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ohwereusingourmadeupnames · 4 years

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Skin Pressed Against Me Tight

Pairing: Peter Parker/Tony Stark (Starker) Rating: Mature (M) Word Count: ~12K Notes: This is my porn star au fill for @starkerfestivals bingo. Idk how porn turned into Starker being parents, but it did - hope you enjoy! Warnings: NSFW stuff for sure, bottom Tony, non-linear narrative Summary:

Peter Parker is a young 18 y/o breaking into the porn industry. Things change for him when he shoots a scene with Tony Stark, illustrious size queen. This is the story of their relationship told in both perspectives.

Or, the one where Peter Parker has a huge cock and rocks Tony Starks world - romance absolutely ensues.

Read it on AO3 here

2019

Getting into porn at the ripe age of 18 was never Peter’s intention. May worked her ass off to try and put him through college, but a neonatal nurse didn’t make that much money. The last thing Peter wanted was for her to always be working – so he took funding into his own hands.

It started out as cater-waiter jobs – he pulled off a suit well enough to stand around and look nice while holding a tray of champagne, or if they were feeling frisky, appetizers. The money wasn’t the best, but it was something. After four months of doing that specifically, he picked up a job at a director’s home – the type of director he didn’t know until he walked in to see all the waiters in only small underwear and bowties. Not ashamed of what he worked so hard to get, Peter took to the uniform like it was meant for him – and maybe it was, his huge cock was highlighted all night.

When all was said and done, his favorite appendage and willingness to do pretty much whatever was asked of him made Peter one of the best porn actors to work with. He started out small – masturbation and cam services for a select few clients. The demand for that became too much to keep up with, so Clint, the director who drew him into the business to begin with, started to pair him up with people. Beautiful men, specifically. Peter hadn’t known about his sexuality until he felt a warm ass wrap around his cock – something told him that he’d found the key to his sexual heart.

When users started to comment on the size of his cock, Peter started to shoot with specific men within the industry – ones so gloriously known as size queens. In the back of his mind, Peter hoped for the chance to partner with Tony Stark; he’d been watching Man of Iron videos for most of his adolescence. Tony Stark could take a dick – and not for the first time, Peter wondered what it would be like for him to take his.

Surprisingly, it only took Peter mentioning the man’s name to make it happen. He hadn’t thought too much about his popularity, but when he told Ned about it later that night, his friend freaked out. “You’re one of the big studs now, Pete. Only well-known names get to work with Tony Stark.” Peter heard the dreaminess in his friend’s voice and laughed – in less than a week, he’d know exactly what it was like to work with the boisterous power bottom.

Walking onto the set the day of the shoot, Peter couldn’t keep his excitement from overflowing – he jerked off twice that morning to make sure his performance was top notch. The last thing he wanted to do was cum too early. Despite being young and able to go forever, he wanted to cast an air of maturity. The silver fox he was going to top was one of the best in the business – that meant he’d been around for a while. If anyone knew good sex, it was Tony Stark.

The smile swept off his face for a second when he walked into the room of the suite they’d deemed the dressing room. Tony was standing there in small shorts and a black tank top – his arms were rippling, the sight making Peter’s mouth water. He almost missed the words coming out of Tony’s mouth – “He’s so young, Pep. This can’t possibly be a good idea.”

It should have stung a little, the words and the fact that Tony looked up with a gasp when he realized someone else was in the room. Coloring, Peter nodded in his direction and retreated quickly – he didn’t want Tony to see the smile on his face. There was a mission now – Peter felt bound and determined to prove the older star wrong. The tingle of arousal that kissed his skin was a little different than before and he reveled in it – pleasing Tony would be the best experience of both of their careers; he’d make sure of it.

Tony found him a few minutes before they were set to start the cheesy lead up to the frame by frame fucking that would inevitably happen. Peter reached down to adjust himself, his overeager cock getting hyped up at just the sound of Tony’s voice. Turning his head away for a second, Peter took a deep breath, his features schooled when he looked back.

“Peter, right?” Tony asked, his hand settling between them. Peter looked at him for what felt like a solid minute, his eyes roaming over Tony until he felt satisfied.

Reaching between them, Peter shook his hand. “Yeah, Peter Parker. While we’re shooting, Pete is fine.” He kept Tony’s hand in his own for a few seconds longer than socially appropriate, his fingers squeezing lightly.

As if the touch opened the floodgates, Tony smiled at him, his head shaking. “You fucking rookies and your requests. We’ll see what comes out in the moment. Kid for you, probably,” Peter didn’t miss the wink sent his way, his cock reacting to the word before his brain could process it.

“Sure, and I’ll be sure to moan daddy real loud,” Peter rebutted almost instantly. He shouldn’t feel as warm as he did – no one else he’d ever paired with made him crazy the way he felt in that moment. The sizzle in his veins seared a little more the longer they stayed next to each other. Tony moved a little closer, his natural musk adding to the intoxication.

“There’s an entire fan base out there that would go wild for something like that, Pete,” Tony said in response, his hands moving to grip Peter’s elbow. Shit like that was common practice – they would be butt naked in front of each other in a few minutes, it was nice when his scene partners at least tried to ease the tension a little. The fact that it was Tony fucking Stark made it 100 times better – his hands were soft and squeezed him so nicely.

Peter’s head was swimming by the time Clint was calling them all to the center of the room for his pre-shoot pep talk. It consisted of the word ‘fuck’ and little else, so Peter let his mind wander, the only grounding agent the now familiar hand still tucked into his arm, Tony’s fingers slip-sliding across his skin like he’d been doing it his entire existence.

The lead up to their scene consisted of Tony walking in on a naked Peter who was just starting to get himself worked up on the very big, very empty bed. He didn’t need to pretend to be extremely turned on by the older man that wanted to join him on the bed – his eyes stayed glued to Tony as he settled against the headboard next to him. He didn’t move to take his clothes off, but Peter could see his impressive erection pressing against the small, too-tight shorts they were making him wear.

Without any prodding, Peter continued to fist his own cock in one hand while the other moved to Tony’s lap, his fingers skating over the bulge he couldn’t wait to see. He kept the rhythm slow, his focus more on the delicate tongue that was tangling with his own – Tony’s lips captured his own when he started to fondle him. The twitch he felt under his hand had him reaching into Tony’s pants to touch the soft flesh of an already rigid erection.

“Fuck,” Peter mumbled, the word captured by a swift move of Tony’s lips. The angle was a little weird, but the smooth velvet under his palm was more than enough to help him forget the crick in his wrist. Peter continued to run his hand up and down Tony’s length, gathering up the precum at the tip to ease the slide until a hand was reaching down to stop him. Tony gave him a heated look and pulled away just enough to get his tank top off.

He felt insanely greedy when he pulled his hand away from his own cock and ran his fingers over Tony’s newly exposed flesh. For someone that was no longer considered ‘young’ in the industry, Tony’s stomach was taut and well-muscled – the fact that he worked to keep his physique very obvious. He embraced the daddy thing and had thick patches of chest hair, the look a direct contrast to Peter’s practically hairless torso.

All of the sudden, Tony was turning – Peter moved his hands to let him sit across his naked thighs, the fabric of the annoying little shorts soft enough to make the move pleasurable. Tony settled close enough to put his elbows over Peter’s shoulders and palm the back of his head. Their faces were already right near each other, the slight shift bringing them so close that Peter felt Tony’s breath trickle down his throat.

Palming firm ass cheeks, Peter gave Tony’s muscle a light tap – the slightest wiggle making him moan, his hips pressing up. Tony ground down against him, warm chocolate colored eyes staring into his own. Not able to stand the tease any longer, Peter surged forward and took Tony’s lips in a kiss. The fingers in his hair tightened, Tony using that leverage to pull Peter closer, the angle of their heads perfect for the passionate kiss.

Peter worked the shorts down Tony’s thighs as much as he could with his legs stretched out the way they were – his fingers were desperate to press into bare skin. Huffing, Peter grabbed the back of Tony’s thighs and flipped their positions, impatient hands pulling shorts and underwear off in one fell swoop. A groan left his mouth when he saw the expanse of Tony’s flesh in person. The pixilation of a computer screen would never do it justice.

Fingertips danced down his legs and across stiff arches, his thumb digging in ever so slightly. Tony drew his bottom lip between his teeth in an attempt to keep the noises in, but Peter wasn’t having that. He reached up and tugged that lip from Tony’s grasp. “I want to hear you,” Peter stated, his voice deeper than he’d ever heard it.

Tony’s eyes flashed, a moan slipping from his lips in answer. Peter grinned and continued his exploration, his hands running back up Tony’s legs, across his hips, up the trail of hair on his lower stomach, and between his pecs. He pulled at his right nipple first, his fingers moving until it was a tight bud before moving onto the left one. His fixation brought moans out of them both, Tony’s cock jumping against Peter’s abs – a small streak of arousal brandishing the skin there.

Peter took Tony’s lips in another hot kiss, his hips settling between the v of Tony’s thighs, their cocks lining up. He let his hips roll forward. After a few minutes of chasing Tony’s tongue, Peter was leaking precum and slowly losing control over himself. Pulling away with a nip to Tony’s lip, Peter settled his head in the crease of Tony’s neck. Peter pressed his lips to the shell of his ear, the position perfect to whisper to him. “Straddle my face. I want to eat you out while you blow me. Put those pretty lips to use.” He pulled away with a laugh, Tony’s hand hitting his shoulder.

The transition wasn’t fumbly like Peter’s prior experiences. Peter rolled off of Tony and settled in the big pile of pillows at the head of the bed. He put a couple under his head so that he’d have a better ability to reach his destination – then, Tony settled over him, his ass in Peter’s face. Using both hands, he pulled Tony’s cheeks apart and went to work on teasing the already loosened hole. The thought of Tony slipping his fingers into himself in the ‘dressing room’ earlier making his cock twitch.

That must have spurred Tony on, the next thing he knew, plump lips and a warm tongue were caressing the tip of his cock. It broke up the rhythm of his tongue, a loud groan slipping from his chest. “Your dick is huge,” Tony murmured – for once, words that would probably be kept in the footage at the end. Thrusting up, Peter answered with his hips, Tony’s lips slipping further down his length as he did.

He tried his best to get lost in the salty taste on his tongue – Tony’s fluttering hole around him was rather nice. Tony’s lips, however, knew exactly what to do to pull him right to the edge. Peter felt like he could’ve leapt off the cliff of orgasm a few times, but Tony always pulled back at the last minute. Peter retaliated with a particularly deep thrusts of his tongue into Tony’s hole and the entire loop started over again.

Finally unable to take it any longer, Peter pulled away from his task, his chin and cheeks covered in his own spit – he could already picture the camera panning in on his face. Peter huffed out a breath and moved his hips away from the delicious suction. “You’ve gotta stop or I’m going to cum,” Peter admitted, two fingers pressing into Tony’s hole in hopes of a distraction for them both.

Sooner than Peter expected, Tony was on all fours in front of him, his hand reaching back to grasp onto his thigh. He seemed to be egging Peter on, the slightest bit of desperation he portrayed enough for him to quickly lube up his cock and line up against Tony’s entrance. The barely heard “fuck me, Pete” had him pushing in and breaching the tightest heat. Peter bit down into the side of his cheek to stop himself from coming.

Gripping Tony’s hips, Peter set a teasing pace, his hips pulling back slowly only to push forward hard, his fingers digging into supple skin. Tony pushed back against him, his hand still gripping Peter’s thigh tightly. The wild abandon that Tony took his cock with was too much – he wanted to wrap his arms around his middle and fuck him with abandon into the mattress. The more time past, however, the more Peter understood that Tony deserved to be thoroughly taken apart.

When he eventually picked up his pace, Peter leaned forward and started to work his lips and tongue over the back of Tony’s neck – the task just enough to keep him from finishing before he should. His hands gripped around the solid trunk below him, Peter using the momentum to bring Tony back against him harder with each thrust. The imperceptible heat building up in the middle of his stomach made him groan, his control almost completely gone.

Tony was right there with him, though – he reached behind him and grabbed Peter’s head, pulling him down. “I’m close, pull out and flip me over. I want you to cum on my chest,” Tony chocked out the words, Peter’s hips still moving. Quick to comply, Peter eased himself out and worked to turn Tony over – he barely thrust back inside before Tony was coming. Peter watched every splash of cum hit the older man’s chest before pulling out, tugging his cock once, and adding to the mess.

Unlike all of his other scenes before, Peter wanted to lean forward and press his lips against Tony’s again – arms wrapping around his neck and pulling him close made it seem like he might like that, too. Peter let his lips get carried away, a loud throat clearing the only thing pulling him back from the delightful task of kissing the life out of the man below him. “Alright, alright,” Clint said after Peter didn’t stop – the annoyance in his voice apparent.

After all was said and done, Peter was surprised by Tony approaching him. He was fully dressed and just about to leave for the day when he felt a hand on his elbow. “I know you walked in on me bitching about you to my manager,” Tony started, both of his hands sliding into his back pockets, the stance making his chest poke out a little. “I’m an asshole, I’ll admit that. You, uh – we’re much better than I expected.”

Peter watched him drag his bottom lip between his teeth and ached to reach across the space and use his thumb to soothe the redness that welled there. He shifted his position instead, his hands hanging loosely on the top of his thighs. “It’s okay – really. It served as good motivation.” Peter shot him a wink; his lips pulled into an eager smirk. Would it be pathetic to ask for his porn idol’s number?

That question was answered almost right after he thought it, Tony pressed a business card to his chest, his fingers staying there for an extra moment. “I’ll have Pep set up another scene. In the meantime – my personal is on there. If you’re interested in a repeat performance not in front of the cameras.”

Blinking, Peter gripped the card and nodded – there was no way in hell he was going to pass up and offer like that. He made sure to slip it into his pocket before shouldering his bag and walking out.

That went a lot better than he ever could have expected.

----

2025

The best part of his life with Peter was the never-ending adventure. At the age of 24, his husband was quickly excelling through the college program at MIT they were easily able to afford. Going to the fiscal services office each semester and paying with a thick stack of cash always felt more satisfactory than it probably should. The beaming smile on Peter’s face drove home the greatness of it – being able to provide something like that for his husband made all the work he’d done in his life worth it.

Things were slowly starting to change for them – though they still did scenes together, Tony and Peter both were trying to step away from the industry. Tony knew the daddy thing was only cute for a little while – his age was starting to become a thing that he couldn’t just look past. If it weren’t for the draw that he and Peter pulled as a tag team, he probably wouldn’t have lasted as long as he did. Settling down took some of the fun out of the job, anyway – not so suddenly, he didn’t want to share his body with just anyone.

Luckily, Tony spent enough time at Arizona State to get a degree before he delved into the world of porn. There weren’t too many people that recognized him, or were willing to admit it, at least – so stepping into the job world wasn’t nearly as hard as he thought it might be. What he always imagined being his fallback became something he could actually be proud of. Financial advising wasn’t the glitz and glam of full-time porn star – but it paid the pills and kept him out of the arms of too many random people.

It was Peter who made the suggestion to step away, first – which surprised the heck out of him. Despite getting married at such a young age, Peter was right at the peak of his career – if he wanted it, he could’ve taken the top billings for years to come. The man was absolutely gorgeous and would combat age with a grace that not a lot of people got to claim. And no matter how much he didn’t want Peter to be constantly fucking other men, it was part of the game – he loved the man enough to support him through it all.

Learning that Peter was just as weird about fucking other people made his heart warm – in all the time they’d been together, his husband never stopped surprising him. Of course, they were both so balls deep in the business that it took a while to slim down their scheduling and almost exclusively work with each other. Pepper wasn’t very happy about anything he did with Peter over the years, but she was surprisingly supportive when Tony spoke to her about their plan. He figured that after six years, maybe she was finally warming up to Tony’s other half.

In the two years of their marriage, Tony found himself finally understanding what Rhodey was always talking about when he spoke of his love for Natasha and the relationship they spent many years creating. Learning and living with another human being wasn’t something Tony every thought he’d be into. He looked at his friends and shook his head.

Then – he met Peter. Life was a lot more fun because of the younger man’s influence. While still a dramatic size queen, Tony let himself open up and start enjoying the little things in life – things like the same man’s arm slung across his stomach in the mornings and the enjoyable bickering about who was going to do the dishes. He spent a lot of time worrying about money and how people looked at him – Peter took that need away and kept reality within his grasp.

And while Tony got to fulfill the daddy fantasy with his husband whenever the man had the inkling, he was grateful that’s where the boat would soon be stopping. In all honesty, Tony yearned to be an actual dad – he’d been getting more and more jealous of the small children that ran around Rhodey and Natasha’s place. Peter was so good with kids and would make the ultimate father – Tony was sure of it.

Those were dangerous thoughts, however – he hadn’t brought up the topic with Peter; he didn’t know how.

Tony pushed them away and focused on the sauce he was stirring on the stove. Before she passed, his mom taught him all the family recipes. Over the years, Tony perfected a few of them and always fell back on Maria’s sauce when he needed something to clear his mind. It took a long time to make and needed almost regimented attention.

It was soothing, in a way – to let his mind get lost in the swirl of the increasingly thickening tomato paste on the stove. Tony felt more capable of tabling things that were unnecessary and focusing on the ones that were. Such as the front door opening and Peter walking through it.

Perking up a little, Tony grinned at his husband when he walked into the kitchen. He saw the look of hunger pass over Peter’s face, Tony aware that the sauce was only half the reason for it. In 6 years of being together and having frequent sex, Tony and Peter never got tired of each other. He felt wanted every second of being in Peter’s presence – they’d perfected physical connection so much that it seemed to make the craving more intense.

Peter wrapped his hands around Tony’s hips, his face settling into the side of his neck. Tony always liked the way he would drag in a deep breath and hold it – the huff of it warm air on his neck when Peter finally let it go making him shiver every time. He liked the idea of sitting deep within Peter’s chest, caught in the capillary beds, and transported through the systemic circulation until he was breathed back out into the open air.

Flat palms caressed his thighs, Peter using them to pull him back until they were flush against each other. “Hey, sweetheart,” Peter mumbled, his lips on Tony’s ear. In the early days, Peter took to whispering to him like that to keep the words he couldn’t hold at bay as between them as he could. It kind of became a thing after that – Tony liked the tingle it always sent down his spine, the intimacy of it a beautiful perk of being with someone so affectionate.

“Hey, yourself. How were classes?” Tony hummed and tilted his head; the nuzzling Peter was doing needed to continue.

He felt Peter take the space given to him, his wandering nose and lips mapping out a well-known path across his neck. “Good – I think I finally found a lab worth interning in. My biophysics professor is starting some new research up at the end of the semester that I would love to dive headfirst into.” Peter spoke with such clarity despite the teasing way he treated Tony’s sensitive skin.

Sighing, Tony leaned forward and turned the heat down – the sauce was at a point where he could let it sit for a while. He gave it one last stir, then turned in Peter’s arms, his own wrapping around wide shoulders. “Happy to hear it – I know you’ve been stressing over that for the past couple of months. Did you get your differential equations exam back?” He leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to Peter’s nose – the gesture pulling the softest smile from his husband’s lips.

“I did – I got a 98. The points I lost were a little petty, but I’m not upset about an A. I appreciate all the help, by the way; I don’t think I ever thanked you properly,” Peter wiggled his eyebrows and drew him into a deep kiss, the caress of his tongue almost enough to sweep Tony’s feet out from under him. Damn Peter and his endless charm.

He let himself get lost in the drag of the facial hair Peter was starting to grow – it tickled his lips and he wondered if that’s how it was for Peter this whole time. It was sexy and if Tony got his way, Peter would be keeping the nicely developing beard.

The need for oxygen forced them apart. Not wanting to separate too much, Tony traced the flush that spread across Peter’s cheek with the edge of his thumb. His nose rubbed along Peter’s before he snuck in for another soft kiss. He felt a rush of happiness when Peter’s hands moved to grip him tighter. “I’m sure you’ll find many ways to thank me over the course of the semester, Pete. That class is only going to get harder.”

Hands slapping his ass pulled a solid laugh out of him – Tony jumped from the contact, his fingers gripping Peter’s cheeks for support. “You’re a little shit.” He slipped his tongue out to wet his bottom lip. A satisfying feeling rushed over him then; Peter’s eyes followed his every movement. “Proud of you, though. Want to celebrate with Mama’s pasta?”

Peter’s eyes widened, a huge smile overtaking his face. “You’re making Maria’s sauce? I’m 100% game for that. I hope you made that baked chicken, too,” Peter replied eagerly. Tony moved out of his grip and pulled a hot pad onto his hand. The smell of lemon and parmesan flooded the kitchen, both of them making a satisfied little noise. “Smells amazing, Tones.”

Tony nodded his agreement, a content smile on his face. “It does – go get changed and I’ll pull everything out so we can eat.” He gave Peter a soft pat on his cheek, his husband rolling his eyes and grinning in return.

“Do I have time to shower, too? Or should I wait for you?” Peter stopped in the doorway of the kitchen, his arms wide and holding him there. Tony let himself look him over, Peter’s biceps were pulled deliciously tight by the posture he stood with. It really was too much sometimes, being married to such a good looking human.

Settling against the stove once more, Tony picked up the wooden spoon, his brain forcing him to look anywhere but in front of him – if he did, they’d never eat the food he spent a good bit of time making. “Waiting sounds nice. I’ll clean you up after we eat. You’re messy as hell, anyway.” Tony threw a wink over his shoulder and laughed when Peter made a disbelieving noise before turning and starting his trek up the stairs.

In obvious retaliation, Peter walked down the stairs in plain black shorts and a tight tank top, the roundness of his deltoids sinful and mouth-watering. He walked past Tony to the cabinet housing the plates, not even bothering to look at him, and went about setting the table. Shaking his head, Tony couldn’t stop the affectionate laugh that dripped from his lips. Even after all this time, Peter’s puppy act still made his heart race.

It was easy to get dinner on the table after that – Tony carried all the food in with an eager Peter trailing behind him with glasses of water. His husband never got to meet the illustrious Maria, but he understood her talents in the kitchen and went a little nuts whenever Tony brought her food to the table.

Peter was also smart enough to know that Tony only ever cooked comfort foods because something was up – though, he waited until they were into dinner a bit before bringing anything up. Tony knew it was coming when Peter complimented the chicken for the 20th time. Putting his fork down, Tony looked at him pointedly.

Without missing a beat, Peter did the same, his attention now fully on Tony instead of the food before him. “So – what’s up? We avoid your lineage like it doesn’t exist most of the time – you don’t cook this specific thing unless you’ve got something on your mind.” Peter reached across the table and grasped one of Tony’s hands in his. “Everything okay?”

Softening, Tony gave Peter’s hand a soft squeeze. “It’s fucking eerie, how well you know me,” Tony started, his other hand joining the masses on the table. “I’ve just been thinking about our last scene coming up and what comes next. Got a little lost up there.” He shrugged his shoulders, Tony hoping that his anxiety was not overtly apparent.

“I’ve been reading you since the first day we met, Tones – hard to miss all the obvious tells.” His eyes moved over the food on the table, a light smile on his face. “Delicious tells, though – I hope you know that.”

Tony barked out a laugh, his feet pulling his chair a little closer to Peter’s so he could reach over and grab his husband’s face in his hands. “I know, baby. Thank you.” He leaned over and pressed a kiss to his lips, then settled into his chair again.

Peter looked at him with wide eyes for a few seconds before he caught back up to where they were. He narrowed them then, “you’re trying to distract me.” Picking up his fork, Peter went about poking at the pasta – “What I was trying to say, before you so rudely interrupted, was that whatever we want comes next. I’ll be done with school at the end of the year, you’re in a job you like – it seems like the only place to go is up.”

Tilting his head, Tony let the words sink in – Peter stating it so simply made all the worrying he’d been doing seem a little silly. “There’s something specifically I want to bring up – but I’m a lot terrified. I – “ he shifted on his seat a little, the move just long enough to give him a second to muster up the courage to actually get the words out. “I think I want to have kids, Pete. I want to be a dad and I want to watch you be one, too. I know you’re young and we’ve never talked about it, but – its been stuck in my head on a loop for longer than I care to admit.”

He forced himself to take a couple of deep breaths once the words were out, his eyes not meeting Peter’s until he felt like he wasn’t going to hyperventilate. The happy look he was met with was not what he’d been expecting – Peter’s beaming smile made his eyebrows furrow, an excited smile waiting on standby.

“Tones – you should have said something. Ever since Nat brought baby Sue home, I’ve been dying to know what it’d be like.” He didn’t say anything further, just got up from his chair and reached a hand out, Tony taking it to join him. They tangled up in a tight hug, Tony pulling Peter as flush against him as he could.

Later that night, they collapsed sweaty to the mattress, Tony spooning behind Peter without worrying about the grossness that was covering them both. He pressed a soft kiss to Peter’s neck, a sigh falling from his lips. “You make me so fucking happy.”

Peter tugged his arm to pull him closer, the silent hum of appreciation the only needed reply.

----

2020

After that first scene together, Tony and Peter’s partnership blew up. Just like Tony figured, the daddy aspect of it pulled in a huge crowd that demanded more. Which wasn’t any skin off of his back – Peter genuinely liked Tony as a person and enjoyed the physical connection between them even more.

With the business card in hand, Peter dialed Tony’s personal number a couple of days after they left set. He sat in the same position two nights in a row, contemplating what was too soon and how much excitement would look like desperation. His resolve was quickly melting down to nothing, so he finally let his fingers move over the screen to enter the number. Three rings later, Tony picked up – the timber of his “hello” more than enough to make the anxious energy he was feeling worth it.

