#people would make those videos about 'pick me' girls trying so hard to be one of the guys

[ghostcrows]

Its so easy to assimilate into a cis male space and it's access to patriarchal power just by declaring yourself as one of them. They will instantly respect you and definitely not squint to see the ghostly spectre of your feminine mystique every time they look at you. this is famously known and no one has ever come across any problems to date (why would anyone keep your records, you don't exist)

[simonbrain]

getting the biggest, scariest bastard at the pub in your bed must have been one of your greatest achievements, especially after watching the way he turned down a few girls prior to you.

he glanced at you each time, disregarding the way the poor things scuttled off in embarrassment; their confidence dampened. it's like he was preening under your attention, and even underneath that silly balaclava of his, you picked up on the way he seemed to flush. his shoulders became more square, and his chest seemed to puff out more. the air around him became more charged with his cockiness rather than the pointless attempts at hiding himself from the other patrons. surely he's aware that he's the centre of the room, no matter which one.

he only grew more bold until he was right at your side, and you held his gaze the entire time.

now, he rewards you with the greatest dicking-down of your life, his fat cock stretching you impossibly thin, the thick girth bullying its way into you over and over again. he fucks you like a man starved, touches you as if he's trying to sink his hands beneath your soft skin and stroke your bones.

although nothing could have prepared you for how fucking filthy his mouth is. his voice holds the right amount of grittiness, the kind that makes your eyes roll back as he whispers the nastiest things in your ear, his accent adding to the thrill his words send down your spine. each moan that fell from his mouth, each promise of ruining you for anyone else after him, each pet name he called you had you going brainless on his cock, your sensitive bundle of nerves twitching under the pads of his fingers as he follows through with his promise. maybe if you were any more lucid, you might have realised it sounded more like a threat rather than just plain dirty talk.

the next morning, you woke up to an aching body, a bottle of water and a box of tylenol on your bedside table, and no stranger in your bed. this may be the greatest one-night stand you've ever had.

well, it was until you realised a couple of weeks later that you're still getting off to the image of him blanketing you and that damn voice of his purring low in your ear. your fingers circle your clit, your eyes unfocused as you imagine him on top of you, taking you deep right where he belongs, and when you think about how he growled at you to soak his cock like a good girl, you come all over your fingers with a humiliatingly loud whine.

it only gets worse from there. you can no longer come to porn unless the person in the video resembles the big boy who rearranged your guts, and even that is a feat of its own. you can't find anyone who has similar tattoos, similar scars, or even a similar voice. reading smut can only get you so far, and some nights, you go to bed feeling defeated because you just couldn't orgasm.

you get so desperate you start searching for those dirty little audios people post online, and for a while, you manage to make yourself come (maybe not as hard, but at this point, you'll take anything). the voices that rumble through your headphones aren't as husky as your mystery man, and their accents aren't exactly close to his, but it holds you off... until it doesn't. and now you're desperate to find him again, but he's probably long gone now.

you can't believe it; the fucker really did ruin you.

it's not until a few months later that you hear that familiar voice again, and your knees almost give out in the middle of the damn store.

(they actually do when simon, he tells you through hungry kisses, bends you in half in the dreadful alleyway, your poor cunt taking each brutal fill of that cock you've been craving so badly.

"she's fuckin' squeezin' me, sweet'art. missed me tha' much?" he chuckles hoarsely in your ear, and you would have fallen over if not for his firm hold keeping you upright.

yep, he can fuck right off again. you'll get your lick back. just as soon as your legs stop shaking and you're not seeing double.)

[thecuriousbeauty]

during the early shows of the "live on tour" era, when him were still performing in theaters, harry couldn’t take his eyes off a fan while he was on stage. so he takes her to the backstage after the show (or to his hotel room).

That Special Girl- Harry Styles x reader (Fluff)

A/N:-Put a little spin to this, I hope you all like it! Thank you for the request anon, and for patiently waiting! Please like and reblog to support me, xx.

Word count: 1.7K

________________________________________

You don’t usually take this route on your morning runs, but today, you were craving those soft, buttery, warm croissants from the bakery down the street for breakfast. You definitely deserved it after your run. And today was going to be a very special day in your life, you needed to start the day right. So you didn’t mind the mild crowd you had to run through to make it to the bakery.

All you could think about was going to your first Harry Styles’ concert that evening! He was finally coming to your city and you weren’t going to let go of the opportunity to see one of your favorite singers perform live. Sadly, your best friend couldn’t go with you, so you were going alone but you were sure you’d make friends once you got there. That was also something you were excited about. Being around so many people who share your same interests. 

Just as you were about to enter the bakery, you saw someone familiar on their morning run. Your eyes squinted to make sure what they were seeing was really true. 

Wow, even before you got to the concert.

It was Harry Styles!

He was wearing a grey sweatshirt and blue shorts, shades protecting his eyes. You had to try so hard not to freak out, because the last thing you wanted was to be like some of those crazy fans. You admired Harry, yes, but you believed everyone, celebrity or not, should have the privacy of at least not getting disturbed while on their morning run. 

He was running towards where you came from, where you knew there was a crowd, so even though you were nervous and not quite sure if the words would form proper sentences once you opened your mouth, you decided to warn him.

“U-Uh, Harry?”, you spoke as he was just about to whizz past you, and he stopped. You couldn’t read his expression very well, but you continued. “You don’t wanna run that way, it’s pretty crowded.”

While you were talking, he tapped on his phone, probably to stop the music from his ear pods. “Oh. Oh, okay.”, he said, a little surprised. He probably thought you stopped him for a photo or something. He stared at you for a few seconds, while you were wondering if you had made any mistakes in the one sentence you spoke .

“I-I’ll go back the same way, then. Thanks, love.”, he smiled, dimples popping and although you couldn’t see his eyes, you knew they were crinkling. 

“Yeah, of course.”, you smiled back. “Good luck for the show tonight!”, it slipped out before you could think if it was okay to say.

“Thank you! Are you coming?”, he asks, still smiling.

“I am, actually.”

“That’s amazing. I’ll see you tonight, then, love. Gotta go now, thanks again. Bye bye.”

“Bye bye”, you find yourself repeating, and Harry chuckles before running away. You’re still in a daze as you turn to the bakery, almost hitting your head on the transparent glass door, not realizing that you have to open it. You laugh at yourself, and open the door, the smell of those delicious croissants making you beam. Today was going to be a great day.

______________________________________________

“I’ll take so many videos for you.”, you tell your best friend through a video call as you do your hair, getting ready for the show. 

“You better! You look so hot, y/n, I won’t be surprised if Harry himself falls for you.”, she says, winking at you through the screen and you laugh. You had picked out a black top, with a translucent sparkly cover on top, pairing it with a silver skirt. You did your makeup minimally, except for your eyes, you put on some shimmery eye shadow. Once you were ready, you said bye to your best friend and got going.

You reach the venue, chatting up with a few girls immediately, sharing bracelets and just sharing where you’re all from. You were led to your places when the show was about to start, and you had fun while the opening act was going on. You weren’t dancing yet though, you were saving your energy for when Harry would take the stage.

And finally, there he was. The man you saw in the morning, except now he was radiating more confidence and charm. He was up there probably doing his favorite thing in the world. He looked incredibly attractive in his outfit for the night, silky light blue pants paired with a pink and blue jacket. The color combinations complimented his features wonderfully, not to mention the perfectly placed tattoos over his chest and abdomen.

You sang along with the rest of the crowd as Harry started Music for a Sushi Restaurant. Harry was running around all over the stage, and his eyes were drifting around, looking everywhere while he continued to sing. It seemed like he was searching for something, or someone. 

When he gets to your side of the stage, for a minute, you feel like his eyes meet yours, and you’re not able to make sure because of all the lighting and there are a lot of people around you. But you can confirm he was indeed looking at you, because he grins as he brings his hand up and gives you a wave. 

You gasp and wave back. He remembers you from the morning!

For the rest of the show, you noticed that Harry was coming to your side of the stage quite often, and even looking at you as you sang the lyrics back to him. He would even lean over slightly, almost as if he was directly singing to you. You enjoyed all the songs and Harry’s energy was infectious. He kept bouncing around the stage, cracking jokes, reading out signs, making people happy and being the man he is. During the last song, which was Kiwi, he did his little dance and you did the same with your new friend next to you, and he stopped to watch you both, amused.

“Oh my god, he liked our dance!”, she squeals next to you.

You definitely had a lot to tell your best friend.

You’re having mixed feelings by the end of the show. Happy because you had THE BEST night ever, and sad because it’s over. You were gonna have to say goodbye to your new friends, and to Harry. 

Little did you know, Harry had different plans.

_______________________________________________

Harry couldn’t stop thinking about you. Even as he was running through the crowd to go backstage, escorted by the security, he was looking over to where you stood, hoping to catch another glimpse of you.

But he couldn’t find you. He was too taken back by your beauty and kindness that he even forgot to ask your name in the morning. But he wasn’t gonna give up. He needed a chance to see you again.

So he asked his security to find you, telling them where you had been for the show. 

“Well this is a first, special girl eh, mate?”, Mitch teases him backstage, chugging down some cold water. 

“I’m just curious to know more about her.”, Harry says, not denying what Mitch had said. Clearly everyone in his band had noticed that he was watching a particular someone in the crowd. He thought he hadn’t made it so obvious.

Harry walked around, adrenaline still pumping through his veins, and Sarah passed him some water too. “Calm down, H, they’ll find her. Even if they can’t, if you really want to see her, we’ll figure something out.”

“How?”, he asked.

Sarah winked. “Leave that to me. Your fans are capable of a lot of things, you know.”

Harry didn’t question that. 

To his absolute delight, security had indeed found you, and Harry rushed into a separate room to meet you, not wanting to scare you with the whole band. He thought you would probably be nervous about all of this too.

There you stood, clutching your bag in one hand, your arm covered with bracelets, and his eyes shifted to your face, seeing you up close for the second time today. 

God, you were gorgeous.

Strikingly beautiful eyes that he was finding a hard time looking away from the whole evening. Perfect, soft features and your smile had him smiling ear to ear. 

“Am I in trouble?”, you asked nervously.

“Oh no, sorry love, I just didn’t get your name. I wanted to thank you again for this morning.”, he said. 

“Oh! It’s all good, I hate being interrupted during my morning run too. I’m y/n!”, you smile, and Harry extends his hand, shaking yours. “Hello, y/n, I’m Harry.”

You giggle, finding it funny that he was introducing himself and he can’t help but laugh. “Nice to meet you, Harry. The show was amazing, like crazy.”

“Yeah? I’m glad you enjoyed it, love.”, Harry says happily. “I didn’t spook you out sending the security behind you did I?”

“Kinda. I really thought I was in trouble for taking a shot the girl next to me offered or something..”

Harry laughs, and you smile sheepishly. “You all did shots without me?”, he asked, a fake hurt tone to his voice.

“Oh no, did you wanna do one?”

Harry shakes his head, dimples popping. “Just kidding, y/n. I just wanted to get to know you a little bit. You had my attention the whole night.”

You blush, not knowing what to reply, really just saying, “Oh..um..”

