#is both a fun new toy and new work tool

[squirting-sub]

Painful paddle

I'm not very sensitive when it comes to pain during impact play, but I am a masochist and love pain. My dom also loves hurting me, so we picked out a new paddle (pictured below). The cutouts have very sharp edges and light hits warm up the skin really fast.

First, my dom warmed me up with a flogger while I was bent over her desk. Then, she started with light taps with the new paddle, eventually telling me to get on all fours on the sofa. She cuffed my legs to a spreader bar and told me I'll be getting my previously earned reward of 92 (hard) spanks. Working her way up with the intensity, she waits for the moment I scream into the sofa before telling me to start counting. She tries different spots on my body, seeing which place makes me scream the most. About twenty hits in, after my skin is already red and swollen, she takes the split leather paddle. I've gotten used to it and it didn't hurt me as much anymore. However, with my skin already raw from the new paddle, it made everything more intense and painful. She didn't start out with a light slap either. She immediately went in with full force, making me scream into the sofa even louder, instinctively moving away from her. She throws a blanket over my head so I won't see the slaps coming and to muffle my screams so her neighbors won't hear. Sometimes, she wouldn't use as much force and those slaps didn't count.

30-40 slaps in, she takes the spreader bar and flips me around so I'm on my back. She tells me to remove the blanket so she can look at me. Pushing the bar back, she hits my inner thighs and right below my ass with the new wood paddle. It hurts really bad. For the first time since we started playing together, she sees actual fear in my eyes. I flinch when she raises the paddle to hit me again and she smirks, not hitting me when I expect it but then going even harder. Even though I'm scared and it hurts like never before, I get incredibly horny. The pain turns me on and I like the fear. I especially like how much she's enjoying it. I haven't seen her get this happy when hitting me in a while.

I'm struggling, but she keeps me from moving by holding onto the spreader bar. With the split leather paddle, she also hits my boobs. She hasn't done that before and it stings. After a couple of slaps, I cover my chest with my arms, trying to soothe the pain but also to prevent further slaps in that area. "Move your arms away this instant, or I'll tie them up for you.". I refuse and she hits my arm with the leather paddle. It hurts less than her hitting my chest, so I keep covering myself. Then she counts down from three. It's been an intense weekend and while I love getting her angry and her being rough with me, I don't want to overdo it. I'm thankful she's even trying the new paddle and not waiting. For the first time, I'm also scared what the punishment for not listening could be. So, at "one", I remove my arms, and of course, she immediately slaps my boobs again.

Eventually, she flips me around again and just has fun using all her tools on me. The wood paddle made me sensitive, so the riding crop hurts more than usual as well. A couple hits with a thin wood cane make it break. We both laugh and she continues using her other toys. At 72 she hits me so hard and fast, I can't count anymore and just struggle. I scream and try to get away but she keeps me in place with the spreader bar. After she stops, she checks on me and I smile. "That was good. I like it.". She takes that as an invitation to hit me more, with the same intensity. I never finished counting the 92 slaps.

Some (not so great) photos she took right after to show me the result. I've never bled like this from impact play before and she had to listen to my whining the rest of the night whenever I moved and changed my position. She did put lotion on me and got me ice packs though.

The next day, most of the swelling is gone, but bruises formed and the imprints from the paddle are still very much visible (pictures below). Sitting hurts, but not unbearably. I love being reminded of our sessions throughout the day like this and I keep looking at the interesting new bruises.

[cringefailvox]

what do u think abt the dynamic of the vees? they’re truly a fucked up lil family hehe and i wonder how they work in relation to one another ! also specifically val and vox ! i think it’s interesting how there’s some respect between them considering their different strengths lol ( porn and tech/news)

TY FOR ASKING bc i looove the vees so bad.

vox + valentino: most obvious, they're that messy on/off couple with severe issues that nonetheless do genuinely care about each other at the end of the day. val breaks his phone, vox screams in his face, they giggle and dance together, they have the range. they might rile each other up and throw each other under the bus for petty reasons, but in a life or death situation, they protect each other without hesitation. power vacillates between them like a seesaw. manipulative, toxic beyond belief, unexpectedly wholesome - they're made for each other.

valentino + velvette: i just know these bitches live for the drama. they keep each other updated on the latest gossip, they make fun of vox together, they're that awful best friend duo from high school who look at you like you're a bug under their shoes and then they skip class to go vape in the bathroom. val is very fond of her and she likes the attention, but she also gets easily annoyed with his lack of impulse control and inability to play a long con like her & vox. i think she's also one of the few people in existence that val won't sexualize (both bc she'd kill him and bc he sees her as a real person, not a toy).

velvette + vox: these two are the real power houses of the vees. i think vox was a mentor figure of sorts at the beginning, impressed by her ambition and drive, who gave her the tools to succeed and then stood back and watched as she clawed her way rightfully to the top. he respects her and her take-no-shit attitude. she loves him as much as she sees right through his bullshit, and even though she knows he needs her for his empire to function, she acknowledges that she needs his support too. they're both strong leaders and rule their employees with an iron fist. vel doesn't hesitate to call him for backup and both her and val trust vox to take care of them.

vox + val + vel: most importantly, all of the vees see each other as equals. they're all self-obsessed tyrants who view everyone around them as lessers EXCEPT FOR one another. at any given moment, all of them are thinking "i can't believe i'm the only sane one here." vel rolls her eyes and buries her face in her phone while voxval make out with each other over dinner, vox/vel stop val from doing something crazy and impulsive again, vel/val physically drag vox away from his desk to make him take a break from his work.

you disrespect one of the vees, you disrespect all of them. they're fiercely protective of each other and they still let vox humiliate himself on live television for shits and giggles. they're terrible. they love each other. they're a family in every sense of the word, dysfunction and all. they enable each other's worst tendencies while also keeping each other in check. they are everything they are the moment

[elizabethemerald]

Summon the Cat: Part 6

Master Post

Danny crouched, looking down at the McMansion from a neighboring roof. The house was ostentatious to a fault. He wasn’t much of an expert on architecture in general but he had studied this building’s design extensively. It had been built to one up its next door neighbor that Danny was currently waiting upon. Due to trying to get the most of the available acreage the mansion pressed up against its neighbors, rather than the extensive topiary gardens the rest of the rich mansions had. 

The house Danny was on had a pool house that once had a beautiful view, except the garage of the McMansion now overshadowed it. He couldn’t help but roll his eyes. All rich people were fruit loops. The continued drama with Bruce just proved him right. 

According to Selina (his new mom!!) Bruce had thrown seven kinds of fits about the Kyle family moving in next door. He had tried to bench Red Robin for selling Drake Manor, but Tim just moved out to his penthouse in Gotham proper and had the occasional sleep over at the Kyle House when he was feeling lonely. 

The kids all seemed happy to have the Kyles and the Sirens so close. Jason and Dick were over every other week, Jason to experiment with his cooking, Dick to train Danny and Jazz in gymnastics. Danny loved Jason’s skill in the kitchen and was paying avid attention so he could learn how to cook, because he certainly didn’t want the Fenton’s terror in the kitchen to infect him. Jazz was content to know that they were both eating nutritious food that they didn’t have to fight. Also, she had apparently always wanted to be in gymnastics but the Fentons considered it less important than ghost hunting and she couldn’t afford the lessons on her own. Danny of course used the lessons during his training with his mom to be a cat burglar. 

Jazz spent a lot of time with Stephanie and Cassandra. Bruce had tried to bench them as well, except Steph had laughed in his face while Cass had stolen any equipment they needed and the pair moved into the Kyle House, more specifically into Jazz’s bedroom. He wasn’t stupid, he knew exactly what the three girls were up to in there, the love bites on Jazz’s shoulders made it obvious, but he didn’t want to think about his sister’s love life, though he was happy that the two girls made her so happy. 

He stuck out his tongue in disgust at the reminder of the one time he had a nightmare and almost walked in on the triad, then groaned quietly as he had licked the inside of his mask. Danny, Selina and the rest of the Sirens worked together to design his new costume. His nose and mouth were covered by a rigid mask and respirator shaped into the rictus grin of the Cheshire Cat. Selina had bemoaned not thinking about covering her face more with her costume. Harley had recommended leaning into his creepy factor, with the grin and slit eyes on his goggles. He could make both glow when he wanted to up the creep factor even more. 

Danny had enjoyed crafting the character he wanted to portray with his mom and his two aunts. He would allow his giggles to get caught on cameras, or the glow of his eyes to be seen. It was fun to be spooky without also getting chased by either his parents or the GIW. He had chosen the name Chesire as his thief name as an homage to his mom’s name of Catwoman. He had heard that there was apparently a villain named Chesire already, but he hoped that considering they were interested in such different crimes she wouldn’t be mad. 

His outfit was equipped with top of the line tools. Some he had made himself, some he had pickpocketed from the bats, including his own father. He made certain that he kept a clear division between when he was out as Chesire and when he was hanging out with the Waynes as Danny Kyle. He didn’t want them to worry about his intentions when he was with them. Harley had sewn his costume and the reinforcements necessary to tangle with the Justice League and the Bats. Ivy had given Danny some toys as well, his respirator could filter out any plant based toxin, and he had some pollens, spores and toxins of his own to knock out guards. 

On top of the mask and goggles he had a loose cowl with cat ears on top that completed his look. The cowl hid his identity without hampering his movement like the stiff ears Batman had would. He loved the spookiness of allowing his eyes to glow through his goggles from the depths of the hood. 

Danny tilted his head as a click sounded in his ear piece. He grinned and jumped across the high fence to their target. Selina was used to working by herself so she kept any conversation to a minimum, relying on small signals to show him when it was time to move. 

He landed lightly on an air conditioning unit, using just a touch of flight to slow his landing and eliminate the sound. He stood on his tiptoes and pulled a screwdriver from his kit. He had rebuilt the small tool himself, making it whisper quiet. Even the small sound of the tool was covered by the whir of the AC unit as he unscrewed the vent above his head. He gently pried the vent cover off, then hooked a cord through the vent itself so it dangled from the opening. 

Danny levered himself up and into the small opening. He couldn’t imagine his mom squeezing through the small gap, even though she had to do that herself when she was younger. Fortunately, he was skinny as a twig and had his ghost strength to lift himself up. Aunt Harley called him wiry. Jason called him a shrimp, though he changed his tune when Danny dead lifted him. 

He crept across the ductwork above the garage, looking down on the cars after he pulled the vent cover back into place with the cord and secured it with a bit of plain Blu tack. Mom insisted that you could have the best tech in the world, but sometimes simple solutions were the best. They had considered stealing the fancy showpiece cars, but cars were much easier to track and they already had Bruce breathing down their necks so they weren’t worth it. That didn’t mean they couldn’t cause some chaos, just for fun. 

Danny hooked his ankle around one of the duct supports and leaned down until he was upside down and took careful aim with a grapple he pickpocketed from Nightwing only this past week. He had been practicing this shot for hours every day for weeks. He took a deep breath, then triggered the grapple. The hook bounced off the concrete under a fake Model T at the perfect angle to hook the top of a storage rack against the wall. The rack was filled with tools and parts so the rich prick who owned the McMansion could pretend he actually worked on the cars himself. 

He reeled in the grapple until the shelf was on the verge of tipping forward, the cable straining against the bottom of the Model T, and he couldn’t help his namesake Cheshire grin. He hooked the grapple gun onto the duct support and playfully tapped the taut line like a piano string. This would make a delightful mess to cover his exit. 

Another click in his ear reminded him that they were on a time clock. Selina had bought them a couple of hours free of the Bat and that time was closing steadily. He finished making his way into the house proper. He found the central control for the house’s security system easily enough. He broke the cover off the panel and quickly bypassed the security. 

Selina had been surprised by his ease with bypassing electronic systems. Danny had learned a lot from Tucker and repeated encounters with Technus, but he had been dealing with the security systems of the Fentons for as long as he could remember. He could rewire and bypass most security systems in his sleep, and they wouldn’t even shoot him if he failed. 

He tapped his ear piece sending a single click and after a few moments he was joined by his mom as she walked in the front door, bold as brass. She smiled at him and rubbed his head, causing Danny to preen and his core to thrum in his chest. 

“Well done, kitten.” She said, practically purring in pride, before she glanced around the ground floor of the McMansion. “Now, Cheshire. You picked this mark, let’s get away with everything we can.” 

The mother-son duo made quick work of the mansion’s valuables. Art pieces and statues were slipped into a bag that Danny had connected to the Infinite Realms. The ectoplasm would short out any electronics or trackers and they wouldn’t have to worry about fleeing while loaded down. He would be able to recover the larger goods later when the heat had all but disappeared. He didn’t have perfect control over his portal abilities, but it was enough to get back and forth from the Realms. Training his powers with Selina and his aunts had really improved his skills. 

The two of them worked in tandem, flawlessly stripping valuables, cracking a safe in the bedroom, and taking everything they could get their claws on. Danny felt flushed with happiness. He was working alongside his mom, stealing from a rich prick who stole from his workers, he felt amazing. 

A click sounded in both of their ears, causing them to pause. Their window of Bat free time just closed. They slung their collection of valuables over their shoulders and began to race back through the house. Selina split off, her whip cracking as she swung off to another building. Danny made his way back into the garage as Robin and Red Robin landed behind him. Danny smiled, and allowed his eyes and mouth to glow for the full Cheshire effect. 

He activated the grapple gun as he passed and with a whir and an almighty crash the storage rack collapsed down onto the vintage vehicles. Red Robin yelped as he tried to follow but was forced to dodge a bouncing tire. Robin was far more nimble making his way through the mess, but he was still delayed enough by the wreckage for Danny to dive through the vent and jump to get back to the roof of the pool house next door. As soon as he was out of range of the cameras he vanished and lifted up into the air, flying silently and invisibly. He carefully moderated his body temperature so he was exactly the same temp as the surrounding night air. He didn’t want to risk showing up on heat sensors used by the Bats. 

Danny followed another crack of his mom’s whip to where she was running just ahead of the Bat himself. He scowled as Bruce threw a pair of Batarangs at her, though he was relieved as she nimbly dodged them. Danny may have had numerous problems with the Fentons, but at least he never had to be afraid of one of them hurting each other. Seeing his mom in danger from the man who should be his dad filled him with a cold anger. He tapped his ear piece to let her know he was free of the mansion and that he was close. 

Selina stopped running and turned, to saucily sashay towards the heavily armored Batman. He had considered making his costume super flirty and evocative like his mom’s but it made him uncomfortable, like ants were on his skin to have people stare at him like that. Jazz had reminded him that he didn’t have to do everything exactly like Selina did, and that it was important for him to carve his own path forward. 

“Catwoman. Enough is enough. I need you to submit to testing. You are being controlled.” Batman growled, and Danny struggled not to growl right back. He wasn’t controlling her! And how dare this jerk growl at his mom!

“Submit? To you? That’s not how our arrangements usually work.” Selina said with a coy smile as she swished her whip across the rooftop, not even acknowledging the rest of his words. Apparently after the past couple of months she had grown bored with trying to argue with him, and she was refusing to be tested for mind control just to antagonize him. 

Also, gross. 

That was another reason he was glad he didn’t copy her flirty persona. His mom was very comfortable with her body and her sexuality and she admitted she got a thrill when she used either to control people around her. Danny, who was still coming to terms with possibly being ace and had all the body issues of a bullied teen, only felt anxious when he tried to flirt. 

He crept through the air towards his mom, pulling strongly on his intangibility and control of his own temperature to make himself completely undetectable. He carefully watched the Bat for any sudden moves. 

