#magnets performance review
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thebarontheabyss · 1 year ago
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This tale starts with your death.
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Read WIP here
(Current wordcount: 240k!)
You remember only the moth, carrying you through the cosmos.
And so, the Abyss beckons you.
Now, you are a spirit, immortal. After a meeting with the Grim Reaper, Death, you were gifted with a peculiar inheritance: a bar.
This mysterious establishment and the Abyss around it serve as a nexus, connected to every realm in existence. It's a haven where spirits and deities, devils and angels, converge to drink and revel.
Yet, beneath the surface, an unease stirs. A voice calls out in your dreams—a loneliness that echoes through the Abyss. Why does it seek you?
A motley crew of spirits and immortals, each hailing from distant corners of the realms, stands with you. Bonds are waiting to be formed, or even love that transcends death itself—perhaps even with Death themself.
Manage your bar, where serving a drink to a god or an eldritch entity is just another day's work. Unravel a cosmic mystery, go on a date in infernal Hell, witness the universe's creation, or unlock the arcane secrets of magic.
Your new afterlife awaits.
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A narrative-driven experience focused on character development and storytelling.
Play as any gender or none.
Shape your personality through meaningful choices.
Engage in deep and complex relationships with a diverse cast of characters.
Romance mortals and immortals alike - if you want poly, purely physical, or asexual - they will respond in kind.
Explore the afterlife, visit realms of immortals and gods, and uncover the dark secrets of the bar.
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M\F\NB (Poly or Monogamous paths) Death reveals a surprising warmth beneath their eternal duty.
Is there room for love within their everlasting embrace? Read more >>>
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M\F (Poly or Monogamous paths) This devilish being, a powerful magnet of desire, seeks more than power in the bar’s shadows.
Who dares to pursue the heart behind the flame?
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M\F (Poly or Monogamous paths) The Witch, with their feline companion, seeks a lost soul, their magic stirring trouble and passion alike.
Can a mortal love thrive in the spirit realm?
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M (Monogamous path)
A mercenary turned security guard, Hastur carries an immortal burden, guilt born of past battles and sacrifices.
Will your love heal his wounds?
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NB (Monogamous path) The spectral diva enchants with their voice, their performance a dance of beauty tinged with the sorrow of eternal life.
Can your love find a new song for them?
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M\F\NB (Monogamous path) A shade keeps the bar’s order, and his silence holds the weight of cosmic secrets and the tapestry of existence.
Will your heart fall for the being behind the shadow?
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With feathers dark and wit sharp, The Raven’s history is as rich as the bar itself. He offers piercing insight beneath a layer of humor.
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The stern soothsayer-turned-accountant Yaga guards the bar’s fortune while wrestling with her own spectral regrets and wisdom.
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Shelly, the bar’s assistant, brings life-affirming warmth but seeks a new family to fill the void of her lost one.
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Welcome to the cosmos: the tapestry of existence, a complex weave of ever-changing realms. Each domain is a thread in the grand design.
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Feedback on any typos, grammatical errors, or other textual issues.
Notes on any continuity errors to ensure a smooth and logical progression.
Thoughts and opinions on the plot, characters, and overall narrative experience.
Don't be shy about sending your feedback - as small as it may be. I'll be answering and taking each into consideration. You are very welcome to post your reviews here!
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The game explores themes of Death in various forms, including suicide.
Alcohol indulgence and its various side effects (hangovers, vomiting, etc.)
Sexual themes (currently only non-explicit)
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ellieslittlewh0re · 1 year ago
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ִ ⋆。 °✩ ❝ 𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐏𝐈𝐄 𝐋♡𝐕𝐄 ❞ ✩°。⋆
(𝒘𝒌) 5k
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〚𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒〛 ✰ rockerstar! ellie x groupie! reader ✰
〚𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒〛 ellie williams. her name was everywhere- the underground music’s next breakout star, and for a good reason too- a honeyed voice mixed with gravel, her passion, energy, the fact she was everything rock and roll should be. also, let’s not forget the sex appeal.
〚𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐒〛 sex, love, drugs, and rock and roll. !!TW!! for descriptions of drug usage ( c0cain, L$D) fingering (r! receiving), oral (r! receiving), strap on usage (r! receiving) overstim kinda, dom e!, sub r!
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It started with a video- a grainy, shity quality one at that, but still a video. She was center stage of some grungy bar from the looks of it, spotlights illuminating her face enough to see stands of her hair sticking to her forehead with sweat, and a chipped cherry red electric guitar hanging from her shoulder. She was magnetic, hypnotizing- not just with her performance, but her looks as well.
From that day on, you just had the desire to get closer to her in any way you could.
-
It had been two months since you started following her band while they toured across the West Coast. You had been to every show, seen every performance, and Ellie was starting to catch on.
The first time she saw you, you immediately caught Ellie's attention- I mean, how could you not? You were by far the hottest girl in the venue that night, swinging your hips so effortlessly it put the rest of the girls to shame. Ellie remembers that night vividly because she was so pissed she couldn't find you after the show to bring you back to her shitty motel room and have her way with you. But Ellie quickly forgot about you when the company of two other girls took your place that night, along with a few too many hits of whatever her drug of choice was during that time.
So, that's how you ended up here- at a run down gas station bathroom touching up your makeup in the middle of the fucking desert, and a van full of strangers that you were currently hitching a ride with waiting outside at the pumps.
And Ellie? Well, Ellie was doing what she always does before a show- drugs, and lots of them, whether it was molly, coke, weed, tabs, or maybe even a deadly concoction of all the above, she didn't care as long as it made her feel alive- claiming it made her perform better or something, but really she just liked being fucked up while fucking girls after the show.
While Ellie was living this "glamorous" rockstar lifestyle, you were on the complete opposite end- quitting your day job to follow some girl around who doesn't even know your name and catching rides from people who definitely look like they have seen the inside of a prison cell- AKA, you were a groupie.
The air was hot, stale. A thin layer of orangy, rust-colored sand coated the windows and the van's gaudy upholstery. The landscape outside flashed like an old fashioned reel movie, cacti, shrubs, Joshua trees, and repeat.
It was desolate, and if the road and occasional mile marker wasn't there to remind you, you would've thought you were on a different planet.
"Your stop is next, daisy." The man with a handle bar mustache yelled from the drivers seat, meeting your eyes in the review mirror.
Daisy. A nickname given to you by the group when they first picked you up further up north. You had a daisy tucked behind your ear, and from then on, you were daisy.
-
It was dark by the time you arrived at the venue, venue isn't really how you would describe it. It was more like a diner turned bar turned into whatever the fuck it was currently. You waved your goodbyes to the the group of not-so-strange strangers, all of them bidding you 'farewells' and 'good lucks' before you watched the red tails fade into the pitch dark of the desert.
For once, you were early. Turns out a bunch of traveling hippies and outcasts aren't on a timed schedule, who knew?
Even though you were early, the dirt patch of a parking lot was packed, cars in various stages of deterioration lining the sides of the building, and people gathering outside to avoid the cramped interior. But you weren't here to socialize or drink and get high- you just wanted to see her, dance to the strum of her guitar, and let her voice consume and overtake you.
It was 40-ish minutes past midnight, meaning Ellie and her band were late, but that's not a surprise. She had a bad habit of keeping the people waiting, but she was a busy girl- hanging out backstage or at a hotel, a room full of girls for her to pick from, and no shortage of drugs and alcohol. But tonight, she went a little too overboard. Her band mates were practically carrying her across the motel parking lot to their van, trying to get her to sober up on the way to the venue with water and motivational speeches that mostly consisted of "get your fucking shit together".
The short 30 minute drive to the venue was barely long enough to get Ellie back in the right state of mind. She was slightly unsteady on her feet, and her speech was a little slurred, but she's used to preforming under these conditions.
You waited patiently of course, babying a strong cocktail mix since you didn't dare get drunk and risk not remembering every detail of the night- every detail of her.
When the crowd shifted their attention to the back entrance of the building, silent murmurs at first before a load cheer erupting was when you knew, she was here, and she looked like heaven- a black tank top that was torn near the neckline, a studded belt loosely securing a pair of baggy, black patchwork cargo pants.
The crowd parted a pathway for her as she made her way through the room with her bandmates following behind, a cigarette tucked between her lips as she'd occasionally stop to sign whatever was thrown at her- a piece of paper, cash, a pair of tits- which she'd always happily comply, but if she saw a girl she liked, she would lick her pointer finger and index, smearing part of her signature on their cleavage while the marker was still wet to subtly let you know that she wanted your company for the night- at least, that's the rumor you've heard.
You found yourself holding your breath- she was so close, a mere body or two keeping you at arm's length from her. You could smell the cigarette smoke, and see the details of her chipped black nail polish holding the marker between her fingers.
Ellie hands the notebook and marker back into the wave of hands, looking up while blowing out a cloud of smoke, and that's when she sees you. She was about to walk off, but she stopped for a second. You don't look like you belong- you were different, sweet, and innocent-looking compared to the rest of the audience. But she doesn't let her eyes linger long, she has a show to put on after all.
She turned, and walked towards the stage stairs, and centered herself behind the mic. She shifted her weight on her feet, and took one last drag of the cigarette before suffocating the embers on a ashtray near the edge of the stage.
"How's everyone doing tonight?" She barely could make out before the crowds hollering drowned out her voice. She laughed into the mic while plugging a cord into her guitar that was connected to a beefy looking amp.
Her ego was at its biggest right now- just her mere appearance could make a group of strangers act like dogs, and she fucking loved it.
She played a few cords on the guitar, ensuring the tune was where she wanted it before looking back up into the crowd, "c'mon, you can do better than that." And even though her mouth was covered by the mic, you could tell she was smirking.
The crowd cheered louder, fists clenched high above the sea of heads, and chanted her name over and over exactly how she wanted them to.
And for you? Well, you were also chanting her name, maybe not as loud, but you were too busy squeezing your way through to get to the front.
She needed to be able to see you.
