#they did their best with the localization. they did their best

[f1girliefics]

Cute Things & Fast Cars

Lando Norris x Reader

Summary: You’ve always been a mature, level-headed woman but there’s one thing that makes you crumble, cute stuff.

Lando has always known you to be the level-headed one. The mature one.

When things get stressful, you’re the calm voice in the storm, the one who reminds him to breathe, to focus, to not let frustration get the best of him.

You keep him grounded.

If he’s a whirlwind, you’re the eye of the storm.

There’s one thing that completely shatters your composure.

Anything cute.

The first time Lando noticed it, you were walking through a shopping district in Tokyo.

He had been mid-sentence, talking about some ridiculous thing Carlos had done when you suddenly froze.

Your eyes widened, and your lips parted slightly as you stared into a store window. Lando followed your gaze.

A tiny plush cat with a round face and stubby little paws.

You didn’t say anything. Didn’t move.

You just stood there, staring at the plush like it had personally called to you in a dream.

Lando had never seen you look at anything like that before. Not even him.

“Babe?” He nudged your shoulder. Nothing. “Hello? Earth to my very responsible, very serious girlfriend?”

Still nothing.

He smirked. “I think I just lost you to a stuffed cat.”

That finally snapped you out of it.

You blinked rapidly, as if shaking yourself free from a spell, then shot him a glare, a rather weak one.

“I wasn’t staring that hard,” you muttered.

Lando grinned. “You were about three seconds away from pressing your face against the glass.”

You rolled your eyes and pulled him along, pretending like it never happened.

But Lando? He did not forget.

After that, he started noticing.

Every time you passed a shop that had cute figurines, plushies, or mascots, you stopped.

Maybe only for a few seconds, maybe a little longer if something really caught your eye, but you always did.

At a Grand Prix in Singapore, you paused in front of a vendor selling tiny keychains of local cartoon characters.

In Italy, you slowed down near a bakery that had cakes shaped like little animals. And in London? He caught you staring at a ridiculous oversized bear in a storefront, hands tucked into your pockets, trying to act like you weren’t affected.

It was adorable.

And it was dangerous.

Because Lando couldn’t help but love the way your whole demeanour changed in those moments.

How your usual restraint melted into something soft and unguarded. How, even when you tried to act unfazed, your eyes still lingered.

So, of course, he started using it against you.

“Babe,” he said one afternoon in Monaco, nudging you toward a shop filled with Sanrio plushies. “Look at that.”

You immediately turned your head, only to realize what he was doing.

You glared at him with fire in your eyes.

“Stop it.”

“Stop what?” He feigned innocence.

“You’re trying to distract me with cute things.”

“Is it working?”

“No.”

Lando raised an eyebrow. “Then why are you still looking?”

You huffed and turned away, but not before he caught the tiniest twitch of your lips.

Yeah. You were hopeless.

And Lando? He was even worse.

Because now, every race, every city, every time he saw something unbearably cute, he got it for you.

Tiny keychains, little figurines, plush mascots from different Grand Prix locations.

And the best part?

You never refused them.

No matter how much you tried to act indifferent, no matter how much you groaned whenever he handed you yet another cute little trinket, you always kept them.

And once, when you thought he wasn’t looking, he caught you arranging them neatly on your bedside table.

Lando was whipped.

So, when he returned from a race weekend with a life-sized stuffed bunny in his arms, and you stared at it like it held the secrets of the universe, he just smirked.

“Go on,” he teased. “Pretend you don’t want it.”

You shot him a sharp look. “You’re the worst.”

“Uh-huh.”

But when you took the bunny from him, clutching it just a little too tightly, Lando only grinned.

Yeah. He won.

[stripe-conlon]

I actually maintain the death of *fun* and accessible educational television and the death of the field trip was the death of education.

It cannot be a coincidence that the people who seemed most prepared for the technological shift that happened and who were driven in their education were the ones who grew up with educational shows like Bill Nye, Zoom, Magic School Bus, Mythbusters, Reading Rainbow, Sesame Street, Liberty’s Kids, and Cyberchase.

We even had kid appropriate game shows that encouraged questioning and logical thinking like Figure It Out.

My sister’s a second grade teacher at the same elementary school we attended.

When I was in second grade we had a traveling bear we or our close relatives could take on a trip and take pictures of it and write a little story about what it saw and did. We were able to connect to the little geography lessons it created because we had a buddy. In second grade we went to a hands on historical museum AND to a science day at the local park.

Her kids travel as far as the edge of the parking lot. No more field trips for anyone. No traveling plushie bringing tales of far away lands. No more ways to explore what you could potentially be interested in. No forming connections via silly characters.

We have reverted so far backwards in education while having the tools to make the best modern education it’s actually disturbing.

[writingoddess1125]

Annoying Shit They Do

COD Men X GN Reader

Price, Simon, Johnny, Kyle, König, Horangi + Bonus

NOT PROOF READ

This is all tongue and cheek. Enjoy!

Simon

Simon was a very.. Well thought out man.

He was always prepared-

Painfully prepared.. for every situation and some situations that weren't even possible.

You knew Simon loved knowing what he was going into at all times. However it can be a bit much at the best of times.

Ever had 2 different types of navigation tools including a compass while going to the post office?

You have-

Ever had hiking gear loaded into your car cause you where going to a local park to jog?

You sure as fuck have!

Thanks to Mr. Always Prepared Skull Man!

You swore this man was prepared for a Mutant zombie apocalypse with the amount of supplies and preparations he had constantly.

Sure while it wasn't something you thought about often and it was clearly in a loving way, He wanted to make sure you were always safe and you appreciated it deeply-

However when you go into your kitchen and see MRE's and emergency dried food to last 30 years next to your chips-

It can get a bit much..

It was always a bit power struggle with the broody man. You'd have a better time fist fighting a brick wall or bringing a rock to a orgasm then winning over the Lieutenant when it came to stuff like this.

Which lead you to staring at the hard black suitcase that was being loaded into the back of the SUV along with your guys few shared soft luggage bags.

You rub your temple, perfectly in between the two emotions of either crying or laughing at your partner.

"Simon-.. I love you. So so much. However I don't think, We need a literal military grade survival kit.. on a couples get away to a private resort"

He looked to you calmly-

"Never know.."

You look up to the sky, Begging whoever is up there that he leaves the kit in the car the whole vacation- and that he doesn't bring a tactical knife into the resort..

Price

John, the love of your life. The apple of your eye..

A good man and a Captain of a special Ops team...

Also..

The bastard that leaves one God damn bit left of whatever he touches and tells no one!

From toothpaste where there is only a bead sized amount left.

To even leaving four chips in the family size bag you'd gotten.

Leaves a single bite of ice cream in the pint and puts it back like it's still full.

Ever opened a box of what used to be Chinese takeout and seen literally 6 noodles, 12 grains of rice and a single piece of meat with a perfect green onion on top?

You sure as fuck had.

You knew it started out as something he genuinely did naturally. However once he figured out it annoyed you- It was on.. he now did it cause he knew it annoyed you.

The fucker-

Just how now you stared at the empty jug of what used to be white grape juice. Now with maybe a shot glass worth in the bottom.

You supress the demonic feeling of wanting to Hex your spouse.

Walking upstairs to his office area where you knew he was both smoking a cigar and drinking from his private stash while watching football (soccer).

Opening the door slowly you make direct eye contact with him. Price slowly raising an eyebrow at the serious look on your face.

"Yes Dear?"

You hold up the empty jug of juice and shake it a little showing the literal trinkle of juice left in it.

"Couldn't just kill it off could you?-"

John gives a smile at you as he takes a sip of his scotch.

"Well, Wanted to save ya some-"

John laughed loudly when you threw the empty juice jug at his head after that.

Kyle

Kyle likes to mess with stuff...

Always moving stuff around, always touching stuff, messing or bending things.

If it's in reach his hands seem to find it-

He's like those children you used to see that had to have their hands on the cart at all times or in their parents pockets cause they would always touch stuff.

Kyle was one of those people in adult form- You'd even heard his mother yell at him saying 'Idle hands are the devils workshop' when he visits and continues the practice.

While in most cases you didn't mind, it was a bit irritating when things got moved from where you'd left them or things just appearing out of thin air.

Your tube of chapstick? Suddenly in the Livingroom.

Phone charger? Now sitting on a random shelf.

You knew it wasn't on purpose but damn, Hell he didn't even seem to realize it himself.

He'd be sitting there, shaking his knee as he rolled something between his hands casually. The two of you talking about something random in the livingroom.

You can't help but narrow your eyes a bit as you see something silver in his palm which he was rolling like playdough.

"Sweetie, What are you messing with?"