“Catwoman-” 

“Don’t you ever get tired?” Selina asked, still playfully swishing her whip across the roof. “You’re so certain you’re right, even after months, even in the face of all evidence. Honestly you’re just like the Fentons. I know you’ve looked into them, think about that the next time you want to have me submit to your battery of tests.” 

Bruce tried to keep his emotions locked down, but Danny could see the micro expression even with the heavy cowl. The small twitch would have been a full flinch in a lesser man. Danny’s scowl deepened as he realized just how similar he was to the Fentons. He just hoped this time wouldn’t end with him strapped to a table. 

“Selina-” 

His voice had softened, but Danny saw his mom move her arm to the side, the signal they had agreed on. He grabbed her, passing his flight and intangibility to her as he allowed his invisibility to roll back enough to reveal his grinning mask. Bruce stiffened, his lips tightening in fury. He reached for some tool from his belt, but Danny wasn’t going to stay around to see what it was. He lifted his mom effortlessly from the roof, and let himself giggle as he rocked his head side to side as his invisibility rolled over him until just his smile was visible, before vanishing completely. 

He flew with his mom in his arms, finding themselves on the other side of Gotham close to Selina’s old penthouse. He set her down and pulled his invisibility back so they both appeared out of thin air. He knew the rictus grin on his mask and the cat’s eyes on his goggles were glowing brightly as his core flared in delight. 

“Amazing job, Chess.” Selina said fondly, pulling him to a hug before she pushed his cowl back so she could kiss his head. Danny held her tightly and let his core purr wildly to show his delight. She pulled back her own cowl, revealing her face and her tight black curls. She looked him over closely to make sure he was uninjured. “Cheshire, you and I are a team made in thief heaven. I look forward to watching your perspective as you went in.”

Danny smiled widely, and pulled his own goggles over his head, and lowered his mask. 

“It was great! I even made that trick shot I was practicing, brought the whole rack down onto his stupid fake vintage cars. Of course if they were real, they would basically shrug it off, but they crumpled! Ruined his whole collection.” 

Danny had started floating as he laughed through his retelling. He transformed with a thought, his ghost form matching his Cheshire costume more and more as the months went by. His tail whipped back and forth through the air as he excitedly paced back and forth above the roof they were on. 

“Danny…” He paused at the solemn tone in his mom’s voice. She had a sad tilt to her eyebrows that he had noticed she had occasionally when she looked at him in his ghost form. 

“Y-yeah?” His voice cracked a little, he was more trepidatious than he wanted to admit. 

“Danny, would you like a grave?” Selina asked. 

He felt like the word thundered through his head, and he found himself landing on the roof next to his mom, his mouth open.

[the-hydroxian-artblog]

I love your animatronic toy OC guys so much, they have so much personality to them and their colours are really good (especially umbra)

Thank you! The funny thing about Umbra's design was that while I was developing it about two years ago and had some colors in mind, I described in text what I already came up with to an image generator for fun (shitty unconvincing old kind, vs now where it looks like shit but in a somewhat more convincing way) and it produced something so silly that I made her design better than what I would've settled with out of spite.

More details of my process and anti-AI ranting below the cut, so the examples given won't show up on search results. Google Images is getting polluted too much with slop to begin with.

Let's begin.

In 2022 I was drafting up Umbra's design with mostly concrete details. At this time image generators were newer and much less convincing, and I was a bit less aware of just how unethical they were, so I fed one a text description of what I had drafted for her design out of curiosity. Something along the lines of, "doll of an anthropomorphic owl librarian in glasses, blazer/suit jacket, skirt, corset, high heels, sitting on a bookshelf" and probably a few more terms. Really specific, lengthy prompt.

I try to be open-minded and give new things a shot, but the results were Not Great. Ideally, I'd want to not share the AI pictures at all on-principle, but I feel like it's useful, transparent, and necessary to show them. Both as a means of not hiding anything, but also just to appreciate where the design is at in spite of it.

Outside of this particular collage of Weird Owls, no other pictures on this blog are AI-generated. AI Image Generation is harmful, and I am against its usage.

But hey, two of the generated pictures look close, right? The top left is the closest, and bottom right is second.

That's because they started out worse, and I had to actually erase chunks of them and have the generator fill in the blanks to get anything remotely close to what I wanted. Misshapen limbs, unrecognizable anatomy, fever-dream clothing details, etc. They didn't even have a corset or proper legs until I slapped the generator in the face enough times to make it produce them. I was just using it to photobash, which was such an annoying process, I just went "this is dumb" and stopped. They're literally posed like that because I kept erasing and regnerating their limbs until they looked vaguely in-character. It literally only looks passable thanks to STRANGLING it with human input.

Before I used the image generator, I already drafted her to be night-themed with yellow eyes and something like purple, dark blue, or sky-blue as her main color; the generator making one owl yellow-eyed and purple was a happy coincidence, and the only thing the generative AI "came up with" that I didn't already have in mind or included in the prompt was the light blue shirt, which I did adapt into her cyan shirt and stockings/socks as well. That was a good call. You get One Point, Mr. AI.

...Which still meant that at its absolute best, it was a largely redundant step in the creative process if its contribution was worse than what a randomized palette generator or character creator could come up with.

That's already putting the ethics of it aside, like carbon emissions, data pollution, using artists' and photographers' work without credit or permission, the incentive to plagiarize, flooding sites like deviantart with slop, Willy Wonka Shit, etc etc etc. When people say "you can use AI as a tool though", this ordeal was enough to convince me that it's more trouble than its worth, even in its most ethical usage. I feel gross for having even tried. I wish I knew what sources went into the creation of those Weird Owls. It'd be better for research if the right people could be credited.

Nothing else on this blog is AI-generated or ever will be. The art below is purely my own (2022 vs a few weeks ago)):

Actually drawing Umbra and solidifying her design was far more rewarding than having an image generator vaguely approximate my own ideas. I wanted her to look really special, so I used a black cape and pants, gold highlights and buttons, and blue undertones to make something more distinct. Also, neck floof. Very important. I wanted the head in particular to look distinct and original, going with bold black streaks to really help her look distinguished.

I also have certain inevitable Hydroisms for Fancy characters like her; most apparent in these designs for Chasey and Kaita from even longer ago, which were more of an influence than anything else. (Old art of mine from like 2021, Kaita ref looks wonky but Chasey still holds up nicely):

Most of Umbra's other design elements were already commonly used with established ocs like Kaita, like her shape language, corset, skirt, heels, etc. It was my previous work with Chasey that inspired the use of gold buttons and highlights.

Umbra is also now a bluer shade of purple partly to distance the current design from that ordeal. All things considered, I'll probably make her more indigo next time. I already wanted her to have a wide color range from the get-go (Featured below is, again, purely my art from 2022:)

I may use a different colored shirt and stockings in the future. I like to think she has many different shirts and clothes based on the different stages of the night sky, from dusk to dawn, and the painting I made in the top right there was an exploration of her range in different lighting.

All in all, it's frustrating. I'm proud of her design, but explaining all of this is annoying, because it's technically all relevant to showing how her colors were picked and how the design was made. I still technically have AI to """Thank""", in the way you thank a bad experience for encouraging you to make things better out of spite.

[slashers-and-rats]

You know those kandi bracelets? Slashers being gifted these bracelets. I saw someone write about this once and it hasn’t left my brain since

rat chat: dude i love those bracelets!! if they didn’t distract me so much i’d wear them more often.

Slashers Receiving Kandi Bracelets from GN!Reader

featured slashers: billy lenz, jason vorhees, micheal myers

Billy Lenz :

i think this would be one of billy’s favourite gifts ever!!

you’d give him something chunky, with blue and green beads and little kitty charms, and maybe some squishy rubber bobbles thrown on too. for awhile, he’d just roll it around in his palms and not even wear it. he’d just feel up the textures and listen to the way it jingled in his hands. it’s really a stim thing for him, i think he’d really enjoy using it to fidget with.

he’s feral, he’d chew on it too. you’d catch him wearing the bracelet, gnawing on it without even thinking about it. whenever he’s focused on something, or you aren’t in the mood to be his chew toy, he’d use the bracelet instead.

he’d never take it off. it’s his now, why would he? plus YOU gave it to him. that makes it even more special. no, he’d always wear it, and when he doesn’t have it on, it would be tucked away into a pocket. he keeps it as close to him as possible.

billy would wanna make new ones too. it would become a little activity for you both to bond over. you’d buy cool beads and pieces, and bring them home, and watch him sort through them all and find the stuff he likes. and then you would make a bracelet for him, and he’d make a matching one for you.

he’d want you two to match. you’d have the same bracelet except in your favourite colours, or maybe with your initials on them. if you managed to get him out of the house, he’d make you wear it, so people knew you were all his.

Jason Vorhees :

jason would definitely see it as a craft for you two to do together. you’d bring up one day that you missed making friendship bracelets at summer camp, and that you’d bought all the stuff to make some. you two would sit for a bit, and once you’ve finished the one you made for him, he’d wear it everywhere.

jason loves seeing you happy he’s wearing it. that’s his favourite part. whenever he’s outside, cutting wood for your fire pit, and you see the big shiny beading sparkling in the sun, you get so excited. and he sees it. he’ll be watching from the corner of his eye, smiling underneath his mask, all proud that he’s making you so smily.

jason would tie it to his belt loop if he couldn’t wear it. maybe he’s working with power tools or the like, and can’t have loose things hanging off of his arms, so he’d connect it to his pants. he wants to keep it on him, since it’s a nice little reminder of you.

you catch him playing with it a lot. his bracelet has red and black beads, and charms that look like little hearts. you’d have put his initials on it too, and it took you awhile to make it fit his thick wrist right. you’d only make him one or two, since bracelets weren’t really his thing, but he’d appreciate them nevertheless.

he has more fun making them for you, actually. you’d have dozens from him. while you were out doing errands or work, he’d be at home making you little bracelets in his free time. you’d come home and they’d be lined up, all decorated in your favourite colours and charms. he just likes making you things, i think.

Micheal Myers :

very confused by the concept at first. micheal isn’t the biggest on jewellery, obviously, and tends to keep pretty plain in what he wears. when you suddenly give him something so chunky and bright, he’s a little off put.

at first, he doesn’t wear it. he’s not trying to insult you at all. you can see it in the breast pocket of his jumpsuit, and he always makes sure to take it out and put it on the nightstand beside the bed before he takes his things off for the night. he cherishes it, since it’s from you, but it’s harder for him to get used to.

once you make a matching bracelet, and start wearing it around so that he notices, he starts wearing it much more often. he never mentions it either. you just see him one day wearing it with you, and when you try to say something, he just covers your mouth and continues whatever he’s doing. he gets flustered when he’s called out on his sweeter actions.

the one you make for you both is navy blue and white, and has little skulls and knives hanging off of it. the beads spell out “y/n + micheal” in sparkly bubble letters. that’s his favourite part. he never really got that sweet teenage romance phase, so getting to do silly little things like this make his heart flutter.

i think he’d also use it as a fidget thing. i think when he’s anxious, maybe out running errands without his mask, he’d be rubbing at the charms in his pocket to keep himself calm. he’d like having a little reminder of you close to him, since you make him feel safe.

[shrimpmandan]

The current state of AI discourse is baffling to me because I swear to god some people are just developing collective amnesia and dismissing AI art as "not actually being that bad" when the problems with it are significantly deeper than whether or not it's "real art". It being "real art" is irrelevant to it causing tangible harm. Like yeah I don't think someone AI generating an image to use as a reference is some massive evil, but in the greater scheme of things:

AI art is being used to spread actual real-world misinformation. Propaganda.

Ai art is being used to spread CSEM and other forms of revenge porn. It is also threatening the livelihoods of sex workers to some degree.

People are putting their favorite artists' works through a blender, without their consent, instead of paying them, because image generation is instant dopamine.

Big corps are trying to use AI instead of paying artists/writers because they're greedy fucks.

Most AI programs (with few exceptions) are scraping from existing works without the consent of the original artists.

AI voices are doing the same.

A common argument I've seen is comparing these things to like... digital art, photo editing*, voice splicing. You have to understand that the merit of these things isn't that "they take more time/effort". Effort is not an inherent facet of art. Plenty of tools exist to make art easier that we take for granted now-- many forget the discourse that kicked up when digital art was first gaining popularity. The issue is and always will be consent. Most artists do not want their works or voices to be put into AI databanks. The fact that most AI programs do not care for this, and that a lot of companies are trying to swindle their way into getting artist consent under the pretense of "well they didn't say no", is the main issue. We completely lost the plot when we started focusing more on "is AI art real art?" and "is it bad to use AI for any purpose?", because those are both irrelevant to the question of "is AI harmful?", wherein the answer is yes. This is also failing to consider that "real art" can also cause harm for similar reasons: sexual harassment/revenge porn, defamation, propaganda, etc.

*As a note, this is also ignoring the fact that a lot of people DON'T want their art to be edited or even heavily referenced. It's been commonplace in art usage terms for ages now. This is important to note in the context of AI discourse and copyright law. I also believe there is a difference between voice splicing and AI voices since splicing is more limited and way less likely to get someone actually defamed or 'replaced' as a voice actor, and is just a manipulation of existing voice clips mostly for silly shitposts.

AI CAN be helpful. AI can be used to create references, or make smoother rendering, or even just for fun. A lot of people used AI programs in their baby stages without thinking about how the images were generated or the actual consent of the artists involved, because it was a fun shiny new toy. I also like to think most people who have the means to pay an artist ultimately would. But the issue is not and never has been AI making art easier, or people using it for silly shit, or even people using it for serious art refs. The issue is AI mass-scraping existing artwork, being used to facilitate misinformation, and screwing artists out of jobs. Don't even get me started on AI fucking generating CSEM, or revenge porn, and additionally how it impacts the careers of sex workers.

AI is an issue in its current state. Yes, the panic about it taking over art as a whole was overblown, even if the fears were valid. The capacities of AI art is almost always slightly below the capacities of human-made art, and it's something that will quickly fall in popularity once it stops being the shiny new thing. People using AI to make art easier aren't the enemy either, especially since this can be beneficial for people who do it as a job-- shortening the labor time and all. That doesn't mean AI isn't an issue and that everyone critiquing it is actually just an elitist ableist cuck or whatever. None of this really would've been a problem if not for the mass scraping, resulting in both violations of artist consent, and also it picking up genuinely illegal/nasty content. That's what we should be focusing on. None of this "real art" bullshit.

All that said: I personally would say that using most AI programs-- no matter the purpose-- is unethical because of how most of them function. The only exceptions would be for programs that specifically use consensually obtained data. On this front, I would highly recommend keeping tabs on Adobe Firefly, since it's one of the very very few models out there that has stated a clear commitment to not violating the copyright and consent of artists or persons (it operates off of stock footage and public domain).

[antiquatedplumbobs]

Christmas 1911

The holiday season at Sable Dairy was always a jolly, convivial time, with plenty of good food and fun to be had. Freddy's return from Britechester brought with it an increased energy and desire to make the most of the holiday.

The boys were tasked with finding and securing the perfect Christmas tree; selecting a fine fir from the small copse behind the farm. The assistance of a sledge was needed to drag it home, but once inside and garnished with a festive popcorn and cranberry garland it took up a dazzling countenance tucked up against the stair. The card table that usually sat there banished to the attic for the time being.

It would be a lie to say that none of the Sewells had a sweet tooth, and so a flurry of holiday baking was accomplished by both Violet and Elsie. Elsie, having recently discovered both a passion and talent for baking, had been allowed to build the annual gingerbread house unsupervised (with some assistance from Charlie). To Violet's delight, none of the pieces were broken, and only one had some small tooth marks that she was studiously ignoring.

