#qas trying not to do that as much but fuck it

[blueboyinthestars]

I need all my family in a nest rn.

[aroaceofthesea]

Istg one of these days i will forget how to read actual notes

[dragon-in-spirit]

I have performed surgery on the cpu I ordered with a box cutter. The two bent pins it arrived with are back in alignment with their brethren.

Goddamn tactile hypersensitivity is useful sometimes

[official-darkforest]

What’s Jayfeather and Alderheart’s relationship like in your au? I always imagined Jayfeather choosing to tutor one of his siblings after Hollyleaf, Cinderheart, and Lionblaze kind of did and he realizes five days later he was mislead into thinking this would be fun but now he just has a little 13 year old on his hands. But I don’t know how well that translates to another time period

kinda! i think with how the timelines overlap a lot closer (to make sure that characters are within reasonable age differences between each other) alder and his sister were born earlier and are only just barely younger than ivy/dove, so jay/lion/holly’s childhood overlaps with alder/spark’s a little bit. i’d say with squirrel’s fertility issues (probably PCOS or some other unspecified reproductive disorder) they probably have a pretty significant age difference but not to the same degree as the books where jay was a grown ass adult (theres a 5 year difference between them in canon! that means he wouldve been like fucking 35 or so human yrs LMFAOO) by the time alder was born. maybe 10 yrs at the most. dandelion and juniper were born between that but unfortunately didnt survive long

as for their relationship, they were pretty okay. jay was probably fresh into college by the time alder got diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. squirrel/bramble probably pressed jay about it but he dismissed them because he was still a student at the time and nowhere near a professional yet. alder idolized jay a lot growing up because he “didn’t let his disability hold him back”. there qas a lot of inspiration porn type of thinking on alder’s end and honestly the rest of the family kinda perpetuated it as well so its not just him. its not intentional either but yknow. at a certain point (and a lot of long conversations and arguments between the two about it) alder stops idolizing him to such an unhealthy degree and doesn’t fall into the ‘if my disabled brother can do xyz then i have 0 excuses’ line of thinking as much as he used to. while alder isnt the biggest fan of jay trying to psychoanalyze him mid-argument, he takes his word into consideration anyways

jay likes to say he thinks alder is irritating (in the younger sibling kind of way) but honestly spark was worse than alder when she was a teenager. jay just interacted with alder more since he was quieter and less overstimulating, especially when in the Deepest Pits Of College Homework Hell. also hes bluffing he really does enjoy alder’s company. he’s hard on him because he wants the younger to succeed, evem if hes a bit mean about it sometimes.

alder eventually becomes a pharmacist instead of a psychologist, finding the work of the former much more attuned to his needs and his likes. he’s still helping people. by the 2010s-2020s, he’s even filled and compounded a few medications jay prescribed to his patients!

[thr0wnawayy]

"Canon" Perception: Why MHA's World Building SUCKS!

I figured I'd make this post because it's about time I discussed my views on "Canon" or as I like to call it

The Vanilla-verse

Why?

Because Hori's version of events feel like he opened a choose your own adventure game and clicked the most straight forward options available.

Quirk Awakenings Make No Sense (JJK mentioned)

@bibibbon might like this one.

It's no secret MHA's world building is, lackluster. It feels empty.

Characters not allowed to speak out or back against favored ones, Plot lines dropped, Victims shuffled off to the side.

But where Hori fails most of all is his power system:

But first Jujitsu Kaisen

Similar to Hori, Gege (I hope I spelled that right) also struggles with world building.

Firstly the concept of Cursed Spirits.

Monsters being created from "bad" or negative emotions can work as a concept. But it also heavily depends what is considered bad.

It could allow for the tackling of what makes emotions "bad" and tie in with the shows setting of a restrictive society that forces people to either mold to the pressure or be crushed by it.

Suppressing their true selves and emotions in favor of fitting in with the norm. (to evade social subjugation)

Instead, it demonizes what is a fundamentally intrinsic part of human existence, if nor most sapient life.

It also brings up too many questions that go unanswered: Like the historical implications. If spirits have been around for so long, then why aren't places like Japan (with it's bloody history and bleak present) overrun with then.

Why are spirits trying to replace humanity if humans act as the sole reason for their existance. After all: No Humans = No Cursed Energy = No Sprits

What exactly counts as a "negative" emotion and how much does it take to give birth to a cursed spirit. Stuff like that doesn't seem to have an answer.

[This is also coming from someone who has never interacted with JJK in their life]

Similarly Hori has the same problem with almost every detail in the Vanilla-verse. Stuff like: Eri's bullets, Quirk Singularity, Trigger and so, so much more is never elaborated on.

So pray tell, why did I chose Quirk Awakenings to be the subject of this section.

Because they prove that Hori has no idea what he is doing.

Quirk Awakening or QA's might just he the most frustrating thing in MHA. Doesn't matter if it's in Hori's-verse or someone else's.

It hardly fucking ends well and that's because it's so broad.

Take Himiko's quirk awakening.

At first glance, it seems alright. A tad off but not something to raise hell about.

That is until you look at her quirk.

Transformation is a quirk that relies on blood to work, Himiko cannot copy quirks partially because quirks are stored in the DNA of an individual and Transform can only copy the outward appearance of a person.

She needs to learn the individuals mannerisms and habits on her own, she doesn't achieve those by the default of her quirk.

(The same could be argued for her voice, it would be much more impressive if she trained it)

It would make much more sense then, for the evolution of her quirk to allow her to better mimic people. Expanding the scope of who and what she could change into and how accurately she could become a subject.

It also would fit the theme of 'becoming who you love' with the saying 'imitation is the sincerest form of flattery'

Instead, though. Hori decided to make her AFO lite and it is broken.

If she copies AFO, does she obtain his quirks?

Would her quirk awakening account for other quirk awakenings. Say she transforms into Shigaraki would she be as strong as him post MVA or would she be stuck with USJ-level Decay?

Ignoring the blatant retcon-ex machina of it being dependent on Himiko's connection (not like it mattered during the Forest Camp Raid!), It is massively over powered and it doesn't fit Himiko's themes.

Now, let's look at Twice.

Twice's quirk (Double) allows him to produce identical copies of anyone through a sludge like substance that excretes from the palms of both his hands.

Each copy is a little weaker than the original, if a copy makes a copy then that fragility doubles.

Twice's quirk is ties to his character by his trauma. To the point he's so fearful of turning to sludge, that he actively goes out of his way to avoid conflict.

This guy had to watch himself kill himself, clone against clone and until MVA, Twice isn't even sure he's the original.

Twice's quirk awakening works.

It works solely because of Twice's character and themes, it simply fits.

It makes sense, Twice was so traumatized that he actively suppressed a part of himself and by breaking through that barrier he can begin to grow stronger by accepting himself.

Twice's quirk awakening works because the peice were always there. It wasn't that Twice pulled this out of his ass, he earned it.

He not only unlocked a part of himself, he came back stronger. In this way the formula works

Quirk + Effort/ Character Growth = Stronger Quirk.

Rather than replace or rebuild, Twice's QA works with what was already present and it comes off wonderfully.

I wish I could say the same for our next "challenger"

I have plenty of complaints about Shigaraki as a character, plenty.

His quirk awakening is certainly up there, not on the top. But it's up there.

It takes the weaker aspects of what I mentioned above and uses it as a crutch.

Besides Shigaraki remembering and accepting his past, this QA has nothing going for it.

It's almost boring.

There's only so much you can do with a quirk like Decay.

All it does is expand the speed and radius. And while that works for what Decay is, a quirk made to destroy things. It's really boring from a story perspective.

Seeing Deika and later Jaku was cool, but just that, cool. It only really served to push things forward and what it pushed was horrendous.

Stepping away from the narrative side, let's discuss the In-Universe side.

Post MVA Decay has two advantages. It spreads really fast and it makes things explode:

So why doesn't it work like Twice's did?

Themes. Nothing about Shigaraki's QA ties in with the themes expressed in MVA.

As the protagonist of the arc, we should feel a connection with Shigaraki, but we never do. Mainly because we don't get that much time with him.

Besided the bonding he does with the LOV we are given little reason as to why Shigaraki ticks like he does, there's little to no theme-ing with Shigaraki.

Doctor Garaki says it best with this line:

What does Shigaraki have to show us outside of his past and the PLF.

Hardly anything.

We know he's an avid gamer and likes to destroy things.

That's it.

Even Magne had something before she died, somekind of concrete goal that aligned with her character.

Tomura has nothing we can attach that to and as such his QA falls flat.

And this set the standard for every other quirk awakening in the series, no I'm not counting that monstrosity Hori bulled with Bakugo .

Uraraka's, Midoriya's, Shoto's (implied) Awakening, they all fall flat because they don't match the themes that were set literal years ago. Hori doesn't know how QA work despite having written them.

If your at the point where you, as a writer, don't understand your own in-universe system. Then maybe it's time you take away some stuff.

Why Shigaraki fails as a antagonist (featuring: Nine and Hana)

I already brushed the surface of this topic in the last segment. I'll elaborate on it here.

Shigaraki sucks as an antagonist. I don't like to use Reddit due to the attitudes on there but had found something while looking for information.

I managed to find a post that I think sums up my issues with Shigaraki pretty well, even if I don't agree the rest of the post (mainly blaming Shigaraki for Hori's failures)

The main one being what is the LOV even doing?

Spinner brings up a good point why do they even follow Shigaraki, what can he provide them as a leader that they can't get by sticking it out on their own.

