#give them BOTH emmy's your honor

[cranes-menagerie]

current favorite 3 batman villains ever brought to live action

Collin Farrell does the role of Oswald so damn well, he's such a terrible person but you can't help but root for him

don't even get me started on Cristin Milioti as Sofia, the fact that she was put into Arkham because she wasn't the woman her family wanted her to be, but was molded into it by the horrors she experienced in A.S.H.

I don't mean this with hyperbole when I say this but Sofia Falcone is (in my opinion) the most compelling Batman villain put to screen since the Heath Ledger Joker

Collin Farrell holds the same mark as Kevin Conroy as Batman, to me he IS penguin.

I can't wait for what Reeves does with them

[queen-of-deans-booty]

Worth The Wait: Part Two

Pairing: Jensen Ackles x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~900

Warnings: fluff

Request by anon: Hey can i request a J2 x reader imagine where the reader is actress and singer that was nominated for a Oscar or something like that and became one of the few people that have a EGOT (the achievement of having won all four of the major American entertainment awards (i.e. an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony) and obviously everyone is so happy for her, spn fans, her fans, her friends, famous people, her family, spn cast and especially her boyfriends that they weren’t with her for some reason?

Summary: You've been working endlessly to put your own album out, and now you've been nominated for a Grammy... the only award that keeps you from being an EGOT winner. Will you win tonight? Will you finally be out on that prestigious award list that only nineteen people have ever been on?

Square Filled: pie (2022) for @spndeanbingo

Author’s Note: the asks says jensen and jared to be the love interest for the reader, but i only made it for jensen

x

This is it. This is the moment I’ve been working my ass off for. I can do this. Even if I don’t win, it’s an honor to be nominated.

After working on Batman vs. Superman, you worked tirelessly on putting out your own album, your very first. Your fans have been asking for one since they’ve heard you sing in movies and on Broadway. You’re just giving the people what they want. Well, they loved it so much that you’re nominated for some of the categories for the Grammys.

If you win just one category, you’ll be an EGOT winner. Only nineteen people have earned that prestigious award in history, and you can be one of them if all goes well tonight.

“I know you’re nervous but you’re going to do great. I’m going to be right here next to you. Even if you don’t win tonight, you’re still a winner in my eyes,” Jensen smiles.

“Thank you,” you smile and kiss him just as the limo arrives at the Grammys.

The cameras are on you the second you get out of the limo. There is a staging area before the area where the pictures are taken, so you and Jensen take the chance to touch up your makeup and both your outfits. 

There are millions of people watching on their TVs at home so you make sure to put your best smile on when you go out there. As soon as the press sees you, they call your name in hopes you pose for their cameras. Jensen makes sure you get some good solo ones before joining your side.

You pull Jensen close and kiss him quickly which will make for a good photo. You spend ten minutes smiling at a bunch of different cameras before moving past them to the section where celebrities like to hang out before being seated inside.

Two reporters are off to the side interviewing anyone who wants to talk to them, and they spot you and Jensen easily.

“Mr. and Mrs. Ackles. Wow, you two look stunning,” one of them says.

“Thank you.”

“Do you have a bit of time for us?”

“Actually, we do,” you smile and step forward.

There is a camera pointed at the mini stage you’re on so that viewers at home can watch this.

“We are here with the lovely Jensen and Y/N Ackles. I have to say, you two look amazing.”

“Thank you. I love both your dresses as well,” you smile.

You four talk about being nominated, who you’re wearing, what it means to be here, and anything else they want to know.

“I’m just excited for tonight. It doesn't matter if I leave with an award or not. Everyone here is a winner in my eyes.”

“Thank you for coming out. That was, again, Y/N and Jensen Ackles.”

You and your husband leave them to go find your seats inside. You’re pretty nervous so you’re glad that Jensen is here with you. That, and alcohol usually clams your nerves. A few of the people who are nominated are performing but you’re not one of them. You’d love to be performing one of your songs from your new album but they didn’t ask you to do it.

Nonetheless, you enjoy the performances that everyone else puts on.

Mariah Carey walks on stage to give out the award for Best Pop Vocal Album and you start to bounce your leg. This is the first category that you’re nominated for so you’re extremely nervous.

“You’re going to do great,” Jensen says against your hair as he kisses your head.

“Thanks,” you whisper back.

“I am so honored to present this award for Best Pop Vocal Album. The nominees are Chemistry by Kelly Clarkson.” They play a snippet of one of her songs before moving on to the next nominee. “Endless Summer Vacation by Miley Cyrus.” You love Flowers. She did such a good job on the song. “GUTS by Olivia Rodrigo.” You’re not a fan of hers but you can see how she’s successful. “Midnights by Taylor Swift.” Now there’s an album you can get behind. You love her so much and hope you can collaborate with her one day. “Finally Free by Y/N.” Jensen grabs your hand when she mentions your name. “And the Grammy goes to…” She takes her time opening the letter and smiles when she reads the name on it. “Finally Free by Y/N!”

Tears immediately come to your eyes when your hit single starts playing over the loudspeakers. The cameras are on you to gauge your reaction but you don’t pay them any attention. Jensen kisses you and encourages you to go up there on your own.

You leave him at the table and join Mariah Carey on stage who hands you the award with pride.

“Thank you so much,” you try not to cry. “I can’t believe this is happening. Words cannot express how grateful I am not only to my fans but to my husband who has stood by my side through thick and thin. He is my rock and my biggest supporter. I also thank my team for putting this amazing album together so effortlessly.

“I have been striving for this award since I won my second Emmy. By winning this award, I have managed to make it onto the EGOT list which is the biggest achievement I could have ever gotten. I couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart.”

Tears fall freely but you’re grateful for winning this award. Everyone cheers for your win even as you’re walking off stage. Jensen meets you backstage and pulls you into his arms.

“God, I am so proud of you!” he smiles happily. “You did it!”

“I can’t believe this is happening right now.”

“As soon as this is over, why don’t we get celebratory pie?”

“Yeah, I’d like that,” you grin and kiss him. 

x

Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary​​​​​​​​​​​​ where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)

[boasamishipper]

Hello! You are my go to expert for Night Court and Dan/Harry, so I would like to ask, which episodes would you recommend watching for particularly shippy Dan/Harry moments or storylines? Thank you <3

i am beyond honored to have been bestowed such a title, thank you nonny! <333

there are so many excellent danharry moments and storylines across all nine seasons, but here are my (very painstakingly selected) top five danharry episodes in chronological order:

1. S3E9-10 The Wheels of Justice (Part 1 + 2)

every time i think about this episode i go fully insane charlie kelly standing in front of the pepe silvia conspiracy board style. admittedly the first episode doesn't give us a lot of danharry content beyond harry smiling super fondly at dan while dan screams at bull's tiny tv, but the SECOND episode. jesus CHRIST. dan talking harry out of his slump in that pool hall........'you were good, harry! very good. you were impartial. you were fair. passionate. compassionate. understanding. and i admired you.'............dan hugging harry after harry apologized and said he would come back to court........the way harry and dan looked at each other after harry's line about taking the good with the bad no matter how bad the bad gets...........dan's smile while harry tells mac that dan is the only reason he left the pool hall..........and then. of course. this.

what is their DEAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2. S4E1 The Next Voice You Hear...

'emily,' night court nation says. 'this is not a danharry-centric episode.' you are correct! 'then why is this on your list?' because after harry found out his mother was dead, mac's first instinct was to call dan, and dan dropped whatever he was doing to come and console harry. they're best friends!!!!!!!!! and i cry about it Every Day

3. S4E5-6 Dan's Operation (Part 1+2)

this is THE danharry episode. every other danharry episode go home (except please don't, you're all wonderful). seriously though if someone told me when i first started watching night court that harry would fall asleep on a comatose dan's chest after begging him to wake up (AFTER they had a huge argument earlier in the episode) and dan's first instinct upon waking up is to stroke harry's hair and also Not Move Or Say Anything Because Harry Is Sleeping and THEN they would have ANOTHER argument that ended in both of them saying 'i love you' to each other, i would have died on the spot. and then i watched these episodes and i DID die on the spot. larroquette won his third emmy award for his performance in these eps and it is extremely well deserved.

4. S5E14 I'm OK, You're Catatonic/Schizophrenic

a danharry episode that raises more questions than it answers. what do you mean dan just randomly took a nap on harry's conference table. what do you mean dan kidnapped mel torme for harry. what do you mean dan said re: his kidnapping of mel torme '[harry's] gonna kiss me on the lips for this'. what do you MEAN dan handcuffed mel torme to a chair using 'a trick harry taught him' with 'magic shackles' that HE KNOWS CHAFE and WHAT DO YOU MEAN HARRY DOESN'T EVEN HAVE MAGIC SHACKLES AT ALL. SO WHAT WAS DAN TALKING ABOUT. someday i will get a ouija board so i can talk to reinhold weege from beyond the grave and ask him hey man!!! what was up with this episode!!!!!!!!! and also harry destroying dan's car in retaliation for dan accidentally destroying his mel torme record collection (on top of harry strangling dan upon receiving the news and also screaming I'M GOING TO EAT THAT MAN'S EYEBROWS) is proof that these two match each other's freak like no one else and that's why they should be endgame, thank you and good night.

5. S5E22 + S6E1-2 Danny Got His Gun (Parts 1-3)

1980s sitcoms were operating on a whole other level because if even an iota of this plotline happened to one of my otps on any of my currently airing shows the entire fandom would burst into flames. dan is presumed dead!!! his plane goes down north of hudson bay!!! and harry is the first one to receive the news!!! and the first one to receive further telegrams from the army and also dan's belongings!!! in his will dan left harry his 'heartfelt gratitude'!!! harry had to plan dan's memorial service!!! he had to write dan's eulogy!!! he had to sit there and watch everyone in attendance including the funeral director (barring roz) not be able to say a single nice thing about his best friend!!! then said best friend CRASHES HIS OWN MEMORIAL SERVICE!!! dan is alive!!! he has a beard!!! he smells awful!!! which i will maintain to my last breath is the only thing that prevented harry from kissing the breath out of dan right there in the funeral home!!! they!!! looked!!! at!!! each!!! other!!! like!!! this!!!

LIKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[natlacentral]

How the Costume Designer Behind Netflix’s ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Brought the Iconic Animated Looks to Life

Farnaz Khaki-Sadigh explains why Aang's outfit was so hard to perfect and shares the easter eggs hiding in the show's fashion.

2005’s Avatar: The Last Airbender is one of the best examples of world-building put to screen in television history—thanks in large part to the show's fashion. The Nickelodeon animated series pulled its viewers into the magical universe of “benders,” by giving each of the world’s four nations—the Fire Nation, the Earth Kingdom, the Water Tribe, and the Air Nomads—a distinct, recognizable aesthetic inspired by Asian and Indigenous cultures. The original ATLA also handled intricate character arcs and heavy themes around war and colonialism with a nuance that both kids and adults could appreciate, and the gorgeous 2D animation sucked every viewer deeply into the fantasy world. So Netflix’s new live-action adaptation had a tall order to meet when it came to bringing the beloved cartoon to life.

The streamer met the challenge with an impressive, charming flair by gathering a talented cast and crew filled with fans of the original cartoon, including costume designer Farnaz Khaki-Sadigh. While speaking with Marie Claire over Zoom, the Emmy winner—who previously worked on sci-fi/fantasy shows like The 100 and R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour— shared how she was able to successfully infuse real-world cultural inspirations into all of the outfits. It's something she hopes has lasting effects outside of Hollywood: “I hope that it inspires [viewers] to learn about other cultures and different parts of the world, to want to go visit them and understand them,” she says of the new series. 

Here, Khaki-Sadigh chats about her favorite costumes from the original series, her months-long research process, and the practicalities she considered while designing real-life versions of Team Avatar’s looks.

Marie Claire: How familiar were you with the original animated series when you got the opportunity to work on the Netflix show? 

Farnaz Khaki-Sadigh: I watched it a dozen times before I even got the job. When it was first announced that they were going to do a live-action series, I was like, ‘I want to work on this.’ This is a dream job.

Now knowing you're a fan, how did you approach honoring the original show while putting your own spin on the live-action clothes?

FKS: I definitely wanted to pay homage to the original. I think a lot of that comes through with the color palettes that we've chosen. [Also] keeping the silhouettes of the original animation and then breathing life into it with real-world materials and inspirations from the various cultures. The animation is more of a broader reference of the Asian and Indigenous cultures, so we went in and did a bit more specification—to give it a more dimension and narrow each culture in the show down to a specific group.

With the Southern Water Tribe, for example, we did take a lot from the Inuit culture. But I also learned that they did a lot of trades with certain other Indigenous groups and Northern Vikings, so we have a lot of those influences coming into [their clothing] as well. With the Northern Water tribe, we went a little bit more towards the Siberian Indigenous groups, such as the Yupiks and the Turkic tribes, to give it more variety and differentiation between the two fictional tribal nations. Then with the earth-benders, we see other cultures referenced. Omashu is very much based on Southeast Asian and Indian cultures. Whereas, there are smaller towns that we see in certain episodes that are based on other Asian cultures and Asian countries. So we brought in some Korean influences and some Vietnamese influences [for those]. We wanted to give [each nation’s aesthetic] a broader spectrum as opposed to just unifying everything under the one umbrella.

What were some of the challenges you faced in bringing these animated looks to life? 

FKS: It was definitely a lot of trial and error. You want to be authentic, but then you also have to take into consideration the fact that it is a show, and it is present-day as opposed to the mid-1800s, when the show is technically based on. They used a lot of materials back then that we don't use in the present-day. So it's just finding a balance of making the costumes look like they belong in that time period, but they're still comfortable enough for actors to wear today, and that they can move in it and fight and do all of their actions. We tested a lot of things. We built mockups and had stunt performers try to do fight moves in them to see what we had to change. Like if the weight of the armors were too heavy, or if they didn't sit properly, and [the actors] couldn't move their arms a certain way to do the bending that they needed to do. And we adjusted accordingly. We had a good enough chunk of time to do these trial-and-error runs to make sure that, once the garments were actually put on the performer, they were actually functional for them, and they could move and perform in them.

Is there a character who you really loved designing for, or one of the costumes that you're really proud of?

FKS: I cannot pick a favorite, to be honest. Every time a costume was done, and we would see it for the first time on camera, I think I cried a little bit because it felt so good. It felt surreal as a fan too, just to see everything come to life. 

Aang has the most recognizable look out of all of the characters. What was the process of figuring out his costume?

FKS: That one was the hardest one because it is one of the simpler ones out of all of them. Just because it's simple, it doesn't make it easy. We had to go through so many different materials to make sure that it flowed and moved with the air-bending. Then we had to make sure that the colors worked with the animation, but were also realistic at the same time. They had to work within our Air Nomad world, especially since the Southern Air Temple was based on Tibetan monks and their aesthetic [on the show] was pulled from that culture and their color palettes. We decided that, within the Air Nomads, we couldn't use any synthetic materials or anything that came from animals, just because of what that culture is based on. Everything had to be natural fibers. For the color of the Cape, I think we went through anywhere between like six and 10 different fabrics. We made so many different capes for him because the color kept shifting under the lights. So we had to find the perfect material and the perfect color, that moved, looked great, and didn't change color under the camera lights. One of the simplest costumes took us the longest time to figure out, but it was worth it.

The show also has so many great accessories from Katara’s necklace and Sokka’s bone choker to the Fire Nation crowns and helmets. What was the process of figuring out which accessories from the cartoon would be brought into live action?

FKS: We wanted to feature anything that was really iconic to the characters. Katara's necklace is a very big part of her character. It's a memento from her mother that sort of brings the North and the South together. It's all those little things that really made the characters in the animation. You look at that piece and you know exactly who that person is without them actually having it on. So those are the elements that we wanted to include.

Did it ever get overwhelming to handle something on this scale of world-building?

FKS: Absolutely, all the time. I did so much research and so much reading and talking to people from those cultures and learning from them. I probably spent like three or four months before I started the project—just between prepping for my interviews and then prepping to start conceptualizing once I had the job. I was constantly trying to learn more about the materials that were used and why they were used, and why certain cultures used certain colors and what it represented. There's how the materials moved; how the garments moved; how different ranks and social status affected and influenced the garments in that time period; the wars, the trade routes, and what was and wasn't traded, what was traded for what...all of those things. It really was a historical study of the cultures within the story as well as in real life. For example, Kyoshi is very much based on Japanese culture, and specifically Samurai culture. There's actually a group of female warriors in Japan called Onna-bu Geisha. A lot of the inspiration for the Kyoshi Warriors comes from those female samurai warriors.

Are there any looks you're looking forward to bringing to life in future seasons? 

I'd really love to do Ba Sing Se. That would be a world that I really would love to create, because I think there's just so much there that we can play on. I would love to do Ember Island. That was a really fun storyline in Book Three, and I think it would be really fun to realize that.

[neko-naruto]

Beat

Summary: Kenny play drums, Kyle's in drama, has a love story ever been laid out so easily before?

Warnings: Swearing

Authors Note: entering my dialogue era while I recover from the whiplash of finishing a 10K project. so yeah, enjoy some bullshit band kid kenny and drama kid kyle, no promises on quality because tired. the K2 is already like, established, in this one. hope ya'll enjoy

Kenny McCormick, older brother of one, and in his second year of high school. He's been thinking of dropping out, but there isn't exactly anywhere else that he can get his hands on a drum kit. They are much, much pricier than he initially expected them to be.

And he has friends here too, he doesn't really wanna just, ditch 'em. He'd be ditching them to pursue dreams of a garage band and working at a gas station anyways. Both of which are decent options, but not exactly ideal.

Still, he bides his time. Shattering drum sticks and near puncturing the instruments. Playing until his joints ache and until he gets blisters and callouses from it. It's a grand old time if nothing else, just for fun. For the euphoria of such a destructive instrument, the only one built for taking out his anger on.

"Kenny!"

He keeps playing, arms crossed over briefly and foot pressing on the kick pedal in perfect time. He looks up from his kit to find Kyle at the door to the band room, the few stairs down give him even more height on him. An arm rests on the railing as he walks down, he takes a seat on the floor a considerable distance from Kenny.

"Shouldn't you be practicing your role?!"

Kyle holds a hand to his ear. Kenny stops playing, pressing a hand to the cymbals to quiet them. He gently places your sticks on top of the snare drum and it rattles.

"Shouldn't you be up at the drama room, Ky?" Kenny asked, leaning over the upper drums of his kit.

Kyle scoffed, "Unlike the rest of those plebeians I've mastered all of my lines, expressions, and body language."

"Nice, you're way too fucking good at that shit. You should have an Emmy award on your wall," Kenny said, he gave a brief spin on his stool. He tapped along the cymbals as he rotated.

"I mean, I'm okay at it," Kyle said as he stood up and walked over to the spread of instruments. There was stray cases everywhere, someone left their flute on the piano. The redhead sat on the bench and pressed down on a key, "But we need some music."

"Music?" There was a bit too much excitement on his voice.

Kyle nodded, "Mostly a drum roll, but it would kill to have actual percussion offstage."

He's pretty sure he's grinning. He's definitely grinning.

"So," Kyle begins with, a devious smirk on his face, "Want in?"

"Fuck yeah! I'll totally do a drum roll for your play! Dude, it'd be a fucking honor," Kenny answered with an ecstatic nod, tapping the tip of his toe to the kick drum. It's bad for the instrument, he doesn't care.

"We already got a snare somewhere in the drama room, just bring your sticks," Kyle said as he stood up and took a couple steps closer to Kenny's kit, "Clubs after school, three fifteen to five."

He leaned over the crash cymbal, "I know, I pick you up on club days, remember idiot?" Kyle leans over and presses a kiss to Kenny's cheek.

"I remember, just making sure you knew it was today man. We don't usually do club on Wednesday nitwit," Kyle answered with smugly, he brought a hand to flick at the blondes forehead.

Kenny gives a hum, "I'll be there, and I'll make sure to wash all of the frog guts off."

"Aw man, you look hot covered in blood," Kyle teased.

"How much blood can there be in a dead frog?" Kenny asked as he gingerly pressed on the hi-hat pedal. It clattered depressingly.

"Good point," Kyle said, "Love you bro."

"We're literally dating," Kenny said.

