#i've been meaning to do something about it all this time but it's also been a kind of. break glass in case of emergency type of thing

[becausebuckley]

michelle's buddie fic recs: week 17!

we're another week closer to buddie canon, i feel it in my bones <3

please take a look at both the fic ratings and the tags before reading! some of these contain spoilers for season 8. if you come across something you like in this list, remember to show some love to the author by leaving kudos and a comment!

all that you ever wanted from me | stevesconverse | 7.8k | T

the one where Eddie takes care of Buck when he's being plagued by a bad migraine. i'm such a sucker for fics like this <3 seeing these two take care of each other is just so, so good, and this is the loveliest example of that!!

flash mobs and jumbotron proposals | glorious_spoon/@glorious-spoon | 10.2k | E

Buck asks a question. Eddie dithers. this has such wonderful eddie characterisation!! i loved his thought process and also the conversation with bobby <3

it only hurts this much right now | daffodilsonaprettystring/@daffodilsonaprettystring | 7.1k | GA

Buck wakes up with a headache, but goes into work anyways despite the pain. Eddie is not pleased with this. But it's fine, Buck has done this before, he can do it again... right? such a wonderful fic!! i love the conversation buck has with eddie here <3

king of the castle | organyx | 12.5k | E

Buck and Eddie challenge each other to see who can go the longest without an orgasm. Eddie’s pretty confident he can win. this is hot and silly and freaky and has the absolute best buddie banter. so good!!

saddle up and ride | lecornergirl/@clusterbuck | 2.7k | E

He looks up at Buck, positioned above him like this, and he knows exactly what he wants. “Ride me,” he says, and only realises how authoritative it came out when Buck’s eyes widen. “I mean—if you—” JOINT. ACCOUNT. you will get this when you read it. just. JOINT. ACCOUNT. incredible fic <3

stress relief | greenbergsays/@greenbergsays | 5.6k | E

Set in the aftermath of the sniper shooting. Eddie is feeling frustrated and Buck offers a helping hand. hot and soft and just so very beautiful <3 what a vision of a fic!!

sweetness follows | pairofraggedclaws/@pairofraggedclaws | 4.3k | T

Buck and Eddie figure it out, through the eyes of Chimney, Hen, and Bobby. i love a good multipe pov fic and also i love the firefam and also i love buddie so basically this fic is perfect for me <3

want to feel you when i'm falling in love | smilingbuckley/@smilingbuckley | 1k | GA

Buck keeps getting cold at night and struggles falling asleep. Eddie cuddles him about it. listen i am a simple person, okay? i see the tag cuddling and snuggling, i see that the fic is written by an author whose work i love, i click the link and devour the fic like it's the first glass of water i've had in days. this is so very lovely <3

what a view | maybeamystery/@frysquint | 3.1k | GA

They’re coming back from a late call for a shift that was supposed to end at two-thirty but didn’t, and Buck has been keeping a close eye on the time. He’s a busy guy with things to do and places to be. One minute he’s glancing at his phone for the two hundredth time in the last thirty minutes, and the next, the whole world goes blurry and out of focus. this was a reread! i love the dialogue here, it feels so true to character!

what makes you smile | EiraLloyd/@unlifeira | 5.6k | T

Three times Buck draws something that makes Eddie smile, and one time Eddie draws something that makes Buck smile. well, guess what? this entire fic made ME smile <3 it's just so fun and so lovely and so buddie and i love the drawings!!

where we belong | carpediaz/@sofa-king-lame | 34.8k | E

The one where Eddie outsources his hair washing post shooting, meets Buck, and learns to accept the good things in life. okay but where do i make an appointment with hairdresser buck. please let me make an appointment with hairdresser buck!! i love the writing here, the descriptions are lovely and the dialogue is brilliant and the domesticity of it all is just <3

you make the world taste better | farfromthstars/@doeeyeseddie | 11.8k | T

Newly arrived to LA, Eddie decides to take his son to parent/child cooking classes. The instructor is so much more than he expected. this was a reread of one of my favourites <3 i love chris here and his relationship with both buck and eddie, and the firefam presence is so lovely!! just such a gem!

you touched down in the base of my fears | fruitsdoesnotknow/@fruitsdontknow | 10.2k | T

the 118 attempt an escape room. Buck and Eddie attempt to be normal for sixty minutes. if you need some cheering up this week, i cannot recommend this fic enough <3 i love hen and ravi and bobby and the buddie of it all and it's just so, so good!!

[utilitycaster]

You know, something that never sat quite right with me is the defense of Bells Hells constantly having the same argument as "realistic" not just because "realistic" doesn't mean "compelling to watch"...but also because this isn't actually realistic in like, functional groups.

I was involved in a number of clubs in college and was on the board of several; I am on an alumni board for a university club I was in as an undergrad. I've been in a leadership role in an independent congregation and a member of several political interest groups in adulthood. I've also been an indirect manager (think team lead for a specific project but not the person people report to regularly) in a professional setting - and those are just formalized settings and not just hanging out with friends or smaller group projects.

The idea that it's normal and relatable to have a group of people who just endlessly and repeatedly provide their perspective and argument without any sort of resolution is one of those "wait, you live like this?" moments. During debates, such as for board elections or in one case, a very emotionally heightened decision to eject a member who had been credibly accused of wrongdoing against another, the phrase that got used once everyone had had a chance to talk and address any questions was, essentially, "will further discussion change anyone's mind." Because that is ultimately the purpose of discussion - to make sure everyone has all the information, and to allow everyone an opportunity to speak their piece in the service of ultimately coming to a decision. Discussion about a course of action is not an end point in itself, and there comes a time where you have to say "your feelings are valid but your talking isn't going to change anyone's mind at this point and we need to move forward in some manner."

Romanticizing endless tiresome indecision feels no different to me than romanticizing some other utterly unnecessary behavior like, I don't know, hustle culture. If your friends can't decide on a restaurant for 2 hours (or 2 months) then either do a rotating schedule, decide to meet for coffee/drinks/a bring-your-own-stuff picnic, or if this is food as part of a longer outing, don't be afraid to split up for a small part of it. If you can't decide what to do in a group project, assign a leader or take it to a vote and provide a clear tie-break condition. Flip a coin, if nothing else can be done. But you do not have to live like this; really, it just takes one person to speak up and say "we've been talking in circles for two hours and I'm exhausted; does anyone have new information or a concern that wasn't brought up or is it time to call it?" And your life will be immeasurably better the day you decide to be that person whenever relevant.

[dewdropple]

I've been thinking a lot about Look Outside recently, and I've seen a few posts floating around about how the theme of the game is kindness and generosity rewarding the player. And while yes, typically if you are kind and open the door for strangers or if you don't kill the roaches or if you sacrifice yourself instead of rat baby, you'll get more friends and more people joining your party. However, I don't think that's a core theme of the game. I think it's about what makes a monster a monster.

To start, the game isn't like Undertale in that how kind you are directly affects the ending. The game truly doesn't care how you play, whether you play more paranoid or if you go out of your way to make every friend you can find. There is no social consequences for killing people other than they won't be around in the future. No one cares, and especially the game itself doesn't care.

But asking the player what makes a monster? That's everywhere.

Early on, the game does a very good job with coupling the idea that looking outside = corrupted/transformed = non-human = dangerous. Your first instict when you see someone who has been infected or mutated is to fight, even if early on it's fighting back or risk being killed yourself. But then as the game progesses, it shows you more and more examples of people who have been exposed to the outside but who still have their wits. They don't look human, but they sure have their humanity still.

How many monsters did Sam (and the player) steamroll through because he thought they were hostile? How many people still had their minds but didn't have a mouth to tell Sam to stop?

What makes a monster? One who looks like one? Or one who acts like one?

The game wrestles with Sam's humanity. At one point, he talks to himself in the mirror, that what he's doing is wrong. That he's breaking and entering people's apartments to steal literally everything he can and then killing them in their own homes. Is he a monster himself? He doesn't look like one, he's not infected, and he had to do those things, right? Even as the player talks Sam through justifing Sam's actions, it helps plant the seed that being a monster is more than looks.

I do think it's fitting, then, that the arguably best ending doesn't care how many people you saved or spared, or how ruthless you were in the apatment building. If you successfully complete the ritual, you lose your humanity and become the biggest monster of all. The only change comes from choosing to become a monster in the mind as well. A miniature version of the Visitor that either saves everyone with his monstrous size and appearance, or slowly chokes the world out with his near-infinite reach.

(Not to mention the failed ritual ending where he becomes corrupted while staring at himself in the mirror, or the other endings where he directly introduces someone or something to the Visitor and causes the end of the world that way.)

Sam becomes a monster either way, and his actions help solidify the notion that they're more important than appearance.

There could be more said about how the majority, if not all, of the chatacters are bipoc and what it means to be a monster for them, that due to no choice of their own, society deems them dangerous because of how they look. But it's really late and I need to get to bed.

Something could also be said about covid and a pandemic and how society treats disabled people, but that's for another time. There's just so many layers to this game.

[crescencestudio]

๋࣭⭑ Devlog #47 | 4.26.25 ๋࣭⭑

no bc we r actually so back brothers ive got FOOD TODAY

We are ALIVEEEEE AND BACK AND BETTER THAN EVER ((FR THIS TIME!!!).