A fine meal of roast ham, potatoes, vegetables, mince pies, and Christmas puddings was made by Violet. The family exclaimed that it was the best they had eaten yet; leftovers were scarce, despite the magnitude of the meal.

Under the tree, the collection of presents the family had gotten for one another was wrapped gaily in bright papers and festooned with ribbons. Will's present to Elsie was front and center; a wrapping job foregone due to the awkward shape and size. The small pram he had built, but the little mohair bear, the latest fad toy for young children, he had ordered himself from the Sims Roebuck Catalog, paying the fees with the money he had begun saving from the farm work and odd jobs he did. He had been right; the smile on her face had been completely worth it.

Violet received a teapot in a stylish new pattern. Charlie was gifted a wooden train set, each car hand carved by Will and the functional track built by Hamish. The bright paint job, with wheels that resembled the peppermint sweets Nathanial gave each of his grandchildren, was all by Violet's precise hand. Elsie received a new dress from her mother and father, with bright red embroidery and a snowy white collar; she donned it immediately. Hamish found a box of cigars under the tree with his name on them, but with a strict reminder from Violet not to smoke in the house. For Will, Hamish had purchased a sturdy and expansive tool kit, and for Freddy, a fine leather attaché to hold his school papers and a beautifully crafted fountain pen.

The day was long and filled with excitement and good times. The family perhaps stayed up later than they should, all except one that is. His father, once realizing his torpor, carried Charlie to his bed, where his dreams were full of trains made of gingerbread and passengers that bore striking resemblances to Christmas puddings.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

next / previous / first

[writingwhimsey]

Married to The Enemy- Shingen Ch. 11

Chapter 11

Shingen and I soon arrived at the festival. Lanterns were strung up. Lively music from liver performers filled the air. Scents, warm, sweet, and savory filled the air from the various food vendors and tea houses. Children ran through the streets playing with sparklers and toys they had picked up from the various merchants.

I smiled as I took it all in. “It’s quite lively here. I love it.” I said, continuing to look around and take in the sights.

“Echigo is very lively.” Shingen agreed, smiling fondly. “I hope to someday show you the liely people of Kai as well.”

I smiled up at Shingen. “I would like that.”

“Where would you like to go first, Ava?” Shingen asked.

“I don’t really know…it all looks so wonderful and fun. I don’t think we could go wrong with any of the choices.” I answered.

Shingen smiled. “Most likely not.” He agreed. 

“How about you show me some of your favorites?” I suggested.

“Alright.” Shingen agreed. “In that case, we can start over here.”

Shingen led me to a booth selling a rather delicious looking mochi and other sweets. After ordering a few treats here, we stopped by several other booths, picking up more sweets before finding a bench to sit down on together and enjoy the treats. 

I couldn’t help but to giggle as I looked at all of the sweets. “I should have known that stopping by your favorites meant all the sweets.”

Shingles gave me a warm smile. “Well, I would have my other sweet treat, but I have a feeling you might light up the entire festival if I did that.”

I felt my cheeks flush as I remembered Shingen saying that I would be his new sweet and he would kiss my hand every time he wanted something sweet. “Probably.” I admitted, reaching for one of the treats to take a bite, trying to hide my blush. 

Shingen chuckled, but continued to eat.

“You know…I do think it’s great how you openly enjoy the things you do.” I said after a moment.

Shingen gave me a curious look. “How so?” He asked.

“Life is fleeting and…there’s so much pain and suffering in the world, but there’s also so much joy and kindness that can be found in the littlest of things.” I said. “And when you find those little things that make you happy, you should enjoy them from the bottom of your heart.”

Shingen blinked a couple of times as he gazed at me. Then a smile spread across his face. “My goddess is not only beautiful, but wise as well.”

I felt myself flushing pleasantly under his praise. “I don’t know about that.” I replied, feeling bashful. “Or maybe you’re just saying that because I gave you the perfect excuse to indulge your sweet tooth.”

Shingen chuckled warmly, his laughter washing over me like warm chocolate. “It can be both.” He replied.

I couldn’t help but to laugh and shake my head. We finished up our sweets and then began walking around the festival again…hand in hand. We stopped at several craft vendors, looking over their wares. So many talented artisans had brought so much to sell. 

“Ah, it is good to see you as always, Lord Shingen.” One of the vendors of a woodworking booth greeted us. 

Shingen smiled at the vendor. “And as always it is good to see you and the work you create.” He replied. “Those tools I gave you, still working out?”

“Splendidly.” The man answered. He was then looking at me. “Oh? I should have known you’d have the most beautiful woman at the festival on your arm. Who is this?”

“My lovely wife, Ava.” Shingen answered. Even though we had been married for a bit of time now, it still made my heart race whenever he introduced me to someone as his wife. “Ava, this is a former vassal of mine, Hiroto.”

“Oh, I had heard a rumor that you’d gotten married. Never thought I’d see the day.” He said grinning. He then looked at me, smiling kindly. “I am happy to meet the woman who could finally make Lord Shingen settle down. It’s very nice to meet you, Lady Ava.”

“Nice to meet you, too, Hiroto.” I replied, my cheeks still feeling quite red.

Hiroto then turned back to Shingen. “It’s too bad my father isn’t here to see this. He’d be pleased to see you finally married off…and probably asking when we can expect a new Takeda baby to be born.” 

Shingen chuckled. “He was always concerned about us both settling down.” He said. “Speaking of, how are your wife and little one doing?”

Hiroto smiled. “Very well. And it’s little ones. My wife just had our second child three months ago. A girl.”

“Congratulations then. You are a lucky man indeed.” Shingen told him.

The pair chatted a while longer before Shingen was purchasing a wooden carving from Hiroto and then we were walking off. “Sorry for talking with Hiroto for so long.” Shingen told me.

I shook my head and smiled. “Nothing to apologize for.” I replied. “I actually enjoyed listening to you two.”

“Oh?” Shingen asked.

I nodded. “Yes, clearly he was someone who knew you quite well…and well you said he was a former vassal so it was interesting to see how you two interacted…and to learn about another side of you.”

“You never cease to amaze me, Ava.” Shingen told me, his gray eyes warm.

“So…if you don’t mind my asking, what’s the story…with you and Hiroto?” I asked, feeling curious. 

“I don’t mind.” Shingen replied. “His family was one of the longest serving clans of the Takeda. Hiroto was the youngest son of his father. He had no interest in being a warrior, but that was all his family had known, even if he wouldn’t inherit a title, he had still been trained. Eventually he found me working on my carpentry one day and showed an interest…and I released him from my service and he moved on to work on creating things.”

I smiled. “I think it’s wonderful that you did that for him.”

“Serving someone should be a choice.” Shingen said. “Everyone should be able to have that freedom.”

“I have to agree.” I replied. It seemed Shingen respected people’s choices and did what he could to help them in their life. Even with me, he respected my choices. Every new thing I found out about him…it had me falling a little more for him.

Meanwhile…

“He is loading up on nothing but sweets. This is ridiculous. I have to go and stop him.” Yukimura declared as he watched Shingen and Ava from a distance.

“Oh no you don’t.” Saki declared, grabbing onto his arm with both of hers. “You leave them alone.”

“Saki is right.” Sasuke said, pushing up his glasses. “Besides it is a special occasion.”

Yukimura looked at his friend and then at Saki, a frown appearing on his face. “I don’t care if it is a special occasion…”

“Listen here, Yukimura, you go over there and bother them and I will kick your ass.” Saki told him, sternly. “Besides we are at a festival. Pretty sure Lord Shingen gave you the night off, It’s time to cut loose and have some fun. Just like your lord and my lady are doing.”

“Once again, Saki is right.” Sasuke said. “Besides I’m pretty sure I saw a booth over there with some dango you like.”

Yukimura sighed. “Alright, alright.” He relented. “Just someone has to look out for his health you know.”

“That’s what he’s got Ava for. Or did you forget his plan for cutting back on sweets?” Saki teased.

“Ugh, I wish I could forget.” Yukimura sighed. “You can let go of me, now, by the way.”

“Can I trust you?” Saki asked, giving him a stern look.

Yukimura sighed. “Yes, I promise to leave them alone. Geesh, you’re just as much of a wild boar woman as your lady.”

Saki glared at Yukimura and reached up to pinch his cheek…hard. “And you’re a huge dumbass. Ugh.” She was then marching off ahead of him and Sasuke.

“You really don’t know how to talk to women.” Sasuke said as he came up to pat Yukimura on the shoulder.

“What? She is just as bad as Ava…maybe even worse.”

Sasuke sighed and shook his head. “At least we will be bachelors together.” He murmured.

“What?”

“Nothing. Let’s just catch up with Saki.”

The two friends caught up with Saki. The three of them began to explore the festival together. They were standing at a booth, looking over some of the crafts when a familiar voice called out. “Sasuke!”

Sasuke jumped up just in time to avoid Kenshin’s blade. “Lord Kenshin, what are you doing? We are at a festival.”

“Just because we are at a festival does not mean you get to relax. This is the perfect time  for a surprise attack.” Kenshin answered, lifting his blade again. “I have to make sure your skills do not dull just because we have made a peace treaty with the Oda.”

Sasuke sighed. “It appears, it is time for me to kervanish.” He said before throwing a small smoke bomb at Kenshin’s feet before dropping some ground spikes and making a hasty escape.

“Sasuke you get back here!” Kenshin declared, leaping over the ground spikes and running through the streets.

The townspeople who had been gathered in the area let out a gasp and then started to clap as if they were watching a stage play. Saki shook her head and laughed. 

“We should probably pick these up before somebody steps on them.” Yukimura said, looking at Saki.

She nodded. “Yeah, probably.” She was then pulling out a small pouch Ava had made for her long ago. “We can put them in this.”

“Good thinking.” Yukimura agreed.

Once they had collected the ground spikes, the pair were returning to the festival. Yukimura stopped by a lot of food booths, loading up on all kinds of festival food. Saki couldn’t help but to giggle as she watched Yukimura stuff his face.

“What?” Yukimura asked around a mouth full of food.

“You’re seriously lecturing Lord Shingen about HIS eating when YOU eat like that?” She teased.

“What? At least it’s not all sweets…and didn’t you and Sasuke say it is a special occasion?” Yukimura replied.

Saki grinned as she poked Yukimura’s stuffed cheeks. “I guess it is.”

“Hey, don’t poke so hard.” Yukimura replied, reaching up to poke Saki’s cheek right back.

She glared at him and then poked him hard in the ribs. “You be easy on a lady, you dummy.”

“I don’t see a lady. Just you.” Yukimura quipped.

Saki glared at him. “Well, I don’t see a warrior, just a big dumb idiot.” 

“You know…I take it back. You’re worse than Ava.” Yukimura told her.

Saki rolled her eyes. “Ugh, you REALLY need to learn some tact.” She said, shoving him on the shoulder. “Can’t believe you are Lord Shingen’s vassal.”

“What? Because I don’t spout cheesy pickup lines every five seconds when I’m within a meter of a woman with a pulse?”

Saki just shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Ugh, you’re so annoying.” She muttered before grabbing Yukimura by the sleeve. “Come on, we’ve got plenty more to see.” She said, determined to keep Yukimura from interrupting Shingen and Ava.

taglist:

@limonzu @zulablaise @oda-princess @tele86 @kisara-16

adding fellow Shingen lover @selenacosmic

[applejuicefruit]

Can you write a dusan oneshot where the reader and him have young kids ( maybe twins) and just dusan taking care of them and stuff?

dusan vlahovic x reader

Daddy care

You and Dusan had the perfect life. He was a famous football player, you were working for your dream company, you had a nice house and amazing friends, all you missed was a family of your own.

That quickly changed when you found out that you were pregnant, with twins! You were both scared, due to the fact that you were both very young and had a busy life but still you couldn’t wait to meet your babies and start a new family.

You found out that you were expecting a baby girl and a boy and Dusan was probably more thrilled than you.

Now, one year after the twins birth you felt like your body and mind were going to explode. It was hard taking care of a baby, imagine taking care of two? Three with Dusan? He helped you as much as he could but after he signed with Juventus his schedule became busier than you had imagined, leaving you alone all the time with the kids. Dusan was the best father ever, everytime he had a day off he would spend it with you and the kids, making sure you were always feeling okay and protected. He loved having two mini you running around the house but due to the fact that he was always training and having matches that left you alone with the kids all days and he kinda felt guilty because he knew how much you missed your work and your free time.

After the twins were born you decided to pause your career for a bit, probably waiting for the kids to be a little bit older but now you saw ho tiring it was, they took out all of your energy and you honestly didn’t believe you would be back at work anytime soon.

It was currently night time, around nine thirty and Dusan was late because he had to stay a little longer practicing for the weekend’s match, a very important one.

But you were completely exhausted. The kids were still playing, it didn’t matter what you tried to do to get them sleeping, they were full of energy while you were on the verge of a mental breakdown, completely tired and out of energy. You thought about all the things you still needed to do, you had to clean up once they had fallen asleep, you had to do the laundry because you couldn’t do it in the afternoon, you had to take a shower and all you wanted to do was to sleep.

You were so lost in your thoughts that you didn’t even hear Dusan coming back home.

The twins trying to reach up for him, barely walking and still crawling on the floor.

“Hi princess!” he said picking up his baby girl and hold her in his arms, while he did the same with your baby boy.

“Did you have fun today?” he said holding them in his arms while he sat next to you on the couch.

His heart broke a little when he saw how tired you were. He knew giving up your career for the kids took a big tool on you and he was glad you did it also because he could continue his football career but he had no idea of exhausted you were.

“Hey babe…are you okay?” he asked you softly while the kids got back on the floor to play with their toys.

“What? Oh yes I’m fine…” you yawned.

“You look exhausted babe” he said leaving a soft peck on your lips.

“Because I am…” you sarcastically replied but he took it to seriously because his look became hard.

“Why don’t you take a shower and sleep a bit?” he asked you with a soft smile.

“I wish I could…but I still have to put the kids to bed, clean up, do the laundry and probably do other million things I forgot about…” you joked even if you weren’t laughing.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll do anything I have to do but please baby, you deserve at least thirty minutes of relax without the kids…I’ll do anything I have to do around the house okay?” he asked cupping your face with his hands.

“Okay…” you were completely at loss of words so you simply agreed with him.

You left the room going to the bathroom and taking a some clean clothes to wear. You spent probably twenty minutes under the hot steamy shower and you felt your muscles relax a bit more. You then did your skin care routine and shaved, you fixed your hair and apply your energy oil on it. You felt like a new person and it only took you twenty minutes!

In the meantime Dusan tried to get the kids to sleep but they were too active to be tired so he did the only thing he could think of ; playing football with them, in hoping they would get tired.

So when you came back to the living room you saw Dusan crawling on the floor and passing the ball with the kids who kept laughing.

“C’mon princess you can score!” he said passing the ball to your daughter and cheering when she put the ball, of course with her hands, on the couch.

“Yes you did it!” he cheered picking her up and kissing her all over her face “we have a new champion here!” he joked and you couldn’t help but laugh.

“You too big boy!” he said picking him up too “you scored an amazing hat-trick before! You will be a football player like your dad uh?” he teased him.

“Or maybe he would love to be a doctor, or a lawyer” you joked and Dusan made a disappointed face.

“You sound like my mother!” he joked and you bursted out laughing.

“Technically, I am a mother” you reminded him and he laughed.

“Yes you are, and the best one…right babies?” he asked and they laughed.

You picked your daughter from his arms and hold her in yours.

“I think it’s time to go to bed uh?” Dusan asked when he saw her yawning “why don’t you go to bed so I can put them to sleep?” he asked you.

“Are you sure?” Dusan never put them to bed, not because he didn’t want to but it was your favorite thing to do once the babies were born so he always let you do that but tonight you were so tired you couldn’t even think straight.

