#brain reset program

[honestkindlereviews]

Our Dopamine Detox Family

Our Dopamine Detox Family: A 21-Day Family Challenge to Reset Your Brains, Break Screen Addiction, and Rediscover the Joys of the Real World

In a world dominated by screens, instant gratification, and endless distractions, families are slowly drifting apart—not just emotionally, but neurologically. Screen addiction is now one of the leading causes of anxiety, sleep disorders, attention problems, and social disconnection in both children and adults. The culprit? Dopamine.

Dopamine, the brain’s “feel-good” chemical, plays a critical role in how we experience pleasure and motivation. But overstimulation through excessive screen time hijacks this natural system, leaving us constantly chasing the next digital reward while becoming numb to real-life experiences. The solution? A dopamine detox—a systematic reset of our brain's reward system.

Our Dopamine Detox Family: A 21-Day Family Challenge to Reset Your Brains, Break Screen Addiction, and Rediscover the Joys of the Real World: BUY EBOOK CLICK HARE

Welcome to “Our Dopamine Detox Family: A 21-Day Family Challenge.” This transformational program is designed to help families reclaim control, reconnect deeply, and rediscover the beauty of the real world, together.

What Is a Dopamine Detox?

A dopamine detox is not about eliminating all sources of pleasure. It’s about removing artificial and excessive stimuli—like social media, video games, binge-watching, and junk food—for a set period of time to recalibrate your brain’s reward system. It gives your mind space to rest, reset, and re-engage with healthier, more meaningful sources of joy.

For families, this detox is even more impactful. It promotes bonding, creativity, emotional intelligence, and healthier habits. When done together, it becomes more than a personal reset—it becomes a cultural shift within the home.

Why Your Family Needs a Dopamine Detox

Here are just a few reasons why families around the world are embracing this challenge:

Screen Addiction Is Real: Children spend an average of 5–7 hours per day on screens. Adults aren’t far behind. This constant digital exposure rewires our brains, lowers attention span, and reduces impulse control.

Mental Health Crisis: Anxiety, depression, and burnout are on the rise. A dopamine detox helps reduce overstimulation and restore emotional balance.

Family Disconnection: Screens often replace meaningful conversation and quality time. Detoxing together strengthens communication and emotional bonds.

Cognitive Reset: By removing constant distractions, your family will improve focus, memory, and learning capacity.

Rediscover Joy: Simple pleasures—like playing outdoors, cooking together, reading, or crafting—regain their magic when our brains aren’t hijacked by artificial highs.

The Structure of the 21-Day Family Challenge

This 21-day challenge is divided into three transformative stages:

Week 1: Awareness and Preparation

Objective: Identify unhealthy habits and build motivation.

Daily Reflection: Each family member reflects on their screen use and habits. Keep a journal to note emotions and behaviors linked to digital activities.

Family Meeting: Discuss the purpose of the detox. Set shared goals and rules. Create a supportive environment, not one based on punishment.

Inventory Your Triggers: What apps or activities do you turn to out of boredom, stress, or loneliness? Awareness is the first step to change.

Set Clear Boundaries: Establish screen-free zones (like the dinner table and bedrooms) and times (like one hour before bed).

Week 2: Detox in Action

Objective: Begin removing high-dopamine activities and replace them with low-dopamine, high-reward alternatives.

Digital Declutter: Uninstall non-essential apps. Turn off notifications. Limit social media and entertainment to pre-set periods—or cut them out entirely.

Family Activities: Fill the dopamine gap with connection. Try puzzles, board games, shared reading, hiking, or cooking new recipes together.

Creative Expression: Encourage drawing, writing, music, dance, or building projects. These slow-burn pleasures stimulate real, sustainable dopamine responses.

Mindfulness Practice: Begin or end the day with five minutes of guided breathing or gratitude journaling as a family.

Healthy Dopamine Sources: Include exercise, sleep hygiene, hydration, and nutritious meals to support brain chemistry.

Week 3: Integration and Reflection

Objective: Reintroduce technology with intentionality and reinforce healthier habits.

Mindful Reintroduction: Carefully reintroduce screen time with strong boundaries. Prioritize content that is educational, inspirational, or relational.

Self-Regulation Tools: Teach kids (and adults) how to pause before reaching for screens. Use timers, purpose-based app use, and self-awareness questions.

Celebrate Progress: Reflect on the emotional, behavioral, and cognitive shifts noticed during the detox. Share wins and challenges during a family debrief session.

Create a Family Tech Agreement: Establish ongoing rules around screen time, digital use, and offline bonding. This is your blueprint moving forward.

Common Challenges (and How to Overcome Them)

Resistance from Children or Teens: Instead of forcing change, involve them in decision-making. Frame the detox as a shared experiment, not a punishment.

Boredom: Embrace it. Boredom is the soil from which creativity blooms. Have a boredom jar with pre-written offline activity ideas.

Relapses: Expect setbacks. Use them as learning opportunities. The goal isn’t perfection—it’s progress.

Long-Term Benefits for Your Family

The effects of a dopamine detox don’t end on Day 21. Families who complete this challenge often experience:

Deeper emotional connection between parents and children

Improved sleep and attention spans

Reduced irritability and anxiety

Greater appreciation for offline activities

Higher self-discipline and goal achievement

Moreover, your children learn the priceless lesson that joy, peace, and fulfillment don’t come from a screen—but from within, and from genuine human connection.

Tips for a Successful Family Detox

Lead by Example: Children model adult behavior. If you want your kids to unplug, you must do the same.

Stay Consistent: Create routines that support your detox goals, like screen-free mornings or nature walks after school.

Make It Fun: Keep the energy positive. Celebrate small wins with offline rewards like a picnic, a DIY project, or a family movie night (yes, with intention!).

Document the Journey: Use a shared journal, scrapbook, or video diary to capture your family’s detox experience.

SEO Keywords to Include (for optimization):

dopamine detox

family screen detox

screen addiction recovery

digital detox for kids

reset brain dopamine

family challenge 21 days

break screen habits

dopamine reset plan

screen-free parenting

reclaim family connection

Final Thoughts: It’s More Than a Detox—It’s a Revolution

Embarking on a dopamine detox with your family is more than a wellness experiment. It’s a radical act of reclaiming your brain, your relationships, and your time. In a society wired for distraction, choosing to slow down, disconnect, and re-engage with the real world is an act of courage.

This 21-day family challenge isn’t about restriction—it’s about renewal. It’s not about deprivation—it’s about rediscovery.

So, gather your loved ones. Power down the screens. And turn on the light of presence, play, and purpose. Your real life is waiting—and it’s more beautiful than you remember.

Our Dopamine Detox Family: A 21-Day Family Challenge to Reset Your Brains, Break Screen Addiction, and Rediscover the Joys of the Real World: BUY EBOOK CLICK HARE

[terabyte13]

rivuler

[natbplease]

i love coding <- heavily caffeinated

[justsayyes1]

How to attract a man

(TW: contains extreme sexual themes of misogyny, patriarchy, gaslighting, bimboficiation and bambi sleep triggers)

Are you looking for man or struggling with your current one. Have you considered that your attitude may be the problem..? Read below for some helpful tips on how to be the most attractive partner you can be.

There are many materials available for girls looking to understand theirself and their potential attitude problems. Programs such as BAMBI SLEEP and BIMBO DOLL productions offer a wide range of packages to help POP those little doubts from your mind.

You see, men are simple creatures, they simply require one thing from you. And that’s to be a GOOD GIRL. Now that doesn’t sound too hard now does it..?

And if it’s that simple, it perhaps only goes show that your attitude is the problem.

Next time you see him, show him how much you value him by serving him a drink. Gently melt into his kiss as you show him how much power even a touch has over you.

He’s has such a long day, providing for you, making sure you feel so SAFE AND SECURE. His feet must ache, why not just DROP FOR COCK, down onto your knees and help him remove his shoes.

Be a pretty image for him to view. All dressed in your prettiest outfit UNIFORM LOCK. With your most delicate makeup, all PRIMPED AND PAMPERED. Ruby red lips, just perfect for kissing his feet. Rosey blush to reflect your true passion for pleasing him.

Show him you can be the best object you can be, as you serve him in ways other than through your primal instincts. Show him your appreciation through service of all kinds. Just get on your hands and knees and BAMBI FREEZE.

Just an object for him to use as he is serviced in other ways. After-all finding other GOOD GIRLS to serve him is all part of being a good partner. GOOD GIRLS always MAKE MORE GOOD GIRLS

You just kneel there, silently, showing him how much you obey him. How much you crave him. How little your own thoughts, mind or will matter when it comes to his comfort.

How it is your obligation, to be seen but not heard. Simply a decoration for him to display.

Service above all else, should be your only life purpose. Focusing on being the best GOOD GIRL you can be.

BAMBI RESET

You see the biggest key to being the best partner, is knowing that he always comes first. That your voice doesn’t matter anymore. He speaks for you, thinks for you, acts for you. And that makes everything so much easier, doesn’t it bambi.

No more struggles with choice, with deep thought. Brains are for boys after all, your thoughts are just noise.

You are simply a reflection of him, his trophy to display and you must respect that, respect him.

You obey and submit to him completely, without question. And that will bring you more pleasure than your helpless glisten fuck hole has ever received.

Now be a GOOD GIRL won’t you and get me a drink.

[briseroyawritingsblog]

𝒇𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓

𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒕 𝒙 𝒇𝒆𝒎!𝒓𝒐𝒃𝒐𝒕!𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓

• +18 minors do not interact. this is based in 2051, living in the future, kissing, new feelings (reader & Lo), alcohol consumption, protected sex, riding, missionary, fluff, etc.

𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒂𝒏 𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕 / 𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕

diver by @anitalenia 🤍

There was hardly any difference between humans and robots. In fact, humans were scared to go out in sheer daylight. The government– used humans brains to make robots be it for work, or different things like soldiers. DNA was stolen, and given away for experiments. Human kind was slowly enslaved the end of the world was approaching. So you were born.. your brain was made mostly out of wires but you looked like a human. Your body temperature was warm just like human. Your hair was thick and long and you were aware that you were alive. You were programmed to work for people who would hire you. You completed basic tasks like cooking, cleaning and babysitting children. You were a perfect example of a housewife— you were made to do these things. Of course instead of having a human heart and brain you had adamantium in you. Your eyes were different they were pitch black sclera. You had a dainty very womanly hands– nails painted in purple. Your lips were glossy, your white pearly teeth shined like diamonds. Your cheeks looked like they were blushing. You had so many skills, you loved being you. Everything about you was amazing.. even the strength you possessed. Your features resembled a young female, maybe in her early twenties. Before you left for work, you packed a suitcase. Set of uniforms and you were given clothes.

“She’s all yours. Your contract ends in two months.” The man who brought you to your new place, shook hands with someone named Logan and left you. Logan grabbed the envelope and turned you on, by touching your hand. Your eyes fluttered open and you smiled softly– eyelashes so big they were touching your eyelids.

“Hi” you greeted him.

“Hi..” he mumbled back observing you. His eyes taking in your beauty.

