#well at least i have a job. and landing this role was a great thing bc im goign to gain so much experience

[normalfem]

Well at least I get to watch dragon tales after work :/

[yatagarasuhonyaku]

The Raven of the Empty Coffin: Prologue

Disclaimer: This is a fan-translation japanese-english of the original novel. The events of this novel follow after what's already covered by the anime. For an easier understanding, I recommend first reading the few scenes of previous books I've already translated.

Blog version

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As the outer(1) books say: you shall know of the unbending reed in a gale, learn of the perennial tree in the heavy frost, and observe the great mountain in the storm.

Understand the strength of the grass that will not bend when the gale blows, of the tree that will not yield even when the frost falls, of the mountain that will not collapse when the storm rages.

In a peaceful land, many are those whose loyalty is no more than empty words; and few are the ones who act to prove their fealty in times of upheaval. It is only in troubled times when those truly loyal first become apparent.

Hence, I shall concede this place the name of Unbending Reed Monastery, as it is to become the place of learning for those in possession of genuine loyalty.

“The Golden Raven(2) Bestowing Unbending Reed Monastery Its Name”, from “Chronicles of the Temples of Yamauchi”

Prologue

“Hey, have you heard? It sounds like an unbelievable ‘monster’ is joining us this year.”

The rumors first reached him in the morning, the very same day the new trainees were scheduled to arrive.

“What do you mean by ‘monster’?”

“As in someone strong?”

Faced with the questions of a skeptical breakfast-eating crowd, the rumormonger answered. “That much I can’t say, but he seems to be the son of a very distinguished family. He outranks everyone here at the Monastery for sure.”

Oh, no wonder then, was the immediate general consensus. Nobody around the haphazardly placed four-legged trays, filled with an assortment of food, seemed to question it any further.

“I was thinking that the people from the Center seemed weirdly nervous lately. So that was the reason, huh.”

“Well, if they mess things up, they're going to lose all their privileges to the newcomer.”

“Eh, not like they need to mess anything up for that, you know? There’s no way they’ll be able to push people around anymore, not like they did before at least.” After all, they didn't have any talent whatsoever beyond their social status. Assuming a student with a higher rank did actually arrive, it would force them into paying court to him instead.��

“Ridiculous,” Ichiryuu spat out in a low voice, in quite the contrast to his fellow students’ excitement. He had been listening with great interest at first, curious about this ‘unbelievable monster’, but in the end it was all complete rubbish. 

“What's wrong, Ichiryuu?” One of his friends, who had somehow heard him complain, turned to him and asked.

Ichiryuu made a show out of snorting.

“As far as we know, the only thing he has going for him is his rank. To call someone like that a ‘monster’? It makes me laugh. We are warriors,” he added, a frown on his face as he looked around the room, “no matter how high your birth, it means nothing if you lack the skill with a sword. We really should leave the ‘monster’ talk for when we see his performance at the dojo.”

The Unbending Reed Monastery, the institution Ichiryuu and the others belonged to, was the training facility for the Yamauchi Guard: the organization in charge of protecting the Imperial Family. 

The role of commanding the country and leading the Yatagarasu fell on the Golden Raven, who took residence in Central Mountain and the Imperial Court built inside of it, and protecting the Mountain and its surroundings from any harm was the job of the Feather Grove Heavenly Hosts(3).

Meanwhile, the Yamauchi Guard’s one and only job was to keep the Imperial Family—the Golden Raven's relatives—safe. Furthermore, while the Feather Grove had a Great General at the top, the Yamauchi Guard only took direct orders from the Imperial Family members they personally served.

The Guard was an elite organization; its warriors’ skill was leagues above the rest. As the position did of course come with matching privileges, it was stipulated that all members had to overcome the harsh training of the Unbending Reed Monastery. Your social status did not matter, only talent was required— at least in theory. A long time had passed since the last time that had actually been true.

Ichiryuu's words were born out of frustration towards his fellow trainees’ obsession with bloodlines. The other trainees, however, looked at him as if he had just grown three heads.

“What’s up with him? Did he eat something bad from the ground?”

“No, no, you got it wrong. He wants to be the cool senior, you see, so he's putting on airs already.”

“Just let him be,” people concluded in whispers, just loud enough for Ichiryuu to hear it all.

“You little—” Ichiryuu moved as if to stand up, but he was cut short by the rumormonger, who had just raised both his arms.

“Now, now, calm down, Ichiryuu. I wouldn't call someone a monster either just because they have high status. I have another good reason,” he said with a knowing smile. “Apparently, this newcomer was Wakamiya's close aide before this.”

“Wakamiya's close aide!?”

“Wait, is that true?”

“Now that's amazing!”

The trainees, their eyes wide open, started a ruckus. Wakamiya was the title of the Crown Prince, referring to the man that would one day shoulder all of Yamauchi. To be his close aide was a near guarantee to become one of the next Golven Raven's close advisers and hence seize power in the Imperial Court in the future. There was no mistaking it: this ‘monster' had one of the brightest futures possible for all Yatagarasu already promised to him.

“...... But, isn't that weird? He could have just joined the Imperial Court directly, why bother to come to the Monastery of all places?” someone said, skeptical.

Ichiryuu found himself frowning. As the Imperial Court stood at the moment, the On'i System was there to guarantee a rank fitting to their birthright for any noble. If Wakamiya had grown fond of someone with a low enough status then, yes, it would make some sense to send him to the Monastery so he could get a promotion through official means. However, this rumored ‘monster’ was supposed to be from the high nobility.

“Apparently, His Highness said that using the On'i System would be a waste of his talents, or something like that.”

“Really? It’s not like there’s any guarantee he'll even manage to graduate from the Monastery.”

The trainees, who knew better than anyone how brutal training at the Unbending Reed Monastery was, all exchanged glances at once.

“Well, there’s no way for us to know right now. No matter how talented they say he is, that's just by the standards of a Central Noble, am I wrong?”

“But, if the rumors are true and he has both the physical strength and the status, then that's truly a total monster.”

“Whatever, we should be fine as long as he isn't some snotty ass brat.”

While Ichiryuu's fellow trainees were all busy discussing the news animatedly, he stayed silent, too busy ruminating on the information he had just been given. The young son of an important noble family, and Wakamiya's close aide. He could have been given a high rank at the Court with no effort whatsoever, yet he still chose to come to Unbending Reed Monastery. Plus, he was young enough to join in the first place.

With a soft thump, the face of a certain boy came to mind.

——No. It couldn't be him, right?

After a moment, Ichiryuu shook his head. It was impossible. He made a point to take that image, that devious smile hiding under an airheaded facade, off his mind. After all, that guy had said so, hadn't he? That there was no way he was attending the Monastery, that he had no plans to enter the Imperial Court. It was the exact reason Ichiryuu had chosen to become a trainee.

As if to shake off the terrible feeling that had just overcome him, Ichiryuu scarfed down the white rice that remained in his bowl.

After breakfast, his entire group went to the dojo. Spring Break was yet to end, so morning training wasn't mandatory. And so, after a few light drills between those who had come on their own, they all set off to the nearby watering hole to clean off their sweat.

Then, at that precise moment—

“Hey, a newcomer has already arrived!” A fellow trainee, who had gone slightly ahead of the rest, called to them. Ichiryuu's group raised their voices in excitement.

“He sure is fast.”

“Is he truly a newcomer?”

“Most likely yes, and he's coming by flying carriage.”

A mode of transportation only available to the high nobility, it was kept in the air by huge horses. This had to be it. The so-called ‘monster’ that had everyone talking in the morning. Upon this realization, the group started to rush over there. Ichiryuu was in less of a hurry, still incapable of shaking off that bad feeling about the ‘monster'. His steps were heavy as he took his time with each one.

By the time he, the very last one to arrive, finally caught up with the rest, his friends were all crammed behind the azalea bushes, getting a look at their junior.

“I see. He arrived early to move all his furniture.”

“Look at that, he’s bringing so much luggage. I only brought a wrapping cloth worth of stuff with me.”

“And look where he's going too, isn't that the newest dormitory room?”

“The instructors must have gone out of their way to keep him happy.”

As his friends kept on with the half-mocking, half-joking remarks, Ichiryuu was busy thinking. As far as he knew, the person he thought of as the potential ‘monster’ was not the kind to enjoy luxury. Yet, still with fear in his heart, Ichiryuu took a look over the others’ shoulders at the teenager in question.

He first saw his back, his shoulder raised all high and mighty under the cherry blossoms in full bloom. His outfit shined impressively under the sunlight: it was a deep red, covered in white embroidery.

The servants kept on carrying his luggage, but the boy didn't move: he simply stood there imposingly. Instead, he gave them instructions with his folding fan, dyed into a light purple gradient with gold leaf speckles all over. His hair was a glossy reddish brown and neatly brushed.

The boy then turned around to talk with the servants, and Ichiryuu finally caught sight of his face. He was handsome, more than anyone he had ever seen before. His skin was the color of newly blossomed white peonies under dusk, his big eyes shone like reflections on a pond, and his face was soft like that of a woman. The boy was not only beautiful, but also had clear charisma. He was the kind that drew people in naturally, overflowing with pride and confidence.

If one of those poets from the Court had been here, his beauty would have called for a poem or two.

Not like any of that mattered to Ichiryuu, who was too busy experiencing relief. The so-called ‘close aide’ standing there wasn't that guy. Thank goodness, it wasn't him! The second he realized, his mood immediately lifted as if it had never dropped in the first place. 

“What a face.”

“Well, nobles only take beauties as concubines, you see.”

“Dammit, wouldn’t it be nice if he fell on his face or something.”

Meanwhile, his friends were still watching the boy and whispering to each other. In stark contrast to them, however, Ichiryuu left the place behind with the lightest of hearts.

Once he had cleaned himself, Ichiryuu went on to his newly assigned dormitory room in the second building, tenth room. It would be his castle for the following year.

The trainees at Unbending Reed Monastery had to overcome three trials, one per year, through their education there. There was a proverb preserved in ancient documents that said as such: ‘you shall know of the unbending reed in a gale, learn of the perennial tree in the heavy frost, and observe the great mountain in the storm.’

It’s when the gales blow that the sturdy grass proves itself. The trees too prove their resilience by surviving the harsh frost, and so it's in times of genuine struggle that the truly strong become clear. The monastery based its trials on it, and thus they were referred to as the Trial of Gale, the Trial of Frost, and the Trial of Storm.

During their first year, trainees were referred to as Seeds(4), as they still had yet to even germinate. It was once they passed the Trial of Gale at the end of the year that they transitioned to Saplings. The Trial of Frost awaited them a year later, and those who managed to pass it would reach their last year and become Evergreens.

Although plenty of seeds sprout, few get to become fully grown trees. In this manner, very few trainees ever became Evergreens. On top of that, those Evergreens also had to overcome the harshest of the tests, the Trial of Storm, and get good enough results to even qualify for the Yamauchi Guard.

Of the three trainee categories, only Evergreens had their own individual rooms. Seeds and Saplings had to share one single tiny room in groups of three. In most cases, this meant one Sapling and two Seeds, with the Sapling in charge of the room, overseeing his juniors, and mentoring them about the fundamentals of life at the Monastery.

For the Seeds, this was a massive problem.

About half of the Seeds resigned every year without ever becoming Saplings and, while a part of the reason was the brutality of the Trial of Gale, social dynamics were often the actual cause. Ichiryuu considered himself fortunate in that regard, but even he struggled with it. To become a Sapling and not have to worry about the seniors’ mood had been a relief, and he was also looking forward to having juniors.

Being told he was ‘playing up the cool senior’ may have pissed him off, but thinking about it, there was some truth to it. Very soon, it would be time for his juniors to arrive in their shared room.

His nerves were fried, but in an attempt to look a bit more imposing to the newcomers, he chose to sit behind the desk at the back of the room. Finally, the surroundings became more lively, and he soon started to hear the rumble of anxiously chattering boys from the nearby rooms. Just as he was thinking about it, he sensed someone standing in front of the door.

“Excuse me, but is the senior of the tenth room already in the room?” someone said with a clear and booming voice. It was as if he had come to ask for a duel instead.

That caught Ichiryuu by surprise. He had expected a shaky, timid voice at the other side.

“Come in.” 

“Excuse me then,” the voice answered as soon as he gave permission.

And, at the same time, the door opened with a loud thud. On the other side, there was an oonyuudou(5)-like giant, barely even fitting within the door's frame. He paid no mind to a dumbfounded Ichiryuu and immediately attempted to enter the room, proceeding to slam his head against the lintel. The giant stood there wincing in pain for a second, but his expression quickly shifted to a shy smile as he knelt in front of Ichiryuu.

“It's an honor to meet you. My name is Shigemaru, and I'll be under your care here in the tenth room.”