Before we get into actual updates, I wanted to give context on where my life's been at basically the past year. As many of you know, I got my PhD last December (YEAAAA) which meant for the second half of 2024, I was literally in a cave crunching my dissertation. Now, many people (including me) thought after I finished my dissertation, I'd be a lot freer for Alaris stuff. But since this year started, I've been completely preoccupied with some personal matters which kept me from working on Alaris as much as I wanted to.

While the personal matters aren't anything anyone has to be worried about, they did take up A Lot of my time, and I'm really happy to say that I am officially free from those obligations too!!! Meaning for the first time in literally a year, I am NOT drowning. And that time has already been used Very Fruitfully heh....heh....heh.....

WANNA SEE???

Writing has been on a bit of a stall, and the main reason why is something I'll talk about in the Miscellaneous section! But it's nothing to worry about since it's because I want to focus on other parts of the game right now. With almost all of the routes finished, I've noticed that the writing pace I've maintained has resulted in the art and programming aspects to fall a bit behind where I want those parts of game dev to be.

So recently, I've focused more attention on the art and programming components rather than writing. That being said, writing still makes slow but steady progress! Kuna'a's development edits continue to progress, and Etza's route is about to be sent to line editing, which is the last stage of editing for my writing process. This means once Etza's line edits are finished, the four Central routes will be COMPLETELY FINISHED!! Exciting right!!!!

For art, I can't actually show very many sneak peeks since it's mostly been CGs and character design commissions heh. But I am willing to give a slight sneak peeks of these character designs in these two beta screenshots

Sickest character designs by @saffein-e

While these sneak peeks don't represent the final character sprites, they are the OG designs created by bestie Saf. And even from the designs alone, the characters are stunning additions to the cast! I can't wait to draw them in my own style and hopefully do Saf's amazing work justice 💖💖💖 In these screenshots too, you can see some of the newer BGs and hints of overlays that we've added to the game to heighten the visual effects hehe.

I've also been working on CGs for Etza's route and am happy to say our CG count is currently at 26 completed CGs (5 sketched ones) out of 54! Now that I'm making an active effort to Lock in on the art assets, I'm hoping CG and sprite development picks up a bit in the coming months ^^

And finally... for the most exciting news!!!!!

ETZA'S BETA WILL BE OUT MONDAY!!!!

We have finally moved forward on the beta build front, and beta testers will finally get to play Etza's beta! Since I haven't shown much in-game screenshots from the betas in past devlogs, and you all patiently still read them, I thought this month would be a nice time to update you all on how things are looking in Alaris beta land.

In this beta, you obviously get to woo our neighborhood angel

Since it's been a while, this is a reminder of what the game looks like (LMFLSOA). I know for me it's been a while and honestly I forgot how proud I am of the art assets :') I love how everything has come together and how it looks in the game <3

Of course, Important Choices and fun cast dynamics are a few of our Favorite Things

Between the messaging interface, the chapter card, the phone call overlays, and many more little effects and stuff, I forgot how many assets are in this thing. Being able to code Etza's beta has been an amazing reminder of how much work I've put into Alaris over the years ^^

Which brings me to exciting news!!!! I will make the official announcement separately at a later time, but as a reward for people who actually read these things, you're the first to know. With Etza's beta coming out soon, that means the four Central routes will have finished beta testing. And with where things are at, I've made the official decision that...

Alaris will enter Early Access for the First Four Routes!!!

I don't have an exact date for when this will release since it largely depends on how quickly I can art. But I'd like to aim for a tentative Q3 release for the Early Access Build! More details will come when I make the official announcement, but it is extremely exciting to have reached a point where I can even put this out there to people!!!

I hope you all are excited, and I want to thank everyone who has been on this journey with me whether it's as a recent or long time fan!!

Finally, I haven't really had time for market research since I've been in the "Returning the Game Dev" trenches. But I do have other exciting news that I'll make yet another official announcement on later.

Aside from the new Alaris beta, I've also had another small side project I've been working on with some friends (very chill-like) over the past couple of months. It'll be the first Crescence Dark Fantasy entry in my collection of games, and it's definitely a different vibe from what I've put out so far.

Where They Wait will be a new game submitted to Ossan Jam with elements of horror, fantasy, and dark romance :3c I'm so grateful to the team I've worked with and all the work they've put into our little shared baby, and I can't wait for you all to play it! This will also be coming out WELL, Monday too LMAFLIDJLIFJ.

As you can see, we've been hard at work behind the curtain. Since I last talked to you all, we've made a lot of nice headway on the different projects I've had on my plate, and I'm excited to feel like we're hitting our stride on so many things!!!!

Until next time we talk, which will be Very Soon with all our exciting announcements coming up. Thank you as always for being patient with me and supporting me!

[a-page-full]

Once more I need to talk about Welcome to Demon School Iruma-Kun! Specifically about Mephisto.

As such, manga spoilers ahead!

I've been thinking of the Scala exam a lot recently, and about Mephisto's reaction to Iruma. I realized that this is the first time in the manga that we see someone contrast Iruma from Delkira instead of compare him to.

If you think about it, it is often repeated through the series about how similar Iruma is to Delkira. Asmodeus saw him as Delkira during his first evil cycle when sitting on the throne. Repeatedly Sullivan sees Delkira in Iruma. Amduscias saw Delkira in Iruma during the musical festival. We are pretty consistently reminded the similarities between Iruma and the previous Demon King. It's kinda like we start to see Delkira as this amazing, never wrong being.

I think that is why it is so shocking when we get Mephisto's view point on the very beginning of Delkira as Demon King. For the first time, we see someone viewing Delkira in a negative light. We see Delkira be greedy and selfish enough that someone was essentially fired from the position that they had held for centuries. Mephisto was cast off on the whims of Delkira.

I think it is so interesting that it takes hundreds of chapters to get to this point. When I first read it, it felt wrong. Like 'that's not right.' Iruma is compared so often to this person that seeing something negative about them feels off putting. It's a reminder that Delkira was not perfect.

I also think that is why the conversation between Mephisto and Iruma is so beautiful. Mephisto realizes how different Delkira and Iruma are from each other, and because of those differences, Mephisto sees a future king in Iruma. That Iruma cares so much that he would never cast aside anybody. Everybody is important to him no matter who they are. This is the first time we finally get someone looking at Iruma as a future demon king because he is different from Delkira.

No one means ill by comparing Iruma to Delkira. Instead everybody means the highest respect by doing that, but there is something so refreshing about Iruma being seen as a future leader for being Iruma. For being greedy in a different way. Instead of making it all about himself and his desires, his greed stems from wanting everyone to be happy and fulfilled.

I was not expecting this outcome from the Scala exam. Initially I was very wary of Mephisto, but now I've come to love his character. He just wants to feel needed again, and Iruma offers that without even realizing it. Iruma is so clueless to the impact he has on the demons around him.

I hope my rambling was coherent. Basically, I am really excited for the series to continue and to see how this all progresses. To see Iruma continue to make a name for himself, as himself. This manga is just so beautifully done.

[ashwhowrites]

Hello hello my wonderful friend!

I’m not sure if you’ve done one of this trope before, you’ve written so many so it wouldn’t surprise me! But this may be a little different? I’d like to request sex pollen trope with Eddie and then some miscommunication and angst with a happy ending. ❤️❤️

I was thinking maybe they’re in the upside down and some weird plant/mist/etc down there does it? Or honestly it doesn’t have to be so literal. Whatever way to get the sex pollen effect you like best. But basically the whole older group is affected, whatever happens with the others is off-screen. Reader and Eddie have both been in love with each other forever but she doesn’t think Eddie likes her back and Eddie thinks she’s way beyond his league and wouldn’t ever want him. The sex pollen happens and then after when the group is embarrassed and getting ready to move past it a few comments are made by the others like “I’d never have done that in my right mind” or like joking comments about “let’s forget this ever happened”, “my eyes - I need bleach!” Basically trying to make light of it and move past it. And Eddie makes some kind of joking comment as well, sure that reader is mortified to have done that with her best friend. Reader is devastated because she hoped that it might have meant something and that he’d meant what he’d said to her during as much as she had meant what she said to him. She distances herself from Eddie which upsets him but he understands (thinks it’s because of the pollen stuff, not his comment). He’s talking to Steve about it one day, unsure what to do to fix it and Steve is confused. Apparently the others (minus Jonathon and Nancy or whoever you prefer to ship as an established couple) all just touched themselves with the exception of the established couple. The pollen didn’t make you do anything you didn’t want to do, it just made you crazy horny and more uninhibited. It also didn’t make anyone else say things, or compel them to say things. They were in control completely. Cue realization. Eddie goes to reader, confronts her (“did you mean what you said?”), she’s like please don’t do this, you said yourself *insert joking comment*. He reveals what he learned from Steve. Reader is embarrassed and blushing but realizes Eddie said some things during too. Actual confessions happen, happy ending, tears and kisses.

I feel like I did an awful job of explaining but don’t feel like you have to stick exactly to that mess above. I just wasn’t sure how else to describe the idea I’m going for? I’m just wanting the Ash spin on sex pollen trope that has your signature delicious miscommunication angst and then happy ending. Full creative control is yours obviously and I’ll be happy with it because you wrote it and you’re my fave 🥰

My first take on sex pollen trope so 🤞🏻 I hope I do it justice. I hope this is what you wanted and you enjoy it! Thank you for requesting ❤️

Mysterious plant

⚠️smut

It was summer break, Y/N, Robin and Eddie just graduated, Nancy and Steve needed a break from the work life, so they all decided to take a camping trip. They packed all their stuff into Eddie's van and hit the road before sundown.