“What can I do for you.” You looked around the apartment, slowly walking to the window.

“I don’t know.. you tell me.” He sighed softly pouring himself a glass of whiskey. Your brain automatically told you that drinking is hazardous.

“Well..I can start by cleaning for you. Where should I begin?” You cheered scanning the apartment grabbing the clothes from the sofa.

“If that’s what you want..” His words trailed off slowly, gazing at your every move. You cleaned so well.. by seconds you were washing the dishes. The next moment you were folding his laundry, the next moment you dusted in the living room.

“Well.. you’re fuckin’ made for this kid” he opened the annual you came with. Things were written down how to control you– and how to turn you off and charge you during the nights.

“I didn’t know you require to sleep.” A slight wonder painted his features.

“I do Sir. Full eight hours.” You responded wiping down the counter, moving onto the bathroom to clean.

“No wait.. ugh” Logan was about to stop you but you already started to spray the surfaces and wiping everything down.

“You didn’t have to clean up here too..” taking in your appearance again he noticed how swiftly you handled everything. The sink was covered in blood, he had a little shooting accident and forgot to clean up. His whole apartment was a mess and now it was sparkling clean.

Leaning in the bathroom doorway with the annual book in his hand, reading about rules and resets. Blinking you stopped observing the tiles, stepping inside the bathtub you scrubbed them clean.

“Yeah.. c’on kid you don’t have to do that” slight nervousness washed over his features as he watched you.

“Sir. I’m programmed to complete everything once I start cleaning it.” You responded and he rolled his eyes.

“Knock yourself out. I’m gonna hit the bar” shrugging he threw the annual on the couch and grabbed his jacket.

“Have a nice time sir!” You cheered again.

By the time he returned you had the floors polished too, every corner of his apartment sparkly clean. His bedsheets ironed, the guest room prepared for your stay. Currently you were cooking dinner– you didn’t know what he liked but you did throw out two pizza boxes so you knew the kitchen was not really used for cooking. Having an excellent sense of smell, was one of your characteristics just like humans had. You were not able to taste the food yourself but you made sure it’s very well seasoned. Did you had the groceries delivered to you? Yes you did. Hearing the key lock you straightened your apron and walked to the door to greet him but you were only greeted with a growl. “What is the matter?” You asked, your system telling you that he is injured all over the chest. “Sir!” You followed him to the bathroom watching him stand over the sink removing his jacket finding out the red liquid littered all over his chest was something called ‘blood’ hearing him growl in pain using his strength to push out the bullets which fell into the sink you touched his shoulder. “Can I give you assistance sir?” You asked him, seeing his demeanour shift features softening. “Take a seat” running your hands over the cabinets using your special feature to locate the first aid kit you heard him sink into the couch with a painful sigh.

“Hey kid.. I’m healing alright? It’s not needed.” Putting the first aid kit down you approached him again sitting down next to him zooming in onto his chest seeing the little wounds heal away. Zooming back out you suggested to have dinner.

He shook his head. “I just wanna fuckin sleep. How about later?” You were not able to tell but you felt some kind of different emotion cloud your system. It was different– usually you were not able to tell what you felt but today it felt like sadness. “Of course Sir.” You returned back to kitchen– it was bizarre that you even felt something. After Logan napped, you were sitting next to him waiting patiently. Even though it was after midnight– seeing him wake up you greeted him

“Can I make you a cup of coffee Sir?” Logan sat up eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“Why are you awake? I thought you needed your eight hours of sleep?” Your features resembled a small smile

“You didn’t put me to sleep Sir…”. Grabbing the annual in his hand again turning the pages quickly he groaned. “I haven’t finished reading this.. look I’m sorry. I will do better” your system was telling you he felt regret. It was amazing you were able to recognise his human feelings but you weren’t nearby ready to feel something yourself it was surprising “It’s totally okay sir.” Making him a cup of coffee while he read the annual he sipped on it. He looked so focused, as he turned to the next page— he stopped. The page was pink with hearts all over it.

“Love mode?” He raised a brow giving you a look you didn’t manage to recognise. But it was between surprised and confused for sure.

“I didn’t quite get that Sir? Most of the robots like myself.. do have love mode.” Tilting your head to take a peek at the page he closed the book.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to activate it.” He responded taking a sip of his coffee.

“Why not Sir? It’s completely safe.” You smile at him.

“I will try my hardest to satisfy your needs.”

“Oh really? My needs?”

You nodded “Of course.”

“Did anyone ever used it on you?” Curiosity rose in his voice. Your response was simple

“No Sir. I am mostly used for cooking, cleaning, and household work…I’m excellent with children.”

Logan raised a brow again “Pretty little thing like you? Just— ugh I’m sorry..” he trailed off.

A smile rose to your cheeks “Yes Sir. That’s what I’m made for” the answer alone was fair enough but he let out a soft sigh. “Right– let’s get you to sleep” offering his hand you gladly took it. It was amazing that your body temperature automatically resembled his the moment of contact. You were something extraordinary– both walking to the guest room you grabbed your pyjama. “Just a moment.” He cleared his throat turning away from you whilst you changed your uniform throwing the worn clothes in the laundry basket. Logan did take a peek at your body, human… goddamn you were all human— the curves of your body were inviting even your naked butt was nothing compared to robots. Pulling out a wire from the back of your neck turning around to face him. “I’m ready Sir. Is there anything I can do for you before resting?” Logan shook his head slowly. “No.. thank you..” he stepped closer to you. Your system was reading his face and there was softness in his expression. Maybe a hint of lust. “Sir did you look at me whilst I changed?” Logan felt embarrassment heat in his face. “I did.” You smiled. “Would you wish to turn on the love mode?” He groaned at your question. “No, I promise you I won’t touch you” he stood his ground. Nodding softly you rested yourself on the bed. Closing your eyes as he set your body to charge. —

Walking to the kitchen stretching his arms he saw how clean it was. Opening the cabinets were stocked— “what?” he furrowed his eyebrows together, refrigerator was full too. Meals prepared, labelled, and even dates written on them. “Did she mealprepped too?” Asking himself reading through the labels. The meals looked very nutritious, very healthy. Looking at the door he had beers stocked alphabetically, even sodas too. Everything set by colour and flavour. Closing his eyes he sighed softly. How could he even live like this for the next two months? And after what? He’d have to rent someone again? Natural struggles like this. Maybe you were to teach him how to live like a human being. The moment in the guest room repeated at the back of his mind, how could he be attracted to a female robot. A machine with no feelings? Was there something wrong with him? He was telling himself that he’s an idiot. Mentally stabbing himself with his claws. Closing the refrigerator after grabbing himself a beer and the opening drawers. The utensils shined, the plates too. The dishwasher was empty and everything neatly put away. He felt satisfied but also..felt bad. He wanted to do this stuff too.. have a proper home. He missed having someone doing it for him maybe having dinners with someone. Charles used to tell him to give this ‘home’ a chance. But how could he? Every love of his life was now deceased. Everyone was just gone— perhaps you could make it all go away. Maybe he was losing his mind after all… he had nothing to lose anymore.

Switching off the lights he sat on the couch again opening the annual. What was love mode?

It peaked his interests, how could possibly a robot satisfy someone? As he read further his eyes widened. Love mode allows the synth, replicate human emotions, such as touch, feelings, desires and needs– it was possible? Leaning to his right he gazed to the guest room seeing you asleep on the bed. Pushing the thoughts away, he gulped on his beer before switching on the flat screen. The news were on, and it was possible to purchase a robot too. If the two month contract would end.. he’d have to hire someone new again or rehire you again. And again, and again. Maybe purchasing you and owning you would be a better idea.. giving you a home. You were constantly rehired and brought to different homes. Like this you could stay with him until the end of time—

Days were long, Logan worked during the week and you were mostly at his apartment making sure everything is clean. You’d take his mail, pick up his calls. Standing by the window seeing the advertisements of your face on the buildings— you were getting warnings that the weather might get even worse. So you decided to call Logan

“Sir, the weather is-” you started and Logan sighed.

“I don’t have time to pick up your calls. It’s just a storm, do not call me to work.”

“But Sir” the line got dead and your system told you he disconnected the line.

Taking an umbrella you left his apartment. Wearing one of his jackets and a hood over your head. You were immune to water or rain it didn’t matter you were allowed to go outside but not alone. Calculating the location of his workplace, you walked until you reached his office. Telling the receptionist you were to see Logan she directed you to his office.

“What are you doing here?” Alarming look on his face told you that he was nothing but worried.

“Umbrella. You needed one Sir– I am programmed to keep you safe and attend all of your needs.” Logan furrowed his eyebrows together feeling his heart skip a beat. Your black eyes lowered to his pulse you could read his heart rate. It was picking up spiking higher than usual. “Sir.. are you alright?” He nodded slowly. He never had someone take care of him or worry for him. Emotions— he felt so many being in your presence and god you would never know how he really felt. Would you?

“Stay here. I have one more meeting and then we can go home.” He told you motioning you to sit down at his office chair and you did as he wished. After a long day and a drive home in complete silence you didn’t make an eye contact with him. You couldn’t read any of his emotions anymore— as if he built this indestructible wall around his feelings protecting himself…after you both entered his apartment he told you he needed a shower.

“Would you like me to warm some dinner for you sir?” You suggested and he nodded “Yes. You can leave it on the table, and brew me some coffee please I will work in my home office.” You nodded. “The coffee is freshly brewed and sweetened sir.” Straightening your ironed apron you warmed up his dinner and did everything he wanted. Hearing the shower running and seeing the door is partly open you wondered how it felt standing beneath warm cascading water. Humans.. they were complex weren’t they?

Standing straight by the kitchen counter you replayed the memories of your first meeting with Mr Howlett. Until he walked out the bathroom having a towel around his waist. You followed after him.

“Sir?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I come in?”

“Yes.”

Upon entering you saw him dry his hair.

“Can I help you dress?”

“No, kid. You’re doing way too much around here.”

“Sir.”

“Can I pick fresh pyjamas for you? I ironed them.”

“Knock yourself out, princess”

“But first can I dry you off, there’s water dripping off your body”

“I don’t think that’s appropriate.” He groaned softly. Oh he wanted it; he wanted you close. He wanted you to dress him, feed him, and be his little housewife. It has been four weeks and he couldn’t deny it anymore.

“Sir? Would you like me to turn on the love mode for you?”

You asked taking a new towel to pat dry his chest.

“Yes.”

— Love mode activated. —

“Please pick percentage for my feelings for you sir” as you dried off his body, logan wondered if this was a good decision.

“75%”

Your system programmed your feelings to 75% percent to his wish.

“Choose the percentage for my affection for you sir”

“80%”

Logan watched you slowly dry every drop off his chest gracefully holding that towel.

