#we need some diversity in sports now come on

[ultimatelyre]

CAPRI SPORTS & DANCE AU ficrec part V

💌 - fav $ - smut (minors DNI) !! - check tags

SPORTS AU

Concordia $!!💌 - hockey player x figure skater goes first on this list cause of course it does. This one has all my fav elements - Auguste lives!, Damen being sweet, depressed af laurent-

Spoils of War $!! - SOCCER AU!! teacher damen / single parent Laurent. Nicaise is a snarky cutie whats new

thrown for a loop - skater Laurent / bodyguard Damen

fifty ten twenty !! - swimmer Laurent / Coach Damen. really good this one

the beautiful game $ - soccer AU, series <3

beach boys - surfer AU, incomplete

free skating - i love it when fic writers write laurent training too hard, overworking himself (so canon accurate of him)

forelsket - ice skater! Laurent teaching Damen whoop whoop

shall we skate 💌 - Laurent teaches Nicaise how to ice skate but Damen has to figure it out himself. BABY NICAISE MY HEART

Game on - Beach Volleyball Laurent and Auguste play beach volleyball against Damen and Nikandros.

Weightless - (gonna tell my kids this was yuri on ice)

consume me $$ !! - pure smut. nikdamenlaurent

spring in acquitart $ - horseback riding yall (I have restrained myself from adding all fics with horses in them cause it deserves a ficrec of its own)

Holds - nik had promised to teach laurent

A season of discovery $ - multichapter, okton

Light mention of sports (sigh)

No rush $💌 - the queen of capri fics

cupcake - lacrosse is mentioned, once. otherwise this is a tooth rotting sweet fic

DANCER AU Yes dance is also a sport fuck off

prepare yourself for the ballet Laurent onslaught-

You spin my head (right around) - step up AU and BOY is it good

Breathless

Collab - hiphop Damen and Ballet Laurent makeout in a studio. thats it.

Your need grows teeth - itallends dropped another banger. toxic damen.

Pas de Deux !! - ballet dancer Damen is so rare omg

gold in the night $!! - lapdance

⭐part I (popular ones) 💼part II (workplace AU) 🫂part III (Auguste lives & Nicaise lives) 🦾part IV (rare pairs)

[leviscolwill]

show me how

pairing: mason mount x f1 driver!reader

summary: mason brings you as his plus one to the ballon d'or ceremony and although you're both used to cameras, you still need each other to ease your minds. [wc: 1.4k]

req: i love ur jude x driversss but can we have mason and driver😔😔

contents: angst (reader has a panic attack), but other than that fluff, fluff, fluff ! established relationship, mason is a cutie patootie

note: okay this was supposed to be much shorter but i got carried away rewriting it at 1am 💀 but anyways !! first time writing for my boy (and definitely not the last) !! i hope you'll like it 🫶

now playing: show me how by men i trust (oncle jazz)

the beautiful dress you had on was probably not suited to brave paris' october wind. but your boyfriend and you had planned all of this for months already. you just flew out from the mexican gp as soon as you could and started learning the speech you wrote beforehand the moment you landed in paris.

you knew your presence at the ballon d'or ceremony was important to mason, he had a difficult time adjusting to his new club and you needed to be here for him.

you felt that was the least you could do, mason had been there for you during the whole season, facetiming you even when you were at the opposite end of the world and he needed to sleep.

your car wasn't as fast as your team had planned and all hope of a championship was close to none, the media started questioning your position within the team and whether or not you deserved a seat. safe to say, you went through a rough patch.

you were aware that coming here would give you a headache with all the questions coming your way on the red carpet. 'is your boyfriend a distraction to your career ?', 'do you think you're in f1 solely for diversity reasons ?', 'will we be able to see you on the grid next season ?' no. no. maybe.

actually, you weren't here only for mason. your pr team got you to announce the women's ballon d'or. you were extremely grateful for the opportunity, being a woman in a male-dominated sport like formula one forced you to advocate for equity and recognition of women in sports. and this was a great way to spread your message, a message you knew these players would relate to, they were also victims of sexism and misogyny in their sport after all.

however, you were still nervous, you hated public speaking and your hands were shaking at the sole thought of messing up your speech. for some reason, it was easier for you to talk in front of big cameras during races, even after a dnf, than at such an important event for a whole sport.

when you both finally got inside and were taken to your seats, you didn't even notice your leg starting to bounce on its own.

"are you okay ?" mason took your hands in his as soon as he noticed your stress.

"i'm fine, just a bit nervous" you lied. you were very nervous. you didn't know why, you've experienced worse in terms of stressful situations. hell, your job was a big stressful situation on its own.

you silently rehearsed your speech, while your mind helped you visualise everything that could possibly go wrong, exactly what you needed. falling down on stage, dropping the trophy, breaking it, stuttering during your whole speech, blanking out, passing out... all of this in front of a big audience with threatening eyes, an even bigger audience if you counted people in front of their devices, watching the ceremony.

all of these thoughts became too much for you to handle and you felt the urge to get out. obviously, you couldn't actually get out of here, you wouldn't forgive yourself for doing this to mason.

so you settled on going to the bathroom to clear your head a bit. the 'clear your head' part didn't work well though, as you felt tears well up in your eyes. the thought of your makeup running down your cheeks was enough to make you spiral again. thankfully, no one could see the scene unfold since you were confined in one of the stalls, sitting on a floor that was probably not clean enough for you to do so. you tried focusing on the conversation two girls were having just outside, praising each other's seasons.

you heard the door close, or open, you weren't able to tell.

"y/n ? are you here ?" you didn't expect to hear mason's voice.

"umm, this is the women's bathroom..." one of the two girls said to your boyfriend.

"i know... i'm looking for my girlfriend she's-"

"mase, i'm here." you slightly opened the stall's door for him to get in.

the bathroom stall was clearly too small for the both of you, so you were practically glued to mason.

"y/n... you should have told me how you felt." mason had a serious look on his face, which was quite unusual for him.

"i'm sorry, i didn't want you to worry. it's just... a lot for me, i don't want to mess it up."

mason's hands found your cheeks and made you look up to him.

"you don't need to put pressure on yourself like that y/n. i know you'll do great, you just need to tell this brain of yours to stop working overtime." his arms engulfed you in a big hug.

"no, don't hug me... i'm all snotty." you whined, trying to push him away, in vain.

"i love you even when you're snotty." he said, peppering kisses across your face.

"so cheesy."

"you love it though." he said chuckling. he was right, you loved it when mason was overly cheesy, especially when he did so to comfort you after a bad race or in moments when you simply needed him.

mason cleaned up your makeup after comforting you, and you went back to your seats hand in hand, a smile on both your faces from the intimate moment you both shared.

when you were taken backstage just before the announcement, you felt anxiety creep up again. this time mase wasn't by your side, but his words were. this was all in your head, you just needed to deliver your speech. that's it, nothing would go wrong.

you stepped on the stage with mason's words still ringing in your head when you felt hundreds of eyes on you.

the voice in the back of your head was wrong. everything went perfectly, you even caught mason's sparkly eyes when you were done announcing the women's ballon d'or winner.

getting back to your assigned seat, mason immediately congratulated you, kissing your cheek.

"you did amazing. god, you were amazing."

you were grateful for the room's shitty lightning, because mason didn't need to notice the way your cheeks started to flush at his words.

"thank you mase, i don't think i could have done it without you."

"stop saying nonsense. you did everything yourself." it seemed mason wasn't aware of how much his words, as simple as they might have been, along with his presence, were key factors in you actually pulling up to the stage. but debating with your boyfriend on such subjects was useless, so you let him believe what he wanted to.

the two of you spent the rest of the night chatting with each other in half-whispers, sometimes getting little 'shhhhh's from the audience. even though your anxiety was long forgotten, you still felt relieved when the ceremony ended. but getting home from the packed location was another issue you didn't plan.

you didn't know if you were thankful your hotel room wasn't that far from where the ceremony was held, or if you hated it. your heels were absolutely killing you and you didn't feel like walking in them, even for 200m.

"you look like a baby giraffe right now."

your boyfriend always had the right words to cheer you up, didn't he ?

"shut up. these shoes will actually be the death of me." you looked up at him with glassy eyes, hoping he'd get the message.

"i'm not about to give you my shoes y/n." his words made you sulk immediately.

"i could give you a piggyback ride to the hotel though..." you could hear mason's smirk in his tone, you knew he wouldn't do that for free.

"what do you want ?"

"a kiss." he simply said pointing at his lips.

you quickly pecked his lips, expecting your piggyback ride.

"what was that ?"

"a kiss ?" you answered, stating the obvious.

"surely not. put your heart in it will you ?" his comment made you roll your eyes but you complied anyway. you felt mason's hand sneak to the back of your neck deepening the kiss. after a few seconds, you realised you were kissing in the middle of paris' streets. you pulled away and hit his chest in false annoyance. which quickly dissipated once you were on his back, your aching feet silently thanking you.

"you're a menace." you said, although you were smiling at his antics.

