#the power of perspective and camera angles i guess

[robo-dino-puppy]

out-of-bounds rivers

[narsh-poptarts]

my dark link thoughts coalesced into wonderful headcanons and crazy amounts of forced perspectives and dutch angles

also sorry HW i would have included your dark link(s) but i do not have passion for your game <3 maybe next time

Some thoughts below

I have thoughts about dark link that boil down to basically two things: 1. it's always the same dark link, and 2. dark link has a very difficult time changing.

No matter how many times dark link is brought into existence, he is formed from the shadow of link usually to test link's will. that shadow can be duplicated (as seen in HW) but generally speaking it's the same guy, sharing the thought space, you know how it is. In terms of sentience/thinking for himself, I don't think there's all that much of it. He is a dark reflection/shadow of link, so shares his abilities and thought patterns (for combat) with added aggression and. evil. i guess.

As said by navi, "conquer yourself", and all that. He's a challenge to the inner will power.

That being said!!! he can have a little bit of individuality, as a treat. Just in the form of being mean and sadistic <3 he's got thoughts, he's not just a combat doll (tho in times of low power, or a greater power having the reins, he reverts to that), so he can be frustrated, vindicated, happy, etc etc. though when your thoughts are mainly "evilevilevilevilevil" your idea of these emotions are a bit skewed.

When he's summoned for each different link, i hc that it's all the same magic, so the same dark link every time. he "remembers" in an abstract sense of his role in the same way a link or zelda "remembers" their own reincarnation. tho his is less of a reincarnation and more being used over and over again. a persistence.

The iteration that's summoned reflects the current link at the time, the part of link that needs testing/defeating, so it's not an existence that he himself can change to match the present. he's locked to that first copy/shadow only. So if he were to have a second encounter with an older link, he'd look like the first time they fought, unless he was specifically re-summoned. i hc he's got limited magic, so this is not something he can do himself.

in a links-meet scenario, his form would be limited to those specific forms of the links, and it would always be the points in time in which he first encountered them, unless there's other magic either he or someone else has access to to allow him to change forms to match.

now you might be saying at this point "wouldn't he be a weaker match if he was put up against an older link?" yeah probably lol. but also!!! i like the idea that with the limited magic he has, he's able to change juuuust enough to stay relatively evenly matched. being able to play to different strengths and all that. but the base stuff is still the same, so he is decently easy enough to read if link remembers the kind of stuff he was pulling back when he originally fought dark link.

dark link also knows about all this so while limited to the particular skillset, is able to adapt slightly.

but yeah been thinking a lot about a links-meet au where dark link is there choosing a different link to be every time he appears to the party.

though there are a couple links that he never impersonates in their games!!! so can't change into those guys unless he gets a new round of copycat magic.

Anyways goodbye guy standing there with standard camera angle, i have dutch angles and forced perspective

[screemnch]

On Theatre movie adaptations, on theatre and non-theatre. On death.

Oh I love it when a piece of media has traces of theatre in it. Like, this ancient artform that’s permeating other ways of storytelling. It immediately adds another layer to the story, and makes you consider everything else with a new perspective. Maybe a little Brechtian, I guess.

It’s no wonder I’m a huge pathologic fan, that game oozes theatre, and is extremely overt in its messaging in terms of “hey, this is a story” and it creates this fun, see-through layer that you can look through but still acknowledge - this isn’t real. But the emotions are. It’s not real, but it talks about real things. Somewhere behind the stage is the director, waiting for the audience to gasp and laugh at the right moments. Maybe this isn’t a play, but it is upheld by the props and catwalks of a play, and you can feel yourself peering up at the stage, maybe even knowing ahead of time where the story will go, but feeling it all nonetheless.

I watched and read “Waiting for Godot” for uni last year, and it was absolutely awesome. The movie is not on a stage - there’s a vast expanse of nothingness all around the actors, instead of a wall that the audience can see through. And yet you can almost feel the limits of the stage within the camera angles. You know the tree is a prop, and the sky behind and around it is all a backdrop. I could see the starry night sky, be hurled into space, and it would be a projection on the back curtains of the set, behind which Pozzo and Lucky prepare for their entrance.

“Rosencranz and Guildenstern are dead” is also a play adapted into a movie. It has that same “play within a play” element that pathologic does, it’s self referential. It actually goes a layer deeper - a pantomime within a play, within a play. And the end of it - the open acknowledgment that this will all happen again, to thunderous applause. It has this strange, fairytale, dreamlike quality to it. You believe it as long as you’re in it, but when the credits roll, or actors take their bow, when the story ends - it becomes nothing more than a story. The curtains lower, and your eyes open. It’s comical and tragic, because with the knowledge that a play has a script comes the knowledge that things are not subject to change. A play is both wonderfully perpetual, and yet horribly final. Fatal even. It gains new life in each adaptation, but its essence stays with the script, and there really is no point at which you could say “no” to the story - you are just as bound to it as the characters on stage.

Unless, of course, you deal with the narrator. Some plays include this strange figure in the story, and allow the characters to interact with them, with their fate. Although, of course, even that is written in the script, predestined, inevitable. Pathologic interacts with the narrator only in the briefest of terms - a conversation. “Into the woods” sees the characters kill their narrator, and sees the story fall apart and pick up its own pieces. But “Into the woods” regardless if it’s the movie or stageplay version (don’t come for me) is built off of that fairytale feeling. Even the characters themselves see their roles transparently, know the trappings of who they must be, and try their best to defy it. They kill the narrator so that they can change what is written, because they know their story. Even if they know how it all ends, it is inevitable that they will struggle and fight for agency.

And that struggle too has different ways of manifesting. “An ordinary miracle” (“Обыкновенное чудо”, 1979. God someone please ask me about it, I swear I’m so normal about it) has the characters constantly engaged in a power struggle with the Wizard - the narrator of the story. They don’t kill him. Instead they leave him powerless and dejected, until a miracle happens, a resolution to a conversation he did not know how to end because he too is bound by an inevitable fate. He is just as doomed by the narrative as the people he gathers and drags around. The finality of theatre speaks to the finality of life. When characters on stage struggle to fight the narrative, they face not only the power of their creator - they face death. Death in either obscurity, or tragedy, or worse - a constant unresolved immortality. A conversation without an end.

But it doesn’t even need to be that dark. “Ah, Vaudeville, Vaudeville…” (“Ах, водевиль, водевиль…” 1979) is a comedy about a young girl who wants to be an actress. And yet, when adapted into a film, it takes great pains to maintain its presence as theatre. The greek chorus / dancers double as an audience, gasping and laughing at the right moments. They dance off stage, where the seats are usually placed, while the actors stay in the liminal space of the stage (dude, it expands and shifts all the time, you can see all of it and then it unfolds another chamber of its guts in a hidden camera angle). And yet they interact with each other, sing to each other, argue, communicate - and that is the nature of theatre. To speak, to have a conversation.

Returning for a second to the sad, however, the death. It’s present even in this comedy. The backdrop of the stage is all paper playbills, they represent the generations of actors that stood and will stand on stage. Entrances are made by actors dramatically ripping the backdrop to step onto the stage. Behind them is a white, vaguely floral void. Every character either wanders on stage from the wings, or tears through this wall, often accompanied by loud fanfare. Except for one. Death.

When the young girl’s father dies towards the end of the movie (apologies for spoilers, but I also don’t expect most people to go and watch this old Russian movie), it seems as if he is about to wander through the torn backdrop and into the white backstage void. But he stops, and instead disappears through the power of movie editing. Almost making it feel real, somehow. As if it was not an actor exiting according to their cue, but a genuine tragedy that catches you off guard and leaves you searching for someone who will not come back.

Theatre is a conversation that ends eventually. But death doesn’t. The struggle against the formula of the theatre, even as we step towards films, or games, or what have you - is the struggle against death. And it’s not a conversation that has a clean ending.

Anyways, yeah, GOD I love when theatre gets its grubby hands on things. Love it so much.

[stuckinanotherfandomohno]

Please do let me know if anyone else has done an analysis of this already as I’m sure it would be more detailled (and coherent), but I wanted to look at the immediate presentations of heaven and hell in the first episode of Good Omens and how they are both made pretty uncomortable.

While the set design of heaven is pretty cold and uninviting, it doesn’t neccessarily feel openly hostile from some people’s perspectives. Instead, I think they show how weird heaven is through the choice of lens:

They use a pretty wide lens throughout most of the scene- definitely under 50mm and probably under 35mm (I guess 18-24). For those who haven’t been cursed with Technical Film Knoweldge this sort of causes the same effect as those pictures you may have seen when people use the ‘0.5′ lens on a phone to take a close picture of a person’s face. We feel really close to the actors, like we are practically breathing in each others’ faces.

Different lenses cause different types of warp(?) on an image- to my very basic understanding a wider lens (18-35ish) makes faces look thinner and unnatural, while a closer lens (50+) makes faces look wider and closer to how we view them with our eyes. I use this information to console myself when I don’t like how I look in pictures- it’s probably the type of lens.

This wide angle lens also helps heaven to look really empty:

Aziraphale (and his surroundings) are squished thinner to show the rest of the surroundings which makes heaven seem so much more vast.

Typically you may hear that placing the camera at a low angle makes the characters in the shot seem more powerful, but I wouldn’t necessarily say this is true for either of the two wide shots here. Instead, it just feels uncomfortable, as if the audience is watching from a little too far back, and from a weird perspective.

To summarise, heaven may look clean and smiley, but the wide lens and low angle makes the characters seem warped and off-putting, even if the audience can’t put their finger on it.

Hell, on the other hand, immediately looks hostile.

The flies, the low saturation (~absence of bold colours), the cold greenish tint of lighting. Gross.

In this instance, however, a closer lens is used. I presume something like a 50mm? This is a lot closer to what our eyes see naturally and a more typical lens to use for these types of shots, so we (the audience) are more accustomed to this sort of visual language.

The camera is virtually at eye-height from the start of the scene as well. It’s just a lot more comfortable to look at, even if the costumes/set depicted are a lot more slimy.

I just found it really interesting how both heaven and hell have a comfortable aspect, and an uncomfortable aspect. It sort of drives home the themes about greyness- it would be almost hypocritical to introduce heaven with relatively comfortable colours, set, and cinematographical language, and to introduce hell with gross colours, set, and cinematographical language.

They don’t stick to this throughout the whole season, possibly for good reason possibly not (ie I haven’t made up a reason for it yet) but I thought the attention to detail in this introduction was really cool!

[hollowtones]

final thoughts on zapper?

1st world isn't as bad as I remember, 2nd world is rough, 3rd world feels actively mean, 4th world is mostly kind of boring. If child-me had played past world 2 I think I would actively hate video games today.

Sound design is consistently real weird and unpleasant but sometimes that wraps around to being funny

Level design doesn't usually feel very interesting & if you're trying to get all collectibles it sometimes feels tedious. The best bits are the little self-contained bonus rooms & the levels where things are more puzzle-focused. I don't think it really needed a boss fight at the end but I'm glad there was only one, rather than one for each world / each level.

Individual art assets are okay, but sometimes levels are a little hard to parse visually & paths you are allowed to take aren't very clear. Issues with depth perception. Fixed perspective makes it hard to see details on the models I thought were cute. (At least we have Dolphin free camera...)

Visual theming of levels feels really, really incongruent, outside of the first world. I still don't know if I like this or don't. But it sure is noticeable!

The jump button snaps you in weird directions sometimes & every time it makes me scared for my life. It straight up killed me in some of the moving platform segments. Sometimes the jump lets you get to very high platforms and sometimes it makes you jump over them and go into a pit.

Camera's weird. Zoomed in too close, very easy for things to just get you from off-screen. When you have to deal with moving platforms it feels straight up nauseating (& I basically never get motion sick!! This game got me!!)

Music is good.

This Did Not Need A Lives Mechanic. Getting knocked back to a checkpoint feels fine. Having to redo entire levels from the start because of bullshit getting me made me feel like a ghoul.

A lot of hazards have weird hitboxes. Spikes can kill you after retracting. An object can be fully moved past your location but if you move parallel to its trajectory it'll sometimes kill you anyway. Slow-moving enemies in front of you need the world's widest berth. Moving platforms in combination with hazards is a special hell. A couple times I was killed by a seeming act of god.

Mercifully short.

Zapper as a character is like if someone went "what if Gex didn't talk" and that's real funny to me. Also very funny that they gave a cricket lightning powers instead of, like... sonic / music powers. I guess "a wall of noise so loud it kills slugs and explodes bricks" wasn't cool enough for a radical, sardonic wise-guy.(??)

lol the bird has tits

This is just a Frogger game. It's kind of blatant. You can very clearly see the bones of "Frogger 2: Swampy's Revenge" in all of it. (The four screenshots I have seen of that game make it seem like its level design was much more easily readable at a glance, though. Four screenshots do not paint the picture of an entire game, but...) Honestly, I can respect the "we have Frogger at home" angle to it. They clearly wanted to make a game like this again, and good(?) on 'em for doing it, I think.

Didn't like it very much. Had a laugh, at least.

It's no "Claymates". (Future scholars will debate what she meant by this for decades.)

[vanillaxoshi]

If its ok, imma voice out some of my opinions or thoughts about the series sori episode 1

So first of all, the models, like boboiboy's, when i first saw it i was like "oh he looks baby!" And yes he still looks like mochi

Though it is cute. Character or age wise i think that they couldve or shouldve kept it the same face structure like season 1 since at season 1 the expressions are more ok?? And he looked older. Because when i see boi in the sori ep 1 being serious or mad(mostly blaze)

It looks cute, like the face expressions all look cute and i dont think it kind of matches

Bc season 1's model can look cute and mature at the same time

Though its too early to say that comment since not all episodes are out but based on the trailer id say it could be frequent

It feels like it doesn't match the serious elements

And the rendering or colors, its not bad from the upcoming thumbnails and some scenes its beautiful and i like it but is it bad if i prefer bbb movie 2 rendering???

The fire seems like its from a 2d game unless thats what theyre intending and with yaya's power having a full visible ball with outline and everything

I heard theyre using a new program?? Maybe it will improve or kept the same depending on the studio's decision

Im gonna say outrageous on how they didnt make adudu struggle or pushed back to a corner by yaya and yings attack and how easy the got pushed off (gravity and a thousand kicks that fast are that easy to block/defend/offend against)

The fighting didnt intriuge me and i rewatched season 1 the choreography, angles, animation and perspective of the fighting felt better but once again, this is not a full deduction bc of the later episodes

The episode wasnt bad in general but there were alot to point out like lets say i yelled loud and screamed magical girl transformation but then cackled at blaze's pose

Sorry his pose there felt goofy, maybe the camera shot made it goofy idk

Once again face doesnt match and i do hope that hed look older because even if he looks older he could still look cute as its shown in season 1

First half was nice, second half was decent

Sad they didnt include the triple split, wouldve loved to see the elements interacting again but i guess production costs??? Or time limits since this arc is 6 episodes long and i worry how theyd pace and handle it cuz they'll change some scenes and delete some

Boi is de-aged or became more cuter and its nice to see image wise but i guess its a 50/50 animation wise

[acklesjensen75]

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL Review – Is this the best Pixel ever made?

Google’s Pixel 9 Pro series is the new flagship range of camera phones from phone camera reviews Google, but does the larger Pixel 9 Pro XL do enough to justify sitting with the best camera phones for photography. I find out the pros and cons of this phone in this detailed review.

Pros Additional AI features like Add Me are great Consistently good photos Updated selfie camera New panorama mode works well Larger 6.8inch screen Cons Macro performance is average at best (lacking telephoto macro) Puny 128GB storage, more storage costs more Only 4K video recording, 8K requires Cloud upscaling No 4K 120fps video

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL. Photo Joshua Waller At a glance: 50MP main camera, f/1.68, OIS (1/1.31inch) 48MP ultra-wide, f/1.7, with macro AF (1/2.55inch) 48MP telephoto, f/2.8, 5x telephoto, OIS (1/2.55inch) 42MP f/2.2 selfie camera with AF 4K video recording, up to 60fps

Cloud based upscaling powered by Video Boost should provide 8K video 6.8inch screen, 1-120hz, 2000/3000nits, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 5060mAh battery Google Tensor G4 processor, 16GB RAM New colours: Porcelain (off-white), Rose Quartz (Pink), Hazel (pale grey), Obsidian (Black) There was already a large Pixel – the Pixel 8 Pro has a 6.7inch screen, the Pixel 9 Pro XL has a slightly larger 6.8inch screen, and the new 9 Pro is a new “mini” Pixel Pro model, with 6.3inch screen.

× How we test phones We review smartphones from the perspective of choosing one for its photography and camera performance. We look at what the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL offers, and the features included for photography and video, paying particular attention to the cameras on the phone, photo editing capabilities, as well as the output from each different lens, and features offered.

