#I love how much personality fred has on this stream

[qtubbo]

this is a great day for me specifically

FRUBBO 🔥🔥🔥

[marley-manson]

Hawkeye and Frank are the two most diametrically opposed characters on Mash. They clash politically, ideologically, emotionally, intellectually, and even physically on more than one occasion. There is virtually nothing they agree on. But they do have one significant similarity: both Hawkeye and Frank are notably, pointedly effeminate.

Hawkeye is the central protagonist, so he's written to be likeable, even admirable, especially in the first five seasons of the show when satire dominated rather than character drama. He's the character who makes the correct political points and voices the show's ideology, and male audience members are encouraged to identify with him and aspire to be like him. He's witty, he's smart, he's charismatic, he dodges consequences a lot, he's highly skilled in his work, and he has a strong personality and natural leadership qualities.

Frank is the main antagonist up until the end of season five. He's written for audiences to hate him, mock him, and occasionally be horrified by him. He's dull-witted, incompetent, awkward, easily led and manipulated, and always gets his comeuppance. Few audience members are likely to aspire to be more like Frank Burns.

And yet, while most likeable protagonist/detestable antagonist duos in American popular media would also be differentiated in terms of gender performance as a matter of course - the effeminate villain being a standard stock character, always set against a ruggedly masculine hero - Mash takes a different approach.

From his core personality as a sniveling, weak-willed follower, to the way other characters, including Hawkeye, routinely make fun of him by comparing him to a woman or insinuating that he's gay, Frank Burns certainly fits the part of weak, emasculated villain. What's more interesting, and much less commonly seen in Hollywood media, is that Hawkeye is portrayed as just as unmanly, and just as, if not more prone to having it pointed out in the show.

Often Hawkeye's jokes at Frank's expense include the implication that Hawkeye is attracted to him himself, and not necessarily as "the man." He jokes, "Guess it's a marriage, Frank. I know I can do better, but at my age, can I wait?" in Hawkeye, Get Your Gun; he switches from calling Frank one of his vampire brides to taking the feminine part in post-coital pillow talk after siphoning his blood in Germ Warfare; he kisses or tells Frank to kiss him in Major Fred C. Dobbs, For the Good of the Outfit, and Bulletin Board, etc.

Other times, the jokes Hawkeye makes about himself are virtually identical to the jokes made at Frank's expense - their respective attractions to Margaret as a potentially dominant sexual partner, eg, with both Frank and Hawkeye portrayed as eagerly submissive. For instance, in 5 O'Clock Charlie Hawkeye jokes about tying Frank to Margaret's tent, then dismisses the thought with, "He'd probably love it. I know I would." And Hawkeye/Trapper and Frank/Margaret are sometimes paralleled as dual couples, Hawkeye and Frank usually being framed as the more feminine partner in each.

And of course, unconnected to Frank, there are many, many more examples of Hawkeye's effeminacy, both in jokes and in personality traits.

Hawkeye is a self-professed coward who is loud and proud about how terrified he is to be stuck in a war zone. He's emotionally open and highly empathetic, always willing to listen to others' problems and discuss (or scream about) his own. He abhors institutional violence and faces every enemy combatant with his hands firmly in the air. When authority is thrust upon him he strives to relinquish it, and uses it as little as possible.

More shallowly, he has little interest in sports and exercise, derides masculine hobby magazines like Field and Stream and Popular Mechanics, is incapable of performing mechanical tasks to the exasperation of others at least four times (Comrades in Arms which explicitly frames this emasculating, In Love and War, Patent 4077, and Hey, Look Me Over), mocks traditional masculinity in many ways, and enjoys musical theatre and Hollywood gossip. And he makes and takes literally hundreds of jokes about being unmanly and having sex with men himself, many more than he makes at Frank's expense.

But while the jokes are at Frank's expense and meant to belittle him, they're rarely made at Hawkeye's expense, especially in the first five seasons. Hawkeye doesn't make the jokes out of self-deprecation, he makes them out of pride and a desire to differentiate himself from the army men he's surrounded by. He's almost always in on the jokes others make about him, rather than offended - Potter telling him to file a paternity suit against his rival in Hepatitis makes him laugh delightedly, and Trapper's remarks on his effeminacy, such as Miz Hawkeye in Hot Lips and Empty Arms, are sometimes lightly teasing but always a regular aspect of their dynamic that Hawkeye enjoys playing up. Frank doesn't make any jokes directly mocking Hawkeye's masculinity that I can recall, beyond vague "pervert" and "degenerate" remarks, which, while often historically homophobic, in the show's context tend to be treated as a reference to his heterosexual endeavours.

Frank's effeminacy is a point of mockery and derision, but Hawkeye's is a point of pride, and not intended to make him any less likeable to an audience. Antagonists don't get to score points off of Hawkeye by mocking his feminine traits, but Hawkeye makes fun of Frank regularly by mocking his feminine traits.

This difference in framing can partially be explained by the nature of their respective gender performances.

While Hawkeye and Frank are both effeminate, they're effeminate in many opposite ways. Frank is weak-willed while Hawkeye is strong-willed. Frank is unappealing to most women, while Hawkeye is something of a lady's man. Frank cannot face his fears to rise to a challenge, but Hawkeye can. But on the flipside, Frank refuses to admit to fear while Hawkeye openly proclaims it. Frank strives to attain authority while Hawkeye refuses it or takes it on only begrudgingly. Frank is obsessed with guns to a freudian extent while one of Hawkeye's most famous monologues of the show is a speech about refusing to carry one. Frank worships the concept of traditional masculinity even while he can't perform it himself, while Hawkeye mocks the concept and would refuse to perform it even if he could.

The Sniper is an excellent case study of these contrasts. In this episode, Hawkeye is effeminate and at ease with it, while Frank is desperate to prove himself masculine. Frank and Margaret flirt with strong Freudian overtones while Frank shoots a gun while nearby Hawkeye flirts with with a nurse with a line about "tasting" her. Hawkeye connects with the nurse he's wooing by relating to how scared she is and huddling in fear with her, while Margaret demands that Frank prove his masculinity by going out and taking down the sniper himself. Frank carries a gun while trying to approach the sniper, while Hawkeye carries a white flag. Frank tries to make fun of Hawkeye for wanting to surrender, but he can't bring himself to approach the sniper while Hawkeye does.

This contrast of gender performance is a consistent aspect of Hawkeye and Frank's dynamic throughout the show, but The Sniper makes it a central theme so it's a useful example to show how their relationships to masculinity are a deliberate aspect of their dynamic.

And while Hawkeye makes fun of Frank's femininity, it's significant that he also regularly makes fun of Frank's masculinity - his love of guns (eg The Sniper), his sexual affairs (eg the exchange about Frank as a "fantastic performer" in Yankee Doodle Doctor), his numerous attempts to exert authority (eg Welcome to Korea), his desire for socially approved success (eg Hot Lips and Empty Arms), etc.

Both masculine and feminine sides of Frank are comprised of negative character traits, while Hawkeye embodies the best of both - emotional expression and healthy ways of coping by talking about his feelings; bravery but not machismo; intelligence and skill as a doctor rather than an officer; empathy and a willingness to listen; sexual prowess but largely through his love of foreplay rather than his dick game (which, in the context of the early 70s, is a somewhat feminine attribute that distinguishes him from a typical traditionally masculine man); etc.

Hawkeye demonstrates some of the most appealing and healthy qualities of both masculinity and femininity while Frank demonstrates, or strives to demonstrate, the more toxic qualities of both. Through including a few positive masculine traits in the mix, the narrative is able to depict Hawkeye as likeable, admirable, and desirable in his effeminacy while Frank is depicted as loathesome in his. Hawkeye gets one of many, many women in The Sniper by showing vulnerability, while Frank only appeals to Margaret, and Margaret is portrayed as borderline pathological in her sexual attraction to violent masculinity (the scene where Frank excites her with his gun, for example, also includes an electra complex joke, and there's a running rape kink gag in this episode as well).

Another aspect to consider when it comes to differentiating Hawkeye and Frank's respective femininities is hypocrisy. Similar to how Frank and Margaret's affair is mocked because they can't admit to it while Hawkeye and Trapper's affairs are glorified, part of what makes Frank's effeminacy so mock-worthy, while Hawkeye's feminine qualities are a source of pride and rebellion, is that Frank refuses to admit to them.

Frank desperately wants to be the ideal heroic army man and often play-acts the part, poorly. When Hawkeye mocks him by calling him a woman, for example, he's drawing attention to Frank's failure to live up to his own ideals. And when Hawkeye calls himself a woman, he's mocking those same ideals. The message is that Frank is pathetic not so much for failing to be traditionally masculine, but for wanting to be traditionally masculine at all.

Ultimately the ways Hawkeye and Frank perform masculinity and femininity are pointedly in opposition, from which masc and fem traits they embody, to how proudly they embody them. The show itself draws attention to these gendered similarities and differences between Frank and Hawkeye through a constant barrage of jokes, and even whole scenes and episodes. In this way the show portrays Frank as a hypocritical loser who wants to be masculine but fails to embody all but the worst traits, and Hawkeye as a cool, admirable guy who disdains the traditional pillars of masculinity and embraces his own effeminacy.

[etoilesbienne]

re: tubbo and homophobia

It is okay to be uncomfortable with the homophobia jokes. That's fine. You're entitled to feeling uncomfortable however you please. That being said: some issues I have.

A fair amount of people upset with this aren't watching Tubbo's streams for the jokes, which is fine, however, reducing him to his status as a gay man as his only character trait is a little bit aggravating. There's a whole plotline of Tubbo feeling left out by the rest of morning crew and thinking he'll be left alone forever.

