#severance is doing great 10/10 no notes

[szollibisz]

Yellowjackets and Severance episodes coming out on the same day is so fun because i can watch an extremely well written office drama and cannibal riverdale back to back

[thewriteadviceforwriters]

10 Ways to Add Sizzle to Your Boring Writing

Writing that sizzles captures the reader's attention and keeps them engaged from start to finish. Whether you're an experienced writer or just starting out, there are several techniques you can use to make your writing more exciting and dynamic. Here are ten detailed ways to add sizzle to your boring writing:

1. Use Vivid Descriptions

Vivid descriptions bring your writing to life by creating a rich, immersive experience for the reader. Instead of relying on generic or bland language, use specific details that appeal to the senses. Describe how things look, sound, smell, taste, and feel to paint a vivid picture.

In Detail:

Visual Descriptions: Use color, shape, and size to create a mental image. Instead of saying "The car was old," say "The rusty, olive-green car wheezed as it pulled into the driveway."

Sound Descriptions: Incorporate onomatopoeia and detailed sound descriptions. Instead of "The music was loud," say "The bass thumped, and the high notes pierced through the night air."

Smell and Taste Descriptions: Use sensory language. Instead of "The food was good," say "The aroma of roasted garlic and herbs filled the room, and the first bite was a burst of savory flavors."

2. Show, Don't Tell

"Show, don't tell" is a fundamental writing principle that means revealing information through actions, thoughts, dialogue, and sensory details rather than straightforward exposition. This approach makes your writing more engaging and allows readers to experience the story.

In Detail:

Actions Over Exposition: Instead of telling the reader "Jane was scared," show her fear through her actions: "Jane's hands trembled as she fumbled with the lock, her breath coming in shallow gasps."

Dialogue: Use conversations to reveal character traits and emotions. Instead of "John was angry," show his anger through his words and tone: "John's voice was a low growl as he said, 'I can't believe you did this.'"

Internal Thoughts: Reveal characters' inner worlds. Instead of "Emma felt relieved," show her relief: "Emma let out a long breath she didn't realize she was holding and sank into the chair, a smile tugging at her lips."

3. Create Relatable Characters

Relatable characters are crucial for keeping readers invested in your story. Characters should have depth, including strengths, weaknesses, desires, and fears. When readers see aspects of themselves in your characters, they're more likely to care about their journeys.

In Detail:

Character Flaws: Give your characters realistic flaws. A perfect character can be boring and unrelatable. Show how these flaws impact their decisions and relationships.

Character Arcs: Ensure your characters grow and change throughout the story. A well-crafted character arc can turn a good story into a great one.

Background and Motivations: Provide backstories and motivations. Why does your character act the way they do? What drives them? This adds depth and makes them more three-dimensional.

4. Add Dialogue

Dialogue can break up large blocks of text and make your writing more dynamic. It reveals character, advances the plot, and provides opportunities for conflict and resolution. Ensure your dialogue sounds natural and serves a purpose.

In Detail:

Natural Speech: Write dialogue that sounds like real conversation, complete with interruptions, pauses, and colloquial language. Avoid overly formal or stilted speech.

Purposeful Dialogue: Every line of dialogue should have a purpose, whether it's revealing character, advancing the plot, or building tension. Avoid filler conversations that don't add to the story.

Subtext: Use subtext to add depth. Characters might say one thing but mean another, revealing their true feelings through what they don't say directly.

5. Use Strong Verbs

Strong verbs make your writing more vivid and energetic. They convey action and emotion effectively, making your sentences more powerful and engaging.

In Detail:

Action Verbs: Choose verbs that show precise actions. Instead of "She went to the store," say "She dashed to the store."

Avoid Weak Verbs: Replace weak verbs and verb phrases with stronger alternatives. Instead of "He was walking," say "He strode."

Emotionally Charged Verbs: Use verbs that convey specific emotions. Instead of "She was sad," say "She wept."

6. Vary Sentence Structure

Varying sentence structure keeps your writing interesting and prevents it from becoming monotonous. Mix short, punchy sentences with longer, more complex ones to create a rhythm that engages readers.

In Detail:

Short Sentences for Impact: Use short sentences to create tension, urgency, or emphasize a point. "He stopped. Listened. Nothing."

Complex Sentences for Detail: Use longer sentences to provide detailed descriptions or explain complex ideas. "As the sun set behind the mountains, the sky transformed into a canvas of oranges, pinks, and purples, casting a warm glow over the serene landscape."

Combine Different Structures: Mix simple, compound, and complex sentences to maintain a natural flow. Avoid repetitive patterns that can make your writing feel flat.

7. Introduce Conflict

Conflict is the driving force of any story. It creates tension and keeps readers invested in the outcome. Without conflict, your story can become stagnant and uninteresting.

In Detail:

Internal Conflict: Characters should struggle with internal dilemmas, fears, and desires. This adds depth and relatability.

External Conflict: Introduce obstacles and challenges that characters must overcome. This can be other characters, societal pressures, or natural forces.

Resolution: Show how conflicts are resolved, leading to character growth and plot progression. Ensure resolutions feel earned and satisfying.

8. Use Metaphors and Similes

Metaphors and similes add creativity and depth to your writing. They help readers understand complex ideas and emotions by comparing them to familiar experiences.

In Detail:

Metaphors: Directly state that one thing is another to highlight similarities. "Time is a thief."

Similes: Use "like" or "as" to make comparisons. "Her smile was like sunshine on a rainy day."

Avoid Clichés: Create original comparisons rather than relying on overused phrases. Instead of "busy as a bee," find a fresh analogy.

9. Create Suspense

Suspense keeps readers on the edge of their seats, eager to find out what happens next. Use foreshadowing, cliffhangers, and unanswered questions to build tension and anticipation.

In Detail:

Foreshadowing: Drop subtle hints about future events. This creates anticipation and a sense of inevitability.

Cliffhangers: End chapters or sections with unresolved tension or unanswered questions to compel readers to keep going.

Pacing: Control the pace of your story to build suspense. Slow down for crucial moments and speed up during action scenes.

10. Edit Ruthlessly

Great writing often emerges during the editing process. Be willing to cut unnecessary words, tighten your prose, and refine your sentences. Editing improves clarity, pace, and overall readability.

In Detail:

Cut Redundancies: Remove unnecessary words and repetitive phrases. "In my opinion, I think" can be reduced to "I think."

Focus on Clarity: Ensure each sentence conveys its intended meaning clearly and concisely.

Proofread: Check for grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors. A polished manuscript reflects professionalism and attention to detail.

[theonion]

Saying that the species knew it had to start fucking and start fucking fast, officials from the International Union for Conservation of Nature announced Monday that loggerhead turtles—marine reptiles considered critically endangered in 2003—have successfully fucked their way back from the brink of extinction.

“We were gravely concerned that loggerheads would die out by early 2004,” said IUCN director Jennifer Demato, noting that there were estimated to be fewer than 100 of the oceanic turtles left in the world just 10 years ago. “These sea turtles were severely overhunted, millions were caught in fishing lines, and their habitats had been destroyed by ocean pollution. They had a great many obstacles to overcome, but by God, they fucked their way past each and every one of them.”

“The bottom line is that they knew they were in a big hole,” Demato continued. “So, what did they do? They bared down and fucked themselves right out of it.” Full Story

[autogyne-redacted]

Let's Talk About Security Culture: Why Keeping Secrets is Cool and Sexy

It's a natural impulse -- if you love crime -- to want to talk about how great it is. And if you hate America, it's only natural to want to share your dreams for its future with the rest of tumblr dot com. It can feel brave and transgressive. And there is a drive to share your soul with the world at the heart of social media. Surely I should be posting the most concrete implications of my politics, right? This is the poster's curse.

Security Culture refers to a set of "best practices" developed over the past several decades, largely (in a US context) coming out of radical environmental groups as they faced intense state repression, infiltration and entrapment. If you're not familiar, there's some fascinating crimethinc write ups to give you a window into that world:

Much of it boils down to: don't talk about crimes, past or forthcoming with people who don't need to know about them, and be mindful of the possibility of surveillance and infiltration. And, we can support each other as a community in minimizing risks, with an eye towards enabling bold action rather than getting bogged down in fears and anxieties. The guidelines that make sense for AG-based trouble-makers are different from the guidelines that make sense for posters, but plenty of common principles apply. To speak briefly to our position here as posters:

First, it bears saying that long term anonymity is nearly impossible to maintain. Unless you've never accessed Tumblr without a vpn, and avoided connections with other ppl who can be associated with you/your location, and never shared pictures without scrubbing metadata, and a bunch of other 100% consistent steps, it's trivial for the state to know who you are.

Second, just because something isn't actively being prosecuted now doesn't mean it can't be prosecuted later. The priorities of the state change and a shift in power towards the right or a growth in radical action from the left can suddenly make it a priority to destroy anarchist networks or just find a few ppl to prosecute as examples (who probably weren't that plugged into larger networks before getting arrested). Advocating for specific anti-government crimes or declarations of intent to commit such crimes are likely prosecutable, and even if charges don't stick, they're an easy vector for legal harassment.

Third, it's worth thinking about heat as separate from prosecutability. There are modes of engagement that may not be directly criminalized but signal that you are someone worth watching. Some people choose to be public in ways that make heat unavoidable. But it's worth noting that heat isn't strictly individualized, that it persists over time but also is going to shrink over time.

It's easy on here, ime, to see yourself as a proud member of the crime fandom but not much of a content creator. And it's easy to feel like you've generated an amount of heat where you're locked into that role. But heat you generated 10 years ago is probably pretty well gone. Heat you generated 5 years ago has faded substantially. It's worth thinking about how the world might shift in the coming years and what doors you want to keep open.

The non-individualized nature of heat also means that leaning into the spiciest of anti-state positions will make it a bad idea for people who are acting out those positions end up tied to you. Loudly talking about how "more people should be doing [X/Y/Z]" unfortunately sets you up to remain distant from people who might be doing or thinking about doing such things.

Which brings me back to: keeping secrets is sexy. Not spelling everything out builds intrigue. You can lay out a theoretical position and leave working out the practical implications of that as an exercise for the reader. There's value in opacity. The poster's curse and the drive to confess are extremely convenient for the state, but we can resist them. We can hold dreams in our hearts that we refuse to offer up to the posting spectacle.

