#love how he always gives credit to them!! love how he gives criticism without putting anyone under the bus!! all with a smile on his face!!

[ugartecoco]

a common occurrence developing rn is me mumbling 'you dont have to gif this you dont have to post this' under my breath over and over while watching a ruben press conference

[finn-writes-stuff]

Jack of All Trades (pt 2)

A follow-up to -this- post, with the rest of the party. The Original Request: Hello. If you're willing and have the time, I jumbly request a TLOVM headcannon for the team having an s/o who steals their weapons and tries to figure out to use them. What would their reactions be and would they/how would they teach them to use the weapons?

Percy, Vax, Scanlan & Grog x Reader

Fandom: The Legend of Vox Machina/ Critical Role

Format: Headcanons

Gender Neutral Reader

Masterlist

Some credit to my lovely partner for giving me accurate info about their specific weapons. As well as a discussion on whether or not you can say Percy or Orthax invented Guns. -Finn

Percy

With anyone else in the party, there's a good chance you may have used a weapon like theirs before. But not Percy and his guns. These are his own inventions, new to Tal'Dorei completely.

They are also powered by exploding gunpowder. He is a little bit worried about letting you handle them.

Hearing a gunshot when he isn't causing it is a deep cause of concern for him, please don't steal his guns, just ask.

Percy will absolutely teach you! It's a chance to have his arms around you as he steadies your aim and stance.

He's a very...specific teacher. You have to make sure he doesn't get too wrapped up in the fine details. Keep him on track with how to shoot and he won't get way into the actual mechanics of the hammer of the gun.

Let him watch you shoot after you get the hang of it. He'll start to understand why you like watching him so much.

Vax

This man owns so many knives. He has a full-out collection of daggers. Hugging him is a dangerous prospect because you never know where one is hiding.

And with all the different daggers, it can't be that hard to steal one or two of them. How could he even notice?

Stealing them proves to be surprisingly hard. He doesn't store many of them, they always seem to be on his person.

But once you manage it, it's quite a lot of fun to handle a truly well-made dagger. In a fantasy world like this, every adventurer has held a dagger, but Vax turns it into an art and his tools reflect that.

They are also insanely sharp. Don't get too cocky with them.

He swipes them out of your hands when he finds you with them, and it's obvious just how experienced he is with handling knives. He can twist and spin them without a glance or a nick.

"Well, well, someone's got sticky fingers, hey love?"

He'll teach you how to throw them accurately and how to spin them without hitting your fingers. He will also tease you while you practice before you get the hang of it.

Scanlan

Scanlan doesn't particularly use a weapon! He's fairly strictly a spellcaster.

That being said, his instruments are likely the next best thing, particularly his lute. And that is his baby, best of luck stealing it.

If you ask him, he'll let you play it and he'll teach you during downtime. He will also serenade you for demonstrations.

He'll be annoyed if you take it without asking though. His music is a source of safety for him as much as a source of joy.

Let him teach you songs around the fire at night and serenade him in return. He won't stop smiling for ages.

Grog

Grog has had some...questionable weapons. Perhaps don't borrow Craven's Edge.

But borrowing his axe or his gauntlets is a world of fun. Even if they might not be well weighted for anyone who isn't as strong as he is.

You will quickly realize how much work goes into swinging his axe and it puts his effortless attacks into a very different light for you.

Grog laughs out loud when he sees you using his weapons, but it's full of fondness and affection.

Even if he isn't exactly academically clever, this is his skill set, he knows how to fight and he does it well. So he's a really good teacher as he corrects your stance and grip.

His teaching method also includes encouraging you to just swing at him, so you'll need a bit of courage and faith that you won't hurt him.

[thissying]

Thanks for uploading ep 1 of the doco – while it’s clearly a highly managed piece of media, it remains a rich text for Max scholars. Entirely aside from padel shirtlessness.

I think my favourite parts were:

Max just being a huge racing nerd, which we already knew but I always enjoy.

Competence kink, especially that final GT3 testing session.

Going from me not knowing anything about his GT3 racing team to ‘oh of course it’s his ride-or-die childhood friend who he’s mentoring, because Max attaches early and hard or not at all’.

Max’s sincere enjoyment of/commitment to The Process which helps him offset being a nightmare of competitiveness. (Something I particularly admire and respect in Alex Albon as well.)

It may have been the editing but I got a kick out of that video call after Suzuka. ‘Congratulations on winning the championship—’ ‘Yeah thanks, now here are many questions about your GT3 race weekend…’

Max looking relaxed in the talking heads even though he was doing them solo, without someone else onscreen to bounce off. Basically the opposite of his DTS talking heads.

(I understand why Max’s horrible dad™️ has such a big presence but for the sake of my blood pressure, on rewatch maybe I’ll use a post-it note to block him from my sight. 🙃 )

I don't see enough people talk about things this way any more in fandom on tumblr, including myself btw, except in tags but even then not so much, so I enjoyed getting this ♥

Yeah, same wrt how huge of a racing nerd he is. The fact that Thierry had to explain to him several procedures of the GT3 car first because it was new to him and then he did some laps and knew exactly what needed to be changed to improve the car. With giving credit to Thierry and the "engineers are stubborn, that's just how they are" comment 😂 And yesss, that final testing session where the head of track engineering is so impressed that he expects to be talking about it during nights at the bar in years to come. I was like: that's our boy, yeah 😊

I wouldn't be surprised if that was how that Suzuka phone call really went! He's so serious about his commitment and guidance to other drivers and it was one of my favourite things we got to see in this episode. Him being direct about things that aren't good without being rough or cruel, making me think that is part his character and part his own experiences (the good and bad ones). He seems good at constructive criticism; "here's what you're doing wrong or what you need to improve and here's what you can do about that." Lovelovelove.

Also, him being more nervous when watching family and friends race than when he has to do it himself because of the control. Which is such a common thing for people to feel (not just in racing) but I love knowing this about him.

I agree about the talking heads parts. Genuinely relaxed! The bit where they cut to his laughter about Thierry's remote control car 🥰

Other favourite bit: the "so much grip" comment about his shoes, in unison like it's an old familial in-joke.

The G-Star RAW interview is a good one! I feel like it should be like a first go-to for (new) Max fans who want to know a little bit more about him, even though it's a bit older already. I never saw any flirting in this though, but I'd put that down more to Edwin Evers than Max!

ETA: also. the maxplaining to Thierry after padel!!!

[balkanradfem]

So I like the Barbie movie enough to do an analysis of their feminist statements and try to get to the root of the problem! They did give us a long list of expectations women worldwide are dealing with, now let's see why they're dealing with it.

1. "We have to always be extraordinary, but somehow, we're always doing it wrong. You have to be thin, but not too thin, and you can never say you want to be thin, you have to say you want to be healthy."

This issue happens because women in practice, culture, and their real-life circumstances are still effectively living as the second class citizens, and they're viewed as servants for males, and male toys. It does not benefit us to be expected to be extraordinary, and it does not benefit us to be thin. So who benefits from it?

It's a feature of a male fantasy. Male wants to posses a woman who is trained to please him in every possible way, but she also needs to be unique and different from all other women, so he feels like he has something special. Every woman already is unique and individual, but he doesn't notice such things as personality, he needs her to be special in a way that he and his male buddies will notice! So she has to be extraordinary in something that males appreciate, but also if she is better than them at it, then they no longer feel the ease of being superior, so she's doing it wrong.

Women's ideal being thin is also a male fantasy, they've managed to pavlov themselves into finding thin women the only kind of woman that is attractive, thus the requirement on women is to be thin, even when it damages our health. Men love causing trauma to women, but to see women actually visibly struggling with it, putting it into words, saying it hurts us, that makes them uncomfortable! So they shame the language, until we phrase it as something that doesn't relate to them, or that makes it seem like it's for our own good. 'Being thin for health' makes it seem like the required starvation is for our own good, and healthy, in fact.

This could not possibly happen if we were not existing in service of the other half of population. If we were respected and valuable human beings, what is bad for us would not be represented to us as an ideal.

2. "You have to have money, but can't ask for money, because that's crass. You have to be boss, but can't be mean. You have to lead, but you can't squash other people's ideas."

These are double standards that men put up for us. Even though women are paid less, own less, are globally more impoverished and have a harder time gaining money, that is no longer enough for us to completely depend on men for money; they hate this. So as a revenge for us managing to earn a bit of our own money, we now can't ask them for any, we are supposed to 'have our own', and still depend for them, but in fear, reluctant to ask or to demand. Notice how it isn't crass for a man to ask for money, it's almost expected, but for a woman, it's shameful.

Women in lead will be criticized, called out, scrutinized and humiliated like no male leader ever would be; this is to make it harder for women to feel in control and comfortable in leading positions. Male leader is supposed to step all over ideas he doesn't find useful, hell he can even squash it and take credit for it later, but if a woman doesn't acknowledge a stupid idea, she is immediately told off for 'not being a good enough leader'. Even when she's doing exactly what she's supposed to do. It's a hypocritical little game to ensure only men can comfortably lead.

3. "You're supposed to love being a mother, but don't talk about your kids all the damn time. You have to be a career woman, but also always be looking out for other people."

This is a feature of "women existing for male convenience" problem. We are supposed to be naturally loving of raising kids, because it's convenient for males to just have their children raised for them without having to do much about it, and if this is not provided to them, then women are evil for not 'loving being a mother' when it's convenient for men that women are super into that and willing to do it for free, forever, without complaining or talking about it, because men don't like to know that it's an actual effort, they feel more comfortable feeling it's a silly little chore that deserves no thought whatsoever.

Women having careers is something men have been making difficult in any way possible, because it means women are not reliant on them for resources within capitalism, but they were not able to completely prevent us having jobs, so now they're just trying to get as much use of it as possible. If women earn money, they will leech off of that money. If women have careers, well then those women should prove that they're just as convenient, nurturing, always available, running at every beck and call, and act as if they still only exist to serve and please men. If women fail to do this, they'll again be accused of being selfish, horrible people, bad mothers, bad community members, and so on and so forth. Men of course, can ignore the entire world and do their job badly, and have a violence problem, and be addicted to p*rn, and it's fine. They're not bad people regardless of how little compassion they have for anyone who isn't them.

4. "You have to answer for men's bad behavior, which is insane. But if you point that out, you're accused of complaining. You're supposed to stay pretty for men, but not so pretty that you tempt them too much or that you threaten other women because you're supposed to be a part of the sisterhood."

This is an example of psychological abuse; victims are most often told they're responsible for their abuser's actions, as if they would in any situation be able to control or influence them, which they can't. But, putting that responsibility on women will make women hyperfocus on their own behaviour, on prevention of abuse, prevention of violence, which means they will go a long way trying to please men, tiptoe around them, give them insane amount of attention and care, in hope or preventing the escalation of their behaviour - and this is exactly what men want, this is what the abuse was for. To gain that devotion and attention, with the threat of violence. If women understood perfectly that men are responsible for their own behaviour, their way forward would be to hold men accountable, to lock them up and never look back. It's only in the world where women are victims of severe psychological abuse that we try to please men into not committing acts of violence. And it never works, because men love violence, and will turn to violence at every corner, even more easily and smugly knowing they can simply blame a woman for not working hard enough to prevent it.

Men expecting women to be pretty but then punishing them for being pretty is also an act of abuse; women's exterior is being judged as if our appearance is both a statement and a crime. Men can look whatever they naturally look like, and it's not a provocation, temptation, lack of solidarity or anything worth criticizing; but any way that a woman looks can be scrutinized and a ground for moral callout. The reality is that women also just look like the way they look like, and there's nothing wrong with it. There is zero moral problems with women looking pretty or not pretty. There isn't even a problem with tempting males because males are responsible for their own actions and not toddlers who have no power to resist impulses. This is a tactics for making women responsible for male behaviour - the way she looks is responsible for what I want to do to her. Complete nonsense, they just found a way to blame her for his own behaviour.

Calling women out for not being 'a part of the sisterhood' based on their appearance is very poorly concealed tactic to turn women against each other, to distract them from seeing that men are the root of the problem. Men don't turn on each other based on appearance, and it doesn't make sense for women to be assumed to do it either; in women-only communities, it doesn't matter what women look like. Whatever women look like is never a threat or an attack on other women, men are trying to play on female insecurity and frame other women as a threat to that insecurity - when the only threat all along was men, creating ideals and standards of beauty that don't correspond to reality or nature.

5. "Always be grateful, but never forget that the system is rigged, so find a way to acknowledge that, but also, always be grateful. You have to never get old."

The waves of feminism have forced the public consciousness to acknowledge that the system is rigged, but the pressure to do something about it falls completely on women, even though men created the system, rigged it, are keeping it rigged, are using violence to enforce it, and are benefiting from it. And it's convenient to them if women do nothing else but acknowledge it's rigged and stay grateful they're still allowed to live within, we're supposed to be threatened by the fact that we can easily be killed if we step out of line.

