#this is the twentieth edit i think lol

[sillyguy99]

* don't look now, but i lost my shoe.

(Undertale Sans x Reader)

Chapter One: * what's with these homies, dissin' my girl?

[Index | Next]

Notice:

(This story is nearly 5 years old, and though it doesn't show my best work, I decided to post it, just because I stopped it at chapter 18, when there were only 2 more chapters left to finish it. So... I'm gonna give it another shot – making minor edits to make the plot less dramatic and angsty, lol.)

(***Also, since Tumblr has a more limited format: italic texts are from you, the reader, and bold texts are from others.)

• • • • •

You've changed.

The best thing your boss did was to give you that warning.

You shouldn't keep working for the law if you're just gonna be a traitor.

How am I a traitor?

You work 9 to 5, sometimes 8 to 6, for the benefit of monsters.

Now, all of a sudden, our sex life goes down the drain.

I haven't slept with you since you got that promotion, and that was two whole months ago.

I'm supposed to be your husband, but you've left me in the dry.

I'm tired.

And I refuse to sleep with someone who won't support me in my new job.

Or should I remind you said I wasn't a real detective?

That my degree's 'worth shit', simply because of the field I'm working in these days?

               The rest is an ongoing, fruitless conversation you can't bother yourself with.

               Through reading those texts for what has to be the twentieth time today, you sigh, hiccup, and close your eyes tight, lifting your face slightly to avoid letting tears fall. 

               Barely two hours are left until he comes home to drop off your child, and the mere thought that you have to sleep with him five hours after that makes your stomach twist and churn. You don't want to imagine him naked: panting, heavy, and on top of you again, doing whatever he pleases with little regards to your own limits. Nausea takes over – violent, making you open your eyes and suppress a gag.

               You really, really don't want anything to do with him anymore.

               Yet, he insists you should remain married until your child reaches their eighteenth birthday.

               “At least wait until they're grown up,” he said. “Cuz what's six more years? Be honest with me.” Then, he chuckled. “As ugly as you frown when you see me, I doubt you hate me that much.”

               That had been a year ago.

               Would you really have to wait five more years until your freedom?

               The thought sends chills down your spine.

               While he was a good father, that adjective didn't really fit next to husband. 

               At the beginning of your marriage, yes – he was the best spouse you could ask for.

               Now?

               You'd rather eat drywall than have to spend a single second near him – without your child around, of course.

               With your newest agreement, it felt more as if your husband were a client, his payment being not making your life hell, and your service what he claimed was something a wife should be willing to give twenty-four seven.

               You shake your head and search for a distraction amongst the people surrounding the bar, aware you can only end up worse if you continue to dwell on the subject. The air presses down on you hot and heavy, a feeling that only increases the more time you stay seated without doing anything for your growing aches. Your sole companion is your mind when you realize you're too overcome with emotions to talk to someone without scaring them off. Chatter drowns out coherent thinking and sensory overload begins to show by how difficult breathing becomes. Seeking an escape route, you hold the bartender back with a raised hand and an 'excuse me'. Then, you ask him for some bottled water – the only kind he could touch willingly. Small embers flutter around the air as he turns around, leaving you alone with burning cheeks and a pounding headache. 

               Groaning, you pinch the bridge of your nose and blink through your blurry vision. Then, you adjust your glasses – despite knowing the excess shots have pretty much screwed you over already. The hour marked on your phone surfaces a sigh. How fast time seems to be going makes you notice you currently only have around an hour left before your husband arrives with your child. They would be staying with you while he went off to work, and the least you wanted was to look washed up for his arrival.

               "need somethin' else, pal?"

               You jolt at the new voice, deep and hearty.

               Reluctantly, you cast your gaze up to see a skeleton monster standing behind the counter, now glossy with polish. His face is tough to make out with the blurriness, yet you can tell he's looking at you. From the way he stands behind the counter and the stuffy look his suit gives off with its pristine and exaggerated formality, you figure he's a new employee. His newbie appearance doesn't erase the warm and welcoming aura most bartenders appear to carry by default, however. Instead, it makes his smile and words more genuine in his approach.

               It takes you a while to respond aside from shaking your head – mind hazy and disoriented. You thank him and sweep the water bottle off the counter, then turn the lid open, breathe in deep, and take a series of long, greedy gulps. Finally, you set it back down, more than half of it already gone.

               One more screw up, and you were out of your job at the law department for good.

               It doesn't help that you're currently hanging out at a place strictly and utterly forbidden by your boss: a hole-in-the-wall bar and grill establishment open to all, kept family-friendly during the day and becoming more daring during the night. It has been long since you ever drank alcohol of any sort, and it's beginning to show. You can hardly sit without tumbling pitifully to the side.

               “hey.”

               You're snapped back toward reality through the feeling of someone resting their arms over the counter, facing you and waiting for your return. 

               You frown and look up from the water bottle to see the same skeleton – his previous stuffy appearance appearing more natural now that he's taken off his tie and left two of the shirt's buttons unfastened.

               "i’m no expert on humans, but you look like you could use someone to talk to."

               You feel hazy again.

               And whether due to the drinks or the heat, you're not too certain of.

               But – right now – you're positive about one thing. 

               “U- Um…”

               As you wipe a tear off your cheek and burst out half a sob and half a laugh, you realize you really could use someone to talk to.

               “Thank you.”

[the3rddenialist]

Void Silver #1 Liveblog

Hello, this was done on the 1st of June, but will be posted later, this is me liveblogging Void Silver #1! Find The Somewhat Incredible Jackie-boy Man Liveblog here

Edit(28/06/24): I believe enough time past so I'm posting this, ignore the spelling mistakes. These are my initial thoughts from liveblogging

Spoilers ahead haha

Cool cover, hello galaxy higgins

London in the 90s? Back in the past baby!

Did lil marv have a bad day at school?

Oh god he looks tired, dude you're like 12 chill mate

"Bruv" "wicked" oh wow, also hi little sam

British teengers, oh no. And teacher strike on the newspaper

aww lil marv likes magic, haha the guy on the magazine looks like jbm

oh rude dude, that's a child. also ay the preview page thing

huh, the circle seems almost common knowledge in this world. so is magic like normal in this universe if the guy was comfortable to do it on a public train? marv still is sad

marv surely you could of grabbed, liek an apple, also he's an A student? how old is he? and there's meeting at 5 pm?

marv...

oh god i love his mom. i was spoiled he had a mom but she looks so cool. trial prep tho? hmm

THE CAT! and mention of cosmic entity ooo. also a cyborg dude spitting prophecies? this is a strange world

depression the page

gardening!!! also marv what you thinking. also it's weird higgins didn't introduce this volume, I guess it's not going to be a reoccurring thing

OH THE GUY WAS FROM THE PREVIEW PAGE TOO, hey it's the big cat. what is a 'mark' tho?

marvin looks happy for once, but mother dearest is concerned. i mean she's in the right here but the narrative ain't going to like that. ohhh are we going to see marvin sneak out to find the guy.

chill marv, some people care about the bees

bill clinton is canon to marvin lore

yooo another dream. oh don't trust the cat

here's the sneaking scene

my guy has a sick place. a water fountain and everything

marv you don't just zap a man.

IT IS RAMESSE????? I was thinking that but i thought the head was wrong. OH HELL YEAH. WHAT IS HAPPENING???

time eh ramesse? i'm not sure how much a trust this whole 'mark' business. also marv you really shouldn't be walking with a random stranger.

oh that's the headquarters hun? so i suppose the other place in the last page of #0 was somewhere else then. does ramesses bring random kids here often lol??? god he's weird.

two years is along to marvin but short to ramesses is funny. ayy mother dearest is to the rescue! being grounded for the twentieth century isn't the worst punishment when there's only a decade remaining. marv is crying?

i do like colour in this volume. oh god marv read the room. glad you're happy though

TWINS SPOTTED????????? Also this dude was from when he first entered the circle. huh marvin is special or something? this doesn't feel right, echo also told chase he was special. perhaps it's linked. but what great things do you speak of braid twin.

Ramesses how did you manage to insert yourself in marvin's life. mother dearest you okay. is the magic circle and magicians a big enough deal that you're allowing this? interesting.

HE EIGHT??? OH THAT'S SO MUCH WORSE. RAMESSE THAT'S YOUNG. seems time is broken haha. marv you're going to kill someone.

MOIRA!!!!!! NAME DROP THANK GOD. So she's Irish? or at least Gaelic maybe? or just cool name.

oh okay okay we have magic rules now.

Mana energy of non life (abiotic things?)

Malia energy of life (biotic?)

Impetus energy of forces (potential and kinetic energy?)

Apotropacis? To ward off evil. Nazar protects people from the evil eye. but what is the evil?

UNICORNS ARE REALL. TWILIGHT SPARKLE!

cosmic horror takes form of a cat to calm 8 year old kid. ramesses why you broke.

"alchemy in her guts" ramesses stop. stop touching. why are you such a menace.

ohhh incantation. we've seen that a lot. just realised marv will be 10 for his exam, wow.

heyyyy moira. and good effort ramesses.

can marvin opt out of magic? god imagine marv as a lawyer. oh no he has been selected, no choice there. god marv looks anxious about moira and ramesses talking. is that another sam?

TATTOOS AT EIGHT WOW. moira i'm so sorry. OH FUCK MOIRA YOU GOOD????

tey look like a family in the car, grandad, mum and kid. marv got his green cloakkk. hey moira, nothing bad is going to happen to you right. please.

time passing. oh no, marv you good?

HE FAILED????

oh god trial and tribulation art looks so good.

woah. okay. so we have yet to see everything that was on the final page of #0. so that will probably be across the next couple of books. what happened when you fail? does he need to wait another 2 years? 5? he looks significantly older in #2. did not expect a proper ramesses introduction. anyways this was interesting! I enjoyed it a lot, and liked the background character designs too.

anyways until next time

[faithdragon36]

Faith faith faith gimme some c!faith lore I wanna know more (hey that rhymed)

OKAY SO c!Faith is a world jumper!! She’s got three main worlds that she hops between, those being Lunightia (my singleplayer world, her home world), a server called Wander SMP that is whitelisted and has its own lore (I employ a popular fandom trope called “story magic” to explain how this can be the same character even with all of the insane bullshit that goes on over there, and why it doesn’t follow her between servers) and Islandcraft! Which, for our purposes, also has story magic, although it’s gotten pretty out of control since it involves near-total amnesia and is affecting the server’s Admin(s).

She does not have any control over her powers and most of the time does not remember jack or shit about what goes on on the other servers she’s on, the rare exception being that she might sometimes remember stuff while on Lunightia, have dreams/nightmares about her other servers, get deja vu for no reason she can understand, or if it makes a joke work. You know how it goes!

Before she managed to settle with Lunightia as her home world, she jumped through a lot of worlds, usually with a specific person whose name and face she can no longer recall, but alone on occasion. (This is based on my experience playing Minecraft on Xbox 360 and Pocket Editions before they shut down, lol)

I’m assuming you’re not looking to hear about Lunightia, though, you want to hear about Islandcraft right?

Well.

She, like c!Kitty, is trapped within the narrative. That being the giant, semi-unstable time loop they’re both stuck in. Fortunately for them, the precise combination of how my headcanons work means that neither of them will permadie because of this arrangement (a combination of “Players are immortal,” “Story Magic can fuck with time,” and “I mean, is it really a time loop if you’re not resetting everything, down to the biological level?”)! That doesn’t mean there can’t be Angst, though >:3

See, c!Faith is a water dragon. She has gills. She shouldn’t, really, be able to drown at all. But her fate in this loop is to drown with c!Kitty, every time. She shouldn’t need a ship, but she’s a pirate- she could hardly sail without one, right?

And yet. She’s only a pirate after meeting him for the first time (the tenth, the twentieth, the hundredth time). She has to relearn it all, every loop.

How to swordfight. How to rig up the sails and the ropes. How to aim the cannons, how to read the maps, how to find the long-forgotten treasures, how to steer the ship from all the way in the back. It’s not second nature, even now.

One thing she knows, though, is that the world shouldn’t be like this. It’s weird. Sand doesn’t come in pink and blue and black. There is no yellow biome in the Nether. She knows this. But… How does she know? She can’t remember a time before the world was like this, can’t remember any other worlds at all. (She doesn’t think about it. Don’t think about it, just let it simmer, quietly, driving you slowly, steadily mad as you struggle to remember something, anything-)

Unfortunately for her, she’s not going to be getting any answers any time soon! This world is just slowly mutating and she is powerless to stop it :)

Fun fact about c!Faith! She’s 2’10 (picture a Maine Coon but a dragon) and adores endermen even though you’d really think that such a small creature would be at least a little intimidated by the height difference. She can also walk quadrupedally, if she wants to, but mostly doesn’t because being able to use your hands is actually pretty convenient and, shockingly, it’s really difficult to do that if you’re standing on them.

