#PRACTICING WHILE I WORK ON BIGGER PROJECTS

[autisticaradiamegido]

day 26

someday if i can figure out how the hell people get these things made i would like to do some little destiny & malice acrylic charms. i think those are so fun. and while i mostly want them for Myself i figure that if i DID figure out the process, i should maybe open up the option to anyone else that might want them, soooo...

informal poll: if i figure out how all that works, would any of y'all be into that, and approximately how many of you?

[mortalityplays]

You need more free art.

I quit my job yesterday. Well, actually I quit my job eight weeks ago, but they finally released me yesterday for good behaviour. Don't get me wrong, I love what I do - but I do it for the wrong reasons. Working for major charities, you learn very fast that 'I want to make the world a better place' is a phrase you use to ask people for money, not to give them things. I was an ass-backwards fit for that world.

You need more free art. I need more free art. Everyone has felt the shift in our media landscape over the last ten years, away from access and towards nickel-and-diming the human experience. That lack of access is making life and culture worse for all of us, across the board. Paywalled news sites leave us less informed, attacks on the Internet Archive leave us less capable of research. Algorithmic social feeds and streaming walled gardens trap us inside smaller and smaller demographic bubbles, where we are increasingly only likely to encounter ideas that have been curated for us by marketing departments. Hasty efforts to resist AI commodification have only led to more artists locking their work away and calling for even more onerous systems of copyright law. This is not good for us.

We all need more free art.

So what am I going to do about it?

This is a question I have been asking myself for years. It's easy to sit here feeilng frustrated and thinking 'boy I hope SOMEONE does SOMETHING'. It's harder to take action in a world where I still have rent to pay. But hard doesn't mean impossible. Sometimes hard just means time-consuming, frustrating and slow. And sometimes it's worth doing something time-consuming, frustrating and slow because...I want to make the world a better place.

I'm going to do this:

1. From April 1st, I am relaunching as a freelance writer and editor.

This is the one that will (hopefully) help to pay the bills. I am a very good and experienced editor. I've worked on hollywood movies, I'm a member of the Chartered Institute of Editors and Proofreaders, I have clients who have been coming to me exclusively for more than 10 years.

Alongside bigger contract jobs, I am going to refocus on offering my services to small-press creators at a reduced rate. That means you, graphic novelists. That means you, itch and amazon writers. I want to help you develop your work, the same way I help large organisations. You can learn more about what an editor even does and what kind of pricing you can expect here.

2. I'm also going to start giving shit away. Like, constantly.

Next week I'm going to launch a new free shop. If you're unfamiliar, a free shop, giveaway shop, swap shop, etc. is an anarchist tradition of setting up a storefront where anyone can take what they like for no cost. Offline, this often means second-hand clothes, tools, furniture, food etc. Online, I am going to be giving away digital art. Copyright-free, no strings attached. It will (eventually) feature everything from print-res posters to zines, poems, tattoo flash, t-shirt designs and anything else we come up with.

Yes, I said 'we' - while this is a curated collection, it will feature work from a variety of credited and anonymous artists and activists, all of whom have agreed to give their work away to the public domain. Some of it will be practical, some of it will be political, but a lot of it will be decorative or personal. This is, in part, a response to recent difficulty I had finding somewhere that would print a one-off joke poster for a friend that featured the word 'faggot'. Enough. No middlemen - no explaining ourselves. Just print our shit and enjoy it.

I'm very, very excited about this project. I'll have more to say about it closer to the launch, but you can expect it to go live on March 27th.

2.2 I forgot to mention the ACTUAL LAUNCH GIVEAWAY

To celebrate my launch, I am going to be giving away a ton of physical prints. When I went looking for my old stock to see if it was worth setting a new (paid) storefront up, I realised I had way more old work in storage than I thought. This will be announced in its own right on Monday, but this is why I've been hinting you should go follow my Patreon.

On April 1st, I will pick 8 random patrons (from across all tiers including non-paying followers!) and mail them a bundle of assorted prints and postcards. The prize pool includes A3 and A4 posters, packs of A6 postcards, and printed minicomics that I've previously sold for up to £12 each.

You don't have to be a paying subscriber to enter - this is strictly no-purchase necessary. It is purely and entirely a celebration of the concept of GIVING ART AWAY FOR FREE.

3. PORN, YOU PERVERTS

Because I still have to pay to stay alive, I am going to be subsidising all this free art with the introduction of Fuck You Fridays. Starting from March 29th, I will drop a new 18+ short story on the last Friday of every month, over on itch.io (yes I know my page is desolate right now, don't worry I'll get there).

The first edition, Go Fuck Yourself, is about, well - telling your boss where to stick it. Julia has had it with her millionaire man-child manager, and is just about ready to let him know what she really thinks. It's a short and steamy 5k words, with a gorgeous cover illustration by @taylor-titmouse, and you can pick it up for $3 starting from March 29th.

4. ANOTHER BIG SURPRISE

I'm keeping this one under wraps for now, but April 1st will also play host to one more (FREE) launch. If you've been following me for a long time, you might remember the other significance of this date (no not April Fool's day, though that is certainly thematically relevant to this entire effort). That's all I'll say right now. Watch this space.

tl;dr: I'm sick of paywalls and career ladders. I'm literally putting my money where my mouth is. More free art for everyone and I'm not kidding around!!!

[shinesurge]

Webcomic rings run by people within the community are cool and you should support them

I've been loudly struggling a little bit with corporate webcomic Stuff lately so I want to mention something positive to balance it out: webrings run by small groups of creators earnestly trying to support each other are slowly making a comeback and I for one am delighted.

If you weren't around for them in the before times, webrings were just some folks who hang out a lot who feature each other on their websites. That's literally it lmao. There's generally no money involved and it only really functions the way it's supposed to if people have control over their own websites AND genuinely want to participate and get excited about other folks' work, which means the practice has pretty well fallen by the wayside over the years in webcomic culture given. Everything. In the rare event someone decides to do something like this it's usually in the form of a link list somewhere on their website; this doesn't usually indicate any sort of mutual support, it's just a list of what the creator is reading themselves.

A webring, though, is an official banner or hub that people gather under intentionally where each member is more or less on equal footing. It's essentially the concept of "a rising tide lifts all boats" put into practice, each creator brings their own audience to the table in a passive, opt-in sort of way that's different from working for a publisher since there isn't necessarily a Top Spot or a paycheck everyone's vying for, and individuals retain autonomy over both their own work and how (if) they promote each other. You're all at your own tables in an artist alley rather than fighting over the table in the front of the book store, essentially.

I have two rings and one collective for you today!

Webcomic Ring was brought to my attention AGES ago by Holly, one of the artists featured there, and I might have brought it up at some point but I'm doing it again lmao. This is exactly the kind of thing you ought to be looking for; a small group of enthusiastic folks having a good time making their weird little comics. You probably haven't heard of much in the catalog, that's PERFECT in the context of webcomics that's where the GOOD SHIT is. Finding something like this is A Gift go dig around in the longboxes for a while.

Then a few people have pointed me in the direction of the KNIFEBEETLE collective and that's neat too! Most of the comics there are already fairly well-known, but the vibes are excellent and I haven't seen a lot of talk about the collective /itself/ outside folks already in the know. I think it's important for this sort of thing to be more visible to folks who aren't terminally steeped in webcomic culture already so here I am telling you about it. You were probably reading several of these before I suggested it, but that's how a webring works! For it to do its job you should take those bigger creators' tacit recommendation of the less popular titles as a sign to go read something new and strange. Wild, I know these are practices held over from the old internet, but I think we should try and bring them back.

Lastly, I want to mention Spiderforest, which is a collective (slightly different from a webring) BUT still a very cool project readers starved for new stuff should pay attention to.

You've probably seen Spiderforest kicking around for a long time already; they're wonderful and have always been an overall positive force in the community in my experience. They really focus on building up a community, and especially welcoming newcomers and helping them get their feet under them. Full disclosure, I've been asked to apply by a few different folks over the years and the only reason I never did is I don't have the ability to participate in their forums and such as frequently as they want their creators to; it's a very good system (from my outside perspective) that might contribute to the community staying mostly healthy in ways that art communities usually don't and I appreciate it a lot!

ANYWAYS that's all I got for now, just trying to balance out some bad feelings I've been having by talking about some good stuff. Please go binge an archive this week.

[seeingivy]

mine 

satoru gojo x f!reader 

in which you decide to fake date your coworker, to get your parents off your back for a few months. can you continue on when the two of you start blurring lines between fake and real?

**part of my satoru as taylor swift songs series

- 

“You’re going to fake date your boss?” 

You smack Itadori across the back of his head, signaling him to talk quieter. 

“You’re going to fake date your boss?” he asks, whispering this time. 

“He’s not my boss, he’s just a coworker.” 

“You’re going to fake date your coworker?” 

You nod, reaching over to finish the leftover pancakes on Itadori’s plate. The three of them narrow their eyes at you, matching disapproving looks on all of their faces. You swear they practice it together when you’re not there. 

“You’re in over your head. This isn’t going to fix your problem.” says Nobara, picking the strawberries off Megumi’s plate, much to his dismay. 

“But, it is. My parents will lay off my back for a little bit, actually let me finish this clerkship without criticizing me every ten minutes. He gives them something to brag about in their circles, actually taking their focus off of pestering me.” 

“You know they’ll just take to criticizing him instead of actually laying off of you. Be practical, Y/N” says Megumi.

“Plus, how do you know he’ll even do it?” 

“Excellent question, Itadori. He needs a fake girlfriend just as much as I need a fake boyfriend. His parents won’t let him take over the firm if he doesn’t find a good match to perfect their company image. He said an aspiring lawyer matched the image, so it all works out.” you respond, finishing off the last of Itadori’s food. 

“You already asked him? And he agreed?” 

You nod in response, pulling out the contract you and Satoru had drafted earlier. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me. No romantic or sexual interactions with other people during the duration of the contract? No showing your face to the public unless both parties are present. Attendance at all firm related balls, galas, conferences. No telling other people. ” 

“Contingency plans, Kugisaki. It helps make sure we both stick to our deal.” 

“You just broke a rule.” deadpans Megumi. 

“You guys don't count.” 

Megumi and Nobara roll their eyes at you, with Itadori wishing you sincere luck in your endeavors. 

-  

You look around the room, craning to find where Satoru had run off to. He had left you at the bar, promising that he would return after he went to the bathroom.  You already know he’s having diarrhea from that cheesecake he ate earlier. 

You and Satoru had been fake dating for a month and a half now. Just as you predicted, your parents had gotten off your back, taking to their social circles to brag about how you were dating the son and future successor of one of the most esteemed law firms in all of Tokyo. As for Satoru’s parents, they had eased up on their criticism of him, Satoru swearing they’ll give him a real promotion any day now. You were a positive influence, they were beginning to trust him more. Your role at the firm was expanding as well, being assigned bigger projects and cases to work with as time went on. 

As for the two of you, you guys were getting closer. After spending virtually every day together - driving to work together, eating lunch at the block nearby, going on dates at night - the two of you had grown close. Too close for your liking. 

He was funny, unlike any other guy you had met in the past. While he seemed pretentious and immature when you first met him, you were pleasantly surprised to find out he was anything but. He was caring, compassionate, loving. You were convinced he was an angel in disguise, because no normal person could live and laugh that much. 

The truth is he was growing on you. More than growing on you, you felt the presence of him being cemented into your routines, unable to go on without him. You couldn’t go to Mochicat without buying some kikufuku for him, you couldn’t go to the store without him there to reach the high shelves for you, you couldn’t go to sleep at night if he didn’t send his “goodnight beautiful fake gf :D. have a sex dream about me” text. 

You feel a cold hand on the shoulder, your heart pounding at Satoru’s return. 