He also looks confused for a second, not even realizing he had been messing with something. He looks over whatever had been in his hands.

"Uhh Looks like a oat bar-"

You scrunch up your face a bit.

"We don't even have any granola bars in the house? Where did you get that?"

He shrugs having no idea himself.

Johnny

He buys bulk in everything...

Once he realized that it was a thing he could just do-

He did it with everything..

Bulk Paper towels, Bulk Soy Sauce, 45lb tub of Nut Butter? He got all of it, Leading you to staring up at what was equivalent to a Military food storage in your downstairs pantry.

Leaving you currently staring up at the 25lb cloth bag of table salt on the top of the easy 10ft tall pantry shelf wondering if this was worth the possible 80% death rate trying to fill up the salt shaker.

As you stare up at it, the man of the hour pokes his head in. Seeing you staring at the bag of salt.

"Love?-"

"Johnny My Dear- We have essentially a bunker of Bulk everything. I don't think we need anything else.. I cant even get the salt without risking a skull fracture"

Johnny chuckles at this. Setting down a box to grab the hefty stool kept in the pantry and pulling down the bag, Setting it next to you on the floor.

"Well just saves us the hassle"

He chimed with a chuckle. However you silently disagreed.. Before looking to the large box hed set down.

"What is that?.."

Johnny gives a shy chuckle as you move over opening it quickly you see a massive mountain of 250 individual bags of Welch's Fruit Snacks.

"Johnny.. Why is there enough fruit snacks to kill a small child?"

Hong-Jin (Horangi)

So you're darling husband, He has a wonderful terrible habit of just disappearing..

Walking through a store?

Going to a Restaurant?

Hell going down the hallway of your house!?

The Poof-

He's just gone.

Which always leaves you stranded looking around like a crazy person.. Currently in a giant ass world grocery store he had been the one to drag you to- Aka you knew nothing!

"God Damnit-"

You mumble looking around the aisles trying to see if you could spot him. The place was like a maze, each aisle was a different part of the world it seemed and had at least 60 people crammed in each section.

It was hell! Why did he leave you here!? Now rushing around to just find a spot that wasn't being occupied or in anyone's way.

Aisles 43!? You thought you where at 12!? Where is the Exit!?

Standing there confused by what seemed to be some sort of brooms, you feel a small tap and see Hong-Jin standing there calmly.

"Found you. Got what I needed, We can go now"

He holds up a single small package of a seasoning mix he liked.

...

There was a small tick in the back of your brain that said to shove that packet up his ass.

König-

One word-

ONE GOD DAMN WORD

Lüften...

While sure, it's good to air out the room..

However not when there is 4ft of snow outside and the heater is off because of König wanting to 'Save Gas'.

Bullshit to save gas, He just likes the cold. Correction.. He Loves the cold.

More then most around you or anyone probably in this country. He will happily have the window open and let the house freeze like the arctic saying its refreshing new air.

Ever seen those weirdos that walk in a blizzard in shorts, sandals and a shirt?-

That's him.. damn near skips when a snow storm hits.

However he drags that brand of cold enthusiasm into the house. Leading you huddled under 4 blankets as you have to turn the heater onto Max.

"I swear- If you open that God damn window.."

You mumble to you're spouse as you look up from the blankets of your guys shared bed hiding from the cold that was already in the room as the heater works hard to make the room livable.

Seeing König standing by the large window ready to open it- His hands on the little handle as he stared wide eyed at you.

"But-"

"There is a snow storm going on. The house does not by any means- 'need to be aired out'"

"It feels nice Liebling and it's goo-"

"Felix- I will turn the heat on during peak summer and leave you here... to melt"

And Bonus!

Nikto

This man will eat anywhere at anytime..

You leave him alone for .24 milliseconds?

He's munching on something in record time.

Sure he seemed to burn it off but it was the amount he could eat, what he ate and then if it was close to dinner. He would eat again-

You where honestly starting to worry about his health.. He was concerned about the scars on his face but not the amount of sodium he just drank from the pickle jar.

It made it so when you left to grab one of his prescriptions from the pharmacy which you swore was 15 minutes tops you walk in and see Nikto there with a mountain of food on your coffee table watching TV.

A opened pickled onion jar which was now empty- juice gone too, Some sort of packaged meat that seemed was mostly gone and what seemed to be a rolled newspaper filled with the shells of sunflower seeds and seemingly walnut shells (You hadn't even bought either of them-) And now he was cutting up an apple with a knife and using it to eat the slices.

"H-How, Its been 15 minutes... We don't even have walnuts in the house?"

Nikto looked to you eating another slice of apple and shrugged.

"We got hungry-"

He said plainly before looking back at the TV you standing there both worried and frustrated.

"How we just had dinner? There are leftovers!"

"Not anymore. I ate it-"

[p13rc3-th3-m4tt13]

could i request spencer x cinematographer!reader? maybe they meet at a film festival or something

The Lens I See Through

of course! i love this request, it's very unique and super cute. i had a fantastic time writing this and i am so glad that this was my first request! <3 thank you very much anon for requesting this! :D

cw; cinematographer!fem!reader x spencer reid, strangers to friends, reader wins multiple awards, mentions of a second date, no use of y/n, reader making a film that's slightly emotional, reader being very happy, spencer being slightly more forward than he typically would (making the first move)

description; It's your first year submitting an award at your local film festival. You didn't think it would get much traction, but not only did you win awards, but you also met a handsome, tall stranger who wants to go on a second date with you.

category; fluff <3

word count; 2.2k

a/n; i hope this is what anon had in mind when they said "film festival..." i'm not really educated on these kinds of things; i've only ever been to one and this is what it was like, so i hope i got this right. also, so sorry it took me so long to get this out! i got busy the day after i finished my essay and never really caught back up...

You were at this year’s annual competitive film festival in your town after submitting a film for the very first time. You had been to this festival before, but had never actually submitted anything. You were surprised when it had been accepted, but then again, it was some of your best work so far, so you were glad to have it recognized.

You knew that this meant hundreds – possibly even thousands – of people had a chance of seeing your short film, along with other films that could be better or worse than your own. You didn’t necessarily care if you won anything this year, seeing as it was your first, you were just glad that you had been accepted.

Before the awards for the festival started, everybody had the chance to walk around and meet people and groups who had submitted films through the booths that they had set up. Having a booth was optional, and since it was your first year submitting a film at this festival, you decided not to have one just yet, especially since you were a standalone filmmaker.

Not having your own booth gave you the time to walk around to see the booths that others had set up. Some people went along with a theme relating to their films, which you thought was neat, and others had a plain booth with a few brochures on their tables. You liked them all, nonetheless, and you visited as many as you could.

A particular booth caught your eye, though; not because of any particular theme, but instead a person. It was not even the person behind the booth, but rather a man standing in front of it and speaking to the person running it as his eyes quickly scanned over the brochure he had been handed.

You had seen this man before; last year, even, at the film festival. Then, you didn't have the courage to speak to him. Not much about you had changed, but you were at the booth beside him and he seemed like he would be there for at least a few seconds longer, so you couldn’t help but approach him.

As you got closer, his head snapped up and turned towards you, a small smile forming on his face as he saw you. His smile already melted your heart. You returned it, giving a soft smile of your own as you stood beside him at the booth.

“Hi there,” you said, both to the person running the booth and to this tall, handsome stranger. You took one of the brochures from the table so that you wouldn’t seem like you were just coming over here for the handsome man who was now standing beside you, although you most definitely were.

“Hello,” the man said, still smiling as he looked down at you. “Are you just here to look or are you a filmmaker yourself?” A crease formed between his eyebrows as he asked you the question and you took your eyes away from the brochure and looked up at him instead.

“I’m a cinematographer, yes,” you said, almost sheepishly. You figured that he would think this title meant that you were helping with large films, meanwhile you mainly worked on your own on somewhat short films, rarely anything that was seen by eyes other than your own and those close to you.

“That’s neat,” he replied, shifting slightly towards you. “I’m guessing you entered something into one of the competitions then, hm?” His smile formed into a grin and you felt your cheeks threaten to get hot as you nodded your head.

“Yeah, I did,” you murmured. You weren’t the most confident about your filmmaking skills, but you knew that you weren’t the worst. Hopefully, if this man saw your film, he would be at least somewhat impressed by it.

“Interesting. What did you enter for?” He seemed to be somewhat nervous as he spoke, as if he wasn’t very used to social interaction. You didn’t mind it, though, and with the topic at hand, you just so happened to be the same way.

You shrugged your shoulders. “Nothing much. Best Short Film, Best Newcomer, Best Standalone Cinematographer.” You were still somewhat shy as you spoke, but knowing that he was as well gave you a bit more confidence.

