#not my favorite but I did enjoy it more than the last ones we’ve gotten

[creativity-deficient]

Thoughts on the new special! (Spoilers ahead!)

- Really enjoyed the message of the episode! Thought some pretty important things were brought up, such as the abuse of these weight loss drugs from people who don’t even need them, the pressure society puts on you to look at certain way and the negative consequences that can have, and the fault with our health care system/society and how difficult it is to have willpower nowadays

- I loved seeing the main five again I’ve missed their shenanigans

- Kyman shippers were probably eating during this special, huh?

- The cereal mascots plotline was so f*cking out of nowhere but I don’t expect any less from this show 😭😭

- “Ahh! Tony the Tiger killed Kenny!” That made me laugh way harder than it should’ve. Also can’t remember the last time we saw Kenny die tbh.

- This really was the milf special huh? Also Randy PLEASE stop saying milf

- Although I hate that they gotta include Randy in EVERYTHING, I kinda love him being one of the gals

- He and Sharon were really sweet at the end of the special.

- “Yeah I love them (drugs)!” Yes we know you do Mrs Tweak.

- Finally got a name for Mrs Testaberger

- Car chase scene was kinda epic

- Shelley friends reveal!

- Freckled Kyle truthers are eating rn

- Gotta love Kyle’s growth in this special. It was really satisfying seeing him overcome his fatphobia.

- That ending though 😭 Damnnit Cartman why you gotta ruin everything lmaooo

- Don’t quite understand the characters not having anything to retaliate with when it comes to Cartman’s behavior now that they can’t make fun of him for being fat. Like they’ve never hesitated to call out Cartman for his stupidity and bigotry before, why should that change anything?

- Creek crumbs

[scorpioriesling]

Red

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *

Pairing(s): Cassian x reader

Warnings: angst, but HAPPY ENDING I promise

Summary: He broke things off before you'd even had a chance to try; it didn't matter. Loosing him hurt either way. Even more when you knew you loved him more than just as his friend.

SR’s Note: This ends happy... trust the lead up. I also am very happy with this idea, I was spiraling on it and I'm so glad I finally finished it! So, here it is. I hope you see what I am going for with this one. ily all

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *

“Thank you!” You shouted, smiling broadly to the cheering crowd around you. The feeling was surreal; performing for quite arguably the largest crowd yet was an experience like no other. Fans gathered around the stage from far and wide; every corner of Prythian knew of you, as you’d made quite the name for yourself over the years. Velaris was just another stop on the three-month long tour, but it was by far the most populated.

“You’ve been kind to me tonight, Velaris,” you say into the microphone, and the crowd roars again. Your eyes sweep the streets around you, and you wave to a few familiar faces. “I have to say, this is probably my favorite stop on my tour so far.” You wink, and the crowd roars once more. This was your home court, after all.

Making your way toward the end of the long runway, you approach the piano stationed at the end of it. You were known for playing your own songs for part of the show, switching the songs for every show to spice things up a bit so every court would hear something new. For the Night Court, you had something quite special in mind.

* ✧･ﾟ: *

“Y/N, you know it just won’t work,” Cassian sighs. Tears threaten to spill over your waterline as you follow him through the entryway of the kitchen in the Townhouse.

“What’s gotten into you? We’ve made it work before,” you stammer.

“Yeah, as friends,” he emphasizes the last word, turning to face you. His warm brown eyes meet yours, and a tear slips free. He sighs heavily, looking down and shaking his head.

“Cass…” You whisper. He looks up at you, eyes full of sorrow. His hand cups your cheek, his calloused thumb brushing away the free falling tears streaming down your cheeks. A beat of silence passes between you as he stares into your eyes, all of the unspoken love passing between the two of you.

“You know we can’t.” He says, and your bottom lip trembles. His hand retracts, and a soft whimper escapes your throat. He looks down once more, backing away from you slowly. Soft cries work their way out of you, tears blurring your vision until all you can see are the soft glow of his red siphons passing through the doorway of the kitchen for the last time.

* ✧･ﾟ: *

The piano bench is warm from the afternoon sun as you sit upon it, adjusting the crimson gown beneath you as you take your seat. Fastening the microphone to the stand on the piano’s top, you give a gentle smile to your fans again.

“So… as many of you know, for this part of my show, I play a couple of songs myself; on the piano, for that matter.” Cue a few more cheers.

You take a deep breath, making eye contact with a few fans close to the stage, searching the crowd for maybe a certain someone in particular, though you’d never admit it — even to yourself. “This first song I’d like to play for you is called Say Don’t Go.”

* ✧･ﾟ: *

“Alright, let’s go over what you’ve got so far?”

You hand over your age-old notebook to Azriel, who happens to be an amazing lyricist and songwriter as well as one of your best friends. You sit next to him on the couch in the Townhouse — the feeling almost normal again. You hadn’t been here in months since you’d finally professed your love to Cassian, only for your relationship with him to come crumbling down around the two of you. It wasn’t something you enjoyed to think about — but, it did provide for an inspirational song, one you needed Azriel’s support in writing.

“I’m liking the theme of the colors we’re working with here,” he says, brows knitting as he scans over the page before him. “It seems… quite personal.” You chew your lip, and he raises a brow at you expectantly. Sure, he knew what happened with you and Cassian. Did he really want to rehash every detail right now?

“All of my songs are… personal. You know this.” You shrug. He gives you a look.

“This one seems. Hmm.” He looks like he’s trying to find the word. “Fresh.”

You narrow your eyes at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He slides his eyes to yours. “Have you talked to him yet?” You cross your arms over your chest and avoid his stare.

“I think he’d prefer we didn’t.” Azriel rolls his eyes, but you don’t need to look to him to see it.

“You’re both quite ridiculous in your delusions of one another-“

The door to the living room swings open, and his blue siphons blaze at the sudden intrusion. Both of your heads turn in synchronized motion.

“Azriel, Rhysand is — oh, hello, Y/N.” Amren’s dark grey eyes widen in suprise as she takes in your presence, and you only smile at her. Gods, how you’ve missed your friends, just seeing them, being around them all the time. And oh, how you’d missed Cassian too, no matter if he thought being together meant putting you at risk. You didn’t care — not when it came to him.

“Nice to see you again too, Amren.” You say. She offers a polite smile, and turns her attention back to Azriel, noticing the notebook in his hands and your scrawled handwriting all over it.

“I’ll just tell Rhysand you’ll be in to see him later this afternoon.” She says, elegantly drifting through the doorway once more. Azriel turns back to you, the blue of his siphons dulling once more.

“Shall we continue, then?”

* ✧･ﾟ: *

“But you won’t, but you won’t, but you won’t.” You play the last chords on the piano, and the crowd erupts in cheers. You smile, and your eyes find the familiar dark grey ones of Amren’s in the front row before you. Your smile grows to a beam as the bright blue of siphons nudges between bustling fans to her left, edging toward the front row. Azriel offers a small wave, which you return. You’d originally planned to play “I Hate It Here” next, but noting the small nod of Azriel’s head, you knew. His unspoken words were encouragement enough, and though the male the song was written for may not be in attendance tonight, the next song you’d play would be from the heart, just for him anyway.

“This next one,” you begin. “This next one, is, um…” you trail off. Your eyes meet Azriel’s again, and he gives you a thumbs up. You nervously bite your lip.

Clearing your throat, you take a steadying breath. “This next one, I’ve actually never played live before.” You say. The crowd quiets as you play the first chord, hands trembling slightly. Your mind flashes to those nights when you’d sat next to Azriel, the blue of his siphons illuminating the keys of the piano in the dark of night as he went over the chords with you.

You played the next few notes.

Your mind went to Amren, her dark grey eyes scanning over the words you’d rewritten a million times, until she physically took your pen from you, telling you that your lyrics were perfect.

You kept playing.

Your mind went to Cassian, the red in his lips when he finally kissed you for the first time after training you all morning. You ignored him when he pulled back, telling you it was a mistake.

“Loving him is like driving a new Maserati down a dead end street,”

The red rose he gave you when he took you to dinner. You teased him, told him friends don’t go to dinner together and it was most definitely a date, and by the end of the night, he let you win the argument.

“Faster than the wind, passionate as sin, ending so suddenly… loving him is like trying to change your mind, once you're already flying through the free fall,”

The red hues in his hair you caught sight of when he took you flying, countless times through Velaris. Your favorite was at sunset, the oranges and crimson streaks in the sky so beautiful that he’d coast slowly to let you enjoy the view. The flutter of your heart felt so warm, so bright, so familiar at the memory, when he’d claim you were more beautiful than any sunset he’d ever seen.

“Like the colors in autumn, so bright, just before they lose it all,”

Your mind races as you remember the mission he allowed you to go on, the one where you were almost killed entering the Autumn court. The one that caused the argument that ended any chance of a relationship between the two of you. How silly it was, that you couldn’t be together out of fear. You loved him so much you couldn’t see it before, but he loved you too much to loose you.

As you approached the chorus, your fingers flew over the keys rapidly, Cassian’s beautiful face in your mind, pure love pouring from every word you sang.

“Losing him was blue, like I'd never known. Missing him was dark gray, all alone. Forgetting him was like trying to know somebody you never met; but loving him was red… oh, red. Loving him was red…”

You continued the song, eyes closing as you reminisced on old memories you’d locked away. Tears pricked your eyes as you played, thinking of how it used to be when you could love your best friend freely, thinking of how it could be, if only.

As you approached the end of the song, your eyes drifted open slowly.

“His love is like driving a new Maserati down a dead end, street.”

The crowd cheers, and you smile, gazing up at the star filled sky. You smile to yourself, proud that you’d finally played the song you’d poured your heart into. Your gaze travelled back down to Earth, focusing again on the crowd and looking for Amren and Azriel. You glanced around, not seeing them.

To your shock, a figure was being escorted by security to your right up onto the stage. You stood, immediately recognizing the oversized wings and tanned skin. Rushing over, you were greeted with an emotional smile as Cassian took your hands in his.

“Was that…” his chest heaves, mouth open but not speaking. You can’t help but smile up at him, a hot tear escaping your eye at the sight of him. Azriel and Amren stand behind him, just out of sight.

“Yes.” Is all you whisper. His large hands slide around your waist, pulling you close so you’re flush against him. You can’t help but laugh, sniffling a little in the process.

“I don’t think I can be without you any longer,” he quietly admits. The cheers from the audience are drowned out by the absolute intensity of his gaze, and you can’t help but glance at his lips.

“It took you quite long enough.” He chuckles, lifting you onto your toes with ease and slotting his lips onto yours, the crowd erupting behind you. Your hands tangle in his unbound hair, one foot popping up behind you. His hands gently brace your waist, setting you down after a few moments and kissing your forehead before meeting your eyes once more.

“I believe you have a few more songs to sing?” He teases. You swat his chest, and he laughs.

“Mhm… and even more, just for you later, if you’d like.” You wink at him, and his cheeks flush red. You giggle, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek before sauntering back to the stage. He only gazes at you from the sideline, eyes wide as you catch his stare, taking the mic from the piano once more.

“Alright, who’s ready for another song, yeah?!”

* ✧･ﾟ: *

[marvelsmylife]

Baby blues

Pairing: Cassian x reader

Plot: it’s hard watching other experience the one thing you’ve always wanted. It’s even worse when it’s someone you know personally experiencing what you so desperately crave.

A/n this is base off this request. Keep sending requests for our favorite General here

Masterlist

Life wasn’t fair. You knew that, but it still hurt watching others live out your dream of being a mother. It was especially hard for you when you watched as two of your best friends got pregnant within the same year of them trying with their mates.

You tried to be happy for Feyre and Elain, you really did, but it still hurt watching their stomach grow each month. It didn’t help that all three of you made a pact that you would all get pregnant at the same time so your babies would be close in age, and you were now the only one not pregnant.

It also wasn’t that you and Cassian weren’t actively trying. You and Cassian were on each other 24/7. Day after day, night after night you and Cassian were having sex any chance you got in an attempt to get pregnant. Unfortunately, you guys were unsuccessful, and it caused you to become self-conscious that there was something wrong with you.

Cassian knew you were struggling. He could feel the desperation through the bond, and he desperately wanted to help you out, but he didn’t know how. He would vent to Rhysand about your struggles and ask him for advice on how he could support you through this struggle in your life.

Unfortunately, his brother didn’t have any advice to give other than just being there for you in any way he could. He couldn’t begin to imagine what you were going through, and he knew he was selfish for thinking this, but he was so grateful he wasn’t in your position.

Every time Cassian left Rhysand’s home he became more and more depressed but masked it from you so you wouldn’t worry about him. He knew you were going through a lot and didn’t want to add more stress. 

He didn’t know how bad it was until he came home one night and saw you crying on the couch. “My love, what’s wrong?” he asked, and pulled you onto his lap.

Through tears, you told Cassian that one of your friends announced that she got pregnant within a month of her trying. “I feel like a failure. I can’t do the one thing my body was built to do; produce a child for you,” you cried into Cassian’s chest. 

Your mate was devastated at your words because he knew it was the farthest thing from the truth. “Oh, my love,” Cassian pulled away and carefully wiped away the tears from your eyes: “You are not broken, my love. I know this is a very difficult time, but I need you to be hopeful. We will get pregnant, and if we don’t, that is ok as well. We could always adopt.”

“But I don’t want to adopt,” you tried to control your crying: “I want a mini version of us.”

You knew it was selfish of you to say that, especially when you knew there were a lot of children in Velaris who were orphans after the war. Cassian understood though, and didn’t judge you for your comment. He knew how fragile your mental state was. 

With that being said, Cassian decided to say something he knew would cause you more distress: “What if we put a pause on us trying to conceive?”

You looked up at Cassian in horror at his words: “Do you not want to have a baby with me anymore?”

“Of course, I do y/n, I want nothing more than to have a baby with you,” Cassian tried to backtrack: “But I feel like we’ve gotten so technical during sex for so long it’s getting robotic. I’m not saying for us to stop having sex, gods I would die if I wasn’t able to be inside you anymore. I’m just saying that we should have sex when we feel in the mood and not overthink it.”

You stayed silent for several minutes while you thought over what Cassian had said, and realized he was right. You couldn’t even think about when was the last time you truly enjoyed having sex with Cassian without thinking if that was the moment you were going to become pregnant with his child. “Ok,” you replied: “We’ll stop actively trying. And you know why?”

“Why’s that?” Cassian asked as he buried his face into your neck.

“Because if we’re not going to be actively trying to have a baby, I’m going to pick up a hobby I’ve been dying to try, that’s why,” you told confidently.

Cassian let out a low chuckle at your response: “That is a great idea. How about we go out for dinner? You deserve to be wined and dined. Especially after all you’ve been through these past few months.”

“I would really love that,” you kiss on Cassian’s lips before you got up and started getting ready for dinner.

You didn’t get a chance to start that hobby though. In a funny turn of events, you got pregnant shortly after you promised to stop trying. Both you and Cassian joked that all it took was for you not to think about getting pregnant to end up pregnant.

