#a griffin writes

[supertrainstationh]

Why I Quit “Pokémon Violet”.

I'm officially done with playing "Pokémon Violet".

No, I didn’t complete it.

Sadly I found my enjoyment of it so deeply sabotaged by lack of basic quality control, that I gave up on the game fairly early on, though I did put in a number of gameplay hours.

In terms of total concrete plot progress, I completed a single gym, and then briefly went into a Team Star base just to see what it was like.

The gym was by orders of magnitude the most easily completed first gym I ever encountered in a Pokémon game in terms of field-based challenges and Pokémon battles.

From what I heard, the gyms in this game can be approached in any order, but that they don't actually scale with your team's levels, or based on how many badges you already have.

If this is true, this is laughably lazy design for what is supposed to be an open world game in which you can approach challenges in any order, but if this is not true, then pardon me on not knowing in advance whether or not this is true, as I went into the game as spoiler-free as possible in the hopes of experiencing this game without outside bias coloring my experience.

The concept that gym leaders choose to face challenging trainers using a team selected based on the challenger’s current experience level is something that had already been explored in official Pokemon material more than a decade ago, so the failure to deploy it here when the game’s open structure obviously calls for it is inexplicable.

I did the Cortondo Gym first. My levels were similar to the Gym Leader's own Pokémon, but I effortlessly crushed them, and had more difficult encounters with ordinary Trainers out in the overworld in the areas I had been exploring near the city hosting that gym.

I'm someone who will ALWAYS peruse "easy mode" options if they are available. I am completely illiterate in regards to competitive Pokémon battles, and don't even have the full type advantage chart memorized. But even for me, Cortondo Gym was disappointingly lacking in difficulty.

I also want to comment on the pre-gym minigame, which was set outside the gym itself in an area on the outskirts of the town.

The olive roll maze was a neat way to tie in some of the cultural elements of the actual locations the games setting, the Galar Region, is inspired by, but the mechanic of moving the inflatable olive ball felt lame.

Though it is only a minigame which is supposed to be inconsequential, I am harsh on it because it seemed like minimal effort was put into it, regardless of its overall importance to the game.

The playable character's in-game model does not act as though they are interacting with the olive ball, and I would go as far as to say that it appears that they are unaware that the ball even exists within their universe.

Compare this to "The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker", released decades earlier on far less advanced hardware of the standard definition Nintendo GameCube, in which the player character automatically looks toward objects of interest in the immediate area that can be interacted with, and the characters arms and face actually change to reflect the effort and intention of moving that object as the player makes this action happen.

But in this olive roll minigame in “Pokémon Violet”, you just walk at the ball to make it move in the direction you want, while the character mindlessly gazes forward as though nothing is happening. It doesn't feel like a minigame meant to entertain or challenge the player, it looks and feels like a collision detection demonstration assembled with minimal care or game design theory put into it.

And even so, the minigame was completely effortless to win, and I didn't even realize it was over, and that I won, until it took me to the result screen.

There wasn't even an on-screen timer to add any sense of urgency to the minigame, and I have no idea if being penalized for taking too long was even a possibility.

I've been interested in Pokémon since I first read a blurb in a gaming magazine in the mid-90's about a monster collecting and battling RPG for Game Boy that was becoming popular in Japan, and I was enchanted by its world and characters since the video games and anime first hit North American shores.

This franchise shaped my life for the better in ways too extensive and detailed to discuss here, so I'm not happy to be in a situation where even after counting down the days till release and roaming from store-to-store to find a copy, that my interest in "Pokémon Scarlet and Violet" has deflated.

In spite of how much I wanted to give this game a full playthrough, in spite of mounting frustrations, my final straw was when I actually stopped looking forward to streaming on the days I announced I was to play “Pokémon Violet”, and felt regret that I "had" to play it on my show in order to fulfill the schedule I promised to my Twitch viewers to stream the game.

The mere complexities of modern games already made me feel a slight disconnect from this title.

Going from traditional 3D Zelda games like "Wind Waker" and "Twilight Princess" to the new style introduced in "Breath of the Wild" was an extreme learning curve for me, especially in regards to operating the more sophisticated interface, though over time I was able to get the hang of it and enjoy the game.

I never imagined that I'd be in a situation where a Pokémon game of all things had a more complex user interface than the latest major Zelda release, and that I'd be mashing one button after another trying to activate nested and cryptic functions that were accessed in very simple menus even as recently as the Nintendo 3DS era.

In addition to that, this game forces the player into tutorials for the simplest of things universal to most modern games of even the mildest complexity, yet leaves tutorials for mechanics newly introduced to the Pokémon series restricted to completely optional and easy-to-miss places tied to special events.

The real killer for me is the extreme lack of polish in almost every aspect of the experience. Characters even just a single body-length away from the player's character are frequently animated with frame rates resembling a flip-book in which half the pages have been torn away.

Obvious shortfalls in the timing and pacing of Game Freak's cutscene animations lead to thinly veiled shortcuts such as cutscene text scrolling unreasonably fast even for a literate adult with an above average reading speed.

Static screenshots are sometimes used during otherwise fully animated cutscenes, and at other points cutscenes loop clumsily and unconvincingly on a particular moment as the scene waits for a player prompt to continue the narrative

Other times the graphics fail to accurately depict things that players are expected to believe are taking place within the game world. Important details essential to gameplay or story beats are sometimes not shown on screen, are mentioned only in interface or character dialog, or are rendered in outstandingly unconvincing ways.

In the first decade of the 21st Century, I owned Xbox, PlayStation 2, and GameCube, and enjoyed games on all three systems.

Since then, I have focused my gaming habits on Nintendo systems.

I chose Nintendo DS over PlayStation Portable.

I chose Wii over PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360,

I chose Nintendo 3DS over PlayStation Vita.

I chose Wii U over PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

And today, I own Nintendo Switch, but not PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X/S.

If I was concerned with enjoying ultra high-resolution visuals and maxed-out frames-per-second, I would not have been choosing Nintendo systems in spite of them being the lowest performance hardware options on the market.

But even within the limitations of the Nintendo Switch, which is running a low-power-consumption mobile chipset that was arguably already out-of-date when it first hit the market six entire years ago, “Pokémon Scarlet and Violet” completely fail at taking reasonable advantage of what the system is capable of.

"Pokémon Scarlet and Violet" are 2022 releases, published exclusively on Nintendo Switch, the same system that launched in 2017 with "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild."

"Breath of the Wild" was was a game designed with the intention of being launched as an exclusive for Wii U, an even less powerful console released closing in on five years earlier than the Switch, and more than a full decade ago as of the time I'm writing this, with Wii U itself having been widely considered under-powered at the time of its 2012 release, being in the performance range of high definition consoles that entered the market as far back as 2005.

"Breath of the Wild" had its technical shortcomings, but even the Wii U version of "Breath of the Wild" completely annihilates "Pokémon Scarlet and Violet" in terms of rudimentary technical proficiency, and when examining "Breath of the Wild" in terms of overall presentation in comparison to " Pokémon Scarlet and Violet", the comparison is such that I'm amazed that Nintendo, who founded their brand as a video game manufacturer and publisher on industry-leading high quality, would allow their name to be associated with the latest Pokémon entries.

I can not overstate the extent to which “Pokémon Scarlet and Violet” fails to deliver on the promise of basic quality control. Games with far fewer technical problems than this game have been criticized severely by review outlets and the gaming community, and I am convinced that these new Pokémon titles are being excused for their incompetence based on good will alone in ways that no other franchise would be permitted to get away with.

In-game tutorial screens featuring screenshots for illustrative purposes are from the Japanese versions of the game, and had this text censored out with a very crudely applied distortion filter in an embarrassing and ineffective attempt hide this fact. This is something appropriate for a work-in-progress demonstration build of the game, not the final product.

The first time I caught a Pokémon, the Pokéball animation froze in mid air, leaving me to think that this was the game's way of depicting Pokemon catching, and that these new Pokéballs hovered in the air rather than falling to the ground as Pokéballs in previous games did.

No matter how good this game is, when malfunctioning animations are mistaken by an experienced player to be representations of what is actually taking place in the game world, that is a serious problem, and anyone paying money for this game deserves better.

Shadows of environmental objects regularly flicker in and out of existence in a way that's not only unconvincing and an obvious malfunction of the graphics system, but in specific instances may pose an actual safety hazard to players susceptible to seizures triggered by blinking lights, which is something a product in the Pokémon franchise in particular should have been exceptionally aware of after similar light patterns in an early episode of the Pokémon animated series triggered seizures in children, which became an international news event, but a cause of widespread condemnation and ridicule aimed toward the franchise and the companies behind it.

The seizure incident caused by the Pokémon anime so impacted the culture of the franchise’s brand management that a particular Pokémon creature featured in that episode was never again depicted in animated form to avoid even the slightest association with the public safety disaster, and references to that particular character have been kept to an absolute minimum in the decades since, so the fact that glitches which cause blinking and flickering patterns being permitted to exist within the newest Pokemon game is mind-boggling.

Characters and objects within immediate sight of the player character frequently vanish and re-appear without warning.

The player character is liable to sometimes phase through the ground, or pass through what are meant to be solid walls, breaking immersion and sometimes causing the game itself to become impossible to play.

It's been amazing to watch Nintendo fans point and laugh for years at slipping quality standards for headline games on competing systems that were significantly more powerful than Nintendo's, using them as proof that more powerful hardware and better graphics alone don't make for better games, only to see them now accuse those who point out the shortcomings and fundamental deficiencies of the newest Pokémon games of being "haters" who are holding Game Freak, The Pokemon Company, and Nintendo, to unfair and unreasonable standards.

The more extreme and irrational defenders of the state of the game have gone so far as accuse critics of lying about quality control issues to make Game Freak look bad, and claim that that the ample footage of these easy to encounter malfunctions was either manipulated by hoaxers using video editing software, or even filmed using deliberately altered copies of the game that were made to suffer glitches.

I feel I am being generous to Game Freak in saying that everyone working on the game had the best intentions, but should have spent (or been allowed to have spent) at least another year on this title.

My already stated observations of the elements of this game which are obviously struggling to function properly don't even begin to address the parts that are simply reflections of either laziness, a rushed development cycle, or both.

When exploring the game's world, I encountered  multiple duplicates of the same stores selling the same items within eye-shot of each other within the same city, or even directly next door to one another.

This was so blatant that it made me speculate if these choices were cheekily made by rebellious lower level Game Freak employees to see how far they could push the limits of corners they were instructed by their superiors to cut, before they were actually confronted over them by their employers.

What's worse, the interiors of most shops are represented in the game only as text based menu interfaces, which pull me out of the game world just as much as laughably bad character animations that resemble fan-made parody cartoons posted to the internet.

Poorly rendered, poorly applied, and obviously repetitive surface textures that make certain objects such as cliff faces and buildings resemble assets lifted from a Nintendo 64 game are just the cherry on top.

"Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon", itself a Nintendo 64 title, has every single shop in the game rendered as a location with an interior that can be entered and explored. No matter how inconsequential those store interiors were, they helped to convincingly portray a living world that is real to the characters within the game.

Menu based shops do NOT do that.

My continued fascination with the Pokémon world, and its creatures, locations, lore, and characters, can not overcome the fundamental incompetence demonstrated by "Pokémon Scarlet and Violet", which completely demolishes my ability to enjoy it, which is a shame, because the intent to create an imaginative world thriving with lively creatures, memorable locations, and characters worth helping or fighting against, is clearly present, and in some cases the heights of care put into these elements match the lows of the bad quality control.

