#i've never written a strip scene before

[saltofmercury]

"a.m."

Pairing: Jason Todd x f!reader

Summary: Early morning scenes, small nightmare.

Author's note: HOLY CRAP it's been a while! I haven't written anything in almost a YEAR. I'm glad that I've finally got a lil kick of writing back in me :) This is something small I wrote back in May just to get the gears working again.

"a.m."

You can hear his breathing to your left. 

Morning is just peeking through– a soft gloom enveloping your room. You’re not sure what time he got in, or how he got in this time.

“Why do you even have a key?” you ask when he unlocks the balcony window.

“In case you’re not home to unlock it for me.” He smiles big and wide, stripping the weapons aside.

It’s become a running joke to you both on how he decides to enter your apartment.

Your eyes shoot open. There’s a mountain of pillows surrounding you, warm blankets on top of you. The room is dimly lit from streetlights. You're almost sure it hasn't been a full 8 hours and yet—- your body is telling you to wake up.

You turn towards him. You almost never get to see this side of him. His breathing, slow and rhythmic. He looks so much younger when he’s relaxed. He takes over most of the bed. Arms curled above him, he’s wrapped most of the top blanket around him.

The scar below his left eye is raised, his lips are puckered out. A soft moan escapes his lips, then his body twitches. You’re on high alert.

Nightmares aren’t new. The first couple of nights that he decided to stay over your apartment, you were woken up by whimpers and sudden movements. You would sometimes catch them before he woke up and carefully soothe him back to sleep– rubbing his cheek, placing kisses along his face. Whispering careful “i love you’s” and “you’re alright i’m here now”

By morning, it was like nothing happened at all.

For him, though he may never admit it, it was nice to experience vulnerability. The constant battle he has to get a full night's rest. A plague that encases him at night.

You move closer, placing your hand on his cheek, tracing the scar with your thumb. You place a kiss on his forehead between his brows, then over the scar on his cheek. 

“You’re alright, you’re okay” you murmur.

An exhale — 

his face contorts a bit, brows furrow, then an inhale through his nose.

A hand cups your elbow, rubbing side to side. He’s fighting sleep. His eyes try to peel open.

“What time is it?” His voice, low and groggy.

“It’s too early, almost 5 am” You kiss him, apologizing. 

He groans —not even an hour of sleep. 

“Were you having a nightmare?” 

“No, I got in around 4…” He adjusts himself, the bed springs, a yawn escapes. Deflecting the question.

Sleep carefully disintegrates from his eyes. He inhales, and his eyes blink open. He can make your face out in the darkness, the gloom behind you haloing.

His body, heavy with fatigue, he pushes it aside to get closer to you, wrapping himself around you.

Warmth, vanilla, home, love.

“I used the front door today…” he mentions. He's a little proud of himself.

You giggle, adjusting yourself under his chin. His hand pulls you closer, rubbing warmth to your back. His legs warm around you. 

“Wasn’t it so much easier?”

He scoffs, remembering how ridiculous it felt to walk in with his helmet. He had to disable the cameras in the entrance then double check for anyone in the hallway to not scare them off.

“Everyone was asleep… thankfully. I just couldn’t help but think someone would see me, then see me use a key to enter an apartment.”

You smile at how silly it sounds. The Red Hood having an apartment to come home to.

“It’s much better than entering through a balcony window.” you whisper.

He hums, “Entering through a balcony never gave me nightmares.”

Tracing circles on his back, you lull him back to sleep, waiting for his breathing to even out. You whisper more love into his ear, hoping it reaches his subconscious.

[perfctvelvet]

A smut involving Jenna or fem reader as a stripper or only fans star?

Down; Jenna Ortega/Fem!Reader

Content: 2nd POV. AU. Stripper!reader, teasing, Jenna gets reader off.

A/N: I had two requests for stripper!reader with jenna so I just combined them :) I think I've only wrote a strip/lapdance scene once and that was years ago so forgive me if this is little awkward!

Muse was nothing short of a poor excuse for a "high-end" private club. The floor was sticky from spilled overpriced drinks and the air was thick and muggy. Behind the branding and high-earning clientele, it was simply a strip club.

The year end company dinner started at Jenna's boss's favorite restaurant, to a bar across the street, and eventually to Muse. One by one her co-workers fell off, citing their tiredness as the reason they need to leave. In reality the crop of people that wanted to be out all night weren't the most ideal people to party with. Jenna said she would leave when her closest co-worker, Eve, decided to leave. However when it was her turn to bow out for the night, Jenna looked amongst the people she would be left with. It was nearly all of the senior-level employees of her department. Why she thought she could be one of the boys for the night, just for a small chance of career advancement, was beyond her. But she stayed. She stayed until she was front and center of a woman in sparkling lingerie that exposed her breast.

"We were surprised a girl like you could hang," one of the more obnoxious colleague nudges her side and winks at her.

Maybe this was some sort of joke on their behalf. The photo of her with her ex-girlfriend had sat on her desk for months until things came crashing down. Jenna wasn't ashamed, but her rule was to never talk about her personal life at work. That photo was the most she's ever said about the inner workings of her life and it was clear people had picked up on it.

Perverts.

Jenna is sure her colleague's wedding bands are shining under the stage lights, but no one seemed to care. It was par for the course; some wealthy, married men found their enjoyment in going to a club and seeing what they don't have.

Jenna found the women on stage to be pretty, beautiful even, but she felt out of place. She felt like everyone's eyes were on her like she had "newbie" written on her forehead. If she was with friends it would be different, possibly, but she was with men she has to turn reports into on Monday morning.

The same obnoxious guy in her office leans over and yells over the music, "you want a lap dance?"

The look on her face must've been a stupid one because he laughs at her.

"Not from me, of course. From one of the girls!"

"No, no. No thank you!"

It was then and there Jenna didn't realize what she got herself into. The men she work with don't like to hear the word "no." And when he got the others in on it, she soon found herself in a private room waiting for a "special visitor." She could've easily made a great escape the moment she entered the room, but was scared she would come face-to-face with the woman who was suppose to entertain her for the night. It made her feel guilty. Besides it might be best for her to occupy this person's time instead of one of her co-workers.

The lights dim in the room and the silhouette of a woman appears behind a curtain. Her outline giveaway that she's braless too, her nipples erect. Soft music played while the woman swayed her hips. She certainly knew what she was doing, moving her body to each sultry beat. Jenna can't deny that it is sexy to watch even if she wasn't use to this setting. Her ex had modeled lingerie for her and even gave her a drunken lap dance before, but this felt much more intense even with the curtain in the way.

She wondered what goes through the woman's head while she's doing this. Is she being a good audience member? She should clap every time the woman pauses? Can she even see her?

Her heart skips when the curtains began to draw back and you're revealed to be the woman behind them. You've seen plenty of women in the clubs (and nervous people in general), but you instantly took a liking to Jenna. She looked all cute just sitting there, clearly feeling our of place. Must've been a dare.

Jenna watches you closely as you begin to move to the music again, but she doesn't dare make eye contact with you. She's sitting so stiffly in her chair, you almost wanted to come down and shake her loose. There was nothing to be nervous about but the first timers were always a bit endearing to you.

You walk down the steps and stop right in front of her, giving her no choice but to look at you in the eyes. Her eyes are so gorgeous and she has a sweet face. It becomes more obvious to you that someone else definitely put her up to this.

"Relax," you whisper, voice lacing with the music.

Her ears perk up at the sound of your voice, as silky as the lingerie on your skin. It could be the loneliness from the break-up and missing a warm body against hers, but Jenna felt a tinge of desire for you.

She's like this with everyone. This is just her job.

Jenna listens to you and sinks into her seat. As she leans back, you lean in, turning around and sitting on her lap. Your hips swirl against her and you feel her clench her legs together. The purpose was to turn the client on, but you were enjoying this a little too much for your own professional lines. You turned your head over your shoulder to watch Jenna's face and she quickly adverted her eyes once again. You almost laughed at her reaction, but didn't want to make her nervous again.

However it was almost impossible not to make Jenna with the way you moved against her body. You leaned back and she she moved with you in the process. Your head rests on her shoulder and your arm comes around to wrap around her head. It takes everything in her not to run her hand up your body and grope your tits. The cool air made them so stiff that they begged for attention. There was a wetness that was growing between your legs that you tried to ignore, but some people turned you on so much that it drove you crazy. Jenna could feel your passion radiating off of you. You closed your eyes and let out a groan as if you were turning yourself on. It was in Jenna's instincts to do something to help you, but she remembered the setting. It was polite to keep her hands to herself, but you didn't want that. You grabbed one of her hands and placed it on your chest. Finally she seemed to give in a little and groped your flesh causing you to let out a heavy sigh.

"Baby," you moaned as if you too were intimately familiar with each other. It let Jenna play into the fantasy a little more.

