#it being similar to tumblr that you can make a VARIETy of styles of post. not just Only Post Photos or Only Short Text or Only Video which

[fatphobiabusters]

Does anyone know where to find 3-4xl tradgoth fatshion? /nf

Sorry if this is the wrong blog to ask

Hi! This isn't the wrong blog to ask! I've separated this answer into parts to make this post easier to read.

Option 1: Independent Artists

I'm not super knowledgeable about where to buy fatshion myself. If I'm not simply buying from Torrid and hoping for the best, I'm probably buying from @mayakern. She's mainly known for her skirts, but she also sells shirts and I think is branching out to even more clothing types. These two skirts of hers may work for a goth aesthetic, and I think one is still available as a miniskirt as well.

A similar store is @freshhotflavors. They have an online store here along with their Tumblr. I haven't personally bought from them, but they work with Maya Kern. I've bought many a skirt from Maya Kern over the years and know her dedication to quality. She also has been very understanding with me about exchanging one of her skirts I accidentally got double of for christmas. So the fact that she works with Fresh Hot Flavors encourages me to trust FHF as well. I believe they sell some of her skirts in maxi length, but they sell a variety of other stuff too!

An artist that FHF works with who seems to make a lot of goth clothing is @vetiverfox. This is their website. I haven't bought from this artist either, but their skirts seem to be similar to Maya Kern's with the sizing, elastic waistband, and type of fabric used. So if their clothes are anything like Maya Kern's, I would give them a shot. Each of these three artists sell skirts that go up to a 6XL (though I think Maya has mentioned having some skirts that go up to 8XL too). I've only been talking about skirts, but each of these artists sells more than that.

Option 2: User Suggestions

I'm hoping our followers may have some advice for you about where to buy goth fatshion. @fine-ass-fatshion has knowledge about fatshion for sure. We've also recently reblogged some great goth fatshion from @wisteriaawillow, so I would definitely suggest asking them for advice on where to buy goth fatshion too. @iridessence wears a lot of pretty fatshion on her main blog, but her side blog @luxus-aeterna would be more your style. I don't know if the clothes she wears on that blog are technically goth or simply make me think of gothic clothing due to being historical clothing with generally darker fabrics, but look at her side blog just in case. I believe her FAQ mentions that she gives detailed information about how to find the clothes she wears if you donate to her work.

Option 3: Tailoring and Getting Creative

A lot of fat people have to resort to sewing and making their own clothes, but this can include taking stuff and simply making adjustments to them. For example, dyeing a shirt a more goth color, taking dollar store trinkets and making them into jewelry, etc. You can even do some clothing adjustments without needing to know how to sew! That's how I used to make my cosplays. People have suggested before to not discard the idea of going to a tailor either. If you happen to find some clothing you like but doesn't fit you, a tailor can help.

Option 4: Etsy and Commissions

Websites like Etsy sometimes can be a goldmine for specific aesthetics. However, Etsy tends to be expensive due to shipping and/or items being handmade by artists. I also hate that a lot of artists on Etsy charge fat people more money for the same product. Additionally, Etsy is probably a better store for accessories rather than your main outfit.

If you're willing to pay for the quality of handmade clothing fitted specifically for your body type and measurements, I've honestly considered the idea myself of commissioning cosplay artists for clothing, which can be done through Etsy or by meeting cosplay artists at anime conventions. If you go to a local anime convention and meet an artist there, you may even find an artist so local that you can try on the clothes during the process of making them so that you know they definitely will fit you at the end. I've thought about this usually regarding cosplay, but a cosplayer who does commissions would probably be able to make clothing that isn't for cosplaying a character as long as you gave them references.

Option 5: Online Stores and Our Pinned Post

Lastly, our pinned post has a link to our FAQ Google Doc, and that Google Doc includes links to online stores that sell plus size clothing. And here is a link to a post we shared about a month ago that has resources for buying jfashion. A lot of of the photos on the post include fatshion that could be useful for a goth aesthetic, though I say that without much knowledge about goth clothing.

I hope one of these suggestions will be of help to you!! Have a good day! cx

-Mod Worthy

[daydadahlias]

What is the difference to you between Wattpad fic and non Wattpad fic? Genuinely asking. Isn't fic just fic and quality is going to vary regardless of where it gets posted? Also i think to me at least, x reader fic is kind of synonymous with Wattpad so how can you "condemn" one but not the other? Interested to hear your thoughts :)

ok so it is 1 am and I just finished writing a vEry bad paper so my brain is not firing on all cylinders rn. thus, pls forgive me for not being the most articulate.

I would like to first say that all of this is just my Jess Opinion so I’m not trying to make you disagree or agree w/ me and I’m not stating any of this as fact. These are just my personal thoughts that I state with authority and passion bc that’s how I talk :) ok!!

Obviously I don’t actually “condemn” any authors lmfao I was just being dramatic for comedic affect. Im not asking to burn any wattpad authors at the stake or anything. However, there is definitely a distinct difference between wattpad fic and ao3 fic, so much so that I can literally read a fic on ao3 and tell when it has been cross posted from wattpad.

Fic quality actually does not vary as much as you think dependent on platform. Usually people write amongst groups of likeminded people and similar writing styles so your writing style can be influenced a Lot by the platform you post on. Sure there’s an outlier here and there but pretty much all wattpad fic is simply Not written well for a variety of reasons.

My most personal beef from wattpad stems from their crack ass horrible garbage stupid bitch fuck ratchet tagging system.

On wattpad, there is NO way to trigger warn or appropriately tag for content or, as a reader, filter out content you don’t want to see. Unless an author specifically includes something in an author note about content warnings (which they Don’t do for the most part because no one else on the platform does so why would they break fhe mold??)