Unless an obvious revolution in The Pokémon Company's standards of ambition and quality is reflected by the next generation of Pokemon games, it breaks my heart to say that "Pokémon Scarlet and Violet" will be the last mainline entries in the series that I will be excited for, or interested in.

I pushed myself to play "Pokémon Violet" in spite of all its bad points.

I'm regretfully ending my time with "Pokémon Violet" in spite of all of its good points.

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This was written LIVE during Episode 1 of my gaming and writing Twitch show!

If you liked this, check out my SCHEDULE and join me live next time!

[Twitch] [VOD Channel] [Writing FA] [Ko-fi]

[league-of-simps]

Tomura not being able to sleep so he goes to your room and sees that you're actually asleep and not doom scrolling. He's too tired (and awkward) to just tell you to move so he lays on the floor next to your bed and falls asleep to the sounds of you breathing.

[griffinthing]

Okay, hopefully it works this time, tumblr wouldn't let me attach an audio from my phone, and it wouldn't let me add the video version to @long-live-astronerd-ghost-king's post, which you should absolutely check out. It's dcxdp, Danny and the others make a band, and I got inspired by one of the hypothetical song names and made a little demo for 'What an Autopsy Won't Show'

[leilanihours]

LANI'S 1K CELEBRATION ! 🪩

hello all ! i've only had this account for less than three months, and it's insane to think that we've reached this milestone so quickly. thank you so so so much for the opportunity to create writing that i, and hopefully many others, enjoy. i am so incredibly grateful for every single one of you - your invitation into the women's basketball community, your hilarious comments, your creative requests, your encouraging compliments - EVERYTHING !

i've never felt so comfortable in a community and i couldn't be happier that this is one i'm part of. i'm also extremely lucky to be considered a writer on this platform, especially considering how many other incredible writers there are here, so thank you again.

as a more interactive thank you, i've decided to host a little celebration where you guys also benefit from this achievement ! after all, i wouldn't be here without you guys, so it's only right that you guys are thanked properly. hopefully you guys like it and have fun, so here are some rules and guidelines !

CELEBRATION (JULY 15 — JULY 17) ! NOW CLOSED

CELLY MASTERLIST

PLAYERS I WRITE FOR — paige bueckers, aubrey griffin, azzi fudd, morgan cheli, kate martin, nika muhl

RESOURCES — fluff prompts, angst prompts, smut prompts

RULES — only send asks within the celebration's set dates, only send one request per ask, each request is wlw and player x reader, each request is centered around an aforementioned player, copy and paste specific lyrics/prompts with their corresponding emojis

CHOICE ONE — blurb inspired by song lyric - as you guys probably already know, all of my work is based off of either an entire song or a line from a song, so i wanna hear from you guys !

🎵, send this emoji + a song lyric and its singer + a preferred player and i'll write a short fic !

CHOICE TWO — blurb inspired by prompt - prompts make it super easy to create specific yet broad work (if that makes sense), so send one over and i'll see what i can cook up !

🗝️, send this emoji + a fluff prompt (from the provided source above) + a preferred player and i'll write a short fic !

🎥, send this emoji + a smut prompt (from the provided source above) + a preferred player and i'll write a short fic !

🖇️, send this emoji + an angst prompt (from the provided source above) + a preferred player and i'll write a short fic !

CHOICE THREE — moodboard inspired by scenario - i'm a pinterest/canva girly at heart and i love making little collages, so let me know what you want to see !

📷, send this emoji + a scenario/trope + a preferred player and i'll create a collage !

*my inbox will be closed while i'm asleep just to compensate for the volume of requests but will be open all day while i'm awake, hope y'all enjoy !

— tagging my lovely moots ! 📰

@girlokwhatever @liacobain @solefae @whoops11 @taurasiluvr @calicoheartz @lucespeaks @martinluvrr @arlertwhore @lowgothree @litfiction @taurasiluvr @httpsai @cosmopretty @kamii-2 @hcsiqs @itiswhatitisboi @elainebursts @brenwritesss @bueckersfor3 @paigebueckersmommy @iminlovewithpaigebueckers @latenighttalkinqwp @authentic-girl03 @makethemhoesmad @cjrights @hopelesslydevoted2paige @p0rtaled @azzibuckets @chaoticpazzi @sleighingstella @hrtsfromjules @mayghosts @asapeveryday @bueckersstrap @sweetbans29 @pbnbucks @goldfades @09carriages @pbueckerslover @bueckerslover @ayannatv @kmoneymartini @luvbrat @psecret @kaya-p @martinmuhl @barbspeaks @ilovepaigebueckerss @katemartinismywife

[anistarrose]

The possible explanations for why the fuck Barry could've felt the need to open that scene with "are you afraid?" have been analyzed by this fandom for basically ever since the Red Robe identity reveal, and a lot of people have brought up good theories that I've adopted bits and pieces of from each. But one thing that I haven't actually seen proposed as a factor is this:

Talking to Tres Horny Boys through the facade of the faceless "Red Robe" might've just been Barry's backup plan. Plan A was, quite possibly, to sneak Junior's ichor out of Lucretia's private quarters, be able to actually inoculate THB, and actually have them recognize him. (A proper reunion, with no cryptic warnings. With no dancing around static — just Barry and Tres Horny Boys, actually trusting each other innately.)

Why do I think this is plausible? Let me clarify the timeline a little: at the start of the Petals arc, before THB leave the Bureau, all is normal with their soon to be ex-roommate Pringles/Robbie (Ep. 18). Upon return, THB are informed that at some point during their (overnight, so 24 hour-ish?) absence, Pringles was thrown in the brig (Ep. 28).

It's eventually revealed by Pringles and Barry, in The Suffering Game and Reunion Tour respectively, that Barry possessed Pringles to do "reconnaissance" on the Bureau, specifically on where to find the second Voidfish (ie, Lucretia's private office, which is where Pringles "woke up" and was "arrested summarily").

I will note that Barry describes this as just recon — implying information gathering, and not necessarily a Voidfish ichor heist. However, this was an explanation he gave through a recorded message in the coin, where he was likely choosing his words carefully to confuse THB the least amount possible. And moreover... I just find it hard to believe that Barry wouldn't let himself hope, leading up to and during this infiltration, that he could make it out with the ichor he so desperately needed.

After all, Barry may be Going Through It during the podcast, but he definitely knows that as much as he needs information, it's going to be a lot harder to pull off his eventual heist if Lucretia catches him in the act, and winds up knowing that he has that information. Barry also chose to make his infiltration attempt while the Bureau was distracted, monitoring the Gaia Sash — in a lot of ways, this might've seemed like not just his first chance at the ichor, but also his best chance at it.

Barry's both an incredibly determined and opportunistic, calculating guy. I don't think Barry would've left Pringles' body unless/until he was absolutely cornered; no hope left of getting out with the ichor this time. He wouldn't pass up a chance to restore his family's memories — because of his deep, deep emotional and practical stakes in restoring those memories, first and foremost — but he even feels kinda bad about possessing Pringles (calling it "unfortunate collateral damage"), and would certainly prefer for his unsavory tactics to be, you know, worth it.

So when Barry fails? When he comes away from his mission he's no doubt been planning for weeks, waiting intently and single-mindedly for his chance with the right Relic-based distraction — and it turns out he has information, but no ichor, to show for it? When he fails, Barry's left on the back foot.

He'd dared to hope it might turn out better than this. He'd dared to hope this might be a turning point, and the world might remain in danger, but at least he'd have his family back. He'd dared to hope he might be able to speak to them, in his right mind, with his memories, and be recognized for the first time in a decade.

So when none of that comes to fruition? When he knows his boys won't recognize him yet, no matter what he does? Yet he still needs them on his side? He still needs them to be prepared for the horrors coming?

Well, he just fucking improvises.

"Are you afraid?"

[wasyago]

a soft and cuddly guy. definitely.

[ibrithir-was-here]

So I’m really really enjoying @mayhemchicken / @lxgentlefolkcomic ‘s comic “The League of Extraordinary Gentlefolk” which is everything I wanted the Moore comic to be (e.g. actually faithful to the characters personalities in the canon books) and so of course I had to design a fancy cover for it xD

The profiles are of the characters that have been said to make up the main team in the comic (not all have shown up yet) but there’s Irene Adler-Norton on top, the two happily married Harkers side by side beneath her, the Invisible Man in the middle with Dr Seward on the right and Dr Jekyll (with the shadow of Hyde) on the left and Capt. Nemo in the bottom!

Please go check out the comic @lxgentlefolkcomic , it’s on its first chapter and already soooo good!

[heda-in-the-clouds]

Downward Doggystyle

As Lexa exercises and shows off her flexibility, Clarke offers her a more exciting and pleasurable workout. She promises Lexa that she'll feel a deeper stretch

Here's my contribution to @wanhedasdaggerweek featuring my yoga Lexa x surfer Clarke au. This is for my amazing beta and lovely friend @lexa-griffins who has supported me and my au from day one

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"Twenty-nine, thirty and breathe." Lexa panted hard to herself as she finished her final set of flutter kicks.

“That looked really good babe!” You boasted as you filmed Lexa’s workout from the couch. Lexa had asked you to record her workout so she could analyze her form and document her progress.

“Thanks Clarke! It feels like my abs are on fire. Everything hurts.” Lexa winced as she wiped the sweat from her brow and chugged her water bottle.

“Don’t overwork yourself. I don’t want you to hurt yourself or pull a muscle.” You insisted to your girlfriend.

“Yeah. I’m just trying to push myself a bit more today. I feel like I’ve hit a wall in my training and need the extra oomph to get over it.” Lexa reassured you.

“Ok, just make sure you listen to your body. Also, about how much longer do you have? I’m checking the battery and we have about 30 more minutes left.” You commented after adjusting the camera on its tripod.

“That should be more than enough. I have a few more exercises to finish before I wrap up. Then we can shower.” Lexa emphasized the last part with a cheeky grin. Your eyes immediately darkened as Lexa eagerly smirked back. Lexa then continued her workout and maneuvered her body into a plank position.

As Lexa held her pose, you shamelessly raked your eyes all over her body knowing you would soon have her naked under the shower. Your gaze first lingered on Lexa’s sports bra that supported her perky breasts and showed off her hardening nipples. You longed to cup them and feel their weight in your grasp.

Next you imagined running your hands across Lexa’s lean body. You first wanted to admire the graceful strength of her toned back. Afterwards, your touch would follow the path of her muscles down her physique stopping at her abs. Your fingers would idly brush and play notes across the soft lines adorning her tummy.

Next, you would trace the contours of her obliques until you reached the waistband of her tights. You would give her hips a firm squeeze pleased at how supple they felt in your grip. You would then divert your attention south and trace the seams of her leggings and reveled how tight the fabric stretched across her mound. Finally, you would reach back towards your favorite thing about Lexa. You craved to dig your fingers into her ass and feel them clench tightly in response.

Snapping out of your lustful daydream, you felt yourself slowly getting hard under your sweatpants. Lexa then transitioned through several more stretches. Each new position showed off her lithe figure, soft curves, subtle abs, long legs, and firm ass at new angles for your sinful gaze causing your heart to beat faster. Your increased heartrate also pushed more blood to the growing heat between your legs.