“Yes baby, go to bed…” he kissed your forehead and then picked his baby girl up again.

You nodded and went straight to bed, trying to find the strength to not fall asleep.

“Okay babies, it’s time for you to sleep…” he said putting them down in their own cribs. You heard him speaking to the twins because you always left the door open, in case anything happened so you could hear them through the night.

“I love you very much you know that?” he asked them even if he knew they couldn’t answer him back “you’re very lucky to have y/n as your mom, she’s a super mom and she loves you very very much but please, don’t make her so tired, can you that for dad?” he asked again but stopped talking when he saw them both fast asleep.

“Sweet dreams” he whispered while leaving the room.

He had a smile on his face, probably the effect of putting the kids to bed.

You were almost fast asleep when you heard him coming to bed.

You wanted to tell him how great he had been with the kids but you couldn’t find the strength to do it so you simply smiled at him.

“Goodnight my love” he kissed your forehead and held you closer to his body, his hand gently stroking your hair, helping you falling asleep faster.

He was thinking of how lucky he was to have someone like you in his life.

[blorbologist]

In a modern world what type of engineering do you think Percy would specialize in?

Hi anon!

This is a complicated question that, personally, varies from fic to fic based on what you want to emphasize from Percy’s canon portrayal and what you don’t mind leaving behind (in the name of realism/drama/fluff/etc.).

I’ve broken this down into parts because this is gonna get long, I have thought over this for a few days so bear with me!

First of all, I’m gonna open with the disclaimer that Percy in the Campaign (and Tal’Dorei Reborn too) is… insanely accomplished. He’s a D&D character, so he’s allowed to be. For the sake of giving us a concrete list to work with, here are some of the canon engineering-ish things he’s accomplished):

Inventor of firearms (thus has good knowledge of metallurgy, chemistry and both fine detail work and larger scale forging. Can work with hot metal and explosive materials.). Also makes his own shot.

Bad News (singled out because it has a scope, thus lenses, so he can work glass too, or at least know what he needs to commission it. Though his failure to repair his own glasses suggests the latter lmao.)

Trick arrows for Vex (similar skillsets to the above, except the grappling and tangling arrows have a little more chaos to their construction.)

Diplomacy (it needs to be charged with lightning attacks, however he at least has a primitive understanding of circuitry to get it to conduct that. Originally supposed to have a galvanized battery, but they ended up using a behir lightning gland - so can incorporate biology too. Also counts as a prosthetic in the show’s canon.)

Various other explosives (again derived from the gun skillset.)

Death from Above’s modifications (has a good understanding of comfort - he’d need to know a little wood- or leatherworking for the stocks and grips of his guns too.)

The Umbrasyl trap (large-scale simple mechanisms.)

Vax’s raven skull broach (can adapt his skillset to aesthetic work. Bird skills are very fragile and thin, so difficult to replicate. Has some skills applicable to jewelry making.)

Victor’s prosthetic hand (... *a whole ass prosthetic*)

The Heart of Whitestone (clocktower with complex mechanism, so: horology, lots of gears and such. Implies some architectural skills.)

Whitestone’s streetlamps (powered by the acid pit beneath Whitestone, so pretty much a primitive battery of sorts. Some civil engineering.)

Plans for a warm steam/water heating system to keep Whitestone’s streets clear of snow (again with civil engineering, as well as steam and piping.)

Toy guns for his children (presumably pop or potato guns.)

Sketchbook (I list this here because he clearly has a good eye for proportions and aesthetics, and can depict what he sees and/or imagines with accuracy.)

*Doty 2.0 (I only include him at the end because it’s unclear how much Percy helped with the construct-aspects, vs the gun-arm this Doty has and general help. I doubt it’d be a specialization, but he’d at least have a vague idea of how it works.)

That’s a lot of skills for one person to have, and gives us many avenues to work with! 

I personally change from AU to AU, depending on a number of factors:

Do I prioritize keeping violent invention consistent for Percy, or moreso the impact his legacy has on the world/guilt? 

Is manual tinkering his job or his hobby? 

In a similar vein: is he well-off enough to tinker for fun, or is he in poverty or otherwise disconnected from his family’s wealth and thus needs to pay the bills?

Do I want vengeance/Orthax involved as his muse? If so, how big a role? 

With that in mind, here are my main heavy hitters:

I’m very fond of Percy being involved with computer science and/or software/hardware engineering, because there isn’t really much he can do with weaponry that would revolutionize the world these days*. However, machine learning and such have been tools of great harm the last few decades. Manual tinkering can be left to a hobby, while Orthax and Ripley are somehow involved in him being behind some programming that the police or military organizations can abuse to fill him with Guilt. This is what I go with in Cat’s Cradle: Percy is responsible for a key innovation in facial recognition tech, named 0RTH-X or something, in his fervent desire to identify his family’s killers. And he could develop this completely independently even living off ramen and eggs!

Likewise, robotics is another interesting and topical field - namely drones and police robots. I don’t think he would be too involved in the circuitry of these (it’d be a great way for him to meet Tary, though), but their construction and/or weaponry could be Percy’s creation. The vengeance as a muse angle is a touch more iffy here, but you could pull it off. It’s a lot more hands-on than the above, which is great for tinkering, though his impact on the field is less likely to be as massive as a too-effective bit of programming. There’s also flexibility - he could do this on payroll, or be a random robotics nerd… with the caveat that he’d need significant personal resources, most likely. Put him in a FIRST Robotics competition or on BattleBots lmao.

However, if the obvious boom boom is important, and you want him to revolutionize weaponry… nuclear engineering is right there. By necessity this Percy would need to be heavily involved in the government of whatever nation you set him in, which might remove some of the autonomy behind his decisions and alleviate him of some responsibility. You can also very easily turn it to him trying to make up for his legacy with some nuclear power. It’s difficult to tie this one to his vengeance, unless Percy goes more ‘fuck the whole world and let it burn, and the Briarwoods too’. (Maybe have him be working on nuclear fusion, which we’re just cracking now? Very topical.)

If you want to stick close to canon, firearms engineer is an option! However, it personally stretches belief for me that he'd revolutionize guns in the modern era when... jazzhands at Everything. It's also harder to tie into vengeance, because why make his own fancy gun when he can buy one reasonably easily (in the USA, where I usually see modern AUs set - less so, say, where I am in Canada lmao). But! You could definitely take that angle and just have him produce a new sort of gun. The caveat is that the consequences for this invention getting out are uh... a very sensitive and topical subject with a lot more emotional baggage for a lot of your (again, USA-centric) readers. So for all those reasons this one is not one I favor.

You could lean more into the chemistry/metallurgy angle with a materials engineer Percy. Have him develop a new alloy that has broad applications that ends up finding military/firearm use too. Or some new explosive substance! Boom boom! This could combine the physical tinkering angle along with just how massively revolutionary his canon invention is, and you don’t need to do much research (just bullshit a fancy new metal that does X Y Z lmao). However, this is another that would require a sizeable source of funding for Percy to make this, and with little direct application to fucking up the Briarwoods, and is more chemistry-heavy than many other types of engineering. (Perhaps less so if it's just an explosive material he can make in a garage lab, however the chances of him blowing up his workshop and needing to pay fines/repair it would still exert a decent financial burden.)

Going from the micro to the macro, a civil engineer could work well given his post-canon going-ons. Architect or otherwise, it’s a very… rich-nerd job, and would feed into his posh image, and also have good potential for consequences should he design something that falls to fire/some natural disaster and kills people. There’s absolutely no tie-in to Orthax and creating something for vengeance here, though - which, if you want a Percy who didn’t invent something knowing it’d kill people so long as it killed the Briarwoods too, is great! It’s far less hands-on, though, and likely less into gadgetry than we’re used to - and instead leaning into his artistic side with drawings and schematics, as well as his understanding of physics.

I can tentatively suggest optomechanical engineering, because Bad News does use scope lenses, and he’s confident enough in glassmaking to try to fix his own glasses. However, he also completely fails at this in canon, and could have commissioned those lenses easily enough (vs needing to custom build much of his guns and such himself). So this is moreso if you have an AU where you want Percy involved with lasers, telescopes or photography. (I’m fond of Percy retiring from using guns to instead ‘shoot’ with a camera, for what it’s worth.)

Of course, these are just broad fields of engineering catered to Percy and his skillset: not every Percy needs to be an engineer. Clockmaking, coding and tinkering for fun don’t require a formal education. He can crack it as a mechanic or a gun buff too - you can tie his need to create and tweak and work with his hands (or, alternatively, to get vengeance with a tool of his making) any number of ways. 

I personally have a few limits: I can’t see Percy being a biochemist/bioengineer/etc. (too messy), or anything too theoretical where he doesn’t get to feel directly involved in creation. I also think he’d grumble and huff about making anything out of plastic, but that’s just my take because I think it’s funny that he has Opinions about the materials he uses.

Hope this was of some use anon (and others, I spent a few hours on this so I hope other people enjoy it too kgtrnktnr). Shoutout to @essayofthoughts for helping me with the list of creations and what they imply about his skillset <33

(Not quite relevant, but most modern AU Percys would 100% have a 3D printer and absolutely adore the things. He’d have so much fun, just imagine. But a Percy who works with metal might grumble and huff about working with plastic instead, a la Chetney.)

[lydiahosek]

An Ounce of Prevention

[My story for this year's @inklings-challenge! Thank you for a third great year!]

“What are these made of?” Pendula handles one of my mangled Keds with fascination.

“Uh…canvas. It’s a type of cloth.” I have no idea what their frame of reference might be for anything from our world, what Dylan may or may not have already told them. “And the soles are rubber…I think.”

“How do these last you any more than a day?”

"Well...the terrain's not as rough."

I hear a thump and then Picea squeaking in surprise. I turn and see the toddler staring at one of Dylan’s shoes, the red bulbs in its sole blinking. Dylan laughs. He picks the other one up and taps it against the floor for her to see. She is dazzled by the light show.

Dylan has always been an imaginative kid. An overturned watering can becomes a supervillain helmet. Elaborate dramas are concocted not just for his action figures but for his toy trucks, his silverware, his socks. His room is practically papered with his drawings of heroes, monsters, adventures. So when he told me that he had found another world in the back of the laundry room and invited me to see, I don’t think I could be blamed for agreeing to a visit without packing a change of clothes.

I should count my blessings. After all, how many children would keep this all to themselves, or among their friends, rather than bring Mom in and risk her spoiling the fun? This is hard to do, though, with my feet still stinging from the teeth of fifty or so things with too many legs to be fish and too good at swimming to be lizards. I had barely registered the marbled sky suddenly above us and the water suddenly up to our ankles before a crowd of them was barreling down on us from every direction. Swallowing a scream, I scooped up Dylan and made a break for the nearest structure. Pendula saw us coming, let us in, and introduced herself to me. I learned that Dylan met her and her granddaughter the last time he was here, but the hungry little creatures outside are new.

As I took in the space into which we’d been welcomed, I was reminded of an old picture book I used to have, The Elves and the Shoemaker – though in this case our host is both. The spacious room is lined with shelves of materials and tools and jars of who-knew-what, with a long table in the center piled with foot-shaped objects at different stages of creation. Pendula herself looks like she was once tall but now walks stooped. Her skin hangs in folds around her face but her complexion is rosy and elastic. Her movements are quick and sharp, as when she caught a small wooden bowl when Picea first bounded into the room and knocked it off a table. Her voice is raspy but not weak, as when she asked Dylan to take the little girl to the other side of the room (as close to a division between the living area and working area as there is) so she could focus on bandaging my feet.

Now she brings me a roll of something thick and shiny, gold with streaks of red like veins. She begins to unroll it and wrap it around my calf. “This is a strong hide coated in worpwax,” she says. “It will be pliable again once heated, so I’ll have you and your boy fitted and shod before nightfall.”

“Oh…well, thank you, but, um…” I have no idea what this material is worth or how much Pendula might charge under normal circumstances for whatever she has in mind to make for us. Even if I did, I am certain she doesn’t take American Express.

Apparently the guilt of those unaccustomed to unconditional hospitality is multi-universal, because she understands and shakes her head at my concern. “This is overdue. I meant to at least take Dylan’s measurements last time, but he left so suddenly. Granted, it was still the dry season then, but nobody should be out in this country unprotected.”

“Dry season?”

“Yes. For about a month the waters draw back to only the deepest parts of the valley, but you can count on them – and their inhabitants” (she very lightly taps my foot) “– nearly up to the door the rest of the year.”

I’d noticed outside that the door, the whole house, was about a foot off of the ground on a stone foundation. I’d noticed once we were inside the effort it took her to close the door, how heavy it was, how very, very little space there was for anything to get through once it was closed. I glance out the window and see other houses not far away. A breeze has picked up and miniature waves lap against their sides.

Again, Pendula seems to know what I’m thinking (perhaps telepathy is another feature common to this world, or maybe I’m just more obvious than I thought) and laughs. “Just a matter of preference. I could move up to the hills and have my house near blown down by the winds. Or I could move beyond the mountains and stuff it with featherweed to keep out the poison arrow flies. Or...”

I sigh. To think Dylan just stumbled into this place one day. What if it hadn’t happened to have been during the dry season? What other seasons await…here or back home, for that matter? Just this morning Alec and I were discussing whether we should let him take his bike to the library by himself. That should seem like nothing compared to this, but somehow now I'm only more uneasy at the thought.

Pendula holds the hide against my feet and legs at various angles and marks it with a tiny blade. “My Parsonsy, she was the same. She would have stayed in this house barefoot all her life. But if she doesn’t leave, she doesn’t sell her candles.” She nods her head backwards. I look and see another window, in which sits a pale pink candle, carved with an intricate design and embedded with colored stones. “She doesn’t learn to make honey bread from the market stand next to hers.” The corners of her mouth turn up nearly to her eyes. “She doesn’t meet an honest, loving ironcaster and bring me back a Picea.”

We both turn to the children. Dylan’s shoes are now on his hands and he crawls on the floor, growling. Picea alternately runs to and away from him, giggling.

“Who knows? Maybe someday she’ll go to visit him.” She smiles, then stands up and takes the hide to the table and picks up a large curved knife. “Wherever she goes, though, one thing is sure: she will have proper shoes.”

I keep watching my son. He’s always been an imaginative kid, and the more reality he is forced to face the more I worry. Now he has two whole worlds of it to deal with.

He did tell me about this one, though. He knows enough to know not to deal with it alone. And when the day comes that he’ll have to…well, before it comes I’ll have to make (keep making?) him some proper shoes, too.

[theresattrpgforthat]

Hi! Sorry if someone's already asked something similar, but I'd love some recommendations for space fantasy games!

THEME: Space Fantasy

Hello friend! You're the first request for this but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't already cultivating this very list!

Solar Blades & Cosmic Spells, by Diogo Nogueria.

The universe is in collapse, as planets and systems struggle for freedom under the rule of sinister despots. Against the malevolent sorcery of the Overlords stand the few remaining bearers of the legendary Solar Blades.

What will you do when the forces of the Void close in?

Solar Blades & Cosmic Spells is a rules light, Star & Sorcery Role Playing Game with an Old School spirit. This is a complete Role Playing Game, inspired by the Old School Renaissance, the Pulp Literature and the many Science Fantasy stories brought to us by movies, comics and games. Based on the Sharp Swords & Sinister Spells RPG, this game system provides players and Overlords (that's how we call the GM in this game) a set of flexible and streamlined rules, as well as an array of tools to make gameplay fast and fun, allowing them to have exciting adventures with solar blades and cosmic spells!

