#venus cameo in the corner

[nightsunecilpse]

Mars realizes Earth is going to be responsible for creatures dumber than him.

[ask-team-misfit]

Curiosity Didn't Kill the Cat, but We're Not So Sure She's Coming Back

Imagine you were on your way home from work. It's been a rough day. Maybe your boss was ranting about some nonsense that'd only make sense to close-minded people. Maybe you have that annoying coworker that got on your last nerve, and you have to cover for them like always. Or maybe you're just not that fond of your job to begin with, regardless of the likeability of your peers and superiors.

Or maybe you quite like your job, but a break would be nice. Anyways.

Imagine making your way back to the solace that is your home, be it messy, or very clean, and everything in between.

Then you turn a corner to hear this.

??: "E-excuse me. Um, I just need to g-get by… please?"

CRUNCH.

There goes another car.

??: "Oops…"

It was evening, the last leg of rush hour. Typically in this part of the Sciliva region, let alone in most places of the world, one wouldn't expect the appearance of a twenty-something foot tall Twileon trying to make her way down a busy street barely wide enough to accommodate her. One may not also expect, upon beholding the above scenario, for the giantess to successfully do such a thing without some sort of accident or some element of chaos to otherwise ensue; in which one would absolutely be correct.

While such accidents have been limited to the destruction of property for the moment, her appearance alone soon attracted a crowd. Reactions ranged from disbelief on part of her being some sort of hybrid or mutant Pokemon, to displeasure from her blocking traffic, and everything in between. Some even took to recording the event with cameras, or reporting on it. Some yelled at her directly.

Speaking of yelling, she heard a lot more of it right then, regarding that smashed automobile. When she spoke again, she sounded even more hushed and timid.

[ ID: A grayscale drawing of Pikavee gazing down with unease at a crowd of people before her. Among the crowd are characters from other ask blogs, featured here as cameos. The characters and blogs in question are listed further below. Pikavee's appearance is as described here. End ID ]

??: "Oh, I know I'm m-making a mess… a-and I'm really, really sorry…"

Surely with self awareness that she's disrupting the commute will come the realization that she probably shouldn't be here.

But the giantess, Pikavee, persisted anyway.

[ featuring the following characters: Hendrik and a bonus Sol doing the pointing Wojak meme from @ask-sarah-and-co ; Venus from @borealis-siblings ; Kats from @luckykatsranch ; Iris from @phantomguild ; Monarch from @ask-noonescity ]

[ next ]

Character page for Pikavee reestablished unlocked.

[minetteskvareninova]

Minette watches Medici, part 9 (Old Scores)

- Yes, my friends, the triumphant return of Minette watches Medici is here! The series that noone liked, Minette least of all... Like, you thought reading it was painful?! Try writing this shit!

- Okay, first off, the theme song - FUCK the theme song. Either reuse Renessaince, or don’t. Do NOT fucking cheat by using its inferior knockoff. Understood?!

- The characters aren’t good enough for me to fall in love with, but I still Vibe with them in general. Except for Lorenzo, who is hot, smart and in general a veritable boyfriend material - well, except for the whole “banging a married woman” thing, but it’s renessaince Italy, people are having extramarital shags left and right, we can’t go all Savanarola on their asses, not when real Savanarola is just around the corner...

- Speaking of clergy! My stupid ass mistook Piero for some kind of family priest. Would the Medici even have a family priest at this point? Like, maybe, they were of course loaded and their household might’ve been big enough to warrant it...

- The evil Pazzi brother has a strong “if villain evil why hot” energy. What can I say? Minette loves herself some good cheekbones, and I strongly suspect this guy is going to be the old Albizzi of this season. Helps that his most evil act so far was beating the shit out of Giuliano, and I personally don’t care about Giuliano.

- The most thrilling subplot of this season is “did Sean Bean keep true to his vow to stop feeding the meme machine and never ever take another role where he dies?”. Also, Ned Stark did NOT age well. Which, okay, he’s not there to be hot, and his show son is hot enough to cover the raging unsexyness of not only his father, but also his stupid brother.

- Speaking of! Lucrezia’s boyfriend is apparently played by Halbrand from The Rings of Power. Yes, the man meant to be Sexy Sauron that doesn’t end up being all that sexy. Honestly, I cannot fathom how the producers over there at Amazon looked at this show and were like “why, yes, wouldn’t EVERYONE be tempted to join the dark side by this hot piece of ass?”. Like, no, I personally wouldn’t be tempted into a game of spin the bottle. Baby Pazzi’s personality doesn’t help any, like him and Lucrezia are just Mehmet Giray and Fahriye hardboiled without salt. I mean, it is just the first episode, so maybe they get better later, but still.

- “We raised Sandro as our own” - NO. Show, I am willing to swallow anything, but do not try to convince me the Medici family has taken in Sandro Boticelli of all people as their ward. From now on, I am just pretending this is some kind of Lorenzo’s artist buddy, who just happens to be named Alessandro, and very much not the author of The Birth Of Venus and Primavera.

- Political stuff is still the best part of this show bar none. Just... A+++ out of the gate, no notes. “Did the Pazzi family orchestrate the attack?” may not be as exciting a premise as “Who killed old Giovanni?” (or “is Sean Bean going to die again?”), and probably doesn’t have an answer that interesting, but it still gives some juicy, juicy drama. Though if the whole thing was orchestrated by the guy who wanted to marry his son to Lucrezia, I will get pretty mad at the blatant ripoff of the last season, where a third party also turns out to be the real villain.

- One annoying thing that persists (and if anything seems to have only gotten worse) is the attempt to whitewash the Medici family. Like, I get that we want to add layers(tm) and likeability(tm), but the show’s attempts to pretend they are anything but ruthless protocapitalists trying to make their way in an oligarchical political system do sometimes go way too far. Lorenzo is already hot and smart, I won’t get mad if he isn’t also perfectly good and saintly and shit.

- Contessina had a cameo in this episode! Yay! Also, I wonder if Piero’s second daughter appears in the show; I mean, she doesn’t have to, considering she was already married at this point, but you know. It would be nice.

- Overall a nice return to form, no big complaints from me so far...

[thevampirearcher-md]

Hello bestie from the westie, I would like to place an order of 70 and/or 72, please and thank you! 💖🦙

here we go, bestie from the eastie (?) (doesn't have the same ring to it), order fulfilled to the best of my abilities ✨ Rosenali with a few season 14 cameos? 🙊 hopefully enjoyable *makes Rosé's insta story face, y'all know the one*

People pushed against Denali as she struggled to keep up with Willow and not poke an eye out on an extra sharp stud. She felt small and out of place amongst all of the leather and mesh and alternativeness in the room and her head was starting to hurt from whatever the noise in the club was.

“Careful, princess,” some guy leered as she passed by and she broke into a staggered jog to catch up with Willow’s much smaller frame. Despite the height difference, she felt almost like a shield tonight.

“Oh, my God!” Willow squealed, reaching her friends at the front of the crowd, right in front of the stage currently housing some raggedy looking guys who appeared to be abusing some poor instruments. “The line-up tonight is so great!” she screamed at the tallest of her friends, who Denali presumed was the famous Daya… who had been the one to find the punk venue and concert for their unlikely little group.

Willow, Daya and their other friend, Bosco, didn’t look like they belonged, but they acted like it. Meanwhile, Denali and the other two girls in their mish-mashed group looked about ready to jump out of their own skin - and their very much not punk inspired outfits - and out the door.

“Those were Black Spot!” the MC climbed up onto the stage and the crowd went wild, people throwing themselves at each other, surprisingly not impaling themselves on each other’s spikes, hands shooting up into the air, beer sloshing dangerously around Denali and her brand new red dress. “But we have something even better, coming up are Stephanie’s Child!”

The whole club erupted, the noise almost deafening for Denali as she was pushed forwards by the surge of the crowd, right up against the edge of the stage. Apparently people loved this group.

And the ‘I fricken love women’ part in Denali couldn’t say she didn’t understand why as the three women appeared up on stage in leather jackets, leotards, ripped up tights and insane make-up. Denali couldn’t take her eyes off of them, not that she could have even if she wanted to, trapped against the side of the stage as she was.

They didn’t sound half as bad or as loud as the band before, but then again, Denali wasn’t exactly an expert on punk. Or maybe she wasn’t listening close enough, distracted as she was by the blonde in front of her. Everytime the blonde looked at her with a curious glint in her eyes and a smirk quirking up the corner of her lips, she felt her legs give out a little. Denali never thought she could be grateful to the asshole trying to push through her to get to them, but this wasn’t the first weird twist of the night.

By the time their slot ended, she was so absorbed by the performer that she didn’t even feel the people around her anymore. As the MC gave them a sendoff and the crowd went wild again, instead of exiting with her bandmates, the blonde swung her legs towards the crowd in a strangely graceful way and came to sit on the wooden platform. Right next to Denali.

“You’re so fucking cute,” she said, her face inches away from Denali’s as the music started back up again. “What are you doing here?”

“Came to listen to the music?” Denali answered a little unsure of herself, but feeling confident that she wasn’t making a fool of herself.

“You couldn’t even say that with a straight face,” the blonde burst into a loud laugh. “But that’s fine, by me. I have two very important questions for you, doll. First, what’s your name?”

“Denali,” she gulped, as the blonde’s face was still very close to hers.

“Nice to meet you, Denali,” she sounded out her name carefully, smirk tilting the corner of her mouth upwards. “I’m Rosé. And I would very much like to ask my second question: can I kiss you?”

“Umm, yeah,” Denali said, blushing, her eyes darting between Rosé’s eyes and her mouth. She noticed her smirk become even smugger as she wrapped her arms around Denali’s waist and pulled her in between her legs. As soon as their lips connected, Denali found herself very grateful for the support, her legs having completely given out from under her.

“It’s alright, I got you, baby,” Rosé reassured, tightening her arms around her body.

[lavampira]

when the lights go down

prompt: ockiss22 — day 1: greeting pairing: original ocs; olivia santos/river lovell (feat. @consulaaris' sebastian in a cameo) word count: 1.2k

Olivia spots them in the crowd halfway through the set. It’s something of a surprise—as far as she had known, they weren’t even supposed to make it tonight, swamped with long shifts in the forensics lab and meetings with advisors on their dissertation. She’s not even sure why her eyes had fallen to that exact spot at the fringes of the room, especially through the bright lights and the distance between her drumkit and the crowded bodies in front of the stage, but there River stands in a sleeveless black tee that suits the venue with their pale, tattooed arms folded over their chest and their head bobbing to her band’s music as she plays.

The lapse between songs while her frontman talks to the audience grants her a slight break. As she chugs down a bottle of water, she waves over her manager, gesturing with her free hand to have River meet her backstage after the set is done. Not a moment later and Sebastian signals for the next song on their setlist, ready to get back to the last half of their performance. She counts off the start and thrashes at her drums with a steady rhythm that she knows by heart at this point, and music fills the cramped room as her bandmates follow the beat’s lead, but the longer that they play, the more that her eyes keep drifting to the side to see if she can find them.

