#yes it’s me Adam. irl in the flesh

[borom1r]

SAW asks!!!!! Okay I!!!! Would honestly love to hear anything you have abt Mallick n Eric bc they're on the mind today... + a question I've been mulling over: other than Mallick, who else in th polycule do u think Brit would be close to/at least friends with?? I know we've discussed Gibson but I think she'd also like Pamela + maybe Mandy! (ngl been thinking abt an AU for Mandy/Brit for some reason... however that wld work)

mmm ok Eric + Mallick thoughts! Boys Whom I Love💚

I got a pack of those hot topic rubber barbed wire bracelets + just throwing this out there but I think Mal would love them. idk ik I tend to interpret Mallick as very Bright but like, we see him in canon quite literally attempting to make himself as small and unobtrusive as possible both by hunching and holding his arms in and by dressing in a way I’d argue is defensive. multiple layers but all muted, generic colors. and this continues into 3D. hes someone who doesn’t place any value in himself at all, who doesn’t see himself as Allowed to take up space. and in a scenario where Brit is alive and he is Loved, I think there’s very much a gradual change towards being more Obvious, more Loud. bc we also know Mallick feels very strongly + is just in general energetic when he’s not reducing himself and I think. he should get to express that in ways that are healthy (and unapologetic)

ALSO personally very much in love w the idea of Mallick having one of those cat bubble backpacks but for his ferret. I think he modifies it obviously but I also love the idea of Mal just. takin his ferret for a walk in her lil hangout backpack

+ for Eric like. hrrgfhf idk I’m always thinking about him lol. as an Adam kinnie and a Home Of Sexual.

obviously I think about his dialogue a lot. sometime I’ll have to track down that SAW II interview Donnie did bc i bring it up so often. but like Eric is my Special Little Man and im soooo defensive of him!!! like. the list of ppl i trust 2 interpret him is Very Narrow, but that gets into gripes that i don’t wanna get into on here lol

but. the one line that gets to me So Much in connection with literally everything else is “I’ve always loved my son, that’s never changed” because it is True. it is Eric’s CORE. his love for Daniel is his entire motivation thru 2 and I’d argue thru 4 as well. is he a good father? you know what, no. he’s not. but he recognizes that and he tries to make it right. he calls Daniel as soon as he gets home to apologize for what he said. the moment he sees Daniel in the nerve gas house, he’s driven to tears. not anger, not violence, not anything John is accusing him of (not until Kerry + Rigg encourage him over that edge). tears. I talk about that moment a lot and I’ve talked about the cinematography of the scene where he does break down but the visuals of him quite literally behind bars and when he’s visibly angry it’s always preceded by a flash, as if a mental image rather than a literal one. this is something he’s tried to cage and now he’s facing letting it out again. so much of how he is portrayed is deeply interesting to me especially versus how fandom interacts with his character (especially compared to Hoffman or Strahm)

and ik it’s another favorite of mine to bring up but the fact that the entire time he’s in the bathroom he’s screaming for Daniel. not for help. is that the response of someone who doesn’t genuinely love his child, despite his myriad of flaws (which he is trying to work through + better)? of someone who was lying when he said “I’ve always loved my son”? Eric would tear the world apart for the people he loves and he is not perfect by a long shot but his flaws and his struggles are part of what make him so interesting, especially in juxtaposition with this bone-deep love that is arguably the only thing that gets him to act (if he hadn’t been restless thinking about his argument with Daniel, would he have contacted Kerry at all? Daniel being danger is absolutely the only reason he listens to Kerry and reacts violently)

and the reason I bring up IV here, and again ik it’s smthn I’ve brought up at least once, is Eric’s character shift through that movie. it’s not anything grand and not noticeable if you don’t. like him. but he goes from asking Art why he’s not killing him + pleading that he doesn’t want to play anymore to firing a warning shot at Rigg, yelling for him to listen and to not come through the door. he starts playing. why? when Eric is so ready to choke himself to try to fight Art only minutes before, why the change? hope. the clock is counting down and Eric is staring down his release from Jigsaw’s torture. but then, why not play along from the beginning if all he has to do is stand there?

it’s not hope for his own life. it’s hope that he’ll get to walk out of this and see Daniel again, after so long convinced he was going to die in that cell with his last words to Daniel being born from anger he never should’ve directed at his kid. hope that Daniel’s only memento won’t be an awkward attempt at an apology left in his voicemail.

Eric is ready to die, asks who he assumes is a jigsaw disciple why he’s NOT dead, but when he’s finally given the choice to end his life he doesn’t. Because he was telling the truth: he has always, and will always, love his son.

ok ok ok yea Brit!!!! LOVE the Brit&Gibson friendship so much they are both. Bitches (affectionate)

but yea hard agree that she’d like Pamela! I think she’d warm up to Mandy too with some time but that’s a lil… it’s hard for her to put aside the whole jigsaw thing at first.

I think she gets along w Perez too! just by nature of being close w Gibson + therefore Rigg as well, and I think THAT is actually what helps her connect with Mandy. she’s hanging out w Perez and Strahm one day and Hoffman is there being. Hoffman + as soon as Brit gets home she’s texting Mandy like “SO. guess who I met” + Mandy just. “oh god. you’re kidding” + they bond over Seriously, How Is That Dude A Functional Person? “his boyfriend is nice though” “yea Strahm is fine. anyways, [insert completely batshit insane story]”

also look. I think it helps too that Mandy and Mallick are friends. and I say this specifically bc I think Mandy starts practicing tattoos. because her body was never her own body, it was John’s, and it was always destroyed in ways he allowed. he KNEW she self-harmed and he could’ve stopped it but he didn’t because it was useful to him. because her mental state kept her easily under his thumb, even if it was detrimental. even if his manipulation caused her death. and I think it’s a way for her to reclaim what John, ultimately, stole. and I think Mallick comes to her and is like “hey can you give me a tattoo of [insert thing]” + she’s kinda like ??? but agrees and that is when they Really bond. bc they both have such. complex relationships with their Selves and the idea that they are inherently harmful to others. and I think there’s something really. Just Huge for Mandy, about Mallick trusting her to handle his body. because this isn’t one of her girlfriends, who know her and love her. this is Some Dude, who lost his arm to her “mentor” and is still sitting here, watching with fascination as she draws on his ankle.

anyways that was a side tangent shfhdh but yea! I also think Brit would honestly get along well with Lawrence. he’s not nearly as snarky as Gibson but he can be just as no-nonsense as she can. + obvs she’s friendly with everyone but Lawrence + Gibson are the two guys she’s closest to. i think she gradually warms up to Eric as Mallick does, bc I think she sees how he intimidates Mallick at first (not intentionally! he’s just kinda. Like That naturally lol. Scary Vibes)

[jess-p-edits]

Happy Happy WBW! <33 So, Magnolia. Tell me about it please, because it sounded suuuch a fun country as a story element! I imagined that all of it's people love fashion, but how society there looks like there anyway? And how magic affected it, how they perceive magic? A country full of artists can be chaotic as hell lol but I love the idea. OH ALSO, is any aspect of it related to the flower magnolia?