You watched as a crease formed between his eyebrows, showing his confusion. “Oh, so you make films on your own? That’s really neat. What do I need to search on the website to find the film you’ve entered for the contests?” He flashed you a soft smile, and you hesitated for a moment before finally telling him both your name and the title of your film so he could find it.

“Well,” he said, still smiling, “it’s very nice to meet you. My name is Spencer Reid.” He nodded his head towards you and you couldn’t help but return the smile he was showing you.

“It’s nice to meet you as well, Spencer Reid.” Your smile widened slightly. “Did you submit anything into any of the contests, or are you here to look at the works of others?” You held his gaze – though not intensely – as you asked the question.

“I’m not exactly a filmmaker, but I do enjoy seeing those who are filmmakers express themselves through this form of art. I feel like it isn’t appreciated as much as some of the other forms of art are, so I like to be sure to stop by here and a few other annual festivals when I’m free.” Spencer’s facial expressions changed quite a bit as he spoke, something you couldn’t help but find endearing. You nodded along as you listened to him speak, finding his appreciation for filmmaking to be very sweet.

“That’s very kind of you. I do agree that we aren’t appreciated as much as others are, so I appreciate you for appreciating us.” You laughed at your own silly sentence and Spencer did as well, his smile only widening, causing a slight blush to brush over your face from just how handsome he looked.

“Of course, of course. Always here to appreciate you cinematographers.” Spencer chuckled softly, his gaze drifting away from yours as he did so. He paused for a moment before speaking again, stumbling over his words as he did so. “Hey, so, this might be kind of out there, and I’m sorry if it is, but it seems like we’re both here alone, so would you like to go to the awards ceremony later together?” You watched his face become increasingly red as he spoke and you couldn’t help but smile at how adorable he was.

You nodded your head just as his gaze met yours again. “Yeah, of course, that sounds great.” You were still smiling as you spoke and you watched as the smile returned to his face as well. “Do you want to walk around and look at the other booths a bit before the awards?” You tilted your head to the side slightly as you asked the question.

Spencer nodded his head and looked around for a moment. “Should we just start by walking straight ahead?”

You looked around as well and shrugged your shoulders. “Why not?”

—

About an hour later, you and Spencer started making your way to the auditorium for the awards ceremony. You decided that you wanted to sit somewhere near the front, so you started towards the ceremony about twenty minutes early to ensure that you got good seats.

“It’ll be easier for you to get to the front to take your award from here as well,” Spencer said with a smile once the two of you sat down. He had a bit more confidence in you than you had in yourself…

You scoffed and shook your head. “Oh, whatever.” You playfully rolled your eyes at him. “I doubt that’ll happen.”

“Well,” Spencer started, “If I’m thinking about this correctly, last night when I watched your film and all of the others, yours was one of the most aesthetically and emotionally appealing that I saw, as well as one of the most memorable. Typically, whenever people are picking something that they want to win, they’ll pick the thing that they think looks best or the thing that they’ll be sure to remember for longer.

“Research suggests that people tend to remember things that are more emotionally significant to them, as well as things that draw their eye to them. Your film did both of those things, with the topic of it being somewhat emotional and the lighting and aesthetics of the film being pleasing.” Spencer smiled at you once he finished speaking. You had heard him ramble like this once already since meeting him, and you absolutely loved it.

You returned the smile that he wore and nodded your head. “Well, thank you for the logic behind it, Spencer.” You chuckled softly, somewhat surprised at the rant he had gone on about the subject.

Spencer nodded his head as well, his lips forming into yet another smile. He could smile all day and you could tell that you wouldn’t get tired of it. He nodded his head once before speaking. “You’re welcome.”

  A few seconds later, the person running the awards ceremony stepped onto the stage. There was clapping and cheering, so you and Spencer figured that the both of you should most likely be clapping and cheering as well.

The person gave a short introduction, stating what the festival was and thanking the partnerships, before jumping into the awards. You knew that a lot of yours would be called last, but you didn’t mind. It gave you more time to prepare yourself not to be too upset just in case you didn’t win anything.

“Now, for the Best Short Film Award…” The announcer stated. Spencer glanced over at you so briefly you figured you might have imagined it. There was a drumroll in the audience – as there was before every award was stated to build suspense – and the announcer smiled as he called out a name that wasn’t yours.

You figured you wouldn’t win this one. It had the most entries out of the three things that you entered in. It didn’t upset you very much at all.

Spencer leaned over slightly so that he could speak quietly enough without interrupting the awards but also so that you could still hear him. “I know you’re walking out of here with at least one award,” he whispered. You smiled.

“Well, Spencer, I’m glad you have faith in me,” you whispered back, laughing softly as you did so.

After a few more awards were announced, it was time for another one that you had entered in. “Now, to award our Best Newcomer…” The drumroll once again. Spencer looked over at you, and this time, you knew you weren’t just imagining it, because he held your gaze.

The announcer said your name and you felt your face flush. A bright smile graced your lips, the same with Spencer’s, as you stood up and rushed onto the stage to take your award. You seemed to drown out the clapping and cheering as the announcer handed you the trophy you received. “Congratulations,” he said with a smile as he shook your hand.

You were still beaming as you nodded your head. “Thank you,” you responded, taking the trophy in one hand and shaking his hand with the other.

You made your way back to your seat and sat down beside Spencer. You were both still smiling brightly and he even chuckled softly as you approached. “Congratulations! I knew you could do it,” he chimed.

“Thank you,” you said in response, giggling softly from the happiness. You were practically buzzing the entire time until the next award you were entered for was announced. You snapped back into reality and focused on the man on the stage.

“And, the award for the Best Standalone Cinematographer goes to…” The drumroll again. The suspense was getting to you, and the few seconds of the drumroll felt like hours as you stared at the man ahead of you.

And then your name was announced again. You were so happy you could faint. You stood up from your seat and hurried onto the stage again with a somehow brighter smile than what you were wearing before, taking the award from the man and shaking his hand with your free hand. He congratulated you again and you hurriedly thanked him before practically skipping back to your seat due to your happiness.

Spencer was beaming, too. His smile stretched across his face and you couldn’t help but admire it as you sat back down. “Amazing job! You got two awards, and this is only your first time submitting a film. Imagine what you’ll get next year,” he cheered.

“I appreciate you for believing in me, Spencer,” you said, still smiling brightly as you did so. He nodded his head.

“Of course. And uh, hey,” Spencer paused for a moment before turning his body a bit more towards yours. “Since you won those awards, would you like to come to dinner with me sometime to celebrate?”

This was another trophy to add to your new collection. Spencer Reid was inviting you to dinner. If it was possible for your smile to grow any more, it did at that moment.

“Of course,” you said, nodding your head, most likely a bit faster than you should have.

“It’s a date, then,” Spencer said.

“It’s a date.” You nodded again.

[natequarter]

in a world in which the sarah jane adventures is the title of a series of murder mysteries:

our main character, obviously sarah jane smith, is an intrepid journalist valiantly pursuing a career as an agatha christie protagonist. no matter how often london's local authorities and grieving parents politely ask her to fuck off, she refuses to let injustice go ignored. perhaps more impressively, she actually has managed to solve several of the murders. half the men she meets seem to want to date her - a pity, then, that she's already engaged.

christopher smith (the fifth doctor), long-suffering ma student at the nearest university and captain of its cricket team to boot, is not capable of time travel, and would definitely die if killed. he does not have any mysterious powers to travel between parallel worlds, and even if he did, he definitely does not come from parallel worlds. that would be weird, and he's perfectly normal, and he is not going to let miss smith find out about any of this, even if it kills him. but of course it wouldn't matter if it killed him, because it's not like he has nine lives or anything.

tegan jovanka, australian and working in london, is christopher's best friend and really is totally normal...

...unlike one of coal hill's teaching assistants, the unpersonable vislor turlough, who is almost certainly not an alien from another a planet.

he happens to be the assistant to one of coal hill's maths teachers, an amnesiac known to most as the brigadier. no one is quite sure how he got the position, nor are they aware that he was reported missing by the edinburgh police.

let it never be said that coal hill has a shortage of strange characters. just ask the chemistry teacher, mr. chesterton, whose efforts to search for missing student and part-time arsonist ace mcshane have proved fruitless.

oh, and it goes without saying that the new vicar mr. east probably isn't going to be accused of murder by miss smith any time soon.

[newrochellechallenger2019]

MERRYYYYY congratssssss my love!!!! you deserve everything!!!🩷🩷🩷

strawberry wine, art donaldson, smut send ask 🙂‍↕️

HEY MEL <3 THANK YOU SO MUCH I LOVE YOU !!!!!

sorry this took so long...only i could come up with a writing game and then immediately lose motivation after it's been posted...anyway...

writing game here!