“Do you want to go hang out for a while? If it’s okay, of course. It’s completely fine if it’s not, it is late and you must have places to be-”, Harry starts rambling nervously.

“I’d love to!”, you piped up, and his grin widened. “Yeah?”

It’s true that no one believes in love at first sight, until they meet that one special person who comes along and steals their heart.

__________________________________________

Taglist: Taglist: -@livypops12352568 @harrydeary, @harryswifee, @harrysbxtchh, @gracelovesethan, @kiwitsayedsugar, @angeldavis777,@madstyles3204, @youngpastafanmug, @fruity-harry, @wannaliveinparadise @hermionelove

Let me know if you want me to add you to my taglist or if there are any changes, love you all so much.

[urauntiefaye]

can we get more hard thoughts on &team pretty plssss🥺🤎?

&Team as Perverts + Scenarios 🔞

WC: 1634 

TW: Ngl this might make a lot of people uncomfy so viewer discretion advised, Pervert &Team, groping without consent?, Mastubating, Secret photos of the reader, reader is AFAB, Corruption kink, Church Girl reader in Euijoos, Watching reader touch themselves privately, so much panty stealing, Camgirl reader in Takis,  Menaces all of them, Maki is in this, Harua has a sister in this, if uncomfortable with any of this don’t read!, Not proof read, let me know if I forgot anything. 

A/N: Hmm more &Team hard thoughts you say? Let’s see, something that’s been on mind is &Team as Perverts (Def not because of my obsession over Euijoo guys I promise, please you have to believe me)

Kei-

Kei as a pervert guyzo, so I imagine him being like your office boss/manager, maybe even the CEO who knows. But when you started working there, you were always wearing skirts or dresses to work. He really can’t help himself but to stare when you bend over, maybe even trying to catch a peek. When you’re in the break room he always brushes against you, pressing against your back when he grabs a mug. Apologizing saying he was only trying to get the cup, when you’re at work dinners he always sits next to you, maybe even leaning against you. He makes it so obvious though with how he always checks you out, and going to the extent of flirting with you. He follows you on social media and even masturbates to your photos, even maybe taking a video or photo and ‘accidentally’ sending it to you. When the office has a ‘Team Building Exercise Vacation’, where your office has to go on a two nights three day vacation to build up that team work. He would be in charge of renting a hotel, or a vacay house, but would conveniently accidentally rent one less extra room. 

Fuma-

Fuma as a pervert would be a little more subtle about it. Maybe even fighting against himself when he gets those perverted thoughts. You moved into the house next door, your bedroom window even facing his. He would meet you when you were bringing in a box to the house but dropping it. He helped you pick it up, and offered to help bring the rest in, which you agree. At first he would fine, helping you and you helping him, becoming close very quickly. But when he saw you getting changed in your room, blinds wide open so he got the full view. He just couldn’t help himself but get off. Feeling guilty instantly afterwards, but now his brain is flooded with images and scenes of you. Even going to the lengths of when he’s over at your place for dinner, to go to your bathroom and rub one out when he sees you in your lounge wear. Revealing so much skin, and when you sat down on the couch to watch a movie, he felt he was going to burst when your tank strap fell off your shoulder. Reaching out to push it back up, his body burning when he touched your skin and not being able to tear his eyes away from your chest. 

Nicholas-

Another who makes it obvious that he’s a perv. He became friends with you via another friend, he just loved the way you look and needed you. He has a photo album dedicated to photos of you, some of you smiling or having fun when at get togethers. But others are of you bending down, and maybe even some pantie shots. He always gets off to them at night, just imagining you spread wide taking his dick like a good girl. When you spend the night he always offers his bed for you, even sleeping with you saying it’s okay, that you’re friends. But he really just wants you to lay next to him, maybe even cuddle up and press your ass against him. Maybe even grinding against you, he would have to sneak off to the bathroom to masturbate. He even goes on websites to just talk about all the filthy things he wants to do to you. 

Euijoo-

The pervert of perverts but secret about it. Being childhood friends with him and growing up in church together. Your parents never being able to separate you two, Euijoo has such a big crush on you growing up. And when you became adults his crush got so bad, his thoughts spiraling. You were the perfect little Christian girl, always going to Bible study, and attending every church meeting, even helping out in outside of Church activities. Your parents are also being super strict and wanting to keep you pure, going to the extent of even opting you out of sex ed in school because you were too young to learn about those things. So in adulthood you still had no idea about anything sex related. Euijoo loved this about you, but wanting to corrupt you so badly, he just can’t get the images of you sucking him off, and how you would take his dick for the very first time. Slowly losing your innocence to him, what helped him keep by was stealing your panties, even maybe coping a feel accidentally. He feels guilty about it, but he really can’t help it. 

Yuma-

Sooo perverted and let’s you know it too, you being coworkers at a restaurant. Both having to wear uniforms but yours being a cute little skirt. When no one is looking he always lifts your skirt up and touches you. Melts the way you always react to his touches, he always whispers dirty things in your ear, telling you what he wants to do to you. How he just wants to bend you over and take you right there in front of everyone. Even though you always get flustered and yell at him, you never report him because you secretly love it and wish he would do something. Especially when you’re in the back grabbing some more seasoning since the kitchen ran out. Yuma follows you and pinning you against the wall, pressing his knee against your sensitive spot. Getting so close to where he’s about to kiss you, but never doing so and just letting you go and walk away like nothing ever happened. 

Jo-

The quiet guy in your lectures, always coming off as an elite and intelligent student, even being the top of his major. No one would take him as a pervert, but he is especially you. The bimbo of the school, being on the cheerleading team and always wearing such tight and revealing clothes. He always fantasizes about having his way with you, but is too scared to even approach you, so he just decides to stay to himself. But when his Calculus professor asks him if he can tutor you he would agree so fast. Going over to your place and entering your room, he’d have to fight back his boner just by the scent of your room. Getting to the tutoring part he’d be distracted, mostly because you always tried to change the subject, but also because he was so close to you and could feel your leg up against his. Wearing such tiny shorts that left barely nothing to the imagination. He would steal your underwear when you excused yourself to the bathroom. Even taking pictures of your bras and lingerie sets. 

Harua-

You were his sister's friend from college, always over and hanging out. He had a crush on you the moment you walked in the house. He would start off shy and introverted, but when you spoke to him and was so nice he fell so hard. Whenever you spent the night he couldn’t keep his eyes off of you, watching how you walked around so comfortably. And when it was summertime and you came over, bringing your swimsuit because they had a pool. He would lock himself in his room, just the sight of you in such a thing made him go into overdrive. So when you eventually moved in with them because you couldn’t afford your own place anymore, and his parents agreed. I swear his pervert tendencies grew ever more, always sneaking into your room when you weren’t in it. Just to lay on your bed and hump your pillow, imagining it was you instead, even hearing your moans when you masturbated thinking no one was home. He would also ‘accidentally’ walk into the bathroom when you were showering, saying he knocked and didn’t know you were in there. 

Taki-

Being besties with you was so hard for Taki, especially since he had a secret crush on you. But what didn’t help was when you opened up an onlyfans, he knew this because well you were best friends and told each other everything. He would never tell you but he was one of your highest paying subscribers, and the most loyal, always logging in for your every video and live streams. You would eventually start calling out his username, even moaning it when you played with yourself. When you announce you’ll have a special event going on, that you'll randomly choose one of your followers to have a private video chat with. And when you announced his name he got so excited but worried, he won’t show you his face hoping you won’t recognize him or his voice. Luckily you didn’t, but when you came over the following day and told him about it he felt some sense of pride when you told him you keep thinking about the anonymous fan. 

Maki-

He was your new roommate, moving in with you he didn’t think it would be an issue. But boy was he wrong. When he barged into your room, catching you off guard as you were mid-changing, pants already off and shirt halfway off. He would apologize and leave, but he wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about it. Every single thing you did now had an effect on him, he couldn’t even stand next to you without catching himself peering down your shirt. You would think he’s being so weird, but not really minding his nervous demeanor towards you. He would even start touching himself when he saw your door slightly open as you touched yourself, moaning so loudly not thinking he was there. He would think he was such a pervert (he was) but he would also blame you for having that kind of effect on him. 

[delfiore]

—ONE OF YOUR GIRLS.

pairing: lucy bronze x reader, (alexia putellas x reader)

synopsis: the only reason is simply because you are both heartbroken, lonely, and desperate.

word count: 1.9k

a/n: i gave myself a 1k word limit on this and i failed miserably. literally why is it so hard for me to write a 1k essay for school but not this

You started to learn Lucy’s routine only a few weeks after she started coming around. Like clockwork, it didn’t matter how late you went to bed, she would always be up before eight. Sometimes, it would be to go downstairs for a swim in the freezing cold outdoor pool in her apartment complex. “Helps me wake up and think clearer”, she would explain. Sometimes, it would just be to sit in the living room with a coffee in hand, watching videos of the team you and her would be playing later in the day. Other times—and it was always a treat when she did—it would be to stay in bed with you, and watch you wake up.

Those were the times in which you felt like what you had with Lucy resembled most like a relationship, due to the sheer amount of domesticity of it. The way she would take time out of the day to lay a few extra minutes with you made it feel concrete like what you were doing was worth the time. But that wasn’t the goal—a relationship.

“I forgot to bring my stuff last night,” you whispered, suddenly remembering the lack of gear you brought over to Lucy’s apartment. You had hastily stuffed the necessities into a crossbody bag when she texted.

“It’s alright. We can drive by later and pick it up on our way to training.”

“We’re gonna arrive together? What if people see?”

Everyone else at Barcelona didn’t know, of course, because you couldn’t even begin to explain what the fuck transpired between you two. It was no relationship, but it was no ordinary friendship either. A special kind of friendship, maybe, but not entirely the kind people would think of if you described it as such . . .

Lucy’s lips pursed, and she contemplated for a moment. After a few seconds, she turned towards the window, the morning sun washed white behind the milky blinds.

“I don’t really care, to be honest,” her chest rose quickly with an exhale. “Why have we got to explain ourselves to people anyway? Kinda tired of it.”

You knew she meant having to deal with the looks her ex would give her. She had been chasing after Keira, trying to make amends for a long time. You knew that, she told you everything.

It made you think about your own situation. You were still very much in love with your own ex, but Alexia has since moved on with a mutual friend, and your conversations were reduced to strictly work nowadays. The way she started treating you after the breakup wasn’t dissimilar to how an older teenager treats her younger, annoying little sibling; with avoidance and an overly sense of self-importance. It made you despise her ten times more than you already did, but you also yearned for her attention, because it was what you have aligned your life with for a while.

But you supposed you had a type—older women with avoidance issues—which was why you were here with Lucy.

“Keira asked me about you the other day,” you said on the car ride to the training ground. You sat in Lucy’s passenger seat. “She was wondering how you were doing. Said you never talk to her anymore.”

Lucy scoffed and turned back to you. “Can we talk about something else?”

“Like what?”

“Like how you actually look so fit in my shirt.”

You let the snort escape your nose but leaned towards her in the passenger seat. “It’s literally a plain black T-shirt, Luce.”

“‘Xactly,” Her cheeks creased with a grin. “Makes me almost want to fancy you.”

“Almost.”

“Almost,” Lucy said.

