#As like a bit of a joke then yeah that would be quite fantastic

[quillandrapier]

So the red nose day thing is going to be a joke special right...non canonical.

I'm just saying, perfect place to show an old friend of ours.

[aether-starlight]

Those Eyes - Rafayel

Pairing: Rafayel x Reader

Warnings: None.

Summary: Rafayel takes up on your offer to hang out and something of his catches your eye.

Word Count: 1k

For all Rafayel complained about hunter’s lack of refinement, you were quite an avid reader. He watched you get through half of your book in one afternoon, brows creased in concentration.

It was something fantastical, a journey amongst strangers with a common goal who would later become friends.

He supposed that if the core of you could be described by a book, it would be something like that.

Meanwhile, he had been painting —not studying you and following your mannerisms like a total weirdo, not at all. 

Since that time you had realized your face was on his canvas —he underestimated your artistic eye— he had settled for details. Pieces of you he could keep only for himself.

His current work had the expressiveness of your eyes, it swirled in the color of your irises and dipped into your pupils. 

To most, it probably appeared abstract, perhaps sand slipping down or crashing waves, the bark of a tree, a midnight sky.

To him, it was another attempt at unraveling you. He wanted to find the soft center of who you were, brush against your sharp side. 

There was a secret at the edge of your lips and he wanted to hear all about it. 

He imagined that kissing you would feel like drifting at sea, fresh water easing the blazing sun as all earthly burdens dissolved into salt water.

And yet, here he was, sitting across from you, making a total fool of himself. 

“You know, I met the author,” he feigned nonchalance, gesturing at the book cradled between your hands. “Had a nasty habit of interrupting people.”

“As opposed to talking all the time?” You raised an eyebrow, smirking to yourself. You were way too smug about your own jokes.

“You know, there was a time when you were actually polite to me.”

“It wasn’t you, per se. It was AI you.”

“Tomato, tomahto.” He shrugged.

Your gaze drifted from him to the canvas.

“I like your painting,” you praised, uncharacteristically. “I don’t know why, but it feels like longing.”

Rafayel felt the tips of his ears begin to burn. He coughed.

“You think?”

“Yeah,” you mumbled, resting your cheek against your hand, draped over his sofa like a lazy cat. “Are you going to auction it?” 

“No.” His reply was visceral and much too quick, enough for you to perk up, and close the book on your lap.

It was his eternal curse; when he wanted you to pay attention to him, you ignored him. When he wanted you to pay him no mind, you were like a hound dog on his trail.

“Why is that?” You feigned to be casual.

“Artistic reasons you wouldn’t begin to understand,” he primly smiled at you.

“Uh huh.” 

You stood from the sofa, stretching a little before coming to sit by his side on the stool. It was a tight fit.

He liked everything about it.

How cozy you looked, out of your hunter’s uniform, barefoot and dressed comfortably. The way sunlight bathed down your hair like a cascade of gold.

Most of all, he enjoyed the openness in your gaze when it met his.

“What if I want to buy it?” You pouted. “Not even a painting for your bodyguard?”

Rafayel felt himself blushing.

“This?” He scoffed. “You have seen nothing yet, Miss Bodyguard. I’ll make you a painting the size of your bedroom wall.”

“I don’t care about the size.”

His eyebrows raised suggestively.

“Dick.” You slapped his arm.

He laughed.

“You make it too easy. Give me a week and I’ll have something for you,” he offered.

“But I want this painting.”

Rafayel was mystified. 

An idea surged.

He smiled beatifically at you. You narrowed your eyes.

“Alright. I’ll give it to you under one condition.” 

“I’m not posing naked for you.”

“Yeesh, what kind of artists have you met before? It’s nothing like that.” 

He felt just a bit scandalized, and if the idea of you posing for someone else made something ugly sprout at his chest, then it was nobody’s business.

“Then what is it?” You pressed, impatience laced into your voice. 

He leaned closer, until you could discern the light freckles grazing his cheeks.

“Tell me why you want it.”

You blushed furiously, sliding away from him in an instant.

“I told you, didn't I? I like it.” 

Rafayel pressed closer, positively glowing at the opportunity to tease you. 

“Why do you like it then?” 

He smelled like a fresh breeze, and every time he was near, you swore you could hear a distant song over crashing waves.

He was driving you insane.

“Fine.” You shifted closer to him, a silent challenge. 

It might have been your imagination, but his pupils seemed to dilate. “I want it because… I know what it is.”

“Oh, yeah?” He asked, openly curious.

His breath brushed your cheek, a reminder of the strawberries he had been eating absentmindedly while working.

You kept your attention nailed to the swirls of color. They harmonized, brought each other to life in a way that was both fantastical and realistic.

“I can recognize my own eyes, Rafayel.”

This time he was the one to blush furiously, quickly stuttering: “Narcissistic much?”

“Tell me I’m wrong.”

“You’re wrong.”

“You wish.” 

He choked back another cough. Dressing himself on his flirty bravado.

“And what if it were? Why would you want a painting of your eyes?” 

“I like the way you made them so expressive.” You looked down and mumbled: “How they feel.” 

“About what?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know, fish boy.”

“Admit it, you’re just obsessed with me.” 

You scoffed.

“I’m not the one crafting paintings of you.”

Rafayel offered you a look filled with promises of trouble. Beneath the sunlight his irises seemed more rouge than mauve, they were like a sunset reflected over sea water.

“But I bet you fantasize about it.” 

“That made no sense.”

“For someone who wants something from me, you’re being incredibly crass,” he complained. “You’re definitely getting nothing.”

-

The next day he gifted you the painting and refused to let you pay for the delivery.

[wrathofrats]

Wrathhhhh, if you feed up to it/inspo strikes may be gets something where RainDrop takes Bug to bed for the first time?

I have fantastic news and 4k of me being weird.

Ao3 link

I got carried away raise your hand if you’re surprised.

4k of jealous dew, brat phantom and mean instigator rain.

It’s slightly toxic and dubious but they’re all having fun and enthusiastically want each other ok but just know it can read a bit dubcon until the middle.

Warnings for a bit of size shaming, degrading, dew acts like he hates phantom but he’s lying, dp, lots of fun weird jealousy, yeah idk what I was doing here

Phantom tried to focus on the plate in his hand. He dunked it back into the water, rolling his eyes in annoyance at the small speck of caked on food that simply wouldn’t come off. The water was a couple degrees too hot, leaving his skin red and uncomfortable. He could hear a mild chatter behind him through the sound of water sloshing and the abrasive sponge on the ceramic. No words to make out, but a more intense conversation at least.

Whatever ghouls' presence that was behind him was coming closer. He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, a nervous reaction or his sensitive quintessence acting up he never is quite sure, but the air around him starts to smell like salt water and smoke combined with the dish soap that covers his arms.

“Told you phantom would be in here” rain sing songs to a much more unsatisfied dew.

“And I’ll blow you about it later, can you just hurry up?”

Phantom drops the dish back in the sink, a problem for whoever found it next. He shakes the water and suds off his arms before turning to face the two in front of him. Rain seemed happy, a light neutral expression on his face. He tucks a piece of black hair behind his ear as he watches phantoms own body language. Dew however seemed less enthused to see him. His shoulders slump inwards towards rain, arms crossed in front of him. He’s not even looking at phantom, instead staring at his boyfriend like he’s about to drag him away himself.

“Dew and I have a proposition for you” rain starts, giving phantom a once over for any signs he may run. He’s still the anxious new bug they know, eyes full of something akin to fear and intimidation just from rain approaching him. It makes rain feel powerful in an awful way that he knows is greedy.

“Yeah of course” phantom only looks rain in the eyes, not bothering to look over at dew, an action neither of them have missed.

“We think you’re cute bug, we see the way you look at us” rain flicks dews hand as he rolls his eyes at the word cute, “wanted to come ask if you’d possibly like to join us tonight, wanted to know if you’d be our good boy”

“Are you sure?” Phantom asks. Phantom tries to study them. Is it a joke? Are they making fun of him? Rain keeps his friendly expression, dew resigning to stare at the floor instead.

“Very, I think we could have a lot of fun with you if you’d let us”

“Then I want to hear it from him”

Dew nearly growls, his eyes wide at the sentence. The simple but cocky tone having him want to abandon the situation and tell rain he told him so. Knew he was a shit head that didn’t know how to behave correctly.

If dew was being honest with himself he would be more than happy to spoil the little quint with rain if he acted as sweet as he seems. But an ungrateful brat? No one deserved his rain, especially such a greedy thing. It only makes it worse when rain cocks his eyebrows at him expectantly, cueing him to tell phantom what he wants to hear.

He’s more than baffled, even if he shouldn’t be. Rain wanted a challenge, and he was going to get one.

“I want you to join us phantom” dew mumbles.

A bright smile breaks out on phantoms face. Rain beckons him with a finger to follow them back up to his room.

Dew would be lying to himself if he didn’t admit that his enthusiasm was a bit cute. Maybe he just wanted to be sure dew was ok with him joining. Maybe dew was wrong.

Phantom doesn’t hesitate to kneel on the bed once they walk into the room. Surely a known and practiced move, probably how Swiss makes him wait during their usual shenanigans. His hands sit crossed in his lap, his eyes focus only on rain to wait for his next instruction. Dew hopes he can be good, especially if he was this well trained already.

He pads over to card a hand through his hair, tugging at the black and white strands. Phantoms eyes close as he gasps and leans into the pressure on his scalp. He doesn’t try to pull away, even opens his eyes with a look that practically begs dew to pull harder.

“That’s a good boy, you gonna keep being good for us bug?” Dew asks, rubbing at his skin.

Phantom nods in return. His head stays nestled in dews palm, practically purring at the soft touch. It’s nice, much softer than either of them assumed the other would be.

“Oh, see dew? I knew he was a sweet boy.” Rain coos. It’s silent as he walks over to the bed, both ghouls watching for his next move, to tell them what to do. It’s an unconscious reaction in dew to immediately listen to rain, even if he’s supposed to also be in charge here. He knows he’s not, only allowed to have his fun as long as rain approves of it.

Rain stops in front of dew first, pulling him in for a small kiss. Nothing more than a peck on the lips. It’s short and sweet, rains hand lingers on dews neck for another second as he pulls away, staring at the fire ghoul with a loving smile.

He steps in front of phantom next. Another loving touch to the side of his face, something to hopefully calm whatever nerves the new ghoul has. It was supposed to be another chaste peck to the lips but before rain can stop him, phantom has his fists in his shirt, pulling him closer.

The kiss deepens much farther past what rain had intended. Lips slotting together easily as phantom licks into rains mouth. Dew can’t help but watch in horror, he’s sure if phantom was any stronger he would’ve had rain in his lap with the way he’s pulling at him. The wet smacking sound from their lips makes dew ball his fists in the sheets to keep himself from forcefully dragging phantom out of rains grasp. It doesn’t help that phantom fucking groans as rain bites his lips.

Finally rain pulls back after what feels like an hour. A line of spit connects their lips and dew is certain phantom is fucking looking at him for a reaction. A horrible smug look on his face, purely waiting for dew to say or do something about the interaction that just transpired.

“That wasn’t very sweet of you bug, thought you knew better than to take more than you’re allowed” rain lightly chastises him.

“Sorry” phantom whispers, his head turned to dew just to catch his eye before turning back to rain “guess I just got excited”

Rain can’t help but smile. He can’t bring himself to punish phantom yet, especially since he looks apologetic, can’t fault him for wanting to kiss him so badly.

“It’s alright just can’t let you get spoiled now can we?”

Dew stares, baffled. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“What?” Rain looks at him with a knowing smirk. Practically daring him to do something when they both know he won’t.

“You’re just going to let him get away with that?”

“He doesn’t know any better droplet, stupid thing just got desperate” rain practically purrs, turning back to phantom “didn’t you sweetheart?”

They all know the truth. Dew knows he knows better, rain knows he knows better, and phantom certainty knows, that they both know, that he knows better. But to dew it feels like phantom is truly testing his limits. He wants to see what will get both of them to break.

“And since when do desperate sluts get what they want?” Dew asks, also looking at phantom. Rain still has a hand on his cheek, making phantom nuzzle into his palm innocently.

“I certainly give you what you want dewdrop, even when you act like a jealous bitch. So why is this different?” Rain scolds, not even looking at him. “Dew likes to give me a challenge sometimes stardust, but you wouldn’t do that would you?”

