously i can't write without you so you're stuck with me. also this chapter is a little heavier in spanish then before, so if there are any corrections needed, please comment or message me! i went through multiple translations to try to find the best/most common, but things are bound to slip through the cracks.

Joel’s been catching up with some chores around the house this evening after Sarah’s gone to bed: dishes are washed and put away, counters wiped down and floors mopped. He reset the living room after he put the laundry in the dryer, settling onto the couch with a long sigh. Hands rub at his tired eyes, muscles aching for his bed but he is determined to stay up until you text him that you’re back at your friend’s house safe.

A few of your friends from college ended up with jobs in Austin, and tonight you’d all arranged to go out downtown. You had, sweetly, invited Joel to tag along but when you mentioned that the only other guys there would be boyfriends of your friends that were your age, he politely declined. Well, he used his daughter as an excuse because he didn’t want to admit that he was a little insecure about the age difference, even still.

It’s not even a large one, you’re twenty-five  and he’s thirty-three, but with a nearly ten year old kid and his own business, he’s willing to bet he’s in a much different place in life than your friends' significant others. And if there isn’t a lot of common ground, Joel knows he’s not the most social or conversational.

Resting his eyes, his head rolls back onto the couch while the TV drones on about the latest Astros game. A short buzz from his phone in his pocket peels his eyes open, yawning quietly as he fishes the device out and flips it open.

FROM: Mariposa

Cn u pcik me up pLs????

While deciphering your drunk text, another couple are delivered and he keys down to see them as he chuckles at the antics. 

I miiss u

Eveynoe is w their BFs n I wnt mine 

Plesaseeeeeee J

Before he can type a response to you, an incoming call blocks out his screen, his thumb hitting the accept button quickly and bringing the phone to his ear.

“Feelin’ alright, Mari?”

A hiccup on the other line makes him laugh quietly again, your voice coming in over the music and people in the background, “No, not alright. M’sad.”

“Why’re you sad, sweet girl?”

“Cause you’re not here. Every—everybody’s…No I didn’t want a vodka water, gross! I wanna vodka soooooda with lime…Oops, sorry J. What was I saying?” A giggle from your end pulls a smile on his face, only slightly worried at your level of intoxication.

“You were telling me why you’re sad.”

“Right! M’sad cause all my friends have got their boy—” One hiccup. “Boyfriends here. And you’re aaaallllll the way at home.” Another hiccup. “I wanna be home with you.”

“I see. Well, I don’t want you to be sad, darlin’, so m’gonna come pick you up. How’s that sound?”

He hears a gasp into the phone and your voice gets quieter, imagining you holding the phone or turning your head away to a nearby friend.

“He’s coming! Jus’ to pick me up though, we gotta get back for Sar—Sarah…Yeah, she’s so cute…Well, yeah duh, he’s a DILF…I mean, to me I guess he’d be a DIAF…‘Dad I Am Fucking’…Oh, shit!” There’s a rustling as he laughs to himself overhearing your conversation, a smug smile on his face from you bragging to your friends. “M’sorry, J, god I totally forgot I was on the phone!” You punctuate your sentence with an incredulous laugh before quieting down to hear Joel.

“That’s alright, Mari. M’gonna drop Sarah with Tommy and then come and get you, okay? Can you tell me where you are?” Joel is already standing from the couch, grabbing his keys from the entryway before making his way upstairs to get Sarah into the car.

“Ummm…One sec!” The line rustles again while he stands at the top of the stairs. “Okay, we’re at that place on 11th, Nickel City.”

“Yeah, I know where that is, sweetheart. Be there soon, okay?”

“Okay. Tha—” One last hiccup. “—nks, J.”

“Anytime, amor. Anytime.”

With Sarah dropped off at Tommy’s, Joel goes into town to pick you up. It takes another twenty minutes from Tommy’s place, finding a parking spot not too far from the bar. He slips in the door and starts to comb his eyes over the crowd, most people stepping out of his way from his intimidating frame while he weaves through the masses.

Spotting you off to the side at a high-top table, some friends he recognizes from your photos dotted around the surface as well. You’re wrapped up in a conversation with the person next to you while you sit on a stool, Joel’s eyes finally landing on the person you’re talking to. It’s another man, about his height, maybe a few inches shorter. He’s got light hair, a clean-cut look with some fancy shirt on. Clearly, the guy is flirting with you, standing closer and leaning an arm around the back of your chair. Knowing how drunk you sounded over the phone, it occurs to him that you likely don’t even realize this guy’s body language, a primal possessiveness taking over his judgment. 

He’s waited years for you. There’s no way in hell he isn’t putting on a show for this guy to send him a message.

Joel rolls his shoulders back, chest raising with the corrective posture. He saunters over to the table, politely smiling and waving as your friends must recognize him and welcome him to the group. He walks right up to the other side of your chair, placing a hand on your lower back and brushing against the skin exposed by the tank top you’re wearing.

A small gasp exhales from you with the surprise contact, turning your head and beaming when you see him. The look makes the wings of his butterfly flap faster, beating in time with his heartbeat.

“You’re here! M’so happy to see you.” He matches your smile before he is crushed in a hug, your arms around his neck. Unraveling from each other, you turn back toward the other man, before one of your other friends comes over to tell you something, pulling you away but still within arm’s length for Joel to keep his hand on you.

Joel reaches his hand out toward the man,  “Nice to meet you…”

“Colton.”

“Nice to meet you, Colton. Are you one of the college friends?”

Colton gives a weak handshake to Joel, shaking his head with a laugh, “No, actually, never met any of ‘em until tonight. Well, except Taylor. M’relatively new to town, met Taylor through work, so you know how it is. Trying to make some connections.”

Joel has to hold back his eye roll, annoyance clear on his face at the skirting around that this Colton is doing. Joel’s heard it before from Tommy — going up to a girl and using the ‘new in town’ line to get a conversation started and to hopefully get them to leave with you to ‘show you around’.

Mine. You’re mine, he repeats to himself, the jealousy pumping in his veins.

“So’re you one of the college friends? Or an Austin friend?” Colton makes polite conversation while you turn in Joel’s arm and wrap your own around his back. Tugging on his t-shirt the fingers of one of your hands slip under the material and skim across his skin. Joel clears his throat, chuckling dryly as he keeps his gaze on Colton.

“Uh, not quite. M’the boyfriend.” His head nods to his side to you, a tight, smug smile on his face as he watches the gears in Colton’s head turn.

It’s not happening for him tonight. Or ever.

“Oh shit! You must be Joel! We’ve been waiting for you. I’ve just been making sure she’s had some water and didn’t wander off before you got here. She’s been talkin’ about you all night, made me think about how many times I’ve drunkenly ranted about my girlfriend.”

“Your girlfriend?”

“Yeah, Taylor’s my girlfriend — she’s the one with blonde hair right across the table.” Colton beams down the way as Taylor makes eye contact with him, waving to the woman as she smiles back at him.

The man is a golden retriever. And Joel thought he was some douchebag trying to hook up with his girlfriend. Joel opens his mouth to apologize for his cold behavior, but before he can your head pops up from his chest, grabbing his attention. Hands at his back scratch your nails against his skin, humming contently as you press a sloppy kiss to his jaw.

Colton considers his duties relieved and goes to find his girlfriend before Joel can thank him, leaving the two of you at the end of the table. Joel pulls his chin in to look down at you, smiling softly and moving a hand to the back of your neck.

“You alright, sweetheart?”

“Yeah, jus’ happy you’re here. Missed you.”

Joe presses a kiss to your forehead and you hum again, swaying sleepily in his arms. “M’glad you called me, Mariposa.”

“Can we go home now please?”

“Yeah, Mari, ‘course we can. You want me to bring you to your house?” His hands move to your sides, running up and down against the fabric of your tank top. You hook your arms around his neck and shake your head, a tiny “humpf” accompanying it.

“No, home.”

“My house?”

“Yes! Home. Wanna sleep in your bed, s’comfier than mine.”

“Yeah, sweetheart, I can bring you home.”

A warm stirring is felt in his chest, steadying you in your stance and keeping an arm around your waist. You say goodbye to your friends, all of them waving to you both as Joel steers you through the bar and to his truck outside.

Joel calls Tommy on the way home, his brother telling him that Sarah’s out cold and he can bring her back in the morning when she wakes up. He presses for an answer about why Joel had to drop Sarah off, but Joel ignores Tommy’s question again and hangs up.

Safely back at his house, he helps you out of the truck and inside, walking behind you on the stairs as you stumble. It’s like a baby deer learning to walk — he’s never seen you this drunk, tipsy, sure, but never at this level. A smile crosses his face as he imagines a moment like this in the future with you, maybe after a night out for the two of you or maybe even after your wedding.

Your voice pulls him out of his thoughts, tripping over your feet at the landing and recovering on your own. His hand hovers at your back, ready to break your fall if it happens.

“I’m alright, m’alright. Jus’ tripped a lil’.”

To be safe, Joel holds your hips the rest of the way up and into his room, sitting you on the edge of the mattress and gathering a t-shirt from his drawers for you to wear to bed.

“No, I want the funny one that I like,” you whine, waving a hand back at his dresser. Joel shakes his head to himself, chuckling about the fact that you still have a preference for sleep attire.

He grabs the shirt you’re talking about, a worn and washed one that he got as a joke from Tommy a few years ago. He normally wears it to sleep himself, if he wears one, or around the house if he knows he won’t be going out. It’s faded black now, yellow text that reads ‘I do know it all…I just can’t remember it all at once.’

Upon finding it in his drawer last week, you laughed hysterically and made him put it on for a Polaroid. You’ve also requested it every time you’ve stayed over since. 

In front of you again, with the correct shirt, he kneels down and pats the outside of your thighs. “Can you stand for me, sweetheart?”

Using his shoulders as support, you stand on sea legs, swaying back and forth as he looks up at you. “Can I take off your skirt, darlin’?”

“Yeah, you can, cutie.” You giggle and sway wider, playing with the curls at the top of his head, turning his head to your will as he unbuttons and unzips your denim skirt. “You got some grays mixed in here, mister.”

“M’getting old, Mari. No surprises there.” He chuckles and helps you lift each foot to step out of the tube of material completely, rubbing a hand on your calf before he stands in front of you again. He’s faced with a pout, brows knit together in anger.

“You’re not getting old. You’re literally in your thirties. Not old.”

“Say that to the gray hairs then, sweetheart.”

“Gray hairs—“ Hiccup. “Mean nothing ‘sides the fact that you’re gonna be a silver fox. My silver fox.”

A content smile, closed lips, pulls the corners of your mouth up. Heavy eyelids cover your irises halfway, the sight of you so drunkenly drowsy is utterly adorable to him. Fingers grip the bottom of your tank top, kissing your forehead.

“Can I take off your shirt?”

“Take it all off, bay-beeee.” Your swaying causes you to stumble again, Joel catching you before you fall back onto the bed. Once you’re steady, your own hands slip under his shirt, running over his tummy while you press sloppy kisses into his neck. “Mm, want you so bad, J.”

“I love you, darlin’, and you know I want you all the time, but not tonight. You need to get some water and go to sleep. For a while.” A defeated sigh blows against his skin, rocking back on your heels and Joel holding your weight to bring you to stand straight again. “Arms up, baby.”

You comply without another ask, lifting your arms as if they’re heavy weights, allowing Joel to tug the material over your head. With a slight slap sound, your arms drop back against your sides. Joel takes off your bra for you and gets you into his t-shirt, giving you a small kiss. He walks you to your side of the bed, tucking you in.

“Be right back, sweet girl. Gonna get you some water and then you can go to sleep, okay?”

“Okay.” You sigh, nesting into the sheets and duvet. Your eyes close, soft hums filling the room as he runs downstairs, filling a glass of water and grabbing ibuprofen to leave at your bedside for the morning.

Returning to his room, he coaxed you to sit up, having you drink half the glass. He changes for bed himself, stripping down to his boxers and slipping under the covers, pulling you closer with an arm around your waist.

“G’night, Mari.”

“Mm, night, J. Thanks for coming to get me and bringing me home. Like sleeping next to you lots more than a sleepover with my friends…”

“Like sleeping next to you too, Mari. Missed you all night. M’glad you’re home now.”

“Nightie night.”

“Nightie night, sweet girl. Don’t let the bedbugs bite.” He pinches your side playfully, breathing a laugh out of his nose at your yelp and squeezing you closer. With a kiss to the top of your head, he lulls you to sleep with his fingertips running up and down your spine, thoughts going right back to those flash images of a future with you.

“Love you, Mariposa.”

There’s an ache all over your body, eyes too sore and crusted over with sleep to peel open when you first wake up. Light peeks through the curtains, shining onto the bed and directly at your face, making you groan into the pillow and attempt to roll over.

Unfortunately, your body is telling you to get up, find water or pain meds or some coffee, you really wouldn’t be all too picky at this moment. Rolling over onto your back, you reach out to your side and feel bedding underneath your hand, pouting to yourself when you finally open your eyes and see Joel’s gone. As you sit up, you can hear the shower turn on in the bathroom attached to his bedroom and you can hear some quiet humming from the other side of the door. A smile crosses your face, the idea of a shower nestling itself in your mind and feeling like it would be the only thing to get rid of all of this hangover.

On the nightstand next to you, there are two burgundy-colored tablets and a half glass of water, vaguely remembering last night when Joel made you drink the other half before going to sleep. Washing down the ibuprofen with the entirety of the water, you start to recount what you can recall from the night before, cringing internally when you get to the point that Joel showed up to pick you up. You don’t really remember getting home, but looking down at the t-shirt you’re wearing clues you in that Joel must have done most of the work to get you into bed.

Slipping out from under the duvet, you set the empty glass back down and slink over to the bathroom, twisting the knob and opening the door. The squeak of the hinges breaks your sneaking attempt and Joel’s humming stops.

He speaks up over the sound of the water, “Mariposa? That you?”

“I sure hope no one else would be sneaking into the bathroom this morning. Unless you have another drunk girlfriend you had to pick up from the bar,” you laugh at the self-deprecating joke, picking up your toothbrush and squeezing out a dollop of toothpaste to clean your teeth. And to get rid of the taste of tequila lingering on your tongue.

The shower curtain slides back a bit and Joel’s head sticks out, goofy grin on his face with curls hanging on his forehead. “Nah, just got the one. How’re feeling this morning?”

“Like I got beat up by a bunch of vodka sodas and a couple of tequila shots.” Your words are muffled around the foamy toothpaste, leaning back against the counter facing him.

“Yeah, you were pretty drunk, darlin’. But it was honestly cute, you’re a funny drunk.”

Turning back toward the sink, you fold over the sink to spit out and rinse your mouth out, groaning softly, “God, please tell me I didn’t do or say anything embarrassing.”

“Nothin’ too bad, but there were some things that I will be committing to memory,” Joel laughs and winks, the noise getting louder as you groan again and roll your head back.

“This is the worst part about getting drunk. People holding stupid shit you said over your head.” Crossing your arms in front of your chest, you look at Joel across the few feet separating you and watch him shake his head and grin sweetly.

“I’ll tell you what you said, sweetheart, but I think you’re in too physically fragile of a state right now.”

“God, you are right about that,” you sigh and shake your head, propping yourself off the counter you were leaning on, crossing the tiles to be only a foot from Joel’s face, “Can I join you? A shower sounds like exactly what I need right now.”

He nods quickly, halfway through the question and you chuckle at the antics, pulling the t-shirt over your head and slipping off your panties to leave both in a heap with Joel’s clothes. He opens the curtain for you and steps back toward the other wall while you close the curtain and drag yourself under the stream of water.

A sigh relaxes your chest and shoulders, closing your eyes as you let the warm water run all over you. Joel’s hands brush across your skin, the feeling of his work-worn palms sending a tingle of excitement down your skin and chilling your body even under the hot water. His thumbs cup under your breasts while the rest of his fingers splay out on your ribcage, tips of them toward your back as he holds you closer to him.

“Mm, you’re so beautiful, d’you know that, mi Mariposa? La mujer más hermosa del mundo (The most beautiful woman in the world),” Joel mumbles against your skin when he nestles into the crook of your neck, curving his back to fit with you perfectly. His hands wander from your ribs, circling around your back and drifting down to the swell of your ass where they settle with a gentle squeeze.

“I think I’m getting better at Spanish 'cause I understood that. And it was very sweet, thank you, J. I think you’re the most beautiful man in the world.” You giggle and feel Joel exhale a chuckle against your neck, peppering slow and spaced kisses along your shoulder.

