#i care IMMENSLY...or not at all

[gods-fear-what-cant-be-controled]

Found family is when my heart touches yours and they melt together really well. When we're close but haven't talked in a while but can pick it back up with ease. When you know what's in my heart and I know what's in yours. It's as gentle and small as a joke about how we're so family coded and as intense as everything shared and not shared between two people. Found family is when I look at you and smile and laugh and feel at ease for a little bit and decide I want to stick around. Found family is when I hold my heart out to you and you break off a little peice and carry it around with you no matter what happens or what happens between us. Found family is when our hearts touch and meld together really well

[fanon-elio]

Can I request a fluffy where Lycaon takes care of the reader with menstrual cramps? I need comfort, I can't stand the pain anymore. (⁠´⁠°̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥⁠ω⁠°̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥⁠｀⁠)

Absolutely! I hope you'll get better soon!

-•*Lycaon taking care of Reader with menstrual cramps*•-

Tag: Green Letter (Sfw)

Warnings: none

Not proofread.

It was such a beautiful day outside. The sun was shining, bringing a strong vibrancy to the City. But as everyone was out and about, getting that healthy dose of vitamine D, you were sitting in your apartment. Fucking miserable.

You'd love to go outside to catch some of those healthy rays of light, but right now you had other troubles as you lay around with your bodily anatomy bullying you relentlessly.

Ah yes, it was that time of the month again, where your period knocked on your door like a fucking loan shark ready to collect your dept. Normally your period cramps weren't something your trusty friend the Ibuprofen couldn't handle, but not today it seems.

This time your cramps were really bad.

You felt like you swallowed glass shards, and then stumbled down a flight of stairs. Your back ached, your thighs ached, and your lower abdomen hurt like shit. It was as if your uterus had a vendetta against you, slowly beating you up from the inside as every stinging shot of pain was basically it asking "where's the Baby bitch?"

Even just getting your morning routine done had been a fight! Not just because your shower had looked like after one. The warm water had felt absolutely wonderfull as it eased your pain, but all was ruined by the smell of blood that made you immensly uncomfortable. You cringed when you remembered how you basically turned your poor shower into a saw trap.

'I want to play a game' you can fuck right off!

After calling in sick for work, getting into a fresh pair of sweatpants, and equipping yourself with a warm water bottle, you plopped down on your sofa where you had remained for pretty much the entire morning as you watch some repetitive game show. You sigh, feeling that the bottle had lost its warming, and thus pain relieving attributes again. But you weren't willing to shrimp-walk your way back into the kitchen to boil some more water, so instead you just readied yourself to perish.

Then a knock on your door caught your attention. You sighed as you buried your face in your sofa cussion, internally preparing yourself for the stranious task of 'standing up.' You throw your blanket over yourself, completing your accidental witch cosplay before strudding over to the front door to greet the unfortunate Hensel or Gretel, who would now unwillingly become a victim of your justified bad mood.

You rip the door open, expecting one of your neighbors asking your for eggs or some shit, but come face to face with Lycaon's fluffy white fur. You purse your lips, trying to process the current situation as both of you just stared at eachother for a moment "good morning y/n" he speaks, a tinge of uncertainty in his voice at your current vibe "a-ah. Hi Lycaon! How are you doing?" You ask, embarassment creeping onto your face which was almost as red as... well you already know.

"I am well, but you seem quite beside you" he says, and you wondered if the bags under your eyes, or your awkward posture had given you away. "Oh no no I'm totally fine!" You exclaim, he just looks you up and down before sighing. "I brought you something, maybe it'll lift your mood?" He gestures to the box under his arm, and you relent, stepping to the side as a silent way of inviting him in which gains you a polite little "thank you" from him.

On one hand you could drop to your knees in prayer for the fact that this fine-as-hell-man came to check on you, but on the other you felt mortified of your friend turned crush witnessing you in such a state.

"Just know that it's an absolute mess in here" you warn him, and wince like a vampire as he opened the curtains. You make your way towards the kitchen, feeling like a terrible host for not having offered him any real hospitality "Would you like something to drink? Water? Tea? ...Vodka?" He tries to speak up as he watched you awkwardly try to reach for the box of tea in your upper cuppboard, dispite your current rather pitiful form. He looks around the room, noticing the previously mentioned dissaray before he approaches, wanting to stop you before you try climbing on your kitchen counter. He sets the box down on the counter next to you, his pressence behind you halting your actions before he puts a hand on your shoulder "why don't you go lie down?" He asks softly in your ear, and you blush at his closeness.

You opened your mouth, wanting to object, but he was having none of that. He bend down a little before sweeping you off your feet, carying you back to the sofa, and sitting you down on it before covering you in blankets and pillows. You look up at him, while he raised his eyebrow as a silent way of telling you to 'stay.'

Accepting your fate, you lean back and cast your eyes back on the TV while he tidies up your livingroom a bit. It still felt a bit awkward to have Lycaon dote over you like that, but it also made butterflies erupt in your stomach. You doze off for a moment, before you feel the sofa tip as Lycaon sat down next to you. He hands you a water bottle wrapped in a dish cloth, warning you of its temperatur before sitting the box in his lab and lifting the lid off.

To your surprise, it was filled with your favorite snacks, painkillers, different flavours of tea, and a heapful of movies. "Damn! You came prepared alright" you tell him, noticing they way his ear twitched. You grab one of the movies from the box and looked at it "Pork peak huh? Didn't know your liked horror movies" you joked, and he chuckled "I picked these up at Random play earlier, I'm friends with the managers there so they gave me a discount" you nodded, the warmth of the bottle in your hands soothing the stinging ache in your abdomen.

But the more you thought about the box and the water bottle, the more you wondered how he knew to prepare all of this. You haven't told him about your cramps, so how did he know? "How did you know to prepare all of this?" You ask. Lycaon turns his head to you before clearing his throat "I uhm... I could smell it. The blood I mean" he explains, averting his gaze. Your face was burning, internally facepalming yourself for forgetting that he was infact a Wolf thiren, so of course his sense of smell was superb. "Everyone has a distinct smell, and I had noticed yours changing a week prior" he explains "I hope you don't think of me as a creep now" he says, but you pull the big oaf into a hug "no, not at all. I think it's really sweet of you!" He returned your embrace, and you could hear the sound of Lycaon's tail thumbing against the sofa.

"I uhm... just hope the smell doesn't bother you" you start, but he stops you "please, there is no need to worry" he reassures you "the smell of blood doesn't bother me." Lycaon grabbs the tea from the box before making his way back to the kitchen. You turn around and lean over the arm of the sofa, watching him as he stood in your kitchen preparing a pot of tea for the both of you.

Your eyes wandered from him to his vest that layed neatly folded over one of your kitchen chairs. At first you had assumed that he had actually taken a day off for once, but scratched that thought because if he really did, he wouldn't be here in work attire. "I hope you don't mind me asking..." you start, watching his ear rotate towards you as a sign that he was listening "what about work?" You ask, watching him remove the tea filter "I don't mind don't worry, I had just gotten off my night shift, and have the rest of the day off" he replied. "And since I had been in the area anyways, I thought I might pay you a visit" he lies, unbeknownst to you. In reality he had been looking foreward to spending time with you, even if his commission had been on the other side of the city. You smiled, looking at the box sitting on your coffee table "you're a real gentleman, thank you" you say, internally swooning over how cute he was when his tail started swishing from side to side at your compliment.

"I still kinda feel bad though, you must be dead tired" you told him, but he was quick to ease your worry "don't worry it's alright, besides..." his movement halted just for a slight moment before he continued "I really like spending time with you" he spoke, his tail wagging evers so slighty faster. Grabbing 2 cupps and the tea pot, Lycaon made his way back over to you, pouring you a cup before handing it to you. You take a sip, releasing a relieved sigh as he putts one of the movies on. You pat the spot next to you, urging him to sit.

The hours melted away, your tea cups as well as the pot sitting empty on your coffee table as you binch through the stack of movies Lycaon had brought. Said wolf thiren was sitting next to you, fighting to keep his eyelids from falling shut. Even though he had assured you that you wouldn't have to feel bad, you still couldn't quite shake off the feeling. But an idea comes to your mind, as you call out to him "If you want, you can lie down and rest" you tell him. It has been a heat of the moment kind of suggestion, since your sofa was so small, the only way for him to lie down properly was with his head on your lap.

But much to your astonishment, he plops his head right on your thighs, releasing a sigh of relief. Unbeknownst to you, he was blushing just as severly as you did, with him having the benefit of his fur covering it from your eyes. "You... may pet me if you like" he speaks, his voice low and filled with weariness. And you oblige, your fingers gently combing through his soft fur, and carefully scratching behind his ear.

Soon you forgot completely about your cramps, with Lycaon's soft snoring capturing all your attention as you considere taking a picture of him before sleep would claim you too.

...

Lycaon's eye cracks open, taking in the surrounding darkness of your living room. He wonders what time it is, with the sun seeming to have said goodbye hours ago, now replaced by the moon's light as it shone peacefully through your window. He knows he should have been home hours ago, but as he looked down at your sleeping form; your head lying on his chest, your own steadily raising and falling with every breath you took.

He knew that he was already home.

*•*•*•*•*

I hope this was to your liking! To the other people who have requested something. Don't worry I haven't forgotten about you.

-Elio

[slaaverin]

JM's gotta be in love or strong like or something. He has taken every punch, every slander, every defamation, every lie, every leech allegation, every fanservice allegation, every harassment, every insult, thrown his way in stride, over his relationship with JK and guess what. He is still there By JK's side. Still flirting with him openly. Still next to him. Still talking about him openly, knowing he gets hate every time and pisses everyone off, every time. Still making big life decisions with JK, like enlisting with him. Proving to not only JK, but to the world full of haters, that he is not going anywhere. His love, platonic or more for JK, outweighs your hate. This is how you know its not fanservice and its something real and genuine. Most people would fold under that kind of pressure, if it was only over a friend or coworker and would try to make things easier on themself and not keep enduring the mental bullying that he has, and would maybe take a step back. Not this man tho. NOPE. He is still there rolling with the punches, even when he doesn't have to be, right by JK's side without a care in the world. So whatever JK is to JM and means to him or how he sees JK (ONLY he knows) he has proven to everyone, whatever it is, it's worth it and its real and that he's not going anywhere. That's loyalty. That's pure love. Good for him for standing on business, while the world burns and meltdowns around him, cause they haven't been able to break him or Jikook after all their attempts, cause he won't let them. Imagine hating someone so much who don't give af about you or your tears. We stan a IDGAF king. Love that for JM.

Well anon you were prophetic (this ask was received yesterday I believe) bcs today really reinforced everything you said.

He doesn't give a single fuck about anything and anyone.

It shows he really put their relationship above any petty fighting and drama and honestly I'M SO HAPPY. We stan a king who can put proper healthy boundaries for his private life.

And his loyalty is there to stay 🥹

I have a feeling this is just the beginning.

I'm so grateful Jimin & Jungkook have each other. They deserve each other in all the ways. Their love is not to be proven anymore.

Jimin is immensly brave and strong and fierce, and I admire him so much for this.

The haters will never win. Because they can't take what Jimin has, his character and how he shines as the person he is. Jimin has immense qualities nobody will ever take away. Especially if he doesn't let them.