“No sir”

Rain could just beam at the obedience. A pang of pride in his chest at how well phantom listens to him. It’s adorable honestly, how enthusiastic and compliant he is to rains words, not to mention the thick air of jealousy between him and dew. It all goes straight to his ego, only fueling him to be worse.

“You can’t let him think he can get away with shit. Honestly shouldn’t even be allowed to touch you since our play thing has forgotten its place” dew sneers.

“Didn’t think you were in charge here dewdrop” phantom taunts back.

“Excuse me? I have mo-“

“He’s right, you’re not in charge here darling and you know that” rain cuts dew off before he can finish his sentence. “Are you just jealous? Upset that phantom is getting more attention than you? Do you not trust me to take care of my angelfish?”

Rains tone is sickly sweet, daunting like the call of a siren. It has dew immediately quiet, listening to rains words as if his life depended on it. A part of the jealousy fades out of him, grateful for the way rain smiles when he looks at him.

“I do, just-“ dew attempts to stammer out an excuse.

“None of that then. Show phantom how sweet you can be to me”

Dew is on rain immediately. He easily rips his shirt off of him, discarding it next to the bed. His hands run down his lithe torso, hot kisses trailing behind them. Praising any inch of skin that rain will allow him to.

He runs his hands slowly down to rains sweatpants, giving a small look over to phantom who seems more flustered than he should be given the proposition. The quint can’t decide where to look, doesn’t want to look either ghoul in the eyes, doesn’t want to stare directly at rains tits, he settles for shifting his gaze wherever he can. From dews hands that grip rains waistband, to the floor, to rain looking down on dew hungrily, his arms now crossed in front of him, pushing his chest together. The slightest bit of cleavage that forms makes him want to drool.

“Want you to watch phantom, eyes over here starlight” rain whispers. Phantom swallows thickly, allowing his eyes to settle on dews hands.

Dew finally pulls at rains sweats, slowly revealing him to phantom. It’s a teasing pace, both ghouls watching to see his reaction. See how worked up they can get him without actually touching him.

The band finally stretches past the swell of his ass, loosening around his thighs, enough to drop to the floor. Rains skin is perfect, hairless, smooth, phantom thinks he may be drooling as he watches dew thumb over his hips with a possessive look on his face.

Phantoms breath hitches as rain bends over in front of him to kick off his pants completely. Still slow and teasing, as if he’s showing himself off. Rains completely exposed in this position, plump little ass practically in phantoms face, his cunt fully on display for phantom to gawk at. His folds are already slick and shiny with arousal. Phantom would do anything to taste him.

“Like what you see phantom?” Rain asks, standing back up to face him. He stands over him, looking down while phantom continues to stare at his chest.

“Fuck- “ phantom chokes “you’re so pretty”

“That all starlight?”

“Please rainy, let me worship you, let me play with your tits” phantom begs

And oh, that goes straight to rains head. The glassy eyed thing staring at him like he’s a marble statue, carved by the delicate hand of a master. It’s awful, he considers letting phantom touch him as he pleases until dew has his hands on his waist, pulling him back with a snarl.

“Absolutely not. Hands off”

“Dew” rain warns.

“You haven’t been good enough to touch him” dew growls again, staring phantom directly in the eye with a look that would be threatening to him if it was anyone besides dewdrop.

“And you’re still not in charge.” Rain scolds, tearing himself from dews grip. “Don’t be selfish, I gave you your attention. Didnt think it would make you so spoiled”

“But rainy” dew protests.

“Honestly I don’t think either of you have been good enough to touch me”

Dew and phantom look at each other in shock as rain moves to sit in the chair across from the bed. Thighs hiked up on the arm rests in a lazy position giving a perfect view of his cunt to the other two ghouls. He moves his hands down his thighs slowly as if he’s teasing himself, a wicked smile on his face.

“Think you two should make up, put on a show for me” rain rubs up between his folds, barely brushing his clit that is on display. He bites his lip at the electric shock that courses through his body from the small touch, a gasp on his lips.

“You don’t mean what I think you mean”

“You know I do. Make up with him and then if you do well enough you two can share me”

Phantom and dew stare at each other for a second in some kind of pseudo dominance contest. A silent argument of who will submit to the other, admit what is in their eyes, defeat.

“Gonna let me fuck you baby boy?” Dew asked, low and gravely as he crawls over to phantom who looks like he’s about to claw him if he lays a hand on him, “put on a good show for rainy? Sure you make such pretty sounds when you’re actually behaving”

“And who said I have to be the one whimpering like a whore? You seem to need to be rains bitch all the time, I might as well make you mine too”

Phantom sits up to face dew too, a mischievous look in his eyes. Another silent argument to see who backs down first without actually laying hands on each other. Dew wants a fight, more than happy with physical force, but the satisfaction of phantom possibly asking dew to fuck him is enough to keep him still in their stand off.

“You’d look so pretty though stuffed with my cock. I know you can be such an obedient little thing, maybe I just need to get you all stupid and cock drunk so you’ll be good” dew closes in, his face only inches from phantoms. Phantom can feel his hot breath on his neck, lips practically touching the sensitive skin. He doesn’t want to give up, doesn’t want to give dew the pleasure of knowing he’s won.

It’s hard to think. Between being able to smell rains own arousal, seeing him slowly play with himself at the sight of the two on the bed, and dew who is practically closing in on him. He would be lying to himself if he didn’t admit that dews harsh words and degrading tone weren’t getting to him.

“Just say yes bug, tell me how much you want me”

Dew grabs phantoms chin in his hand, looking down at him from hooded lids. There’s a dizzying feeling in his head from the way dews other hands roams his body. Pets over his hip, plays with the waistband of his pants asking to get rid of them. He wants it. He wants dews hands on him, wants him to shame him for giving up so easily. Doesn’t care if dew gets cocky about it, just wants to be touched finally.

“Please, do something just touch me, need you” phantom starts to babble. His hands fly to dews to help in tearing off his own clothes. He tugs at his pants with dew before ripping his shirt over his head. There’s no time to process his state of exposure before he’s throwing himself onto dew.

“God if I knew you’d be this easy I would’ve bent you over a long time ago” dew laughs.

“Shut up, just do something, anything” phantom growls. He roughly tugs at dews own clothing as dew simply lays back and lets him. He has a cocky aura to him, a smugness about letting phantom act desperate after his stunts earlier.

“Gotta stop groping me like a slut and then maybe I’ll fuck you like one”

Phantoms off him in an instant. He lays back against the headboard, thighs open as his cock sits red and angry on his belly. Dew can see everything in this position, phantom completely on display for him. The way his cock fucking leaks from being hard for what seems like hours now, his little hole that is basically begging for dews cock in it, he looks more obscene than dew would like to admit.

“Stop fucking teasing then and prove it” phantom groans while dew and rain just watch him. Rain still sits on his throne like he’s waiting to be impressed. A slow slick sound comes from his fingers as he continues to lazily stroke his cunt.

It’s a challenge, something to provoke dew into being rougher with him and they both know it. Phantoms dragged down the bed in a second, knees pushed up against his chest.

“Shouldn’t have to prove anything to you when you’re already whining for it. You’ll fucking take anyone as long as it gets your little dick off won’t you?” Dew spits sloppily into his hand, smearing the saliva around phantoms hole. It’s barely enough glide for two fingers as dew shoves them in haphazardly. Phantom scrunches his face at the burn, a small whimper coming out of his mouth.

“Yeah? Is that all you needed?”

“Just fuck me already please-“ phantom squeaks as dew leans down to tease at his cock. He mouths over it, cleans the pool of pre that gathered on his stomach. He can feel it twitch over his lips and if dew thought he had any more time he would be more than happy to continue to savor his taste.

“Gotta get you stretched out. Don’t want to hurt you” dew coos, scissoring his fingers to open phantom up.

“Make it hurt fuck- dew please make it hurt” phantom cries as dew kitten licks at the tip again.

Dew can’t help but let out a shaky curse at the quints begging. He tears his fingers out to spit again in an attempt to lube himself up enough for phantom, even despite the pleas for it to hurt. Dew thinks he may black out. Getting phantom underneath him is satisfying enough, but for him to beg him to hurt him? Let him make a mess of him in front of rain? Dew truly doesn’t know how he can control himself.

“Yeah, I got you baby boy don’t worry” dew reassures him. He’s cute, even despite his awful mouth.

They both groan in unison once dew finally pushes into him. He’s slow, watching phantom for any signs of actual discomfort, but phantom looks like he’s about to cry if he doesn’t cum soon. He arches off the bed, hands fisted in the sheets below him. There’s a pretty flush down his chest as he pants trying to adjust.

“Please move please dew you gotta move come on” phantom cries.

“I’ll make such a mess of you, promise I’ll take care of you”

Rain still watches in amusement. Seeing his dew fuck the brat out of the sweet ghoul below him is more than entertaining. It’s beyond arousing to see him so commanding, watching as he completely takes phantom apart on his cock. He fingers himself open watching the two desperately fuck each other. Slick leaks from the three fingers stuffed inside of him and onto the chair, hot and messy. He can’t help himself, can’t help the little grunts and whines he makes as he watches dew fuck phantom hard and fast into the mattress.

He can tell they’re both close, the insults and degrading words fizzled out into curses and moans that have rain trying to not bring himself to edge too just watching them.

“Stop, off of each other” rain calls out retracting his own soaked fingers from himself.

Phantom nearly sobs as dew does what he’s told and pulls out. He scrambles to grab at him to keep inside to no avail.

“No rain please I need it” phantom begs

“If you stay quiet I’ll let you both cum in me, give you a little treat for being good yeah?” Rain pets over phantoms hair, laughing a bit at the tears in his eyes before laying next to them.

“Didn’t think you two should be allowed to have all the fun. Especially since you’ve been whiny brats this entire time”

Rain beckons dew over with a finger, silently telling him what he wants. He’s already loose and slippery from playing with him, doesn’t take any effort for dew to slip right inside of him. He’s hot and wet and so fucking pretty that dew doesn’t know if he will be able to last.

“You too bug, come here” rains calls

“I- will I fit?”

“Baby I think aethers thicker than the two of you combined, more worried if you’ll even get me off like this”

It’s mean, degrading, rains harsh tone and uninterested expression making dew and phantom both desperate to please him. They can barely comprehend their own thoughts, long since close to their own edges. Phantom isn’t sure he will last either just being in rain, let alone with dew pressed tightly next to him.

It’s almost too much. Phantom barely fits despite rain chastising them for not being enough. It’s slick enough that he pops right in with a sick wet sound, making all 3 curse with each other.

“Can’t move rainy, too much” phantom cries. His limbs shake, thighs trying to keep from bucking into him even though he knows he will cum almost immediately.

“I know, let me cum around you two and I promise I’ll give you whatever you want” rain pants as he reaches down to circle his own clit. He’s sensitive, borderline painfully so. Can’t help but clench down every time he touches himself even though he’s stuffed to the brim.

It doesn’t help dew and phantoms situation, even just his tight cunt clenching around them has them both teetering on the edge of their own orgasms.

“Too close raincloud, it’s too much I won’t last please-“ dew calls out, vision blurry as rains continues to leak around them

“Cum for me then, fill me up” rain gasps. His fingers twitch as he gets closer.

It doesn’t take much, phantom and dew both painfully hard and sensitive, just a couple more strokes is all they need before they are both filling rain beyond his limit. It’s hot, too much as rain also cums around them, feeling his own slick gush out of him.

He’s gross, a complete mess as dew and phantom pull out to gawk at the sight in front of them. Rain is fucking gaping, cum and his own arousal leaking out of him. It’s obscene how ruined he looks, pussy swollen and abused.

“You ok raincloud?” Dew asked, slightly concerned as they all come down from their highs.

“M fine angelfish” rain pants. He’s flushed and tired, panting from exhaustion and how sore he’s starting to feel. “Proud of both of you, happy I finally got you to get along”

“Dew started it” phantom finally speaks up.

“Fuck you bug” dew laughs

[freesia-writes]

Chapter 4: A Shop Visit

Enjoy a warm and fuzzy tale of romance, suspense, adventure, and self-discovery as Hunter finds his path after the events of TBB. Banner/dividers by @pinkiemme ~ Master List ~ Previous Chapter

Chapter 4 - Word Count: 2.2k - FANART BY @nika6q!!