As Lexa continued her cooldown routine, the minutes seemed to tick excruciatingly slow. Your leg started to bounce eagerly hoping that time would run faster or Lexa would cut her workout early. Lexa was blissfully unaware at your inner turmoil and your desperation to feel her warmth against and around you.

Lexa then raised her ass up as she transitioned into downward dog. This action caused her black leggings to mold tightly against her cheeks providing you a sinful view of the swell of her ass. You couldn’t hold in your desire any longer as you sprung up from the couch and approached her from behind. Her eyes remained closed as she focused on getting a deep stretch so she was oblivious to your sudden presence.

You throbbed underneath your sweats when you gazed between her legs and saw the damp fabric clinging tightly to her sex. She was wet and you knew it wasn’t just sweat from the faint musk you smelled. You smirked to yourself when you realized that you weren’t the only one aroused by the promise of sex after this workout. You were both already wet without the shower. You cupped Lexa between her legs and groaned when you finally felt her soaked core.

“Clarke.” Lexa shuddered as her form faltered slightly from your unexpected touch before she regained her composure.

“I think your form’s off babe. Don’t you have to keep your abs tight?” You teased when you saw her slouching as she leaned back into your fingers idly brushing her clit over her damp leggings. Lexa rocked her hips urging you to apply more pressure.

“Please love. I need more." Lexa looked back, pouted her lips, and begged with a tremble in her voice.

“What about finishing your workout?” You slyly grinned when you heard Lexa’s desperation in her words.

“Don’t care. I’m done. I just need your touch.” Lexa emphatically pleaded with you. You quickly caved into her request unwilling to deny your girlfriend what both she and you wanted. However, you decided to tease her a bit more.

"Like this?” You applied more pressure to her clit and dipped your fingers past her clothed entrance.

“Mhmn. Yeah.” Lexa quietly hummed out.

“Or this?" While your left hand was preoccupied with Lexa's crotch, your right hand reached around, squeezed her breasts, and pinched her nipples over her sports bra.

“Ahhh.” Lexa yelped from the pressure of your hands on her chest.

“But I think this is what you want?" You jutted your hips forward so she could feel your dick straining against your sweats.

“Fuck! You're so hard." Lexa gasped when your crotch was flush with her ass.

"You’re to blame for this babe. Just seeing you working out in your tight clothes as you move and stretch in all your flexible poses does that to me. Also, the promise of sex never fails to turn me on.” You cheerfully uttered as you started a slow roll of your hips hoping to get some relief for your dick against Lexa’s upturned ass.

“I don't think I can wait until the shower. I need you now – like this!” Lexa pleaded and started a rocking motion trying to match your movements against her sex.

“Are you sure you want me to take you like this? I mean…can you hold yourself up long enough?” You knew Lexa was in excellent shape but wondered if she had enough stamina after her strenuous workout.

“Trust me love. I've got plenty of core strength left. I know I can last longer holding myself up in downward dog than you can inside me." Lexa wiggled her butt and teased you with a smug look on her face.

"Ooof! Low blow babe. I'm getting better – slowly.” You dramatically gasped and held your hand to your chest feigning your hurt. You then playfully spanked her ass for her jab.

“Ow! I'm sorry love. You know I love how you can’t last long enough for me. It’s so flattering that I can make you cum in a minute. But yeah, you’ve been able to last longer and longer each time we have sex. I’m so happy for you.” Lexa kindly reassured you.

You felt your heart flutter at the sincerity in Lexa’s tone. You were still in disbelief at how patient Lexa had been with you from the very beginning helping you overcome your insecurities as an intersex woman. You always worried that Lexa didn’t find pleasure when you finished too quickly. You even blamed your smaller size as the main reason for this.

However, Lexa was gentle and honest with you. She constantly reassured you that she did enjoy sex with you – a lot – despite your doubts. She also never blamed your smaller size too. She even confessed that she preferred your size because it allowed her to show off her flexibility in various sex positions that worked better for you. Now, you wanted to return the favor and hopefully give Lexa the pleasure she deserved.

“Let me show you how much better I am.” You confidently beamed with a grateful look of appreciation towards Lexa’s compliment. You edged her soaked leggings further down her ass until they pooled at her knees. Your dick twitched as her firm cheeks and aroused sex were finally exposed to your lustful gaze. You were grateful that Lexa never wore underwear beneath her workout clothes.

“I don’t think I’ve told you enough times already just how much I love that you’re naked under your tights!” You enthusiastically praised as you lusted over your girlfriend’s naked upturned lower-half in front of you.

“I think I have a pretty good idea love since you always bring it up.” Lexa chuckled. “You know I hate panty lines. Plus, my leggings are already so comfortable that I don’t need to wear anything underneath.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” You mumbled as you were still distracted by Lexa’s ass in front of you.

Your dick throbbed in eager anticipation sensing it would soon be sheathed inside the soaked, tight cunt that Lexa presented in front of you. Lexa whined when you briefly pulled away from her to reach for the stash of condoms and lube hidden in the drawer. You then pulled down your sweats and underwear to free yourself. You tore open a condom, added a small drop of lube inside the tip, and quickly slipped it over yourself.

You sauntered back to Lexa who still held her form perfectly in downward dog. She had been watching you with rapt attention the entire time. Specifically, you saw her eyes darkening as they followed your cock. You still couldn’t believe Lexa found your body desirable. You still recalled how shy you felt when you were first naked in front of her. You were nervous you wouldn’t measure up to Lexa’s expectations. However, Lexa was thrilled to finally have sex with you. You remembered the pure desire dripping out of her that night when she couldn’t wait to feel you inside her for the first time. That feeling never left as you saw her cunt soaked for you right now.

You stood behind her and keened at the sight of Lexa underneath you in downward dog. Her firm cheeks were spread open exposing her sex to you. Anticipating your cock, her folds were petaled open and flush with arousal. Her cunt was at the perfect height and angle for you to enter swiftly in one stroke. However, you wanted to edge Lexa and delay your satisfaction of being inside her.

Lexa whined when she felt your dick sliding across her drenched folds instead of entering her from behind. You slowly drove your dick back and forth coating the condom in her arousal for a smoother glide inside her pussy. Your tip occasionally bumped against her clit causing her back muscles to shudder and strained whimpers to leave her mouth.

“Clarke – Please! I want you inside me now. I need a different kind of stretch that only you can provide.” Lexa urgently begged.

You adjusted your stance because you couldn’t deny what you both craved in this moment. With a firm grip on her hips, you easily entered Lexa in one thrust until your hips were flush with her ass.

“Fuck! I’ve never been this deep inside you. You’re so fucking tight...and hot.” You admitted when your cock reached places inside Lexa you’ve never felt before.

“Uh! Fuck! You feel so good too. Gimme a minute to adjust. I’m not used to you this deep.” Lexa shuddered as she took deep breaths to relax her tight muscles.

“Take as much time as you need.” You were grateful that Lexa needed a minute to collect herself. You also needed a moment to relax and calm down. Despite the thin barrier of the condom, you still felt every heavenly sensation of Lexa’s warmth embracing your dick.

You worried that if you moved even an inch, it would overwhelm you and cause you to cum immediately. That was exactly what you didn’t want to happen since you cockily boasted to Lexa that you could last longer. However, you weren’t prepared for how sensual it felt to fuck Lexa in this new position. Sure, you’ve fucked Lexa from behind before but never like this. Everything felt heightened when you were this deep inside her and you weren’t even moving yet. A shudder ran down your spine when you imagined how much more intense it would feel when you started thrusting.

You also wondered how Lexa felt in this moment. Did she have the same thoughts as you where everything felt more intense when you were this deep inside her? You could feel her cautiously squeezing around you trying to find the right pressure for her. Her walls made minute adjustments around you as they tried to accommodate the extra stretch you gave at this new depth. Before you could ask, Lexa spoke out.

“Damn, I don’t think I’ve felt anything this fucking good before!” Lexa groaned out when she finally felt herself starting to relax and loosen up. She could now focus on how different and amazing it felt when you were as deep as possible inside her.

“I thought it would be just like doggystyle but it’s so much fucking better.” You gushed. “I think we should call this downward doggystyle.” You struggled to confidently say your pun without bursting into laughter.

“Dork.” Lexa turned her head, rolled her eyes, and sighed at your lame joke.

“What? I think I’m a genius.” You quickly countered before you suddenly choked on your words when you felt Lexa purposely squeezing her walls around your cock.

“How about we get back to business love? I’m bent over for you and the last thing I want to hear are more of your dumb puns.” Lexa huffed before she suddenly lowered her voice. “I wanna hear you moan instead.”

“Ahh.” You grunted when Lexa clenched even tighter around your dick. “Understood babe.”

Your short banter helped diminish the sudden urge for you to cum. It wasn’t by a lot but it was enough for you to start moving slowly inside Lexa. You started a steady pace savoring how Lexa’s body responded to your strokes. You felt her walls stretching for you as you drove your cock back and forth. They clenched around your length trying to draw you deeper inside and hold you still. Lexa was right. You started moaning and grunting as you increased your pace and thrusted sharply inside her soaked cunt chasing your explosive release.

“Ahhh! Right there Clarke! Keep going.” Lexa whimpered when you grinded against her front wall. You both learned that your cock was the perfect size to consistently find and thrust against her g-spot. You modified your stance so you could angle your strokes and thrust more easily against it. You knew if you kept fucking Lexa like this, she would be shaking and gushing around your cock soon.

“Fuck!”

“Your dick feels so damn good!”

“You’re filling me up so well right now.”

“You’re gonna make me cum!”

Lexa cried out praise after praise when you changed the angle of your thrusts so you could drive your cock into her front wall where she felt the most intense sensations. You looked down at Lexa underneath you, arching her back, split open on your cock, cheeks rippling from your hips slamming against her, and desperately driving her ass back to meet your thrusts. Hearing Lexa’s passionate moans filled you with pride that you were the only one who could fuck Lexa like this. It also had the undesirable consequence of causing your own orgasm to quickly creep up on you.

“I don’t know how much longer I can last.” You struggled to get the words out when you sensed the familiar twitching in your shaft signaling your impending release.

“Do you want to slow down and try some of the techniques I taught you?” Lexa graciously offered when she felt the telltale signs of your throbbing length inside her core.

Neither of you were ready for your messy finish yet. You both wanted to hold on just a bit longer and savor the sinful experience of fucking each other in this new position.

“Yeah.” You groaned when you slowly pulled out of Lexa. You then noticed the long spit of wetness leaving her cunt attached to your condom. You almost came at the sight but managed to stave off your orgasm when you squeezed your shaft just behind your head just like Lexa showed you. In a matter of seconds, you felt your impending urge to cum disappear. You also took several deep breaths until you were confident you were ready to go again.

“Good?” Lexa asked with a proud smile on her face.

“Yeah. Thanks for showing me that. It’s a lifesaver babe.” You confidently grinned back in relief.

“You’re very welcome. Now, get back to fucking me love.” Lexa insisted as she drove her ass even higher up.

“Gladly.” You repositioned yourself behind Lexa and eagerly entered her in one smooth stroke aiming for her g-spot again. You knew you found it when Lexa uttered a soft moan and her walls suddenly clenched around you. You keened at how Lexa’s body desperately missed your cock and welcomed you back with a tight and wet embrace. You gave her hips a quick squeeze before you pulled out and started fucking her hard again.

“Yes, yes, yes!” Lexa moaned out and cried at how great you felt back inside her cunt.

