#of the relationship development curve in the actual game :P

[queen-scribbles]

Weird Idea of Fun

First Kina/Rass fic, the result of me wondering how many of those teasing dialogue prompts I could fit in one fic. (The answer, in their case, is three)

---- 

It was a trap.

Of course it was a trap. Everything was a trap these days. Kina had walked into despite strong suspicions because Shae was an ally and asked for help and Kina had promised to do what she could and the chance for intel was too good to pass up--

On the bright side, it meant she got to work with Rass again.

On the less-bright side, that meant he fell into the same trap she did.

Literally fell. And it was not a pretty landing, with them caught off-guard as they were. They rolled and landed in a tangle, and any benefit to not being the one on the bottom was negated by the fact beskar armor was hardly any softer than the ground.

“Well, that was fun,” Rass wheezed as she rolled off him.

Kina snorted and rubbed a banged elbow. “Weird definition of fun you’ve got. Still in one piece?”

Rass sat up and shook his head. “Feels like it. You?”

“Think so.” A few things ached as she got to her feet, but nothing was broken. She offered him a hand up, then stumbled when the weight made her feet sink into the sandy ground.

Rass caught her arm to steady her. “Careful. You see where my helmet got to?”

Kina shook her head. “Prob’ly the same place as my blaster,” she muttered. She’d dropped it on the initial collision with the ground.

“Great.”

They set about looking for the missing gear, but Kina was quickly distracted by examining the surroundings. There were metal walls, despite the sandy floor. Openings four or five meters overhead--couldn’t tell if they were windows or holes--let in enough light to see. Sort of. And another meter above that was the ceiling and the hinged grate that had dumped them in here.

There was a muttered oath in Mando’a from across the space, followed by something more successful-sounding before she could ask Rass how it was going. “So, there’s good news and bad news, which do you want first?”

Not my favorite sentence. Kina pivoted to face him. “Surprise me,” she deadpanned.

“Good news, found our stuff,” Rass said, holding out her blaster as he joined her. “Bad news, if the state of my helmet is anything to go by, that probably doesn’t work right now.” For emphasis, he held up his helmet and shook it, a fine rain of sand falling out. “It’s all jammed in the visor and everything.”

Fan-kriffing-tastic. Kina looked over her blaster, blew off grit, tried to fire it into a sand bank. Nothing.

“Damn,” she muttered as she returned it to its spot at her hip. She’d need a workbench, and probably time to completely strip it down, to get it working again. “Guess we should work on gettin’ outta here.”

“Yeah, got any ideas?” Rass brushed sand out of his hair as he looked over the space.

Kina glanced at him. “Jetpack?”

“Busted on landing.”

“Of course it did. “She sighed. Shae owes me big for this. “Then we start looking for a door.”

“Right.” They’d only been at it for a minute or so when Rass broke the silence again. “So, d’you think this was for us, specifically, or just a general ‘no peeking’ kind of trap?”

Kina snorted. “Assumin’ Shae’s intel was good-”

“Jekiah double-checked it himself.”

“Right. Then they’re actually here and our landing was way too easy.” She rapped on the metal wall. Solid, no echo here.

“So why wasn’t there an alarm when we hit it?” Rass countered, running a hand over the wall a few meters away. “Or Heta or Ri’kan or whoever’s in charge here waiting to gloat?”

“Could be a silent alarm,” Kina said, pausing as her fingers caught a seam where there shouldn’t be a seam. “Or maybe we just missed hearing it in the bustle of, y’know, falling. They might be on their way right now.”

“All the more reason to get out of here. Be really fun to catch them off-guard,” he grinned.

“On that note, I think I found something.” The misplaced seam traced out a square. Not a full door, but a maintenance hatch maybe. Big enough to climb through. If they could get it open.

“Let me see.” Rass joined her and after a minute of looking, they were able to determine there were no controls on this side. He studied it an extra moment. “Should be an access panel...”

“Maintenance hatch for the maintenance hatch?” Kina said glibly.

“Something like that,” he laughed. “Place this remote you gotta be prepared, right?” The panel popped open under his hand even as he spoke. “Gotcha.”

It only took him a couple minutes’ fiddling before the hatch hissed and popped open a fraction.

“My hero,” Kina teased, nudging the hatch to widen the gap. 

“I’ll accept accolades once we’re free and clear,” he riposted. peering into whatever lay on the other side of the opening. “Huh, dark in here...”

“Need me to hold your hand, Hero?” she smirked.

“Only if it’ll make you feel better, Spike,” Rass shot back with a grin. “Doesn’t appear to be anyone lurking, though, so let’s give them a little mystery of their own.”

Kina climbed though the hatch to keep an eye out while Rass set the wires right and closed the access panel before joining her. She pushed the hatch closed until she heard the lock engage as he crept a few paces down the hall--tunnel?--to scout out the intersection.

“You have anything besides that?” he asked softly, tipping his head toward her jammed blaster. 

“I mean. My scattergun, assumin’ it’s not busted. It’ll do in a pinch, even if it’s not all that quiet. Why, d’you have eight extra weapons hidden in your armor you can share?”

Rass huffed a quiet laugh as he peered around the corner. “Three, actually, and not sure how hidden, but I appreciate the vote of confidence.” He flashed a grin, the amusement in his brown eyes visible despite the dim light as he tugged something free of his boot and passed it to her. “I can hear voices; better you have something a little more versatile than a scattergun.”

“Thanks.” Kina palmed the holdout blaster--probably a little small for him, but a good fit in her hand--and briefly considered making a smart comment about Mandalorians and sharing weapons. The only reason she didn’t was picking up on those voices he heard.

They were moving closer, a patrol most likely. Or someone coming to check what they caught in their trap. Kina and Rass pressed further back in the shadows, an awkward-fitting niche between the wall joint and an equipment shelf, weapons in hand though using them would be a last resort. Better to leave no sign they were here as long as possible.

“...said the alert tripped, so they fell for it.”

“He want us to check on it?”

“Not yet. They aren’t goin’ anywhere, and he  wants to arrange a surprise in case they try anything when we open the door.”

A snort as the patrol--Varad by their armor--passed. “Prob’ly the smartest thing he’s done yet. Say who we caught?”

“The Alliance commander and one of the brothers.”

Another snort. “Of course. Stars forbid Shae Vizla get her hands dirty when her lackeys can do it for her. Still, more than we expected to catch. I see why Joram wants to be prepared...”

They moved out of hearing without noticing anything amiss.

Some patrol, Kina thought with a dark smile. She lingered, pressed in the small niche with Rass--playing it safe, obviously. They didn’t even pick up on two people hiding a meter and a half away. At least between the patrol’s ease and the conversation it seemed their escape was unnoticed. So far. No one was on alert.

“I vote that way,” Rass said in a whisper, gesturing down the tunnel the patrol had come from as he held her gaze and eased out of their niche. “I think we’re good, Commander.”

“Right. And I second the route choice.” Her fingers curled around the blaster grip and she scanned the tunnels. “We should see if we can find a security hub or somethin’.”

Rass nodded. “I’d kill for a layout of this place, and that would be our best bet for finding one.”

“Not gonna find anything if we stand around,” Kina said, rolling her shoulders and starting off cautiously down their chosen tunnel.

They got lucky--not far down the dank passageway was a short flight of stairs up to what was clearly a security office. It was empty and dark, not in use by the Hidden Chain for whatever reason. It was also secluded enough Kina risked turning on the lights.

Rass tried to start up the computers, to no avail, and glared frustration at them for a moment before handing Kina his blaster rifle. “Hang on a minute...” 

She stuffed the holdout in the back of her belt in order to take it.

Rass disappeared under the desk and a few second later she heard the unmistakable sound of someone hotwiring electronics.

“Is that even gonna work?” she asked.

“Should, there’s just a couple bad--ow!--connectors. Probably why they aren’t using this room.” He was quiet, focused, for a moment, then, “Can you check the wires and try turning this one on? Should be good go.” A hand reached up to slap the far right end of the desk.

“Sure.” Kina rested his rifle on the desk, one hand loosely curled around the barrel as the other checked wires and powered up the computer.

The flickering light of it coming to life distracted her just long enough she didn’t pick up the flash of red and white armor outside until just a little too late. She kicked Rass’ ankle in warning even as the Dar’manda scout stiffened at the sight of someone in a room that was supposed to be unoccupied.

He burst in, blaster raised.” Weapons on the floor, now!”

“Alright, alright, what’s the rush?” Kina flinched as if caught off-guard, then made a show of sliding the rifle on the floor and kicking it away--out of sight behind the desk, where Rass could reach it.

“And the pistol!” the scout barked, taking a step closer for emphasis.

Kina glanced down at the blaster on her hip and gave an exaggerated shrug.  “Thing is, that one’s sentimental, and it’s busted right now.” She paced sideways a couple of steps to keep his focus on her. “I’d just as soon hang on to it, if you don’t mind.”

Rass shifted carefully, quietly, to reach for his rifle.

“Thing is, I do mind,” the scout said, a sneer in his voice. “Field Marshal might want you alive, but I will shoot you if you don’t drop it and kick it over, now.”

“Oh, fine,” she sighed, and made a show of slow and exaggerated movement to withdraw the blaster and set it on the floor to kick over.

The second the scout’s gaze dropped to the skidding blaster, Rass rolled out from under the desk and shot him.

“Good aim,” Kina said with a grin, eyeing the trio of center-mass kill shots. 

“Thanks.” Rass accepted the hand up she offered, then nudged the dead scout with his boot. “Looks like that’s another one you owe me,” he said, singsong, through a crooked smile.

“However shall I survive this debt I’m racking up?” she deadpanned, unable to fight a smile of her own..

“With my help, apparently.” Rass was still grinning as he moved to the computer terminal and started looking for the schematics they needed.

“Hey, I saved your ass from Ri’kan,” she shot back, retrieving her blaster. “We’re square on one of ‘em.” She grabbed the dead scout’s arm and dragged him out of easy view. “We’ll hafta work out something to settle this one.”

“Guess we will. Ah, there you are.” Rass pulled up and downloaded the layout.  “Guess we’re also on a tighter count before they realize--”

The dead scout’s comm crackled. “All patrols report in! The maalraas slipped the net, we need to lock them down immediately and locate their ship!”

Kina and Rass looked at each other.

“Time’s up.” Rass pushed away from the desk.

“Yeah.” Kina couldn’t help a faint smile as she watched him close down the computer. There was dust streaked on his face from crawling under the desk, combined with still sand-tousled hair. It was kind of adorable.

He turned abruptly enough to catch her staring. “What?”

She shrugged and winked at him. “You’re cute when you’re all disheveled.”

“Heh, thanks.” Rass passed her a copy of the schematics. “I’d say the same, but you actually aren’t all that disheveled.”

“So... I’m just cute?” Kina teased with a grin.

He just cleared his throat and arched a brow as he headed for the door. “Think they’ll find the shuttle?”

“We did land a good bit away,” she said, letting the other topic slide. “But if they know we’re here and are determined... fifty-fifty odds?”

“Yeah, that sounds right.” Rass checked the schematic. “We should see if we can find out what they’re after here, if there’s any hint to Heta’s new base, so we’re not leaving empty-handed.”

“Intel’s better than nothin’.” Kina started down the steps, gaze fixed on the doorway they needed, watching for any other patrols. “But they’re gonna be on the lookout for us now, so it’s gonna be harder to do unseen.”

“You know I love a challenge,” he said with a laugh.

“Don’t all Mandalorians?”

“Good point.”

They’d reached the door and lapsed into silence as they stepped back back into the tunnel. There was no sign of any patrol, so after a confirming glance at the schematic, they continued along that path. A left turn at the next intersection had them skirting the heart of this place without getting too close until they needed to. In theory, anyway.

“Looks like the comm room is near the front entrance,” Kina murmured, keeping her voice low despite the empty tunnel.  “Check there for any intel like flight routes or shipping records, then if we think there’s time we check out what what they’re doing?”

“Right behind you, boss,” he returned, just as quiet, gaze back the way they’d come.

“Not the boss,” she said. “We’re partners.”

Rass whipped around to face her, and she caught the flash of his grin in the dim light. “I’m touched,” he teased in a whisper.

Voices around the curve precluded any snarky response from her. There weren’t a lot of options for hiding here, especially since the Hidden Chain was on alert, so they each pressed against a protruding wall joint on opposite sides of the tunnel and waited.

“...can’t get far, not with how many we have.”

“No? Look how well they did on Ruhnuk. How long they went unnoticed.”

“But we’re on guard, and Joram’s got double watch on comms, doors, anywhere they might go-”

The pair drew level with where Kina and Rass waited and barely had time to register their presence before a blaster shot each made them not a problem. They dragged the bodies--Varad, again--as out of sight as they could before pressing on.

It was good they had the warning of overheard conversation--there were two Dar’manda outside the comm room and four inside. Not a hard fight, but definitely one that went better prepared.

“Get lookin’,” Kina waved Rass toward the console as she pulled out a medkit. She scowled at the scorch marks on her duster and tugged free a bacta patch to slap over the blaster burn grazing her thigh. Bastard put holes in my favorite coat.

“You alright?” Rass asked at her quiet hiss of pain as the bacta kicked in, half-turning the watching the comm search.

“Yeah. This won’t even slow me down.” She stuffed everything back in the kit, stowed it at her belt. “Just stings setting in. Anything good there?”  There was the faintest hitch to her step as she joined him and she really hoped that went away quick.

“Y’know, it’s weird, there isn’t a lot.” Rass gave the slowly scrolling data his full attention again. “You’d think they would be in touch for updates or something at the least, but there’s barely any outgoing transmissions. Almost like they were trying to hide it or not doing anything worth sharing, which doesn’t fit the intel we got on this place.”

“Hmm.” Kina had to agree; the paltry amount of information scrolling by didn’t match the intel profile. A kernel of unease  settled in her gut. “Maybe it’s something Heta doesn’t want the Hidden Chain knowin’ about til it’s done?”

“Maybe.” The skepticism was plain in Rass’ voice.

Even as they tried to puzzle out an explanation, the floor trembled with a distant, muffled explosion. Both heads instinctively swiveled toward the sound before sharing a look.

“That would be them findin’ our ride,” Kina sighed.

“Probably.” Rass tossed her a grin. “Even when you’re not behind the controls you’re a menace to shuttles.”

She rolled her eyes and lightly punched his arm. “Least I didn’t crash this one. You gonna download what ya found or not?”

“Hardly seems worth it...” His brow furrowed as he looked at the data again. “I guess we should. In case it’s one of those things where it seems useless until you pair it up with something. Like a cipher.”

“Do it fast, then. Now that they’ve destroyed our shuttle, they’ll be lookin’ even more in earnest for us now. We gotta check out the core to see what the hell they’re doing”--even more of a mystery with the underwhelming logs--”and then find the hanger.” A smirk. “Assuming you’re up for a bit more space piracy?”

Rass laughed. “Always.”

The schematics showed a maintenance crawlspace where they could get eyes on the main rooms while being safer from discovery. And there was a hatch in a room just down the hall from them.

“I’ll fit better, gimme a boost,” Kina whispered when they reached it, studying the small grate half a meter over Rass’ head. “You can keep an eye out for trouble, since we’re attractin’ that like mynocks today.”

He nodded and squared up to give her that boost. “Watch out for sensors, they’re paranoid enough have ‘em in there.”

It took a minute to work the grate off--checking for surprises as she did--and another half of one to scramble in without making too much noise. She’d memorized the route before coming in, so the only thing that slowed her was keeping an eye out for sensors or mines. She had a nifty gadget courtesy of Oggurobb’s team that could blank them out, but she had to spot them in time.

She wasn’t prepared for the sight that greeted her when she reached her goal.

There was nothing remarkable in the room she could see. No equipment, no cache of artifacts being catalogued, no mad scientist’s lab turning out super soldiers or juiced up beasts. Just a mostly-bare room with small pockets of Varad and Dar’manda settled in the corners like predators, and a raised walkway around half the perimeter supporting a few more. 

Alarm belles went off in the back of her head. This didn’t add up. Something was up here, something the intel missed. I have a bad feeling about this...

That bad feeling crystalized, the pieces clicking when Kina shifted to the next grate and took in the other room that was allegedly the heart of the operation. It looked much the same as the first, but she could make out the telltale edge of maglock floorplates, and the Dar’manda on the walkway had a trio of the sonic disruptors like Ruhnuk.

Oh, Caraya’s kriffing moons. Kina scuttled backwards enough to get turned around and head back to Rass. She didn’t risk comms until well away from the grates. “Rass? Start working up a quick route to the hangers, it’s time for that space piracy and a daring escape.”

“I need a minute!” He sounded out of breath and the blaster fire in the background made Kina pick up her pace--much as she could, anyway.

Still, by the time she made it back, silence greeted her rather than the cacophony of a gun battle. “Still alive?” she hissed over comms, and her heart did a weird little skip at the brief delay before an answer came.

“Despite their best efforts. You back?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, gimme a second...” There was a grunt and the access grate swung free, Rass’ head framed in the opening. “Fancy meeting you here.”

“I know, small galaxy,” Kina said drolly. “Help me down?”

“Sure.” She didn’t miss the way his jaw tightened as he did, though. Or the half dozen extra blaster scorches on his armor. Or the dead Varad and Dar’manda in the doorway.

“I see what you mean about best efforts,” she muttered. “You okay?”

“For the most part,” Rass said with a shrug. 

Kina saw the pair of blaster burns along his bicep and snorted. “That being the exception? C’mere, it’ll be faster if I patch it up.”

“What’re you in such hurry for all of a sudden?” he asked, sitting without protest to let her take care of his arm.

“This is a trap,” Kina said. She dug out a medkit and scowled at his arm. “Stars, one of them got you good.”

“It’ll be fine. And, I mean, we hit a trap in the first thirty sec-”

“No, the whole thing is a trap,” she cut him off. She shared what she had seen as she smeared bacta and smoothed synthskin over his wounds, concluding,  “There’s no operation, no deeper purpose to this place. Somebody planted intel--someone good if they managed to fool your brother--to make this look too juicy to pass up and sat back to see if they snagged Shae or some of her highly trusted allies.”

“Would explain why the comm logs were so light,” Rass mused, one corner of his mouth twitching as she smoothed the last edge of the synthskin. “Thanks “

“Welcome. Also explains why we’ve only seen Varad and Dar’manda, doesn’t it? Since they’re the muscle and the cannon fodder.” Kina shot a pointed look at the bodies on the floor.

“Bet there’s an Ashaad in charge.” Rass pushed to his feet. “Or maybe Ha’rangir if they want the glory.”

“‘Cause that would go over well with Varad,” Kina drawled, moving to check the dead for anything useful.

He snorted. “Look who’s gettin’ a head for Mando politics.”

There’s two words that’ll never feel like they belong together.... She finished her investigation--handful of credits and a spare blaster pack--and cocked her head to watch him study the schematic.

Rass finished just a few seconds later. “Okay. Got a good route to the hanger. But you realize that’s prob’ly the most heavily guarded part of the whole place. They know we have to go there to get out of here.”

Kina’s grin in return was sharp, dangerous. “But I’m a sneaky little chakaar. I’ll figure somethin’ out, soon as I see what we’re up against.”

“Oh, this I gotta see,” he said with an even bigger grin as they started along the route.