When Olivia smashes out the last few beats of the final song and twirls a stick between deft fingers of a singular hand for show, her chest heaves with each breath. It’s all she can do not to leap from her seat and run off the small stage. Sebastian leans into his mic ahead of her, swiveling his hips so that his guitar now hanging from its strap won’t swing into the stand, and he charms their small audience, all coy smiles and stylishly tousled brown hair that never fails to get their attention. She has no clue what he says to close out the show—she can’t bring herself to actually focus on him, their other bandmates, or even the crowd, not when her own anticipation is this stupidly high.

She barely manages to blow a kiss to the crowd before bouncing off the stage.

Rounding the corner to the back, she finds River waiting off to the side where they’re solidly out of the view from the stage, idly glancing at passersby with their hands shoved into the pockets of their tight jeans. Their eyes light up when they spot her and their lips quirk into a small smile that causes something like fondness to swell in her chest. Distantly, Olivia is aware that she’s still sweaty from a night of wailing on her drums under a hot stagelight, and she almost wishes that she’d had a chance to change clothes or at least check the state of her make-up that she’s sure is smudged by now and her hair before finding them, but none of it stops her from surging towards them and throwing her arms around their neck.

River laughs, a soft and melodic noise, and stumbles back a step with her momentum as they catch her. “Hello to you, too. You did a cracking set tonight.”

“I didn’t think you were coming.”

“Might’ve changed my shifts around at the lab.”

Olivia blinks. “You did?”

“‘Course I did, love.” River regards her with a look that she can’t quite read, reaching to rub at the back of their neck, and their shoulder lifts in an attempted shrug. “Didn’t want to miss it.”

Something about the quiet admission feels heavy, blanketing the moment around them like a weight, and she isn’t sure what to make of it. None of it is normal—not River rearranging their hectic schedule between work and their dissertation meetings to catch her band’s gig, not the tension in the air that feels too much like they’re on a collision course to somewhere unknown. They meet for drinks or the odd weekend trip when they can and they’re in the same city, but this is new.

Rather than say anything about it at all, Olivia slides a hand up to cradle their cheek and bury tanned fingers in the curling ends of their jet black hair, tilting her head just a little as she sees those pretty blue eyes lined in kohl flit to her pouting lips. Their hand is cool on her too warm skin as they shift to take hold of her waist and their fingertips brush beneath the loose hem of her glittery red camisole, drawing a shiver out of her. River seems to get the hint, bringing their faces close but pausing in silent question that it’s what she wants, and a smirk tugs at the corner of her mouth before she closes the gap between them.

It’s a bruising kiss—there’s times when they take things much more slowly, relishing their closeness and pressing soft lips to every inch of each other’s skin, but this is far from it, writhing with the strange energy of their prior conversation and the thrill of meeting up again. She guides them backwards without breaking apart, her flats knocking into their boots in the semi-awkward shuffle, until their back collides with the wall. River gasps against her lips at the impact but goes along with it, letting their hands wander up and down her sides until they find purchase on her hip and practically in her loose brown hair as they curl around the base of her head.

A low whistle shatters the bubble around them. “Backstage action, huh?”

Glancing over her shoulder, Olivia’s eyes land on Sebastian passing behind them with a wink, most likely on his way to change out of his stage clothes now that he’s done making their few fans swoon only to come across them, unable to help himself from making a comment. Warmth blooms across her cheeks and ears, but he’s gone before she can say anything in return, and she weighs exactly how much her band needs their frontman because she might just chase him down to strangle him. Instead of following through with the thought, she turns back to River as a laugh bubbles out of them.

“I hate him.”

“He’s your best friend,” River corrects, leaning close again to whisper in her ear, and their soft lips brush her cheek like a ghost of another kiss. “And he’s not wrong, yeah? Remember last time when we—”

She lets out an embarrassing squeak, briefly stifling the rest of their sentence with a finger over their lips. “Someone is going to hear you.”

“You do remember.”

Olivia buries a giggle into their chest, unwilling to deign that with a proper response and unable to fully mask the signs of her amusement. The weight of whatever transpired remains but it lingers beneath the easy and familiar habit between them. When she finally glances up at them again, she finds River already looking at her with the same fondness that she feels mirrored on their own sharp features, and she presses another quick kiss to the corner of their mouth and reaches for their hand before dragging them off, more than ready to get out of there with them.

[isdisorigionalenoughforyou]

Super sexy aa7 ideas that will never happen

*puts on my clown shoes

Themes: “the worst times are when lawyers have to smile their brightest, but you can’t be a lawyer 24/7” “sometimes (esp now) the system is WRONG”

CASE 1

Klavier Gavin prosecutes, because society has progressed beyond needing Paynes

And if the widespread complaint is that he’s too nice, this position is perfect

Make a witty remark abt feeling demoted >:(

Athena and Trucy dream team girls

Murder took place at a theater/has something to do with acoustics, to ~fit the characters~

Maybe Lamiroir was there 👀

Phoenix is once again a witness, but hes less infuriating. But still fucking funny infuriating

He mentions his college degree, vaguely. Pressing him reveals nothing.

Also address that TRUCY AND KLAVIER PROBABLY HAVE SOME TRAUMA FROM MURDERS AT THEIR PERFORMANCES

Defend a rando

The twist: the murder only could’ve been committed by someone with superhuman hearing, so Athena’s senses are vital here!!

End: the culprit tries to psychologically fuck with everyone, but Athena stays strong, maybe uses some noise cancelling headphones, and corners the SHIT out of them

Also, there’s a new judge. A higher judge than your normal judge, who is a boomer. BOOMER JUDGE

Post-trial: a comment about all them missing Apollo…

CASE 2

Athena vs Franziska von Karma

Athena calls her out on the whipping if that’s still a thing

[Maybe Trucy is there again for extra spice,,,] but Solo Thena would be EPIC

NEW FRANZISKA DESIGN

Maybe we can bring Maya back here, but NOT ACCUSE HER FOR MURDER

Or accuse her at the scene but quickly disprove it

Idk also address her trauma

Wow this is turning into ATHENA CYKES- ACE THERAPIST

Put Simon there too because he’s hilarious

Maybe him and Maya are casually attending Comic-Con for the Steel Samurai panel

Defendant: some toxic celebrity with DRAMA

the twist: the murderer was targeting several high-profile ppl, but only killed like. A janitor instead. They aren’t found OR arrested, but you get a not guilty by… indicting their accomplice. And it HURTS but you have to or its your not-guilty kinda-a-dick client that gets guilty

New judge plays by the written rules, so u can’t ague ur case

Franziska is skeptical of the Accomplice’s guilt, but she lets the verdict go because your client is innocent.

Athena cries to Phoenix about how she feels like she fricked up b/c she empathizes with the accomplice but also everyone, Phoenix does his best dad comfort—this is the truth that’s allowed in the confines of their court system.

CASE 3

NARUMITSU DATE

Open with a call from Maya. She loudly thanks the god/the holy mother for this

MURDER!!! AT THE VENUE  

Kay and Sebastian are there

GUMSHOEEEEE (OLDER SPRITE??? Higher salary?? Maggey too?)

Classic Wright vs Edgeworth

All the options are flirty

Everything is an innuendo

Trucy co-council is embarrassed by ur Old Man Flirting (NEW SPRITES)

Lampshade conflict of interest what with dating opposing council. Gloss over it completely

Phoenix’s college degree is vaguely mentioned to be helping him. This is Not elaborated on

The murder is some crazy shit that basically parodies the whole series

TWO SETS OF EVIL TWINS

3 cross poisonings and with INTERESTING results of chemicals mixing (Ema: 👀)

All the dying messages were faked

Handedness contradiction.

Some gross old guy appears, but you can punch him

The murder weapon goes from bloody knife with defendants fingerprints on it to glass shards of a broken bottle to an icicle to an overly spikey piece of hair

EXTRATERRITORIAL RIGHTS

For extra funnies: BOOMER JUDGE IS NOT USED TO THIS. They are the straight person of this comedy clown case.

For extra feels (the twist): Phoenix actually has an emotional breakdown on one of the investigation days. Maybe Trucy gets put at risk again, or something with poisoning, or even something with Kay or Seb (to show how much Phoenix cares, in general) and we address all the shit that he’s gone thru

Awkward comforting by miles

HUG SPRITE/ART

CASE 4

(shoves Klavier into Khura’in) GO FAKEGERMANBOY GO

Play as Apollo (khura’inese clothes sprites)

KLAVIER CO-COUNCIL (CASUAL SPRITES?? Put his hair up in a bun capcom im begging)

ADRESS AA4

Maybe at the end of one investigation, theres just. A heartfelt talk.

Ok ill make it heavy (b/c if its lighthearted these fuckos will never talk about their feelings)

LAMIROIR IS HERE TOO??

TRUCY ALSO- im sorry truce im shoving you everywhere because I want you to develop

maybe she and Klavier are like, performer bros

Apollo is happy that Trucy is but also feels alienated, like AA6 totally pulled him from his AA4 roots [COUGH]

CASUAL TRUCY SPRITE??? I would cry capcom

Nahyuta, Rayfa, and Apollo being awkward but trying (and mostly succeeding) siblings, Amara being a scary but p good queen momther

FRANZISKA INTERNATIONAL PROSECUTING??? Idk it’d be epic tho

She roasts Klavier so bad

Though he is very smart so she just roasts his terrible German

Resolve the Gramarye siblings here?

Include something with gender dysphoria to contrast how they butchered Robin Newman???

This is huge headcanon territory here tho

The Twist: realizing that this case cannot POSSIBLY be resolved in 3 fucking days. Also that Apollo is so backlogged that hes stressed and he probably needs help

Also someone tries to frame Klavier with his Gavinners-brand shoeprints

End: answer yes/no to Klavier working at Justice Law Offices. The choice affects his dialogue with Apollo in 7-5

CASE 5

Some fuckin. International level scandal

Elaborate on whatever the fuck “the phantom” was spying for? btw is the same that the culprits froms 7-2 and 7-4. maaybe 7-1?

And it involves MORE AUDITORIUMS

Open w/ calling Trucy, whos in the states. She mentions that Klavier casually got a Japanifornian defense attorney badge. Cue exasperation/fondness/incredulity (I promise this is relevant)

In Khura’in

Starts small- like a robbery, which leads to an attempt on Thalassa’s life. Again

Athena gets to therapy her

Then someone high-profile actually fucking dies

Athena (co-council Apollo) vs FINAL BOSS FRANZISKA

Lots of investigating with them

Talk about space center and grief

The twist: a person with low emotional output is framed, but they are innocent because LOWER EMOTIONAL REACTIONS DOESN’T MAKE YOU FUCKING EVIL

The other twist: Bring in 7-2 framed person for a character witness, show that they’re innocent. Athena is panicking because of Fear(?) so Apollo is determined to Do Something, and points out how this only happened because the system is Stupid and calls Klavier and Trucy

BECAUSE:

At the same time, there’s a stateside investigation. some botched, continued interreference at the Space Station

Klavier can pull an Edgeworth and investigate with Trucy

With parently narumitsu

Klavier talks about Apollo a lot, Trucy calls him out on it

Nahyuta is prosecuting this case

Depending on the relations between Klavier and Nahyuta established in 7-4, this will be hilarious or disastrous

Protective Yuty route: makes scathing comments about petty parts of Klavier- a petty-off

Teasing Yuty route: brings it up whenever Klavier talks about Apollo. Rlly funny banter. Klavier showing more human emotions sprites!!