[godmadeaterribleerror]

Babylon The Great Series Masterlist

Read on A03!

Main Masterlist - Dean Masterlist

Rating/Warnings: 18+ for canon-typical violence, swearing, severe mental health issues, self-harm and suicidal ideation, mentions of rape/non-con, and sexual content.

Tags: Dean Winchester/Female Reader, enemies to friends to lovers, canon divergence, slow burn, smut, angst, fluff, eventual happy ending.

Series Summary

There's something wrong with you that's not wrong with other people. You're a hunter, and a damn good one, but you might be a monster.

There might be something in you that needs to be put down. Something broken that can't be fixed.

It's why you've had one rule your whole life. The only thing your father has ever made clear is that, no matter what, you need to stay away from John Winchester. He can't even know you exist, or he'll kill you and never blink.

And when your paths cross a hunt, you should've run, but you didn't. You couldn't. Because you looked at Dean Winchester, and something changed inside of you. Something called you to him, and you can't figure out what it was, but you know it's strong. And you know that, whatever Dean's doing to you, you don't really care to fight it. Things are broken in you, just as much is broken in him, and you fit perfectly together in a way you'll never be able to describe.

But it's more complicated than that, though. The world pulls you and Dean apart again and again.

And you find your way back, again and again.

Author's Note

This story is non-canon compliant rewrite, but primarily plot wise. Think of it as we're cooking with all the same ingredients (i.e lore, characters, setting, and backstory) but with one change (you) that gets us to a drastically different ending.

What the means is that there will be a lot of similar plot points to Supernatural, but the further we go through the story the more it will diverge. I've also take some creative labor with the reader, adding lore that's defiantly not a part of canon, but crucial to this story.

If you have any questions about this, feel free to ask! If not, I hope you enjoy the story!

Chapter List

Chapter 1 - In My Brain and In My Blood Chapter 2 - Under My Skin Chapter 3 - I Get A Little Dizzy Chapter 4 - You Bleed Like Me Chapter 5 - If You Let Me Chapter 6 - All The Noise Chapter 7 - Something I Can See Chapter 8 - Keep Us Far Apart Chapter 9 - Does The Feeling Haunt You Chapter 10 - Look and See Chapter 11 - You Might Drown (3/6)

[cool-island-songs]

Analysis of ALNST Character Relationship Metrics

My art book won't be here for a minute, but I ran some screenshots I saw on twt through an image translator and have a lot of thoughts:

TILL: Despite claiming to hate everyone in the world, Till ranks Ivan at 70% intimacy even as he identifies perturbing behaviors of Ivan's going back years and refers to him as "a bother". He also ranks Sua at 10% in spite of having little to say about her and finding it uncomfortable to be around her.

Though he postures at being misanthropic and has all the manners you'd expect of a boy who was half off at the human child pound, he's actually quite gentle and sensitive. This is reflected in one of the graduation messages he's left by a classmate as well:

The person he feels closest to is an unattainable crush, and someone who doesn't feel that close with him in return, likely because he's too shy to really approach her or carry on a conversation.

MIZI: That's Mizi, of course, who's rather childlike and naive initially. She likes everyone, but since Till chokes when he tries to speak to her and often keeps his distance, she wonders if he's avoiding her because he dislikes her.

Mizi gravitates towards people who she sees as "perfect", which is how she describes Ivan and Sua in her graduation message to Ivan:

She doesn't see the darker side of Ivan's personality (which has been described on several occasions, even by himself, as "twisted") because he's attractive, successful, and helpful to her.

Though she likes everyone, Sua is her "God", and the only thing that can keep them apart is the tragedy of their situation, which forces Mizi to grow up in a brutally painful way.

SUA: Sua is far less idealistic and naive than Mizi, and has clearly thought about sacrificing herself to save Mizi, since Ivan picks on her for thinking of doing so in an official comic. Accordingly, her feelings about Mizi are far more tinged by the knowledge that they will one day be torn apart by external circumstances. She laments that reciprocating her feelings will one day cause Mizi great pain.

She's always been more somber, and despite her surface similarities to Ivan (which he notes in a follow-up comic wherein he realizes he was wrong about Sua's feelings for Mizi being unrequited), she's quite different on the inside. Sua's more sensitive and thus her colder exterior serves to protect her, whereas Ivan's outward persona creates an illusion of normalcy that doesn't reflect his reality.

Sua views Ivan and Till as a threat and a nuisance, respectively. Like Till, she senses something strange about Ivan, and when it comes to Till, it's just one person too many around for her. This is fascinating to me, because I thought she might pity Till! Her feelings about Ivan were already pretty clear from this panel of the 'piggyback' comic, and she seems deeply hurt in the first comic linked by his prodding.

IVAN: For his part, Ivan is fascinated by Till even though he's content to sit back and observe, pestering him to get a reaction or his attention for a brief time. He doesn't expect anything in return but wants more than anything to be on Till's mind (hence behaviors like stealing Till's belongings and returning them to him, pretending he had found them).

He prefers Sua to Mizi despite his awareness that Sua doesn't particularly like him, seeing her as a sister and even telling her she's "twisted" like he is. He likes Mizi well enough, especially her sincerity, but seems to find her optimism a bit much at times.

The fact that Mizi and the others would likely consider Ivan and Mizi quite close while Ivan does not reflects how much he postures even in his closest relationships. He struggles to connect with those he's most compelled by and it's not clear if he really wants to.

Some Ivantill thoughts before I go:

There seems to be a common sentiment that it's tragic Till was unable to see how much Ivan loved him, and I think we'll likely get more of Till's perspective on Ivan and their relationship in round 7. But it may not be the case that Ivan even wanted his true feelings to be seen, or would have known what to do if Till had reciprocated them.

There's something almost voyeuristic and self-negating in his feelings for Till (see: "I can’t reach you, so I imagine alone/You who shines, I stand next to you" from 'Black Sorrow'). He has far more self-awareness and willingness to accept things as they are than Till, who doesn't see that Mizi only has eyes for Sua and who would likely struggle to accept that reality.

Ivan, on the other hand, is well aware that his feelings for Till are "shallow", a bright fantasy to get him through his dark reality, and he seems to sincerely believe that his death won't scar Till because he's never really broken through to him. He's a schemer, and comments he makes in his graduation message to Till and the interview he gives in advance of round 6 suggest that he may have been planning to sacrifice himself for some time.

Part of me wonders if he hoped it would leave a mark on Till. Choking, kissing, and violently sacrificing oneself are all aggressive, forward acts, especially from someone who used to toy with people to get his kicks but was otherwise quite passive and unfeeling.

There are a lot of parallels in the one-sided loves, like Till acting out of his usual character for Mizi, and Ivan doing the same because of Till, putting all hopes of being saved in something just out of reach, staying in chains for that one special person. But Ivan's psychology is quite different from Till's, and in fact closest to Luka's re: low or no empathy. Both Ivan and Till are significantly traumatized by their upbringings but Ivan's difficult early life in the slums and his experience being dangled off that rooftop seem to have damaged his ability to connect to others or feel much of anything.

Till is the first person for whom he feels anything while for Till, Mizi is an early crush he puts on a pedestal in a much more commonplace way. I think the shared trauma of competing on that stage makes it much more difficult for either of them to imagine moving on, but Ivan is not wrong in identifying that he won't find that feeling again.

The thing that intrigues me most about this series is the way the contestants' differences play out, particularly with regard to how they view love and how they respond to their individual and shared challenges. I'd love to get into it further another time but this is quite long already so thanks for sticking with it if any have (haha)

[silverwarewolf]

DUNGEON MESHI EPISODE 24 THOUGHTS

Oh, I had asked to see what the party's thoughts regarding the changeling situation were, especially when it came to their lifespans, but I didn't think it would turn out like this!

GOOD FUCKING JOB, CHILCHUCK. YOU'VE TRAUMATIZED MARCILLE EVEN FURTHER. Oh but I do so love the horrors of this situation of theirs. Marcille babygirl I would like to hug you and have a nice chat.

Anywya, on we go to think about Falin and any solutions that might help us here. Which is great! I love how much foreshadowing there is (in terms of what I've been vaguely told about the manga).

Laios Touden's problem solving skills, everyone.

That's honestly the SICKEST weapon design, I'm so on board with you Laios. This could be Kensuke's Halloween makeover. BUT DONT JUST TAKE THOSE MUSHROOMS WITH YOU OH MY GOD

... was this the opening sequence foreshadowing everyone was freaking out about? was that it? (don't actually tell me, though. if it was it, say yes. if it wasn't, don't say anything)

no comment here I just love them.

I just will never get used to elfshi's hands being Like That. But it's also kinda nice to see him and Izutsumi working along so nicely! Like, don't even get me started on how Izu is presented as the pickiest eater of the party (Marcille has been dethroned severely) and usually you'd see that presented as a Hassle, but here in DM, Senshi doesn't even bat an eye. He knows and respects Izutsumi's tastes and preferences and works his meals out around it! That's such a based thing for him to do. <3

This is a renaissance painting. (I love it when they adapt Ryoko Kui's visual gags and I LOVE when she does zoomed in faces like this. Truly one of the artists ever)

I did not have "Laios gets Pissed On" on my bingo card but every day I grow more and more convinced that the animators KNOW what they're doing and - OH MY GOD IS THAT SENSHI'S DWUSSY. ELFSHI ALTERNATIVE TO PANTY SHOT.

Ah, yes, Izutsumi sprawls all over them when sleeping, we been knew, again it's a little unexpected to see it front and center but I guess it works to demonstrate them returning to - THAT WAS LAIOS??? AND CHILCHUCK IS JUST LIFTING HIS LEG LIKE THAT?? OKAY THEN. SURE.

(and then there's a few more seconds of laiosfoot and laios bedhead)

BUT HEY THEY'RE BACK TO NORMAL

1) Yep, they're back to normal.

2) Laios I love you and I love Gothsuke but someone needs to be careful about biohazards and it's not going to be you.

3) Add this to the "Marcille Donato gets threateningly close to you in three steps" folder.

4) Truly only they can match each other's freak. When the NECROMANCER is telling you not to do something, don't do it! I know last time you smuggled a "normal" sword, it turned out to be useful, but I'm sure that's not the case here!

