#circular progress bar

[divinector]

Circular Progress Bar JavaScript

[heartbeerry]

i got a soft spot for you / r. c | part one

pairing: rafe cameron x female reader

part one / part two / part three

cw: exes to lovers, angst, rafe redemption arc, brief mentions of alcohol/substances, some swearing, there's sweet and fluffy reconciliation at the end.

summary: y/n breaks up with rafe due to his problem with alcohol/substances. summer passes by and they find themselves at the same place one night. rafe is determined to prove he's changed for the better.

inspiration: soft spot by keshi

♫ i don't go out, but i’ll do it for you

you never liked it when i drink too much

i hate to dance, but i’d dance with you

'cause i’d do anything to feel your touch...

. . .

the condensation from the full glass of whiskey pooled in rafe's grasp.

he hadn’t had a drop, instead opting to swirl the amber liquid in a circular motion. he let out a small sigh as he ran his fingers over a fresh buzz cut.

it was his first night out in weeks, his inner circle dragging him from his house to "let loose". once arriving at the bar, one of them shoved a glass in his hand and left him to stew in a faraway corner.

rafe was heavily considering taking a sip, giving in, letting all of his progress go to waste.

that is until he spotted you from across the room.

his heart clenched at the sight of your smile, directed towards a group of your friends. you looked happy. without him.

it had been an entire summer since the break up and you were clearly handling it well.

rafe on the other hand, was in pieces.

unbeknownst to you, he had been diverting all of his frustrations into getting clean.

he moved towards the spiral stairs to get to the upper level without catching your gaze. he knew your fun would end if you caught sight of him.

rafe's stomach bunched in knots as his hand gripped the railing. he was stumbling, failing at pushing down the onslaught of thoughts threatening to consume him.

"don't you think you've had enough, babe?" you nudged rafe's shoulder, unable to disguise your concern. he hated when you looked at him like you were almost afraid of what would happen next.

you were at a pool party and rafe's inebriated state was resulting in hushed whispers throughout the crowd.

"i know when to stop, y/n. don'tcha worry, let's just have sum good ol' fun." he slurred back. then, before he could take another sip of his beer, rafe was tripping over his own two feet into the pool, bringing you down with him.

rafe felt hot wet tears line his lids as he recalled that night. the night that broke all of your resolve. the next morning, you were packed up and out of his life. he couldn't blame you, he knew he was a disgrace.

it hadn't been the first time his drunken state had caused a problem in your relationship. but to you, it would be the last.

the already raw revelation stung all over again as rafe looked on over the dance floor from the upper balcony of the bar. you looked amazing, absolutely perfect and - were now being chatted up by some glorified finance bro.

rafe could tell the guy was asking you to dance, by the sheer shit-eating grin on his face as he placed an outstretched hand in your direction. when he saw you hesitate, his heart lurched, begging you to decline.

the moment dredged up another memory - this time, one he couldn't dare to misremember.

"come on, baby," you grin, tugging gently on rafe's ring clad hand. "i really want to dance, everyone is already on the floor!"

rafe beamed up at you, your infectious smile giving him the necessary energy to get up from his seat.

he would rather soon drop dead than attempt to dance, but the look on your face was immeasurable and he would never give up the opportunity to feel your touch.

that was just a month into your relationship, but rafe knew. he knew he was wrapped around your finger as he ambled across the dance floor at your cousin's wedding with the dexterity and grace of a newborn fawn, your laughter filling his ears.

rafe all but threw the glass down on a nearby table, whiskey sloshing from the rim. he jammed his palms into his eyes, willing himself to use the breathing exercise you taught him for when his anxiety rose to a dangerous level.

when he removed his hands from his face, rafe wished to be anywhere else. the deepest depths of hell would be more appealing.

on the floor below, you were in the middle of that mellifluous laugh as your new dance partner was spinning you in circles.

rafe scaled the stairs to the back entrance, battling the pure anguish in his chest.

he couldn't breathe.

swinging the door open, rafe stepped into the humid night.

. . .

i’m wrapped around your finger and i can't stop

you know i got a soft spot for you... ♫

part two

[rescuebabiesau]

Secret ElitOP Child!

I'd like to introduce you all to Zoetrope, AKA Zoe, the daughter of Optimus Prime and Elita-One/Ellie-D.

Was she born before or after Optimus' "Upgrade?" - Asked by @dragonsgirl572

Both, I guess?

Zoe's history is a little... complicated. Her existence started all the way back during the war. Elita-One was VERY VERY early in the carrying process, didn't even know, when she went into battle and then fell into a deep crevice from a Decepticon attack. The depth and shifting landscape closing over the top of the crevice prevented the Autobots from immediately getting her signal up at the surface, and with the battlefield being so close to the decepticon's home base of Kaon, trying to sneak back and dig down for her was going to be practically impossible. Much to Optimus' sorrow, they were forced to leave her behind.

Elita-One, of course, didn't go offline, but was trapped. To conserve energon, her body went into long, deep states of stasis, only waking every so often (much like Tailgate in IDW)

The surge of energy from the Omegalock reawakening Cybertron's core revitalized Elita and fully awoke her, but she still had to climb her way out of the planet's surface, and by the time she had... Optimus was gone. It was very shortly after this that she realized she was carrying, and swore to protect this tiny spark by any means, even if that meant reinventing herself to be someone else so that nobody would suspect that her child was the progeny of a prime.

As such, Zoetrope wasn't told who her father was, and considering her mother could have easily just had her on her own, she never really pushed the issue growing up. While her mother was plotting a rebellion against the False High Council in the back rooms of Swerve's Oilhouse— a neutral-ground bar in the heart of Iacon— Zoe was up front with Swerve, helping behind the bar by washing cubes or sitting in an empty cupboard with a writing pad. She graduated to occasionally helping take drinks out to customers at tables and learning basic concoction recipes when Swerve would need someone to help him keep an eye on two different ones in progress, and eventually rose up to become one of his main bartenders.

Of course, the older she got, the more her father's traits began to shine through, and the more she sensed a pull in her spark... Her father's spark calling out to her, and in turn, Optimus felt the same pull.

In short, her spark formed before the upgrade, but she was technically born after it. Chronologically, she's about the same age as Sideswipe and Strongarm.

What's a zoetrope?

A zoetrope is a circular toy composed of a wheel with several still "frames" that when spun quickly, form a moving, repeating image imitating motion! Possibly the oldest variation of gifs XD

As such, Zoe is able to form after-images of herself when she moves that staggers her motion to others like a strobe-light that can make it hard to keep track of if she were to be in combat.

What is her Alt Mode?

She transforms into a medium-sized SUV, like a Chevy Traverse.

[badbatchsprincess]

Heated ~ pt.14

Pt.1 ~ Pt.2 ~ Pt.3 ~ Pt.4 ~ Pt.5 ~ Pt.6 ~ Pt.7 ~ Pt.8 ~ Pt.9 ~ Pt.10 ~Pt.11 ~ Pt.12 ~ Pt.13 ~ Pt.14 ~ Pt.15 ~ Pt.16 ~ Pt.17 ~ Pt.18 ~ Pt.19 ~ Pt.20 ~ Pt.21 ~ Pt.22 ~ Pt.23 ~ Pt.24 ~ Pt.25

Masterlist

Summary: This is an ABO Bad batch!Poly x Omega Reader smut with a plot. This takes place as an AU before order 66. Y/N previously served under the 501st before being transferred to Special Forces 99. This is her adventure with these rowdy Alphas in a quickly changing universe.

THIS IS AN ABO AU ABOUT THE BAD BATCH (NO CANON OMEGA!) Due to the unfortunate situation of her name being Omega… Omega the child from the canon series is not going to be apart of this fanfic/porn with a plot. I feel obligated to put this warning in because it makes my skin crawl thinking anyone could make that mistake. 

Warnings: Literally only smut.... smut. smut. smut. It's Hunter's night, and Tech's night.... enjoy bbs... oh ya and some bondage! TeeHee

─ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──── ♡ ─── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──

Another rainy day on Ord Mantel. You sighed leaning against the window watching the droplets dowse the entire city. You liked it a lot you realized. It made the city lights glow in their neon colors and air was always cleaner the next day. It made Ord Mantel somewhat beautiful, which seemed impossible… except the little moments like this.

It’s been two weeks since the boys started working for Cid… and it was going… alright.

She had decided it was best to post you all up in the apartment above the bar as long as you helped her with the chores around the place and helped serve the customers when they’d meander in. It covered your rent, she said. You were starting to think she just liked having the company around. It gave you good cover though while the boys ran odd jobs. 