"i'm your menace."

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Hello! May I just start by saying that your blog is one of the most helpful resources I've ever come across! The physiology of love has been particularly helpful for writing a very logically driven character who would absolutely go on a tangent about that kind of thing!

Now, I've encountered a recent roadblock in writing the relationship between that character and a very esoteric driven character (if you can't prove it with logic, they believe in it). The two are in a romantic relationship and get along very well, they respect and even make time to go to events regarding each other's interests/beliefs.

The problem is, they bond by debating. Like, they debate about the possibilities of the supernatural existing, do ghosts exist, etc. They don't argue, that's the key here. I... don't get it. To me, debating is arguing. If I believe something very strongly that I can back up with facts, I can get riled up in seconds if someone even jokingly goes against me.

Could you help me understand debating? Or even why some people do it to bond? It's my biggest struggle with writing these two characters and every time I try to research myself I just keep getting "benefits of debating" articles.

Hi! The first thing that came to mind after reading this was studies on sensation seeking.

Sensation seeking - the tendency to search out and engage in thrilling activities as a method of increasing stimulation and arousal.

Perhaps your characters experience debating as a thrilling activity.

Zuckerman's Sensation-Seeking Scale (SSS)

A questionnaire designed to measure the extent to which a person needs novel or exciting experiences and enjoys the thrills and excitement associated with them.

Contains 4 subscales, each containing items and phrases as a forced-choice between two distinct options:

First is thrill and adventure seeking, with items such as “I would like to try parachute jumping” versus “I would never want to try jumping out of a plane, with or without a parachute.” These items ask about desire for outdoor sports or activities involving elements of risk, such as flying and scuba diving.

The other scales are experience seeking (e.g., “I am not interested in experience for its own sake” versus “I like to have new and exciting experiences and sensations even if they are a little frightening, unconventional, or illegal”) These items refer to the seeking of new sensory or mental experiences through unconventional or nonconforming lifestyle choices;

disinhibition (e.g., “I like wild, uninhibited parties” versus “I prefer quiet parties with good conversation”). These items indicate a preference for getting “out of control” or an interest in wild parties, gambling, and sexual variety;

boredom susceptibility (e.g., “I get bored seeing the same old faces” versus “I like the comfortable familiarity of everyday friends”) reflected in items that refer to a dislike for repetition, routine work, monotony, predictable and dull people, and a restlessness when things become unchanging.

If we look at each subscale, perhaps your characters are high in "experience seeking" and "boredom susceptibility" and this might be reflected in their love of debating. As a whole, perhaps they both have what is called an HSS personality.

High Sensation-Seeking Personality

If you have this type of personality, it means you prefer to live your life with boundless energy and enthusiasm. You constantly seek out new experiences that will delight, surprise, stimulate and invigorate you – and you may indulge to excess.

Typical Characteristics of High Sensation-Seekers (HSS):

A continuous need for novel and diverse experiences that stimulate them*

A low boredom threshold*

Dislike of routines*

Doesn't respond well to authority or rules and regulations

May not be able to resist impulsive urges

A tendency to make unusual choices that may frighten those around them

HSS personalities often:

Are drawn to high-risk hobbies and sports

Build relationships that contain chaotic elements*

Like music, art and cinema that is daring and stimulating*

Challenge people by provoking raw and intense emotions*

Are fast and sometimes reckless drivers, which may be reflected in their history of accidents or speeding tickets

Become restless or depressed and even more desperate for exciting experiences if sensation is denied*

*Perhaps these characteristics and behaviours apply to your characters.

And we can always use The Five-Factor Model of Personality to help us understand certain traits and behaviours.

Using this model, we could say that your characters likely have high levels of openness and extroversion, and may not be as agreeable, to explain their love of debating.

(Of course, in reality, psychological tests and qualified assessors are needed to make these conclusions using these models, but I think that they can also be used by writers as guides for character building and development.)

Sources: 1 2 3 4 ⚜ More: Notes & References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

Thanks so much for your kind words! Really happy to hear the Physiology of Love post was helpful for you. Hope this one would be too :)

[thearchercore]

lestappen is not real as a romantic relationship, we know it, there's no need for speculation here. but would you want to see it be real? of course we dont know how they act in their general romantic relationships or their private life, if they are straight/bi/gay etc, but the way they act so soft and domestic around each other, max being a literal fan of charles, defending him (the example is just two days ago on the cooldown room and theres a lot lot more lol) charles having things that he only does for max, and adding all the rivalry, im curious about your opinion

i mean, let's be real first. even if one (or more) drivers were anything other than straight, f1 is a business that thrives in countries where it's illegal so for a driver to come out publicly under the current conditions? yeah.. that's not really a great option. the most they can do is when lewis had his rainbow helmet in qatar or when charles said he's not against same sex relationships because "he has gay friends". it's not exactly a sport where it would be encouraged to be diverse in that sense, or even an acitivist. drivers also have clauses that prevent them for speaking out about political issues in their contracts so there's not a lot that can be done there without risking a person's career.

other than that, it's a very masculine sport and a lot of men project their idea of masculinity onto other drivers (as @tsarinablogs once said, a lot of men who disliked the lewis dominance found themselves in max and became a fan of his, but max does not really present their idea of masculinity in real life. he's just a high profile athlete that other men create sort of a parasocial relationship with -- trust me, when men attack girls for liking f1 and calling them parasocial, it sure goes both ways.)

people like charles (or even lewis) who express interest in not typically masculine things like music or fashion also tend to struggle in the public eye whenever male fans need to find a reason to dislike them.

so all in all, we have to understand two things -- do i think any drivers have a secret relationship? no. if yes, i'm gonna be genuinely surprised more than when lewis moved to ferrari lol. and i definitely don't think the current state of the sport allows a driver to come out on their own terms without destroying their reputation. sure, some drivers have more influence on the sport than others but as of now, it does not seem realistic.

what i think most people find "odd" in terms of whatever friendship max and charles have going on is that they aren't the type of "rivals" that men would expect - they respect each other and actually think very highly of one another so you won't find them beefing it out behind the track like the nascar drivers do (by the way, yes, nascar drivers get into physical fights after races lol) they don't hate one another, they admire each other's skills and talent and it's not really the "drama" you see in other sports where the rivarly can get to toxic extremes (let's say, mma) and that's what makes them stand out.

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Smithsonian Magazine:

On a sweltering summer day in Madison, Wisconsin, Jade Kochanski wades through a prairie bursting with wildflowers. Insect net in hand, she carefully scans the colorful blossoms. She’s on a mission to capture and identify the bumblebees that live there. If she’s lucky, she’ll discover a rare find—an endangered rusty patched bumblebee, named for the red-brown smudge that workers and males of the species sport on their backs.

Kochanski, a PhD student in integrative biology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, meticulously measures the bumblebees she captures and snips off a tiny piece of leg, a common, non-lethal way to obtain genetic material from these creatures. Each sample she collects from rusty patched bumblebees is destined for a lab in Utah to help researchers uncover the genetic secrets critical to the bee’s survival. DNA analysis will help scientists estimate the number of colonies, identify patterns of inbreeding within those colonies, and understand overall genetic diversity and health of the rusty patched bumblebee populations.

Once common across the eastern United States and Canada, rusty patched bumblebee (Bombus affinis) populations have plummeted by nearly 90 percent over two decades due to habitat loss, pesticide use, pathogens and climate change, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Now, they are found in only a fraction of their former range, with scattered populations in the Upper Midwest and Northeast United States. In 2017, the rusty patch became the first bumblebee to be listed as endangered in the United States.

In response to listing, Kochanski joined a network of scientists who began collecting tissue samples from rusty patched bumblebees across its range. The initiative started in 2020 when Tamara Smith, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s lead biologist for the rusty patched bumblebee, organized a meeting with bumblebee researchers in Minnesota. Their goal: to identify conservation tools that could help save the species. “Genetics was the No. 1 question that came out of that [meeting],” says Smith. “We needed to get a handle on what was going on with this species if we wanted to move forward with some of the other tools that would help with conservation.”

Their research was published this past spring in the Journal of Insect Science and provides the first range-wide genetic study on the species. The findings offer key insights that can aid conservation of the species, but also raise questions and concerns about the ability of the species to recover. “Genetically, they’re not doing as well as we had hoped,” says Smith.

The study revealed a surprisingly low number of rusty patched bumblebee colonies, even in places where the bee seems prevalent. “We’ve seen the Upper Midwest as the stronghold of the species,” says John Mola, an ecologist at Colorado State University and lead study author, “but what we’ve seen from the genetic data is that even within these strongholds for the species, they are still far fewer colonies than we might have expected.”

Since only queens produce offspring, bumblebee populations are measured by colonies, not individuals. Each spring, queen bumblebees emerge from hibernation to create nests where they produce non-reproductive female workers that forage, nurse larvae and defend the nest. Later in the summer, queens switch to producing reproductive individuals, including males and new queens, which will form their own colonies the following year. Each colony can contain over 100 individuals. Thus, even if several worker bees are seen in an area, they could all come from just one or two large colonies.