Shigaraki is spoon fed practically everything and once you notice, it kills any possibility of him being taken seriously.

Let's see:

Dabi, Himiko: brought in by Giran, AFO's associate.

Spinner, Mangne, Compress: Came aboard under the false pretense that Shigaraki had cooperated with Stain.

Gigantomechia: Kurogiri has to draw him out, gets arrested while doing so.

The MLA: Has to gain a quirk awakening just to match ReDestro's output and ReDestro hands him the keys almost immediately. Only reason the merger happens is because ReDestro and Spinner planned it.

Every single goddamn thing in this story is because of factors external to Shigaraki. He literally stands around until Garaki gives him a new quest-line like a fucking Bethesda NPC.

It was understandable in the USJ because Shigaraki needed to be introduced. He was at his base form and needed to grow, except that growth never happens.

The story just dances around him, he doesn't need to try because Hori will just force things to happen.

The entire Jaku arc is him throwing a tantrum and the benefits just falling onto his lap. It is sheer luck that the public made that correlation.

Because the Nomu's behavior don't line up at all with Stains ideals. Nor does Shigaraki's "philosophy", and that was what partly triggered the whole Hosu arc in the first place!

Realistically nearly every member of the LOV should have turned tail the moment they met Shigaraki in person and spent time with him for over five minutes.

The LOV only exists and works because Shigaraki takes the backseat.

The entire Camp Raid, the focus is on everyone but Shigaraki who does fuck-all until Bakugo gets captured and we see him at the bar.

You could pluck Shigaraki from the arc and nothing would change because the central focus was on Dabi and the Vanguard Action Squad. How is anyone supposed to take Shigaraki seriously, when he is second fiddle to his own team.

And it's pretty much the same in the Overhaul Arc what does he direct contribute?

Again, nothing. I've heard the term 'Talk no jujitsu' used and it perfectly encapsulates his response to Himiko's anger.

No one in the LOV has any reason to believe him, to put faith in him because the fuck up was so colossal.

Let's review:

Shigaraki knew someone (someone important, a villain) was coming, made no plan if things went south. Dabi had actually left the base to recruit on Shigaraki's orders! Meaning that Shigaraki is primarily to blame for the casualties dealt during this fight.

Already bad, but maybe he does something to reaffirm their belief in him as a leader. Nope.

His revenge plan hinged on Overhaul not deciding to kill two of his team members on a whim, or use them as bargaining chips. Sends them directly into enemy territory with no resources.

Put his teammates on a position where they are forced to kill a hero in order to evade capture, making them a priority target for society at large* and further pushing them away from possible resources. (*A society, mind you that openly mutilates and kills outlaws)

His relationship with his team members is near non existant: from the Reddit Post

Spinner. Shigaraki plays videogames with him off-screen. Never even shows any concern for his whereabouts after Spinner starts losing his mind and almost goes full Nomu off of his quirks.

Kurogiri. Shigaraki never shows any wonder or comment as to Kurogiri's presence, despite the fact that Kurogiri was his babysitter for a long time and he apparently missed him after his capture.

Mr. Compress. Shigaraki never shows any wonder or concern as to his capture.

Dabi. Shigaraki never interacts with him in any way that suggests real friendship.

Toga. Shigaraki never interacts with her in any way that suggests real friendship.

Twice. Shigaraki never shows any kind of wonder or any concern as to his death.

Magne. Shigaraki never interacts with her in a way that suggests real friendship. Side Note: he never really reacts to her death either.

Y'wanna know who does have a relationship with his team?

Nine:

Nine might be one of the few characters Hori has ever created that managed to make me give a shit about them outside of alternative (or fanon) materials.

He is everything Shigaraki tried to be as a character:

A solid goal: To create an ideal world for his allies and himself where their idea of the 'strongest' rule.

Connections: Everything Nine does, he does himself. His teammates ate intertwined with hin through their history, he actually saved Chimera's life and it's implied he also did this for Slice and Mummy.

Effort: Nine puts himself in harms way numerous times for the sake of his allies and their mission. He even goes through with Garaki's experiments knowing he will likely wind up as the experiment himself.

Nine is phenomenal for what he was: A character from a spinoff movie.

And then he was killed.

God Fucking Damn it Hori.

===============================

Something that always bothered me about the defaced All Might statue was the laziness of it all.

In a way it reflected the direction MHA was headed, headlong into a kerosene coatdd dumpster.

I Am Not Here.

That's the best thing you could come up with? The falling action of the Arc and all you could conjure was that!?

When MHA ended, I said no, no fuck that and began putting some of the concepts I had made during MHA's decline to good use.

The logical conclusions went into Crownless Monarchy. Which serves as a continuation to what Hori failed for finish.

The rest?

The rest had been going into a side project of mine called:

I Am Nowhere

Or Nowhere for short.

Total Timeline Derailment is a phenomenon I noticed pop up in specfic works.

It occurs when an author throws out all stages of canon in favor of crafting their own story and shedding the limitations of the source material.

The story of Nowhere starts off modestly, following an alternative line of events where Hana's quirk causes a much larger scale massacre upon it's blossoming and the expands to show just how different this universe really is.

Such changes include: Hana's quirk being named and shown:

Soundwave: evolution of Nana's quirk and takes inspiration from Hana's name meaning (Flower)

Present Mic and Jirou losing their quirks in their youth (or as an infant in Jirou's case)

Himiko's parents making a deal with the Symbol of Evil himself.

Expanding upon Doctor Garaki's past and friendship with AFO.

The Yakuza going a different route (Overhual gets a new brother)

An alternate USJ: Christmas came early

AFO and Garaki both having successors.

And a ton of other things I need to flesh out more!

One may wonder what this has to do with my critiques on Hori's canon.

Besides being a pitch of sorts, this allows me to elaborate on how Hori seems to make mistakes one wouldn't expect of someone with as many years under the belt as Hori.

The one thing Hori always forgets is consequences. In Nowhere, Consequences are everywhere.

Enji shipping Rei off to the mental ward to cover up his abuse?

AFO takes interest and decides to pull some strings to get Rei transferred to Jaku General.

UA slacks on security?

Ok! Just let Hana bring Warmonger (USJ Nomu) along and have her kill Thirteen and nearly kill All Might in the same hour. Oh, and Himiko is playing the insider (of her own volition)

Bakugo rejects Midoriya's hand?

His abuses attract the attention of the Pale Sculptor herself, leading to him loosing both his parents in a "gas leak" ignited when Marsaru clapped his hands and caused an mini explosion to occur. [They get Rei's version of Nomufication] setting Nomufication forward by a decade in the process.

Ideally this story won't leave things out. Speaking of that I have one last thing to discuss

The whole debacle with the Winged Nomu and how some people don't know that it's apparently supposed to be Tsubasa

(yk the obscure character who only shows up twice and who we didn't get a name for until said reveal)

"What a Bomb to Drop", yeah it would have been better to "drop" it without needing to cram it into volume extras.

That right there is what gets me about Hori's writing, the lack of storytelling.

We shouldn't have an entirety different series just to understand why a character is they way they are (I'm looking at you Oboro)

I will say Vigilantes is leagues above it's parent series, even with the glaring flaws that plauge it.

Moral of the story: LEARN TO WRITE!

[nobodyexpectsthe]

okay i'm going to do a veilguard critical post and i want to start it with this post by david gaider that has lived rent free in my brain since i read it.

and i want to be clear as i begin this rant that i am critical of studio leadership. not the development team themselves, because god fucking knows they tried.

i cannot emphasize enough that the game we got is not the fault of individual writers, or game designers, or any creative team leads. the issue came from people way, way, way above their heads.

and that is extremely important to remember that veilguard's active retooling had only been in play for, what, a year? from 2022 to 2023? when the games industry decided it was time for record layoffs?

where like their entire QA team got shitcanned?

and devs had to fight to get more than two weeks fucking severance?

if veilguard had remained an always online multiplayer experience i think it's story would have been praised, because the story was not meant to be the main draw. the gameplay and character customization was. any story in an online game that isn't an mmorpg is generally praised - even if its a stupid mystery box story where you're just drip fed tiny details that will take actual years to pay off.

in a singleplayer experience in a franchise that people went to because of it's storytelling the whole thing just falls so short.

but for me the issues went so much deeper.

i like most of the character concepts. i like most of the ideas the game was built on, but the execution made me angry.

needing to constantly leave and come back to the lighthouse to pop new quests was frustrating. if they dropped me in the middle of the hub it wouldn't have been so frustrating, but to talk to lucanis i have to go from one end of the map to the other.

there was nothing to do at the lighthouse besides that and i guess upgrading my armor. i can't talk to my companions. i can't even like - prog conversations between them? why can't i use my caretaker points to build out areas for my companions to hang out in, drop some fucking items in there associated with them, and maybe get the conversations i want to hear instead of lucanis talking about fucking coffee for the sixteenth time?

there's a dining room. why can't i use that to get ambient banter conversations?

why am i at the fucking mercy of what the npcs want to do?

so much of the gameplay felt like a holdover from the multiplayer version. things that wouldn't have bothered me as part of a game that was meant to be played in realtime, with idk the conversations being daily login incentives,

but nothing stood out to me as bad as the quest recaps did. the quest recaps actively fucked with my ability to get immersed and stay immersed. they were either clearly a holdover from when there were meant to be huge real time gaps between content drops or an extremely poorly thought out addition that really only made the stop-starts of every quest that much worse.