Features, Hardware and Design Google say the build quality has been improved with a stronger aluminium construction, and they say this makes the phone 2x more durable. There’s Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the screen to provide scratch resistance.

In terms of the cameras on offer, the Pixel 9 Pro XL offers the same camera setup as the Pixel 9 Pro, which is the new “small” flagship phone from Google, with a 6.3inch screen.

The cameras feature an ultra-wide-angle (0.5x) camera, a main wide-angle camera (1x) with optical image stabilisation (OIS) and a 5x telephoto camera, also with OIS. In addition, the main camera offers a 2x zoom that Google say gives the same image quality as a real 2x optical camera, and they also say they offer the same image quality as a 10x telephoto camera from the 5x camera, let’s find out if that’s true.

This zoom feature uses Google’s hybrid Super Resolution zoom multi-shot technology, which Google have been offering for many years now, and as long as you don’t use too much zoom, then the results have been impressive, even giving Google’s phones without telephoto zoom, like the Pixel 9, 8, 8A etc, a good 2x zoom option.

The ultra-wide-angle camera is now brighter with an f/1.7 aperture, compared to the Pixel 8 Pro’s f/2.0 aperture. This also features auto-focus, and can be used to close-up macro photos.

Selfie fans will be pleased to hear that the selfie-camera has been updated, and this is now a 42MP f/2.2 selfie camera, with focus (PDAF), compared to the 10.5MP camera on the Pixel 8 Pro. It’s also wider, with a 17mm equivalent rating, compared to 20mm on the 8 Pro.

This camera uses pixel binning to give you (you guessed it) 10.5MP images. The hope here is that they’re using a larger sensor, giving improved low-light performance, however, Google don’t specify the sensor size in the specifications.

The HDR+ feature has been updated, which Google say has been ‘built from the ground up’ but also based on Google’s 9 years of experience. Google say this results in improvements all-round, with better tones, (including more accurate skin tones), improved exposure (including shadows), sharpness, detail, contrast, tone mapping, white balance, and more.

Google say this means there are also improvements in low-light performance, and Google has added the ability to take Night-sight panoramic photos, which gives up to 50MP panoramic photos.

Best Take, as introduced on the Pixel 8 series, lets you take photos of people and then select from different options for the best shot of the subject’s face, with the phone automatically replacing the face in the image. This works well, and can be really useful for group shots. There are more AI features, which we’ll cover shortly.

Hardware and design There’s a 5060mAh battery and the phone supports up to 37W charging, as well as wireless charging. Google say that the new phones should deliver nearly 20% better battery life compared to the 8 series.

There’s a larger screen, at 6.8inches, compared to the 6.7inches on the 8 Pro, and you’ve also got upgraded RAM, with 16GB instead of 12GB. Google say this helps them run more AI features on the phone, rather than having to send it to the cloud so much. However, some AI features still require an internet connection, and cloud processing.

In terms of storage, the base model has 128GB, which feels like a small amount for a flagship phone, especially as it’s only 109GB available for your photos and videos etc, due to the Android OS taking up some of the space.

You can get 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB versions if you’re prepared to pay more, but it’s a shame it doesn’t start at 256GB or 512GB as standard.

If you’ve used a Google Pixel phone before, then the camera app layout should be familiar to you. If you’ve not, then it’s not too different to other phones, except a little bit more simplified compared to Samsung phones. It’s generally easy to use, and doesn’t take too long to get used to.

The number of shooting modes available continues to increase, and it means it can take a little bit longer to find the shooting mode you want. These are found along the bottom of the camera app, and you’ll find Photo in the middle, as the default mode.

[fisherrprince]

wanted to ask, could we get a look in to how you put together your animatics?? I've been toying with the idea of trying to make one of my own, but I've got no idea where to start

oh yeah totally

though to be fair, a HUGE chunk of my time is spent listening to about 20 seconds of a song and imagining how the images move around like a little movie, and I refine a ton of stuff in my head before starting to actually put scenes down on paper. This happens with non-music boarding too, imagining different versions of how the scenes line up with dialogue/music. So step one: put a song on repeat and daydream for at least two hours. But, if you aren’t sure how to do this, I’d suggest looking at animatics, MAP projects, AMVs, animated musicals, fight scenes, etc. what do they do that’s cool? Imitate them.

after that, I have most of the main images with some blank spots im not sure how to fill until I put them down. I make something like this and get the compositions of each main image looking more or less okay in this form. This is also the stage I figure out the in between blank spots. I try not to have weird camera moves or other storyboarding don’ts, but some storyboarding donts are completely valid to break if you know what you want aesthetically. As usual. This one was actually pretty clean, but check out all the framing edits. i always have to make the frame bigger

If you really don’t know what goes in between things, don’t be afraid to focus on some little details of the scene, pull out and show us the setting, put some flowery symbolism on screen, give us some fun little comedic anime inserts, or do what cowboy standoffs do and build tension. What we used to do was draw paws stepping across the screen or eyes blinking, lol

next comes audio sync! I like to get the timing extant on copies of these rough thumbnails before moving on. It helps my brain work through smaller more animated movements + testing if the things I came up with for the blank spots work. and also just makes it happy. And also, most importantly, it tests if the compositions work. If you can see it, the whole sequence with mom was a blank spot until I sketched it. I usually do this step in roughanimator even if i don’t finish it in roughanimator. Keeps it very rough.

after this is just a lot of polishing and layers! For lots of small animatics, I just use roughanimator and leave it like that. It’s surprisingly good for a very basic program. But, for things that need tweens or lots of camera movement, I use toon boom harmony. It’s more powerful and is actually supposed to be used for animation, which. Yknow. I do. I tried storyboard pro, it wasn’t my favorite.

Here are some, I guess, miscellaneous more technical tips for making your animatics feel nice!

If you’re going for lots of movement, try out timing it so big movements or scene transitions line up with the spikes in the audio WAV. If it doesn’t feel right, move it a few frames BEFORE the spike/audio beat. Your brain usually wants to see something move barely before it hears it - this works for dialogue especially. BUT! Don’t feel like you have to do this for every beat. unless you want to feel like Wes Anderson, which you can do and I will not stop you.

If you’re going for something slower with not that much movement, try motion tweening! or adjusting something very slowly so we don’t linger on one still image for forever.

you don’t need crazy camera angles for everything, but put a few in there for spice. This all depends on your mood you want to cultivate. Slow = flatter, spacious, details; fast = lots of moves, weird angles, perspective; disorienting = slow/jerky weird angles etc etc. the camera has emotions built into it. Because the camera is you! surprise!

watch storyboarding tutorials. lots of people zoom in too much when they draw and I am not excluded. Also, keep in mind the eyesight rule. It’s hard for me to explain concisely but… you as the artist are always leading the viewers eye somewhere, with every shot you make. Don’t make them dizzy by having the center of attention jump around to six different spots for six shots straight - if you find yourself unhappy with a sequence, especially a fast one, see if your line of sight is going all over the place and try moving the subject of a shot or two somewhere else or having them move/gesture towards the new shot’s focal point so the viewers eye moves there naturally. I’m actually not great at doing this when words/lyrics are involved, pmv makers have my respect.

contrast is your friend. If you want to emphasize a big fast move or big bright image, put little slow moves or simple images right before/after it. and vice versa! this counts for camera too!

easy camera shakes are just 3-4 frames of cam down/up/down less/up less, a blank tween or two (easing back into normal), and then a key for your desired normal camera location. Or left/right, whichever.

your brain needs about six frames to fully register an object as being an object. If you want someone to see and really See it, rather than just get a glimpse of it and go "What was that!" It needs more than six frames.

don’t be afraid to experiment!!!!!! And don’t get overwhelmed! Everything I just described I MOSTLY do off instinct, which you’ll get a sense for after you make one. Or like…. Ten. Does it feel good in your heart? Then that’s what’s important. Find an idea you want to make move, figure out your limits (programs, attention span, drawing capability, make sure not to commit to a minute long amv if you dont KNOW you wanna do a minute long amv), and plan around that. When I was A Child, people on youtube were just making like three amvs per second and cringe hadn’t been invented yet so they were all mostly untrained unpolished and so so important and based to me. Stop thinking so hard about it. You gotta get that animatic out there into the world or it’ll start fermenting in your brain and make you sick. So what if it doesn’t turn out exactly the way you imagined it? You’ll have another idea tomorrow. And if it matters that much, you can always do it again. Go make! Good luck!

[nonpracticinghumanbeing]

A Fellow Masochist's Perspective on Izzy

(I wasn’t going to write about Izzy anymore. But then of course I did, because I’m me. We just gotta do what we gotta do. FUCK.)

[This is like half meta about my views on Izzy as a masochist and half my attempt to explain why him being shown the way he is is so important to me on a personal level. I just can’t separate these two issues even though I know I’m getting way too emotional over this. I guess there’s not a lot of people who would be a target audience for this, but I need to get it out of my system.]

Soooooo... So. So so so so. I made this comment on Facebook about how Izzy being a sad little masochistic boy gave me feelings no other fandom has been able to give me in about a decade. Which was a joke, of course, we all laugh at Izzy’s pain kink. Ha ha. But then I realized it’s also very much not a joke. Because I can indeed remember the last time I felt like this and it was when I first watched Lawrence of Arabia. And that movie turns SIXTY this year.

-------------------------------------------------------

Let’s be clear. Izzy IS a masochist, plain and simple. I’ve already written about how I think he’s more into power play than pain itself, but then I do realize how often these seem too similar to be simply labeled as one or the other. These things are way too complex to be simply analyzed and quantified as often pain becomes a tool of power. And I don’t necessarily mean “power” as in a relationship between two people, it may also mean (and often does) power over one’s own body, and in a larger perspective, one’s life.

In episode 3 there’s this scene with Izzy back on the ship, giving Blackbeard a report on Stede. He comes into Edward’s cabin and tells him how Stede isn’t interested in meeting. And while doing that, he burns his hand on a candle. Edward has his back to him, so he’s probably unaware that Izzy is even doing it. So he’s not doing it for Ed (I’ve written about the power exchange dynamics between them here), he’s doing it for himself. Is he punishing himself for lying to Edward (’cause he didn’t tell Stede he was working for Blackbeard because he didn't want them to meet)? Is it a way of proving to himself that he’s strong - unlike Stede - and therefore worthy of Edward’s attention? Does he even know why he’s doing it? I really don’t think he does, I think it might be something that he just does instinctivenly and without any deeper thought (especially seeing that he does the same thing in episode 7 while talking to Spanish Jackie and accounting for the fact that he’s not the type of person to analyze his feelings in general). And I absolutely adore it to bits.

It’s shown from a few different angles, so we’re being made aware that it’s important. But at the same time he’s talking to Ed about Stede, like him doing it wasn’t all THAT important. Like it’s just a thing that he happens to do while carrying on with his responsibilities as Blackbeard’s second-in-command. And yet the camera shows him burning his hand with nothing else happening visually. It goes on for about ten seconds, which is A LOT when it comes to movie editing. They’re coding it as something that is BOTH a crucial part of his identity AND just one of his many traits. (And it’s not just here that they’ve done this, the scene when Ed cuts off his toe with Avalanche playing in the background with its lyrics about conquering pain is just pure damn genius.) And honestly, when did that ever happen before?

-------------------------------------------------------

Now, I know there’s been a considerable and overall very positive move to normalize BDSM lifestyle and practices. (And I’m certainly NOT talking about the horrible abusive garbage like 50 Shades of Grey or 365 Days.) But it always seems to go one of two ways, neither of which makes me feel the way OFMD makes me feel.

So, on one hand we have the media meant to educate vanilla peope about the issue, while at the same time trying to build their capital on being somewhat naughty, with Netflix’s Bonding being the prime example. I’ll be the first person to say that the show was important in disspelling a number of popular misconceptions and trying to broker some deeper understanding between kinksters and the rest of the populace. Hell, I LOVED the talk about trust and boundaries Tiff is given by her boss in the second season. But its characters - those who are truly into the lifestyle and not just in it for the money - don’t really come off as fully fleshed characters. They are mostly just Tiff’s clients and are often characterised solely by their kinks. And that makes it impossible to relate to them.

Then we get the shows with well rounded characters who just happen to be more or less tangentially connected to BDSM, for whatever reason. Irene Adler being a dominatrix on BBC's Sherlock. Kat doing the video dominatrix stuff in the first season of Euphoria. Joanna and Tyrell doing bondage on Mr. Robot. That whole fake-kidnapping-actual-s&m-roleplay thing on Cucumber. It happens more and more which is great. But it never really felt all that important to who any of these characters really are. It’s usually about money or just a simple way of quickly allievating boredom in the bedroom (which are both totally valid, to each their own, it just doesn’t feel like it’s something that is crucial to the core identity of any of these characters). Or worst of all, it’s just an embarrasing eccentricity intended as a pun. So of course I can’t really relate to any of it, even if I do appreciate it being shown in mainstream media at all.

If hard pressed for an answer about any representation I found compelling, I’d have to say that Transparent hit the closest to home with Sarah’s experiments with BDSM, but even that felt more like a three-episode-long subplot rather than an attempt to really make it an integral part of her character. And then I’m given Izzy. Izzy for whom his masochistic tendencies seem so deeply ingrained that they are crucial to who he is. And yet he isn’t at all reduced to being just the sad little masochistic boy, because there’s also so much more to him. No wonder I’m so drawn to him, because the only other piece of mainstream media that made me feel so seen is sixty years old. 

-------------------------------------------------------

I’m not at all saying that what Izzy is doing is in any way healthy. His relationship with Edward - the only meaningful relationship in his life - is very toxic and right out mutually abusive. He’s so fixated on the balance of power which makes him feel safe that he’s willing to suffer a great deal to keep that balance - and willing to hurt Edward as well, even though he’s the closest thing to a friend Izzy has. A point has been made (here) about how he feels that he only deserves physical closeness when it’s justified by his own defeat. He clearly craves submission and yet he has to be forced into it - and I don't mean "forced" in a fun, playful, BDSM-like way, I mean he literally needs things to be done to him without his consent. He doesn’t just need pain (which is fine), he needs abuse (which most definitely isn’t). Because Edward making this decision for him means he doesn't have to acknowledge this need. Because acknowledging that he wants to submit to another man would shatter his self-image and make him feel weak, which he can't afford. None of this is healthy.

But. Let's imagine for a moment that he was to learn to let his guard down and let go of the toxic masculinity he's so dedicated to - which would also very much help him stop seeing his need for submission as shameful (because it's toxic masculinity, with its inherent homophobia, that tells him that no real man would be willing to submit to another). I’m not saying that it’s going to happen, I’m not even sure if I want it to happen. But let’s just imagine it. That wouldn't stop him being a masochist. These needs don't just go away, but you can learn to fulfill them in a safe and healthy (both physically and mentally) way. To find a healthy outlet for them. The feeling OFMD gives me is that everybody around Izzy would be 100% fine with him being like that. And THAT feeling is so very difficult to come by.

Why exactly does the Kraken cut off Izzy’s toe? Sure, it’s a punishment for threatening him and being disrespectful in general, Edward is full of rage and acting out. But I don’t believe he would necessarily do that if Izzy wasn’t the way he is. Blackbeard recognizes that in order to trust him again, Izzy NEEDS that punishment. It is fucked up for sure, because their whole relationship is fucked up, but there IS the act of recognition that this man needs pain (and humiliation of being made to eat the toe) to feel safe in the world. Edward ACKNOWLEDGES that Izzy needs this even though Izzy himself isn’t capable of acknowledging it. What Ed is doing here is that in his own twisted fucked up way he is actually showing respect for who Izzy is. (Then there is the confrontation between Jim and Spanish Jackie’s husband. Jim spits him in the face and he quite matter-of-factly tells them that he’s into that. And everyone around just accepts that, and I didn’t get any feeling that they judged him for that in any way.)

What OFMD was able to do that no other TV show has done for me before is to create a safe space for pretty much everyone (I do get the criticism of it glossing over the implications of Stede being a slave owner, but that’s quite a different conversation). We get multiple queer couples on the show, we get a non-binary representation, we get a huge and diverse POC representation, we get a wonderful discussion of toxic masculinity and a brilliant deconstruction of the stereotypical top/bottom dynamics in gay couples (in the fencing lesson scene, with Edward being the more experienced one and still being the one who gets penetrated by the virgin Stede). And for the first time in oh-so-many years (or maybe ever?) we get a world where I feel being an out masochist would be fully accepted by everyone and yet it wouldn't get you reduced to just this one aspect of your identity in their eyes. 