This game borrows a number of concepts from other game styles including rolling for attributes (a la OSR games), an overarching concept (similar to FATE games), and a character archetype (similar to a character class or a playbook). The system uses only d6s and d20s for dice rolls, and outlines rules for combat, although not as much for Social challenge. This reflects the traditional OSR ethos: if the characters are using creativity to solve a problem, reward it, rather than making them roll for it. There’s also a ton of advice on using sorcery, piloting starships, and encounters with other creatures, hostile and not. If you like having lots of toys to play with, as well as wealth of advice for the GM, you might want to check out this game!

GSXX: Generation Ship, by Harper Jay.

Hundreds of years ago, humanity left the Old World behind in massive generation ships. Dozens of these ships set off into space, seeking new homes. Much of the interior of these ships was set up for farming, and humans took many plants and animals into the stars with them.

The spirits of the Old World came with them. Cut off from the Earth Mother, they changed and evolved. Most found peaceful and content lives, but some lost themselves while out in the Void, becoming wayward and chaotic.

You play as a group of individuals living on one of these ships. While violence and strife are not unheard of, there is enough to contend with when drifting through space without fighting your fellow travellers.If you like quick, light, character creation and the story of a community that must work together in order to survive, Generation Ship might be for you.

Brigand Galaxy, by Hella Broke Studio.

Brigand Galaxy is a game heavily inspired by 90's sci-fi anime in tone and aesthetics. With a focus on the crew as family, and the inevitable confrontation of hidden pasts and troubles coming into conflict with your present selves. It's about cool narrative fights, both outside and inside space ships. It's about running from your past as every good Anime protag does and about bonding with your fellow crew as you scrape a living out of odd jobs and trying to find that one big score.

Welcome to a world of magic and science alike. Where the mystical leylines work as interstellar highways between systems, and where blaster pistols mix with magical spells and mysterious powers. 

Brigand Galaxy is a PbtA-style game that aims for dramatic stories that tie the players together. This game is still in production, so the Bare Bones edition has the rules, equipment, and playbooks, but not much in the way of lore or setting. However, if you get the Bare Bones version, you’ll have automatic access to the final version down the road!

Light, Beacon Edition, by Gila RPGs.

You are a Beacon, an immortal guardian of humanity. Light courses through you, granting you incredible power, and the ability to fight back the darkness that besets humanity from all sides.

Strike out on missions across the Sol system. Wield powerful weapons, unleash devastating powers, get all the loot.

LIGHT Beacon Edition is the definitive version of the LIGHT TTRPG. First released in 2020 as a one page homage to the video game Destiny, LIGHT has expanded over the years with tons of new content. That has all been bundled together into a single book, with new layout and art to bring you the very best of LIGHT.

As a Beacon, you were granted near immortality and incredible power due to a solar event. Humanity has spread itself across the Sol system in a new golden age, and you are its greatest protectors. Strike out on missions across the system as it is beset from all sides by alien threats that would see our Light destroyed. 

If you like modular character builds that can be continuously adjusted to suit upcoming challenges, and if you like high stakes in which humanity’s golden age hangs in the balance, you might want to check out LIGHT.

Scum and Villainy, by Off Guard Games.

Unwise deals. Blaster fights. High adventure among the stars. Welcome to the world of Scum and Villainy.

Scum and Villainy is a Forged in the Dark game about a spaceship crew trying to make ends meet under the iron-fisted rule of the Galactic Hegemony.

Work with the members of your crew to thrive despite powerful criminal syndicates, warring noble families, dangerous aliens, and strange mystics. Explore the ruins of lost civilizations for fun and profit. Can your motley crew hold it together long enough to strike it big and insure your fame across the sector?

Do you want to explore the galaxy? Make some credits on the side? Maybe strike out against a galactic empire? Scum and Villainy can do all of these things, and more. With an original universe with sliding scales on artificial intelligence, mystical powers, and galactic hegemonies, this game allows you to draw on themes from your favourite space-themed media while still putting forth a unique twist. Using the Forged in the Dark system, this game depends on a quick-to-grasp graded success system, with tools that reward you for pushing yourself closer and closer to the brink in exchange for pulling off some daring heists. 

HighWinds, by Karrius.

Highwinds is a sci-fi fantasy space opera RPG, focusing on wild, action movie style fights. Take the role of resourceful heroes on the edge of space and fight pirates, save people from killer robots, and explore ancient vaults locked in astral space.

Highwinds contains all you need to play, and is designed for 1-6 players and one game master. For playing in person, three six-sided dice are recommended for each player. 15 sample characters are included, ready to play as both PCs or antagonists.

If you want to blend elements from a number of different space genres, or if you want lore that has some of its own unique elements, Highwinds is one to check out. Your characters have the opportunity to dip into martial, magic, and psionic talents, and contains unique species, bringing the fantasy to space-fantasy. The game uses d6s for Task Resolution rolls, and at character creation you take Skill Bonuses to reflect your character’s aptitude and training. There’s detailed rules for combat, vehicle management, and taking care of your home base - so if you like getting into the bits and pieces that build a more versatile campaign, Highwinds is a game worth checking out.

Galactic 2e, by Riley Rethal.

GALACTIC is a belonging outside belonging game, inspired by star wars.

tell the character-driven, relationship-focused space opera stories you want to see in the world, using playbook archetypes like THE ACE, THE DEFECTOR, and THE DIPLOMAT, and create a unique and colorful world with pillars, places, and traits that flesh out different factions, forces, and characters in your story.

If you want to tell a Star Wars story and you don’t have a GM (or someone who wants plot out a heavily detailed campaign), or if you want to play now, rather than set up a 2 hour character creation session, Galactic 2e is the game for you. Tell rich, emotionally satisfying stories using a system that doesn’t even require dice. (Also - have you ever wanted to play out your Star Wars ships? You can totally do that in this game.)

Galactic 2E has an abundance of supplements thanks to a game jam that ran back in 2021, so take a look at what you’re interested and pick out whatever makes the perfect Star Wars game for you!

[kcyars99]

The 2024 MTV Video Music Awards are on Wednesday night!

let’s be clear, since debuting in 1984(that’s 40 years ago!) The video music awards (or vmas for short) had some outrageous and iconic moments that we will never forget. Here’s a list from each year

1980s

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Radio City Music Hall, site of 12 VMAs, including the first

1984: at the first MTV Video Music Awards in 1984, Madonna performed her hit "Like a Virgin" wearing a combination bustier/wedding gown, including her trademark "Boy Toy" belt. During the performance, she rolled around on the floor, revealing lace stockings and a garter.[7] Cyndi Lauper spoke in "Exorcist-esque gibberish" to explain the VMA rules right before winning the Best Female video for "Girls Just Want to Have Fun".[8] David Bowie, the Beatles and director Richard Lester were rewarded with the first ever Video Vanguard Awards for their work in pioneering the music video. The Cars' "You Might Think" won the very first video of the year, beating out Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and Herbie Hancock's "Rockit".[9]

1987: At the 1987 MTV Video Music Awards, Peter Gabriel won ten awards, including the Video Vanguard Award and Video of the Year for his video "Sledgehammer", holding the VMA record for most Moonmen in a single night.

1988: At the 1988 MTV Video Music Awards, Michael Jackson appeared for the first time. A pre-recorded live performance of Bad was shown."[10] He was also awarded the Video Vanguard Award,[11] which was later renamed in his honor.

1989: Comedian Andrew Dice Clays appeared at the 1989 Video Music Awards to promote his new movie, The Adventures of Ford Fairlane, earning a "lifetime ban" from the network when he introduced Cher with some of his recently notorious nursery rhymes that contained vulgar language and references.[12] After performing with Tom Petty, Guns N' Roses guitarist Izzy Stradlin was assaulted by Mötley Crüe lead singer Vince Neil, leading to a verbal battle between Neil and Guns N' Roses lead singer Axl Rose.[13]

Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora turned out a stripped-down acoustic performance of the Bon Jovi hits "Wanted Dead or Alive and "Livin' on a Prayer", and in the process possibly provided the inspirational spark for MTV Unplugged.[14][15]

Paula Abdul was nominated for six awards, picking up four wins. She performed a seven-minute medley of her singles "Straight Up", "Cold Hearted", and "Forever Your Girl".[14]

When Madonna won the Viewer's Choice Award (sponsored by Pepsi-Cola) for her "Like a Prayer" video, she thanked Pepsi-Cola in her acceptance speech "for causing so much controversy". Pepsi-Cola had paid Madonna $5 million to appear in a commercial that would predominantly feature the world premiere of "Like a Prayer"; the commercial, titled "Make a Wish", depicted Madonna drinking Pepsi and watching a home video of her eighth birthday. The tone that the commercial sought to convey sharply contrasted with the music video. When Pepsi executives saw the video, they yanked the advertisement after only two airings, in an attempt to dissociate themselves from Madonna.[16] She also gave one of the most memorable performances of her hit "Express Yourself", as a preview of what would become her Blond Ambition World Tour.[14]

1990s

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Nirvana performing at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards

1990: at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards, Madonna performed her single "Vogue", which featured Madonna and her backup dancers dressed in an 18th-century French theme, with Madonna bearing great resemblance to Marie Antoinette. The performance consisted of both a dramatic historical reinterpretation of "Vogue" as well as her dramatically becorseted breasts.[17]

1991: during the award show the MTV Video Vanguard Award was renamed to the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award from then on, in honor of his contributions to the culture of music videos[18] by changing them from a mere promotional tool featuring musicians playing instruments and singing, to a "short film" with a storyline. His video "Thriller" influenced and changed music videos into what it is like today.[19]

A conflict between Poison's Bret Michaels and C.C. DeVille culminated in a fistfight at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards. DeVille was fired and replaced by Pennsylvanian guitarist Richie Kotzen.[20] Paul Reubens had his first public appearance, during the opening montage, following an arrest for lewd-conduct earlier that year. Taking the stage in costume as Pee-wee Herman, he received a standing ovation, after which he asked the audience, "Heard any good jokes lately?".[21] After his appearance, Van Halen made their television debut, performing "Poundcake". Metallica was another highlight of the performances with "Enter Sandman".

Prince and The New Power Generation performed their sexually charged song "Gett Off" on a Caligula-esque set, with Prince dressed in a yellow mesh outfit which infamously exposed his buttocks. His trousers were parodied numerous times throughout the following year, on the sketch comedy TV series In Living Color, and even at the following year's VMAs by radio shock jock Howard Stern. It also marked the final TV appearance of Kiss with Eric Carr prior to Carr's death in November 1991.

1992: in the 1992 show, MTV requested Nirvana perform "Smells Like Teen Spirit", while the band itself had indicated it preferred to play new songs "Rape Me" and "tourette's". Network executives continued to push for "Teen Spirit" but finally offered the band a choice to play either "Teen Spirit" or "Lithium", which the band appeared to accept. At the performance, Nirvana began to play, and Kurt Cobain played the first few chords of the song, "Rape Me", much to the horror of MTV execs, before continuing their regular performance of "Lithium". Near the end of the song, frustrated that his amplifier had stopped functioning, bassist Krist Novoselic decided to toss his bass into the air for dramatic effect. He misjudged the landing, and the bass ended up bouncing off of his forehead, forcing him to stumble off the stage in a daze.[22]

Backstage and before the show, Guns N' Roses vocalist Axl Rose challenged Cobain to a fight after he, his wife, Hole lead singer Courtney Love, and Nirvana bandmates Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl egged him on. At the end of Nirvana's performance, while Cobain was trashing the band's equipment, Dave Grohl ran to the microphone and shouted "Hi, Axl! Where's Axl?" repeatedly. Guns N' Roses' video for the ballad "November Rain" won the MTV Video Music Award for best cinematography. During the show, the band performed "November Rain" with singer Elton John. Because of the dispute Rose had with Cobain, moments before the "November Rain" performance, Cobain spat on the keys of what he thought was Axl's piano. Cobain later revealed that he was shocked to see Elton John play on the piano he had spat on.[10] During the commercial break, the Alien 3 Pepsi commercial was shown.

Radio host Howard Stern appeared as Fartman, Stern's radio superhero, wearing a buttocks-exposing costume obviously inspired by Prince's outfit from the previous year. Stern was a presenter for best hard rock/metal performance with actor Luke Perry (after several other celebrities turned him down).

1993: at the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards, Madonna opened the show in a gender-bending performance of her song "Bye Bye Baby", in which Madonna and her two backup singers, dressed in tuxedos and top hats, danced with women in corsets in a choreographed, highly sexual routine.[23]

RuPaul and Milton Berle, who had conflicts backstage, presented an award together. When Berle touched RuPaul's breasts, RuPaul ad-libbed the line "So you used to wear gowns, but now you're wearing diapers."[23]

Rapper Snoop Dogg presented the Best R&B Video award with Dr. Dre and George Clinton. At the time, Snoop was wanted in connection with the week-old drive-by murder of an L.A. gang member.[23]

Janet Jackson closed the show with her performance of "That's the Way Love Goes" & "If".

1994: at the 1994 MTV Video Music Awards on September 8, months after a profanity-laced appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman, Madonna was announced to present the award for Best Video of the Year. She came out, arm-in-arm with an unannounced David Letterman, to a wild ovation. At the microphone, Letterman told her "I'll be in the car. Watch your language", and left.[24]

Recently betrothed couple Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley received a standing ovation as they walked on stage hand-in-hand. After turning to the audience and proclaiming, "And just think, nobody thought this would last", Jackson grabbed Presley and kissed her.[25][26]

1995: at the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards, Hole perform the song "Violet" from their major-label debut album Live Through This. This was one of the first major televised performances given by frontwoman Courtney Love following the death of her husband Kurt Cobain and the death of her band's bassist Kristen Pfaff in 1994. Before beginning the song, Love dedicated the performance to her husband and different people in the entertainment industry who had recently died: "This is for Kurt, and Kristen, and River, and Joe, and today Joni Abbott, this is for you." Abbott worked in the Talent Relations department at MTV and had recently committed suicide.[27] The song ended with Love throwing her guitar, knocking the microphone stand into the crowd and pushing over speaker-boxes with bandmate Eric Erlandson before exiting the stage.[28] Love also caused a stir when she interrupted a post-ceremony interview with Kurt Loder and Madonna by throwing her make-up compacts at the singer as they broadcast outside the awards venue.[29]

Michael Jackson performed for over 15 minutes to a medley of his main songs, including "Scream", and danced his signature moves, including the robot, moonwalk and the relatively unknown "Bankhead Bounce". While Slash accompanied Jackson and played guitar on "Black or White and the beginning of Billie Jean".[30] This performance was voted by the public as the Best VMA Pop Performance and Most Iconic VMA Performance in 2011 with more than half the votes.[31][32]

TLC was the big winner of the night won four awards, including "Viewer's Choice", "Best Group Video", and "Video of the Year" (Waterfalls).

1996: at the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards, the four original members of Van Halen received 20-second standing ovation when they made their first public appearance together since their break-up in 1985.

Several weeks later, the public learned that Van Halen would not reunite with Roth. Roth released a statement apologizing to fans, stating that he was an unwitting participant in a publicity stunt to sell more copies of the greatest hits album, Best Of Vol. 1, and that he had been led to believe that he was rejoining Van Halen. The following day, Eddie and Alex Van Halen released a statement, stating that they had been honest with Roth, and never led him to believe that he had been re-hired.[citation needed]

During British band Oasis' performance at the show, lead vocalist Liam Gallagher made rude gestures at brother Noel as he was playing his guitar solo, then spat beer all over the stage before storming off.[33]

Alanis Morissette performed "Your House", a hidden track from her bestseller album "Jagged Little Pill".