and the little pop-ups that reminded me why a character did a thing or felt a certain way were infuriating. that just happened. literally at the start of this quest.

the companion quests don't change. they come to conclusions on their own, and even if you try to sway them in another path it doesn't ultimately change anything? i think emmrichs is the only one you can drastically affect the outcome of.

like yes, game, you are not terribly complicated. i have a handful of choices so if a character is doing something or saying something directly related to a choice i pushed them to make, i would assume that's why.

except i had no actual choices. i have replayed dragon age 2 & inquisition multiple times just to see how different scenarios play out depending on my choices. i have played BG3 to fucking death to see how little dialogue options get called back.

i am not talking the grand sweeping choices at the end of the game. i am not talking about the four different endings - which i actually did not enjoy at all.

an ending where everyone dies because you didn't amass enough political power and/or recruit all the party members would have fucked hard actually.

and see, one of my favorite rpgs of all time is tales of symphonia. that's a jrpg. that has a set plot, a set way things play out, you cannot change it except for one small detail - your interpersonal relationships.

i do not need to drastically change the ending of the game, i need to feel like the little stones i throw make little ripples. i need to see that my actions, the person my character is, has an influence on the people around them, their willingness to stand with them and follow their orders, and veilguard didn't give me that.

what i got instead was the illusion of a choice.

what if instead of rook assigning people to missions (THAT IT HOLDS YOUR HAND THROUGH TO PICK THE RIGHT CHOICES) it came down to a matter of trust? what if you gave an order and rather than following it, your teammate / the faction decided you knew jack shit actually and deviated from the plan?

or what if their unhealed personal trauma actually came up in the thing that gets them killed? what if instead of it being cinematics, it was something you had to play through ala DA2? where you have the option to try to salvage the relationship one last time before they either die or get themselves killed?

why was i a fucking spectator in this game that was supposedly built around the strong bonds the veilguard had? because like the whole ~hero of the veilguard~ thing falls flat to me if their fatal flaw isn't ultimately what destroys them.

an ending where i got fed up with the same boring repetitive sidequests & didn't go back and forth from the lighthouse often enough to get

the fact that the game auto-saves at key choice points too is indicative that they know this is not a replayable experience.

looking @ corinne bus.che's departure from bioware and her statements, i don't have a lot of hope for the company. i think that she's saying in the politest way that things are still bad and she's moving on to greener pastures and hopes that the studio can fix itself.

and i say this because i'm remembering the actual months of all hands meetings where execs said the same thing over and over again right before they dropped that projects were being scrapped, games were being sunset, and layoffs were imminent. and my boss, bless him, was trying to reassure me that my team was safe.

only for him to log in one day and find out that someone above his head had laid off team members without his say or input. and how this happened again, and again, until i was the one sending him a text message bc i'd been called into a meeting with someone above his head. my whole team was devastated, our already small size reduced even further, and the workload became that much more stressful to everyone left.

and it kept coming. the way the SLT undervalued anything that wasn't their own fucking jobs was disgusting. heaven forbid you don't lose your bonus. but sure, okay, hq needed that luxury spa the almost entirely remote team will never see.

i had to sign stuff saying i could never disparage the company so i could get my severance.

i remember sitting in allhands meetings with my team, watching the divide between the people who actually make the fucking game and engage with the audience & the people who call the shots grow bigger, and bigger, and bigger until we had a blowout during a meeting regarding our bonuses structure changing THREE DAYS after another project was cancelled AND THE COMPANY HIRED AN ADDITIONAL CEO.

i have been the person in meetings with an exhausted dev team, listening to the writer say they want to do more but the studio won't let them. i've seen the artists showing off work they know will never see the light of day because their project was doomed. i've seen the team lead with defeat in his eyes saying they desperately trying to explain to SLT (who had no knowledge or care about the IP what the project needed to succeed) only to be dismissed.

and like, that might not be her energy. that might be my disillusionment with the industry speaking, but it's so fucking sad. so fucking sad.

she's currently getting a lot of flack but like - it's not her fucking fault my dudes!!! the game was pushed out on a crazy timeline, there were layoffs, she inherited so many problems.

i hope she uses her title and experience to find a better studio to work at and has the chance to make the crpg she wanted to. i hope that studio understands that you can't just staple trends from other games & genres onto yours and make it a success, because bioware & EA sure don't.

i genuinely hope baldur's gate 3 and larian's entire approach to game design forces these grifting finance bros out of the industry and i wish so desperately the discourse would focus on how that is the fucking problem here. but i don't think it will.

i'm going to be so surprised if bioware isn't stripped and sold for parts after mass effect 4 drops. i've seen it too many times at this point.

ips are only as strong as the people making them. and if you have created an environment where these people are leaving in droves, or are constantly anxious for their job security, or you keep interrupting it and retooling it to chase a trend, you've fucked yourself and don't even understand why that trend is popular.

why in the fuck is someone going to pay for knockoff of a better game that's doing numbers with an active playerbase? do you seriously think that the dragon age skin you put over it does anything for that?

i am so tired of the conversations around this game centering on how 'wokeness' ruined it. it didn't. these have always been progressive games. the issues with vg came from people far removed from the writing, design & art process. i think a lot of the clunkiness of the game came from the fact that these stories had no fucking time to develop and grow naturally, they had to be shotgunned bc they had no time to do anything else.

when all is said and done, my honest impression of veilguard is that its a miracle it came out. it is. it genuinely is. few games get out of development hell after that long, let alone in a playable state with any redeeming qualities.

but that miracle isn't enough for me to forgive all of its faults. the slog that was act 2 damn near killed me. there was no narrative pacing with the companion quests. there was... no quests outside of the companion quests. it would have been one thing if i was doing a main story quest and then everybody had feelings related to that quest, but i think 99 percent of act 2 is purely fixing everyone's emotional problems so they don't die in the final battle.

anyway the last thing i'll say is i've seen a lot of people criticizing the team for fluffing the project up. and... man, i hate to tell you this, but they can't say anything about it right now. they just can't. and more than that, like... they are allowed to have pride in what they managed to pull together. the fact that game came out at all is, and it cannot be understated, a miracle.

if there are expirations on their NDAs & non-disparagement clauses, we're going to get some tea in 5 - 15 years.

[couldawouldashoulda50]

What if Loren arrived with this kind of beautiful fairy like baby doll lingerie situation. She looks like an ethereal being.

https://www.wonder18.com/en-qa/products/kaia-white-cami

They just have a night filled with love making. They probably reached their peak at least 3 times.

Maybe it’s provoked by the fact that William is not feeling his best. He also has been on a road trip and needs some Loren time. He realizes how deeply infatuated he’s with her. He’s also reminded of how great she is with kids and can’t help but think of putting a baby in her. There’s just a lot of emotions going on. It’s sensual yet filled with pure emotion.

Oh my gosh, Nonnie. What you sparked in my brain. I don't know whether to apologize or what - after I wrote nearly 6k words based off this idea of yours. It tied into another smaller idea I had so I just went with it. Thank you to you and the other anons that reach out with ideas and comments. For anyone that has sent me something (there's a couple in my Inbox), please know - I am not ignoring you. Each one means so much that I do tend to think on it for awhile to visualize all the different possibilities based on the ask.

So here's my triple-length blurb, Nonnie....I hope you like it. Warnings - 18+ below the cut. Smut (p in v, fingering, slight praise), profanity.

One Woman, A Thousand Ways - Lingerie

Word count - approx 5.9k

William stared out the window of the team bus as it traveled along the quiet streets of Raleigh. The somber atmosphere mirrored his mood, the team still reeling from their crushing loss to Carolina. He absently swiped his thumb across his phone screen, debating for the hundredth time whether or not to message her.

It wasn’t just the loss gnawing at him—it was everything. His performance hadn’t been optimal, his attitude on the ice often appeared disinterested, and he knew it - he could feel it. But it wasn’t just hockey weighing him down. He hadn’t seen Loren in over a week, not since she left his condo in the days before this road trip. And it hadn’t been the kind of goodbye they were accustomed to.

Things had been off with William here and there - whether it was the hangover from the holidays or just not feeling like himself, his game had been struggling. His mood had darkened, snappier than usual, leaving him isolated at times, even from Loren. Always trying to be intuitive, she had tread lightly during that time, careful not to hover or push him when he was clearly on edge. She had made herself available when he wanted her there, never once complaining about his cold moods.

Looking back, he grimaced at the thought of how he’d taken her patience for granted.

The memory of their last exchange resurfaced as he rubbed his weary eyes, leaning his head back against the seat. Loren had been calm, collected even, as she always was, but he’d been too wrapped up in his frustrations to appreciate how much effort she put into keeping things harmonious. He hadn’t meant to snap at her; she was just in the line of fire. He’d been irritable and short all night, muttering under his breath about something he’d seen online - there was discourse already about his “slump”.

When Loren, in her usual gentle way, tried to soothe him, he’d lashed out. "You just don’t get it, Loren," he’d snapped, his voice sharp enough to make her flinch. "You can’t begin to understand what it’s like to deal with this kind of fucking pressure."

He’d known it was a mistake the second the words left his mouth. Loren’s expression didn’t waver, but the way she looked at him—remaining steady, her cheeks suddenly flushed—made him feel so small. Her reply was measured, delivered in a tone so even it made his stomach twist.

"You’re absolutely right, William," she said. "I wouldn’t know that kind of pressure. I’m only familiar with the pressures of the population who has to carefully decide whether to pay their utilities or put food on the table. Your pressure encompasses the fact you are paid a lot of money, and given many privileges, to perform well."