They didn’t run across any patrols on their way, and Kina wondered if that was just luck or the full force being pulled to guard the hanger. There wasn’t any evidence of the latter, when they reached their goal; there was a healthy scattering of Varad and Dar’manda, but not an overwhelming force.

Rass nudged her with his elbow and nodded toward the control room, where a beefy figure in gold armor stood at the window. “Ha’rangir,” he mouthed, arching one brow significantly.

Kina nodded in return and tugged him back. “There’s enough shadow I think we could sneak to that one,” she whispered, pointing to a shuttle two-thirds of the way down the far wall. Unlike some of the others, the ramp was down. “Should be able to get it fired up and outta here before they can stop us.”

“Good plan. One problem--I didn’t pack my stealth belt for this trip,” Rass said with a shrug and half-smile.

She clicked her tongue in mock reproof and grinned. “Lucky I’m here, then. Given how much my line of work relies on sneakin’ around, mine’s souped up. Haven’t tested yet, but I’m pretty sure if we maintain contact and don’t stress it too much, it could hide both of us for a trip.”

“Pretty sure, huh?”

“What’s life without a little risk?”

He huffed a quiet laugh. “Better than nothing, I guess.  You thinking piggyback ride? Holding hands?”

Kina smirked. “Latter would prob’ly work better. Or you could just hold on to my arm. Long as we’re touching it should work.”

“And if it doesn’t, I’m pretty sure we can take these guys.” Rass shot her a grin and then rested his hand on her arm, loosely grasping just below her elbow.

Kina grinned back and toggled on stealth. It took an extra second to hide them both, and she could feel the generator hum against her hip with the strain. But it worked. And it held when they moved, very slowly, through the doorway and toward their goal. The stealth field flickered adjusting to the shadows and Kina bit her lip.

It was a strange balance; the urge to go fast and get this over with so they didn’t stress it too long versus wanting to move slow so they didn’t stress it too much. They crept past a pair of Varad, a Ha’rangir, a Dar’manda.

Kina’s boot caught on the edge of the boarding ramp and the resulting stumble almost broke their connection. The heat of the overworked generator seeped through her clothes. The second they were were out of sight aboard the shuttle she flicked it off. She’d almost swear it let out a whine of relief as it powered down.

“Hardly believe that worked,” she muttered.

Rass back a smile as he headed for the cockpit. “No confidence in your gear, Commander?”

“Oh, plenty, or I wouldn’t have made the suggestion. I just also know its limits and we were pushing pretty close.”

He tilted his head in acknowledgment, gaze on the controls as he fired up the shuttle. 

Or, tried to. “Haar’chak!”

Kina turned at the softly growled oath to give him a questioning look.

“It wants an authorization code to begin startup,” Rass said with a grim smile. “Three guesses where we’re likely to find that.”

“Over with tall, gold, and beefy?” she deadpanned, looking toward the control room.

“That’s be my guess.” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, dislodging a fine rain of lingering sand. “No way we get over there without fighting everyone in the hanger.”

And that would give time for an alarm to be raised, bringing more troops from other parts of the trap. “So we don’t.” Kina started for the for the ramp. “I’ll go solo.”

“You sure that’s  good idea?” Rass cleared his throat. “I know you’re good an’ all, but-”

“I’m not plannin’ to fight them, Rass,” Kina grinned. “Though it’s sweet you care. ‘M gonna sneak in and then...” she checked her bracer. Two left. “I have a tranq dart with Goldy’s name on it.”

Rass smirked but there was definitely a flicker of relief in his eyes. “Nice.”

“For the record, I could take tall, gold, and beefy in a solo fight, but I think swipin’ what we need from under his nose and makin’ a daring escape will hurt more.”

He nodded. “You’re not wrong. Better go quick, before they start wondering too hard why they haven’t seen us for a while. Be careful.”

“Right.” The stealth generator was still a touch warm, but didn’t offer serious complaint when she fired it up just for her.

Kina made her way down the ramp, across the hanger, and up to the control room. She did have to dodge clusters of troops as she went, mostly Varad with a sprinkle of Dar’manda. The walkway up to the control room was guarded by a large group of Ha’rangir and she all but held her breath edging past them.

Goldy was alone in the control room, now seated with an eye on the computer panel, a wicked looking vibroblade across his knees. Kina was pretty sure she glimpsed a krayt dragon tooth fragment hanging off the hilt. The urge to put a scattergun round in the man’s back was overwhelming but she restrained herself. A tranq dart to the neck would have to suffice.

She waited until he finished a conversation demanding status updates before firing the dart. It struck true and a moment later Goldy was slumped in his chair, out like a light. Kina shuffled through the computer files until she found the code they needed.

She transmitted it to Rass, got a hissed ‘Great, but I’m not starting up ‘til you’re back’ in reply, and made her hasty exit just as Goldy started to stir. She probably moved a little faster than was wise on her return trip, made movements or noise the stealth field couldn’t completely hide. Still, nobody noticed her until the last pair of Varad between her and the shuttle.

Kina heard the grunt of raised suspicion as she slipped past and picked up the pace. Even if it made the stealth field fuzz out. She darted up the shuttle ramp.

“I’m in, go!” she hissed toward the cockpit, then spun to watch the door while Rass got the shuttle moving. The first attempted boarder get a chest full of scattergun rounds. The second got a blaster shot to the throat.

The shuttle rocked as it lifted off and Kina flung a thermal detonator at the knot of Hidden Chain headed for the ramp. The explosion--and their attempts to avoid it--cleared things enough she could close the door and retract the ramp.

“Gonna want to strap in!” Rass hollered and Kina scrambled for the nearest seat as the shuttle spun to head out the gaping cliffside hole that was the hanger  ‘door’.

They cleared the opening and Rass almost immediately jerked the shuttle left to avoid a turbolaser bolt, then back on course to avoid the cliff face.

“You crash this thing, I am never letting you live it down,” Kina warned with a gloating smile. And she’d have fun with it, too.

“All the incentive I need,” Rass shot back as the shuttle leveled out. It dipped to dodge another turbolaser bolt, then they were clear and he started punching in hyperspace coordinates. It wasn’t until starlines stretched into hyperspace that either of them relaxed.

Kina moved up to slouch in the co-pilot seat. “Well. That was fun.”

Rass snorted a laugh. “You have a weird idea of fun.”

“Makes us a perfect match,” she teased. “Oh. Here.” She held out the holdout blaster. “Thanks for the loan.”

“Welcome.” He took the blaster, stowed it back in place. “Glad I had it to offer.”

“Heh, me, too.” Kina chewed her lip in thought a moment. Hers would be a pain to fix, but that was a problem for later.  “You think there’s anything worthwhile in those logs you grabbed, or was this whole thing a bust?”

“We can let Jek and Mandalore figure out if the logs are worth anything,” Rass said with a shrug. “But either way, I wouldn’t call it a bust.”

The grin he tossed her made clear why, but Kina had never been one to let a golden opportunity pass by. “Yeah?”

“You owe me one now,” he smirked.

She rolled her eyes but couldn’t fight a smile. “Not for long, way things’re going.”

“You planning on making it two?”

This time she punched his arm. “I meant we’ll prob’ly wind up even again sooner rather than later, and you know it.”

They may have fallen into a trap, but on the bright side, they’d worked together well getting out of it.

That was a win in her book.

[glowingbadger]

Ok, I just read your Ashe and Ferdinand HCs….if you’re still doing the NSFW/SFW alphabet, can I get A, I, D, P, and W for them? Ty!

I'm not like actively promoting the alphabet prompts, but I'm definitely taking them when they come in! I think a lot of people have a character they love, but struggle to come up with a specific prompt or idea for me, so they help for that~ NSFW 18+ v

Ashe:

A (aftercare): This was actually one of the earlier prompts I was asked, so go take a look here if you like!

I (intimacy): For Ashe, the main purpose of sex is intimacy. He finds it difficult to be aroused for someone he doesn't deeply care for (I would perhaps qualify him as demisexual), so if he's sleeping with you, he wants to be intimate with you. He knows his fingers are a bit roughened from his bowstring, but his touch itself is so soft and tender and loving- and his hands wander quite a bit during sex, down your back, along the curve of your thighs, anywhere he can reach.

D (dirty secret): Once Ashe has fallen for you, you're more or less all he can think about when he masturbates. He feels terrible about this at first, and will even eventually confess it to you in bed- but with your permission, he'll indulge in extremely involved and well developed fantasies about you, even incorporating story-lines and dialogue as it comes to him. If you've told him you don't mind him pleasuring himself to thoughts of you, it's an enormous weight off his shoulders, and he finds it so easy to slip into erotic daydreams. He'll also replay past sexual encounters with you in his mind, memorizing tiny details about how you arched beneath him and sighed his name.

P (pace): He generally starts slow and steady, making sure to prioritize your comfort. Ashe is capable of quickies, but because of the emotional aspect of sexual intimacy for him, he prefers to take his time- at least at first. Most times, once he's fully sheathed inside of you and your bodies are finding a rhythm together, the pace picks up. His face flushes an adorable shade of pink as he moans your name and snaps his hips against you, fucking into your drooling hole just a little faster as time goes on, until you're both rocking against each other as you reach a mutual climax.

W (wild card): Ashe is absolutely the type to accidentally use the "L word" for the first time in bed. He meant to arrange something much more romantic, or at least something sweet and wholesome- but you just look absolutely radiant clinging to his bedsheets as you moan his name that the confession just spills from his lips. His hips buck against you over and over, and your body clings around him so perfectly, and he can't resist that adoring look in your eyes, and before he realizes it, he's rambling, "Ahh- Y/N, you're so perfect, you feel so good- I, I love you, Y/N, mmm-!"

Ferdinand:

A (aftercare): Ferdie views aftercare as a continuation of the joys of sexual intimacy, and puts as much effort into it as any other part of pleasing you. He'll clean you up while peppering your face and body with tender kisses, praising you all the while for how good you felt, how gorgeous you are, how deeply he loves you. Frankly, the aftercare even becomes more involved the more time goes on- if you don't talk him down, he'll end up with a collection of different scented massage oils, lit candles around his bed, and more.

I (intimacy): Naturally, his instinct is to be very intimate in bed. He's the picture of a noble gentleman, after all, so he'll hold you close to him and kiss you deeply and slowly as his manhood pushes into you. However, there is a part of Ferdie (very deeply repressed, I might add) that is capable of filthy, raunchy sex. It will take a very open minded partner and a long time into a relationship for this to surface, but you'll find with time that Ferdinand can be more varied and flexible in bed than you would have assumed.

D (dirty secret): Remember how I just said that Ferdinand can get filthy and raunchy? Yeah. A very fun game is to edge Ferdie, stroking the impressive length of his cock while goading him into confessing to fantasies of you tying him up, choking him, tugging his hair- and that's the more vanilla side of things, if you're willing to really indulge him. These fantasies usually tend toward him being the submissive party, but he's certainly also considered covering your body in his cum, or fucking into your mouth until he visibly bulges out against your throat. Basically, Ferdie is the catholic school girl who went wild when she went to college and realized that kink exists (projecting? Who, me?)

P (pace): Oh, Ferdie loves to take his time. Part of it is out of a sense of propriety- it seems brutish and ignoble to rush sexual gratification. Heavens forbid he become the kind of man to merely satisfy his own urges without taking proper care of his lover! However, he also enjoys so many aspects of foreplay, always happy to take the time to explore any positions you may like. He's always noticing more to adore about the process of maximizing your pleasure- everything from the way your nails drag through his hair to getting to feel your nipples harden against his lips- the little things really get him riled.

W (wild card): I did a W for Ferdie over here if you wanna see, in addition to the E and H prompts~

[theoriginalladya]

Okay, @wrexidentalinsurance, you get a completely new thread for the answers to these!  I’ll put your questions in bold to make them easier to find the answers.

From what I’ve read that you have figured out, I know he has amnesia of some sort, cannot recall his last name. 

He does have amnesia of a sort.  Caleb is Earthborn, and I started his background story, Seeing Reds, with his first experiences after that happens, and moving forward.  His last name doesn’t even get discussed until a fic I’m working on right now which immediately follows Reds.    

He’s Irish?? (Pls don’t shoot me if I get that one wrong) 

Most definitely Irish!  In my head as I’m playing the games, I’m imagining Mark Meer’s voice with that sweet Irish lilt ...  ;)

He doesn’t seem to get kissed often but when he does, he kind of throws all caution to the wind. Seems inexperienced in romance. 

Okay, now this I haven’t gone into too much just yet because I haven’t decided if it’s going to come up in discussion between him and Kaidan (not that it really matters, I suppse).  It isn’t that Caleb is inexperienced - far from it - it’s just been a long while since he’s been involved with anyone, certainly anyone in what might be considered a ‘long term relationship.’  Caleb is bisexual, and back in his Reds days, he was in relationships with a couple of girls; one dies young (after their relationship is over), the other survives.  Neither of those relationships was what he would call ‘serious’ in adult terms, though he is a rather loving, affectionate person and isn’t afraid to show it.  After events in Seeing Reds, however, he tends to veer away from serious attachments, romantic in nature or not, because of what happens to him back in Ireland.  

Has he had experience with guns or violence prior to enlisting? Or did he even enlist? Street fights? He seems like a scrapper.  

Oh, hell yes!  lol  Essentially, as he grows up in Ireland and becomes a member of the Reds, he starts honing his skills that will develop into his Infiltrator class.  His Irish name is sealgaire, hunter, for a reason (and this will still play out in stores as he moves through the Alliance years, too).  He enlists at first because it’s a means to and end - a place to sleep, three meals a day, a job, etc.  He’s surprised to discover fairly early on that he actually likes it. 

Will he regain his memories? 

The first big story for him and Kaidan I’ve been plotting out since creating them that happens post-ME3 will revisit this issue, I promise!  The problem will come up once or twice in the stories leading up to then, but it will get resolved in that story (when he, Kaidan and a few others return to Shannon, Ireland)

What’s his perspective of Kaidan? What was his first impression of K? 

*rubs hands together*

His perspective of Kaidan is:  he’s a life saver.  Literally.  I headcanon that Kaidan and Caleb actually meet at the tail end of Caleb’s mission on Akuze (story forthcoming).  They serve together on the same ship, and Kaidan is part of the medical team sent down to help evac Caleb’s unit.  They don’t actually know one another before then even though they’ve been on the same ship, and the reality of the situation is they won’t actually meet (with Caleb conscious, that is) in person for a couple more months after that, but they do meet prior to ME1.  I can’t say anymore than that right now because I haven’t written any of it and I know their muses like to throw me curve balls, so ... yeah.  Essentially when they get to the Normandy, they’re being reunited, after a fashion, and it’s their first chance to actually work together.  

Is he even tempered or a bit quick to wrath? 

Depends.  For the most part, I’d say he’s pretty even tempered.  There have been a few moments when his temper is swift, sure and deadly (okay, I may have started drafting one of those last week), and especially when he’s younger, but for the most part he has a long fuse.  

Paragon or more of a renegade style?  

When I finished writing Reds, I was almost positive that he’d come out of the experience as Renegade.  Like, 99.9% positive.  (He actually comes out of his ME1 game more paragon because he saves the Council - for writing purposes, I consider him to be a pretty even split at that point)  But as time goes on, much to my surprise, he turned more Paragon.  By the end of ME2, he’s got almost a full bar more of Paragon than Renegade (P = nearly full, R = one bar plus a tick short of full).  ME3, despite returning to far more of his Renegade type tendencies, he still ends up much more Paragon than I thought he would. To put it very simply and plainly, he surprised me.  Of course, by then he’s involved with Kaidan (romance doesn’t start for them until ME3), so that may have affected things, too.

There were times he seems heart-broken and down-trodden. I got this sense of loss when he spoke to Anderson about his father.

Caleb is a product of his Irishness, for lack of a better way to describe it.  Though not very open about it most of the time (Kaidan has to go digging sometimes to figure out what the real problem is,etc.), that doesn’t mean he isn’t emotional.  He’s always been ‘tough’ and ‘stoic’, I suppose, but losing the Reds the way he did was really traumatic for him.  Nan and Ned, the Reds, they’re all his found family after a child of about six years walks out of the Shannon River dripping wet and with no memory of anything before.  Nan tells him that he needs to fill that space with new memories and he does.  He grows up living and loving with every fiber of his being, fighting hard for everything he has, and then has it all stolen away from him.  He is not a happy camper when he leaves for the Alliance, I can assure you!  However, he is smart enough to realize that there is a time and a place to do what needs to be done, and he isn’t afraid to do that either.  I won’t go so far as to say he wears his heart on his sleeve - he doesn’t, not really - but he is extremely careful about those he lets in close to him and how many.  (note:  it isn’t until he’s on the SR2 with the doctor and Joker around that he realizes just how close he let the people from the SR1 get.  At the time, it didn’t seem all that close - they were a team, they did their job, but the level of relief he feels when he gets Garrus and Tali back floors him.  Especially Tali, because she reminds him of Aoife back in Ireland).

[vannahfanfics]

Could I get a fluff alphabet for Cana from Fairy Tail, please?

Sorry for the wait! I’ve been bouncing between a lot of projects lately, hehe. Here’s your fluff alphabet, at long last!

Fluff Alphabet- Cana Alberona

A-   Activities: How do they spend their time with their s/o?

It’s no secret that Cana’s chief hobby is drinking. One of her favorite activities is to go bar-hopping or partying with her s/o to consume as much alcohol she can without dying. That being said, Cana’s not sloshed twenty-four-seven and knows that it’s important to do regular things with her s/o, too. Game nights with their buddies are her particular favorite, because it allows her the chance to showcase her competitive side. Never challenge Cana in strip poker, because it’s a guaranteed loss. When Cana desires private time with her partner, however, she likes to go for a walk around town and just window shop. It doesn’t always have to lead to purchasing things; she just likes the relaxing atmosphere and just perusing whatever’s new.

B-    Body: What does this character appreciate about their s/o? What part of their body are they most proud of, and in reverse, what body part are they ashamed of and how do they respond to their s/o gushing over it?

Cana adores her partner’s hair. She just likes to idly run her hands through it, play with it, weave little braids into the locks if they allow her to. Her favorite thing in the world is to have her partner lay their head on her lap so she can just go to town. As a result, she gives the best head-rubs ever.

Cana knows she has a bombshell body and really appreciates if her partner compliments her curves, whether with words or with touches! Girl just loves to have her partner’s hands on her body, LOL. However, Cana sometimes worries that her curves are her only defining feature. In particular, she doubts that her eyes or hair are really something to write home about, being just your generic brown. She’ll get a little bashful and flustered if her s/o makes a point to sing their praises. She’s mostly confident, so it won’t take long to boost her ego in this regard!

C-    Cuddles: Is this character a cuddler? What is their favorite way to cuddle?

Cana is very cuddly with her s/o. Her favorite way to cuddle is to just plunk herself in her s/o’s lap, LOL. They could be in the middle of a conversation and she’ll stroll right up and take a seat for some snuggling! She thinks it’s funny if her s/o gets flustered, and even funnier if they don’t miss a beat and keep right on with what they were doing. She loves cuddling period, though, so position really isn’t that big of a deal for her.

D-   Dreams: How do they picture their future with their s/o?