“Hey Tony – it’s Peter. Peter Parker.” He wanted to slap himself, words coming out of his mouth had never felt more awkward. It couldn’t be helped, his heart leapt up into his throat whenever he thought about Tony. Of course, it made sense that he’d become a babbling idiot the second he had the guy’s attention.

The chuckle on the other end of the line settled low in his stomach, for the first few seconds, he couldn’t tell if it was arousal or shame. It ended up bringing a smile to his face, though, so he tried to relax – things hadn’t gone to shit yet, he could do this.

“Peter Parker – I was starting to wonder if I was going to hear from you.” Tony’s voice sounded genuine across the line and helped to further relax him. There was something about the older man that made Peter feel comfortable – he couldn’t pinpoint what it was, but he knew he wasn’t about to let it go wandering out of his life if he could help it.

“I didn’t want to seem too eager. Even though I am.” He heard Tony laugh again, the sound kicking up his heart rate a couple of notches. “Is your offer still on the table? Meeting up off-screen, I mean,” Peter said, his voice cracking as he backtracked quickly, his cock already twenty steps ahead of him. He wanted to see Tony outside of the bedroom, too – more than anything, Peter wanted to make that clear.

Tony didn’t miss a beat – “For you, Peter Parker, I think that offer will always be on the table.” Tony spoke matter-of-factly, the tenor of his voice never waving.

“Really?” Peter found himself saying, a sharp blush rushing across his cheeks when he realized what he actually said. “This trying to be smooth thing is not working.” He stopped and let a laugh fall from his lips – if he didn’t find humor in it, he might die of embarrassment.

“I want to take you out to dinner. Then see if anything happens.” Peter reached up and smacked his hand across his forehead, each new sentence slipping from his mouth lamer than the last.

Regardless of how Peter felt, the babbling ended up being the thing to seal the deal. It wasn’t hard to believe that Tony didn’t usually date other people in the business – mixing love and scripted sex was usually more work and heartache than most people could deal with; but Peter felt pretty determined. He’d been around the business long enough to know that the connection he felt with Tony was unlike any other – Peter was too smart of a person to pass something like that up.

As the number of jobs they booked together started to go up, so did their interest in each other. It wasn’t strictly Peter, either – Tony was a lot more open and available than Peter initially thought he’d be. Their first date turned into incredible sex on Tony’s living room floor and the promise of another date the next day. Seeing each other every couple of nights quickly turned into staying over at the other person’s house and slowly slipping into the joys of domesticity.

The most surprising aspect of their relationship was the way Tony handled Peter doing scenes with other people. Walking into the relationship with open eyes was something, but actually dealing with it was an entirely different beast. Tony was at the point in his career where he could be choosy – Peter wasn’t. For the first few months of the thing they settled into, Peter needed to take everything thrown his way. Despite putting off college for a little while, Peter still wanted to make the time he worked count.

Coming home after a particularly unsatisfying scene, Peter immediately stepped into the shower. He didn’t see Tony in the direct path to the bathroom and didn’t bother to look any further – Peter still wasn’t all that comfortable smelling like someone else when he pulled Tony into his arms. They hadn’t been together all that long, but it already felt like he was taking something away from them every time he went in front of the cameras.

Peter ducked under the water, his body working on autopilot. The water beat down on the top of his head, the warmth so nice on his skin that felt taut and drawn for the past couple of hours. He was distracted enough to not hear the door open – a grunt fell out of his mouth when arms wrapped around his waist. When his heartrate settled, Peter gripped Tony’s arms, his fingers desperately tight.

“Let me finish up in here, Tones – I thought maybe we could have Chinese.” Peter said the words, but each one of them lost a bit of meaning as Tony’s touch took him apart. In that moment, the last thing he wanted to do was let Tony go anywhere – the guilt of someone else’s hands on him felt washed away, Tony’s touch on him the magic eraser he needed to forget.

“It’ll go a little quicker if I help. I have something a little more fun in mind when we’re done,” Tony mumbled, his lips on the wet skin of Peter’s neck. Methodically, Tony nibbled, licked, and kissed him while his hands moved a loofa with body wash all over his skin. By the time Tony was fisting his erection and pressing his own against Peter’s thigh, the only thing he could smell was the stress relief body wash and Tony’s arousal. Grinning at the dirty trick, Peter turned in Tony’s arms, his nimble fingers quick to turn the shower off.

Between drying off and trying to make out with each other, it took them a long time to get from the bathroom to the bedroom. Despite coming back from two hours’ worth of well-staged sex, Peter’s cock was as hard as a rock. Falling between Tony’s thighs on the bed was the best feeling he’d been privy to all day.

“Thought I could ride you,” Tony managed to get out between all of their kisses and gropes. He grabbed Peter’s face with both hands. “Gotta remind you who you belong to.” Tony wiggled his eyebrows and gripped his arms tightly, effectively rolling them over. Peter settled against the mattress, his eyes bulging a little when Tony’s mouth immediately went to his cock.

Like they’d been doing this for a while (which they had), Tony knew all of the right places to lick and suck. Tony could take him all the way to the root, a feat that even some of the more seasoned people he did scenes with could not achieve. The move had him thrusting up, his hips moving on their own accord. Tony used his free hands to press down on Peter’s hips, effectively cutting off anymore thrusts into the already full throat clenching around him.

Peter let his hands tangle in the length of Tony’s hair, his grip just barely guiding his head up and down. Tony moaned around him, his eyes looking up, catching Peter’s glance. “You were made for this,” Peter babbled, words coming out of his mouth now that he could say whatever the fuck he wanted – cameras be damned. Eventually, he tightened his grip in Tony’s hair, his head tossed back. “Stop, stop. I want to cum inside you.”

One of the best parts of sex on their own time was the way he got to prep Tony – when they shot a scene, little details like making a partner feel good weren’t ever included. Pros like Tony took that sort of thing into their own hands. Yet, Peter appreciated the process – Tony stretched out so nicely around his fingers as he breached him first with one finger, then another. The look in Tony’s eye blew him away every time – it was like he’d never been touched so reverently in his life.

Impatience set in while Peter worked a third finger inside of Tony’s tight heat. He could feel how relax he was, the touch now purely for pleasure. Hitting Tony’s prostate lit him up, his skin breaking out into a sweat, Peter’s name falling from his lips like a mantra. The compiling stimuli were too much, he needed friction and he needed it right that second.

Tony must have felt the same way, his lube-coated hand wrapped around Peter’s cock as he shifted his position. Sitting back, Tony let out a sharp gasp, Peter’s wide head always the toughest stretch. Peter gripped his hips to help as much as he could, his fingers digging into the flesh the closer he got to bottoming out. The second Tony shifted and got up onto his feet, Peter started to thrust, no time for adjustment needed or given.

The bed squeaked with the force of their movements. Peter pushing through the bottoms of his feet to thrust up, Tony rolling his hips and meeting him with a sharp downward stroke. Slap of bodies and echoes of moans were the only thing that could be heard in the room for a while – the animalistic way Peter let himself get lost a little different than their normal coupling.

When Peter flipped them over and hiked Tony’s legs over his shoulder, the older man looked up at him with such devotion. It didn’t matter that he had some random person below him in this same position only a few hours earlier – Tony was the only person he could imagine being there for the rest of his life. Looking down, he appreciated the recognizable body and the amazing personality attached to it.

“I’m gonna cum, Tony,” Peter babbled against his cheek, his upper body falling onto Tony’s chest a few thrust earlier. The fact that he staved off as long as he did was achievement enough. Tony nodding at him and gripping his own erection pushed him over, Peter emptying himself deep within the tight confines of Tony’s tight hole. The splash of cum against his stomach drew a moan from him, the rhythmic clenching that went with Tony’s orgasm bringing another set of body shakes quaking through his muscles. Not able to hold himself up any longer, Peter shifted his weight and dropped half on the mattress and half on the man below him.

“I hope that was the fun you had in mind – because I’m exhausted and don’t think I could lift my arms again,” Peter muttered against Tony’s shoulder. Resting his head there, Peter felt Tony’s laughter spread through him, the clenching of his stomach bouncing him a little. A soft grin slipped across Peter’s cheeks, the niceness of his reality a beautiful thing to be able to cling to.

Tony turned a little, his lips pressing a kiss to the side of Peter’s head. “I thought we could catch up on Penny Dreadful, but we can do that from the comfort of this bed, so no arm movements needed.” Shifting, Tony wrapped an arm around his shoulders keeping him pressed tightly against his side. “I wouldn’t mind that Chinese you mentioned, either.”

His words were the last ones spoken for a while – Peter drifted into a light sleep, the high of his body keeping him right in that glorious in between stage. Tony’s chest rose and fell like he too was asleep, the exertion of the amount of passion they shared between them knocking them off their feet every time they came together. The tranquility of it felt like nothing Peter ever experienced before – the thought of being in love alive and prominent in the front of his brain.

A little while later, Tony woke him up with a warm flannel on his skin and an affectionate look. “Thought you might not want to be crusty for the rest of the night. Go back to sleep if you’re still zonked,” Tony said softly, his hands gentle in the way he caressed Peter’s skin. Closing his eyes for another second, Peter soaked up the moment. When Tony tried to pull away, he threw his arms around Tony’s neck and pulled him down, the older man bending in half.

“You take such good care of me,” Peter admitted, his lips finding Tony’s for a chaste kiss. “You’re kind of the best.”

Ducking his head, Tony tried to shake the words off, Peter now familiar with the gesture. He let him pull away, Peter dropping his hands until they were once again on the mattress beside him. His lips quirked into a reassuring look – “I love you, Tony. I really do think you’re the best.”

The sudden impact of Tony’s body against his own tore a breath out of him, his arms automatically welcoming the other into his space. “You’re not supposed to say shit like that. You’re making me too sappy.” Tony moved until he was sitting between Peter’s legs, his smile scrunching up the corners of his eyes. “I love you too, Pete. So much.”

From that point on, Peter was a little more choosey about who he signed on to do scenes with and when he could swing it, he worked exclusively with Tony. Their videos made enough of a splash that not a lot of people even thought twice about the fact that they worked together so often. Of course, there were the weird shippers that caught small moments between them and made them into something that he and Tony both didn’t want them to think was the case. His relationship with Tony was his own – they were both determined to protect that with everything that they could.

----

2026

Starting the process of adoption was a lot more time consuming than either of them thought. There were countless documents that needed to be filled out, letters of recommendation to be written, and never-ending interviews to be had – it seemed like more work to get a baby than to get a government job or a visa to travel to another country. After being told that most of their life would be scrutinized, Tony tucked his tail between his legs and stepped back from the situation.

Everything was done as thoroughly as they could do it – the rest of the process landed on someone else’s shoulders. Of course, it wasn’t the greatest, to be sitting around waiting to hear back from people that were picking apart both their lives with a fine-toothed comb – but they got past it. Tony spent the time working his ass off and preparing for his final scene in the porn industry.

When Clint found out he was leaving the business, he begged until Tony let him direct his final scene – he and Peter both made the man more money during their careers than he’d ever be worth. He decided to do something reminiscent of the first ever scene he shot with the two of them together – down to the stupid outfit he rolled his eyes at. The only real difference was the way he felt about the man standing in the mirror next to him.

The space where apprehension and nervousness sat was now replaced with affection and confidence. Not just in Peter’s sexual prowess, either – he got the distinct pleasure of getting to watch Peter mature and grow. His professional persona was so different than the one he walked into the industry with. It made his heart ache a little, just how much of Peter he’d gotten to experience over the years.

Under the pretense of catching up, Tony saddled up to Peter’s side, an arm wrapping around his waist. “Ready for this?” Tony asked quietly. His body was prepped, and his mind was in the zone, but his heart was sitting in the palm of Peter’s hand. It’d been a while since they worked for the cameras – he wondered if the happiness and excitement that seemed to radiate off them both would be apparent.

“Yup – I’m more than ready. The fact that the rest of the world will no longer have direct access to your ass makes me terribly giddy inside,” Peter replied with a bit of cheek, his body leaning into the contact Tony couldn’t help but provide. “I’m not mad about the set-up of this scene, though – I’m already hard just thinking about how much like our first time this is.”

Without thinking, Peter pressed a kiss to his forehead, the words “I love you” rolling off his tongue so fucking easily.

Much like that first time, Peter started him on his knees, his hands enthusiastically pulling him back against his cock with a tight grip around his chest. Tony bit into his bottom lip to stop himself from groaning out how good Peter was making him feel, how much he loved the man making him feel that way. He slid his hand down his own chest to take his cock in hand just to stay distracted.

Peter wrapped him up more tightly and started to really thrust into him, his lips pressing against the shell of Tony’s ear. “I love you. And fuck, I love fucking you,” Peter whispered. The words pulled a long moan from Tony’s chest, his stomach tightening. The sneaky little shit knew all the right places to hit, Tony’s heart strings included.

Reaching up, he thrust his fingers into Peter’s hair, pulling his head closer. “I love you. Now flip me over and cum all over me,”

There wasn’t any further prompting needed. Peter did exactly what he asked, his hands desperately gripping Tony’s hips to keep them as close as possible. Tossing his head back, Tony didn’t notice the way Peter’s eyes bugged out, the younger man focused on the tattoo that was normally covered up.

Hard clenching hands had him looking up, Peter’s eyes trailing to the now fully uncovered ‘Property of Peter Parker Stark’ he got on his side the day they got married – the ‘EST. 2023’ seemed to stand out the most in the seconds between his arms coming up and Peter covering him with his upper body.

The news of their marriage was out before Tony could even call Pepper to tell her what happened. Clint showed him the footage as he cleaned Peter’s cum from his stomach, the last five minutes of camera work catching the words at every angle. They could always reshoot, but the news would be out, regardless. Tony watched two of the crew members take a picture of the playback screen.

Not wanting to deal with it, Tony got dressed as quickly as he could, collected his check, and disappeared into his Audi. For once, he wished that they drove in together – since the news would be out anyway. Getting a little comfort from his husband wouldn’t have been the worst thing. Tony forced himself to take a couple of deep breaths – he needed to get the fuck out of there and the only way to do that was to drive away as fast as he could. The tingling feeling in his fingers retreated, so he got the car started and out of the lot before the next round of freak-outs could happen.

Having Peter’s arms around him when Pepper sent them the first article published about their marriage sort of softened the blow. Not only did it go into explicit detail about their career in porn, which hadn’t been publicized because of the cultural taboo, there were a few pretty accurate accounts of bits and pieces of their relationship over the years. It seemed like they weren’t nearly as inconspicuous as they thought. “I could have sworn we were way better at not being completely obvious,” Tony mumbled as he buried his face in Peter’s neck.

For the first couple of days, Tony kept his phone turned off. Texts came in from all directions, some angry and some congratulatory. The mass of them was just way too overwhelming. He also didn’t want to deal with the fact that the adoption agency probably didn’t want anything to do with either of them. Tony wasn’t embarrassed by his career – he’d been doing it for over 20 years. The idea of his private life being shown to the entire world to see – that’s really where he felt the most grief.

When he couldn’t avoid working any longer, Tony returned to his office – he’d been apprehensive about going back, but the great husband he had wasn’t willing to let him give up on things. The sharp outfit Peter had waiting for him when he got out of the shower gave him just enough confidence to get out the door and walk in to work with his head held high.

Surprisingly, no one said a word to him. He felt eyes following him every now and again – that was to be expected. Yet, all of the people around him treated him exactly like they usually did. It confused him, how little it seemed to impact the professional part of his life.

The personal side was a whole different matter, however. After Tony turned his phone back on, he found several missed calls from the adoption agency. He hunkered against Peter and listened to the one definitive voicemail that said their case was now pending. They’d been in limbo for months now and the thought of taking any steps back made his heart hurt. In all reality, Tony could probably put money down on the fact that at least one person in that office that determined the goodness of a person had watched his videos.

It didn’t do him any good to think that way, though – he didn’t have any control over what happened from that point on.

Falling into a bit of a slump, Tony got himself too and from work, spent time with Peter, and even went to the gym like normal. He did his best to keep himself in the game, but it was getting harder by the day. In his worst moments, he wondered about the other people that actually got to take kids home – were their pasts squeaky clean, or did they just manage to keep it from getting splashed across the headlines?

A couple months after all the drama, Peter dropped an invitation in front of him, a hopeful look in his eyes. “Annual Smutty Awards are coming up – we never get to go together, I thought maybe you might want to this year.” His voice was careful, Peter trying his absolute best to be supportive of him through all of the weird emotional ups and downs he experienced since bearing his heart (in the form of a tattoo) for all the world to see.

Tony didn’t need to look at the contents of the envelope to know that he would say yes. Now that they could be open about their relationship, it seemed like the perfect time to stroll up to the biggest night in the porn industry with the hottest man in the business on his arm. “I like the way you think, Pete,” Tony finally replied, a soft grin slipping across his lips. “I’ll call Nat and have her make us a couple of suits.”

The day rolled around a lot quicker than Tony anticipated. It’d been fun to go through the process of getting gussied up, including the suit fitting that Nat did in her usual no nonsense way. What she ended up creating for the evening was way beyond either of their expectations, the blue hues she put them in went well with Peter’s bright white skin and the dark hair that covered Tony’s head and chin. They offset each other and looked great standing side by side. After getting them dressed, she kissed both their cheeks. “You are two of the most handsome men I’ve ever seen. Absolutely unfair.”

Smacking both their asses as they walked out of the room, Nat waved nonchalantly when Tony looked over his shoulder. He shook his head and slipped his hand into Peter’s, the new white gold band they started wearing pressing against his fingers. “She’s right, you know,” Tony said softly, his chin resting on Peter’s shoulder as they slowly made their way down the hall from their room to the front of the house where the limo was waiting. “You are – the most handsome man.”

Peter didn’t say anything until they were tucked into the limo, the two of them sharing the bench seat along the back. “No, that’s absolutely you. I’ve gotten so much hate over the past few months – the world is traumatized by the fact that their favorite silver fox is a happily married man,” Peter whispered, the words still coming out like shouts despite the low volume.

“The world is fucking crazy, isn’t it?” Tony shrugged his shoulders and wrapped his arms around Peter, pulling him closer – “I’m just glad that at the end of the day, you’re still there to come home to.” Leaning in, he pressed his lips against Peter’s, the touch barely there. “Glad for you, Pete.”

They didn’t talk for the rest of the ride – Tony happily allowing himself to be preoccupied with Peter’s lips and hands that ran up and down his sensitive thighs. By the time they got there, Tony was red faced, his hair mused and sticking out at weird angles. Peter shook his head at him and ran his fingers through it, the movement making it much worse. Despite that, Tony leaned in for one more kiss. “Might as well show them what the Parker Starks are really like.”

The walk down the pink carpet was much easier with Peter by his side – the paparazzi wasn’t interested in too many of them individually, so he got to keep an arm around his husband’s waist the entire length of it. When they were stopped for interviews, Peter didn’t step away from him, he merely gripped Tony tighter.

“It’s the Parker Starks!” Big Red, a well-known tv show host, exclaimed when they approached her. Tony let himself smile, the sound of their names together like that still enough to send his heart into overdrive.

“Yup, I guess the cat really is out of the bag,” Tony remarked, his fingers gripping Peter’s hip hard. He felt an answering squeeze on his shoulder, Peter’s silent support more than appreciated.

“It absolutely is. The world wants to know – why all the secrecy? 6 years is a long time.” She looked between them, the big painted on smile never leaving her face.

“It wasn’t secrecy – it was discretion. I was trying to grow up and juggle and industry that wanted to exploit my youth; keeping our private life private was a priority for us both,” Peter answered, his voice definitive; if they were anywhere else, Tony would’ve thought seriously about finding a quiet place and jumping his bones. He looked at him dreamily instead.

Their gazes met, Tony’s cheeks coloring with the rush of affection that pulsed through him. A loud ‘awe’ brought his attention back to the very live recording that was happening. “It’s obvious that you two are very much in love.” Big Red’s voice was saccharine sweet, the red lipstick getting more and more overwhelming by the second. Luckily, their time was up, the two of them escaping with quick hugs all around and drastic sighs of relief.

Right before walking into the theater, Tony’s phone started to ring – the number that popped up shocking them both. Looking over at Peter for a bit of courage, Tony swiped his finger across the front of the screen and accepted the adoption agency’s call.

“This is Tony Parker Stark – “

----

2023

Peter decided he wanted to marry Tony on a whim. They were celebrating their 4th year anniversary across the country – Tony got them into a small bed and breakfast in Italy. His mother was from the town they were staying in, so they spent their days exploring it: eating the food, drinking the wine, and making love wherever they possibly could. It seemed like the longer they were together, the more insatiable Peter became. It was obscene, how much he loved Tony Stark.

It was under the sepia light in a small restaurant that Peter grinned over at Tony and blurted out – “let’s get married.” Tony blinked at him; the signature eyebrow furrow being directed his way. Peter grinned at him, his smile growing. “Yeah, you know what – why don’t we? Want to marry me, Tony Stark?”

Tony stared at him dumbfoundedly for a few seconds before surging forward and pressing their lips together. It was more teeth than anything else, but totally perfect for the moment. “I don’t think you could have done that more perfectly,” Tony babbled when they pulled apart, his eyes glowing with the soft flicker of the candlelight sitting on their table.

The spur of the moment decision meant that he didn’t have a ring – but that didn’t seem to matter; wearing one while they were still shooting scenes wouldn’t be a thing, anyway. Peter simply pulled a pen out of his jacket pocket and wrote on one of the paper napkins on the table – “HE SAID YES – 9/21/2023”. Folding it a couple of times, he handed it over to Tony. “Until you can wear a ring on your hand.”

The day they got back on US soil, Tony and Peter applied for a marriage license and got married. Not a soul knew about it for a while, and they liked it that way. Getting to have Tony all to himself was something that didn’t happen often. The further they stepped away from the business that brought them together, the more they worked on individual things. It felt good to finally be in a college program that he liked and could afford – and watching Tony flourish would always be one of his favorite things.

Tying himself to Tony just sort of made sense, so he went with what his gut told him. When Peter got into MIT, Tony didn’t blink an eye and moved across the state with him. There wasn’t any question that together was how they were supposed to be – the permanence of marriage just made it more real.

He never told Tony about it, but he had a world shifting conversation with Clint after a scene a couple months after Italy. Since getting married, he’d been having trouble being as active a participant in the shoots. In all honesty, it’d been that way for a while. Clint was merciful and cut them for the day – his eyes following Peter as he cleaned himself up and got his shit together to get the hell out of dodge.

“Pete – wait a minute, will you?” Clint managed to get out before Peter could sneak out the door. Hanging his head, Peter walked back into the suite.

“What’s up, Clint?” Peter asked, his eyes staring at his shoes and nothing else.

“Did you guys finally make it official?” Clint put the question out there, point blank. It shouldn’t have been that surprising – both he and Tony worked with him for several years. The guy wasn’t stupid.

“I’m not even going to ask how you know. Yes – we did. And it’s fucking with my head. I don’t want anyone else.” Peter dragged his bottom lip between his teeth, the habit one he picked up from his beautiful husband.

“The long haul isn’t for everyone. Tony was a lifer because something better didn’t come his way. Not until you, of course. Maybe that’s enough, you know? That MIT degree can get you places.” Clint landed a hand on his shoulder, fingers squeezing. “Just a little food for thought.”

Neither of them said anything else, Peter hovered in Clint’s presence for another couple of minutes before turning and getting out as fast as he could. A part of him liked the fact that someone knew – Clint had obviously been keeping their secret for multiple years now. The rest of him was too focused on the man’s words to really worry about what Clint knowing actually meant. Having Tony meant the world, the life they were building was more than enough.

Later that night, Peter brought up leaving the business for good for the first time. Watching Tony’s eyes light up with a desire that the man himself probably wasn’t even aware of was the biggest sign that he’d done the right thing. “It might take us a while to phase out completely – but I’m right there with you. I’m getting too old for that shit, anyway.” Tony looked at him intensely, softness in his eye. The unspoken thank you sat in the air wrapping them both up in the exciting thought of a new start.

----

2027

Tony’s 47th birthday was the day they got to meet their son. After several phone calls and teary-eyed interviews with the agency, Tony and Peter were finally able to get their names cleared and put onto the list. The triumph of that was enough – but the opportunity to have another person join the family was the ultimate win. They got a call about a 4-year-old boy named Spencer needing a home six months later.

The first few days of fostering him were like a silent sort of torture. Tony wanted to love him up, but the shy look and overall tension the boy projected stopped him. He remembered how big of a dick his father was to him and simply smiled in Spencer’s direction, instead. Peter and Tony made pancakes at the stove side by side, their voices low as they tried their best to contain their excitement and extinguish the need to cling to the small boy. They’d been waiting for this moment for a long time – the kid that sat huddled in the booster seat at the table had not.

Slowly, Spencer started to open up – he didn’t do a lot of talking but would join them on the couch when they sat down to watch a movie and asked nightly for a story. It was a couple steps forward and a few steps back for a little while – but that was to be expected. The boy was still so young and surrounded by people and things he’d never seen before. Tony watched him eagerly, hoping for signs of acceptance.

All of the home visits they needed to have were passed with flying colors. They spent so much time making their house child proof, it was surprising that they were able to get to some of it. When it felt right, Tony and Peter were in the clear to sign the adoption papers. Before that happened, they wanted to give the small boy a chance to adjust and truly make sure he’d be comfortable with them. He came from an abusive situation and was understandably sceptic of people that were even the slightest bit like his abusers.

