#embarrassment is the cost of entry

[alwaysbewoke]

[anantaru]

⊹ ‧₊˚ ᰔ ACE OF SPADES

part two. | rich boy aven masterlist.

synopsis. ⊹ ‧₊˚ ᰔ your first date with rich boy aventurine is more fun than you initially expected, who knows where things will go from there // ꒰ᐢ⸝⸝⸝⸝ᐢ꒱ ♡

cw. fluff, slightly suggestive, rich boy au, reader wears a dress, flirty aventurine, a/n. this will have a part two if you can't tell, fem! reader ♡

you turn your face to the left and let your visual perception take in the luxurious casino you've been invited in— undeniably, your first reaction was dedicated to the chimes of whistles of various slot machines announcing wins and losses, in combined action with racketing noises of their shafts being pulled.

your jaw parts and your eyes grow, it felt surreal to stand here with an expensive dress hugging your body tight, a small gift from your date, nothing more, nothing less. rich boy aventurine slowly slides his palm over the back of your hand to lure your thoughts back to himself as he intertwines his fingers with your own.

you stiffen, it didn't take a genius to notice that you were slightly nervous about your first date with the infamous gambler. if only he would've picked a better place to get to know each other— alas, in a way it was exactly what you've expected.

well yes, aventurine choose the probably, most unromantic spot for a first date— but, you got a dress as a gift, together with an embellished necklace and a free entry to a luxurious, private casino.

so, did you really mind? hmm, not really. in fact, it was quite unique and exciting to be here, you also felt safe by his side, and especially intrigued to get to know more about his, quote on quote, playground.

men, or how people called them here; high rollers in pretentious suits, glide like sharks over the soft tumble of the dice. it's all very crowded and distracting, needless to say it was interesting to witness, but you notice how your heart was thumping faster, that's when you began to feel yourself getting difficulties to breathe evenly.

snugly pressed against aventurine, you walk past the shrill murmur of crowds and bells of roulette wheels as the gambler spins you towards his chest, his hand carrying on to hold yours gently, "are you okay? you look a little nervous," he says nonchalantly, although his handsome voice told you a different story, an affectionate perception, "our table is right there, we can take a seat and talk if you want. "

your gaze slowly shifts to where aventurine was pointing his head towards as you look at a large table right next to the exclusive sight of exquisite gold and silver fountains and statuaries. this must've cost a fortune, you were certain that this area alone was the most breathtaking one.

you awkwardly glare up at him, your breathing picking up on tempo, "of course, but..." your last note was drawn out as aventurine cocks a curious brow at you, "would it be okay to excuse myself for a bit?"

you continue shortly, fists balled, "it's a little stuffy here, you see, i'd love to take some fresh air without bothering you about it,"

in all honesty, the air was, well, utterly despicable. the lofty mixture of overpriced cologne and sweat penetrated your nostrils to the point where it began to ache and scratch your brain.

despite the fact that everything was overwhelming in its entirety.

being embarrassed by your human reactions might be an imprecise wording and false emotion to feel, you shouldn't feel bad about this. although you felt awkward and uneasy to ask aventurine if you could take a swift breather outside.

what if he found you to be boring now? or even worse, ungrateful when it was him who made it possible for you to see something like this in the first place.

a high class casino that could never be visited by the ordinary.

he looks at you through his glasses and you could swear his eyes had a mellow glow, a tender glimmer of serenity as his lips carve into a handsome smile, "oh of course, lets go right away so you won't get nauseous," he utters out, his stomach sitting heavy with lead and eagerness to look out for you.

you freeze for a second, "uh, wait, i really don't want to ruin this night for you," and sigh, letting your gaze wander around everywhere but his direction before tapping out a nervous rhythm against the soft marble on the floor.

all aventurine does was laugh airily, "you're adorable,"

"you're not ruining anything, in fact, you really couldn't, even if you tried,"

ugh, everything about you is just so pretty, you're sweet and angelic and he's glad he's bought this dress for you, it fits you like a second skin— aventurine takes note of your beauty, he stores it into the most important places in his brain so he could dream about you later.

memorize how this dress looks on you. closer and closer.

"but here, take my jacket, okay? it's rather cold," he flips his jacket down his shoulders before draping it over your own before suddenly closing the distance from his lips to your ear— silent, there's a voice next to your skin, it's deep, handsome and smoking hot. barely above an octave as it holds a teasing verge to it, "i wouldn't want you to catch a cold, yeah?"

you hum in agreement as you rest your hands above his clothed chest, butterflies storm through your belly and settle heavily inside as aventurine wraps one arm around your waist, his breath wafting around your lovely lips.

you felt the need to kiss him, and so did he, feel the same towards you. for a moment, you two linger feeling each others warmth a little longer, relishing in your precious attempts to getting to know each other better. it's slightly awkward, you could tell that aventurine noticed how your eyes were fighting the urge to keep admiring him.

yet, he's not complaining— he could never, not when you're so cute, and your touch on him was consistently warm, your trace firm but confident, content and safe.

he hopes you will enjoy yourself tonight, and maybe, only maybe, you will invite him over to your place later.

©2024 anantaru do not repost, copy, translate, modify

[eunxhan]

Ꮺ Anon Requested ⨾ Polyamory/harem relationship with head over heels bottom subs,, one is a cute shy guy who loves m reader so fucking much he doesn't mind getting cucked and stuff as long as it pleases reader,,another one is a hot sexy model who's very proud of his body, always taking care of himself so you'll praise him when you fuck him, taking care of his hair well so you can easily pull them,,, kinky sub who's into wild plays, totally devoted to reader and would do literally anything like damn.. Another cold aloof kind of man,, people are intimidated by him and he's all strong and one man army stuff.. Yet when it comes to reader he's just a mess like damn,, all these pretty, smart, strong subbies also has reader's personal brand on his skin,,, they're so head over heels they do anything for reader's acknowledgement,,,

Ꮺ Eun Replies ⨾ Oh my, It is lovely to see my sweets still active. I have been thinking about this entry the moment I came back in this platform. How I've missed all of you.. I did wrote them separately but I decided to write and post another where they all meet in the future. But anyways, what should we name these three?

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Ꮺ Disclaimer — NSFW.

Reader ⨾ MALE. YOU/YOUR.

Words used ⨾ 1578

Links ⨾ My Navigation

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Let's say, you're an average guy with a typical 9 to 5 job. You couldn't care less about what anyone has to say or do to you, yet three men managed to catch your interest. One of them being Shy!sub. It's not like you guys have been together since childhood; you only met during middle school.

Shy!sub is incredibly shy and easily embarrassed. He tends to blush a lot, especially around you. Even the slightest touch or intimate gesture from you can make him flush red.

Shy!sub is used to your rantings while playing with him, and sometimes, you being a little shit happens to take your anger out on him during your calls. He never says or complains about it; he just listens or sometimes even apologizes to you.

Shy!sub enjoys playing video games with you, even if he's not very good at them and you call him out for jt. He just finds it relaxing and a great way to bond with you. He often cheers you on during your gaming sessions.

Not only does he enjoys gaming, Shy!sub has a secret love for romantic movies. He often watches them when you're not around, dreaming of the day you and him will have your own romantic story.

Shy!sub looks at you as if he's admiring a piece of art, even if you're just there yelling and getting mad about something ridiculous. You can tell that he wants something else. But if you call him out on something, Shy!sub hates confrontations and avoids them at all costs. He would rather keep the peace than engage in an argument, even if it means holding back his true feelings.

Shy!sub is the type of person who's too soft for people like you to handle. He does your chores because he knows you're exhausted from your job or school, and even cooks for you.

Shy!sub enjoys cooking for you, as he sees it as a way to show his love and care for you. He often tries out new recipes, hoping to impress you with his culinary skills. If you point something out or compliment his cooking, be ready to see him almost everyday in your kitchen.

He acts more like a boyfriend than a best friend. One call of his name, and he's dashing towards you like a loyal dog ready to do what you ask. With him basically living with you, Shy!sub can sleep easily. He is afraid of the dark and often sleeps with a nightlight on. He sometimes asks you to sleep with him when he's feeling particularly scared.

Shy!sub never admits this but he secretly loves it when you get angry, as it shows your passionate side. He often provokes you, hoping to see your fiery temper.

When both of you started to have some intimate moments, Shy!sub got even more embarrassed but he never stops trying to tease you with his every move. He basically lives with you now from how much time he spends with you. Everything escalated quickly when you got home and saw him wearing something he normally doesn't wear.