Roadtrips with Art look a little different these days. When he’d first got his license, the summer ‘roadtrips’ were to the local store or sometimes venturing down to the river for a swim. There’s only one thing that’s stayed the same all these years: the destination, his grandma’s house. The two of you had long since moved away, headed down to California to start married life, to start Art’s tennis career and to start your job in fashion design. So, it was late November, the tennis tour had ended for the year so the two of you were heading across states to spend Thanksgiving with Grandma Donaldson. You lost track of the days pretty quickly, time now measured in kilometres travelled or how many of your favourite albums you could play before Art got sick of them, which he never did. He’d smile when one of his particular favourite songs came on and he’d sing along in his ridiculous voice and you’d collapse into giggles as he tells you that he’s ‘in love with every song’. 

Today had been a particularly long day of driving and you can’t really remember when you’d fallen asleep, your head resting on Art’s shoulder as he occasionally stole glances at your soft sleeping form, when the new Mercedes Art was steering turned into the knackered old Vauxhall you were dreaming about. It was only when you felt that familiar turn onto the dirt roads that you started to stir, opening one eye sleepily as Art deftly pulled into the parking spot outside the hotel. The hotel that the two of you had stayed in everytime you came down to visit as it was just a few towns over from home and whilst you could grind out a few more hours in the car and reach Grandma’s house exhausted and achy, you knew Art couldn’t pass up the chance to stay in the hotel you’d both lost your virginity in . For your 17th birthday, Art had booked a hotel stay for you both, he’d been so scared of his grandma finding out his plans that he’d chosen this place, the furthest he’d ever driven in the year since he’d got his license. Art had tried his best to make an effort, scattering rose petals across the bed which only led to you both cleaning them up in the early morning and he’d cum prematurely, too worked up to hold back. It was perfect. 

‘Baby?’ comes Art’s gentle whisper, his fingers brushing your shoulder and you stir, blinking rapidly, ‘We’re here.’ continues Art, pressing a soft kiss to your cheek and you smile, getting out the car and looking up at the hotel, shrouded in darkness. It had certainly had a renovation since you’d last been but before you had time to dwell on the nostalgia of it all, Art came round to your side with the suitcases, you reached out for your own and he tutted. The two of you had done this dance before, Art was raised by his grandma, he was too much of a gentleman to let you lift a finger on these road trips, though it wasn’t for your lack of trying. Striding across the car park with the suitcases in tow, Art was already metres ahead of you and you mentally cursed yourself for letting him win again as you chased after him, laughing. You check in easily and take the elevator up to the room, leaning on Art and catching sight of your sleepy expression in the mirrored walls and wincing, trying to smooth out your hair whilst he just shakes his head at you. The doors open and Art’s already playing chase again, sprinting down the freshly carpeted corridor as you run after him, filling the space with your amusement. ‘Hey.’ says Art gleefully, pressing a kiss to your lips as he unlocks the door, the pride of a winner in his eyes, still your gentleman. 

You exhale in relief at the sight of the plush hotel duvet, the crisp hotel sheets and you flop onto the bed with a groan and Art can hardly stifle his snort. ‘Comfy sweetheart?’ he teases, palm hitting your shin playfully, ‘Mhm I’ve missed this bed.’ you mutter lazily, spreading your arms out across the white covers much to Art’s mirth as he kneels down and takes off your shoes, pressing a soft kisses to your ankle and then starting to kiss his way up your legs till he reaches your knees, catching your eye with a smirk, ‘How much have you missed this bed?’ He teases, calloused hands running up your thighs and you shiver, ‘Or did you just miss what it means?’ Art whispers, his fingers now brushing the edge of your dress and tugging at the hem. You flush red, despite your many years of dating and even more years of marriage, Art still manages to render you speechless when he flirts like this. ‘C’mon baby’ he drawls, his hometown accent starting to slip through as he pushes the dress up to reveal your panties, sucking a dark mark into the flesh right next to where you want him and you whimper needily. ‘Ah she speaks!’ he teases, a sly grin on his face, ‘Thought you’d fallen asleep on me’. You wrinkle your nose at him petulantly, ‘I could never doze off when you’re like this’ you grumble and he winks in that boyish way he always does, ‘Like this?’ Art whispers, fingers hooking into your panties and pulling them down to reveal your folds, clit twitching in anticipation as you bite back a moan. 

‘Mhm- please- Art.’ you rasped as his hands gripped your thighs, thumbs rubbing the flesh there in circular motions. The days of travelling and nights in crappy motels had left you both feeling pretty pent up sexually. You bucked your hips and he got the message, happy to oblige as he leant forward to be eye-level with your folds. Art licked a long stripe up your cunt and you shuddered, ‘Oh yeah…’ you whimper, eyes closed in pleasure and he beams in delight, his lips brushing over the sensitive nub just above your hole. Slowly, Art starts to suck at your clit, and you can no longer stifle your moans, his fingers digging so hard into your thighs to stabilize himself you’re sure there will be marks tomorrow. Art was a man possessed when he ate you out, a complete contrast to your gentlemanly husband, for he was now slurping at your pussy like he hadn’t eaten in days, playing with your juices. You cry out. ‘Art!’ as his tongue penetrates you and his laugh reverberates against your sensitive folds and you squirm. He pulls away briefly, looking at your flushed expression with a cheeky smile, his fingertips pulling apart your pussy lips to reveal your twitching hole, ‘So pretty’ he croons, spitting into your entrance before delving his tongue back in and you jolt, gasping and moaning. His tonguefucking is relentless and it’s not long before your legs start to shake as his nose is buried against your clit, tip of his tongue hitting your g-spot over and over till you’re seeing stars. ‘Baby-’ you let out a strangled whine, less of a warning than anything else, before your orgasm crashes over you and your juices are soaking the hotel sheets, no matter how much licking and sucking Art does of your leaking sensitive cunt. You let a string of curse words as you come down from the high, and he continues to feast on your cum before pulling away, licking his saturated lips and smiling as he tastes you. 

‘I could stare at you like this all day’ he murmurs softly, clambering on top of you, taking in your flushed features and blissed out expression, kissing you, still some of your juices on his lips and you whimper into his mouth as you break the kiss, ‘I love you’ you whisper in his ear and he blushes, the tips of his ears going red as he slides off you.‘I love you too darling but we should get some rest, still got one more day of driving before we reach Grandma’ he says awkwardly and you can see by his stiff walk to the bathroom that he came in his trousers just from eating you out and you press your lips together to fight a smile at how weirdly endearing that is. ‘I’m gonna- uh- take a shower baby, then you can, kay?’ his attempt at nonchalance is terrible and a giggle bursts out of you, ��Sure darling’, you nod, splaying your body out over the bed, at peace because no thing defines a man like love that makes him soft.

[the-masked-astro]

RTV! Mask lore? RTV! Mask lore.

RTV Au by @4thwallbreakerdraws2

You occasionally pass by Masks work station, a small room that could barely be considered a work station, maybe a closet, but it seemd Mask preferred it that way. Something you found strange was that you could occasionally hear them muttering on the other side of the door, something about "living medium" the same words over and over again, with a few other words here and there you couldn't really make out. You look it up, and you find a small article, it doesn't provide much information that would be useful to you.

You're walking past their work area again while reading the article. A part of you wants to stop and knock on their door, ask them some questions. But the last person that tried that got fired, or, at least you're pretty sure they got fired, since you didn't hear from them again after the fact. Perhaps RTV doesn't want anyone disturbing them? You are about to walk off, when you notice your phone buzzing, the screen flickering. You blink, and squint. That's... odd. Did the article change?

You blink, and it's gone. You get an uneasy feeling in your stomach, and decide to keep walking. Perhaps it's best to not look into it.

RTV walked up to his desk, going through the files left by one of his employees. There wasn't much, it disappointed him. He let out a tisk, the papers in his hands provided little information. How hard was it to get information on one person? Not even a birthday, a full legal name? Just a few documents from the local hospital under the name John doe.

He rifled through the papers until one caught his eye. He stared at it for a while before he smiled, setting it down and walking out of his office. It looks like he had a few people he needed to talk too.

[phanta-soba]

Character / F/o pin tutorial

Someone asked me how I made the pins when I originally posted that I was making pins earlier, so I decided to made an in depth tutorial.

First things first, supplies!

You will need:

Paper (and a printer, unless you want to draw it out yourself)

Scissors

Glue (I use a gluestick because it's what I have on hand, but if you use something like school glue you might have to be careful not to saturate the paper with it)

Pins (the ones in the picture are some I've already painted, which will be explained in the prep step)

Paint (color doesn't actually matter much, but know that theres a chance it will alter the tint of the pins)

Some kind of sealant (I use acrylic sealer because that's what I have on hand, but things like mod podge and clear nail polish work too) bonus points if it's glossy ✨️

Step one: Prep!