Her words were spoken without harshness - he could hear that she was hurt, but yet he could not formulate a response, acknowledgement, or an apology.

Loren glanced at her watch and saw it was nearing time for her to leave. This was not the goodbye she had envisioned before her own road trip, so to speak.

Another modelling opportunity had landed in her lap, thanks to her friend Chelsea steering her clients towards Loren for smaller marketing campaigns. Despite Loren’s reservations - a “mature model” was not what she had pictured for herself - she really enjoyed the experience once underway. The big difference with this opportunity is it required for her to travel to Miami, something that William had initially been very excited about for her. William was always supportive and encouraging if it was something she could swing with her schedule. Selfishly, he loved seeing the end result of Loren gracing various online platforms - his insides brimming with pride for her.

But for days, he’d been so disengaged, lately so wrapped up in himself, that he’d forgotten entirely. Loren hesitated for a moment, waiting for a ‘good luck’ or something supportive, but the words never came.

She kissed the dogs and then pressed her lips against William’s cheek. She picked up her bag, shouldering it effortlessly, and walked to the door.

Pausing in the doorway, she turned back to him, deciding to leave him with a gentle reminder.

"Your world is full of choices most people can only dream of, William," she added. "You’re in control—just play the game as you’ve been coached and shoot the fucking puck."

And then she was gone.

Their communication had been limited during his road trip, and he assumed she was giving him space. He’d been busy too, swept up in the events of the “Mentors Trip,” with a close friend tagging along and the team’s schedule packed tight.

It wasn’t until he received a message from his sister saying how amazing Loren looked, with no additional context, when he realized he had totally forgotten about her trip south. With his stomach doing somersaults, he hurriedly scrolled through Instagram.

She’d looked stunning in the few posts Chelsea had tagged Loren's new account in—a mix of candid shots and professional ones—but William couldn’t stop the sinking feeling in his stomach. It hadn’t registered with him where she was going when she had left his place - he assumed she had gone home or was at work. The fact he had not breathed any kind words her way, even in the days before she departed, made his heart hurt. She had tip-toed around his ego, trying to be optimistic, and the best he could do is bite her head off. You really are a prick sometimes he thought to himself.

Now armed with the new realization, he opened their text thread, hesitating only a moment before typing:

Förlåt mig, min älskling - I know I fucked up. Before I get back could you come down? Not sure if you are home even. Can u msg me back to let me know. I feel so bad.

The message felt desperate, but he didn’t care. He hit send before tucking his phone into his jacket pocket as the bus pulled up to the airport.

It wasn’t long before his phone vibrated, as he stood to disembark from the coach. He sighed with relief - it was her. I’m glad you’re on your way. I’ll see you soon.

He responded with another apology and told her he loved her.

It was nearly 3:30 a.m. when William, with Pablo and Banksy in tow, entered his condo. He set down his garment bag by the door and dropped his keys into the dish by the entrance. He glanced at the dogs, hearing the tapping of their claws across the floor as they ran toward his bedroom. He guessed they were already on the bed by now, pressing their noses against Loren’s face. Sure enough, he heard her soft, sleepy voice greeting them, and he couldn’t help but smile.

He was about to smother her with his own brand of affection, but his attention was immediately drawn to the dining table, where a basket full of holistic skin and hair products sat neatly arranged. The plain but attractive bottles bore labels he didn’t recognize, but that didn’t matter—he already knew if they came from her, he would love them.

He sighed. She was always thinking, always making an effort, keeping an eye out for something just for him. Loren had a perfect record when it came to gifts, thoughtful in ways that left him humbled. She never wanted anything in return—other than his arms around her and his chest to nuzzle into. He could hardly wait to give her exactly that.

He opened one of the bottles, its simple label noting "Aphrodisiac Oil," and sniffed the contents. He was immediately struck by its unique fragrance, his eyebrows lifting when he read the instructions. Gently, he placed it back in the basket and smirked, knowing exactly what Loren had in mind for their day tomorrow.

When William padded into his bedroom, the expression on his face lit up seeing her in bed. Loren lay on her side, her back toward him, facing where he’d be laying momentarily, as she cooed sweet words to the dogs. In turn, they pressed close against her, almost sensing she had traveled further than normal, reveling in her gentle rubs. The soft glow of the bedside lamp illuminated her freshly tanned skin, making her look as radiant as ever.

Loren shifted her body while remaining under the covers, to turn and face William. Their eyes locked as they smiled at each other.

“How is it that you look even more gorgeous every time I see you? Do you drink from a magic fountain or something? Have a fairy godmother that sings a song and you magically replenish?” Loren grinned.

William laughed as his heart soared with her words. He approached the edge of the bed, and leaned over, bringing his face close to hers, before kissing her softly. “The same could be said about you, you know.”

Loren ran her hand along his cheek, moving her lips toward his ear as she spoke softly. “You don’t have your glasses on—my wrinkles are getting worse… I’m in a whole other decade than you right now, and it shows.”

Her words, playful and teasing, triggered something in William’s memory. Loren mentioning her age—a gap of less than two years between them—brought him back to her milestone birthday in December. Her 30th birthday had fallen during an eastern road trip, and he hadn’t been able to physically be there to celebrate with her. Adding to the chaos of their lives were scheduled road games, team parties and other events leading up to Christmas. His place sometimes seemed busier that Union Station itself.

When he returned home, he celebrated her birthday exactly the way she wanted to. A small get together at William’s, just some take-out, a few drinks, and then him later on. William had other gifts for Loren, but this one had slipped his mind. He’d tucked it away, intending to surprise her when things calmed down, but it had been completely forgotten since.

The gift was intended for bedroom purposes only, and given they would be completely alone until dinnertime the next day, he could hardly wait for her to open it.

After finishing up in the washroom, William climbed into bed, pulled a half-sleeping Loren into him, and patted the mattress for the dogs to come lay closer. Loren’s hands lightly smoothed across his back, while her mouth planted tiny kisses on his chest.

“I’m so sorry, Loren - I was such a dick to you,” William murmured against her hair.

He felt her smile against his skin. “You can’t be perfect all the time,” she sighed. “I’m sorry if I sounded harsh, and I hated leaving but I had to go,” she added softly.

William nodded, his lips lingering against her forehead. “I know—well, now I do. But this was all me—I didn’t mean to take it out on you. What you said, though, about the kind of pressure you’re used to…” His voice trailed off. “That stuck with me. I must have sounded like such a whiny—”

“No, don’t even go there,” she gently interrupted, her voice warm but firm. “William, I didn’t mean to… well, maybe in the moment I did. But I’m not trying to diminish what it’s taken, and what it takes, to be you every day. I’m sorry if I made you feel like shit—but you finally got me to snap,” she chuckled, nuzzling into his chest hair.

“That’s you snapping? Actually, I gotta say… when I know you’re upset and you keep calm like that? Holy fuck. That worried me more than if you went around screaming and yelling,” William chuckled softly.

She smiled against his chest. “I actually used to be the yelling type—like being pushed and poked until I finally lost it. I didn’t like being that way… that’s not how my parents are, but a certain someone would just keep pressing until I exploded.” Her voice softened, her words slowing as a yawn escaped. “It’s a little late for a full demonstration, but if you really want to see it, pick a fight with me while I’m hormonal and see which version is scarier.”

William laughed quietly, smoothing her hair away from her shoulders, his fingers tracing circles in its place. “I bet you’re hot when you’re really angry… but I’ll pass for now.”

As he stretched back to turn off the light, Loren’s hands ran down his chest, savoring the softness of his body hair. It always caused a stirring between her legs, no matter how tired she was.

Save for the constant flow of traffic on the streets outside his windows, a blanket of calm and quiet surrounded them. After a loving kiss and soft “goodnights,” they drifted off quickly, wrapped in each other.

Because it was Pablo and Banksy’s world, and William just lived in it, the boys decided it was time for their morning walk earlier than anyone wanted. William groggily slid out of bed, rubbing his eyes and stretching as he padded wearily to the washroom. He reentered the bedroom to find Loren awake and starting to get dressed.

“Whoa—wait… you’re not leaving, are you?” he asked, his voice still thick with sleep, his expression slightly confused.

Loren, just as confused as William, slowed her movements and turned to him with a smile. “I was planning on going with you—y’know, do like we normally do… while everyone’s watching you, you’re watching—”

“Your ass, ten steps ahead of me,” he finished, grinning.

Loren, now in just a sports bra and leggings, sauntered up to him, her arms circling around his neck. She tilted her head slightly, biting her lip as she gave him “the doe eyes”. “But watching my ass is not what Sir wants this morning?”

If ever there was an invitation from Loren to William for him to grab her ass and pull her against his dissipating morning erection, it was that innocent-sounding question with a much naughtier subtext.

William suddenly remembered the gift—her ass in the gift wasn’t going to be just a morning preoccupation. It was going to be an all-day event. “Hold up—hold that thought…” He kissed her briefly before slipping into his closet. Within seconds, he returned with a beautifully wrapped package in hand.

“I’ll take the boys,” he said, handing her the box with a mischievous grin, “and you could maybe do a little modeling for me when I get back.”

Loren looked at him, her face softening with appreciation and affection for her gorgeous Swede. She wrapped her arms around him in a loving embrace, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Be careful,” she murmured, William flashing a smile her way as he turned to lead the pups to the front door.