Cana may be a bit tomboyish, but she still dreams of wearing that white gown someday! She’d love to marry her partner with Gildarts to walk her down the aisle. Cana has no intention of leaving the guild, so she would continue on as a mage and would hope her partner would as well! Still, if she ever had to retire, she fantasizes about opening up a tavern.

E-    Equivalence: Is this character the dominant force in the relationship, are they passive, or is the relationship more or less even?

Cana is stubborn and hard-headed, so she is a bit of a dominant force. It really depends on her meek her partner is, though; if they are on the same wavelength, their relationship will be mostly even, but if they’re a bit shyer, Cana will definitely be wearing the pants in the relationship! Cana doesn’t do well with someone who is completely domineering; the woman values her freedom and right to speak her mind, so she isn’t going to tolerate someone too controlling!

F-    Fights: How does this character respond to arguments with their s/o? What would they fight about, and who would cave and apologize first?

Cana is not afraid to get into screaming matches with her partner, regardless of who is around. She’d never hit or slap her partner (unless they just said something so out of line it wasn’t even funny), but she may throw a chair at a wall. Cana can’t rationalize when she’s angry and will run an argument into the ground, so it would be best for her partner to leave for a while so she can simmer down. She’s stubborn and won’t make the move to apologize first, but when her partner comes to talk to her once she’s calm, she may begrudgingly apologize and compromise depending on the issue. Mostly, the fights would either concern Cana’s insatiable drinking habits or her recklessness in missions. She’s a bit self-destructive but won’t appreciate at first that her partner is trying to look out for her best interest. It will take some coaxing.

G-   Gratitude: How does this character show their s/o that they are grateful?

Kisses. Anytime Cana is grateful, she’s gonna kiss on her partner. Even if the feeling strikes her like a bolt from the blue, she’s going to saunter up to her none-the-wiser partner and plant one on them with no warning. It’s just her way of being appreciative.

H-   Honeymoon: If this character had a honeymoon with their s/o, where would they go?

Wine-tasting in a vineyard. What can I say, the girl loves her alcohol. She knows that she can’t get sloshed for her honeymoon, though, and will arrange for plenty of other romantic activities too- candlelit dinners, couple’s massages, horseback-riding through pastures. It would actually be a really fun trip!

I-      Insecurity: What is this character insecure about? How do they deal with their insecurities with their s/o?

Cana is still very insecure about her relationship with Gildarts. She just isn’t sure how to deal with his zeal to be a father after so many years of not having him around, even if he just didn’t know. Sometimes she has trouble processing those emotions and goes to her s/o for comfort and advice. She is very grateful that her s/o is open and honest with their opinion, and slowly but surely, she learns to deal with the conflict.

J-      Jealousy: Is this character the jealous type? How do they deal with being jealous?

Cana doesn’t get jealous. She knows she’s a catch and if her s/o is stupid enough to run around on her, then she’s just going to wipe the floor with them and toss them in the garbage where they belong. Cana wants to trust her partner and doesn’t police their friends or hangouts, and if they betray that trust, well- welcome to the shit list.

K-   Kiss: What does the character want their first kiss to be like with their s/o? How does it end up happening?

Cana doesn’t hyper-fixate too much on how this or that will go; she’ll let it develop organically, and whatever happens, happens. Most likely, Cana will be cruising a nice lovely buzz and decide that it’s high time she and her s/o kissed and will plant one on them without warning. Who needs romance? Just get it done!

L-    Love Confession: How does this character first profess their love to their s/o?

The first kiss might be a little spontaneous, but Cana at least has the sense to know that she shouldn’t be plastered professing her love for someone. When she really soul-searches and realizes that she is indeed in love with someone, she’s going to strive to find the opportune moment to lay all her cards on the table. She’ll plan a more romantic and sophisticated dinner at a fancy restaurant, ingest only a socially acceptable amount of wine, then reach out to take her partner’s hands and tell them just how she feels. She’s not shy about her feelings at all.

M-  Marriage: How does this character view marriage? What is their ideal wedding like?

Cana would love to get married! She’s like to have a barnyard wedding with a raucous reception afterwards. Out in the country with only her guildmates in attendance, in the fresh open air with the faint scent of fresh apples lingering on the breeze and everything dyed gold by the setting sun- what could be more romantic? Lucy actually turned her on to the idea, because at first she was totally intent on skipping the wedding bit and getting eloped. Dressing up in white and being walked down the aisle by Gildarts didn’t seem so bad after Lucy broke out all the wedding magazines…

N-   Nicknames: What does this character like to call their s/o?

Cana lives for the embarrassment of sappy nicknames. “Sugar Bear,” “Honeybun,” “Babycakes,” “Lovemuffin”- if it’s mortifying, she’s gonna say it. When she’s serious, though, she usually defers to “darling” or “honey.” But she isn’t serious very often. XD

O-   On Cloud Nine: What is this character like when they’re in love? Is it obvious to others, or are they good at hiding it?

As I mentioned, Cana is not shy about her feelings. The incubation period is exceptionally short, because if someone catches her eye, all she’ll need is a little liquid courage before she’s strutting over and flirting up a storm. When she’s in love in an actual relationship, she’s actually super adorable; she’ll just gaze lovingly at her s/o, hanging on to their every word even if it’s the most mundane conversation. She loves to be with her s/o and will accompany them very frequently.

P-    PDA: Does this character like PDA? If so, what kinds of things do they do in public to show off their s/o?

Cana is all about PDA! Holding hands, smooches, maybe even playful slaps to the behind- this girl ain’t shy by any definition of the word. She’s head-over-heels in love and doesn’t care who knows, and she’s going to act on whatever whim blooms in that pretty head of hers!

Q-   Quirks: What random traits or quirks does this character have that positively affect the relationship?

Cana’s a great dancer, and loves to do it, too. She dances while cooking, while showering, while walking- whatever! It’s just such a happy and bubbly sight to see it won’t fail to make her partner smile. They better watch out, though, because she’ll sweep them up in a tango or waltz with no hesitation!

R-    Romance: Is this character a hopeless romantic, or a bit on the low-key side? Are they cliché when it comes to romantic gestures, or can they get a little bit creative?

Cana traverses the middle-ground; she loves romantic gestures but isn’t an absolute sap for them. She is a mixture of cliché and creative gestures. After all, why try and fix what’s broken? That being said, sometimes she gets inspired to do something a little fun and new and will surprise her s/o with an interesting romantic scheme!

S-    Secrets: Are there any secrets they hide from their s/o? If so, how do they deal with it when those secrets finally come out?

Cana doesn’t have any secrets. She doesn’t believe in keeping secrets from the person she loves, and honestly doesn’t have any major secrets in her life she feels like her s/o would leave her over.

T-    Thrill: Does this character prefer routine in their relationship, or do they like to shake things up every once in a while?

If Cana is anything, it’s a thrill-seeker! Routine bores her; she prefers much more to live in the moment. Whenever a whim catches her fancy, she’s going to act on it! That means spontaneous dates or her jumping on her s/o to shower them in affections, but at least it keeps things interesting…

U-   Understanding: Is this character level-headed and empathetic toward their partner, or do they sometimes have trouble figuring them out, which leads to some butting heads?

Cana’s emotional intelligence is pretty above average, but in the beginning stages of the relationship, sometimes there are aspects of her partner she can’t understand. Cana gets frustrated over this, which can lead to some spatting. She tries to make an effort to understand her partner, though, and never lets the argument escalate to excessive levels. She is content to agree to disagree and simmer for a while.

V-   Value: How does this character value their relationship with their s/o? How does it hold in comparison to their goals, ambitions, etc.?

Cana holds her relationship in extremely high regard. Her goal is only really to be a good friend and supporting mage for Fairy Tail, so after a point, they end up on relatively equal terms.

W-  Wild Card: Any random fluff headcanon that does not fall within the other categories!

Cana gives massages that are to die for. Seriously, her hands work magic. If her s/o complains of any achy muscles, she’s immediately propping them up and getting to work on those sore spots. She’s actually got a pretty lucrative under-the-table massage business with most of the guild members as customers. If she wasn’t a mage, she’d make a killing as a masseuse!

X-   XOXO: How does this character show affection?

Cana shows her love almost exclusively through physical affection. Any sweet nothings or compliments are always accompanied by gentle caresses or hugs. She feels like touch just conveys the pure, raw emotion she’s experiencing the best.

Y-   Yearning: How does this character deal with time apart with their s/o?

Cana can deal well with separation to a degree. She knows that time apart is good for the relationship, and trusts her s/o. However, if it drags on for too long, Cana will get depressed. She’ll take to the bottle even more, and eventually, the guild will have to stage an intervention. Her girl friends will help her cope better with her partner’s absence.

Z-    Zeal: Is this character willing to great lengths for their relationship? If so, how far, and how long does it take to get to this point?

As I mentioned, Cana is very serious about her relationship. She is willing to sacrifice her life for her partner, but it does take her some time to work up to this point. She has to be deeply in love, so deeply in love that she cannot imagine life without her partner.

[mostly-anime-trash]

NSFW Alphabet - Katsuki Bakugou

I love reading these, so I wanted to make one of my own :)

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

Katsuki’s aftercare is more practical than anything. If it’s been a particularly strenuous session, he might lie there for a bit, panting next to you. But once he’s caught his breath, he’s up quickly and fetching a towel or tissues for clean up. And he won’t be the one to clean you up himself- he thinks you’re probably more efficient at it than him, so he’ll let you handle that- but he’ll always provide the supplies.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

His favorite body part is his arms. Why do you think his hero costume is a tank top?? He spends a lot of time sculpting and developing his arms, and he wants to show off his hard work! His favorite body part of his partner’s is definitely their ass. It’s the first place his hands roam to when kissing his partner. During sex, if he’s not in a position to be able to see their ass, he’s definitely grabbing onto it.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

Katsuki has a fantasy of cumming onto his partner’s face, but he’s too embarrassed to ask. Maybe he’ll work up the courage one day, but for now he just hopes he’ll wind up in a situation that calls for it. Otherwise he’s not picky- he’ll easily oblige to his partner’s preferences (as long as he’s not gonna make no babies!!)

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

He likes to collect his partner’s underwear, kind of like trophies. Not all of them, but a few select favorites. He always has a pair in his backpack, and he’s slightly paranoid that he might accidentally pull them out with his book in class- although he’s not sure whether he’d be more embarrassed or proud in that moment.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

Katsuki is surprisingly inexperienced for someone with so much confidence. His bold personality tends to scare intimidate most potential partners, so he’s learned everything he knows from the 1 or 2 partners he’s had. However, he’s a quick learner and competitive as hell, so of course he wants to be the best, at everything. He lets his intuition (or is it primal instinct?) get him started and relies on his partner’s body language to guide him the rest of the way.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

Doggy. A position that allows him to watch his partner’s ass, grab onto his partner’s ass, and take control? Sold.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

This boy is serious as hell. He wants to get everything just right, so if there are any fumbles or blunders in the bedroom, he is more likely to get flustered than to just laugh it off. After being with his partner for a while, he’ll warm up to the idea of teasing, but mostly he’s just focused on trying to knock their socks off.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

Katsuki definitely doesn’t shave bare. He thinks it makes him look stupid as hell, so he prefers to keep his pubes trimmed short instead. He is so fixated on impressing his partner and not embarrassing himself that for the first several months, he keeps it meticulously groomed. He’s obsessive about it, so much that he’ll even make excuses to avoid sex if he feels he’s not tidy enough, and then just jack off angrily at home later. (Is it an insecurity thing?) Once he’s more comfortable in the relationship though, he’ll go longer periods between grooming, although rarely more than an extra quarter inch or so.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

Katsuki isn’t necessarily romantic, per se. He is very attentive to his partner however. His ego couldn’t handle the blow of being bad in bed, so he needs to make sure his partner is enjoying themselves before he can enjoy himself. He’s secretly just a giant baby who seeks validation as much as anyone else.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

This boy’s sex drive is high af and you know he jacks off on the daily at least. Katsuki has an incredible amount of will power and he could restrain himself if he wanted to, but he’s also impulsive as hell and he doesn’t see masturbation as bad or shameful, so he indulges. Plus with his tendency to fixate on things, he often finds himself unable to concentrate if he’s sexually frustrated, so he’ll masturbate just to be able to think clearly again. You better believe this boy is the king of procrasturbating when he’s supposed to be studying.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

Bondage. Katsuki is a control freak, of course his kink is bondage. He won’t ever mention it and he won’t try anything until he feels comfortable that his partner would be open to it. Then he’ll experiment with it slowly- pinning up his partner’s arms against the wall during a steamy makeout session, pulling their shirt over their head and wrapping it around their wrists during sex, tugging their hair while he fucks them from behind. If it’s well received, he’ll be investing in some full bed restraints in no time.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

Katsuki likes to fuck in the shower. Something about it just feels raw to him. You’d think with his favorite position being doggy that he’d like nothing more than to have his partner bent over, palms pressed against the tile, taking him from behind buuuuuuuut *surprise* he actually prefers to hold his partner up, hands under their ass, and fuck them against the shower wall. He tends to be a bit more animalistic in the shower.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

Phewwww boy, nothing lights a fire under Katsuki’s ass like a little competition. He wants to be THE best. Any sort of teasing from his partner, and Katsuki is ready to pin them down and show them exactly what he’s capable of. He’s also a sucker for seeing his partner in clothing that hugs their assets. He’ll be pawing at them all day until he can finally get them alone and rip their clothes off.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Threesome. He might like to show off his partner, but he doesn’t like to share them. Plus he might be a teensy bit insecure they’ll enjoy sex with the other person more than him.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

Katsuki really, really enjoys receiving oral. It feels great of course, but more than anything he loves to see his partner on their knees, looking up at him with his cock in their mouth. Somehow, that’s when he truly sees how much they desire him. He like giving too, as he feels he can get a more accurate sense of his partner’s level of enjoyment. He gets off if they get off.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

Fast or slow, but always hard- he makes sure that every thrust counts. His pace is moderate, usually on the fast-side. When he’s fully consumed by passion (which is almost every sexual encounter), he wants all of his partner, and he wants it now.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

Katsuki’s a big fan of quickies, especially when he’s sexually frustrated. And let’s be honest, he basically always frustrated. But he’s never one-sided. He makes sure his partner gets off too.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

Risk excites the fuck out of Katsuki, although he’d likely be mortally embarrassed if he ever got caught. Storage closet, bathroom, car parking lot… he wants to try it all, but it will probably take some encouragement or teasing from his partner first. More than anything though, Katsuki gets off on his partner almost getting caught. He likes to tease and pleasure them while they’re talking on the phone or when there’s someone just on the other side of the door.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

Katsuki will go as long as his partner can. It’s rare for him to find someone with as much stamina as him, so he is happy with whatever they can afford. The only exception is when he’s extremely tired, in which case he can usually only manage one round (and we all know Katsuki has a very strict bedtime).

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

He doesn’t feel much of a personal need to use them, but he will eagerly use them on his partner. He’s no stranger to the cock ring, and he prefers when both he and his partner cum at the same time, so he’ll throw in a some extra vibrations if he feels he’s much closer to the finish line than they are.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

Once Katsuki has gotten comfortable with his partner, he loves to tease, to the point of his partner literally begging for him. This does depend, however, on how turned on he is already. His seriousness is directly correlated to his horniness, so if he’s too consumed by lust, he’ll get straight to business.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

Katsuki is quiet in bed, aside from a few pants and grunts (because that’s what’s #manly or whatever, but mostly because he’s too terrified he’ll make a stupid embarrassing noise that will haunt him for the rest of his life). His partner can elicit some moans from him though, by nibbling on his ear or by gently pressing underneath his balls while climaxing.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

Katsuki thinks he has a fantasy of watching his partner masturbate in front of him, but truth is he’s way too damn impatient for that. Every single time he caves, unable to resist the urge to replace their hand with his and just do it his damn self. (He does it better anyway.)

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

We all know Katsuki is ripped, so let’s just get to the good stuff, shall we? This boy is #blessed. He’s a shower and a grower at 5″ soft and 7.5″ erect. His dick is pretty too, straight and curved slightly upward, with a few healthy veins. While his length is nothing to sneeze at, it’s his girth that’s impressive. It’s a good thing he wears those baggy pants (or is it?), because that outline is hard to conceal.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

H I G H. It’s unlikely he’ll ever find a partner that can match him, but regular sex with his partner (daily, please) keeps him satisfied. He’ll be crawling up the walls, resisting the urge to yank it every 30 minutes should he and his partner be separated by distance.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

Sex usually gives Katsuki a zap of energy any time throughout the day, with the exception of close to bedtime. Then its zzzzzz lights out!

[the-coldest-goodbye]

Sansa Stark - NSFW Alphabet Headcanons

Sansa Stark x fem!reader

Requested by Anonymous

A/N: I wanted to write something that acknowledged the trauma Sansa would have after her experiences. Because of that, this is less smutty than other NSFW alphabets I’ve written for other characters. It can be hard to figure out how to write trauma and recovery, so quite a bit of this is based on my own experiences with overcoming trauma. I hope I did an okay job.

TW: Mentions of abuse, rape, trauma, and Sansa’s struggles to overcome them.

Also, if you haven’t yet, make sure you check out my SFW alphabet headcanons for Sansa.

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

Sansa requires a lot of aftercare to feel safe and secure. Cuddle up with her, get extra snug with some furs, and stroke her hair. Check in with how she’s feeling. It’ll mean a lot to her knowing that you care for her wellbeing. Her sexual experiences with you are nothing less than beautiful and loving, but they can still elicit some bad feelings, thoughts, and memories stemming from her past trauma, especially near the start of your physical relationship. Hold her. Listen to her. Make sure she’s warm. Maybe take a bath with her and brush out her hair. Most importantly, stay with her. Don’t rush off. She needs the security of knowing that you care about her and that you won’t leave her when she’s vulnerable.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

She has a difficult relationship with her body. She’s covered in scars, very real reminders of the abuse she suffered at the hands of Ramsay. Sansa rebuilding her appreciation for her body is a long process, but it starts off with her coming to like her hands. She loves the way her fingers look entwined with yours, the way they gently explore your skin, the way they can make you moan in pleasure.