This means that when you read Most wattpad fics, you don’t know what kind of content you’re going to encounter. Often times, this content ends up being blatant internalized misogyny, domestic abuse, and/or dub-con handled with no tact or understanding for the problematicism of the subject matter :)

I don’t personally read x reader (bc I’m an aroace person so I’m just not the audience for it lol) but I certainly don’t knock people that write it. It’s a very valid form of writing/expression and there are plenty of very talented x reader writers on tumblr that I respect a lot. So that’s why I made the differentiation.

A lot of the x reader writers on tumblr are adults whereas wattpad is primarily comprised of children (when I say children I mean as broad a range as 9-16).

Because ao3 is regarded as “confusing” to a lot of young people just now getting into fanfic (ie. me when I was 12), they post on wattpad (or quotev, which is where I posted lol) because it is a platform made to be accessible for primarily adolescents.

This means that the bulk of fics you’re finding on wattpad are written by teenagers; often, straight female teenagers who have not had comprehensive sex education, do not understand the full spectrum of consent, have only consumed media that pushes damaging heteronormative expectations when it comes to romance, and are reading stories written by other adolescents who don’t understand these topics either!!! It’s usually a case of the blind leading the blind.

I don’t inherently think of wattpad being synonymous with x reader considering there is slash on there too. I instead consider it synonymous with adolescent writing. And, as we’ve established a few times now, I’m an adult who does not feel comfortable reading about children or reading the writing of children.

While there’s nothing wrong with kids learning how to write and becoming comfortable with their craft (and while I think it is important for them to have those outlets as it was for me), wattpad writers never really tend to grow out of that because that’s what basically All the content on wattpad is. They continuously feed into a loop of misinformation that they perpetuate the cycle of by not understanding the content they’re consuming is inappropriate and incorrect (I’m talking about romantic portrayals of abuse/assault and the glamorization of abusive men).

Young teens using wattpad makes sense to me. It really does. I used quotev so I don’t have room to talk. I can say, however, that I don’t like it, considering how permeated wattpad is with untagged rape and domestic violence that teaches young consumers really damaging perspectives about romance but… I know kids genuinely don’t know any better and have not been given an outlet to know better when our sex education system fails to teach us even the slightest bit of porn literacy… but that’s neither here nor there. And I often times make fanfic a deeper conversation than it needs to be :)

[fandom-trash-xl]

Hit and Frost Headcanons (Kinda Angsty in Bits) Set (What's the Occasion? IDK)

(Okay, back to the old grind, note to self, NEVER Ctrl-Z on a Tumblr post. Decided to do a headcanon set here with Frost and Hit. Don't know why I decided all of a sudden- might be the Frit resurgence brainrot... and the Puss in Boots brainrot. Anyway, here we are, some may be shippy (Frabba/Shattered Ice isn't going anywhere don't worry) but mostly just character focus here. A bit angsty/whumpy in some spots, so let me know if I need to tag anything.)

FROST

Frost can inject himself with his own needles if need be. Just one stab to the thigh Epipen style and he can use the stun variety to numb his wounds.

For a time, on the lam, Frost's usual poison needles were swapped out for a sleep brew (kind of like a very strong liquid melatonin), basically to help him knock out foes less suspiciously than with poisons, which would leave more obvious traces. Once he finds a suitable hiding place and still finds himself restless, he may inflict it on himself.

When uneased, Frost will try to give himself his motivational mantra (the "No matter what happens, never give up, get back on your feet" one from episode 33) to settle his nerves. Often he can't get through it without panting harder.

Before he trusts that Hit is sparing him for the time, encounters with the assassin can put Frost on the verge of or into a full-blown panic attack. All senses on edge, hard to breathe, heightened pulse, trembles all over. He often mislabels the symptoms as simply restlessness from being on the run.

Even as he starts to develop trust with Hit... he can say "I trust you" with his mouth, but his residual fight or flight and panic disorder say otherwise. When you get into the shippy side, he brushes it off as giddiness, "my heart's supposed to speed up when I'm with you", but Hit is attentive enough to know that something here isn't healthy.

Despite there being no fur or anything similar there, Frost's tail will still "bristle" and straighten when startled or fear-paralyzed, almost like a tiny rush of trembles. Almost like when the hair on your arms stands up.

Frost has a distinct shaky choked laugh, making it easy to tell when he's faking confidence.

Frost will attempt to tug the hood of his cloak closer to his face when trying to ground himself.

As a little Frabba bonus, Cabba can bounty hunt Frost, as a treat. A bit of Puss & Kitty-esque pettiness. However, Cabba, as he attempts to sever ties with Frost, will learn that he can try, oh but "I love you" means he's never ever ever getting rid of him~

HIT

Hit can whistle REAL ominously. Think the wolf from Puss in Boots.

He often never has a need to, but Hit is well-trained in a variety of weapons and blades. He can effortless spin a knife in his hand without nicking himself- often it plays off as a reflex in response to simply holding the hilt.

Hit tends to play the caretaker role in a caretaker-whumpee scenario, but he often forgets to put his own health first sometimes and may brush off his own injuries if they're not dire. Even if there isn't a whumpee he has to take care of, he's still neglectful. If it's not critical, the blood can dry.

Lighter subject but, Hit is a fidgeter and will often stim by rustling his hands in his pockets. He has learned to artfully mask this on the job, however, and will only do so if the situation has settled enough that he can unclench his jaw.

Hit has several medical matters memorized to the letter from anatomy to pressure points to wound dressing. He can very precisely sew closed gashes, including his own.

Hit can very easily pick up the slightest traces of blood scent in the air, more precise than a bloodhound.

Hearing Hit's voice turn genuinely soft and concerned is such a drastic contrast that it's almost scarier than hearing his stone cold gruff voice.

[mitigatedchaos]

What’s the/a capital matrix?

I don’t have an opinion on use frequency regarding ‘matrix’, by the way

Well that's the problem. Looking back at that post, it's not clear that it's the best choice of words.

Though this is not just about capital, the average American is benefiting from the energy equivalent of about 12 full draft horses working continuously, 24/7, being channeled through the capital matrix. Cars, aircraft, milling machines, excavators - just flick a switch and off you go. (Because it’s low-dimensionality, it isn’t the same as real labor, but in terms of overall production, it’s astounding.)