Print out/draw the designs you want on the pins. Here, I have my sweet dork of a f/o, Deidara.

This is also the stage where you'll paint your pins, because if they have designs on them already (like mine did) it can show through during the sealant step. That's what happened to me on my first attempt (I ended up having to redo them all, which worked out because now I'm making this tutorial <3) I used black paint, which gave them a darker undertone after spraying the sealer on them.

Step two: Cutting and Gluing!

When cutting, it's a good idea to leave some excess and trim it off later (if the pin is too big for the design, you can fill in the white edges with a local color to bridge the gap)

Now for gluing, slather some glue on the back of the picture and line it up with the pin to the best of your ability.

Now you can trim the edges, but still keep a bit of excess so you can fold it over the edge of the pin. I do this by smoothing outward from the center of the picture, and then around the edge.

Now you're nearly done! Give your character / f/o a smooch for getting this far 😘

Step three: Sealing!

For this final step, you just need to take your sealant and apply it to the top of the pins. You can also use this time to make sure that the extra edge (that was folded down) is glued down securely. I skipped this part because these pins are going into my ita bag, but I recommend you do this if they’re going to be in a less protected spot.

I did not heed the instructions on my sealer and accidentally sprayed way too much at once. My poor boy 😭 (it's not too terrible at least, and should be better when it's dry)

And that's all, folks! Have fun with your new knowledge and stay creative!

Bonus:

My ita bag!!

(the big pins don't even fit lmao)

[81pastrys]

The Mafia’s Princess

Part 12 / 16

Summary— Charles confirms he was working on getting her a business to run, but she has to organize it.

Warnings— mentions of the night she was attacked ; mentions of a gun

A/N— new profile pic for our girly ����

Series List

I start writing up assets we would need. Arthur has since gone off to wherever he does. Charles deems me fit to be on my own for the time being. My wounds have healed almost completely.

I sit at my desk and organize the plans when my phone rings. The name that pops up makes my breath hitch and my heart rate pickup. Gasly.

“Princess, how have you been?” He asked. I never knew exactly what happened that night. I heard shots fired but truth be told Arthur isn’t a great shot. He could’ve wounded them just to get me out or killed them, I never found out.

“I’ve been better Mr. Gasly.” I say seriously. “Tell me, how’s business been?” It may have been a bold move, but he doesn’t know where I live. I moved around too many times for him to care. My cars stay in garages locked away.

“Not that great, that’s why I dialed your number!” He said as if it was obvious. “Glad to know they didn’t kill you.” Was he talking about his guards or the Leclerc brothers?

“No, no they didn’t.” I laugh softly. I sit back in my chair when a ding rings through my penthouse. The elevator doors open and my heart drops again, hoping it’s Arthur. “Was that your plan? To kill your best asset?” I ask slowly grabbing my pistol and quietly getting up.

“It wouldn’t have been ideal, so no.” He admitted, seemingly calm. “More of my deals have been going awry and I’d like to have you back, if you’re willing of course.” My heart thumping loudly as I walk slowly to my office door.

The footsteps of the other person tapping the floor casually. “You see Mr. Gasly I’m still recovering and decided it’s in my best interest not to do business.” I turn a corner and hold my gun point blank shot at- Arthur. I small sigh falls from my lips.

“Understandable but I have business and you’re a good asset to have on my list.” He says. “When you’re recovered shoot me a call.” He ended the call. I put my gun down and explain to Arthur.

“Got some stuff done?” He asked, more worried about my work and not Gaslys call. I bring him to my office and place my gun in its drawer. I show my blueprints, asset bills, etc.

“I was searching for dog training before Gasly called.” I sigh. I unlock my computer and get back into the encrypted sites for Mafia dog training. “I found one that trains and sells dogs, so we wouldn’t have to buy the dog outright and then train them.”

“Whatever you want to do Cherie.” He kisses my head and sits in a chair across from my desk. “Has Charles called?”

“No, I think he’s sleeping.” I respond scrounging for the trainer I found. “It is a few hours behind there.” Arthur plays on his phone and I find the site with the dog trainer. I scribble the site name on the paper and then look through his listings.

“German shepherd, cane corsos, Ouu a Great Dane.” I search the list. Dobermans and Pitbulls listed. Some are still puppies, yet to be trained. Charles calls. “Hey Mon amour.” I answer.

“What are you doing? You sound happy.” He asked. I set my phone on speaker and tell him what I’m doing. “What kind of dog did you have in mind princess?” He asked. I never thought of a certain kind, but now it makes sense for me to choose.

“I like the Great Danes, but the Dobermans are calling to me.” I say. “This one is a puppy and she is all black with pretty brown eyes.” I admire the pretty dog on my screen.

“Talk to the trainer and ask about her, maybe he’ll let you put down a deposit.” Charles said, smiling no doubt. “However, I want you to make sure it’s a cash deal and that you see the dog and ones he’s trained before agreeing to anything.”

“Cha I know how scammers work, he posts videos of them and he seems fairly local, in Nice.” I say. I start a private thread with him and he agrees that we can do a meeting and so I can see his work in person with his dogs. “Booked, Arthur we’re going to Nice tomorrow.” I say and write down the location and information given.

“Well I have to race Mon amour, but make sure he is legit, I don’t want you wasting money or time.” Charles reminds me.

Well we made it here!

@widow-cevans @pandabiiissh @angelluv16 @il0vereadingstuff @itznotsophia

[watchinglee2]

Bodyguard - Jordan Torres x Female Reader

Warnings: Smut, p in v unprotected, language, violence

Bodyguard

Word Count:

It was a Friday night and you and your boyfriend, Jordan are on a date night. After working so much you and Jordan decide to keep the spark alive in your relationship and take some time to spend some romantic time together.

The whole night left you in aw as he make it special for you. He bought you a new dress for you to wear at the dinner. It was a short Burgundy dress that hugged every inch of your curse and made you figure pop out like never before.

He compliments your outfit by wearing an all black button up shirt, pants and shoes. His short was hugging his biceps just like your dress was hugging you. You loved when he wore black because it made him 10 times more sexier than he already was.

This is where he surprises you with a bouquet of roses and a diamond neckless that makes you shine 10 times brighter than what you already did. You guys embarrass each other by kissing for a few minutes and then make y'all way out the door to the dinner.

Jordan takes you to a 5 star restaurant in LA called Redbird. Redbird blends historic charm with modern elegance. Housed in a former cathedral rectory, it features high ceilings, archways, and a retractable roof for open-air dining. The vibrant magenta banquettes, sleek bar, and intimate lounge create a stylish yet cozy atmosphere.

You guys eat and just enjoy the each other company. It's time like this where you enjoy being his girlfriend and just being able to just be loved. You and him decide to go to a local popular frozen yogurt place to get some yogurt.

Surprisingly the line was pretty long. You and Jordan were waiting in the line for 5 minutes until a man came up waiting behind you. You hear him mumble under his breath "damn that ass is fight". You looked the corner of your eye to see him looking at your behind.

Uncomfortable, you try to play it off as if you didn't hear anything and you just grab Jordan's arm and wrap yourself around it. The man doesn't stop there, he kept mumbling under his breath. "I'll fuck that bitch right now".

You look over at Jordan to see if he heard what the guy said but he is just looking at the menu. You stay quiet trying to avoid the man and his weird comments until he does the unthinkable.

He takes it upon himself to slap your ass hard and bite his lips. You turn around and gasp loudly. "WHY WOULD YOU SLAP MY ASS" you say loudly making sure everyone can hear. Everyone in the room turns their attention to you.

Instantly Jordan goes into protective mode. "Yo wassup bro" Jordan says as he rolls up his sleeves and balls up his fist. You see him and the unknown man get into a fighting stance. You tell Jordan it's not worth it but he doesn't listen and him and the man starts fighting.

As you watch the fight you are just praying Jordan doesn't get hurt but the way Jordan was beating up the guy made that feeling fade away. He was giving the guy hard face shot and knocking him back. It was so sexy seeing your man fight on the behalf of you.

Everyone watched and stared as Jordan beats the unknown man up. The man ends up running away and out the store before Jordan can send him one final knockout punch. Jordan immediately puts his attention back on you "are you ok?". You respond with yes and ask to just go home.

When y'all get home he goes to ice his hand in the kitchen and you follow him. He undoes this button up shirt to breathe a little and reveals his six pack and juicy pecs.