Yesssss!!!! I would love to!!! Thank you for the ask!!! ❤️❤️❤️

(In my very first world-building draft notes, this was their flag. I will definitely make a better one some day, but visuals always look nice on long texts posts. Have an eye break before I ramble on forever lmao).

Obviously Magnolia isn't a totally homogenous culture and their population is pretty diverse with varied interests, same as any real-world country, but there is DEFINITELY a cultural emphasis on aesthetics, art, poetry, creation, etc. While some cultures have cornerstones of "hard work leads to success" or whatever, Magnolia has the philosophy of "your quality of life is greatly impacted by your environment. Let's make it as beautiful as possible", and with varying definitions of "beautiful" in the different regions of Magnolia. Also, yes, they are definitely viewed as the most fashionable country in the world! Even a more casually dressed Magnolian will look more colorful and put together than, say, your average Crestwall citizen. When they were invited to the cultural exchange by Crestwall, they had Met Gala-levels of dresses and outfits created for the visit!

Art and public works projects are very well-funded, and most of the artists who "make it big" have the cultural expectation of being patrons to other artists, architects, poets, etc. starting out. While differences are celebrated, there is a pervasive idea of "communal inspiration", the concept that interactions big and small may inspire someone else and that art is a product of your time and materials, but also the inspiration and support from the entire community.

Magic is hugely embraced in Magnolia! Instead of an "apocalypse", the Hour of Magic was viewed as the world itself evolving. Geographically, Magnolia was lucky to not have very many abyssal wealds, so monsters aren't much of an everyday threat for the average Magnolian. With magic to make life easier, Magnolians as a whole feel their civilization can focus on culture. Like that John Adam's quote: "I must study politics and war, that our sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy...in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry and porcelain.” Magnolia believes themselves to be at the apex of their civilization and with a strong Alliance with the other countries, they feel fairly secure. They are in their #tapestry and pottery era. 😎😎😎

I'm not 100% done developing their government, but my idea is that they have a royal family because that's just very romantic and they love that ✨👑🌹royal-core🌹👑✨ aesthetic, but any significant decisions are put to a popular vote (and I'm pretty sure their sovereigns are just flat out elected. So basically they are a democracy with the visuals of a monarchy (in the same way that modern readers love a good fantasy royal but are probably anti-monarchy irl.)).

"OH ALSO, is any aspect of it related to the flower magnolia?"

Yessss but not in the way you'd think!!! The deity that they worship is named Magnol. Magnol is known to be a very beautiful being no matter their form, so the Magnolia flower, and the country, was named after them! (I really liked the name as a country since it immediately evokes images of a very beautiful place, but I didn't want to use too many real-world influences. This was a way to sneak in our world's flower lmao).

Thank you again for the ask!!! Magnolia is probably my least fleshed-out country at this point, and they are definitely deeper than they appear, but I like what I have so far!

[sukiglycerin]

so show me || shouto todoroki.

* pairing: shouto todoroki x fem!reader

* genre: smut, fluff, established relationship!au, pro-hero!au (so aged up shouto)

* words: 1,705

* warnings: AGED UP shouto, super vanilla, honestly so soft, i went ham on metaphors, oral (m receiving), cum-eating, light quirk play aka temperature play, breast/nipple play, unprotected sex (be safe irl pls!!), penetrative sex, creampie

* a/n: is this title a bts reference? 🤔 anyway, this is pure fluff with a side of some nice love-making 😌 i will forever appreciate @toishi for proofreading this. thanks so much for 100 followers!! i hope you enjoy! as always, reblogs and feedback are heavily appreciated.

"let me show you how much i love you."

shouto trails kisses down the side of your neck, his hand travelling to cup the flesh of your ass then straying to your inner thighs. the sensation's quite foreign these days; your eldest child just started school, and you haven't gotten a lick of sleep due to your new baby’s cries in the middle of the night. so married life was hard, and yes, it was probably made harder by marrying a pro-hero - but in all honesty, you regret nothing.

"c’mon," shouto smoothly persuades, "they’re having a sleepover at your mom’s house. we can advantage of this, and..." he snaps the waistline of your panties lightly.

you turn to look at him. he's truly breathtaking in the dim light; the curvature of his chin, the bow of his lips. his hair is slightly longer than usual, and his heterochromatic eyes stare into yours, awaiting an answer. if for him, you know your answer will always be yes.

"okay," you say.

a smile ghosts his lips; it reminds you of the old days, when shouto was fresh out of ua and you had just started dating. behind his aloof nature was a soft, kindhearted shouto - the shouto you fell for.

you reach out, your palm finding and caressing his jawline. it softened a bit over the years, similar to the way ice melts in the sun. it's an ever-so-slight difference, but you notice, thumbing the slightly cool skin. his hand moves up to your waist, holding you so intimately. his eyes go hazy, leaning into your touch, and your thumb makes its way to his pillowy lips. you brush over his bottom lip, close enough to feel the warmth of his breath tickle your finger. he traps your thumb in between his lips, looking up at you in an innocent cat-like manner. like a game of cat and mouse, he tempts you, silently urging you to take his bait and make the next move. the moment is dreamlike - not in the sense of being fantastical or magical; it feels warm and safe, like you and shouto have become the only two people in the world. it reminds you of young love, when you were two lovers who didn't need to think about tomorrow's consequences, when life erupted at the tips of your fingers and nothing held you down.

"i hope my body isn't that funny," shouto pouts, an endearing sight.

"no, no, i just want to do my laundry on your abs," you say, and shouto laughs.

you feel happy in the moment; your cheeks hurt from smiling, but you wouldn't have it any other way.

he drags your fingers down to his v-line; oh boy, is it sharp. his eyes flicker from your fingers to your face, but you stay concentrated on the hand guiding yours. you scoot back onto his thighs, and he rests your hand atop his bulge. he's only wearing a shirt and boxers, similar to your shirt and panties combo. you wiggle his boxers down, so his half-hard cock is exposed. your fingers wrap around it, one hand pumping it to erectness while the other cups his balls. it's something you've done before; you know his body too well, tracing the veins of his stiff erection. you glance up at him, and his eyes stare at you with a dark mixture of arousal and love. he tracks your every move - the way your head tilts forward slightly, the tip of your tongue poking out between your lips, the swift manner in which you place kitten licks starting at the base of his cock moving up. he sees how your eyes flutter shut and you let your instincts take over, your hands straying over his body. he quietly gasps when your licks reach the head of his cock, red and slightly wet with precum. your lips hover so close to his length, your warm breath tickling the skin. your tongue swipes around his head, then digs into the slit. shouto groans quietly, moving his hand to stroke your hair. your lips wrap around his cock leisurely, and in the same manner, your mouth moves up and down his shaft shallowly. shouto's impatient, but it wouldn't show outwardly to a general viewer. the heat of his cock rises slightly, and his adam's apple bobs in uncertainty. you give into him, sinking into his cock until it hits the back of your throat. he makes a strangled noise of relief.

your mouth moves up and down against him, following a steady pace that doesn't falter. your tongue glides against the ridges of his cock, saliva accumulating on your tongue.