Her favorite part of you is your neck and shoulders region, especially loving to place kisses there and against your collarbones. When you hold her, she’ll bury her face into the curve of your neck or rest her head on your shoulder, feeling secure and at ease.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

Sansa finds nothing more beautiful or erotic than how you work so diligently to make her wet and how you then savor her juices. Her only physical experiences before you were with Ramsay, and he didn’t care whether or not it felt good to Sansa. In fact, he got more sick and twisted pleasure from having her suffer. Seeing the way you spend so long teasing her and stimulating her to make her wet and then seeing how you absolutely adore her juices, licking up every last drop, means the world to her. One of the most erotic moments she ever had was the very first time you brought your fingers up to her mouth after you gently dragged them through her folds, urging her to taste herself. Ramsay took pleasure in her pain. You took pleasure in her pleasure.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

I’ll explore this a little more under “W = Wild card,” but Sansa’s dirty secret (that you obviously come to learn) is that she’s not straight. In a society like Westeros where strict gender roles reign, queerness is taboo, particularly for someone as high-profile as Sansa.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

Sansa’s not experienced when it comes to sex because her experiences with Ramsay weren’t sex; they were torture. She’s very slow to pursue a physical relationship with you, and it’s a learning experience for the both of you as you begin to open up to each other, explore your likes and dislikes at a mindful speed, and become more comfortable with each other. It’s a slow process, but it’s important not to push it too far or too fast.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

Initially, Sansa would prefer being on top or having the two of you both laying on your sides because it helps her not feel completely powerless. As she becomes more comfortable with your physical relationship and works through some of her trauma, she sometimes allows you to be on top, but it would take a long time to build up that level of trust for her to feel fully comfortable in that kind of position.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

Sansa is quite serious, but she can become a bit more playful and giggly once she feels more secure and becomes more confident during sex. It takes a while to get to that point, though, and sex will never be something she takes lightly. She views it as a very real commitment to each other, and so there will always be a fairly serious undertone during intimate moments.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

Her hair down there is naturally pretty short and neat, and so it doesn’t require much upkeep to remain tidy, if any. It’s a similar shade to the color on her head, perhaps a little darker.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

Sansa is used to being used as someone’s plaything, being treated like a literal object. Therefore, it’s of utmost importance to her that you two have a strong connection during any sexual act. To keep the experience feeling very real and very human, Sansa likes to make eye contact or be face-to-face. She always tries to remain fully present when the two of you are together. It feels like you’re the only two people in the world when you’re together. It’s never spur of the moment, and the build-up of passion that leads up to the sex really emphasizes the undeniable connection between you two when you make love.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

Sansa rarely masturbates.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

Honestly, Sansa wants and needs things to be pretty vanilla between you two in bed. Most kinks would either make her feel uncomfortable or foolish. 

This is not a kink per se, but Sansa does tend to be a bit more dominant in bed. She’s actually fairly vers, but she tends to take a slightly more dominant role in bed since she would want to be the one to set the pace and to take the lead to feel more empowered and confident in the experience. It’s a big deal when she is able to trust you enough and feel comfortable enough with you to just lay back and let you take the lead with pleasuring her.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

Sex is something she would save for the bedroom. It’s the only place she’d find it appropriate.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

It takes a long time to get Sansa going. First and foremost, she needs to feel loved, secure, and empowered before anything goes down. You need to lay the groundwork much earlier and build up to it slowly over the course of the day with knowing glances, sly smiles, gentle touches, and loving words. There needs to be a development of tenderness and intimacy to make her want to bed you. She isn’t DTF at the drop of a hat.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Sansa would refuse to do anything that made either of you uncomfortable or that would hurt either of you. She is particularly turned off by bondage, gags, and pain. She isn’t into anything too rough or fast, and she also wouldn’t be into extreme dom/sub dynamics. Also, she wouldn’t feel comfortable with being penetrated, at least not for a long time.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

Sansa starts off preferring to give oral rather than receive because she’s not ready to have anything like that done to her; but as she grows more comfortable with physical intimacy with you, she comes to enjoy giving and receiving equally. She doesn’t quite know what she’s doing at first, but she’s a fast learner and eager to please you, wanting to hear you whimper and feel you writhe in pleasure because of her.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

Your earlier sexual experiences with Sansa are slow paced and shy because of her hesitance, but she becomes more sensual (but still fairly slow) as she grows in confidence. She would much rather take her time and savor the experience. Fast or rough sex would be avoided at all costs, and she would feel relieved that you understood and were fine with that.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

Nope, no quickies here. She needs a slow build-up and lots of aftercare.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

At the beginning of your relationship, her past trauma makes any and all sexual interactions feel like a risk. It takes Sansa quite a long time before she even considers physical intimacy with you beyond kissing and cuddling, and so she isn’t game to get experimental too quickly in your sexual relationship. As she gets more confident, though, she’ll get more willing to try out new positions and techniques, but she still wouldn’t be willing to try anything too kinky or risky.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

Usually one round is enough for Sansa to call it a night, but sometimes she might surprise you with a second round. Early on in your physical relationship, it takes her a fairly long time to reach orgasm, though, because she’s get stuck in her head and wouldn’t stay present in the moment. When she’d manage to shift her focus to being more in the moment with you, she’d cum quite a bit faster.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

She doesn’t own any toys. If you wanted her to use any on you, she’d be willing to give it a go. She likely wouldn’t want you to use them on her, though.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

As Sansa becomes more confident in her abilities to pleasure you, she sometimes can be a bit of a tease, liking to vary speed and pressure to keep you on your toes.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

Sansa is pretty quiet in terms of volume. At first, she would be so quiet that she was very clearly lost in her own head instead of enjoying the moment. You wanted to make sure she was having a nice time, so you encouraged her to speak up and to tell you whether or not she liked what you were doing. She would be shy about it at first, but she would come to communicate quite a bit during sex, telling you what felt good, what didn’t feel good, what she wanted you to do, etc. It meant a lot to her that you always listened to her and empowered her to call the shots while physically intimate. When in pleasure, she moans and gasps lightly and whispers out, “Oh yes, Y/N! Right there. Right there.”

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

Sansa Stark ain’t straight!! (My *personal* headcanon is that she’s a lesbian; but for general audience purposes, I’ll just say here that she’s some flavor of Not Straight.) As a child, her fixation on finding her Prince Charming and her idealization of knights in shining armor was a result of their society teaching her that her only goal was to become the perfect wife to the perfect man and to give him the perfect babies to carry on his family name. It’s compulsory heterosexuality, baby!!

Her sapphic awakening came when she developed a crush on Margaery. Their interactions were particularly impactful on Sansa, especially when Margaery would imply that she was attracted to women. Sansa spent a long time repressing her feelings because it doesn’t follow the strict gender roles in Westeros, and so having Margaery imply this really put the idea on the table for Sansa to explore.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

Her body is fairly slender with light curves. However, she’s covered in scars and markings from Ramsay. She’d keep them covered up as much as possible because she didn’t want to see them.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

Sansa’s sex drive is not very high. Sexual intimacy would happen only if/when she felt ready. She would never want to be used like a sex toy again. She hopes that she’ll have a partner who respects her enough to understand that she needs time instead of pressuring her into anything. 

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

Sansa requires quite a bit of aftercare, so she doesn’t fall asleep quickly.

[zach-the-fox]

Tribal Furs Episode 5: Lady in the Lake

Everything is quiet, except for the sound of the parjays calling to each other. Zach, Emmy, and Amina walk along the dusty trail through the vined trees. They talk to each other about their plans for the day when ruffles of the bushes cause them to halt. The friends look to see the movements as they inch closer to them.

“Gotcha!” The rottweiler pops out from bush and pins the orange fox down. The two other wolves appear on either side of Emmy and Amina while Sally has Zach pinned. She smiles. “Bet you weren’t expecting that, huh Fox Boy?” Zach stares at her and gulps. “I’ve got you now.” The rottweiler sneers, then wiggles her fingers all over the fox’s body. “Tickle, tickle, tickle.”

Zach bursts out laughing. “No! Please!” Sally starts to giggle as she continues. Zach struggles to contain his laughter and struggles to break free. “Sally, please! Ha ha ha! No! I can’t take it! I submit!”

Sally smiles, then stops before standing. She waits for the fox to calm down before offering her paw. “Get up.”

Zach takes her paw and pulls himself up. “You are good.”

“I’m the sneak master,” she responds, keeping her smile. “You’re easy prey to me. So, what are we doing today?”

“I was going to suggest to Zach that we do some archery,” Amina adds. “It’d be better if I taught him and Emmy, but also to make it a little game.”

“Sounds like an idea,” Cole butts in. “We can even use some of the cocoanapples to hit. Besides, we can break them open with the arrows. While we’re at it, we can eat them.”

“Kill two parjays with one arrow,” Emmy implies. “Where shall we set up?”

“We can head to the mountainside,” Niji suggests. “No one will see us there. And the wide-open spaces make it perfect for us to practice.” Everyone is in agreement to his plan. “Let’s get going, shall we?” The group heads off. Zach’s ears twitch to the sound of high-toned singing. He turns and looks to the direction of the voice. As his friends amble down and chat, he wanders off away from the group.

Sally notices the fox walking away. “Zach?” There is no answer from the fox. Sally trails the fox but keeps her distance from him to see where he leads. “Zach.”

Zach is led to the lake, where the voice is heard. He looks across the water and sees her; a grey rabbit girl by the edge of the lake in front of him. Her dark hair flows on all sides of her head, except in her face. Pink arrows are painted on her limbs with a matching color top and loincloth. Her ears have three streaks of pink paint each. The fox keeps still, watching her through the bushes as she stands knee-deep in the water, bathing herself. The rabbit turns herself to show her face, marked with pink streaks on her cheeks and a heart between her capri-blue eyes. “Oh,” Zach whispers. “So beautiful…” The rabbit girl finishes and steps out of the water. She walks away and proceeds through the jungle. Zach scales the tree to get a better view, following the rabbit while walking along the branches. The rabbit wanders down a dusty path for one minute before heading into the wooden-walled complex of the village.

“Spying on girls now?” Zach turns to see Sally’s next to him. “Looks like you’ve got a thing for rabbits.”

“I…” Zach struggles to get his thoughts out of his mouth. “I just followed her to hear her sing… She’s got a heavenly voice.”

“Right. I suppose that’s why you were looking at her, all lovestruck, and stalked her back to her village, right?” Zach remains speechless. Sally puts her paw on his back. “Let’s go.” She helps guide Zach back to the group.

 ***

 At the base of the mountain, Amina fires shots at standing cocoanapples, demonstrating her firing to the group. Cole, Niji, Sally, and Emmy practice with bows brought along by the red fox. Amina walks over to her friend, who is staring off into the clouds. “Zach!”

Zach faces her quickly. “Huh?”

“You okay? You seem to be drifting away in thought.”

“I-I’m fine. Just thinking about something.”

“Well, come on.” She forces a bow and arrow into his paws. “You’re up.”

“Oh. Okay.” Zach stands in place next to his other friends. He draws his arrow and takes aim at the cocoanapple. The fox stares at it, yet he cannot let go of his arrow. All he sees in his dummy target is the head of the rabbit girl as he hears her voice echo within his mind.

Emmy turns to him. “Yo, Zach!” Placing her hoof on his hip, he curves his bow and releases the arrow on reaction. The projectile bounces off rocks and tree trunks before hitting the ground next to the wolves, causing them to jump. “Whoa, what’s gotten into you? You don’t seem like yourself.”

Sally stops her firing, then faces them. “Still thinking about that rabbit girl by the lake?”

“Rabbit girl?” repeats Emmy.

“Ooh!” Niji starts. “Sounds like someone’s got a case of the love sickness. Who is this rabbit girl?”

“I don’t know,” Zach says. “She does have a nice voice… And she’s gorgeous, too.” He covers his face to hide his blush. “I-I’m so sorry… I-”

“Hey, we understand,” Cole utters. “But, don’t you think it won’t work out? After all, she’s a rabbit. You’re a fox.”

“Yeah,” Zach responds. “But, I can work a way around that, like I did with you guys.”

“Keep dreaming.”

“It’s possible,” Amina butts in. “After all, we wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Zach.” She looks to the orange fox and places her paw on his shoulder. “You’re a kind fox. I’m sure she’ll fall for you.” Amina takes her paw back. “Let’s all try our marksmanship, now.” Zach grasps his bow tight. He can’t stop thinking about the rabbit girl.

 ***

 The morning sun has risen well above the calm waters of the lake. The rabbit girl sits at the edge where the water touches the dirt. She brushes her hair, staring at her reflecting through the clear liquid. The rabbit pauses when she begins to notice a figure’s reflection behind her own. She makes it out as an orange fox with blue paint.

“Hello,” the fox says. Realizing he’s behind her, she turns to the fox and gasps. Zach holds his paws up to her. “Oh, sorry! I didn’t mean to frighten you… I just-”

“S-stay away!” The rabbit backs up. “D-don’t hurt me!” She stumbles into the water. “P-please…”

Zach tilts his head sideways in curiosity. “Why would I want to hurt someone with a lovely voice and pure beauty?”

The rabbit stares at the fox with widened eyes and an ‘o’-shaped mouth. “What…?”

“Your angelic voice has caught my attention, as well as the beauty of your body that reflects nature.” Zach holds his paw out, offering it to her as assistance. “I am Zach. I come from the Fox Faction.” The girl looks at his paw for a few seconds before shifting her gaze back to him. “What’s wrong? Don’t you trust me to help you?”

“You’re not going to attack me, are you?”

“Why would I do that? I’m not like the other foxes.”

“Are you, now?” She grabs his paw, gambling the risk of her safety. Zach pulls her up and helps her out of the water.

“Are you okay? You’re not hurt, are you?”

“No… Thank you, Zach.”

“What is your name, Miss?”

“Melissa,” the rabbit tells him. “Melissa the Rabbit.”

“Melissa,” repeats Zach. “Such a fitting name for a gorgeous rabbit.”

Melissa turns away, hiding her blush. “Oh, I see now you are not like the other foxes; you are kind, genteel, and heartwarming.” Zach rolls his eyes and rubs the back of his head as his cheeks become bright with pink. She looks back at him. “Tell me, do you come around these woods often?”

“Yes. I hang about with my friends.”

“Are they foxes?”

“Only one is a fox. The others are two wolves, a warthog, and a rottweiler.”

“Gods! How on Earth are you friends with canines and a warthog?!”

“It is a long story. Would you like to listen?”

“Do tell,” Melissa says. “Accompany me on a walk as you talk.”

“Very well.” Zach stays alongside her as they waltz from the area. The fox begins to share his story of his friendships, along with his life, with the rabbit.

In the trees, Sally watches the predator and prey talk. Amina stands beside her, while Emmy hangs onto the red fox’s back. They eavesdrop on the conversation. “Well, I’ll be,” whispers Sally. “He’s actually gained the trust of the rabbit girl from what it seems.”

“I can’t believe Zach’s charmed her quickly,” Amina comments. “Zach has a gift for being kind and friendly.”

“I say we leave them,” Emmy utters. “Let those two carry on with their talk.”

“Agreed,” Sally adds. “I don’t plan on interrupting a blossoming relationship.”

“Love is crazy,” adds Amina. “It develops in the most mysterious ways. No doubt Zach’s fallen victim to it, and for a girl out of his species. Let’s let them prosper. We’ll come back for him later.” The girls turn and wander along the branch, exiting the area.

@emmy-the-absolute-goof @sally-the-pack-leader @rainbow-strike

[girlonfilmmovies]

Welcome to Friend Island: "Love Island US Season 3" and the Gaping Sores of America

So I foolishly thought that in the new year of 2021, the world would be in a better place than it was the previous year. After all, we were coming out of the "worst" of the most horrifying pandemic of the past century, a middling presidency that at that point served only a wealth of TV soundbites and less actual damage to the political system, and we were looking forward to a brighter future and a return to what some hoped would be "normal". The past was the past, and this was going to be a new moment.

Oh how naïve we all were.

As of this writing Covid-19 cases are hitting staggering new highs in the southern US, with Florida (of course) somehow hitting a record amount despite vaccines being easily available in the country for months. The death rates are at almost the same as last year. The middling disaster of the 45th president had one more trick up its sleeve, a firebomb brewing for dozens of years that went off in one of the most embarrassing fiascos of American political history. Misinformation has already implanted itself so thoroughly among half the country that people would rather die than admit they were wrong; the spread of such chaos being happily spat out through the algorithms of corporations only intent on raking in dollar signs. All the potential benefits that could have come from this once-in-a-lifetime moment are being briskly swept away: offices demanding their employees come back, no respect given to science and healthcare workers, the country's clearly weak infrastructure forced right back into action as if we didn't just see its gaping holes. The earth is dying and the people who actually have the resources do something about it instead have kickstarted a capitalist space race.

2021 has gone to show that old, toxic habits die hard.

Sigh.

Yeah, I watched Love Island again.

Despite my... let's say mixed feelings regarding last year's shitshow, I couldn't help but admit that it was the closest thing that I've had to appointment viewing TV that I've had in a long time. In an era of streaming and DVR boxes, it's a bit of an actual feat to get someone who works a fulltime job (especially one with erratic scheduling) to go out of their way to watch something the second it premieres. Love Island brings the family together, so they can engage in our favorite pastime: pointing and laughing at young, dumb, fame hungry cis-hets.

Plus, the second season had offered a fascinating glance at how to contend with a pandemic while also trying to stage a typical dumb reality show. The tropical island villa was swapped for a luxurious hotel rooftop in Las Vegas -- a literal ivory tower of ignorant hedonism looking down upon a plagued nation. You could feel the sexual tension of the hot, hyper-sexual adults forced without physical contact for months finally allowed to relieve themselves the only way they know how: toxic relationships. It was trying so hard to be an oasis in a desert yearning for frivolous content, but the façade was clearly visible to the point of satire. It was a wonderful thing to experience firsthand as what I originally thought as merely me dipping my toes into the genre.

Season 2 was the show that we deserved at the time, a funhouse mirror reflecting all the callous stupidity that had led us to this moment in world history. It attempted to offer a happy ending, a look towards the future: a black couple finally winning a reality show, a first for such a mainstream program (both of them actually kind of turned out to suck, but shhhh...).

It also allowed America to completely break the hearts of people while watching them fall apart live on TV. It was cruel, it was stupid, but most of all, it was fun as hell.

Season 3 is not about torturing the competitors. It's about torturing us.

In all fairness, there were a couple of lovely positive developments for the series this season. While still struggling with racial diversity a little bit, as evidenced by them casting only one very specific kind of black man like five times, strides are being taken elsewhere in the lane of body diversity. Alana makes her debut as literally the first woman on this show who isn't a size 0-2, looking absolutely gorgeous in every single shot.

The almost aggressively heteronormative nature of the show is slowly being shaken by a more openly queer cast than previously expected -- multiple bisexual/pansexual contestants participated, even though there wasn't any overtly queer romance shown (also almost all of them were women, with them describing their sexualities being confined to streaming exclusive episodes, which isn't... great). It's certainly a step in the right direction for a show that unceremoniously shuffled off the only queer member of the Season 2 cast overnight once the internet found his gay porn shoot. Ironically, they also ended up booting off the most openly queer member of this cast too, the purple haired proudly pansexual TikTok-er Leslie, but for the more legal reason of smuggling weed into the villa.

It's not terribly surprising that both Alana and Leslie garnered a lot of positive attention both inside and outside of the villa -- they stand out so much against the otherwise predictable casting that we've come to expect from this show and white American media in general. Alana is a woman with actual curves who looks stunningly gorgeous in comparison to the monotonous supermodel figures of everyone else. Leslie almost falls into a stereotype from the way she appears: dyed purple hair, tattooed all over, obviously queer, vaping weed constantly, exuding the kind of chaotic yet weirdly fun energy that only a former stripper can. Yet she obviously grabbed the attention of the contestants because while people like her abound in real life, in the fantasy land of reality TV she's an absolute rarity, a far cry from the sanitized beauty pageant-esque standards that they seem to pluck girls from. The men are still dumb, bland, boneheaded idiots in this show, but by offering some actual variety, they get to actually pursue people they aren't "traditionally" supposed to, while an outsider audience member like me gets to see women like herself be offered up for titillation in the same way "conventionally attractive" women are.

It's kind of cool, even if it is just playing into the icky sexualization of everyone, but hey...progress?