Despite Shigemaru's flawless politeness, he was so big Ichiryuu still found himself looking up. He had healthy tanned skin, and his thick unkempt eyebrows looked like massive caterpillars. His imposing face was somehow countered by a round button nose and jet black eyes, which gave him a very gentle aura instead. He looked like a bear that had everything intimidating taken away from him and was, indeed, a perfectly pleasing young man.

“...... How old are you exactly?”

“Ah, I'll be 18 in two months.”

“Eight… teen.”

To enter the Unbending Reed Monastery, and to become a trainee, you had to be between 15 and 17 years old when joining. For the most part, the children of nobility joined as soon as they reached the minimum age possible, as if they had been waiting for the chance to do so. Those who joined at 17 were nearly always commoners.

Ichiryuu was the son of rural aristocracy so, like most others, he became a Seed at 15. Which put him in a strange situation: he was a senior to an older, much bigger junior. And, just like that, his initial dream of being the confident and dependable mentor to a nervous youth was utterly shattered.

Shigemaru was at least very polite and respectful, a small blessing, but, how to put it… he had something different in mind, something more innocent and pure.

“Ah, well, yes. I'm Ichiryuu, a Sapling. We'll be sharing a room this year, it's nice to meet you,” Ichiryuu said in a panic. He had completely forgotten to introduce himself until just then.

“Ah, yes, I know that much,” Shigemaru replied with a carefree smile, “I'm from Shimaki Township(6), you see. Rumors about the third son of our Lord have reached me before. You have become such a wonderful young man. As one of your subjects, I'm filled with pride.”

So he was from his homeland, which made things even harder for him.

As Ichiryuu was struggling to find a good answer, Shigemaru suddenly turned around to look at something behind him.

“You know him too, don't you?”

It was then that Ichiryuu finally realized the other newcomer was already there too, hidden behind Shigemaru's massive frame. He seemed to be quite tiny. Ichiryuu proceeded to try to fix his pose in a desperate attempt to look imposing, at least for this other one. That’s when he realized.

“Yes, of course.”

——That voice sounded terribly familiar for some reason.

“Of course we know each other, Ichiryuu and I are what one could even call childhood friends. Although, it may be impossible to treat him like before, now that he is our senior. I'm still glad I get to share a room with someone I can trust,” the boy said with a carefree laugh.

Just like that, as soon as he heard his voice, those memories—that he couldn’t forget despite himself—came back to haunt him. The pain ruthlessly inflicted onto him, the endless verbal abuse he went through. And, at the same time, an unflinching smile as if painted on his face and the shrill of that crazed laugh.

All of a sudden, the source of his nightmares leaned out of Shigemaru’s shadow.

His brown, soft-looking hair was held up in a ponytail. His face was quite nondescript, with nothing that truly struck one as characteristic. He looked completely harmless, but those terrifying, cunning eyes betrayed his true nature.

“Long time no see, Ichiryuu. Let me introduce myself again, I am Yukiya of Taruhi. Let’s get along from now on too,” the boy said with a bright smile on his lips.

Ichiryuu screamed in horror.

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

1: The original term for Outer Books is 外書, which originally refers to ‘foreign books’ or non-buddhist books. Within the context of the setting and given similar terms used elsewhere, this refers to books written by humans outside Yamauchi.

2: After some consideration and for the sake of narrative clarity later on, all the Raven titles will be fully translated from now on. Those already introduced at this point in the novels are the Golden Raven (Emperor, Kin’u), Scarlet Raven (Empress, Seki’u) and White Raven (Head Priest, Haku’u).

3: The Feather Grove Heavenly Hosts (羽林天軍, read Urin Tengun) are very briefly referred to in The Golden Raven. They’re the Center Army and don’t concern themselves with imperial matters. Their General is always the Northern Lord, so they’re at present controlled by Yukiya’s grandfather: he is the one to send them out in reconnaissance during the Monkeys’ attack.

4: The original terms for Seed, Sapling and Evergreen are as follows: 荳児, using the kanji for bean and child; 草牙, grass and fang (it itself being one radical away from 芽, meaning bud); and 貞木, which is a word to refer to evergreen trees.

5: Oonyuudou are youkai from Japanese folklore, traditionally giants who look like buddhist monks. Given the setting, they may as well truly exist.

6: After much consideration, I’ve switched the term Village as the anime uses it with Township. Townships (郷) in Yamauchi are provinces within a specific Region. Every Region is divided into a total of three Townships, and the Township Lord governs and controls all villages within their territory. The Townships in the North are Shimaki, Taruhi and Shigure.

[hard-core-super-star]

Hey, I have a hailee steinfeld x reader request:

Reader is Chris Hemsworth's cousin (meaning she's aussie.) And she is dating Hailee Steinfeld. (But the relationship is a private relationship.) She plays Spider-Woman in Hawkeye and Kate Bishop's love interest. So, in an interview for ATSV, they talk about Readers Spider-Woman making an appearance in the movie.

karma is the girl on the screen coming straight home to me [H.Steinfeld]

pairing: hailee steinfeld x hemsworth!reader

summary: having to do interviews with your girlfriend comes with its own set of challenges. thankfully, you always have each other's back.

warnings: none, just fluff with a side of plot; abrupt start and even more abrupt ending; light mentions of anxiety

wordcount: 1.5k

a/n: this request spent almost a month in my inbox and i am so sorry for that. i hope you like it despite the long wait!

* * * * * * *

You look up from your phone at the sound of footsteps approaching. There’s no way to hide the smile that spreads across your features once you catch sight of who’s walking toward you.

“Don’t tell me you started missing me already, Steinfeld.”

She rolls her eyes affectionately at the use of her last name, an old habit that still lingers between the two of you sometimes. “You wish, Hemsworth. Just came to tell you we have five minutes before the interview starts. Wouldn’t want you to be late. Again.”

“That’s a low blow. You’re the reason I was late last time.”

“Weird. I don’t remember it like that.”

“Why am I not surprised?” You reply, attempting to sound annoyed and failing miserably.

She takes a quick look around before reaching out for your hands. You welcome the physical affection a little too eagerly for someone who was trying so hard to make fun of her a few seconds ago. If she notices, she doesn’t comment on it, clearly just as starved for contact as you are.

As much as you love being a part of interviews and getting to talk about projects you’re passionate about, you hate how little time you get to spend with Hailee. At least when you did the Hawkeye press junket you got to do almost every single interview with her due to the curiosity and impact of your character’s developing relationship. This time, however, your role has been the supportive girlfriend.

Despite the excitement from the fans about your character making a not-so-secret appearance in Across the Spider-Verse, all the journalists seemed to prefer to steer clear of having both you and Hailee in the same room to avoid being responsible for accidentally outing you. Just because your relationship is of a more private nature doesn’t mean either of you is doing a great job at keeping your obvious feelings in check.

Hence why it was decided you wouldn’t participate in many interviews. The last thing you need is another nepotism scandal.

“You nervous?” She asks, her previous teasing tone disappearing into thin air once she notices how spaced out you seem to be.

You shake your head in response almost as if that will get rid of the worries lingering in the back of your mind. “Me? Of course not, what’s there to be nervous about?”

She laughs, the sound soft and sweet. “Right. Well, since you’re not nervous then I guess you don’t want a kiss for good luck…”

“You’re a cruel woman, Hailee Steinfeld.”

“Just the way you like it,” she replies with a wink.

She starts to walk away but you pull her back toward you before she can get too far. You know you played right into her hand when you catch sight of the growing grin on her face but you’re too happy to care. You wrap your arms around her neck, careful not to mess up her hair, before connecting your lips in a slow kiss.

Her hands land on your waist long enough to pull you flush against her in an intimate embrace. Time seems to slow down to a crawl while you both relish this brief moment of affection.

It ends too fast for your liking and you have to swallow back your complaints, knowing it’s just a matter of time before people from both of your PR teams start looking for you. “We’re not done here. Just so you know.”

“Trust me-” She gives your lips one last peck before she steps away from you. “I know.”

You let her walk away first, taking a moment to thank the universe for bringing this woman into your life before following after her. You quickly arrive at the interview room and go through all the formal introductions before taking your seat next to Hailee. She shoots you a quick smile that you waste no time in returning.

The next few minutes pass by in an exciting blur of people setting up all the microphones and cameras and it’s not until the interviewer sits down in front of you that your previous nervousness rears its head again. You try to tell yourself you’re worrying over nothing but almost every interview has gone the exact same way since you joined the MCU. The only thing that brings you some reassurance is that Across the Spider-Verse is something completely different and can’t be linked to your last name. Unfortunately, that leaves the door right open for a different set of accusations regarding the brunette sitting by your side.

The interview starts in a very standard way with the first few questions being the same opening questions you’ve gotten in every other interview. You don’t really mind but you do wish people could come up with something better than,”How excited are you about this movie?”

Your complaints fade away once you’re forced to focus on the next batch of questions. “So, y/n, this was your first time doing voice acting for a movie, how different was portraying Spider-Woman in this way compared to Hawkeye?”

You give a pretty ordinary answer, waiting until you’ve fully answered the question to add in a comment that you know will be floating around your Twitter feed for most of the week. “And I definitely had to tone down my flirting this time around.”

“Was that hard for you?” The interviewer replies, not so subtly straddling the border between keeping the conversation flowing and pointing out you and Hailee’s closeness.

Your answer comes with its own set of badly hidden romantic undertones. “I mean, have you seen this woman?”

“Way to keep it professional, y/n,” Hailee says, her smile obvious in her tone.

“I just have too much charm to keep contained, darling.”

You turn your head just enough for your eyes to meet hers. A charged moment of silence passes before she looks away, muttering something about how unbelievable you are through a soft chuckle.

You almost forget where you are until the interviewer speaks up again and brings you right back to reality. “The internet certainly agrees with you, y/n. Apparently, you take after your cousin.”

“Which one?” You joke.

You can already tell where the conversation is going to go but you do your best to appear unbothered.

“Oh, you know, tall, blonde, also an Avenger.”

You suppress the urge to roll your eyes but the shift in your posture doesn’t go unnoticed by Hailee. It never does.

“Right, that one. Annoying fella, isn't he?”

It’s easier to mask your annoyance as playful teasing if you direct your energy toward your cousin and not the interviewer in front of you.

“So annoying,” Hailee joins in, making a show of mimicking your accent.

You shoot her a brief but grateful smile. One she returns with the smallest nod of her head, almost as if silently telling you she’s got your back. And you don’t doubt for a second that she does.

Unfortunately for the two of you, your attempt at changing the topic of conversation goes completely ignored by the interviewer. “Still, it must be great to have support from your own family when it comes to projects like this.”

“Yeah, it’s always fun to remind Chris he never got his own show.”

Hailee makes a face at your comment and you can already imagine the “Memefeld” tweets it will create. “Technically the show isn’t yours.”

“It’s not yours either, there’s still two Hawkeyes.”

“I…yeah, okay, you got me there.”

“So, the criticism doesn’t bother you?” He continues. “It’s hard to deny the connection between your recent projects and the closest people in your life.”

This time Hailee’s the one who stiffens up and, despite the way your heart flutters in your chest at her protective nature, you decide to reply before she gets the chance to. “I appreciate people’s concern but I think they’re overestimating the importance of my personal life and greatly underestimating my talent. I’m not really bothered by it, I just ignore it, to be honest. Call it taking a page out of Taylor’s book.”

You turn to look at your girlfriend with a subtle smirk on your lips. She already knows exactly what you mean but she plays along with you anyway. “Which one? Shake it off?”

“I was thinking of Karma but sure,” you say with a shrug. “Except for the ‘guy on the screen’ part.”

Even though you mumble the last part, you know the microphone picked you up loud and clear. If your choice is between nepotism scandals and dating rumors, you’ll take the dating rumors any day. Hailee’s team probably doesn’t agree so it’s a good thing your agent is the one in the room and not Hailee’s.

Almost as if on cue, she steps in with a random excuse to end the interview. You don’t really pay attention to whatever words get exchanged since you’re too busy admiring your girlfriend.

You can already imagine the tweets and the headlines this interview will create but you don’t really mind. All you really care about is getting to go home with Hailee.

[fangirlingfromdownunder]

8th Day of Christmas

A Supernatural Christmas Party

Summary/Prompt - Going to the Supernatural Christmas Party

Pairing - Jensen Ackles x Reader

Warning - SMUT

Christmas Masterlist | Masterlist

You’re just putting the finishing touches on your makeup as you feel hands on your waist. Your eyes meet with your boyfriend’s green one and you both smile.

“You’re so sexy, do we have to go to this party?” He asks.

“I flew all the way here to be your date, so yes we have to go.”

He pouts and then kisses your neck. He feels you shiver as the feeling. “You can still be my date right here in this room.”

“Jensen…” you turn around, take his hands and look in his eyes. “I promise, the second we get home I’m all yours. But you’re the colead, you can’t not go.”