Glad he and Jungkook will still remain unbothered going forward.

It's either that or giving their power away, but if they did they would have nothing left but despair. So the only way was to keep that power and become stronger in their individuality (I know from experience). They are doing it brillantly and it deserves applause.

I'm so proud of them both 💜👏🏻🥹

& despite the haters Jimin is here to stay whether they like it or not

[serawritesthings]

CRAVE THE ROSE

summary: you were Arthur’s own slice of heaven in a world where it felt like everything he did brought him a step further to hell. pairing: arthur morgan x fem! reader tags: content 18+ minors dni, unprotected piv sex word count: 6.1k

a/n: hello, lovelies! I'm finally done with my first fic; I hope it's worth a read. Please let me know what you think; I would much appreciate it!♡

Most nights at Horseshoe Overlook were quiet, ignoring Uncle's snoring and the girl’s quiet gossiping. Often, you joined them, finding their conversations amusing. You discovered that Mary-Beth, Tilly, and Karen had a wild imagination and a wilder sense of humor.

Unfortunately, they decided you would be the object of their gossip lately. More so, you and Arthur. Your relationship appeared to be very interesting to them, and they weren’t shy of making it known as they teased you for the man’s apparent infatuation with you.

Because of that, you remain behind a tree by the horses, mulling. You had no interest in speaking to the girls tonight, scared they would bother you. You didn't wish to be the center of gossip instead of the one chitchatting.

Sitting alone for the first time in a while allowed your thoughts to take over. You worried for him immensly, just like you always did when it came to Arthur. It wasn’t like your concern came from nothing, finding that trouble always followed him.

More times than not, he came home bloodied and bruised, and sometimes he didn’t come home at all. It made you feel useless to only stay in camp and think of every what-if that could happen to the unpredictable man, but you couldn't help it.

There was a lingering feeling of certainty when you met Arthur. You knew you were the same - you bruise a little easier than most, though in different places. The hurt manifested somewhere far inside of him, a place where his walls were so high you weren’t sure even he could put a crack in it. But something about him wormed itself into your heart and manifested the passage that led to your deepest thoughts and feelings.

"Whatcha doin' out here, honey?" A voice strapped with roughness spoke out behind you, surprising you. You glanced at Arthur towering over you, granting him an exasperated stare, although your heart sang at the sight of him in one piece.

"I'm hiding." He raised his eyebrow, looking entertained, settling his hands on his belt. 

"Now, what are you hidin' from?" A smirk appeared on his lips while he shook his head.

"The girls." A melancholy expression appeared on your face.

"Your hiding from… the girls?"

"Well, yes. It seems gossiping about us has become their favorite amusement." To speak about it made you scrunch your nose. You knew it was childish, but you were too irritated to care.

"I guess women never change, eh?" He studied you with a knowing smile while crouching down, touching your knee tenderly. You only scoffed at him.

"You gonna stay cooped up here like an angry little ball of fire all night?" He offered you his hand, snickering.

"Yes." Peering forward with sharp eyes, you avoided his hand.

Arthur chuckled as he gently placed his hand under your chin, gazing into your eyes. Your pout made him frown, and swiftly he tossed you over his shoulder and began walking.  

"I ain't lettin’ you linger out here all night. " You gasped, eyes facing the ground, feeling his shoulder jab into your stomach with every step.

"Now, just what do you think you're doing?!" A screech escaped you while Arthur only laughed, giving your rear a playful slap. 

"They'll see us!"

"They're drunk and asleep; calm your horse's missy."

Your eyes grew small at his comment, and you tried thinking of a way to make him release you. Lifting your hands, you grabbed the back of his pants, trying to push them down his hips. He chuckled at you and kept walking.

"Now, what do you think you're doin´?" He readjusted your squirming frame against his broad shoulder.

"It's okay, though; I like you a little feisty." 

"Oh, I'll show you feisty." You continued trying to push his pants down further.

You kept bickering on the path to Arthur's tent. He was correct; there wasn’t a single person awake. You could see the smug smirk on his face when he realized he was right, but he focused on keeping his pants up, which proved futile. What a sight you two were. 

He chuckled as he placed you on his bed, standing tall over your small frame. Amid your anger, now forgotten after your lighthearted bickering, you had failed to remember how much you missed him. Arthur had been away for a long time, leaving you to worry about him constantly. It made you feel useless, never knowing where or what he was doing. But he was here now, which instantly lifted your spirits.

Raising the corners of your mouth into a soft smile, you looked up at him through your lashes, grabbing his gun belt and bringing him closer to you till you felt the chilly surface of his buckle against your cheek. Putting your arms around his waist, you rested your cheek against his middle and sighed.

"Are ya done trying to pull my pants down now?" Arthur only raised his eyebrow, wondering where the feisty girl went.

"Mm." The fabric of his jeans silenced your voice as you relished in what was solely Arthur.

"I missed you so much." Your tone suddenly wavered, and you wrapped your arms tighter around him. It felt like he would disappear from you.

Feeling his coarse hand land softly on your head, he ran his fingers through your hair that was soft under his palms. Arthur wasn't good at feelings and often found himself tongue-tied when you spoke to him like this. His heart churned at your sudden display of emotions.

He missed you more than you could possibly know and spent most of the chilly nights in the wilderness, missing your soft voice and warm hands he had grown accustomed to. Before you, it didn’t matter where he was since his home was where he put his bedroll.

Now, though, his home was in your warm embrace. The ghost of your eyes tormented his every move, prodding him to return to you so the glimpses he thought he caught of you would become a reality. 

How well you knew your Arthur. He was always quick with words but never with you. When you started paying attention to one another, dragging the words out of him required much effort. Stubborn as a mule, he was.

"Ah, I missed ya too, honey." His voice grew rough as he looked down at you. A warm feeling coursed through you at his words, pressing your cheek further against the cloth of his jeans, face illuminated by the lamp on the worn bedside table. The light bounced off the closed tent, creating a warm atmosphere.

Keeping close to Arthur, you looked up at him and staring back at you was a man with warm, soft-blue eyes and tousled honey-blond hair escaping his hat, looking slightly longer since you last saw him. Your chest tightened at the look he gave you, making you feel like the most precious thing he had ever seen. 

Now, standing between one of your legs, you felt small beneath his tall frame. He felt many things watching you beneath him, face resting on the side of his hips, face too close to his guns for his liking, but he didn't move away. He felt all his limbs grow heavier when he observed you, finding only you to have this effect on him. 

Your palms grazed the guns at his sides, being careful when lifting them from the holsters. They were heavier than you expected, not familiar with holding the weighty metal of a gun. The coarse leather of his gloves grasped your hands and lifted them with you, putting them on the bedside table.

A shrill ran through you, watching him grab them. He looked intimating, handling them like second nature compared to your unsure hands. It reminded you of the kind of man he was, or rather the man he had to be.

He could tell you felt wary; a familiar feeling of protectiveness he always directed towards you surging through him. You smiled slightly and stared at him through your lashes, palm stroking his thigh gently. He could feel himself melt at your behavior, realizing you were teasing him; testing the waters.

Most times, being intimate together went about the same way as you were inexperienced, and Arthur not wanting to make you uncomfortable. But he could feel the air had changed, making him stiff with intrigue and curiosity.

The tension in the tent was searing as you unbuckled his belt, letting it fall to the floor with a heavy thud. You were used to him taking control, but you felt unusually bold in his presence this night. Suddenly, Arthur suddenly lifted you to stand on the bed, making you tower over him as a breathless laugh left you.

Putting both of your hands on his stubby cheeks, he wrapped his arms around your middle, breathing in your sweet scent as he pulled you closer. Your stomach churned at having him this close, feeling his warm breath fan over you, making your nipples stiffen against the closeness of his mouth.

Slowly, he enclosed his mouth around your nipple, covered by the fabric of your blouse–being this close it proved hard for him not to. You closed your eyes at the sudden feeling, thumbs gently stroking the scruff of his beard as he grazed his tongue over your clothed bosom wantonly.

You lifted your trembling leg to rest at his side, his arm immediately coming to rest on your backside, bringing you closer to him. He caressed you tenderly as you felt him press his tongue over your thin blouse, making you moan slightly under your breath. 

Opening your eyes, you looked down at him, the sight more erotic than anything you have ever seen. He held your gaze through hazy eyes, his reddening lips glistening slightly with saliva, resting on the now wet patch on your shirt. You lifted your hands, grabbed ahold of the hat almost falling off his head, and dropped it to the ground.

Running your fingers through his tousled hair, you brushed the wild pieces behind his ear, unkempt by his hat. He rumbled appreciatively at your action and you felt the rough leather from his gloves sneaking under your shirt that was folded into your skirt, finally touching your skin.

You were always so soft, and most of the time, he felt undeserving to touch something so perfect with his rough, unlawful hands, roughened by the hardship his life had brought onto him. Never should anyone who has done such malicious things put their hands on you–yet here he was, soiling you.

Your soft skin felt heavenly under his rugged palm as if delicate hands sculpted it with adoration so stout there couldn’t be a more beautiful creation than the one standing before him. He felt shameful but didn't have the strength to pull away; he never did. It felt too good to touch you, almost bordering on torture, the way he kept crawling after you like a starved man never getting enough.

Arthur tightened his grip on you, paying attention to your other side with his mouth, moving slowly as your breath hitch. You let your head fall over him, resting your cheek on the top of his head that you now cradled, enjoying the moment while wishing you could be in his arms forever.

Running your hands over his broad shoulders, you suddenly felt something wet touch your fingers. You perked up, looking at your hands. Covering your fingertips was a dark red substance. It was sticky like it had been there for a while.

"Arthur." You murmured, a light worry detectable in your voice. He didn't answer you, instead grabbing your thighs and hoisting you up his waist, burying his head in your chest. You wanted to giggle at him and probably would have if concern didn't seep into your mind.

"Arthur" Your voice was low, this time sounding more collected. 

"It ain't my blood, darlin’," he mumbled, voice muffled by the fabric. You felt yourself relax, content no one had hurt him, but it left you wondering whose blood it was. "Don't you worry your pretty little head bout that," he said, like he could read your mind. 

Arthur sat on the bed and it creaked under his weight, keeping you on his lap with your legs at either side of his thick thighs. He pushed your hesitant hips snugly against his, letting out a hum of appreciation, finally feeling your weight where he wanted you most.

Lifting his head from your chest, he gave you a look-over, and what a sight you were. Blush covered your cheeks as you looked at him with blissful but still worrisome eyes, a slight pink shade running down your neck into the cleavage of your blouse.

You brought your face close to his, feeling the roughness of his beard scrape against your cheeks as you leaned in, the worrying thoughts long gone as you felt his large hands slither into your skirt, kneading the soft flesh harshly under his palm.

You squeaked quietly, surprised by the sudden contact, your lips pausing, barely touching as you breathed in each other's air as your head spun in anticipation. The feeling of Arthur's warm hands so close to your exposed core made heat form in your lower belly and in your moment of bliss, you suddenly felt his lips on yours.

"Arthur." You whimpered against his mouth. Hearing his name from your mouth so pleadingly made the ache in his chest cramp at his heart, feeling the familiar warmth of pleasure spread. Amid his tongue massaging yours so sweetly contrasting the harshness of his hands, you lowered your hips softly.