"i'm c-close," shouto rasps. it's the first time either of you has spoken for the past several minutes.

you go deeper this time; as deep as your throat can handle, your nose touching his trimmed pubic hair. drool drips from your lips and down your chin. you feel his thighs tense; abs locking and heating up. moans fall past his lips, a reward that makes you endure the gagging and tears that prickle your eyes.

"y/n— hng!" warm cum shoots down your throat, and you release from his dick, gasping for air. the salty taste of cum lingers in your mouth, and shouto passes you a water bottle from the nightstand.

after you recover, shouto beckons you forward, tilting your jaw and enrapturing you into a kiss. he pulls you on top of him, your clothed core atop his abdomen.

"pretty girl," he murmurs, almost half to himself. "let me make love to you."

he holds the fabric of your shirt between his pointer finger and thumb, indicating for you to take it off. you do, tossing it somewhere beside you on the bed.

"so pretty... look at you," he praises. his hands hold your waist, thumbs circling the skin above it. his hands slide up to cup your breasts, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their midst. he plays with your hardened nipples, rolling them between his fingers and pinching them ever so softly.

his left hand cools your breast, the sudden sensation against your warm flesh making you sigh in contentment. goosebumps follow his touch as his hand moves leisurely to your left breast, playing with the breast with the same patience as the right.

he pulls you close to him before rolling over so he's on top of you, pushing himself up so he's kneeling over you.

you're wet; you feel the slick accumulate between your folds and dampening a spot on your panties. you rub your thighs together for friction, and shouto doesn't ignore this.

"patience, beautiful," he says, lowering his mouth down onto a cool breast. his breath makes you shudder as it lands on your breast, goosebumps flaring anew. his mouth encloses on a nipple, tongue swirling the areola then teasing the nipple. your arch against him, your body melding with his, and his teeth graze your nipple. you let out a yelp as he lightly nips the bud, your hands finding his hair and tugging it.

"shouto- need you," you say, grinding up against his cock. somehow, it's hard again, but you're not complaining.

"fuck," he swears, and it's beautiful coming from his lips.

you arch up for him and he pulls your panties off. the cold air hits your glistening folds, and you clench involuntarily. shouto brings his fingers to your nether lips, plunging in one then two digits into your heat.

"please... no fingers... wan' your cock," you beg, sure that your pure arousal would be enough lubricant for him.

he obliges, lining up the head of his cock to your pussy and sucking your slick from his fingers. his cock stretches you open, such a sweet, familiar sensation. gradually, his thrusts gain speed, and he finds your g-spot in no time. his left hand finds your clit, rubbing circles onto the bundle of nerves vigourously, as if daring you to cum.

his right hand blooms warmth across your chest, and his left blooms morning frost. it's erotic, the way the cold spreads on your clit, battling the heat from where shouto's cock enters you. 

quirk play isn't something you often do, but shouto's entirely aware of its effects on you. yes, he's completely aware of what he's doing as you tense against him, chasing euphoria. he's aware of how you clench around him when he pinches your nipple and speeds up his pace on your clit, he's aware of its dizzying effects.

"shouto- so close, so close," you pant beneath him, and he switches hands. your clit heats up with an all most superhuman speed, and it's the push that takes you over the edge.

you convulse under him, writhing and whimpering his name. cum gushes out of you the more you move, and the sight of you spread out underneath him sends shouto into his orgasm.

"y/n, god, i love you," he breathes, steadying himself above you.

you stay like that, chests heaving, the only sound in the room your breathing. you stare at shouto, lazily blinking up at him, picking out details on his face. 

"i love you too," you say, lips curving into a smile. "my perfect husband."

"my beautiful wife," he replies smoothly, stroking your cheek.

"...we gotta clean up."

"....yeah, we do."

[fullofmemories]

1. What is your favorite trope to rp?

2. Name 3 things you admire about OCs.

5. What is a character you love, but don’t think you can write?

6. Name 3 things you love most about your muse/muses.

7. What is one overrated roleplay trend?

13. Is there one trope you can’t stand?

20. Do you need music/noise to write or do you prefer silence?

23. Your favorite fandom to write in?

meme for muns

1. What is your favorite trope to rp? Ooooh... I'm not sure!! I love fluff, and angst, and I love hurt/comfort... I don't know!! There's so many good tropes fhdskjhfksj

2. Name 3 things you admire about OCs. First off they're all so unique! Some people see them as lazy or whatever, but creating your own character takes time and consideration whether they're a fandom or unaffiliated OC! Also, I love watching people's OCs grow over time. I know Katrina has! Looking back at my first writing, she seems so different! I love seeing people really develop and flesh out their characters. And thirdly, being an OC rp blog can be a bit tough at times and I truly admire everyone who sticks with it! They all have so much love for their characters, and you can tell that they truly care about them.

5. What is a character you love, but don’t think you can write? Oooh, there's a lot. I tend to be a bit insecure writing canon characters, honestly. I'm always worried I'm not portraying them accurately. But as for ones I love right now, funnily enough I'm not sure I could quite nail any of the main 3 WWDI.TS vamps. I absolutely adore them all, and their lines are incredible, but there are so many random jokes and little things that I don't know if I would be able to replicate! (I feel like I might be able to get Colin though, weirdly)

6. Name 3 things you love most about your muse/muses. One of the things I love most about her is that she really isn't afraid of confrontation or making people mad. I've always been too shy for my own good, so even if she takes it a bit far sometimes I really admire that about her! Secondly, I really love how gentle she can be. I mean, she's a bit of a cynic who's been through hell and back but I'll be damned if she's not the sweetest aunt ever and always makes sure to take care of her plants. (And don't even get me STARTED on how soft she can get with ships oh my god-) And thirdly, I love that she tries to appear more intimidating but is actually a bit of a dork. Does she know at least twenty ways to kill a man? Yes. Does she also know way too much about soccer and plants and wear yellow and/or black every BVB game day? Absolutely.

7. What is one overrated roleplay trend? Hmmm... I don't know! I guess maybe having really fancy graphics. I can see why some people like them, some of them look really cool, but I feel like they can also get to the point of being too intimidating and/or inaccessible to actually be practical.

13. Is there one trope you can’t stand? BULLY X BULLIED. I absolutely hate that trope. There are a few select instances where it's been done well, but I've never really loved any ship that used that trope and it always just seemed kinda... stockholm-syndrome-y to me, for lack of a better term. Especially if the one being bullied is some kind of minority (e.g. guy bullying a girl, white person bullying bipoc, homophobe bullying a queer person, etc). (Side note - as much as I have really loved Adam in this season of Se/x Educati.on, I've never really loved him and Eric as a couple for this reason.) And particularly with girls, since often times they're told the bullying isn't that serious because the boys are doing it because they have a crush on them. (I've been told this before irl, and I promise you. It's not very romantic.)