Matrix A

Officially, according to Merriam-Webster, a matrix is a material ("such as soil or rock") within which some other object ("such as a fossil") is embedded. Some figurative uses are from this basis - for instance, in the movie The Matrix, the human population are kept in virtual reality pods, and the context that they live in is a computer simulation... called "the Matrix."

Matrix B

A mathematical matrix is a two-dimensional array of numbers. Basically just think of it as a grid of numbers.

This is also used figuratively, often to describe things similar to a table (the document element), or a spreadsheet.

To quote Merriam-Webster quoting Forbes,

And in the two-by-two matrix of men and women being warm and not warm and competent and not competent.

A mathematical matrix is usually composed of vectors. You can think of a 3-dimensional coordinate, which consists of three numbers (three "elements"), as a common variety of vector.

The Social Matrix

We could imagine a "social matrix" where we represent each person in a community's relationship with each other person in that community as an element in a vector.

For instance, maybe Alice, Beth, and Carol all live together in one house. Alice hates Beth (1 out of 5 stars) and likes Carol (4 / 5 stars), so: { -, 1, 4 }. Beth is neutral on both Alice and Carol: { 3, -, 3 }. Carol loves Alice and mildly dislikes Beth: { 5, 2, - }

We can arrange this as a grid:

[4] [3] [-] [1] [-] [2] [-] [3] [5]

Though it's only a model (relationships don't reduce to a single 5-point scale), this has the effect of being both a mathematical matrix and describing the social context within which Alice, Beth, and Carol are embedded.

To quote a Rationalist Tumblr user who I am not going to name because they are not a discourse participant and I am not going to drag them into the discourse:

I was enmeshed in a social matrix where lots of people are dating each other and making new connections happens almost automatically once you’re plugged in enough into the network.

We could map out who is dating whom in this Tumblr user's life with a matrix in this style.

Now, as for capital...

Capital Matrix A

We can actually model the economy as a whole using 2-dimensional matrices, and solve for the equilibrium, assuming that we can describe the production function for each enterprise or sector in linear terms. Think of it as a static ratio, the sort of thing you might see in a video game like Anno 2070. "2 apples + 1 wheat = 1 apple pie," that sort of thing.

Energy is a key term in this system. We would channel energy through this system in order to transform inputs into outputs.

In reality, production isn't static, and input-output ratios are not linear (due to many factors, including economies of scale), which means that you can't just solve the problem of economic planning by feeding everything into a single big table in a computer.

That's our first matrix analogy for capital. In some ways it's very similar to the idea of the social matrix, as the capital matrix is also the context that we're working within, and is modeling the relationships of the production systems through the use of vectors.

Capital Matrix B

We can also view capital, such as a metal stamping machine, as composed of two components - the material it's physically composed of, and the configuration of that material.

While the actual physical material is a solid, thick, physical object, the configuration is a simplified construct that humans dreamed up. If you're using high-resolution voxels (volume pixels), you could mark the material at each point using a 3-dimensional matrix, and then simulate the flow of energy and materials through that system to produce an output.

Another definition given by Merriam-Webster is a mold from which a relief surface ("such as a piece of type") is made, or a die (such as used for metal stamping), or an impression of a phonograph used to duplicate it.

Mathematical matrices can also be used to transform the contents of another matrix, such as rotating the points, flipping, or scaling.

One way to view capital is as a reusable pattern used to gain leverage in reordering the environment according to some intention.

So, from the metaphorical perspective, we could view capital as applying an ordered sequence of transformations to an initial input, exerting forces on an objects, which would be modeled with vectors.

This is where the analogy breaks down a bit, because that's not a matrix. That's a sequence of matrices. And we're not doing a scaling operation; we're often doing a lot of destructive editing.

(I still need to get through more of the textbook I have about matrices.)

So, to come back to the quote...

Though this is not just about capital, the average American is benefiting from the energy equivalent of about 12 full draft horses working continuously, 24/7, being channeled through the capital matrix. Cars, aircraft, milling machines, excavators - just flick a switch and off you go. (Because it’s low-dimensionality, it isn’t the same as real labor, but in terms of overall production, it’s astounding.)

For the first analogy, I think we're fairly solid. (Even though the actual production functions aren't actually nice simple lines.)

For the second analogy, I feel I'd want @regina-bithyniae 's opinion on whether it's a fair use of the term.

Matrices as New Metaphor

What I was actually getting at with my question about whether other people are using matrices as a metaphor is a bit weirder, though.

As you know, the new deep learning AI systems are based on matrices, and specialized hardware that allows massively parallel execution of matrix operations.

I don't know if you can sense it, or if others can sense it, or if it's just me, but the limitations of Llama2-70b, the text-based large language model, feel like the limitations of Stable Diffusion, the image-based model that "predicts" images from noise.

It's frustrating, because I can't put it into words, but after fucking around with Stable Diffusion long enough, you can feel the way you're reaching in and probabilistically pulling things out of its training data. This includes a sense of when you're requesting things that are less represented in its training data, and so are less 'probable,' gradually sliding into things you can't make it represent because they're not in the training data at all.

With LLMs, it feels like you're reaching in to a library in the same way, trying to influence which part of the library it's pulling from.

Both have issues with abstractions, being able to depart from their training data to a degree, but requiring human assistance to work out more complex subjects in layers of intermediate reasoning.

Metaphors or frames of viewing the world often come from real life, and our descriptions of more abstract phenomena are often based on abstracting more concrete real life meanings.

New technology provides new real-life concepts, leading to new ways for humanity to understand the world - new metaphors. (And "the brain as computer" is better than "the brain as clock," for instance.)

Obviously, describing things in terms of a bunch of vectors has its uses. (I have described max1461 and I as 'using different weights, but on similar models.')