Men are threatened by older women because mature women have experience, they are no longer easily manipulated or cheated out of their gain, they will not bow down and please men like young, inexperienced women can be tricked into doing. So they convince those young women, that being old is shameful and ugly for women. They want women to stay young and susceptible, like children that they can control and not allow any agency or free will. This ensures we stay focused on being scared of time, aging and our own bodies and nature, but not of the predators who are taking our lives as a service for themselves.

6. "Never be rude, never show off, never be selfish, never fall down, never fail, never show fear. Never get out of line, it's too hard, it's too contradictory and nobody gives you a medal or says "thank you". And it turns out, in fact, that not only are you doing everything wrong, but also everything is your fault."

These are lists of standards that are only applied to women, men are allowed to do all of these things and to be catered to while they're doing it. This behaviour is presented as bad only when women are doing it; if men do it, it's considered neutral, normal, intrinsic to human nature. Women being selfish inconveniences men, who are looking to exploit female selflessness. Women showing off and being proud would cut into their time showing off, they want that attention for themselves. Women getting out of line is inconvenient, since men have drawn those lines for women (those lines don't exist for men). Women showing fear makes it difficult for male predators to corner them down and have them act complacent; men don't want to see proof of victimizing women, except in private, except when they can get off on it. Never in public, never when women could potentially escape or reach for help, then it's sexist of women to be afraid.

Women getting medals, acknowledgment or gratitude again, cuts into male parade of getting all the acknowledgment, gratitude and medals, for them it doesn't make sense that they should share attention or credit with what they consider to be the 'servant class'. Men have deluded themselves into thinking they deserve more credit than women do, they don't consider us smart or capable, because they can easily oppress us, so how smart can we be? But also, they expect and demand us to be as smart and capable as necessary to resolve all of their issues, to make their life easy and pleasant and undemanding. We are forced to deal with issues they won't even look at, we often solve problems or create solution they wouldn't be able to produce, and this is when they simply take credit and convince themselves that they knew better all along. It's a 'male-delusion rules reality' kind of world for women.

After doing the biggest bulk of work on earth, creating and raising the entire human race, doing daily unpaid labour, putting up with violence, threats and constant degradation from men, after not having our interests represented by the law, education, government, economy or any other institution with any power, after spending a piece of our life being groomed and then having to spend another undoing the grooming, we are still told that everything is our fault, and that we're doing everything wrong.

This is abuse, and somebody is doing it. We are not put thru all of this for vague reasons, or for arbitrary reasons, someone is benefiting from all of it. While we're raising children, who lazes around and attaches their last names to our kids? When we're doing daily unpaid labour, who doesn't do their part? Who is staring at us while we're walking down the street, who fails to represent or even acknowledge our interests, and even our human rights? Who does the grooming, and who enables them to do it? Where do they get resources from it, who allows it to go on unchecked? How come young girls and women are regarded as such low value that we allow them to live unprotected around predators who will absolutely attempt to violate them in as many ways they can? Who fails to prevent, or arrest, or punish them?

It's not just a system of patriarchy, it'a a system of men, doing this every single day of their life. We can point the finger at the root of the problem. We have a common enemy, and they're working damn hard to keep us from realizing it.

[nyxe9206]

What their kisses taste like pt.2

What the MHA boys’ kisses taste like. All characters are aged up to be in their 20′s and some scenarios are suggestive so 18+ MDNI. Nameless and ageless blogs will be blocked. I do not own these characters and all scenarios are just fiction and for fun. Please do not copy my works or repost without either asking or giving credit.

Content warning : Making out, implied sex, dry humping, mentions of oral sex, nicknames (Princess, baby), mentions of female anatomy,

A/N : please let me know if I missed anything or if you want to give feedback, this is my second time actually posting a hc so I'll gladly take any criticism. Also I'm unsure who to do next so you can send in requests for who to put in my next one and hopefully I don't take months to post.

WC : 1.3k

Eijiro Kirishima

Like pop rocks and cherry coke 

It was a party with 3a and 3b for graduation

You still don’t know how you ended up in the circle playing seven minutes in heaven 

He was so nervous about you not wanting to kiss him

“Okay Y/n it’s your turn!” Mina shouts

As you spin the empty bottle you look around the circle and feel your hands beginning to sweat. A chorus of ‘ooo’ can be heard as you look up and find Kirishima beginning to stand. Grabbing his hand you stand and follow him to the coat closet found at the front of the dorm.

The space in the closet got smaller with how big the sturdy hero had gotten compared to the first year of high school. Each year that you grew alongside all of your classmates there was always an invisible line that was drawn between you and Eijiro made by the feelings you’ve never spoken about.

“You know we don’t have to do anything right, I'm happy just sitting here with you.” even in the dim light of the closet you can see the blush on his cheeks.

Your own cheeks burn with embarrassment, both your chests are touching and every exhale can be felt on the others lips.

“But what if I told you I want to?” Your hands snaked their way up his chest and over his shoulders to clasp together around the back of his neck.

“Then I guess I’d say good, cause I've been thinking about kissing you for god knows how long.” 

You could feel his lips brushing against yours as one of his hands made a claim on your waist while the other rubbed up and down your side.

“Kiss me.”

Your plea was met by the softness of his lips touching yours in a passionate and sensual kiss. Sparks tingle throughout your body as the kiss went on and his hands ran along your curves. His tongue poked at your lips as you tilted your head, parting your lips slightly you swirl your tongue against his. You could vaguely taste the coke and candy he had earlier as your hands caressed his muscles as he started pushing you against the wall in a desperate attempt to get closer only made you begin to run your hands through his hair to tug at the ends. As the kiss goes on his lips travel further down to your neck where you feel his teeth begin to nip at the skin

“Times up love birds!” The pink girl yells through the door

“Next time, next time when we walk out they’ll all know your mine.”

Denki Kaminari

Lemonade and chocolate chip cookies

Hanging out in his room after class

Fridays were your scheduled disney movie binge day

The little mermaid definitely became a bit more eventful

“Denks,the movie is still playing.” You whimper as he starts to trace the side of your neck with his finger.

“It’s okay, just wanted to see how sensitive you are.” his eyes are tracing your face as he stops at your lips.

You go to lick them out of habit and he takes his chance. The kiss is soft, almost hesitant giving you enough room to back away. In the three months that you’ve agreed to be friends with benefits with the electric boy you’ve never kissed. The deal was stress relief, as third years the amount of pressure was rising as graduation grew closer. Hand jobs, and oral was the most either of you have done with the other. But today something was off, it was different; the feeling of his hands groping your cloth covered breast as you pulled him in closer by the back of his neck was more urgent. His body pushing you down on the bed as he unbuttoned your uniform shirt was rushed while he licked and sucked on your bottom lip. The need to feel your skin on his clouding his brain as he ground his hips against you.

“Fuck baby, I need you so bad.” His words muffled by the skin of your neck as his hand danced over your panties.

“Denks please do something.” Your voice getting breathier as he skims his fingers over the growing wet patch

“You want me to play with you baby, want me to touch this pretty pussy you have here?” You can feel the smirk on his lips as your hips shift up to get more friction.

“You’re fucking soaking through your pretty little panties baby, why don’t we take them off might have more fun if we do.” 

Tired of his teasing you grab him by his shirt and pull him into you. The kiss is a clash of teeth, tongue, and the taste of his favorite lemonade and cookies.

“You talk too much, just fuck me already Denks.”

“Whatever you want princess, fuck I’d do anything you want every second of the day.”

“Yeah, then give it to me Denks, take me and give me everything,”

Sero Hanta

Orange soda and airheads

After another late night on the job you decide to go back to his

Literally just take out on his coffee table and whatever late night reruns were on tv

Was definitely not the first time either of you have thought of doing it

“No, no the last time we had this Kaminari laughed a noodle out his nose and I still have no idea how he managed that.” the tears gathered in the corners of your eyes as you and Hanta recall the memory of the electric hero making a fool out of himself yet again.

“Man I miss hanging out with them, it sucks we’re all so busy though.”

“Yeah but at least we can still do these stupid reruns every now and then, I like how chill it is with you.”

The room was quiet save for the tv in the background, his fingers just barely touching your arm put your nerves on high alert. The tension between you and Hanta has been palpable since your second year at UA, and for some reason the consequences of kissing him don’t seem so bad tonight.

His eyes went back and forth between your eyes and your lips, the blush rising on your face did nothing to stop him from smirking before he lent in pressing his lips against yours.

“God you’re so fucking pretty.” His kiss was intense and passionate, it felt like everything he never had the chance to say was coming out through the dance between your mouths.

Soon his tongue started sliding along your bottom lip, parting your lips you let him in as he pushed you down the sofa. The taste of his drink pulling you in as his tongue danced with yours sensually. His hands wrapping themselves around your waist and breasts holding, caressing and massaging as his hips ground against yours. The feeling of him half hard putting pressure on your clit through your sweats had you moaning into his mouth. Your hands moved into his black hair as his lips traveled down your neck leaving little nips and licks in the places he kissed. Your moans slowly started getting louder as his hips moved faster and harder.

The pressure building up in your core became too big to ignore. You knew he felt it too as his breathing got heavier until it stopped. His hips stuttered to a stop as he slowly lifted himself off of you with a shy smile and blush tinting his cheeks.

“Fucking came in my pants like we were in high school.” His eyes hanging low as he spoke “But let me guess, you didn’t cum did you princess?”

“No, I was really close though, why you trying to make it up to me?” The lust in his eyes was undeniable as he smirked and lifted you from the couch.

“Wouldn’t be much fun if you don’t finish, how about you try it on my tongue instead?”

[magnorious]

Pixar’s Cars is still way better than people give it credit for

Am I writing an essay on a kids movie that fell out of relevance after the last sequel seven years ago? Yes. Is it my favorite background animated movie to put on whenever I’m working? Yes.

It goes without saying that Pixar’s catalog is still topped by movies like Incredibles, Toy Story 2, Up, Inside Out, Finding Nemo, Ratatouille, etc. Cars sat at the bottom of Pixar’s “best of” list until its sequel came out and people realized how bad Pixar movies could actually be.

But you know what? I love Cars. Is the story as deep and moving and profound as some of the others? No. But it was made with love and after what feels like the past 8 years of resounding “meh” coming from Hollywood and some of the most shameless cash grabs pretending they’re not, Cars remains my feel-good movie. It doesn’t have that classic Pixar “cry your eyes out” moment, no dead parents, no chosen ones, decently low stakes. It’s a good time, anytime.

Why I’m writing this now, though, is because of this: I knew already that the King and Chick were based off real racers, and Lightning’s “McQueen” is another homage, but I looked up if Doc was also based on a famous racer during my last rewatch and found this on Wikipedia:

Doc’s car model, the Hudson Hornet, was manufactured from 1951-1953 for its original run. In 1954, its manufacturer merged with another company and the Hornet was heavily remodeled to boost sales, only the popularity of the car never recovered. It stayed in production until ‘57. It was used in racing and that’s where Doc’s paint job in the finale draws inspiration.

But do you remember what his backstory is? 3 back-to-back Piston Cups from ‘51-’53, a crash in ‘54 that saw him rebuilt, and obsolescence upon his return.

People complain that they “didn’t need to be cars” in this movie. They’re not like the toys in Toy Story where the plot and message depends on them not being human. They’re not like the fish in Finding Nemo. They could have just been humans who drive race cars and it raises more questions than it answers.

You are wrong, Sir.

Doc’s backstory is why they had to be cars. They aren’t human because the story depends on them being machines – as Cars 3 explores more deeply. A human endurance runner can train to be the fastest, running against other humans with the same chances at success (ignoring steroids and socioeconomic opportunity). Humans aren’t running foot races against mutants or aliens where, no matter what we do, we will lose by nature of what we are.

Cars do. A car model is beholden to its manufacturing and all the complications that come with it. Cars are objects that, like toys, have obsolescence built into them. There is no “outdated” way to run a foot race.

So yes, Doc has a Tragic Backstory(tm) but it’s not just that he was some great master at the top of his game once that faded from glory like any human who got too old. He’s a car, and no matter how good he was, how many Piston Cups he won, the powers that be that made newer models with better mileage and efficiency and mechanics were always going to dethrone him.

The movie isn’t about him, though, it’s about another rookie. A rookie who lives life in the fast lane and thinks his time in the spotlight is never going to end when Doc can look at him and know exactly how wrong he is. Lightning is a race car too and, regardless of the existence of Cars 3, Lightning will also inevitably become obsolete no matter what he does to fight it.

I doubt the writers were going for this when they wrote it but that they’re machines is also a criticism of how we treat celebrities. Lightning is an entertaining story until the next shiny starlet emerges and, through no fault of his own, he’s kicked to the curb for the “new”. And that new will be cast aside for the next new and so on and so forth and the only winner is the greedy producer making money off their cash cow until they drain it dry.