Once he had departed with the dogs, Loren sat on the edge of the bed, the package resting in her lap. She ran her fingers over the carefully wrapped paper, recalling how William had teased her for being so slow to open her other birthday gifts. She’d explained that she was used to saving the wrapping paper—a habit he’d found endearing once she told him.

She smiled to herself, sliding the rectangular box free without so much as a tear. The wrapping remained pristine, just as it had with her other gifts. Loren set the paper aside before lifting the lid of the box, her curiosity mounting.

Beyond the smooth tissue paper with the sticker emblem of the store sealing the seams, Loren saw the outline of a beautiful lingerie set. Her cheeks flushed as she peeled the sticker away and opened the paper to reveal a delicate ivory negligée with matching panties.

What struck Loren most was how angelic the set appeared, the ivory colour evoking a sense of innocence and purity. Her fingers grazed the intricate beading and sheer fabric, tracing the fine satin ties that adorned the front. Every detail was strategically designed to enhance the female body. As she held the negligée up to the light by the thin spaghetti straps, Loren grew excited to see how it might embellish her own figure.

She tried to visualize William's mood when he chose to buy this for her. She was so curious to understand more of how his mind and moods worked - was it just a random set he saw one day or did he go searching for it? Did he just think it was pretty or was there a deeper meaning behind choosing an outfit so delicate?

No matter the reason behind his choice, the moment Loren stripped out of her leisure wear and slipped into the ivory babydoll, her breath caught in her throat as she caught sight of herself in William’s full-length mirror.

The almost shimmering fabric and the intricate beading reflected the light with every slight movement of her body. She slid the matching panties on, her hands smoothing over them as she continued to study her reflection.

The way the outfit made her feel was extraordinary. She felt soft, feminine, and undeniably pretty—and the tan from her trip was a gorgeous contrast to the light fabric. It seemed perfectly her - angelic yet jaw-droppingly sexy.

After sprucing up her hair, smoothing her favourite body butter over her body (the one with the scent that always made him pounce), and a quick yet subtle application of make-up, she awaited William’s return. She straightened out the sheets on the bed, and decided she would greet him by kneeling in the middle of the bed and wait for his reaction.

Even with only a few hours sleep, William felt remarkably energetic as he ushered his dogs back through the front door after their walk. When he didn’t see her in the main living area or the kitchen, he assumed that she either fell back asleep or better yet, might be in the shower. Although he wanted to see her in the lingerie he had chosen, Loren - naked - was always the main attraction.

William moved about the kitchen, fixing the dogs’ breakfasts and grabbing a quick drink of water. The condo felt unusually quiet, and he assumed sleep had claimed Loren after her whirlwind week.

But the second he stepped foot into his bedroom, he froze.

There she was, kneeling in the center of the bed, framed by the soft glow of twinkling white lights and the greenery still draped over the headboard from Christmas.

The delicate ivory fabric and intricate beadwork, with their faint shimmer, perfectly accentuated her luminescent golden skin and slender frame. The satin ties strained ever so slightly, pushing her full breasts upwards and keeping them intact. His eyes fell to her cleavage, further arousing him as he scanned the otherwise angelic set.

William began to shed his clothing, his eyes locked with hers. No words had been spoken between them, but none were needed as their desire for one another took hold.

He crawled onto the bed, bare-chested, the fabric of his sweatpants tented with his growing arousal. Without hesitation, he cupped her face and kissed her deeply, his lips expressing everything he felt but hadn’t yet said—how sorry he was, how much he missed her, how deeply and completely he was in love with her.

The dynamic between them was set the moment their mouths met—he, the virile man, all strength and desire; she, the soft, feminine angel who consistently gave him all of her.

She looked up at William’s face, her deep brown eyes sincere, filled with longing and profound desire. Her arm slid around the contours of his defined shoulders, her fingers threading through his golden strands before gathering and lightly gripping his hair. Her hands instinctively moved along his scalp, eliciting a low, guttural sound from him that sent a thrill through her.

Her other hand slowly blazed a path down his chest, past his abdomen, to where his cock strained against the stretchy black fabric of his pants. Her fingers began massaging and caressing his balls before alternating with teasing strokes along the tip of his cock. His breathing grew heavier, his chest rising and falling as he pressed his mouth against the soft curve of her throat. He already felt like he was coming undone, completely disarmed by her touch—the touch he had been longing for.

But beneath the haze of arousal, another feeling gnawed at him. He wanted to look after her, to love her in ways he hadn’t since New Year’s. Though his physical desire for her had remained even during his uncharacteristic low mood, he knew he hadn’t put forth the same kind of effort Loren always gave so selflessly.

Though she never let on if she felt unfulfilled in those moments, he felt the sting of his own guilt. He’d prioritized his own release over hers a handful of times, letting his exhaustion or frustration seep into their intimacy. Loren deserved better than what he had given her.

William placed soft, open-mouthed kisses along the base of her neck, his lips lingering on her skin as his fingers worked to untie the satin bows along the front of the teddy. With each careful tug, the delicate fabric loosened, revealing more of her flushed skin. Her breasts were bunched, her nipples protruding through the sheer material, and William’s mouth latched onto the clothed peaks with a hunger that made Loren gasp.

He knew exactly what drove her wild—sucking and tonguing her nipples until she was breathless—and he gave them his full attention, his tongue swirling in deliberate patterns that left her completely weak in the knees. Her moans filled the room, soft and unrestrained, urging him on.

With a fluid motion, William slipped off his pants and shorts, freeing his fully hardened cock. The sight of him—so completely aroused—made Loren’s mouth water and her clit ache with an undeniable need.

William maneuvered himself behind her, propping up pillows against the headboard to support his back. He coaxed Loren to nestle between his legs, her back pressed firmly against his chest. His arms wrapped around her, his hands exploring the expanse of her body that was within reach—her neck, her breasts, her tummy, and the sensitive space between her thighs.

One hand gently kneaded her breast, his thumb brushing over the peak as he kissed the soft curve of her neck. The other hand slipped lower, massaging her clothed pussy with deliberate pressure. The sensation sent jolts of pleasure through her, making her body shift between states of relaxation and the tightening tension of her heightening arousal.

William’s lips trailed down the full length of the back of her neck as he moved her hair over to one side, the heat of his breath against her skin making her shiver. Loren gripped his forearm instinctively, her fingers digging in as the intense sensitivity of his touch overwhelmed her in the most intoxicating way.

She breathed his name, her voice trembling, then gasped as his middle finger dipped beneath the waistband of her sheer panties. His strong, thick digits stroked the delicate flesh of her pussy, the sensation sending jolts of pleasure through her. His mouth found her shoulder blade, nipping and sucking at her skin leaving her pleading for more.

William had never knowingly marked her before, but this time, he couldn’t help himself. The way she responded to his touch was almost too stimulating for him to handle.

The magic in his fingers had Loren’s hips grinding instinctively against him, her arousal building with every stroke. Soon, William’s other hand slid from her breast to her clit, circling it with precision while he finger-fucked her with deep, steady movements.

She leaned her head back, almost pressing it against his shoulder, her moans a tantalizing mix of expletives and his name. William’s gaze lingered on her, captivated by every detail—the long sweep of her eyelashes, the curve of the prettiest nose he’d ever seen, and the full, voluptuous mouth that had thrilled him every time it made contact with his body.

His eyes traveled lower, watching her throat tighten with whispers and gasps, and then higher, catching the way her eyes suddenly flew open wide as she cried out his name. The way she unraveled in his arms, gripping under his thighs and bearing down for an intense release, sent a jolt of pride through him. His cock, almost unbearably rigid, pressed against the fleshy curve of her ass, eager for its turn to be buried deep inside her.

William’s voice was low and thick as he leaned closer, whispering into her ear. “You look like an angel. Let me watch you cum, my beautiful angel.”

Typically, the moans, grunts and other noises William made while in the throes of sex with Loren turned her on to no end. She would have never guessed that William saying those words, could have such an effect on her. The sound of his voice, low and gruff, sent her spiraling. Her hands scrambled around his body, gripping at whatever she could. Her body arched into his, her inner thighs trembling violently.

Her climax hit like a forceful wave, leaving her crying out his name as her body jolted and shuddered with the peak of her release. As she floated down from her high, her hips wove instinctively, seeking more of him. She wasn’t done—not even close. And neither was he.

Once Loren regained her bearings, she turned to face him, her body shifting seductively as she kneeled and propped herself against his broad chest. Her lips found his in a heated kiss, her hand cupping his face while the other slid down, working to peel off her now-soaked panties.

A devilish moan escaped her as she tossed them aside, her eyes locking onto the smooth, glistening tip of his cock. Slowly, she began to crawl backward on her knees, her intentions clear in every movement.

William’s pulse quickened as he watched her movements, every deliberate shift of her body drawing him in further. He knew exactly what she wanted—her gaze, intense and unmistakable, paired with the way she licked her lips as his cock hovered mere inches from her mouth.

He loved how open and expressive she was with her desires, how she never held back from showing him exactly what she wanted.

But more and more, each time they were apart, it wasn't just Loren's physical affection he missed. It was seeing her exquisite face and hearing her sweet voice. When he entered a room, her coffee-colored eyes would meet his with such care and devotion that his heart would skip. He had never met a woman who could make him feel so cherished with just a glance.

William’s tone was soft and low as he motioned for Loren to come back towards him. “I promise you and Cowboy Bill can have your alone time later - I’m dying to be inside of you - let me watch you cum again….”