He sighs. “Come on then, we’d better go before I change my mind and tear that sexy red dress right off you and throw you on the bed.”

“The second we get back you can.” You bend down to strap on your heels and he groans.

“I haven’t seen you in almost a month and now you dress all sexy and tell me I can’t touch. You’re evil.”

“You can’t tell me how evil I am when we get home later. For now though, take a deep breath, think of anything else and then meet me in the car.”

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

Half an hour later you finally arrive at the fancy venue that Bob Singer hired for the night to celebrate the wrap of filming for the year. You walk in hand-in-hand with Jensen. Once you’re inside he takes your heavy coat and gets it cloaked along with his own overcoat. Leaving him in a simple black suit with a red bow tie and pocket square to match your dress. He leads you through the foyer to a large room where the rest of the cast and crew are already socialising. You scan the room for people you recognise. While you try to visit whenever you can, it is hard with you working elsewhere.

You were a guest star on a couple of episodes of Supernatural last season, that’s when you and Jensen hit it off, but when your character was written out you were forced to audition for other roles. You had hoped your next job would keep you in Vancouver at least, but no such luck. You’ve been filming at a set in LA. Long distance is hard, especially with different time zones and filming schedules, but you both understand that it’s just part of the job. And while you love each other, you also love your jobs, so you just do what you can to make it work.

Your eyes land on the tallest person in the room and his short wife. You both walk over to greet them. Gen pulls you in for a quick hug and Jared follows.

“Hey guys, great to see you again. I’ve missed you, Moose.”

He playfully punches you in the shoulder. “Missed you too Mouse.” Despite being a little taller than his wife, he had taken to calling you that while you were on set. You didn’t mind one bit, he always tried to make you feel comfortable and welcome on set. You actually met him before Jensen, but he came into your life like a whirlwind. He was directing the first episode you were on. Making him too busy and stressed to properly welcome you. But once he was back to simply acting you got to know each other a lot better and things progressed quickly.

“Want a drink, Sweetheart?” Jense asks you with a squeeze of your hand.

“Sure, just a glass of red. Thanks.”

He kisses your cheek and then walks off towards the bar. He stops along the way to greet other cast and crew members. You smile at him. Despite his earlier protests, you know he’s happy he came and that he would regret it if he didn’t. He loves his job and all the people he works with. That was one of the many reasons you feel so hard and fast for him. While long distance is hard, you would never ask him to give any of this up. It’s a family that he’s helped build and you’re just grateful to be part of it.

When he finally returns with your drink he apologises for his delay which you brush off with a kiss before you both do some more rounds chatting with everyone and wishing them well for the holidays.

Eventually a makeshift dance floor opens up in the middle of the room and he looks at you hopefully. He bows down dramatically and holds out a hand to you. “May I have this dance?”

You laugh and nod. “Why of course, kind sir.” He laughs too as he pulls you onto the dance floor. You play around through a few party songs until they slow it down. Then he pulls you close, his hands on your waist holding you close and swaying you to the music as yours rest around his shoulders with your head leaning against his chest. Throughout the song you end up grinding against each other a few times inadvertently. The second the song finishes and the room livens up again he leads you through the maze of socialising people and out to the empty foyer.

He presses you up against the wall and kisses you hard. “I can’t wait anymore, Baby. I need you. Please. I’ve missed you so much.”

You kiss him back and deepen the kiss, swiping your tongue against his. When he pulls back he looks down the hall for somewhere more private, not wanting to expose you in public. He hastily leads you into the small cloaking room and shuts the door before pushing you against it and resuming the bruising kiss. Knowing people will quickly notice the disappearance of someone as notable as Jensen, you reach for his belt undoing it but not removing it. His hands slip up under the hem of your tight dress pushing it up to your waist. He teases his fingers over you through your thin lace undies.

“Already so wet for me, Baby. You need this as much as I do.”

“Please, stop teasing.”

With that he kneels down to slide the offending garment off of you and shoves them in his pocket. Now face level with your bare heat, he presses a kiss to your sensitive bundle of nerves. You moan out loudly before slapping a hand over your mouth.

“Gotta stay quiet for me, Baby. Don’t want someone coming in here.”

You nod and bite your lip as he goes in again, but this time he slides his tongue along your slit. He then slips two fingers in, down to his knuckle.

“So ready for me already. Even after all this time.”

You nod frantically, not trusting yourself to not be too loud. He stands up and kisses you again, letting you taste yourself on his tongue. You reach down to undo the button and zip of his dress pants. He’s quick to push them down to his knees.

“I need you,” you breathe out.

“I know, me too.” He squeezes your ass and you jump up wrapping your legs around his waist as he presses your back against the door. As he distracts you with another deep kiss he reaches down and teases himself against your folds a few times before sliding inside. He gives you a little time to adjust to his intrusion before setting a quick pace. Right now you both just need a release. He’ll worship your body and make slow love to you once you’re in the comfort of his apartment, but for now he just wants to make you cum.

He kisses down your neck as he continues his torturous pace. You feel him start to twitch inside you, so you squeeze your walls against him. Knowing he won’t last much longer he reaches a hand down to rub quick circles on your clit. You throw your head back against the door as you feel that rope inside you snapping. As he feels you squeezing and cumming around him he kisses you to muffle your moans and helps you ride it out before filling you up.

You stay like that for a few seconds while you both catch your breath and then he carefully sets your feet back on the floor. He pulls his pants and boxers back up and secures his belt before handing you back your underwear.

“Meet me back out there in five minutes. We’re saying goodnight to everyone and then going home for round two.”

You smile at him completely blissed out still but you try to compose yourself. You slip your underwear back on and straighten your dress back down over your thighs before running your hands through your hair. You search for a mirror to check your makeup and tidy it up before finally joining him back in the main room. The second you’re close enough he wraps his arm around your waist and pulls you close. You do a round of the room as he chats to everyone and thanks them for a good season and wishes them a merry Christmas. Once you make it back to the entrance he leads you back out the foyer, you collect your coats and then he speeds back to his apartment as safely as possible.

[turneradora]

NEW 💯💯💯💯💯💯

Here below is the written transcription of the new press article, with a new Aidan's interview

From The Waitrose & Partners Weekend magazine, issue of today, October 3rd

Thanks to Emma Jones ! 🌹❤️😘

Note : I choose to repost, as the magazine did, this wonderful pic of Aidan (a zoomed version, with no improvement), taken last year, during the promotion of "Fifteen-Love".😍😍😍😍

"Aidan Turner looks back on Poldark-mania and tells Paul Kirkley why Disney’s racy all-star adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s Rivals is the most fun he’s had on a set

There was a time, not so long ago, when Aidan Turner thought his days of playing romantic leads might be behind him. Or at least, that’s what he’d started telling people. “I say these things… I mean, I say dierent things in every interview, but don’t believe any of it,” laughs the man who set millions of hearts aflutter as the dashing Captain Ross Poldark.

“You go through phases,” he reflects. “You play a character for a while, and if you’re lucky, that show might be a hit, and you might do it for a number of years, and then you just get a pain in the a*** with it for a while, don’t you? It’s the trajectory of every actor I know: you get bored with something, you move on, you try something else. For now, [a romantic lead] doesn’t seem like something that greatly interests me. But it’s dangerous to say I’ll never play those kinds of characters again. I never say never in this business.”

It would certainly be a stretch to call the 41-year-old Dubliner’s latest role – in Disney’s hotly anticipated, ludicrously star-studded TV adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s 80s bonkbuster Rivals – a romantic lead. But there’s a certain nobility to the character of Declan O’Hara, a crusading TV interviewer who’s forced to take a big money job hosting a talk show for a regional broadcaster in Cooper’s fictional county of Rutshire. “He’s a straight shooter,” says Aidan. “He’d consider himself quite a serious, hardline political journalist, and then he finds himself hosting a sort of fluy chat show, which he’s not happy with at all.”

Cooper’s racy Rutshire Chronicles have sold million s have sold millions of copies (ex-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak revealed himself to be an unlikely fan), and recently earned their creator a damehood. But if sex and scandal among the moneyed, polo-playing classes of the Cotswolds – not to mention the rivalry between 1980s ITV franchises – seems like a left-field choice of material for an eight-part series on Disney+, the result is an absolute riot.

“Yeah, it’s a riot – I’d agree with you there,” says Aidan “Jilly is a great writer – and very British. It’s going to be interesting to see how this lands to an overseas market. But her stories are very accessible – they’re fun, they’re witty. And obviously they’re sexy. I read the scripts before I read Jilly’s book, and you get such a good sense of who all these well-rounded characters are.”

Those characters are brought to life by a veritable Who’s Who of Brit acting talent, including David Tennant as Declan’s boss, the ruthless Lord Tony Baddingham, and Danny Dyer as Freddie Jones, a likeable self-made electronics millionaire. There are also juicy roles for Katherine Parkinson, Emily Atack, Rufus Jones, Claire Rushbrook, Lisa McGrillis and Victoria Smurfit, while Alex Hassell takes on the mantle of Rutshire’s most disreputable cad, Rupert Campbell Black.

With a cast like that, the backstage gossip must have been o the scale, suggests Weekend. “I don’t really follow industry gossip – you probably know more about that than I do,” says Aidan. But, as someone usually cast as a series lead (romantic or otherwise), he relished the fact there was no real pecking order on set. “It’s a great thing when you feel something is equally shared. It really does feel like an ensemble piece.” Hanging out in a series of lavish country houses – including Chavenage House in Gloucestershire, which had previously doubled as the Poldark family home – also started to infect the cast’s behaviour, he admits. “They smell different, they feel different under your feet – and as soon as you’re in them, you do tend to start walking a bit differently. Which I think can only help the actors.”

As something of a pool shark (he’s heading o to play after our interview), Aidan bonded with Danny Dyer and Alex Hassell over the green baize. David Tennant also helped organise him a 40th birthday party, while Dame Jilly threw one of her famously boozy soirées at her own country pile. “I forget what we were celebrating – it could have been her birthday,” says Aidan. “Or maybe just general good times.”

Little wonder he’s described it as the most fun job of his career. “I feel a little embarrassed about saying that, but it’s true. It just happens once in a while, where all the planets align and there’s a dozen or so people you get on really well with. We all share a similar workload, we’re all staying in Bristol, which is a fun city. We’re working on great material. Also, it’s such a funny show, and I haven’t really done a lot in that genre. I mean, now that I say it out loud, I don’t think I’ve ever done anything like this.”

As Declan, Aidan also rocks an impressive, Tom Selleck style 80s ’tache. A decade ago, such face furniture might have been a talking point, he says, but in the hipster area of east London he now calls home, no one batted an eyelid. “You do forget you have it, though. And then suddenly you’ll pass a shop window or something, and give yourself a fright.”

There are times in Rivals when the moustache is the only thing Declan is wearing. Because this is, let’s not be coy, a show with an awful lot of sex (or bonking, as Dame Jilly would no doubt call it): one that required the services of two on-set intimacy coordinators. For Aidan, who’s spent the best part of a decade trying to move the conversation on from that topless scything scene in Poldark, isn’t this a little awkward? Was there a part of him that thought: ‘Oh God, here we go again?’ “No, not at all,” he insists. “It’s all part of the job. There’s a different tone and cadence to almost all the sex scenes in our show,” he adds. “So having good intimacy coordinators is a real addition. They were great.”

At one point, Declan asks a guest on his chat show to comment on “those James Bond rumours” – which is something of a sly in-joke, as Aidan’s name was regularly in the frame as a potential 007 at the height of Poldark-mania. “I think that’s stopped now,” he smiles. “But if your name’s in the mix, it’s probably not going to be you – isn’t that what they say?”

Five years after hanging up his tricorn hat, how does Aidan look back on the whole Poldark circus (which at one point saw his hair get its own fan Twitter account)? “It was a really positive experience,” he says. “The more you work, the more you realise

not everything you do is going to be a huge hit. But Poldark was. It had mass appeal, and a big audience. I enjoyed doing it, I made some good friends, and I’m proud of the work.” He’d been in popular shows and films before, playing a vampire in the BBC’s cult classic Being Human and a dwarf in Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy. But the BBC’s revival of Winston Graham’s Cornish saga made huge stars of Aidan and Eleanor Tomlinson, as Ross’s fiery wildcat bride, Demelza.

Did it take some adjusting to? “That’s a good question,” he ponders. “I remember being surprised by a lot of the attention. But by the time it came out, we were already working on the next series. So we just sort of rolled on with it. It’s a personal thing: some people might feel the need to make big adjustments to their life, but I really didn’t want it to change me. I didn’t want to be affected by how successful it was. Because if we all became aware of that, it might slip out of our hands. So my attitude was, ‘let’s keep cool heads, crack on and get the work done’.”

These days, if he’s approached in the street or on public transport, “people are lovely and sweet”, he says. “But it doesn’t happen often. It happens more when you’re on the telly, and as soon as the show is finished, it tends to go away a bit. I’m not at the level where it’s constant. I know some people who can’t get on the Tube, and I don’t ever want that.”