"You call me dude, I call you bro," Kyle said, he brought a hand to his chest and blew the intensity of his words out of proportion. He was smirking, "Only fair."

"And you wonder why people think we're just friends," Kenny said.

"I'm literally in drama, Ken, I'm pretty sure they've figured out I'm a rampant homo. Although, I can see why they wouldn't be able to tell you are," Kyle said, he vaguely gestured to Kenny as he spoke.

Kenny glanced down to his outfit, "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"C'mon man, you know exactly what I mean. You need some flair, dye your hair, go goth- you've been wearing all orange since we were little kids," Kyle said, "I think I have some red leftover from last years play."

"Where you had to bleach your hair?" Kenny asked.

"Where I had to bleach my hair," Kyle echoed back, "You'd look good with a bit of dyed hair."

"I dunno dude, I think the subtle homosexual look is good on me. If another queer looked at me they'd know I'd be down to clown, and that's what it's all about," Kenny explained as he stood up and brushed down his jacket. He looked down at his outfit, "But you are the drama kid, you may be onto something."

"Exactly- really Ken, some eyeliner would fix you," Kyle said, "Helps draw attention to the face, it's why we always wear so much of it on stage. I think you'd look good with some iridescent black." He brought his hands to rest on Kenny's face, tracing over the shapes and contours of flesh.

"Dude! At least wait until we're out of school, or, in the drama room," Kenny said, batting away Kyle's hands and beating down the flush rising to his face.

"Good point, I got English, see ya in an hour or so," Kyle said before turning to take his leave.

Kenny loitered for a bit longer, science class was on the same floor, "See ya in an hour!"

[destinyc1020]

I do think Z should grow at her own pace. Hence why I said that she’s playing the slow burn game. PERSONALLY I don’t think she’s going to get that growth with ANOTHER sequel or ANOTHER season of euphoria. I understand why she does it. And I love all of those projects. But again. I think if she did more films like challengers back to back it would greatly help her. Just my opinion 🤷🏽‍♀️

Maybe it's just me, but I personally think doing Euphoria has helped her to grow a LOT as an actress. 🤷🏾‍♀️

No matter what I think about Sam, I can't deny that this role was a God-send for Zendaya.

I don't mind her being in major film franchises either though. They give her visibility, the chance the work with awesome directors and awesome fellow actors, AND she gets a hefty paycheck for (sometimes) very minimal work lol. Seems like a win-win to me! 🤣

Can't she have BOTH? 🥴🤷🏾‍♀️ Why does it have to be either or? 😕

Believe me, after "Challengers" she will be in another lead role on the big screen. TRUST me on this.

The "slow burn" is not a bad thing honestly. She's only 26 and already has TWO EMMY WINS under her belt. The youngest woman of color to receive that honor. Like, HELLO!! ROFL 🤣

Idk why some fans think it has to be some race or competition in the acting world. Yes, women are unfortunately considered "over the hill" once they get past age 30 in sexist and ageist Hollywood 🙄, so I can def understand why some feel the need for Z to "strike while the iron is hot" NOW instead of later.

But, y'all forget that Zendaya is a woc, so she will probably be still looking young compared to her white women counterparts come age 30 cuz black don't Crack lol 👀 🤭, and second, it's better to do the "long game" instead of peaking early in your career, and then crashing and burning soon after. Jmho 🤷🏾‍♀️

I think Zendaya is VERY smart about her career and how she wishes to move. You can also tell that she's VERY selective about her role choices. Almost everything she touches turns to gold rofl 🤣

So, she's def not just doing anything just to get her name out there. She doesn't need to. 🤷🏾‍♀️ She has endorsements to fall back on if she's not getting offered the roles she wants to do.

Her star is only going to rise further after this year.... mark my words.

I personally think she's doing fine lol? 😅

Idk why fans worry so much about Tom and Zendaya's careers, when they are both arguably two of the most FAMOUS actors in their age range right now?

They're already in the stratosphere lol... where ELSE do y'all want them to go? 😅

Geez....

[boumazaa]

Tech Guru Shares Top Gift Ideas for Dads and Grads

June is the month of dads and grads. We recognize dad for all that he does throughout the year on Father’s Day, and celebrate students graduating throughout the country for all they have accomplished in school. Now, it’s time to find the perfect gifts to honor both of these important occasions.This year, try skipping the usual suspects and opt for tech gifts that fit their style and personality. Emmy-award winning technology and trends expert Brett Larson has the scoop on five great gifts for every dad and grad on your list.1. SunBriteTV’s Signature Series SB-4660HD. Dads will love SunBriteTV’s all-weather television, designed for permanent outdoor use. It successfully transforms any backyard into a modern entertainment space for all occasions. A SunBriteTV is the ideal social upgrade for sporting events, award show viewing parties or even family movie nights under the stars.2. LG TONE+ Wireless Stereo Headset. It offers the high-quality listening experience of stereo sound with the convenience of Bluetooth wireless technology. The headset is lightweight and easy to wear, allowing the user to stay connected and multi-task — whether making calls on the go or listening to music while working out. It even has noise-canceling technology for crystal-clear calls and a long-lasting battery.3. Dell B1165nfw Mono Laser Multifunction Printer. Designed for small office/home office environments, the Multifunction Printer has wireless capabilities that enable users to print documents, web content and photos from smartphones and tablets. Plus, you can print, scan, copy and fax with one easy-to-use device.4. Carbonite. Dads and grads definitely need unlimited cloud backup and stress-free data recovery. Carbonite automatically backs up all of your files securely in the cloud for one flat price, and allows you to access them from any Internet-connected device. Just sign into your online portal from any computer or use free mobile apps that also back up the photos and videos on your smartphone.5. VTech InnoTab 2S Wi-Fi Learning App Tablet. And don’t forget the pint-sized grads this year. Best for kids aged three to nine years old, VTech’s InnoTab gives little tots their very own tablet to keep them entertained and puts them on the fast track to learning. With hundreds of e-books, apps, games and videos, it opens up a world of educational yet parental-controlled content. Plus, when traveling, this is sure to keep them occupied.For more information or gift ideas, visit www.killerapps.tv.

[kyopmi]

name at least one reason for all of your moots why you love them

!!! ok >:)

starting out this post by saying i think all my moots are amazingly talented and all so lovely and i love and appreciate them so much !! highly recommend checking their blogs, but please do read through their rules/byi beforehand. so without further ado here are my beloved moots, in no particular order!! ♡

@justmyownreality if i scroll down to the bottom of my following list, jmor is my first moot :) i love talking to her, whether it's about coffee or 2d men! and i don't think i show it much but i love reading about her oc rukia too hehe

@icedhoneyy i think if you look at isa's tumblr page you will immediately fall in love because LOOK AT HER THEME!! HER NAVI TAGS!!! her brain is so seggsy for that and i will never get over it. besides her writing that i also adore, i think isa is an actual sunshine. has AMAZING music taste. always so sweet and funny. makes me blush. i have a crush on her.

@maitaro my bby mai gives off such ~cool older sibling vibes~ even though i'm older than her lmao, but everytime i see her on my dash, my brain goes !!! i hope i can be as cool and amazing as her one day!!! mai is also so sweet and so fun to talk to!! i remember one of our first conversations was about the percy jackson franchise mehehe love her sm <3

@niverine niv is also one of my first moots and friends on tumblr! i love her sm and always look forward to chatting with her <3 her writings? immaculate. her themes? amazing. she's so adorable and lovely and funny!! always makes me feel warm and fluttery inside when i see her on my dash <3

@emmyrosee emmy is responsible for any and all hq uncles brainrot i have. come and take responsibility emmy >:( hehe i love talking about them with her and isa too! i also adore the characterization she has in her fics!! especially for ushijima, sakusa and osamu!! always makes me fall even more in love w them everytime i read emmy's works

@kitsunekanojo MILO MY WIFEY. ok first of all her themes and layouts are always SO PRETTY. and have you seen the events she comes up with? big, wrinkly brain. and the writings she produce are always top-tier!! the sweetest and funniest, and has adorable cats. also talking to milo is so fun i love her sm! but i'm sorry i've accidentally fallen asleep sometimes </3

@ohtokki genuinely i am so obsessed with laura's writings! she's also so very sweet, friendly, gives off warm, comfy vibes and is always so nice to chat with! deserves all the best french fries. i have to give an honorable mentions to her plants also, which always look so lovely!

@writingbymoonlight luna is so sweet and kind! besides her amazing writing, i also love the stuff she reblogs and am always happy to see her on my dash or notifs! also has amazing taste in bubble tea🧋🧋

@kagejima RAE AND HER BIG BRAIN! rae never fails to make me simp for characters i didn't know i was in love with and also fall even more in love with the characters i do! has such amazing range from the cutest softest fluffiest fics to the hottest spiciest ones and my fav is when it's both lmao also i think rae is so funny, i think our sense of humor matches up hehe

@epkatn k makes my heart flutter everytime i see her in my notifs, whether she's sharing fanart, pictures of lisska and marcian, her amazing creative ideas or anything else, she's always so sweet! one of my fav things to do on this site is to gush about au's and scenarios with k!! the descriptions in her writing also never fails to amaze me, always feels like watching a movie!

@bananapolis banana has such amazing writing and fics and i'm upset i have yet to read all of them >:( but omg i always love their sukuna plushie pics HEHE and gushing about merch with them <3

@yuutakittie heids is so sweet and talented and i still can't get her recent omi fic out of my brain :( i love the flow in her writings, like it all comes together and fits together perfectly! she's also so very lovely to talk to, with top-tier taste in music!!

@snnybnny jules has such a creative mind! their fics? events? themes? all so immaculate. also so very sweet and i love talking to them!

@atsumeii dilly <3 always so sweet she's gonna make me CRY. also her theme is so damn pretty!! i love her writing and i need to go through her masterlist asap >:( has the hottest, truest takes on everything and interacting with dilly is always a great time!

@mattsunkawa i love seeing echo on my dash! i love her fluff SO MUCH and i am waiting for my next free time so i can go through her sakusa series in one sitting >:) her fics and series are all so interesting and enjoyable, plus love talking to her!!

@sunkeiji first of all, sayu's themes? perfect. gorgeous. immaculate. love her writings sm and i need to properly go through her masterlist asap!! sayu is also my tears of themis dealer on tumblr LMAO bcs i love seeing TOT content and reblogs from her. everytime she reblogs a fic i am always immediately on the floor in tears.