Shy!sub looks so damn adorable in his light bubblegum pink lingerie, but you decided to keep it in your pants and let him explain what he was doing. You could tell he was about to burst out crying when you walked in on him.

—

Shy!sub's eyes widened as he realized you had caught him in his new attire. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his heart raced, fearing the worst. The lingerie, a gift from a secret admirer, was supposed to be a surprise for You. But now, with you standing in the doorway, the moment had been ruined.

You, on the other hand, couldn't help but admire the way the lingerie hugged Shy!sub's curves, accentuating his hourglass figure. The sight of Shy!sub in such a delicate and feminine ensemble stirred something deep within you—a desire he had never felt before. But he knew the time was not right to act on it.

"It's... it's for you," Shy!sub managed to stutter, his voice trembling. "I wanted to surprise you. I thought you'd like it."

"Wow, I've never thought I would see this coming from you. Someone who is known to be easily embarrassed over everything." You could see the vulnerability in Shy!sub's eyes as you reply to him. It was a rare sight, and it tugged at your heartstrings. You knew Shy!sub's affections ran deep, and you couldn't bear to see him so distressed. So, with a smile, you stepped forward and gently placed a hand on Shy!sub's cheek.

"You look amazing," You said, his voice soft and reassuring. "And I appreciate the thought. But remember, you don't need to do anything to impress me. I love you just the way you are."

Shy!sub let out a shaky breath, relief washing over him. He leaned into your touch, grateful for your understanding. The moment, though awkward, had brought them closer. From that day on, You began to see Shy!sub in a whole new light. Your words and gentle touch calmed Shy!sub's nerves. The tension in the room shifted, and a new energy filled the space. Shy!sub's heart fluttered as your hand lingered on his cheek, your thumb gently caressing Shy!sub's soft skin.

Emboldened by your acceptance, Shy!sub leaned in, his lips brushing against yours in a feather-light kiss. It was a tentative move, a test to gauge your reaction. But you responded with a hunger that surprised them both. Your lips met in a passionate kiss, your tongues dancing and exploring each other's mouths. Shy!sub's hands roamed your body, feeling the contours of your muscles through your shirt. Your hands slid down Shy!sub's back, cupping his rear and pulling him closer.

The lingerie, once a source of embarrassment, now became a symbol of their growing desire. The soft fabric rubbed against your body, igniting a fire within you. Shy!sub could feel your arousal pressing against him, and it sent shivers down his spine. His mind were somewhere else as he softly groans in your ears, his mind tells him to beg you to do something more to him.

You both broke the kiss, panting and flushed. Your eyes were dark with desire, and Shy!sub's lips were swollen from your passionate embrace. The room was filled with a palpable tension, a promise of what was to come.

"Darling," Shy!sub whispered, his voice heavy with need. "I want you. I've always wanted you." he whined at the end. You didn't need to be told twice. You scooped Shy!sub into your arms and carried him to the bedroom, which made him more excited.

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Confident!sub, a charming and flirtatious individual, utilizes his natural charisma and wit to captivate those around him. Easily drawing in his audience, he leaves them craving more of his company. His tactics to garner attention, however, are solely to attract the cameras. When it comes to you, his dearest, he's wholly devoted.

His sarcastic nature and high tolerance levels add an alluring challenge to his persona, making him even more magnetic. For you, though, his sarcasm serves as a playful means of aggravation.

Confident!sub is confident in his physicality, maintaining his desirable physique through rigorous workouts. Brands and designers clamor for him to be the face of their new products, well aware of his pickiness when it comes to endorsements.

In his pursuit of physical perfection, Confident!sub adheres to a strict regimen of body care. His routine, from head to toe, takes a full three hours, with shower time not even included. If you need the bathroom while he's in there, you'll have to resort to forceful measures.

During his photoshoots, Confident!sub teases you with his movements and poses. He'll gaze hungrily at you, performing his job with you as his little assistant, always present in the room. If you're absent, his temper flares. So, sad to say that you're always with him in and out.

A possessive streak emerges in Confident!sub when he spots you admiring other models. With him in the room, half-naked and expecting your adoration, he takes offense at your gaze wandering to less attractive individuals. If you curse at him for his tantrums, his anger intensifies, believing you should have been fixated on him.

Confident!sub is unfiltered in his communication, voicing his thoughts at any given moment. Be it day, night, place, or time, he'll share his uncensored musings. With a bored expression, he'll casually mention desires like you satisfying him behind a door post-shoot or gripping his hair. One time while you were having breakfast, he mumbled something about how he dreamed about you pounding him for a photoshoot.

Despite his outward confidence, Confident!sub harbors insecurities deep down. He worries that one day, his looks might fade, and he'll lose the adoration he currently enjoys. So with you having around him, he dares not to let you go. He hates it when you look at other models that he finds intimidating. Whenever you reassure him about his insecurities, expect not getting out of the bedroom for atleast two days.

Confident!sub hates being touched by strangers. He becomes uncomfortable and edgy when people he doesn't know try to touch him. He's only comfortable with you touching him. You should be lucky that someone like him allows you to touch him, his words not mine.

——

After a long and tiring photoshoot, Confident!sub was ready to unwind. With his manager having rented a hotel room for him, he of course invited you to join him, knowing full well what he had in mind. You, aware of Confident!sub's intentions, eagerly accepted the invitation.

In the privacy of the hotel room, Confident!sub wasted no time in expressing his desires. You pinned him against the wall, his hands roaming your body with a hunger that could not be satiated. With you, equally aroused, gripped Confident!sub's hair, pulling him in for a passionate kiss.

Confident!sub's hands slid down to your body, undoing your pants with a swift motion. He wasted no time in freeing his own arousal, rubbing it against yours before he could let you rub against his entrance. With a swift thrust, you entered him, filling him with your length.

The room was filled with the sounds of him screaming your name and the wet sounds. Confident!sub's moans echoed off the walls, a testament to his pleasure. You, gripping onto Confident!sub's hair, praised him for his skill and good looks, encouraging him to continue his plea.

Confident!sub, driven by your words, moving his hips at the same pace as you with a fervor that was almost animalistic. Your hands gripped on his hips, pulling him closer with each thrust. Him, lost in a sea of pleasure, could only hold on for dear life, his moans mingling in the air.

As you both reached your climax, Confident!sub's moans grew louder, your thrusts becoming more erratic. Him, gripping onto you tightly, felt his own release building. With a final thrust, you both reached, your bodies trembling with the force releasing.

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Intimidating!sub, a formidable figure with a history in the military, bears scars on both his face and body. His imposing physique and commanding posture are enough to convey his cold and strict demeanor, deterring others from approaching him. Even children and pets are frightened by his aura.

Despite his chilling exterior, Intimidating!sub has a soft spot for his beloved. At the mere sound of his name, spoken by you, his defenses crumble. He prefers to reserve his genuine smiles for private moments, sharing them only with you.

In terms of protection, Intimidating!sub is unparalleled. His presence alone is enough to deter potential aggressors, as if he were a guard dog watching over you. His menacing appearance suggests he'd defend you with ferocity, ready to "bite" anyone who dares to bother you.

In private, Intimidating!sub reveals a sensitive side. He cries during movies or deep conversations, seeking your comfort. With his head resting on your chest, he finds solace as he weeps, trying to express his feelings or explain the emotions triggered by a film. He's known to shed tears privately if his actions upset a child or pet.

Intimidating!sub is an intellectual powerhouse, capable of answering nearly any query and solving complex mathematical problems in a matter of seconds. He's like a human calculator, with an uncanny ability to memorize information. This makes outings with him effortless, as you need not consult your phone for calculations or searches.

Eager for your affection, Intimidating!sub leans on your shoulder, a subtle request for attention. He demands your love, regardless of your current engagements. If he's bold enough, he'll wake you to share a tender gaze.

Embarrassed by his nocturnal desires, Intimidating!sub awakens from wet dreams, seeking solace in the bathroom. If he gathers the courage, he'll attempt to rouse you, his eyes pleading softly.

——

After Intimidating!sub woke you from your slumber, you noticed the flush on his face, a testament to his embarrassment. A soft whimper escaped his lips, "Please help me with this..." Your eyes followed his gaze downward, where you found his hardened length, throbbing and grinding against the material of his pants.