And she did see you- you were front row, playfully singing and dancing along, your bright, twinkling eyes boring into every little thing she did- from the way she'd run her hand through the front of her hairline, ridding her face of the baby hairs and bangs, down to the way her fingers curled over the frets of her guitar. She made sure to look elsewhere into the crowd, interacting with everyone, but her eyes always found themselves back on you.
-
Ellie closed out the show with an encore, most of the crowd was overly intoxicated at this point, stumbling, and starting meaningless fights with whoever was closest- aka the usual time you'd leave, but you couldn't, at least, not when Ellie was walking towards you, her eyes set on you. You glanced to your right then your left- confused, and definitely was searching for an explanation as to why she was getting closer. Surely, it was someone else who caught her attention, but it was only you nearby.
You take a step back from the stage as the tips of her dirty converse near the edge. She bends down at the knees before sitting all together, dangling her legs over the edge. She doesn't say anything, and you didn't either, maybe from intimidation mixed with confusion as to why she chose to sit here out of all places.
She reaches her tattooed arm behind, shifting her weight to pull out a pack of cigarettes, and offering the carton to you, but you shyly decline. She smirked, a dimple deepening on the one side of her cheek, "So-" She said, her voice momentarily muffled by the cigarette between her lips, "-you don't look like you're from here, where'd you come from, baby?" She ignited the end with a metal lighter, holding a free hand up to cover the flame which only amplified the warm glow of the flame on her face.
You chuckled a nervous laugh, looking down at your fingers as she blew out a puff of smoke, "M' not. I'm from up north. " Your voice trembled, leaking with submission and uncertainty which only fascinated her more, but also she was frustrated- most girls wouldn't need a conversation to know what Ellie wanted from them, and you weren't looking at her.
She grabs your hand, and pulls you closer to the space between her knees. A sharp breath gets caught in your throat as she does this, your cheeks hot, and your gut feels like it's jumping being this close to her- enough to smell the fumes of her cologne mixed with ash. You watch her fingers come up and hover over your chest, her fingers gently dancing along the skin of your clavicle to examine the charm of your necklace, but really it was just a flirtation tactic to her.
"What's a girl like you doing in the desert in the middle of the night, huh?" She asked, dropping her voice down to an almost whisper- raspy, and thick with suggestion. You shake your head side to side, a nervous tick of yours when you felt uncomfortable, but being uncomfortable isn't always a bad thing.
"I uh-" you paused, mentally wavering if you should tell the truth since it does seem a little pathetic. "-I wanted to see you play."
Ellie's eyebrows raise, her bottom lip puckering into a frown with a slight nod. "Is that so?" She hummed, rolling the edges of the charm between her fingers. Ellie was certain she had seen you before. It wasn't a trick of the light or getting your face confused with some other hot chick- you were unmistakable. But she didn't want you to know that she found you out, not yet, not now.
Ellie learned in further, your knees almost buckling out from under you, feeling her breath against your lips. She played it off like she was getting a closer look at your necklace, extending the religious symbolic charm out so the chain tugged on your neck. "Do you believe?" She asked, still looking at the damn necklace, furrowing her brows like she was in a deep philosophical thought.
You swallowed dryly, wishing you still had your drink from easier, "N-not really-" you stuttered, "it was a gift from when I was younger."
Ellie chuckled, but it wasn't lighthearted or sweet- it was dark, methodical, and a tad bit sadistic.
She released the charm from her fingers, letting it hit your bare chest with a muted thud before looking up. Her eyes were a darker shade than you remembered them being- irises blown out and framed beautifully by a thick band of dark eyelashes.
Her hand reached out and gently grabbed you by the wrist before yanking you closer so your tummy was flush with the side of the stage, leaving only a few inches between your tits and the denim of her crotch.
You inhaled a sharp, breathy yelp as she did this, your hands not knowing what to do or where to divert your eyes- her hands on you, her face so close to yours that you could count the freckles on her cheeks, even the ones that are faint enough to miss- or maybe how her thighs were drifting apart, and you were in between them.
Her hand comes up, which causes you to squeeze your eyes shut, but the wrinkles around your eyes relax as you feel her hand on your face and her lips on yours. You moaned instantly at the contact, resting your hand on her thigh where it felt most comfortable. Ellie took this opportunity to slip her tongue inside, using the muscle to work against yours. Her hand snakes down your side, squeezing the soft flesh of your hip before pulling away, leaving you breathless, and hazy.
Her eyes were intense looking into yours, her lips wet and craving a deeper satisfaction.
She only said one thing, a simple sentence that would separate you from being just some regular fan,
"Come with me tonight, and I'll show you something worth believing."
-
So that's how your night shifted- how one decision to follow some band across the state had finally paid off because now you were here- a hotel room, alone with the band's most valuable member snorting lines of a white powdery substance off of a mirror topped end table.
Ellie held the rolled 20 between her fingers, putting the end of it to her nose while the index on her other closed the opposing nostril shut. She dragged the end of the cylinder across the smuggled surface, inhaling deeply until the white line disappeared behind it.
"Fuuck-" She sighed, throwing her head back, and swipes the bottom of her nose with her thumb,
"Here-" She held out the rolled 20 for you to take, but you lean away,
"I don't do that stuff."
She looks at you curiously, a furrow between her brows that suggests she found your refusal even more entertaining.
Ellie leaned forward and turned her body to face you on the edge of the dusty duvet, "What-" She scoffed, "'think you're too good for it?"
You shook your head violently, indicating a 'no', "No- no, that's not what I meant-"
Ellie laughed, causing you to stop mid-sentence, "I'm just fucking with you, doll. I should've known." She smiles, and you return the smile in relief that you didn't actually offend her.
Your eyes divert to the wallpapered walls- a faint pattern of stripes with cream-colored baseboards, a warm yellowed lamp on the bedside being the only source of light in the room to contrast the night outside.
You felt her hand creep up your thigh, tempting the skin below the hem of your dress before it disappeared underneath the fabric altogether. She leaned in, her other hand on your face to encourage you closer, whispering a "so soft" in a raspy breath before connecting your lips with hers.
It started slow- her lips overlapping yours like a soft current on a still morning before it turned into a ranging one during a windy cast. You moaned into her- soft and delicate mews between each detachment, and it fueled her.
Ellie's body overpowered yours, using her strength to her advantage. But it's not like she needed it- you were putty in her hands, fully committing yourself to her, letting her push you into your back, and her body hovering on top of yours.
You squirmed beneath her- each bump, and drag of her knee between your legs left you feeling more desperate.
"Ellie-" you broke the kiss in a breathless euphoria, looking up at her with a needy expression. Ellie knew that face well- it's not like she had all this experience and didn't know what to do with it, so- she got up, leaving you alone on the bed, and walked over to a black duffle bag decorated with pins of miscellaneous logos and bands.
She riffled through it, pulling a small clear plastic bag out before joining you back on the bed.
She opened the baggie, pulling something out no bigger than the size of a postage stamp, and tearing it into smaller halves before looking up,
"Do you trust me?" She asked, her green eyes piercing into yours, causing a wet sensation to spill from the heat between your legs. You swallowed, not really sure what you were agreeing to, but you nodded anyway, "Yes, Ellie... I trust you."
She placed the colorfully decorated paper on her tongue and held the sides of your face, kissing you and slipping her tongue inside, transferring whatever it was into your mouth before pulling away. "Swallow." She demanded, tilting your face up by your chin, and you did it without hesitation- straining the walls of your throat as the mystery stamp slid downwards.
She smirked, and swiped her thumb over your bottom lip, "good girl."
She followed it up by doing the same, placing the tab on her tongue and swallowing, but she made it seem so much more intentional like a ritual of some sorts.
Ellie leaned away from you in the bed to rest her back against the headboard and pillows, "C'mere" she said nonchalantly, patting her thighs.
With shaky knees, you did as you were told and crawled your way up her legs until you were straddling her waist.
Her hands come up to rest on your hips, her thumbs tracing circles through the flimsy fabric of your dress, "so obedient" she said lightly, almost under her breath to herself and not at you directly. 
Her hands started to wander- first on your hips, then down to your thighs, gliding them up to the plush beneath your skirt. You felt her fingertip squeeze and caress, sending chills up your spine and a hot/cold sensation throughout your body.
Next, her lips were on yours, and her fingers were tightening the follicles on the back of your scalp as the kisses became more intense. Your back instinctively arches, and you reach a hand between your legs to soothe the ache, but she stops you with a firm grip on your wrist, "Gettin' impatient, huh?" She said in a cocky tone, smirking against your lips. You whimpered- nodding your head, and grabbed her hand, inching it closer to your core.
Ellie chucked at this- the kind of chuckle that was half way a scoff, and half way felt like an insult.
"Damn- you need me to fill you up that bad? 'thought you were one of them good girls."
She tisked her tongue against her teeth, but still let you guid her hand where you needed her.
The back of her knuckles grazed between the pillowy folds over your panties, going agonizingly slow before turning her hand over to fully palm your cunt.
You melt on top of her, resting your head against her shoulder, all the while dragging your hips against her hand.
She turns her head, her warm breath fanning against the helix of your ear, "You're so wet and I've barely touched you."
Her words echoed throughout your brain like her voice waves were sending signals to every part of your body. And her touch was magnified- each cell, fiber, and pore was experiencing a new sense of heightened, whether it be because of the drugs or not, you couldn't be sure.
"El-Ellie, please... need you."
Your words rang a siren song to Ellie's ears, creating a sticky pool between her own legs. She muttered a guttural "fuck" before she grabs you by the sides of your thighs, flipping you over so she was on top of you.
She was already yanking down your underwear, and tossing them to the side before you could comprehend what was happening. You felt her fingers stinging to the flesh of your thighs, prying them apart like she couldn't wait to see you, to taste you.
You sucked in a sharp breath as her tongue lightly traced a line down your folds before her lips met your clit where she pulsated the bud between her lips, letting out a moan as she made contact, "fuuck-" She curses before flicking her tongue over your bundle of nerves, igniting a colorful array of shapes behind your tightly closed eyes.