The trip was everything they needed. Time in the sun, time away from responsibilities, and a whole lot of drugs and alcohol. They only spent a few nights there, before they headed back. None knowing they were bringing something back with them.

"Yo, is this poisonous?" Eddie asked as he reached forward to touch a strange looking plant.

"Don't touch it!" Y/N warned him, slapping his hand away. She looked down at the plant, truly having no idea what it was.

"Nothing I've seen before. But we are in the woods so we probably shouldn't touch it," Nancy said as she looked down at it.

They all surrounded it as they looked at it. A gust of wind came and ripped the roots right out of the ground. The dirt flew up and made them cough as it filled their nose.

"Welp, at least it's dead now," Robin said as she coughed. The strange plant caused them to cough for a good few minutes as they packed everything up.

As Eddie drove them back, he felt a little funky. His body was getting really warm and he could feel himself sweating.

"Is anyone else hot?" Y/N asked from the passenger seat. She cranked up the AC.

"Yes," Steve groaned as he uncomfortably shifted in his spot in the back. Nancy and Robin groaned in agreement.

Eddie couldn't help but speed as the air continued to get thick and hot.

~

"Finally!" Eddie groaned as he walked into his trailer. He quickly tore off his shirt, throwing it in the bathroom as he walked to his room.

Y/N ran a towel under the sink, putting it on her forehead as she tried to soak in the cold water. She closed her eyes as she took deep breaths. She heard Eddie walking around and the sound of him running the sink. She kept her eyes shut as she focused on not getting sick from how overheated she was.

Eddie splashed the water on his face, letting the droplets run down his naked chest. His mind was blank as all he could feel was how hot he felt.

He turned off the sink, quickly tying his hair up. "You want to change? I've got some boxers you can throw on," he asked. For the first time since leaving, he looked at her.

And this different feeling ran through his body. A shiver up his spine. He always had the hots for her, it was obvious she was attractive. But he'd never make a move on his best friend. Not after all the years they spent together and the friendship they created. He knew he had feelings for her, but his body was practically aching as he looked at her.

She opened her eyes to answer him, words stuck in her throat as he stood in just boxers. She gulped as her body seemed to have a mind of its own. She felt her face burn as she shifted, feeling a pool of wetness between her thighs. She knew for a fact it wasn't because of the heat.

She had a thing for Eddie for years. Started as a little schoolgirl crush and developed into something much more when they both went through puberty. He grew into his body and she's been dealing with falling in love with her best friend for a while now.

Eddie was nowhere near the type to be in a relationship. So, she figured not to bother wishing on a star he'd feel the same. She was always so good at keeping her composure, which is why she was shocked that she couldn't form words as he stared at her.

He must have felt something too. Because the longer they stared at each other, the longer their bodies craved each other.

"Uh, sure," she finally got out. She pushed herself away from the counter and walked to his room.

Eddie didn't feel in control of his own body as he followed her. He was a nice guy, he knew to give her privacy. But it was like he had no choice, in a trance as he walked in. She could feel his eyes on her, and she loved it. Normally, she would push him out but something in her wanted him to watch her.

She turned as her body smacked into his. She gasped as she could easily feel his hard cock against her. She looked into his eyes as she stripped off her shirt. She held her breath when his hands wrapped around her, palms against her back as he slid up and unhooked her bra.

She didn't feel nervous or self-conscious as the material fell to the floor. His hands skimmed to her hips, holding her softly. All his mind was focused on was the burning heat in his stomach and the throbbing of his cock. He wasn't worried about it being his best friend, he wasn't taking the time to be in awe of her naked chest in front of him, he needed to fuck her.

The only thing both of them could think about.

He was fast as he smashed his lips on hers. The simple kiss brought moans out of them as they gripped each other. The kiss was messy and desperate, trying to relieve the sexual tension they felt. But it only edged them on. Their tongues danced with each other as he pushed her down on his bed, keeping his mouth on hers.

She rubbed her thighs together, the amount of wetness she felt was indescribable. She had never been this wet before. She could physically feel her cunt throbbing and her clit ache to be touched.

When he pulled away, a line of spit connected them from his lips to hers. His eyes bored into hers and it was as they were communicating without words.

In quick movements, they stripped each other. Their hands were fast and uncoordinated as they tried to feel every inch of each other.

Her hands burned as they ran up his chest and then down his back. The feeling of his skin drove her insane and she wanted to feel more and more. He shivered as she touched him, his hands moving to her chest.

His cock twitched as he massaged her breasts, fingers rolling her nipples as precum leaked out of him. She thought having his touch would settle the fire in her stomach but it only fueled it more. They both understood there was no reason for foreplay, too impatient as their bodies ached.

Eddie could barely think straight as he shoved himself into her. Loudly moaning in bliss he felt her wrap around him. She whined as she felt him fill her up, wasting no time as she moved her hips.

He pressed his lips against hers as he began to thrust into her. He felt insane as he fucked her as fast and hard as possible. Her eyes rolled in the back of her head as he hit every spot inside of her. Their sweaty bodies rubbed against each other.

He pulled away as he panted into her face. Both had no control as their moans filled up the room. He could feel his toes curling from the way his balls slammed against her. It was something he wanted for so long and it was way better than he imagined.

"More, please. I need more," she whined as she clawed at his back. His body felt perfect against her. She was addicted to every part of him. The smell of sex and sweat made her arch.

She shivered as he laughed. A dark mocking laugh.

"Yeah? Fucking beg for it, slut,"

She figured she'd gasp at his words but all that came out was a loud moan. She should have known he was dominant and rough.

"Fuck. Please! You feel so good. I just need more. I'll take anything just fuck, please, something," she begged.

Eddie kept his focus on fucking her as he reached for his nightstand. He yanked it open, mindlessly searching. Y/N felt her cunt pulse with excitement as he pulled out a small vibrator. She wasn't surprised Eddie would have sex toys hiding somewhere. She tried to make a mental note to look back at the nightstand in the future.

She jolted as he pressed it against her clit, the vibrations adding more pleasure.

"Moan for me, beautiful. I've dreamed of hearing you moan my name," he whispered as he flicked the vibrator on a higher level.

She gasped as her bundles of nerves reacted to the new vibration. She also loved knowing he thought about this before.

"Eddieeeeeee," she moaned as she clawed at his back. Her back arched as she felt herself cumming. She's positive this was a record speed for how quickly she needed to cum. "I need to cum, Eddie."

"Good girl, cum for me, baby. Let me fuck you through it," he encouraged as he allowed himself to get close. "Can I please fill you up?" He begged.

Her eyes rolled in the back of her head as she continued to cum. Her ears loved the sound of his choked begs.

"Yes,"

The second she said it, his stomach snapped. He tossed the vibrator to the side as he used his fingers. She squirmed as her clit burned. Moaning as he continued to fuck her.

"Oh my God, FUCK," she screamed as her cunt grew sensitive. Every thrust and circle pained her as another orgasm started building.

He dropped to his elbows as he gave his final thrusts, hot spurts of cum painting her insides. Both moaning at the feeling.

She figured the heat and burn would disappear, but nothing changed. Her cunt was soaked and now pulsing for more. Eddie noticed it within himself too, his cock already hardening inside of her.

He looked up at her, a sexy smirk as he slowly began to slide himself in and out of her. He watched her face to see how well she'd take him again. And he didn't see a slight bit of discomfort. She moaned, moving her hands down to his chest as she softly clawed.

"I'm not ready to be done with you, can you handle more?" He asked, halting his movements in case she wanted to be done.

"Yes, but I want to ride you," she admitted as she placed her palms against his chest and pushed. He slowly slid out of her.

A huge smile crossed his face as he dropped on his back, wrapping a hand around his cock. He slowly jerked himself as he looked at her. "You're breathtaking."

She blushed as she moved on top of him. She placed her hands on his hairy thighs and sank down on him.

"You'd kill me if you knew how many times I've thought of you in this position," he moaned as she began to bounce on him. He gripped her hips and helped her move her hips.

"I probably should but this feels too good to care," she moaned. Her body was feeling things she had never known before. She couldn't get enough of how amazing he felt inside of her.

He laughed, sitting up as he wrapped his arms around her. She wrapped her arms around his neck as she used the new balance to bounce faster. He sucked on her neck, loving the taste of her sweat. She yanked out his hair, letting his curls fall on his shoulders.

"Why did we never think to do this before?" She asked as she shivered in pleasure. They could've been doing this for years at this point, instead of robbing themselves of how amazing their bodies worked together.

He released her neck as he pulled back to look at her. He was sure it was an in-the-moment comment, but he thought the same thing for months. "Didn't think you'd ever see me that kind of way."

Her hips slowed at the honesty in his voice. Her heart melted for him. She rolled her hips forward as she brought her arms around his neck. The closeness made the moment more passionate as she looked into his eyes. "I see you in the best kind of way."

He smashed his lips on hers, thrusting his hips up to fuck her as she moaned into the kiss

It didn't matter how much they touched each other. Or how deep he was in her. The burning desire for each other wasn't lessening. It was making them want it more and for it to never end.