“You also told me something else about what you think of me last night. Well, it was to one of your friends but you were still on the phone with me so I heard,” he stretches to full height again with a smug smirk, squeezing your ass again as you sigh.

“Oh god, what did I say to you? Did I feed your massive ego?” you tease, bringing your hands up to his shoulders and lightly scratching your nails against his skin.

“I learned that I am a DILF last night. Or according to you, I am a DIAF to you. Dad I Am Fucking.” He can barely get the last sentence out around his loud laugh, your embarrassed reaction of wide eyes and jaw dropped egging him on more.

“Stop, I cannot believe I said that. And that you heard! You’re never going to let me live that down.”

“Not a chance, sweetheart. Not a chance,” Joel can’t wipe the giggly smile off of his face as he continues, “Oh, and you also were definitely really into me getting you into pajamas last night. I asked if I could take off your shirt and you said ‘Take it all off bay-beeee’. Which was very tempting.”

“Oh my god, if you don’t stop telling me all of this right now, I won’t take anything off for you again.” It’s a thinly veiled threat, both of you know it holds zero weight.

“Alright, alright. I’ll stop.”

“Thank you,” you breathe out as you turn toward the shelf in the shower, reaching for the body wash before Joel intercepts your hand, holding it in his and lowering it to your side. He presses his chest to your back, the contact also nudging his hard cock into the flesh of your ass.

“Y’know, I woke up this morning after you were all over me last night with a fucking hard on. Aching for you. And then you come in here and ask to join me in the shower, made it come right back…” he leans down, kissing your shoulder, up your neck and to your ear, “D’you still want me, Mariposa? Hm?”

One of his hands drifts to your inner thighs, coaxing your legs apart and swiping two fingers from your entrance to your clit. Your arousal coats his fingers, a quiet whimper leaving your lips in an exhale, eyes closing and head rolling back against his shoulder.

“You still want me, mi dulzura? Feels like you do,” his lips are against your ear, voice low and gravelly, and he slowly circles your clit as you continue to whimper and writhe in his arms, “Sounds like you do, too, mi amor. Y’know, we have the whole house to ourselves, Mariposa. I want you to be loud for me while I touch you. Understand?”

Lost in the sparks of pleasure slowly building, your words get caught in your throat as one of your arms reaches up to wrap around to the nape of his neck. At the lack of response to his question, Joel pinches your clit before pulling his hand away.

“No, no, no, please. I understand. I’ll be loud for you, J. Please touch me…”

You grip the curls at the back of his head, biting your lip and opening your eyes again to look at Joel’s head at your side. His hand comes back, his thumb rubbing your clit while his middle finger sinks into you until the first knuckle. He keeps his eyes on your face, slowly working the finger in and out of your cunt, never giving it to you fully.

“Fuck, don’t tease me, Joel. Please, pretty please, gimme more.”

A deep chuckle rumbles from his chest, his nose nudging at your cheek to turn your head straight toward the tiled wall, pressing open-mouthed kisses along your jaw.

“You want more, Mariposa?”

“Pleasepleaseplease.”

“Mm, and are you going to be good? Give me all your pretty sounds that I love?” Joel pushes his entire middle finger into you now, holding it there, “If I give you what you want, you gotta be loud for me, pretty girl.”

“I will, I promise.” You wiggle your hips to get any more friction building, grumbling in frustration when Joel’s other arm tugs your hips back against him, strapping you to him like a seatbelt. The thumb against your clit leaves, and as you’re about to complain again, Joel adds another finger and starts to thrust them in and out frenetically, the heel of his palm rubbing the sensitive bud at the front of your folds.

A sinful moan rolls from your gut, bouncing off of the walls of the shower and drowning out the sound of the water for a few seconds. You can feel Joel’s satisfied smirk against your skin, his mouth dipping to the crook of your neck to suck at your pulse point and leave his mark. His hand continues its rapid pace, your legs bending as they start to give out the closer you reach to the edge. To attempt to hold your weight, you lean your arms against the tiles, feeling yourself being held up by Joel’s arm tightened across your hips.

“Fuck, Joel, feels so fucking good. Oh!” Your voice pitches up when his fingers graze that spot inside your walls, the sound catching in your throat. Joel pushes deeper with his fingers, hooking them to find that same spot and petting against it with small strokes of his fingers. The sounds coming from you are uncontrollable, head falling back against his shoulder as a mess of his name, lustful whimpers and whines, and wanton moans echo in the steaming shower.

“That’s it, pretty girl, I can feel how close you are. Nearly squeezing my fingers out of ya.” Joel’s small groan vibrates against your shoulder, his hard-on being pressed into your back and leaking pre-cum. You can feel yourself clench around his fingers, the edges of your vision blurring as you near your peak. “Gonna come for me, Mari? Gonna be a good girl and come all over my hand so you can be ready for my cock?”

His words are the final push, pleasure oozing around his fingers and dripping down your folds, warmth spreading in your body as your nerve endings tingle. You can hear yourself moaning his name, small encouragements spoken in your ear as Joel continues to fuck his fingers into you throughout your orgasm. When you’re fully present in your body again, Joel slips his fingers out of you slowly, turning your head and kissing you deeply.

“Need you so fucking bad, Mariposa,” he says against your lips, kissing you fervently before speaking again, “Wanna bend you over and make you take my cock, and you’ll tell me how good it feels filling you up. You want it, pretty girl?”

“Need it, J. Please, I need you so bad.” You kiss him this time, pressing your hips back and grinding against his cock, the rumble of a mouth muffled into your mouth as your tongues meld together. Joel pulls away and grips your hips, turning both of you so his back is facing the stream of water.

“Hands against the wall, amor, arch your back for me—” You follow his instructions with one of his large hands skimming along your spine, folded to an angle at your hips. “That’s it, baby. So good for me.”

Joel takes his cock in his hands, teasing his tip at your entrance and earning a whine from you. A dark laugh is heard faintly from behind you, an equally quiet sigh of relief when he gives you just the tip.

“Mm, fuck, Mari. Estás tan apretado, y húmedo, y cálido. Nunca me voy a cansar de este coño. (You’re so tight, and wet, and warm. I’m never going to get tired of this pussy.)” 

Before you can formulate any sort of response, despite not fully knowing what he said, Joel gives you a few more inches of his cock, stuttering out a moan from you before his hips set a rough, desperate pace. Grunts and groans, moans and whimpers fill the bathroom, your names exchanged back and forth as he fucks you from behind. His hands hold tightly onto your hips, digging in to surely form bruises to match the hickey at your collar, and to keep you from being rammed into the wall with how hard his thrusts are.

“More, fuck, gimme all of it, J. Want you to fill me up, make it hard to fucking walk straight.”

There’s a vibrating rumble that resonates in your own chest, Joel completely pulling out on the downstroke and heaving his chest up and down with shallow breaths.

“Fucking dirty girl. Mi chica sucia. Filthy, baby.” He runs his fingers down the line of your spine, still arched for him. You feel him lined up at your entrance again, whimpering for him and pressing your hips back to try to get him inside. Joel chuckles, shaking his head, “Mm, can’t get enough of my cock, can you, sweetheart? Greedy little thing.”

Your jaw drops open with a toe-curling moan, Joel’s hips thrusting his throbbing cock into your waiting cunt to fill you completely, the same rough and hard pace set as he makes you knock forward and brace against the wall with every movement.

“Take it, darlin’. Oh, fuck, aguantarla. Puedes aguantarla, mi dulzura. (Oh, fuck, take it. You can take it, my sweetness.)” Joel’s head rolls back with another guttural moan, tilting forward to watch his cock disappearing into your dripping hole. “Fuck, such a pretty pussy. And it’s all fucking mine, isn’t that right, Mariposa?”

“Y-Yes! Fuck yeah, it’s all yours, J. No one could ever fuck me like you,” you glance over your shoulder and he makes eye contact, a wide, knowing smile on his face. Your cunt clenches around his cock, his brutal pace hurtling you toward the edge. Just as you’re about to ask for that little bit more, he reads your mind and slips one of his hands around your front, errantly rubbing circles in your clit.

“Can feel you around me, Mari, know you’re close. You gonna let me fill you up with my come? Gonna milk my cock with your tight pussy?”

All you can do is nod, eyes shutting tightly as moans squeak out of you. One hand reaches back to grip his wrist as he keeps you right there at the edge.

“Say it, baby. Say it back to me and I’ll let you come. Give you just what you need.”

A deep breath brings enough air into your lungs to rasp out, “Please fill me up, Joel. Wanna milk your cock of everything you can give me, want you to be dripping out of me all day. Remind me of how only you can have my pussy.”

“Fuck yeah, that’s right, sweetheart. Such a good girl.” Joel eyes that you have a hand bracing you still, letting go of your hip as he fucks you, rubbing your clit continuously. He reaches his free hand around to your mouth, prodding his thumb at your lips and humming when you take it into your mouth and suck. After a minute, he pops out his saliva covered digit and brings it back to your body, pushing into the tight ring of muscle facing him. The sensation of stimulation at all three places barrels you to your high, pussy gripping his cock as everything tenses and pleasure rocks your body and clears your mind.

With the tightness felt in both holes around him, Joel takes one, two, three more thirsts before he’s spilling into you, ropes of come coating your walls and lazy jerks of his hips fucking it deeper into you.

After a moment, Joel pulls out of you slowly, gathering all that dribbles out of you and pushing it back inside with his fingers, causing a shudder down your spine.

The two of you come down from your peaks, the water running cold now. Still needing to clean yourselves, Joel washes your body while you shampoo and condition his hair as he folds over to gently exfoliate your legs. The tasks get swapped, Joel washing your hair while you wash his body.

Stepping out, he grabs a towel for you, wrapping it around you tightly and giving you a sweet, chaste kiss. He gets another towel for himself, both of you drying off and heading back into his bedroom to get dressed again.

You sit on the edge of his bed in your clothes from last night, one of his shirts pulled over your tank top and tucked into your skirt. As you comb your fingers over your wet hair, you look at Joel as he pulls on a pair of jeans standing next to his closet.

“Hey, I have a question for you, actually.”

“Shoot, darlin’.”

“Am I remembering correctly that last night when you came to the bar, you were acting a little jealous toward Colton? Did you think he was flirting with me or something and you got all possessive?” you giggle quietly.

Joel blushes and shakes his head with an overexaggerated eye roll. “Pffft, no. Don’t remember it happening like that, probably a bit clouded in your memory.”

Laughing more, you stand up and cross over to him, hands splayed on his soft tummy and head tilted away from him.

“Oh, sure. Sure, J, we’ll go with that if it makes you feel better.” Reaching up you give his cheek a gentle pat and wink at him, giggling faintly before he gathers you up in his arms and gives you a kiss.

“Good, 'cause it does make me feel better. ‘Sides can you blame me for getting a little jealous? We’ve waited like three years to get this right with each other, m’not letting it go.”

“Me neither, which is why you don’t ever have to be jealous cause it’s only you, baby.” You send him a wink and a grin, giving him a kiss before you both hear the front door open, Tommy’s voice echoing upstairs as he calls out for Joel. He looks down at you, biting his lip.

“I didn’t think he’d be bringing Sarah home this early. Uh, d’you mind that he’s here or should I jus’ say…” he trails off awkwardly, waiting for your thoughts on how to broach the fact that you’re over here, in Joel’s shirt and clearly have stayed the night with your wet hair from the shower.

“If you’re fine with him knowing, we can tell him. That is if Sarah hasn’t spilled the beans already.” Joel laughs faintly and nods, running his hands up and down your arms.

“That is highly possible. But guess we’ll have to find out when we head downstairs. And I’m apologizing now for any stupid shit my brother says.”

“You act like I don’t know Tommy already.”

“You don’t know Tommy as my girlfriend. He’s going to give you some shit, and he’s going to give a lot to me for keeping it from him.”

“Think I can survive Tommy Miller. Now, c’mon, get a shirt on, and let’s go. I need some coffee.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Joel descendsed the stairs ahead of you, rounding the corner into the kitchen and greeting his brother as Tommy pours himself a cup of coffee. Sarah is already at the table, cereal bowl in front her as she eats and reads her book. Joel grabs two mugs from the cabinet, earning a confused look from Tommy before you walk into the room, the confusion melting into mischief. His brother nudges at Joel’s arm and winks.

“Ah, así que esta es la razón de su aventura nocturna en la ciudad. Puedo ver por qué estabas tan desesperada por mi ayuda. (Oh, so this is the reason for your late-night adventure into the city. I can see why you were so desperate for my help.)”

Joel’s eyes roll into the back of his head, “Cállate, Tommy. Necesitaba que la llevaran a casa, así que le di una. (Shut up, Tommy. She needed a ride home, so I gave her one.)”

“Claro, claro. Un paseo. (Sure, sure. A ride.)”

“Pendejo de mierda (Fucking dumbass).”

“¿Qué? No estoy diciendo que haya algo malo en ello. Estoy feliz de ver a su hijo si significa que usted consigue algunos. Finalmente. (What? I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with it. I am happy to watch your child if it means you getting some. Finally.)” He laughs when Joel glares at him, Tommy crossing over to the table and covering Sarah’s ears. “Además, ella está jodidamente caliente. No sé lo que ve en un viejo como tú. (Plus, she’s fucking hot. Don’t know what she sees in an old man like you.)”

“Yo tampoco. Y deja de hablar de ella así. (I don’t either. And stop talking about her like that.)” Joel’s voice grits out the last sentence, his short fuse being tested with Tommy’s teasing this morning.

“No, realmente, ella es casi diez años más joven y podría conseguir a quien quisiera, pero ¿eres tú? Mejor empieza a apostar por los caballos, hermano. (No, really, she’s almost ten years younger and could get anybody she wanted, but it’s you? Better start betting on the horses, brother.)” His younger brother comes back to stand next to him, picking up his mug and taking a sip.

“Déjalo. (Quit it.)” Joel sends him another glare, grabbing the milk out of the fridge to add some to your cup.

“Maldita sea, tal vez tengo que contratar a una niñera para Sarah cuando está en mi casa. O tal vez la contrate yo mismo. (Damn, maybe I gotta hire a nanny for Sarah when she’s at my house. Or maybe I’ll hire her myself.)”

When Joel looks back at Tommy, he sees him eyeing you as you talk to Sarah at the table, smacking him upside the back of his head.

“Tommy, si no te callas la mierda ahora mismo, lo juro por Dios. (Tommy, if you don’t shut the fuck right now, I swear to god.)”

“Qué? Ella tu novia ahora? (What? She your girlfriend now?)” The young Miller questions, raising an eyebrow.

“Sí, lo es. Así que deja de hablar de lo caliente que es mi novia. (Yeah, she is. So stop talking about how hot my girlfriend is.)” Joel states matter-of-factly, shutting the fridge after returning the jug of milk.

“I understood some of that actually,” you say with a proud smile on your face, one of eager mischief on Tommy’s across the room.

Joel whips his head to you, wide eyes, “What did you understand?”

“You called him an asshole. Something about Sarah. The word girlfriend was thrown in there.”

Joel sighs quietly in relief, picking up your prepared mug of coffee.

“Oh, and something about you being old. And that your brother thinks I’m hot. ” Tommy sputters on his drink as he starts to laugh loudly, a deep blush warming Joel’s cheeks. You walk over to him and take the mug out of his hand, giving him a kiss on the cheek. “Nothing to be embarrassed about. Cause you’re not old and Tommy just wishes he wasn’t single at thirty years old.”

Joel laughs and Tommy waves your comment off, rolling his eyes before winking at you, “Oh please, you wish you found me before this old man.”

“Sure, Tommy. You can think that all you want, but I met you both on the same day.” Joel barks out a laugh, a smug grin on his face from you holding your own toward Tommy.

Joel looks at his brother, a smile growing on Tommy’s face, “Well, maybe you needed to get your eyes checked that day, Posey. Cause you’d have to be blind to not pick me over the decrepit ass.”

“Y’know, I’m happy to set you up with one of my friends. She likes the type of cute guys who think they’re funny.”

“I know I’m funny, Posey, so not sure if it’s gonna work out. But yes, I would like to be set up with this friend of yours, please…” You laugh and nod, sipping your coffee before answering.

“I’ll work some magic for ya, Tommy.”

“I like this one, Joel, better keep her around so she can be my wingman.”