Hunter wiped his hands on the rag before tossing it on the counter, scrutinizing the rows of neatly-trimmed filets spread across the butcher block in front of him. It had been an oddly quiet day, aside from a very boisterous group of women from the school who had stopped by on their lunch break. Why they were in search of raw meat at an hour when most people would be eating prepared food, Hunter had no idea. But he had a sneaking suspicion, after recent conversations, that there was some sort of challenge going around the office that involved his attention, and their enthusiastic questions about his sausages only furthered his increasing need for caution. 

It was nearing time to close, although he wasn’t in any hurry to get home to the empty house. Omega would be home the following day, so he’d busied himself with extra hunting time as well as some organizational tasks around the butcher shop that he’d been putting off for a while. He found it strangely cathartic as he wiped the counters after putting everything away, enjoying the smoothness of the stone surface as his mind wandered across the various aspects of life on the island.

The gentle tinkle of the bell hanging inside the door caught his attention, and he ventured out from the back room. It was another one of the office ladies, the one he’d spoken to about the emergency beacon for Omega. She was wearing a long brown skirt with a plain blue shirt tucked into it, and her brown hair was tucked into a loose braid at the base of her neck. He wracked his memory for her name, surprised that he was coming up entirely blank, but was saved from speaking by her gentle greeting. 

“Hi,” she said, offering a halfhearted wave as she carefully closed the door behind her. Her eyebrows lifted slightly as her eyes flickered around the shop. “Man, I’ve never seen any place so clean,” she admitted with the faintest chuckle that was oddly endearing. Or perhaps it was just the most emotion he’d seen from her. “Also… We Meat Again? Did you come up with the name?” She was fighting to keep her face neutral.

“I lost a bet.” He grinned at the memory, shaking his head fondly.

“Ah, well… It’s fantastic. I’d like to open a cheese shop next door and call it… uh…” she faltered, clearly not having thought this far into her own joke. “Something cheesy…” She cringed, then continued, “Are you all wrapped up for the day?”

“Just about,” Hunter said, leaning on the counter opposite her. “But what were you looking for? I think your coworkers bought enough sausage to go around for quite a while…” 

“Yeah…” Her gaze found his face for a moment before returning to their leisurely perusal of the signs, glass cases, and other elements of the storefront. “They have a bit of a herd mentality sometimes.” Her tone was hard to discern, and Hunter tilted his head, assessing her body language. She seemed a little bit sheepish and a little unsure of herself, and he didn’t get the sense that she was part of the whole office debacle, which put him at ease a bit. “Anyway – I’ve been telling myself for weeks that I was going to stop by and check the place out, so… check,” she said with a small smile, moving her index finger in the shape of a check mark in the air. 

“Can I get you anything?” he pressed, rubbing his hands together slowly as if itching to make himself useful. 

“I don’t want to make you undo all your tidying,” she answered, eyeing the slabs of meat in the case.

“It’s alright; it’s a quick clean-up if you’re not asking me to butcher an entire caraboose,” Hunter said, smirking at the resulting shock on her face that quickly melted into mildly enthused humor.

“I’m not sure I’d want to see that,” she said with a smile, pointing toward the thinly-sliced fambaa fillets. “But if you wouldn’t mind wrapping up a pound of those bad boys… perhaps then my mouth will stop watering.” He nodded, a courteous grin of his own passing across his face as he moved into action. 

“They were bad boys,” he mused, laying out the butcher paper before fetching the steaks. “Took advantage of some nearby stampeding kod’yok to try to sneak up on me. Probably would have taken a decent chunk out of my leg if I didn’t have enha… If I hadn’t been paying attention.”

“You… uh… You hunt this all yourself?” she said, eyes widening slightly as he gave a curt nod. “That sounds intense. How do you do it?” 

Hunter shrugged, folding the thick brown paper in careful layers to create one neat little package, “I was trained from a young age… had lots of practice… And it seemed to address a need around here, so I’m glad to have a place to apply my… skills.” 

“You’ve been a butcher all your life?” she asked, shifting her weight to her other foot to pull her shoulder bag into reach, digging absently for her wallet. 

“Not entirely. Did some other stuff here and there. Whatever it took to get by at different stages of life,” he answered evenly, weighing the package and printing a small label. “How about you?” he continued, shifting the focus.

“I know how that goes,” she said, delicately placing the money into his hand and taking the package from him. “Um, I had a few different jobs on Coruscant. The last one was an administrative aide for a senator’s office. I thought it would be glamorous,” she admitted, again letting out that quiet chuckle as though laughing at herself, then turning somber. “Needless to say, it was decidedly not what I expected.” 

“So you came here?” Hunter asked, tucking the money into the drawer beneath the counter. 

“Yep,” she said. “The thrilling adventures of Lyra. Coming soon to a holoscreen near you.” He chuckled, running the towel across the counter again as he committed the name to memory. “But really… It’s wonderful here. So peaceful and quiet. It’s like closing a door on the chaos of the Core Worlds.”

“Been here long?” 

“Not really… Almost two years now. But long enough to feel pretty settled.”

“Hm. Any inside info I should know?” 

Lyra laughed again, almost nervously this time, shrugging as she looked at the counter, “About what?”

“The island. The planet. The comings and goings. We’ve been here for a number of months, but it seems to be almost too quiet. I guess I have a hard time believing that anywhere could be a perfect little safe place.”

“Ah,” she said, nodding slowly. “I know the feeling. But as far as I’ve seen, the Empire doesn’t seem to know nor care about anything out here, so that keeps most of the issues away. Not a lot of conflict otherwise. Haven’t even seen many pirates. There aren’t any valuable natural resources other than what sustains everyone on the planet itself, so it just doesn’t get much attention. It’s been a nice change of pace, for me at least.”

“Sounds like the sort of place the unsavory type might go to disappear…” he mused, brow furrowing slightly. Crosshair often accused him of seeing threats anywhere and everywhere, which was ironic coming from the snarky sniper, but the sense of responsibility that had rested heavily on Hunter’s shoulders for the entirety of his created life so far was hard to shake. He sensed an immediate wave of discomfort emanating from Lyra, and he turned to face her more fully. “Sorry,” he said, realizing what it may imply. “I just mean… You haven’t seen any shady types lurking around, have you?” 

“Just that tall, scowling, gray-haired man with the eye tattoo,” she said, keeping her face carefully neutral. The flashes of humor and wit were so fleeting that Hunter questioned whether they happened at all. She must have known who he was from the school’s initial orientation day, or from Omega’s enrollment paperwork, where all of her brothers had been listed as emergency contacts and trusted guardians.

“Mmm,” he agreed, tightening his lips to hold back a smirk. “Yeah, we should watch out for that one. Anyway… Sorry if that’s an odd thing to say. Just trying to get a feel for a new place, you know…”

“I get it,” she said, in the same gentle tone she’d used in her office when he’d asked her to keep the emergency beacon. He couldn’t tell what it was about her that created an air of compassion, understanding, and quiet assurance, but it had a settling effect that he appreciated. “It’s nice to feel safe,” she finished, simply and quietly. 

“It is.” 

They stood silently for a moment, pleasantly surprised by the sense of agreement and the notable lack of awkwardness, then Lyra took a step back, tucking her bag behind her shoulder and lifting her chin slightly to give Hunter another tiny smile. 

“Thank you so much for these,” she said, nodding toward her purchase. “I’m excited to try out a dry seasoning rub that I haven’t used in years.” 

“Sounds fancy,” Hunter commented, his interest piqued. “You like to cook?” 

“I do,” Lyra admitted, running an hand absently up and down the outside of one arm. “Maybe too much,” she laughed, a little self-conscious. “I love being home. I have a little garden with herbs and vegetables, way too many pots and pans, and a disproportionate love of food. So I enjoy coming up with new recipes and trying new things.”

“Well I’m sure your family members aren’t complaining. Or whoever gets to eat it,” Hunter corrected, realizing he still didn’t know much about her situation. 

“Just me,” she said with a small shrug. “Well, that’s not true – I take some meals to neighbors at times. But it’s just me and my cozy little cottage. And the critters in the garden, I suppose. I’m not very exciting.”

“Excitement isn’t always all that it’s cracked up to be.” 

“Very true,” Lyra agreed. “Well, if you ever need some fresh herbs for all your steak adventures that Omega talks about, I’m happy to share. I’ve got a trick or two up my sleeve in the thrilling realm of meat marinades.” Every word of hers felt somehow self-effacing and unapologetic at the same time, and Hunter found a small smile on his face. 

“And you said you weren’t exciting,” he said dryly, earning a little snicker from her. “Although, to be honest, I’ll take all the help I can get… As grateful and appreciative as Omega and Wrecker are, I think we’re all getting a little sick of the same three meals. I wasn’t really made for… domestic life.” His tone grew somewhat sad at the end, echoes of his creation and purpose surfacing above his efforts to find his way in a new stage of life. 

“I think we all find ourselves thrown into situations we’d never would have guessed, at some time or another in our lives,” Lyra mused, a nearly imperceptible ache in her own slightly husky voice. Her gaze grew distant for a moment, caught only by his sharp senses before she shook her head minutely and seemed to return to the present. “Feels like getting a new pair of shoes. Awkward and clunky at first, then you wear them in until they seem to fit perfectly. You know?” Hunter’s hum of agreement was lost in her words as she continued, “Unless they’re high heels. Those are just cruel and unrelenting.”

“Now that I definitely wouldn’t know about,” he said, ducking his head to run an idle hand over his hair, most of which was pulled back near the top of his head. 

“You’d be wise to keep it that way,” Lyra said with a smile, feeling the conversation coming to a close. “Anyway… Thanks again for this,” she said, patting her bag, “And I’ll see you next time!”

“See you,” Hunter echoed, watching her slip demurely out the door. He sighed, casting a glance around the shop and mulling over her words. The only shoes he’d ever known had been combat boots, made as much for him as he had been made for them. It had been simple, in a way… And then his singular, straightforward trajectory exploded like a firework into a million different paths, leaving him scrambling to try to choose the best one for him and his squad. It was hard to believe that now, after years of chaos and tumult, he could settle into something like a simple island life. 

He finished the few remaining clean-up tasks and turned the sign on the door before locking it behind him, taking a deep breath of the fresh air before starting his walk home. Part of him wanted that sense of autonomy and freedom that nat-borns took for granted, and yet part of him balked at the thought. Why? He had no idea. But he shrugged off the thoughts as much as he could, resolving to continue on, one step at a time… while remaining prepared for anything.

.

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[bluewasthecolor]

if you’re taking requests, i’d love to read 13 + leah williamson👀 absolutely love your writing!

Prompt 13 x Leah Williamson

Word Count: 771

Warnings: Implied smut/maybe a little bit of actual smut

A/N: Thank you, I love that you love my writing!! Makes me want to keep doing it! Also, I haven’t decided whether i’m comfortable writing full blown smut so this is what you’re getting for now. Keep sending requests, from the prompt list or otherwise! I want to do some more song fics, so any song ideas would be much appreciated.

Leah isn’t quite sure how she’d ended up in this situation, but she’s not complaining. You’re standing in the kitchen of her apartment, clad in nothing but very small shorts and an even smaller bra, baking something that smells damn near heavenly. It had started with a conversation at training that afternoon, she recalls, something about her craving homemade blueberry muffins. And then…well then, as it turned out, her AC wasn’t working so you’d had to ditch your hoodie. Before she knew it, here she was. Sitting at the kitchen counter watching a wildly attractive woman bake for her. It’s like some sort of fantasy, she thinks to herself, some sort of very distracting fantasy because she realizes you’re talking to her (and likely have been for quite some time).

“...Leah? Hello, earth to Leah?”

“Oh, sorry. What was that?”

“I was just asking if these are all the blueberries you have.”

“Oh, yeah, I think so. I can run out and get some more if you need me to.”

“No, it’s all good,” You shake your head, “I’ll just make half a batch.”

With that sorted, Leah goes back to her observing (staring). The way you move is graceful, almost liquid. You float around the kitchen effortlessly, adding a splash of vanilla or a handful of blueberries as you see fit. It’s magical, like an art form. And the way your shorts ride low on your hips, the way your back muscles flex…it’s almost enough to make Leah groan aloud, but she catches herself just in time. There’s no need to embarrass herself that much. She’ll settle for blatantly appreciating you. 