In an odd "two steps forward, one step back" kind of situation, the show has somewhat dialed down the outrageously toxic relationships of last year into a more relatively subdued level of toxicity. Gaslighting/cheating is at least kept to a relative low in this season compared to the nightmare that was last year, although this year's ratio depends on how much of that corresponds with sexy Columbian boy Will's obviously flimsy grasp of the intricacies of the English language. He continued to be plagued by the cliquey-ness of the cast until the very end but his genuinely sweet couple with Kyra still did enough to sneak into the final two.

The actual main problem this year was an almost unbearably long love triangle between Cash, Trina, and Cinco that refused to solve itself for nearly a month. Cash and Cinco perennially kept flip-flopping in their feelings for each other, bouncing between failed partnerships despite so obviously being into each other. Trina ended up roped in as Cinco's partner for a while, a constant victim of his own lack of courage to make up his damn mind. Cash, freshly single and in horny jail (aka Casa Amor), coupled up with the handsome and mysterious Charlie.

Now we need to discuss how bizarre Charlie as a cast member. Not only is he the only member who is, looks, and acts like an actual adult, but he also seems to show no adherence to the rules of reality TV: he's very relaxed and unassuming, seems genuinely uninterested in the "game" aspects of the show, and only perks up during rare moments of actual romantic potential. He's a fascinating spanner to throw into the machine of Love Island, and once Cinco was eliminated in the competition, Charlie had to sit there while Cash only continued to openly and aggressively pine for a man who isn't even her current partner. Proving once again to be an anomaly in the cast, he actually decided to do something about this: he unceremoniously dumped fan favorite Cash like a sack of bricks, sending her home while hooking up with the previously mentioned Alana. This smart decision was met derisively by viewers, despite him being the only person there who actually acted like a fucking adult for once. Ironically, this got him and Alana into the finals, where they finished in last place with the same trademark lack of enthusiasm that we've come to expect from him.

I suppose now we need to uncork the problem of the season and by extension the franchise as a whole. You might have read that previous situation and thought, "gee, a fan favorite got tossed aside while a guy that everyone hated ended up making it into the final four? That seems weird."

But by that point it really wasn't at all.

See, the problem with the voting is that you don't usually get to pick who goes; the audience only gets to pick who to prevent getting kicked. At that point, the audience control is out of our hands and now into the contestants', and if there's one thing we all learned in high school it's that cliques are very much a thing. The contestants seemed dead set on booting anybody who was new the second they had the chance, so many potentially exciting people were so quickly thrown out. Instead of the exciting potential we could have seen, we got a love triangle sucking anyone nearby into doom, with everyone else being a relatively stable couple or part of the Jeremy/Korey wishy-washy railway. Casa Amor was an absolute bust, with people making half-assed couplings despite still being in love with somebody else (it speaks a lot to the weakness of the Casa Amor men that Olivia literally preferred to come back single than with any of those planks of wood).

Part of the problem did rely on factors that nobody could control at all though. "Romance novel come to life" Slade seemed like a threat with his rugged handsomeness, twangy accent, and classic southern charm, but had to quickly leave due to ambiguous family troubles. Similarly, the nearly perfect Josh and Shannon, who seemed like an obvious shoo-in winner by virtue of being probably the only actual relationship on the show, had to depart in the middle of the night due to the tragic death of Josh's sister. Aforementioned chaotic pansexual Leslie was unceremoniously removed in the middle of the night once they had realized that her classic vape pen was actually full of weed, an especially tragic circumstance considering she basically had Cinco wrapped around her finger and was about to bring that love triangle crashing down (also tragic because she has gone on record saying that she was fully crushing on Genny while they were both in there, robbing us of any potential of a queer couple).

But part of the pain as always has to do with how the producers control everything no matter what: what we see, what we hear, who gets the villain edit and who gets the hero edit. It's why they seem to play Jeremy as dumb hot surfer bro instead of the actual funny and charming guy he is. It's why Trina was treated as a bitch and Cash as a woeful victim despite the roles more often than not lining up the other way around. And most embarrassingly, it's how the biggest joke couple of the show ended up winning it all.

Now, look at this picture right here: the poses, the awkward hand holding, the very strange smiles between those two. No, this is not a picture of two teenagers going to prom together who just met only five minutes ago and are taking pictures on their parents' front lawn; these two are the winners of season 3, the supposedly "strongest" couple on the show. This is Olivia and Korey.

Korey is a charming boyish sweetheart by way of an absolute fucking dumbass. He's sort of like last year's beloved and wonderfully stupid Carrington: a very sweet and nice teenager who seems to have "13 Going on 30"-ed his way into an adult body. He's childish in a way that's very cute and friendly but also woefully unattractive to anyone who's an adult. Just like Carrington, he notched up a staggering amount of dates with pretty much every single beautiful woman that came into the villa, all seemingly very interested in him. Carrington, for as dumb and childish as he is, could bag anyone because he was outrageously confident too. Korey on the other hand seems incapable of making any decision, following any girl who pays him the time of day like a little puppy, constantly looking up to her with his big puppy dog eyes. It's very telling that for all the dates he had, almost none of them actually went anywhere because it's just not that appealing to anyone. If you're looking to win, he's not someone who can scheme and play the game. If you're looking for love, he's not going to cut it because he can't seem to even understand the concept of romance. If you're looking for a friend, he's probably the best damn one you'll get in that villa -- but as constantly established by everyone, this show isn't called Friend Island.

Olivia is a bit of a thornier subject. She habitually couples up with people that you can kind of tell she's not at all into. She started the first half relatively unassuming and not particularly interested in the men that she was supposedly attracted to. But you could basically see her panties drop when Slade walked in, ready for him to pull her up into the saddle and ride away into the sunset. But his sudden departure only left her more empty, desperately grasping onto whatever random attraction she could. She went off to Casa Amor single and had the gall to come back without coupling up with any of them (although once again, they really dropped the ball with the men compared to the stunning Casa Amor women). And somehow in the midst of all this wishy washy mess, she finally settled on the one single man who she hadn't coupled up with and supposedly suddenly had feelings for: lonely, little Korey.

As a watcher of two seasons of this shit, I've seen a lot of fake relationships, but this one is just ridiculous. The chemistry is really nonexistent; she seems more annoyed or at best partially amused whenever he tries to say anything genuinely sweet to her. She reacts like how you would when a little kid tries to tell you they have a crush on you, an adult: you just kind of go, "aw, cute, thank you!" and walk away chuckling. It's genuinely comedic in how tragic it is, a boy who thinks he's finally found someone when all she's found is a trip to the bank.

And what did the editors do? They tried their very best to sell this as genuine, as actual romance. We know what romance is -- we basically saw it with Shannon and Josh, and to a lesser extent Will and Kyra. And yet they whipped out that expert level edit to say, "wow, look at these two lovebirds, huh?" It's ridiculous, especially since only in the final episode did they suddenly remember that Jeremy and the stunning Bailey (aka the combination of Gal Godot and Ashley Judd circa-2001) were an actual couple and even they looked more real than the winning couple.

Love Island is, if nothing else, a reflection of America.

It's an outdated tradition desperately grasping to what's left of the typical western idea of romance. No matter how many beauty pageant contestants they pick, men like women who aren't size 2s, or with natural hair/skin, or with family-friendly occupations. Women are probably tired of the big muscle bound hunks they usually put on here, the nearly identical men that they seem to cast every single season who have all the looks but zero of the confidence or personality.

It's an example of how our choices are an illusion, how our influence can be easily overwritten by those in charge. Votes that don't matter when they change the rules on the fly, ripping out the actual choice of the people in favor of letting them decide what stays and what goes.

It's a testament that even in the face of a viral pandemic that's quickly turning into part two, as the lives of millions are being further destroyed across the world, there will always be some asshole who has more than you and looks better than you, vacationing on a tropical island stolen from its people, ignorant of everything else that's happening around them.

Love Island hates everyone. It hates it's contestants. It hates the viewers. It hates change. It hates me.

But I do still kind of love it.

[ccurry00]

Princess Principal Fanfic #5: More

Another Angelotte fic!! To clarify, my previous fics Green, Date and this one all take place before and lead to Clueless, where I wrote the relationship between Ange and Princess to be more developed.(didnt do it purposely, just randomly thought of Beato’s perspective and wrote Clueless back then :p)

Anyways, this fic is kinda steamy(to me at least) but not really nsfw? It's probably in one of the lowest setting of the mature rating.

Enjoy!

P.S I got my ao3 account up!! If ur interested, I have edited and polished my first two fics as much as possible and have posted them up there. I’ll continue to post my future fics up on tumblr first, and will post them on ao3 at a later time. I’m kinda sentimental that way :D  

It hadn't been easy for them.

It was fun at first. Sneaking kisses when no one was looking, interlocking fingers underneath tables while eating lunch or casually leaning against each other on the couch in the clubroom, chattering away with the others when no difficult task befell them that day. It was sweet, and they thought it was enough.

They were wrong. 

What was supposed to be just a chaste peck outside the academy's public washroom turned into lips battling for dominance over the other while pressed against the wall, which had to be reluctantly dropped for fear of someone catching them. Held hands turned into fingertips dancing across thighs teasingly, turning concerned heads when their faces turned red and lips were pursed. The simple touch of shoulders was almost enough to send them frenzy with a strong need to pounce on each other right there and then. Many times Princess was the culprit, but Ange was by no means innocent herself. The game had gotten harder, and something had to be done.

It wouldn't be so difficult if Beatrice wasn't constantly around Princess at the later hours of the day. She would actively search for her after her classes to escort her. Other times she would swing by her room, bringing assortments of tea flavors to try. At night she would visit to simply chat about her day, or carry small snacks with her to share for a small supper before bed. Princess didn't have the heart to stop her, and doing so would most likely raise suspicions. 

They were waiting for the others in the clubroom one afternoon and Ange, straightforward as she is, had offered to 'speak' to her personally. Princess was quick to intervene.

"As much as I want you, Ange, I will not let you terrorise Beato"

Ange had the decency to smirk.

"Fine, but she's really getting on my nerves. Just the other day, I was about to 'visit' you and I swore she must have read my thoughts, because there she was, actually running past me to reach your room first."

"Oh, she was just excited to show me a tea machine she bought. I can't blame her, it was a fascinating little trinket."

"Hmm"

Princess chuckled, standing up and taking both Ange's hands into her own.

"Of course you're much more interesting, Charlotte" she chided, rubbing her thumbs over Ange's knuckles. "But it’s difficult for me to refuse her, you know that. Besides, she makes a lovely company."

"Hmm"

"But not as lovely as you" she finished, leaning and giving her cheek a kiss.

She let it stay for a moment longer before pulling away, revealing the sight she wanted: An adorable smile.

"....Well we really need to do something about her clinginess to you"

"Hmmm I think I have an idea"

Whatever Princess had up her sleeves Ange didn't get to find out when Dorothy, Beatrice, and Chise came in. They stepped slightly away from each other, but Ange didn't miss the knowing smirk on Dorothy's face.

Princess knocked. She knew Ange wasn't in, but the person she was looking for was. The door opened.

"Princess? "

"Good afternoon, Dorothy, may I come in?"

"Of course of course"

They sat around the table in her room. Dorothy offered tea, in which Princess gladly accepted. She looked around, taking in Ange's properly made bed and her belongings assorted tidily, having not been in her room before.

"I'm assuming this isn't for a social visit, so what can I help you with?"

Princess' expression became one of offense.

"Dorothy, you do know that you are a close friend of mine. What makes you think this isn't a social visit? I didn’t know you think too low of me"

"No no of course not! Ummm, I uh-"

Dorothy's face went pink at having assumed wrong.

Princess continued looking at her, her mouth in a thin smile, causing her to avert her eyes and deepening her embarrassment.

She was about to apologise when quiet laughter was heard. Confusement seeps in before she realises she's being teased.

"Sorry Dorothy, but I just can't help it!"

"......I can't believe I fell for the same thing you did to Ange before" she said, shaking her head.

"Think of it as a small payback for all the....trouble you gave her"

Dorothy grinned.

"I guess that's fair" 

"Ahhhh but if its alright with you, I was hoping you could do me a favor as well..."

Quirking up an eyebrow, she stood up and curtsied.

"Well since you had come all the way from your room, your Highness, I can't possibly refuse."

"Yes, it certainly was a long walk" Princess played along.

"I must sincerely apologise for that. Is there anything you would like to ease your discomfort?”

“What do you have in mind?”

“Perhaps the right...’services’ from the right person would make your HIghness feel better?.”

Princess' face flushed.

"....Alright, I deserved that one."

Now its Dorothy's turn to chuckle.

A few moments of light banter pass back and forth, before Dorothy, finally curious, brought the conversation back to the favor Princess mentioned.

"This may sound odd, but I'm going to need your help to keep Beato busy for at least several nights....."

They had just returned to the clubroom after a long night, having finished a simple but lasting job for Control. Ange having felt particularly weary had excused herself early and was on her way back to her room when Princess suddenly appeared and started dragging her down the hall.

"Princess, is everything alright?"

".............."

"Princess?"

They reached Princess' room, who quickly pushed her in and shut the door before locking it. Ange was getting concerned when without warning, Princess kissed her with such ferocity, pressing her body flush against hers and pinned her against the nearest wall. Rest became the furthest thing on her mind as excitement filled her up, her mouth desperately keeping up to match Princess' pace.  The kiss was forceful and their teeth clicked quite painfully, but Princess was way too turned on to care and judging from the hands exploring her sides and back, Ange didn't seem to either. Reluctantly though, she pulled back. 

" *pant* I hope this *pant*  is alright with you" 

" *pant* I want this, *pant* but Beatrice might-"

"Dorothy will take care of it" 

They look into each other's eyes, and weeks' worth of holding back exploded into action once more, gripping each other almost in unison.

Their lips meet again, more gently this time, but no lessening the passion from before.  Ange's hands moved down Princess' sides again before she found purchase in the curves of her hips, drawing her closer in the same motion. Princess gasped and responded by deepening the kiss, their tongues getting involved in a heated dance. They stayed that way with reckless abandonment to the noises they're making, completely assured that this time no one was coming.

Princess' hand found itself tugging on Ange's harness on her torso as does Ange's which was pulling up on the hem of Princess' shirt. They wordlessly moved towards the bed, helping each other toss off their clothing carelessly to the floor along the way while making sure not to break their lips apart too long.  

In hindsight, they should have been embarrassed at finally seeing each other at their barest, but desire is a powerful emotion, especially so when it had been suppressed, that evoked actions over rational thoughts and it triumphed shame every time. What they lacked in experience was made up in eagerness and the effortless mutual understanding they always have. Princess, ever the initiator, started moving her ministrations from Ange's lips to her neck, working her way down towards her collarbone as her hands caress across Ange's front while she straddles over her. Ange can't help but whimper breathily, Princess' every move filling with her bliss. Wanting to return the touch and not able to hold herself back anymore, she brushes her fingers across Princess' inner thighs. She must have done something right, because Princess sucked in loudly and bit down on her shoulder, not enough to hurt, but enough to cause her hand to involuntarily jerk up, touching her down there. 

It was Princess' turn to whine daintily, her eyes fluttering. Ange responded by moving her fingers, and Princess leaned into the touch, wanting more. She obliged and marveled at the sounds it elicited from her. Locking her lips with Ange's once again to quieten herself, she moved her hand down to return the favor in kind, making Ange grateful for the kiss as she whimpers louder into it. They settled into a comfortable rhythm, losing themselves in each other.

To think that after ten years, they were settling with just kisses, when their lips could do so much more, almost devouring each other's faces and leaving their marks across expansive skins. To think that they were settling on simple hand-holding, when they could be used to create much more pleasurable sensations than that. And to think that they were settling with just casual contact, when they could hold and arch their body against each other impossibly close as they finished just moments apart, their heat merging into one.

Princess nestled into the crook of Ange's neck, curling her arms and resting them on Ange's sides while she slowed her erratic breathing. Her body laid limp on hers, trembling just a little. Ange peppered kisses on the side of Princess' head, a hand in her hair to soothe her and the other across her back as she comes down from her own high.

Princess took a moment to regain her bearings, before bringing her head back up, a tired smile plastered on her face. Ange tilted her head.

"What is it?"

"What do you mean?" Princess acted nonchalantly as she started to play with Ange's tresses.

"You're smiling"

"Oh its nothing....just that you were really cute" 

Immediately understanding, Ange blushed deeply, causing a small fit of giggles from Princess. She leaned in to kiss her briefly before sighing in satisfaction as she rests her forehead on Ange's, rubbing her nose against hers.

They stayed in the intimate gesture, too tired to move and enjoying each other's warmth 

"We really needed this don't we..?"

"....Definitely"

"Dorothy, can't we do this another time? We just finished a mission and I want to go to where Princ-"

"Beato I know you're tired but that's exactly why I am training you now." Dorothy cuts in. " You need to learn how to operate at an acceptable level even when you're tired. You'll get used to it over time and build up more endurance."

Beatrice pouted.

Dorothy sighed. Beatrice had been rather insistent in leaving, and she can't let that happen, at least not tonight. Having not much choice, she started again.

"I'm sorry Beato, but you did almost fell asleep in while we were waiting for further orders just a few hours ago. That's really not something a spy should do on duty."

Queue the surprised and guilty look.

"I-i'm sorry about that...I thought nobody saw..."

"It's alright, but I just want to help you get better"

Beatrice half-smiled at her, still slightly ashamed.

"Aaaa then thank you, Dorothy. I'll train properly this time!"

Princess better gives me the best damn bottle of wine for this, Dorothy thought guiltily.

"It's nice to have your own bathroom isn't it?" Princess said as she stepped into the filled bathtub and leaned back on Ange.

"It certainly is handy at times like this" Ange muttered contentedly as she circled her arms around Princess, hugging her close as she sat on the edge of the bathtub.

It’s their first ever uninterrupted night, and they planned to take full advantage of it. Princess had told Ange earlier what she did to keep Beatrice busy. While she thought it a good idea, albeit with a bit of grumbling about having to rely on Dorothy again, Ange figured that it was only a temporary solution.

"Beatrice will get better eventually and Dorothy will run out of excuses to keep her at night" she had pointed out.

Which was all the more reason they wanted to indulge themselves as much possible, doing any activities otherwise impossible anywhere else. Princess' eyes were closed, snuggling against Ange with her head resting just between her head and shoulder when she suddenly grinned, catching Ange's attention.

"What is it now?"  

"You know Ange, we may have similar faces and physique, but I realise you're more.....well-endowed than I am. I have to say I'm quite jealous."

Without even looking, she knew that Ange's blushing. But what she didn't expect was a splash of water to her face, causing her to sputter out some that entered her mouth.

"....Did you just-"

Again, another splash to her face, this time bigger in volume and harder.

Princess wiped the water out of her eyes before promptly turning around to stare at Ange.

"Whats the matter, your Highness, can't handle a little bit of water?" Ange grinned, before dousing her in another torrent.

Princess squeaked.

Oh, it was on.

It's safe to say that the water in the bathtub receded very quickly, as it was used as a means to make the other submit and their movements were causing the water to spill over the edges. Ange nearly howled when Princess had grabbed a small pail out of god-knows-where and used it to douse her after filling it to the brim. Her hair was completely soaked that it was covering half her face. She must have looked ridiculous because Princess started howling herself but with amused laughter.