Almost.

You and Lucy have always had a friendship filled with banter. Heart-to-hearts rarely happened—maybe before and after important matches, or international ones in which one of you had to be the loser—but you appreciated her easygoing nature and how it has shaped your relationship.

If you were a bit closer in age, if you weren’t already with Alexia, and she with Keira at the same time, you reckoned you would have gone for her. You’d always found her attractive.

“You’re too young for me, Y/N,” Lucy had told you once.

“I’m just saying,” you had put your hands up. “If you’re ever desperate enough, I could be like one of your girls.”

Lucy only laughed. Perhaps desperate was the wrong word to use. Lucy Bronze could never get that desperate so as to seek you out for company. No, everything would have to be on her terms.

You agreed with her, though. A nine-year age gap might have been a bit too much, but Lucy wasn’t just like any other 32-year-old.

But you were in love with Alexia. You still were, and your coupling with Lucy might have just been a ploy to piss her off, but your captain didn’t need to know that. Just seeing the not-so-subtle looks she sends your way whenever you are too touchy with Lucy was enough to satiate your grudge.

It seemed the joke wasn’t merely a joke, not to Lucy, because one night, she called you. You had never seen Lucy cry, at least not in person, and she was the type of person to let people see her cry only for her profession, never something in her personal life.

Every joke on your tongue died the moment you saw her blotchy, red face at your front door.

“I didn’t know who else to call.”

Really?

She could have called anyone on the team and they would happily offer her comfort. That was the charisma that Lucy wielded, and you were willing to bet there were other members of the team who were much better than you at comforting someone.

“I think I’m just unlovable.”

You led her inside and offered her a glass of water. I think I’m just unlovable. Her words echoed in your mind as you scrambled to find any words that would be comforting to her at that moment. How do you convince someone that they weren’t their flaws when you yourself struggled with the same insecurities? If Lucy even had those doubts about herself, how could you ever get out of it?

“I think I’m unlovable too.”

You didn’t know whether that was comforting or just rubbing salt in her wound, but Lucy exhaled shakily, for the first time looking at you in a way unlike that of teammates, or even friends.

Unlike a friend would, you lifted your hand and wiped away the tear on her cheek with the pad of your thumb, and unlike a friend would, you leaned in and kissed her slowly.

Kissing Lucy was exhilarating. She was eager and rough, and soft and gentle. It made you almost want to fall in love with her. She was tired, so you climbed on her lap and led the way, and all her burdens faded into oblivion, at least for the night.

When you both arrived at training, only a few of your teammates were there in the locker room, and most of them didn’t seem to notice you coming in together anyway. Pina, though, found you across the room.

“Did you hear?” She said quietly.

“What?”

“Alexia has been with the physios since like 9 this morning.”

“Why? What happened?” You tried not to sound too eager, or worried.

“I don’t know, but I walked past and I think she was crying.”

When you came into the rehab center, a physio greeted you with a smile. You returned it as your eyes quickly found the only person lying down on a bed, hiding her face in the crook of her arm.

“Hey, capitana,” you said in Spanish. “You sleep here last night or something?”

You saw the way her jaw ticked, and looking down, noticed the bandages wrapped around her knee, the ACL one.

“You didn’t happen to bring any coffee in, did you?” She said groggily. “I could use a sip.”

“No coffee, sorry. I’m trying to wean myself off of it.”

“You said that a thousand times before.”

You put your hands in your pockets and leaned against the bed. “What’s wrong?”

She let out a sigh and removed her arm. “They’re making me sit out Saturday’s game. They’re scared I might mess something up.”

You nodded, because you understood exactly why. Another ACL problem would be detrimental to her career in ways that you didn’t want to think about. “It’s better to be sure,” you shrugged.

“I’ve fucked my knee, Y/N,” Alexia said, inhaling shakily. “That’s what it is.”

You couldn’t imagine having to live with the anxiety, tiptoeing around your own knees, afraid it might give out any second again. Even the smallest discomfort could spell trouble, and the slightest movement could trigger the injury to worsen.

You opted not tell Lucy about your conversation with Alexia, because you wanted to keep it to yourself. As useless as that might be, that was the first genuine conversation you’ve had with your ex in about a year. You’ve learned not to take it to heart, though, because you knew you’d disappoint yourself when Alexia eventually goes back to treating you like a kid.

You made a conscious effort not to think about her when you called Lucy over for a hookup, but when she was knuckles-deep inside you, you couldn’t think of anything else but the pleasure.

Laying back and staring at the ceiling, you drew deep breaths as you came down from your high.

“You okay?” Lucy asked.

“Yeah,” you nodded. “Hold me?”

She smiled and gathered you in her arms before kissing you sweetly. “Did something happen with Alexia?”

“No.” Nothing happened, really, but maybe it was because nothing happened that made you so distraught. “Maybe in another universe, where you’re not you and I’m not me, I would take you on a date tomorrow, maybe we’d be happier.”

“Well, why won’t you do it in this universe?”

You shrugged and settled back against her chest. “Because I’m me and you’re you. But mostly, because I am me.”

Lucy didn’t answer. She knew as much as anyone that once you’ve made your mind up, there was no swaying it, and that she didn’t have the energy in her to either. Instead, she leaned down and planted a sweet kiss on your forehead, wishing you’d find it in you somewhere to see yourself the way she sees you.

It would take some time until then, though, as only a few weeks later, she saw you hand-in-hand with Alexia coming to practice. Apparently, Alexia’s girlfriend was no more and you got what you wanted. It was okay, though, because Lucy found comfort in Ona, about to go on a second date with her the next day. You might have almost gotten the love you’d always desired with her, but it was just that, an almost.

[bingbongsupremacy]

Closure Pt. 2

Pairing: Steve Harrington x plus size!reader

Warnings: swearing, anger, idk what else

Series Summary: You never knew Steve could be so shallow. When he leaves you to date Nancy Wheeler, you're left with a pain you thought he'd never leave with you. Maybe you should've stayed friends.

Part Summary: He wrote a letter. You don't need him. Right?

*Not Proof Read* Stranger Things Masterlist

Based off of Taylor Swift Song Closure. This was a request. I tried to make everything as general as possible. Pls let me know if missed something ty.

Pt. 1 Pt. 2 Pt. 3

*****

No one was supposed to know we were dating. Steve said he didn’t want his teammates to bug me. He didn’t want people to overreact when they found out about us and say mean shit. At the time, I agreed. I mean, Steve’s the king of Hawkins high. I wouldn’t be the first girl he’s dated who’s had rumors spread about them. 

Hiding us was harder than we thought. A month or so after we got together Tommy found out and told the whole team. Gradually the whole school found out. Gossip spreads like wildfire, especially in a town like Hawkins. 

During the weeks after we broke up, I started to think about our secret relationship.

He wasn’t trying to protect me. He was trying to protect his reputation. Steve might not show it but deep down he’s just like everyone else. He’s got insecurities too. He obsesses over anything negative that’s said about him, analyzing everything that others think is imperfect about him until he finds a way to change it.

That’s something I noticed sophomore year when we started to get a little closer.

He was kind to me, but he wasn’t perfect. I don’t know for sure but I think he still messed with underclassmen, bullying them for praise from Tommy and Carol. He wanted to be liked by everyone, especially those two assholes.

He was always going to pick them over me. 

“ Honey, this came in for you today. “ My mom breaks me out of my thoughts. 

I look up from my stack of paperwork. “ What? From who? “ My brows furrow in confusion. Who would send mail to my parents’ house? I haven’t lived here in years. 

“ It’s from Steve. “ My moms eyes scan over the stark white envelope. 

My heart sinks. 

What the fuck does he want? 

I haven’t seen or talked to him since graduation 7 years ago. What could he want with me? Last I heard he got a job at Family Video and Nancy broke up with him. 

He knows I’m here. He has to. Fucking Hawkins. When one person knows everyone knows. Mrs. Henderson must’ve told someone when I ran into her at the gas station. 

“ What ever happened to you and Steve? Do you both still talk? “ My mom asks curiously while handing over my mail. 

Oh right. I never told her. 

“ We fell out of touch. You know, life. " I shrug, hoping that's enough for her.

" Oh, that's so sad sweetie. I'm sorry. " She sends me a small sympathetic smile. " That's always hard when you lose touch with someone you love. " She gently pats my shoulder.

Love.

Steve didn't love me.

I send her a small smile, hoping to drop the topic. " It happens, ma. "

" Well, I'll you get to it. " She dismisses herself, leaving me to the letter in my hands.

I trace the sharp corners of the envelope. Should I open it? Do I want to?

I wonder what it says.

What could he have to say to me after all of these years? It couldn't be something worth my time. Not after the shit that happened in high school. Right?

But what if it is?

Fuck it. I'm curious.

I pull open the envelope and let the torn paper fall into my lap. A neatly folded letter greens me, the bright white stationary paper matching the envelope.

This is it. Here we go.

I pull open the letter. Dark blue pen lines starkly contrast the white paper. Steve's familiar handwriting fills a good portion of the page. At the bottom his squiggly signature lies, bold and exactly the same as I remember.

Y/N,

I hope this letter finds you. I heard you're back in town. I've been meaning to do this for a long time. I've debated writing to you for years. I didn't know if I had anything good enough to send to you.

I was an asshole to you. You didn't deserve how I broke up with you. I feel horrible about how I treated you. About how I let other people change my opinion and control my actions. I should've stood stronger with what I thought.

That's something I always loved about you. You didn't let other people sway your opinions. I'm sure you still don't. You thought for yourself.

You are so much braver than I am. You didn't compromise yourself for others.

I've thought about what happened for years. About how you must have felt.

I hope you're well. I hope you've been able to move on and you've continued to be yourself. I know I don't deserve to say that, I just wish you the best.

I wanted to explain to you why I did what I did. I owe it to you. I was selfish. I got caught up in the high school popularity shit. I know it's stupid. I wanted to be Hawkins High's main guy. I wanted the Prom King title. I wanted the attention.

I really did like you. You made me feel safe and understood. You were always patient and kind. You urged me to be me, even when I felt like caving under pressure. You liked me for me, not for who I was trying to be. You deserved better than me.

People started to talk. You know. You heard the rumors.

At first, I thought I could handle it. I thought it wouldn't bug me. I thought I could push past it all. I cracked. Tommy and Carol jumped on the wagon and it pushed me over the edge. I couldn't bare the thought of losing the respect I'd worked so hard to get. I couldn't handle the teasing I'd get from the guys after games or the looks Tommy'd send my way when he saw us together.

It was wrong. I didn't think about you. About how you must've felt and how you were handling everything that was going on. It was Senior Year. I should've held on. We would've been out of this shit hole in a few months anyway, I don't know why I didn't just ignore it all. That's one of my biggest regrets.

I've been in therapy for a few years now. I've worked past all that surface-level shallow shit. I really see just how much I hurt you, and for that I'm so sorry.

I don't expect you to forgive me. I just wanted you to know that you're the first girl I ever loved and I am so grateful for you. Our relationship sent me on a path to help myself, and for that I will always love you.

Thank you.

-Steve Harrington

P.S. The week before we broke up I was going to give this to you. I never did.