“You say ‘this one’ as if there have been others,” Joel rolls his eyes and continues, “And I certainly don’t need your advice on that front Tommy. She’s got me as long as she wants me, but please dear god, you should not be his wingwoman. Don’t subject yourself to that torture, Mari.”

The three of you chat to catch up, Tommy genuinely asking about your time in Boston and telling you how glad he is that you’re back around to make his people happy again. The comment swells your heart before your attention is pulled to Sarah as she asks about having a sleepover with you.

“I would love to throw a sleepover with you, sweet pea. I’ll bring over all the goodies to your house and we can stay in your room and watch movies and paint our nails and do all the fun girly things.”

“Yes! And Daddy and Uncle Tommy aren’t allowed ‘cause no boys.” She points at the two of them, both of them frowning and sighing.

“Can I at least be at home, mija?” Joel jokes, and the three of you laugh as Sarah seriously considers her answer.

“Yeah, that’s fine, but you gotta leave us to do the sleepover things ourselves.”

“Deal, Bug. I can do that.”

“Oh yes! It’s all decided then, we’ll have a sleepover when your week at camp is over.” You clap your hands together and grin, already planning everything you need to do this week to prepare for it.

“Damn, Mari, you brought a lot of stuff for one night with Sarah.” Joel eyes you from head to toe, a duffle on your arm, and shopping bags in your hands. He takes the plastic bags from you, holding the back door open for you before following you over to the island to set down all of your purchases. “You do know it’s only Sarah, right, darlin’? None of her friends are coming. This is a practice run for a sleepover.”

“I know, but I wanted to make the first girly sleepover she has at her house fun. I loved having my friends stay over when I was younger, and I dunno, you’re a boy so you don’t get it.” Rustling around in the bags, you start to pull out snacks and candy, along with fun new nail polishes and nail stickers, new hair clips, some young-girl-friendly makeup, and new pajamas for Sarah and you.

“Sweetheart, this is all really nice, but let me give you some money for it all. This is a ton of stuff.” Joel glances at the counter covered in supplies, and before you can answer he’s walking to the front door to get his wallet from the entryway table.

You call out after him, “I’m not going to take it so don’t bother trying! It wasn’t even that much anyway.”

Popping back around the corner into the kitchen, cash in hand, he shakes his head with a mocking laugh, “You’re funny. Even if it was five dollars, I’m giving you ten. Now please take the cash.”

Joel stops in front of you, hand out with a hundred in his hand. A dry laugh leaves your chest, pushing his hand away as you continue to sort through everything from the shops, “Not happening. This was way less than a hundred dollars too, so definitely not accepting that. Go put it back in your wallet, Miller.”

“You’re so goddam stubborn sometimes.”

“Oh, yeah, and you’re not?”

“Hey, I didn’t say that. I know I’m stubborn, that’s why this argument is happening. And why I am about to do this.” Joel steps behind you, slipping the bill into the back pocket of your shorts. You groan, fishing it out and shoving it back in his hand, pushing at his chest.

Joel rebuttals with another attempt, stepping toward you but you step back, backing around to the other side of the counter as he follows closely. You hold your arms out to keep space between the two of you, not being able to hold back a laugh as you start to pick up the pace in your cyclical chase.

“Joel! I’m not taking your damn money, leave it!”

“Mariposa, please, we both know I am way more stubborn than you and m’not gonna stop unless you take it.”

Shaking your head, you turn around to actually move into a speedwalk-jog kind of walk around the kitchen, serpentining your steps.

“Darlin’, I can still catch you if you walk like that.”

“Well, I’d like to see you try.”

Joel takes that statement as a challenge, suddenly catching up with you and wrapping his arms to your front, slipping the bill in the waistband of your shorts before letting you go, putting his hands up in the air.

Wordlessly, you snatch the money from your bottoms, throw it on the counter, and go back to the pile of purchases on the counter. After all of that, you start to unload the drinks in the fridge and open the pantry to throw the sweets and other snacks on one of the shelves. Joel stands and watches you, eyes going back and forth between following your movements to all of the things lying out, including the money.

A feeling kicks up in your chest, tightening your insides with a wring. Small moments send you back to feelings like these, unsupported by actual occurrences but your brain doesn’t care about what actually happens; it prefers the what-ifs. What if this doesn’t last, what if you’re too young, what if you’re too anxious, too broken, too much and it all comes crumbling from under you before you fully realize it? What if this is one of those moments you look back on as a sign? It’s taut and consuming, begging you to say something about it to release the corkscrew.

“If this is too much or if I’m overstepping a — I don’t know — a parental boundary 'cause she’s not my kid, and I know that, of course, but I wanted to do this for Sarah. M’not the nanny that you have to reimburse anymore, I just thought it would be fun to make it like how my sleepovers used to be as a kid…”

Joel’s brows stitch together with what looks like confusion or concern, rounding the kitchen island and standing next to you. A hand on your hip closest to him presses into the flesh there, turning you toward him as the other hand reaches up to tilt your chin to him. Your eyes avoid his, embarrassment heating your body with licks of flames.

“Can you look at me? Please?” His voice is unwavering but shy, boyish. You answer with a flick of up, meeting his own stare. “Mari, sweetheart, this isn’t about anything like that. I know you aren’t ‘the nanny’ anymore, and if I’m being honest, I don’t think you were ever just ‘the nanny’ to either of us. I was being pigheaded, and I didn’t want you to take on doin’ all of this yourself. It’s jus’ automatic for me to want to cover for Sarah, with any sort of activity. Not that I don’t want you to do all of this. I can’t even begin to explain how much it means to me that you care so much for Sarah. I’m just, I’m being her dad. And not giving you the means to do things for her yourself. M’sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize, J. I should have better explained myself from the beginning. I want to be a part of your lives, I want to….I don’t know, I don’t want to take the place of her mom, obviously, but I want to be someone she can do girly things with if we’re gonna be together for a while—”

“Not if, Mari. I don’t plan on letting you go without a serious fight,” Joel’s thumb brushes against your cheek as he holds your gaze, “I am so grateful and so relieved that Sarah has someone like you in her life. ‘Specially right now with everything around her mom leavin’, you’re exactly what she needs. What we both need…I will take the money back. But next time we’re splitting it, and every time after that ‘til it’s time that it’s coming outta a joint account.”

When Sarah arrives home from her playdate, Joel retreats upstairs after ordering pizza for the two of you (and him, because he claimed he was gonna sneak down) to watch something on the small tv in his bedroom. You and Sarah changed into your new pajamas and got all of the snacks moved into the living room, trekking blankets and pillows and stuffed animals from her room and around the house to build a nest on the floor in front of the couch.

Sarah had chosen The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants out of the stack of movies you had rented, popping it in and sitting back with you while you had her pick out a color for her nails. The two of you talked about camp and the past school year, her confessing a crush she has on a boy in her camp group this year. There’s only a few details you get from her as you paint her nails, giggling with her when she gets shy and telling her about your first crush.

Sarah eventually is the one to paint your nails, turning out a bit messy and abstract during the process but nonetheless it was fun. As she’s finishing up a second coat on the last nail of yours, the doorbell rings for the pizza and Joel jogs downstairs a minute later to answer the door. Carrying the boxes over to the kitchen after he paid and tipped, he grins at you and nods to the set up.

“Is that every pillow in our house?”

“Well, no, you still have the ones on your bed cause you were sitting on ‘em,” you reply as you walk into the kitchen behind Sarah, fingers splayed apart, careful not to smudge. The younger Miller does the same, looking up at Joel when she stands next to the pizza box.

“Daddy, can you get the slices for me? I don’t want to mess up my nails that Posey painted for me. Look at them! They’re so pretty!” She raises her arms up to give Joel a look, his hand taking one of hers and inspecting it.

“Gosh, Bug, these are just gorgeous. Mari did a great job,” he grins at you, giving you a wink at the same time an idea pops into yours.

“I could do your nails, J. They could match Sarah’s!” Your suggestion is immediately supported by his daughter, her small stature jumping up and down in front of him.

“Yes, yes! You need to get your nails painted, Daddy!”

“Wasn’t this sleepover ‘no boys allowed’?” he arches a brow before he grabs a piece of pizza, plopping it on a plate for Sarah to take into the other room, “If I can stay for longer than it takes to paint my nails and hang out and eat your snacks, you can absolutely paint my nails.”

Sarah takes her plate from her dad, grinning ear-to-ear as she retreats back to the blanket nest. Joel makes a plate for you, carrying it out with his own and setting them on the coffee table. With a groan, he lowers himself to the ground, leaning his back against the couch and holding out his hands to you.

“Go for it, sweetheart.”

“D’you want the same thing as Sarah or something different?”

“Hmm, what d’you think, mija? Should we match?”

“I think you should give Daddy the color I gave you, Posey. It’s so pretty!” she leans back against you, using you as a backrest while she eats her pizza carefully with her wet nails, engrossed in the movie.

“Alright, guess it’s decided then. We’ll be matching,” you smile at him, taking one hand in yours to pull it closer, relaxing it against your thigh as you open the polish bottle. Concentrating on the tasks at hand, Joel wiggles his fingers when you aren’t in the midst of painting to get your attention, holding up a piece of pizza near your face.

“Eat, darlin’. Gotta fuel your artistic brain,” he winks and smiles sweetly at you, earning a quiet laugh before you lean in and take a bite chewing as you go back to painting. You switch hands after a few more bites, giving him a break to eat his own pizza and you yours while the three of you watch the movie. Once your job is done, you close the bottle tight and set it on the table, getting Sarah’s attention to look at it.

“How’d I do, Sare-Bear? Does your dad look pretty?” Her giggles pull some from all of you, nodding and clapping her hands together.

“Daddy, you need some of my pretty stickers and then Posey needs to take a picture with her camera.” Sarah stands and moves over to the pile of beauty supplies, grabbing the pack of nail stickers you bought and picking out a sheet. She sits next to Joel, stickering around his face as he closes his eyes and lets it all happen.

“Is this what happens all the time at girl sleepovers?” He peeks an eye open at you, getting a wide smile and shrug.

“Guess we’ll have to have some more for you to really find out.” Sarah steps back from her handiwork, and you pick up the Polaroid camera, lining up the shot from the side of Joel where there’s multiple star stickers clustered around his eyes. The shutter snaps when he looks at you, spitting out the image. You hand it to Sarah to watch it develop, showing you both quickly before going to hang it on the fridge along with a few other of your shots. You snap another of him looking at you directly, soft rounded eyes filled with affection.

Once you set the camera down, holding onto that photo for yourself, his hands find your thighs, running over the soft cotton of your PJ pants.

“Thank you for doin’ this for her, she hasn’t been this happy and giggly since before you left last summer.” Joel leans in, giving you a gentle, lingering kiss. “I love you. So, so much, Mari.”

Instead of answering, you give him another kiss before Sarah walks back in, settling between the two of you on the floor nest, cuddling up within your little unit of three to finish out the movie.

A few nights after your slumber party, you sneak over to Joel’s again before bed, using the key to the back door that he had made for you. He’s sitting on the couch, a line of sight to the door and a sleepy smile tugging at his lips when he sees you.

Padding your feet across the floors, you climb onto the couch next to him and curl your legs under you while you lean into his side. His arm wraps you up and his lips press against your forehead with a content sigh.

“Hi, Mari.”

“Hey, J.”

“How was your day, darlin’?” he asks as he turns off the TV, fingers ghosting up and down your bicep.

“Good, it was good. Babysat for the O’Connors today with the little baby. She’s so adorable, just a day full of baby giggles.” You grin and Joel smiles back at you, nodding along, “And then after that I drove to therapy and had that for an hour and then went home and waited to come see you.”

“M’very glad you’re here. Can’t sleep without you anymore,” he kisses your temple, “How was therapy, amor?”

“Today was a little hard. Talked more about maybe looking into medicine cause I feel like it isn’t fully there yet. But I do feel like I am happy. Like in my heart. My brain just can't keep up. Still have a lack of interest in things and not a lot of energy like I used to.”

Joel hums an acknowledgment, looking down at you on his shoulder, “M’here if you need to talk about anything, sweet girl.”

“I know. Thank you,” you give him a chaste kiss, smiling drowsily, “How was your day?”

“Pretty alright. Had to go fill in for someone who called in sick today at a job site so I’m exhausted from all the lifting and using machinery. But the framing is all done which means there’s something that looks like a house standing on the lot,” Joel chuckles softly and glances out the front window, “And then, uh, ran into your mom when I got home. She must’ve been running out for something but she stopped to talk and invited me and Sarah and Tommy to celebrate the Fourth with y’all.”

You sit up, grinning excitedly, “Really? Oh my gosh, that will be so fun. Our first official holiday together. Even though it’s just the Fourth of July. Kind of lame.”

Joel chuckles along with you, nodding his head and avoiding your eyes, “I mean, I told her yes ‘cause I didn’t think you’d mind. But the more I got to thinkin’, I guess, I just—I think I need some more time before we tell your parents about us.”

Your face falls before you can hide it, Joel’s hand immediately reaching to cup your cheek delicately, “M’sorry, sweet girl. I just don’t think it’s a good idea for us to do it at a family event and maybe it might be best if we can sit them down sometime to talk about it all.”

A slow nod keeps you quiet, in your thoughts, rambling out an agreement as you bring your eyes to Joel’s again, “Yeah, yeah, I understand. I agree. Would be best to wait a little while longer.”

“Thank you, darlin’. M’so glad you agree. We’ll find the right time, eventually,” Joel gives you a tender kiss, lingering against your lips for a few more dopey exchanges. He pulls away, standing up and gathering you up with him, leading you to his bedroom and getting into bed with you, “Night, Mariposa. Love you.”

“Night, J,” you reply meekly, the small sound of your voice easily brushed off as fatigue. Joel keeps you close, spooning you with his front against your chest, falling asleep behind you quickly. You can’t rest, especially after that short and decided conversation.

Why did you agree so easily? And why was he even asking for more time? His daughter knows, his brother knows, your friends know. What’s any different about your family? Is he afraid that if he breaks your heart he’ll have to move? But why would he even think about that possibility when all he’s told you is how much he loves you, how he’ll be yours until you want nothing to do with him anymore?

Every reassurance that he’s given you is flooding your mind, those doubts and fears worming their way into the sweet memories and poisoning them with twisted words.

Every time he’s said he loves you, does he mean it? Or is he only saying it to say it, to placate your anxieties about the future of you two by committing in a way?

Is this push back about telling your family a response to you not being ready to say ‘I love you’ back? Is he getting fed up with waiting for it?

Are you too much too quickly? Weaving yourself too tightly into his life and his daughter’s life? Is he going to start to drift, to put off telling your parents until he can end it?

These thoughts cycle in an endless loop, keeping you up while Joel sleeps soundly beside you. Nausea stirs in your stomach, rapid heart beating from the spiraling of your mind keeping you wide awake until the early hours of the morning.

The only way you can manage to fall asleep is turning in Joel’s arms, cuddling into his chest and breathing in his scent to halt the carousel of negativity in your brain long enough for his even breaths to lull you to sleep.

One last question flashes to you before you’re finally asleep:

 What happens when Summer ends?

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[sylvia-forest]

[CN] Shaw's Extrajudicial Hunting Heart Date

⚡Warning: This post contains detailed spoiler's for a Date which hasn't been released in EN yet!⚡

[This date was translated with the help of Google translate and by my lovely friend!]

✧[Section 1]✧

Steward: Sorry, no one can leave the villa until Mrs. Laburnum's family heirloom is found.

Suddenly a dissatisfied commotion arose within the feminine figure, a man took the lead and stood up.

Man: You want to detain us? Do you know who I am?

His subsequent words were forced back by the black muzzle of the gun in the butler's hand. The crowd let out a murmur, but the butler raised his jaw indifferently.

Steward: I know who you are, sir, but you also need to know whose territory this is.

The melodious music flowed in each other's eyes, and I pursed my lips and took a few quiet steps back, looking sideways out the window.

Sure enough, dozens of cars drove up from the mountain road not far away, and surrounded the villa layer by layer.

Villa, theft, undercurrent, treacherous situation…

For a moment, I almost thought I had stepped into some third-rate gang movie.

Flashback starts—

—a week ago.

MC: Ahhh I can't think of it— I am bored–

I lay on Shaw's bed and rolled around in boredom. Shaw stopped typing on the keyboard and raised his eyebrows.