She was messy but precise- using her tongue along with the motion of her head to send you that much further. Your fingers tangled in her hair, tugging harder the closer you got which was the perfect time in Ellie's eyes to add a finger.
She slowly pushed her middle finger inside, stopping halfway at her knuckle to let you adjust before slamming it all the way till her knuckles were snug against your puffy lips.
You wriggled beneath her, reaching out to push her away with a palm to her shoulder, but that only makes her add a second finger.
You cry out loudly through heavy breaths, the veins on her forearm coming to the surface of her skin from how much force she was using, and her mouth putting in just as much work.
You were climbing higher and higher, the peripheral of your vision going white-
"Ellie... I'm- I'm gonna-" You don't have much time to warn her before your body starts to spaz, starting at your hips and up into your chest like volts of electricity through a highly active current.
Your knees close around her head, your back arching high off the mattress, and your eyes rolling into the back of your head. She slows her pace as you come down before pulling her fingers out and lifting her head.
With your eyes closed, and an arm draped over your face, you feel her pat the inside of your thigh before her weight leaves the bed.
She comes back a couple of minutes later, only opening your eyes when you feel her weight return to the mattress.
Your eyes go wide as you take notice of the new attachment- a black, strappy harness with buckles near her hips, and a crude shaped silicone cock bulging at her crotch.
She lowers herself over you, her hands on each side of your head before she leans down to kiss you, slipping her tongue inside. She pulled back, momentarily admiring the way you looked just from something as simple as oral and some fingering- glossy eyes, puffy lips smeared with her spit, and if she looked down- how your inner thighs glistened.
Her lips trial from yours, staring at your neck, then your chest, and finally your tits which Ellie had absolutely no problem with pulling the straps down to expose them, leaving the fabric bunched around your stomach. In her eyes, everything she wanted- no, needed was accessible this way.
Ellie looks up, placing a delicate kiss on the skin of your lower stomach, "Got one more fr' me, pretty girl?" She asked softly, tenderly, but it still managed to come off more intimidating than a question should sound.
You nodded shyly, a small whine emitting from the back of your throat, looking down at her with your breasts out for her viewing, grabbing pleasure, and your legs spread wide, ready to take her.
She lifted her upper half up, slim fingers holding the base of her cock, and lined the artificial tip with your entrance. She glided the tip up your folds, coating it with your slick, and let out a sultry exhale since she could practically see your walls clenching around nothing in preparation for her.
She teased you for a bit- only giving you a couple of inches before backing away and repeating, each time causing you to whine harder and harder out of frustration. Sure, Ellie was having her fun watching you squirm, grab for her, and fuck- how your hole gapped each time she pulled out, a clear, viscous fluid leaking from it, but she was growing just as impatient- feeling your legs wrap around her waist, pulling her closer, pleading variations of her name and "please" and who is she to deny you when you ask so nicely?
She thrusts her hips forward until her crotch was flesh with your ass, your legs in the air, and her hands pushing on the back of your thighs.
"Is this what you wanted, huh?" She gritted, pulling her hips back only to snap them forward again.
You cried out loudly, curling your fingers around the bedsheets until the blood stopped circulating, turning the skin there a lighter shade than the rest of you.
She pushed harder on the back of your thighs- your knees pressed up against your chest, and using what you can imagine is all of her strength to thrust into you. She was reaching the deepest part of your cervix- grunting and moaning on Ellie's end while you mewled high-pitched noises mixed with the wet slapping of her cock repeatedly slamming into you.
Ellie's eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly upward, and her lips parted as insufficient, short breaths seep from them. Her hips started to falter from the endless abuse her clit was suffering behind the base of her strap, her boxers now a sticky, cold mess that stuck to her cunt and thighs.
She collapses on top of you, snugging herself between your legs to connect her lips to yours in a desperate effort, overpowering all your senses with her. She continues to fill you over and over again, both of you moaning in between breathless lips.
You wrapped her arms around her as her head hung low into your neck, digging your nails into the skin of her shoulder blades.
"El... mmhm- I'm gonna-" You babbled before biting your lip to silence the cry that was bubbling in the back of your throat, and Ellie wasn't far behind.
The pistoning motions of her hips turned into a grinding one- keeping a steady pace and rolling her hips forward, "M-me too- fuck... stay with me, yeah?" She said in between soft pants, the warmth of her breath brushing against your lips as her hand came up to gently but firmly wrap around your neck.
Ellie's head goes fuzzy as you looked up at her with your half-hooded gaze and your perfectly rosette lips that are just begging to be wrapped around something, so- she released the hold she had on your neck and brought her two fingers that were previously inside of you to your mouth.
She didn't even have to say anything for you to part your lips wider, slipping her fingers inside and rolling them over your tongue.
You moan, closing your lips around her as her fingers reach further back, causing tears to fall from the corner of your eyes.
"That's it-" She coaxed, her eyes focused on the split trailing down your chin,"-such a good girl."
She motioned her fingers in and out in a vulgar manner, bitting her bottom lip before pulling her fingers out all together to fist the bed sheets beside her.
"Fuckfuckfuck-oh my god-" She grunted incoherently, dropping her head to space between your neck and shoulder. Her forehead glistened with proof of her efforts as she rushed the pace to ease the itch between her legs.
You tightened your legs around her waist, pretty little noises falling on Ellie's ears as you both peak.
She rolls her hips- making it slow and deep until your voice grows tired and quiet before pushing her upper half away from you.
You wince at her absence, feeling your walls retract back to its original shape like the sand inside of an hourglass.
She plopped down beside you with an exaggerated sigh of exhaustion, pulling up the bottom of her tank top to wipe the slick/sweat mixture from her chin and nose, giving you a few seconds to admire her hardened stomach and prominent 'v' which lead your eyes down to the fake dick still standing high between her thighs.
She catches you looking, the corner of her lips tugging into a smirk as she lets out a low chuckle.
You meet her eyes, realizing you have been caught, which causes you to look away quickly, but her hand grabs yours.
"Gettin' shy on me now after all that?" She said, pulling at your hand to silently instruct you to get on top of her, so you did.
Her hands rub up and down your thighs, and her bottom lip snug between her teeth. She eyes your body, starting from your tits down to her cock that is resting against your lower stomach.
"Wanna do me a favor?" She asked, palming the fat of your thigh that spilled over the heels of your feet. You hummed at her- a sweet, genuine hum that was full of eagerness to assist her, which almost made Ellie feel bad for what she was about to say- key word almost.
"Put that pretty little mouth of yours to use and clean me up."
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a-little-unsteddie · 1 year ago
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stuck in your throat || a/b/o
hi so today is @lexirosewrites’s birthday today and like,, idk three or so weeks ago she followed me (hi lexi <3 happy birthday <3 hope today has been fun <3) and to celebrate both of those things i started writing an omegaverse fic, and i wanted it done by today but it is grew a mind of its’ own and now it’s much bigger than i thought it’d be so instead of the full fic, have a snippet <3
again, happy birthday lexi <3
“Hello?” Steve answered, having learned to not open the call with who was answering without knowing who was calling from one too many scam calls
“Is this Steve Harrington?” A soft feminine voice asked, taking Steve by surprise.
“May I ask who’s calling?” Steve asked, not willing to concede his identity until he knew it wasn’t someone looking to sell him ‘Alpha Pills’ or something just as ridiculous.
“Of course! My name is Chrissy Cunningham, you sent in an application for being a full time nanny and tutor?” She responded with a cheerful voice. “I can’t <i>really</i> go much more in depth without an NDA being signed.”
Recognition zapped through Steve’s body and he sat up in his seat. “Oh! Yes, I’m Steve. Um. I’d be happy to sign an NDA, just may I ask why?”
“Yes, you may! My client is a big fan of privacy and only agreed to hire someone if they were under an NDA for the protection of their pup.” aaand all of Steve’s anxiety surrounding the NDA pretty much melted away. Sure, maybe it was a bit much to do, and sure, now he was dying with curiosity to know just <i>who</i> he had ended up applying to, but the knowledge that the NDA was for the protection of the pup soothed any anxiety Steve had originally felt about signing an NDA. In fact, it kind of made his omega perk up. He shook off the feeling, focusing on Chrissy.
“That’s actually really relieving to hear,” Steve said with a laugh. “When or where can I sign the NDA?” he questioned, wondering when Robin would be home so he could tell her.
“Well, first, you and I will do a preliminary interview, just like any other job interview. Then, if all goes well, I’ll send you an email containing the NDA for you to review and sign,” Chrissy explained clearly and cheerfully. “After you sign the NDA, my client will perform an in-person interview and then we’ll go from there.”
“That all seems pretty straight forward so far,” Steve replied, standing from where he had been lounging on the couch. He walked to the kitchen, where he and Robin had put up a magnetic whiteboard calendar to fill with each of their schedules and plans. He grabbed the blue marker, his color, and prepared to jot down when they’d have the interview.
“Perfect! Happy to hear it,” Chrissy said with an audible smile.
“When will the interview with you be?” Steve asked, biting his lip as he stared at the calendar, which had sparsely been marked with his blue marker, even since starting this job hunt. Robin’s plans were in red, and was much more abundant due to having three part time jobs.
“Well, as soon as possible, really. If you’re available now, we could take care of it right away.” the woman responded, sounding like she was walking into another room.
“Oh!” Steve exclaimed, recapping the marker and returning it to the pen holder. “Yes, of course. I’m available now.”
“Perfect!” Chrissy’s voice sounded from Steve’s phone as the omega walked back to the living room and sat on the couch. “So, starting off pretty easy here, what made you apply for this position?”
Steve thought back and grimaced at the reminder that it was Robin who had submitted his application to this particular job. He wasn’t about to admit that, though, and quickly found a more appropriate response.
“Well, I love taking care of pups, and I just got my teacher’s license a month ago,” Steve explained, which wasn’t a lie, so he figured it was probably as good of an answer as any. “I also saw that this job traveled, and my best friend thought that it’d be good for me.”