I glance down at the envelope in my lap and open it. At the bottom lays a shiny silver necklace. A small gem, my birthstone, lays in the center. It glimmers in the light. It's beautiful.

I turn the gem over and spot a small engraving on the back.

SH +Y/N

For a moment I'm torn.

Should I write him back? Should we talk?

Part of me does miss him. I miss his laugh. His playful teasing. The way he looked at me.

No.

He hurt me. A lot.

He can't just send a letter and make it better. Why didn't he talk to me in person if this really weighed on him as much as he says it did? Why didn't he call me?

I don't need him. I'm fine. I've been fine without him for years. I'm not going to let him back into my life because he feels bad about his actions and insecurities.

I left Hawkins for a reason. I needed to get away from Steve. I needed him out of my life.

I'm not going to let him back in for his sake.

I don't need him.

I stand up, taking the papers and necklace in my hand. I walk over to the trashcan near my dresser. Without a second thought, I drop everything into the can.

The necklace makes a small clunking sound as it hits the bottom of my empty can.

The rustling of papers quiets and so does my pounding heart.

I'm fine on my own.

(Do we like this ending? Or should I try to make another part? )

Taglist: @sublimepenguinpeach-blog @queen-apple24

[dramaticallytotal]

TDWT Headcanons Pt. 5

Part 1 Last Part

• Heather, Leshawna, Eva, and Sierra were Bratz girlies.

• Courtney, Gwen, and Bridgette were Barbie girlies.

• Lindsay and Izzy were all. Bratz, Barbie, Polly Pocket, My Scene. You name it. While Lindsay was in it for the fashion, Izzy liked to put Barbie dolls on ceiling fans star-fished and turn in on and try not to get hit. Also, for makeovers. Izzy also chewed the rubber Polly Pocket clothes.

• Gwen was also a Living Dead Dolls girlie.

• Eva, for some odd reason, gives me cabbage patch vibes.

• Courtney is also very American Girl Doll coded. But also Eva, in the sense she always wanted one.

• I don't know why but I felt the need to make those headcanons even though they have nothing to do with WT XD

• Chris found out Noah can actually sing because his sister Noelle messaged him from their mom's phone since Chris is...ugh...friends with his parents. Noelle got mad that Noah wasn't actually singing even though she knew he could. So she ratted him out to Chris and even shared a video from when they were younger, and Noelle had him perform Phantom of the Opera with her in their living room. She was Erik, he was Christine.

• So Chris tells him he has to sing a song all by himself in New York because Broadway is there, and he was inspired by the video. Noah is so pissed! He knew Noelle was actually mad at him for eating the last of the Rava Ladoo before he left! But she said it was fine! He makes it a point to tell her this during a confessional. He may also be planning to hack into her accounts and post one of the embarrassing videos he had of her.

• Then Noah got an idea. This show is supposed to be family-friendly. If he sang a not so family friendly song, then it would have to be cut! Thankfully, Chris told him he could pick a song to sing, so he quickly told the band what song and hoped they knew it. They did and were all trying very hard not to laugh as they could already imagine Chris's reaction. Then Noah grabbed an intern around his age that he knew named Tristan, who sang and sang well.

• Please imagine Noah singing Sugar Daddy from Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Going all out and everyone is just STUNNED. Alejandro is so flustered, but he can't look away. Izzy, Eva, and Owen are rocking out and cheering for Noah. We love supportive best friends UwU

• Trent and Cody have stars in their eyes and are already trying to come up with arguments of why Noah should join their emo band. I mean boy band.

• Chris is impressed and pissed because he definitely has to cut the song, but it's okay. He's just going to make sure Noah actually sings from here on out.

• Alejandro definitely did not lie awake at night thinking about Noah's performance. Nope!

• When Lindsay is annoyed with someone, she purposefully calls them by the wrong name. She does that already because it's part of her character, but when she's annoyed? She takes it up a notch.

• Yes, Lindsay isn't the smartest person, but come on, she's not that dumb! She's on a gymnastics team and a really good one at that. In order to stay on the team, she has to have decent grades. But she knew that people love a dumb blonde, and she's all for playing the part.

• Tyler may be clumsy, but the dude is actually really strong. We've seen he has an uncanny strength in his fingertips, but also he was able to pull his sled with his team plus random crates. He's actually won a pull-up competition without really trying.

• Heather can do anything in heels. When she was younger, she idolized Michelle Pfieffer's Cat Woman. She saw the way the woman did everything in heels and was just like, "that's gonna be me." And she did it.

• Bridgette is totally a tarot card girlie. I mean, we know she likes crystals from her biography, so I can totally see her being a tarot card reader. Coincidentally, Gwen was a rock/ gem kid, so they tend to talk about rocks/gems and what they mean and it's just a nice break from the competition for the both of them.

• Cody and Noah aren't actually mad about the whole awake-a-thon kiss thing anymore and tend to make jokes about it because they figured if they didn't, others would and they would be pretty cruel about it. So what better way to skip that treatment than to show it doesn't bother them?

• They tend to call each other stupid pet names, but they stopped that because of Sierra. But Cody is still pretty protective of Noah and also considers himself his wingman.

• Alejandro is definitely not glad they stopped because he definitely wasn't jealous.

• DJ and Leshawna tend to jam out together from her playlist since both have a love of music. DJ used to play the trumpet in school for a bit, and Leshawna can actually play the drums pretty well.

• Leshawna sees Tyler as a little brother of sorts. He reminds her of a kid she met when she volunteered at the community center at home, and the poor dude is so clumsy she can't help but try and take him under her wing. Plus, she likes his determination.

• Harold, Noah, Trent, and Tyler were all Scouts. Noah only made it to being a Beaver Scout, not because he couldn't handle the training because he could and got bored! Trent and Tyler made it to be Cub Scouts, but Trent stopped because he got more into music while Tyler was asked to leave because of how many times he got injured.

• Harold made Venturer but then auditioned for Total Drama. He is hoping to get back to it and make Rover!

• Trent has a habit of sneaking Gwen treats from first class if his team wins. She finds it absolutely adorable and makes sure not to tell her team, but she always sneaks him thank you notes.

• When they aren't competing, the kids tend to make their own small competitions like who can do the most push up, who can hold a note the longest, who can steal something from Chris's room without him noticing. Or who can add something to his room and how long it takes for him to notice.

• Also, they bet so much, oh my god. There's a pot where they bet snacks, whatever cash they brought, favors, and secretly votes.

Next Part

[sevenpoyo]

school headcanons for because i only got 3 more weeks

margo’s is so long even tho she got like 2 minutes of screen time bc i love her so much and she’s my gf

Margo Kess, 1610Miles, 42Miles, Gwen Stacy, Pavitr Prabhakar

margo kess / spiderbyte

ain’t shorty on zoom in the movie?

my girl dont attend class, she once shut down the entire blocks power so she would have an excuse to not be in class

eats in class all class everyday, only shares with you

takes really good notes and never studies them

like???? ma’am??? share???

all her electives are programming related and she pretends to busy while playing centipede all day

sends you 50 links to stuff you might like while ur in math

she got papers that let her opt out of gym

no matter how much you beg ur gonna be alone in gym and she doesn’t feel bad about it

popular with no friends type

like everyday 50 ppl stop you both and say hi

she only knows like 5 of their names she can’t stand half of them niggas

empty ass backpack like she got one notebook and one binder

all a’s and b’s like bitch how

her memory is absolutely ass but she can remember every story you told her or stuff that happened when y’all hang out

don’t ask her what she did in her class

don’t ask her if her class also has a history test

she don’t know

she don’t care

but she do know that when you were 8 your cousin burned ur thigh while y’all were playing iron vs knife fight

(u were dumb as hell for picking knife everyone knows iron always wins)

i looked it up on her word everybody uses those virtual avatars

she’ll shit on your class choices so damn hard

she just likes making fun of your choices fr

like half of ur conversation go;

damn i’m tired

u was up doing stupid shit last night you don’t get to complain

stfu that’s why ur a bitmoji

that’s why ur granny beat ur ass for something your brother did when you were 9

i hate telling u shit

then stop telling me shit

(i have no clue how accurate this is to her character but i need to write about her i’m in love but damn it’s long)

1610 miles / spider-man 2 lmao

book bag full locker full but never has a pencil

writes notes assignments and homework in paint pen ink don’t ask this nigga for notes

(he gets nigga treatment but not my queen margo bc i got favorites)

he miss mad classes but somehow still solid attendance record???

somehow always present in the record he miss 40 days and get caught on like 6 of them

unless his mom make breakfast and lunch on her day off for him he eating the most random shit from the bodega closest to visions

like what do you mean you got a cosmic brownie and a cold chopped cheese from last night ? it’s literally 7 in the morning no i don’t want none

makes you hype him up every time he slap boxes people and he’s so ass at it

he be ashy with no lotion atleast 5 times every month it’s embarrassing

he calls visions his white people school to his parents and his friends

once he said it to gwen and they sat in literal complete silence for like 10 minutes

prolly took music theory because he thought it would be easy and switched out of that shit so fast

i’d be so mean to him for enjoying physics

like this nigga trying to make something of him self

lil einstein ass nigga

he understands color theory but can’t explain it

12 half full sketchbooks but at school he literally draw on computer paper he don’t let the sketch book leave his bag

i know he’s ass at watercolor, he always spills shit, the colors always end up brown

try’s to be interested in your class choices bc he wants to know stuff he can talk about with you

when you first meet he can’t take meaner jokes bc he thinks that you mean them

but one day he’s gets comfortable, and brutal

no one in your life is safe when he looses a video game

except your mom

rio taught him better than that

42 miles / the prowler

comes to school with no school related supplies in his bag unless you count art stuff

finds a pencil on his way to class

has a change of clothes, rat tail comb, 3 bottles of water, a camera, a flashlight, lotion and cocoa butter.

like bro ur going to Ap Art not a camping trip

once he pulled out a griddle and and pancake mix and y’all started making pancakes in class

forgets his metro pass every day and gets so pissed ab it

runs into people in the hallway bc he’s never paying attention

idk if he goes to visions but if he does he calls it his white people school with his full chest to anybody even if they’re white

he be leaving halfway through the day all the time like bro you miss algebra 2 every damn day

uncle arron always talking him out of school with some bullshit reason

bro’s had his tonsils out 8 times on the school’s records

He will get ur parents to put his uncle on ur pickup list and you will be out of there with him

he will YELL if someone step on his shoes no matter what the situation like the school could be on fire and he fighting in the burning building

also his uniform is so pristine

his pants stiff

that button down is bleached ironed pressed and allat

this mfer is an online shopping addict u just know he be on amazon in class

will offer you the weirdest food combos like no i don’t want to put tajin mangoes on my beef patty i’m sick of you nigga

not school related but he’s super good with kids (both miles fr) but he’s the #1 little cousin defender and apologists

he ride for them always one of ur little cousins could sucker punch u and he be like