Loren’s cheeks flushed at his invitation, her own pulse raced hearing the hunger in his voice. Kneeling before him, she reached out, her thumb gently running through the bead of pre-cum glistening at the tip of his cock. She smoothed it over the head with care, her eyes fixed on his as she licked her thumb clean.

A soft, sinful smile played on Loren’s lips as she leaned forward once more, her tongue flicking over the top of his cock before pressing a kiss to the smooth, sensitive skin. Her movements were deliciously slow, designed to make him desperate for her.

Gracefully, she shifted her body, sliding one knee on either side of him as she straddled his lap. Her hands found his shoulders for balance, her lips brushing his in a kiss that left him breathless.

Her eyes flicked to the small bottle of oil she’d brought back from her trip, tucked into the basket of self-care products she’d given him. Of course, with the massage oil, “self-care” really meant “William-care” in her mind. Her hips continued their enticing motion as she kissed his neck and reached for the glass bottle.

The sparkling glint in William’s eye as he watched Loren drop two beads of oil into her palm was full of lust and anticipation. He untied the third satin string from the front of her teddy, baring her breasts completely, and motioned for her to let a little oil drip into his hand.

With the bottle safely set aside, Loren deftly reached around and began to massage the base of William’s cock, sliding her hand upward to his balls and all the way to the tip. Her touch was perfect—gentle yet firm—and it left him utterly helpless, groaning her name as his hips bucked involuntarily.

In turn, with her round breasts before him, William smoothed his palms over her soft skin, thumbing her nipples with just enough pressure to make her grind against him more intensely.

It wasn’t long before William urged Loren to slide herself down onto his cock. Their mouths met in a fervent kiss, the heat between them down-right feverish as she positioned herself, and he aligned the tip against her entrance. The moment he filled her, she gasped and moaned in one breath, her senses overwhelmed by the stretch and thickness of his girth.

Her hands gripped his shoulders as she began to rock slowly, her body adjusting to the sensation. Her head lolled back, her lips parting in a gasp as her rhythm grew more assured. Her movements became more pronounced, her hips rolling and shifting to drive him deeper inside her.

William’s hands found her waist, gripping tightly as he pressed upward, matching her eager pace. His eyes were drawn to her mouth, where endless moans of his name and breathy exhales spilled out, each sound urging him to grip onto her waist tighter.

His eyes traveled to her long, slender neck, the visible veins beginning to strain as her body succumbed to the unrelenting pleasure. There was something undeniably sexy about it, something raw and primal that only fueled his already raging desire for her.

Loren’s increasingly rapid hip movements, coupled with her louder moans, signaled that she was nearing her climax. As her body shifted back and forth, she reached around to cup and caress his balls, her touch sending jolts of pleasure straight through him. William’s thigh muscles began to tighten, the telltale sensation of his own orgasm starting to grip him from within.

Unable to hold back, he wrapped his arms tightly around her back and waist, pulling her closer and driving the pace of their fucking to a fevered intensity. Each thrust pushed him deeper, harder, matching the rhythm of her cries. Loren gritted her teeth, her hands gripping his neck and shoulders as her powerful orgasm took full control of her movements.

Her body shuddered as wave after wave of pleasure crashed over her, and she buried her face into his neck in an attempt to stifle her cries. The sensation of her tightening around him sent William over the edge, a guttural grunt escaping his throat as he came, pumping his release deep into her.

Even as the tremors of their shared release began to subside, William’s arms remained firmly around Loren’s breathless body. She trembled in his embrace, her body shuddering from the unique bliss of her climax, her breath warm against his skin.

He shifted his body carefully, his arms still firmly wrapped around her, as he gently laid her down on the mattress. His eyes roamed over her, taking in the sight of her hair sprawled across the pillows, her skin glowing, her breath becoming more even.

Her eyes were closed, her expression one of pure bliss, and in that moment, she looked otherworldly.

She felt the sandpaper roughness of his stubble on her shoulder as he pressed his lips softly against her skin. “Did you fall asleep?” he murmured, his voice low as he brushed his lips over her chest. He kissed her gently between her breasts, then continued down to her stomach.

Her hand lazily found the back of his head, her fingers tangling in his hair as he planted more kisses along the softer part of her abdomen.

A smile began to spread across her face. “I just need a minute or two,” she sighed, trying to lift her arm to drape it around his waist.

After a few “minute or twos” had passed, William and Loren eventually made their way first to the washroom, then to the kitchen. Loren had come back to life, leaning against the counter and admiring William as he fished through the pantry for a quick breakfast.

With his back to her as he searched for his protein powder, he called out teasingly, “I can feel you looking at me.”

Loren let out a soft chuckle. “Your hair—I didn’t realize how long it had gotten until I was—”

“Nearly pulling it out?” he laughed, but his expression dropped suddenly. “Fuck, I forgot… I’m getting it cut this afternoon.”

Loren made a pouty face. No matter what he did, he always looked incredible, but she really was enjoying his longer hair. William glanced over after double-checking his appointment confirmation in his texts. “You don’t want me to cut it?” he asked, smiling.

“Your body, your rules,” she replied, smirking. “I just won’t have as much to grip when you’re dining on my… well, you know. But I guess that’s probably done for the day anyway.”

William tilted his head as he stepped toward her. “I didn’t think we were done for the day… and my appointment isn’t until 3.” He took another step, loosening the tie on her robe. “Gotta say, I overheard Stevie talking about him and his fiancée thinking about trying for a baby.”

Loren’s eyes grew wide, her mouth slightly agape.

Seeing her reaction, William doubled back on his comment. “I know we’re not quite there yet, but I can’t stop thinking about it. If—and when—we decide we want to try… I think, man, we’d have a lot of fun.”

Loren smirked, wrapping her arms around his neck and threading her fingers through his hair. “Let me get something to eat first. Then I’ll have my alone time with Cowboy Bill and that Aphrodisiac Oil.” Her tone dropped to a sultry purr as she added, “After that, you can do whatever you want with me… imagining putting a baby in me.”

She kissed him deeply, her hands gripping his ass. Her cheeks flushed as butterflies swirled in her stomach at the thought that filled her with unexpected joy:

He’s actually thinking about the day he puts a baby in me.

[im-not-batman]

Okay i am SO excited that people were interested so here it is. I need to preface this with the fact that it won't be totally 1-to-1.

9-1-1/The West Wing Fusion crossover AU thing

SO, i already said Bobby is the President. Not only does it make sense for his relationships with everyone else, but he is also very similar to Bartlett in a lot of ways: the Catholicism, the hidden illness (Jed's MS and Bobby's Alcoholism and PTSD), the strong moral compass and the way they are always everyone's go-to for advice. Also the way they deal with problems and conflict.

Athena is obviously FLOTUS. Unfortunately i suffer with Can't-Stand-Athena Disease, so i'm leaning on my love of Abbey for this one. But they're both very capable, intelligent women who can't be told what to do. Both are completely devoted to their families and are even self-destructive with that love sometimes. (Athena going after Amir (DONT EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THAT - FUCKING ACAB) and Abby secretly treating Jed's MS and putting her lisence in question).

May and Harry should take on the roles of Zoey and Ellie respectively. May still being the older sibling, i just think they fit the personalities of the siblings better that way. Harry being distant and aloof until they have a breakthrough, May being close to the family and friendly with the other staffers. Also the Charlie/Zoey of it all.

Hen (my beloved) is Chief of Staff. This feels obvious. She's already Bobby's second in command, she's got the instict for it, and the respect of all the others. I also think she would still have a fire fighting background and she got into politics later. I just think that experience would be vital for her as COS, similar to Leo's military service. I also think a professional history like that would also commmand respect from strangers.

For Deputy Chief of Staff I'm (perhaps predictably) going with Eddie. I was toying with the idea of it being Chim but you'll see why i didn't got there when i explain his role. But yeah, Eddie's perfect for this one. Both he and Josh are dramatic about everything, they both have well-meaning hearts that sometimes results in them doing or saying stupid shit, they have deepseated issues that cause them to push people away. Also, need i say it? SHOOTING ARC! This also (again predictably i fear) allows for the EPIC ROMANCE of Josh and Donna to be mapped onto Buddie.

Which brings me of course to Buck. He's gotta be Donna. They've got the shared history of failed relationships with some not great people (but remain hopeless romantics anyway), Buck flitting from job to job and Donna not having much work experience go hand on hand too. Also they're both very capable and intelligent but hide it/don't realise that fully. I like to think that Maddie qas the one to get him his job amd Eddie was just a bit too scared to question her.

Now Maddie. This might be an unpopular decision because on the surface they are nothing alike, but I'm putting Maddie in Toby's spot. Not only does she suit Director of Communications perfectly – Maddie is the fucking QUEEN of coomunication (season 5 notwithstanding lol) but she and Toby share a lot of their values. Sure, Toby's a miserable, pessimistic asshole about it, but they both believe in a very black and white definition right and wrong. They are both loyal to a fault (even Toby's treason was an act of loyalty you can fight me on this but you will LOSE) and do everything they can to protect the people they love. Also i just love them both so much i want to fuse them into one because it makes me feel like a mad scientist in a lab trying to create the perfect character out of goo and slime and glitter.

Anyway! For Maddie's second, I'm really not sure. I was thinking maybe Linda or Josh but neither fit particularly well to me. Idk, let me know what you guys think.