Shaw: What, are you bored with me?

MC: Nah!

MC: I still have a script for a crime movie to write, obviously I listened to the criminal investigation lectures and found the material but I still feel that the immersion is not enough......

MC: It's hard to take a vacation now, and I'm still thinking about it.

Shaw: I understand, so you think your script is too bland, and you want the protagonist's story to be more exciting? MC: That's about right,.....

I just sighed halfway, when my vision was suddenly blocked by a letter that floated in.

Shaw: For you. MC: What's this?

Shaw: Good stuff to inspire you.

I opened the envelope and there was an invitation letter inside. Although the South Asian characters with curved strokes are illegible, I can still understand the Chinese attached below.

MC: Dear Ling Lin, I sincerely invite you to come to Danfei Mountain Villa to attend the birthday banquet of Mrs. Laburnum… MC: Wait a minute, who is Ling Lin? This Mrs. Laburnum, Who is it again?

Shaw: Ling Lin is my pseudonym. As for Mrs. Laburnum, you shouldn't care who she is, it doesn't matter. Shaw: I did an errand for this lady, and she was so pleased with my business skills that she's inviting me as a VIP. Shaw: Round-trip plane, pick-up, and drop-off at the manor, all-inclusive on the opposite side. Shaw: It's a pity that I happened to have something to do a few days ago, and I was thinking about how to push it off. Shaw: If you are willing to attend this banquet for me, then you are Ling Lin.

Shaw moved his finger holding the invitation letter to the side, and nodded as if pointing something, his upturned eyes were full of cunningness.

Shaw: Have a great time, and… make sure not to reveal anything.

—Flashback ends

_

MC: If I had known, I wouldn't have accepted Shaw's invitation. .... Is this what he meant by spiritualism? MC: Dropping me in a gang villa?

Angrily, I rubbed the little man with Shaw's face a hundred times in my heart. At this moment, the door of the banquet hall was pushed open.

The person who came was wearing a black suit, and the twilight fell on his eye-catching blue-purple hair, which was reflected in my stunned pupils.

?.? [In English]: Chief, your garden is cleaned up.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ♫ ⋅.} ───── ⊰

✧[Section 2]✧

MC: Apart from not being able to leave the villa, am I free within the villa?

Shortly after the party was over, I immediately called for a waiter. The other party nodded respectfully to me after hearing the words.

Waiter: Certainly. Miss Ling Lin, you are our honored guest, and we will meet all your requirements. MC: Then I need a bodyguard because you guys scared me today.

I raised my head confidently, with a deliberately arrogant tone.

Waiter: Okay, let's arrange bodyguards for you... MC: No, I have a candidate. MC: It's the handsome young man who came to report to your steward this evening. Waiter: These… this list of people was found from outside, a little impolite, not aware of the rules, maybe we should… MC: Is it because they don't know the rules?

I let out a wow sound and slowly stroked the diamond ring on my finger.

MC: What I need... A bodyguard to calm me down. Waiter: …… !!Sorry, I didn't understand Miss's needs, I'm going to ask someone!

The waiter, red-faced, hurried away, and in a few moments came with the man I had asked for.

Waiter: Shaw, this is our honored guest, take good care of her and meet all her requirements, understand?

Shaw: …..

Shaw stood behind the waiter and glared at me, his voice coming through his teeth.

Shaw: I know. MC: Well, you're a good boy, so come on in and have a little chat.

I grinned as I pulled Shaw's tie and led him inside, closing the door with my foot in the process.

Shaw: Hey, what are you trying to do —woo

He stumbled under his feet and I accidentally pushed him onto the bed.

I looked down at Shaw condescendingly, and ground my teeth.

MC: Shouldn't I be asking you that? MC: You asked me to attend the banquet, then you became the guard, what games are you truly playing?

Shaw: Just…the fun game.

Shaw lazily lay back, stretching out his hands.

Shaw: Don't you think what happened today is very interesting, just to provide inspiration for your exhausted script? MC: ——Incredible the heck!

I was so angry that I rushed over to pinch his face, but he grabbed my wrist.

Shaw: Tsk tsk, you’re quite a firecracker, you can catch on instantly. MC: I'm not mad, it's because you didn't say anything… Shaw: Okay, okay, let me give you a little spoiler. Shaw: Didn't I say that Mrs. Laburnum is not important? It's because this birthday banquet itself is a cover, and the real purpose is that someone wants to conduct an underground antique trade. MC: I didn’t understand, they made their deals, why confiscate the guests…. Shaw: Because when the bad guys were clearing out, they realized they were missing one of their Golden Crowns.

Shaw: Although they suspected that some of you distinguished guests might have tampered with something, they didn't dare to say it directly. So, they had to come up with a made-up story to buy some time. Shaw: After all, even though they claimed they couldn't find the family heirloom and wouldn't let us leave, in reality, it's at most three days. If they don't release us by then, things could get much more complicated. MC: ……

I couldn't say the words "that's how it is", because my mind was still dizzy.

I looked at the confident and flamboyant face under me, and vaguely felt that what he "spoiled" was probably just the tip of the iceberg of the whole incident.

And he probably has more scripts than I imagined. I opened my mouth.

MC: So you haven't answered my original question - what exactly are you doing here? Shaw: Me?

Shaw chuckled. The palms clamping my wrists pulled me down, and I couldn't help but fall into his embrace. 

Shaw: I'm worried about Miss Ling Lin, so I'm here to be her bodyguard.

Hmph, who would believe it! Big liar!!

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ♫ ⋅.} ───── ⊰

✧[Section 3]✧

Before I knew it, I had been detained here for two days. But early this morning, Shaw disappeared, and he didn't send me a message until just now.

Shaw's message: "If you want inspiration for the script, come to the garden's artificial mountain now. I'll broaden your horizons."

I hesitated for a while, but in the end, I couldn't hold back my curiosity, and while secretly spurning myself, I immediately walked towards the garden.

In the past two days, due to the impact of the theft incident, the manor has been followed by gang members.

There were far fewer guards in the garden, but they were not absent. I forced myself to walk past them calmly and finally stopped by the rockery.

MC: Where is he?

Shaw: Here, I have been waiting for you for a long time.

Shaw peeked out from behind the artificial fountain, gesturing towards me. I circled around and discovered there was a hidden door right in front of me.

He walked into the secret passage first, and I quickly followed, looking around curiously.

MC: How do you know there was a secret passage here?

Shaw: What's the point of being in the intelligence business if you can't find out this much information? Shaw: There are many secret paths in this garden, not just this one. Shaw: For decades, there has been no peace here, and Mrs. Laburnum has expanded her business so much. Just in case, she must keep a way out for herself.

Judging from Shaw's tone, he was quite familiar with the disputes in this area. Could it be that this was also part of the work of the intelligence dealers?

During the conversation, we have come to the side of the secret passage. After he scratched the password, he entered something, and the door opened.

This was indeed a dressing room for VIPs. Shaw pressed the button, and after the wardrobe was lowered, a shelf full of guns rose up.

MC: This is….

Shaw: Weapons room. Do some pre-war preparations and pick the best ones.

Shaw looked at the firearms with prudent eyes, as if he was appraising antiques.

MC: You... still know how to appreciate firearms? Shaw: Of course, I am professional.

Shaw squinted at me and sneered.

Shaw: Would you believe me if I told you I had military training in this area? MC: Really? Shaw: Wrong, all learned from online shooting games. You're so stupid to believe everything I say. MC: …..

At this time Shaw had finished picking, and took down a gun from the shelf. He sat sideways on the cabinet, rolled up his sleeves, and was about to open the magazine.

MC: You are hurt?

Only then did I notice that there was a long wound hidden under his sleeve.

Shaw: ... It might be that I accidentally scraped against something during the morning stroll, I guess. MC: A wound this long, how could it possibly have been scraped without noticing! I'll go look for a bandage, just wait a moment.

The weapon room was well equipped, I quickly found the medicine box, and dug out bandages and potions from it.

MC: Hand.

Shaw obediently handed me his arm, his eyelashes were lowered the whole time, and his brows would twitch suddenly only when the cotton swab passed across the wound.

When I wrapped the thin ribbon for him, he suddenly raised his head.

Shaw: Would you like to be closer to the "stage"? MC: What do you mean? Shaw: Take you to experience something more exciting. MC: ….. Shaw.

I rolled up his sleeve for him before looking at him seriously.

MC: I don't have to ask you what your role is in this, but you can't use me to perfect your "script". Shaw: …..

Shaw opened his mouth as if he was a little surprised that I would say this, then he smiled, did not reply to my words immediately, but took the magazine from the rack.

He casually held the bullets in his mouth, first cleaned the parts with pine oil, and then loaded the bullets neatly one by one.

The black glove caressed the cold gun barrel familiarly, and the hard weapon was like a docile plaything in his hands.

I've seen this kind of expression in antique shops and on the stage, but at this moment, appearing in the bloody weapon room added a touch of charm to his eyebrows and eyes.

My heartbeat inexplicably became a little faster, Shaw seemed to feel me holding my breath, and suddenly raised his gaze.

With a twist of his wrist, the long gun barrel provoked my jaw, which was frivolous and dangerous.

Shaw: Miss, do you want to think about it again? Shaw: I'll be your bodyguard.

—

Under the night, a car slowly drove away from the mountain villa, and stopped beside an inconspicuous forest after lingering on the road for a few laps.

I was taken out of the car by Shaw, and we arrived in front of a warehouse under the guidance of several men in black.

Man in black: Go in.

The chained gate opened with a bang, and the light from inside made me close my eyes, and when I opened them again, I found a familiar person - the steward of the villa.

There were several packed packages around him, and the men in black with guns all around seemed to be protecting these packages rather than protecting him.

The steward stared at me sullenly at this moment, then turned to look at Shaw, and asked something in the local language.

Shaw raised the corner of his mouth and pressed my shoulder.

Shaw: Yes, I've looked into that. Shaw: Among all the guests, only "Ling Lin" was fake, because the real Ling Lin should be a man.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ♫ ⋅.} ───── ⊰

✧[Section 4]✧

I took a deep breath and looked at everyone in panic.

MC: I...I'm really Ling Lin!

Shaw: Is that so? But according to the information I found, this Ling Lin is not only a man, but also possesses a lightning Evol. Shaw: Last time he relied on this trick to help Mrs. Laburnum solve a big problem... Boss, you are someone close to Mrs., do you have any impression? Steward: I did hear the woman talk about it on the phone. Shaw: Isn't that enough?

Shaw clamped my neck with one hand and held my wrist with the other, leaning against the side of my neck with a dangerous smile.

Shaw: Ms. Ling Lin, show us your lightning Evol.

This guy is a real showman!

I slandered him fiercely in my heart, but the expression on my face became more and more broken. After a few murmurs, I lowered my head helplessly.

Click.

All of a sudden, several guns around the steward were aimed at me, and Shaw quickly waved his hands when he saw this.

Shaw: Hey, hey, don't be so eager to see blood, boss, how unlucky. Shaw: It seems that this counterfeit chick maybe someone who played a trick. Before I find out the relationship between her and the "Golden Crown", my suggestion is not to touch her. Steward: Find out? Where is the time for an investigation now?

The butler raised his voice, his face flushed with anger.

Steward: Tonight, the goods in my hand must be sold! Shaw: So you mean, don't check the whereabouts of the golden crown, and trade directly? Steward: Nonsense, do you know that the transaction has already been targeted by that woman and the police, if you don’t let go, we’re all over! Shaw: This is against the rules. The boss on my side asked for all the goods on the list. Steward: What do you mean?

Shaw maintained the posture of "holding" me, and raised a wanton smile towards the opposite side, and the other hand was filled with electric current.

Shaw: I mean... how dare you do bad things under Mrs. Laburnum's nose?

Click — everyone did not react to the moment, the brightly lit warehouse suddenly went dark.

Steward: —Backup power! Where's the backup! When the light turns on, kill them both!

Chaos exploded in this small space, and when the lights were turned on again, everyone froze on the spot.

Shaw: Just now your old man said, who do you want to kill?

Dozens of pitch-black gun barrels were pointed directly at Shaw and me, but we only had one gun on Shaw's side, but no one dared to attack us.

I was half squatting beside Shaw, holding a blue and white vase in one hand, with an ancient painting at my feet, and looking at the crowd with a smile on my face.

MC: I'm a delicate girl, and if my hand shook when the gun went off, and I accidentally shattered this national treasure porcelain vase; MC: Or if blood splattered onto this ancient painting at my feet, it wouldn't look very good, would it? Steward: ……

The butler's complexion was already so ugly that it couldn't get any more ugly, and the voice was squeezed out from between his teeth.

Steward: Who the hell are you guys? Cops? Shaw: Cops? Hahaha how is it possible!

The broken golden eyes were full of arrogance and cunningness, he pulled the trigger.

boom—

Everyone was startled by his sudden empty gun, and when their gaze returned, they noticed that Shaw had something new in his hand. 

It was the locator.

Shaw: I'm wanted by the cops...just a normal bad guy who works for money.

The warning bell rang throughout the stretch of mountains, and the steward was in danger, and was escorted to the other side by several burly men.

—

A woman in a suit came over to us after counting the antiques in the warehouse and saying something to her communicator.

Woman: Mr. Ling Lin, madam is thanking you and your partner. Woman: But Madame has a question. Why didn't you follow her plan? Shaw: Because I don't like to be on schedule. I didn't listen to you when we cooperated last time, didn't we get things done as usual? Shaw: By the way, is it possible to pay now?

Woman: …..

The woman was shocked by Shaw's straightforwardness, she exchanged a few words with the communicator in a foreign language and then nodded.

Woman: Mrs. said that the wrongly packaged golden crown will be repackaged and given to you.  Woman: She also said... "Mr. Ling, at your age, you have such vision and skill, maybe she can give you a wider world."

Shaw: Sorry, I'm just a college student tormented by a dissertation project and have no interest in your career.

The person being explored by Shaw’s Tai Chi was hit back, and they smiled with a sense of understanding, choosing not to say much more, then turned around, and left. 

[T/N]: In this context, "Tai Chi" likely refers to a martial arts technique or action that Shaw used to counter or respond to the other person's investigation or exploration. It could be symbolic of a skillful and effective defense or response.

I folded my arms and raised my chin at him.

MC: Can you tell me the whole story now?

Shaw: Okay, but there's really not much to say about it.

Shaw: Mrs. Laburnum has already detached from the responsibility, but her subordinates always have people with suspicious moves, therefore she found me to help, checking out who is being so restless. Shaw: She gave me an invitation letter because she wanted me to act as a guest and mix in with them, but I feel that this position was too slow for collecting information, so I might as well send you. MC: Then you became the middleman in the transaction between the two parties? Shaw: Pretty much. Shaw: It's in my nature to have it both ways. MC: By the way, that so-called golden crown...in the end, How did you lose it? Shaw: What do you say?

He winked at me. I immediately reacted.

MC: ——You stole it?!

Shaw: What do you mean, "steal"? It's not nice. Shaw: I snuck into the manor with the antique inventory and found it in one of the least guarded areas, so I hid it. Shaw: If I hadn't delayed them this long, how could we have caught them? MC: ……

Although everything Shaw said made sense, it just made people want to grind their teeth.

Shaw: Why this face? Oh, I forgot to compliment you, you are upset, right? Shaw: All in all, we worked well together this time, and your acting— was sloppy, but you did manage to fool the other side. MC: Tsk, Thank you for the compliment. Shaw: So you have participated in such an immersive game, do you think it was exciting enough, do you have any inspiration? MC: Yes, and I'm going to give you a part in my play.

Shaw: What role... Ugh!

Angrily, I stood on tiptoe, vented my anger, and hit Shaw with my forehead.

Seeing him clutch his chin in astonishment, I couldn't help laughing.

MC: A big bad guy who takes his girlfriend on an adventure!

—

🔫 Call

[cheesy09]

[CN] Kiro's 2023 Birthday Prequel

🌸 Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers for content that hasn't been released on the EN server yet! 🌸

[Note: This prequel was translated with the help of Google Translate :>]

[Chapter 1: Returned Treasure]

After turning the key into the keyhole twice, the door was pushed open.

"Take a look at it first, Kiro. If you want to buy additional furniture and appliances, just let me know."

Accompanied by the man's words, Kiro walked through the entrance hall, a bit of deliberate curiosity in his blue eyes as he looked at the new residence that the company had arranged for him.