5) Poor Laios tho. I'll learn to blacksmith just to give you a cool sword. <3

I'm so glad they kept this. One of the silliest touden siblings moments. 10/10 no notes. Also, Falin is never beating the blunt force trauma allegations.

IS THAT CHILCHUCK'S WIFE. ARE YOU - MA'AM. HELLO?

"Why aren't you a twink like I thought you'd be?!" gets adapted! (I'm pretty sure that's the scene meant to be here, anyways)

I get it, girl.

Oh dear, they're going to eat Falin. And SENSHI was the one to suggest it! For a guy who was just fighting the doubts of accidental cannibalism a week ago, you're taking bold steps forward.

(I do love how it mirrors Laios' kindness back then, in truth. Even if it's an idea so shocking and dire at first, it comes from a place of reason and logic and love)

Marcille "I said I wanted to eat her OUT, not eat HER" Donato Izutsumi "That's going to taste gross as fuck" Izutsumi Chilchuck "If it brings her back..." Tims Laios Touden, the man with a thousand things on his head right now, two of which I reckon are "I don't want to eat my sister" and "Dragon-Chicken... what might it taste like?"

Yes, well. Valid as your concerns are, Laios, because how the fuck would five people eat THAT much meat, you can't just ramble on about what dishes you're going to make out of your sister.

(...I get it, though. I mean if you're going to eat, might as well make it good, right? I know no one wants to grill one of Faligon's ribs but I'll go ahead and say it would be worse to tell them to eat her raw)

FUCK! we DID lose those scenes about the twin bell that toshiro kept!! forever sad about that.

oh my godddd they're going back into the dungeonnn we're going to reunite with themmm

I know they're really fucking competent, I mean, Namari and Toshiro are already described as pretty formidable warriors (and we've seen it), and Kabru is... admittedly much more geared to fight humans but he's a decent fighter either way. And a good leader!

Speaking of, where the fuck is everyone else.

I know they're meant to be scary (and I suppose they are! If we have the reference that, firstly, marcille is an excellent spellcaster so these elves could be just as good in their own areas of expertise, yes?, and secondly, the canaries are Well Known)

... plus, Namari, Toshiro and Kabru are wary of them. Namari, Toshiro and Kabru are wary of them.

BUT damn it Lycion, I need to- (gets dragged off stage)

Anyway, while we wait for the next season (WHICH HAS BEEN GREENLIT! WOHOO!), have these wonderful images of chicken falin being a cathedral painting (...if cathedrals ever added dragons, i guess) and my beloveds, who have finally returned!

[crypticreid]

KINKTOBER DAY ONE

October 1st -- Praise

happy first day of kinktober 🎃🎃🎃🎃!!!

masterlist

summary: You've been secretly hooking up with your coworker Spencer for two months. He notices something about you and wants to try something new. (I personally imagined circa season 10 Reid, but you do you bestie 😘)

warnings: praise, lots of 'good girls', oral [m/f both receiving and giving], light dom behavior, finger sucking, piv, safe sex practices, and a little bit of begging

word count: 3.1k (this one got away from me a little bit oops)

this is adult content. 18+ plus only. minors do not interact!

You had never wanted to be one of those people, a girl with a huge crush on her coworker, but then you’d meet Spencer Reid. A year ago, you’d waved at him instead of shaking his hand when Hotch had introduced the two of you, and you’d felt the first flutter of butterflies. You had tried desperately to ignore your feelings, but the more you got to know him, the harder you fell. And then, about two months ago, you’d become another cliche. The girl who was sneaking around and secretly hooking up with her coworker. 

Now you were trying to avoid touching your knee against his as you sat on the plane on the way home from a case. The last time you’d simply accidentally brushed your hand against his, it had been like an electrical shock between the two of you. So it is just easier to avoid touching at all costs while in the presence of your other coworkers. 

The words in the book that you’re holding in your hands are absolute gibberish as you can’t focus on anything except the way Spencer’s hands glide over the page of notes he’s re-reading. You've always known he has captivating hands, but now you know intimately just how capable those hands were. This case was long, and before that, Spencer had been at a conference for four days. He hasn’t touched you in almost a week, and you’re becoming impatient. But you both had wisely made the promise that as long as you were on clock, so to say, you were only coworkers and nothing more. 

You look up as you hear him say your name. 

“Would you mind reading over this? I’m not sure it makes any sense.” He hands you his leather bound notebook. You place your book on your lap and look over into his eyes. 

“Me? I really don’t think I’m the person who…” 

Spencer interrupts you, “I trust your opinion.” It’s a simple statement, but it sets your skin aflame all the same. To hide your reaction, you focus on reading Spencer’s notes. 

“I think it’s great, Spencer. But you’re presenting this to college students, so I think it would be beneficial to use examples they may have heard in the news or at least know ‘cause of the insane amount of Netflix documentaries.” You roll your eyes as you mention the oversaturation of true crime television. But then suddenly you feel self-conscious and hand back his notebook. “I mean, I don’t know. It’s just a small idea.” 

“No, it’s insightful. You’re brilliant.” You can feel your skin heat in embarrassment, not comfortable with the compliment. Compliments often make you uneasy and you don’t know why. Well, that’s not entirely true, but you didn’t feel like profiling yourself to better understand this aspect. 

Spencer’s eyes observe you, and you watch as his tongue slips out and wets his bottom lip as he thinks. “I mean it.” He emphasizes. 

“Thank you,” you say quietly.   

“Good girl.” The words glide from Spencer’s mouth almost absent-mindedly and barely audible as he returns to his work. If he notices how much deeper your blush becomes, he doesn’t say anything. And you pretend you didn’t even hear him, or else you might make a fool of yourself.

Several hours later, you’re finally back at your apartment and getting into pajamas. As you pull a tank top over your head, you allow your mind to think about Spencer.

Good girl. 

He said it so flippantly, practically under his breath. Did he even mean for you to hear it? Did he know how it would make your heart hammer? You play it over again and again, letting yourself bask in the feeling. 

There’s a knock on your door, so you quickly pull on an old pair of yoga pants and race to your door. A brisk glance through your peephole causes that all too familiar heart tremor. Dr. Spencer Reid at your door, as though you’d summoned him with your thoughts. 

You swing open the door and let your eyes trail down his body. 

“I meant it.” He says immediately. 

“What do you mean?” You want to reach for him. He’s still dressed for work, and it takes everything in you not to wrap your fingers around his tie and pull him into your apartment. 

“When I called you brilliant.” He replies casually. 

“You came all this way to call me brilliant?” 

He smirks. “No, I came all this way to do this,” as he talks he steps toward you. 

You let a small breath of anticipation escape before he has his hands on either side of your face and is pressing his lips to yours. Your own hands find their way first to grasp at his waist and then around to his back, pulling him impossibly closer to you, desperate for the feel of his body against yours. The harsh sharp lines of him melding into the soft, lush curves of you. 

He moves you further into your apartment, shuts your door, and then pushes you up against the cool wood of the door, all without pulling his lips away from yours. Goosebumps spring to life across your skin as your body tries to process the head spinning sensation of the warmth of his body, combining with the chill of the door against your back. His hands are in your hair, possessive and needy, and you moan into his mouth. 

You feel the puffs of breath against your mouth as he laughs softly and then pulls away, his hands come to rest between your neck and shoulders. “I’ve missed you.” 

A small smile curves your freshly kissed lips. “It’s been like two hours since I saw you.” 

“I’ve missed being able to touch you.” He amends. The thumb of his right hand starts to move up and down the skin of your neck, and you wonder if he can feel how fast your heart is beating. His eyes search your face. “Did you like it when I called you a good girl?” 

Your lips part as if to reply, but no words come out. 

“Answer me.” He demands softly, his words are never harsh, but they still hold a sense of power. 

“Yes. I liked it,” you admit. 

He continues to watch you as his mind works, and then he makes a low sound of approval from his throat. “And would you like me to call you a good girl more often?” 

Need and want pools low in your belly, but you take a second to wet your lips before answering. You want your voice to come across as strong and sure, so there is no question that you want this. “Yes, please.” 

Your head is swimming in the overwhelming sensation of his lips back on yours in a matter of seconds. His hands explore your body, grazing and grasping onto your breasts before settling on your hips. He uses his knee to push your legs apart, and you move without resistance. A guttural moan breaks free from your throat as that same knee connects with the place that has been begging for friction since the moment Spencer put his hands on you. 

Spencer breaks away from the kiss. “You’re so beautiful when you moan like that,” he murmurs against your skin as he kisses, licks, and nips along your jaw and neck. 

Your hips jerk involuntarily, but it instantly causes a wave of pleasure as you slide against him. “Do that again, baby.” You do as you’re told and again and again. His mouth continues across your clavicle, and then lower until his teeth scrape against one of your nipples over the fabric of your tank top. You gasp and push yourself closer to him, but he pulls away. 

He lowers himself to the ground as he works to push down your yoga pants. As soon as you step out of them, the pants are thrown across the room, Spencer not bothering to pay attention. All of his attention is on you. 

“Look at you, pretty girl.” His thumb traces over the damp spot in your underwear while his other hand travels up your leg, sending zaps of pleasure straight to your core. 

“All for me?” His eyes flash up to yours. 

“I’m yours,” you answer. 

“That’s my good girl.” You twist your hands into his hair when his mouth makes contact with your still clothed pussy, his tongue swiping against you. He only teases you for a second before he can’t take it anymore and pulls down your underwear to be able to taste you without a barrier. The room fills with the obscene sounds of him lapping at your core as he lavishes praises on you in between licking and sucking. “So perfect, so goddamn perfect.” 

You throw your head back with a deep moan. 

Spencer continues, undisturbed. “Yes. Keep moaning for me. I want your neighbors to hear how good you are for me.” His tongue circles and caresses your clit. “Do you want my fingers inside of you? Tell me.” 

“Yes, oh god. Fuck. Spencer.” You can’t think straight. The only thing your brain is capable of is focusing on how good you feel. 

Spencer obliges your request and plunges two fingers into you. Your fingers tighten in his hair. “I can’t believe how wet you are. And you’re taking my fingers so good. I bet you’d take my cock even better.” He hooks his fingers and massages against the swollen pressure point inside you. 

You lean forward over him, trying to keep your legs steady. 

“Are you gonna come for me, sweetheart?” You simply nod your head even though he can’t see with his face buried in your pussy. “You’re gonna come all over my face and my fingers because you’re my good girl, aren’t you?” 