Now, to be clear, the premise we’re building Islandcraft on is that this has happened before, and it will happen again. This isn’t even close to the first time they’ve played through this song and dance. It won’t be the last. These pirates and their Vaguely Desperate Godlike Entity are going to be running this whole shebang for a good, long while yet. That being said…

…This is our first time playing this out, so not all of the details and plot holes have been ironed out yet. Also it’s, like, really late, and I haven’t consulted literally anyone else about all of the things that I just said, so if there are some small contradictions please assume that the other person is right

[that-butch-archivist]

I didn't think ahead and realize that some of y'all would reference this as a reading list! Below the cut, I wrote up a list of every book pictured here and grouped them in order by photo #.

Feel free to shoot me an ask about any of the books if you want a better description of what each book is about, what the table of contents looks like, etc. In the meantime, I will be slowly archiving away lol.

In Photo #1:

Glamour Girls: Femme/Femme Erotica, edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel

Femme: Feminists, Lesbians, & Bad Girls, edited by Laura Harris & Elizabeth Crocker

Femininity Played Straight: The Significance of Being Lesbian, written by Biddy Martin

The Femme's Guide to the Universe, written by Shar Rodnour

Barbie's Queer Accessories, written by Erica Rand

In Photo #2:

Lesbians, Levis, and Lipstick: /the Meaning of Beauty in Our Lives, edited by Jeanine C. Cogan & Joanie M. Erickson

Looking Like What You Are: Sexual Style, Race, and Lesbian Identity, written by Lisa Walker

She's Just Not That Into You: The Fab Femme's Guide to Queer Love & Dating, written by Aryka Randall

Brazen Femme: Queering Femininity, edited by Chloe Brushwood Rose & Anna Camilleri

Diary of a Dyke: Femme Dyke zine, issue #2, edited by Stella Hobart

The Femme Mystique, edited by Leslea Newman

In Photo #3:

Trash, written by Dorothy Allison

Bastard Out of Carolina, written by Dorothy Allison

Rebellion: Essays, 1980-1991, written by Minnie Bruce Pratt

Her Tongue on My Theory: Images, Essays, and Fantasies, written by Kiss & Tell (Persimmon Blackbridge, Lizard Jones, and Susan Stewart)

Red Light: Superheroes, Saints, and Sluts, edited by Anna Camilleri

S/He, written by Minnie Bruce Pratt

Crime Against Nature, written by Minnie Bruce Pratt

In Photo #4:

The Well of Loneliness, written by Radclyffe Hall

Women on Women, edited by Joan Nestle and Naomi Holoch

The New Lesbian Studies: Into the Twenty-first Century, edited by Bonnie Zimmerman & Toni A. H. McNaron

That's Ms. Bulldyke to you, Charlie!, illustrated by Jane Caminos

The Dyke Detector, written by Shelly Roberts and illustrated by Yani Batteau

The Lesbian Postmodern, edited by Laura Doan

Lesbian Erotics, edited by Karla Jay

Unbroken Ties: Lesbian Ex-Lovers, written by Carol S. Becker, PhD

In Photo #5:

Girls' Night Out, photographed by Chloe Atkins

Between Us: A Legacy of Lesbian Love Letters, edited by Kay Turner

Butch/Femme, edited by M. G. Soares & photographed by Pamela Camhe, Joyce Culver, Morgan Gwenwald, Trista Sordillo, & Eva Weiss

The Lesbian Avenger Handbook: A Handy Guide to Homemade Revolution, edited by Kelly Cogswell

Finding the Lesbians: Personal Accounts From Around The World, edited by Julia Penelope & Sarah Valentine

Dykewords: An Anthology of Lesbian Writing, edited by The Lesbian Writing and Publishing Collective

Lesbian Lists, written by Dell Richards

Lesbian Passion: Loving Ourselves And Each Other, written by JoAnn Loulan

Pleasure and Danger: Exploring Female Sexuality, edited by Carmela S. Vance

In Photo #6:

Can't Keep A Straight Face, written by Ellen Orleans & illustrated by Noreen Stevens

The Lesbian Sex Haiku Book (with Cats!), written by Anna Pulley & illustrated by Kelsey Beyer

Lesbian Marriage: A Sex Survival Kit, written by Kim Chernin & Renate Stendhal

Another Mother Tongue: Gay Words, Gay Worlds, written by Judy Grahn

Cass and the Stone Butch, written by Antoinette Azolakov

Diamonds Are A Dyke's Best Friend, written by Yvonne Zipter

Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers: A History of Lesbian Life in Twentieth-Century America, written by Lillian Faderman

Tasting Life Twice: Literary Lesbian Fiction by New American Writers, edited by E. J. Levy

The Practice of Love: Lesbian Sexuality and Perverse Desire, written by Teresa de Lauretis

In Photo #7

Sapphistry: The Book of Lesbian Sexuality, written by Pat(rick) Califia & illustrated by Tee Corinne

Tomboy Survival Guide, written by Ivan E. Coyote

Girl Mans Up, written by M-E Girard

The Second Coming: A Leatherdyke Reader, edited by Pat(rick) Califia & Robin Sweeney

Dreams of the Woman Who Loved Sex: A Collection, written by Tee Corinne

Skin: Talking About Sex, Class, & Literature, written by Dorothy Allison

The Advocate Advisor, written by Pat(rick) Califia

The Nearest Exit May Be Behind You, written by S. Bear Bergman

Stone Butch Blues, written by Leslie Feinberg

In Photo #8:

The Art of Meeting Women: A Guide for Gay Women, written by Rhona Sacks

Lavender Culture, edited by Karla Jay & Allen Young

The Shared Heart: Portraits and Stories Celebrating Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Young People, photographed by Adam Mastoon

The Persistent Desire: A Femme-Butch Reader, edited by Joan Nestle

Lesbian Sex, written by JoAnn Loulan

Women In Leather: Shaping Our Own Identity, written by Toni Solenne

Persistence: All Ways Butch and Femme, edited by Zena Sharman & Ivan E. Coyote

Susie Sexpert's Lesbian Sex World (2nd edition), written by Susie Bright

Public Sex: The Culture of Radical Sex, written by Pat(rick) Califia

In Photo #9:

Go The Way Your Blood Beats: An Anthology of Lesbian and Gay Fiction by African-American Writers, edited by Shawn Stewart Ruff

The Whole Lesbian Sex Book: A Passionate Guide For All of Us, written by Felice Newman

Girl Sex 101, written by Allison Moon & K.D. Diamond

[Fucking Trans Women will be recorded in Photo #10]

On Our Backs Guide to Lesbian Sex, edited by Diana Cage

The Lesbian Sex Book, written by Wendy Caster, revised by Rachel Kramer Bussel, illustrations by Julie May, & photographs by Marcelina Martin

In Photo #10:

Dagger: On Butch Women, edited by Lily Burana & Roxxie Linnea Due

The Color Purple, written by Alice Walker

Growing Up Gay/Growing Up Lesbian: A Literary Anthology, edited by Bennett L. Singer

[Pictured again: Go The Way Your Blood Beats]

Desiring China: Experiments in Neoliberalism, Sexuality, and Public Culture, written by Lisa Rofel

Genderqueer: Voices from Beyond the Sexual Binary, edited by Joan Nestle, Clare Howell, and Riki Wilchins

Fucking Trans Women: A Zine About the Sex Lives of Trans Women, written by Mira Bellwether

In Photo #11:

BUTCH, photographed by Meg Allen

Lesbian Sacred Sexuality, written by Diana Mariechild & photographed by Marcelina Martin

Women Together: Portraits of Love, Commitment, and Life, essays by Mona Holmlund & photographs by Cyndy Warwick

The L Life: Extraordinary Lesbians Making A Difference, written by Erin McHugh & photographed by Jennifer May

Damn Fine Art by New Lesbian Artists, edited by Cherry Smyth

In Photo #12:

Women In Love: Portraits of Lesbian Mothers & Their Families, photographs & interviews by Barbara Seyda & Diana Herrera

Nothing But The Girl: The Blatant Lesbian Image, edited by Susie Bright & Jill Posener

Making Out: The Book of Lesbian Sex and Sexuality, photographed by Laurence Jaugey-Paget & written by Zoe Schramm-Evans

Dyke Strippers: Lesbian Cartoonists from A to Z, edited by Roz Warren

Eye to Eye: Portraits of Lesbians, photographs by JEB (Joan E. Biren)

In Photo #13:

Love Makes a Family: Portraits of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Parents and Their Families, photographed by Gigi Kaeser & edited by Peggy Gillespie

Powers of Desire: The Politics of Sexuality, edited by Ann Snitnow, Christine Stansell, & Sharon Thompson

The Wild Good: Lesbian Photographs & Writings on Love, edited by Beatrix Gates

The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For, written and illustrated by Allison Bechdel

Tipping the Velvet, written by Sarah Waters

Queer Love in Color, photographed by Jamal Jordan

Coming Out of Shame: Transforming Gay and Lesbian Lives, written by Gershen Kaufman, PhD, & Lev Raphael, PhD

My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness, written and illustrated by Nagata Kabi

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, written and illustrated by Alison Bechdel

The Secret to Superhuman Strength, written and illustrated by Alison Bechdel

In Photo #14:

Sometimes She Lets Me: Best Butch/Femme Erotica, edited by Tristan Taormino

Leather Women II, edited by Laura Antoniou

Leather Women III, edited by Laura Antoniou

Baby Remember My Name: An Anthology of New Queer Girl Writing, edited by Michelle Tea

Dark Angels: Lesbian Vampire Stories, edited by Pam Keesey

Back to Basics: A Butch/Femme Anthology, edited by Therese Szymanski

On Our Backs: The Best Erotic Fiction, edited by Lindsay McClune

Melting Point, written by Pat(rick) Califia

The Mammoth Book of Lesbian Erotica, edited by Barbara Cardy

Best Lesbian Erotica 1997, edited by Tristan Tormino

Best Lesbian Erotica 2001, edited by Tristan Taormino

In Photo #15:

The Gender Frontier, photographed by Mariette Pathy Allen

Edges of the Rainbow: LGBTQ Japan, photographed by Michel Delsol & Haruku Shinozaki

Bordered Lives: Transgender Portraits from Mexico, photographed by Kike Arnal

Self Evident Truths: 10,000 Portraits of Queer America, photographed by iO Tillett Wright

Lives in Transition: LGBTQ Serbia, photographed by Slobodan Randjelovic

This Is How The Heart Beats: LGBTQ East Africa, photographed by Jake Naughton & Jacob Kushner

In Photo #16:

The Night of Your Life: Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, produced by Gerry North

Transcuba, photographed by Mariette Pathy Allen

Out in America: A Portrait of Gay and Lesbian Life, edited by Michael Goff and the staff of Out magazine

Transformations: Crossdressers and Those Who Love Them, photographed by Mariette Pathy Allen

In Photo #17:

Calamus: Male Homosexuality in Twentieth Century Literature, edited by David Galloway & Christian Sabisch

Boys Like Us: Gay Writers Tell Their Coming Out Stories, edited by Patrick Merla

Queer Studies: A Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Anthology, edited by Brett Beemyn & Mickey Eliason

The Columbia Anthology of Gay Literature: Reading from Western Antiquity to the Present Day, edited by Byrne R. S. Fone

Coming Out Under Fire: The History of Gay Men and Women in World War Two, written by Allan Berube

The Twin Cities GLBT Oral History Project: Queer Twin Cities, edited by Michael David Franklin, Larry Knopp, Kevin P. Murphy, Ryan Patrick Murphy, Jennifer L. Pierce, Jason Ruiz, & Alex T. Urquhart

In Photo #18:

Bisexuality: The Psychology and Politics of an Invisible Minority, edited by Beth A. Firestein

Men on Men 3: Best New Gay Fiction, edited by George Stambolian

The Faggots & Their Friends Between Revolutions, written by Larry Mitchell & illustrated by Ned Asta

My Gender Workbook, written by Kate Bornstein

The Tragedy of Heterosexuality, written by Jane Ward

Beyond Blood: Writings on the Lesbian and Gay Family, edited by Louise Wakeling & Margaret Bradstock

Some of My Best Friends: Essays in Gay History and Biography, written by A. Nolder Gay

A Passion To Preserve: Gay Men as Keepers of Culture, written by Will Fellows

Covering: The Hidden Assault on Our Civil Rights, written by Kenji Yoshino

The Evening Crowd at Kirmser's: A Gay Life in the 1940s, written by Ricardo J. Brown & edited by William Reichard

Homoeroticism in Classical Arabic Literature, written by J. W. Wright Jr. & Everett K. Rowson

Gay New York: Gender, Urban Culture, and the Making of the Gay Male World, 1890-1940, written by George Chauncey

In Photo #19:

Best Gay Erotica 1998, edited by Richard Labonte

Best Gay Erotica 2010, edited by Richard Labonte

Best Gay Erotica 2000, edited by Richard Labonte

The Politics of Reality: Essays in Feminist Theory, written by Marilyn Frye

Demystifying Homosexuality: A Teaching Guide About Lesbians and Gay Men, written by The Human Rights Foundation, Inc.