-------------------------------------------------------

As someone whose policy has always been total openness, over the years I’ve had people approach me and ask what the appeal was. Why did I enjoy getting hurt. And I really DO get the curiosity, because it’s very counter-intuitive for most people. It’s just that it’s so hard to explain it to someone who isn’t like that. Either you feel this way or you don’t, and if you don’t, understanding may be quite difficult.

So I’ve always used one of two things to try to explain how I feel about it: Bob Flanagan’s poem Why? or the opening scene from Lawrence of Arabia (the trick, William Potter, is NOT MINDING that it hurts), because these were the only pieces of media I could truly relate to. But then, one of these is just a short poem by a man who’s best known for being that guy from the music video for Happiness in Slavery by Nine Inch Nails, so it’s hardly mainstream media. And the other is a sixty-year-old movie - based on a ninetysomething-year-old book - which is deeply problematic in more than one way (from glossing over just how dishonest Lawrence was with the Arabs concerning their chances for actual independence to Alec Guinness playing an Arab prince which is just totally off-putting).

And then I’m given Izzy. Yes, he is a horrible and toxic man who’s both abusive towards everyone around him and dealing with his own needs in an extremely unealthy way that borders on being self-destructive. BUT. He’s being acknowledged for what he is, both by the characters within the show and the creators who make sure the viewers won’t miss it. And yet he’s not just that, he’s his own person, with his own motivations and feelings that go way beyond his proclivities. AND he exists in a world where him being like that would most probably be completely fine with people around him. No wonder I’m losing my mind over it. Because I was given a piece of modern mainstream media that makes me feel more seen and more validated than I even thought possible. And it’s a feeling I will treasure FOREVER.

[writerpeach]

Roommates: Part Two

IZ*ONE Hyewon & Eunbi x Male Reader

10875 words

Categories: smut, threesome, oral, rough sex, mommy kink, dirty talk

18+

--

Read on AFF

Read on AO3

“We only have one shot at this. Let’s make it count.”

Detective Kwon took point on the operation. Her primary focus was staring at rows of monitors in the back of a large unmarked van parked stealthily miles away from the destination. Overhead shots were displayed on the largest monitor, giving a full view of the target area - a luxurious white mansion housed the patriarch of the Goda clan, given the information Eunbi received was correct. 

You lost track of how many hours you had occupied, only accompanied by Detectives Hyewon, with newly dyed blonde hair and Eunbi inside a hot van, waiting for just the right moment to strike. Your job was to give any details that would be helpful and to help confirm identities. 

The surveillance van had more technology in it than your entire University’s expensive computer lab. Extensive audio feeds, LCD monitors everywhere giving as many angles as possible, speakers, and multiple laptops that could power a space station all created the perfect portable setup. Eunbi sat up front, monitoring everything, and aiding in preparation. 

“Team one, do you copy?” Eunbi asked over a bluetooth headset she wore on her right ear. 

“Yes, boss. We have eyes on the back entrance. Nobody has gone in or out since we’ve been here.”

“Team two, what do you have for me?” 

“Can’t see much. There’s been no movement on our end.” 

“Keep a lookout. I don’t want anyone getting spooked.”

“Yes, boss.” 

“Team three?”

“Our drones are in the air, but the fog is killing visibility. Can’t get a good visual so we’ll have to almost exclusively rely on thermal. ”

“Do what you can.” 

“This better work,” Hyewon said, shifting in one of the backseat chairs nervously. 

“Dojima has been our information expert for years, he wouldn’t fail us now.”

Eunbi took a long deep breath as she pulled up cameras on two large screens, showing views on both front and back entrances and views of each team awaiting orders.

“On my mark, breach and clear. We want him alive,” Eunbi said.

“Go!”

The simultaneous thud of doors being forced open boomed through the van’s speakers, speeding your heart rate up. The audio feed went silent for a second before being replaced with windows being broken, voices shouting, and inaudible commotion. You expected more. No gunshots, no more yelling. Everything was silent. 

“Team one, what’s your status? I need an update.”  

Nothing but radio silence filled the van as you collectively held your breath and waited for an answer. 

“Detective Kwon, there’s nobody inside. Place looks lived in but it’s been cleared out.” 

“Son of a bitch!” Eunbi hissed. 

“All rooms are clear, Detective. There’s nobody here.” “Those motherfuckers set us up. Check for hidden exits. I want this whole place checked.” 

“What do we do now?” Hyewon asked. 

“We’re back from square one. We figure out they knew we were coming, and where we go from here.” 

“Team three, I want you to stay overnight in case they decide to come back. Team one and two you’re dismissed.”

“Understood.”

Eunbi took her headset off and angrily tossed it away, sighing in frustration. 

“Sorry I couldn’t be of any use, Detective,” you said. 

“Don’t be sorry, if anything you got us to this point to begin with,” Eunbi replied. 

“Back to the office?” Hyewon asked. 

“No, that’s the last place I want to be right now. It’s late and we’ve been here all damn day. For nothing.” 

Eunbi rubbed her temple as she sank back in her chair. 

"I've got a cabinet full of alcohol if you wanna crash at my place, boss,” Hyewon said. 

Eunbi hesitated before answering, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly. 

“That sounds like exactly what I need. We’ll deal with this on Monday, let’s get the fuck out of here.” 

                                                          ✦✦

Hyewon keyed in the security code to her place and you and Eunbi followed her inside, slipping shoes off at the entryway. You sat down on the couch next to Hyewon while Eunbi took a moment to look over the place. 

“You’ve decorated since the last time I was here,” Eunbi said, wandering and looking aimlessly.

“I have company now, I can’t live like a slob, boss.” 

“You really don’t have to call me boss outside of work. Unnie will be fine.” 

“Okay, unnie.”

“How has everything been going?” Eunbi asked, directing her attention towards you. “I know we said it would be just for a month, but with everything going on I’m afraid it’s going to be longer. I seem to be really bad at keeping my promises.”

“It was awkward at first, but Hyewon is very easy to talk to and get along with. I won’t mind living longer here, Hyewon has been very accommodating, I’ve even picked up a few cooking tips from her.” 

 Eunbi smiled. “That’s good to hear. Hyewon loves to cook as much as she loves to eat.”

“She’s really good at eating,” you said.

“Yes, she really is,” Eunbi said with a smirk as she sat down. Hyewon caught on quickly and got up embarrassed, heading into the kitchen to fetch drinks. 

“Unnie, what are you in the mood to drink? Beer, wine?” 

“Something strong,” Eunbi replied. 

“How strong?” Hyewon asked. 

“Strong enough to slap me across the face.” 

“Uh, we have Tequila. Is that strong enough?” 

“Yes, that’s perfect.” 

“Ok, but I’m making cocktails, I don’t want anyone to get carried away.” 

“Make mine a double then.” 

Eunbi drifted her gaze over to you as she sat down and crossed her legs, flashing a flirtatious gaze.

“Have you settled into living with Hyewon?”

“Mostly. There haven't been any troubles at all, she’s very easy to live with.” 

“That’s very good to hear, she’s such a sweetie.” 

“She is.”

“Unnie, stop being nosy!” Hyewon whined as she brought a tray of drinks and set it down on the black coffee table in front. 

“I was just trying to see how you’ve been treating our guest.”

“I have been nothing but an understanding host, isn’t that right?” 

“Of course. Hyewon has been wonderful.” 

Grabbing a drink and taking your first sip, you coughed at how strong it was, but soon the burn down your throat became refreshing. 

“I hope we can find whoever tipped us off,” Hyewon said. 

Eunbi rolled her eyes. “Please, can we not talk about work for once?” 

Hyewon nodded apologetically. “Sorry, unnie. Of course.” 

“This is really good,” you said, taking another large sip. 

“It is. Our Hyewon really is multi-talented.” 

“It’s not that big of a deal. I learned a few things in culinary school.” 

You could feel the collective stress leaving the room as the three of you indulged into the strong drinks Hyewon had prepared. Shaking the glass a few times to evenly spread out the ice you took another drink, getting used to the taste. 

“Now that I’m drinking, I guess I should be responsible tonight. I’ll sleep on the couch if that’s okay,” Eunbi said. 

“The couch?” Hyewon repeated. “There’s a spare bed, you don’t need to do that, unnie.” 

Eunbi tilted her head. “Spare bed? If I remember correctly your place only has two rooms, right?” 

“That’s right. Two bedrooms, but we’ve been sharing the bed at night,” she said, as she realized what she was admitting halfway.

“Oh, you have been?” Eunbi laughed. “That explains why you’ve been coming in late more often,” she teased. 

Hyewon turned red. “U-unnie! That’s not what I...I’m gonna go make another drink.” 

She hastily got off the couch as Eunbi filled in the gap, scooting over as she finished her drink, placing it on the coffee table.

“She’s always been like that.” 

“Like what?” you asked. 

“Shy and adorable, ever since I met her. We’re all adults here, so there’s no shame in talking about it.” 

 “Everyone has their limits about what they’re comfortable about I guess.”

“That’s true. I’m just an open book.”

Hyewon returned and refused to make eye contact.

“Ah, Hyewon, I forgot to bring anything to sleep in tonight. Can I borrow some clothes?” 

“Clothes? Don’t you usually sleep naked, unnie?” she responded. You nearly choked on your drink.

Eunbi smiled before she responded. “You’re right...but I’m just a guest here. I have to look presentable.” 

“Why? He’s already seen you naked before hasn’t he?” Hyewon teased back.

“Guess you got me there,” Eunbi replied with reddened cheeks. 

You sat there listening as the two beautiful detectives playfully teased each other back and forth while you nursed your cocktail, trying not to let it hit you all at once. It was tempting to go for another drink given the day's events, wanting to forget the failed operation. Finishing your drink and chewing on a piece of melting ice you rested it on the coffee table. 

The living room clock showed it was just after 1 a.m. Still rather early or late in the morning depending on your perspective.  

"So, Hyewon,” Eunbi said.

“Yes, unnie?” Hyewon perked up. 

“I don’t think we’ve properly thanked our mutual friend for everything he’s done for us.” 

Hyewon put her drink down. “We do owe him a lot. Even though nothing went as planned today, we never would have gotten to that point to begin with.”

The two women shared a look that was directed at you. “Keeping me safe is enough thanks, ladies.” 

“Oh no, that’s just part of our jobs,” Eunbi said. “I think we personally need to show our appreciation.”

Eunbi began caressing your shoulder, and you were thankful that you had been drinking already. 

“You’ve been so helpful, and we should return the favor.” 

“That’s not really necessary,” you humbly said. 

“Oh, but it really is,” Eunbi said, scooting closer to your body, gesturing for Hyewon to do the same, who changed places to your left side. Syncing their movements each woman moved and straddled one of your thighs as your heart started racing. 

Eunbi made the first move, cupping your face and hesitated for a moment. Her gaze lingered on you as she leaned in and your lips merged, filling you with the sweet taste of her as the warmth of her soft lips pressed against your own.

“If you insist, Detective.” 

“Detective? That’s much too formal,” Eunbi said as she caressed your hair.

“Eunbi is fine,” she paused. “But what I really like to be called... is Mommy.” 

“Oh god, not this again,” Hyewon spoke out in annoyance. “Not everyone wants to call you that.”

“Maybe not everyone...but you’ll call me mommy won’t you?” She asked as she turned her attention towards you. 

“I’ll call you anything you want. Mommy.”

Eunbi gave one more kiss against your lips, deeper and with more hunger. Not wanting to be left out, Hyewon tilted your head towards hers and gave you a chaste kiss of her own, the contrast in their lips enticing. Eunbi had thinner lips, Hyewon’s lips were plumper and fuller, while both had an incredible softness and warmth with their own distinctive unique taste. 

The two of them looked at you as if deciding what they wanted to do, pondering their moves. Eunbi didn’t need much time as she removed her shirt, and the purple lace bra that covered up her huge full breasts became the focus of your attention. 

“You can touch mommy all you want,” Eunbi said and you didn’t need to be told twice, running your hands up her body, feeling the tightness of her toned tummy as your hands wandered on their own to her chest, fondling her massive breasts through her bra. 

Not wanting to be outdone, Hyewon removed her own top, her much smaller, but no less satisfying breasts were visible. With a quick movement of her fingers, her bra was unclasped, and bare breasts exposed as she cupped them, enticing you to dive in. 

Starting at Hyewon’s sensitive neck you peppered her soft skin in kisses, hearing her softly moan as you moved down her chest, leaving a trail just below her collarbone. Looking into her eyes for a second you squeezed her breasts before bringing your lips to her nipples and sucking, hearing her sweet moans as you sucked on her soft pale tits. 

Eunbi couldn’t handle being left out, and out of the corner of your eye you could see her slipping out of her bra, her pale tits exposed stopped you in your path. 

“You like mommy’s tits better don’t you?” Eunbi playfully asked, giving out a moan as she pinched her own nipples. You sucked Hyewon’s tits for a few more seconds before hastily switching your interest to Eunbi’s chest. 

“Unnie, you’re playing dirty,” Hyewon complained.

“I can’t help what I was born with,” she smirked, proud at how much bigger her breasts were. You planted several kisses on each of her pillowy soft tits and Eunbi ran her fingers through your hair, smiling sweetly. Licking stripes up her cleavage you flicked your tongue against each nipple, teasing each just a bit before sucking on them, letting out a noisy slurp. 

“Mmm, baby, that feels good.” 

Hyewon looked on patiently, trying to stave off her jealousy. You couldn’t help but moan as you sucked Eunbi’s tits, playing with her sensitive pink nipples and burying yourself into her deep cleavage, a warmth you didn’t dare leave. 

“Mommy’s tits are so amazing,” you said, slurping on her hardened nipples and watching her pleasure as you did so, biting them gently as Eunbi gasped in pleasure. Alternating sucking on each of Eunbi’s delicious breasts you kept them in your mouth until her pink nipples became swollen and glazed with your wet saliva, keeping yourself fed with the taste and softness of her flesh and the way her pretty pink nipples fit perfectly in your mouth. 

Nothing would keep you from sucking on them, not wanting your mouth to leave them but also not wanting to leave Hyewon out. 

You feasted on each pair of scrumptious tits and gave them equal attention, moving back and forth between the delicious chests of each busty woman and didn't want to stop until your lips were numb. 

“I still can’t get over how big they are,” Hyewon said, the envy in her voice obvious.

“Yours aren’t that bad either, Hyewon,” Eunbi responded. 

“You’re just trying to make me feel better, unnie.” 

“I’m not, you agree right, baby?” 

“Your tits are really nice too, Hyewon.” 

“Nobody can compare to yours though, I can't even fully get my hands on them,” Hyewon pouted. 

“It just means there’s more of them to go around,” Eunbi grinned, as if sending an invitation. Both of you teamed up on Eunbi’s tits, each taking one of her swollen breasts in your mouth and sucking, causing deep moans to escape from her. Hyewon was gentle while you devoured Eunbi’s tits, hungrily slurping and biting as if you were trying to satisfy your insatiable hunger for her big milky breasts. 

Keeping your tongues and lips all over Eunbi's swollen pink nipples they became drenched in the combination of your saliva, her pretty moans were music to your ears, earning more with each second that passed. 

As much as you loved teaming up to taste Eunbi, you soon became their focus, feeling the wet smack of their warm soft lips as each gorgeous woman took their time to kiss you, leaving their taste locked on your lips. 

If that wasn’t enough, they turned and playfully kissed each other, leaving you to patiently watch every movement as their lips smacked loudly and both grabbed a handful of each other's supple bare breasts. 

The two lustful vixens switched it up and turned the tables on you. Both took a side of your neck and planted their lips on your skin, sucking both sides of your neck deeply with the intention to leave love marks. 

The two warm mouths pressed on your neck sucking heavily entranced you into a daze, and you barely felt a hand cupping your crotch, too crippled by their effect on you to see the culprit. 

“Mommy can you feel your cock getting hard for us," Eunbi whispered, blowing hot air into your ear that made you shiver. 

“We both want to make you feel good,” Hyewon said. 

Giving your crotch a good firm squeeze, your lap was soon empty and the action kept on moving right in front of you. Running their hands all over each other's tight bodies, Eunbi made quick work of stripping Hyewon to her panties, and Hyewon returned the favor as they both knelt in front of you, eyeing the bulge in your pants they had created. 

With Hyewon to your left and Eunbi to your right, they gave each other a playful look before working together to unbutton your pants, working quickly and yanking them off with your boxers, your hardened shaft introducing itself and throbbing freely. 

Eunbi jumped the gun and took the liberty to play with Hyewon’s chest, earning a moan from her as she sucked on her round pale tits, taking her first taste of the night and sending even more blood flowing to your already stiff erection. 

"Have some confidence, Hyewon, your tits are yummy."

“Unnie…”

“Now go on, Hyewon, show us what you’ve learned.” 