Like, sure Tubbo has Fred - as I've seen people mention - but thinking Tubbo's character's issues with loneliness will be resolved by having a romance is a character reduction, and grating to see repeated en masse by people claiming to be opposing homophobia. I understand people being uncomfortable with jokes, that's fine, but being homophobic in your own criticisms and reinforcing stereotypes with narratives of gay people solving all problems by simply falling in love is also not the take here.

I'd also urge people to be more thoughtful in their criticisms and how saying an openly gay man is making a community "unsafe" can be interpreted in a much worse way. It's fine to feel uncomfortable with jokes, again, but do not purposefully disregard any sort of reclamation or complexity of an openly gay creator being the one to make the jokes.

Like should Tubbo maybe tone down the jokes? Depends. I personally do not care. Is q!Tubbo actually homophobic? No. He's making a story about his character being left out and lashing out in a way he feel he can with his status as a queer person. If you want complex story writing: There it is. If you do not like it, it's fine, but let a character have a complex arc without trying to defang it.

And for christ's sake, he can reclaim the slur. There is no reason to be mad at him for that.

Leave the original person who made the criticism alone. This is more than just one person and they were fair in being uncomfortable with the jokes. Don't come for people personally.

[phatcatphergus]

And yeah the Fred comment really showed that there wasn’t much communication about Fred showing up beforehand.

this might be my #1 problem with fred. it feels like the admin is trying to guess what tubbo would want instead of the two of them talking a little behind the scenes. of course tubbo could reach out too but it's still reactionary in a way that doesn't make much sense in lore.

tubbo is sad about fred and holds a funeral -> fred sends a coded message about escaping. tubbo is upset about fit and pac dating and others assume he's jealous -> fred shows up at spawn. tubbo finds out irl that there was a miscommunication -> fred shows up at the factory. tubbo complains about being single on valentine's day -> fred plans to show up and surprise him.

fred either needs to be a regular part of tubbo's life or there needs to be a logical reason for when they show up. i don't even know what frubbo fans want right now because there's no realistic way for fred to be a proper partner to tubbo. it was cute, then there was miscommunication, and now it just doesn't fit with the plot. also this might be just be me but it's starting to feel like fred is a completely different character on other streams instead the same person but showing a different side to tubbo. there's too much of a disconnect for me.

Yeah i get what you’re saying with the disconnect. Honestly, the more we hear about frubbo the more obvious it is that the admin just doesn’t communicate with Tubbo about it.

Fred showing up makes zero sense with not only tubbos lore but the server plot in general and it puts ccTubbo in an awkward spot of being thrown into a romantic setting that he may or may not be comfortable with. Frubbo made sense in the beginning, the letters and the secrecy made sense. It also helped show more of how the Feds work and how the workers view themselves versus the islanders. There was a reason for Fred beyond being tubbos love interest (some people don’t get that but I digress) but that’s just not that way now.

I mentioned before how I feel about the admins lack of communication for this plotline, but overall it just feels like fan service as opposed to a genuine plot point now. Fred shows up when it’s convenient or when there will be a reaction from people (like Valentine’s Day) imo and it’s at the detriment of the server lore and tubbos lore as a whole. I’m not a fan of the direction that the character has taken and there doesn’t seem to be a mutual agreement between the two people carrying this storyline about their relationship or story as a whole.

[robby-bobby-tommy]

This one won't be in a form of any cohesive drabble. It's a mix of truth and hcs

Imagine how Fit feels. He, the man of 2b2t and constant betrayal, where survival mastered the most, stayed behind, loosing precious time to escape safely, only to stay with Ramon. As much as I thought Fit would fully revert to his old self, but his progress is still there. He desperately tried to break the block below to get his son out of this hell. Then the Eye spoke. Ramon wasn't dumb, he knew what's happening. He placed his last signs "bye dad. Give them hell".

"I will...I will!!" Fit said, running away. No, he couldn't allow himself leave with his baby boy.

He ran back. "Ramon!! Ramon!" He screamed. As the rocks fell, giving veteran a concussion and breaking his prosthetic arm, he started. Spitting blood, he tried to put his hand on the glass, where Ramon can place it. But there was no Ramon. His son was once again ripped away from him, so he had to run. Bleeding, he ran as fast as he can.

Imagine how much survivor's guilt he feels, being able to save only Bagi. The murderer, the untrusting war criminal, who taught himself to put his own life and safety first, yelled "I can save people! " After his best friend and member of morning crew landed, unable to fly again. Imagine how much Fit changed, risking his own safety and live, to save at least one person. Then imagine how much he despises himself for not thinking of Dapper first. Veteran might've saved someone, but in one big boom he probably lost his son and love. And he wasn't alone. He doesn't want to believe his baby boy made in heaven is gone, but this thought will eat him alive.

Now this is a totally hcs territory. There's no proof in lore, but I wanna.

Fit has already stated that he won't cry, while his on stream. This is a gift from the past, because to cry is to show a vulnerability, and to show vulnerability is to get trapped, killed, tricked, destroyed. So I imagine this veteran to show his distress in other way. He didn't built the gym for nothing. Back on island, he destroyed. He punched a punching bag or burned the ship down, but it was his only way of relief and coping (kind of like this) . So now, on the ship, when all memories of purgatory, Pac, Forever saying "don't get emotional about it", his lost friends, but most importantly, Ramon, he started to punch everything he could with his normal, human arm. He doesn't care if he'll break his knuckles, it would be better, honestly. Maybe physical pain will supersede his psychological one.

Imagine Fit, alone, on the stern, watching whatever happened to the island. Imagine Fit start to punch the railings, the floor, everything his hand could reach.

There's when my second hc comes out. I had this HC for a long time, but had no situation to put it in.

Fit didn't change anything about his arm, because it was the only thing he had left of Ramon. This is why it broke during the earthquake. Now it was hanging limp like yolk, reminding of son he couldn't save, good life he couldn't have, and the past he had. For me prosthetic arm represents a lot of things, but mostly his past on 2b2t and his mission. So imagine Fit looking at the knuckles on his left hand that had "2 b 2 t" Gravured on it. Imagine him being so overwhelmed with guilt, pain and flashbacks ripping his own arm away, punching it, trying to break it to get all the pain away (again an arcane example. Not quite as teary but you get the idea. TW flashing colors). But God bless Ramon for making his arm ultra durable. So he just keeps punching his past, his duty, purgatory, only hurting himself more. No one could say now, if these tears were because of damaged skull, bleeding shoulder and hip, pulsing with ache in his knuckles or a psychological breakdown.

After calming down as much as he could, and put his armed back on, he limped in the main place, where everyone surviving were. Their backs are turned away from the entrance.

"But the most important question. Where is Fred?" Tubbo said, jokingly.

But Fit wasn't in the mood for jokes. Pushing someone away he limped to his fellow morning crew member. "We potentially lost our kids, and the only thing that you think about is your f_ck boy?" Veteran used all his left self control to not raise his hand on Tubbo, but he was pulled away.

So here they are. The only surviving, losing so much, but still alive, praying that maybe, somehow the eggs are fine.

[letherivers]

The Dynamic of Cellbit and the Fed Workers and Fed Workers hiding themselves, a ramble

This is the first time I'm trying something like this, but I feel as though I'm one of the only ones who has connected these dots and seen the parallels that I'm going to talk about in this post and I feel as though I need to explore my thoughts and type them out for other people to see, think about and comment on

This contains mainly snippets of Cellbit and Bad's lore, including them during the hunger games wars, and lore from the past few days, including Quackity's stream on the 16th (lore from October 15th and 16th)

Saying this, it will contain spoilers so please be aware

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the 15th we learn about the A0 event that will be happening, Cellbit calls BBH to his castle where they talk about Ron and his kidnaping, and taking down the federation. Cellbit talks about how good it felt to kill a worker even if it was by accident and if Ron outwore his usefulness that Cellbit wished to kill him himself. BBH knows what Cellbit has gone through because they both went through it together. He is aware of the trauma that Cellbit endured and why he feels the way he does. Cellbit having to kill people to survive and do horrible acts (c*nnibalism, etc) in order to simply live. Cellbit was tortured by the Federation and wishes for it to burn to the ground and is happy to kill anyone (Fed workers mainly) who get in the way of it. He and BBH are happy to spare any workers who side with them, but Cellbit is very bloodthirsty

On the 16th, on Quackity's stream he disguises himself as Fred and infiltrates the Fed office and attends the meeting Fred is supposed to be at. There he seems the workers partying and having fun and checking in on each other, sharing information and drama and gossip.

And just being normal people, trying their best to live their lives, before having to go back to being a conformed mass, unable to show their personalities and unique traits except in small moments where they don't have to shove it all down and away in fear of being punished and possibly killed.

We learn from multiple POVs that the workers have had their memories messed with, some practically erased and have been forced from their original lives to work for the Federation, having to commit horrible acts against their will in order to survive. We see how cared for and loved Fred is to the workers during this time, all of them checking in, offering support and hugs, even accepting if he has romantic feelings for Tubbo and that they will be happy for him if he decides to pursue a relationship. One guard even states feeling grief and sadness over the loss of the eggs who have passed away, commenting on a photo of Quackity and Tilin stating he "hopes they [Tilin] are resting peacefully, and that he had high hopes for them". Quackity doesn't know how to process all of this due to his perception of the federation due to his treatment under them and sees them all as evil.

The parallels between Cellbit and the Federation workers is heartbreaking, both parties being forced to do terrible things in order to be safe another day and being traumatized by it; but unable to do much to escape what is happening unless they are finally given an out. So far it feels as though Cellbit and the other residents will be the out for the Federation workers, those that truly do not wish to be there and want to be able to live their lives freely without a looming threat that any outward traits that do not fit in a box carved for them will result in something terrible happening to them.

I hope that this can happen and that most of the workers will have a happy ending, because they seem to be just innocent people who have been put in a very terrible situation against their will.