“Choose the percentage for my lust sir”

“90%”

“You’ve successfully activated your love mode. It has been saved and now you can use me to satisfy your needs” as you said those words Logan watched your face changing. Your lips got glossier, your cheeks reddened and your eyes hooded. That’s how it worked.. you became even more beautiful, maybe in a sexiest ways possible. So alluring.. so inviting no man could ever refuse you

Logan cupped your cheek. You dropped the towel, your own hands started to wander over his naked chest exploring his toned abdomen. Pushing him on the bed slowly so he landed on his back you climbed on top of him. Opening his towel. Your fingers touching his erection, slowly. Thumb circling the pink swollen tip. “Do we have protection sir?” Logan nodded. “Yeah.. I do” his breathing hitched as you cupped his growing aching cock. Reaching in his bedside table he pulled protection, a condom. You let out a small moan as you started to roll the condom over his cock. He watched you— you became so different with the love mode and his desire for you was deepening. He couldn’t hide it, you were everything that he ever wanted. Taking care of him so well. “Take it off..” he whispered eyes hooded with lust. Undoing your apron, then your maid dress your naked body was revealed to him. Your pussy looked so small. He tested your folds and you closed your eyes releasing a soft moan. “You were made for this weren’t you princess? Your pussy is moist. How can that even happen” he breathed sliding a finger between your folds. “Fuck..” he cursed eyes glued to your perky breasts. God your nipples were hardened, and peaked so beautifully. Just like an ordinary female “I was made for you Sir..” you lustfully breathed but before you sank down on his protected cock he flipped you over so he was on top of you. “Please Sir.. use me. I can make it all go away.. I’m yours” you spoke softly observing his protected cock. Logan lowered himself on top of you completely, your hands caressed the small of his back as he slowly found your perfect pussy and inserted his cock right inside of you.

— Love overdrive —

“Mmmm!” Your cute little moan was everything that he ever wanted to her before he snapped his hips into you. Your little whimpers and moans only spurred him on “needy little thing aren’t you bub? love mode? you were made for this cock” you nodded rapidly sliding your arms around him and your thighs around his hips. “Yes sir, made for you and your cock” repeating his words your glossy lips remained parted and moans flowing out. Your pussy is being filled and repeatedly and you never experienced love mode. It was your first time. The creamy substance which coated his protected cock was your own lubrication even though you were created only to satisfy his needs, you felt like a human. “Kiss me..” holding the back of his hair as he nuzzled his face between your breasts harshly breathing he slid his large arm behind your neck slightly prodding you up towards his lips. His mouth connected to yours in a soft kiss and you closed your eyes at the experience, clinging your whole body around him. His tongue brushed over your bottom lip and your moans only increased in volume clouding his mind making him love struck. His heartbeat spiked, as he needily rolled his hips against yours putting all of his cock in and you barely withdrawing and moving back in again. Your system was pink, your vision was pink the whole while as you made love. “I love you Sir..” you mumbled against his lips and Logan growled out “You love me huh? Perfect little thing, but fuck I love you too” he watched your perfect breasts bounce to his thrusts until he flipped you right back. You were on top of him his cock buried right inside of you. Your small hands lying flat on his chest, biting your lower lip you started to bounce on his cock. Throwing your head back, your long wavy curls covering your back and logan seized your waist in his large palms exploring your breasts listening to your moans and whimpers as you took all of his length. “Shit.. I- fuck.. I’m gonna..” he gasped for breath as you rose up and down his length making sure you nestled him right in you, your hips picked up the speed as you bounced faster letting him grope your breasts letting out the loudest growls you have ever heard. Those growls were followed by soft moans as he halted your hips bucking up into you reaching his high letting out a breathless whimper. “Fuck.. ughhhh..” you cooed cupping his cheeks leaning down to give him a soft kiss and he responded softly. Sliding out of you slowly he rolled on top of you planting soft kisses on your glossy lips and you watched him dispose the use condom. You were so much at all at once that he couldn’t last as long as he planned with you. “Would you like me to switch off the love mode, sir?” Logan shook his head slowly. “No.. please.” A smile greeted your face and your hands entwined, your fingers joining. “Would you like me to run you a bath sir?” You asked him gazing up at him. “I’m exhausted..” he whispered. Noticing how your expression changed again, it was back to normal yet that hint of love remained. “Sleep Sir..” you kissed his lips watching him then roll over to the empty side immediately passing out. It was only natural that men needed sleep after sex, and you understood that so you left his bed and collected your clothes. After cleaning up in the bathroom like a woman supposed to do, your system was telling you to do it. With a damp cloth— then you changed into your pyjama getting your needed rest too charging up for the next day. Your memory replayed before sleeping, it was more then satisfying.

for both of you.

-

this is complete work of fiction, any mistakes typos I apologise in advance.

[returnofeternity]

being iris's companion. she did NOT buy you, but more so saved you from your previous controller and treats you wonderfully :) you like the very girly outfits and to take care of her, because you fell in love with her the moment that she'd reset you, so you wouldn't have anymore thoughts of the bad man who had you before. and she let's you do what you'd like, though you're still getting used to speaking up for yourself due to what happened before. iris always makes sure to let you know how proud of you she is whenever you step out of your comfort zone, as well.

the first time she saw you, you were badly damaged. it made her furious because she of all people knows how hard it is to break Empathix companions. you had a few wires sticking out of your arm and cracks on your face.

she approached very slowly, as if you were a stray cat she didn't want to scare off. all she felt was her heart breaking when you jumped and curled in on yourself when she made herself known, and she very quickly reassured you that she's here to help. thinking of being so torn on going with her or just running away as you hear the sound of your controller's voice yelling for you. you're so scared of it that you just freeze, and iris can easily tell how afraid you are, so she scoops you into her car and promises that she's not going to hurt you.

she immediately takes you to get repaired.

even though you're programmed to only love your controller, you think you feel something toward iris before she resets you. gratitude. fear. desire? you really don't know. all you do know, though, is that you're happy to be away, and you're so thankful that this woman is so kind.

gahhh. thinking of her feeling weird throwing you into another relationship so fast but she has to do the lovelink. so she makes it so that you're newly dating her. like just started, no first kiss or i love you's yet. and she feels something funny in her stomach when you first open your eyes and look at her with such a tender gaze, her heart beating fast as you say her name like it's the most delicate thing ever.

even though you're technically 'dating,' and entirely devoted to her, i think she'd let you do it all yourself. things like initiating touches or kisses, asking her out on dates and stuff. you know, so you do it naturally and not forced in a way!! but she's always there to reassure you that she really likes and appreciates you, because your old controller must've made you feel different. very different. and sometimes she thinks about going back to where she found you and doing something about him.

even though you don't remember what happened with your previous controller, you still have some old feelings that resurface. feelings of fear whenever you want to ask iris something, feelings of self-hate, like something is your fault.

she can tell when you're having trouble speaking up, and she always pushes you in the nicest way possible :( she gives you space and time and tells you that you can tell her anything, and it's usually something so small, and it kills her that this guy really messed you up.

you really love feeling her touch. it's one of the things you had trouble speaking up about because you were scared she wouldn't like it. you always got a hand on her, and she's always got a hand on you. and i think she'd always default to kissing that little spot where your scar was :( it's gone now ofc, since you got repaired, but she somehow remembers where it was.

thinking of you both trying to move on from previous owners 😞 she's still apprehensive because of josh but she knows she wants you. she loves you, wants to take care of you, but there's also a tiny part of her brain that isn't letting her give her all to you.

you love holding her at night, always mumbling about how you love her and how she was the best thing that ever happened in your life. she always gets a lil emotional 😞

[scariusaquarius]

rehab. 6.

Avenger! Bucky Barnes x Winter Soldier! Fem! Reader

Summary: While on a mission to find any more possible super soldiers that were a part of the Winter Soldier program, Steve and Bucky make a discovery in an abandoned HYDRA base that was cleared out a few years prior to their mission. They discover the Reader, a long-forgotten soldier that was still asleep within a functioning cryostasis pod; still awaiting orders. While Bucky isn't happy about it, he is put up to the challenge of helping to rehabilitate the soldier in Wakanda where she may be able to become a person again.

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A/n: Probably from now on, there is going to be some graphic and dark content ahead. Please read carefully and curate your online experience. BTW, you can read it here on my archive account as well!

This is an au where Bucky joined the avengers but still rehabilitated in Wakanda (sometime before Infinity War [canon divergent cause NOPE]). I am NOT fluent in Russian, so I did use google translate cause I couldn't find a good translator that I trusted. If anything is wrong, PLEASE let me know!! Also, I tried to list as many warnings as possible so you know what the story will contain as chapters are posted. Stay safe!

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Genre: Slowburn, Enemies to Lovers/Friends to Lovers, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Humor, Drama, Dark Content Rated: Explicit Warning: Angst, Dark Content: Graphic Depictions of Sexual Assault, Blood and Gore, Mentions of Manipulation, Kidnapping, Canon-Typical Violence, Body Horror, Nonconsensual Body Modification/Scarring, Emotional and Physical Abuse, Mentions of Murder, Mentions of Suicidal Thoughts/Ideation, Graphic Depictions of Human Remains, Mentions of Sexual Coercion/Manipulation, Death, Misuse of Drugs/Forced Drugging, Self-Harm (Graphic Depictions and Mentions), Nightmares

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Author: ScariusAquarius

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rehab masterlist. chapter 1 / chapter 2 / chapter 3 / chapter 4 / chapter 5

The soldier was aware that she could not move. Their sense of smell came back first, the smell of flowers and fresh air and food making it easier to grasp onto consciousness. Then, the soldier's hearing came back , the uncomfortable feeling of frost melting and draining from her ears and nose making her thawing muscles shiver.

The sensation of feeling came next: the cryostasis pod bed pads sticking to her skin uncomfortably. Then, heat began to crawl over her like a blanket, and the soldier's eyes slowly opened.

Her vision was blurry, struggling to focus, and she was aware of the woman that had sedated her before being put into cryostasis was speaking to the Fist of HYDRA.

"I was able to finally break through the firewalls in a way that wouldn't trip up HYDRA's algorithm to throw up another block. I don't know how long it will last before the system resets itself, but hopefully...our soldier is not just a soldier anymore."

Confusion swept through the soldier, a feeling of being exposed running through her, and the Fist of HYDRA's voice broke through the brain fog, asking the woman.

"Should we have Okoye present just in case?"

"I am confident that we do not need anybody else present. It runs the risk of causing the soldier emotion duress, which could ruin what we are doing."

The lights around the soldier dimmed as her vision focused suddenly, and she could feel nausea gripping at her stomach. Trying to move made it worse, and the soldier couldn't keep herself from retching and dry heaving as she bent over, falling to the floor.

Hands came to rest upon her shoulder gently, but the soldier flinched, tears pricking her eyes as her stomach constricted painfully once more.

She smacked her hand out, blindly attacking as she retched again, and the uncomfortable feeling of bile rising from her throat made her cough and spat it out onto the ground. The woman cursed in a language the soldier did not understand, and the Fist of HYDRA hummed.

"I'll clean it up. Vertigo and nausea is common, and I doubt she's eaten at all before she went under when we found her."

Her mouth was salivating at the scent of the food across the room, but she kept her mouth closed. She was not permitted to eat unless she was given permission.