She touched you like she would touch her ex-girlfriend. If she closed her eyes she could imagine that it was her. Guilt swam in her belly along with desire. All of her thoughts were in her head, so it wasn't like you had to know, but she would feel wrong for doing a pretty girl like you injustice by imagining she's thought someone else.

Jenna opens her eyes back to reality. Your exposed neck is right within reach of her lips and she takes the opporunity to just kiss your skin one time. She pauses for your reaction and feels warmth spread through her body when you moan in approval. She kisses your skin again and again until she feels comfortable enough parting her lips to suck on your skin. Now you're the one clench your legs together in search for some kind of relief.

This all escalated quickly and you know the timer is going to be up soon. The room was only booked for 30 minutes. You didn’t want things to end so soon, but just like Jenna you also had your rules about work. you felt the urge to take things farther and it was getting harder to ignore.

“Touch me here,” you say desperately.

Once again, you grab her hand and move it on your body. This time it lands in between your thighs. You spread your legs wide to give her a hint and she bravely takes it. She rubs your clit through your panties. The wetness of your arousal seeps through the material and Jenna can feel it.

“Just like that,” you sigh with pleasure.

Jenna is too stunned to speak. She didn’t expect that her night would end with her making a stripper cum. She wishes she could feel your bare, wet flesh against her skin but she wasn’t going to push her luck. She let you take control of the situation. She was like most clients who were eager to please but you liked how she touched you more so than others. She wasn’t too rough with you but used the right amount of pressure to make you pop. She sucked on your neck and rubbed you like you were precious cargo. It was possible that you were fulfilling a fantasy for her which was your job.

"Oh baby I'm gonna cum!"

The way you drag out the syllables and how it's followed by a moan makes Jenna heart beat out of her chest. She wonders if you can feel it while pressed so close against her. She can surely feel your clit pulsing under her touch. She rubs you through your orgasm as your entire body shakes. It's been so long, probably months, since someone has made you cum so hard and it was at the hands of someone who obviously has never stepped into a strip club before. It was easy to suss those ones out, and Jenna had something in her eyes that screamed naïve and you were sucked into what brought her here. She was probably put up to this, but to be bold enough to touch a stripper let alone make her cum, she was something else.

Once your movements stilled and you got off of her, Jenna looked everywhere besides into your eyes. "Uh...thank you." She scurried out of the room before you could say anything and before the allotted time for the room was up. It's unlikely she'll ever come back this place again, but this city isn't as big as many would think, and you hope that you'll be able to say 'what a small world' very soon.

[anendtopursuit]

ok. so. viktor is my favourite character in arcane. i am also physically disabled and hate the Magical Miracle Eugenics Disability Cure trope with a fiery passion. naturally i have a lot of opinions about where his character is going, but for now, here's a relatively simple one:

internalised ableism has always been part of viktor's character. he describes himself as "a poor cripple from the undercity" (yes, quoting how other people speak about him, but still); he shies away from the spotlight even when jayce encourages him; as a child, he directly acknowledges his disability as the reason other children don't associate with him.

i watched a video essay recently ("how arcane writes men" by schnee) that identified viktor's tendency to just suck it up and push through his problems rather than dwelling on them as a stereotypically masculine trait, which he is written to both subvert and lean into. whilst i agree with that to some extent, i think for viktor specifically it's more of an insight into a very common mindset for disabled people to have; a lot of us do not want to be pitied, and understand that acknowledging our hardships will often unfortunately lead to being treated as attention seeking. he doesn't dwell on things because he can't, unless he wants to be looked down on more than he already is; he's already had to fight to even be acknowledged as more than somebody's assistant, or respected as a zaunite living and working in piltover. i can't imagine he's keen to show any further "weakness"; he only ever cries when he's alone. it makes sense that he'd want to save himself rather than relying on anybody else.

the dangerous thought process of "fixing" people with the hexcore begins with that desire to save himself. at first he's just trying to stop his illness from killing him, but then he progresses to carving runes into his leg, seemingly in the interest of fixing his limp - which works, albeit temporarily. he seems aware enough of the implications of what he's doing to be somewhat ashamed of it (or, at the very least, enough to hide it from jayce). i've seen a lot of (mostly able bodied) people interpret the scene of him running down the pier as victorious, but it always felt bittersweet and scary to me; the dark, painful fantasy of "fixing" the thing the world has always looked down on you for, and the unsettling knowledge that you were never supposed to exist that way. a man experiencing a moment of joy only when he has detached himself from a core aspect of his being; self hatred disguised as progress. he only seems to register the horror of what he's doing when it kills sky.

it's not a leap to say that, with the hexcore dulling his emotions and blurring the lines of his ethical code, he would turn this externally. self loathing so insidious that he mistakes it for kindness and mercy and points the blade of it at the people he swore he'd help. before merging with the hexcore, he was desperate to destroy it and rid himself of its influence, hindered only by his physical inability to do so; under its control, he's seemingly lost all those inhibitions, wiped clean of his understanding of its danger. no longer "clouded by emotion", no longer human enough to know better, no longer suspicious of the arcane.

what viktor becomes in season 2 is, i believe, a hellish mix of his own internalised ableism and the hexcore's desperation to spread and survive. his genuine desire to help people has been warped into stripping people of their individualism, forcing them into some predetermined ideal in the name of healing (very "the empty child" from doctor who). it's his own character flaws mixed with the inhuman apathy of the hexcore. the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and also dressed up so nicely that you don't even realise you're headed downwards.

this is not what viktor stood for, but rather a perversion of his own insecurities, with a fresh coat of hexcore paint to stop him (or his followers) from scrutinising it too closely. they took the guy who dedicated his life to bettering humanity, and warped him into something doomed to destroy it.

(or something like that. idk. i haven't slept.)

[leavemebetosleep]

do you have any good fluttercord fic recs?

OH BOY DO I. In no particular order (except of when I thought of them):

1: Non-Entity by Captain Wuzz: An AU in which, instead of being turned to stone, Discord was shot in the head with a magic arrow that takes away his sentience and magic for a 1,000 years. Fluttershy mistakes him for a wounded animal and brings him home. I loved it so much.

2: Chaotic Neutral by C-Puff: The magic is starting to fade from Equestria, and the Main 6 and Discord go on an adventure to find out why, and reverse it. A bit of AU, in the sense it was written before the show was done, so it diverts in some places because of that. Super sweet, and I love the character development here.

3: Time is Taller than Space is Wide by Dott. Can also be read on Ao3 if you prefer. Soulmate AU (?) fic with a Groundhog Day style twist. I rarely see fics play with the idea of what if Fluttershy and Discord's friendship had started when they first met, so this is fun.

4 & 5: Blank and it's sequel Reconnection by @geekcat. Can also be read on fanfic.net. AU in which, before Discord can choose friendship over ruling Equestria, Twilight remembers a "reformation" spell. He is stripped of his free will, and Fluttershy does her best to bring him back. If you don't like the idea of Twilight being a villain, you might not like this one, but I think her villain arc in this is done in a perfect way for her character. It's super heart wrenching in many places, but in a good way.

6: Our Fair Lady of the Chaos Lord, also by GeekCat Can also be read on fanfic.net. Fairy tale inspired AU in which Fluttershy is a princess who's father is pressuring her to marry noble knight Sir Big Mac. Wanting to be sure he's a good person, she makes a deal with the Chaos Lord, letting herself be "kidnapped" so she can test his character. You can guess who she falls for instead. Honestly I've enjoyed all of GeekCat's fics, so they're getting an extra mention. Check out the rest of their fluttercord fics if you like any of these.

7: The Draconequus with the Dragon Tattoo by A M Shark This is a major case of, strange premise, kick ass results. Basically an AU based off Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson, with Discord as Lisbeth, and Fluttershy as an amalgamation of Mikael and several other characters, but focusing more on the murder mystery aspect of that book, and less on the...everything else. If you're familiar with GwtDT, don't worry, there's no rape scenes. Again, it's more about the murder mystery part. If you're not familiar with GwtDT, then don't worry again, because you don't need to know the original to enjoy it. It's just Discord and Fluttershy playing detective and solving a murder together. It has two sequels, but I haven't read them yet, and it didn't feel right to rec something I haven't read.

8: The Corpse Bride by Bad Horse. Dark fic. No relation to the Burton movie. Fluttershy dies in a tragic accident, and Discord brings her back from the dead as his zombie wife. Her friends (sans Pinkie) are horrified. Has a fantastic twist ending. If you like some of the darker stuff, def worth a read.

Bonus: Comic rec: The Last Adventure by Eveeka. Taking place after the final defeat of Tirek, Cozy, and Chrysalis, Discord gets into a depressive funk after shouldering the hatred from Ponyville citizens for his latest actions, but also because his friends seem to never be available anymore. He starts to think maybe Equestria would be better off without him, as he can't seem to exist with out making everyone miserable, and decides to hide away in the Everfree forest. Fluttershy, worried when he doesn't show up for tea, asks her friends for help, only to discover there's a monster running lose there he and the rest of Equestria might be in danger from. This fic has two endings, so keep reading even when it seems like it's over. You've got one more ending left. This one nearly made me cry.