The recently reunited Kiss closed the show with a special concert aired from the Brooklyn Bridge.[34]

Tupac Shakur made his final public appearance before his murder.

1997: at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards, Pat Smear announced that he was leaving Foo Fighters halfway through their performance and presented his replacement, Franz Stahl, who had been a member of the band Scream with Dave Grohl.[35]

The Spice Girls, who won the best dance video award to the for their music video "Wannabe", who wore a black strap on their left arms as a sign of grief because of Diana, Princess of Wales's death prior to the event.

While accepting the MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist Video that year for "Sleep to Dream", Fiona Apple appealed to her audience not to be enamored of celebrity culture. She proclaimed, "this world is bullshit" and quoted Maya Angelou, saying "go with yourself". Though her comments were generally greeted with cheers and applause at the awards ceremony, the media backlash was huge. Some considered her remarks to be hypocritical, however she was unapologetic: "When I have something to say, I'll say it."[36][37][38]

Shock-rocker Marilyn Manson performed the song "The Beautiful People", as the grand finale, and the video for this song was nominated for "Best Rock Video" and "Best Special Effects", marking one of the most significant performances for the band.[39]

1998: at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards, during the original broadcast of the show, a commercial faded in the Nine Inch Nails NIN logo on a black screen while playing a combination of music that started as a solo piano piece and morphed into an electronic/industrial beat (which would later found out to be the songs "La Mer" and "Into the Void", which share many melodic components and can be considered variations on a theme) and ended with Trent Reznor screaming "Tried to save myself, but myself kept slipping away" and the word "ninetynine" in the trademark NIN reversed-N font. This was only shown once during the original broadcast, was edited out of all repeats.

Geri Halliwell attended the event, one of her first public appearances since she left the Spice Girls.[40]

At the red carpet, actress Rose McGowan was wearing a see-through dress, no bra, and a thong,[41] while Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston poked fun at their rumored rift by wearing lookalike chocolate brown dresses by Vera Wang. In an attempt to outdo each other, the singers tore off pieces of their dresses to reveal minidresses then staged a faux catfight that left the audience in disbelief. "People thought Whitney and I had some kind of beef", explained Carey.[42]

1999: Lil' Kim showed up at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards with an entire breast exposed and only a small pasty over the nipple. Kim's outfit became even more controversial later when she appeared on stage with former Supremes member Diana Ross and Mary J. Blige to present the Best Hip-Hop Video award, and Ross reached over, cupped her hand under Kim's exposed breast and jiggled it while Kim laughed.[43]

During the following acceptance speech by the Beastie Boys, group member Ad-Rock addressed the instances of rape and sexual assault that occurred in the crowd at the recent Woodstock 1999 concert event. He pleaded to other musicians in the room to make a change in the way they treat fans at concerts; to pledge to talk with promoters and security to ensure "the safety of all the girls and the women who come to our shows".[44]

Afeni Shakur and Voletta Wallace, the mothers of the recently deceased Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G., met for the first time at the ceremony.[45]

Britney Spears made her debut appearance on the show, performing her single "...Baby One More Time" and later introducing NSYNC for "Tearin' Up My Heart".

Ricky Martin took the stage of the ceremony to perform his singles "She's All I Ever Had" and "Livin' la Vida Loca".[46]

TLC won Best Group Video for "No Scrubs", receiving a standing ovation from the audience and artists. For the second year in a row, the Backstreet Boys took the Viewer's Choice Award for "I Want It That Way", a song they performed during the broadcast.

Before presenting the final award, a group of drag queens paid tribute to Madonna wearing her most iconic outfits with a medley of her hit songs. Madonna herself then appeared onstage and remarked, "All I have to say is that it takes a real man to fill my shoes." She then introduced Paul McCartney, who presented the Video of the Year to "some guy called Laurence Hill" (Lauryn Hill).

2000s

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Kanye West taking the microphone from Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards

2000: at the 2000 Video Music Awards, Limp Bizkit won the award for Best Rock Video. As vocalist Fred Durst spoke, Rage Against the Machine bassist Tim Commerford climbed onto the scaffolding of the set. Durst egged Commerford on, saying "Stage dive, dude" and "Take a dive", finally ending his speech with "and [Commerford]'s a pussy 'cause he won't jump". Commerford and his bodyguard were sentenced to a night in jail. RATM vocalist Zack de la Rocha reportedly left the awards after Commerford's stunt. RATM guitarist Tom Morello recalled that Commerford related his plan to the rest of the band before the show, and that both de la Rocha and Morello advised him against it immediately after Bizkit was presented the award.[47][48]

Eminem performed his two singles "The Real Slim Shady" and "The Way I Am". The performance began with Eminem's single "The Real Slim Shady" which started outside the Radio City Music Hall on 6th Avenue, Manhattan. Eminem continued his performance into the arena and was followed by a hundred Eminem 'clones' wearing white tank tops and baggy jeans with bleached blonde hair.[49]

Napster co-founder Shawn Fanning co-introduced Britney Spears. Fanning wore a Metallica T-shirt, much to the displeasure of Metallica drummer and anti-Napster advocate Lars Ulrich. Britney performed "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" and her newest smash hit "Oops!... I Did It Again", which gained media attention mostly due to Spears's ripping off a tuxedo to reveal nude-colored performance attire. At performance's end, VMA co-host Marlon Wayans proclaimed, "Girl done went from 'The Mickey Mouse Club' to the strip club."[50]

At the end of Christina Aguilera's performance, Durst walked onstage and performed part of his band's song "Livin' It Up" with Aguilera. After eliciting charged reactions from his fans, Durst stated: "I already told you guys before, I did it all for the nookie, man."[51] The feud died weeks later. Aguilera denied Durst's statement, saying Durst "got no nookie".[52]

Aguilera and Spears disproved rumors of a rivalry when they came onstage, holding hands, and introduced Whitney Houston. Houston, who had been targeted by the media for erratic behavior, canceled appearances, drug use rumors and being busted for carrying marijuana at a Hawaii airport just a few months prior, came out to a standing ovation and introduced an award to Eminem with husband Bobby Brown, who was recently let out from jail. Houston revealed more erratic behavior, jumping up and down saying "free" in reference to Brown's recent jail release. Aaliyah would win two MTV Video Music Awards for Best Female Video and Best Video from a Film for "Try Again".[citation needed]

2001: at the 2001 Video Music Awards, Britney Spears performed her single, "I'm a Slave 4 U". while dancing in a very revealing outfit, the performance featured the singer in a cage with a tiger and briefly dancing with a real albino snake on her shoulders. The inclusion of a tiger and a snake in the performance bought a great deal of criticism from PETA.[50][53]

U2 had been set to perform a medley including "Elevation", "Beautiful Day" and "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of". The riser they were performing on lost power and MTV had to cut to several minutes of promos while everything was set up again. They lost power again and finally the band was lowered to the ground and performed without the riser. After the performance, lead singer Bono explained that MTV "forgot to pay the electricity bill".[54]

Michael Jackson made a surprise appearance at the end of NSYNC's performance of "Pop". Surrounded by members of the group, Jackson performed some of his trademark dance moves to Justin Timberlake's beatboxing.[54]

The show paid tribute to the R&B singer/actress Aaliyah, who was supposed to present an award but died two weeks before from a plane crash. U2 paid tribute to punk-rock singer Joey Ramone, who died of lymphoma 4 months before.[55]

2002: in 2002, the VMAs took place on Michael Jackson's birthday, and as a tribute, Britney Spears introduced him saying she "considered him the artist of the millennium". Jackson said, "When I was a little boy growing up in Indiana if someone told me I'd be getting 'the artist of the millennium award,' I'd have never believed it."[56] A year later, at the 2003 VMAs, this was parodied by presenters Fred Durst and Jack Black, with Durst stating that Black was the "funniest man alive".[50][57]

The Hives and The Vines both performed on the night after the sudden garage rock revival during the year, with rumors spreading around that it was to be 'battle of the bands' performance. Once The Hives performed, singer Howlin' Pelle Almqvist said to the crowd "I know you want us to play more, but that's all the time we have for so you can turn off [your TV] now",[58] just before The Vines came on the bigger stage to perform their hit single "Get Free", ultimately destroying their set after their performance.

Triumph the Insult Comic Dog appeared and had a confrontation with Eminem. Eminem had a confrontation with Moby, who had called the rapper's music misogynistic and homophobic. By that time, there were multiple boos from the crowd. The Best Male Video award was given to Eminem right after the confrontation with Triumph and Moby, and when Eminem went to stage to pick up the award, in the middle of his speech, he challenged Moby to fight if he continued to boo him.[59]

Justin Timberlake made his solo performance debut on the show, performing his single "Like I Love You".

Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas, the surviving members of the top-selling R&B trio TLC, made their first television appearance since the death of bandmate Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes.[59]

Shakira took the stage of the VMAs to perform her single "Objection (Tango)".

Christina Aguilera shocked the audience by wearing a skimpy outfit and heavy makeup, with a dirty look removing her good-girl image.[60] She was part of an awkward moment at the awards when presenting the Best Male Video Award to Eminem, who had insulted her in 2000.[61]

Canadian artist Avril Lavigne won her first award ever as Best New Artist in a Video, getting the record for the youngest artist so far to win this award at the age of 17. She kicked off the 2002 VMAs with a "Complicated" / "Sk8er Boi" pre-show performance and together with Lisa Marie Presley they gave the award for Best Female Video to Pink who was under the effects of alcohol during her acceptance speech.[59]

Axl Rose unveiled the new lineup of New Guns N' Roses. The band's set was the show's finale, and although the performance was meant to be kept a secret, some New York radio outlets announced the performance earlier in the day. The band played a set consisting of "Welcome to the Jungle", "Madagascar", and "Paradise City".[62]

2003: at the 2003 Video Music Awards, Madonna played a groom kissing her brides, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, on stage. The gender role-reversal and lesbian theme instantly made front-page headlines. The three singers performed a medley of her classic hit, "Like a Virgin", and her then latest release, "Hollywood", with a guest rap by Missy Elliott. A quick camera cut to the reaction of Justin Timberlake, who dated Spears until 2002, also gained media attention.[63] The design resembled Madonna's performance of "Like a Virgin" at the 1984 VMAs: the same wedding cake set, wedding dresses and "Boy Toy" belt worn by Madonna 19 years ago now adorned Aguilera and Spears.[64]

Beyoncé opened her performance by descending upside down from the rafters at Radio City Music Hall. Knowles performed "Baby Boy" as she was gently lowered to the stage, dressed in harem pants. She was later joined by Jay-Z as they performed their duet "Crazy in Love". The performance marked Knowles' solo debut.[65]

2004: the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards were held at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. This was the first time the awards show was held outside of New York City and Los Angeles. It was the first video music awards to not have a host.[66]

2005: at the 2005 show, Green Day returned, taking home the Best Rock Video, Best Group Video, and Video of the Year Moonmen for "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", which they performed during the broadcast. They also took the Viewer's Choice award for "American Idiot".

The 2005 VMAs were the first to have a performance in Spanish, when Shakira performed her single "La Tortura" with Alejandro Sanz. It was also the first time that Spanish-language videos were nominated at the awards.[67]

Also at the show, while introducing the reggaeton spot, Fat Joe made a disparaging comment about G-Unit: "I'd like to tell the people home I feel so safe tonight with all this police protection courtesy of G-Unit...". Later in the show, after G-Unit's performance, 50 Cent directed profanities at Fat Joe which were edited out before the shows airing although some broadcasts played the uncensored version of the show.[68] Reggaeton artists Daddy Yankee, Tego Calderón and Don Omar performed.

Actress Eva Longoria caused a stir when she appeared barely dressed to introduce Mariah Carey.[69] Gwen Stefani and Snoop Dogg won best dressed female and male and received prizes to donate to a charity of their choice.[70]

Kelly Clarkson performed a high energy version of her song "Since U Been Gone" barefoot wearing a graphic belly top and capri pants. Clarkson moved through the crowd during the performance, which culminated in the singer getting sprayed with water. By the end of the song, she and a portion of the audience were soaking wet.[71] R. Kelly performed his rap opera, "Trapped in the Closet".[67]

Animated duo Beavis and Butt-head appeared in several Viewer's Choice award skits, saying to "Vote to put Beavis and Butt-head back on MTV!".[72] Rather belatedly, the TV show returned to MTV in 2011.

2006: Justin Timberlake opened the 2006 Video Music Awards performing his singles "My Love" and "SexyBack". The awards were distributed evenly widespread all genres, as hip-hop, pop and rock artists alike all won Moonmen. 2006 was also the first time that viewers voted for all the performer's categories (Video of the Year, Best Male Video, Best Group Video, among others, except professional categories).[73]

When Panic! at the Disco won Video of the Year for "I Write Sins Not Tragedies", a man calling himself Sixx jumped onstage claiming that MTV had denied him his own TV show.[73] Hosted by Jack Black, there were also performances by Shakira with Wyclef Jean, Beyoncé, Christina Aguilera and The Killers.

2007: the 2007 Video Music Awards was opened by Britney Spears performing her comeback single "Gimme More". To many, Spears failed to live up to the pre-show hype. She wore black sequined lingerie and put in less energy than her previous performances.[74][75] The performance was called "career crippling".[43]

Kid Rock and Tommy Lee were involved in an altercation during Alicia Keys's performance. Lee was sitting with magician Criss Angel when the two went to visit Diddy, who was sitting close to Kid Rock. Kid Rock allegedly punched Tommy Lee in the face. The two were broken up, and both were escorted from the resort. Angel was removed a short time later.[76]

2008: the 2008 Video Music Awards were opened by Britney Spears which welcomed everybody to the 25-year anniversary of the Video Music Awards. Barbadian singer Rihanna opened the show with her song "Disturbia" in a very revealing black leather outfit. After 16 nominations, Britney Spears finally won her first VMA, taking Best Female Video, Best Pop Video, and Video of the Year for "Piece of Me", considered as Spears' comeback.[citation needed]

Host Russell Brand commented on Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, begging the audience to vote for him. Brand called President George W. Bush a "retarded cowboy" and claimed Bush "wouldn't be trusted with a pair of scissors in Britain".[77]

Russell Brand also made comments on the Jonas Brothers for wearing purity rings. Brand later faced criticism for his swipes at the trio. He confirmed his apology at the MTV Video Music Awards 2009 by saying "I upset the Jonas Brothers last year, I had to say sorry to them and they forgave me. They had to, they're Christians." During her introduction of T.I. and Rihanna's performance, Jordin Sparks, who also wears a purity ring, defended the boy-band by saying "It's not bad to wear a promise ring because not everybody, guy or girl, wants to be a slut." Sparks was in turn criticized for implying that those who do not wear purity rings or do not abstain are promiscuous.[78]

2009: at the 2009 Video Music Awards, singer-songwriter Taylor Swift won Best Female video for "You Belong with Me". During her acceptance speech, rapper Kanye West unexpectedly showed up on stage. Taking the microphone from Swift, he announced "Yo Taylor, I'm really happy for you, and Imma let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time. One of the best videos of all time!".[79][80] MTV cut away from the stage (showing Beyoncé with a shocked and disapproved look) after West gave the microphone back to Swift and giving the middle finger to the audience as they started booing him off stage, and so Swift did not finish her speech. West was removed for the rest of the show. However, when Beyoncé won Video of the Year for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", she called Swift back on stage to "have her moment" (finishing her speech from winning Best Female Video). In an off-the-record portion of an interview the following day, President Barack Obama called West a "jackass" for his antics.[81] During a post-interview, Jay-Z admitted West was wrong to go on stage, but he thought people were overreacting to the incident.[82]

Madonna opened the show talking about her experiences with Michael Jackson. After her speech, a Michael Jackson tribute commenced, including Janet Jackson performing the duet "Scream". The show closed with a sneak preview of Michael Jackson's This Is It movie.[83]

At the show's red carpet, Colombian singer Shakira and American singer Pink attended with the same dress. Both singers took it humorously and posed together for the paparazzi.

