#consider this my late entry for favorite dynamic

[novelconcepts]

Tai always has a plan. Every game they play, Tai wins. And when Tai wins, Van somehow wins, too. or Five times Taissa Turner got her way (and one time Van made a valiant attempt).

“Please,” Tai says, leaning against the doorframe. “I need the break.”

Van pointedly doesn’t look up from her homework. Lottie’s got this.

“Really?” Lottie asks. “Why?”

“Nat’s spraying this shit to cover the smell of her booze or whatever,” Tai says breezily. “It’s fucking with my allergies.”

She’s good. She’s smooth. Van almost believes her, save for the tiny detail of Tai’s not having allergies.

[ashisgreedy]

Imelda Reyes x F!MC

“In Her Embrace”

Tags: Smut 18+| F x F | First times | Cunnilingus | Gay Awakening(?) | Aged up 18+

WC: 2,500+

AN: Guess who I have a crush on 🥴

Dear Diary,

I'm sorry I haven't written in you for a while. In the past few weeks, something wonderful happened… and I have been otherwise occupied with this new, incredible thing. I can't stop smiling as I begin to write this. I would like to start from the beginning so I may paint the full picture for myself to recall as I grow older.

My best friend Imelda and I have been growing close lately. After my last break-up, she encouraged me to stay single for a while. I had been dating back to back as you can see in my previous diary entries. But, something about the way she was almost begging me to turn down Andrew Larson’s invitation for dinner made me seriously consider it. I took her advice and decided I would stay single for a bit longer to really help remind myself of who I am.

She was happy when I told her this, telling me she always hated all my boyfriends, that they didn’t deserve me. I smiled at that, remembering a time when she wouldn’t have spoken so freely to me. It used to be low blows and curt comments from her, but now, since we’ve grown as friends and I earned her respect on a broom, I’ve been privy to how she truly feels. 

Two weeks ago, it was girls night. We planned a sleepover in my dorm room over the holiday. All my other roommates were gone for the extended weekend back home and Imelda and I took full advantage of the privacy, making a pillow fort by my bed and reading to one another out of the fantasy book floating around the Slytherin girl’s dorms. The book was something someone brought from back home, a muggle story where the main character was female and went on all these badass adventures. It's now Imelda's favorite.

She braided my hair, a bit too tight I might add, I had to loosen it to stop the headache from forming, and I manicured her nails. She keeps them short for her quidditch matches and I made sure to add a tiny heart to both her thumbnails in black paint.

When it came time for sleeping, we both changed into our pajamas and tucked into my bed for the night. We could hardly stop chatting even long after the lights were out. Imelda was so giggly this night, in a better mood than I had seen her in a while. Her laugh was contagious and I couldn’t help but share it.

We found ourselves tangled up, giggling about nothing and everything late into the night. There was a moment, just one, where I felt a shift in our dynamic. She looked at me, her legs twisted with mine, her hand sliding through my hair, and she just stared into my eyes. I didn’t know what to do. The laughing had died down and I supposed she was growing tired as the hours went on.

“Good night, then…” I finally said, breaking whatever tension had begun to build around us. I pulled up the blanket and snuggled my head into the pillow.

I saw her face go from bright and cheery to dark and stormy in a nanosecond. She huffed a ‘night’ to me and turned away. My forehead creased at the sudden change in her demeanor. Had I done something wrong? I scoured my mind thinking of the entire evening all the way up until this moment.

“Imelda… Is everything alright? We were just laughing moments ago.” I tried, my heart swirling with fear that I had somehow caused a rift to develop between us. I reached out to touch her arm, the one my hands had already been all over this evening to provide her comfort.

"You didn't do anything wrong..." She mumbles. Her voice was wavering and a piece of my heart broke.

I rubbed her arm with more confidence. “You know you can always talk to me about anything. We’re best friends.” I used my most reassuring voice. “I’m here for you.” There was a distinct sniff that came from Imelda so I immediately wrapped her in my arms and held her to my chest. “You can talk to me about anything, Mel. I mean it.”

She didn’t cry as I held her, she fought off the tears as best as she could. I could feel the war inside her body as she held back, trembling and squeezing her eyes shut. She was always so strong and I wanted to allow her the space to feel whatever emotion she was feeling if she was in the mood to express it.

After some time, she calmed and her breath became even. Imelda finally rolled over, looking at me. The light from the window spilled over her features and I gave her a small smile. “What has got you so worked up?” I asked. I was waiting for a spitfire answer but she just stared at me again with those big brown eyes.

 She wrapped her arms around me and I did the same to her. We shared her pillow while I rubbed her back. She adjusted herself and my hand went a bit too far, grazing her backside.

“Sorry,” I said, pulling my hand back. The blanket’s slid down cooling off the body heat between us.

She smirked and grabbed my hand, placing it on her thigh. “It’s fine. You can touch me anywhere.”

My fingers rested on her exposed skin, a bit higher than proper since her sleep shorts were riding up. I froze, unsure of what kind of joke this was. She teased me constantly, but never like this. Her toes grazed my foot as she brought her leg closer to me.

“What… do you mean by that?” I asked, hand still stiff on her exposed skin.

She took in a deep breath. “I mean what I said.”

She didn’t elaborate and I found my thumb sliding in small circles on her thigh. Chilled bumps rose and I gently squeezed her thigh where it transitioned into the swell of her ass. My mind felt blank as I did this, driven by a tiny voice inside my head for more. Her skin was soft and warm and she smelled of the same floral soap I used.

“Hey,” Imelda said, cupping my face and taking me out of the trance I was in. “If I am wrong, please tell me...”

I watched as she slowly inched forward. I looked down at her dark rosy lips, slightly parting as they neared mine. I leaned forward and our noses brushed, her breath fanned over my cheeks, then our lips met. I didn’t feel confused like I thought I should, kissing another woman. Instead, I felt free, like I was soaring. As Imelda tilted her head to deepen the kiss, I found my hand traveling up and down her form.

I’ve never felt the spark most people describe when kissing a lover. It's always been just that, two lips touching. But this… it felt right in every way possible. The way her lips quivered pressing into mine sent a bolt straight through me. What was once a cup of the face to pull one close was now a caress of affection and devotion, and what used to be groping and foreplay was a gentle escapade to explore one another for the sake of admiration and longing.

The entire world could be burning just outside but it wouldn’t even compare to the sudden passion that was set ablaze in my heart for her, for my best friend. Imelda lay back on the bed and pulled me with her. Her tongue darted into my mouth and I couldn't suppress the noise that escaped me. Now this, this was the feeling I'd been seeking all my life in the arms of another. I smiled into her kiss realizing it had been within my reach this whole time.

I touched her soft hair and slid my fingers down to her waist. I felt her curves and the strong muscles underneath from her many sporting practices. I then dared to move my hand up her stomach, splaying my fingers out to feel all of her. She had given me permission to touch her, but I wanted to give her a chance to change her mind. The closer I got to her chest the more her breathing picked up.

I cupped her breast in my hand and felt jubilant when she moaned for me. I was falling apart, breaking and shattering, and being rebuilt by her touches and sounds. I squeezed her breast again, the thin layer of her sleep shirt leaving nothing to the imagination, and rubbed my thumb over the soft peak. Her body came alive for me, her nipple hardening under my touch. I groaned into the kiss, a new feeling sweeping over me knowing I had this effect on her.

She was my best friend, my closest ally, and here she was, moaning and rubbing her body against mine as we tangled together, pining for more of my touch. I wondered if she was just as turned on as I was. I felt the heat between my legs and couldn't get over the idea that maybe she was just as turned on too.

"Imelda" I breathed "May I… uh" I tugged at her sleep shorts, the thin fabric stretching as I did.

She started kicking them off in a flurry. "Gods, yes."

I helped her out of her shorts and panties. On a roll, I pulled off her top and she tugged mine off too. Her hands cupped my newly exposed breast and her lips moved to kiss my nipple. A jolt of pleasure shot through me at the soft yet pleasurable sensation.

I moved my hand to her thighs and pushed until she parted for me. I had been trembling but nothing like this as my hand made its way up her leg. I felt embarrassed by the shaking but adrenaline was making its way through my veins in a frenzy. Imelda whimpered when my fingers grazed her center. My breath caught when my digit ran down her slit and found her so wet.

"I want to taste you." I gently pushed her to lay flat on her back again. "Please, please Imelda. Say yes," I begged, the warmth of her slick on my fingers causing me to lose my mind.

"Yes!" She pushed on my head until I was between her thighs. A smirk grew on my lips seeing her beautiful personality come out, the one I'd grown to love.

I pushed her legs apart, looking at the sight before me. Fuck, she was perfect. Every ounce of her body was beautifully and wonderfully made just for me, it felt. I used my thumb to reveal her clit and sighed when the nub was just as pink and swollen as I'd hoped.

Imelda groaned and rocked her hips, bucking against nothing. I ran my finger down the seam and met her entrance. Effortlessly, my finger slid inside. Her walls were silky smooth as they flexed around my intruding digit.

"That's enough teasing." Imelda decided.

I nodded. "I'm sorry, I will take time to explore you more later" I apologized, giving her clit a soft kiss.

Imelda groaned and tangled her hand in my hair again, pushing until my mouth was fully on her pussy. I licked and pressed my tongue down, feeling the bud roll over my tongue and give way to pressure. Imelda was practically panting the more I lapped at her clit

I circled my lips over the swelled clit and sucked lightly until her breath hitched. I used my tongue to swirl in circles until her legs were trembling around me. Her moans and reactions were all I could have ever wanted from her. I let up, giving her clit a momentary break while I moved down her cunt to taste the wetness unfolding. The taste was like no other. I groaned as I ventured more into the source.

I pressed my tongue flat and ran it all along the seam of her pussy. I gripped her rocking hips, keeping her at the perfect angle for my mouth. Imelda yelled my name with a string of curses and began to arch off the bed.

She didn't have to tell me, I knew, I could tell how close she was in the way her body amped up. I focused on her clit again, slipping my finger back inside her and rubbing circles over her g-spot. She was pulling at my hair, anchoring my face to rub her clit all over my tongue in a desperate manner.

I had never been so turned on in my life than when her moans became lewd and her cunt throbbed around my finger. I had known her for so long, I thought I’d known everything about her. But, this was very new. The way she whimpered my name, her lewd low moans, how she arched forward, keeping eye contact with me as pleasure pulsed through her. I reached up, cupping her breast in my hand and rubbing to add just a hint more pleasure to her euphoric moment.

When she came down, I kissed all over her thighs. I moved up her stomach and kissed her breasts again. I moved to her neck and tasted her skin and a hint of sweat.

She gasped and wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tight to her warm body. We lay like that for a long moment before I was pushed down, looking up at her.

It was my turn, then it was her turn again… then my turn again, over and over until the sun filled the bedroom.

We got about 45 minutes of sleep before we decided it was fruitless and got up for the day.

We took a shower together, and I got to wash her beautiful hair for her. She helped clean me off with the wash rag getting every inch of me clean. We made-out in the shower under the warm running water. I told her how beautiful she was and got to watch her cheeks blush in the light for the first time. She rolled her eyes playfully and pulled me in for an even hotter kiss.

We floated through breakfast and held hands under the table. We didn't leave each other's company until days later for her first mandatory quidditch practice began. The holiday break was over and classes would be starting up again soon.

I sat outside the quidditch pitch studying to get a head start on various classes until she was done. The next time I saw her, she had her hair back in a low ponytail and wore her green quidditch uniform. 

She had a single yellow flower in her hand as she joined me on the lawn. She offered it to me, twirling it in her fingers, with one question "Will you be my girlfriend?"

The hug I gave her had me tackling her to the ground. We both giggled and I said yes, a thousand times yes, as I kissed her neck and cheek. We finally looked at one another, her smile more wide than I'd ever seen it, and shared our first kiss as a couple.

So, Diary, that is why I haven't been around the last few weeks to update you. I will try to keep up with my entries in the future, but I can't promise I won't be swept away by my girlfriend yet again.

M.C.

[michyeosseo]

2022 creator wrap

favorite works

bringing back a love thyself tag thing-y from two years ago to fill up an otherwise empty yearend queue

january - all i ever wanted was a sister as far as i could remember. therefore, the way my brain has been wired... it’s no surprise to combine the jazzy vocals of luisa (from encanto) with chungmuro’s finest showing of sisterhood in recent memory. 

february - hongxue, my beloved. anita yuen hitting a corporate prick in the head, in cheongsam, is ~magnificent~ let’s not mince words. to my delight, i discovered she’s also been taking on roles checking the kissing women requirement all the way back to the early ‘90s. good for her.

march -  an entry for kww featuring kang malgeum. have you ever been personally changed by the nation’s unni and her ghost smile or are you normal?

april - moran × oksun. i even assigned the invu album to their dynamic only to be immeasurably disappointed.

may/june - here’s the latest in the never-ending law of the lady shoutouts. i was provided, bombarded even, with so much jiejie crush material. (warning: wetv subtitles were just a grade above machine translation.) xu jie assuming the role of chen ran’s baby daddy – putting their “partnership” full circle – i dunno where to begin to thank cdramas for them.

july - it is Not Perfect nor was it archived here but ‘twas my humble offering for queen moon’s birthday [ofc it was going to be a sehwa fancam to the kpop milf anthem wooah hip].

august - do mob bosses gently ask to have dinners with their indentured servants? as per the miniature hell in my head, chairwoman kang insook certainly seems convinced that’s how it works with her secretary kim yoonjae. and if my takeaway from that terrible movie is a positive reception of the dismembered wrist marked with her tattoo and totes not leaving her for dead, so be it.

december - meet jin hwayoung, the youngest daughter of a conglomerate. fashionista, my meow meow, achieved having a purse-carrying malewife. (the last bit representing actual affection is very notable, considering everyone else in show-window marriages.) dad, ily, but we both know why i picked this drama up. long after the faux chaebol revenge fades from the limelight, the general public will continue to owe kim shinrok for refusing her talent to be boxed as merely garnish/‘only daughter amongst many sons’ and for her commitment to having maximum fun on set for us. give her a worthy slice-of-life next.

if you’ve read up to this point, i just want to express my sincere thanks for following me/my crazed hyperfixations ♡ 

sideblog stuff under the cut

special mention

this is the (half-)year i kinda leaned into vidding. with encouragement from dear friends, here are some archived because twtr video compression is absolute dogshit fruits of those late nights. i wanna try to do more next year, maybe revisit old ideas, while not abandoning my main bread and butter, gifs. here’s to hoping the quality of the two modes of output will be honed closer.

feeling each other’s ribs that are protruding

ok i lied, i’m not a ‘little bit’ in love with gwendoline christie; i want to sell my soul to her

[ramblingguy54]

Sonic & Tails R: A Love Letter To Miles Tails Prower’s Characterization

     Warning: This will contain massive spoilers for the short radio play series of Sonic & Tails R. If you haven’t listened to the radio play yet on Youtube, I’d highly recommend any hardcore Sonic fan who hasn’t seen it check it out. It’s one Hell of a treat.

     For as far back as I can remember in my childhood, Tails’ story of trying to step outta Sonic’s shadow has been such a resonating one for myself. Even when I was a much younger kid playing my Dreamcast, during entries like Sonic Adventure 1 & 2, there was some idea lingering about why Tails just stood out more emotionally in his journey to grow beyond depending on Sonic all the time for help. Now here I am a young adult in my late twenties having such a deeper appreciation of this little two tailed genius kiddo because he’s got an important element that’s made him so beloved for good reason.

     In spite of his genius being a rival to that of Eggman’s high IQ and of course proving to surpass it plenty of times when scenarios boil down to being a high stakes battle, Miles Tails Prower beneath it all is still just like any one of us. We’re all trying to find our place in this world about what defines us for who we are as unique people. He wants to be more than just seen as someone who’s alongside Sonic The Hedgehog’s never say die attitude, but prove he’s plenty capable of standing on his own two feet to protect everything the kid holds dear to himself. Underdog stories, when they’re naturally executed very well, can reel me in so easily. They are very much my bread & butter trope I adore seeing.