“Yes, that was going to be part of this conversation, too. So, you’re obviously alright with the traveling, then?” Chrissy asked and Steve heard what he thought could be pen scratching as she wrote notes. He swallowed thickly, suddenly anxious about what she was writing. He decided to ignore his anxiety, even as his scent soured around him with it.
“Oh, yes, traveling is more than okay,” Steve agreed immediately, “but it’s more important to me that I’ll be taking care of a pup, if I’m honest.”
This statement seemed to pique Chrissy’s attention, as the writing stopped for a moment. “Why is that?” she eventually asked.
Steve winced, wondering if he should be up front about it or not. If Robin were here, she would insist that he was honest. He decided on a half-truth.
“I’ve always wanted pups, and a lot of them,” Steve admitted, fidgeting with a loose piece of thread on the couch. He switched which arm was holding the phone, as he had started to get a little sore from holding it up for so long. “But I don’t have a partner, so I can’t really have my own right now. I discovered through babysitting for one of my neighbors that I have a knack for taking care of pups.”
The scratching noise was back as Chrissy listened to his responses. Steve was nervous he wasn’t doing well, but figured that it wasn’t going bad if she wasn’t suddenly calling the interview short.
“Your resume says that you’re good in high stress situations,” Chrissy said after a couple seconds of silence as she wrote down whatever notes she was taking. Steve briefly wondered if he should be doing the same thing. “I’m going to give you an example scenario, and you’re going to tell me how you’d respond.”
“Sounds simple enough,” Steve agreed, trying not to let his voice betray how anxious he was.
“For the sake of simplicity, we’ll say the pup’s name is Rosie,” she informed him before she continued to describe the scenario. “You’re taking Rosie to the park, when suddenly there is a crowd of people surrounding you and you lose sight of her. What do you do?”
Steve thought the scenario was odd, but not ‘out there’ enough to alarm him. He thought about his answer for a moment before replying.
“I would try to follow her scent, first, because that will usually lead me to any pup I’ve babysat. If that doesn’t work, I will call out for her. If the situation is bad enough, I would contact the authorities, and either you or Rosie’s father.” he paused for a second before continuing, trying to make sure he covered all of his bases. “But honestly? If Rosie is small enough, I would have rather carried her once I saw the crowd, or hold her hand, for the reason of lowering my chances of separation.”
Silence that’s only broken up by the scratching of pen against paper followed, and Steve was suddenly anxious that he answered incorrectly. He answered what he would do if it were his own pup, but what if that wasn’t right? What if he wasn’t cut out for this job?
“Alright, next scenario,” Chrissy said, moving swiftly onto the next one without commenting on his answer; Steve didn’t know if he preferred her not acknowledging it or if he would prefer to be told his answer was shitty up front. The next few scenarios were just as oddly specific, but Steve answered them exactly as he did the first one. He tried to not overthink his answers too much because between each one there would be a stretch of time that Chrissy used to presumably write his answers down.
“One last question and then we should be good to move forward.” Chrissy said a good twenty minutes of questions later. “When would you be available to start working?”
Steve’s eyebrows raised, surprised that he was seemingly, maybe being offered the job. “Um—immediately. I would need time to pack, but other than that, I’m free.”
“Wonderful,” Chrissy said cheerfully. “Alright, now it’s your turn. Do you have any questions for me?”
Steve hummed, trying to go through his usual list of questions he asked during interviews that hadn't already been answered and came up empty. “Not at the moment, but I’ll make sure to write any I think of down, if I do.”
“Perfect! So, I will consult with my client, and I have a few other applicants that are interested, but so far, you are my top pick, but I don’t make the decisions,” Chrissy laughed, as if Steve was in on the joke. He laughed with her, not knowing what else he should have done. So, maybe not a job offer, but it sounded promising anyway. “I will be in contact in a few days, three at most.”
“Sounds good, thank you so much for considering me, Chrissy,” he responded with a smile, hoping to leave one last good impression.
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joachimnapoleon · 1 year ago
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My Napoleon Review
I really wanted to like this movie. When it was first announced, I was one of the people in our little community here with a hopefully-optimistic, wait-and-see approach. I wanted to love it the same way I loved Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven and other historical epics that, despite not being historically accurate, still managed to hook me with good storytelling, excellent casts, and memorable battle scenes and imagery. Ridley Scott's Napoleon has none of the above.
You know what I liked about it? The uniforms. The uniforms looked magnificent and were probably the most accurate aspect of the movie. Almost like Scott had help from historians, but that can't be the case, because Scott says he didn't actually need historians to make Napoleon.
What I was not expecting from this movie was to be bored. Yet that's what I was, for at least the first hour and a half. I'm honestly just perplexed by this even now. I don't know how it's actually possible to make the life of Napoleon Bonaparte so thoroughly uninspiring and dull, but Scott managed to pull it off.
To be fair, he was aided in this superhuman effort by Joaquin Phoenix. I never in my wildest dreams could've seen him doing such a poor job with his interpretation of Napoleon. But honestly, the fact that he's too old for the role actually ended up being the least of what I disliked about this performance, which was basically everything. The early reports coming out when the movie was still being produced about Phoenix putting a lot of effort into understanding Napoleon's psychology gave me what turned out to be a completely misguided hope. When you read descriptions of Napoleon from his contemporaries, you see an energetic, charismatic, vibrant being who exerted an almost inexplicable magnetism that drew people to him and inspired devotion and admiration, even among his critics. There is nothing even remotely inspiring, energetic, charismatic, or vibrant about Phoenix's grim, dour, monotoned Napoleon. He only ceases being grim and dour to become a clown, or to indicate to Josephine in some undignified manner that he is once again in need of sex (at one point he actually oinks repeatedly). In one scene he literally crawls under the dining room table towards her on all fours, while the embarrassed valets watch.
The relationship between Napoleon and Josephine is totally devoid of chemistry. Kirby's acting was fine, but she was given a trash script to work with. At one of their early meetings, Josephine flat-out spreads her legs in front of Napoleon, invites him to look down, and declares that once he sees what's down there, he'll never stop wanting it. It was the cringiest scene imaginable, and frankly an insult to the real Josephine's memory, as were the pathetic sex scenes. The scene of the official divorce is stripped of any dignity by Scott, who decided to have Josephine randomly chuckle at various points while reading her statement, and then made it even worse by having Napoleon actually slap her across the face.
Even the battle scenes were a joke for the most part, and that was the one area where I was certain this movie would shine. It's the usual fare of Side A charges across an open field at Side B, with no discernible tactics whatsoever. Napoleon yells "Send in the infantry!" Shortly after that, "Send in the cavalry!" Corps, regiments etc are just nonexistent; the armies are just big masses hurtling towards each other while the artillery blasts continuously. The Borodino battle scene lasts maybe two minutes and was just disappointing on every level, like damn near everything else in this movie.
Oh, remember that bit from one of the trailers of Napoleon charging headlong, saber drawn? That actually occurs during the Borodino scene. The battle during which real-life Napoleon was uncharacteristically lethargic (and possibly ill) and barely left his tent. And then to top it off, Scott also has Napoleon ride into the fray during the Waterloo scene, and start cutting English soldiers down with his saber like Mel Gibson's William Wallace in Braveheart. I almost fell out of my chair laughing.
The guy they cast to play Wellington appeared to be at least 60 years old. Christopher Plummer he was not. I'm actually planning to watch Waterloo sometime this weekend as a pallet-cleanser.
I imagine the eventual four hour director's cut Scott has spoken of will flesh the narrative out more, but I'm not even sure I'm interested in seeing it after this. I can only hope the rumored Spielberg HBO series on Napoleon will transpire and put in the effort that Scott was not willing to.
Well, the good news is that Rod Steiger is no longer my least favorite Napoleon.
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brian-in-finance · 2 months ago
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Thanks for the message, Anon. 😃
So… 18 links… 🤯. Tumblr wouldn’t let me post your message as “was,” so I followed the links, played a mean game of Copy & Paste and added some pics.
Reading through the reviews on Letterboxd to find the six you chose revealed a few things about the film no mainstream review I saw had revealed. Note to self: think carefully about the viewing company you keep.
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Caitríona Balfe from “Outlander” plays the boxer’s girlfriend Caitlin, who exists in a constant state of worry. Understandably. But it’s a dull part for a magnetic actress.
New York Post 8 September 2024
Caitlin (an excellent Caitríona Balfe of “Belfast” fame)… a movie that ultimately doesn’t quite add up to enough, especially when Balfe walks out for too long in the final act. See it for the cast, especially the three leads, but it’s more of a technical knockout than a stunning victory.
Roger Ebert 6 September 2024
Caitríona Balfe (“Belfast,” “Outlander”) can be an uncommonly grounded actress, and she and Bloom create a lived-in relationship that humanizes and creates real stakes for the pugilistic histrionics that surround it. His character’s lack of a name may position him as an everyman, but the little moments of their relationship – glances, raised eyebrows, tilted heads – give his couple a specificity and a shared history in a way exposition never could… film is bookended by quiet scenes between a man and a woman, by beautifully understated performances by Bloom and Balfe.
The Wrap 7 September 2024
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The boxer’s wife and business partner (Outlander’s Caitríona Balfe giving more than her role deserves)
The Guardian 6 September 2024
… wife, business partner, and one-time boxing manager, Caitlin (Caitríona Balfe, the film’s secret weapon).
The Playlist 6 September 2024
Despite a trio of knockout performances, The Cut is a lackluster boxing drama… (Caitríona) Balfe gives a thankless role her all as the lone woman in this boys' club. Caitlin has a dark past too, alluding to a struggle with addiction. But we never learn any of her past in detail despite numerous and repetitive flashbacks to Boxer's bleak childhood. Instead, it's left to Balfe to convey it all through Caitlin's stricken expressions and misplaced devotion to Boxer. She even gets a few moments to shine as a fighter herself, training Boxer for his fight before Boz takes over… Balfe is a sublime talent, but she deserves far better material that doesn't rely on her to make up for deficiencies in the writing… Because despite these three strong performances… The Cut has the potential to be something fresh and interesting with three particularly fine actors at its heart.