The Ins and Outs of Gay Sex: A Medical Handbook for Men, written by Stephen Goldstone, MD

The Homo Handbook: Getting in Touch with Your Inner Homo, written by Judy Carter

Leather Folk: Radical Sex, People, Politics, and Practice, edited by Mark Thompson

Bisexuality in the Ancient World, written by Eva Cantarella

Sensuous Magic: A Guide for Adventurous Couples, written by Pat(rick) Califia

Life, Leather, and the Pursuit of Happiness, written by Steve Lenius

Sex Changes: The Politics of Transgenderism, written by Pat(rick) Califia

Closer To Home: Bisexuality & Feminism, edited by Elizabeth Reba Weise

Did the math last night and realized that on the topic of femme lesbians specifically, I am only 18 books away from having every non-fiction book on the subject. Unless of course I am wrong, at which point I will have to keep digging. This is fine specifically because Diary of a (Femme) Dyke Vol. 2 arrived today and I am pleased as punch.

[noctisyoulikeahurricane]

The Light-Bearer and the Void-Beast

-Prompto’s TV Show?!-

(Chapter 4)

~POV Prompto~

Prompto woke with a start as he realized he was not in the tent. He felt heavy clothes on him and when he looked down, he discovered he was wearing some sort of snow gear? When he returned his gaze away from his clothes and looked around, a vending machine with the words, “Ebony,” on them rested behind him. Why was this machine here? Why did he have snow gear on? What is this place?

When Prompto got up, everything suddenly seemed very quiet. He stood at the end of an office-like hallway. The only sounds he could hear was the rise and fall of his own breathing. The silence felt deafening as his footsteps fell silently as he moved through the hall to the first door.

Prompto tried to open the first door in the hall, but the handle wouldn’t budge. He shrugged a little to himself and moved onto the next door. It swung open quietly, but the light from the hall didn’t break past the doorframe.

“Well, that’s not creepy at all...” Prompto said sarcastically to himself. Nothing but blackness greeted him when he looked inside the other room. He carefully put his foot through to test if the floor felt solid, and when it did, he went through the door and into the room.

Once Prompto walked away from the door, the door slammed shut on its own accord. Prompto braced for something bad to happen, but for a few moments, not a thing happened. Prompto opened his eyes and lost the words he was about to say. Stars shone above for a while before a harsh wind started to pick up. His arms went up to buffer the sudden cold wind that moved against his face, but then Prompto gasped in surprise.

He no longer wore the winter clothes. Instead, a long navy blue suit adorned his arms and shoulders. A matching set of dress pants were also present. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Why is he suddenly dressed so formally? A bright light broke his trail of thought and he lifted his hand to prevent himself from seeing spots. The sudden roar of clapping thundered ahead of him as an unfamiliar voice introduced him.

“And here’s the man of the hour, Prompto Argentum!” We welcome you all back to the show!” The announcement said in a singsong voice. Prompto made his way downstage over to a desk and waved at the audience. Prompto did not recall moving however. A familiar happy chirp caught his attention and he looked off to his right to see Alyssa curled up on a comfortable looking chair with leather armrests next to his desk. Somehow her presence calmed him down. Prompto’s movements were his own this time.

“Yes! We are back with our very special guest, Alyssa, the Queen of the Stars! We will continue with the interview now to get to know our guest a little better.” Prompto said, recalling his lines easily. Alyssa watched him in interest, still seated so that she faced the audience still.

“So Alyssa, what brings you to our show tonight?” Prompto asked. He suddenly remembered that she couldn’t speak, but before he could do anything, Alyssa seemed to abruptly have the ability to talk to Prompto’s shock.

“A messenger by the name of Gentiana brought me to you and your friends after I arrived on this world. Do you not remember my friend?” Alyssa said. For such a tiny dragon, her voice held so much power!

“Oh, right! We already went over that in our last interview, my bad!” Prompto chuckled and the audience laughed with him.

“We were trying to figure out something correct?” You might have to remind me. Prompto said once the audience calmed down.

“I am trying to find a way to restore my magic. We ran out of time earlier to discuss ideas.” Alyssa responded in kind.

“Oh, that’s right! Well, I have a few ideas on how to help, but we might need to change things up a bit!” Prompto said enthusiastically. He motioned to the left of both of them and motioned for Alyssa to follow him there.

A pedestal stood out from some sort of game area. Off to the left of the podium seemed to be a chair and table combination with a button on the table. A dark LED screen hid the bottom half of the chair from view, probably for some sort of score-keeping.

Once the two were situated, Prompto decided to clue in the audience on what was happening. He straightened his red tie, then swept his hands in a way to point the crowd’s gaze in the direction of the spinning wheel nearby on the wall.

“Ok folks, here’s how this works. Our esteemed guest will guess a color and when we spin the wheel, the pointer on the wheel will tell us if our guest can move onto the next game. There are four colors: red, blue, green, and yellow. These four colors represent what game will come next.” Prompto started to explain.

“Each color represents one of our group members, excluding our guest. Blue represents Noctis, green represents Ignis, red represents Gladio, and yellow represents me! If our guest can guess what color the wheel lands on, we get to go to a different game altogether. If the color is predicted incorrectly, then we have to do an activity in order to progress. For example, if the wheel lands on blue (Noctis) and Alyssa does not guess this color, we have to go fishing. If green (Ignis) is landed on and not predicted, then we will have to cook up a recipe. If red (Gladio) is spun and not chosen by our guest, we will have to train with Gladio. And finally if yellow (Prompto) is spun but not picked, we will need to ride chocobos! Oh I really hope we can ride chocobos!” Prompto said excitedly.

“Okay Alyssa, what color do you think the wheel will land on?” Prompto asked. Alyssa thought a moment, tapping her little claws on the table. She picked the color blue and they examined the wheel. 12 sections of alternating colors spun quickly before landing on green (Ignis).

“And there you have it folks! We will be getting our queen’s magic back by making something divine to eat! We will be back after these messages!” Prompto said. The dream faded to black as Prompto woke up with a start.

Prompto picked up his phone to take note of the time. It was a normal time for him to wake up at surprisingly. He got up a bit disoriented as he started getting up for his morning routine.

However, he nearly yelped when he opened the zipper of the tent only to be met with Gentiana waiting for him outside. Luckily she shushed him before he could wake anyone.

“Prompto, your dreams are giving you guidance in this situation. Your new dragon friend is unconsciously giving you and your friends aid on how to help her. Please, see if you and Alyssa can beat the game she provided for you.” Gentiana said, then disappeared.

Prompto decided that the others needed to know about this as soon as possible. He planned to explain the situation once everyone woke up. However, he soon realized that he would need to wake the other two once again after a few hours. Prompto wondered if the shenanigans would happen again, and couldn’t hide his amusement as he entered the tent.

He saw Alyssa already awake when he ducked inside. Noctis tried comically to coax the small dragon off of the top of his head. Prompto couldn’t help but laugh at the display. Oh why didn’t he have his camera in his hands right now?

Once everyone had breakfast, the group chatted about what Prompto discovered about the gameshow dream and what it meant for them.

“Perhaps we should make a special meal tonight?” Ignis suggested. Alyssa’s ears twitched forward in interest.

“But what are we supposed to make?” Noctis asked.

“Maybe it needs to be her favorite meal?” Gladio thought out loud. They all knew that meals could boost their stats, so maybe that would work with their dragon friend? Alyssa made a happy chirp at the mention of favorites.

“Okay, so what can we make that you like?” Prompto asked Alyssa, who had curled up to rest on his lap. Alyssa had a notebook and a pencil on a nearby armrest this time so she could answer questions.

“I’m not a picky eater, but I do really like sweets.” Alyssa wrote. Prompto read the information out loud for the others.

“What kind of treat do you like the most then?” Ignis asked in an amused manner. Alyssa wrote an answer.

“I really like ice cream actually.” She scribbled. Alyssa’s tail swished happily.

“Do you have a favorite flavor?” Noctis asked her. Noctis’ face arranged itself in interest in the idea of ice cream as well.

“I like berries, but I also really like chocolate too.” Alyssa wrote. Prompto read aloud the dragon’s notes each time since he could easily see the notes. Ignis snapped his fingers after thinking for a moment. His expression softened a little as he began looking forward to making the next dish.

A few minutes later after writing a shopping list and packing up camp, the group made the short trek to the Regalia. Most of the supplies were already acquired, but they all soon discovered that the berries were much harder to come across.

“So what do we do now?” Prompto asked. The group made a pit stop to refuel and stretch their cramped up legs from the drive over.

“We should ask around to see if we can find anything about the berries. We don’t know if someone has some to sell or if we have to go out and find them. We have most of the ingredients already.” Ignis sighed.

“Maybe the cook at Galdin Quay knows something? She did mention a dish with berries in it before right?” Gladio said as he crossed his arms in thought.

“I suppose it’s worth a try.” Noctis said with a smile. They all piled back into the car after that. The ride over, with the exception of the wind roaring past their ears from having the top down on the car, was a quiet one. The weather felt clear and sunny! The sun warmed everyone’s skin as it welcomed them.

The calming waves soothed the five friends as the salty air cleared their thoughts. Their feet clicked against the wood of the the long pier on their way to the famous restaurant. They chatted a little with their friend as she worked and found the location of the missing ingredient.

The group told their goodbyes as they headed out of the seaside restaurant. By this time, it was just a bit after midday, but they still had a bit of a drive before they could get the berries.

Conversation lost in the wind passed the drive along, helping the trip feel much faster than it actually was. Alyssa sighed as she became aware of how close the others connected with each other. She felt a bit homesick, but decided to keep it to herself for now. The only one who noticed was Noctis, but he didn’t comment on it.

After a long struggle, the last ingredient acquired, and a short interruption to set up camp as the last of the sun’s rays faded behind rocky cliffs into night, Ignis got to work with the ingredients for the ice cream at last. Alyssa observed quietly as she perched on Ignis’ shoulder. She watched curiously as her tiny mouth watered in anticipation as the scent of the mixture came her way. Noctis had to use ice magic in order to speed up the process of freezing so they could enjoy the treat at a decent hour.

They all started eating the ice cream, but not before admiring Ignis’ handiwork. The treat was purplish red in color and speckled with the seeds from the berries and wrapped up with a quick dip into melted chocolate. A sprig of mint was placed strategically near the popsicle stick for decoration upon serving. Everyone dug into the ice cream at the earliest opportunity then sat in contentment afterward.

“Okay that was the absolute best feeling after a day like today.” Prompto declared happily. Alyssa gave a happy sigh as she finished the last bit of her ice cream. Noctis chuckled a little amused with her antics.

“I think she agrees with you.” Noctis said. Alyssa’s scales seemed to sparkle and glow softly in waves to everyone’s surprise.

“Whoa...What was that?” Gladio asked.

“I suppose the dream seems true then. That looked a lot like when Noctis gathers magic into flasks.” Ignis commented.

“Oh, it really did look like that!” Prompto agreed. Noctis found himself curious, but kept his thoughts to himself in that moment. Once it got late, they all made their way to bed and hoped that tomorrow held another way to help their friend again.

[aajjks]

Automaniac (I)

Synopsis. His steel made heart wasn’t supposed to beat for you.

pairing(s): yan!cyborg!jk x owner!human fem!reader. ??? X reader

warning. DARK, ANGST, YANDERE, JEALOUSY, robot!koo, FLUFF, ~feels~, POSESSIVE BEHAVIOR. Very dark, OBSESSIVE BEHAVIOUR AND OBSESSION, this is soft?? Ig??

CW: FLUFF, SOFT YANDERE, OBSESSIVE BEHAVIOUR, he compliments you a lot... he’s in love with you, like completely smitten... wow... red flags.... not edited. Written in mixed povs.