Just a lot of thoughts that I need to get out of my head and my god does my heart hurt seeing so many similarities but Cellbit being too blinded by trauma to see that the workers are suffering just like he did.

[simplyvillainy]

📖Appreciating Quackity/QSMP’s Storytelling 📖

i want to take a second to appreciate how innovative Quackity’s story telling is because i haven’t seen some of my favorite things addressed!

not only has he brought together communities and started this revolutionary multi-lingual server, but he has made so many compelling and innovative creative choices that added to its success!

okay first of all, the fact that qsmp has admins that play npcs that add to lore and drive the story forward is already so cool to me. it allows for even more variety in the storyline and also each npc is so well executed??? like not only the eggs, but fred, ron, the various coworkers foolish is getting to know, and the list goes on.

but beyond implementing admins, quackity has incorporated so many media platforms into this story which takes it far beyond just being a minecraft server! it’s impressive from a creative standpoint, and super compelling as a viewer!

for those of you who don’t remember/know: during las nevadas we saw a hint of quackity’s storytelling creativity. quackity started making his lore more produced and implemented pre-recorded elements. on one of those streams, there was a cut from minecraft to real-life; quackity dumped a briefcase of poker chips on a table. fans LOVED IT! it was innovative and personally it drew me into the story in a way that i hadn’t seen done before.

i loved seeing this choice of mixing the minecraft world with the real world and the idea of using different media to tell a story was expanded upon even more-so in QSMP!

in order to tell the QSMP story, quackity pushes the limits of various platforms and he continues to come up with new ideas! he uses minecraft and enhances the gameplay through adding custom-made mods ranging from translators to the minimes. he created a “federation document” for the election and sent it to all the players in real life! he streamed the election results on twitch by dressing as his character, even acting as if he was talking to cucurucho. (not to mention including the audience in voting and all the statistics, even though the audience isn’t canon it was really entertaining). Beyond that, there are multiple QSMP twitter accounts that are canon and have interacted with each other! and even a website! And there is a museum in the QSMP spawn that showcases art from various fan artists!

The use of various media to build the QSMP story has been such an exciting thing to experience and it’s such an innovative way to keep delivering new and exciting content!

I’ve found myself wanting to analyze why I love the QSMP so much and this is just the tip of the iceberg as to why the specific storytelling choices feel so revolutionary and different. I can’t wait to see what the future holds!

[leqclerc]

Alright, let’s break it down:

While unconfirmed, this “news” is coming out just weeks after Charles vocally defended his race engineer, Xavi, implying that much of the mistakes and miscommunication stemmed from the working conditions within the team, particularly in 2022. After the race in Baku (Ferrari’s most successful weekend in 2023 to date) Charles took the time to explicitly thank and praise Xavi over team radio. Earlier in the year, Charles mentioned in a Twitch stream that the people he trusts the most include his family, his personal trainer Andrea...and his race engineer, Xavi.

Now, the team made costly strategic mistakes and wrong tyre choices (often failing to take Charles’s feedback and preferences into consideration) last year while...well, attempting to stay in the championship fight.

Xavi is a face and a name everyone knows. For most people, especially with only a surface interest in a team’s inner workings, they will know the drivers, the team principal...and the race engineers. It’s incredibly easy to make someone like Xavi a scapegoat because he’s a tangible being you can point your finger at. Just look at how people get carried away nearly week in, week out, pinning the blame on Charles’s race engineer for everything from strategy to tyre choice, which do not fall under the umbrella of his responsibilities. As a race engineer, he’s the bridge between the pitwall and the driver. He’s being fed information regarding decisions made by those sitting on the pitwall, including the strategists. He is not the one making those decisions. Until we get a pitwall cam + radio channel specifically, we likely won’t know what the hell is going on over there.

Has Xavi made mistakes? Of course. I think every race engineer has, at some point, made mistakes or had a disagreement with their driver. Not saying everyone has to love the guy, but is there really no way to criticize someone without resorting to abuse and threats? I can’t help but note that a lot of that is often coming from those who balk when Charles is on the receiving end of similar treatment online. It’s not okay to cross a certain line when it comes to criticizing Charles, and it’s not okay to cross a certain line when it comes to criticizing Xavi, simple as. Not to mention there seems to be a lot of projecting going around and often Charles’s own feelings and perspective get invalidated because they don’t fit a certain accepted narrative.

Anyway, point being, it’s always easier to blame it all on the guy people know (and conveniently already have a negative opinion about) and throw him to the wolves rather than dig deeper and eliminate the root of the problem. And here’s where I hope Fred’s approach differs from Mattia’s.

Let’s be real, this team has had miscommunication and strategy issues pre-Xavi, currently has them, and very likely will continue to have these very same issues even if he’s gone, until something at the core of the team begins to change for the better. 

[neontokyoo]

Hi. I read your comfort fic for the moriarty Brothers and James and honestly it brought me to a few tears. I've been really nervous to make a request but something like that is kinda what I need right know... so if you are okay with it ( and comfortable) could you right something for a s/o that struggles with starving herself? Maybe with Louis, Fred and James? I know it's a hard topic so if you aren't comfortable I completely understand. Thank you again for the past comfort fic idk who asked for it too but I thank them as well. It helped me feel a bit better. Anyways sorry for how long this is. Thank you.

Of course! I totally get it, because I myself haven't really been eating much, either, so it's not really a problem at all! And really, there's no need to ask because I'm more than happy to do any requests I'm sent as long as they aren't too horrendous. Please know, though, that if you're starving yourself because of insecurities, you're perfectly fine just the way you are, and starving yourself in an attempt to lose weight isn't really going to change anything. If it's because of more serious matters, I definitely suggest you get help from a trusted friend, teacher, adult, etc., because self-starvation is never the answer. If you ever need anyone to talk to, I don't think I'm going anywhere anytime soon, so feel free to message me anytime. You're not alone. <3

Pairing: Louis James Moriarty, Fred Porlock, & James Bond x Fem!Reader

Genre: Comfort

Summary: Fred, James, and Louis start to worry after discovering that you've been starving yourself.

Warnings: Mentions of suicide and mental health issues, manga & anime spoilers

The first time Louis, Fred, and James meet you, they are captivated by your beauty, intelligence, and kind-hearted nature. Your presence brings a new light into their lives, and they are instantly drawn to you. As your relationship with them deepens, they become aware of the silent struggles you face.

It starts with small signs—a skipped meal here and there, a subtle comment about your weight. At first, they brush it off as mere quirks, not wanting to invade your personal space. However, as time goes by, the signs become more apparent, and they can no longer ignore the turmoil within you.

One evening, as you all gather in Louis's room, playing cards and spending time together, you excuse yourself to use the bathroom. Concerned about your well-being, Louis follows you discreetly, his worry etched across his face. He finds you staring at yourself in the mirror, tears streaming down your cheeks.

"Y/N," Louis whispers, his voice filled with concern and tenderness. "Please, let us help you. We can't bear to see you suffer like this. I've already lost the one person I needed most, and I don't know how I'd be able to live with myself if I lost you, too."

You look at him, your eyes reflecting a mix of vulnerability and shame. "I… I can't," you choke out, your voice trembling. "It's just… I feel like I'm losing control over everything, and this is the only thing I can control."

Louis steps closer, his hand gently reaching out to touch yours. "But you don't have to face this alone. We are here for you, always."

The sound of the door opening interrupts your conversation, and Fred and James enter, their worried expressions mirroring Louis's concern. They join you, surrounding you with a united front of support.

Fred speaks softly, his voice laced with empathy. "Y/N, you're more than just your appearance. Your strength, your intelligence—those are the qualities that captivate us. We love you for who you are, not how you look."

James adds, his voice steady and reassuring, "You're part of our team, our family. We won't let you go through this alone. We'll fight alongside you."

Tears continue to fall down your face, but this time, they are tears of relief. In that moment, you realize the depth of their love and the strength of their bond. You promise to try, to seek help and overcome the battle that has consumed you for so long.

Days turn into weeks, and with the unwavering support of Louis, Fred, and James, you embark on a journey towards recovery.

Slowly but surely, you start to regain control over your life, finding that cutting your hair helped you cope with the burdens you've had to carry. It felt like you had more control over something. The path is not without its challenges, but with the combined strength of your loved ones, you find the courage to persevere.

As the days pass, your relationship with Louis, Fred, and James blossoms even further. The love and understanding that brought you together in the first place only deepen as you overcome obstacles as a team. Together, you find solace in one another's arms and a newfound appreciation for the beauty that lies within.

In the end, the battle against your inner demons becomes a testament to the strength of your bond. You realize that you are not defined by your struggles but by the unwavering love and support of those who stand beside you.

[roaldseth]

For the Trianfgle Strategy question: 17, 19, 22?

Sincerest, deepest apologies that this answer didn't arrive sooner. A lot was going on, and a lot consistently kept going on, and you know how it is, and of course making the House Wolffort live stream was of upmost seriousness and importance. The last was jokingly, but the others not so much. Anyway—

17. What ending did you go for first?

Liberty. As I had said in this set of answers, anything for Benny Boy. The story goes is that my fate was already preset before release, because, to much dismay, Benedict Pascal stands as the sole reason for why I even gave glances at Triangle Strategy. I'm not known to be an TRPG/SRPG player, gameplay was not the pull, concept did seem fun though, but on GOD I had to find out what was UP with that man. In the end, when actually presented with the options full context, I still selected Benny, half from favoritism (and not wanting to loose him first go), half from process of elimination of not wanting to do the other options at the time.