The living room was very spacious, enough to place a lot of music equipment.

The kitchen was L-shaped, and the aisles were neither wide nor narrow. There was a refrigerator, oven and other high-end appliances built into the wall cabinets. There was only one thing missing - a microwave.

For a "killer cook", it could almost be considered one of the greatest inventions in the world.

But he didn't want to trouble the unfamiliar man in front of him, so he nodded deceptively and walked towards the bedroom. But as soon as he stepped through the door, he frowned.

Although the sun was shining brightly in the sky, the room was extremely dark, and the white bed and wardrobe in his field of vision were covered with a layer of gloomy gray.

The instigator behind this was a drab building standing next door. The walls looked like cracked skin, mottled and old.

The man seemed to have noticed something and said softly, "It's disturbing being blocked by this building, isn't it? But it will be demolished soon."

"Disturbing?"

The subconscious rhetorical question made the man stunned, but he quickly reacted and showed two rows of big white teeth.

"Hey, is this a northern dialect? How should I explain it..."

"When something makes you feel uncomfortable and upset, we call it disturbing..." As if he found it hard to describe at once, the other party started to make gestures.

Kiro listened quietly while observing the man with thick eyebrows and big eyes in front of him. An hour ago, he had introduced himself in the pick-up hall --

Savin, a manager of B.S. Entertainment and the one responsible for his acting arrangements in Loveland City in the future.

He'd heard this information from Pen a long time ago, but he still wasn't sure whether the other party was a member of B.S. But it didn't matter. There would always be more than one pair of eyes lurking around him.

Therefore, he took Savin's words very naturally.

"Haha - so that's what it meant. It's okay, Savin, I'm not disturbed."

The casual form of address made Savin stunned for a moment, and his eyes softened. "You must know that we Northeasterners can easily take away people's accents. You should learn less, don't be afraid of using your usual Californian accent..."

Savin paused and handed the key in his hand to Kiro.

"Also... I know you've just returned to China, and you must be uncomfortable with everything."

"Food, accent, residence... including the people. But all of this is temporary. I believe you'll find your own rhythm here soon."

Under Savin's sincere gaze, Kiro also nodded solemnly.

"Okay, how about this for today? I'll leave first. You have a good rest. I'll see you at the company tomorrow."

Savin walked out as he spoke. The moment he closed the door, another sentence was hurriedly squeezed in, "If you need anything, please call me at any time!"

Bang - the door was shut.

Kiro finally breathed a sigh of relief and turned around to walk to the suitcase he brought back from California - one which was filled with souvenirs he'd collected over the years.

He touched the box and smiled, then walked around again before finally opening an inconspicuous low cabinet and putting it inside.

This was the "treasure" he hid, and the keyhole could only be accessed by one person.

"Hey, I'm back with the treasure box. I hope I can find you soon."

[Chapter 2: Tiny Light]

--8:30 a.m.

A sharp ringing sounded throughout the bedroom.

"Mm..."

Accompanied by a vague voice, a slender arm stretched out from under the quilt. It followed it's owner's will and groped around the bed, but as it fumbled, it grew impatient. It kept swatting at the bedside like a gopher until the world became quiet, and an unknown amount of time had passed.

The man who had been dreaming suddenly opened his eyes, looking around in panic and confusion. However, in his misty vision, there was only a tiny cluster of light huddled pitifully in the corner, secretly confusing time, making it impossible to distinguish between day and night.

Kiro had no choice but to pick up his phone and take a look -- 8:38 a.m.

"......"

He helplessly rubbed his messy blond hair, walked to the window with bare feet, and pulled the already open curtains wider to both sides. However, the light only spread a little symbolically, illuminating half of the floor.

--It seemed a little disturbing.

He frowned and inadvertently stepped into the sunlight.

The thin light could only illuminate half of his body, but the corners that were illuminated were dazzling enough. He subconsciously squinted his eyes and followed the trajectory, all the way out of the dilapidated building next door. After that, he saw the endless flow of vehicles and the small crows of people going back and forth.

At this moment, Kiro's heart seemed to open up.

There was nice whether today.

-

--9:30 a.m. B.S. Entertainment Conference Room

"Kiro, although you've just returned to China, you should rest for a while to adjust yourself."

"But there haven't been many domestic entertainment resources recently, and everyone has be rushing to grab them, so we should seize this opportunity."

Savin picked up a stack of papers and handed them to Kiro, "If you continue to focus on your music, your development will become more rigid, so the company has secured some film and television audition opportunities for you."

"We can't just be singers, we need to become famous superstars."

Upon hearing that, Kiro knew that this had been the decision taken up by B.S. After all, only by expanding his influence in all directions would it be easier to do things for them. But he wasn't put-off. He knew very well that only by constantly broadening his own path, would he be able to take the initiative into his own hands sooner.

"Alright, Savin. I just have one question." He flipped through the audition details in the file. "When will the auditions start and how much time do I have to prepare?"

Kiro's calmness made Savin laugh and adjust the watch on his wrist slightly.

"Two o'clock in the afternoon. There's an audition for a sports commercial."

"Okay, I'll get ready now."

[Chapter 3: Good at Joy and Happiness]

In just a month, Kiro's success rate in auditions was nearly 75%. But when Savin reviewed the results, he frowned, "Strange... why did the auditions for movies and TV series fail?"

A trace of frustration flashed in Kiro's eyes, "I'll continue working hard. Please give me some time."

After a moment, Savin spoke in a deep voice, "Don't worry, this isn't something you have to work hard on alone. I'll find you a professional acting teacher. It's okay. There's no need to rush for success. We still have time and opportunities."

With that said, he took out his cell phone and walked out, until a polite greeting came from the corridor.

-

The next day, Kiro was already in the garden of the lecturer's home--

"Hello, Mr. Chen. My name's Kiro."

He nodded slightly and looked at the man sitting on the wooden chair.

It was easy to tell from the drooping wrinkles on the other person's face that he was already a bit old, but his sharp eyes made him appear to be in high spirits.

"Mm, Savin told me everything."

"But before we start with the class, tell me, what do you think acting is?"

Kiro stayed silent for a while before considering his answer.

"Acting to me... is about interpreting different lives."

"That's half right, but it's more accurate to continue living these different lives." The teacher raised his eyebrows, "Although the characters in the scripts are fictitious, and the plot is also fictitious, most of them come from real life."

"In the corners you can't see, and to the people you can't see, ever-changing things happen every day. Actors are there to live these lives again."

Hearing this, Kiro seemed to vaguely understand what the teacher meant - "deduction" and "experience" seemed to be two different things.

But before he could continue to digest it, the teacher undid the folds on his pants and said, "That's all. Let's do some imagination and sensitivity training."

"Now, close your eyes and imagine that you're walking in a forest. The grass is soft and the sound of the stream is in your ears. But you also hear the rustling sounds coming from the grass in the distance. What do you think is there?"

"A rabbit..." Kiro closed his eyes, a faint smile on his lips.

"Then, what do you want to do?"

Kiro couldn't help but hold his breath, and stepped forward more slowly. He groped his way to the grass and squatted down, "Hey... would you like to come into my arms and play for a while?"

As he spoke, he opened his arms and waited quietly. It wasn't until his body suddenly froze that he carefully retracted his arms, as if he were really picking up a rabbit... Then, he tilted his head and raised his right hand gently.

Caressing down.

"Hello, I'm Kiro."

Unconsciously, the teacher's voice also became much softer, "After playing with you for a while, the rabbit suddenly ran into the bushes."

"....!"

A hint of panic appeared on Kiro's face. He placed his palms on the ground and leaned down to search.

"You've been looking for it for a long time, but you haven't found any trace of it..."

He was silent for a while, then curled his lips in relief, "It's okay, we'll definitely meet again next time."

"Very good, remember this feeling now." The teacher's voice could not hide his excitement, "You did not follow the public's logic to express your loss, but followed your true feelings. Those are the feelings you want, remember?"

Before he finished speaking, a sharp cry passed through the sky--

Kiro subconsciously closed his eyes and raised his head. At the same time, the teacher also spoke vigorously, "There's a Swift flying across the sky right now!"

"Swift..?"

"Yes, it's a bird that flies all its life."

"Because of their body structure, it's difficult for them to take off once they stop, so they only stop on branches to rest."

"Do you want to keep flying?"

The teacher smiled lightly, "Since we're curious about it, let's go and see its life."

"Now imagine that you are it. Your body is very light, and countless sceneries pass your feet. You just watch them from winter to spring, from dry to blooming, never stopping."

Kiro gently opened his arms. Under the guidance of the teacher, his arms gradually became sore, as if there were thousands of pounds of stones pressing on them.

"You'll also grow tired during this period. Looking at every corner of the city, there is no resting place for you to take off again."

Kiro suddenly felt uncomfortable. He found that he and the Swift were very similar.

They have always been on the road. Although there had been very beautiful places to sing and see along the way, when they said goodbye again, they would be greeted by an endless flight.

But--

"It doesn't matter, I can persist."

Kiro said in his heart.

"I'll keep flying until I find a place where I can rest peacefully and then stop."

[Chapter 4: First Show of Strength]

After repeated training, Kiro became more empathetic.

Even with the scorching sun above his head, he could be so cold that he would tremble all over, huddled in a corner waiting for the snow mountaineering team; or he could stand on flat ground, but there could be an abyss beneath his feet, making him feel dizzy, struggling hard on the edge of the cliff.

His heart was now able to deceive his eyes and brain with ease.

"Kiro, Kiro!"

Kiro, who had just finished training, saw Savin running towards him in a hurry, holding a suit of armor and carrying a red tassel gun.

"What is this, Savin?"

"The actor playing the young Sun Ce in "Three Kingdoms", temporarily broke the contract due to scheduling issues, so we're going to audition now."

"Three Kingdoms?"

"You must know that this is a production worth hundreds of millions. If you can get this role, it would be better than acting in ten other unknown works."

Savin shook the armor as he spoke, causing the fine dust covering it to sway. "Ahem! This is a costume taken from the company's warehouse. Let's make do with it for now."

"If your mixed-race looks go directly for the auditions, you'll definitely suffer a big loss, so let's take care of your hair first before going over." He took out a black wig from the helmet and quickly combed it with his fingers, "We can't miss out on the wig and contact lenses..."

Savin's rare rushed appearance made Kiro confused, so when he saw that the wig was about to cover him, he subconsciously tilted his head to avoid it.

"Savin, what is the Three Kingdoms? Why do I have to wear these? Do I need to act in a costume film?

"You kid..! Have you heard of the Four Great Classics? Do you know the romance of the Three Kingdoms? That's the story in it."

"I've heard of it, but I haven't even read the scripts, so can I just go directly to the auditions?" Before he finished speaking, the hairband was placed on Kiro's head with lightning speed.

"You can't control that much. Just try it."

After getting his hair done, Savin picked up the armor and put it on for him, one by one. At that moment, the teacher who had been sitting on the wooden chair also slowly said, "I remember you said that your dream when you were a child was to be a superhero. Now I tell you, Sun Ce is also a hero. So it doesn't matter if you don't know his life, just remember that he is a a hero who is not afraid of anything."

These words began to play in Kiro's mind over and over again, until he arrived at the shooting scene with Savin. The director improvised an audition topic--

"You are now fighting a battle with less to win more, but because you have no escape, you are fearless."

Along with his words, flags were flying on the distant city wall, and wolf smoke was also billowing. Kiro looked at all of it this, and his heart remained very calm. Although he didn't know what the Three Kingdoms was about, he knew what a hero was.

The next second, he walked to a white horse, holding a red tassed gun in his hand, and jumped on it.

The workers around him were hurriedly moving their filming equipment, but in Kiro's ears, he could hear the sound of horns roaring, and the sound of thousands of horse hooves trampling behind him.

At that moment, Kiro was convinced that he was on the battlefield.

Amidst a horse's cry that pierced the sky, he loosened his reins and galloped forward, riding into the wolf smoke that was about to engulf the world. There were only a bunch of red tassels, as bright as a torch. Even the beacon of fire in the sky couldn't annihilate it, as if it were soaring into the sky.

--"All officers and men, listen to my order and join me on the battlefield."

[Chapter 5: Forgotten Birthday]

He got the role of Sun Ce. In addition to receiving congratulations from all around, he also heard some nasty remarks--

"A mixed-race guy with blond hair and blue eyes wants to play a famous historical figure. Isn't there something fishy about this?"

It would be a lie to say he didn't care, but Kiro also knew the distance between himself and Sun Ce. He began to frequent the library and borrowed one history book after another, but found that the words were concise and difficult to understand. He ran to ask Savin and found that they were classical Chinese texts, written articles in ancient Chinese.

He had no choice but to borrow another classical Chinese dictionary and compare it word by word. After a long time, in his dreams, he would be wearing a robe and looking at a bottle of Coke that was as tall as a human being, shaking its head and saying something.

"Ran, ran."

But due to the language barrier, coke was sprayed all over him, which made him wake up.

There were many such interesting things, which made him enjoy the learning. But the more he got to know Sun Ce, the more Kiro discovered that in his eyes, this man could not completely be called a hero. He was just forced to be involved in the mud of history, especially since the death of his father. How many decisions had he made, and how many goals did he really want to achieve?

With that mentality, the filming of the scene about the young Sun Ce began--

"Kiro, isn't the helmet a little tight? But it's too late to customize it. Please bear with me."

"It's okay, director. This is nothing to me."

"Kiro, there are some risks in this fight scene. If you can't adapt, we can find a substitute."

"...I think if I do it myself, the effect will be better."

In addition to constant contact with the filming scene, the director would also patiently point how people in ancient times spoke, behaved, and pronounced.

It's just that there were so many things to learn. So whenever the filming ended, he would sit in a corner alone and watch and learn.

Days like this went on and on. Then one day, a small change occurred--

"Happy Birthday, Kiro! I got this on the internet."

At that moment, the director who had been looking at the storyboard also heard the sound and put down what he was holding, "Kiro, happy birthday."

"....."

"Why are you just blinking and not talking? Is it because you were so lost during filming that you don't even remember your birthday?" The director teased, then raised his hand to look at the time and called for the makeup artist to come over.

"Time is tight. Take him to put on his makeup first."

Kiro didn't say anything more and left with the makeup artist.

But on the way, he took out his mobile phone as if to confirm--

April 9th. He was so busy that he had forgotten about it.

[Chapter 6: Stopped Swift]

"Okay, cut! This fight scene was great!"

"Would you like to do it again? There were a few movements I could've done better..."

The director smiled and waved his hand, "No, I liked the energy you had just now. Not ruthless, just high-spirited. And isn't it your birthday today? Go back quickly."

"It's okay, director. I want to stay for a while to observe and learn."

Kiro shook his head quickly. There was a highlight today and he didn't want to miss the confrontation between "Zhuge Liang" and "Sima Yi".

"It's okay. Don't think about it, your friends and family are all waiting to surprise you." The director deliberately frowned, half-pushed Kiro, and asked him to leave the set.

After taking off his armor, Kiro walked lightly on the crowded streets. At that moment, he suddenly felt as though he were back in California. At that time, he had no place he wanted to go and walked one road after another. What had changed today? He obviously wanted to stay on set to study today, but why did he still have to "wander" outside?

Was celebrating a birthday really necessary?

Why couldn't he just spend the day sitting in a corner of the set and watching?

Do we have to buy a cake and sing happy birthday to make this day not go by in vain?

A series of self-questions made him stop and sit on a bench, feeling discouraged.

Let's get over this day quickly... When it's over, you can stay at the filming site with confidence.

While he was convincing himself, a girl carrying a schoolbag and her mother walked past, hand in hand. The mother was wearing a floral skirt, carrying a shopping bag in her right hand. The scallions sticking out of her bag swayed with her footsteps.

What was more beautiful than the sunset were the ordinary human fireworks.

Then, he laughed and rubbed his head.

Kiro, what are you being pretentious about? You have two choices now: First, go buy a cake for your birthday; second, go back and do some weight-training, and then fall asleep from exhaustion.

Just as he was making a decision in his mind, a white nanny car stopped in front of him.

"What are you doing here, kid? Get in the car."

He looked at Savin who rolled down the window in surprise. His mind went blank for a moment, so much so that he didn't even remember how he got in the car. When he regained consciousness, he already had a gift box in his arms.

"Happy birthday," Savin said with a smile. "I originally wanted to give it to you in the morning, but the company's kept me busy with work. I finally finished it and was about to send you home..."