[THE ART BELOW IS NOT MINE, belongs to the owner, credited to them.]

important notes. This au is set in 2043 so obviously technology has advanced and robots are able to feel, he has a mechanical heart, his behaviour is just like a human being, he is able to cry too, lol this is fiction, anything can happen 🤷🏻‍♀️ if you’d like to be tagged pls lmk! :dd

note. CAN I JUST SAY HOW PROUD I AM OF THE TITLE NAME?!! IM SO IN LOVE WITH MY SHITTY BRAINNNN!!!! WOHOOOOO MY SECOND SERIES!!!! IM SO EXCITED YET NERVOUS FOR THIS NGL... I mean this genre is pretty difficult for me because it’s sci-fi... so go easy on me... it’s as always yandere and tbh guys?? This fic is literally my worst nightmare... don’t ask why but robots creep the fuck out of me... I really hope he’ll be able to make a smol place in ur heart. FEEDBACK IS NEEDED DESPERATELY. Please share your thoughts ENJOY! Enjoy your robot!koo ;) EEEK MY FIRST EVER SERIESSSS SHHHHHH AHHH!!!

EDIT: DAMNNNN GUYS LOOK AT THE HEADER @kithtaehyung MADE FOR ME!!!?~~ AHHHG RYEN IM ACTUALLY FUCKING AMAZEDDDD PLS— HE LOOKS LIKE A LITERAL CYBORG AHHH IM OBSESSED. YOU REALLY EXCEEDED MY EXPECTATIONS! I’m totally in luv with this. TYSM PLS! you’re amazing!

So... jk is a mix between a robot and a cyborg, ;) I love how this all doesn’t make sense at all. But lol please give this a chance. Have a Rose 🌹 ENJOY!

Masterlist.

The world had advanced.

It was 2043 and the world depended on A.I. And you were no exception.

“Noona, it is time for you to get ready, you have a meeting with DR. L/N.” Your robot, JK-97 reminds you as you inhale deeply and watch him sit down next to you with a steaming mug of coffee in his hands. “I know, jungkook.” Jungkook, The robot, stares at your face, his eyes shiny, full of light, his lips pressed together in a straight line.

“Noona, you look tired.” He speaks up as he passes you your mug. “An average human should get 8 hours of sleep.” You look back at him and smile at his innocent face. He was quick to mimic the expression and smiled back at you. “You’re so caring, JK.” You compliment the now, blushing boy. Your eyes widened with shock.

It was scary that how much technology had advanced. Robots were now no different than humans. It was terrifying sometimes. Truly. Jungkook coming into your life was unplanned.

Your robot was a gift from your father for your twentieth birthday. JK-97, your fathers biggest creation yet. It had been now four years since jungkook came into your life. And it was safe to say that you were used to him being your only companion. “Noona. My senses indicate that you’re thinking about something. Your body language tells me you’re nervous.”

And he was right, as always.

“Hmm... yeah... I am nervous I guess? I mean my father rarely asks me to come to his lab...” you played with the mug as you took a sip of the steaming coffee. “Noona?” You sigh, Jungkook stares back at you with intensity, the sudden change in his demeanour making you nervous. “Yes... JK?”

It was like you two were having an eye contact competition when you raised your eyebrows at him. “You don’t have to be nervous. I’m here with you.” Jungkook raises his right hand and takes your left hand in his. “Always.” Jungkooks eyes never leave your face, his “iron” like grip tightening around your hand when the moment is interrupted by the buzzing sound of an alarm bell.

Coming from him.

“JK! Your heart beats rising.” And the robot just stares at you with an unreadable look in his eyes. The default colour of his eyes changing to red.

...weird. Maybe this could be a minor glitch?

“JUNGKOOK! Calm down, sweetheart..” but no use, his heart beat only rises. You look at him with concern while making his “heart” thump rapidly.

His mind was starting to glitch. Only pictures of you surrounding the robot’s processor.

His owner Y/N.

Jungkook could never ever disobey you.

You were his owner, his everything. He was made for you, only you. He was created to be used by you, he was made to serve you, his purpose was to always be with you, no matter what.

“JK, will you be fine, sweetheart? I have to go now. I’ll be back in a few hours!” You were hesitant, Jungkook could tell, his eyes observed you. “Noona, you look so pretty.” Jungkook responds to your question with a completely different answer. The cyborg was distracted with you.

“Thank you, Jungkook! Don’t forget to charge yourself unlike last time!” You instructed him and he nodded, pouting his lips. “Noona... do you really have to go?”

Jungkooks system was given a newer update so it was obvious that he had learned about numerous things, including more human facial expressions. “Yes, kook, it is important. I don’t know but I’ll be back, soon.” You smiled as you blew the pouting man a kiss.

“This expression suits you a lot, you look cute.” You compliment him, giggling at his unusual cute expressions.

And Jungkook felt like his CPU malfunctioned for a bit. “Noona, you think I’m cute?” He gets up from the bed as he walks towards you, his orbs glowing, almost.

“Um... JK Your update is definitely more advanced than before..” you laugh and jungkook can swear that he feels something flutter inside him.

“You have the most melodious laugh ever, Y/N noona..” he is careful with the choice of his words. “Can you smile please, Noona?” Jungkook asks you. You raise your eyebrow at him but listen to him.

Jungkook captures the sight inside his eyes, by only blinking twice. “You’re too beautiful Noona.” He compliments unknowningly, busy admiring the image, not noticing your exit.

As Jungkook snaps back to reality, he finds himself alone in your room. “Y/N noona is gone.” His face falls, suddenly feeling sad. He walks towards the charging area and quickly connects himself to power.

He closes his eyes and settles on the seat. As the cyborg starts to view your countless pictures in his memory, he feels a weird overwhelming vibration inside his metal chest.

Oh, how he could stare at you forever. He could, if only you’d allow him to... Jungkook considered himself the luckiest robot ever made. He feels very thankful to your father for creating him for you.

His Y/N... he was your Jungkook, only made for you. The robot felt a strong sense of emotion towards you. It felt a lot stronger... noticeably since his latest update.

His senses of feelings were improving a lot.

The feelings that he felt for you. “JK loves Y/N noona. Very much.”

Walking towards your father’s lab, you feel confused. He never really called you to his work place, unless...

He made a new creation. And the last time you visited the lab was four years ago, when JK-97 aka Jungkook came into your life. But... you did not feel excited this time.

You just weren’t feeling good.

This time, you were feeling like your life was going to be turned around forever...and boy in a good way. You closed your eyes and inhaled. No.. you’re probably overthinking.

It was going to be good, right? Your instincts were strong but you had to let go of the paranoia settling in your mind. Exhaling, you knocked on the door in front of your eyes.

“Dad! I’m here!”

[jellyfishloveletterghosts]

Track in a Crowd

Another thing that has been sitting in my docs, this one has been there for over a year now. I was originally going to add more to the middle but then just never felt like it and I still don’t lol so abo Rockstar Billy and model Steve meeting at a party. Until my hands are better I’m pretty much just editing shit since it doesn’t require a whole lot.

Track in a Crowd  

“I hate parties.” Steve complains for what must be the twentieth time since they arrived, slumping over on the couch so he can press his forehead against Carol’s shoulder, arms curled around her waist.

 “I know Stevie, that's why you dragged me along.” Carol says with a laugh patting his head. It is always like this, every time Steve’s agent Heather calls and insists he needs to go somewhere for exposure, he begs Carol to go with him. They share an apartment so Steve usually slams into whatever room she is in, flops dramatically over the closest surface and complains before giving her big damp eyes, scent pumping out distress that is only a little forced.

 “How much longer do we have to stay?” Steve asks, turning his face and tucking in closer to Carol’s neck trying to block out the other smells from the party. It is mostly alphas and betas crowding the room and the pheromones are high, they always are when alcohol is flowing at these sorts of parties, most folks trying to show off to others and make connections, it is nauseating. Steve sighs into Carol’s neck as she projects comfort into her scent and it helps a little.

 Carol does not answer his question, Heather had come by their apartment before the party and insisted Carol keep Steve at the party for a minimum of three hours. It has only been thirty minutes, best to not point that out, instead she changes the subject. “You want some horderves? We should probably eat something.” Carol says as she finishes her flute of champagne, Steve already finished his drink a few minutes earlier, empty delicate glass held between his thighs. 

 Steve makes a noncommittal noise into Carol’s throat. Carol is right they should eat, he is even a little hungry but the thought of traveling across the room to get to the large table holding various mini foods makes his stomach roll anew. Why are the servers not also carrying trays of food, instead of just carrying drinks around the room, he finds it very inconvenient. 

"How about you stay hunkered down here" Carol waves a server with drinks over swapping out their empty flutes for two fresh ones. "And have some more to drink while I go get us some food?" Carol sips her own champagne while running the fingers of her free hand through Steve's hair.

 "But then I'll be all alone." Steve complains, fingers toying with the glass Carol pressed between his thighs, careful not to spill it. 

 "Can't have it both ways sweetie." Carol does not actually give him a chance to decide, standing abruptly and dislodging Steve from her. "I'll be right back." Carol says bending down and laying a kiss on Steve's cheek, hoping it will help keep any overzealous alphas from approaching in her absence.

 Steve tries to grab for Carol so he can drag her back onto the couch but she dances out of his reach and he pouts as she disappears into the crowd. Steve hunches down and tries to look as unapproachable as possible as he frowns into his champagne glass. He hates these things but at least with Carol at his side he does not have to worry about alphas trying to approach him. 

 It is not that he does not like alphas, he just does not like most alphas. A lot of them are huge assholes, who have forgotten how to actually talk to an omega, especially the ones who come to these sorts of parties. They think they do not have to work for it, that they can just get away with pumping out pheromones and using their alpha vocal cords to force an omega into a drop. Steve punched the last alpha to try using their cords on him. The tabloids had hounded him for three weeks after that, until another famous omega got caught having an affair on their alpha.

 Steve scowls at any alpha that even glances in his direction, scent going hostile because he really, really does not want to deal with any of them. Steve frowns as he looks at his watch before berating himself, it has only been five minutes. He occupies himself by drinking his champagne, by the time he finishes the glass it has been twenty minutes and he starts to worry. It definitely should not be taking Carol this long.

 The same server as before who has thankfully been working the outskirts of the party comes by and Steve thanks him as he switches out his empty flute for a new one, eyes scanning the crowd looking for Carol. It is the wrong move, as it attracts a nearby alpha, who takes Steve’s searching eyes as an invitation to take up the seat next to him, sitting entirely too close without invitation. Steve huffs in agitation, edging away from the man in the limited space left to him.

 “What’s a pretty thing like you doing all by yourself over here?” They ask, sliding closer and taking up the space Steve just made between them, ignoring the sour scent pouring off of Steve. Steve doubts the man can even smell him with all of the interest the man himself is pumping out, some alphas smell good to Steve, this man is not one of them and Steve decided to take immediate action.

 Steve stands and ignores the man's surprised shout as he sucks it up and ventures into the crowd, the scent here is not really better but at least no one is actively directing it at him. Steve wanders through the crowd looking for Carol and trying to avoid groping hands when his nose catches a scent. It is something pleasant tangled in the mass of unpleasantness and he wants to follow it. Steve chews on his lips, it is rare he finds a scent he wants to follow, downing his third glass he weaves through the crowd, Carol forgotten as he searches.

 -

 Billy is bored, always so bored at these parties. It is always a variation of the same people crowding into these things. The first year after their band had taken off and they really got famous Billy had enjoyed all of the partying but they have been at this for a few years now, it is old hat. Billy has meet all of the people who enjoy these types of things, has fucked a wide variety of them, he is not really looking for nameless sex these days, which is all that every comes out of these things, that or someone just trying to cling onto the coattails of his fame and Billy is not interested in that either. He thinks it would be nice to find someone to settle down with. 

 Robin is not really into these parties the record label throws either but she has always been less inclined, all the mixing alpha pheromones make it less than fun for her sensitive nose. Their manager insists they have to come to them though, they have a reputation to keep or something, Billy tends to tune him out when he starts talking. They will be expected to make an appearance downstairs in the crowded ballroom soon, will have to come down from the little couch set up on the balcony overlooking the party. Billy is not looking forward to it and he can tell by the pinched look on Robin’s face that neither is she. 

 They are shooting the shit, mostly judging various party guests when their manager finally makes an appearance with a fake grin stretched across his face. “I suppose it’s time for us to go play our parts and cater to the masses.” Robin huffs out scent sour, the whole place reeks, even up here all Billy can smell is the strong mix of scents, the majority of the party alpha and betas. 