Though I am a strong Liberty End enjoyer, I was not impressed at all first impressions on how it was presented as an idea. Quite frankly, I didn't really like Benedict's argument, or at least not how he presented/worded it. Ultimately, I think I reacted that way because it wasn't presented in a way that was appealing to a person like Serenoa. But, it turned up being a "the worst man you know makes an excellent point" but the excellent point is not his point at all, and it's assessing the likely to happen/known collateral of the other options. I don't regret doing it first play through, and know I'm very much an outlier in NA-EU group with this option.

19. Most heartbreaking moment?

Finishing—UH. When I say this, I speak from a place who always inevitably has to abruptly stop when the end of the game is coming up for days/weeks as if that'll prevent it from ending because I don't want to have to deal with a conclusion when it can just, you know, live on ambiguously suspended. Endings are markers, and though I know I can—and do—live my days happily attached to Triangle Strategy as a piece of media, I can never get that first time feel ever again. It cannot be recreated. It was a specific moment in time, and it's bittersweet. So, I just don't like finishing games in general, especially if it's in a place of much love and facination, for this reason, but it's something that is important to do.

But, I know that's also not what the question is asking, so perhaps consider: Utility End does a good job of making you feel like shit, sure (moral heartbreak)? Every ending (except Golden) ruining a perfectly good marriage before they could even get married (matchmaker heartbreak)? Realizing that the stick up Benedict's ass was put there by himself (being forced to witness idiocy heartbreak)? IDK, options are there.

Actually, no, you know what? Parting with Benedict for Morality fucking sucked. Hated that shit. Like, yeah I'm a known Benedict enjoyer, which is not helping my case, but from the stance of his history and job, his parting is painful because you—the lordship—is choosing to forego the House, its settlement, its people, its ancestry, and such is a name he had served devoutly since before it was a High House (30+ years).

This doubles with Frederica leaving for Utility end, because abso-fucking-lutely. You—her betrothed—are choosing to side with the oppressor of her people because the current king doesn't have much of a spine because he's the second son and wasn't expected or taught to deal with stuff like this, and then you thought it was a good idea...

Okay, actually, halt the post (sorry Roland, you don't get a section). The easier way to say what I want to say is that your partings with any of them are so painful. Like, I get it that they're supposed to be heartbreaking because "oh disagreement, oh bestie is leaving" but it's heartbreaking because they all have good reason to fuck off (it's just Benedict and Frederica have more push with other things not canon-specific events). The emotion they all put behind it fucking rocks. Love it, but I emotionally hate it.

22. Favorite moment?

Honestly, no idea, but I will say that the Chapter 17 voting period as a whole, no matter which way it's split, and because it's split, is... something for sure, important for sure... that I can really put a name to. It will certainly likely be a benchmark if future installments are made. In functionality, gameplay and writing, it's got to be something that works in unison with each other. I don't know. It's a very important part of the game for various other reasons that isn't narrative, but still greatly includes the narrative absolutely, and it's also just oh neat let me see everyone react, excellent.

(One comment I have heard in passings is that a let down of the game was that the 4 [reps] to 8 [war council] didn't disagree enough during votes, and on one hand, yeah they probably should have butted heads more at some capacity. But, for where Triangle Strategy is right now, I can understand why they didn't, whether or not it was the right or wrong call. I personally didn't hold it against them, or mind, or think it too out of the ordinary, so it's just a personal taste and maybe "you might be looking for a different game" really.)

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 21/10/2023 (Fred again../Jozzy, Troye Sivan, Drake/SZA)

Content warning: Brief mentions of mental health, violence, emotional abuse and death

For a second week, Kenya Grace leads the pack with “Strangers” - welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS!

Rundown

As always, we start the episode off with our notable dropouts, which are songs exiting the UK Top 75 - which is what I cover - after five weeks in the region or a peak in the top 40. Firstly, we see a couple top 40 debuts exiting as soon as they entered, like “Normal People Things” by Lovejoy, “Toxic” by Nines featuring the Bad Boy Chiller Crew, “You & Me” by JENNIE and “American Town” by Ed Sheeran, as well as “bad idea right?” by Olivia Rodrigo prematurely dropping off thanks to the three-song rule. Then we have some of the more long-term hits dropping off like “The Weekend” by Stormzy and RAYE, “0800 HEAVEN” by Nathan Dawe and Joel Corry featuring Ella Henderson, “Popular” by The Weeknd, Playboi Carti and Madonna - that lasted way longer than I expected - and despite the recent gains, “Snooze” by SZA.

There is just… a lot of everything this week, but particularly gains. We do have some re-entries too, with “Style” by Taylor Swift back at #73 before her re-recording is even out, followed by “Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi at #71 - what did I tell you? - and bizarrely enough, “Pompeii” by Bastille all the way up at #37 thanks to an orchestral version with Hans Zimmer. Alright then. As for our notable gains… let’s just run through it: “Another Love” by Tom Odell at #59, “Party All the Time” by Hannah Laing and HVRR at #58, “Anti-Hero” by Taylor Swift at #39, “On My Love” by Zara Larsson and David Guetta at #38, “Would You (go to bed with me?)” by Campbell and Alcemist at #35, “Got Me Started” and “Rush” both by Troye Sivan at #36 and #27 respectively - more on him later, “Back on 74” by Jungle at #25, “Stick Season” by Noah Kahan at #18 “Cruel Summer” by Taylor Swift at #14 thanks to the new versions, “DNA (Loving You)” by Billy Gillies featuring Hannah Boleyn at #12 and Mitski gets her first top 10 with the fantastic song “My Love Mine All Mine” at #8 - more on that later in the year.

As for our top five, we have “Baddadan” by Chase & Status and Bou featuring their posse at #5, “Water” by Tyla at #4, “greedy” by Tate McRae at #3, “Prada” by casso, RAYE and D-Block Europe at #2 and of course, “Strangers” at the very top. Now for our list of new songs, and it’s a lot - not a ton of it makes all too much sense either. As you can clearly tell with…

NEW ARRIVALS

#60 - “Just How You Like It” - K.A.D and Kak Hatt

Produced by K.A.D

I listened to a regional BBC Music Introducing show a couple weeks ago and heard a variety of stuff. One of the songs that stuck with me was a pretty mediocre but charming hip-house tune by some guy and it went “give me some time, I’ll have a Rover, lookin’ like a four-leaf clover, tell that girl, come closer”. It’s honestly probably terrible but it was at least honest fun, ending up comical not because he tried to be, but because it was a bit of a genuine fun, not trying too hard to offend anyone or even pretend he was a talented rapper. It was just stupid, and that was okay. This song, with the guy’s Bitmoji in the cover art, seems to think very highly of itself despite the fact it sounds worse than a clearly amateur recording from a guy who I’m sure has way less than the millions of streams this has. It’s pretty easy for me to tell when a song is devoid of personality or anything that personally interests me, but it’s rare that we can get a song devoid of talent - or at least any interest in getting any better. Hope this falls off quick.

#56 - “Black Hole” - boygenius

Produced by Collin Pastore, Jake Finch, Ethan Gruska, Calvin Lauber, Marshall Vore and boygenius

And for a change of pace, we have indie-rock threesome boygenius, consisting of critical darlings Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus, with this coming as a bit of a surprise but they did carry some streams from the rest, a little accompanying EP for their debut album from earlier this year. I have yet to listen to any of the collaborative stuff from boygenius, even if I do like a fair bit of Baker’s and Dacus’ solo work. The song starts minimally with Baker despairingly mentioning the few stars she can see in the dark, as the lowered cacophony of strings, glitches, and plummering percussion start to rumble into prominence, battling with a lo-fi piano recording that just sits there, is let hang in a really awkward, but again, despairing way. Eventually, there is a full ruffling of drums but it’s distorted and busy, way too much so to feel organic or natural, so the seemingly endless verse of contrasting phrases from Dacus and Bridgers float across it, way further in the mix, like a cry for help in disaster - “my thoughts, all noise […] sometimes, I need to hear your voice”. It’s a great line to end on to, as the song dissipates out into the next on the tracklisting through a clattering software break instead of anything that sounds like it actually functions or resolves the song’s conflict. It’s a bit of a short, depressing tune, but it gets its point across pretty damn well. Wouldn’t mind more boygenius charting in the future, or just good alternative rock in general… just saying…

#52 - “WORTH IT” - Offset featuring Don Toliver

Produced by CHASETHEMONEY, Heavy Mellow, Cory Rose, OTTI, BEAM and Dave-O

The amount of producers on these big-name rap projects is getting out of hand. Does Offset really need six guys on the boards? To be fair, this was originally a song just by BEAM and CHASETHEMONEY that got deleted and repurposed into this track, which itself samples a Busta Rhymes classic “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See”, which peaked at #16 in 1997, as well as the reggae-pop hit “You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No)” by Dawn Penn, which hit #3 in 1994. Yet somehow with all those samples, nothing of interests pops out. I guess this has a vague reggae rhythm to it thanks to the shaking percussion, and I mostly like Don Toliver on this kind of sound - he fits really well! Offset is here, on his #62 album that somehow charted two songs in the top 60 thanks to big-name features, and he just is entirely alien to this kind of song. There’s nothing that screams “chill reggae-pop” about Offset and it doesn’t seem like the mastering engineers cared much to rectify that. I don’t mind some of the melodic flows he ends up with, but they’re not anything I’d give a second listen. Maybe Offset’s next track will impress me?

#49 - “SAY MY GRACE” - Offset featuring Travis Scott

Produced by Vinylz, FNZ, Maneesh and Tom Levesque

Ever read a song’s title, artists and producers and know EXACTLY how it’s going to sound? This elevated, staccato luxurious trap beat was not a surprise to me at all, and I could even vaguely predict Set’s flow on this, which is sadly a bit more awkward than it should be when he’s asking God some genuine questions about why the people around him are dying, why there is systematic racism in the American justice system and… how his pinky ring cost him a Phantom. Travis Scott comes in saying he flooded the crib with cars and anything genuinely challenging or exciting about the song leaves with his verse, as the atmosphere mutes itself to a compressed synth for the entirety of his substanceless garbage that is sadly now not atypical of Travis. It had potential, but ended up honestly pretty bad.