According to the study, having few colonies poses significant risks, including making them vulnerable to local extinction from unpredictable events like fires on the prairies where they live. In light of the study, land managers will need to be more strategic with using prescribed burns for managing prairies within the bee’s range. To assist these efforts, as part of her dissertation, Kochanski is developing burn recommendations that balance the need for prairie maintenance with protecting bumblebees.

[loveforlandonorris]

🎤 Lando at the Drivers' Press Conference before the Bahrain GP:

(This video isn't mine, I'm in the UK so I can't access F1 TV sadly 😔 This video was uploaded on YouTube but has since been removed. Also only the first few Journalist Questions were shown in the video, so although they weren't shown, Lando did answer some questions, they're in the transcript)

Transcript

Interviewer: So, Lando, you're closest to me, so you'll start off. Um, obviously, we've had a bit of a break since, uh, the testing, and McLaren last year made such a rapid rate of development. Where are you at ahead of the first race? What are your thoughts and feelings?

Lando: Uh... good question.

Interviewer: Come on, Carlos (Carlos arrives late)

Lando: (Laughs) Uh... yes, it's a question I think everyone's asking. I think we kind of have a rough idea of where we're at, but, um... we don't actually really know where we stand comparing to a few other teams. I think it's clear - the top two, then there's a bit of a bunch behind, which is Mercedes, Aston, us, kind of thing. But in terms of just how the pre-season test went, it was a lot better than last year, and we're in a much better position than last year, so that's the most important thing.

Interviewer: Okay, brilliant.

Journalist Questions:

Q1: (Andrew Benson - BBC Sport) This is for Lewis, Lando, and Fernando. F1 as a sport has said it's making efforts to improve diversity. What's your reaction to the fact that someone accused of inappropriate behaviour towards a female colleague has been left in his role and been given a platform in official press conferences while an investigation into those allegations was still ongoing?

Lando: I think it's got nothing to do with us for the time being that investigations underway, things are happening. And something I'd prefer to stay out of for now, so simple as that.

Q2 (Niharika Ghorpade - Sportskeeda): To Lando, you seem to be pessimistic after the test. Is there any area of performance you're worried about?

Lando: It's just the honest answer of, I think, where we stand. I think until we get to Friday, we get to Qualifying, it's tricky to know where we're going to stand against some other teams. I think it's pretty close with several. I think there's a lot of expectation for us as a team just because of how well we progressed last year. Certain races, we were the closest to Red Bull and definitely not far away. Certain other races we were still a long way off, you know, easily behind Mercedes, easily behind Ferrari, easily behind Red Bull and at times fighting with the teams behind that. So we were still just very inconsistent.

Bahrain has never been a good circuit for us. We've never had one of our strongest races ever in Bahrain. So I think it's way too quick to judge and just say, "okay, we're not going to be great here in Bahrain. That's the end of the season for us". I think for everyone, because everyone's so up and down, you have to give us 2 or 3, 4 or 5 races to get the first, I think, honest review of where everyone stands against one another and not just judge it off of the performance that we're going to see here in Bahrain.

A combination of things, stuff that we still need to tackle if we want to make sure we've taken a step forward, which I think we have. We've made the car quicker and that's very clear from all the data we've got. But certain things haven't allowed us to progress as much as what I would have liked and I think as we all would have liked as a team. And also some of those issues are just highlighted a lot here in Bahrain, just because of the nature of the circuit.

So I'm still confident when we go to certain circuits. We were very fast at last year, like, going back to Suzuka and things like that. I'm confident we can still be one of the best cars. But Bahrain has just not suited our car ever, necessarily. And exactly for that reason, I think that's why we're going to struggle a bit more here. But I'm confident we can turn it around later down the line.

[edelweissbarnes]

Not a flower but a bomb

Bucky Barnes x supersoldierF!reader Edelweiss (smut)

We take a step back discovering how was the relationship between the winter soldier and Edelweiss. Hope you enjoy.

The two female guards conduct you to the locker room, their rifles pointed at you, ready for shooting if you dare to make a false move. Sweat cover your body after your training. Sometimes they put you out of your cryo cage to give a demonstration to the new reclutes. they always underestimates you because you have a too pretty face and a hot body to be a skilled supersoldier and killer. You look like more to a bombshell with characteristics long platinum hair, blue eyes and curves that can make every man falls on their knees. You know too well that everytime that assumption pop up from a new group of reclutes someone will visit soon the infirmary because you'll be ordered to kick the poor soul's ass without an ounce of mercy. That's how they'll remember the shivering fear of underestimate something apparently beautiful but lethal.

This time wasn't different but they leave you out of the ice also for another reason.

"undress and take a shower" one of the guards barks at you in german. You obey without a word, taking off your white tank top, then your black shorts, followed from your sport bra and your panties. You untie your high pony tail and you move over the showers. The showers room is silent, noone is there except for you and your guardians.

"Ah...look like they send him to have some fun" you hear the guards whispering malignantly before you reach the handle to start the shower.

You put your head first under the water stream,facing the wall and letting your hair getting soaked. You moan softly as the hot water ease the subtle pain in your muscles.

"Edelweiss" his voice is sharp and low. A shiver run down your spine at the way your new given name is rolling out of his tongue. You had sense him even before he steps in the showers room.

You close your eyes and you tilt your head back, letting small drops of water slide down your throat to the valley of your breasts.

"winter soldier" you reply in russian, unimpressed " Weren't you taught that this is the women's locker room?" You mock him passing your hands between your hair.

"I've finished a mission and you're my reward" he replies coming near you, fully clothed.

"take me then" you murmur stilling your movement.

You know well the winter soldier, you were captured by him and taken in Siberia for your conditioning and then to an HYDRA's base in the italian alps to be used as needed in the crisis management on the European continent. Before the conditioning you were a very skilled and valuable agent in the italian intelligence. You were very good at your job and, after your last successful mission, your boss had decided to give you a few days' leave to relax. You were together with some friends, heading to the cabin you had rented on the swiss mountains to enjoy a few days skiing (one of your passions) when the winter soldier came to pick you up. None of your friends survived, not that you remember them now, anyway.

When you were an agent you heard stories about him, like some kind of ghost to scare off newcomers, not knowing that one day you would become one of his missions, let alone be his prize and diversion.

You were tortured for months, you tried to resist the conditioning with every ounce of determination you had but they broke your willpower and your very soul in so many tiny pieces that you'll never be the same.

He moves his fleshy hand to grab the back of your neck in a possessive grip, you stay still, waiting for the right moment to knock him down. You exhale and open your eyes slowly, glancing at him and smirking before moving, using the wall at your advantage to do a perfect backflip and twisting his wrist so that you break free from his grip. You crouch down slightly and land a series of punches to his right side knocking the air out of him. He squats, lightly coughing, before glancing at you with a smirk on his lips. This excites him and you know that.

"Never said it would be easy" you murmur assuming a difensive posture, ready to move.

Your resistance arouses him, it's like a bolt of excitement that goes from his chest right down to his cock. He knows that physically you can fight him back, thanks to the supersoldier serum, and he likes to test and challenge your strength but he's given order to do with you what he want as long as he doesn't corrupt your face. He moves rapidly, his punches precise, with little expenditure of strength, you dodge them easily, backing down til your back touch the wall behind you. His metal hand reaches your throat too easily, squeezing and taking you up from the floor as you weight nothing.

"you're mine" he growls in russian as you squirm in his hold, trying to breathe. The wetness between your thighs is becoming uncomfortable. Your body is trained to give him pleasure and reacts instinctively to his proximity. You try with both of your hands to free yourself from his metal grasp, unsuccessfully. His fleshy hand tries to reach between your thighs to cup your sex but you resist and you try to kick his groin.

"Stop it" He warns, he lowers more his voice. You feel like a prey fallen into the hunter trap and as a reflex you're trying to fight for your life.

"Dämmerung" he breathes and, as this word rolls out of his tongue, you go limp and cease every attempt of resistance. As part of your conditioning they use some code words in german (your second language after italian), pronounced by the winter soldier himself, to unleash your killer self or sedate every kind of resistance from your part.

You feel his fingers tracing your folds and entering your heat, you whimper without shame, closing your eyes as you're savoring his touch.

"So ready and needy for me...why you have to fight it?" He whispers in your ear as he open slowly his metal hand, leaving you free to breathe easily.

"I-it excite you..." you reply stuttering as he move slowly his fingers in and out.

He hums in approval when you arch your back, as the tip of his fingers brush the sweet spot that makes you shiver, a moan vibrate in your throat as he traps your mouth in his.

He pushes his fingers out and Instinctively your legs are wrapped against his waist, your drenched core brushing against his tactical trousers, the rough fabric separates your sex from his. He growls at the light stimulation and you buck your hips slightly to hear again that sound coming from his mouth.

He's the fist of HYDRA, the winter soldier, the terrible weapon of the most corrupted and evil organisation in the world but it makes your knees weak hearing him goes feral to have you, to be inside you and fuck you senseless.