It probably helps that Aidan is nothing like the brooding, saturnine Poldark. Talking to Weekend over video from his sofa, he’s lively, animated – positively giggly, in fact. (And much more Irish, obviously.) He’s just returned from Canada, where his wife, American actor Caitlin Fitzgerald, is filming a TV show. The couple’s two-year-old son is also still in Canada, which may explain why he’s so perky, even though it’s 9am.

Becoming a dad has changed him “in the way it would change anybody”, he says. “It’s a momentous thing, but it’s incredible. We’re really happy.”

Growing up in the Dublin suburbs of Clondalkin and Walkinstown, the second son of an electrician father and accountant mother, Aidan got his first taste of performance as an elite dancer. “I represented Ireland in ballroom and Latin American dancing for about 10 years. It was very competitive. It wasn’t just a bit of fun. It was probably something I thought I was going to do professionally, but it’s really tough, and I wasn’t good enough.”

Even so, it probably rules him out of Strictly? “I think I rule myself out of Strictly,” he smiles. But not Bond? “I’m happy to pass on both of them,” he confirms.

On leaving school, he briefly worked for his father as an apprentice electrician, and considered becoming a snooker professional, until the day he spotted a notice for Dublin’s Gaiety School of Acting. After graduating from the school in 2004, he combined theatre work with a regular role in RTÉ soap The Clinic, before heading to London and landing his first leading screen role as Dante Gabriel Rossetti in the BBC’s Pre-Raphaelite drama Desperate Romantics.

Does it feel like 20 years since he started? “It’s a crazy thing,” he says. “Because this is a fickle business, so to still be working 20 years in… There are times when you think, ‘this is something I’m sure I’ll be doing forever’. But at the same time, you never know. There are ups and downs in every actor’s career. I know some who have big moments, then they disappear for a while and maybe do smaller projects, and then come back again. That’s just the nature of the business.”

The trick, he says, is to not to shoot for the moon every time. “You might want to do the bigger projects, with the bigger names, but the air is thinner up there, and you can’t always get those jobs. So you have to be patient. But to still be in the conversation 20 years later? Yeah, I’m proud of that.”

[everlasting-rainfall]

Hear me out

Animal shifter au but in a jurassic park setting with the beast pirates

Okay so I’m gonna admit that I have actually never seen the Jurassic Park movies like I think I tried once when I was a kid but I was way too scared of them to ever keep watching it and I’ve just never gone back

But I do know the basic premise like nature park tries to revive dinosaurs and things go horribly wrong, yeah?

Also fun fact! In some scenarios, animal shifters were supposed to be the dominant species of earth but they kind of went into hiding and became a lost myth after humans came around and started doing some crazy shit

Typically animal shifters are just waiting for the exact right moment to strike back against the humans and take the earth back as lord knows that they’ll treat it better…

Anywho let’s get into it! Also my sincerest of apologies if this isn’t as good as you hope it would be!

!-MINORS DO NOT INTERACT AT ALL-!

!-POTENTIAL TRIGGER WARNINGS-!

Stalking, Kidnapping, Forced (?) Pregnancy, Stockholm Syndrome, Unsafe Work Environments, Apocalyptic Scenario, Implied Murder, Violence

!-POTENTIAL TRIGGER WARNINGS-!

!-MINORS DO NOT INTERACT AT ALL-!

So imagine the visual that you’re some kind of person who has managed to land a job at one of the most dangerous but exciting sort of zoos in the world as they’ve managed to bring back the dinosaurs

The job listing states that they need someone to clean things and maybe occasionally play a role in the totally safe dinosaur shows that they put on for entertainment and also occasionally for educating people as well

You were probably reluctant but hey, you need the money and this job pays some good money so what’s the harm in just taking the job for the summer is what you tried to tell yourself at least

First few days go well as you’re mostly just cleaning up around some specific animal areas, you learn some pretty cool stuff about the dinosaurs and even find out that they have some things that were thought to be myths like a giant blue dragon

You even start to like the look of some of the dinosaurs too even if a lot of them just look generally pissed off a lot of the time like you didn’t know it was possible for a triceratops to look both somehow absolutely wasted and angry at his surroundings at the same time

Eventually though after your first week, you’re asked to do an animal show with some of the dinosaurs and this can only go so well is what you think to yourself especially as you’re dressed up in a cave woman’s costume for the show

Basically the dinosaur will be let into the area and it’s your job to get it to move about to do different things for the commentator to tell the audience about like you don’t even realize that you’re being stalked at one point and the commentator is like “Oh! And the great Sabertooth Cat is also an excellent hunter!”

You were told later that the commentator was trying to warn you without scaring any of the guests and causing a commotion…

The shows always got your heart pumping on max speed as these creatures were terrifying like the dinosaur known as Ulti once tried to crack your skull open when she thought that you were getting too close to her brother for her liking

It was just for the summer though and the park would pay you generous bonuses for anytime that you did one of these shows and got hurt, probably to prevent a lawsuit but regardless…

As time progressed though, you found that the animal shows were becoming easier like Who’s Who the Sabertooth Tiger wouldn’t even try to hunt you during shows with you anymore and King was even pretty chill with you as well like he wouldn’t even bat an eye when you stretched out one of his wings to show the audience just how big his wingspan was

You had even done a show with Kaido the Blue Dragon that they had and although you were writing down your will on some stationary in the dressing room before you were set to head out and you headed out into the area and let the commentator introduce you as the brave cavewoman who knew all about dinosaurs

Part of you was just waiting for Kaido to be released into the area so you could be ripped to shreds already as you had heard horror stories about how dangerous that thing was but when the commentator introduced your guest for the day and released the blue dragon

Oddly enough, he didn’t kill you right away like he stared at you for a good while but he didn’t try to burn you alive with his fire breath or even snap his jaws shut on you like the worst thing that he did was growl at you

The commentator instructed you on what to do like “For most people, dragons are simply a legend but they were oh so very real! They even had bigger teeth than any known dinosaur species! How about you show the audience those teeth, brave cavewoman?” and you would have to lift one of his lips in order to show the audience

Your fear was probably obvious to Kaido as you did your thing as he simply just rested his head on the ground to convey that he was bored, it was weirdly like he was trying to reassure you that he wouldn’t kill you almost

Eventually the show ended and you were able to head back into the dressing room and get changed, you took a long deep breath and just laid on the floor for a while to let the adrenaline wear off. Some of your co-workers probably thought that you were dead in all honesty

Luckily as the months pass by, the dinosaurs and even the dragon get closer with you causing the animal shows to go as smooth as they possibly can like the Mammoth known as Jack straight up lifts you up with his trunk at one point during a show and lets you slide down it onto his back. It was like something straight out of a movie but the audience loved it

As for your job where you clean things? That’s the least stressful part of your job and honestly what you far more prefer to be doing as it just entails going around the park and emptying trash cans along with picking up any litter that you might find

Occasionally acting as a guide as well for lost park goers, this part of your job takes you all around the park to almost all of the enclosures. Some of the dinosaurs don’t pay you any mind while the ones that you’ve done shows with typically come up the viewing windows and follow alongside you until you’re out of sight almost like they’re trying to greet you

The only downsides to this part of the job is that when the bathrooms are filthy then it’s your job to clean it up and the occasional rude customer whose complaining for no good reason but that isn’t too bad as you typically wind up never seeing those guests again if it happened outside one of the enclosures oddly enough

It’s towards the end of the summer that something incredibly weird happens though as you are being brought in to do another show as the brave cavewoman but they want you to work with a dinosaur that you’ve had no prior experience with. Can’t be too bad, right? Especially as they say they’ll even let you bring Sasaki in to feel safer as it’s another triceratops!

This dinosaur acts far more like how you would expect a typical dinosaur to act, it’s much more aggressive with you and you find yourself having to dive out of the way more than once to avoid being speared on its horns as the commentator tries to act natural

Sasaki is somewhat being helpful as he is jerking his head at it like he’s trying to command it to calm down but it’s after one of its horns catches you and injuries you, Sasaki is pissed and a fight breaks out between the two triceratops

Chaos ensues and you find yourself in the middle of a dinosaur fight as Sasaki tries to protect you and this other triceratops is just hellbent on hurting you. The guards can’t rush in as that would cause serious panic and that’s the last thing they need but the commentator is clearly worried about your safety

After what feels like hours, you’re saved from the terrifying show and both triceratops are contained to safely be put back in an enclosure. You get your injury all patched up and the park runners agree to take you off dinosaur shows completely but that wasn’t what was weird

What was weird is that the triceratops who hurt you proceeded to completely disappear from it’s enclosure in the middle of the night… It was there before everyone went home and now it was all gone…

The park of course tried looking for it but they could never find it and there were absolutely no signs of escape or footage of any escape on any of the security cameras… It simply vanished without a trace…

Your last bit of time spent at the park was as a cleaner but after the experience at your last dinosaur show, the dinosaurs and dragon that you typically worked with seemed more protective of you now like if you were cleaning around Who’s Who’s enclosure then he would simply chill out where he could see you and if anyone blocked his vision then he would get up to move then chill out again

Ulti even head butted the protective glass once when she saw someone run into you and nearly knock you over, she looked absolutely pissed too like if you could understand what she was saying then you were pretty sure that she would have been cussing out the park goer

However as nice as this job was, everything has to come to an end eventually as your last day working at the park soon arrived and you were given your last bit of pay before you started working for the day

You said goodbye to all of your co-workers as you passed them by but you also went around and said goodbye to all of the dinosaurs as you felt it was polite, a lot of them almost looked shocked and disappointed that you were leaving with King himself even looking incredibly disappointed and almost angry to hear that

Once your shift had ended, your boss had asked you if you could stay just a little bit longer as someone had made an absolute mess of one area of the park and he would gladly pay you extra if you stayed to clean it up

You said yes before seeing it and instantly regretted it as you were there for the rest of the day just sweeping up trash and cleaning all sorts of things that had been spilled

By the time that you were finally done, it was closing time and all of your co-workers went home so you started to head to tell your boss that it was safe to lock up for the night now as you were finished and heading home

He nodded his head saying that he had some things to take care of so he would still be here for a bit and you started leaving, you were honestly going to miss working here but it wasn’t so bad as now you wouldn’t have to worry about heading home

Just as the exit was coming into view though, you saw something out of the corner of your eye and looked over to find that there was a person in the park. Assuming it was an intruder, you tried to scare them off which proved to be a horrible decision

As soon as you had spoke, they looked at you and rushed you. The next thing that you knew, you were unconscious. You expected to wake up somewhere horrible and indeed you did as you woke up inside of what was clearly one of the dinosaurs enclosures

Your heart sank…

You tried to stand up and hoped to find a way out before whoever was in this enclosure found you and decided you were desert, your legs were wobbly with fear but you did your best to walk slowly and hopefully not draw any attention to yourself

You soon found the edge of the exhibit and followed it until you found a door that you could hopefully escape through but before you could even find out if it was locked or not, spider silk suddenly stuck onto you and you found yourself being dragged off into the darkness

It occurred to you that you were in Black Maria’s enclosure who was a prehistoric spider and you knew that death was likely coming soon as you felt yourself be dragged deeper and deeper into the enclosure by the spider silk until you started being lifted

Here it comes is what you though and you felt your body being wrapped up in spider silk except for your head, you were dangled from a tree branch and expected to feel teeth on your head only for nothing to happen other than a chuckle and a command for you to open your eyes

You briefly cracked them open and found yourself face to face with a giant blonde lady whose lower half was a spider… She smiled at you when she saw you and commented on finally being able to see those eyes that she loved so much at night too

Part of you tried to sputter out a question only for your mouth to get covered in webs, she told you to save your questions for when the others got here and they would surely be here soon now that all the humans were gone

Eventually one by one, they all appeared in the enclosure with some of them being normal human size while others were much bigger. They stared at you like you were a piece of meat hanging inside of the window of a butcher shop and you couldn’t stop the fear that came from it

When the woman removed the webbing from your mouth and the man with the horns told you to ask any questions that you have. The first thing out of your mouth was “Who are you?!”