Yes, the movie is about appreciating life and the things that you do have and “the friends we made along the way” but that they’re machines matters. Had they all been human, the movie would have lost half its message, and half the tragedy. If they were human driving cars, Doc wasn’t written with a disability so he could have, in theory, hopped back behind the wheel of a new car and still won against younger drivers. He’s not human, he’s a car, and he isn’t built to go as fast as newer models.

Age affects everyone, but a world made by machines that pits machines against other machines in an endurance test is inherently rigged when the machinery being tested can always improve.

It is unfortunate that both Doc and the King go out in wrecks (even though the poetry is nice) and the story doesn’t explore the existential obsolescence of being a machine designed to only do so well and be improved upon – even Lightning still has to wreck out of his big race in Cars 3 before he starts losing to the newer models.

But maybe having a Cars movie that does explore the existential obsolescence of a machine might have gone over kids’ heads. Or, maybe not? They pulled off some very mature themes in Incredibles with marriage problems and presumed infidelity that kids probably didn’t understand but still knew was not good for the characters.

Not to mention all the other wonderful details in this movie: The car-pun cities on all the license plates, the tire tracks in the sky and car-shaped natural phenomena, all the creative sponsoring brands on the racers.

How the “Life is a Highway” montage hits you over and over again with a straight road that cuts through the winding nature (the snaking river, the mountains sliced open to make room), industry that stops for nothing and scars everything in its path.

If you haven’t watched this movie in a while, do yourself a favor and find time to do so.

[celestie0]

Hii! This is my first time messaging any fanfic author (I'm an extremely anxious person and tend to be more of a lurker LOL) I'm so sorry but this might be a long one lmfao

First of all, the way you write in general? Absolutely phenomenal!! The way you characterise and describe scenes is honestly so incredibly immersing. I've always had a relatively easy time imagining scenes in my head when reading, even with relatively little detail, but the way you word everything puts the scene straight into my head and it's such a wonderful experience!

Your characterisation of Gojo (in all your works!!) is probably my absolute favourite out of any fanfics I've read of him (trust me I've read an embarrassing amount :sob:). The way you actually capture what he feels like in canon, without making him feel super mean or cold, but still retaining that side of being emotionally repressed is absolutely chefs kiss!!

I also really love y/n in both kickoff and ihm so much. I relate to both of them in different ways, but probably more so ihm reader personality wise (might also be because I'm around the same age as her lmao). As someone who is very emotionally repressed due to trauma (especially of loved ones leaving you), the way you've portrayed those sides of reader in ihm is VERY spot on!! And I would like to add that I, for one, LOVE slow burn, so I don't mind the pace ihm is going at right now personally!

Chapter 12 of Kickoff?!?!? Holy shit I was literally sat there blushing, kicking my feet and giggling. It was absolutely hilarious and super cliché in the absolutely best way possible (I absolutely love clichés if they're well used!)

I could honestly wait years for anything you write. Never feel any pressure to churn out your writing and take it at your own pace!! My genuine first thought after finishing the latest chapter of Kickoff was that it was sooo worth the wait haha.

Personally I have an extremely hard time writing anything but angst, because I like making myself sad I guess who knows LOL But I'm sooo excited about your next work!! I absolutely love the song you're basing it off of <3

AND did I also see some talk about a potential Spider-man Gojo fic in the future??? Cos I would honestly probably scream (in a good way lol) if you ever did that, he's my alltime favourite superhero!!

Okok this is getting really long, but I found this photo of four football players a bit ago and thought I absolutely HAD to draw them as Gojo, Geto, Choso and Nanami from Kickoff (adding the art at the bottom)! But I haven't gotten around to colouring it yet (or cleaning it up considering it's just a sketch lmaoo) cos I'm stuck on how to do the jerseys. So I have two questions! I know you've explained the colours of their jerseys, but do you have any particular idea in mind of what the design on the jersey itself looks like? As in where the colours are placed specifically etc? And we know Gojo's signature jersey number, but do you have numbers for the rest of them too? (I may or may not also have a wip of a drawing of just Gojo from Kickoff too!)

I'm sorry there's A LOT of different plot points in my message??? The most important part was just to convey, hey, I love the way you write and you should definitely give yourself some more credit cos you are genuinely a really good writer!! <3 (Though I know us artists tend to be our own worst critics LOL)

hi love i’m so sorry this took me a sec to respond to!! first off thanks you so much for sending me such a sweet ask :’’’) i literally gaspeddd when i saw it

aaa i’m so happy the scenes feel immersive!! and that you enjoy my characterization of gojo aaa i’m so happy to hear that. and yes i totally relate to ihm reader’s suppression of her emotions due to trauma and lack of trust so it’s been very…cathartic yet challenging to write for her, but i wouldn’t have it any other way hahah

i’m so glad you enjoyed kickoff ch12!! i totally agree that chapter was so cliche, honestly it made me cringe while i was writing it because i typically hate cliches esp when they’re corny rather than on-the-nose, but i posted it anyways bc i figured maybe i just hate it bc i’m the author xd but it seems my readers enjoyed it so :’’0 perhaps i made the right choice

oh you are too kind. i really appreciate you looking out for me <3 tbh i’ve been feeling really overwhelmed lately, and it’s been really hard to deal with the emotions, but coming on here and seeing sweet works n ppl interacting w my stories brings me lots of happiness n i can’t thank you enough :’’) yes i will definitely take my time bahahha that i can assure you LOL and i’m so happy to know you’re looking forward to more of my works!! you’re so right about artists/authors being our own worst critics. i swear no one has been as mean to my writing as i have LMFAOOO but alas i think i’ve gotten better in trusting my direction n kinda choosing what i think is best soooo. progress i suppose? hahah

ok. now. i can talk about. THE ART?!?!?!?!? HELLO!!!!!!! OH MY GODD?!?!!?!?! ok i KNOWWW that’s it’s just a sketch so far but tell me whERE MY PANTIES HAVE GONE?!?!?!? WHERE MY CLOTHES ARE AT?!?!??!

the expression on kickoff gojo’s face has me reeling he looks so focused n sexy and THE HEADBAND PUSHING HIS HAIR UP OUT OF HIS FACE YES YES YES 100% THAT’S HOW I PICTURE IT WHEN I WRITE AAA and kickoff geto’s expression too pls i could cum (sorry i hope this isn’t weird to say lmfaooo i am also very respectfully looking at your artwork as well aaa) nanami’s hair looks so nice too

as for the uniforms hmm i know i said like gold and blue colors, i believe actual real-life UTOKYO has more of a yellowish color but i actually like gold better hence why i chose gold. but…i can imagine the whole jersey being blue and then with gold accents then white numbering?

here are some options!! like w the first one, probs sky blue fabric with the white stripes as gold instead, and then the numbers/brand sponsors or whatever are in white? they would probs have like ���UTOKYO” in large print somewhere too, maybe underneath their numbers or sumn. tbh i think the middle one is the nicest, i can picture the stripes of blue and gold, and then accents in white. but the third one also works too!!

as for numbers hmm. ok yes gojo is #10, geto is #7, choso is #4 and nanami is #24 :0 that sounds…about right! LOL i hope i don’t have it somewhere in the other chapters that they are different numbers although i don’t think i’ve assigned the other boys numbers before

BUT I HOPE THIS HELPS AND THANKS SOSOSOSOSOSO MUCH FOR DRAWING FANART INSPIRED BY MY FIC!!!! I AM SO HUMBLED BY YOU AND I’M SOOOO EXCITED TO SEE THE FINAL DRAWING BUT ALSO NO PRESSURE AAAAAAAA

so much loveee <333

[tswaney17]

I Do Bad Things with You - Part 40

Ask and you shall receive. 😏 I've been sitting on this update for a while now and I can't believe it's time to share it. We are so close to the end of this fic and it just floors me completely how far this story has come. 🥺 On a side note, I have something very special coming for the 3rd anniversary coming in July. Stay tuned for more! 💙💚💜

My fanfic account: @tswaney17fics​​​

My ao3 account: tswaney17

Please let me know what you think about this update. I love getting your feedback. Constructive criticism is always welcome. 💕

Catch up here.

Credit to @featherymalignancy for Cassian’s nickname, Cash. 😘

Trigger warnings: violence, sexual assault , language, NSFW

Word Count: 9,125

A few weeks after their getaway, Azriel was ready to pop the question. He took the day off to prep the penthouse, asking for help from Rhys and Feyre in setting up seeing as Nesta and Cassian were locked down at home in prepping for their newest arrival as they approached Nesta’s due date. He ordered an atrocious number of flowers (as Elain would likely put it), both red roses and blush-colored peonies alike. Even went as far as requesting cases of rose petals to line the walkway from the elevator to the piano. It would be a mess to clean up but she was worth every effort.

He and Rhys had managed to swivel the instrument around so it faced the elevator doors rather than the window so he could watch her as he played. At least a hundred candles were sporadically placed about the room and kitchen, giving off enough light to see clearly while having the regular ones turned off.

It was every shade of romantic. And, of course, he didn’t want to miss getting her reaction on film, so he grabbed a few of the small cameras from work and hid them amongst the décor to capture her and him from multiple angles.

Everything was perfect—exactly how he envisioned the proposal. His siblings bid him goodbye, once they finished helping him, not wanting to get caught by Elain when she made her way home.

He was just sprinkling the last of the rose petals on the floor, already in his most expensive suit and tie when Fenrys texted him and told him they had just left the hospital.

Azriel’s nerves kicked up—such an unusual emotion for him to experience. It’s not like he thought Elain wouldn’t say yes, but they never had really talked about marriage aside from those blind statements about being the only one for each other back when they first got back together. He wanted to make it a complete surprise, hence the at-home proposal rather than getting her dressed up to go out. Azriel had no worries that Elain wouldn’t care about whether she was in some dress or a pair of scrubs.

He checked his pocket for the fifth time since he had gotten dressed, verifying the box was still inside. The ring itself was stunning. There really was no other way to describe it. Rose-gold in color, it was large, though not ostentatious enough that Elain would be hesitant to accept it. The band looked like a vine, with leaves at the top, framing a three-tiered diamond center. It was masterfully crafted to look like a flower, something he specified when he helped design it. The ring was intricate, one-of-a-kind, and hands down the most beautiful piece of jewelry he’d ever laid his eyes on.

Az took a seat at the piano, stretching his fingers as he waited. The ding of his phone announced that Elain was in the elevator on her way up to the penthouse. Taking a deep breath, Azriel set his scarred fingers on the keys and began to play.

The doors pinged open and she stepped out slowly. Even from across the room, he could see the emotions on her face. Surprise at first. Maybe a little disbelief. And then the realization of what was happening. Silver lined her incredible doe eyes as she looked across the room at him.

And then, he started to sing.

What would I do without your smart mouth? Drawing me in and you kicking me out. You've got my head spinning, no kidding, I can't pin you down. What's going on in that beautiful mind? I'm on your magical mystery ride. And I'm so dizzy, don't know what hit me, But I'll be alright.

Elain strolled closer, having dropped her bag on the floor without a care in the world. Tears were rolling down her flushed cheeks as he continued singing.

'Cause all of me, Loves all of you. Love your curves and all your edges, All your perfect imperfections. Give your all to me, I'll give my all to you. You're my end and my beginning, Even when I lose, I'm winning.

Azriel sang with every inflection of his voice. Every piece of his heart was put out on display for her. His love, his joy, and his dedication to her mixed into the words he poured from his very soul.

I give you all of me. And you give me all of you, oh oh.

And when he was finished, she was crying in earnest at the side of the piano, fingertips covering her mouth. He slid off the bench, standing in front of her before sinking onto a single knee.

Elain choked out a sob. The emotion, the love on her face was enough to make his heart stop.

Azriel gave her a broad smile. “Elain Violet Archeron—my love. You have always been the brightest shining star in my life. From the moment I met you, I knew you were going to be someone special in my life. Little did I know that the girl that I sat next to in biology, the one that I pegged with a soccer ball in gym class would one day become the love of my life.

“I have never met anyone as kind as you. As generous and loving. As resilient as you. Despite all that we’ve been through—and knowing this proposal is coming over a decade late—we’ve built this incredible, beautiful, beyond-my-wildest-dreams life together. There isn’t anyone else I would rather share it with.” He flicked open the box, enticing a gasp from her chest. “So, my sweet, my love, my Elain… Would you do the absolute honor of marrying me?”

Elain fell to her knees, weeping, and clutched him to her. “Az,” she croaked, barely able to get the words out.

He wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her up as her body shook from the force of her sobs. Kissing her temple, he waited until she calmed down enough to speak.

“I can’t believe you did all of this…” she murmured, sniffing and wiping the tears from her eyes.

Cupping the side of her face, Azriel brought their lips together for a gentle kiss. “You deserve all of this and more, El.”

She laughed softly. “Who knew you were such a romantic.”

“Well, this romantic is still waiting for an answer to my question.” He needed her to answer more than he needed oxygen in his lungs. Blood in his heart.