If describing things as a 'matrix' is becoming more common, I'm wondering if it's related to underlying exposure to the new technology and its description as working based on matrices, or if this is part of our demographic cohort aging (as Tumblr becoming more nuanced seems to be).

It might also be that it isn't becoming more common. There probably isn't a good way to separate out the metaphorical usage using Google Trends, though.

[servalphias]

A Brief Introduction

In the first post on this blog I introduced myself as a Twitter refugee… and nothing else. In truth, I am still active on Twitter, and while I don’t think that site will be going down in the next few days I do feel that the writing's on the wall. Even if Twitter as a service ultimately survives Elon’s madness it will be a very different place, with many worthy folk having scattered to the winds, signing up for this or that replacement.

I have chosen Tumblr.

Now that I am here and happily reblogging (with occasional original posts like this one sprinkled in), I suppose I should explain what I’m about and what to expect on my little corner of the Internet.

I have a variety of interests, but in this space I will mainly be posting and reblogging about three of them: language learning, outer space/space news, and (eventually) learning to draw. Of these three, it’s the language learning that will be of primary focus for me on this website for at least the short term, and I want to take a moment and share some of my ambition on this front.

- Language Learning -

I have recently begun the long, laborious, difficult, and satisfying journey of language learning. I have a list of languages I wish to learn. The two at the top of the list are Chinese (Mandarin) and Hindi.

I started learning Mandarin Chinese toward the end of August (你好。你怎么样？), and while progress has ultimately been slow I am at least making it. I’ve found myself somewhat surprised very early on in that it isn’t meaning or writing the characters I’ve struggled the most with, but tones and making sure I use the right tone when speaking. Right now I’m primarily going through Duolingo lessons and copying their sentences and translations for use in SRS repetition. Sometime down the line I’ll be going through Grammar lessons and trying to find ways to interact with native speakers for feedback - maybe starting with a tutor before anything?

I have not yet started learning Hindi, but I plan to soon. I will start along a similar path as with my Mandarin: Duolingo, then focusing on learning Grammar and eventual practice with other speakers - native, ideally.

Aside from reblogs, right now I think most of my posts on here will be questions. Maybe I’ll have comments on aspects of the language (does Mandarin really not have a general word for “brother” or “sister?”) or other things along those lines.

So, I would like to end this short introduction with some questions. Right now I plan to use two websites to get feedback from native speakers: LangCorrect and italki. The first is a place to post journal-style updates in your target language, then native speakers will offer corrections and advice, with the idea being that you offer corrections and advice to people learning your native tongue. The second is for direct interaction, and while I’m mainly looking at italki for tutors, I’m just happy to get good advice and corrections from any fluent speaker.

So, the questions! Are there other resources I could also be using? Are there alternatives to LangCorrect and italki that are as good or even better? Is the Duolingo bird going to kill me in my sleep? Thank you in advance for any advice you can give me.

[cloudselkie]

DECK AWARDS - 2022

ORACLE EDITION

Because Tumblr has a ten photo limit for posts, the oracle decks get a separate post. Most were released this year, but some I only purchased this year. Here are my favorite oracle decks of 2022!

MOST UNIQUE DECK

BEGIN

The Begin oracle that I picked up due to it being marketed as both a tool for intuition and writing. And it really is a great writing tool! It's designed to help you tell a story and I've had fun with it the few times I've used it. The art is collage style and well done, and the card titles are also fun! The only things really holding this deck back are the oversized cards and the booklet that is the size of a magazine.

Cardstock: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Shuffling: ⭐⭐

Guilded Cards?: ❌

Guilded Edges? ❌

Where to Buy: Etsy - alittlemagicshop

BEST INDIE ORACLE

THE ORACLE OF THE SEELIE FAE/THE ORACLE OF THE UNSEELIE FAE

Technically, this deck is two in one - the Seelie Deck and the Unseelie deck. I think they work best combined, but you can read them however you wish. I LOVE the representation of Irish and Scottish folklore in this, and also that when whatever is featured on the card comes from Irish folklore, the Irish spelling is retained. It's an unusual deck that is well researched and does a fantastic job representing the stories of its subject matter. There are two issues with this deck - the first being the cardstock quality (it's very thin), and the second being that the font used for the card titles can be difficult to read, which hurts its accessibility.

Cardstock: ⭐⭐

Shuffling: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Guilded Cards?: ❌

Guilded Edges: ❌

Where to Buy: Etsy - BackPorchMagic

MOST VERSATILE DECK

THE DELPHIC ORACLE

This deck is made up of awesome pictures drawn straight from Greek frescos each paired with one of the 147 Delphic maxims in English and Greek. I love this deck simply because there is so much variety. Some cards are pretty similar, but the little nuances in wording and meaning are what make it so amazing. I also appreciate that this deck comes directly from Greece! I would say this is a must have for anyone who practices Hellenic worship or who loves Greek Mythology and History. The only bad thing about this deck is how thick it is (extra THICC) which can make it hard to shuffle. My way around this is I just split the deck in half and shuffle each side, then cut and combine both together.

Cardstock: ⭐⭐⭐

Shuffling: ⭐⭐⭐

Guilded Cards?: ❌

Guilded Edges?: ❌

Where to Buy: Etsy - AncientGreekArt

BEST LENORMAND DECK

THE PAPER ORACLE

Not only is it the best Lenormand I bought this year, it's the only Lenormand I purchased this year. I'm a HUGE fan of Eric Maille's artwork, so I knew if I was going to get a Lenormand deck, it would be his new one. This deck is amazing. The art is all hand drawn on paper, with imperfections and all, which give it so much character. He also added several cards of his own to the deck, including a non-binary card. He states that his goal was to create a more inclusive deck, hence the non-binary card, and the renaming of the Lady and the Man to the Feminine and the Masculine, respectively. If Lenormand decks usually feel too binary, try out The Paper Oracle instead!