You would have followed it up with an “And what do you want from me?!” but they spoke as soon as you were finished, some of them looked almost offended that you didn’t recognize them and asked if you truly didn’t

You confirmed that they didn’t so they introduced themselves, they told you that they were the dinosaurs that you had been working with for so long while at the park… And when you tried to point out that they couldn’t be that, they suddenly all transformed right before your eyes…

The shock was so immense that sticking a fork in an electrical socket couldn’t compare, you were told what animal shifters were and told that there were animal shifters wandering around even today. It wasn’t just them and a lot of animal shifters typically seek out a human to entertain themselves with

And what do you know? You were perfect and they weren’t going to let you go…

“…Please don’t hurt me…”

“Don’t worry about that… Hurt is the last thing that you’ll feel with us if you’re good…”

And that’s how a new life begins for you as you wind up wrapped completely in spider silk during the day and hung from one of the trees upsidown almost like you’re in a cocoon but come nighttime…

Black Maria takes you down as soon as all of the humans leave the park and the fun begins as the dinosaurs that you once did shows with made you into the main attraction as they would typically fuck you senseless while the others watched

You never quite became an animal shifter like them but after so many days and nights of the same thing, you oddly began to get used to it as the dinosaurs would use your body and entertain themselves with you just about every night after fulfilling your needs

It was starting to become weirdly enjoyable and you looked forward to seeing which dinosaur would be taking you next… It didn’t even occur to you that this could be Stockholm syndrome…

And when the day came that the dinosaurs told you that you wouldn’t have to be in your web cocoon soon anymore as the animal shifters were soon going to take back the world from the humans, you didn’t care

Not in the slightest bit

Not even when they left you hanging in the web cocoon for safe keeping with a promise to come back as you knew that they would…

The humans didn’t stand a single chance after all and soon the world would once again belong to the animal shifters just like they had told you it used to…

So you remained hanging in your web cocoon from one of Black Maria’s trees in her enclosure… Calm, relaxed, and with all of your needs met…

What could possibly make this better? Oh you knew cause what made this all the more better was your stomach

A stomach full of dinosaur eggs…

[italianpersonwithashippersheart]

DFF Finale

Not with a bang, not a whimper but somewhere in the middle.

My thoughts are jumbled and all over the place, I came in the finale already spoiled (I couldn't wait and the gray sites are taking too long) and I am not even sure I will still feel 100% like this by the time the week is out.

Ultimatly I agree a lot with what @lurkingshan says in her post here

A lot of the episode was good: The hallucinations were amazing, and I think the character work in all of them (and the series in general, with only some minor hiccups) is very solid. The acting is also very good. I want to see these boys in more roles. The writing from Ep 1 to Ep 9 was AMAZING!! The reveals are all super hard hitting, it felt like there was fire after fire for every episode.

White my baby, a tragic character if there ever was one, HE WASN'T EVEN SUPPOSED TO BE THERE, his boyfriend was basically seeing him as replacement Non since they started dating. We all loved and clowned on this character so hard!! A lot of White's character makes sense in hindsight, at least to me who is like 5 weeks in a couple of layers of theorizing and obessing (I do realize not everyone feels like that a lot of what makes sense for me it's speculation driven by weeks of obsession), even some of the other more baffling moments, like the converstation with Tan and that moment with Phee.

Problems started at EP 10, and while I loved the Tee and TeeWhite scenes of EP 11 thanks to episode 10 they felt way to disconnected and too late. It left the last 3 episodes less focused and the pacing a mess.

And then there is the ending. And while this is by no means the worse ending of a BL I ever seen, and this show is by no means the biggest dissapointment I ever had (that's still Only Friends). I don't think the ending was as strong as it should be.

I think the failure of DFF for me is in two places:

The focus on mystery and reveals primed the audience to expect answears or at least an ending that is more clear then what we got.

The way they did this open ending gave me the impression that they just refused to pick an ending and so they went with "both and none and who knows".

There were ways to make an ending with still some questions left open work: Give me the cops in the house, or show us the bodies as Phee comes out of the hallucination and gives his final breath. Show the bodies in different positions, show the ax in someone's body and no New. Or even have the ending be a journalist talking at the screen keeping up with the layers of voyerism to the story and have them describe only 7 bodies but not say who survive so the audience can pick the option they like best.

Anything that would have given the impression that they actually PICKED an ending.

I am not sure I will be able to re-watch this, I am scared too many things will start to fall apart if I do. While I enjoyed clowing with the fandom and truly loved watching this live (and it has helped me interacting more with people on tumblr) I can't help but feel like maybe if I had binged this, without having time to think over some of the stuff I probably would have enjoyed the finale better.

Maybe I should just be happy that a BL I was hyperfixating on didn't crush and burn like the other two (Shadow and Only Friends).

I am happy BOC experimented and branced out even if they didn't totally sticked the landing, it's a worth while show to watch if you can handle horror. I want BLs to do more stuff like that (experimenting and branching out in different genres) and I want the people in the cast to have a long carrear because I think they mostly all did an amazing job.

In short great job BOC (even if you didn't land all that well at the end there) now give me a poly series: 🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪

[billionairebabes]

I'm Back!! Kinda...

I know it's been a while since I posted my own content or writing but I wrote this a few years back and never shared it but I know this would be helpful to a lot of you girlies now that the job market has once again taken a downturn. I originally wrote this after landing my first full-time job post-2020.

Like many, I graduated into a pandemic and found myself looking for my first job in the midst of a nationwide hiring freeze. The process was grueling but in failure, there are also many lessons learned and luckily, my search ended in success at one of the biggest tech companies in the world. In the past few years, I’ve worked at some of the biggest and best companies in the world making it past several rounds of interviews, impressing my future colleagues, managers, and even VPs so it’s safe to say I know a thing or two about landing a job. Here goes!

B's Guide to Landing Your DREAM JOB PART 1!

If you’re still in college there are a few things I would suggest a few things. 

Start interning as soon as possible. The sooner you start practicing interviewing at companies you’re interested in, the better. Also, a few internships on your resume prior to your graduation will help A LOT. Trust me. You’ll have experiences to speak about in all those behavioral interviews as well. 

Become friendly with the professors in your field. They can become a good reference for you later. Even if only one to three times a semester go to your professor’s office and chat. They can also put in a good word for you for programs. This brings me to my next point. 

In most industries, there are conferences each year that either offer discounts (or free tickets) to college students and/or are directly aimed at college students. If you’re a POC, find programs aimed at diversifying that industry. These conferences often have recruiting opportunities with large companies and most times the interview process won’t be as rigorous compared to an applicant who may have applied online. I would recommend compiling a list at the beginning of each school year with these program names as well as their application due dates. 

Don’t join clubs just to have them on your resume. Aim for leadership roles or redirect your time to other personal projects that interest you. It’ll make for a better conversation with your recruiters and hiring managers to say “I built XYZ because I was interested in ABC” rather than “I was just a member of that club and went to the meetings once a month.” 

This varies across industries but for the most part, your GPA isn’t all that important especially after you land your first job after college so breathe. 

Perfect your resume and this part couldn’t be more critical. In the age of ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) and fierce competition, it’s become vital that your resume can stand out and communicate very clearly how you’re qualified for the job. Here are my resume tips: 

My favorite program to create resumes on is Canva. They have a ton of great templates and are super customizable and not to mention, it’s FREE. 

Use quantifiable measurements to show your results if possible. 

Use action verbs at the beginning of your bullet points. Personally, I believe each description should have at least 3-4 bullet points but never only 1. Here are some of the words on my resume: Constructed, Spearheaded, Managed, Collaborated, and Lead. All of your descriptions should state what you did, how you did it (programs used, methods, etc.), and the outcome.  

I personally think every resume should include your: Experience, Skills, Leadership/ Professional Development (for college students this could mean conferences attended, programs, boot camps, etc.), Projects (shows independence and initiative), Contact, and Education. Make sure your LinkedIn is included in your ‘Contact’ section. You should have a personalized LinkedIn link, that’s free. 

Your LinkedIn needs to be at 100% completion. This is a place where you can really show off because there are no space limits. This can showcase every job or internship you’ve ever had, every program or project you’ve had an impact on, etc. The better your LinkedIn, the better chance you have a recruiter finding you and inviting you to interview for a role they think would be a good fit. 

Your profile picture ideally is a professional one but if not possibly find time to take one in natural daylight with a quality camera and a plain background. I’ve also seen people using AI to now turn regular pics into professional ones. 

Interact with posts, comment, and share. This will help get your name and profile circulating. 

Announce that you’re looking for a job to your network. Include your resume and what you’re looking for in that post. You never know who might see it. 

Grow your network and the easiest place to start is with people you’ve gone to school with and current or previous coworkers. 

Put your resume on your LinkedIn profile (You can do this by attaching a media file) 

Know your elevator pitch and know it well because every single person you interview with will probably ask you this. My elevator pitch sounds something like this: 

I’m Britt and in  June, I graduated from Icy University with a degree in Math and a minor in Sociology. Throughout college, I completed a number of internships doing _______ and have developed skills in _______. When I was a senior I learned about (or developed an interest in) _____  and did _____ to grow my skills or learn more about it. Now that I’ve graduated I’m looking for a role in ______ where I can continue to ______. (My elevator pitch is now different now that I’ve had two full-time roles but you get the point)

Now we apply. 

LinkedIn is your friend here and my favorite job posting platform. Set up Job Alerts for companies you’re interested in so that you have a better chance of being an early applicant. 

As annoying as this is, you will have to edit your resume for almost every position you apply to. Use the words they use to describe your roles in your work history and remember to always save your resume as a PDF. This definitely will help you get past the ATS system. Remember to adjust the words used in your ‘Skills’ section too but don’t lie. These days, many companies with decent salaries are giving applicants take-home assignments. This applies to your cover letters as well. (I no longer write cover letters though, no one reads them).  I saved every version of my cover letter and could eventually just mix and match paragraphs according to the type of job I was applying to. Of course, you will still have to change some words to best match the position’s job posting. 

The LinkedIn stalking begins. Find someone at the company you’ve applied for and invite them to connect but ALWAYS include a note.  In this note, you will give a very brief introduction and your reason for messaging. Mine usually looked something like this: Hi ___, I’m Britt and I recently applied for the ____ position. I’d love to learn more about the department, the team, and the company. Would you have 15 minutes to chat sometime this week or next? Thanks in advance, Britt. 

My tip is that you find a manager on the team rather than a recruiter for the company. I find that they never accept invitations but managers usually will. 

On this call, you’ll discuss exactly what you mentioned in your opening note, and remember to have prepared questions for them. If you make a good impression, most managers will be willing to forward your resume to the recruiting team. 

Let me know if you all want a part 2 on how I prepare for my interviews. I’d say I have an interview success rate of about 90% in the past 2 years! 

[mollywilcoxvo]

So, my RCCC experience today was waiting in line for a Taliesin Jaffe  autograph, and meeting a couple of interesting and kind humans waiting in line with me. When it came my turn, I wasn't sure what he'd say about it.

There's a lot of Critical Role characters wandering the con regularly, because they're just sort of... Well... There. They've kind of dominated the D&D scene. Not that this is a bad thing, it just is.

And here I am, in a Vampire character Cosplay of Carver from LA By Night - an anarch vampire who chose to turn a human rather than watch her die, not out of altruism, but because he knew she was capable of being someone who could potentially change the political world of Darkness. Not quite evil, but definitely not great.

So, I walk up, and he is still sort of getting his bearings from being photographed to all hell, and now in the autograph/selfie line... And he looks up and *really* gets a good look at me...

Taliesin (about my Carver Cosplay): Oh boy, oh man. OK, THAT'S cool. The hair...

Me: Yeah. He's honestly my favorite of your characters. And I got the necklace this morning to finish it off.

T: You - you know the meaning of the necklace, yes?

Me: Oh yes, yes indeed.

T: Cool, cool. Oh man that's... Wow.

Me: Oh, wait... Hold on... (I turn to show him the back of the jacket)

T: Holy. Wow, OK, yeah.

Me: yeah. I had to paint the back off season 4, because it was too perfect.

T: Man I loved That character. Dude, that. Yeah, wow. He was evil, I miss him...

Me: Thank you for everything you've done. It's weird, we actually have family history. My great uncle was George Heyes, who was a director/producer in Hollywood, and supposedly worked with George Axelrod at one point)

T: (scribbles down my gran-uncle's name, checking the spelling) Woah. OK. That is weird - I'm definitely going to look that information up. That's cool.

Me: Yeah it was that, and you, were part of my inspiration to go into voice acting.

T: Oh wow. Well, welcome - it's a weird gig. *chuckle*

It's interesting, because as much as he was gracious, and kind, thoughtful and lovely, I definitely appreciated the fact that  I wasn't even remotely in the same league as he and Anjali Bhimani.

A friend asked if Taliesin and I were going to hang out after and talk shop, and I had to laugh at the thought. I mean, sure, who wouldn't love to. But... I mean, if I had at least a couple of years in VO, I *might* ask if he was free to chat at some point to give me pointers... But I haven't even landed a single job.

I've only just barely scraped the surface of VO, and only had one voice teacher - Sonny Strait. And him telling me in a class that I had talent and he wanted me down in Dallas to record, isn't the same as actually getting a job.

Because of the panini, and a lack of funds, I couldn't go to Dallas and stake out Funimation and/or follow Sonny Strait around til he hired me as a background extra. So, I've had to go a different route as a storyteller. And, we don't have even a moderate following. I mean, it's not horrible, but it's definitely not up to CR or even By Night standards. We're just a little homegrown thing.