     To no one’s surprise, the two Sonic Adventure’s iterations portrayal of Tails’ characterization are hands down some of my favorite writing for the two tailed fox, regarding what the 3D era has done toward him, development wise. It gave him more of an existential struggle to endure like, “What happens when Sonic isn’t around to help stop Eggman? What if I’m not strong enough to accomplish what he can?”, making Tails plight to be seen as an equal all the more endearing when stopping Eggman in his climatic battle against the Egg Walker in Station Square. This here is a great use of a timeless lesson you can apply in life that if you set you heart and mind on anything, there isn’t a thing you can’t accomplish on your own, which is why many fell in love with Sonic Adventure 1 & 2′s writing for Miles Tails Prower’s journey of independence.

     As someone who comes from a large family tree of relatives, I feel the weight of my existence on my shoulders at a number of points more than I’d care to count, admittedly. Seeing Tails struggle with his sense of purpose, in contrast to observing how much Sonic has accomplished with his carefree, yet deeply compassionate attitude, means the world to me in watching another trying to comprehend their value as a whole on how much they matter, overall. This is a big part of why my fondness for SA1 & 2′s quality has never wavered over these years, besides still obviously enjoying most of their game play mechanics. People can try to debate to their heart’s content on whether the Adventure games still hold up in their own eyes, but I’ll always respect them for how they tried to develop certain characters, such as Tails, Gamma, and Shadow The Hedgehog notably, to attempt expanding upon their characters, as well as world building.

     I won’t bother going into a rant about how Sonic’s recent 3D games have butchered Tails’ personality & relatable nature, due to the current writers in charge of handling the cast of characters. More or less, I greatly empathize toward the notion many have already stated about Tails being so cowardly and God forbid, looking at Lost World, downright severely mean spirited. Rather, I’m obviously writing this lengthy post to breakdown why Sonic & Tails R succeeds, where these certain 3D games have greatly faltered in exploring Tails’ emotional dilemmas as an insecure, yet still having the courage to prove himself, talented boy full of hidden potential he doesn’t quite realize, until his back is against the wall in life threatening situations.

“That day, I realized I couldn’t depend on you forever. Not that I can’t depend on you, but like, “What happens when Sonic isn’t here?”, you know?”

     Sonic & Tails R further delves into this fundamental rule of what has defined Tails in Sonic Adventure 1 & 2′s stories of events where Sonic wasn’t there to aid his best bud in taking down Eggman’s evil efforts for global domination, most importantly his fear of defending the Earth without his role model. Besides what I already stated in SA1′s events in Station where he stopped the Egg Walker, as well as the missile Eggman launched from detonating before their climatic battle, Tails watched Sonic blow up in ARK’s capsule presuming him to be dead after Sonic imparted how much faith he has in the kid’s abilities to be truly strong in the face of any foe. Sonic & Tails R manages to use fan service in a way that doesn’t feel like “pandering” for the sake of it, using this past canon material to do more of an in-depth study about Miles’ anxieties of existing without Sonic.

     Wouldn’t put it past them if EmuEmi & crew were using SA2′s Sonic death fake out scene in that space capsule to further add trauma to Tails’ psychological attachment to Sonic, as well as his insecurities of depending on him too much, to boot. While it’s never obviously outright stated in their radio play, I definitely believe they were factoring this element into adding dramatic exploration for why Tails is so self-conscious about the worst case scenario of permanently losing Sonic. Watching Sonic supposedly die put Tails into a deeper state of self-reflection, so I very much enjoyed how they went using these past events to create a thorough exploration about him learning just as it’s important to realize you need to stand up for yourself without using someone else as a crutch all the time, it’s doubly important to remember there’s nothing wrong about asking someone for help when you’re about to be down and out with little options left.

     Sonic & Tails R beautifully builds upon the foundation these two games’ stories left behind years ago, creating new damn great material to explore with the most iconic characters of this cast, Sonic & Tails brotherly dynamic. I’ve been praising Sonic & Tails R out the wazoo for how well it captured Tails underdog story of overcoming death defying odds, but it managed to remind me how simply adorable and outright wonderfully endearing their brotherly chemistry is as a whole. This is a big friendly reminder Sonic isn’t all about being cocky wise cracking character making meta jokes left and right, but he can be plenty capable of showing serious compassion to anyone he values as an ally and friend. This is no greater evident, than with him verbally lifting Tails up in his time of need when he’s self-depreciating his own significance. It can be seen in Episodes 2, 4, and 7 giving Tails motivational pieces of advice.

    Episode 2 In Adabat’s Cavern

-Sonic: Wasn’t it your radar that helped us find these Emerald shards in the first place? How could you be slowing us down when you’ve gotten us this far?

-Tails: But, I...

-Sonic: I could never make something like that. You’re the smartest person I know, Tails. One way or another, we’ll figure this out, count on it.

         Episode 4 In Holoska After Helping Silver Save The Chao

-Sonic: So, what was that back there? At the cave, in Adabat? -Tails: What do you mean? -Sonic: Frozen stiff. Confidence shot. It’s not like you. It was more than feeling like you were “slowing us down”, right?

        Episode 7 Inside The Egg Carrier 3

-Sonic: Let’s split up! I’ll distract them and you can go after the energy source. -Tails: You’re gonna take them on all by yourself!? Let me help, Sonic! -Sonic: No time for this, Tails. Stop overthinking and just go! If I can get their attention, I’ll take the heat off of you and that room you’re going to probably won’t have any security. Take this emerald and I’ll take the other one we have. It’ll lead me right to you after I beat these guys. -Tails: O-Okay... -Sonic: Hold on, Tails! Listen to me. Don’t stop moving and be careful. I’ll be fine and so will you!

     Sonic & Tails R remembers the most crucial detail of their important relationship. One isn’t better than the other and needing to always rely upon that notion for helping one outta a jam, but instead showcases how they’re equals as a team/bros. Sonic may be super fast and strong, however Tails has his intelligence to analyze situations in a different angle Sonic wouldn’t necessarily consider, per say. Which isn’t to say Tails couldn’t put up a fight either, as we’ve seen in SA1 & SA2′s stories where he faced Eggman one on one with no outside help to best him at his own game of wits & strength.

     We get see the apex of this idea through Tails facing Eggman in his super improved mecha walker. Although Tails may get thrown for a loop here at first by Eggman, it’s his villainous speech about winners and losers in their world that ironically does the exact opposite of what he intended. Eggman wanted to crush Tails’ sense of self worth before finishing him off, but all it did was reignite the very lesson Sonic told him earlier before running to distract Eggman’s robotic minions. That said lesson of he’s more than capable of facing dangerous threats

-Eggman: Poor boy. We all have to learn this lesson, sooner or later. In every game there’s no one you can depend on. You’re all alone and you’re either a winner, or a loser. And as you know, loser’s lose all of their lives. Say goodbye, fox!

-Tails: You’re wrong! I can depend Sonic! I won’t let him down! I can’t because...Because he’s depending on me! And because of that I won’t lose to you!

     This radio play strikes a good balance in utilizing the grey moral area about depending on someone vs it being an unhealthy display of attachment derived from serious insecurity. Word’s can’t begin to describe how much I loved this moment to pieces because it’s oh so important for writing Tails’ characterization. If you’re going to tackle him being super self conscious about his reliance on Sonic, then you gotta remember why they are so close to one another to begin with. Sonic & Tails have an unbreakable connection, considering they’ve brought out their best qualities in themselves from being together as individuals. For Sonic, it’s his older brother compassion to Tails to bring him outta feeling melancholy. For Tails, the kid finally understands there isn’t anything wrong with depending on Sonic when he needs it most.

     After all, that’s what a real healthy friendship is all about. Whether you’re giving someone a dose of tough love, or simply a piece of motivational advice, it defines how much you truly care about someone, period. Sonic & Tails have this very same power from their bond, which is why new emeralds form from their compassionate friendship that hasn’t been shaken after all the years they’ve been together. Another detail worth noting is it adds to the lore in an impactful manner when Tikal expresses in Episode 8 about positive connections and thoughts from users of the Chaos Emeralds having a strong will & heart. Using the ideas they had for encapsulating Sonic & Tails’ dynamic to create new emeralds from their love for each other as brothers adds an emotional weight.

“So, Sonic’s not the only one who harness the power of the Chaos Emeralds? I can too!?”

“Yes, you have a strong heart! There is a power waiting to be unlocked within you, as well.”

          I’d always daydreamed about in my childhood seeing Super Sonic & Tails take down a threatening villain, whether it was Eggman or different powerful creature such as Chaos or the Biolizard. You can imagine how fucking giddy I was beyond belief to see this artwork of Episode 9′s cover for the radio play. Tails not only got to have another one on one with Eggman, but a team up with Super Sonic in his own respective Super form? Sign me the Hell up! Talk about an all you eat buffet of good writing for Tails’ journey reaching its climax. Getting to hear this play out, alongside the amazing song of Fly With Me, made it authentically feel like something straight outta if there were an installment of Sonic Adventure 3 being brought into reality, which certainly feels like it now.

     Episode 9 has so much awesome stuff with Sonic & Tails working together in their super forms. Particularly, my favorite scene is at the beginning when Sonic teaches Tails how to navigate his newly acquired speed in his respective Super form. My heart melted hearing Sonic help Tails through it all, while he was overjoyed about how fun this new form is for himself. Wholesome Sonic & Tails content is the perfect daily serotonin for me, easily. It’s an awesome fun fact to know they used a scrapped boss from Tails Tornado segment in SA1 for Eggman’s flying dragon three headed robot in their big final battle, once again using old canon material in a very effective manner to boost the quality of their fan made story.

     It’s been a real thrill to hear Mike Pollock play a straight forward serious Eggman making my day in more ways than one, considering that’s another thing I’ve been yearning for desperately besides Tails being a competent character again. His performance in Episode 9 when Eggman gave that speech about how long he’s been at odds with Sonic & Tails stubborn will power was simply excellent. The moment he told his mechanical dragon to crush them I got serious chills. That’s the Eggman I remember and grew up with. He could be a hammy villain sure, but Eggman wasn’t a doormat that could be swiftly beaten. Robotnik can be considered a serious threat in his own right and this radio play nailed it down to the very letter with how much he predicted their actions.

“Sonic, all I ever wanted to do was be like you. You’re not scared of anyone or anything. I could never be like that. At least, so I thought. I grew from that, but then I got so caught up in trying to prove it that thought it wasn’t okay to depend upon anyone, especially you. I just didn’t want to be that scared little kid in Station Square anymore, but now I understand. It’s okay to depend on your friends. It all means is that we’re stronger together, so the next time Eggman comes back and wants to start any trouble with you, or any of my friends. Emeralds or no emeralds, he’s gonna have to get past me and he won’t!”

Sonic By Episode 1′s End: Aww, yeah! Adventure, here we come!

Tails By Episode 10′s End: Aww, yeah! Adventure, here I come!

Turn your thoughts into power. Be all that you can be.

     The ending legit got me choked up because what of they decided to do for wrapping up Tails journey in a poetic fashion. Having Tails go off on his own separate journey to grow more independence pulled on my heart strings perfectly. Very much so, as I’m transitioning slowly, but surely, into gaining more freedom to go out into the outside world in my own life. Concluding the story, by Sonic & Tails holding onto the two Emeralds their bond had formed from positive energy, due to their powerful friendship, was so heartwarming. This is how you write an overview of what makes Sonic & Tails chemistry work so well as it does.

     Sonic & Tails R’s ending represents while some things never change, like Sonic and Tails bond for each other, it also shows there’s very much a necessity for people to grow, hence Tails’ whole solo journey in the epilogue. People can’t stay in the same place forever and will need go about finding their own path, even if it means saying “goodbye” periodically for a notable amount of time.

     It’s for these reasons I’ve listed in great explanation above throughout this detailed post cement Sonic & Tails R high on my list of favorite Sonic fan projects. They captured the magic of what made the Adventure games so beloved. Gonna be looking back on this passion project for many years to come. Everyone involved in this year long effort of a project dating all the way back Summer of 2020 ought to be immensely proud for how much their hard efforts paid off in the long run.

Thanks for taking the time to read my thoughts here! 

Hope you enjoyed. 

[kaibutsushidousha]

What's your yugioh series ranking and why

1) Zexal: This one is mostly because of how enjoyable the Barians were as a villain group, but the Tron family was no slouch either. Now that I think about it, the Barians are pretty comparable to FGO's Crypters in their plot position and in-group dynamic. Not sure what to feel about Vector being Beryl. Anyways, back to Zexal, Yuma is another strong suit of it, as I love the infinitely forgiving brand of protagonist, though it's a shame he neglected to extend his hand to Don Thousand, too. It's far from flawless, as the Doraemon parody guys have no place in the story and it gets too silly in killing off and reviving its entire cast, but it still takes the top because all other Yugiohs are also huge messes.

2) 5D's: While Zexal wins in consistency, as its two halves feel like parts of the same whole, 5D's disconnected parts are both really good (if you consider that the second half only really starts with the first Aporia duel). The Dark Signers arc is excellent in making almost all conflicts really personal and, unpopular opinion, Z-One is still an excellent final boss even with the twist.

3) DM: Usually the first entry is the hardest to comment on because the later entries all follow up on what it established, but DM is a weirdly different case. The Doma arc is very in tune with the Yugioh standard, but the manga adaptation arcs feel like an entirely different series when I think back to them. Funny how that works. Even more unpopular opinion now, but I like Doma a bit better. Like with the Dark Signers arc, it makes every duel personal, and it digs a lot on the character flaws established by the manga arcs.

4) VRAINS: Incredibly dry series with an incredibly meh cast aside from a few outliers like Ai, Ryouken, and Spectre. But its final arc is a gigantic saving grace and made Ai probably my second favorite character in the whole franchise.

5) GX: Judai is the franchise's best protagonist. The other dimensions arc is brilliant and was successful in pretty much everything it tried to accomplish. And I mentioned in Zexal's section, every single Yugioh is a mess. But! GX is simply too much of a mess, even for this series' messy standards.

6) Arc-V: It takes a lot of effort to make me dislike the circus-themed story pack full of circus-themed characters, but Kamishiro poured that much effort into making Arc-V's mid to late game plot just that unenjoyable. I was already iffy on Zarc since Yuya first got off his rocker in the Kachidoki duel, but I had no idea the character would end up as this much of a plot-consuming behemoth, to the point all that I cared about in the show. Dennis, Sawatari, and Yusho are my favorite character probably because they were the ones who managed to get out of the Zarc ordeal with some dignity still remaining.

Unranked) SEVENS: I'm some 8 episodes late on this one, but I'm very mixed on this one, probably due to it being so wildly different from everything Yugioh has been thus far. It has an easily likable cast, interesting character work on the side, and very clever foreshadowing, but gets repetitive with the villain goals, never gets serious about exploring Goha's clearly present dictatorship, and suffers a lot from its fixed 13-episode arc format.

[mypunkpansexualtwin]

Pegoryu week 2021 is here and I have two whole entries that are gonna be done on time! The rest will happen, I promise, they'll just be late.

Anyways! the fic is under the cut and the link is in the reblogs as per usual. Hope y'all enjoy!

“Man, y’know you don’t hafta let Ann bully you like that, right?” Ryuji whispered over to Akira and reached for the flower poking out of his hair. To his surprise, Aki actually batted his hand away with a huff and tucked the thing a little more tightly behind his ear.

“First off, I do have to let Ann bully me. And then I bully back. That’s just what our friendship is,” he explained, not bothering to lower his voice while the girls were off getting more drinks. Not that it woulda made much difference, he was a pretty quiet guy even when he was being obnoxious. Usually. Ryuji cringed as Aki noisily sipped the meltwater from the bottom of his glass and held up a second finger. “Second, I like flowers, thank you very much. And thirdly,” almost against his will, Ryuji’s eyes tracked the swipe of Akira’s tongue across his lower lip as it shifted the straw from one corner of his mouth to the other before he continued, “red’s my color.” Ryuji swallowed.