“‘Toru, you’re back. I was wond-” 

You turn to face him and realize you aren’t talking to Satoru but to Surugu, your beloved ex-boyfriend. He’s all dressed up, his hair grown out and secured into a bun at the top of his head. You put a step between the two of you, his hand falling from his place on your shoulder. 

“What are you doing here?” 

“Come on, babe. Is that anyway to treat your old friends?” 

“We aren’t friends, Suguru.” 

“Don’t make a scene. Let’s share a drink. Old times sake.” 

You glare at him, not backing down from where you were standing. You can feel an uneasy pit forming in your stomach, the sight of him bringing on a wave of nausea. Where’s Satoru when you need him? 

You and Suguru dated for three years, almost four years ago now. The two of you had started off as friends, both attending university in the states, with Suguru in medical school while you were at law school. 

The two of you had become close very fast, becoming closer than most friends were. You later found out there was a term for what he was doing, very cleverly named “lovebombing.” You spent almost everyday together and when you weren’t together, you were texting, calling, facetiming each other. He swore he couldn’t go a second without you. 

Eventually, the two of you started dating, your friendship leading into a relationship between the two of you. You had opened up to him, telling him things you hadn’t told other people before. You swore you were in love with him, feeling like he was the only person you could be yourself with. You gave yourself to him, letting him into every little part of you. 

Things changed when he moved to California to do his residency. The two of you did long distance for four months, until you realized he was no longer interested in you. After confronting him, he mentioned that his new girlfriend, Sophia, made him happy, in a way that you didn’t. You had no idea he had a new girlfriend. You didn’t even know that you had broken up. 

He said he was unsure of how to break up with you, he thought you understood the situation when he left. Despite this, the two of you continued to talk for a year after that, Suguru saying that you would always be his best friend, someone who could never be replaced in his life. He would come back to New York on holidays, the two of you spending the week together. 

You could have sworn he still loved you, deep down. Every time he came to see you, he’d hold you in his arms, kiss you like nothing had changed, made love to you like you were the only one. However, he’d return to Sophia at the end of the week, eventually saying your relationship with him made her uncomfortable, cutting any ties you had left. The two of you never spoke again. 

Until now. 

“I can’t. I have a boyfriend.” 

“So I’ve heard. Sleeping your way to the top suits you well.” 

“Excuse me?” 

“I heard you got the Initech Case the other week. Quite a big case to give a junior associate. Do you really think they would have given that to you if you weren’t sucking junior Gojo’s dick? Though I suppose it’s no shock. You always did have trouble getting things on your own.” 

You feel your blood rushing through your ears, clenching the wine glass in your hand so hard it shatters. The sound of the glass has everyone turning their heads, to find you fighting back your tears with a bloody hand. 

You spot Satoru at the door with a concerned look plastered on his face. You can see him maneuvering through the people, trying his fastest to reach you. Before he can, you run to the closest door, moving up the stairs to exit to the balcony. 

- 

You pull up the side of your dress, placing your aching feet into the cold water of the pool. Your hand had stopped bleeding a little while ago, the red still smeared down the length of your arm. You use your uninjured hand to make ripples in the pool, the water moving through your fingertips. 

“Oh, thank god. I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” 

You turn to find Satoru, unlacing his dress shoes and taking off his socks next to you. He sits at your side, placing his feet in the water. You feel him looking at you in your peripheral vision, but you refuse to meet his eye. 

“Sorry. Needed a second.” you respond. 

You feel his hand on the side of your cheek, lightly lifting your face up to look at him. You look up at his blue eyes, filled with concern, and can feel the tears you willed down rising up again. You see his expression tighten at the sight of your tears, it finally pushing you over the edge and bringing your tears on in full flesh. 

You feel his arms wrap around you, your face tucked into his neck as he rubs small circles into your back. You can feel him whispering into your ear, shushing you as you sob against him. After a few minutes, your tears subside, your breath still shaking against him. 

“What happened, bug? You’re breaking my heart here.” 

“Did you give me the Initech Case just because I’m dating you?” 

You see his eyes widening, a frown setting on his face. 

“What? Of course not. You got the Initech Case because you’re best suited for the case. I didn’t even have a say in that decision” 

You rub the back of your head against your nose, rubbing the excess tears off the side of your face. 

“Do you think Yaga gave it to me because I’m dating you?” 

“Bug, what is the Initech Case about? 

“Abuse of power dynamics. Hana’s suing her boss, Daiki, for taking advantage of his position to make advances on her.” you respond. 

“Right. Hana requested female counsel, specifically. She wanted to make sure she had someone who wouldn’t talk over her. But, Shoko’s still on leave till next month. You’re the only other girl at the firm.” 

You’re quiet, turning back to face the water. You guess you were the only one who could do that case. But you can still hear Suguru in the back of your head, every horrible thing he said and did to you flooding your mind. 

You feel his arm snake around you, his temple resting around yours. He stares down at the water with you, your reflections staring back at the both of you. 

“Work with me here, bug. Tell me what’s wrong.” 

You swallow hard, his blue eyes glimmering in the reflection of the water. His arm is warm, the polar opposite of Suguru’s frozen hands. You decide to jump. 

“I’m tired of things not being mine.” you whisper, heart pounding. 

You feel his hand reach the side of your face, brushing your hair behind your ear.  

“When I got into college, my parents took the credit, saying I wouldn’t have gotten there if they hadn’t tutored me and used their connections to get me there in the first place. When I got into law school, the boss I used to intern for asked me for a ‘well deserved kiss’, saying I wouldn’t have gotten in if he didn’t write me the letter he sent them. When Suguru left me, he said he was better suited to Sophia, because she owned him the second he met her. And now, I land a big case, work at an impressive law firm, but I only got here because I’m dating you. I just want something to be mine.” you say, your head in your hands. 

He’s quiet, his hand still brushing across the side of your hair. The two of you sit there in silence for a while, Satoru pondering over your words. 

“In grade school, my first friend, Saiki, told me that he had only let me play with him because my parents had asked him to before we walked into class. In high school, I created a non-profit with my friend, meant to help incarcerated people find resources that would help them land jobs after being freed. When the non-profit took off, he took all the credit, stating that all I did was finance the project, when it was actually my idea. When I decided to work at the firm and become a lawyer, people turned down any interest I showed at other companies - they knew I was going to end up at my dad’s firm anyways. Nothing I ever do is mine either.” 

You turn to him, looking into his eyes. 

“But it doesn’t matter.” 

“What?” 

“They’re going to say that about me regardless, bug. But does that really change what’s happening? Saiki will still be my friend, and play tag with me on the field. I still came up with that idea and my non-profit still helps people, even if my name isn’t on it. And I’ll still be a kick-ass lawyer, even if it’s at my parent’s firm.” 

You soak in his words, letting the thoughts cross through your mind. 

“I would still like to have some things to myself, Satoru. Things that are just mine.” 

“And you do. Those godforsaken friends of yours, especially that grump little weirdo, that ugly ass cat, that disgusting green hoodie you own-

“Hey.” 

“And me, of course. Those things are just yours.” 

You smile at him for including himself in the list. You interlock your fingers with his, forgetting about the blood smeared all over your hand. He looks down, opening up your hand to tracing his fingers along the cut. He lifts your hand up, pressing his lips against the cut. You feel your skin burn at the contact, his soft lips brushing against your hand. 

“Did you just try to kiss it better, Satoru?” you ask, feeling breathless all of a sudden. 

“Did it work?” 

“No.” 

You look up at him, a smile plastered on his face. You swear your hand is shaking in his hold. He rolls his eyes, bringing his arms closer to yours, holding your face in his hands. The tips of his fingers brush through the sides of your hair, as he leans forward, his lips pressing a kiss on yours. 

Every other kiss you had shared had been in the presence of other people, attempting to make your faux relationship look more realistic. But this was something else. The kiss was soft, slow, nothing like the rushed pecks the two of you had shared before. His lips are soft, warm. You swear you can taste the dessert he was eating earlier, his lips sweet. You can feel his hands lowering to rest around your neck, a smile forming on his mouth. He breaks apart, your face still in his hands. 

“Did it work now?” 

“Maybe.” 

He laughs, pressing a kiss to the top of your head. 

- 

“You were flirting with her! In front of me, Satoru. And then you left me there at the table, sitting alone.” 

“No, I wasn’t. She was just going to introduce me to her dad,” 

“Why do you suppose that means? What else was she supposed to think when you told her you liked that dress and that you would love to be a part of the family?” 

“It was a compliment! And you know what I meant, we’re trying to secure a deal with them.” 

“So you admit it? You were trying to lay the moves on her as a business tactic.” 

“Oh my god, Y/N. So what if I was? It helps the company if they share their cases with us.” 

“And what about me?” 

“What about you? You know your parents would love it if you got some big case with Soyin Paradigm.” 

You pause, realizing you and Satoru aren’t arguing about the same thing. You knew the lines had been blurring recently, ever since the night you had spent at the pool and every date afterwards, but you never realized how far apart the two of you were standing. He was still focused on the promotion, the cases he could get. He didn’t care about you. You turn your back to him, running out the door and down the stairs to the street. 

You hear him behind you, calling out your name to come back. You make it halfway across the street before he catches up, him blocking you from walking any further. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” 

You pinch yourself for what you’re about to say next, bracing yourself for the goodbye. 

“I think we’ve both fulfilled the terms of our contract. Your parents trust you and gave you a bigger role at the company like you said they would. My parents have enough to brag about for a few years. I think we should call it quits.” 

You stare up at him, his eyes boring into yours. 

“No.” 

“What?” 

“Why are you running away from me? What did I say?” he says, his grip on hands intensing. 

“Nothing. This day was bound to come anyways, Satoru. We couldn’t go on like this forever.” 

“Why not?” 

“It’s fake, Satoru. I mean hell, you’re still flirting with other girls for goodness sake. You don’t even like me.” 

You see anger flash in his eyes, his hands moving up to your shoulders. 

“I don’t like you?” 

“Yes, Satoru. You don’t.” 

“Do you remember that night, when we sat by the water? I’ve been hopelessly in love with you since then. Every time I look at you it’s like the first time. Your stupid jokes, your ugly ass cat, the smile you only save for me, you’re literally everywhere. I tried to get the thought of you out of my mind, but I can’t. I can’t find a thing not to love about you.” 

You feel your mouth dry at his words. He can’t find a thing not to love about you. He loves you. 

“Come on, now. You’re the best thing that’s ever been mine, bug.” 

You feel your heart glowing at his words. You grab him by the collar, pulling him down to press a kiss to his lips. You feel him smile against your lips once again, his arms snaking around your waist. The two of you kiss - soft, sweet, slow - your hearts beating together. He tastes sweet, the taste of the strawberry mochi he had after dinner still lingering on his lips. You break apart, your cheeks tinted pink. 

He smiles at you, running his finger across your lips. You lock your hand with his, the two of you making your way back to the apartment you had just ran out of. 

“You wanna know something embarrassing?”

“Hm?” 

“You have a crush on me, bug.” he says, smirking down at you.

“Okay?”

“That’s embarrassing. You have the hots for me” 

You roll your eyes, shutting the door of your apartment behind the two of you. 

- 

the satoru as taylor swift songs series masterlist

[gothicflowers]

Tall Doors

König x gn!Reader

SFW fluff

Warnings: fluff, no proofreading

The second you seen the plane he was on go out of view you got back into the suv that konig picked to fit his large stature. A large roll of cash tucked into the zipper of your purse. As soon as he got the news last week that he’d be leaving you could finally put your plan into motion.

*One month later*

The master bathroom had been gutted. The largest bathtub you could find had been installed and you even put in a walk in shower. You laid tile and repainted in one of Königs favorite colors. You’d done all the work yourself since you knew how to do it working for your family’s business when you were younger. The bathroom was now warm and comfortable, and could fit a 6’10 man very comfortably.

Your next project was going to make messes across the house but it will be worth it. The home that you and König purchased earlier this year was almost all original. But all the door frames stood 6’5. You’d be raising the door height as well as fixing the low hanging lights he always hit his head on.