Soon enough, you’re pulling the muffins out of the oven and placing two of them on plates for the two of you to enjoy. You plop down next to her at the counter, sliding the plate under her nose. 

“Wow Y/N, these look amazing. I wish I could cook. Or bake. Or do anything beyond using a microwave.”

You blush and look away, not used to compliments like this. Plus there’s the small issue of that huge crush you have on Leah. Anytime she so much as looks at you, you’re sure you’re about to combust. So at training today when she announced, to no one in particular, that she was craving homemade muffins, you jumped at the chance to impress her with your skills in the kitchen. 

When you look back up, Leah has finished her muffin and is looking at you. There’s something different in her eyes, a look you’re not used to. Is it…desire? No. You shake it off, telling yourself that you’re being silly. 

“That was fucking fantastic.” Her voice is low, and again you get the sense that she wants you. You decide to push your luck, telling yourself you can play it off as a joke if it backfires.

“Y’know, if you keep looking at me like that we won’t make it to a bed.”

Leah recoils at the comment, taken completely by surprise. You watch her process for a moment, before she smirks and responds.

“Looking at you like what?” “Like you want to fucking devour me.” Your eyes meet hers, challenging her to take it further.

“And if I do?” She asks, voice coming out sultry, “If I can’t wait to get you out of those goddamn tiny shorts?” 

You let out an audible gasp at this, trying to gather your thoughts enough to form a coherent response.

“Like I said, I don’t think we’re gonna make it to bed.” You keep it simple, unsure that you could say anything more eloquent than that.

“Oh darling, I don’t need a bed for what I want to do to you.”

With that, Leah rises from her stool, coming to stand between your legs. She looks down at you before cupping your face to meet your lips with a kiss. It’s passionate, desperate, hurried, but it’s also tender, conveying that she’s been wanting to do this for longer than this afternoon. Everything is a bit of a blur after that. You end up on the counter, on your back, Leah between your legs. She brings you to the edge over and over again until she finally lets you come, her name tumbling from your lips in a stream of moans and curses. Then it's your turn. You flip your positions, straddling her, and return the favor.

After, the two of you lie on the counter, limbs intertwined. Leah props herself up on one elbow, looks at you, and pushes your sweat soaked hair off your forehead.

“You have no fucking idea how long I’ve wanted to do that.”

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Why the "True Selves" Theory is Insulting

Image for a second that you have a friend who's a bit of a ditz. She's also fun, creative, and sweet. You enjoy being around her, but you've never seen her as more than a friend. Then, one day, a fire breaks out at an event that you and your friend are attending. Your lives are suddenly in mortal peril and the same goes for everyone around you because you can't find the exit. You think that you're going to die.

Then, suddenly, your friend transforms. Not in a magical way, it's just a personality shift, but it might as well be magical because it's like nothing you've ever seen! The ditziness is gone, replaced by laser focus and a take-charge attitude that has everyone following your friend without question. When all is said and done, everyone lives because of you friend. As it turns out, her tendency to get easily distracted means that she's a fantastic in-the-moment problem solver.

Going through that completely changes how you see this girl. You no longer just like her, no, you're now deeply in love with her. You tell a mutual friend about this and they laugh at you, then say, "Don't be silly, that wasn't really her! Her true self isn't that brave girl who saved your life! That was special circumstances that don't count. All that counts is the way she acts when there isn't a crisis going on. It doesn't matter that you've always liked her and enjoyed her company, if you didn't fall in love with based solely on her ditzy self, then you don't really love her."

Most people would call this mutual friend insane because of course going through crazy experiences changes the way we view people! Imagine if you had an allergic reaction and your significant other's reaction was to panic and run away, leaving you to die. You only live because you manage to grab your phone and call '911.' That would understandably lead many people to reassess if this is the person they want to spend their life with just like the opposite experience might make you see a person as a good life partner.

Marinette is Ladybug. She gets full credit for everything she's done in the suit and it's perfectly fine for Adrien to become attracted to her after he sees her in action. It doesn't mean that he only values her Ladybug side. He quite clearly cares for Marinette, he just hasn't seen her in the right light for him to fall in love. (And, if we're being frank, Marinette acts like Ladybug all the time when he's not around or when he is around, but a crisis is going on. She's really not that different from her alter ego.)

Along similar lines, Marinette isn't wrong for being drawn to Adrien's sweeter side more than his over-the-top jokey side. There's a reason why Glaciator ended with her blushing. Compare the end of Glaciator to the end of Origins and, yeah, same energy because - in that moment - Chat Noir was letting his Adrien side out by being more sincere and vulnerable, which are the things that Marinette values most in a romance and the things that he rarely shows while in the mask. It doesn't mean that she hates his jokey side, it's just not going to win her heart when Adrien's right there being sweet and sincere while Chat Noir hides his feelings behind a smile and a laugh.

In fact, it's pretty insulting to Adrien to say that someone shouldn't be attracted to his more vulnerable side. That his sincerity is worth less than his jokes. Almost as insulting as telling Marinette that her Ladybug side doesn't count and she should get no credit for being brave as that's not really her. Loving her only counts if a person falls in love while she's behaving in her most over-the-top, cringe, embarrassing way.

I don't know about you, but I would never want someone to hold me to that standard nor would I hold my significant other to that standard! It's perfectly normal to have things that you don't love about your significant other. In fact, I'd argue that part of the magic of a real, lasting romance is having someone who loves you even though you're not perfect. If you are looking for a partner who never annoys you or does something wrong, then you will never find happiness because that person does not exist.

Now that I've said all of that, I want to add that I do think that marichat, "love both sides" stories can be cute. It's just not One True Path to Real Love. It's totally fine if the square starts dating based on the things that they find attractive about each other and then just continue to be in love as they learn about the other side. If anything, that's normal. Learning about a person is what dating is all about! A good relationship is no different than a good friendship, you just get some bonus perks if you're into that kind of thing.

I'll also note that I'm not criticizing stories where Marinette feels like she's the "real" version and Ladybug is the fake because that's a really understandable thing to be nervous about. Tikki saying that shit? Hard no. Terrible mentoring.

[nilolol30]

Never too late to try new things

Monkey king x reader

Picnics were a favorite pass time for Wukong especially with you, he always brings your favorite foods though you had to talk to him about how you won't eat anything that was literally made from his fur which he found understandable.

You can't miss the big smile he has whenever he spots you walking over to him and his little set up.

"You finally made it! And here I thought you stood me up" He laughed while patting the spot next to him excitedly, laughing at his antics you join him as he opened the basket and held out one of your favorite foods to you.

"How could I dare do such a thing hm?" You joked with a smile before taking a bite and soon you both fell into a discussion about each other's day.

"But I finally decided to write a perfect training schedule for the kiddo and he gave me his work schedule so we can plan accordingly!" Wukong smiled, even though you were the one who gave him the idea.

"Really? And here I thought you couldn't read" You struggled to stifle a laugh when Wukong's face went from disbelief and fake offense "that is a misconception I'll have you know I can read and write! Quite well too!" Immediately you couldn't hold it in and bursted out laughing.

"So anyway! That's what I did today so what fantastic thing did you do hm?" Changing the topic Wukong leaned in close as he hummed while he slid over a bottle of water to you.

"Well today I got to try some tea from this new tea shop! I got this peach flavored one it was pretty good" Wukong hummed again nodding in approval "Of course I mean it's peaches! They're always going to be good like have you ever eaten one they're top fruit man!" He fist bumped the air while looking at the little monkeys that copied him.

You laugh at his rant before adding "No I haven't" Wukong stoped himself from going into another rant about how superior peaches were and he slowly turned his head back to you "you're pulling my tail aren't you?" You shook your head at his question.

"Nope no way no! no living being on this mountain should not ever suffer from never eating a peach!" Wukong summoned his nimbus and jumped on, quickly yelling a "be right back" before zooming off.

It didn't take long for Wukong to zoom back to the picnic with an armful of peaches he sat down Infront of you and dropped all the peaches onto your lap with a wide smile "Well? Go on go on try them!" His tail swayed in anticipation.

Humoring him you pick up a peach "Do I peel it?" You ask turning the peach in your hand Wukong raises an eyebrow for a second before connecting the dots "Oh right human stomaches and stuff...but yeah hold on lemme!" Taking the peach from your hand he plucked some fur from his head and turns it into a peeler.

He would use his claws but you'd probably find that unsanitary since he hasn't cleaned the dirt from his claws for a bit, but after peeling the peach and handing it back to you he ate the leftover peels and waited for you to take a bite.

Only with a little hesitation you finally did and you chewed for a bit before swallowing "Weeeell?" Wukong asked leaning in close to hear your opinion.

"hmm...it's good" Wukong laughed and jumped up in celebration "Let's gooo! Here I'll peel some more for you!"

[maykitz]

watched a popular movie so there's a mandatory my complaints and opinions longpost

barbie is a decent comedy with great visuals for sure but i have to say the social justice dialogue was written unbearably, felt like a 2012 bad tumblr post that wouldn't end. the real shame however is that imo the movie refused to take itself seriously even for a minute at crucial moments while making its entire plot about serious things, so it was like, okay, then what's the point.. you're saying patriarchy every other sentence and talking about the incredible pressure on women and having to deal with sexual harassment etc but every single scene is played like we're in beverly hills chihuahua. yes it's a comedy naturally but firstly comedy doesn't have to mean lowbrow slapstick all the time and secondly beverly hills chihuahua understands that it can't have those dogs be talking about abortion and fighting the islamic state with little pink paw pad drones, yknow?

the parody of male identity and masculinity was overall very lacklustre and disappointing too cause it had no bite, it was more like when south park depicts a celebrity as an adult baby- trite and kinda childish and with that air of smugness that tells you the author thinks too highly of themself to even need to flesh it out. which sucks! there's so much about men to satirise and roast lol. gosling is comparably quite old and there wasn't even one hairline or forehead wrinkles comment. sort of a haha gay joke about michael cera's comedic relief character ig? and will ferrell's character could've been wholly scrapped idk what he was even doing there tbh

the big inspiring message about female empowerment, too, is a little bit undercut (haters would say demolished) by there being no bulldagger barbie (or human), margot robie's miraculous powerful ending being that she now dresses and looks exactly like as a doll except her pink shoes are now flats and there's also a breakfast club tier makeover on a teen girl who hates barbie and talks like an sjw courtesy of plebcomics to show that she is now instead happy and pink and loves barbie. and even tho there's 1 fat barbie side character and 1 background wheelchair barbie the topic of unrealistic body proportions (the #1 complaint against barbie dolls!) and beauty pressure is entirely carefully omitted. there's a moment where a narrator coyly acknowledges this like, hehe margot robie is too pretty a casting choice to make this point about feeling ugly. yeah ok but, well. you still did it though. and every other actress too. they even ditched "weird" barbie's destroyed choppy hair + sharpie on face appearance for a put together "punk" outfit with flawless makeup and styled hair. even the destroyed toy can't forego her feminine beauty makeover, and it's only then that the other barbies apologise for ostracising her. big win for looking however you want.

ryan gosling was fantastic though i was really surprised by his singing voice and performance. and i cannot overstate my praise for the costuming and set designs, actual artistry all around

[evan4ever]

Vegas, baby

Part 5 — part 4 here

Warnings: pregnancy, none really

a/n: sorry this chapter is a bit boring, promise it’ll get intense soon! and please excuse any errors 🫶🏻

—

Your POV

You paced back and forth in your room while Shayla now sat at the end of your bed watching you. She was just as nervous as you, hoping that even though the message was from Sarah Paulson verified Instagram, that it was legit. Not some scam that was going to throw you back 10 steps rather than what could be a step closer to the outcome you were desperate for.

Your heart beat faster with every ring on the other line, worry setting in that she may not pick up and that you were wasting your time. What if this was pointless you thought. What if it was a harsh joke and you would end up back to square one -

“Hello, y/n” a friendly voice interrupted your negative thoughts and you were stuck not knowing what to say when you realized Sarah Paulson was quite literally on the other line of the phone. “Are you there?”