Your hands move to his chest holster unfastening the buckles eager to unleash completely his appetite. You rip his leather vest apart and latch onto his neck, nipping his skin with your teeth while descending on his chest.

Another growl rumbles in his throat and you feel his erection straining in his trousers. You let your tongue swirl on his skin and you try to suck a little purple hickey on his chest. he grab a fist of your hair with his metal hand and pull slightly in a warning, you glance at him, smirking, as you unlock your legs from his waist to kneel gracefully in front of him. His other hand cup your chin and his thumb trace your lower lip, there's a fire so dark and lustful burning in his eyes that the promise to burn with him is an irresistible sin you want to give in.

Your hands go unfastening his trousers and freeing his raging erection. You let out a strained whimper as you see a bead of precum at the tip of his cock. You lick your lips before letting him in. He groans tilting his head back, savoring the warmth of your mouth. You let your tongue caress his shaft while you retract slowly and let him in again, fully. You repeat the action, your movements very controlled as you want him to feel all the sensations you can give him. Once again he slammed it in and you feel the tip of his cock touching the back of your throat and you close harshly your fists to suppress your gag reflex, he moans forcing a little bit more the barrier of your throat. You can feel him twitching inside your mouth and you try to retract but his metal hand stills you at the back of your head. Suddenly tears are spilling from your eyes on your cheeks because you can't breathe, you bang your fists against his thighs and he let you free.

"Your mouth is almost hot as you cunt..." he murmurs while you retract sputtering and coughing while some saliva slide down your chin. He doesn't give you time to sulk or breathe, both of his hands grab you by the shoulders to get you on your feet, then he turns you so you face the wall. You feel both of his hands grabbing your hips and then he takes you.

"CAZZO" you yelp crashing both of your hands into the wall in front of you. With one swift thrust he's all the way in. He's stretching you delightfully and your walls squeezing him in as that is the right place where he needs to stay, where he belongs.

"You're squeezing me like a vice..." he growls lowly as he start to move. You whimper and let him use you as he want, after all that's your purpose: appease the winter soldier needs.

"I'm gonna fuck this rebellious attitude of yours out for good..." he murmurs finding the rhythm to have you writhe against him. You're so groundend in the physical sensations that he's making you feel that you're unable to formulate a word, just a bunch of whimpers and moans are leaving your mouth. You try to reach his hair with one of your hand and you succeed at the same time his metal hand grab your throat and press your back hard against his chest. His cold fingers are squeezing lightly your throat and you feel the initial wave of your orgasm surging through you.

"Oh...you're so close...aren't you?..." he whispers in your ear pumping you up and then stopping abruptly.

You wail, showing your disapproval.

"You want it, right? You want to cum?" He asks in a whisper against tour ear before nipping your earlobe with his teeth.

You whimper and nod lightly while your soft walls are clamping his erection still sheathed inside you.

"Only the good girls can cum...have you been good?...I don't think so..." he whispers and you tug sightly his hair.

"Please..." you manage to reply under your breath. You know that having you begging is another thing that drives him out of control.

"Please what?" He continues as now he's pinching one your nipple between his fingers. You yelp, arching your back.

"Please, make me cum..." you breathe, trembling in your discomfort.

"Are you gonna be good?" He asks softly, his fingers now tracing circles on your abdomen.

"Yes..." you answer, pure desperation in your tone.

" I can't hear you...are you gonna be good for me?" he mocks you.

"YES! PLEASE...PLEASE...PLEASE" You shout on the verge of tears. One of your hand moves behind you, trying to touch him and make him move, the other reach his hand and squeezes it lightly.

He grunts hearing you beg and slowly he starts to move again. His strokes painfully calm and brutally precise, touching the spot inside you that makes you a shivering mess.

"Pleasepleaseplease..." you repeat whimpering while you feel again your orgasm approaching.

He fastens his pace and now guides his fleshy hand from your abdomen to the apex of your thighs, pinching between his fingers your bundle of nerves.

"Scream for me..." he orders you and you comply, feeling the orgasm crashing over you violently. For a moment you feel only the sound of your blood roaring in your veins and then a sudden peace invades your body as you feel his thrusts becoming sloppy and a strangle roar from his throat as he came inside you copiously.

He holds you against him before you both collapse on your knees. you can hear the rhythm of both of your hearts calm down.

"Let me wash you up, soldat...we better use our time out of the ice at the best of our possibilities..." you whisper turning your head slightly to watch him in the face. He nods quietly, holding you a little more tighter.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

Notes:

•Cazzo: italian word for "fuck".

•the dialogue is in russian. It's my headcanon that both the characters speaks russian while they're together 'cause it's the language they hear the most as their conditioning was done in russian, however mothertongue die hard so our FC (who is italian) when overwhelmed turn to speak italian.

• Edelweiss is italian but grew up bilingual (the virtue of growing up in a border zone) so she speaks fluently german.

Please, let me hear what you think of this story and about this character. I'm always open to suggestions and I'd like to hear from you. Hope you can excuse me if there are any grammar mistakes.

[invisibleicewands]

“In every room I go into, every office, every institution, people tell me, this is what we’re doing to encourage more working-class writers.  They reel off all the things they’re doing, and it sounds impressive, it sounds amazing. And you think: if all these people are doing all this, WHY ARE THINGS NOT CHANGING FASTER? WHAT IS GETTING IN THE WAY?”

Under the hot, bright lights of a packed-out auditorium at the 2024 London Book Fair, Michael Sheen is getting angry. His is an unthreatening, crowd-rousing kind of angry, but still, in an appropriate way – he’s mad.

The actor and philanthropist is speaking on a panel convened to discuss A Writing Chance, the programme co-founded by the actor with New Writing North and Northumbria University that helps working-class writers enter the writing industries. So far, the programme has been successful. The theme emerging on the panel is, if changes have been made in some areas, what’s holding things back in others? And what cultural changes might have to come before we solve the problem?

“You have to admit there’s a fundamental conflict between the system that’s set up, and what we’re trying to achieve,” says Michael. “I don’t know what the whole answer to that is, other than revolution.”

It says a lot about the mood in the room – and, we suspect, the rest of the country – that the laughs prompted by this conclusion feel rather approving. We firmly believe that elites have been hogging and hoarding opportunity for too long now. The support for A Writing Chance confirms that many, many people agree.

The initiative was launched in 2021, with 11 unpublished writers awarded places on a programme of support and mentoring. One, Tom Newlands, publishes his first novel this summer; another, Maya Jordan, signed a deal at the book fair. A new cohort will be selected soon, with the programme now supported by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Michael Sheen, the Charlotte Aitken Trust, Faber & Faber, The Daily Mirror, Substack, Audible, with research supported by AHRC, Northumbria University, Bath Spa University and York St John University.

For the London Book Fair panel, Michael is joined by Professor Katy Shaw from Northumbria University, plus Tracey Markham, head of UK at Audible, Farrah Storr, head of writer partnerships at Substack, and the Huddersfield-based novelist Sunjeev Sahota. Katy and Michael begin by reflecting on the successes of the first completed programme: writers emboldened and published, policymakers in the Houses of Parliament briefed and, most importantly, great writing exemplifying the talent out there waiting to be discovered. “What came in was just way beyond anything we had hoped for really,” says Michael. “And there was a sense of revelation, the feeling you were seeing into worlds that have just been closed off, into experiences I had never thought about.”

Ideas about how to give working-class writers more confidence and access to publishing are peppered through the hour-long conversation: a creative curriculum in schools; intervening with gifted people at younger ages, like sports coaches; encouraging more people to take advantage of digital platforms, even if printed-book authorship remains the ultimate goal. Around halfway through, Sunjeev makes a brilliantly clear-eyed analysis of what being working class really means, and how it relates to identity politics. At the same time, he provides a devastatingly simple explanation of why working-class writers need support.

“Publishing is an elite space, but it’s quite a diverse space in terms of people’s racialised or sexualised identities. However, it’s not at all diverse it comes to people’s economic backgrounds, or family income. Indeed, many of the non-white people I encounter in publishing are often from just as comfortably-off backgrounds as their white counterparts.

The creative industries, he says, have tended to treat class as being another cultural identity, as if class should be considered in the same way that we might talk about race, gender, or sexuality. “But I think a more universal, class-first politics will do more for the weakest members across all identities than any identity-first kind of politics. I find that taking an identity-first approach just tends to benefit the elites within the identities.”

Lest anyone doubt the existence of a market for work originating outside the elites, the extremely upbeat Tracey is on hand to reassure them. Audible attracts a notably diverse audience, with large black and Asian listenerships, and a high proportion of young men. To satisfy this audience, the old-style audiobook, with its middle- and highbrow titles and Received Pronunciation narration, has been overhauled in favour of books more suited to audience tastes, and accents.

“Our customers really want accents! We spend a lot of time working with voice agents to widen access to the audio-narration industry. I think what’s super-important now is that your accent is not prohibitive – if you have a Welsh accent, say, that doesn’t mean you can only read stories set in Wales.”