As the fall started to roll around, Tony and Peter were finally making a little bit of headway with Spencer. Tony managed to find an office that allowed him to work from home and Peter was steadily working his way through a graduate degree – there was plenty of time for the two of them to spend time with the boy they were absolutely smitten for.

The first true signs of Spencer starting to relax into the life they were offering came when Peter turned 26. Tony threw a small get together with Rhodey and Nat and all 4 of their kids. It was fantastic to watch Spencer run around with them and when they all broke for refreshments, Spencer came right up to him. “Can I have a juice box, dad?”

It took Tony a couple of seconds to process what he just heard – the word dad had only been tossed around a couple of times and never by Spencer himself. Forgetting himself for a moment, he threw his arms around the small boy, a soft sigh leaving his lips. “You can have whatever you want, Spence.” He quickly remembered and pulled away, but not before catching eyes with Peter. His husband was looking at him with an open mouth, his face a little scrunched up as if he were trying not to cry.

He sent the young boy on his way with a juice box, then quickly made walked over to Peter, a giant grin on his face. “He called me dad.” Tony gushed, wrapping his arms around his husband’s middle. “Holy shit.” He couldn’t believe it – after several months of trying to get Spencer out of his shell, it happened on a whim.

“What do you think he’ll call me? Papa, maybe?” Peter leaned into him, the racing of his heart against Tony’s hand making the moment all the more special. The simplicity of being gathered around friends and creating the most basic form of happiness was something he didn’t think he’d get to experience. Being loved so fiercely by Peter was the best thing to happen to him. Loving beside Peter with that same intensity was his most prized creation – he’d do anything for the family they continued to build on a daily basis.

Instead of waiting around, Tony and Peter sat down with Spencer. The little boy no longer looked at them with skepticism – his eyes were wide, his cheeks flushed with redness from the cool air they’d just been playing in. It was the greatest feeling – experiencing him take to them in the way they desired more than anything.

Tony laid a Capri Sun in front of him, his own on the table by his elbow. Taking a drink, he cleared his throat – an almost 5-year-old kid shouldn’t have made him so damn nervous. Peter’s hand on his thigh helped to ground him – Tony shot him a grateful look, his hand reaching under the table to grab it and hold tight.

“Spence, Papa and I are really excited that you came into our lives and we want you to stay. You make our little family complete. Do you – I mean,” Tony looked to Peter for help, his heart suddenly beating way too fast against his chest.

Peter stepped in, a soft tone to his voice. “What Dad is trying to ask is if you’d like to be a permanent member of the family. We love you and would be honored to be your parents.” It seemed like a lot to throw at a kid so young, but they both decided that everyone needed to be sure about it – Spencer included.

Watching him closely, Tony almost laughed out loud when the small boy sucked back the juice and sat forward. “You guys are already better than the parents I had before. I want to stay.”

And that was that.

They signed the papers in the courtroom a couple of days later – the judge proclaiming Spencer Parker Stark their son with a loud bang of his gavel.

Sitting in the booth of their favorite pizza place a few hours later, Peter wrapped an arm around Tony’s shoulder and pulled him close. Spencer was running around the play-place, so they had a couple minutes to themselves. “Is it everything you thought it’d be?” Peter asked, his lips pressing against the side of Tony’s head.

Tony leaned into him, his hand raising to tangle fingers with Peter.

“It’s even better.”

#starker #ironspider #starkerfestivalsevents #bobbie writes #skin pressed against me tight #au prompts

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airadam · 3 years

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Episode 142 : ...If You Hear Me

"We all need...some fresh air."

- Tobe

This month has been pretty exhausting, but I did have some good ideas for this episode, and once I hit stride with the recording I decided to try and keep the pace up and get it released on a weekend day! The selection has turned out to be heavy on artists who are no longer with us, but left us some great music to remember them by. Get yourself comfortable and press "play"...

Twitter : @airadam13

Twitch : @airadam13

Playlist/Notes

Evidence ft. Raekwon and Ras Kass : The Red Carpet

How is this track ten years old already? Time has flown since the 2011 release of "Cats & Dogs", the second solo Evidence album after four LPs as part of Dilated Peoples. While Evidence is an excellent producer in his own right, the reins here are taken by his future partner in The Step Brothers, The Alchemist. He further shows his confidence by bringing in California's Ras Kass and Raekwon from the Wu to guest, both legendary MCs, and holds his own next to both. A great collection of talent to kick off the show!

[DJ Premier] Gang Starr : What's Real? (Instrumental)

I just had to go back to "One Of The Best Yet" for another Preemo beat! Definitely get the instrumental release if you can, especially as you get the previously-unreleased "Glowing Mic" as a bonus cut.

The Notorious B.I.G ft. DMC : My Downfall

As I say on the voiceover, it feels weird playing a good chunk of Biggie's catalogue given how he ultimately died. This track from "Life After Death" is a perfect example, and feels like a mix of the creative writing he was famed for and maybe a realisation of exactly how much negativity swirled around him even after he had made the transition from the streets to the music industry. The legendary DMC of RUN DMC guests, only on the hook - but he does it well.

Agallah : Slaughter

Just a few bars, just a taste, as I needed something to bridge a track with no instrumental outro and the other with no open bars on the intro! Big respect to Agallah though, who has been putting in work since the mid-90s and will probably have yet another new project out by the time I finish typing this sentence. Find this beat on "Propain Campain Presents Agalllah - The Instrumental Vol. 1".

Sean Price and Small Professor (ft. Rock and DJ Revolution) : Refrigerator P

Heavy business! Ruck (Sean Price) and Rock, formerly the duo Heltah Skeltah, reunite on this killer from the "86 Witness" LP. Small Professor makes the beat dramatic, and DJ Revolution seasons the mix with his trademark super-sharp cuts.

Fred The Godson : Presidents

The Bronx-born-and-bred MC Fred The Godson sadly passed away last April at just 35 - one of the relatively early US casualties of COVID-19. During his lifetime, his catalogue consisted of some highly-rated mixtapes, but only after his death do we finally hear his debut album, "Ascension". This track of course is built (by Hesami) around the same sample as Jay-Z's "Dead Presidents" as Fred expounds on the drug game.

Broke 'n' English : Tryin' (Calibre Mix)

"Tryin'" was one of the standouts on the 2007 debut LP "Subject 2 Status" from this respected Manchester crew. Both Strategy and DRS have a long-standing history in the drum & bass scene, and so it made sense that the remix of this track would be handled by someone like Calibre. Sharp, crisp drum action and a smooth bassline drive this one along, with DRS' vocals being woven in as a refrain. You can hear in this one track how DRS then went on to make several excellent D&B albums - his vocal versatility allows him to shine on any production.

Marco Polo : Cindy

The "MP On The MP" (see what he did there?) beat tape is inspired by a Youtube series he was doing, and features a host of new and unreleased beats. Marco Polo is one keeping this style of production alive, which I'm thankful for. I still think of him as a "new" producer, but he's a veteran with over fifteen years in the industry!

Le$ : Out To Cali

Le$ is a great MC to go to if you want lyrics about just living life and having fun - almost like a Curren$y, but without the extreme high-end references. Right here, he's going to Cali, buying some weed, riding around, and enjoying the view - sometimes it doesn't need to be more lofty than that. Mr.Rogers goes to a familiar sample as a basis for the beat, and if you want more, the whole "Summer Madness" will give you these vibes - and exercise your speakers in the process.

O.C. : What I Need (Keelay Remix)

The "Smoke & Mirrors" LP is a bit of a forgotten one for many, but I really enjoyed it, and when acapellas became available, it was expertly remixed by the Sole Vibe crew out of San Francisco. The classic soul sample (which you may recognise from tracks like "Deeper" by Bo$$) is the foundation, with a heavy kick and skipping hi-hats providing the rhythm. O.C. never lost a step from his first LP, and he's never afraid to put his feelings out there on wax.

Sadat X : Stages & Lights

This is one of those tracks I was stunned to realised I hadn't already played on the podcast, so here it is at last! This Showbiz-produced cut from the 1996 "Wild Cowboys" LP, Sadat's solo debut, was also a B-side on the "Hang 'Em High" single - but definitely stole the show. If you ever find the original sample, you'll be amazed at how Show plucked that one small piece for this beat!

Phife Dawg : Thought U Wuz Nice

Killer B-side action from Phife Dawg, on the flip of the Superrappin "Bend Ova" 12", with J Dilla on the bouncy production. Still can't quite believe that both of these icons are no longer with us.

Saib : Beyond Clouds

The Chillhop label seems to put out endless amounts of beats from producers specialising in sounds inspired by greats like J Dilla and Nujabes, but with their own spin. This one comes from the "Chillhop Essentials Fall 2020" compilation, one of any number that are perfect for soundtracking study, work, or just a lazy day!

213 : Run On Up

That beat by Tha Chill and the delivery of "Shut the f********ck up and ruuuu-uuu-uuuun" by the late great Nate Dogg is enough to make this an absolute classic in my ears, but the full picture is even better. Way before "Doggystyle", "The Chronic", or even "Deep Cover", 213 was the group formed in Long Beach by Nate Dogg, Warren G, and Snoop, before any of them had got their big breaks. Years later, after all of them had become stars in their own rights, it was heart-warming to see them reform for the "The Hard Way" LP, from which this is taken.

Sporty Thievz : Angel

The Sporty Thievz deserve to be remembered for more than "No Pigeons", as much as we enjoyed the whole thing at the time. The "Street Cinema" album may not have quite lived up to the name, but there were some solid cuts on there, and this was one. Produced by King Kirk of the group alongside Ski, this track has all the foreboding, and while the singing on the hook may not be Marvin Gaye level, it absolutely works here.

Jean Grae : My Crew

One of the great underrated MCs - not because her skills are in question, but simply because not enough people know her! She's in fine early 2000s form on this cut from the "Bootleg of the Bootleg EP", produced by China Black. Straight boom-bap, and she cuts through with clarity and dexterity. Jean Grae raps, sings, produces, acts...one of the true talent of the culture.

Bronx Slang : Just Say No

New single from Jerry Beeks and Ollie Miggs, who have really been on a hot streak the last couple of years. It's nice to hear some protest music in an era that really calls for it, and if this is a marker of how good the upcoming second album is going to be, then you need to reserve a space in your crates right now! Jadell on production brings an appropriate heaviness to the track, no lightness on the beat!

[Ron Browz] Big L : The Heist (Instrumental)

All these years and I'd never looked to see who produced this beat from Big L's posthumously-released LP "The Big Picture" - come to find out it's one of Ron Browz' first credits. He's much better known for "Ether" by Nas, which came in 2001. The vocal version of this track is what the name suggests, a robbery tale, and you can hear the sound effects that punctuate the narrative still here in the instrumental.

Tobe Nwigwe : Fresh Air

Tobe Nwigwe and his collective (including his wife Fat and his producer Nell) have been quietly on the rise for a while, but in very recent times their profile has elevated noticeably. "The Pandemic Project" is a short six-track album from last year, and another quality addition to the catalogue. This man is an amazing MC, and Nell's often-unconventional beats are the perfect canvas. Don't sleep!

Please remember to support the artists you like! The purpose of putting the podcast out and providing the full tracklist is to try and give some light, so do use the songs on each episode as a starting point to search out more material. If you have Spotify in your country it's a great way to explore, but otherwise there's always Youtube and the like. Seeing your favourite artists live is the best way to put money in their pockets, and buy the vinyl/CDs/downloads of the stuff you like the most!

Check out this episode!

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nad-zeta · 4 years

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Match up ^o^

May I request a Match up, please?

I’m at the part when I have to choose a route and I honestly don’t know/care. So I decided why not let some lovely internet stranger choose for me? Who do you think I would pair the best with?

I also noticed how much effort and detail you put into these so I decided that it was only fair to try to put in just as much effort in requesting. Or maybe I am just extremely vain so blabbering on this much about myself comes naturally (I also wouldn’t be too suprised if this were the case lol). Either way, I apologise for this getting so long. And without further ado, let’s learn about yours truly. Uh, yay?

I will start with my physical appearance because that’s easiest.

First of all, I am rather tall for a woman. Pair that with the fact that I constantly wear boots with 8 centimetre or greater heels and I almost always cap out somewhere above 182 centimetres (that’s 6 feet in American). So yes. I’m not exactly the approachable type, on the account of my height and near constant resting bitch face. I always look pissed off at something (and to be fair, I usually am).

I am a brunette with boring brown eyes. Nothing of note there.

I prefer to walk on my toes, for whatever reason. I also have great posture when I walk and these two factors always make it seem like I am floating. I’ve been told that I always seem very confident and self-assured. Which is complete bullshit because 90% of the time, I am winging it.

I am a dancer (of sorts. More on that later), so I am rather slim and toned. This is literally the only aspect of my physicality that I am actually confident in. The rest of me can burn in hell for all I care.

I am also very touch adverse. I hate the feeling of skin touching my skin it grosses me touch. However. There are a select few people in this world that I accept and enjoy hugs and cuddles from (and who I could snuggle with for hours). If I let anyone cuddle me that means I trust said person unconditionally and feel extremely comfortable around them. It’s essentially the ultimate statement of trust.

Onto personality.

If you can’t already tell, I have about as much dignity as a wet cat. I while I certainly do have an ego, it can be kind of difficult to bruise. Publically, I am absolutely shameless and don’t give two shits about what others think.

I have a tongue of steel and can rapid fire the most atrocious insults and comebacks when provoked. I’m known for my venomous sarcasm and biting wit among my own circles. I have a line for nearly every single situation so one-liners have become my thing. Which works out for me because I am a huge flirt.

I’ll flirt with pretty much anyone regardless of gender, I don’t give a crap. To clarify, it’s not because I am an attention whore (okay, yes. I am a complete attention whore), it’s because I am a theatre kid so excessive eye contact and sexual jokes are kinda where I thrive. I am also not afraid to get questionably lascivious with my flirting if someone tries to out-pace me. I never blush, I never falter, and I never let anyone know that they got the better of me. It shows weakness.

Despite my salacious façade, I am not inherently a sexual person. As a matter of fact, I am quite the opposite. I don’t experience sexual attraction (kudos to my asexual humans. I see you). This has rendered me practically immune to all charm, crushes, and sex appeal. It makes my life a lot easier, in my opinion. I don’t get too attached. I also enjoy messing around with the egos of fuck boys.

As mentioned earlier, I am an attention whore. I love showing off because I crave validation (this could point to some deep seated insecurities about myself that I refuse to acknowledge…. Ahem). Being on stage as where I thrive. And yes, I am a dancer, as I stated earlier. But I am not your conventional prissy ballerina. I am a circus performer. More specifically, I’m an aerialist. I have covered trapeze, contortion (I am unnaturally flexible), lyra, and silks. It’s a lot of fun almost dying every day and finding bruises in the most questionable places (if you cant already tell, I am an adrenaline junkie. I took karate for the first dozen or so years of my life and have recently been searching for more weapons combat classes because apparently I don’t have enough bruises already).

I am not easily impressed. And I don’t give out compliments very often. And that includes myself. I can be unnecessarily hard on myself at times… most of the time. But then again, who isn’t?

As for the side of me that isn’t stark-raving mad, I am usually a pretty objective person. While I have no qualms with discussing emotions (both mine and friend’s. I am a great listener and actually give pretty good advice when it comes to dealing with intense emotions). I tend to avoid letting them interfere with my logic. I look down on those who allow their emotions to dictate their actions. It makes them needlessly reckless.

I am typically a pretty chill person. When I am among people I am unfamiliar with, I tend to stay quiet and try not to rock the boat too much (again, I won’t hesitate to unleash a severe tongue lashing upon any poor soul who happens to rub me the wrong way… Or just happens to exist. I don’t take shit from other people and I hate it when others try to control me. (I don’t play rough, I play smart).

I really enjoy reading, writing, or drawing quietly. I can’t stand loud and excessive noises or people (parties, screaming, concerts). I am a true extroverted introvert. I love being the center of attention and chatting, but I need my alone time. People are exhausting to deal with.

Because of my aversion to loud sounds, I tend to avoid typical dance parties like the plague. While I am very good with mingling and partying in general, I can only keep it up in short bursts before I have to retreat somewhere quiet. This is also the reason I greatly prefer the nighttime (if I had a choice I would sleep all day and only frolick around at night. I just love the dark. It’s comforting in a weird way). I also love the night because that’s when I get to sleep and just peace out on life. It’s kinda like non-committal dying.

I am near constantly on hyper-alert so I am not easily startled. When I do get startled, I have a tendency to squeak, yelp or growl. These noses are purely reactionary sounds but for whatever reason, my friends think that they are absolutely adorable and will go to great lengths to startle me just to hear me make them.

To counteract my friend’s malevolence, I have learnt to be super observant, especially when I feel threatened. Usually, I am caught up on my own world and thoughts. I have an imagination so powerful that I can trick my brain into feeling false sensations such as an extra limb or falling. I much prefer to spend my time in my head rather than our boring reality. But if I feel threatened, or think that another attack is imminent, I instantly become hyper aware. These moments of lucidity enable me to make certain observations others would otherwise be overlooked (for example. I was able to tell when my professor lost her wedding ring due to the discoloration around her ring finger and the habitual and near-constant worrying she did at it. I offered to help her look after class ^.^. I admittedly felt kinda smug when I saw her surprise.) Ironically enough, I like to refer to this mode of thinking as “Sherlocking”. I can be quite the detective when I really try. 9 out of 10 times my friends will come to me when they suspect infidelity, I am pretty good at digging up dirt.

However, I have to make the conscious decision to do this, usually when I am trying to figure someone out or manipulate them into liking me. So this isn’t constant and usually I go about my day like everyone else, blissfully unaware of my surroundings.

Uhh, there is probably more I could cover but this is getting very long as-is and you are probably forcing yourself to get through my seemingly eternal ramblings. So I am going to stop here and go grab myself some food.

Best of luck to you,

-November

Hi there love!<3 you sound like such a cool interesting person! ^_^ Hehehe I probs took so long with this match up that you already chose a new route lol! Anyways thanx for waiting soooooo long for this and I hope ya enjoy it love ^0^ ^_^

I match you with……………………… Masamune

Honestly, it was between Masamune and Mitsuhide for me lol but i eventually decided to go with Masamune

The first time Masamune sees you, his eyes go wide in awe, like wow you are one tall fine lady! He has legit never met anyone so tall. After you were named as chatelaine, you stayed behind with some of the warlords to chat and get to know them better, you are after all going to be seeing their faces every day for the next 3 months.

Right of the bat, Masamune is howling in laughter at the fact that you are way taller than Ieyasu. You, Masamune and Mitsuhide basically tease the poor porcupine for a solid 20 minutes. “My my I never expected such a scary-looking little mouse to be so bubbly and friendly.”

Oooh, this boy just stared a war of wits. Today day was a good day cause your tongue of steel was rapidly firing witty words and sarcastic remarks at the resident kitsune. He almost couldn’t keep up, almost. Masamune was just standing there watching the whole scene unfold, you truly were going to be a lot of fun! Masamune decided to test out that tongue of steel of your and started firing some flirty pick-up line, while unbeknown to him you are the queen of one-liners, and have no shame when it comes lascivious flirting. Masamune, of course, never backs down from a challenge, and he was determined to make you blush. The conversation got so heated that it made even Hideyoshi blush on your behalf. You simply laughed and fired another one of your pick-up lines.

After the little chat in the hallway and a massive speech from mama bear for talking about things that were not PG13, cause of the kids *cough* Mitsunari *cough*, you and Masamune become quick friends. He had never met a woman before that was immune to his boyish wild charm, and handsome sexual appeal. Masamune was definitely popular with the woman, not as popular as Hideyoshi, but he was definitely a fuckboi. As surprised as he was, that his normal antics didn't work on you, his ego wasn’t dented one bit, it just made him more determined to get to know you.

Masamune definitely finds your flirtatious nature attractive, especially when you managed to score the two of you free sweet bun just by flirting with the shop owner, he was, even more, shook when the shop owner was a woman, your flirtation truly knows no bounds. The two of you would spend loads of time together, just going out for tea and sweets while getting to know each other. TBH although Masamune would never admit it, he found it refreshing that you weren't just his friend simply cause he was hot or cause you wanted to climb in stations but because you actually liked him as a person. You and Masamune definitely made an unstoppable team when it came to banquets. The two of you would team up and start teasing everyone there. When you two cuties are together its always a good time with loads of laughter and banter

Masamune discovered that you like him, was an adrenaline junkie. He loved that he finally had someone around that would do stupid shit with him just for the thrill of it. The two of you would go out on adventures 24/7 jumping down waterfalls and hiking up cliffs. The two of you goofball would also dare each other to do the craziest shit. Like one-time Masamune dared you to jump off the castle’s roof onto your balcony, and you freaken did it, no questions asked. Or like the one time you dared him to put his head in Shogetsu mouth, mind you the little cub was now grown into a full-blown tiger

One day you and Masa went to go watch one of Mitsuhide’s undercover performances. The three of you were investigating a shady daimyo in one of the nearby provinces. The three of you disguised yourselves as performers and joined a circus troop as their new dancers. You were so excited, the stage is where you truly come alive. You had promised Masa to show him something that would shock/surprise him after he gave you the grand tour of Azuchi. Today was the day, you had kept your dance and performances a secret from the two men, and now it was finally time to show them what you can do. You had 3 different performances planned. The first one was contortion. To say Masamune was shook would be an understatement he never knew anyone could be so freaken flexible, like wow. Your next performance was aerial dancing, his blue eye gleamed in delight, watching you move through the air so gracefully. If he wasn’t sure before he was sure now, this boy loved ya. But what really took his breath away was when you trapezed through the air, he was absolutely mesmerized at the way you flew through the air doing back-flips and other cool ass tricks. Masamune loved the look of pure joy on your face as you performed and after the show, you explained to him that you were a theatre kid back in the past. Mitsuhide definitely took note of your skills, and since that day you now accompanied him on most missions that required him to disguise himself as a performer.

Masamune loved everything about you at this point. Your overdramatic introvert/extrovert personality. The way you walked. Gosh, he loved the way you walked, it looked like you were an angel floating around wherever you went. He loved your banter and one-liner for every situation. And most of all he loved your hyper-alert side. Boy did he love to come up behind you to scare the crap outta you just so he could hear you squeak, yelp or growl. Like he lived for those adorably cute noises. And you somewhere along the line had fallen in love with the big idiot. He was always coming up with new fun adventures to go on or new fun things to do. He was one of those few people that could actually keep up with your banter

What was he most impressed with you may ask, well you Sherlocking skills of course. One day there were rumours of some super shady daimyos visiting Azuchi. Word on the street was that they were planning on stealing Mitsunari report to make the poor angel look bad. Mitsuhide was away sorting out some other plots and schemes, so it was now up to you to use your skills, to save the angel. You used your detective skill to gather evidence, and since your inner circle knew you were from the future, you were planning on catching them in the act and filming them for evidence. Masamune was always up for an adventure, so he acted as you own personal Watson. The two of you hid while watching the whole scene unfold, once they left the room the two of you came out. “What do you think they are going to do with the report lass,” he asked while his blue eye gleamed in delight. “Hmmmmm, I believe they are going to burn the evidence in the forest” you replied in your best British accent. Masamune couldn’t help but laugh. The two of you made your way to a secluded part of the forest and spotted them making a fire. Masamune looked at you curiously “How did you know they were going to be in this exact spot.” “Elementary, my dear Masamune.” He couldn’t help but burst out in laughter you really were a super fun kitten. Unfortunately for the two of you, they heard you guys laughing behind the trees and before you knew it, the two of you were surrounded. One of the men had a sword right at your throat ready to cut you open, that is when you shocked them by not backing down from the fight, you hit the sword away with one of your own gifted to you by your dearest one-eyed dragon. “ Point that sword at me one more time and i’ll slash your Achilles’ tendons, and TBH given the medicine situation of this time, no one would know how to fix your injury, so I hope you like hobbling around on one leg for the rest of your life cause that is what will happen.” These men were shook; meanwhile, Masa was next to you howling in laughter, “She’s not joking boys, this lass delivers on her threats.” You had never seen grown men run away from a fight so fast. You and Masamune picked up Mitsunari’s report that had fallen on the ground during the commotion and walked back hand in hand

You didn’t really like skin touching skin, but TBH you definitely like the warm feeling of Masamune’s hand warmed around yours. The two of you had come to fall in love with each other, and it wasn’t long before you two cuties entered into a relationship. Despite both of you being adrenaline junkies, both of you also loved your quiet times. Often you would sit together in his manor each doing your own thing. You would read and write, and Masamune would sit at his desk pretending to work (Cause admin is so freaken boring).

The two of you would have the best time together during banquets you loved being the centre of attention and would chat with everyone, but as the night would progress you would start feeling a bit drained and that’s when the one-eyed dragon would swoop in, pick you up and takes you to a quiet corner where the two of you cuddle and snuggle together.

He would spoil you rotten with the most amazing food, he would basically, cook anything your heart desires just to see that beautiful smile on your face. His heart would always burst with affection whenever he cuddles and kiss you, he knew that the fact that you allowed him to cuddle you was the ultimate statement of trust between the two of you.

Often the two of you cuties can be found causing mischief and giving Mamayoshi more grey hairs or cuddled together sharing stories of your day

Other potential matches............... Mitsuhide

Hope u enjoyed it dear @november-solarstorms

#ikesen masamune #masamune date #ikemen sengoku masamune #matchups #match ups #masamune matchup #ikesen matchup #submission

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holdenhrry955 · 4 years

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Goth Subculture Truths For Youngsters

Content

What Are Goths Personalities Like?