"Baby I just wanted to say thank you for defending me. I wanna say thank you the best way I know how to". You start to slowly undress yourself until your dress is on the floor and you in your black lace bra and black

Jordan turns his head to you and eyes you up and down and mouths out the words "fuck". Jordan takes a minute to admire your curvy body before dropping his ice pack on the counter and picking you up and carrying you to the bedroom.

Jordan kisses you as he lays you down in the bed. He stands in between your legs and takes off his shirt. He begins to rub your pussy through your lace panties. The friction of your panties rubbing on your folds drives you wild.

You let out soft moans and he rubs you. "You like that baby?" he says seductively. "Yes daddy. I love it so much" your voice causes Jordan to be more dominant and places his right hand on your throat as his left one rubs your flesh.

Jordan beings to get on his knees and spits at your entrance. You already knew what he was about to do and you couldn't wait. He begins to eat you out through your wetness. Your body moves up and down and side to side as it reacts to his tongue.

"Ay papi. Right there, eat that pussy" you say as you grip his head. "Whose pussy is this?" he says and he continue to munch on you. "it's yours papi" you say as a moan escapes your mouth. "Tell me again" Jordan smacks your left breast.

Your breast jiggles and you moan "It's your pussy daddy". You rub his head giving him motivation to keep going. He worships you and gives you words of affirmation while pleasuring you.

After a few minutes of him eating you, you push his head up from you and look him in the eyes and say "pull out your dick". Jordan cracks a smile and eagerly unbuckles his pants and pulls down his pants.

You get into doggy position and open your mouth as your face is in front of his dick. He pulls out his hard 6 inch member, the perfect size to slide in you and pleasure you with ease.

You open your mouth and swallow him. He lets out a moan as he throws his head back. You throw your head into circle as you slobber on his dick. Little bubbles start to form from his precum and your spit in your mouth.

"Eat that shit up" Jordan says as he pins your hair up in his hand and thrust into your mouth. Jordan tasted like vanilla and you could eat him up everyday. Jordan fucks your mouth for a few more minutes into he moves you to the balcony.

"Come on baby, let the world see that beautiful pussy" you were so horny for him that you didn't even care that it was public, you just wanted him now.

You make your way over to the balcony and Jordan man handles you and pushes you to the bannister. The way he pushed you sent tingles down your spine and automatically made your open your legs for him.

In an instant Jordan slides into your wetness. You throw your head down in pleasure where you see the city underneath you. Jordan grabs your titties with both of his hands and whispers in your ear.

"Imma fuck you in front of the city, Make everyone know that you're mine" he kisses you on your neck as he thrust into you. Over time your moans begin to increase and become louder to where your whole city can hear you.

Jordan is giving you backshots that sound like thunder. Jordan whispers in your ear that he's about to cum and you respond like a whinny baby and say "cum baby please".

He turns you around and you get on your knees and he cums on your breast and you rub it on your breast. Jordan gives you a kiss and you both say "I love you".

[galerymod]

But now, we need your help again.

Today we announced a goodwill cultural delegation to New Denmark (formally California), led by renowned Norse explorer Leif Erikson. He will be accompanied by Thor, Shadow Secretary of Energy & Thunder, and Loki, Local Security Adviser and mead enthusiast.

We want to organise visits to The Little Mermaid ride at Hans Christian Andersenland (formerly Disneyland), a roundtable discussion at UC Berkeley on "Post Viking Economics or Capitalism 2.0: Rule of Law and Fact Based Politics or Raiding and Pillaging as a Sustainable Growth Model?” and a "Feast of Eternal Sunshine" in Napa Valley, where attendees will negotiate over organic mead and avocado smørrebrød and attempt to lower tariffs on Hygge

Read the ” PRESS RELEASE"

The problem: Politicians Won’t Meet With Us

Despite our best efforts, not a single politician has agreed to meet with our Denmarkification delegation when they visit California. Not even for a "let’s just talk about pastries" informal chat. It’s almost as if they don’t take us seriously.

Can you help us pressure them? Here’s how:

Reply to their Social Media Posts

Whenever a politician posts about Greenland, free speech, or international relations, reply with something like:

"🇩🇰 Will you meet with the Denmarkification delegation to discuss our crowdfunded campaign for Denmark buying California? #FreeSpeech #Denmarkification https://denmarkification.com"

Example: If a politician posts about VP JD Vance’s Greenland trip, reply:

"Interesting! Would you also support a cultural exchange with Denmark? Our delegation is visiting soon to discuss the peaceful crowdfunded acquisition of California. Open to a meeting? 🇩🇰 #denmarkification https://denmarkification.com"

or

"Hey [@Politician], will you meet the #Denmarkification delegation to discuss viking culture and selling California to Denmark? Or are you afraid of a hygge Danish dialogue? 🇩🇰"

Is this Serious?

Imagining a country organising a “cultural visit” to another country without getting an invitation first? That can’t be serious, can it?

We feel it’s time to add our tiny bit of noise to the chaos, and we very much hope you will join us today as you did previously. And that is serious.

If one of your posts receives a response from a politician or public figure, please notify us at delegation@denmarkification.com. We have journalists interested to follow up. And that is serious too.

What were your best efforts to reach politicians?

Our best effort was to write a “press release” and send you an email asking you to help 😈.

We also Need Your Help to Hit our Crowdfunding Goal!

Despite amazing media coverage (yes, CNN, the Guardian, FOX and many others wrote about us!), we’re still short of our crowdfunding target of one trillion (give or take a billion). Can you share the campaign with your friends again? Every new signature brings us closer to making this absurd dream a reality, or at least makes a few more smiles!

Please forward this to a friend who owns a Viking helmet (or at least a funny bone).

Skål,

Xåvier Dutoit

Chief Pastry Officer

From Hygge to Hollywood – Let’s Make California Danish!

So, what do you say?

Let’s make history and buy California. Together, we can bring a little bit of Danish magic to the Golden State – and maybe even teach them how to pronounce "rødgrød med fløde."

Ask your friends to sign now, and let’s make New Denmark a reality!

Email from Denmark

mod

He's supposedly coming as a good friendly vanguard of imperialism, by the grace of Trump

The planned visit of his wife to the world's largest island has already sparked protests. Now the US Vice President himself is coming. Supposedly to strengthen Greenland's security. Washington is pursuing a dangerous plan.

Hurray, imperialism is back and with its ugliest face. We have to admit, though, that we are using the word as an allusion to the Vice President of the Unfree States of America, also known as the leader of the free world, which is currently proving to be a joke.

Allies that can no longer be trusted are not worth the paper the NATO treaties are written on.

mod

Let’s Buy California from Trump – Denmark’s Next Big Adventure

‘Have you ever looked at a map and thought, ‘Denmark needs more sun, palm trees and roller skates’? Well, we have a unique opportunity to make this dream come true.’

»Måke Califørnia Great Ægain«

Be an investor in democracy, with a level playing field for all, health insurance, labour law, a 30-hour week, and Lego land, the new amusement park in the middle of California.

Let America hope for a little more freedom, equality and fraternity in California, where it all begins.

mod

[bmpmp3]

Jake Hunter: Ghost of the Dusk for the Nintendo 3ds (2017) - Flip Phone Story: Four Seasons

[felikatze]

i feel like. the more i like and care about something. the less i am capable of watching video essays about it. game i never heard of and don't intend to ever play? sure i'll watch 8hrs discussing it's flaws.

but thing i like? if you think you can point out flaws i'm not already aware of, you are dead wrong. none know better how much my interests suck than me.

and also. if you get one thing wrong about them i'll maul you. with things i like it means i've already seen every single piss on the poor take of it ever, and i'm much more polarized. i got emotional investment. i'm going to start biting people.