20. Do you need music/noise to write or do you prefer silence? It depends on my mood (and how bad my adhd is). Sometimes trying to write while listening to something can give me sensory overload, but sometimes my brain is 100% fine with it! Most of the time I have soft music or some rain noises or something playing - just enough stimulus to make my brain happy without making me incapable of writing!

23. Your favorite fandom to write in? I haven't written in many fandoms, but honestly maybe Marvel! There's just so many fun characters and storylines, especially now with the multiverse stuff.

[touchmycoat]

kinktober: day 10

day 10: flogging

the sub!Marco saga continues...

(CW: the flogging is done with a metal chain, which is absolutely a thing irl! Bike chains!)

//

//

“Good,” Ace said primly, before blowing a stream of cool air over Marco's chest. The sound Marco made was inhuman. “Thank you for your honesty.”

“I have,” Sabo muttered, attention fixed on Ace's lips, the corners of which turned up into a smug little grin when Ace noticed, “a fantastic idea.”

Ace—beautiful, generous Ace—straightened and gave Sabo the kiss that he craved, right there next to Marco's cheek. Sabo stroked the arch of Marco's neck along with the strokes of Ace's tongue, and pressed their bodies even closer together.

“Marco,” Sabo husked into Ace's mouth, “I'm gonna fuck you. But before that, I'm gonna beat you until you beg for mercy. Would you like that?”

“Yes.” The answer came immediately, guttural and groaning. Marco's hips were stuttering like he didn't know whether it was better to arch forward into Ace or back into Sabo. “Anything you want yoi.”

“Anything?” Sabo's critical tone was paired with a scolding rake of nails across Marco's Adam's apple, and Ace turned his head to watch, blinking with the indolent satiation of big cats facing cornered prey.

“Anything,” Marco promised. The sheer amount of power he was trusting Sabo with was as heady as it was aggravating. This was probably slightly different from what Ace was feeling, Sabo reflected. For Ace, the sharp edges were a weapon, wielded and worn to damage but ultimately home in a scabbard or stored away in a chest. For Sabo, the edges were underneath—if he just unfolded his fingers like peeling away skin, he could show Marco the metal belt buckle inside. What pretty bruises it would make.

But—

“This would be too easy for you.”

Sabo stepped back with a wink and a loud, mean slap to Marco's flank. As he crouched to pull out the box underneath the bed, Ace draped himself over Marco from the front, lazily grinding his hips.

“What, the flogger?” Ace asked dubiously. “Haven't we used it on you already?”

“I'm just an average, breakable human with fragile skin and nothing to prove. That nice soft flogger is mine,” Sabo replied absently, sliding the big heavy box aside as he reached past it. The nature of a ship—no matter how large—was that space was limited and sometimes, the corners underneath your bed ended up stuffed with sailing material.

Sabo grabbed a large fistful of the metal rigging chain coiled beneath the mattress, and yanked it out into the light.

Marco didn't even see it, but the sound was enough. The noise he made in response—Ace didn't even bother asking for mercy.

“Oh.” Fingers clawing into the welts on Marco's back, Ace's eyes went dark and vicious. “Can I do it?”

“Um, yes.” As if Sabo's ever wanted anything else. Haki in his fingers, it was a simple matter to cut off a suitable length of the chain, about as long as his belt. A bottle of medical-grade alcohol from Marco's shelf emptied into a wooden basin, and Sabo was watching the minute, anticipatory shivers of Marco's back as he loudly dipped the chain in and out of the sterilizing bath. “I think I'll get his dick in my mouth.”

How much more, Sabo wondered as he approached, would it take to drive Marco fully insane? Like some smooth courtship dance, Ace backed away as Sabo got closer, cocked his head in vivid consideration as Sabo draped the chain first over Marco's shoulders. Marco flinched at the touch, then at the cool burn of the alcohol dripping down his torso.

And Sabo was about to make this so much harder for him.

“The rules are simple,” Sabo declared. He glided a hand down Marco's left arm to the elbow, then guiding the whole limb up until Marco's upturned palm was about shoulder-level. There was a hardcover book on the desk, which he placed in Marco's hand. There was also a drinking glass (one of three), which he placed on top of the book.

There was a pitcher of drinking water, which Sabo slowly tipped, until the glass balanced on the book was filled to the brim.

“One,” he told Marco, “you don't have to say mercy if you don't want to. If the water spills, we stop. Easy as that.”

Which was the punishment and which was the reward?

“Two.” With a nonchalant crack of his neck, Sabo dropped to his knees in front of Marco. He glanced up with a flash of teeth. “Try not to move your hips too much, yeah? You know I have that sensitive gag reflex.”

Sabo didn't think there was a more intoxicating sight than Marco's expression at that moment, telegraphing so clearly, I don't think I can do this.

...He was proven wrong just a second later, when Marco's met his gaze, eyes all hazing and trusting, pledging, but I will since you asked me to.

All, thank you for asking me to.

Ace took up the chain, and Sabo took Marco's cock between his teeth.

//

The chain was brutal on his back.

Pain, Marco thought, was pain. There was nothing unclear about it. It wasn't pleasure, not like a warm lap of tongue against sensitive flesh, nor was it the ecstasy of friction and accelerating tempos. Pain was pain, was thudding where the weight of the metal slammed into his flesh, was stinging where the tail-end chain link licked into his skin. Pain was the enamel edges designed to rend meat scraping up the length of his cock as Ace guided his hips forward then back, in and out of Sabo's mouth. Pain was the strain in both his arms, but particularly the left one, outstretched without support and weighted so precariously on his shaking palm.

Pain was pain, and Marco loved every fucking second of it.

How could he not? There was the bone-deep quivering shame of not being the one on his knees, the one in service and of use. But with that came the allaying recognition that all this was punishment and righteous. This was what Marco, when he wanted to be at the center of attention, deserved. This was him taking and taking and taking what the two most beautiful boys in the world wanted to give him. This was them trusting him with their darkness and their blood.

It was the least Marco could do, giving his in return.

There really wasn't that much blood; the part of Marco's mind doused in phoenix fire was certain, absolutely clear on the extent of his wounds even as Marco held it back. His back though, felt dripping with it. It must be the alcohol, cold then burning against the breaks of skin, trickling down a swathe of muscle before catching in another welt right underneath. It felt like Ace was flaying him open, and Marco wanted nothing more than to bare his ribs.

And Sabo—that wicked, brilliant brain. He who designed this particular round of torture, he who announced the rules. The cup of water stood tall and trembling, but not a single drop has spilled over its edge (onto Marco's accounting book, Sabo that bastard). How the hell had Sabo found the exact perimeters of what Marco was capable of, then gotten his fingers in, then stretched Marco open to accommodate him and Ace? How the hell was Sabo grinning slyly up at Marco, all white teeth and hot breath, promising to ruin Marco if he broke and to ruin Marco if he didn't?