Your legs shake, but Spencer uses his free hand to hold onto your hip and hold you steady. 

“It’s okay, you can let go. I’ve got you.” His fingers buried deep within you speed up and he focuses all of his attention on the pattern of his tongue against your clit, ramping up the building pleasure that’s threatening to bubble over. “You’ve made such a mess, a beautiful mess. Look at you, so good. So good.” 

You clench around him. “Yes, that’s it. I want you to come. Just like that.” You jerk against his fingers and jaw as the pressure cascades and overflows inside you. His name is the only thing you can say in between your moans. “I love when you say my name when you come.” His fingers slow their pace, and his mouth becomes less frantic as he guides you through your orgasm and the small after-shocks. 

When he finally pulls away completely, you watch slack-jawed as he takes his two fingers and puts them in his slick mouth, cleaning away traces of you. “Tasting you makes me so hard, I love it.” You lean back against the door with a smile. 

“Do you want me to help with that?” 

He laughs. “I’m not even close to finishing with you, my beautiful girl.” When he starts to reach for you, you grab onto his tie first and pull him closer. You work on his tie as you kiss his mouth, tasting the remnants of yourself.

In a matter of seconds, you have his tie off and thrown into the abyss, your shaking fingers focusing on unbuttoning his shirt. His eyes watch as you strip him of his shirt and then pull on his belt. But he can’t keep his hands off you, and they create a path over your skin. You undo the clasp, the tingling sound of metal like a beckoning call. 

After taking off his belt and letting it drop to the floor, you also head toward the floor onto your knees. Spencer’s hand’s end up in your hair, and your hands travel up his thighs to the noticeable bulge in his pants. “Do you see what you do to me? Only you can make me this hard.” 

You bite your bottom lip and work to take off his pants and underwear as he kicks off his shoes. Your eyes look up to his eyes, and he smiles at you. “Go on, I know you’re desperate for it.” One hand holds onto the base of him as your tongue circles the pink tip. He lets out a sharp breath at the contact. 

You watch his reactions, flicking and teasing his head, gathering the stickiness of his precum on his tongue. Then you circle your lips around him and inch down, your hand sliding up and down on him to meet your mouth. His mouth is wide open as he watches you, the eye contact between the two of you almost overwhelming. Your body doesn’t seem to care that you just had an earth-shattering orgasm because you can feel the steady thrum of need building. 

“Are you getting wet again just from sucking me off?” You nod and take him deeper in your mouth, the hand resting on his thigh feels a muscle twitch. “You have the perfect mouth.” His fingers in your hair pull slightly, not enough to cause pain, but just enough to cause you to moan on his dick. 

“If you keep doing that I’m gonna come down that pretty throat.” You moan again, and he makes a low humming noise. “Is that what you want, sweet girl?” 

You pull off of him, a string of spit following you, “yes.” You take both hands and twist and stroke up and down him with a smile on your messy lips. 

“Open your mouth.” You do as he says, sticking your tongue out flat. He takes his two fingers and sticks them in your mouth, and you instantly start to suck on them, never stopping the motion of your hands. “My perfect, beautiful girl.” He mutters and then pulls his fingers from your mouth. Before you can put your mouth back on him, he’s stepping away and then helping you stand up. 

When you’re on your feet, he kisses you slowly, allowing his tongue to explore your mouth, and you reach down with one hand to continue to stroke him. He breaks the kiss and lightly guides you to turn around and bend over, using your hands to hold yourself up on the door. “You’re so good for me. Stay there.” You look over your shoulder and watch him find his pants to grab a condom. He quickly unwraps it and slides it on before returning to you. 

He glides his hands over the back of your thighs and over your ass appreciatively, then squeezes your ass. “Are you going to take all of me?” The whispers tickling the back of your neck as he leans over you toward your ear, you shiver against him. 

“Yes.” 

He trails a hand down your spine as he pulls away and then helps you to set your legs further apart. You bite your lip, so ready for him, when he squeezes your hips. Both of you moan deeply as he guides himself into you, inching himself in until he’s seated completely. His hands are back on your hips, holding you in place. He leans forward and places a kiss on your back. He whispers in your ear again, “now you’re gonna be a good girl for me, and you’re not gonna come until I tell you you can. Do you understand?” 

You nod swiftly. 

He presses another kiss. “Words please, sweet girl.” 

“I understand.” 

He stands fully and slowly starts to pull himself out of you, dragging against every inch of your core. When he’s out fully, he pushes forward, again at that agonizing slow pace. You squirm against him, needing more. “You think you can take all of it, baby?” 

“Yes. Yes. Please. Please.” 

“You’re so beautiful begging for me.” You think he’s going to continue to tease you, but he doesn't. He starts to move faster and faster, building up a steady rhythm. Your nails scratch against the wood of your door. “That’s it, so good. I only ever feel this good with you. Only you can take my dick like this. You take it so perfect.” He gasps and rambles as he pumps into you. 

The base of your spine zaps pleasure through your body and you shake on him. 

“Don’t come yet, baby. Not yet. I could spend forever inside you.” 

You feel your arms start to get weak, but Spencer holds so tight on you that you know that you’re stable. “I need to –” you gasp and squeeze your eyes shut. 

“I know. I know. But you can wait, I know you can. Do you know how I know you can?” 

You shake your head. 

“Because you’re my good girl.” You press your lips together and moan. “Yeah, and you’re gonna wait until I tell you. And then you’re going to touch that swollen little clit of yours. It’s aching isn’t it.” 

“Yes!” You practically shout. “Spencer, please.” 

“Beg again.” 

“Please. Spencer. Oh god, please. I need it. I need it.” 

“Touch your clit, baby.” You cry out as soon as one of your hands makes contact. “You still can’t come, honey.” 

You whimper, but try so hard not to give yourself over to the pleasure. 

“You’re all mine, aren’t you.” 

“Yes, yours all yours. Only yours forever.” 

He bites out a harsh moan, and you know he’s trying just as hard as you to keep it together. “You look so pretty.” The words are just rambles, almost imperceptible. “Come for me. Come all over me.” 

You do so instantly, Spencer tightens his grip on you to hold you steady as you lose yourself in the feeling. He comes with whimpers and sighs and deep grunts. When he finally stops moving, your legs are gelatinous, so he holds you tight against him, your back against his chest. He pulls out of you and then turns you around in his arms. 

“You’re perfect.” He peppers light kisses across your face and lips and neck. “You did so good.” His hands are wrapped around you, both holding you steady but also keeping close to him. “I’m so proud of you.” 

Your eyes flutter closed, and he kisses your lips fully. When he pulls away, you open your eyes and look up into his eyes. “Are you okay?” He checks in softly. 

“Yes.” 

“Good.” He kisses you again chastely. “That was beautiful. You’re beautiful.” Another kiss and his hands massage down your back and your hips, checking to see if you’re sore. 

“I’m fine.” You answer before he can ask. 

“Did you like that,” he asks earnestly. 

“I loved it.” 

He smiles brightly and you match it. “Are you hungry?” 

“Starving.”

[anoant-haikyuu-dump]

The hyperfixation demons are screeching at me to write a comprehensive list of all the reasons I like Fukutora, so today I present to you "Ant ignores their responsibilites and spends several paragraphs explaining why Fukutora is peak despite them having roughly 10 seconds of shared screen time"

1. Contrasting Personalities In general their personalities fit together really well— Fukunaga barely speaks while Tora exclusively shouts at max volume and can't stfu to save his life, Tora's overly-intense and takes everything way too seriously while Fukunaga's cracking jokes in the middle of important games, they're even literal opposites on the court as the two wing spikers. Their differences compliment each other perfectly and because of that I think they'd grow a lot being together, Fukunaga would learn to open up and Tora would mellow out. Another good contrast is how Tora's all about looking cool and standing out while Fukunaga tends to blend into the background, which leads into my next point...

2. MY ROMAN EMPIRE (aka chapter 309) I know it's only two pages out of a 33 chapter match but i dont care, this scene makes me feral. I read the manga after watching Dumpster Battle, so imagine my suprise when my two favorite losers had a moment THAT GOT CUT FROM THE FUCJIGN MOVIE (I'm still salty, it should've been a full season).

Anyways these pages rooted their way into my brain because they show that even though Fukunaga goes unnoticed by most people (both in-universe and by readers) Tora realizes how great he is, and not only respects his play style but views him as a rival on the same level as himself. One thing I appreciate about Tora is that despite him being the stereotypical "strong manly athlete" type he doesn't think his methods are the best or only way of doing things; Fukunaga scoring points without "big fanfare" is just as cool as the shit he and Tanaka pull off. The phrasing "that I hafta surpass" could even imply that Tora sees Fukunaga as more than an equal, as someone who's ahead of him since he doesn't need to be flashy or loud to do amazing stuff.

Look at his smile on page two, bro's just excited to have someone who motivates him to keep pushing himself. And as we've learned from Kagehina: what's gayer than a rivalry?? All in all I think it's sweet that Tora notcies his efforts and admires him when few others do. Side Note, I've seen a translation of these that call them "Nekoma's Wings" and I think that's a sick nickname.

3. Bi Tora and Internalized Homophobia I love a good internalized homophobia arc, and characters like Tora that center so much around girls and manliness are some of the most fun to explore them with imo. You could say he's one of the least likely characters in hq to be queer since he's THE woman-lover next to Tanaka and Noya (and Yachi) but that's what makes it interesting—his gay awakening would hit like a tsunami and send him into life-ruining bi panic for months, especially since he's already such a mess when it comes to romance. He gives me the vibes of someone who has no problem with other people being gay but struggles when it comes to himself since it clashes with his conception of what it means to "be a man" or whatever. My point is he'd have the most intense no homo phase to grace this earth and I think that's both super funny and compelling for his character.

Also as a bi person myself it's kind of frustrating how bisexuality is treated online sometimes. It's annoying when a person's queerness is negated the moment they show attraction for the opposite gender, so headcanoning a character like Tora as a bi while still being openly into women makes me happy.

4. The Stage Play They're so silly in the stageplay. Why is he dragging him around by the feet? Why are they screaming at Kenma? Why is he constantly bopping him on the head in the background? WHY IS HE SERVING FACE IN THE PROMO PICTURES? So silly.