*two weeks later*

All your work was finished. A new tall front door, new couch, new lighting fixtures, new bathroom. You even had a custom mattress and extra sturdy bed frame made so his feet wouldn’t hang off. All to ensure your love will never crouch down in his home again. All for him.

New message: this is a message from Kortac Delivery Services letting you know your package will be arriving tonight at 18:30. Please respond YES if you will be picking up your package or NO to stop receiving messages.

Replying YES you practically screamed in joy

He was coming home, two weeks earlier than expected. Overjoyed you made a stop at grocery store and got the ingredients for his favorite dish and picked up two bottles of his favorite wine.

Back home you had everything prepared and got ready in that outfit he loved you in. Fixxing your hair and applying a sweet perfume feeling ready to see your man.

-

“Ich habe dich so sehr vermisst Schatz” (I missed you so much my love)

“I missed you too”

One passionate kiss later and his large had guided you to the car.

-

He walked through the front door and froze.

“What wrong”

“I fit through the door” he said in a confused tone.

“Yes” you laughed and his eyes staring at the door. He walked in and out three more times.

“Meine Liebe, did you get a bigger door for me”

“Come see what else I’ve done”

He stood tall walking through the house. Comfortably even. His mask at some point had finally came off since he only wore it to and from work. He had the biggest smile when he noticed that you raised and replaced some of the lights that he would constantly walk into. Once into the master bedroom he let out a gasp. Looking at the hand crafted bed frame and mattress with silk sheets.

“It’s so big, oh Meine Liebe you… I can’t thank you enough. You treat me so well. I can’t express how much I appreciate what you’ve done”

One hand on your waist and one on your neck he pulled you in for a passionate kiss.

“Thank you Meine Liebe”

“You haven’t seen one of the best parts”

You pulled him into the newly renovated bathroom.

“I figured a nice tub to soak in would help your back” you stood in the middle of the bathroom admiring his reaction and his figure.

“This is perfect, truly meine geliebte”(my beloved) he said breathlessly in awe, lust in his eyes.

“I’m glad you love it”

“I more than love it, I can’t express. How about I start this bath, and since it’s big enough for us both it will take a while to fill… we go break in that new bed and I show you how much I appreciate you and then bathe after” his accent becoming deeper. His was holding onto your waist now. A devilish smirk on his.

“Natürlich mein König” (of course my king)

[goobygnarp]

just some head cannons i have for swindle

mainly some self projections.

small bot so bigger bots in his bubble easily puts him on edge. while he wont show his discomfort, anyone who knows him will take notice of his active movements to avoid the other or his body being more tense than usual.

random bots touching him gets a slight pause of silence from him before he moves away to distract whoever did so from doing it again, but if their actions persist, he will fake a call and always end the call with having to meet up with said caller.

silent anger with even quieter explosions. if in public, he practically goes mute if he gets all the wrong buttons pushed or the day just isnt in his favor, but dare he be alone, many of his work tablets or small replaceables have fallen victim to his rare tempers.

self destruction

not huge on fights. more of a defense bot than he is offense unless he knows he has the upper hand. but having an even battle field still feels like more of an issue hed rather not fight over if he can talk his way out of it.

overthinker- he will very much will go on prolonged thought process that will shadow his time and place if he stays stuck in overthink mode. he can snap out fairly easy, but if hes really in there , it will take him a little while.

[vanwritesfan-fiction]

fluff request - Travis talking to your baby bump? Its finally started showing and he is obsessed with it just laying in your lap taking and caressing the belly 🧡

Changed it up a bit 🤭

"Babe, that's freezing!" You giggled as Travis dabbed some orange paint on your belly, beginning to draw a big circle around your baby bump. "Hold still, baby. I want this to look kinda good." He stuck his tongue out between his teeth in concentration, trying his best to draw a pumpkin.

The two of you were set up on the floor in Alex's playroom while Bubba carved his own pumpkin at the play table, something to keep him busy on a lazy Sunday. Travis was practicing painting on your belly before Halloween, as you were way too pregnant to be comfortable in any halloween costume.

"Shoot. It's gonna be more of an oval than a circle, but I still think its gonna look good." Travis winked at you, getting a little more orange paint from the container.

"Aren't you supposed to be good with your hands? Don't you catch footballs for a living?" You teased, looking down at the work in progress.

"That kid over there", he pointed over at Bubba who was painting his pumpkin blue, paint all over his hands, "and the growing baby in your belly confirms that I am good with my hands." Travis puffed out his chest, his tone arrogant, "among other things", he lowered his voice to a whisper.

You playfully kicked him, scolding his joke. "Hey, not with your son in the room, Travis." You giggled, your cheeks heating up. He definitely wasn't wrong.

As Travis started to paint the stem of the pumpkin, you felt the baby move around, kicking you in the ribs. "The baby thinks your painting skills need some work, daddy." You grimaced at the pain, straightening your back. Travis scooted forward, caressing the side of your belly.

"You gotta stay still for mama, baby girl." He kissed the top of your bump where the paint had dried. "Your mama doesn't agree, but I think you're gonna be a soccer star." You rolled your eyes, chuckling to yourself. "Your daddy thinks you're gonna be a soccer star, I think you're gonna be a dancer. You should feel how she moves around in there at night when I'm trying to sleep."

After a few more minutes, Travis was finished with his art project. He stood, holding out his hands to help you to her feet. "Let me know what you think." You walked over to the floor length mirror, admiring the cute pumpkin your husband had painted. You turned to the side, noticing how much bigger your bump had gotten essentially overnight.

"Not bad, daddy. I think you missed your calling as an artist." Travis snuck up behind you, placing his hands on your hips. He kissed the crown of your head, smiling at you in the mirror. "Nah, the Kelce's are a family of athletes, not a creative bone in my body."

"Don't be so sure, baby girl might surprise us."

You turned suddenly to the sound of a crash. Alex accidentally knocked over his plate of paints, making a mess on the carpet. You laughed, walking over to help Travis clean up.

"Ok, maybe you're right. Let's stick to sports."

[levi501ackerman]

Object of Affection | Levi x Reader Fluff

masterlist

Summary: Some may think Levi is whipped or your servant. But acts of service is how Levi shows his love

Word Count: 1.9k

Author's Note: song correlated: Ridin' by ASAP Rocky ft. Lana Del Rey. btw whenever I say song correlated I dont mean it with the intention to offer to listen to it while reading. It was just the song that inspired the idea or that was on loop while writing. posted: 4/18/24. I'm really glad AOT has sparked me to write again. I need more practice lol. Enjoy.

Eren, Jean, and Armin were the first of your friends to be sitting at breakfast in the dining hall. Sasha was in one of the lines to get food. It was a sunny day and a few ODM drills were available for whoever wanted the practice. Some other classes were going on as well. It was a general casual day for the scouts. For some scout units, there was food preparation for future expeditions, but for you and your friends, you did not have much on the agenda. 

“I think I’m going to do some drills today,” Eren said. “Are you going to join us?” He asked Armin who usually went to Erwin’s office.

“Yeah, I can. I finished the little project with Commander Erwin.” He said then took a bite of his bread. Sasha hurried to the table to sit down. Her plate had a bigger portion than everyone else at the table. “It is a nice day outside too.”

More people started entering the dining area. The morning crowd of scouts was starting to pick up. Jean noticed you and Levi walked through the door.

“Y/N’s coming. Maybe she’ll practice with us,” Jean said. The table noticed Levi say something to you and then you smiled and started going towards them. 

“I don’t know she’s been spending a lot of time with Hange and Moblit doing research and testing theories,” Eren said. 

“Morning guys!” Sasha brightly greeted the table. The line for breakfast was moving a little slower with the incoming scouts. Everyone acknowledged Sasha.

“Sasha, are you going to do drills today? We’re all going to.” Armin asked invitingly. 

“Yeah, and I think Y/N was thinking about it too,” Sasha said. You approached the table and smiled at your friends. 

“Are you not going to eat?” Jean asked.

“Levi’s getting my food.” You said. They look over to see Levi's arms crossed standing in line with the scouts. 

“Why don’t you get your food yourself?” Eren asked

“Levi knows I don’t like standing in lines so he just said he’ll start getting my food.” You said. Jean and Eren laughed. 

“Wow if only I could have the captain serve me food.” Jean joked and you rolled your eyes with a smile on your face.

“He’s not serving me, he just knows I don’t like standing in lines so he offered to get my food from now on.”

“What if he gets you the wrong food?” Eren asked.

“Well Levi knows what I like,” you said. 

“We’re going to do drills today, you should come,” Armin said. Most of your free time has been spent with Hange and Moblit. You looked up to Hange and she liked you. You enjoyed working with her and in general learning more about the titans. 

“Yeah, I’ll come.” You said and your friends were elated you were joining them. “Ugh wait! I forgot my belt and some straps in my room.” You rolled your eyes. “It’s such a nice day out for drills too. Hopefully, it won’t get hotter.”

A few minutes later, Levi put a plate of breakfast in front of you. He softly smiled.

“Do you want water or tea?” Levi asked.

“Water please.” You said and then he walked away. 

“Yeah sounds like a server to me,” Jean said.

“Stop it, Jean. He’s not serving me. When you get a girlfriend you’ll understand that you’ll want to help her and make her feel like she doesn’t need to worry about anything.” You said back.

“I feel sorry for whoever decides to date you, Jean,” Sasha said with a full mouth and you both giggled.

“Whatever I am a catch,” Jean said. Levi came back with water for you and some tea for himself. 

“I have a meeting I’m going to go to now,” Levi said to you. The table greeted Captain Levi and he acknowledged them normally. 

“I’m going to do drills today with my friends.” You said to him. 

“Nice weather for that today.”

“Yeah, but, I left my belt in my room—”

“I can go get it.” Levi offered.

“Thank you that would be really helpful.” You said and he left for his meeting. 

“Y/N’s has him whipped,” Jean said. 

Truly you did. Levi wanted to help you in any way he could. On the last expedition, he made sure you had your own food to take of yourself. Levi always triple-checked that your gear was in top shape. If you mentioned something was sore, he would offer his best to massage you. If you mentioned anything that inconvenienced you he would do his best to find a way to fix it for you. You once mentioned that the drawer to your nightstand kept getting stuck halfway when pulling it out and you would have to tug hard to get it to keep pulling out. Later that day he took apart your nightstand to fix the sliding drawer. All of a sudden it was working and you didn’t think about it anymore. You didn’t even know Levi fixed it until a week later. 

Once, when you and Levi passed by a stationary shop, you mentioned how you have been journaling since you were young. You had eight journals and mentioned a slight fear that they would end up getting damaged or burned in a fire. You treasured your journals that were filled with your memories. He later got you a small perfect-sized fire box that you could keep your journals safe in. 

You and Sasha met up with Mikasa and decided to be grouped for the drills. It was getting a little warmer than expected. But there was still a slight breeze. You three started stretching and getting your gear together. Then you noticed Levi walking up to you with the belt and straps you needed. 

“I got the belt you needed,” Levi said and your heart fluttered. It was so sweet how helpful he’s always been. 

“Thank you,” You said. 

“You look really pretty,” He said and you blushed a little.

“I’m about to get really sweaty.” You laughed.

“It’s starting to get hotter.” He said squinting and looking up at the sky. “Show the dummy titans no mercy.” He said and you smiled while watching him walk off. 

“You two are so freaking cute!” Sasha said making you blush more. “I’m so excited for when I get a boyfriend and we can go on double dates!” That did excite you and you smiled.

“I can’t wait to meet the guy who deserves you.” You said while putting on your belt and straps. “A guy that’s sweet.”

“I think you need someone who loves meat just as much as you do,” Mikasa said. “Or someone who can cook—” Sasha squealed.

“Oh my god that would be perfect!” 

“That would be the perfect guy for you,” you said.