She rocked her hips against him, feeling a familiar burn in her stomach. Eddie felt every strand of his hair soaked in sweat, sticking to his face.

"Fuck you're so beautiful, so wet, so perfect around me," he praised, biting his lip as he fucked up in her as hard as he could. "I could fuck you for the rest of my life."

Her heart pounded at his words. Breath hitching as she bounced on him. "Yeah? You promise?"

"Is that what you want? To be wrapped around my cock forever?" He whispered as her breath fanned his face. Her body reacted to him by squeezing around him. "Fuck do that again."

She repeated the action, loving how he let out a long moan. "Tell me you want it too," she whispered, her lips inches above his.

"I want you for the rest of my life," he admitted. He shocked himself by saying it but he meant it. "I think I'm in love with you."

She froze on top of him, blinking a thousand times. Did he just admit he was in love with her?

"No, I know I'm in love with you," he corrected. His hands ran up her back, holding the back of her head as he brought her lips against his.

She kissed him back. She moaned into his mouth as his left hand moved down to her clit. She pulled away, smiling in pleasure and bliss.

"I love you too," she confessed. Her forehead was against his as she felt her orgasm building. She rocked her hips against him, soaking in the feeling of his fingers on her clit. "Make me cum."

"My pleasure," he smirked, cockily circling her clit as she began to fall apart.

She felt her stomach burn with the familiar feeling, she leaned down and sank her teeth into his shoulder as she came again. Eddie growled out at the feeling, loving the harsh sting as she broke his skin.

~~~

Eddie woke up to the sound of a phone ringing. He rubbed his eyes as he looked around. His room was a mess, everything scattered everywhere, shit was falling off his walls, and his desk was no longer together properly.

The ringing continued, and Eddie felt a body next to him move. A reminder of who helped him create the mess. He gulped as he looked over at her. She was still asleep, on her stomach as she faced the other direction. He slowly got up, hissing as he stood up straight. A burning sensation ran all over his back, he wrapped his sheet around him and he practically limped as he walked to get the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Eddie. I talked to Robin and Nancy, and we all think something was up with that plant. We are going to meet up to talk about it, can we meet at your place? Call Y/N too," Steve said. Eddie agreed to meet them and hung up.

He walked towards his room, Y/N awake as she held a blanket around her body as she looked for her clothes.

"Morning, um, Steve wants us to meet here to talk about something," back to his shy self, Eddie turned around to give her privacy.

"Okay, yeah. Just gonna go get ready!" She squealed as she gathered her clothes and ran towards the bathroom. Once the door slammed, Eddie changed into new clothes. His body was sore which made everything harder, he was curious if her body was in any pain.

He held his shirt in his hand, waiting for her to exit the bathroom.

"Oh! You um, still are...not dressed," she said as she awkwardly tried not to look at his naked heavily marked chest. She felt her face burn as she saw all the hickies and scratch marks.

"Yeah, I kinda need help with my back. Could you put this on me?" He stood up and handed her the small tube of ointment. She gasped as he turned, his back far worse than his chest.

"Oh fuck, is it bad?" He asked upon hearing her gasp. She was embarrassed for what she left behind, but also enjoyed having her mark all over him.

"Just a lot of them. This might sting," she warned as she began to rub the ointment along his skin.

Just like that, the same fire burned in his stomach as she touched him. But this time, his brain was awake and active. Making him think logically that whatever happened yesterday only happened because of that damn plant.

He couldn't get excited by the feeling of her hands rubbing his back. Or how her breath hit his skin and made his spine straighten.

After she finished, he turned around. As they stared at each other, the air got thicker. She blew out a nervous breath.

"Can we talk quickly? I want to talk about some things we said last night." She asked

"Maybe after?" Eddie asked, feeling like he needed to throw up. He was nervous about what she wanted to say and he wanted time to deal with it.

"Um, yeah," she nodded. Her stomach turned with anxiety. She didn't want to wait. She wanted to clear the air about what happened and she needed to know how he felt about it. She turned around and walked out to his living room, needing to be out of his room and the aftermath of themselves.

Eddie took a few deep breaths and walked out. He walked to his front door and left it unlocked. He wanted to sit next to her but he felt terrified. So, he sat on the opposite side. Y/N felt the blow to her chest but tried not to show it. They never sat this far apart. The air was awkward as they sat in silence.

A loud commotion came from outside as everyone traveled in. Steve, Robin and Nancy all stood in front of the couch.

Steve awkwardly coughed as he started, "So, Nancy and I did some research about the plant we saw. I'm going to be blunt, I did things I wish I never thought of."

Y/N scrunched her face, uncomfortable with the idea of her friend sleeping with each other.

"I can't even look at myself," Robin laughed as she tried to make light of the situation.

"Moral of the story," Nancy said as she rolled her eyes, "It was a sex pollen plant. And we are moving past it and nothing happened!"

"Sex pollen?" Y/N questioned out loud, "Never heard of it."

Eddie was silent as he listened. It was confirmed that the plant was the reason all of that happened. He knew he wanted to do it because he liked her. But she did it because of the damn pollen.

"Wanna go get food?" Steve asked as he clapped. Everyone nodded, ready to move on from the awkward conversation.

Y/N grabbed Eddie's hand before he walked out, "We still need to talk."

"It was the pollen, it's okay. We can move past it like they all did," he explained. She dropped his hand and accepted his answer. Clearly, there was nothing else behind what happened.

She was absolutely shattered. And it hurt that he refused to talk about it. He admitted he was in love with her and now wanted to pretend it never happened.

~~~

A few weeks passed and Y/N tried to be okay with not expressing how she felt to Eddie. She tried to fake it and return to normal. It seemed everyone else did.

Robin, Nancy, and Steve didn't seem like anything happened between any of them. Y/N was never going to ask for details so she had no idea who got involved with who, and she was fine with not knowing.

Y/N walked up to the small diner as the gang was meeting for breakfast. She walked in and everyone was already sitting. She slid in on the end next to Eddie.

"I wish I could bleach my eyes so I wouldn't have the vision of it anymore," Steve laughed. The table laughed with him and Y/N wasn't sure what the topic was.

"I know. I'm ashamed of my own body. I didn't think it could do all it did," Robin shivered.

"Me too. I feel like I can never go to church again," Nancy groaned as she covered her face.

Y/N figured it was about the recent event they all moved on from, except her.

"All I know is if I see that plant again, I'm walking away because I never want to experience that again. Horrified from that night" Eddie laughed. The table joined in but Y/N felt a kick to her gut.

She hugged herself as she felt embarrassed. Was having hours of sex with her that horrible? She'd be fine to do it all over again but that's where they were different. She was in love with him and he got infected. She meant what she said and confessed, and it was all a joke to him.

"What about you? You haven't said anything about what you did," Steve said as he looked at her. Y/N felt her body burn as everyone turned to look at her.

"I'd prefer not to talk about it," Y/N said. She didn't want to say anything after the horrific comment Eddie made.

Eddie gave her a side glance, slightly relieved she didn't say anything. He was sure she was horrified by what she did with him. And wanted to take back everything she said. Which is why he kept hiding from the conversation he knew she wanted to have.

They accepted her answer, finally moving on from the topic.

~

The second Y/N got home she allowed herself to cry in the comfort of her room. She admitted everything to that boy and he wanted to erase the night from history. She felt crushed and heartbroken.

She should have known Eddie wouldn't touch her that way without a substance. She should have known he wasn't the type to say how he felt and that everything he said wasn't true.