Tracey stresses there is “so much more to be done” to widen socio-economic diversity in the whole publishing industry. But although it might still be a case of taking “baby steps”, a wonderful thing about books is their power to drive change elsewhere. “You know, it’s hard to explain to someone that’s not from the UK how much your accent kind of signifies to people when they first meet you. And with voice, we can kind of break down a lot of those barriers, and actually encourage it and welcome [diversity].”

There’s a similar note of flexibility and responsiveness to audience needs in Farrah’s account of what Substack offers. The relationship between digital and print is always evolving, and in her vision, it’s a question of the one complementing the other. Printed books still have more prestige than publication on digital platforms, but the latter can help offset the material challenges associated with the former, she argues. Echoing Sunjeev, she points that “the problem for people from a working-class background is that your advance gets paid in separate lump sums. People feel, I don’t have a regular income, I can’t make this work, I might end up falling out of the writer ecosystem.

“So, on Substack, we say, well, okay, you’re writing the book, but you’re probably going to have thousands of words leftover. So just put them on Substack and talk about the novel at the same time.”

Lots of people she works with end up making liveable incomes and building readerships for their work, which ultimately is what keeps them in the game. It’s a reminder that we shouldn’t necessarily define “writing” as the production of traditional forms such as novels and plays.

No one at this event – the queue for which was so long that dozens were unable to squeeze inside – believed all the barriers facing working-class writers would be dismantled any time soon.  Few, though, can have left without believing that A Writing Chance has begun the job – and that that job is worthwhile.

Wrapping up, Michael recalls someone from the inaugural group who told him that in their community, becoming a writer seemed about as likely as becoming an astronaut.

“They said that there was no chance of it. They said, ‘I didn’t know anybody else who lived where I live who was a writer, so I didn’t know how to begin, or where to start. It was like saying I want to go into space.’ But that changed for them.

“And of course, now, there are all these wonderful spacemen.”

[alicepao13]

Hudson and Rex S04E15 - Nightmare on Water St. - Part A

This is an episode that is apparently okay to exist on this family show. Not that I mind, but they certainly haven't figured out what constitutes as family show.

Black letters in quotes: Actual show quotes.

Green letters in quotes: What I come up with my twisted brain.

I'm still upset that this is a Mardi Gras episode and not a Halloween episode. Listen, I have Mardi Gras in my country, there's nothing spooky about it. I want Halloween.

Not to blame the victim but I'd never open the door without proof of identification to this... thing. And I don't think any woman would.

If they keep going like this, Sarah will have more qualifications than a BAU profiler and it will seem ridiculous that she keeps staying in St. John's.

I like that Charlie is seeking her expertise, though. He recognizes that this murder is something Sarah might have more insight on or at least a different perspective. Which they ultimately turn into a bet lol

Yeah, there was a lot of flirting in this one.

And there it is. The popular trope. (I don't actually know if it's popular, I've seen it in a few shows, though.)

Every interaction these two have is like some kind of weird foreplay.

"Will you two stop eye fucking and pay attention?"

Yeah, man, but that's how we get to him.

Sidenote: There's a pretty good show called Profiler which was aired on NBC in 1996. It stars Ally Walker, up to a point anyway, and Robert Davi (Julian McMahon is also in there). Walker's role is about an FBI Profiler, and in the 90s this was still considered just a bit above pseudo-science (I kind of think the network also didn't understand it for reasons I won't analyze further here). There were a lot of people they met that thought she was a cross between a medium and a cop. This is a show that to this day still holds up well, has a female lead, a queer character, diversity that a lot of 2000s shows didn't have, and is very creepy because, aside from every case they have to solve, Walker's character has a stalker (a freaky serial killer) for the duration of the show. I consider it a good predecessor for Criminal Minds, it has the same brand of creepy and the cases are solved mostly based on profiling but in the raw setting of 90s crime shows. I'm a pretty big fan of it and I don't think anyone can find it easily now so if you want my 360p copies (lol), let me know.

Which means this isn't a spree killer, I think that's what Sarah is pointing out here. The difference is that in spree killings, there's no cooling off period. With the woman being dead for two days, that means we're moving away from the spree killer scenario.

Yes, we're going to catch our serial killer in the ten minute mark. Then, we're going to twiddle our thumbs for the duration of the episode and Charlie and Sarah will go for sushi.

Guys, the jumpscare is not supposed to be Charlie, you do know that, right?

Okay, did they really have enough cause to post Keith's photo on the news?

lol

"Damnit, there goes the bet."

Trophies. Nice.

"I need you to patrol every single neighborhood"? How? There can't be an adequate police force for that.

Yes, I believe that both of you climbed that fence.

"Well, now that is some fucked up shit."

Does every killer have to be a damn parkourist?

So, can you or can you not climb it?

lol I think Diesel was startled there because he was barking and then he turned to look.

Well, that is... a failure. Zero out of two. Lost our victim and our killer.

"Because I'm the hero." lol Charlie. And I don't know how Sarah didn't side-eye him. You all missed the connection, you're not some serial killer task force. When you have the end result, it's easy to backtrack and see how it all fits together.

Rugby is another sport I don't know much about.

What the fuck kind of hazing rituals are these? Branding? Seriously?

"I'm really ashamed of the way we treated those players." You don't say.

Oh you guys, you know that when you send Jesse to the field, something bad happens.

To be continues at Part B.

[tarithenurse]

I see fire - 22

Fandom: D&D 5E/homebrew campaign. Word count: 2159. Contents: Quests, ritualistic substance abuse, death. A/N: I mean...don't do drugs unless prescribed by a professional, okay? Any questions are welcome. Please comment and like and reblog. Let me know if you want a tag. Divider by @firefly-graphics

XXII

The trio set out the next morning back northwards. It’s only a few days’ march now the weather is better. Along the way, the few times the trio make camp, Morella makes sure to place a little pile of Goodberries and each morning the berries have been taken.

In this manner, they reach the area of the duergar attack. Despite the rain and the apparent removal of the corpses, there are still clues to what has happened here, but a series of scoff marks and broken twigs lead the trio off the road and towards a more hilly area.

One of these hills sports a relatively large entrance – large enough for grown men to pass in and out. Some stones have been dragged out and rolled to the side but there’s no other sign of activity and the trio hadn’t passed any of the outposts like in Heartwell Shire.

“Go in?” Anvindr whispers.

The trio are sent there for that very reason, so the girls nod and they all prepare for the worst as they enter the darkness. There are a few splits in the tunnel: one leads off to a room where the corpses from the encounter are lying, another leads to a collapse, but generally the short diversions are dead ends.

“Listen,” Morella suddenly urges her friends.

Perking their ears, both Zilvra and Anvindr can pick up hushed voices coming from the last passage. It sounds stressed, urgent. It also sounds like Undercommon. The genasi holds up two fingers to indicate how many he can differentiate but Morella shakes her head and shows five.

Retreating a bit, towards the entrance of the cave system, the trio have to consider their options carefully.

“They’re tough bastards,” Anvindr worries.

“Maybe we can pull out a few at a time by having them need to investigate a sound or something?” Zilvra suggests, having no better ideas.

Morella looks about. “The tunnel is narrow...we can form a wall so they can’t surround us.”

It takes a few moments more to polish the attempt at a plan. Then, with her heart beating in her chest, Zilvra sneaks closer and tosses a stone towards the voices. The crack of the impact silences the presumed duergar. Then there’s a bit of agitated muttering during which Zilvra retreats to her friends.

Anvindr pokes around the corner briefly. “They’re coming...quite a few but only two armed in front.”

“Alright...ready?” Morella asks.

The other two nod.

Taking deep breaths to steady the nerves, they all step out in front of the oncoming enemies and Zilvra releases her magic to allow glowing orbs to shine above the head of the narrow column of duergar as she lifts her crossbow to take aim.

She nearly falters.

What she sees aren’t bloodthirsty warriors but a group of around a dozen civilians: old and young (there’s even a swaddled infant), males and females. As Anvindr had said, only the two at the front are armed and they do not look like they are used to handle the weapons...and they do not attack.

“What are you doing here?” Zilvra demands of them but as they all look to each other in confusion, she figures they don’t speak Common.

“Let me try,” Anvindr suggests. Then he speaks in a language foreign to the drow but some of the duergar react in recognition.

The conversation between the duergar and Anvindr continues for a while but eventually they lower their weapons and the genasi asks his friends to do the same.

“They’ve escaped from the so-called Big Fire in the Underdark...they say they’re enslaved down there but they got away and they’ve collapsed the tunnel after them,” Anvindr summarizes. “Now they’re starving. They need food which they mix with mud to eat.”

“We could bring them with us back to the Masons,” Morella suggests. “It’s...wrong to kill them now but we can’t let them go either.”

Zilvra cocks her head. “Let it be Claude’s headache what’s to happen with them?”

Anvindr nods. “I like that.”

Getting the duergar to abandon their crude weapons is relatively easy, especially when Morella offers them Goodberries in exchange (Anvindr explaining in Dwarven what it is).