“You guys want to compete for the most kills?” Jean called out in the distance. Connie was now with him, Eren, and Armin. 

“Mikasa is going to win! Back out now while you can!” You yelled back. The drills began. “Mikasa you should give him a head start!” You said and Sasha laughed. Though it was spring and getting greener outside the temperature got hot while everyone was doing drills. It was an unexpected rise. You pulled at your shirt trying to get ventilation whenever you had the time to do so. The heat made everyone work harder because flying in the air gave everyone a slight breeze. After the drills, everyone was sweating. It was a good workout but people were getting tired quicker because of the heat. When walking back to your stuff Sasha was giving Jean crap about Mikasa beating him. It wasn’t a surprise but the competition did make Jean work harder. Jean was a great scout and even gave you some helpful pointers with the ODM gear. Out of everyone doing the drills, he got the second-highest kill count right behind Mikasa. As you approached your stuff you noticed three water bottles that were perspirating because of the heat. 

“Is this not where we put our stuff?” Sasha asked. But then she saw her bag and Mikasa saw her stuff. 

“Whose water bottles are these?” Mikasa asked. You noticed the drenched little note under the water bottle closest to your stuff. The note read: I noticed you guys didn’t have water. Stay hydrated. 

“They’re from Levi. He got us water because he saw we didn’t have any.” You said and Sasha started chugging hers.

“That’s considerate of him,” Mikasa said and the three of you started chugging the cold water. 

“Thanks, Levi it hit the spot!” Sasha said and crinkled her empty bottle. 

“I need to change, I’m so sweaty and probably smell bad.” You said. Many scouts who did drills all had the same idea to take cold rinse-off showers. No one was expecting a spike in the temperature. When you got back to your room with Sasha. You noticed another water bottle and a note near your bed. It was from Levi again. Come to my office for dinner. You smiled and told Sasha. Your heart fluttered because he was so sweet and no one else saw this side of him. He used to be so shy in front of you and you used to think he didn’t like you. Levi would be his normal self to everyone but then he would be quiet in front of you. It made you feel insecure until Hange exposed Levi. She and Moblit told you that Levi talked a lot about you and wanted to get to know you. Hange may have been the one to tell you that Levi thought you were pretty. Which gave you the confidence to approach him.

In the evening you went to Levi’s room, and you were ready for some alone time. When you knocked on the door, Levi opened it pretty quickly. He shut the door behind you and embraced you in a big hug. He smelled nice and then you noticed the smell of his office. 

“Sit down I made us some soup.” He said. “I saw they had that bean mixture you don’t like for dinner.” Your heart fluttered and the soup smelled good. The smell made you hungrier than you were before. “I got some bread and mashed potatoes though to fill you up more. You need the energy from being outside most of the day.” He said.

“Thank you, Levi,” You said grateful for how thoughtful he is. It was so nice how much he tried to help you or thought of ways to make your life easier. 

“Anything for you, Y/N,” He said and you two began eating. The soup was satisfying and Levi getting bread for it was a good idea. Honestly, Levi did a lot for you because he cared for you so much. He had little to no dating experience before you and he did not want to do anything to make you feel like he didn’t respect you. Levi has always been considerate of you since you started getting close and dating. He would listen you to and remember little things about you. You felt cared for and though you and Levi haven’t told one another that you loved each other. You already knew.

[believesthings]

Lose Your Mind // Ted lasso x reader

Summary: just a quick little fic while I work on some bigger projects. inspired by @my-soupy-brain’s “Together At Last” fic. Basically, Ted asks you to come to nelson road early before everyone else has clocked in, smut ensues from there.

Warnings: smut smut smut.

You’ve never heard the office so… quiet before. The sound of your footsteps is the only thing in your ear as you pace down the hallway to Ted’s office.

You were practically galloping.

Ted had been gone with the team for a stint of away games while you had stayed back with Higgins to take care of some Admin tasks.

As ridiculous as it probably sounded, it was the longest you’ve been away from Ted since you started dating and you missed him terribly.

When you got a message from Ted asking you to meet him early at Nelson Road this morning, you wasted no time.

“Ted?”

“Well, hey there sugar plum.”

God, he was a sight for sore eyes. His hair was slightly disheveled, stubble growing where he hadn’t shaved in a few days, his sleeves rolled up, exposing his forearms.

“Hi.”

He’s leaving against his desk, folding his arms over his chest. “Sorry to bother you so early, I just - we’ve been so busy and I haven’t gotten to see ya and I just wanted a little time for us, sorry it has to be like this.”

“That’s alright. God, I missed you.” You sprint to him, wrapping your arms around his middle and burrowing your face in his chest.

“Me too, sugar. You have no idea.” You can feel the vibrations of his chest underneath you when he speaks. His hands are reaching up to rub your back.

“You know, this is the longest I’ve gone without kissing you.” Ted says.

“Oh yeah? How you holding up?”

He chuckles and shakes his head. “Not well. I’m all upside down and sideways. I almost put shaving cream on my toothbrush this morning.”

You looked up at him, taking his chin in your hand and running your hand over the stubble forming there. “Well, thank goodness you made it back to me in one piece. We should probably take care of that kiss situation before anything bad happens to you.”

You lean up and begin pressing kisses to his jaw but he quickly grabs you face and lifts your head up to his lips. Thank god no one is here because you’re practically moaning into his mouth.

He turns you over and lifts you up onto his desk, reversing your positions. He stands between your legs, running his hands up your thighs while you undo the buttons of his shirt. The cold, hard wooden desk wasn’t exactly the ideal spot for this, but at the moment, neither you really seemed to care. Once you had undone all the buttons you were pushing the fabric off his shoulders, you dip down and kiss the sensitive spots of his neck, whimpering while you writhed beneath him. Ted was losing his mind at the sensations you were creating. Your mouth was sucking at his pulse points, body pressed up against his. With your legs wrapped around his lower half, you’re pulling his growing erection closer towards you, Ted was acutely aware that only a bit of fabric separated him from your sweet pussy.

Fuck it, he decides. Your dress has already risen to an obscene height and he guides the material up your body, encouraging you to lift your arms and remove the garment completely.

“You’re so beautiful.” He whispers against your mouth.

You move your hands to undo his belt. Ted always takes such care to make sure that you’re satisfied and you really want to make this one about him. You were pushing his khakis off his body but once you started to go for his boxers, he grabs your wrists.

“Honey…” he warns, he is still kissing on your chest but he is acutely aware that you’re in public and while your both here early, that didn’t mean that someone couldn’t show up at any moment.

“No sex, Ted. Not right now. I don’t think we’re gonna have time for that this morning. But, you’ve been away and I want to make this good for you.” Even though you are the only two there, you’re still whispering like someone could bust in at any moment. “Don’t worry about me. Just let yourself enjoy it.”

He lets out a whimper at your words and nods letting you continue pushing off his boxers. You can feel his erection buck forward towards you once you completely get his clothes off. Reaching down, you push your panties, leaving you both completely naked. Ted could feel himself getting impossibly hard. He hasn’t really anticipated things going this far but he trusted you enough to do as you said, to just let his body react and enjoy your movements. He loved the way you felt moving underneath him. He leaned you back onto the desk and took in the sight you pinned beneath his body. You took his cock in your hand, stroking him, seeming to take your time over every ridge and groove as if you weren’t already intimately familiar with it. He moaned out in response to your movements.

“Oh my god - honey.” He croaks out.

Your other hand crawled up to the back of his head and you pull him down into a hungry kiss, quieting his moans with your own mouth as you continue to stoke his cock. Ted’s breathing is getting heavier when he begins to feel you position the head of his cock just outside the center of your pussy.

He tenses up, you break the kiss and force him to look at you. “Relax, baby.”

He nods although he really wasn’t sure what your were about to do.

“Look at me.” You whisper. He fought to keep his eyes open and focused on you. When he felt you take the tip of his cock and grind it against the wetness of your pussy, he thought he was going to lose his mind.

“Oh god”. He moans out. It takes every ounce of self control he has to keep from thrusting his hips forward and entering you. He knows how tight you would be and being away you from you for so long, he wants you badly, more than he wants his next breath.

You’re far from unaffected yourself. You were naked. He was on top of you. His chest on perfect display for you, his cock positioned at your entrance, teasing your pussy, causing you to practically drop onto the surface of his desk.

It wouldn’t have taken much. All you would have to do is slide your body a few inches down and he’d be inside you. But you knew this wasn’t the place for it. People would be filing in any minute, if they haven’t already. You can feel your self control beginning to slip so you decide to reposition yourself so that temptation wasn’t just a breath away.

Ted groaned at the loss of sensation, but there was also a sense of relief since he wouldn’t have to fight with his body to remain in control.

Truthfully, he wasn’t sure how much longer he would have been able to hold out. To compensate for the loss, you tighten the grip you had on him and watched his eyes fall shut. You wrapped your legs around him tightly, maintaining smooth, even stokes on his cock.

It wasn’t sex, but it felt amazing. Ted looked down at you, his lips brushing against yours as he continued to thrust into your hand. The sounds of your moans and the feel of your body, naked against his own, was enough to send him to the brink.

He began to move harder and faster against you, his breathing growing more erratic, until with one final push, he finally reached his release. He collapsed against you, trying to catch his breath. Once he finally did, he rolled off you.

“You’re amazing, you know that?” He whispers, kissing the side of your head.

“Geez, sorry honey. It looks like I made a mess of you.”

You give him a shy smile as you start to clean yourself off and get redressed, “don’t worry about it.” You assured him. Ted retrieved his boxers and khakis and put them back on. You sneak into the bathroom to finish cleaning yourself up and make it look like you hadn’t just been engaging in incredibly naughty behavior in the workplace.

Once you return, you see Ted with a sheepish expression on his face, holding up a cup of coffee. “Sorry, darling. I bought this for ya this morning but I guess I got so wrapped up in our activity there that I forgot to give it to you. It’s probably cold by now.”

You take the cup from him anyway. “That’s alright.” Truthfully, after what you just did with Ted, you didn’t really think you’d need it.

You could hear the chatter of voice down the hall coming closer. Ted did a quick inspection of the office to make sure you hadn’t left behind any evidence of this morning’s events.

Ted gives you one final kiss goodbye. When he pulls back he whispers, “we’ll um - finish up the rest of this tonight?”

“Wouldn’t miss it, Coach.”

He groans. He can’t tell if you genuinely don’t know how much it turns him on when you call him coach or if you do know and you do it anyway just to get a rise out of him.

“Love you, honey.”

You quip back, “I love you more.”

He grins at you, “I don’t think that’s possible.”

“I guess that’s just something we’ll have to settle tonight too.”

You give him one last kiss and you’re out the door, on the way to your own office before he can even process your words.

Glancing at the clock, he wants to scream at the amount of hours that stand between him and the promised tonight. He loves coaching. His loves this team. but god, he couldn’t stop thinking about you and what you had in store for him.

If he knows you as well as he thinks he does, he was sure it was bound to make him lose his fucking mind.

[simplyavatrice]

“Okay, but I can't promise anything.”

Oh fuck, okay…oh-fucking-kay.

Ava smiles and nods, because she’s very good at smiling and nodding even when she’s losing her shit and Beatrice agreeing to give her a lap dance is absolutely a shit losing moment.

They make their way through the club, this one far different than her own. With more open space and fewer tables. There’s no real stage, as much as each booth has its own personal stage.

It’s also a lot bigger than the Cradle and Cat’s Cradle is huge. This one has a second VIP section upstairs which is where Josephine (who Ava adores) took them. It’s more like the back rooms of the Cradle than the rest of the place. Dark, neon lighting, a vibe of music you can't really hear but can feel rattling through the floors beneath you.

They pass by a series of booths where people are getting private dances. Somewhere in there is Josephine Dalton, one of the richest and most attractive women in the world, getting a lap dance a few days before her wedding while sipping on expensive tequila.