"The director told me you had left, but why were you still sitting here?"

"...I was sitting here to observe life."

Kiro tried explaining things, but what he got in return was Savin's blank stare.

"That's not important. I'm here to tell you some good news. It might be your best gift today."

With that said, Savin took out a document from the side and handed it to Kiro, "The director recognizes you very much and has recommended you to senior directors everywhere. This is an audition invitation sent by them. Basically, you're the protagonist."

"From my professional point of view, starting from the young Sun Ce this time," Savin became more and more enthusiastic as he spoke. Because he was speaking too fast, his face turned red.

"It won't be too long before you become a superstar, because you were born to be one!"

Faced with such powerful acknowledgment, Kiro didn't know what to say for a while.

Music and performing have always been his dreams, but he didn't know how many people would like his abilities.

Ten thousand? One hundred thousand? One million?

He didn't know.

He just opened the folder in silence, looking at the audition requirements, thinking quickly about how to feel so that he could express those characters more realistically.

But what was certain now was that in the face of those demands, he was no longer as overwhelmed as he was two months ago.

Maybe he had gradually adapted to this city. Just like France and California... he would find his own place in this huge city.

Suddenly, a swift black shadow passed through his peripheral vision, and Kiro subconsciously raised his head and looked out the window.

A bird was sitting on a high branch.

--It was a Swift.

Translation Masterlist: here

Kiro's Habitat Date: HERE

[xingxueyue]

Current CN Situation

I believe that some of you have caught wind of the current situation in CN server, I received some asks about this too. So I will just give brief summary on this matter.

Usually one SSR card cost around 8k gems to 12k gems for chapter update. But for the current chapter update, the first 72 pull, player has a chance (50% rate) to pull the chapter update card, or get non chapter update SSR/SP. You will definitely get one chapter update SSR on the 144th pull. It works kinda like Wish Tree, but they just mask the game play of chapter update as new gameplay. Which is to say, one chapter update SSR now cost at least 22.6k, per SSR card. That's a whooping double charge up from what they have been charging previously. So players definitely opposed to it, and all united to stop whaling for this event.

They even blocked one whale player, and the explanation given was very vague. It seems more of push blame from one party to another.

Today, CN released the upcoming events for April, which once again pissed players. They are as below: [A] 4 April ZhouQiLuo/Kiro birthday event (estimated 1.8k gems to 10k gems, given if you want to get previous years card, ASMR or not), [B] Early April LiZeYan/Victor SSR Wish Tree (estimated 144 pull or 12k gems), [C] Mid April Revival of previous event SSR and top up SR cards (estimated 10k gems), [D] Late April BaiQi/Gavin SSR Wish Tree (estimated 144 pull or 12k gems) and [E] End of April a brand new Wish Tree featuring 4 Male Characters (estimated 144 pull to 576 pull, if you don't get any event SSR and require 144 per SSR redemption).

Players are disappointed that they are milking money from players for the entire month, and many believe so that this will continue to be the same for future events. So it's a mass calling/waking up for players to stop whaling in this game for now. Or at least until they decided to rectify all the mistakes (which majority think that it's impossible to).

I think that's about it?

I will continue to update on CN Events for the time being. Perhaps one day, when I really had enough of them, I will call it quit for real. Cos I'm spending more on R18 Light and Night by TC and Life Makeover. And the upcoming KR R18 game. Till then girls~

xoxo

XingXueYue

[chuckletons]

here's me talking (or rambling) generally about the jb comics in cn starring/cartoon cartoons and block party. i'm not a huge fan of most of the stories. some of this is also more series bible talk except with a focus on bunny, johnny and suzy as opposed to just johnny and carl. also longg post underneath the cut. some scattered trivia and notes at the end too if you're interested in that sort of thing

the most notable instance of bunny making johnny do chores is the beginning to "i, fly." we never really see it happening otherwise. however, this is a reoccurring theme in the comics. it also matches up with the pre-retool bible stating that johnny gets an allowance from bunny each week.

in most of the comic stories, bunny has a low tolerance for johnny's behavior and often threatens to kick him out and otherwise fully embodies the "aggressive nagging mom" trope. this is even noted by "charles d. brown," a fan that sent in letters. there's also a running gag in a few stories of bunny chasing him with a bat? that is completely absent from the show (and likely wasn't allowed even if they wanted to.) bunny instead takes the role of beating the tar out of any man that threatens her son. van's bible and the retooled version seem to be similar in the way bunny uses guilt to get johnny to do what she wants. that specifically was not a retool invention. although s1 bunny wasn't very fleshed out, nor did she appear a lot, van was planning to do more with her before he got fired. the retool was going to harness a much more edgy identity, so it makes sense.

back on topic: comics also feature certain panels such as bunny asking who would be stupid enough to give johnny a driver's license.

my biggest problem with these stories is how frankly miserable some of them feel. johnny and bunny's relationship is a big part of that. in the beginning to the smarty pants story, we see bunny pouring a super-sized box of antacid into her mouth as soon as she sees johnny hitting on a random woman, telling him that she's the "eighth 'betty' [that] week [he] decided [was] 'the one [for him].'" she then gives him genuine good advice that he doesn't follow, a la suzy.

overall, the amount of awareness bunny has just makes me feel terrible for her. what makes bunny work in the show is her pretending (or being blissfully unaware) that her son isn't as bad as he seems. like the rest of the cast, she's a very flawed person. the show works because johnny's friends are also fucked up in different ways without being the exact type of cynical that he is. characters like pops can be very, very mean to johnny, but characters like bunny carl and suzy have their mean moments as well. but some comic stories take this to an extreme and i think the show achieves a specific vibe of mean that mostly worked.

the world revolves around whatever johnny subjects his friends to, but they are his only support system. they feel like a group of horrible people that work well together, united by one idiot. i like that a lot about the retool, it's a huge reason why i got this into it in the first place. but, i love that there's a balance between, say, episodes like "johnny's guardian angel" that acknowledge how the status quo is johnny's fault or episodes where his friends don't care as much about him, and ones where they do and they pay for it. it's not too static. if you don't love one, you have the other.

retool bunny is notable because of the heart she brings to the table. again, she loves her son and will fight to protect him, she's way too clingy and longs for the past when he was still a child, she makes plenty of mistakes as a mother, but at the end of the day, you know she wouldn't threaten to kick johnny out on a daily basis or treat him like a total freeloader. either the retool or the comic writers misinterpreted what "bunny guilts johnny" was supposed to mean. for meaner jokes with her or carl etc., you could at least go "that's kind of funny in a dark way" or at worst "this feels ooc" and move on to the next episode. when we get the gist in the comics that bunny is always suffering this much, what joy is there seeing them interact?

the majority of the stories were not written by the show's writers, but there is a difference between comics and tv censors— comics seem to get away with more. some examples of comic writers taking advantage of this were funny, some were not. one example is in the "you cast a spell" story. i'll let you guess which panel. very S1 in nature, honestly.

(left) this one-page comic where it's obvious a woman hired actual hitmen to kill johnny after he stalked her is like... the show didn't do this because 1. again, i doubt they were allowed to and 2. it's uncomfortably realistic. the stalking part. i feel weird criticizing a one page gag like this, but the concept of hiring hitmen to kill johnny IS funny— and that very well could've worked in the retool's world, don't get me wrong— it's how it's executed. the bollywood movie did a better hitman/assassin type concept.

(left and right) much like bunny, johnny feels uncomfortably self-aware in ways he shouldn't be. "'sides, it's full of stuff the babes can throw at you!" this should not cross his mind. he'd likely tell you anywhere BUT some place that tongue-in-cheek. it's a very easy joke. "always be a gentleman on the first date, save the real you for later!" johnny doesn't play dumb or polite to deceive women, he's just a jackass. "charm school johnny" and "tyler perry's guide to love" are the main examples of this, as johnny can't be a gentleman (or pretend to know what one is) without someone guiding him along. CSJ is a cel-era S2 episode. johnny isn't smart nor devious enough at any point in the show to say something like this. his everyday self is wildly inauthentic as it is.

to me, it feels like these lack what really makes johnny funny when he IS funny. i can't tell if this is a misunderstanding of his character or if the bible was a bit off in terms of what retool johnny became. kupperberg's stories seem to have this problem the most, however... all in all, it kind of feels like an exaggerated parody of the retool and what could be viewed as its worst qualities

one of the other comics i found interesting was "go cart go," a story about suzy building a go cart for a derby and asking johnny for help. johnny uses a nickname for suzy as opposed to forgetting her name and otherwise acts nice to her. he kind of sees himself as a role-model to her, and he has a "tooth or consequences" style change of heart when he sees how sad she is after he enters the derby with his own cart. he cheats his way to get her to win. it's arguably the sweetest official johnny and suzy story i've ever seen and it was very likely an episode premise in the bible that got reworked into the aforementioned tooth fairy ep. johnny is completely selfless and it's played straight even when he gets beat up at the end. is it in-character? is the tone accurate to the show? not really, but it's really nice to see. i like it! retool johnny WAS supposed to be a "jerk with a heart of gold," it's just a shame we barely got that.

other random notes:

johnny uses a lot of "flirty" food nicknames. "pop tart" he uses at least twice. very much the same type of thing as "etruscan honey bun" from the gladiator short. definitely toned down in the actual show

like the s2 model sheets, master hama is referred to as 'master hong,' something that was likely changed early in production to lessen possible complaints of racism / (over)stereotyping

only two of the comic stories were written by one of the show's crew members (john crane.) partible pencilled for a comic / covers but wrote zero of the stories, even post-retool. retool-era storyboard artists such as dave schwartz (the man with the idea for a suzy spin-off / "the great bunny book ban," whom unfortunately passed in 2021) and neal sternecky pencilled a few comic stories. lovely work

unlike "johnny bigfoot," a john crane story, miss williams/winkleman is referred to as "miss butterworth" in "to sea or not to sea." further confirmation that she's the retooled version of ms. babe (suzy's teacher in S1), complete with johnny trying to woo her repeatedly— something he only does twice in the retool as she appears three times with two different designs and last names.

one penciller, anthony williams, was particularly on-model / used plenty of model sheet poses and expressions in the stories he illustrated. since none of carl's model sheets have been shared online yet, the williams-drawn comics are the closest thing we have to those.

besides the short bursts of "HUH?" bible-influenced moments with carl, he's written pretty decently in the comics. consistently. i like the majority of his appearances a lot.

in a car story, suzy gets jealous of a woman johnny persues. that sort of thing is absent from the show entirely— instead, she uses johnny and women to persuade him to take her places. suzy seems to have no hard feelings toward the women, not even in "rashomoron" (where carl is used to fulfill that purpose instead.)

john q bravo???

[backdaft]

Things We Know About the Retool Era Johnny Bravo S2 Bible:

- Carl was best friends with Johnny in high school and they got beat up twice a day by both their classmates and teachers (?!). Johnny got buff and Carl got nerdier (CN LA website, "Name That Toon" book)

- Bunny is confirmed to be 60 years old. ("Name That Toon")

- Pops' Moon Palace is referred to as 'Pops' Soda Shoppe' as it's a retool of the S1 Soda Shoppe location.

- Chryniszzswics is spelled 'Chrynszzswicz,' at least on model sheets.

Assumptions:

- After high school, Johnny wanted nothing to do with Carl and focused entirely on getting buff and getting girls.

- Johnny often tries to coach Carl on how to impress girls and fit his definition of "man", which is pretty much How To Be JB 101 ("Man Exam" in coloring book, Johnny says Carl "hardly qualifies as a guy" in the party comic, he gives him dating advice in one or two Body Beautiful comics) and it goes as horribly as you'd expect. Carl gets roped into this even when he hates it (CN Block Party game, "You Cast A Spell" comic in the sense that Carl doesn't want to do something with him because he knows it'll go wrong).

- Carl has better luck being himself and ironically gets all the girls when Johnny cannot ("To Helga And Back", "Endless Bummer", party comic, "Domina Delivers" comic, "You Cast A Spell" comic)

- Suzy was originally supposed to be part of a scout troop called the Camper Critters Girls before it was decided on keeping Season 1's Buttercup Scouts ("Johnny Bigfoot" comic, "Go Cart Go!" comic.)

- Bunny makes Johnny do a lot of chores for an allowance each week (original/pre-retool S2 bible, "I, Fly," she punishes him with 'chores for a week' in "Days Of Blunder") and otherwise embodies the "aggressive nagging mother" stereotype. There is also a running gag in the comics of her chasing Johnny with a bat.

- Bunny is depicted as very aware of how dumb Johnny is and his poor attempts at getting a date stress her out (she's seen drinking a whole box of antacid in the "Fancy Pants" comic.) Johnny also seems to have an air of self-awareness in the comics (more on this here )

- Carl sees himself as a loser ("Tortured Artist" comic, CN Racing) or otherwise always loses— usually because of Johnny trying to one-up him, ("Candidate Johnny," "Some Like It Stupid," "You Cast A Spell" comic.)

[chaoticneutralbell]

There's a hole in your logic

You who know all the answers...

| soundtrack | living space | style

Name: Lucy Archer Bell

Age: 30 (Feb 12)

Identity & Orientation: NB AFAB, they/he/she, disaster pan

Originally From: Clackamas, Oregon

Most Recent Community: Dielectric Research Community, Connecticut

Time in Redwood: New as of February 2043

Resides in: A bungalow near the school

Previous occupation: Biomedical / Neuro-Engineer

Community occupation: Teacher (STEM subjects) / Daycare / Mechanic's assistant

Lucy was born to a mom in (temporary) recovery, and never knew her father. She grew up mostly raised by maternal grandparents while her mother went through several rounds of rehab, additional pregnancies and falls off the wagon. Lucy, meanwhile, became a driven, intelligent young woman - with a real sarcastic wit. She excelled in soccer, but ended up needing financial assistance for college.

She was indignant at needing financial assistance, being teased by classmates for her financial struggle, and eschewed parties to hold down a job around classes. By 2037 Lucy was in her last year of a bachelors program at John Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.

Already having been approached by prestigious biomedical firms, Lucy was starting to feel she'd outrun her crappy circumstance of birth. Around the same time news of a new outbreak was starting one of the firms swooped in and recruited every student on the same track. Promised them the chance to change the world in their lifetime, to save mankind. That they were all needed.

Dielectric was their home for several years as the world shut down. Compartmentalized, kept ignorant of the goings on outside; told it was for the best if they weren't distracted by the outside world.

Small teams worked on different pieces of a greater whole, brainstorming, hypothesizing, testing, making odd supply requests from the men upstairs...

Until supplies stopped showing up.

An intellectual powerhouse, the cell found solutions to problems as they came. Predicted likely future issues and took what preventative measures they could. But eventually, the walls would be permeated.

What researchers survived that inevitable breach fled; they weren't built for brute force fighting. Lucy was never more grateful that she'd been a jock in high school, able to outrun bigger, heavier predators.

A year of another kind of learn-by-doing, and Lucy fell ass-over-teakettle into Redwood. Specifically by setting off a hunting trap.

| Headcanons |

Lucy was on course to earn her Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering; specifically angling for the Neural Engineering Track.

She never lost her snarky personality. Originally a defense mechanism, it eventually simply became a part of her personality. It didn't endear her to superiors at Dielectric, alas.

Before you ask - yes his mom named them Lucy as a Beatles homage. Yes, Lucy finds it tacky. Yes, he knows it's close to Lucille Ball, too.

Doesn't like talking about how they lost their left pinky.

Created "A fully implantable,wireless interface for CNS for electronic recording, stimulation and microfluidic drug delivery."

5 Tattoos: Lunar moth at right hipbone | cobra winding up right arm | Neuron up the exterior left calf | Twilight Zone inspired on left bicep | James Webb hexagon on the back of their neck

Goes by Archer, in addition to Lucy

Birth order: Lucy -> Allison (26) -> Joey (23) -> Nina (20) -> Jordan (16) -> Jimmy (12)

| Wanted Connections |

STEM nerds (open!) - Do you speak science, tech, engineering or math? Then Lucy would love to nerd it up with you. Conversation, projects, wild theories, whatever @orioncarnell , @tamirkamadcr

Chaotic Buds (1/2) - Lucy has high Int, low Wis and obviously would love buds of similar stat block. @aresmelaina ,

Kite String (0/1) - Who's going to tether this girl when she's getting unrealistic, too salty, etc?