Being clear here - there is nothing wrong with being what we are. I'm incredibly proud of the work we've done, and the following we have - but it doesn't mean we have the chops of asking to hang with the big dogs.

And yes, I put people like Erika Iishi, Jesse Jerdak, Ginny D, and KP in that lineup as well. As much as I've appreciated the lovely and kind interactions I've had with them, they are well and beyond where I am in all of this. And that's OK. They've worked hard to earn where they are, and they've kept working every day for what they love to do.

I hope that if I end up getting to that level, I am able to remember that being kind is a free action, and is appreciated everywhere.

[efrmellifer]

Starlight, Late Night

When Aymeric returned from the wine cellar to the drawing room, it was to find Etien on the loveseat, knitted map of Doma across her lap as she connected the parts into a whole.

“What a beautiful job,” he remarked, pouring a glass of wine and sitting down beside her, careful not to let the western edge of the land get under his leg. “I’m sure she’ll love it, as much as I love the one of Ishgard and Coerthas.”

Etien looked up at him, obviously tired, and smiled. “I certainly hope so. I just feel bad that it took me so long to complete it.”

He patted her leg. “Yugiri is hardly an unforgiving woman, least of all with you. Moreover, she knows that you have kept many irons in the fire since flying home from the outer reaches of space. I doubt she would dare to criticize the time it took to hand-knit a map of her home, based primarily off your own field notes from the end of the occupation, while juggling family life, responsibilities around here, and attending to the issue with the Void.”

She hummed. “You’re right.” Then came a heavy sigh. “Gods, I truly still did all that, huh?”

“You did.” He sipped his wine. “And it was as impressive as ever.”

Even Etien wasn’t sure if the sound that came out of her next was a laugh of a scoff, but it turned to a happy hum when Aymeric moved closer and gave her a brief kiss.

“That’s a nice wine,” she remarked, parking her needles.

“Do you want a glass?”

She shook her head. “Not tonight. I’m already tired. I think I may have caught something when I went down to Camp Dragonhead to bring Emmanellain new gloves.”

Aymeric tilted his head as he looked her over, and felt her forehead and cheeks. “Well you don’t feel feverish, at least. What a shame that you’ll be under the weather for Starlight. Again, come to think of it.”

Her eyebrows knit. “Again?”

“Indeed. Do you not recall coming back from the First a few years ago with some sort of malady?”

“Oh, yes.” Another soft sigh. “Well, this is unfortunate.”

“’Tis all right. We had no great plans for it this year. Did we?”

“No,” she replied. “I plan to send this to Yugiri, and I did get a few gifts apiece for the children, some things we can say the Saint sent and some things obviously from us. Estinien should be home in a few days, and that’s all the excitement I think I can handle. I just want a quiet and non-demanding Starlight this year.”

“So you shall have it, my love.”

“Thank you, Aymeric.” She laid a hand, cold from the weather but gentle and loving, over his. “I’m sorry that I—”

“No, no. Do not be. I find that I enjoy having an excuse. Perhaps a man in my role should be doing this or that for the season, and I would, were it not for the fact that you happen to be under the weather. I would not wish to risk spreading any contagion, and so I shall spend the holiday with my family. Speaking of, I had best go make sure Betula and Landric are ready for bed now.”

“Do you want me to come with you?”

“You tended them all day, now I shall take over the responsibilities.”

Her eyelids sank low in a slow, happy blink, and Aymeric drifted down the hall to the children’s bedroom.

Despite the knitting of the pieces of the map taking so long, Etien had made good time combining them together into the whole piece now. She only had a few more stitches to join, attaching the two sides of the One River to each other to complete the map-as-a-blanket.

She knew, deep down, that Yugiri hadn’t borne any expectation of the blanket at all at first, and definitely not that it be done with any severe haste now that it was being done. Still, Etien couldn’t quite shake off the guilt. Oh, well.

At least she was done now, and the fire was warm. She closed her eyes just for a moment, and quickly that moment became several.

When Aymeric came back, it was to the sight of Etien, map-blanket now finished and still splayed across her lap, and her chest rising and falling in the rhythm of sleep, her ears flicking the way they did when she dreamed.

He was torn between two temptations—the first, to let her sleep. Those deep slow breaths of hers were making it clear just how inflamed her airway was; she needed the rest. She always needed the rest. He didn’t want to be like every other person and thing on the star and deprive her of it. Even though she would happily give her time to him, and to the children, and to all she cared about. The second temptation was to rouse her—gently, of course. There was a light snow beginning to fall, and it had been such a long time since they had last gone for a walk together, just the two of them and no work to complete, no demand for suiting and booting and sailing over the horizon.

Aymeric swallowed. He would pursue the former doggedly once he had finished giving into the latter. He bent, resting one hand next to Etien’s hip for stability, the other brushing back her hair from her cheek.

“Etien, my dearest.” He kissed the corner of her mouth. “You fell asleep.”

She stretched, making that squeaky purring sound he found so cute. “How long was I asleep? It’s not morning, is it?”

“’Tis not; you were only dozing for at most half a bell. It has just began to snow and I wanted to invite you on a walk with me.”

Sleepily, she smiled. “All right.” She let him take her hand and pull her up from the loveseat, the both of them heading for their coats and boots near the door.

Once bundled up, they crept out the door, wandering down through the Brume and out the Gates of Judgment.

With the clouds that were issuing the snow down onto the ground, there were no stars to see, but that didn’t deter them. They were quiet, the way they clung to each other saying more than any words would have.

Though it came as no surprise that the first thing Etien did say when she felt the need to speak was “I needed this.”

“I am glad. I was a little worried you might have declined my invitation on account of your not feeling one-hundred percent,” Aymeric told her, gazing down on her with evident affection.

“The cold air is clearing my nose,” she admitted, rubbing at it over her scarf, “I choose to see the bright side and benefits—and spending time with you like this is a pretty big benefit.”

He hummed, rubbing the back of her hand. “I feel the same. If only we had more opportunities for it.”

On the way back and nearly at the house again, they shared a look at the fact that an airship was coming into the landing to drop off passengers.

“Am I out of my mind, or is it a little late in the evening for airships?” Etien asked.

“It is,” Aymeric said, looking over at the entrance gate. His expression brightened, and he looked back at Etien. “But I think this is a special case. Come.”

As the gate swung open before him, Etien caught sight of who was coming in.

“Estinien! You’re back early!”

She ran to hug him, her cheek pressed to his ribcage under the couple layers of clothing he wore trying to remain comfortable leaving Radz-at-Han and arriving here.

Aymeric agreed as he came to Estinien’s other side. “We expected you back the day after tomorrow at the earliest. Is everything all right?”

“Aye,” Estinien replied, patting the top of Etien’s head and smiling just a touch at the purr she sent up. “Upon hearing that Starlight was getting ever closer, Vrtra insisted I hie myself home.”

“Well, we are very glad to have you back and looking so well.”

“Welcome home,” Etien murmured, squeezing him a little tighter before letting go. “What a nice early gift.”

[greentrickster]

a_real_nowhere_man: All of this is great. I love the idea that Chloe is smugly manipulating her team into having healthy schedules. Nino probably helps, he might not know what he's helping with but he knows it helps the team so by gosh he's gonna enable the fuck out of it.

greentrickster: ^U^ Thanks! And yeah, if Claw's the medic, Hesperia's the leader, Nino's the heart, and Alya's the data expert, then Chloe's somehow gone and turned herself into the team secretary. She's got everyone's schedules in her planner and also at least halfway memorized for the reoccurring stuff, sometimes better than they themselves do. It's kind of funny, because she's the sort of person who tends to aim for leadership and authority and that sort of thing, but I think this role actually suits her really well - she gets to be up in everyone's business, have a thumb on events and organization, and - probably most importantly for her - it means she's rarely left out of the loop. For a kid whose parents ignore and placate her on a good day and who doesn't actually have much power on her own besides the ability to 'call Daddy,' I think she'd really enjoy that. Pollen helps her figure out good organization techniques (bees are very structured, after all), and is openly approving of Chloe's efforts to keep the team functioning healthily as a whole, excellent bee behaviour.

And yes, Nino absolutely helps her with this. In fact, all of them do. Not even out of faith in Chloe or to support her, but for the simple reason... she's being really helpful. Seriously, she's in the perfect position to just be so incredibly helpful and useful with all this, since she's the only person who both knows everyone's identities and has strong reasons to interact with them in both her civilian and resistance member activities. She's in the same class as Alya, Nino, and Marinette, so it's natural for her to interact with them on a daily basis and plausible for her to decide she wants to start spending time with them, since they know Marinette, Marinette's interning for Gabriel, and Gabriel is Chloe's new boss, with Marinette having already made friends with Nino and Alya and thus being a pre-established friend group for Chloe to join. Likewise, since she's Gabriel's new top model and the face of his brand, it makes sense that he'd want to interact and spend time with her to test new potential looks and get a sense for what she's good at and what needs work, and being at his house (since his main studio is there) means it's natural for her to run into Adrien (and also Marinette) and thus start interacting with both of them as well, especially since Adrien's mentoring her in her new modeling career. She even coordinates with Nathalie, since Nathalie's the one organizing photo shoots and fashion shows. Girl's landed in the perfect position to just coordinate everything with almost no effort and she's taking advantage of it.

And this doesn't just mean in regards to coordinating schedules for resistance meetings. Chloe's whole life has been one big (and sadly ineffective) lesson in how to get and hold peoples' attention... which is a surprisingly useful skill when it comes to creating a distraction to cover another resistance member needing to leave a situation quickly or cover for them for whatever reason. Marinette didn't get enough sleep and forgot her homework? Good thing that (as far as Mari knows) being coworkers means any embarrassment that falls on her would reflect poorly on Chloe, and also that Chloe's bought the line that Marinette's 120% devoted to the Gabriel brand and image 24/7! "Of course she didn't do her homework, Ms. Bustier, we have an enormous show coming up at Gabriel, naturally she has to devote the majority of her time to planning how to make me and M. Agreste look good, it's her job. Are you implying that a literature assignment is more important than an internship that's going to open doors her poor, commoner little heart could only dream of without it? Maybe I should tell Daddy that this school doesn't support students pursuing formal careers-!"

Adrien's going to need a block of time to get through a task Chat promised to do or get in some extra studying? Schedule him to come watch over her for an upcoming photo shoot, have him there until five minutes into the shoot, then claim she's feeling super confident thanks to his brilliant teaching skills, and "Adrikins won't you please let me do the rest on my own so I can show you how well I can do without you here, I want to make you proud! <3" and boom, Adrien's got a free afternoon to get his stuff done.

Gabriel's schedule for the next month is in Alya's hands without the two of them having to do a thing because Chloe just already had it, Nino's able to actually plan the occasional group hang-out session with the whole resistance for moral and team-building exercises to help facilitate better teamwork and mental health, somehow scheduling changes and conflicts are being passed along and communicated more efficiently than ever before, and no one's pegged the changes as being a result of Chloe because she's managed to transition from 'entitled brat' to 'efficient yet overbearing secretary' with a smoothness hitherto unseen by man.

By a few months in she's reflecting that she should have made her vigilante name 'Busy Bee' instead of 'Lady Bee,' and she's going to be so incredibly smug when someone else finally catches on to what she's doing (aka, she's dominating, but for good instead of evil).

[mrbensonmum]

TV Show - The Fall of the House of Usher VI

In this episode, it finally happens—we get a bit more insight into Tamerlane’s life, and Juno gets a bit more screen time. However, the most interesting part for me is Pym, Arthur Gordon Pym (and that’s important, remember it!).

Just a heads-up: Juno sticks to her role as a side or outsider character, even though she gets a bit more screen time. We only learn that she might not be as happy with her life as she initially appeared to be. On top of that, she wants to get off the extremely high dose of Ligodone, though everyone around her tells her that it’s not a great idea.

I’m curious to see if we’ll find out how that turns out. I’m also wondering if Juno is even really married to Roderick. There’s been a lot of talk about a wedding, but did they actually go through with it?

Tamerlane is completely stressed out because of an upcoming presentation and suffering from a lack of sleep, making her an easy target for Verna’s visions. At first, Tamerlane experiences brief moments of sleep and minor blackouts. The presentation is a disaster, and back at home, Verna plays her usual tricks, leading Tamerlane to smash the ceiling mirror above her bed, falling onto the shards, which pierce her back.

Now, only Frederick is left, and the family is also starting to have problems with the company since he’s the only child, and therefore the only remaining board member.

Roderick and Madeline have a deeper conversation about Verna and are no longer sure she couldn’t possibly be the same woman from New Year’s Eve 1979. When Pym digs deeper, he finds photos of her that trace back to the 19th century. Roderick doubts it, but Madeline is convinced that something isn’t right. Through the flashbacks and Verna’s interactions with the children, it becomes clearer that there must have been a pact or something similar in the past.