How To Be Goth.

What Does It Suggest To Be Goth?

Goth: Everything You Require To Recognize

There is much more to it than simply style and there is even more to it currently than simply the songs. Personally I position the songs ahead of fashion as well as style in importance. I think obtaining extremely academic regarding goth sort of defeats the purpose of the sub-culture. It's interesting to trace the musical and visual DNA back to its roots, but in fact taking part in the sub-culture is a much more natural process. It is a lot more comprehensive and extra inclusive than it utilized to be.

No goth only bague vancaro tete de mort listens to goth music, unless they are trying as well hard, or are a purist. If you enjoyed any type of songs before discovering goth, keep listening to it. Individuals can obtain a little outrageous regarding what makes somebody a "real" goth. Attempt to disregard this; you do not need to validate on your own. Respond to "yes," or, if you want to prevent more inquiries, state "Well, I like goth fashion" or "I such as goth songs."

This Gothic effect is accentuated even more by the fact that eyes are painted black.

Of course, the more extreme the makeup, the more eyeshadow will be used to make the eyes look more like those of a dead person.

Not only does the makeup make the face look more like a cross, but it also accentuates features that are less visible in the eyes.

For one, make sure that you are dressed in all black (no more dotting the t-shirt with black dye).

Most people who choose to get in on the goth subculture do so because they have something in common with other members.

Tristania has actually remained to succeed with subsequent releases and also has since been regarded as among the globe's best goth steel bands. The goth subculture has endured a lot longer than others of the exact same period, and also has actually continued to diversify. The band shares influences with other bands in the first wave of what is called goth music. During this duration their style was mostly referred to as scary punk or goth-punk. Outrageousness which gleam like comets through the darkness of gothic and superstitious ages.

The goth kids on the show are depicted as locating it bothersome to be confused with the Hot Subject "vampire" kids from the episode "The Ungroundable" in period 12, as well as a lot more frustrating to be compared to emo children. The goth children are typically illustrated paying attention to goth music, creating or checking out Gothic verse, drinking coffee, flipping their hair, as well as cigarette smoking. Morticia Addams from The Addams Family members developed by Charles Addams is a fictional personality as well as the mother in the Addams family members. Morticia was played by Carolyn Jones in the 1964 television program The Addams Family, and after that played by Anjelica Huston in the 1991 variation. Some of the very early gothic rock and also deathrock artists taken on traditional horror movie images and made use of horror movie soundtracks for inspiration. Their audiences reacted by adopting proper gown and also props.

What Are Goths Individualities Like?

Darkwave, a spin-off of goth rock that developed in the 80s. It incorporates aspects of synthpop and new age, integrating dark, reflective lyrics and a touch of grief. Nevertheless the term, initially starting as a post punk design, at some point became its own point as bands began to make greater use of synthesizers and drum equipments. Significant bands consist of Clan of Xymox, Dead Can Dance as well as Black Tape For a Blue Girl. Recognize the personalities and also different descendants of goth music.

Goth is not only limited to goth rock, yet consists of some post-punk, deathrock, darkwave, angelic wave, grey rock as well as afterpunk. Grey rock is the Portuguese term for post-punk/ goth rock and also afterpunk is the Spanish term.Deathrock, which is the American counterpart that developed around the very same time as goth performed in the UK. Created in Southern California, deathrock is a spooky as well as atmospheric descendant of hard rock which contains glam rock imagery, punk-inflected sound as well as perspective, shock rock theatrics as well as b-movie ideas.

Just How To Be Goth.

This often makes them open to objection as well as taunting from others. As a result, the ones that don't "suit" with other teams collaborated so they a minimum of belong somewhere. As the influence of the music press faded and similar people had the ability to collect online in online forums and on social networks, goth made a rebirth, with occasions like the Whitby Goth Weekend break increasing in appeal. By the late 80s and also 90s, goth had actually discolored as a young people society, and was the source of some ridicule by the music press. Throughout the years, goth fashion has actually taken elements from Edwardian as well as Victorian clothing, heavy steam punk, cyperpunk, go crazy, fetish wear, cosplay as well as even more. The Visigoths or goths, were an old individuals from what is now Germany as well as Scandanavia, also called barbarians, well-known for the sacking of Rome in 410 ADVERTISEMENT.

Use of standard scary movie props such as swirling smoke, rubber bats, and webs featured as gothic club decoration from the beginning in The Batcave. Such recommendations in bands' songs as well as pictures were initially tongue-in-cheek, yet as time took place, bands and also members of the subculture took the connection a lot more seriously. As a result, morbid, superordinary as well as occult themes became much more noticeably significant in the subculture. The affiliation in between scary and goth was highlighted in its early days by The Hunger, a 1983 vampire film starring David Bowie, Catherine Deneuve and also Susan Sarandon. The film included gothic rock team Bauhaus carrying out Bela Lugosi's Dead in a bar.

The Nickelodeon cartoon Invader Zim is also based on the goth subculture. As there are so many kinds of goth in the contemporary age, there is additionally several kinds of gothic style to select them! Although goths can be identified for being fans of black, it does not quit there. The birth of the light goth scene has actually produced an enormous surge in the blending of all points dark and gothic with light pastel shades. This differs substantially with the conventional charming or fetish style - both noted by attractive figure-hugging gothic corsets as well as littlelatex numbers. This reveals that there is large variation in gothic fashion when it pertains to various sorts of goth in the subcultures. Emo comes from post-hardcore, pop punk as well as indie rock design while gothic rock is a form of hard rock, glam punk and also post punk.

. Enter the regional goth scene as well as take part in goth events, nightclubs, and also performances. Meet new individuals in your scene and listen to tales from when the elders were about. Deathrock, originating on the West Shore of the U.S, deathrock is a much more scary as well as climatic variation of punk. When deathrock bands began to become prominent, as well as trip, they were after that able ahead over and directly affect the UK goth scene. Some deathrock bands include 45 Tomb, Christian Fatality, Bloody Dead and also Sexy, Alien Sex Ogre, Kommunity FK, and so on

What Does It Indicate To Be Goth?

However I such as the ordinary all black, system boots kind point. I have actually constantly wished to do this yet I would certainly be looked down upon by my household. Nonetheless, I seem like I recognize absolutely nothing of the culture itself. If I truly do wish to pursue it, I do not intend to just enjoy the design and also appearance. I need to know what it implies to all of you to be goth. I feel that if I pursue this I will be totally positive. I feel I 'd finally be comfortable with the means I look.

What is a goth club?

They are NOT mainstream.

Goth clubs are much different from regular night clubs. But most goth clubs play a variety of music like EBM, Industrial, Dark Wave, and Witch House to name a few. Most songs you will hear at Goth clubs will never be played on the radio â€“ and that's how we like it!

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Gift Suggestions For Goth Types.

You can discover these sorts of garments in a range of gothic-friendly shades. While black is one of the most typical, dark purple and also blood red are likewise typical shades for gothic fashion clothing and accessories. Due to the appeal of gothic styles and also styles, you can find gothic accessories virtually anywhere. A number of websites are dedicated to supplying a full-line of accessories as well as you can also discover this sort of garments at a number of chain store. Several gothic teenagers, though, choose to shop at neighborhood pre-owned stores as a result of the used look and also vintage appeal of the dark clothes that they can discover there. In either case, gothic accessories as well as outfits are generally inexpensive.

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the--blackdahlia · 5 years

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Too Young to Fall in Love Chapter 51 (Dirt!Nikki x Reader)

Title: Too Young to Fall in Love 51

Summary: Nikki Sixx was a hard partying musician on the strip. He never expected to fall in love with anyone, until a girl knocked on his dressing room door looking for a ride home and took his breath away. Just like everything else Nikki did; the drugs, the money, the music; Nikki went hard with love. (Y/n) Bass never expected the bassist of Motley Crue to be the one to shake her calm and calculated life up. She had a plan. Graduate school, become an epic producer, and watch from behind the scenes as her brother’s band rose to fame. Nikki and (Y/n) were perfect for each other, too bad her brother, Tommy, didn’t think so.

Series warnings: Smut (18+ Please), drug use, language, referenced miscarriage, drug overdose, mentioned attempted suicide, out of character moments for everyone in the band, the timeline might be a little screwy but it’s fanfiction! I know nothing of music production and my medical knowledge is really screwy, so it won’t be accurate.

A few months later

“Babe! I’m home!” Nikki called out as he came through the door. “Stopped at the bakery and got the cake! And those cupcakes you like!” It was quiet downstairs. “Babe?” He sat the baked goods on the island and headed into the house. He made his way to the nursery, where he could hear music playing. (Y/n) was decorating, wanting everything to look perfect.

“(Y/n).” Nikki said softly. She jumped and turned to look at him.

“You scared me!” She laughed. “So, what do you think?” They had went with softer, neutral tones, and the paint had just finished drying, so (Y/n) was putting up all the decorations. Cute little animals playing instruments.

“It’s perfect.” Nikki smiled and wrapped his arms around her, his hands resting on her bump. “Everything is amazing.” He kissed on her neck, holding her close. She moaned softly, then glanced at the time on the watch Nikki was wearing.

“Shit!” She called out. “Everyone’s going to be here in like an hour or two!” She pulled away from Nikki. “I need to get a shower and...and…”

“Babe, relax.” Nikki smiled. “I got the cake. Pizza is scheduled. You just go get a shower and calm down, okay.” He kissed her gently.

“What would I do without you?” (Y/n) asked, kissing him again.

“Be a lonely, but still a really hot, producer in New York.” He smiled at her. “Or be married to Bret Michaels.”

“Oh, don’t remind me of that.” (Y/n) shook her head. “Okay, I’m getting in the shower. Be out in a bit.” She headed towards the bathroom while Nikki went downstairs to get ready for their guests; Vince and Vanessa with Dean and Samantha, Tommy and his new girlfriend (Pamela had the boys this week), Athena and her new husband, and Mick going solo, as well as (Y/n)’s parents. Tonight was the gender reveal. Nikki and (Y/n) didn’t even know what they were having yet. The doctor had wrote it on a slip of paper and put it into an envelope, which (Y/n) took to the bakery to have a cake made. It was chocolate icing, but inside would either be pink or blue.

About an hour and a half later, the pizza arrived, along with Mick and (Y/n)’s parents. Mick helped Nikki get it all set up while (Y/n) finished getting ready. Vince, Vanessa, and the twins were next, followed by Athena and her husband James, and then there was Tommy, being fashionably late, but no girlfriend in sight.

“She, uh, didn’t want to come.” Tommy shrugged. He leaned over to Nikki. “I haven’t been dating. Don’t tell (Y/n). She worries about me after prison.”

“Well, I wonder why.” Nikki laughed. “It’s cool man. Your secret is safe with me.”

“So, when do we find out what this little sucker is.” Vince asked (Y/n) as she walked past him.

“Once we cut the cake but this pizza smells really good.” She grabbed a few pieces and smiled down at the twins. “You both are just so cute!”

“Well, Dean keeps stealing Sammy’s bow all the time, and Sammy likes to bite.” Vanessa laughed. “Those two are going to be a handful. You think your brother and your husband are the terror twins? I think my little pumpkins here are.”

Conversation flowed throughout the evening, Tommy giving vague answers when asked about his girlfriend and Mick saying he was just fine being single. Vanessa and Vince alternated between feeding the twins and feeding themselves. (Y/n) smiled. This was her family. She never thought in a million years that the most notorious band in metal would be sitting together in her living room, waiting for a gender reveal while making small talk like they hadn’t just been doing coke off of naked strippers about ten years ago.

“Okay guys, are we ready?” (Y/n) asked, standing up. Nikki and (Y/n) made their way to the kitchen, everyone else in tow. The cake sat there, ready to be cut. Nikki handed (Y/n) the utensils.

“Be my guest.” Nikki told her, kissing her cheek. (Y/n) cook a deep breath and cut a piece, laying it out on a plate.

A pink cake.

“We’re having a girl!” (Y/n) gasped, hugging Nikki. “Oh my god!”

“We’re having a girl!” Nikki echoed, holding his wife close to him. He had never dreamed that he would be a dad to a little girl. She was going to be so loved and protected, because she had not only her three uncles in the room who wouldn’t hesitate to hurt anyone who hurt her, but a long list of musicians that Nikki and (Y/n) had befriended over the years.

Nikki and (Y/n) Sixx were having a girl.

****

“I don’t know anything about shopping for girls.” Tommy said. “At least, not baby girls. Big girls though, I can buy for.” Tommy said as they passed by Victoria Secret.

“Vanessa was in charge of getting everything for Sammy, so I’m at a loss.” Vince shrugged.

“I haven’t bought baby clothes since the 1970’s. And I’m pretty sure I was drunk then.” Mick added. Nikki sighed. He should’ve just invited Slash or something to join him on this mall trip. He wanted to start buying clothes for the yet unnamed baby. He might have been going overboard with buying baby stuff here recently. Most people assumed that the mother would be the one going crazy. But not in (Y/n) and Nikki’s case. Nikki wanted everything to be absolutely perfect.

“So, any names yet?” Tommy asked as he looked at a display in the window at a music store. A small poster was hanging in the window, with a picture of him at his kit that said “Tommy Lee Uses Vater”. “Dudes, check me out!”

“Good thing we’re not visiting a music store in the 1980’s. Sober Tommy pointing out every picture of himself would get real old, real fast.” Mick grumbled.

“I should’ve just left you losers at home.” Nikki sighed. They headed into the baby store, looking extremely out of place. Vince had recently died his hair a deep red, Tommy looked like he had been pulled from the hip-hop block on VH1, Mick looked like an old man shopping for his grandchild, and Nikki was in all black with tattoos.

“Can...can I help you?” A young girl greeted them.

“My wife and I are having our first child, a baby girl, and I might be going a tiny bit overboard.”

“Oh, congratulations, well we have a great selection of girl clothes over here,” she gushed and showed him all the latest clothes for baby girls.

Nikki and the guys all looked at all the ruffles and pink around them. “Do you think she’s be mad if I dyed some of this black?”

“I think there’s a store on the strip that has baby clothes,” Tommy told them.

“I guess we can try,” Nikki shook his head, “I’ll buy some of this just in case though. I don’t want her getting mad at me.”

“Man, she is so laid back about this. Compared to Nessa pregnant, she’s pretty chill.” Vince told him.

“And her favorite color is black.” Mick shrugged.

“True,” Nikki nodded. “Then let’s go Crue!”

****

“Look at this onesie!” Tommy called out. “It’s so cute!”

“Yeah, but her dad isn’t the drummer dumbass.” Vince said, smacking the back of his head. Everything in the store was rock based, and Nikki had already found a couple

“Can I get it custom?” He asked. “My uncle is the best drummer in the world type of thing?” Vince found matching t-shirts for the twins. He wasn’t sure if Vanessa would actually put them on the kids, but they were cute.

“Hey, aren’t you those guys from Motley Crue?” A guy asked.

“Uh, yeah.” Nikki said, looking over at him.

“Dude! You guys were so awesome! I got laid for the first time when Home Sweet Home was playing.” He high fived Tommy then headed about his shopping. The guys looked at each other with smiles on their faces.

“Oh man this looks good,” Nikki said as he grabbed a onesie. It was a Motley Crue onesie, black with pink trim and the band's name in pink.

“Get it. I dare you.” Tommy laughed.

“You don’t have to dare me,” he laughed, “I’m getting it”

“Baby Aphrodite is going to be the best dressed baby in all of LA.” Tommy laughed.

“Not naming my daughter after a Greek goddess. Especially not Aphrodite.” Nikki shook his head. “(Y/n) have a few ideas for names. But we’re not certain on anything until we meet her.”

“What? Are you thinking of something like Olive or something?” Vince asked with a laugh. Nikki stayed quiet. “Wait, really?”

“I said that we’ll know for sure when we see her.” Nikki told him again, grabbing another onesie. “But yes, Olive is on the list.”

“Olive Sixx.” Mick said as they bought the stuff and headed out.

“I didn’t say we had a great list. Just that we had a list.” Nikki pointed out. “It’s a work in progress but we still have some time.”

“Ok, dudes I’m starving let’s go eat.” Tommy smiled and clapped his hands together.

“When are you not starving?” Mick asked. Nikki pulled out the little onesie and smiled, running his fingers on the fabric. He was going to be a dad, and he knew he was going to be a better parent than his ever were.

****

“I feel so fat.” (Y/n) groaned as she sat on the couch with Vanessa, watching the twins on the floor. “My feet are swollen, my ankles are the size of an elephant, I’m either sad, horny, or hungry. There’s no in between.”

“Welcome to pregnancy,” Vanessa smiled. “But you look gorgeous. And I bet Nikki can’t get his hands off you.”

“He said that he’s already looking forward to more kids.” (Y/n) told her. “But I look awful. I don’t get where ya’ll are getting this gorgeous look from or whatever.”

Vanessa hugged her, “because you are drop dead gorgeous (Y/n) Sixx!” Vanessa looked to the twins and sighed as they crawled around the small space they made in the living room for them. “Nikki not able to get his hands off you should be proof of that.”

“How are you and Vince doing?” (Y/n) asked. “Last I heard, you were convincing him to get snipped.”

“Well, I’m good with just two. Plus he has his two other kids so four kids for him should be good enough,” Vanessa sighed. “I just don’t want to risk anything bad happening.”

“Nothing bads gonna happen.” (Y/n) rubbed her arms. “And, if you decide you want another set of twins later on, it can be reversed.” She teased Vanessa. She watched as Dean reached out and stole Sammy’s bow, making her cry and try to bite her brother. “Wow, you were right about that.”

“Terror twins! I told you.” Vanessa took the bow from Dean and fixed Sammy’s hair.

“The boys are going to drop a new album soon. I just hope the tour is after the baby comes.” (Y/n) sighed. “Could you imagine me being in labor and Nikki in Europe?”

“That would drive him crazy,” Vanessa laughed. “But aren’t you in charge of scheduling it? Since it’s the label you guys created?”

“He’s not letting me do anything.” (Y/n) sighed. “I think the miscarriage from the 80’s still haunts him. He wants me to take it easy. I’m going stir crazy.”

“Talk to him hun,” Vanessa smiled. “I mean I can understand where he’s coming from but you guys are past the miscarriage point.”

“I know we are, he knows we are, but he’s still scared.” (Y/n) told her. “He’ll still wake up in the middle of the night, pull me to him, and tell me he’s sorry. It’s been years Nessa.”

Before Vanessa could reply the guys came back with bags on their arms. Nikki walked up to (Y/n) and kissed her on her head.

“How are you feeling?” he put the bags down.

“I’m okay.” (Y/n) smiled. “Think I can do some work for the label soon?”

“As long as you don’t get stressed I think we’re ok?” he held on closely to her.

“Nessa! I got some shirts for the twins.” Vince said excitedly. One was blue, one was pink. Both said “I’m cute, mom’s hot, dad’s lucky”. “What do you think?”

Vanessa smiled at him, “I love them and you’re still getting snipped,” she gave him a pat on his cheek before handing Dean to him. “Your son loves to make his sister cry, and your daughter loves to bite.”

“Well, as long as it keeps the boys away, right my little man?” Vince asked, smiling at Dean. Dean gave Vince the biggest smile. Nikki pulled out the small camera (Y/n) had bought him when she found out she was pregnant and snapped a picture of him and Vince. The small camera came in handy when he was on the go.

“Someday we’ll have camera phones. That’s what the guy on TV said the other day. That soon, we’ll have really good cameras and computers in our pockets.” Tommy told them.

“Yeah, but nothing will beat the real thing.” Nikki laughed.

“So, when is the pregnancy photoshoot?” Vanessa asked. (Y/n) looked at Nikki. They hadn’t really thought of it, but (Y/n)’s mom had been bugging her about it so she could send pictures back to Greece. Nikki smiled at (Y/n) and rubbed her back.

“Well, maybe we could plan something out in the backyard with Jett and Ziggy.” He shrugged. “I know they’re just going to love their little sister.”

“But I look like a house.” (Y/n) groaned. “I don’t want anyone to see me like this. It’s bad enough you guys see me like this.”

“At least she’s not throwing stuff at him.” Vince mumbled under his breath.

Vanessa smacked him lightly, “honey, you look lovely! I can help you with hair and makeup.”

“But…” (Y/n) sighed.

“No. It’s going to be great!” Tommy told her. “As long as there are clothes on in the photoshoot, I’ll be happy.”

“Yeah, I was going to do a naked photoshoot to send to your aunts in Greece.” Nikki sighed. “Seriously, where did all the brains go?”

“My little sister stole them.” Tommy said, not sure if he was insulting himself or complimenting her.

“You could always save the naked ones for your private collection,” Vanessa smiled.

“Oh, I already have plenty of those.” Nikki teased.

“Gross!” Tommy called out. “I don’t need to think about that.”

****

(Y/n) sat on a bench, her hands resting on her belly while Nikki snapped the pictures. Ziggy and Jett had posed in a few, but a squirrel ran by and Nikki hadn’t been able to reel them back in. So (Y/n) was going solo for the rest of them.

“Are you sure you don’t want to be in them dad?” (Y/n) called out to Nikki. “I mean, it’s not just me that was involved in this!”

“I could set the timer,” Nikki said as he grabbed his tripod and began to line the shot. “Ok, so everything is set.” (Y/n) stood up so Nikki could run over and wrap his arms around her and place his hands on her belly. Once he got the time set, he did just that. (Y/n) leaned back against him as the camera went off.

“I bet you look very handsome in it.” (Y/n) said with a smile.

“You look better,” he muttered as he kissed her as the camera went off again. They took a handful more pictures before Nikki went to develop them. (Y/n) lounged outside.

“Your daddy and I love you very much sweetheart.” (Y/n) whispered to her belly. “We can’t wait to meet you.” She rubbed small circles and smiled. She had never thought she would be this happy. She looked at the house with loving eyes. Soon, they would have a family there.

****

“Vanessa, my belly feels tight.” (Y/n) told her a few months later. They were out and about for the day while the boys did interviews and made their rounds. “And little miss thing is all over the place. It’s like she’s breakdancing or something.”

“She might be getting ready to come out,” Vanessa gave her a smile.

“You think?” (Y/n) asked. “Nikki will be in a panic if I’m not with him when I go into labor. You know it as well as I do.” She laughed a little.

“Well she sin;t going to come out today, I hope,” Vanessa chuckled. “But it sounds like she’s getting herself in the position to come out.”

“Dramatic, just like your daddy,” (Y/n) sighed. “Gotta make sure you make a big entrance and put on a show, right?” She rubbed at her belly. She looked at he stroller the twins were in. “Nessa, you’ve got to see this. Get the camera from my purse.” She told her. The twins were fast asleep holding hands.

Vanessa grabbed the camera and smiled as she took the picture, "I need to get a copy of this."

"Of course." (Y/n) smiled but then groaned.

“(Y/n)? Are you ok?” Vanessa rushed to her. “Maybe I should call Nikki.”

"She’s mad about something." She rubbed her stomach. "I...maybe we should call. But he's on TV with the boys."

Vanessa pulled out her phone and called Nikki, “Damn it.” she cursed, “It’s going to voicemail.”

"Leave a message and I'll just go on." (Y/n) gasped. "Little lady your daddy will be upset if you come before he gets here."

Vanessa left Nikki a message as she led (Y/n) back to the car, “I’m taking you to the hospital.” she said. “I think they should check you out in case you are in labor.”

"Okay, not gonna argue." They got the twins in the car and headed towards the hospital.

****

"I heard a cell phone while we were on stage." Tommy checked his. "Wasn’t mine."

“It was mine,” Nikki sighed. “This is Vanessa’s number,” he put the phone to his ear. “She thinks (Y/n) is going into labor. I got to go.” NIkki rushed out of the studio before the guys could say a word.

“Didn’t we come with him?” Vince looked at the guys.

"Nikki wait!" Mick called out. "Your our ride!"

The guys all rushed after him and piled into the car. Nikki drove like a bat out of hell to get to the hospital. He tripped over himself as he ran to the nurses station gasping for air.

“Wife… in… labor…. Friend… brought… where?” he gasped.

"Nikki!" Vanessa called out. "She’s in being seen." Just then (y/n) came out.

"Guys?" (Y/n) asked.

Nikki rushed to her voice and went in side, “(Y/n) I’m here. Are you ok?” Nikki rushed to hold her hand. “Is little lady coming out?”

"No not yet. she just is being a dramatic little girl." (Y/n) smiled. "Are you ok?"

"I… you…baby…" he tried to catch his breath. "I got scared I was going to miss it."

"Guess she's running drills." (Y/n) laughed.

“Once I get you home I’m going to have to come up with something so I don’t miss the real thing,” he smiled.

"What if you're on stage or at another interview? It could be on the national news." (Y/n) laughed.

"Then everyone is going to know that little lady is here to rule the world," he caressed her cheek and kissed her.

“So you’re okay?” Tommy asked, sounding a little worried. (Y/n) smiled.

“Yes Tommy. Honestly, just tired right now.” (Y/n) told her brother.

“Little lady wanted to keep us on our toes,” Nikki chuckled a bit. “She’s good, and I about had a panic attack.”

“I’m sorry honey.” (Y/n) told him. “I’m ready to go take a nap. Do you have to go back anywhere?”

“Nope I think that was our last interview,” Nikki looked at the guys who gave him a thumbs up.

“Good. Now which cute guy wants to take me home.” (Y/n) laughed, giving Nikki a smirk.