You and the others decided it would be best to keep you away from potential spies and bounty hunters. You didn’t have a problem staying at Cid’s, the deal worked out fine anyways, and it could be so much worse. 

After a long day scrubbing the bar down with soap for the first time in probably months, you were pooped. You had taken a long relaxing shower before curling up in the circular window over looking the main street. You had created a little nest there, where you kept your snacks within reach and your holonovel near by. The boys said they’d be home soon so you were just trying to kill the time instead of eagerly waiting. 

They had been sent to rescue an ex separatist senator to Echo’s dismay. You were wondering how that was going while you read through the filthy smut on your holo screen. You could only imagine the chaos these boys were bringing to this unsuspecting plant. 

The schedule system seemed to be working well too. If they were able, you’d spend the day with all of them. Echo resumed your combat training in the back courtyard behind Cid’s place, and at night you’d spend it with your alphas. 

Echo says you’re making good progress. Though it didn’t really feel like it. You think he just likes wacking you around with a stick for fun. The others sometimes would join in giving you someone to spar with. Wrecker obviously was the most difficult. There was no possible option where you could ever gain the upper hand with him. 

Echo had you graduate to fighting with various make shift weapons. Cid’s broom handle, a durasteel pipe, and a dull knife from the bar. It was exhilarating and part of you was really starting to like it.

You hadn’t realized how good of a teacher Echo was. He says it’s because he had extra training himself when he was a shiny. He was really able to help you strengthen your punches to the point that Hunter would actually shift backwards a bit now when you’d strike. It was giving you some hope you’d actually be able to hold your own soon.

You flexed your hands noticing the small scabs forming on your knuckles. With a sigh you set your novel and looked back out at the street watching the speeders zoom by pedestrians trying to get out of the rain. 

At some point, you must have dozed off, as you woke up to the sound of your door opening and a freshly showered Hunter comes walking in looking refreshed. It was his night after all. 

You smiled and stretched trying to wake yourself up like a lazy tooka.

“What time is it?” You asked realizing it was dark outside now and the city lights were glowing through your window.

“We just ate dinner, thought I’d bring some up for you.” He walked over giving you a tray with some delicious smelling tip-yip. You squealed in excitement and sat up grabbing the spork suddenly feeling awake. 

He walked in front of your mirror running his hands through his damp hair trying to push it out of his eyes while you dug in.

“You smell good.” You put a piece of food into your mouth liking the way he smelled after a shower. It was so undoubtably Hunter and it made you feel so safe. 

He smiled flashing his k9s at you, “You’re the one that smells good mesh’la.” 

You tapped your lips and he huffed a laugh before walking over and bending down to press a kiss to your mouth. You smiled kissing him again before going back to your meal. 

He flopped down on your bed in the corner giving a big sigh and a stretch himself. 

“How was the mission?” You asked mid-chew. 

“Exhausting.” He sighed feeling himself start to relax into your soft bed.

You giggled, “Saving separatist scum is too hard for sarge?” Your baby voice made him scowl. 

“It seems that the separatists and anyone not in line with the empire is on the same side now.” He rubbed his eyes, “everything is different now.” 

“That we can agree on.” You shoved another bite in, “I got to hang out with a too flirty Gungan today who absolutely has a drinking problem. Told me his wife found out about his girlfriend.” 

“Quite a day for you huh ad’ika?” Hunter played along with the dramatics. 

You nodded, “Mhmm. I’m doing really hard work while you’re all gone.” You shrugged with a playful smirk. 

“You poor thing.” He used his baby voice making you giggle.

Eating your last piece of tip-yip, you set the tray aside before walking over to Hunter and climbing onto the bed to straddle him. 

“I missed you.” You leaned down kissing both his cheek bones. 

“Mmm.” He hummed running his hands up your sides, “Not as much as I missed you.” 

“Show me.” You smirked running your hands over his firm chest. 

Hunter gripped your hips before rolling both of you and pinning you to the mattress. He smirked as he lowered himself to kiss you again this time a little hungrier. You smiled into his mouth feeling him press his hips into yours. You felt the hardness between his legs and you whimpered feeling the fluttering butterflies in your stomach and that familiar heat begin to pool in your lower belly. He gave a satisfied groan grinding into you liking the way you responded to him to prettily. 

He sat back on his heels, “up love.” He helped you sit up to peel your shirt from your body. He smirked realizing you didn’t have a bra on and leaned forwards to press you back into the mattress to leave a trail of kisses down your sternum before he licked one of your hardening nipples. You moaned pushing your chest further into him while he continued to lick and suck, making you arch your back into his hot mouth. He then went down to grab the waist band of your sweats and yank them down only pulling away from your tits to slide them off of your legs. 

You were just about to reach up for him again but he pushed your arms away before flipping you over onto your belly. 

“Alpha.” You whined pushing your ass up trying to make contact with him again desperate for the friction. 

“Shh adi’ka .” He soothed running his hands over your ass cheeks giving them a good squeeze before he brought his palm down spanking you. You yelped looking back at him already feeling the imprint of his hand welting up. He just gave you a playful smile before reaching into his waist band and pulled out his vibro blade. You sucked a breath in feeling the cold metal press to your skin. He slid the knife along your silky skin before sliding them under the waist band of your damp panties. 

“Such a good girl, omega.” With his other hand he ran his fingers over your core feeling the wetness soaking through your panties. You wiggled but he withdrew his fingers, “stay still for me mesh’la.” 

You huffed and willed yourself to stay still, but it was agony. He resumed his small strokes stroking your clit through the fabric of your panties while the knife continued upwards until he twisted the blade bringing the sharp side right through your panties, slicing them like butter. He growled finally seeing how wet you were already. He chucked the blade and you watched it fly across the room before impaling into the wall before driving his finger into you. 

You let out a loud moan feeling him start a consistent rhythm before adding another thick finger stretching you.  You wriggled against him desperate to be filled even more. It was starting to feel so delicious you were certain he could feel you start to clench down on him. 

He withdrew his fingers and sat up slightly to kick your knees apart and lift your ass up in the air. He shoved down his trousers and grabbed his throbbing cock stoking git a few times before lining himself up with your aching cunt. You pushed yourself back against him feeling his tip push inside. You moaned as he surged forwards until he was flush with your ass. You cried out finally feeling the relief of him filling you. Hunter was thick, and he was so, so hard. You mewled as Hunter set the sturdy pace. 

…You loved the way Hunter fucked…

He was so deliberate making sure his strokes were steady and hitting that yummy spot inside you that made your toes curl with every stroke. He also couldn’t seem to get enough of your creamy cunt. He groaned every time he could hear just how wet you are with every thrust. You think it’s because of his heightened senses, he could probably feel and her every tremor your body made as he pleasured you and you knew it drove him wild. He could probably sense every beat of your heart, and scent the small changes in your scent that let him know you were enjoying yourself.

You tried to push yourself up onto your hands but he grabbed the back of your neck pinning you back down, “take it, omega.” He snarled feeling you clench around his cock. You moaned loudly certain the others could heard you as Hunter pounded even harder. The only sound in the room was your squelching and the slap of skin on skin. 

Hunter wasn’t always outwardly dominant, but everyone and awhile his alpha side trickled through and it made your entire body sing. 

He pushed himself as far in as possible, mesmerized by the jiggle plush of your ass against his lap. He sighed shaking his head still unable to believe he was able to have the omega of his dreams. Your scent was making him get lost in the fog of lust.

“Fuck, pretty girl,” He slid his hand from your neck to the roots of your hair where he tugged making you whine, “do you have any idea how perfect you look? M’fuck, you were made for me mesh’la.” 

“Alpha…. Ahh!” You whined as he brought his hand down onto your ass again hearing the slap ring out into the room. You moaned feeling the warming sting again making you drip down your thighs as you took Hunter as best as you could despite his roughness. 

Gripping onto your hair, he pulled you up straight arching you agains this chest as he fucked you on his lap. You gripped onto his thighs absolutely loving this deliciously brutal pace. He was so deep inside you, you were starting to feel it in your stomach. You mewled feeling so damn good, so surrounded in his warmth and affection. It made you so happy.

He snaked his free hand down between your thighs to run slow meticulous circles bringing you to the edge. You clawed at his muscular thighs as you begged him not to stop feeling like you were going to cum. He smiled into the crook of your neck licking your mating gland and you shivered feeling yourself hurtle over the edge. 

You let out a scream as Hunter’s fingers threw you over the edge. Your orgasm wracked through your body leaving you spent and shaking. He released your hair and wrapped his arm around your middle keeping you to his chest as he continued to thrust, feeling himself start to cum. 