The next lick of Ace's chain struck so perfectly into a previous welt that Marco had to scream. The glass didn't tip. The next lick of Sabo's tongue lapped insistently under Marco's foreskin and into his slit. The glass didn't tip.

Fuck. I can die like this.

The game, Marco knew, was no fun if he held out for too long. He knew the role he was meant to take, going boneless and trembling with exhaustion as he finally let the water glass fall, shatter on the floor portending Marco's own fate. He knew he could take hold of the mercy so readily offered and be helped to the bed. Be gently stretched opened and then thoroughly filled.

But—the arm stayed up, stayed steady, shot through with rigid iron and a determined shout of No! You can take this! You can take it all. It was a mantra preaching selflessness. Take everything they want to give you. It was the most selfish shock of thrill. This is what I want. They are hurting you because you asked for it. This is all for me.

Sabo, jaw probably sore, allowed his lips to draw back over his teeth, encasing Marco in a silky wet warmth. His hands gave Marco's pants a firm downward tug, and obligingly, the material fell puddled at Marco's feet. When Marco shifted to lift his legs, Sabo stopped him.

Leave it, Sabo's gestures, the demeaning arch of his eyebrow said. Marco felt his ears going hot with shame, and at once he felt so itchingly compelled to kick his pants away, to stand totally nude instead of as this humiliating, obvious object of undress. Which was the intended reaction. So Marco hissed through his teeth and forced all his attention onto keeping the glass steady and water unspilled.

And that's when Ace decided to switch his aim, bringing the whip of the chain down to the flesh of Marco's ass.

An arch of water jolted over the rim, splashing soft on the worn leather of the notebook. Both Ace and Sabo froze in all their motions.

“Sorry,” Marco choked, a terrible fear beginning to eat into his skin. “Sorry yoi, I—Sorry—”

“Sorry's not the word I want to hear,” Ace said from behind him, so low and steady that Marco felt instantly like grounded lightning. “So do you have something else to say, or can I continue?”

He wants to continue.

He wants to do this for you.

“No,” Marco said, the most pious man in the world. “Please continue.”

And then, when the next stroke came: “thank you.”

Sabo, beneath him, was just letting Marco's cock sit in his mouth. It was a gift. It was torture. Ever cognizant of Sabo's request not to choke him, Marco ached with the effort of not letting his hips so much as twitch. A drop of water fell onto Sabo's cheek, and for a moment Marco feared the worst, that this was all over because of his stupid mistake tipping the glass—but then he realized it was his sweat, dripping off the tip of his nose. So Marco pulled his head upright, focused on the glass again. Focused on keeping it tall at every whip of metal across his ass. Focused on keeping it safe on the strikes that licked into the insides of his thighs. Focused on keeping it unbroken as Sabo just kept breathing, doing very little else, around the tip of Marco's cock.

Tears as well as sweat ran down Marco's cheeks, but he didn't notice.

His attention was tunneling, everything whittled away except for the thud-sting of the chain in a rapidly steadying rhythm and the inadequate clasp of almost-suction around his dick. Marco could hear nothing, see nothing beside the shaking arm and the tendons of the wrist and the book and the glass and the trembling water. Had lost all concept of things like breath and time and motion. Just knew that one thing, then the other, stopped, and there was nothing else but the water and feeling so profoundly lost that he wanted to collapse sobbing—and then there was a hand—a hand on the glass with the water—the hand tipping the glass with the water over—

Marco shook back into himself with an awful gasp. The loud smash of the glass against their cabin floor followed immediately after, Sabo standing upright now before Marco with one hand still unapologetically outstretched over the space where the glass had once been placed.

“Oops,” he said, his casual shrug so catastrophically mismatched with the intent expression on his face. “Oh well. We've had quite enough of that anyways, haven't we?”

“I'm gonna bring your arm down now,” Ace said quietly. He was so close and warm next to Marco's ear that Marco started. There was, indistinctly, sensation in some faraway part of Marco's body—his fingers, he realized. Both sets, gone numb and cold that Marco could clearly imagine just cutting them away with little pain. Ace was gently prying his right hand loose from the grip on his restraint (restraint—hah! As if such a self-imposed thing could truly be called a restraint), and Sabo had removed the leather-bound book, massaging feeling gently back into Marco's left hand.

When Ace grabbed firm hold of Marco's entire right arm and pulled it down, a soft, agonized cry escaped Marco's throat. Sabo took the same moment to lower Marco's left arm as well. Marco squeezed his eyes shut so tightly against the pain that he didn't know whose thumb came up to gently wipe away the tears on his cheeks.

“You're one stubborn bastard, aren't you?” Marco didn't know how much of the grudging admiration in his tone Sabo meant to let him hear. “That was good, wasn't it? That was everything you wanted. Just say that's enough, that's all you needed, and we'll let you rest.”

“You said,” Marco slurred, listing forward and backward into warm arms. Oh, how he longed to do as Sabo suggested. Just relax, and let everything come to a stop. Get a nice hand from Ace, or maybe Sabo was feeling generous enough to finish the blowjob. But there was still a gnawing unrest, deep inside his core. An emptiness that begged to be thoroughly claimed, and filled. “You said you'd fuck me.”

The moment of silence that followed was so excruciating, that the sudden, vicious grip of Sabo's hands digging into his ass was bliss by comparison.

“Got it,” Sabo said, voice gone so perfectly savage as he lifted Marco, all the weight on the freshly whipped, burning flesh of Marco's backside, and Marco screamed—

“No mercy. We finish the scene.”

[passionpluto]

My Necessarily Unnecessary Analysis of Lightning Dust (EPISODE SPOILERS)

So, I watched the Washouts last night, and there are a few things I’d like to get off my chest.  Please keep in mind that most of these are about how I myself interpret Lightning Dust’s character, and you can choose to interpret her how I like.  Heck, I have a whole AU story interpreting her as an AI infected by a virus that made her try to kill Rainbow Dash once, so that should show you how off-the-wall my interpretations should get.

Anyway, back in the canon world.  I’m not sure if I really like (or subscribe to) the theory that Lightning planned everything as an elaborate revenge scheme against Rainbow Dash.  The whole dynamic between RD and LD near the beginning/middle of the episode was gold, and it’s not something we see with MLP rivals all too often.  A lot of times we get relationships like Twilight/Trixie, Twilight/Starlight, and so on--ones where both parties genuinely seem to dislike each other.  A ton of LD fics predicted that she’d be the same way towards Dash, but this actually makes their relationship stand out a ton more for me.  I’m a sucker for the Friendly Rivals trope, but having Lightning do what she did in order to get revenge would really simplify her character to some kind of Rainbow Dash/Trixie fusion, IMO.  I find it a lot more fun to have her really stand by the fact that she got rejected from the Wonderbolts and see it as water under the bridge, and even more fun that Rainbow’s that laid-back about it.  She only really “opposes” Lightning when she tries to get Scootaloo involved, and fangirls all over her before then.  It really reminds me of what Gilda and Rainbow had in S1, and I find it immensely interesting that the most “competitive” pony seems to have the most low-key rivalries.  I hypothesize that’s because the mare already loves friendly competition so much, she can’t really go too deep into the “hating” scale of things.