The sight was too enticing to ignore, and as he offered you a small, tender peck on the cheek, you decided to give in to his desires. You guided his hand to release his length from its prison, letting it spring free. The tip glistened with pre-cum, a clear indication of his arousal.

Intimidating!sub's eyes locked onto yours, pleading for your touch. You obliged, wrapping your hand around his shaft and beginning to stroke him gently. His breathing hitched, his face contorting in pleasure. You teased him, speeding up and slowing down your strokes, drawing out his pleasure.

As you continued, Intimidating!sub's body grew more tense, his hips bucking involuntarily. You could sense his impending release, and you leaned in, taking his length into your mouth. The sensation of your warm, wet mouth enveloping him sent him over the edge.

Intimidating!sub cried out your name, his body trembling as he came. You swallowed his release, showing no signs of discomfort. When you pulled away, he collapsed onto the bed, his body slick with sweat.

You climbed on top of him, straddling his hips, and lowered yourself onto his still-hard shaft. He gasped, his hands gripping your hips as you began to ride him. The intimacy of this moment, with the dominant figure now reduced to the bottom, was intoxicating.

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@𝑬𝑼𝑵𝑿𝑯𝑨𝑵. Do not repost, plagiarize, translate, or adapt my work/theme without prior permission and/or confirmation.

[cutexlr]

Privacy

Summary: Your highly powerful father hired Six to guard you at your home while he was out of the country. Six doesn’t speak much but that doesn’t mean he’ll give you privacy. All you want is to release some pint up energy due to being locked up in your residence.

Warnings: afab reader, masturbation, vibrator, getting caught, age gap, cursing, pervert!six, oral (fem receiving), jerking off, praise, talking you through it

Six has lived with me for some time. He was hired by my father to protect me at all costs while he was out of the country. By what I’ve been told, he’s the best in his agency and he will do anything to protect the thing he’s guarding.

The only downside to this is that I cant leave the house. At first, it was no big deal and it was even relaxing in a way. But after a few weeks I was starting to get restless. I needed to do something, anything that involved social interaction. Six wasn’t much help with that whatsoever.

I’ve convinced Six to join me in everyday tasks, like eating breakfast or even watching a movie. He’ll speak only few words if necessary. Which doesn’t stop me from rambling, venting out all my problems while he’ll sit and listen.

On this particular day, the house was quiet. It was one of those days where me and him kept our distance. I stayed curled up in my bed, the boredom becoming stronger. I could sense he was near, doing some rounds around the house and guarding every possible entry way.

The boredom let my mind wonder, I started to think more about Six. The lingering moments we would have at night, him eyeing me as I got a midnight snack in my skimpy pajamas. Or brushing against him as I walked past to return to bed. I desperately wanted to know what he was thinking. His facial expressions gave away nothing and I was at a complete loss.

I couldn’t help but squeeze my thighs together, thinking about what it would be like for his big hands to touch me all over. I thought about the vibrator I purchased before this whole ordeal. I felt embarrassed, to get myself off while he was just outside my room, protecting me.

I crawled out of bed and went to my dresser, opening the top drawer and digging for the hidden toy. Eager, I jumped right back into bed, not even bothering to get under the covers. I set the toy to low, putting it over my silk shorts. I hummed quietly, moving my hips against the vibration of the toy. I turned it up, I wasn’t use to the intensity of the vibration. I got lost in the moment, not thinking about my surroundings.

Not until I heard the floor creak. I jumped at the sound, at the door stood Six.

“Get out!” I squeal, putting the toy behind me.

He tilted his head, amused by my behavior.

“Didn’t you hear me? Leave!” I huff, putting my head in my hands.

He shook his head, “hm hm”, he closed the door.

“What’re you doing?” I asked curiously, watching his figure move over to the bed.

“Give it.” He Held his hand out, indicating he wanted the vibrator.

My face turned pink out of embarrassment, I did what he asked. I could barely look at him.

Six put the toy at his side, guarding it. He put a hand on my knee, “come ‘ere.” His hands grabbed both of my knees, pulling me closer. “Six-“ he interrupted me, “you wanna show me something?”

“Show what?” I pouted, unamused by the mocking.

“Show me how you fuck yourself” he hummed, his voice low and sweet with a hint of condescension. He watched my expression, “don’t get embarrassed now.”

“But I cant.” I shake my head, “not allowed to.”

He turned the toy on, putting it against my clothed clit. I gasped, “don’t-“

“Gotta keep it a secret ok? Just between you and me” his breath hitched, fixated on what he was doing.

I think for a moment, what harm could it be? “Okay…” I nod, “want you to play with me.”

“Fuck-“ he let out a low groan, “wanna see how wet this is making you hun, let’s get these off.” Six pulled my bottoms off, his eyes never leaving my body.

He disregarded the toy for a moment, going down to my pussy. He started sucking on my clit. “Six!” I gasped, he took me by surprise. “Please-“ he grabbed my thighs and put them on his shoulders.

“Tastes so good honey” he sighed, his tongue fucking me desperately.

I whimpered, grabbing at his hair and tugging. Six clearly enjoyed this as he moved his hips against the bed.

“See what you turn me into?” He looked up at me, “so fucking desperate and horny.” Six sat up, grabbing the toy again.

“Why’d you stop?” I whine, wanting his tongue again.

“Because” he took a moment to catch his breath, “I’m gonna fuck you with this” six holds the toy up, “and you’re gonna touch me okay?” His tone was gentle, almost perverted.

I nod, “okay.” His mouth quirked up slightly, a smirk forming, “such a good girl, now lay back for me.”

Six stood up, undoing the belt of his trousers and fly. “I’m gonna stand right here, and I’m gonna fuck your hand m’kay?”

“Yes” I blush, “I’ll do anything”

“Good” he rubbed his cock through his boxers with one hand and switched the toy back on with the other. He put the toy inside me, hitting that spot.

“Shit- it’s too much” I whimper, the toy’s setting on high.

“Shh” he pulled his cock out, “you can take it.”

I arched my back, taking in the sensation. I took him in my hand, jerking him off slowly.

He cursed under his breath. He mumbled, “keep going, you’re fucking me good.”

“Don’t stop! Please- fuck” I moaned, he thrusts the toy in and out, while I go faster with him. He moved his hips, fucking my hand.

“Jesus- keep going any faster and I’ll cum” he groans.

“Uh Huh” i close my eyes, “please let me cum, let me have it”

“Yeah? You want it? Cum for me” he fucked me with the toy harder.

“I’m coming ” I squirm, my orgasm rushing over me, letting myself release.

“Oh fuck” he couldn’t hold back himself, “gonna cum on your fucking face.” I let go, and he started jerking his cock through his orgasm. His cum dripping onto my face. “Look so pretty like that” he sighed, “never gonna give you privacy again doll.”

[keepcalmandcarriefischer]

I feel so stupid for not thinking of this before.

I love my houseplants and I always lament the cost of getting a bigger pot and how this prevents me from repotting some plants that need a bigger house.

I am a huge fan of pre history and I really truly believe that if there is anything actually spiritual in this life it is the connection between different living things in different ways from the material to the emotional and every way in between.

My wife is an art teacher with access to clay, spinning wheeled, and a kiln.

...

Why the hell did I never think to have wife teach me pottery and help me make personal homes for my plants ?

I am embarrassed by this oversight and you can chalk this post up as a drunk journal entry.

If literally anyone reblogs this, I will post an update someday with a pot I have made for one of my plant babies

[contritecactite]

Since @fandomtrumpshate starts up again soon, I thought I would babble a bit about my experience last year! Specifically, let's chat about podficcing. A nice and arbitrary 9 reasons to do the thing below the cut!

Thing 1: It's so much fun! I am bouncing up and down at the prospect of doing it again. In fact, I am planning to offer a slot for any fandom this year rather than just ones I'm familiar with!

Thing 2: Nobody was bothered by how amateurish my readings are, how basic my recordings were, or by the extra whistle and sibilance and mouth sounds that sneaked in. Nobody was annoyed that I don't do accents or intense voicework/character voices. It's something I want to improve in the future, but it's really not necessary—reading a fanwork aloud is first and foremost about making it accessible in a new format. Anything else is just icing!

Thing 3: People who want their works read are going to be communicative! The folks I worked with last year were happy to go back and forth until we decided which works were the best fit for me, and they were happy to answer my questions about how to read/interpret certain lines, etc. It was so much fun to toss around idea with them (even if we didn't end up using them all)!