Once they reach their own booth, empty and waiting, Ava looks back at Bea again. “You sure you’re up for this?”

To her surprise, Beatrice nods. “I - I want to try, I think. I’m quite drunk.”

Ava snorts, she’s a bit drunk too. “Okay, you…okay.” Stop saying okay. “I’ll go sit down then!” Ava races in first and practically leaps onto the cushiony little couch tucked into the corner. These booths are smaller, but there are a lot more. The tighter space means that the dancer wouldn't have much room to move around - but they would be close enough that everything would be easier to see.

Once seated, she watches Beatrice come in and latch the door shut behind her. She faces it for a moment, taking a breath, then looks at Ava over her shoulder. “Any advice?”

Ava swallows the lump in her throat, surprised at how she can be so nervous in a place that is so familiar to her. “Don’t overthink it, at the end of the day the hot girl is what matters most. Just remember what I told you - you’re sexy as fuck, Beatrice.”

[gureumz]

I just read project Aphrodite and omg it was so good!!! I was wondering if maybe you could follow it up a little with idk, headcanons of dad!jungwon with reader? It was just so good omg

ok i love this actually let me just

[read project aphrodite here!]

project aphrodite special chapter: jungwon headcanons

established early on with you that while he appreciates the companionship and the amazing sex, he's not really looking to be romantically tied down

jungwon swears that he won't sleep or get with another woman in the foreseeable future and regulations on project aphrodite state that if two people decide to have a baby, they need to register their names into the system, anyway, and both are forbidden to register their name with a different person until after a year

so the two of you are basically in a weird marriage but not really

true to his promise, it doesn't take long for you to get pregnant and both you and jungwon are relieved for the most part, finally having fulfilled your duty as citizens of this dying world

but a smaller part of you starts to feel the telltale signs of that motherly love people love to talk about

you're moved to a bigger room, more akin to a proper apartment and you start bustling about just weeks after finding out you're pregnant, going full-on nesting

you visit the supplies office early, requesting a crib and a carrier and more blankets than you know you need and much, much more

you and jungwon continue to work together but he doesn't shy away from the fact that he's the father of that baby you're carrying

he accompanies you at meal times, goes with you to your checkups, helps rearrange your place

the day you find out that you're having a girl, you see something shift in jungwon's eyes

"our little girl," jungwon mumbles, still staring at the sonogram long after the two of you left your appointment

jungwon holds you then, thanking you for putting up with so much already: the morning sickness, the fatigue, the constant trips to the restroom

"i couldn't be happier that you're the mother our children will have," says jungwon.

"i thought you were joking about having more than one," you joke.

"i guess i'm not this time," he replies.

then you make the sweetest most passionate love that night and you think if weddings were still practiced, you would have married him the next day

jungwon is nothing short of a caring father

a complete girl dad!!!!! loves dressing your baby up in the prettiest clothes he can get his hands on (which, in a post-apocalyptic world, are plain pink onesies and bright yellow pajamas)

you don't talk about it, but you know that you and jungwon are far past the weird 'just doing our due diligence' stage

he's in love and so are you

[daredvssy]

Stress

I thought I wasn't going to be able to finish this tonight, but by some unknown power, I managed to complete it. I hope you all enjoy this silly little bit of smut I wrote instead of travelling to campus today!

If you prefer to read on AO3, you can do so here! :)

Ship: Papa Emeritus IV x Reader

Rating: 18+!!!!!! No minors PLEASE!

Wordcount: 2050

Warnings: smut, male receiving oral sex, face-fucking, praise, thigh riding. Idk what to tell you it's all incredibly self-indulgent.

You found Copia in his office, sitting at his desk with his head in his hands. You gently rapped on the doorframe to alert him to your presence. The soft noise drew his attention, and he sat up promptly in an attempt to regain the dignified demeanor he felt he should possess as Papa.

When he realized you had been the source of the knocking, he relaxed somewhat, a soft, weary smile gracing his features.

"Hello mi amore," he greeted you. "Please, come in." You made your way over to his desk, quietly closing the door to his office behind you. He leaned back in his plush office chair and opened his arms to you, a wordless invitation to sit in his lap that you accepted immediately. His arms enveloped you in a warm embrace, holding you in your place on his lap. You placed a quick kiss on his jaw. This earned another smile from Copia, although it was not enough to disguise his complete and utter exhaustion.

"Is everything alright?" you asked him, concerned. "You seem very tired."

He sighed deeply, his brow creasing as he gave up trying to conceal what was already so obvious to you: he was worn out.

"I am tired," he agreed. "My work seems to be neverending recently. My predecessors never made it seem like being Papa was so much work!"

"Maybe it wasn't," you mused aloud, reflecting on the habits of the first three Papa's. "They all put in the necessary work as Papa, and I know they were certainly all known to spend a lot of time partying, but the band has never been so popular as it is now. The Ghost Project has never been more successful than it is under you my love, it's only natural that the workload would increase."

He nodded in consideration; you raised a point that was pretty difficult to ignore.

"I suppose this is true," he agreed, "And I am very grateful. But it is getting to the point where I can hardly manage it on my own. Nearly all of my waking hours are consumed by my work. I haven't even been able to eat with you once this week! Cara mia I feel as though I have hardly seen you at all!" He complained, practically pouting.

You leaned up to place a gentle kiss to his lips, smiling softly.

"While admittedly, I miss you too, I fully understand. You worked so hard to become Papa, I know how important it is to you," you said.

“Cuore mia you are important to me too,” he argued. “My work is not more important to me than you are.”

“I know, Copia,” you acknowledged, gently stroking his cheek with your thumb. “But I don’t resent that you’re busy. I know that people are depending on you."

“I still wish I could spend more time with you,” he grumbled.

“I know. But we’re spending time together now, right?” you reasoned. “And if you'd like, I can bring dinner here tonight, and eat with you while you work?"

Your offer drew another smile out of Copia, slightly bigger this time.

"I'd like that very much, amore," he said. "But still, I wish I could give you my full attention, like you deserve. I regret that you will have to settle for sharing my attention with my work."

"I'm sorry that you're so tired and stressed, Copia. I wish there was something I could do to help," you lamented, nodding pensively.

"Just you being here helps more than you know," he told you earnestly, his mismatched eyes meeting your own. "It's nice to be able to feel you like this. I feel like it has been so long since I've been able to touch you."

His voice betrayed a thinly veiled longing, a hunger even. Truthfully, it had been some time since the last time the two of you had been together in any way that could be considered sexual or intimate. He often spent his whole day working, with you only seeing him briefly each night as he returned to his quarters, crawling into bed beside you and passing out quickly. It was unusual for the two of you, to say the least. This planted the beginnings of an idea in your head. You may not be able to lighten his workload, but maybe there was something you could do to make him feel a little bit better, for now.

"You know… I have an idea that I think might just make you feel a little bit better, Papa," you told him. There was a playfulness to your tone, that when combined with the use of his title made him raise his eyebrows at you suspiciously.

"Oh yeah? And what's this idea?" he wondered, narrowing his eyes slightly. You could tell he had already an idea of the direction your thoughts were heading. Instead of answering him verbally, you decided to spring into action.

You quickly repositioned yourself in his lap, twisting in his loose hold until you were straddling him. Before he had the chance to even attempt to say anything, you captured his lips in a kiss, threading your fingers through his hair.

While your previous kiss had been soft and chaste, this one was nothing of the sort. This was a kiss full of heat, designed to stoke the fire that was always burning, just beneath the surface with him. Always quick to succumb to his own carnal desires, Copia melted into the kiss, a moan catching in the back of his throat as he accepted the desire you breathed into him where your mouths met.

When you eventually pulled away for some air, his chest was heaving, and his mismatched eyes bored into your own. The black paint on his lips had begun to smudge around the edges, only adding to his now disheveled appearance.

"Will you let me help you relax? Just for a little bit?" You asked him, sucking a mark onto his neck as you awaited his answer.

"I don't have much time," he began, and then interrupted himself with a moan as you laved your tongue over the mark you had just made, his hips bucking up into you. "But I suppose…” He trailed off. “I suppose I can make a little time for this. Yes," he decided.

A lascivious grin spread across your face.

"Good," you cooed, pressing a palm to his chest, wordlessly urging him to relax back into his seat. "You always work so hard, you're so good at what you do. You deserve to relax Papa, let me take care of you."

He watched you through heavily lidded eyes as you slid off his lap and onto the floor, gently urging his legs apart. His breath started to come in shallow puffs as you dragged your palm over his hardening bulge, pulling apart the laces of his pants with a practiced ease. You made to remove his pants, and he raised his hips a little to help you ease them down his hips enough to free his cock from its tight confinement. It was fully erect at this point, the tip a rosy shade of pink and beginning to leak a bit of precum.

You looked him directly in the eye as your tongue darted out quickly to lap it up. He let out a strangled noise at that, his gloved hand coming down to gently rest on the back of your head, gently threading his fingers through your hair.

You kissed and sucked a wet trail down his length, all the way to the base and then back up again, enjoying the needy little noises the action coaxed out of him. Then, after checking to make sure that his eyes were still on you, you slowly took him into your mouth, swirling your tongue around the tip.

“Cazzo,” he gasped, taking in a shuddering breath. “Always so good to me,” he moaned as you took him even deeper into your mouth, moaning around him at the praise. You gradually worked your way up and down his cock, taking in more and more of his considerable length with each bob of your head.

You brought one hand up to gently caress his balls, and he bucked his hips up involuntarily at the extra stimulation. The shock of the motion gagged you a little, and he tried to pull you off of him, instantly apologetic.

Instead of letting him, you relaxed your throat and swallowed him down in his entirety. A high, desperate whine escaped him. You clenched your thighs together in an attempt to alleviate some of the ache that was steadily growing between them.

You pulled off of him for a brief moment to take a deep breath. You spoke, your voice sounding ragged, desperate even.

“Use me, Papa,” you pleaded with him. Copia required no further invitation than this. With a deep groan, his grip on your hair tightened, and he began to thrust up into your mouth at a desperate pace. You moaned around him, letting him use you to chase the pleasure he so deserved.

As he continued to thrust into you, a litany of curses and praises flowed out of him.

“Such a good fucking girl, letting your Papa use you like this, so fucking perfect for me,” he moaned. You could tell Copia was getting close when the rhythm of his thrusts into your mouth started to become erratic. You hollowed your cheeks around him as he fucked your mouth, humming a little around his length. The vibrations from this alone were enough to throw him over the edge.

As the first spurt of his cum hit the back of your throat, he practically yelped. Resuming control of the situation, you took him in as deep as you could, moaning and swallowing around him as he rode out his very intense orgasm.

When he finally came down from his high, you pulled off of his length gingerly, bringing up a hand to wipe at your mouth. Your breath was coming in heavy pants as you stared up at him. His gloved hand came down to cup your jaw, and you leaned into the touch automatically.

"Come here, bella," he said, patting his thigh in invitation with his free hand. You didn't wait to be told twice, climbing back up into his lap as he guided you so you were straddling one of his thighs.

He captured your lips in a heated kiss, his hands coming down to your hips, sliding up under your skirt and encouraging you to grind down onto his thigh.

He broke the kiss, leaning back just enough to look at you. He continued to guide your hips in a steady rhythm, the worn fabric of his pants catching on your clit just right, sending lightning shocks of pleasure through your entire body. As worked up as you already were, it didn’t take much time at all before you could feel tension ramping up in your core. You buried your face in his neck, a high, pathetic noise escaping you as your legs began to shake.

"That's it, amore," he encouraged. "Cum for your Papa, just like that.” You were powerless to disobey his command. Your release washed over you like a tidal wave, leaving you gasping and crying out as you twitched in his lap, your vision going blank with the intense pleasure. Copia held you through it, whispering praise into your ear as you came down from it, catching your breath.

When you met his eyes again, a warm and goofy smile was plastered on his face. He gazed back at you fondly.