“Y-yeah. D’you gotta chew your straw like that, dude? It’s kinda... gross.” Gross. That was the word he was trying to hold onto in his brain with both damn hands. Gross. It was gross, dammit. The straw chewing and the obnoxious slurping were habits that usually grated on his brain worse than a Metaverse confusion-and-psychic-attack double whammy. Today, though? Today he barely noticed it, he was too distracted. Maybe it was the heat or the jet lag, or the fact that seeing all these American girls with bikinis and curves that made Ann look downright bland by comparison meant that his brain had glued itself into the gutter. The fact that he almost never saw Akira with his glasses off sure as hell wasn’t helping either, considering the damn things had to be for everyone else’s sake. Under the scruffy nerd look Akira Kurusu was as much of a damn pretty-boy as Yusuke Kitagawa or that asshole Akechi with those effin’ eyes. That was an objective fact that even a guy as straight as Ryuji could see. Hell, if it weren’t for the glasses he’d probably be Shujin’s favorite bad boy--regardless of which way any of the students swung--instead of Ryuji’s fellow delinquent outcast. This wasn’t news to him, but for some damn reason something was different today.

Today, some goddamn wire got crossed in Ryuji’s brain and he kinda wanted to beat its ass. Today, he’d lost track of how many times he’d caught himself staring at those stupidly long eyelashes that any of Ann’s coworkers would kill to have, and the way they cast soft shadows over those perfectly smooth cheeks. Or the way Akira’s usually dark grey eyes looked almost silver in the sunlight. Or how they’d crinkle just a little at the corners when he smiled that soft little hint of a smile that already did weird, mushy things to Ryuji’s guts on a normal day. Or the way his lips were just a little fuller than either of the girls’ were but just as soft-looking. Ryuji wondered if maybe he used some kind of lip balm or something, but one without any color. If it didn’t have any color, would it at least have a flavor--

...Anyways.

Ryuji had decided to blame it on that damn flower. Akira stared at him, a little confused, the straw still resting on his lower lip as he breathed out a quiet, “huh?” Then he glanced down at his mostly empty drink and then frowned sheepishly as the realization hit him. “Oh! Sorry, I know that drives you crazy.” Oh right, Ryuji had asked a question and had already forgotten. Akira set the glass on the table next to where Ann had given up and dropped the other hibiscus she’d been hellbent on putting in Ryuji’s hair. He had enough time to grimace at the sad, mangled end of the straw--and the thoughts his traitorous, overcooked brain conjured up about where it had just been--before Aki reached out, swiped the other flower, and tucked it next to the other behind his ear.

If Yusuke were there (because that was what Ryuji needed, more clueless pretty-boys punching holes in his sanity), he’d have his hands up in that finger-frame thing he always did when he was planning out a painting in his brain. The artist would be ready and raring to try and turn Akira into his latest masterpiece... that he’d end up bitching about not being good enough to capture right a week later. That wouldn’t be Yusuke’s fault though, Akira was just weird like that; in every picture of him he just looked like Some Dude, like a background character in his own life, Guy With Glasses #3 or something. But right now, right in front of Ryuji he looked… compelling, or some shit like that. Pretty as a damn painting that you couldn’t help but stare at for a while and contemplate your life, ‘cause that was easier than tryin’ to understand what was in front of you.

“Seriously, Aki?” Ryuji sighed at the second blossom now peeking out of Akira’s unruly frizz. He shoulda kept his damn mouth shut, let Akira keep chewing on his damn straw and drive him crazy in the annoying way and not… whatever this was. It had to be the heat. Ryuji was secretly dying of heatstroke, that had to be it.

“Red. Is. My. Color.” Akira crossed his arms and pouted, and Ryuji had to bite back a laugh at how his best friend had puffed out his cheeks while he sulked. Cute, but a safe kind of cute. Like back at the buffet, in that open kind of way that made Ryuji wonder what Akira had been like as a little kid. That looked like his opening to get things back on track, back to something resembling their usual dynamic.

Ryuji cracked a grin and flicked the bottle that everyone had passed around earlier. “Yeah? That why you didn’t put any sunscreen on, you gonna be the first guy to pull off havin’ a sunburn?” Akira deflated slightly, then snatched the bottle off the table and-- Oh goddammit.

That had backfired spectacularly. Genius move, Sakamoto. You can’t quit ogling your best friend like some kinda weirdo, why don’t you convince him to oil himself up! That’ll help! Effin’ brilliant. Ryuji hastily turned around in his chair and fixed his eyes on the shoreline. He occupied himself with trying to guess how quickly he could sprint to the ocean, and for once he hoped that the water would be cold cold. The girls walking by, all dressed in bikinis that’d look small on skinny little Futaba and were probably held onto those insane curves with more wishful thinking than fabric, might as well have been invisible to him. Since he had apparently pissed off god or something, all he could think about was Akira, very intentionally just outside the edge of his vision, slathering his chest in sunscreen. His incredibly flat chest; if he’d at least had enough bulk on him to have pecs or something, that might have taken some of the sting out of his stupid brain fixating on his leader instead of any of the women who looked like they’d walked straight out of his dreams. Ryuji was gonna set those stupid flowers on fire when he got his hands on them.

He swallowed around a mouth that had gone dry and tried to break the awkward silence that had settled over them. At least, Ryuji sure as hell felt awkward, Akira was usually fine with a little quiet and didn’t seem bothered at the moment. Still, Ryuji had to do something before he went crazy. “Man, I thought Ann was impressive, but compared to these foreign ladies… eh.” Akira snorted somewhere behind him.

“I’m sure she appreciates the break from being leered at,” he deadpanned. “Do you not have anything better to do than check people out?”

Ryuji’s stomach dropped a little as he whipped back around to shoot Akira a dirty look. Sure, he’d felt pretty obvious, but he hadn’t actually been obvious about staring-- Wait. Aki meant the girls. False alarm, no need to panic. “Man, shut up. And don’t even try to tell me you don’t agree. Like, these ladies are massive, the girls back home don’t even compare!” Ryuji snapped. Someone had to be appreciating all these beach babes, otherwise what even was the point of staying out when it was so damn hot?

Akira actually paused and glanced over at Ryuji with a weird look on his face before he sighed and shook his head. “I’m not really interested, honestly.”

“Man, I am gonna rip that tongue outta your head!” Ryuji exclaimed. Seriously, all those lovely ladies going unappreciated had to be some kind of crime. An international one. It was probably too much to hope Ann or Makoto would be taking up the slack, wherever the hell they were. It was apparently definitely too much to hope that Akira would let that comment pass; even if he was quiet, the guy almost always needed the last word.

This time, it was muttered irritably under his breath. “Yeah why don’t you come take it, then?”

...What?

“What?!” Ryuji didn’t even bother turning around, he just broke down laughing. “What the hell does that even mean, dude?”

“You heard me,” Akira sounded serious, except for where the last word turned wobbly at the end. And then he dissolved into his own fit of laughter, snorting once before he continued, “I don’t even know, man. I just kinda blurted it out.” The two of them cracked up a little longer, glad to be back to something a little closer to normal--and Ryuji didn’t think Akira’s laugh was cute, it was quiet and dorky and weird, definitely not cute--before Aki caught his breath and then stretched. And sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth.

“You alright, man?” He may not have been able to see Akira’s face with the two of them sitting facing in opposite directions, but Ryuji still caught how his leader had winced when he tried to raise his arm over his head.

Akira nodded. “Slept weird on the plane.” He rolled his shoulder again, then tossed the sunscreen to Ryuji. “At the risk of putting you in tongue-ripping range, can I ask you to get my back?” Ryuji was already up and moving his chair behind Akira, always eager to help his best friend.

“Sure thing, dude.” He had the bottle open and hovering over his hand before his brain caught up to him. Wait. Shit. Bad idea, bad bad idea! If he’d gotten all weird about Akira doing this for himself, how was Ryuji gonna survive getting his own hands involved, especially now that he was thinking about it? But he’d already agreed and if he backed out now, Akira would ask why. He sure as shit wasn’t gonna explain that.

“Earth to Ryuji?” Akira turned his head to peek back at him and… Welp. Apparently this was just Ryuji’s life now. The image of Akira looking over one bare shoulder with those damn eyes just barely visible past the flower petals, his face a little bit pink from the sun overhead, and his lips all flushed and swollen--because, oh right, when Akira didn’t have something to chew on, he’d worry at his lips instead--was seared into Ryuji’s brain. Straight or not, that picture just lived in his head now. And apparently so did about half of his blood, mostly in his face. And the other half… Again, he wondered again how cold the water was. Act natural, Sakamoto.

“Uh, sorry dude. Bottle was stopped up, I got it now!” He laughed nervously as the bottle squirted into his palm with a loud ‘pbblblblt’. Definitely no awkwardness here, no sir. Just a totally normal assist with sunscreen between bros. He was fine. He definitely wasn’t red enough in the face to look sunburnt. Deep breath. He was cool.

...God, he was gonna throw those stupid hibiscuses into the ocean. Hell, from this angle, he could probably grab them and slam them into one of the mostly-empty drinks before Akira could stop him. And Aki wouldn’t want to put them back in his hair after they were all covered in sugar water, right? It was a flawless plan. Ryuji was a damn genius.

He was just gonna finish putting on the sunscreen first, ‘cause he was courteous like that. No sense in letting Akira get a weirdly shaped sunburn because he chased Ryuji down for a couple of damn flowers. That was definitely the only reason he was still rubbing his hands down (and down and down) Akira’s back. Smooth and pale and soft, but surprisingly well muscled underneath, Akira’d been holding out on him while they were training. And those damn dimples on his lower back. Had he been wearing his trunks that low a minute ago? Ugh. Ryuji would definitely be going for a swim after this. He winced as he ran his hands back up over Akira’s shoulders.

“Shit, Aki, I think I found that knot in your neck. No wonder you couldn’t do this yourself,” he muttered and dug his thumb gently into the muscle. Akira sucked in another breath through his teeth, but tipped his head forward and let Ryuji work. The damn thing was probably about the size of a ping pong ball, and Ryuji couldn’t help but feel a little guilty every time Akira tensed up or hissed under his breath when Ryuji dug in a little too hard. And a lot guilty at the temptation to just bury his hands in his bro’s hair. But finally, after the longest two minutes of his life, the knot released and Akira…

Akira fucking groaned.

Ryuji was done. He reached out, snagged both of those stupid red flowers--and a little bit of Akira’s apparently insanely soft hair, oops--and stood up to walk away, ignoring his friend’s protests. The ocean could have both of the damn things, and Ryuji right along with them. He was done. Unfortunately Ann and Makoto had chosen that exact moment to return with fresh drinks, cutting off his escape route. Effin’ great.

“Aaannnnnn, Makotoooooo,” Akira whined as he draped himself dramatically over Ryuji’s shoulders, halfheartedly reaching out to try and reclaim the hibiscuses. “Ryuji deflowered meeee--” Makoto’s face fell into the most unimpressed look any of them had ever seen from her, Ann snorted loud enough that it sounded painful, Ryuji about jumped out of his skin with an indignant yelp that probably could have been heard back in Tokyo, and Akira continued whining undeterred, “--make him give it baaaack.”

Ann had doubled over cackling, and didn’t seem to care that she’d just sloshed about a quarter of one of their drinks onto the sand when she did. “I- I don’t- *snrk* I don’t think it w-works like tha-ha-ha-ha-at!” She managed despite howling with laughter so strong that it looked like she was gonna fall over. Makoto had set her two drinks down long enough to drop into one of the empty chairs and bury her face in her hands with a long, drawn out sigh.

“Why are you two like this?” She glanced up long enough to shoot that tired, unimpressed look up at Akira and Ryuji.

“Hey, don’t look at me!” Ryuji all but shouted as he shrugged Akira off of him and started stomping down towards the water, flowers still crushed in one fist. “This is all on him this time!”

God, Hawaii was off to one hell of a start.

[temos-era]

The Angel In Their Eyes

Officer Ronnie Peterson x Paul Sevier x Fem Reader

Words: 5.6k

Summary: A threesome with your husband and his best friend sounded like a good idea at the time...

Tags/CW: Threesome - F/M/M, Power Dynamics/Power Play, Established Relationship, Reader Is Married to Ronnie, Praise Kink, Degradation, Voyeurism, Masturbation, Oral Sex (m&f), PIV Sex, Anal Sex, Double Penetration, BDSM-ish, Ronnie Is Soft!Dom, Paul is Hard!Dom, Spitroasting, Dirty Talk, Multiple Orgasms, Vaginal Fingering, Squirting, No M/M, Food Play-ish, Jealousy, Paul Is In Love With Reader, Angst/Fluff/Smut

Notes: This is without a doubt the smutest smut I have ever written... And while this is mostly as a one-shot for those of you that have read Late Night Patrol this *could* be considered a continuation of that story too...

Availible under the cut and on AO3 & Wattpad

Shamefully flushed, you stole a moment away to compose yourself.

The boys always had a way of working you up and getting underneath your skin.

“You okay, Angel?” your husband questioned with curious intent as he joined you in the kitchen.

You hummed in response, pursing your lips. “Mm-hmm. Why wouldn’t I be?”

Ronnie’s shoulders shrugged. “You look tense.” His gaze locked on you as he leaned against the kitchen counter. “You know we're only joking, right?”

“I know,” you replied quickly, avoiding eye contact as you created work for your idle hands.

You never had an issue with their teasing. The boys had done it for as long as you could remember, but you’d be lying if you didn’t acknowledge that it ignited a particular unspeakable response in you - a response you’d never dare act upon...

Before you knew it, Ronnie’s strong arms wrapped around your waist, encircling your body in his as he stood behind you, nestling his chin against your neck.

“You like it, don’t you?” he prompted, breathing the question hot against your neck as he nipped at the skin slightly. “Don’t think I didn’t notice how your breath hitched and your skin grew hot when sitting between Paul and me.”

Your body froze.

“Admit it. You want it. Both of us."

You pulled back, eyes wide. “Ronnie. He’s your best friend.”

“Exactly. He doesn’t threaten me,” Ronnie reassured, his face deadpan. “Plus, he looks just like me, and doesn’t that turn you on? The thought of two of me fucking you?”

Nervously, you chewed on your bottom lip, lost in your thoughts as you considered the possibility. Paul Sevier was your close friend, the best man at your wedding, and was indeed the doppelganger of your husband.

Of course, the thought had crossed your mind on occasion, but it was a mere fantasy, not something you ever felt compelled to make reality and certainly not something you ever expected Ronnie to suggest.

“Are you being serious?”

“You don’t have to. It’s just an idea,” Ronnie clarified. “But yes, I’m serious.”

Your mouth twisted before settling into a smirk. “Okay, I’m interested.”

Ronnie cocked his head, grinning as he embraced you. “So, you think you can handle us both?” he whispered, his eyes narrowing. “My greedy girl.”

Your hands caressed the small of his back as you glanced up at him. “And what makes you think Paul would be interested?”

“Well, you know there’s a reason he’s not found anyone,” Ronnie divulged. “He’s hung up on a certain someone… ”

“Oh,” you mouthed, the realization dawning on your face. “So, Paul gets what he wants, and I get to fulfill my fantasy, but what do you get from this?”

“A happy wife and a live-action porno,” Ronnie smiled. “It’ll be just like watching myself fuck you, and, plus, what better birthday gift could we give Paul than a taste?”

Without further ado, you both made your way into the lounge, singing ‘Happy Birthday’ loudly as Paul shifted in his seat and tittered with unease. His eyes grew uncontrollably wide, and his pupils dilated as he swallowed the lump in his throat, watching in nervous disbelief as you kneeled before him, birthday cake in hand.

“Make-a-wish,” you prompted with a devilish grin as Ronnie watched from the threshold.

Doing as told, Paul closed his eyes momentarily and blew the candles out. “Thank you,” he smiled, glancing at you briefly before averting his gaze towards the cake. “Did you make this yourself?”

You nodded. “Red velvet with vanilla frosting. Your favorite, right?”

“Yeah, it looks great. I can’t wait to taste it.”

“She tastes better,” Ronnie murmured from across the room, catching Paul’s attention as he approached. “You should take a bite.”

“Excuse me?”

You sat back on your heels, seductively running a finger through stray frosting as Ronnie crouched beside you.

“Paul, you know I love her more than anything in the world,” Ronnie began. “And, I don’t make this decision lightly, but there’s no one else I trust to do this with.”

“Do what?” Paul asked, watching wide-eyed and slack-jawed as Ronnie took your frosted coated fingers into his mouth.  

“What Ronnie’s trying to say… ” you purred as his tongue swirled around your fingers, sucking gently. “...is that we’d like you to join us in the bedroom.”

Paul’s body stiffened at the suggestion as he swallowed dryly, unable to wet his parched throat. “What?” he croaked in disbelief. “Are you sure?”