Thing 4: This is a zero-entry-cost hobby (assuming you already have a device of some sort to read fic in the first place). You don't need fancy equipment and software. You can get the job done with an inbuilt audio recording app on your phone, and if you're in a quiet and non-echoey place, it can sound just as good as something made with a dedicated mic and such. Don't let "but I don't have a recording space" hold you back! Sit in your favorite chair and put your phone by your face while you read me a story. That's really all you gotta do.

Thing 5: In direct contrast... it is a good excuse to dip a toe into gear and software. There are lots of fairly cheap suitable microphones, and Audacity is free. I recorded one short fic via three different methods just to troubleshoot for fun!

Thing 6: You don't have to get it right the first time! (Or second or third or...) I save outtakes (profanity warning!) for the creators whose work I read. Sometimes a cat walked in and told me a mournful tale at top volume. Sometimes the neighbors turned on a leaf blower. You can even get silly with it on purpose if you need to warm yourself up! I do a lot of yelling "this is so silly and I am so embarrassed!" into the mic before I try a serious read.

Thing 7: You get to spend so much time with a work and its characters! You're gonna read that thing so many times to make decisions and to alert yourself to what's coming next. You'll be able to recite it around a campfire and it'll feel cozy and familiar (or, you know, extra painful if it's heavily angsty).

Thing 8: If you play things back and tweak them as often as I did, it goes a long way toward getting past hating the sound of your own voice or feeling disconnected from recordings of yourself. I've always been so so shy and hesitant to speak aloud in real-life conversations. I won't claim that I'm completely over any of those things, but spending time getting familiar with what I sound like in an objective, task-oriented setting has helped me learn to listen for my own vocal cues when I'm feeling too overwhelmed to process other kinds of feedback. I'm much more aware of what my uncertainty sounds like, for example, and am better able to cover for it now.

Thing 9: If you're also a writer as I am, it helps you look at your own writing through a new lens! I have been known to write 50+-word sentences, but now I (sometimes) stop to consider the punctuation breaks. How readable is this paragraph? Where would I take a breath if I were reading? Where would the emphasis naturally end up and how do I change that of it's not what I wanted?

I think people who are Better At Things might not necessarily have all the same experiences I shared here, but personally, I'm grateful for the opportunity, and I look forward to doing it again!

Here are the works I read for FTH last year:

Evil Plans by Sodium_Azide

The Night The World Didn't End by Aethelflaed

and the one that belongs to the earlier outtakes:

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear by my dear friend QuothTheMaiden, who still seems to like me just fine even though there's a terrible whine behind the whole thing (this was the troubleshooting fic btw. Software updated and defaulted to the wrong device, but I picked the better read over the better sound quality in the end).

[baldurs-simp]

Gortash fall in love with the most kind, caring, silly and bold Tav. A Tav he thinks is easy to manipulate, but ultimately, she manipulates him - in a certain way. An artificer Tav to add some more spice (?)

I love Gortash at the moment, so with pleasure!

Masterlist

A loud boom shakes the manor, unsettling the dust in the rafters, telling everyone exactly what happened without the need to investigate. Everyone already knows that their lord, Enter Gortash, will already be on his way to the source of the explosion before the dust even settles again.

You're still fanning the smoke away with your hand, coughing loudly as you try to blink away the tears welling up in your eyes from the smoke. "What in the hells have you done this time?"

You turn your head towards your laboratory door that has blown open from the blast, and you can faintly make out the figure od your lover, Gortash.

"Dabbling in black powder. I may have used a bit much this time," you mention, immediately turning to your notebook on the table to scribble something down, still muttering to yourself. "Perhaps half of the quantity next time. Or a quarter?"

"If you continue like this, you'll bring down the manor before the year is up," Gortash says, tentatively stepping into the room but still carrying himself with immense confidence. "I didn't allow you to stay here just to destroy my home with your...experiments, did I?"

But it's as if you don't hear his words. You're still mumbling to yourself, noting down things on parchment pieces in a chaotic way that Gortash can't understand how you know where anything is.

He calls your name, but you only hum a response, still now paying attention to him. He has to speak your language, so to say, if he wants your attention. "What exactly is it that you are working on?"

The question makes your whip around with a bright smile on your face, glee in your eyes as you beacon him closer. "It's a firearm," you say, turning your gaze to the mangled piece of metalwork on the table. "I've read about them. They're like a ship's cannon, but smaller so you can hold it in your hand. Like a crossbow or shortbow, but less big and without the clanky ammunition that gets stuck on everything. It'll be more convenient and deadly if I get it right. But I'm working on infusing them with some magical elements, too. Like a 'fire' firearm that shoots fire pellets, or an 'ice' firearm-"

"You're rambling, darling," he cuts you off, smirking at your when you bite your lip in embarrassment. "I thought our arrangement was that you work on the weapons we already have, improving my military defense. Not trying to invent some new nonsense."

"But I've done all that and more. It's hard to improve on something that's already great," you say, pouting at him as you fold your arms across your chest. "I'm bored with swords and arrows. Don't you want to be known for something new? Something that no one else has?"

Gortash sighs, dropping his head between his shoulders as he shakes it in defeat. He thought that he had you under his thumb, but every day, he feels that it is the other way around. And yet, he will still give you all that you ask.

You ask him to give you the entrie city for your experiments and he would.

"Very well. But you know I expect nothing but excellence for this," he says, waving his hand at whatever it is that lays on the table in a mangled mess.

You giggle in glee, leaning up to press a kiss to his cheek as a thank you. "I know. And you know that I never let anything leave this room until I am completely satisfied with it."

He hums as you step away from him, picking up the contraption to inspect the damage as you right a chair that has been blown over. "Oh, I need more black powder."

"More? Do you have any idea how tedious it is to find? Not to mention how much it costs."

Your eyes meet his, hoping that he will do what you ask without you having to beg for it. But he doesn't budge.

Sighing, you slowly stand up with your head hanging low and your gaze on the floor. "Fine. I guess I'll just have to find someone else who will want to help me if you do not care about me. Clearly, you do not wish to see me thrive in my craft."

You make as if to start packing up your things, making sure not to make eye contact with Gortash. As you try to walk past him, he wraps an arm around your waist, swiping you closer to pin him to his body.

"You will do no such thing, little Artificer," he growls, staring down into your eyes, making sure that you do not look away. "You will leave of I say leave and if I say you will stay, then you will stay. Do you understand?"

"Oh, big, mean Gortash, giving orders to someone that could blow him up with a simple stumble," you say, smiling up at him as you playfully wrap your arms around his neck. "What exactly would you do to me should I defy your orders?"

"Terrible things."

His quick response tells you that he doesn't have a clue what exactly he would do if you went against his orders. It makes you smile and slowly pull out of his hold around you.

"Then, I should get back to work. And you should leave. I do not wish for you to get hurt in my workshop," you say, giving him a light shove towards your door as an instruction to leave.

"Will you be dining with me tonight?"

"If you leave now, then I shall, my love."

Gortash finds himself beaming at the pet name you have used for him and your acceptance for eating with him tonight again. He smiles to himself, not caring that he might be falling in love with you. For with you by his side, you two could be the most powerful couple in the land.

[iamasimperyk]

Hiiii can you do a valentines day fic with rafe x reader where she mames him a book of how they got together and how she felt using pages of her diary ?

Thank youuuuu

Ispo vid: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGeBcyGCj/

Hii, I am so sorry that I didn’t finish your request yesterday but I had an English exam today and couldn’t write. I still hope you like what I have done with your request, even if it’s the 15th.💕

Be my Valentine

Warnings: Fluff, Not proof-read, English is not my first language

Pairing: Rafe Cameron x reader

It was yours and Rafe's first Valentine's Day together, and you wanted to make him the most special gift he ever got.

For a few days, you worked on a little book. A book that should show Rafe how much you loved him. There were pictures, little notes, tickets from various occasions, and even a few pages of your diary.

Everything was perfect, and you couldn't wait to hand your present to your boyfriend.

————

Finally, it was February 14th. Rafe insisted on taking you out to a fancy restaurant. He even bought you a new dress with matching shoes. Just like all the other times, he spent so much money on you—too much money.

Suddenly, you felt a little embarrassed about the fact that all you had for him was a book.

"Thank you for the evening, Rafe, and all the gifts." You smiled up at him as the two of you entered your room.