[faegoddessog]

My Favorite Treat

Warnings: Explicitly mature content, 18+ only, F-Dom/M-Sub, Precum eating, light bondage, fellatio, spanking, edging, unprotected PiV (play safe ya'll!) jerking off, eating cum covered pussy, some praise kink More fucking

Summary: He confesses a fantasy that she is more than happy to deliver on, and why not make her dream come true as well. The hot session that follows combines them both.

A/N: Hello darlings! I started this twisty fic back in Feb. A submissive Austin Pet? I mean... yes please, any day of the week! It sat on the back burner due to life having me do all the things at once for a while! But now here it is, basted in juicy goodness. So please enjoy this tasty treat! As always let me know if you'd like to be added to the "Always tag me" list. And as ever, I love your feedback and comments! (hmm mmm, yours. Yes yours, please)

Always tag me: @purejasmine, @slowsweetlove, @richardslady121, @austinbutlerslovers, @tadpoleteef, @allittakesisoneflight

"I've been tagged before Lumiere!": @thisworldisntrealhoney,  @1nho,  @megangovier, @briaandthephantoms, @andro-inherdreamworld @callumsgirl @blombardo  @fefeisastar @hacunamy @nestito702 @denised916 @jayydep @r0m4nitcl0v3r @heyidc03, @secondchild-2, @flander42 @natural-born-rebel-spirit @lecosymood @kathrynzaragoza @bsunshinexo @jayydep @ifyouloveweedletsgosmoke

My Favorite Treat:

They were lying curled up, it was their mutual day off and they were greedily languishing in bed. They had gotten up, eaten breakfast, then decided they wanted some skin to skin time with one another. 

“Can I tell you about my dream I had last night?” she ventures, curled up on his chest.

“Of course honey, what was it about,” he strokes her hair.

“You,” she says simply. 

“Me? Did I do something naughty?” he smiles, he loved her mind, both waking and dreaming. 

“Oh yes, you were eating me out, like you do,” she started. 

He growled softly and pulled her closer. 

“It turned you on so much that you made me spread my lips and pull back my clitoral hood, then you towered over me and jerked off onto my pussy. Your cum hit my exposed clit like a freight train and I came on the spot.” 

“Wow, we may have to try that,” his hips pushed forward and she felt him getting hard. 

“But, then you got between my legs and sucked on my cum covered clit. It was so hot I came again.” 

“Whoa, did you wake up wet?” he asks, feeling his insides tighten.

“Of course, are you kidding? I'm wet right now just laying next to you,” she wiggled her ass up against him.

“Mmm, that is hot, you know, you could have woken me up in the best way,” his hand cups her tit. 

“Would you do that?” she asks pointedly, if not specifically. 

“Fuck you in the middle of the night, 100% yes,” his hand slides down to cover her mound. 

“No, I mean lick your own cum off of me?” she clarifies.

“Oh, well, yeah, I think it’s only fair, you lick yourself off me all the time. Plus, If it would turn you on, I’d do it. I’d do anything for you.” 

Her heart melts at his words, Austin is just the most magical person she had ever been with. He was so kind, so giving, so thoughtful. He knew himself and was willing to ask for what he needed, but was always delving deeper.  Such a good blend of old school and healthy masculine energy. His outsides were gorgeous, but his heart was where the gold of him was. There was no way she was letting him get away.  “Is there anything that you fantasize about? Anything I can do for you?” 

He blushes slightly, “Well, I know we’ve not talked about it, but… I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be dominated.” He bites his lip, eyebrows raised in the hope that she won't react badly to his confession. 

She nods acceptingly.

“If it would turn you on, I’d do it,” she turns in his arms to face him, “I’d do anything for you.” Her mimicking of his words back at him softens his eyes. He loves her so much. She’s always supportive of him and his sometimes crazy schedule. Always willing to give him the space his introverted self needed. She always trusted him and was always up for adventure. This was true especially where sex was concerned, more so, at times, than he was. In fact it was her that suggested their first threesome with that brown skinned beauty, her that said they should hook up with Callum and Dua. She was a marvel. She made him feel so safe. He never wanted to let her go.  

“Tell me what you like about the idea of being dominated,” a spark of an idea lit her mind. 

“I like the idea of not being in control, I think it’d be sort of liberating,” he said a little nervously. 

“That makes sense. How do you want it? What would you want to happen? Ordered around, made to do menial things or is it all about sex? Do you want to be tied up somehow? Do you want a little pain? Or to have your orgasm controlled or denied?”

“Geeze babe, I’ve not even thought that far ahead!” he is rosy cheeked with embarrassment. 

“We are just talking here, I gotta know so I can make it good for you,” she smiles at him. 

He takes a big breath, trying to calm his sudden nerves. “Oh it’s all about sex. I think I would be ok with a little pain, like spanking, but nothing too crazy. I think being tied or restrained would be exhilarating too,” he confesses, “But like, I don’t want you to call me mean names, just tell me what to do. And I don’t like the idea of orgasm denial, get me off at least once, baby.”

“Can I call you ‘Pet’ and spank you while I play with your cock?” her mind whirred with ideas. 

His breath hitches in his throat., “Oh god yes.” 

“And can I reward you by having you cum on my pussy then suck my clit until I cum on your face?” 

“Oh god,” he moans softly, ”that sounds amazing.” His now hard cock twitching in anticipation. 

“Ok, now, what is your safe word?” she asks, “in case you need me to stop.” 

“Can’t I just say ‘stop’?” he asks, with a nervous giggle.

“Well,” she runs her finger over his jaw line, “what if I want you to beg for me, I need a way to know when it’s too much and you need me to stop, especially if I’m paddling you or forcing you to cum.” 

His mouth drops open, he had no idea she would be so into this. Holy fuck she is hot. 

She reaches up and closes his mouth. 

“Why don’t we try the color system,” she suggests, “Green is good, Yellow is ease off, but keep going, Red is full stop. Will that work for you, Pet?” 

He just nods.  Precum drips onto his stomach as he arches his hips automatically towards her. The movement catches her attention. 

“Are you wasting my favorite treat?” she says suddenly and indignantly. She pulls his cock away from his stomach, watching the long line of fluid stretch from his belly to tip. “You know I love your pre-cum on my tongue.” 

His hips urge toward her, “I’m sorry, please, take it.” 

She wipes the clear fluid off his skin with a finger, then sucks it off.  

“Fuck I love that” she says, eyelids fluttering. “Letting this leak away without letting me suck that cock, that’s naughty Pet. I’m going to have to punish you.”

“Oh,” he picks up her message, “Yes, I’ve been bad.” 

“So, you submit to my punishment?” her eyes sparkle with excitement. 

“Yes mistress,” his desire spikes with her words.

“No, I am not your mistress, you can call me Goddess or Ma’am,” it’s like she’s thought this out ahead of time. 

“Yes Goddess,” he breathes the word out like a prayer, his voice quivering. He can feel himself getting more aroused by the minute.

“Get on your knees on the bed,” she tells him with a stern voice that brooks no quarrel.

His heart is pounding in his chest as he moves to obey her. He is nervous and excited all in one, he didn’t think she’d jump so quickly at fulfilling his fantasy. 

He looks at her, eyes filled with anticipation and submission. His cock is leaking more. She reaches out and with a forefinger and thumb, pinches his cock, pulling a little to squeeze out the precum. It drips all over her thumb as it comes out. He whimpers as she sucks it off her thumb, rubbing it along the roof of her mouth. God how he wishes it was his cock instead of her thumb. 

“Do you want me suck that right out of your cock?” she says, reading the open-mouthed look on his face.

“Yes Goddess, please,” he breathes, hips straining towards her.

“Then you’ll do as I say,” she runs her hand over his ass, “put your hands on the footboard, show me that gorgeous cake.” 

He moves to obey, feeling vulnerable in this bent over position. 

“I’m going to punish you for wasting my favorite treat,” her lips graze the shell of his ear, “and you will not move your hands, do you understand.”

“Yes Goddess.” he swallows a lump in his throat. He’s never done this before, and now that it’s happening he’s unsure. 

She gives him a few  experimental slaps with her hand, getting a feeling for striking him. 

“Please Goddess,” he begs, eyes closed. 

“Please what, Pet?” she asks. 

He actually isn’t sure. He grapples with the juxtaposition of pain and pleasure. The potential of coming torment and the excitement of it all wrapped up in one.

“Please punish me,” he ends up saying. 

She hits him harder, and with that first good smack on his ass, all hesitancy vanishes.

“Who’s precum is it?” she slaps him. 

“Yours,” he moans. “Who’s?” she hits him again. 

“Yours Goddess!” louder this time. 

“What’s mine?” she purrs, rubbing his ass.  

“It’s your pre-cum, all of it, only for you,” his voice is near begging, but for what he isn’t sure.

She slaps his ass hard, leaving an outline of her hand on one cheek. The sight of the red blossoming makes her burn unexpectedly with desire. 

“Color?” she asks before she lets herself go on.

It takes him a moment to remember what she is asking.

“Oh green, definitely green,” he looks over his shoulder at her with desire in his eyes. The smile that lifts her lip is nearly as intoxicating to him as the sting lingering on his ass.

“Good boy,” her sultry voice resonates directly into his ear. He hadn’t realized just how much he wanted to be good for her, nor how warmth would unfurl in his chest when she praised him for it. 

She slaps him a few more times.  He leans back into it, a perfect mix of sting and pleasure. Just as a moan is about to escape his throat, she wallops him hard, leaving a matching handprint. His hips jerk, making his cock bounce and tap his stomach. Her appreciative groan is in tandem with the odd little barking whine that his moan turns into.  She loves it, knowing he’d never voluntarily make that sound. She rubs his skin with both hands, leaning down to plant kisses on her handprints. “I love this ass, Pet, let's see just how red we can make it.”

“Yes Ma’am,” he breathes.

She begins with upwards, grazing slaps, being sure to spread them out across his cheeks and upper thighs. She rubs his skin, feeling the warmth there.  She hits him harder a few times, her hand stinging too. 

He grunts in pleasure.  

“Mmm, that’s so pretty,” she murmurs to herself, rubbing soothing circles on the curve of his ass. 

“Color?” She leans over him, her body pressed to his side as her hand slips lower to his balls. 

“Yellow,” he whispers, head down and watching her precum emerge again.  

“Hands behind your back,” she instructs, tapping his spine. Better to change tactics a little than to push him into a red answer.

He quickly obeys, pushing back to his knees. His cock is jutting out from his lean hips. His glutes are tight, like he is quietly begging for her touch. She maneuvers in front of him.

“I’m going to enjoy my precum, you are not going to move,” she looks him in the eyes. He nearly groans at her wicked little look. 

She lowers her tongue, flicking across his tip. Her fingers pinch and pull, a large dollop emerges from his little hole. Then she is enveloping his head, sucking, pulling, slurping at his tiny hole.  

Little bursts of “uh-huh” tumble from his open mouth as he watches her work his cock. It takes all of his willpower to not grab her head, to not stuff his cock deep into her mouth, but to let her take him bit by bit. 

“MMM,” she licks her lips, “that is delicious.” She sits back, running her thumb up and over his tip as he holds in a groan. “Look at you being so good.” 

“Lie down on your back.” she orders him, “hands on the corner post.” 

He immediately complies, legs naturally wide, his cock hard along his belly. 

She grabs the belt from his jeans.  The soft  thwap- thwap- thwap of her pulling it out makes his dick twitch. 

He watches as she wraps it around her fist. He has no idea what she plans to do with it like that. Images of his dick being slapped and pummeled with the belt flash into his mind. No, no, he shakes his head, he can’t take that. The word ‘red’ curls, ready to spring from his tongue. 

“Aww, scared of a widdle belt, Pet?” she drags the metal end of it along his leg and across his balls. She can see the shiver of fear in his eyes. She leans down and plants a reassuring kiss on his shaft then licks at an errant drop of precum. 

He shudders and moans. 

Her look up to him is positively devilish. She climbs on top of him, her pussy dragging along his hard cock just before she mounts his chest. They were both surprised at how wet she was.

“Give me your hands,” she winds the belt around his wrists, then secures it to the wooden headboard. Her taste for antique furniture is really coming in handy.

He pulls experimentally, grateful she didn’t want to abuse his cock, that he didn’t have to shout out ‘red’.  As he anticipated, he finds the restraints exciting. 

“You are so pretty, pet, all trussed and ready for me.” she coos at him, sliding down his body leaving his chest cooling with her arousal. His cock is jutting between her bent knees. She strokes the length of him with a finger. 

“I’m going to ride this gorgeous cock, little plaything. And no, you may not cum.  Tell me if you are getting close. If you don’t, I will be very, very angry with you and I will use this belt to punish your cock. I don’t want to, but you have to be good.” 

She wouldn’t, she knows this, but the look in his eye says that he isn’t sure what she would actually do at this point. 

“Yes Goddess, I’ll be good,” his voice shakes. 

She holds him steady as she slides down over him. His eyes flutter in pleasure. 

She slowly starts to move back and forth on him. 

He arches his back, his deep groan filled with raw lust and need. His biceps flex and bulge, pulling at his bonds. His hips are subtle, the rhythm matching hers with every thrust. 

“God don’t stop” he pleads, his voice hoarse with desire. 

“Oh I probably will,” she purrs, ”Can you control yourself if we go slow?” 

“Slow?” He chokes out, his eyes rolling back in his head. “I think so,” he gasps, the heat of his orgasm sparking inside him. All he wants is to thrust into her in a fury. 

She nestles him deep, grips with her pelvic muscles and pulls herself up his length slowly, then pushes down again. Over and over. 

“You like that, Pet? You want more?” Her fingers play lightly with the nibs of his nipples. 

“Yes, please fuck me slow Goddess,” he begs hoarsely. His body tensing as he feels the pressure build inside him. 

“More” he moans.  His hips buck and thrust involuntarily into her harder, unable to resist the mounting pleasure that threatens to consume him. 

“Ah ah ah,” she admonishes, lifting nearly off him. “We aren’t going hard, just slow, naughty pet.”

“Please,” he begs, his eyes pleading at her to give him what he needs. His breathing is nothing more than ragged gasps as he tries to control himself. The ache in him growing more intense even though she isn’t moving an inch. “Please, fuck me hard.” 

“No,” she says in a low voice. She grabs his chin, forcing him to look at her, “you are mine right now and I want to watch you seethe in tortured pleasure. Your orgasm belongs to me. Say it.” 

“My orgasm is yours, Goddess,” his body is trembling with need. His hands gripping the belt as he tries to find some semblance of control. Failing miserably as his hips move erratically, desperate for friction. 

“Tch, tch, tch,” her tongue clicks, her head shakes, “clearly you need a reminder of how to follow directions, Pet.” She undoes the buckle at his wrists, “Up, back on your knees and forehead on the wall.”

He moves quickly to obey her, turning around and pressing his head above the headboard. He is staring at his twitching cock. He had no idea she would be this good at dominating him. 

“Hands,” is all she says, tapping his back after climbing onto the bed behind him. She captures his wrists at his low back with the belt. She presses her breasts against his back and trapping his hands against her belly.  She can feel his breath catch and the shiver run up his spine as she reaches around and grips his cock lightly. 