“Hey,” Nikki pinched her nose playfully. “Only cute guy taking you home is this guy!”

“I said cute. Not extremely handsome.” She smiled and kissed him.

“Hey now. No kissing. Kissing leads to more babies once that one comes out.” Tommy laughed. “Go rest. Who knows when my niece is going to make her world debut.”

“Come on sweet girl,” Nikki smiled. “Let’s get you home.” He led her out to the car. Vanessa kissed Vince.

“How much did he freak out?” She asked, looking at him and the other guys.

“He almost left us at the TV station after the interview,” Vince shrugged and smiled. “How did the kids do with you guys?”

“(Y/n) has a picture she’s going to have Nikki print off for us. But the babies were asleep in their stroller holding hands.” Vanessa to him with a big smile.

“I don’t know why, but I have a feeling that little lady is going to make her appearance at the most inconvenient time.” Mick told them with a shrug.

“Now that's what I want to see,” Tommy said as they all watched Nikki help (Y/n) into the car. “I kind of want to see him freak out when it actually happens… remind me to get the camcorder ready though.”

“Oh, we won’t let him live that down.” Vince laughed.

“Wait, Nikki’s taking (Y/n) home. He was our ride.” Mick told Tommy. Mick and Tommy turned to look at Vince and Vanessa, giving them little pouts and puppy eyes.

“Come on you clowns,” Vanessa sighed. “But that means you’re on baby duty!”

“Hehe, she said duty.” Tommy laughed. Vince handed him Dean. “What’s that smell?”

“That’d be the duty.” Vince laughed.

“WHAT?” Tommy smelled Dean and put him at arm's length. “Dude that is not funny! He smells like one of Nikki’s old pairs of underwear from the Theater of Pain tour!”

“I don’t want to know how you know what the smells like.” Vanessa shook her head. “Give me my son, I’ll change him and you can walk home.” Tommy sighed and looked at Vince. He hadn’t really changed too many diapers, since Pamela did most of that.

“Come on drummer, I’ll show you how it’s done.” Mick grumbled, taking the diaper bag from Vanessa and leading him to the bathroom to help him change the baby.

Forever Tags: @anathewierdo @dekahg @marvel-af-imagines @feelmyroarrrr @nanie5 @imboredsueme @gemini0410 @aiaranradnay @babypink224221 @mogarukes @xxwarhawk @sandlee44 @shatteredabby @caswinchester2000 @supernaturalwincestsblog @lauravic @mrsambroserollinsacklesmgk @teller258316 @horrorpxnk @tommyleeownsme @marvelismylifffe

Motley Crue Tags: @primal-screamer @waywardprincess666 @twistnet @saint-of-los-angeles @vader-kai @motleyfuckingcruee @sharon6713 @kawennote09 @2dead2function @nikkisixxwiththebass @iamtiber-andtiberismusic @jayprettymuchomw @charlyallise @you-know-im-a-dreamer @sweet-dreams-on-butterfly-wings @estxxmotley @arianareirg @the-normal-potato @nikki-sixxtynine @jjjjjjjoshdun @just-a-normal-fangirl18 @stella20131991 @tarahell @wowilovenikkisixx @i-want-to-shoot-myself @motleycrueee @sams-serialkiller-fetish @getbackhonkycatt @are-you-reddie54321 @flamencodiva @scarecrowmax @major-tom-is-a-junky @anyasthoughts @bandaids-not-groupies @ilovetomkeiferslips @kaitieskidmore1

Nikki Sixx Tags: @daisystuffsstuff @unknownoblivion @deakysblueoutfit @fandomshit6000 @sixx-mckagan

Too Young to Fall in Love Tags: @kingbouji3 @leximus98 @thekidbakerinthetardis @crystalbaby12 @shawnsstxtches @knockemdeadgirl @deansgirl1993 @haileynicoleseavey17

#too young to fall in love #Motley Crue #nikki sixx #nikki sixx x reader #nikki x reader #the dirt #dirt!nikki sixx #dirt!nikki sixx x reader #dirt!nikki x reader #dirt!nikki #fanfiction

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mylovelylittleobsessions · 5 years

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I’d like to point out that I wrote this instead of interacting with polite society. Ya know, as you do.

Rated E - contains D/S relationship, sex toys, light bondage, praise kink, and Alec Hardy being called “baby” frequently (not like that). Gender-neutral reader PoV, 3,331 words

Based on these two prompts

You were seated on your couch nursing a glass of Cabernet when you got the text message. It was simple, just three words: “You busy tonight?” You glanced at the name of the sender and smiled.

Alec.

You’d met Alec in a pub a few years ago. He’d been the one nursing a drink then, a single malt on the rocks. You’d taken in the slumped shoulders and careworn face and slipped over, buying him another round. The two of you had gotten to talking, learning about each other: you, a wages clerk, him with the police (you hadn’t wanted to press for details). The night had gone on, and you’d eventually invited him home. He accepted the invitation, and the night had been wild and unforgettable.

After that, you’d seen each other off and on, trying out different things, finding each other’s likes and dislikes, until you stumbled upon what he really needed. You and he came to a new arrangement, and set up some necessary boundaries. You became his caring, watchful Dominant, and he your overworked, stubborn Submissive.

You fired back a reply, setting on a time in the early evening for him to drop in, then set to arranging your playroom Just So. You both preferred it cozy, with closed drapes and dimmed lights. You fluffed up the pillows on the bed tucked in the corner, perfect for cuddling in after, when he was coming out of subspace and needed some tender recovery (your favorite part, if you were perfectly honest; there was something special about those sweet moments when Alec was blissed out and touch-hungry). When you deemed the setup perfect, you went to the kitchen and had a light supper.

It wasn’t long until there was a sharp knock on your door. You padded over to the door in house slippers and opened it. Alec stood in your doorway, and the tension was palpable. He looked so drawn and weary, you just wanted to scoop him up and shield him from the world forever.

You reached out and tangled your fingers in his hair, pressing a tender kiss to his forehead. He melted into your touch, and the sheer relief on his face gutted you. Whatever he was going through must be especially awful. You had your work cut out for you tonight.

“Come on in, love.” You led him inside and shut the door behind him. Taking his coat, you sent him over to the couch, a hot cup of tea waiting for him on the side table. After hanging it up, you walked into the sitting room and sat down next to him. You gave his free hand a little squeeze. “You wanna talk about it?” He took a sip of his tea and shook his head.

“Can’t.” He muttered apologetically. Must be an open case, then.

He set the tea down and rested his head on your shoulder with a sigh. You reached over and started carding your fingers through his hair, scratching his scalp with your nails. The petting soothed him a little, but you can still see the stress in his half-lidded eyes.

“What is it you need tonight, Alec? How can I help?”

He sat up and looked at you, desperate and almost lost. You could have wept, it was so intense. “Make me forget.” He practically begged. “Just make it go away.”

The poor thing! You sighed and cupped his cheek in one hand, and he leaned into it, eyes drifting closed. “Of course I will, baby. You know I’ll make everything better for you.” You brushed your thumb against his cheekbone. “Do you have any plans for the weekend?”

He shook his head.

“Then stay here with me. Let me take care of you. You work yourself damn near to the bone; you deserve to be taken care of.”

He was blushing just a little. He was fine with sex, but he was weird about the feelings aspect. “Y-ya promise?”

Oh, that sweet little stutter! You couldn’t help but smile and kiss his lips. “Of course I promise! I’ll take such good care of you, Alec. Just stay. Will you stay?”

He nodded, still blushing.

“Good!” Now, down to brass tacks, as it were. You crooked a finger under his chin and tilted his head so he was looking you in the eye. “Go ahead and prep yourself. Supplies are in the washroom. Then, meet me in the playroom. I want you stripped and kneeling, with your hands behind your back. Understood?”

He nodded, blush fading and pupils dilating. He knew what was coming, mostly. You usually left some elements of the scene as a surprise; nothing that broke his hard limits, of course, but always something that made no two scenes exactly identical. He stood and walked down the hall to the washroom and shut the door. It would take him some time to get ready, so you had some time to settle on exactly what he would be getting into tonight.

You picked up the teacup and set it in the sink. No pain this time, not with that look he had. Sense play might be an option, but nothing extreme. No, it would be pleasure tonight, nothing but pleasure. He needed to feel good and, damn it, you were going to make sure he had nothing but bliss!

(Well, maybe a touch of agony, but only enough to make the pleasure sweeter.)

After a bit, you heard the washroom door open and footsteps head into the playroom. You took a moment to compose yourself, then walked down the hall to the open playroom door.

Alec was obediently kneeling before you in the center of the room, head bowed. His clothes were tucked into a corner, folded, but not all that neatly. Ah well, no one was perfect. You smiled and walked over to him, and tilted his head up to look at you.

“Very good, Alec. I love it when you’re a good boy.”

Alec smiled back, just a little, almost bashful. Almost. He licked his lips to dampen them, then opened his mouth to speak.

“You have a question? Go ahead.”

“What... um, that is, erm...”

“You want to know what the plan is? What I’m going to do with you?”

“Yeah.”

“Well,” you purr, trailing a finger down his jaw, “I told you I was going to take care of you, didn’t I? That’s the plan, baby. I’m going to make you feel so good, gonna make you explode with how good you feel. Gonna make your brain drip out of your ears from the sheer pleasure that’ll be coursing through it.” You seized his chin in a little pinch, just to hold his attention. “That sound good to you, baby?”

If you’d thought his pupils were dilated before, they were absolutely blown now. You’d managed to hit all his buttons with that little speech. “Oh, fuck yes.” He rasped.

“Mm, good boy. I’d hoped you’d say that.” You let go of his chin and walked over to your toy cabinet. You had an arsenal in there, and now you were going for the big guns.

First, a blindfold. You plucked out a black silk one from a drawer and set it where Alec could see. Just a little taster of what was to come. Next, cuffs; a joking nod to his profession, and something to keep him still. You debated over two sets before selecting the lambskin-lined pair. You set them on top of the blindfold and heard him make a noise. A whimper, perhaps?

You chuckled. “Patience!” You cooed at him, sing-song. Was he getting needy already? Maybe you’d laid it on too thick. Oh well, too late now.

A gag next. That was no hard choice at all. You found the black ball gag immediately and set it on the table. You stopped before looking for anything else. That definitely was a whimper. You turned with your arms folded, mock-irritated, with the blindfold in your fingers.

“Alec, are you going to behave yourself, or am I going to have to put this on you early and take away the big surprise?”

He shook his head frantically. “I’ll be good!”

You smiled indulgently then padded over to him again to tangle your fingers in his hair, giving it a small tug, just enough to sting. “That’s what I thought. I know you’re just so eager to feel so good.” You happened to glance down at his crotch and smiled wider. “Ooh, and already getting hard for me! Don’t get carried away just yet, okay?”

He nodded, gasping just a little.

“Good boy. You want a collar to go with the cuffs tonight?”

He thought about it, then shook his head. “No, thank you.”

“Such good manners!” You kissed him on top of his head and went back to the cabinet. “That earns you an extra reward!”

(A reward you’d already been considering, but you could keep that to yourself.)

You put the blindfold back on the table, then rifled through the small box of bottles and tubes on the inner shelf before pulling out one in particular with a triumphant flourish. “Here you are!” You set the bottle of lube down where Alec could see and winked at him. Like everything else you’d selected, this one was his favorite. It warmed him up very quickly, just the way he liked it.

Now, for the big finish. You pulled a large crate from the lower section of the cabinet and pushed it next to Alec, who looked at it with confusion. Unsurprising, since you’d never used it with him before. You reached in and pulled out your sybian from the crate and set it next to him. It took a minute for it to dawn on him, then he swallowed and bit his lip as he put all the pieces together.

“Let’s just get everything ready for you, hmm?” You plucked the lube from the table and uncapped it before coating the sybian’s dildo attachment with it. It was good sized and ridged, and shaped just right to fill Alec up the way he liked. You heard him moan. “Just a moment longer, baby, then it’s all yours.”

Once you’d finished, you helped Alec to his feet, then guided him over to the sybian. “Just ease onto it, Alec. You don’t want to hurt yourself. Take your time.”

Obediently, Alec knelt, then slowly worked the dildo in until he was fully seated. He jolted just a hair as he did so.

“You okay?”

“Yeah.” He muttered, flushed. “I just, um, bumped into my—”

“Your sweet spot?” You purred into his ear.

He nodded mutely.

“Excellent. That’ll make it even better later.” You grabbed the rest of the things off the table and knelt down next to him. “Wrists first, Alec.”

He recrossed his wrists behind the small of his back and you locked the cuffs onto him, pressing little kisses to his shoulders and neck. “That okay? Nothing pulling?”

“No, it’s good.” He murmured, starting to slur. Oh, he was starting to slip under already, and you’d barely started!

“Stay with me just a little longer, baby, then you can drift for me.” You picked up the blindfold next. “Eyes closed.”

His eyes sank shut and you slipped the blindfold on. He was already rock hard against his belly, and you gave a teasing flick to one of his nipples. He yelped at the sensation, honest-to-God yelped. “Just checking.” You cooed soothingly, kissing his cheek.

Lastly, the gag. “Open wide.”

Alec opened his mouth and you set the gag in, before strapping in closed at the back of his head. “Now,” you said firmly, “do you remember what to do if it becomes too much?”

He nodded emphatically, then snapped his fingers three times behind his back.

“Good boy.” You purred, stroking his hair. “I always have to check, no exceptions.”

He hummed through the gag as you stood up to plug the sybian in. “Now, we’re gonna build this up bit by bit. All you need to do is just sit there and feel good. Easy enough, right?”

“Mmmm...” he moaned, muffled.

“Very good, Alec.” You sat down in a chair next to him and gave his hair a little pat. “Now, if you want to be really, really good for me, you’ll draw this out for as long as you can. Just keep yourself on the edge, let yourself go higher and higher until your brain just snaps. Doesn’t that sound wonderful?”

“Mmmm-mm!!” He moaned, nodding.

You grinned wolfishly. “I thought you might.” You picked up the remote and reached for the dial. “Here we go, baby.”

You turned the dial to the lowest setting, and the sybian purred to life. Almost instantly, Alec was writhing, bucking his hips as the vibrations started driving him wild.

“Oh, that feels so good, doesn’t it? That just rocks your world?” You leaned in close to purr in his ear. “Baby, we’re just getting started!”

You flicked the dial up to the next setting, and the sybian grew louder, as did Alec. He strained in the cuffs, trying to break out and, if you had to guess, touch himself. You ran a soothing hand down his back. “Easy, baby! Don’t hurt yourself!”

You kept stroking his spine as he thrashed. “I know, I know it just feels amazing, and you wanna stroke your pretty cock, but you don’t need to. You just let me take care of everything. Just let me take you higher,” you turned the dial up again, and the vibrations increased, “and higher, Alec. Just let all that pleasure melt those bad feelings away.”

Alec damn near screamed in ecstasy as his thrashing made the dildo brush against his prostate. He rocked his hips like mad, precum already dripping from his cock.

“Slow down, you greedy thing!” You teasingly chastised. “All things to those who wait.” You turned the dial down a level, and Alec whined at the loss. “Aw, I know! You wanna keep chasing that high. I’ll turn it back up, but only if you promise to take your time. Can you do that for me?”

Alec nodded wildly, and you turned the dial back up. Though it seemed an effort, Alec managed to not immediately grind his prostate back onto the dildo. Instead, he wriggled into a halfway point and just rocked into it as slowly as he could.

“Good boy, Alec. That’s so good.” You stroked his hair again with a smile. “You deserve this. You deserve to feel this good. You deserve to have someone take care of you.” You clicked the dial up again, and Alec whined. “Do you think you can manage this for a while? Do you think you can sit here for ten minutes and not cum your pretty brains out, just savor these sensations?”

Alec nodded, but you could tell it was a hardship. “Good. Just ten minutes, then I’ll turn it up all the way, and you can just bliss out.”

What came out from behind the gag sounded like a mewl. “Oh, do you like the sound of that? I bet you do!” You pressed feather-light kisses against his ears, his cheeks, and his neck. “God, you’re so beautiful, all trussed up like this, an absolute live wire. I’d paint a portrait of you, if I could. You’re an absolute masterpiece!”

You could see his legs trembling with exertion as he stayed seated on the sybian. His muscles were probably so sore. You hoped when he came, he wouldn’t pull anything; that wouldn’t be sexy, that would be painful. “You’ve been kneeling so long, baby. Do your legs hurt? Don’t worry: I’ll give you a nice, long rub-down later, then I’ll fuck you nice and slow, all comfy and cozy. Won’t that be nice?”

Alec nodded, but it was slower, almost vacant. You suspected that if you peeked under the blindfold, Alec’s eyes would be absolutely glazed. There was a fine line of drool spilling out from a corner of his mouth. You smiled. There was the moment you’d been waiting for.

“You’ve gone under, haven’t you? You are just floating right now. Your brain is just stuffed with cotton clouds, isn’t it? And doesn’t it feel so good?”

If not for the gag, you knew Alec would be smiling. As it was, you got another vacant nod. Ooh, he’d gone deep. Time for the home stretch.

“Okay, Alec, it’s been ten minutes. You’ve been so good, baby, so good.” You flicked the remote up to the last setting, then knelt down next to Alec as his hips started to rock faster.

“You’ve earned this, Alec. All that pleasure is just melting you down, and you’re loving every second. You deserve this, all this sweet bliss.” You leaned in to whisper in his ear. “Now, you be a very good boy, and grind on your sweet spot again. Just keep it there until you cum and cum and cum.”

Obediently, Alec rocked his hips perfectly into place for a good fifteen seconds before his spine arched, and he came hard. All the while, you whispered encouragements to him, telling him how good he was, that he was doing so well, that you were so proud, and to just cum out all that stress.

When he was finally spent, you dialed down the sybian level by level until it was off. With great care, you helped Alec off the floor and out of the gear, piece by piece, then gently walked him over to the bed. He wobbled like a newborn animal, to the point you had to carry him over, then gently wrap him in a thick, fluffy blanket. After tucking him in, you reached down next to the bed to grab a bottle of water from the mini fridge.

“Alec? I need you to drink this, baby. Just sip it slow.”

He managed to sit up and sip the water while you fished out a tube of muscle ointment from the first aid kit next to the fridge. You preferred the kind that didn’t reek to high heaven and, frankly, so did Alec.

“I’m gonna take care of your legs now, okay?”

Alec nodded, and you gently untucked his legs to massage the ointment into his aching thighs and calves. Noting a few small abrasions on his shins, you made a mental note to put down pillows next time. As you tucked his legs back in, Alec hummed drowsily.

“Erm, c-could we...hold off th’ slow f’ckin’ till t’morrow?” He slurred. You smiled gently and stroked his hair.

“Of course, baby. Anything you want. I didn’t think you’d be up for it tonight anyway.”

Alec hummed, sleepy smile plastered on his face. “Feel really good...” he mumbled into the pillow.

“I’m so glad to hear it.” You replied, rearranging the covers so he was cozy. “You want me to put on some music, so you’ll sleep better?”

He nodded, so you picked a soothing playlist on your phone and hit shuffle. The sound of Debussy filled the room, thanks to a few strategically placed speakers. Alec nestled deeper into the pillows. “Tha’s pretty...”

You set the phone down and carded your fingers through his hair. “You were so good, Alec. Such a good boy. Now, you just settle down and have a nice, long sleep. Don’t worry about getting up early. You can have a lie-in, and I’ll bring you breakfast in bed. Okay?”

“Okay...” He murmured, eyes already drooping closed. “Jus’...hold me?”

You leaned in and kissed his temple. “Anything you want, baby.” You snuggled up close, and let his head rest on your chest. The heady mix of your heartbeat and the piano blended into Alec’s own private lullaby, and he easily drifted off to sleep, safe and sound in your arms.

#mine #fanfic

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rachel-hathburn · 5 years

Text

(( DOVE CAMERON, 23, SHE/HER, BISEXUAL)) [Y]? NO, THAT’S [PENELOPE WASH] BUT THEY CAN ALSO BE CALLED THE [THE WISEACRE ]. I’VE HEARD THEY CAN BE [DRIVEN && UPBEAT] BUT ALSO [JUDGEMENTAL && HIGH STRUNG]. THEY CALL OCEANSIDE THEIR HOME WHEN THEY AREN’T TOO BUSY BEING A/AN [ELEMENTARY TEACHER]. WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THEM, YOU CAN ALWAYS PICTURE [SHARPENED PENCILS, THE FIRST BREAK OF DAWN, PAINTED NAILS]. – MEGAN, EST, SHE,HER –

LINK TO HER WANTED CONNECTIONS

>Penelope Wash| Pen, Penne, Penny, Princess P, PP, Poe<

Pronunciation

✎{PEN}-{EL}-{OPEE}

Age

✎23

Gender

✎FEMALE

Race

✎WHITE

Languages

✎ENGLISH- (A bit of french from one college class)

Height

✎5′8 (I know Dove is pretty short but I see Pen being on the taller side)

Birthday

✎ SEPTEMBER 15th

Zodiac

✎VIRGO

Blood Type

✎ O+,

Alignment

✎NEUTRAL/NEUTRAL

Spirit animal

✎COUGAR;

Leadership

Standing Behind Convictions

Confidence

Clever

Awareness

Learning Proper Use of Power

Messenger Between Human and Divine Beings

Balance

Steadfast

Responsible

Dependable

Family History

Penelope didn’t always live in her neighborhood or house she does now. She actually used to live in a far bigger house with her Mother, Father, and Older Sister. Her Mother and Father were the farthest thing from the nurturing type and treated their daughters like robots, always coding them to perform at an unachievable level; Her older sister Prim however didn’t find it so unachievable and was exactly what their parents always wanted. Prim went on to become a neurosurgeon and once she got to job moved out to Vermont, their parents deciding to follow with her. Penelope was left on her own basically at 19 and a half, with nothing but a crippling understanding that she was useless and began to forever deem herself that way. She tried to contact her parents and sister but seeing as none of them ever really took a liking to Pen, she never got a response back. Penelope was given everything in life, finically, and never really was taught how to support herself. It wasn’t long until the girl began getting heavily into the party scene which inevitably brings about a lot of negative inhibitions, however the girl struck gold with meeting the people she’d soon come to live with in the Animal House. These people soon became her family and she enrolled into a community college, got her degree in education, and landed an amazing teaching job at a near by school. ~• •~

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"Above all, be the heroine of your life. Not the victim." — Nora Ephron

Age of Appearance

✎Pen always tend to look a bit younger at first glance, especially without any make-up on, however her height and demeanor change that once you actually speak with the girl.

Body Type

✎Pen likes to take care of herself, she tends to keep busy with the chaotic house she lives in and with her work.

Skin Tone

✎Pale, blushes easily.

Complexion

✎ Freckles on the top of her nose, faint.

Birthmarks

✎She has a birthmark right under her rib-cage, someone once told her birthmarks are how you died in a past life, and she been convinced she was stabbed there ver since.

Scars

✎She has one large scar on her arm, a burn from back when the animal house began and she drunkenly tried to make stir-fry for everyone.

Cosmetics

✎It’s rare for someone to see Penelope with out her face done.

Outfit

✎She dress in a way that makes her look put together and classic. However she does step it up and go all out when going out on the town.

Accessories

✎She has a necklace from when she was little that never leaves her skin.

Body Modification

✎She has gotten lip fillers before and keeps up with them regularly.

Are they confident in the way they look:

✎Yes, Pen is secure in her appearance and takes pride in her looks.

~• •~

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“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”– Lao Tzu

General Temperament

✎Penelope is generally a bit cold off first impression, unless you’re close with her or are one of her students. However once she warms up to you the girl is very caring and attentive to your needs.

Happiness

✎Penelope finds her happiness through helping her students learn, she says theres nothing better than when a kid is struggling and then finally grasp the concepts, it is one of the most rewarding things to the girl and a big part of why she loves her job so much.

Sadness

✎There are many things that make the blonde sad, however only a few that really rock to her core. Poverty, kids coming in without supplies that are needed, and climate change are some of the more impersonal ones. Her family is 100% a home run of sadness.

Anger

✎Penelope gets angry when people are extremely reckless, which is ironic because she used to be the poster child for recklessness, I mean she is living in the animal house after all. But as she's grown up, the girl has done a big 360 and now is one of the most responsible people in the neighborhood. As she gotten to be the teacher to many of the children living around other close neighborhoods she finds it disrespectful when people are reckless outside of their own homes.

Confusion

✎Penelope is confused about what to do with her living situation. The girl wants to move and get a smaller place of her own but she knows some of her room-mates would fall off the deep end without the structure she brings to the house, and even though the girl puts on a tough mask, she is a softie at her core, especially for her room-mates who she deeply loves.

Favorites

Animal

✎She loves big cats. period.

Flower

✎forget-me-nots, when Pen was little the name used to make her cry, but they’ve come to be her favorite flower of all time.

Weather/Time of the day/Season

✎For someone living in California it’s hard to imagine her favorite weather not being clear and sunny; but yet, Pen likes the cold. Nothing makes her happier than when their little town finally starts to cool off a bit.

Food

✎Penelope is good a cooking, she can’t make anything extreme but she’s learned how to whip up a nice dinner and usually does so for her house.

Drink

✎Nothing makes Pen happier than a spiked lemon-aide.

Colour

✎Pink! If that isn’t obvious.

Country

✎All she has ever known is california, but the girl has always been fascinated by paris, hence why she took up french in college.