“Fuck.” He bit out. You felt him twitch inside you before his hips stilled and he spilled himself inside you. 

You went limp against his chest hearing the rapid beating of his heart against your cheek. He pressed lazy kisses on all the skin he could reach before leaning forwards and gently guiding you down onto the mattress. He pulled out of you slowly making you groan at the empty feeling. 

You felt his cum drip out of you, as he got up to grab something to clean you up with. When he came back from the bathroom, he had a damp washcloth to clean up your thighs and then himself before he tossed it to the side. Hunter curled up next to you pulling the sheets up to cover the two of you. You rolled over wanting to lay on his chest which he was happy to comply with. 

He tilted your chin up for a kiss before letting you settle against him while he caught his breath. 

You purred feeling satiated and tingly. 

“I have my heat in a few weeks.” You said quietly knowing he could hear your whisper. 

“We’ll need to make sure you get another implant after huh?” He said running his fingers through your hair. 

You nodded, “How will that work, same like last time?” 

“It’s whatever you want mesh’la, if you want all of us we’ll do that, or if you just want one of us we understand that too.” He kissed your forehead. 

“Okay.” You smiled tracing the skeleton tattoo on his ribs with your finger. 

“Who did your tattoo?” You asked. 

“Crosshair.” He looked down at his arm, “He has a steadier hand than the others.” 

“Did you do his?” You smiled poking him in the side. 

“No, he did that on his own.” Hunter grabbed your hand before you could tickle him and pressed it to his mouth with a kiss. 

“Should I get a tattoo?” You asked jokingly. 

“If that’s you want sweetheart.” He pinched your cheek lightly. 

You nuzzled into his side breathing him in. His scent was so warming and calming it made you feel like you were at home. The past two weeks had been interesting. You were sad Crosshair wasn’t with you anymore, but the burning agony wasn’t there anymore at least from what you could tell. It was like he was on a vacation and while you missed his presence, it didn’t seem as devastating as it might actually be. It was strange. 

The only thing you worried about was being found. You didn’t know what the empire wanted with you, and frankly you didn’t want to find out… there was a tinge of anxiety that seemed impossible to dispel. 

Hunter did a really good job of making you feel safe though. If anyone could make you disappear, it would be these boys. 

“I can feel you thinking.” He mumbled with his eyes closed. 

You squeezed him a little tighter, “I’m just thankful for you, thats all.” 

He smiled and leaned down to kiss you again. 

“My sweet little ‘mega.” He whispered, “We should get some sleep mesh’la, I know Echo wants you up and early.” 

“Ugh.” You ran your hands up and down his chiseled abs, “Can’t you just tell him I’m tired and we can stay in bed?” 

“No chance sweetheart, you look too good in those tight pants.” He chuckled. 

You sighed and relented, securing your legs around his before closing your eyes and settling in. You just hoped the rain let up before Echo expected you in that courtyard. 

~~~

Well you were wrong. The only word to describe your current state was… soggy. 

You squeezed the water from your hair before twisting it up on top of your head to keep the loose strands out of your eyes. 

“Echo please, I’m begging that we go inside.” You shivered. This was reminding you of Kashyyyk, even though that was significantly not as wet. 

“Nope.” He squared up raising his wrapped fists, “You gotta get used to being uncomfortable.” 

You pouted, “But omegas like comfort and warm things.” You groused. This was so not your element. 

“It’s a changing universe Tiny, gotta make sure you’re ready for anything.” He gave his arms a little shake, flinging droplets, before getting into a fighting stance. 

You mirrored him even though your mind was on sitting by the fire in the apartment warm and dry. You looked to Wrecker and the others who sat under a fabric covering staying dry, “Please Alphas.” You begged with your best pup eyes.

Wrecker and Hunter looked like they were on the verge of folding but Tech crossed his arms, “You heard Echo. Again Pip.” 

Strict as always… you sighed locking into Echo’s movements. Fine…A fight it will be.

You waited for Echo to make the first move. He lunged forwards, giving you a small window to sneak under his arm, and land a punch to his side. 

He hunched over, stunned you had juked him out. When he tried to retaliate you used your small size to out maneuver them. Over the weeks of the training with them, you learned that due to their size they moved slightly slower than you could. They were strong, but your small size allowed to quicker jabs. 

When he was spinning around to pursue you, you used your foot to kick up one of the sparing sticks into your hand swinging the metal pipe at him. He dodged it before grabbing his own. 

“Good. Use what’s around you.” Hunter coached from the side. 

Echo brought down the pipe but you blocked it in time. The rain was making the concrete slippery so you decided to duck down and swing the pipe low catching Echo’s boot. You knocked the ARC trooper down onto his back and pointed the weapon at him. He surrendered giving you the victory. 

“I’m going inside now.” You poked him with the stick before tossing it to the side. When you were just about to enter the back of the bar, Echo grabbed you from behind hauling you up into the air. 

“Echo!” You screamed trying to wriggle out of his grasp. 

“C’mon Tiny.” He growled holding steady despite your squirming. 

With a growl, you brought your feet up in the air before thrusting them down changing the weight distribution and rolled the two of you into the nearby crates. You were able to get away from him but he grabbed your boot and tugged you back forcing you to slide across the ground through the dirty puddles. 

You kicked at him freeing up your boot before rolling back to your feet. 

“That was a dirty trick.” You looked down at all the muck on your shirt. 

“Gotta make sure you’re ready.” He laughed wiping mud from his cheek. 

“How’s she doing?” The trandoshan stepped outside observing from the doorway. 

“She’s improving significantly.” Tech kept his eyes on you scrutinizing your every move. 

“Good, because I’m going to need her to cover some shifts later.” Cid waved her claws in the air before going back inside to avoid the rain. 

You groaned but put your fists back up prepared for Echo’s next attack. This was going to be a long day.

~~~

“Are you alright dear?” Tech watched you limp into the bedroom looking exhausted. You nodded before turning into the bathroom to turn on the shower. You smelled like alcohol and bar snacks. You just wanted to feel the hot water and scrub until you smelled like soap. You heard Tech outside the bathroom walking around, and you started to strip down before stepping into the steaming shower to wash the day off. 

You did everything you wanted to, scrubbed, washed, exfoliated. You felt glorious getting out. Even the soreness in your muscles from training were feeling better. You grabbed your favorite body oils and began getting to work moisturizing yourself. It was such a relief. 

When you stepped out you found Tech in his boxers reading something on his data pad. You tightened your robe and made your way over to him suddenly feeling a little warm looking at all of this taut defined muscles. He was so tall, just like Crosshair. They almost seemed like twins at times. You just wanted to sink your teeth into him he looked so good.

“Alpha?” You asked softly getting his attention. 

He looked up from his screen noticing your loosening robe. 

“Can you massage my back for me? Echo really did me in.” You said lowering the shoulder of the robe showing him your bare skin. You were dying for Tech’s skilled hands. You watched him fix too many things on the marauder not to think about them all the time. Often when you were alone, you would think about how good they’d feel on you… or in you. 

“Take off your robe and lay down cyare.” He watched you untie the robe and drop it to the ground revealing your glistening oiled body. He swallowed thickly feeling himself start to harden at the site of you. You crawled up onto the bed laying down face first into the plush. 

He got up to grab the lotion off the nightstand before squeezing some into his hands. He warmed it between his fingers before pressing them gently into your back before spreading it around making sure to get every spot… then he went to work. His fingers massaged every muscle and tendon making you absolutely turn to putty. 

You were moaning and groaning when he worked down your legs making sure to thoroughly give you an entire body rub down. It felt so damn good. His skilled hands were one of your favorite things in the entire universe. 

“Alpha… you’re so good at that.” You whined as he worked a particularly tight muscle in your shoulder. 

“We might be working you too much.” He sighed feeling how tight your entire body is under his dexterous fingers. 

“Echo was particularly rough today.” You sighed. 

He chuckled, “Sometimes, I think we forget you’re not engineered like we are.” 

You huffed, “You’re telling me.” 

He continued to rub further down to your lower back where some new muscles were forming and you whined as his thumbs pushed and pulled the aching tendons. 

“Cyare…” He leaned down so his lips were right by your ear, “I want to try something new tonight if you’re open.” 

That peaked your interest. 

You cracked open an eye to look up at him, “What did you have in mind?” 

“Well with all these new credits I decided to head out to that sex shop on fifth street, I picked up a few things I think you might find interesting.” 

You sat up on your elbows feeling your insides start to flutter with anticipation, “What things?” You bit your lip.  