Entertainment Weekly 6 September 2024
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Caitríona Balfe and John Tuturo’s colliding performances gave the film a realistic edge, which makes the audience question their own morals.
Movie Scene Canada (Twitter) 6 September 2024
Caitríona Balfe is equally compelling as a supportive wife and coach to her boxer husband.
Movie Moves Me 6 September 2024
The Cut is it is one of few boxing films that gives the female lead a pivotal role that’s more than a love interest/nagging the fighter to quit. Caitríona Balfe is a tough-as-nails trainer who gets in the ring w/ Orlando & may throw a punch!
Flick Chick DC (Twitter) 5 September 2024
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(Caitríona) Balfe is fierce as Caitlin. She’s simultaneously supportive and a fighter. Her verbal spats with Boz are a treat, and she’s honestly the character who best balances strength and emotional maturity.
Screen Rant 7 September 2024
Caitríona Balfe was the main highlight, for me. It's difficult to pull off the role of voice of reason against the hell-bent protagonist without coming off as annoying or making it feel like they're just slowing the story down, but she killed it.
Reddit 6 September 2024
(Caitríona) Balfe (and John) Turturro.. are never less than engaging and believable in their side parts.
IndieWire 5 September 2024
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Bloom… gives a great, dedicated, and physically challenging performance — as does the wonderful Caitríona Balfe
Bloom promised us all a stiff drink for enduring this movie and I think that says a lot. (Caitríona) Balfe was great.
The cast is phenomenal. Turturro is marvelous as The Boss, pushing our fighters to their literal breaking point. (Caitríona) Balfe gives a heart wrenching performance of a former addict watching their partner fall into their own addiction.
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I think Caitlin's character gets a little bit lost, and she was such a great part of the movie, I wish they did a little bit more with her.
Orlando Bloom and John Turturro are very good but I really think the star is Caitríona Balfe!! She was very underutilized.
Performances are good, especially Orlando's and Caitríona Balfe's. To me she was the standout.
Letterboxd 5 & 6 September 2024
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Remember… what distinguishes modern art from the art of other ages is criticism. — Octavio Paz
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kellyvela · 1 month ago
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How is Joan? Is it considered successful or not?
I think it is a success.
Comments on Twitter are vastly positive. You can read some here:
The first episode won over the BBC show airing at the same time.
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The papers and magazine reviews are vastly positive as well, and even the ones that are negative, about the script for example, praise Sophie's acting despite their critics.
The Daily Mail gave it 5 stars:
Collider praises Sophie with these words:
Given that the real Joan Hannington's reputation was the talk of the time, with her even being nicknamed "The Godmother," this series' mission seems to be showing an alternate side to the woman who made headlines. What was she like when not in the middle of a scheme? The TV drama is able to deliver on this by relying on a compelling performance from Turner. The actress, who has played minor roles in projects like the X-Men franchise and Netflix's Do Revenge, successfully explores multiple facets of her character in this series. Turner captures Joan's vulnerability when it comes to proving herself to social services, her motherly instincts whenever she is granted the right to visit her daughter, and her cleverness when it comes to pulling off high-risk heists.
Turner's level of dedication to the part shines throughout the entire plot of Joan, showing that she is more than capable of embracing any genre, from an action-packed Marvel production to a noir drama like this. If it weren't for the emotions she conveys onscreen beyond her lines, Joan wouldn't successfully have showcased its lead's underlying motivation of fulfilling her dream of being in a picture-perfect family. Although her actions consequently draw her away from her goal, we can believe that Joan becomes immersed in the crime world for a deeper reason.
[...] Yet, the production does function as a testament of Turner's ability to take on meaty lead roles, and the character's stunning wardrobe will surely make you wish you could steal it.
~~~
The Times gave it 4 stars:
Turner’s main achievement in this role is making the multilayered Hannington real, human and believable, not just a one-note “rough diamond with a heart”. Turner is famous for her role as Sansa Stark in Game of Thrones, but this performance is surely a career-best.
You could absolutely believe that Joan was a loving mother of a little girl and quite a hard-faced criminal. You could believe she was a woman used and abused by men, but also willing to make victims of others (wealthy “others”). That she was poor and vulnerable, but also had rhino-hide resilience.
[...] But Turner steals every scene with a magnetic performance, such as when the pervy jewellery shop manager tried it on with her and she cleverly swerved him by pretending she had “the painters in’’, or when she swallowed loose diamonds on impulse and she later retrieved them in the bathroom with the help of, er, a sieve. Let’s not dwell too long on the mechanics of that.
~~~
More from the Sunday Times:
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~~~
More praise to Sophie:
As for Turner, I could watch her forever. In part, it’s her face: the cheekbones that make you think of bone-handled knives. Whether from Etam or Harrods, the clobber suits her. And boy, she can act. Hannington was a notorious shape-shifter – a brilliant impersonator – and Turner has a way with voices, layering poshness on top of light cockney just thinly enough for the audience to feel nervous, jeopardy trailing her character like Dior Poison.
She looks to me like she’s having the time of her life, and who can blame her? What a jewel of a role: a diamond as big as the Ritz.
~~~
From The Guardian:
Sophie Turner is spectacular as notorious real-life jewel thief Joan Hannington in this slick 80s-set drama. The six-parter starts with devoted mother Joan reluctantly giving her daughter up to social services after underworld bosses come for her abusive husband. Determined to get her kid back, she uses her glamour, charm and sharp mind to build a new life – starting with taking a job in a jeweller’s that specialises in diamonds.
~~~
From Radio Times, read the last part about Sophie:
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More positive comments:
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From Tatler Magazine:
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From New Zeland Magazine Flicks:
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~~~
And the list continues . . . .
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tarotwithavi · 4 months ago
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rock-and-roll-hell · 11 months ago
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December 22, 1977
Alive II Tour
The Spectrum - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
From a local review: "KIϟϟ does not need songs to be an exciting stage act. The foursome, which is ranked at the top of the rock pile, has blazed a path in the musical world with its outlandish garb and hard-driving rock music. It's set records which put it in a league with the Beatles as far as audience appeal is concerned. Last night was another example of the group's drawing power. It sold out the Spectrum - a claimed attendance of 15,500 persons - many weeks in advance of the performance. And the performance itself... the music was passable, but the staging and the theatrics were the equal to any legitimate stage production. KIϟϟ has admitted in the past that its music is not its strongest point. The four have become competent musicians during the long years they have spent touring and playing together but they are far from being super musicians. The draw of KIϟϟ is its features four average musicians who are above-average actors. Not only actors but technicians in the art of generating a crowd magnetism. Last night's staging for the group's concert fell somewhere between the futuristic and the fantastic. The group played from a multi-level stage. It opened with guitarists Paul Stanley and Ace Frehley and bassist Gene Simons standing on platforms above the stage level. Drummer Peter Criss was on a platform of his own which remained more or less on one level throughout the show but even the drummer's platform was rigged for some exciting activity. As the band started to play, the upper platforms of the guitarists and bass player began to move toward stage level through their hydraulic systems and the stage simultaneously was layered with fog, blazed by a multitude of lights and was resounding with the after-shocks of planned stage explosions. The chrome and glass stage never ceased to be a marvel with its intricate lighting and design. A snake, coiled around a pole, would alternately spew fog and fire over the stage. Sections of the stage would rise 10-feet-or-more above its base to accentuate a band member's solo. Guitars exploded, lights flashed, confetti rained from above, blood flowed... there never was a point during the concert when the audience even could think of being bored. If anything, it was more like a three-ring circus and if you did not watch the show closely, you stood the chance of missing one of its more subtle nuances, although subtlety was a rarity. If the staging, pyrotechnics and related stage business does not sound flashy enough, you still have to take into consideration the costuming of the group. The members never have been pictured out of makeup. On stage, Criss is a whiskered feline; Simmons is a lizard with a long snaking tongue; Frehley is a surrealistic spaceman, and Stanley, the on-stage group leader, is the star-eyed sex symbol with an exposed hairy chest. They all dress in black, with silver accents, and wear platformed shoes of nose-bleed proportions. During the course of the show, all of the group members, with the exception of Criss, took the band's helm for solo vocals. If it seems that this review is giving the music second-billing to the show, it is because the music was secondary to the show. KIϟϟ will continue to draw astronomical numbers to its concerts as long as it, too remembers, music is not its primary message -- the show's the thing" (Bucks Co. Courier Times, 12/23/77).
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seat-safety-switch · 1 year ago
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The Mafia of Incompetence is out to get me, and not even for the first time this week. There’s all kinds of reasons these non-aligned dimbulb thugs wish me harm, but chief among them is my insistence that I must always receive my RockAuto magnets.
Perhaps you are unfamiliar. You see, RockAuto is a modern e-commerce corporation. It exists as sort of amorphous blob. Old-school parts warehouses, retail operations, and liquidators go out of business all the time. RockAuto scoops up those car parts and sells them over the internet. One of the things they include with every order is at least one small, rectangular refrigerator magnet, of another freak's car.
Time was, you could count on four things in life: gravity, death, taxes, and RockAuto magnets showing up with your order. Now, fewer than that many things are true. Border patrol has been getting increasingly sticky-fingered around my part of the world, and I'll often have a RockAuto package show up with different tape on it, missing all of its packing material and – critically – the magnet.
I've complained to my local political representative, using virtually the same words as I'm speaking to you now. They ignored me, because they have real problems to solve (what caviar to pair with which wine, how to give a larger tax break than 100% to oil companies.) I had to take matters into my own hands. Contrary to popular belief, a background check for the federal government is really easy to fake. Soon, I was the government's newest parcel snoop.
That's where I met my then-coworker, now-friend, Shaky Tim. You see, he was the one stealing the magnets. I caught him red handed my first day. When all the other border guards went to lunch, he stayed behind and hacked open a bunch of the RockAuto packages. His desk at work was laden with the things, a cascading pile many inches thick of gleaming hot-rods, warm-rods, and even cold-rods.