The roughness of his jeans touching your center made a shockwave of rippling pleasure spread through you, making you choke out a mix between a moan and a cry. You lifted your chest slightly, leaning your head backward, making your hair fall in waves behind you.

Hugging Arthurs's head to your bosom, you felt his mouth on your breast once again. The feeling was too much, making your whole body tense as you tried to bring him closer. He hastily grabbed your blouse, dragging it out from the top of your skirt, and seeing he couldn't lift it over your head without unbuttoning it, he held the fabric in the middle, ripping the buttons quickly and exposing you to him. You wanted to complain, but feeling his mouth wrap around your now-bare nipple made you lose your train of thought.  

They grew hard under the assault of his tongue; Arthur was sure he would’ve bitten them if he didn’t control himself. You were breathing frantically over him as his mouth moved against you, and he could hear how fast your heartbeat was.

He nuzzled the soft flesh, teeth grazing on the round bottoms of your breasts until he sucked on the peaks. You unknowingly motion your round hips in his lap, clearly getting worked up from his touch. His hand engulfed your hips, helping you rock back and forth on his lap.

The added pressure his hands brought made the rough material against your undergarments feel delicious as he moved his hips with yours, pushing you down every time you met his pelvis. The action was desperate, a silent plea for the bittersweet pleasure you sought within each other. His hands ran up your back, caressing the soft skin that shivered. Despite the chilly night, you were warm under his hands, calling for him to put his hands on you. You were beckoning him closer.

The moment was tender but filled with desperation that always seemed to linger around you. You ran your hands over Arthur's back, feeling the rough fabric of his worn-out shirt you knew so well. His broad shoulders bulged under your soft caresses as you could see his muscles tighten at your touch, his movements growing bolder as he once again placed his hands under your skirt, letting the fabric rest above your hips, exposing you to him. You felt him knead the warm flesh under his palms as he pushed you against him harder than before, pushing his crotch into yours, feeling the delicious warmth of your core against his bulge that strained against his pants. You could feel him under you, your face growing hot as his prominent member sat hard against you, pushing against its confinements. 

"Oh," You could not help letting out a quiet moan as heat traveled through your body when you felt him. He stopped and looked up at you, leaving a string of spit between your breasts and his swollen lips. The look in his eyes made your breath hitch, his eyes hazy with a glint of warmth in them. 

"Something wrong, honey?" His voice was low, almost sultry, and his hands softened against your bottom, no longer continuing his harsh treatment. The blush warmed your cheeks, realizing how exposed you were next to the fully dressed man. Having been lost in the moment, you hadn't noticed. But you did now. Arthur did, too, and praised the almighty; he didn't care if Colm O’Driscoll himself came and shot him right at this moment because he could die happy. 

"No, I…" You tried to explain, but he seemed more focused on removing the ruined blouse from your arms, unable to help himself as he placed a few more kisses on the underside of your breasts. “I… uh…” The words were stuck in your throat, turning your brain into mush. 

He took your hand, placing it on the lower side of his stomach, showing where he wanted your touch. You were timid, careful, and softly caressed the part over his waistline. You could tell he was growing impatient. His hands returned to your backside as he placed more kisses on your neck, slowly inching closer to your warmth while lifting you slightly, leaving room for your hand to travel further down. Cold fingers ran along the sides of your throbbing heat, teasing you and making you stiff with anticipation. Reaching your mouth, he placed his chapped lips on your soft ones, humming as he claimed you in the kiss. Thinking he would finally touch you, he suddenly lowered his hands and caressed your inner thigh, running his hands up and down. He then grabbed your hand, fitting it against his rigid member.

A relieved sigh left his body as he felt your small hand finally touch him. The relief only lasted so long before he felt the immense pleasure striking through his body at your soft caresses, hands leisurely moving up and down. They were unsure as they caressed him, but oh, they felt so good. Arthur felt his body go limp, almost like his muscles turned into heavy stones, as he rested his head in the crook of your neck.

You let out a breathless giggle as you grew more confident when you saw his desperation for your touch. Hugging his head to your chest with one hand embedded in his hair, the other continued to move against him. Slowly, you took one finger and stroked the tip that strained against his pants. A heavy groan left his throat when you touched the sensitive spot, although the feeling felt muted from the layers of clothes.

You looked down beside his head to unfasten the suspenders holding up his jeans. You let them hang over his shoulders as your hands unzipped his jeans, unbuttoning a few buttons on his union suit so you could wriggle your hand inside.

First, your fingers touched a patch of hair under his belly button that led down to his member, the muscles tensing in his stomach. You followed it down, feeling Arthur’s warm breath against your shoulder. 

"Christ alive!" The words wormed their way from his throat, sounding strained. You had winded your nimble fingers into his pants, fingertips feeling over the ridge beneath his cock. The touch alone sent a white flash of pleasure through his whole body. Smiling sheepishly, you rubbed your thumb up against the frenulum of his member, coaxing harsh noises from the man.

His head lay limp on your shoulders as his now sweaty hair tickled your skin, your actions turning his brain into mush. Your hand leisurely pumps his cock, going as slow as he can take it as you feel something warm start sliding down the back of your hand.

Curiously, you tried to look between your tightly knit bodies, leaning slightly away from Arthur for a moment. Although you didn't get the chance to look before his arms wound around your waist, bringing you closer to his broad form yet again. He lifted his head like he had woken from a deep slumber, lids heavy as he spoke.

"What kind of spell do you have me under, woman?" He rolled his hips up to meet your hand as it descended at the base of his cock. You readjust on his lap, scooting back slightly to gain more leverage for moving your arm. Arthur's eyes shut tight; his brows furrowed as you brought your other hand to his cheek, caressing it lovingly with your thumb as you gazed at him with warm eyes.

Being this close made you see him more clearly: the slight sunburns on the tall places on his face from being out in the sun all day, the lines on his forehead permanent from his constant frowning, and the thin layer of dirt covering his skin from the endless hard work he put up with. Too focused on what you were doing, he didn’t notice your stare, but his eyes found yours already looking at him when your hand slowed down. 

At that moment, his lust drowned in his love for you.

Sometimes, he found you looking at him like that, and it was safe to say it baffled him. The tenderness in your eyes made him tense, unsure. He wasn't used to your affection, but your every move was an act of pure fondness for him. Although it puzzled him, he craved your attention at him at all times and boasted at having such a woman at his hands. A woman no doubt many men surely dreamed of for the rest of their lives if they ever got the chance to lay their eyes on you. 

He felt your hand release the grip on his member, letting its now red, swollen tip rest against his stomach. Nimbly, you unbuttoned the other buttons on his union suit, your other hand sneaking under the fabric to touch the revealed skin, caressing his chest slowly as you reached the last button.

Running your hands from his chest to his shoulders, you let the fabric fall on his arms as you stroked over the broad muscles of his thick arms, appreciating their size. He noted that your wandering hands had grown bolder and relished in your touch. You leaned into him, his arms tightening around you to help you closer as you scooted up in his lap so you could reach his neck with your lips.

You heard Arthur grunt as your exposed cunt made contact with his cock when you raised your hips slightly, dragging your wet folds to his tip, letting it rest there as your warm lips put nimble kisses on the sweaty skin under his jawline. His shaft twitched when the muscles in his stomach clenched, the tip dripping precum on his skin as he felt his sack tighten.

"Do you want to kill me?" Breathlessly he spoke to you. Smiling through your kisses, you relished the power you seemed to have over him. "Maybe." You giggled against his skin, continuing to place timid kisses along his neck and pretending to bite him with your teeth. He scoffed at your playfulness, grabbing your bottom and grinding you over his swollen head.

A startled moan left your wet lips, surprised by the sudden contact. The pleasure that shot through your body was sweet but laced with a sharpness that made you quiver in his grasp. It felt delicious; the anticipation of the movement filled every inch of you with deep shivers that racked through your already shaking body.

Your mouth was left gaping against his shoulder, your lingering kisses paused by Arthur pushing you against him in small motions so he could feel the delicious friction your swollen lips created against his rigid member. 

"You want me to touch you, darlin'?" His gruff voice spoke. You mewled against him, all traces of the dominance you thought you had for a second go, and he didn't even have to try. It made you realize he only let you because he wanted to.

Calmly, his fingers eased toward your wetness that now almost seemed to drip down your thigh in complaint at being untouched for so long. Two of his fingers parted to stroke either side of your lips, almost throbbing as you clenched around nothing. The strokes continued, never touching you where you wanted him to. You were going crazy. How could he tease you so?

"Arthur." Your voice was quiet and begging, an undertone of wholehearted want seeping through. He hummed against you, lifting your head to place his lips on yours as his fingers finally disappeared beneath your wet folds, gliding toward your clit and resting there. He began drawing small circles that blur your vision as your eyes rolled back, letting out ungodly sounds muted against his lips. His lips continued to move against you, but when he noticed yours weren't, a low chuckle escaped him. Seeing you sitting on top of him with your blouse discarded and skirt lifted to reveal the tempting flesh to his eyes, as your face showing nothing but pure pleasure, drove him mad. The pads of his fingers are rough against your delicate parts, only adding to the bliss surging through your body. As he stroked you gently, your back arched as your hands frantically grabbed his arms. You feel your hands shake, your grip tight on his biceps as his two fingers sink into your hole. You gasped at being filled, clenching your walls tight around his fingers. The stretch burned, his fingers thicker than yours.

Sweet moans reach Arthur’s ears as he moves against your spongy walls, the squelching sound of him entering you filling the quietness of the night. Knuckle deep in you, he bends them expertly, causing your breath to hitch, making you spread your thighs wider for him as you grind down on his hand. His motions were rapid as he dove deep into your heat. Your thighs contracted as you felt your whole body tense, his arms moving underneath your touch.

“Oh, Arthur, please.” You spotted his warm eyes staring into yours when you turned your gaze up at him. Your eyes were pleading with him to take you, tears brimming at the intense feelings he filled you with. He knew what you wanted but had to ensure you were ready, knowing you would hurt otherwise. 

“I know, honey, just a little more.” Arthur caressed your hair softly as his jaw clenched, sweat dripping down his forehead as his eyes were stuck on you. He felt hopeless when you looked at him like this. You could get him to do whatever you wanted when looking at him like that; hell, Arthur would even kill for you if you asked. He was wet with your slick, his fingers jamming inside you as you lifted your legs, trying to escape his assault. The sudden change of pace made the pleasure unbearable. Not a single sound left your mouth as your eyebrows furrowed and your mouth hung open. He grabbed your hips, bringing you down against his fingers so you couldn’t escape.

Arthur hoisted you up, fingers leaving your dripping heat as he placed you over his throbbing head. Feeling your wetness wrap around him made his vision blur, ears ringing from the blood that rushed from his head. You leaned back, placing your hands on his knees as his hands found your hips. You sank slowly, watching his member disappear between your folds. The unison makes your heart swell, the thought of your body becoming one running through you like warm whisky, setting your blood afire. 