Ronnie’s mouth left your fingers with wet ‘pop.’ “One rule,” he declared. “Her cunt is mine, and mine alone. Isn’t that right, Angel?”

You nodded in agreement. “Only my husband gets to fuck my pussy,” you affirmed, causing Ronnie to pull your body against his, claiming your mouth with a voracious hunger as Paul watched on helplessly.

“Such a good girl,” Ronnie groaned, pulling away breathless. “Now, go and see the Birthday boy.”

You licked your lips, swiping another fingerful of frosting before placing the cake on the coffee table and rising to your feet.

Paul’s chest rose and fell with rapid breaths as he watched you approach him. He kept his features deceptively composed as his mouth parted from the sight of you. Pretty and eager and all for him - a Birthday wish come true.

“Would you like a taste, Paul?” you questioned, displaying the frosting on your fingertips as you moved to place your knees on either side of his body, straddling him.

He nodded greedily, leaning back in his seat. “Please.”

You flashed a coy smile and ran a finger of frosting over his lower lip before swiftly leaning forward and sucking it off keenly as if you were famished. In all honesty, you had expected to feel more anxious, more timid, but there was something about Paul that made you feel at ease.

Perhaps it was his uncanny resemblance to your husband? Still, as your tongue licked at the seam of Paul’s mouth, forcing an entry effortlessly, you wondered how far their similarities would continue in the bedroom.

Deepening the kiss, Paul’s hands groped your pert ass and forcefully pulled you against him. The growing erection beneath you communicating his exact desires as he snaked his tongue into your mouth, and for a brief moment, you lost yourselves in one another.

“Do you like that, Angel?” Ronnie questioned from behind, reminding you of his presence as he brushed the hair from the back of your neck and placed hot, all-consuming kisses against your skin.

“Mm-hmm,” you murmured as you arched your back, pulling away from Paul’s kiss as you began to stimulate both men simultaneously. “I want you both… badly.”

You rocked your hips firmly against the restricted bulge in Paul’s pants as your hand reached behind you and rubbed at Ronnie’s growing erection, causing a chorus of male moans to engulf the room.

“Paul. Don’t be a fucking tease.” Ronnie berated with jagged breath as he began to remove his clothing. “Take her dress off.”

Without hesitation, Paul delicately worked to remove the thin fabric from your body as your head loled backward against your husband’s chest. You moaned softly as Ronnie sucked bruising marks of ownership against your skin.

“Fuck. You’re so, so, ex...exquisite,” Paul stammered as he gazed at your lingerie-clad body before blowing his cheeks out with a heavy breath to compose himself. You were everything he had ever wanted.

“Don’t be shy, Paul,” you whispered against his ear seductively as your hand reached past the opening of his mustard-colored shirt, touching his warm skin. “Have your way with me.”

Paul shot a hopeful glance toward Ronnie, seeking approval from his best friend before continuing. “Are you sure this is okay? She is your wife, after all.”

“Just remember that fact, and you’ll be fine,” Ronnie warned as he worked to free your breasts from the confines of your bra, causing you to shudder with excitement. “And, this is what you want, Angel?”

You nodded. “Please.”

The magnitude of varying sensations enraptured your mind, body, and soul as Ronnie’s hands molded around the swell of your tits, teasing your nipples into taut peaks with his fingertips before relinquishing his hold and sitting back on his heels.

“She’s all yours, friend.”

A flush of anticipation flooded your senses as Paul’s eyes flickered with a burning desire, and in one swift, unexpected motion, you found yourself on your back.

“I always knew you were an insatiable little slut,” Paul taunted, grasping your wrists in one hand, leaving you powerless as he held them above your head. “So desperate to please your husband. It’s almost pathetic.”

You couldn’t stop the whimper that escaped your lips as Paul looked down at you, his body on top of yours. The change in his demeanor unanticipated but welcomed.

“Tell me. Does she follow instructions, Ronnie? Or do we have to force her?”

“If she wants to come, she’ll do as she’s told.”

Paul smirked from the intel. His gaze meeting yours through the thin frames of his spectacles as he let go of your wrists. “Now, be a good little slut and get my cock out.”

You licked your lips and eagerly began unbuckling Paul’s belt, dragging his pants down to mid-thigh before slipping your fingers under the waistband of his boxers and allowing his heavy cock to bob free.

Instantly, your eyes grew lustful. Long, thick, flushed, and already dripping with pre-cum, you were almost disappointed you wouldn’t get to experience Paul’s fat cock in your pussy.

“Suck it,” Ronnie directed, his voice low in his throat. His breathy instruction caused you to glance over at him, your lips parting at the view.

You watched with hungry eyes as your husband stroked his length, slowly working his fist under his swollen head as the veins on his shaft bulged and shifted with every gentle upstroke.

“Eyes on me, Sweetheart,” Paul snarled as his free hand grasped at your jaw, forcing your attention toward him, your pupils dilating at the sight of his naked body.

Your breath hitched, and a sudden flush of warmth spread from between your legs as you parted your lips and took Paul into your mouth. The saltiness of his pre-cum filled your senses immediately as your tongue danced around the fleshy tip of his head, lapping it up gladly.

The taste of him was different. Not worse, nor better, just unfamiliar. Ronnie was without a doubt sweeter, but your mouth only grew wetter from the small appetizer Paul’s pre-ejaculate gave.

“Go on, Angel,” Ronnie grunted with encouragement. “Gag on his cock. Show him how good you are.”

You knew better than to glance at your husband, but you could feel his gaze on you, watching intently as your lips strained to wrap around another man's throbbing erection. You knew Ronnie was observing with bated breath as the scene unfolded before him, imagining the soft glide of your lips around his shaft as he worked his length.

Fluttering your eyelashes, you looked up at Paul as you enveloped him into the heat of your mouth. Slowly, you started to drag your lips up and down his length, pulling a strangled moan from his chest as you hummed happily around him.

You weren’t sure if it was Paul’s cock in your mouth of the thought of Ronnie fucking himself beside you, but you couldn’t help but rub your thighs together, desperate to create some friction to soothe the constant pulsing between your legs.

“Ffff-fuck. You were made for this, weren’t you?” Paul rasped as he raked a hand through your hair, watching with a hooded gaze as he thrust himself into your mouth. “You like sucking my cock, don’t you? Dirty slut.”

You moaned around him, signaling your agreement as spit pooled at the corners of your mouth. With that, Paul quickened his pace, fucking your throat in earnest as you greedily sucked, slurped, and gagged on his cock.

His breath grew thin and ragged as you hollowed your cheeks and tightened the hold around him, the vacuum-like sensation causing his member to twitch against your tongue.

“Oh. Oh, f-fuckk,” Paul stammered, his head falling back as his eyes fluttered closed. “I’m, I’m-a cum.”

The sound of sharp stuttered gasps and grunts escaped his lips as a gush of hot cum hit the back of your throat, a stifled yell tearing from his chest as you greedily swallowed the salty mix down.

Pleased with yourself, you smirked as Paul pulled his sensitive cock from your mouth before glancing over at your husband.

“Oh, Ronnie,” you cooed, gazing at him with doe-eyes as he continued to slide his hand up and down his shaft. “Look at you. Look at your big cock. I wanna taste you too.”

Ronnie’s eyes widened, his face softening. “Yy-yeah?” He questioned hopefully.

“Yeah,” you purred with a loving smile as Ronnie approached.

“Christ. You really are a cum-hungry-slut,” Paul scoffed. “Is she always like this?”

“O-ooh-oh, yeah… “ Ronnie stammered between grunts as your sultry lips wrapped around his aching cock. “... Fff-filthy whore likes getting fucked in police cruisers and hotel balconies. Always so… fucking... insatiable."

Paul groaned at the information, a mixture of jealousy and disbelief overwhelming him as he evaluated the challenges of your carnal desires. “Hmm,” he pondered. “Let’s see how many times we can make this greedy whore cum, Ronnie.”

His words caused you to moan around your husband’s cock. The threat of infinite orgasms a tantalizing prospect as Paul began to move down your body. He was determined to demonstrate his abilities and show you everything you had been missing out on as he placed rough, hungry kisses upon your inner thighs.

His touch was cruel but painfully enticing as he moved towards your core, rubbing teasingly at your clothed pussy. Your needy whimpers were muffled by Ronnie as he fucked himself rhythmically into your mouth. The vibration of each of your moans around his cock was just enough to push him over the edge as his hips canted forward.

“Aghhh-fuuuck-g-good wife,” Ronnie gasped, carefully wrapping a hand around the back of your head as he spilled himself down your throat. His thrust stuttered as he watched with satisfaction as you gladly swallowed him down before removing his spent member from the warmth of your mouth.

“Love you,” you murmured with a coy smile as Ronnie knelt beside you, his breaths slowing as he kissed your lips tenderly.

“Dirty cum-dumpster,” Paul rasped, causing you to quiver from the heat of his breath against your folds as he tauntingly pulled tight at the material of your panties.

You let out a whine and bucked your hips toward him as a yearning tore through your body. “Please, Paul,” you begged. You were helpless and frustrated; you needed your release.

“So desperate,” he taunted as he slowly removed your underwear.

Your skin grew hot and feverish from the vulnerability before a surprised yelp escaped you. Paul grabbed at your legs and ruthlessly spread you wide open, just for him. He paused for a moment and marveled at the sight of your dripping pussy before dancing a finger along your folds, gathering your slick.

“That pretty little cunt of yours is so warm and wet,” Paul remarked, causing a pleasured ache to flood through you.

“Do the two of us really make you that excited, Angel?” Ronnie questioned with bright, curious eyes as he stroked at your hair affectionately.

You bit your lip and nodded, your eyes pleading up at your husband. “Please, Ronnie,” you mewled. “I wanna come. Tell him how I like it, please.”

Before Ronnie had a chance to respond, you let out a high-pitched cry as Paul spread your pussy lips apart and spat on the throbbing nub of your clitoris. Your body convulsed from the sensation, the blood rushing to your core as Paul lowered his head and licked at your spread cunt with his warm tongue.

“Fucck!” you shrieked, arching your back in response as your eyes glanced down at the broad expanse of Paul’s chest between your legs.

“You like that, cumslut?”

“Yy-yess!” you gasped, overwhelmed by Paul’s insatiable hunger for information.

“What about this?”

Paul’s eyes watched your body intently as he pushed two fingers at your entrance, exploring with a curious fascination. You sucked in the air sharply; your slicked cunt squelching around his digits as he pumped into you. Captivated, he noted how each twist and turn of his hand caused a different reaction from you, both internally and externally.

You were lost in a wave of euphoria as a series of large, strong hands roamed over your body. You had never felt so desired; as Paul massaged your inner walls, Ronnie placed lusty kisses against your neck and palmed at your breasts, causing soft moans to escape you.

“God, I love hearing you enjoy yourself,” Ronnie murmured, flicking his tongue over one of your sensitive nipples, your body shuddering. “It feels so good, doesn’t it?”

You moaned in agreement, your hips jerking forward as Paul’s fingers curled upwards to grate against your g-spot, the sensation creating a fire in your abdomen.

“Ronnie,” Paul exasperated. “She needs restraining. I can’t get her off if she keeps moving.”

A refrained chuckle escaped Ronnie. “I have just the thing.” He smiled and gently pressed his lips against your forehead before leaving the room momentarily.

You exhaled deeply, a flush of anticipation overcoming you as Paul crawled up your body, placing hot kisses against your stomach and tits as he went.

You were so lustful that you couldn’t stop yourself from bucking against his erection. He was, so, so close to your entrance; you both knew that one roll of his hips, one quick thrust, and he’d be buried deep in your cunt - the one sexual act forbidden between you both.

“Look at you, grinding against me,” Paul breathed against your neck, brushing the hair from your ear. “You’re really desperate for it, aren’t you?”

Your body stiffened; you knew he wasn’t wrong. “W-we can’t,” you stuttered nervously—the sound of Ronnie returning, catching both of your attention.

“Hmm. Well, let’s show your husband how to really make you cum,“ Paul whispered with a smirk, your eyes widening in disbelief. “And remember, don’t scream my name too loudly... we wouldn’t want to upset that ego of his.”

With that, Paul returned to your cunt, his dark hair falling in front of his eyes as the sudden warmth of his plush lips on your folds forced a choked gasp to escape you. He darted his tongue at your entrance before dragging up, his nose grazing your clit on the way as he licked meticulous circles against your sensitive bud.

“Wrists,” Ronnie prompted with a suggestive grin - cuffs and lube in hand.

You shook your head, eyes pleading upward. “No, Ronnie. Please. I promise I’ll be good and stay still,” you implored, your legs shaking from Paul’s continued attention; you were getting close. “I-I wanna be able to touch you both.”

Ronnie cocked his head in consideration, his brows furrowing from behind his horn-rimmed glasses - you were always his weakness. “Fine, but you’ve gotta control yourself.”

You nodded in response, drawing your lower lip between your teeth in an attempt to restrain your movements, but Paul’s hands and mouth were relentless. The pressure of his tongue, the suction of his lips, the rhythm of his fingers as they penetrated your core created an overwhelming experience.

All of that mixed with Ronnie’s touch caused a coiling tension in your stomach; you couldn’t stop yourself from writhing as the pressure inside of you built.

“Paul, I-”

Your eyes squeezed tight as you leaned against Ronnie’s chest, your hand gripping his in support. You felt your toes curl and a shiver travel up your spine as your hips started to buck against Paul’s face, your breath coming in sharp pants.

“Aah fffuck…Paul, I-”

“That’s it, almost there,” Paul drawled, replacing his tongue with his thumb as he rubbed at your throbbing clit. His eyes mesmerized by your sweet little hole as it started to clamp around his fingers, watching with glee as you began to crumble from his handiwork.

Your hips stuttered, your vision blurred, your nails penetrated the skin on Ronnie’s hand before you let go completely. Your whole body shook. Every exhale was a sob as the force of your orgasm flash-flooded your senses. You felt something cataclysmic burst inside of you, a sensation you’d never felt before.

“Oh, yes! Good fucking girl,” Paul shouted in astonishment, his glasses askew on his flushed face as your cunt gushed, squirting clear liquid against his hand.

“What?... Are you?... Did he?!” Ronnie gasped, amazed and envious at the sight of you squirting. It was something he hadn’t been able to achieve yet. “… How?!” He demanded, glaring at Paul.

“Angles, Ronnie.”

You let out breathy, unrestricted murmurs of Paul’s name, too blissed out to maintain any filters between your brain and mouth as your walls continued to spasm and contract.

“Hey! She’s my wife,” Ronnie barked, jaw clenching. “You don’t get to blow her mind like that. That’s my job.”

Paul’s mouth set in a hard line as he analyzed the situation, quickly discerning the issue. “Oh. You mean, you haven’t?” he questioned, surprised. “Have you not? Really?”

You sat up and looked between the two men, sensing the tense atmosphere as your husband pursed his lips in frustration. “Ronnie… “ you purred, reaching your arm out toward him. “Come here.”

He drew in a long, exasperated breath and sat beside you. His body stiffened as you climbed on top of him, pressing soft kisses against his jaw. “Maybe this was a bad idea,” Ronnie whispered, discouraged, his shoulders slouching.

“No,” you reassured before glancing at Paul and signaling him to move closer. “Best friends help each other out. Isn’t that right, Paul?”

“Of course.”

With the boys sat beside each other, you shifted to straddle a thigh of each of them. “I love you,” you cooed at Ronnie, dispelling his fears as you sucked on his bottom lip before removing his glasses. “And, I like you,” you purred towards Paul, melting your lips against his as you removed his spectacles too. “My gorgeous boys.”

A shudder of pleasure surged throughout your body as you rocked your cunt against their thighs. The friction pulling a mewl from your chest as each of the boys fondled your breasts. They tweaked your pebbled flesh with their fingertips as their mouths kissed and sucked various locations on your body.

“Our beautiful girl,” they murmured in sync as you closed your eyes and moaned. The sensation of their touch filled you with an urgent lust. You were in seventh heaven and getting so, so desperate for the two of them.

“Please, I can’t take it anymore,” you cried. “I need you both inside of me.”

They turned to face each other, their brown eyes lighting up with excitement before gazing back at you. “Do you think you can take us both?” Ronnie questioned.