As you continued fucking Lexa, you noticed her arms shaking, feet losing grip, and back muscles starting to flex and strain. She had spent more time than she anticipated in downward dog and it was starting to show. It also didn’t help that Lexa had to steady herself from your hips thrusting relentlessly against her ass. No matter how firm or big her ass was, it didn’t provide enough cushion the longer you fucked her. You could feel Lexa struggled to fully hold herself up as you had to support more of her weight with your tightening grip on her hips.

“Fuck Clarke. I don’t think I can hold myself up any longer like this.” Lexa whined as she felt her strength slowly being drained.

“Can you hold on a bit more babe? I know you can do it. I’m almost there. Can you be a good girl for me?” You softly cooed sensing Lexa’s growing struggle. You knew she had the core strength to last and wanted to push her.

“Yeah. I wanna be good for you love.” Lexa whimpered when she was soothed by your reassuring words. You saw Lexa dig her heels and adjust her hands on her yoga mat for better grip. She then flexed her muscles and tightened her stance to correct her slouching form in downward dog.

Lexa had unlocked a new source of energy and determination. You were proud of your girlfriend and wanted to reward her tenacity. You focused all of your energy into making sure Lexa came with you. You reached around and rubbed her clit. You slowed down your thrusts and fucked her with shallow strokes so you spent as much time as possible stimulating her g-spot.

Lexa cried out incoherent moans and whimpers in response. She felt conflicting sensations all over her body. Her legs, arms, and abs hurt from the strain of holding herself up but the deep strokes of your cock against her walls electrified her nerves with an intense pleasure.

You felt so close to your own climax but it wasn’t due to the intense sensations of Lexa’s silky soaked walls wrapped around your throbbing cock. No, it was due to the sweet and raspy moans leaving Lexa’s mouth as you pulled her back and forth against your cock. Pride caused your chest and cock to swell up that you were the cause of Lexa’s filthy moans.

That’s when you felt it. Lexa’s walls suddenly clenched around you halting your thrusts and holding you still. A second later, her cunt rhythmically squeezed and tightened around your cock signaling the start of her orgasm. You then felt a flood of wetness soaking your dick and gushing out between your bodies. You quickly succumbed to your own orgasm from the rhythmic patterns of Lexa’s muscles milking your cock forcing you to shoot out jets of cum into the condom.

“Lexa? You okay babe?” You prodded when you saw her body starting to relax again. However, Lexa didn’t respond so you assumed she was still recovering and didn’t have the mindset to think clearly yet. You gently lowered Lexa to the floor and allowed her to rest on her yoga mat as she regained her strength and consciousness.

“Clarke. Clarke. Clarke.” Lexa was passionately moaning your name. Your voice never sounded sweeter than when Lexa was in the throes of her climax. Suddenly, Lexa’s muscles holding her taut suddenly buckled from the intensity of her orgasm racking her body. Her body and legs were shaking uncontrollably so you quickly tightened your grip to hold her up so she wouldn’t fall down.

You didn’t pull out and were still inside Lexa knowing she sometimes clenched around your dick to soothe herself and come down after a strong orgasm such as this. She also enjoyed feeling your weight above her and felt safe and protected underneath you. It was one of her favorite forms of intimacy with you. You peppered Lexa’s backside and neck with nips and kisses waiting for her to come back to you. You whispered soft affirmations of love, desire, and appreciation into her ear too. 

“I love you Clarke.” Lexa softly breathed out when she finally regained her awareness. 

“I know.” You tenderly responded as you leaned over and kissed Lexa. Your heart fluttered as you both smiled widely into the kiss. Pulling back, you both had a dopey grin on your face. 

Your moment of bliss was interrupted when Lexa’s fitness tracker started beeping on her wrist. Lexa quickly checked her notification to silence it. 

“Uh Clarke? My watch accidently recorded our sex as a high intensity workout.” Lexa awkwardly informed you as a bright red blush adorned her face.  

“Really? That’s so funny. Show me the stats.” You pleaded as you struggled to suppress your laugh at Lexa’s adorable embarrassment. Lexa sighed before she rolled her eyes and held up her wrist so you could both scroll through the various fitness metrics it had recorded. 

“Wow. Your heart rate peaked over 100 beats per minute during your orgasm! You should start recording that in your workout journal.” You suggested enthusiastically.  

“I am not going to record that stat in my journal Clarke. That’s so personal. What if someone reads that?” Lexa vehemently protested. 

“Lexa! Look at how many calories you burned during sex. Damn that’s a lot. I think you should start adding sex to your daily workout routine.” You hoped that Lexa would take your suggestion seriously.

“We already fuck at least twice a day Clarke. How much more do you want?” Lexa countered. 

“Well, I –“ You started to respond before Lexa swiftly interrupted your train of thought. 

“Don’t finish that. I already know the number and that’s unreasonable. We’re still in college and have classes to attend.” Lexa scoffed back. 

“You should wear your fitness tracker whenever we have sex now. You can record it as hot yoga.” You proudly grinned. 

“Oh my God! Clarke stop!” Lexa groaned, dropped her face, and hid her embarrassment into her yoga mat.

“I’m sorry Lexa but you know how I love teasing you.” You quietly apologized as you nudged your head against Lexa trying to coax her back out and face you.

“Can we talk about something else?” Lexa timidly asked when she turned and faced you.

“We don’t have to talk at all.” You cockily boasted with a smolder. 

You groaned when you felt Lexa’s enthusiastic approval as she squeezed around your dick which had softened inside her. She must feel rejuvenated now as she tried to help you get hard again.

“I need to grab a new condom and I can’t pull out if you’re holding me too tight babe.” You urged when Lexa’s walls didn’t release their tight grip on you. Lexa sighed because she didn’t want to let go of you just yet. You kissed her pout away and promised you would be quick. You pulled out and quickly discarded the used condom. You then grabbed some wet wipes and hastily cleaned both you and Lexa up.

Lexa grabbed a condom from the stash and beckoned you close to her. She gave your cock several strokes to make sure you were fully hard. She then tore open the packet, gave your dick a small kiss on the tip, and sheathed the condom down your shaft.

“I have another yoga pose that I want you to fuck me in. It’s the bridge position.” Lexa keenly told you before she laid down on her mat, spread her legs apart, and lifted her hips up. “And don’t worry. This pose is easier on me so you can take your time fucking me love.”

Your eyes widened, jaw dropped, and your dick twitched when you saw Lexa spread open and presenting her soaked cunt for you to fuck again. Who knew yoga poses were so versatile? You dropped to your knees, moved towards her, and positioned yourself in between her legs. You first ran your hands across her thighs, up her mound, and over her abs. You were always in awe of Lexa’s toned physique and craved every opportunity to touch her.

“Having fun love?” Lexa giggled while you were distracted worshipping her body.

“Yeah. Sorry about that.” You blushed when you realized several minutes had passed and she was still waiting for you to fill her up.

“No worries. It’s so cute when you get super focused on me.” Lexa happily insisted to you. “Wanna explore the inside of me now?” Lexa smirked.

You didn’t want to keep her waiting any longer. Again, Lexa’s entrance in bridge pose was at the right height and angle for you to easily slide inside her. It’s like her body was made for exactly for you. You shifted your stance and started pressing your cock past her folds which easily parted for you. Your dick slid deeper inside Lexa inch by inch until you bottomed out. She gave you a reassuring squeeze that you could start moving.

You pumped your hips back and forth keeping a languid pace. You weren’t in a rush to finish. You wanted to savor all the sensations you felt as you slowly fucked Lexa. You focused more clearly on all the different textures you felt inside her like the various ridges surrounding your cock. You also felt how different her g-spot felt. It was a spongy texture compared to the smoothness everywhere else.

You then wondered if Lexa did the same and focused on how your cock felt inside her. You looked down and saw her eyes were tightly closed. It seemed like she was in a deep concentration right now. Was she feeling the details of your shaft as you slowly thrusted inside her? Did she appreciate the way you filled her up? Lexa then opened her eyes and caught you staring intensely at her.

“What love?” Her head tilted when she asked you.

“You just look so beautiful right now.” You gushed when you couldn’t hold in your feelings right now.

“Charmer.” Lexa’s face beamed from your compliment and showed off her dimples with her wide smile.

Her hand then reached up and covered your own holding her hips up. Her thumb rubbed soothing circles across your skin before she squeezed your palm. You knew what it meant. She wanted you to stop moving but you weren’t sure why.

“I wanna kiss you right now.” Lexa clarified when she saw your confused expression.

A joyous grin broke out on your face as you couldn’t contain your excitement. You carefully lowered yourself down so you could reach her face. Your nerves ignited when you kissed her. You soon felt a blissful warmth flooding your body. You continued making out, trading tender kisses with each other. You finally pulled back when the need of oxygen surpassed your need of her.

“Let’s get back shall we?” She pleaded when you saw her eyes raw with passion for you.

You nodded and pulled yourself back up. You readjusted your position and checked in with Lexa that you were ready. She returned a gleeful smile prompting you to resume. Lexa’s face soon scrunched up in delight, mouth gaped open, and abs flexed when you swiftly found her g-spot again.

"Love, don't let your hips fall. Keep them up." You teased when you saw her form off due to your strong thrusts against her front wall. She playfully stuck her tongue out at you but followed your instructions.

You then reached forward and squeezed Lexa’s breasts over her sports bra. They felt firm as you took turns cupping each one in your hands. You were somewhat disappointed that Lexa still had her sports bra on. You wished you could see them moving in sync with your thrusts but her bra kept them firmly in place. Your thumb brushed over her nipples that started to point out. You knew her nipples were sensitive so you stroked, rubbed, and pinched them knowing it drove Lexa wild.

“Love? How close are you right now?” She sharply panted out after a few minutes.

“I feel like I’m almost there. Why?” You admitted when you realized the familiar signs of your climax had suddenly snuck up on you.

“I have one more position I want to surprise you with. I think it’ll be the perfect one for you to finish in.” Lexa insisted.

“What’s it called?” You eagerly mused.

“It’s the plow pose!” She excitedly squealed.

Your attention piqued from the obvious name of the pose.

“It’s actually an advanced yoga pose I found online. When I saw it for the first time, I wanted to see if it would work as a hot sex position with you. It’s tough to hold this pose for long so I’ve been practicing in private to get better. I can hold it for two minutes before it’s too much. That should be good enough for you right – not that two minutes isn’t short – it isn’t – I swear – it’s a good time – long enough for me.” Lexa awkwardly rattled on.

“Of course I want to try it with you babe.” You chuckled to save her from embarrassing herself anymore. You just adored seeing how cute and flustered Lexa got when she rambled. She signaled for you to stop and pull out so she could get into position. You sat on your heels giddy as you awaited her final pose.

Lexa stayed in a bridge but she suddenly lifted her legs up until they pointed directly at the ceiling. She then drove her legs forward towards her chest until her toes landed on the floor behind her head. Her raised hips were aligned with her shoulders that supported her weight on the floor. Her torso was almost at a ninety-degree angle which meant her sex was pointed straight up at the ceiling.

“Ta-da! What do you think love?” Lexa cheered once she finally settled into the plow pose.

“Fuuuuuuck!” You groaned heavily in astonishment that Lexa had practically folded over herself. You’ve never been more grateful for having a flexible girlfriend.

“Hurry up Clarke. I can’t hold this for too long.” Lexa insisted.

“I’m coming babe.” You responded without a second thought.

“Already? You’re not even inside me yet.” Lexa playfully teased you.

“Dork.” You sassed back.