Hyewon nervously smiled and leaned forward, taking your cock into her cold delicate hand and wrapping her fingers around it. She licked it more naturally this time, starting at the base of your shaft and dragging her wet tongue upwards until she reached your swollen tip, swirling around it mindlessly and giving a wet kiss on it. 

Eunbi followed her lead, her tongue on one side while Hyewon mirrored the other, both women painting your hard shaft with their wet flattened tongues, before ascending on your tip and licking up against it, causing you to groan.

The two beautiful women on their knees for you wandered their tongues all over your shaft, not missing a spot before syncing back up and licking your swollen head, both hitting all the right spots, their touch driving you crazy. 

"F-fuck," you moaned to their delight, going crazy at the intense pleasure already. You felt a hand fondling your balls and jerked abruptly, earning a pretty smile from Eunbi. 

"They feel so heavy and full," Eunbi said as she kissed each one, grazing her cute nose against them. 

Hyewon looked for approval, meeting the gaze of Eunbi. Without another word Hyewon licked her lips and parted them with your sensitive tip, taking you into her radiating warm mouth. 

You moaned loudly at the softness of Hyewon’s plump lips as she sucked your tip gently, eyes looking up. Eunbi watched as Hyewon sucked you off, the pleasure of her wet mouth enveloping your shaft. 

“You’re getting good at this," Eunbi said as she smiled. She brought her mouth to your balls, blowing her hot breath against your sack before delicately kissing and licking them. 

"I love how sensitive you get," Eunbi said, licking turning into sucking as her soft lips tenderly slurped your balls one at a time, the double pleasure from each woman overwhelming your senses. 

Hyewon's lips slid deeper, her tongue licking your underside as Eunbi's lips sucked your balls more forcibly, covering them in saliva as she rested a hand on your thigh, stimulating you more by digging her nails into your skin. 

It was as if they were competing to give the most pleasure, not wanting to back down. Eunbi took your cock into her needy familiar mouth, sucking with such force you felt like you might pass out. Hyewon did not keep her mouth empty as she mirrored Eunbi’s earlier movements, gently sucking on your balls, both women eagerly to milk you dry it seemed. 

“Fuck...you’re both amazing at this,” you groaned, and you were met with faster movements.

The difference in experience and techniques was immediately apparent. Hyewon's lack of expertise allowed her to take things slowly, but she couldn't take more than half your cock down her throat, instead focusing on sucking you off more sensually. 

Eunbi was the opposite, proudly able and willing to take all of your cock down her warm throat, deepthroating with ease and sucked rapidly and messily. Both were pleasurable, and feeling the contrast of both as they switch back and forth, practically fighting over your cock drove you insane. 

“Don’t be selfish, unnie, " Hyewon whined as Eunbi devoured your cock down her throat, sliding her lips in long smooth strokes from base to tip, showing off her lack of gag reflex. She was so messy that saliva spilled out of the corners of her mouth and dripped down to her huge tits, the sight arousing you even more.

You held the back of Eunbi's head and pushed her down your base, moaning needily as her throat tightened, slurping on every inch of your shaft while Hyewon kept her mouth full of your heavy balls, trying to learn how best to pleasure them. 

"Mommy loves this cock," Eunbi hummed, and in response Hyewon forcibly stole it from her, the elder shooting a deadly look. 

"Do you really think you can make him cum with this lousy blowjob?" Eunbi hissed, as she went back to work on your balls, lathering them up with her warm saliva and slurping loudly. 

Hyewon sucked faster as a response, moving past her usual threshold and gagging as a result. Eunbi eyed her, watching her take more and more until her lips almost met your base, but retreating at the last moment as she coughed. 

"It's okay, Hyewon, not everyone can be as good as me."

Hyewon cursed under her breath, only motivated by her unnie’s pitiful attempts to incite and dove back in. She didn't care how much she gagged, Eunbi wasn't going to show her up. Starting halfway, Hyewon took as much as she could before retreating, reaching a new point each time. 

"You must like choking on that dick, huh? You sound really pretty when you gag on it, I think you could use some help though," Eunbi said as she grabbed the younger girl by the head and forced her down your base, increasing her gagging sounds and your pleasure. 

Hyewon’s eyes went wide as Eunbi fucked her throat with your cock, not used to her mouth so completely stuffed that she couldn't help feel overwhelmed. 

"Breathe through your nose, baby," Eunbi cooed as she roughly shoved her down all the way at the end of your cock, causing you to gasp and groan loudly. 

"There we go, that's how you do it. Mommy is a good teacher isn’t she?” 

Eunbi smirked as she continued her relentless use of Hyewon’s mouth, not letting up for a single moment, testing her gag reflexes and making her take you as deep as possible until she signaled that she had enough. 

"Unnie!" Hyewon yelled as she gasped for air, wiping drool off her chin and using it to jerk off your cock. 

"This is what you wanted right? To prove you were better?" 

Hyewon ignored her and focused on your cock, licking it wildly.

"Prove it then. Finish him off," Eunbi encouraged. 

Hyewon didn't back down even though she couldn't stop herself from gagging, she was determined. Her soft plump lips kissed the end of your base as your cock hit the back of her throat, but she didn’t give up.

"Fuck…Hyewon…"

Hyewon bobbed her head as she worked her magic in between your legs, slurping and sucking the life out of your cock. Eunbi was more than content to take a backseat, gently massaging your balls as she watched on. 

"There you go, baby, doing such a good job. Empty those heavy balls and suck him dry," Eunbi demanded. 

Hyewon looked straight ahead with a mouth full of cock, her innocent sparkling eyes glued to your own as she was prepared to drain you. Her wet full lips were sealed tight around your shaft, the sounds of her slurping every inch to try and earn your approval was far too much. 

"Ah, fuck, Hyewon. I'm gonna fucking cum."

The duo smiled as you felt your limits being hit, your breathing weakening, and your balls tightening. 

It wasn’t much longer as you felt your climax arriving, tightly grabbing the back of Hyewon’s head as you throbbed inside her mouth and erupted, flooding her throat with copious amounts of your hot cum. 

Your orgasm took over your body as you continued pumping your thick load into the back of Hyewon’s throat, grunting with every spurt that released from your shaft. 

Hyewon handled it well at first, but the more you came the more difficult it became for her as your load began spilling out of her mouth, too much for her to contain. 

"Amateur," Eunbi said. "You shouldn't waste a single drop of his delicious cum.”

Your intense orgasm mercifully came to a halt and Hyewon's lips squeezed tight around your still throbbing shaft, ensuring everything had been milked out of you. 

"There was so much, holy shit," Hyewon said while trying to talk with a mouth full of cum as she removed her lips from your cock, sliding her fingers around your shaft to make sure nothing was left. 

"Show it, baby. Show us how much you made him cum."

Hyewon complied as she opened her mouth for all to see, revealing a thick white pool that had been deposited on her tongue. 

"Swallow it," Eunbi demanded. It took more than one gulp, but Hyewon tilted her head back in satisfaction and opened her now empty mouth, displaying her wet pink tongue to confirm your load was now inside her stomach.

"Good girl," Eunbi purred as she began cleaning up drops of cum that spilled out of Hyewon’s mouth. 

"Mommy has to do this because you couldn't handle such a huge load," she sighed, licking your shaft clean of every spilled drop, taking your tip into her warm mouth and sucking it clean, your sensitivity arousing her. 

“How was it?” Eunbi asked as she made sure to not miss anything, jerking your cock off slowly as your body trembled with the aftershocks of your climax. 

Taking a moment to catch her breath, she licked her lips before answering. “Yummy.”

Letting go of your cock Eunbi licked her lips and fingers clean, sucking on them lewdly with each one making a loud pop. 

"Hyewon and I are going to have some fun in the bedroom. Come join us when you're ready."

                                                            ✦✦

It took a while to finish gathering your senses, catching your breath as you clutched a pillow to your chest. You rested on the couch for several minutes, waiting for your breathing to stabilize. 

Aiding your recovery you downed a glass of ice water in one go, taking another deep breath and as you let it out you heard a sound in the distance that broke the silence. A loud, feminine moan, that you couldn’t quite figure out who the owner was. 

The closer you got to the bedroom the louder the moaning got. Opening the door to your room and the bed you shared with Hyewon left you with an empty dark room as you closed the door and headed down the hallway, down into Hyewon’s actual bedroom. 

“Oh fuck!” you heard crying out behind the shut door, feeling your heart beating faster as the voice became unmistakable as belonging to Hyewon. 

Taking a breath you gently grabbed the handle and turned it as you were greeted with an unforgettable sight. 

With just one lamp illuminating the room on the left side of the bed, you walked in to find a set of panties left in the middle of the floor and found Hyewon’s naked body sprawled out and holding on to the headboard for dear life. 

Neither of the two women noticed your arrival. Eunbi was too preoccupied with having her head buried in between Hyewon’s naked thighs, rubbing at her core and devouring the writhing blonde. 

“Nice of you to join us finally,“ Eunbi said as she held onto Hyewon’s flushed thighs, eating her pussy out like she had skipped an entire week's worth of meals. The sight of Eunbi making Hyewon an absolute mess brought your erection back to full hardness right away. 

“Since this bed doesn’t get used anymore I figured it was a good place to start since you two haven’t defiled it yet.”

“Hey!” Hyewon protested, but any further complaints were drowned out by her whimpering moans. 

“It’s a shame I left my handcuffs back at work,” Eunbi said. “You’d really be squirming right now.”

Eunbi continued her assault on the younger woman’s body, her tongue deep inside Hyewon’s pussy and lapping up all her juices liberally leaking from her spread thighs. 

“Are you just going to stare at my ass all day?” Eunbi asked annoyed. 

“Is that an option?” You fired back playfully.

“No. Don’t make me be the only one doing the work here.” 

“But you’re doing such a good job, I’d hate to distract you.” 

“Enough. Mommy wants that cock.” 

It had been far too long since you had fucked Eunbi, and you weren’t going to keep her waiting as you climbed the bed, staring at the view before doing anything else. Kneeling behind her tight round ass you quickly tugged her thong off her full curvy hips, down her toned legs, and tossed it away.  

You felt hypnotized by the pink glistening flesh in between her thighs, giving Eunbi’s ass a firm squeeze, her velvety cheeks felt so good against your palms as you lined your cock against Eunbi’s opening, feeling the heat radiating as an invitation.

“U-unnie, that feels so good,” Hyewon moaned, gripping the headboard even tighter. You prepared yourself to enter the oldest of the two busty women, spreading her thick thighs and looking down at her wet pussy that looked so damn inviting. 

Running your cock up and down Eunbi’s pink wet slit, you took a deep breath before pushing in slowly and parting her wet flesh with your cock, being met by her intense warmth as you entered Eunbi once more, the feeling of her pussy even better this time. 

You groaned needily as your tip disappeared inside Eunbi’s warm walls, and then pushed deeper inside her until you were halfway inside. She looked back, her eyes telling you to get on with it already. In one stroke you used your hips and gave Eunbi what she wanted, your whole shaft was inside her warmth, the slick of her walls gripping tight around your shaft and refusing to let go.

You watched Eunbi make an absolute mess out of Hyewon as you held to her perfect wide hips, slowly began pumping inside her, feeling her pussy swallowing your cock and lighting your senses on fire as you began to fuck her from behind. 

Having experienced Eunbi in this position already you knew she liked it rough, giving her plump ass a loud slap as you thrusted deep, using your hips to establish a fast and steady rhythm. 

“You’re so fucking tight, mommy,” you said, giving her ass repeated spanks as you began pounding into her pussy, the wet flesh wrapped around your cock squeezing even tighter with every thrust. 

Eunbi wasn’t able to moan freely as she slurped and feasted on Hyewon’s delicious pussy, but you could tell from the way her body reacted to you that she was in love with what you were doing to her. 

It was hard to comprehend what was happening. Pounding into Eunbi as she ate out another woman was heavenly, and it helped that the same woman was one you had slept with already and had become very close in every sense of the word. Hyewon was certainly dripping between her thighs, but the juices coming out of Eunbi’s tight hole certainly matched the youngest, allowing you to thrust as deep as you needed into the older detective with ease.  

It didn’t take long until a trio of moans filled the room, the wet squelch of Eunbi’s hot flesh being driven into harshly caused her body to slam against Hyewon’s sensitive clit, turning her into an even louder, needier mess. 

Eunbi felt even tighter than when you had fucked her in the interrogation room, her pussy so hot and tight and wet around you just wanted to ravage her until neither of you could walk in the morning. 

"Baby, your cock feels amazing inside me. You like mommy’s tight pussy?" Eunbi asked. 

“Y-yes, mommy. You’re so wet. “ you moaned and in response and upped your pace even faster, her pussy gripping your shaft so tightly it almost hurt. 

The smack of your hips against Eunbi’s voluptuous ass was the sound you loved to hear, causing her soft flesh to ripple beautifully in time with each thrust, drilling into her with such aggression that caused the bed to shake in protest, earning higher muffled moans from her and giving one more slap on her beautiful ass.

“Mommy loves being spanked, don’t stop baby.”

“Unnie, you’re such a slut,” Hyewon teased, as you gave harsh hits to Eunbi’s soft bottom, trying to leave your handprints on both cheeks. 

“Me? Because I know what I like? If I remember you were the one who jerked a guy off you met at work for not even five minutes.” 

“Hey! I was curious and he was cute. It’s not my fault.” 

“Not so innocent are you, slut?” Eunbi fired back, slurping on her folds and bringing two and then three fingers deep inside her cunt, eating her out without a care in the world other than shutting her up.  

“Oh fuck unnie! I-I’m so close,” Hyewon whimpered, holding on to Eunbi’s head, desperately chasing her orgasm as she rocked her hips against her face, only encouraging Eunbi to furiously rub and slurp on her clit.

“Oh god..u-unnie, I’m cumming!”

With Hyewon practically screaming Eunbi’s name, you continued drilling Eunbi’s tight pussy, sending waves of pleasure through her all the way to Hyewon’s body as her thighs quivered around Eunbi’s face, as her toes curled and she came hard all over Eunbi’s pretty face. 

Eunbi licked up everything that leaked between her legs, cleaning her folds and licking every inch of her stained thighs before Hyewon gently pushed her away off her.

“U-unnie, you’re so good at that,” Hyewon breathlessly said.

“I’m good at everything I do, baby,” she confidently smirked. 

“Now rest up, Hyewonie,” she said as she looked behind her. ”As good as you feel inside me, mommy wants to ride your face.”

You didn’t want to retreat from the comforting warmth of Eunbi’s pussy, but given the alternative was having your face warmed with her powerful thighs it was quite worth the sacrifice. 

Before using your face as a pillow Eunbi lifted herself into position, giving you a chance to admire every curve and inch of her immaculate beautiful skin as she sat down and locked her warm thighs around your head.

“You’ll make mommy feel good won’t you?” 

“Of course. Anything for mommy.”

“Good boy,” Eunbi replied as she pushed her weight down and smothered you with her succulent pussy, her aroma intoxicating you as breathed hot air against her core and explored her folds with your tongue, licking her juices clean. 

“Mommy tastes so good,” you moaned as Eunbi gyrated her hips and you felt her delicious juices smearing all over your lips, not missing a drop of her nectar. 

While you fucked Eunbi’s tight hole with your tongue, she grabbed onto your head, pulling at your hair to shove you deeper inside her pretty cunt, leaving you sucking and licking her pussy, licking, slurping on her folds to give her the pleasure she deserved. 

“That mouth feels so fucking good, baby,” Eunbi said as you looked up at the pleasure you were giving her, feeling her thighs squeezing tighter as she rode your face faster as you explored and stimulated every inch of her pussy.

Meanwhile, Hyewon stirred back to life, and while you alternated between trying to breathe and pleasuring Eunbi, you felt a cold delicate hand squeezing your cock, wrapping tightly around your shaft as she began stroking you slowly. 

“I can’t believe you’re still so hard after cumming in my mouth,” Hyewon said, jerking off you at a slow rate. 

“We just must turn him on that much,” Eunbi replied, her playful words quickly turned into lustful moans as you drove your tongue deeper into her cunt as her slick continuously leaked into your mouth.

You wondered her sculpted body with your hands while you continued to be smothered by her beautiful thighs. You grabbed onto her wonderful breasts, taking a handful and squeezing, pinching her hard sensitive nipples as she closed her eyes and her breathing hitched. 

You could sense the tension in her body as you made out with her pussy, sucking her clit harshly. Juice leaked everywhere, drenching your tongue and lips as she tugged on your hair harder, trying to force you deeper inside her wet hole. 

“F-fuck, baby, mommy’s g-gonna-”

Looking up at Eunbi you slurped her pussy loudly, still playing with her tits as you felt her thighs squeezing around your head as they vibrated violently and she came all over your face, gasping and moaning breathlessly as you were drenched in her delicious sweet nectar. 