You breathed in quickly and nodded, as if she could see you. “I… yeah. Hi.” You cleared your throat awkwardly still not sure what to say but remembering that she was pretty much in control of what might happen. “I’m here”

“Fantastic! It is so great to talk to you, thank you for trusting me and giving me a call.” Your nerves slowly dissipated at her friendliness.

“Yeah, thanks for getting ahold of me.”

“Of course. So, I suppose I’ll get straight to the point?” You both chuckled nervously but you stayed quiet to allow her to continue. “I’ve read something on the news as I’m sure you’ve seen is all over. I do hope it isn’t causing you any trouble, considering you seemed pretty adamant about staying quiet in the video when Evan’s name was brought up. I have to ask — are you 100% sure the child is his? That your friend or whomever the woman in the video who called him out was wasn’t only joking around and it happened to go viral?”

You were slightly annoyed that anyone would think you’d by lying about something like this but quickly remembered that she’s only making sure for the sake of her friend. “Yes. I’m positive it’s Evan’s. I have tried reaching out to him any way that I could, but he’s pretty hard to reach.. all things considered.”

“Absolutely. That’s why I reached out. I apologize on his behalf for being hard to contact, but I do appreciate that you have tried. So the next step I suppose would be to meet up? I’m sure there’s plenty Evan and yourself need to talk about. We could come to you.”

Your heart nearly popped out of your chest at her words. You knew the point of the conversation was to help you and Evan figure things out, but the fact that they will come to you? To your hometown? And you’d get to see him again? Your mind quickly went back almost 9 months ago to that night in Vegas. You didn’t feel anything for him then, but now that he was going to come and possibly be in your guys’ baby’s life, in your life, you couldn’t help but feel your stomach explode into butterflies. Yet your mind reminded you to forget that this could go one of two ways and to be prepared. It was an ugly battle between your head and your heart.

“Are you there?” Sarah’s question brought you back and you cleared your throat.

“Yeah! Sorry. Um that sounds… that sound really great. I’m in your/home/state. Sorry that you guys have to take the time to do this.” You apologized and genuinely meant it. It probably wasn’t the best timing for them considering it wasn’t for you either. You were so close to your due date. 2 weeks and baby would be here so it was pretty time hungry but if it would make matters better, you were happy to do it.

“Please don’t apologize! Evan is already headed to pack!” You could hear the teasing in her voice and what sounded like a man on the other end, possibly Evan, and it brought a smile to your face. “If you could go ahead and text this number your address, we’ll be on the first flight from LA. Hopefully be there by tomorrow morning. Does that all sound okay?”

“Yes, that sounds really great. I’ll text you as soon as we hang up. Um, thank you — for doing this. I really appreciate it.”

“Please, I’m happy to. I want what’s best for you both. I’ll see you very soon!”

The conversation ended and you stood in place, holding your phone to your chest as you went over what just happened in your head again. This was really happening.

“Hello?!” Your eyes shot over to Shay who was staring at you wide eyed waiting for you to fill her in.

“They’re coming here,” you nodded, seeing Shays eyes light up, “they’ll be here tomorrow.”

“Holy shit. Holy shit!” Shay stood excitedly and practically skipped over to you grabbing your shoulders and turning you to face her completely. “They’re coming here. Evan is coming to you!” She let out a small shriek causing you to squint a little.

“I know” you nodded and attempted a smile which caused hers to falter. “I’m glad, really. But honestly, I’m terrified. What if everything goes wrong? It seems like that’s my life lately.” You chuckled harshly.

“Hey” Shay let her hands hold either side of your face in a caring manner and gave you a reassuring smile. “Everything will be fine. You got this, okay? Just… take it one step at a time. Don’t let anyone else be in control. You grew this baby, you are his mother, you are in control. You just have to remember that.” You had a tendency to be quite a pushover and Shyla knew that. You were a people pleaser and conflict quite literally made you want to vomit.

You gave her a smile and nodded, feeling her squish your cheeks and pull you into a hug, allowing her to comfort you and and hugging her back.

After a minute, Shay pulled back letting her hands remain on your shoulders again. “Okay. So you should make yourself look hot.” She nodded with a determined look but you quickly objected.

“No. No I want him to see me this way. Im almost 9 months, I’m two weeks from having this baby. He doesn’t need me to be hot, he needs to be okay with me being myself.” You slipped from her hold and walked out to the kitchen, grabbing a mug and filling it with your decaf coffee that’s cold now and topping it off with some cream. Shay followed and sighed knowing you were right.

“If you say so. But listen, I have to go to work. Please keep me updated? And I’ll see you tomorrow? Call me after you meet with them?” You nodded to each of her questions as she strode to the door slipping her shoes and jacket on then turning to you again for vocal confirmation.

“Yes yes and yes.” You smiled and she grinned and waved, leaving your apartment to you and your loud mind. Your eyes immediately shut and you let out a long sigh that you’ve been holding in. She was right, you were in control. But when money is involved, you felt like you were nothing. You sincerely hoped it wouldn’t turn into that, that he would come here and he would want to be here and do this with you rather than against you. You knew he was busy, you knew he worked a lot and had an important career. But your child isn’t a toy and you were damned if anyone wanted to turn him into one.

—

Evan’s POV

As soon as Sarah filled Evan in on what was agreed on, he did in fact go straight to his room, shoving clothes and all the necessities he needed in his bag. He wasn’t sure how long he was going to be there, whether it would be a day or a week or a month. He was determined to be there for you since he wasn’t able to be the last 8.5 months of your pregnancy. It was eating him alive, but he knew he had to give himself grace just as you did for not being able to reach him. This was nobodies fault. But now he has the chance to make things right, and he wanted to. He thought about what he could, should, do. Does he need to move to you? Does he move you to LA? How do you coparent correctly with the amount of distance between you and his job. He wasn’t necessarily a fan of picking up his life and completely changing it, but he was sure you wouldn’t want to change what you’ve built either.

He shook his head at all the thoughts and settled on it being something you two would talk about. Right now, all he wanted to focus on was going to you, seeing you again, and talking about the child the two of you made together.

His life wasn’t ready for a child ti be in it. He wasn’t necessarily excited that he’d have more responsibility, but he was going to take responsibility regardless. He was 35, you were… well. He didn’t know. You never told him. You were definitely in your twenties though. You could both do this, he was sure of it.

“Did you book a flight?” He asked as he walked out to Sarah who was sat perfectly at his island counter. She turned and smiled to him, showing him her phone screen that showed the two flight confirmation codes. He sighed and gave her an appreciative look. “Thanks. For all of this. I honestly don’t know what I would’ve done if you didn’t. I don’t know what’s right and what’s wrong here.” He shook his head and leaned his back against the fridge, closing his eyes as he let his mind wander again.

“There’s no right or wrong yet. You just have to go to her and talk. That’s your focus. The right and wrong will come into play then, so just be ready.” Sarah stood from her spot and sighed facing him. “I’m going to go so I can also pack, seeing as you’re already done.” She grinned, glancing down at his filled bag then back to him. “We leave tomorrow at 6:25. I’ll email you your confirmation code and all that good stuff. Be there early please, and I’ll see you then.” Sarah had made her way ti him and opened her arms wide, him accepting the hug graciously and giving her a small squeeze.

“Thankful for you.” He called out as she made her way to the door, smiling and raising her arm in acknowledgment and leaving his home.

It felt like tomorrow was an eternity away for him. He was so impatient, even with the amount of nerves he was feeling and all of the negative and scary thoughts that came to him. He just wanted to get this part over with, seeing you again, coming to terms with what was happening. He knew he would as soon as he was able to see your bump for himself.

It took everything for him not to make a new Instagram just so he could go to your page and look at all your pictures. He only was able to see a few and it wasn’t enough for him. He wanted more. He wanted to see your life through your pictures and words. But he removed himself from Instagram for a reason and he knew it was best to stay off of it until this blew over on social media. He didn’t want to make anything worse for you, imagining all of the comments you must be getting. Probably more negative than positive. He was so grateful for his fans, truly believing he wouldn’t be where he was if it wasn’t for them, but man they could be extreme sometimes. He knew it was out of love, but damn.

So the hours went by and Evan did everything he could to take his mind off of it but really to no avail. He barely slept through the night, tossing and turning, imagining different scenarios in his head, trying to think of the right words to say to you. Nothing seemed right. What was right for you wasn’t for him and what was right for him wasn’t for you. He overthought everything, wondering how he could’ve been so careless. He should’ve been more careful in Vegas, but it is what it is and the choices you make have consequences. He could ignore it, leave you to do it yourself which would honestly make his life easier rather than adding another thing to his plate. But that was wrong and he knew it.

The following morning finally came around and with maybe an hour or two of sleep, Evan drug himself from bed and to the shower, readying himself for the events that were to come. He was tired and sluggish but made it in time to meet Sarah, who looked as good as always, the early mornings never faltering her appearance or great attitude. She greeted him with a smile and they made their way to the front together to check themselves in for their flight, loading their luggage and making their way to the coffee kiosk that the airport had.

“Oh thank god. I need like… straight espresso, I need caffeine.” He groaned as they ordered, ordering himself a large double shot in the dark. They tipped the barista who was a nice young lady holding herself together as she served two of her favorite celebrities. This was LA, after all.

Once retrieving their drinks, they settled themselves in the waiting area. Evan dipped down nearly half of his drink before he set it down and rested his elbow on the chair next to him and resting his head in his hand and letting his eyes close. They had about 40 minutes till it was time to board the plane so he took advantage and took a nice Power Nap while Sarah worked on some business on her phone, already rested and not needing anymore.

—

Basic POV

Within the next 2 hours, Evan and Sarah boarded and were on their way to you; meanwhile you had just barely got yourself out of bed by 8. Sarah had been keeping you updated with where they were. You had about an hour and a half before they’d be there, enough time for you to shower and ready yourself. You rethought about Shay’s words and your reply. The more they played in your head, the more you wanted to follow her recommendation. No, you didn’t want to look hot necessarily, but definitely good. You were pretty swollen and uncomfortable, but considering you’ve been living in your extra large sweatpants and an oversized tshirt, you figured maybe it’d be nice to dress up for a change. Maybe it’d make you feel good. And not that it mattered, but you did want to make a good impression.

You showered and dried off, blow dried your hair so that your layers laid nicely, then pulled your makeup out contemplating on a look and settling on a nice “natural” look that would hopefully make you glow instead of making you look so pale and sick. Once happy with your look, you made your way to your closet and picked through multiple outfits, groaning in annoyance when nothing was right considering they were your regular clothes and you were much larger at this point, ya know, almost 9 months pregnant. You finally tried on one of your fleece dresses and to your surprise, it fit perfectly over your bump, even making it stand out more which you appreciated. You slipped on some flat white tennis shoes and slipped your purse over your shoulder. Looking at the time, you had 20 minutes to spare giving you just enough time to meet at the coffee shop you suggested to meet at. Your apartment wasn’t messy but you just felt better not bringing anyone to your personal space yet.

You glanced at yourself once more and sighed in relief that you looked nice and it did in fact make you feel good. You grabbed your phone and car keys and exited your apartment and made your way down the sidewalk to your assigned parking spot, getting in your vehicle and starting it. It was chilly here, so you gave it a moment to warm up before backing out and driving straight to the coffee joint, Steady Grinding, parking and making your way inside. You ordered yourself a decaf latte and found a spot at one of the cute little tables that had 3 other chairs around it. You managed to pick a spot that was more secluded from the front and the rest of the tables, right by a window allowing you to watch the world go by while you waited for the father of your child to show up.

Your heart was beating what felt 100 beats a minute and it was so tight from the build up if nerves to just get here. Anytime you thought about what was going on, it would make your stomach flutter and your head spin. You wanted to cry from the many emotions you were feeling to finally be where you’ve wanted to be since you found out. It was so much to be holding onto, and your precious baby boy could tell. Your mind came back when you felt the kicks he gave you, looking down and watching the movements he was able to make so perfectly. You smiled and rested your hand over your bump and felt him push on it a few times before settling down.

“Mommy’s here baby, sorry for all of the mixed emotions you must be feeling from me.” You whispered down to him. You often talked to him, reading somewhere online that they can hear you and can ultimately build a stronger bond. You wanted to build the strongest bond you possibly could. Your baby was the most love you’ve ever felt, even though it was the hardest feeling to come to terms with in the beginning. You’ve never loved anything more.