[orlesianhennin]

why do you hate the way the crows are written?

I generally have an issue with the fact that every faction seems to be on the Good side of the alignment chart and have had anything that could paint them in a negative or even nuanced light completely stripped down and smoothed away, but I think that the Crows are a particularly egregious example. Their general depiction and vibe is as plucky freedom fighters; the fact that they are assassins is kind of just played for laughs. The Crows are supposed to be an extremely corrupt organization that rules Antiva behind the scenes through fear and murder and treats its own members as disposable tools rather than people through a variety of forms of abuse and dehumanization. They literally keep a prison in which they torture people for fun. We don't see any of that in VG. They are depicted as an extended mafia family that we are supposed to root for... and the individual Crows have a degree of autonomy that was never suggested before.

Beyond that... the fact that the people of Antiva continue to trust in the threat of the Crows to protect them from invasion is laughable given how incompetent they are shown to be in Treviso. Realistically, the Crows shouldn't keep trying to fight the Antaam. When the fear of their legend fails to deter Antiva's enemies and the Antaam invade Antiva regardless, the Crows should hide or flee and await help from Antiva's allies. They should be concerned with their own survival and only try to regain their reputation when Antiva has returned to the status quo. Risking their assassins to form the entirety of the country's resistance efforts - without deals with the merchant lords and their personal armies, or even militias formed by the common people - is a surefire way to have their organization destroyed. Instead, they are shown to resist not only to get Antiva back to a profitable state for them, but also because they want to help the common people? They're altruistic and patriotic, when their own organization is in disarray and their leader has been killed? Idk... it just seems a bit odd to me.

With all of that being said, I don't hate the idea of the Crows being present as an option for a faction. I just wish that they were presented in a way that aligns with the previous information we had about them. I may change my opinion on subsequent playthroughs - maybe some of my criticisms are addressed in Codexes I haven't read carefully enough, as so many pieces of lore are - but what I've seen of the Crows made me extremely confused about what is going on in Treviso.

I can extend this criticism to all of the factions, honestly. I think they're all too Good. But I just think the Crows (and the Wardens tbh) are the worst when it comes to retconning or hand waving certain parts of their lore.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

I've been dreaming of the Unrivaled Beauty.

O’ Beautiful Queen, your loveliness is eternal and unchallenged.

Steal center stage, and the hearts of those who gaze upon you.

How does a moment last forever? How can a story never die?

War is as much of an art as it is a brazen display of brutality.

For Vil, every performance he gives is war. His weapons: skill, grace, beauty. All of it meant to charm the audience. No substitutions, it no stunt doubles.

Today is no different.

He kneels in the snow atop a corpse. Not a real dead man, but a dummy with an eerie amount of detail. It had been prepared by experts in the prop department, made to resemble his character's sworn enemy in the film.

Crimson blooms upon white robes marked with ancient runes. The collar and neckline are daring, plunging to reveal a generous amount of the bare skin of the chest to the elements. The hair, a tangled mess of glossy raven waves, sticking from the moisture to cold skin. The skin, pale blue with frost, the eyes cloudy orbs.

The mouth, stained red with the blood of countless innocents, no longer moves.

In this scene, the she-devil Snow White is dead, and he, heir to the Witch Queen, has slain her.

Without hesitation, he plunges his bare hand into the dummy’s chest, fishing out a model heart. It is covered in a mixture of corn syrup, food coloring, cocoa powder, and starch to simulate bodily fluids. The thickened liquid dribbles down his own pale hands, staining them.

Lifting his trophy into the air, a joyous, defiant sparkle in his eyes. A throaty cry erupts from him.

“With this, the Eternal Snow will be no more, and peace shall return to my realm!!”

Vil’s explosive laughter fills the mountain. The snow shakes, the land itself shudders in his presence.

He has won.

Finally, finally, finally.

A gruff man’s voice reaches him.

“CUT!!”

In an instant, the scene falls apart and reality sets in.

Cameramen tend to their equipment, prop managers and stylists exchange whispers. Special effects mages tamp down their snow spells. The illusion is stripped away, revealing a balmy day set against a backdrop of mountains.

Staff in scurry in, offering Vil towelettes and lotion to clean and moisturize his hands. He accepts them, then waves the staff off, one ferrying the fake heart.

“Bravo, Vil-kun, bravo!!” the director gushes. “I knew it was the right call to cast you as the hero for this film. There wasn’t a flaw in your acting, m’boy!!”

“Thank you, sir.” Vil bows to the older man, keeping his reply short and simple. “It is an honor to be a part of your masterfully written story."

It is the tale of a beautiful demon locked away in a glass coffin, freed from slumber and set upon the world to shroud it in never-ending winter… The tale of a selfless noble and her huntsmen that stands in opposition to her and her seven sniveling imp minions. A tale of two fates intertwining—the noble whose bloodline sealed the demon away, and the demon who vowed revenge on descendent of the Witch Queen.

Vil's eyes cannot stop themselves from sliding over to his co-star, who waits in the wings. His lifelong rival, Neige LeBlanche.

He is dressed similarly to the dummy that had been swapped in for his corpse. Red ruins his pristine white gown, and his hair is wild—but off-camera, Neige lacks the madness of the villain he plays. Neige smiles sweetly at the staff, giggles like an innocent schoolboy.

Vil fails to look away before Neige meets his eyes. He waves shyly, and, out of courtesy, Vil returns it.

“You've all been working very hard to bring my vision to life," the director happily booms. "Let's take a 30-minute break. Hydrate, grab some food, whatever. Actors, hair and makeup retouches before stepping back on set!"

There is a collective murmur of approval, feet shuffling for the refreshments table. A staff member offers Vil a spot in the donut line, but he politely declines.

"No thank you, I've prepared granola and a light fruit yogurt ahead of time. If you'll excuse me."

He peels away and heads for his trailer. Once Vil is shut away—a well-trained peacock stepping into his gilded cage—he produces his phone and reviews his jam-packed schedule: the film shoot, an interview with a popular variety show, modeling for a magazine cover, practicing for a stage play…

He, cast in the spotlight of hero in every single one.

You are the fairest of them all, Mira would robotically recite. All the social media websites and news outlets were talking nonstop about him, and he knows it.

It's the Age of Vil, his manager would joke. Isn't this great? You're demonstrating your range. This will definitely net you bigger and bigger opportunities in the future!

They’re finally recognizing you for your cuteness and goodness, his father would tell him. That’s my son! I knew everyone would come around eventually.

On any other day, he might have scoffed or dismissed their comments. Today, he simply smirks, silently pocketing his phone.

Vil passes a large vanity on his way to the mini-fridge. A glimpse of his reflection reveals the elaborate jewel-toned ensemble he is fitted for, the makeup that highlights the highest points of his face. Shining, commanding attention—just as any protagonist would.

He stands straighter, holds his chest higher. Proudly flaunting his feathers, his numerous accomplishments.

I've worked myself to the bone to reach this point. I've earned every little bit of this.

Retrieving his snacks, Vil makes to join the crew on their break. Even if Neige will be present as well, he grimaces.

A shadow invades his periphery.

Vil pauses at the doorway and looks back.

There, sitting on his vanity, was a bushel of roses the color of midnight. A black envelope embellished with gold accents is tucked among the petals.

His brows knit together. How odd--he is certain he hadn't seen that a second ago, nor had he heard anyone entering to drop it off while he was briefly at the fridge. How could he have missed such an obvious gift?

"Perhaps it's from the director or producer," he muses, plucking the envelope free and opening it.

Inside, there is, as suspected, a letter.

Same black paper, same gold embellishments.

To Schoenheit,

Please accept this humble offering from myself. It was a joy to watch you perform to your heart's content.

I was very moved by the experience. It is not often that I get to observe Man in all of its peaks and crests in such a short span of time.

I will continue to watch over you and support your dreams from the sidelines.

Sincerely,

M. D.

Initials in the place of a name? Vil turns the paper over, expecting more on the other side. It's unlike his fans to leave out their full identity. (Half of the time, they include a list of their social media handles and beg for a follow back.)

But alas, the back is blank and yields no answers.

He frowns, facing the words scrawled on the front of the square again. The cogs in his head turn, arriving at a single logical conclusion.

I only know of one possible M.D., but... Is he truly the type to send notes of this nature?

Vil toys with the idea in his head, just as he toys with the letter between his fingers. Ego rises and colors his lenses.

"Fufufu, it seems that even great mages such as he are not immune to my beauty and talent." Vil chuckles, exiting the trailer. His adoring fans await.

He's right about everything, and he doesn't realize how wrong he wants to be.