You stepped up to her a bit unsure how to get yourself into position and enter her. Luckily, Lexa saw your predicament and guided you. You leaned over her and placed your hands on the back of her thighs. You cautiously pushed them down until you hovered over her entrance at the right angle. You just had to drop your hips and you’d be inside her.

“Go ahead love. Fill me up!” Lexa eagerly beckoned.

You lowered your stance and pushed through her folds. Your moans became more unrestrained as you forced her walls to adjust around you the deeper you sunk. You shuddered when you finally bottomed out. Being soaked inside her warm cunt overwhelmed your senses. She felt tighter, wetter, and hotter in this new position. You groaned trying to suppress yourself from throbbing too much.

“Fuck Lexa! I’m already so close – I haven’t even moved yet! I don’t think I can last long.” You anxiously confessed, worried you would finish after a few sloppy thrusts.

“Hey it’s okay. Deep breaths love. Cum when you need to.” Lexa soothed seeing the nervousness on your face.

“But I just want to be good enough for you.” You uttered in a hushed voice.

“Love you are.” Lexa tenderly reassured you.

“But – “ You replied apprehensive of Lexa’s words before she interrupted you.

“Clarke. Love. I just want to enjoy this with you no matter how long you last.” Lexa smiled affectionately at you. “It’s a new position right? I don’t expect you to be great at it yet. There’s plenty of chances for you to get better. Just be with me now and it’ll be good for both of us. I promise.”

“Fuck you’re amazing! I love you.” You choked out. Lexa always knew what to say to help you overcome your insecurities.

“I know. Deeply.” Lexa smirked and clenched around you to emphasize her last point.

“Fuck!” You whimpered and jerked your hips forward caught off guard by Lexa’s walls squeezing you even tighter.

“Now, don’t hold back for me love. It’s the plow pose for a reason. I want it hard and fast!” She keened.

Lexa wanted you to become selfish. Right now, she didn’t care about her own pleasure but only yours. She chose this position specifically for you. She practiced holding this pose in private for you. She imagined being fucked by you like this. You didn’t want all her hard work to go to waste. You cast aside your anxiety about finishing too fast. Instead, you focused on how filthy it would feel to fuck Lexa in this position.

You drove your hips up then slammed them back down onto Lexa’s ass. You repeated this over and over so your cock would plow up and down inside her cunt in long, heavy strokes. At this extreme angle, it felt like gravity was helping you drive your cock deeper, faster, and harder inside her body. You realized how intense each thrust felt in this position and desperately chased your climax uncaring how fast it would arrive.

You peered down and saw Lexa looking seductively up at you. Her eyes were dark with lust. She bit her lips as she marveled at your intensity. She moaned and cried to the beat of your thrusts. They joined in the sinful symphony of the heavy slaps of your hips against her ass coupled with the wet squelches of your cock plowing her cunt. You felt her hopelessly squeezing around you in a vain attempt to hold you still but your thrusts easily overpowered her as you forced your way deeper chasing your messy finish.

“Clarke!” Lexa desperately whined as her eyes rolled back after a sharp thrust against her g-spot.

Hearing how sweet she moaned your name ignited your nerves and pushed you to your explosive climax. You growled hard and filled the condom with heavy spurts of your cum. You whimpered when you felt Lexa’s muscles matched the rhythmic pulses of your throbbing cock. Her body craved to be soaked in your release that the thin latex barrier held back.

After your orgasm ran through its course, you gently unfolded Lexa and lowered yourselves to her mat. She had a dopey grin of bliss plastered on her face as you carefully settled your weight above her. You were both sweaty but neither of you cared. Her legs were still tied around you as you rested. She wasn’t ready to let you go and you weren’t ready to pull out. You nuzzled into each other’s neck and traded tender kisses. You rubbed soft circles around her hips while she ran her hands up and down your back to soothe each other.

“I’m gonna be so sore. But it’s the good kind of sore.” Lexa heavily breathed out after she caught her breath.

“Was that … good for you?” You hesitantly asked.

“Fuck that was so hot love! That went better than I imagined. I love how hard you came.” Lexa excitedly blurted out.

“Yeah? It felt really intense for me too. Thanks for finding this position and holding it for me.” You cheerfully nodded impressed at Lexa’s endurance and flexibility.

“You’re welcome love. We are definitely gonna do this again! But I need more practice to stay longer in plow pose.” Lexa playfully shared.

“I also need some practice to improve my stamina. Luckily, I have the hottest workout partner to help me out.” You bragged.

Lexa beamed and flashed you a toothy smile. Afterwards, you were both content to just lay there soaking in each other’s warmth. You still had time until you felt yourself softening and had to remove your condom. However, your tranquil bliss was broken when Lexa suddenly gasped.

“Love. Did you ever turn off the camera?” Lexa frantically squealed.

“I think so? Why?” You hesitated as you struggled to remember.

“Look.” Lexa tapped you on the shoulder so you could both face the couch where you had set up the camera mount. When you turned your head, you saw the red recording light of the camera still flashing.

“Oh my God! It’s still on!“ You yelped out.

“We made a sex tape!” Lexa exclaimed in pure shock.

“Do you want to watch it? I could judge your form babe.” You sheepishly asked Lexa after a few seconds of awkward silence.

“Only if I can critique your technique too love.” Lexa flirted back.

“Deal. So shower then movie night?” You offered with a smug grin on your face.

“Let’s skip the shower and save some water. I have a strong feeling we’re gonna be sweaty again real soon.” Lexa smirked

[supertrainstationh]

Here’s Episode 1 of my writing show, “A Griffin Writes!”

This was streamed live, and was also the premier of my PNGtuber avatar by Ducksick over on Fiverr!

Why use an avatar for writing streams after appearing on camera for every video and stream I’ve done since 2009?

Well, the way I wanted to do writing streams posed certain problems with a webcam that using an avatar solved!

Not only did I write about some of my favorite and least favorite video games, but I also played Wordtris for the first time, which was unexpectedly fun and challenging!

I may or may not have debuted a fox transformation poem in there as well.

This first episode went amazing and I look forward to planning the next one soon!

[Twitch] [VOD Channel] [Writing FA] [Ko-fi]

[vickyvicarious]

Oh how determined Dracula is to wreck Jonathan's psyche as punishment. He wasn't content to just snatch away his only way of writing home. Dracula knows Jonathan can't leave under his watch. Nevertheless, he proceeds to steal Jonathan's money, documents, identification, and anything else that would have been useful to him outside the castle. So now Jonathan gets the message that even if he somehow escaped the prison, the forest, and the wolves, he would still not be able to leave the area, and Dracula would get him. I have taken away everything that may have brought you home. You are no one, and you are never going back.

You're very right. And, in classic Dracula fashion, every one of these tactics works on multiple levels. It's extra insurance that if Jonathan ever somehow did get out, then he wouldn't get far, for various reasons now. It's a message to Jonathan of the same, and thus psychological torment.

He is also controlling and limiting Jonathan's ability to communicate, and thus metaphorically stealing his 'voice' - if it weren't for the diary, Jonathan wouldn't have anywhere to tell his true thoughts left. He's also digging away at Jonathan's sense of self. As you say, telling him "you are no one now," leaving Jonathan with nothing else to do or to look to except Dracula himself. He's deepening the reliance there, forcibly. But it's also taking away things that have cost him effort (@thethirdromana made a post about how the suit alone is probably pretty expensive) and also that matter to him emotionally. It's quite possible the recipes he was saving for Mina were in those papers. There may well have been positive memories associated with his nice traveling suit. These are things that might be a comfort even if not an outright aid in escape. They remind Jonathan that he is human, he has a life outside of this place. But he doesn't anymore, and he won't ever again - that's the message Dracula is sending him. All he has left is Dracula.

And he's not even done yet. It's gonna get worse.

[notelcol]

In which John Murphy steps out of his comfort zone.

Trigger warning : blood, reference to violence.

No one asked for this one but it’s here anyway and vaguely edited 😈

(It came out a little longer than intended, I got ever so slightly carried away…)

When Murphy came back from the grounder prison camp, despite him being the bully of all the delinquents, you couldn’t help but feel guilty. What did Bellamy expect after exiling his once second in command? We should have seen this coming. The grounders would have been fools not to take Murphy for all the information he had. Blood was smeared all over him. You couldn’t tell where it was originating he had that many wounds. The image of his torture made you shudder. Even his fingernails had been ripped from his fingers. You looked away. Forgetting all the times you had needed to confront him to protect others, you made a choice.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” You asked Clarke, the only person with medical experience.

“You can find someone to go with you to the path that leads to Mount Weather.” She said with a sigh. “The poison sumac there would be really helpful.” The tired blonde uttered her thanks, while you left to find Octavia. She would most certainly accompany you.

Murphy watched through one eye, since his other was tightly inflamed. He could not fathom why you would be willing to risk your life leaving camp, simply to acquire a calming herb to ease his plight. Especially because the last time you saw each other, you were fighting him to save a child. A child who murdered the chancellors son, and got him hung to within an inch of his own life. Murphy hated you for that, so why didn’t you? The child you were trying to save did die because of him after all. He was a black and white sort of man. One who never understood forgiveness. A person would come to blows once and that’s it, they are dead to him. He always stood by those very rules. Until you, who only fought him in the name of peace. Which is why risking yourself to help someone who truly needs it, came natural to you. Even if it meant giving a second chance to someone like Murphy.

Unfortunately none of the hundred felt the same way as you. After failing to find Octavia, you begun asking around camp for someone to go with you. When that also failed miserably, you decided to grab a gun and head out alone.

The expedition went as well as you could have hoped. You did not feel the many eyes of the forest on you for once. In fact, it was so calm outside of camp that it almost spooked you. You decided to grab extra of the plant while you were there, to save Clark and Fin a job. Finally, your bag was full and it was time to turn back. You realised that you were a little bit out of breath after a few steps. You must have been picking the flowers for longer than you thought.

The walk back to camp felt much more tiring, so your feet began to drag. You could feel the sweat dripping all over your body, particularly annoying you around your top lip. Huffing, you removed your coat and wiped away the sweat from your face with it. You moved to tie it around your waist, only to be hit by a wavering buzz. It sent your whole body spinning. You watched your coat drop to the floor and finally noticed the blood. All that blood, covering most of the garment. You were so dazed that you didn’t even notice you had fallen.

“Get. Up.” You growled to yourself. Sputtering thick crimson, you clawed at the mud. This must be biological warfare. Your symptoms too similar to Murphy’s to be a coincidence. This revelation only cemented your determination to get this poison sumac back to camp. If you had caught it, then others must have too. Your mind went round in loops while your arms refused to rest. Until you inevitably exhausted yourself and dropped your head to the forest floor.

Murphy was finally starting to feel better. The countless patients in the drop ship could not say the same. As he gave water to a quiet girl named Fox, the fabric around the drop ship door ruffled loudly. Miller came rushing in with you slumped in his arms, blood and dirt covered you to the point where you were almost unrecognisable. He watched as you were dropped into a hammock. A strange feeling, one he could not identify, filled his chest as your bag spilled open revealing the many poison sumac flowers you had brought back.

You awoke to the feeling of something cold and wet on your forehead. You groaned at the heaviness in your lungs, which only caused the blood to gurgle and spurt from your mouth. As you choked, your eyes shot open to be faced by Murphy. His eyes almost went as wide as your own as he quickly removed the cold cloth from your head and pushed you onto your side. Your breath shook in relief. Instantly oxygen came easier, and the blood drained away.