H͟a͟b͟i͟t͟s͟

Social skills

✎ Penelope is a natural at schmoozing and knowns how to put on charm when she wants to.

Insecurities

✎Penelope is insecure in that fact that she never feels proud of herself, her accomplishments never really feel like they’re enough and she is always striving to be useful or helpful to someone so she doesn’t get left behind. But she’d never say that out loud.

Hostility

✎Penelope tends to be very forward when she’s angry, but through working with elementary school kids she has learned how to calmly talk through her emotions, or so she tries.

Fears

✎Being completely useless.

Drives|Motivation

✎Penelope always feels like she has to prove herself, even if the only person she’s proving anything to is herself, and that keeps her driven and motivated.

Dreams|Aspirations

✎To have a family of her own and to make sure her students get the best education possible.

~• •~

First Words: ball

What emotions to the attribute to their childhood: rejection

Morning Person or Night Owl: morning person

Significant Childhood Memory: Pen’s parents bringing her and Prim to the amusement park because they both got straight As

Current Residence: Animal House

Occupation: Second grade teacher

What do they smell like: Vanilla and rose

What words or phrases do they overuse: “Okay- got it, thanks.”

Do they have a catch phrases: “Can you- not.”

What is their greatest accomplishment: Their job

What smells remind them of their childhood: The smell of pencils

What was their childhood ambition: To please her parents

Do they believe in love at first sight: No

Do they believe in true love: Yes

Have they ever had their heart broken: Yes

Are they ticklish: Very

Can they keep a secret: Absolutely

How do they display affection: Words of affirmation

Are they okay with PDA (Public Displays of affection): Yes, a tasteful amount

Are they a virgin: No

How do they want other people to view them: Successful

Are they competitive: Yes, very.

Deadly Sin : Envy

Heavenly Virtue: Diligence

Are they a minimalist or a hoarder: bit of a hoarder with classroom supplies

Where do they go to feel safe: in their room

Where do they go when they’re angry: the beach

What password do they use for everything: penpalpenny333

What is their favorite day of the week: wednesday

What do they keep in their pockets: spare erasers

What is their most treasured object: she has a necklace she wears 24/7

Do they have any pet peeves: slobs and slow walkers

How confident are they: 5/10

How generous are they: 10/10

How creative are they: 9/10

How honest are they: 6/10

How loyal are they: 8/10

Are they manipulative: She for sure can be but only if there is a calling for it

How predictable are they: Pen has her moments where the retired party animal will randomly appear but other than that her schedule is pretty regular

How do they flirt with people: by trying to appease them

Book smart or street smart: A healthy mix

Do they prefer being hot or cold: cold, pen loves the cool weather

What do they think is the worst thing you could do to another person: Abandon them

How do they deal with stress: By doing one million things at once

Are they comfortable crying in front of other: Only a select few, and even then its rather uncomfortable for her

What social justice issue would they be most passionate about: Proper education for less fortunate kids.

If they could change one thing about themselves what would it be: Pen would change her inner need to please and accommodate those around her.

Sexually Explicit Questions:

Are they a top or a bottom (Or do they switch): Definitely a secret bottom there is no doubt.

How important is sex to them: Like on a scale?? maybe a 6

Do they believe it is a mostly emotional act or a mostly physical act: Pen thinks it can be both

Turnons: Caring people, acts of service, when someone is trying not to smile.

Turnoffs: Ignorance, Toxic Masculinity, and people who hate children.

#os.intros #eee im so pumped #plzzz mssg me and plot w pen!!

6 notes · View notes

theonyxpath · 5 years

Link

Yes, we’re down to the last few days of the Deviant: The Renegades Kickstarter campaign, and backers have been talking full-time with developer Eric Zawadzki about all the options contained in the previews AND in the Stretch Goal projects. It’s been really great seeing folks come up with how popular (and unpopular, for that matter) characters in various media can be replicated in Deviant.

There’s been a ton of them, and it’s just awesome how flexible the character creation section is! Dave Brookshaw’s extensive process and playtesting is really paying off with a system that absolutely shines.

So, c’mon! Check it out while we’re still rolling and if you pledge you’ll be getting those sweet Stretch Goal projects as well as Deviant itself with your pledge!

And while Deviant is the last KS standing right now, our joint Creature Collection KS with Handiwork Games ended over the weekend with a satisfying amount that’s over 400% our funding amount, a great number of backers, and a fantastic 224 pages (we started with 160).

A huge round of thanks and appreciation to Handiwork and Jon and all his team over there! It is really one sweet project they put together – and even before the KS was over they had hired new writers and artists to start on the added sections. Our Creature Collection is in good hand(s) – iwork.

OK, even I think that’s a groaner, but I wrote it and it’s staying in as I gotta move on to the next topic!

They Came From Beneath the Sea! art by Brian Leblanc

Over the weekend, I also attended the SAVE convention in Harrisburg, PA. Not only was I joined by Eddy and Dixie, but surprise guest Neall Raemonn Price showed up! He was able to join us on panels, and we had a lot, I mean A LOT, of discussion of upcoming projects – tons of Scion talk, but also a couple of upcoming and currently secret projects.

SAVE itself was bigger than ever, and Saturday it was packed in the gaming area. Even more interesting to me, was the education and therapy tracks (as opposed to the game design and gaming ones I was in), because these were also packed with folks wanting to discuss and learn about how our hobby can be used to build understanding and help with therapeutic efforts.

What a fantastic place we are now in where we don’t have to only mention those anecdotal stories of roleplaying helping folks in their real lives, we now have real, practicing therapists and educators stepping up with methodologies. Very proud of my friends in the Bodhana Group for being forerunners in this effort!

On a personal gaming level, Friday night at the convention I stepped up and DM’d my long-time D&D world for the first time for adults in about thirty years. I just felt like if we’re publishing so many D&D 5e based game lines, I needed to be able to talk about them with experience, not just from playing a few campaigns.

So I girded my loins, converted an adventure I’d written that was published in White Wolf Magazine #15, and sat down with Eddy, Dixie, Neall, and Jen, Jack, and the Captain, from Bodhana. It was extremely fun, and very satisfying – even if we roleplayed so hard the party never actually got into the dungeon part!

They did however talk themselves into a free room at a very nice inn due to some high charisma dice rolling and simple chicanery, burn up two enemies and part of a pine forest, and team-work the hell out of young Frost Giant.

I’ve received a fair number of requests to continue the game, so that’s a good sign, and I’ll just have to see what I can do. Dunno if I’ve shaken off all the rust from decades of not running a game, but I also hate saying no to people who want to join me in my imaginary world. So….

Aeon Aexpansion art by Gong Studios

Last week also saw the release to the public of one of our secret projects: the phone app version of Pugmire! The folks at DTRPG used Pugmire as their first premiere project and worked up an awesome version of the core book, that they then offered as a free download – and I understand that they’ve had over 7,000 of those downloads!

Here’s a direct link: https://phone.drivethrurpg.com/phone-pdf/?affiliate_id=4451

There’s are also some great games from other publishers on there, and we have at least one more project to add – again, one of the things we’ve been doing behind the scenes – you’d be surprised at how many of those are bubbling along right now!

Now for some useful sales info!

First, DTRPG is having their big Halloween Sale on DriveThruRPG and Storytellers Vault starting Wednesday the 16th and running until Halloween. Most of our Chronicles of Darkness PDFs will be on sale on both sites, plus there will be some Halloween Treats (i.e. free PDFs) hidden around the sites.

Here’s a link to a teaser for a Geist 2e game being run by Eric Campbell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GOzzE8b3Wc

Here’s a link to this very cool Scion teaser announcing the project is being translated and published in Spain by The Hills Press! We think it’s an excellent video, a super teaser, and we just couldn’t be happier to be working with these folks!

Maybe the next line should be “Many Teasers, One Path”… maybe not. Let’s stick with:

Many Worlds, One Path!

BLURBS!

Kickstarter!

The Deviant: The Renegades Kickstarter has ONLY A FEW MORE DAYS to go and it’s vengefully slamming through Stretch Goals now! So far, we have the classic Backer T-Shirt, unlocked the Deviant Screen and Deviant wallpaper, added the Beast and Demon core book PDFs and Dark Eras PDFs to the CofD PDF collection, and added four sections of the Clades Companion book! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/200664283/deviant-the-renegades-a-tabletop-roleplaying-game

Next up: Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition!

Onyx Path Media!

This Friday’s Onyx Pathcast features last week’s Call-In Show – it was live at the time and undead now, so check out as our trio and some special call-in guests answer chat questions and chat with questions!

We’ve really increased production of content for our Twitch channel in the last week! Every day has new content, every day has a different game, and much of that content is now being transferred to our YouTube channel.

I’m going to link both here in case you’re not following / subscribed to them. www.twitch.tv/theonyxpath & www/youtube.com/user/theonyxpath

It really helps us to have subscribers on our Twitch channel, and you can do so for free and catch premieres as they go up if you have an Amazon Prime account. Just type Twitch Amazon Prime into Google and you’ll be shown how to subscribe for free.

Also on our Twitch channel, we’ve been proceeding well with Character Creation Month, having created characters for Scarred Lands and Deviant: The Renegades. Also tied into those two games, Eric Zawadski has run a two-parter Deviant chronicle which will soon be transferred to YouTube, and Matthew Dawkins ran a very fun Scarred Lands meatgrinder, to show off some of the monsters from the Creature Collection. A different character dies in every scene!

We have so much fun content coming out soon, with this weekend hosting a Trinity Continuum character creation session, so please catch that if you’re at all interested in Trinity!

Remember, if you miss any content on our Twitch channel, some of it finds its way to our YouTube channel here: www.youtube.com/user/theonyxpath Don’t forget though, that some of that content is Twitch exclusive or belongs to the Storytellers running their games, so don’t miss out and remember to follow us!

Meanwhile, our fans keep creating excellent content for us, not limited to:

Occultists Anonymous for your Mage: The Awakening needs:

Episode 51: Portents of Doom The recovered grimoire is returned to the Adamantine Arrows, but Wyrd the Seer discovers some concerning information. https://youtu.be/_2UJbimcc_c

Episode 52: Rocks Fall… Wyrd shares a surprise revelation before the cabal leaves for Peru. In Peru, the cabal searches for local Pentacle mages. https://youtu.be/R56aMsiT81M

The Story Told Podcast for Exalted: In the Fall of Jiara episode out this week, we hear a dramatic combat between Dragon-Blooded and Solars!: http://thestorytold.libsyn.com/fall-of-jiara-16

Caffeinated Conquests wrapped up their actual play of V5: https://youtu.be/nCqrC3PPunI

Red Moon Roleplaying continue with their fantastic actual play of The Sacrifice for V5 over on their website: www.redmoonroleplaying.com

Maybe the most exciting news of the week is Eric Campbell will be running Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2E! Catch the teaser trailer here: https://youtu.be/3GOzzE8b3Wc

So much fantastic content, and more every week.

Drop Matthew a message via the contact button on matthewdawkins.com if you have actual plays, reviews, or game overviews you want us to profile on the blog!

Please check any of these out and let us know if you find or produce any actual plays of our games!

Electronic Gaming!

As we find ways to enable our community to more easily play our games, the Onyx Dice Rolling App is live! Our dev team has been doing updates since we launched based on the excellent use-case comments by our community, and this thing is awesome! (Seriously, you need to roll 100 dice for Exalted? This app has you covered.)

On Amazon and Barnes & Noble!

You can now read our fiction from the comfort and convenience of your Kindle (from Amazon) and Nook (from Barnes & Noble).

If you enjoy these or any other of our books, please help us by writing reviews on the site of the sales venue from which you bought it. Reviews really, really help us get folks interested in our amazing fiction!

Our selection includes these fiction books:

Our Sales Partners!

We’re working with Studio2 to get Pugmire and Monarchies of Mau out into stores, as well as to individuals through their online store. You can pick up the traditionally printed main book, the screen, and the official Pugmire dice through our friends there! https://studio2publishing.com/search?q=pugmire

We’ve added Prince’s Gambit to our Studio2 catalog: https://studio2publishing.com/products/prince-s-gambit-card-game

Now, we’ve added Changeling: The Lost 2nd Edition products to Studio2‘s store! See them here: https://studio2publishing.com/collections/all-products/changeling-the-lost

Scarred Lands (Pathfinder) books are also on sale at Studio2, and they have the 5e version, supplements, and dice as well!: https://studio2publishing.com/collections/scarred-lands

Scion 2e books and other products are available now at Studio2: https://studio2publishing.com/blogs/new-releases/scion-second-edition-book-one-origin-now-available-at-your-local-retailer-or-online

Looking for our Deluxe or Prestige Edition books? Try this link! http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/Onyx-Path-Publishing/

And you can order Pugmire, Monarchies of Mau, Cavaliers of Mars, and Changeling: The Lost 2e at the same link! And NOW Scion Origin and Scion Hero are available to order!

As always, you can find most of Onyx Path’s titles at DriveThruRPG.com!

The big Halloween Sale on DriveThruRPG and Storytellers Vault starts Wednesday the 16th and runs until Halloween.

Most of our Chronicles of Darkness PDFs will be on sale on both sites, plus there will be some Halloween Treats (i.e. free PDFs) hidden around the sites.

On Sale This Week!

We’re releasing new Trinity Continuum: Aeon journals on our RedBubble store on Weds!

Conventions!

GameHoleCon: October 31st – November 3rd PAX Unplugged: December 6th – 8th 2020: Midwinter: January 9th – 12th

And now, the new project status updates!

DEVELOPMENT STATUS FROM EDDY WEBB (projects in bold have changed status since last week):

First Draft (The first phase of a project that is about the work being done by writers, not dev prep)

Exalted Essay Collection (Exalted)

Exigents (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Many-Faced Strangers – Lunars Companion (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Player’s Guide to the Contagion Chronicle (Chronicles of Darkness)

N!ternational Wrestling Entertainment (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Creating in the Realms of Pugmire (Realms of Pugmire)

Contagion Chronicle Ready-Made Characters (Chronicles of Darkness)

Redlines

Tales of Aquatic Terror (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)

Kith and Kin (Changeling: The Lost 2e)

Crucible of Legends (Exalted 3rd Edition)

M20 Victorian Mage (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

Dragon-Blooded Novella #2 (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Contagion Chronicle Jumpstart (Chronicles of Darkness)

Second Draft

Across the Eight Directions (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Scion: Demigod (Scion 2nd Edition)

Wraith20 Fiction Anthology (Wraith: The Oblivion 20th Anniversary Edition)

Yugman’s Guide to Ghelspad (Scarred Lands)

Pirates of Pugmire KS-Added Adventure (Realms of Pugmire)

Contagion Chronicle: Global Outbreaks (Chronicles of Darkness)

Development

Heirs to the Shogunate (Exalted 3rd Edition)

City of the Towered Tombs (Cavaliers of Mars)

Masks of the Mythos (Scion 2nd Edition)

TC: Aberrant Reference Screen (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Titanomachy (Scion 2nd Edition)

Trinity Continuum Jumpstart (Trinity Continuum Core)

Monsters of the Deep (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)

One Foot in the Grave Jumpstart (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2e)

Lunars Novella (Rosenberg) (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Manuscript Approval

Mythical Denizens (Creatures of the World Bestiary) (Scion 2nd Edition)

Scion: Dragon (Scion 2nd Edition)

M20 The Technocracy Reloaded (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

Vigil Watch (Scarred Lands)

Terra Firma (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition core rulebook (Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition)

Post-Approval Development

Trinity Continuum: Aberrant (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Deviant: The Renegades (Deviant: The Renegades)

Scion LARP Rules (Scion)

Editing

Lunars: Fangs at the Gate (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Hunter: The Vigil 2e core (Hunter: The Vigil 2nd Edition)

Let the Streets Run Red (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

Geist 2e Fiction Anthology (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition)

Dragon-Blooded Novella #1 (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Scion Companion: Mysteries of the World (Scion 2nd Edition)

Tales of Good Dogs – Pugmire Fiction Anthology (Pugmire)

Cults of the Blood Gods (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

Legendlore core book (Legendlore)

WoD Ghost Hunters (World of Darkness)

Post-Editing Development

Chicago Folio/Dossier (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

TC: Aeon Ready-Made Characters (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Night Horrors: Nameless and Accursed (Mage: the Awakening Second Edition)

City of the Towered Tombs (Cavaliers of Mars)

Oak, Ash, and Thorn: Changeling: The Lost 2nd Companion (Changeling: The Lost 2nd)

W20 Shattered Dreams Gift Cards (Werewolf: The Apocalypse 20th)

TC: Aeon Jumpstart (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Indexing

Dystopia Rising: Evolution core (Dystopia Rising: Evolution)

ART DIRECTION FROM MIKE CHANEY!

In Art Direction

Contagion Chronicle – Sending out contracts.

Trinity Continuum: Aberrant

Hunter: The Vigil 2e – Sam on the fulls.

Ex3 Lunars – Contracted.

TCfBtS!: Heroic Land Dwellers

Night Horrors: Nameless and Accursed – Workin’ on it.

Ex3 Monthly Stuff

Trinity RMCs – Contracted.

Cults of the Blood God (KS) – Contracted.

Chicago Folio – Looking for one more artist.

Mummy 2 (KS) – KS stuff in progress.

City of the Towered Tombs – Contracted.

Let the Streets Run Red – Right after Chi Folio art is in.

In Layout

They Came from Beneath the Sea! – Template created… system chapter done.

Dark Eras 2 – Aileen working on it.

Trinity Continuum Aeon: Distant Worlds

VtR Spilled Blood – In progress.

Geist 2e Screen – Need notes from developer.

Proofing

C20 Cup of Dreams – Heading off for WW approval today.

M20 Book of the Fallen – Josh finishing cover.

DR:E Threat Guide – Helnau’s Guide to Wasteland Beasties – At Eschaton for approval.

Memento Mori – Layout proofing as art comes in.

At Press

Trinity Core Screen – At Studio2 – shipping to backers.

TC Aeon Screen – At Studio2 – shipping to backers.

Trinity: In Media Res – PoD proofs coming.

Trinity Core – At Studio2 – shipping to backers.

Trinity Aeon – At Studio2 – shipping to backers.

V5: Chicago – Printing.

Aeon Aexpansion – Prepping for PoD.

DR:E Jumpstart – PoD proof ordered.

W20 Art Book – Backer PDF out to backers, PoD proof ordered.

Geist 2e (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition) – Getting print files ready.

DRE Screen – Getting print files prepped.

Today’s Reason to Celebrate!

Today is the five year anniversary of Impish Ian Watson’s line of Social Justice Classes t-shirts, with Social Justice Paladin and Social Justice Wizard being particular favorites. You can find them at: https://www.redbubble.com/…/c…/328337-social-justice-classes Congrats, Ian!

#Onyx Path Publishing

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filmista · 6 years

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🎀 Female Characters And Performances I l❤️ve 🎞

1. Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster, The Silence Of The Lambs)

-Starling, when I told that sheriff we shouldn't talk in front of a woman, that really burned you, didn't it? It was just smoke, Starling. I had to get rid of him.

-It matters, Mr. Crawford. Cops look at you to see how to act. It matters.

Why?:

She is perhaps my all-time favorite female character and of the first ones, that I think of when I hear the phrase “strong women” in reference to films. She doesn’t go around kicking literal ass but she takes pride what she does.

She is driven and passionate about her work and even with obstacles, she believes in herself. Which isn’t to say that she isn’t vulnerable or scared at times, she is. But rather than beat herself up about it or suppress she eventually learns to overcome it. Or rather work around it and draws strength from it and in the end shows that real strength isn’t not feeling fear, it isn’t being emotionless or numb it is continuing in spite of it.

2. Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl)

“It’s a very difficult era in which to be a person, just a real, actual person, instead of a collection of personality traits selected from an endless Automat of characters.” ― Gillian Flynn, Gone Girl

Why?:

Because she is one of the most complex female characters in modern literature and cinema. It’s incredibly easy to write her off as a female psychopath or a crazy bitch. While I don’t doubt that she might have mental problems, the film also shows us what might have caused some of her problems (the relationship with her parents, the pressure of living up to being Amazing Amy).

All of this aside, she’s just an incredibly fun and interesting character to watch. No matter what you might think of her morally.

There’s a phrase in the book that goes if I remember correctly something like this: “Amy likes to play god when she’s not happy. Old Testament God.” And yes, she’s incredibly pissed off for a large part of the film and does loads of scary, crazy shit throughout the film... all motivated by her absolutely astounding smartness and cunningness.

Personally, I wouldn’t say I agree with everything Amy does (I would be crazy if I did) but I do understand where some of her anger comes from and I even sympathize with her in a few instances in the film.

Point is though there should be more of these difficult, morally complex women in film. Sadly sometimes when women are unlikeable or difficult in a film we tend to as an audience dismiss them as “a crazy bitch”, or worse sometimes equate the actress behind the character to her on-screen persona.

3. Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver, Alien)

“Did IQs just drop sharply while I was away?”

Why?:

Instead of naming the obvious reasons which are her stubbornness and overall badassery, determination and courage. What I love about her is the fact that she’s not really always likable, she’s quite moody and cranky and even plain bitchy sometimes.

She speaks her mind even when that doesn’t always make her popular with those around her. A not always likable female lead isn’t so unusual nowadays but Ripley really was one of the first ones in a big blockbuster. And she’s a cat lady.

Also if I ever get a cat again, I want to name it Jonesy or if it’s a black one Salem.

4. Shelly Johnson (Mädchen Amick, Twin Peaks)

“I’m a waitress in a diner. I’ve never been compared to a goddess before.”

Why?:

Okay, first of all, I’ll admit to having a small crush on Shelly (like probably many a Twin Peaks fan) but she’s more than just a sexy waitress. We all know she married an absolute piece of shit of a man, and when we see her at home she is almost always silent and completely submissive out of fear.

But then we see her at the diner, and she transforms: she’s charismatic, flirty, bubbly and just insanely loveable overall. What I think makes her a great character though is that there are also hints at rougher and darker edges.

In Episode 4 of season 1, after Laura’s funeral (after Leland falls into the coffin and sobs hysterically, which yes I thought was quite hysterical) we see her making fun of Leland in the diner in front of a group of admiring old men. There’s an interesting side to her that seems to want to bully almost, perhaps as a way to get what she is experiencing at home out of her system.

5. Mademoiselle De Poitiers ( Helen Morse, Picnic At Hanging Rock)

-Ah! Now I know.

-What do you know?

I know that Miranda is a Botticelli angel.

Why?:

Because she is for her time (which was not always easy for women) an incredibly sunny, optimistic and kind person. While everyone is telling the girls at the school off or being strict with them she treats them with respect and shows an interest in their “teenage world”.

While she might seem like a conventional and quite traditional female character, I adore that she seems like she genuinely enjoys her feminity. You look at her and see a woman who you can tell simply loves and revels in flirting and romance and it’s incredibly charming performance to watch.

6. Laura (Gene Tierney, Laura)

“You forced me to give you my word. I never have been and I never will be bound by anything I don't do of my own free will.”

Why?:

I think it’s a remarkable film for its time. Laura is portrayed (once she appears) as an incredibly charismatic, alluring and smart woman that values her privacy and independence and as loving and being successful in her career.

The twist though is that for a seemingly very strong woman she has a very toxic friendship with a male friend who’s extremely jealous and possessive of her. He has ruined countless of her romantic relationships because no man is ever good enough for his Laura.

Finally, she dumps him as she realizes his manipulation and stays with the man she’d fallen in love with, which might seem like a conventional ending but I love how Laura, in the end, takes control of her own happiness and by extension her life.

7. Vanessa Lutz (Reese Witherspoon, Freeway)

I know there’s a lot of sick guys that get hard… thinkin’ about messin’ women up. Hell, that’s all you ever see on TV. But when a guy goes and does that for real like you were plannin’ on doin’ – I was just trying to scare you. You had your turn to talk! I think it’s only fair to let me get my two cents in. You’re absolutely right. Sorry. Please, go on. But when a guy goes and hurts someone who never hurt them… that makes him a criminal first and a sick guy second. It’s like being sick has to take second place to being crooked.

Why?:

Reese Witherspoon’s plentiful and colorful swearing, as well as her unapologetic aggressiveness. She’s a trashy and violent female character, and I always find it incredibly interesting to take a look at female characters that are perpetrators of violence and what motivated them.

An interesting thing is also that she is supposedly a morally despicable, white trash and uneducated character but actually has a better understanding of and less twisted sense of morality than any of the characters that are supposedly well adjusted, refined and educated people. Some of her blunt, often shocking comments hit the nail on the head on several problems in American and general society.

8. Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren, The Birds)

“I thought you knew! I want to go through life jumping into fountains naked, good night!”

Why?:

She’s my all-time favorite Hitchcock heroine. What I love about her particularly as a character is her spontaneity, her assertiveness, sass, and humor but above all her perseverance and genuine strength (though she’s occasionally prone to the dramatic sighing or shrieking women just sometimes did in older films ).

A delight for me in the film is that it turns a common romantic trope around: she is the one that first sets her sights on the man and consequently chases and gets with him.

She also consistently stands up for herself, point in case: the scene in the diner in which a local accuses her of causing the bird’s irrational and unexplainable behavior. I really believe she’s one of Hitchcock's most underestimated heroines and in my opinion also written with a depth that proves he was not a misogynist as is so often believed.

9. Wendy (Shelley Duvall, The Shining)

“You son of a bitch! You did this to him, didn't you! How could you! How could you!”

Why?:

While controversial just like Tippi Hedren’s performance in The Birds, I absolutely love Shelley Duvall’s work in The Shining and I think her performance is often very wrongly looked down upon.