He pushed his glasses up and got up off the bed before reaching into his pack. He pulled out a red bag and walked back over to the bed. 

“Go on.” He held the shopping bag out for you to investigate. 

You stuck your hand inside feeling something soft. When you pulled it out you realized you were holding a roll of red satin ropes. You gasped and looked up at Tech. He nodded towards the bag, “There’s one more thing.” 

You reached inside again grabbing something smooth. When you pulled it out you were confused at first, until Tech turned it on and it started to vibrate. It was a black and gold vibrator. 

“Are you open to trying these cyare?” He looked at you and lightly skimmed your chin with his fingers, “You can also say no. I won’t take it personally.” He always gave you an out. You, Crosshair, and Tech had agreed to use the color system a while back, and Tech definitely stuck to it. 

You chewed your lip and looked back up at him, “Green.” You answered. 

He smiled before switching into dom alpha mode. 

“On your knees.” He commanded and you shivered sitting back on your heels. 

“Use your colors.”  He reminded while grabbing the crimson ropes. You nodded and watched him double up the soft strands before bringing the center loop to your neck as he began to expertly tie the knots. 

You watched him as he skillfully bound your arms behind your back careful not to touch your skin much, the angle was a little uncomfortable at first, but the more he tied the more secure you started to feel and the pain ebbed away and the heat start to enter your blood. 

He then tied a couple more well placed knots squeezing your tits together making you squirm wanting more. 

“Tech.” You sighed starting to feel restless wanting him to touch you. 

“Color cyare.” He looked at you with lust blown eyes. He was very satisfied with his work. 

“Green.” You said locking into the tent in his trousers. 

“Can I record you mesh’la?” He ran his finger tips over the ropes still not touching you. 

You nodded, “Yes Alpha.”

“Such a good girl.” He touched the side of his goggles and you noticed the little flashing red light turn on letting you know the camera was recording. 

He knelt over you gently taking you into his arms before laying you down on your back. You whimpered at just the slightest touch of his warm hands. You desperately wanted more, but you knew you were going to have to work for it. 

You were forced to lay slightly on your side to keep the weight off your hands, but it seemed to give Tech the desired effect. He was staring at you like a starving man. Your cunt clenched around nothing and you were sure he caught that on camera. It made you blush.

“Let me look at you.” He placed both hands on your knees rolling you onto your back totally at his mercy. 

He spread your legs wide, revealing your dripping cunt. Wet all for him. You were mesmerized by the look in his eyes, that hunger. It was making you even more horny knowing you were doing this to him. It was longer a want, but a need to have his hands back on you.

He ran a selfish hand through your folds collecting some of the wetness but avoiding the place you wanted him the most. He was testing you, to see if you’d complain and get bratty with him. 

You usually did under Crosshair’s influence, but you were too desperate for him to touch you to even go there. You just wanted to be a good girl for Tech tonight and submit to him without a fight.

You stared up at him with glossy eyes as he scanned every part of your tied body. He took special time showing off his handy work behind your back. He even rolled you over to record the details and get a good shot of your round ass. 

“So beautiful Mesh’la.” He massaged the cheek that still held Hunter’s hand print from the night before. He seemed to take a bit of an interest in it, massaging it himself. You were breathing heavy now, hoping he’d take mercy on you and make you cum. 

“Thank you alpha.” You groaned feeling his fingers trail dangerously close to the apex of your thighs. 

“Look at you, not even bratting tonight.” You could hear the smirk in his voice, “Is this all it takes for you to behave?” He tugged at the rope around your wrist with a slender finger. 

You whined in response. 

Usually he’d demand you use your words but he was getting impatient even for himself. Between the massage earlier and now this. You allowing him to fulfill one of his favorite fantasies had him desperate to feel you cumming around him. As Crosshair would say, it’s one for “the spank bank.”

He ripped off his shirt throwing it to the side while pushing down his trousers leaving him bare. You strained to look at him, but the restraints forbade your movements. He chuckled and flipped you back over spreading you once again. 

“Now, darling, you’re going to cum for me as many times as I want before I fuck you full, do you understand cyare?” He picked up the vibrator holding it up for you and the camera to see. 

You nodded, “Yes, alpha.” 

“Good. Let’s begin.” He switched on the toy and slowed it down to your clit making you hum. 

Immediately you were squirming around trying to push back against the ropes but obviously that wasn’t going to work. It was tiresome, but the look on Tech’s face made you even wetter. He looked like an animal with that determined squint. 

Tech’s cock twitched watching you writhe around under the little toy. He was so fixated on the way the ropes bit into your skin, he almost missed you cumming on the virbator. 

“One.” He counted keeping the toy on you as you rode out your orgasm. But then that turned into overstimulation and you started to wriggle around again trying to escape the vibrations. It was starting to feel like too much and you clenched down on nothing to your dismay. You desperately wanted to be filled.

“Ahh!” You whimpered feeling yourself quickly be thrown into another orgasm. You couldn’t believe it. You moaned as the pleasure washed over you, tingling all of your nerves. You had to remember to breathe letting your body try to relax a little.

“Two. Good omega.” He encouraged keeping the toy to your cunt, “Think I can make you squirt with just this?” He rubbed the toy around eliciting more cries. You flinched when he’d trace over a certain spot making you cry out for him. 

“Doing so good cyare, I want one more. Can you do that for me omega?” He looked down at you with a stern look. You looked up at him with bleary glossy eyes trying to squirm away from the toy. 

“Y-yes.. sir. Yessir.” You threw your head back unsure if you’d be able to take another orgasm again so soon. You were desperate for a break, but you wanted to please your alpha and decided you’d do whatever he wanted. 

You greedily watched him fist himself and the drops of precum dripping from his flushed tip. The way his cock flushed as he stoked himself made you salivate. You ground your hips down onto the toy lost in your thoughts about licking him up. 

He watched you succumb to the lust as you chased your high with determination. He was purring knowing you were trying to please him, it made him very, very happy. 

“Almost there omega.” He was watching your movements stutter before you tried arching back as you came hard. 

Tech smiled proudly and withdrew the toy letting you release a massive sigh. You twitched as the aftershocks rolled through you and you squeezed your thighs together trying to calm yourself. 

“My perfect girl.” He praised leaning down, “I just have to have a taste cyare.” He gave you a few licks making you cry out before sloppily making out with your cunt. 

You moaned enjoying the warmth and softness of his wet mouth it was a soothing contrast to the vibrating toy. It was so delicious you ground down into him as best as you could from your angle. Just as quickly as he started, he pulled away to kneel over you. You watched him spit on his own cock rubbing the wetness around before sliding down to tease your entrance. 

“Alpha!” You whined feeling the warmth radiating into you. 

“Shh, omega.” He cooed before surging forwards watching himself disappear into you inch by inch. You cried out with joy finally feeling the glorious stretch you craved so much. 

“Fuck!” You yelped as he started to thrust making you purr in delight. 

Tech focused in on getting a rhythm going watching how you bounced up and down the mattress and the way your bound tits jiggled between the knots. It was going to make him cum. He had to close his eyes and focus on not coming so fast despite how absolutely utterly perfect you looked tied up like this. It was glorious. You were the most beautiful thing he’d ever laid eyes on.

“Fuck baby.” He pulled out suddenly deciding he couldn’t take it anymore. You whined feeling empty but he just picked you up setting you down on the floor next to the bed kneeling you on a discarded pillow before pressing his soaked cock to your lips. 

You smiled and greedily took him into your mouth letting him grab the sides of your face before he started fucking your throat. 

You felt the subspace creeping up on you as you settled into his pace being mindful to breathe while you relaxed your jaw and throat muscles. The grunts and whines Tech were letting out fed the needy omega in you. Alpha was happy. You were making alpha happy. 

It made your entire body flutter. 

The next thing you knew, Tech was pulling out and splattering his cum on your cheek and across the bridge of your nose while the two of you breathed heavily. 

He looked down at you in slight shock before coming to his senses and shutting off the camera to kneel down in front of you. 

“I’m so sorry cyare.” He grabbed his discarded shirt and wiped your face, “I shouldn’t have done that.” His eyes were filled with concern. 

“Hmm?” You looked up at him with bleary eyes as he cleaned you, “It’s alright alpha.” You smiled softly trying to ease him. 

He rubbed your jaw affectionately studying you. When he realized you were heavy into subspace, he sighed and picked you up placing you onto the bed knowing talking won’t help much.

“You did so good for me omega.” He praised while untying the knots carefully. He took extra care rubbing the areas with indent marks with his thumb soothingly. You preened under his ministrations feeling yourself start to free up from the confines of the rope. 