‘they just want u to play with them’

he takes a preforming arts class for fun prolly

loves sports but doesn’t play one understands the stats well and would help if you played one

wakes up at the asscrack of dawn on weekends

SICK ASS COSTUME FOR HOLLOWEEN IK THIS NIGGA LOVE HOLLOWEEN

plans costumes for school spirit weeks but always checks to seen if he’s gonna be the only one wearing a costume for it

never eats lunch unless his mom makes it he be hungry all day and be complaining

his socks are never in uniform (yes some uniform schools have sock rules)

gwen stacy / spider woman / ghost spider

idk what to call her

she has every snack you could ever want in her lunch bag

hates her music theory teacher

she literally has the most pristine locker with a calendar and a mirror and all that shit will write down test for you and important dates for the both of you

goes to school plays and shits on the story, like she ain’t pay 5 dollars to be there

some of her teachers hate her

like ma’am ur beefing with a whole 16 year old rn

she hate english teachers but love creative writing teachers

she keeps all her books in her locker never brings them home never brings them to class

always comes through with an extra pad no matter what

she also always has hand sanitizer

in like 4 extracurricular after school things and complains so bad

ur starting to hate that shit to ur sick of hearing it like girl quit then

10/10 cameraman she has every fight and every drama in 10khd and she will share them if you ask

she chews her pens and nails

has her drumsticks out always teachers have banned her from taking them to their classes

can watch tv on her phone but look focused you think she’s paying attention but then you look over and she’s watching good luck charlie

pavitr prabhakar / spider-man india

always late for class never in trouble

always eating and sharing food and never in trouble

how is he blessed like this? it ain’t fair

eats from the school vending machines or begs other ppl to share

will always have and share the homework answers no matter what he’s an angel

his sock always have holes in them like sir please get that shit together

gym try hard ik goes insane in football/soccer

very encouraging for shit u don’t wanna do he believes in you

you him and Gayatri talk so much shit but are somehow all well liked

he tells you what teachers are dating (he can just tell)

he has toothpaste in his bag for some reason?? i can just feel this one

his aunt will let you come over after school she’s so sweet to you.

always got a job at school assemblies

he’s reading poems or shaking hand or leading in the school pledge or something

Pav’s is short because i have no fucking clue if school in India is different form america and Barbados

[chirpingfromthebox]

The Frost's Post-game Press Session from 1/8/2025 - BOS at MIN

The Minnesota Frost's post-game press session after their home game against the Boston Fleet on 1/8/2025.

At the table were head coach Ken Klee, goalie Maddie Rooney, and forward Taylor Heise.

Transcription is under the break.

[The reporters are almost always hard to hear during these things, but their audio is ESPECIALLY terrible this session. So, I dunno...I tried my best. I had to keep cranking my headphones way up to even try and make the attempt at hearing their questions properly.]

[video starts with Taylor Heise beginning to answer an unknown question.]

TAYLOR HEISE:

That’s exactly what I said in the locker room, yeah. Kelly [Pannek] gets on me every single day about it. I just feel like sometimes you just shoot the puck. I had a really good warm-up shot that looked just like that and I was kind of going “deja vu” in my head and ripped it and that’s where it is. That’s the shot I practice a lot.

[she put a big emphasize on the "a lot" there]

Reporter:

And your message there was keep shooting?

KEN KLEE:

Shoot the puck, yes. 100%. Keep shooting the puck. I mean, it was everybody tonight. I think we looked for a lot of backdoor plays that, obviously, Boston defended very well and we just knew it was gonna be tough to get one. It seemed like the game was so tight, so I think just getting pucks on the net was huge and she made a heck of a shot in the end.

Reporter:

Maddie [Rooney] and Taylor, you both feeling 100%? Is the rest of the team, other than the injuries, back to 100 or?

MADDIE ROONEY:

Yeah, I feel good. Obviously still out with some injuries, like you saw, but pumped the way the group showed up today and came out with the win.

TAYLOR HEISE:

Yeah, we kind of got pounded down last week, just with injuries and sickness and things. But I always think when you come out of that you come out and you feel really good because you haven’t felt good in a while. So, yeah, when we showed up today I knew a lot of the girls were pumped to play and just happy to be out there.

Reporter:

Any physical effects at all for you?

TAYLOR HEISE:

Clearly not. Today.

MADDIE ROONEY:

[Laughing] Feeling good.

Reporter:

Now that the bug seems to be past, how bad was it last week? How sick were people? [Heise looks over at Rooney, Rooney catches her eye and Heise nearly bursts out laughing.] It’s not the first time in hockey that you’ve had something’s gone through the locker room, but how bad was it?

KEN KLEE:

Yeah, I mean, it’s tough. When you’re showing up for practice and you’ve got seven people out and then day of the game you’re getting 4 messages from the trainer in the mid-afternoon to say we’ve got an issue, we’ve got players who aren’t going to be able to make it tonight that in the morning we thought were totally healthy. Or at least healthy enough to be able to play, so. But it’s just one of those things teams go through and like I said this is pro sports: we don’t always get to pick. You don’t get to pick when you play, you don’t get to say you’re going to be 100% every game. You’re gonna have to figure out a way to play kind of sick- or, not feeling great. And obviously our girls are doing a good job of it.

Reporter:

Heise, do you want to weigh in on this?

TAYLOR HEISE:

Yeah, I think it shows that we have depth. It shows that we have determination. I think, not speaking for myself obviously, if I could've played I would have been out there when I was sick. Every single person in the locker room would have done the same thing. Safe to say we were not able to be there. Whether or not that meant getting up off the couch or just being able to go out there and give it your best. But we, I know, as a group knew that whether or not we’re there, everyone that’s in that locker room that’s ready to show up is gonna go out there and do the job that we would have done at the end of the day. I just think knowing that people get sick, it’s the winter, it is what it is. I think just show up and do what you need to do and rely on the fact that the people in your locker room are going to take you home.

Reporter:

Maddie, did you feel at all like, I dunno, like your timeline or, you know, of needing to be back, or like, changed with injury to Nicole [Hensley] last game? Or was it kind of, you feel like, you’re back and you’re ready to go?

MADDIE ROONEY:

Yeah, I think it was just a natural progression. I felt, like, 75% on that last game so I knew I was gonna be back at practice on Monday. And, yeah, happy to be back.

Reporter:

How big was it to see Denisa [Křížová] get her first goal of the season? And her performance tonight?

KEN KLEE:

It’s good. She’s been playing really well for us this year. She’s had a lots of chances. I know when I had her playing with Dom Petrie, I know Dom was getting goals because of how hard Deni was working and that’s the way she plays. She plays a 200ft game. Other people want to play with her because of how hard she works, she creates stuff. So it’s nice to see her get rewarded as well.

Reporter:

0 for 3 on the powerplay. What did you see out there?

KEN KLEE:

Yeah, I mean, the first one I thought we were really moved it around well. We had some good looks. Hit her in the head once. And had a good- I think they had one really good block on us. And the other two we just didn’t seem to find a groove where we were getting a lot of setup time to run, kind of, the progressions that we wanted to run. So, it’s just one of those things that happens. Sometimes when you can’t win the faceoff or they do a good job clearing so we just didn’t have a lot of setup time. It wasn’t a lot of things, it just seems like that’s sometimes how it goes. Where you just don’t get a lot of in-zone time. The first one I thought we got a ton of in-zone time, just with the same line. The other two I didn’t feel like we had a lot. A couple chances on the rush though, so I mean, we still had our looks on the rush. Just looking to bury it.

Reporter:

What are you most excited for on the Takeover Tour in Denver?

TAYLOR HEISE:

I have kind of been in the that area just once and it’s so gorgeous, so beautiful. I just think playing anywhere in front of new fans, creating those long-lasting bonds with young kids who are gonna be able to come out to games. I know I’ve seen a lot of tweets and a lot of people have reached out, just super excited to- for us to come in and play. I know Seattle was a hit. Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe were there. Just, big names are coming out and knowing that we’re putting on a performance and we’re doing what we need to do. Just bringing what we bring to the table to another place is exciting to get new fans.

Reporter:

Taylor, big triple-A commercial dropped this week with [Hilary Knight]. How is it like going against somebody you’re familiar with playing with Team USA and know so well?

TAYLOR HEISE:

I grew up watching her, and when I mean “grow up” I was like 13/14. But she just does all the little things right. And I think when you look at both national team and playing in the P-dub, like- A lot of people know what you do, they know your tendencies. Like, played against Megan Keller and with her for a long time. It’s the same thing. Just knowing that people call Hilary clutch for a reason. You always have to know when she’s out there. We do a good job, coaching staff does a good job of making sure that we’re getting our line-up out there that we need. Because everyone knows what you’re doing, it’s just if you can get through that first wall of defense and then kind of attack them when they’re not ready. But yeah, it's- we have six teams at this point. Everyone’s gonna know what’s going on. You just kind of have to figure it out and whoever’s gonna grind and get down and get dirty I guess is usually the one that wins.

Reporter:

Is that why the games are so close?

TAYLOR HEISE:

Oh for sure.

Reporter:

‘Cause you know each other’s games so well?

TAYLOR HEISE:

That and I think the spread of talent is pretty damn even. I think wherever we’re at it’s always a grind. We always talk about it. It’s doing the little things and making sure we’re showing up every night. You can’t take a night off. This isn’t like a college or high school game where sometimes you’re playing a team you know you’re better than. I think you can think that in this league, but it’s not always the truth. You gotta go out there fully and everyone has to do their job and the play the role that they’re supposed to for your team to win. So I just think every night we have to prove that we can go out there and compete with whoever we’re out there with. And then at the end of the day it’s sometimes who put more pucks in the net.

[End of video.]

[spicy-apple-pie]

For your artists ask (if you’re still doing that) <3

7,8,9,11,15

agggh, you chose all the hard ones lol

7) Favourite works of all time excluding your own

This one is so hard because I have favourite artists, but not many favourite works. Plus, my favourite changes with every passing second but right now I would have to say this drawing of Damian with some birbies by @malenjoyer

I love this art style so much and HE'S SO CUTE

8) What do you like most about your own work

Gosh this is a hard one because I think as artists we're always thinking on whats wrong or how we can improve, but I would have to say the line art. It's my favourite part of the process and I like how much character I add to it, though I want to experiment with a more messier style.

9) What are you currently trying to improve

two things. My colour and my backgrounds. I struggle with picking out background colours that makes the foreground pop out or that just looks nice. And I think almost everyone can agree that backgrounds are hard and boring to draw. But it must be done.

11) Favourite comment you've ever received on your work

I have no idea. I love and cherish every comment on my work. Sometimes I just look through them when I'm feeling down. But my favourite right now is on my comic about Damian riding Batcow. They were basically info dumping about how riding cows isn't actually that great but I put Damian in the best spot to sit when riding. I felt so smart for that, even though I just guessed where someone would sit on a cow.

15) Biggest Art Pet Peeve

I don't have a lot of art pet peeves, more like artist pet peeves. Like those people that make those speed paint videos with the clip of markiplier going "jingle jingle" and slime videos to be like "ooooh you don't have the attention span to watch this speedpaint until the end oooooh you hate artists". I'm being hyperbolic, but I still scroll to spite them lol. But for an actual ART pet peeve, I don't like it when a character has soooo many accessories. tbf that's my personal taste, I still find the art lovely and I still admire those who put so many accessories on characters, if that makes sense??? Like that one post about the art teacher who gave a critique about a girls art telling her to make the teacher hate it? Idk I'm writing this past my bedtime so my brain is a little like mush right know. I also hate people bashing art styles. like the "calarts style" (don't get me started) or any other popular trends. Like dude, ever heard of art eras? Art goes through trends.