Ethically, I was in a bit of a pickle. Reporting him to my "superiors" would stop the flow of my magnets into his pockets, but it would result in no other benefit to myself. Ignoring him was out of the question: my refrigerator still had at least a few square inches of empty space on its fascia. When in doubt, make like King Solomon: we decided to split the booty. I wouldn't report him, and he'd punch my time card for me and come by with a shopping bag full of magnets every weekend.
We've been doing this for a few years now, and everything was going great. My boss had been giving me glowing performance reviews, based entirely on my ability to not embarrassingly fuck up at work. And my pension was fattening nicely. Unfortunately, Shaky Tim was the weak point in the whole apparatus. He had a crisis of conscience, and quit the government altogether rather than admit his horrible crime. Doing so backed up the entire works: all the remaining border guards were not nearly as motivated to process RockAuto packages quickly. I didn't get my new Mikuni carb floats for, like, a whole week.
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writermai05 · 7 months ago
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Arsonist's Lullabye
Chapter 5: Life’s distractions 
Summary: The gang gets together to watch Toph's power disc game!
Pairing: Zuko x fem! reader (Live Action or Animated) 
A/N: Not gonna lie, I only skimmed over this to review. We die like men. Anyways, I wonder what will happen next! (Not actually though, as I already have it planned out LOL) As always feel free to leave comments or constructive feedback, as it helps me grow. 
Word Count: 1,692
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Avatar: The Last Airbender, I am merely a nerd who hyperfixates a lot. Lots of divergence from the canon story lol. 
Warnings !: None I think. 
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The excitement in the atmosphere sent a buzz down your spine. 
The bus to the power disc arena was pretty short, 10 minutes at the most. Katara had insisted on doing your makeup for the festivities. Aang and Sokka had gotten custom varsity jackets with Toph’s jersey number, 1. You remembered the day at lunch, a mere matter of days ago, in which Sokka had tried guessing Toph’s number, without any success. 
“It’s 1! Man, you suck at guessing.” Toph exclaimed. 
“What!? That’s not reserved for like, the captain of the team, or whatever?”
“No, Sokka. Jersey numbers are so that the announcers can know who’s playing. They’re not based on who’s the best. I chose my own number.”
“So why did you pick one?” Aang asked. 
Toph shrugged, lifting her chin. “Because I’m the best, obviously.” 
You and Katara had packed bags full, just in case anything happened. You didn’t really need half of the things, (in what world would you need sunscreen in fall?), but you never were the type to come unprepared, even for fun school events like this one. You chose a spot under the shaded area of the bleachers, saving seats for the others who would join shortly. Sokka said that Suki and a couple of her friends would be joining them after the band and color guard performed, and Aang had mentioned something in passing about another one of his friends sitting with the group as well. 
You sat on the end, bag saving a little extra space, Aang and Katara on your left. Sokka sat in the row below, legs on the metal seats as well. You basked in the warmth while you could, as the cool autumn air was sure to take over eventually. The band was warming up on the other side of the arena, and if you looked closely enough, you could see Suki in the Kyoshi warrior garb. 
“When is your friend coming, Aang?” you had asked inquisitively. 
The look on Aang’s face was almost unreadable. He looked apprehensive, maybe a little bashful?
“He’s almost here…” Weird, vague, answer. But hey, who were you to judge?
“Alright…Well, I wanted to get some snacks. Anyone want to come?”
Katara shot up, placing her bag down. “I’ll go! We need to get the good stuff, because Sokka always insists on getting cotton candy, and I would much rather get some seaweed cookies.” 
“Cotton candy is good!” You grimaced at the thought. Wind and some overpriced sugar on a stick was not a great pairing. 
“I’m gonna have to agree with Katara on this one.” 
“Y/n, You always agree with Katara-”
“As she should!” Katara responded, taking your arm in hers, and dragging you down the stairs of the bleachers to the food stalls. 
The pair of you giggled as you waited for your food. There was something about Katara that had such a magnetic pull. Like as if she herself was a force of nature, and not in a water bending master kind of way. Katara’s kindness was like the gentle spray of salt water, refreshing, and uplifting to the one’s around her. With the dichotomy of this passionate, sassy, woman, combined with the kind and motherly girl, you had become quite fond of her in the short amount of time. 
Grabbing your seaweed cookies, you made your way back to your spot, but not before Katara halted in her tracks. 
“What is he doing here?” She had asked, but not before storming off, straight where you guys sat. It took you a second to see what she had seen. Squinting in the direction of your spots, you saw Aang, Sokka, and a familiar boy with jet black hair, in a black bomber jacket, red sweater, and black jeans. Zuko.
~
Zuko called it. This was indeed a bad idea. 
“What are you doing here?” Sokka had asked, standing up straight.
“Sokka it’s okay-”
“No Aang! It’s not okay. Why are you here?”
“Sokka, I invited him here!” 
“You what?” Sokka cried out. 
Zuko turned to face Aang. “You didn’t tell anyone I’d be coming?” He asked, exasperated. 
Zuko felt a hand grab his shoulder, turning his body away from the other boys. 
“Why are you talking to us?” asked Katara. 
“I Invited him!” 
“Why??” She seethed. 
In the distance, he watched as Y/n ran, seemingly carrying a bag of what he assumed were snacks. 
“Maybe I should just go-”
“Yes!” “No!” Aang and Katara exclaimed at the same time. 
Y/n finally made it back to the bleachers. Out of breath, and still holding the snacks. 
“Hey guys! Maybe we should work this out a little quieter, preferably before the band plays.” She huffed out. Zuko almost smiled at the sight of her, all red in the face. 
Katara puffed out a breath of annoyance, taking her seat beside Aang once again. Sokka followed suit, sitting down and turning his body to face them. Y/n handed the cookies off to Aang, sitting down. Like she had done before in class, Y/n moved her bag away from next to her, instead placing it on the ground in front of her, patting the now empty spot and signaling for him to take a seat next to her.  Zuko breathed in, in an attempt to calm himself down. 
“I know I was a dick in the past. And I know saying sorry won’t fix it all. But, I wanted to let you all know how sorry I am…start somewhere small.” He looked down, rubbing his rough hands together anxiously. 
The silence was palpable. 
“He already apologized to me. I invited him so that we could hopefully move past everything.” Aang said. 
Sokka sighed. “Look, if Aang is cool with you, then I guess it’s fine. That doesn’t mean I’m going to just, like you right away.”
“I understand.” 
Katara stayed silent, staring at Zuko with a cold gaze. She turned away, facing the field. 
“The band is about to perform.” She muttered. 
Immediately, all attention was off of Zuko and onto the field. The music of the band blasting through the air. The way that the color guard spun and threw their fans was hypnotizing. Zuko’s mind was elsewhere, drifting away. The far away look in his eyes coming back as he dissociated. Before he knew it the band was done, and the crowd was cheering, roaring in approval of their show.
Suddenly Zuko felt the warmth of someone’s touch in his left hand. He looked down as you squeezed his hand, a silent questioning of “Are you okay?” Your eyes were locked on the retreating members of the university band. He squeezed back twice. “I’m okay.” He had meant in reply. While he kept his gaze downcast, you looked out of the corner of your eye to check on him. The scars on his hand that you had felt before were like sunshine warming your palms with its embrace. You let go shortly after, not in any rush. 
As the band and color guard members came into the stands you spotted Suki, still in uniform, but all makeup wiped off. Behind her stood a shorter girl with long hair put up in a braided ponytail, and a girl who was not in uniform with jet black hair in space buns, and a normal black sweater and jeans
“Suki! That was amazing!” You called out to her. Sokka immediately jumped up from his seat, wrapping his arms around his girlfriend in a giddy, almost childlike way. He littered her face with many pecks, making Suki smile. She gently grabbed his face, kissing his cheek. 
“Thank you, Y/n. These are my friends, Ty Lee and Mai. Ty Lee and I are both in the colorguard but Mai plays clarinet in the marching band.” 
Zuko’s reverie came to an end at the familiar names. He looked up to face the two girls in which he once knew. 
“Zuko? Is that you?” Ty Lee asked, eyes widening in excitement. Mai simply raised her eyebrows. 
The gang turned to look at the three of them.
This was going to be a long game. 
~
It was kind of funny how you all know nothing about sports. Especially power disc, as nobody was aware of the fact that only two people at a time would be playing. As you all waited for Toph’s turn to play, the gang took turns asking questions and genuinely getting 
“So how do you guys know each other?” Suki asked curiously.
“We all grew up in Imperial City. Mai’s father and Zuko’s father worked together, and I went to school with Mai and Zuko’s sister.” Ty Lee responded. 
Zuko perked up when he heard the name of his little sister. 
“How is Azula?” He asked. 
Azula? As in Azula from your sociology lectures Azula? Maybe it was just a coincidence. 
“Yeah..She’s-”
“We haven’t spoken to her since senior year.” Mai interrupted. 
“Oh. Why?’ Zuko asked. He was confused, considering the three of them were attached at the hip when he was still living in the fire nation. 
“Well, you know, she can be a little abrasive-”
“She was being a bad friend. Constantly berating Ty Lee, and I had enough of her stuck-up bullshit.”
Okay, so perhaps it was indeed the Azula from your class. But why would Zuko not know details about his own sister? Why wouldn’t he know that they literally go to the same university?
“Next up on the field we have player number 1, Toph Beifong from the University of Ba Sing Se!” 
“Wait, everyone Shut up! It’s Toph’s turn to play now!” Katara exclaimed. Everyone quickly hushed up, waiting excitedly for Toph to come out. 
Although they were excited to watch Toph play, questions filled you and Zuko’s heads. Where is Azula? Is she okay now? If Zuko Mai, and Ty Lee grew up together then do they know what happened to him? Why did he move away? How did he get that damn scar?
As Toph absolutely dominated her opponent in the round of power disc, You and Zuko were left with more questions unanswered. 