Arthur’s breathing was heavy, his hands shaking slightly from the intenseness of the moment. Every movement was a silent plea for the moment never to end, wanting to stay connected for all eternity in each other’s embrace. The world disappeared around you,  becoming a blur. The only thing you saw was each other as you moved over him, feeling him lift you to the top to lower you so you could hug him warmly. Your walls clamped down on him, his mushroom head prodding deep inside your spongy walls, eliciting whines from your open mouth. Arthur was used to being quiet, but you were struggling, terrified someone would hear. You wouldn’t be able to stand the humiliation if you were.

“Come here, darlin’.” He placed his brawny arms under your thighs, his member leaving you as he stood up and laid your back gently on the bed, his hand under your head. Always so careful. Your arms reached for him, seeking his solace and safe embrace as he returned to you, putting his weight on you as close as he could without hurting you. He entered you again as his head rested in the crevice of your neck, panting. He stuffed you full, fuller than you’ve ever been. Your cunt stretched obscenely around him, lips sealing around his cock with a snug, velvet grasp. He set the pace this time. His muscular frame was going slow, but his strokes were hard; your body was being pushed up the bed from the harshness of his thrusts. He brought you deeper into the mattress whenever you felt him dive back inside. Your legs found their way around his waist, bringing him closer to you. Arthur loves how you cling to him, helping you by holding you close as he prods you deeper. He takes your hand, bringing it to your chest and placing it between your breasts as he murmurs something in your skin. You’re too blissed out to hear what as his voice melts like honey at the base of your neck. 

“Oh god!” You cry out between his thrusts, moonlight seeping through the folds of the tent and splashing his skin. His palms tremble against you from the effort. He cooed at your noises, shushing you by capturing your lips with his. You had messed up his hair in your blissful frenzy, and his eyes were glossy with lust. His hands ran down the side of your body that arched underneath him, grabbing your thigh and pushing the plush skin up to rest beside you so he could bury the whole cock inside you. You almost felt him in your guts as he prodded against your flesh, leaving you to mumble nonsense into his mouth between the gasps that escaped you from the force of his thrusts. The slide of his length against the silky, slick clench of your cunt is nothing less than ambrosial.

Arthur breathes heavily between clenched teeth as you tighten around him. He slowed his pace to draw himself almost entirely out of you before filling you again with a languid thrust. The coil inside him was tightening, threatening to snap. He was holding you so close now, shielding you from the world as you lay underneath him, eyes glazed with a faraway look. Each caress from his hand said the words his sex-addled mind couldn’t make his mouth form.

I love you

He wrapped his arm under your waist, supporting your arching body, pistoning you now with brutal efficiency. Still, affection lingered in everything he did. He never gripped you too hard as his rough hands remained gentle. For you. Only for you. His hands slipped down the planes of your stomach to apply gentle pressure to the hooded bundle of nerves, sending a shock through you like a burst of electricity. Whatever words you tried to speak came out as little more than a garbled cry as he teased furious circles over your still swollen clit, arms tight against his neck.

“Please.” Lust-filled sounds left you as you begged. You didn’t know what for, his assault leaving your thoughts in shambles. He doubted there was a more beautiful sight than the woman he loved unraveling under the force of his thrusts. Your walls clenched around him, contracting as you sucked him more profoundly into your cunt. 

“I love you!” You cried into his ear; Arthur’s eyes shut tight as his hips spluttered, pumping deeper inside you, noises he let out erupting from his lips in a sound that could only be likened to a primal whine. With a final uneven snap of his hips, the coil inside him snapped, and his release spilled inside you. His forehead rested between your shoulder blades as he trembled, your hands resting in his hair lovingly amidst the tremors running through your body. Arthur’s hips snapped up into you one last time, pushing up into you as far as possible to continue feeling the warmth and tightness of your cunt. His cum spurted out, coating your walls and escaping your entrance that he was stuffing with his cock. He gripped your thighs, moving his hips languidly, basking in the sharp pleasure running through him as his vision faded.

You could feel him relaxing in your grasp, heavy breathing leaving him as he gently kissed your trembling skin. You hummed over him at his touch, a pleasureful little sound that, despite being wholly spent, had him wondering if he could muster up the energy to retake you as his head lifted to claim your lips, tongue flickering lazily out to tangle with your own. Arthur grabbed your thighs that were wound tightly around his waist as he scooted down the bed, pressing them to flush against the mattress. He spread you wide, your body covered in sweat and cum, exposed before his eyes as he wasted no time putting his mouth on your puffy cunt. His tongue was warm as he entangled it in your wetness. Your hands tried to grip your hair, sheets, and headboard to find stability until they rested in Arthur’s hair. He could feel you pull on his roots, the feeling making him groan against you. The sound created vibrations against your sensitive clit. It felt like his mouth was eating you whole as he nuzzled as close as he could, sucking ferociously on your tender flesh. His tongue entered you, making you dizzy as blood buzzed in your ears. You looked down at him, breath hitching as you found his hazy eyes already on yours. It felt sinful to keep eye contact with him as he performed such a sensual act on you, but his admiring eyes left you searing with pleasure. You couldn’t look away, not yet. You felt him wind his arms under your thighs as he gripped your inner thighs, sitting up so he was resting on his heels. 

“Arthur!” You exclaimed at the sudden motion. Your head rested on the bed as Arthur lifted you off it, his arms wrapped around your stomach, hugging you tightly against him as he buried his head further into your cunt. The air left you from his actions, your legs hitting his back to escape the frenetic torture he put you through. Wet noises filled the tent, Arthur’s dark eyes gazing down at you. You looked sinful, he thought. Usually so innocent, but at this moment, with your hair spread out on the messy sheets, a pink flush covering your cheeks, and dazed eyes staring up at him, you looked like he had corrupted you and filled every inch of you with pure ecstasy. He lifted his mouth from you, the lower part of his face glistening wet as his fingers found your clit. They stroked you gently as he hummed at your quiet mewls.

“Gettin’ close, honey?” Arthur cooed as you stared up at him with glistening eyes, brows furrowed in pleasure. Your expression told him enough, so he lowered his head again and extended his tongue inside you, massaging your walls. It felt good, so good that high-pitched whines started leaving you. His one hand found your mouth, muffling the sounds. Your hips began twitching, moving against his mouth as you struggled between putting distance from his lips and pulling him closer. His fingers were relentless, rubbing you faster to where you heard ringing in your ears from the searing pleasure you felt coursing through you. The fire pooling low in your abdomen started spreading, leaving a burning trail as it flowed through your every vein. Your head rolled back against the sheets, mouth open wide, but no noise left you as hot tears fell from your eyes. The world slowed down, your orgasm shattering your body. Rippling through you, it made you tense up, your walls pulsing around Arthur’s tongue as he slowly massaged your insides, intensifying your orgasm. Your hips started jerking against him, his arm holding you still as he hummed against you while observing you underneath him. 

The world before you was blurred when your eyes slowly opened, the ringing now faint as you felt Arthur kiss the inside of your thigh, his hand rubbing your stomach soothingly. He lowered you onto the bed as your eyes gained focus. He could feel you gaze at him as he lifted you to lay your head on the pillow, caressing your cheeks. It was quiet; the only thing cutting through the air was your frantic breathing, both of you trying to catch your breath. Your eyes locked, a silent understanding between you as your trembling hand brushed his sweaty strands behind his ears. 

“I love you,” He mumbled against your skin, eyes peering up at you. There was a look in his eyes you hadn’t seen before, and it took a few seconds for you to recognize it. Remorse. “But I don’t deserve you.” He sounded defeated, eyes staring absentmindedly like he was off somewhere else. It was a rarity for him to be this honest with you, but his words rang true. He didn’t deserve you; he knew it, you knew it, and everyone around you knew it. But he had you, body and soul. He had every part of you, even the parts you wanted to shield from both him and the world. His arms wrapped around you, covering you in his safe embrace, and your heart ached inside you when gazing at the man in front of you.

Before you could speak, he placed his lips against yours. There wasn’t much to be said anymore, your hearts speaking the words your lips couldn’t utter.

[mochimochimona]

Rewatching Arcane Only For Viktor and Jayce, analyzing for storytelling purposes as an artist* -S1 EP:4 or Viktors staring is sus

I loved that scene, where Jayce firstly implies Viktor to keep sitting so he doesn't need to crawl up and also for taking the blame completly.

A little disclaimer here because it might be confusing why I am doing this analyzis (?)...sss english is not my native language sorry - so I am an artist and Arcane is a huge inspiration for me and I wondered what the animators did to imply Jayce and Viktor being really close to each other, even having feelings for each other. And I do get the impression Viktor always had feelings for Jayce because he acts different in a lot of interactions with him. Body language is also an implication, so I will take a closer look on that as well. So I am going through scenes of them together and asking myself what makes me think they wanted to imply something more than lab partners, what makes me think that and HOW I would have done it differently to AVOID that. Also I want to know if I misinterpreted Jayce's behavior and read too much into it. So, here we go. It's actually part #3 already, I will put a post on tumblr with all of my guesses later. If you wanna share your thoughts, please do so!

Knowing what will happen and how sick Viktor gets, seeing it (really, seeing it because I can pay attention) and Jayce not noticing because he is so caught up in playing political figure hurts. Really hurts. And also I am sure now that Mel used Jayce most of the time to get what she wants (not in an evil way, honestly, she does take a liking to him later one, but I will say not as much as we get the feeling Jayce and Viktor care for each other) and she makes advances to Jayce, using his insecurity and jearning for acknoledgment.

I mean how can Jayce not tell that Viktor is immensly sick? I mean those two were working their asses of in the lab I get that, but I think it started right then and there that Jayce lost their dream, really, and the fact that Viktor is his best buddie (or whatever) and it got worse after he holds the speech.

And Viktor is clearly more devastated, which might even shocked Jayce too, than Jayce was, I mean the reaction:

Jayce really was surprised Viktor was so desperate. Viktor knew he was gonna die sooner or later so I think he thought with studying hextech he might find a cure for himself in the process. He didn't touch him, though, so Viktor wasn't shy, just shocked.

This scene made me laugh and choke, I have flashbacks of Jayce being in the Future but instead of seeing Mel and Viktor through the fire, we see him. Interesting choice to make the appearance of Jayce like that. Is that...is that foreshadowing again???? This makes my brain hurt.

Why am I doing this to myself again?

LOOK HOW HE LOOKS. WHY IS NO ONE ADRESSING THIS. Why am I doing this to myself, SEND HELP? Viktor was confidently asking "where have you been, they asked me to do the speech (or whatever)" but when Jayce touched him, said they were partners, he got a bit shy and even stuttered a bit. Okay so IF you are fine with your homie....anyway, the next thing:

"Not in front of" - there is a pause, his look:

"...all of them" and then THE STARE. Why would you do that? I am an artist myself and when it comes to visual storytelling, I am always asking myself what I want to tell people with frames and panels (if you make comics), so I am really wondering from a storytelling point of view: what did they wanted to make a point about? Apart from highlighting Viktor in this situation, to imply that he isn't comfortable in speaking to others okay. But his pause. Looking at Jayce...?

Because clearly Viktor is staring. Honestly, if they didn't want to make it read as longing, or something similiar/else, you would have took a different shot after he told "not for all of them", because if you did that, you wouldn't imply that he would have done it maybe in front of everyone, but not with Jayce staying there because it made him nervous being in front of him. ALSO really important thing I noticed here: when he interacts with Jayce in close proximity and out of context of research, he gets shy but he usually is a confident person.