Thanks so much for the ask!! Hopefully this wasn't too rambley, I just like talking about stuff lol

[thehotelpod]

ONE MORE WEEK OF DOUBLE STUFF OCTOBER LETS DO SEASON 5 OF IZZY'S EPISODE ART

5.1 Merp and Burble

Our first Big Named Event arc! "BEHIND THE CURTAIN" which I'm almost certain I picked because we could do this cool ass curtain frame device. Izzy continues to bring the pain here with photo bashed curtains, a modified Madam Hotel horrifyingly cartooning about like bugs bunny to reveal our almost Trevor Henderson-like trail cam timelapse photo of Merp. He also gave me a number of color options on this one, maybe we'll have a section in The Guestbook Vol. II of bts sketches? I'll ask Izzy. This one holds a special place in my heart because Merp is, as devotees will recall, just Scary Slar.

rest of the season under the cut! (it's long, you've been warned)

5.2 It Watches and It Smiles

look! The curtain connects at the top! It's gonna be one long picture!

This monster was actually based on a 3 foot tall hard foam statue we had in our house growing up. It is actually scarier looking than you are imagining, made every one of my cousins cry, and is not only something I had nightmares about but also one of the main reasons so much of my horror is "something weird is Over There but looking at you". Full disclosure, one of the reasons I put this monster in this episode was so that Izzy would have to draw a postcard of it and maybe someone would recognize it and tell me what the hell it is because I have not so much as a single photograph of it. BUT then Izzy showed me this drawing, which almost completely hides the monster but it's just so so good I couldn't pass it up. The implied shape and DYNAMITE bloody palm fronds make this look so much like a 90s book cover I fell in love right away. We always try to keep those season and episode numbers in the postcards now too, but I think we forget sometimes?

5.2 Nothing Can Kill That Which Glowers

LOOK AT THIS ONE. Madam Hotel rotting in the reflection of the bubble (she was supposed to show up more in those episodes and sort of be in the process of rotting but she ended up being a single light instead.), I'm crazy about the Owner here, Izzy loves to always keep a little monster in the mix when he draws the Staff. And miss Manager POPS like an 80s music video. Lot's of subtle layers and textures here that can get overlooked, but just like the lake the Owner sinks into, it deepens the longer you linger (did you find the episode number?)

I also like to remind everyone that 'That Which Glowers' is the Grimace and this episode title is a reference to the Clerks cartoon.

5.4 We Are...Watching You...

But are you really LOOKING at it? Do you SEE Izzy's MIND? Lined up you get back to back Managers mirroring each other as well as Madam Hotel in the wings of the now completed curtains--these doubles ALSO frame what is hopefully implied to be the Lobby Boy's hand reaching for his Manager. All of this duality and connection not only reinforces what we know about the characters and show already but set up beautifully the new mirrors about to arrive...

5.5 The Bellhop

THERE SHE IS! There's my goblin girl. You get the bloody vision of the Hotel as Hop sees it as well as the framing for a triptych of the New Crew, each on their own floor. The New Crew stands apart from the Staff in that they have canonical designs immediately, so there tends to be less variation on their fan designs. However there was like ONE WEEK or so before this episode dropped where people were drawing Hop ALL KINDS OF ways. She's one of my favorite designs Izzy's done for the show and I think it's partially because she looks a little like ET.

5.6 The Concierge

Shut up. Shut UP. Look at those colors. Look at that face. Look at those shoulders. Look at those colors! THE COLORS DUKE! THE COLORS!!!! and those printing spots breaking up the lines, all layered over starlight?! It should be, at this point, very hard for Izzy to outdo himself but...he just keeps on outdoing it. We jump down a floor here and the Concierge has slightly more brick surrounding him than the Bellhop did so my pattern recognizers in the crowd can probably guess what's coming next--

5.6 The Auditor

It's been pointed out that Aud has gotten the most detailed description of the main characters on the show. I try to always keep it vague so everyone can imagine whatever they like , but the Auditor is so weird I just wanted to play a little. I saw this scary looking, lonely monster begging to be seen in all white surrounded by nothing. Even the brick and mortar of the Hotel doesn't seem to want to be around her much. One thing I love about Izzy's work is how well he combines whimsy and fun with actual scary imagery. She looks really scary. That is a scary looking monster he drew.

I also think she kind of looks like this alien from Star Trek IV (hey look Star Trek showed up)

5.9 Tenaj Druh - 004 Moor

Oh how I wish I could have a full set of New Crew postcards from Izzy seeing season 1 from a different perspective (for that matter I'd love a full set of season 1 from Izzy, but one thing at a time). Getting to not only see Janet Hurd, but see the NEW CREW checking her in is so so exciting. And the Manager's TV's re-imagined as giant bloody eyeballs is expressed to it's grossest perfection here. Even the Goosebumps frame is tinted sickly green. (the rest of the season also has Goosebumps frames but I'm trying to show off Izzy's art I want you all to have a good look)

5.10 Tnurb Yrrah - 002 Moor

this one's bonkers. The Hubble's ultra deep field on the left, brains on the right but both halves of one face with the broken illusion between them that is just the building of the Hotel herself?? It's got poster folds and teeth for doors! This is a really stunning one that I feel like deserves a little more attention than it gets. Also maybe I spoke too soon on the Goosebumps frame, I don't...this one doesn't have one but maybe I just saved that file somewhere weird.

5.11 IT'S NEW YEARS EVE, JUDY BLASHY!

This is i think the first one we did that had a Goosebumps frame baked in. You can see the 5 and 11 on the clock give us our season and episode number, but that gets a little lost on the printed version so here it is in all it's glory. Love to get to see Judy here her FACE is so EXPRESSIVE and sharp. Notice how Izzy does NOT draw her with a gap tooth. Is that gap battle damage, or some aesthetic flourish the Hotel likes for her bodies? You'd have to ask Izzy. Also love getting to see him draw the things in her furnace room, which are like huge and imply a much larger elevator inside the box. Always reinforcing that boundaries and rules do not apply at the Hotel

they are also based on the family from Mac and Me

what the fuuuck?? why are they so scary??? why are they like that?? why did they make this movie this way?? I was a child!

5.12 The Reaper's Envy

Finishing up the season is this gorgeous party poster that would be right at home in the 90s. Other than the colors (THE COLOR!) I want to point out the confetti that breaks out of the border that also quietly includes some vermin (all up top, letting your eye drift down to the New Crew being reflected in what hopefully everyone assumed was Judy Blashy's eye. Of course we know now who's eye that is and what it's connected to (nothing its nothing it got cut out)

And that's season 5. Now we have entered the @filthyguts desert and must wait once again for the rains to return. I've got new ideas for season 6 that are gonna completely change how we do the art for the show and maybe we can even squeeze some button designs out of him when we launch the next wave of stuff we're launching.

I've said it before and I'll say it again and again and 100 more times, but Izzy's art is a hugely important part of the show, a source of inspiration not only to the fans who listen but to me myself (especially in my lower moments) and I am so so happy that his art and his style has come to define the show.

[heyftinally]

Swifties do love setting Taylor up.

Just what I saw on Twitter Yesterday:

1989 is a pop Bible that everybody knows. - Well if it's trash maybe.

Reputation is hip hop ??? - What?

Reputation is goth Rock ?? - Lol

That Reputation is also supposed to be R&nB - like where?? wtf?

And her new album the Treacherous Dead Poets Default is an album with a new sound.

Or this yt lady on tt that was claiming that no other artists has transcended genres as successfully as taylor did. 😭 And she mentions Rock? Girl where? And literally there are tons of artists who did it way better than her.

Or that one video which they have now deleted bc taylor was getting dragged. It was a video of her just walking on stage and singing (not live) and the caption was like: I can't believe she was doing that for the first time. ' - Some small part of me does feel sorry for these delusional fanbase. Cause she has the highest grossing tour right now. Big emphasis on right now cause that record is not forever. Anyways they can not post much about her performance anywhere without people using it to drag her. Cause let's face it. She can't perform. She's not serving. She's giving nothing. Her dancers slay more than she does.

Pffffft Taylor went from pop country to pop and never changed again. Slightly different vibes? Sure. Still pop. She wouldn't know rock if it smacked her in the head.

Missy Elliott is hip hop. Early P!nk (ie Most Girls) is R&B. Sumo Cyco is goth rock (+ others, but still). Taylor Swift wouldn't touch any of those genres with a 10ft pole, and quite frankly she'd suck at them if she tried lol.

She doesn't "transcend genres", and considering she can't even make different versions of pop sound good, I think we know why.

And no, she can't perform. Let me flex my expertise here: I'm a trained dancer. Specifically with 26 years of training in tap, jazz, ballet, theater, and contemporary, with additional training in commercial/street jazz (aka music video and tour choreography) and various other styles in sporadic classes. I've literally been choreographing since I was about seven years old, and have been analyzing commercial choreography since I was 15.

That said,

Her performances are not only weak, but they show me that her tour choreographer either

Doesn't exist and she created all of her own "dancing" herself

Doesn't know how to adapt choreography for someone with virtually no dance technique

Actively has something out for Taylor and is trying to make her look bad

I'm going to reference "Look What You Made Me Do" from the Eras tour, because that's the most recent and clearest to illustrate my point

A video of the performance in question, for reference.

Okay, first off, right off the bat, her hand floating on her hip looks awkward and uncomfortable. It's giving "over-excited 8yo at recital". For someone with as much experience as she has performing, I'd expect her to look more settled in her beginning pose. She looks like she's overthinking, and thus it looks under rehearsed.

Then we have that flexed hand - yes it's a nit pick, but that pose belongs very few places outside of a 6yo's tap dance.

Movibg on, her robotic movements look messy as fuck. Sharp isolations like that are HARD. A lot of dancers with years of training struggle with getting the kind of sharpness you would expect to see from that choreography. And on the scale of a stadium like she's in, everything is amplified. If it's messy, it's going to look five times as messy as it might on a smaller scale, because the further away the audience is, the more detail gets lost. So you're movements need to be SHARP in order to translate to the audience. Add to that that this is clearly filmed professionally/intentionally, and it really just looks unprofessional/poorly planned.

Meanwhile the things like the "don't like you" scolding (besides looking childish) are so small that you wouldn't see them beyond the front row. When you're choreographing even for a normal stage, the #1 rule is make everything BIG and intentional. If you're kicking, you're hitting AT LEAST a 45° angle, and with the force of trying to kick the winning soccer (football) goal. Taylor doesn't do that. Those movements are small, sad, and weak, and it honestly looks lazy. I know a 10yo currently doing a competitive dance solo to this song, and I shit you not that 10yo is 50x more interesting to watch perform than Taylor.

So yeah, her music has been one note since Fearless one note (uninspired pop), and her "stage presence" is about on par with an 8yo who doesn't want to be here.