So if Lightning didn’t rope Scootaloo in out of revenge, why did she do it?  I have a few theories, one of which came to me as I was reading @marvelandponder‘s excellent episode analysis.  My first speculation is that Lightning isn’t just reckless, she doesn’t even really have a sense of danger to begin with.  She knows that things are dangerous, but that only really seems to come after the fact (i.e. when she apologizes for the tornado).  This can be differentiated from ponies like Twilight Velvet, adrenaline junkies who go on special trips to fulfill their need, but otherwise live very ordinary lives.  Even IRL professional stuntspeople can be very concerned with safety, something that Lightning regularly dismisses.  Now, there are brain conditions that interfere with someone’s ability to sense fear, and hence danger, but they’re extremely rare IRL and I’ll apply that same logic to LD.  We don’t really know why she goes to extremes, pardon my Billy Joel referencing, but what we do know is that she does, and for whatever reason, can’t comprehend the effect it has on others.

So that opens us up to one theory: for whatever reason, the whole idea that “strapping a filly to an untested rocket you probably bought from Trixie’s backalley operation” doesn’t register to her as something to fear.  If anything, it’s something fun, a cool way to show off.  And that brings us to our second theory.

@marvelandponder has suggested that Scootaloo might not be a child in this episode--with the time inconsistencies MLP often has, she could be a preteen or even teen.  Placed in this context, Scootaloo’s stunt might make more sense--after all, adults dare younger people to do smaller-scale dangerous stunts all the time.  Think of the latest dumb YouTube challenge you’ve come across, and wonder why in the world some adult would come up with such an idea.  A lot of times, it might be out of sheer recklessness, but other times, it might just be to develop a following or to look cool to the kids.  This is where, I feel, Lightning lines up.

Even if she doesn’t hate Dash, I think it’s highly possible she still has some desire to beat her in something.  At the beginning of the episode, Lightning outright rejects Scootaloo’s request to join the Washouts and says “you’re cute” in a way that suggests she’s aware of how young Scoots is.  If anything, that remark’s infantilizing her even more.  (Not that that’s a bad thing--the term “Cutealoo” exists for a reason.)  But once Rainbow takes her out to see Spitfire, Lightning’s tone noticeably changes.  Something about Dash protecting Scootaloo sets her off--and while some fans think it’s out of blind hatred, I feel it’s something else.  Throughout the rest of the episode, Lightning treats Scootaloo as a grown pony, and with how reckless she is, I can’t help but feel that maybe, just maybe, she went through something similar in her adolescence.  She probably was super rebellious and had a lot of adults tell her no, so maybe then she realized that she could beat Rainbow at being the “cool older friend.”  The one who never tells on you, who lets you do anything.

Does this excuse her actions?  Hell no.  A lot of times, having one of these “cool adult friends” can lead to all kinds of trouble down the road, and adults absolutely should step in to make sure minors don’t get into too much trouble.  But it helps flesh it out a little more than just having her be a one-dimensional villain who did it for the evils.  She very well could have seen it as “would I have wanted to try this stunt out at her age” and, knowing Lightning’s personality, the answer would have definitely been “yes.”

So no, I wouldn’t say LD is a villain.  I’d compare her to a deadbeat parent from a comedy movie.  The one who’s still barely more than a child themselves, who tries so hard to be “cool” and appeal to their child that they go in the other direction, with a ton of hijinks and stunts involved.  A character from a bad Adam Sandler movie, if you will.  Reckless, foolhardy, and dangerous to children, but you can’t really call them evil.  They just need a ton of straightening out, a lot of growing up to do, and a good smack upside the head if neither of that works.

Hey, it’s better than a FULL BODY HOOF AND WING CAST, right?

[a-shakespearean-in-paris]

Reflections on Writing a Longfic

hey guys! I wanted to make this for a bit, because I thought it would be cathartic. Also I started school again and my teacher is very much into reflections, which I always was an advocate for too, so I thought I would write this! tagging @cathybrokeit and @novamm66 for their interest as well :) Note this really isn’t a “writing advice post,” more so my reflection on how I wrote my fic In Waking Dreams to completion, but if you learn something from it...great! :) 

Anwyay, unto the breach! Also there will be spoilers for IWD, but the story is pretty much Inquisition with my own imaginings in the gaps. But if you want to read IWD spoiler free, I recommend not reading this! 

Background

So I have spoken at length about this before, but I never wrote fanfic until In Waking Dreams. I read it, but never really felt compelled to write it. I wrote original fiction before, even finished a first draft for about three or so different pieces, and the last thing I wrote before IWD (besides a ten minute play) was something I was very, very much in love with, and still am very much in love with.  I finished the first draft of that my freshman year of college, but when I tried to revise it, the words didn’t seem pretty or “perfect enough.” I could not make it the story I wanted to see. It didn’t just frustrate me. It made me deeply depressed. I worried I wouldn’t be able to write again. 

I did a lot of gaming in college because I honestly couldn’t really do anything else (I had trouble connecting with my theatre peers. I was not a partier and my department liked to party.) I lived alone, so I played a lot of games. In 2014 Inquisition came out and I played it because DA had always been one of my favorites. I romanced Cullen, and the romance really resonated with me. It’s why I played it a lot. 

Then my last semester of college, I realized I was really (forgive my crassness,) turned on by the idea of writing a fic with Cullen and my Inquisitor. 

I’ll be honest: at first I thought it was ludicrous. I was twenty two at the time. I never wrote fic. I told my friend once that while i respected it and enjoyed a lot of it, it wasn’t for me. I couldn’t imagine writing a character that wasn’t mine. But I loved Cullen because he and his romance were a comfort to me. I loved his arc and I wanted to fill in the gaps. My directing teacher always told us to direct what turns us on...not what what leaves us with blue balls. I suspect writing is the same way. Hell, I know it is the same way. I couldn’t escape the fact I was turned on. 

So I began. It felt so strange to write the first chapter, but it wasn’t strange anymore, after a while. the words, they flowed from the page. I was upset when I wasn’t writing. I felt like myself again when I was. I was so happy to write this story. It was so bittersweet to finish. 

I don’t know how I did it, in all honesty. but I am going to attempt to tell you how, and analyze it. 