Revisit the Space Center and get emo. Simon is here, arguing with Nahyuta

Because the cases go to trial simultaneously, the comment about the wrong conviction in 7-2 can be brought to the Japanifornian courts by Klavier and Trucy

They argue that Athena was forced to do that to spare an innocent and press HARD for legal reform

They call in Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth for reforms??

They also start a twitter war (that can be investigation minigame) and get public opinion up abt it

Yuty vouches for change, w/ khura’in as evidence

SO AA4 CAN GET KINDA RESOLVED!!

DUNK ON BOOMER JUDGE

BONUS: CASE 6: TURNABOUT CHILLOUT

Phoenix vs Franziska

Larry time

Scruffy time

Idk man. No more international stuff, just good old fashioned cleaning up ur shitty dad’s messes amiright

Resolve things with the Shelly card?

oldbag cameo but you file a restraining order

help trucy and pearls with college

TLDR: Athena actually tracks an international conspiracy that has weight, the AJ gang once again changes the system, Phoenix gets emotional resolution, Franziska helps international stuff AND gets emotional resolution, and i finally stop trying to throw hands with capcom. 

[otonymous]

(Otonymous’ Follower Milestone Celebration): From the Pages of Le Comte’s Diary (IkeVamp - NSFW)

Description: You happen to find le Comte de Saint-Germain’s diary by chance.  Do you dare to take a look inside? Warnings: NSFW/18+:  Explicit/graphic language — reader discretion is advised. Trigger warnings: very mild hints of somnophilia & dubcon (without actual violation), mentions of death.  SPOILERS for something minor noted in Leonardo’s MS. Author’s Notes: Hey everyone!  This piece was heavily inspired by a personal headcanon I have of le Comte’s backstory and, for all intents and purposes, can be seen as a continuation to an earlier fic I wrote for him, Bitten.

(SPOILER ALERT!!) I also noticed while playing Leonardo’s route that he sometimes refers to le Comte with his name in quotation marks.  It happened so frequently that I was inclined to think that this was no mere typo.  This observation will figure in the following piece as well.

I’ve never played le Comte’s route before in the JP server and I try to stay away from spoilers, so the rest is just pure speculation on my part!  That being said, please note the potential trigger warnings listed above, and happy reading! 😊

Tagging the following lovelies: @ambrosiallkiss​, @all-my-cuffs-have-buttons​

All characters & Ikemen Vampire owned by Cybird.

17th of May, XXXX

She sleeps; soft skin taunting beneath the gossamer silk of her nightgown - satin ribbons and blush pink and almost coquettish in how it barely concealed anything of the wonders beneath:

Breasts exquisitely tipped, nipples hardening like jewels beneath the heat of my stirring breath.

Hourglass curves limned in silver moonlight spilling into her room (for even after lifetimes apart, she maintains the habit of retiring with the curtains open) — lending her the ethereal cast of the goddess Diana herself.

The shadows between her legs, darkness undulating every time she shifted upon the bed; thighs parting...then closing…then parting again as her lips dropped in a wisp of a moan that reverberated nonetheless like an orchestra in my ears.

For she had called to me.  

Writhing upon her bed in the throes of what seemed a particularly feverish dream, she had uttered my name — that which had never been revealed to her nor any of the mansion’s other residents aside from Leo.  And there is no other man I trust more with a secret.  Yet, there it was like a miracle…spilling unbidden from those perfect lips.

How long has it been since I was last addressed as such?  Not “le Comte de Saint-Germain” but by the name of my birth.  Not since she was in my arms last, hundreds of years in a past when I knew her by an entirely different name and face.

Different, yes, but beautiful no less.  And though she returned to me changed, I recognized her immediately by scent — fragrant blood ripe with the sweet spring of life, pulsing hot beneath delicate skin that flushed when I approached her that fateful day, palm outstretched like a hopeful supplicant to return what she had lost:

An earring of amethyst.

The same precious stone as the one in which I had carved the elegant profile of her face; the cameo the very first gift I had given her...and the very last piece of jewellery I adorned her body with the day they laid her to rest all those grey seasons ago.

But my lover has returned.  And though many say our kind walk in darkness, God has revealed itself to me by this very act of faith.  For she is the light: the spark in her eyes more brilliant than a thousand suns, the warmth of her soul the very fire of a hearth, forever burning.

Yes, she has returned.  And I am home once more.

Yet, I linger at the threshold, paralyzed by the thought of her dissipating like smoke before my very eyes.  Could this much happiness be allowed for one such as myself?  Would Cupid’s arrow be tipped with sympathy for a creature’s plight, striking twice like lightning bearing down upon the selfsame tree?

Alas, caution, caution.  To be exercised constantly.

I remind myself, always, to stay the haste that would urge me to reveal all, as fantastical as the story may seem to a woman both worldly and hailing from a time that, I’ve learned, has very little tolerance for things incapable of being stripped away by science.

Thus, I must find contentment in observation, watching the slow procession of my bride as she fumbles among the great men I’ve gathered.  Waiting…hoping for the day that she’ll discover her place by the side of one who has loved her and only her since time immemorial.  For I would never force her hand.  If she is to love, it would be completely of her own accord.  

Such is my situation: to look but never to touch.  Never seeking to interfere.  It is torture of the most acute degree.

In a stark reminder that I, too, was once a man possessed of love and passion, jealousy and lust, I almost succumbed tonight.  Her soft moans had drawn me to her bedchamber, and when she failed to respond to my inquiries as to her well-being, I entered her room without express permission, fearing the worst.

And there…a sight to rival Venus’ birth upon foamy shores:

Tresses of silk fanned out upon down pillows as a thin sheen of sweat glistened on her brow, ma chérie had thrown off her bedcovers and continued to writhe under the influence of a dream.  Her lashes fluttered long like butterflies in flight, and I was captivated by the rapid rise and fall of her chest, the perfect flesh of supple breasts visible beneath the gauzy layers of her nightgown.

I pressed a hand to her forehead, relieved to find it cool to the touch and tried to keep from being distracted by her tongue as it slipped out to wet pink lips from corner to corner, as if fighting to quench some unfathomable thirst.  I wondered from which well of desire she had drawn in the hazy web of sleep to excite her so.

I wasn’t left ignorant for long, for it was then that she moaned my name, beckoning like the goddess of love herself and impossible to ignore as the sound stirred something deep in my enraptured heart and loins.  And just when I gathered every last shred of willpower to pull away, she grasped me by the wrist, fingers curling tight and with surprising strength.

Selfishly, I yielded.  Allowed her to draw me in any direction she saw fit until I was positioned over her sleeping form on all fours, like the basest of beasts.  I told myself that I did not wish to disturb her slumber, but the heart knows its own darkness.  For I was hopelessly drawn to the flush of her cheeks, the way her hands sought purchase in my hair — pushing my head lower and lower, allowing my gaze to take in every glorious inch of her body as it moved towards the heat between her legs.

She stopped then, spread herself even wider and lifted slightly off the bed as if seeking the warmth of my breath.  It blew shaky upon bare skin, for she had worn no undergarments.  Her heady scent wafted towards me, a bouquet delectable and sweet, as if deliberately fashioned to please my palate, and I smiled to remember the times I’d feast upon her until the candles burned low.

She glistened — rosy flesh trembling as her arousal beaded to drip from her entrance, leaving a salacious trail that ended in a growing spot of moisture on the bed beneath her.  She called for me again, the wanton whine of her voice mixed with a desperation I only knew too well, and it would’ve been so easy to take up her invitation with the tip of my tongue, lapping at the nectar offered up by her beautiful flower in bloom.

It would have been easy, yes.  But I am not one unaccustomed to hardship.

And so, with the greatest care not to rouse her, I extricated myself from her grasp, pulling the covers over her sleeping form once more.

On this night, I allowed myself this: the gentlest press of my lips to her forehead.  The slightest touch of my nose to the tip of hers.  Then I bade ma chérie “bonne nuit” as I closed the door behind me.

She will come to me once more, awake and willing.  And when she does...

…she will know my name.

(End of Entry)

Thank you so much for reading!  Check out more of my work here! 📓

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

What changed between the planning stages and actually writing the book?

Oh lord, there's a lot! Here are some highlights of stuff that was either written on notebook paper during the initial power outage that caused us to write this or was in the unpublished rough drafts:

Rex Hart and Jack Fairchild were one in the same, with Rex being Jack the Ripper (and thus a cannibal and rapist).

Eve was a demon rather than an angel, which is still somewhat reflected in her initial zombified snake look that she was trapped in.

Rika's friend David was a one-scene cameo.

Amon has gone through so many powers it's not even funny, I've lost track of all the times that changed.

Marianna actually started out as treating Gabby like a trophy rather than a child, before moving to a more strained relationship, and finally to the loving but somewhat fraught relationship they have now in the book.

Here's one @lilmissrantsypants refuses to let me live down: Armstrong's first name was going to be "Kurtwood."

A bit of the vampire lore was different.

There were a lot more members of Eve's old Order, including Davy Jones and Judas Iscariot. Her modern coven also had far less people initially. I think in the rough draft it was really just Gabby, Amon, Marianna, Rhapsody, Rex, Jojo, and Jack. Everyone else was added along the way, so for most of the rough draft none of the others were really a thing.

Likewise, Dracula's coven was a lot smaller and less fleshed out. Characters like Carlos, Farrah, Charlene, and Matt were only added in the rewrite we're publishing.

Rasputin actually didn't appear at all, and Ruthven was not considered (mostly because I didn't know he existed).

The Silverwings were not fleshed out at all and we're all meant to die by the second book to raise the stakes.

There was a hell of a lot less worldbuildng in general.

Ryo Amano was supposed to be genuinely, irredeemably evil.

A lot about Amadeus Zephyr and his role in the story changed, but that's spoiler talk.

Venus was not originally an actress, just a stunt performer at the amusement park.

Jerrod actually died after cornering Roarke, which I changed because I found it unlikely Antoinette would blow someone's head off, let alone in her own bakery. During the initial rewrite we had her distract him with her boobs before knocking him out, which was also scrapped because it was wildly out of character and a disservice to her.

Rose was basically a turbo woobie with no personality. This was before I gave her autism and made her horny.

There was a scene where Armstrong abused Roarke at the bar, which was cut because it was really mean and shitty.

There was another scene where Roarke got to grope Nadia's boob. Also cut. Self-explanatory.

A lot of characters didn't have their sexualities yet. Gabby wasn't ace, Amon wasn't demisexual, etc.