“Rest.” He spoke in a softer tone than you thought was even possible from Murphy. Of their own accord, your eyes fell closed once more. The blood was wiped from your face in a manner that felt more like caress, helping you drift away peacefully to your dreams.

For the first time in his life, Murphy had entered his personal grey area. Your undeserved kindness showed him the world through a lens other than his own rage and paranoia. He decided then and there that he would take care of you until you recovered. Allowing himself to believe it was getting even, when really it was something else entirely. It was simply another thing he had yet to understand.

[leilanihours]

i'm so fucking desperate for more aubrey content it's insane and i loved you 'supernatural' writing and i'm obsessed. i wanted to ask you if you could write aubrey x fem!reader reader is a basketball player and her and aubrey is in a secret relationship that no one knows about and reader is playing for iowa she get's hurt when they are playing against uconn (let's say that aubrey didn't tore her ACL and played) and she wasn't thinking and ran over to reader who's laying on the floor. aubrey is kneeling next to her, holding her hand and only realises what is happening when both teams are around them

# GET YOU

pairing: aubrey griffin x iowa!reader

word count: 1808

warnings: mention of slight injury

summary: even when you get injured in a game against your girlfriend and her team, she ignores all common sense to help you.

⭑ from lani: finally got some writing done after how many weeks...i altered the req a little bit anon i hope thats okay!! anyways hope ygs like it ☺️

masterlist !

SWEAT DRIPS DOWN your face and neck as you run the ball down the court, fully confident in yourself as you glide into a beautiful open lay-up. cheers erupt throughout the stadium as iowa gets a two-point lead over uconn.

it was the final four round of this season's march madness tournament, and everything was on the line. your team had taken many hits and conquered many schools to get to this game, and you were well prepared to do the same to uconn tonight.

you as well as any of your teammates had no problem admitting how skilled uconn was, especially with two extremely talented comeback players: paige bueckers and aubrey griffin.

they were uconn's resident superstars, with their poise and energy being unmatched and unbeatable. as the pair of them were recovering from a torn acl, they were determined to make their last season at uconn their best.

"let's go, y/n!" your teammate, kate, cheers as she bumps her chest with yours. you smile widely as you make your way over to the iowa bench with uconn calling a timeout.

"alright, girls, this is the home stretch right here," coach bluder yells in the huddle, "take what you want, and take it with hawkeye pride!"

she nods to kate, your team's captain, as she steps aside to let her speak.

"okay, caitlin, great job dropping threes on them, just make sure you're still balancing your deep shots with drives to the basket," she advises the brunette. caitlin nods in response, dragging a towel over her face and adjusting her hair band.

"y/n? you're a beast tonight, keep that shit up, yeah?" she compliments, "coach, is it okay if she tries guarding griffin? i think she would be a better matchup for her in this final quarter."

"you got it, kate, i trust you. y/n, you okay with that?"

you freeze for a second at the mention of the name, but agree with a smirk nonetheless, "yeah, i got her."

"okay great," kate starts, eyeing you suspiciously, "everyone else: whatever you're doing just keep it up and push harder. our main priorities on the court are getting caitlin the ball and clearing paths for y/n to drive."

"alright!" coach bluder steps back in, "hawks on three! one, two, three-"

"HAWKS!"

the active lineup disperses from the group as they scatter back onto the court, you jog up to number forty-four, a player you were more than familiar with.

you nod to the taller girl, "griffin."

"l/n," she nods back as she tries to hold back a smile.

you smirk back in her direction before locking back into the game, immediately defending the girl with no intent of letting her score.

were you undeniably in love with this girl? yes, without a doubt. but were you going to let that stop you from winning the championship? hell no.

you see paige bueckers inbound the ball to kk arnold as she starts to dribble the ball to the hoop at a steady pace.

she fakes a pass to nika and tries to send it to aubrey, but you anticipated this move, easily intercepting the ball and taking it down the court.

aubrey lets out a quick "damn" as she watches you disrupt the play like it was nothing. she is quick on your heels, trailing you with set purpose. the rest of the uconn girls adjust smoothly, speeding across the floor to run defense.

you dribble the ball a little bit behind the three-point line with one arm stretched out toward aubrey, trying to create some space.

your hand hovers over her waist as you attempt to distract her, "c'mon griffin, let me breathe," you joke, still bouncing the ball steadily.

you make eye contact with hannah and hold up a fist to signal what play you should run. she immediately understands, running up to you and setting a screen.

you break away from aubrey and pass the ball to caitlin, who pretends to shoot a corner-three, but passes back to you as you run right under the net.

you leap into the air and send the ball into the net, but as you're mid-jump, you feel a hand pull at your arms in an attempt to block you. still, you power through and send the ball against the backboard in hopes of it falling through.

the sudden grasp surprises you, making you lose your balance as you feel your ankle roll underneath your weight at the landing.

the unsteadiness causes you to fall to the ground right behind the post, forcing you to brace yourself with your arms behind you.

you hear a whistle blow, presumably at the interaction you were just part of. you are entitled to one free throw and the opportunity to complete a three-point play.

you want to celebrate but are too busy clutching your ankle in pain on the floor. wincing, you try to stand up on your own but fail miserably.

you hear someone's sneakers hurriedly squeak against the wood floor and look up to surprisingly see aubrey holding her hands out to you with hints of concern on her face.

your eyebrows are furrowed as you glance at her but reach for her nonetheless. she pulls you up with ease and wraps an arm around your waist as you shift your weight onto your unaffected leg.

"you okay, superstar?" she asks you with a laugh.

"i'm good, griffin, thanks," you pant with a grin despite the aching pain coursing through the lower half of your body.

"you gotta cool it with these plays, man, people are gonna think you're good at basketball or somethin'," she jokes.

you laugh, glad that she was able to lighten the mood despite your potential injury. for a moment it's just you two, the way it had been only in private and behind the scenes.

you were so caught up with each other that both of you failed to notice your respective teams looking over with sly faces and knowing smirks.

eventually, kate and gabbie had rushed to your side, each holding one of your hands to escort you back to the bench for inspection.

"where does it hurt, y/n?" the on-court physical trainer asks.

"my ankle," you start, "i think i sprained it."

"sit here, i'll get you some ice. try to roll it around, massage it out."

"wait," you say before she leaves, "is it okay if i just make the free throw real quick? i swear i can handle it, i'll come right back here when i get it."

"if it's okay with bluder, then sure. i'll be right back," she states before disappearing to the locker rooms.

meanwhile, at the uconn bench, aubrey was getting very intensely teased by her teammates.

"you know there's like thousands of people and a bunch of cameras in here right?" paige asks with a smirk, "thought y'all were keeping it private?"

"yeah, well i couldn't think of anything else in the moment so..." aubrey confesses, rubbing a hand down her face.

"you're so whipped, bro, it's insane," ice comments laughing, "like one second you were standing behind me, the next you're sprinting to the baseline like you runnin' a marathon or somethin'."

"yeah, for real, i literally felt a gust of wind on my face when she ran past me," kk adds.

"alright, y'all can shut up now," aubrey rolls her eyes, "actin' as if y'all not down bad for your partners either."

"just sayin'," paige shrugs, "you not gonna hear the end of this."

"from us and from the media," ice says, "even the damn iowa girls prolly won't forget this."

------

"question for y/n," a young female reporter starts in the back of the room starts, "in the fourth quarter, you got tangled up with paige bueckers from uconn, resulting in a mild injury. viewers couldn't help but notice that the first person to your aid wasn't any of your teammates, but aubrey griffin, uconn's senior guard. any comments on that?"

"yeah, uh paige was a dog for that one," you laugh, rubbing your hand over your jaw as you recall the interaction, "we're cool, though, it wasn't anything too serious. we laughed about it after the game, i don't know if y'all saw that but yeah, it's all good.

and aubrey...man, that's my girl. we've been close friends for awhile and all i really gotta say is that i appreciate her helpin' me out and all that. it definitely surprised me, if that's what you're asking. i didn't expect her to beeline to me like that," you chuckle as you feel blood rush to your cheeks at the thought of her shamelessness.

"yeah, i don't think any of us expected that," kate teasingly mumbles into her mic from beside you, making you and the crowd of interviewers laugh.

------

"griffin!"

"hey, l/n."

the brunette turns around with a smile at the sound of your voice. she was just walking out of the gym with her teammate, nika, but tells her to go ahead. the girl in question simply smirks at her knowingly before jogging up to the team's bus.

you shamelessly check aubrey out - she's full in her uconn nike tech set and her hair done up in her signature high bun. her team just lost the game but she was still glowing gorgeously.

she's carrying her custom uconn backpack with one strap on her shoulder, long fingers curled around the fabric. god, she just got out of a game - a loss even - and still managed to look so damn fine.

"how's the ankle?" she asks, pointing one finger to your foot.

"feelin' a little better," you shrug, "it's still a little hard to walk on but i'm toughin' it out."

"yeah?" she smiles, "i think i know how to make it feel a little better..."

without hesitation, the taller guard dips down to place a kiss on your lips that have been pulled into a sweet grin since the start of the conversation.

you pause, placing a hand on her chest as you survey your surroundings to ensure complete privacy.

"y/n, i really don't care right now," she groans as she notices your hesitation, "if you don't want me to kiss you i can just dip-"

you cut her off with a laugh, pulling her back into you and finally getting a taste of your girlfriend.

her free hand drifts down to the nape of your neck, her thumb tracing your jawline as she eagerly kisses you back.

"you're cute," you giggle against her lips.

"man, shut up," she chuckles, jokingly pushing you away before wrapping a strong arm around your shoulders and walking you to your bus.

— leilani signing off ! 📁

[rebelliousstories]

That’s My Sister

Relationship: Sean Renard x Reader, Monroe x Monroe!Reader

Fandom: Grimm

Request: No

Warnings: Brief Strong Language, Fluff, Light Angst

Word Count: 3,540

Main Masterlist: Here

Grimm Masterlist: Here

Summary: Bringing home your significant other for the holidays is always stressful. Even more so when you are a wesen, with another wesen coming, and a Grimm to top it all off!

Love is like death, it must come to us all, but to each his own unique way and time, sometimes it will be avoided, but never can it be cheated, and never will it be forgotten.

The spice shop was gorgeous this time of year. Smells of nutmeg, cinnamon, and juniper with just a hint of pine filled the room. Lights strung up along the banners and shelves. There were not enough to distract or take away from the business, but it added just enough of Yuletide cheer to the area.

“Rosalee? Are you in?” Someone called out into the shop. She looked around in wonder as she waited for the person to appear.

“Hey, it’s my favorite Monroe. What can I do for you?” Said Fuchsbau emerged from the back, dressed in a cozy cardigan.

“Don’t let my brother hear you say that,” the Blutbad teased, “but seriously. I’m looking for a gift for my boyfriend and was wondering if maybe I could poke around and see what I could find?” Her timid tone, and now shy demeanor intrigued Rosalee as she watched the woman.

“Oh. Your mysterious boyfriend that we have yet to meet. I’m sure we could find something. Tell me a little bit about him.” Breathing a sigh of relief, the Blutbad relaxed and went back to her usual self.

“Well, he’s super sweet and oddly loaded. Which makes it difficult to buy him a gift because if he wants something, he already has it. I just- I want this to be good because it’s our first Christmas. But he does like tea when he’s not working to wind down. So maybe something to do with that?” Her rambling encouraged the other woman to begin scouring the shelves for something that might peek her interest.