#45 - “the grudge” - Olivia Rodrigo

Produced by Dan Nigro and Ryan Linvill

I was secretly hoping that no extra songs from GUTS would end up charting because I have very few good things to say about them but also very few good reasons for why I don’t like them. I can appreciate them as songs but they don’t resonate with me and particularly not this one, in her typical wordy fashion with those distant pianos and breathy delivery about a manipulative relationship where she just doesn’t have the strength left in her to forgive, which she really doesn’t need to. It is completely in her right to hold that grudge, and the framing of the song doesn’t entirely absolve her on that front, which is interesting, pretty disagreeable to me at least to me but I just wish the song gave me more actual melodic resonance outside of what acts practically as speaking over solid enough piano backing. It’s just lacking in some of the essentials for me, sorry.

#43 - “THIS YEAR (Blessings)” - Victor Thompson featuring Ehis ‘D’ Greatest

Produced by Samduke and Henrietta Thompson

This is a Christian Afrobeats song, I’m pretty sure, and not an awful one at that. Thompson is a Nigerian gosepl singer, and whilst the production is expectedly cheap and messy given a budget I assume just isn’t there, given that Christian music isn’t the mainstream market in Nigeria either, the delivery from these guys is so devoted it is pretty impressive, especially with Ehis’ shaky falsetto. That hook is insanely catchy also, and the slightly minimal, flexible Afrobeats groove is a solid foundation for two very slippery vocalists. I like the little screech that comes in every few measures, the choir vocals are beautiful as you’d expect - I love pretty much any use of choir in music - but why is this charting? Afrobeats is big, but these guys aren’t, and devoted Christian songs don’t often chart. There is a “French version” with Vacra and a sped-up version so I can assume some global TikTok virality… oh. Gunna is on the remix. There was a hidden Gunna song in here all this time. He’s not even bad here, though a bit strained, you can tell his passion is there even if the lyrics are generic. It’s an odd fit but not the worst, I suppose.

#31 - “DArkSide” - Bring Me the Horizon

Produced by Zakk Cervini, Oli Sykes and Daisuke Ehara

And straying as far away from possible as Christian Afrobeats songs featuring Gunna, we have the newest Bring Me the Horizon song, and man… this one’s about the “dark side” winning, going for a semi-introspective semi-populist touch that ends up just being gross in how it explores mental health. It goes for an anthemic pop-metal throwback to their mid-2010s days but without the specific narrative of POST HUMAN: SURVIVAL HORROR or the same level of sheer angst that I’m not sure they have in them anymore. It feels like an attempt by record label executives seeing the success of Bring Me the Horizon to make a song that could still be a hit whilst sounding like Bring Me the Horizon, with a touch of iffily-approached mental health lyrics that basically amount to “you wouldn’t be able to handle me when I’m crazy!”, furthered by the quirky vocal layering, obnoxious 2012 electronics and mostly substanceless, surprisingly rote songwriting. This is just nothing - there are no risks, there’s no interesting turns of phrase. It’s not even three minutes. It’s just depressing to see a once innovative band caught in this cycle of repeating themselves.

#28 - “Can’t Play Myself (A Tribute to Amy)” - Skepta featuring Amy Winehouse

Produced by Skepta

So in 2007, Amy Winehouse released “Tears Dry on Their Own” as a single, and in all honesty, I don’t like it. It is heavily reliant on its interpolation of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”, a classic duet that it clearly tries to flip in how she and Salaam Remi built a pretty ambivalent song over one of the most recognisably upbeat, motivational anthems, about not feeling too bad about a relationship breaking up because it wasn’t made to last. Yet fittingly, it never really made me feel anything. It peaked at #37 on release then upon Winehouse’s death re-peaked at #27. Now as a tribute to the lost singer, UK rapper Skepta has remixed the track but not in a style you’d expect. It’s just a straight future house song and disappointingly not very interesting at all. Sure, it has a bit more fuzz and static than the usual house cut, but it doesn’t feel exactly on purpose, just moreso that Skepta can’t fully pull off atmospheric house, considering the factorial percussion and very flat-feeling pads and synths that coat Winehouse’s organic vocals. I may not be a fan of the original song but at least I’m able to admit her vocals will never really fit that perfectly on something that isn’t in that soulful vibe. It does pain me because I do want to enjoy this, it seems like a genuine tribute and re-imagining of a song he loved from her, but I don’t really like the execution here, it feels like it could have been done by anybody, which for Skepta, is kind of sad. Sorry.

#21 - “Rich Baby Daddy” - Drake featuring Sexyy Red and SZA

Produced by Gordo, Klahr, LIOHN, BNYX, TheLoudPack and UV Killin Em

This may be my favourite Drake song. To be fair, there is some healthy competition - and it is completely expected for me to like this kind of song, at least when you boil it down to its essentials - but the amount of Drake songs I genuinely love probably doubled with the release of For All the Dogs. “Rich Baby Daddy” appears to be the fan favourite as well, or at least the one going most viral on TikTok, and I couldn’t be happier. This is a straight-up Atlanta bass record based around a heavenly pad and angelic vocal sample from Jessica Domingo that elevates the song immediately into a state of transcendence, to the point where the pitter patter of the typical Miami bass percussion is more a sprinkled decoration than main rhythm despite the fact that it is still absolutely hypnotising. Of course, Sexyy Red of all people is here and her tonally void club-ready chant about shaking that ass for Drake is perfect for this kind of bop. Drake contrasts her staccato constant with a feeble warble that flexes, sure, but drenching himself with the same paranoia present throughout the album, with the lyrics about a girl dragging love out of him seeming reminiscent of those questions asked by the vocal sample: “I could be enough, is it all?”. SZA kills it as always, going for a fast-paced, sometimes incoherent sliding delivery, and I love how the vocal sample re-appears as prominent in the mix during her verse, it’s a great mix of vocal layers that compliment each other, especially when SZA is desperate to turn this one-night stand into something further. Ms. Red has a pretty short verse but her leaving the track to run bare, just repeating “I’m lucky” as an ad-lib before the hook comes back in definitely doesn’t sound like an error, it sounds like the emptiness of the song - which it has down even to its minimal instrumentation - creeping in, of course before it becomes increasingly obvious with that abrupt beat switch to a downtempo track of Drake crooning. Now, I’ve heard this song with this part excluded, I read a lot about how it ruined the song or at least the momentum, and I completely agree, but Drake’s best weapon in his arsenal is to make the audience hear conversations they never wanted to even know of. So of course after his incredibly accessible dance banger about masking the fragility of a relationship with the fun you’re having, he gets in his feelings about how much he did for this girl yet how distant and inexperienced she still is. Is it gross? Yes, of course it is, especially over those eerie looming synths. But Drake also latches onto some killer melodies and awful lines that make me recoil into my skin a little bit. Because he’s Drake, that’s what he does, and he’s doing it best here. That strained “You know I’m the one” is a great thing to leave in the air, because it sounds far from sincere. This is an excellent song, I’m glad it’s probably going to be a hit, and if this is the last song I talk about from that Drake album, just know I still think it’s his best and I know my opinion is garbage. WIth that said, how out of all of the songs on there the Yeat one still in the top 10? I would never have predicted that.

#17 - “One of Your Girls” - Troye Sivan

Produced by OZGO

As you can probably expect, so, say it with me now: No, I did not listen to the Troye Sivan album. Who do you think I am? Someone who likes pop music? You would be correct in that assumption and I was tempted to check it out when “Rush” was the only single but “Got Me Started” tempered me very much so. And wow, isn’t this a terrible inclusion to the list of singles? First of all, he sounds like Harry Styles over this murmuring synthpop instrumental, and secondly, he implies support for copyright law, which is nothing we here at the deadcactuswalking establishment can support. I would respect the rejection of the song’s sound to add five unnecessarily blaring synths before the acoustics come in the pre-chorus, if they didn’t sound like a scary logo compilation from 2011, and then a different synth tone comes in the outro - it is clearly a purposeful attempt to sound ugly, and for such a comforting and warm song lyrically, it puts me off from even wanting to come back to it, apart from it being generally dull. A few weird moments does not make an experimental song… or even an interesting one.

#16 - “ten” - Fred again.. and Jozzy

Produced by Fred again.. and Tony Friend

Interestingly, I can’t find the origin of this song’s samples, maybe it’s an unreleased set of tracks from sessions with Jozzy and Jim Legxacy, or just from sample packs, or stuff genuinely too obscure no one has found yet, but it definitely doesn’t sound like it was made for the song. In fact, “ten” has that same blue, jumbled sound as “adore u” but the lack of frame of reference regarding the lyrics may actually help because as a result I can fully submerge in this as what it is, which is practically an instrumental. The song immediately captures the club-ready set with that “back it up and dump it” refrain yet seems to pull you away or at least follow you on the road with its cold, limping synths, punctuated by a lo-fi chipping of drums, wherein Jozzy’s vocals act as another instrument at Fred’s disposal, manipulated not to make sense but to fit with the song and reach the exact melodic impact he wants, which is a great decision considering this song is about missing home. Lyrics that felt solid and developed, especially on the heavily-filtered, subtle and minimal atmospheric house beat would be almost a distraction. They simply want you to carry on with this one, as any homesick person with responsibilities may want to do also: just stick with it despite feeling completely out of it, and as someone who has recently moved home and is feeling particularly fatigued, it hits pretty hard. I do usually snark at the whole slow-down outro thing, but it works pretty well here considering it’s that moment of feeling absolutely lethargic and unsure of yourself before it picks up once again, actually speeding back up to pace for the true outro, with even more twinkling synth patterns and a whirlpool of distortion that eventually completely devours the song… yet it still goes on, like life always does. I don’t know if the song was made to be about stretching yourself unnecessarily just in order to get through life, but it sure feels like it and it hits home as a result. This is fantastic, and I hope it has a run like “adore u” did.