Those beautiful, brown eyes, shining bright with golden hues flicked up to his face. “Yes.” A broad grin overtook her face. “My answer is yes. It has always been yes.”

Seizing her mouth in a ferocious kiss, Azriel pushed his utter bliss, his love and devotion, his overwhelming need for her into that single moment. Kissing her was like tasting spring. It was lovely and sweet and warm.

It was home.

Azriel had found his home in her, and he vowed to himself to never let anyone take that away from him.

She gripped his shirt, pulling him harder against her before she flattened her palm on his chest, clearing her throat in an indication that he should put the ring on her.

He did just that, removing the ring from the box and sliding it over her finger. It fit perfectly. “You know, this is the first time you haven’t complained about receiving jewelry from me.” It was a terrible joke, but Elain laughed.

“Would you like me to complain?” she teased.

A nervousness touched his face, something he knew she picked up on. “If you don’t like it, then yes.”

Elain cupped his cheeks between her palms, the coolness of the ring a stark contrast to his heated skin. “Azriel, I love it. It’s beyond anything I ever pictured myself wearing. Wherever did you find it?”

His thumb swept under the back of her scrub, finding the soft skin of her spine. “I had it custom-made with my specifications. I wanted you to have something that was uniquely yours. That nothing similar would ever sit on somebody else’s hand.”

Crawling onto his lap until her knees were slotted on either side of his hips, she stroked his cheek with her fingers, leaning forward to kiss him softly. “You are, without a doubt, the most thoughtful man I have ever met. And this ring,” she held her hand between them, “is the most gorgeous thing I have ever laid my eyes on. But it means even more to me because you had a hand in its creation. I will never stop questioning what I have done to deserve you.”

He pressed her palm to his chest, over his heart. Let her feel its thundering beat. “You deserve better than me, Elain. But I will spend the rest of my life trying to prove to you that you made the right choice in me.”

“We deserve each other, Azriel. You are my life, my always.” Like she needed to prove it to him, she kissed him, melting into his embrace as she pushed his suit jacket off his shoulders and then started working on his tie, loosening it to pull it over his head.

Sensing where her intentions were going, he stopped her from shrugging off her scrub top. “Hang on,” he breathed heavily against her lips. “I have cameras set up around the penthouse to capture the proposal on video. Let me turn those off before we do anything.” Az rose on his knees, lifting them up slightly to reach into his pocket for his phone.

But Elain’s hand on his wrist had him freezing, and looking back into her eyes. “Leave them on.”

Surprise had his brows shooting into his hairline.

She slid her fingers back into the hair at his nape. “I want to record this entire moment. Just for us. Please, Az…”

Her nails scratched at his scalp, sending shivers down his spine. He would’ve asked her if she was sure about it, knowing a sex video was a very personal, dangerous thing to commit to. But looking at her face, he didn’t need to. Az could read the unending trust, the assuredness of her answer without her having to voice it. So, he set his phone on the ground, gripped the hem of her scrub top, and pulled it over her head.

Elain’s fingers went to his shirt, flying down the buttons to help him shrug out of the garment.

It took some maneuvering, but they managed to get each other undressed and her back onto his lap, him on his knees. His cock was hard and aching to be sunk into her warm, wet heat, but Az took his time to worship her body. Kissing her neck and delicate collarbones, sucking marks everywhere he went. His teeth grazed her pert nipple, suckling it until her back arched and she moaned, low and throatily.

Elain’s hair cascaded down her back, tangling in his fingers gripping her and keeping her pressed into him. She pushed her pelvis forward, rubbing him between her legs and producing just the right friction that had them both groaning. “Az,” she whined. “Please…” Her scrunched-up face of pleasure was the sexiest, most adorable thing.

“What do you need, Elain?” he breathed against the shell of her ear. “Tell me what you need.” Azriel licked that sensitive spot behind her ear making her shudder in his arms.

She clutched him, fingers gripping him hard enough that his tanned skin would be peppered with little bruises.

Fuck he loved wearing her marks on his body.

Fingers gripping his hair, she let out this needy little sound that had his balls tightening. It was like his body was wired to her touch, her presence, the cute little noises she made when they were hot and heavy. Just a simple sigh from her lips could have him hardening in his pants in the most pathetic way. He was utterly a goner for her. Mind, body, and soul, he was hers and she was his.

“I need you,” she cried, tugging on his hair.

It wasn’t enough for him. “You have me, El. I’m right here, love,” he murmured into the skin of his neck.

Elain made a growling sound, her hands in his hair tightening and forcing him to look up at her. Her eyes were blown wide with lust, wholly dark with just a ring of brown around her pupils. “I need you inside me, Az. I need your cock. Fuck me, please!”

“Good fucking girl,” he groaned, slipping his fingers between them and circling her entrance. “Fuck, Elain. You’re so wet and needy for me, aren’t you?”

His touch had her crying out, hips undulating and grinding against his hand. “Now, Azriel,” she demanded.

Who was he to deny his queen—no. His fiancée… His large hands engulfed her rear, lifting her. “Put me where you want me, love.”

Elain reached between them, grabbing his cock in her small hand and pumping him twice, spreading the slick that had rubbed on it from between her legs. She lined him up and slowly sank, taking him inch by glorious inch, filling her, stretching her fluttering passage until he was completely submerged in her wet pussy.

He held her still, giving her those few moments to adjust to his size, and if he were being honest, the time he needed to collect himself so he didn’t bust a nut upon their initial joining. He always had to take a few moments to catch his breath when he first entered her. She just fit him so damn well, like she was fucking made for him. Azriel had been with a lot of women but never had anyone felt as heavenly as Elain. “Fuck me, El. You’re so goddamn tight.”

Her breaths grazed his neck as she buried her face into the junction of his shoulder. “I can see you inside me,” she whispered like she was trying so hard not to come right there too.

You and me both, baby, he almost said. Instead, he looked down between them, and sure as fuck, there was a bulge in her lower abdomen, his dick imprinting itself in her body. “Jesus fuck,” he groaned. He released one hand from her ass and placed his palm over the bulge, adding pressure to it.

Elain moaned, her arms tightening around his neck as she held him closer to her.

“Ride me, El.”

On shaky legs, she rose until only his tip remained inside of her and slowly sank back down. The sensation of the added pressure was indescribable. His name tumbled from her lips in the most delectable sound.

He guided her into slow thrusts down onto him, wanting to make this more about intimacy than just fucking. Elain’s high sex drive often had them fucking quick and hard. The rare times when he’d slow them down because he wanted to make love to her too were some of his favorites. The tenderness of their fingers linked while he rolled his hips into hers, their constant eye contact. Azriel wanted this one to be like that. So, when she started to pick up her pace, he slowed her back down with his palm cradling her behind. “It’s not a race, baby. Take your time.”

Elain’s gorgeous eyes blinked open, understanding why he wanted to take it slowly. She cupped his face between her palms, her engagement ring sparkling in the candlelight, and kissed him. It was heated, but it wasn’t the clash of teeth and tongues like they normally did when they had sex. Pacing herself, she rode him leisurely, savoring every inch of him, every pass of his cock over the spot deep inside her.

He twisted his hand still pressed to her abdomen so he could circle her clit with his thumb.

Her body shuddered and she broke off their kiss to whimper. With her forehead pressed to his, he could watch every twitch of her face. “Azriel,” she drawled out the syllables of his name. “I’m so—so close. Don’t stop.”

Drawing her lips in for another kiss, he breathed into her mouth. “Never.”

It only took a few more strokes down his cock until she crested into her orgasm, her sweet pussy fluttering around his member and drawing him to his pleasure.

Elain’s arm reached down the middle of his back, nails digging into his tattooed skin and clawing him as her release washed over her. She clung to him like he would be ripped from her. But like hell was anything ever coming between them again.

He would burn the entire world to the ground for her.

Azriel used his strength to slide her up and down his cock, prolonging their combined pleasure and pushing his seed deep inside of her. She’d be leaking it for hours after much to his masculine pride and male satisfaction.

Her body went limp against his chest as she panted heavily, fingers tangling in the hair at his nape. “My fiancé,” she grinned into his neck.

He chuckled lightly. “Fiancée does have a nice ring to it, but I can’t fucking wait to call you my wife.”

The soft, feminine laugh she let out brightened up the darkest corners of his heart, his soul until he was flooded with light. “My future husband,” she corrected. Her fingers danced along his jaw. “I love you, Azriel. Wherever life takes us, I’m blessed to have you by my side through it all. Now and forever.”

Capturing his mouth in a searing kiss, he gently laid her down on the floor. “My heart, my body, my soul is yours, Elain. Only and always yours.”

Covering her with his massive frame, Azriel made love to his future wife over and over again until she was utterly spent and blissfully happy.

~~~~~

It had been a month and a half since their engagement, and the entire time had been a blur for Elain. Aside from getting engaged, which she was ecstatic about, Nesta and Cassian welcomed their baby girl to the world.

They had their baby shower just three weeks before her arrival, inviting many of Nesta’s friends and coworkers and a few of Cassian’s. Azriel had been exceptionally affectionate during the whole ordeal, even going as far as to lift her off the couch and sit down, placing her on his lap.

It was a little bizarre to her, Azriel typically keeping most of his endearing affections to the privacy of their home. This overt display of it had her finally asking him what he was doing.

“Nesta’s paralegal hit on me at the grocery store a few months ago,” he told her, wrapping his arms around her.

Elain glanced towards the young girl, whom she had noticed was giving her fiancé heated looks throughout the shower. “Are you scared of her?” she teased.

Az nipped at her jaw with his teeth. “No, brat. I just want to make sure she knows I am happily taken.”

She slid her left hand to his cheek, making sure her diamond ring was on display. “Don’t worry, my love. I’ll keep you safe.” And then she kissed him in a way that was highly inappropriate for a baby shower, but it did the trick. The girl stopped making eyes at her man for the remainder of the party.

And then three weeks later, her niece was born.

Sutton Mazaei was the most beautiful little girl she had ever seen. With Cassian’s dark hair and skin tone and Nesta’s blue-grey eyes, she was guaranteed to be a showstopper when she was older, much to Cassian’s dismay.

“She’s never dating,” he had said to her and Azriel when they visited them at the hospital.

Elain took careful notice of how her fiancé acted when she placed her in his arms. Was it cliché to say her uterus pulsed at the sight of him holding a baby? He looked honestly terrified about having something so small and precious in his hands. She wasn’t sure if she should ask him about it or not, so she didn’t, taking the bundle back when he offered.

Now she was at the grocery store, having offered to go get the new parents some supplies while they enjoyed their new little one. It was her day off, but she pre-coordinated with the Moonbeam twins to come with her, knowing that Azriel was still nervous about the silence from Elias.

They were in the produce section when she heard her name being called.

“Elain! Elain Archeron!”

Turning around, she saw Clare Beddor, her old coworker from the bank, waving at her.

“Clare!” she grinned, excusing herself from the twins and making her way over to her old friend. Well, a friend was a strong word for their relationship. Acquaintance felt like a better description of what they were.

The brunette pulled her into a hug. “It’s been well over a year since I last saw you,” she gushed. “How are you?”

“I’m good,” Elain said honestly. “I’ve been busy with work. And my sister just had a baby. I’m shopping for her and her hus—”

“Oh, my god,” she interrupted, snatching Elain’s left hand. “Look at the size of that ring! You’re engaged?” Clare shouted, causing a few heads to turn in her direction. “Whom are you engaged to that can afford a rock like this?” She eyeballed the two men with her. “Is it one of them? Please tell me it’s not the golden blond because I’d climb him like a cat in a tree.”

Elain looked over her shoulder at the two males who were obviously pretending they weren’t listening to the entire conversation; saw the slight hue on Fenrys’s cheeks. She softly laughed. “No, they’re… well, they’re a part of my security team.”

Clare’s eyes went wide. “You have a security team? Mother, Elain. Whom are you marrying?”

“Um,” she hesitated. “His name is Azriel.”

Recognition flared in those green eyes. “Wait… You’re telling me you bagged Azriel Knight? The Azriel Knight? Multi-millionaire Azriel Knight? That Azriel Knight?”

“You know it’s weird that you keep saying his full name.”

One of the reasons that Elain tolerated Clare, but didn’t consider her a friend was one—she was a notorious gossip, and two—she was judgmental as hell. She saw the shift in the other woman’s features that had her taking a small step back. Without even seeing them, she knew Fenrys and Connall took note of that step and slowly shifted to face them.

“How the hell did you bag him?”

It was a derogative question, but Elain let it slide. “We dated in high school and reconnected about a year ago.” She didn’t need to tell her what exactly brought them crashing back together.

Clare crossed her arms, judgment radiating off her entire form. “Well, you’ll have to introduce me to his brothers. He has some, right?”

Oh boy. Typical Clare and her hunt for men. “He does. Adoptive ones, however, they’re married to my sisters.”

The woman scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Like always, you Archerons take every good bachelor in this god’s forsaken city. Nesta had Cassian wrapped around her finger in high school. And now you’re engaged to the most eligible bachelor in Velaris. Did you leave anything for the rest of us mere mortals?”

The utter disdain in her voice had Elain recoiling. It was enough to have the Moonbeam twins come up to her and try and herd her away. But like hell was she going to let her have the last word. “Last time I checked, Clare, we’re not responsible for your love life. If you want to find a decent man, perhaps you should present yourself as a less judgmental person.” Shock rippled across her face at Elain’s comments, but she didn’t let that deter her. “Take care.”

Fenrys placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her away from the fuming woman back over to their cart. “She seems pleasant,” he muttered once they were out of earshot.

Elain snorted. “Understatement of the century.”

“How do you know her?” Connall asked from a step behind them, guarding her back.

“We worked at the bank together but she went to school with my sisters and me. Graduated a year ahead of Nesta and Cash.”

“She seemed plenty interested in you, brother,” the dark-haired twin sniped, clapping Fen on the shoulder.

Elain whipped her head to look up at the other twin. “Please, no. Clare’s not good company to keep.” She stopped in the drink aisle, grabbing a few energy drinks for Cassian. The dark circles under his eyes told her he could use a caffeine boost as he did everything he could to support his wife.

“Jealous, Archeron?” Fen teased grinning down at her.

She shook her head, huffing a laugh. “No, but I do know somebody for you if you’re interested.” Since Azriel’s proposal, it seemed Fenrys had finally gotten a grip on his feelings for her, falling back into the more friendly nature of their relationship rather than the strict, professional setting they had regressed to for months.

Those bright eyes lit up in surprise. “You do?”

Elain nodded, pushing the cart forward and making it seem like she was a bit aloof to his eagerness. “Mhmm. She’s a recently graduated nurse. Very beautiful. Dark brown hair and these emerald green eyes. Kind, courageous, and incredibly smart. I think she would suit you.”

He stopped her with a hand on his shoulder. “What is her name?”

A smile tugged on her lips. “Lysandra. Her name is Lysandra Ennar.” She watched him mouth the name like he was tasting it on his tongue. Reaching for the pack of Cassian’s preferred energy drinks, she said, “I’ll introduce you two next week.” Glancing back at the tall male, Elain swore she saw a blush dusting his cheeks when he ducked his head. Yeah, they would be really cute together.