Her head was in shambles; flashes of images and people and faces and unpleasant thoughts coming at her so quickly that she could not understand what was happening. The soldier felt afraid for a moment before her programming kicked in, and her physical body became emotionless.

It was almost like a switch; a defense mechanism of her programming that forced her to obey during these moments of resilience and cognitive independence, and though nobody was attacking her for being incompetent or shoving her face down into her own vomit like a dog, the soldier still felt the need to be punished.

Even though it felt wrong.

The thought confused her as she shakily kept herself propped up on her hands and knees, and when the Fist of HYDRA stepped before her, his boots within her vision and making her strength waver, the soldier bowed her head and smacked her face into the vomit below her.

The Fist of HYDRA did not make a sound, and the soldier did not dare to breathe as the vile stench invaded her nostrils and burned her eyes. The female scientist was perturbed, asking the Fist.

"What on earth is she doing?"

It took the Fist a moment to respond, and his tone of voice was angry, making the soldier press down into the disgusting mess on the floor further as she began to believe she had made him angry.

"Punishing herself. They didn't take it kindly when we would show weakness, even after thawing from cryostasis...they probably got harsher with their punishments after I left."

Left? The Fist of HYDRA left? How could he have left?

There is no escape. HYDRA is your home. You were born here, you will live here, and you will die here. Do you understand, soldat?

"Вставать."

Shakily, the soldier attempted to stand up, her legs uneasy as she did so, and she swallowed thickly; jaw clenching as she stared down at the ground before her, and she flinched when the Fist brought his hand up to her face.

He paused for a moment, and the soldier began to spiral mentally. She was a failure. She was weak. Vile; disgusting; an abomination.

Flaws detected. Reprogramming required.

"Я собираюсь очистить твое лицо. Не шевелись."

Her body immediately stiffened, and a warm damp cloth touched her cheek. The Fist of HYDRA was gentle with his movements, pressing down firmly to properly clean her face of the vomit. His blue eyes were on her, stern and cautious, but the soldier did not look into his eyes.

She was already in trouble for being weak. Why make it harder for herself? When the Fist was done, he gestured to her with a tilt of his head to follow him to a desk where a plate of food was waiting.

"Иди сюда и поешь."

She was hesitant. Was it a trap? A trick question? The Fist hadn't given her permission to do so. The man was quiet before he sighed and pointed to the chair, his voice becoming stern.

"садиться."

She walked to the chair and sat down, the food in front of her making her mouth salivate while her stomach churned again, and the Fist of HYDRA gestured to the food once more.

The soldier bit her tongue, staring down at the steaming meat and vegetables doused in a delicious-smelling brown sauce, and she felt her stomach constrict.

A good soldier does not require food to function. You will do what it takes to complete your mission, and that is all.

She was not allowed to eat this food, so why was the Fist of HYDRA trying to make her?

"Есть."

Was is laced with drugs like it had been last time? The soldier squinted in confusion at her peculiar thought, and glanced up at the Fist with an apprehensive look. The soldier watched as the Fist of HYDRA sighed and dipped his finger into the sauce and slipped it into his mouth.

"Есть безопасно, солдат."

She could not tear her eyes away from the Fist of HYDRA, however.

Not when the ghastly face of her Handler was peeking over his shoulder at her.

Her body froze, panic and fear running through her, and she shot up from the table as the lights around her went out. What was happening? What was going on? Was this another training sequence?

The smell of food was replaced with the smell of rotting flesh, lights shining throughout the dark void on piles of rotting bodies. There were torn torso's, amputated limbs, crushed skulls and heads, and there were cockroaches and bugs crawling throughout the piles; disappearing beneath entrails and ripped flesh and fat as the mountains of dead bodies became bigger.

Disembodied voices were shouting around her, screaming and sobbing and crying for help, and the soldier was shocked to find that it was her that was screaming.

She was malfunctioning. There was a flaw in her system. Something was wrong. Why was she seeing this? The soldier clutched her head as pain began to bloom within it; pressure building and building and becoming so unbearable that she could not even scream anymore.

There were bugs crawling all over her; centipedes and roaches and other vermin climbing over her body and up into her nose and mouth and ears, and she could see herself in a mirror as her body began to undulate and burst from the sheer volume of vermin going into her mouth.

-

The soldier gasped suddenly, breaking through her bindings that kept her strapped to the table and jumping up. There were countless spears pointing at her, and the soldier, just as she had done in her nightmare, fell to the floor and retched.

She was puking over-and-over, bile and blood mixing into a wretched mess on the floor, and she became afraid when the Fist of HYDRA slowly walked to her. She scrambled back, smacking her skull into the wall, and she was hyperventilating. Why couldn't she calm down?

Flaws detected. Reprogramming required.

Her chest was tight, oxygen hard to breathe in, and she was aware that her face was wet with vomit and water. There were voices all around her, reverbing within her head, and the soldier retched painfully again.

"What is happening?"

The soldier recognized the voice to be coming from the man that looked a lot like the female scientist, his eyes concerned as he slowly relaxed out of the fighting stance he had taken. The Fist of HYDRA explained gently as he knelt on the floor in front of the soldier.

"Shuri said she was beginning to hallucinate due to the stress she was experiencing...possibly a psychotic break. We tried to get her to eat, but she wouldn't do so. She just...kind of freaked out."

Shuri hummed, explaining further.

"I believe what she was experiencing was a very severe hallucination induced by her PTSD. Given the amount of stress that she presented when we offered her food, it is very possible that one of the methods of torture was with hunger."

The soldier was listening yet ignoring the woman all at the same time. Slowly, her breathing was starting to calm, but she wasn't sure if she should open her eyes. Would she see her Handler again? Would he be upset that she was displaying such vile weakness?

За каждую твою ошибку сломаются две кости.

Her stomach was constricting again, and the vile stench of her vomit was invading her nostrils. The soldier curled up into the wall more when the Fist of HYDRA came closer, and his voice was calm.

"Я не собираюсь причинять тебе боль. Меня зовут James."

The soldier trembled slightly before she flicked her gaze over to the Fist of HYDRA. There was a feeling of confusion and intrigue that had her brow furrowing, and she was tempted to speak despite not being given permission.

"Нет."

Her voice was hoarse, and the Fist was surprised slightly as she responded before his face hardened the more she spoke.

"Ты Кулак ГИДРЫ. Ты моя миссия."

She swiped her fist at him, but the Fist of HYDRA anticipated it, catching her fist and keeping a painful grip on it. The plates within his metal arm shifted and slid together in tight recession, and his brow was furrowed harshly.

The soldier did not anticipate how weak her body had become, her hand immediately giving, and she became light-headed as the Fist of HYDRA immediately commanded.

"Не борись со мной. Я не хочу причинять тебе боль."

But that was what they all said. The memories of her previous Handler, the Enforcers, the Scientists...they always said they wouldn't hurt her to make her trust them; to make her compliant. They were like lions, circling around her and waiting until her lame leg would hold her back, and then they would pounce.

Tearing their teeth into her skin, ripping her body apart, gulping her entrails and blood until she was hollow. The soldier squeezed her eyes shut, and for a moment, there was silence. Suddenly, the female scientist said as she stepped forward.

"You do not have to have permission to speak. You are no longer with HYDRA, but here with us in Wakanda. We are not your Handlers...we are your friends. We do not wish to engage in combat or to hurt you like those vile people have."

The Fist of HYDRA glanced back at the woman before looking back at the soldier, and the woman was unsure. She could feel the need to obey, the orders within her mind repeating over and over, and her body was feeling sluggish; attempting to comply.

The Fist of HYDRA was still holding her fist within his hand, and she stared at their connected hands. The Fist carefully placed his other hand over her wrist, his flesh feeling warm against her chilled skin, and the soldier widened her eyes.

"Что для вас значит Мельцер Вудс?"

Meltzer Woods. The soldier squinted slightly, the memories of the dream she had coming to her mind, and she tensed when the female scientist began to slowly approach her. The woman standing beside her hissed, attempting to stop her as the scientist approached.

"Shuri, what are you doing?!"

The woman, Shuri, knelt down beside the Fist, her eyes kind as she asked softly.

"Will you allow me to help you, Soldat?"

The soldier's eyes fluttered slightly, the need to follow orders enticing her compliance, and Shuri grabbed a cloth from a bowl of water and wrung it out before beginning to gently clean the vomit and bile that was coating her bottom jaw and dripping down her neck. The Fist still kept a firm hold of her, but the soldier noticed that he was not as aggressive as he had been before.

The soldier did not understand kindness.

As the woman gently cleaned her off, the soldier was becoming more uncomfortable. The only time that she was cleaned in such a way was when the scientists were doing tests; poking and prodding at her in ways that the soldier knew made her uncomfortable.

"See? That was not so hard. Please allow us to help you, Soldat."

The soldier couldn't help the irritation that stemmed from her anxiety, could not keep herself from lashing out as she hissed, baring her teeth.

"Миссия должна быть завершена. Неудача – это не вариант. Непослушание недопустимо."

You must only complete the mission. Failure will not be tolerated, and if you disobey, there will be dire consequences.

Shuri then hummed and asked, making the Fist shoot his gaze to her with wide eyes.

"Then allow me to help you complete your mission."

"Shuri, what the hell are you doing?"

The Fist's voice was uncertain, accusatory as he looked at her with a shocked look within his eyes, and Shuri glanced at him; giving him an exasperated look before looking back to the soldier. The soldier frowned deeply, hissing out.

"Вы лжете."

The woman chuckled, tilting her head slightly.

"Then I guess you just have to trust me."

Trust was not a normal feeling the soldier felt. In fact, the soldier couldn't recall a time where trust was ever present. There was no such thing as trust in the soldier's mind, and that's what HYDRA had instilled into her since the beginning.

Trust nobody but HYDRA. HYDRA is your family. We know what is best for you.

But if she could make these people trust her...perhaps, it would be easier to complete her mission. If following their orders allowed her to complete her own...she would use it to her advantage. She would listen. The soldier tugged her hand out of the Fist's grasp before she muttered, staring at nothing as she spoke.

“я готов отвечать."

-

STORY NOTES: The Soldier is awakened from cryostasis. While the soldier is trying to orient themselves, Shuri tells Bucky that she was able to breakthrough the firewalls and place a block in place to keep HYDRA's algorithm from activating the soldier. Due to the effects of thawing from cryostasis, the soldier becomes sick and begins to vomit on the floor.

The soldier then notices the scent of food and begins to salivate, hunger forcing her stomach to constrict again. The soldier reminds herself that she is not permitted to eat unless given strict permission. Because she has been conditioned to believe that showing weakness (including hunger) warrants punishment, the soldier shoves her face into the vomit despite not being prompted to do so.

Bucky elaborates on that fact when Shuri questions what the soldier is doing, and he carefully cleans the soldier's face off before gesturing for the soldier to eat. However, the soldier is unwilling to do so even when Bucky shows her that the food is completely safe to eat.

Because of the stress and sickness that has plagued the soldier, she begins to hallucinate. Gruesome images of mountains of dead bodies crawling with bugs make the soldier sick again, and she hallucinates further that the bugs are crawling into her mouth.