And again, you could have approached Viktor not wanting to perform in front of a huge audience differently, if your only goal was to make that clear. Ya know, him being touched by Jayce on the shoulder, saying "You are my partner" and keeping a wide shot, making him gesticulate that he isn't comfortable, "in front of all those people" (he would do it in front of Jayce though). DOES ANYONE GETS WHAT I MEAN?

Still staring, or paying a lot of close attention to your lab partner.

And then he says "you - pause", AGAIN WITH THE CLOSE SHOT. I HOPE for the love of god that some people from the Studio will be at the Art Department in Berlin because I really want to ask about this. And I hope I won't get spooked so I ask lol. Because that's really what is interesting about this.

And then comes a really interesting thing, I guess. Sky approaches and she looks at Viktor. A short, acknowledging look from Viktor and he gets back to Jayce. So I was wondering why they made the shot like that again and showing she has interest in Viktor, but Viktor is just respectful.

And right back to Jayce but the next shot is a perfect masterpiece, I laughed so hard.

Replacing Vikor with the mug, where Jayces "Man of Progress" can be seen is, again, peak foreshadowing and storytelling. Again, you could have showed it differently, but every scene has a message and wants to convey something, so this is an important shot. Man, these guys from Fortiche are madmen. Stopping here or the post will get too long.

[asktheritochampion]

What happened to your parents, Revali? You mentioned they died, right?

Not that it's any of your buisiness, but yes. Assumably.

I have some vauge memories of them bringing me to the Village one day and leaving me to entertain myself with the other youthes while they went to talk to the Elder. That was the last time I ever saw them.

I've heard several different stories over the years but I choose to beleive that they went to defend the Village from monsters that day and died heroic deaths in battle. After all - they must have been fine warriors to have produced an offspring of such unmatched talent.

There was nobody in the Village willing or able to take on the care of a Fledgling at that time - which I'm immensly greatful about because I was perfectly capable of caring for myself. The Elder kidly provided me with a hut of my own on the outskirts. That gift of independance gave me the step-up required for growing into such an unmatched warrior.

[ravioliage]

yeah I feel like EA is going to make bioware turn Mass effect 5 into a life service game.

also can people be more clear on BioWare leadership? people blame them but they don't say names of those leadership usually and make it seem like it's the entire studio.

I honestly don't know what they will do to Mass Effect 5, because Andrew Wilson just... says things.

I think he has a boner for wanting to make EA's Destiny 2. But now that Destiny 2 is going through exactly what you expect to happen when you fire all QA and writers, it's going to be fun to see where live service games are in 5 years. With economy in shambles and people having less and less time as they focus on survival. Majority of live service game attempts in the last six years have failed horrifically, so I have no idea what the fuck he's saying.

As for the second part, we don't have any names (cept for Andrew). That is very much on purpose. They wear masks as they shove the names we know into meat grinders, taking no responsibility. They have no social media presence and they are the ones who don't care about the fans. Anti-art dickheads.

The devs aren't going to name names, either. But how you get shunned from the industry if you even dare to mention a fuck in leadership by name... is an angry post for another day as it hits close to home. People want to keep their jobs and future job opportunities.

Also the fandom is stupid and it is clear who has and hasn't worked at a job with a hierarchy. The amount of fighting the devs did to get Veilguard out as it is now was most likely absolutely insane.

A huge chunk of the fandom also forgets to remember the human. Forgets that games are made by passionate people who care immensly and want their stories told who are every day cucked by upper management and have to make sacrifices so executives can afford another yacht. ($60 million dollars went to the execs with Veilguard. Makes you want to shit blood, don't it)

Also I'm still not over how some scum treated Epler because of a few jokes he made in the AMA. BioWare devs have been way too kind to dipshits online. I would just start calling people cunts lol.

Tldr it's easier to blame "John Bioware" for allegedly shitting on your uvula with surgical precision. It's much harder to acknowledge the humans stuck in a capitalistic hellhole trying to do their best and show an ounce of sympathy to them and to sit down and appreciate that every single asset you see in the game was made by a human.

[kingmagnificoofrosas]

Further proof of Our King's anxiety and trauma: His body language. He has a habit of putting his hands behind his back. It's a self-soothing and self-preservation gesture. But then when he's more relaxed, he doesn't do that.

Case in point: Look when he meets Asha. At first you don't see his hands. They're behind his back. When he does bring a hand out briefly, it goes behind his back again. But when he warms up to her, his hands come out.

The same goes with when he's addressing his people about the magic. His hands are behind his back, and they stay there unless he brings one hand out to do something and then he puts it right back. He's uncomfortable, he's guarded and it shows.

Which is why his people should have known that something was VERY wrong when he came out on stage possessed. His body language was VERY different. He was stumbling around drunk, but his hands were both visible. His body language had drastically changed because he was essentially inebriated on dark magic. That should have been a BIG clue in that something was WRONG, not that the king was suddenly evil.

YES! THIS! 🤌🏼

I've been stressing from the beginning about this! While hands loosly clasped in the back can be a sign of confidence and relaxtion, Magnifico's way of hiding his arms is different most of the time.

Now, I have always been good at reading people but then I studied psychology for a while and trauma conditions, the mental impact it has and how it shows.

Magnifico oozed trauma the very first minute I saw him. And when he mentioned what happened, plus the burned wall-rug, I knew it was deep! All his behavior clicked for me.

That is also a big part why haters villanizing him gets me fuming mad. If I was to follow their logic, then Elsa is a villain for running away and leaving her kingdom to freeze die, or Maui, who stole Tefiti's heart and caused destruction, or abuela Alma, for treating Mirabel like trash, or Imelda for forbitting music in her family, Abuela Elena for smashing Miguels guitar!

The hypocrisy is off the charts!

And the worst thing is exactly what you mentioned last. The people of Rosas not being able to see that something was horribly wrong with their king. He was so clearly not himself and no one gave a toot. It's easy to explain though. The didn't know their own king and nor did they care. All they cared about was their wishes. Their needs. Their desires. Magnifico was just their source for favors and when that well ran dry, they dropped him like a stone. Talking about selfishness!

Magnifico was never evil. Did he make some wrong choices because of his trauma? Yes. But nothing he ever did made him a villain. The only villain there was, was the book! The book, or rather, the evil force/entitiy in in! And yes, we saw that demon-thing drawn on the page. Not to forget the green clawed hands! No, magic itself isn't a conscious living, thinking being, it's a supernatural ability used by a fessel. And as a christian I can tell you the only thing behind "dark magic" are demons.

You will see this whole topic deeper explained in the upcoming cooperation post "the Magnifico case". But here is a little thing from it.

This isn't Magnifico

This is!

This isn't him

This is!

The fact that people cannot differentiate between this and understand what a possession is ...

Anyway. Anothing very interesting thing I wanna draw attention to is what comes out of Magnifico's mouth once he is full on possessed. He says things that are 100% contradictory to everything he stood for and fought for.

See the reflection thing in the fountain? It's where the quote "I win!" Falls! Why is this so deeply unsettling? Because there is nothing he won! All Magnifico ever truly wanted was happiness and savety for others around him. Magnifico's trauma had caused him to be immensly fearful and paranoid when it came to the savety of others because what happened to him left scars in his soul as deep as a canyon and he wanted no one else to ever have to suffer like he did. He didn't want power, he didn't want fame! He only wanted what's best for others and in return get some love and respect for what he did. Which, yes, he deserved anyway!

Back to my two cents of my christian opinion. It's pretty clear that the evil side does nothing but steal, kill and destroy. It's all it ever wants. To hurt and wreck. That thing that has been trapped in that book must have waited eagerly for who knows how long to get a victim it can use to destroy and use to destroy. So when that thing had taken control over Magnifico's clear consciousness, it obviously said "I won!"

Even sadder is that we could see the exact moment, the entity leaves Magnifico and he is left with confusion and panic because all he sees are the wishes floating away into the nightsky.

Also, where did the green enter and leave? Into and from his heart!

This is the same fear only increased!

And NO! God NO! It is not "Ah, no, I don't wanna lose my power and control over the people because I'm a malicious beast and I wallow in their suffering and enjoy them not being able to make one of their wishes come true!"

No. Just. No. This is ignorant, this is stupid nonsense. This is seeing evil where there is none. This is villanizing trauma!

And then some people go "Oh God, what a monster! What a evil man! Poor kid! It deserves to swim! How dare he not let the kid swim!"

Compare this to a father, who previously had lost a brother or even his first child to a drowning accident. Now the next child is old enough to swim and is running towards the water. Everyone knows the kid will jump in, swim and have fun, but all the father can think of is the potential danger of his child drowning as well. Maybe it will get a cramp, or a shark will bite it, or it gets stung by a jellyfish, steps on a venomous sea urchin, gets a heart attack, gets pulled away by a current ...

You see where I'm going?

And then the father runs, sweaps the child in his arms and forbids it to go near the water and swim because it is too dangerous. He tells his child.

"You stay here with me, as long as I deem it saver! I'm your father, it is my responsibility to keep you as safe as I can! I only want the best for you!"

And of course the child is pouty.

"

"Well, if there is a shark, it can be stopped. I might just bite one leg off of the child ...oh well...The father clearly doesn't know what he's doing! And I must know, I don't even have children!"

"Everyone call the police! Let's put this father behind bars! He's so cruel and abusive to his poor child!"

"And good heavens! He snapped at the child for saying it is old enough to decide if it wants to swim or not! And he replied that he decides if the child swims or not! What a narcissistic psychopath! He needs to be stopped!"

Anyway, I'm very excited to soon share that big boy of a post with you, where I dive into each and every aspect as deep as ever with the help of Magnificolover from instagram. 🎶

How does that sound? And now imagine one of these judgemental, entiteled, selfrighteous, ignorant people calling the police. And the police arrests the man and no one at the beach does anything. No one thinks "wait a minute! This is wrong!"

I can already smell the haters cooking new arguments 😂 feeling snubbed at their toes cause we defenders are right! And you know what? We will only get louder! We are already the vast majority! Including children!

They're mad at us and our defense? Good! Maybe then it is time to ask themselves why it is that the majority is on Magnifico's side! Or why children starting by the age 5 (my cousins son for example) can clearly conclude that the only reason Mags went nuts is because of the evil book. Better yet, they see that Asha and the people of Rosas are in the wrong how they treat their king. And children are brutally honest.

Stay loud my fellow defenders! 🔥

[k4pp4-8]

Is there anything you wished the Show Ok. Ko Lets Be Heroes focused more on? Whether it be a character, relationship, arc, villain ect?

OH BOY THERE'S SO MUCH I WANTED TO SEE

1. FIRST OF ALL I REALLY wish they had more time to focus on the big reveal because I waited since season for them to talk about the whole POINT situation and when they finally DO reveal laserblast's identity it's completely rushed. This is such an emotional plot line for MULTIPLE characters yet we only see a fraction of it! LIKE PLEEAAAAASE I WANT TO SEE MORE OF HOW THIS AFFECTED CAROL!!! What she went through is so tragic, she lost her love, her dream, her friends, AND she had to raise the child of her dead lover alone. And yet she stayed strong through all of it and became the best mom ever. (Carol I love you plz marry me)

ALSO I WILL NEVER GET OVER THE FACT THAT WE DON'T SEE GAR'S REACTION TO THE REVEAL!! He literally blamed himself for laserblast's death, who was his teammate, his best friend's lover AND K.O's father. Just imagine how he felt like knowing K.O looked up to him as a father figure while thinking it's his fault K.O doesn't have a dad???