@hyeque kurisu is so sweet from our interactions and from what i've seen! i've seen her interact with other moots before we became moots so does that make us moot-in-laws? hehe :) her blog is so pleasing to look at! still sobbing at kurisu sending me outfit inspos the other day :(

@oooohno i'm always so happy when i see nana on my dash and notifs because she's always so lovely <3 also i LOVE gushing about 2d characters and also dogs with nana hehe, she always has amazing ideas!!

@onigirintarou i love hazel's writings so much and also the moodboards she makes for her events? so pretty and gorgeous.

@virtue-and-beneviolence virtue is my tokrev dealer on tumblr HEHE i love seeing her posts and always enjoy our interactions!

@kuroosdarling aims is so sweet!! always melt at the tags she adds in her reblogs ;(( she's also so warm and friendly and gives me ghibli vibes hehe

@alienbitch iannah's tags on her reblogs always make me CRY like she is so sweet!! love seeing her on my dash and notifs <3

last but not least my moots i have yet to interact more with! but they are all so sweet and lovely and i can't wait to get to know them more !! @keifairie @lunaevangeline @satisfactooru @ariellogy @rinsramenshop @gojospit @toshji @miya-dynasty @vilevvords

...

in conclusion: i'm in love with all my moots <3

[snifflesthemouse]

A Letter to Congress in Reply to Another Letter to Congress

The Tumblr Account Of Sniffles the Mouse

The Honorable Charles Schumer Majority Leader U.S. Senate Washington, D.C.

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi Speaker U.S. House of Representatives Washington, D.C.

23 October 2021

Dear Leader Schumer and Speaker Pelosi,

I’m not a rich celebrity, and I didn’t marry a prince. I am, like many, an American citizen who personally knows what growing up below the poverty line means. While I’m sure Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, had good intentions, her letter lacks truth and authenticity. All one must do is read Meghan’s own words from her Tig blog archives to know what I mean. That’s why I write this letter now, to make sure everyone knows what I mean.

While the Duchess of Sussex and I have a few things in common, like both of us being married to combat veterans and being moms, we do not share that common knowledge that comes from growing up in poverty. She may claim she does, and she may claim she grew up struggling. But the truth is, she’s either lying about struggling or she legitimately has no idea what real struggle is.

If the Duchess of Sussex really understood struggling, let alone growing up in a low-income household, she’d not need a global pandemic to expose those “long-existing fault lines” she wrote about in her letter. Apparently, the Duchess of Sussex grew up in a neighborhood that was fault line free. Otherwise, she’d already know the problem wasn’t exposure. She’d know the real problem is the fact those fault lines influence gerrymandering season. But I digress.

I’m not mad that Meghan grew up in Hollywood, or that she went to private schools. I’m not mad her dad won an Emmy, and then the lottery. I don’t care that her yoga-instructing, social-working, therapist for a mom would take her to Mexico or Jamaica, so she could become a global citizen. I don’t even care that her dad got her in as an extra on Married… With Children, that she grew up on various TV sets eating filet mignon. Or that her parents took her to sushi bars and concerts. Good for her, and good for them!

No, I’m mad that the Duchess of Sussex thinks that was growing up in poverty or struggling. I’m mad that she thinks the salad bar at Sizzler or group rates at a local buffet chain equates with poverty. She has no idea what it means to struggle. She’s not the one to be speaking out for those of us who do. And when we sit back and allow the Duchess of Sussexes of the world to hijack the human condition for media attention, we get lost in fixing the real problems.

You see, I know what it’s like to really have parents doing their best to provide for their kids and still fall short of making the ends meet. The ends never met in our household growing up. The gap between them only got wider. My dad worked full-time driving a garbage truck for the city, and my mom was terminally ill. Even though dad worked full-time, it never came close. By 16, I worked full-time at a fast-food chain to help out. I never got to save for my future because I was too busy chipping in on medications and utility bills in the present. And it was too bad there wasn’t a yogurt place that could’ve illegally employed me to work there. It would’ve been easier than having to mow lawns at the age of 10 like I had to...

I know what it’s like depending upon clothing vouchers and free lunch programs for clothes and lunch. I know how embarrassing it feels to go to school with holes in your shoes, only to have the teacher give you a pair of new ones after class in private. Then, that relief you feel when you go to class the next day and see half the student body wearing the same shoes you’re wearing because it means you’re not the only poor kid in class. But hey, the Duchess of Sussex had to eat at a Sizzler.

Again, I’m not trying to bash or shame the Duchess of Sussex. She can feel or say what she wants. But, when her words are being used to appeal to Congress while she’s using her title in the letterhead, I have a right to appeal, too.

I may not have the power, wealth, or connections that come with being the Duchess of Sussex. But I have something that the Duchess of Sussex could never have or buy. I don’t need a title or a prince for a husband to tell you what real life is like for low-income households. Base your votes and actions on people like me, not the Duchess of Sussex. After all, people like me pay you to pass laws and people like Meghan want to replace people like you.

[justasparkwritings]

Camp Evergreen: Prologue

Pairing: None Yet

Genre: Summer Camp AU, Non Idol AU

Rating:  PG15

Word Count: 0.5K

Warnings: None

Beta Readers: @xiaokoo​ who I absolutely adore. 

Notes: This is for my Free Space for @bangtanwritingbingo​

Camp Evergreen Master List

Be the One Master List

Taglist: Message Me or comment on this post! 

        Nestled between the mountains and the lake, with ample space to roam and explore, Camp Evergreen is burrowed. A camp named for its canopy of greenery; Evergreen is preparing for its twenty-first summer. Twenty-one years shaping the minds and talent of aspiring actors, dancers, performers, artists, and writers. Elite talent from across the country will descend upon the Pacific Northwest haven, seeking guidance and direction.

       Camp Evergreen remains the foremost summer institute for burgeoning talent. Taught exclusively by professionals, campers spend their six weeks honing their skills. Six weeks studying, writing, performing, all in the hopes of getting into an acting program for college, landing a role in the latest Disney channel show, or making the leap from high school theatre-Jimmy Awards winner to Broadway. After a laborious addition and application process, campers are welcomed into a summer like nothing they could imagine.

       Preparing to welcome in the ego and id of 100 teenagers are PhDs in art history and English, industry rich writers, Broadway stars, authors and Emmy award winners, Tony awarded choreographers and set designers. Each instructor, a master in their field, has crafted their course to be rigorous, engaging, and meet requirements set by Camp’s Board of Directors. Giving up part of their summer is exchanged for a generous paycheck and nearly promised position for the following summer. It is an honor and a privilege to teach at Camp Evergreen, one that carries weight and prestige on every resume. Under their tutelage, a group of TA’s, college students dying to make it big after graduating, or at the very least, score a letter of recommendation from an esteemed professional.

       And under them, Cabin and Junior Counselors, in charge of the mental and physical wellbeing of the campers. They are also in charge of the inevitable drama that comes with a summer in the forest.

        It’s both heaven, and hell. Tears over who gets cast in the end of camp musical, joy and triumph of students who are selected for short films and one-act plays, all under the constant, pervasive, hormonal drive of being sixteen. Hearts will be broken, dreams will be fulfilled, and someone will break a bone trying to land a grand jete during the opening number of this summer’s musical: Footloose. 

        While their students, and counselors, are falling in love, cheating, breaking hearts and experiencing every major first at Camp Evergreen, it’s the instructors that will be doing their best to hide their drama. Who is fucking who? Who is cheating on their spouse back home with their perpetual summer fling? Do rules apply when the Head Instructor wants to fulfill her long standing relationship with another teacher? Who will have a pregnancy scare and who will threaten to quit? More importantly, who will allow a group of teenagers to recreate a scene from To Kill a Mockingbird, races reversed?

        It’s all waiting to unfurl and unfold because this summer, everything comes to a head and it’s you who has to decide who and what are worth fighting for.  

        Is it you and him?

        Is it your new position and status?

        Or is everything so messy and convoluted that you’re willing to throw it all away, uphold your position, and irrevocably shatter your hearts?

        Welcome to Camp Evergreen.

Next: You & Me, Me & You {1}

[miryum]

Spot Conlon x Reader (Gang AU) 2

Warning: swearing and implied sex

I press the button on the intercom, slightly seething. My grip on Emerson is tighter than ever, probably cutting off circulation to his fingers.

The intercom buzzes, and a voice crackles through, "State your business."

"I need to speak to Spot Conlon."

The voice laughs once, "No one gets to see the boss unless you have an appointment."

"I'm pretty sure he'll want to see his second-in-command."

There's a pause, "Emmie?"

"Hey!" Emerson chirped, fine with the whole situation.

"Who are you with?" The voice asks.

"Don't answer that." I growl lowly. I turned back to the intercom, "Just tell Conlon that... Nickels is here to see him. He'll let us in."

There's a long pause, and after a minute or two, the gates swing open.

I smirk and drag Emerson inside.

The front double doors open for us, and I pull Emerson up the stairs and to Conlon's office.

The Brooklyn Mafia's house is a lot like the Manhattan Mafia's. They're both mostly centered around the dark academia aesthetic, but while the Manhattan Mafia has many people running around and shouts and yells from every hallway, never a dull moment, the Brooklyn Mafia was eerily quiet. There are only guards, no children running around or random sparring matches in the corridors.

I barge into Spot's office. He sits in his fancy chair in a crisp suit and tie. His hair is floppy, a cap on his desk.

I must admit, he cleans up nicely.

He leans over his mahogany desk, hands clasped on top, displaying his silver rings.

"Conlon." I spit, throwing Emerson towards him. Emerson stumbles, but stands and brushes himself off.

"Y/n." Spot smirks, "I thought we were on first name basis."

"Not after you sent him," I jerk my head towards Emerson, "To steal my personal file."

Spot's smile grew, and he waves his hand to dismiss Emerson. Emerson gives me a mock salute before sauntering out the door.

"Alright," I say, slamming my hands down on his desk, "What did you call me here for?"

"Whatever makes you think that I called you? You just brought Emmie back. I ought to thank you." Spot pouts mockingly.