Conclusion

I mean, obviously, whoever the hell featuring who gives a damn gets Worst of the Week for “How You Like It”, but it’s sad to say that “DArkSide” by Bring Me the Horizon wasn’t far behind with the Dishonourable Mention. As for the best, it was kind of difficult but it is very difficult to reach Drake’s best so he gets Best of the Week for “Rich Baby Daddy” featuring Sexyy Red and SZA, with a tied Honourable Mention between boygenius’ “Black Hole” and “ten” by Fred again.. and Jozzy, both pretty incredible songs. As for what to expect upon the horizon, I don’t know and this episode was too long for me to care. Thank you for reading, see you next week!

[mariamajesticblogs]

Ladder’s Life Insurance Is So Good, Loved Ones Might Want to Kill You

For a more Game of Thrones kind of life

Following a fundraising round of $100 million (which will presumably go into insurance … ?), life insurance firm Ladder has released its first-ever commercial.

Conceived by Fred & Farid Los Angeles and directed by Casey Storm, the quirky work follows a man home, where he’s faced with a barrage of attempts on his life by every single member of his nuclear family. It’s built on the insight that one in two couples with life insurance joke about killing each other for the payout.

“The concept made me laugh out loud,” Storm says. “I felt like it was comical, bold, and distinctly unique in advertising. It was an opportunity to make a short film that would be watchable and re-watchable, and would make the viewer laugh. I wanted to make life insurance more relatable and less overwhelming.”

Ladder | Life Insurance So Good You Might Wish You Didn’t Have It

Storm’s bona fides include work for McDonald’s, Apple and Halo Top. His deft touch can be felt in each of the dad’s artful dodges, which do nothing to dampen his cheer. And the comedic blows land right where they should (even if the weapons do not). That moment when the son looks up, darkly replying “Hello, father” to his dad’s sunny “Nerd alert!” is priceless.

“ ‘So Good’ is everything we were looking for: It’s memorable, it’s relatable, but most importantly it’s different,” says Olivia Borsje, Ladder’s VP of marketing. “Taking a fresh, innovative approach to advertising helps signal that our product is fresh and innovative, too. The brand promise is incredibly strong and resonates with a generation of consumers who feel like life insurance wasn’t built for them.”

Life insurance is a weird subject. We’ve had the talk with our parents as they planned their estates, and the conversation mostly felt dusty and strangely weighted. With our own partners, it does take on an awkward jocularity — logistics peppered with macabre jokes. But it can also be a topic of dispute, like when a person is ill and remarried, and the previous partner tries wrestling for more presence in the payout.

In all this, and in the context of the ad itself, there’s something to be said about what it means to live in societies where we have to somehow quantify our posthumous value for surviving loved ones. But that feels like low-hanging fruit, so we won’t bother. Anyway, on some level, this has perhaps always been the case — in the epic of the Trojan war, King Priam famously negotiates with Achilles to return the body of his dead son Hector, in exchange for the corpse’s weight in gold. (What is life insurance if not that?)

Ladder’s whole thing is about making life insurance more accessible to digital customers. It hopes to achieve that by making the conversation itself more relatable … and given how commonly people talk about offing one another (jokingly or not) in exchange for cash, “So Good” is a way to open the conversation on familiar grounds.

The ad ends with the father studying an arrow — shot by his daughter — that’s pierced his soda can. “Ladder,” the voiceover says. “Life insurance so good, they’re gonna want you dead.”

“It’s rare these days to have a client that fights for a brave creative idea as much as the creative team. You can’t help but dedicate yourself to their success,” the Fred & Farid team says.

“So Good” is now airing on national television in the U.S., as well as on streaming platforms including Hulu, Roku and Tubi.

Credits: Angela Natividad

Date: Oct 28 2021

Source: https://musebycl.io/advertising/ladders-life-insurance-so-good-loved-ones-might-want-kill-you

[anxioussweasley]

The World Is Better In Color

A/n: This was the answer to @just-trashs ask! I accidentally posted it early so I had to delete it :( also I’m sorry it’s so short.

Warnings: angst (sorry not sorry)

Word count: 835

Summary: Everyone has a soulmate. But that doesn’t mean you are meant to be.

It was a doomed story. Y/n knew that in the beginning. But Fred had always assured them that living in a world without color was worth it if he could be with them. What a glorious lie that was.

“You promised me this wouldn’t happen!” Y/n yelled at Fred, tears already streaming down their face. This was it. He was leaving her. He had found them. The person he was supposed to spend the rest of his life with. His real soulmate.

“That was back when I was young and stupid and I didn’t think I would ever find them!” Fred shouts back. He knew the words would hurt you. He meant for them to hurt you. He was angry, with himself, with you, with this stupid soulmate bullshit that told him who he was supposed to love. Because the truth was he didn’t want to do this.

He didn’t want to leave you. He had meant it when he said he was more than willing to live a life without color if it meant a life with you. But when some random girl walked into the joke shop, Fred’s world suddenly sprung to life. The colors that George always had to pick for products popping off the shelves. The world was beautiful. And all he could feel was dread. Because he was with you. He was in love with you. So how could this random person possibly be the one. Didn’t he get any say? Shouldn’t he be able to choose? But the girl had fallen head over heels the second she realized and had immediately confessed her “love” for him. Fred thought it was ridiculous. He didn’t know her. She didn’t know him. How could she possibly already love him. Y/n loved him. But in the end he owed it to his soulmate to try. To try and see why the universe would possibly put them together. So here he was, breaking Y/n’s heart, for a girl he didn’t even know. But there was no going back now and he knew that this was better for Y/n in the long run too.

If he ended it now, then they would be free to find their own soulmate. If he did this now, Y/n could move on. So he needed to say whatever it took to end this. No matter how much it hurts.

“Please, Freddie,” y/n begged, “don’t do this.”

“I’m sorry y/n. I’m so sorry. But-,” Fred sighed,” the world is just so much better in color.” And with that he was gone.

“Yeah.” Y/n replied to the empty room. “I know.” A single tear rolled down their face as they looked down at the green sweater they were wearing. It was Fred’s, though he had never been able to see it’s color. It was the same sweater he had been wearing the day they met. It was the exact reason she had never told him the truth.

“Thanks for showing me around,” Y/n mumbled to Ron and Harry as they gave her the tour of hogwarts.

“Of course. Can’t have you wandering into forbidden corridors like we did our first year here.” ron laughed.

“You two went into a forbidden corridor your first year?”

“In our defense we were 11 and were running from filch.” Harry answered.

“Yeah, you're 17, you should be fine.” Ron assured.

“Well unless you get caught running around with those two,” Ron added, nodding to two boys down the hall. You merely glanced before turning back to ron.

“Who are they?” you asked.

“My brothers, twins, trouble making gits, but man can they pull a prank.”

“Fred! George! C’mere!” Harry waved the boys over. One boy stayed behind talking to a girl as the other one ran over.

You turned to look at him head on, suddenly all the air was sucked out of you.

“Fred this is Y/n. they’ve just moved here, she’s in your year.” Ron introduced them.

Fred gave y/n a wide smile, only she was too preoccupied freaking out over the newfound colors infront of her to notice.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Fred Weasley, Rons older brother, and George's obviously better looking twin,” Fred sent a playful look over his shoulder to his twin who was now approaching the group.

“Nice to meet you too,” Y/n finally managed to find their words. “Um… I like your sweater. What color is it?” y/n tested the waters, trying to see if maybe he saw it too.

“Oh, I have no idea, Love. But if you find out please let me know,” he joked in a flirting tone.

“Bloody hell, Fred, how many times do I have to tell you it’s green.” George said in exaggerated exasperation.

“Until I can see it myself,” Fred chuckled.

He didn’t see it. He didn’t see the colors, y/n was suddenly waking up to. Fred Weasly was Y/n’s soulmate. But they weren't his.

[fredshufflepuff]

hey girlie, could i request a fred weasley x reader smut where the reader has to use the safe word and the end is just fred reassuring reader and its super cute and fluffy ? If not its 100% okay! :))) have a nice day/night

safe in my arms || f.w ✧˖*°࿐

summary: you use your safe word.

warnings: heavy degrading in the beginning, slight slapping, fluff. let me know if i missed anything!

word count: 671

fred fucked you from behind with your arms pinned against your back, the boy holding them back with one hand while the other gripped your ass roughly.

“such a stupid little slut, only used for my pleasure” he growled behind you, slapping your already red ass harshly as you jolted from the action.

“only for me, yeah?” he asked, small grunts falling from his lips as he panted from behind you. his dick thrusted at a violent pace, his balls slapping against your skin loudly.

you didn’t answer him, you couldn’t.

your vision was cloudy and your mind was fogged up, pleasure was no longer in the question—you were in pain.

you felt overwhelmed and uncomfortable, the burning sensation rising more and more by the second as he continued to fuck you from behind.

you knew fred was close, and wanted him to cum. but he wasn’t and that’s what made you start to break.

you wanted to continue for him, but when you realized he wasn’t slowing down—you couldn’t keep going.

“stupid little whore, incompetent of speaking like a normal fucking person” he spat when you didn’t answer, his words sending you over the edge as tears streamed down your face.

“gryffindor!” your safe word slipped past your lips before you could process anything, your mind going fuzzy as fred waisted no time in pulling out.

“gryffindor! g-gryffindor, gryffindor” you babbled out, your body shaking and your mind so gone that you didn’t even notice fred had stopped.