[heloflor]

Was thinking a bit about how “The Devil’s Playhouse” has a lot more comedy than people make it out to be, and while especially thinking about “The Penal Zone” I realized this episode is actually very very very very gay. Like, I’m pretty sure it’s the Telltale episode with the highest amount of gay moments (205 is second on this list, what with Sam getting catcalled by a moleman, Max flirting with Mr. Reaperphone, the whole bachelor party, Peppers etc).

I think what I really like about those moments is that it’s a great example of normalization. The characters are incredibly casual about it, talking about gay relationships the exact same way one would talk about straight relationships, it’s really neat to see! Especially considering that this game was made in 2010, a whooping 5 years before gay marriage was legal in the whole US. It's crazy and great how much they were able to get away with!

(Screenshots of all these moments with timestamps (and quotes) under the cut. To have as little pics as possible, only a small section of each dialogue is taken. And to have a limit of two screenshots per pic max, some dialogues that are cut in two parts in-game have the second part pasted under the first. The timestamps puts you at the beginning of each conversation. All footage from NapalmX717 with the screenshots in chronological order of this video)

Max: “What can I say, Sam? Alien ships love to abduct me. It’s not my fault I look so probe-able.” (9:44)

Sam: “Nice work, little buddy! Make sure you wait three days to call, or he’ll thing you’re desperate.” (11:47)

Max: “Well, he IS pretty charismatic, Sam. And he’s from space, which is a plus. But you’re the only hairy, overweight, domineering control freak I need, Sam.” (20:38)

Sam: “I don’t need to go to another planet for a methane rich environment, as long as I’ve got you, pal.”

Max: “That’s really sweet and obvious, Sam.” (22:46)

Skun-ka’pe: “Perfect! Just the one I wanted to see ha ha ha ha!”

Sam: “Keep the hands where we can see ‘em, pal.” (23:36)

Max: “We could just give ourselves tongue-baths, like cats and flight attendants do!” (30:57)

Sam: “Why do we have jumper cables? Neither of us knows how to use them.”

Max: “It’s simple, Sam: the RED cable goes on the RIGHT nipple, the BLACK cable clamps to the…” (34:42)

Max: “Oh boy! Now I can finally set up my 24-hours adults-only naked bunny chat line.” (34:58)

Sam: “Toys...Toys… we must prepare… the toys….”

Max: “Well, that’s just a typical Friday night for YOU, Sam.” (36:45)

Flint Paper: “Oh. Well yeah, that could be it. I was thinking it was you, Sam!”

Max: “You think you know a guy. I’m not angry, Sam, just very disappointed.” (1:03:49)

(For context they’re talking about who might be Girl Stinky’s secret admirer)

Max: “I can’t lie to Flint Paper, Sam!” (1:05:20)

Max: “What kind of pretend mother would I be if I didn’t worry about our imaginary baby?” (1:10:31)

Momma Bosco: “Oh, it’s not all bad. I’m getting better at apparating. And now I don’t leave a trail of ectoplasmic slime behind every time I leave the room.”

Max: “That’s better than Sam can say.” (1:23:13)

Sam: “I’m not gonna rest until I find the guy who killed my partner!” (1:43:13)

Max: “Wow. I feel really very close to you now, Agent Superball.” (1:45:33)

Sam: “I don’t like the thought of you teleporting off without me, Max.” (1:46:33)

Max: “Sam, this is all so sudden! I… I don’t know what to say!” (2:07:10)

Sam: “I think one of us should try to smash through that window with his rock-hard, melon-sized head.”

Max: “And I think one of us should try the door, unless he wants to spend the rest of the day picking plate glass out of his partner’s fluffy white nether regions.” (2:17:00)

Girl Stinky: “Sam and Max? Don’t tell me Skun-ka’pe wants YOU guys to be his love slaves, too?” (2:24:48)

Girl Stinky: “Eww. He wishes. He’s SO not my type. You only have to date an evil gorilla once to learn never to make THAT mistake again.”

Max: “We’ve all been there, girlfriend.” (2:25:07)

Girl Stinky: “Gee, it sounds like YOU two should go out with him. Would you like me to give you guys some privacy?” (2:27:33)

Max: “You’re my best friend, Sam! I know you’d take a bullet for me!” (2:31:02)

Sam: “You keep coming up with creepy disaster scenarios that always end with you eating me, Max. It’s getting annoying.”

Max: “If you don’t like it, then stop looking so damn tasty.” (2:38:11)

Max: “Think of something quick, Sam. I don’t like the way he’s undressing me with his eyes.” (2:53:22)

[motownfiction]

blockbuster

Sadie waits outside the new Blockbuster in the cold. She’s been to a Blockbuster before – they all have – but this one feels different. This one is on the streets where they learned to drive, and that just seems more special. A full circle now that they’re all done with college.

She talked it over with Lucy, and they have a plan. As soon as the doors open, they’re going to rush inside and rent the three videos that mean the most to them. Lucy used to have a copy of The Outsiders, but when Elenore was a year old, she knocked it off a high shelf and pulled all the film out. Sadie was babysitting her at the time, and she thought Lucy would be pissed. But she wasn’t. When she and Will came home from Sarah’s birthday dinner, Lucy just laughed. She picked Elenore up and said, “Well, I always knew girls wanted to get inside that movie. Now I’ve got proof.”

Lucy, of course, is late today. Elenore had a doctor’s appointment right before close of business, and of course, the pediatrician was running behind. When Sadie answered the phone at home, and Lucy sounded panicked, Sadie thought for a moment that the doctor’s appointment hadn’t gone well, that there was something wrong with Elenore. Thank goodness there wasn’t. Lucy just felt terrible that she was behind again. She’s been running late to things for almost six years. Six years in April.

Sometimes, Sadie wonders what it would have been like if Lucy didn’t get pregnant in eleventh grade, or if she hadn’t gone through with it. Maybe those are awful things to think about, especially the latter, but it’s hard not to play with alternate timelines. What would have happened? Would Lucy make it to appointments on time? Would she be working on her master’s degree at Wayne State like she is today? Would she and Sadie be single-lady roommates in Detroit? Would they have gone somewhere else?

But it’s no use. She knows the answers to all of those questions. Without Elenore, they would have disintegrated. All of them. Lucy would have moved to Boston four and a half years ago. Will would have married someone nondescript, someone he accepted more than loved. Sam wouldn’t be thinking about opening a little store one day where people like Elenore could come in, discover new music, and change their lives. Sadie wouldn’t be married to Daniel. She might not be working on a master’s degree of her own. She and Lucy probably wouldn’t even be best friends. Just an obligatory Christmas card with polite but intangible promises to get together if they’re ever in the same area.

Better late than on the coast.

Sadie turns her head when she hears huffing and singing in the distance.

“Don’t sleep in the subway, darling! / Don’t stand in the pourin’ raaaaaiiin …” come on, Elenore, you like this song!”

“I don’t like it when I’m running!”

“We have to run! Come on! You try to be smart, then you … take it to heart!”

“Why are we running?”

“Because we have to see Sadie!”

“Sadie!”

She and Elenore spot each other from across the parking lot. At first, Elenore begins to dart across, but Lucy – faster than she ever remembers – scoops her up and makes her go slow.

“Ah-ah-ah!” Lucy says. “Do we run across parking lots? Ever? At all? Especially when it’s dark?”

“No, Mom.”

“Very good. You’re lucky it’s just me and not Daddy. He would have cried.”

“He always cries.”

“Yes, he does. Now, hold my hand, and we’ll walk to go see Sadie.”

They take the last few steps before approaching. Sadie knows she can’t control the smile on her face as she bends down to give Elenore a hug. Elenore, Elenore, Elenore. The girl who changed it all.

“Hi, Sadie,” Elenore says. “Did you know my dad always cries?”

Sadie laughs.

“Yes, I did.”

“I think it’s funny.”

Lucy squeezes Elenore’s shoulder and looks up at Sadie.

“I really am so sorry we’re late,” Lucy says. “Doctors should be on time.”

“It’s OK,” Sadie says. “I’d rather you take Elenore for her check-up than skip it. Gotta make sure our girl is as perfect as we think she is.”

Elenore beams.

“So, what movies are we getting?” she asks.

“Good question, babe,” Lucy says. “Mommy wants you to see The Red Shoes.”

“Which Sadie thinks is insane,” Sadie adds. “She’s five years old.”

“Almost six,” Lucy and Elenore say at the same time.

“Still!”

“My daughter is very advanced, Sadie. If I shelter her from great art, who does that help? More importantly, who does it hurt?”

“I think you’re talking double.”

“Little bit, yeah, but there’s a point wedged in there.”

Sadie laughs.

“Well, I want you to see The Care Bears Movie,” she says. “I think you’d like it.”

“I like Care Bears,” Elenore says. “Sure.”

“And then, we’re going to rent The Outsiders,” Lucy says. “Like we did before you were born. You might not like that one yet.”

Elenore mulls it over.

“Is that the one I pulled out all the tape?” she asks.

Lucy and Sadie look at each other and try to avoid erupting.

“Yes,” Lucy says delicately. “Yes, it is.”

“Yeah. I might not like that one yet.”

Sadie bites her lip to keep from more laughter. Yes, she can imagine a world where Lucy didn’t get pregnant in high school, and even a world where Lucy and Will had a baby a few years later. But that baby wouldn’t have been Elenore. Beautiful, brilliant, perfect little Elenore. They wouldn’t be standing out here, waiting for the Blockbuster doors to open, friends after all this time. Without Elenore, Lucy would be a memory. A stranger.

As the doors open, and the patrons filter inside, Lucy gives Sadie a strange look.

“Yeah?” Sadie asks.

“Nothing, I think,” Lucy says. “You just look … like you’re worried about something.”

Sadie shakes her head.

“Nope! I don’t see anything to worry about here.”

Lucy nods, but that strange look is still behind her eyes. Somehow, Sadie knows she’s thinking the same thing.

I’m so glad you’re really here.

I’m so glad you’re not a memory.

part of the september prompts on my new co-run blog, @analognostalgia -- day 2, "blockbuster"

[alexissara]

Upcoming Sapphic Games "Goddess List" Part 2.

I’m back with a new Sapphic Games Goddess List this list will mostly not be touching on any game I mentioned on the previous list so do check that out for even more upcoming sapphic games. A lot of the games from the previous list have now been released but plenty are yet to see their day in the sun yet so do give it some love, I am giving a forecast of what I see in the horizon for 2024 and beyond. I will likely make a new one of these lists when I think I have enough games to talk about. If you know about any games coming with any significant Sapphic parts of their narrative or gameplay please let me know and I will happily include them in the next list. 

I am just making these lists because for me, at this point I mostly want to play games I feel represented by so I am doing this research anyway, I may as well share with you all. That said this research is hard and long, I play every demo I can for games labeled LGBT that have a shot of being sapphic, I try asking devs if their game has sapphic content, I try to find every single place the games been spoken about, not to mention actually hunting down these games. It is a big process and if you would like to support me doing this research over on Pateron or Ko-fi that would be amazing, plus you’d be helping me make more sapphic art like my work  in the TTRPG space but also I am low key working very slowly on a video game because it’s something I always wanted to do. Could be 25 years for now but every dollar makes it more possible for me to make more polished art from comics to games but anyway, let’s move on from asking for cash to tempting you with things to spend cash on with the list. 