[pluralthey]

is there a good place to start if we want to learn about idletry? im very interested in the story and all the bits and pieces revealed so far but i dont know if youve like, stated the basics both about the characters-in-story and how you’re releasing the comic

hi there. unfortunately, idletry became a passion project very abruptly and many details were added very quickly without regard for how long the project would take. once i did realize how large the project was, i decided that i would not even kid myself on the idea of holding in spoilers for the next 5 years, and those two factors combined make the information available very chaotic and slapdash -- somewhat intentionally.

i don't even have the comics tagged separately for easier access among the idletry content -- although, i could go back and give them a separate tag.

i can summarize the story and say that it's about a funny little talking honey badger/tasmanian devil named jessie gaylord who has for the last 10 years of her life been on heavy psychiatric medication in an attempt to mitigate a pervasive delusion that the world is a fictional story. she also has a notorious aggressive streak. these medications work primarily by leaving her so tired that she sleeps most of the time.

the story begins when her medical team has run out of typical medications to try, and they must order an older, more aggressive type of drug which is not commonly used anymore, and has a lengthier process to manufacturing and approving the drug. during this time, she is not on any medication, and she becomes more urgently fixated on convincing people that the delusion is true.

she ends up attempting to contact the writer, who is referred to as God, and she receives a response. she immediately attempts to write the story herself, and she's granted the ability to do anything within the story so long as she can write it out. (the intricacies and limitations of this power have been elaborated upon in a bunch of fragmentary posts, so i won't try to condense it here)

at the end of the first act, she kills the first writer and becomes the new God of her world. the rest of the story is about what she does after acquiring omnipotence, and it heavily features a character named fate -- or shiloh, as jessie calls her -- with whom she enters an intimate relationship.

she has a happy loving family composed of a father named adam, a mother named evelyn, and an older sister named emily. there is a later minor subplot about a cult following who worships her after she becomes God, and this cult is initially organized by an ant called samanthuel -- or samwich, as jessie calls them. these are usually the other characters i mention and i am too lazy to link them right now

the comic itself is currently being written. the script stands at around 51,000 words at the time of writing this as i work on the second act. after it's written, i will let it simmer for a few months and then write a second draft to start to relieve the story of its bloat. depending on its length at that point, i will either need to write a third draft, or i will start drawing the comic.

chances are, during the second draft, i will start to thumbnail or sketch scenes which receive little to no editing, as i know they will likely remain relatively unchanged even through multiple drafts.

the sketch strips are to tide me and an eager audience over in the meantime, but they've sort of dried up as i focus all of my attention on finishing the first draft and taking care of a puppy that was kind of just forced onto me.

i've made a couple of full-length comics before and they have taken years. it is, unfortunately, just the nature of the process. for idletry, i plan to self-publish the comic. i've never published something in print before, so that is the most daunting part for me.

the plan at the moment is to crowdfund this, but, to be frank with you, i no longer pay rent, and i care very much about having this comic as a printed book. i have no issue with paying the cost of printing out of my own pocket by the time it's done and am even anticipating that outcome ahead of time, despite having a pretty reliable audience by now.

i'm on the fence about releasing a digital book version, as i very much want to retain digital color versions of the pages that are more vibrant, but due to the explicit adult content of the story, i don't want it to be free-access.

tl;dr: it's about a lesbian incel with anger issues who's given omnipotence.

i'm still working on the story because i want it to be good.

i'm planning on printing it as a physical comic book once it's done.

[miniimapp]

Robaire - Underneath the Tree

Gen ;; Fluff - Drabble/Short Story

Warnings ;; None

Proofread + Edited ;; Briefly run through grammarly because it's Christmas and I wanted to treat you all <3

Auth. Note ;; WELCOME TO DAY 2 OF THE CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN, ALSO KNOWN AS DAY 21 OF ADVENT !!

can you tell that this one had to be written real quick because i've been at work all day ?? either way, enjoy <3

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈«

Wrapping gifts is an art form. There's a delicacy, a grace, to the way you fold the paper. A practised confidence that comes from years of refining your wrapping skills. And while you don't expect everyone to have the same level of skill you’ve managed to cultivate, you had liked to imagine that everyone had at least the basics down: fold, tape, no present peeking through.

Until you met Robaire, that is.

Despite his outstanding prowess in seemingly every other field, your partner has never quite managed to pin down the art of present wrapping, and it somehow leads you to the same absurd scene every year: Robaire knelt on the floor, wrapped up to his elbows in tape and trying desperately to fling it off, as he pulls at the paper, creasing it in some places and irreparably tearing it in others.

And that’s what you stumble upon today as you walk through the door, welcomed in by a cacophony of colourful curses that could make a sailor blush.

You last maybe a second before the first peel of laughter is ripped from you as Robaire flings one of his arms around, growing evermore frustrated as he tries to loosen the clingy tape. Fond amusement warms your chest as you watch him wrestle with a particularly difficult strip of tape; you’re beyond trying to figure out how he gets himself into these messes, and instead focus on getting him out.

Eventually, you’ll have to step in before he gets around to begging invisible forces to strike him down, and as you hear him begin code-switching into French curses you decide now is the time.

Pushing off from the doorway, you saunter into the room with laughter already bubbling up again in the back of your throat. “I think it might be time for an intervention, don’t you?”

Robaire turns to you, expression indignant. “Oh, do you think so?” he asks dryly, his voice drenched in sarcasm and eyes rolling, “And what exactly does this ‘intervention’ entail, mon amour?”

“How about teaching how to wrap presents properly?” you offer as you saunter closer

“Or maybe I could just stuff the presents in gift bags for the rest of forever, maybe get some tissue paper and make it look all pretty to hide the fact that I’m a failure,” Robaire grumbles, his tone petulant.

“Lose the attitude, babe,” you chastise softly, “And sit tight because I’m about to turn you into a wrapping extraordinaire.”

You kneel next to Robaire, setting out the wrapping paper and placing the paper on top of it. “Alright, you ready?” you ask, turning to face him.

The moment you receive a nod from Robaire, you gently take his hands in yours, fingers ghosting over his as you demonstrate the proper way to wrap the presents. “It’s all about the way you fold the paper; if you’ve got that down, you can wrap anything.”

“And the tape, by the way, is your friend here, not your enemy. You just gotta get on its good side,” you add, “Go slowly and carefully, that way you can fix any mistakes while they’re still manageable.”

As you continue wrapping together, Robaire’s frustration slowly melts away into curiosity and then awe as following your instructions quickly develops into understanding. You pull your hands away after a while, watching over him as he continues. Robaire’s still a bit clumsy, his finger fumbling over the folds and awkwardly placing the tape, but he’s trying and he’s succeeding. You can’t help but feel proud.

“See, you’re not a failure, you just needed a bit of instruction, and who doesn’t every now and then?” you say, voice filled with encouragement. “You’re getting the hang of it so quickly now.”

With a small but proud smile, Robaire nods. “Thanks.” He pauses slightly, dropping his head sheepishly, “I guess might have been making it more complicated than it needed to be.”

You playfully raise an eyebrow at him, “Oh, you think so?” 

Robaire rolls his eyes in return, “Yeah, yeah, okay, I’m dramatic, sue me.”

“Hey, you said it, not me,” you defend, raising your hands in surrender. “But, we all have our weaknesses, right? It’s what makes us human, you know.” you continue, your tone altering to become more reassuring and sincere.

As you continue to wrap gifts together, the room begins to fill with laughter, gentle corrections, and the quiet rustle of wrapping paper. A shared affection that drowns out the previous frustration of the evening, setting you up for a peaceful and loving Christmas.

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈«

[dungeonmeshi-confessions]

hehe I think its my ask youre excited about and now Im excited too. 💜

I like what you had to say so far, and I agree with you!!! Like I said, I understand completely that depending on a person's relationship with their disability, they may feel completely differently!!!

I think part of it for me is that. kabru is also disabled, his is just invisible- his ptsd. and this causes him to kind of do some self abandonment, hes not good at eating, he has insomnia, he struggles with several things mithrun does too.

I like to see mithrun pick up on this and do what he can to help with that. not bc he has to in order to deserve kabru, but bc he wants to see kabru well. like mithrun noticing that kabru will ask if he's eaten but barely feed himself and being 🤨 about it. or how kabru will help him get to sleep on time just to then stay up late with work. so mithrun intervenes and stubbornly forces kabru to take care of himself sometimes.

I like to see variance in how much help mithrun needs. I think as he improves, people may accidentally forget how reliant he is. He may end up having a rough time from it, causing him to need even more help again for a while. I think he will definitely hit rough patches in his recovery, where supports that worked before suddenly dont help him much, or he feels really discouraged and hopeless again. I really like fics where his recovery isnt linear and he has significant struggles or even fully falls back into his catatonic state.

and I like to see kabru care for him. I esp like it when its part of a routine together, like meals and sleep. I do also like mithrun being helped with care tasks, but its really about the tone its written in.