And also every other POINT member's lives were immensly affected by laserblast's death, like Rippy roo who dedicated years of her life trying to find a way to bring him back or Greyman trying to make a hero people could look up to or Foxtail still holding a grudge against Gar for what happened. I reaaally wanna know how they would react to knowing not only their friend is alive but he is also a successful villain.

2. Another thing I REALLY wanted to see was Rad and Dendy's relationship actually being explored! I used to think her "obsession" with Rad was nothing more than a gag but I saw that there was supposed to be an episode explaining that "she looked up to Rad because he's unashamed of who he is even though he comes from he considered as unusual family background." AND IT JUST MAKES SO MUCH SENSE!!!! I think that would've been an amazing way to explore both of their characters.

Also it's pretty ironic because Rad IS ashamed of who he is! Since day one he's been hiding things he loves and acting like a jerk to cover up his insecurities. I think Dendy telling him she looks up to him would've encouraged him to change the way he acts just like in the "Radical rescue" episode, when he tells K.O he doesn't want him to imitate his bad behavior.

3. Now we're getting to the REAL interesting part. BOXBOTS!!!! LISTEN I HAVE SO MUCH TO SAY ABOUT THEM BUT I'M GONNA TRY TO MAKE IT SHORT AND UNDERSTABLE.

I REALLYYY wish we had more moments of vulnerabilty with them. Pretty much every single one of their scene is comedic and, while I do ADORE the comedy, I still wish they were taken more seriously. Like their whole situation is really tragic in many ways yet it's completely ignored. I know it's a mostly light hearted show but the boxbots are never given a genuine moment that felt like their feelings were taken seriously. It's probably just me who's wayyyy too attached to them but my favorite moments are when we get to see the more "human" side of them. Like when they act like an actual family, playing board games, having dinner together, hanging out, or bickering like siblings

I wish they explored how being robots affects them and the way everyone treats them. It's like robots are not considered like "real people" to some degree. We already know that in the okko universe being a certain species will change the way people perceive you and treat you (ie aliens and kappas) and it's shown to be a bad thing when it happens to Rad and Dendy, but when the bots are treated badly it's always seen as a joke and brushed bc you know , they're robots so who cares. There's like an implication that all robots are inherently bad because they're robots, K.O even said Mr.logic was "one of the good ones" implying he's just an exception (also it's crazy that he actually said that sentence and no one batted an eye)

And finally the ONE thing I really REEAALLYYY wanted to see more of is *drum rolls* LORD COWBOY DARRELL (who could've seen that coming)

LISTEN THERE WAS SOOOOOOOOO MUCH POTENTIAL THERE IT ACTUALLY MAKES ME CRAZY JUST THINKING ABOUT IT I WISH I WAS EXAGGERATING!!! Like for the first time we actually see boxman suffer the consequences of his actions, his kids FINALLY stand up to him after being treated like crap 24/7 and then he's forgiven in episode two??? And we don't even see how this affects the other bots!! Like Raymond and Shannon also loved boxman but they seemingly didn't hesitate to side with Darrell over him. I wish they explored how they chose their brother over their father who they were absolutely devoted to since birth.

I was actually disappointed to see Darrell forgive him SO easily and all the character development he could've had was thrown out the window in two seconds!!!! We actually get a glimpse of Darrell's potential but it's all forgotten as soon as Boxman becomes the boss again

I loved seeing Darrell actually fight back for once because he is one of the characters who gets mistreated the MOST by the whole cast. Half of his scenes are just him getting beat up and insulted, he's always treated like an idiot or a joke character so it was incredibly satisfying to see him actually stand up for himself and take charge. Like yeah he is goofy as hell and very immature and I love that about him! But when he became Lord Cowboy Darrell we actually got to see a whole new side of him. He was cunning and smart and resourceful and it KILLS me that we never got see that side of him again. I wish people aknowledged how competent and mature he can be instead of treating him like an actual child. I actually hate how infantilized he is sometimes

Anyway I could go on and on and on forever about the boxbots but that's just a few things i wish the show focused more on, there's probably more but I can't remember them rn

[pupmkincake2000]

Got the funniest comment ever.

First of all, I do not understand why bottoming is considered something pathetic now. Not to mention that Connor bottoms most of the time in all the ships we have in the fandom. So I do not see how bottoming with Hank is something bad here. Then again, why top being older and taller is suddenly something pathetic too? It is the most used cliche in all the types of books, TV shows, movies, games, comic, porn etc. I, for example, love Hank bottoming pretty much, but most of the time I just do not care who tops or who bottoms, the most important thing is that the both love each other immensly. How can it be so bad? Secondly, bottoming doesn't make a person pathetic or anything else that's cliched. A sweet looking boy can still be a dom in bed while his top looking guy, haired and big can be a sub. Happens probably not so often as vice versa but it still happens. Also that daddy thing isn't everyone's kink as well, I have a feeling that daddy issues is a thing of those who see them as father&son, otherwise I see no other explanation of why they insist it is the only canon possible so much and keep on hating the ship. And Connor bottoming doesn't make him pathetic at all. He can moan on Hank's dick all night, but at the same time he can still be calculating, manipulative Connor we see in the game. Conversely, Hank can be a big bear looking Lieutenant on the job, and love Connor's dick in his ass at nights.

[littlebvtterfly]

DESCENDANTS OCs I *WILL* DO SOMETHING WITH...just ask questions about them...please

As a little disclaimer, I don't quite know where I'll place most of them just yet, so things might change but I absolutely do welcome any all asks for them and I always love making new OCs for Descendants. Anyways, hope you enjoy!

Going to tag the Descendants mooties, @rose-of-oz, @dancingsunflowers-ocs, @arrows-unofficial-ocs, @brokenhardies, and @kendelias!

Sade Lyon, daughter of Simba and Nala, Lonnie Li ship (FC: Nia Sondaya)

One of the princesses of Pride Rock, Sade has always been beloved by the people of her kingdom and she loved her home immensly. Still, life at the top of the food chain is lonely, and Sade longs for like-minded companions. She thinks she can find them at Auradon Prep and begs her parents to be allowed to go. Enamoured with an enchanted saber tooth necklace, which lets her transform between lion and human, she heads off for a new adventure. Sade finds herself falling for her peer mentor Lonnie Li instantly, but doesn't quite know how to go for it yet. An animal lover at heart, she can usually be found in the animal habitat she built at Auradon Prep. When the VKs come to Auradon, Sade looks at the situation with mixed emotions.

Glory of Camelot, daughter of Guinevere and Lancelot, OC ship (FC: Greta Onieogou)

Glory is the middle child of three kids. A princess of Camelot, she can't wait to rule the kingdom one day, even though neither her existence nor that of her siblings was ever supposed to be. When King Arthur fell in the battle of Auradon, the people of Camelot were intially outraged when the king's widowed queen courted one of his closest knights. And when Lancelot was set to become the new king, there was nearly a riot. It took years, frankly, to get the people on their side with much good faith and action following their promises. Twenty-something years later, Camelot had once again found it's stride and Glory began attending Auradon Prep to to prepare for her future as queen. Though Ben inviting the children of villains to Auradon doesn't sit well with her at first, Glory eventually warms up to the idea and even finds it interesting to watch her boyfriend Huppert get along with some of the new arrivals. Glory is the person you usually come for when you need advice.

Huppert Dwarf, son of Happy the Dwarf, OC ship (FC: Kevin Alves)

Usually the ignored cousin among the Dwarf family, Huppert very quickly learned to make his own entertainment and find the people who see him for who he really is. Enter Glory of Camelot, the girl of his dreams, the one who makes him feel seen, the one who pulls him from his depression more often than not. She is his everything. So when she's worried about the VKs coming to Auradon, he too is at first. Then he starts hanging out with Jay and Carlos and is placed into Home Economics with Evie and he begins to think of them as friends.

Cassia La Bouff, daughter Charlotte "Lottie" La Bouff, Chad Charming ship (FC: Meg Donnelly)

Cassia is not a princess, she knows this, she doesn't challenge this - she has her own ambitions in life. Ambitions she will not be swayed from. But life in New Orleans is getting harder to navigate. After an incident in school, Cassia can no longer stand to stay there. Even though she and Tabby Andrews hadn't seen each other in some years, a friendship lost to time and moving, Cassia confides in her old friend, prompting Tabby to ask her mother to put in a good word for her goddaughter. So when Cass begins to attend Auradon Prep after the debacle at King Ben's coronation, she expects to just blend in with the crowd. After all, who would care about the new girl after the villain kids nearly destroyed the entire country? But she ends up catching the eye of a prince and after getting to know him, Cassia finds herself feeling the same. But Chad Charming is not well-liked and Cassia is not about to throw away her new friendships and her future ambitions. Not for a guy.

Enya Triton, daughter of Ariel and Eric, undetermined ship (FC: Abigail Cowen)

The younger sister of Melody, Enya Triton had always felt like she lived in her sister's shadow, even though Melody did her best to desuade her of that notion. But Enya was different than the rest of her family. Before being imprisoned on the Isle of the Lost, Ursula, from beyond the grave, placed a curse on Ariel (who at the time was pregnant with Enya, unbeknownst to her), which her daughter ended up absorbing in the womb. Enya was born with fire powers, which she doesn't use as they are wildly out of control. These powers also prevent her from going into the water for long periods of time. Enya has never seen her extended family and it breaks her heart. But she's not a quitter and she does her best to try and build up a tolerance to one day see her family again and get to do everything her mother and sister could.

Emmeline Fitzherbert, daughter of Rapunzel and Eugene Fitzherbert, undetermined ship (FC: Gracie Lawrence)

Emmeline always knew she wasn't the most princess material. She took after her father, after all. But that didn't mean that she didn't want to rule Corona one day. After all, it was her right as first born. Still, the road there is tough and she has to fight a lot of opposition from royals and common folk alike. But Emmy has never let that stop her. She knows what she wants and even if she may be a bit kooky, she knows what her people need and she would never let them down.

Paige Lapin, daughter of the White Rabbit, Red Hearts ship (FC: Jane Widdop)

Long after the Queen of Heart's occupation of Wonderland and the rabbit hole being sealed shut, Paige Lapin lives a mostly normal life with her family in their big hutch. Having been spared from the Queen's wrath due to his help, Percy opts to keep his children from going into town to keep them safe and happy. But Paige isn't happy. The middle child, often forgotten in her room, she uses a lot of her free time to burrow underground tunnels between her home and Wonderland. It is one of these nightly excursions, that she meets the Queen's daughter Red and the two go on to have a night of mischiev and fun. They would go on to repeat these nights for months, all while Percy is holed up in his room and working on a way to go back in time and keep the Queen of Hearts from terrorizing the people of Wonderland. When Red and her mother are invited to Auradon, Paige can't fathom being left in Wonderland without Red. So, true to her nature, Paige burrows a hole below the boarded up rabbit hole and follows the women to Auradon Prep, discovering many wonders along the way.