Cardstock: ⭐⭐⭐

Shuffling: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Guilded Cards?: ❌

Guilded Edges?: ❌

Where to Buy: Etsy - EricMailleArt

BEST ORACLE DECK 2022

THE ENDLESS ORACLE

I cannot sing the praises of Eric Maille enough! This is the second deck of his on the list and my top pick for 2022! Honestly, I would have put his tarot deck, The Ink Witch Tarot, on my Best Tarot of 2022 list if I hadn't purchased it in 2021. The Endless Oracle was inspired by myriorama games in which children could take a set of pictures on cards and arrange them in different ways to create different pictures. Most of the illustrations in the Endless Oracle take place at night or at least look like night (one features the sun, technically). They are designed to tell a story no matter how many cards you string together or what order. These cards feel so magical that it almost hurts to use them for mundane divination prompts (you know, the typical love/luck/money stuff). They make me want to protect them and keep them just for magic and deity related questions. This is such a special deck. I've only had it for a week and it has taken my top 2022 oracle deck slot!

Cardstock: ⭐⭐⭐

Shuffling: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Guilded Cards?: ❌

Guilded Edges?: ❌

Where to Buy: This was a Kickstarter deck and is currently not available, however, Eric has stated a second edition will eventually be available through his Etsy shop - EricMailleArt

[maaichen]

A small love letter for @aspaceformbf

[disclaimer: This letter was written in German and translated in google, only to be edited into a less weird version. I do not take responsibility for deaths caused by cringe or laughter. In addition, by reading this letter, you confirm that your Magus will not follow me to hell should one of these happen to you. Amen.]

Soooo… ehem.

First things first - Do you want to know how I came across your blog and your twitter and stuck to them? It wasn't the sheer volume of great edits (okay, those too) or all the head canons. Or your general activity. It was a wonderful mix thrown into all these posts and your personal version of this man, which breathed a little more life into him. It made him more tangible, gave him something more to see on or in him. And your Magus? A great guy. Yes, he is somewhat peculiar in his way, but DAMN if he isn't so fucking adorable! Also, if you don't laugh at the thought of an over 6'5 tall man with fiery red hair doing some kind of wild mating dance in front of his beloved, then what? (BTW, I'm waiting for a head canon to be written where you buy him a new wig at his trusted wig shop.)

What is also wonderful about you and your work here: you leave him in a great, balanced state.

Many people paint him as violent, insane, or a complete '100 shades of gray'-pervert. He's also not the soft baby we've all come to know and love on Tumblr, BUT he comes very close. Your Magus or your head canons gave him some well-sorted levels in the character itself, which I think is perfect. Magus would give anything to live a domestic life with you. Mundane things like holding you in your arms, shopping with you, or eating your both home-cooked meals at the same table. But he would also, out of sheer jealousy and hopeless obsession with you, try to get those around you away from you if they get in yours and his way to eternal happiness. The variety is there and that is what I love about it!

I… used to read a book I can't remember the title of, but it was something similar. It was a male being that was once human. Maybe a ghost? He met the woman of his dreams, but she couldn't see him. He almost went insane and in despair that he couldn't even touch her or her smile was meant for him but some other guy, so he decided to break into his former work lab and… Unfortunately, I don't remember the rest. But goodness gracious, what I would give for a story like that just to be able to read it again! In any case. Magus has the potential to be used for similar interesting/paranormal stories, in my opinion!

I have to mention again how great I think the sprite edits are. They kinda lure you to them as a fan, because you wouldn't get those in the game itself, but they're close enough to be the real deal? Does that make sense? And before I get away from the sprite edits (or I just forget, my brain only works on three gray cells atm, and they usually only play UNO when I'm down with a cold), from where do you get these great ideas for his outfits? AND may I also mention how AMAZING it is that you dress him in those?! I always imagine that before that, he only wore his generally everyday clothes we all know. BUT because of YOU, he got experimental with his styles. And I mean… Hello? A daring, see through top? Hot cropped outfits, A happy trail?? Ugh, kill me, that shit is hot…

Heh, imagine - Your love and attention alone was enough for him to try it out for you (or secretly for himself, who knows) only then to wear it with pride. Just for your reactions, compliments and because he finds himself more attractive and desirable for you in those.

Also, an interesting point about your blog is that you continue to present him as an entity from another world. "I love this man, and he loves me, even though we exist in completely different realities. We found each other under the strangest of circumstances and can no longer live without each other" I mean… SUPER romantic??? You can also spin it into interesting stories. "He joins you in games. You have absolutely no idea how, and he just playfully jumps and ducks around in front of you in game, if you should ask him." I bet you already have that somewhere similar in your sea of ​​ideas.

Damn, it's fun to flip through this work of yours and inspire myself for ideas in the form of pictures, posts, simple answers or entire chapters in Word pad.

What I'm trying to say with the text wall here is… Thanks. A very simple, thank you. Because of people like you letting your ideas and creativity flow freely AND sharing them with the world, people like me can get joy, ideas and general energy for the pent-up creativity to participate in the fandom. We don't know each other, but who cares. I think you're great and admire your work here. I'm your fan, that's it.

In poorly translated love, Maaichen.

[mittensmorgul]

I'm relatively new to fandom and destiel, and I had a question you might know the answer to. I noticed there are these organized fanfic (and fanart?) projects. The ones I've seen are Pinefest and Big Bang. What are these exactly? Do you just sign up and write a fic, and it gets featured as part of this project? Are there any others besides those two? And is there a way to see a list of all the past fics that have been written as part of these projects? So sorry to bother you, I'm just trying to figure it all out. Thank you for any help

Hi there, and welcome to the fandom! We’ve got barrels of fests and challenges, and I’m happy to give a little explainer of a few of the different varieties and how they work. :)

I’m putting this under a cut, because even though I assembled it mostly off the top of my head while being distracted by like nine other things, and it’s in no way a complete and detailed accounting of all challenges and fests in the fandom, it still got kinda long... I know I have other posts on this subject in my writing challenges tag, where I reblog challenge info.