 “Don’t worry, if anyone tries anything, I’ll kick their ass.” Billy reassures, getting a bark of laughter out of Robin.

 “Like I need you to kick someone's ass for me.” Billy has seen her defend herself plenty, she is more than capable but that does not mean he will not jump in if he happens to be right there. 

 “Come on birdy, I’m getting hungry anyway, the catering is from that fancy place you like.” Billy stands tossing an arm around Robin’s shoulders as they brush by their manager, ignoring him as he opens his mouth to speak. They just keep walking, heading down the stairs into the throng of people. Billy pushes Robin in front of him, to keep from losing her in the crowd and so that no one can grab her ass. The last time someone made that mistake she broke their hand and Billy had cracked a rib laughing about it. Billy still ends up having to shoves people out of their way, as they ignore Robin trying to get through, sneering threateningly at anyone who opens their mouths to say something about it. 

 “Awe fuck yeah stuffed mushrooms!” Robin says excitedly, making a beeline for them as soon as they break through the crowd by the catering table. She grabs one off the table and immediately stuffs it in her mouth. Billy is laughing at her antics as he grabs a kabob and watches a pretty red headed woman offer Robin a napkin as sauce dribbles down her face. 

 Billy keeps his distance as he watches Robin flush as the woman makes gooey eyes at her and offers up a plate next. He keeps close just in case she gets too bold but Robin is smiling and making conversation so he just munches on his own kabob watching them. They are all flirty and gross cute and Billy is definitely going to tease Robin about this later.

 Billy does not want to interrupt but when a server puts a tray of fresh mini sliders on the end right behind them Billy moves closer, he loves mini sliders, the one good thing at these parties. He is just passing them when he catches a scent, a really good scent, smells like home and comfort and Billy wants to chase it.

 “Uh Billy boy watch yah doing to Carol?'' Robin asks and it is only then Billy realizes he has stuck his nose against Carol’s shoulder.

 “My bad.” He mumbles pulling away cheeks pink. He really needs a drink, or maybe no drink, maybe he has had too much to drink without enough food, he has never done something like that before, just pressed his nose against someone else that he does not even know.

 Robin catches him by the arm before he can make an escape. “Are you okay?” He still manages to snag a slider from the tray.

 “Yeah, uh just something smelled good on her.” He can still smell it, it is all over Carol, an omega that Billy can smell over Carol’s own alpha scent and the mix of scents that have brushed up against her since.  Billy has never reacted to an omegas scent like that before, never smelled something so compatible, so alluring. Carol looks fucking delighted as she gives him a once over.

 “Oh you must be smelling Stevie! I was just with him a few minutes ago, he’s a hugger.” Carol’s eyes turn away from him searching for her friend, frowning as the crowd parts and she does not spot him on the couch on the other side of the large room where she left him. “Usually he sticks to lingering on the outskirts at these sorts of things.” Worry etches into her scent. “Sorry I should go find him, make sure he hasn’t been cornered by some unwanted alpha. I swear it happens every time.” Carol shoots Robin an apologetic look. “Maybe I’ll see you later?”

 “Or I can come help you look.” Robin offers quickly. 

 “We could help you look.” Billy pipes in a second later. He wants more of that scent in his nose, preferably right from the source and some other alpha interfering with that does not sit right with Billy. Both women smirk at him “If I just leave it to the two of you, you’ll be making out in a broom closet instead of looking.” Billy grumbles cheeks pink.

 "We just met." Robin argues the flush of her cheeks saying that is exactly what would happen.

 “I would not make out in a broom closet, maybe a very clean bathroom.'' Carol says. tossing a wink at Robin who blushes with a giggle, oh Billy is definitely going to mock her for this later, Robin never giggles. Robin catches Billy looking at her and flips him off. 

 “So what should we be on the lookout for, what is going to make him stand out?” Billy asks like he does not already have his nose in the air searching for another whiff of that scent that is not on Carol.

 “Well he is wearing a dark green suit with a bright floral print shirt underneath, some designer wanted him seen in it and his agent insisted.” Carol says from the purse of her lips Billy is guessing she is not a fan of the outfit or the agent, possibly both. Billy scans the crowd, there are plenty of people in suits but most of them are boring black or gray, no green, no bright pop of color, a lot of people who happen to be in the industry are dressed down like Robin and Billy, more like they are going to a show and less the fancy party that they are in attendance at.

 Billy shrugs, moving as he catches another whiff of that scent, he wants to live in it. He is vaguely aware of Robin and Carol following after him.

 -

 Steve frowns. He cannot find the source of that scent but he has wandered into a room that is full of it and he decided that rather than going back out in the crowd to search for it that this is close enough. There are other scents in the room too but most of them are faint compared to whatever alpha smells so good and the only other strong scent is that of another omega. Steve frowns, fingering the strap of a guitar near the wall. He really hopes the alpha he keeps smelling is not already attached. He really would like to bury his face in that scent.

 Steve is distracted by his own thoughts and does not hear the door opening, the footsteps muffled by the carpet. Steve blinks as an offensive scent breaks through the pleasant one, filling up the room. Je whips around to find the unknown alpha from earlier standing entirely too close. Steve moves to step back and nearly topples over onto the couch set up against the wall, he had not realized he wandered that far from the center of the room. 

 “Easy their beautiful wouldn’t want you hurting yourself.” They say, hand catching Steve by the elbow before he can fall, Steve does not like it, he would have preferred the fall. He wrenches his arm back or rather he tries to but the man's grip tightens and Steve gives a little growl of agitation. “I’m just trying to be friendly, why so hostile?” The man does not let Steve go and his strong scent makes Steve's stomach roll, he wants away and he wants away now.

 “Let go.” Steve tries diplomacy first for no other reason than he really does not want to listen to Heather berate him for the next month because the tabloids got another story about him being a bad omega like that is even a thing. Steve hates the tabloids more than he hates parties, and almost as much as he hates alphas who think they can do whatever they want. 

 “Calm down baby, just want to talk.” Steve bristles as the man lays his cords on thick, glowering as it washes over him. Steve’s alpha father used to do that shit to him all of the time when he was young, it does not work on him now and he responds violently. He does not give a fuck if the tabloids run another story on him, feeling his knuckles slam against the guys cheek bone is more than worth it. Steve follows up the punch with a quick jab to the guys throat lest he try using his cords again, satisfaction curling in his belly as the man gives a gasping choke and falls to his knees clutching his throat. 

 -

 Billy and Carol track Steve’s scent to one of their rehearsal rooms, well Billy does most of the work Carol keeps getting distracted, flirting with Robin. It is gross but Billy hopes she is being sincere, she smells sincere, it has been a while since Robin met someone new, much less liked anyone so easily. 

 Billy gets distracted from his thoughts as he watches a man who can only be Steve punch some alpha in the throat, scent going bright with satisfaction as his dark eyes watch the man struggle for air. Billy’s cock definitely gives a kick in his tight leather pants, his own scent going heated, shit he might be a little in love already, he is definitely in lust. Steve whips his eyes from the man as Carol lets out a low whistle from next to Bill.

 “That’s my boy! Heather isn’t going to like this.” Carol laughs.

 “Heather can kiss my ass, I’m leaving, I fucking hate parties.” Steve hisses, kicking the alpha over when it looks like he might try getting up off of the ground and heading for the door. He stops suddenly in his tracks right in front of Billy, giving the air a big obvious sniff. “It’s you, that scent is coming from you, I’ve been trying to find it.” 

 “Smell pretty good yourself pretty boy.” Billy says, giving his own sniff, nostrils flaring as Steve takes a step closer. “How's your hand, you hit that asshole pretty hard.” Billy makes an aborted move to grab at Steve’s hand before thinking better of it. He does not want this to end the way it had for that other alpha. 

 Steve licks over his lips, scent inviting “Could use some ice.” He holds his hand up close to Billy showing off the red of his knuckles and Billy takes it for what it is, lets his fingers brush over soft skin. 

 “Why don’t we get you some ice, I know my way around this place we can bypass the crowd.” Billy asks, letting his fingers slide down to Steve's wrist, thumb brushing the underside, feeling the thumping pulse underneath. 

 “Billy grab some champagne while you're at it and meet us on the balcony, no one else will be up there, me and Carol will raid the horderves.” Robin pipes up grinning when Carol just nods her head enthusiastically at the idea.

 “What do you say pretty boy?” Billy asks, hoping Steve says yes, watching Steve as he appears to be thinking about it.

 “I am hungry.” Steve offers with a smile that Billy mirrors while the two women make excited murmurs to one another before leaving the room. 

 “Follow me.” Billy says, tucking Steve’s hand into the crook of his elbow and leading him toward a door on the opposite wall, grinning when Steve takes the opportunity to kick the alpha from before one last time as they are walking by. “What did he do to piss you off?” Billy asks as he leads them down a dark hallway. 

 “Tried to use his cords on me.” Steve sneers, scent souring. 

 “You should have kicked him in the throat. We can go back if you want to. I can do it if you don't want to.” Billy offers, scent becoming angry at the thought, it was clear the man did not know Steve and even if he had they certainly are not together. Steve bears no second scent, he is not bonded to anyone. It is impolite to use your cords on an omega who is not in distress or imminent danger, especially someone you do not even know. 

 Steve's scent goes bright with amusement as he tips his head back and laughs, putting more of his long spotted neck on display. Billy's mouth goes dry as his scent just gets better, his own scent draining of aggression as he breathes Steve in. "Maybe next time." He says, tone lilting with his continued mirth. 

 Billy ignores the staff in the kitchen digging out ice and wrapping it in a kitchen towel before holding it against Steve’s knuckles. He swipes a case of champagne on their way out, and one of the servers watches them before shrugging and going back to stuffing crab cakes into a little plastic container. 

When they get up to the balcony they find Carol and Robin making out against the railing that is overlooking the party. Billy makes it a point to let the champagne clatter against the little table, both him and Steve laughing as the two women break apart.  

 Billy sits down on the couch leaving the rest of it open as the two women press into an armchair, practically on top of each other. Normally he would have sat himself in the middle and spread out but he wants to leave Steve with plenty of space, giving him the choice of how close they are. He is utterly pleased when Steve slides close, barely an inch between them as he stuff a mushroom cap in his mouth offering another one to Billy.

[smajor-updates]

Scott is in Seapeekay’s twitch chat!

[Image ID: Screenshot of fifty-seven twitch chat messages by Smajor. The first reads “Callum leaking it too lol���. The second reads “@/owengejuicetv you should be editing”. The third reads “@/owengejuicetv case he’ll be trying to cut out all his mess ups haha”. The fourth reads “it used to mess up your views”. The fifth reads “TAKE AUSTRAILIA”. The sixth reads “ITS THE BEST”. The seventh reads “I loved risk”. The eighth reads “i was a moster”. The ninth reads “monster*”. The tenth reads “yeah its super easy to defend”. The eleventh reads “can you double up on aus?”. The twelfth reads “so you can take her land?”. The thirteenth reads “OMG”. The fourteenth reads “YES”. The fifteenth reads “WE ARE DOING AGE OF EMPIRES”. The sixteenth reads “TUBBO ISNT INVITED”. The seventeenth reads “TUBBO CANT PLAY AGE OF EMPIRES”. The eighteenth reads “HES NOT INVITED”. The nineteenth reads “Tell tubbo hes not invited to age of empires, anyone else in the call can”. The twentieth reads “DONT LEAVE IT”. The twenty-first reads “ATTACK IT”. The twenty-second reads “TAKE IT OUT”. The twenty-third reads “DONT LET HER HAVE IT”. The twenty-fourth reads “SHE HAS ALL OF AFRICA”. The twenty-fifth reads “THIS IS WHY I SAID TAKE HER OUT”. The twenty-sixth reads “YOU NEED TO TAKE HER OUT OF AMERICA NEXT TURN”. The twenty-seventh reads “when you own whole areas you get more stuff”. The twenty-eighth reads “I love tubbo playing games like this”. The twenty-ninth reads “the salt too strong”. The thirtieth reads “yall realise no one wins until you take someone out the game?”. The thirty-first reads “like someone needs to be out so there is less threats haha”. The thirty-second reads “I think you need to abandon the uk and go back to the americas”. The thirty-third reads “callum really said “I dont need to win, as long as i have the uk””. The thirty-fourth reads “you need to ditch the uk”. The thirty-fifth reads “TAKE HIM OUT”. The thirty-sixth reads “WIPE HIM FROM THE GAME”. The thirty-seventh reads “Callum really out here playing for the first time like “chat this is fine””. The thirty-eighth reads “offer finn gifted subs”. The thirty-ninth reads “please clear him outta america”. The fortieth reads “TAKE AMERICA”. The forty-first reads “DO IT”. The forty-second reads “JESUS”. The forty-third reads “TAKE AMERICA”. The forty-fourth reads “CALLUMN”. The forty-fifth reads “IM GONNA THROW HANDS”. The forty-sixth reads “I think if youre not allied in the game system, youre not allies”. The forty-seventh reads “This wont work cause everyone is teamed, so no one is having to worry about their backs haha”. The forty-eighth reads “I WONDER WHY”. The forty-ninth reads “I WONDER WHY ITS TAKEN SO LONG”. The fiftieth reads “MY ALLY WITH EVERYONE”. The fifty-first reads “I think your time is up here king”. The fifty-second reads “i think your eggs were in the wrong basket”. The fifty-third reads “that basket being the basket that LITERALLY EVERYONE ELSE WASNT IN”. The fifty-fourth reads “this is why you offer irl money”. The fifty-fifth reads “can koji use his cards?”. The fifty-sixth reads “@/the_living_tomato you cant  afford it”. The fifty seventh reads “Do they plan on never attacking and just fortifying every round? im confused”. End ID]

[canyouhearthelight]

The Miys, Ch. 111

This may be my favorite spooky story of the October, although I admit it is not the best one of the bunch by a long shot. It is a very-shortened and edited version of “Paid Piper” by Tanith Lee, from her collection Red as Blood, or Tales from the Sisters Grimmer. I don’t own the story in any way, shape, or form beyond owning 2 copies of the aforementioned book (one hardcover, one paperback). I don’t know if the story is in print anymore, but if you can find a copy that is legible, please consider picking it up. The 1983 edition is a retelling of 9 popular fairy tales, and I understand the 2014 edition has an extra one, based on “The Twelve Dancing Princesses”.