“darling, princess hey” your boyfriend cooed, falling into his soft and caring self as he cautiously touched your arm, stroking it gently to bring you back, “hey baby, freddie’s here.”

your legs curled up to your chest as you extended your arms out for him, your bottom lip quivering as you begged for him to hold you.

fred didn’t hesitate to take you into his arms, his bare body enveloping your small and tired figure as you cried into his chest.

you felt stupid for saying your safe word. you’ve never had to before, so why would you do it now?

“i-i’m sorry” you rushed out, hiding your face in his chest as his eyebrows furrowed together, “i’m sorry f-for ruining your high—”

“baby you did absolutely nothing wrong. i’m sorry for not noticing your discomfort” he cut off, lifting your chin up gently so your eyes would meet his.

“you didn’t ruin anything, okay? and i’m so glad you told me.”

“r-really?” you sniffled, slightly confused since you thought fred would lowkey be mad at you.

this was the first time in almost a week you had slept with fred, yes he was your boyfriend but school and exams had consumed both your schedules.

you thought he would be mad because he waited so long for a release, and you ruined it by chickening out.

but fred would never in a million years shame you for using your safe word.

heck, he was the one who suggested having a safe word, claiming he wanted you to feel comfortable no matter what was going on.

“yes really. you did exactly what i told you, you used your safe word.”

you nodded in response with a small smile, fred wiping away your tears before kissing your puffy lips softly.

“i’m sorry for hurting you, princess. i never wanted to make you uncomfortable” he whispered, his voice softening as you shook your head quickly.

“it was just too much for tonight, and i know you’d never intentionally hurt me, freddie.”

“i’m still sorry, love. i’ll be more aware next time” he promised, giving you another kiss as you smiled once again against him.

“now, you go take a nice warm bath and i’ll sneak into the kitchen and get us some snacks. how does that sound?” he suggested, your heart swelling as you nodded in response.

“that sounds great, freddie.”

“just don’t get caught by filch” you add, fred chuckling as he shakes his head at the thought.

“that would be dreadful. i much rather prefer cuddling with you than him.”

🏷 @90smalfoy @whipped-for-the-weasley-twins @ang9lic @malfoysbiitch @Harrypotter_Whore @aetheralist @miraclesoflove @amourtentiaa @fjorelaant @myloveforluna

[comfortwriting]

Just A House - F.W + S.B

Masterlist, Requesting Rules, Writing Prompt Masterlist, 

Fred Weasley (boyfriend) x Fem Reader x Sirius Black (Father)

About: The reader is finally reunited with her father, Sirius Black, after she was lead to believe that he was killed in Azkaban. During this heartfelt moment, Sirius finds out that she was placed in Slytherin House, he isn't thrilled - but her boyfriend, Fred Weasley, stands by her side.

Warnings: Swearing, mention of food and eating, death and gaunt physique.

Alone. Lost. Missed. Devastated. Confused. Guilty.

You felt like this on a daily basis, all of these feelings were about your father, Sirius Black, who had been absent since your birth after he betrayed the Potters, and murdered twelve muggles, including his friend, Peter.

Luckily, your father had been held accountable for his crimes and was sent to Azkaban for the rest of his life until he would meet dementors kiss.

You didn't know if he was alive or dead, and you didn't want to know.

No one talked about him and the only pictures you had of him brought you to tears as he stood beside his friends, smiling, knowing that he would betray them for Voldemort.

You didn't know how to feel at times - you hated yourself for missing him, for thinking about him, for imagining another life where you would get to have the father-daughter relationship you crave - looking in the mirror and seeing his eyes in yours was bittersweet; you had part of him with you, forever - but he's a murderer, a fraud, a rat.

Everything changed when the news broke out that your father escaped Azkaban: Hogwarts no longer felt safe, people stared at you for longer, giving you more dirty looks, more conspiracy theories about you being an undercover spy brewed up, and you were branded as a 'murderer in the making', even Harry couldn't bear to look at you.

The only person you had was your boyfriend, Fred Weasley, why he didn't hate you - you didn't know but you were thankful.

"It's getting bad again" you sighed, your head resting in your hands.

Fred frowned and rubbed your back, chewing on his food, swallowing it before speaking.

"It's not your fault, you aren't responsible for what he did," Fred reassured you, glaring back at students passing by.

Tears streamed down your face, you stared at your plate, in no mood to eat.

"Everyone either blames me, hates me, or suspects me, Harry can't even look at me, Ron can't stand you being around me!"

Fred shushed you, wiping your tears with his sleeve, "Listen to me, people are wrongly afraid of you - their fear is poison - I love you and who cares what my little brother thinks, he's too big for his boots."

"I care, Fred," you replied "I want to be accepted like everyone else is here, I can't even sit with my own house, they hate the fact I'm not celebrating his escape."

Your father broke free from prison, from certain death, yet you weren't cheering or jumping for joy - part of you wanted to be embraced in a warm hug, to finally have the father you always wanted - but the other part of you wished that he had lost his life because if he is as dangerous as everyone had been making out; more people would die, those you cared for, and your life could be on the line.

Laying wide awake in bed, you went through the photographs again, your father smiling, laughing and seen to be having a good time with his friends: harry's dad, James, Lily, Professor Lupin, and Peter who was always awkwardly out of place - his face often showing sheepish expressions.

Unable to stay awake and cry without waking the other girls up, you went into the common room, sitting down on the black leather sofa next to the fireplace that was as dull as the night sky without its stars.

You didn't know whether to light the fire and toss the photos in or to keep them in case you would forget his face - or needed comforting over what could've been.

Out of the corner of your eye, little embers sparked and flew from the fireplace, then before your eyes, the dim common room burst out into bright shades of amber, glowing your face and over the table.

Staring into the flames, your fathers face appeared in front of you, your heart began to pump so hard you could hear it in your ears.

"Y/N, is that really you?" he asked, sounding amazed.

Lie. He's a killer, Y/N, don't talk to him.

But he's your dad, don't you miss him? Don't you crave his attention?

"Y-Yes," you replied frantically "Dad-"

"We don't have much time, sweetheart, come to the Gryffindor Common Room."

It's a trap. Harry's dead, Ron probably is too, and Fred-

Sweetheart.

Departing from the fireplace, you hurried from the common room, taking your photographs with you.

Running as soundlessly as you could through the corridors and up the stairs, you remembered the password Fred shared with you, and you burst into the common room, coming face to face with your father.

There he stood, so skinny, dirty, his face gaunt and hair a mess, his chest covered in symbols and his prison attire in the state of rags.

How did he get here?

How has no one noticed?

Harry- he's standing right there... and Ron... and Fred is okay...

Why is Professor Lupin here-

"Y/N, I have waited since the day you were born for this moment," he said both quietly and softly, inching towards you.

He took hold of your hand, pressing it against his cheek before pulling you in for the tight embrace you had imagined for so long, you wrapped your arms around him, tears streaming down your face, feeling his weak body cradle yours.

"Dad, what how-"

"Peter, it was Peter Pettigrew all along," Fred spoke up, Harry was too afraid to admit the way he treated you was wrong.

You stared at your boyfriend and father, baffled.

"Wormtail framed your father, Y/N, he's responsible for all of this, not your dad." Professor Lupin sighed, walking towards you "The whole Wizarding World has been fed a lie."

You and your dad sat together, talking about everything and anything you could to get one another up to speed.

Your father tried to get in contact with you every chance he got but failed miserably, you showed him the photographs you had left of him, telling him just how much you missed him.

"So, what were you doing in the Slytherin common room?" Sirius asked, "You could get into trouble!"

You looked over to Fred, confused.

He doesn't know?

"I was sorted into Slytherin, dad." You replied, pulling the prefect badge out of your pyjama pocket, handing it to him.

Sirius studied the badge, shaking his head, handing it back to you - a disappointed look on his face.

"No, this can't be, how could you get sorted in with a bunch of sly, wicked, evil!-"

"It's not like that," Fred stepped in, sighing "Slytherin doesn't produce evil witches and wizards, she gets bothered enough being your daughter."

"But Voldemort!-"

"Peter wasn't a Slytherin was he?" Fred asked, folding his arms.

"No-"

"It's just a bloody house, Sirius! You've just got her back haven't you?" Fred held your hand, circling his thumb into your skin.

Sirius nodded "Y-yes, you're right Fredrick, sorry."

You and your dad shared some laughs, smiles, tears, hugs, and many stories before it was time for him to go - your heart so full with healing cracks started to chip again, you couldn't lose him - you just got him back.

"You can't go, you can't" you frowned, gripping onto his hand.

"I have to sweetheart, no one will believe me, it isn't safe for me to be out in the open like this." He said softly, staring into your eyes - the same as his own.

"But I need you," Your voice cracked, tears forming in your eyes.

"And I'll be here for you, you'll get my letters, and next summer, you can come and live with me, if you want to."

Live with dad. Starting over. Catching up on everything we have missed.

"I can?" You asked, covering your mouth, your smile spreading from ear to ear.

"Of course you can,"

Since learning the truth and being given a chance to start over, the bullying didn't bother you anymore - you knew your truth and that's all that mattered.

You were finally able to eat your meals at your house table, often staring over to Fred, blowing kisses when the two of you weren't pulling pranks or skipping class to be together, for the first time in your life, everything felt perfect.

"I'm so happy," you sighed, cuddling up to Fred "I've got you, I've got my dad, Harry and Ron don't hate me, everything is... perfect."

"It always will be from now on, love," Fred replied, kissing your head.