Okay. Chim. Think how perfect he'd be as Press Sec. Please. That man is BORN to be on camera. He's charismatic and friendly and relatable, he comes across as approachable but fr who would cross him if he put his foot down? No one! Also. I IMPLORE you to please imagine him doing the Jackal. It was so hard to figure out who i'd trust to take up the mantel of CJ "baddest bitch around" Cregg because i love her so much but when i started to consider Chimney it felt obvious 😅 i also just think he'd love to have the opportunity to evicerate an asshole on live television, and he DESERVES that opportunity too. And if you were wondering: Yes I DO ship CJ and Toby. Hence Madney being their counterparts.

Now for my boy Charlie!!! It of course HAS to be Ravi!! Those boys are the sweetest loveliest boys on the planet! They pair up so well! I also have a headcanon that, similar to Charlie, Ravi has younger siblings he's always had to take care of because their mum died and their dad worked too much. So. Yeah. Also lowkey May x Ravi nation where are you please accept me into your ranks.

Anyway, i hope this is acceotable to everyone who was interested. I might write something in this AU one day but if you have ever interacted with me before you should know not to hold your breath lmao

Tagging @pangrams-n-palindromes from my other post so they see this, I hope that's okay!

[kusundei]

im frashing the fuck out i cant im loterally goojg to kms or somerhign. i dont even know WHY irs not eben like it was bad or anything it qas just so. so annoying and so . i dont know. it made me feel so bad and it just makes me keep thinking abt how im a junior. im not trying to speak shit ijto existence but over n over i keep thinkikg ahout how everyone says junior year sucks. ofc theres exceptions but goodness i did not realize how good i had it sophomore year? i had friends in beery class? they were all easy except ap sem and i was able to see ajax so much??? im trying to hard to figure sometbijg out and get my shit changed and at the very least. give me classes that i know people in. can i live not having lunch w ajax? sure. i skipped all the time ebfore but fuck. god god god i cant im going to crash OUT. why do i not know anyone and why do i hage no classes worh savannah??? why am i in ap lang and why am i in ap drawing??? why am i taking so many ap classes KNOWING IM TAKING ALGEBRA im actually goingt o kill myself its the first day and goodness i never have bad first days. never ever ever but holy shit. i can feel some sort of imminent doom and i iust feel awful in general i feel so sick. im crashing out its so bad i cpuldnt even be like silly with ajax i just feel like im goojg to get home and start sobbing and idk why. its okay though. itll work out. if its meant to be then itll be and im just being difficult or somethijg. im fine .

[venomouxxx]

Cold Blood; 𝓱𝔂𝓾𝓷𝓵𝓲𝔁

PROLOGUE

Hyunjin gets in the first bar that he passes by right after a fight with Yeji. They disagree about staying in Seoul or leaving the city after they knew about hunters around, Hyunjin liked the vibe but your sister was tired of her little toys of the city. It’s been days since the last time they had a meal because of the hunters and Hyunjin was tired of being hungry, that’s the first thing that made him get in the bar. He’s going to hunt too.

Right after he gets in, your eyes cross with a short and strong guy in the corner that makes his type (but who doesn’t make Hyunjin type?). Hyunjin sits in the bar and asks for a double whiskey, just to go after the guy.

-Hi, are you alone? -he asks, trying to smell his blood, but the only scent that he gets is from the cologne.

-For you, yes, pretty. -the short one answer with a side smile - What a man like you are doing here alone too?

-I was hunting, -he said with a smirk -but apparently i don’t need to worry about it anymore, because i already found a juicy target. -Hyunjin finish the sentence squeezing his thigh, hyunjin is direct with what he wants.

The smaller laugh and put his hand on hyunjin’s hand - I liked the juicy part, but you don’t want to know my name first?

-Sorry for my behavior. Pleasure, my name is Hwang Hyunjin. - he says standing his hand.

-The pleasure comes after, Hwang. I’m Seo Changbin. - Changbin kisses Hyunjin’s hand, clearly trying to mark space with who’s going to be the top that night.

Both of them have drunk too much, Changbin was dizzy and being held by Hyunjin, who was thinking what to do. He wasn’t just looking for blood that night, he wanted and needed pleasure too and normally both came together but sex with Changbin in that condition was out of question. He can be 124 years old but he has principles too, even for a vampire. Hyunjin decides to drink just a little bit of blood,  but not before to devore those lips, kissing Changbin’s neck, then chest, then going back to his neck, craving the fangs deep and strong. At first the blood just tasted alcoholic, but after 3 minutes, Hyunjin tasted verbena and knew he was fucked up.

He looked at Changbin with blurred eyes and he laughed out loud. - I think it wasn’t you that was hunting today, Hwang.

hii this is my first fanfic in english, i hope you guys like!! im going to try to give two uptades per week, but feel free to press me on chat or QA!! see ya

[newtsfrogstoads]

your username compels me to ask: favorite species each of frog, newt, and toad? any non-frog/newt/toad amphibians you particularly like?

my favorite frog is the golden mantella but honestly all the tiny brightly colored poisonous ones are delightful

These are such hard questions for me. There's so many species that deserve their own essays. I think I'll break this ask into several posts and answer each question over time because I could ramble about amphibians forever.

Let's start with frogs. My favorite frog would have to be Diane's bare-hearted glass frog AKA the Kermit frog:

I really really adore glass frogs. They're small, cute, and are fucking rad scientifically speaking. There's very few translucent land creatures because, unlike in the deep blue where light reflects very differently than in the air, it's hard to hide yourself and your innards (especially those bright red blood cells). But these little frogs with their semi-see-through tummies and limbs disappear to predators by making themselves look transparent:

These frogs are nocturnal too, so you would think they'd be more visible when they're asleep during the day when the light is brighter. Nope. They become more translucent by MOVING NEARLY 90% OF THEIR RED BLOOD CELLS INTO THEIR LIVER:

Glass frogs are so good at hiding that even their blood can hide. This if insane because it doesn't even cause blood clots. Scientists are trying to figure out how these frogs do it to see if they could solve clotting issues in humans with this same mechanism.

Of course, Diane's bare-hearted glass frog became my favorite of the glass frogs due to its resemblance to my childhood icon:

This unique frog species was discovered in Talamanca Mountains of Costa Rica around April 2015 by researchers Brian Kubicki, Stanley Salazar, and Robert Puschendorf from the Costa Rican Amphibian Research Center. It was named after Kubicki's mom :)

It's discovery also caused such a huge stir on the internet that even Disney published a QA with Kermit talking about it. I think they scrubbed the video, but I did find some quotes from articles that I think are gold:

"The reason this new frog looks so much like me is that her mother and my mother are sisters. It’s a family resemblance.”

“Yes, we’re cousins. In fact, I’m related to every single frog in the world, and I’m close to most toads, too."

"Googly eyes run in our family."

"Shorten your name if you want to make it in show business. Maybe something catchy like Diane Glass or Kermina Kardashian."

"Being green is easy compared to being transparent. I thought that I blended in with so many other ordinary things. And that people tended to pass me over 'cause I wasn't standing out like flashy sparkles in the water or stars in the sky. But when you're transparent, folks really look right through you. It's almost like you're invisible… which might come in handy around Miss Piggy... I take it back. I want to be transparent."

[saltminerising]

/736734175634358272

TLDR; Staff shouldn't keep in mind those who breed right off the bat to try and profit because that is not what game devs do, its not because I just don't think they should. If you want to gene dragons day one use the methods you can to limit the chance of using a glitched gene and take responsibility for your choice of wanting to gene a dragon day one and not push it onto staff. Items being bought with IRL currency are not somehow magically immune to ever having bugs. There is most likely QA, staff is just being held to unrealistic expectations here.

[Actual Start of The Essay, yes I know its long I'm sorry]

It shouldn't be considered by staff because staff's main concern is getting the product out. Its not simply a "I don't think staff should consider it" its "considering a population of users that profit off a byproduct of how we release things is not what we should be doing" nor should they be expected to. Staff's priority is "try and make sure we can do what we can before the breed is launched" and "try and fix everything that is broken after launch" that is just how games run. Its just what happens and they have no reason to concern themselves with it. Its not a "fuck you" its a "this is a huge update and bugs will happen." You are reading malice or intentional neglect where we have no evidence of it.

If you don’t want to wait because you want profit that is on you. That is your choice you are making to ignore the system staff has in place to keep us informed of what things are bugged because inevitably there will be stuff bugged. You can still do it, I am not saying it’s wrong nor does there being bugs mean staff is targeting you specifically, it’s just a choice you are making and you have to accept the risks. That is something you need to accept you’re responsible for, not staff, because staff is already doing their part. If you think that’s too much risk, then I suggest finding some other way to make money, if it still sounds appealing to you, here’s some ways to avoid accidentally using bugged genes (I am more so using the 'general you', not towards any specific individual, here);

Compare new genes between each pose and see if they’re all consistent with each other. Compare old gene accent colors to new gene accent colors and be suspicious if you can't find any that match up, either are too drab, or are too bright. Always be cautious of extremely dark genes (there is a reason people where immediately asking if pharaoh / sarcophagus was an error). This isn't full proof but it helps reduce the chances getting glitched genes because again, you kinda just gotta accept the chance your dragons will change.