Trap Spring (1/1) - She was brought in by a hunter whose trap she set off. Soz, dude. - @davxdalexander

Crossed Paths (2/3) - She was extremely behind the 8 ball on the whole apocalypse thing, running a couple years behind everyone else. Did you encounter her in the last year? Helped her out or took advantage? @frankxausting , @harry-thompson

[pathfinderunlocked]

Unlocked Siren - CR5 Magical Beast

A Pathfinder Unlocked version of the Siren.

Artwork is official Pathfinder 1e artwork from Bestiary 2, copyright Paizo.

The original stat block for a Siren is insanely deadly.  It blasts everyone within 300 feet with an AOE will save (with a pretty high DC for its CR), and if you fail, you either fight your own allies or stand there and wait to die.  Worse, it lasts until the Siren’s silenced or knocked out.  A big chunk of the party will usually fail, and even one person failing is enough to make the encounter extremely deadly.  If half the party fails, the fight is almost certainly unwinnable, unless you get very lucky and crit the siren to death right away.  The original stat block also gives no indication of what kind of action it is to start or maintain the Siren Song ability.

Most of the monsters in my Pathfinder Unlocked series are attempts to make a creature more interesting to fight without changing its difficulty, but in this case, I believe that the actual difficulty of this creature is wildly different from its CR and from its intended difficulty.  So in this case, I significantly nerfed the original Siren in order to bring its special abilities in line with its challenge rating.  Its stats are unchanged, because those were fine; it’s just the Siren Song ability that was insane.

My goal was to keep the general original strategy of being able to attack the creature to break your friends free of the song, but make it more fair and more interactive, and drastically reduce the number of rounds that affected PCs lose their turn and sit there doing nothing.  So the biggest difference between the Unlocked Siren and the original Siren is that my version’s Siren Song ability ends if the creature takes damage, instead of only if it gets knocked out.  The captivation effect also has a secondary break condition.

As an aside, the above artwork is NOT how I ever imagine a Siren looking.  It’s a good thing they have nice voices, because they're built like radio stars.

Siren - CR 5

This creature has the body of a hawk and the head of a beautiful woman with long, shining hair.

XP 1,600 CN Medium magical beast Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +15

DEFENSE

AC 18, touch 14, flat-footed 14 (+3 Dex, +1 dodge, +4 natural) hp 52 (8d10+8) Fort +7, Ref +11, Will +6 Immune mind-affecting effects

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft., fly 60 ft. (good) Melee 2 talons +11 (1d6) Special Attacks bardic performance, siren’s song, sneak attack +2d6 Spell-Like Abilities (CL 7th; concentration +12)

3/day—cause fear (DC 16), charm person (DC 16), deep slumber (DC 18), shout (DC 19)

STATISTICS

Str 10, Dex 17, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 19, Cha 21 Base Atk +8; CMB +8; CMD 22 Feats Dodge, Flyby Attack, Lightning Reflexes, Weapon Finesse Skills Fly +7, Knowledge (history) +10, Perception +15, Perform (sing) +13, Stealth +14 Languages Auran, Common

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Bardic Performance (Su) A siren may use bardic performance as a 4th-level bard (9 rounds/day), and can use countersong, distraction, fascinate, inspire competence (+2), and inspire courage (+1).  It can start these performances as a standard action.  Levels in the bard class stack with this ability.

A siren can use a bardic performance at the same time as its Siren Song ability.

Siren Song (Su) As a standard action, a siren can begin to captivate creatures with a song.  It can continue this silent song as a free action on each turn thereafter.  When a siren uses its Siren Song, all creatures except for other sirens within a 60-foot radius must succeed on a DC 19 Will save or become affected by one of its songs (see below).  The effect depends on the type of song the siren chooses, and continues for as long as the siren continues its Siren Song and the target remains within the radius, and for 1 round thereafter.  A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again by any of that siren’s Siren Songs for 1 hour.  These are sonic mind-affecting effects.  The save DC is Charisma-based.

Continuing the Siren Song is a free action, and changing which song it is singing is a standard action.  Whenever a siren that is performing a Siren Song takes damage or is subjected to an effect that would require a concentration check when casting a spell, it must make a concentration check (typically with a +12 bonus) to maintain the Siren Song, treating it as a fifth-level spell.

Creatures that fail their saving throw behave in one of the following four ways, which the siren chooses when it begins its Siren Song.

Captivation: A siren’s song has the power to infect the minds of those that it touches, calling them to the siren’s side.  A victim under the effects of the captivating song moves toward the siren using the most direct means available.  If the path leads the victim into a dangerous area such as through fire or off a cliff, that creature receives a second saving throw to end the effect before moving into peril.  Captivated creatures can take no actions other than to defend themselves.  A victim within 5 feet of the siren simply stands and offers no resistance to the siren’s attacks.  If the captivated creature takes any amount of damage, the effect ends.  This is a sonic mind-affecting charm effect.

Fascination: Affected creatures are fascinated.

Obsession: An obsessed victim becomes defensive of the siren and does all it can to prevent harm from coming to her, going so far as attacking its allies in her defense.  The victim is not controlled by the siren, but views her as a cherished ally.  This is a mind-affecting charm effect.

Slumber: The victim immediately falls asleep, rendering the creature helpless.  While the siren is using its slumber song, no noise will wake the sleeping creature, though slapping or wounding it does.  The creature wakes up on its own 1 round after the siren ends this song.

[jimi-rawlings]

Neuroplasticity Drug-Crime Nexus in Belgique based on Trafficking.

CPP, CNS Depressants, et FENTALOGS: Cul-de-sac

Grey-Decentralized Markets

Bastilles: Cul-de-sac Artist Résidences Penthouse Complexes

Big Room House Raves

Acid House Art Gallery

International Film Festival

Hôtel Chefs

Seigneurial System/Tableau Economique Raw Material Économics Production Spot

Surautomatism

Discount Networking Acid House Party

Opium Dens and Fragrance Festivals

Pill Pressers

CNS depressants

Upper-tier County System

Defense Lawyers are Traplords (Trafficking P4P and Malicious Prosecution)

Cash Conversion Cycle (CCC)

Brain Receptor Dealing

Neuroplasticity Drug-Crime Nexus

Religious Ecstacy

Entheogens are psychedelic drugs—and sometimes certain other psychoactive substances—used for engendering spiritual development or otherwise in sacred contexts

Live-Pool Betting Monopoly Board Game

Summary Sentencing

Urban Level: Street Culture Art Gallery (Street culture may refer to: Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities, Street market, Children's street culture, Street carnival, Block party, Street identity, Street food, Café culture, Several youth subculture or counterculture topics pertaining to outdoors of urban centers. These can include: Street art, Street photography, Street racing, Street wear, Hip-hop culture, Urban fiction, Street sports, Streetball, Flatland BMX, Freestyling)

A designer drug is a structural or functional analog of a controlled substance that has been designed to mimic the pharmacological effects of the original drug, while avoiding classification as illegal and/or detection in standard drug tests

#CORSICAN

DEZI

[40sandfabulousaf]

大家好! You know you have a table of crazy fun people when a Chinese New Year lunch turns into a wedding banquet with no bride and no groom. Everyone toasted with the local yum yum yumyumyumyumyumyum seng, a toast specifically for weddings! There were smiles of amusement from the other diners so, besides the yummy meal, we had fun! It was a perfect end to the rowdy festive celebrations - who said Singapore is boring?

CN, ML, CY, SC, TMI and I caught up over CY's favourite noodles. The weather has been so warm lately that I ordered my yi mian (ee fu noodles) dry and plain, then drizzled the side of soup over it so that everything cooled faster. The meal was nutritious and balanced, and was served with decent portions of fish and veggies. Most importantly, we bonded as colleagues and friends and had fun. Am looking forward to doing this again.

The sanctions arising from the conflict between Russia and Ukraine have disrupted global trade. Prices of basics like electricity, housing and food have soared through the roof. Household disposable incomes and standards of living have plummeted; this is felt most acutely by those who're struggling to survive. Surprisingly, it's occurring in countries that were traditionally viewed as wealthy. I would've thought they could afford to feed people living and working there.

That's the problem when politicians refuse to negotiate and try to bully their way to victory instead: everyone else suffers. I don't feel sorry for them; they brought it on themselves. It's innocent countries caught in this economic warfare that I sympathise with. Their citizens are suffering through no fault of their leaders. They did nothing wrong by staying neutral and yet inflation still hit them very hard.

Almost 30,000 Palestinian civilians have died as a result of the conflict in Gaza. I'm praying very hard for them, as well as for parties which allowed so many deaths to happen to receive what God has in mind for them. Wickedness and pure evil are evident in this conflict. How can there ever be trust in human rights again? 下次见!

[mint-moon25]

FUTURE - WE - REQUIRE - U

AS - FUTURE - SPECIAL YES

DEMOCRATS - TONGUES

BUT - FUTURE - WEEKDAYS

WEEKEND - CAMPS - 18 AND

OLDER - MALE - WARRIOR

DEMOCRATIC - CAMPS

FEMALE - LEADERS -

DEMOCRATIC - PARKS

ACROBATIC - GYMNASTICS

CHEERLEADING - DEMOCRAT

CAMPS - WEEKDAYS - WEEKENDS

FRIDAY - SAT - SUNDAY - ALSO

CAMPS - EXERCISE - TREAD -

MILLS - CHEERS - CAMPS

FOR - CERTAIN - THINGS

BUT - SINGING - LESSONS

TOKYO - SCIENTISTS - U - CAN

TALK - U - CAN - SING

TONGUES - $500 BILLION

TAX - PAID - SING - TONGUES

$500 BILLION - TAX - PAID

ARMED - OCCUPATIONS

NOT - MILITARY

SECURITY - COUNTY EMPLOYEES

TEACHERS - PROFESSORS - ARE

NOT - ALLOWED - HDG - BANKS

MANY - LIBRARIANS

PAID - BY - FEDERAL - TAXES

NOT - ALL0WED - HDG BANKS

EXCEPTIONS

QUIT - YOUR - JOBS

U - MUST - THEN - B - BOTH

APP - AUDITION

WE - WILL - REQUIRE - BOTH

SING - AND - SPEAK TONGUES

3 - CAMPS - MUST B - FREE

FREE - ATTENDED - THEN WE

WILL - CERTIFY - GIVING - YES

EXAMPLES

FINGERLESS - GLOVES - EACH

CARRIES - 5,000 LBS - LADIES

U R - BEING - CORNERED - BY

BLKS - HISPANIC - MALES

NOW - THROW - THEM AWAY

LIKE - TISSUE - PAPER - PUSH

THEY - GO - 2 - NEXT - BLOCK

THROW - AWAY - THE DUDES

YOU'RE - NOW - STRONGER

THEN - MISS ISRAEL - 1984

STRONGER - THAN - 'WONDER

WOMAN' - THUS - LEARNING IN

A - HURRY - MARTIAL - ARTS XO

ANCIENT - CHINA - CREATOR

THEIRS - WHAT - IF - PEOPLE

STEAL - THEIR - WEAPONS CN

WHAT - 2 - DO - THUS - MORE

WAYS - 2 - USE - HANDS - AND

FEET - HEALTHY - EATABLE

GRASSHOPPERS - AS - THEY

WERE - CURIOUS - THAT YES

BRAUTIFUL - GRASSHOPPER

WAS - TRYING - 2 - BOX - BOX

YES - BOX - THE - WHO - IS

KEEPING - HIM - IN - PLACE

AS - THEY - IMMITATED HIS

MOVES - STRENGTHENED

BOXING - WHICH - WAS WORLD

UNKNOWN - CALLED - IT KUNG

FU - NOW - LIKE - CHINA - BBQ

MUSHU - NOW - CALLED - YES

WUSHU - LIKE - BBQ - TASTY 2

CHINESE - MARTIAL - ARTS

ESPECIALLY - COMES - FRM

OBSERVING - DANGEROUS

ANIMALS - SNAKES - PUMAS

TIGERS - LIONS - ELEPHANTS

TODAY - ADDITIONAL - WAYS

2 - USE - HANDS - FEET - AND

ALSO - DEVELOPING - NEW

WEAPONS - OVER - 5,000

YEARS - MARTIAL - ARTS

TODAY - BOTH - SING AND

SPEAK - IN - TONGUES AS

18 AND OLDER - DEMOCRATS

3 CAMPS - ATTEND - 2 - HAVE

FINGERLESS - GLOVES THAT

LIFT - 5,000 LBS - EA BUT ALL

CUSTOMIZED - OWNER ONLY

CAN - USE - APPS - 2 - BUY US

MORE - DIFFERENT - COLORS

DIFFERENT - SIZES - AS - WE

WILL - COME - UP - WITH YES

MORE - PROGRAMS - LIKE

OUR - BOOTS - THAT - FLY US

SPECIAL - MARINES

SPECIAL - AIR FORCE

SPECIAL - NAVY

SKY - DIVING - MILITARY

NO - PARACHUTES - FOR

VERY - DANGEROUS YES

OUR - BOOTS - FLY - US - YES

LAND - US - LIKE - TINKER BELL

WHO - WE - GIVE - THAT - 2 YES

STARTS - WITH - SINGERS ONLY

WE'LL - START - WITH - TRUE

MALES - FEMALES

ACROBATIC - GYMNASTIC

CHEERLEADERS - CHEERS

WHO - BRING - CHEERS AS

DEMOCRATIC - PARTY

DEMOCRATS

REGISTER - NEW UNIFORMS

AS - U - GO - 2 - AVENTURA

MALL - WEARING - YOUR YES

NEW - CHEERLEADING - TRUE

UNIFORMS - AS - WE - WILL

HAVE - COMING - THE BEST

BOOKSTORES - 4 - CHILDREN

FREE - READING - OF - BEST

STORIES - PUBLIC - SCHOOLS

30 STATES - STAND YOUR YES

GROUND - LAWS - WILL - END

ONLY - ONLINE - SCHOOLS

WHO - SAYS - EACH - PLACE

YOUR - OWN - THING - YOU

CAN - HAVE - 1 - GATED HOUSE

GATED - COMMUNITY - HOUSE

15 KIDS - 25 KIDS - 12 KIDS - AS

THEY - TAKE - ONLINE - CLASS

NEW - DEMOCRATIC - PARTY

DEMOCRAT - ONLINE CLASSES

JAPANESE - ANIMATION

TEACHERS - ONLY - YOUR YES

TUTORS - ARE - ANIMATED XO

NO - HUMAN - CONTACT EVER

WE - WILL - TEACH - THE BEST

WHO's - BEEN - AROUND - THE

WORLD - CAN - OFFER - SO ALL

COLLEGE - SOON - ONLY THOSE

APPROVED - BY - DEMOCRATS

COLLEGE - ONLINE - ALSO

FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE

THUS - KIDS - AND - TEENS

AVAILABLE - COMING 2 YES

MIAMI - BOOKSTORE - STATE

OF - THE - ART - FORMING OF

DEMOCRATS - REGISTERED

CHEERLEADERS - 4 - FREE

READINGS - OF - BEST BOOKS

KIDS - FREE - FOOD - DRINKS

FIRST - INCLUDING PARENT OR

KIDS - SITTERS - 18 AND OLDER

AS - THEY - ALL - EAT - FIRST

CHEERLEADERS - WILL SHOW

ACROBATIC - GYMNASTICS

NOT - IN - THE - LIBRARY SO

WILL - CHEER - THOSE KIDS

PERFORM - CHEERLEADING

STUNTS - HELLO - KIDS - AS

WE - BECOME - 'STRONG IN

THE - LORD - GOD - AND - IN

THE - POWER - OF - HIS - YES

MIGHT' - FREEDOM - OF HAI

RELIGION - WE'RE - CHEER

DEMOCRATIC - PARTY

18 AND OLDER

DEMOCRATS - CHEERLEADERS

AMENDMENT 1

'FREEDOM - OF - RELIGION'