The biggest challenge in the fandom (based on participation, history, etc.) is probably the Dean/Cas Big Bang (known as the dcbb). This is the sort of challenge where writers and authors sign up (traditionally in April for this challenge), authors write stories with a minimum wordcount (in the case of dcbb, it’s 20k words), and then artists “claim” stories to make art for (usually in August for this challenge). Then the resulting author/artist teams work together and post on their scheduled posting date (for dcbb, usually October/November).

There are a number of other challenges that roughly use this model, including the Pinefest (which, disclosure, I’m the assistant mod for, so if you have questions specifically about pinefest, I’m happy to help!). Some others have a more defined theme, such as the horror big bang, etc., or have different minimum wordcounts (some as low as 3k!). But they generally run along a similar format with a definitive time frame with deadlines and participation requirements.

There’s also Reverse Bangs, the biggest of which is probably the sibling challenge to the dcbb, the dcrb. For those, artists make art and it’s the writers who claim pieces to write about, but the rest of the process runs on a similar premise with deadlines for each step of the process that all participants have to meet.

Challenges often have discord servers where participants can chat, work through story ideas, find beta readers, ask questions, etc. It’s a great way to find a community within the fandom!

Speaking of discord servers, there’s a number of destiel creative community groups there, such as the @profoundnet and @writersofdestiel. These are not only great places to find a community of writers/artists, but they both also run various challenges and fests that you can learn about there, in addition to having channels dedicated to the announcement of writing/art challenges. They’re great places to learn more about how all of these work, and to find out which challenges are currently open.

So outside of the bigger challenge format I described above, there’s also fests such as prompt fests where someone will post a prompt list and creators can make things based on those prompts. They usually have looser rules than organized challenges, for authors or artists to participate in as they feel moved to. There’s also bingo challenges where participants will be issued a bingo-style card with various tropes and prompts with the goal of completing a “bingo” by using those elements in a work.

And then there’s some monthly themed challenges with their own sets of rules. Again, the easiest way to find these is just to look out for them either on tumblr or via one of the discord servers i mentioned above. I try to reblog relevant ones when I see them to let folks know they exist.

There’s a few other seasonal challenges, such as @winchester-reload’s suptober/inktober art prompt list, various advent calendar/holiday themed exchanges in december, typically a “sweetheart” exchange in February, etc. 

But in general, if you see a challenge you think you might be interested in, the best thing to do is check it out directly. They all have different rules and requirements for participation, but in general most of the larger organized challenges have set deadlines for registration and participation. :)

(and for some reason tumblr isn’t letting me add tags in the inbox today, which is super annoying lol)

[morsartis]

Hey! Your writing was awesome! I've just discovered Marvus and his clowny glory a little but ago. So I've been binging his tags. Can I get a thing about his makeup? Kinda like Clowndaydreams' post about it if you want some direction! Thank youuuu! (O3<)~♡

Babe, you have no idea the power you just handed me. Like. Words cannot express the unholy glee that currently possesses me. I am gonna assume you want headcanons instead of an actual fic but if you wanted an actual fic feel free to send in another ask. Thank you so much for the compliment by the way! I’m glad people are enjoying my writing! I’m also gonna apologise because I wasn’t exactly sure what all you wanted me to cover and couldn’t really find the post mentioned (tumblr likes to test me some days I swear) so if I missed something or didn’t get it right just pop up in my inbox again no sweat! 

-------

Okay so to start this off:

- Clowns get personal when it comes to the paint. It's a huge part of their identity and while things about the paint can change with time- it's all extremely well thought out. 

- Marvus is not an exception to this. Every part of his persona lends to his paint and vise versa. 

- Clowns, as a virtue, are rarely ever barefaced. If you manage to see one without their makeup then you’re both in it for the long haul. 

- Marvus is a little more touchy about the paint than others would assume. There are a lot of people who want to know what he looks like underneath and so he’s extremely hesitant to get anywhere near close enough to someone for something like that. He’s extremely wary when it starts getting to that point and has crashed and burned some of his own relationships out of fear that they’re just gonna snap some pictures and run for the hills.  

- You will know when he’s getting to that point because your man is suddenly showing the worse of himself in the days coming up to it. He’s putting you through the gauntlet just to make absolutely sure you’re as committed as he is in this relationship. 

- One would assume that he’d take it off to sleep and to a point- yes. He does. Usually. But Marvus isn’t about to risk it with a quad. There’s gonna be a lot of sleeping separately when he’s truly, honestly, sleeping. Naps can be had together as he’s naturally prone to wake up at the slightest hint of a disturbance. But just sleeping together where he’s down and out for the count? Nope. Which brings me to another point.

- Marvus putting you through the gauntlet (which is almost like he’s suddenly flipping quads on you- he isn’t but it feels like it) is also him sleeping over a lot more. He stays up until you fall asleep though. Its his contemplation time which is really just him overthinking lol. 

-When he does show you what his bare face looks like you’re gonna notice a sudden flip back to being the dumbass you know and love complete with an apology. He’s gonna go back to being sweet for a while. When you’re settling back in is when he’s gonna pull this off. He asks to spend the night which isn’t unusual anymore and when you go to bed he’ll wait a moment before washing off the paint and joining you. You might not notice until morning when he’s in the bathroom putting it back on again. 

- How you react is how well this is gonna go over. Try not to make a big deal out of it as you being calm will keep Marvus calmed. Make no mistake, he looks nonchalant about this but its a huge thing for him and if you act like its a big deal he’s gonna get a little shy about it. Cringing away from it all until he gets used to it. You being calm, however, means that he’s gonna settle into this quicker. 

- I kind of derailed for a moment so whoops. Let me rectify that!

-I headcanon clown face ‘paint’ as being a pretty wide variety of things. Like most clowns use greasepaint but there's more than just that. There’s powder-based, regular face paint like the type you’d get at a fair, airbrush styled, and more. It just depends on the troll. 