~~~

“A little birdy told me that you set up my new nurse with Fenrys,” Viviane cooed as they made their way toward the front of the hospital.

Elain flashed her an innocent look. “Should I not have?”

The head nurse raised a brow. “I don’t see him going anywhere soon; I just want to make sure he’s not going to use her and break her heart. I don’t need her quitting right after we hired her. You know I need the hands, Ellie.”

She could understand her friend’s concern, but it wasn’t fair to judge Fenrys without knowing him. “Don’t fret about them. Fen seemed really interested in her and they hit it off when I introduced them a few days ago. I don’t think that’s what this is.”

Viv looked like she was going to say something else, but didn’t as they approached the hospital lobby and found said man waiting for her. “Afternoon ladies. Good day?”

Elain smiled at him. “It was, thanks, Fen.”

He ushered them both outside, listening to the two girls chatted about the most bizarre case of the day when they were ambushed by an influx of people.

“ELAIN ARCHERON! ELAIN CAN WE GET A QUOTE!”

Flashes blinded her. She startled, like a deer caught in the headlights, then cried out when they surged forward, curling into her friend. Their shouts echoed around them like church bells ringing.

Viviane grabbed her arm while Fenrys barked out, “Get back!”

“HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN DATING AZRIEL KNIGHT? WHEN IS THE WEDDING?”

She had no idea how the paparazzi found out about their engagement, but their swarming her had her panic rising. Elain gripped Viviane’s hand, especially when they started reaching for her, trying to pull her away from the nurse and Fenrys. Her anxiety made it hard to breathe, the air coming out in quick, short pants. And then she heard him.

“Move.” Azriel’s thundered, midnight voice and his presence had the crowd parting. He towered over most of the mob making it easy for her to spot him. The look of utter wrath on his face had some people stepping back; others fled outright. He made a beeline straight for her, pulling her from Viviane and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Head down,” he told her.

Elain had no hesitation about hiding in his embrace, fist clutching his shirt.

“MR. KNIGHT! TELL US ABOUT THE WEDDING!” the paparazzi called out, chasing after them like a hive of pissed-off bees.  

Azriel ignored them, tugging her to his other car where Cerridwen already had the back door open for her. “Get in,” he said, voice softening as he spoke to her.

She climbed in, letting him shut the door behind her once securely inside, and quickly made his way to the other side. As soon as he was inside, Cerridwen took off, the other car with the Moonbeam twins following close behind. Elain let herself be pulled across the seat into Az’s lap, him not giving a shit about the seatbelt or the law.

He cupped her face in his scarred palms and let his thumb swoop over the apples of her cheeks. “Are you all right?”

Physically? Yes, she was fine. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her breathing was still short, but overall, she was fine. Mentally, however, was another story. Elain nodded. “I’m okay.”

It was obvious he didn’t believe her, but let her white lie slide.

“What are you doing here?” she asked instead.

He grabbed something from the door and handed it to her. “Nuala saw this at the store this afternoon. I had a feeling you were going to be ambushed.”

It was the same magazine that blasted them on the cover after the fundraiser, and there they were again. Az’s portrait was front and center, taking up most of the front page. A small image of them walking into and out of the fundraiser was placed over it like a collage. She read through the headline.

Velaris’s Most Eligible Bachelor: Off the Market? Azriel Knight of Knight Securities engaged to Dr. Elain Archeron of Velaris Medical Center.

Elain flipped open the magazine to the article.

Sorry, ladies. He’s taken. Azriel Knight of Knight Securities is rumored to be engaged with Dr. Elain Archeron, a surgeon at Velaris Medical Center. Elain is the sister of the world-renowned artist, Feyre Archeron (married Rhysand Archeron [Knight]), and prominent defense attorney, Nesta (Archeron) Mazaei (married Cassian Mazaei).

No confirmation has been received by Knight’s team.

So, who is Elain Archeron? Born and raised in Velaris, she attended Velaris High and went to…

She closed the article, her skin going cold at how they blasted their lives in some sleazy tabloid.

Azriel rested his palm on her thigh, thumb stroking. “I will find out who leaked our engagement, Elain.”

But Elain didn’t need him to find out. Because she already knew who leaked it. “I think it was me,” she whispered, looking down at her fingers tangled in her lap. They hadn’t planned on announcing to the press yet, knowing they would eventually have to with Az’s status. It wasn’t something they could just sweep under the rug and wanted to be in control of the situation.

Gentle fingers gripped her chin and turned her face up to look at him. “Talk to me, love.”

Elain breathed heavily, shoulders drooping. “A few days ago, you remember I ran into my old coworker at the grocery store?” He nodded. “Well, she saw the ring on my hand and started asking all these questions, wanting to know whom I was engaged to. I just said your first name, but she seemed to put it together based on the size of the ring and your name. She’s a fairly aggressive person when she wants something and blames others for her failures.” Guilt washed over her. “I snapped. She must’ve gone to the press with the information for a quick buck. I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologize for, El. She took our private information and sold it. This is, unfortunately, a common issue when living in the spotlight. So we didn’t get to announce it the way we wanted to. Oh well. I’ll have my team work up something for us and we can go over it together.”

She threw her arms around his neck as they pulled into the garage under their building. “I’m fine with that. Thank you, Azriel. I didn’t mean to create more work for your team.”

He waved her off. “Don’t even worry about it. This is literally what I pay them for.” He kissed the side of her head shuffling her off his lap so he could open the door and help her out.

Fenrys and Connall parked next to them, climbing out of the car.

“What the hell is going on?” the former demanded.

Elain knew he probably felt blind-sighted by the commotion outside the hospital, and maybe a little responsible that he couldn’t control the situation.

“Our engagement was leaked. The press is hounding us for a statement.”

“Mr. Knight, we apologize for not being more prepared. I didn’t even see them outside when I went to get the car for Elain.”

Azriel waved a hand. “They know I’m difficult to capture—I’m notorious for getting around them. So, I’m not surprised they hid to get something from her. They probably assumed I would’ve coached her into being like me.”

“We won’t be caught unawares again,” Connall told him with determination.

Elain went wide-eyed. “Again? You think this is going to become a regular occurrence?”

Her fiancé gripped her hip in comfort. “Unfortunately, yes. I don’t see them backing down anytime soon. So, we’ll need a different plan of attack to get you in and out of the hospital.”

“There’s a back door entrance,” she announced. “It’s typically used by vendors for shipments, but I can get in with my keycard.”

Fenrys grinned. “We like backdoor entrances a lot.”

Az nodded in agreement. “I think that’s a good idea, at least for now. Hopefully, they’ll get tired of trying to capture you in about a week or so.”