“Is he wesen? Just incase I give him something poisonous.” Rosalee stopped to look at the sister in her shop.

“He’s half zauberbiest, if that helps.” She offered, to which Rosalee confirmed that it did, in fact, help in her search. But all the while the Fuchsbau’s thoughts were racing as she tried to think of anyone who was half zauberbiest. It was not a very common type of wesen, especially if he’s half.

“Aha! This might do the trick,” she pulled something from a shelf in a glass container, “it’s a calming blend. Rose, chamomile, lavender, mint, and green tea. It’s delicious and should help calm him down from stressful days.” The other woman’s face perked up, and she excitedly followed Rosalee to the counter, where she began to dispense an amount to take with her.

“So this boyfriend of yours, are you bringing him to dinner tomorrow night?” Rosalee tried to sound nonchalant, but her curiosity was eating away at her.

“Maybe. We’ve only been dating a few months. I’m just worried about my brother going off on him.” She pulled out her wallet as she continued to speak.

“I mean, the last time I was dating someone, Roe went full Blutbad on the guy and I could never get a date after that. This is the first guy I’ve dated in years, and I really like him. I don’t want to mess that up.” Taking to leaning against the counter and watching the Fuchsbau measure out the tea and square it away, she continued her lament. Rosalee looked up at her future sister-in-law.

“Look, I get it with your brother. He can be a bit intense. But I will keep him on his best behavior. Is that why you don’t want to introduce them?” She asked, ringing up her family discount for the tea.

“Yeah. That last guy, he looked at me like I was a freak after my brother woged at him. Haven’t been able to get over that stare since. And then he told every other wesen at our school to stay away from me and my ‘psycho’ brother. Never wanted to hurt a Hundjäger so badly in my life.” Placing some bills on the counter, she grabbed the package of tea from the woman, who held her hand gently.

“Bring him to dinner tomorrow. Juliette and I will make sure everyone is on their best behavior. There won’t be a repeat of that.” Rosalee reassured the Blutbad in her care. The other wesen nodded, and placed a hand on top of the other.

“I will, Rosalee.” They both smiled, and let each other go. As the female Blutbad left her shop, the Fuchsbau could not help but let her mind wander as she began to clean up a little bit. Did she even have zauberbiest come into the shop? It’s so hard to tell sometimes, let alone if they are half. All at once, Rosalee had a revelation. She knew who it was.

“Oh no.”

Meanwhile, in the precinct Nick watched from his desk as his captain seemed preoccupied with his phone. It was an unusual behavior which is why it drew the young man’s attention.

“What are you staring at so intensely, Nick?” Hank asked from his desk right next to him.

“It’s the captain. He’s been on his phone more and more today.” The detective pointed out.

“Maybe he’s making plans for Christmas dinner tomorrow night. It’s not a crime for him to be on his phone to make plans Nick.” He tried to explain the behavior away, but Burkhardt shook his head.

“See that?” He called attention to a certain quirk of the face. “He’s smiling. There’s no one in his life that he smiles genuinely for anymore. I think he’s got a girlfriend.” Nick said finally in disbelief.

“If anyone needs a good woman to keep him grounded, it’s definitely the captain. Just be happy for once and don’t profile the man.” Griffin shook his head and turned back to his files, prompting his partner to follow suit. But their attention was called away again as the captain’s office door was flung open.

“Where are you going?” Hank asked, watching the man move fast; it was as fast as he would move if they were on a case.

“Oh, I need to go pick up something for someone. You two should go home, and enjoy Christmas Eve with your families. I’ll see you later.” And with that, he was gone. The two detectives sat there, dumbfounded.

“I’ll be damned; the captain has a lady.” Hank muttered to himself, stopping his work for a moment. Checking the time, Nick stretched his back while standing from the chair.

“Alright, you heard the man. Let’s get out of here. Hey, see you at dinner tomorrow night?” Burkhardt asked of his partner. Griffin nodded and followed suit; both men grabbing their jackets from the back of their chairs in order to leave.

“You know it. I’m not one to turn down a free meal.” Hank joked, stepping out into the parking lot of the precinct. The men said their goodbyes and made their ways home.

In the Calvert-Monroe household though, a full blown argument was about to boil over. They had been going at it since the subject was brought up at dinner. It had lasted from the appetizer, all the way to clean up before dessert.

“All I’m saying is that I would like to meet her boyfriend before he comes over. What if he’s a lowen?” Monroe complained, handing washed dishes to his girlfriend.

“Do you honestly think your sister would date a lowen?” Rosalee countered, drying off the plate to stack.

“You’re right. Still,” he continued, “I just don’t want her to date someone that’s just going to break her heart. I mean, all the guys in high school she liked were totally not for her.” The Blutbad paused for a moment, and rested his soapy wet hands against the sink. Setting down the towel, Rosalee wrapped her arms around her boyfriend and cradled his face.

“She really likes this guy, Monroe. Don’t go over board. Besides, he’s not the worst choice for her.” Turning back to the task at hand, it took the man a second too long to process what the Fuchsbau had said.

“Wait, do you know who she’s dating?” Monroe questioned, watching Rosalee’s face take on an air of faux innocence.

“Maybe. Maybe not. She didn’t explicitly tell me who it was. I just worked it out from what little she did tell me.” She began to place her dishes away, but it seemed that Monroe was not yet done.

“Come on, who is it? Who is she dating?” But the woman said nothing.

“Rosalee.” He growled out in a warning tone, to which she finally faced her boyfriend and rested her hands on her hips.

“The only thing I will say, is that you have met him before. That is it. Now, cake?” Rosalee went to retrieve the chocolate cake from the fridge, leaving Monroe there in the kitchen.

“I’m gonna be kept up all night now.” He complained, but followed his girlfriend into the dining room to have dessert.

The next morning, was a morning of rest. Christmas had come, and everyone was preparing for the festivities that would soon come. Sneaking out of her shared bedroom, a Blutbad began to make breakfast for her lover that was still asleep in their bed. It still astounded her that she could even call this place, this bed, this man, her’s.

Vegan sausages were being fried, toast, pancakes, and several smaller side dishes covered the counter in the kitchen. It continued to shock her at how far vegan alternatives had come as she put the fake eggs in the pan to scramble. As she cooked, two strong bare arms wrapped around her waist. A kiss was placed to her head from behind as the mystery arms relaxed.

“Good morning. It’s not often that I get breakfast made for me.” The voice grumbled out, still thick with sleep.

“Who says this is for you?” She teased. Making sure that nothing would burn, she turned briefly in the man’s arms to come face to face with him. Sage green eyes gazed lovingly into her own, but shut momentarily as they met for a kiss. Her lips molded to her own, and reluctantly she pulled away from the beautiful shirtless man before her, in favor of ensuring their breakfast would not be wasted.

“It’s almost done. Want to go ahead and start putting food on the table?” One last kiss was pressed to her head, along with a squeeze at her waist, and he was off. Soon, the whole table was littered with food.

“Thank you for making this.” He commented genuinely, holding her hand over the steaming food. Suddenly, she hoped up as if a light bulb went off in her head, and she made her way to the kitchen. When she came out yet again, a mug was in her hands this time around.

“What is that?” Came his question, taking the mug and maneuvering it next to his other cup of coffee.

“It’s one of your Christmas presents. Try it.” Sitting down, she watched with bated breath as he brought the mug to his lips, and took a tentative sip. His face lit up and he eagerly took another sip.

“This is delicious. What is it?” Another question, and he was reaching for her hand once more.

“It’s a tea blend from a friend’s shop. I thought it’d be nice to help you wind down after work.” She explained, happy that she was able to get one of two correct.

“This is wonderful. I genuinely appreciate this. Let’s eat though. You went through all this work.” And with that, they dug into the food that littered the table before them. It was not too much longer before they sat themselves on the couch, and enjoyed each others company with presents to either side.

“Here you go.” The man placed a rather heavy wrapped present in her lap, and watched her with eager eyes. She tore into the paper, and leveled her boyfriend with a look as she saw what she had.

“Really, Sean?” Her tone was dry, and she tried to fight the smile coming onto her face. However, with her boyfriend sporting one himself, it was rather hard.

“What? You could always use another book, and I thought you might enjoy the stories.” Said man tried to explain away.

“You gave me a collection of brothers Grimm fairytales!” She exclaimed.

“And you’re not wanting to read them?” He leveled her with another look, which made her shrink down into herself.

“Yes. I’m going to read them.” Muttering under her breath, she placed the book to her side and grasped the other box that was next to her. She placed it in her lover’s lap, and awaited his reaction. Sean gently unwrapped the present, and opened the box that was in his hands. His face dropped in surprise, and his eyes danced over the present he had.

“Do you like it?” Timidly, she inquired. There was no telling what his reaction was going to be. Sean’s hand reached in and pulled out the small object that was awaiting him. It was a ring. Tiny and unassuming, which described his lover but that was not what caught his attention. It was what was on the inside of the ring. An inscription dated September 23rd of that year; their anniversary.

“You don’t like it? It’s fine if you don’t. I just thought maybe you would. I can take it back though if you don’t want it. I’m sure I could at least get store-” she never finished her rambling, because her boyfriend had surged forward and captured her lips in his. They remained locked in their embrace for who knows how long, but she was pushed against the couch in the midst of it. Alas, they pulled away for some much needed oxygen.

“Do you like it?” She repeated her inquiry.

“I love it.” He replied, breathlessly. Helping her back up, Sean allowed her to slip the ring on to his left pinky finger. On the outside, it just looked like a simple silver band, but the fact that he knew that there was that inscription inside made it feel like a known secret. And it was all his.

“This is funny actually.” Sean reached behind him and found the box next to him once more. She was confused as to what he was talking about, and took the box gingerly from his hands. Opening, she let out a small chuckle as to what was inside.

“Now, now, you still have to get my brother on your side.” Once again, she was teasing him. He chuckled as well, but pulled the ring from the box.

“It’s a promise ring.” Sean slipped the ring on to her right ring finger. The emerald in the center, with the silver surrounding it instantly drew her eyes to the sparkling stone.

“This is going to turn some heads at dinner tonight.” Her mind could not help but think about what was going to happen.

“I’ll be right by your side.” Drawing her into his arms, Sean pressed a kiss to her head, and cradled her close.

A few hours later, the couple was dressed up and ready to leave. One last spray of perfume and the jewelry was placed on her body before they left for the evening. Her leg could not stop bouncing as they neared their destination. Sean reached over and held her thigh in hi grasp, which allowed her to calm down just enough. He parked on the side of the road and helped his girlfriend safely exit the car onto the icy sidewalks. They walked up to the door with stained glass, and she took a deep breath.

“You can still back out, you know?” She tried to tell her boyfriend, but he just held her by the shoulders and looking into her eyes.

“I’m not scared by meeting your family. It’s going to be fine.” Sean tried to reassure her.

“Alright. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” And with that, she knocked. Just a moment later, the door opened and revealed a festive looking Fuchsbau.

“You made it!” Rosalee cheered, hugging her boyfriend’s sister close. Letting go, she turned to face the man standing next to her.

“Captain.” She greeted politely, and held out her hand for him to shake.

“Rosalee. It’s good to see you again.” This confused the Blutbad standing between them.

“You know each other?” She wondered aloud. Renard and Rosalee looked at each other.