---

The trip back to the Tower has been uneventful but the trio don’t want any issues bringing in the duergar and so Zilvra enters ahead of the large group to warn Claude of what’s going to happen. He’s a hard man to find but eventually she tracks him down.

“Oh, you’re back already?” he observes then looks about for the others. “Where are your friends?”

“They’re waiting for me to tell them they can bring in what we found...or who we found,” she begins, then explaining what has happened.

Listening carefully and looking increasingly tired, Claude stands with crossed arms as he takes in the news.

“I can understand why you didn’t kill them but...” he sighs, “oh well...bring them in. I’ll figure out something.”

As said so done. Hurrying back out of the base, Zilvra tells the others to come along and when they reach the Tower (this time duergar and all) Claude is there with one of his men and they explain how the duergar will be safe there but will have to work for their stay.

Then the duergar are shown off to goodness knows where and the trio prepare to head out again, still having a lot of the day left to spare.

Claude sidles over to them as they get ready. “Y’know...not a lot of people would have done what you just did.” He looks to Anvindr: “One day you’ll want to head north on your quest for technology. To the north the dwarves and high elves are locked in battle where the dwarves besiege the elven capital Kel’Alora. Some say they want the city back, having been ousted of the place hundreds of years ago.”

“Why were they ousted?” Morella asks, curious as always.

The human shrugs. “Something about their religion or maybe it was a cult. Either way, several dwarven clans have banded together to further their cause.” He looks the trio over, then smiles crookedly. “Don’t be strangers.”

Leaving them to their own devices, Claude wanders off and the trio are free to head east.

---

“This is...stuffy?” Zilvra is looking for the right word to describe the dark forest they’re travelling through.

It’s silent and generally dreadful with rotten branches and leaves, plenty of mushrooms on the trunks and generally no sign of animal life as opposed to the other woods they’ve traversed.

By nightfall, the trio don’t dare light a fire – thankfully it’s warm and dry – and the girls take turns keeping watch. Something else is watching over them too, the sense. A large shadow travels the perimeter of the campsite but seeing as Morella’s silvered pine cone is humming gently and the bees in the jar are quiet, they figure it’s a good sign.

---

As Zilvra comes out of her restful trance, she finds that Morella is already waking up their friend. The eladrin seems excited. Blinking in the dim light that filter’s through the dense canopy, the drow spots a looming figure not far away. A worgen.

“Yes,” it growls though not threateningly, “wake up and come along. Follow me.”

Quick to pack up, the trio does indeed come with him – all day they try to keep pace but he’s fast and aware of this so he often waits for them to catch up instead of them running their boots off.

By nightfall, he (because it is a male) falls back a bit to patrol the perimeter once more and because of him, the trio dare light a camp fire that night.

---

This day begins much like the one before: the worgen offers the trio to follow him through the dense and dark forest where the rain only sparingly reaches the ground.

But in the early afternoon it changes: suddenly the trees make way for a clearing with several pointy tents arranged around the centre where a pole is erected, holding aloft a massive skull of a worgen. The trio can hear the sound of drumming and loud growls sporadically erupting from the many males that are seeing to activities, only pausing briefly to look as the trio are lead to the grandest of the tents.

In there, the only female worgens the trio have seen are seated. Four of them, decked out in jewellery made of colourful stones and beads, polished bones, and vibrant feathers. There’s also a funky smell in the air in the tent, making Anvindr sneeze once.

“Oh!” Morella gasps before turning to her friends and whispering: “These are the only females and all the males are alphas courting them.”

“Yes,” one of the females admit.

All of them are staring at Morella, completely ignoring her friends.

“Thank you for the Goodberries,” another one says with a toothy smile. “You are...different that we expected.”

“Thank you?” the eladrin tries to figure out how to respond.

A third nods benevolently. “Your kind, druids, they specialize...what is your archetype?”

“Uhhh...” Morella looks helpless. “I...don’t know? I mean...I can’t-”

“Remember. No.” The first female worgen looks like she expected it. “There is a ritual that could help you. We can offer you that.”

“Help me remember?”

The last nods. “We can induce a dream state, sending you – and your friends should they want to join you – to meet with our great Worgen Spirit. The spirit can help.”

“I would like to accept that ritual,” Zilvra nods.

“And your friends? Shall they come with you?”

Anvindr and Zilvra glance at each other. For the drow there’s no question: if she can help her friend at all, then she must do so. And she can see that the male thinks the same why so they turn together towards Morella.

“We’re coming if you want us,” Anvindr says for them both.

Morella looks worried. “You sure?”

“Yes,” Zilvra confirms.

“Alright. Thank you.”

Brought to a different tent, the trio are told to sit down before the fire at the centre and hold hands – Morella in the middle and her friends on either side of her. The female worgen toss bundles of herbs on the fire, making it smoke profusely.

“Breathe deep,” they tell the visitors as they themselves leave the tent, closing the flap behind them.

“Woah,” Anvindr coughs after the first inhalation.

It’s the best description of the effect because as the smoke fills Zilvra and her friends’ lungs, the world slowly dissolves around them and they feel themselves succumb to the effect. Lightheaded, vision hazy, colours and patterns causing them to close their eyes.

When Zilvra opens her eyes again after a moment, everything is different: the world is grey and soft, like ashes dissolving in water the surroundings sway in and out of existence.

“Come,” a voice calls from outside the tent.

Following, and feeling like they are walking on soft moss, the trio exit the shadowy tent and head to the only tangibly-looking thing in the world. Well, not thing. Being. An enormous worgen waits where the pole had stood and the skull is on its head like a helmet. Coming over, they all look up at him.

“Welcome...you are not afraid,” the spirit says in his deep, growly voice.

The trio glance at each other but then Morella bows and the rest follow suit.

“We come as friends,” she says.

“That you do. Looking for answers.” The spirit regards the little figure of the eladrin for a moment. “Your mind is not broken but parts of it has been locked away. Someone is keeping your memories from you.”

Morella looks shocked at the revelation that her predicament might be intentional. “Who? Why?!”

“I cannot tell you that...the magic is strong and foreign to me. It is no curse...yet it is still a spell.” He takes a step closer. “But it can be broken. There are other spirits that can help you too. You must visit three beyond me.”

“You can help me?”

He smiles. “I can help you help yourself. I am the Spirit of Combat. To break a shackle, you must fight your friends. But fear not: if you die here, you will not truly die though there may be consequences in the material world. Now, prepare yourself.”

Dematerializing, the worgen spirit takes over Morella’s body in much the same way the smoke had entered the trio’s lungs before.

No longer in control of her action, Morella’s nails and teeth sharpen and she lunges at Anvindr, drawing blood.

“Get her off me!” he screams.

Shocked, Zilvra is still able to understand what must be done and fires her crossbow. Now whether it’s pure luck or some power granted from the shadowy spirit realm, the shot hits true, reaching Morella’s heart and felling her. The two friends watch in horror as Morella hits the ground with a soft thud where she scatters like smoke on impact.

[angrywhispers7]

Horoscope for Tuesday, December 24, 2024

Aries (March 21-April 19) - An average day

You feel pulled between feeling friendly and outgoing on the one hand, and yet attracted to the desire to be alone on the other hand. At different times, we all have these contradictions. Therefore, be careful about the promises you make or whatever you agree to. Be realistic.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) - An average day

Your desire to travel and explore the world and reach out for exciting adventure is tempered by obligations to a friend, or a group. Or possibly, someone older is critical of you or holding you back in some way? You can handle this dance because you are the financial wizard of the zodiac.

Gemini (May 21 - June 20) - A positive day

You feel playful, upbeat and energetic. However, parents, authority figures and older family members have requirements that you have to meet, and it seems whatever they are, these requirements might clip your wings a bit. Look for a happy compromise. Enjoy what you can, and meet the expectations of others.

Cancer (June 21 - July 22) - An average day

Be cooperative with partners and close friends today. And be patient with others because you need more sleep right now, and if you’re not getting extra sleep, you could be cranky or moody.

Leo (July 23 - Aug 22) - An average day

Playful opportunities and invitations from friends, groups and organizations might come your way; however, financial restrictions and obligations could limit your chance to enjoy these social outings. This could be a disappointment. Fortunately, your focus on work and relations with partners is excellent.

Virgo (Aug 23 - Sept 22) - An average day

Today it’s tough balancing your need for play, fun diversions and entertaining adventures with your obligations to others. You are caught in the classic scenario of: “what the large print giveth, the small print taketh away.” Good luck.

Libra (Sept 23 - Oct 22) - An average day

You might have to delay travel plans and chances to explore exciting opportunities because of work or health obligations. Or perhaps, limitations based on health issues or taking care of a pet. This is one of those days where you can’t have it all.

Scorpio (Oct 23 - Nov 21) - An average day

This could be a good day to explore getting a mortgage or financial backing or a loan because you can benefit from the wealth and resources of others right now. Gifts and goodies might come your way. However, restrictions, perhaps with your kids, might cloud the picture with obligations you can’t ignore.