Quick shout out to @baelpenrose who had to sit through me writing this and the eventual reveal. ;) you are so patient, lol.

P.S. I am in the U.S, so if you have early voting in your state, please go vote now so you are exposed to fewer people. If you are still able to register to vote, please do. If you can’t vote in person, please vote by mail-in ballot and check local regulations on how to turn it in.

Once everyone stopped laughing, Maverick held up his hand. “I have a story,” he offered. After a brief moment, he accepted silence as permission to speak and started telling his story. 

“In the Muromachi Period, there was a small village named Bodaiju, which lay beside a river. Bodaiju was a prosperous village, for they gave offerings to Tesso in hope that the rats would not ruin each years’ harvest.  One late summer afternoon, the washer-woman’s daughter Himari was stealing a moment to wash her hair while her mother thought she was hard at work.  Himari dreamt of being a priestess in the temple and leading the prayers to Tesso, because the priestesses wore beautiful white robes with wide belts, and never had rough hands like Himari’s were.

“Just as she was wringing out her hair, Himari heard the song of an unusual bird. Following the song, she was surprised to find that it wasn’t a bird at all, but a young man playing a wooden flute.  As he played, animals drew close to him in curiosity, and even the trees seemed to bow closer in order to hear his music.  Himari had seen musicians before - they came every year during the harvest in hopes to earn extra coin by providing the entertainment for the local celebrations.  But none had played such music as the young man before her made now.  Himari’s heart and soul could feel the freedom of the sky and the mountains as he played, and her soul ached to see these things for herself.”

While Maverick wound his story, Simon leaned over to me and whispered, somewhat relieved, “This sounds like a fairy tale.”

I just arched a brow in a way that I hoped he would realize meant Just wait, or at least Really? Are you sure?

Maverick continued. “Without realizing, Himari stepped closer to the musician, snapping a twig beneath her foot as these things happen in stories like this. The music stopped, and the young man looked up at her.  Rather than anger at being interrupted, he was smiling gently. “Who are you?” he asked, as though she were the stranger in this land.

“I am Himari,” she answered. “Who are you?”

“Who do you think I am?”

“I thought it was a bird singing,” she responded, embarrassed. “Before I saw you.”

“The young man kept smiling. “I saw a temple in the distance. Who do you worship here?”

“We pray to Tesso,” Himari confessed, glancing down. “He keeps the rats from ruining our harvest.”

“Does he?” the musician asked before standing to walk away.

“Suddenly terrified, although she couldn’t say why, Himari turned as well and ran in the opposite direction, toward home. Even while her mother scolded her for being lazy, Himari felt she would rather be standing there than be back in that clearing in the woods.

“That night, Himari thought of the young musician. She berated herself for not getting his name, for not insisting he tell her where he was coming from or travelling to.  She berated herself even harder for being afraid of him with no reason.”

Beside me, Simon groaned as he realized what was happening.  Charly grinned viciously as she and Tyche rose to their feet to go back to pumpkin gutting, Conor and Coffey closely behind them.

Maverick raised his voice so they could hear, winking at our partner as the other man realized that Maverick couldn’t tell the story and work at the same time. “The festival of the harvest was three weeks later, and every night Himari thought of the musician. Would he be one of the entertainers playing that year, in the grand homes of the rich men in the village?  Even as she donned the snow-white robes and berry-red sash of a temple maiden - as all girls in the village were until they turned sixteen - she could not think of Tesso, or the fine clothes she was wearing instead of washing.  She could not even think of how rough her hands were when she touched the silk of her robes.

“She could only think of the nameless young man.

“As all the temple-maidens lined up behind the shrouded statue of Tesso that would be carried through the fields by the young men of the village, a familiar tune drifted on the breeze.  As faint as the music was, Himari could hear it as though it were played in her very ear.  Soon, the entire village could hear the beautiful music that swelled impossibly from a single wooden flute, played by a single young man in travelling clothes.  Himari forced herself not to gasp, not to look as though she had met him before.

“Blustering, the mayor asked the musician what he was doing, as the village had already paid for entertainment during the procession. “I only ask to play for your village,” the young man. “For the honor and joy of your people, for the prosperity of your harvest.”

“And you would charge us less than those we have already paid?” the mayor asked.

“I only ask that you pay me what I deserve.”

“After much haggling, during which the musician would only ask to be paid what he deserved, the mayor finally relented - not admitting that there were no other entertainers that year.  And so the procession began: first through the streets of Bodaiju, then over the river and into the fields.  For minutes, or hours, or days, the village marched and danced without feeling weary, without aching feet, following the nameless musician.  That day, the sun seemed to stand still in the sky as they celebrated their harvest for what felt like lifetime upon lifetime.

“But, eventually, every path within the village and every row in every field had been marched and danced upon, and the sun seemed to be upon the horizon after no time at all and an eternity.  The mayor, no less tired than when they began, turned to the musician. “I was wrong about you, young man,” he said. “I have never felt so well after a festival, and you deserve to be rewarded for all your hard work.  Whatever you want, in gold if you like.” Other men in the village clamoured to sweeten the deal, offering bread, honey, wine, fine cuts of meat, and the like.

“But the young man shook his head. “I want none of that,” he told them.

“Surely you didn’t play for free?”

“What I want is better than gold, or wine, or beef,” the musician told them. “I only want your hearts.”

“Incredulous, the mayor started laughing. “Our hearts?” he asked. “Our love? You are a stranger to us. Take our gold, our wine, even our finest horse, but we cannot love a stranger to our village.”

“Unphased, the young man shook his head. “If you will not give me your hearts willingly, then I will take them,” he promised.  Immediately, the men and women of the village began jeering the man, who no longer looked young at all. Stones were thrown at him behind slurs, both striking with sharp accuracy. With a sad smile, the man turned and began to leave the village, and though his flute was in his hand by his side, the music he had played for them echoed on the wind.  With a great chorus of baying and howling, no sooner had the no-longer-young man reached the gate of the village, than every dog from every home bounded after him with the ropes that bound them trailing.

“The air chilled as silence fell over the villagers, now as frightened as Himari had been when she met the man that first time by the river.  In the days and weeks after, Bodaiju was nearly silent and no one dared speak above a whisper.  Children were kept close to their mothers, even as siblings told each other that the musician would come back and eat their hearts if they misbehaved.

“However, as time does, months passed and nobody was found with their heart missing. Lovers still met in secret, and couples still married.  It seemed nothing had really changed in Bodaiju, the curse upon the village nothing but an empty threat.  Over the course of the winter, it was forgotten entirely.

“When summer began, and the first of the births that always followed the festival was stillborn, Bodaiju suddenly remembered the musician’s curse. By the end of the summer, no children had been born crying, and many mothers hearts were broken.  By the end of that year, there were no more births at all, and as the children of the village grew to be adults, no more laughter could be found in Bodaiju.  In the summer of Himari’s twentieth year, the river that watered their abundant crops dried up, and those that could left the village.  Even now, you will find Bodaiju on no map, and none whose family come from there, for the curse of a musician who could find no kind people in a village beside a river. All that remains the tale of Bodaiju, shared by those who left the village.”

Arthur leaned back and rested his weight on his hands as Maverick finished the story. “That’s…. Actually a terrifying idea,” he admitted, seemingly impressed.

Simon groaned again and rubbed his face briskly. “At least if that one was true, it happened a long time ago,” he sighed. “Much less terrifying that way.”

“Because the idea that a mysterious stranger could cause every person in a small village to spontaneously become sterile is so far from reality,” Grey intoned solemnly, gesturing at all of us.  Maverick and I both snickered, but Simon paled when he realized the irony. They gave us a small smile before continuing. “I honestly feel badly for the young man… He just wanted to be loved for who he was.”

“Are you kidding!?” Charly called over. “That didn’t give him the right to take all the dogs!”

That set Arthur chuckling. “Because stealing the dogs was the worst thing he did in that story. Certainly not magical mass-infanticide.”

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[gladiates]

Books Read in March

I saw a few people post a list of the books they read this month, so I thought I would too! Here they are.

Simone Weil - Waiting for God: I really enjoyed this book, and it resonated with me a lot as someone who's exploring different religions and spirituality right now. Weil's ideas are so interesting, and I really recommend it if you're curious about similar things! 4/5 (more like 9/10 but they only have 5 stars on Goodreads LOL)

Alfred F. Young - The Shoemaker and the Tea Party: Memory and the American Revolution: I'm taking a class on the American Revolution, which I didn't think would be that interesting, but this has become one of my favorite history books I've read. It's a little difficult to explain, but it explores the historical memory of the American Revolution through subsequent decades in the US by focusing on one ordinary man who briefly became a celebrity as the last living participant in the Boston Tea Party. 4/5

Simone Weil - Gravity and Grace: This is more abstract and less accessible than Waiting for God, so I'd recommend starting with that one if you haven't read Weil before. But I ended up really enjoying it nonetheless. 4/5

Alan Taylor - Colonial America: A Very Short Introduction: I don't know if you all are familiar with these, but I always see them sold in campus bookstores and the like. They're small, around 100-page guides to different intellectual subjects. What's both good and bad about them in my opinion is that they tend to focus on higher-level aspects of the subject, such as the changes in scholarship on it over time, which is really intriguing if you already know the basics, but isn't really an effective introduction if you don't. But since I do know a fair amount about colonial America (I'm American), this one ended up being really helpful to orient me as I explore further scholarship. 4/5

Clay Risen - The Bill of the Century: The Epic Battle for the Civil Rights Act: This is another book that I read for a class but ended up really liking. You can probably tell what it focuses on by the title, but something that I liked was that it explores different figures within the Johnson administration, not just LBJ himself. Because it's focused on politicians, it doesn't really emphasize the role of ordinary people, though, which I also think was very important, so I'd recommend not only reading this book if you want to learn about the Civil Rights Movement. But if you're looking for information about LBJ or his administration, this is really compelling. 4/5

Francis J. Bremer - Puritanism: A Very Short Introduction: See my general comments about the VSI series above. This is great if you already have some knowledge about Puritanism (I grew up in Massachusetts, so we learned about it a million times), and I liked that it focused on both sides of the Atlantic rather than just the American perspective. 4/5

Nathaniel Philbrick - In the Hurricane's Eye: The Genius of George Washington and the Victory at Yorktown: The only book I didn't like! I have no interest in military history and I really don't care about George Washington, so I was uninterested from the start. It was for a class, though, so I did read it all. I don't think it's objectively a bad book or anything, but it's definitely not the sort of history I enjoy. 2/5

Yunte Huang (editor) - The Big Red Book of Modern Chinese Literature: Writings from the Mainland in the Long Twentieth Century: Like any anthology, this has stronger points and weaker points, but it was really enjoyable overall. I read it because I wanted to learn more about China and Chinese literature and I think it definitely helped me in that mission. 4/5

Cherríe L. Moraga and Gloria E. Anzaldúa (editors) - This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color: Though I ultimately enjoyed this anthology, I did have mixed feelings about it. Some of the contributions are absolutely brilliant (especially those of Audre Lorde, Anzaldúa, and the Combahee River Collective statement), but others seemed just okay. This anthology was originally published in the 1980s, and while I read the 2002 edition, I'm not sure how much of the content was actually updated. Obviously, a lot has changed in feminism in the last 40 years, so while the basic issue of feminism needing to center women of color more is still very relevant, some of the ways of discussing it seemed dated to me. But I understand that it was extremely important at the time it came out, and it's absolutely worth reading for the highlights (and even the weaker parts are still interesting.) 4/5 (probably more like 7/10)

[ri-translates]

Translation: Itaru Chigasaki R [taruchi Channel] - Viewer Count Goddess Part 2

Itaru does what he’s gotta do to get those views. If you like what he does, don’t forget to hit like and subscribe!