"You deserve a lot more, princess." He kissed your lips, placing his hands on your waist before he pulled you towards him.

After a few minutes of making out, you took a step back, earning a frown from Rafe.

"I also have something for you. It didn't cost me a fortune, but I hope you like it." You mumbled shyly, taking the book out of your bedside table.

As you handed him the book, his eyes widened a little. No one ever took the time to make something so personal for him.

"Thank you, princess. Thank you so fucking much." His voice was slightly cracking.

"I love you," You smiled.

"I love you more." He answered, kissing you once again.

After you pulled away, you spoke quickly, "Open the book. I want to see your reaction."

"Always so impatient." He chuckled before he finally opened the book you made him with all the love you could give.

Dear, Diary June 6th

I met a boy today, his name is Rafe. He was quite nice to me, but I know what people on the island say about him. They say he is a psycho, but I don't know if I should believe such rumors. It doesn't matter anyway. I will probably never talk to him again.

Love, Y/n

That was the first entry you ever made about him, and he couldn't help but smile. He thanked the universe every day that he got you in his life.

Then he looked at all the pages that were covered with little notes he gave you, pictures of the two of you, and all sorts of memorabilia.

He smiled to himself and started to read the next diary entries.

Dear Diary, August 20th

I am going on a date with Rafe. I can't believe it. Me, Y/n, going on a date with the famous Rafe Cameron. I am so excited. He said he would take me to the mainland. I have never been there, but I am sure it's awesome.

See you soon, Y/n

Dear Diary, August 23rd

The date was amazing. Rafe took me to an expensive restaurant, even if I told him not to spend so much money on me. I guess Rafe is a little stubborn when it comes to that.

Love, Y/n

Dear diary, September 2nd

Oh my god. I just had my first kiss with Rafe fucking Cameron. I am so happy right now. We were at the beach, watched the sunset, and then it just happened.

Y/n

Dear Diary, October 30th

Rafe and I are officially together now. Yesterday, I met his family. They were really nice to me, I hope they like me. After we went to bed that day, I suddenly heard him whisper, 'I love you'. He still thinks I was asleep, but I heard it. I think I love him too.

Love Y/n

"You heard that?" He chuckled, shaking his head.

You couldn't help but smile, "I could never miss one of your 'I love you's."

[lisbeth-kk]

May Prompts (18) Blanket

The Luckiest Girl in the World (chapter 18)

Summary: Molly gifts Rosie something the teen never thought she'd get her hands on.

Eighteen Years Old

Molly got me concert tickets to Niall Horan on my eighteenth birthday. I was over the moon. Since I was ten, I’d considered myself a Directioner, and the year I turned thirteen, I had my first celebrity crush. Harry Styles, one of the One Direction members, was destined to be my boyfriend someday in the future, no questions asked.

I got over it. Eventually. When Molly accompanied me to one of their last concerts before they split up, it was more important to sing along and enjoy the music than to pine for the darkhaired young Brit.

Niall, who was a previous member of One Direction, had sold out all his concerts in the UK, and I and my two friends, Leyla and Clare, had tried but failed to get tickets. And now, I suddenly had three of them in my hands.

“Molly! I don’t know how to thank you enough,” I exclaimed and hugged her hard and long. “How did you…”

“Shush now. I have my…sources,” Molly said and winked at me. “Give the girls a call and tell them the good news.”

***

Papa tried to insist that one of uncle Myc’s chauffeurs could drive us to the O2, where the concert was to be held, but Dad and I managed to make him see sense.

“I ride the tube almost every day, Papa. The Jubilee Line will take us straight to North Greenwich station, and then we’re practically there. We can’t always make use of uncle’s privileges, you know. It would be embarrassing and attract too much attention as well if three ordinary girls turned up in a…”

“Nothing ordinary about…” Papa interrupted me, while Dad interrupted Papa with a stern voice calling his name, and that was the end of it.

***

Molly had procured us with great Inner Circle tickets and early entry. It must’ve cost her a fortune, and I kept wondering who this source of hers was. (Not that I didn’t have my suspicions.)

With money my grandparents had gifted me, I bought merch. A t-shirt, a few bracelets and a key lanyard.

The concert was brilliant, and luckily, we were already on our way out of the venue when a group of girls started to fight amongst each other over a signed poster of Niall. It got ugly quite quickly. A nail file was put to good use, blood flooded, and hysterical teenagers were running to the tube station.

My phone vibrated in the back pocket of my jeans. A text.

Walk to the parking lot by the Aurora Tower. I will have a car waiting for the three of you. UM.

Clare had started to get a bit freaked out by the crowd pushing on us, and she sighed relieved when I told her and Leyla that we should walk in the opposite direction to be picked up by my uncle, Anthea or just a driver.

“Your uncle is just brilliant, Ro,” Leyla stated. “How did he know? This just happened minutes ago. I’m sure it hasn’t reached the news yet.”

“Not the ordinary news,” I agreed without elaborating further.

When I spotted the car, another text arrived.

Ferguson will be driving you. He already knows Ms. Aldershot and Ms. Carson’s addresses. I hope you had a good time. UM.

Thanks, uncle Myc. You’re a star! Or brilliant as L & C called you. Pick a choice. xx

(Today's prompt is used metaphorically)

@calaisreno @totallysilvergirl @keirgreeneyes @helloliriels @raina-at

More tags in the replies

Also available on AO3

[waltzingwithyourenemyattheball]

PICK A CARD: MESSAGE FROM YOUR FUTURE SELF

Left: Power ; Right: Calm

Disclaimer: 🪈Disclaimer in pinned post applies here. 🪈Take what resonates and leave the rest. 🪈NO ONE, IS ALLOWED TO COPY MY WORK UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. 🪈Thank you for letting me read for you. 🪈Personal readings are paid only.

🥀POWER🥀

You need this message. You have been struck down, struck down hard. You feel like this is the end, you can never get up from this failure, or for some of you series of failure, you took a lot and all came down one by one like dominos. You hate losing and now it feels like you lost. If everything seemed perfect before and now those things that looked like blessings, feel like curses: then this is a double confirmation that this message is for you. You may have been cheated in business or dealings too. But worry not, because justice will be served. You are being told to stand up again, I know you are hesitant and rather not face the world, but you should because after that all the wrongs start becoming right. Getting back up, can feel slow, but this time you are not impulsive, this time you read the fine print, do not sign any papers without reading!! This time you have a method and are meticulous, and the victory will be yours if you are willing to take it. Enough of the embarrassment, it doesn’t suit you. GET BACK UP! “The cost of entry is embarrassment-remember this’  YOU SHOULD READ ‘IF’ BY RUDYARD KIPLING. It is a must for you: especially the lines:  If you can make one heap of all your winnings     And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings     And never breathe a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew     To serve your turn long after they are gone,    And so hold on when there is nothing in you     Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’ Read the entire poem. It is a must for you.  Comment ‘111’ to claim this.  🥀Thank you for letting me read for you🥀 🌙DM to book a personal reading🌙

🌊CALM🌊

Justice seems to be prominent here as well, let’s take a look at your story, shall we? There once was a suitor, who seemed too good to be true, and of course miracle could happen to anyone so why not you? You took their offer, or shall we call it a bait, they broke your heart gradually and then all very suddenly and now it all seems like a mistake.  Now in hindsight, you think you brushed past their mistakes,  being blinded by the red flags, it happened so quickly you didn’t have time to think, but now when you look back it looks like the classic tale of foolery.  So I am here to tell you, that this classic tale has an happy ending, and for that you must move on. You must know that there is help nearby, fill your cup with what you need, show yourself some grace and bid them goodbye. You deserve a good life, so why not leave the past and allow new love to come in, and this is exactly what will happen. YOU WILL GET JUSTICE BY THE NEGATIVITY LEAVING YOUR LIFE allowing space for new love to enter. Your justice is in walking away, and going towards light focusing on yourself,  IT was almost told to me like a fairy tale, this suitor could be romantic or business like, if this hasn’t happened to you, it is telling you to beware of people coming in too fast. Take your time, do not get drowned in emotions so much you can’t see what’s plain to the eye. Take a big picture view, Thing like an outsider to your situation so it can become clearer. Worry not if this has happened, you will heal fast and quick, all you need is the absolute intention of going towards the light, working towards making your dream life come true.  COMMENT ’333’ to claim this.  🥀Thank you for letting me read for you🥀 🌙DM to book a personal reading🌙

-

EL TAROT

[unofficial-book-of-quotes-tm]

Series 7 is done! My final thoughts as always under the keep reading.