"Please." I roll my eyes, "Emerson stole my file- which was basically a message- and he was too easy to beat as your fucking second-in-command. You wanted me here. Why?"

Spot stands and steps around the desk to me, "To ask you to join me, of course."

"I've said no once, and I'll say it again. No." I whirl around and head for the door.

"So that night meant nothing?"

I stop. "That night did mean fucking nothing. We both knew that it was no strings attached and just a way to blow off steam." I turn back towards him, taking long strides, jabbing a finger into his chest, "I didn't even know who you were."

Spot smiles and lifts my chin, "Then why are we still talking about it?"

I stare at him, incredulously, "You're the one who brought it up!" I scream, "You're the one who keeps being me here! Day after day, just so you can have a little pleasure in your life-"

Spot cuts me off by pressing his lips into mine. They're soft and persistent. I pause, unsure of what to do before he gently bites down on my bottom lip. I inhale, letting his tongue brush mine.

I kiss him back, bringing my hands up to tangle in with the nape of his hair. Spot shivers slightly and breaks away, genuinely smiling.

"I miss you." He breaths, "I need you, Y/n. You make me crazy."

I close my eyes, leaning against him, "I pledge myself to the Manhattan Mafia. I pledge to be loyal to the Manhattan Mafia. I pledge to be rational and a person of honor. I pledge to have class and be independent. I pledge to give my life to the Manhattan Mafia and serve them the best I can."

Spot laughs throatily, "Did you just recite your pledge to me?"

"Yes." I whisper and look up at him, "I pledged myself to the Manhattan Mafia. I can't betray them. They're my family and I love them. I can't leave them."

Spot nods solemnly, "May I just ask you one thing?" I nod and he continues, "Please come visit me. I need to see you and talk to you and kiss you."

"Alright." I smile sadly and kiss him lightly on the lips. "I'll try to come tomorrow. I have to get back to Jack."

Spot's face darkened, "So you're on first name basis with him?"

I roll my eyes, "Jealousy doesn't look good on you."

I kiss Spot again and then leave the Brooklyn Mafia.

I start heading back to my side, the Manhattan Mafia. But for once in my life, I feel sad about it.

Part 3

[musings-from-mars]