Getting started

I had a grand idea before I began: I would write the whole story, edit it, then publish. I started November 2016 before I graduated college in December. Graduating was so great because it gave me more writing time. (lol.) Made the A03 and officially joined by late December, because I heard it may take a while to get an invite. By May 2017 I was sort of almost done with the first draft, (I got to after the Winter Palace and Perseverance, and I believe Cullen and Lydia had just consummated their relationship.) So I began going back to the beginning and editing, and I decided i was going to start publishing. for exposure, I renamed my tumblr to my a03 name, but I decided eventually to start from scratch. Here we are now. 

I am not going to lie, I got to the destruction of Haven part, uploaded it, and got no response. I was really, really disappointed. I thought: did I do this for nothing? My mom noticed I was upset, and in a moment of weakness I told her everything. Let me tell you, IRL me is very, very secretive of my writing. No one knows about my original work except for one other person. But I told my mom, and she asked me: 

“Are you having fun?” 

I told her yes. She asked me if I believed in my story. I told her yes. She told me to remember that. So for the entire journey I remembered that I believed. I believed and I loved, and that was part of the reason why I finished. People began reading and commenting. One comment made me so, so happy. they always do, to this day. they truly do help.

I knew it before, but I fully learned it then: write what turns you on. write what you want to see. You’ll love, and that love can help you continue 

From the Draft to A03

So here’s a few fun facts about IWD

Stroud was the original Warden, not Miranda 

Originally there was passages in Cassandra’s POV, as well as Solas. did away with this because I can not write Solas and i didn’t think the cassandra parts added anything.

there was going to be a lot of leliana/ Cullen tension I cut back on. there was also a lot of leli/ Lydia tension. 

I wanted to focus on Inqusition as a whole, rather than the romance of cullen and Lydia. (HA) 

Cullen’s ex girlfriend Elaine wasn’t going to make an appearance, but Asher always was.

The timeline as it currently is is way different from my original intention. to Adamant everything would be normal, then there would be the ball that happens at Skyhold, then perseverance and Lydia and Cullen getting together, then the Winter Palace and Cullen and Lydia’s first intimate moment by Honnleath, and then Daddy Trevelyan arrives. (remembering now, the only thing I hadn’t written was the return of Asher.)

 I reassembled a lot of stuff as I wrote. Daddy trev arrived earlier because I wanted him at the ball at Skyhold, the ball happened a lot later, and as I wrote I inserted the Elaine subplot. 

No beta readers, but I would consider one in the future. 

There’s a lot of other stuff I added in and expanded as I started uploading. The original Lydia and Cullen blow up over his past wasn’t nearly as dramatic. Miranda was added and fleshed out, as was Hawke. Eventually I realized i would have to scrape what I had previously written (for an example the first kiss is radically different.) and start from scratch. Was I frustrated? Kinda sorta. See, I truly believe had I not written that incomplete first draft, I would not have been as happy with IWD as it currently stands. Trust me, I understand wanting to upload chapters after you write them and after a cursory read through and edit. I have done this. I will still do this, ha. But I truly think without that base of IWD, I wouldn’t have been nearly as happy with my story. especiallly since it is very very complicated.

Another note: I tended to think of novels like movies, but one thing that really , really helped me was thinking of the story more like a TV show. Episodes or chapters should compliment the whole, but if you want a whole chapter of your OTP laying in bed...you can do that. In fact, I encourage it in fanfic if you want it. that’s the beauty of it. We can write entire scenes of our favorite characters eating ice cream, a scene that would probably be cut out in a major motion picture or even published book for “slowing the pace.” No need in fic. Sure maybe some things can be trimmed, ( I really wish I would have cut the Elaine subplot at least a smidge) but I learned that the true beauty in my story, and what I was really passionate about, was the moments between Cullen and Lydia. 

So eventually I gave up thinking this was an epic novelization of DAI, and embraced it for the romance. I added more little moments.

Long story short: original intentions may change. threads may go elsewhere than the original intent. that’s okay. Characters may surprise you. that is wonderful, because don’t people in real life surprise you? Lydia surprised me. A lot. I knew this before I think, but I know it for sure now: let your characters surprise you. I didn’t truly know Lydia till I continued to write her.I didn’t think she would “want to hurt Cullen” as she says, but as soon as I wrote it: I knew. She would be so hurt she would want to hurt him back. 

Support 

I finished this with a lot of my fire, but I did have support, which helped a lot as well. I was fortunate to get a few frequent commentors as I wrote.  Bless you, every one. @lyriumyue was one such reader. She made comments and observations that I didn’t know about as I was writing, but when she pointed them out, I could totally see it. So I came to her when I was stuck, and she helped me figure stuff out. 

My mom also supported me. I didn’t tell her everything, but when I wasn’t sure if I wanted Cullen and Lydia to kiss, we talked through it, and she said, “let them kiss.” being stuck is normal, but talking it out helps. Heck even writing it down may help. I did that too. When I doubt, I talked it out. 

Final thoughts 

So...here’s the truth about writing, as far as I’m concerned: it’s like falling in love. Something captures you, and you want, need to write it. then there’s the honeymoon phase. After a while, it becomes work and you have to put in effort when you didn’t have to before. but remembering what caught you can reignite that passion. It did for me, when I was bummed out about no comments. Sometimes though, it didn’t. it took a while for a new fire. It came back when someone commented. sometimes it came back because I really, really missed cullen and lydia.

I can’t tell you how I finished. I just know that writing gave me immense happiness. Perhaps you should not fall in love with your characters, but fall I did. I wanted to see them happy in the end, watching the dawn. that made me continue. It made me finish. I don’t know what to say, other than I wanted to see this through so, so much. So I did. And i think remembering why I began....helped a lot. So did support. 

Like I said, this is my reflection. I wish I had more advice, but truthfully the only thing I can say is write with passion and believe. Love what you’re doing. I didn’t always love my words. in fact I learned sometimes you just gotta convey information, but sometimes i would write one line, that just really...it was like soaring. other times, no lie I fucking hated it. I still hate that winter palace chapter, TBH. 

but I believed and I wanted, in the end. I fell in love. So I did. Above all, I implore everyone to believe. Trust me guys, to anyone who wants to write anything: I believe. You can do it. I wish I had something more profound to say, but that’s what I got. And I truly do believe. 

Thank you for reading, thank you for supporting. I’ll still be here. Writing Cullen, and falling in love. 

-Cheyenne (Shakes)

[lokirevenger]

I was tagged by @blindershelbys (love the new url btw!!!) thank you!! ^-^, we’ve been mutuals for a little while now?? And I’m so happy you tagged me in this!!

1. drink: water

2. phone call: dad

3. text message: Uh, my work lmao

4. song you listened to: Sth by linkin park

5. time you cried: LMAO I cry a lot xD Last week I think hahahaha

Ever

6. dated someone twice?: no

7. kissed someone and regretted it: yeaaah

8. been cheated on: no

9. lost someone special: Not yet

10. been depressed: Nope

11. gotten drunk and thrown up:  i get real sick, real fast from drinking but i haven’t thrown up yet! Which I consider a win

fave colours

12. Pastels

13. Purple

14. Light colours lmao

in the last year have you…

15. made new friends: Uh on tumblr i have!! You guys are awesome!!