“Goddess,” again the word drips from his beautiful lips like a silver prayer. His back arches slightly to give her better access. 

She can’t help but kiss his neck, wanting to taste his skin. Her hand grips a little tighter.

“Whose are you right now?”

“I am yours, your plaything, Goddess,” he whispers, his voice filled with submission and desire. He leans into her touch. Once again his hips  move of their own accord, seeking sensation against her hand. 

She lets go immediately. 

“No no, naughty boy, no thrusting,” she climbs off the bed, “...hmmmm something more.” She leaves the room. 

He takes deep inhales, willing his body to stay in position.  

She comes back moments later with her wooden hairbrush. “Maybe this will teach you.” She runs the bristles of the brush over his thighs, letting him see what he was about to get.  

His eyes widen minutely in fear, then in excitement. 

She goes behind him pulling the tail of the belt up, slapping him lightly, experimentally. Then she brings the back of the brush down on him with a loud crack. 

He lets out a soft cry of pleasure mixed with pain. It’s not terribly hard, but it stings. His cock bounces with the movement. 

“OOO, I like that,” She smacks him a few more times, rubbing his gorgeous ass with her hand between impacts, soothing his heated flesh with her cool hand. 

“Do you want more pet, harder?” she says close to his ear, subtly checking in with him, expecting him to say no. 

“Yes,” he breathes out, ”please… Goddess.” 

“Oh look at my little plaything,” she grabs his nipple, squeezing it just enough to make him breath in sharply, “enjoying a bit of pain.” 

The crack of the brush is louder still and he jerks. 

“Color?” 

“Yellow” his voice strained. 

Again and again she beats him with the brush, though not as hard, until his skin is red and hot and his moans fade into whimpers of submission.  She lets the tail of his restraint fall, tickling his ass crack as it swings back and forth.  She brings her free hand up to his mouth.

“Spit,” she says. 

He hesitates for a moment, not sure what is happening. Then he lets a long dribble of saliva fall into her hand. Excitement, shame and arousal battle on his face. 

“Oh, look at you being all good for me now,” she gives him a series of little taps with the brush all over his ass. Then she does it, coats his cock in his own spit. 

“Oh hoh hoh,” he moans softly at the wetness, the sensation intensifying his arousal. 

“Does my pretty plaything like that?” she asks in his ear just before bringing the brush down on his ass again. 

He hisses in pain and lets out a sigh of pleasure, unable to answer more than that. 

“Do you?”  she asks impatiently, smacking him again. “Yes Goddess,” he says quickly, “It’s everything I’ve wanted and more.” His hips are shaking, begging for release. A release she is unwilling to give him, not yet anyway. 

“You want to cum?” she asks.

“Oh Goddess yes, yes please.” his hips start pumping in her hand. 

She quickly lets go, “well you have to earn it, Pet.” 

Austin whimpers at her words, his cock throbbing in frustration. 

“I'll do anything, please Goddess,” he begs, tears threatening in his eyes, “Just please, please let me cum.” He can’t believe how much he wants it, how desperate he has let himself become. It’s wholly unlike him and deep down he finds that he loves the lack of responsibility, the lack of control over the situation. He loves the way she is utterly dominating him. 

“Oh no, not yet,” she backs away to give him a moment to collect himself in big huffing breaths. 

“Now,” she gathers the end of the belt in her hand, fingertips reaching farther to graze against his balls. The mattress shifts under her weight as she climbs up behind him, “who’s play-thing are you?”

“I’m your plaything, Goddess,” his voice trembles with submission and longing. 

She taps his inner thighs with the brush. He spreads his legs, again hoping to god that she won’t abuse his balls. 

“Good pet. Open those fingers,” she palms him, rolling his balls gently. 

He obeys the command, pointing his fingers toward her. His cock threatens to leak even more precum onto the bedclothes beneath him. 

She presses close to his back, now that he is lower, the slick of her pussy slides on his fingers. 

“I’m going to pleasure myself on your fingers and nothing gets to touch that pretty cock, not yet.” She purrs, slowly rutting over his hands. The warmth from his red ass radiating to her thighs. 

He trembles as he feels her juices covering his hands. He had no idea this was turning her on so much. His breath hitches at the thought. As much as he wants to thrust forward into nothing, he refrains. Her moans in his ear spiral him further into needing, wanting. He watches, forehead still glued to the wall, as a drip of clear fluid runs down his distended cock. He’s never seen himself so purple. 

She pulls the skin of his neck and shoulders into her mouth, digging her top teeth down, needing something in her mouth as she thrusts over the protrusion of his fingers. 

Goosebumps radiate down his shoulders and arms. The slapping of her hips causes him to brace his abdomen tight in order to stay upright. Her arms wrap around him, hands landing on his rippled belly. She groans. Holy Mother of god, he is an Adonis of a man. An Adonis that belongs to her right now. 

Her hips snap over his digits, she pants, head to the back of his neck.

“Yes, yes, yes!” she moans, her walls constricting on nothing. It’s not a big orgasm, just a little appetizer. 

He found himself sinking into this wildly erotic moment. With her hot breath on his neck and his hands soaked in her, it takes everything in him not to spin with a roar and rail her into the mattress. 

“What a good boy you are, staying so still when I know you want to fuck me into next week,” she murmurs in his ear, “I think you deserve a reward.” 

He growls at her words. Then his hands are free and she is sliding between him and the wall. Casually she strokes his cock with a loose hand.

“Are you ready, my pet?” she says with a wicked look in her eye. 

He just nods, not trusting his own voice. He is so heady with need and her hand, although dry is driving him wild

“You get a choice,” she pulls her legs to the outside of his, her pussy wide and open. “You can stroke that cock, or I can. Either way I want that cum hot and fresh right here.” She pats her lips and clit. 

“I’ll do it,” he says gruffly, He needs to finish and is unsure if she’ll play stop and go games with him. “Please Goddess,” he adds as an afterthought. 

“Just know that after you paint this pussy,” she pulls her lips apart, her cunt glistening. “I still won’t be done with you,” she says cryptically. He doesn’t care, his cock is about to burst, It almost hurts, it's so tight. 

“You can sink it in here to get it wet,” she gives him this, slipping a finger inside herself.

“Oh yes Goddess, please,” he is shaking at the thought, but dares not move. 

“You get three strokes, Pet.” She isn’t sure he’ll make it three strokes in reality. Hell, she might not either, this has been so fucking hot. 

In one desperate movement, he plunges his cock into her. 

“Ohfuckohfuckohfuck,” he chants, his face a mask of immense pleasure. 

“One” she says sternly, to remind him of his limited time in her pussy.  

He pulls nearly out and slides into her again to the hilt. 

“Unhg, Two,” her voice moaning in pleasure. 

Again he impales her. 

“Three,” she looks up at him and he down at her. They both have the same thought ‘what if we just keep fucking, it feels so good.’  The image of him holding her down and fucking her until she is hoarse flashes in both their minds. But he pulls out and sits back on his heels, his cock wet. He wants to be a good boy for her, a good plaything.  

His hand glides over his shaft, he’s never felt himself this hard, she has worked him up into a freaking lather. He pauses, looking at her for permission. She nods. 

 He dribbles spit into his open hand. He aims perfectly, like he’s done it a thousand times. It’s fucking hot. 

“That’s it, be a good Pet for me,” her voice is one part praise, one part sultry, “Show me that cum, give it all to me, right here,” she uses two fingers to spread her labia. 

God she is hot as hell. 

She watches as his eyebrows knit together and his breath pants from between his lips. His chest rises and falls as his arm pumps back and forth. His hips thrust forward, his thighs tight. Every muscle he has is taut. He is fucking gorgeous and she can’t stop herself from rubbing her clit, then diving two fingers into her wet cunt.

When she starts finger fucking herself, that’s it for him, He can feel the immense pressure rising from his pelvic floor. His balls hug fast to his body, his hips thrust into his fist and he barely has time to pant out, “It’s coming,”  before the din of his orgasm overtakes him.

Insanely satisfying streamers of cum launch from his tip onto her lips, her clit, her belly. He watches as it runs, across her sensitive flesh.

The heat of his seed splatters over her.  One well aimed spurt jets right onto her naked clit and nearly makes her cum right there. 

He gives himself one or two last strokes, pushing the last of the viscous white fluid out his teeny hole. His mouth hangs open, his whole body shuddering in a final release. His breath is huffing from him. He wants to collapse on her, kiss her mouth softly, murmur sweet nothings into her ear. 

“Good boy,” she pets his leg, “Now, lick it.” 

His post-orgasm brain is foggy and he doesn't comprehend right away. He sees her hips are rocking back and forth.  His face scrunches slightly in confusion. 

“C’mon plaything” her voice isn’t insistent but sultry and sexy. “Eat that pussy, then I expect you to be hard enough for me to fuck the hell out of you.” 

He lowers himself between her legs, he feels a little trepidation in licking his cum from her. However, he watches her swallow his cum all the time and  he swallows her juices greedily when she cums on his mouth, ‘how is this any different?’ he asks himself.  Besides, he’d do anything to pleasure her, especially right now. 

His cum is spattered along her lips. He takes a long swipe with his tongue. He is tangy and a little bitter. He closes his lips close over hers, his tongue dipping into her. His fingers glide through the cream and into her. 

God she is so fucking wet. Suddenly it doesn’t matter what’s on her, in her. His love of burying his face in her cunt clicks into place. This right here, this he knows how to fucking do. So he does it. 

“Oh my fucking god, yes,” she moans loudly. His fingers curl inside her, hooking onto the spongy tissue just behind her pubis.  Her juices start to flow freely as he pleasures her pussy.  

He is like a man starved. He slurps up the mix of them, finding himself moaning into her. The flat of his tongue pushes and rubs in short little strokes at her sweet spot just under her clit. His fingers squelch in and out of her. 

Her glutes bunch up under her, thrusting her hips against his gorgeous face. She doesn’t register that her fingers are digging into his scalp with fistfulls of hair. 

“Eat that pussy,” she moans at him, “lick that cum up like a good little pet,” she accentuates the last three words with little hip thrusts into his mouth.

Part of him wants to say ‘Yes Ma’am,’ but his tongue is too preoccupied with winding its way around her clit. He knows just what she needs and hastens to do it right.

“That’s it, make me cum all over your fa-ayce,” the last word a moan.  

He does what he knows will make her cum, especially as worked up as she is, as wet as she is. He keeps steadily fingering her as he opens his mouth wide, pulling her clit and upper lips into the vacuum of his mouth, tongue flicking its way between to her clit. 

“Fuck yes! Fuck yes! FUCK YES!” she bucks against his face. Pleasure rising in her spine and bursting out the top. 

When she wails out her orgasm above him, he sticks his tongue out flat, letting her grind herself against it.  His reward is her spine tingling moans and the kneading of her hands in his hair. He slows and he changes to long slow licks to gently prolong her pleasure. 

She suddenly changes to pushing him away, “Stop! stop!” she moans.

Usually, when she got to this point, he would wrap his arms around her legs in refusal. He would have kept up his pleasurable torture, increasing the pace until he forced her into another orgasm. 

But he’s her little obedient pet right now, and he’ll do whatever she says. He suddenly wishes he was collared, the leash of which would be wrapped around her tightening fist. 

He sits back on his heels, face messy,

When he actually sits back, she is slightly stunned that he did, in fact, stop.

The fact that her dream had become reality then hits her and drives her wild with lust.  In a flash she has him shoved back onto the bed and is climbing on top of him like a wildcat pouncing on its prey. 

“I want that cock in me,” it comes out as a savage growl as she mounts him. 

He was so hard before plus the ecstasy of eating her out and his dick never really went soft. He barely has time to think before she is plunging herself hard and hot down on him.

“Oh my fucking Goddess,” his eyes roll back in his head. Her heat engulfs him, sucking him in. There is nothing like it, nothing in the world. 

“I’m gonna ride you like the plaything you are,” she growls. Her hands dig into his shoulders as her ass bounces up and down on his long hardness. 

“Yes.. M- M- M- Ma’am,” he stutters in pleasure.  

“Who’s pet are you?” her hips snap back and forth along his length. 

“Yours, yours, yours, your pet, I’m all yours,” he chants. She feels so fucking good, so wet, so tight, so hot. He’s not sure he can last much longer.

She sees his face, his forehead crinkle and his mouth start to drop open. His hips start to jerk up into her.

“Don’t you fucking cum until I say,” her nails make little half moons in his shoulders as she fucks him. 

“Ok, yes… fuck, Ma’am,”  he barely stutters out through now gritted teeth. 

She rides him hard and fast chasing headlong into her next orgasm. One hand ends up on his neck. Images of the collar flash in his mind and fuel him into near frantic craving. 

“Please, please please,” is all he can get out. His fingers dig into her flesh.

“NownowNOW!” she screams. Her hips falter and her glutes tighten as she impales herself deep onto him, shivering and shaking.

He bends his knees and he flies up into her at a staggering pace. 

Her pussy is a deluge and tightens yet more. They both roar into a gratification that feels so damn good it nearly hurts. His cum thunders into her as she thrashes on the end of his dick. 

She comes down slowly, still moving on him. The overstimulation makes him near mad with jerking and twitching. 

Finally, she collapses on top of him. Both utterly spent. 

Panting he cradles her in his arms as she nestles into his chest, still full of his cock. 

They doze. 

He softens and slips out, it rouses her.  

She sits up slightly, looking at his beautiful face.  Feeling her stir, he blinks his eyes open. 

“Hey baby,” her voice is soft and gentle, all hints of dominatrix gone, ” You ok? Was that ok for you, not too much?” 

“Mmm, Hmmm,” he nods, “Baby that was amazing, ten out of ten. Holy fuck, how did you do that? Know to do all that?” 

She smiles at him with a little shrug, “I’ve sorta played a little before, but that was so hot. You did so good. Maybe we should get you a collar, Pet.”

His only response is to gather her up in his strong arms and kiss her long and hard. The deep kiss was so passionate, that before she knew it, she was on her back and his cock was buried in her again. 

[highly-important]

Thoughts on the Venture Bros Movie

I absolutely love this series and periodically get obsessed with it. The last two seasons were especially some of my favorites. I enjoyed the movie, it really felt like an episode. Any complaints I have are really in the "I loved it but the portions are too small" category.

I love that Shoreleave and Dr. Girlfriend are friends. I think this was kind of established earlier. It just makes sense.

I like how Brock - who knows Rusty better than anybody for better or worse- went to the bat defending Rusty to the OSI. And that Brock's shining moment isn't him being super kill guy.

Along those lines, I like how Rusty's entire arc this show is realizing to some degree or another that he isn't a failure. His father was able to present an idealized image of himself to the public, and it meant Rusty growing up under a shadow he could never live up to. But the reality is Rusty isn't as incapable as he or others believe he is.

We’ve kind of gotten this growth with Rusty during the show so we don’t need it as much in the movie. But it’s very interesting that he can use his brother’s robot to save not only the building but “restore” the destroyed Venture compound. I think it’s Rusty really earning his own legacy.