For @a-real-human-person-not-fake’s birthday: Reader x Emerald x Jaune

Reader uses they/them

~~~

You remember getting out of bed that morning and showering. You remember lugging your suitcase down the apartment steps and loading it into the car. You remember getting situated in the backseat and you remember what you ordered at the drive thru bagel place down the road. But you don’t remember falling asleep, and you certainly don’t remember lying your head on Jaune’s shoulder. But that’s exactly how you wake up, with a crick in your neck and cold drool smeared on your cheek.

You don’t remember the sun being up before you had fallen asleep either.

“Good morning.” Jaune’s voice helps you return to consciousness as you sit back upright, rubbing your eyes clumsily with your knuckles. Jaune smiles at you, but you barely notice as you continue to blink your sleepy blurriness and the morning sunlight out of your eyes.

“Did sleepyhead finally wake up?” Emerald asks from her position in the driver’s seat. She had called dibs to be the first in the driving rotation. You three had agreed to trade off driving responsibilities every two hours to avoid fatigue, so you figured you hadn’t been asleep for too terribly long since Emerald is still the one captaining the hatchback. Your vision is clear enough now to be able to tell the time from the dashboard clock: 7:33. You three had been on the road for an hour-and-a-half, and save for the short amount of time it took you to scarf down your snickerdoodle bagel, you’d been asleep that whole time.

“I...think so?” Jaune answers Emerald with a chuckle, placing a gentle hand on your wrist. “You feeling up to driving in a little bit, sweetheart?”

You freeze for a moment when he touches your arm, then you look up at him. You stare blankly at his soft smile for a moment, then glance at his shoulder, which had just been your pillow. “Oh fuck, I drooled all over you,” you mutter, feeling embarrassed.

Jaune just shrugs his shoulders. “Eh, it was worth it. You sound so cute when you snore.”

You relax a bit now that he’s assured you he’s not appalled by you drooling on him. A second later, you realize what he just said, and it just layers onto your already existing embarrassment. “I snore?”

“You do when you’re sleeping diagonally in a moving vehicle,” Jaune says, still smiling at you, still with a hand on your arm. You enjoy the soft contact despite your mild embarrassment. “You can go back to sleep if you want, I definitely don’t mind.”

“Don’t want to be too tired for hiking, after all,” Emerald adds.

You recalled your polycule’s destination, a faraway state park that you still struggled to remember the name off. You weren’t the outdoorsy type, but you figured you could handle some hiking (you’d leave the rock climbing to your partners, though). You even offered to go on some of the more lengthy treks that required each hiker have a gallon of water on hand, so long as your demands were met in return, among them being a proper hotel room (rather than a trailside cabin with no power or plumbing like they had threatened) and a night out together in the nearest city. It was a three night trip, so in a way, you each got to choose how one day was spent: hiking for Emerald, more hiking for Jaune, and some city nightlife for you. It was a fair arrangement, you thought. Plus, it meant you and your partners would get to dress in cute hiking outfits, and stylish urban outfits during this trip. The clothing fanatic within you was very happy with that.

You consider Jaune’s offer for you to go back to sleep, and honestly, if it weren’t for the big wet spot you’d left on his t-shirt sleeve, you’d probably return right to it. You certainly don’t feel sufficiently rested. “I’ll probably sleep some more, in a little bit.”

Jaune looks towards the front of the car. “Well, in thirty minutes or so, me and Emmy are switching, so you’ll have a fresh shoulder to drool on.”

“I would be honored to be drooled on by them,” Emerald agrees, giggling in a way that makes you blush from both embarrassment, and from that usual re-realization of how cute she is.

“But until then,” Jaune begins and adjusts his seating position to turn his body more your direction, then he opens up his arms to you. “Come back over here.”

You don’t even give it a second thought, and you grant his request, scooting closer and leaning into his embrace. You don’t remember a whole lot from sleeping on his shoulder, but the moment your cheek presses again his chest and his arms encircle you, you’re already certain that this is a hundred times more comfortable.

Not much else crosses your mind as your sleepiness begins to return to the forefront. But this time, you fall asleep on purpose with Jaune’s arms securely around you and his lips pressing against the top of your head every few seconds. You smile pleasantly as you drift off, the rhythm of the road and Jaune’s slow breathing lulling you to sleep.

Five minutes or five hours could have passed and you wouldn’t have known the difference. You’re woken by a slow drifting feeling, like a strange stillness is overtaking your surroundings. As you emerge further from sleep, you realize the car has stopped, and the lack of motion feels odd for a few seconds and you lift your head off of Jaune’s chest. You look up at him with half-open eyes, and he smiles down at you and graces your lips with the lightest of kisses. “Time to trade,” he whispers, then you hear a car door open, and you turn to see Emerald getting out of the driver’s seat.

You realize it must be Jaune’s turn to take the wheel, so you lean away from him to allow him to unbuckle and replace Emerald. He exits, and Emerald quickly takes his spot. She shuts the door and smiles at you, and your first thought is that you hope she lets you go right back to sleep in her arms. Instead, she offers you something just as inviting. “Come here, dork,” she says affectionately, patting her lap. “Lie down for real.”

You smile thankfully at her, then follow her instructions, lying your cheek on her thigh, facing away from her body. With her wearing her cute green shorts, your sleepy drooling wouldn’t be getting on anymore clothing, but you could already hear the jokes about you drooling over Emerald’s thighs, which, to be fair, would be accurate. You remembered back to one of the earliest times you three had hung out together, and while playing a game of Q&A, your answer to Jaune’s “What part of Emerald do you really like?” had unintentionally been “Her thighs.” Thankfully, you three were far enough along when it came to comfort level that your answer wasn’t inappropriate, but your boyfriend and girlfriend had yet to let you hear the end of it. It wasn’t all bad, though. Emerald wore shorts like this a lot, and part of you suspected that was an intentional choice. A choice you appreciate, of course.

As Jaune gets you three back on the road, you shift a couple times until settling on a position that felt comfortable to you. Emerald’s skin feels soft and cool against your face, and with the added comfort of her slowly running a hand through your hair, you’re back to dreamland in no time.

You’re woken up again an indeterminate amount of time later, but not for long. You acknowledge that the car has stopped and Emerald has swapped places with Jaune once again, but you don’t pay much mind to anything else as your head settles back into the lap of one of your partners, denim jeans pressed against your cheek, and you drift off yet again without a care.

Later, you wake up to a gentle shake of your shoulder. You groan softly and open your eyes. The car has stopped again, but the sun is no longer beaming through the side windows. You push yourself upright, and after a few seconds of dizziness and grogginess, you recognize that you’ve stopped at a gas station.

“Bathroom break?” Jaune asks you, holding your shoulder.

You look over at him and nod, feeling the need to stretch your arms and legs more than anything else. “And snack?” You ask, immediately realizing your own hunger.

Jaune chuckles and nods. “All the snacks you want, love.”

The car door then opens. “Come on, you cuddle bugs,” Emerald teases, smiling at you both as Jaune shuffles out of the car and you follow close behind.

Once on your feet, you extend your arms over your head and stand on your tip toes, stretching your body in all ways your can think off. “How long was I sleeping?”

“Almost five hours,” Emerald says as Jaune is already heading inside the store, apparently in desperate need for a bathroom break.

You’re momentarily stunned. “That long?” You never imagined you’d be capable of sleeping so long, and so well, in a car.

Emerald nods and laughs. “You were pretty much out of it the whole time, too.”

You blink a few times, still wrapping your mind around it. “Wait, so that means you two have been doing all the driving?” You feel sheepish at having failed to fulfill your fair share of the road time.

“Hey, you needed the rest. And it was worth it.” She surprises you by stepping closer and wrapping her arms around your waist. “You’re so precious,” she says softly, then kisses you.

It’s enough to make you want to sink into her embrace and go right back to snoozing, but at the moment, you feel more awake than you’ve felt all day. Maybe the sleep really did help. Emerald parts from you and leads the way to the convenience store, still keeping a hold of your hand along the way. Sure enough, when you step out from under the gas station awning, you see the sun is directly above. It was already noon.

After using the restroom and gathering up an abundance of snacks (albeit healthy snacks; cheese puffs are unfortunately not the best hiking fuel), you stand with your partners in the short line to check out.

“So,” Emerald says to you, “do you feel up for driving?”

You know for certain that she wouldn’t be bothered at all if you said no, but you can tell from the sleepy lull in her eyes that she could use a break. Not to mention you feel the need to make up for all of your driving shifts that you slept through. You feel awake enough to drive, so you smile and nod at her. “Sure. Meanwhile you two can sit in the back and be cute together.”

Emerald smiles at that, glancing bashfully up at Jaune. “Cool.”

After buying your goodies, the three of you head back out to the car. It’s sunny and warm outside, and you hope it cools down a little before you reach the hiking trails. But you don’t worry about the temperature too much for now. You take your position in the driver’s seat of the hatchback, where you’d have free reign over the AC and the radio. Then again, you figured you’d keep the radio off for now. You suspect that your partners would appreciate the quiet.

The three of you are soon back on the road. Traffic on the highway isn’t too hectic, so it’s pretty easy going. You’re able to just set the cruise control and vibe. After a little while, you glance at the rear view mirror, and you smile at what you see. Jaune is leaning his shoulder against his window, all while holding Emerald in his arms as she lies her head on his chest. Both of them have their eyes closed, but you notice a faint smile on Jaune’s face, while Emerald seems to be asleep, her head wobbling a bit against Jaune whenever the car hits the slightest bump. You focus back on the open road for a moment, the green scenery passing you by on your journey.

You aren’t sure if you’ve ever been this happy before. It’s just you and the people you love, with an adventure of your own making awaiting you.

[xoluvx]

Winner Winner Z for Dinner; Zendaya

Ending 1 ✨ || Ending 2

“This is it,” Zendaya’s voice rippled through the room; her fingers wrapped tighter around your hand. Her leg had started moving as she felt butterflies forming in her belly. As her name got called out as a nominee, you turned to look at her placing a soft kiss on her cheek. Her eyes were big, focusing on the screen. Her bottom lip was tucked under her teeth; your arm wrapped around the nook of her elbow tenderly attempting to calm her nerves.

Placing your hand on her knee, your thumb gently rubbed her bare skin trying to brush away the nerves.

She turned to you smiling a bit before turning back to the screen as she heard her name being called for the second time that night.

“Oh my god.”

“Oh my god,” you echoed, your voice a little more high pitched than hers. Her hand fell limp in yours; one of her hands covered  her mouth trying to hold back the knot that’s formed in her throat from the long awaited moment.

“I won.”

“You won,” you beamed turning to her wrapping your arms around her body. She embraced you twice as hard; you could feel her body shaking against yours and you consciously soothed her back rubbing gentle circles against the fabric clinging to her body.

“I’m so proud of you,” you whispered, your lips pressed on her cheek. It felt like it was just the two of you in that room. Until the uproar of congratulations and cheers rippled through the room. Everyone, safely present, wanting to embrace the Emmy award winning actress.

“How does it feel?” You asked coming up behind her as she wiped the last of her makeup off. A smile instantly took over her face watching you appear behind her in the mirror.

“Surreal,” she laughed softly. Her smile was sweet and humble, you could hardly even tell that she’d taken the award home.

“You’re so humble, baby.” You shook your head chuckling as you wrapped your arms around her waist. Her body relaxed against yours. She was a lot more calm and serene than she’d been earlier.

“I have something for you,” you remarked pulling her by her hand back into the bedroom. The bottle of champagne was resting on the bed, two glasses laid next to it. “To celebrate,” you half whispered turning to her. It wasn’t much, but you could see Zendaya’s face brighten. Her eyes were slightly watery as she squeezed your hand.

“Well what are we waiting for?” She squealed as you led her to the bed. She grabbed the glasses as you reached for the bottle. “Do you want to do the honors?” You asked moving the bottle in her direction. She squirmed giving you a scrunched smiley face.

“No. I’m scared,” she giggled motioning for you to open it.

The bottle popped and she squealed again squinting, raising the glasses towards you. You poured the flowing liquid into the glasses almost to the brim before placing the bottle on the nightstand. You took the glass she was handing you, taking a seat next to her.

Zendaya’s eyes had soften and it looked like she’d stopped breathing. Her chest barely moved.

“I think you’re the one who’s suppose to give a speech, but I wanted to say that you’re incredible and you leave me in awe with everything you do.” You gulped raising the glass toward her. She smiled sweetly trying to blink away the tears that were forming. The emotions she was feeling were overwhelming and your little speech didn’t help.

Your glasses clinked and you both took turns gulping down the bubbly liquid. Though Zendaya wasn’t a big drinker, she found the sensation pleasant. It mixed with the emotions that wanted to erupt from her body and her overwhelming desire to kiss you.

Your eyes watched her lips wrap around the glass as she chugged the champagne scrunching her eyebrows as she finished; discarding the glass on the floor, she launched towards you cupping your face.

Her lips caught you by surprise, but her lips were pleasant against yours and familiar. Her mouth was hungry for yours and you willingly caved into her. Your lips closed around hers before parting messily moving on hers.

You could taste the champagne on her tongue which was now competing with yours as you tried not to spill what was still in your glass.