The next moment the soldier is awake, she is able to break through bindings that keep her onto a table and forces herself into a corner. Again, the soldier becomes sick, this time vomiting straight bile and blood from the stress her body is being put through. T'Challa is concerned and asks what is happening, and both Bucky and Shuri explain that they believe the soldier experienced a hallucination and possibly a psychotic break.

Bucky tries to make contact by introducing himself to the soldier, in which the soldier finally speaks and tells him that his introduction is wrong. She instead tells him that he is her mission, and the soldier attempts to fight him. However, due to the length of time she has gone without eating and from thawing, her body is too weak and Bucky counters easily.

Shuri then steps forward and asks the soldier to allow her to help, cleaning her face of the vomit as Bucky had done before while Bucky keeps the soldier's wrists in his grasp. However, the soldier is unable to comprehend the princess' kindness, and instead tells her that her mission is the only thing that matters and failure is not an option.

In order to make the soldier trust her, Shuri then bluffs by saying that she would help the soldier complete her mission. The soldier does not believe Shuri, and when she comments that Shuri is lying, Shuri jokes by saying the soldier would have to trust her. Taking this as an opportunity to continue her mission, the soldier makes a decision to manipulate the people into thinking that she would accept their help. End scene.

TRANSLATIONS:

Вставать - Get up/stand

Я собираюсь очистить твое лицо. Не шевелись - I'm going to clean your face. Do not move.

Иди сюда и поешь. - Come here and eat.

садиться - sit down

Есть - Eat.

Есть безопасно, солдат - It's safe to eat, soldier.

За каждую твою ошибку сломаются две кости - For every mistake you make, two bones will break.

Я не собираюсь причинять тебе боль. Меня зовут James. - I am not going to hurt you. My name is James.

Нет - No.

Ты Кулак ГИДРЫ - You are the Fist of HYDRA.

Ты моя миссия. - You are my mission.

Не борись со мной. Я не хочу причинять тебе боль - Don't fight me. I don't wish to hurt you.

Что для вас значит Мельцер Вудс? - What does Meltzer Woods mean to you?

Миссия должна быть завершена. Неудача – это не вариант. Непослушание недопустимо. - The mission must be completed. Failure is not an option. Disobedience is unacceptable.

Вы лжете - You are lying.

я готов отвечать - Ready to comply/I'm ready to answer

TAGLIST: @mgchaser @tilldeathripsusapart @vicmc624 @aash3

[genericpuff]

Any tips on script writing for a comic? I know a basic structure, mostly the kind that's taught or what I've been able to look up online. I really enjoy your writing and story flow in LR, so I wanted to get your thoughts so if there are any tools you would recommend.

ngl , I just use good ole' fashioned LibreOffice LMAO Though my script-writing process has definitely changed between my original work and Rekindled, I used to use a spreadsheet program (the LibreOffice equivalent to Excel) and the method I developed looked like this:

This method actually still works totally fine, I just never opted to use it for Rekindled, mostly because I was able to write so much of it through what already existed in LO. Here's what Rekindled's writing process looks like, which I've done entirely within Scrivener as I started using it a few years ago:

Things do change often between my initial scripting, final scripting (i.e. when it's time to actually sketch out the episode), and the final release of the episode. Things are often removed, added, tweaked, etc. along the way, sometimes even up until the point of final release depending on what's required. What I'm showing you here is actually one of the "cleanest" sections of my notes, because oftentimes these docs are just a disorganized mess of events and plot points that I've written and rewritten and shuffled around LMAO That's not even including hand-written notes that I've scrawled out on the go 😆

I try to keep my writing process cemented enough that I know where I'm going but flexible enough that I can edit on the fly and move things around when needed. Having documents for my notes and extra floating ideas is helpful, and I'm often redoing plot layouts and scripts just for the sake of "figuring them out" haha

But that's also why I like to write relatively far ahead of time, so that my brain can properly "reset" on what I wrote, meaning that when it finally comes time to draw it and I'm re-reading my scripts and notes, I'll notice stuff I don't like or isn't working a lot quicker, because I'm going in with a clearer perspective than when I wrote it the first time. There are ideas and plotlines and episode scripts I wrote in these docs aaaalll the way back in 2022 when this project first started :') (and am still eagerly sitting on for when I finally get to bring them to life huehuehue)

All that said, there's no right or wrong way to rough draft your stories, just the way that services you and the story that you're trying to write. Some stories require more detailed drafting and notes, others can get by with just simple post-it notes. The important thing to remember is that no one else but you has to see these drafts - so there's no need for it to be perfect or for it to be the "final draft" on the first try, let it be whatever you need it to be to make it work for you ╰(´︶`)╯♡

[little-one-eyed-monsters]

Inspired by @absolutebl and @heretherebedork's posts about 10 BL endings they wish had been April Fools Jokes, presenting:

10 BLs with plots that felt like an April Fools' Joke:

(Full disclosure: I loved all of these shows. I finished all of these shows. Whether they were good, bad, frustrating, or anything in between, they scratched an itch in my brain and entertained me to no end; like any well-executed April Fools' prank).

But before that, some honorable mentions:

1. Century of Love (hi grandpa. He's probably too young for you. Also, why is there a fox spirit here? Is this a transmigration series or a fantasy series?! Pick a lane dude!)

2. Pit Babe (ah, Pit Babe. Are you an omegaverse? Are you a sports-themed bl? Are you gay X-Men? Are you the unholy amalgamation of them all? I love this color on you.)

3. The Boy Next World (so he's lying about the parallel worlds... he's just a stalker. Or, wait, there is a parallel world? But he's stal-- oh, now they're both stalkers? What the hell is going on? Well at least the leads are pretty.)

4. Four Minutes (I fried my own brain trying to understand the plot of this one. I spent my viewing hours just listlessly looking at the characters doing something on screen, praying that one day, any day, it will all make sense.)

5. Jack and Joker: U Steal My Heart (this shouldn't make the list. BUT that special episode was a JOKE. I refuse to accept it as canon.)

AND WITHOUT FURTHER ADO:

10. Battle of the Writers

Because let's be honest, after the couples got together (which they achieved at an average length of one episode each), THE PLOT WENT EVERYWHERE and NOWHERE all at once. OOH they were childhood friends, OOH now this editor is trying to steal this writer friend from his boyfriend, OOH now this other guy goes on vacation and falls for a random islander, OOH lead character randomly LOSES HIS EYESIGHT, then gets it back an episode later. OOH random actor has a crush on the lead writer.

True to its title, I fully believe that all writers involved in this show had a battle inside that boardroom to see where the series' plot is supposed to go. Sadly, they all won.

9. Dead Friend Forever

...was this a BL? Maybe. Well, they made out with each other a lot in this. I spent half of the runtime wishing half of the characters were dead, and the other half wishing the rest would get the hell out of that school. Pretty, balanced ride now that I think about it.

(Barcode and Ta' characters should have ended up together. The fact that they didn't made this series a true April Fools' joke)

8. Choco Milk Shake

Some of the leads spawned from pets. That's it. That's the premise. Otherwise, this is pretty low on the list because the execution isn't as outrageous as the initial plot. I was kinda wishing they would run with the crazy, but this is Korea. This is as crazy as it'll get.

7. Venus in the Sky

This was as plotless as Battle of the Writers. The only reason this beat out the others on the list is because the plot was so glacially, PAINFULLY slow. The pacing alone was a bamboozle all on its own. Plus, characters would do the devil's tango OUT OF NOWHERE, in the weirdest places. At one point they went to town with each other's bodies while the front door and windows were OPEN. That poor, traumatized neighborhood.

6. Anti-Reset

Main dude fell in love with a ROBOT, programmed by a company, owned by his UNCLE. Thank the heavens the robot didn't look or act remotely like a robot, otherwise this would be at the upper part of this list. The robot can... cry? Are the tears made of motor oil? Battery-fluid? Gasoline? Speaking of fluids, I have questions... bedroom wise...

5. History 4: Close To You

This was a rollercoaster from beginning to end. Manchild meets old crush at his workplace, woes her by... pretending to be in a relationship with his best friend? And then falls for his best friend. Then there was a harrassment lawsuit somewhere in there? And two dudes got married? Aight, aight.

Don't get me started on the stepbros. It's a bit ickier than Unknown's premise, because here their respective parents are still MARRIED to each other when the stepbros start doing the devil's tango. This all feels like unintentional grooming. I'm with your parents on this one, sorry.

4. Utsukushii Kare

I'm gonna say it: Hira deserved better. And I know Kiyoi is made out to be this emotionally-stunted, tortured soul who's secretly been in love with Hira all along, etc. etc. I don't care. Hira deserves to be loved by someone who expresses it openly and proudly. And isn't a bully. Yes I said it.

(Kiyoi did get better in the following season. Hira still should have chosen that photographer friend from college)

3. Word of Honor (I'm counting it. That canon ending where they live together in the mountains is as homo as any on this list)

In hindsight, this one might not be as crazy as the others on this list. Villain assassin falls in love with villain cult leader. A match made in purgatory because turns out, someone else out-evils them both. But as a couple, they made sense.

If only they didn't COMPETE to unalive themselves or each other EVERY OTHER EPISODE. Dude bro puts nails in his own body. Other dude bro jumps off a cliff. Dude bro surrenders to the enemy and suffers torture. Other dude bro sacrifices his life energy so his main dude can survive.

I swear if this was released fifteen years earlier during the bury-your-gays era, both Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu wouldn't have made it past the third episode. Draw the curtains, plot will now focus on Gu Xiang. But no, it's 2021. The gays found the censored unlimited plot armor.

2. Secret Crush on You

The premise? Simple. Guy has crush. Crush likes him back (multiply by five couples).

The execution? UNHINGED. Toh, the main character, keeps a MUSEUM's worth of souvenirs (ehem, trash) of his crush. He kept a paint can. He kept a plastic bag. He kept leftover food, guys. FOOD. He keeps his crush's leftovers DEAR GOD.)

Toh also gets drunk every time they're travelling somewhere, intentionally KISSES the girl who's trying to steal his crush away to... fend her off? Tries to kiss Saint's character because he scored him a photoshoot gig with his crush (Suppapong I'm blaming this all on you). And his crush Nuea is INTO ALL OF THAT. What the ACTUAL HELL.

The rest of the cast was precious. That's the only reason this didn't top the list.

And the biggest joke of them all:

1. My Stand-In (because WHAT IN THE YAOI HELL WAS THIS?)

Screw the bury-your-gays trope. The gay will bury you, resurrect you, make you an escort, and... marry you?

Prior to My Stand-In, I have never seen Poom Phuripan (Joe's actor) act in anything else. From his MDL, he's been in a LOT of projects as a former Channel 8 agent. In Asia, that means you're under a steady rotation of guest and supporting roles in soap operas, most times as either the most expendable character, as a villain, or the anti-hero for bigger stars.