You were too busy rubbing your belly in hopes your little one could feel it and an attempt to soothe him and yourself, that you didn’t hear the ding of the bell when someone entered.

When Sarah and Evan entered, Evan’s eyes immediately scanned the room going over every face trying to find you. He’d be lying if he said he wouldn’t be able to find you in a large crowd, your face was imprinted in the back of his mind since the day you two shared intimately. You were a different kind of beauty, you were art. And when his eyes finally landed on you, his heart nearly exploded. There you were, holding and rubbing your very obvious bump, inside the making of you both. Evan couldn’t explain the feeling he had when he saw you. It was exactly what he needed to confirm that this was real. You were real, and his child was real.

And as if perfectly on cue, feeling someone’s eyes on you, you swiftly looked up from your tummy and instantly met Evan’s eyes that were taking you in. You were winded the moment you saw him and your mind blanked.

This was really happening. This is real.

He was here.

@demxnicprxncess

@quicksilversg1rl

@evanpetersfav

@kylespencersvocalcords

@evanpetersmood

@totta69

@ava1262

@1109oo

[halfetirosie]

✩‧₊˚ Let's Get Confused!!! :D ✩‧₊˚

(Star Message 01 - 05 React-os!)

1) Wait, so you're telling me that Blade's storytelling put kids to sleep???

That's quite odd!

I mean, yeah, a lot of what he was saying was confusing the kids. But I would think that, with how animated Blade was being, it would still be entertaining enough to keep them awake. 🤷‍♀️

It's funny how polite Olivine is being about it---spinning it into a positive outcome. Bless your little heart!

2) Uh-oh! My workaholic wife is back at it again! 😂

My mans really does overwork himself...

If I were the Captain, I would've forced a ton of vacations onto him, too! :D

I personally can't really relate to this side of Edmond's personality---the obsession with his work. I'm the kind of person that has had to do way more work than I was comfortable doing in the past, to the point that my personal life was non-existent, but as soon as it wasn't necessary to have such a large workload I didn't push myself to keep up that insane schedule.

Edmond, on the other hand, has just gotten so used to constantly working, that at this point it's difficult to stop...

Maybe it's because he had that sort of schedule for even long than I ever did, since he's a noble? That, combined with his natural integrity/work ethic?

3) Eiden out here validating the fans' comments about the space-appropriateness of their clothes---

---and Blade giving a very reasonable explanation---

I like to think the the tailor also has a devious mind, determined to bring out the maximum sexy-potential of each project they receive (even if their "added elements" will require them to do an additional wardrobe-change later)!

It's also very possible that Eiden's collaborations with them have tainted their formerly-innocent tastes...

😈😈😈😈😈

4) Edmond, sweetie---no offense, but HOW is this any more scandalous than your usual outfits??? 🤨

Is it because your stomach is showing?---No, that can't be it, because the ceremonial clothes in his Knightly Night SSR show his stomach.

Is it because your shoulders are bare?---No, because the shirt in the prison guard outfit of Vigilant Observer is sleeveless...But then again, perhaps the guards are expected to keep that jacket/overshirt on over the sleeveless shirt, so maybe that really is the reason???

I AM CONFUSION!!!

EDMOND, PLEASE EXPLAIN WHAT YOU CONSIDER "MODEST!"

It is quite nice seeing Blade and Eiden being so supportive to Edmond, tho.

They see him feeling a little uncomfortable, and Blade immediately reassures him [of the clothes' utility] while Eiden hypes him up. It's so sweet!!!

5) Blade and his not-at-all worrying ideas °❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

Can I just say---I LOVE the fact that Edmond takes Blade's question seriously.

I (along with many other fans) see Blade as strong representation for neuro-divergent individuals; and IRL, many such people act "eccentric" or ask questions that people think are "silly/weird."

So, Edmond taking Blade seriously---just like he treats everything/everyone seriously---without getting angry or annoyed is such a delight! We love to see it!

6) I love it when Blade hops into Robo Mode at the most unexpected times!

It's funnier when the situation is less serious than this, but hey, I still enjoyed it!

Also, the voice-acting bit during this part was fantastic. Blade's voice sounds so cool!

7) Blade, honey---are you telling me you can catch a FUCKIN METEOR all by yourself????

BRUH.

I knew he was built to be a hella-strong sorcerer-murderer robot, but putting his strength in the context of earth-science terms makes it even more insane.

8) It's quite impressive how nonchalant blade is being about all of this... (ᵕ—ᴗ—)

Like, he and Edmond just stopped a FUCKIN METEOR from crashing into the tower and killing people, and he's over here cracking little jokes!

What a legend!

9) So, as soon as I saw this---

---for some reason, I immediately thought of this;

Which is a fine and dandy meme, but I'd say that Blade is completely justified in his assumption that the thingy from the sky is alien tech; it isn't a crackpot theory, an thus, I wouldn't say this meme is completely applicable... But maybe I'm just being too picky with my meme-etiquette. :D

10) Wait, so this isn't even the first time that "starscape creatures" have sent a message to Klein?

🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨

But from what I've gathered so far, the message is just supposed to be a sort of audio message---so how does he know about what kind of environment the starscape creatures live in???

Does the audio talk about where they live??? Do they speak the same language as they do in Klein, or is it somehow possible to interpret the alien language when given no context/prior exposure to that language????

11) Rei, no offense, but you kinda suck at explaining things....

Seriously.

WAT? ∘ ∘ ∘ ( °ヮ° ) ?

Am I just stupid, or did Rei just say the same thing twice but in different ways?

I can't be the only on that doesn't get it, right?

Would this make more sense if I knew more about audio transfer, or like, how radio works???

12) *Voice dripping with sarcasm:*

Oh boy, how reassuring! 😂😂😂

I know for a fact Rei is perfectly capable of making people feel better, but I guess he ain't feeling very charitable right now! (Which, I would think he would be, since they brought him an interesting new thing to research...)

★ End of report! ★

[ohnoitstbskyen]

Reflecting on my work in 2022

As this official Hell Of A Year™ draws to a close, I guess it is appropriate to both reflect on what I've been doing this year, as well as do a bit of plugging for work which I am proud of.

So here's a list of some of the videos I made this year, along with some thoughts on their creation and how I feel about them, some self-criticism, some behind-the-scenes, and a little self-congratulation where it is appropriate.

I struggle somewhat with memory and a clear sense of time - to me, time is more of a continuous stream than a series of delineated moments. This is often frustrating - I get lost in it, and when I look back on a list of my work and activities, it is less an experience of "oh yeah, ha ha, that happened" and more of a "wait what do you mean that happened then? And before that other thing? But after that one? What the hell?"

Worst case scenario, it can be kinda distressing, honestly. It feels out of control, anxiety inducing, like I don't have a handle on my life.

... which is an absolutely fantastic tone to strike for a New Year's list of my favourite videos. 2023, woo!

The Boss Designs of Bloodborne Finale (February)

It took me nearly three months after the penultimate episode of the series to finally put this video out. My The Boss Designs Of series is some of the best work I've ever created, at least I think so. It's certainly some of the most creatively fulfilling work I do, and some of the most challenging too.

I try to walk a line between providing a fresh perspective on the games I've played for the series, but not getting contrarian or off-the-wall just for the sake of it. With Bloodborne, I do think I managed some really good critical contributions to the readings of the game, like my reading of the Blood-starved Beast as a self-sacrificing martyr for the beast community of Old Yharnam, which was apparently quite novel, or my crackpot Parasite Theory of Bloodborne's madness.

And I do think I've gotten better and better at editing gameplay footage too, I think I've managed to learn a good balance between joke-edits and continuity and story editing. I always kinda fret on the one hand that the gameplay footage and my live commentary is too boring to stand on its own, and on the other hand that editing in too many jokes and gags would just be obnoxious and tedious to sit through.

The thing Bloodborne nails more than any other horror game I've seen is the sensation of the nightmare. And not just in its visuals or its monster designs or the surface storytelling, but in the push and pull between extremely specific imagery and story beats and complete ambiguity the moment you scratch at the surface. Bloodborne is on the one hand a fairly obvious story about the abuses of organized religion and unethical science, but then underneath that there's also this deep obsession with the violence done to women's bodies specifically, and how that violence spills out and caustically eats into the humanity of everyone who is complicit in it.

And then underneath that there's an exploration of birth trauma, where the Great Ones are parental figures as incomprehensible to the player as parents are to a newborn child, pushing you here and pulling you there and inflicting incomprehensible violations of your bodily autonomy out of apparent sympathy.

And underneath all of that... it's also about how cool it would be to transform into a werewolf, actually. The themes of self-creation and transformation and claiming monsterhood as self-empowerment are incredibly queer and especially apt for trans readings.

It all flows together in this soup of imagery and meaning that I cannot crystalize into a unifying Theory of Bloodborne, no definitive reading, no comprehensive hot take. Which is frustrating when you're trying to create a video essay, but infinitely compelling when trying to think about it.

I don't know that I managed to capture all of that in the The Boss Designs of Bloodborne finale, but I do know that I tried to, and I'm proud of that.

Melina, the Maiden - Boss Designs of Elden Ring #1 (March)

Staying with The Boss Designs of, here's a video about which my feelings have become decidedly mixed. Not because of anything that is in the episode, mind you, but out of a certain disempowered bitterness I've developed about Elden Ring over the course of the year.

I cannot overstate how excited I was for Elden Ring, and how desperately I enjoyed finally getting to play it back in March. It's a brilliant game, an incredibly immersive world, and one which I badly want to return to.

... and then I didn't get to play the game for nine months. It was partly my own mistake - I tried recording an absolute ton of footage for episodes early, playing as much of the game as I could while it was still fresh, hoping to put out a lot of episodes of the series early while the game was fresh and Relevant In The Algorithm™, and also just out of sheer excitement. In so doing, though, I ended up shooting myself in the foot, because as I began to edit episodes together I also found myself feeling more and more distant from the experience of playing.

The pile of footage in front of me, begging to be converted into episodes, became a roadblock of work looming over me, a source of guilt and stress and frustration, that put extra stress on my mind every time I tried to make any other video and which stood between me and getting to play more of the game I have anticipated more than any other for years.

In 2023, I will get back to Elden Ring, I swear to god I will, but in the meantime I am quite happy with how the three episodes I've made of this series so far have turned out.

Also, the new intro song I commissioned from @trewatsonmusic absolutely slaps.

What's the deal with Zeri and Neon (June)

My ambition for the What's the Deal videos has always been to expand them beyond League of Legends (and I have done videos on characters from other things), but being a YouTuber is also my job, and League of Legends is the moneymaking subject on my channel, at least for now.

Not that I resent that. For all that League deserves the criticism it gets, I still insist that it has one of the greatest casts of characters in modern gaming, underserved and ignored though most of them are by Riot Games. There's so much to talk about once you get even a little bit under the surface, and I do feel like I've been doing a better and better job at doing that in the What's the Deal videos over 2022. Zeri, for example, is a fantastic addition to the class warfare dynamics of Piltover and Zaun, especially in her conflict with Renata Glasc and the themes that could be explored through that conflict. And it's not lost of me the extent to which she was a direct response to the xenophobic attacks on Asian-Americans that have surged out of American politics in recent years, either. There is value to proclaiming that someone like Zeri belongs in the worlds of big pop culture institutions like League of Legends, even if (as always) it is the workers at Riot Games making that proclamation, and Riot Games Inc. allowing it because it serves their commercial goals.

I brought in Nickyboi for an assist on this one as well, which is something I want to do more. I want to do more collaboration. First of all because it's nice to offload work to someone else, but also because this job is fundamentally kind of lonely. I'm just a guy in his office making videos 99% of the time, and collaborating with a fellow creator feels like being part of a creative community in a way that solo work and shitposting at each other on Twitter simply doesn't.

And I am proud of the little fanfiction snippets I've started writing in the The Future segments. One of the points of the What's the Deal videos is to communicate to an audience why I'm excited about a character, why I feel like they're worth giving a shit about, and I think those fanfiction segments have done a better job at getting that across than almost all of my character design and animation chatter. Plus, it's nice to flex a bit of creative muscle in that way now and then.

Speaking of which, I still need to write that happier ending for Kai'sa and Taliyah, don't I? I have A Plan™ for that, it's just about finding the time to make it real...