“Thank you, cara mia. I don’t know what I did to deserve you,” he said softly, pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead.

“Of course you deserve me, Copia. I love you,” you stated plainly. “Anyways,” you asked, unable to help returning his smile. “Did it work? Are you feeling any better?”

“Oh, yes amore. I feel infinitely better than I did before,” he replied.

“Good,” you said, your smile growing even wider. “Now give me a minute to recover and I will go see about getting us that food. I don’t think my legs will work properly just yet.”

[jennamoran]

The Far Roofs: the Magician

Hi!

Today I’m going to talk a little bit more about my forthcoming RPG, the Far Roofs. More specifically, I want to talk about one of the characters for the bundled campaign: the Magician.

So the characters for the Far Roofs campaign are, loosely speaking, about halfway between pre-generated characters and classes.

Pretty close to playbooks, I think; close enough for the Powered by the Apocalypse and Forged in the Dark stuff I've read to have influenced some of the details ... but, ultimately, they're coming out of a different stream of development. They just aren't quite the same.

Nor are they really pregens, or classes.

They are just ... what they are.

One of them, for instance, is the Magician.

If you play the Magician, what you're saying is, when you were young, you had a brush with a Mystery---one of those roof-haunting divine monsters I've talked about. It was traumatic, and you tried to forget, but now you've just come back from away (changing jobs, finishing a major project, finishing school, whatever) and you're learning your childhood nightmares were real.

The rest of who you are? What you're dealing with?

Well, that'll be up to you.

The Magician comes with some pregen stats, that you can rearrange if you want to. It comes with access to two "powersets," and you can choose four powers from them starting out.

(There's a set of four that the game recommends that are subtle enough that you can tell yourself you're just a regular person. If you want. For a while.

... that'll be up to you too.)

Most of all, what being the Magician gives you is four character-specific stories, of which the first is Coming Back:

Coming Back "You’ve been away, working on an exhausting project or studying abroad or something. Now you’re back … and getting dragged into the affairs of rats and Mysteries. You try to work out how you fit in."

To get you started on that story, the game gives you three things you'll want to answer or define by building words out of letter draws over the course of ... well, probably, a large number of sessions. In sum:

how can I possibly hold myself together through this?

do I even believe the Far Roofs are real?

[your relationship with the rats]

It also gives you a "quest," a place to start on all this, which basically boils down to

a premise: "you need to figure out how to live with this damage"

a few tools to draw bonus letters, and

the extra question: "can I really face the far roofs again?"

You'll finish that up, and at least make a start on figuring out what to do here, after which you can move on to a second, third, fourth, or even fifth quest if you're not done figuring out the three big story-based challenges yet.

When you're done, after you answer those questions and however many you needed for quests ... there's another three stories. All the while, there's some bigger-picture group stuff that's going on too.

In practice, I do think these stories will take a long time. It is possible to speedrun the stories in this game, to blur through the campaign in like twenty hours of play .. but it'll be about as weird as any other speedrun.

If you're not doing that, I figure it'll be a couple of sessions, maybe even 4+, before you even answer one of those questions.

You'll draw maybe five letters in a session, and use some of them on the group story or subplots, and all the while you're developing your understanding of the proper answers while you shuffle the letters around.

Like, let's walk through one way it might go.

Maybe you draw NA in the first, slowest session. You could treat that as an N/A answer to something, but let's say you're not really into that. Like, burning through the questions fast doesn't help you, any more than it does in real life:

You want something that means something, that helps you crystallize how your character addresses that question.

That might wind up being N/A, but probably not in the first session or two! Not until and unless it feels right.

So let's say session 2 gives you ... NPLG. And now you can decide that you're a PAL of the rats and that's one question down ... but again, that only really works if you are or you want to be, right?

It's s a very specific choice, PAL. It's not for most, really.

It might not be for you.

More likely, I figure, you just ... have NANPLG there ... and none of that answers your questions at all.

Session 3. EEGEN. NANPLGEEGEN.

So you look between that and your questions. Between that and the four major challenges you have to address:

how can I possibly hold myself together through this?

do I even believe the Far Roofs are real?

[your relationship with the rats]

can I really face the Far Roofs again?

And, maybe ... PLAN?

PLAN isn't bad for the first answer. I guess it was already there back in session 2, but I didn't see it until now. Maybe you didn't either. It's not bad, either way. At least, not for my version of the Magician; yours might, of course, differ a lot.

What else can we find in those letters?

GLEEP ... is ... not helpful.

LENGE ... isn't even a word!

(Update! On review, it turns out it is a word in Hungarian, and there's also a song, so like if you know the song or Hungarian you might get something out of it.

... but typical Magicians probably won't.)

Session 4, anyway, brings us up to NANPLGEEGENLMAEA.

... no O, Y, or S, which means we still can't answer basic questions like whether you believe the far roofs are real with a simple NO or a YES. Same on whether you can face them again.

In fact, without O, we can't even "LMAO" at the very idea of being able to hold things together in the face of it all!

What can we find?

...

GLEAM is in there. It's a good word, but unless it fits something that's going on in the game or your personal take on things, it's unlikely to help.

LAME to self-chastise yourself is ... good if it's something your character keeps saying, but otherwise no.

LEAN, maybe?

Like, maybe you're LEANing on the rats for spiritual and mental support?

Conveniently (I'm drawing these from an online letter server, so they're not rigged) you even have two LNA at this point, meaning you can use up LEAN and still have PLAN in your pocket.

... let's do that.

Let's go ahead and answer two challenges with PLAN and with LEAN, leaving us with GEEGNMA and two questions left:

do I even believe the Far Roofs are real?

can I really face the Far Roofs again?

GEEGNMA. Dang. So close to having ENIGMA!

... I guess you do have ENEMA but that doesn't seem relevant.

AMEN ... not that useful, honestly, either.

NAME?

AMEN or NAME might help with some miscellaneous task, but not with the two questions at hand.

The next session brings us LSIRK.

GEEGNMALSIRK.

... which does give us ENIGMA as an option. We could answer a question with basically, "I dunno, it's an enigma."

... but of the two questions we have left,

do I even believe the Far Roofs are real?

can I really face the Far Roofs again?

... ENIGMA only really works for the first.

And that's totally fine! Except there are a few in-game incentives I haven't really talked about and in fact won't talk about here to encourage you to address the quest-question first.

So, what else?

SEE? SEER? Again, they only work for "do I even believe the Far Roofs are real?"

... let's table this until session 6.

Session 6. We get the letters OAEUWH. We now try to answer the questions:

do I even believe the Far Roofs are real?

can I really face the Far Roofs again?

with letters from GEEGNMALSIRKOAEUWH.

... we have an O now.

I don't like just answering the second question with "NO" but it's now possible, at least. You might do that, with your Magician, anyhow.

MAYBE, like YES, must still wait on a Y.

WHO CAN?, on a C.

...

Oh! But there's OW, for "yes, I believe they're real, but it really hurts"

WHO for "if I decide who I am, maybe?"

Those are rough. They might feel better, though, after keeping them in mind for a bit during play.

WHEEL ... is not helpful. Nor WHALE.

WHOA?

WAIL?

... I actually like WAIL here, though I hate using up that I and taking ENIGMA off the table. But, like:

"can I do this?" answer: incoherent wailing

That ... feels like a solid answer for someone who is both doing it and doesn't really think they can. Maybe not in your group and your circles. Maybe not for your Magician. But for some Magicians, at least, it makes sense.

The question

can I really face the Far Roofs again?

came from the first quest, and so when you answer it with WAIL, you move on to the second one. That gives us a new premise, a new set of card-drawing options, and a new question:

what did/will I find on the Roofs that I actually need?

So now we have GEEGNMSRKOAEUH and our questions are:

do I even believe the Far Roofs are real? and

what did/will I find on the roofs that I actually need?

Do you maybe need a KO? A ... RAKE?

A ... GROAN?

GROAN is a good answer to "do I even believe the Far Roofs are real," at least for the kind of character who answered "can I really face them?" with WAIL.

Let's ignore the incentives I mentioned earlier, then, and do just that, giving us the following set of challenges and answers:

how can I possibly hold myself together through this? PLAN

do I even believe the Far Roofs are real? ... (GROAN)

[your relationship with the rats] LEAN

can I really face the Far Roofs again? ... (WAIL) and

what did/will I find on the roofs that I actually need? ????

plus, EEGMSKEUH.

What do you need, that you can find on the roofs, that you can make out of EEGMSKEUH?

Do you need ... an SKU?

SEEK ... it's probably good to stick SEEK in your pocket, like, in case you figure out some way to use it as a "the journey is the destination" sort of thing, but the idea's a bit thin.

... let's say you don't use that yet.

The next session draws AABHR, for a total letter set of EEGMSKEUHAABHR.

... if there were a T, we could use BREATH.

... I guess, if there were a T, we could also have TEA.

I look at those letters and want to do HOPE, but in fact, we only have two letters from HOPE. We have an M, so we're closer to HOME ... but is the thing you find there really a home?

There's SHAME, but unless that's exactly your character arc, that's probably not what you need, that you find on the roofs.

GEM? HUGE? RAM? ... just a couple more letters and maybe we can get RAMEKIN, and honestly, you do need one of those, everybody does, but ... well, you don't have the letters for it.

GAME?

Let's say you push it off one session more.

The next session brings SRIHO.

Now we have EEGMSKEUHAABHRSRIHO.

... HOME is now possible, and strong, but only if there's stuff happening in game to lead up to it.

SHEER ... doesn't work.

Not quite enough letters for RHINO.

We can do BEARS, but you probably don't need that many bears. SOME RIBS ...

Ah, here we go:

RISK.

That could work. Let's say that it does.

You needed to get out of your comfort zone. You needed to do something scary. It was the only way to discover you could.

And if that's your answer, you can finish out the story now:

how can I possibly hold myself together through this? PLAN

do I even believe the Far Roofs are real? ... (GROAN)

[your relationship with the rats] LEAN

can I really face the Far Roofs again? ... (WAIL)

what did/will I find on the roofs that I actually need? ... RISK

Roughly eight sessions in ... really, 3-15, in practice ... and you've got your first personal storyline cleared. The next one will have you deal with some ghosts.

Thirty-two sessions to finish all four; after that, there's some options, but they're not as personal.

... but if your group has scheduling issues, or even if it doesn't, you might have trouble ever seeing 32 sessions of anything. You're not going to use this stuff up. You'll just hit a number of satisfying narrative stops for your character along the way and at some point the game will end when some player moves away or scheduling gets too rough or, optimally, when one of the larger group storylines ends or a couple players finish stories at once and everyone goes: "yeah, that's an ending."

Even if you've got a really solid group that meets really often, the campaign should keep you going for a good few years of play.

And now you know a bit about both the campaign and about what the Magician is like!

[thatspanishwitch]

PICK A TILE READING!

What's coming up this December? ★ ☆

This reading is for entertainment purposes only, take what resonates leave what doesn't.

I'll be using The Labyrinth and The Wild Unknown Tarot decks, abreviated to L and WU for this post.

Pile I ---------- Pile II ---------- Pile III

Pile I

Beginning

L Tarot: 2 Cups RV

WU Tarot: Temperance & 2 Coins RV

The two of cups can talk about two things mainly, self love or a relationship (be it romantic or otherwise) in this case, and due to later cards, I'm inclined to think it's the first. At the beginning of this month you're going to have struggles with your own self worth and how it's tied to work and your own productivity, how much money you can get (2 Coins Reversed).

The 2 of Coins in its reversed state tells me you're overcommitted to what you deem as work, it's starting to eat at you, others might not notice yet but you know this. Mind you, work is there for a reason, pay your bills, do what you need to do, but also take time to relax, have in mind your production is not all you are.

The Temperance card does tell that you'll be able to balance yourself, maybe getting further into your own spirituality, maybe just taking time for self care after the hard work, it advises to practice balance and moderation.