We then shift back to Roderick and Auguste, and it’s at this point that Roderick gives a more detailed description of Pym. He tells Auguste about a journey to the North Pole, the northernmost island called Ultima Thule, and an underground world inside the hollow Earth. At least, that’s how Pym described it to him.

Ultima Thule stuck with me, and after a quick search, I found that it directly references a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, along with many other references. The short story is called The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket, and this rang a big bell for me. That story is also about the Earth’s interior, another clue that I need to dive deeper into these connections, especially when they’re presented so clearly. I already knew the series was inspired by Poe, and that the episodes were named after his short stories, but now we’re also seeing the character names and their backgrounds, which is fascinating!

One thing that really stood out to me, and deserves some applause, was the different photos of Verna that Pym shows. Usually, when present-day people are inserted into old photos, it looks like terrible Photoshop. Not here! They did a great job, placing the actress in the images so well that you only notice on a second or third look.

Funny detail: When Lenore is looking after her mom, and they’re watching old films and TV shows together, you see her scrolling through a Netflix-like menu at the end of the movie. She lands on Gerald’s Game. As mentioned earlier, Bruce Greenwood (Roderick Usher) and Carla Gugino (Verna) star in that film.

For the first time in this episode, I’m starting to feel like Verna and her visions might not even be visions. I mean, sure, the show heavily implies and shows them as such. But what if all this stems from what happened on New Year’s Eve? Years of mistrust, always looking over their shoulders, wondering if someone is coming after them.

If I say this is the “most boring” episode, I don’t mean it negatively at all. Sure, more things are being explained, and the info we get is becoming more significant, but my initial thought is coming true: each child gets their own episode, but the others are still dealt with along the way. It’s still enjoyable—don’t get me wrong—but the balance from the earlier episodes feels a bit off. Maybe it’s because there aren’t as many children left, so there’s less variety. They tried to offset this with Juno and Lenore, but it only worked to a limited extent.

That said, the show is still running on a high note and is excellent. What I’m doing here is nitpicking at a very high level. I’m just glad that shows like this still exist and that not everything is becoming uniform!

[localguy2]

I've watched the first 7 episodes of Dragons Rising and while yes I haven't finished it I have so much to say.

First of all, the animation, holy fuck the animation looks so good, and here I thought that it couldn't get better than Crystalized's animation.

The fight scenes are once again, incredible, standard with Wildbrain's animation, the set pieces and backgrounds and just everything is so incredibe and including the Ninja powers & Spinjitzu, which may I add both look absolutely gorgeous.

Wildbrain has taken it to the next level, so amazing job to them.

Arin and Sora and Riyu.

Fuck me i love them already so much-

poor Sora got treated so badly, she reminds me of Nya when she was still figuring out her powers, she's frustrated of herself and feels responsible for the Photacs despite it not really being her fault, she was still young when she made them and the Imperium used her technology for things she resented can't wait to see where she goes next.

Arin.

I don't even know what to say, he's just so damn loveable, it broke my heart to see him ask the Cloud Kingdom writers to bring his parents back, because despite being at least a bit more mature and skilled, he's still just a kid at the end of the day, and that scene with him in Imperium when he finds that group of kids like is just... Fuck man, he literally says he feels so seen, he saw people sorta like him but that was also taken away with how they immediately started talking about serving the Imperium Claws, such a good character and I'm hyped to see what they do with him.

Riyu.

Little dragon baby, that's all I'm gonna say, you just can't hate on him, are you seriously going to pick a fight with a little guy like that?

Okay now, old team members.

Finally, we got actual RGB siblings content, not like a few seconds worth of interaction, and hell it's really good as well.

They just take the piss at each other and mess around, I especially like the scene in the Cloud Kingdom archives, and the one on the new bounty where Sora explains how Arin told a barber to give him "The Zane", only for Kai to interject and tell Arin to get "The Kai", it's such a fun scene.

Nya is badass as always, great to see, I especially love how she's respected by the craglings to the point that their leader takes her word for a lot of stuff.

Kai has taken a more responsible role while still being himself, which I love so much because he's being serious while also being the dumbest guy alive

And Lloyd is well, Lloyd! He's just chilling and I'm happy that not all focus is on him, actually that brings me to another the point, the show doesn't really focus on 1 character all that often, it keeps changing POVs constantly and it's really nice, props to them.

Sidenote: this scene... Ugh man it hits...

Lloyd is so surprised by this, and the kids coming along to explain it is just uhhhh I love it.

Finally, dialogue, lore and the humor.

One of my biggest gripes with Ninjago from SotFS to Crystalized is was that it was no longer a story with some elements of comedy, rather it was a comedy with a story.

It still told really good stories don't get me wrong, but the comedy just didn't land most of the time, and that sorta unintentionally affected the story as well, it felt too childish and while Ninjago is a kids show, the jokes were just too on the nose sometimes.

But, with Dragons Rising?

Haha, NOPE!

I love the comedy here, it's so goofy and fun at times but it's never on the nose, I found myself constantly smiling when they joke about something, the gags are aimed at kids and adults as well, and it shows.

This scene for example.

This is such a ridiculous and goofy gag I can't help but smile each time I see it, and the series keeps this type of humor up the whole time, it's fantastic!

The lore.

Jesus man I love the world they've built, it's so good and you really feel the sheer diversity and verity of the Crossroads, you really get a feel for it.

It basically screaming: The Merge displaced so many many people, which is everyone is welcome here regardless of what you are, Nindriod, Frog, serpentine, Human, anything! You're accepted here.

And I think that's lovely.

And for the Dialogue, it's excellent.

It reveals what you need to know most of the time using Flashbacks, and these flashbacks are nice as well.

The dialogue isn't boring, not at all, even if it's a small comment and it feels really fitting most of the the time thankfully.

Now, the only issue I have with DR is potentially the pacing, but I literally don't have it in me to blame the predoucers.

This is the first time this team has tried writing 22 minutes long episodes, and they have done an absolutely spectacular job at that so far.

Remember, this team is used to writing 11 minute episodes only, so you could imagine how challenging it was for them to write a 22 minute episode.

And the best part is, they pulled it off almost flawlessly, they hit perfectly with the humor, world building, lore and just everything, seriously amazing job to these guys!

So overall, Dragons Rising Part 1 so far is absolutely awesome, I still haven 3 more episodes and I honestly can't wait to finish them, I'm so excited for part 2 and I hope yall are as well.

[reotacchii]

❛ ─ Liar Mask

・─ pairings : sampo koski x f!reader ( pt i , pt ii )

・─ synopsis : a song headcanons + scenarios of adventurous girl and sampo koski

・─ a/n : I began to main this man because of my own fanfic- 💀 (at some point, my blog about to turn into sampo fiction). ANYWAY, MORE MORE LOVE AND APPRECIATION TO THIS MAN and how do you feel becoming the big sister of The Moles, reader?)

Many of the Underworld's people know, you're an adventurous girl with many senses or curiousity. Similar to Hook, which you got called as a "grown up Hook" couple times before; even Hook refer you as the big sister of The Moles since you involved in a lot of trouble together with them before.

Right after the defeat of a previous Supreme Guardian and the Stellaron were secured, it was quite an emotional moment for you to be able to see the Overworld. But putting aside your own feelings, a tingling senses to embark another new adventure in Overworld will start soon. It's like living in a new pages somehow.

There's a certain person you want to invite on accompany you to take a trip around the Overworld. As much as you want The Moles besides you, you want them to have their own moment first and letting them explore by their own. So this silver tongue man will be the one you drag into your trouble..

"Sampo, Sampo, Sampooo.. Overworld skies is so blue and bright, why don't we play outside?" you cooed happily, waiting for his answer.

"Yeah.. I wish to visit the Overworld soon but umm.. I think I kinda lose my stuff, so i'm currently looking out for those" he tells you, seemingly a bit frustrated on his expression.

"Oohh! Let I, Y/N L/N, do the job for you! That's a good friend would do, right? So when did the last time you saw it and what's the thing?'

"I know the Sampo Koski could always entrust this on the hand of Y/N L/N! The last time I saw it was around the mine, a box that load of valuable things and you know well I would never such a precious thing to lost away".

In which you'll giggle at his statement, you'll soon agreed to help him and start to begin your path to find Sampo box. Expect for a couple of Fragmentum to be around and you need to defeat it, but it wasn't a match for the great Y/N! Soon you'll arrived at the mine and find the box.. But the inside were a mining kit, nothing precious or valuable from this kit. Just average.

"This little bitc-" that moment you knew, you shouldn't have agreed to help him, he just want you to take his business partner stuff and you fell for his lie! At least, you get a fair payment for your work on bringing it back to the local miner.

Ever since that, you can be quite doubting Sampo whenever he asked for a help. Maybe the Underworlds were right, he's sooo unlikable. Nothing of his trait that are so redeemable. You never realize how much he tricked you to do his stuff; mostly he's taking advantages of your own innocence, but still it's so unfair.

"Please Y/N.. Pretty pleaseee, I promise you it'll be the last time I ever ask you for a help!" Sampo practically begged for you. How much you hate him, you probably find it funny if he's begging on his knee.

"Hahh.. You are so persistent, but well! I could figuring out to help you this time but with a condition.. You must play together with me and The Moles!" you exclaimed happily, followed by you clasping both of your hands together.

"What?! No way, i'm a busy man, Y/N. You know that-" then you quickly cut his sentences midway, "Wahh, I can't wait to see you playing together with them! I'll come back with your stuff soon!

There's no option left for Sampo, as soon as you come back, both of you agreed to play together with The Moles. Much luck on him, The Moles want to play hide and seek together. All of you were excited for it (except for one man.. Because he got the seeker role this turn), and so the game started.

Compared to The Moles, your body is definitely bigger than the other, so its definitely easier to found you exposed on a free land. Your main hiding places is mostly in the trash can, but in Overworld.. The trash can is quite small but it's still a hiding places eitherway.

A couple minutes later... "Found you," Sampo pointing his finger onto Hook. Hook shocked that Sampo able to find her, but she accepts the defeat. "Now, I don't want to be here for too long but can you tell where's Y/N at?"

"You such a cheater! Hook will never tells anyone about the big sister location!" she furiously exclaimed. Honestly, the mention of big sister made Sampo chuckles due to how new the nickname are to his ears. Not even once he could thought of you to be the big sister of someone.

"No need to tell, I know where she's at" Sampo said and continuing his path. He know you quite well himself, you are the type to hide in a trash can because.. Well, that's how the first time how you met him, you were at the trash can. You probably forgot it, but to Sampo, he can remember it vividly. Not just amusing, but that's also the time where he can't help but to always coming back for you.

"Now look who's inside the trash can for once again, big sis~ oh-" Sampo stopped once it revealed that you were asleep inside. Does it takes so long for him to found you? Yes. However, he would feel bad if he leave you on this state. And so, he'll proceed to pick you up bridal style. You're quite light that he's able to easily carry you up, but his heart says otherwise.

Meeting the warmth of your body against his made him feel a bit embarrassed about himself, yet he really love to be able carry you this way? You're like his a teddy bear, oh how much he wanted to hug you by this point. And most importantly, why would he have this kind of thought?! Stay calm, Sampo!

As for you, you remain quiet on this state. Dozzing off to sleep but in your slumber, you also able to feel the unfamiliar kind of warmth.. That feels comfy. It's so comfy that you want to sleep this way forever. Unconciously, your head would move to the side and bury it onto his chest.

Extras | Interview with The Moles Captain, Hook

"How's your reaction to Y/N being carried by Sampo?"

Hook : Hmpphh.. I don't want the big sister to be around that sneaky liar! And I saw with my own eyes she looks very comfortable under his arm, that's so odd isn't it..

Hook : But today is very fun since big sis Y/N is here! Sampo is very bad at hide and seek, we always managed to find him under a minute. He surely can't escape the hawk eyes of The Moles!

Extras | songs that remind me of him :

Money, Money, Money - ABBA

Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy - Queen

King - Kanaria

Boy's a Liar Pt. 2 - PinkPantheress, Ice Spice

Uptown Girl - Billy Joel

[2-d-rogue]

My thoughts after completing my first playthrough of Eiyuden Chronicle

A few days ago, I finally finished my first playthrough of EC. Because I backed the project, I had an early start before release day. Nonetheless, I make it a habit to take my time with games and take in as much as possible, leading to me finishing them a bit slower than most.

This isn't really a review per se, but more a cliff notes of my current thoughts after my first completion. I feel I can't fully decide on my thoughts until I've replayed the game, and have seen the DLC (mostly because it seems a lot of story in this game is being saved for DLC. More on that later). Currently, I'm in the process of platinuming it, and I am planning a second playthrough in the near future. Maybe then, I'll have a more concrete opinion of this game.