(Ignore how blurry these are lol) 5. Ant's Little Sister Bias This is a me thing, I like ships where one party has an annoying little sister who bothers them, sue me. Its cute. Akane and Fukunaga could have the most adorable friendship if you believe.

6. They Match Each Others Energy My first post about them was me rambling about this so just read that, TDLR they're both energetic menaces who match each other's freak.

7. Kenma's Forced Third-Wheel Purgatory Putting Kenma in a situation where Kuroo's graduated and his closest remaining friends are dating and constantly forcing him to third-wheel is just about the evilest thing you could do to the guy. He may be one of my favorites but this is well-deserved punishment for his crimes.

8. Baffled x Baffling Another ship dynamic I like a lot is when one person is unabashedly weird and the other thinks they're a total freak... but likes them anyways. They don't know why they like them. They can't explain it to anyone. Whenever the person does more weird shit they're like "why tf do I like you." But even so they're whipped as hell. Anyways Tora barely understands a single thing Fukunaga does and I think that makes for a funny crush to have.

9. Fukunaga's "Current Concern" Don't have much to add here, it's just proof to me that they hang out idc. Like why are you concerned about what he wants?? Kinda gay dude. Big fan of Fukunaga whispering to him and Tora answering at full volume so other people hear a one-sided conversation.

10. These Fics Before I knew this ship was even a thing I stumbled on these fics while browsing the Fukunaga tag, that's what got the gears turning:

• My favorite one, third-year shenanigans • Peak, need to be signed in tho • College AU • This one is mostly gen Fukunaga but the few moments they have are perfect (also really fun Nekoma interactions overall)

11. Other Miscellaneous Thoughts • Both of them being public figures/lowkey famous in timeskip is cute, like imagine them being each others' biggest fan before they make it big.

• Chef x guy who eats a lot is peak fiction. In this case they both eat a lot. Their grocery bill is a horror story.

• I know it's because characters are usually grouped by year and Kenma ditches them to sit with Kuroo but they're always together in the stands, pretty gay if you ask me

• I hc Fukunaga as genderfluid so Tora still gets his chance to be a wife guy. Him and Tanaka ranting to each other while Kiyoko and Fukunaga drink tea in peaceful silence.

• I think Fukunaga's the type to enjoy people watching and Tora's always doing something dumb. Observing him like a little bug under a microscope

• They're both so silly looking, cartoony ahh designs. I just think they'd make a funny couple visually, they're so square and stick to me if that makes any sense lmaoo

If you got through this whole post you're a real one, thanks for reading to my brain dump. I think about them every day and need more people to understand the vision

[enkays-den]

Enkay watches the Imp and Skizz Podcast #128 (feat..... Imp and Skizz?????)

This week the boys took questions from the community and answered them! It's been a long time coming, since the last time they did this was over two years ago!

NOTE: none of these are direct quotes unless they are in quotation marks! I paraphrased a LOT to make this post decently short! This podcast is an hour forty minutes long, you GOTTA watch the full thing! x

"thanks for having me. big fan." i love skizz

Skizzleman name origin! He wanted to make a username for a poker website and the original slant on his last name was taken; a rap stereotype at the time was to slap 'izzle' on the end of it, Skizzleman was born

Impulse name origin! Impulse played marching snare for a drum corp called Impulse! His initials are SV so he smacked that on the end.

Question #1 from Marihl1354: What advice would you give to the other 10 years in the past?

Impulse: Join me. If you have the time, make it because you WILL be successful.

Skizz: Care less about what others think, because you can fly so far if you stop trying to please everyone and follow your instincts.

Question #2 from Hunter-7115: Who's the Better Host?

Both! It wouldn't be the podcast you know and love if it wasn't both of us!

"I complete you" SHUT UPPPPP

Question #3 from nicholashalom1632: Biggest moment that put your friendship to the test?

This story from the first Q&A We were both being you and stupid and drunk and thankfully we've never been that bad since.

Question #4 from IdiotSandwich2087: How exactly would you define your worst day in content creation?

Impulse: Any time where I have my day planned and I'm excited for it, and then something gets in the way and messes up my plan. It's mainly just frustrating and it's something I specifically have issues about.

Skizz: My first Twitch Rivals event, my internet cut out several times, and it was frustrating and demoralizing, but I didn't lose my cool.

Question #5 from iceybruhyt2178: What did you think initially when Grian originally pitched Third Life?

Skizz: I knew it would be a hit. I didn't know the longevity, but I knew it was going to be a success because it had the potential to have story elements that the audience would enjoy. I'm honored that I was picked since my channel was so small at the time.

Impulse: I knew it would work, but I didn't know how well us together would make this perfect ensemble. And it's still an amazing group that gels so well together on and off screen after almost 4 years. Each person wants everyone to have a good time and make great videos.

Question #6 from opalwhisker: What do you do with all the gifts you receive? What's the weirdest/funniest gift you've been given? What's your favorite stuff?

Impulse: Pretty much everything is special, because they all have heart and meaning to the person that gave it to me, and it makes me very grateful for my fans and for what I do.

Skizz: The drawings really impress me because it's such a show of skill and talent and everything is so touching because it's personal.

Question #7 from AgnesBooth-zu7tw: What would you do for content creation if you can't do Hermitcraft?

Skizz: Streaming. I like doing variety game streaming as well as Hermitcraft, the cooking stream with my wife was a lot of fun. Also voice acting (enkay personal note: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE)

Impulse: Anything that shows off my authentic self. I also really enjoy the video production end of things because it makes a great product and it plays to my strengths, I want to persue that more.

Also the Podcast!

Questions #8 and #9 from TrueCDC

Question #8: What video are you most proud of?

Impulse: The Storm the Castle video! I worked so hard on it, I learned a ton of new things, and it was really fulfilling for me to build something that was an experience everyone enjoyed.

Skizz: The Guess the Build series! I pitched the original idea based off of Telestrations and Grian took my idea and really polished it in terms of rules and getting the server mechanics organized so it's sleek. They're so much fun to make, everyone has a great time, the videos are amazing. I love the laughs we get out of it.

WHY WAS THAT BLEEP SO LONG

Question #9: What would you do differently about the podcast if you started again tomorrow?

The name. It doesn't telegraph a lot of information if you don't know who we are, and it doesn't really say anything about what sort of stuff we make.

The thing we DON'T regret is making our podcast NOT centered around a particular topic. It keeps things interesting for us and that's the most important element to keep the podcast going for as long as we want.

Questions #10 and #11 from Ranger12_

Question #10: What have you learned from each other?

Skizz: The importance of planning when it's needed. I tend to be more loose and free but it has it downfalls. I can still plan but have the freedom I need.

Impulse: A bit of parenting advice from Skizz. "If your kid is asking you to spend time with them to make a memory, You Take It."

Question #11: How did marching band change you?

Impulse: It kind of helped expose us to the multitasking that we would see later in adulthood, between school, having to have a job, and practicing. It taught me a lot of discipline and I got to experience the rush of REALLY hard work actually paying off.

Skizz: It really had a LOT of gravity and importance because of how intense and highly respected DCI is. It's a lot of pressure and we all had to pitch in to execute routines PERFECTLY.

Question #12 from LoSDockForBoats: Skizz, when you realize there was never a time limit on living your life to its fullest?

Skizz: A combination of my MS diagnosis in my mid-20s and any time when someone close to me passes away is always a wake-up call.

Question #13 from catfan0_0: Who are your favorite non-Minecraft content creators?

Skizz: For drumming, Estepario simply because he's the best, Brad Owen makes really good poker content and his videos are interesting, insightful, and funny! Sam The Cooking Guy is an amazing chef and host, and the post production is great, and the recipes he makes are AMAZING! (special shoutout to theOdd1sOut and Mark Rober)

Impulse: Harris Heller, he's a tech guy that I get most of my gear recommendations from, and I enjoy his videos.

Questions #14 and #15 from @skizzpulsee (AHHHHHHHH)

Question #14: What's your Roman Empire? (they didn't understand what that meant)

Impulse: Expanding my content to a wider scope.

Skizz: I don't think I have one (Enkay grabs the mic: IT'S SITCOMS)

Question #15 for Skizz: What's the best prank of all time?

Skizz: It was ages ago when I was working at Costco. There was a woman named K would nick little paper/cardboard signs that no one would miss from fast food places and stuff to decorate her room. We went to a Subway for lunch break and she said she wanted a sign that had LED lights in it. I grabbed it as we left and head back to work. She took it and later on I see there's a couple cop cars in the mall plaza and he told his boss to say that the cops were there for K because of the sign. He SOLD it and K is freaking out. I come back and pretend the cops talked to me. I grab the sign again and go outside to "talk to the cops". I put the sign in her car (I stole the keys from her locker) and return and pretend I got a stern talking to from the cops and they have my photo and information.

She got SO anxious about it that my boss felt bad and let her take the day off. She sees the sign in her car and flinches (I have snuck into the parking lot and have followed her). I yell at her to not get too mad, she yells at me good-naturedly, and she takes a well deserved afternoon off. (Kids, don't steal things)

Question #16 from Kiwimarauder: Which guest inspired you?

Impulse: Claire. She motivated me to pull the trigger on lifestyle changes that I'd been wanting to make for a few years now and it's recently been a big impact on me (but also I can't choose, they're all inspirational)

Skizz: My two main ones are Mumbo and Bdubs. Mumbo was such a big inspiration in terms of creativity and not questioning if my ideas are "good enough" and Bdubs because he helped me embrace "I'm happy and healthy and my important people are too, and sometimes that's all the ambition I need"

Question #17 from mariashaw980: Do you ever join the Hermitcraft server to find yourselves enamored by the utter creativity, complexity, and strength of your peers?

Impulse: Yeah, I was a big hermitcraft fan from season 2, and I was watching Etho from before I made a youtube channel. To be in the same space with these people hit me every time I'm with them. They're all inspiring and amazing and it's humbling.

Skizz: ditto to the above, I'm constantly amazed with literally everything

Question #18 from ronaldfelix1850: What other hobbies do you guys have besides gaming?

Skizz: Poker, but it's not a BIG hobby because poker is the fun thing and not gambling. I learned it from my older brothers and I loved the psychological angle of it.

Impulse: Computers and tech stuff, also renovating (probably because of my interior decorator wife). I love working on house projects.

Question #19 from Savannah_831: What's your favorite moment you've had together playing minecraft?