Plus his attempt to build something Jonas Jr-ish just made something super Science-y. Maybe he’s returning to his true calling

I like how the movie represents Dr. Girlfriend's powers. Yes, she is good at fighting, and is intelligent enough to build super science tech, but her strength is also in her diplomacy and the loyal connections she builds. Part of that is that when she is in trouble, others come to her aid. And her challenge in the movie is a test of her negotiation and diplomacy. I like that the movie takes time to give her this moment.

You can really see how Hank got a lot of his personality from Debra.

Debra’s tech was really cool and I love the scene on the train platform. Its a little frustrating that we don’t get more, but I think Venture Bros is very good at building expectations and then letting your imagination fill in the gaps.

I think this is partially because Venture Bros often ends at the climax and skips over the resolution. The building tension makes you want answers. And often the end-credit sequence gives us the pieces to put the puzzle together without handing it to us. It creates a sandbox and asks you to play in it.

Gary is just living his best life. He got a grappling gun and got to co-pilot a giant robot.

Hank's multiple personalities was never something I'd imagine getting conclusion on, but I'm glad they did. It kind of reminds me of Return to Oz, where at the beginning Ozma is free to wander around the real word, but is trapped in a mirror in Oz. And at the end that reverses. Hank doesn’t destroy these pieces of himself, he just puts them in a place where they can’t control him.

Dean's plot was kind of interesting, there was rumor that one of the brothers would be a protag and one would become an arch. Dean is so worried that his negative life experiences are going to ruin him and prevent him from having the type of life he wants to have. But sometimes things aren't as bad as we think they are. And I think it suggests he can stay with his brother and not be damaged by the experience

Hank and Dean are both controlled by vivid imaginations in different ways. Hank imagines how good things could be, and Dean imagines how bad things could be. Meeting his mother is never going to be as good or cathartic or as healing as Hank imagines it, just as reality isn’t as horrible as Dean imagines it.

I really like the story structure of this show where an emphasis is put on something - like who is the mother - and then the mystery is eventually dropped. But the reality is that who is their mother isn't as important. Hank didn't need to find his mom, and finding her wont give him what he wants. He needed to reconnect with his brother. But it’s also fun that we can solve this puzzle on our own, it’s just not the point.

Of course, I think it does mean Dean is heir to the guild.

I wasn't expecting the twist with the Monarch at all, and in retrospect I think I should have ? Its really interesting how well it fits with Rusty's arc the entire show. Rusty turns his hatred inwards and blames himself for not being his dad. Now that Malcolm understands his unconscious thoughts, it shifts his relationship to arching from an impulse to a choice.

[pokemon-dungeon-masters]

Progress Update!

I know it’s been a while since I posted an update on here so here’s just a big update dump!

Last time I really talked on here, I was about to run a few beta test sessions. Which did happen but too much happened during the two sessions and I ultimately had to cancel the rest. Which was a bummer but its ok! I got a lot of good data on what did and did not work. So I took a few weeks as a break and got back to work. Most of said work has been reworking the Move dex to be clearer and more consistent. Which brings me to…

The Move Dex is now at version 6!

@bdigfreakingwooper and I, as well as a few others from the discord server, have gone through the entire move dex (again) and its hopefully in the last stages of development! Combat still needs overhauled somewhat so the move dex might need to be updated again afterwards but other than that, I don’t foresee any other big issues so I’m happy with where its at.

It now includes all moves (excluding z-moves & dynamax/ gigantamax moves), a few custom moves (still being added to), Key words, and move range descriptions/examples. I will be posting it here in the near future, once combat has been reworked and a few more custom moves have been added. Here’s a few notable moves that I just want to show off:

I’m sure parts of this won’t make much sense yet so if there’s anything you’re curious about, let me know!

Current Focus

What we’re currently working on is creating an Ability dex, with every ability being adapted to this system. We’ve started work on it and it hopefully won’t take nearly as long as the Move dex to finish (or finished enough). Other than a few annoying ones (looking at Transform) its not too bad! My personal favorite so far is Ball Fetch, the signature ability of Yamper, which in this system has a D6 Chance to regain an Orb after a party member uses it, if User has free pouch slot. Just the thought of little Yamper running to retrieve Orbs is so cute I couldn’t help myself lol.

As for what comes after the Ability dex, I have an ever growing To-Do list that’s slowly being worked through, starting with overhauling the combat system. Then there’s going through all the status effects, weather, terrain, items, Dojo effects, and a bunch of other stuff. Once that’s done I’ll be going back to working on the Player’s Guide, which will be a simple introductory guide to the system, character creation, and a few other important things. After that? No clue. We’ll see what happens!

Other Stuff

The server has reached over 30 members! Its been an absolute blast to hang out in with everyone. I definitely wouldn’t have gotten as much work as I have without those in the server, most notably Nines (@bdigfreakingwooper) who is now the Co-Creator of PDM! She has done a lot work independently as well, like creating a version of the character sheet that automatically fills in stuff like move information and a treasure bag sheet that does the same with items! Its absolutely insane, biggest thanks to her for being here through so much of the development.

Also about the server, I’ve been streaming a playthrough of Explorers of Sky, following the adventures of Team Soy Bois, and it’s been a huge blast. A few of us have even been doing voices for all the characters and some others enjoy just joining muted and chiming in using the text chat. We also have been doing movie nights, going through all the Pokémon movies, which has been on hiatus but will be starting back up next week! Its overall a very chill place and I would encourage anyone following the blog to consider checking it out!

As always, I appreciate the support and interactions from everyone and I will try my best to update more regularly! If you have any questions or comments or anything, my asks and DMs are open!

[jjsstars]

// a break // theo/stiles || on my ao3

|| summary: stiles takes theo to his favorite diner as a way of sealing their peace, they both have trauma to talk about

|| tags: pre-slash, greasy diner food, hurt/comfort, talk of the dread doctors, talk of neglect & abuse, talk of void stiles

-

Theo wrinkles his nose as he steps inside the diner, trailing behind Stiles who walks in with a beaming smile. It’s sunny out, just barely, the suns coming up over the tree line across the street of the 24/7 diner Stiles claims has the best food.

Theo can’t argue anything opposite and when Stiles offered to take him, just them, Raeken swore he was going to pass out right there and then. But as he slips onto the sticky red seat across from Stiles, his brain reminds him that this isn’t a random dream nor is it fake. Stiles plucks a menu from where they’re stood up against the window of the table, Theo follows the action.

He’s not sure what to get, his brain automatically look at the prices and trails through the items for the cheapest option. When he was still under the dread doctors control he had to scrape money together more than once, paying with coins and crumbled dollars for a measly half of a sandwich that made the waitress looking at him pityingly as he scarfed it down. There’s no half a sandwich options on this menu, but a side of fries is only a few bucks.

“What can I get for you boys?” A curly haired waitress approaches with a practiced customer service smile, though it looks a little more genuine when she looks at Stiles. He must be here a lot if she recognizes him.

“A burger and fries with a coke.” He states and hands the waitress the menu, teeth showing in his wide smile. Theo finds himself grinning just seeing Stiles so happy, so at ease.

“And what about you hun?” She turns towards Theo, pen stopped on the notepad that she’s scribbled Stiles’ order on.

“Just- just a side of fries and a water.” The scoff Stiles lets out takes Theo off guard, his head whipping to stare at the brunette boy in front of him.

“He’ll take what I’m having.” He says simply with a hand up to prematurely stop Theo’s arguing. Raeken can only give a weak nod before the waitress is dashing away, not at all bothered by Stiles changing Theo’s order.

“Stiles—.” He starts but is quickly stopped.

“I’m paying, and there’s no way you’re only getting fries and their questionable tap water.” Theo nods again, more sure of it this time, and Stiles looks at him with a satisfied expression so Theo takes it as a win.

“What are we doing here anyways? I mean- I’m- I’m not complaining- it’s just, we’ve never really hung out just us before.” It’s stuttered and Theo trips over his words an embarrassing amount. He gets a little deja vu to when he and Stiles had just met, back in fourth grade, when Theo hadn’t gotten his stutter under control and Stiles was one of the only kids that’d talk to him without getting annoyed with how long it took him to get a sentence out.

“I know we’ve never been the closest but uh- I feel like you should know about this place.” Theo feels his brow furrow before Stiles’ letting out a small sigh and continuing.

“I come here when I need a break. From the supernatural, from normal people drama, from school, from whatever. And lately you look like you could use somewhere to get away from whatever it is that’s bothering you.” A small amount of guilt twists in Theo’s gut, he must be really obvious is Stiles caught on to how out of it he’s seemed.

It’s been tough the past few months, sure Beacon Hills has calmed down supernatural wise, and the pack is trying to enjoy their last few months of school, but Theo can’t seem to relax. He’s living with the McCalls now, no longer sleeping in his truck, and he’s forever grateful for it but it’s been a bit of a shell shock. He never knew family’s could be so close and spend so much time together, he thought that was something only movies did. And half the time Theo doesn’t know how to act in those situations. He’s always waiting for that imaginary shoe to drop, for someone to start yelling, throwing things, chaining him down like the doctors did. It’s yet to come.

“That obvious huh?” Raeken lets a hand rub at the back of his neck, Stiles’ eyes track the motion, studying him in a way. He never realized it before but Stiles does that a lot, watch for things, catalog people’s reactions, Theo gets it. He does it too, it’s a trauma thing as Lydia calls it.

“Only to me. So, you don’t have to talk about it, we can just talk about something stupid, or I’m here to listen.” Stiles picks up a napkin to fold and unfold, always doing something with his hands.

“Thought you came here to get away from that all?” The brunette shrugs, creasing the fold of the napkin with his thumb nail.

“A break doesn’t mean ignoring it, it just means relaxing. If talking will make you less tense then you should talk.” It flows so easily out of Stiles mouth, so second nature, Theo figures he must’ve told someone this before.

“You’re gonna therapist me?” A small smile tugs on Theo’s lips when Stilinski rolls his eyes.

“No. It’s called being friends.” There’s definitely more to it but for now Theo won’t push, he’ll just talk, like Stiles said. He tried momentarily to talk to Scott once late at night, and Lydia a few times, but there was always too much guilt about dumping his stuff on their backs. Theo figured they had enough of their own trauma to deal with, but it feels different with Stiles, not nearly as nerve wracking for whatever reason.

“I uh- I guess it’s weird being my own person, without the doctors y’know. I’ve never not had them around since I was nine, I just- it’s hard, to be a person, to not understand things I know I should, to feel out of place everywhere I go.” Something akin to understanding flashes in Stiles’ eyes when Theo meets them, it’s not pitiful like Lydia gets, or sad like Scott, just knowing. He gets it.

“I thought your sister died when you were twelve?” Raeken nods and watches how Stiles chews his lip, trying to put all the pieces together, trying to figure out what each word Theo told him means. It’s another habit Theo’s picked up on, Stiles’ brain is always working overtime to solve things, and he always chews his lip when he does.

“I met the doctors when I was nine but they didn’t get me to- do what I did- until I was twelve. After that they were my entire life, I never had friends or family or anyone, it was just them and experiments. So many fuckin experiments.” It doesn’t hold the anger it used to when Theo would talk about what the doctors did, he’s too tired for that, instead there’s sorrow practically dripping off each word he says.

“Experiments?” Oh, Theo guesses he never really did tell Stiles or any of the pack what happened.

“They’d do surgery’s and experiments on me a lot, they knew I’d heal from it eventually so it was perfect for them. I lost count of how many times they cut me open. I know- I know eventually I stopped feeling it, I stopped, I- I stopped feeling like anything but their toy to use.” Stiles looks like he wants to reply but the waitress is returning before he can.

The two plates of burgers and fries gets placed in front of each boy, as well as their drinks, they give polite thanks and thankfully the waitress doesn’t stick around. She must sense there’s a heavy topic being discussed as she stays silent while setting the plates down, nodding shortly before disappearing to the back of the diner. Theo and Stiles are still the only people here, it’s too early for anyone else.

“I know the feeling. Well- not exactly, I didn’t get experimented on, but I know what it feels like to be used like that.” Stiles says between a bite of fries, eyes not glancing at Theo as he talks.

“With Void?” It’s not a real question because Theo knows the answer. He’s heard the story of what happened, the stories he should say, he had to get different sides for the doctors and then he found things out on his own. He always feels sick thinking about what Stiles went through, and he’s right, they’ve both been used.

“Yeah. I’m sure you already know what happened, but it was horrible to live through. I felt so helpless, so manipulated but I couldn’t pull myself out of it, I can’t imagine feeling like that for years on end. Those doctors will rot for what they did to you.” There’s a bite to the last sentence and Stiles points a fry towards Theo as though it punctuates his point further. Raeken appreciates it, it’s genuine, there’s real care behind the statement.

“Thank you, it means a lot. And for the record, I’d totally kill that nogitsune with my bare hands.” A laugh bubbles out of Stiles chest, his hand coming to wipe at his mouth that has a smear of ketchup from his burger on it.

“That’s the first time I’ve heard that, thank you. I think we might be able to arrange that, maybe get you some silver claw covers or something—.” Stiles gets cut off when Theo playfully kicks him under the table.

“I’m trying to be nice here!” They’re both laughing so it loses all malice.

“I know, I know, I’m sorry. It’s- it’s sweet, thank you.” He composes himself and gives Theo a warm smile, one that Raeken instantly returns. His chest feels filled with light hearing Stiles call him sweet, which feels stupid to Theo’s logical side, he doesn’t care, he just wants to savor this moment.

[fanbun]

Time for me to talk about Hazbin Hotel now that season 1 has ended!

I’d like to start off by saying I enjoyed watching the show. It is a visual delight that introduces some much-needed variety to the western adult animation space. Charlie and Vaggie as main characters hooked me even way back when I watched the pilot on YouTube. And although many of the songs caught me off guard in the episodes themselves, I kept going back to listen to them for days afterward.

But in all honesty, when it comes to writing, season 1 is a structural mess that wants to do as much as it can in 8 episodes rather than narrow its focus to what is most important for a first season. Yes, of course this is subjective to an extent, but the lightning-fast pacing the show quickly adopts is a common complaint even among the most hardcore fans. It is glaringly obvious that major plot points and character development are rushed because Vivienne did not want to compromise her vision to fit neatly into the number of episodes given to her.

Sure, I agree that 8 episodes a season shouldn’t be the norm but I don’t think the quality of a show is doomed to suffer because of that. Choices were made by the writers to include characters and scenes that could have easily been saved for a later date or even cut entirely. Season 1 didn’t even have to end with a climactic battle between heaven and hell, as first seasons are usually meant to introduce characters and provoke further intrigue that can be expanded upon later. But as it turns out the almighty cool factor demanded a war to end season 1 and that’s what we got.

This is something I’ve noticed often while watching Hazbin. The spectacle of engaging designs, captivating animation sequences and catchy songs quite literally steal the show. This “cool factor” will almost make you forget that many of the main characters have hardly spoken to each other outside of a few brief jokes here and there.

Hazbin wants to be cool and it wants to have an expansive cast of characters to make the world-building feel fleshed out. But this doesn’t exactly work when we’ve hardly gotten to know a character before moving on to the next one who seems far less relevant to the main selling point of the hotel that the first season is SUPPOSED to be establishing.