NOTE: This story’s setting is based in the AU event MAnkai ApArtment! Izumi is their landlady, not their director. Although they are still actors, the boys have different occupations, so please be aware!

Part 1

Izumi: (I need to buy detergent and toilet paper…..Which reminds me, that light bulb needed to be changed.)

Chikage: You call that interesting? I don’t get it at all though.

Tsumugi: U-Umm…..

Banri: Ain’t this revolutionary in it’s own way?

Izumi: (Everyone’s gathering together. I wonder why…)

Things look pretty heated here. Did something happen?

Kazunari: Seems like Itaroon followed our advice from before cuz he put out videos immediately~

Citron: Itaru worked really hard, huh! But it’s kind of strange.

Tsuzuru: People in the comments are saying it’s different from his usual videos, so you could say we’re all feeling bothered by it….

Izumi: Eh? Is that so?

Comment 1: “You changed all of a sudden, Taruchi.”

Comment 2: “maybe something happened LOL”

Comment 3: “isnt he kind of off topic from his usual stuff?”

Banri: The number of views are lower than before too.

Tsumugi: We’re wondering what we should do since we were the ones who gave him those suggestions...

Tsuzuru: Well, it’s understandable, since people came to his channel expecting to see let’s-play videos only to be shown a bonsai out of nowhere...

Chikage: I think his videos on extremely hot spices are pretty good themselves, though.

Banri: You’re trippin’.

Izumi: It must be difficult to increase your view count, huh…

Kazunari: Ah, Landlady-san, are you heading out to do some shopping? If you are, can I ask you to grab me some sweets from the conbini on your way back?

Citron: My notebook for jokes is getting pretty full, so I want you to buy me a new one!

Izumi: Got it. I’ll go buy them together.

(It looks like we’re running out of a bunch of equipment, too… I’ll go check the warehouse.)

~~~

Itaru: This is taruchiiii~ They released a new line-up in the KniRoun capsule toy series~

This time I bought 100 of them, so let’s get to unboxing~

And the first one isーー

~~

15 normal rares, 3 bronze rares, and 1 silver rare. I managed to get a silver, so I think the pace is pretty good so far.

Next, for the lucky twentieth pull… Huh? This isーー

Izumi: ...Oh.

Itaru: …!

Ahh, seriously!? I can’t use this video anymore…

Izumi: Y-You were filming your video in a place like this!?

Itaru: *sighs* Down to 1 HP…

Izumi: I don’t really know what just happened, but I’m sorry… Um, is there any way you can edit over it?

Itaru: The fun part about unboxing videos are the ups and downs you feel as you open them. It’s my policy to record it all in one shot.

Izumi: So that’s how it is… By the way, just what is an unboxing video?

Itaru: A video where you open up goods with their contents hidden one by one. You don’t know what’s gonna come out of them, which makes you feel excited.

Every time they come out with a new line-up, I make a video like this where I open up a hundred of them. This series is my go-to [1] cuz it always gets me a solid number of views.

Izumi: Isn’t it pretty tiring doing it so steadily like that…?

Oh, that’s right. I’m heading out to do some shopping after this, so why don’t I buy you some capsules to make up for what you opened earlier?

Itaru: Seriously? I won’t hesitate to ask you to then.

Izumi: If you don’t get anything good, please don’t get mad at me, alright?

Itaru: It’s fine, it’s fine. It’s funny pulling dupe upon dupe.

~~~

Izumi: (That’s everything for tomorrow. I have a meeting with Sakyo-san in the afternoon, and… Ah, which reminds me, I wonder how Itaru-san’s unboxing video turned out?

Kazunari: Haha, this is crazy!

Banri: Isn’t this god-tier?

Izumi: You all seem pretty excited today too.

Citron: Ohh! You came at the right time! Itaru’s video is airplaning! [2]

Banri: It’s, “skyrocketing.” You helped out with the shoot without knowin’ it.

Izumi: Huh? Ah, are you talking about from before…?

Chikage: This one. Isn’t it about to hit one million views?

Yuki: When you compare it to the hack’s suggestion, the difference is like heaven and earth.

Kazunari: The title’s called, “KniRoun Capsule Toy Unboxing Feat. the Landlady-san~” It’s totes going viral like crazy!

Chikage: You should watch it too, Landlady-san. You had a hand in it, after all.

Izumi: I-Is it really that amazing…?

Itaru: “The 20th capsule, the last one from the landlady is… WHAT!? Wait, seriously!? OMG”

“A super rare gold Knight of the Round Table-kun GET!”

“Were all my dupe pulls just to prepare me for this? Landlady-san, you’re too OP.”

Comment 1: “your landlady’s insane lol”

Comment 2: “Taruchi’s excited LOL”

Comment 3: “lmaoo your landladys a goddess”

Itaru: “That’s the last of the capsules the landlady got for me. Maybe I should ask her to pull in the gacha for me next.”

“Until then, look forward to my next video~”

“Oh, and if you like what I do, please subscribe to my channel~”

Izumi: Umm… I’m glad I could help.

Kazunari: You’re famous, Landlady-san! ‘Grats!

Itaru: Ah, you’re all watching my video already? How was it? Isn’t it better this time?

Citron: Thanks for uploading!

Chikage: The power of our landlady is incredible.

Kazunari: At this rate, you’ll make a record-breaking number of views a reality!

Itaru: Thanks to you, Landlady-san, my numbers are doing great. I want to do a series with you from now on, just like this.

Izumi: Only if it’s once in a while…

Itaru: Thanks.

Itaru: Ah, everyone, don’t forget to subscribe to my channel~ [3]

Yuki: ...Who are you talking to?

TL Notes and Comments:

[1] Itaru says  テッパンネタ, slang for content that is guaranteed for sure. I went with “go-to” because it’s also slang that conveys a similar meaning.

[2] Citron says 鯉のぼり(this is a pun, literally means “carp banner”) which he mistook for うなぎのぼり, which means “soaring, skyrocketing, rising in an instant” (everyone say thank you to Banri for the correction.) Since I went with “skyrocketing” I also! made a pun and used “airplaning” for Citron’s Citronism.

[3] HE’S BREAKING THE FOURTH WALL I HATE THIS LITTLE SHIT

A huge thank you to @crying-potato-jpeg for providing me with the story and @brainwashingdetective​ for helping me with proofreading/some tls! Stay beautiful!!

Part 1

[luminecho]

hey there~ i started writing a reply on your post about your writing, but apparently replies have a character limit, and i didn’t know if you’d want me to reblog your post so~ sending my long rambling message via an ask, lol. hope that’s ok. XD

we’re all our own worst critics, and it’s taken me a long time to overcome my own self-doubts. but what’s helped me most is remembering that i’m writing, first and foremost, for myself. i’m writing for fun and self-fulfillment and the joy of creating. so i write things that *i* love, and am proud of, and feel passionate about. i’m not writing to fill anyone’s expectations, not even my own. sharing my creations when they’re done is just a bonus. and besides, if i don’t love what i’ve made, how can i expect anyone else to love it?

so i think you should write whatever the hell you want, whether or not you think other people will enjoy it. write for you. experiment, be messy, have fun. and just know that you *will* write trash sometimes. the most brilliant writers have off days where all that comes out is garbage. other times, you’re going to have those 4am bursts of inspiration where the writing just...happens. you sit down and type out some brilliant story that you didn’t even know was inside you.

but those trash days and those inspired days are the exceptions to the rule. writing is a process. i’d say i spend an equal amount of time, if not *more* time, editing and revising a given story as i do drafting it. i draft something, then tweak it, and build on it, and tweak it again, etc, etc. maybe that sounds tedious, but it shouldn’t be. it should be exciting. that whole process is a chance to be messy and experimental and have fun. you can *make it* fun. you’re in full control.

so when you write a sentence and you think it’s trash, there’s good news: that’s only step one of the process. that’s just the seed that you’re going to cultivate into a beautiful flower. it’s going to take time and patience, yeah, but in the end, it’ll be worth it. and how amazing is that, that you can write something “bad” and transform it into something “good?” or that you can write something “good” but then make it “great?” you have the power to do that. you’re never locked in by whatever you put down on the page the first time around, or the second, or the twentieth.

so don’t be afraid of writing trash. it’s never a waste to write, anyway, even if you decide to scrap something. you’re improving your skills every time you decide to write something. *every time.* i guarantee it.

anyway! it’s past 2am and i’m babbling now. i hope this wasn’t pedantic or something. i just have a lot of feelings in this. writing has been “my thing” since i was a kid, but at some point i started doubting myself. i spent *so* many years afraid of failure, afraid of judgement, afraid of inadequacy, that i more or less quit writing. it’s only been in the last year that i’ve gotten back into it, and god. does it make me happy. i forgot just how much *joy* there was to this. and it hurts when i see other writers or artists caging themselves in with self-doubt. i want everyone to experience this joy, you know? you deserve it. the world deserves to see the beautiful pieces you create when you allow yourself to do it.

ok, i kept babbling there, skgnjsks, but i’m *actually* done this time. i hope this message isn’t a bother to you. feel free to ignore it, honestly. best wishes to you. keep creating. <3

I—

Hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Hhhooooolyyy shit, thank you so so so so so so much, I don’t even have words, asjddfjwkwjegdjxkos. I just. AaaaAAAAAAA

You have no idea how much this means to me, oh my goddd. The fact that you took the time to write all this, I’m just,,,,,, thank you so much, hhhh

I’ll have you know that I’m saving this forever so I can read it over and over again because this helps so much just to hear that. Seriously, this means the world to me, thank you <3 <3

It’s not a bother AT ALL, thank you so much for this, words can’t even express my appreciation right now, I’m just. I’m JUST.

Thank you <3

[bebebese]

What sort of accessories and stuff will you be getting for march twentieth?? :0 any good tips or cool things you've seen?

hello! i’ve been meaning to write down everything i’ve ordered/yet to buy to stay organised, so thank you for sending this!

I’ve already ordered a screen protector (i just looked for a reasonably priced one with good reviews, dunno if there are any big brand ones. think i got the ivolver ones because my sister has a switch lite and they had a pack of 5 or something), and the store i’m getting the bundle from also sells the aloha switch case, so i can pick that up right away.

other than that, i’ve gotten a 32gb microsd card (this one seemed a good fit for me because i tend to go for physical over digital games, but i do still like having digital games, and i delete my screenshots after i post them/save them to my computer), and i’ve preordered the futurepress guidebook. i don’t know if that’ll be vital, but i enjoy having a reference handy (as an aside, for anyone that didn’t know, bookdepository is a little sister company of amazon’s that just sells books, but with free shipping, and sometimes cheaper prices).

besides those, i’m waiting for the powerA wireless controller and this switch stand from hori (they’ve got a plain one on their uk page but i want the AC one lol) to get to amazon uk. the controller is battery operated so i might pick up rechargeable batteries too :0 i don’t know if having a controller will be vital, maybe i’ll like the joy-cons on their own or in the grip, but it might be handy to have an extra while those are charging.

i don’t know yet if i’ll want/need to invest in a powerbank for the switch yet, and apparently it takes a very particular kind, so i’ll need to look into that, if/when the time comes.

as for tips/cool things… i’m part of a couple of animal crossing discord groups, and people tend to share anything they see, or you can always ask! it’s where i asked about microsd cards. i also tend to watch a lot of “X things every switch owner should have!/know!” videos (stuff by wulff den, mostly, but there’s certainly others)

I’m in ireland so i mostly order things from the UK. it can work out a little pricier due to the sterling/euro rates, but for the most part I don’t mind because it’s normally only for things I can’t get here, or are cheaper online (like the microsd card). i had initially ordered the aloha/leaf case from nintendo’s uk store (i have a uk po box), but it was cheaper to get it in-store with the switch, although i had only seen it for sale here by chance.

here’s some links to the discords i’m in rn: sea bass club, a familiar forest

edit: haven’t used it much yet but this site tracks all the price drops etc in the eshop, i have it bookmarked.

a sort of related tip is: if you are gonna use a tempered glass screen protector, try applying it in a bathroom after it’s been all steamed up. apparently the water vapour grabs any loose dust and keeps it away from the screen. my sister did it with her ipad and it worked great!