You helped her ride out her orgasm as the grip her thighs had on your head weakened, still trembling and shaking as she looked down between her and giggled at the mess she left deposited all over your face. 

"You're so good with that tongue, baby. You made mommy cum so hard."

Eunbi gently climbed off your face and immediately crashed on top of Hyewon, their breasts mashing together as the older initiated a make-out session as you were able to breathe again. 

“Now, do you think you can handle that dick?” Eunbi asked. 

Hyewon pouted cutely. “Unnie, he’s fucked me before.” 

“But you were in control the whole time, and I’m sure he was gentle. Do you think you can take his cock when he’s pounding your tight little pussy with it?” 

Hyewon scoffed. “I’ll be fine, unnie.” 

“We’ll see. How do you want her, baby?” 

You didn’t hesitate for a second before you answered, knowing just how you wanted her. 

“Bent over. I want you to watch me fuck her, mommy.” 

“I’d be happy to, baby,” Eunbi responded, giving Hyewon one more lustful kiss. 

“You heard him, Hyewon. Hands and knees,” Eunbi ordered. 

Hyewon obeyed without delay like the innocent pup she who always obediently listened to Eunbi at work, this was no different. Her palms and knees placed flat on the black silk sheets, Hyewon laid her head down, lifting her scrumptious ass in the air. 

She wasn’t as curvy as Eunbi, her thighs were a bit slimmer but her skin was just as soft, and her body wasn’t lacking in any way. Hyewon’a pussy was tighter, something Eunbi would kill you for saying had you the courage to admit it. 

You could taste Hyewon’s anticipation as you lined your shaft up with her pussy, her pink pussy ready and waiting to be filled. As you ran your cock through Hyewon’s soft wet folds, you gasped at the feeling of her wet flesh as you pushed against it, groaning at how tight she was as you entered her pussy. 

Pushing in deeper and earning a loud needy moan, you felt the tight clench of her walls squeezing the life out of your cock. Hyewon’s much tighter pussy and lack of experience being penetrated meant you really had to take your time so you didn’t hurt her, but you had a feeling she was going to enjoy the fucking she was about to take. 

“She’s fucking tight isn’t she?” Eunbi asked, positioning herself behind your body as she draped an arm around your chest. 

“She is. I feel like I can barely fit.”

"The first time I fingered her I could barely slip one finger inside. Make sure you stretch out her nice and wide.”

“I will, mommy.” 

Not wanting to disappoint either woman you pushed in deeper, parting Hyewon’s pussy wider as half of your length rested inside. When she was on top it was easy for her to take as much as she wanted to, but being bent over in this vulnerable position you felt there was much more resistance, her almost uncomfortable tightness struggling to take you all in. 

“F-fuck, you’re so big,” Hyewon cried out, as she tried adjusting to your length, Eunbi smirking proudly at the struggle she was facing already.

“He is right? Are you sure you can handle him? He’s going to be able to fuck you much deeper in this position.”

“Unnie, shut up. I can handle it,” Hyewon snapped back. 

“Well, you heard her. Fuck her, baby.” 

Not even letting your cock enter the deepest part of her pussy, you placed your hands on her soft supple asscheeks and you established a gentle rhythm, using your hips as you slowly fucked Hyewon from behind, her wet walls squeezing you with the tightest grip possible. 

“Oh fuck…” she moaned loudly. 

“Take it nice and slow,” Eunbi whispered into your ear. “And when you think she’s ready, fucking pound her.” 

“Yes, mommy.” 

Encouraged by her instructions, you took things at a slow pace, savoring her wet flesh wrapping around your shaft, Hyewon whimpered and whined and moaned needily as you pumped slowly inside her. 

“How’s that pussy feel, baby?” Eunbi asked as she began peppering your neck with delicate soft kisses. 

“It feels really good, mommy.” 

Even halfway inside Hyewon felt so tight and warm, her heavenly soft flesh squeezing your cock as you gave short, shallow thrusts, building up the pace. 

“You feel so good inside,” Hyewon moaned, as you moved your hands to her hips, watching your cock disappearing between her supple ass. With every thrust it became easier to move in and out of Hyewon, stretching her tight little hole little by little, making her wetter at the same time. 

Words couldn’t describe how tight Hyewon felt, even after a few minutes of moving in and out her she still was a tight fit, her exceptionally tight pussy suffocating your shaft. You used your fingers to rub at her clit, creating whinier moans to escape her lips as you created more wetness around your shaft, aiding your penetration. 

Soon after you were able to stretch her out enough to be able to take more of you, and you let out a satisfied grunt as you fully entered her, bottoming her out with your cock as you withdrew, leaving half of you impaled inside her tight warm cave. 

“H-harder,” Hyewon softly whimpered, her words barely audible. 

“What was that?” Eunbi asked. 

“I-I want to be fucked harder,” Hyewon said.

“Speak up, baby, we can’t hear you.” 

Hyewon took a deep breath. “Harder. Fuck me. Harder,” she said, every word this time crystal clear. 

“You heard her, baby. Go wild.” 

You hadn’t heard a better set of words all day. Growing frustrated with the slow tedious pace, you were happy to be able to fuck Hyewon at your whim, quickly settling into a much more natural pace that you were used to. 

Hearing the pleasurable sounds of flesh against flesh as your hips smacked against Hyewon’s ass, you took advantage of being able to freely fuck her, squeezing her hips as you slammed into her tight hole. 

Hyewon scrambled to grab handfuls of the sheets as you opened her up, her moans increased alongside your speed. 

“She said she can take it, baby, so make her take it. Every inch.” 

You grabbed onto Hyewon’s arms and pulled them behind her, holding her delicate wrists as you fucked her hard from behind, her body being pulled upright just a bit as you went wild and hammered into her cunt. 

You made sure to be deep as possible in this position, as Hyewon’s ass jiggled with every thrust as did her breasts, her cheeks clapping together rhythmically as her whines and whimpering moans grew louder and deeper as did the harsh smacking of flash together. 

Eunbi swung your head around so she could plant deep kisses on your lips, taking some of the focus away as you pounded away into Hyewon’s pussy, pistoning your hips without a care as sweat began dripping down your forehead. 

“Keep pounding her, baby. Don’t stop fucking our little slut until she can’t walk straight tomorrow.”

You felt Hyewon tighten at Eunbi’s use of the word slut and wanted to test it out yourself. 

“Do you like when I fuck you this deep, baby?” you asked. 

After moments of groans and gasping Hyewon responded. “Y-yes, your cock feels so big inside me. I feel so filled.”

“You like being fucked like a slut?”

Hyewon tightened again. “I-i’m not a slut! Not like, Unnie-” she protested. 

“You’re not? If I remember correctly you sucked my cock the first week I moved in here.” 

“It was because you were always hard in the morning! I felt bad for you.” 

Eunbi laughed. “Felt bad, or felt horny?” she said. 

“U-unnie! I’m not a slut!” 

“That’s not what your body says right now. I can feel how fucking wet you are, Hyewon. Your tight little pussy loves my cock.” 

“I-i just wanted to help out. To return the favor, that’s all-” 

“Then you won’t mind if I stop fucking you and fuck Eunbi instead?” 

“N-no! Please! I’m already close, please don’t stop!” 

You dropped her arms and they collapsed against the mattress. “Admit it then.” 

“I-i can’t, I’m not-”

You slowed down your pace considerably, Hyewon whimpered even more. 

“P-please, baby! I’m almost there.”

“Then maybe you should admit it. We both know you’re not as innocent as you pretend you are,” Eunbi said.

Hyewon pondered for a moment as you barely moved inside her. “Fine. I-I’m a slut. I loved sucking your cock in the morning, and I loved when you came inside me.” 

“Was that so hard?” Eunbi asked. “Do you want him to cum inside you again?” 

“Y-yes!” 

“Then tell him, baby.” 

“P-please cum inside me! I want you to pound me and fill my tight little pussy!” Hyewon begged. 

You smirked and resumed your harsh pace, running your hands up her tight sweaty body and cupping her breasts, squeezing them and feeling her hard nipples brushing against your palms as you drilled yourself into her. 

“I’m gonna cum!” Hyewon abruptly said as you felt her walls squeezing you the tightest they ever had. 

“Then fucking cum,” you growled impatiently in response. 

You took a bit of pride in seeing Hyewon like this, her innocent demeanor completely broken down and replaced with lustful desire and need. 

With your hands full of her wonderful warm breasts, you felt her pussy pulsating around you and Hyewon screamed as she came all over your cock, her voice hitting an octave you didn’t even think it could go as her juices saturated her thighs, your shaft, and the bedsheets underneath. So much for not defiling the bed, you thought to yourself with a snicker. 

Her body weakly shook as the aftershocks fired off like bullets, each wave of pleasure threatening to make her whole body collapse. 

“Your turn, baby. You better fill her up,” Eunbi demanded. 

You were already on the brink, and with Eunbi’s words along with the look of desperation Hyewon shot at you, there wasn’t much you could do to hold out. Teetering on the verge of exhaustion, you gave everything you had as you hooked both of Hyewon’s arms and brought her upright, feeling her sweaty back pressed up against your chest as you pounded her pussy. 

“Take it all, baby. Take all my cock you fucking slut,” you hissed, the words seemingly appearing out of nowhere as you buried yourself deep inside Hyewon’s dripping cunt. Without anything to grab on to, Hyewon was at your mercy, fucking her with the last remaining shred of energy you had, your carnal desires fueling your urge to absolutely ruin her. 

Without another word you came inside Hyewon, feeling a sense of relief as you sent your thick hot cum inside her, throbbing and groaning with every single spurt until she was pumped full of your plentiful load. 

“You did so well,” you whispered to Hyewon weakly, as you released her and she collapsed to the bed in front and you followed as you pulled out, your sticky cum staining her thighs as you equally gasped for air. 

"Look how much you came, baby," Eunbi said as her view was on the semen dripping out of Hyewon as you crashed on the side of the bed next to her, struggling to breathe with any kind of regularity. 

"Don't move a muscle, Hyewon," Eunbi ordered, as she bent down between her thighs, and began licking her clean. 

"U-unnie," Hyewon softly whimpered as Eunbi cleaned up the mess you had just left inside her, slurping your load directly from Hyewon’s freshly fucked pussy and greedily swallowing it all, rekindling the fire in your loins and bringing you back to full hardness, something Eunbi took notice of. 

“Don’t relax yet, baby. You still need to give mommy your cum.” 

Hyewon crashed to her side exhausted as you laid down in anticipation of what Eunbi had planned. 

"Mommy wants to ride that cock," Eunbi said as she pounced on your body and you felt her naked thighs straddling your waist, caressing your sweat misted skin and smiling sweetly. 

"Just relax and let mommy do all the work."

Her gaze relaxed you as she kissed you again, this time more lustfully, biting your lower lip and holding on. She grabbed your cock, slickened with the juices of both women and stroked it carefully, teasing her silky wet folds with it. 

“You’re still throbbing for me, baby. Does mommy turn you on this much?” 

“Yes, mommy. You’re so sexy.” 

“I’m glad you think so, baby,” Eunbi said shyly, still teasing her warm flesh with your leaking cock. 

“What do you like about me, baby?” 

“Your pretty eyes. Your sexy hips. Your amazing tits. Your soft thighs. I love everything about you, mommy.” 

Eunbi blushed. “You’re so sweet, baby. I hope you still have some cum stored up in those balls. Mommy wants to ruin you.” 

“Please do, mommy.” 

With your tip still aimed at her tight entrance, Eunbi lifted her hips up and slowly sank down onto your cock, parting her wet flesh and impaling herself. She took the first few inches of your shaft at first, and then slipped every part of you inside her with ease as if showing off and moaning freely at being so full. 

“Oh fuck, baby,” Eunbi moaned loudly, resting her delicate soft hands on your chest. You grabbed onto her waist and stared at her magnificent figure, your mouth drooling over every sinful curve of her body so sculpted to perfection as you eagerly anticipated her next move. 

“You’re so wet, mommy.” 

“All because of you, baby,” Eunbi replied with a charming smile as she began slowly moving her hips, taking you in and out of her body at a delicate pace. Your mind went numb at the warmth and tightness enveloping your shaft, her pussy gripping on tight as if to tell your cock it wasn’t going anywhere but inside her. 

Eunbi threw her head back as her pace increased and she created a steady rhythm, rolling her hips as she rode your cock, taking you to the hilt with every bounce. She was in control in more ways than one, not for her comfort but for yours, only giving as much pleasure as she dictated you needed. 

With her pretty hands still resting upon your chest, her nails began digging into your skin as the look in her eyes became more devilish. 

“Mommy loves your cock,” she said as she picked up the pace, her warm thighs smacking against yours, as you felt mesmerized by the way her huge breasts bounced.

Eunbi grew tired of her sensual nature and began slamming herself against your shaft, her tight cunt dripping juices each time she was filled to the hilt, She became more and more aggressive by the second, leaning her body forward to kiss and lick your neck before blowing hot air in your ear. 

“Hyewon might get to fuck you while you live together, but mommy owns this cock. She’s just borrowing it when I’m not around.” 

“It belongs to you, mommy.” 

“Don’t either of you forget that,” she said as she violently rode your cock, her warm skin slapping against your own flesh as her cunt was repeatedly penetrated as deep as possible, riding with vigor as her ass plump bouncing wildly against your cock. 

“Mommy needs these balls drained, baby. You’ll give mommy your cum, won’t you?”

“Y-yes, mommy. I’ll do anything you ask.”

“Anything?” 

“Yes, mommy. Anything.”

“What if mommy wants to keep riding you after you cum?” 

“Then mommy can keep riding me as long as she wants.” 

“You’re a good boy, aren’t you?” Eunbi asked as she grabbed your hands and placed them on her tits. You nodded and squeezed them both, playing with her hard nipples with your fingers. 

“You like mommy’s tits, don’t you?”

“I love them. Your tits are so amazing, Mommy.” 

Liking what she heard, Eunbi grabbed the back of your head and brought her chest to your face, smothering you with her delicious breasts. The soft flesh of her heavy tits against your face felt so comforting and heavenly, you never wanted them to leave. 

“Oh fuck, baby, mommy might cum soon.” 

You loved every moment, every sensation sent through your body. You didn’t mind Eunbi using you to get off, you wanted nothing more but to please her. 

Eunbi rode you so hard that you were sure the bed was going to break, clearly enjoying vigorously using your cock. 

“Unnie, don’t break him,” Hyewon teased as she rested her tired body up against Eunbi, burying her face into the crook of her neck. 

“All rested up for round two?” Eunbi asked. Hyewon tiredly shook her head. 

“No, I just wanted to play with these,” Hyewon said as she felt up her chest, cupping her breasts softly and giving a gentle squeeze, stealing the large mounds from the comfort of your face and into her own hands.

“Don’t be selfish, Hyewon,” Eunbi said. The two exchanged saliva as their lips met and tongues clashed, Hyewon giving into the older woman. 

Eunbi’s juices vigorously flowed out of her cunt, the added stimulation of Hyewon’s hands exploring her chest, pinching her nipples brought her new uncontrollable pleasure that she couldn’t hold back any longer. 

“Is mommy going to cum?” Hyewon asked, surprising the room by warming up to the use of Eunbi's insistent title. 

“I am,” Eunbi softly said, laughing at Hyewon’s use of the word. 

“Cum for us, mommy,” Hyewon innocently said, and it seemed to trigger Eunbi’s second climax of the night as she slipped into a euphoric trance as all her senses were shaken, tightening around your cock and leaking enough juices to almost slip out of her. 

Once she came down from her high, you felt the enthusiastic bounce of her hips as she intended to draw out your own climax as Hyewon still clung to her body. 

“I forgot how needy you are after you cum,” Eunbi teased. “I-i’m not-” Hyewon protested, proving the opposite as she kissed Eunbi’s shoulders. 

“Are you close baby?” Eunbi asked as she grabbed your hands and interlocked your fingers with hers, pinning your arms above your head. “If not you will be,” she smirked. 

“Cum inside mommy,” she demanded as she gave her all, slamming herself down with the only intention to drain you. Her hair was out of place, sweat dripping all over her body, making her jiggling breasts look even more appetizing, she had never looked sexier. Eunbi was in total control of you, and you were going to finish inside her whether you wanted or not, not that you ever would have rejected that idea. 

You laid there helplessly as Eunbi rode your cock without mercy, her sweaty thighs slapping against your own as you struggled to gather your senses, waiting for the inevitable as the pressure in your abdomen grew. 

“M-mommy, I’m gonna cum,” you cried out, every syllable difficult to form as they left your lips. Her eyes lit up in anticipation. You didn’t hold on anymore, not that you could, but you stared into Eunbi’s eyes and the lustful look that demanded your release sent you over the edge. 