But it wouldn't be perfect, because you had no idea that you were about to lose your father right in front of your eyes, and soon after the love of your life would be taken away from you when you would fight for a future worth living, something your father had done before you were born.

taglist: @horrorxweasley @inglourious-imagines @rreeaahh @themoonis-beautiful-tonight @supermassiveblackhope @pottahishotasf @potters-heart @livvysnaps @scorpireads @youralternantpersonality @onlyfreds

[slytherweasley]

Cam girl (George Weasley x reader)

Warnings: Smut and swearing

Summary: George logs onto his computer every week at the same time to watch his favourite cam girl because she reminds him of a girl he used to have a crush on at Hogwarts. One day he decides to pay to private message her and she responds.

George logs onto his computer at 10pm, the same time every Monday, Tuesday and Friday. Today’s Friday, the last day of the week until he has to wait until Monday. For the past month George has been watching a cam girl, she goes by Honey but that’s not her name. The thing that excites George about it all is that she’s anonymous, no one knows what she looks like under the mask.

You setup your computer so the webcam can get everything, you find all the toys you want to use and line them up. You put on your mask and watch the time as it hits 10pm and press stream. The viewers get transferred to your livestream. People assume everyone there is old men but you’ve seen pictures in private messages and some of them are quite good looking. Your job isn’t all sex, for the first 10 minutes you have conversations with the viewers and sometimes people just want to private message you to have some company.

George has never typed anything in the chat before because he’s too nervous too, he doesn’t know what to say. He watches you as you sit on the bed and answer comments from the live chat. He originally clicked on your stream because you reminded him of a girl he used to have a crush on at Hogwarts. She was in Hufflepuff and he had said only a few words to her but he knew so much about her.

You stop answering questions when you check the time and get ready. You ease into it by touching yourself over your lingerie. George tries to stop himself from touching himself so early in the show but the way you moan and mutter dirty things makes his mind go insane. You start to strip first revealing your breasts and you see the chat comments speed up as more new comments roll in and more viewers tune in. You get an average of 5-25k views, it all depends on the day.

You strip until you’re fully naked and lay down spreading your legs out. You use your fingers to spread your pussy open and tease your clit. George starts to palm himself through his pants. You get out a pink dildo, the men prefer 6-8 inches and bright coloured so you tend to use them but you have a large collection. You get closer to the webcam and lick up the dildo putting it in your mouth and making it wet.

You put it inside you once you’re satisfied with how long you’d been deepthroating it. George pulls his pants and boxers down and touches himself right away, wasting no time. He usually cums twice, it doesn’t take too long for him to get hard after once because he watches the whole show.

You liked doing the show because it is a way to let out all your stress and you have a desirable body that thousands of people want to see and you get generous donations during the livestream and to pay to private message you. You stay up for a few hours after your stream to talk to people because the more you talk the more they spend money on you.

Once you’d cum a few times and filled up the time you end the stream by reminding people about private messages, $5 to talk the whole night. George felt an urge to message you but he decided not tonight, he had to go to work the next day and help Fred with the shop. He took a shower and couldn’t stop thinking about you, he got ready for bed and closed his eyes and realised he couldn’t sleep if he didn’t attempt to message you. It was a couple hours after your show had ended and he decided to message you. You probably get hundreds of messages a night.

Ha pays the money to send a message he types in something simple “Hi, I watch your shows every night” he presses send and waits a bit doing other things, the notification pops up on the corner of his screen and he sees you answered. “Thank you, it means a lot, we haven’t spoken before, have we?” it was polite but George was thrilled you actually answered. He immediately types back “No we haven’t but I’ve been watching for a month now, I never got the courage to even send a live chat until now.”

George stayed up for hours talking to you. You signed off for the night to all the other men in your chats just to talk to him. He seemed like one of the guys who was nice and you were both the same age, he’s 25 as well but you don’t give out your age or actual name. You could pass for younger or older. Every night even when shows weren’t on you’d talk, the more detail you knew about him and the more sexual the conversations were the more you liked him. You’d stay up extra late to talk to him and you found yourself realising you’re getting attached and giving him false hope that you’d meet up one day.

“What’s your real name?” He asks “I can’t tell you, it’s apart of the mystery, besides you haven’t told me your name yet” “I understand and I do prefer not knowing, my name is George just so you know.” Your heart skips a beat and you feel as though you’d been transported back to Hogwarts, you had a huge crush on George Weasley, you didn’t know him well but you fancied him and your friends knew, you had common friends but never became friends. You used to be so shy and that is the one thing you wish you got over sooner so you could become friends with George. As far as you know he’s been doing very well for himself at Weasley’s Wizards Wheezes. You always thought about going in there but thinking about how shy you were makes you feel insecure and shy.

“I love that name, I used to know someone with that name, he was a great person, just like you” you reply “I’ll admit I’m so surprised you’ve been talking to me everyday for a week” “I’ve grown to like you, George.”After talking for another week you couldn’t get him off your mind and you knew that you were in too far.

“I don’t want you to keep paying every night, here’s my number. I trust you enough.” George just assumed you talked to everyone the same as him but you seemed to like him. He saves the number in his phone under Honey.

As the weeks went by, you were talking more than just at night. You became friends and you started to hate that George was calling you Honey. “I wish I could talk to you in person” he types “Why don’t we do it then?” “In person?” “Lets meet up, we can hook up at my place if you’re comfortable” you couldn’t believe you were doing this. “Are you sure? Neither of us know much about each other’s physical appearance, you don’t even know what I look like.” “I don’t care, I’ve fallen for you and we should meet up.” You send him an address to meet up a couple blocks from your house just in case he isn’t as sweet on the internet.

You get there early and stand on the busy street, each man that goes by you get hopeful until you see him, George Weasley standing there looking around for someone. In a matter of seconds everything clicks in your head, you’ve been talking to George Weasley, no wonder you were so in love with this guy you’d just met online. You apparate out of there before he sees you. You get into your apartment and send him a text “I’m so sorry George, I just threw up and I’m not in the mood to see anyone, I hope you know I’m not an asshole.” He texts back almost immediately “I get it, don’t feel bad we can reschedule” “Thank you for understanding.”

The next couple days you ignored his messages and he even tried to contact you on live chat but you wouldn’t message back. “I’m sorry if I wasn’t what you expected, I think I got the message” George knew it seemed weird she would text right as they were supposed to meet, she definitely saw him and ran. Your heart breaks and you feel obligated to message “Are you free right now?” You text back “Why?” “Let’s meet up, same spot and I promise I’ll be there to explain everything” “I’ll be there soon.”

You use magic to clean up your house just in case he isn’t grossed out by you and does want to come back to hook up. You apparate and see he is already there waiting, he seems shocked that you apparated “Honey?” He asks trying to get closer to see your face in the dark. You take a deep breath and get closer to him so he can see your face “Y/n?” “Hi George” “Did you know?” “No, I had no idea until I saw you and got scared so I apparated home.” “What do you think?” “I could ask the same” “I asked you first” “I’ve always fancied you, since about fourth year but I didn’t know you so I didn’t say anything.” “We knew each other just weren’t close” “So what do you think?” “I’ve fancied you since fifth year so I’m happy, I’m shocked though, you were so shy.” “I’m a different person to what I used to be” “I can tell” “So what do you want to do?” “Love, this makes this so much better, let’s go to yours.”

You take his hand and apparate him into your apartment. You help take off his coat and lead him to your bedroom. “Wow, this looks so much cooler in person” “It’s probably because you’ve only seen one wall of the room.” He walks around “Do you want to see the toys?” He nods and you open up a few drawers full of them. “Wow, that’s a lot, do you ever use magic?” “Sometimes if I’m tired of doing it myself but never on camera.”

You make the first move and kiss George, his lips are cold but your warm lips pressed to his feels nice. “Can I undress you?” “Of course, just promise me you won’t treat me differently now you know I’m me” “No way, I get to fuck you on the bed I’ve seen for months, I’m not going to treat you any differently than how I told you I would.” You smile and bite your lip trying to hide your excitement as he discards your clothes.

“You’re just as beautiful in real life” he kisses down your neck to your breasts and sucks on one of your nipples and you let out a whimper, he kisses down your body and hovers above your pussy. “Please George” you moan, he licks from your core up to your clit. He fingers you with two fingers first before sucking on your clit and curling his fingers inside you. Your fingers grasp his soft hair and pull on it while the other grips the side of the bed,

“George! I’m going to cum” you yell and he pounds his fingers into you “Fuck” he pulls his fingers out of you and licks them off. He takes off his shirt and unbuttons his pants while you’re recovering from your high. “I’m ready, I need your cock in me, George” you palm him through his pants and slide a hand into his boxers, jerking him off. He pulls them down “Lay down” you do as he says while he strokes himself a few times before lining himself up with your core.

He slides himself in and groans at the feeling “Fuck” he moans and slowly picks up the pace until he gets used to the feeling. “You’re so fucking tight, Y/n” he pounds himself into you, you feel yourself sink into the mattress with every stroke. Your eyes roll to the back of your head and you let out a loud moan. “So fucking hot” You grip onto his bicep and look into his eyes when you are about to cum. Without saying anything he already knows “Come on, you’re so close” he rubs your clit with his other hand and you finish around him. “Holy shit, feels so good, you’re throbbing on my cock” you feel him finish and he lays beside you.

You lay your head on his chest “Thank you” he says “No, thank you, that was great” “I know you don’t do this for everyone so thanks and if you you did like it and want me to come around again I’ll be happy to.” You kiss his lips “George I want to see you again, a lot more often but also do other things like go to dinner or something.” You wait to see what he will say hoping he will agree. “Are you asking me on a date?” “No im asking you to be my boyfriend” “Really?” He sounds surprised “You don’t have to say yes I was just saying I’d like that” “Yes.”

George was fine with you doing your job, your shoes ever night and private messaging other guys because he knew that’s what you had to do to earn money. If he couldn’t be at your apartment one night he’d just watch your livestream.