Lady Gaga later performed her song "Paparazzi" and shocked the audience when she appeared to bleed out on stage. It was actually a contraption in her outfit.[84] Beyoncé performed her song "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" with over two dozen female dancers dancing with her.[85] Pink performed her single "Sober" while doing a trapeze act during the entire performance while singing live.

Rapper Lil Mama jumped on stage as Jay-Z and Alicia Keys performed "Empire State of Mind".[86] Lil Mama later apologized.[87] During an interview with New York Radio DJ Angie Martinez, Jay-Z said that he thought the unrehearsed move was something similar to the West and Swift incident.[87]

Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and Green Day were the big winners of the night, with three awards each.[85]

2010s

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The standing inflatable KAWS moonman at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards

The redesigned moon man by Jeremy Scott at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards

2010: at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, Taylor Swift performed her song "Innocent", while Kanye West performed "Runaway" with Pusha T giving a stellar performance on the MPC2000.[88] Eminem, who performed at the show, did not receive his awards in person, as he had to leave immediately to perform with Jay Z at The Home & Home Tour in New York City the next day.[89] Additionally, will.i.am's "blackface" outfit sparked controversy among African-Americans.[90] Florence + the Machine performed "Dog Days Are Over".[91]

Lady Gaga won eight awards, including Video of the Year, Best Female Video, and Best Pop Video for "Bad Romance"; she also won Best Collaboration for "Telephone" with Beyoncé. Upon accepting her Video of the Year award, Gaga wore a dress made entirely of raw meat, which drew criticism from PETA.[92] While accepting her Video of the Year award, Lady Gaga announced the title of her next album, Born This Way, and sang the chorus of its title track and lead single. Justin Bieber won Best New Artist, making him the second youngest Canada-born artist to ever win a VMA (first being Avril Lavigne in 2002).[93]

Overall, the show grabbed 11.4 million viewers—the largest audience for an MTV Video Music Awards since 2002, and until 2011's new record.[94]

2011: the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards returned to the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California. In the entire history of the show, this was the third time no host was scheduled, although Kevin Hart, who would receive the position a year later, delivered an opening monologue.

Lady Gaga opened the show dressed as her alter ego Joe Calderone, delivering a monologue and then performing her single "You and I" from her album Born This Way. She was joined on stage by Queen band member and guitarist Brian May.

The tribute to Britney Spears included performances by young talents, who danced to various hit singles by Spears including "...Baby One More Time" and "Till the World Ends". After the tribute, Lady Gaga went onstage to present Spears the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award.[95] While accepting her award she and Gaga (dressed as her alter ego Joe Calderone) teased a kiss. Spears rejected the exchange saying, "I've done that already", referring to her liplock with Madonna at the 2003 show.[96]

During Kanye West and Jay Z's surprise performance of "Otis", a man attempted to rush the stage but was quickly taken off by security.[97]

Katy Perry and Kanye West won the Award for Best Video for a Collaborative Single. As they went onstage to receive the award, Perry made a reference to West's incident with Taylor Swift two years back. This was the first award Perry won in four years of being nominated.[98]

Prior to her performance, Beyoncé announced on the red carpet that she and husband/rapper Jay Z were expecting a child. Straight after Beyoncé finished performing her song "Love on Top", she also revealed again that she was pregnant by showing off her baby bump and rubbing it. That evening, Beyoncé set the record for the most mentions on Twitter per second (with 8,868) and helped this year's VMAs become the most-watched broadcast in MTV history, pulling in 12.4 million viewers.[99]

A tribute to late singer Amy Winehouse also took place; Russell Brand delivered a monologue on his thoughts on her, after which Tony Bennett previewed his collaboration with her for his album Duets II. Afterwards, Bruno Mars performed "Valerie" in her honor.[100]

Katy Perry won three awards including Video of the Year for "Firework", and Lady Gaga won two awards, including the new category Best Video With a Message for "Born This Way".[101]

2012: The 2012 MTV Video Music Awards aired live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California on September 6, 2012. British boy band One Direction was the big winner of the night receiving Best New Artist, Best Pop Video, and Most Share Worthy Video. Rihanna won the Video of the Year Award for "We Found Love".

2013: For the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards, MTV redesigned its moonman statue[102] for one year only due to the ceremony's being held in Brooklyn for the first time. Brooklyn-based artist KAWS used Michelin Man as inspiration to redesign the image of the renowned MTV moonman. Barclays Center, which served as the venue for the 2013 show, was decorated also by KAWS, themed around the redesigned moonman. The 2013 VMAs also marked the fourth time in the award show's history that a host had not been appointed for the annual event.[103] Lady Gaga opened the ceremony, performing her single "Applause". During the performance, Gaga changed three times on stage and gave a tribute to her past eras (The Fame, The Fame Monster and Born This Way). At the end, Gaga came on stage wearing nothing but a seashell bikini.

Miley Cyrus' performance of her song "We Can't Stop" featured the former Disney star entering the stage through a giant teddy bear wearing a one-piece bodice with a teddy bear design on it. The singer performed with a group of female backup dancers dressed as giant bears before singer Robin Thicke joins with Cyrus on stage to perform his single "Blurred Lines". Cyrus then stripped down to a nude-colored lingerie and proceeded to perform her signature twerking dance moves, simulating sex with Thicke and grabbing his crotch with a giant foam finger.[104] The unimpressed reactions of several celebrity audience members, including Rihanna and members of One Direction, also gained attention in the media.[105]

Justin Timberlake's "Mirrors" won Video of the Year, making him the first male solo artist to win this category since Eminem in 2002 with "Without Me". Timberlake also became the second artist to be honored with the Video Vanguard Award and win Video of the Year in the same night, after Peter Gabriel did it in 1987. To celebrate his Video Vanguard Award, Timberlake performed a 15-minute medley performance, which included a mini-reunion with his former band *NSYNC.[106] The set list of the most watched performance of the night[107] included hit singles from his first four solo albums, such as "Cry Me a River", "SexyBack" and "Suit & Tie".

2014: the 2014 show was held at The Forum in Inglewood, California. Miley Cyrus won Video of the Year for "Wrecking Ball" and got a young homeless man named Jesse to accept the award on her behalf. His speech was a call-to-action to help raise awareness to the homeless youth of America.[108] Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj and Jessie J opened the show.[109] Beyoncé closed the show by performing a 16-minute medley of songs from her self-titled fifth studio album. After the performance, her husband Jay Z and daughter Blue Ivy presented the Video Vanguard Award to her.[110]

2015: the 2015 show was hosted by Miley Cyrus. Fashion designer Jeremy Scott redesigned the year's "moonman", marking the second time that the statue had been transformed.[111] Taylor Swift won four awards, including Video of the Year for "Bad Blood".[112] She presented the Video Vanguard Award to Kanye West, who ended his acceptance speech by claiming that he will run for president in 2020.[113]

Nicki Minaj ended her acceptance speech for Best Hip-Hop Video by passing the show back to Cyrus, saying: "And now, back to this bitch who had a lot to say about me the other day in the press: Miley, What's good?".[114] Minaj was referring to Cyrus' comments about how she handled "Anaconda" being snubbed for a Video of the Year nomination. Cyrus appeared stunned by Minaj's remarks and replied, "We're all in this industry. We all do interviews and we all know how they manipulate shit. Nicki, congratu-fuckin-lations."[114] The camera then cut back to Minaj who seemed to mouth back the word "bitch".[114] Cyrus closed the show by performing along with a group of drag queens who participated on RuPaul's Drag Race and surprisingly released her fifth studio album Miley Cyrus and Her Dead Petz for free.[115]

2016: the 2016 show was held at the Madison Square Garden in Manhattan. Rihanna performed four times during the show, including opening and closing the ceremony. After her final performance, Rihanna was presented the Video Vanguard Award by Drake, who declared, "She's someone I've been in love with since I was 22 years old."[116] While accepting her award, Drake leaned in for a kiss that Rihanna dodged.[117] Britney Spears returned to perform at the VMAs for the first time since her heavily criticized performance at the 2007 show.[117] Kanye West gave a seven-minute long speech covering different topics, including his feud with Taylor Swift.[118]

Beyoncé performed a 16-minute medley of her album Lemonade and won eight awards, including Video of the Year for "Formation".[117][119] She became the most awarded artist in VMA history with 24 moonmen, surpassing Madonna's previous record of 20.[119] The telecast saw a drop in audience for third year in a row.[120]

2017: the 2017 show was hosted by Katy Perry. Kendrick Lamar won six awards, including Video of the Year for "Humble", becoming the first artist to have won the award for a video he co-directed, while Pink was honored with the Video Vanguard Award.[121] Jared Leto paid tribute to Chester Bennington and Chris Cornell, who both died over the past three months.[122] The music video for Taylor Swift's song "Look What You Made Me Do" premiered during the broadcast.[121] Compared to the previous year, viewership was down from 6.5 million to 5.4 million viewers, making it the lowest viewed VMAs since Nielsen started measuring the show in 1994.[123]

At the start of Fifth Harmony's performance there were five silhouettes; one of them fell off the stage, referencing former group member Camila Cabello leaving the group the previous year.[124]

Logic performed his song "1-800-273-8255" along with Alessia Cara and Khalid. Their stage was outlined with survivors of suicide loss and attempts, who wore T-shirts that had the phone number on the front and the phrase "You Are Not Alone" written on the back. During their performance, Logic gave a speech about thanking the audience for giving him a platform to talk about the issues "that mainstream media doesn't want to talk about: mental health, anxiety, suicide, depression".[125] He further added, "I don't give a damn if you're black, white, or any color in between. I don't care if you're Christian, you're Muslim, you're gay, you're straight – I am here to fight for your equality, because I believe that we are all born equal, but we are not treated equally and that is why we must fight."[125] Following the performance, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline experienced a 50% increase in calls.[125]

2018: Cardi B, the most nominated artist of the night, opened the 2018 show with a brief speech, holding a VMA like a baby.[126] While receiving one of her awards, Cardi B stated, "all the love.. it's genuine, it's beautiful, and that's something that God give me that you can't buy. B-tch."[127] Camila Cabello won Video of the Year for "Havana" and Jennifer Lopez received the Vanguard Award.[128] With Maluma among the performers as well, it marked the VMAs with the most Latin music artists present at the ceremony since the 2005 show.[129]

Before introducing Cabello's category, Madonna gave a tribute to the late Aretha Franklin. Most of the speech said the early origins of Madonna's career and was only tangentially Franklin-related,[130] which made critics describe the "bizarre" tribute as a "lengthy" anecdote about herself that involved Franklin's music.[131][132][133] Afterwards, Madonna explained that she was there to give the Video of the Year award as asked by MTV and to speak about some experience in her career with some connection with Aretha, not to make any kind of tribute.[134]

The viewership of the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards was down 9% overall and 15% in the important 18- to 49-year-old demographic group. The total viewership was 4.8 million.[135]

2019: the 2019 show was held at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. This was the first time the VMAs took place at the venue and in the state of New Jersey (it became the fifth state to host the show after New York, California, Florida and Nevada).

The show was hosted by Sebastian Maniscalco. Taylor Swift won three awards, including Video of the Year for "You Need to Calm Down".[136] She became the second artist and first female artist to have won the award for a video she co-directed, and the fourth artist to win the category twice overall.[137] Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus's "Old Town Road" won two awards, including Song of the Year.[138] Missy Elliott received the Vanguard Award introduced by Cardi B and performed a medley. The performance was heavily choreographed and the set pieces alluded to her music videos "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)", "Get Ur Freak On", and "Work It".[139][140] Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello performed their hit single "Señorita" for the first time ever in a performance characterized for its kissing tension. Lizzo performed a set featuring her singles, "Truth Hurts" and "Good as Hell". During the performance she gave a short self-empowering monologue, and featured a figurative shadow of an oversized CGI rear end.[141][139] Normani gave a performance of her song "Motivation",[142][143] that featured her doing intense gymnastic styled choreography that echoed the music video.[144][145][146] Rosalía became the first lead Spanish act to ever perform at the VMAs, performing a medley of "A Ningún Hombre", "Yo x Ti, Tu x Mi" (alongside Ozuna), and "Aute Cuture".[147][148] She also won Best Latin and Best Choreography for "Con Altura", becoming the first ever Spanish act to win a VMA, for which she was congratulated by many personalities including Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.[149]

Marc Jacobs received the inaugural MTV Fashion Trailblazer Award.[150]

2020s

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2020: The 2020 MTV Video Music Awards were held on August 30, 2020. The show was originally scheduled to take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York City, but was moved outdoors because of security concerns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[151] Instead, the 37th annual ceremony would "highlight the boroughs in an exciting show and return to Barclays Center in 2021".[152] For the first time in its history the VMAs were simulcast on over-the-air television on The CW, which is jointly owned by MTV parent company ViacomCBS and AT&T parent company WarnerMedia.[153]

Keke Palmer hosted the show from a VR model of the infamous Manhattan staple, Empire State Building. The Weeknd won Video of the Year for "Blinding Lights", which he also performed as the show's opener. During his speech he showed support for the Black Lives Matter movement and demanded justice for Breonna Taylor and Jacob Blake.

Lady Gaga received the first-ever (and only thus far as of 2023) Tricon Award, introduced by Bella Hadid. After giving her speech, Gaga performed a medley of her songs, including "Chromatica II"/"911", "Stupid Love" and "Rain on Me", the latter performed with Ariana Grande. Grande also won four awards, including Song of the Year and Best Collaboration.

The show was dedicated to actor Chadwick Boseman, who died less than 48 hours before the ceremony due to colon cancer.

The redesigned moonperson trophy by Kehinde Wiley at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards

2021: The 2021 MTV Video Music Awards were held September 12, 2021, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York City, for the first time in eight years.[154] The award show also served as a celebration of MTV's 40th anniversary. An opening monologue was delivered by Madonna.[155] Artist Kehinde Wiley redesigned the year's moonperson trophy, marking the third time that the statue had been transformed and the first from an artist of African-American descent.[156][157]

Lil Nas X won three awards for "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)", including Video of the Year and Best Direction. He became the second artist and first LGBTQ+ artist to win both categories for a video they co-directed. He jokingly thanked the gay agenda in his acceptance speech.[158]

Olivia Rodrigo and Justin Bieber also received awards in big categories, winning Song of the Year and Artist of the Year respectively. BTS won three awards, winning Group of the Year for the third consecutive time, in addition to Best K-Pop and Song of Summer for "Butter".[159]

2022: Taylor Swift announced the release of her tenth studio album Midnights during her Video of the Year award acceptance speech. Swift also became the first ever artist to win Video of the Year three times.

Nicki Minaj won the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard award that night and performed a 9-minute medley of her hits including "Anaconda," "Super Bass", "Monster", "Beez in the Trap", and her newest hit "Super Freaky Girl" along with other songs. The award was presented by five members of her fan club the Barbz. In her acceptance speech, Minaj shouted out multiple people who had inspired her and people who have given her big opportunities early in her career including Madonna, Eminem, Britney Spears, Lil Wayne, Drake, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Rihanna, and more who had help boost the popularity of her 2011 hit, "Super Bass". Minaj also said that she wished musicians Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson were there to witness her.[160] She also paid respects to her father, Robert Maraj, who died in a tragic hit-and-run accident in 2021. She said she wished people took mental health more seriously. Minaj thanked the Barbz, told the audience about her son, nicknamed Papa Bear, and announced her first greatest hits album, Queen Radio Vol. 1.