I dont really like when kabru is very officially in charge of mithruns care, more as a nurse than a friend, and then a bathing scene turns into porn. that makes me uncomfortable.

but if kabru is his very close friend or his lover, bathing him or bathing together feels like an act of intimacy and closeness instead.

but also, its this- I like mithrun's care to be someone elses job bc it means every ounce of care kabru gives to him is bc he wants to, bc he cares about him, and not bc he has an external commitment. I think kabru is very willing to give mithrun what he can, even as busy as he is. I just cant see it being his job on top of the 10 jobs in one trench coat being the kings advisor is.

I think if they are together and/or live together, kabru does much more than if they arent.

I think it is important that mithrun is loved and worthy of love even when he is at his worst and needs lots of help. he deserves to have people be patient and sweet with him. and Kabru is such an acts of service guy, he really is a great person to help mithrun with that. to me it really just comes down to how it is written and presented.

does it feel genuinely intimate and loving, or does it feel weird and fetishy? and also is mithrun having trouble in a way that makes sense for his disability, or is he being reduced to being generally disabled? Is this moment an empowering one of being worthy of love at your lowest, or is he being infantilized and stripped of autonomy?

so maybe its more accurate to say "I enjoy some of the caretaking elements commonly portayed with kabumisu, BUT-"

(I'll leave you alone about this topic now until you are able to properly post these asks lmao. remain strong. I will try to keep thinking up fun and positive asks for you for the future 💜)

replying to this ask instead of queueing it as it's a direct response to my post—

I actually completely agree with every point you made!! I don't read fanfic often and I've never read kbms before, but I do totally understand and agree with you here lol. I think I actually like the idea of Mithrun having multiple caretakers, and I'm not big on any of it feeling clinical because... they're friends and lovers and family!! Whoever I see taking care of him has some sort of close relation to him of some sort, so the idea of it being clinical does ick me (especially because the idea of having a caretaker I don't know very well and am not already close with makes me personally gery uncomfortable and unsafe). I think if I read a kbms fic, I'd want them to sort of care for each other in equal amounts (whether that care is primarily physical or primarily emotional).

Related, I really like the idea of Mithrun and Obrin (Mithrun's brother, if you didn't knkw his name) gaining a relationship where they can have equal respect for the first time, and maybe relate to each other for the first time. I think this would offer them both alot of closure.

[prettyboysdontlookatexplosions]

sharing my blurb for SLUT ME OUT 3 here (although i recommend reading all of them, everyone across the spectrum of haters and champions brought their A-game for this, as is only right and proper), both because this was the most fun i had blurbing all year and because i need to share the greatness of SLUT ME OUT 3, the most fun two and a half minutes in music i've heard this year, with as many people as humanly possible; do yourself a favor and click play, but, like, maybe not in public (this song is disgusting and i am obsessed)

Nothing about such an aggressively single-minded ode to fucking as many bitches as physically possible should work, and yet I listen to “Slut Me Out 3” and am filled only with radiant joy. The song is is so hyperbolic, so extreme, so wildly filthy and yet weirdly unhorny that it’s impossible to take at face value as an expression of actual human behavior or desire; it reminds me less of other songs about fucking and more of that sketch where Vanessa Bayer can’t nail the tone on a cutely self-deprecating Instagram caption. Every single detail is miraculously deranged: the most genuinely disgusting scatological image I’ve encountered this year or possibly this decade, all the more jarring because it comes right on the heels of an incongruously sweet bit of mama’s boy pride; the concept of an endorsement with Plan B, as if the manufacturers of emergency contraception are a cereal brand signing a deal with the gold medalist of the Sex Olympics; the fact that she wants him to have her baby; “marinated pussy.” Take the proclamation ��fuck her til my dick bleedin’”: for a half second it sounds normal, just a guy bragging about his stamina in the sack, and then your brain processes the actual line and you think, wait, what? Is that… good? Is it supposed to be hot? Is it even possible? Should he be seeking medical attention? Lines like that break reality, rendering the universe of the song cartoonish and bizarre. NLE comes across as some kind of pornographic comic book mutant, a superhero whose gift, burden, purpose, and promise is to fuck every woman alive. His dick is not just huge, it’s inconveniently large; his touch is so hot it can literally be fatal. When he excuses himself after finishing the job with two freak hoes to depart for an orgy at “pussy villa” (a pussy villa? the pussy villa? is Pussy Villa a proper noun?), his attitude is that of Batman, depositing the Scarecrow at the precinct before turning right back around to resume his unceasing rooftop watch. His hunger for justice (sex) is as insatiable as his determination is relentless; wherever there is pussy to be fucked, he’ll be there, Tom Joad as written by Philip Roth. The whole ridiculous scenario floats easily by on an ebullient beat, busy but never crowded, anchored by NLE’s motor-mouthed nonchalance. Carey Washington’s playfully chipper refrain functions similarly to the close-ups of women laughing in ecstasy during the stripping scenes in Magic Mike XXL, reassuring the audience that however it might look from the outside, everyone involved wants to be here and is having a grand old time. After the music cuts out, she says “Oh my God,” laughing and incredulous. You can almost see her rolling her eyes, giving him an affectionate shove, turning to us as the house lights come up, smiling and shaking her head as if to say, can you believe what we just did? [10]

[acaaciia]

your writing is actually incredibly like SO good my gawwwd i need Gekko smut. Like so bad

Strip Poker

____

relationship: Gekko x Reader || Mateo x Reader

listed tags: smut!, dom!reader, oral!, reader insert, gn reader

trigger warnnings: 18+, smut! Minors dni, head giving, spitting

synopsis: A game of poker takes a turn when you decide to raise the stakes.

Inspired by Baby Tate’s song - Slut Him Out

author note: First request! I'm very honored lol. But, I've never written smut! before that wasn't a gag for franticfanfic, so I hope this is okay.^^

“Royal flush!” You announced. 

You displayed your hand of cards to the man in front of you, smirking as you watched him toss his cards to the carpet. “Time to drop em’.” you said, signaling to the last thing that kept Gekko from sitting in his underwear.  

“Aww man.” He exclaimed, “How do you keep winning?” 

You collected the cards laying on the ground, watching as the green haired man slowly got up from the corner of your eyes. “Beginner's luck.” You teased, shuffling up the deck of cards in your hand. 

Gekko grumbled, but said nothing as he turned his back to you. You could hear the sound of his buckle coming undone and him unzipping his pants. You couldn’t help yourself from stealing glances as he slid his pant’s down his toned legs, revealing the fabric of his underwear

Gekko turned around slowly, his anxiety peeking as he turned to face you. His face was flushed as one of his hands attempted to cover the front of his crotch, hiding away his bulge.You waved around another set of cards to the man, with an ‘innocent’ smile gracing your features.   

“How about another round?” You proposed. 

The man who was now left in nothing but his underwear, furrowed his eyebrows at the cards in your hands. His dignity was already low due to the amount of games he had managed to lose. He wasn’t sure he could take another round, where he’d end up having to find a way back to his own hotel room in his birthday suit without getting caught. 

“Come on [name], I’m down to mis pinches chonies.” He pleaded, grabbing a pillow from the couch to give him some form of decency, “You’ve still got everything, even your socks.” He pointed out. 

You merely shrugged your shoulders at the man. It was true, you had yet to lose a single piece of clothing. To be fair you hadn’t been completely honest when you had told Gekko that you had never played a game of poker in your life. You had, but you enjoyed the idea of him teaching you. Even so, to win this type of game required luck and you hadn’t expected to win every single round. 

It wasn’t your fault that he had suggested the two of you play a couple of rounds of strip poker while hanging out in your suite. You would be lying if you said the idea had unnerved you, no, if anything the idea of it sparked a flame within you. You weren’t dumb, you’d seen the way Gekko looked after training, the way his sweat dripped down his body to the point that he would get fed up with the feeling of his tank sticking to his body like a second layer of skin. Forcing him to pull the piece of clothing over his head and reveal his toned body. You had seen the same scene so many times by now, you were pretty sure your mind could play it on loop, down to the playful grin he always managed to flash at you when he noticed you eying him like your next meal. 

But this was different, more intimate. You would’ve been a fool to pass up an opportunity like this. You wouldn’t allow a shot like this to slip out of your fingers, not if you could help it. 

You stood from your spot on the floor, tossing the cards to the side. Your hands were quick to fiddle with the hem of your shirt as you pulled it over your head, leaving the man flustered as you started to strip in front of him. 

 “What if we raise the stakes then?” 

________________

“Miereda” Gekko moaned out, his breath caught in his throat. 

His body tensed and pleasure flooded his system as you spit saliva over the top of his dick, your tongue swiped it around forming an even coat before you took the tip into your mouth. Your mouth worked on the tip, licking around each crevice before going down lower to take in more. 