Sagittarius (Nov 22 - Dec 21) - An average day

Today you want the freedom to do your own thing, especially to relate to those who are close to you, as well as members of the general public. Nevertheless, responsibilities related to home and family will restrict your actions and choices. Cope with this as best you can given these restrictive parameters.

Capricorn (Dec 22 - Jan 19) - An average day

Even though issues related to your job and your health are promising at the moment, in another part of the forest, job changes, residential moves and difficulty in dealing with relatives and neighbors could create some problems. You will have to make choices.

Aquarius (Jan 20 - Feb 18) - An average day

Financial limitations might restrict you today in your social options, especially when it comes to fun diversions with friends, exploring the arts and the entertainment world, sports events and fun activities with children. Find ways to have fun that cost less. Don’t increase your debt.

Pisces (Feb 19 - March 20) - An average day

Family gatherings and interactions with relatives and people at home will be positive and friendly today. Nevertheless, your laid-back, easygoing style could be at odds with someone who is taking control and over planning things. You knew this would happen. Do what you can to keep the peace.

[sauerland-2001]

I don’t want to be too harsh on the second season, because it’s essentially a kids show and I have no business writing some super serious review about it :D

It’s still a good little show, I just missed season one‘s sweetness and care for the core characters. Remember when Marlon was a fully rounded character, in scenes with his mom about his ambition and willingness to sacrifice things so he could become a surf pro? Remember his friendship with Ari??

Remember Bhodi‘s family issues? Remember Poppy‘s other brother??

Introducing three (!) new characters to antagonize the established ones was…a choice. Why not use the Griff gang to cause more trouble? Where were they?? Wren took up SO much screen time and for what. Same with her siblings.

Summer is now close to sainthood. She took being blamed for the trashed hotel room pretty well, she took the blame for the smashed store window, she tried again and again to make nice with Wren, she forgave Bax that he sabotaged her board - season 1 Summer would have done at least one stupid thing as a reaction, but I guess this is her growing up.

I like both Summer and Ari, but I still don’t see them as this amazing couple that needs to be together. They were underdeveloped in season 1, so seeing Summer all hung up about him was weird.

The worst thing this season was that they touched the Poppy/Bodhi friendship. You don’t do that, writers. Those two are unbreakable. Glad they made up.

Now to the good things: Bodhi being into girls, amazing. Please continue, show.

Also, A+ for not ignoring the issue of racism and sexism in the sport. Little things like there not being any make up for Poppy’s skin tone or the stylist groaning about Bodhi‘s hair. And of course the awful diversity comment, just in case viewers missed the earlier racist clues.

The surf scenes looked better and glossier than in season 1.

The respect for the First Nations.

Marlon speaking Portuguese, loved it. No subtitles either, well done.

Glad they didn’t forget about Tommo‘s problem with the pro side of surfing. I’m not sure he goes about it the right way when it comes to Ari, but he clearly means well. He’s just a bit of a bulldozer. They have a very interesting father son dynamic.

Also glad they didn’t forget about Ari‘s anxiety and that we got updates on him still being in therapy and taking medication now. His dad was right when he said that those things don’t make it easier for Ari to deal with the pressure of the pro business. What a real moment when he couldn’t remember if he had taken his medicine or not :(

Anyway, I’d love to see a third season, but I won’t be heartbroken if things end here.

[clarkes-and-god]

"Ladies and gentlemen, for our guest segment this evening, we welcome back a couple we first had on over ten years ago when they were newlyweds! Antonio and Joanna Ricciardi, from Colossians, join us today with their 9 year old son, Gabriele!"

[applause]

"Thank you for having us again! We really appreciate you giving us these opportunities to spread our message, and it's so great to be back after the birth of our daughter, Valentina. Gabriele is so excited to be here for the first time, too."

"Well, it's a pleasure to have him on. And his shirt is fantastic! Little Valentina is a little too cranky to be filming today, but I met her earlier and she is so precious! I'm sure they'll put a photo up for all the ladies at home. Anyways, let's hear from her big brother. So Gabriele, tell us about yourself."

"Uhhh, I'm Gabriele, I'm 9 years old and I live in San Sequoia with my mom and dad, and my baby sister. I play baseball for the Park Paradise Junior Team, and I'm on my school's soccer team. When I grow up I want to be a football player and play for San Sequoia. Me and Dad like to watch their games."

"Sounds like you like your sports, and I'm sure Dad likes the cheerleaders! [laughter] I'm sure in ten years our friend David, over in the Sports section, will be talking all about you! Anyways, Joanna, we all know that San Sequoia has one of the most left-wing school systems in the country. Children as young as 4 are being exposed to homosexuality and liberal ideals through books such as Like You For The Time Being and Toy Tales. So, how do you prevent your little boy from being corrupted by that? And any advice to mothers in San Sequoia, and other liberal areas of the country?"

"Well, Gabriele is actually enrolled in a private Christian school, which has been great. The curriculum entirely aligns with our faith and morals, and they're not made to follow any "diversity" or "inclusion" policies the government may put on schools. But not everyone is as lucky as us, which I understand, and if that's you I really recommend making sure your children are involved in church, and put them in church-led activities instead of after-school ones. And make sure that the Bible really leads your home and your parenting, because children listen to their parents before they listen to woke teachers. Plus, we have Colossians kids groups! There's no need for you or your partner to have been involved with us before, we just want to offer, good, wholesome, fun for children that encourages Biblical femininity and masculinity, not the woke nonsense."

"Sounds wonderful! I'm sure all the mothers at home will appreciate your advice. Now, Antonio, your life sure has changed a lot since the first time you sat on that couch. You're now very established in your role as a husband and family man, and how do you think that's impacted your leadership of Colossians? I'm sure having your wife and kids has really given you some insight on how to help others struggling with homosexuality."

"Hmm, that's a good question. I really think it's emphasized to me how different men and women are, especially after having my kids. You know, Valentina is only one but she's already so different to how Gabriele was at her age. She loves her little baby dolls, and she's much gentler than he was. Gabriele was always throwing his toy cars around and scaring his mom with all his climbing, you know how boys are. [laughs] And of course my lovely wife has been such an asset in helping me with this. Not only with her support of the other ladies involved with Colossians, but there's nothing better than coming home after a long day of hard work to some hot food and a beautiful woman. It really just emphasizes how we're so different, but of course compliment each other perfectly."

"And I'll sure agree with you there! I think that wraps up this segment, thank you very much for coming onto our show. Now, I'll hand our viewers off to Patrick for tomorrow's weather report, and then we'll finish for tonight. We'll be back, tomorrow at 6am!

[literaticat]

Hi, Jenn! I don’t know how to phrase this without seeming arrogant or whiny, but I write a LOT. I feel like I would be a good candidate for IP work. I think I’m listed on my agency’s site as being open to IP, but how does that actually happen? Should I push the IP idea with my agent? Do I need to reach out myself?

It doesn't sound arrogant or whiny, it just sounds like a fact. You write a lot and think you would be a good candidate for IP work. Fair enough!

In my experience that usually happens in one of two ways:

-- An editor approaches me about a specific published author I rep. Like, they are looking for somebody who is already published or "known" in some way -- like, "Because Maggie Tokuda-Hall is known for her YA sapphic mermaid fantasy, would Maggie be interested in writing a gay YA romance between Aquaman and Namor set in the baroque underwater world of Atlantis?" -- they might then want Maggie to write a little sample, or they might consider her already-published work to be sample enough, either way, the point is, they are coming to me in this example BECAUSE SHE'S MAGGIE, they aren't looking for some random other person. IF she doesn't want to do it, they'd choose somebody else, but it would likely also be somebody who has something of a name.

-- An editor approaches me (or the agency as a whole) and says something like, "Hey, we are looking to do an IP series about a diverse team of junior league Pickleball players -- think "MG League of Their Own but for Pickleball" -- let me know if you have any authors who do voicey and heartfelt MG that have an interest in pickleball!" And then we give them some names of some potential candidates who do contemporary MG and play pickleball (or whatever), who might "audition" by writing a sample. In this case, they aren't going for a specific author, they'd likely be open to newer authors, though it would have to be somebody who fits whatever demographic (in this case, sports-loving, does voicey contemporary MG), and is good at writing quickly and to a specific kind of brief.

The problem of course is, if you aren't already somewhat well-known/well-published, the first one probably isn't going to happen. The second one might! Though of course, we can't control how often these opportunities come up, OR if you'd necessarily be the appropriate choice for every opportunity. Like, if it was about a group of teenage Mexican-American pickleball players, they might want a Mexican-American sporty YA author. If it was a ghostwriting gig for a Picture Book by a specific Chinese-American pickleball child prodigy, they'd want a PB author who is into sports and is Chinese-American. You get the picture.

So while we probably have a handful of these kinds of IP / ghostwriting type opportunities come in every month, they are usually targeted in such a way that a fairly narrow swath of our possible authors would be appropriate.