Mid

L Tarot: Knight Swords RV

WU Tarot: Son Cups RV & 4 Sword

The combination of the Knight of Sword reversed and the Son of Cups reversed points out how you'll likely start getting your motivation back, that you'll get a new idea that motivates you to continue moving forward, something that gives you energy and makes you happy. That being said you'll feel like something is holding you back.

Maybe you feel like you'll go back to the burn out state, maybe there's a rivalry in the background, someone who's actively, or not, telling you not to do this idea. While you shouldn't be doubting your intuition you should actively ask yourself what could you realistically lose from this endeavor.

In this time you should consider that question, relaxing and contemplating how to actually put into action that project, meditation comes to mind as a good idea. Take time to fully recharge while you plan ahead.

End

L Tarot: 2 Wands

WU Tarot: 5 Swords RV & Father Cups

Some news may come by the end of the month, tho what the two of wands most likely means in this reading is how you're continuing to plan this project, this time in a more concrete way. That being said, you're not ready to launch it just yet. There will be risks and I'm getting that you haven't planned for those yet or that you will be doing so in this time.

During this last part of the month you'll most deffinetly get into arguments, maybe it's someone from the past, but what's most likely is that it's someone that didn't notice you getting burnout and got upset at your previous inactivity to recover, this is a recent enough argument but a past one nontheless.

Both the Five of Swords reversed and the King of Cups however indicate that you need to resolve this, it's an argument that you're both fighting to win at the other's expense, or at least one of the parties is.

Embody the Kind of Cups and be the bigger person, don't let this get to you and choose diplomacy, it's for the better. An argument it's only an argument if two are fighting, remain stubborn on this if it's needed and don't give the other person any chance at thinking this is something that's going to continue, mend the bond and move on.

Bottom of the deck: Tower (Labyrinth) & 5 Coins RV (Wild Unknown)

Pile II

Beginning

L Tarot: 10 Wands RV

WU Tarot: Emperor & Hermit

The begging of this month may come with increased responsibilities you're not prepared for, although most likely it's an increase in number of things rather than difficulty. Maybe holding onto a burden that you don't need to, or those new responsibilities turning into that.

Most of you might be in a position of leadership within this situation, maybe you have your own business or are a manager of some sort. You shouldn't be scared to say no to this new "burdens" if you feel like you aren't able to meet the expectations.

Either way, you should be firm about it, embody the Emperor as best as you can and when in doubt follow your inner guidance, meditation is once again on my mind even if not as prominently as Pile I. The Hermit also points to this being a pivotal point in your life, a new direction being considered maybe.

Mid

L Tarot: 5 Swords

WU Tarot: 4 Swords & Father Coins RV

The previous situation may have ended badly, even if you won you both lost, maybe in your case there was the reputation from taking it all and finally saying no. There's a sense that there will be bad blood, the 5 of Swords indicates that you should search for a common ground to mend this relationship.

All this will leave you exhausted and you might get a cold or something of the like, nothing worrisome, just stress catching up to you. You are encouraged to rest in this time and to contemplate the previous situation, specially because of the Father of Coins Reversed apearing.

Don't obsess with what could have been monetarily nor with your wealth, don't fall into the Father of Coins in it's reversed energy, I'm unsure why but gambling comes to mind, so if you do have an issue with it don't fall into that.

End

L Tarot: Strength

WU Tarot: High Priestess RV & Star

The end of your month cards tell you to be strong and have courage in front of this adversities, you might fall into a bad state of mind in which you'll be disconnected from your intuition if you don't stay strong.

The Star however, being the last card of the reading, does tell of an optimistic outcome, that you'll be able to get through it all as difficult as it may be.

There may be new possibilities opening in that near future of inspiration might come down on you in this trying times, end of the day, you'll still shine in the sky.

Bottom of the deck: 5 Cups RV (Labyrinth) & Temperance (Wild Unknown)

Pile III

Beginning

L Tarot: 6 Coins RV

WU Tarot: Daughter Swords & 5 Wands

This pile has an emphasis on charity work, be it emotional or monetary, but having in account the fact that the 6 of Coins comes up again in the middle of the month it's probably monetary.

All this is said because you'll find yourself in a spot in which you'll have to stop doing this charity work, self care is a message that I'm getting along with investigating new ideas, maybe buying yourself a new book that you have been wanting.

This however will not be well received, people who feel entitled to your donations will make comments, that as much as you both have a common goal there is opposition. This is likely due to that entitlement or them not having a good balance in their life with this aspect, which you'll be trying to achieve.

Mid

L Tarot: 2 Swords RV

WU Tarot: 6 Coins & 2 Coins RV

The previous conflict will make you feel like you're trapped between the sword and the wall, thinking that there's no fully good option in which direction to take. Probably it'll be indecisiveness over continuing charity or not.

In this reading I do get that you'll go back to charity and that, while fruitful as always, this time people will try to scam you out of your generosity.

The Two of Coins reversed talks of not only over commitment to compensate for your "time lost" but also a fake ness and manipulation of a certain situation, whether it's coming from you is unclear but as previously stated it's probably from those who were telling you to continue donating.

End

L Tarot: Page Coins RV

WU Tarot: Ace Swords & The Lovers

This will all culminate in a loss of money and a lack of progress and even steps backwards, you may want to conduct your work in a different manner, brainstorming new ideas but nothing more at the beginning.

Eventually the cards do tell of a breakthrough with the Ace of Swords, you may want to keep your cards close to your chest until you've fully realized your plan tho. Surely, seek for council if needed, but don't listen to the chatter in the background.

All in all you'll come to a decision, two paths clearly laid out, maybe a partnership of some sort will come up too, but i think that the Lovers here is more of an indication of this decision.

Bottom of the deck: Fool RV (Labyrinth) & Mother Cups (Wild Unknown)

Separators are mine

Tiles are from Pinterest 1 - 2 - 3

If you have any constructive criticism feel free to comment on it

[jokeroutsubs]

📝ENG Translation: NEW VOICES: RAIVEN in conversation with Bojan Cvjetićanin

Article published in April 2024 issue of VOGUE Adria magazine, English translation by @kurooscoffee, @moonlvster and a member of Joker Out Subs, Proofread by IG GBoleyn123.

Whatever it is, in its essence youth is almost always intense, authentic, revolutionary and brings new things even when it is not aware of it, and if there is a great example of this statement, then it is certainly this year's representatives at the Eurovision song contest from the countries of our region. It has not happened for a long time that at the same time Slovenia, Serbia and Croatia are represented by members of the younger generation who also bring a completely new sound. While Teya Dora extremely successfully brings ethno-influences into pop, Raiven gives her operatic background a pop form, and Baby Lasagna brings a rock sound with a specific local twist. However, in addition to being refreshing in the musical sense, they also know the little secret that "a song can bear everything" and that in it, it is possible to say more than in hundreds of words, so with their songs they open not only a new chapter in the music scene of the region, but also some important questions: migrations, feelings of rejection and not belonging, regeneration and triumph in difficult times. This year's Eurovision representatives talked about this sacred thing (and much more) with their colleagues Ana Đurić Konstrakta, Vesna Pisarović and Bojan Cvjetićanin, who participated in some of the previous Eurovisions and shared questions, doubts, experiences, problems, plans and excitement about the upcoming contest.

Sara Briški Cirman, Raiven, talked to last year's Slovenian Eurovision representative Bojan Cvjetićanin from Joker Out about authenticity, which always wins, stage fright and the new Slovenian music scene.

BOJAN : We haven't spoken for a long time, practically since the last interview we did via webcam, I called you from London last time if you remember.

RAIVEN: Yes, I remember. This is going to be very special now because I can't even imagine how the conversation is going to go, because you're going to be asking me questions mostly, and I think it's usually the other way round, so...

BOJAN: Look, I have a lot of questions prepared for you and I'm really looking forward to talking to you. I think it's best if we start with the fact that your life is probably mostly painted with the Eurovision colours at the moment. Please tell me, how has your Eurovision participation shaken up your inner state of mind? What is going on in your head?

RAIVEN: Yes, this Eurovision is absolutely much more mentally exhausting than one would think. Above all, I think it's not only stressful for the artist, but also for the people around the person who is going to Eurovision. There are many emotions, from excitement to fear and horror. Everything is present, but it is the most exciting period in my life so far.

BOJAN: You're an independent music artist, you're not signed to any record label, right? Do you, already at this moment, before Eurovision itself, see the disadvantages or advantages of being an independent artist?

RAIVEN: Yeah, there are definitely advantages in terms of having more creative freedom, but Eurovision is such a big project that I think it would be nice to have a bigger team of people behind you to help you out, but I still have a lot of people I can rely on and work well with. Through the Eurovision process, I've also got a sharper radar of who I'm cool working with and who I'm not.

BOJAN: Do you feel any fear? Do you feel equally competent to the other performers? Some of them probably have a background in the music industry, some of them absolutely come from these so-called powerhouse countries of Eurovision. How do you feel?

RAIVEN: I have a chance in terms of having some kind of starting position, but at the same time I feel a little less pressure because I feel that if you come from a bigger country, you have higher expectations about the result.

BOJAN: Okay. What is your realistic goal? What would you want in a year? I mean, in one year, Eurovision will be ten months behind you. What would be the ideal result for you in one year?

RAIVEN: I would probably be happiest if I managed to have concerts abroad. I also think my music is suitable for a foreign market. Yes, I would definitely be interested in that. I think you have more than obviously shown that it can be done, but there are a lot of factors. To go abroad would be ideal for me of course, at least to the Balkans. That seems somewhat realistic to me.

BOJAN: The Eurovision stage will absolutely be the biggest stage you have ever stood upon. Will Sara be scared?

RAIVEN: Yes, of course I'll be scared. But above all, I feel a very strong responsibility to myself not to disappoint myself, to be relaxed and confident enough in the moment, and ready enough to really enjoy it. I mean, everybody tells me that I have to go there first and foremost to enjoy it, but I honestly don't go there with that mindset. I'm sure I'll be happy if I enjoy it too, but I think I'm going there to work first and foremost. Then, when all the things and all the preparations have gone at least roughly as I had imagined, I can enjoy it.

BOJAN: It's been a while since the song has been out. Tell me, how are your ears reacting to the song today?

RAIVEN: I'm very proud of this song. I don't think I've ever released a song that I could stand behind so much. It's also absolutely clear to me how I could have approached it more tactfully and made a different song that might have been more suitable for that stage on a first sight. But it's a song that I'm still not tired of now that I've sung it a million times and that I've been rehearsing for a really, really long time. I know that at this point in my musical development, this song has been through the most; it's the best I can give of myself and I've put all the knowledge and all the experience I've gained so far into this song, so I'm very proud of it.

BOJAN: Nice. I like to hear it too and it always stays in my head when I hear it, so it's a good ear worm, even if maybe it's not uniform.

RAIVEN: But I have to say that I often think back to when you came to me and when we were still working on the song a little bit, because the song didn't have that most important hook in the first place, "Jaz sem, ti si, Veronika" ("I am, you are, Veronika"), and I often think back to what it would have been like if the song didn't have that part. I feel like it really elevated the song to a whole other level and gave it a part that maybe I wouldn't have dared to give it because I would have thought it was too hooky for me. I don't even know what I was thinking before, when that part wasn't there, so thank you.

BOJAN: My pleasure. I agree that a good part is in the right place. It definitely has a role to play. You know, I believe that the universe tends to take us where it can take us, if we're already working in that direction, to believe in our own success and in good energies. It was bound to happen, and it did. You performed at the Croatian Dora and sang Veronika for the first time in a stripped down version, in a different shape, acoustically, and as far as I could tell from the comments, it was very well received. Are there any more of your opera inserts to look forward to at Eurovision? Or is that a secret?