She stopped however when Ange went silent as she pushes her hair backward, giving it a shake. She went on her arms and started crawling slowly towards Princess, who had sat herself back on the other edge of the bathtub amidst their playfight. 

"Charlotte?"

She watched half-panicked as Ange inched closer, her intense gaze never leaving hers. The wonderful view she's seeing reminded her of what transpired just barely an hour ago, causing the hints of arousal rising up below her gut. Ange placed an arm at the side of her head, making any escape impossible from whatever she had in mind for her. She leaned in ever closer, her warm breath felt on Princess' lips. Closing her eyes in anticipation, she opened them slightly apart and tilted her head to accommodate what she assumed was coming. 

And promptly squealed loudly when Ange's free hand starts dancing across her side. Tried as she might, she couldn't hold back.

"HAHHAHAHAH, Charlotte stop! HAHHAHHAAH OH GOD"

"This is payback, your Highness"

"HAHAHAHA that isn't fair! HAHAHA"

"If I remember correctly, this spot here was particularly sensitive" And Ange started digging into her stomach, right above her navel.

Princess' laughter doubled as she tried her best to push Ange's hands away, but she was too fast and her arms were shaking too much. Giving up, she did what she does best and return the favor to Ange's exposed sides with greater fervor. It didn't take long for Ange to go hysterical herself.

It's as if time had reversed, the uncertainty of the future left behind and forgotten as they were brought to the past when they were children once more, just two people who absolutely couldn't get enough of each other and with nothing in the world to worry about.

Eventually, their raucousness died down as they both became too weak to continue. Facing each other once more, they catch their breaths as their foreheads rested against each others. The radiance emitted from them colored the usually dull bathroom, and they both silently wished that the night would never end. 

Princess whispered, not wanting to disrupt the tender atmosphere.

"Charlotte..."

Ange opened her eyes.

"This probably doesn't need mentioning, but I just want to say I..."

She didn't get to finish as Ange interrupted her with a soft kiss, and Princess could feel the huge abundance of raw emotion behind it. Ange pulled away, before smiling sweetly and finishing her sentence for her.

".....I love you too"

" Now, Beato let's try this-"

Dorothy stopped and face towards where she heard light snoring from. Turned out Beatrice had fallen asleep, but this time around Dorothy just chuckled. 

She lifted her carefully into her arms before heading towards Beatrice's room. Beatrice must have been comfortable because she started muttering and nuzzling closer, resting her head right on her bosom. Reaching her destination, she gently lay her down her bed and tucked her in.

"Sorry about this Beato, but those two really needed their time together." she murmured. Her memory flashed back to a particular scene outside a restroom where she had to stall her classmates while simultaneously making enough noise to warn them.

Shaking her head to dissipate it, she gave Beatrice's hand a small squeeze before leaving. As she strolled down her hallway, feeling exhausted, she thought she heard distant sounds of laughter coming from a familiar room.

Well, I supposed it was worth it, she smiled to herself. 

P.S.S The tea machine is a reference to the ep 8 in a scene where Beato was with a spider-like machine. Found out that it was a tea sort of thing.

[theoriginalladya]

5, 8, 20, 37 for the writer asks?

from this list

5. Share one of your strengths.

Plotting.  Give me a niblet of an idea and I can plot the hell out of it into a full blown story, possibly a series! lol  I love plotting, actually.  I just wish writing was as easy in the end! :)

8. Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

Oh wow.  Let me see here ...  Not exactly short, but this comes from Destiny’s Hand, the ME2 story for ShepShep, chapter called “Look Good for Dead” where Jane goes to see Wrex.

(also going under cut because this got loooooong! lol

“You humans,” he muttered as he walked back over to retake his seat.  “Always trying to hide what can be so clearly seen.”

Jane remained where she was for a minute or two before following suit.  She didn’t bother to ask him what he meant – that was clear enough.  Instead, she opted to pick at one of his earlier comments.  “So, you think I’m with Cerberus too?”

The krogan leader shrugged.  “You have their ship; you have their people – does it really matter beyond that?”

The ‘chair,’ such as it was, allowed Jane to sit in a manner where she could draw one knee up to her chest so she could rest her arms against it as she eyed him.  “You don’t care, then?”

“I have concerns,” he admitted, “but I know you.”  His deep, reverberating chuckle started again.  “No other human ever stood up to me like you did on Virmire.”

Jane blinked, startled by that remark.  “Really?”

The krogan’s head bobbed once before his eyes narrowed and he gave her a menacing look.  This lasted only a moment or two, however, until he sat back and laughed again.  “See?  You aren’t intimidated.”

Jane opened her mouth to reply, but then closed it just as quickly when she realized she didn’t have a response.  He couldn’t be serious, could he?  “Wrex …?”

He watched her closely as she struggled.  “You don’t see it, do you?” he asked.

“See what?”

Head still shaking, he said, “You wound me, Shepard.  Then again, I don’t know that I’ve ever seen you intimidated by anyone.”

Jane blinked again.  “I’m … not sure that I ever have been,” she replied.  Frowning, she stared over at him for a moment.  “Though, I seem to recall you giving a good effort the day we met on the Citadel.”

This time the krogan leader’s laughter was open and loud, a barking echo throughout the room.  “You see what I mean?”  He sighed and sat back.  “That’s how I know you are you.  You don’t back down from anyone.  And, if rumors are to be believed, you headbutt like a true krogan.”

Jane gasped, her eyes widening.  “You heard about that?”

“Shaman told me himself.”  He gave her a toothy grin.  “You’re the first human to impress him that much.”

Why am I so proud of it?  I fucking LOVE WREX and writing him is such a challenge at times, but this chapter ended up coming so easily to me, I couldn’t believe it.  I could ‘snippet’ the whole damned chapter for you I’m that proud of it, and that’s saying something because I’m so proud of that whole series, let alone the story itself.  

I remember going into that chapter feeling intimidated at the thought of writing his voice.  I stared at a blank page for almost TWO WEEKS before I finally started writing it.  And once I started, once those first words were down .. the rest just flowed.  And the dialogue - omg, dialogue isn’t always easy for me.  Sometimes it is, but most of the time it’s like pulling teeth.  Still, occasionally I hit a Zen zone, and that chapter was one of them.  The relationship between Jane and Wrex in it is just ... it’s beautiful.  

Here’s another snippet from that chapter - none of them can be short because one thing just flows into another into another, and I just ... AAAHHHHH!!!

Lifting her head, she turned to find him watching her intently.  “Just say the word, Shepard,” he rumbled, “and I’ll send a squad of Urdnot warriors to shake some sense back into him.”

Jane sat still as a mouse; her eyes wide.  “Wrex …?”  His name escaped as a bare whisper.

He folded his arms across his broad expanse of a chest and nodded once firmly.  “Don’t think I won’t do it, either.”

A hesitant smile twitched at the left corner of her lips even as a few tears leaked from her eyes.  Sniffling softly, she murmured his name again, this time in appreciation.

His expression shifted to a scowl.  “I’m trying to help you here, Shepard!”

Laughter managed to work its way into the mix as Jane swiped her hands across her face.  “I know you are, you bellowing bulk, and I can’t thank you enough for it!” she shouted right back at him.  Lowering her hands, she returned the scowl as best she could, nodding at him once.  “I … appreciate it, I really do, but I don’t think it’s necessary.”

Wrex moved his hands to her shoulders.  “You don’t want him back?”

Jane shrugged.  “I do, but I want him back because he wants to be back,” she explained.  “Forcing him back doesn’t help either of us.”  She sighed, her smile curving just a tick more up on the left side.  “But I appreciate that you want to help me.  I really do.”

“Bah!”  His scowl deepened and he yanked his arms away, turning to stalk across the room.  When he returned a couple of minutes later, he had two more cups of Ryncol in his hand.  “You have done more to help me and the krogan than anyone else ever has,” he insisted.  “And rumor has it, the Reapers are going to try again.”

Jane stiffened, her eyes focused on the pouring liquid even as dread filled the pit of her stomach.  “You – you heard about that, too?”

“Common sense,” he said as he handed one cup to her.  “We might have defeated Sovereign, but he was only one.  A scout.  Scouts are sent ahead of the main forces to report back what they find.  Since Sovereign won’t be reporting back, logic says those who sent him have to follow.”  Glittering eyes, as if anticipating the fight, focused on her.  “If we’re going to have to face more of those bastards and find a way to win, we need you leading the way.”

Jane’s breath caught in her lungs as the full impact of his words hit her.  He believes me!  “Wrex …”

The war leader sighed again, shaking his head.  “And if you’re going to do that, you need to have your head on right,” he bellowed, cutting her off again.  “That means you and your husband back together so you can focus on more important things …”

Jane’s lips twitched.  “Like saving the krogan?” she asked.

“Impudent pup!”  His scowl faded in the next second and he chuckled.  Lifting his cup, he amended, “Maybe helping the krogan save the galaxy.  Again.”

Jane’s lips formed a full-fledged grin now.  “I see.”  Her eyes dropped to the cup in her hand.  “So … what are we drinking to this time?”

“You really don’t want me to send a squad or two after him?”

A bittersweet ache worked its way through Jane.  “No,” she managed after a long moment, “I really don’t.  But … thank you.”  She lifted her head to find him nodding once at her.  “Really, Wrex.  No one has ever offered –.”

He swiped his free hand between them.  “And it’s doubtful you’ll ever get that kind of an offer again,” he groused.  “Especially, if you don’t quit the mushy stuff!”

Her head slanted slightly to the left, Jane asked, “Would it get you off Tuchanka and back into the fight?”

“Hah!”

Jane lifted her cup, eyeing it closely.  There appeared to be about the same amount of liquid in it as before.  Pulling together her last threads of bravery, she raised it in his direction.  “To … Clan Urdnot,” she said, smiling, “and their leader.”

Wrex lifted his, knocking it against hers.  “To Commander Shepard,” he corrected, “who at heart is Clan Urdnot.”

See what I mean???

20. Describe your perfect writing conditions.

Home alone, no cats or kids, music playing, a pot of hot tea that STAYS hot as long as I need it and all the time in the world to just sit and write ....

Or, alternatively, a notebook and pen and wherever I get an idea.  I’m not picky. :P  Seriously, I can write almost anywhere.  I’ve learned to tune things out or listen to music on my phone if I have to drown it out.  I’ve had more luck sitting in McAlister’s on lunch and writing most of a chapter than at home sometimes.  (not of late, though, sadly)

37. Talk about your current wips.

I KNOW WHY YOU ASKED THIS ONE!  HAHAHAHA

Okay, so ... I have a LOT of WIPs at the moment, and I just had a couple more Shepards end up on my doorstep, putting me at a solid #100 on my spreadsheet.  Beyond that, I have a number of Dragon Age WIPs, plus some original fics going.  One of these days, I’ll finish something! lol  Too many ideas, not enough time!!!

So ... a specific WIP ... Hmm ... Well, let me just say that the Biotic Pinball Wizard group - collection of WIPs over there, I swear! lol - is one of the most interesting ones I’ve come up with.  Writing the Reaper War from a perspective of being on Earth?!  What was I thinking????  (oh, that’s right, Anderson’s little visits in game inspired me :P )  I’m really enjoying the challenge.  Funny enough, this one isn’t as plotted through as most of my fics are.  There just wasn’t enough time, plus it’s so complex, I’ve relied a lot on my inspiration throughout Nano this year to help expand it - and it’s coming along quite nicely, to be honest.  I have a number of chapters partly/mostly written.  I have been able to flesh out some plot points that desperately needed it, plus develop the antagonist side of things (beyond just the Reapers).  Characters are falling into place.  Honestly, while more challenging than I originally intended for this year’s Nano to be, it’s been well worth it and I look forward to continuing with the story even beyond Monday’s finishing point!  Having Shepard, Kaidan, James and Kandra together as my core group of personalities has worked really well, too.

[magzoso-tech]

New Post has been published on https://magzoso.com/tech/honor-9x-review/

Honor 9X Review

Honor rang in 2020 by launching the Honor 9X in India, alongside the Honor Magic Watch 2 smartwatch and the Honor Band 5i. The Honor 9X succeeds the Honor 8X, and brings some notable upgrades such as a faster SoC, a full-screen display, better cameras, and a larger battery, to name a few. Starting at Rs. 13,999, the Honor 9X offers a compelling package in terms of hardware and design. However, it goes up against some well-received rivals from Xiaomi, Realme, Nokia, and Vivo. Does the Honor 9X have what it takes to stand out and disrupt the segment? Read our in-depth assessment of the phone’s merits and demerits to find out.

Honor 9X design and build quality 

Design is one of the key selling points of the Honor 9X. The 3D geometric pattern on the Sapphire Blue review unit that we have looks like an X when light falls on it. Each adjacent line appears to be a different shade of blue, creating a depth effect, and it does look unique compared to the gradient patterns on a wide range of phones out there. On closer inspection, one can see small diamond-shaped blocks across the whole rear panel that shimmer under the light. While the aesthetics are undoubtedly flashy, this does give the Honor 9X an identity of its own. The company also offers the Honor 9X in a more sober Midnight Black finish as well.

Honor 9X’s rear panel is made of plastic with a glossy finish, and it gets smudged quickly

The rear panel is made out of plastic and has a glossy finish. Needless to say, the entire back can get smudged easily, and our unit had fingerprint marks all over it in no time. The sides are curved and meet smoothly with the rim, which also has a glossy finish in a matching colour. Thankfully, the phone is not too slippery. The three camera lenses are housed in a vertical strip, and the entire module protrudes ever so slightly. 

The fingerprint sensor is positioned comfortably within reach, and was pleasantly quick at unlocking the phone. The USB Type-C port, speaker, and 3.5mm jack are at the bottom, while the SIM tray is at the top. The volume buttons have a clicky feel, but the power button is a bit too small in proportion and feels a little mushy. 

Over on the front is the 6.59-inch full-HD display that has a notch-free design. In this price bracket, the Honor 9X is among the only few phones that offer a full-screen experience, and we are definitely not complaining. Honor told Gadgets 360 that the display is protected by a material developed by Huawei and used in its phones, but did not reveal the name. The phone comes with a pre-applied screen protector, but it got scratched and picked up smudges all over really quickly. Also, we found it a bit difficult to reach all parts of the screen with one hand. 

Honor 9X specifications and software

The Honor 9X suffers from an identity crisis of sorts, which can be attributed to the Huawei-Honor relationship and some confusing marketing decisions. As we pointed out in our first impressions of the phone, the Honor 9X is almost identical to the Huawei Y9 Prime (2019) which was launched in India in August last year, the only difference being rear camera resolutions, and even shares the same model number.

Honor 9X comes equipped with a 16-megapixel pop-up selfie camera

It also shares hardware similarities with the Huawei P Smart Z sold in China, and even has the exact same dimensions. To complicate things even more, the Honor 9X sold in India is the phone’s global variant, and has completely different specifications compared to the device of the same name sold in China.

Talking about specifications, the Honor 9X packs a 6.59-inch full-HD (1080 x 2340 pixels) display with a notchless full-screen design. This is an IPS LCD panel certified by TÜV Rheinland for reducing blue light exposure. The phone is powered by Huawei’s in-house Kirin 710F processor, and has up to 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage which is expandable by up to 512GB using a microSD card. The base 4GB 128GB variant is priced at Rs. 13,999 in India, while the 6GB 128GB configuration will set buyers back by Rs. 16,999.

The rear camera setup includes a 48-megapixel main shooter with an f/1.8 aperture. There is also an 8-megapixel wide-angle camera with a 120-degree field of view and a 2-megapixel depth sensor for portrait shots. On the front is a 16-megapixel camera housed in a pop-up module. The juice is provided by a 4,000mAh battery, and there’s 10W charging support. 

On the software side, the Honor 9X runs EMUI 9.1 based on Android Pie. Honor has told Gadgets 360 that an Android 10 update should be released soon, “maybe by next month”. It is interesting to note that this phone doesn’t report the software name as Magic UI, which is the rebranded version of EMUI that Honor models usually run. The UI is similar to what we came across in our Honor 20 review. To start with, there is no app drawer. Swiping left opens the Google feed, while swiping right shows more pages of app icons. 

Honor 9X has a triple rear camera setup with a 48-megapixel primary camera

Some of the preinstalled apps such as Ride Mode, Downloads, and Optimiser for file management are useful. However, there is way too much bloatware. First-party apps such as App Gallery, Honor Club, Honor Store, and iTips are barely useful. As for the third-party apps, the likes of Opera News, Booking.com, Wego Flights & Hotels, and Helo aren’t going to appeal to everyone.  Thankfully, the third-party apps can be uninstalled, but the in-house ones can’t. The navigation gestures worked flawlessly for us, and there’s an App Twin feature for creating two instances of an app.

Honor 9X performance 

Performance is an area in which the Honor 9X proved to be a mixed bag. App-switching was smooth even with 10-15 applications running in the background. Apps loaded quickly as well, but some jitter was were noticeable when games were running in the background. The UI was generally lag-free, but the RAM management proved to be a bit too aggressive on a few occasions.

The Kirin 710F feels underpowered in terms of graphics. PUBG Mobile defaulted to the Medium graphics preset, but the visuals looked choppy, and frame drops and stutters were easily noticeable. Call of Duty: Mobile was set to the low graphics settings by default, and even though the experience was better than PUBG Mobile, we have seen better performance from other phones in this price range. We wish Huawei had gone with a more powerful SoC.

This lack of firepower reflects in synthetic benchmarks as well. The Honor 9X scored 320 and 1,310 in Geekbench 5’s single-core and multi-core tests. This performance is comparable to that of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 and MediaTek Helio P70. However, in the graphics-intensive 3DMark Sling Shot and Sling Shot Extreme tests, the Honor 9X could only muster up scores of 1,111 and 864 respectively, which are significantly lower than those of the two aforementioned chips. Here’s a chart to depict the Kirin 710F’s benchmark performance: 

Honor 9X’s Kirin 710F SoC lags behind when it comes to graphics power

As for display quality, Honor 9X’s LCD display is among the better ones on phones we have seen in this price bracket. The full-HD resolution means that this panel is sufficiently sharp. Colour reproduction is on point, and viewing angles are acceptable as well. The notchless design is great for watching videos and playing games. 

The only shortcoming is sub-par brightness, which hampers outdoor visibility and makes colours look muted under direct sunlight. The display section in the Settings app lets users adjust the colour profile and temperature, but we found that the ‘Vivid’ mode imparts a bluish tinge to whites, and makes colours appear washed-out. 

The Honor 9X comes equipped with a sufficiently long-lasting 4,000mAh battery. With our regular usage, which involved intermittent social media usage and messaging all day, a couple of hours of music streaming, and around an hour of gaming, the Honor 9x lasted a day and a half on average. When paired with a smartwatch with Bluetooth and location tracking enabled throughout the day, the phone’s battery life went down but it still had around 20-25 percent left at the end of the day. 

Your mileage will vary depending upon usage patterns, but even with heavy usage, the Honor 9X will easily sail past a day on each charge. In our HD video battery loop test, the Honor 9x lasted a slightly underwhelming 12 hours and 37 minutes before the battery discharged completely. The phone comes with a 10W charger, which takes over two hours to fully charge the phone. We have seen phones from Xiaomi and Realme offer faster charging in the same price bracket.