You stretched before clinging to Tech. He removed the last of the rope before using his soiled t-shirt to clean between your legs and settle you into the covers. You kept mindlessly reaching for him, whining when he had to clean up the space a bit, removing any objects from the bed. 

Tech curled around you surrounding you in warmth, “I’m so proud of you, cyare. You did so fucking good.” He pressed a kiss to your hair. You rolled over and looked at him before pressing into his mouth for a real kiss. 

He melted into you instantly and you smiled. He kept kissing you like he couldn’t get enough of it. 

“Thank you alpha.” You whispered snuggling into his chest. 

“Now, get some rest cyare. You’ve earned it.” He petted your hair soothing you into much needed sleep. 

Uhh yeah... so that just happened bahaha...

Anyways - I wonder what Crosshair is doing right about now...

─ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──── ♡ ─── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──

Taglist: @substantial-exposure

@rains-on-kamino

@minimissmoo

@z-and-the-batboys

@aynavaano

@9902sgirl

@sideofhorny

@sxftiebee

[thatstormygeek]

In its U.S. v. Skrmetti ruling, the Supreme Court’s Republican appointees shaved off the edges — if not more central parts — of the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause in order to uphold laws that bar an exceptionally small number of teens from receiving a type of medical care that only one group of teens need.

Addressing this formal attack on transgender people by the government — de jure discrimination, one might even call it — is, as Justice Sonia Sotomayor made clear in her dissent on Wednesday, the work that the Equal Protection Clause is supposed to do. One would expect more outrage. But Wednesday was the result of a long-term campaign that ultimately succeeded. As same-sex couples succeeded in obtaining marriage equality in 2015, the far-right organizations who had used their opposition to those couples’ marriage rights to fund their work needed a new cause. The far right moved on to attacking transgender people.

The Atlantic put its “just asking questions” story about trans kids on their cover in the summer of 2018. Seeing smoke, The New York Times began looking for fire with a series of longform stories targeting trans youth care. They weren’t alone. (Even on other trans issues, ahem.) In the end, so-called “thought leader” publications played key roles in bringing forth this week, giving oxygen to extremists and creating a story. ... Because of the court’s circular holdings in the case that the law doesn’t classify on the basis of sex of transgender status despite obviously doing both, as discussed here on Wednesday, that uncertainty was enough. Had the court properly held that Tennessee’s law should be subjected to intermediate scrutiny, then the case would have gone back to the lower courts for an actual look at the evidence. But, because rational basis was applied, “uncertainty,” Roberts held, would do. Justice Clarence Thomas, in a concurring opinion, went on to make explicit what was implicit in Roberts’s majority opinion with his polemic against “the authority of the expert class.” In so doing, Thomas quoted from and cited the New York Times repeatedly for what essentially became its ongoing project to question gender-affirming medical care for trans minors in a way it has not done for other medical decisions with much higher regret rates or for basically anything other non-presidential topic (besides criminal justice progressives) in recent years.

[teacupfullofroses27]

Ok I have a little head-cannon that I'm going to put into my fanfic because it's my fanfic and I can do what I want. We don't see Caine's room, so I like to think he lives on the train cars of a circus train that travels the grounds. The Ringling bros. had a really spiffy one and think he would too, but more wacky. Maybe the interior of one of the cars would be more refined, who knows? Also I can't draw trains can u tell

Would you guys like a little sneak peak of the next chapter??? 👀

Ok here it is

Caine didn’t have a room like the rest of the cast. He had a small series of rooms, or train cars, that were constantly pulled along by a train that traveled the circus grounds. The interior of the car he was in was mainly the same shade of his magenta suit, with accents of black. The ground rocked subtly against the rumbling tracks as the over saturated scenery rushed by. The rumbling didn’t bother him, he preferred floating anyway. A selection of books sat on a pristine bookshelf, all with matching magenta covers. “Snow White” one book’s spine read. He picked it up and flipped to the first page. Best to know your source material before making any sort of adaptation. A circular icon appeared over the ringleader’s head. It spun in circles, static overtaking his usually multicolored eyes. A horizontal bar appeared above Caine. “LOADING CONTENT”. Every now and then, a page would turn on its own, and the horizontal bar would progress a little further. 

Also, I don't think he "reads", I think he downloads content. This was the best way I could think of illustrating that 🌹

[notsp1derman]

a lesson of shape design in wolfwalkers, directed by tomm moore and ross stewart

As always, I'm very late to the party, but I just wanted to take a quick moment to praise one of the best looking animated films I've seen in a while (and mind you, the bar is very high). Wolfwalkers tells a tale about two young girls from very opposite backgrounds that find themselves united by friendship and by the wild nature around them: Robyn, a huntsman's daughter wanting to prove herself as a fighter and Mebh, a girl living in the forest with her mother that can commune with the wolves.

The story itself is a contemporary classic: it was told before in Princess Mononoke, Brave, and many others; just as much as it will be told again and again in future films. A tale of human progress vs nature and an advice for children to respect the natural gifts of our planet, instead of destroying them. But the beauty of Wolfwalkers lies in two very basic principles of design: color and shape.

Shapes are a very powerful tool in transmitting emotion and reinforcing a narrative through less obvious means, and animations specifically can elevate this to a level very hard to achieve in other types of media. When we plan an animated film, we have limited screen time and usually an audience that can't fully grasp all the nuances of the story we are about to tell, but we still have to make clear some key things. Who is our hero? What are his fears and trials? Who are their friends and foes? How should we feel about their story?

This is where shapes come in handy. They are big forms that encompass the outline of a character, helping to simplify details and convey the essential very quickly without using words. A kid protagonist will be small compared to adults, but they can be thinner, almost stick-like, which can indicate frailness; rounder and softer to appear more gentle or even triangular to emphasize a specific body part or characteristic.

Robyn has big round eyes and a thin body, contrasting the way she tries to be more scary and competent hunter despite being kept on a short leash. Mebh, on the other hand, is thicker and feels a lot more solid, immediately being seen as a wild child that grew up free to explore, which is even more evident by the expansive circular shape of her untamed hair. Even without the action and dialogue, it is easy to peg them as complete opposites, but still two young girls.

Even in a deeper level, the shapes in Wolfwalker tell very clearly the overarching plot. Every tree, bush, rock and hill in the forest, our main scene, is curved and full of movement. The trees twist and bend to the wind, the leaves twirl, the terrain molds itself in a rythm we follow through every shot. Mebh and her mother, as residents and embodiments of the forest itself, follow these circular shapes by having soft cheeks, big round hair and earrings. What is impressive is how, for a shape that sometimes feel "slower", all of the wolfwalkers' movements are fluid and agile, like the running of a river.

Against the forest, in the background, we have the very angular town, with squared walls, triangled roofs and even geometric citizens, like Robyn's father. All figures are tall and imponent, occupying visual space and seeming bustling, oppressive and chaotic. This emphasizes the strife between town and forest, and immediately tells us who is from what place.

This is where the colors also shine. When we use a lot of similar shapes to define our characters, colors are a great way to add more depth to our design. Robyn is mostly square-ish like her father, but her green shirt shows her connection to Mebh and the forest. The blood-red of the guards' uniforms is the same of the fire used to harm and destroy. And while all this is happening, and changing, the secondary colors are duly adjusted in saturation, brightness and hue to make beautiful and harmonic palettes.

In conclusion, Wolfwalkers isn't great necessarily because of its story. But it shows how thinking about these details in animation can make or break a film. You can have the perfect story apt to win any award, but if your characters aren't selling it visually, it will not be a great animation. You might as well just write a book or something.

To me, animation always will be an artform in itself. So for it to be truly special, it has to prove to us why it's better as is then as a comic, live action, game or any other form of media. What a joy it was to appreciate a story in its best possible presentation. I'm glad Wolfwalkers was made into being by passionate people who knew what they were doing.

★★★★★

[blackjackkent]

Well, we were just about to get to the House of Healing and progress Halsin's quest when Shadowheart decided it was time to reopen her seminar on The Cult of Shar and How It Can Work For You.

This is the LAST thing Hector wants to do right now so Shadowheart is really lucky that he feels a sense of loyalty to her at this point.

And, of course, guess who's waiting along the path when we start walking up to what I assume is the Shar stronghold:

As if Hector's day couldn't get any more irritating.

[sigh] All right, Raphy, bring on the next round of snark.

"Our hero thought but of treasure ahead./Did not consider the peace of the dead..."

"Through the dark he went creeping/and awoke what was sleeping..."

"A new grave they dug, which he himself fed."