Now, I'm going to level with you here. Series 7 has never been a favourite of mine, in fact, I used to dislike it a lot, so I put rewatching it for this blog off for quite some time. I actually can't recall how many times I've watched each series of Taskmaster at this point, but series 7 always kind of annoyed me, therefore I didn't particularly look forward to watching it. Now, let me tell you how surprised I was that I found it a lot of fun on this rewatch. I mean, it's still not in my top five, but I had a lot more fun with it than I expected to have and I'm not entirely sure why. For me, Rhod Gilbert and Kerry Godliman carried the show, and they were the contestants I enjoyed most when watching series 7.

I think Kerry is probably the perfect Taskmaster contestant. She's incredibly competitive and wants to win at all cost, but she also accepts Greg's ruling (with a little push back sometimes), doesn't throw a fucking tantrum whenever she feels treated unfairly, and doesn't overstep the line into annoying the shit out of me. And I have to agree with Greg here, her approach was rather simple most of the time (get the task, do the task, bosh) but I think that has a lot of charm, especially when contrasted with some of the overthinkers. Series 7 is one of those series where I don't care at all about Greg's scoring thus I don't mind Kerry winning the series by one point or what it was.

Now, Rhod. I honestly think he took the gig mainly to embarrass / annoy Greg, though his mission then seemed to change to either getting Alex to strip at every opportunity or to tying him up. There is something to be said about these two things and I don't know if it was a conscious decision of Rhod’s, but I’m absolutely here for it and refuse to analyse it closer.

Jessica Knappett is a bit of a wild card for me ‘cos there are moments when she's utterly hilarious and she made me laugh out loud a couple of times, but that was usually accidental on her part, though there are also a fair few moments when I despaired watching her. Overall, I did enjoy her.

I think similarly about Phil Wang, though I do have to say, what the fuck had he been thinking when picking his outfit?! I won’t complain about Phil repeating his haggling joke, just as I won't complain about Rhod basically recycling his prize task entry over and over again. I thought it was funny.

Now, on to my probably most controversial take yet; I don't like James Acaster. Before I get stoned to death, I'd like to say that I don't know a lot of the guy. I've seen him like once on The Big Fat Quiz Of The Year, but I haven't watched his stand-up or listened to his podcast(s), etc, though to be fair I don't do that in general for any competitor. I just found him too… bratty (if that's the word) or too confrontational. Yes, him butting heads with Rhod is entertaining, but I think he lacked what I really appreciate about older comedians; The understanding of when to move on / let others have the joke. I know there are several ways of watching Taskmaster and everyone finds other contestants funnier or other bits of the show more important and that's all totally valid. I'm just some bloke on the internet, don’t let me tell you how you should watch / enjoy something, but personally, I find contestants who constantly seek Greg's approval and praise a bit irritating. I'm certain James is a lovely guy, but his comedy persona unfortunately doesn't work for me.

However, James’ persona allowed for really entertaining clashes with Rhod, which made the boys team a bit more fun to watch than the girls team, simply because they had conflict. But it was also nice to have a team be wholesome and just get shit done.

The prerecorded tasks in series 7 were amazing, but I do think they could've done better on the studio tasks. Some could've done with a little polish. But there were so many tasks, which I think I really would've enjoyed having a go at, chief amongst them the video game task and those where they had to figure something out guided by clues.

I don’t have to say much about Greg and Alex, only that after series 6, their interactions seemed to have cooled down in this series, but fortunately Rhod delivered. Watching Rhod watch Greg and Alex interact is fucking hilarious. That man looks like he knows something we don’t (I have no evidence to support any such claim). So, yeah, overall I enjoyed series 7 more than I expected I would, but it will never be a favourite of mine. Can’t wait to get to series 8 as I barely remember anything at all about this one. Thanks for sticking around! See you in series 8!

[tricitymonsters]

A long rambling post about US Healthcare

Alright so waiting didn't really help me parse out what I want to say but a big pillar of our online community passed away suddenly because of what amounts- frankly- to the gross negligence and cruelty of the US healthcare system.

For those of you who don't know Furaffinity is essentially THE cornerstone of the centralized furry and monsterlover community and the site was, for a long time, run by a guy named Dragoneer LARGELY by himself. This website hosted community ads, moderated its own content, and maintained a welcoming and corporation-free space for artists and other creatives to do their thing. My involvement in furaffinity has been pretty low key but I firmly believe that monsterfuckers and furries are only spitting distance apart at best so I feel a strong camaraderie and sense of kinship with them. As for how Dragoneer ran Furaffinity, what I can tell you personally is that FA was one of only TWO websites that will allow me to advertise TCM and when I emailed to get ads set up and configured, Dragoneer answered those emails personally.

Dragoneer had chronic issues that were difficult to diagnose for a while and reading his twitter/journal posts paints a really depressing, heartbreaking story of frustration, misdirection, and the banality of pure evil. Dragoneer was denied care he deserved because of the bureaucratic void that is our healthcare system here in America. He was charged tens of thousands of dollars for inconclusive tests, ordered to wait at home with minimal or no treatment, and this culminated in his rapid decline and sudden death last night.

Our healthcare system is traumatic and one incident, one accident, one sickness can financially ruin any of us permanently.

It's awful. One of the reasons this is difficult for me to talk about is because my dad died suddenly and horrifically to Covid in late 2020 because our for-profit hospitals refused to prepare for a pandemic while our executive administration pretended nothing was wrong. My dad died two weeks before vaccines began rolling out and when my mom and I had to make the choice to end his care we were only allowed to see him for 2 minutes at a time, separately. My husband was denied entry altogether because he wasn't "immediate" family.

Personally, I have chronic health issues that regularly get ignored. I have a mandatory medication (of several) that has no generic and costs over 300$ for a 30-day supply and my pharmacy (I'm not allowed to change) sometimes runs out and I gap for weeks at a time, sending my brain function into the toilet.

If you're American please help by keeping healthcare reform a primary voting issue in both Federal and State/Local elections. We need officials who see what this is doing to us, not more 1%ers who will never have to worry about what to do with a $25k hospital bill (one of Dragoneer's latest) or even a $250k one (my dad's bill for daring to die in ICU). I know it's a rough ask but for the financially stable, consider legal recourse for rights violations (some lawyers work pro bono for health stuff, the point is to always explore avenues to push back). We can't go on like this.

If you're not American, please help us by raising awareness in your own areas. Most of us look to more socialized countries like Canada and the EU for examples of how to improve our current system and of course, we know things aren't perfect but it's an embarrassment and a tragedy that Americans can't access the quality of care our system should VERY MUCH be able to provide.

Anyway.

This was really long-winded but it hurts a lot to know that there are so many cases like Dragoneer, like my dad. People with serious or even chronic issues can't get the smallest scrap of compassion in this system that reduces us to inconvenient numbers that our for-profit system can squeeze pocket change out of while murdering us.

I'll post links if a fundraiser goes up for Dragoneer's family to help cover the funds but until then, thanks for reading my long and winding thoughts. It's very hard to tame the emotion with this particular issue.

[stekken]

Almost exactly two years ago, I purchased my first fighting game. I had technically played fighting games before, when visiting friends, but I played them like party games, and they were designed to be played that way. None of us were especially competent with the controls, and the games were built to be flashy and exciting in spite of that. Thanks to Core-A Gaming, a YouTube channel covering fighting games and the culture surrounding them, I was aware that this wasn't really the fighting game experience.

Fighting games are a treasure trove of interesting subjects, and Core-A Gaming is very good at exposing and sharing them. What the videos inspired in me was envy, I think. Lee, the voice behind the Core-A Gaming videos, said that a good match in a fighting game feels like an engaging conversation. My feeling, then, was that of looking in the window of a locked room at a conversation I couldn't be a part of.

I remember dropping 60 dollars on my game of choice, but having looked at the Steam price history, it was apparently only ever 20. This error in my memory is likely because it was a big purchase for me at the time, more than a 60 dollar game would be for me today. I remember thinking "If I'm going to put this much money into this, I better follow through and make good on it."