Honor 9X cameras 

On paper, the Honor 9X offers fairly impressive cameras for its price, but the actual output is a mixed bag. The main 48-megapixel camera takes 12-megapixel pixel-binned photos by default. These shots looked okay, with decent contrast and dynamic range, but average details at best The camera app’s AI mode tends to boost contrast and saturation, so we had to manually turn it off to capture accurate colours.

In the case of actual 48-megapixel photos, details were better, but at the cost of noise. What we didn’t like was the oversharpening done to the photos, making them appear noticeably soft. We also often got blander colours in photos captured at the full 48-megapixel resolution under direct sunlight. Autofocus was reliable in daylight, but in low-light scenarios, we had to deal with some focusing errors. 

Indoor sample taken with the Honor 9X (tap for full-sized image)

Close-up HDR sample taken with the Honor 9X (tap for full-sized image)

Daylight sample taken with the Honor 9X (tap for full-sized image)

Selfie sample taken with the Honor 9X (tap for full-sized image)

We have seen noticeably better colour reproduction, sharpness, and dynamic range captured by the 48-megapixel cameras on the Redmi Note 8 and the Realme 5 Pro. Honor has not specified the make of the sensor it has used.

The 8-megapixel wide-angle camera comes in handy for bringing more objects into a frame. The images captured are again just average, but there was a noticeable difference between the colour tone of photos captured by the main camera and wide-angle shots of the same scene, particularly when it came to handling greenery and bright colours. Distortion was also an issue. Honor says that the Honor 9X uses distortion correction algorithms, but warping was evident in wide-angle photos. They also turned out less sharp. 

The 2-megapixel depth sensor does a decent job at delivering a depth-of-field effect in photos. There is a dedicated aperture mode in the camera app that lets users adjust the intensity of the blur effect. It does a good job of highlighting an object or person in the foreground, but edge detection is not always accurate. Other camera modes include slo-mo, light painting, moving picture, and stickers.

The biggest surprise to us was the dedicated night mode. Photos captured using the night mode exhibited better details and colours were brought out more, but they look grainy on zooming in, and are soft around the corners. Depending upon the ambient light, the night mode takes up to four seconds to capture multiple exposures at various levels, and delivers a final composited image that is significantly better than what you could capture in the standard photo mode. 

The standard photo mode can also detect low-light scenarios and raise the ISO level, but this blows away the real colours. In fact, the Honor 9X’s night mode is one of the better implementations of this feature in the sub-Rs. 15,000 price bracket. 

Low-light sample taken using the standard photo mode (tap for full-sized image)

Low-light sample taken using the night mode (tap for full-sized image)

Low-light sample taken using the standard photo mode (tap for full-sized image)

Low-light sample taken using the dedicated night mode (tap for full-sized image)

The 16-megapixel pop-up selfie camera is again just average. We noted that the camera module pops up slower than what we have seen on the likes of the Realme X and the Redmi K20, although these models are more expensive. As for image quality, selfies have a healthy amount of detail, but even with beautification and AI deactivated, the Honor 9X does smoothen skin textures. In the case of portrait selfies, the camera sometimes erratically blurred parts of our ears. Portrait shots, despite looking vibrant, lacked depth and often had background elements blown out, especially those shot in sunlight. 

The main camera can capture video at up to 1080p at 60fps, while the wide-angle one is limited to 30fps. Thankfully, the primary camera does not struggle with focus hunting and the AIS (“AI image stabilisation”) does a decent job at negating movements. However, dynamic range could have been better and colours appear slightly warmer than those of the real objects. Yet again, videos shot by the main camera and the wide-angle one showed a discernible difference in colour profiles. 

Verdict

The Honor 9X’s notchless full-HD display is a welcome feature at its asking price, and the phone’s design also stands out. However, it is a bit on the larger side which could make handling a little awkward for some people. The performance of the Honor 9X is good for day-to-day tasks, but a better processor with more graphics prowess would have improved the gaming experience. 

Despite packing three rear cameras, the Honor 9X does not offer anything noteworthy in terms of photo quality or features. Photos turned out just about average in terms of quality, except for those taken in low light. This is where this phone rises above similarly priced competitors. Battery life is good, and users can easily get over a day of regular usage. 

The Honor 9X is a good enough phone and will appeal to those who value style, but it lacks what it takes to decisively edge out its rivals, and even some models priced a bit lower. The likes of the Redmi Note 8 (Review), Realme 5 Pro (Review), Vivo U20 (Review), and Nokia 7.2 (Review) are better all-rounders and offer more value for money. 

[dd20century]

California Mid-century Architect John Lautner Part Two

Read “California Mid-century Architect John Lautner: Part One”

John Lautner’s Career During World War II

During World War II, the architect John Lautner joined the Struction Company, working on military engineering and construction projects. This would prove invaluable experience for the architect. During his tenure at Struction he was exposed to the latest “developments in construction technology” (2). In 1944 Lautner worked as a design associate for Douglas Honnold’s architectural firm. “He collaborated with Honnold on several projects, including [two] Coffee Dan's restaurants on Vine St., Hollywood, and on Broadway downtown Los Angeles and a remodel of the Beverly Hills Athletic Club” (2). According to Lautner, he designed about 150 projects under Honnold, with about 15 of them actually being built (4). That same year Lautner’s Bell House was featured in “the article "Three Western Homes" in the March edition of House & Garden” (2). The home was photographed by Julius Schuman marking the beginning of a career-long working relationship between the two (2).

Lautner’s Post-war Commercial Work

Launter left Honnold’s firm in 1947 as a result of Lautner’s affair with Honnold’s wife, Elizabeth Gilman. Lautner’s first wife, MaryBud took the children and moved back to Michigan. Lautner and Gilman married in 1948; Lautner moved into the Honnold residence with Gilman and established his architecture firm there. Despite all that had transpired, Douglas Honnold and Lautner remained good friends (2).

Publicity for Lautner’s work like the House and Garden spread gained the architect several significant commercial commissions: Henry’s Drive-in (1947), Googie’s (1949), Coffee Dan’s (chain 1946 -1949), the UPA Studio (1949) and the Desert Hot Springs Motel (1948) (4,6).

John Lautner, Coffee Dan’s Restaurant (1946), Los Angeles (demolished). Image source.

These works helped define the term “Googie Architecture.” Although “Googie Architecture” had its roots in the streamlined Art Deco structures of Southern California, the style took off as the car culture exploded in the years after World War II. Lautner’s aforementioned Googie’s. Coffee Dan’s, and Henry’s Drive-in were iconic examples. This style of architecture made use of strong geometric shapes and bright colors that would attract the motorists’ attention as they sped down the highway. Other features included “large pylons with elevated signs, bold neon letters and circular pavilions” (1). Along with Lautner, the architects Donald Honnold (Lautner’s former employer), Louis Armet and Eldon Davis became well-known practitioners of the style (1). In the decades after the 1950s “Googie Architecture” was derided for being “it too flashy and vernacular” (1).  In more recent years, however, with the publication of Alan Hess’s Googie: Ultra Modern Road Side Architecture the public has gained a greater appreciation for the style (1).

Lautner’s Outstanding California Mid-century Modern Residences 

“The Southern California climate and light allowed John Lautner to use large planes of glass, exposed wood, and other elements that brought nature into his designs,”(5) along with his superb engineering skills, he designed some of the most unique and memorable California mid-century modern residences. It was during the 1950s and 1960s when Lautner would design his most iconic residences: the Leonard J. Malin House (1960), also known as “The Chemosphere”, the Reiner Residence (“Silvertop”) (1956), the Russ Garcia House (1958-62), and the Paul Sheats House (1963).

The Chemosphere was built in 1960 on a steep slope in the Los Angeles hills. The unique structure consists of an eight-sided structure encircled in wide horizontal picture windows, supported by “a 50-foot concrete pillar that rests on a massive concrete pad 20 feet in diameter and 3 feet thick, buried into the rocky hillside” (2). The building has been used as the location for several movies and television shows. In 2000 “German publisher Benedikt Taschen purchased” (2) and restored the Chemosphere.

John Lautner,  Leonard J. Malin House “The Chemosphere” (1960), Los Angeles. Image source.

In the 1956 Reiner Residence, also sited on a sloping piece of land in Los Angeles features a cantilevered concrete driveway and a “curving living-room window wall … made of five hanging glass panels” (7). Lautner employs the curve as a recurring device used throughout the structure: the walls, the driveway, and the swimming pool – all are curved. There is no straight wall in the home. Due to financial issues original client, Kenneth Reiner never got to an opportunity to live in the house which remained unoccupied until 1976 when the house was bought by Philip and Jacklyn Burchill (7).

The Russ Garcia house “built from 1958 to 1962” (7) is comprised of two structures united under one arched roof. Lautner’s use of the curve is also prominent in this structure (7). A distinctive feature of the Garcia House is “the colored panes of glass in the living room” (2) which earned the house the nickname “the Rainbow House.” The Garcia House was used as a location in the film Lethal Weapon 2 (1982) (2).

John Lautner, Russ Garcia House (1962), Los Angeles, CA. Photo credit: Julius Shulman, 1975. Julius Shulman photography archive. The Getty Research Institute, 2004.R.10  Image source.

In 1963 Lautner designed the Paul Sheats House for a college professor and his artist wife. The Sheats House is often compared with Frank Lloyd Wright’s Ennis House (1924) for its use of structural concrete, its stunning views of Los Angeles and the complex engineering techniques used throughout the building (8). Unlike the Reiner and Garcia Houses, the triangle replaces the curves as the prominent design motif. The living room features a dramatic triangle latticed ceiling. This house has earned the nickname “The Big Lebowski House” after it was used for a scene in the 1993 film. Its most recent owner businessman James Goldstein “donated the house and its contents to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 2016” (8).

John Lautner, Paul Sheats House, living room interior (1963), Los Angeles, CA. Photo credit: Tom Ferguson. Image source.

Other notable Lautner designed residences located in Palm Springs, California include the Elrod Residence (1968) and the Hope Residence (1973) (6).

John Lautner’s Later Work

In the late 1960s Lautner designed a project for low-cost housing in Jerusalem, but the project was never built (6). In the 1970s Lautner’s major work included the Arango Residence (1973) in Acapulco, Mexico, one of Lautner’s few commissions outside of California and the Crippled Children's Society Rehabilitation Center (1979) in Woodland Hills, CA. Most of Lautner’s projects during the end of his career were remodeling projects (6). Lautner continued to work until his death in 1994 despite failing health and “loss of mobility” (2) that hampered his productivity.

John Lautner, Elrod House (1968), Palm Springs, CA. Image source.

Recognition of John Lautner’s Work

In 1970, John Lautner was made a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects for Excellence in Design.  He received the Gold Medal from the Los Angeles AIA chapter in 1993 for his lifetime achievement (3). Fifty years after Lautner hitchhiked his way to the Olympic Games, he was named as “Olympic Architect for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles” (2). In 2008, Lautner’s work was the subject of a retrospective exhibition at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, and the following year Lautner was the subject of a documentary feature film directed by Murray Grigor, Infinite Space: The Architecture of John Lautner (2). In 2011, to commemorate the anniversary of the architect’s 100th Birthday, the City of Los Angeles designated July 16 as John Lautner Day. 2

References

Wikipedia, (2019). Googie Architecture. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Googie_architecture

Wikipedia, (2019). John Lautner. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lautner

Lautner, Judith, (2008). Biography of John Lautner. John Lautner Foundation. https://www.johnlautner.org/wp/?p=33

John Lautner, (1986). Responsibility, infinity, nature oral history transcript.  Marlene L. Laskey, interviewer; University of California, Los Angeles. Oral History Program. https://archive.org/stream/responsibilityin00laut#page/n77/mode/2up

Los Angeles Conservancy (n.d.). John Lautner. https://www.laconservancy.org/architects/john-lautner

John Lautner Foundation, (2008). Project List Report. http://www.johnlautner.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/ProjectList.pdf

Louie, E., (14 June 1990). For 50 Years, Architect Lets Nature Call the Tune. New York Times Online Archive https://www.nytimes.com/1990/06/14/garden/for-50-years-architect-lets-nature-call-the-tune.html

Riefe, J. (19 February 2016). Inside the Big Lebowski house – a masterpiece donated to Lacma. The Guardian Online. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/feb/19/big-lebowski-house-architect-john-lautner

[scrawnydutchman]

Are Let’s Players Really That Bad?

Ever since it’s debut in 2006, Youtube has become a well known hub for an entirely new wave of entertainment that is so popular it’s been said to be on the verge of replacing television. With a platform built in such a way that anybody with any amount of entertainer experience can create and widespread their content to be accessed by millions of people, the platform has thus seen the rise of many different types of creators including sketch artists, animators, game and film reviewers, beauty vloggers, daily life vloggers, and of course the exponentially popular Let’s Player. Some of the top entertainers on the site are people who record gameplay footage and commentate over it, and capture their reactions and outbursts of laughter on camera synced with whatever it is they are playing (most likely FNAF and they’re shitting themselves). Such creators include the exceptionally popular Markiplier, Jackscepticeye, and of course the unrivaled king of Youtube Felix Kjellberg, more commonly known as Pewdiepie, who’s subscriber count is higher then the population of Canada. 

As popular as they are it’s no secret that they have faced a lot of flack in their careers and continue to find it to this day. It’s rather old news, but Jimmy Kimmel once took a particularly nasty jab at the whole craze and went out of his way to mock the fans of these creators.

*I’m sorry not all of us have interns who write our best jokes and have celebrity guest stars who are entertaining so we don’t have to be, Mr. Kimmel.* 

Dat dislike bar though. However, Jimmy’s shots are not uncommon against anti-let’s players (for lack of a better label). The common argument is that Let’s Playing is an overly easy job because anyone can sit down and scream at a videogame. Furthermore, why wouldn’t you just play the videogame for yourself instead of watch somebody else do it? I have a subset of reasons why Let’s Players are actually more beneficial to the community and nobody ever gives them credit for this fact, so to get to that faster I’ll just abbreviate my counter argument here:

1. You could argue Let’s Players are really just improv comedians. The only difference is most of the time it’s not a live audience and they’re bouncing ideas off of a game being displayed in front of them and will frequently riff on the game. Comedians have been known to do the same thing for movies, such as Rifftrax and MST3K

Now I’m fully aware not everybody expresses the same extent of improv talent, in fact some let’s players really are just yelling at the screen the whole time and aren’t providing any particularly clever commentary, but truthfully that just makes it like any other medium. Some people are good at doing it, other people really aren’t. Plus there are factors like having to be consistently entertaining and talkative for a minimum time of ten minutes every episode of a playthrough. Point is, it’s not as easy as it looks, and if you truly think anyone can do it, I dare you to try it for yourself and see how many people flock to you.

2. Viewers trust Let’s Players opinions more then game journalists. 

Game Journalist sites like IGN and GT have either become notorious for being untrustworthy with inconsistent rating systems and bizarre logic behind opinion pieces or they’ve just become obsolete and forgotten.  They’ve more often then not come across as out of touch. With Let’s players people have more of a natural inclination to trust their opinions on games and the quality of said games, because of a very important factor: we see them as fellow consumers.We’re not lead to believe they’re being paid to read off of a teleprompter or are given money on the sidelines to promote a game by some sponsoring company, we really trust them to not only express their honest opinions about certain games but also give insightful and provoking commentary on just why a game works or doesn’t work so well. It gets to a point where they can even share UNPOPULAR opinions about games and the audience will eat it right up.

3 (and most importantly). Let’s Players promote art and public services with their popularity.

Somewhere down the line, Youtube’s algorithm changed. The way you would monetize your videos used to be a click based model, meaning the amount of money you got was based on how many people clicked your video, therefore the more views your video has the more you got paid. Seems reasonable enough, right? . . . That is until people started abusing the system. “Reply Girls” became a phenomenon on youtube where well endowed women would tag their videos alongside already popular entities and expose their voluptuous curves to get clicks, only for the video to be nothing but them talking to the camera about essentially nothing. You can click the dislike button, but it didn’t matter; once they had your click they got their money. There are many similar tactics applied to suckering people into clicking your link like putting boobs in the image thumbnail, making your video title in all caps and exaggerating the events of your video to be way more extreme then they actually are. This is where the phrase “clickbait” comes from.

So naturally to combat the abusers of the old system, Youtube needed to change. So in 2012 they switched over to a “minutes watched” model. Now instead of your pay being dependent on how many clicks your videos get, what matters more is how much of a viewers time is spent on youtube watching your content. That includes how many minutes worth of content they absorb from you on a regular basis. As a result, the most promoted channels on the site were channels that could keep up with the constant demands of consumers: a half hours worth of content or more every. single. day. What genre more suited to meet such demands then the Let’s Play genre? And that’s why it took off as much as it did (just to clarify, it’s not them abusing the system like the reply girls situation. Let’s Playing has been around way before this change happened). 

Now, this new system unfortunately also had HUGE consequences for some of the most talented creators on the site; namely, animators. See, independent animators simply can’t meet the demands of 10 minutes or more worth of content every day. Animation is a grueling time consuming process where it can take MONTHS of work just to get out a minute long cartoon. Therefore, independent animators simply can’t support themselves on the platform.

But don’t feel TOO bad for animators. They’ve actually developed a very beneficial relationship with Let’s Players as a result of this change. While they can’t support themselves by creating their own content, they CAN take their favorite bits from Let’s Players videos and make little animated segments based around those segregated audio clips. Now Let’s Players frequently employ animators to make animations out of select little bits of their videos which become IMMENSELY popular, and this trend really does showcase some spectacular talent from indie animators on the site.

In fact, the best example I can think of for this situation is the popular youtuber Jaiden Animations, whose career skyrocketed after frequent collabs with Let’s Player Ihascupquake. She know has over 1.5 million subs!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4YaYk8Yd0E

(I’ve apparently run out of room for video players :P).

But it’s not just Animators that Let’s Players benefit either. The best kind also bring attention to indie game developers and play HUGE roles in the completion of crowdfunded games like promoting the campaigns on their channels and donating huge sums of money to the cause.

These two things are the reason why I LOVE the Super Best Friends in particular. They’ve become NOTORIOUS for their huge contributions to indie games and their aid to the success of these developers. There’s a reason why you can find cameos and references to them in Shovel Knight, Divekick and Skullgirls. 

Other indie games that found huge success due to influence from let’s players include Super Meat Boy, Five Night’s at Freddy’s, Undertale, Starwhal, T.E.C 3001, Yooka Laylee and so much more.

But it’s not just artists that Let’s Players help out. They’ve also been known to raise huge sums of money for charity. Like the time Jontron did a livestream of playing Banjo Kazooie to raise over 25,000 dollars for Teach for America, and as a treat to his fans to celebrate he released a cover of Katy Perry’s Firework accompanied by an animation collab from some of the finest Indie Animators around.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oy_JlG7C-T8

Look, think what you will about the medium. You’re entitled to your opinion; if Let’s Players just aren’t your thing, they aren’t your thing. I just think it’s unfair that they get as much flack as they get. Yes, some of them resort to predictable tactics and yes, some of them aren’t as talented as their popularity lets on . . . but truthfully, that’s no different from any other genre. The good still far outweighs the bad. They give animators work (which I myself greatly appreciate), they get indie games off the ground, they raise money for charity and guess what; being entertaining for 10 straight minutes or longer is harder then it looks. So I hope you’ll have a greater appreciation for these content creators and have taken what I’ve said to heart.