“Cum for mommy,” she said as if those three seductive words were the final bit of permission you needed. You groaned needily as your throbbing cock exploded inside her, filling up her walls as she drained the final spurts of cum left just for her, somehow equally as much as you had given Hyewon. 

“Such a good boy,” she said as she kissed your forehead. You wondered if she was going to keep going, keeping you to your word of not stopping but mercifully she seemed satisfied. 

Giving you a few moments to rest she slowly and gingerly lifted her body off of your cock an inch at a time, the three of you watching the dripping thick load leaked between her thighs, the result of your combined juices seeping out. 

Hyewon looked in awe. “I can’t believe you can still cum so much. “ 

“I have that effect on people,” she proudly boasted. You laid there barely able to move, twitching as you felt their mouths returning to your cock, lips and tongues cleaning up your shaft and running all over your drained balls. 

Moments after you passed out from exhaustion.

                                                              ✦✦

The morning after was a blur. You arose before anyone else, still wondering if the night before was a wonderful dream that you unfairly never acted out. The mess of stained sheets and naked limbs surrounding you and the weight of both gorgeous women perched on your chest thankfully meant everything became a reality, but you still pinched yourself just in case. 

"Good morning…" you heard a voice softly say sleepily.

"Good morning, mommy," you responded as you saw Eunbi waking up. 

"I love when you call me that," she said as she left sweet tender kisses on your chest. "It turns me on so much."

"Did you sleep well, mommy?" you asked, repeating the word.

"I did, baby, thanks to you. I'm still wet though, just thinking about you."

Eunbi’s pretty fingers ran through out of place strands of your hair, playing with them. 

"And it looks like you're excited this morning thinking about mommy," she said as she grabbed your cock and stroked slowly. You moaned at her touch and she smiled devilishly. 

"Maybe mommy should jerk you off right here."

"We shouldn't wake her."

"Hyewon? She'll be out for a while, you really did a number on her."

"Still, I'd hate to disturb her."

"How about a quickie in the shower while she rests?” Eunbi asked. 

"Now that's a great idea." You carefully removed yourself from underneath Hyewon, trying not to wake her. Eunbi literally grabbed you by the dick and led you to the bathroom, letting the water get as hot as it could before stepping inside. 

You didn’t know what it was about both women that seemed to love their scalding hot showers, but you weren’t going to question it given the view in front of you. 

Not long after you wettened you hair, Eunbi turned the shower into her own erotic show as she soaped up her voluptuous body and lathered up her massive tits. Knowing you couldn’t divert your eyes she played with her own nipples, pinching and pulling on them as she moaned and you quickly felt yourself growing hard as a rock. 

“You like watching mommy get clean?” Eunbi asked as she bit her lip. Before you could answer the shower door opened and Hyewon joined the fun. 

“Hey! You started without me,“ she frowned. 

“You looked so peaceful, we didn’t want to wake you,” Eunbi said. 

"Nice excuse, unnie. You just wanted his cock to yourself."

"You caught me red-handed. And what happened to mommy?"                        

Hyewon blushed and turned shy. 

“Just clean me, " Eunbi said. 

You couldn’t help but feel they were teasing you, soaping up each other's bodies and kissing each other at the same time as the water ran down their flushed skin. As always, Eunbi felt the need to up the ante, using her knee to spread Hyewon’s wet thighs and grinding against her core. 

“F-fuck, mommy-” Hyewon moaned. 

“You wanna ride mommy’s thigh don’t you, baby?”

“Y-yes, mommy,” she desperately responded, trying to force any bit of friction she could against Eunbi’s muscular toned thigh. Eunbi allowed it for a few moments, finding it cute how needy she always was as she brought her fingers to her breasts, playing with Hyewon’s swollen sensitive nipples before grabbing her hips and ceasing her movements. 

“You shouldn’t cum before our guest does,” Hyewon whined but didn’t voice a complaint. 

She grabbed Hyewon by the ass and pulled her towards her body, their wet soapy breasts mashing together. 

“Hyewon.” 

“Yes, mommy?” 

“Follow my lead.” 

Eunbi knelt on the shower’s tile floor, Hyewon quickly followed, both stroking your cock. Eunbi angled her body to the side as the water ran over your chest. Soaping up her tits even more, she grabbed your cock and placed it in between her soapy cleavage, wrapping her breasts around your shaft. 

She didn’t move yet, and Hyewon caught on quickly, matching her position on the opposite side with her wet breasts smothering the other side of your shaft. You realized what exactly was about to happen, and nothing could prepare you for it. 

They flashed each other a look, and the moment they started moving together you absolutely lost it as they created friction, sandwiching your cock in between the heavy warm flesh of their tits.

“Holy fuck,” you moaned, and they both let out gasps at the result of their sensitive nipples grinding against each other. As if that weren’t enough, Eunbi leaned in to take a kiss from Hyewon who returned her advances, as the two messily sucked each other's faces. 

You had no doubt in your mind that this is what heaven was like. 

“Like that, baby?” Eunbi said.

“You have no fucking idea.” 

They both giggled and watched as you lost your mind even more. You didn’t dare close your eyes for a second, keeping your eyes glued to the way their perfect tits assaulted your cock, struggling to keep your composure as the intense pleasure spiked through every bit of your body. 

“Fuck, I’m not gonna last very long.” 

“Mommy wouldn’t expect you to.” 

Just a few more moments was all you could handle, the warmth of both of their breasts squeezing and massaging your cock was too much. You throbbed in between them as you groaned loud enough to echo around the shower walls as you filled up their cleavage with cum and painted their pretty faces and they proudly wore your warmth on their features. 

The two shared a series of giggles before Eunbi licked your sticky warmth off Hyewon’s face, the younger returning the favor before licking each other's faces clean, kissing each other with cum-stained lips and eagerly swapping your load. 

They kissed your depleted shaft as you weakly leaned yourself against the shower’s cold tiles, forcing your eyes open as Hyewon rode Eunbi’s thigh to completion and Eunbi gushed all over Hyewon’s slim fingers in a matter of moments. 

The three of you dressed and dried off in relative silence, recovering from the events of the past 24 hours. 

“What happens now? With the case?” you asked. 

“We don’t exactly know ourselves. We’ll have to figure out what happened, what went wrong, and if our information was inaccurate. This is a huge setback,” Eunbi said.  

“We’ll be spending most of next week recovering from this. And we were so close too,” Hyewon frustratedly said. 

“It can’t be helped, these things happen sometimes and we’ll have to prevent it from happening again,” Eunbi reassuringly replied. 

“No more talk about work. How about some breakfast, Hyewon?” 

“Right away. How does pancakes sound?” 

“Amazing,” you said.

“Make an extra batch. We’re going to need to save up our energy for later.”  

                                                         ✦✦

“Hey. It's me. No, they don’t have any idea. Fucking idiots. Their operation was a failure in every possible way.” 

“No, it was thanks to you too, boss. Yes, the account number is still the same. I can’t show you my gratitude enough, I’ll be able to pay off these fucking loans finally. “

“I’m not sure, I’m sure they’re scrambling like chickens with their head cut off. I’ll be able to find out more on Monday. Yes, I’ll be careful. I’ll see you in a week. “

[watching-pictures-move]

Put On Your Raincoats #28 | American Babylon (Watkins, 1985)

Roger Watkins spent most of his career making pornos, something which he apparently hated, and in American Babylon he turns that hatred directly at the audience. The movie is about two bozos. Losers. Schlubs. One of them, played by Bobby Astyr, spends his days doing little but watching pornography, oblivious to his surroundings and annoyed by interruptions. When his wife steps in front of the projector, he grouses at her to get out of the way. "Evaporate, Joan!" The other, played by Michael Gaunt, is weak-willed, easily goaded into doing or saying anything, whatever is the path of least resistance. Neither Astyr nor Gaunt are what you'd call conventionally attractive, and combined, they are some of the least flattering portraits of masculinity to grace the screen. I read somewhere that the popularity of unattractive men in straight porn is to help the target audience relate more easily to the proceedings. Watkins brings into focus the implied contempt in that trope.

As someone who spent a non-zero amount of time over the last year delving into vintage pornography, this movie hit a little close to home. When Astyr starts critiquing the camera angles in the movie he's watching, I felt personally attacked. Astyr's choice of entertainment here is in the form of plotless reels with titles like Teenage Pigmeat in Heat, a film by Bernard America, and Butt Girls in Bondage, directed by Hank Packard (which sounds like a dig at Henri Pachard's pretentious porn name), and starring Lonnie Lee as the Butt Girl. Astyr appears to be getting off on their dehumanizing quality ("Hey Robert, I just realized something. They don't show anybody's faces in this movie." "Of course not, it's so much better that way, it could be anybody.") The reels are shot in cold, sterile black-and-white, their mise-en-scene (power tools, gym equipment) suggesting a parody of masculinity. (I admit I was a little concerned when the male performer was firing a blowtorch in the direction of the female performer while they engaged in sexual congress.) Watkins had been steadily removing any sense of warmth or eroticism from his sex scenes, but also seems aware of the limitations of this approach (especially when you cast a performer like Taija Rae, sporting a lady mullet, hubba hubba). His critique seems targeted at the genre as a whole, which despite the level of artistry it can contain (and I'm very much on the side of pornographic films being artistically worthwhile), is ultimately in the service of prurient interests, but in retrospect, feels prescient of the kind of gonzo pornography that would become the norm in the decades that followed. There's no need for plot, character, warmth, humanity, just body parts mashing against each other. That Astyr is seen usually in a raincoat and motorcycle helmet drives the point home.

Gaunt's character is depicted just as brutally but with a bit more humour. This is a guy whose most strenuous decision in his marriage (and source of tension with his wife) is whether or not he'll drink his milk. (His wife, seen topless and in panties and heels, in a skewering of genre demands, leaves him an angry note: "P.S. Drink your milk".) Astyr's wife, played by Tish Ambrose, in need of the kind of intimacy she doesn't get from her husband, sees Gaunt as an easy mark and sets up a rendezvous at a country western bar. Their exchange and her attempt at seduction are telling.

"You strike me as the kind of guy who's good at taking orders."

"Yeah, I guess so, my wife thinks so anyway."

"You want something to drink?"

"Yeah, I guess so, my wife thinks so anyway."

"I'm not wearing any underwear."

"I beg your pardon."

"The only thing separating skirt and my quivering pussy is a layer of air. What do you think of that?"

"Me? I don't know what to think."

Gaunt reveals a talent for physical comedy with his gawking, indecisive face during their tryst, his slapstick-like scramble out of his clothes, his dash with an empty cup as part of his excuse sneak out for another tryst ("I told my wife I was coming over to borrow a cup of sugar"), and his nervous patting of strap-on before he excuses himself out of a threesome. One encounter occurs when watching a porno with Astyr, who seems entirely oblivious to what's going on right beside him but also happy to have them around. ("My best friend and my best wife, finally taking an interest in my one true passion.") Their attempts at bonding seem self-defeating from both directions, as when Astyr tries to initiate a heart-to-heart, it's not clear how truthful Astyr's tale of young love or his recollection of a threesome that sounds suspiciously like one of his movies and the one Gaunt partook in. ("They were sisters, Thomas, sisters! That's what they told me afterwards. They might have been lying of course, It's human nature to lie.") When the visual style switches over to those of his movies, the indictment is complete, but in the final ten minutes, the movie finds something of an emotional core with a montage (Menopausal Males in Bondage) that recontextualizes the proceedings from Ambrose's perspective, while dissolving the boundaries between Astyr, Gaunt, and their porno movies. A beret and checked coat, first sported by Taija Rae, helps provide a visual throughline.

While I won't deny that the kind of masculinity exemplified by the protagonists, while flawed, feels a lot more benign than the kind of toxic masculinity that's been the focus of modern discourse, the laser focus of Watkins' indictment makes the movie work. Where the movie is less cogent but admirably bold is in situating its protagonists and their pathetic suburban existence as some kind of endpoint for American civilization. The opening credits have illustrations of historical images, evangelical radio is heard on and off throughout the movie, and after the aforementioned montage, the film closes with "American the Beautiful". In a brief but forceful sequence, we hear news of Lee Harvey Oswald's murder by Jack Ruby, Walter Mondale's acceptance speech at the 1984 DNC ("Mr. Reagan calls it "tokenism". We call it America.") and the bombing of North Vietnam, while Gaunt's wife (seen again in the nude, to sate the horndogs) fires a shotgun and the screen cuts to black. Watkins produces a passage from "The Harlot's House" by Oscar Wilde to drive home the sense of finality. ("The dead are dancing with the dead, the dust is whirling with the dust.") The protagonists' suburban homes are presented effectively as purgatorial spaces, captured in cold, isolating cinematography by Larry Revene, who had collaborated previously with Watkins on Corruption and Midnight Heat. Like the latter, I watched this in a not very nice video-sourced transfer, although it didn't seem quite as detrimental here (aside from the terrible audio quality, which made Gaunt's whistling sound like nails on a chalkboard). The look of the movie is effectively sterile, with a heavy reliance of moody bluish lighting that comes through even in a less pristine copy. (I understand that this didn't play theatrically, so I'm willing to limit my complaining.) It's also worth noting that while not detrimentally so to the film's overall argument, I did find Astyr's porno movies stylish in their way, and that I was not immune to the charms of Taija Rae, particularly with the beret and lady mullet I alluded to earlier. Folks, I'm not made of stone.

[evakuality]

Mia, episode four

1.  Hanna staring deep into Mia’s face as she talks = not loosening my conviction they should be together.  But either way, I like this little scene.  One thing I think Druck does well is translating the ideas of all the russ-stuff from the og into its own thing that makes sense in its own context.  These suggestions really are all terrible, though.  I’m not at all surprised that Jonas and Matteo are taking the mickey out of it (side note - I missssss themmmmmm).  I know I’m seriously anti Alex and so I’m not feeling even remotely charitable, but I really dislike the way he’s walking in all ‘I have a much better idea than you guys’ and acting as if he’s better than them.  Plus, then they ended up using it and... ugh.  I just... I really hate William and poor Alex is bearing the brunt of that.  It’s probably not his fault; I just brought a whole lot of baggage into this viewing.

2.  I do love that Leonie is still ‘in charge’ in this way.  It’s a nice continuity from s1.  And she’s not perfect in any way; a lot of her little mannerisms and the way she acts and speaks from s1 are still here, but she’s mellowed a bit.  It’s not as directed and petty; she just likes being in charge and running stuff.

3.  Wow a lot is going on in this first clip.  Amira is getting her voice heard like a boss here!  (sidenote #2: she is stunning in this outfit with this makeup etc).  It’s obvious that she’s pretty used to Mia and her very set opinions (a bit like Leonie but she does it in a different way) and knows the only way to get what she/they need is to basically steamroll over every attempt Mia makes at speaking.  I like the point that Mia’s principles aren’t as important as the people who wouldn’t be able to pay the larger price.  Like, I get it - she’d rather not have anything to do with Alex (me either tbh) but Amira is also right.  Excluding him on principle isn’t fair to the bulk of the students.  However, ‘he shows up with all his money and his damn poster and now he’s a nice guy?’ - I mean, exactly.  Still.  There are other considerations and it shouldn’t be black and white.

4.  Oh, this walkway/ramp thing again.  My beloved setting returns!  Honestly, I really really love this school building.  It’s got so many little corners and changes and different spaces and this space in particular is used to really good effect.  Like rn, Alex has the high ground and while Mia is trying to stand up to him, it’s ineffectual because they’re having to use high angles on her vs low on him.  He still has the power.  And even when they come together, and there’s a seeming meeting of equals, he’s still got the high ground, even if just barely.  And as he walks away with his insufferable smirk, he regains that high ground even more (do I like this plot at all?  No, but I do like the film techniques used to explore it). I just really really love the way the camera works in these spaces.  Unlike a ‘normal’ school, this one has so much depth and variety even when they reuse the same spaces.  None of the times this thing is used is the effect exactly the same even when it seems similar.  Hmmmm, now part of me wants to look at every time it’s used and see how it’s done.  Somebody stop me.

5.  Yikes - I’m only 6 minutes in and I already wrote an essay.  Okay, let’s try to be more brief as we continue.  Oh.  Mia alone and in a nice space with warm tones around her (unlike the other two scenes this episode).  I do like these moments when we hang out with our mains and I’m glad we’re starting to get that more with Mia.  Very interesting that she chooses to fold and iron her clothes as a reaction to the ‘mega geil’ comments about Alex.  Clearly she’s starting to feel out of control about the whole business with Alex and the things he’s saying to her, and this is one way of her reasserting her control.  She likes having things under control and we see it coming out in these odd ways now that she’s found something that is out of her control.  She clearly gets some peace out of it, but it’s so rigid that you can tell it must be about to crack soon.  Nice touch with Hans bringing the comic relief.  I love him so much!!