[yourdeepestfathoms]

The Suicide Queen (part two)

[Ice Skater AU]

Part 1

The Sixtended characters that cameo in this chapter belong to: Mary Boleyn- @marygrey, Meg Tudor- @me-tizi, Jane Parker- @altairtalisman, Christina of Denmark- @the-queen-of-the-castle, Anya Askew- @thenicestnonbinary, Anne Parr- @inquisitive-mess

TW: Referenced self harm

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

Bessie’s eyes were stinging when she woke up that morning. She groaned, draping an arm over her face, and knew it was going to be one of those days.

She hauled herself out of bed and gazed around her small dorm room. She always thought it was rather dull compared to some of the others she had seen, simply having a bunk bed with a black couch underneath it, a desk, a single shelf for her belongings, and a venus fly trap that she took care of better than she took care of herself. Thick grey blackout curtains were drawn tightly over the single window; she preferred to use light from the lamp sitting nearby or the fairy lights strung across her ceiling. She never turned on the overhead fluorescents if she didn’t have to.

On her way down from her bunk bed, Bessie stumbled on the last rung of the ladder and nearly hit her head against the wall directly behind her. She wished she had. She longed for her skull to shatter and for her brains to ooze out, signaling that she was no more in this horrible world.

Her bare feet sunk into the fluffy white carpet in front of her couch. The softness brought on an odd sense of comfort and she sighed softly.

  “Another day,” She said to the taxidermy crow sitting on her desk.

She wondered if the reason why nobody liked coming into her room was because of all the vulture culture stuff she had. Her shelf was full of various animal skulls and bones, she had a bottle full of fangs, a jar with peacock feathers sticking out of it, and even a real kangaroo fur she bought from an antique store hanging up on the wall. A lot of people found it creepy and ‘cruel’, but she found it all fascinating.

After watering her venus fly trap, which she had named Jackie, she grabbed some fresh clothes and her shower supplies and stepped out into the hallway.

Her dorm building was notorious for its decorations during the holidays. It was always set up, regardless of what season it was. Right now, black and orange fairy lights were suspended across the ceiling, with little rubber bats and spiders hanging freely, signaling Halloween. There were even a few skeletons and zombies standing around in the corners, which never failed to scare the absolute shit out of Bessie when she got up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

Several girls were already awake and mulling around, getting ready for the day. Mary Boleyn and Meg Tudor were chatting loudly outside Mary’s dorm room, talking about something some idiot said in their political science class. Margaret Dymoke was waiting impatiently outside of Christina of Denmark’s room, yelling at her to ‘hurry her ass up.’ Jane Popincourt was whisking out of the bathroom, shamelessly swathed in a pure white robe. Bessie shuffled past her with her head down and entered the bathroom.

Along with Jane Parker and Anne Parr, The Beast was there to greet her inside.

  “Good morning, darling,” It said from the reflection of the mirror.

Bessie used to have a mirror in her room. She had to get rid of it after she punched it while having a mental breakdown and shattered the entire thing. She remembered all the heads peeking out of the other rooms as she walked the broken thing to the dumpster outside.

Bessie felt Jane and Anne’s eyes on her as she trudged into one of the open showers. Their conversation resumed after she turned on the faucet, thinking the sputtering of the showerhead would drown out their words, but Bessie could still faintly hear them.

  “…She’s so weird.”

  “…Yeah. I’m surprised the counselor hasn’t called her in yet.” 

  “…They haven’t already? Damn. I thought literally everyone telling them about how she cries herself to sleep at night would be enough.”

  “…Clearly it’s not. I kinda feel bad for her.”  

  “…Yeah, me too.” 

Their gossiping whispers disappeared as they seemed to exit the bathroom, and Bessie was left in silence once again.

But only for a moment.

  “You wanted attention, didn’t you?” Said The Beast. Even with the spraying water, Bessie could still hear it so clearly. Probably because its voice came from inside her head, and it wouldn’t quiet down no matter how hard she covered her ears.

  “Not like this,” Bessie muttered. She stared down at her naked body, at the slimness of her sides, at the sunkenness of her stomach, at the cuts marring her stomach and thighs. She splayed her hands open in front of her and looked at the scoring on her wrists, the point system of her constant losing battles. She clenched her fists.

  “Be grateful,” Said The Beast. “They could ignore you. And don’t say you would want that because I know how you react to being shunned.” Even though she couldn’t see it behind the curtain, Bessie knew it was smirking. “You would be alone with me.”

Bessie grit her teeth. “Shut up.”

She roughly grabbed a bottle of vanilla milk and papaya shampoo and squirted way too much into her hand. She began scrubbing it violently into her hair, making sure to rake her nails down her scalp so she could feel the pain. 

Hey, at least she was bathing. Her hair had been a greasy mess for about two weeks now.

  “They can ignore you, but you can’t ignore me,” The Beast said. “I’ll always be here, darling. I’m your best friend. I’m your only friend.”

  “Shut up!” Bessie yelled, yanking back the shower curtain and flinging the shampoo bottle at the mirror The Beast was reflected in. At the same time, Anya Askew entered the bathroom with her showering supplies and gave Bessie an extremely confused and concerned look. 

Bessie jerked the curtain back so only her head and shoulders could be seen. “Umm-- S-sorry, I was--” She glanced at the mirror, and Anya’s eyes followed, but she knew she couldn’t see The Beast smirking in the glass. “Thought I saw a spider! G-guess I was wrong! S-sorry!” She wrenched the curtain shut completely and backed up against the wall, covering her face with her hands.

  “I don’t even need to ruin your life,” The Beast said, sounding like it was right behind her. “You do it for me. You make my job so easy.”

Bessie squeezed her eyes shut, feeling a few tears stream free. She sniffled and swiped them away quickly. She couldn’t cry this early in the day. She needed to retain some shred of dignity.

Turning her attention back to the shower, Bessie began scrubbing her body with apple-scented soap, wincing when any open cuts on her skin stung in reaction to the chemicals. The scars, those that hadn’t scabbed over yet, were still gooey and red, the flesh around their edges white and puckered from the water. The faint paint they caused brought a dull sense of clarity within Bessie.

God. How much more of a freak could she be? Was she some kind of masochist or something?

No… No, she only liked pain when it was self-inflicted. She didn’t like when it was put upon her by someone else. He proved that.

She shook her head, sending a scatter of water droplets flying throughout the small space. She twisted underneath the hot water, washing off all the soaps and suds still clinging to her frame. 

She was clean once again.

  “Or as clean as a teenage whore could be…”

Bessie just barely managed to bite back a yell, remembering that Anya was still in there with her. So, instead, she just closed her eyes and breathed out heavily.

After drying herself off and wriggling into her clothes for the day- grey sweatpants and a plain black sweater- Bessie stepped out into the rest of the bathroom. Even with the mirror completely fogged up, she could still see The Beast’s red eyes glinting at her hungrily as she walked to one of the sinks.

  “You’re beautiful,” The Beast cooed, materializing in the mirror over the sink she was using.

  “Shut up.” Bessie growled, thinking that Anya couldn’t hear her because of the running water.

  “I’m just complimenting you,” The Beast said innocently. “You should thank me.”

Bessie glared down at the sink as she began brushing her teeth with so much force her gums began to bleed. She spit bloody toothpaste foam into the drain before washing it out, gathering her things, and storming out of the bathroom. She faintly heard The Beast chuckling deeply before the door shut.

Once back in her door room, Bessie put her showering supplies back in their place and set her pajamas on the couch for later. She brushed out her long black hair, not caring if it was dripping wet, and then gathered her school supplies, put on her glasses, and left the dorm building.

Upon stepping outside, Bessie’s glasses instantly fogged up. She took them off while walking forward, wiping away the cloudiness until they were clear again. She put them back on and saw a black truck sitting by the curb.

Bessie froze.

All the dorm buildings on Princeton University were further away from the main campus, fenced in by brick walls and a gothic-looking gate. That meant that, unless Bessie wanted to try and scale the walls, she only had one way out. And she would have to pass the truck to do that.

Gathering up all her courage, Bessie began striding towards the gate. There were kids already outside in the courtyard, surely He wouldn’t try anything… 

Her confidence disappeared completely when she crossed the threshold, and Bessie fought the urge to turn and run back to the safety of her dorm. She bit her lip, willing herself not to cry as she walked by the truck. The windows were so tinted that she couldn’t see inside, but she knew He was looking back at her.

The truck rumbled to life upon her crossing the street. Bessie didn’t run, knowing that running would only make Him chase her. Maybe He would just go away if she moved slowly and acted like she didn’t care…

A tear ran down her cheek as the truck began rolling along behind her. She turned sharply and walked up a short flight of stairs that led up the curve of a small hill. Princeton University’s sprawling, plant-filled campus was then stretched out to her, but not even its thriving beauty could calm her nerves.

Bessie walked faster, keeping her head down. She knew she should be monitoring the truck, but she didn’t want to look at it. She didn’t want to risk seeing Him.

She tried to distract herself by looking around. The lush, healthy emerald green grass was sprinkled with early morning snow, glinting softly in the pale light slipping down from the blanket of grey clouds in the sky. It was too dull for shadows to be cast, and yet a dark shade grew from her feet and smiled at her wickedly.

  “Come to me, darling,” The Beast said.

Bessie jerked sideways and ran right into someone without even realizing it. She heard a grunt and instantly tottered backwards, apologies spilling from her lips.

  “Sorry! I’m so sorry! I-I wasn’t watching where I was going!” Please don’t hurt me…

The person she had rudely bummed into stepped back, blinking brown eyes that were so dark they looked like pieces of ebony infused in their skull. Bessie realized it was a woman a year or two older than her, and she was the most beautiful person she had ever laid eyes on.

Internalized homophobia had always been one of the many problems Bessie had, but not even THAT could disagree that this was the most gorgeous human being to ever grace the earth.

She was a dark-skinned woman, tall and muscular, looking like she was capable of crushing Bessie’s skull between her thighs like it was a watermelon, and Bessie found herself longing for that to happen, and not just because she was suicidal. Her short dark brown hair was cut into a style that screamed ‘I AM NOT STRAIGHT!!’, tucked gently into a vermillion beanie, which only fueled Bessie’s hope that her gaydar wasn’t messing up. She was dressed in black jeans and a red-and-black flannel, which had its ends tied together over her stomach. When she spoke up, her voice was husky and warm, tinged with a German accent.

  “You’re good,” The woman said. “No worries!” She smiled down at Bessie, but it disappeared in almost an instant. “Hey, are you alright?”

Bessie sniffled, and she realized there were a lot more tears than she had thought. She opened her mouth, lips quivering, and pointed to the truck nearby without even thinking her decision through.

  “Th-that truck,” She whimpered out. “I-it’s following me.”

Bessie expected the woman to dismiss her panic, saying something like, ‘there’s trucks everywhere!’ or ‘how do you know for sure that it’s following you?’, but instead she glared at the truck and flipped the driver off as it sped away.

  “Fucking creep,” The woman muttered. She turned back to Bessie, looking concerned, and set a hand on her shoulder. When Bessie flinched at the contact, she respectfully pulled her arm away, and Bessie cursed her instinct to recoil at any touch because she really wanted this woman to touch her (just not like that, not like that--). “Are you okay?”