As part of your agreement you made sure not to break eye contact as you forced his cock further down your throat. Your eyes were steady watching every little reaction that presented itself on his face. The way his eyebrows furrowed as he struggled to keep his head down and eyes open. The way he bit his lip in a futile attempt to hide away any noises. This was better than anything you had ever seen. 

You weren’t the only one who thought they had the best view. No, if Gekko could read your mind right now, he would argue with you about that immediately. Never in the entirety of the time that he had met you, did he ever think that he would be living out the dreams he only ever played in his head when it was just him and his hand alone. Your head between his thighs, man it was a sight to see. Your gaze was intense but jesus, the way your plump lips slid around the length of his dick? 

Fuck. 

He was already in his own world as his pupils tried to focus on those beautiful eyes of yours, lost in the pleasure you gave him. But when you lowered your mouth even further on his cock to the point where he could feel the inside of your mouth convulse and tighten in protest, as you gagged around him.  He swore he felt his body shoot out into orbit. 

He was a goner, his eyes instinctively shutting as he felt the pressure in his abdomen building up like a dam that’s been waiting to break down. You were quick to slap the side of his thigh, reminding Gekko of his agreement as he forced his eyes to open and meet your own. 

He would have to thank you for that later. No matter how hot his face felt with the embarrassment of being put on display for you while he came, nothing was better than watching the way his semen dribbled down the sides of your mouth

You took your time pulling your mouth off of his dick. Your gaze never wavered, despite the tears that stayed in the corner of your eyes, as you finally pulled away. You were quick to open your mouth, showing off the mixture of saliva and semen that pooled in your mouth like it was some kind of trophy. 

 He knew he couldn’t expect you to swallow it. Honestly, he fully expected you to go out to the bathroom and flush it away. He wasn’t dumb, he knew there was no way it was in any way appetizing for you. 

Though he can’t say that he had anticipated what was to come next.

You gripped his thighs as you pulled yourself up from your spot on the floor to stand between his legs. You wrapped an arm around his shoulders while your other hand grabbed his chin, tilting his head back. The smile you gave him was devious, he knew you were plotting something, but with how beautiful you looked in the moment, he couldn’t find it in himself to care. You were just so alluring. 

Your thumb played with the bottom of his lip gently, that is until you forced it in his mouth to pull his jaw down. With his mouth open and on display for you, you spat into his mouth, returning all liquids that were in your mouth back to their original owner. 

His eyes widened as he felt the thick, salty, semen fill his mouth. Before he could protest your actions, you closed his mouth shut and wagged a finger in front of his face with disapproval. 

“Now, now, let’s not forget who lost the last game.” you teased, sitting yourself on his lap, “Plus I’d hate to just leave things here,” You hands lowered, circling the tip of his cock gently, sending a shiver down his spine.

Gekko rolled his eyes at your comment, he had previously considered that it would be a win no matter who won that game. But he would be a liar if he didn’t think that what you were putting him through wasn’t hot. He would swallow what little pride he had left along with his cum.. if it meant he could keep a good thing going. 

“Que maldita eres” he said, opening his mouth for your inspection.

[daily-rayless]

25 Years of Rosa

I've been doing this character appreciation series for a while now, and it's about time we got to a very special character – the first character from the first JRPG I ever played that I first really fangirled over – the first character that was my Number One Favorite Video Game Character – Rosa Farrell from Final Fantasy 4.

June 1999

We are going so far back that I have no idea what my first Rosa fan art was. It's not this – but I wanted to highlight it because I was incredibly proud of myself. Rosa, all sad and anguished because she's missing Cecil.

But let's talk some about her, the good and the -- maybe? -- bad.

October 1999

I first played FF4 in May 1999, on a rickety and unreliable Super Nintendo. The cartridge was prone to failure and wiped out my first save once I'd gotten the team underground. But by then, I was invested, too invested to give up and play Chrono Trigger or something. I had to find out what happened to Cecil and Rosa and everyone, so I slammed that cartridge right back in and started up a new game. Fortunately, that one lasted all the way through.

January 2000

As I said, it was my first JRPG, and I adored the medium, especially the story. Along with having a rickety SNES, I also had a house with a not-great internet connection, and this was long before you could easily look up Let's Plays and videos of your favorite scenes. Convinced in my young mind that the game might never properly work for me again and would never, I don't know, be republished, I immediately sat down and wrote a detailed, dramatized summary of the whole thing just so I wouldn't forget it.

April 2000

And my favorite element of the story was Rosa, the healer, the archer, the female lead. Maybe it's just that FF4 was my first game, but I like to think there's a special spark to Rosa that makes her stand out.

June 2000

I was bubbling over with enthusiasm and, along with writing out a detailed summary, I subjected my patient and obliging mother to endless dissertations on the characters and story. I specifically remember talking to her about Rosa, and her commenting that Rosa was a traditionally “feminine” character, even “passive” – a healer, a love interest, needing to be rescued not once, but twice.

November 2000

And I think that's worth exploring – as neutrally as possible. On one hand, in fiction we do have a very long history of imperiled, secondary, predominantly supportive heroines, and the fact that so many had to be written that way reflects something bad in the real world. On the other hand, I really do believe that most tropes are just tropes, and even if they've been overused, often badly used, that doesn't mean they can't be used.

August 2001

In a lot of ways, Rosa is a very safe character. Though she's a studied mage and master archer, that's not why she's in the story. Her main involvement is as a love interest, both to the hero Cecil and his rival/best friend Kain.

November 2001

Rosa's reason for joining the adventure comes down to her love for Cecil. She isn't seeking her own quest. She never states a goal that isn't Cecil's. In fairness, the game is very stripped down, and none of the characters voice very complex motives. You could just as easily say Cecil is Cid's reason for joining the adventure.

November 2002

But Rosa's story beats all come down to Cecil and Kain. Surely, on such an adventure, Rosa would grow and discover things about herself, but you never hear about it. What you hear about is her worrying about Cecil, worrying about the fate of the world, taking care of others, and of course getting kidnapped. All very safe, non-disruptive things for a female character.

June 2004

There are even moments where the game leans into a slight but still apparent sexism. At the siege of Fabul, despite Rydia and Rosa being practiced fighters and valuable mages, they're sent to tend to the injured while the men go off to fight.

June 2005

This is echoed at the end of the game when Cecil himself, who knows full well how powerful Rosa and Rydia are, still forbids them to join him in the ending level. There's some brief resistance, but then the girls, in all apparent obedience, quietly leave while the men remain to save the world.

September 2005

Part of it may be that Rosa comes from a very early video game, but if we look at sci-fi/fantasy itself as a genre, we had more boundary-pushing heroines long before the early 1990s, at least in the West. By then, we already had Princess Leia, Red Sonja, Alanna the Lioness, and others.

April 2006

Rosa is brave, talented, and loyal, but is she ultimately a regressive character?

October 2007

I don't know if I have a perfect answer to that. What I do know is that one of the things I've always loved most about Rosa is that she knows her own mind. Yeah, she'll support you. Yeah, she'll cast Protect and Haste on you, and then she'll Cure you when Bahamut takes your HP down to 1. But she does not do it meekly.

2008

One of her first scenes is her comforting Cecil as he deals with his thorny ethical angst. But she quickly stops murmuring kindly to him and tells him he can't just mope and complain about things. He has to take a stand. He has to own his actions – change himself, one of the themes of the game. She sees it long before he does, and she isn't exactly tender as she tells him.

July 2009

She joins the adventure for Cecil, but she doesn't join with him. He leaves without her (she doesn't beg to come with him, she has things to do) and when he goes missing, she sets off on her own in search of him, going faster and getting farther than he did before desert sickness stops her cold.

March 2010

And at the end of the game when this selfsame Cecil, this guy who grew up with her and is in a relationship with her and knows her so well, tells her to go home and be safe while he and the guys save the world, she does meekly turn around and leave. But she doesn't go far. She and Rydia stow aboard his spaceship and travel with him and the men to the moon. Whereupon she tells Cecil, with no ambiguity, that he cannot keep her from coming.

October 2011

Which is a good thing, because I have beaten FF4 many times, and let me tell you, you are not surviving the ending boss without Rosa Curing you, Protecting you, and probably Lifing you more than once.

February 2013

So have I exonerated Rosa? I've shown how assertive she really is. Have I proved she's not regressive?

October (?) 2018

Honestly, I'm not a big fan of the assertive woman = automatically good female character theory. A woman can be physically weak, even psychologically timid, and still be an incredibly interesting, complex, and strong character. And another can be bold and brave and badass and still remain uninteresting and shallow.

2020

But I think I've shown that, whatever Rosa is, she's not passive.

August 2021

Being a back-row archer isn't a problem, being a healer isn't a problem, being conventionally feminine isn't a problem. Even, at the end of the day, being a “safe” character isn't actually a problem. It comes down to how well the character's written – and, even more subjectively, how they connect with the audience.