- Marvus does not use greasepaint. He uses either the powder-based stuff which is a lot like human makeup and less lightly to get runny or melt when he’s performing or the airbrushed type. Both are extremely resilient and damn near impossible to smudge. Which is perfect for him even if it means a little extra scrubbing to remove it. 

- For clowns putting on the paint is fairly ritualistic. There’s no damn way you’re gonna be allowed to put it on them for them. Though Marvus may be convinced to let you watch and/or hand him the things he needs. Even that much is considered pushing it but Marvus is noticeably more relaxed than others if you manage to get to that point. 

- However, if you ever reach up and smooth out a little uneven line? Marvus is probably gonna look at you like you’re his entire world. Which at that point you pretty much are. 

- As far as makeup goes its a fairly universal thing in Alternian culture. At least in more modern times. Its like how makeup is on earth though clowns put a more personal take on it. 

- He’s not gonna bat an eye at your own makeup if you have it. Hell, he’s gonna wanna tag along to see what you like and where you go to get it. He’s also gonna know what makeup you use the most of and will be keeping it stocked in his hive and also with him on tour on the off chance you happen to drop in. He’s got you in this regard. 

- I should mention that if you were to turn this into a two way street, Marvus is gonna get real emotional real quick. Its a culture difference thing. For clowns keeping another’s paint- especially the exact type the other uses for them?- is a way of saying you’re in this forever. Now, Marvus isn’t gonna assume things with this because he knows the other castes don’t have such a heavy emphasis on this shit and assumes its a similar thing with humans. Its gonna lead to a pretty long discussion and probably one of the few times he’s gonna be serious. He may even drop the quirk just to make sure the point gets across. 

- If you still insist though? Good luck ever getting rid of him. Or rather, you’re gonna have to hold him back from trying to get at anyone- and I do mean anyone- trying at the quad you share with him. He also extends this same violence to others that think they can jeopardize his quad by flirting and getting handsy with him. Marvus may be the alpha fuckboi amongst the fuckbrothers of the fuckboi fraternity but at this point? He is certainly not as lackadaisical about people coming onto him as he used to be. There is now a hard limit set in place and people better respect it. He’s gonna be a little more violence-prone until everything settles and he feels secure in the relationship again. You might have to bodily get between him and a few people (looking at Zebruh as the only fool stupid enough to push his luck) but the violence is pretty easy to distract from. 

[quitetheketch-moved]

so I’ve been seeing bad taste in youtubers, not like in my mutuals or anything but in general but it made me want to make a like, recommended list of youtubers i like who are pretty chill if not full on comrades so here we are - not prompted by anything specific but an itch I got here some of the channels I like:

Cooking:

BORE.D - Fun cooking channel with a stylish presentation 

Chinese Cooking Demystified - Like it says on the tin, informative authentic Chinese dishes from all over the country. 

David Seymour - started with buzzfeed taste tests but now covers most big cooking channels seeing if he can recreate them and how they are

Maangchi - Plz cook for me, like i’m begging feed me it all looks amazing 

My Name Is Andong - fun cooking videos from all over, especially the ones about Russian food.

Simply Sara Kitchen  - good home style cooking 

Souped Up Recipes - Traditional Chinese cooking

Movies/Tv:

Accented Cinema - a video essay channel with a focus on Asian cinema

Folding Ideas - Not strictly about film but I tend to watch a lot of essayists who fall into multiple things and I kinda just have to lean into their main aesthetic but Dan is a gif so check him out.

Jack Saint  - Jack and Joel have a lot of similar style of content but Jack leans into media stuff more so i’m moving him over here. (although i’ve been working on this post for over an hour going through my alphabetical yt sub list and i’m starting to regret trying to categorize them)

PushingUpRoses  - a must watch if you love old tv especially Murder She Wrote

Renegade Cut - Does games too, and frankly they are some of their best work, but quality media analysis.

Ryan Hollinger - Horror movie analysis

Scaredy Cats  - More horror movie analysis but my favorite channel of this kind

Gaming Essays:

Adam Millard - video essays about video games - really recommend the video on Frog Fractions and the Longing

Curio - I’m putting them here because theres been a big focus on games lately and they recently started twitch streaming which is fun but really it’s all media essay. Just please check out their four part Witcher series adfkj it’s the most recent so easy to find.

Errant Signal - I dont have much to add other than please check out Errant Signal, they dont post much but I am in love with this channel.

Game Maker's Toolkit  - in depth essays about elements of game design

Jim Sterling  - Okay not essays but gaming news - if you dont check out anyone else here you should still check out Jim. Especially if you care about the rights of workers in the gaming industry. 

Gaming Play:

Biffa Plays Indie Games - mostly does Cities Skylines but sometimes other, great videos to relax to.

GaLm - GaLm deserves so much much than he gets, Love him been watching him for forever and honestly he’s enough of a workaholic that there’s so much content you WILL find something you like. All complete with critical analysis.

GrayStillPlays - one of the few like, non overtly left-os here but listen, if you want some slightly silly slightly more edgy style of video game videos to kinda turn off your brain and just enjoy you cant get much better than grey. He’s chaos but chaos that doesn’t rely on racism. Maybe one too many jokes about addiction but they aren’t usually punching down so???

John Wolfe - chill horror youtuber - not much to say but one of my favorites.

KatherineOfSky - want the most soothing voice ever to gently play hardcore logistic games at you? Well holy fuzzy cats, you’re home.

Many A True Nerd - Partner to Claire in the category below, known for his fallout but plays just about anything. Also loves grand strategy and paradox games. Good playlist management too do easy to find what you need.

Wanderbots - A just, massive amount of indie game content.

Commentary/Other:

Claire Rousseau - Books youtuber who is just a delight, I dont know how else to describe her but even tho I dont read anymore i’d still die for her.

Courtreezy -  just the queen of being bubbly and fun (some of these I dont have good sales pitches for just *shoves them at you* give em a shot)

D'Angelo Wallace and dangelowallace - Main and second channel, both the same kind of content but the formats are different. Dont always agree with all his opinions but man, theres no fault in the way he presents and researches them - solid essayist but also just oozes charisma and good times.