And here’s where a HUGE issue with the pacing comes in and that’s how fast we see sinners at the hotel get better. It doesn’t feel like 6 months have passed in the show since there is barely an indication of the passage of time, and we also don’t get to see much struggle to change from those staying at the hotel. Both Sir Pentious and Angel Dust are given their own character development episodes, but in my opinion a single episode for each is not enough to feel like the development was realistic and earned. Directly afterward we see them immediately improved and acting as if they have become close family with those staying at the hotel.

It was jarring to watch since I felt like I was missing the context for when all of the characters bonded to the extent of being that close. The only characters I saw bonding in a way that felt real were Angel Dust and Husk, and even though episode 4 was terrific for showing Angel’s struggles and how the hotel serves as his support network, it made me desperately crave more genuine moments like it.

I especially wanted more genuine moments between Charlie and Vaggie since they experienced an upset in their relationship towards the tail end of the season. And unfortunately the last two episodes didn’t satisfy me since the two talked more with other characters I wasn’t interested in than with each other. It’s a shame that Alastor often steals their spotlight, and from what I’ve heard season 2 is going to be more about Alastor and the Vees too. This worries me, as it seems Vivienne is showing favoritism for the supporting cast over the main characters.

Still, I will definitely be checking out season 2 when it’s released to see if there have been any improvements. And even if there aren’t, it’ll be a fun show to turn my brain off to. I see the show’s existence as a net positive for the animation industry despite the issues I have with it.

[sirensplayhouse]

hii it’s ‘🪦’ anon. i wanted to come back for a quick second and share some stuff. recently, i’ve manifested so much stuff since i first sent an ask and even before that with only being in this year for two months.

month of janurary in order:

- my parents divorce being over after years (everything working out how we planned). this was also the reason i had got into LOA all those years ago, so i did cry for like a day straight, it was really my wakeup call.

- 2 week vacation to my favorite tropical area for the month of feburary (i just got back from traveling and i enjoyed myself sm)

- i tapped into the void state about two times that month as well. i affirmed for always being aware of when i’m in it.

- a healthier relationship with my family. the past few years i did struggle with feeling close with them but we’ve grown so much in a short amount of time now.

- 300 dollars worth of clothes + a skims dress (the package was gonna be way more and i had already spent a lot of money for the vacation in advance)

- three new pairs of desired shoes

- this was random but, my mom always gives me money monthly to spend freely or to save but i had already gotten that months worth. so i was like my mom is gonna give me more money, not even 30 minutes later she’s asking how much i wanted?? 😭😭

month of feburary in order:

- over the years my family has definitely gotten more lenient especially since i’m damn near grown LMAO but it feels nice to do stuff without feeling like there’s going to be consequences, so i manifested for my family to be more lenient with my desired things.

- to get rid of my cold/flu a few days before vacation. i had gotten “sick” (like a common cough and runny nose) from a family member. i haven’t been sick in years so i was genuinely pissed about it. i affirmed one night when i was sleepy to wakeup without the sickness, and when i woke-up it was gone.

- my sister got paid earlier than she expected. and the amount was a few more thousands than she normally would get. it was funny when she came to tell me because she always has to make a joke out of everything. 😭

- my mothers approval for more piercings and maybe even a tattoo? (probably not, i’d def pussy out LMDAOO)

- so this was the biggest one besides the divorce but we got offers for two homes. the same homes that we looked at years ago and it honestly freaked me out. i genuinely did want to move again so i could be closer to my friends house to hangout more (we both met through LOA about three years ago and just so happened to live almost an hour away). i glanced at both house listings online after talking to her and i believed that i was gonna move. NEXT DAY, MY MOM AND SISTER GOT TWO CALLS BACK TO BACK. so now we’re moving into both homes because of something that happened 😭 it’s not bad but it was funny. i’ll be there in less than a week so i’m excited!

- another thing that happened was earlier this month. i tapped into the void for fun through this guided hypnosis video post made by gorgeouslypink and i was curious. i didn’t have any intent on manifesting anything there nor did i actually think i was gonna go through with it. i laid down right after and i tapped into it immediately while following the last speaking. personally, i don’t feel the need for the void because at the end of the day, ts is a deep meditative state inside of me. manifesting in the void is instant, and so is manifesting any other way. i also texted my friend right before and after. she thought i was gonna do it another day by u disappeared for like an hour or two and she was shocked. i was gonna send proof of everything but idk how to do this shit through anon but changing the font tbh this is sad.

all of the stuff that i mentioned within these two past months were all manifested without using the void. i hope that this can bring more positivity and enthusiasm for a lot of people who’ll see this post. ofc you can use the void but realize your power, it all starts with you and ends with you. don’t forget that you promised yourself these things so give them to yourself. sending love 💓 i’ll check back in monthly probably bc this is fun sharing my experiences and using the pink font color 💟 see you next time!

babes……. HELLO YOU DID THAT🥺i’m so proud and happy for you ! 🫶🏾 you’re only gonna get better and better and i can’t wait🥰i hope you enjoy all you’ve manifested 🕺🏾and have an absolute ball

[sl-newsie]

Query: Q x 00 Agent- Ch. 3: Whatever It Takes

The next day I have to head back to MI6 for one last training session, where I run into Bond.

“You’re off to Hong Kong now?” I pant as I dab my sweaty face off.

Bond gives a stiff nod. “And you, little Levie, are off to Ireland. I’m guessing Q treated you well, Mrs. White?”

I narrow my eyes at him. “Haha, very funny. Did you think I’d like him because he’s younger?”

The older agent simply shrugs and the gleam in his eye is undisguisable.

“Bravo, Bond. You’ve still got a sense of humor.”

We keep walking to the office space in a comfortable silence. “Joking aside, congratulations on your first solo mission,” Bond says sincerely. “It’s a big moment for you. Still, I’ll be sad to not have you with me. You’re one of my favorite partners.”

I playfully punch his shoulder. “Because I keep your ego in check?”

“Because you’re the only one I treat like a sister.”

I grin. “Aw. Big brother’s going to miss me.”

Once we’ve gotten to the office center we both spot Q, Eve, and M waiting for us.

“Say goodbye, Bond.” M instructs. “This may be the last time you two see each other.”

Bond and I exchange looks. I must say I am nervous about being on my own, but Bond’s prepared me well.

“Good luck, Bond. The whole force is counting on you, no pressure.”

“Goodbye, Levie.” Bond gives my hand a sturdy shake. “You don’t need luck, because I know you’ll do brilliant. You’re still young, but healthily spirited. Just don’t let your heart get in the way.”

With that, he follows M down the hall and for the first time we go our separate ways. 

“Is he still mad at me for shooting him?” Eve asks.

“Hasn’t mentioned it, at least not to me. But I do know one thing:” I look up with a slightly defiant demeanor. “If I had been on that mission with Bond, I would have jumped off that bridge after him. I don’t care what M says, I don’t leave a man behind.” I look at Q and ask: “When do I leave for Ireland?”

“In one hour. I will quickly brief you on a few last minute updates on your way to the airport.”

“You won't be accompanying me, husband?” I bring up the repeating joke as we start walking out.

It either flies over his head or he ignores it. “I don’t like flying.”

“It’s rather accelerating,” I comment as we enter a company SUV. “You should try it again. It makes you think.”

Q sets his face straight and begins looking through some paper files in his bag. “I can do much better thinking at home with my cats.”

Huh. Nerd guy who sits at a computer desk with cats. Who knew?

“You seem like a cat person. I respect that.”

Q accepts my statement with a small grin. “At least there’s one person who does.”

The quick trip through the airport flashes by, and soon enough I’m seated in first class and headed off to Ireland. From what Q tells me, I am to penetrate a secret lab and retrieve a formula for a new type of cyanide. Not as extreme as Bond’s assignment, but I’m still excited. Over the flight, Q apparently took the liberty of placing a few audio books in my bag.

“Hello, 0011. Or Levie, as Bond called you. I still prefer Mrs. White. I’ve recorded a few history books to entertain you for the duration of your flight, because I picture you as more of a history fan rather than a science geek such as myself. Your options are: The American Revolution, World War II, or the Spanish Civil War.”

I chose World War II and am surprised to find that I actually enjoy Q lecturing about history. Something about his voice makes it seem like a hobby rather than a chore. Maybe it’s because he’s younger? Why am I becoming friends with my Quartermaster?

In an hour I arrive in Dublin and meet up with my contact at a local pub called The Cobblestone. He’s a local Paddy with a thick accent, who tells me that the best way for me to sneak into the lab is through the sewer tunnels much to my distaste.

“What I’m wondering is why a lass like you is charged with this mission,” the man thinks out loud.

I down the whiskey I’ve ordered and narrow my eyes. “Don’t underestimate a 00 agent.”

Nighttime falls and my nerves are a jumbled mess. Unlike Bond I don’t always dress in fancy attire for missions. Instead I’m sporting a long-sleeved black jumpsuit with dress flats. Less stylish, but effective. I station myself a few yards from the sewer entrance outside the lab. After I put in my earpiece both M and Q’s voices ring in my ear.

“Voice check, please,” Q requests.

“Good evening lady and gentleman. Tonight’s forecast calls for one 00 agent and the loss of one cyanide formula. Possible celebration may be sighted in the morning.”

“Very cute,” Q replies dryly. “I expect you’re dressed for the occasion?”

I smirk from behind the tree I’m using to hide. “Wouldn’t you like to know, dear?”

“Can we cut the jibber jabber and focus?” M states harshly. “0011, are you in position?”

My agent instincts kick in and I stiffen up. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Good. You are clear to proceed.”

Thankfully the sewer entrance doors aren’t locked, but I wish it didn’t smell so putrid. It seems luck is on my side because there are no lights to expose my location. However there is one security camera.

“Q, I’d very much appreciate it if you could disable the camera.”

On the other end I hear the nerd chuckle. “Oh? I thought you liked drawing attention to yourself.”

“Just kill the bloody camera!”

He does so without another word and soon the blinking light on the camera dies. I keep scrolling through the checklist in my mind of everything I need to accomplish, deciding that I can continue on. Once I scale down the ladder into the inky darkness I switch on my night vision contact lenses. I have a few rat friends to accompany me but other than that there’s no security here. 

“Now go to your right for about 50 paces, then turn left,” Q voices in my ear.

“0011, there appears to be a maximum of only 5 guards in the area you will be infiltrating,” M adds. 

Only 5? Bond and I have a record of taking out 50 in 10 minutes. But a rookie mission is a rookie mission.

Now I’ve arrived at a small door. Still no sign of trouble.

“This leads to the boiler room,” Q informs. “No human heat signatures detected.”

There’s just one problem: the door’s lock is far beyond crackable. Normally Bond is the one for cracking locks while I stand watch, but it’s time to be adaptable. Somewhere in my pocket- I think there’s…

“0011, what’s taking so long?” M asks.

“Trying to bust the lock. Ever heard of liquid nitrogen?”

I take out a small vial and tilt it to apply the cold substance over the lock. After a few moments the metal freezes over, and after a hard kick it shatters to the floor.

“All done.”

I burst through the door holding my pistol and search for any threats in the boiler room. Only a few leaky faucets. 

“We can’t scramble all the cameras in the building. You should be on their radar now. If anyone asks, you are here for an appointment with Dr. Lambert,” M says. “Mention Project Ares.”

“Seems like a rather late appointment,” I comment as I make my way up the stairs and out of the room. “Where to now?”

Q speaks up. “Turn left, then take the elevator to the 5th level.”

Right as rain, the elevator is right down the hall. Unfortunately I’m not the only one riding it. There’s one older man and a younger woman who appears to be a secretary.

“Going up?” The woman asks.

“Yes, please.”

I hope for there to be no conversation on our ascent but am proven unlucky.

“That’s a lovely necklace,” the man comments.

“Thank you. It’s a gift from my husband.” I finger the blue pendant, letting it comfort my nerves.

"You're not wearing a ring?"

"I'm afraid I lost it a few weeks ago."

“Where do you work?” the secretary inquires.

I keep a steady smile. “I don’t work here. I’m visiting on account of my boss to visit Dr. Lambert.”

This surprises the older man. “Really? I didn’t think Norman took appointments this late.”

“It’s a special case. For Project Ares.”

This quiets both people and we ride the rest of the way in silence. Obviously Project Ares is a big deal. The elevator drops me off at the 5th floor and I give a wave goodbye to the two employees. 

“I’m on the 5th level.”

“Good. Now go straight until you see a door marked X,” Q says.

I walk a few feet down and sure enough there’s a door with a large X on the front. You’d think this project would be hidden better. This lock may pose another issue because it’s activated by a fingerprint-

“Miss? What are you doing here?” A voice asks.

I keep my cool and pivot to find a man in a lab coat walking towards me. He looks to be in his mid-thirties, with light brown hair and a little stubble. Must be a scientist.

“Ah, yes. I was looking for Dr. Lambert. It’s about Project Ares.”

The man’s face lights up. “You must be the reporter! Yes yes, come in!”

He strides past me and swipes a card to open the door, gesturing for me to follow him. This seems too easy. The room I enter is obviously a lab, one filled with many different vials and chemistry equipment.

“Are you in?” M asks in my ear.

“I had a little help,” I whisper to keep discreet from the man behind me. “What am I looking for?”

“A test tube full of the new formula,” Q says. “Any amount of a sample. Who helped you in?”

“One of the project scientists. He thinks I’m a reporter.”

“Over here!” The man in question beckons me over to a table that displays a rack of test tubes. “My name is Watson, by the way. Daniel Watson in case you’re going to include me. But I don’t care for fame, I only want to help with the progress of science.”

Aw. I’m beginning to feel sad for stealing from you.

“Is this the new cyanide formula I heard about?” I try to sound unbearably dumb.

“Indeed it is! This is our company’s most recent accomplishment, one we boys in the lab are extremely proud of. Its symptoms are quick to take over the body’s cardiovascular system and can go undetected through drug screens.”

Thank God I have a pencil and small pad of paper in my pocket so I actually look like a reporter. I write down all highlights of his lecture while side-eyeing the tubes within an arm's reach. So close! 

“Do you have any other questions?”

I zoom back to focus on Watson, trying to think of a way to sneak a vial… What would Bond do? Huh. There’s no question about what he would do. Whatever it takes to make them lower their guard.

“No, I don’t think so,” I use a more airy voice as I bat my eyelashes at the scientist. “Thank you so much, Watson! My boss will love hearing about this!” I put away my pad of paper and saunter over to the blushing man. “How can I ever repay the favor?”

He shakes his head frantically. “No, that’s not necessary. Achievement through science is it’s own reward.”

Now I’ve got him trapped against the counter. “That’s not always enough. Maybe just one kiss?”

Before he can decline I press a firm kiss to his lips, rendering him speechless. In a split-second I look to see that he has his eyes closed, right as I slip a vial into my chest pocket. When I pull away, Watson still can’t find words to say.

“Thanks again, Watson!” I wave as I strut out. “Q, M, I have it. Ready for a quick exit before they ring the alarm.”