Personally, I always thought film Wendy was stronger than book Wendy her performance is often dismissed as hysterical, over the top and she’s also called a dumb character very frequently.

In contrast to Nicholson’s performance though she’s pretty calm. What I love about the performance is the very subtle and slow changes in her attitude. People often find her a weak character, because she stays with her abusive husband I don’t think however that it is that unrealistic.

People in real life sometimes also tend to stay in these relationships until something drastic happens that forces them to really evaluate the situation. Her husband has moments where he convincingly plays at pretending to be the “nice and good husband” and so she chooses to buy it.

However once in the hotel, as Jack becomes increasingly mad she realizes her husband was never a good man, to begin with, and that she has reason to be very, very afraid of him and Duvall absolutely illustrates that fear brilliantly. At this point, instead of walking on eggshells as she did initially she realizes she and her son must simply get away from that man if they are to live.

I see how some people might not like her a character, it does feel like she screams a lot sometimes, but I find it incredible that even in her fear she still soldiers for herself and her child.

10. Ana (Isabelle Adjani, Possession)

“We are all the same. Different words, different bodies, different versions. Like insects! Meat!”

Why?:

Very simply put, Adjani’s utterly crazy and unhinged performance. It’s also a fantastic depiction of a slow and finally full blown descend into madness. What I love most of all is that while it may easy to dismiss her as a “psycho, hysteric” kind of female character she is not completely that there’s more nuance to it.

The film shows that the unhappiness in her marriage and the hints of abuse in it played a huge role as well. A showcase of the fact that love can sometimes truly drive us mad and make us lose ourselves.

Some fictional ladies that didn’t quite make this particular list, but might make appearances on another one:

Thelma (Geena Davis, Thelma & Louise)

-It’s not like I killed anybody, for God’s sake!

-Thelma!

Grace (Brie Larson, Short Term 12)

-Grace, you are a line staff. It's not your job to interpret tears. That's what our trained therapists are here for.

-Then your trained therapists don't know shit.

Celine (Julie Delpy, Before Trilogy)

“I always feel this pressure of being a strong and independent icon of womanhood, and without making it look like my whole life is revolving around some guy. But loving someone, and being loved means so much to me. We always make fun of it and stuff. But isn’t everything we do in life a way to be loved a little more?”

#since I get asked about this a lot #I decided to make a list with some of my faves #I just realised after how much horror is in here #female characters #favourite female characters #women on film #movies #films #horror #favorites #cinema #filmista

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kellyyisstrange-blog · 6 years

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Warped Tour/Roadie For A Day Blog: July 13, 2018

Okay, wow! I have A LOT to talk about today. This blog might be all over the place because I am terrible at this, but I really want to share my experience with everyone!

So, Doll Skin. If you haven’t heard of them before, let me educate! Doll Skin is a punk/rock band from Phoenix, AZ. In my opinion, they are beyond wonderful and extremely underrated and I try to bring their music to everyone’s attention as much as I possibly can. The members are as follows:

Lead Vocals/Rhythm Guitar: Sydney Dolezal | Lead Guitar: Alex Snowden | Bass: Nicole Rich | Drums/Vocals: Meghan Herring

Doll Skin played at Warped Tour 2017 and are currently playing at Warped Tour 2018 on the Owly stage! SO. A few months ago, I had learned about this contest sponsored by an organization called “Girls Behind the Rock Scene.” Basically, this organization helps bring more females into the music industry and showing women what it’s like in the backstage/roadie scenes of band life. I support this 100% because well, being a female myself, I love getting any opportunity that comes my way in a “male-dominated” world. Women are truly making breakthroughs all over the world and I could not be more proud to be a woman in this day and age. Well GBTRS partnered with Doll Skin for Warped Tour 2018 to have a contest, where for each tour date, someone would be selected to shadow/be their roadie for that day. I really wanted to apply, so I did, but at first I had no confidence that I was going to win. I was blessed with that email saying I was going to be Doll Skin’s roadie in Camden, NJ’s Warped Tour show. I had no idea how to prepare or even if I needed to prepare. So I just read up a little bit on what roadies do and took it from there!

Showtime!

So, I rode to Warped with my best friend, Kait. Unfortunately, my car decided to give me problems just 2 days prior. My luck in a nutshell. So, I arrived and had to meet with the girls’ tour manager, Nicole (since there are 2 Nicole’s, one being the manager and one being the bass player of the band I’m going to do this: when I’m talking about the tour manager, I’m going to say ‘Nicole (TM)’ and when I’m talking about the bass player I’m going to say ‘Nicole (DS)’.) So, I met up with Nicole (TM) and she was the absolute sweetest. She did everything in her power to make sure I could soak in as much information as possible, while also staying properly hydrated and having a fun time. It was very hot out that day. She probably gave me a total of 6-7 water cans throughout the day.

Anyway, Doll Skin was scheduled to perform at 4:30, therefore they did not really need me until 3:45. But, Nicole (TM) asked me if I wanted to go with her and Meghan to see Don Broco at 11:30 (I believe) and I said sure! They took me SIDE STAGE and I was completely blown away. I have never seen any bands side stage before so this was an amazing new thing for me. I was trying to keep my cool because so many band members were just walking right past me. I got to give Meghan her gift, which was a red treble clef necklace and she loved it! She wore it during their set! So, after seeing Don Broco, I was taken to the band’s merch tent and I met Cameron. He was giving me pointers about how to sell merchandise to fans and he is just a natural! He convinced so many people who have not heard of the band to go check them out. He had stickers with the band’s name, set time and stage and handed them out to everyone. My favorite thing about sitting at the tent was when people would come up to us and say, “Doll Skin? I’ve never heard of them” and Cameron would say, “Oh but they are only the BEST band on Warped Tour this year!” with SUCH confidence and I could tell it made everyone interested in learning about them. Though, one lady approached us and asked if they were the “Powerpuff Girl band” which made me laugh because the girls told me they get that all the time.

After that, I was pretty much free to watch some bands and do whatever I wanted until 3:45. The first thing I did was look for the Christina Grimmie Foundation tent. Since Christina was tragically murdered at her concert in June of 2016, her family decided to start a foundation in her honor and any donations are shared to families/victims of gun violence as well as breast cancer. Christina is one of my idols, and I’m friends with her brother Marcus who was running the tent, so I visited them and hung out for a while. Mark gave me a bracelet and we were laughing and joking around. It’s good to see him happy again.

I decided to walk around for a while, just to check out all the tents and see what was going on when all of a sudden I notice a sign that said, “Simple Plan free signing 1:00″ It was 12:00 and I IMMEDIATELY went in line!! Simple Plan has been a favorite of mine since I was about 13 years old. I was able to get a selfie with them and my inner child was screaming for joy! Finally, after walking backstage and just looking at all these bands walking past me, I actually MET one! They were signing right next to the stage where Tonight Alive were performing, which made me happy because I really wanted to see them. So yes, another dream of meeting Simple Plan has finally come true! Then I went with Kait to see We The Kings and we got MURDERED in the pit pretty much! Haha, they said they were filming us for a video and around 8-10 fans all decided to crowd surf all at once and they were all coming towards us and we pretty much got squashed. One girl almost fell head first into the concrete! Thank goodness we saved her! Seriously! Be safe when trying to crowd surf people! (Ok, ‘safe’ and ‘crowd surfing’ do not go together, I know. But still, be careful!)

After their set was done, I was escorted by Nicole (TM) to see Simple Plan side stage!!!! I repeat: SIMPLE PLAN...SIDE STAGE!!! It was an amazing experience. The crowd was fantastic and honestly, seeing everything from the opposite side, meaning from the stage as opposed to the crowd, was life changing for me. It really inspired me to maybe get myself onto a stage performing in front of crazy awesome fans one day! But oh my, were the fans crazy for Simple Plan! The band had huge water guns and were giving water to the fans and they were so loud and active and amazing! I got to see what really happens behind the scenes during a show. It is A LOT of hard work, guys! These shows don’t just have a magic button that you press to make it all happen. These crew members bust their asses for every single show and I don’t think we give them nearly enough credit! So shoutout to all of you wonderful crew members working Warped or working at all for any band! Keep it up!

NOW. It is 3:45 and I’m at Doll Skin’s tent backstage helping them prepare for their set! Now I just want to start this part off by saying that all of the members of this band are the nicest human beings I have ever met! So, I see Alex first, and she gave me a hug and was saying that their photographer, who is also named Kelly and also who I met earlier in the day, kept talking about me and how they were all so excited to finally meet me. I gave Alex her gifts, which were a Harley Quinn plush and Avenged Sevenfold All Excess DVD. Her jaw dropped and she gently put them down and gave me the biggest hug in the world, thanking me and saying I’m such a sweetheart for the gifts and that she is going to be watching that dvd for the rest of the tour and I just thought it was so cool that she loved them so much! Sydney shows up next and I hugged her and gave her the Doll Skin Photo Book I made and HER jaw dropped! She’s going, “Guys did you see this?!” and everyone is saying how awesome it was. I included a letter for them in the book which Sydney promised me they would read together. Nicole (DS) shows up next and it was so funny because Alex goes, “Woah! ...Omg from far away she looked naked!” And I started laughing. So I give Nicole (DS) her gifts, which were a pink wrist pouch, a MCR bracelet with Helena lyrics on it, and a bear keychain that was pink. She put the bracelet and keychain on instantly and thanked me and gave me a hug. I went to take a photo with Alex and Nicole (DS) and Nicole says, “OH WOW I DO LOOK NAKED! ...Oh well” Haha. Amazing. There was even a point when Kait asked me if I could bring her a water and Sydney ended up walking over to the gate and talking to her for a bit! Sydney is so amazing! I told her how much Kait loves her and she immediately wanted to meet her and they took goofy selfies together. It was amazing. Doll Skin really does love and care about their fans!

Their set was starting in a few minutes and basically what I learned was that the girls are pretty much their own roadies. We just helped them bring Meghan’s drums up to the stage and the girls took care of everything else. They are very independent and want to have control over how they set up their stage and I respect the hell out of that! We also put water on the stage for them in case they needed it. So, the set begins and I’m side stage of course. It’s like they have this internal switch, from normal people to ROCKSTARS and they definitely just flipped the switch to star! WOW! As soon as I heard Alex’s guitar and Sydney’s “WHAT’S UP, WARPED TOUR?!” I had so many emotions running through my head. These girls, these normal, average everyday but yet so amazing girls, are also in a band playing at Warped Tour. So, I have been wanting to get involved with music for the longest time. Whether it be doing photography for a band, being a roadie, a tour manager, or actually in the band myself, I’ve always wanted to be involved somehow. BUT, my little to no self-esteem, no confidence and anxiety have always been holding me back. But watching them perform like that just inspired me in so many ways. I don’t think I have ever actually felt THAT inspired before. They kicked ass and had a blast! I found myself in tears a few times during their set. I was so overjoyed! Here I am, just a random girl from Jersey, at the final Warped Tour show in Camden, working for Doll Skin and seeing all of these amazing bands up close and experiencing backstage life. It’s incredible!

Doll Skin’s Set List: Family of Strangers, Daughter, Shut Up (You Miss Me), Lets Be Honest, Uninvited, Persephone and Puncha Nazi. (They also said they were going to play Africa by Toto, then proceeded to play the first 10 seconds, stop and say, ‘That’s all we’ve learned!’ which was hilarious! I could tell they were having fun up there!)

When Puncha Nazi started, Nicole (TM) and I ran off stage to get their cases opened and everything ready to be put away and back on to the tour bus. They ended with Sydney grabbing the large Doll Skin flag and saying, “If you guys wanna hang out with us at our merch tent follow me!” And she took the fans, while Alex, Max, Nicole (both), Meghan and I were putting all of the guitars, bass guitars and drums back on to the truck. I can’t imagine doing that on a daily basis, but I would love to! It is A LOT more work than everyone makes it out to be, but it felt so rewarding to hear all of the ‘thank you’ comments from the entire band and we were just cracking jokes while putting things away. We had to be quick too and according to Nicole (DS) I was very quick and very helpful! It was adorable because there was one thing that was WAY too heavy for Meghan to put onto the truck so I did it for her. Nicole (DS) gave me her water and her chips which was great because I was starving.

Ok, so on to the meet and greet and dinner. I waited until the girls were done meeting everyone. They were having so much fun meeting their fans! Then Kait and I hung with them a bit and took some more photos together. Then, I went to catering with Nicole (TM) and Meghan. WOW! I was literally surrounded by the majority of the bands! The singers from Mayday Parade and We The Kings walked past me a few times and I was thinking to myself, “Keep calm! You cannot fangirl in front of them! Stay cool!” It was very difficult. But overall the food was great and I was able to chill and eat dinner with the band again. Then Cameron and Sydney came with me to see 3OH!3 side stage. Again, amazing! I cannot put into words what an amazing day it was. After that, I talked to Sydney for a bit at the RV, she gave me a written set list, I thanked her, she thanked me, I saw Motionless in White with Kait and then we went home.

So, I knew this was going to be a long post but DAMN! Haha, I HAD to share my experience! It was definitely, seemingly like a once in a lifetime opportunity and I just feel so blessed to have learned SO much in just one day about tour life backstage! This definitely inspired me to work harder with my music and hopefully I’ll be performing one day too! HUGE thank you to Doll Skin, Nicole, Cameron, Simple Plan, everyone I encountered at this show! I could not have asked for a better Warped Tour experience and I hope to see Doll Skin again very soon! Thank you to GBTRS for even putting this contest together. Women can do anything!!! Always remember that!

And with that, LATER EVERYONE! :D

-KellyKatt

#dollskin #warped tour #doll skin #roadie #tour #music #bands #warped 2018

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blossom-hwa · 4 years

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ooo director's cut..... im here to know more about constellation eheh -baker anon

Director’s cut ask game: ask for the director’s commentary on a particular story or section of a story that I’ve written! Or send in a ⭐star⭐ to have the author select a section they’ve been dying to talk about!

ANON I WAS HOPING SOMEONE WOULD ASK ABOUT CONSTELLATION THANK YOU I LOVE YOU

WOW so Constellation was something where at one point, I honestly didn’t think I would finish it? Let’s start from the beginning.

I was slightly inspired to write star!Felix by a fanfic I read on ao3, to touch the face of the stars by Iris_Duncan_72. It’s vastly different from Constellation but it does include star!Felix, and I really encourage you to read it if you don’t mind shipping (it’s Jisung/Felix) and some smut (you don't have to read it, I don't enjoy smut so I skipped it and the story was still beautiful) - the author’s writing is pretty much perfection imo. So when I started writing Whispers of Nature and was thinking of plot lines for each member, I thought of star!Felix and the idea was born :)

The rest of my thought process is going under the cut because there are spoilers :)

Oftentimes, when I get an idea for a fic, I think of one very vivid scene that I literally write the whole story just to write that one scene. For Constellation, that scene was the second to last, where Felix returns to the sky. Specifically, I wanted to write the part where Felix tells mc to look for him in the sky once he goes.

Even though sometimes I deviate, I almost always write my stories in chronological order. Constellation wasn’t an exception. This was what made me so stagnant on this fic at the start - I couldn’t get the stupid first scene right. I rewrote that scene maybe 3 or 4 times before I was finally satisfied with it? Either way, it was really annoying, but I wanted to write that stupid scene so much that I kept going.

There was another brief scene that I came up with while I was writing the beginning of the fic. It’s not even really a scene; I knew I would have the story end with mc speaking to the sky, but I came up with the last few lines late one night while thinking of Peter Pan for some reason. That explains the presence of Peter Pan in Constellation :) I just really wanted to reference ‘second star to the right and straight on til morning.’

The first half of Constellation was pretty boring to write. It was mostly Felix getting acquainted with the shrine, right, and I kept feeling like I was writing too much about it and at the same time too little? I didn’t want to make the story stagnant with too many unimportant things, but I also wanted Felix to have enough time to adjust? Towards the middle, I just stopped writing Constellation. It fucking sucked and I didn’t like it, but I also didn’t really want to change it.

So after a long time, I finally reread what I had for Constellation and found that it really wasn’t as bad as I had thought it was? I fixed up some scenes, especially the scenes where Felix and mc begin to get to know each other at the shrine and in the forest. I added the detail where mc can draw, because I really wanted her to sketch a portrait of her star by the end, as a memory of him for when he left.

I always knew Changbin was going to be a present character in this story, ever since I got the idea for star!Felix. He was going to be the sort of ‘mentor’ in the story, bringing the knowledge that would send Felix back home, but also serving as a rock for mc because he understands heartbreak. It was really exciting for me to introduce him to Constellation because it meant that the story really was getting into the plot.

If you’ve read the rest of Constellation (and hopefully you have, or else you just got a hell of a lot of spoilers), you’ll know that it’s really just a LOT of angst. You should probably know that I never toyed with the idea of a happy ending except very, very briefly when I first came up with the idea. Felix was always going to go home and mc was always going to stay on Earth. This is partially out of laziness because I didn’t want to write a way that mc could join Felix? But it’s also because it just didn’t make sense to me - there are fics and stories where someone might leave their family or friends to be with their love, but the bond I imagined between mc and Jeongin, mc and the shrine, and Felix and his fellow stars was always just too great to be severed so easily. Though their love was definitely genuine, it wasn’t great enough to break the bonds of their respective families. There’s also the factor that in this universe, I had the stars as very pure beings, shining upon the blighted earth. Just as humans don’t belong in the sky, stars don’t belong on the earth. This was highlighted by Felix’s skin burning so easily as well as the constellation freckles on his face. Which brings me to my next point :)

FELIX’S FRECKLES. One major reason I thought of him as a star and no one else was because HIS FRECKLES. HIS FRECKLES COULD BE THE CONSTELLATION HE RESIDES IN. I’ve seen SO many stories comparing his freckles to stars, so I thought why not really make them stars????? :D

The end, as vividly as I’d imagined it, was still hard to write, mostly because it was just so sad that I had to take a few breaks to wipe my tears LMAO. When I first thought of that goodbye scene, I wrote out a part of the scene on my phone, the very last bit where the sky took Felix mid-kiss. Maximize the angst ;)

Some last thoughts:

I don’t think of Constellation as an extremely sad story, at least not in the way that I count Moonstruck as sad. Some of you will definitely disagree, but in Moonstruck, there’s the question of what could have happened had mc not died? How could Changbin/mc’s story have progressed? Mc didn’t want to die, and neither did Changbin. Mc’s life was taken away from her in a way that was out of her control.

In Constellation, the ends are tied. There is a reason Felix left, and there is a reason mc stayed. They loved each other and they understood each other. They made their choices and loved each other enough to respect them. Though they don’t end up together, they chose their paths. No one made the choice for them. They decided, themselves.

You’re absolutely welcome to let me know if you thought otherwise (I’m actually really curious to see who agrees with me and who doesn’t and why! I think it could go both ways)

Anyway, kudos to you if you read this far. This is but a pinch of my thought process for Constellation - there’s a lot that I forgot or didn’t think was very important :) Thanks baker anon for sending this in!!

tl,dr: Felix was a star bc of a fic I read and because of his beautiful freckles, I always knew Constellation was going to be angsty, but I don’t think it’s really as sad as Moonstruck :)

#lina answers #nas #baker anon #director's cut ask #thank you for sending this in I LOVE YOU

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recentanimenews · 5 years

Text

THE GREAT CRUNCHYROLL NARUTO REWATCH Has Come To An End!

Welcome back to the final edition of THE GREAT CRUNCHYROLL NARUTO REWATCH. I'm your host this week, Daniel Dockery, and after 200+ of episodes of high stakes ninja battles, low stakes ninja filler, and medium stakes ninja fart jokes, we've come to the end of Naruto. Every week since the beginning of the year, we've watched seven episodes of the show and every week, we've come together to discuss our feelings on them. Whether we were basking in the wonderful glow of Rock Lee or begging to be done with another filler escort mission, we did it together. We're like a family that gathers on a weekly holiday to complain about Sasuke. That's truly a family that we should all aspire to have.

But it is now over, which means that it's time for reflection. It's time to look at the series as a whole and see what we liked most, what we got out of the whole experience, and what we want in the future. If this was a movie, "Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)" by Green Day would be playing as the school year ends. We'd all give each other hugs and cry a little bit and then Joe Luster (played by Miles Teller, probably) would say something like "Same time next week?" and we'd chuckle, because it's only kind of a joke. We'll be starting a few new series soon before we jump into Shippuden, and you'll just have to wait to find out what they are.

We're gonna START this week with the HIGHS and LOWS from the last few episodes:

Joseph: The high point for me was seeing this series of corny battles wrap up and finally, FINALLY send us packing toward Shippuden. The low point was... I just can't believe this filler story was the finale.

Kara: The high was the very end... seeing how far Naruto and everyone else have come both in their own skills and their estimations of each other. I think I mentioned before, but it's wild to realize we've gone from "tie Naruto to a post and make him skip lunch because he failed that hard" to his peers talking completely unsarcastically about trying to measure up to him. Low point was the fact that I couldn't focus when I realized this series was going out on a story where Naruto tries to teach Japanese Merlin the power of friendship or whatever.

Kevin: High - I actually kind of liked the last scene or two, where everyone realizes that Naruto's about to leave with Jiraiya, and Naruto stops for a ramen lunch with Iruka before heading out. It's a nice bit of counterpoint to the beginning of the series, showing how Naruto's succeeded in getting people to recognize and accept him.

Low - Gaara's basically out of chakra to the point that the enemy doesn't think he can even fight. Clearly that means he has just enough power left for three major attacks, the likes of which we've either never seen or would almost certainly exhaust him if he were at full strength. I guess this arc really is taking ideas from Shippuden, because willpower is apparently more of a factor in battle than actual physical limitations.

Dishonorable mention - Admittedly, I don't think anyone ever explicitly stated how Gaara's sand works, but I was always under the impression that Shukaku was in control, or at least powering it, rather that Gaara using his own chakra. Also, when I heard that the armor absorbed chakra, my first thought was that Lee was a great match, because Taijutsu doesn't use chakra. I guess I was wrong. Either that, or the people writing this last arc were making some assumptions about how Naruto works.

Carolyn: I would have to agree; watching everyone actually care about Naruto leaving was very sweet. He's spent so much time caring for his friends and feeling like an outcast and now he's found a family. That's a definite high point. My low point would be the fact that the final episodes weren't really about Naruto at all. They were about Gaara. Which, while I like Gaara, seems like a weird choice.

Jared: That last bit with Naruto leaving was real good. Seeing how everyone was reacting to him heading off with Jiraiya, although it's kind of funny that Jiraiya gives him the whole spiel about training and it takes him 80+ episodes for him to actually do it. There was also a small scene where I liked how Neji was basically trying to wingman for Hinata by having them stop training so she could see Naruto off. Low point would be just how bland the final villains were for this last arc.

Noelle: I'm with everyone else, Naruto leaving was definitely my high point. After all, this is his home, and he's leaving all he's familiar with in a bet to possibly get stronger. It isn't just hollow either, because he has people who will miss him and come see him off. It's very touching, especially considering how Naruto has always been framed as being alone. Low point... this last arc felt so dull? Surprising, considering I adore Gaara but I really wasn't feeling it.

Paul: My high point is the realization that Sakura's Medical Ninja training consists of using her Chakra to revive progressively larger and more expensive fish. My low point is related: Sakura and Ino have now both been relegated into roles as healers. I think Kara previously brought this up many, many episodes ago: that sort of power, while crucial, is a fundamentally reactive power rather than a pro-active power. I worry that going into Shippuden, the girls will still be playing second fiddle to the boys.

Danni: The high point for me was the final few scenes. Seeing Naruto say his goodbyes to the Leaf Village while everyone else vows to get stronger as well got me real excited for the impending timeskip. I really can't wait to see how much they've grown when Shippuden begins. The low point for me was how underwhelming the villains turned out to be. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I wish this arc had been longer so there could be more time to flesh out the Artisan Village and the Four Celestials. The inexplicably magical Voltron armor gets an honorary mention.

David: My low point is similar to last week: despite liking everyone involved in this arc, all the best parts mostly felt like the show nudging my shoulder and asking if I remember this cool stuff from forever ago. High point seems to be echoing most everyone else: finally saying goodbye before we come back to see how everyone has changed.

Welp, that's it, y'all. How are you feeling? Relieved that it's over? Ready for a break? Eager for Shippuden? Frantically writing Sasuke fan fiction?

Joseph: I'm somewhere in the middle. I'd say I'm eager for a little bit of a break, but I also desperately want to wash this taste out of my mouth with some sweet, sweet, main storyline action in Shippuden. I wanna watch Naruto get good again!

Kara: It's about the same for me. As excited as I am about Shippuden, that was a lot of filler and I need a few minutes.

Kevin: Honestly, I'm ready to go to start Shippuden. Throughout this rewatch, I kept remembering just how much changes between the two series. Naruto starts with actual ninja techniques and ends up with Naruto being accepted by the other genin and a selection of higher ups. Shippuden starts with Naruto trying to save a world leader, and (without spoiling too much) ends with fights to save the planet and a war that takes over 200 episodes.

Carolyn: I'm very happy to have a break in between Naruto episodes.

Jared: It's going to be real weird not having Naruto in my weekly schedule, but I think a break is going to be good. I'm pretty excited to get back to non-filler writing though.

Noelle: I have been in filler jail for so long, I'll take that break.