She hated that she was the only one who seemed to have true feelings about what she did. The rest of the gang clearly could move on. Eddie didn't mean anything, and she was stuck feeling everything.

~~~

Y/N had to distance herself a bit from Eddie because everything was still hurting. She couldn't face him knowing she meant everything she said and did. He'd probably laugh in her face if he knew that.

Eddie noticed the distance, but he understood why she needed it. She fucked the freak and now had to deal with the thought of it. He was disappointed that the events ruined their friendship because that's what he was scared of the most. He spent days ignoring how he felt for her so she didn't leave. And now, she is gone.

He went from spending every day with her to nothing at all for two straight weeks. He missed her.

He called Steve over for help, which meant he was desperate.

"Y/N has been a ghost to me for like two weeks. I don't want to rush her or anything, but I mean, we are all in the same boat. We all were infected by that pollen and did things with each other. But you three all moved on like nothing happened. How did you do it? How can I make it easier for her?" Eddie asked question after question.

Steve looked at him, confused, "Wait, did you two sleep with each other? Like as in you and Y/N had sex!"

"I don't understand how you are confused by that," Eddie rolled his eyes, "obviously we had sex otherwise there wouldn't be an issue!"

"Wow," Steve said, a slow smirk forming on his face, "you guys really fucked? Was she any good?"

"I'm about three seconds away from decking you in the face," Eddie growled, "You have Nancy, don't worry about how Y/N is."

Steve backed up from the threat but laughed at Eddie's clear jealousy. "Alright, calm down. Clearly, she's all yours; I got that. Nancy, Robin and I were all alone when we dealt with the pollen. I did research on it and everything. It's basically just a pollen that makes you crazy horny, barely able to satisfy it and that's why it continues on for hours. None of us had sex with each other. It doesn't make you desire whoever is with you. That's not how it works. So whatever you and Y/N did, came straight from your guys. Just with a push," Steve explained.

"But maybe it's because we were together when it happened! So we desired each other" Eddie tried to explain.

"I was with Nancy in the same car when I started to feel it. Touching her or sleeping with her never crossed my mind," Steve said as he crossed his arms. He leaned back against Eddie's couch, "You my friend are in love with her and that's why it happened."

"Woah now," Eddie laughed, "I never said anything about love."

Steve rolled his eyes but a playful smile on his face. "Don't bother trying to cover it. I told you, I did all the research. It doesn't make you feel anything you haven't already felt. And it doesn't make you say anything you didn't mean. Whatever happened between you two, happened because of how you guys already felt."

Eddie soaked in his words, his stomach fluttering as he thought about everything they said during their time together. "So, let's say she admitted to loving me and something like that. That's the truth? Not the pollen?"

"Bingo," Steve smiled as he leaned forward, "So, seriously, how was it?"

Eddie rolled his eyes, but a smile broke on his face. Steve shoved him as he saw the smile.

"You totally are into her!"

"Oh shut up!"

~

Eddie was terrified to face his feelings but he wasn't going to be the reason he lost her. The only way she's allowed to leave his life is by her decision. He'll never drive her there and he'll beg before she does.

All he had to do was admit he was in love with her. He was doubting himself, but losing her forever scared him more than any confession. He already had the suspicion she felt the same, if what Steve said was true. It gave him comfort he wouldn't be shooting in the dark.

He softly knocked on her bedroom window, the moon his only form of light. She took a deep breath as she flipped her lamp on. Only one person knocked on her window, and truthfully she missed him. She quickly got out of bed and walked over, unlocking it and allowing him inside. She shivered as she felt the cold night air, shutting the window.

"Well, at least you are prepared for me to stay. That has to be a good sign," Eddie tried to joke as she closed the window, instead of leaving it open for an early exit.

She smiled at him and walked to sit on her bed. "You don't have to be so nervous," she said as he stood in one spot. "You can sit. I won't bite you."

"Liked it last time you did," he joked back as he sat next to her. The joke landed flat as she awkwardly looked away. "Moving on. I just want to check on you. I understand things are a little weird for us. But I don't want you to think I'm not here for you."

Her heart swelled at his words, she turned to look at him with a soft smile. "I appreciate that. I'm sorry I've been weird. I just needed more time to move on. But I've missed my best friend."

He ignored the sadness he felt when she called him her best friend. He was glad he was, but he wanted to be something more to her. A best friend that's in a boyfriend.

"Did you need more time to move on because you meant what you said?" He threw the question out there like a grenade. No warning as it landed in her lap.

She hugged herself, looking down at her lap. "We don't need to do this, Eddie." She heavily sighed, "You said it yourself that we can move on like they all did and I don't want to make you relive such a horrifying memory of what sex is like with me."

Eddie kicked himself as the words were tossed back at him. She remembered what he said; that meant it stuck with her, and he felt like an asshole.

"I found out from Steve that none of them had sex with each other. It was just us," he explained. That caused her to look at him.

She shrugged as she thought it over, "probably because we were with each other."

"That's what I said. But it turns out, the pollen makes you crazy horny and nothing else. Steve said everything we did and said was because it was already in our body, the desire and tension. The pollen was just a push."

She looked at him horrified, her body burning in embarrassment. "That was far more than a push!" She covered her face with her hands. She liked the idea of blaming the pollen for the crazy shit she did to her best friend. It was embarrassing enough to have a crush, but now she did every sexual fantasy she thought of with him, and it was because she wanted to.

She wasn't sure if she wanted to die more because he knew she loved him or because he knew she wanted to fuck him.

"But isn't it nice to know we wanted to?" He asked, trying to remove her hands but she wouldn't budge.

"No, Edward. I want to cry in a hole and disappear. Because now, you know how I feel and I can't even blame it on that fucking plant!" Then it hit her, he couldn't blame the plant either.

She slowly removed her hands as she looked over at him. He was bent down as he tried to look into her eyes. His brown eyes looked at her with worry and softness.

"You...you said things too!" She gasped, pointing at him. "You! You told me you think about me sexually all the time. And that you-"

Eddie covered her mouth with his hand, "Yeah, I was there, gorgeous. I don't need you to remind me." He blushed embarrassed. "I meant the other things I said too."

She had never seen Eddie so serious. Not a single twinkle of tease in his eye or a twitch of his mouth. He slowly removed her hand.

She couldn't believe it. Years spent thinking about how good they'd be together, how much more love she could offer him if they went past friends. And it was truly something that could happen. She teared up at the thought. All the hurt she felt pining after him and it all was worth it.

He cupped her face as the first tear dropped. He wiped it away, licking his lips. "Are you okay?"

"Do you want to do this?" She whispered, looking down at his lips.

"Yes," he said without hesitation. Then finally, his lips pressed against hers. She eagerly kissed him back. She had been craving to do this again and she figured she never would. But fuck, she's glad she was wrong.

Eddie softly pushed her on her back as he crawled on top of her. The kiss deepened as he moved his hands down her body, swinging her leg around his waist.

She ran her fingers through his hair, head in the clouds. She pulled away, moving her hands to rest on his shoulders as she looked up at him.

"I love you," he whispered as he leaned in to press his forehead against hers. His eyes staring into hers, his warm hands on her hips.

"I love you too," she smiled, leaning up to softly kiss his lips.

@bmunson86 @mxcheese @ladymunson @michaelfuckinglangdon @z0mbie-blah @biittersweet @mirrorsstuff @somethingvicked @micheledawn1975 @ago-godance @magnificantmermaid @tlclick73 @hargrovesswifee @cityofidek @silky-luxe @lokiofasgard616 @loving-and-dreaming @eddiemunsonsbitch69 @ashlynnkennedy @strangerthingsstories5255 @pleasinghellfire @whoscamila @stusdollface93 @gretavankleep37 @bellaisswagger @arlxt @ineedmentalhelp123 @emxxblog

[renskaji]

“being reminded of them by random things around them” with chika takiishi or kiryu?

renskaji’s 100 celebration

25: being reminded of them by random things around them

[mitsuki kiryu]

It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now you were second guessing yourself.

But it was cute, and so is your boyfriend, so you double down on your decision and hold the paper bag tight as you find the park bench you'd agreed to meet at.

Kiryu isn't hard to spot, perched on the wooden bench with one leg drawn up beside him. His hair is pushed back by a headband, showing off all his piercings and the small smile he wears as he plays whatever mobile game that's hooked his attention, as of late.

"Kiryu," You call out once you're close enough, and his focus leaves his phone instantly. He stands from the bench to greet you, one hand snaking around your middle to tug you close while the other holds your cheek as he kisses you.

It's overwhelming, how much you love him. Mitsuki Kiryu is attentive and gentle, somehow always knowing what you need and how to give it to you.

"How was the trip?" He asks once you part and get comfortable on the bench. He's giving you his full attention, and the weight of it warms your face more than any hello kiss could.

"It was fun." You tell him, lifting the bag you brought onto the bench beside you. It frees up your hands to hold his, and you do so readily. "I missed you, though."

A weeklong trip abroad with your family had been a much needed break from the monotony of life, but it also served as a reminder of the things you loved waiting back in Makochi for you. Kotoha's company at Café Pothos, visiting the street vendors that all knew you by name, and even Tsugeura dragging you to his horribly decorated restaurants.

But most of all, you missed Kiryu.

"I missed you, too." He commiserates, though it's not necessary. He'd texted you each day you'd been gone and said as much, but it's nice to know he's just as crazy about you as you are about him.

"I got you something," You say, not missing the way his eyes light up with excitement. There's a grin on his face as he watches you set the bag you'd brought with you in his lap.

"You didn't have to," He tells you while reaching into the top of the bag. You don't bother to respond, because of course, you'd get him something.

What he pulls out of the bag is a stuffed bear, the same shade of pink as his hair. It's soft, and adorable, and you had worried that Kiryu might think it too kiddie for him. But he smiles wide at you, like you gave him the best gift in the world, and you know your fears were unfounded.

"It's so cute!" He assures you, pressing his lips to your cheek as a show of thanks. He's carefully holding the bear, like it already means the world to him, and you're reminded of why you love him once again.

"I saw at one of the tourist shops we went to and thought of you." A grin not as wide as his finds it's way to your face, and you reach out a hand to fiddle with the white ribbon tied around the bear's neck. "All it needs is some piercings, and you'd be twins."