“Wouldn’t you like to find out...” you tempted with a seductive wink as you clambered off of them and swiped the bottle of lube from the coffee table—your husband and his best friend hot on your heels as you headed towards the bedroom.

In one swift, harsh movement, you found yourself head down, ass up, and hands cuffed behind your back. “You like being used by the two of us?” Ronnie taunted.

“She’s a cock-craving slut,” Paul chastised, marveling at the pucker of your ass as he spread your cheeks wide and inserted two lubed fingers into your tight entrance.

You whined as a thudding pressure rocketed through your passage, your body jerking forward from the sensation of the cool, silky gel. You felt entirely exposed, all their attention focussed on you and the tight pucker of your ass as it yielded to the intrusion of Paul’s digits.

“Such a pretty hole,” Ronnie admired. “Are you gonna be a good little fucktoy and let Paul destroy your ass while I fuck your pussy?”

“Please. Please, I’ll beg, I’ll do anything you wan-”

You were interrupted by the sharp, stinging strike of a hand on the soft flesh of your backside; your words replaced by a yelp as your eyes welled, uncertain whose hand delivered the smack.  

“Be patient, whore. I’m not going to fuck you dry, no matter how much you beg,” Paul hissed before directing Ronnie toward your front. “Shut her up with your cock or something while I finish prepping her.”

Your husband’s heavenly whiskey-colored eyes gazed down at your restricted body. “You’re so beautiful when you’re all flushed and wanting.”

You were convinced you could lose yourself in his adoring eyes - lose yourself in him. He was your world, and you were going to be, oh, so good for him as he slowly guided his cock into the heat of your mouth.

Your tongue swirled around his head, sucking desperate breaths through your nostrils as your pussy cried out for him, yearning for the fat stretch of his cock.  

“You ready?” Paul questioned as your body tensed slightly at the feel of the cold lube against your crack as he nudged the tip of his member at your aching hole.

You bobbed your head against Ronnie’s cock, conveying your desire and need to be filled as you pushed backward.

“Easy. I don’t want to hurt you,” Paul reassured, his familiar compassionate nature showing. “Tell me to stop if it’s too much, okay?

You hummed in acknowledgment, his considerate words alleviating all of your apprehension. You drew in a deep breath, allowing your body to relax as Paul eased himself into the sensitive cluster of nerves.

“You’re doing so well, Angel,” Ronnie praised, distracting you from the burning stretch as he watched your tight, little ass surrender to Paul’s girth. His hips bucking as your whines vibrated around his cock.

A deep grunt echoed in Paul’s chest as he continued to sink slowly into your clenched passage, his hips rolling gently when met with resistance, and eventually, you moaned out together when Paul seethed himself to the hilt.

“That’s it,” he groaned, grasping at your cuffed wrists to anchor himself as he started to gently fuck your ass. “Take it all, you greedy little fuckhole.”

The pressured penetration ignited a fire throughout your body, a needy, desperate burning that was all-consuming, and you wanted more. Your hands ached with the desire to touch and explore as they strained against the cool metal of Ronnie’s police-issued cuffs.

“You like sucking my cock, while he fucks you from behind?” Your husband grunted through thrusts as your slick, plumped lips sucked and drooled around him before popping off his length.

“I need you. I need your fat cock in my pussy,” you begged with desperation. “Fuck me until I can’t think, both of you. Please!”

Not one to deny you of your pleasured demands, Ronnie repositioned himself on the bed, leaning back against the headboard as Paul paused in his movements, panting as he pulled out and steadied himself.

“Is she on birth control?” he breathed as Ronnie freed your wrists from the constraints of his cuffs and moved you to straddle his hips.

“Yeah… for now,” Ronnie smirked knowingly, a hint of things to come as he merged his soft lips against yours and caressed your neck with his hand. “Why? Your not… “

Paul relinquished the hold on your hips and held his hands up. “No. Just ensuring the correct precautions are in place, that’s all. Her pussy is yours; I get it.”

Ronnie didn’t have a chance to respond as you suddenly brushed your dripping, wet cunt against his thick length, a whimper escaping him. “Shut up and fuck me,” you purred, lowering your mouth to his as you drew his lower lip between your teeth and tugged on it slightly.

“And aren’t you impatient,” he teased before grasping at your waist and pulling you closer. “So desperate to be filled up.”

Your breath hitched in anticipation as he pressed his hard, throbbing cock at your entrance, the sensation causing a sudden flush of warmth rushing to your core. Your body arched in response, eager for him to join his body with yours.

Then, with one hard roll of his hips, he entered your wet heat, and a collective moan filled the room, your head lolling backward in pleasure as he stretched you out. Your body rocked against his cock, easing him in and out of you slowly as you gasped for air, taking pleasure in every hot leisurely slide of him against your walls.

“You feel so fucking good,” you groaned, your thighs clenching around Ronnie as you bounced yourself on his cock, aching for more. “Fuck my ass, Paul,” you cried out. “I wanna be a dirty little slut for you.”

When you felt Paul’s expert hands spread you wide from behind and the cool, familiar gel against your skin, you began to question if your body could even handle another cock. The stretch of Ronnie was as overwhelming and heart-stopping as always; you couldn’t imagine two cocks seated deep in each orifice.

“Ready?” Paul queried before you murmured a breathy ‘yes’ in response.

He slowly pushed his girthy cock into your tight entry, watching how your body responded as he filled you up, inch by inch. You choked back the cry that was forced from your chest as Paul sheathed himself in you fully, your head resting against your husband’s chest in need of support and comfort.

"Relax, Angel. You’re doing perfectly,” Ronnie soothed, planting feather-like kisses against your temple. You were thankful that both men had paused in their movements to allow your body a moment to adjust to the stretch - you had never felt so full.  

Gradually, you started to raise up Ronnie’s cock, his hands guiding you by the waist as you bobbed on his length, his fingertips digging into your soft flesh. “Mmmhm-it’s, feel s-so g-good,” you stammered, mouth agape and eyes pinched shut.

“Ride me. Slowly, that’s it,” Ronnie encouraged as Paul pumped in gentle tandem.

Growing in confidence, enjoyment, and satisfaction. You started to snap your hips with more vigor as you gyrated against Ronnie’s cock. Paul’s hands moved to grasp the back of your neck as he followed your lead, penetrating your ass in rhythm with your hips; his eyes glued on how wide he was stretching your tight, little hole as Ronnie fucked your pussy from underneath.

“Fuck. Look at you taking both our cocks,” Paul cursed loudly, thrusting his pelvis in an unrelenting tempo as you squirmed beneath him. “You’re so fucking tight.”

Your movements caused Ronnie to moan out against your skin as he bucked up into your heavenly cunt, the sound of smacking flesh surrounding the room. “You look so beautiful when being fucked by us.”

You let out a sweet whimper. They were both so deep in you that you could’ve sworn you felt them in your throat. You were overwhelmingly stuffed, but the fullness was delicious. It was intense, yet satisfying as if you were getting the best of both worlds all at once. That when Ronnie snaked a hand between your bodies, brushing delicately against your clit you almost combusted.

“Oh-my-fucking-God!” His soft, broad twirling movements tightened into swift circles, right where he knew you needed them as you felt yourself dissolve into pleasure, and Ronnie saw it. “Please! Both of you, make of cum!”

They quickened their pace, fucking your holes in a frenzied manner; all of you now desperately chasing that sweet, sweet release of undeniable pleasure.

“Jeeesus fuck. Jjj-just like that!” You wailed, your eyes rolling into the back of your head as your body began to quake; you swore you saw stars as the pressure started to build - your body being pulled tight like a bowstring.

“Cum for us, Sweetheart,” Paul grunted, his hips stuttering as he felt his impending orgasm brewing.

There was so much pressure, so much penetration and stimulation that you couldn’t stop yourself from falling apart. Unable to handle the overwhelming sensations any longer, you let go and orgasmed loudly.

You were all feverish cries and jagged moans, unsure whose name you were moaning as your pussy gushed and clenched, your silky ridges gripping and contracting against Ronnie’s cock as you rode your high.

“Ohh, fuck. I’m gonna come-!” Ronnie sputtered, sucking a sharp breath through his teeth, unable to stop himself as your walls spasmed and fluttered around his cock, milking every last drop of his seed.

Your knees began to buckle as Paul grasped hard on your hips. “Say my name,” he begged. “Tell me you love me-my, uh, cock.”

“Yes, Paul. Fuck me. Cum in my ass; I love your big cock!”

Your words sent him catapulting into his crescendo. Shattered breaths and broken grunts escaped him as he reached his climax, emptying himself inside of you before swiftly pulling out and collapsing beside you.

The room was silent as you laid between both men, all of your chests heaving as you greedily sucked in breaths. You were completely blissed out, the feeling indescribable as you came down from the most intense and mind-blowing orgasm of your life.

“That was… “ you murmured, unable to find the words as you pressed breathless kisses of gratitude against each of the boys’ lips before nestling into your husband's embrace.

“Such a good little wife,” Ronnie hummed before you both gave in to exhaustion.

And as you slept soundly in Ronnie’s arms, making it clear where your heart was aligned  - Paul laid beside you wide awake, analyzing the events from earlier. He knew there was no use in denying it; he was in love with you - his best friend's wife, and there was no coming back from what had just happened.

—————

Thank you to @/MissPandulce on Twitter for the FANART 😍

[bearly-writing]

2020 Creator Wrap

2020 Creator Wrap: Favourite Works

I was tagged by the amazing @bionerd2point0 (sorry I’m getting to this so late!

Rules: it’s time to love yourselves! choose your 5 (or so) favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought to the world in 2020. tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

If you follow any of these links please make sure you read the tags! I’m not putting any warnings here but most of these are dark.

1. where have all the young men gone?

This is one of my all time favourite fics! It’s also the longest piece of continuous writing I’ve ever posted at 48252 words! It got lots of lovely comments and I really enjoyed writing it.

2. Suffer the Little Children

I wrote this as a last minute entry for SladeRobin weekend and it ended up surprisingly popular. I really enjoyed writing the relationship between Slade and Dick and exploring writing both of them with slightly different morals than they might have in canon. Baby Jason and surprise baby acquisition are some of my favourite tropes as well!

3. Fish Out of Water

This was for the full SladeRobin week and another of my favourite fics. I love merpeople aus and I really enjoyed writing the pod dynamics between Jason and his family, and exploring the way the facility they were kept at worked. It also inspired an awesome fic by Bio so that definitely bumped it up in my favourites! :)

4. Draw back the curtain

This is an ongoing WIP written as a response to an awesome kinkmeme prompt. It isn’t finished yet, so be warned if you’re the sort of person who prefers to wait until it’s complete. I really enjoyed exploring the consequences of the main event of this fic and working with such a full cast of characters. It got lots of lovely comments too!

5. Things with teeth and claws

Another SladeRobin week fic and another WIP! I loved exploring the alpha/alpha dynamic in this fic and it has a lot of tropes that I really enjoy writing and reading.

-

I’ll be honest, this was really hard because I’m definitely a self-indulgent writer, so I usually only write things that I enjoy, and that I enjoy re-reading!

Thank you for anyone that has read, kudosed, commented on, or otherwise supported my fics! I would not be doing this without you!

I’ve gotten round to this super late, so I’m not going to tag anyone in particular. If you want to do it, please consider this a tag! :)

[ticklikeabomb]

One-shot : Interview with the Avengers

Pairing : Avengers x Plus Size Fem Reader

Warnings : language, innuendos, dirty jokes

Word Count : 2.2k

A/N : Here we go for another clumsy reader story :)

Today was the day. It was either a win or a complete disaster. You worked for S.H.I.E.L.D as an operative but quickly proved your marks at being one of the best Agents of the agency. You didn't have much friends at work except for Sharon Carter also known as Agent 13. You both hit it off probably because she was always around to have your back. Not when facing a specific danger but because you were a hell of a mess, clumsy. Just like the greek god Epimetheus you had the tendency to do or say things before thinking about them and it was bad. One day, finishing later that night, you walked by Nick Fury's office and saw him play with an orange cat. Without thinking you mumbled "Oh so Nick Fury likes pussies" and of course having his open ajar he heard you. Mortified you ran as fast as you could back home, hoping not getting fired. The following day he kept eyeing you while you would make yourself as tiny as you could. 

"Agent Y/L/N ! ", he called, making you jump on your  and cover your clothes with warm coffee. "Fucking sh-", you whisper yelled while cleaning the spot on your blouse. "Now Miss Y/L/N !", he called back and motioned you to his office. He went behind his desk about to take a sit when he saw the coffee spot on your blouse and gave you a hard look. "Small incident Sir, I will handle it as soon as we're over." "Good." He began explaining your work parkour and felt your hands tremble, thinking he would fire you. "That's why I scheduled a meeting with the Avengers. They will interview you and see if you're a fit to the team", he finished. You looked at him with a numb, frozen kind of way and he cleared his throat and you finally reacted. "I'm sorry I lost you at 'but you'. I'm pained that my work doesn't prouve being efficient but I can understand if you would like to fire me, I mean it's a life or death kinda job, so." 

"Wait. I never said I would fire you at the contrary, you are expected at the Avengers compound where they will interview you and see if you'll join their team." You blinked a couple of times after hearing what he just said cracked up laughing. You laughed loudly to the point of having tears form in your eyes but quickly calmed yourself seeing his hard and firm expression. "Oh you're not kidding", you whispered. "Do I look like the type of person who jokes around?" 

"I don't know, no one is immune to laughter and besides after seeing you all fluffy with that cat the other night", you saw his eye widened and quickly rambled. " - I mean, ehm, hhhkrrm, I no cat, eh, yeah hey you got a new jacket looks sleek? Is it real leather because if it is that's animal cruelty. Not that you would tolerate that kind of behavior. Please can you just kill me right now and make it stop?" "Agent Y/L/N for someone who has the ability to speak all languages existent in the universe you surely are not good with words and communication." You smiled shyly and responded, "Yeah I know irony right." "Anyway, next Tuesday 2 pm at the Avengers compound. Don't be late." "Yes of course, I will be there and give it my best without verbally escalating." He sighed before dismissing you. 

"Yo Steve wait up", called Sam out of breath. Steve chuckled and turned around seeing Sam struggle. "And you have the nerve to call me old man hein", commented Steve with a smug smile. They were reaching the compounds entry when they spotted a magnificent plus size woman waiting sitting at one of the sofas. She was attentively eying a man across the shipping section and they saw her stand up. "Je ne ferrai pas ça si j'étais toi" (I wouldn't do that if I were you), she told the man. "Je ne vois pas de quoi vous parlez?" (I don't know what you're talking about), he replied. "Corriges moi si je me trompes mais tu étais sur le point de voler ce prototype du bouclier de Captain America et le truc c'est que s'il t'attrapes, il te bottera tellement fort le cul que t'aura des hémorroides précoce. Tu peux compter sur moi pour ne pas me mettre en travers son chemin." (Correct me if I'm wrong but you were about to steal one of Captain America's shield prototype and the thing is that if he catches you, he will kick your ass so hard you will get early hemorrhoids. You could count on me to not stop him from doing so.) "De quoi je me mèle, occupe toi de ton gros cul salope" (Mind your own damn fat ass, bitch), he said. You sighted and before Steve could intervene, you punched the guy effortlessly. "Awnn désolé ma main a glissée" (Awnn sorry my hand slipped). The two Avengers looked at you in awe go back to your sit, a wide smirk plastered on their faces. The guy in question was standing up and crashed against Steve's hard chest. When he looked up, the Captain gave him a furious look before handing him over to a security guard. "Come on Steve we'll be late for the meeting", commented Sam. 

"Agent Y/L/N, they're ready to receive you", said the receptionist and indicated you the floor to stop on. In the elevator you went over the basics : "Ok think before speaking. Don't say anything inappropriate. Stay focus, try to impress them while being humble and for fucks sake don't say anything stupid." Just as you finished, the doors opened and you marched to the meeting room. Nick Fury saw you outside and indicated you to enter. You did as such, straightening your clothes and posture and greeted everyone after Fury's brief introduction. "Hello I'm Agent Y/L/N but you can call me Y/N, which is totally irrelevant since I was already introduced", you giggled nervously and mentally cursed yourself. You took place and let out a shaky breath before smiling at them. You saw Sam and Steve mumble something between them but didn't payed further attention. "So Y/N, your file and missions are quiet impressive. Care to tell us a little about some of them. Your favorite mission? The troubles you faced and yadda yadda yadda", exclaimed Tony shaking his hands. 