That's all I have for now but knowing me there will be thirty more sometime soon! I hope you like these, I love them already!

[karlachismylife]

Oh no when I say pressure I mean I haven't been able to crack my back in over a year now, never been able to pop my hips intentionally and the times I have it was painful, if I sit wrong I can feel each notch of my spine due to the pressure, my neck always feels stiff, the whole nine lol. I feel like it would be a hassle initially working all that out pfft

I know it sounds bad and it is but I've lived with it since I was 18, so it's just kinda my daily now. I just like to imagine having 4 men who most of them know what they're doing to help, Soap would learn after that first scare probably.

But also the image of Simon just sneak attacking me to pop my back is hilarious, ambushed with love and care lol

(for people out of the loop - first post here)

I have actually tried to imagine OVER A YEAR worth of tension and pressure and I think my fucking hips started hurting just from that. I'm so sorry, love, that must be really messing with, like... everything. You're so strong for going against that and pushing through, wow. I probably wouldn't be able to.

But yeah, no, sure, Price is like totally relating cuz that man avoids doctors better than he avoids getting his spine all fucked up, so he also has years of fuckuppery in those intervertebral discs and everything. He's there to hear you out whenever you want to just vent about this shit, and he'll offer you advice on how to cope when it gets bad. Ghost will fix both you and him up, can you imagine though Price's face if you handle everything being cracked better than him? All red and panting while his Lieutenant pushes a vertebra into its correct place, but trying to put a brave face in front of you, because you didn't even squeak! How the fuck do you do that??

Soap sure learns after that first time, even though he's still apalled at how long you had to endure it. He's so impatient, he'd get fed up with constant stiffness and pain too quickly and would be clawing at the walls, and you went so long?? Honestly he'll probably try to coax you do some "stretching" and "flexibility training" so it doesn't get so bad again. But if you're actually limited in those departments, he isn't the one to push. He's the one who tries to be the most helpful in all the other aspects of it, like helping around the house if you get nasty pains or somethng. Also the god of nape and neck massages, that he can work out the best out of all of them!

And Gaz is just going all-out to be romantic about it. Ghost is practical and efficient, sure, and he is immensly loving with that little ambush of his or when he just lays you and Price down and goes ham on your backs (does he do it shirtless "for convinience?" yes he does. also he gets hard from being able to help you out, sorry), but Gaz is next level when he offers you a massage and help with fixing your hips up. Candles and shit, even music to drown out the cracking if you don't feel like listening to your bodily symphony. He thinks it's beautiful in a way, though - cuz that's the sound of him helping your body feel better. And if it gets too painful, he'll make sure to soothe you, tender kisses all over your skin and gentle hands stroking you while he praises you for being strong and good.

Also they find the comfiest chairs and matress for you 100% to help with the pains.

[marxonculture]

Albums of the Year 2024

I used to do this every year, but as with everything else in my life, the pandemic and academia got in the way. This is the first year since 2021 where I've made a concerted effort to keep up with (at least to some extent) new music, and I'm feeling the itch to do that typical too-online, self-indulgent thing of writing up a list of my favourite new albums of the year in the vain hope someone might care about it.

Believe it or not, I used to do a full 50-album list, but I'm chilling out a bit with this one and limiting it to 20. These are the records that have gotten me through a hugely transitional year in my life, and my only hope is that if you're reading this, at least one of these records might end up meaning something to you, too.

20. Cunningham Bird by Madison Cunningham and Andrew Bird

A collaboration, built over the last few years, culminates in a wonderful ode to one of the greatest, most volatile, singer/songwriter collaborations of all time.

19. Understory: Live at the Village Vanguard by Ben Wendel

One of those great, live jazz recordings that makes you feel as if you're sat in the venue, watching it all unfold. Brought me back to my own, religious experience at the Vanguard from a couple years ago.

18. Woodland by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings

The neo-old time genre's greatest songwriting duo return with an unapologetically contemporary suite of beautiful new songs. There's a reason Welch is your favourite folk songwriter's favourite songwriter.

17. Nothing by Louis Cole and the Metropole Orkest

If you're into Louis Cole's whole deal, then the majority of this record will feel pleasantly familiar to you. Just add on a full orchestra to give the oddball's usual brand of jazz/funk/fever dream songwriting some extra depth, as well as provide a new colour palette for some rather daring compositional diversions. Lovely.

16. Eagle's Point by Chris Potter

Not a huge amount to say about this one other than that it's an immensly entertaining set of new tunes from four of the greatest jazz musicians currently alive. What's not to like?

15. King of the Mischievous South Vol. 2 by Denzel Curry

Not usually my preferred brand of hip-hop, but at this point, I'll give anything Denzel Curry does a chance, and while this record isn't as much my thing as his last few projects, it's so meticulously made and visceral that I've found myself returning to it over and over again.

14. HIT ME HARD AND SOFT by Billie Eilish

The first of three absolutely essential pop records from 2024 on this list. Eilish and her brother/producer have designed an imaculate album of queer love (and lust) songs which feel especially mature for such a young artist.

13. Against the Fall of Night by Sungazer

I'm glad bassist Adam Neely has diverted his attention away from video essays to focus on his metrically-experimental, electronic jazz group, Sungazer, because this band is doing legitimately crazy and fascinating work. Give this a spin if you like the challenge of trying to head bang to music which refuses to be rhythmically predictable.

12. brat by Charli XCX

Maybe the album of the year in terms of pure cultural dominance. brat is, by my count, second only to one other pop record released in this calendar year (stay tuned). If you could make an audio recording of adrenaline, it'd sound like this. Summer may be over, but I'm not ready to stop bumpin' that.

11. Cowboy Carter by Beyoncé

She's just unstoppable, okay? This latest record from arguably the most famous woman alive is properly totemic pop Americana. If I had to pick a single song of the year, it might be '16 Carriages', which makes it all the more impressive that the rest of the album is good enough to hold up in comparison. It's also cool getting to see some of my favourite bluegrass musicians being involved in a project this massive.

10. Speak to Me by Julian Lage

Julian Lage might be the single most impressive jazz guitarist alive. All of his projects are good if not great, but this one was particularly exciting because he made his recorded return to the acoustic guitar - a real treat whenever it happens. Surrounded by a large-ish and very eclectic ensemble of musicians, Lage's compositions and playing sparkle even more than usual.

9. Wall of Eyes by The Smile

I like Radiohead, okay? I do think Yorke, Greenwood and drummer Tom Skinner have found something special with this new collaboration. The sophomore record is more assured than their debut and has Yorke's best songwriting in years. This stuff is hypnotic!

8. All Now by The Staves

I was so worried that after the eldest Stavely-Taylor sister left the band, that the sound produced by the two remaining sisters would suffer some. Sometimes it's nice to be emphatically proven wrong. All Now is a sonic extention of The Staves' last record, Good Woman, but this one trades wistful melancholy for relentless optimism, and my goodness does it work for them.

7. Fearless Movement by Kamasi Washington

There are very few things more satisfying than when an artist you've felt let down by in the past makes an unequivocal return to form. Kamasi Washington has always been compelling, but I've found him liable to get caught up in his own legend at times at the expense of his music. This new record feels a lot more grounded and a lot more substantial. It's also just a ton of fun!

6. Väsen & Hawktail by Väsen and Hawktail

Two of the most exciting acoustic ensembles in the world, who have been dancing around one another for years now, have finally come together for a full-length record, and it's marvellous! Both bands have lost a member to other projects recently, so given their natural proclivity for each other's music, it made sense for them to collaborate in order to fill those gaps. The sound of these combined groups is nothing short of miraculous. If you like instrumental folk music at all, then this is essential listening.

5. Service Merchandise by Previous Industries

Often, nostalgia can be a blight on culture, but when employed effectively, it can be a tool for exposing deep truths. My personal favourite rapper, Open Mike Eagle, along with Video Dave and Still Rift, have done just that on their debut album as a trio. Service Merchandise doesn't bemoan the loss of the past, but rather highlights the out-of-placeness of those who cling to it. The themes are sombre but the bars carry Eagle and co.'s signature whimsy.

4. GNX by Kendrick Lamar

In contrast, the latest release from LA rapper Kendrick Lamar is maybe the least whimsical major release of the year. It's direct, confrontational, and introspective to the point where it comes uncomfortably close to self-indulgence. What is lyrically quite a challenging record is made spectacularly listenable thanks to its absolutely stacked lineup of bangers which are sequenced to perfection. Undoubtedly Kendrick's best since To Pimp a Butterfly.

3. Fly by Michael Mayo

To my mind, the most deeply underdiscussed and most exciting young voice in jazz right now is Michael Mayo. I'm deeply obsessed with his debut album, Bones, which is a big, dense production. His latest, Fly, is far more intimate by comparison, but no less ambitious. Backed up by virtuosos Shai Maestro (keys), Linda May Han Oh (bass) and Nate Smith (drums), this suite of songs by the vocalist and composer is the most involving jazz record I've heard all year.

2. Only God Was Above Us by Vampire Weekend

I wanted to put this list out today, because come Monday I will have seen Vampire Weekend tour this album live, and the experience will likely skew my opinion of it.

I cannot think of another mainstream popular music outfit that addresses the modern Jewish experience at all, leta lone this well. Vampire Weekend are truly singular in that way. Every new release of theirs speaks to diaspora Jewishness in new, specific and relevant ways. What makes this particualr record so special though is how aesthetically adventurous it is while being so cogent in the delivery of its themes. This is up there with the band's very best records in a discography without a single dud. P.S. 'Classical' is an all-time great indie rock song.

1. The Golem and Other Tales by Sam Reider and the Human Hands

Accordionist and pianist Sam Reider's newest project is a manifestation of something I've been personally wishing for for close to a decade now: jazz and progressive instrumental music as a vehicle for explicitly Jewish cultural expression.

When I was in New York working towards the PhD I would ultimately flame out of, I spoke with Sam Reider and his bandmate, saxophonist Eddie Barbash, about the connection between their music and their relationship with Jewishness (not to be confused with Judaism). It was a lovely and eye-opening conversation that I'd like to think was as helpful to them as it was to me.

I'm not arrogant enough to suggest that this album is a result of that conversation, but it's so unbelievably exciting to see Sam, Eddie and the rest of the Human Hands construct a suite of pieces which so perfectly capture what I was searching for during that period of my life.

Reider's compositions are a particularly magical amalgamation of jazz, bluegrass, klezmer and other folk traditions from around the world. Those combined sound worlds feel like natural bedfellows in Reider and co.'s capable hands, and on this record. The result is an instrumental retelling of the 16th century Jewish folk tale, The Golem of Chelm. I can't tell you just how special this album is to me, but I can tell you that it sounds amazing, and that this group of musicians, led by Reider feel like they were cosmically destined to make this music together.

[sasha199]

Gale/ Wyll drama pt. 4

Y’all…this game hits different when your Tav is a stand in for yourself.

My sister and I are playing a multiplayer as ourselves, as sisters. I was romancing/flirting with both Gale and Wyll. I made a move on Lae’zel too but THAT ended in tears. Sister is pulling both Astarion and Shadowheart.

(I’m Sasha, sister is Marlie.)