Kiryu laughs softly and returns the bear to the bag before holding your chin to give you a kiss. His touch is featherlight, and you have to stop yourself from chasing after him. But you are in a public park, so you hold back.

"I've got extra jewelry in my room at home," He starts, and you know what's he's suggesting immediately. "We can pick up some takeout and head there? Make a date out of piercing teddy bear me?"

You chuckle at his immediate acceptance of a stuffed bear version of him and nod.

"I'd love it."

[nebrasska-alasska]

Is chapter 17 of “we’re gay so let’s have our wrists tethered” really coming out this Sunday?🤭 Is it a juicy one?

I’m so sorry for being so bold asking that, it’s ok if you don’t want to give spoilers or anything, it’s just that I really really love your fics and you got me horribly obssesed,😀 I’m literally in med school rn and can’t stop thinking about those gay hedgehogs😔, I remember refreshing my page in an unhealthy way when you were releasing chapters from The Secrets In Our Quills.

Also I take this opportunity to tell you that I remember you answering an ask and saying that you think your writing is not feeling the same to you anymore or something similar to that, I just want you to know there are thousands of us out here who really value it, cherish it and love it very much and can’t wait for more of your work to be released so pleaseee don’t doubt yourself in that aspect🙏🏻🙏🏻 .I hope you’re doing good yourself and with your school, I have friends and my sister also in dental school and know how hard clinics can be and I as a medical student can understand high pressure😣 so I really hope you’re also saving some time for yourself and your peace of mind.

I’m so sorry this came out so long lmao. Greetings and love from México!!🫶

Yes currently the plan is to publish the next chapter of 'Tethered at the Wrist' (we’re gay so let’s have our wrists tethered trololol) tomorrow! As of right now. Might change. I guess we'll all find out tomorrow evening ;)))

And omg yes it is a juicy one! THE juicy one of the fic, at least, in my opinion. Like obviously fun stuff will still happen after this chapter, but this is kind of what a lot of the story has been building up to. So I've been having a blast finally writing it!!! :D

And thank you so much for your kind words about my writing!!! Truly, brought a tear to my eye, that means so much to me! I actually decided to take a short break this part week from writing and dedicated myself to spending time with my family and focusing on making the hard decision of where I want to go and practice for the next chapter of my life (and truthfully, the weight of it has left me feeling a bit depressed and fatigued). But now that I've sat down to work on the next chapter of 'Tethered at the Wrist,' I can say that the break was very much needed. I'm really pleased with how it's been turning out so far, and I hope it lives up to the juicy hype ;))) But yes, thank you again for your lovely comments!!! <3

[starcatchertruffle]

Slithering around;

Hey everyone, just a little life update.

I've been sitting with some big realizations lately — and honestly, it feels really good.

After a lot of inner work and reflection, I've come to recognize that I'm a snake. That's been confusing in the beginning, but I began to embrace it — slowly, but steadily. Like the anaconda laying under the muddy water surface, waiting for the prey to come along.

Swimming with the currents;

For so many years, I kept interpreting things through the lens of having limbs — trying to make sense of sensations that never quite fit. In the past, I often described them as «absolutely confusing» and repeatedly said that «they make no sense at all», where it got to the point when I gave up for some time. These weird limbs are actually my human limbs, and I'd never have spent a thought on this possibility, wouldn't it be for the meditation I posted four days ago. Thank you so much, Spirit Guardian. ♡

Now that I've allowed myself to really see and accept my true form, it’s like something inside me has clicked into place.

It feels calmer. More right.

Let me rise like the sun;

I want to be more active on here again — sharing my journey, connecting, and hopefully meeting other snake therians (or anyone who's walked a similar path!).

If you’re a fellow snake, reptile, or just curious, feel free to reach out. I'd love to hear from you.

There's also a high possibility that I'll rearrange my posts. This means that old posts, those which might lead to confusion, could get deleted. But I'm not sure about this yet. What do you think? Should I keep this chaos, or should I clean it all up and have a relatively new start?

Now there's only one thing left to say: Thank you for being with me on my journey, for enduring this confusion together. Big gentle coils to all of you. ♡

[utilitycaster]

I've been thinking about this since watching the C2E2 panel but Marisha said something about the value of coming in with other characters and having pre-existing relationships and actually? I somewhat disagree for longform campaigns.

I think for shorter stories, it really doesn't matter because in a very brief game, you have to come to the table with a very complete character idea. Candela, Thresher, and the Calamity/Downfall/Divergence trio have all managed to have consistently excellent character work regardless of whether people have known each other since literally before time (Downfall), whether they have a longstanding but not infinite pre-existing relationship (several relationships in the Circles of Needle and Thread or Tide and Bone; Calamity; Fiedra and Crokas in Divergence) or whether it's something relatively recent or even a first-time meeting (some Candela relationships; some of the Divergence relationships; Thresher). A nebulous "yeah, we've worked together" also works well for lighter series (ESO Blackwood, Wildemount Wildlings, The Menagerie) in terms of quickly getting to the story.

For longer stories, a longstanding pre-existing relationship can be strong; but it can also keep those characters from branching out and mixing, and unless that's explored it can really limit the story. I think the CR fandom especially tends to put a certain degree of weight on how good the twins were without realizing that they work not because they are twins and family, but because a big part of their story is realizing that they have people other than each other now. [I keep thinking about this actually w/r/t my thoughts about Veilguard - there are a number of reasons I consider my first run to be the "canon" one for me, but a big one is that romancing someone out-of-faction made me feel more integrated into the team because I suddenly had two really strong connections rather than just one.]

Part of why the Mighty Nein, in my opinion, are so compelling is that everyone ends up with an interesting and deep relationship with everyone else. And a big part of that is that we don't come in with any relationships longer than about 8 months, and indeed, that relationship barely ends up influencing party interactions because Molly is very outgoing, Yasha is frequently absent, and then Molly dies. So we have Caleb and Nott/Veth, who are also very much a story of people realizing they have more than each other now (and that neither of them really knew each other that much going in!); and Fjord and Jester, who have known each other for like 6 weeks and who spend some significant time apart (and both of whom are also fairly outgoing and quick to interact with other people). Beau and Caduceus being free agents did quite a lot as well. We don't just see an existing relationship continuing; we see relationships grow and change onscreen as the players find not just the relationship but the characters themselves, and that's what makes it compelling.

As mentioned with Vox Machina, the twins are great, and so are Pike and Grog; but Pike's absence means we see a lot of Grog and Scanlan (who don't have a very longstanding relationship prior to Vox Machina's formation), and the romances are all between people who didn't know each other well beforehand. Even the conflicts are ones that grew from people who met relatively recently (Keyleth and Percy's friendship and arguments being a prime example).

I think the twins were great and you should revisit Campaign 1 if you want that again, but as someone who felt Campaign 3 really struggled in terms of mixing up the pre-existing relationships to the detriment of party cohesion/conflict and an interesting dynamic, I'd much rather see strangers or near-strangers in longform campaigns, and save people coming in together for shorter works.

(I also, iirc, think this came up in the context of session zero, and that might be a factor because again the main campaigns seem to not do the same level of session zero as the shorter ones, and if they did that might fix the issue and make a pre-existing relationship better; part of why the twins work so well is that Liam and Laura essentially did their own mini-session zero on their own.)

[thelaurenshippen]

as a fellow artist, I often fear putting anything out there that contains too much of me. I create with a sort of blanket, or safety net - never publish anything that's too close, or too accurate. And yet I am well aware that that is exactly what I look for in the art I enjoy: the uncensored reality of being human. I look to feel less alone. To feel more human. I first learned this with the bright sessions. Getting to see characters stripped bare and turned inside out with such detail - it made me realise what I'd been missing in my art for many years. I have been working on it for over a year, but every day I keep being paralysed by the fear that what I make will unrevocably reveal me. I'll know everything that's in there, even though others may not. I'll have to let it go. You've talked about how Sam's anxiety is close to your own experience. And I wonder, how do you bear it? How do you bear putting such a huge part of yourself out there, outside of your control? And not just that, but all the effort you've put in to make it work? All the hours spent and the frustration and the euphoria - was it worth it?

oh wow, this is SUCH a great question. this truly is such a huge part of so much art and certainly a massive part of mine.

it means a lot that finding The Bright Sessions helped you realize that that kind of vulnerability is what you want in your art!! it's something that is so core to that particular work, and whenever it makes anyone feel less alone, or connected to other people in some way, it does make it all worth it (and more on that in a sec).

I completely understand the fear and the struggle of putting yourself in your art but to me it is so freeing. I had never told anyone about my panic attacks before writing them into Sam. giving her my same disorder and expressing my feelings through her was SO much easier than being vulnerable with anyone in my real life at that time. and that's still true for a lot of things - sometimes I need to work something out in my fiction before I can express it to the people I'm closest too.

but that said, there's also a lot in my fiction that is pure imagination. and there's a lot in my fiction that IS from the deepest parts of me, but I don't even realize that until later. but as you said, that doesn't mean people are going to know which is which. what you choose to tell people about which parts are inspired by real life is up to you. which, to me, is a wonderful kind of shield. you'll know everything, but you get to release it into the world - maybe excise it from you in the process if it's something negative that's been weighing you down - without the terrifying process of actually talking about yourself directly.

the flip side of this is, of course, that people may attribute certain things to you that are not from your experience, for good or for ill. through the years I have had people assume all kinds of things about me - from the opinions I hold to the neurotypicality/atypicality of my brain - that couldn't be further from the truth.