...Look, man, I'm just up here cos I want Shadowheart to feel like I listen to her. >:|

Karlach is also unimpressed:

"OooooOOOOoooo, spooooOOOOOky."

"A warning, no less," Hector deadpans warily, raising an eyebrow at the devil. "Don't tell me you're worried about me."

Raphael smirks. "Merely protecting my...assets," he says coolly. "I've grown quite fond of you, you know - in my way. I thought it only fair to warn you about the dangers ahead."

"What dangers are those?" Hector asks. Not that he believes Raphael will tell him anything helpful for anything but his own purposes, but perhaps they can nose out something useful.

"Oh," Raphael answers slyly. "We both know they are soon to be revealed." He shrugs, waves a hand dismissively. "It would be pointless of me to try to bar you from entering, but I can...set the scene, as it were. Prepare you for your role."

Why is everyone always so bloody cryptic? "Fine," Hector says through his teeth. "Paint me a picture."

Raphael strikes a pose, one hand lifting in a thespian attitude. "There is a stage down in the dark upon which a great drama has suspended itself in time," he intones dramatically. "Its actors dwell there still, mired in the languor of their long-tired scenes. If you, however, through the dark go creeping and awake what is sleeping...Chances are many more graves than yours alone will soon be fed."

More riddles. Hector lets out a long, deliberate breath, resisting the sudden, uncharacteristic urge to punch the man in the nose. [PERSUASION] "Paint me a *clearer* picture than that," he growls.

Raphael scoffs. "Very well." He folds his arms moodily. "There is a creature that lurks in silence and shadow - a creature who, like me, is very much of the infernal persuasion." He points behind him at the heavy stone door towards which the group had been progressing. "Should it make its way out through the very doors you are about to brazenly swing open, you'll have unleashed a pestilence on this realm. In truth, it is carnage incarnate. So if you meet the devil of which I speak, kill it. Consider no other course of action."

His voice has taken on an unusual note of ferocity, quite unlike the usual silky-smooth drawl. Even discussing this creature has shattered the devil's usual savoir-faire.

Hector presses this moment of vulnerability in the usually unreadable man. [INSIGHT] "You're still only telling me half of what you really know. I can tell."

Raphael scowls, his eyes flicking away from Hector's scrutiny. "This creature and I go back a long way," he mutters irritably. "I admit it would be in my best interest as well should it remain trapped in the dark, or misplace its head, perhaps."

"What are we talking here?" Karlach prods, clearly also tired of the vague, circular discussion. "Lemure? Pit fiend? Orthon?"

Raphael glances at her, shrugs laconically. "Getting warmer...warmer...hot."

An orthon, then. Hector sets this aside to address in a moment; something more interesting is happening in Raphael's expression, something he is almost certain of the meaning of.

"Are you *afraid* of this creature, Raphael?" he asks, unable to mask a note of amusement.

Anger flares across Raphael's face at once. "Listen here, *pipsqueak*," he snaps. "Do not underestimate this opponent. At best you will have the blink of an eye to strike. Strike first, strike true. Defy the odds, for they are distinctly in its favor. That much I owe the bastard to concede."

Then he has control of himself again, and steps back, his expression morphing into a slow grin. "After all, if there is one rule I hold dear, it's that one must always give the devil his due."

----

"Huh." Hector looks thoughtfully at the spot where Raphael stood for several moments after he has disappeared.

"Whattaya think, Soldier?" Karlach asks wryly. "We believe him?"

"Either he's telling the truth," Gale puts in, "in which case we're about to walk into a terrible situation, or he's really really lying, in which case we're walking into someone else's terrible situation. Either way, I think we owe it to ourselves not to leave this particular stone unturned."

"I don't know about that," Hector mutters. "I could do without visiting a Sharran temple with a devil in it if it's all the same to everyone else."

"Then stay behind," Shadowheart says curtly. "I will be going in, with or without you. But then I think you knew that already." She meets his eyes, silently daring him to object, to try to stop her.

Hector groans and rubs his fingertips against his temples. "And you, presumably, know none of us are going to let you do that alone," he says quietly.

She stiffens, looks away abruptly.

"Karlach, what can you tell us about...what was it? Orthons?" Hector asks, deliberately ignoring Shadowheart's reaction. "You know about them?"

Karlach perks up at once. "Oh! Yeah," she says excitedly. "Big bastards-- they use 'em as bounty hunters, bodyguards...all sorts of jobs in the Hells. Not bright, but who needs t' be when you've got tusks a foot long?" She clicks her tongue thoughtfully. "Wonder what Raphael did t' get mixed up with one 'a them. Or what it's doing down there." She jerks her head to indicate the entrance ahead.

Hector draws a long breath, lets it out, centering himself for a moment, trying to focus on the excitement in Karlach's voice, which always energizes him, and not the terrifying creature she's describing. "Right. Well. I suppose we'd better go find out then."

[tarnishedinquirer]

Case: The Roundtable Hold

I was half expecting Melina to come with me, but I arrived here alone.

Can't say it made the best impression. Whole place had an air about it. Like gathering at the mansion of a dying relative, one whose fortune was lost decades ago and only the house remains. Not enough servants to keep a place this big from going to shit, and none of your cousins would ever stoop so low as to picking up a broom and trying to straighten things up.

Hrm. That hypothetical got a little too specific to be anything but a memory.

Central hub

The centerpiece was a massive Grace on the titular table. Instead of the piles of bark that I've gotten used to, the base was a bunch of weapons, though they still seemed to be sprouting roots. On closer inspection, it was all one solid hunk of metal. Even the "roots" were cast.

A replica of some historical event, perhaps?

The main area was a large circular chamber with statues and a fireplace. Along each wall were alcoves containing real weapons, probably long past the point of repair. Brought to mind the alcoves in that catacomb, like whoever did this was symbolically burying war itself. Maybe they thought the death of war was the same thing as peace.

I'll do all the profiles later, so here's just an overview of my interactions.

Gideon Ofnir seems to be the de facto leader of the Roundtable Hold. Must be important, since the voice mentioned him while I was dead. He offered only the most cursory of greetings before making sure that I knew my place. Sure, I'll play ball. You can be king trash of garbage mountain if you want.

Brother Corhyn is an itinerant monk. Seems friendly enough, but a bit too blind to his faith. I mean, he literally wars a blindfold, but there's gotta be some holes in that thing. Offered to teach me Incantations, but if I ever had faith, I'd lost it long ago.

Diallos is a dandy in the worst way. Handsome, noble, and completely useless. That armor of his had better have a hell of an enchantment on it, since it looks about as flimsy as filigree. He asked me if I'd seen his lost servant, but I guess the thought of looking for her himself never entered his pretty little head.

West Wing

Two wings extended off the central room. The west wing was mostly inaccessible to me, with two chambers blocked off. Guarding one of the doors was an...individual who didn't offer their name and I'm not even gonna guess at their gender. Their armor looked to be made out of hardened pitch, with bones embedded in it.

They didn't speak a word, just silently judged me for even being here. I decided not to bother them and left.

East Wing

This one had more activity. First thing to note was a monstrous blacksmith, hammering away at a pile of weapons. Introduced himself as Hewg. I asked him about the chains and he said flat-out that he's a prisoner, and I guess that's something we both understand. He that he said he's fine being a prisoner as long as he doesn't have to think about, "The terror of her." Now that's interesting. Wonder who he's talking about?

The side room had been converted into a sumptuous boudoir. Its sole occupant seated expectantly on a soft bed. She introduced herself to me as Fia, and I recognized the name immediately. Between my death and revival, the voice had singled her out as important somehow. She invited me to sit beside her and, well...I'd better move on.

A staircase led to a storeroom below, but I couldn't progress any further. One of those gargoyle statues barred my way, and I still don't have a key.

At least they gave me a clue. The one in the tomb had two empty slots, this one has just one. The other imp statue has a small, daggerlike object stuck in its head. Made entirely of the same stone as the statue, but clearly a distinct object. At least now I know what I'm looking for. I'll keep an eye out for any "sword keys."

The last area is a small balcony overlooking a grand entrance hall. I'm sure there's a way down there, but couldn't see one from here.

I'm calling this one a case file because there's too much mystery to do otherwise, even if I'm not sure what it adds up to yet. Too many closed doors here, and I've gotta find a way to open them.

Questions:

Why did the voice single out Fia?

Who is Hewg afraid of?

What's the skull knight's deal?

Where is Diallos's servant, Lanya?

Where IS this place, anyway?