There being items you can buy with IRL currency does not suddenly lift the veil of potential bugs. If I buy a game or DLC or whatever and there's a few bugs in it, I don't go "Oh how is there not any basic quality control in this game?!" (I mean, unless its like really bad or they're very prevalent, there is a point obviously where you can start questioning their QA) Instead, I report it. No matter how many times you say, "These are premium items, there shouldn't be any bugs!" that does not stop unintended results from happening because they are unintended, unplanned for, that slip through the cracks results. This happens no matter how much QA you have because big updates are like that (and even small ones have some wiggle through!). Yeah, they shouldn't be there, and yeah, you can be a bit annoyed, but they're going to be there. These bugs do not warrant a "there's no basic QA in this game!" to me.

Also "paywalled"? Okay trying not to be too dismissive here but....really? Skins are no more paywalled then genes and that's to say they aren't. Sure some can be pretty expensive (which is their right to be) but not all of them will be (the average / go to price is 850g...that is not much in the grand scheme of things). Flight Rising is known for being very free to play friendly (even if you can't coli, yeah, they're not as efficient but that's comparing them to The ColiTM) and tons of people make skins for new breeds.

Staff is being quick to fix new errors (as shown by the large amount of fixes on the Auraboa report thread), I think they don’t want their dragons being released with bugs as much as we do.

[kissesforsatoru]

Imagine if socially anxious darling qas really possessive with their stuff. As on always carrying it. Eg. if they have a lot of stuff like books, laptop, papers, etc, they'll stuff it into their bag regardless of whether it fits or not and carry it with them rather than letting baji carry it for them, even if he insists. This even extends to when they get comfortable with baji's general presence and warm up to him. They still carry everything inside their bag [which is too small] even to the bathroom bc they don't trust anyone bc they're scared that they will mess it up, spit on their stuff, or take it and alter it in a way that makes them anxious.

What if baji finds out that its bc they have younger brother who will do just that and it's gotten to the point where they've had to lock their room or else they would never leave it in fear that somebody would get in. And even they it occasionally happens when their mum cleans their room or takes laundry bc their brother will come in their room and fuck with their clothes and stuff. It's gotten to the point where they can no longer tell stains or holes from one another bc any time they have brought it up, their family tells them that its in their imagination or THEY where the one who created those holes/stains. As a result of constantly being gaslit and lied to on top of their bad memory due to stress, they've basically become super paranoid and insanely possessive of their stuff bc they don't want to go through that again.

And when baji confronts darling about it and asks why they don't just fight their brother, they reveal that they have multiple times, and it resulted them being beaten up and having their hair pulled out, that and their family blames them for losing it and throwing the first punch instead of their brother [who actively goes out of his way to provoke and trigger darling so that they snap and he can claim self-defence]. And it's just resulted in darling becoming really passive and letting her younger brother bully them bc they are afraid of being hurt and too afraid to stand up for themselves, and he knows this so he stomps around at night, making it difficult for them to sleep and they can't complain or else they would be causing problems.

if baji finds out that his darling is being stressed out at home he would be pissed, even more if he finds out that your family is just allowing it to happen no matter how much you express that you don’t like it.

baji absolutely takes to threats. tells your family not to touch your fucking stuff or even go into your room without your permission or else they’ll get hit. shocker if threats alone don’t make your family stop taking your things and going into your room because baji is scary, very intimidating. he makes it clear his threats aren’t empty. but if your family is stubborn and doesn’t take him seriously, he will pick a fight with them. get in their faces, size them up, snarl, growl, all that. he won’t immediately start throwing punches because they are still your family, but he’ll push them around a bit for sure.

now if they still somehow have the gaul to mess with you, then baji really will start throwing fists until they’re begging you for forgiveness, and baji will make them ask you for forgiveness and promise they won’t touch your shit. he isn’t the one they should be apologizing to just cause they pissed him off, you’re the one they kept stressing out so they owe you the apology.

i can see baji making himself nice and comfortable at your house to make sure your family doesn’t mess with you. and if they try anything he’s there, ready for a fight to defend you.

baji isn’t gonna let anyone mess with you. not your family, not your friends, and not anyone else. he’s the only one allowed to do that.

[misanthrapologist]

I hate how whenever I'm struggling whether it be mentally or physically or like.both my way of processing it and dealing with it is awful at first I ignore it and go along trying to stay all jolly but then I start being rude and aggressive without meaning to for no fucking reason and then I feel bad for what I did and said but not like I can just take back what I did and said even if I didn't mwan it which is the case literally every time this happens and why should anyone believe me I said that shit I should've thought better and not let myself just do that and after that I begin feeling bad about it until I just stop functioning and let whatever happens happen to me without even fully processing anything or just not having the strength to care at all which yeah better than being a bitch for no reason but then I end up just suffering more cause of it cause seemingly I just do whatever I'm told qith no complaints and I just don't show much emotion which is ideal to my parents but it fucking sucks when I try to speak or do anything ans I end up having to either put effort into actually seeming normal or I'm just alone and there's always just all the other shit I cannot even get myself to talk about cause I can barely put it into words and I just feel like no one would believe me and then I gotta explain all the negative shit I said while what I said happens and how I didn't mean it and qas just a bitch for no reason okay enough my bad I'm just getting shit out mt system

[carochinha]

So I got a job.

I graduated in 2019 with a Masters in Computer Engineering. And I hated it. Getting through that course was like pulling teeth, and I only managed on a basis of bullshit, being carried by friends, and plain old luck.

At the end of 2022, I got fired. A couple days before Christmas, actually. It wasn't great of my employer to do that, but it was, y'know, understandable. I fucking sucked at my job.

So I went into QA. And I wasn't great at it.

I managed to coast by for a couple of years, the pandemic also hit around then so there was so much shit happening that an underperforming employee wasn't anyone's worry, and in August of 2022 I actually got a new, better paying job. Where sadly, people actually cared what I was doing, so that was how I found myself fired in December of the same year.

And I realized the way I was living professionally wasn't sustainable. I was not just bad at my job, but I also hated it. I didn't want to get better, because I hated it. I hated the corporate environment, working every day inside my house, not seeing people, all the deliverables and metrics and fucking bullshit that was useless to anyone *real*.

And then in June, a friend who was in the tourism industry asked me if I wanted to try it out.

And my life changed. For the first time, I was good at my job. For the first time, I liked what I was doing. I won't say that I'm a natural at being a tour guide, but actually, yeah I will. I love helping people feel welcome, I love watching people be happy and enjoying my country and my region and knowing that I'm directly making their days better. I love that I'm outside, even when it's August and 52°C that's not an exaggeration. I love seeing my coworkers and chatting with them during the down time that actually exists because we can't just pull more work out of a JIRA board.

I love that when my day ends, it ends. I can't possibly take my work home.

And later, I got an opportunity to go work for a Big Company. It was a long interview process, and I wasn't sure if I could do it, wasn't sure if I would be better than the dozens of other applicants.

But I was. I am.

And so next week, I'll become a tour guide for a cruise company. A big, fancy company, earning good money, and knowing that I'm doing a good job that actually impacts people's lives.

I've on occasion been regretful of leaving behind IT, when I see my friends' houses and weddings and babies. But no more. No longer.

Because I was a terrible QA Engineer. But fuck if I'm not a world-class tour guide.

[nereidprinc3ss]

WE ARE SO FUCKING BACK.

pt 6 literally made me CRY i feel like i’m insane shut up 😭😭😭 SO SO SO EXCELLENT i think you wrapped the fight up in the most perfect way possible btw and i wanna commend u for that cause it was probably so stressful writing all that angst and then trying to figure out how to resolve it. it was so good and so satisfying to read i loved the reveal when they both realised finally what the other was feeling GOD 😭😭😭 and him asking her if she’d let him take care of her SCREAMS like actually oh my god. SO PERFECT i loved every bit of when they got up to her apartment too like i could FEEL the atmosphere if that makes sense everything felt so cozy and glowy and soft and golden brown and warm and perfect and i was actually smiling like an idiot the entire time along with them like STFUUUU YOU ARE SO PERFECT. also the line you wrote about her feeling like she’s glowing gold with it I WILL DIE that’s the best sentence i’ve ever seen idk it sounds stupid bc it’s literally just a line but i loved reading that so much you conveyed the feeling so perfectly 😭😭 i literally feel insane cause after i finished i really just had to sit and take a moment i promise i’m not exaggerating i really had to just Be for a second and then i started thinking about how much i need to be in love like that made my CHEST HURT.

also the ending … this is sort of funny but i literally flinched when i got to the paragraph of him slamming the door open which might say a lot about me tbh BUT I QAS SO IMMERSED IN THE WRITING 😭😭 like i was reading it paragraph by paragraph so i didn’t miss anything LOL and so once i kept scrolling i really was not expecting him to come back LOL so my heart skipped a beat along with r’s which i thought was a little silly and also so funny like what do you mean you’re bringing bodily reactions out of me through A Screen

anddd as always you had me kicking my feet like my stomach flipped a little bit when he started saying anyone can come in YUMMM idk sorry i need him. also the part where he says she’s cute and tasted like candy I WILL DIE …

sorry this was so unbelievably long you know me … but in conclusion we love you SO BAD spencer we love you reader and above all we fucking adore you nereidprinc3ss if you have no fans i am dead standing ovation for the best to ever touch her fingers to a keyboard there will never be another writer like you

oh my god i literally adore you thank you so much for this my beautiful perfect angel

I NEED HIM TOO GIRL and also yes i struggled baaaadddddd with figuring out how to wrap up ALL the angst i had set up like i can’t even tell you the number of times I just opened my laptop and stared at an empty word document and was like. wtf have i done. maybe i just give up and change my identity. but i persevered and im glad you like how it worked out in the end!!! ilysm thank u for taking the time to share this!!