There were three co-hosts in the show, LL Cool J, Minaj, and Jack Harlow.

Harlow opened the show with a performance of his single, "First Class". The performance took place on an airplane with Harlow acting as an attendant. Several celebrities were seated in the plane including Lil Nas X, Saucy Santana, Avril Lavigne, and more. The plane "landed" at the award show and mocked a red carpet interview, with Harlow saying "Ladies and Gentlemen, Fergie!". Fergie had come out onstage to perform her 2007 hit "Glamorous" which "First Class" samples, marking her first televised performance since her controversial performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the 2018 NBA All Star Game. The performance ended with Fergie and Harlow hugging.

Anitta becomes the first Brazilian singer to win the MTV Video Music Awards.

2023: NSYNC reunited for the first time in 10 years at the ceremony, to present the award for Best Pop, which was to Taylor Swift's "Anti-Hero". Swift acknowledged that she still has the 'N Sync dolls, referencing the "It's Gonna Be Me" music video, and they gave her friendship bracelets.

Shakira was awarded with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, performing a medley of her hits. She became the first South-American born artist to receive the award. Later, Shakira and Karol G won the Best Collaboration award, for "TQG", making the first time a Spanish-language video and a Latin female collaboration won the award.

Taylor Swift won Video of the Year for a second consecutive year for "Anti-Hero", making her the artist with the most wins (four) in this category.

We can’t wait to see what iconic moment happens on this year’s award ceremony.

Happy 40th anniversary vmas !

Oh and one more thing : Who do you think will take home the coveted video of the year award? Here’s the nominees:

we can't be friends - Ariana Grande

LUNCH - Billie Eilish

Paint The Town Red - Doja Cat

Houdini - Eminem

Snooze - SZA

Fortnight - Taylor Swift ft Post Malone

[jezabatlovesbats]

My WALL-E OCs

Have I told y’all about my funky little bots yet?

D-J is a DJ bot who was built to entertain passengers aboard the Axiom. D-J units can be programmed to say anything you need them to, but having achieved sentience, this defective unit in particular can talk on his own. Often, he randomly points out his observations, like his observations of what others are up to. He is great at interacting with an audience and with whoever he wants to talk to. D-J relies on engaging stimuli to stay happy. If the atmosphere around him is too boring or dull, he'll be able to liven up the place. Usually, D-J will not know what's going on unless he is informed of it. He has a very open attitude. 

D-J units were built to provide entertainment whenever it is needed. They are most often seen in the ship's nightclub, but they can also entertain you right in your cabin. They are sometimes used in the all-day care center, playing nursery music to help the babies sleep well. If they need to, they will play music for a funeral. A D-J unit would definitely provide music for WALL-E and EVE's wedding, if they had one. 

The D-J bots have two different ways of playing music. Place a CD on their turntables, and they'll play the music on that CD for you. You can also listen to the radio by turning it on on the back of their heads. You cannot do both of these things at once. That could break them. 

As an addition to their musical and verbal capabilities, D-Js are able to sing. When two or more of them sing together, they can create beautiful harmonies unless one of them isn't tuned right. Yep, they work like musical instruments; when they were first built, they had to be tuned. Defective D-J can't sing well, and he doesn't know why. 

D-J goes about his own business much of the time, but he sometimes hangs around with the reject bots, M-O, EVE and WALL-E. He considers all of them to be fun friends, and he is a huge fan of WALL-E and EVE as a couple. These robots have welcomed him into their little friend group. 

V-T (pronounced "vet," as in "veterinarian") is a hovering bot made to take care of the Axiom's animals.

V-T units are programmed to be compassionate and knowledgeable about zoology. This particular unit is very much this, but she gets excited literally every single time she sees an animal. This excitement can make her malfunction. She is known by other robots to be a big fat sweetie pie. She loves to hang out with her friends and to make sure they're okay. She also likes moving her "ears" to and fro to match her expressions. When she's not caring for critters, she practices her new hobby of sewing, and she sews creations for her friends. She "cries" a bit too much.

Some animals live in their own rooms on the Axiom while others are kept as pets. Often, people dress them up in BnL vests, leg warmers or collars. All of the animals on that starliner in particular are small animals such as dogs, cats, hamsters, parrots, bunnies and others. There is a veterinary clinic on the Axiom where the V-T units groom them and examine them. If you need to, you can call a V-T to your cabin so she can give your pet a checkup there. 

V-T bots are equipped with different medical tools depending on what branch of veterinary medicine they practice. Not only that, but they also have fun toys (like tennis balls and chew toys) and toys that can be used for stress relief (like heated plushies). This V-T loves to have fun with animals, and her extreme excitement whenever she sees one isn't a defect; it's just a part of her personality.

V-T's friends are all bots who work in maintenance, like FIX-IT and POW-R. A more major character that she likes to hang out with is BURN-E. Being good friends with him, she often checks up on him. BURN-E is glad that he's got a supportive friend like her. After landing on Earth, V-T adopted some pets of her own- a bunny, two guinea pigs and a snake, which she and BURN-E love to play with. 

[obsoleteozymandias]

Haii could I get a Stardew valley matchup? 😁

I go by any pronouns, I’d prefer to be matched up with a man but women are good too! If it matters I’m an Aries, INTJ :3

Appearance: long dark/almost black hair, pretty edgy/choppy haircut. Dark brown color eyes. I’m pretty lean and average height, usually dress in dark clothing or neutral shades. Very into formal clothes, always dress like i have somewhere to go(i dont) or into lazy outfits like long shorts and a tshirt. No in between

Personality: when meeting someone for the first time, I’m all awkward smiles, avoiding eye contact, and shy politeness. Ermm i tend to get attached to people who continue to look past that and continue talking to me. Anyways after being friends for a while, i get so much louder and more talkative, i like to annoy/tease my friends but will stop when they tell me to. Sarcastic, protective, loyal, and i also tend to make A LOT of jokes…sometimes during bad times. On the other hand, i can be quite irritable, gets overstimulated by my surroundings easily, awful memory, no motivation to do simple tasks at times, sensitive, sometimes does not know when to shut up. Stubborn AS HELL and a bit of a perfectionist

Likes: all forms of art, fiction books, the night sky, quiet environments, rain, storms, loud music, spending time with people i care about, playing videogames, trying out new hobbies, having my own space once in a while. Love when people rant about their interests to me as well, like yes please keep talking

Dislikes: not doing anything for a long period of time, loud and crowded places, hot weather

Hobbies: oh boy..drawing, writing, reading, tinkering with technology, coding, sculpting, 3d modeling, crocheting, storytelling. I also like collecting knives, rocks, figures, and toy cars :D

I have a pet dog and have some other animals on a farm! (Stardew reference)

Hope that’s enough, thank you!

*crawls out of my grave to give you this*

== Stardew Valley ==>

I match you up with…

Harvey

Harvey and you would start off as awkward aquiantences, both of you thinking you’re not good enough for the other, while simultaneously being down bad for the other. 

He’s really relieved when you become more comfortable around him, and is glad you trust him enough to be sarcastic and talkative. He’d love to hear about your hobbies. 

When you mention you like technology, he’s fucking FLOORED. 

He immeditaly invites you up to check out his radio equipment, and you, similarly invite him over to youre to look at all the farm tools you’re working with. 

The two of you spend a long evening chatting about your hobbies, and when you don’t shy away from his, or make fun of him, you’ve got him flushing red in the face and giggling. 

He’s pretty smitten after that. 

I imagine he asks you out in the dorkiest way possible - maybe by sending you a radio message or taking you out to stargaze before asking. He’s a romantic at heart, and wants you to feel absolutely loved.

He’s very attracted to your artistic and expressive side. He’s always felt like he’s had to hide his hobbies and passions for fear of being made fun of, but with you he feels free to be his weird self. 

He’s understanding of your changes in mood. He gets overstimulated as well, and thus is pretty considerate of when you need space and time. 

Your shared home is a house full of life and personality. He’s got trinkets and machines, and you’ve got sketchbooks and knives, and it’s obvious love is poured into every inch of your home.

[ask-de-writer]

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THE FISHERMAN'S LEG (Part 10 of 20)

A sequel to Dee 1/2 Demon

by

De Writer (Glen Ten-Eyck)

7763 words (work in progress)

© 2023 by Glen Ten-Eyck

All rights reserved. This document may not be copied or distributed on or to any medium or placed in any mass storage system except by the express written consent of the author.

TUMBLR EXEMPTION

Blog holding members of Tumblr.com may freely reblog this story provided that the title, author and copyright information remain intact, unaltered, and are displayed at the head of the story.

Fan art, stories, music, cosplay and other fan activity is actively encouraged.

~~ ~~ ~~ ~~

New to the story? Read from the beginning HERE.

~~ ~~ ~~ ~~

Holding the key away from the hapless Fisherman, Constable Canra asked mildly, “Minami san, is this truly the key to the lock on the ice house that you own jointly with your wife Tanira san? Does she have a copy of it?”

“Give me back my key, Constable san! Of course my wife can easily enter the ice house any time that she pleases. All that is needful is a cash of silver each time that I must unlock it! I know that she is making the money. Last night, she told me so herself. That means that it is no hardship for her.”

Tanira retorted, “That is a lie, Minami! You left this shop with many debits that must be paid. There is no money that is not needful to keep the shop open!”

“I see," nodded Constable Canra. "Minami san, you MUST come with me to the Tribunal as soon as I gather your note and the lock.”

Following the Constable, Minami was exhorting, “What are you doing? If it is left open like this, I will have no silver cash. I know that she has earned some, she told me so last night!”

The two made their way toward the Tribunal, Minami squabbling at Canra like a hungry gull chick.

It was not long before Constable Canra returned alone, with a different lock and a notice.

ICE HOUSE, HARVESTING TOOLS AND ICE INSIDE TO BE SOLD BY AUCTION NEXT MARKET DAY!

Minara noticed Tanira's smile and offered, “You were expecting this, Tanira san?”

She nodded. “Something of the sort, Minara san. Minami owes much money. As long as the ice house was shared, it was a joint property that could not be siezed toward his debits. As soon as he locked me out, he was declaring the ice house to be his alone, a valuable asset.

“It will now be sold the day after tomorrow to be set against what he owes. It should raise a tidy sum. Not enough to clear up his several cash of gold in debits but still, a goodly sum. Perhaps as much as several strings of silver cash.”

They returned to their task of splitting fish for drying. Ichuru tugged at his mother's sleeve. He was hugging his toy boat to his chest and asked, “Mother, Tanira san, may I take my boat down to the dock to float it?”

Takahara smiled, “If Tanira san approves, Ichuru san, I will go with you. You must wear your floats that your mother got you. If you fall in without them, you could drown just like those men that Patsu pulled out this morning. I will be there to pull you to safety if you need it.” She smiled as she added, “And if you don't, we will both have fun with your boat.”

He said seriously, “Daddy Minami san says that if I want to be a man, I don't need floats. None of the other fishermen wear floats. They just have to stay in the boat.”

Takahara nodded, “If you can, true. Why did those three men drown last night?”

His young brow wrinkled and his eyes squinted as he thought. “They drowned because their boat sank.”

“Right so far, Ichuru san. Where would they be if they stayed in their boat?”

“On the bottom with the boat.”

“Could they swim?”

“I heard some of the fishermen talk about that. They said that they couldn't swim. That's why they died.”

“That's right, Ichuru san. Are you a man yet?”

He pulled a face before admitting, “Not yet.”

“Right. Wear your floats so that if you do fall in, you will still get to grow up to be a man. We all want you to grow to be a fine young man.”

He grinned as he replied, “I will wear my floats, Takahra san. Let's go play!”

Takahara and Ichuru's happy laughter and shouts drifted up from the water's edge. After a while, they came up, both soaking wet. He carefully put up his toy boat and took off the soggy floats, hanging them neatly to dry.

Proudly, he announced, “I did fall in, all the way! I tripped on a stone and the bottom got way deeper than me! My floats kept me up just like you said they would. Takahara san jumped in and pulled me out and swam out to get my boat too!

“I want to learn to swim like she does!”

Minami stompped back from the Tribunal in time to hear the happy outburst from his son. Overriding the child's happiness, face screwed tight in anger, he snapped, “Fishermen don't need silly floats or know how to swim! All that they need to do is stay in the boat!”

Remembering his earlier lesson with happy people, Ichuru nodded and shot back, “Just like the crew of the Chrysanthemum! Those three men stayed in their boat!”

He pointed his index finger and folded his hand so that it pointed down. He bobbed it up and down three times, saying, “Bloop! Bloop! Bloop! They couldn't swim and stayed with the boat. Until I can swim, I will wear my float!”

Minami angrily pulled back his hand to slap his son! Takahara grabbed his hand and pulled it down and around behind him, forcing his arm straight, with his hand folded back at the wrist! As she levered his arm up, the pain in his shoulder forced him down, face first on the floor!

Her voice quivering with rage, but forced to a mild tone, she told him, “Your son was correct. You must apologize for your unruly anger toward him. If you do not, I will dislocate your shoulder. Am I clear?”

Whimpering, Minami retorted, “He was insolent!” That was followed by a yelp of pain as Takahara pushed his arm further against the arm bar.

She snarled, “He was right! You were wrong! Apology now or go to Doctor Siani to have your arm relocated.”

“I, I should have,” he swallowed around the agony of his shoulder, “been better behaved in public!” He yelped again as she nudged his arm further!

“Apology to your SON for your unruly behavior to HIM. He was happy. You stole that, like everything else that you come near! That was not enough! You tried to slap him for being correct and showing you wrong! Apology NOW!”

Constable Canra was leaning on the counter, watching, eyes lively with interest. Tanira was leaning on it too, from the inside, and nodding with approval at what was happening.

Minami groaned, “I am sorry that I tried to strike you, Ichuru san.”

Takahara released his arm and stepped back. “Now, Minami san, you may leave this shop where you have no business being at all.”

He rose slowly, back to her. He tried use his turning about to give force to a rough house punch at her!

Takahara made grabbing his arm seem almost casual as she leaned back and shoved a foot solidly into his midsection! She rolled back and down, curling her leg as she went smoothly to the floor, dragging the helpless Minami with her! As she came down to the floor, her folded leg straightened forcefully again!

His wrist imprisoned in her vice like grip, Minami was hurled violently up! She let go of his wrist! His flight was shorter and far less graceful than a bird's! He landed in a wild tangle of arms and legs, tumbling some before coming to rest in a lump.

Constable Canra stepped over and bound his arms behind him before he quite knew what was happening.

As he was hauled to his feet, Constable Canra politely asked, “Tanira san, what is your wish of this unruly affair?”

She sadly replied, “After this attempt to violently attack my son, I must ask for an Order of Protection. He is not to approach this shop or the house, which I must claim as my own.

“In the presence of Constables, he must remove all of his personal goods and clothes, taking no money or things of value.

“I also need a civil order of separation to isolate and protect our accounts and debits.”

She shook her head and looked at her disheveled husband. “I can no longer trust him at all. If he can learn to control his unruly behavior, perhaps our marriage can be saved.

Pain and some tears in her eyes, she brokenly offered, “I will be up to the Tribunal shortly to see to these papers. Please hold him in the gaol until he can properly receive them.”

The Constable nodded, “It shall be done.”

To Takahara he asked politely, “Takahara san, I did see the whole of this event. Have you a belt?”

She smiled as she bowed deeply to him and replied, “I do, Constable Canra san. Both of my parents were Black Belts. I had earned my Brown, second Dan when they were taken from me. As a Brown Belt, I was not allowed to maintain the dojo.”

To be Continued

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