[hikari-chan1001]

Megaman Review Part 2

The gameplay loop is intrinsically simplistic at the start of the game the player is presented with 6 levels the player can complete in arbitrary order, with each stage beaten giving the player an additional weapon making future levels and bosses easier, and once the 6 levels are completed there is a final gauntlet of levels that have to be beaten in linear order. The structure of a set of levels that the player can complete in arbitrary order initially brings to mind The Legend of Zelda, or at least the first one, however, it is inaccurate to conceptualize Mega Man levels as Legend of Zelda dungeons, because Legend of Zelda dungeons have branching pathways and the route for progression is obfuscated while in Mega Man the level and the route for progression is intrinsically simple, the only partial exception being the second appearing blocks section of Ice Man’s stage, however, it is immediately obvious where one would need to end up at the end even if the path there is a tad abstract. The option for the player to choose the first level out of any of the initial 6 has some benefits as it opens the player to do either the stage that they find the easiest with just the ordinary fire or the level that will grant them the weapon they think is the best, however, it flattens the average difficulty curve of the game until the Dr. Wily gauntlet which the developers can be assured that you have beaten everything before that point so you are sufficiently skilled, and the solution they tried as far as I can tell is to make each of the initial 6 stages challenge you in different ways with different obstacles, which they succeed partially enough so that I believe that it is what they are going for, however, they fail to completely commit to the idea as there are some obstacles that function idetencally shared between two stages (I.E. the laterally aligned straight bar of damage present in both Fire Man’s and Elec Man’s stage, and the laterally moving missile enimes that move up and down that are present in both Fire Man’s and Bomb Man’s stage are similar to the penguin enemy present in Ice Man’s stage, and the appearing blocks present in both Elec Man’s and Ice Man’s stage). Now it is time for the weapon discussion, the mega buster shoots off a laterally moving projectile that is not bound to gravity that moves to the direction that you faced while firing it with the capacity to have three on the screen at once only stopping if they collide with an enemy or reach the edge of the screen, the rolling cutter shoots off a scissor like boomerang projectile that moves in a circular manner connected to Mega Man’s current location disappearing if it collides with an enemy or Mega Man, the elec beam fires three projectiles aligned to the top and bottom of Mega Man and one aligned to the direction Mega Man is facing only disappearing if they reach the edge of the screen, the ice slasher fires a projectile that moves laterally in the direction Mega Man was facing when he fired it that will cause an enemy to stop moving if they are struck with it disappearing if it hits the edge of the screen, the fire storm shoots off a laterally moving projectile that moves in the direction Mega Man faced when it was fired it also creates a damaging barrier around Mega Man, the hyper bomb arcs a projectile that will be affected by gravity, that will stall a tad before exploding into a damaging cloud that lingers for a moment, the super arm requires and removes a block from the environment that Mega Man can later throw that damages enemies, the magnet beam creates a semi-solid platform whose length will vary depending on how long the player holds the attack button that will linger and then expire after a while.

[divinector]

CSS Circular Progress Bar Animation

[never-surrender]

@shadovan \\ Ella

The bar itself was quite busy for a weekday ... not that Ella could judge anybody when she was here herself. After the day she had, however, she was more than ready for a drink. Between stubborn horses and even more stubborn owners, she was sick of her job that required her to work with both... as if being in a wheelchair prevented her from doing her job correctly. She was damn good at what she did, and rarely did an owner leave unhappy with progress...

There was always one, however.

Nursing her drink as she waited for the waiter to bring her a new drink, she glanced around, noticing a group of college aged boys huddled around a circular high top, each and every one of them looking away quickly when she looked their way... a fact that has a bitterness forming in her heart...

And didn't bode well for the poor man who approached her table now. Looking up at the stranger that approached, Ella reached up and ran her fingers through her thick locks, fluffing her hair as she does so. "...Can I help you?" she asks, her tone less than friendly or inviting.

[synthy-sizer]

"Everything OK there, Sofia?" You smile at him and assure him you're fine and go back to watching the view from the window. The landscape flies past. You truly live in a beautiful place. The grass is a deep green and flowers are everywhere. There's a myriad of almost completely circular lakes, some of which overlap with each other dotted all over. The truck's motor only emits a quiet hum, but it jostles and shakes on the rough gravel path. You sit back in your seat and think.

Every day for the last few weeks, you've gone to the hatch after school. It's become a routine, albeit one you can't afford to get comfortable with. Becoming comfortable in your routine could be a death sentence. The hatch is clean now, relatively at least. You've steadily dug around it, revealing a concrete foundation for the hefty metal door. Despite the progress you find yourself increasingly frustrated that none of it is helping you get inside. The door is surrounded by the remains of thick branches and cracked rocks you've tried time and time again to slam into the window, every time not even making a scratch. You've tried to hit the metal bar and the lock too, but to no avail. It's become clear that you simply don't have the tools for the job. With that in mind, you try your best to act normal while you sit in the shotgun seat of your dad's pickup truck. Apparently though, you aren't quite successful. You've got to be careful.

The workshop is coming into view now. It's a large red brick building with a black-shingled roof, alongside wings with high awnings. You can see the shapes of people working on machinery under them, fixing vehicles and repairing furniture. "I'm happy you asked to visit," your dad says. "It's good for you to learn how to work with tools and fix things." You nod along and affirm his words, and do your best to hide your nervousness. Your dad pulls into the gravel lot and nods and waves, matching the sentiments of his fellow workers greeting him. You nod too, albeit a bit more nervously. Both of you step out and walk towards the main entrance. If anywhere will have tools for you to use it will be here. As you walk you contemplate your options. A crowbar might be able to forcibly crack the lock open. Or you could use a bolt cutter to simply cut it off. "Could you plug the truck in, Sofia," your dad asks? You shake your thoughts away briefly and nod. He tosses the jack over to you and pops the port cover and walks over to the main entrance to greet everyone. You lug the jack over, struggling a little with the hefty cable, and plug it into the port. A small light next to it starts to glow green in confirmation. You turn around and look at the electricity well. It's a simple cobblestone well with large, thick cables extending from it, with a grate on top for safety. Normally you wouldn't question why something like that exists, it's a part of nature after all. But something feels off about it….

"Sofia, you coming?" You quickly turn around and jog around the car to catch up with your dad. That's right. You have a mission, you can't get distracted now. And you follow him inside.

NEXT

PREVIOUS

[cssscriptcom]

Visualize Progress Data With Animated, Circular Progress Bars - ProgressJS

ProgressJS is a progress bar JavaScript library that helps you create customizable, animated, circular progress bars on your web apps. It’s ideal for visualizing loading progress, task completion, or any other type of data that can be represented as a percentage. How to use it: 1. Download the package and load the main script progress.js on your HTML page. <script…

[stellar-waves]

staring down the sun [4] *

⏯ chapter index

. . .

two dimes in the telephone

. . .

Peace. The word had continued to repeat itself since her session with Connor ended earlier. The word continues to repeat in her head as she draws in her notebook. Murphy will surely mock her for drawing a hippie peace sign beside their family prayer. Connor, on the other hand…

Elena broke him, just like she had promised. And she worries that she’s fucked everything up. There’s still so much to tell him, to assure him as he works through his pain. That he will get through this. That he and his brother are indeed good people despite what they’ve done in the eyes of the law. That nothing is his fault. 

And then there are things that she absolutely cannot tell Connor and Murphy. Not yet. 

First, she has to protect them. She has to make sure they’re going to be ok. If not, she should just disappear, no goodbye, no explanation. Maybe they’ll get someone better qualified to treat them. Someone better to help them. Hell, she’s not even sure why she was picked to help them in the first place. Not that she really had a choice.

Elena stares at the peace sign, realizing she has unconsciously written Connor’s name under it, the letters curving to match the circular shape. 

Fuck.

She quickly closes the notebook and pulls out her laptop to type up her latest report on the MacManus brothers. If she had to be completely honest, she would write, “Murphy is fine, Connor is fucked up, and it’s all my fault.” 

This is only temporary. She knows Connor will oscillate between the stages of grief and PTSD no matter what, and he’ll be able to handle it. As long as he has his brother, Connor will be ok. They both will be. 

Murphy had mentioned the St. Patrick’s Day incident in their last session, what happened when Connor thought those Russians were going to kill his brother. “I had never heard his voice like that before.” Murphy leaned his arms on the table and traced circles with his right finger that read aequitas. He smiled, despite the painful memory. “The night before, that fight at Doc’s bar, Connor told them all that I could take care of myself. But then the next morning…” Elena swallowed hard as Murphy shook his head, still smiling. “That’s Connor though. He knows when shit is serious. He knows when ye cannot take care of yerself. He knows when to take care of ye.” Elena asked Murphy if he was the same way, and he shook his head no adamantly. “Fuck no. But I don’t think things through the way he does. Me, I’ll jump right into anything, really.”