There's so many, but a recent highlight is our prank on Joel early in the season. It was a collaborative moment for us and it's so much fun to get one over on Joel because he has such great reactions and it was a matter of pride

Question #20 from TzainDoesMusic: Who's the one person you want to meet, dead or alive?

Impulse: Matthew McConaughey or Matthew Perry

Skizz: Matthew Perry is also high up there, but also Jesus would be cool. I would ask QUESTIONS. "I bet I could make him laugh"

Questions #21 and #22 from Alchamyx:

Question #21: To Skizz: How in the world do you stay so positive?

Skizz: It's more that I don't show too much real negativity on stream or in videos. It's not really what I want to give as a content creator for you guys, and everyone has bad days, nothing to be ashamed of.

Question #22: To Impulse: How do you see your creative projects come to life?

Impulse: Honestly they're usually spur-of-the-moment ideas, usually inspired by stuff that I surround myself with at the time. My candy factory was inspired by my daughter getting REALLY into all the Willy Wonka stuff. The cyberpunk city and all the lore wasn't inspired by ANYTHING topical. It just came to me, and I knew myself and Bdubs would have fun with the building style.

Questions #23 and #24 from angiesteuck:

Question #23: Skizz, how do you like playing on Hermitcraft?

Skizz: I LOVE it. It's fun being a guy that helps facilitate funny moments. It makes me want to be a better builder and do more for the Hermits, like Tango does with his amazing games

Question #24: Do you ever get recognized when you are out and about?

Impulse: Very rarely. We were once recognized together in the middle of nowhere and it was a really sweet family. But my last vacation I was on a cruise and I was recognized several times! If you see either of us, absolutely say hi when it's an appropriate time!

Skizz: I had a dinner where my waiter recognized me and he was very polite about it, it was such a nice moment.

BONUS PRIMMERS!!!!!

[swagyalastorwife]

Vees + alastor + adam + lute as parents

Author notes :hiiiiii guyssss (^-^)/❤️I really enjoyed writing this I'm sorry if it's too short and if there are spelling mistakes I'm thinking of doing a part 2 with someone else so don't hesitate to give me some suggestions if you want something in particular , This comes from a request I put it at the end. ❤️

⚠️Warning⚠️ : drogue and sex mention in val's part ans that's it (^-^)

Part2

Vox📺

○ Your child will probably be the most spoiled child in all hell. he will have all the latest technologies from voxtech, all the toys he wants and of course as a child star, all hell will know him which will push vox to be a protective enough dad I think he imagines one day retiring and letting your child run the business so your child will get the best education possible. Vox will surely teach her how to manipulate people, and if your child is a girl she will be a "daddy's girl" kind of like Draco Malfoy in Harry Potter.

“My father will hear about it” or “I don’t think you know my father given the way you treat me” it's a very spoiled and capricious child like his dad but you should never doubt all the love that Vox has for your child, he loves you both and will be ready to die for you

In summary he wants the best for his child

7/10

Velvette💜

♧ Velvette she's not the type to have a child but if she had one I imagine her trying to pass on her passion for fashion to her child by taking him to fashion shows, helping him sew, making sketches.... her child will probably be a "bad bitch" like her mother elsewhere "I do what I want where I want and when I want" her child will probably become a great fashion designer

In summary she will be a very good mom

8/10

Valentino🦋

♡ Valentino Poor child, to be honest I don't wish anyone to live in an environment as unhealthy as the one in which Val's child will grow up, sex drugs and all that shit he will probably be an irresponsible father but at the same time he will be attentive and will try to do his best so that his child becomes someone as important as him and also "respected" in summary he is a bad father but i think he tried his best to become better

3.5/10

Alastor🦌

◇ He will be a loving and caring father he will do his best to make his child feel good and happy, if your child is a boy he will teach him to be a good gentleman just like him and if he has a daughter he will cherish her and protect her as best he can whatever happens, he loves his child more than anything and hopes that he will become as "powerful" as him In summary, he is a good father who wants the best for these children and will do everything for them.

9,5/10

Adam😇

♤ Even if he doesn't show it often, he loves his child more than anything in the world and will try to be the best father possible, even if he doesn't succeed all the time sometimes he can be very bad . He will teach him to fight and play the guitar and would definitely want his child to come to his rock concerts to see" how talented his father is "and how loved by everyone In summary he is a good father who tries to do his best but sometimes he makes mistakes

5/10

Lute🗡

● She would probably be a very severe mother who would like her child to become strong and powerful capable of "exterminating all demons", she could become mean but she will not do it for the injured but to help him give the best of himself, she loves her child more than anything in the world and she simply wants him to be able to fend for himself in summary she is a severe mother but who wants the best for her child

4/10

I hope you like it (^-^)/ ❤️❤️❤️❤️ and if you want specifics fanfiction ideas tell me !!!

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

⭕️👋Hi I’m new, I really like your character analysis, world lore analysis etc,…I think they’re very accurate and provide more insight into the twisted wonderland world,

do you think NRC gets enough funding cause they’ve been losing to RSA for like almost 100 years now and the Magift incident where the recruiter’s and scouts probably didn’t really pay attention to most of the players cause of Malleus .I know they probably get funding and tuition and stuff from affluent parents who care about the quality of education & environment of their children but is that really enough? Is Crowley secret Stressed about funding cause of their losing streak to RSA???

I just wondered what your thoughts were on the matter

Hello and thank you very much ^^ It always warms my heart to hear that people enjoy my more analytical writings!

Now to answer your question, I don’t think NRC is hurting for money. Like, at all.

You did bring up a fair point about NRC’s almost a 100 year loss streak to RSA + the lack of interested Spelldrive/Magical Shift scouts in book 2, but that’s not enough of the big picture. RSA is only one rival magic school out of several. Just because NRC is not doing well against one other school doesn’t mean that NRC is suddenly deemed “lesser”—NRC is still considered a top arcane academy and eclipses other magical institutions like Noble Bell College. In regards to the pro recruiters, I don’t think it has a huge impact?? Sports is only one sector at NRC; they’re still doing relatively well outside of it (such as in academics, extracurriculars, and connections for internships) in the grand scheme of things. Update: Trein states in his vignettes that NRC is falling behind RSA in academics, which isn’t great news—but again, RSA is but one school for comparison. NRC still ranks above several other magic schools. Things like not winning VDC and not being noticed by scouts seems to only really impact the career prospects of students who were interested in the entertainment/sports industries; I doubt that this would seriously hurt whatever funding NRC is receiving.

Night Raven College is a private school, so they are most likely receiving money from tuition and not the government. Though tuition is not explicitly mentioned in TWST (at least not that I am aware of), if we assume the average cost for one student to attend a British boarding school—for which NRC is modeled after—that means 25,000 pounds per person, PER YEAR. Let us assume that NRC had only 800 students (this is the rough estimate TWST provides us). That means, from one year’s worth of tuition alone, the school is raking in 20,000,000 pounds or 4,058,310,000 madol. Note that this is just money in, not yet factoring for expenditures, taxes, etc.

The school also receives 10% of Mostro Lounge’s proceeds, and while we cannot put an exact number to that, we do know that most menu items range from 600 to 1500 madol. The lounge must also make significant enough money to pay for its ingredients, nice silverware (something which Azul stresses to give customers a high class experience), and even provide pay to workers (Ruggie would not be doing labor for free and refers to his time at Mostro Lounge as “a job”; see: his Ceremonial Robes vignettes). While this doesn’t make up a large part of NRC’s money, it’s still a nice little bonus to account for.

NRC also has many, MANY wealthy students, including literal celebrities and royalty. In fact, the upper middle class to flat-out rich make up the majority of the main cast (close to like 70-75%). If this is also the case for the regular mob students, then there are many other ways for the school to get huge donations. In the main story alone, two significant donations are mentioned: Kalim's dad gave enough money for NRC to completely renovate Scarabia and the Shroud parents paid for all the damages caused to the school's buildings. Additionally, Crowley says that the Shrouds made "substantial contributions toward expanding [NRC's] facilities."

Please note that this is just donations from current students’ families. Think about potential donations coming from NRC alumni too!!

It should be noted that NRC has the financial power to spend liberally, and no one really says that this will put the school in a touch spot. For example, all students are provided free uniforms (school, dorm, PE, robes, labwear, etc.; even the birthday outfits are said to be provided by the school), but they have to pay for replacements if they fuck up their first one(s). Crowley literally buys up Sam's entire stock of goods during Ghost Marriage... and if you know anything about Sam, it's that he can magically keep things "IN STOCK NOW!!" Crowley even indicates in one of his voice lines that he is in constant competitions to buy out Sam's stock and has scarcely managed to one-up him--so the fact that Crowley does buy out Sam during an event is meaningful and speaks to how much of the school's money he is throwing to save it. He also tells Sam to bill the school for the cost of the fairy dust in Fairy Gala.

Both times, Crowley complains about how he would rather not spend money, but he does so anyway. This in of itself does NOT prove that NRC is in need of money, this is just proof of Crowley's cheapness. (We see many other examples of this greed and stinginess of his; he guilts Yuu for spending money on them, constantly tries to get free food and souvenirs from his students, and cuts costs for Halloween candy.) If NRC were truly hurting financially though, then they would not be able to throw lavish events or donate back to the community, both of which still happen multiple times. For example, NRC holds a huge Halloween event every year in which they open their campus to outsiders. This event is entirely free and involves a budget large enough for each dorm to create intricate decorations and costumes for 800ish students. There is also enough money to throw a celebration party for the students at the end of it—and let’s remember, NRC has the money to afford five star ghost chefs to regularly cater, serve in the cafeteria, AND teach their Culinary Crucibles/Master Chef courses.

While explaining the nature of the Halloween events, Crewel cites that NRC has survived this long in part due to the "While explaining the nature of the Halloween events, Crewel cites that NRC has survived this long in part due to the "understanding, cooperation, and subsistence of Sage's Island locals." This implies that the immediate community on the island also supports NRC in some ways. Perhaps it isn't financially, but it's clear that NRC still has social capital and a good reputation in spite of its losses to RSA.

In Port Fest, Crowley states that setup, food supplies, and all other expenses will be covered by the school. Half of the proceeds will then be donated to charity and the other half will be granted to the students to celebrate their hard work. Again, would NRC be giving away this money if they really needed it for the institution itself? They're not obligated to give money to the students, yet Crowley easily agreed when Azul asked for an incentive.