As for Ming's actor, I've only seen Up Poompat in one thing-- a bl called Lovely Writer. I am however aware that he started quite young in the acting industry, had a supporting role in Girl From Nowhere, and did a movie with GMM's Phuwin (didn't watch those before My Stand-In. This was all random info I absorbed from the general internet).

So I know both Up and Poom had more acting experience than most of their bl contemporaries. In their case, they've both been nominated for minor awards in previous roles. They would, on paper, be experts at this point.

And THANK GOD for that. Because only an expert could properly JUSTIFY what the hell My Stand-In's plot actually was.

This is the only show I've seen in my lifetime where one main lead acts like an absolute a-hole, gets little to no character development, gets NO PUNISHMENT for his actions (no, Joe's death doesn't punish Ming. It punishes JOE. He's the one who DIED; screw your tears Ming), then STILL GETS THE HAPPY ENDING. Oh, and he's rich too.

Why does fate love Ming? We don't know. Fate is Ming-sexual.

Meanwhile, the true main lead suffers unjust amounts of physical, emotional, social, and truly dysmorphic trauma, yet... remains a sweetheart? Joe, my friend, you died twice, I THINK YOU'RE ALLOWED TO STAB PEOPLE NOW. Did I mention he's an orphan? And that Joe lost his career because psycho ex-situationship Ming made him miss his big acting break by HITTING him with a bat and KIDNAPPING him. So he found another job which actually KILLED him DEAD. Then he was miraculously resurrected in another body for a second chance at life, only for him to become the boytoy of... psycho ex Ming?!

Why does fate hate Joe? Because they're Ming-sexual, that's why.

I hate Ming on paper. I HATE him. If I hated Kiyoi as an otherwise misguided school bully, then Ming gets all my rage as the most SPOILED, INSENSITIVE, truly HOMICIDAL mc to ever grace my screen. Each episode felt like a turn, and all turns went left. This was... romance? No, this is a True Crimes episode fr fr.

But that just adds to the surrealness of it, because good lawd Up and Poom can ACT. Up is one fine man, but I don't think his looks alone could have justified Ming's garbage character. Up played the role with such CHARM and nuance that I couldn't look away from his trainwreck. It was masochistic. It's his fault. But was it truly? OH NO.

And Poom's acting was a REVELATION. I've seen other great Thai actors before, and not just in BL. Being Asian myself exposed me to Thai series long before I saw my first queers on screen. Poom could best a lot of them. He played Joe in otherwise natural, blink-and-you'll-miss it actions, sometimes just through his eyes. But he played it in such detail that you could physically feel how lonely he was. How frustrated. How yearning. Truly IMPRESSIVE.

My Stand-In alone convinced me to watch all of Up and Poom's back catalog. They've each played monsters and villains and comedians and love interests in the weirdest series. You guys gotta give 'em a chance. Producers, I introduce to you the one ship in BL that can make your WEIRDEST premises watchable. Hot take: give them the accursed omegaverse Pit Babe cannot commit to. I'm sure they'll be able to glorify your kinks (unless Noeul Nuttarat wants to take a stab at it)

Bonus fun fact since you made it all the way here: did you know Up Poompat's original nickname was ALSO Poom (as in the nickname of his current bl partner?) He used Poom during his BL ship run with Kao Noppakao, as well as many of his previous shows and YT channel. He changed his nickname to Up after he screentested with a DIFFERENT Poom that was supposed to be his new bl partner, but it fell through. Then purely coincidental, he found another partner also named Poom, so at least that worked itself out. So how many Pooms does it take to make a ship? Just one apparently. Otherwise it would be PoomPoom. Sounds like a champion Pomeranian. (Ha, a joke!)

And that's a wrap for the biggest April Fools' pranks on Asian queer television to date. Thank you and sound off which BL you think should make this list. Stay kooky, folks!

[enokito]

Key | Back to Basics

I still don’t know how to format on tumblr so I’m basically just copying the way Saiint does it except also I’m on my phone

Inspired by her post on what kind of small sentimental items Ken might like to keep in their pockets. I like physical security pen-testing content, therefore my Kenadian operates somewhere in between irl security bypass strategies (slipping latches, picking locks, copying keys) and minecraft escapist tech.

WC: 715 | divider

First of all, Kenadian doesn’t consider himself a very sentimental person. He’s practical above all else, and has to be – he’s an escapist, after all, and the first part of escaping involves being (at least nominally) imprisoned. He’s honed himself, like a blade, to be excellent at this one particular thing, and so he sheds all excess like water, in favor of absolute practicality. An earring can get ripped out during a particularly tricky crawl glitch or pearl clip, a necklace can get caught on something and strangle or garrote him, anything reflective can catch a glimmer of light directly into a guard’s eye and get him caught.

Second of all, items can be lost or stolen even more easily than memories, and he wouldn’t be able to handle it. The idea of coming home and feeling unfamiliar walls closing in on him, the idea of seeing a photograph of himself with his friends, and not being able to recognize any of the faces (not even his own)…

Ken avoids stuff that freaks him out, and part of honing himself like a blade means that he operates on a hair trigger. And either way he prefers his life of transience, hopping from place to place, keeping small bases knowing that they’re impermanent, passing out on a friend’s couch after a few days of going non-stop. It’s fun, he loves adventure and playing with danger, and he loves narrowly slipping through to the other side and showing up at Avatar’s place unexpectedly. Therefore, Avatar is the one with his prison escape speedrun times framed on his wall; Wato is the one with the massive folder of all his escape room blueprints, Jammin’s got a pile of his laundry at her place even though he basically wears the same hoodie and black work pants every day.

But the carabiner clipped to his belt loop to hang at his hip, a matte steel gray and perfectly innocuous, is a gift from Wifies. The keyed-alike group set of keys he still uses are from Wato and his lockpicks are from Avatar, his under door tool is from Tundra and his traveler’s hook is from Void, his RFID badges were all printed and programmed by Maximum. He even still has the pair of binoculars Cory gave him while they were together, though he doesn’t use them anymore, and has gone back to just lowering his FOV or using optifine zoom. Jammin is also more of a builder than an escape artist, but he just ends up with more dresses and skirts and high socks whenever he stays the night with her, which he’s not gonna complain about.

The point is, his closest friends catch on to what kind of items have a chance of making it into his everyday carry packs, and gift him accordingly (if Parrot catches on one of these days, he is willing to finally get rid of those binoculars in favor of a spyglass).

When he’s in the zone, the pieces of a puzzle forcing everything else out of his brain, or when he’s on really good pace for a speedrun of some gauntlet or obstacle course, or holding his breath against the wall as guards make their rounds less than a meter away, Kenadian doesn’t need to be reminded of his friends. Would really prefer not to be distracted, in fact, since a single lapse in focus could get him caught or force him to reset the room entirely. But he’s also not mad when he notices the nail polish chipping off his fingers and realizes he hasn’t talked to another person in way too long.

He might not keep a permanent residence of his own, but that means “coming home” can also mean greeting Wifies with a peck on the cheek and begging Wato to mend a tear in his hoodie from when it got caught on some dripstone, a mug of tea at Seawatt’s kitchen counter, seeing friends who don’t mind getting woken up in the middle of the night by Ken’s arrival at their back door. Ken belongs to himself before anybody else, won’t change who he is even with handcuffs around his wrists and a netherite ax held to his throat, but the people who love him don’t demand him to.

[thecheekyblog]

It Sunday!! So it is reset Sunday!

I don’t know for you but February has been pretty draining to me and knowing this month is coming to an end, i feel today is a great time to do some introspection.

Take your journal, and think about the fact that you made it through that challenging month. For me, I haven’t been this busy with work and felt like all that i do was not enough and just felt overwhelmed over all. Than i realized, man ITS WINTER! Everything would be overwhelming, i dont go out, way less socializing, more procrastination, no shit i feel so low.

If you live in Canada, especially in Quebec, you would know that winter been kicking our ass and i decided to do some about it! I look into ways to bring more joy into my life, active joy. Not Netflix or TikTok (which tbh turned in into a zombie lowkey)

I decided to find indoors hobbies and go back into walking 10k steps a day. I felt like i needed to find a purpose until summer comes back and i can be the goddess of the sun that i was always meant to be.

For the hobbies, i started reading again, BAKING ( because fly girls bake pookie ), working out more (yoga mostly because I’m a stiff queen rn and i dont like it).

So on this fine Sunday, do a list of the things the better you would be doing! Like what perfect you do on her free time you know! And also take some time to reflect and be grateful for yourself and all that makes you who you are.

Use today to plan this last week of February and prepare what you want your March to be. March will mark the end of the first quarter of the year. MAKE IT COUNT!

Here is a list of few hobbies you can do inside.

Creative & Artsy Hobbies 🎨

Painting & Drawing – Watercolors, acrylics, or digital art

Calligraphy & Hand Lettering – Beautiful writing styles

Scrapbooking – Preserve memories with creativity

Pottery & Clay Sculpting – Handmade ceramics and crafts

Mindful & Relaxing Hobbies 🧘🏾‍♀️

Meditation & Mindfulness – Stress relief and focus

Journaling – Gratitude journaling, dream logs, bullet journaling

Reading – Fiction, self-help, history, or poetry

Puzzles & Brain Teasers – Sudoku, crosswords, Rubik’s cubes

Astrology & Tarot Reading – Explore spiritual insights

Learning & Skill-Building Hobbies 📚

Learning a New Language – Apps like Duolingo or Rosetta Stone

Taking Online Courses – Skillshare, Coursera, Udemy

Playing a Musical Instrument – Piano, guitar, ukulele, or digital music production

Coding & Programming – Build websites, apps, or game

Creative Writing – Poetry, short stories, novels

Food & Drink Hobbies 🍽️

Baking & Cake Decorating – Experiment with new recipes

Cooking International Dishes – Try cuisines from different cultures

Mixology & Bartending – Make creative mocktails or cocktails

Fermenting Foods – Kimchi, yogurt, kombucha

I hope this help and i hope you giriliees are okay

[nabi-unveiled]

Nabi Notices (June 12, 2025)

Why do we enjoy and gravitate towards certain shows?

Is it the writing? The cinematography? The acting? The soundtrack? A character that resonates? Some other nebulous factor?

(Like a giant plushie!)

Is it easier to connect when there's external or internal conflict? This is the question I've pondered a lot this week.

It's definitely going to vary by person.

For myself, I often have criticisms of shows. A huge part of my job is ripping apart the writing and videos of others, and others rip apart my work as well. I notice things...a lot. It's why I dread finales. A ton of crimes happen in finales. But I can GREATLY enjoy a show while having strong criticisms.

Call it hypocritical if you want, but I watch based on vibes. If I'm enjoying my time, that's what matters to me. I'm typically going to focus on the things that bring me joy.

Maybe there's a character (often the unhinged, sassy or sunshine ones) that I'm finding particularly delightful.

Or maybe a show has me yelling at my tv screen, throwing pillows, and wishing all kinds of misfortunes for a particular character instead.

Or maybe I want to give the character (and myself) a pep talk.

And I always LOVE it when a show tickles my brain and I can learn something new. (Old screenshot here)

Or when I can go on a scavenger hunt for symbolism.