Paul: I'm ready to move on to Shippuden, and I've even added it to my queue. When I was in college, among my social circle, Naruto was held in low regard. People treated it as a series for babies, and being a Naruto fan was synonymous with having questionable (or at least very "basic") taste. I never thought I'd pick it up so many years later, or that I'd enjoy it as much as I have.

Danni: I'm not gonna lie, as soon as I finished episode 220, I considered secretly starting Shippuden right away anyway. It's been the light at the end of the filler tunnel for me for so long that I'm actually bummed I can't dive right into it just yet. I just bought my first Naruto t-shirt from the Crunchyroll Store, and now I have to wait to break it in until [redacted].

David: Despite the last few months of disappointing filler, the actual show up until the retrieval arc turned out to be some of the most fun I've had watching anime every week, so count me in with those who kind of wish we were just going straight into Shippuden.

What is one character that you desperately wish had been given more to do?

Joseph: I would have liked more Kakashi in these filler storylines. The fact that it was a shocker when he occasionally showed up speaks volumes. Instead it felt like we were getting the same or very similar teams on each mission.

Kara: Hinata. She got to do some awesome stuff, granted, but I'm so tired of her one line being "Naruto-kun..." I mean I know how they end up, and it's kind of a gateway spoiler for even knowing what Boruto is about. But considering her capabilities, it's a little annoying to see her constantly fall into the role of Girl Who Likes Naruto instead of that being, you know, just one of her things. Because it's okay to have a crush on a boy. It's okay to have an embarrassing crush on a boy. It happens. But I'd love that to be an aspect instead of a good chunk of her identity.

Kevin: Tenten, absolutely. She's a bit of an obvious choice, since most people know the joke about how little screen time she gets, but her abilities are legitimately interesting and could be extremely versatile, she's just not given any time to show off her prowess.

Carolyn: S A K U R A

Jared: Basically any of the girls. I don't know if the last bit with Ino was an actual tie-in to what happens in Shippuden, but to have her just do the same thing as Sakura really feels like a "hey we have no clue what to do with you" type moment.

Noelle: We all know that Kishimoto is really not good at writing women, but it just stands out so, so much with Sakura. She has a couple of moments and that's it, versus Naruto and Sasuke who are consistent all throughout. Give her something to do, it's not that hard. Please.

Paul: My first instinct is to say Kakashi, but I'll echo the others and say Sakura, and I'll add a little Hinata into the mix. I'd like to see them given a chance to shine, too. Sakura and Hinata have had a few iconic moments, but not to the same degree as Neji, Choji, and Kiba, who not only got dramatic death scenes but also got to survive their heroic sacrifices by pure plot fiat.

Danni: As much as I missed Kakashi in all this filler, I'm gonna have to go with Sakura as well. Despite being one of the three main characters, she's done next to nothing at all. Her main roles have been victim and healer, which are some really disappointing tropes to fall into when writing a female character.

David: It feels weird to say this since everyone including me loves him, but Rock Lee actually? After his big moment he gets relegated to a hospital bed with no discernible improvements made until suddenly he's ok now, I guess. I wish that were handled a little more gracefully.

Have any favorite moments from the series? Favorite fight scenes? Favorite quotes? What sticks out to you as the curtain (momentarily) closes on Naruto and His Amazing Friends?

Joseph: I miss the tournament arcs during exams. Those were really fun, and it was always exciting to see who would emerge victorious and how the animators would handle it. For sheer animated splendor, though, I have to go with the battles during the whole attack on Konohagakure village.

Kara: As messed up as their individual stories can be (especially Jiraiya), I really love the older generation. I like the feeling - not just the feeling, the fact - that the story didn't just magically begin with Naruto, and that there are several levels of information we're still unpacking. My favorite moments tended to touch on those multigenerational elements in some way.

Kevin: If I had to pick a single high point in the series, something that would be an exemplar of how good Naruto can be when it isn't bogged down by endless filler, I would probably go with Naruto's Rasengan training into the Kabuto fight. It shows off Naruto's dedication, ingenuity, and willingness to put himself in harm's way in a fight to save those he cares about, and also opens up the world more by revealing some of the history of the Leaf. It's not quite as emotional as some of the character deaths, like Zabuza and Haku or the Third Hokage, but it showcases some of the best aspects of the show in quick succession.

Carolyn: I think I'll always be partial to Rock Lee training outside the hospital. He's such a good boy.

Jared: I came into this knowing relatively little about the series and leave knowing that Rock Lee is the best boy. That fight against Gaara is just something else, even if that was one of things things I actually knew coming in. When this show is good, it's amazing, which is kinda hard to remember when you're locked in filler jail.

Noelle: I think overall, my impressions stayed fairly consistent from when I first watched it to now. I think I definitely enjoyed the Chunin arc more, since I thought it dragged when I was young, and I really appreciate Rock Lee. I can't believe I used to think Rock Lee was annoying, this kid rules.

Paul: My favorite moment is still the scene where, while training with Sakura and Sasuke under Kakashi, Naruto gets caught in a rope trap, escapes from it, then immediately gets caught in another rope trap. Another scene that really stuck with me was when Naruto and Sasuke teamed up against Zabuza and together they hide Naruto (disguised as a shuriken) in the shadow of another shuriken. Finally, a phrase that stuck with me is: "A ninja is one who endures." That phrase is the thesis statement for what defines heroes and villains in the world of Naruto.

Danni: The battle between Naruto and Sasuke in the Final Valley, for sure. Their relationship is the backbone of the entire show in my opinion, and that fight was an incredible turning point and moment of understanding between them. It also just looked really freaking cool.

David: The scene where Sakura tries one last time to stop Sasuke from leaving. It's sort of understated but there is a lot of emotional complexity going on there, down to her 'confession' hail mary that is completely ineffective. The show isn't usually great at writing women, or even emotions in general that aren't loud and clear, but that's definitely a place it got things right and sticks out to me even now.

I want you to sum up your experience with Naruto in three words.

Joseph: Always Craving Ramen.

Kara: My Queen Tsunade.

Kevin: Ninja wizard president.

Carolyn: I like Naruto?

Jared: So much ramen.

Noelle: Power of friendship.

Paul: Not Kid's Stuff.

Danni: Only just beginning.

David: Please less filler.

What advice would you give to someone that hasn't watched Naruto but plans to try?

Joseph: Don't be stubborn. Listen to what longtime fans say about the filler and don't bother with it. Don't feel the need to absorb every bad episode and just follow the main story through both this and Shippuden. Failing that, read the manga.

Kara: I know the main advice is "seriously, skip the filler," but my friend circles are made up of a lot of completionists and telling them to skip it would just make them watch it harder. So whatever. Honestly, even without the filler, Naruto has highs and lows. So I guess I'd say don't expect all 220 episodes to be fried gold, but enjoy it as a chill watch and just appreciate when those really solid stories come along.

Kevin: If they already want to start, my advice would be to binge the first season to get to the Zabuza arc. The earliest stuff is important, but not necessarily the most interesting. If I need to show them something to convince them to watch, then I'd probably recommend the Chunin Exams. Some of the details might be confusing, but it's some of the best self-contained storytelling in the show.

My general advice is honestly to go back and keep pace with the Rewatch if you want to watch the entire show. There are over 200 episodes, around half being filler, so you're not going to watch the entire show over a weekend. The Rewatch keeps a brisk pace that gets through all of the less interesting bits without going so quickly that you accidentally skip the emotional resonance of the better arcs. If they just want to watch those better arcs and skip the likes of Filler Jail, then watch from around the Genin Exam or Land of Waves arc to episode 130 or so (it'll be obvious when the filler starts).

Carolyn: Yeah, skip the filler. Watch until Sasuke leaves and call it a day.

Jared: You don't have to watch all of the filler. There's certainly a few arcs that if you wanted to check out as a buffer for Shippuden that would be fine, but going through it all isn't necessary. Although if you're liking things and get to the filler and want to keep going, who am I to stop you? I'm not your dad.

Noelle: It's a lot less compact compared to more modern shonen, but it's still got plenty of substance. Naruto, at the end of the day, is a good kid that's worth rooting for. Also, skip the filler, you won't miss anything.

Paul: When you're going through Filler Hell, keep going. A ninja is one who endures.

Danni: Just skip the filler. I'm saying this as someone who endured all of Dragon Ball without giving in to everyone telling me to skip certain batches of episodes. Skip the filler.

David: Don't watch too much at once! This show doesn't exactly have a reputation for solid emotional or thematic setpieces but I think that's because there is so much content people lose the details, so watch a little at a time and let it sit with you.

And before we depart from our journey, we have a question from a reader:

"What were some of your favorite Opening and Ending Theme Songs (or intros and outros, respectively)? Are there any bands/groups/artists you are now a fan of, but weren't previously, because their work was featured in Naruto?"

Kara: "GO!!!" by FLOW is absolutely my favorite opening. I envy everyone who gets to see them live at Crunchyroll Expo this year! As for endings, "Yellow Moon" by Akeboshi really hits me. I also liked "Wind," but this is the one that sent me looking for more music by him. "Parade" by CHABA is a close second, but that's mostly because it sounds like it's by The Killers.

Joe: I'm gonna go classic with Far Away as my favorite OP, and Wind as my favorite ED.

Noelle: Far Away is probably my top fave op because of how absolutely rad it is, but I'll be lying if GO!!! isn't the first thing I think of when I think of Naruto openings (fighting dreamers!). I'm also feeling Wind for my favorite ed, because it's very touching, but it's also so radically different compared to the rest of the endings? A top fave.

Jared: "GO!!!" and "Wind" are definitely top tier when it comes to openings and endings. I also actually went and purchased "Far Away" and "Pinocchio" so those would be up there too.

Kevin: Interesting that someone asked this actually. Since we're nearing Shippuden, I've been occasionally listening to all of the Shippuden themes together, and it is quite an experience to go through 500 episodes of content in a half an hour via song.

To the actual question, for openings my favorites are probable Far Away and GO!!!. Between the two, I'd probably have to go with Far Away as my favorite, because while I didn't know the artist when I first heard the song as a kid, it technically introduced me to Asian Kung-Fu Generation, and I don't think I've heard a song of theirs yet that I don't like.

For endings, to be honest I had to go back and relisten to literally all of the Naruto endings, because I seriously don't remember any of them. As a result, I guess the first ending, Wind, wins by default since it is the only one that I've actively sought out and listened to outside of the show. That being said, I actually found that I liked Mountain-A-Go Go-Two and Speed much more than I thought I would.

David: I really couldn't believe how good Wind is as it had somehow left my mind but now it's my favorite ED in original Naruto by far. GO!! is unsurprisingly my choice for OP both because it is very good and how much it represents the feeling of watching Naruto in general.

COUNTERS:

Week Ramen: 2 bowls Hokage: 0 Clones: 0

Total Ramen: 210 bowls, 20 cups Hokage: 62 Clones: 940

And that's all for the GREAT CRUNCHYROLL NARUTO REWATCH. Once again, thank you for joining us and we hope you'll accompany our merry team on our next adventure!

CATCH UP ON THE REWATCH!

Episodes 211-217: Nearing The Finish Line

Episodes 204-210: Escort Mission Time

Episodes 197-203: Solving a Mystery

Episodes 190-196: Matchmaking Gone Wrong

Episodes 183-189: No Laughter Allowed!

Episodes 176-182: Reach for the Stars!

Episodes 169-175: Anko’s Backstory At Sea

Episodes 162-168: The Tale of the Phantom Samurai

Episodes 155-161: Quickfire Curry

Episodes 148-154: The Forest is Abuzz With Ninjas

Episodes 141-147: Mizuki Strikes Back!

Episodes 134-140: The Climactic Clash

Episodes 127-133: Naruto vs Sasuke

Episodes 120-126: The Sand Siblings Return

Episodes 113-119: Operation Rescue Sasuke

Episodes 106-112: Sasuke Goes Rogue

Episodes 99-105: Trouble in the Land of Tea

Episodes 92-98: Clash of the Sannin

Episodes 85-91: A Life-Changing Decision

Episodes 78-84: The Fall of a Legend

Episodes 71-77: Sands of Sorrow

Episodes 64-70: Crashing the Chunin Exam

Episodes 57-63: Family Feud

Episodes 50-56: Rock Lee Rally

Episodes 43-49: The Gate

Episodes 36-42: Through the Woods

Episodes 29-35: Sakura Unleashed

Episodes 22-28: Chunin Exams Kickoff

Episodes 15-21: Leaving the Land of Waves

Episodes 8-14: Beginners' Battle

Episodes 1-7: I'm Gonna Be the Hokage!

Have anything to say about our thoughts on Episodes 218-220? Let us know in the comments!

------------------------

Daniel Dockery is a writer and editor for Crunchyroll. You should follow him on Twitter!

Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: [email protected]

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

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xseedgames · 8 years

Text

Question Extravaganza Blog #2

Hi there! Remember, back in December, when we had an “End-of-the-year Question Extravaganza Blog”? And how there was going to be a second part? Well, FINALLY, here it is! Round two of our answers to the questions that you sent to us via Twitter, so long ago.

Who’s playing this time:

Tom – Localization Producer

Brittany – Localization Producer

Junpei – Assistant Product Manager/XSEED’s Garbage Disposal

Ryan – Localization Lead

Nick – Localization Editor

Alyssa – Product Associate

Liz – QA Tester

Danielle – QA Tester

WARNING: Spoiler alert, just in case! And maybe some language.

Question: which character from Senran Kagura New Wave would you most like to see become playable in a future game

Liz:

There are so many! Kasumi, Kumi, Fuga, and Bashou Kasumi - shy girl that can code her way into your heart? aw yuss. Kumi - ngl I like foxes. I'm also hella curious what her animations would look like... Fuga - dude it's fireworks coming from a shamisen who doesn't wanna SEE THAT. AND THOSE PLATFORMS. DAMN. Bashou - paintbrushes: creation, destruction, or the beauty that comes from their combination? tune in next time on quiet girls that can artfully kill you

Brittany:

Fuga. I've loved her design ever since I first saw it and I've actually begged Takaki-san in person to put her in one of the core games.

Alyssa:

Picking just one is hard, so these are the ones are the top of my list:

Meimei – She fights by throwing bombs shaped like steam buns. Just. Yes.

Ukyou – For some reason, I really like the idea of a machine gun shaped like a bass guitar. She’s also a cutie, I like her design.

Seimei – I like the fact that she rocks pajamas. I wish I could wear pajamas all the time…

Question: What is your most favorite game that you have localized And why?

Brittany:

Trails of Cold Steel II. I cried so much while working on it, haha. It was the game that made me feel like I was really growing up as a writer, and I was so proud of the effort I put into that during every step of the process. Everyone knows I love the series, but for now, that game has a particularly strong place in my heart because I feel like I grew as a person together with those in Class VII (is this too cheesy? lol).

Junpei:

Definitely the EDF series. I’ve been a big fan of the series since the first EDF came out in Japan, but also I learned a lot from the producer and the dev team. It was a very exciting to work on, and luckily, EDF2: Invaders from Planet Space was selected as a D.I.C.E Award nominee.

Also, Touhou: Scarlet Curiosity was a favorite, too. The game is very fun and pretty. I didn’t really know about the Touhou series at first, but this was a good title for Touhou beginners like me to learn what Touhou is. The dev team is very passionate and professional. I was always impressed by them while working on this.

Ryan:

I have a few personal favorites: Estival Versus because I love the character banter, Deep Crimson for the same reason, and Suikoden V because it was my first real localization project and I still have a soft spot for it.

Alyssa:

I have a soft spot for Ys: Memories of Celceta. It was published before I started working here, but was the first XSEED game that I played.

Even though we didn’t really localize it (just published it physically), I’m a big fan of Shantae: Half-Genie Hero. Working with WayForward was an absolute treat and I’m so glad that we have a chance to do something with them.

Tom:

I think anyone who knows me knows my answer to this, but in case you don't: RETURN TO POPOLOCROIS, BABY!! ;) The very first game script I ever translated was part of the script to PopoloCrois Story II on the PS1, which I translated in play-script format and uploaded to GameFAQs as a translation guide. After that, the very next thing I translated was all 51 episodes of the two existing PopoloCrois anime. I am a PopoloCrois super-fan, and when the opportunity came along to work on a PopoloCrois game, to say I was ecstatic would be an understatement. Getting to officially write English dialogue for Prince Pietro Pakapuka, Narcia the forest witch, the White Knight, and the GamiGami Devil was an absolutely amazing experience, and getting to sit in on voiceover sessions and help shape the way they sounded in English was the icing on the cake.

Corpse Party is a close second, though, because I was able to get much more graphic than I'm used to, and it was a bizarre amount of fun describing some of the most horrible acts of mutilation and torture imaginable. It was weird working on Corpse Party and Fishing Resort at the same time, as I had to keep stopping myself from inserting extremely graphic language into the Fishing Resort script.

And Akiba's Trip: Undead & Undressed gets an honorable mention, as the three weeks spent in voice-recording for that game may be the most fun I've had in my seven years at XSEED.

Question: Where do you face the most unexpected challenges during the localization process?

Nick:

The thing about unexpected challenges is that they're...well, unexpected. The things we run into the most frequently are things we know to be watchful for based on past experience (which is why we usually catch the major stuff). A good example of an "unexpected challenge" would be realizing partway in that we don't actually have all the text files for the game, even though the developer said they gave us everything. Working on games that are still in production also has the tendency to turn up a lot of unexpected issues, particularly when the developers change things and neglect to mention that they were changed. If you learn that a localization was being worked on while a game was still in development, know that it was probably a huge headache for the translators and editors compared to working on something that has been finished and more or less finalized.

Sometimes it's because there's an honest mix-up and they thought they'd given us everything. Other times there's a breakdown in communication along the way, as can occur when information has to pass through too many hands. So...ultimately, miscommunication is where we stand to face the most unexpected challenges. It varies from project to project, and we know to be mindful of it, but we can never fully predict when this sort of issue will pop up.

Question: Where do you try to draw the line between remaining loyal to the original and changing to fit the region you are localizing for?

Nick:

Every editor will give you a different answer for this, so I can only speak personally, but here's where I stand on this issue. When I localize a game, I absolutely want the intent of the original to come through. That's what people are coming to the work for - what they want to experience. However, sometimes, truly conveying the spirit of the original work necessitates departing from the exact language of the original.

If one facet of my job is about accurately conveying information and character relationships, another facet is to ensure people who buy our games are entertained and engaged. That happens best with a script that feels fairly natural in its English phrasing. A quick example is how, if you listen to people converse, most people make frequent use of contractions. They’re a natural linguistic shorthand for English, so it feels natural to make broad use of them in character dialogue. But I often see dialogue written without them (like, where it doesn’t strike me as an intentional editorial choice). Without contractions, at the most basic level, you'll get dialogue that sounds wooden and has less flow to it (Tom and I often compare it to the speaking style of Data, from Star Trek: TNG), but in some cases, using or not using contractions can subtly alter the way we perceive a line, especially if there's no voice-over to clue us in. "I cannot believe he said that about me" carries a bit more of a testy tone than "I can't believe he said that about me."

There are also cultural differences that, when translated over on a 1:1 basis, won't elicit the same response from an international audience, so some tweaking is necessary to make sure Western players of a game experience enjoyment similar to what Japanese players would've felt. This is admittedly a touchy issue, since a lot of this involves getting a good feel for the characters' personalities, and so is inevitably colored by an editor's own interpretations of them. In a blog I wrote before the first Trails of Cold Steel was released, I laid out some cases where I basically felt that the characterizations provided in some places by the original script were lacking, so Kris and I embarked on a mission to strengthen characterization not through any sweeping gestures, but just by bringing certain traits more clearly to the fore in scenes specific characters were in. It's something you might notice if you had the Japanese and English scripts side by side, but it never stood out to most players, and from anecdotal accounts I've read many places online, I think this initiative of ours was very successful. Certainly, I think it brought a lot to Rean's character in particular.

Ultimately, I want a localization to keep all the information the original script gave, but sometimes I re-frame how that information is conveyed because I value entertaining/engaging writing and want our games to feel, as much as possible, like the English scripts could just as well have been the original scripts.

“So, where do I draw the line? As someone who always wants to push for better writing, I generally won't make an edit - even if it would sound great - that would result in dropping factual information conveyed by the original. Not necessarily on a line-by-line basis, but definitely on a scene-by-scene basis. Ultimately, I want a localization to keep all the information the original script gave, but sometimes I re-frame how that information is conveyed because I value entertaining/engaging writing and want our games to feel, as much as possible, like the English scripts could just as well have been the original scripts.”

Brittany:

This question is too broad and no one should have one answer for it. It depends on the game itself, the context, the importance of the topic in question in the scope of the story, the emotional impact it's supposed to make. The most generic answer I can give is that we should always remain loyal to the spirit/intent of the original game, and if anything comes under question, we should consult the dev team and get their perspective on it.

I guess an example that's happened a few times throughout Trails is one where Japanese honorifics are dropped as people become closer. A big deal is made out of it, but that sort of thing doesn't exist in English. At the same time, there's no reason to force it in the English version because the name-dropping isn't necessarily the focus--it's the result of characters becoming closer. The intent is the bond, and as long as you write the scene so that English players understand these characters have become closer thanks to what's going on, then I believe we're still loyal to the Japanese while still properly localizing the scene.

Question: outside of trails in the sky sc what was the hardest game to work on you've released?

Brittany:

It's a toss-up between Unchained Blades and Rune Factory 4. RF4 was a joy to work on because I'm a big fan of the series, but it also contains so many complex algorithms that even the Japanese version of the game occasionally had random bugs that just couldn't be reproduced. Those were everywhere during QA, and then we also had had all that text that needed to be checked for context...

Unchained Blades is far shorter with less text, but it was plagued with bugs during QA to the point where I once ran to the bathroom to cry from losing my save data for the umpteenth time. We had no debug mode for that one, either, so anything I had to test, it had to be done by playing through like a normal player. Hopefully the effort was worth it. I don't think I've ever heard of players experiencing the issues on that game that I had!

Ryan:

Probably Fate/EXTELLA, which had a lengthy, lore-heavy script with a long history behind it, plus a writing style that was both abstractly poetic and strictly technical.

Danielle:

I would say the Story of Seasons series, mostly because of the sheer volume of text and variables to test.

Question: which sort of cultural references do you try to keep rather than rewriting for localization?

Tom:

Generally, all of them. It's always better to keep a reference, and just maybe insert a brief explanation, than to get rid of it. People who play our games know that they're playing Japanese games, so I figure, why try to disguise the Japaneseness of them? Better to celebrate it.

Ryan:

Depends on the medium and context. Fate, in general, is known in part for drawing lore from all over the world, so we did our best to keep its references to world history and literature intact. Akiba's Trip was chock full of Japanese-language anime references, some of which had only unofficial translations, so we did our best to cobble together appropriate translations from Japanese and English fan sites. SENRAN KAGURA drops references to well-known anime now and again, well-known enough that we can keep them intact, with an English take on their wordplay (such as when Katsuragi's play on "a great era of sexual harassment," referring to the "great era of piracy" from One Piece, became "a great invasion of privacy.") Occasionally, we'll run across Japanese proverbs that don't have direct translations, so we'll do our best to find English proverbs or wordplay that match the general sentiment of the original.

Question: What was the situation in a game that gave you trouble? Joke? A conversation? Interactions? Items? Names? Tell us the worse!

Tom:

Shiawase no Sachiko, in Corpse Party. To this day, I'm still not 100% satisfied with my translation there.

See, in the Japanese, there's supposed to be a distinction between 幸せのサチコ ("Shiawase no Sachiko"), which roughly translates to "Happy Sachiko," and 死合わせのサチコ (a different way of writing "Shiawase no Sachiko"), which roughly translates to "Sachiko Aligned with Death."

The English I came up with for this is "Sachiko Ever After" vs. "Sachiko in the Everafter." And even that vaguely acceptable solution took far, FAR too long to come up with.

Sometimes, Japanese linguistic references are just really tough to work with!

Ryan:

The first example that comes to mind is a certain "My Room" conversation from Fate/EXTELLA, where Nero and the Master have a back-and-forth conversation about different kinds of bathing. The original Japanese script had an entire conversation tree about misreadings of kanji, which had no direct translation. This is one of those rare times where we were tempted to, as we sometimes call it, "Go full Samurai Pizza Cats," after the old anime dub where the American dub team never received the original script and had to make up a whole new one, but we stuck with it, and eventually came up with some reasonably close wordplay in English.

Question: Do you have friends in other localization teams/companies? What could you learn from them? Do you reach out to them?

Brittany:

I'd love to hang out with some of the localization people I've interacted with via Twitter, because I'm actually pretty ignorant of what goes on in other companies. I'm pretty much XSEED only, but I'd love to learn the process in other places or just bond with others who do the same work that I do.

Tom:

Absolutely! Other companies are "competition" to an extent, but they're also colleagues, and we've met with people from numerous other nearby companies for lunch, karaoke, etc. many times since I've been working here at XSEED. I don't know that we really learn much from them, nor they from us, but we always "talk shop" when we meet up, discussing localization challenges we've faced, fun stuff we've done recently, etc. It's just good to sometimes talk with other people who fully understand what we do.

Ryan:

We're good friends with the Aksys team down the street, a lot of our staff have Atlus experience, and most of the original senior staff came from Square-Enix. For Fate/EXTELLA, the Aksys guys were kind enough to share their notes and script from Fate/EXTRA as references. One of the best bits of advice I can give people looking for work in the industry is "Make friends wherever you go," and that's as true once you're in as it is when you're getting started.

#xseed games #xseed blog #Q & A #long post

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