May 2024

Rosa connected powerfully with me. Since then, other characters have come and eclipsed her number one spot in my heart. But I still love her a lot, and I don't want to see her dismissed.

[illfoandillfie]

Advent 2023: Day 2

This one was an original idea that I had a while ago. It follows on from the other clone-a-willy fics/blurbs I've written. One and Two.

Warnings: references to pornography/masturbation/anal/oral, piv sex, sex toys (dildos), sex tape. Not properly edited.

It didn’t surprise you that Ben watched porn. He was an adult with a relatively high sex drive, a man who’d had access to the internet during formative teen years, of course he watched porn. You watched porn sometimes too, so there was nothing shocking about Ben doing it. But what caught your attention was the sort of porn he’d been looking at. POV style – the camera showing nothing of the man but his cock, and nothing of the woman but her stretched ass or cunt, occasionally tits depending on position. Admittedly, you didn’t know whether those examples were indicative of his habits. You never intentionally went looking for what Ben had watched. All you knew came from a couple of moments when you’d opened his laptop to a still open browser or walked in on him by accident. Perhaps it was just coincidence that the handful of times you had seen something, it was the same style. Afterall, Ben had showed you porn a couple of times (and vice versa) as foreplay or inspiration for your own sex and none of that had been POV, so he must watch other things. But it did stick with you that he liked the POV stuff, and every so often you’d remember that fact and wonder how you could use it.  

The opportunity came around his next birthday. You’d bought him something he could tell his friends about, but you wanted something a bit sexy too, something just for him. After your conversation about training, Ben had bought a second kit in a different colour and you’d been working on anal training, so you'd originally thought that your first time with the real thing would make a suitable present. But you’d gotten a little too eager a few months previous and had already crossed that bridge. It wasn’t quite as special now that you’d done it half a dozen times. So you were at a bit of a loss what to do, until you remembered the porn.  

You did your research as you waited for a suitable day to record, watching some examples to see what the framing was generally like and what might be included. Truth be told, even after watching half a dozen videos you didn’t totally get the appeal of the POV style. You much preferred being able to see everyone involved fully, but then your tastes trended a little kinkier than Ben’s - bondage and spanking scenes to his fairly vanilla preferences. Either way, Ben seemed to enjoy the premise and so you did your best to imitate what you’d seen the first chance you got, when Ben was out for an entire Saturday with his mates.  

You tried not to rush too much, despite being excited for Ben’s reaction and a little nervous about being on camera. But you wanted to get it right, so you forced yourself to stay calm as you set your camera up, doing a handful of test shots to check your positioning before you were satisfied with the framing. It would have been easier had the clone dildo had a suction base, but you made it work. Riding it seemed like the most sensible option for the type of porn you were recreating, so you figured you edit the video so it’d start with you already working your fist up and down the toy, spreading lube along it’s length. Most of the videos you’d seen during your research had cut in min-penetration if not with the woman halfway to a slightly unbelievable orgasm anyway.  

Once you were ready to go you stripped off and took your place on the bed in the spot you’d worked out. The lube was close to hand, just out of frame, so you squeezed some out onto your palm and raised the toy, trying not to giggle at what you were sure must look like a very rapid erection coming into view. With a steadying breath you got started for real, holding the dildo with one hand as you began to jerk it off the way you knew Ben liked. Then, when you felt you’d wanked it long enough, you moved over it, lining it up and sinking down onto it with relative ease. It felt familiar in the oddly unfamiliar way you’d become familiar with – filling you just the way Ben did but recognisably not him. You had no trouble riding it though, practically forgetting the camera was on you as you lost yourself in the rhythm of it, moaning and telling Ben how good he felt and how much you loved his cock. And then you came, legs going Shakey as you tried to keep the stimulation going until you were through it. Watching back made you feel a little embarrassed and a little perverted and more than a little horny. You hastily edited it, trimming out the awkward beginning bit like you’d planned, then watched it through to make sure you’d stayed in frame. By the time Ben got home you were practically ready to tackle him so you could have the real thing.  

Ben’s birthday fell on a weekday when you had to work. So you decided to leave the present where he’d find it while you were out. You knew you’d be distracted all day wondering what he would think of it, but it was worth it to surprise him. You just hoped he’d send you some sort of text when he’d watched it. Thankfully he did, though it took a little longer for him to find it than you’d have liked. He’d spent most of the day on the couch playing video games, only finding the laptop you’d saved the file on after he’d found your note wishing him a happy birthday and telling him there was a surprise in the bedroom. He probably wouldn’t have worked out the surprise was on the computer without your helpful post it note telling him to press play.  

He called you within the first five seconds.   “Y/N, I bloody love you.”  You laughed, “Hello to you too honey. I take it you got the videos then.”  "There’s more than one?”  “Yeah,” you laughed, “Well, kind of. See, I wasn’t sure if you’d like um,” you paused, realising you were at work and probably shouldn’t say words like cunt or arse out loud, “front or back more. So I wanted to do one of each for you but the back one was a little harder to manage while keeping it in the same, like, style. So I did the front one like that and then did a second one from behind but it’s easier to tell it’s,” you dropped your voice to a whisper and hoped no one was listening, “not you fucking me.”  Ben barely seemed to hear your explanation, groaning as he located the second video, “what time are you getting home?”  “Uhh, not for another few hours I guess. How come?”  “Just wondering if I have enough time to get off to both of them and recover. I’ve never, and I mean this with the utmost respect and love, I’ve never wanted to pound you harder than I do right now.”  You fell into giggles again, nervously checking around you and hoping you weren’t blushing noticeably.  “I’m serious Y/N. You’re so fucking sexy and incredible and god, just looking at how well you ride me has me so fucking hard. I want to ruin you. I want to fuck you so hard you can’t walk for a week and I haven’t even seen the anal one yet. The second you walk through that door I’ll be on you. In you.”  If you’d managed not to blush before you were sure you must be now, so tried to keep your voice as professional as possible, “Well I’m glad you like them. I look forward to this evening.”  Ben hummed, “I think it should be enough time. But I s’pose if I’m not quite good to go when you get here, then there’s two more of my cocks to get you started.”  You bit your lip to keep from whimpering or moaning and swallowed hard before you managed, “That sounds very reasonable.”  “If I wanted to be really mean I’d keep you on the line while I watch so you could hear me getting off to you.  You whined his name quietly, “Honey I’m at work.”  He laughed, “Sorry babe. You just really turn me on. I’ll show you how much tonight.”  “Okay,” you managed, “Happy birthday, love you.”  “Love you too. So much.” 

[swearyshera]

Advance apology for the long ask in a likely sea of 'em. A lot of people talk about wishing they could experience something they love again for the first time, this series was genuinely as close to that as I've ever felt. Just given the span of time my attention flucuated on and off but once the latter half of s4/s5 began my attention was absolutely nailed to your feed. Its up with Dragon Ball Z Abridged as parody series that become so dramatically effective they become a valid or definitive way to experience the series. Goddamned sensational.

Your portrayals of the characters soar. They provide a hilarious, cruder take on each that still cuts right to the soul of who these people are and lays it bare, which I think is the mission of any good-natured parody. Adora, Catra, Glimmer, Scorpia, Bow, Prime etc. There is not one that does not shine. It tackled a ton of issues and misgivings I had about canon, and even elevated or clarified many scenes and arcs through addressing them a more direct fashion. You took full advantage of not having to dress up and dance around the dark subjects canon was sort of doomed to handle inadequately given its age bracket and thematic priorities. Many scenes were jawdropping. Ive raved about it before, but your scene with Glimmer actually talking about her mom with Catra still leaves me gobsmacked every time I reread it. Your big moments towards the finale btwn Adora and Catra are obviously sublime and tie their wonderful arc off fantastically, but in my heart of hearts that cell talk will be the crown jewel of this project. Loved seeing the LGBT message take center stage in way canon had to hold back. To paraphrase Tolkien, I'm can't count myself among those gifted people, and youve def got a target audience in mind, but if youve ever worried if your stories resonate on a quote unquote "more universal" level, I promise you can put those worries to bed. Since becoming an adult ive intentionally sought out more and more queer-inclusive/created stories and I havent regretted it a bit, and the rising tide of fascist sexist/homo/transphobic bile in politics gets more and more frightening. But I've also seen how strong and resilient LGBT people are in the face of it, empowering themselves in no small part thru stories like yours. Please don't ever give up on your art. The world needs artists like you. Sorry if I come off pretentious or condescending, I feel like that when I try to get everything I think out at once. I'll be among the first to come running if you ever start another project like this or make something on an even grander scale. Thank you a thousand times for this. Also writing a wholeass sitcom pilot based on an offhand quasi-joke I made is the most weirdly touching thing I think anyones ever done "for me" (at least nominally cuz of me), especially a stranger. So thank you for that too.

Aw, you'll make me cry, you know! I think you've understood everything I wanted to do with this strip (or at least, when I started thinking beyond just 'characters saying fuck'), and... yeah, it's been an incredible journey, both for the blog and for me personally.