Elain laid her head on his bicep, wishing for that too.

~~~

Two months.

It had been two months since the incident with the paparazzi and Elain was still using the back door to get into and out of the hospital unseen. They had even taken it upon themselves to flood the lobby a few times trying to snap her photo, catching her once or twice and inserting her on the cover of that damn magazine. They dug into her past, blasting her sexual assault case into the public and how Graysen essentially walked from it, pulling him into the limelight.

His father filed a defamation suit against her for it, which Azriel’s lawyers aggressively shot down. And though Nesta was still on maternity leave, even she was on the phone harassing the press about privacy and threatening to turn the Nolan name to mud if they so much as even breathed Elain’s name again.

She could barely sleep; was constantly woken up with nightmares of absolutely everything. It was thoroughly exhausting. And poor Azriel was desperately trying to keep her calm, always sitting up with her at night when those dreams plagued her until he could coax her back to sleep.

Everything about the situation was absolutely ridiculous.

“It’s only going to get worse,” she said, leaning against Azriel’s desk. He was currently going back and forth with his PR team about how they should navigate the whole ordeal since none of them had expected this to last for as long as it had. “The physical wedding might put them into an actual feral frenzy.”

Azriel pinched the bridge of his nose, groaning in frustration, and shoved his chair back from his desk. He turned to look at her and something about the way he did so made her gut churn with anxiety. “You still want to get married, right?” The hesitation, the nervousness in his voice told her just how scared he was that all of this might have changed her mind about him.

Elain moved, perching herself on his lap. “Yes, Azriel. Of course, I still want to get married. Nothing—and I mean nothing—would ever stop me from wanting to marry you.”

He breathed out a sigh of relief, wrapping an arm around her waist and tugging her closer to his chest. “I’m going to have to add security for the wedding. There’s just no way our current team can hold back this mob.”

She stroked a finger down his chest. “What if they didn’t know when or where we were getting married?”

Those beautiful hazel eyes glanced down at her, indicating that she should elaborate.

“What if we eloped?” she asked, voice hushed.

“Don’t,” he said adamantly. “Don’t do that. Don’t let them take away our wedding.” His hands twisted her body on him, forcing her leg over his hips to straddle his lap.

Elain took his face between her palms, her diamond ring glinting in the sunlight coming in from the floor-to-ceiling windows. “Azriel…We don’t need a huge wedding. The only thing I need is you standing by my side as we say ‘I do.’”

“You deserve to have the wedding of your dreams, Elain. I want to give that to you.”

She swiped her thumb across his cheek. “You have given me everything, Az. Everything and more. I never wanted a giant wedding. That was never my dream. I’m too simplistic to have desired something like that—you know that.” She paused, debating if she should say the rest. “Graysen wanted a big wedding. He wanted the three hundred guests and the attention from it. So, he was planning the monstrosity of a party, and frankly, I dreaded the whole idea of it. The only thing I need, the only thing I want is just to be married to you.” She leaned forward to kiss him softly. “So, whether we get married at the courthouse or here on the balcony, it doesn’t matter to me. I just want to be your wife.”

Azriel surged forward, capturing her mouth in a heated kiss. “How did I end up with you as my fiancée?” he asked, groaning against her lips.

Elain giggled. “Sheer persistence and ungodly attractiveness.”

He barked out a laugh, throwing his head back and exposing his throat. His amber eyes sparkled with mirth. “You’re sure about this, El?” he asked her, always checking to make sure she was certain of her decisions.

“I’m sure.” There wasn’t an ounce of hesitation in her voice.

A smile cracked across his face. “We’re not getting married at the courthouse. That I refuse. You deserve much better than the goddamn courthouse. And we’re not getting married at our place.”

She rolled her eyes at his insistence—honestly, she didn’t care where they got married, only that they did. But as she looked at his face, an idea struck her. “What about on the beach? In the Summer District? We could take the jet; invite our siblings, though I’m not sure if Nesta and Cassian will come because Sutton is so little.”

He tugged her closer into his chest, scarred fingers finding their way under her shirt to stroke her bare skin. “I think a beach wedding is exactly what we need.”

“During the sunset, at dusk,” she told him.

A chuckle passed his lips. “Of course. Whatever your heart desires, it shall be.” He leaned forward to kiss her neck, teeth scraping the soft skin. “Now for a date—when do you wish to be married, my love?”

It was hard to concentrate when he ravished her with his mouth, but she forced her mind to focus. “Next month?”

That had him pulling back to look at her face, eyes going wide. “Next month? Are you sure?”

The hopefulness in his tone nearly broke her heart. “Yes, Azriel. I want to be your wife and you my husband already. The sooner the better.”

“I fucking love you, Elain Archeron.” His mouth crashed to hers in a bruising kiss. It was hot, all teeth and tongue. “I can’t wait to take your last name.”

“You’re what?” she spluttered between his kisses.

“Azriel Archeron has a lovely ring to it, don’t you think,” he admitted like he had thought about this a lot.

She blinked. Was he serious? “Azriel, I can’t let you just take my name.”

He frowned. “Why not?”

“Because you have an entire empire behind your last name. How would it look if Azriel Archeron was the head of Knight Securities?”

The man scoffed. “You think I care about that? It’s still my company. Besides, there’s no way I’m letting you change your name when you have a medical degree associated with it. You earned that, Elain. It’s Doctor Archeron, not Doctor Knight.”

Shit… He had thought about it. A lot, clearly. Secretly, Elain adored Azriel Archeron—AA. But she didn’t want to erase his name completely. Her fingers toyed with the hair at his nape. “What about a compromise?”

His brow raised. “I’m listening.”

“We hyphenate. Knight-Archeron.”

Az pursed his lips. “No.” Surprise lit her features, then melted when he continued. “Archeron-Knight. Your name comes first.”

Her eyes soften as she looked at this gorgeous, kind, completely beautiful man. “Azriel and Elain Archeron-Knight. It sounds perfect.”

He closed the distance between them, sharing a special, intimate moment between them. “How about I show the future Mrs. Archeron-Knight just exactly what that name does to me?”

With barely a thought, Azriel had her out of her shirt, bare from the waist up. His mouth went right for her breast, sucking her nipple deep until her back arched, a sultry moan passing between her parted lips.

But Elain had other ideas, halting the progression of his lips. When he looked at her curiously, she flashed a little smirk. “I have other ideas.” Rolling her hips down onto his, she slipped off his lap, stripped out of her bottoms and underwear, and knelt on the floor between his legs. “You’re going to let the future Mrs. Archeron-Knight show you exactly how much you mean to her.” Raising herself on her knees, Elain dropped a kiss on his hardening cock, still confined by pants.

Azriel hissed, threading a scarred hand in her thick locks. “Baby, you’re too fucking good to me.”

Elain had never really enjoyed giving blowjobs. Graysen liked receiving them but he never reciprocated after she finished him. But after that night when she had given one to Azriel, she found that she enjoyed it. She liked giving him pleasure, hearing just how much she affected him and the praise that tumbled from his lips made her eager to get her mouth on his cock. It also didn’t hurt that he tasted fucking good—as weird as it sounded.

He didn’t often let her go down on him, always wanting to save himself to sink his hard member into her wet heat. But when he did give in to her, she fucking devoured him.

Reaching up, she popped the button on his jeans and tugged down his fly. She slid her hand in, stroking his cock twice before tugging his pants and boxers down to his knees. Looking at Azriel’s erect cock was always a sight to behold. His sheer size, the vein feeding it always made her mouth go dry.

“You looking at my cock like it’s a fucking meal is about to make me combust, El,” he groaned, fisting the hold on her hair.

Elain gripped him tightly, earning a heavenly sigh from his parted lips. Licking him like her personal lollipop, she wasted no time in engulfing him with her lips.

“Fuck, baby,” he moaned, using her hair as leverage to control the speed and depth of her bobbing.

She worked him deep into her throat, breathing steadily through her nose as he pushed her farther and farther down. Elain relaxed the muscles of her neck until he slipped past her mouth and she gagged, spit drooling from her lips and onto her hand. Her fingers twisted, sliding over the rest of his hard member that she couldn’t fit into her mouth.

Elain sucked, cheeks hollowing as she pulled that pleasurable sensation from deep in his gut. He was getting close, she could tell by the sounds that came from him, how his fist seemed to tighten further in her hair, how his cock twitched between her lips.

Just when she was about to slide him down her throat, they heard it. The distinct sound of the elevator doors opening.

She tugged him out of her mouth with an audible pop, eyes widening in alarm when Rhys’s voice echoed down the hallway.

“Azriel?” he called out.

Elain snatched her clothes from the ground and scrambled under his desk, Az following close behind her and sliding his chair far underneath to avoid him seeing his naked thighs and his hard-on.  

“Office,” he grunted out, annoyance ringing clear in his voice.

Light footfalls came from the hallway and then she heard her brother enter the room. Elain was grateful that Azriel’s large desk went down to the floor, shielding her in shadow.

“What do you want?” her fiancé demanded.

“Well, hello to you too, brother,” Rhys purred. “I came to pick up the camera set.”

She had forgotten that with all shit going on, the constant digging into their personal lives, they had suggested their siblings put up some extra protection around their homes. Just to be safe. Azriel supplied them with a few extra camera equipment pieces that they could place around the house and monitor from their phones. Cassian had picked his and Nesta’s set up the day before, bringing little Sutton with him while Nesta took a break to shower and get some sleep.

“It’s on the counter.”

Elain had to cover her mouth to keep from giggling at Az’s brusque tone. Reaching forward, she gripped his cock again, the surprise had her fiancé’s knee slamming into the desk.

“Fuck!” he bellowed sliding his large hand on top of his leg to rub at the hurt.

There was a pause before Rhys asked, “Are you all right, man?”

She kissed his injury, then began to tease him, licking a stripe from base to tip on his dick.

Azriel cleared his throat. “I’m fine.” His tone of voice told her he was indeed, not fine. Not fine at all.

Elain wrapped her lips around his head, sucking quietly. Truthfully, she wanted to see how long he lasted before snarling at his brother to get out.

“Okay, well since you’re such pleasant company today,” Rhys said sarcastically, “Where’s Elain?”

Her name on her brother’s lips had her freezing, wondering why he was asking about her.

“She had to run to the grocery store,” he lied. “Why?”

Elain heard Rhys shuffling from foot to foot.

“I have this bite on my arm that’s getting large. I wanted her to look at it.”

“She’s a surgeon, Rhys,” he snapped. “Not your primary care physician. Go see your doctor for that shit.”

Elain struggled to stifle her laugh, clapping a hand over her mouth. Her shoulders shaking with the effort. Poor fucking Rhys. He was receiving the nasty end of Az’s temper without knowing why.

“You know, perhaps you should have her—” he stopped.

“Have her what?” Az gritted out between clenched teeth.

She slid him back into her mouth, hoping to relax him a bit, feeling the tension in his thighs. Slurping him down without making a sound took more effort than she anticipated, but she made it work.

“I was going to say, ‘Have her take care of you when she gets home,’ but I’m getting the distinct feeling she’s doing that right now.”

Elain choked, Azriel coughing to cover up the sound.

“Mhmm,” Rhys murmured, a twinkle in his voice that told her he knew exactly what was going on. “So, I’m just going to go. See you later.” His footsteps echoed out of the room and then he called out, “Bye, Elain!”

She waited until the elevator doors pinged before she started laughing.

“Do you think that was funny, you naughty girl,” Azriel said, sliding his chair out and hauling her from under his desk.

She grinned. “It was a little funny.”

“You sucking my cock while I tried to have a conversation with my brother is funny?” he asked incredulously.

Elain raised a brow. “It didn’t sound like you were trying to have any kind of conversation with him, baby. You were most definitely trying to get him out.”

“Because you were sucking my cock under my desk without a care in the world that we had company. And for that, you should get punished. Over my knee. Now.”

His change in posture, the way his voice took on that dominance had heat rushing to her core. She was wet already, but now she felt herself pulse around nothing, dripping with need. Elain rose on shaky legs. “What are you going to do? Spank me?”

Challenge flared in him. “You bet your sweet ass, I am. Bend. Over.” It wasn’t a request.

Was she really going to allow him to do this? Elain knew if she told him no, he’d stop immediately, but the curious creature inside of her, the one that he had coaxed out of her, was peeking an eye open at the idea. “Will it hurt?” she hesitated, fingers gripping each other.

His face softened, sensing her internal war. “There is a fine line between pleasure and pain. Will it sting? Yes. It will. But it is also pleasurable too. I promise not to take it too hard with you this first time. And if you don’t like it, you can tell me to stop at any time.” He held out a hand to her, an offering to try something new.

Elain hesitated just a moment longer before she took his hand and let herself be tugged over his lap.

Deft fingers swept between her legs, feeling how wet she was. “So needy for me already, my love. Let’s see how drenched we can get you before I fuck you against my desk.” He kneaded her backside, and Elain felt the blood rush to her cheeks at how exposed she felt. “We’ll start you off with five smacks. Count for me.”

Without giving her any other warning, his palm came down on her cheek, skin clapping skin. Elain yelped at the surprise assault, her body convulsing from it. It didn’t hurt, per se, but it stung a bit. Remembering he gave her an order, she gritted out, “One.”

“Good girl,” he murmured, rubbing over where he smacked before bringing his hand down again.

“Two,” she breathed, feeling herself getting wetter already.

“Louder, Elain,” he demanded, running his hand over the curve of her cheek. “I can’t hear you.”

“Two,” she squeaked again, earning another caress over her backside in satisfaction. By the third smack, her body melted into him, becoming more aroused. It didn’t help that his length was currently digging into her side. “Three,” Elain moaned, head bowing.

Az chuckled. “I can see your slick running down your legs, baby. Are you getting turned on?” he asked just as he brought his palm down again.

“Four.” She was barely able to focus over how fucking stimulated she was. Her backside was sore, but fuck did it send delicious tingles up her body.

His hand came down a final time.

“Five,” Elain cried out, body positively aching for release.

Two thick fingers plunged inside her center, meeting no resistance from how turned on she had become. “Good fucking girl, Elain. You took that so well and look at how soaked you are.” His voice was practically a growl as he pumped in and out of her, his thumb pressing down on her clit.

“Az,” she groaned, fingers clutching his body. “Feels good.” The words tumbled from her lips in a slur.

He pumped and stretched her, stroking that spot that had her shaking. “Come, my love. I need you to let go.”

She was barely hanging on as it was, erupting into her orgasm with a scream. Elain’s body clenched around his fingers still fucking her as she fell, and fell, and fell into her release. A surge of liquid ran down the backside of her thighs.

Azriel’s head dipped and then his tongue was licking her there, intensifying her pleasure and building her up at the same time. “My sexy girl looks so good when she comes,” he groaned into fluttering, pink sex. Pulling his fingers out of her, he readjusted her until she was straddling him and sank her onto his cock.

Elain’s arms automatically went around his neck, holding him close as she moaned from deep in her chest. She had slid onto him with ease, her body molding itself to accommodate his size and girth. Fuck he felt so good stretching her, filling her. She said as much out loud.

His hands on her hips raised her up and down his length, helping her fuck him. It was exquisite to feel him pulse inside of her. Every stroke had her seeing stars in her blissed-out state.

Azriel kicked off his pants and boxers, shuffling Elain in his lap before he rose from his chair and pinned her against the window, the cool glass a stark contrast to her heated skin.

Elain’s legs went around his waist, using it as leverage to match him thrust for thrust. “Az, please!” she cried out, tipping her head back against the glass.

He sank his teeth into the junction of her neck, sucking hard enough to leave a bruise.

The slight pain mixed with the pleasure of his hips snapping into hers had her cresting into oblivion again. Elain’s body pulsed, milking him and sending him hurdling into his release, spilling deep inside of her as he pushed into the hilt and stayed there, groaning into her skin.

They were sweaty and breathing heavily, each coming down from their high. Her delicate fingers swept through his damp hair, brushing the locks back from his face and forcing him to meet her eyes. She had never seen those amber irises shining so bright as they were then. “I can’t wait to call you my husband,” she murmured, leaning forward to kiss him softly.

A sound pitched from his throat as he carried her over to his desk and began to ravish her again.

~~~~~

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[serendertothesquad]

Seren's Studies: Odd Squad UK -- "A Tour of Odd Squad" Episode Followup, Part 2

Part 2 of this very meta episode continues! Who's the adult without any children villain? Find out below the break!

It's like they realized we've gotten so few songs sung in the franchise that they're paying people back with interest for it.

odd squad tour

doesn't sing an odd squad song and instead just gives us the end

God- sh- e- what the hell, Rob?!?!?!

Ohhhh...so the guy was a red herring.

That...changes things. Doesn't change my opinion about the episode all too much, but I don't know, I'd say they got me pretty good.

Funny how I mention "Into the Odd Woods" and then a few episodes later we get clowns pie-ing themselves in the face.

Y'know...just like Omar.