The 15 Most Beautiful Splash Arts in League of Legends (September)

This one is easily the biggest surprise of the year for me. In the latter half of 2022, I took quite a lot of sponsorships - first of all because they were offered (good lord there was a rush of them in August!), but also because I really wanted to save up and pay down debts.

One of the consequences of that was the extreme delay of Elden Ring, but another was that all of a sudden I had to get content out on a very set schedule. Most of my work is done on the steam of Whatever Catches My Creative Attention At The Time, but with a deadline hanging over my head, suddenly I had to find video ideas whether they presented themselves naturally or not.

I feared that a list-video would be a turn-off for my audience, I feared that it would be seen as shallow and tacky, like a 2010s Buzzfeed listicle. I feared that people just wouldn't be interested in the kind of art analysis I like to do, or would find it pretentious to seek meaning in what is - let's be real - commercial artwork meant to promote game cosmetics.

The benefit of a sponsorship is that the video has already made a profit, whether it does well or not, and I thought that in making this video, I was being self-indulgent and "ignoring" the desires of my audience.

Instead, it's one of the best performing videos ever on my channel, and people have cited it as a favorite among my videos quite a number of times.

Which was really... encouraging, honestly. I didn't expect it, but this video really did give me a confidence boost that the things I care about and find interesting do have an audience, even extra-nerdy rambling about League of Legends cosmetics.

Building a Better Soraka (September)

Building a Better is a series title I sometimes regret a little bit, because no matter how much I try to explain in the videos themselves that there is no such thing as a perfect character design and that my revisions and ideas are not meant to be definitive in any way, I always get comments from people accusing me of declaring myself The God of Character Design and sitting in holy judgment over the work I'm critiquing.

To an extent, I guess that's unavoidable on the internet, but... maybe the series title was a bad gamble on that front.

I do stand by, though, that my designs have a reasonable argument that they are improvements over the originals. Arguments that can be interrogated and criticized, but valid, reasonaed arguments, not mere polemics.

Building a Better Soraka was an experiment in creating the series, as instead of working with a single artist to iterate on design improvements, I ended up commissioning more than a half dozen people for artwork and using different renditions to make my argument. It did hurt the coherency of the video a little, I feel, but it did open me up to a much more flexible way to produce videos like it in the future, which I'm happy with.

Plus, I really do like what I came up with here, and I adore the ways that @sabtherobot, @sinizade and @lekyrin executed my ideas and brought their own visions of the character. Soraka is a character who deserves a lot better than the basic design she's stuck with, and whose story can do so much more visually than Riot is willing to allow it to do.

"Not Without You" - the story of Nasus and Renekton (November)

Of all the writing I did this year, this is by far what I am most proud of.

The video itself did not perform very well, nor did I expect it to, but the reactions I saw from the audience on this piece... yeah. That filled a very hungry part of my heart, I'm not gonna lie.

Writing a novel is a life ambition for me, as it is for many people. Actually writing it is a lot more elusive, though, in part because I struggle to feel confidence that my writing would ever hold up to the scrutiny of an audience. I struggle to feel that I would ever be able to connect emotionally with people, that I would be able to make what I feel sensible through writing.

This story proved that I can. Not to a big audience, perhaps, and I certainly don't have any delusions of genius or grandeur. I do not ever expect to be a famous or fêted writer, nor an important one. But... I do feel like with this story, I proved that I can at least be a competent one, which is frankly all I want.

And Nasus and Renekton were grateful subjects, too. Their story is naturally deeply emotional, albeit strangled by Riot's chronic indifference towards their most compelling narratives, and a lot of what I ended up exploring in there did come from a very genuine place in myself. It was nice to touch that part of my soul, and make something out of it, even if it's only silly fanfiction for a silly video game.

I am cautiously optimistic about 2023

Looking back over the videos I made this year, while I have a lot of work that I am proud of, I also see a lot of videos that I think I made less out of a desire to make them and more out of a fear of not making them. Videos that I made because I felt like the audience expected it, because the algorithm demanded it, because rent is always coming due and I am petrified of ever being broke again.

This is normal and natural, it is to some extent just the nature of the creative process under a capitalist market system where your work must always have some sort of price tag. But... I don't want to keep doing it. If I have an ambition for 2023, it is to make more of the videos I want to make, more videos that I only I can make. To give myself a little bit of a break and ease up on the self-recrimination and stress.

I have so many projects I want to get to, and being in my 30s I am becoming more and more conscious that while I (hopefully) have something like twice my current lifetime left to create the things I want, time is a finite resource, and spending it trying to please a website algorithm probably won't do me that much good in the end.

Anyway, some other things I did which I am quite proud of:

Played through God of War: Ragnarök while telling stories about the mythology of my childhood.

Ran around the world of Eorzea, accompanied by some of the funniest, silliest and most generous FFXIV players a man could dream of.

Finished a Pokémon HeartGold Nuzlocke with possibly the most nerve-wracking finish I have ever had to a Pokémon game

Reviewed every single Gen 1 Pokémon

Finished Great Ace Attorney Chronicles 1, probably the let's play with the most voice acting I have ever done. Some of it is even good!

If you've read this far, thank you so much for your time, your attention, your interest and your indulgence. Your 2023 be a good year, and may the tides of history wash gently over us all.

[oswincoleman]

Jenna Coleman’s new show, “The Jetty” is launching at the BBC studios showcase as one of the main attractions this week. Distributors from around the world will be able to acquire it as well.

BBC Studios is betting that The Jetty can be a global hit

The link also features an interview with Jenna Coleman (who plays the leading role of Ember Manning), executive producer Elizabeth Kilgariff, and writer Cat Jones. Here are some of the highlights:

Coleman: “What I enjoyed so much about Ember is that her good character traits are also her flaws – her pride and her beating down the door and not being able to give up, and her arrogance in certain ways. All of those traits that are her best bits are also her flaws. So we see her turning in on herself all the time. We really see her in so many extreme, complex, emotional segues.”

“Ember goes on a big journey across the four episodes. We don’t let her off the hook at all. But she is always quite badass. And she’s really funny,” Kilgarriff says. “She is that person who might say the wrong thing, but you just love her, because she’s just so cool.”

“We talked about Jenna playing Ember even before I think we had the green light.”

Kilgariff: “We’ve got Archie Renaux playing her sidekick, Hitch. It’s a very interesting relationship. It starts out very much like, “oh God, he needs to learn from Ember,” and Ember is a sort of older sister, teaching him the way. But as we go along, there are moments where he just will say things that make her sort of stop and perhaps second-guess herself a little bit.”

Coleman: “That is a dynamic that gives us so much of the humor in the show.”

I can’t wait for people to see Ember. I think she was a pretty cool character on the page. But what Jenna has done with her is amazing. You know that thing where you’ve got two friends, and you know when you introduce them, they’re going to love each other. That’s how I feel about audiences meeting Ember. She’s just exactly the person you’d want if you’re in trouble. She’ll sort it out. And she’ll make jokes about it as well. She’s fun to be with.

Could we see more of Ember in the future?

Kilgarriff: “The show works very well, it is very satisfying as a piece, which I think is really important for the audience. Saying that, but I don’t want to give anything away, I would love to see her back again. And I do think the audience is going to respond to her in an incredibly positive way. So, yeah, it would be wonderful. But we don’t know that.”

Jones: “It’s really funny. I hope so. You’re very funny, Jenna. And she’s a very entertaining character. There are lots of scenes of Ember and Hitch in cars, driving around places. I would love to do a spin-off show of just Ember and Hitch driving around, just talking about things. They’re so entertaining. There’s not enough space to have as many of those scenes as you want.”

Kilgariff: “It’s really fun watching it in the edit, I have to say. Ember and her mother, I think, Amelia and Jenna, they are fantastic. I can see a spin-off in those two as well. I think lots of people will identify with that relationship. It’s very moving and very funny. So it just feels very real.”

[duckielover151]

OPLA and Garp and Worldbuilding

Okay. I think I've finally figured it out.

I've seen some polarizing takes on Monkey D. Garp's character in the live action adaptation of One Piece. I generally like how they brought his character to life, but there was something that wasn't quite sitting right with me. It just took me a bit to pinpoint exactly what the problem was.

So for one: I do like his live action portrayal. The live action series remains goofy and faithful to the original in a lot of ways but does give everything a bit of a grittier feel, as would be expected-- and is almost required-- of a live action story about pirates. When you're seeing real people in front of you, as opposed to cartoonish drawings, your tale kind has to reflect the real world and its darkness.

Garp's character in the live action absolutely feels... not dumbed down, but simplified from who his character is in the original tale.

And I think that was necessary. The biggest change from one medium to the other was the pacing. The live action just could not have been done with the anime's pacing, (though there's honestly very little that was missed, even with how much faster the story moved). And the pace of your storytelling really affects how your characters get developed.

So yeah, live action Garp comes across as just the tiniest bit unstable... (he's still got a bit of a wild side) but mostly in control. And a lot more proactive about his goals.

The most important thing is that I think this storyline about him chasing around after his rebellious grandson... just to give him one final test before setting him free, accepting that he's ready to handle the dangerous life he's been dreaming of-- even if it will pit them against each other more seriously in the future!-- is just more accessible to an audience used to live action storytelling. It kind of makes sense. Quite a lot of the time, anime Garp's actions and choices regarding his family... just don't make a ton of sense. And the live action does not have time to explore that complexity properly. (Hell, the anime doesn't even always do the best job of exploring it in a way that justifies his actions and beliefs, but that's a tale for another time.)

But there's still a problem.

Garp's actions in this adaptation are fine for his character... but really bad for the worldbuilding.

One of the only real complaints I have about the One Piece live action is that they do not succeed in getting across just how corrupt the world government is truly supposed to be.

And a lot of that is because of Garp, following around and cleaning up after our heroes and acting like a responsible adult for once. (That alone is enough for some people to-- honestly, rightfully-- cry that live action Garp is out of character.)

Garp shows up and reforms Morgan's base in both versions... But the live action never really addresses how much of a tyrant Morgan was. That his own marines and even the people of the town, who he was supposed to be keeping safe, were terrified of him. Garp's derision and treatment of Morgan in the live action honestly seem a little unjustified. And it's even worse that he stepped in with Nezumi. Don't get me wrong, it was fantastic to see Nezumi put in his place... But that satisfaction was brief.

Live action-only viewers will never truly understand just how hopeless the situation in Coco village was. That Nezumi was the last line of authority. Their only hope for salvation and justice, and he was all too happy to accept Arlong's bribes and let the villagers suffer.

I recently watched the Honest Trailer for this series. And it was reliably entertaining... but you could tell the crew who made it was missing some key context for understanding the vision behind this show. They make fun of Luffy for not understanding what it really means to be a pirate. And it's not a terrible joke. They're kind of right. But I think what's missing from this adaptation is the understanding that the appeal of being a pirate isn't just the potential for riches. It's about freedom. It's about being strong enough and being in a position to protect yourself when even the people tasked with keeping you safe are all too happy to take advantage of you. It's that siding with the law in this universe is often the choice that makes you the bad guy. Honestly, Koby's got a harder path to walk, as far as morality goes, than Luffy-- or any of the pirates who live honorably.

But I try to remind myself that this is just the tip of the iceberg...

Nami's backstory is what a lot of people tend to pinpoint as the place where the anime starts to get really good. And I think that's because it's where the deal with this world starts to become really clear.

That yeah, it's totally reasonable to root for a group that would normally be the villains in any other story. The civilized half of this world really is that fucked up.

I don't feel like that point really hits its undeniable, no-going-back mark until we get to Robin's backstory and the tale of Ohara... And I cannot tell you how much I hope this adaptation gets to get there.

It's okay that the live action hasn't properly established a tale where an everyday person is going to want to root for the anarchists in this story, because the anime was barely there at this point also.

There is still time to redeem this.

[imabeautifulbutterfly]

Once Upon a Time on the Razor Crest

Summary: Lunch time

A/N: Hello lovelies,

What an amazing Bad Batch episode. Had me in tears, made me smile, made me laugh, made me upset. Just all over the place. Anyway, I'm on vacation, so no updates next week. I'll be content creating.

Also I just reached 450 followers! I'll be coming up with a way to celebrate it.

Love oo

Due to the past history of the OC there will be discussions alluding to past domestic abuse, please note that as it could be a trigger for some.

Warnings: discussions of lunch. If I miss any warnings, please let me know.