RAIVEN: I don't know exactly what people perceive as opera. If these high notes that I shout at the end of Veronika are operatic, then yes. I think it's a dangerous path for me, this pop genre of opera, because I think it can quickly take on a corny undertone, so I'm very careful when it comes to including opera into pop. But I'm sure it will be very audible on the Eurovision stage that my technical singing fundamentals are based on classical training.

BOJAN: Interesting, interesting and beautiful. The performance will, I assume, also have a strong dance or choreographic theme. I believe, given that we approached Eurovision pretty much on the principle of "Let's try to make a concert experience," which also meant that the choreography was really minimal and we didn't bother with it too much. But maybe you're even more worried about the choreography part than the actual performance?

RAIVEN: Not really, because I feel like with the choreography, if I can even call it that, because it's not really that, we've approached it as coming from me and coming from some natural movement of mine. I felt liberated to accept that I'm not a dancer and I don't need to look pretty or sexy or like some conventional beauty on stage and I've embraced this awkward moment that I'm having and I feel very comfortable in all these movements that we've put in, so now I don't (worry) anymore. But I have one question for you. What advice do you have for me as a female musician who is not so much conventionally or commercially oriented, but is still going to be standing on the Eurovision stage, who maybe even has a certain requirement from a female singer to be a Beyonce type singer?

BOJAN: My honest opinion is that Eurovision is the festival where unconventional acts have absolutely thrived the most so far, i.e. those who have managed to break through the boundaries of what we think of as ordinary. It seems to me that if in those three minutes it is clear to everyone that what you are presenting on stage is sincere, that is to say, that this mystery or complexity is part of you and that this is evident both in your performance and in your aura, then that is the only recipe for success, as far as I am concerned. That is to say, if it looks real, it is real. I think you know very well what you represent and what you are doing, so you just have to carry it through to the end and carry it through flawlessly.

RAIVEN: Hm, if you were going to Eurovision now, would you do anything differently? Or would you as a band have done something different?

BOJAN: I would definitely dress differently. I wouldn't change anything else, honestly. We were a bit too colourful maybe. But it was all part of the moment, we were having a blast, we were wearing the Garden of Eden colours, and it all happened as it should have happened. I wouldn't change anything else. We had a great team, we had great energy. Luckily I wasn't nervous on stage when I had to be myself, that's it. Obviously, a huge part of Eurovision is what happens behind the stage. The Eurovision community is very involved and they really love what goes on. Tell me, have you made any friends, at least through social networks or otherwise, with any of your fellow soldiers this year?

RAIVEN: Yes, I have. I met Baby Lasagna at Dora and we had a little chit-chat and I told him I was a big fan of his song and he said he was a big fan of mine. And then in another interview he said really nice things about me, so I've already gotten to know him and I'm also mutually following quite a lot of the artists on Instagram. There are a couple of them who are really inspiring me now that I've got to know their music.

BOJAN: Yeah, Baby Lasagna, is he still first at the bookies?

RAIVEN: I think so, I think that's pretty impressive, and especially that story of his is pretty cool.

BOJAN: Would you rather win the Eurovision and then not have much happen to you, as it goes for most Eurovision winners, or would you rather live up to the success of Rosa Linn, who was, I think, 20th, and then took the whole world by storm with her song?

RAIVEN: I would have loved to have had the success that you have had. I think you guys are a total inspiration to me.

BOJAN: Thank you very much. I also sincerely wish that it opens up for you in that direction, because our life has totally turned upside down in a very positive way. That dream that probably every kid has, once they start a band, to be able to play, let alone to be able to play in Europe; we've now managed to live and experience those things in one year. Without Eurovision, I'm sure it wouldn't have happened as quickly or as powerfully, so that's very nice and I believe you will do it too.

RAIVEN: But I think that you have given a lot of drive and pride to people on the Slovenian scene in general. What do you think about the young music scene in Slovenia?

BOJAN: We emerged on the music scene here, let's say, in 2014. That's when we started with our first band. I think we had already signed up for a gig in 2014 or 2015, with Apokalipsa. This was at a time when Kino Šiška was already running Špil Liga¹ and had newly produced a band called Koala Voice, which at that time gave a strong sense of something fresh on the Slovenian music scene. Koala Voice and Persons from porlock were probably the first two bands that managed to get a younger audience on their side and then the gigs started, the festivals booked the young artist, considering that the scene in Slovenia has been pretty much of the same colours and stagnant for the last 15 years. Then in 2016/2017 we formed, MRFY formed and I would say that then they and we, together with Koala Voice, became the carriers of the new wave of music in Slovenia. Then bands like Lumberjack and KOKOSY quickly joined, and now we have MASAYAH, so suddenly a lot of young artists started to appear, including Jet Black Diamonds, who managed to attract people to their concerts by themselves, which was not the case in Slovenia, let's say 10 or 15 years ago. I would say that the music scene in Slovenia is going through a total renaissance, so it's absolutely more than clear that the music scene has changed a lot in a positive way.

¹Competition for student bands organized by Kino Šiška, which Joker Out won in 2017

RAIVEN : How would you say pop artists are perceived in Slovenia and what is Slovenian pop like? Because most of these new artists that you mentioned are mainly from the band category.BOJAN: Slovenia is very different from the Balkans here because Balkan pop is more kafana/club pop, which is not the case with our pop. We have, or always have had, a lot of artists who have a media presence and appear every year, for example at the traditional Portorož² festival, or at these events that we have, but they never have their own concerts. In the Balkans, I don't think this is the case, because the performers are really very regularly playing at locations, whatever those may be.

² Kafana pop is a genre of music typical to the Balkans, and mostly consists of commercial folk/turbofolk songs. Kafana is a distinct type of local bistro, common in some former Yugoslav countries, which primarily serves alcoholic beverages and coffee, and often also light snacks.

³ The Portorož festival that Bojan mention is annual pop/ballad competition called "Melodije morja in sonca" (Melodies of the sea and the sun).

RAIVEN: What do you think is the reason for that?

BOJAN: For me, the reason is that there is no audience for the pop music that exists here. It seems to me that it's not music that you can transfer into some kind of a location and that somebody will actually go and listen to it; it's music for radio, for TV shows and so on. Folk music is performed, folk bands are by far the most present on the live music scene here, but pop artists are not, because it is very difficult to get that kind of music on the stage. I think most pop artists in this country don't even have a band or a concept, so they're practically just media personalities as far as I'm concerned. There is absolutely a very interesting difference between Slovenia and the rest of the Balkans. Club culture doesn't exist here, pop artists are more or less doomed to radio.

RAIVEN: How do you see the difference between how male or female performers are perceived in Slovenia, do you think there is any difference between how they are perceived? What are the demands on male and female lead vocalists?

BOJAN: Jeez, I don't know, In Slovenia we have a very specific problem when it comes to female lead vocalists, because it is very rare that a female lead vocalist dares to smash the stage. One true female lead vocalist was Nina from Tabu, after her Tina from Tabu, and now there is MASAYAH. In the Balkans they really don't lack in that regard, in the Balkans female performers are very sharp, with lots of character, very strong; you have the feeling that they don't care about the system; you can't come along and act clever, because you'll get a slap. But here it's all taken with laughter and joy, everything is nice and right, which is the difference between Slovenia and the Balkans. It seem that the audience here eats it up if a woman knows how to totally smash it when she comes on stage. Manca from Koala Voice is a pure example of that; she came on stage and she owned the stage so that we were all impressed, it's the same with Helena Blagne, she's a diva and the stage is hers, I think female leading vocalists with character are very well received. You absolutely have that, but you're in a different genre, you're not in a position to come and start jumping on stage, but you still take your stance. Of course, there are still singers, male and female, and bands that are great, but I can't mention all of them right now. I would also like to mention Nina Pušlar, who is absolutely by far the most active pop singer in Slovenia. She knows what she is doing. It would be bad to leave her out, To get back to your song, I have one more question, how did you come up with the title Veronika?

RAIVEN: The song was originally written about Jeanne d'Arc, but after I started thinking about entering EMA and Eurovision with this song, it seemed to me that I should choose a female character who is important for Slovenia and for the Slovenian space as an inspiration for the song. Veronika Deseniška (Veronika of Desenice) was the first woman accused of witchcraft in Slovenia, and I feel that I am very understanding towards people who are rejected or not understood by society, so there is a personal connection that I have with Veronika.

-~-~-~

Do not repost this article and if you quote, please link back!

credits:

PHOTO: MARKO SUVIĆ

Creative director: FILIP KOLUDROVIĆ

Fashion: ANA NIKAČEVIĆ

Makeup: NINA BURAZOR

Hair: ŽIGA ABRAM @ MARE DRESURA

Assistant stylist: KRISTINA VRDOLJAK

Note from JokerOutSubs: Photos for this post were provided by TWT dejanacm, text was provided by an anonymous fan. Thank you!

[ostrichmonkey-games]

Hi! I would like to try my hand at making my own ttrpg, but I have NO idea where to start, tbh.

Do you have any tips? Do you know of anywhere to discuss designing this stuff?

Hey that's super exciting! TTRPG design is a ton of fun and can be super rewarding!

So some general advice, based on what I've learned and also have heard from others.

Start small! Smaller than you think! Diving straight into the deep end with a big ol' fantasy heartbreaker is the road to never getting anything done. So scope out something that you know you can finish. Maybe that's a new class or playbook for a game you already like! Maybe it's an expansion or set of new subsystems! Maybe it's an adventure (though adventure writing can be it's own can of worms, but don't let that stop you hahaha)!

If you want to go bigger, maybe look at hacking a system or engine you like! I'm a huge fan of LUMEN as a fun to pick up and experiment with engine. Also, the LUMEN SRD (system reference document) is a very nice set of "how to do LUMEN games", which is very helpful. There's also other open systems/engines/SRDs like 24XX, Caltrop Core, and Breathless that could be great to look into. Powered by the Apocalypse and Forged in the Dark are both fantastic engines/systems to design in, but are also much harder to really get the hang of (and while Blades in the Dark does provide an SRD, it's a good rules reference, but not a great "how to" reference).

If at the end of all that, you decide on making your own bespoke system, go for it! See what happens! Try and figure out the focus on what you want your system to do (generalist games are always harder to make, imo), and then really dig into that. But I think starting with SRDs/hacks/expansions is going to be a way better start than trying to do everything from scratch.

Make something and don't worry about ever sharing it! This is also just general artistic/creative advice, but the first things you make prooooobably won't be your best and that's okay! I have loads of early design material and scraps that will never see the light of day, but working on them I learned a lot! If you do want to share things, it's fine to just share it with friends, you don't need to worry about publishing or any of that. Just remember to stay focused and work towards finishing something, because then you can start on the next thing. And the next thing after that! TTRPG design is a skill that takes practice. You can try focusing on one design idea in one project, and then work on a different design idea on the next to build up your skill set.

Play, read, and run a lot of different games! It's like with writing, the more you read, the better a writer you can start to become. You learn a lot about ttrpg design by interacting with ttrpgs. If you don't have regular groups to play/run things with, then try and read a lot of different games of all different systems and styles! All that you're absorbing is going to give you fuel for your own designs, and sometimes you learn something really cool from unexpected places (like, I could not have imagined the impact that learning about a lot of OSR design stuff would have on my own design, even though I don't consider myself a strictly OSR designer).

Don't worry about what other people are making! This is just the "two cakes meme", but even if you find out someone is working on something similar, it is always worthwhile to pursue your own vision.

This is getting long, so I'll wrap up that section and move on to the second question.

I think there's a pretty solid community of TTRPG designers here on tumblr these days, so you can try getting discussions going here! I also do a lot in various discord groups. I personally really like Plus One EXP which is very friendly to newcomers and has pretty active design discussions (I also publish some stuff in print through Plus One, full disclosure).

If you're looking for more spaces, asking around there probably wouldn't hurt either.

I'm also always super down to discuss TTRPG design at like, the drop of a hat. So feel free to shout in my inbox anytime!

Best of luck on your journey, and can't wait to see what you do!