Putting aside the fact that Opie seems to have smartened up considerably in between "The New Ozzie" and this episode...I do like how this episode is taking the "villain dresses up in obvious clothing" cliche and turning it on its head by having the villain wear completely normal clothing so they'll be disguised.

It's almost like...they might be aware of the cliche. Hmmmm...

Or likewise, that villains actually are criminals because real-life criminals do not dress in ridiculous getups.

For a second, my mind went deep into the gutter and went, "If he serves them food and one of them has an allergy to that food..."

But no. No. Not for this episode.

"You've led me right to the Power Room."

"And you'll have to get through us first!"

"A few small children? Ha, don't make me laugh!"

MS. ELECTRIC!!! ELECTROCUTE HIS ASS!!!!!

...I'm sorry, that was the first reference that popped up into my head. Bro got electrocuted somewhere down the line though.

Okay, we get it, it is meta, and they loved it.

"Always have a villain on the tour."

Or in actuality, "If you have not stepped foot in a birthing room and laid down and popped out a child, or supported someone popping out a child, then welcome to the Odd Squad Superfan Tour, my name is Opie, and let's begin!"

And your credits for this episode. My guess is that these episodes combine both segments' credits together in the same run -- hence why we have other characters not seen here in this episode. I...can't believe it took me this long to realize that, lol.

(On the plus side, someone's getting a lot of mileage out of LGBTQ+ triangle villain this season. They're giving a "fuck you" to critics and going hard.)

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

Overall, this was an okay episode with a mix of good and bad things. Wasn't really what I was expecting, unfortunately, but I did very much enjoy the red herring. If this episode really is some kind of a jab at adult fans of the franchise...it's not really a good one. This franchise has done better jabs at that group of people, and quite frankly I don't take kindly to shows that make jabs at the whole of the periphery demographic instead of, say, just creepazoids within the demographic.

But naturally, this is a Rob joint. And the last Rob joint I did a followup on wasn't too good either. So I wasn't expecting anything crazy stellar. But this episode could have been so much better for being a part of a 10th-anniversary series, and instead what we got was...nothing really of substance beyond an Oscar mention, like that makes it okay. And the meta stuff. That too.

In essence, this plot is basically what you hire fans to write. And frankly, I could probably pull it off better than Rob did. Anyone in the fandom could pull it off better than Rob did. There's a challenge for ya.

Next up on the block will be "Club 37", which, if I'm not mistaken, features unicorn Rainbow Dash. So I'm gonna become even more insufferable with all the MLP references! Huzzah!

Seren out!

[decarbry]

I really love your worldbuilding in this newest chapter, how you've expanded on the foundation canon has established with regards to Eraserhead's place in heroics. I'm reminded specifically of that scene in season 6 where Endeavor compliments Aizawa's quirk. That scene felt super uncomfortable to me, the way he was reducing him down to his power, and you did an incredible job at only further digging into it.

It's an interesting topic to think about honestly, considering canon discusses how quirks were named as such to encourage the public to see these powers as just a part of who a person is rather than this scary thing that they had. A quirk of their character. And to see how that's evolved in modern hero society to the point where people can't separate themselves from their quirk, how it practically becomes the bulk of who they are as a person, it puts the way people equate Erasure and Eraserhead as being one in the same into perspective. Who is Aizawa Shouta without Erasure?

The complex relationship between a person and their power and how it impacts and even dictates their identity is one of my favourite aspects of BnHA and it's so exciting whenever I see it explored. Amazing chapter as always! You did an incredible making Hizashi's grief palpable, it was so raw and messy and overwhelming!

Thank you!!

It’s a great topic but I especially love it in connection to Shouta. He’s kind of his own worst enemy when it comes to this subject as his rationality and avoidance of notoriety does its own damage to making sure no one knows enough to get to know the guy behind the goggles. He’s actually a dumbass because he struggled with his usefulness as a teenager and before he settled into his post-high school life, and put a lot of belief in the fact that no one was going to value him for anything but his Quirk, which even he admits is critical. He was right, but he sabotaged himself.

And to him it’s 100% a boon. He gets to stay unknown, keep his privacy, move relatively freely. He doesn’t have to worry about being too sharp or kind with his words, or how a social media post is going to destroy his image. He’s thought long and hard about this exact subject because he went through UA’s classes that talked about reputation, and after Oboro died he consciously settled into the idea that he was not important enough for anyone to worry over. Erasure YES. Aizawa NO. He decided it was not rational for people to worry over him because he was not important. Building his whole adult life off of that one notion. The best part of all of this was that when he died, or something worse happened to him, he wouldn’t be hurting anyone else with his death. Because nobody cares. That last bit is the most important to him.

Hizashi, Nemuri— they were accidents, he settled into this after he met them and it’s too late to shake them loose. So he had to come to terms with the fact that he would hurt exactly (2) people with his death. But that’s a pretty good low number.

Except he also didn’t account for the fact that people are more complex than he gives them credit for and despite his best efforts his students adore the ever-loving SHIT out of him

So when it comes down to the wire like we’re seeing in the fic, very few people care for the actual person beneath Erasure. His students yes, his spouse yes, his friends from HS yes, maybe one or two others.

[hey-there-ghouls]

For the ask game,

🥺✨🧐🎨🧠🤲✅

Yeah i know they’re a lot but I’m curious and love your work! Have a great day!

Never apologise for asking! Sorry this has taken me a bit, my kiddo was sick and wanted to be attached to me constantly. Putting it under a cut because it got a little long:

🥺 Is there a certain type of moment or common interaction between your characters that never fails to put you in your feels?

I'm always a sucker for when two characters are having a very emotionally charged moment, usually talking about something very heavy, and one reaches out to just gently touch the other. Bonus points if it's the first time that person has had a friendly touch in a while and slumps at the contact.

✨ Give you and your writing a compliment. Go on now. You know you deserve it. 😉

I want you to know that I agonised over this because I'm super critical of my own stuff. I can't even go back to reread it without wanting to change everything or roll my eyes at something.

I think I'm good at getting the voice of characters right; even if they're saying something that's OOC, I think I can phrase it in such a way or concoct a scenario where it's authentic for them to be saying that particular thing.

🧐 Do you spend much time researching for your stories?

I spend so much time researching my stories! I come from a background in journalism and that's an industry that puts a lot of emphasis on citing sources and having the facts straight, so it's really hard for me to write something that doesn't have even the vaguest basis in fact.

Everything in my fic is somewhat based in reality and I usually try to link whatever research I've done at the end of the chapter. I really like coming up with tricky situations (like the church being awash with blood) and then trying to find ways that could actually happen.

🎨 How do you feel about fan art of your stories?

I've never had fan art of my fics, but I'd love it if it ever happened. I only ever ask that people credit the fic where approrpriate.

🧠 Pick a character, and I'll tell you my favorite headcanon for them.

I don't know if I was meant to pick one or you were, but I'll go with the (fictional) Shane Madej:

He's an exceptionally weird dude. Lots of niche interests and random facts rattling around that big ol' brain of his which he chooses to share in seemingly strange moments. I have this little idea that he endeared himself to Quinta by sharing stories about Ten Cent Beer Night and other historical oddities during tubulant flights to cases.

🤲 Would you please share a snippet of a wip?

Everything is really in fragments at the moment as I've had to write most of this chapter either on my phone during bouts of morning sickness or through voice to text lol but here you go:

“Special Agent Madej?” Ray asks, his voice still in the faux friendly tone he uses when he’s waiting for one of his agents to realise they’ve drawn a particularly stupid conclusion – and for one confusing moment Shane thinks Ray knows he’s awake and waiting for a response – but then he adds, “What possible reason could you have for wanting to handcuff a federal agent?”  “Because he is now my main lead on six murders after Ryan Bergara shot through thanks to him being tipped off by your agent,” Cooper growls.  “How,” Ray says, and it’s supposed to be the start of a question, but it comes out with so much force that he gets stuck there for a second. “How did you come to that conclusion?” he finally manages.

✅ What's something that appears in your fics over and over and over again, even if you don't mean to?

There's always someone dealing with loads of anxiety whilst being in deep denial that they need to reach out for support...no idea where that's come from.

Also humour, I really can't write anything without trying to make it even a little funny to myself.

[redeclipse27]

A Guide for Proper Fandom Etiquette

(because it’s important to be kind, and with so many fandoms growing so fast it causes us to often forget how to behave)

Basic stuff

1. Be kind, don’t bully other people or drag their OCs for fun. If you don’t like someone, you’re not obligated to follow them

2. If someone is looking for tips, use CONSTRUCTIVE criticism, everyone starts somewhere

3. If someone tries to pick on you, don’t engage with them, just block and report them, don’t give them the time of day

4. Before you make any content for something, think about whether or not the OG creator of the thing the fandom is for would like it or if it would make them uncomfortable

5. DO NOT REPOST other people’s art without credit or permission, if it says don’t repost, DON’T. If you want people to see it, make a post with a link to the art instead or just say something like “have you seen [person]’s newest [thing]?”

Engaging with other creators

1. Read other creator’s boundaries before making anything for them.

2. If a creator you like leaves a fandom, respect their choice! Don’t harass them to keep making content! Instead, see what other fandoms they make content for or if they’re working on their own independent project, you might find something else you love!

3. If a creator goes on hiatus, don’t bother them asking when they’ll be back. A hiatus can be a great thing, as it allows the mental health to take a break, and they allow new ideas to grow and bloom

4. If you ask someone to collaborate with you and they say no, don’t be rude about it, say “I understand, thank you for your time”

5. You can give credit for someone’s OCs, AUs, ect without tagging them, just put their name without the “@“ symbol or with this formate: @/name, this is important for if they’ve left a fandom

6. If a creator is accused of something bad, DON’T attack them, whether it’s proven true or not, just unfollow or block them and move on with your day. Remember, part of Article 11 in the universal declaration of human rights states: “Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.”

You can ALWAYS unblock or re-follow someone, but once you’ve said something on the internet, you can NEVER take it back

7. DO NOT MAKE C.AIs of anyone’s characters or AU’s without permission! If they have an official bot, use that, but follow the rules for them! If not or if the bot is taken down, don’t make a new one, it’s tough luck.

People to avoid

1. Avoid people with inappropriate OCs or AUs

2. Avoid prosh!ppers, zoos, and other awful people, look up emoji combos and dog whistles they use so you know who to avoid.

3. Avoid people that make any “news” or “exposer” accounts, although wanting to spread important news on good or bad stuff, or calling out problematic behavior can be good, these accounts often tend to cause trouble and get people (good or bad) harassed. News accounts can often have misinformation as well, it’s better to just get news from the OG creator, such as an official account from the fandom. (Ex: the official Hazbin hotel account, Alex Hirsch’s account for gravity falls, ect)

Thank you for coming to my ted talk! Remember, be kind, be safe ❤️

[houseofbrat]

Loved the submission you just posted! And wanted to comment on something mentioned in it - “I think there has been a serious breach between Charles and William.”

IMHO - the reason for this is clear if you pay attention in that the public embraced Charles III as King.

William truly believed what his mother and the media have claimed for decades - that the public would revolt when KC3 became King, except that never happened. Immediately after his accession, KP still played nice but from my observation that all shifted after the German state visit. That’s when the decades of work KC put in as Prince of Wales started paying off - the rapturous welcome, speaking German in Parliament, receiving firsts that Lizzie never did like the Air Force escort.

After that the briefing against The King from KP has been relentless, same as they briefed against H&M, as well as the public disrespect because they know the media won’t criticize them to keep those exclusives flowing.

There’s not going to be joint engagements between father and son because William cannot be trusted to position himself publicly as serving his father. The last years of QEIIs life, Charles was regent in all but official title but not once did Clarence House ever brief anyone to refer to him as such. KP can’t even bring themselves to say that Willy does investitures “on behalf of The King”. He will gladly not only take credit for his fathers work without honoring, like town developments in the Duchy, but attribute it to being inspired by his long-dead mother.

I hate to admit that Harry has a point when he says William is the problem. He’s drunk off his own self importance (hid well by the same PR facade Harry benefitted from) but he’s hoping that pretty family pics and media obedience will hide something any thinking person should be able to admit - he’s a woefully inadequate Prince of Wales compared to his father and is shaping up to be an even worse King.

Yup.

And I do have to wonder how far William thinks he can take his secret pissing match with his father. To what extent will William try to upstage his father because William is used to being the UK media's "goldenboy." Because William is used to having people whitewash his reputation in the media because he was the heir, and Harry's exploits were always published to make William keep looking good.

I'm reminded of the comments @helenaaurelia made about William after he threw Lady Susan Hussey under the bus, almost a year and a half ago.