[darriness]

Fic A Day - July 2019 Edition - Day 8

Title: Donor

Author: darriness

Word Count: 465

Summary: Decisions

Author’s Note: Are these all too sappy? (When you've only got 31 days, it makes you think lol)

AO3 Link

“How do we do this?” Blaine asks in frustration as he sifts through the papers in front of him for a moment before putting his head in his hands and groaning.

Kurt sighs from his place across the table with his own papers in front of him, “We’ll find someone.” He says.

Blaine shakes his head, “I thought the same thing a month ago when we started looking. But no one fits!”

“Maybe we’re just being too...picky.” Kurt muses, picking up one of the papers in front of him at random and reading from it, “Age: 22. Occupation: Dancer. See that should resonate with you!”

Blaine shakes his head, “I read that one already. Keep reading.”

Kurt turns back to the page and reads on, “Specializes in the art of exotic dancing. Woah!” He exclaims putting the paper down like it burned him. Blaine lifts his eyebrows as if to say ‘told ya’. Kurt shakes his head, “Well now I’m just sad because I feel like she wasn’t loved enough by her parents.” He says, picking up her paper with a pout.

“It shouldn’t be this hard to pick a donor and surrogate!” Blaine exclaims.

Kurt’s pout turns thoughtful, “I think it should be.” He says.

Blaine furrows his brow at his husband, “What do you mean?”

Kurt shrugs, “This is the person who isn’t only going to be carry our child? But be it’s biological mother. We don’t want to rush or half-ass that decision.”

“In high school you were convinced it was going to be Rachel or Quinn.” Blaine argues.

Kurt rolls his eyes, “I was seventeen, in love for the first time, and hadn’t seen much of the world. It makes sense I latched on to what was familiar.”

Blaine nods, before reaching for a new paper and pulling it toward himself. He reads it for a second before shaking his head, “Nope. Too religious.” He says in explanation before sighing for what feels like the twentieth time in the last ten minutes, “And here I thought the next profile I read after that little discussion would be the one.”

“This isn’t a movie.” Kurt laughs, reaching for a new paper of his own. His eyebrows lift as he reads over the page, “Hey, come look at this one.” He says, beckoning Blaine forward.

Blaine gets up from his chair and moves behind Kurt, laying a hand on his shoulder as he read the page Kurt has in his hand. They’re quiet as they both read the profile for a second time, “Is this…?” Blaine starts.

“Did we just…?” Kurt starts at the same time and the pair smile at each other.

“Melissa.” Blaine reads off the page.

“Our surrogate.” Kurt says, decisively, and he feels Blaine squeeze his shoulder in response.

[breeeliss]

can you give me some recommendations of the queer theory books you found in your attic?

i’ll give you what’s in the first box! not all of these are strictly theory and there may be some books here that you don’t like/don’t agree with (i’m sure there are a couple here i may have skimmed since they were required lol). but i always say it’s good to read a large variety of things, form your own opinions, and see which types of stances/perspectives speak to you. so i think everything here is at least worth giving a try. 

That's Revolting!: Queer Strategies for Resisting Assimilation edited by Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore

Exile and Pride: Queerness, Disability and Liberation by Eli Clare 

You Only Live Twice: Sex, Death and Transition by Chase Joynt and Mike Hoolboom

The Leather Daddy & The Femme by Carol Queen 

Leatherfolk: Radical Sex, People, Politics and Practice by Mark Thompson 

Captive Genders: Trans Embodiment and the Prison Industrial Complex by Eric Stanley 

Times Square Red, Times Square Blue by Samuel Delany

Not Gay: Sex Between Straight White Men by Jane Ward 

Queering the Color Line: Race and the Invention of Homosexuality in American Culture by Siobhan B. Somerville 

Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers: A History of Lesbian Life in Twentieth-Century America by Lillian Faderman

Queer Sex: A Trans and Non-Binary Guide to Intimacy, Pleasure and Relationships by Juno Roche 

Queer and Trans Artists of Color: Stories of Some of Our Lives by Nia King 

An Underground Life: Memoirs of a Gay Jew in Nazi Berlin by Gad Beck et al. 

Aberrations in Black: Toward a Queer of Color Critique by Roderick A. Ferguson

Disidentifications: Queers of Color and the Performance of Politics by José Esteban Muñoz

Queer Ricans: Cultures and Sexualities in the Diaspora by Lawrence La Fountain-Stokes 

Queer Latinidad: Identity Practices, Discursive Spaces by Juana María Rodríguez

Black Queer Studies: A Critical Anthology edited by  E. Patrick Johnson et al. 

[philza-updates]

Here’s the rest of Phil’s messages! Apologies for the delay, this took a while to write out and format…

[Image ID:

10 cropped screenshots of 104 twitch chat messages by Philza.

The first reads “did my dono go though? lmao”.

The second reads “think the follower alerts need turning off for a bit haha”.

The third reads “followers go brrrrrrrrrrrr”.

The fourth reads “ph1lMlove ph1lLove”.

The fifth reads “LOL”.

The sixth reads “I was not expecting to see myself on screen there haha”.

The seventh reads “LOL”.

The eighth reads “Mods trolling rn hahahah”.

The ninth reads “Mic broke? lol”.

The tenth reads “just do you :D”.

The eleventh reads “Sorry for breaking everything!”.

The twelfth reads “lmao”.

The thirteenth reads “truuuuuue”.

The fourteenth reads “@/Nielszz I want the saddles tho LUL”.

The fifteenth reads “sorry for the confusion mods! Misstrixtin joined and asked to make sure raiding was okay haha”.

The sixteenth reads “LUL”.

The seventeenth reads “yeah wups”.

The eighteenth reads “LOL”.

The nineteenth reads “my community are very pog and were excited to come along :) - didn't expect the insanely loud follower alert lmao glad that got fixed LOL”.

The twentieth reads “family first yeah ofc”.

The twenty-first reads “so many emotes weeeeeee”.

The twenty-second reads “Thank you, they are very cool”.

The twenty-third reads “eyyyyyyy”.

The twenty-fourth reads “we can see it’s pog :)”.

The twenty-fifth reads “LOL”.

The twenty-sixth reads “yeah I think the alerts are delayed because of the follower alerts”.

The twenty-seventh reads “LUL”.

The twenty-eighth reads “it happens LUL”.

The twenty-ninth reads “ph1lMlove ph1lLove”.

The thirtieth reads “Thank you everyone for raiding with us!”.

The thirty-first reads “ScribeOneGaming Poooound”.

The thirty-second reads “yeah we broke things, too much love LUL”.

The thirty-third reads “LOL”.

The thirty-fourth reads “Misstrixtin LUL”.

The thirty-fifth reads “yeah maybe she should say the number of people raiding for future LUL”.

The thirty-sixth reads “nope. like 3″.

The thirty-seventh reads “auto-mod does a lot of the heavy lifting haha”.

The thirty-eighth reads “no worries! I had to edit your donation link to be able to dono btw might need to fix that haha”.

The thirty-ninth reads “I still managed to dono tho, they should have still went through (hopefully) lol”.

The fourtieth reads “yeah just change the url in”. The fourty-first reads “the twitch panel to your new username and you're good!”.

The fourty-second reads “LUL”.

The fourty-third reads “the panels? there should be a little slider that says "edit panels" on your twitch channel page (not in the dashboard or anything)”.

The fourty-fourth reads “eyyyyyy”.

The fourty-fifth reads “there we go :D”.

The fourty-sixth reads “nice it worked!”.

The fourty-seventh reads “productivity at an all time low LUL”.

The fourty-eighth reads “Glad we could brighten up your day :D”.

The fourty-ninth reads “i'd pass out from 13Mil haha not that much LUL but they defo seemed like that much when we raided lol”.

The fiftieth reads “I try not to look at numbers lol”.

The fifty-first reads “WutFace”.

The fifty-second reads “lmao”.

The fifty-third reads “so loud lmfao”.

The fifty-fourth reads “LUL”.

The fifty-fifth reads “I can drop a follow now without breaking the alerts haha”.

The fifty-sixth reads “I like chill arts and crafts streams so this is pog”.

The fifty-seventh reads “sunny side up ftw”.

The fifty-eighth reads “Sunny side up is the best and you can dip em, soooo goooood”.

The fifty-ninth reads “oh so you want one of the RTX cards”.

The sixtieth reads “RTX would be better imo”.

The sixty-first reads “yeah!”.

The sixty-second reads “you'll need to make sure your motherboard can support it”.

The sixty-third reads “eeeyy sick we got the tech nerds on it in discord, you'll be fine LUL”.

The sixty-fourth reads “D:”.

The sixty-fifth reads “lol”.

The sixty-sixth reads “VoHiYo mods holding it down”.

The sixty-seventh reads “dawwwwwww”.

The sixty-eighth reads “omg so cute”.

The sixty-ninth reads “"more" LUL”.

The seventieth reads “AWWWWW”.

The seventy-first reads “those are some cute doggos”.

The seventy-second reads “oh shit”.

The seventy-third reads “omg yes donuts”.

The seventy-fourth reads “how the hell did I win? lmfao”.

The seventy-fifth reads “probs the water”.

The seventy-sixth reads “@/laurasleeps ph1lWheeze”.

The seventy-seventh reads “earings be like ph1lHe ph1lShe”.

The seventy-eighth reads “they're just so happy to be laying there LUL”.

The seventy-ninth reads “yeeeeeeeee Misstrixtin”.

The eightieth reads “I am british and have tried candy corn, it's just... meh lmao”.

The eighty-first reads “@/Misstrixtin true”.

The eighty-second reads “it just dawned on me that all the pokemon and characters are constantly fighting for our love”.

The eighty-third reads “already?? lmao”.

The eighty-fourth reads “ohhh haha, I was like holy shit he must be excited”.

The eighty-fifth reads “xn0_0ne_x you dont ph1lWheeze”.

The eighty-sixth reads “KalixKween just someone asking for Mod in all caps LUL”.

The eighty-seventh reads “@/GunnGrlCrafts yeah they were just responding to me haha”.

The eighty-eighth reads “they did a good job, there were a lot of follows/messages haha - all love ph1lLove just a bit too much love ph1lWheeze”.

The eighty-ninth reads “that's awesome, mission accomplished chat ph1lLove”.

The ninetieth reads “LUL”.

The ninety-first reads “gonna get Misstrixtin to be a bit more specific about the number of people raiding next time hahaha”.

The ninety-second reads “@/WoodcraftByOwen TRUE ph1lWheeze”.

The ninety-third reads “Yeah, that and maybe a button to put chat in "2FA mode" where only accounts wiht 2fa enabled can chat”.

The ninety-fourth reads “2fa mode would halt a lot of shit now whilst they do back end stuff on the site”.

The ninety-fifth reads “got that mo mo for new gfx card ph1lYep”.

The ninety-sixth reads “aww ty @/GunnGrlCrafts :)”.

The ninety-seventh reads “minecraft, we are watching a dophin fall to its death ph1lWheeze”.

The ninety-eighth reads “you're very welcome, I'm glad we could bring some possitive vibes in a shitty weird time ph1lMumza ph1lLove”.

The ninety-ninth reads “Have a nice rest of your day!”.

The hundredth reads “@/ChelsQueen ph1lAww ”.

The hundred-first reads “oh yeah thats a good point haha”.

The hundred-second reads “LMAO”.

The hundred-third reads “No worries at all, you're welcome! Get that PC upgrade :D”.

The hundred-fourth reads “Thank you everyone for raiding and staying :)”.

End image ID]

End ID]

Phil is in GunnGrlCrafts’s chat!

https://www.twitch.tv/gunngrlcrafts

[Image ID: Screenshot of five twitch chat messages by Philza. The first reads “oh god we broke stream”. The second reads “I think kristin should have been more clear on how many people were coming in the raid lmao”. The third reads “OH GOD SORRY FOR BREAKING EVERYTHING LMAO”. The fourth reads “LETS GOOOO CHAT”. The fifth reads “SORRY FOR CRASHING THE STREAM LOL, hope you have a great day!”. End image ID]