As long as they have each other, they’ll be ok.

Elena types up a more formal assessment of the twins’ psychoanalytical progress. Using words like stabilized, self-reflective, and emotional awareness, when her cell phone buzzes with an encrypted text, telling her to call from a payphone. 

She walks out of her apartment building and heads two blocks southwest. The payphone has a new addition of graffiti scrawled across the side, ironically reading FREE THE SAINTS. As a result, Elena opts to use the payphone three blocks east instead. 

The sun is flirting with the horizon, creating that color of periwinkle that only dusk and dawn know so well. Elena looks over her shoulder as she approaches the new payphone destination, and an older woman disappears onto the bus headed for downtown. 

Two dimes in the payphone, and she calls the number as instructed. She recognizes the man’s voice that picks up, and they both know not to use names. “You think they’re ready?” the man asks cautiously. 

Elena bites her lip, looking out at the sky growing violet. “I hope so.” 

“You can’t second guess this.” His voice is firm yet oddly comforting. 

She shakes her head. “So when should they be ready?”

“You can’t know that. Not yet.”

Rolling her eyes, she doesn’t tamp out the sarcasm. “Right. How foolish of me.”

He sighs on the other end. “It’s only to protect you.”

“I can take care of myself—“ Fuck. She sounds just like the boys now. 

“I don’t doubt it, sweetheart. For now, be patient. I’ll be in touch.” 

The phone clicks and cuts to a dial tone. She stands there, still holding the phone to her ear, with no one listening. Her breath hitches as she finally tunes back into reality, hanging up and turning away from the payphone. She looks at the sky, now morphed into a calmer shade of blue, a sprinkling of stars slowly appearing over the city. 

As she walks back to her apartment, taking the longer, more obscure way home, she wonders how she should just run away. The boys will be okay. Eventually, they’ll either understand or simply forget all about her. The latter is more likely. But the problem is that she’ll never be able to forget about them…not whenever the sky becomes this shade of MacManus-eyes blue. 

. . .

. . .

⏮ [3]

[5] ⏭

[canyouhearthevoices]

'Crazy Form' MV First Reactions

Another comeback, another ATEEZ win in the MV department.

This MV is a great continuation on from the story in the previous MVs - it has aspects from Don't Stop, Guerrilla, HALAZIA, and Bouncy. The MAMA performance showed the direct continuation from Bouncy, and I'll discuss Bouncy and other elements later on.

I liked it, of course, and, although the song still has some growing to do (and the crotch-grabbing and hip thrusting in the choreo needs to go), it's still, as expected, an overall win.

So let's discuss it.

First, I love that the intro starts with a flag - a very ATEEZ thing. The last time I remember flags being this salient is in WONDERLAND - they were in HALAZIA, but they were more like prayer flags there, not these massive 'heralding-the-coming-of-the-king' flags.'

So here we have the city they've been taking over - from Guerrilla, HALAZIA, and Bouncy - the moon (the Cromer takes power from the phases of the moon), ATEEZ flags (of course), and these weird industrial tent things that may or may not be covered in solar panels. The cool thing about the tents is 1) they become more interesting the longer you look at them, 2) they hide even more of ATEEZ's army, 3) they look pretty cool and make a nice, intimidating, symmetrical backdrop, and 4) they kind of look like stadium seating - showing how popular ATEEZ have become.

ATEEZ and their multi-meaning visual language coming back again. As expected.

Of course, we start with our Captain, and, of course, he is wearing his Captain's mark.

I think this move is super goofy and funny but it does do an interesting job of revealing San so I can't fault it too much.

I hope I don't need to tell you that 1) there is some anarchy planning going on here, 2) we are in a futuristic world, and 3) they are back in the shed they do all their planning in.

Also back in circular towers. Is this a prison? Is Yunho breaking out? It's possible... I mean, anything's possible with ATEEZ.

It seems that their shed has had some significant upgrades. Probably coming from the revenue of drug dealing.

Mingi what is the point of looking cool in your car if you then immediately crash said car?

Mingi in bar scene? Check. Which means? He's up to no good.

Now this is really interesting story progression IMO. In Bouncy, we had Mingi in a dingy wild-west bar, murdering people. So here, we see him in a high-end bar, so we expect more murder. But instead, as we would expect with high-class things, he is...

Buying Iron Man's heart? Okay probably not - it's probably some other random high-tech thing they need. But it's not only this that is interesting - it's the fact that in both MVs, Mingi drinks something weird - some chilli cocktail in the first one, and... strawberry milk??? in this one.

Possibly to further show how different ATEEZ are from the rest of the world?

Anyway, strawberry milk is superior to alcohol every day.

Wooyoung's working on something.

Now, interestingly, if you remember back to my post on ATEEZ's positions on their pirate ship, Wooyoung's spot was undetermined. This scene (assuming the director chose this task and Wooyoung specifically, which we should assume) suggests to me that he is some sort of mechanic/dude with technical know-how. Other evidence that he has this, and in general, a supportive role, is how he is often seen backing San up (in general, and especially in Bouncy), and how in Guerrilla, he was involved in hijacking the media systems of the government.

We could perhaps say he is a fixer-upper-er? And I say it like this, because, if we go by the theory that Wooyoung knows Hongjoong is crazy, and is trying to stop him (I presume to fix the universe, save the world, etc), then, this role makes sense for him. He is literally trying to fix the universe and the group, and Hongjoong.

Food for thought.

I love Yunho's reaction. Also, he too is working on something. So maybe it's the concept. Or, it could be related to his role as the Second Mate - whose role is to make sure the ship is going the way it needs to, and who thus, would also be involved in whatever he needs to be involved in to make sure they're going the right way.

In 'Don't Stop' they sent out the unbeatable San-Wooyoung team to do the dangerous gambling, but in this MV they send their precious maknae? Rip Jongho. He does look very cool in this scene, though.

Jongho shows an A card, and, since this guy has a Z card, I assume this is a subtle hint that he's been completely readable and completely under Jongho's control the whole time?

Epic freeze-frame. That looks like Mingi's body and outfit on the right - or am I hallucinating?

Seonghwa's stylists knocking it out of the park yet again. Anyway, he's rocking out. I don't have much to say about that - as the 1st mate, he is the face of the group when Hongjoong is behind the scenes. He was literally framed as THE spirit of ATEEZ and HALATEEZ in HALAZIA. Hence, he's basically their 'headliner' or 'frontman' - hence, he jams out in front of their followers. And punches us.

Not entirely sure what's going on here - is he rising? Falling? Both? Neither? Eh.

Skaterboy Hongjoong and graffiti artist Yeosang AU? :o

Don't ask me.

So, you all know that I usually hate anything crotch-grabby or hip-thrusty - I'm a very, very, deeply ace person. But this is acceptable. Because this shot isn't sexual - this is a hilarious 'haha look how much better than you I am, I'm going to sit on you without a care in the world' kind of shot. It adds character and comedy to the MV, and emphasises how cool ATEEZ are. It also gets even better when you think about how the cameraman had to get down on the ground, and the director had to direct Wooyoung to shove his butt in the camera. They then had to do all the set-up it takes to take a shot (a surprising amount), do the whole 'and... action!' thing, and then take MULTIPLE takes of Wooyoung shoving his butt in the camera. Absolutely hilarious.

I could have told you that. I love the reporter's face in the background. And how Hongjoong still has his Captain's mark. Of course.

Well, buddy, that's what you get for breaking the law.

A lot of people pointed out how he looks actually insane when he's running here - he's got the blend of joy, adrenaline, insanity, and fear going well. And... well, yeah, he is insane. IRL, but ESPECIALLY in the storyline.

He's so insane the police don't know what to do with him...

Here is a cute puppy - a continuation of Hongjoong being associated with animals. I assume this is his dog, since it doesn't have a police dog uniform or anything.

Another great reaction in this MV, and the usual ATEEZ posters.

I love the comic frames, but I'm not so sure what their point is other than to punctuate the song, add visual interest and spunk, and highlight how crazy and villainous Hongjoong is.

Which I guess is a purpose, but I mean STORYLINE purpose.

Perhaps that they are taking over the media? And of course that Hongjoong is crazy.

The insanity's moving down the heirarchy... none of us are safe.

Epic kpop transitions are back. And yes, that was Mingi in the background.

And that's it for this part. See you in the next one where I can share more cool images!