A:

Its making me rethink everything he’s done, everything the palace has done. I’ve always blamed the more heartless decisions on Charles ,with William just supporting his father. Now I’m wondering if the roles have been reversed, looking at the changes that seemed to have occurred as William became more and more powerful, wondering how much of it he was responsible for. I just deleted a whole paragraph of speculation, deciding that he probably doesn’t deserve me thinking out loud about every ruthless and possibly heartless decision the BRF has made in the last decade and wondering if he was behind it. (No I won’t tell you what I deleted, that’s the point of deleting it.) From now on though, I’m looking at him through the same lens I look at Charles with. No more benefit of doubt for William.

and B:

The stories about him reminding everyone exactly who he is and who he’s going to be. I always assumed they were false, and that the stories of him always humbly waiting in line, not telling anyone who he is, trying to fly under the radar, being a nice helpful, friendly guy were all true. Now I wonder why I was so quick to believe the good about him and so quick to dismiss the bad. I still think he’s a kind, decent man who truly wants to do good. I just will no longer dismiss any unpleasant stories about him without the same scrutiny I give stories about everyone else.

And I think the anon from yesterday is totally right that "William is having a mental crisis of some sort."

The KP timeline of Kate's cancer and William's work schedule doesn't make sense. In the world according to the Kensington Palace comms team, W&K found out about her cancer on the 27 February, and she was able to start her "preventative chemotherapy" in less than 48 hours after that. And yet, William didn't need to change any of his work schedule to accommodate her first round of "preventative chemotherapy" that week.

Adjuvant therapy, aka "preventative chemotherapy" can be finished in as little as three months. KP has conveniently not let anyone know how long Kate will be doing "preventative chemotherapy." Is she doing this for three months or six months? IF she's only doing this for three months, then that means when the kids started back up at school after their Easter break, she would only have one month left. Which is the same time the KP comms team let everyone know that William can only work ONE DAY per week while his kids are in school full time. Kate could theoretically almost be done with her "preventative chemotherapy," yet William needs to hide from the public for even longer? Except for the big events like Trooping, Garter, D-Day 80th anniversary, etc., because William won't have to engage with the general public for those. William has to get his picture taken for the big events.

As I said before, there are so many problems that the situation is not “Where do you start?” but “Where does it end?”

Because, yeah, I do think William is having a mental crisis. I think he has been hiding something in an attempt to upstage his father's big announcement. Because that is something William would do. It was something he had no qualms about doing until his home life started unraveling with Kate. And who really knows what is going on with her because KP has never been honest, and I've always found it suspicious that Kate filmed her cancer announcement video with William's private secretary present instead of her own.

So, yeah, calm before the storm 'n all, and I can tell there is going to be a huge shit storm because Charles just called Kate a rank celebrity on Tuesday with that "honour." We're about to have a major BRF scandal because William decided to prove that he really is Diana's son by going full Spencer. And any longtime BRF watcher will know that "Spencer" equals crazy or egomaniacal crazy.

[watching-pictures-move]

Movie Review | Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (Zito, 1984)

Well, Friday the 13th snuck up on me, which is what happens when you don’t pay attention to the calendar. When the day falls outside October, it’s just a nice little treat to put on one of the movies. (Except when it falls in November, when you’re all horrored out.) But when it falls in October, you’re legally obligated to watch one of them. If you don’t, you get thrown in prison. And as the last one I’d watched was the godawful Jason X just a few days ago, I needed to watch one of the good ones and get that taste out of my mouth. I could not let that be the one of those I watched for the occasion. This was an emergency, so I had to take the drastic measure of dusting off my copy of Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter. Just gonna jot down a bunch of stray observations:

I don’t know how convincing the claim that this would end the series was at the time, but one of the ways it tries to play up the significance of the occasion is by opening with a recap montage and then having an explosion during the title card. I like a good recap montage and I like explosions, so I was already having a good time.

Crispin Glover’s dance moves automatically put this near the top of the series. R.I.P. Jimmy “Dead Fuck” Mortimer, who died for our sins.

I realize most of these movies are set during the summer, but they always feel autumnal to me, thanks to the fall clothing. Probably the best marketing LL Bean could have gotten during the decade. See, all the blood washes right off!

I am not sure bald Corey Feldman is as disturbing as the movie posits, but I can respect the iota of ambition without undermining what makes these movies interesting.David Gordon Green should have taken notes when he made Halloween Ends.

I know one of the popular criticism of these movies is that the characters are all cardboard cutouts waiting to get killed off by Jason, but I do like the effort this one puts towards characterization. The performances here are definitely more… “acted” than they were in the first two (where there’s a certain naturalism that alleviates the minimal characterization; they feel like real people, which goes a long way), but even the comic relief characters are handled with a baseline of respect and are professionally performed. And I like the interiority it gives all the characters. The twins could have been a sexy gimmick (and giving them a skinny dipping scene makes good on that level), but I like that it lets both of them feel like distinct individuals and actually acknowledges their hurt feelings. I like that the most promiscuous character isn’t demeaned or caricatured. I like the anticipation of the one girl before she makes love to her boyfriend. I like that the goofballs are shown to have real insecurities which they try to hide with humour. It stings a little more when these characters are killed.

I think at this point the MPAA had started to crack down on the violence in these things, and you definitely notice it in how quickly the kills are cut, despite the extremely gnarly gore effects (Tom Savini returned so he could kill off Jason, and that viciousness shows). But at the same time, I think that’s a bit of an asset. The violence is so sudden, that there’s no way to prepare for it. We are caught off guard like the characters, and the few times it lingers on death feel extra bruising. This definitely feels more polished than the preceding entries (much credit goes to the nicely shadowy cinematography by Joao Fernandes), but it’s the last one that feels punishing in the way first wave slashers and the meaner horror films of the ‘70s achieved handily. The violence has a real weight.

The first one remains my favourite but this one is still right next to it.

[actpei]

MEET THE CREW: KEIR MALONE (Director)

Keir Malone appeared in ‘The Foreigner’ in 1995, the second show ACT ever mounted. It was his last play until returning in ACT's ‘Sweeney Todd’ in 2011, as he retired from the stage to raise a family. In spite of 16 year gap, he has done his best to make up for lost time having acted and/or directed in 17 of the 65 shows in ACT's history. Past directing credits include: "An Evening of Fairy Tales", "Plays in a Day", "All New People" and "Skin Flick" for ACT. Keir has served on the ACT board since 2013 in various roles, as well as having done work with the King's Playhouse and the North Shore Players.

ACT asked Keir some questions...

What’s challenging about bringing this show to life? Why did you choose to propose it?…As the director, the biggest challenge in bringing this show to the stage has been trying to get the timing down. I have 9 amazing actors, and each of them has their own sense of timing; I have to be true to them, the script/characters, and the audience. It's possible to make it all fit properly, but it certainly is a lot of work. I was introduced to the script of ‘Noises Off’ a few years ago, and it has stuck with me ever since. I have tried to challenge myself with each play I direct, adding elements of difficulty; more people, filmed elements incorporated into a show, an intimate space and topic. The challenge of ‘Noises Off’ is the complexity of script and set. It was not only the funniest script I've read, but the most difficult, and I wanted to prove to myself that I could pull it off.  As well, when we were considering what show to do for our 25th anniversary (in 2020 before a three year delay), I noted that ‘Noises Off’ was the 4th show that the organization had done, back in 1996. To go from ladders and tables in ‘Our Town’ (1995) to a two-story revolving set three shows later showed me how quickly ACT grew and changed, and that was a part of our history that I wanted to celebrate.

What draws you to community theatre? …Community theatre allows someone like myself, who has always loved theatre, to participate in my art at a high level without taking the financial and critical risk of trying to make a go of it full time. ACT (and organizations like it) serve so many purposes: it's a place where young or new actors can learn, where retired professionals can keep a foot in the craft or teach, where people with a true affection of the stage can have opportunity to do what they love, at their own level. ACT can train and support actors/directors: people can learn how to mount a show that is financially and artistically viable, without having to take out a second mortgage or recreating the wheel. 

What do you want the audience to know about the show? …This show was written in 1982, and it is a ‘play within the play’. We have that ‘inner’ show set in the 1960's, and the action set in the 1980's. In our more culturally sensitive times, there are parts of this show that are at risk of being dated, or culturally insensitive: we have updated some elements to make them more appropriate, and others are being left as written, as they are part of the intentionally bad farce of the play within the play. Our team doesn't aim to offend in any way. 

What sort of person should see this show? ..Anyone who appreciates comedy in any way, because the script and our incredibly talented cast are absolutely hilarious. This show is accessible and easy to fall in love with, and will give people a (highly exaggerated) idea of what it's really like to put on a play. Take away the farcical, overdone elements and you still have a look at rehearsals, a set and the life of a touring company.  

Who should stay away? …Crying babies, carriers of the bubonic plague, and anyone who doesn't love to laugh. Any person in particular you want to invite? …Anyone who loves theatre, comedy, farce. Anyone who knows this show, or anyone involved. Anyone who has been a part of ACT in the last 25 years, from audience member to active participant. Come to the theatre; come home. 

What will the audience be talking about after the show?…My hope is that the audience is left briefly overwhelmed by laughter and the sheer size of what we are pulling off: so much happens in three acts that I honestly believe (and hope) that people should come to see this show more than once. There is so much to see! 

Get your tickets now at https://tproatlantic.ticketpro.ca/en/pages/HC_NoisesOff (photo: Brian Collins, Landwash Studios) #act #farce #actpei #noisesoff #theatrepei  #doorsandsardines #communitytheatre #florencesimmonsperformancehall

[secriden]

*banishes my metaphorical pen with an inarticulate war cry*

I'M HERE FOR THIS!!! YES!!! ABSO-FUCKING-LUTELY!!

I'm so grateful for you, too; because coming into this fandom only fairly recently and feeling like I was missing something seeing all these snide takes about Dunk's acting made me feel so insecure at first about how much I adored his portrayal of Daonuea. But then I saw some of your posts defending his acting and it made me feel so seen; made me determined to continue appreciating the lovely work he has been, and has ALWAYS been, putting out.

(Although I just realised have yet to read your manifesto!! AHHH!! I forgot about it in all the travelling I've been doing! I need to go find the link again... God... how much scrolling am I going to have to do on our chat!?? xDDD)

Because legitimately, the way I felt like a feral hissing cat when the THK trailer dropped cuz there were immediately a bunch of comments in the tags that were very much in the tone of Dunk is going to be the weakest link in the cast or oh fine I guess I'll give Dunk a chance to prove me wrong or ugh I hope Dunk doesn't drag FirstKhao down and it was part of the reason I even started writing my Style meta posts to begin with, because it felt like no one was SEEING just what an AMAZING story Dunk was telling with his whole entire body and soul, even as early as during the Character Interview video before the first episode had even aired; like WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK??

You (not like you-you , but the metaphorical Dunk critic I'm still pissed off at "you") wanna know why we're all so torn apart by the tragedy of THK's episode 6? It's because Dunk made us fall in love with Style without compromising one iota of his character and personality in the story he told. Dunk took a character that is (a) very difficult to relate to, (b) acts in ways which triggers negative emotions which people specifically are likely to have real life experience with which makes him even more easy to dislike, and (c) had a backstory that COULD have made the audience sympathetic but was INTENTIONALLY kept secret until literally episode 5 -- AND FUCKING MADE HIM SO VERY WONDERFULLY LOVEABLE ANYWAY.

Like, yes, credit needs to be given to Joong's wonderful portrayal of the tragically misunderstood hero villain hitman, but none of that would have fully landed if the audience couldn't also appreciate why and how Fadel could and does fall in love with Style. And THAT is due to Dunk's portrayal of him!

(Not, you know, that I need to tell any of this to YOU of all people -- you who has made the most lovely anthology of posts celebrating Style and breaking down the minute details of his character and personality. <3 Ahh I adore you and that series so much!! <3)

But like you said, so much of this was evident even back in SIMM which I will continue to be utterly inconsolable about until the day I die because why is it SO universally disliked?? Why did the audience by and large utterly dismiss the nuanced and layered storytelling and wonderfully complex character arcs?? Why did everyone see only the moments that Dunk's inexperience bled through (because it was his First. Fucking. Acting. Gig. EVER!!?), and not the absolutely heartbreaking way he could emote through some of the most intense scenes that threaded Daonuea's love for Kluen together with the hurt of his (perceived) rejection and the uncertainty of thinking Kluen was still toying with his heart and the longing to trust in what his eyes and heart were telling him?? *sCREAMS*

#''joong deserves a better acting partner than dunk'' FUCK YOU FUCKING FUCK YOU#these two are extremely skilled at communicating with each other in their performance#and only few fixed pairs are on the same level when it comes to this (tags by @airenyah)

NO BUT FOR REAL if there's anyone out there that still thinks this, ESPECIALLY NOW, oh honey it's a skill issue with you, not them.

@secriden you don't know the feeling of getting these tags into my notifs after feeling like i've been the sole public defender of dunk's acting for the past year and a half (and that's only counting the time i started being more vocal about it online, i've been defending him in my mind since 2022 actually)

truly TRULY love the energy you bring!!!!! join me!!!!!

DUNK IS A GOOD FUCKING ACTOR AND HAS BEEN FROM THE START. EVERYONE WAS JUST UNNECESSARILY MEAN