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quinnfebrey · 1 month ago
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Hi! How was the show? Like is it good being an updated version? Did it work well? What are the songs? How were the performances?
hi!! it was amazing!! i paid $180 and i can say that if i lived in nyc i would definitely pay to watch it again from different angles!! it’s a circular theater and would honestly feel like a brand new production just from a different seat
romeo and juliet is so widely known and so trope-infused that, at least to me, it can feel like a drag to watch sometimes? like, i have at least 30% of it close to memorized, and i’m not a shakespeare connoisseur by any means, it’s just that known. i think that revivals of plays like r+j are best judged based on whether they are able to breathe new life into the story, and i can say that this one absolutely did
overall:
the staging and lighting is SO magnetic and engaging. there is a lot of audience interaction and full use of the entire room, not just the stage. the actors constantly moved around, engaged with the audience, climbed up and lowered down. the staging was entertaining and fresh, and i felt more absorbed than i ever have in a stage version of r+j. the modernization was fresh without being forced, and i absolutely love how this version REALLY brought out the humor, which i found was perfect at making the lines more digestible on first listen and also lessening the This Is Sad energy
performances:
rachel zegler: when r+j bway was announced, i was one of many severely disappointed that rachel’s broadway debut was not going to be a singing role, but *spoiler* she sings twice in this version and is fantastic both times. she plays juliet’s youthful determination very well, and her diction is incredible. amazing chemistry with kit. i think misogyny and trope creation often waters down juliet to just a Girl In Love but this one was far more than that. you truly feel like she has her own agency and maturity without either of those things taking away the devastation of her youth. rachel was born for the stage, i NEED her to be the next eurydice and would fly back to nyc just for that if she did
kit connor: i haven’t seen heartstopper outside of the “hi” “hi” memes so i was a little nervous about whether i could take kit seriously but he absolutely killed it. he brings so much humor to romeo in a way that accentuates his youth and makes his naivety and impulsivity far less irritating. romeo is too often played seriously through and through and to me it makes him unlikeable and unsympathetic. kit leaned into a softer, funnier side that worked very very well. he has a voice made to deliver shakespeare and a great stage presence, i would honestly love to see him in more plays
tommy dorfman: double cast as the nurse and tybalt, i found tommy more enjoyable as tybalt. the nurse was played a little bit too young but i think that might have been done to make it more obvious when she was the nurse and when she was tybalt. i love the inflections she put into her lines in both roles, and even if i didn’t vibe with her nurse i think that is more a personal opinion than a review of her talent, and if you DO vibe then you will probably LOVE it
gabby beans: double cast as the friar and mercutio, i thought she did a great job adapting the integrity of the shakespeare to a modern interpretation. i did find her friar a little bit unmemorable and will remember her as mercutio with more specificity
sola fadiran: double cast as capulet/lady capulet he was AMAZING. those are generally just exposition roles (in my opinion) but he did a fantastic job at bringing more to it. particularly the scene where capulet tells juliet she is going to marry paris, the starkness between his two roles is so apparent and such a mark of talent
taheen modak: such a fresh benvolio, this role needs perfect chemistry with romeo and he absolutely had it. they were just bros being dudes and i found all of their interactions so so good, touching when necessary and funny when possible. i think that benvolio can sometimes be seen as just Romeo’s Friend but this one was truly his own character
the music: it was good but jack antonoff is really only capable of making one song so it kind of sounded like romeo and juliet with midnights instrumental in the background lol. which isn’t to say it was bad, but it was very Jack in a way that i wish it felt more anonymous
tldr:
so so good! must see if you’re in nyc. worth the trip if you are a shakespeare, rachel, or kit fan. go in with an open mind and be ready to feel more engaged than you probably ever have watching shakespeare
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denimbex1986 · 17 days ago
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'...1. Andrew Scott - Sherlock (2010–2017)
Scott is often singled out as the definitive Moriarty
Andrew Scott as Moriarty in Sherlock was unlike anything viewers had seen in the villain up to that point and will likely heavily inspire up-and-coming actors who take on the role. Both younger and more vibrant than the usual actors cast as Moriarty, Scott was the perfect foil to the calm and collected Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock. The BBC Sherlock made them two sides of the same coin, allowing Scott to be explosive and dynamic onscreen while Cumberbatch kept his cool.
Scott's performance revolutionized the concept of Moriarty as a character and is one of the roles that the actor is best known for. Had more seasons revolved around the game of cat-and-mouse between Sherlock and Moriarty, Sherlock might have maintained its gushing reviews into the later seasons. However, even if the contemporary Sherlock Holmes adaptation isn't to everyone's taste, Scott's ability to make Moriarty both the scariest and most magnetic he's ever been onscreen is reason enough to watch the series.'
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a-little-unsteddie · 11 months ago
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stuck in your throat || 1.2
1.1 | [here] | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5
if this seems familiar, it is because this contains part of the initial preview, if not all of it. next part will have all new content and be nearly as long as this one! woo! i’m pretty sure there’s 5 parts to chapter one, but i may be wrong, so i’ll correct it if necessary later.
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The next few days passed in a blur of submitting applications and answering calls from random numbers, hoping that it was one of the places he applied to and not some scam call trying to get money out of him. It happened more than Steve thought it would, but unfortunately it did not surprise him, given he usually had unknown callers blocked.
“Hello?” Steve answered, having learned to not open the call with who was answering without knowing who was calling from one too many scam calls
“Is this Steve Harrington?” A soft feminine voice asked, taking Steve by surprise.
“May I ask who’s calling?” Steve asked, not willing to concede his identity until he knew it wasn’t someone looking to sell him ‘Alpha Pills’ or something just as ridiculous.
“Of course! My name is Chrissy Cunningham, you sent in an application for being a full time nanny and tutor?” She responded with a cheerful voice. “I can’t really go much more in depth without an NDA being signed.”
Recognition zapped through Steve’s body and he sat up in his seat. “Oh! Yes, I’m Steve. Um. I’d be happy to sign an NDA, just may I ask why?”
“Yes, you may! My client is a big fan of privacy and only agreed to hire someone if they were under an NDA for the protection of their pup.” aaand all of Steve’s anxiety surrounding the NDA pretty much melted away. Sure, maybe it was a bit much to do, and sure, now he was dying with curiosity to know just who he had ended up applying to, but the knowledge that the NDA was for the protection of the pup soothed any anxiety Steve had originally felt about signing an NDA. In fact, it kind of made his omega perk up. He shook off the feeling, focusing on Chrissy.
“That’s actually really relieving to hear,” Steve said with a laugh. “When or where can I sign the NDA?” he questioned, wondering when Robin would be home so he could tell her.
“Well, first, you and I will do a preliminary interview, just like any other job interview. Then, if all goes well, I’ll send you an email containing the NDA for you to review and sign,” Chrissy explained clearly and cheerfully. “After you sign the NDA, my client will perform an in-person interview and then we’ll go from there.”
“That all seems pretty straight forward so far,” Steve replied, standing from where he had been lounging on the couch. He walked to the kitchen, where he and Robin had put up a magnetic whiteboard calendar to fill with each of their schedules and plans. He grabbed the blue marker, his color, and prepared to jot down when they’d have the interview.
“Perfect! Happy to hear it,” Chrissy said with an audible smile.
“When will the interview with you be?” Steve asked, biting his lip as he stared at the calendar, which had sparsely been marked with his blue marker, even since starting this job hunt. Robin’s plans were in red, and was much more abundant due to having three part time jobs.
“Well, as soon as possible, really. If you’re available now, we could take care of it right away.” the woman responded, sounding like she was walking into another room.
“Oh!” Steve exclaimed, recapping the marker and returning it to the pen holder. “Yes, of course. I’m available now.”
“Perfect!” Chrissy’s voice sounded from Steve’s phone as the omega walked back to the living room and sat on the couch. “So, starting off pretty easy here, what made you apply for this position?”
Steve thought back and grimaced at the reminder that it was Robin who had submitted his application to this particular job. He wasn’t about to admit that, though, and quickly found a more appropriate response.
“Well, I love taking care of pups, and I just got my teacher’s license a month ago,” Steve explained, which wasn’t a lie, so he figured it was probably as good of an answer as any. “I also saw that this job traveled, and my best friend thought that it’d be good for me.”
“Yes, that was going to be part of this conversation, too. So, you’re obviously alright with the traveling, then?” Chrissy asked and Steve heard what he thought could be pen scratching as she wrote notes. He swallowed thickly, suddenly anxious about what she was writing. He decided to ignore his anxiety, even as his scent soured around him with it.
“Oh, yes, traveling is more than okay,” Steve agreed immediately, “but it’s more important to me that I’ll be taking care of a pup, if I’m honest.”
This statement seemed to pique Chrissy’s attention, as the writing stopped for a moment. “Why is that?” she eventually asked.
Steve winced, wondering if he should be up front about it or not. If Robin were here, she would insist that he was honest. He decided on a half-truth.
“I’ve always wanted pups, and a lot of them,” Steve admitted, fidgeting with a loose piece of thread on the couch. He switched which arm was holding the phone, as he had started to get a little sore from holding it up for so long. “But I don’t have a partner, so I can’t really have my own right now. I discovered through babysitting for one of my neighbors that I have a knack for taking care of pups.”
The scratching noise was back as Chrissy listened to his responses. Steve was nervous he wasn’t doing well, but figured that it wasn’t going bad if she wasn’t suddenly calling the interview short.
“Your resume says that you’re good in high stress situations,” Chrissy said after a couple seconds of silence as she wrote down whatever notes she was taking. Steve briefly wondered if he should be doing the same thing. “I’m going to give you an example scenario, and you’re going to tell me how you’d respond.”
“Sounds simple enough,” Steve agreed, trying not to let his voice betray how anxious he was.
“For the sake of simplicity, we’ll say the pup’s name is Rosie,” she informed him before she continued to describe the scenario. “You’re taking Rosie to the park, when suddenly there is a crowd of people surrounding you and you lose sight of her. What do you do?”