  “Y-yeah,” Bessie said, quickly wiping away the tears that were still on her cheeks. “Th-thank you.”

The woman smiled that beautiful smile again. “No problem!” She seemed to sense that Bessie was still on edge because she then said, “Would you like me to walk you to class?”

Bessie looked surprised, but nodded fervently. “Y-yes. Please.”

The woman nodded and began walking with Bessie, scanning around the area as if she were a guard dog. “I’m Anna, by the way.”

  “Bessie,” Bessie said.

  “Bessie?” Anna echoed.

Bessie blushed faintly. “It’s silly, isn’t it? It’s the 21st-century, who names a kid ‘Bessie’ if they aren’t a cow?” She gave a small laugh, shifting her belongings in her arms. “Umm-- My real name is Elizabeth.”

  “I think Bessie is cute.” Anna commented.

The blush turned from a light pink to a deep, dark red in an instant. Bessie’s pale skin definitely didn’t help make it any less noticeable. 

  “R-really?” Bessie stammered, wide-eyed.

  “Yeah!” Anna nodded, grinning. “It’s impossible to create a nickname for my name unless it’s the dumb ‘Anna Banana’ one.”

Bessie giggled. “What about ‘Annie’?”

Anna thought it over, then tipped her head at Bessie with a smile. “I like Annie, actually. Good thinking, Bessie.”

Bessie’s ears felt like they were on fire, but, for once, it was in a good way. She couldn’t help but smile back shyly.

  “Okay, so I actually have no idea where we’re going,” Anna admitted. “I’ve just been following you. I’m new here.”

  “Oh,” Bessie said, nodding. “That explains why I’ve never seen you before. Where’d you come from?”

  “Düsseldorf, Germany,” Anna said, which explained the really attractive accent. Bessie’s face burned even hotter. “I’m living in an apartment down the road. I prefer to have my own personal bathroom.”

Bessie giggled. “I get that. Living in a dorm has its perks, though.”

  “Really? Like what?”

Bessie was silent. “Hang on, I’ll think of something…”

Anna laughed loudly, and Bessie couldn’t help but join in.

  “You’re funny, Bessie,” Anna said as they got near the math building. “I like you.”

Bessie faltered. “R-really?”

  “Really!” Anna said, then tilted her head. “You seem surprised.”

  “Oh, no, I-I just--” Bessie trailed off awkwardly, not wanting to spill stupid stuff and ruin her friendship with this woman. She shook her head. “Nothing. Nevermind.” She looked at the large building looming over her. “Well. This is my stop. Thank you again for helping me. I had a really good time talking to you.”

  “I did too,” Anna smiled. “See you around, Bessie.” She gave a saluting goodbye before turning and walking down the sidewalk with her hands in her pockets.

Bessie watched her go, her heart thumping wildly in her chest. Not even the frigid wind could cool down the heat on her face.

  “Bye,” She whispered long after Anna had walked away.

[spiderdreamer-blog]

The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers Episode 1: "Game On"

For kid's sports movies from the 1990s, having revisited them recently, The Mighty Ducks films hold up surprisingly well even with those qualifiers. There's an appealing sense of reality (not necessarily "realism") to the characters and their situations, they were always very well cast, and there was a sense of genuine wit and goofiness throughout the trilogy. Each film also had a unique identity: The Mighty Ducks was a bit grubbier, reflecting the characters' humble origins and relatively low-stakes inner-city Minnesota conflict; D2 (my favorite of the three) was brighter and colorful, with more outsized villains and a global scale; and D3, even with some of D2's aesthetics, is a tad more somber about the characters starting to grow up. Fast-forward 25 years after D3 with original writer Steve Brill on board, and we have the new Disney+ series, Game Changers, which is honestly pretty delightful just on the basis of the first episode.

The first and best innovation it makes is that, reflecting our even more hyped-up contemporary youth sports culture, the Ducks are now the bad guys: a megacorp franchise with all the money, talent, and production values that's fanatically obsessed with winning and prepping teenagers for professional hockey careers (much like the Hawks in the first film). This doesn't sit well with Alex Morrow (Gilmore Girls' Lauren Graham), single mother of Evan (Brady Noon). When Evan is cut from the team by the douchey Coach T (Letterkenny's Dylan Playfair, note-perfect as this precise brand of unblinking asshole), she angrily rants about the current state of youth sports and decides they should form their own team. Evan is less than enthusiastic at first, given that she immediately goes viral and he's ostracized over it socially, but they ultimately connect thanks to the help of former Ducks coach Gordon Bombay (Emilio Estevez, reprising his role from the films), now a broken-down wreck for unspecified as-of-yet reasons and running an ice rink with a "no hockey" rule (that he agrees to bend once Alex waves some dollar signs around). Together they gather the requisite band of misfits: Evan's podcaster friend Nick (Maxwell Simkins); large but very much in charge goalie with insane reflexes thanks to hours playing virtual hockey Koob (Luke Islam); the nerdy Lauren (Bella Higginbotham), who gets some of the biggest laughs here; Sam (De'Jon Watts), a skateboard enthusiast who joins the team on a dare; Logan (Kiefer O'Reilly), a blonde Canadian hockey superfan; and Maya (Taegen Burns), an insecure former popular girl.

Like the original films, this is all fairly standard youth sports formula made out of spare parts, but the quality of said parts is quite high. Brill knows this kind of venue and these character types inside and out, and he guides things with a sure hand and comic principles. As always, a valuable tool is comedic undercutting, such as how Gordon determines whether or not he should eat an aging cake, or the reveal that Logan, seemingly a prize find, cannot actually skate. The actors are in the proper spirit, especially Graham demonstrating why she's the exact kind of mom you want in your corner while being a bit exasperating in that respect. Estevez strolls into his iconic role like he never left and adds some haunted new shades; there's clearly a story in how "The Minnesota Miracle Man" ended up in this lowly state, but he still has a lot of the old magic in his advice towards Alex and Evan. The kids are good too, funny but not overbearing in that Disney Channel kidcom style that I loathe; Simkins could have come off as absolutely insufferable in particular, but he's got a nicely modulated sense of comic timing. I also appreciate that the fanservice for older fans of the franchise is relatively restrained: we get a couple hints of the old theme musically, Gordon has a painful ironic callback to an early line of his, and cameos from some former Ducks actors will evidently play a key role in a future episode, but otherwise, this is dedicated to telling a new story.

Overall, I think this holds quite a bit of promise. I think going for a sequel rather than a reboot was the right idea, especially in terms of commentary on more current-day sports trends, and it's got exactly the kind of solid but unshowy craftsmanship that made the original films stand out above the crowd. I doubt we'll get anything truly groundbreaking or revolutionary out of this, but sometimes, an old story told well with good tools and talent is what you need. And Game Changers looks to be precisely that.

[exobyharu]

PCY - Ch7

I just googled this gif and dug real deep. I’m sorry idk who the owner is :(

Chapter 7 - How many kittens?

(Part 1)(Part 2)(Part 3)(Part 4)(Part 5)(Part 6)

Summary: PCY obsesses, Junmyeon is suspicious, Jongdae is loud, and you’re not answering your phone. PCY’s sister discovers that you’re her cousin as of today.

⏰ 8:14 PM 🌏 SM Entertainment headquarters 🌝12 It’s a full moon and maybe that’s why 👥 YN, Park Chanyeol, Byun Baekhyun, Kim Junmyeon, Kim Jongin, Kim Jongdae, Park Yoora

Notes: The series is not dead! I’m sorry to those waiting. Update soon! Happy Holidays! 

Words: ~1,500

💙💙💙

“Biscotti Girl in the pictures…  @real__pcy’s dear cousin is so popular! #chanyeol #biscotti #celebritti #confetti #spaghetti”

There were a hundred thousand retweets in eight hours. Where did Baekyun say he was going again? Because Chanyeol was thinking of tossing that jackhole’s damned phone into the trash, right after pushing its owner down the stairs first.

He was no longer summoned to the main office and that was something to be thankful for. But here he was, stuck in a random conference room, all by himself, and analyzing every possible way to get you out of the highly inconvenient picture that he’d put together to save his ass. He could not reach you – you were not picking up – and frankly, it was not your obligation to do so. This had you, leaving him staring out into a picture window that overlooked the busy boulevard outside.

There was only one word he could think of whenever he thought of you, and that was intensity. With you, he would always find himself in an intense argument or stuck in an intensely problematic situation, and without you, he would be just like he was right now – bothered by such intensities, all the while, intensely worried about what to do with himself and his thoughts.

Not cool, YN. Not cool.

He just wanted to fix things, but the last look he got from you made it painfully obvious that he achieved the exact opposite. You were avoiding him, and maybe it was for the better. Besides, there seemed to be nothing else he could do but pray for everyone to let the incident go. He hoped that you at least liked the free haircut from his stylist, as much as he hoped that it did the job in keeping your identity further from discovery.

He could not get it out of his mind. One problem that still bothered him was how you would keep yourself from being discovered, especially since the photographs had almost half of your face displayed to the public. What if your friends saw the photographs? And co-workers? Would you lie about being his cousin, too? How would you lie to your family about that?

And then there was the question about the flowers. He sent you, his alleged cousin, ten dozens of pink roses. What kind of distant cousin does that? Chanyeol’s lack of an alibi frustrated him, the only silver lining being: at least the roses weren’t red.

He was abruptly reminded of the way Junmyeon’s eye kept twitching as he told him about you. Their leader was suspicious and that was an understatement. He also knew that even Yixing’s brief DM asking how are you? was him, lowkey asking what the hell is going on? The odds were certainly against him. Even Sehun was giving him the stink eye.

Along with his own self-doubt, he decided to head out. Maybe a short walk and some fresh city air would make his worries lessen.

It did not.

A couple of hours later, the sight of the rest of EXO’s members gathered for a company-catered dinner was not comforting to see. Standing by the door, he looked around and caught a few staff members sharing a small table in the far corner of the conference room. This was in celebration of what again? The thought passed him by as soon as he saw, gathered at the center table, were all of the questioning faces that he least wanted to entertain.

Seven handsome faces, one whose perfect teeth Chanyeol wanted to punch in. His pal, Baekhyun, always finding creative ways to fuck things up for fun. When he met his eyes, the singer even had this insufferable are you proud of me look, written all over his face. He thought that it was time for this little shit to say his prayers because he was going to dig a–

“CHANYEOL-AH! COME BY TO FINALLY TELL US ABOUT YOUR COUSIN?”

In slow motion, Chanyeol’s head turned to face the owner of the voice that came from the opposite side of the table. The thing about Jongdae is that he is, ninety percent of the time, blamelessly loud. But the fact that he had to be among the most sincere people that he knew made it impossible to hate the guy. Consequently, it made it even more painfully annoying for Chanyeol. How thoughtful of Jongdae to put it out there just like that. Certainly what he needed right now was to be greeted by an ever-cheerful face when all he wanted was to brood over dinner.

Fuck this.

He left the room immediately.

Universe, one point. Chanyeol, zero.