6.  Lol, Matteo looks super disgusted by this chirpy conversation about Hans’ affliction.  I like that his characterisation is still traceable.  He’s not AS low and isolated as he seems in his season (the benefit of perspective I guess), but he’s still slumped and isn’t as engaged in the things around him - here and even with Jonas earlier.  It’s just nice to see because I know his season came pretty close after Mia’s so it’s good that it doesn’t seem to come out of nowhere.  Continuity - Druck is good at it.  Also how uncomfortable he is when the discussion turns to what gay penises look like - clearly he already has some ideas about how himself and equally clearly he doesn’t want to talk about ‘gay’ anything when it might be connected to him.  Little does he know, his phone already gave them ideas.  But I do like him already being the biggest Hanna/Jonas shipper - like, he’s so determined to make up for his interference that he’s fully trying to interfere again, and it’s a nice segue into ‘why does anyone spend a whole evening stalking someone’ - yeah, we see you Mia.  You’re more intrigued by Alex than you care to admit.  I enjoy these little seemingly unimportant clips of them just hanging out that actually advance the plot or characterisation.

7.  Hanna: Mia, please come to this place to save me from being alone with Jonas.  Mia: I’m on my way (despite not wanting to go at all) - are we seriously telling me she’s not at least a little bit in love with Hanna?  Seriously.  The need to help Hanna out is strong in this one.  But also... more mirror reflections, but this time she’s more centered (not entirely but more so) and her whole face is in shot.  Things are ‘coming together’ so to speak.  And ion hindsight, I can’t even seem to spot Jonas?  Is he even there?  Was Hanna trying to get Mia there through stealth????

8.  Yikes, this thing they’re doing where they say stuff about each other is a bit brutal.  Amira’s ones are mostly pretty awful, and targeted at her religion.  Very interesting that for the others, they seemed more focused on who they are rather than ‘what’ they are, but it’s not the same for her?  Like, I know we explore this a bit in her season but there’s been so much through the whole 2 seasons so far that I feel even more like we lost the opportunity to truly explore that more.  RIP the s4 she deserved!  

9.  I don’t like Alex still (he’s still too arrogant and irritating for me) but I do like the quiet slow way Mia is warming up to him.  She doesn’t want to, but you can see her re-evaluating him and starting to recalibrate her thoughts.  Like it’s not rushing and he is at least a little more interesting than William and has more charisma so I can see why she would become intrigued once she shifted her perspective.  Unlike William, who remained gross through the entire thing.

10.  So Mia’s desperate need to be in control and have everything perfect even extends to Alex’s place and his stuff?  Considering she still thinks she doesn’t like him, she’s taking a lot of trouble with his space.  Suuuuuper awkward alone times here though I do like this shot of Mia exploring Alex’s place and the camera just sort of following along with that and taking in what she sees.   Being this tight on her really plays up how ‘tight’ her PoV is and how she’s not seeing outside the bounds of what she wants to see.

11.  This is a very very long clip, but there’s something charming about it too.  Alex is... hmmmm, not exactly a good guy as yet (he’s still doing some quite douchey things), but he’s starting to open up and be real while still trying to protect some stuff that’s and that’s a lot more believable than William was.  I know he was supposed to be like that, too, in a lot of ways, but I never found him convincing.  Not the way Alex is.  I don’t like him (this is genuinely not a type of guy that appeals to me at all) but I can see why he might win Mia over.  Which I never did understand with Noora.  We shall see - there are things from later in Noora’s season that fill me with incandescent rage, and if those happen then I can’t warm to Alex properly at all.  But for now, I can see why Mia might be won over.  Even if I can’t forgive him for the way he treats Kiki and acts like he’s the only one with all the right answers.

Lots of long clips in this one with a whole heap going on.  It would have been something to go through this live, I’m sure.  I found lots of little moments in this one to like, and I like how Druck has managed the characters and the interactions to make it feel natural.  Considering that I really cannot stand the og of this and that one was very long, I think they’re doing a fairly good job of keeping this one engaging and a decent pace even if I still dislike one of the characters.

[aeruthien]

So I rewatched the scene with Elijah vs Mikael of 1x15 because @kylermalloy​reblogged that post and the staging of that scene is so wonderful?

Like, Sebastian Roché has is naturally taller than Daniel Gillies, so Mikael is more intimidating, but the camera work only heightens that.

When we see Mikael from Elijah's perspective, the camera is always tilted upwards. When we see Elijah from the side, the camera is almost at the same level as his face, but from Mikeal's POV, the camera looks down at Elijah. Elijah also clearly has to look up.

Then Mikael tosses Elijah to the ground, and we get a matching shot of Mikael looking down at Elijah and Elijah looking up:

But then even when Elijah stands up again, the camera keeps the low angle on Mikael, making him look stronger and bigger. See Mikael’s line of sight, he is no longer completely looking down.

And when he starts his 'you do not TALK to abominations' rant, it keeps zooming in on his face while Elijah remains only shown from the side, giving Mikael that much presence and power. Guess who has to look up at Mikael like that? A child.

This is probably all basic cinematography but it clearly shows the power balance between these two. Compare it with this shot from Elijah in the same episode:

Even though he is standing lower than Celeste, he is clearly dominating the situation.

Anyway, I love this show.

[ichliebeanimalcrackers]

Secret Love Affair

Yes, I’ve watched another Kdrama and this one is definitely getting added to the “My Favorites” list. I’d describe it like this: if the Palme d’Or could be awarded to a television show, then this one would definitely be in the running (and it would most likely win it). There are 16 episodes but it feels more like a movie and that’s one of the things that makes this drama stand out. I’m not sure where to begin, so I’d like to apologize in advance if this particular opinion piece is all over the place and has no respect for proper punctuation. I had a lot of feelings after watching this drama, and one simply needs to let all of that energy out. With that said, I’m just going to do bullet points because that seems to make sense in this situation lol

Since music is always an essential part of any show/ movie (especially in this case), I have to start with the soundtrack because it’s magnificent. It really is. It fits well with the theme and constantly adds an extra layer of emotion to what’s already happening on the screen. Whenever you hear the end credits waltz, you know something is about to happen and it makes you feel a bit uneasy. “Four Hands” is full of longing and “Affair” is cautious but steady. More often than not, this show uses music to convey emotion in place of a dialogue. One needs to simply listen and look at the characters expressions to understand what’s happening. One of the great things about music is that on some awesome, cosmic level it’s alive and has the power to make us feel and understand things without any words. 

Whenever I watch a show, I like to read the comment section because there are always interesting opinions out there. I was surprised to see that some people thought that the pace of the show was too slow. I certainly respect other people’s opinions, but I personally think that it wouldn’t have made sense if the story kept on jumping from one thing to the next. There was plenty of intrigue throughout the entire series, and I was already feeling nervous 10 minutes into the first episode. It’s a difficult situation to be in, but Sun Jae/ Hye Won met their soulmate. They have finally met their match. They both see each other for who they are and that’s more than enough to fall in love. What’s even more awesome is that something was already there even before they officially met. He briefly saw her at the concert hall and she saw a video of him playing piano (just his hands). Talent recognized talent and the rest is history.

Honestly, I was surprised with her friends. Pleasantly surprised. They already seemed like pretty cool people from the beginning and it was made even more evident as the show progressed. I expected them to scold and alienate her, but they didn’t. They were there for her and even comforted Lee Sun Jae when he had no one else to turn to. I bet they were shocked to learn about the relationship between the two (and the other stuff), but they tried to understand the situation from her point of view and didn’t leave her side when things really went downhill. We can only guess what happened after the events in episode 16, but I really hope that Professor Jo got appointed as the next Dean instead of Oh Hye Won’s husband (Professor Kang)...The man is obviously more qualified, has a good personality, the students respect him and he’s simply a chill guy. 

Speaking of Oh Hye Won’s husband...I feel bad for saying this but that man is just pathetic. Don’t get me wrong, they all have their own flaws but in this case there was nothing that set him apart other than him being totally indifferent unless it had to do with his position in the school hierarchy. He, along with the others, was ready to throw her under the bus for the “greater good” if the situation called for it. At some point in the show, I believe they do mention that they didn’t marry for love and that it was more of a comradeship. This means that they’ve been married for at least 10 or more years and you would think that during that time people would become each other’s support system. Nope, not in this case because the man never cared to begin with and it seems that she’s the one who has always carried the relationship. She definitely works more, she’s a better musician and she’s kind of a legend in this school/ foundation and perhaps that’s why (subconsciously) her husband always felt inferior. Yes, it must hurt to find out that your spouse is having an affair, BUT I don’t think that’s what bothered him so much. I think he was more scared of losing his chance of becoming the next Dean and not being able to mentor Sun Jae (who would definitely further solidify his credibility as a professor). I might be wrong, however, that’s how it seemed to me. There were a couple of other instances when he should’ve taken her side. For example, that scene when she comes back home with a bandaid on her forehead because the psycho lady threw game pieces at her and it cut her skin. A normal person would've been concerned that someone would do that, but he simply brushed it off as if it’s OK that they treated her like that. Ugh, just thinking about it annoys me. 

The cinematography was great. It’s a different style and it stands out from the ones that one would normally see in other dramas. It fits well with the mood of the show. The camera shots from different perspectives, the color and how some of the angles repeat but at different pivotal moments throughout the show added an extra oomph to the overall viewing experience. 

If anything, this show should give people an appreciation for classical music or at least they’ll be able to recognize it whenever they hear it again. I was listening to songs on YouTube Music the other day and a song popped up in the “recommended” category and it was the Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody On A Theme of Paganini, and I immediately thought “Omg! That’s the piece that he plays during the recital!” If it wasn't for this show, I would’ve never known the title of this piece.

The way Sun Jae treats Oh Hye Won. We really do need to take a minute to talk about this because certain details were too precious. Everything was always done with sincerity and without trying to show off in front of the person that he loves. First of all, the way he started mopping the floor when she came to his apartment for the first time. He didn’t let her step onto the floor until it was clean (it already looked pretty clean) and he gave her a towel to clean her hands after she touched the staircase railing that leads to his apartment. How he makes sure that her head doesn’t hit the pipe when they are walking through a construction site/ abandoned building. How he went on a full cleaning/ home improvement mode when she sent him her confession because he wanted this to be a safe place. He changed the lightbulb outside, so it wouldn’t be as dark in the stairwell and he power-washed the concrete stairs. He treats her like she’s the most treasured being he’s ever encountered in his entire life. These actions might not be heroic or grand, but there’s a lot of warmth/ love within them. Oh, I almost forgot to mention the shoes. They way he constantly places and rearranges her shoes. Bonus: the fact that Oh Hye Won listed him in her phone as “Home” and when he sees that...Ahhh! My heart is so full! 

All of the actors were great. The age difference between the two main lead actors is similar to the one of their characters and it made this story more authentic/ believable. I don’t think it would’ve been the same if the actors in real life were the same age but one of them tried to play someone younger/ older. Their chemistry was on point too and they simply look great together.

The fact that they both knew the severity of the situation and the repercussions that might come with it will surely send chills down your spine. It is an extremely risky situation and perhaps more for her than for him but it’s still dangerous. I’ve read a comment where someone mentioned that up until 2015 adultery was punishable by law in SK. After reading that, it certainly put things in perspective. I think they both felt the spark from the very beginning, but Sun Jae was bold enough to be the first one to say that he has feelings for Oh Hye Won. And how difficult it must have been for her to take a chance on something that she wasn’t expecting. The characters know and we as the audience know that there’s no turning back once they take this leap of faith. I mean *shivers* it’s impossible not to feel nervous for these two! Bonus: their first night together. Great choice by the director to only let us hear their conversation while showing spaces in the apartment. It’s their moment and theirs alone.

Something else that I like about this show is that Sun Jae never let others influence his opinion/ stance on the matter at hand. For the most part, he based his opinions on what he was experiencing and what he was able to observe. Of course there were things that he didn’t understand due to his age and perhaps in certain aspects it’s good that he didn’t fully understand, but he certainly wasn’t oblivious. Also, I like that Oh Hye Won  didn’t treat him like a child. She’s older, that’s true, but she wasn’t constantly reminding him of it. Even with the age difference, they are equals and understand each other in a way that’s unique to them. When they had moments of frustration, it wasn’t because one of them felt inferior. It was because they saw the other person hurting and felt helpless for not being able to make it better.

The horrible people that she had to work for. Oh Hye Won is a smart individual, and I’m sure she knew exactly who she was dealing with and the things that they were capable of. Nevertheless, she carried on while keeping her head high without letting things get to her. The thing that frustrates me the most is that this diligent, intelligent, talented person took most of the beating for something that the other party was equally guilty of but most of them were able to walk away unharmed. At the end of the day, they regarded her as a disposable tool and didn’t think anything of it. It’s just unfair. I was glad that at least some of the others who were involved got what they deserved. One must have nerves of steel in order to endure what her character had to go through and not lose one’s dignity in the process. You can’t help but have respect for someone like that. 

As much as I wanted a more Hollywood type ending, I think the writers gave us the most realistic and logical ending. Even though she had to go through all these hardships, she’s finally free from the grasp of those who have never truly valued her. There are still challenges to conquer, but at least she will be in control of her life and all future decisions will be hers. I suppose that in the end she was indeed the true winner.

Sun Jae’s soliloquy at the end *sigh* If that’s not one of the most romantic and heartfelt speeches of all time, then I don’t even know anymore. They’ve always had their own way of communicating, especially through music/ music references, and this one is perfect. I can’t figure out if it’s the same piece that he wrote about in his journal as a kid or if it’s the one that Professor Jo recommends to him or could it be the one that’s listed by Oh Hye Won’s name in the program? In any case, it’s extremely fitting that he would compare her to a classical piece of music. She’s the physical embodiment of that music. He will play it every day regardless of the weather or his mood. They have to be apart for the time being, but this will be his way of keeping her close. Once again, I think this goes to show that their connection goes beyond the ordinary. It’s on a cosmic level and just like music it has no boundaries.  

The show has an open ending and I truly like to believe that everything turned out OK. I’d like to believe that he did win the competition. I’d like to believe that she was released sooner than expected. I’d like to believe that they lived a long and happy life together. That’s what I believe and I’m going to stick with it.  

Moral of this long post: this is a great show and it’s worth it. 

[akimmito]

Heroes are made by the path they choose

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Master List

Chapter 14

Silent Hill: Something happened, I'll take someone over for Marie to judge

Needle: Ah, what was missing

It’s a Nara: Don't sleep, there is an Akuma

It’s a Nara: Who is Available?

Almost Pretty: This Akuma itself is causing disaster

Needle: There goes the national library

It's a Nara: Who is Available?

Perfect Crime: We are at the airport, we can escape to the bathroom. Just tell us, Kanté

It’s a Nara: Perfect

Aithusa: I'm ready, Max.

Wild goat: I'll go! I'm available

Olive: You have communications, don't be ridiculous

Almost Pretty: I can't escape the Bourbon Palace for this, we are being evacuated to the basement

------

Ateliade, Jade Shield, LadyNoir and Rakkīgāru are on the ruins of the national library, the last place that al Akuma ruthlessly destroyed. Observing the damage and trying to understand how he did it, the cameras failed to capture the attack, they just watched as the building collapsed on its own. A troublesome situation.

"Rakkīgāru, use the Lucky Charm."

Kagami obeys immediately, the Lucky Charm delivers a candle similar to the ones she has placed in the meditation room. The four heroes look at the object with curiosity, its function is totally unknown to them, but somehow they understand that what they need at the moment is in the MT.

"We need a more thorough evaluation. Mures?"

"Yes, LadyNoir?"

"Come here, we will use the mouse to try to identify your abilities from all possible angles. "

"Ok."

"Maybe that's what the Lucky Charm was referring to." Ateliade offers her opinion on this, looking at the candle. After all, Marc is on the MT, but neither Kagami nor Marinette feel that is the case. Surely they will need the specific abilities of some Kwami that is not being used, their instincts are screaming at them.

Before long, Mures appears in all his nervous figure. It's the first time that he will go out into the field like the mouse, he's more used to his vigilante suit, but he's confident that everything will turn out well.

"Let's follow the Akuma."

At Jade Shield's words, the five heroes move to follow the Akuma's trail of destruction. When they see the purple Dolphin flying over The Turkish Consulate General and they are suddenly aware that they are now in District XVII where most Embassies and Consulates are. That could be a problem if it reaches international ears, endangering citizens of other countries. They can already hear Chloe yelling at them for speeding up, they don't want anyone from outside sticking their noses into something they don't understand.

"Multitude. "Marc activates its power and divides himself into five copies of himself, remaining in a size similar to that of a child. Each duplicate goes in different directions, each hero follows a different one while the main one remains in place to serve as backup.