“I think you’ll find a lot of the people here have met each other at least once.” Rosalee responded cryptically. She pulled them in and out of the cold, before taking their coats to their spare room. The couple wandered through the house and found where the rest of the group was hanging around. She got to watch Sean’s eyes take in her brother’s Christmas decorations that littered the room. The sheer amount of tinsel, lights, and fake snow that was around the house was enough to make even the most Christmasy person take a step back. There was a pause as everyone stopped to stare at the couple.

“You’ve got to be joking.” Monroe stated, setting down his beer. Nick, Juliette, and Hank all turned to face where the Blutbad was staring.

“Captain? Nice to see you?” Nick drawled out confused, and followed his friend’s motion.

“Roe, everyone, this is Sean. But I’m guessing that you all know each other.” She was looking around at the rest of the guests.

“Oh, you’re dying now.” Rounding the corner at an incredible speed, there were shouts as Monroe grabbed the collar of Sean’s more casual sweater she had convinced him to wear instead of his suit. He shoved the zauberbiest against a wall, narrowly missing some decorations as he woged. By this point, Nick and Hank were trying desperately to pull him off of the man, while Juliette and Rosalee were holding and shielding the other Blutbad.

“What are you playing at? What do you want that you feel the need to date my sister?” Monroe growled out, eyes no longer human but red and black and unearthly.

“I am not dating her for a plan. I love her for her.” Sean held up his hands in surrender.

“Roe, let him go.” His sister growled, stepping out from behind the women. The man in question turned his head and let the woge fade back into his skin

“This man is not who he says he is. He’s a royal, little sis. He only told you he loves you to find a way to fit into his plans. Whatever they are.” The longer he spoke, the angrier his sister became.

“I know he’s half-royal, Roe. But that doesn’t mean that Sean doesn’t love me. Now get off of him.” Fully woge out, she grabbed her brother’s arm and threw him back enough to create some distance. The three men that were currently in front of Sean were replaced by one angry Blutbad woman. Her woge disappeared as soon as it came, and she checked in on her boyfriend.

“It’s been lovely seeing everyone, but if this is how it’s going to be, we’ll be leaving.” She said after whispering to Sean for a few moments. It shocked everyone in the room. Rosalee went to reluctantly grab their coats, while everyone else stared at Monroe with pointed glares.

“Wait!” The Blutbad called just before the couple left the party. Sean was helping her into her coat when they paused. He was entirely following her lead on this, not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable or unwanted.

“I’m- I’m sorry, okay? You’re my sister and I’m always going to be protective of you. But you are an adult so I need to accept your choice. I’ll tone it down just, please, stay for dinner?” He was keeping his eyes on his sister, who returned with a less believable stare.

“You’re allowed to ask him three questions about our relationship, and three about himself. That’s it.” She replied, allowing Sean to once again, help her out of her coat. Rosalee took it back and happily went to set them on the bed once more. Monroe pulled his sister into a bear hug in the foyer of his home. When they pulled away, Sean stepped up to properly greet the Blutbad.

“You hurt my sister, I’ll break my pledge.” Monroe stared the half zauberbiest dead in the eye as he shook his hand. Renard brought out a smirk, and shook the man’s hand firmly.

“I’m slowly starting to realize the amount of people who will hurt me if I hurt her, including her.” He replied smoothly. The couple were pulled back into the fray easily. Everyone was laughing and eating, and in general, just having a great time. Looking at each other over their glasses of wine, and plates of food, Sean gave her a small wink, and held her hand. With the other, he thumbed a small velvet box the was in the pocket of his slacks. Perhaps next Christmas she would be more than a girlfriend. He needs to get through to her brother first.

[tsfennec]

A lynx gryphon, inspired by @scarvenartist's Ganrok. :D

[inexplicifics]

Marika gets a letter from her mother.

It's...mildly enraging, actually.

[supertrainstationh]

Writing on Twitch

Broadcasts on Twitch featuring the creation of art and music have been widely featured for a while, and are also recognized by the site's management with official categories so they can be easily discovered by viewers.

Recently I've noticed the increasing popularity of Twitch streams focused on writing.

Now that Twitch allows for user-created tags, searching for "writing" is incredibly easy. Previously, I could barely even prove that writing streams were an established trend on the site when I attempted to search for them, either live, or saved as VODs.

In addition to the user created "writing" tag, writing streams on Twitch are frequently being conducted under the category for a little-known PC game named "Writers".

This is reminiscent of how the "Retro" category on Twitch that's used as a general listing for streams of vintage games was originally created in the context of a PlayStation 2 title named "Retro". It also reflects how the communities for the traditional games of Backgammon and Go have coalesced under categories made for specific computerized versions of those games, regardless of the means by which the streamers are playing.

The PC game "Writers" is so obscure that its Twitch category has a default placeholder graphic for its icon instead of proper cover art. In spite of the obscurity of the game, the actual interest in discovering and viewing writing streams is such that I've frequently found more users watching or streaming under "Writers" than under the category for "Super Mario Bros.", which is one of the most famous and notable video games to have ever been released.

There has been an ongoing drive on Twitch's Uservoice platform for votes to support establishment of an official "Creative Writing" category, or something similar.

An official category of this nature would support and promote the growing community of users broadcasting and watching streams featuring the creation of fiction, nonfiction, screenwriting, poetry, worldbuilding, and writing for role playing campaigns. The Uservoice page on this subject has more than 1,000 votes at the time I am writing this.

While browsing around and watching the writing streams being conducted as of February 2023, what I see is a class of live streaming entertainment in its toddler age of development, able to walk on its own, but frequently unsteady, unbalanced, and awkward.

Writing on Twitch today is what guerrilla-style gameplay streams with a webcam filming a television were back when Twitch was still Justin.tv, and from my perspective as someone already established on Twitch in the gaming space, its a thrill to be in the middle of.

Various means of capturing and presenting the word processing programs are being used, to varying results of quality and appeal to the potential audience.

A way of displaying the word processing application within the layout in a manner that is generally agreed to be attractive to audiences has yet to be established.

Similarly to the early days of video game streaming, the production quality of writing streams in terms of hardware being used and technical proficiency of the users sometimes isn't up to the standard of what's usually considered competent for streams featuring video game play, or art and music creation.

Once again, I believe this is mostly a result of many incoming writers in the Twitch scene having had limited experience with streaming prior to this, and so are comfortable conducting their streams with a level of production more in line with Skype-based writing seminar sessions or online writing workshop meetups than a public show meant to entertain people who may not be writers themselves.

Akin to a video conference session, its not uncommon to see streams carried out using entry level equipment, such as the microphone and webcam built into laptop computer systems, or with a simple wired microphone intended mainly for taking mobile phone voice calls.

Of course, starting out using basic equipment is nothing to be ashamed of for a streamer of any type, especially in an emerging scene within Twitch, and in this case it illustrates the difference between audience expectations for basic communication, such as in a Skype call, as compared to audience expectations for putting on a show meant to entertain.

I don't think its a matter of writing streamers naturally having basic equipment or layout assembly skills, but of a large number of them being newcoming streamers that are at the same time going through the development journey all new streamers individually tend to go through.

Another challenge is that unlike artwork, writing in the form of text, especially in its in-progress raw form, is essentially absent of visually appeal to potential viewers scrolling through a thumbnailed line-up of streams, or that drop into the stream briefly to see what is going on.

Looking at black text on a white background for hours at a time is standard for writers using a PC word processor, but its hard to ask that of an audience who may not even be writers themselves and are seeking to be entertained.

Its fair to ask why writers on Twitch should even worry about appealing to non-writers with their streams, as the writing community is a built-in captive audience that presently seems to reflect the bulk of the viewership within this space already.

My answer to that is to point out that most viewers of the Art and Music categories of Twitch aren't artists or musicians, and that the successful creators in those categories are gathering audiences by doing more than merely turning on their camera and going live during their ordinary creation process.

Writing must be turned into a show to enjoy meaningful expansion on Twitch, but how is that supposed to happen when no standard has yet been set?

What does a writing show look like?

How much of the streamer's operating system interface needs to be seen? Should the entire word processor window be displayed? Do the margins need to be visible, or only the area which is taken up by text?

I've even seen one writing streamer that for significant portions of their steam concealed the word processing program from their audience entirely, and still maintained an audience of viewers and active chatters, though this probably won't be the best general approach.

When the streamer pauses to look up an online dictionary, thesaurus, or grammar handbook, or do other research, should these applications be visible to those watching, or only to the writer?

If they should be visible to the audience, how should they be displayed? The same question could be asked for notes the writer may be taking or drawing from as they work.

As with all other forms of online streaming shows, the user may appear on a webcam, use an animated or static avatar to represent themselves, be present only as a voice via microphone, or be absent entirely except as a user in chat.

There are also many approaches as to what should be done for background audio and music.

Within the realm of music that can be used on Twitch without risking copyright problems, should music try to reflect the tone of the writing being done in the style of a soundtrack, or serve as a non-attention-grabbing ambiance to occupy the lengths of time in between typing and talking?

Is background audio necessary at all? Perhaps it risks alienating potential viewers who don't like the particular music selected, and the host and their writing alone should carry the stream.

It may turn out to be a problem that the necessity of a host sitting still at a desk as they inspect their own words may make them liable to gaze at their screen for long periods of time during a stream, with few changes in expression.

In a writing stream this might be unappealing to viewers, while a comparable gaming stream is likely to provoke a more animated on-camera facial display from the host, avoiding this problem.

This is of course a subjective issue that depends on the personality and performance range of the person conducting the stream.

Should those writing fiction focus on shorter stories that can be started and completed within the course of a single streaming session lasting several hours? Maybe they will instead try to capture audiences for serialized sessions where they complete chapter after chapter of a longer work.

Will an episodic approach risk alienating incoming viewers once a story is well in progress?

I've yet to stumble across anyone working on poetry on Twitch, though I would be shocked if this didn't already exist, and I expect that I simply failed to encounter it live as of yet.

To what extent do writers want their audiences to be exposed to the messy, chaotic, behind-the-scenes work of rewrites and edits?

Is there entertainment value in watching the real time swapping of paragraphs, adjustment of line lengths, reworking of plot structures, and so forth, before a refined and more properly presentable manuscript has been completed?

Taking prompts from viewers for one-page stories or other small pieces of writing in exchange for channel points (to restrict quality of the prompts and limit them to repeat audience members) or tips (to just make some money) is something I haven't seen being done yet either.

Spoken word poetry and recital of short stories has been an established form of the presentation of writing work for millennia, and has been a staple of coffee houses and similar establishments for at least a century.

The challenge of fusing elements of traditional, in-person forms of presenting writing as entertainment with the emergence of online streaming shows is already being approached from a variety of angles, some of which may become widely adopted, while others are destined to fall to the wayside.

Many of the best solutions have surely yet to be thought of, and I could not hope to predict them myself any more than I could have predicted that there would be a direct line of development from the first portable digital music players of the late 90`s to the handheld computers we know today as smartphones.

Live writing shows will continue to be a "hard sell" on a streaming platform like Twitch, which is primarily centered around video game content, and it will always lack the more obvious appeal of art or music creation streams.

In spite of that, I am encouraged by the recent increasing interest in writing streams, and am intrigued that on a video game streaming platform, the "Writers" category often has more people watching it than the category for one of the most famous games of all time, "Super Mario Bros.", as I mentioned earlier.

I look forward to seeing and becoming a part of the innovations that are underway in the presentation of writing in the form of live online shows.

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This was written LIVE during Episode 1 of my Twitch show!

[Twitch] [VOD Channel] [Writing FA] [Ko-fi]