And still no answer from you. He deserved this, he supposed. It was funny how one little mistake led to consequences that were way out of proportion. He realized that it was only actually funny until he was in trouble.

He took the stairs back to the third floor and to the conference room where you waited for him earlier that day. It was the same venue that Junmyeon eventually chose to broadcast live. Chanyeol’s cameos finally proved useful. Who knew that acting would end up actually saving his life one day?

“Yah! Cut it out! She’s just my cousin!” He remembered how his insides churned with his twisted lie. It was Junmyeon’s idea to hold a live stream with Jongin, and fish for comments so they could appear to address the issue incidentally in front of thousands of online viewers. They did not have to wait long. Ninety percent of the comments were downright all about it.

“You heard it. So what is everyone going crazy about, hm?” their leader teased, while Jongin in the background was bouncing on his seat, trying to contain his bout of giggles because of a pun he could not wait to deliver.

“It’s called Obsession, Hyung! Right? They’re obsessed!!”

That, along with other horrible puns from Jongin, happened in this room. He found himself glaring at the huge wall clock and wondering what you were doing at eight in the evening. It had been eight hours since you left. It did not sit well with him to not know how you were. Neither was it clear to him why it mattered so much – why you mattered so much. You were too quick to drop him, and he ought to do the same.

And yet… He clenched his teeth – a form of self-reprimand – while reminding himself what he was made of.

Determination. He was made of determination.

And he was going to have a method to this insanity: He was going to give himself one night of being a slave to his foolishness. Tomorrow, he was going to stop thinking about you. And screw the song. He was going to write another one. So he did not have single output after being away for a couple of weeks. It was no big deal. At this point, what was the worst that could happen?

In the middle of counting today’s misfortunes, his phone finally rang. He nearly dropped it when he frantically fished it out from his pocket. His hopes declared that it had to be you. His heart dropped to his stomach when he saw that it was not.

It was not the call he had been waiting for. In fact, in that moment, he realized that it was the call he dreaded most to receive.

It was his older sister.

“A little bird told me something today,” she started in a singsong voice. As if they were still children, she used the same tone to this day whenever she had something that she could use as leverage against him.

Chanyeol pressed his face to his palms. Of course. He ought to worry about his own family first. He was no stranger to his sister’s ways. This was going to be a brief, but exhausting conversation.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he answered, which made it plenty obvious that he knew exactly what she was talking about. She gave him the benefit of the doubt, though. This one’s just her classic style of interrogation.

“I’m talking about Biscotti Girl, of course. Or are you going to tell me that the guy in the photos isn’t you?”

How he wished he could tell her that and mean it. He told her anyway. “The guy in the photos isn’t me,” he copied sheepishly. She knew that he was begging her to let him be.

“It’s okay, little brother. You can talk to me anytime, okay? Trust me. I can understand girls better than you.” Again, this was her line whenever she thought he was having girl problems.

“It’s not what you think,” he reasoned. But she was not listening.

“I just wish that sometimes, you’d send me some flowers too.”

“Ya! I said it’s not even like that!”

“But don’t worry. I’m always on your side.”

“Would you listen to me?!”

She would not. “Consider it my apology for crashing your car. I love you!”

After finishing what seemed like a monologue, she ended the call without hearing him out at all. Younger brothers were supposed to annoy their older sisters. How many kittens did he leave in the rain in his past life to deserve the opposite?

💙💙💙 - to be continued - 

[cleaduvalls]

i watched all 20 episodes of spy kids: mission critical in about a week and here are my thoughts (3/5)

1.9

i havent watched this in like 2 days i dont even remember what happened last time

why is everything in the desert the desert sucks

alsjhiajgdf i love tom kenny

listen i know hes like a superandroid or whatever but i really hope he and therese fall in love

wait hold up. i thought they already had midterms???? like the did that before scorpion went to her fashion shoot. AND they were kupkakkes midterms. whats up with this school

no drinking in class???? rude. let them hydrate

that seems imbalanced

aHh

thats only like 10

also that book is dummy thicc

its ok ace my nose whistles too

shut up carmen youre just jealous because shes pretty

there are no seasons its a desert

ok dude stop breathing so hard

he JUST said that

anywhere between an hour and umm... 11 months

you put it on one page why are all the pages back

me but with physics

thats literally the best line in the whole series

juni how do you not know that you were at a safe H O U S E

theyve been gone for like 2 hours are they not allowed to study?????

what even is AWOL???

absent without leave. neat

talon gives off some big draco energy

tick tock???? how dare you

slkdhfa she called sir awesome honey shes such a mom

dont make it obvious

oh look they made it obvious

roll credits

i was in cleveland when i watched this episode - well actually i left that day - and i was s h o o k e t h

also hes right. no spy would be in cleveland. theres 3 buildings

oh me too

right bc shes the only “I.A.”

ew

eW

this isnt HARRY POTTER. or maybe it is. talon is a hardcore draco

oh right bc swearing is for Men™

update tumblr decided to break AGAIN (im boutta cry btw) so we lost about 5 minutes from the end of 1.9 and 7 from the beginning of 1.10

1.10

its a DOORBELL do they not have those in the outback steakhouse

lots of people. doofenshmirtz, other people who i cant think of right now, etc

???? no it wont????

did your troop leader not give you The Talk??? you NEVER go in the customers house

ace no. youre allowed to not buy treats

theres a triforce on her vest, too

shes just gonna go to another house yall. shell be f i n e

oh my God shes holding hands with mauly im gonna c r y

yeah its called saliva

nope only scorpion lives in a castle

stop bringing up spy sense and tell him you saw her glare at you

HES ALLOWED TO LIKE FOOD

how do you know that he doesnt have his phone if YOU dont know where it is and HE cant tell you

i love how she says "floor. ceiling. more thumb"

haha i found the birth of venus

oh and the creation of adam

hes like squidward, which would make sense bc goldies voiced by tom kenny who voices spongebob

"sebastian oliver" "shadow operative" S.O. nice

why do you have a trailblazers badge. youre 4. i didnt get one til i was a cadette

also sebastian???? isnt that the toymakers first name????? you cant have 2 sebastians

also why do you have braces. youre still 4

"SIR MEANIE FACE" IF SOMEONE SAID THAT TO ME ID BE D E V A S T A T E D

SCORPION LET HER CRY SHES F O U R

so really, spy sense DID help

oooooh, sentry duty, thats gotta hurt

WHAT THE H E C K YOURE F O U R

she looks like frickin plushtrap

aCE NO YOURW GONNA D I E

oh trust me they hurt me more than you know

dude theyre so thin youre f i n e

eh, still worked

clicking her teeth together so hard must H U R T

i think she can get out of there. also shes concussed now

why was that so quiet. why did it get louder

thats not a y shape

no, they spy kids

oh shiitake mushrooms thats what THEY said

whenever they say pinnoquinoxx i always think of pinnochio

ahdhhsjak i miss pizza parties 😔

well now we ALL expect it

also, no one????? pick a cooler code name. your regular name was cool and now youve ruined it

2.1

oh theres finally a skip intro option. im not taking it

stop saying that its weird

EWWWWWW CRUSTY THATS SO G R O S S

haha shes shopping w the goon. love that

oh yeah i didnt get to tell yall yet but i absolutely h a t e gablet

a lot of people, juni

listen i know a jt (but he doesnt go by jt) and uhhhhhhh were not gonna go there

why are you happy. what about second semester makes you so happy

boi thats a tardis

the design on his hoverboard looks like the aperture science logo

i paused to read the Floops label and it says "fried corn and sugar loop shaped breakfast substitute, net wt. 13 oz" ITS NOT EVEN A CEREAL ITS A BREAKFAST SUBSTITUTE IM C R Y I N G

listen i know hes technically scorpions dad but i dont think he can legally be in the dorm rooms

aww, thats sweet

i dont think gablet has an attached printer

gablet always sounds like shes mocking people

oh dear God its dolores umbridge

haha nerd

awesome no im gonna die

whenever carmen yells she sounds like link

ok so i didnt find a reason why she sounds like link but i DID find that theyre making a wherea waldo tv series so uhhhh thats fun

why does the cat have a bandaid

GABLET S T O P

OH!!!!!! ON THE WALL!!!!!!! ITS THE TUMBLR POST WITH THE FORK AND KNIFE ETIQUETTE PICTURE!!!!! YOU KNOW THE ONE!!!!!

oh no fart jokes

its even the basic fart sound effect

BAHAHAH MY PHONE VIBRATED AT THE SAME TIME HE FARTED THAT WAS WEIRD

oh no i hate him

stop SLURPING

uh yeah???? you heard them yelling about it

how??? does that work??? you cant just like catch electricity in a cup.... can you???? i havent studied it since 4th grade

oh worm??

goldies such a boomer

worm??

psi shouldnt be at the drawing board right now. he also shouldnt be confused

what happened to the lasers

wait nvm we havent gotten to that episode yet

ace is valid, dark is Scary

im gonna punch gablet in the face

that doesnt sound realistic

do you not have stairs??????

dont you mean inside AND out??

that flashlight did NOTHING

how did it die so fast?????

who else would you be talking to??

isnt that bowser from the mario movie we dont speak of??

i havent gotten a chance to tell yall but i absolutely love clemp. hes such a mood

hes the greatest spy

does it use a mini transmooker???? ig it doesnt bc gablet works but thatd be lit

SEE SHES IMMORTAL

me when i see something interesting

ME WHEN IM NOT ON MY PHONE

i dont think you can legally say that

you killed her

me

wow nice promo

also just???? bring a charger????? like youre the tech girl why do you not have one at all times

how?????? did you go so fast

machete electric bubbles??? nice

just task manager him

mother of all boards sounds like it could be a cuss...mother of all fuckers

also throwback to 1.7 when she says "his ai firewalled his motherboard" i keep expecting her to say "his ai firewalled this motherfucker"

yes i said keep ive watched that episode too many times to count

worm??

why did you giggle and make a flirty pose. are yall supposed to get together???

did you????? kill him????????? holy shit

2.2

thats what my dad does. he loves hospital corners

idc what it is you have a bazooka

ok if it was a spider id get it, australia has some deadly ones, but does it have deadly ants too???? like is that a Thing????

also ants in your room are gross

was that just a cameo??? i dont remember what happens in this one

haha because he said grapevines and wine has dregs and wine is made of grapes

for the boys??? thats so cute

listen idc how evil you are EVERYONE should cry over otters

so one of the parents has a sister or sister in law named roxanna..... hmmm.......

if you dont use your turn signal h*ck u

hes gonna D I E

i just looked at my shoe and i think theres blood on it???? what the h*ck

suspicious??? about.... what???? having fears???? not being perfect?????

juni that was awful wording

JUNI WHAT DID YOU D O TO HIM

like i know what he DID but the way it plays out makes it seem like something significant

i thought his name was heavy meddle not.... deth metal???? thats how the subtitles spell it

hahah me

he sounds like bling bling boy

yeah ik im a fool thanks for reminding me

what are you gonna do??? kill juni????