16. fallen out of love: no

17. laughed until you cried: nope

18. found out someone was talking about you: yeah

19. met someone who changed you: I’m pretty easily influenced tbh

20. found out who your friends are:  Better said: who aren’t

21. kissed someone on your facebook friends list: yes

general

22. how many of your facebook friends do you know irl: 90%

23. do you have any pets: Three cats, two goldfish, two bunnies and one pony

24. do you want to change your name: I wouldn’t know what to

25. what did you do for your last birthday: I don’t remember? But i’m pretty sure I just ate a lot of good food all day, that’s pretty standard

26. what time did you wake up today: 8.30 am

27. what were you doing at midnight last night: sleeping like a baby

28. what is something you can’t wait for: INFINITY WAR

30. what are you listening to right now: My own thoughts

31. have you ever talked to a person named tom: Yup

32. something that’s getting on your nerves: Right now? Nothing much

33. most visited website: tumblr and fb

34. hair colour: black

35. long or short hair: Medium

36. do you have a crush on someone: nope

37. what do you like about yourself: uhhhhhh, My hair

38. want any piercings?: Nope

39. blood type: No idea

40. nicknames: None, on chat a friend of mine uses ML

41. relationship status: single 

42. zodiac: leo

43. pronouns: she/her

44. fave tv shows: the 100, durarara (im counting it), tw, stranger things, voltron, atla, htawm IN THE FLESH, GoT, Marvel’s Netflix series, Runaways, the Gifted I can go on all day tbh

45. tattoos: nope

46. right or left handed: right

47. ever had surgery: yep

48. piercings: mah ears

49. sports: HAHAHAHAH

50. vacation: lOVE IT

51. trainers: I don’t understand lmao

more general

52. eating: candy

53. drinking: water

54. i’m about to watch: idk

55. waiting for: When retribution omes out and I can play with @asgardianmischief!!!!!!

56. want: My life to be good

57. get married: no

58. career: veterinarian

which is better

59. hugs or kisses: hugs

60. lips or eyes: eyes

61. shorter or taller: taller (but not too tall)

62. older or younger: older

63. nice arms or stomach: both

64. hookup or relationship: relationship

65. troublemaker or hesitant: Idk, depends on who im with xD

have you ever

66. kissed a stranger: yep 

67. drank hard liquor: yep

68. lost glasses: And I get a mini panic attack bc i think ive lost them forever and i literally cannot look for them cause i can’t see

69. turned someone down: No?

70. sex on first date: no

71. broken someones heart: Who’s ever gonna be so in love with me hahahaha

72. had your heart broken: no

73. been arrested: no

74. cried when someone died: Uh, yes

75. fallen for a friend: No

do you believe in

76. yourself: Hahahaha

77. miracles: Nope, either prove it to me realisticaly or get out

78. love at first sight: no

79. santa claus:  idk if this goes for everyone in Belgium but santa claus isn’t that big (christmas is though!) we do Sinterklaas and God did i believe in that holy man

80. kiss on a first date: yes

81. angels: Not the celestial kind, no

other

82. best friend’s name: Uh, idk if she’s my best friend? but im pretty close to someone named laura ^-^

84. fave movie: Matrix holds a special place, next to the lion king and mulan and almost every marvel movie

85. fave actor(s): Marvel cast, adam driver, cillian murphy, too many to count

tagging: @bayleafpaprika, @themyscriyas, @lesbiansassemble, @infinityywarss, @asgardianmischief, @flyingavenger, @asgrdians and whoever else wants to do this (no pressure!!!!!!!!!!)

[thesinglesjukebox]

KALIFFA - HELT SERIöST [4.57] A reminder that they do (or did) have summer in Sweden too.

Nortey Dowuona: Bouncy drums buoy the sweet singsongy flow of Kaliffa as his Afropop stylings glide like water over the ears. (The sweet Congolese guitar was a nice, understated yet direct piece slipping in at the end.) [7]

Jibril Yassin: Kaliffa is a charming presence but the thin production of "Helt Seriöst" and a soft processed vocal siphons a lot of the song's power, making it as palpable as a dry cough. Hearing a live rendition was baffling; this could have been a lot more than boring. [4]

Katherine St Asaph: Tropicalia from Sweden, with hashtag lyrics in Swedish ("you give them backhand/Serena Williams") and the universal phenomenon of dudes boggling over girls' lack of real-time IRL Photoshop -- not an improvement. [3]

Will Adams: A warm, inviting groove turned lukewarm by Kaliffa, who just can't get enough of the fact that you don't use Facetune or wear jewelry. [4]

Josh Langhoff: Forthcoming conference presentation: "When Marimba Riddims Start to Play, Euro Dudes Toast OK: How Out to Sea and Speed 2: Cruise Control Formed Our World." This phantasmagoric brain fart traces the roots of today's musical Zeitgeist back 20 years, finding unlikely connections among Jason Patric's waxy flesh, the rise of mutant superviruses, the Newman family film scoring empire, whatever was happening in Sweden back then, and the weird odors wafting from beneath my desk. Musical clips will include my viral mashup of 16-year-old, #99-ranked Serena Williams grunting along to "Shape of You" -- a phenomenon known as "Sheerena" -- along with all of Spotify's marimba versions of "Despacito," and (what the hell) the Modern Jazz Quartet. Key citation: Miller et al's eye opener in the August 2000 Clinical Infectious Diseases, "Cruise Ships: High Risk Passengers and the Global Spread of New Influenza Viruses." Inessential aside destined to be cut for time: I dig this dude's whole "riktig riktig timing ting ting" ting. [5]

Edward Okulicz: The easy laidback charm Kaliffa has in spades and no doubt makes him a fun, likeable presence at other times could be mistaken for sounding bored. That's what's making this amiable late summer jam not quite hit home for me, beyond the "riktig-tiktig" hook (very duktig), he doesn't really sound like he's in any way excited, he's serious but it's not serious fun. [6]

Joshua Minsoo Kim: The song's flaw is right in its title: Kaliffa is approaching this far too "seriously" to work. Even so, there's a sense that every element in "Helt Seriöst" would be fine if they were in the hands of someone more competent. Kaliffa aims for a cool confidence but his delivery feels far more functional than impassioned, making it hard to believe what he's saying. But what he's saying isn't really helping his case; Kaliffa is enamored by a woman's natural beauty, and the shallow lyrics he employs ("No Photoshop or bling bling") bring "Helt Seriöst" dangerously close to half-hearted parody. The tropical beat is subdued as well, meant to convey the moodiness of a night that's heating up, but its too familiar and lifeless to do just that. Worst of all, though, is how the guitar that appears mid-song sounds like something from Congolese rumba or soukous if they were stripped of all their joy. It's all very serious, yes, but everyone involved should have also taken their jobs more seriously. [3]

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