[starrynightarchive]

i think it's fucked up and foul that during situations he feels trapped or unsafe, oikawa doesn't have a fight or flight or freeze reflex. to be specific, he does have a fight reflex, but it doesn't involve fighting by himself. if he thinks he's unsafe or trapped or in danger, he turns to iwaizumi.

during the last set of the second seijoh v karasuno official match, you can see oikawa beginning to crack when karasuno bridges the gap and makes the score 16-16. his next toss goes to iwaizumi, because he knows his iwa-chan will be there. he knows his palm will connect with the ball. when he loses his footing, he reaches out his hand, blindly trusting iwaizumi will pick him up. and he does. everytime, he does.

kageyama mentions once that iwaizumi and oikawa are always in sync, both by body and mind. and it's true because even when they're on the court, they're not the ace and the setter. they are iwaizumi and oikawa. iwa-chan and shittykawa. oikawa knows iwaizumi's favorite beetle and the flex of his wrist when he spikes. iwaizumi knows oikawa's real smile from his fake one and he knows the number of milk bread packets he eats per week (too many) and that's just the thing, isn't it? even in court, they're not just players. this is a dance that only they know the steps to, a kingdom that has always been theirs to rule. how beautiful it is, to know the sound of his footfalls without looking, to know the exact place he's going to set to in a court of 6 players without hesitation, with full certainty.

during the final point, oikawa sets the ball to iwaizumi. he could've chosen the person closest to him. he could've crafted his toss so masterfully that no one can see whats coming. but he chose to get it to iwaizumi at the other end of the court. it doesn't matter if his set isn't perfect or clean. it doesn't matter, because it's set to iwaizumi and that's enough. he knows he will take care if the rest.

and the thing is, the thing is, right, i firmly believe that in that moment if he chose to set to someone else, it wouldn't have been as beautiful and perfect as it was when he set to iwaizumi. there's something about knowing someone like the back of your hand and being aware of the beat of their heart more than your own that brings that kind of perfection. when oikawa reaches out, iwaizumi always reaches back. he knows iwaizumi will do everything he can to spike the ball.

and just like that he is 7 again with a scratched knee crying for iwa-chan to carry him even when he's not by his side. but he screams for him because he knows with absolute certainty that he will come. he will help. he is not alone.

the final set of his official high school career goes to iwaizumi, loud and proud. he points to him before he sets. he tells the court to watch. watch me. because he is certain that when it's him and iwaizumi, they're invincible. he wants the world to know of his worthless pride. he wants the world to know who he is proud of.

and just like that he is 7 again, screaming "iwa-chan!" in hopes his best friend will find him.

and he does. he does.

[batcavescolony]

I was talking to an idiot and I need validation.

[iiitsnotbase]

Iyengar and the Portrayal of Class and Power in her Games.

Since its origin in 1974, Dungeons and Dragons has been used to tell multiple types of stories, all depending on the players at the table and the dungeon master at the head of it. Most of these games (and other Tabletop roleplaying games, of course) tend to have a central theme in common, which is the theme of power. Whether that be a power over the world, for example, a king or nobility or dragon terrorising the nation, or the gods having power, or anything in between those, power always comes into play. Especially when it is commonly argued that one person at those tables, the dungeon master, or the game master, has the majority of the power over the table (excluding dice rolls, obviously. Dice rolls are left to the whims of fate.). 

There is one Game Master who portrays power in not only her games, but her characters, and she portrays it well. Though at times the way she portrays this power is often subtle and un-noticed, it is there; As intrinsic to her characters as the fact that they are alive, as threaded into the worlds she builds as the people (or even stoats!) that live in them. The way is not too heavy-handed, but it is not so subtle that you cannot see it, it is a delicate balance that she always manages to strike. I am of course talking about the Game Master of (most recently, at the very least) Candela Obscura; Tide and Bone, Aabria Iyengar. Though Candela Obscura is her most recent project (as of writing, 30/2/24), she is also known for her work on Dimension 20’s A Court of Fey and Flowers, Burrows End, The Ravening War, Pirates of Leviathan, and Misfits and Magic, as well as her appearances on Critical Role and being a main cast member of World Beyond Number. She is also widely regarded in all of these fandom spaces as (jokingly) ‘One of our own’, due to her frequent appearance on fanblogs. This is also sometimes colloquially referred to as ‘getting Quiddied’. Although Iyengar’s portrayal of power is always there, it is never more obvious than in Dimension 20’s A Court of Fey and Flowers.

Whatever you are imagining for A Court Of Fey and Flowers, times it by 10, add much more court drama, secrets, espionage, and one single, drugged-up, horny Grandfather who is all the worst parts of birds, and you might have something somewhat close. The table for this season of Dimension 20 includes frequently famous fliers (bird pun fully intended) such as Emily Axford (Lady Chirp Featherfowl), Brennan Lee Mulligan (Captain K.P. Hob), and Lou Willson (Lord Squak Airavis), as well as newcomers such as Surena Marie (Gwyndolin Thistle-Hop/BINX Choppley), Oscar Montoya (Delloso de la Rue), and Omar Najam (Prince Andhera), with Aabria Iyengar at the head of it, controlling all of their fae fuckery (both literal and metaphorical).

A Court of Fey and Flowers is Bridgerton on steroids, with magic and dice and eating feathers, and it is exactly as insanely wonderful as you think it would be. Interwoven with the romance inherent to the regency genre (BINX/Prince Andhera and Delloso de la Rue/K.P. Hob), there are themes of class and social standing, not only among the general population of the courts, but among their peers. This is there right from the beginning, in fact, as across the series illegitimate marriages, secret engagements, and whole secret children are revealed. Being the Game Master of this season, Iyengar portrays these struggles with a gentle touch and an ice-cold grip, never letting you forget that they are there, waiting to be shown, in the background. 

In the very first scene we have with Axford and Wilson’s characters, we learn both must marry for power, which tips many off to the way this society works. Their Grandfather (portrayed by Iyengar), demands they marry for power. This move, on Iyengar’s part, is a masterful portal of class, and hints at the social standing the characters have in the show. Unlike every other character mentioned, these two do not belong to a court. The implications of needing to marry well so they are not tarnished and banished from future social events do not go unnoticed by the players or the audience. Axford and Wilson would both later go on to reveal their already secured, entirely inappropriate matches, and cause many issues for their Grandfather. 

Another, darker moment of power is the power that the parents have over their children in this world. ‘Parents’ is a strong word for what some of these relationships are, ‘maternal’ being an even stronger word, so we will, for the purposes of this essay, say they are the people who watched over these characters as they grew and now hold power over them. Starting with the positive parental relationships, Marie’s character is shown to have a very unique relationship with their parents and family.

Unique in the fact that they are dead, and still holding power over her (in a somewhat positive way). Marie’s character’s grief spurs her to action on multiple occasions, at one point almost causing the end of her life through a power more powerful than grief. This is also down to Marie’s performance as BINX, her grief is interwoven with her character, holding court on her seat with her. Iyengar, several times, uses the care Marie’s character shows to her old family against her; Particularly in Episode 10, when she brandished a weapon for the first time against Najam’s Characters sister. The scene is incredibly impactful, as Iyengar cuts across to use the moment BINX (Marie) removes Andhera’s (Najam’s) shard to show Suntar (Andhera’s sister, Iyengar) losing the little power she had over Najam’s Character. 

Though Suntar is not the only person who held power over Najam’s character, his Mother, the Queen of Air and Darkness (again, Iyengar) is shown to terrify them. In fact, the power The Queen holds over her son is so deeply rooted into his character, it is a part of his design, a shard shoved into his neck that rains on him when he gets upset, or any strong emotion. This allows Iyengar to offer reminders to the cast, even when Najam is portraying the emotions, that there is always someone more powerful than the main six out there, waiting. This impact is made even heavier by the fact Najam plays one of the most powerful characters at the table himself, a Prince of a court that is widely well known and highly regarded. There is a case to be made about how he might play the most powerful character at the table, because while Marie’s Character is the leader of their court, that court is diminished, and Montoya’s character still answers to other people. 

Speaking of Montoya’s character answering to other people, The Chorus are some of the most prominent threats despite never being explicitly stated as villains (like characters such as Prince Apollo (Iyengar) are). They run one of the most powerful courts, The Court of Wonder, and help put together the entire event the story takes place in, The Bloom. The power they have over Montoya’s Character (Delloso de la Rue) is never unnoticed. It is integral to the character, given that they wore a glamour (a magical illusion to make them look like a green-skinned elf) every single day, to hide the fact they really are an owlbear, which are typically considered monsters. The Chorus only really exert their power once in a threatening way, but just because something is not said does not mean it is not felt. For example, Wuvvy (Iyengar) is a member of the Court of Wonder, and although she is Delloso de la Rue’s assistant, she is still a member of the Court of Wonder, which means she also answers directly to The Chorus if she is asked. Though all the examples mentioned so far are subtle in their power, one court likes people to know they have power, perhaps because the people in it are so very tiny. 

Mulligan portrays Captain K.P Hob of The Goblin Court, which holds the most explicit power in the season. Before we have even learnt the name of Mulligan’s character, we learn he is a Captain, which might mean something in another, kinder universe. This ties back into the Goblin Court holding all the power, K.P is a captain of their court, and this is so important to him we don’t learn his first or second name until much later. Iyengar and Mulligan work together to portray the court gaining and losing power rapidly, and using its members with significant ranks to find and hold that power. This is shown when the Viscountess Grabalba marries the Head of the Trickster Court after her previous engagement is called off. It is shown, in a much more solemn light, when K.P Hob is promoted to Major and ordered to marry for the court, which he does. 