"Sure can. I don't know if I deserve what seemed to be that credit you just subtly gave me. The missions are more of a team work really, I just follow the lead and try to do my best giving the situation at hand", you patted yourself for such a professional answer. He shook his head before declaring, "So you're boring." Your eyes widened, "Excuse me?" "Tony !", remarked Steve though greeted teeth. The billionaire dismissed the Captains stare and smirk at you. "I said you seem like the boring type of person and we don't think that would mix well with the team’s dynamic." You laughed and declared, "Oh if there's a word that doesn't describe me is boring. In fact I'm pretty sure the boring one in this audience must be you, you know speaking about maths and engineering and what not all the time. Do people actually understand you in a regular basis?" Your answer picked his curiosity and made the others chuckle. "Agent Y/L/N", called you out Fury. You noticed how inappropriate your words sounded and immediately apologized. "I'm sorry that was way out of line." "Don't apologize dear I'm curious. Tell me about your youth. Do you have any specific talent?." 

You cleared your throat and began to explain what was your youth like. "Pretty basic : parents never home, always working, deeply proud of the prodigy son who followed their traces and that's pretty it. Concerning talents, my greatest talent is making people laugh without my consent by constantly embarrassing myself. "

Your answer made some of them laugh. "What about high school?", asked  Natasha. "The language classes were always my favorite, not good in math, sports not really my cup of tea but I did like some sports. Football and by football I mean what you call soccer because that's (football) the sports real name ! And I was pretty good at handjob…HANDBALL, I mean HANDBALL !!!!", you panicky tried to rectify yourself. You closed your eyes in embarrassment while the room filled with laughter. You giggled nervously and said, "See talent, I'm just the best in that." 

"I take back my boring comment, you convinced me", chuckled Tony. They kept interrogating you and you slayed the answers, somehow. "what about movies?", asked Sam. You frowned not really sure why that would matter but answered anyway. "My favorite movie is (Y/F/M). I love it beyond everything. There are still some classics that I have to watch, other that I started and never really finished, like for example Monty Python and the Gloryhole." Members of the team cracked up and you looked at them confused, just as confused as Steve, Bucky, Wanda, Vision and Thor. "I didn't know Monty Python and the Holy Grail had so much impact", you mumbled. And that made them lose it even more. "Oh dear, probably because you said Monty Python and the Gloryhole", explained Pepper. "I didn't say that did I?", You looked at them horrified and they nodded. "What's a Gloryhole?", asked Bucky perplexed. You cleared your throat and replied, "Ehm it's something, ehm how should I formulate this the most neutral way. Basically a hole in a bathroom, generally at clubs or bars where…good God someone help please", you begged. "It's a hole where guys sticks their dicks out to get it sucked by the person on the other side of the wall", stated Sam. You blinked a few times, warmth burning your body and nodded, slightly amused at the super soldiers disgusted faces. "Why would anyone do that???", exclaimed Steve. "People let me remind you the purpose of this interview which as I was expecting escalated real quickly", he said and his gaze landed at you. "I thought it was a good idea for Agent Y/L/N to join the team even if I let out one of the most vital aspects of her personality which is being really clumsy in the communication department all the time. Considering this aspect I'm afraid I was wrong and Agent Y/L/N will continue working as an operative at S.H.I.E.L.D." 

'Fuck', you thought. Sure you were sometimes a mess but you were really looking forwards for that chance. You stood up and looked at them. "I'm sorry I wasted your precious time. Director Fury, I will see you tomorrow at the office. If you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go now and wish you all a good day." With that you left the room, shame and embarrassment written all over your features. After you left, with a smug smile  Fury turned towards the team and asked "What do you think?" "Oh I like her", stated Tony with big eyes. "She is quite entertaining", shouted Thor. "She can punch a guy", commented Sam and asked F.R.I.D.A.Y to show them what happened at the hall. "Another thing I forgot to mention and that isn't stated in her file, she understands and speaks all the languages known in the universe, which would provide a real advantage during missions", told Nick. "She's by far the best candidate we had the opportunity to see today", added Vision. "I agree", the others commented. "It's settled then", said Fury and stood up. "Oh and please no more stories about Gloryholes", he said before leaving the room laughing. 

The next day the Director called you at his office. "Y/N you're fired" "Oh that was …fast and direct", you replied. "Pack your things as soon as possible, Stark's chauffeur will wait for you at your appartement." You nodded and let your head down before his words hit you. "Wait why would Tony Stark's chauffeur wait for me?" "Because you're the team's new member. Welcome to the Avengers, Epimetheus", he declared. "Wait for real?", your eyes shone brightly and you jump on his arms happily. "Thank you Sir, I will not let you down." "I would appreciate you would right now", he commented and you gasped. "Oh sorry didn't mean to you know." "Yeah yeah I know. Oh and for the record Agent Y/L/N, I do love some pussy." You sighed and blinked your eyes in a mix of confusion and humor. "O-k-ay, I didn't really need to know that but ok. I'm gonna go cause you know, Imma bout to join the real game so bye homie. I mean Sir. Goodby Sir." "Just go before I change my mind", he stated and you laughed. When you were out, he shook his head and let out a chuckle. "These Millenials are crazy Motherfuckers." 

* gifs not mine, credit to owners*

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[mxnark]

ball of fire n. a dynamic person capable of or displaying rapid and highly effective thought, action, etc.:

(aka the moving out solo)

it’s obvious that the past month hadn’t been the kang household’s favorite due to recent events involving the daughter. a drift had been caused by the fact that mina was essentially going against her mother’s wishes for her. rather than doing what her mother thought was best for her in order to live a happy life, she instead followed her heart- wait that’s too cheesy- her gut by signing a contract and going home in hours so late that she is the only one making a peep in the house as she quietly walks to her room.

though she didn’t get to see her mother for most of her days, she couldn’t deny her presence in the house. she was sure her mother couldn’t deny her own daughter’s, either. she feels as if her mother had a cloud of disappoint in her head over the fact that mina isn’t the daughter she had hoped to be. mina’s cloud, on the other hand, was of guilt over the whole situation. and her usual bright, fiery personality is dimmed by the late hour when she opens the door to her home.

there are nights where she doesn’t even go to her home at all. in the last month, she asked to stay at daniel’s after practicing for evaluations with her group. she doesn’t go in-depth with her reasons as to why, but she thinks he understands enough if he lets her stay over. and on those nights, the ache in her heart is more faint.

that’s the reason as to why she and her father are carrying things out to his car. it was going to take her to the train to her new home with chungha. somewhere closer from work. further from… here. it makes sense, anyway. with her being a new addition to the hertz project that the older was also involved in, it only strengthened her choice in wanting to move in with her. and thankfully, she said yes, despite the fact she knew how rambunctious kang mina could be. (she jokes… mostly.)

as he closes the trunk of his car, he looks over at her and asks her a question. “you wanna say bye to your mom before you go?” mina makes a face. “come on. please?”

“okay,” she says with a sigh, walking into the house to head for her mother’s room. the closed door is more intimidating than it should be for her. after all, she hasn’t… verbally spoken with her mother since everything happened.

she knocks on it, taking a few seconds before twisting the knob and peeking in to see what her mother was up to. she was faced away from the door, looking at something that mina couldn’t see from outside. she decides to go in properly to talk to her mother.

“mom,” she starts off, her voice going silent due to timidness. “i’m getting ready to move. i just wanted to let you know. dad and i already got everything in the car, so i’m good to go.”

silence in response. that’s fair, in her opinion. she thinks she deserves it, to be honest.

“i wanted to let you know before i had to go on my way,” she continued, feeling more and more embarrassed as she spoke. “and… thank you for all these years of taking care of me. i know you and dad do a lot for me and i know i act ungrateful sometimes. i guess i was just upset about moving to korea.” and about other things, but she didn’t want to anger her mother with her honest thoughts about the family. she feels as if she’s better than that.

“thank you for loving me and always looking out for me.” though it feels weird to say, considering everyone in this house knew that her mother and her certainly didn’t see eye to eye on what was best for the girl. “i know i’m not the best daughter, especially with all that’s happened. but i’m thankful for all that you’ve done for me. i’m not good at letting you know, but i love you. a lot.” she bows her head to the other to end her speech. it felt… polite, but also fitting for her to do.

she waits for a response from her mother. with the fact that she was more closer to her than she was while waiting outside her door, she was able to see more of what her mother was doing. she had a book open. and it didn’t take long for mina to figure out what she was doing before she heard her mother sniff, still not looking at mina at all while she was there.

she turns around to save herself from staying any longer. she knew that if she did, she’d only regret her decision and she didn’t want to. this was good for her. but even if so, it hurt to basically have the fact that she hurt her mother be confirmed.

a tear strolls down her cheek, but she wipes it with the back of her finger, sniffling as a way to hold herself together. after taking a deep breath and blinking her eyes rapidly to dry her eyes from spilling any more, she walks downstairs before heading outside to the car once again. she walks up to her dad and he looks at her with a small smile. she’s not sure what it means. it was either pride or sympathy.

“you ready to go?”

she nods her head.

“alright. let’s go.”

ginger is a color she’s never really thought of trying before. she was always afraid of the concept of bleaching her hair. the lightest her hair was before this was a red-tinted brown and that was because she used cheap box-dye for brown hair. but she didn’t hate the hair. in fact she loved it, as she was the one who asked for it. sure, the process of it was itchy for her scalp, but the result came out perfectly. and she feels a lot more confident.

she makes sure to post her selfies as soon as she comes home, her face all smiley after she had just seen her boyfriend. as soon as she gets on her bed, she grabs her phone to send him a few texts, the happiness still very much in her as she wishes him a good night. god, never did she think she’d be all giddy because of a boy. but she’s happy that boy is choi soobin. she’d rather it be him than anyone else.

kang mina. in a relationship. she really couldn’t get that thought out of her head.

she lies in bed on her phone for a few minutes before she jolts up, having the urge to write her thoughts down. there was a lot she wanted to record in her journal since the last time she had written in it. and only half of them were about how soobin makes her so happy. gosh, she’s bonkers for him to the point that it’s embarrassing.

as soon as she finds the journal and her usual pen, she begins to write in it.

august 2020

i have so much to update you on!

it’s only been a month since i became a trainee in sphere and i just got added in the heartz project! it’s a project that sphere’s doing for their upcoming girl group and three girls have already debuted!!! OMG it’s so exciting to be involved with such a project!!! there’s a lot of talented girls in the project. like yoorim (who joined the same time i did!!! we have so much in common it’s kind of scary), chungha, the lee gahyeon, and the yuzu!!! and so much more cool people!!!! unfortunately, it means i won’t be doing evaluations with my brother or other trainee friends until the project is over (or if i debut. but that’s a big if! there’s so many talented girls in the project!!). but, the coaches must’ve seen something in me, so all i can do is work hard and prove myself that i’m worthy!!!! and also make more friends, because everyone is seriously so cool. >_<

i also dyed my hair!!! it’s ginger… or orange? or red??? i don’t know but it’s that color!! and i look really cool with it tbh!! i kinda look like beverly marsh when she had long hair… or ladybird… or flame princess… or any cool person who has had ginger hair. either way, i look super cute with it!!

and i showed soobin a pic of me with it and he was so cute omgggg ㅠㅠ ugh he’s seriously so great every time i talk about him i get all smiley and butterflies get in my stomach and !!!! yeah wow i need to have another entry talking about how much i like him it’s kind of embarrassing but thankfully i can be all gross about how much i like him in here

i finally moved out of my parents’... it was hard, i will admit. having lived there for so long since i came back to korea does that, i guess. i don’t think i would’ve moved out had it not been for the getting casted thing. i always thought i’d leave after i graduated from ungrad school then move onto grad school. but, i’m not going to school!!! so that much has happened lol

i’m going to miss a lot of stuff about living with them, but i know it’s for the better. idk if i’d want to see my mom for a while. maybe my dad, but not her. idk we’ll see! for now, i’m just happy that i’m living somewhere better. and with someone i can look up to!! even if i am getting closer to chungha unnie, i really do think she’s such a cool person and i hope she can debut in heartz, soon… and hopefully i can debut with her!! but we’ll see what the future holds!!!

and i’ll keep you updated on that future, too!!

that’s all!! i’m getting tired and i don’t want to drool on u lolol gn!! will write in u… in a month maybe? 

after she finishes the last sentence, she closes the book and starts to get ready for bed. 

[tonightinthewasteland]

(Almost) all my Fallout OCs

because I can

Casey Lee Loomis

Location: Appalachia, Vault 76, Forest Region

Age: 35

Casey is outgoing, hyperactive, a social butterfly and sexual liberated little minx. He entered Vault 76 with his parents at the age of 10. (Rumor had it that Casey had his way paid but Casey passed the examinations fairly and properly) However, he never performed exceptionally in the vault career programs and was remained childish in personality in the close-knit village environment. Life was comfortable in the vault and the outside it seemed a million years away. Romantically, he had multiple partners. Bordem, a perpetual need for attention, and raging hormones had him starting his exploration at 15 with the vaults library intern and he experimented from then thereon. He married the head physician, Robert Covington, at 29. They separated at Robert’s request one month before Reclamation Day and left Casey stunned and hurt.

The Vault doors opened in late October, Casey left alone and met Nate Cortez mid-November by sheer accident. Being his first human interaction outside the Vault, Casey sticks to this half-feral man like Wonderglue and regales him with cheerful word vomit day and night. One way or another, they spend the rest of their lives together. They rejoin the Brotherhood in the west and eventually abandon it for a life similar to what they had in Appalachia. Casey leaves behind his two children and their mother.

Canonically, Casey kills Robert early 2103 out of unexplored hurt and rage then conceals the crime in the nearby river. 

Senior Scribe Grise

Location: Commonwealth, Prydwen, Citadel

Age: 38 (yikes)

Grise is a cryptic, zealous, and eclectically perverse snake of a man whose sees both his existence and eventual death as plights of a martyr. He is a direct descendant of Casey Lee Loomis but, as with the entirety of his family line, has disowned his name. Grise is the last in a long line of scribes with little over 150 years of generational dedication to the cause. He has no children or spouse. 

He’d always been an outspoken fundamentalist and loyal Maxson-line supporter, earning him the chance to join the transport party that escorted the young Maxson to the highly-respected Lyons. At the Citadel, he faded int the background of a well-established hierarchy, slowly making a name for himself by fair means, waiting all the while the day the young Maxson might take control. 

His slow descent into madness began after Squire Maxson’s encounter with the Deathclaw. Feeding off the buzz over this seemingly impossible victory, he discreetly shared his views on the dynamic purity of the Maxson line and its necessity for a successful future. Under the cover of back-door think tanks turned sermons and coded radio chatter, the Cult of Maxson grew. Grise did not directly influence any political maneuvers but cultivated a volatile environment. 

His views of Arthur Maxson had gone from respected prince to indomitable diety, unable to see Arthur Maxson’s true moral code and regards the Elder’s distaste for him as a test of loyalty and passion. 

Anita Stallworth

Location: Appalachia, The Mire, Cranberry Bog, Watoga

Age: 39

Anita is confident, sharp-witted, hard-boiled by necessity, and hungry for control of her future. She was born in Maryland but moved with her family to West Virginia while she was still young. Appalachia was an up and coming area that attracted her family with its scenic landscape and lively political circle. The bombs dropped when she was fourteen and home alone. Her father was away on “business” and her mother was having spa treatments done at Whitesprings. Neither one was heard from again. 

While ransacking her mansion, members of the Free States found, took her in and raised her into young adulthood at Harpers Ferry. Despite her dispel of them, she grew to respect their tenacity but hated the isolationist life. She left them for an exhaustive journey to investigate Whitesprings for info about her mother and found the place clean and empty. After that, she spent a decade wandering in and out of Appalachia, mostly sticking to the Mire and Cranberry Bog, assisting the various groups for a quick cap and never committing to any one creed. She worked as a hired gun at Fort Defiance until orders got too expensive for their taste. 

Out to find the next bigger and better thing that might give her the edge, She finds her way into the Enclave after Robert(who is supposed to be dead but I can have AUs okay) has already established his position and quickly rises past him in rank to General. She remains in power with Enclave. 