“I’ll clean the carpet tomorrow,” Zendaya breathed against your lips unwrapping your fingers from the dainty glass pushing your body back on to the bed. Her slender legs rested on either side of your body as she intertwined your fingers; her mouth back on yours.

“Shouldn’t I be the one celebrating you?” You smirked against her lips as her body started moving against yours. You disconnected your lips from hers moving along her jaw before they ran down her neck. She moaned silently squeezing your hand.

In that moment of weakness, you pushed her off flipping your bodies so you were now dominating the situation. You heard her groan under you, but she willingly opened her legs so you could slide your between them. Your hands held hers, lifting them over her head. The small tank top she was wearing rode up her stomach and you salivated at the sight of her smooth honey coated skin.

“You’re incredible,” you whispered lowering your head towards her brushing the corner of her lips.

“Amazing,” you continued kissing her neck and along her collarbone.

“Talented,” you tugged on the straps of her tank kissing her shoulder.

“Compassionate,” your warm breath pierced her skin as your lips brushed against the soft parts of her breast. She shivered as her pussy clenched and her toes curled around the sheets.

You smoothly removed her shirt; she laid on the bed, her nipples exposed to dimly light room. Licking your lips, you lowered your head wrapping your mouth around one of her nipples. She groaned arching her back feeling her pussy tingle.

The palm of your hand rested on her other breast. You softly massaged her breast before pinching her nipple with your thumb and index finger. The sensation dragged yet another moan from her lips as her eyelids fluttered.

Wanting to taste every part of her body, you released her nipple quickly planting a kiss on her other breast. You then worked your way down her body, your lips ran down her torso. Tongue slightly dipping into her belly button before reaching the top of her shorts.

She was impatient; her thumbs were hooked into the waistband of her shorts as you helped pull them down. Her pussy was throbbing as you ran your middle finger over her wet lips. You fought the urge to slip a finger into her pussy. You wanted to taste her first.

She pushed her hips forward and you took the hint. Your mouth closed around her clit abruptly and she gasped placing a hand on your shoulder securely.

“Keep going,” she breathed looking down at you buried between her thighs. You happily obliged now rotating your tongue softly then more strategically around her clit. You could hear her breathing growing heavier as her hips ground against your tongue until you dipped it into her pussy.

“Fuck,” she groaned flexing her toes as she felt herself coming undone. The familiar electrifying sensation on the bed of her feet was now coursing up her legs, her pussy, all the way up her nipples.

“Are you going to cum?” You breathed against her pussy looking up at her. Your arms were hooked under her thighs securely as you felt her start to twitch.

“I’m close,” she hummed placing a hand on your head trying to push you back between her pussy.

“Wait,” You mumbled giving her a gentle kiss on her inner thigh. You rushed towards the nightstand rummaging through the drawer pulling out a discrete box.

You heard Zendaya mumble something, out of breath, as her hand traveled to her pussy. Her slender fingers softly caressed her clit then dove into her pussy. The sight alone could’ve made you cum, but you rapidly wrapped your fingers around her wrist removing it from her pussy.

Her fingers glistened with her built up. Her eyes challenged yours and without breaking eye contact you wrapped your mouth around her index and middle finger. Your tongue separated her fingers as you sucked them dry. The gesture only made Zendaya squirm even more; especially when she felt the dildo brush against her pussy.

“Are you going to let me cum?” She breathed letting her arms fall back on the bed as she clung to the sheets. You smirked sliding the dildo slowly into her pussy as you comfortably positioned yourself between her legs. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head as she felt it fill her up. You were angled in a way that was brushing perfectly against her g-spot. Every move and gesture made her toes curl and brought her closer to her climax.

While picking up the pace, your thrusts deep and hard, you buried your face into her neck sloppily kissing her salty skin once in a while. Her arms wrapped tightly around your back as you established a steady pace. One that was making her moan repetitively. The sound music to your ears.

“I’m going to-“ her voice faded as you thrust deep into her. The friction made your own pussy tingle.

“Cum for me,” you groaned against her cheek cradling her head now pressing your lips into her skin. Her fingers dug into your skin as you felt her convulse, shaking as the orgasm rushed through her body.

“Oh my god,” she groaned. Her voice deep and coarse from all the moaning, groaning, and pleas.

You followed close after falling slightly on her trying not to crush her. Your pussy twinged; you felt tight. You could only imagine was she was feeling as you slowly slid out of her.

“Now that was incredible,” she hummed blissfully. Her eyelids fluttered as her lips shakily formed a smile. Her hand weakly reached for you as you laid next to her struggling to take off the strap.

“Remind me to clean that tomorrow too,” she muttered as you let the strap drop on the floor with a thud.

“You’re an Emmy award winning actress. Millions of people worship the ground you walk on,” your voice vibrated against her cheek; you felt her face contort into a smile. “I will clean the carpet tomorrow,” you kissed her cheek.

“And the strap don’t forget,” she joked moving her body so you were holding her close. Your naked bodies molding into one. You kissed her shoulder before nuzzling your face into her sticky yet comforting skin.

She’d won that evening, but you’d already won the best thing life could offer. Her.

[dailyaudiobiblechronological]

6/10/2022 DAB Chronological Transcription

Proverbs 22 - 24

Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible Chronological, I'm China. Today is the 10th day of June, welcome. So great to be here with you today. Today we continue on in the book of Proverbs with chapters 22 - 24, and we continue on this week with the English Standard Version.

Commentary

I love in today's reading we read by wisdom a house is built and by understanding it is established. By knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches. That just feel so beautiful. To read that for a second I'm kind of like imagining my house and wisdom is building it, and understanding it is established, and knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches. I think this is a metaphor. But also to think about a house being built by these things and the rooms being filled, that would be a big deal to say like yeah, wisdom built my house, understanding it's, established he was here too. And then there's precious and pleasant riches that fill my rooms. You should go check it out. That would be so cool. And I think it's a metaphor saying that we are these houses that are built and by understanding and wisdom it is built and it's established. And with knowledge, the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches. And that we would be people that are filled with strength and a man of knowledge enhances his might, provide wise guidance you can wage your war and then abundance of counselors there's victory. I mean there's just so much goodness to reading the Proverbs the podcast would be days long if we tried to break each verse down and talked about what it's speaking to us. But that one in particular captivated me and it was just this imagery of like how imagine my house being built this way or wow, imagine myself being built this way. What if I were to really allow the Lord in the foundations of who I am, in the foundations of my faith and to restructure and to rebuild, and that's what it would look like.

Prayer

And so Father, I thank you for your word. I thank you for the image that you are giving us. I thank you for the images that you have given me. And Lord, I pray that we would be people who steward what you have shown us and what you've given us well. May we be people who speak freely and bountifully of all the good works that you have done and that you have shown that you've given us. And Lord, I just thank you for your wonders and your word and your might and the Holy Spirit that comes to comfort and guide and extort and honor. And Lord, may it be done in your glory and it's in your name we pray, amen.

Announcements

Dailyaudiobible.com is our website. That's the place of connections where you can see what's happening here in the community where you can get connected and stay connected. Be sure to check that out. If you have prayer requests or things that you are needing community to come alongside of you and encourage you and lift you up, you can call in 800-583-2164. That is all for today. I'm China. I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer Line

Hi DABC, it's Emmy from Illinois. Just calling in with appraise and just continued prayers but, my husband has been back to Church every week since Easter and last week we actually even went to a Church that he'd had some bad experiences at and had struggled with some forgiving of some people at the Church and he felt like he needed to take an extra step and forgive them in a way that was tangible by actually going back to Church there which was really cool and so just continue to pray that he would be open to hearing what God wants him to hear and convictions as well as for myself to continue. Obviously I'm not perfect either, so just prayers that I can be convicted in the ways that I've hurt our marriage as well as for us to both be open to growth and putting our marriage behind us and moving forward in a new marriage essentially. Our old marriage, not that we were divorced or anything, but our marriage prior to the last few years just needs to be done and we need to move forward so prayers that we can helpfully work through hurts and struggles from the past but still leave it in the past would be great. Yeah. I really appreciate your prayers. Thank you. Bye.

Hi, this is Pure Heart from Tennessee. I had just left Walmart and there was a young man that hit the door really hard on his way out and knocked it off track and I could just see the grimace and the anger in his face. So when I went in I noticed buggies turned over and displays knocked over and it was only because there was ten more minutes before customer service was to open and he wanted customer service. And right now I just want to pray for the people that leave themselves open for the enemy to use to kill, steal and destroy. Father God, I pray for this young man. I pray that you were given peace that passes all understanding. I put a hedge of protection around his mind and his heart and his spirit and soul. Lord God asking you to just anoint him with your spirit. Let him see Father God that you're greater than anything that this world would have to offer. And Father God I pray heavy protection around those that work in the public like grocery stores and service station fast foods for our officers and firefighters, anybody that works in the public. I just ask Father God, that you would just put a hedge protection around him and that you would defeat and confuse any assignment that Satan has for them in the name of Jesus and father God. I just thank you that even right now that you blessing and touching each and every one of my dad see family right now and asked that you'll just be with them.

Hey, DAB family, this is Roy from Ohio. I'm calling because my father's in the hospital right now. He felt some stomach pain and my mom had to drive him to the hospital. They should be back soon, but I just pray, ask for prayers for his health and recovery. I'm not 100% sure what he has. It's not the first time he said when I talked to him about it. I also pray for fire and for me to be more close to God. We love God more because I felt very distant and it's not because of him, but it's because of me because I've been doing things that I know I shouldn't be doing, and I get tempted and I do it and I know I shouldn't be having I'm just a mess. Please pray for me. Also pray for the dog my family got a few days ago. His name is Kai. We might have to run back tomorrow because we can't really take care of another dog, especially one like him. Then he's a lot of maintenance. So please pray for us and our family. Thank you.

Hey, my DABC family, this is Ashley from Texas. I called in, I want to say in January very distraught over being pregnant, not being married and, not wanting the child and all that craziness. And I just wanted to call in and tell you guys that when my prayer aired, and then I got this plethora of prayers from you guys, it was so overwhelming. It was like, oh, my God. And I was in such a terrible place at the time. We had broken up. I moved out, and I was very alone and very unhappy. And honestly, for a while there, I was the subject of many prayers, and it was like God was literally saying to me, I'm here, I'm taking care of you. You have not went without anything that you needed. And I really wanted to say thank you to all of your prayers. Just a quick update. I am officially 26 weeks today. I'll be seven months. Next week, my baby is going to be named Genesis Mackenzie young. We are obviously keeping her. We've decided to go to premarital counseling and get married, and we have started going to Church and trying to I've given my life to Christ. He's kind of on the fence, and so we're working through that. And I just wanted to come in and tell you guys, thank you so much. I'm still listening. I'm still praying for you guys. Love you.

[randomnameless]

There was a “joke” post that circulated about lords siding with a certain person (the result is... no one picks her path), and I didn’t want to reblog it with serious thoughts - and I was like, the second any Lord hears about certain ideas regarding another race, they’d bail out immediately.

While fantastic racism is still racism, the main issue depicted in the game (but hidden or not picked upon because framing is a thing) is coexistence.

... Right ?

Each time Edel harps about “creatures” it is because she thinks they are controlling Fodlan, or are just living here with humans :

“You are a child of the goddess. You must not be allowed power over the people”

“Should the one leading the people of the world be someone with humanity or a creature that can merely masquerade as a human at will?”

A redditer once put it in simple terms, but it feels like the “Separate but Equals” doctrine, with all its implications - creatures should not have power over humans, but humans are allowed to have power over them.

Creatures are not allowed to live near human settlments and are allowed to “retire” from the world, but banned from interacting with it.

So while I do not think CF!Edel is going to destroy Macuil, who is living in Sreng (unless she uses him as a pretense, she will send troops to free her Sreng allies from his evil yoke and forget to pull them back when the bird’s dead?), CF!Edel still has the ominous

“You could have had a peaceful life... Why did you have to come to Garreg Mach?”

when pitted against... Flayn.

If Flayn never came to Garreg Mach, she would have been allowed to live a peaceful life, but far from... humans? Humanity? Civilisation?