“Right. This time you’re going to use the stairs, a few paces down to your right,” Q states.

Is it just me or is he acting a bit differently?

“Everything alright, Quartermaster?” I ask as I begin my descent.

“Peachy. Will you please continue with the mission?”

“I thought I was. Did I do something wrong?”

He doesn’t answer, which just makes me even more curious. By now I’m at the 2nd floor-

Beep! Beep! Beep!

“Bad news, folks. Watson turned traitor on me.”

“Who?” Q asks with disgust.

“Doesn’t matter. Right now I have to get out.”

“I just detonated an explosive on the south side of the building to cover your exit window. You're welcome.”

My eyebrows raise in surprise. “Thanks very much, chap. Remind me to repay the favor someday.”

“B squad, you check the bottom levels. We’ll get the upper floors!” Voices shout from below.

Uh-oh. Looks like I’ll have to take a detour to the ground floor. I make a dash for the exit and find multiple security guards scurrying all throughout the hall. The lobby is only a few yards away-

“Miss! Quick, there’s been a security breach. You must get evacuated and head home immediately,” one man in a suit informs me.

I play dumb. “Oh my goodness! What happened?”

“A bomb exploded at the end of the property so we’re evacuating all staff. Now hurry!”

Pretending to be in a jumbled panic like everyone else, I flock down the hall and am almost there-!

“Hold up! Where’s your badge?” One guy stops me just before I reach the lobby. A college jock if I ever saw one.

“Well, you see sir,” I bat my eyelashes. “I was having a private meeting with one of your employees that shall go unnamed. That’s how my business works. Technically I’m not supposed to be here, but he needed some stress relief, if you catch my drift. Do you think you could possibly look the other way and let me slip out?”

Lord save my soul. I can’t even register my own words as they pour almost too easily from my mouth. I really have learned a lot from Bond. And it must work, because the young guard is now looking at me with a new-found hunger.

“I dunno about that, but I’ll let it slide if you use that pretty mouth of yours to give me a little loving.”

It’s all I can do not to vomit. “Very well.” I take his hand and lead him to a nearby closet, locking the door behind me. “One kiss, one favor? Sounds enchanting.” I give him a blunt punch to the head and he drops to the ground, out cold. “But I’ve already had my date for the evening.”

I hide him behind a crate and sprint for the lobby, speeding through the door into the cool night air towards the rendezvous point for my getaway. Once I’ve cleared the hill and the lab is out of sight I relax. Finally! I’ve done it! My first mission-!

Bam!

The shot rings out and I stop dead in my tracks. The blood is already dripping down my pant leg. I’ve been lucky to have been shot only twice before, both in the arm. But this is my first leg injury. And I don’t like it.

The guard who’s holding the gun is standing a short distance behind me. “I won’t miss next time. You seemed unfamiliar when I saw you earlier. Now tell me, who are you? And don’t bother trying to sell the whole reporter scheme. Tell me who you’re working for!”

Bond wouldn’t have gotten into this. Think, think! 

I kneel down and make it seem as if I’m surrendering, then-

“Ah!”

My knife, Mrs. White, lands perfectly in the center of the guard’s chest. Thanks, Q. He topples over and, with what force I can muster with a shot leg, I jog over and knock him out cold. That’s one check off the list. But my adrenaline is wearing off and the injury’s starting to get to me.

“Q? M? Anybody copy?” I grunt as I keep walking, wanting to get to the rendezvous point as quickly as possible.

“Q here. Sorry about that, got caught up with Bond’s radio call. What’s up?”

“Agent wounded. I’ve been shot in the thigh, losing blood fast. How far away is the car?”

It’s like I flipped a switch when I said ‘shot,’ because now Q’s manner has definitely changed.

“I see your position. Keep going straight for another 50 yards, and whatever you do don’t fall asleep. Is your head spinning?”

“Starting to. I’m not sure if the bullet nicked the femoral artery, but I’m fresh out of tourniquets.”

“Stay calm, keep your breathing steady. Do you think you can last?”

I try to give a laid-back chuckle but it turns into a short coughing fit, bringing up specs of blood on my hand. “You should know, Quartermaster, that my intentions as a 00 agent keep me motivated to keep going until I literally die? Yes, I can last.”

Q is quiet for a time, leaving me to notice how heavy my breathing has gotten. My leg feels numb now, which cannot be a good thing.

“Are you still there?”

“Yes,” I answer in a tired voice. “Would you mind chatting with me so I can ignore death?”

“I’d think that you would have kicked death in the crotch by now,” Q jokes lightheartedly. “You’re almost there, just a few more yards. Don’t mess up, or you’ll be the first agent to die under my watch.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t. I’m going to rub my victory in your face when I get back.”

“There’s the 0011 I remember,” he groans. “Just get back alive.”

I’d really like to, but my head’s starting to feel even more dizzy. So much for a flawless first solo mission. Is this really how I’m going to go out? Slowly bleeding to death? I’d hoped my death would be something dramatic. Should I say goodbye to everyone? It would mean I’m accepting defeat, but I’d be disappointed not say farewell to my few friends. Bond, Eve, the other 00s, M- Q? Is Q my friend? That would be the first time I’ve been friends with my Quartermaster. It’s not like he’s unlikeable, only annoying at times. Annoying, witty, attractive-

The new thought makes me go into another coughing fit. Q, attractive? My blood loss is clearly making me delusional. He’s mildly cute at best. Wait- no. Why am I cogitating about his appealing looks? Just keep focused and stay alive!

“Q, I’m starting to see spots.” I look behind and see a pathetic trail of blood behind me.

“You’re almost there. Do you see the car yet?”

“I see a bright light-”

“No! Not that one-!”

“Just kidding. Yes, I see it.”

Q sighs. “Shut your trap and get in the bloody car before I tell them to leave you behind.”

I try to laugh but end up spitting up more blood. Now the driver of the black Jeep sees me limping towards her and she rushes over to help.

“Are you 0011?”

“Yeah. Or at least I’ll stay that way if I can stay alive.”

“Stay calm, miss! I’m going to get the stretcher-”

“Forget it. If I can walk this far I can walk 10 more feet to the back of the car.”

The driver quickly opens the rear food and I climb inside with what little strength I have left. As soon as I’m seated my eyes begin to droop and she panics.

“No, no sleeping! We need to get your wound dressed…”

Her words are drowned out by my building fatigue, and soon all I can hear is my faint heartbeat as I start to drift off. So close… Maybe if I wake up after this I’ll copy Bond and top it off with a drink…

[fiftysevenacademics]

I am in the oldest cohort of Gen X. Cable TV didn’t come around till I was a teen, and commercially-available Internet, not until I was well into adulthood with a child of my own. Growing up, the only free media you could enjoy were network TV and radio. If you wanted to hear specific music on demand, read particular genres of writing, or see movies, you had to buy records, subscribe to magazines or buy books, or go to movie theaters. Or, you could borrow books, magazines, and music for free from a library.

It was completely normal, even a point of pride, for people to pay for subscriptions to multiple newspapers, typically, your local paper and a larger regional one, and multiple magazines. If you couldn’t afford to subscribe to stuff, you went to the library. Kids saved up their allowance money or, if they were teens, got jobs so they could buy the records (vinyl) they wanted because radio never played their favorite songs often enough.

You only got the TV channels whose signals were strong enough to reach your TV set, which meant that if you lived out in the sticks (like I did growing up), even with rooftop antenna you still only got one or two channels, and in some places, you couldn’t get any. Everyone my age remembers fiddling with the “rabbit ears” on top the TV or yelling directions at their dad while he was up on the roof tweaking the antenna to get better reception. It was the 70s equivalent of “can you hear me now?”

Needless to say, I took to the Internet like a kid in a candy shop. All the news! All the entertainment! All the knowledge and aesthetics and giggles and drama and tragedy for the price of an Internet connection.

But as the Internet matured, it turned into the grubby capitalist hellscape we have now. It was probably always the inevitable outcome of giving capitalist enterprises and complete strangers unfettered access to our wildest dreams, fantasies, and thirst for knowledge, but we were having so much fun it was easy to think we had some kind of control, or that the party would last forever.

Now, the websites and networks we love the most are shutting down, the music and video streaming websites we’ve gotten used to enjoying for free or minimal cost increasingly dictate what, when, and how we enjoy media and can snatch it away from us at any moment. What passes for news is often just gossip passed around on social media because newspapers are being devoured by hedge funds and being run more like money laundering operations than journalism with integrity.

To those of you who grew up entirely in this era, it might feel outrageous to be asked to subscribe to media you enjoy, or to purchase physical or digital versions of music or movies that you can own forever. I, too, hate paywalls and do what I can to get around them, and I, too, have been badly spoiled by the Internet.

But I do recall a time when I subscribed to a half dozen magazines and the local paper, how much fun it was when one of my magazines arrived, to sit down with a cup of coffee and flip through it, deciding which articles to read now and which to read later, or just enjoying the lavish pictures. I recall going out in the morning to collect the paper and that brief moment of anticipation as the headline and cover photo unrolled in my hand. I remember flipping through the fashion and lifestyle magazines at the library for hours when I had time to waste and wanted to immerse myself in some kind of aesthetic for the day.

It all really wasn’t so bad. In fact, it had its own distinct pleasures and inherent boundaries that are lacking in today’s streaming and digital media.

So now I think we’ve come full circle. The only way we can continue to have an Internet we enjoy is by paying for the services we find most fun or useful. It took some time for me to come around to this because, like I said, I, too, have been coddled and indulged for the past thirty years.

But once I started looking at it as the same thing as subscribing to a magazine, which I used to love to do, it all made sense. If you want Tumblr or any other website, publication, or social network you love to stay around, you should subscribe if you can afford to. If you regularly read a magazine or newspaper online and find it very useful or fun, you should subscribe or donate, even if it doesn’t have paywalls. Buy digital or physical copies of albums, songs, or movies/shows you love—don’t count on Netflix or Spotify to let you enjoy them forever.

[the-tripping-and-the-touching]

Paparazzi

Pairing: Sam x Reader

Warnings: cigarette smoking, anxiety(?)

Word Count: 2360

Summary: A night spent backstage.

Note: Welcome to my first little Sam fic! Enjoy <3

To be fair, he had warned you. 

That’s what you kept reminding yourself as you took deep breaths, preparing to exit the tour bus and cross the short stretch into the stadium the band was playing that night. To Sam’s credit, the walk in wasn’t typically such a chaotic event, but the event staff had mismanaged the line, causing it to curl around the building and run straight in front of the back doors. 

He had promised you’d be able to change in the greenroom, but the moment you found out about the scene at the unloading site you’d gotten dressed. You’d chosen your favorite pair of jeans and a cropped leather vest with little star cutouts, unsure if you wanted to actually go out into the audience that night but still knowing the crowd you were approaching would appreciate this outfit more than your sweats. A low whistle came from Sam as you walked out of the bus’s bathroom, prompting you to strut over into his arms as the driver jolted to a stop in front of the doors, causing you to slip into his lap. 

“I don’t know if you can go out like that,” he kissed the edge of your jaw, “it could be a bad look if you show me up at my own concert.” Kisses were littered all over your jaw and neck until you pushed him away, a preventative measure against any lasting marks. 

“Not that anyone should have known who I am.” You took your turn, kissing each of his cheeks as you heard his brothers getting out of their seats and grabbing their things. He freed one of his hands from its position on your waist in search of something that seemed to be laying in his bag on the table next to you. 

The cool metal of a pair of his sunglasses slid across the sides of your face as he placed them on you. “To protect your precious anonymity.” He gave you a big grin as he leaned back, drinking in your new look. “You know I really don’t mind if people find out that I’m in a relationship. Not as long as it's with you.” His grin turned smug as he pressed a kiss to your forehead and took hold of your hand. 

“And I don’t really mind either, except for the part where they try to find my entire life’s story on the internet just because I happen to be dating the cutest bass player alive.” The doors to the bus opened, bathing his brothers in sunlight and forcing them out into the crowds. 

Sam leaned into your ear, lowering his voice so only you could hear, “Flattery will get you everywhere,” his hair was soft against the side of your face as he pressed in closer, “except out of this situation.” With that, the two of you were clambering down the stairs of the bus and through the thin strip of open walkway that security had sectioned off. 

As quickly as it had started, the quick paced shuffle through the doors was over, leaving you with sharp spots of light behind your eyes from the camera flashes you’d just been barraged with. While the boys and their security waited for someone to escort them to their greenroom you took a moment to rub your eyes in hope of clearing the flash from them. 

“Are you okay?” Sam cupped your jaw in his hand and tilted your face towards his while removing his sunglasses from you. “It was like paparazzi out there.” Worry strained his voice as you kept your eyes closed to avoid losing any progress you’d made towards ridding your eyelids of the afterimage. 

“Yeah, yeah I am,” you finally opened your eyes to find him looking at you intently, deep downturned eyes studying your expression, “but I think I’ll probably be staying backstage tonight.” His lips turned up in a warm smile as he leaned in to give you a kiss. Your arms wound around the back of his neck out of muscle memory, keeping him close like someone could try and snatch him away at any moment. 

And try they did. 

“Come on lovebirds, we’ve got to start getting ready.” His older brother’s voice cut through the warm bubble you’d made for yourselves and snapped the both of you back to reality. 

“Already moving Sir Jacob.” Sam taunted Jake as he wrapped his arm around your shoulders, leading you towards the back of the group that was slowly departing from its place by the doors. His voice lowered to an almost whisper as your pace picked up, “And I’m glad you’re staying back tonight. I like having you all to myself.”

✴✴✴

Every concert day was more or less the same. Each boy picked a part of the greenroom to lay out their things before soundcheck started, fighting over the corner with the best lighting or for the clothing rack to go near their bags. Soundcheck was always up in the air as far as starting time, usually an hour or so after arrival but on occasion they would hold off until fans had started lining up in order to tease a song. 

Today they’d opted to start it quickly, heading back out towards the stage immediately after marking their territory. You’d decided to partake in one of your favorite personal tour traditions, climbing to the very highest seat you could find, watching their stage antics from the top of the venue. 

It was always breathtaking, the notion that in a few short hours the seats would be filled with fans who loved the music as much as you did. Sam called your name from the stage after you’d had time to digest your view, waving you down to the ground level. You happily obliged, making your way down the several sets of stairs it had taken you to get to your vantage point. 

The walk down the pit was another one of your favorite bits. It wasn’t exactly the same rush as when you did it genuinely, speed walking to grab the barricade before anyone else at a regular concert. But these moments certainly weren’t anything to scoff at. The cool metal of the railing fit into your palms as you beamed up at Sam, who’d chosen to show off for you.

His hands were mesmerizing as they worked on his bass, fingers running down the thick strings and plucking at them as the noise reverberated through your chest. Getting your own private show right in front of the man you’d fallen in love with was an unparalleled experience. One you knew you’d never tire of.  Once a few more actual songs had been played and the band tired of messing around on stage you climbed on top of a box that had been pushed in front of the stage, clasping onto Sam’s hand as he pulled you up towards him. 