Gale and I are standing in front of a rock out cropping at the edge of camp. The red leaves of the trees around us are stark against the shadowy sky, it’s almost lovely.

Gale has his back to me, I wait patiently saying nothing, he’s the one who wants to talk, after all. He turns to me and closes the distance between us. I clear my throat and stand up straighter. He says nothing, purses his lips, just looks at me. His eyes linger on my hair, my mouth, my neck. I suddenly feel a bit exposed in Karlach’s old camp clothes. It’s taking every bit of my will power to not say anything.

“Your cheeks are flush.” I stare at him. All that build up for a comment about my coloring?

“What?”

“Pink, your cheeks are pink,” he continues, his tone is matter of fact, like it's a simple observation, “and your eyes are bright. Shining. There’s a new twinkle there, and it’s not because of me.”

“It used to be.”

His face falls a bit at that and a twist of shame churns in my gut.

“It is Wyll, yes?”

“Well-“

“The connection is palpable,” he glances down, taps his temple, “no tadpole required. Was there a reason you went to speak to him when you knew I was looking for you?”

“I -“

“Because I told everyone that I wanted to speak with you. Marlie said she would find you.”

“She did.” I keep my tone even, “I knew.”

“So you hid from me.” He sounds hurt, “And then you had the gall to walk right past me when you knew I was desperate to-“ he cuts himself off. His tone is rising and I can tell he’s trying to stay calm.

“Gale.”

His eyes are so beautiful, they were the first thing I fell in love with, way back at the portal. Brown, shining and immensly expresive. When they focus on me the rest of the world falls away, or could burn for all I care.

“I’m out of words.”

I can’t believe he’d choose to close them forever. I'd never again see them alight with curiosity or sparkle with mischief. 

“Every conversation we have always comes back to the orb...and I can’t.”

There wouldn't even be a body to bury. Nothing except memory to mark that Gale had ever existed. Who would be responsible for telling his mother? Tara? And us, his friends, his found family...what would we do? Just go on as if nothing had happened? Pretend that the world wasn't suddenly darker and more depressing and Gale-less?

“I can’t listen to you talk about ending your life anymore. I don’t know…”

And me? What would I do? How would I go on? My life would be so desperately quiet.

“…how to convince you to not do this. I've come to see that perhaps I cant, and…”

I can feel my throat closing, my eyes stinging as I blink the tears away, “and it…it hurts.”

I love you.

I bring my hands up to my face, the tears are finally falling, burning with my frustration and helplessness. I take a shuddering breath and Gale is right there, inches from me. He places a tentative hand on each of my arms, as if he wants to hold me but doesn’t know if he should.

I love you, you stupid adorable wizard.

I lean into him, resting my head just below his collar bone and his arms envelope me. His beard nestles in my hair and I can feel his warm hands on my bare back.

He holds me. Snug in his embrace I let the sobs wrack me. I've been holding them in for so long. The pain of his rejection, the heartache at being unable to reach him. I hate that he built walls around himself and refused to let me in. At the tiefling celebration a month ago, I had laid myself bare. I had been so sure that he wanted me, that he cared for me and I had gone to bed that evening alone, feeling absolutely unloved.

I cling to him with a pathetic desperation. He feels so solid and safe, he smells like new robes and an autumn day. His chest is surprisingly firm, I can feel his heart thudding and I savor it. It feels strong, like it could go on forever, but I don’t know how much longer it has.

I attempt to get my breathing under control. He breathes deep with me, murmuring soothing words, stroking my back, giving me shivers. I don’t want to pull my face away because my nose is running, and I must look such a mess.

Once I feel a bit more emotionally regulated I cover my face with hands. I'm trying to hide my smeared make up. He pulls a handkerchief from his robes and hands it to me. “I'm sorry,” my voice is shakey, "I didn't mean to...I feel like I'm coming apart at the seams. And now there's snot on your robes."

“No matter,” he says graciously, his voice sounds thick and tender.

I chuckle to myself, “You should’ve seen Marlie’s face when I bought them, the price was so-“

The kiss cuts me off mid-word. I’m so surprised my eyes are open. I can see his long soft lashes, the whispy veins that trail up under his left eye. A whimper slips out of me as he pulls me against his length, deepening the kiss. My breasts press against his chest and his hips are flush with mine. He tangles a hand in my hair and moans as he sucks my bottom lip, tasting me. I open my mouth for him. Our tongues dance, hot breath mingling and I feel like I’m on fire. It’s everything I ever wanted, more than I could’ve hoped for. I kiss him fiercely, trying desperately to show the depth of my love in this one searing passionate moment.

Stay with me.

I love the scratch of his stubble, the soft clean scent of him, I run my fingers along his shoulders, his back, anywhere I can reach. He moans again, a deep satisfied rumble in his chest. I never want it to end.

As we come up for air, he huffs a laugh, “Apologies, I should have asked first.” He’s breathless, half grinning.

“I forgive you,” I kiss him again, a gentle kiss against damp lips, “this time.”

He clears his throat and touches my hair, pulls a soft curl taunt to watch it spring back. I reach up and undo the leather cord that keeps my hair (more or less) out of my face and give my head a shake.

He watches me for a moment before coming back to the business at hand. “Wyll is…he is a good man. I’ll not hesitate to say so. He would be good for you…But…I had hoped…” he trails off looking a bit lost.

“What did you hope?”

He reaches for my hair again, gently tucking it behind my ear. It springs back with a will of its own. “I had hoped I was a good man also, and a worthy one.”

“I’m sorry,” I say, “sorry I didn’t say anything about Wyll sooner, I mean. I should’ve-“

“You can tell me now,” he interjects, “who is it to be? Me or him?”

“You want me to choose? I-I didn’t even know you felt that way about me, Gale.”

He has the nerve to look shocked. He takes my hand in his, “I don’t know what more I could’ve done. You must know that I-“

“That you what?" I sound bitter, bitter and mean, but I press on anyway, "I’ve only ever thrown myself at you, Gale, and you rejected me at every turn. Yes, yes I know,” I raise my voice slightly as he looks about to speak over me, “please don’t make me talk about that bloody orb right now. I will scream.”

“Perhaps I should’ve done more,” he interlocks our fingers, traces my palm with his thumb “been more charming, more flattering, harder to reach, I don’t know.” He looks distraught, and my heart aches for him. “I was only ever myself, I hoped it would be enough.” He brings my hand up to his mouth and kisses the inside of my wrist. He nuzzles the sensitive skin, closes his eyes as if he's relishing the feel of me. "I've always wanted you, so much so that I couldn't risk it. I dare not risk it...touching you, kissing you...gods the hours I've wasted lost in my own mind with you..." he blushes a little, his cheek going warm under my hand.

I have a retort poised at the tip of my tongue. Even now I want to hurt him, to lash out. Why did he wait until someone else made it clear they wanted to be with me? Why did he wait for me to resign myself to the fact that I was not going to get what I wanted? It was unfair. To me and to Wyll.

"And if I said that it was too late?"

He opens his eyes, and tucks my hand against his chest, a small sigh escapes his lips and he takes a moment before he responds. "Then I will accept your decision. Graciously."

But before I can say more, he pulls me back into his embrace. His grip on me is firm and there is an intensity in his voice that surprises me. "Tell me I'm not, Sasha. I didn't mean to make you wait so long. Please."

I rest my face against his shoulder. Slowly I wrap my arms around his waist. What do I want? How do I choose? 

“Do you remember our magic lesson?”

He pulls back a little to look down at my face, “The one you failed, yes.”

I give him a look, “Thanks.”

“That was my fault,” he adds quickly.

“Well, remember, you told me then that you were not a big believer in fate but that you believed in serendipity. Is that still true?”

“Uh…yes. I suppose.”

“You said you wanted to embrace me.” I lay my head back on his chest, “And now you have.”

“I’d like to again,” he whispers tracing his fingers up along my spine, "and again and again."

“You will,” I say softly, “because I choose you.”

[sarastuss-a]

ᴹᴱᵀᴬ . SARASTUS &. LOVE :

ever since awakening again, &. even before that when she held the seat of Azem, Sarastus has carried a duty : taking on battles after another, giving everything she has to give for protecting the worlds / realms. the duty of the warrior of light, the duty of being hydaelyn's champion. she is a very selfless person, there is little next to nothing she would not do for the sake of others, especially those she cares for. ( there is her self - sacrificing tendency that swirls from her trauma that also plays a part. )

I tell myself I have to build defenses 'Cause once you are in love, you are defenseless Everything was easy when it meant less But once you are in love, you are defenseless to be loved - a.skjell

that being said, if / when falling in love, she views with someone with a duty like hers, her falling in love is selfish of her. for starters, she is a person who feels emotions strongly, she cares immensly for others ... but love, given the power of a feeling like it is very confusing at the start. it takes her a while to even realize what is happening, but her actions / mannerisms reveal signs towards such strong feelings. to be fair, it can be hard to deduce that they come out of romantic feelings, since Sarastus has been known to do acts of service to basically, everyone. of course she knows what love is, &. has felt platonic love towards others, but when someone invokes feelings beyond that, it is something she does not know how she should navigate. she is not one to distance herself as a way to make such feelings go away, she is rather the type to go &. think, " i am happy if i get to even be near them, or settle to be their friend. " indeed, sefless to the core.

But I gotta be careful Gotta watch what I say God, I hope it all goes away 'Cause I can't fall in love with you No matter how bad that I want to bittersuite - b.illie e.ilish

&. the guilt comes with all of it indeed, very strongly at the start. i think it is a phase she won't get over easily, given the fact she knows she is very much a weapon at this point. she questions if someone in her situation can actually even be in love, or should be rather, considering both her duty as the warrior of light, &. that with all its' dangers. but, that doesn't stop her love from showing with her acts, words, &. even the smallest actions. like stated above, she will care for the person unconditionally regardless.

For you, I would cross the line I would waste my time I would lose my mind They say, "She's gone too far this time" don't blame me - t.aylor s.wift

[cait-with-luv]

Hi lovelies, life has been pretty rough recently. As most of you know my partner had to have surgery for appendicitis so I was caring for him but during that time I unfortunately lost a very dear family friend and my childhood dog all in a few weeks. It was a lot to digest and still is a lot to digest and it's broke my heart immensly. This year has by far been the most challenging for me mentally and physically and we're only in August. Because of all the stress, I have had the most flare ups of my fibromyalgia this year than I usually do in 2 years. Usually I have around 2-3 flare ups a year due to keeping it under control but this year I've already had 6. I just want to be 100% transparent with you guys and fully admit I'm not okay and I am not myself. I don't think I will be for a long time. I am mentally drained. Physically burned out. I cannot bring myself to do the one thing that helps me relieve my stress and motivate me. Writing is a big passion and outlet for me but I cannot find the will nor strength to write right now. Not whilst my life is a train wreck. I'm not going to force myself to write and give you guys half assed effort of writing. That's just not me. I want to give you guys my full upmost effort and I physically cannot give you guys that right now. I'm going to work hard to get myself back on track and back to writing and updating but for now I ask for paitence, respect and understanding. I can't give you an exact date of when I'll be back. Only time will tell and everyone heals and recovers at different paces. I love every single one of you very dearly and can't express how much I appreicate you guys. I hope to speak to you all soon and have an update.

-Cait 💜