One thing I am going to be upfront about right from the get-go is that I am disappointed with this game. That isn't to say it's a terrible game, or that I hated it. Far from it, in fact. I had loads of fun playing it, and enjoyed many things about it. But even so, there was more I expected from this title that it simply did not deliver on. And I don't know how much of that is because they're sitting on things that won't be revealed until the DLC is out, or the sequel. Regardless, the game on its own really needed more than what was given, and I fear that because so much was held back, it really hurt the potential.

I'll break things down into things I liked, and things I didn't like.

Things I like:

*The characters, especially the side characters. I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed the side characters. Especially ones like Yusuke, Falward, Francesca, Momo, etc. There's too many to mention here because a lot of them are so fun. Not just to use in battle, but also possessing entertaining personalities.

My favorite has to be Yusuke, though. Not only is he a beast in battle, having ended many boss monsters' lives with his double charge, he also just has your back on anything (just see his comments if he's around for beigoma). I loved him so much, I even started calling him "kyoudai." He's a bro, and he's hilarious in theater roles, too! Seriously, Caleb Yen did such a fantastic job with this yankii character.

Really curious about his relationship with Falward, though. Going by Falward's comments when Yusuke's in the party, it implies he cares about him a great deal, but as far as I'm aware, there's no interactions between them, and Yusuke doesn't appear to pay him any mind. It's fascinating to think about what might be going on there, is all…

*Beautiful art and graphics This game is gorgeous. The detailed spritework, animations, the backgrounds and environments, the art… All of it is a smorgasbord of candy for the eyes. I thought Rising looked beautiful, but this was beyond what I was expecting after that. Everything is so painstakingly detailed.

*Most of the English voice acting As I mentioned above, I enjoyed Caleb Yen as Yusuke, but I also enjoyed a great many others, too. Most of the cast chosen suited their characters well, and delivered on them spectacularly. Some of the best were Seign's, Nowa's, Garr's, Francesca's, and many, many others. I was pleasantly surprised at how good most of the cast was, but also just how much everything is voice acted. This being on a budget, I was expecting the usual in JRPGs where only the more pivotal scenes are voice acted, but to see (hear?) that at least 90% of the script got voice acting was really nice, especially when the voices are actually good.

That being said, there were some scenes, particularly towards the end, that I felt were a bit more off, and there were some characters that were certainly miscasted. This being a game with as many characters as it has, I knew not all of them were going to land, but I can at least be grateful it's only a couple who feel off, while the majority were more than qualified enough for the job.

*The music Okay, so I'll admit that the OST isn't the most groundbreaking I've ever heard, but there are many tracks that I'm really fond of. "The Greatwood" is a mysterious track that reminds me of music from Donkey Kong Country and Oddworld, which I really like. The "Dappled Forest" theme sounds straight out of Tales of Symphonia, and some of the boss tracks are so metal it's awesome (especially the one where you're fighting a bunch of creatures Narungarde sends after you on the bridge in Seign's scenario).

I find the Treefolk Village theme and the Village themes soothing as well. Having Naruke and Sakuraba, as well as Yanagawa was definitely something nice to have for this game.

*Some of the mini games are really fun A bit divided since I did sour on beigoma a little once I realized strategy has very little in winning matches, and you're more pushed to grind for stronger ones to win. (Also have no clue why there's three games per match you have to get through, even if victory is guaranteed winning the first two.) But I do enjoy Glen's card game, and the Eggfoot races can get a little addicting.

*The theater

Nuff said.

Things I didn't like:

*The story It's not a terrible story, but it is lacking, taking until the end of the game to really start raising the stakes.

One thing I noticed really quick, and this is shown quite early, is that this game really seems to shy away from tragedy. When Nowa's village is burnt to the ground, it has to be one of the most impactless village burnings I've ever seen. No one is killed, and right after all is said and done, the villagers are just rolling with it and set to work on rebuilding immediately.

Then there's when Eltisweiss falls. The gate/wall gets destroyed, yet outside of the war battle, there is no evidence of destruction at all throughout the city, the townspeople are just going about their lives, and despite being occupied, you're still allowed to freely enter and exit without fear of consequence. And this remains true for any other place that gets taken over, thoroughly killing the immersion of anything truly getting bad.

The tension, the tragedy, the stakes, etc., are just not present, making you wonder what exactly are we doing any of this for. It isn't until the second-to-last arc of the game that they finally start having real things happen, but by then, it's too late to really appreciate most of it, making me almost want to call this game "Suikoden for babies".

This also effects Nowa. It's a shame because I actually do like his character. He's not like the typical overly energetic shounen hero I feared him to be, and he comes off a bit more grounded. It's established he's a "meddler", which basically means he's a natural do-gooder, but it's not the only thing about him, which makes him have a fairly interesting personality. The problem is that they do almost nothing with it. He never suffers any personal tragedy of his own, gets barely any character development, and the only reason he becomes the leader is because: countess Perielle is "a good judge of character" and thinks he's "handsome", which was a total cop-out and more or less the game admitting they have no legit reasons why he's such a big deal.

The game also implies he's got something special about him. In Chandra's recruitment scene and if you get her as your companion with the highest affection, there's a voice that speaks to him, calling him the "the third begotten", then makes vague statements like "now isn't the time for this talk", but then leaves Nowa with the words "saldio raum". This sounds like something is being set up for him, yet nothing about it is explored or ever brought up in the grand scheme of things. I have no idea if they have any intention of exploring this in any of the DLCs, or a future sequel, but it didn't sit well with me to just randomly mention these things, then leave it hanging.

*Seign and Nowa's relationship One of the main draws to this game was the conflict between Nowa and Seign; as two men who had become fond of each other, but are on two opposite sides of the fence, and have to face each other in war against their will. Many people compare them to the likes of Riou and Jowy, but for me, I think of them more like their predecessors Han and Genkaku. Riou and Jowy were childhood friends, whereas Han and Genkaku met during the war and happened to form a friendship inbetween battles, and also hated fighting each other, striving to end the conflict. That fits the story of Nowa and Seign more in my opinion.

I was looking forward to how their relationship unfolds, thinking it would be close to how Han and Genkaku would have been if they got something showing their story. In the beginning, it starts off very promising. They clearly like each other and get along well. Enough to start protecting one another and grow from being around each other. Nowa defrosts Seign's cold visage, and Seign helps Nowa mature and become more grounded. It sets up that the inevitable tear is going to be extremely painful when it happens, and it is…until they start rushing through it all.

Look, there was never any doubt that Seign was eventually going to come over to Nowa's side. Especially when several screenshots prior to the game's release spoiled Seign being around the castle and involved in things like the cooking mini-game. Still, I was waiting for all the drama and angst to happen between them before that pivotal moment. The buildup to Seign realizing this war was pointless/wrong, damn what is expected of him, then change sides.

Imagine how disappointed I was when their conflict is resolved very quickly, and without much strife at all. The scene on the bridge felt like that should have come much later, after all that's happened. In my opinion, that's when Seign should have switched sides. But the fated painful duel happens far too early, and then Seign joining not too long after made the whole arc feel underwhelming in the end.

What makes it worse is Seign and Nowa don't get to interact much after that until nearing the end of the game. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy what they did get well enough, but there really should have been more. One of the draws to this game was the agony of war tearing apart two friends. Doesn't mean much when that gets wrapped up all too quickly.

*Nowa and Perrielle I haven't the faintest idea what they were trying to do with this one. It's implied early on that Nowa is developing feelings for Perry, and she feels the same, but they kinda don't really do anything with it. At least, not unless you got her scene on the roof towards the end. Personally, I would have been on board with it. The times they do interact are cute, Nowa giving her a cute nickname was adorable, and they have good chemistry, but they kinda leave it underdeveloped and it's really unfortunate.

Like with Seign, there should have been much more if they did want to have a romance between them. I can only guess they purposely left it open in case people wanted to ship Nowa with others.

I will say I am of the opinion she's the closest thing to a canon love interest for Nowa, however.

*Lian A lesser Nanami essentially. Had no problem with her in the beginning, but she quickly becomes annoying when she keeps treating this war like it's a game and never develops her character beyond that. Also irritating how she clings to Nowa like he's her property sometimes. Literally Nanami without anything that made her interesting and likeable. Her catchphrases were annoying, too.

*The Watch group (Garr, Mio, and Lian) They do not get developed at all, leading to them becoming forgettable unless you staunchly use them throughout the game. Again, highly disappointing. (But less Lian is fine with me.)

*Marisa gets very little to work with I get the feeling Marisa's entire story is being saved for her DLC, but because of that, she comes off as having little to do with this story, making me question why she's considered a main. I don't dislike her, but given how little time we get with her (at least until the end), I found her the least interesting of the three.

*The cooking mini-game I was so happy to have this back. It was one of my favorite features in Suikoden II. Unfortunately, this time around it had almost none of the charm as it did before. All it ended up being was, essentially, a rehash of SuikoII's cook-off story. Only less well-written and lacking substance. Just ended up not really caring for it. Not helped that the mechanics are broken and most of the duels can be won cooking fried eggs over and over. (I was even joking to my bestie that this army is made up of anorexics by how much they seemed to just hate any food I gave them, including the stuff they supposedly liked!)

The story, music, presentation, the animations… None of them were as memorable as SuikoII's version, and that's a terrible shame.

That being said, I love Kurtz. The brooding cooking dweeb that he is.

*The duels I'm…really not a fan of how they handled these. It feels as though they wanted to make them more challenging, but instead, they made them irritating as hell to grasp. I got the gist of it, but I just don't know why they had to have it that you need to a fill a bar in order to use break (wild attack). I'm guessing it's to reward you with the epic animations of the fight (which are actually really well-done, I'll give it that), but when it feels tedious to get to it, it makes it feel very unsatisfying. I think it's possible to make something better of this, but until then, please don't do it this way again.

Well, those are some of my current thoughts as of finishing my first playthrough. There's more I can mention, but I feel this will do for now. My thoughts may change on a replay, and with some time when the DLCs are all out. Again, I will repeat, I did not hate this game at all, but I did want something more mature and grounded than what was provided. I do feel this was a decent step up, but I encourage Rabbit & Bear to take chances and actually remember we're dealing with war. There will be death and other horrible things that happen. Do not be afraid to embrace this.

And please, develop the main cast a little better next time.

[raspberryconverse]

Here is an example of a good boss. TL;DR: Your boss should always advocate for you when people higher up on the corporate ladder are asking you to do things that are unreasonable and/or not in your job description. Work/life balance is important for everyone, but especially when your job is not life and death. If someone isn't going to die/get injured because you didn't do the thing that's not in your job description, you should not be expected to do the thing.

First, a little background. I work as an email developer for an office supply distributor. My job basically is to build and send out all email communications, both internal and external. I work on a couple landing pages (web pages) too, but email is my main role.

Here is the cast of characters: CW icon: my boss, Marketing Automation Manager LS icon: my teammate, who fills in for me when I'm gone, but mostly works with our customers (people who buy products from us). We have a bunch of email marketing programs they can sign up for that we create for them that pulls in their logo and links to their website. She supports and trains them. She's also basically the cishet version of my spouse. They both have fibromyalgia, autism and ADHD. E: Director of Communications C: Senior Director of Customer Care and Sales J: Director of Marketing Operations (my boss' boss) G and C: Managers of External and Internal Communications, respectively

Laughing react is from my boss. Don't you love how E is using words like "empower" to make it sound like being on call 24/7 is a thing we'd want to do? Like we'd feel we were missing out on an opportunity by not taking on extra work that's not in our job description and not something we'd get paid extra to do because we're salaried.

For real, nobody ever died because they couldn't order post-its.

And here's the thing: we have a really awesome team. We do work really hard and we are really appreciated. I can't tell you how many times when I actually go into the office that people tell me this. I hear it at least once a visit. I only go into the office for free food because there is literally no reason I need to be there to do my job. I don't collaborate with anyone. I just copy/paste and wait for people to get their shit together.

E literally just had her 1 year anniversary with the company a few weeks ago too. Oh, I looked her up on LinkedIn and apparently her bachelors is in textiles and weaving. So there's that.

I've been here for 7 years and my boss for 9. LS only has 3 years, but she's fit in amazingly well and done such a great job with her responsibilities. LS and I are happy in our roles and honestly have no desire to move up and take on more responsibilities. The reason we love our jobs is because of the balance and flexibility we have. Being able to shut your laptop and rest or just live your life is important to us. Are we willing to hop on if there's something urgent and we're not busy? Sure. But as my boss said, we're not taking our laptops to the grocery store and whipping them out to send out something that absolutely can wait because nobody is going to die if they can't order paperclips. We don't sell medical supplies (other than first aid supplies). We sell a wide range of office supplies, but literally nothing anyone would result in someone dying if they didn't get in a timely manner.

So yeah, if your boss can see thought the "opportunity for empowerment" bullshit, they're a keeper.