ALSO: Some editors have databases of possible IP writers and agents who rep them, and are happy to add to those databases. Even if they don't have any projects cooking RIGHT NOW, your agent can reach out to editors who do a lot of IP and say, hey, I have this great person, please think of them if something appropriate comes up. This just makes it more likely that an editor will reach out to your agent when they DO have something.

So I don't think it would hurt to remind your agent: "Hey, just putting it out in the universe that I'm very keen to be considered for IP opportunities, if you hear about something that would be good for me, please throw my hat in the ring! I'd be especially interested in: [XYZ]. And feel free to be kind of specific here if you like, giving both appropriate categories (MG series? YA? PB? Chapter Books? GN texts? etc) and fave genre/style/topics (fantasy? romance? contemporary? sports stories? animal stories?) and, if applicable, any possibly relevant cultural / pop-cultural / demographic components that might come into play (I am LGBTQIA, I'm into theatre, I'm a Blasian comic book nerd and obsessed with all things Wakanda, I'm a horse person, I'm into martial arts and baking, whatever)

In other words, don't say EVERYTHING, nobody is good at and interested in EVERYTHING, and if you are being a little specific with some key words, that will help you stand out from the crowd when an editor is looking for something specific. (Like, if they are looking for a writer for a MG superhero project, they are unlikely to notice EVERY author who just puts "MG" -- but WILL notice somebody who has MG + superhero, or MG + Marvel, or MG + comic book nerd, yanno?) Yes, that WILL leave you out of some potential opportunities -- but if you're a MG/YA person, you probably wouldn't be the best fit for a PB or whatever anyway -- and IMO, it's much better all around to get an IP project that really is a fit for you, rather than just taking a flyer on something that isn't in your wheelhouse. Once you have some under your belt, and you've proven that you're reliable and good, people will think of you for further ones, too.

[disease-danger-darkness-silence]

Okay, I can afford food, condiments, and possibly drinks for Raven's birthday party!

Raven grew up a Jehovah's Witness. They've never made a big deal of their birthday. Yesterday they kinda forgot it was their birthday. They've never asked for anything. Even their Amazon Wishlist is more a shopping list for them. (Linking in case anyone wants a looksie about Raven and their interests. They're a weird and diverse gal and I love them for it.)

So when Raven asked for a "Nerf War" for their birthday I was DETERMINED to make it happen. They've been wanting to Nerf fight my niece Madison (aka the Angry Prune, only 11 years old now) for years. This will also be the day my granddaughter makes her Dart Gun Debut, with a full discussion on gun safety.

Info about maybe helping out under the cut.

We don't actually buy Nerf products (unless they're secondhand or on clearance) because they're owned by Hasbro and we are boycotting them, but Adventure Force, Dartzone, X-Shot, and Air Warriors are all actually pretty damn good. Dartzone is known for making competition-level guns for Dart Sports (a real thing!).

So the thing is, plenty of people want to come. Not all of them have dart guns. We have some spares but idk that they're gonna be enough. But Walmart has some decent Adventure Force stuff.

Ideal goal would be to get two of the single pistols, one of the double, and one of the spare darts. So, roughly $21 after tax.

I'm gonna TRY to 3D print some guns. I have STLs for it. I just don't know how successful I'll be, and if I'll be able to get it done before this Saturday. I need hardware for them that I'm unsure I own, even though I'm a hoarder of hardware, and I definitely don't have the springs. 🙃

I'd also like to make some goodie bags, because I'm tired of society saying we shouldn't give adults fun goodie bags. It'd probably be candy, spare darts, 3D printed alternate dart tips, and a few other assorted things. That I can mostly do with dollar store stuff, but I expect I'd need another $10-$15 or so. I'd SUPER like to be able to provide eye protection. But...

They ain't that cheap. So I've asked everyone to bring some for themselves. Hopefully they listen.

So! If anyone wants to help get some fun stuff for Raven's birthday (There is a theme incoming):

Cashapp: $NovasPrime

Paypal: @NovasPrime

ChimeSign: $NovasPrime

Ko-Fi: NovasPrime

If not, it's cool. I super get it! But feel free to send a birthday wish to Raven via my inbox (they don't use tumblr) so I can show them that yes, their birthday IS important, because we get to celebrate them existing. They are so used to being overlooked on their birthday and it's upsetting to me.

(Also, I'm gonna try my hand at drawing my idea of their Hazbin Hotel demonsona. I cannot draw. I will post results here.)

[wrecking-sequels]

[Brand New Wheels]

The store had closed its doors since five minutes but there was still no sign of Baroness Boogerface at the station, so the wrecker waited patiently on a bench with Zangief. It was from him he would learn more about the much-talked-about arcade's new entry, which was apparently called Speedstorm.

According to the bearded 'villain' who had visited day-one, it was a new racing game, with impressive tracks and a ridiculously diverse roster of characters. While intrigued at the prospective to see new faces, the colossus was more excited for Vanellope, she used to whine often on how much the place 'needed' new motors.

When said cutie finally exited her game, she seemed lightly beat down in the spirit. It was something so subtle no one could notice except Ralph. "Kid, what's with that face?" Asked the big guy, getting up as soon as he saw her. "We only played three tournaments today, three!" The girl roared in response. "Uhh okay, you didn't get a lot of players today, big deal." He shrugged, causing her to groan in frustration.

"It's not normal.. My game always makes tons of coins. We hardly ever get a break." At that, Wreck-It simply smirked. "Ah shush, it is normal. Latest additions always take the spotlight for a bit. Speaking of which.. get a load of this, it's aaa new racing game!" Dude expected leaps of joy but ended up receiving only a horrified stare.

"It's another racing game?!" Her reaction puzzled the giant to say the least. "Isn't that positive? Thought you were dying to get to this day." She just ignored him. "I knew it.. i knew it! I could feel it in my guts!" Ralph frowned and shifted his gaze to the new arrival. Wow, even the snobbish mushrooms from Mario Bros were going in to peek.

"Name's catchy, don't you think?" Needless to say, Van did not appreciate his comment. "It's lame." Yeah, 'someone' was truly bitter, and that honestly amused Ralphie. "Oh come on now, a President needs to be more mature than this." The child just gave him a face. "Like you don't know being competitive is in my code, Ugh."

It was then a peculiar group of three came out of the new system to head towards Frogger. One of them had a weird suit of armor, its chest piece was so large Ralph couldn't help thinking he looked like a walking can of Cola. Next to him strolled a woman with raven hair and almond shaped eyes, laughing with some kind of mouse sporting white gloves.

So far that was the oddest bunch of newcomers Game Central Station had ever seen. If it wasn't for the textures on their suits, no one in their right mind would tell they were from the same game. "Whaat the heck..? People is seriously spending their money to play with them??" Yes, yes they were, lots of money.

"Well, that's mean. Not everyone can be designed an adorable candy child." Inquired her bud. "Ohh now I gotta know what their karts look like!" With that she sprinted off, fueled by her hope to discover a disappointing little world, and alleviate her anxiety. Too bad upon entering, something entirely opposite welcomed them instead.

That view was stellar. On one side you had a literal frozen kingdom, in the middle a futuristic zone, and on the other side some exotic island, volcano-equipped even. For joysticks' sake it was awesome! Her smile turned upside down at the speed of light.

Wreck-It himself was seriously impressed already but hid it for the small friend. "It's.. something." Well, at least until he spotted a track in the sky, between golden clouds. "Woah! Look at that!!" Fighting her own awe, Van faked a unimpressed shrug and teleported on his shoulder. "Just move those feet Jumbo.. Don't wanna be here all day."

It wouldn't take long to find what she was looking for. One large purplish veichel awaited them at the first area. It had wheels bigger than Ralph's feet. The child was in love now and she hated herself for that. "Son of a biscuit... this is a monster..!" Obviously those toddlers at heart begun touching the car everywhere. "Shiny!"

For a while it looked like no one was around to scold them, until an odd character with dot eyes glided over using his long ears like an helicopter, confirming further just how crazy folks here looked. "Hey hey! What do you think you're doing?!? Hands off!"

Both raised incredulous eyebrows at his sight. "Is that a flying bunny?" Asked the big man. "They are soo running out of ideas." Vanellope shook her head. "It's rabbit!" Corrected the creature just before touching the ground. "Okay Mr. Rabbit, easy. We're not Kart thieves or anything." Good first impressions..

The guy already had hands on his hips. "Name's Oswald, Oswald The Lucky Rabbit. And who might you be?" He sure knew how to make you feel welcome... "Oh, I'm Wreck-It Ralph from Fix-It Felix Jr, and this here is Vanellope, ruler of Sugar Rush!" She raised a greeting hand quietly, not loving the way he introduced her like a proud father.

"Wait, Sugar Rush? That Karts game where everything is made of sweets?" Now the racer in blue was curious. "Affirmative." Confirmed the kiddo with no hesitation, only to see Oswald wear a mischievious grin. "Ahh, keepin' tabs on the competition uh?" She instinctively glitched in emberassment for a split second. This was getting interesting.