Robert Covington

Location: Appalachia, Vault 76, Enclave Bunker, transient

Age: 47 

Robert is cold, analytical, immensely reserved about his predilections, and cares more for prestige and security than anything. He entered the vault at 21, not entirely finished with medical school but flash trained at the last minute by VTU for the role of Physician in Vault 76. His parents: Mother being an investment broker and father a steel mogel with a military contract, did not make the cut for entry. Leaving them behind, and their constant pressure for acceptance, was a small relief to Robert.

In the vault, he was private and kept to himself in downtime. Interacting briefly with others only at social events and holidays. An occasional drink and rare sweet were his small pleasures, along with old westerns and jazz music. Casey and he met by way of a routine eye exam with Casey complaining of poor vision. Casey’s impulsive energy, bold speech, and flash-bulb eyes attracted and excited him. Going against his limited morals and instead of recommending Casey’s to another doctor, he forged records to reflect necessary medical treatment to allow for extended private time and constant access to his patient, much to Casey’s enjoyment. At the peak of their secret affairs, he placed Casey on a homebound quarantine with access restricted only to himself. The Overseer caught wind of the quarantine by word of mouth and demanded an explanation as to why the quarantine was not reported. When she seemed unconvinced by his excuses and suspicious “records”, he attested that Casey and himself were in love and feared they’d be judged too harshly for their relationship. She believed him only after speaking with Casey directly but, only barely so. 

To keep up appearances, Robert remained with Casey as a husband for six years until a month before Reclamation Day, considering Casey a liability to his survival in the wasteland. Canonically, he is killed by Casey within a year. Nonconically, he joins the Enclave after failing to be a successful wasteland doctor with Nate as a hired bodyguard and becomes Anita Stallworths personal chew toy.  

Horace Beaufort

Age: 58

Horace is an ex-resident of vault 51. How he managed to escape the vault continues to be a matter of discussion and debate. I speculate that his role in the vault was to stir the pot or take advantage of chaos. He killed several of his fellow vault dwellers before leaving the said vault. 

His prewar life was not glamorous. He enlisted young and was dishonorably discharged for fighting a fellow soldier in a bar. He called it “working out their differences” and they called it misconduct. The whole thing became a monkey he let sit on his back his whole life and refused to come back from. He saw pockets of brief jail time for more public disturbances and drunken disorderly, “dabbled” in drugs and tried his hand at married life. He has two adult children he barely knows and an ex-wife that hates his guts.

A post-vault world led him into an equally unglamorous attempt at raider life. He fell in with the Gourmands for a brief period as a “hunter”. He abandoned them all as the gangs began feuding. Somewhere in there, he met his best friend, Duke. @avaleon

He now lives in the forest region in an old shack selling old armor and eating anyone that happens to come around when he is hungry. Did I forget to mention he is a cannibal? 

Milo Orson

Location: Commonwealth, Spectacle Island

Age: 36

Milo is career-minded (Elder Maxson’s favorite flavor of solider), a dry-humored freelance mercenary turned passionate Knight. His hobbies include killing undesirables on and off the clock and building secluded settlements for R&R.

While Paladin Danse had tank-like capabilities, Milo was more stealthy and the two complemented each other’s styles to make for a powerhouse two-man team. Sharing similar past times, the men enjoy each others company outside the battlefield at Milo’s personally designed Spectacle Island settlement for fishing, sparring, reading, and in-depth discussions. Milo designed and built a top floor suite for the Elder in the Airport, complete with its own shooting range and full bathroom. The Elder politely refused the gift and repurposed it for storage. 

Despite his odd and indirect advances, Milo was the mastermind and main supporter of a black-body-suited shadow squad that gained Elder Maxson’s approval. Unofficially consisting of Paladin Danse, Knight-Commander Alton, Elder Maxson himself, and Senior Scribe Grise, this squad was loosely inspired by and created to emulate the disbanded Lyons Pride. The mission remained constant: eliminating hostiles seemingly overnight when no other squad would prevail. The shadow squad was titled Purity Control.

Senior Scribe Grise was forcibly removed from the squad after being caught taking night watches on missions just to stare at the Elder while he slept. 

Vance Ainsley Alton

Location: Commonwealth, Citadel, Prydwen

Age: 38

Vance A. Alton is fiercely loyal, gentle in all things but war, cautiously private and confident in his skills as a soldier. He is a second generation Brother that has three constant loves: his Elder, his parents, and jogging. 

Full bio here.

Jacob or “Jay”

Location: Commonwealth, Prydwen, Sanctuary

Jacob is somewhere between a blown fuse and a Furby with dying batteries that cheerfully declares your impending death from the closet you tried to suffocate it in. He is immensely charismatic and flawlessly disarming with the best of intentions. Until you have something he wants, of course.

 After surviving the end of the world to wake up childless, spouseless, and alone, he became numb to consequence and moral choice. Joyfully, he played all factions against each other, bringing them together at the Battle of Bunker Hill at the cost of lives, intelligence, valuable resources, and relationships. He was commanded to choose his loyalties and he chose the Brotherhood for it’s unapologetic adherence to its duty to humanity. He attempted to continue relations with the Minutemen and lost their respect after participating in the killing of innocents in the attack on the Institute. He became Elder Maxson’s first Sentinal and drinks with Proctor Teagan in his downtime. As a side project, he oversaw the creation a tavern just outside the airport with the Brotherhood reaping benefits from the small economy that surrounds it.

“Jelly”

Location: Commonwealth, The Castle

Jelly is known only as thus and was previously married to Jacob. She is trusting and fair in her judgments and has a strong sense of justice for both the human and nonhuman. She survives the cryogenics unbeknownst to Jacob and joins the Minutemen after the fall of the Institute and the Brotherhood assumes control of the Commonwealth. Provoked to rage and hurt by their narrow-minded views, she attacks the Prydwen single-handedly, separate of any faction or companion. She massacres the entirety of the ship, sparing only children, and takes the Captain’s hat and Elder’ s Jacket as trophies. She is appointed the new general of the Minutemen and wears her trophies boldly as proof of her conquest. She finds new love and comfort with Preston and long-lasting friendship in Curie and MacCready. 

[virtuissimo]

Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse (Review)

Roanhorse has effectively cemented herself as a visionary in indigenous futurism with her rich world-building, her casual commentary on the powers that be, and even her dynamic and lovable characters, but I think it’s perfectly clear that this is her debut novel. She definitely gets lost in the sauce plot-wise towards the end, and there are several points where the potential for improvement is obvious. Nonetheless, she’s got me rearing for the next book already, and I will definitely be following this series.

This is the kind of book where I really think you can get the most out of it if you go in blind with very little prior knowledge of the book, and it really is a good one. I encourage yall to give it a go. If you don’t care about getting a little more detail, I’ll go into a spoiler free section.

No Spoilers

Okay, first thing I’ve gotta talk about is the setting. First off, it’s AWESOME. The setting is about 6? 7? years after an apocalypse. The explanation for it is really organic and it informs a lot of how the book proceeds.

Idk if this counts as a spoiler so it’s in its own paragraph, but basically the apocalypse was a series of natural disasters around the world plus a major flood that drowned out most of the continental U.S. except for a few walled off city states. The walls are specifically and emphatically NOT the ones that the Trump administration is gunning for—Roanhorse dismisses that quite quickly. These walls were ones that local communities decided to put up, and they are made of beautiful materials that have cultural significance for the Dine.

My favorite thing about the setting is the societal organization. Dinetah is a really interesting place because of the ubiquity of Dine people & culture, but also because Roanhorse obviously has a lot of really interesting thing to say about what apocalypse means to a people that have already had their apocalypse. They already had foreign invasion and genocide, they already had their numbers chipped away to a shadow of its former size, they already had their land destroyed beyond recognition. So what does it mean when in apocalypse destroys the society that destroyed yours? I think Roanhorse’s answer is that it did more good for the Dine than bad. They are freer and safer in an apocalypse, even DESPITE the presence of monsters everywhere.

One thing I really liked about her approach to Dinetah was the use of language. To quote a journal entry I wrote about this book: “Roanhorse makes creative use of Dine words and language. There is no glossary, and sometimes there isn’t even an in-text translation. English speakers are forced to pick up Dine words with no life preserver just as so many non-English speakers are forced to do the same in our world.” Most of the concepts, like clan powers and ghosts and monsters, have a Dine word attached to them, and you learn to recognize them as you read. She doesn’t remind you of their definition either: you either paid attention the first time it came up or you’re screwed! It was just an interesting stylistic choice, and I enjoyed the experience.

Another note about the setting that I love: I LOOOVE the references to the other citystates. I think one was New Detroit? New Denver? And there was a Mormon citystate (when I read that I screamed) and there was one called Aztlan (!!!!!) which was very exciting for me. I have complicated feelings about Aztlan because I think most people who live in this post-apocalyptic citystate would probably not be indigenous Mexicans but rather americanized mestizo Chicanos who think they have an inherent claim to the land just because they colonized it first, but I think as an indigenous author I can trust her to develop a nuanced view of Aztlan and what that means for Mexican Americans (especially consider the fact that she had several sensitivity readers mentioned in her acknowledgements). I really hope we get a chance to explore those in future books.

Oh, also: there are no white people in this book. Like, none. They reference them in vague terms, but I don’t think there was a location or scene that had a white person even in the background, and there were certainly no speaking parts for white people in this book. So basically I loved that. I do that often in my own writing but it’s so rare in mainstream fiction. There is a family that is not Dine in the book, but they are a large black family. With regards to the writing of the black characters: I noticed that her physical descriptions of them sometimes had words that I’ve seen on lists of What Not To Say About Black Characters (comparing skin color to food, particular words used to describe hair, etc.), but I flipped to the author bio and she apparently is black as well as indigenous so I guess my concerns weren’t really relevant lol. One of these characters is also gay, and I thought his characterization was a little bit weird, but it’s fine I guess.

Now I haven’t seen Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but I’ve read a spinoff from the same universe and have heard enough about it to see the obvious inspiration that Roanhorse took from it. This is not necessarily a bad thing, of course; Buffy has a very particular energy where it’s fantastically easy to get invested. Maggie Hoskie as a hero is easy to love, and even as someone who doesn’t typically like lengthy action sequences, I found the fighting scenes thrilling. However, at the same time Roanhorse commits some of the same mistakes in writing her female protagonist that Joss Whedon so famously introduced into the mainstream, and there are a few times where it becomes difficult not to roll your eyes.

As I’ve seen other reviewers note, Maggie as a character is very reliant on the men in her life. She describes early on how her life was saved by Niezghani, an immortal godlike monster slayer, and his presence in her thoughts influences nearly every decision she makes throughout the novel. Some people have a problem with this; I personally think this is a fine set-up. The author takes great care to show how unhealthy her relationship with Niezghani is. Even when Maggie is talking about how great and powerful he is, how she should be grateful that he even gives her the time of day, we as a reader can tell something is very wrong with their relationship from the very beginning. I don’t really like the direction Roanhorse went with Niezghani (I’ll get into that in the spoilers section I guess), but I thought this relationship as a premise was fine.

I think where she slipped up a little was in putting her relationship with Kai, a mysterious and charming medicine man who helps her on her investigation/quest/whatever, as the center of the story. I guess technically we’re not certain about this since the whole series isn’t out yet, but I think it’s safe to assume this guy is endgame. The whole first half of the book is spent getting to know Kai, which I think is fine because he is a great character and truly charming. (I’m always suspicious of “”charming”” type characters because more often than not the author makes them annoying and presumptuous.) He actually seems to care about the things that are happening, he doesn’t make assumptions, he understands boundaries, and his kindness is genuine. I like Kai, okay, he’s great. BUT I think that spending so much time with him instead of ruminating with Maggie some more was a mistake.

I can understand WHY roanhorse did this: Maggie is someone who is very wrapped up in her thoughts, and 9 times out of 10 her thoughts are really fuckin depressing. I just think that a lot of time was spent characterizing Kai when it could have been done in less time and more efficiently.

The main thing about Kai is that his skills as a medicine man are very mysterious, and Maggie becomes curious very early on about the nature of his abilities. The answer to her questions, though, aren’t given until very very late in the book. In fact, we don’t understand everything about his medicine man secrets until like 10 pages from the end. I think this is way too late. First off, we don’t get to see him in action very much, and the way things go I really wish we had. Second, Roanhorse just wastes a lot of time in the beginning and crams a whole lot in the end. From a world-building perspective these sections are really cool and fascinating, but plot-wise it’s extremely inefficient that we learn about Kai in bits and pieces like this, especially since all of his secrets kind of come out one after the other all crowded at the end. I don’t know if she got the right balance in that tradeoff.

Another critique I’ve seen people have is that all of Maggie’s problems AS WELL AS the solutions to her problems revolve around the men in her life. I did think it was strange that Maggie was essentially the only major female character in the whole book. There was Rissa, but she was a minor character and didn’t have much agency in the plot. I would say that Maggie did have agency, and the way she carries herself both in conversation and in action both suggest that she is making her own decisions independent of male influence. I see where these critiques are coming from, though, and I agree that more of her story should have been herself rather than obsessing over these men.

Minor spoilers I guess: One scene that I think most socially conscious people rolled their eyes at was the decision to create a plot point where she had to get all dolled up in a sexy outfit because Reasons. And then people had that weird Oh My God So Hot moment that we are all so fond of (/s). Annoying tropes like that rear their ugly faces from time to time, but this is the only one that really irritated me.

Yea. I mean. It’s a good book. I think yall should read it. As I’ve said, the worldbuilding and setting is awesome, the characters are super cool, the action is cool and Actually let’s just get into the spoilers.

SPOILERS

Coyote was one of my favorite characters. I think Roanhorse may have wanted him to be a morally gray could-be-either-side type of character, but I really saw him as a straight up villain just because he never actually did help them in a way that didn’t backfire. I love reading him though; the sheer chaos that he brings to every scene really appealed to my gayer side. I don’t know if this is an aspect to him that is commonly seen in folktales or something, but I did think that he was a little over the top creepy about the sex stuff though. When he said that shit about Maggie jacking off to Niezghani I was just…ok he’s crossin some Lines here. Also he was constantly making Kai and Maggie uncomfortable sexually, so I don’t really get why they were always so willing to trust him. Still, he was SO interesting. Whenever he showed up I was instantly enthralled.

One thing that got on my nerves a little was that from the very beginning, it was very clear that Kai and Maggie being endgame is a given. Don’t get me wrong, Roanhorse put in the work to make them seem like a really organic and natural couple. And I guess it’s kind of respectable that she didn’t try to pretend like it wasn’t gonna happen, cuz we all knew. But I think it was a little annoying that EVERYONE, including Tah and Longarm and Grace and Coyote and Kai and EVEN MAGGIE at times were basically of the attitude that they were just biding time until they eventually hook up one day. She really didn’t have to do all that; I liked them as a couple already!

Okay but plot-wise, I have to say this, but Roanhorse REALLY got lost in the sauce there. The final battles were so complicated, and there were actually 3 different scenes that felt like they could be the final battle but then there was more (the battle where Rissa got gutted, the Niezghani versus Maggie fight, and the Black Mesa battle). I feel like she couldn’t decide on a conclusion for book one and just threw all that in there for good measure. In any case, it made the last third of the book really messy and unfocused.

I think she also had too many Reveals. Like, Niezghani revealed Kai’s identity, Kai reveals his true intentions, Coyote reveals his plan, Maggie reveals her counter-plan, and Coyote reveals the circumstances of her nali’s death. TOO MUCH. It was all so cloudy and confusing towards the end, especially with regards to Coyote’s plan. First of all, I didn’t really understand what his plan was on first read, and I ESPECIALLY didn’t understand why he took the time to explain it to her. Second off, I didn’t understand Maggie’s counterplan (I don’t think it’s explained in too many words?) and I ESPECIALLY didn’t understand how they planned to have Kai survive. (Now that I’ve had time to think about it I suppose it’s related to his fast healing situation probably, and they just decided to murk him and see if he was actually immortal or whatever the fuck.) Also Kai and Maggie had that whole conversation about their love life right in front of Niezghani………messy as fuck and also is this really the time?????