✴✴✴

Seeing him completely dressed for a concert was always stunning. The way the embroidered designs of his suit gleamed in the light and the eye makeup he let you do on him defined his soft eyes as he stared at you. This evening you’d gone for a soft, shimmery, smokey look. You used the pad of your thumb to brush away some extra pigment that had fallen onto his cheekbone, chasing the contact with a quick kiss to the same spot. 

“I can never decide if I like getting to see you watching me out there or getting to run back to you in the middle of the show more.” He was smiling again, his eyes tracing the outline of your features as the two of you stood right behind the only wall separating you from the sea of people eagerly awaiting the boys’ entrance on stage. 

“You like running back more. After all, we can’t exactly make out in the crowd.” A light laugh escaped you at the notion. That morning had been bad enough, you couldn’t imagine the commotion that him diving into the waves of fans to find you would cause. 

The final song of their pre show playlist was wrapping up, causing him to squeeze your hand one last time before straightening out his lapels and turning on his heel to follow his brother out. 

You loved the ambience of the greenroom during a show. Josh’s humidifier ran even after they’d gone on, and the amps were loud enough that lounging on a couch behind stage was just as good as being out in the audience. You loved the way you could stretch out and peruse through Sam’s makeup bag, picking out the items you knew you’d need when he eventually rushed back and needed touch ups on his look. 

You loved the way you could hear the exact moment he stopped playing, telling you to stick the products in your pocket and grab a cigarette from the carton in his backpack. Every night, the same sequence of events ran like clockwork. You’d place the cigarette between your lips as you stepped out the door, lighting it only once you’d gone away from the environment curated to preserve Josh’s voice. The cherry would burn orange as Sam emerged from the curtains, walking to you and gently taking it from you as your first and only puff released into the surrounding air. 

The smell had never been one you liked, so you did your best to keep it away from your clothes, a pattern that Sam followed as best he could as you pushed him against the wall that received the most light. Every night, like clockwork, the air would leave his chest as you pressed him against the hard surface, his lips opening as an invitation. 

Your mouths would work together almost on beat with the drums pounding just a few yards away, out of the privacy you’d found. Smoke would drift around you as he would let the cigarette burn itself away in favor of his favorite vice. You. 

After an amount of time that could never seem like enough, you had to pull away, starting to reapply whatever look you’d gone for that evening. 

You pulled a stick of eyeliner out of your back pocket as he took another drag, making a point of blowing the smoke up and away before you took his face in your free hand, steering him towards a proper vantage point. Once the pigment had been properly smudged around his eyes, you took a little single of his favorite burnt yellow glitter shadow and spread it around his inner corners. 

The grip you found on his chin let you move his head to each side a few times as he finished his cig off and popped a mint in his mouth, allowing you to admire your work as a sultry look gave his thoughts away. “You ought to get back out there,” you teased him. He hummed in amused agreement as his hand found its place at the base of your neck, pulling you in again. The way he tasted was intoxicating, the sharp taste of the peppermint mixing with the dull smoothness of tobacco and the sweetness of himself. 

After a swipe of his tongue your mouth opened for him, the two of you staying pressed together against the wall until he ran entirely out of time. You stayed connected at the mouth for a few seconds as he began walking back, dragging your feet out of place and towards him before you completely separated. 

✴✴✴

You’d see him again before the encore, though for a much shorter time. These short minutes were always spent cooling him down and cleaning his makeup up rather than reapplying. He’d usually give you his suit jacket to hang back up before leaving one final time before you could go back to your room at whatever hotel had been chosen for you. 

The high that resonated in the greenroom after a show was exhilarating, watching them cheer to another stop completed and change into more comfortable outfits as the noise of fans shuffling towards the exits dulled down outside. It had always seemed funny to you, how so much buildup would dissipate into content exhaustion by the end of the night. Watching Sam pull a fresh shirt around himself and buttoning a few of the buttons towards the bottom told you that it was finally time to leave the event yourselves, bags in hand and yawns echoing through the concrete halls. 

Yet you found yourself anxious again as you approached the same doors as that morning. A guard gave your group the go ahead, and relief washed over you just like the cool night air as you stepped out, pressed against Sam, onto the empty sidewalk. 

“Good thing no one was out here, I lost my sunglasses in my bag.”

“These ones?” You tapped your hand against his shirt pocket, heavy with the weight of the cool metal frames. 

“Oh. Yeah,” he gave you a toothy smile and breathy, tired laugh, “those ones.” He tucked you closer under his arm as you approached the bus doors once more. 

✴✴✴

“This is the most comfortable bed I’ve ever laid in.” He said that after every show, no matter where you were or how late it was. You laid on his shoulder, arm stretched across his torso and legs intertwined under the comforter he’d loosely thrown across your bodies once you’d showered and changed. 

“I’m sure it is.” The affirmation was punctuated with a yawn. 

“Hey… I’m sorry about this morning. I really didn’t want you to have to deal with all of that so soon.” The hint of remorse in his voice was foreign enough to make you uneasy. You settled in closer to him as you thought of what to say, pressing your cheek into the meat of his arm. 

“You know I’d follow you anywhere, cameras and fans or not.” He exhaled, his breathing returning to the slow smoothness you’d become accustomed to at night. “But how about from now on we try and make sure that I’m your only paparazzi.”

“Deal.”

[susie-dreemurr]

Willow, Luz and Hunter for the character asks

(Edit: fuck it read more time)

Willow Park

1) First impression:

(Episode 3?) She seems a bit like the stereotypical sweet bullied best friend, but that’s okay. She’s nice and has some mischievous moments. Not much to say about her.

2) Impression now:

She’s still not a favorite, but I like her more now. I enjoy the parts where the girl subverts some of the tropes she was assigned (being allowed to being angry at her bully, not immediately forgiving, still a gremlin) and how just because Willow got more self-confidence, it doesn’t mean the teen won’t struggle with negative thoughts after getting put down for being “half a witch” for so long.

3) Favorite moment:

The monster in her mind being revealed to be Inner Willow after it was pushed into the water. Plus, the iconic: “I remember what you did, too. I can’t say we’re friends, but…it’s a start.”

4) Idea for a story:

We’ve seen Willow’s complicated feelings on Amity, now it’s time to explore what she and Skara got going on. Although I remember S1E17 hinting that Skara would be nicer to her and didn’t hate her, unlike Boscha, it’s still a bit weird to see one of Willow’s former bullies in her team when they’ve had zero on-screen development. Especially because, unlike with Amity, they don’t have any history to build on.

In other words. Fanfics of Willow & Skara friendship slow burn when.

5) Unpopular opinion:

Willow should have gotten more screen time, yes, but I think the girl’s current time explores her enough. She’s one of those characters who already feel complete since season one. (With that said, gimme some a Willow POV reason to ship Huntlow, bc if this is gonna happen, I need mutual content—)

You can argue that the girl hasn’t completed her arc yet, but, while that’s fair, I think the fact that we’re being shown that she’s in a better state than she ever was in her life, plus that she will keep growing, makes up for it.

6) Favorite relationship:

Willow and Amity. It’s not even a competition. Understand Willow, my best friend…

7) Favorite head cannon:

She’s somewhere in the AroAce spectrum! Maybe she can have crushes still, but they’ll be either very small and short, or they’re less “blushing, can’t function, etc” and more her normal attitude them + a mushy feeling in her chest and the desire to cuddle. Thought people were exaggerating about how intense their romantic urges were until Luminity happened. I’m not projecting.

Gus Porter

1) First impression:

Funny little man. Definitely not neurotypical. That’s it.

2) Impression now:

Labyrinth Runners changed me as a person, so listen. His whole character is about autism and the ND experience. His struggle of feeling guilty for not being able to read people as well as the others around him, therefore leading into being taken advantage of, mostly for his smarts, is a mood. Still a funny little man, but now is a character I love. This explains it better than I possibly could, but the point is: He Gets It!

3) Favorite moment:

His last on-screen Illusion Nightmare, when Hunter goes into the sphere to snap him out of his mind. Specifically the “I let myself get tricked…again” part because the slightly creepy and symbolic visual is my kind of shit. Aside of that, probably the whole scene where he calms Hunter down from a panic attack and then gives his speech.

4) Idea for a story:

Something exploring his post-King’s Tide feelings, because…imagine having to deal with being a 12 year old unable to go home to your only family member, who’s current status is unknown, going to your dream location in the worst way possible, and. As if that wasn’t enough, having to stay silent about his knowledge of Belos’s backstory, including the creation of grimwalkers, which his friend is. I am but a humble angst enjoyer and I need my crumbs.

5) Unpopular opinion:

Okay idk tbh. Although he was criminally underdeveloped in season one, TTGLR and LR came in clutch, so I don’t mind his lack of exploration as much as other fans. My main complaint is that I wish he got more focus on King’s Tide. Let him into the Angst Train in the next specials, Dana. You know you want to.

6) Favorite relationship:

As the Labyrinth Runners stan that I am, I’d have to be lying to say it’s anything but Hunter & Gus. It’s just an equally positive thing for both of them. They are nerdy sillies together me thinks

7) Favorite head cannon:

Augustus Porter has the autism swag (real)

Luz Noceda

1) First impression:

Luz looks like a regular “quirky child” kid’s show protagonist, but just because she’s not anything special right now doesn’t mean I won’t like her. She’s fun. I like her neurodivergent swag and…girlie made me cry in S1E02 😔 why would you hurt me like this. It’s not even a sad episode. It’s just… her being tricked by that self-indulgent illusion hit me in my weak spot 😭😭😭

2) Impression now:

ONE OF MY FAVORITES, JUST LIKE ME FOR REAL! Watch this video, it’s the best. Seriously, I still like her kid’s show protag vibes, yeah, but what really draws me in is her insecurities. It’s the alienation Luz faced due to being neurodivergent and never really fitting in anywhere until the Boiling Isles. It’s about the people pleasing and hiding away any signs that she needs help due to not wanting to be a bother, because being too much of a burden means losing your only friends. It’s about loving your parents but feeling as if they will never really get it.

The urge to self-sacrifice and put the blame on yourself in case anything goes wrong. It’s about reaching one of your lowest mental health points and thinking you’re a horrible person who ruins everything when you’re just a kid with some Issues and anger. When, at some point, you start only confiding on your sibling figure because they’re the only one who understands and you think won’t run away. Pushing away your friends and, after apologizing, being surprised at how instantly kind and forgiving they are. It’s about Reaching Out and Thanks To Them.

3) Favorite moment:

Camila watching her computer diary in Thanks To Them. Literally everything about it, but especially the reveal of her hyperfixation being a connection to her late father. Aside of that, moments like her bitter speeches in S2E02 (to Eda) and in S3E01 (to her class) are very cool…I relate to her so much 😔

4) Idea for a story:

I’m not very creative when it comes to these types of questions, so this is hard. You know what they say, when in doubt, go for a PMMM AU! She gets a Sayaka-like role! (it’s about the heroism complex and ideals, the destruction of the fantasy, the angst. And the gay, too. Amity, get in the Kyoko cosplay right NEOWWW—)

5) Unpopular opinion:

I mostly stick to my fandom bubble, so I always see similar takes, but. “She got some trauma and issues from the Boiling Isles, as no kid should bear the burden of the world’s fate in the way Luz does, Belos worsened her ‘I gotta do this by myself’ shtick” and “She already had trauma before the Boiling Isles, that island is essential to her healing atp, and her Owl Family + friends helped her get some coping mechanisms and actually rely on her loved ones” are all statements that can and do coexist!

6) Favorite relationship:

The Owl Family, aka Luz, Eda & King. It’s the heart of the show! Three outcasts, who grew to unconditionally accept and love each other, even when others don’t have their back. Three traumatized people with awful coping mechanisms who do their best teach each other how to be better. Found family that may not be perfect, but is essential in all its members in a growth and healing journey. Plus they’re really funny. Can best be described as “they’re a set, do not separate them.”

7) Favorite head cannon:

No “favorite” comes up right now, so regular ones it is. HC that Luz has not only ADHD, but autism and (for a while) depression as well! And undiagnosed eye problems, because she refused to ask for glasses and is deeply regretting it! I’m projecting! Also, when she stays in The Boiling Isles, she’s going to cut her hair to fit the Clawthorne Women Hair Style(TM) like how Eda looks in the EOTP flashback, but mixing it with her own style at the same time. The girl needs a cool leather jacket, too! Give her some more drip.

[jamesrodayrodriguezpresents]

Q) Where do we pick up with Danny and the Dixon family?

A) 501 was really one of my favorite episodes I’ve gotten to film. Working with James Roday Rodriguez who plays Gary is always a great time. James is like a mentor to me, and I look up to him. Not only did I get to be behind the wheel this episode, but I got to have Gary in my passenger seat which made it a million times better for Danny. We embarked on a hilarious journey and made memories that will last a lifetime. Again, do not want to spoil anything just in case some viewers have not watched 501, but it was a great time for Danny and myself.

[...]

Q) It was such a poignant scene watching Danny seek sex advice from Gary, Rome and Eddie. Talk about filming that moment.

A) Oh man, that scene was one of my favorites I’ve ever filmed. I love working with Romany [Malco], David [Giuntoli] and James so much. When I get to work with all of them together, I know it’s gonna be a fun day. This was such a big scene for Danny as not only is he following in his father’s footsteps by carrying on his game night tradition spot in his jersey, but he has to simultaneously deal with the relationship stress he’s going through with Milo (Emrik Lopez). Once Gary spots that Danny is blatantly ignoring Milo’s phone calls, he goes full dad mode. I particularly enjoyed taking a step back on their coverage and really just watching these three in action as the “Band of Dads” reunited. James, Romany and David are such talented people and I have learned so much from them over the years. Throughout the duration of this scene, they were all recounting old stories from when they were young and making me laugh unbelievably hard. That is the beauty of working with these guys, it’s an acting class, but it really just feels like I’m hanging with a group of friends.

[...]

Q) What have been some of your personal favorite moments from filming over the seasons?

A) This question is always such a difficult one for me to answer. It has been six years since we’ve done the pilot and from my first day up until now I have more memories than I can remember from filming. From the hilarious improv lines James does that have me belly laughing and in tears on the floor, to the real sibling relationship I have with Lizzy. Truthfully, there is a new memory I take home every day from filming. I love hearing Romany’s crazy stories, David’s obscure thoughts that he blurts out to make you laugh and Stephanie’s [Szostak] motherly advice she always gives me. More recently, one of my favorite memories I have gained from the show is our last day. It was a bittersweet moment where I realized it was our last day filming this show which has been such a part of my life, but I felt a sense of pride and gratitude that I was fortunate enough to be a part of something so special. It’s hard to describe in words how I was feeling but it was almost as if it wasn’t real. I was in disbelief that it was six years ago when we shot the pilot and I first met everyone. In that moment, I learned what “time flies” truly felt like.

(via Danny G)

[captainsspnanon]

Campaign 3: Bells Hells - Year Review

Can’t believe it’s been a year with this gang already!

Campaign thoughts overall:

I’m having a blast!  The Mighty Nein is still my favorite, but Bells Hells is second on the list for me with Vox Machina third.