POOR WORD CHOICE JUNI

oh he gives exactly 0 h*cks

a shoe doesnt make that sound

crack bugs?????

see thats why you dont mess with things

im a god among boys??????? what????

did you... kill them????????????

thats any australian person

theyre so stupid i love them

good i hate her

i thought the gunk just like... disappeared from the guitar but actually it shot off

he died... 😔

uhh.... yeah????? was it not obvious?????

me when i have 5 dollars

[artificialqueens]

Free Falling, Chapter 11: Deeper Love (branjie) - writworm42

A/N: Last chapter, Brooke and the others get ready for the fundraiser and smack Gary tf down. This chapter: the fundraiser is finally here!

Title from THAT song from THAT lipsync. Sue me. Thank you holtzmanns for being the best beta and all-around pal a binch could have <3

Also, next chapter will be a smutty epilogue!

The first thing Vanessa noticed when she walked into the venue space on the day of the fundraiser is that the stations had been changed.

“Concessions? Nina, what do you mean, concessions, I was supposed to be on lost child duty.” Vanessa frowned when she looked up at the list and map that Nina had drawn for the day and put up towards the front of the hall they’ve rented out.

But Nina just shrugged. “The volunteers can handle it.” As she said it, Vanessa took a second look at the list, and the sudden switch made perfect sense.

“We already together, Nina, you ain’t need to put me with Brooke for everything.” Vanessa rolled her eyes, but Nina was already walking away towards the next concern, a shit-eating grin on her face.

God, Vanessa loved that sneaky bitch.

She looked up where the concession was set up on the map and headed over. Vanessa was pleased to find that it was towards the middle and side of the room, supplying a fantastic view of the goings-on around the venue. The fundraiser wasn’t opening for another hour, but the room was buzzing with people, volunteers, staff members and the youth advisory council members already setting up equipment, walking through their duties for the day, and completing any other of the millions of small tasks that popped up as opening time ticked closer and closer. The room was bursting with colour, streamers and balloons lighting up every wall and corner until all Vanessa could see was rainbows, bright blues and purples and yellows that eagerly welcomed guests inside. There was a giant stage towards the back of the room set up with raffle prizes and a microphone, and the floor was crawling with game tables and booths, each decorated with big, bright signs clearly indicating what they were offering. More active games like life-sized tic-tac-toe and adaptive bocce took up the centre of the room, and Vanessa was all too excited at the thought of kids gathering there to play and move around.

The most beautiful sight, though, was Brooke in a Charles-Visage Hospital t-shirt scooping popcorn seeds into their rented kettle, a giant popcorn-shaped hat on her head.

“Laugh it up all you want,” Brooke narrowed her eyes as Vanessa practically screamed with laughter, drawing the attention of pretty much everyone in the hall. “Wait until see the hat they’ve left for you.”

In retrospect, having to wear a giant wiener on her head was definitely, objectively worse.

The minutes kept ticking by closer and closer to opening as everyone scrambled to finish their set-ups, fussing over little details and cursing themselves for forgetting big but integral tasks. For the most part, Vanessa managed to tune out the noise, clinging to the rhythm of concession prep to keep herself calm. Brooke, for her part, was cheerful and enthusiastic, chattering about how she used to work at Kernels and how they never used to get to wear gloves when they were working, how her manicure had been saved—Vanessa listened to it all gladly, grateful for the distraction in the form of the woman next to her.

Only Brooke wasn��t trying to be distracting, not really—this was just Brooke when she was happy, and somehow, seeing her girlfriend get so excited only made Vanessa that much more calm, that much more happy herself.

All too soon, the rush died down, and there was silence in the hall, everyone holding their breath as they counted down the two minutes remaining until opening.

“This is amazing, Ness.” Brooke grabbed Vanessa’s hand and squeezed gently. “You’ve done a great job.”

It was only then that Vanessa noticed that she had been shaking.

“I just… I really want this to work, you know?” Vanessa sighed, chewing her lip. Brooke nodded.

“I just don’t think I could handle it if we did all this and still went under. I mean, all these families an’ kids… they got hope, Brooke. We gave it to ‘em. An’ I don’t want that all crushed thanks to a dumb idea you humoured for me.”

“It’s not a dumb idea, and I didn’t humour you–I think it’ll save us.” Brooke’s voice was adamant and matter-of-fact, her eyes serious, but the conviction did nothing to reassure Vanessa, not really.

It didn’t matter if Brooke had faith in her; when it came down to it, whether or not this was enough was still out of their control. And if it wasn’t, what would happen? The unit would get major cuts, if not dissolve completely, and sure, she’d probably land on her feet, but what was the point? There was no laughter in the adult units. No water-toys or impromptu in-session tricycle parades when your clients were thirty and stressed and just looking to get home, not to have the joy of home brought to them and make the best out of a less-than-ideal situation. Even outpatient didn’t have the same vibe; in outpatient, the kids didn’t all know each other and band together, and neither did the staff - you knew who you worked with, and everyone else was peripheral. And if she didn’t get kept by the hospital, what was Vanessa supposed to do then? Move to another hospital, another district, another city? Spend the rest of her career in the community? She cringed just thinking about driving from house, navigating client caps and never seeing another adult unless it was a client or the parent of one.

And what would happen to her and Brooke? Brooke would blame herself, for sure. Say that she underestimated some costs, overestimated returns, whatever kind of business mumbo-jumbo could come to her mind. Heck, knowing Brooke, she’d go as far as to blame the way she scooped out popcorn or some shit, anything she could to explain why they failed, anything she could to take the burden of falling short off the team. And then she’d be gone, whether or not the unit stayed open, because that’s what Brooke did. Blamed herself, told herself she was a burden, and then ran.

Vanessa couldn’t let that happen. She wouldn’t let that happen. This had to work. It had to.

“Hey,” Brooke broke Vanessa’s daze, cupping her cheek with a soft, gentle hand. “Hey. It’s okay, Ness. It’s okay. We’re gonna do great today. I believe in you. And…” She bit her lip, shifting on her feet. Somewhere in the room, Silky called out a one-minute warning. Brooke wrapped Vanessa into a hug.

“I love you.”

Thirty seconds.

Vanessa couldn’t think any more.

“OPENING TIME!”

Before she could say anything else, the doors open, and a flood of people rushed through.

–

“Can I have everyone’s attention? CAN I HAVE EVERYONE’S ATTENTION PLEASE?” Nina shouted into the mic, raising her voice above the roar of the crowd. The fundraiser was drawing close but the energy of the attendees had barely diminished, kids and adults alike still coming through the doors to ask for whatever last-minute, $15-at-the-door tickets they had left. The concession stand had long been stripped empty, everyone who could eat rushing by to trade loonies for every type of snack they had on offer, and so Brooke and Vanessa had shed their hats and begun to run around to help out at the other booths. Still, they were only just getting to the main event, the grand finale everyone was waiting for.

“Thank you so much for coming out today, everyone.” Nina was practically beaming as the noise died down, all eyes on her. “I just wanted to say that I am truly touched by how many of you came to support the kids at Charles-Visage, and how much all of your generosity and enthusiasm has helped. Thanks to your tickets, raffle ticket, and donation-box offerings, we have raised a whopping $10,000. And that’s before we add everything up from concession!” Nina smiled and waved over at Brooke and Vanessa, who had rushed quickly back to their booth solely for this announcement and their moment of cameo-glory in it.

“I also want to say that we have amassed over one hundred new monthly donors, which is fantastic!” Nina continued, her cheeks going pink with excitement as she did. “And also, I want to thank the members of the media who came out today, getting our message of fun, inclusion, and hope out to folks everywhere! So everyone at home, be sure to check out the hospital’s website and click that donate button!”

It was just then that Vanessa noticed a host of newspeople in the back, journalists with paper pads and cameras around their neck and broadcasters holding mics out to hear all of Nina’s announcement.

Jesus Christ–the PR would be fucking fantastic , and Vanessa hadn’t even known that people would be interested in hearing about them. And she certainly hadn’t called the news outlets.

Brooke grinned at Vanessa, and her surprise turned into outright affection, lunging forward for a hug to thank her girlfriend for the amazing surprise.

“Thanks to everyone’s contributions,” Nina kept going, her voice now shaking with glee, “We not only have raised enough to help out kids with disabilities all over the area make strides towards achieving all their potential, we have also raised enough to welcome even more kids into the Charles-Visage community. That’s right, everyone–thanks to your generosity, our unit will be able to expand!”

The cheers were absolutely deafening, and Vanessa felt like she was absolutely floating on air.

She had done it. They had done it.

They’d won.

Vanessa still wasn’t really sure what happened next. Nina went on to announce the raffle winners, but Vanessa could barely hear her, could barely register anything at all. Everything was joy, excitement, pride, and Brooke. Brooke, extending a hug towards Vanessa and pulling her in for a long, giddy kiss. Brooke, whispering another I’m proud of you as they pulled apart. Brooke, chewing her lip as she bit back what Vanessa could guess was another I love you, something she was afraid that Vanessa didn’t want to hear a second time.

So Vanessa said it first, loud enough for everyone to hear.

“I love you too, baby. And I can’t thank you enough.”

[hazyheel]

NXT 2/27/19 Review

The night began with Johnny Gargano coming out to address his loss to Velveteen Dream. He talked about how he was called up to the main roster recently, he also talked about how he did not live up to the North American Championship. The crowd chanted Johnny failure, and he didn’t seem too bothered by it. He said that he still felt like a champion, but he needed a championship. He was about to say who has helped him win the titles, when Tommaso Ciampa came out to address him. Ciampa said that those two make magic together, and that they were meant to be. Ciampa suggested that the two of them enter the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic together, and get their mojo back. The crowd was very conflicted, some saying that Gargano didn’t need him, others chanting “DIY.” Gargano shook Ciampa’s hand, confirming that the two will team together.

Grade: A-. It is pretty clear that Ciampa is manipulating Gargano, who is already very conflicted emotionally. I think that this story is great, both of their characters are developing incredibly well, and I’m super into this story. Personally, I hope that the two make it to the finals, but lose there so that they can have a match between the two of them. Johnny really does need to hold the NXT championship soon. So, lets see how this story goes, maybe they will stay allies for a while, or maybe it’ll be a quick turn. But these guys are the highlight of NXT right now.

Backstage, Kathy Kelly interviewed Ricochet about the Undisputed Era.  Ricochet says that he and Aleister Black want to take on the whole stable. Ricochet also said that, since Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly are in the Dusty Rhodes tag team classic, they will enter as well. Outside of the venue, Candice LaRae confronted Gargano about his decision to reform DIY, simply saying that she hopes Gargano knows what he is doing.

Next match was Vanessa Borne and Aliyah vs. Tayanara Conti and Xia Li. The match was quite basic, no real big spots. There didn’t seem to be much chemistry, and the match was over quickly.

Grade: D-. I liked Xia Li, she worked well, but other than that I didn’t care and the work was sloppy.