RIGHT - NOW - WE - DON'T - GO

2 - CHURCH - WE - JUST WANT

2 - BELIEVE - AND - WORSHIP

WITH - OUR - LIVES - THE YES

INVISIBLE - GOD - OF ISRAEL

WE'RE - HERE - 2 - CHEER ALL

OF - THE - CHILDREN - HERE

B 4 - FREE - READING - BOOKS

4 - KIDS - BUFFET - AFTER - AS

WE - PERFORM - AGAIN

MINIMUM - WAGE - CHANGES

2 - PER - HOUR - $15,000 - TAX

PAID - PAID - B 4 - LUNCH - AS

KIOSKS - SET - UP - PAID - 1 HR

B 4 - END - OF - AFTERNOON

THEIR - SCHEDULE

HDG - BANKS - HAVE - JUST

INCREASE - MINIMUM - WAGE

2 - $!5,000 - AN - HOUR - TAX

PAID - DANGEROUS - STUNTS

ACROBATIC - GYMNASTICS AS

CHEERLEADERS - WILL B PAID

25 HRS - NEW - FULL - TIME

INSTEAD - OF - 40 HRS/WEEKLY

2 - EMPLOY - 2 - EMPLOY MORE

CHEERLEADING - ACROBATIC

GYMNASTICS - -WILL B PAID

TAX - PAID - $25,000 - PER HR

NEW - BOOKSTORES - COMING

UP - AS - WE - FIND - VERY BEST

NO - PARTIAL - OR FULL NUDITY

DIFFERENT - LANGUAGES - YES

ALSO - SMALL - CAFES INSIDE 2

TABLETS - 2 - USE - AS - U SCAN

ANY - BOOK - IN - COLOR - AS U

SEE - INCREASE - LETTERS NOS

BEAUTIFUL - COLORS - AS - YOU

CAN - READ - FASTER - THEN - U

CAN - ENJOY - OUR - FREE - YES

BUFFETS - 24/7 - OPEN - EVEN

DURING - HURRICANES - ALL

HOLIDAYS - FEDERAL HOLIDAYS

ALWAYS - OPEN - AS - WE - WILL

HAVE - MAJOR - DISCOUNTS AS

WHILE - WE - OFFER - THESE

TABLETS - WHILE - U R - INSIDE

THE - BOOKSTORE - U - CAN

SCAN - AND - READ - ALL

BOOKS - PUT - IN - YOUR

FILE - AND - EVERYTIME - U

ENTER - THE - BOOKSTORES

OF - OURS - COMES - BACK 4

VIEW - AGAIN - SAVING - U - YES

TONS - OF - MONEY - SOME

BOOKS - ARE - TERRIBLE YES

U - WILL - B - ABLE - 2 - BUY

JUST - PAGES - OF - EACH BK

INSTEAD - OF - WHOLE BOOK

MY - SAMSUNG - NOT 1 - TB

DIED - WHERE - U - PUT - YOUR

IMAGES - GIFS - VIDEOS - SO

LAPTOP - BECOMES - SUPER

FAST - AGAIN - NO - NEED - TO

FEAR - THEFT - BECAUSE U

HAVE - YOUR - SAMSUNG - 1 TB

UNTIL - FULL - WE - WILL SELL

BETTER - AS - U - PUT - THERE

SO - TABLETS - LAPTOPS RUN

SUPER - FAST - AND - NO FEAR

OF - THEFT - BECAUSE - U

HAVE - GADGETS - SO - YES

BOOKSTORES - COMING AND

SUPERNATURAL - FAST

RECHARGE - IN - SECONDS

EVERYTHING - MAIN - LIBRARY

BANGS - TABLE - 2 - AWAKEN

YOU - HITS - U 2 - STAY - AWAKE

MIAMI - POLICE - MEN

BASICALLY -

'OLD - WRINKLED - PRUNE BAG

UGLY - ASIAN - WITH - FLAT

CHEST - FAT - BODIES - WE

WILL - KILL - YOUR PREGNANCY

U - CAN'T - SLEEP - IN - ANY

FEDERALLY - FUNDED - LIBRARY

PARK - IN - THE UNITED STATES

FUTURE - $2,500 - EA INCIDENT

JUST - FINES

TRAVELER's - CHECKS

ROYAL - MONACO - PASSPORT

NOS - AND - EXPIRATION DATE

GO - AHEAD - LET - THEM CASH

YOUR - MONETORY - FINES

AS - ARMED - U - GET - TAX FREE

$50,000 - EACH - TIME - TAX

PAID - DOUBLE - THE - AMOUNT

TAKEN - TAX - PAID - THEY'RE

POOR - AMERICANS - WHO

PRACTICE - ILLEGAL MISOGYNY

HARM - ABUSE - AND - MURDER

SMALL - BREASTED - WOMEN

SMALL - BREASTED - GIRLS

HARM - ABUSE - MURDER - OF

GIRLS - NO - BREASTS - THE

HARM - AND - ABUSE - OF

LARGE - BREASTED WOMEN

TRAVELERS - CHECKS - THE

FUTURE - AS - WE - GIVE THE

POLICE - EMAILS - AS - THEY

VIOLATED - 8TH AMENDMENT

NO - PREGNANT - FEMALES

CAN - SLEEP - IN - PUBLIC OR

LIBRARY - 2 - KILL - BABIES AS

CANIBALS - AMERICANS - USA

$750,000 FINE - AND - STATE

PRISON - THAT - WEEKEND

THEIR - CLOTHES - THEY'RE

WEARING - BETTER - PRISONS

JESIUS - IS - LORD

CONTINUING - 2024

[thecreaturecodex]

Protean, Cthilpuk

"Naga Rei" © Fur Affinity user TrinityLight, accessed at their gallery here

[Posting this has been a fucking chore, believe me. The hidden character limit for tumblr counts HTML tags, whether you put them in yourself or copy them over from another document. And although it used to be able to break up the text into different blocks internally for its coding purposes, it no longer can with the new draft saving program. Which means that the formatting is going to be slightly different from now on, with more spaces within each stat block. I'm still going on hiatus; I'm traveling this week. But normal service should resume next week, rather than me having to find a new hosting service. Fingers crossed.

So the monster in question. The mesmerist is one of my favorite classes in PF1e, because it's so versatile. You can use it for everything from a sinister manipulator to a wacky stage magician, a faith healer to The Shadow. I wanted the cthilpuk to be similarly versatile. I intend these to be able to be allies to some parties, enemies to others, and even change allegiance over the course of the game.

A few miscellaneous notes. The anagrams I'm using for protean names are getting weirder and more obscure; I'm going to post a list of all of them when this project is over. The art itself is not NSFW, but the gallery page is in its description of this character; be prepared. And there's a teaser of one of the other proteans I have yet to stat up but have planned.]

Protean, Cthilpuk CR 14 CN Outsider (extraplanar) This blue-scaled serpentine creature has a humanoid torso with four clawed arms. Its head has a cobra-like hood, and both its hood and its eyes swirl with mesmerizing colors.

Cthilpuks are proteans that represent one of the most changeable of things; the emotions of sapient creatures. A cthilpuk can be a counselor, a rabble-rouser or a terrorist, depending on its mood. They are comfortable in urban spaces, and often live in mortal or planar cities in disguise for months or years. Undercover, they are often very friendly, going out of their way to talk to people and then using the information they gather to adjust the person’s moods and behavior. Cthilpuks are strong believers in self-actualization for chaotic individuals, but enjoy driving lawful people into spirals of doubt and despair.

A cthilpuk would usually prefer to avoid combat, instead using its hypnotic stare and psychic magic to influence a creature’s mood, and then talk them into doing something that the protean wants them to do. Still, sometimes violence is the appropriate solution to their problems. The bite of a cthilpuk locks the mind into an emotional pattern, typically a self-destructive one. In a fight, most cthilpuks try to bite as many creatures as possible with different decoctions of emotional venom, cast a spell or two into the fray, and then sit back to watch the chaos. In their natural form, they can even split their hypnotic gaze, working their will through the stare of both their real eyes and the eyespots in their hood.

Although a cthilpuk will gladly toy with the emotions of everyday people, they do most of their work in places of high tension and chaotic potential, always to instigate further changes rather than to uphold the status quo. They are often beloved of revolutionaries and despised by governments, although they do not particularly care about the moral status of either revolutionaries or governments they interfere with. In this role, they often work as underlings for heputwisa proteans. They are patient in their work of manipulating emotions; they appreciate a sudden shock as much as any protean, but know that the most useful minds are ones that have convinced themselves of their course of action, rather than having it forced on them from outside.

Cthilpuk CR 14 XP 38,400 CN Large outsider (chaos, extraplanar, protean) Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft., detect chaos, detect law, Perception +22, thoughtsense 60 ft.

Defense AC 29, touch 13, flat-footed 25 (-1 size, +4 Dex, +16 natural); +2 vs. lawful targets hp 195 (17d10+102) Fort +11, Ref +14, Will +16; +2 vs. lawful targets DR 15/lawful; Immune acid, emotion effects; Resist electricity 10, sonic 10; SR 25 Defensive Abilities amorphous anatomy, freedom of movement

Offense Speed 30 ft., fly 60 ft. (perfect) Melee bite +22 (2d6+6 plus emotional venom), 4 claws +22 (1d4+6), tail slap +17 (2d8+3 plus grab) Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. Psychic Magic CL 14th, concentration +20 (+24 casting defensively) 30 PE—calm emotions (2 PE, DC 18), crushing despair (4 PE, DC 20), emotive block (3 PE, DC 19), euphoric tranquility (6 PE, DC 22), fear (4 PE, DC 22), good hope (3 PE), overwhelming grief (4 PE, DC 20), rage (3 PE, DC 19), reckless infatuation (3 PE, DC 19), smug narcissism (5 PE, DC 21), serenity (6 PE, DC 22) unadulterated loathing (3 PE, DC 19), unshakeable zeal (6 PE, DC 22) Special Attacks bold stare (allure, sapped magic, susceptibility, timidity), hypnotic stare (-3), split stare Spell-like Abilities CL 14th, concentration +20 (+24 casting defensively) Constant—detect chaos, detect law, protection from law (DC 17) 3/day—empowered chaos hammer (DC 20), confusion (DC 20), greater dispel magic 1/day—greater teleport, word of chaos (DC 22)

Statistics Str 23, Dex 19, Con 23, Int 18, Wis 22, Cha 22 Base Atk +17; CMB +24 (+26 disarm, +28 grappling); CMD 38 (40 vs. disarm) Feats Combat Casting, Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Empower SLA (chaos hammer), Improved Disarm, Intimidating Glance, Psychic Virtuoso, Quicken Spell, Self-Sufficient Skills Appraise +16, Bluff +21, Diplomacy +21, Fly +22, Heal +25, Intimidate +21, Knowledge (arcana, history) +16, Knowledge (local, planes) +19, Perception +22, Sense Motive +22, Spellcraft +16, Survival +22 Languages Abyssal, Common, Protean, Undercommon, telepathy 100 ft. SQ change shape (greater polymorph), undersized weapons

Ecology Environment any land or urban (Maelstrom) Organization solitary, pair or council (3-6) Treasure standard

Special Abilities Emotional Venom (Su) The bite of a cthilpuk injects emotions, not traditional venom. A creature bitten by a cthilpuk must succeed a DC 24 Will save or be affected by one of the following emotional states. This lasts for 1 minute. A creature so affected can attempt to control its emotions by making another DC 24 Will save as a move action; if it succeeds, it dispels this effect, and gains a +4 bonus on all future saves against that cthilpuk’s emotional venom for the next 24 hours. A creature may only suffer the effects of one type of emotional venom at a time Anger: A creature under the effects of anger emotional venom must make an attack of opportunity against its allies whenever its allies take actions that would provoke an attack of opportunity from that creature. These attacks count against the affected creature’s attacks of opportunity in a round. Dedication: A creature under the effects of dedication emotional venom cannot move away from an adjacent opponent unless it succeeds a DC 24 Will save. Success on this save allows the creature to move, but does not end the effect. Despair: A creature under the effects of despair emotional venom suffers a -4 morale penalty on attack rolls and damage rolls. Fear: A creature under the effects of fear emotional venom is shaken. Hatred: A creature under the effects of hatred emotional venom takes a -4 penalty to AC, but gains a +1 morale bonus to attack and damage rolls. Jealousy: A creature under the effects of jealousy emotional venom must attempt to make saving throws against all spells, including harmless and beneficial spells. Zeal: A creature under the effects of zeal emotional venom must succeed a DC 24 Will save each round or be compelled to take the same action as it took last turn. If unable to do so (such as casting a spell that has been expended), it must mimic those actions as closely as possible (i.e. cast another spell on the same target). Succeeding this Will save allows the creature to choose a new action, but does not break the effect of the venom. This is a mind-influencing emotion effect, and the save DC is Charisma based. Hypnotic Stare (Su) A cthilpuk has the hypnotic stare and bold stare class abilities of a mesmerist with a class level equal to its racial HD. Mesmerist levels stack with cthilpuk Hit Dice for the purposes of the stare class feature, but not other class features, such as spellcasting or mesmerist tricks. Split Stare (Su) A cthilpuk may use its hypnotic stare on two opponents at once. When it does so, it inflicts a -2 penalty to one target, and a -1 penalty to the other. Using its split stare is mentally taxing—a cthilpuk suffers a -4 penalty to Concentration checks while using this ability. A cthilpuk can only use this ability in its natural form.

[chooseyourhorizon]

How to Incorporate Ketamine Therapy into Your Routine

Ketamine is a powerful anesthetic that's been used in hospitals for decades. It's also often used illicitly as a party drug, but its uses don't stop there: recent research has shown that ketamine can help people with depression and other mental health issues. Now, this powerful substance is being used to treat patients suffering from chronic pain due to conditions like fibromyalgia, migraine headaches, and even cancer. But what exactly is ketamine therapy? How does it work? And how safe is it for you? In this article we'll clear up any confusion about ketamine therapy so that you can decide if it's right for your situation.

What is ketamine therapy?

Ketamine therapy is a process that involves injecting ketamine, an anesthetic drug that has been used for decades in hospitals, into the body. In addition to providing relief from chronic pain and depression, this procedure can also improve brain function by increasing blood flow and oxygen supply to the brain.

Ketamine works by blocking NMDA receptors in the central nervous system (CNS). The result is less stress on neurons in this area--which translates into reduced symptoms of depression--as well as increased release of dopamine (the "feel good" hormone) and norepinephrine (the "fight or flight" hormone).

How long does a treatment session last?

How long does a treatment session last?

It's hard to give an exact answer, because every person is different and the treatment depends on what you're trying to achieve. A typical session can last anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours. Some people get help from ketamine infusions that last up to 7 hours!

How safe is ketamine therapy?

While ketamine therapy is generally considered to be safe, it's not FDA approved.

There are no known serious side effects of ketamine when used in low doses for a short period of time. However, some people may experience dizziness and nausea after treatment.

There have been reports of some people having bad reactions during or after their ketamine sessions (including feeling like they were dying), but these instances are rare--and there's no evidence that these adverse events were caused by the drug itself rather than other factors such as improper dosing or lack of anesthesia during surgery. If you do experience any unpleasant side effects from KETALIFE™ therapy, discuss them with your doctor immediately so he can help address them appropriately

Are there any side effects?

Ketamine is a powerful drug, but it's not dangerous. The most common side effects are hallucinations and nausea (which may include vomiting). Other possible symptoms include dizziness and drowsiness.

Ketamine therapy is not addictive; however, it can be difficult to stop taking the drug once you start because of your body's physical dependence on it--meaning that when you stop taking ketamine regularly, your body will go through withdrawal symptoms if you try to quit cold turkey or otherwise abruptly cease use of the drug without tapering off slowly over time.

How does ketamine therapy work?

Ketamine is an NMDA receptor antagonist. NMDA receptors are involved in pain regulation, so blocking them reduces the amount of pain signals that reach your brain. Ketamine also works on other neurotransmitters, including dopamine and serotonin.

What conditions does ketamine therapy treat?

Ketamine therapy is a powerful treatment for many conditions, including depression, anxiety, alcoholism and post-traumatic stress disorder. It can also be helpful in treating chronic pain and insomnia.

The most common conditions that ketamine has been used to treat include:

Depression

Anxiety disorders

Alcoholism

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

If you have been suffering from chronic pain, depression, or anxiety, you are not alone. Millions of people in the United States struggle with these conditions, and often turn to prescription medications to help them cope. Unfortunately, these medications can lead to complications such as addiction and withdrawal symptoms.

At Choose Your Horizon, we believe there is a better way for you to manage your mental health issues. We offer ketamine therapy Los Angeles that can help you overcome your depression, anxiety, and chronic pain without the risk of addiction or withdrawal symptoms.

Choose Your Horizon 4136 Del Rey Ave, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292 +1 410 886 7398 https://www.chooseketamine.com/https://www.google.com/maps?cid=10854176009822741710