[skeletonwithabowtie]

REALLY  LONG CHARACTER SURVEY. RULES. repost, don’t reblog ! tag 10 ! good  luck ! TAGGED. @themisfitmouse​ TAGGING.  Uh... @pxmpkinprincess, @sallowscripts (any muse), @snake-eyes-11 (any muse), @thesundowncrew (any muse. Please. Don’t do all three), @outlandishboogiegirl (any muse), @supernatural-sister, uh... Clover already tagged a bunch of people I would have picked... And anyone who has a free hour and wants amazing character development!

(Sorry about the length. I’ve put it under a read-more after a point)

BASICS. FULL  NAME : Jack Skellington NICKNAME : Alright, here we go: Jacky Boy, Skellington, Bone Man, Bone Daddy, Taibhse (Tabby), Mister Unlucky, Pumpkin King, Skeleton Jack, ‘Get out of My House’ AGE : I have no idea. He doesn’t either. Over a thousand, at least. He acts like a 6 year old, a 10 year old and a 40 year old depending on the situation. :| BIRTHDAY : Funny you should ask this. We actually don’t know. I’ve been here for over three years and we’ve never decided on a birthday. At this rate we might just have to pick a day. ETHNIC  GROUP : Skeleton/Ghoul/Spirit NATIONALITY :  Hallowe’en Town LANGUAGE / S : English, Irish. Dabbles in a few other languages including French, German and Spanish. SEXUAL  ORIENTATION : Asexual.     ROMANTIC  ORIENTATION : Hetero demi-romantic RELATIONSHIP  STATUS : Married happily to @pumpkinqueensally​  CLASS : Technically, higher-class. HOME  TOWN / AREA : Hallowe’en Town CURRENT  HOME : Skellington Manor, Hallowe’en Town. PROFESSION : Pumpkin King, Master Scarer, Hallowe’en Organiser, Spirit Guardian

PHYSICAL. HAIR : .... Skull. But in the human form, it’s dark brown and mostly short. There are some longer strands that can fall over his eyes. For the most part, these are all combed back neatly. EYES : .... Eyesockets. Sometimes there’s an orange flame at the back of them. In the human form, they are a dark brown. They shine with curiosity. NOSE : .... Nose cavities. But in the human form, it is long with a little curve. FACE : .... Skull. But in the human form, his face is long with defined cheekbones and a rounded jaw. LIPS : Surprisingly, he has lips. They are marked with vertical ‘etches’. In the human form, they are narrow, a shade darker than his normal skin tone. COMPLEXION : .... A skeleton has a complexion? In the human form, he is pale. BLEMISHES : Nothing comes to mind? SCARS : An indent on one of his neck bones from having the rope around his neck in his scarecrow form. He also has a scar on the top of his right femur, which is where the bone healed after a crack. TATTOOS : None~ HEIGHT : 6′10″ WEIGHT : Uh.... According to Google, the average weight of a skeleton is roughly 30 pounds?? BUILD : S-K-E-L-E-T-O-N. Human disguise, on the other hand, is tall and lithe. He looks like an individual who is very active, but not intensely so. FEATURES : His height makes him stick out like a sore thumb in Hallowe’en Town. His mouth (and skull in general) is unusually animated for a skull, and can stretch nearly the width of his skull. ALLERGIES : Pink and cute. Nothing comes to mind off-hand. USUAL  HAIR  STYLE : The human form usually has the hair combed back in three parts. However, if he isn’t paying attention, some longer strands can fall forward onto his face. USUAL  FACE  LOOK : The skull, as mentioned before, is lively and animated. A lack of eyes makes it difficult to determine his mood. However, rest assured that he is observing with interest.  USUAL  CLOTHING : A well-fitted pinstripe suit. It is black with narrow white stripes. Compared to the traditional pinstripe suit, the stripes look slightly haphazard. In place of a tie, a bowtie sits at the bottom of his neck. It is in the shape of a bat, with the wings mirroring the stripes on the suit to create the illusion of veins.

PSYCHOLOGY. FEAR / S : Due to being the Master of Fright, Jack does not have fears. Even so, he is keenly aware of the passage of time. As a practically immortal being, he will have to watch those he cares about grow old and die. He knows it isn’t a comforting thing. ASPIRATION / S : Simply put, he wants to help Hallowe’en become better and better every year! But personally? He wants to do what’s best. He has always believed in redemption, using violence as a last resort. So in a way, he strives to help others see beyond ‘reputations’ and past experiences. POSITIVE  TRAITS : Honest, Loyal, Dedicated, Child-like, Love of learning, Energetic,  NEGATIVE  TRAITS : Impulsive, Obsessive, Stubborn, Prone to being self-centered, Chatterbox MBTI : PROTAGONIST (ENFJ-A) ZODIAC : See the ‘birthday’ question TEMPERAMENT : Jolly SOUL  TYPE / S : Leader/Spiritualist ANIMALS : Prairie Dog! VICE  HABIT / S : He talks with his hands sometimes, using them to make gestures (often dramatically). When by himself, more of these vices emerge. He cracks his bones, and he will drop everything to focus on a new thought FAITH : While Jack’s origins are based in Celtic times, Jack himself has no religious faith. However, he is fully supportive of everyone else’s beliefs (or lack of) and will try to learn more about them if the opportunity arises. GHOSTS ? : His dog is a ghost. Enough said? AFTERLIFE ? : Hallowe’en Town is considered an ‘afterlife’ to some species. REINCARNATION ? : Jack will neither confirm nor deny if he has met someone who has been reincarnated. ALIENS ? : VERY HOPEFUL. POLITICAL  ALIGNMENT : He himself is the Pumpkin King, but this is a title rather than his position. Politics aren’t really a thing, though. ECONOMIC  PREFERENCE : He would be considered ‘wealthy’, but it’s not something that’s isn’t required to survive. SOCIOPOLITICAL  POSITION : As the Pumpkin King, he’s held in high regard. His word is considered law. EDUCATION  LEVEL : He has a high level of education, and has furthered this through acquiring new books and self-learning.

FAMILY. (Personal note. Due to different relations with different characters, I easily confuse myself between the ‘main’ verse and side-steps of this. Consider the family information the basics, but bear in mind these will change depending on who he’s interacting with. @.@ ) FATHER : None, technically. MOTHER : None, technically. SIBLINGS : None, technically.  EXTENDED  FAMILY : His wife, Sally, and Doctor Finklestein (a father-in-law). NAME  MEANING / S : ‘Jack’ was chosen due to his turnip head being linked to the jack-o-lantern. ‘Skellington’ is a pun. HISTORICAL  CONNECTION ? : I... Don’t think this applies to Jack.

FAVOURITES. BOOK : Too many to list! At the moment, he’s fascinated with historical books. MOVIE : He hasn’t seen many movies, if any. 5  SONGS : Very flexible in music genres. But his only proper interaction with music is with the Hallowe’en Town band.  DEITY : He will always have a soft spot for Celtic deities. HOLIDAY : Hallowe’en! Followed closely by Christmas! MONTH : September! (surprise!) SEASON : Autumn! PLACE : Spiral Hill! WEATHER : Crisp autumn mornings. SOUND : Autumn leaves crunching on the ground, the wind blowing through the trees, the chatter of the local ghouls, Sally’s singing, fire crackling. SCENT / S : Wood fires, new books, cinnamon TASTE / S : Hot chocolate, jellybeans. (He’s a skeleton, he doesn’t need to eat, so his experiences in taste are rather limited) FEEL / S : Sally’s arms around his shoulders, snow, the warmth of a fire, the attack hug of someone close to him. ANIMAL / S : Dogs NUMBER : Thirteen COLOUR : Orange

EXTRA. TALENTS : Scaring, pumpkin carving, fire creation and manipulation, acrobatics, dancing, public speaking. BAD  AT : Using technology, Detecting sarcasm, understanding when he should stop and think about what he’s doing, maintaining a proper sleep pattern TURN  ONS : TURN  OFFS : HOBBIES : Reading, Exploring, pumpkin carving, violin playing TROPES : Here. :P AESTHETIC  TAGS : ........  I don’t have any. GPOY  QUOTES : ... A what now?

FC INFO. MAIN  FC / S : Himself. ALT  FC / S : M.att Smith OLDER  FC / S : None, but I was jokingly considering C.hris Sarandon or B.ill Nye YOUNGER  FC / S : Hm... None. VOICE  CLAIM / S : His own voice, so.. D.anny Elfman/ C.hris Sarandon. GENDERBENT  FC / S : Nah.

MUN QUESTIONS. Q1 : if  you  could  write  your  character  your  way  in  their  own  movie ,   what  would  it  be  called ,  what  style  would  it  be  filmed  in ,  and  what  would  it  be  about ?           A1 : I hate to inform you, but that’s already a thing. My portrayal of Jack is based on the movie, so his personality and whatnot are more or less the same. Q2 : what  would  their  soundtrack / score  sound  like ?           A2 : See A1. Q3 : why  did  you  start  writing  this  character ?           A3 : Okay, so basically, Jack arrived at my house January 2013 and was like ‘HEY DID YOU HAVE A GOOD CHRISTMAS??’ and hasn’t left since. Q4 : what  first  attracted  you  to  this  character ?           A4 : It actually started when I was 12. I actually completely missed the online fandom since the extent of my internet knowledge was y.outube. I knew of Jack, and three songs. But I didn’t see the movie for about... I wanna say 6 months after I discovered the songs. I dunno though. I’m not entirely sure why I liked him though. Probably because he could sing. Who knows?

Q5 : describe  the  biggest  thing  you  dislike  about  your  muse.           A5 : Regarding him himself? I think the fact that despite his love of research and learning, he’s impulsive and can make decisions too fast without considering the implications.

In general? I think everyone knows how I hate him being a mascot of the ‘g.oth and e.mo culture when he’s so bubbly. Q6 : what  do  you  have  in  common  with  your  muse ?           A6 : ....... The mun/muse line blurs dangerously sometimes. It might be dangerous for me to keep writing him in the long-term. Q7 : how  does  your  muse  feel  about  you ?           A7 : Honestly I’m too nervous to ask him because I hate asking people things like this aaaa

Ash is a charming human. Honestly, I fell she is a little too lazy for her own good sometimes, but what she is interested in she will pursue it with such vigour! Honestly, have you heard her talking about those electronic games? Mind-boggling.

I must admit, I am proud of what she has achieved. For someone who claims to not work well on long-term projects, she has managed to perform excellently.

~Jack (who hijacked this questionnaire because Ash didn’t want to ‘cause a fuss) Q8 : what  characters  does  your  muse  have  interesting  interactions  with ?         A8 : .... Why do you ask such hard questions? I can’t possibly start singling out individuals but... Jack has had some amazing interactions over the years. Befriending villains, being a father to his children, adopting others as his own, meeting strangers because he was hopelessly lost... It’s honestly been amazing. Q9 : what  gives  you  inspiration  to  write  your  muse ?         A9 : It comes really easy to me, actually. I’m at the stage where I can see something and go ‘yep. Jack would do that’. In fact, as I was skimming the questions earlier I was mentally answering them. Those personality quizzes were completed faster than I could probably do them for myself! Q10 : how  long  did  this  take  you  to  complete ?         A10 : I started at 10.20pm. It’s now... 11.50pm. :D

[nikcamhael]

Dead medium: The Copy Press, the Hektograph, Edison's Electric Pen, Zuccato's Trypograph, Gestetner's Cyclostyle, Dick-Edison Mimeograph, the Gammeter aka Multigraph, the Varityper, the IBM Selectric

From: Darryl_Rehr@lamg.com (Darryl Rehr)

Source(s): The Office Magazine; Early Typewriter Collectors' Association

Bruce,

Here is another submission for Dead Media Database. This is an article by me and originally published in THE OFFICE magazine.

EARLY DESKTOP PUBLISHING

Desktop Publishing is a phenomenon of the late 20th century. Modern products have made it possible for any office staff to produce material that looks professionally printed. However, office managers have had other kinds of small-scale publishing methods available to them for more than a century.

The words used to describe them were more modest, of course. At first, they talked about office "copying," and later they called it "duplicating." Only today, with computers, coupled with high-definition laser output has the technology grown up enough to earn the term "Desktop Publishing."

Desktop Publishing's first century began in 1856, when British chemist William Perkins discovered the first synthetic dye, aniline purple. This dye pointed the way to a wide range of new inks, including "copying ink" used in the first practical method of reproducing business documents.

An original written with copying ink was placed against a moistened sheet of tissue, the two were pressed together in a massive iron press, and a copy would appear on the tissue. Since the copy was backwards, the tissue had to be held up to the light to be read. The copy press became a fixture in every Victorian office. Today, they are sold in antique shops as "book presses," their true function long forgotten.

Aniline dyes also made another copying process possible. It was invented during the 1870's, and although it was sold under many brand names, generically it was known as the "hektograph." The device used a stiff gelatin pad coupled with special hektographic ink made with aniline dye. A document written with the ink was pressed to the pad. The gelatin absorbed the ink after a few minutes, and the original was removed. Blank sheets were then pressed against the pad, and the gelatin released a little of the ink each time, producing a positive copy. The hektograph was good for about 50 copies. 20th-century spirit duplicators (such as "Ditto") were a later outgrowth of the hektograph and much easier to use.

About the same time as the invention of the hektograph, the first stencil duplicators began to appear. These used various devices to perforate waxed tissue paper, creating stencils through which ink could be passed. The first of these was Thomas Edison's Electric Pen of 1876. This gadget used current to vibrate the point of a stylus, creating tiny holes in the stencil to form the image.

A simpler solution came from Eugenio Zuccato who invented the Trypograph in London in 1877. Zuccato put his stencil on the surface of an iron file. When he wrote with a plain stylus, the rough file surface punctured the stencil from below. Edison obtained a U.S. patent for a similar process in 1880, although he did nothing with it for several years.

In 1881, David Gestetner, working in England, invented another simple stencil perforator. Known as the Cyclostyle, it was a pen with a miniature toothed wheel on the end. By writing on the stencil, the wheel rolled along and punched tiny perforations in the sheet.

The last major player to enter the stencil game was A.B. Dick of Chicago. Dick was a lumber merchant who needed a way to duplicate the often-needed inventory lists in his business. Experimenting on his own in 1884, he came up with a file-plate stencil process similar to Zuccato's and Edison's, but more practical. Dick saw real market potential in the product and applied for a patent only to find that Edison had beaten him to it.

Dick contacted Edison, and proposed the idea of selling the device to the public. Dick's most brilliant idea in the venture, however, was not the invention itself, but his plan to use Edison's name on the label! Edison's name had true star quality in the 1880's. Dick coupled it with an intriguing brand-name taken from the Greek, and in 1887 the Edison "Mimeograph" duplicator was born.

For several years, the Mimeograph and Cyclostyle duplicators coexisted, each performing the same function using their slightly different methods. With each, finished stencils were placed in a wooden frame so that ink could be pressed through them with a roller. It was messy but effective. At this earliest stage, however, neither device effectively exploited the Typewriter, another new invention which seemed perfectly suited to be teamed with duplicators.

The Typewriter had been around for about ten years when the Mimeograph and Cyclostyle appeared. Duplicator stencils, however, were backed with thin tissue which was often torn to pieces under the pounding of typewriters.

A.B. Dick pounced on the solution to the problem when he bought rights to an 1888 patent for a new stencil backed by a sturdy porous tissue. The typewriter would penetrate the wax, but not the tissue. Suddenly, the potential for producing thousands of copies from a typewritten original was created.

In 1891, Gestetner helped the technology along another step, by creating an "automatic" printing device, which worked much faster than the old manual wooden frame. A rivalry between Dick and Gestetner might have developed, but instead, their relationship was cordial. In 1893, they agreed to share patents, each using the typewriter stencil and the automatic printer in his own products, and each prospering in the process.

The turn of the century brought the development of rotary stencil machines, which meant that copies could finally be "cranked out" in the literal sense. A.B. Dick's version of this device was a single drum model with ink inside the drum and forced directly through the stencil. Gestetner marketed a double-drum design, inking the stencil with rollers, which picked up the ink from a tube. Other manufacturers introduced their own models, but for years the two principal names in the industry were Mimeograph from Dick and Cyclostyle from Gestetner.

As stencil duplicators developed for long runs, carbon paper began to replace the copy press for short runs. Carbon paper was invented in 1806, but was not practical for making copies written with the light pressure of pen and ink. Typewriters changed the situation. Copying with carbons was called "manifolding," and some typewriters were sold claiming the ability to make up to 25 carbon copies at once!

An alternative duplicating method for very long runs became available after the turn of the century in a device called the Gammeter or Multigraph. This was actually a small rotary printing press, with grooves in its cylinder allowing type to be easily set on the surface. Setting the type took more work than producing a stencil, of course, so the Multigraph's use was limited.

The 20th century brought other new potentials to "office duplicating" advancing it considerably toward "desktop publishing." Among the new devices was the Vari- Typer, an evolved form of the old Hammond Typewriter, which had been on the market since 1884.

The Hammond was distinctive in that it typed with a single type element, a simple curved strip which could be quickly changed for a variety of typestyles. In the 1920's Hammond added variable pitch to its machines, making typestyles in widely different sizes practical for the same machine. Later, the Hammond was renamed Vari- Typer, and the Ralph Coxhead Corporation took it over.

The Vari-Typer was electrified and equipped with differential spacing and line justification. Lines were justified by typing them twice. The first typing determined the number of letters on the line, which was set on a dial. This altered the word spacing to align the right margin for the second typing. No longer was this machine called a typewriter. It was known as a cold typesetter, and Vari-Typers using the basic Hammond design were in production until the 1970's.

The Vari-Typer could be used to type Mimeograph stencils, although this was a bit cumbersome. Much easier was its use with photo-lithography, which appeared in the 1930's. As today, an original was created on plain paper, and a litho plate was produced from it by photography. Back then it was not as easy as it is today, but the concept was the same.

Special materials were also available allowing the original to be typed directly on a thin, flexible printing plate. Thousands of copies could be printed on a small offset printing press from a Vari-Typer original. Such devices were used to produce the surrender documents signed by Japan aboard the Battleship Missouri at the end of World War Two.

The combination of typewriters, Vari-typers, Mimeographs, Multigraphs, offset litho machines and spirit duplicators carried our developing desktop publishing technology through to the end of its first century in 1956. Electrostatic copying, which first appeared in 1938, was just beginning to make a big impact as the 1960's approached. "Xerox" was starting to become a household word, but high-volume plain paper copiers would take a while to become the inexpensive fixtures they are today.

In 1956, computers had not reached desktop publishing capability, and the instant print shop was still years away. The Vari-Typer, however, would soon find a competitor in IBM's Selectric Typewriter, introduced in 1960, and later available in typesetting versions with all the features offered by Vari-Typers.

The first century of desktop publishing offered tremendous progress for people who wanted to turn out printed material on a small scale. However, the second century so far has been nothing less than amazing. Who, after all, would have ever dreamed that an entire publication could be written, edited, typeset and composed before even the first drop of ink was applied to the first piece of paper?

Early Typewriter Collector's Assoc.

2591 Military Ave.

LA, CA 90064

[codyj9986122-blog]

Enthusiasm Articlesbd.com.

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