you cannot control how people engage with your art. sometimes that'll manifest in someone telling you that your art deeply touched them in a way that you could never have anticipated and sometimes it'll be the opposite and someone will assume the worst about you. and I'll be honest, that rejection cuts deep. at various points in my public creative career, I've had to change the way that I engage with online spaces or limit my time in order to protect my squishy little heart.

but I truly believe the best art is emotionally honest art. and even if you make something that isn't revealing in a scary way, people might still reject it and that will still sting. if you internalize every single opinion about your art, you will drive yourself completely mad. you have to make your art for you and trust other people out there will embrace it, which they will. but once you share art, it does leave your control, and accepting that is one of the hardest but absolutely most crucial parts of being a public artist.

so, I guess, to answer your question (I am incapable of being brief I'm so sorry), I bear it because the alternative is that I don't share the art at all. and I do make art that I don't share, but the experience of even one person connecting with my art is so wonderful, it's worth all the potential downsides. as for all the hours put into it, the strife and euphoria, all that is worthwhile because, for me, the process of making is a huge chunk of what makes being an artist fulfilling. if we're talking more practically about making a living as an artist and the feeling of "was it worth it" when it comes to hours of hard work yielding little in the way of career growth, that's a different beast, but in terms of "was it worth it even though no one connected with it/people rejected it", my answer is yes. because I connected with it.

always make art for yourself first. I truly believe there's an audience for everything but never forget that you are your target audience!

[tehrevving]

Food for Thought: TW: Consensual Somnophilia

It is regarding Dante and Soulmate Fem!Reader. She works full-time and juggles a job, household chores, and kids. Dante isn't much help with household chores and is too lenient to be left alone with kids to discipline and educate them.

So the reader is left tired by the end of the day. She is tired, so tired. But also so horny. She will be horny and talk all dirty with Dante once kids are asleep late at night about all the things they will do. But falls asleep midway, during foreplay, because her eyes can't stay open...no matter how much she tries. Dante stops once she is asleep because even he can understand she is tired. He appreciates how she keeps up with jobs, kids and him. But when the Reader wakes up in the morning, she is guilty because she fell asleep again. Dante doesn't complain. It is frustrating for the reader because now she is quite horny at work. And has to wait till night going through work, kids and chores to be peacefully in bed again with Dante, only to fall asleep from sheer exhaustion.

So one night, she allows Dante to go on, even when she falls asleep. How will Dante react and something?

It came to my mind because I've been single as hell all my life. But I'm in a pretty similar situation, minus a partner. Make it make sense. Shit. Sorry if it is awkward.

Hi Anon. It makes sense to me that youre feeling tired but horny lol, and working full time and keeping up a household on your own is so difficult. I’m sure you’re doing amazing 🥰.

…I think it’s cute you think their first time with somno would be years into their relationship and once they have kids lmao. They both such kinky little shits, and Dante gets massive morning wood generally, and releases pheromones when he’s having ‘good’ dreams, while obviously she ovulates and has cycles and stuff lolol. Buuuut I digress.

I get what you’re saying about the tiredness, and she’d still be tired regardless but Dante is a good Dad, and he’d step up. Sure the kitchen might not be sparkling clean, and dinner might be instant noodles, but he’d do his absolute best to split chores and stuff equally. His kids are his ultimate weakness tho, so he’s not good at discipline, like you said😂

Anyyyyyway, Dante and somno. I kinda feel like he doesn’t really have a kink for it, like he prefers his partner to be awake and responsive and begging for him. At the same time though, I think he likes being able to feel their body reacting to him even when they’re not awake. His enhanced senses mean he can feel their heart rate spiking, blood rushing south etc, and he’s into that. He’d definitely be interested in trying to make his partner cum without them waking up, and I think that’s what he would be trying to do in your scenario. He would pretty much forget about his own pleasure and start solely focusing on them. I wonder how many times she could cum before finally waking up?? 😏

[squarebracket-trickster]

Here's my awkward story (apologies, it's a long one):

We were fifteen, and I had it in my head that I wanted my first kiss to be all special and romantic (like in the movies), so I kept putting it off, telling him no every time he leaned in for a kiss because I was waiting for the right moment. I wanted to be kissed, and I wanted him to kiss me... just... not then, or then, or then...

The months wore on, and he started to get impatient with me, but, of course, we were fifteen, and neither of us knew how to communicate our needs well, so we started to have these little unspoken arguments where he'd try to kiss me, I'd turn my head away or try to deflect to a new conversation topic, he'd sigh loudly in frustration, and then I'd pretend to ignore him.

Finally, one night on a date, we were walking around a historic downtown neighbourhood (think narrow Victorian-era homes with bay windows, stone fences, and climbing roses) in the dark when he asked me (with a hint of frustration) why I never wanted him to kiss me; and I was fifteen, a girl tired of being the "responsible friend" and "so independant" daughter, and I really just wanted something romantic to happen to me organically without my having "make it happen", but I had no idea how to communicate that. All I knew was that expressing any kind of desire like that made me feel more like some adult no-nonsense intimidating business woman than the carefree teen girl I was craving the chance to be. I really didn't want to talk about it. Still, he was pretty frustrated (but doing his fifteen-year-old best to keep his feelings in check), so eventually I caved and told him that I wanted it to be romantic; and, yeah, saying it aloud really did make it hard to feel cute and girly in the moment. But, hey, communication... right?... (in hindsight, I was tired of being the "responsible one" in our relationship too, and I'd really wanted just this one thing to fall into place without me having to do anything. No wonder the communication made me feel worse. It wasn't communication that I needed. No amount of communication was going to get that boy to actually look before he crossed a road. I'd tried.)

He knew the neighbourhood better than me, and, after that, as we walked he started steering us toward the ocean, which I didn't realize until we came to the famous, long road in that city that hugs the coastline. We walked the sidewalk for a bit. To our left were more historic (and some modern rich people) homes which we could see in the streetlight. Had it been daytime, to our right, we would have seen rosehip and oceanspray bushes resting above a rockface that sloped gradually downward into stretches of coarse sand or the spray of waves and the open sea. On a clear day, you can see whitecapped mountains (and a dormant volcano) rising high over the horizon. But, we couldn't see any of that, of course, because it was pitch black beyond the streetlights.

Eventually, we ditched the sidewalk and climbed over the wooden fence that separated it from the rocks. By this point, I had put two and two together, and I knew exactly why he was taking me here, but I was still reluctant. I grew up in this city. It took more than just being near the ocean to impress me. Maybe if it was a pretty sunset or something... but it was nearly midnight, and there wasn't even a star in the sky. Still, I felt like it was this or nothing. It wasn't even just that his impatience had worn me down. It was also that I didn't think it could get much better than this. I mean, expecting some grand romantic gesture from a fifteen-year-old boy is just unrealistic, and, if I kept waiting for the right moment, it might never happen.

I've gotten good at playing up the scenic details when I tell this story (after it happened I lied about it and tried to make everything seem more romantic than it was), but, as we found a patch of rock to sit on together, all I could think about was how it was cold, and wet, and dark, and the rocks were cast in this dull light - the exact grey of old concrete, and most of the plants around us were invasive blackberry bushes and thick, overgrown lawn grass.

I curled in close to him because I was cold, and I did like the feeling of his hands in my hair and brushing my face, but then he moved us so I was on my back underneath him. There was some adjusting that happened because a rock dug into his knee, and then my back, and then his knee again... and then he kissed me.

It was very underwhelming. I didn't like how it tasted (nothing wrong with his mouth - I've kissed other people since and, apparently, I just don't enjoy the taste of mouth in general), and he must have been trying to copy a french-kissing scene from a movie or something because his mouth was moving too fast, I don't know what he was trying to do with his tongue, and his teeth kept hitting mine.

I was trying desperately to keep up with him and take some control of the kiss to get him to deepen it, slow down, and, like, make this a partner thing instead of him just kind of? speen-running some vaguely kiss-like motions on autopilot? It very much felt like mouths "battling for dominance" but not in a sexy way. His nose was cold and kept hitting my face, and I kept trying to pull away, but he kept pulling my head back in with his hand in my hair. And then... a drop of his snot fell into my mouth.

On the bright side, I got a good story out of it to tell over drinks, but for how badly I had wanted a romantic moment, the irony never ceases haha. I never told him what happened. I just let him keep kissing me and pretended it was a good first kiss when he asked about it after. I thought I would be a lot more disappointed about it than I was, but, in the end, it was just a kiss. It didn't matter that much.

What does bug me isn't the snot (at least it turned a boring story into a funny one), it was the dark, the cold, the not really being in the mood for it... The fact that I knew it wasn't going to be what I wanted, but I agreed to it anyway. I think if I hadn't, we might have broken up then and there, but knowing now the reasons we actually broke up, they were basically the same.

--

(As an aside) If any teenager happens to be reading this, please know three things:

1. You are allowed to say no when someone wants to kiss you as many times as you like, for whatever trivial reason your heart desires - there isn't a limit on the word "no". If that's a deal breaker for your partner, so be it. You do not have to go along with an unpleasant experience; it's not unreasonable to want to enjoy a kiss. If you want to save your first kiss for a special moment when you really feel it, that's not unreasonable either. "Oh but if you keep waiting the perfect moment might never come!" So what? Are you a fairy tale character who's going to die if they don't get kissed? A perfect moment will come. It's the moment when you actually want to kiss them, sunsets and ocean views be damned. If that moment never comes, then maybe they're not the right person (or maybe you just like sunsets more than kissing...)

2. If your first kiss ends up sucking ass anyway (and most do), it's not the end of the world. 10 years later, you're barely going to remember it. You'll have other memories you'll look back on just as fondly as fictional characters (and that one in a million real person) look back on their first kisses. Having a good first kiss story won't make you cooler or prettier or more deserving of love. You haven't blown all your chances at romance and being swept off your feet if your first kiss got spoiled.