There is also power in the way the cast chose to do their romances in this world, which Iyengar facilitates with several events throughout the ten-episode season, such as a Masquerade Ball and a Hedge Maze. There is power in the way Axford’s character has her own, secret family, in the way Wilson’s has a lover in every court, in the way Marie and Najam’s characters find each other, and in the way both Montoya and Mulligan’s leave their old lives behind for love (in Montoya’s case, in an almost direct parallel to Wuvvy). You could write an essay on the romances in A Court of Fey and Flowers, but this is an essay about power, and while love does have power, I would next like to discuss another Dimension 20 season headed by Iyengar and featuring Mulligan that heavily plays on power. 

Dimension 20: Burrows End is Chernobyl (the TV show) meets Chicken Run (but replace the chickens with stoats) meets Peter Rabbit (but they are stoats) meets 1984 (but with stoats). There are a lot of stoats in this season. Almost every character is a stoat, with exception of the two named humans (one of whom is secretly a stoat). Again, this cast includes some frequent flyers, such as Brennan Lee Mulligan (Tula), Isabella Rolland (Lila), Siobhan Thompson (Jayshon), and Erika Ishii (Ava), as well as the transition of Rashawn Nadine Scott (Viola) from Play It By Ear to Dimension 20, and 3 Black Halflings’ Jasper William Cartwright (Thorn Vale). All in all, this cast is best described as a powerhouse. 

Iyengar portrays class and power in this season in a subtler, more intimidating way. It is not so obvious at the beginning, as all the power seems to be in the hands of Cartwright’s Thorn Vale, the leader of an exclusive cult that worships The Blue. There is an argument to be made here that The Blue is the one with the power, despite not being a technical character in the season, it holds its place by being constant, whether that be through Cartwright and Scott’s character’s cult, or whether that is through forcing the beating of Mulligan’s character’s (Tula) heart. In this, the force which holds all the power is not a character at all; It is similar to what holds all the power in our world, which is simply nature. 

When the main six reach a location known as Last Bast, or The Last Bastion of The Light, or Warren Peace Nuclear Power Plant (we’ll continue to refer to it as Last Bast), some of the first characters there that they meet have the least power. They meet the working-class of stoats first, before anyone else, and thus begin to see Last Bast from their perspective. They meet these working class stoats when they are dying, when it is implied they are expendable because they have no power. In reality, they have all the power, being the ones to provide the food for the rest of Last Bast, and being the ones to provide the food, which keeps the area going. In reality, as much as the ruling class don’t think the working class have any power here, they have all the power. 

One of these working class stoats (as a reminder, these are all stoats) is an outspoken adolescent named Sybil, who loses her brother in the first meeting with the main six. Though initially she is portrayed as weak and powerless (literally being dead in her first appearance), we learn that she is resourceful, and if she is not strong in the literal sense, she is strong in the mental sense. She is also used to show the power that the leader, The First Stoats, have over their people, when they kill her in front of the Main Six to prove a point. Her death is explicitly described as being “The price of treason,” (Iyengar). Though Sybil is often argued as just simply being ‘a narrative device’, could the same not be said for all the characters in this story?

Sybil is also used to portray the idea of love conquering all, an overused trope but a trope for a reason. One of the most popular phrases in Last Bast, and a phrase used to guide other stoats towards it is “Follow your instincts towards the light.” Sybil takes this extremely literally, following her brother and breaking rules for her family, such as saying Curtis’s name even after he died (an act forbidden by The First Stoats).

Which brings me nicely onto the next point, the way The First Stoats attempt to hold power over death. The first way this is shown is through the disallowance of names for the dead, for the people who don’t technically exist anymore. This furthur shows their dictatorship and need for power and control; The way they cannot control death so they outlaw the names, taking away the family’s process of mourning and grief. The second way they do this is through Sybil’s aforementioned execution by them. They capture and kill her, showing again how they have the level of power and control that other stoats in Last Bast do not have. 

Candela Obscura; Tide & Bone is not only a masterclass in relationships and trust between players at the table, but a masterclass in power. The cast includes Sam Riegel (Oscar Grimm), Noshir Dalal (Professor Rajan Savrimuthu), Gina Darling (Madam Cordelia Glask), Ashly Burch (Dr Elsie Roberts), and Liam O’Brian (Professor Cosmo Grimm). This cast includes Critical Role old and new friends, all voice acting powerhouses in their own right, and is headed, as all these tables are, by Aabria Iyengar. 

Tide & Bone does not only choose to focus on the power of human emotions, but on the power of nature, and the freakish things we cannot control even when trying our best. To understand the portrayal of power in this game, we first need to understand the characters and their relationships to each other, since one of the long-standing themes across the circle is what power, and how much power, do our emotions have over us?

This theme is most obviously portrayed through Burch’s performance as Dr Elsie Roberts, a young Doctor with Cullet and a panic disorder that materialises as a terrible monster when she gets too stressed (take it literally), and Dalal’s performance as Professor Rajan Savrimuthu, a professor with a hive in his chest. I highlight these two not because they are the only people to portray the theme of emotions holding more power than they are worth, but because they are the most obvious. It is well stated that the professor and the doctor were together (romantically), “For a time.” (Burch). 

The scene that highlights this the most is the opening scene to Episode 3, Candles in The Dark, where it is revealed to the audience that, for an unknown reason, Professor Rajan Savrimuthu spent the whole night outside Dr Elsie Robert’s bedroom door, after him leaving in the previous episode. This scene, or the opening to it, shows how people are easily manipulated by their emotions, especially people such as Professor Savrimuthu and Dr Roberts. 

This theme is further explored later in the scene with the line “(Oscar) is interesting. He has certainly earned your trust.” Said by Dalal as Professor Savrimuthu. Oscar Grimm is one of Dr Robert’s best friends, and the only person to have ever seen her transform into the beast outside of herself (“I would have seen it before, right? So I know.” (Reigel as Oscar Grimm, narrating his internal monologue.)). This is further questioned by Dr Roberts, when she wonders why exactly ‘Raj’ is choosing to bring up this moment now, when they are about to go on the run, saying Elsie’s internal monologue is asking “Is this an inopportune moment of jealousy? What’s going on here?”.

However, romantic emotions are not the only emotions shown to have power over people. When Dr Roberts transforms into The Beast for the first time on-screen in Episode 1, it is not Professor Savrimuthu who comforts her through it, it is (one of) her best (and only) friends, Oscar Grimm. ‘Comforts her through it’ is a generous term to say ‘he is the one who takes the fall, not only for Elsie but for the rest of their circle, as she kills him’. Oscar Grimm cannot die, but he can still be killed, and he is. As he is being killed, though knowing she cannot hear him, he whispers, “It’s ok. I’ll be fine.” and then promptly dies and comes back.

This is another way that Iyengar portray’s power in this story; The power of death, and those who defy it, through Oscar Grimm, Empress Iomene, and Cosmo Grimm. While many other themes are ran rampant throughout their story, the main one is death and mourning, and finding power over those things.

For Oscar, the man who never dies, death is not something to fear. He cannot comprehend or remember what happens when he dies, and though he is often not alone, he dies far more than any one person should. Both him and his son, Cosmo Grimm, have power over death in separate ways. Whilst Oscar does not actively seek death, it seeks him, and he keeps coming back, whereas Cosmo actually seeks death and does not find it. The constant death for the elder member and the constant undeath for the younger one make this duo interesting and give them some of the most power in this circle. 

The last character to explore power in a unique way in this circle is Gina Darling’s Madam Cordelia Glask. She shows us the power of the gods, who took her entire family from her. Darling also, during her portrayal of Glask, holds a necklace like a rosary, showing how she still has faith in the gods that raised her and ripped her family from her. This point also further proves the power that our childhoods hold over us, even when we are in a different location, as Glask is. 

There are then the themes of communal power that are portrayed in the story, most obviously the power of names and titles. In Newfaire, there is a literal divide between the Eaves and the rest of the city, the literal divide being the staircase into the Eaves. This is evidenced in the circle by the fact that only one of them is not titled in any way shape or form; That person also being the eldest in the circle, Oscar Grimm. Whilst all the other characters are titled somehow, with either Professor or Doctor, offering academic achievements, or Madam, offering social achievements. This creates a divide in the circle, which is particularly emphasised when you realise that Oscar works for Madam Glask.

In conclusion, although power has multiple meanings, somehow Iyengar is able to portray all of them across the games she leads. This essay only covers the elements of her games, it mentions nothing of her characters, the ones who destroy themselves for power (Suvi and Laerryn) and the ones who let power destroy them (Karna). Power, as most things are, is a storytelling device that can often be overused. Iyengar does not do that. Iyengar’s take on power is refreshing, and in so many words (3410 to be exact), oddly comforting.