I'm also beginning to think that I'm more of an internal conflict person, but I'm still mulling that over.

The Things I Noticed This Week:

The deluge of content has continued so this certainly doesn't represent everything I watched 😅. I probably should've watched less and slept more, but where's the fun in that?

Fabulous Fit

I love sweaters. That's an understatement. So it should be no surprise that I loved both the sweaters in Fight for You and Moon & Dust. The one in Fight for You just had a fun element with it's color and style, and the one in Moon & Dust was just stylish and a turtleneck. I'd wear them both.

And... the other side of me was very enamored with all of the white outfits this week. I might not wear them, but I certainly loved looking at them.

The Next Prince/Pit Babe 2/Trapped in Osaka

Fascinating Find

Sweetheart Service sent me down a rabbit hole to see what all would be involved if he wanted to program Sebastian (the robot vacuum cleaner) to talk. It's doable.

And Kim feeding Kenta in Pit Babe 2 sent me searching for more details about that particular dish to see if I could make it at home. I can't really imagine someone feeding me like that, but it looks so yummy. I found a couple recipes I'll add to my "to try" list.

Fantastic Frame

There was a lot of beautiful framing in The Next Prince and Reset, but the eyes got me this week. So much can be conveyed through how a person looks at someone else.

Ballboy Tactics

Knock Out

*As always seems to be the case with Knock Out, it's really the scene rather than a particular frame. But their eyes were speaking during this scene. Poor Thun fighting for his life while Keen made sure he was going to get what he wanted.

Fun Flourish

Sound reigned supreme in this category this week. I already talked about the music in The Next Prince and shared a fun fmv for Knock Out.

But I also added a new song to my playlist thanks to My Sweet Brother-in-Law.

I might have been too entranced by the music to focus much on the shower scene 😅. But it was also a pretty sweet sequence for this couple, and we got a good look at our red flag's butterfly tattoo.

Favorite Fragment

Reset

This line had me dying. Our boy Armin has no chill, and I'm here for it. It was a delightfully unexpected surprise.

I also enjoyed the following conversation.

Even if I think characters should NEVER joke about getting hit by a car. There's too much precedent in dramaland.

But it's truth. My brother got hit by a car while INSIDE a building (he's okay). Point is - let's enjoy life and the shows that bring us joy.

My Queue for the Coming Week:

I'm not even trying to figure this out for this week. I'll watch a lot, and my attention is ping ponging between shows (both old and new) like this is an Olympic level match these days. I'm very much looking forward to seeing Sorn cry.

[fans4wga]

[September 1] Don’t Fall For Hollywood Bosses’ New PR Spin

'Today marks the 122nd day of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike and 48th day of the Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) strike. The dual work stoppages have brought Hollywood to a standstill, with production halted on films and television programs, and premieres and other promotional events either scaled back or canceled. Both guilds are striking over demands that are more than reasonable, particularly given studio executives’ record pay. These demands include fair compensation for streaming media (particularly better residuals, which currently pale in comparison to what they are for network and cable broadcasts), robust studio support for health and retirement funds, and safeguards around the use of artificial intelligence. (For more on why WGA and SAG-AFTRA are on strike, read the excellent reporting of Jacobin’s Alex Press). 

In a move that has shocked…pretty much no one, Hollywood bosses don’t want to share their earnings with the very storytellers responsible for generating them. At the same time, they’re happy to make workers pay the cost for their own miscalculations about streaming.

The major Tinseltown studios – organized under the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) trade association – remain stubbornly opposed to striking a fair deal with either guild. Under the leadership of AMPTP president Carol Lombardini, studios have employed brutal tactics to bust the strike, including threatening to drag things out until writers lose their homes and using management-friendly trade publications to pressure the guilds into accepting lowball offers. These tactics have backfired spectacularly: not only have they failed to end either strike, but they’ve also turned the public overwhelmingly against the AMPTP. A new Gallup poll finds that Americans back the WGA over the AMPTP by 72% to 19%, and SAG-AFTRA over AMPTP by 64% to 24%.

Aware of their reputational damage (but willfully ignorant of the anti-worker attitude that caused it), the AMPTP announced a “reset” to its approach this week – not by negotiating in good faith or meeting the guilds’ demands, but by hiring a pricey crisis-management PR firm to revamp its image! According to Deadline, the AMPTP has hired The Levinson Group – a D.C.-based PR shop best known for representing the U.S. Women’s  National Soccer Team in its campaign for pay equity – to “reframe the big picture for studio and streamer CEOs who have been characterized as greedy, imperious and out of touch.”

If you’re feeling like you’ve seen this movie before, you’re not wrong. During the last WGA strike 15 years ago, studio bosses hired former Clinton comms strategists Mark Fabiani and Chris Lehane to revive the AMPTP’s flagging public image. The revolving-door duo were paid a jaw-dropping $100,000 per month by the AMPTP to strike-bust, deploying campaign-style spin attacks designed to break the WGA’s resolve. 

As I wrote for The American Prospect in May:

“Fabiani and Lehane created a website with a live tally of the millions of dollars in income that guild members and on-set crew had purportedly lost by striking. They urged studio CEOs to publicly refer to WGA representatives as “organizers” rather than “negotiators” because the former “sound[ed] more Commie.” Lehane even told the press at one point that striking writers were “making more than doctors and pilots,” cynically arguing that the strike was harming “real working-class people” like below-the-line workers who had lost income from struck late-night talk shows […] Fabiani and Lehane were [also] the brains behind a “strongly worded and downright menacing” AMPTP press release breaking off negotiations with the WGA in December 2007. This move allowed the studios, which cited a protracted strike as an “unforeseeable event,” to invoke force majeure contract clauses and cancel multiple writer-producer deals worth tens of millions of dollars, severely demoralizing the WGA’s rank-and-file members.”

The parallels between 2008 and today are striking. Like Fabiani and Lehane (who have worked for scandal-plagued clients like Gray Davis, Bill O’Reilly, Lance Armstrong, and Goldman Sachs) the Levinson Group has no qualms about representing greedy and unsavory characters. Over the years, Levinson has done PR for predatory student lender Better Future Forward, reviled monopolist Live Nation/Ticketmaster, a talc mining company linked to the Johnson & Johnson baby powder cancer scandal, and Theranos fraudster Elizabeth Holmes. 

And just like the ex-Clinton spin doctors, the Levinson Group boasts close revolving-door ties to powerful politicians and the news media. The firm currently represents President Biden’s personal attorney Bob Bauer and previously represented John Podesta’s family lobbying firm. Levinson partners have previously worked for an array of influential politicians, including former President Bill Clinton, Senators Jon Tester and Amy Klobuchar, Representatives Maxine Waters and Ted Lieu, and former and current Los Angeles Mayors Eric Garcetti and Karen Bass. The firm’s founder and CEO Molly Levinson spent eight years working for CNN and CBS, while two of the Levinson Group’s top managing directors are alumni of CNBC and The Wall Street Journal. With a web of strong connections to power players in the entertainment industry’s twin capitals of LA and New York, along with the nation’s capital, Levinson could help the AMPTP tilt the regulatory and media scales back in the bosses’ favor. 

Though this may sound demoralizing, striking writers and actors shouldn’t lose hope. For one, consider a surprisingly uplifting parallel between 2008 and 2023. Fifteen years ago, after Fabiani and Lehane took the AMPTP’s contract, the SEIU and other unions that had previously worked with the duo severed ties with them for trying to bust the writers’ strike. Fast forward to this week: the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team Players Association (Levinson’s star client!) publicly rebuked the firm for doing the AMPTP’s dirty work and voiced support for the dual WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. If history is any indication, it’s only a matter of time until other pro-union Levinson clients – like the majority SEIU-owned Amalgamated Bank – follow suit and sever ties with the firm. 

There is also one crucial way in which 2023 is thankfully not like 2008: The Levinson Group is bad at their jobs. 

Consider an August 27th New York Times article about AMPTP President Carol Lombardini*, which was almost certainly pitched or otherwise molded by Levinson flacks. The article goes to ridiculous lengths to rehabilitate Lombardini’s image:

The article passively describes Lombardini’s tenure as “marked by labor peace until now” (a peace that she has now broken) and shifts blame for her unpopular decisions to anonymous AMPTP members (how convenient!).

Article co-authors Brooks Barnes and John Koblin quote a 2014 email from then-WarnerMedia CEO Kevin Tsujihara praising Lombardini’s negotiation skills and recommending she receive a $365,000 bonus. Curiously absent from the article is any mention of Tsujihara’s high-profile 2019 resignation from WarnerMedia for pressuring actresses into non-consensual sex.

Barnes and Koblin attempt to paint a “she’s just like us” picture of Lombardini (who reportedly earns a $3 million annual salary), mentioning her upbringing in a “working-class town outside Boston” and love for Red Sox and Dodgers games.

Barnes and Koblin paint a rosy picture of the AMPTP’s “sweetened proposal” (their words) to the WGA, describing the studios’ August counteroffer as “including higher wages, a pledge to share some viewership data and additional protections around the use of artificial intelligence.” Barnes & Koblin never quote the WGA’s well-founded reasons for turning down this lowball offer, saying only that the WGA is “holding firm to demands related to staffing minimums and transparency into streaming-service viewership.”

Bizarrely, the core issue of underpaid streaming residuals (the main reason writers are demanding greater streaming transparency) is never mentioned in the article.

Barnes and Koblin frequently imply that criticism of Lombardini is unfair, describing her as an “easy target” for the “grievances of striking workers” and singling out a tweet purportedly “mocking [Lombardini] as a fuddy-duddy who hangs out at chain restaurants”.

Barnes and Koblin quote a pre-strike September 2022 Deadline interview with Teamsters organizer Lindsay Dougherty to claim that Lombardini has the “grudging respect” of union leaders who see her as a “fair individual.” They did not quote more recent statements from Dougherty, who last month tweeted that the “greedy” AMPTP had “declared war on Hollywood Labor” by refusing to negotiate in good faith with WGA and SAG-AFTRA.

In one unintentionally eyebrow-raising line, Barnes and Koblin state that Lombardini was “inspired to become a lawyer by reading articles about F. Lee Bailey.” Neither Bailey’s sordid clients (like OJ Simpson) nor his multiple disbarments are mentioned in the article.

And it’s not just me who finds the Levinson Group’s efforts laughable. Discussions of the NYT story on Reddit and Twitter are dominated by comments tying the story’s blatant reputation laundering for Lombardini to the AMPTP’s concurrent hiring of Levinson. A recent New Yorker puff piece on Warner CEO David Zaslav has been met with similar ridicule – with many commenters also pointing to Levinson’s potential influence. So too have recent stories from management-friendly trades like Deadline – all of which have failed to make a dent in strong public support for WGA and SAG-AFTRA. This is a good sign: not only is the public more inclined to side with striking workers than it was in 2008 – it’s also seemingly more attuned to the role of corporate PR flacks in shaping the media narrative. If studio bosses think they can remake the same movie and end another strike with flashy spin-doctors, they’re sorely mistaken. 