I've always tried to keep the parody good-natured. You can often tell, particularly in parody, when the creator dislikes one particular character (I mean, Horde Prime was probably the exception here), but I love all of them, so it really comes from a place of love. It's quite odd because I never set out to "fix" the show, and I wouldn't want to, but some things I've done seem to have had such an impact that a lot of people think I have done just that.

The Glimmer/Catra conversation is absolutely one of my favourite things I've written from this. It's such a pivotal moment in both their stories and character development, and I am truly humbled that multiple people have called it 'better than canon'. Like... I'm just some person trying to be funny and occasionally serious, and people are saying something I wrote is better than what a team of experienced professional writers did? Give over, no... But it's still a moment I can be proud of.

I won't be stopping writing things. This whole blog has given me a new lease of life and something to aim towards. I've got an excellent pilot script pretty much finished, and I do want to bring Hellspawn up to that standard too (thank you for suggesting someone make a Sweary Frosta sitcom - I'm someone!). That may well involve a complete re-write, but I'll be sure to share it.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for your kind words along the way. It really keeps me going :)

[averagekindergartenfan]

• Partner

English class, 2nd period

‼️TW: HARASSMENT

(this is also very long so uhm, YOUTUBE SHORTS WATCHERS BEWARE)

Jacob was sitting in English class listening to the teacher talk about Romeo & Juliet, he thought it was pretty interesting but he probably wouldn't read it in his freetime. The teacher then stopped looking at the whiteboard and faced the students as she walked over to her desk

Ms. Lillie: "For today, you'll be partnered up with somebody to analyse the hidden meanings in each scene. I already have your partners written out on little paper strips, so you'll know who to get to :D"

"Alright, I guess I could help someone here, I do know some English linguistics anyway" He thought to himself. The teacher handed him a paper strip, so he read it and.....

"Jacob & Nathan!" ..Holy shit.

J: "...Oh! Uhm.. I kind of.. I don't know" He wanted to say something to the teacher but she was already at the other students' desks. He looked at Nathan and saw his face lit up just by a little bit... Jacob didn't really like this

*Time skip*

N: "So? You and me partners again after a while?"

J: "Please don't talk about it, I'm not really comfortable talking about our history"

N: "Come onnnn, brings back some memories doesn't it?"

J: "Yeah but I REALLY don't feel comfortable talking about that right now, we have a project to do"

N: "And we've got some life catching-up to do. So, how has is it been since you..well, left me."

J: "*writing in his notebook* I'm just fine, also could you like please focus on the project right now?"

N: "The project's due like next week, it's not like she's the type to change the date on us so suddenly. Speaking of date... You got one?"

J: "No but I'm fine without one"

N: "...You look fit to be my date, again."

J: "*sigh* Look, I don't want to talk about you and I right now, I'm just going through some stuff."

N: "Maybe I could help you out ;)"

J: "HELL THE FUCK NO Uhm, I'd rather you not"

N: "..Alright fine whatever, be a prick, not like I care. Let's do this dumb project"

*Minutes pass by and the bell rings.*

Everybody left the class and Jacob went to meet Linda, as per usual everytime class ends. All of the sudden, he felt someone tap him on the shoulder. He looked back to see who it was and, it was Nathan, his now again "partner"

N: "Ay, I wanted to talk to you about something"

J: "Uhm, sorry I was about to go meet my friend, maybe we could talk later"

N: "Bullshit, we're talking now"

J: "I-... Sorry?"

N: "I gotta talk to you now"

J: "I guess? I'll just text them that I'm busy with something"

N: "Yeah just do that real quick"

*Sound of Jacob typing on his phone. "Hey so like I have to talk to somebody right now, you don't mind if I'm gone for a bit right?" He sent to Linda. She replied back by saying "Yeah sure, I got Kayla anyways so I still got company", alright cool*

J: "So like, what did you want to talk to me about?"

N: "It's about us, like why are you so avoidant now? Everytime I tried to send you a dm you didn't respond, plus you got a new girl or something"

J: "Okay uh, I just don't really feel comfortable with you now. Like in the past you just pushed me around and just made me do the things you wanted to do, and like I didn't really want to experience that again so that's why I've been avoidant. Also she's not my girl, she's a friend for now"

N: "Yeah, for NOW. Next you'll just be with her moving on as if you and me never hung out at your place like everyday"

J: "Please don't mention that, it used to be fun but then it just got out of hand"

He was sweating bullets trying not to panic in public. Why would he talk about this NOW?! OF ALL TIMES?! Jacob frankly felt like he was walking on eggshells while talking to Nathan

N: "Come on it wasn't that bad, or are you still thinking of that one time when I got you to-"

J: "ALRIGHT! We should stop talking now, I really need to go my friend's waiting for me"

N: "NOT YET ASSHOLE!"

Nathan quickly grabbed Jacob's sleeve, just before he could even form a step. Jacob flinched as soon as he did that

J: "WHAT DO YOU STILL WANT TO TALK ABOUT?! We could do this another time!"

N: "US! still! *deep breath* Look, I still want to be connected with you, and I don't want you to just kick me out of your life. I still think about hanging out with you and..maybe doing a lot of other stuff but that doesn't matter. All I'm saying it, I want you back."

J: "...Well I- *sigh* I'm sorry, but for my sake I just don't want you back in my life at all. You genuinely hurt me a lot, and I just want to move on because being with you was a terrible period in my life. Again, I'm sorry, I hope you'll be able to accept this."

N: "...Fuck you."

Jacob watched as he turned back and stormed down the hallway. He was still frozen from fear and felt his heart stop. Why hasn't Nathan gotten over him by now?? Pretty sure he has a girlfriend now, he should be happy right? All Jacob could do was just shut his mind and walk it off, he did need to meet up with his friend anyway, not sure if she's still there. He went to his locker and looked to his right and saw usual Linda

L: "So, what did you and the 'somebody' talk about?

J: ".. Personal stuff."

L: "..Like what? Hope you don't mind me asking"

J: "I'd rather not talk about it"

L: "Oh, that's fine"

He tried to hold back tears and tried to relax his throat. Talking to him brought back awful memories, especially when THAT happened...

...Why is he my partner?

[shoko-komi]

The Komi Report - Communication 443

Read It: Mangareader Mangakakalot Viz Media (North America Exclusive) Mangadex (English updates are dead, but there’s the backlog; and Spanish + Portuguese language updates)

So. Here we are. It's the beginning of the end for the Rumiko x Wakai 'will-they-won't-they?' question. My friends; I don't care for it. Which is putting it lightly.

As I've discussed before, I've felt lukewarm about Wakai since his introduction and have been very disappointed with the way Rumiko has been written post-love triangle, and for me this chapter is a great big nail in the coffin for them both. I am not cautiously reserving my opinion until I've seen how Oda follows this up - I think this absolutely sucks.

The complete absence of chemistry is more painful than ever. This relationship is so forced.

But what had my jaw on the floor (in a terrible way) is this

Wakai was supposed to wait for Rumiko to give him an answer. She specifically asked him to wait until she was comfortable giving him an answer so she could work through her complicated feelings, and he agreed. But in this moment he decides to force her. Wakai humiliates Rumiko in front of everyone they know by ambushing her with a huge spectacle!!! That sucks!!!

That panel of everyones shocked reaction is deeply uncomfortable. And Rumiko looks mortified, confused, and unhappy. Although even if she had been drawn looking happier, that wouldn't make Oda's writing decisions here good ones.

I am almost tempted to think that the discomfort of this scene is deliberate. Like Rumiko is going to cuss him out in the next chapter and tell him "never talk to me again" for doing this to her, but to be honest I think that's just me thinking wishfully. I have no genuine reason to believe this is anything other than a completely straight attempt at romance.

It was bad enough that one of the series' best female characters was reduced from Complex Main Character status to 'forced love interest for some random guy', but now she's been completely stripped of all her agency. In her supposed love story, she hasn't even been granted the dignity of choosing her lover. Wakai has chosen; apparently Rumiko just has to accept it.

Ugh........... what a disaster. Oda is capable of such brilliant writing that I was still hoping he could find his way out of this hole, but it's only gotten so much worse aosdnlaksdnlaksdasd.

I'm feeling irritated, I'm feeling grumpy, I'm feeling disappointed.

-----------------------------------

Alright!!! That's all tremendously frustrating!! But I'd like to wind down with some positives:

This image is funny

I love this crowd shot. I'm excited to see so many characters who haven't been around in a while.

(❁´◡`❁)

.....and that's it.

Every sock has its hole. Rumiko and Wakai are now at the bottom of a very deep, deep, deep, dark hole; but there's still the rest of the sock to eat.... I lost control of my analogy, so forget it.

With a heavy heart, I bid you farewell and safe travels. I'll see you next week; hopefully for something different than this