While I think some of them have been a bit overblown, I do think some of the pacing criticism is valid.  The first 30ish episodes of the campaign just felt a bit weirdly paced out, both too slow and at times too fast as well.  While it feels like we’re in a much more solid pacing, it also feels breakneck.  I still wonder if the crew is expecting to have a ‘shorter’ campaign, or if Matt’s just got big things planned.  With the Hells getting an airship for a year as of the last episode, it also feels a little bit like there’s a time limit on the campaign.  Sure, M9 was just under a year, but VM was significantly longer, just because there were more timeskips.  With that one year leasing limit, so to speak, it makes me wonder if the days of longer timeskips are gone for good.  (Of course, the one year limit is arbitrary and I’m sure the Hells will somehow lose access to the airship within the span of a few weeks, but it’s just a Vibe.)

I do not agree with any of the claims that C3 feels ‘overproduced’ or ‘more likely to be scripted’ than any of the rest.  They’ve got a better set, sure, better cameras and sound, yes, but they’re still goofballs who will talk over one another and improv with the best of them.  I may not always feel like a lighting change is necessary, but it’s much less obtrusive than it was as the start, and I get very excited when we see new backgrounds.  I desperately hope that there’s a snowy background, or a heavy rain/thunderstorm background!

PC thoughts:

No section here for Matt because all the NPCs are great and are consistently great.  They all are still in solid NPC status, no one has yet reached a Gilmore/Allura/Essek level of ‘getting involved with the actual campaign’ yet.

In table order: Chetney!  I’m loving every single choice that Travis is making with this character, he’s having a blast playing a smart impulsive chaotic being.  I’m looking forwards to seeing where we go with Chet in the next year, as I do struggle a bit of seeing it as more than just a silly-playing-to-have-fun PC.  There’s nothing wrong with a choice like that, but I’m not expecting it to be that shallow with this type of group and playstyle.  I feel like there’s so much of Chetney still undiscovered, but not necessarily that he’s hiding it, just that it hasn’t come up.  The Hells aren’t really the prying type.

Laudna!  I love her. Once “D” was mentioned the first time, I was a bit hesitant, as Delilah never actually did it for me in C1, so having her back as a probable-antagonist in C3 was not something that I felt would hold up.  Overall for me….well, it still didn’t.  It’s not bad! I’ve actually enjoyed all the interactions with her we’ve gotten, but I don’t have that underlying sense of “OMGTHISISSOBAD” that seems to permeate the table and fanbase.  I don’t really have a sense for what drives Laudna yet, so I am interested (and a bit impatient) to see how she develops in the next year.  Does she have a story separate from Delilah?  What mechanical choices is Marisha making?  How is Laudna even going to be in this week’s episode?! I’m very excited!

FCG.  Talk about a slow warm up.  I’ve always had difficulty connecting to Sam’s PCs, and I think it’s because Sam is a player who goes for the joke first and then builds that joke into the PC.  Flat Exandria is a great example of this.  So when Sam came in with a cheerful overly bright robit for C3, it took time for me to get it.  I know Sam is capable of great twists, so I wasn’t surprised and was even expecting the murderbot twist, I’m STILL expecting the Charlie/Devexian twist (though now I suspect it will be more of a twist if Sam DOESN’T do that), but what really got me with FCG? What really clicked me in?  Is when he started having more emotions than just ‘friendly helper bot’.  When he started to be irritated, sarcastic, angry, uncertain, and his latest exploration into religion?  I’m not saying FCG is my favorite Sam PC because I’ve spent so much time with Nott, but I’m saying FCG has the potential to become my favorite.  I am thrilled to see Sam start digging into the meatier aspect and I suspect that FCG is going to be one of the PCs with the biggest changes by the end of the campaign.

Fearne. I love her, omg.  She has the benefit of being my favorite Ashley PC (mostly because she’s been here the entire time without needing breaks), but I love every single choice she makes, including all the ‘bad’ ones.  Right now, Fearne has been played pretty surface level, with little dips below in regards to her parents and grandparents.  Matt has clearly decided that she’s going to be pulled into the main moon plot somehow, and I’m fascinated to see how Ashley is going to take it.  Will she let it change her?  Will Fearne stay the same as the world changes around her?  WILL ASHLEY AND LIAM GET SOME MORE SOLID RP MOMENTS THAT I AM DESPERATELY CRAVING???  (….look.  We didn’t get anywhere near enough Vax and Pike interaction, despite Liam clearly hoping for it, nor enough Yasha and Caleb interaction despite Liam clearly hoping for it, give me it here please please please!!)  I like that Ashley has decided that she clearly wants to play into the chaotic aspect of the characters and is embracing it for all she’s worth.  In the future, I’m hoping to see how deep the well that is Fearne may go, as I very much doubt that what we see is all that we get.

Imogen.  To my reluctance, I agree with some of the criticism that Imogen seems a bit Main Character TM.  I’m expecting this to balance out, as there’s been good balance in the previous campaigns, but it is occasionally a bit distracting right now.  However!  That doesn’t mean that I haven’t been loving the entirety of it and I’m desperately interested to know what the fuck is up with Ruidus and the forgotten gods and how this is impacting Imogen and what her mother has to do with it and and and and!  I’d say out of all of the PCs, I feel like we know Imogen the best.  She’s been very open with her backstory, and we’ve seen so many different aspects of her on display!  I am suuuuper ready to see more of her ruthlessness, I think the bomb and lighting bolt on the crawler is my favorite Ruthless!Imogen moment so far.  Out of the PCs, Imogen is also the one who has the clearest goal and path forwards.  Learn more about her powers, her mom, etc.  I suspect she’ll continue to be a driving plot force until the Apogee Solstice happens, whether that be at the end of the campaign or only partway through.  Also Laura Bailey is just fucking fantastic.

ORYM.  ORYM ORYM ORYM.  He’s just a dude!  I was not fond of him during EXU, but oh boy do I love him in C3.  I have a personal desire for him to slowly accept that he’s awesome at leadership and start taking a more prevalent role in the team, but I’m well aware that Liam specifically designed him to be less of a point person.  I’m looking forwards to seeing how much Liam will or won’t resist where it seems like the character arc may be taking him and how that will impact Orym’s choices.  Orym is the other PC that I feel we know the most about, at least backstory-wise.  What I’m looking forwards to most is seeing how much MORE we end up getting from him on top of the ‘just a dude with a dead spouse on a mission from my leader’. Also, do I need to talk about Liam’s flair for describing battle mechanics?  I don’t think I need to.

Ashton – the other slow grower for me.  If you’ve following along in all my reactions, you’ll know that I was very hesitant with Ashton at first as he felt a bit Molly2.0 to me.  That lasted, what, three episodes?  And then that was all gone and I was getting to know Ashton as they presented themselves.  Ashton is still a bit of a slow grower for me, though I feel like the past few episodes have really started to solidify my feelings for him.  First of all, really enjoying them. But now I’m also invested in their story and past.  Granted, it took so long because Taliesin is a cagey mofo from whom trying to get information can be like pulling teeth /affectionate.  I was actually fairly disappointed that we left Bassuras with barely anything in regards to Ashton, but we’re getting into it now and I’m getting invested!  TELL ME MORE I NEED TO KNOOOOW.

The setting:

…….probably the weakest part of the campaign, to be honest.  I WANT to learn more about Marquet, I WANT to feel the vastness and the wildness and the differences between it and Wildmount and Tal’Dorei.  But so far, we’ve been pretty limited in what we’ve seen.  Jrusar is definitely interesting, but the downside of a big city is that big cities are big cities and even with their surface differences they end up being big cities.  I found parts of Jrusar fascinating (that underground market??  LOVE IT WANT MORE), but I was excited when we left to see more.  Sadly, it seems like a lot of the travel in this campaign has been abridged.  Our journey through the jungle was quick with a little detour and a battle, but overall a non-descript jungle. The place that the museum was in was interesting, but it was more jumping to places versus really feeling the lay of the land.  The Hellcatch Valley was just flown over which disappoints me to no end because I would LOVE to see them have to travel through it for two or three episodes.  Bassuras had tons of character and I loved it and really hope that a lot of other places have this level of flavor and uniqueness to them!  I want to find more of what makes Marquet MARQUET, if that makes any sense.  It doesn’t need to be all Mad Max and desert (and in fact, shouldn’t be), and I feel like we’ll get that sense if we go from smaller town to smaller town.  With Jrusar being the main hub of sorts, I feel like we’ll be able to start exploring more, especially as we’ve unlocked another mode of travel.  Granted, it means we’ll probably end up skipping over a lot of the travel which makes me sad, but we’ll see how it goes. I’m discovering more and more that I adore exploration and want to see more of that in this campaingn.

The ships.

Time to batten down the hatches, because I’m about to get controversial.

My NOTPs: None!

My OTPs: None!

Ships that I’m actively shipping: None!

Ships that I can see happening and would enjoy based off of current characterization: Fearne/Anyone (seriously, she would pair fantastically well with ANY of the PCs!), Orym/Ashton, FCG/Imahara Joe (look it just fascinates me okay)

Ships that entertain me and I would enjoy for the funsies even if I don’t necessarily vibe with them: Ashton/Laudna, Chetney/Anyone, Ashton/Imogen, Orym/any of the ladies (doesn’t work with the sexualities, but still fun concepts)

Ships that I …. would need a hell of a lot of changes in the campaign order for me to enjoy: Imogen/Laudna, Orym/Dorian.  The latter because I really would need Robbie back full time and I’d need to see more interpersonal play with them.  I know that they were dropping a lot of teases for it, but it never clicked for me.  Okay, so the former.   *sigh* Look, I know this is the big SHIP especially on tumblr, but so much of it just seems to be ‘two women are affectionate OMG LESBIANS THEY’RE LESBIANS AND IN LOVE AND THEY’RE LESBIANS DID WE MENTION THEY’RE LESBIANS’.  There’s also a LOT of ‘Marisha and Laura HAVE to get together this campaign, they didn’t LAST campaign so they HAVE TO this time’.  Honestly?  I can see this ship in the campaign going either way, but I am absolutely dreading the fallout if they don’t get together.  I can only image what the fall out of Beau/Jester not coming to fruition was, and this feels like it could get so much worse.  Now, I’m not saying that I don’t see the possibility for it to happen, I DO, but I’d like to see a lot more interaction between the PCs first.  So much of their background is ‘we’ve been traveling for two years together!’ but it doesn’t always feel like it.  In the oddest sense, I almost feel like a lot of their relationship is still fairly surface level.  I need more depth and interaction, and if this does become a canon ship, I hope we have a good number of episodes more before it happens so that the PCs can develop more, both together and separately.  (also, and I know I’m poking the beehive here, but Laudna has IN GAME repeatedly shown attraction to men [Ira, the minotaur dude], so calling her a lesbian just really feels like denial.  I don’t think I’ve seen anyone suggest that maybe she’s bi? Or pan?  Just LESBIAN.  Shall I even mention that Imogen has also mentioned having a crush on a guy? That one at least was pre-game, so maybe could be considered to be before she finalized her sexuality, but once again, just feels like bi-erasure.  And god forbid either of these characters turns out to be straight, I’m pretty sure tumblr will revolt in it’s entirety, despite the fact that they don’t owe us a queer character or a certain relationship).

[vitaminwaterreviews]

STAYC - Metamorphic

My crackpot theory with Drama was that it was actually intended to be two single albums: a virtual half and a real world half. And then for some reason they smashed them together into an EP. That’s very much how this album felt: the first 10 songs were all one vibe, and the last four songs felt like a completely separate release with a completely different vibe. I vibed with the last four songs, the rest were extremely mid. Average score of 6.8, but really this album should get two ratings. The first 10 songs get 6.3, and the last four songs get 8.0.

Ohhhh maybe that’s that the title refers to. Because this album metamorphosizes from one sound to another? Maybe?

- Twenty

Oh boy, this sound

Dude 20 years from now I’m gonna think of this sound in the same way that I think of the M.I.L.K sound

Surely they’re all older than 20 by now

Let’s check

Okay, their youngest is turning 20 this year

7/10, decent for an intro if that’s what it was, kinda reminded me of the old Fortnite menu music for some reason

Cheeky Icy Thang

I watched the MV for this when it came out and wasn’t really impressed

But now I have headphones on so let’s see if that changes things

The 12/8 makes this kind if feel like I Am to me

7/10, really not a very memorable title track to me

1 Thing

Stayc feel like futuristic Twice

Which … makes a lot of sense lol

That synth in the background kinda reminds me of Beautiful Monster

Actually, this feels like the one song off of the aespa album

Haha wait what is this Blackpink breakdown

Noooo it should’ve continued into the final chorus

6/10

Give it 2 Me

Not a huge fan of the vocal processing

…or really this vibe in general. It reminds me of … Red Velvet, in love with a ghost, that fromis_9 album, and some video games that I played a a kid, but not in a good way

(I understand that this is a ridiculous criticism that nobody will be able to take anything from, but that’s how I feel)

Still, I acknowledge that this is a well-made song

The rap break is nice

Actually, the transition from the rap bridge to the final chorus was kinda nice

7/10

Find

Alright, we’ve got a couple of units and a solo, let’s go

(2:14 tho)

The little vocal pyramid there was cute

This song feels SO TikTok

(So does the album for that matter)

This outro section is really nice

7/10

Let Me Know

This vibe is really easy to get wrong for me, but I love when it’s gotten right

Like, Childish Gambino - Feels Like Summer is this vibe done really well

I don’t really care for this song at all though. It’s fine but I want more out of it

Okay yeah like right here. With the guitar. If they expanded on that, kept the guitar going, then had a whole instrumental break and another two minutes of the song, that would’ve been incredible!

6/10

Nada

Lol I appreciate talking in songs

Very minimal instrumentals here, very much talk-singing

And there’s that bass that makes me all uncomfy

6/10

Fakin’

I feel like if this was the only song that sounded like this on the album, I’d like it a lot more

That said, I do still kinda like it

7/10

Roses

Anticipating this one

Mkay, i like the intro here so far

Wait, that was the chorus?

C’mon, give us more than that

I think I’d need to know Korean to really enjoy this song, because the song itself does nothing and goes nowhere

5/10

Beauty Bomb

Cute songs where that Deep Bass is the primary harmony tend to be like, my least favorite thing

Imma be honest, I’ve completely stopped paying attention to this album, it’s all basically background music at this point

5/10

Gummy Bear

Wait, something different?

There’s a 100% chance that this was considered to be a title track

Cute harmonies in the second verse

8/10

Stay WITH me

Why did they wait until the last 4 songs to do something interesting with this album?

A pretty unconventional fan song, if that’s what it is

Mmmmm rap rock is so nice

Maybe the first 10 songs were planned to be an album together, but then they pulled some good songs out of the vault to … idk, add some depth?

8/10

Flexing on my Ex

Alternatively, maybe these were planned to be an EP together but that fell through

Woah that pre-chorus was cool

7/10

Trouble Maker

Haha wait what

This feels so good!!

Not a huge fan of the synths in the second verse here

9/10