And let's not forget the school cultural festival, which was largely open for the public to attend. If they choose to spend on additional things (such as food and drink or VDC tickets, which are a "hot commodity"), that's on the individual. The school itself is hosting the event for free.

Yuu is offered a large sum of money (if the NRC tribe wins VDC)... and Ramshackle renovations (from Crowley) in book 5 in exchange for letting the boys host their training camp in their dorm. Look at how old and run-down Ramshackle is; there is no doubt that such repairs would be pretty expensive—but Crowley doesn't complain about the cost, he's not above bribing someone to make himself and his school look good.

Crowley caring about his reputation isn't new either, it's a pattern. We see him getting upset at NRC's loss in book 5 and lamenting bad publicity/being excited about good publicity in numerous events (Ghost Marriage, Wish Upon a Star, etc.) The school has been under his care for a long time, so naturally he will feel proud and/or slighted whenever NRC is involved.

This leads me to the conclusion that Crowley, the figurehead and headmaster of NRC, and his own personality quirks are being misconstrued as an indication that NRC is in a bad financial spot. His own fixation on triumphing over their rival school, acquiring and maintaining material goods for himself, and wanting positive attention do not reflect the state of the school. Notice how no one but Crowley whines about the financials and how while Crowley still complains about spending money, he has no qualms with spending lavishly himself on school events and holidays. This means NRC has money to spare, but Crowley is just stingy about how those funds are allocated.

[shadowgast-recs-weekly]

Whump: A Shadowgast Rec List

This week, we have whump! Check under the cut for 16 fics featuring all sorts of hurt just in time for whumptober, and don't forget to comment and kudos if you like them!

Stronger together by Bob fish & enemytosleep (11000, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: Graphic Depictions of Violence

Essek joins tm9 on an adventure … and his inexperience shows.

Reccer says: The outsider’s view of tm9 is fun, and it does a great job of exploring Essek’s struggles at this stage of the campaign. Bonus points for happy Caleb.

The Fullness of Time by Cers (162.788, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: Choose Not to Warn

Caleb and Essek travel through time after narrowly escaping death in aeor. Their journey has unexpected consequences and Essek ends up trapped between timelines, facing a fate worse than death.

Reccer says: Just when you think everything is fine and all challenges have been overcome, this story hits you with a mean left hook. 10/10 would sob my heart out again

it's strange what desire will make foolish people do by GammaRey (3479, General) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Essek gets injured after the Lucien fight and Caleb takes care of him

Reccer says: short and sweet!

proof by contradiction by Chrome (19620, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: Graphic Depictions of Violence

Beauregard asks for Dairon's help freeing a friend held captive by the Cerberus Assembly. They and Essek work together to escape.

Reccer says: A wonderful look into Dairon's character and perspective. The glimpsed she sees of the Nein's relationships with Essek are so wonderful. I find myself rereading the ending in paticular over and over again. Though shadowgast is not the focus of the fic, what we see of it has definitely inspired how i view their relationship to outsiders.

The Mind and The Malady by SaltCore (38945, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: Graphic Depictions of Violence

Essek has to endure the Aeor delve with the Mighty Nein whilst suffering from hanahaki.

Reccer says: A classic amongst Shadowgast fics, honestly. All of it is so good, but I'm particularly fond of the in-universe explanation for Exandrian hanahaki and I still think about Caleb and Essek's conversation at the end of the fic all the time.

some things time can't fix by Chrome (25930, Mature) Reccer's Content Notes: None

Daemon AU - Essek is arrested for treason. The Dynasty severs the daemons of prisoners before executing them so they can’t be reborn.

Reccer says: Oh man there is so much emotion packed in. The world we see is fascinating, and it is such a painful ride seeing the development of Essek’s situation.

as if through a prism by wanderinghooves (30812, General) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Essek and Caleb have a terrible time in Aeor.

Reccer says: Incredible character study, very well written. I Very strongly recommend it!

Slow In The Tide by SaltCore (3853, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: Drowning

Essek makes a decision during a fight with Uk'atoa's minions. Essek doesn't know how to swim.

Reccer says: I liked it!

bow shock by SaltCore (4615, Mature) Reccer's Content Notes: Graphic Depictions of Violence

Caleb is attacked by a Volstrucker. Essek rescues him.

Reccer says: Essek’s ruthlessness is extremely my jam.

Mourning Sun and Falling Star by LuckyOwlsFoot (21338, Mature) Reccer's Content Notes: Major Character Death, Graphic Depictions of Violence

A whumptastic time in Aeor, part 2.

Reccer says: These cursed ruins can fit so much hurt/comfort in them.

heliopause by SaltCore (5035, Mature) Reccer's Content Notes: Graphic Depictions of Violence

Essek is attacked by Dynasty assassins. Caleb rescues him.

Reccer says: A lot of evocative details and a hopeful ending.

Crush by flashhwing (3672, Mature) Reccer's Content Notes: Choose Not to Warn, Serious Injury, Light Suffocation, Temporary Paralysis

While in Aeor, the wizards get caught in a tunnel collapse. Essek is able to avoid getting trapped, but Caleb isn't so lucky.

Reccer says: The way spacing is utilized is fantastic for building the atmosphere of the fic and showcasing just how long Caleb spends trapped. The Sendings and dynamic between Caleb and Essek are so delicious, just top-tier hurt/comfort with heavy emphasis on the hurt.

all that it took (for the dream to break) by neinofthem (greekphilosophress) (1851, Mature) Reccer's Content Notes: Graphic Depictions of Violence

essek in the Dungeon, slowly taken apart physically and mentally

Reccer says: Makes me cry every time. Short but packed with emotion.

Hold Me Close, Cut Me Deep by CatgirlTheCrazy (14192, Mature) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Essek stumbles across a dangerous entity in Aeor that takes the form of Caleb. Obviously, terrible things ensue and they are forced to make some difficult decisions.

Reccer says: The pre-relationship pining, inadvertently severely injuring each other and the resulting guilt from that, having to make life or death decisions that deeply affect their relationship, incubi, very nice recovery feels with some hurt/comfort. What more could you ask for?

Reports of my safety have been greatly exaggerated by ghosttopiary (59343, General) Reccer's Content Notes: Graphic Depictions of Violence

Ludinus kidnaps Essek to use him as bait to trap the Nein. Essek refuses to comply.

Reccer says: lotta hurt lotta comfort

The following fic received two recs!

Tomb of Rust by LuckyOwlsFoot (23682, Mature) Reccer's Content Notes: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Strangulation, Drowning, PTSD and Panic Attacks, Serious Injury

The wizards go to Aeor and things go far worse than they could've possibly imagined.

Reccer 1 says: These cursed ruins can fit so much hurt/comfort in them. Reccer 2 says: There are several scenes from this fic and its sequel that will haunt me until the day I die and I mean that in the most complimentary sense. Everything that could go wrong for the wizards does and in many ways you will not expect going into the fic. Excellent whump, excellent plot twists and developments, and also excellent moments of comfort between Caleb and Essek in the midst of all their suffering!

This is one of our weekly communally-generated shadowgast rec lists. Every week we announce a new theme and allow anyone to submit a fic recommendation. 

And hey, anyone includes you!

Next week, we'll be featuring fics that include or feature cultural differences! Big or small, they can both be sweet or lead to confusion. Either way, it makes for wonderful fics

Any fics coming to mind? Well, then use this form to submit!

[vickyvicarious]

Something I noticed is that Jonathan only says "my wife" three times, and two of those are spoken to Mina on the same day, on the form of question-pleading. Must I swear too? Must I read it?

On that note, Mina seems to no longer walk on eggshells for his nerves. She's firm with him, lifting a hand and saying "No! Don't delude me. I am dead." When he tries to bargain against essentially burying her, she says "It would comfort me, my husband." and that's that.

You set me on a spiral because I was gonna say something about how in general Jonathan uses endearments a lot less than Mina, but then I wondered by how much and did a bunch of searching. And now I've compiled a Harker endearments breakdown. At least for the ones I remembered them using.

Couple notes - some form of dear is said by everyone a lot. Van Helsing, Lucy, and Mina especially. For the Harkers, mostly they only say these various terms aloud when comforting the other or in very emotionally fraught moments. The rest of the time it is typically in writing about the other. I only specified the difference between said to/about for my husband/wife but generally most endearments are about the person.

Jonathan -> Mina: 21 total

dear: 10 (dear x2, [described her hand as] the dearest thing in all the wide world, poor dear, the dear girl, her dear cheeks, the poor dear, my dear one, poor dear Mina, my dear Mina)

darling: 6 (my poor darling's brain, my darling x3, my poor wronged darling, my poor darling's white forehead)

wife: 3 (my wife [about her], my wife x2 [to her])

Wilhelmina: 2

Mina -> Jonathan: 62 total

dear: 28 (the dear fellow x3, my dear one, his dear eyes x2, my poor dear x2, his own dear sake, the poor dear x3, dear x5, poor dear, poor poor dear Jonathan, poor dear fellow, Jonathan dear, my dear x2, dearest, dear one, my dearest x2, poor dear dear Jonathan

darling: 4 (my poor darling x2, my darling x2)

husband: 27 (my husband x19 [about him], my husband's great love, my husband x5 [to him], my beloved husband x2)

my Jonathan: 3

There was no real point to this except it's fun to look at. And I like seeing how much Mina loves to talk about her husband. She emphasizes herself as his wife several times too, especially at the beginning.

Sorry, I know this got totally away from what you were talking about. As for that conversation, both Jonathan and Mina are emphasizing their relationship to one another. Him to plead not to do this, her to insist that he is the one wants most to do it. And while she's gentle about it, she's also firm.

[tj-dragonblade]

[Bingo Ficlet] Til Death Do Us Part

Fandom: The Sandman Pairing: Dreamling Rated: T Word Count: 1463 Tags: vampire AU, vampire Dream, Hob is still immortal, vampiric angst, talk of blood death and sex, hurt/comfort, emotional hurt/comfort

Notes: This covers:

@dreamlingbingo Square B1 Hurt/Comfort plus adoptable prompt Forehead Kisses

@monsterfucktoberbingo square Vampire

@mr-sadman's All Hallow's Sadman mini-event, 10/31 prompt Monster

Summary: Dream laments his vampiric nature. Hob offers reassurance, patiently, for the thousandth time

On AO3

~ "I am a monster," Dream is murmuring, over and over, the first thing Hob hears as consciousness returns—that beautiful velvety sonorous voice in the same lament it has been voicing for decades. He can feel Dream's arms around him, cradling him close against Dream's narrow chest and beneath his pointy chin, rocking him gently back and forth. It's comforting, familiar, and Hob sighs happily, as soon as he has the faculties and bodily control for it.