One thing I really liked about the beginning of the book was that Maggie was such an unreliable narrator when it came to Niezghani. Like, it was pretty obvious that he’s garbage from the beginning, but Maggie just idolizes this man and you have to like scream into the book WHYY??? But the only way that she’s able to idolize him that way is that he presents himself as a mentor, as an authority, and maybe not so much as a caring figure as much as someone to look up to. He is, if nothing else, RESPECTABLE. But when he finally shows up in the Maggie v Niezghani fight, he is not respectable. He is overtly cruel in a way everyone, including Maggie, can see. He is overtly manipulative. He is overtly uncaring and honestly terrible. But this portrayal of him is SO MUCH LESS NUANCED than it was at the beginning of the book. I wish Roanhorse had had the guts to make him more complicated. To make him ACT apologetic or ACT like a mentor, but to make him a hypocrite. That, to me, would have been much more interesting. I understand that trauma informed a big part of the reason Maggie trusted him in the first place, but I wanted to meet the smooth and enchanting man that Maggie fell in love with but all I saw was this horrible person who never even tries to hide how horrible he is.

Of course, as this is just the first book, we don’t really know what is to come. Since Niezghani is just chillin under the dirt, I think we can assume that he’ll be back. Nonetheless, I’m a bit disappointed that he was pacified/restrained at the end of this book. I kind of hoped that after this confrontation, Maggie would have an epiphany about all the shit he put her through, and then in following books he would be the main antagonist. They would have various run-ins, but only in the final book has she truly built up the strength to get her comeuppance. Or something like that. I just wanted Niezghani’s role to be stretched out is all. I wanted her arc of truly unpacking all of that mess to be over the course of several books, not just one novel in which she’s also distracted by her budding romance with Kai and also the monster stuff.

So yea. It’s a good book. There’s problems, as I’ve clearly stated, but honestly a lot of them come across to me as rookie errors. This is her debut novel, and I don’t think it’s that weird for her to use these tropes in ways that I as a reader don’t care for. However, I definitely think that the pieces are there for her to make excellent use of her setting and characters and pull together a really energetic and thrilling series. Looking forward to returning to the Sixth World!

[billyagogo]

Even from childhood bedrooms, socially distanced students work to get out the vote

New Post has been published on https://newsprofixpro.com/moxie/2020/10/31/even-from-childhood-bedrooms-socially-distanced-students-work-to-get-out-the-vote/

Even from childhood bedrooms, socially distanced students work to get out the vote

When Lauren Guzowski makes calls to potential voters in this election season, sometimes she also provides a bit of live music in the background — perhaps the guitar chords of “Stairway to Heaven.”

“I’ve got a little brother who loves his electric guitar,” she said. “So sometimes I’ll be phone-banking and you’ll hear a little Led Zeppelin.”

Guzowski, 19, is a sophomore at George Washington University. Like many students her age, the COVID-19 pandemic means she’s spending this semester not in a dorm room but back home, living with her parents in Pittsburgh.

Yet on top of online coursework for her political science degree — including a “very topical” class called “The American Presidency” — Guzowski works as deputy director of campaign operations for her school’s College Democrats chapter. Amid parents walking into her room unannounced and, yes, the occasional guitar solo, she’s spending her quarantine digitally organizing “get out the vote” efforts for campaigns across the country.

“My field office is my bedroom,” she said.

Guzowski is not alone. Young people nationwide — cooped up indoors, their social lives, work, school and housing disrupted — have spent the weeks before Nov. 3 making calls, sending texts and even hand-writing letters to influence voters in what some see as a potentially generation-defining election.

Most of the young activists The Times spoke with were Democrats. This tracks with polling from the nonpartisan Pew Research Center, which in mid-June found that 68% of registered voters between 18 to 29 support former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee, versus 28% who support President Trump.

With his unexpected surplus of free time, 22-year-old Dylan Cohen, a recent graduate of USC, read up on politics and, working through a volunteer group called Postcards to Voters, wrote dozens of letters to Georgia voters in support of Democrat Jon Ossoff’s campaign to unseat Republican Sen. David Perdue. He also applied to be a poll worker, but hadn’t yet heard back.

“If I were still a senior in college and everything was normal, and I could have chosen between spending 45 minutes to go get drinks with a friend at a bar or hand-write letters, I would have just gone to the bar and gotten beer,” Cohen said.

Cohen’s cross-continent outreach — from his parents’ house in Malibu to voters in Georgia — is standard for pandemic-era campaign work, especially among Democrats. Unlike many Republicans, Democrats generally consider in-person door-knocking a potentially deadly tactic amid the coronavirus contagion, and many campaigns have moved their efforts online — meaning that anyone, anywhere, can hop on to canvass voters virtually.

“Before, if the campaign was doing a phone bank, they would have just done it in person [and] I would not have been able to join,” said Tyler Kusma, a George Washington University senior who’s moved home to Pennsylvania. “Now it’s a Zoom call, so it doesn’t really matter if I’m from Scranton or down the road.”

That flexibility means Kusma, 22, who’s president of GW for Biden, can pick and choose online which other campaigns to help. In addition to supporting his local member of Congress, he’s texted or called voters in Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana and Texas on behalf of various candidates on those states’ ballots.

With location no barrier to entry, choosing where to volunteer becomes a more strategic decision.

Agnes Mok, a senior at Pomona College who moved to Washington, D.C., after her classes went online, chose to work with the liberal super PAC Flip the West after deciding that “flipping the Senate was going to be more important … than [volunteering for] other individual candidates,” she said. David Pernick of Silver Lake said he chose “empirically” to phone-bank for Iowa Senate candidate Theresa Greenfield, the Democrat challenging Republican Sen. Joni Ernst.

“I’m like, ‘OK, what are really close races in really small states?’ Because the smaller the state, the more impact each call has, right?” said Pernick, 29, who had time to spare after his test preparation and tutoring business slowed down. “I was thinking Iowa versus Montana, and I just, flip of a coin, decided to go with Iowa.”

For other young volunteers, campaign work is a way to stay socially active. Rhea Trainson, who leads Pennsylvania college outreach for the progressive organizing group Swing Left, said digital campaign events offer a chance to connect with friends and chat with peers.

“We’ve really started advertising these as parties in their own way, and having fun themes for events,” said Trainson, 21. “I know one of my favorite events that I hosted was a Timothée Chalamet costume contest and letter-writing event.”

For some students, moving back home means sharing a roof with family members of different political persuasions. Guzowski said her father is a Republican, and family discussions can sometimes get “a little heated.”

“I think they’re really worthy discussions,” she said. “[It’s] very different than being on a college campus with a bunch of other poli-sci majors.”

While pandemic-related adjustments have in some ways made volunteering easier, voting itself can be more complicated for college and post-college young people who’ve relocated. For an extreme case, consider Iris Chen.

Chen, a sophomore at Atlanta’s Emory University, took the semester off and moved to a cousin’s house in South Lake Tahoe to work, hike and explore. In late July, she filed to receive her Georgia absentee ballot at the Tahoe house, but later discovered that the area is too rural and isolated to receive mail, as a worker at a local post office explained.

Chen’s ballot was delivered to Tahoe, then bounced back to Georgia. She requested a second ballot, and drove to Sacramento for an affidavit swearing she wouldn’t use the first one, signed it and faxed it back to Georgia. A state website showed that a second ballot was shipped to Sacramento on Oct. 7.

Chen hadn’t received it by Friday, more than three weeks later. Meanwhile, she’d bought plane tickets to fly to Atlanta for in-person early voting; Friday was the last day to do so. “It’s much more difficult [to vote] than I thought for my first election,” she said. But once she got to her polling place in Atlanta, “it went really smoothly.”

Even for students who still live in the state where they’re registered, relocations can upend voting arrangements.

Chris Wig, chair of the Democratic Party of Lane County, Ore. — home to the University of Oregon, which is primarily online through the winter — said the party is seeing “a diffusion of Democratic voters” away from the county as some students move home and re-register there. Because Lane County is safely blue, Wig said, the shift of pro-Democratic students to other areas of the state can only help the party.

Not all college towns are experiencing such changes. William Ellis, the Republican Party chairman in Monroe County, Ind., said that enough Indiana University Bloomington students have remained on campus that he hasn’t “seen any changes to the student dynamic with voting.” And Scott Grabins, Republican Party chair in Dane County, Wis., said that the College Republicans of the University of Wisconsin-Madison “continue to be engaged with campaign activities.”

But for many of America’s youngest voters, the pandemic has redefined if, how and why they engage with politics.

“I would offer a broad apology for how many phone calls people are getting, … but I think it’s really worthwhile work,” Guzowski said. “I hope that people know that, a lot of the time, it’s young people and kids who are on the other end of those phone calls, doing the best that they can.”

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[myhahnestopinion]

THE AARONS 2017 - Best TV Show

2017 was the year that Peak TV broke me. There was so many shows I wanted to watch (Star Trek: Discovery, American Gods, The Handmaid’s Tale and especially the new Twin Peaks) but they were spread too thin across various subscriptions (CBS All Access, Starz, Hulu, and Showtime respectively) for my even thinner wallet to handle. However, even without the shiniest new toys, I still found an overwhelming amount of quality TV to watch this year. Here are The Aarons for Best TV Show:

#10. You’re the Worst (Season 4) – FXX

The show’s fall from my number two entry last year to number ten this year may initially appear worrisome, but, while the scattered focus made it feel like a less comprehensive experience than prior years, You’re the Worst’s fourth season was perhaps the most important piece of the show’s overall story. Splitting up the four main characters into different storylines was a bold choice, but allowed the show to reveal just how much each one has personally grown since the show began. The gang may have been no less funny this year, but perhaps they can no longer be considered “the worst.”

#9. Rick and Morty (Season 3) – Adult Swim

While the Szechaun sauce fiasco may have shown just how poisonous some of its fanbase has gotten, that doesn’t discredit that Rick and Morty was once again in top form for its long delayed third season. In fact, in stark contrast to the fanaticism on display in its real-world fans, Season 3 was the show’s most emphatic rebuttal yet of Rick’s arrogant nihilism as something worthy of emulation, instead finding strong emotion in exploring Rick’s failures in his various familial relationships. As always, Rick and Morty’s clever genre takedowns, including a superb Mad Max-parody and a ridiculous superhero episode, make for one of the smartest and funniest shows on TV, but it’s this perceptive deconstruction of its own nature that really earned the third season a spot on this list.

#8. Riverdale (Season 1-2a) – The CW

When word of a dark-and-gritty reboot of Archie Comics was first released, I was ready to hate-watch this sure-to-be bastardization of a favorite brand in the same way I put myself through all those agonizing episodes of Scream: The TV Series. However, Riverdale’s dark noir-influenced spin on its beloved characters turned into this year’s most pleasant surprise, and one hell of an addictive TV show. While the second season may raise questions about the show’s long-term sustainability, its pitch-perfect cast of young stars and its gleefully twisted blend of camp and carnage for its previously wholesome material makes it the kind of show you’re glad is “ruining your childhood.”

#7. BoJack Horseman (Season 4) - Netflix

In consideration with You’re the Worst and Rick and Morty, “personal growth” must have been the theme of TV this year, as BoJack Horseman’s fourth season was imbued with unexpected hopefulness for a series known for its emotional gut-punches. That doesn’t mean this season didn’t contain the now-expected-but-no-less-devastating penultimate episode kicker, as a delve into BoJack’s past once again brought the tears flowing, but Season 4 was a welcome suggestion that these characters can get on a better path. It makes for another powerful season, but, you know, the show could have once again claimed a spot on this list for having Jessica Biel’s definitive best role ever and for its abundance of top-notch animal wordplay.

#6. Mr. Robot (Season 3) - USA

Each year, I feel less compelled to insist Mr. Robot is much more than the sophomoric anti-capitalist screed that it may have initially appeared to be, because, each year, the show’s clear-sighted intelligence becomes more and more unmistakable. Season 3’s dissection of its own revolutionary ambitions was its most culturally-relevant entry yet. While occasionally dispiriting in its despotic depictions, it was another show to find surprisingly emotional resonance this year, taking a Camusian approach to its Sisyphean conflicts. Season 3 may have toned down the experimental inclinations of last year’s ALF-cameoing season, but it was no less thrilling, thanks to its heightened struggle for control between Mr. Robot and Elliot, and particularly through its anxiety-inducing one-take middle installment.  

#5. Better Call Saul (Season 3) - AMC

While Season 3’s (re-)introduction of Giancarlo Esposito’s Gus Fring may have brought the world of Better Call Saul much closer to its parent show, Breaking Bad, the show has been at the former’s level of quality for years. Season 3 appears poised to be the show’s dark middle chapter, the major turning point in its heart-breaking presentation of Jimmy McGill’s inevitable tragic downfall. Knowing Jimmy’s eventual transformation into Saul Goodman, and dreading what fate may await the rest of the cast, may make Better Call Saul hard to watch from an emotional-investment standpoint, but the show is endlessly compelling thanks to its fantastic performances and its impeccable plotting.      

#4 Legion (Season 1) – FX

Fox has been taking some significant risks lately with the X-Men franchise, including the hard-R Deadpool and Logan, but their most ambitious production was actually on the small screen this year. Legion is the very definition of a mind trip, a psychedelic adventure that breaks all the rules of conventional narrative and visual storytelling. The show is perhaps best enjoyed as a quick binge, but the intrigue of its unreliable narrator, the awe-inspiring special effects, and its blood-curdling, existentially-terrifying villain means the show is guaranteed to linger in one’s brain for a long time. Legion’s creative-daring, an embrace of absurdity that gave us Jemaine Clement as an extra-dimensional scuba diver, is hopefully something that can endure Fox’s potential buyout from Disney.

#3 The Good Place (Season 2) – NBC

The Good Place is an oddity among the current dystopian state of network TV, not just for its high-end quality and bingeable format, but for its willingness to challenge its own status quo. Season 2, building off last season’s daring cliffhanger, brought this risk-taking to new heights, making each episode more unpredictable and exhilarating than the last. Ted Danson is clearly having a blast unveiling more layers of his afterlife-architect character, as are the writers working with the seemingly endless possibilities of the world they’ve created. One wonders how long this boldness can persist, but with a talented cast and a confident, experienced showrunner at the helm, The Good Place looks to be in a… well, you know.

#2. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (Season 2b-3a) – The CW

If “personal growth” is indeed the theme of 2017 in TV, then no show did it better than Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. The already-magical show became an absolute masterpiece this year, with a back-half of Season 2 that energetically reinvented the dynamic proclaimed by the show’s title, and a front-half of Season 3 that quickly subverted that new direction for something even more enjoyable and profound. Digging even deeper into the show’s realistic depiction of the hardship of suffering from mental illness made for several difficult episodes, but the talent both on-camera and off handled it with graceful ease that didn’t lose any of the show’s comedic brilliance. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend earns a top spot for its willingness to bravely push past oft-considered uncomfortable boundaries. In its representation of mental illness, certainly, but also in its network-standards-challenging and always hilarious songs.

AND THE BEST TV SHOW OF 2017 IS...

#1. Fargo (Season 3) – FX

It took until the very last minute of Fargo’s third season for me to realize that it was the best television show of the year. The show’s continued ability to collect an all-star cast (including Ewan McGregor playing both twins), the franchise’s trademark dark humor, and its layered, poetic writing kept me engaged through the season’s early episodes, but it was only in those closing moment that all the pieces fell into place, and Noah Hawley’s genius vision for this entry in the show was revealed. In those last few seconds, as Carrie Coon’s determined cop character faces down with David Thwelis’ boorish criminal mastermind, the show left us to wrestle with the defining question of a tumultuous 2017: do we believe that there is an objective truth, a right and a wrong, and that justice will be served? Or, is it all a farce, a game to be exploited, a universe that bends to the will of those who contort it to fit their desires? Taking advantage of the show’s anthology format, the season ends in ambiguity. It’s not a question for the show to answer. It’s a question that every one of us must wrestle with, whether just for the immediate future in a dangerous political climate of “alternative facts,” or for a long time coming. It is a question that defines one’s philosophical, social, and moral being, a question distinguished by a season of fascinating characters, thrilling adversity, and audacious storytelling. It’s this lingering question, contextualized by perhaps the best Fargo season yet, that makes the show the best TV of the year.

NEXT UP: THE 2017 AARONS FOR BEST TV EPISODE!