Steve thought the scenario was odd, but not ‘out there’ enough to alarm him. He thought about his answer for a moment before replying.
“I would try to follow her scent, first, because that will usually lead me to any pup I’ve babysat. If that doesn’t work, I will call out for her. If the situation is bad enough, I would contact the authorities, and either you or Rosie’s father.” he paused for a second before continuing, trying to make sure he covered all of his bases. “But honestly? If Rosie is small enough, I would have rather carried her once I saw the crowd, or hold her hand, for the reason of lowering my chances of separation.”
Silence that’s only broken up by the scratching of pen against paper followed, and Steve was suddenly anxious that he answered incorrectly. He answered what he would do if it were his own pup, but what if that wasn’t right? What if he wasn’t cut out for this job?
“Alright, next scenario,” Chrissy said, moving swiftly onto the next one without commenting on his answer; Steve didn’t know if he preferred her not acknowledging it or if he would prefer to be told his answer was shitty up front. The next few scenarios were just as oddly specific, but Steve answered them exactly as he did the first one. He tried to not overthink his answers too much because between each one there would be a stretch of time that Chrissy used to presumably write his answers down.
“One last question and then we should be good to move forward.” Chrissy said a good twenty minutes of questions later. “When would you be available to start working?”
Steve’s eyebrows raised, surprised that he was seemingly, maybe being offered the job. “Um—immediately. I would need time to pack, but other than that, I’m free.”
“Wonderful,” Chrissy said cheerfully. “Alright, now it’s your turn. Do you have any questions for me?”
Steve hummed, trying to go through his usual list of questions he asked during interviews that hadn't already been answered and came up empty. “Not at the moment, but I’ll make sure to write any I think of down, if I do.”
“Perfect! So, I will consult with my client, and I have a few other applicants that are interested, but so far, you are my top pick, but I don’t make the decisions,” Chrissy laughed, as if Steve was in on the joke. He laughed with her, not knowing what else he should have done. So, maybe not a job offer, but it sounded promising anyway. “I will be in contact in a few days, three at most.”
“Sounds good, thank you so much for considering me, Chrissy,” he responded with a smile, hoping to leave one last good impression.
The line went dead, and Steve was left sitting on his couch, staring blankly at the tv, which was frozen on some dumb reality show that he had put on to fill the silence before he’d gotten the call. He wanted to jump up and dance around, but ultimately decided he would wait until he could do it with Robin.
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tag list: @marklee-blackmore @paintsplatteredandimperfect @steddie-as-they-go @disrespectedgoatman @lingeringmirth @hyperfixated-on-stuff @swimmingbirdrunningrock @littlewildflowerkitten @sani-86 @thegingerrapunzel @adventures-in-mangaland @missingmalfoy1 @yellowdevilkitten @extra-transitional @queen-stevie @stevesbipanic @crypticcorvidinacottage
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vital-information · 5 months ago
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When I say Fourth Nattawat’s performance in My School President (2022) recalls Zac Efron in High School Musical, it’s not just a genre connection between two high school musical romances; I mean that Fourth evokes a sincere charisma and presence that a select few actors can bring to the the screen. It’s exhilarating, undeniable, and has little to with crafting their character. What matters is that these performances seem to compel us to watch and care. A star is born, as they say.
Roger Ebert wrote about it in his review for the comedy Nine to Five in which Dolly Parton made her debut, “Nine to Five is a good-hearted, simple-minded comedy that will win a place in film history, I suspect, primarily because it contains the movie debut of Dolly Parton. She is, on the basis of this one film, a natural-born movie star, a performer who holds our attention so easily that it's hard to believe it's her first film. There have been other debuts this unmistakable; you could name Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, John Travolta. And what you'd be talking about in each case would not necessarily be a great dramatic performance in an important movie. You'd be talking about a quality of presence, a personal life force that seems to take over the screen.” I remember watching East Siders with friends once—a show I found to be cheap-looking with lots of stilted performances, but the air on set and in the living room in which I was watching the show seemed to change when Constance Wu walked on. It was almost as if she had brought her own lighting designer the way your face was drawn to her as her character barreled through the set. Like her, Fourth, playing the dumb but deeply genuine Gun (the type of character Channing Tatum specializes in), evoked such raw magnetism and vulnerability that it raised the quality of the whole show. This is the presence of a movie star.
It’s just so thrilling to see this kind of performance emerge in the BL scene, as well. Plenty of other actors on these shows are doing fantastic work, and the writing is easily beginning to compare to Euro-American work (I’d say besting them in many ways as far as depicting and thematically orienting toward queer life). An actor with the kind of presence Fourth has really brings more potential for broad crossover appeal so all of this work can be more broadly recognized and appreciated.
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hjnxx · 7 months ago
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RANKING&REVIEW! HIJINXX - MAKE YOU CRY
WRITTEN AND PUBLISHED BY HEARTSFORYUI ON STARSHOOT, OCTOBER 11TH 2021
so i’m sitting here. 3 am, hair a mess, running on 1.5 hours of sleep. here to review the song that locked me into the hijinxx fanbase for the rest of my life.
make you cry is so. as a fan of synths and sci-fi sounds and the futuristic concept. this drew me in like a MAGNET. the slightest strangeness to it?? it’s like a snake waiting to pounce on its prey, sinking its teeth into its next prey with the chorus. in love with it. i need this song injected into my veins.
when listening to their previous release mascara, it almost feels like. a get back? if you weren’t in the right spaces, mascara was intensely hated on. so lyrics like ‘now it’s my time to feel alive’ and ‘no, i don’t care, every day, facing the pain’ hit a lot different. to me, make you cry is an indirect response to the hate they got. of course they’re not gonna say fuck you outright, so. terribly sorry to the fictional you in the song. pfft.
the music video is gorgeous, too. the TRON inspiration was immediate to me. when i tell you i jumped out of my BED. tron is one of my favorite sci-fi movies ever so to see that incorporated in a music video hooked me bad. whatever their company is doing… keep it up. i’m sat.
the motorcycle scenes brought a real tear to my eyes. giving the creative director a fat kiss on the lips. now on to the review.
VOCALS -> 9
RAP -> 0
DANCE -> 8.5
PRODUCTION -> 9
LONGEVITY -> 10
MUSIC VIDEO -> 10
STAGE PERFORMANCE -> 10
BIAS -> 9
TOTAL -> 8.1
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the-celluloid-correspondent · 7 months ago
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Challengers: Everything in Life is Tennis, Including Sex. A Review
Tashi, a former tennis prodigy turned coach, turned her husband into a champion. But to overcome a losing streak, he needs to face his ex-best friend and Tashi's ex-boyfriend.
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Have you ever met someone who makes their entire personality about a single thing and devotes their entire life to it? And what happens when three of these people who are obsessed with tennis get stuck in a sizzling love triangle? Ladies and gentlemen may I present to you Luca  Guadgnino’s Challengers. A dazzling and smoking-hot romance that will turn everyone on. 
We follow Art Donaldson (Mike Faist), a former tennis champion who has hit his thirties-slump after a string of injuries and losses. Tashi Duncan (Zendaya), his coach, and his wife sign him up for a minor league Challenger, to boost his confidence. However, emotions and sexual tensions rise as Art’s former best friend and Tashi’s ex-boyfriend, Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor) signs up for the competition as well while cosplaying as a starving artist tennis player who is down on his luck. 
The final game of the tournament between Art and Patrick serves as a bookend to the film’s narrative. Throughout the film, interwoven flashbacks and flashforwards navigate the intricate web of the characters’ love triangle, akin to the rhythmic volleying of a tennis ball between players. Much like the intensity of a final match in a tennis tournament, Challengers has an unstoppable and frenetic energy, albeit occasionally veering into confusion. You are constantly on the edge of your seat from the pounding and pulsating synthwave/techno score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Sayombhu Mekdeeprom's innovative cinematography pushes boundaries, whether by placing the camera within the tennis ball's perspective or beneath the court, capturing the raw intensity exuded by the talented ensemble cast. From the glistening sweat of Hollywood's finest to the kinetic action on screen, Challengers delivers a visual and emotional experience unlike any other.
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While some may find it disappointing that Challengers lacks explicit sexual content, the film compensates with an abundance of erotic tension and a palpable atmosphere that more than suffices. Even innocuous scenes, such as two "best friends" sharing churros in close proximity, exude a homoerotic undercurrent that underscores the intricate power dynamics within the trio. These moments offer a revealing glimpse into the competitive desires driving Art and Patrick's pursuit of Tashi, while she deftly manipulates their affections to serve her own ends. Through these interactions, the film skillfully unravels the complex interplay of ambition and desire that will ultimately shape their destinies. Whether it's Tashi's vicarious living through her husband's tennis career or Patrick's conflicted relationship with his own athletic prowess, Challengers adeptly navigates the intricate psychology of its characters, laying bare their vulnerabilities and motivations with finesse.
Despite their characters' somewhat underdeveloped nature, the ensemble cast delivers performances brimming with fervent intensity. Mike Faist captivates with a physically charged portrayal that evolves from vigor to a melancholic resignation, embodying the struggles of navigating the pitfalls of early thirties ennui. John O'Connor exudes devilish charm as Patrick, skillfully balancing between ineptitude and magnetic unpredictability, keeping audiences on edge with every twist of his character's whims. Zendaya commands attention as Tashi, exuding a commanding presence that borders on intimidating, deftly manipulating her male counterparts to fulfill her desires. The palpable chemistry among the trio ignites the screen, infusing the film with a smoking-hot dynamic that adds an extra layer of intrigue to their complex relationships. 
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Challengers serve up a riveting and provocative exploration of love, ambition, and rivalry amidst the competitive world of tennis. Director Luca Guadagnino crafts his most accessible and captivating work yet, seamlessly blends provocative themes with sheer entertainment. The film ignites with an irresistible allure, evoking visceral reactions and stirring emotions within viewers. Unapologetically seductive, Challengers basks in its own sensuality, embracing its innate allure with unbridled confidence.
My Rating: A
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