"Hob!" Dream loosens his hold enough to (presumably) look down into his face at the sound; Hob's eyes aren't quite working yet. But he can manage a smile, and so he does, and then Dream's lips are pressed to his forehead in a fervent kiss, Dream's arms crushing him tightly. "Hob, my Hob, I'm so sorry—"

Silly Dream, Hob thinks, fondly. Nothing to be sorry about.

And he'll tell him so, again, as soon he's got enough life back in him to speak.

He can feel the spark and rush returning, little by little, blood replenishing itself in his empty veins; soon enough he'll be right as rain again.

"I'm sorry," Dream murmurs once more, and his tender kiss in Hob's hair holds not the slightest hint of fang.

~

Seven hundred years ago, Hob unknowingly challenged Death to a game of chance and won. She'd been a great sport about it and honored his winnings, promised she'd never take him until he asked to go.

Fifty-eight years ago, he'd stumbled across a half-feral vampire in the woods and fallen in love. Died a couple of times first, which complicated the process a bit, but obviously it'd all worked out in the end.

Most things did, for Hob Gadling.

~

"'M fine, duck, jus' fine," Hob manages, several moments later. "No need t'worry, see?"

"I cannot help but worry," Dream returns, and his voice is thick with unshed tears. "I drained you. No matter how many times you come back, it is traumatic to surface from a damned blood haze—a failing I should be well able to control by now—to find my lover dead by my own fangs."

"Understandable." Hob nuzzles his face weakly against Dream's throat. They're both still naked, he can tell now; Dream is…sitting cross-legged in their bed, cradling Hob against him. "But it's very nice to come back to life in your arms like this."

"You would find the optimism in even this." Dream kisses his forehead again and sniffles. "But the fact remains, had you not bound yourself to a monster with abhorrent appetites, you would not be subjected to repeatedly dying—"

"Nine times in fifty-eight years is hardly 'repeatedly'."

"Hob—"

"Eight if you don't count the night we met, since we weren't together yet."

"I have drained you. To death. Nine times."

"And yet I'm here, love, cozy in your arms and having this very familiar peculiar conversation. No harm done. Much opposite-of-harm achieved."

"It does not feel like 'no harm' when your body goes lifeless in my arms, Hob."

Hob's been sparring in this particular argument for a very long time now; perhaps it's time to try a different tactic. "Can I tell you a secret, love? One that might change your perspective a little?" He grins, a little sheepishly. "Might also make you think far less of me, but that's a chance I'm willing to take."

Dream scoffs. "I cannot imagine anything you could tell me that would lower my esteem for you."

"Well. Alright then." Hob coughs, draws a great breath. "It is weirdly enjoyable, to die with your teeth in my throat and your cock in my arse. An orgasm on the brink of expiring, the 'little death' become the big one? There's nothing quite like it."

Dream blinks at him.

"Not saying I wanna do it all the time, mind. It is bloody strange and whatever I might theoretically get out of it is not worth the distress it causes you. But just. It happens when several of your deepest instincts converge, and sometimes you still can't hold back. That's okay. I'm a kinky fucker, as it turns out, and I realized the first time—the first time after we got together I mean—that I could enjoy it. But I could also see how hard it is on you, so I wasn't going to make a thing out of it. But maybe, if it helps you to know, I'm—not getting off on it, I wouldn't go that far, but I'm not suffering. At all. You're neither hurting nor harming me."

Dream, as usual, seems not to absorb the point Hob was trying to make. "But Hob. I am killing you, again and again, because I am a monster whose appetites cannot be controlled—"

Hob stops him with two clumsy-but-gentle fingers pressed to his lips, then slides his hand to cup the side of Dream's face. "My dearest, sweetest Dream. We've been over this, love. You cannot kill me, not in any way that matters. I always come back. Haven't I proven it, these past fifty years?"

Dream makes a sound not unlike a sob, presses into Hob's hand on his cheek.

Hob manages to exert enough pressure to tilt Dream's face down to look him in the eye. "This 'monster' business," he says, so gently. "Utter crap." He leans up to kiss Dream's forehead softly. "You found yourself the only human you can drain without killing and you've not taken anyone else for decades."

"Hob—"

"And when I met you, you were starving yourself on animal blood, living half wild in the forest so as not to tempt yourself on human blood. Centuries without, you'd gone. You're not a monster, darling, you're a person with highly specific dietary needs and a vigilant conscience about how your food is sourced."

Hob was hoping for a laugh, but Dream only sighs, one corner of his mouth ticking down. "I drained you when you found me, Hob. My hard-won self-restraint was for naught as soon as a human crossed my path."

"Because the animal-only route was obviously not enough for you. You were clearly starving, love. And again. You found a human you can feed from without harming, even if you do drain me. I'm still here."

"I killed you four times in the first eight years we were together—"

"And only five times in the fifty years following, because you worked so hard to establish control and to feed ethically and better yourself". Hob pulls himself up, still weak but improving with each passing moment; he gently disentangles himself from Dream's embrace to sit facing him. He takes both of Dream's pale long-fingered hands in his own. "I know you hate the need. I know you hate the instincts that that bastard left in you. But Dream. My love. You are so much more than that and just because you're not where you want to be yet? Doesn't mean you're never going to get there." He squeezes Dream's hands, ducks his face to make sure he's got eye contact. "Please, love, give yourself a little grace. You've come so far, I'm so proud of you, and I'm with you all the way. No matter what. We'll get you there."

Dream holds his gaze a long moment, eyes watery, and finally leans forward to rest his forehead against Hob's collarbone, puts his arms around Hob again and clings to the backs of his shoulders. He heaves a great shuddering breath, wet and trembling, and a tear drips onto Hob's naked chest. "I am weary of the struggle," he says, voice thick. "I wish to be. Stronger. Now."

"I know." Hob caresses his cheek, moves him just enough to kiss his forehead again and pulls him close to tuck him back against his own chest. "But I can see how far you've come already. And I promise, we're moving ever forward. We'll get there, never mind any setbacks."

Dream nuzzles under his chin, brushes his lips so gently over the healed wound where his teeth had sunk into Hob's throat earlier this evening. "I am sorry for hurting you," he says softly.

"Again. Neither hurting nor harming me." Hob runs gentle hands up and down Dream's spine. "I do kind of enjoy it." It still feels weird to admit it aloud.

"You are a peculiar human, Hob Gadling." Dream kisses the healed bite mark again, sighs, and the smallest bit of tension falls out of his spine. "You are also far too kind, too forgiving of me." He drops one last kiss to Hob's throat. "But I fear who I would be without you."

Hob grins. "Lucky then you'll never be without me, hmm?"

Dream laughs, a short watery little bark, and burrows comfortably closer against Hob's hairy chest.

= Started: 10/28/24 Drafted: 10/30/24 Posted: 10/31/24

And that's a blackout! 🎉 Master post to come...later.

[comicaurora]

Out of curiosity, how far ahead are you on the comic? I mean, you must have it all planned and written out, but I imagine that you are drawing the future of Aurora even while we're reading it.

So is Arc 2 already illustrated and ready for upload while you're on like Arc 5 or something? I'm by no means undermining your need for a break; I'm shocked that you've been uploading continuously for over 4 years at this point. I'm just interested to know how long it takes a person to make something this great. And also if you change any details in the final edit?

Basically: what's the workflow like?

Also I think you low-key inspired me to pick up painting as a hobby. I'm ready to pour so much money into creating things that I know I'll hate. :)

God, arc 5? That's a very generous assessment of how fast I can draw!

Typically, when the comic is updating regularly, I keep a buffer of 10 to 20 completed pages. Right now, in the interest of taking a break, the buffer is 0 completed pages.

Chapter 1 of Arc 2 is completely storyboarded, meaning it's sketched out, the dialog is all mostly finalized barring last-minute rephrasements, etc. It can be read in its current form, it just looks unpretty. In fact, just for fun, here's a sneak peek!

In the next month I'll go through and finalize as many pages from this chapter as possible - which means locking down the panel borders, fleshing out the backgrounds, lining, shading, coloring, polish, etc. - which will be the process of building up a new buffer for when the comic starts back up again in January. During that time, I'll also be storyboarding Chapter 2 and as much of the following parts as I can manage.

I have the next several chapters and sub-arcs planned out in loose timelines - event A happens at location B leading to consequences C and D, stuff like that. Chapter 2, being the closest, is a little more fleshed-out, with a more detailed bullet-pointed timeline and various character ideas I've had that might or might not make it into the final version.

What exactly the chapter breakdown is going to look like is a little more complicated. Initially I'd planned for Chapter 1 to be low-stakes downtime and Chapter 2 to quickly kick off the high-octane adventure again, but when I started bullet-pointing out the stuff I wanted to do in Chapter 2, I ended up with a big pile of slower-paced character moments I thought were well worth exploring, so the runtimes might stretch a little.

Translating those brainstormed notes into storyboards and dialog is what I would classify as the "writing" part of this process. It happens at an erratic pace largely determined by the whims of whatever muse decides to get me in a headlock that day; sometimes I go weeks with no storyboarding progress, sometimes I hammer out fifteen pages in one day.

It's kinda like weaving, to me. The soon-to-be-arriving parts of the story are the most finalized, the most densely woven. A little ways beyond that, things get looser - some patterns may be locked down, but the actual work that'll hold it together hasn't been done yet. And in the far-flung future arcs, it's just the basic bones of the story and a pile of the threads I've planned to use. I know the shape of it, but in order for it to be fun and engaging for me to make it, I need to give myself room to be creative when I'm putting the whole thing together.

I actually have a file called the "Toolbox" that contains every random character or subplot idea I've had, and sometimes when I'm debating where to go with a chunk of story, I'll crack it open and scan through to see if anything jumps out begging to be used. Lotta fun stuff in there that may or may not ever see the light of day. Dropping stuff in the Toolbox is one of the most fun and freeing parts of the process for me!