The game was Granblue Fantasy: Versus. It was new, so I could count on being able to find matches quickly, and it was supposedly beginner-friendly. Not wanting to embarrass myself, I tried to become competent before ever fighting another player. I worked my way up to being able to beat the highest difficulty AI, at least some of the time. The scope of what I wanted to accomplish before entering my first match kept growing. Eventually, I was aiming to beat every character at the highest difficulty with my main, and to beat my main on the highest difficulty with every other character. After less than 30 hours playtime, I dropped the game, never having fought a single real opponent. It wasn't a conscious decision, I just stopped feeling the pull to replay it.

Fighting game culture isn't only unique among gaming cultures, it's isolated. Fear creates a boundary to entry, and attempts to circumvent the boundary circumvent the very appeal of fighting games. The source of fighting game's value to me was the same as the source of the fear: other people.

2 years later, I'm returning to fighting games. I've purchased a budget fighting game controller with directional buttons instead of a joystick, to lower my barrier to entry and avoid wrist pain. Incidentally, it cost what I remember Granblue costing: sixty dollars.

I'm attempting to connect with the community more this time, joining subreddits and Discord servers for my new first game of choice—Guilty Gear: Strive—and for the fighting game community more generally. I'll dabble in a variety of fighting games, including those gimmick games with only one mechanic, like Footsies and Divekick. I'll write down plans and strategies and practice guides and record my thoughts and feelings as I go.

Most importantly, though, I'm going to try and put the fun first. I'll start playing real matches early, record them, and use the replays to guide my practice.

To get used to my new controller, I launched Celeste. I've completed the base game and most of the DLC, and the DLC is where I started this session. In seconds, it became clear this was a bad idea. After a few deaths, I started a new save file instead. My bumbling around the early areas made me think of Razbuten's Gaming for a Non-Gamer series, where Raz's wife is so new to keyboard-and-mouse controls that every movement is a problem to solve. After about an hour, I'm feeling more confident, and continuing would likely just make me better at using my controller for Celeste, not better at using it in general. So, I switch over to Guilty Gear.

After completing a few tutorials, I go straight to an online match. I wonder if there'll be a messaging system, so I can share that this is my first match. There isn't. I pick the character I think is prettiest, which is this one:

I enter the lobby, make a lesbian-ass avatar,

and start a match. My opponent is using the same character the first tutorials did for my AI opponent, this guy:

I don't know my character's moves, and throughout the matches, it never even crosses my mind to use directional inputs like quarter-circles to launch projectiles. I almost never jump, mostly just dashing about, blocking, attacking, and occasionally grabbing. I do much better than I expected, actually, but that's still not very good at all. I was ready to be totally bodied in the first match and decide where to go from there, but that's not what happens. I was totally bodied by any normal standards, but my expectations for my performance were very low. The real goal was to inoculate myself to facing other people. There's some actual back-and-forth, though, and my heart rate goes up. After two games, my opponent declines a rematch, no doubt wanting someone who can actually play. It was fun!

I have high hopes for this. Eventually making friends through fighting games would be an incredible experience. I also want a broader view of video games both as a player and a as nascent game developer, and need to get out of my bubble. If there aren't growing pains, I mustn't be growing.

I plan to keep documenting my experiences with this, for a variety of reasons. I want to stretch my writing muscles and get used to putting myself out there online. I want to hopefully connect with other people who play fighting games, and play with or learn from them. I want to for my own views on fighting games, instead of trusting others to do that work for me. And I want to be able to look back on where I've been. Playing fighting games is supposed to be a journey, after all.

[novakspector]

Cults ask you to pay money to join or buy expensive books and seminars, not just to make money but because they know how susceptible to sunk cost fallacy most people are. Goob and Jaistiel ask them for money so they’re less likely to leave their little groups. It’s too hard for the members of these cults to admit to themselves they were duped by a loser asshole narcissist in the most embarrassing way (a Destiel internet cult?!) so they stick with them and keep paying them.

Looking at it from outside, it’s just insane. What do these people think they are going to get out of this? Goob and Jaistiel are nobodies, they are just fangirls. They cannot make Destiel happen. What these people are paying for is the privilege of belonging to an exclusive group of “friends.” It’s only exclusive because there’s an entry fee. Of course, if you have to pay for friends, those people aren’t your friends. 

Why do these people have to pay to belong to a group of “friends?” The likely reason is they’re just as “toxic” as the “abusers” they’re paying to be “friends” with. A non-toxic person doesn’t gravitate toward someone who behaves the way Jaistiel and Goob do. All these women are stuck emotionally in a junior high school level of development, they want to be bullies and Jaistiel and Goob are offering them the opportunity to do that.

[kinglyraiments]

CONTINUED . . . @oneplea .

❛ mmm . . . ❜ he groans something groggy and half - asleep , dreams of romanticism in the form of intimacy still recurring behind closed eyes . sleepy hands search for his lover as the light of dawn's entry climbs through their cascading curtain , and he wraps his arms lazily around her waist , pulling her ever closer , but she could never be close enough . she beings to lay her lips into his skin , already flushed from the embarrassment of his wandering mind , and he bites gently into his bottom lip , a pitiful sigh escaping him as he stretches his toes through the blankets . he can't open his eyes yet . it's already too much . ❛ aerith . ❜ his voice is scratchy and pleading . she's already teasing him to this extent ; he's coming undone , his undergarments are becoming uncomfortable with the building moisture .

she shifts above him , clearly taking initiative , and he would be begging if it wouldn't cost him his pride . she grinds into his hips and with a desperate need for friction , his pelvis magnetizes to hers , and his arms cling to her back , because again , she can never be close enough . soft desirous breaths slip in rhythm from his lips and he presses them firmly into her shoulders , her collar bone , her neck , and nibbles behind her ear , drawing her nearer , nearer , closer to him . the feeling of them against each other is mesmerizing , and he can't help but to wrap her into him and roll , that he might straddle above her and kiss down her frame ; her breasts , her ribs , her stomach , her thighs . . . there's a fire behind his eyes as he looks into hers . ❛ yours . ❜

and he grabs the barrier that keeps him from her , sparing no time to tease the cloth with his finger , and drags them down her legs , leaving them dangling from her ankles . a soft kiss is placed at the base of his most intimate desires and he laps his tongue against her clit , breathing hotly against her core and meeting her lips to his . he moans quietly against her , as if to elicit further pleasure from the vibrations of his love , and thumbs circles into her hips as he works her . ❛ geez . ❜ he mutters between her legs , ❛ you're pretty . ❜ and the heat and wetness between his own grow unbearable .

to absolute hell with any of today's previous plans .

[stepswowdsen]

【KagePro】 MCA: Episode 10 - Saeru's First Appearance + KuroEne Scenario Ideas (NSFW) 🖤💙🐍🐇

(CW: NSFW mentions under the cut)

My MCA reaction rambles are SFW, but I put NSFW KuroEne scenario ideas under the cut, so heads up for that. It's mainly cuz I wanted the video with his voice here, as context for my ideas.

BITCHES WHEN. SNAKE OF CLEARING EYES. AKLDSKSDKLKLSDKLSD (BITES STICK) /POS

I'M BITCHES

Just copied these from my Notion rambles doc ✌️

Kuroha/Saeru has a hot ass voice tbh but MCA is literally so embarrassing to look at, that I'm just gonna pull up Sidu's arts of him on the side to lessen the tonal whiplash.

Like the voice fits him perfectly but MCA is just so fucking ugly

Haruka, Konoha, and Kuroha are all completely different and separate characters, but they're all voiced by the same VA, Mamoru Miyano. The perfect pick for Ene's bfs!!! All three of them 🥰💞

Kuroha has a good VA at least so I can run with that but they blew it on a terrible anime

Me every single episode: So when is Kuroha going to show up

Cuz I watched MCA while it was airing. Pretty sure I was 12 at the time.

Ok but I love the emphasis on the -SSS syllables. SSSSS 🐍

“Subarashii!” (”How wonderful!!!”) mfs are SOOO my type. One of my fave cat son types. Douman and Kuroha both count as these. They’re both Subarashii mfs

I remember kid me was so fucking mad that it took 10 out of 12 episodes for my fave to show up like WTF

AND IT'S NOT EVEN HIM WHEN HE'S IN KONOHA'S BODY ADSKKLSDKLSDLK

IT'S HIM IN SNAKE FORM. ALSO THE SNAKE FORM SHOULD'VE BEEN GIANT LIKE COME ON MAN

They couldn't have had him cameo in the background earlier at least??? SMH. AND THIS SCENE IS ONLY 2 MINUTES

This anime must've been rushed to hell

AND MCA LOOKS LIKE ASS. THE ART STYLE IS SO UGLY COMPARED TO SIDU'S GORGEOUS ART STYLE??? The only thing uglier than it is the ROTRK anime imo (at least of the series I'm into that I've seen)

Wish they could've imitated Sidu's style

At least my fave has a good voice actor

Kuroha/Saeru (VA: Miyano Mamoru)

Miyano Mamoru is so good at voicing insane charas LMAO. Perfect fit actually.