Non VNs

Sunnyside

Sunnyside is boasting a large as hell roster of romanceable characters with 24 characters being boasted to be on release. Like most farming sims you pick from the fabled three pronouns She/He/They and customize their character. You pick your gender on a slider from Female to Male so you describe your gender through the place in the slider you picked and characters have a preference inside of that. They said on a live stream that the minimum options you should have is 4 which I took to mean maybe if your gay or a lesbian you might only have 4 of those 24 options to romance which is not great really to know the game has so few options for you out of all the options in the game but we'll have to wait and see on how it plays out. There is also no polyamory in the game, you can be dating a few characters at a time but there is a lock in point where you must be monogamous. It's one I am keeping my eyes on but has it's ups and downs in it's approach to gender and sexuality. I do really appreciate it boldly moving outside of the norm though and actually standing out in the crowd of dating sims.

Witch and Lillies 

A dungeon crawler all about forming relationships between women and killing monsters in a dungeon. Characters form relationships and can even have stumbles in them similar to a game like Miitopia but a bigger focus is put on romance and all the characters you can generate are women. This game does not seem to have a focus on narrative even below the degrees of something like Etrian Odyssey but if you just want the story to be the mechanics that are in play and the building relationships of these women you create then it’s gonna be a really perfect game.  

Keylocker 

A tactical RPG with a cyberpunk flare and a built in relationship system. This game is a really flavourful game that just has an art direction that just totally captures the kind grim but with a sliver of hope cyberpunk it wants to capture. 

Dustborn

Dustborn labels itself as LGBT on steam, it says you can shape relationships, the main girl looks gay, I am gonna put it here and not in speculation despite it technically being speculation. Some people say this game looks cringe but honestly, I am cringe and I am free, I think it looks stupid in a fun way but we’ll see how it is when it comes out. 

Izrand allure

Izrand Allure is a game set in the world of one of the creators previous games Luxarane Allure, like that game this game will feature an all WLW cast giving us plenty of good sapphics, lesbians, yuri, etc. This game will be a complete standalone RPG with no need to have played the previous game and promises some evolved mechanics job system and a much larger cast too with 7 party members. If you were ever like I wish there was a game like Final Fantasy but lesbians were in it then I suggest you keep your eye on this one [and go download Luxarane Allure, it’s free and if you like it you could give the dev money].

Rouge Labyrinth

Rouge Labyrinth will contain romantic epilogues with characters including a poly option. There will be sapphic romance included within these although idk if the poly option is multiple women + Non Binary people or if it is as it is in the majority of poly representation in games one man and one woman. Time will tell on that but what I can say is this Rougelike game looks really fucking cool, fighting colonisim is an all time hobby and this is a game I am really keeping my eye on. The game has a demo so I for sure recommend you check it out and see how it feels for you. 

Narrative Games 

Living the Dream

While the game failed it’s kickstarter goal the developer hasn’t given up in fact the game’s scope is being increased. The game is a very queer game in general but when talking to the developer I did get it confirmed that this body swap adventure has sapphic romances inside of it and the designs are super cute. 

Renai Bakudan

Can love bloom in a love hotel, probably, ya, almost certainly.  Coming from the developers of Good Lucky Baby! and LOVE BAKUDAN comes Renai Bakudan an 18+ Yuri game all about lesbians [and probably other sapphics] lesbianing it up in a love hotel. Inside of this game is even more gayness with unlockable gay erotic written by sapphic erotica writers. You play as Ex-yakuza Juri Kido who know is a cleric at a Love Hotel and ends up meeting lots of hot women. There is 7 whole romance routes with one that’s going to be voted for because it hit the stretch goal. It’s an impressive piece of sexy accomplishment and one you should keep your eyes in. 

Lock and Key

A married couple of magical girls are having a pretty nice life. Only issue is magical girls lose their power at 30 and a murder mystery is brewing. Can they figure out what the hells going on while they still have their powers? While I don’t love the lose your powers when you turn 30 plot point I do think murder mystery and magical girls and lesbians is like a ton of good shit all backed into one good package. The demo is really solid and I think it’s a game you really should check out.

Our Home, My Keeper 

A writer goes to the countryside and finds love, a classic. That writer falls for a fairy in a really sweet little lesbian romance game. It’s not a dating sim where you're going to be picking between love interests but it’s a narrative adventure where you’ll learn about these characters and their world.

Summer At The Edge Of The Universe

A solar punk game with a bigger edge towards the scifi then the majority of Solar Punk. The game has two romances one with a non binary character and one with a woman. In addition there is an aro woman who you can make out with but is not interested in a romantic relationship, just friendship. 

The Phantom of the Black Rose Revue

Capturing a clearly classic manga style, The Phantom of the Black Rose Revue is the most aesthetically unique VN I’ve seen in a long time with a bold black and white take. You play as Chihiro Sato who has a dream of being famous for her acting in her all female theater troupe. She starts getting obsessive letters and mystery, romance, and more begin to take this story in all sorts of fun directions. Act 1 is all up for playing but there is more to come in the future. 

Read Only Memories: NEURODIVER

Midboss are one of the biggest people in Gayming. A sequel to Read Only Memories, a very classic VN in the indie scene, brings us more gay adventures with our sapphic lead who was a character from the previous game elevated to main character. This game gives a stunning cyber punk vibe that is a visual treat and delight. 

Call Me Cera

I got like a tiny bias in this in that they have made a little spinoff game and in it the characters play Thirsty Sword Lesbians which I worked on but they didn’t even mention any of the stuff I made for TSL in it and I also do not make royalties on TSL but I wanted to mention that the creator has great taste I guess. The game is focused on making meaningful connections and an attempt to move these games into a place where you make healthy decisions for you not just the right options to win someone's affection.

Skate & Date

Roller Derby is for the sapphic, we know this to be true and yet there is such a lack of Roller Derby sapphic romance games but what’s this on the horizon a derby filled game about girls who are gonna do a kiss. This game sounds really cute and it’s one I have had my eyes on for a while. 

Decent Gay Potential 

Project L

While project L does not currently have any of the many canon queer characters in the LoL universe as playable it is very likely that at least one of the canon sapphic characters are included in the roster of the game just given their popularity and that they are compatible with this kind of fighting game. If the roster leak is accurate we’ll have Vi in the game, which makes sense, big fists, in Arcane, one of the most popular characters, and just so happens to be a lesbian. Even if the leak was totally wrong, Vi feels fairly likely even with the already existing inclusion of Jinx and Ekko just because Piltover and Zaun in the Runeterra universe are probably the most popular region. 

Outside of Vi at present Nekko, Diana, Leona, Caitlyn and Nidalee are all canon sapphic women who could end up in the game as playable characters. Riot likes to reveal about 3 gays a year as has been the pattern since 2021, 2 at pride and 1 randomly in the year so it is possible 3 more women are added to this list before Project L’s release if it came out in 2024 and 6 are possible if it comes out in 2025.There will probably be some queer men, maybe they’ll finally say the one obvious trans woman is trans, we can’t know for sure but of the many characters in the their world I do think at least one of these women have a shot at making it in the starting roster. 

SaGa Emerald Beyond

There is a pair of bonnie and clyde styled cops and while ewww pigs they do seem kinda gay so I gotta mention it here it’s possible is all I am saying. The Saga series way back in the day had a Lesbian main character, it really wouldn’t be out of the blue for the game to include a new set of sapphic women. Especially given in the gacha game it is very clear that the sapphic women are two of the most popular characters given they have been given many alts and they would only get alts if those alts sold. 

Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes 

This game is called 100 heroes, if they are gonna have 100 characters there should at least be one lesbian and 1 bi woman and they should get together. I think it could happen.  There is nothing to say for sure but I believe.

Mahou Senshi Cosplay Club

It’s listed under LGBT games and their previous game Chroma Squad had optional sapphic romance depending on what characters of what gender you put in what role in the game. There was no real way to know you were gonna end up with that but since then they know that they have a decent queer fan base so I think it is very possible to get some sapphic fun even if it’s chose your own gay style. 

Double Shake  Loam and Dinx seem to be intended to get together and the game is listed as LGBT+ so I am gonna go out on a limb here and say, probably sapphic. It could be that idk Loam is trans or Dinx is Ace/Aro idk for sure but I think sapphic. 

HellMall

It’s a gay furry game, these things tend to lean towards men but it is possible that this is a gay fury game with some goodies for the Lesbians. 

Spirit City: Lo-fi Sessions

This game probably doesn’t include proper sapphic representation but it’s kinda just a playlist and screen filter idling game to have on as you do work. What it does promise is some pride flags and maybe there will be some other queer things inside of it.

[kay0783]

I have some questions for those who are autistic/neurodivergent and have AHDH:

1) How long did it take for you to get diagnosed and

2)What advice would you give to those who believe they *might* be on the spectrum?

To put a long story short, one of my favorite animators on YouTube released a video talking about how she was diagnosed with AuDHD. I've always been a big fan of hers because I felt like I could relate to her, even though I could never pin point why. Once I watched the video and she explained all her symptoms/the way she functioned, I realized that (nearly) everything she spoke about is something I can relate to and struggle with.

I just want to clarify that in no way shape or form am I trying to "claim" having ADHD or autistic without any diagnosis. Ever since I realized I relate to the youtuber's overall functioning, I started doing some research and popped into some neurodivergent social media communities just to see what other peoples' lives were like with an official diagnosis. And 🥳surprise🥳... I once again found myself relating to a lot of experiences people were talking about.

What I've come across in some general research is that:

A) autism is caused by a genetic mutation + genetics (pls correct me if I'm wrong)

Genetic mutations run in my family and I even have a family member who suspects they are on the spectrum as well

B) Autism, specifically in women and girls, is often misdiagnosed as other disorders.

When I was 11 I was diagnosed with 8 mood disorders (a variety of anxiety and depression disorders), and vaguely remember a comment on some sort of platform that being diagnosed with an absurd amount of disorders is usually a sign that there is a much bigger, underlying issue at hand.

And C) not everyone with autism or AuDHD functions the same, yet there is not much research done on women with autism.

Again, I've read that there are many 'quirks' and ways in which neurodivergent people act, think, and speak. It's just kinda frustrating because my whole life I've been suffering with a mountain of other disorders and have had to be prescribed medications and go through a fuck tone of therapy sessions......all for something that doctors may not have picked up on, and misdiagnosed.

In no way do I mean to bash any medical professionals. I get that there's not a lot of understanding of what autism is like in other groups other than white, cis males (again, no offense, it's just what I've read). For crying out loud, my own mother worked YEARS as a special Ed teacher for students with down syndrome and are extreme cases of autism, but that kinda adds to my frustration because if she never noticed anything, then am I making this all up??? Am I losing my mind??? It sure feels like it. But at the same time it doesn't because when I read posts from people with autism and ADHD, so many things start piecing themselves together and just. make. sense. Idk how to word it. I do so many things that make it hard to function day-to-day, and when I listen to others like me, I feel seen and heard for the first time. For the first time I'm thinking that I might not be crazy.

So, long story (not so) short, is it worth me looking into getting an assessment? What if the medical professionals don't believe me? How long does it take to get a diagnosis?

(If there are any medical professionals out there who are willing and able to give some advice, please feel free to comment).