But this? This is what we are supposed to think!

Bar the, um, ludicrousness of thinking Flayn rules over humans, especially since the person thinking this is the leader of the country who gave the biggest middle finger to the Church, there is the Indech paralogue.

No matter how many twists or paperwork involved, the fact is the BE knows Edel will terminate Indech. Euphemisms like “It will be troublesome” cannot shake the feeling that since day 1, Edelgard, who said she wishes to obliterate Children of the Goddess because they are controlling the world, obliterates many things to get control of various countries, but not Children of the Goddess.

Dimitri and Claude must disappear for Fodlan to be united, thus to gain control over the world, but Rhea? Why is she on the hit-list, especially after having been driven away from Garreg Mach and not having any power over “the people” anymore?

Again, CF is very revealing about her views on Children of the Goddess, even if the lolcalisation team tried to smooth the angles :

In the localised version, against Rhea, during their final fight, she says :

So it's true. You don't value human life at all. Isn't that right, Immaculate One? 

But in the original, jp, version, she says this instead :

やはり、貴方が大事なのは人ではないのね。 “白きもの”……女神の眷属よ !

After the “Immaculate One”, Edel pauses and adds... Child/ren of the Goddess.

So it isn’t Rhea, the IO, who doesn’t “value human life at all”, nope. It’s something inherent to all “children of the goddess” (or other reading, Edel thinks CoG is an insult, which... doesn’t help her case.at.all.).

From a doylist POV, I can see why this only comes late in the game, and was hidden, in CF at least, because Billy has to be misguided, starting with “I hate children of the goddess because they abuse power”.

Then it becomes “I hate children of the Goddess because they have power over humans”.

The ultimate CF golden nugget, is “I hate children of the Goddess because they do not value human life”. Indech’s paralogue (meaning you recruited someone else from the usual BE member, hinting at a second PT?) heavily suggests “I hate children of the Goddess, even if they don’t have power over humans”.

So, both to fit with the theme Billy’s lied to in CF and because finding justifications to hide why you hate a different race/species is what is commonly done to hide your most hideous opinions, Edel couldn’t have started CF saying, overtly, “I hate Children of the Goddess, they’re not like us, look they don’t value human lives!” - Watsonian wise... if the game didn’t have big issues with framing, it would sound weird because, hm, Flayn was a member of their House and apparently managed to get along with several people, you do not bother to get along with people you don’t care about and/or value.

But in a way, isn’t it, just the same thing?

By hiding behind “I don’t mind them, just hidden from my eyes and without influence over the world”, it doesn’t remove the main issue, coexistence with Nabateans is impossible.

Let it be their physical or spiritual presence, their existence is outright rejected - as I pointed out in an earlier post, wanting to get rid of “crests” effectively means, wanting to get rid of Nabateans.

“They” are not like “us”. They do not value our lives (or being called a “Child of the Goddess” is an insult).

This is where the most beautiful redshit takes grow, from the “it isn’t racist to call them beast because they technically are “beasts”” - I am sure if I call you an evolved paramecia, even if it might be technically true, you will not feel honored - to the emmy worthy takes “Nabateans are responsibles for what happened to them, it’s their fault because they flaunted their superpowers”.

As an evil person said :

Everyone has something that is unacceptable within them. I certainly do, and I'd wager you do as well.

I wonder which is best, Professor... To cut away that which is unacceptable, or to find a way to accept it anyway...

Post CF, Nabateans are effectively cut away, since their existence was unacceptable. Let it be physically or condamned to a life in hiding.

For someone who cannot accept Nabateans, the most suitable ending is to remove her love interest’s nabatean blood, Billy can reject their blood, their life support and even their tacky hair!

i forgot the point i wanted to make  In the FE series, coexistence is always sought after, let it be between two different species, or two different nations, or even two different people and their visions. In FE16? No one gives a frick about this issue, even when it is the leitmotiv of the primary force in the game (save for the aforementionned evil person).

We can even say this game, with its hard-on for unification, gives a negative answer - there is no need to accept the unacceptable or to try to get along or to coexist with others, if others are part of you.

CF at least had the balls to drop the mic and go full “you should cut away the things you cannot accept”, while it can be foggy at first, it hits hard when the “things you cannot accept” are... a group of people.

Tl; Dr : When usual lords pick the “find a way to accept and get along with everyone”, Edel fully embraces the “cut away and destroy it”, even if this mindset leads to finishing Nemesis’s party and removing Nabateans from Fodlan. The game doesn’t challenge it though, and it’s a pity.

[sammysdewysensitiveeyes]

"Hand me that loofah."

Keeping his face carefully averted, Pyro picked up the sponge, and tossed in Fabian’s general direction.

An angry “Watch it, you idiot!” indicated that the loofah had struck it’s intended target. Then there was a low chuckle.

“I get it. You’re a married man, after all. You can’t bear to look upon me, lest you completely lose your self-control. Don’t feel bad, you’re hardly the first.”

Pyro was, in fact, struggling not to lose his self-control, but was fighting the urge to vomit.

“You should have invited me to the wedding,” Fabian continued, accompanied by splashing sounds as he apparently flopped around in the tub. “Are we not friends?”

That sentence was technically true the way Fabian had phrased it.

“Yes,” Pyro responded simply.

“But I can understand that, too,” Fabian continued. “You didn’t want to be upstaged at your own nuptials, and my presence certainly would have captured all the attention.”

“Dominic and I thought you might be a bit too busy,” Pyro said, although the truth was less “thought” and more “hoped.” “We didn’t want to intrude on your valuable time.” He was absolutely going to relay this whole horrible conversation to Avalanche tonight over drinks, with a very exaggerated impression of Cortez.

“Well, I always make time for the little people!” Fabian exclaimed magnanimously. “Hand me that towel.” Water sloshed and Pyro was hit with a fine spray as Cortez stood up in the tub. At least it sounded like he was standing up, Pyro wasn’t going to look. He grabbed the nearest towel and thrust it blindly at the demanding voice.

A hand grabbed his wrist and yanked Pyro around, so that he was face to face with a dripping, naked Fabian Cortez, with soap suds sloughing off his glistening body. It was actually a very nice body, that was the worst part, with with a “package” that partially explained the man’s unearned confidence. But the smarmy, arrogant smile completely ruined the picture.

“Looking’s free, you know,” Fabian grinned.

Directing credit, Pyro thought fiercely to himself. Executive producer.

“Why don’t I give you some privacy to get dressed?” He said aloud, plastering a fake smile on his face. This would all be worth it when show’s profits started coming in, and then Pyro would get himself and Dominic matching His and His jet-skis.

He still wasn’t entirely sure how he wound up in this position. It had started with Shinobi pitching a reality show to the Council, which had somehow, inexiplicably, gotten a majority approval vote, possibly because Krakoa hadn’t been attacked in the last few weeks and the Council was bored. It was Survivor meets the Bachelor, in which groups of male and female mutants competed to win the hand of the handsome, debonair, and, most importantly, ridiculously wealthy Shinobi Shaw, through date nights and dinners and pointless jungle challenges of strength and skill.

Pyro had just made a few innocent comments, that was all. Just a couple of suggestions to Emma, who had wound up saddled with the bulk of the responsibility, about story arcs and pairings and how to arrange scenes for maximum drama and pathos. He understood that stuff, after all, as a romance novelist it was his bread and butter. (And he was a bit of a soap opera fanatic, but he wasn’t going to admit that freely.) Emma had listened with an eager, almost hungry glint in her eyes, and there had been a short conversation that had somehow ended with Pyro agreeing to serve as a writer, director and general creative supervisor, in exchange for a percentage of the profits and fairly massive salary. (Massive to Pyro, anyway, probably a drop in the bucket to Emma “Swimming in the money bin” Frost.)

And it actually had been kind of fun. “Reality” TV presented a unique challenge, in that he wasn’t allowed to directly tell the “performers” what to say, but he could do absolutely anything else to construct his creative vision. He could ask leading questions in the talking head interviews, edit scenes by splicing completely unrelated shots together, and put volatile contestants in a room with plenty of alcohol, then poke at them until they exploded.

Unfortunately, his duties had somehow gradually expanded to include talent-wrangling both on and off-set, which left him stuck making nice with Fabian Cortez, the most “colorful” (obnoxious) and, unfortunately, most popular, of all the contestants. Iceman would probably win the show as the nice, relatable, boy-next-door type, but Fabian was what kept viewers tuning in.

“Oh, that’s quite all right,” Fabian purred. He contorted his body as he toweled himself off, appearing to pose for nonexistant cameras. “I’m a generous man, I can spare you a bit of eye candy, even if our relationship must remain professional.”

“Yes, that would be best. Listen, we need you to do another challenge with Sienna Blaze.”

Fabian’s “generosity” quickly withered away.

“I will NOT get in front of a camera with that maniac! Such an uptight, ill-mannered, man-hating – well, I’m too much of a gentleman to use the word that she so richly deserves! She nearly killed me last time! Over a simple compliment!”

Yes, Pyro remembered it well. Fabian’s near barbeque had garnered record-high ratings. And hopefully tossing them into a mud-pit together in bathing suits would produce similarly explosive results.

“Oh yes, I know, Fabian,” Pyro cooed, hating himself a little. “She’s very difficult, and you’ve been such a professional about it.” He pulled up comforting mental images as he spoke. Jet-skis. Wagyu steak. Insanely expensive whiskey. Him and Dominic having a long honeymoon in Bali, Sydney, Seoul and Tokyo. All those zeros at the end of the check that Emma had given him.

“Well, a professional shouldn’t have to put up with this kind of shabby treatment!” Fabian said haughtily. He was finally wrapping the towel around his waist, to Pyro’s great relief. “I asked for Norwegian strawberries in my dressing room, and that idiot assistant brought me French!”

“I’ll look into it,” Pyro assured him, fully intending to send Fabian the exact same strawberries (which were, in fact, grown on Krakoa) with his apologies and a fake Norweigian label.

He had a vague notion in the back of his head that Emma should be handling this, Emma was supposed to be in charge! And yet she’d gradually eased the responsibility into Pyro’s arms, only sashaying onto set once every few weeks for a “status report,” and spending the rest of the time off performing mysterious and supposedly very important duties for the Hellfire Trading Company and the Council. She never picked up her phone or responded to voice mails.

It was okay, though. Pyro could handle this. He was a damn writer, and he was good at it, and he would poke and prod his stars through the storyline he had planned, because he was absolutely brilliant. Even Emma had said so.

“Anyway, don’t worry about Blaze,” Pyro insisted, his voice dripping with sticky-sweet honey. “We’ve given her a talking to about her behavior.” He had done no such thing. “I’m sure she’ll be much nicer to work with. In fact, we think the audience will really enjoy you putting her in her place. Really demonstrate your masculine superiority.” Was that too much? They couldn’t have Fabian dying on camera, after all, even though it would be hilarious.

“Well, I should hope so!” Fabian said, rubbing lotion carefully across his pecs. “I’m obviously carrying this entire show, and I will be treated with the respect I deserve.”

“You know,” Pyro added slyly, “I think she’s actually got a bit of a crush on you. You know how some women are.” No, this was definitely too much. Oh well, they could edit around Fabian’s inevitable death and resurrection, and in the mean time they’d get some amazing footage.

“Oh, of course,” Fabian said, with a leering understanding creeping across his face. “I suspected from the very beginning. She couldn’t handle my raw sensuality.”

“Who can, really?” Pyro hated this, he really hated every second of having to pull on the polite mask of social niceties and insincere compliments. It always seemed almost obscene. May as well just flip the other fellow over and start tongueing his arsehole, right? Except that was actually fun in the right circumstances.

But he’d done it before, as a journalist dealing with self-important sources, as a novelist schmoozing with publishers and book sellers. He could do it now, for the astronomical salary that Emma was paying him, and for the Prime Time Emmy Award for Outstanding Competition Program that was hovering in his sights. Emma had assured him that it was a strong possibility. Just imagine rubbing that in the faces of all the critics who had called him a talentless hack! They’d say…well, they’d probably say that an Emmy for trashy reality TV was the highest possible honor for a hack like him, but Pyro wouldn’t give a fuck, because he’d have an Emmy and they wouldn’t.

“C’mon, then, we’ll give you a quick touch-up with bronzer. We’re shooting the scene in fifteen minutes.” Pyro began to guide Fabian, still clad in only a towel, towards the bathroom door.

“We’ll shoot the scene when I’m ready, and not a second before!” Fabian insisted. It would probably be another hour of Fabian demanding and sending back expensive snacks before they could even get him to the set. Luckily, they were actually scheduled to shoot the scene in two hours.

“Yes, of course, whatever you want,” Pyro wheedled, imagining the satisfying explosion of flesh and blood that would very likely occur when Fabian and Sienna Blaze came into contact. And Fabian was going to do it, that much was clear now. “I know you’ll do a fantastic job. You’re brilliant you know, absolutely brilliant……”

For a moment, Pyro trailed off as a crack opened in his mental wall, and memories slipped out into the light. Emma pouring more wine into his glass during their monthly meetings, assuring him again and again that he was absolutely brilliant, a true artist, that the show would thrive in his capable hands.

“No, that’s completely different,” Pyro muttered to himself, shaking his head.

“What was that?” Fabian twisted around, the towel slipping dangerously low on his hips.

“Oh, nothing,” Pyro exclaimed brightly, slamming the mental wall shut again. “Now, let’s get you into make-up, ya big handsome star!”