In another interview, Velveteen Dream talked about how he is the new NXT North American Champion, before the Undisputed Era approached him and told him that Adam Cole will be winning the belt back. Dream then told Adam that he was a small man, and that he wouldn’t be talking so much shit if he didn’t have his friends around. Dream then just said that he didn’t have time for this, and walked away, leaving the Undisputed Era furious. In another backstage segment, Bianca Belair and Io Sharai were in a shouting match, before getting pulled apart.

Next match was Domanic Dijakovic vs. Keith Lee. These two have had a five star match in PWG before, so this is a match I’ve been waiting for. The two started out a bit slow before progressing into a shockingly quick match. Lee tried to offer a handshake, but Dijakovic pushed him away. At one point, Lee had Dijakovic up for a powerbomb, and Dijakovic countered with a monkey flip, only for Lee to flip out of it. The staredown after that clearly was supposed to mimic the staredown of Ospreay and Ibushi at WK13. These guys are awesome in their offense, and can sell for days. There was an incredible springboard moonsault to the outside from Dijakovic, looked incredible. That move actually caused a double countout. The crowd chanted to let them fight, and then chanted for Regal to come out. After the match, the two tried to get at each other, but the referees refused. This rivalry is not over.

Grade: A-. Awesome match. This is certainly not the last time they will meet in the ring, so I’m not too upset about the non-finish. Still, I loved this match, with the power of these two guys combined with their agility, it is really incredible. They put on the match of the night, and their feud is just beginning. I can’t wait to see where this goes, and hopefully it goes right to NXT Takeover New York.

The last four teams were announced for the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, and the bracket was shown. The first round matches include DIY vs. Undisputed Era, Street Prophets vs. Moustache Mountain, Lorcan and Burch vs. the Forgotten Sons, and Black & Ricochet vs. Aichner & Barthel. Should be a great tournament, and if I had to pick a winner, I would have to go with the Forgotten Sons. It may not be the popular pick, but they are supposed to be forgotten for a reason. So I am calling that those two will win the whole tournament. Its a match I want to see, so I will look forward to it. 

Then, something pretty unexpected, Sasha Banks and Bayley popped up in NXT! They were showered with a welcome back chant, the crowd is super hot for them, and honestly, this is surreal to see them back in NXT. It is awesome. They also got you deserve it chants. They even have Izzy in the crowd! I didn’t think it was her when I saw her, but it is! They even referenced how Sasha made Izzy cry a few years back. They reiterated how the belts will be defended on any brand. It was damn awesome to see them in NXT, and it is frankly where they belong. The crowd was super hot for them, they felt like a big deal, when a lot of the WWE main roster crowds don’t give that feeling.

Grade: B. Pretty basic promo, and they didn’t say much that hasn’t already been said, but the excitement of seeing the Boss n’ Hug Connection in NXT is enough to bump it up to a B grade.

In the main event, it was Shayna Baszler vs. Mia Yim in a non-title match. Baszler was toying with Yim at first, just doing simple takedowns, until Yim got pissed and was really fighting back. This match was a straight up brawl consisting mostly of striking. However, when Shayna had control, she worked over the ankle with sickening ferocity. Yim was doing an awesome job selling, to the point where it became tough to watch. Baszler looked to end it early with the Kirifuda clutch, but Yim fought out of it by stretching the fingers. Yim tried to hit some sort of running move into the corner, but collapsed out of the pain. Even when Yim hit her finisher, the weaked ankle meant that it didn’t fully connect, and it did a lot of damage to Yim, so it was only a near fall. Baszler locked in the Kirifuda clutch again, locking Yim’s arm with her foot in order to keep it locked in for the win.

Grade: A-. Awesome work on both of their parts. Yim’s selling made the match very emotional, and she made Shayna look like a million bucks. Offense between the two was hard hitting, they have great chemistry, and I would even love to see Yim take the belt from Shayna at some point. The fact that this match had a real finish make it slightly inch ahead of the Lee vs. Dijakovic match from earlier, making this main event the match of the night.

Next week, we have one of the first round matches for the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, so that will be pretty exciting.

Overall Grade: A- (yeah, I’m rounding up. This show was super good.)

Pros: DIY reunion and LaRae getting pissed about it; Lee vs. Dijakovic; Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Bracket; Boss n’ Hug Connection cameo; main event

Cons: bad tag match in the middle.

[threadsthatbindus]

“I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed your workshop on 16 July. You taught so encouragingly and wisely, making sure that everyone felt comfortable and unthreatened by the creative process. I appreciated the line drawing exercises and the layout of continuous strips of paper to draw on was a good way of making people feel less self-conscious. And of course, it was so valuable to draw from the “real thing” – the fynbos, rather than looking at photographs. I loved the venue and I found that your home was an inspiration in itself with visual cameos of happy plants and artworks in every corner! You have created a beautiful sunny piece of heaven. I really enjoyed the free sewing / drawing process and admire you for having developed such a creative process from your own experimentation. You exude creativity and initiative.” • Sue, Cape Town • Book yourself a spot in our next workshop, it’s a lovely way to spend a Saturday morning! (at Cape Town, Western Cape) https://www.instagram.com/p/ChH6HAuKqcB/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[mandareeboo]

Unfinished Work #6

So, long story short, me and my mom were joking about the Scooby Doo gang being weed sellers back in the day a couple months back, and I ended up writing a portion of a thing for it, and I still appreciate it. 

It’s a shame it never got finished. I was planning of cameoing Flim-Flam and explaining how they got traveling and all that shiz.

Never thought of a name or summary for this, lol

Norville comes to school on the first day of kindergarten in baggy pants and a faded shirt, and continues to wear such clothes every day of every year since. His movements are scattered and disorganized; hair messy, eyes listless. He quickly receives the nickname Shaggy.

Shaggy's parents are hardly ever in the picture- never for any concerts, or parent-teacher conferences, or even just to pick him up after school- but the boy never minds. He swears they're trying, just busy, but no one ever really believes him.

He brings his puppy to school every day. Scooby is easily spooked but friendly, always either in his arms or pressed protectively against his desk. They both eat almost constantly, like they're starving, but they never gain any weight.

"My ma says I got the munchies," he tells his first friend, Fred Jones. "Whatever that means."

Velma Dinkley trips into the picture a few weeks later at the library. The little girl loves to learn, loves mysteries, so when she turns the corner into the crime aisle she doesn't notice Shaggy Rodgers sitting on the floor with his dog, Scooby, until she's sprawled out next to them.

"How'd you get a dog in here?" she asks, adjusting her spectacles, once Velma has regained herself. "It's against the rules."

Shaggy laughs and pets Scooby's scruff. "Scoob's magic, man. Nothing can stop him."

"Yeah," the dog seems to say, "magic."

"You won't tell, will you?"

Velma reluctantly shakes her head. "It's not right to have somebody take away your book before you're finished."

The boy smiles. Velma picks a book off the shelf and slumps down beside him, wrinkling her nose.

"Why do you smell like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like... I dunno. Smoke and something else."

"Oh." Shaggy shrugs his lanky shoulders. "My parents smoke."

Daphne Blake's mother and father seem to enjoy primping and primming her, and she does as well. But even spoiling her can't beat the joy she feels when they take her for self-defense classes, when her stance is solid and she throws blows at the gelatinous training dummy. Dancing and tea parties are nice, but fighting is where her talents seem to lie.

"Be careful who you hang around," her mother warns her. "I never want you to have to use any of this in your day-to-day life."

Her father shuffles her off to meet other spoiled kids, but very few connect with her. Perhaps it's only natural that people of the same background of leisure don't like others of the same breed. It takes the special feeling out of it.

So Daphne finally plucks up the courage to sit with Fred Jones and his friends. There is no mischief or mystery in her life at home, and that just seems unnatural. She immerses herself in novels and books and that weird hungry feeling she gets whenever Shaggy's parents drive them home.

Fred Jones meets Norvile Rodgers on the first day of kindergarten, but really they've known each other for a while now.

Well, to be more accurate, his parents know his parents. They go over once a month, both of them, tucked into their rust red van. Fred's never allowed to leave the vehicle.

The Rodgers home is odd to him. He's used to being the mayor's son, with cold and impersonal architecture, but their house is grungy and obviously a family heirloom. There's a gnarled oak tree with a swing tied to it, and sometimes their son will be swinging when they pull up. Fred tried waving once, but the boy always seems antsy.

The house is a gray color, with two floors. There's a green house in the back, with flowers and venus flytraps and that special patch his father says is just a weed. Fred's only seen the place in photos- dad says he's keeping them 'just in case.'

Fred's never been inside, or seen the Rodgers's personally, but he has met their neighbor, Angel, a tall black woman who takes care of Norvile when everyone is too busy. Judging by how at ease he is when the woman approaches, that's often.

That doesn't really bother Fred. His dad is never around. Though, deep down, he did kind of wish he had a nanny to keep him company.

"It's not just a weed," Shaggy tells Fred, affronted. "It's, like, weed. That's its name."

"Oh," he says.

"Yeah. You smoke it. Well, I think there's other ways to go about it, but I've only ever seen ma and pa smoke."

"Is that that terrible smell?" Daphne asks, picking at his bedspread. Shaggy lives on the second floor, far back. "You really need to get these washed."

"Well, it's the smoke and that, really. I can never remember to bring the clothes over to Ms. Dynamite for a wash." He shrugged. "I'm used to it."

"Me too," Scooby added.

"Weed is a drug. My parents told me about it." Velma lowers her voice and adjusts her glasses. "You won't get in trouble, will you?"

"No? I mean, sick people smoke it, so why would I?"

"Sick people get a special kind of weed. A government weed."

"Oh," Shaggy says, reaching up to rub at his eyes. "Well, I bet it's not as good-smelling as ma and pa's."

Shaggy's father is a tall but stout man, with big hands and a nice smile. He loves flowers and cooking stews, and he never hesitates to tell Velma things, or take them back to the greenhouse when they ask.

"Won't you get in trouble for this?"

"You lot are supervised, aren'tcha? I'll keep you safe."

"No, I mean with the weed. Won't the police arrest you?"

Shaggy's father lowers his voice. "Lemme tell you somethin', little miss. Maybe I would get arrested, somewhere outside of this town, but I've got connections here. Mr. Jones is a very good friend of mine-"

"My dad?" Fred butts in.

"Yes, sir. Your dad," he agreed, kneeling down to put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "The wife and I owe a lot to your old man, Fred."

"Why?"

"Now, I don't want you to think he's doin' this for selfish reasons-"

"It's okay, Mr. Rodgers. I know my dad is one of the bad guys."

"Why dya say that?"

"He told me. Also, I found an old monster mask in the attic. I think he might've chased some kids out of town or somethin'."

"Fair enough. Not gonna lie to you if you already know the truth." Mr. Rodgers stood up. "He likes what I'm sellin'. Ergo, he leaves me alone. Mr. Jones would never stick his neck out for me- make no mistake- but as long as I don't provoke the cops, he doesn't send 'em."

Shaggy was curiously examining the growth patch. "Dad, we're missing some."

"Nah, son. Red Herring was here for a visit yesterday, while you were with Ms. Dynamite."

"Oh," Shaggy says. "Okay."