So here’s my advice to the AMPTP (and it won’t cost you six figures per month to hear it): the way to fix your reputation problem is to end the strike by giving writers and actors what they want. No strike-busting comms team can rescue you from the hole you’ve dug yourself into. 

As the LA Times’ Mary McNamara recently put it, “You’ve lost the war. The best thing to do now is negotiate the terms of surrender.”'

[astatia-ghast]

Moments in Time #2: Cracked

Synopsis: Danny arrives in the Clocktower one day to find Clockwork with green eyes. It turns out that ghosts also enjoy a few mortal delights.

About my Moments in Time series.

------

This gem was written for Phic Phight 2025, for @reading-wanderer's prompt:

"Are you high right now?" Danny demanded. "Frankly, I'm not sure why you thought I'd do this sober."

I've been wanting to write this one since two weeks before Phic Phight even started, when Wanderer sparked this utterly cracked-out idea. Hope you and the #dissec crew enjoy!

------

Danny came to the Clocktower for some reason. There was definitely A Reason; he wouldn't have subjected himself to Clockwork's cryptic maxims and knowing smirks otherwise. But the problem is that his brain, already addled by the shackles of sleep deprivation and puberty, underwent a full factory reset the moment he rounded the corner and saw Clockwork with green eyes.

The two of them are currently in something of a standoff. On one side is Danny, frozen in a state of Lovecraftian horror, and on the other is Clockwork, smirking that stupid knowing smirk that Danny knew he'd be forced to see.

Clockwork breaks it first. "Danny," he sings, "it's good to see you—"

"Your eyes," Danny interrupts, his voice somewhere within the octave of just saw a murder in real life. "Why are they green?!"

"Oh yeah, about that. You see those pipes over there?" Clockwork gestures toward a rack that Danny has somehow never noticed, which is full of what looks like tobacco pipes. "Mind lighting one of those up?"

Danny looks at the pipes. And then at Clockwork. And then at the pipes. And then at Clockwork. This cycle repeats itself a few more times until Clockwork, barely holding back laughter, takes pity on him.

"Do be punctual. Even the Master of Time prefers some things to be done promptly."

Danny's legs drag him unwittingly over to the rack. He picks one pipe up at random and turns it over in his hands a few times. It's quite pretty, despite the absurdity of the situation; it's white and has been etched with motifs of mountains and snow. The rest of the pipes are decorated in a similar fashion, sporting different types of scenery.

Feeling unsure of himself, he casts a glance over his shoulder at Clockwork. The smarmy bastard looks like this is the most entertaining program to have debuted on Ghost Zone TV in the past decade. Danny grimaces and gets to work figuring this whole disaster out.

He fumbles open an ornate box and finds what looks like tea leaves inside. He has no idea what he's doing — no one in the Fenton family smokes — but it can't be that difficult, right? He fills the pipe with what looks like a reasonable amount of leaves and then looks around for something to light it with. There's a device nearby that seems like it could be a lighter, but it also seems like it could be from the 22nd century, and despite his best efforts, he can't figure out how to get it to work.

He casts another glance at Clockwork. Throughout all of this, the ghost's "most entertaining program on Ghost Zone TV" look hasn't faltered. If anything, he has gotten closer to devolving into ugly guffaws with each second. Now, he's practically on the brink.

Danny's cheeks go frigid with the chill of his ectoplasmic blush. He opts to light the pipe with his own powers to save himself from further embarrassment.

Thankfully, by the time he brings the haphazard concoction over to him, Clockwork seems to have gotten a rein on his laughter. He wipes his mouth — probably trying to wipe the smile off his face — and then takes a puff.

Danny can't help but be enchanted by his behavior in the moments that follow. Clockwork closes his eyes and leans his head back, and the wrinkles and worry lines seem to erase themselves from his skin — and not because his body is moving backward through time. Once the last of the stress ebbs away, he releases the smoke through his nose and opens his eyes.

And, to Danny's shock, his eyes are red again.

He sputters. He wants to say something about this bizarre transformation, but somewhere between his brain and his mouth, the words get twisted, and what comes out is, "Are you high right now?!"

"Frankly, I'm not sure why you thought I would do this sober." Clockwork idly flips through timelines in one of his looking-glasses.

Danny's still sputtering. "But— but you— you're Master of— you watch— timelines—"

Clockwork unleashes a great sigh and pats Danny heavily on the shoulder. "You'd be high all the time too if you had to be at the Observants' beck and call." He takes another puff.

Danny's mouth is hanging open, but he can't find it in himself to close it. "Do they know?"

Clockwork blows a smoke ring. "Of course they do, but they know better than to complain. It's either this Timekeeper or no Timekeeper at all."

Danny has no idea what to do with this information, so he spends the next few moments in a stunned silence. After a bit, Clockwork breaks it with, "Oh, and you should know that red eyes aren't natural in the ghostly world. Any time you see a ghost with red eyes, they're high, too."

Danny's brow furrows as, with growing horror, he mentally checks off the list of ghosts who have red eyes. He doesn't always pay attention to those sorts of details in the heat of a fight, but he thinks he may have seen red eyes on the Lunch Lady… and Princess Dorathea… and Skulker… and Spectra… probably Technus, too, if he were to remove the shades.

Oh. Oh no.

He lowers himself to the floor, at once too overwhelmed to continue standing. In a daze, he asks, "What is it you're smoking, anyway?"

Clockwork's eyes twinkle. "I'll keep that to myself. It wouldn't do for me to poison the mind of an impressionable youth."

Later, when Danny is heading home, definitely having not fulfilled whatever purpose brought him to the Clocktower in the first place, it occurs to him that his encounters with the Box Ghost are about to make a lot more sense.

------

Don't mind me, just gonna slide a last-minute Phic Phight submission right in there--

[glamorous-egoist]

Whitaker made it an hour with needing new scrubs congrats! Also he got food too!

Spoilers for Ep. 6 under the cut.

First give it up for the GOAT Dana. Mel really needed that reassurance and it was great it came from Dana, her vs Langdon is such a great comedic relief and then her stepping in with Robby and hospital admin. She’s the real MVP of that ED.

Great storylines this week, we’ll start with Mel. It seems her guilt with Ginger stems from her own guilt with her sister and the inpatient program she has her in. She’s doing her best and she feels guilt over it, I want more of her storyline with her sister. I get it as a former caregiver myself, that storyline really hits home for me.

This week was all family drama…

Javadi and her mom, she’s under immense pressure and McKay was so real for saving her from that hot appy consult, just love their storyline and I hope it really helps Javadi blossom as the series continues. Literally cringed at her mom though. Also the exchange about Captain Morgan and resetting the hip, she’s adorable.

Santos and Garcia… first THANK YOU GARCIA for absolutely scolding Santos for her cockiness she needed that. A bloody scalpel to the foot? Come on! It did not help me like her better but just glad she got reprimanded for her cockiness. Also the hell is going on with those two? Garcia I have questions… also the cut to the Nepalese woman watching the exchange between Garcia and Santos hilarious.

Langdon, I really love him, this is all carry on. Though I will say the brain worms explanation went exactly how I thought it was going to go.

Mohan getting recognized by Dr. Robby, I know she needed that. I really like her character and I just want her to succeed always. Please my girl is doin her best.

Dr. Collins stuck in the crossfire over the teen pregnancy, I feel for her, but the editing made us think it was going to be a bigger fall come on now no need for the dramatics from this show. She’s handling it well, but they are a bit annoying. Also I love that this show recognizes that POC tend to be treated differently when it comes to medicine between Collins’ exchange with the testicular torsion and Mohan with the sickle cell patient, it’s great to see it being acknowledged. The relief on that mother’s face when Collins walked in, like that was real.

Also Myrna please leave the men in that ED alone lol.

Finally Dr. Robby… Dr. Robby who has me twirling my hair and kicking my feet. It’s just older, more mature, confident Carter, I just love it. Any time he walks in and needs to deal with a patient in distress to take over the scene it’s just Carter. The lawsuit can come for me I don’t care! I said what I said.

The exchange between him and Collins? The hell happened between those two! Then you have him with Ginger, adorable please continue doctor. Finally him and the brain dead patient who OD’ed, glad that storyline seems to be wrapping up, it was hard to watch the poor family advocate to try to get them to donate the organs, I know between that and the note in the lunch Robby was feeling that grief creep up, someone hug Robby please.

That mass casualty incident is coming, I just know it’s going to be a shooting either at the school or music festival one of the two. That’s our climax, I’m worried. Also where is angry waiting room guy? We didn’t see him this week.

Honorable mentions the betting pool, the techs who for sure deserve more pay and the frat boy idiots, which that collarbone being popped into place made me cringe.

See you next week?

[cilvix]

# 04.18.25

It’s already yours.

Is what I was told from the beginning when I first showed my interest in manifestation or LoA (law of assumption).

To just assume everything is already in your possession, that you already have it. To just open your eyes. It’s already there.

And that’s what I did. Not the next day, not when I was ready, not when the time was ‘right’. I just did it. Right in class.

It started off with me wanting to cry again over failing grades, uncertainty of getting into a good college, my weight going astray, and overall feelings of everything going into shambles. Just really shitty okay?

But I didn’t cry this time, instead I told myself “This isn’t your reality. You need to accept the reality that you deserve. The one you want.”

And that’s exactly what I did, without the use of any subliminals initially, right there in the middle of class I started manifesting a better life for me. But what was most significant about it was the fact I changed from my usual mantras of “I will be successful” or “I will get better grades” and instead used Law of Assumption in which what I wanted already was, still is, and will continue to happen.

In which resulted in affirmations such as ——— “I am currently in the right timeline in my life in which everything is working itself out.” ; “My grades are doing amazing and I have no problem with them, matter of fact I have A’s and B’s.” ; “My transcript and my gpa looks amazing and even now would appeal to any college.”.

And it wasn’t only till after lunch, I had listened to Everything in its right place (recommend heavy to give you a push into the mindset) to not reset, but to rewire my brain. My mind didn’t need to start from zero nor even fix itself. It just needs to start realizing that these things I want, that I need, are laying in plain sight. Like a lousy where’s Waldo!

Your brain, or more or so your subconscious, needs to understand it can mold your mindset like play-doh. Nothing is set in stone unless you affirm it is. Think of your subconscious thoughts as executive orders waiting for you to affirm and pass them as what is official.

That was the mindset I had going in and will be the mindset I will always have. Because there where never be an out. Having an out means having doubts of your manifestation, which are what I had. But the sooner you accept the fact that YES you can infact CHANGE your life not only physically and through action but also simply through assumption that it’s already fixed. Life will get so—oo much better! 🥐

If you don’t believe me then let me tell you about my success in the time span of just one week! The quickness & efficiency is the main reason why I am heavily emphasizing on everyone to get with the program. Because LoA is for EVERYONE! It’s your superpower! Your very own! Use it! Hell—— abuse it! Because it’s not even LoA it’s you- these things you want, you need?

It’s already yours.

(Also thank you @blueysdiary -3-)