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THE CRESTWORLD

CHAPTER TEN

It felt weird being around people again, when for the past several weeks all I’d seen was Din and Grogu, and now there were at least 25 pairs of eyes watching me. It was nerve wracking.

“Why is everyone staring? Is there something on my face?” I quietly asked Din as I wiped away what I thought could be the issue.

“It’s not you, it’s me,” he responded, matching my tone.

“I don’t understand”

“Don’t worry about it, just look at your menu” he motioned with his head. 

“You guys ready to order, Din?”

I looked up to see one of the most beautiful women I’d ever seen before, she was almost as tall as Din, with a fantastic smile, incredible eyes, and the most thick head of hair ever. Instinctively, I touched my own, wondering how badly my own thinning hair looked; I had lost a lot of my hair due to the stress I experienced for the past few years. Even her skin was smooth and without blemish, I couldn’t help wondering what her skin care routine was, that she was able to look so amazing.

“I’ll have the fried nuna please, Omera,” Din responded without looking up.

“Sure, and you sweetie?” She smiled, radiating warmth and friendliness. 

I was lost for a second in her warmth and beauty, “Hmm, sorry”

She chuckled a little, “What do you want to eat, Ann?” Din let out exasperated.

“Oh, right sorry” I looked at the menu again, “What do you recommend?”

“The fried nuna is good, I like it, but the burgers here are quite delicious”

“Then a burger please”

“Coming right up, usual drink Din?”

“Sure, and bring one for her too.” He motioned towards the woman sitting in front of him. It had been a while since he had seen Omera and truthfully, he thought it would be a bit more awkward, especially after the disastrous date.

“Alright, two jogan fruit drinks coming up”

“Thank you, uh … O-Omera. Sorry if I messed it up”

“Not at all. Ann, right?”

“Yeah”

“Welcome to Sorgan”

“Thank you. Nice meeting you.”

“You too. I’ll go put in your order”

Din watched as she walked away heading to the counter behind him, a smirk appeared on my lips, as I took in the scene before me, “Oh, I see” I whispered.

He turned back to look at Ann, confusion on his face, “You see?” Din tilted his head.

“Nothing” I shook my head, I wasn’t about to open up my mouth about what I suspected. Not after what happened this morning, it was better to keep my nose out of it.

He glanced out the window, not saying anything to what she could possibly have been implying. He wasn’t in the mood to listen to any sort of speculation or remarks.

I took my time eyeing the rest of the patrons, there was an older couple off in the corner, smiling and joking. An older man in his late 50’s who looked annoyed and very miserable. Two men who were sitting eating their meal in relative silence, but seemed to be making jokes with one another every so often. There was a young guy maybe in his mid to late 20’s sitting at the bar of the diner, he glanced over to us every so often, his eyes caught mine. He gave a little smile, which left me feeling uneasy. I simply looked away and focused instead on reading the signs around the diner.

“Well-well, what brings you here, stranger?” 

I turned to the very unique and familiar voice, and there standing in all his glory, his cowboy hat on his head with that same smile I saw, from our first meeting stood the Marshall.

“Marshall Vanth” Din nodded, addressing him.

He took off his hat as he sat down beside me. The smile never leaving his face, he looked at Din, grabbing the menu from in front of him. 

“So Mr. Shut-in decided to bring you for lunch, huh?” He chuckled, nudging my arm as his warmth and friendly nature filled the table.

“Apparently, I did a good job today” I bumped his shoulder, as a smile graced my lips, grateful he was there adding a warmer atmosphere than what Din was providing. He seemed to have fallen back into his colder persona when we got closer to town. 

“Hmmm, yeah, if you mean nearly getting yourself killed a good job” he motioned with his hand, as he turned to look at the two of us, “then yeah, you did a good job” Din let out, annoyed at Cobb who felt it was acceptable to just sit down without asking. More annoyed that he was able to get Ann to smile so easily.

“I did not get myself killed. When would I have gotten myself killed?”

“You didn’t notice, because I stepped in and helped you”

“You know” I turned to look at Cobb, “he was all grumpy, being all kinds of rude this morning and I graciously let it slide, and now he’s been all fussy again. Especially after he went into detail about how good of a job I did.”

“Ha! Graciously?” Din huffed.

“I’m not surprised,” Cobb chuckled, ignoring Din’s comment.

“Hello Marshall” 

“Well hello Omera, you’re looking beautiful as always” he gave his best flirty smile as he looked at her.

“Thanks, your usual?”

“Today, I think I’ll go with a club sandwich today, Omera”

“You know Cobb, the chef wanted me to tell you, you try the club sandwich at the beginning of every month, and every time, you don’t like it, ending up sending it back and ordering your usual. He said that if you did it again, he’d come out and force you to eat it. Now, with that in mind, do you really want to order the club sandwich?”

“Of course not, I’ll just have the usual”

“Ugh! Every time.”

“You love me”

“Hardly”

“But I’m wearing you down, aren’t I?

“Not even close.” She shook her head, but there was a definite blush on her cheeks, “I’ll put your order in, give me a minute, what do you want to drink?”

“Caf would be lovely”

“Regular or your special?”

“My special, thanks”

I noticed Cobb also watched Omera walk away, hmmm, interesting, “So did you guys grow up together or something?” I motioned between Din and Cobb. As much as Din tried to be irritated with the man there was a definite hint of a smile on the corner of his lips, while Cobb simply chuckled as he pushed away the menu.

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[minijenn]

Jen Tortures Herself With Every Dreamworks Animated Movie Ever: Trolls

So uhhhhh this movie. Kind of took me by surprise??? I went in expecting to hate this, thinking it would be annoyingly loud and bright and simple. What I got... wasn't quite what I thought it would be. Let's get into it.

The Trolls are a fun-loving, happy-go-lucky race of singing and dancing creatures, though they're constantly at ends with the miserable Bergens who want to eat them to get a taste of happiness. After escaping from the Bergens 20 years ago, the Trolls are thriving, until they're discovered by the ousted Bergen Chef, who captures a handful of Princess Poppy's friends, so she sets out with the perpetually grumpy Branch to rescue them. Along the way, they discover there may be a way to bring happiness to the Bergens and save their fellow Trolls alike.

So yeah, a very fantastical, fairy-taleish plot, one that took a few actually interesting, unexpected twists and turns. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a very complicated film, it wears its message of "Happiness is inside you" on its sleeve shamelessly. And yet... I don't know how, but it managed to... genuinely engage me?

Yeah, seriously. I actually kind of liked this? I don't know if it was because the emotions actually managed to hit or if I found the Bergens to be compelling antagonists/anti-heroes or if I started to really enjoy the dynamic between Poppy and Branch or what but like... fuck. Trolls is actually kind of ok? I feel like I'm going crazy just saying that. Like LOOK at that image up there and tell me that's the kind of movie anyone over the age of 6 would enjoy. And yet... I sort of did?

The movie, however, is certainly not without its faults. Its a jukebox musical and that's really not my cup of tea. The pop songs they picked for this are... tolerable, I guess, but hearing a lot of them kind of abruptly pulled me out of the plot so damn fast. Like I said, this is also a very simple movie, one with simple humor (save for a few insane adult jokes I couldn't believe they managed to sneak in there), and simple characters.

Poppy is... ok. She's kind of a bit too perpetually upbeat and cheery for me and yet she's not too over the top like I'd feared she'd be. By contrast, I really liked Branch! He's the straight man to literally all of the other Trolls around him and his dry sarcasm brought a lot of texture to what would have otherwise been a zany, goofy cast. The Bergens do much of the same, from the conflicted King Gristle, to the lovestruck scullery maid Bridget, to our villain, the insane, girlboss Chef, who just stole the show whenever she was on screen.

The visuals in this are also really nice? Like yes, its agressively bright and colorful but it works, I think? Like everything in this world feels like its made out of felt and fabric, very soft and fuzzy to the point that you can practically feel it. The designs for some of these creatures and backgrounds is actually really pretty in their own unique way? Of course, this is coming from someone who likes a lot of color anyway. If you like something a little more grounded visually, this probably isn't the movie for you.

So yeah, Trolls was... ok. Again, I'm fucking shocked, because I'd always been lead to believe this was Dreamworks in their peak cynical cashgrab era but... there's something to this movie that I didn't expect would be there. It's not fantastic by any means, but it has... some substance. And based on what I knew about this film going in, that's certainly more than I was expecting.

Overall Rating: 6/10

Verdict: SINGING KILLED YOUR GRANDMA

Previous Review (Kung Fu Panda 3)

Next Review (The Boss Baby)

[broken-clover]

So after rewatching with the director's commentary (yeah, technically I watched the movie twice in two days, but the second time I mostly had it in the background while doing other stuff) and having some more time to collect my thoughts, I think I'm just deciding to do a list of all the things I thought the movie did really well, expected or otherwise. Like, everyone knows about the bizarreness and the so-bad-it's-good memery but I want to highlight some stuff I thought was genuinely admirable

-In watching the director's commentary, it seemed that he had a pretty realistic and relatively grounded and familiar understanding of the source material, which is inherently more than the live action Mario movie did. Even if it didn't pan out like expected, it's cool to see that passion went into it and he had a sense of respect for the games instead of writing them off as childish and trying to 'improve' it

-Likewise appreciate the director sharing petty grievances with the film, it humanizes things quite a bit. In fairness I also want those swizzle sticks and Bison dollars and would've been bummed if I was the only one who didn't get any.

-100% will always respect practical effects and physical set design. There were a few areas where CGI was used but for the most part it's all tangible

-Also!! Practical fighting!! Yes it's easy to make jokes about Van Damme's accent when playing someone so cartoonishly American but in a movie like this that relies so heavily on fight scenes he's exactly the sort of person you'd want to cast.

-(Perhaps an odd aside but upon reflection and trying to see other peoples' opinions on the film I think @ninewheels makes a very solid point in that having an immigrant Guile subtly works in the narrative's favor while also downplaying the plot's 'white savior' element to a degree)

-Again, discarding the canon divergences, Honda and Balrog had some terrific moments as a comedic duo, and for as little screentime was they had they managed to make their characters compelling. It's made completely understandable that given all three having their lives ruined by Bison in some form that they and Chun-Li would gravitate towards and work together. Unironically would watch a whole side series just about the three of them they bounce off of each other in a strangely natural way

-Likewise, Dhalsim!! Was not expecting to find him so compelling. I know it's a steep deviation from canon but at the very least they gave him his own little character arc, and the desire to use his skills for the betterment of humanity does sound a lot like canon Dhalsim behavior so I'm fine with it.

-Like I mentioned before, I was quite shocked at how well done Vega's presence was in the film, being rather spot on visually and personality-wise. As I found out while looking up more info, apparently his actor was still learning English at the time, so it's understandable why he only had a few short lines. However, just about everything else makes up for it. The costume design was near-perfect, and even without dialogue his body language did a terrific job of having him come across as condescendingly smug and dismissive. I see a lot of (absolutely deserved) praise for Mr. Julia but Jay Tavare did a fantastic job and absolutely deserves more credit

-On that note in general a recurring sentiment I kept having was that the silent/gesture comedy in this was really, really sharp. Some of the funniest parts in this movie were ones with no dialogue whatsoever

-This movie was funny on purpose!! I've seen some people describe the memetic moments in this and make it sound as though the whole thing is a straightforward action flick, but there were a whole lot of actually intentionally comedic elements and most of them landed perfectly well!

-Zangief is another underratedly terrific performance. Even if he's much duller than he is canonically it's played with so much gusto and enthusiasm that it's so enjoyable to watch him in action.

-Raul Julia. No explanation needed.

-Ming-Na Wen. Slight explanation needed bc WHY DID NOBODY TELL ME SHE WAS SO GOOD IN THIS. Woman did her own stunts and gave the movie a dose of colder realism that worked excellently with the somewhat unsteady tone

-Bazooka Cammy. Also as iffy as I was initially at having a pop star acting in this Kylie turned in a pretty solid performance.

-Gun Ken. I don't have much elaboration for this one it was just funny. Super magical spirit karate from living in backwoods Japan for like a decade with some old guy and you just decide to use a gun. We brought back Neck Snap Cammy from the II OVA for 6 so we can totally bring back Gun Ken for SF6 too right?? Please?? Don't even have to do anything too fancy just take regular Ken and give him Gun.