And 3. No matter how picky you are, pre-engineering the perfect circumstances for your first kiss, your chances of getting someone else's snot in your mouth are low but never zero.

Not to out my self here but i am 19 and never been kissed this is fine but I am writing a book. There is aspects of romance in the book and I am asking any and everyone to give me your first kiss stories. Awkward beautiful idc give me anything and everything. Or don’t thanks!

[starrynightskies12]

I've seen theories crop up this season that Lila isn't working alone, starting with her line at the end of The Illustrhater, "You'll know nothing about me, about us, about them" which at the time I kind of took to be talking about her wide array of disguises but also did get me wondering. I've also seen people say that some of the people seen (the one at the end of Sublimation I've seen talked about quite a bit) just don't seem to be Lila, there's also the way she is writing everything down, which could chalk up to intense planning and observation, but could also very well be her trying to relay the information to someone else. It's also that it is really unknown how she found out Gabriel was Monarch, as well as the final scene in Re-creation with the blue light.

After the end of El Tore De Piedra my immediate thought had been "Oh wait does Lila work for these people?" and while it's still on my mind I feel like she doesn't?

While it would explain those other points and all the resources she seems to have at her disposal, ultimately I feel like there are points that just don't fit this theory, that imply she is either not with them or receiving very little to no support from them.

There's her dynamic with Gabriel, where he seems interested in her intellect for a while but that doesn't appear to be due to knowing who she is through the grapevine, it looks more like Lila just impressed him all on her own. Of course while Gabriel is probably an important part of the organization, that doesn't mean he knows everybody, I can see identities sometimes, or even a lot of the time we don't know a lot yet, being kept a secret for preservations sake. Gabriel is also very disregardant of her in season 5, and that is in some part I'm sure Gabriel just being Gabriel, but in general it seems she wasn't a very important part of the plan, being tossed aside like it was nothing and replaced with Kagami in the blink of an eye.

In Revelation she has to go through quite a bit of trouble to get information on Gabriel that if she was an important part of the secret society she really shouldn't have had to go through, unless she tried to get it but was denied access, which really implies to me that if she is involved they don't consider her important at all.

Another point to that is that she was not invited to the Diamond Dance. You can tell by how pissed she was that she didn't just go under a different identity, she didn't go at all because she wasn't considered important enough to invite.

In general while we have very little information about this organization, I do think the assumption is that is is composed of people with a more elite status, something Lila doesn't seem to have.

The way I read Lila thus far (of course this could all change in an instant, I mean look at what just happened with Nathalie (not a criticism by the way, I LOVE this new detail about her)) is she is someone desperate for the love and validation of people around her. Her lies are about making people like her, and when it doesn't work that person becomes her enemy.

In season 5 she revels in her fame, but she is clearly considered not very important to people like Gabriel, as mentioned earlier she is not invited to the diamond dance, it seems like she might not have even known about it until Kagami told her, and she is very unhappy about this lack of invitation, the idea that she is "just a stone", and in the end scene where it's revealed she knows Gabriel's identity, she says she wants to prove she's not just some bottle of perfume in a very emotional voice. And again, in Revelation she is replaced by Kagami without even being told about it, and is told by Gabriel that she is nothing.

This all reads to me as Lila not already having this elite status, but instead it being a goal for her, something she is reaching towards.

While I don't think I feel confident in saying Lila is a solo act, I don't think she's working for the secret society, or at the very least not in the conventional sense, and she certainly isn't an important member.

Even with all of this part of me can't fully shake the feeling that she is connected to it somehow though? I'm not sure how extensive the organization is, but I wonder if Lila is just a very low-ranking member. A foot soldier of no real importance to them who is striking out on her own to prove herself and work her way up the ranks. Maybe she has a high ranking parent or parents and she was disowned and is trying to earn her way back. Or maybe I should just shake that feeling of her having some involvement with them, time will tell.

[cogniizaant]

hello hi I love your writing🔥🔥🔥🔥 you should write some more Froggy stuff, like possibly with an affectionate reader? /nf

THANK YOU SO MUCH ANON i'm very flattered and i'm so glad you requested. and im also sorry i saw this a bit late i hadn't checked my laptop when i had left work yesterday. anywho enough about me i would be happy to write more stuff about Froggy. these will also be headcanons kinda so i hope you're cool with it.

i ran out of related banners so quick.

Froggy x Affectionate!reader HCS.

It's definitely shocking for him at first and you might have to ease him into it. I wouldn't say he'd be unfamiliar with affection or anything, but rather just used to more toned down expressions of it. SO, if you're the type to go all out with declaring your love for him, do be prepared for his initial reaction to be a bit more timid.

He'd never fully get used to it. It'll be that one thing about dating you that he can never fully get accustomed too. One minute you guys are talking, having a casual conversation and then you just out of nowhere turn to him, hugging him until your faces are pressed against each others as you remind him again for the umpteenth time that day that you love him. He'd shiver a bit, but struggle to fight back a smile as he pats the arm wrapped around him. He actually really likes hearing despite how hesitant he is to say it back. It's not that he doesn't feel the same, because he does. He's just too embarrassed to say it back. He's also a bit embarrassed of how easily you can get to him. He's obviously not the calmest guy ever and he's relatively outspoken with his feelings, but it's for him to get this giddy over another person is crazy to him. None of his past relationships were like this at all. He's the type to say he's a 'grown ass man' whenever warranted but has to cover his face and stop himself from giggling and kicking his feet whenever you're with him.

On any special holidays, he's learned to brace himself and be prepared to wake up to enough gifts to cover every birthday for the rest of his life and then some, or an expertly planned date for the two of you that you've curated every aspect of since the year prior. He might think it's a bit too much at times or complain that he won't be able to get him anything of equal value. If you respond in anyway saying he doesn't need too and that you're doing this strictly because you love him and you want too, then he might call you corny. He doesn't mean it at all, it's just to distract you from the fact that he's super flustered over it.

On the topic of gifts, whenever he gives you anything he's finally accepted the fact that you will have the most over the top reaction ever. He's gotten tackled and smothered with kisses enough times to know there's no curbing your excitement. He's honestly grown to enjoy it, and even anticipate it. I think he'd be pretty attentive and would do his best to remember what you like so he can get something aligned with your interests with you. He feels proud that he's able to make you happy even though he still feels that his gifting abilities are subpar in comparison to yours.

"Hey, it's nothing. Really. I just remembered you said you liked that show." "Froggy, I love it so much. I've never been gifted anything this great before ever in my life. I swear I'm going to craft a ring with my bare hands and propose to you with it one of these days." "How am I supposed to respond to that?!"

A lot of your conversations go like that. You're so insanely nice and loving towards him it genuinely throws him off so much. The gears in his brain stop turning every time and he has to manually restart them. He enjoys it a lot, but questions himself often on whether he's built to handle this. You're able to say how you feel to him so clearly and consistently and he can barely respond back without blushing and stuttering. You make him really nervous, but in a good way. You could have been dating for decades, now. Married, even. He'll still get flustered over you being affectionate with him either way. It's like a never ending crush on you.

He's very wary about letting you meet his colleagues. You all would probably get along very well, so that is not his concern. He can't let anyone see him in that state. Well, with the exception of you, of course. I mean, how can he retain his authority then? In reality, none of them would say much about it, though it would be a shocking sight. You cannot convince him of that, though.

Overall, Froggy will never be unsure about your love for him, so good job on that. He loves you back. He's just working up the courage to say it with a straight face.

[eulaliasims]

Bits and bobs about supernatural inheritance in Veridia that I mostly wrote for my own reference, but I know I like reading about how people handle these sort of things in their game, so I'm just gonna slap it up here. :)

Now that Veridia's population is actually growing, I've been using bog standard number rolls to decide who inherits magic/lycanthropy. It's not at all meant to mimic genetic inheritance, because it's magic.

Sims who have one parent with a supernatural life state get a d2 roll. 1 = yes and 2 = no. For Helenet and Elmet's kids, I roll twice, one for each supernatural state. So Lune and Fiona could witches, werewolves, both, or neither.

Some sims like Maddan have at least one parent with a supernatural state even if it didn't manifest in them. If such a sim has children with another "mundane" sim, their child has a 1 in 4 chance of inheriting, where a 1 = inheritance.

(For sims who only have a grandparent with a supernatural state, I may not bother to roll at all. If I do it'll be something like a d10 where again 1 = inheritance.)

Maddan and Orla's children have a 3 in 4 chance of inheriting magic because of Maddan's ancestry (1 = no inheritance and all other numbers are positive).

Does all this gibberish mean the children of two sims with the same supernatural state will always inherit it?

Well, we have sims like, again, Maddan (child of two witches with no magic), so that can't be. So instead there's a d6 roll, where 1 = no inheritance and all other numbers = inheritance.

If Wyll's witch families sounded somewhat incestuous in that other lore post, this is why.

Obviously werewolves can also pass on their lycanthropy by biting (under a full moon, except that's only a thing in my head and not the game). Elmet and Arturo are Very Responsible wolves, though, so I don't see that happening again soon. I also won't be using the spell to turn other sims into witches, but they probably arise spontaneously in the "normal" population from time to time. When will that happen in game? idk. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I've got the beginnings of an idea for vampire lore (something to do with a cave in Drossburh/a cult/a death god), but I have no inclination to explore it further than that yet, lol.