Horrific realization: Mekakucity Actors (MCA), the shitty KagePro anime, is still animated better than the (also shitty) ROTRK anime

Me: Horrific realization: Mekakucity Actors (MCA), the shitty KagePro anime adaptation, is still animated better than the ROTRK anime

A/S/J: 😭

Me: The only thing that'd top the KagePro anime in uglyness is the ROTRK anime imo LMFAO /neg

MCA's art style is SOOO ugly

Kid me: Bruh it took 10 episodes (out of 12 in total) of this stupid anime for Kuroha to show up

Fuck this gay earth!!! /j

A: KagePro tends to be a bit more underground since there's a barrier to entry with the bad anime LOL

Me: Right LMAO like MCA's art style is ugly as fuck to me and yet MCA still looks better than the ROTRK anime, like that is so embarrassing for real

A: 😭

Also why is this place just straight up hell. Like why is it just being tied to a pillar for eternity. Ig it's how the Kagerou Daze appears to Azami, since it appears differently for different people, but the whole thing is so laughably animated.

I'm sorry but Saeru's snake form should've been fucking GIANT bro like that would've been way more badass. Like big enough to reach up to the ceiling of a normal room! Actually, now that I think about it, if you compare the size of Saeru to Azami, he's really big actually. Like he's big enough as a snake to wrap around a whole ass boulder.

But I was imagining his snake form to be fucking giant like the Opening Eyes Snake (Me ga Sameru Hebi) that appeared in front of Takane/Ene when she first became Ene.

Like I was literally expecting him to be the same size as Yamata no Orochi in Japanese mythology. Though tbf he can probably change his size so I can still run with my HC

...

At least my faves have a good voice actor, but at what cost, this anime looks like ASS

Haruka, Konoha, and Kuroha are all voiced by Mamoru Miyano

Ene's Haruka lookalike harem /lh /j

The only thing that'll surpass Mekakucity Actors (MCA) the shitty KagePro anime in uglyness is the ROTRK anime imo

KUROHA ONLY SHOWING UP IN THE LAST EPISODE??? F U!!!

This anime is an LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

This anime looks like garbage LMAO /neg

And MCA's art style is so fucking ugly. The only thing uglier than it is the ROTRK anime imo. MCA's OST is probably the best thing we got out of it cuz we got human covers of certain KagePro songs

And somehow the ROTRK anime is even uglier than MCA. Like GOD how do you look worse than Mekakucity Actors (MCA)

At least MCA is actually moving unlike the ROTRK anime which feels more like a Powerpoint/Slide show cuz things BARELY MOVE

KagePro is my favourite thing related to Vocaloid and the anime has been botched HARD like it really did my favourite Vocaloid series so dirty. I really do hope we get the KagePro Reload anime but it's still in copyright hell. I want a proper KagePro anime one day.

Honestly KagePro's storyline would work GREAT as a VN. I would love a KagePro VN.

I wish MCA at least imitated Sidu's art style cuz MCA's art style is sooo ugly

I hate that MCA (KagePro anime) is so fucking ugly 😭

Ene looks SOOOO cute in Sidu's arts but MCA's art style is so fucking ugly

Ene, I am enduring this anime (again) for you and your 3 slay bfs

Though I do enjoy MCA's covers of KagePro songs!!!

KuroEne Scenario Idea (NSFW)

(CW: NSFW~ISH TEXT)

Ok so with the video of his voice up above in the post, I wanted to bring up my KuroEne scenario ideas

Ok I'm gonna make a NSFW~ish comment but uh with this mf being like THIS. With the whole, "Yes… That expression of yours… It's wonderful! Lovely, indeed, isn't that right?"

I was imagining a scenario where KuroEne are being intimate and Ene feels tears pricking her eyes from the pleasure, and Kuroha notices and just leans in and licks up the trail running down her face.

(He does this with drool and with their fluids after they finish, too)

When they finish, Kuroha reaches out and runs his finger through the mixture of their fluids and teasingly brings it up to his mouth to taste, both out of curiosity and because he wants to see Ene's flustered reactions, and Ene goes like, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?!? THAT'S DIRTY!?" ( ˶°ㅁ°) !!

And Kuroha just goes like, "Don't be so surprised~ I want to savour this, after all."

Sadistic parasitic snake bf

Kuroha sings a lullaby to Ene

The softer tones of his voice are so nice. Like this is what I had in mind with my scenario from before where Kuroha sings a lullaby to Ene and whispers into her headphones (ears)

Other Rambles

I just had a realization tho. In the KagePro manga, Saeru tells Azami that she would've never gotten betrayed if she didn't get involved with humans in the first place, and she asserts that her late husband Tsukihiko never betrayed her. Saeru then goes like, "Well, it matters little now, does it?"

Like it just made me think about in the context of a Kuroha ship AU, he feels confident and "secure" because he is ultimately the one in control in their relationship, and the one that holds power (ie. power over knowledge, and power in physical strength)

Like the power imbalance is overwhelmingly in his favour.

The fact that the power imbalance exists isn't inherently a bad thing, it just means you have to tread carefully with depicting his ships.

With KuroEne, I try to balance out the relationship as much as possible by making Ene more assertive and dominant in the ship too. I think it'd be fun for them to switch bedroom roles to spice up their "games" (trysts)

He directly manipulates the outcomes of events in Routes. And due to the nature of the body he uses (Konoha's body), there's no way his partner would be able to overthrow him or backstab him or whatever.

I was just thinking about this but for Kuroha, Ene is the type that is REALLY easy to read and be able to tell or have an idea of what she’s thinking, especially via her expressions. Like she really is the type whose heart ends up showing on her sleeve and giving her away

Just in general, Marry, strengthened by more Snakes, is the only one that would actually be able to do something to him physically, since she is the Master and Queen of all the Eye Ability Snakes.

...

Context

Since I showed a scene from MCA, I'll just sum this up quickly in case any of my non-KagePro mutuals need it

In the very beginning, the Snake of Clearing Eyes (Saeru) is created out of the medusa, Azami's first and strongest desire to understand who she was. Saeru exists even before the creation of the world.

The Snake of Combining Eyes (the Queen Snake) is created by Azami's desire to have a place to understand who she is. Thus, at the beginning of every new Route, Azami ends up (unintentionally) creating the world with Combining Eyes.

At some point, she ends up settling down and having a family with her husband Tsukihiko, and has a half-Medusa, half-human child, Shion. Saeru views Azami's love for her family as foolish.

Saeru detests the world for changing Azami's wish from wanting to know who she was, to wanting to be with her family forever, so it devises a scheme to "destroy" and rewind the world.

Because once Azami developed a strong love for her family, Saeru, as her servant, and her original wish (the one that created him in the first place), were left behind and forgotten.

He felt that the desire that gave his life meaning was being thrown away and also worried that he'd lose his sentience if that desire faded away. When Azami despaired over outliving her family, Saeru approached Azami with the proposal to create the Kagerou Daze, a never-ending world so that she and her family could live in.

Azami proposed the idea to her family, but eventually ends up going into the Kagerou Daze alone after her family was targeted. She believed she was bringing misfortune to her family cuz humans inherently feared her as a Medusa

Centuries later, Azami witnesses her daughter Shion and granddaughter Marry's deaths by humans in the real world, and orders the Kagerou Daze to swallow them up to save their lives. Both Marry and Shion are only compatible with the Queen Snake, so she can only save one of them.

She gives Marry the Snake of Combining Eyes (Queen Snake) so she could return to the real world, but loses control of the Kagerou Daze after doing this since the Queen Snake was needed to control the Kagerou Daze and control all other snakes.

So now the Kagerou Daze repeats her last order - swallow them up and give them new life. It will swallow anyone who dies on August 15th, the same day that Shion and Marry died.

All of this aligns with what Saeru wanted - he tricked her into trapping herself into the Kagerou Daze, a place where time doesn't flow. Azami's Kagerou Daze basically appears as hell to her.