Marc can see from their different perspectives the way power works, there is no way they can get closer without perishing like buildings. The others don't fully understand him, but he does.

The Akuma seems to detonate its powers through a form of echo location, similar to what bats do, only instead of just directing it around the place, it also causes perfectly directed destruction, if they get close they will be hit and probably killed. It's inconspicuous from the directions you see, but it's enough.

If there was ever any doubt that the new villain wanted them dead, this new Akuma victim is proof that this is the case.

"We need one of two, someone who can demonstrate directly in front of the Akuma or someone in armor to withstand the impact of the echo location."

"Is that?"

"It's the closest I could discern."

"We need Tunin." Kagami suggests, it's better not to trust again and the Dragon's abilities are easily used over long distances, they wouldn't even be exposing the child.

"Yes…"

"It's done. Equuleus, bring Tunin to the field. ”Felix smiles, sure Damian will be ecstatic with the news. Since the first attack Akuma has wanted to leave and although there have only been two before that, they had not wanted to risk it yet.

Quickly, the boy appears next to LadyNoir and when he sees his mother, he feels guilty. Running away to find Constantine doesn't count as betraying her trust, does it? He may think that even she should have considered it, although perhaps what should bothers her is that he blackmailed Plagg.

"Something happens?"Marinette asks her little boy, who doesn't seem fully prepared, although his amber eyes seem to reflect something else.

"No mother. What should I do?"

"Can you simulate a storm, baby dragon?" Ateliade questions, if they can confuse the echo location (as Mures calls it) she can release her power and allow them to attack to obtain the Akumatized item, although it cannot be seen which one. Guessing is not much fun.

"Something happens?"Marinette asks her little boy, who doesn't seem fully prepared, although his amber eyes seem to reflect something else.

"No mother. What should I do?"

"Can you simulate a storm, baby dragon?" Ateliade questions, if they can confuse the echo location (as Mures calls it) she can release her power and allow them to attack to obtain the Akumatized item, although it cannot be seen which one. Guessing is not much fun.

"Yes, two of the abilities are combined. It's harder, but if I just have to do that, it'll be fine.”He says with conviction.

Jade Shield moves to take people out of the Akuma's path, who cannot fully escape. Rakkīgāru unites to help, as long as they are not sure that their little plan works, they should avoid casualties as best they can.

Damian draws his sword and begins to move in parallel with the Akuma, at a good distance while concentrating on the two abilities he wants to activate at the same time. He can do it only because he's stubborn and his mother was helping him with every step, he wanted to be able to be a real help to fight alongside miraculous adult users and for that he needed to make an effort. As he tries to muster his energies for that, he better understands why his mother insisted so much that not yet, but done or not, it's his time.

"Tunin! Now or never."

He growls at Ateliade's words, but activates his powers.

"Dragon of Air and Lightning. "

Damian disappears to make way for a thick black cloud of storm that spreads around the Akuma, the lightning moves through the clouds and attacks the Violet Dolphin, which he barely dodges due to the interferences that the sound makes in his abilities... In addition to the poor vision that it has is frustrated by the intense light intervals that the rushing rays generate.

It really is a storm.

-----

Bruce Wayne is Batman

I can jump from eighth floor and survive: Paris has strange creatures.

Hell rejected me: What kind of strange creatures? Metas?

I can jump from eight floor and survive: No... it's a bat-winged dolphin that destroys everything in its path. And there are the heroes they mentioned!

I'll rest when I die: Is it real?

I can read your mind with a single glance: Are they the heroes and not the vigilantes?

I can ump from eight floor and survive: Yup, it's the heroes. Although they are still while talking.

I’m not Batman: I want a report.

I'll rest when I die: Your interest in our safety is flattering

-----

"Oh God! The boy just turned into a storm! How?! Where's the point in all of this?!"Dick almost has the jaw in the ground when seeing how the hero boy vanishes in a black cloud that begins to flash and cover the strange creature.

Everything is being televised with drones, according to the presenter. It also features the new hero, who is registered as part of the Team.

"Tunin is the current owner of the Miraculous Dragon, it was entered into the official register two months ago. His abilities are much more polished than previous Miraculous user Ryukko, demonstrating much more training. Despite his young age in relation to other heroes, we can be sure that he's trustworthy. He has already demonstrated this by displaying new skills and a great mastery of his powers. "

Tim watches with too worrying ease, still holding his cup of coffee, but he seems to pay little attention to what the newscaster has said.

He doesn't blame him, the situation seems to come out of a dream, with the same little sense.

He doesn't lose attention to what happens, they are far enough so that what happens is only barely visible through the window, but the view from the drone is very accurate. Soon another hero, the presenter calls her Ateliade, activates another power and a dragon stuffed toy falls into her hands, she and LadyNoir (the leader, according to what they said) put themselves in position taking advantage of the fact that the Akuma is too busy dealing with the cloud storm.

"It seems we managed to capture Rakkīgāru and Jade Shield as well, helping civilians to get out of the Akuma's path." Indeed, the two heroes move through the streets picking up people from the probable routes of the Giant Dolphin. "Mures remains on the sidelines, he seems to be fulfilling the role of watchman. Like Tunin, it's his first appearance. He has been registered as an official part of the team for six years, he's the second user of the Miraculous Mouse, after Multimouse with a single appearance ten years ago. "

Dick is surprised to learn that information, ten years ago? Since when is Paris dealing with this villain? Maybe he should go to the prosecution and the KanTech offices to find out the information required to know the matter.

"Dick..."

"Hmm?"

"Am I dreaming?"

"No."

"I'll leave the caffeine." Tim puts the cup on the table in front of him and takes his computer to start investigating, having his location in Paris, the information about the Akuma begin to appear. "Eleven years ago Hawkmoth first appeared and with him two heroes: Ladybug and Chat Noir. As time went by more heroes appeared and rotated, before Gabriel Agreste was arrested for being Hawkmoth, Paris was left alone with three heroes: Ladybug, Chat Noir and Vulpes. Chat Noir turned out to be the son of the villain, who was devastated and gave up being a hero... "

"What?" Dick stops watching television, missing the exact moment the Akuma goes crazy and its echo location loses the destructive effect because he can't focus enough for it.

"This is a summary of what happened seven years ago. The Butterfly Miraculous was stolen by the killer of Nathalie Sancour, the previous user of the Peacock. That Miraculous returned to the hands of Ladybug... Graham de Vanely spearheaded the lawsuit against Gabriel Agreste and Adrien was forced to marry Lila Rossi to keep his mother alive, as the heroes investigate a cure for the magical coma..."

"How did they manage to hide ALL THAT from the world?"

"Magic." Tim growls, that's the main reason, then with the joint efforts of different government bodies they became self-sufficient in it, making laws that allowed Parisian heroes and vigilantes to run freely making them an official identity within the country, but without being linked to it. How did it evolve to that point? Not even in the United States, with the acceptance of the heroes in the country, have they managed to do something like this... Will the French be more intelligent or are they much more paranoid? Because there is a complete security protocol so that the information does not come out.

They are so in jail just for mentioning all that to their family.

"We can't give that report to B... or come out as Robin and Nightwing."

"Should we register?" "Tim nods, but as far as he knows, only the MT can register heroes or vigilantes and for that they would need to contact them and give a good excuse for their visit." Everything is very well detailed, the theme of the vigilantes is not super secret like heroes. It's illegal to mention them on social networks outside the jurisdiction of France and word of mouth would not be credible because there is no information available. "

"Rakkigaru launches the cure!" The television distracts them again and they are surprised, again, to see how all the damage begins to repair itself and return to its original state.

"W-What…?

"It's one of the Miraculous Ladybug powers... it's one of the few skills that are publicly known and accurately described. The rest appear as: doubtful or not precise. "

"Do you think they are handling it well?"

"Yes... according to what Felix Graham de Vanely said, half of the evidence he presented was offered by the heroes of Paris and was, precisely, the most incriminating. Seven years have passed and they have the support of the MT, which have cleaned up the country's organized crime very well and have followed several very difficult cases that they have managed to manage... They have a more brilliant list of achievements than ours. You know, the Joker escaping Arkham every month is a stain on our record. ”Tim laughs a little when he says it. He would like to know their methods, although he suspects that they must have a network of informants, something that they have not used much because in Gotham it's unlikely to find trustworthy people, only Jason got several informants, but they have not reached more than that.

"Then let's just say hello."

"And let's seek to join that information network."

Tim sets that goal, to be part of that vigilant circle to which the MT belongs.

-----

Vivian @ LadyLuck_08

I loved Tunin's debut, will his hair be naturally long?

Leonor @Scar_FullMLeo

Did you see Mures? He's so cute

Ladybug comeback @ LadybugHero_89

It took a round hour to stop the Akuma. New record.

Chloe B. @BourgeoisQueen

Finally! I hate the basement. Who was the smart one who decided that it would be a good Akuma refuge?

[im-the-king-of-the-ocean]

Mantle Nights

a bit of bonus material related to my fic, Dead Souls Living.  This scene takes place concurrently to the events that’ll happen in Ch12, tho it will not appear in the fic itself.  It was written as a sketch to get an idea of what information every set of characters is working with and overall dynamics.

To recap, Ruby and Penny have just escaped from Atlas to Mantle (via crash-landing).

The Atlesian perspective (Ironwood, AceOps, etc.) knows a lot about the situation (Ruby and Penny’s identities, why they’re fleeing, why it’s important to get them back (Silver Eyes/Winter Maiden Powers), etc).

The Happy Huntresses know Ruby and Penny are kids who’ve run away from Atlas and don’t want to go back, but Atlas is very keen on getting them back.  They’ve been able to guess Penny’s identity (since she did have a rather public, onscreen death at the Fall), but they don’t know who Ruby is.

the rumor going through Mantle is that there’re some high profile Atlas Academy runaways being hidden and the general feeling is sympathetic toward them.

(for the record, Souls Ch12 will be mostly focused on Penny’s POV and what’s happening in her immediate vicinity.  With this oneshot, I wanted to get a feel for the wider scope of effects the escape has set into motion.)

.

You wouldn’t know it’s usually the quietest time of a Mantle night just by looking, Robyn muses.  For the first part of their walk, she kept a running tally of how many Atlesian Knight patrols she and Joanna passed.  She got to fifty or sixty, and then gave up.  Between the knights and the swarms of drones buzzing about, it’s more than clear Atlas’s fury has been invoked, and come down on Mantle.

They’ve been given no explanation as to why the military suddenly cares about the security of their streets, but no one’s fooled themselves that it’s out of actual concern for them.  Atlas wants something, and isn’t going to stop until it gets it.

Robyn frowns.  She’s been running through scenarios of what will happen when Atlas doesn’t get what it wants.  None of them are remotely good.  It would be so easy, she knows, to just let them have what it is they’re after.  Robyn has a fairly good idea what that is, and, more importantly, where to find them.

She won’t.  Of course, she won’t.  She has morals.  Even if Robyn doesn’t know all the specifics of the situation, she knows enough.

Robyn and Joanna stop across the street from the Mantle Police Department.  Joanna looks to Robyn and raises an eyebrow in a silent question.  Robyn nods once, curtly, and then advances toward the municipal building alone.  It shouldn’t come to bailing her out (or, at worst, a prison break), but it’s safer to have backup at the ready.

Nothing seems out of the ordinary when Robyn walks through the doors into the department’s lobby.  The woman who works the front desk, a reindeer Faunus named Gwen, looks up when Robyn enters.  She opens her mouth to say something, but a man walks through the door leading into the back of the PD, beats her to it, and makes Robyn’s night infinitely worse.

Clover Ebi smiles at Robyn.  “Ms. Hill, it’s nice to see you.”  He holds out his hand.  Robyn doesn’t take it.  Briefly, Clover grimaces, but he conceals it under another a smile a second later.  “We just have a few questions.  I’m sure you understand.”  He gestures for her to follow him into the back.

“Care to tell me what’s got the military so riled up?”  Robyn asks as she follow him.  They stop at a conference room.

Clover gestures for Robyn to sit down on one side of the table.  He goes to a small counter off to the side and prepares two cups of coffee.  Robyn doesn’t take the one he offers to her.  If they want her fingerprints or DNA, they’re going to have to ask.  Nicely.

“Alright.  I’ll get straight to the point.”  Clover sits down across from Robyn.  He pointedly sips his own coffee.  “Do you know the current whereabouts of May Marigold?”

Robyn sits back in her seat and crosses her arms.  “Can I see the arrest warrant?”

Clover purses his lips.  “I can assure you, no one is under arrest.  We just need to know where Ms. Marigold is.”

“Why’s that?”  Robyn asks, considers for a moment, and then adds, “This wouldn’t be the first time her ‘family’ has decided they don’t approve of her occupation.”  Sure, the Marigolds don’t care about May as a person, but when they found out she still goes by their name.  Yeah, they’re not exactly thrilled with that.

“The Marigolds aren’t involved in this particular situation.”  Clover gives Robyn what she supposes he thinks a pleading look must be.  He places his scroll down on the table and opens a video file.  “Earlier tonight, Mantle street security footage captured Ms. Marigold at a scene the Atlas Military has under open investigation.  We need to know where she went afterward.”  Clover plays the video.

The staticky recording shows what appears to be a random Mantle street.  Something bright green hurdles down from the sky and crashes.  A blurry, blue-haired figure that could be identified as May approaches and disappears into the impact crater.  The camera isn’t angled right to see what happens in the crater.  Minutes later, Atlas Military personnel appear at the scene.

“What am I looking at here?”  Robyn asks, genuinely.  Yes, she knew there was a ‘situation’, but this is the first she’s learned exactly what went down.

“Like I said, it is a matter under open investigation by the Atlas Military.  I cannot share the details, but we believe Ms. Marigold walked away with crucial evidence before we could examine it.”

“Based on your video.”  Robyn gestures.  “It doesn’t appear that whoever that was walked away at all.”

“We both know what Ms. Marigold’s semblance is, Robyn.  She has the capacity to move freely, undetected.”  Clover takes a breath.  “Please.  As a potential future member of the Atlas Council, citizen safety should be one of your highest priorities.  We believe what was taken from the scene poses a high-level security threat.  We need to know their current location.”

“Right.  I don’t have that information, Clover.  I barely know what’s going on.”  Robyn shrugs.  “All I know is one minute I’m going about my business, the next, the sky is swarming with Atlas ships and I’m being called here to answer questions.”

Clover looks at Robyn critically.  She meets his gaze.  Nothing is said.

Then, Clover states, “It would be in your best interest to help us, Robyn.”

“Like I said, I don’t know what’s going on,” she responds.  “Is that all?”

“For now.”  Clover exhales a long sigh.  “We’ll be in touch.”

“I’m sure you will.”

On her way out, Robyn is stopped by Gwen from the front desk.  “For the girls.”  The Faunus woman thrusts a plate of cookies covered over with plastic wrap at Robyn.  Once Robyn takes it, she hands her a carrying tray with two hot chocolates.  “It’s been a long night,” Gwen explains, and then hurries off without explanation.

Robyn looks down at the offerings, allows herself a small smile, and then heads off into the night.  She collects Joanna, who acquired an armload of thick blankets, coats, and at least one pair of sturdy, weather resistant boots while she waited.

Together, they take a meandering path to the drop point and only arrive at their destination when they’re sure they’ve shaken off the last of the drones.  They leave their bundles of clothing and food, and head off to rendezvous with Fiona, who’s been following up a theory at Dr. Polendina’s pharmacy (the military had indeed shut the place down and maintains a presence there.  In all likeliness, Pietro is being held up in Atlas, most likely under some kind of house arrest.)

Some time later, a person, who cannot be seen due to her invisibility semblance, comes for the supplies.  Even though seeing the abundance of Mantle’s offerings warms her heart, May curses at just how many there are and doubles back for Maria to help her carry everything.

They get the lot sorted, check for hidden tracking devices (there are none), and take everything to the safehouse (actually just Maria’s house, but now that it technically houses fugitives, a name change seemed appropriate).

They arrive as the doctor they called, Klein Sieben, is returning down the stairs, trailed by not-actually-dead Penny Polendina.

“The girl is sleeping,” Klein informs May and Maria without prompting.  “Her injuries weren’t severe, but her general health condition leaves much to be desired.  I shall return in the morning to check up on her.  Until then, I suggest you let her be.”  He turns and gives Penny a pointed look.  “And rest up yourselves.  Your friend wasn’t the only one who fell from the sky, my dear.”

Penny nods, but doesn’t say anything.  Whatever’s going through her head, she’s careful not to let any hint of it show on her face.

“Don’t worry.”  May approaches Penny, plate of cookies in hand.  “Mantle always provides for its adopted runaways.”