Drawfee Show - one of the bigger channels here save D’Angelo above so you may already be familiar with them but just a fun weekly drawing show. Good times.

Foo the Flowerhorn  - Watch fish be fed bits of blanched vegetables, like that either sells you or not but it’s Good.

Jarvis Johnson and Jarvis Johnson! GOLD - primary and secondary channels, pure commentary channel on a wide range of topics - i recommend the videos on 5 min crafts and the bachelor.

Life in Jars? - Eco-spheres and terrariums oh me :0

MacDoesIt - Gay chaotic energy, just chock full of Moods and fun times.

Sarah Z - Unofficial tumblr historian

Politics:

Big Joel - kinda variety content, plenty of media analysis but through a strongly leftist lens. Torn between here and commentary but the balance is slightly more overtly political than just media commentary through a political lens so here we go.

Black Red Guard - A black leftist commentary/essay channel focused on black issues and self described as a “New Afrikan Maoist”, this is fairly new channel I found so I’m not as good at describing his content def not better than he does but solid stuff through a perspective I wouldn’t normally get.

hbomberguy - Just watch his video on Pathologic please. Or like, watch 20 mins then go play Pathologic then come back after you’ve beaten it and Pathologic 2 and finish the video.

Innuendo Studios  - Frankly I had no idea where to put this one, because it’s a little of everything but mostly media analysis but also please watch the alt-right playbook if you like, want to understand more about how radicalization happens.

KAR - Black anarchist channel, solid political videos but shorter than most of the ones here so better for consuming when you dont have much time.

Leslie Exp - Videos about disability

Luna oi! and NonCompete  - frankly best agitprop communist duo. A good place to start learning about mutual aid and what anarchism is, beginner friendly videos on leftist theory.

Philosophy Tube - Videos are super polished and well made essays about philosophy, super theatrical and flashy. Honestly cannot stress enough how fun the production value of these are.

Professor Flowers - Nuanced important discussions about race, media, and the political landscape.

Some More News - Like it says on the tin, news but told to you by a disheveled fed up leftist (I joke because i’m running out of things to say in the comment for each but really, Cody and his entire team deserve a lot of credit for their well researched videos on current events)

Thought Slime  - Agitprop but make it a little silly because tbh we all need some jokes rn

Honorable mentions of some slightly bigger channels you may already know but I enjoy: UpIsNotJump , Steve1989MREInfo , SmallishBeans , RTGame , Primitive Survival Tool  , Mumbo Jumbo ,  emmymadeinjapan ,  Kurtis Conner ,  Danny Gonzalez , Drew Gooden  , How To Cook That , JunsKitchen , Defunctland 

[opbackgrounds]

Hi there Sarc' ;) I am sorry if the question has already been asked but I thought it could be interesting to have your opinion about this. While I love most of the female characters in OP and think that most of them are well developed and can be truly good role models for girls I still feel that Oda sometimes has a sexist view on female characters (the jokes about the naked bath scenes for example or Kororo being considered ugly make me really uncomfortable). What do you think about it?

Ah, I wondered when I would get this question. 

When people talk about sexism in One Piece they typically are referring to two different things: How women are drawn, and how they’re treated within the narrative. While there’s some overlap here, there’s enough distinction that I want to address them as two separate points in two separate posts, because I guess I had Opinions, and by god there should be a limit to how much text one tumblr post can be expected to hold. Consider this an introduction.

Buckle up, kiddos. This is gonna be a long one. 

Nami Face Syndrome Isn’t the Problem...

An important thing to remember with Oda’s art and storytelling style is that almost everything is hyper exaggerated for effect. You don’t go into One Piece looking for realism. You don’t go into One Piece expecting the characters to act like normal people. Everything--from the art to the humor to the battles--is stretched and pulled to its absolute limit in hopes of garnering a particular reaction. When a character is sad they cry big bubbly tears with dribbles of snot coming from their nose. When they laugh their mouths take up half their face. 

And when a girl is hot, her tiddies are two great big watermelons stuck to the center of her chest.

What is often dubbed “Nami Face Syndrome” within the fandom is somewhat misleading. After all, why was Wanda, who is a literal dog that walks on two legs, decried as yet another Nami clone at her introduction? I would postulate it’s less to do with her face and more to do with the fact that from the neck down they are virtually identical, something that’s made more obvious because Wanda is literally wearing Nami’s clothes

What makes this frustrating for a lot of people, myself included, is that it’s not that Oda is incapable of drawing more diverse body types, but that he often chooses not to. Take for example the Kuja tribe

or the Charlotte family daughters (thanks to Arthur at Library of Ohara for the resource). It’s pretty clear Oda has the chops to make his women as weird as the men, and he often does! For important characters, even. And yes, as the Kokoro example given above sometimes the gonkness is brought attention to, but for others like Lola and Chiffon it’s...not. 

(more on mermaids later)

But Sarcasticles, one might protest, even Oda’s “ugly” characters have ginormous boobs! Where is my itty bitty titty committee representation >:(

To which I can only shrug. For Oda, boobs on a woman are like abs on men. It doesn’t matter if it makes sense, they’re gonna have ‘em

Seriously, Oda. What the fuck.

...So What Is?

I have a theory that’s impossible to prove, and that the problem isn’t so much Oda’s character design so much as the ratio of his male to female characters in general. It’s not that every female character is a Nami clone, but Oda has a template he uses for attractive female characters ages 16-25, the same way he uses Robin as a template for attractive women ages 26-35, which is how you get cases of mistaken identity like Viola for Robin or scenes during Reverie where one could be forgiven for thinking Nami’s supposed to be an identical triplet

 Oda does this for his men, too. It’s not as obvious because 1) Even men with similar facial features can have a wider variety body types due to Oda having a sliding scale of buffness he’s willing to attach to a pretty face and 2) There are more men. 

There are a lot more men.

In groups where the male to female ratio is more or less equal (Baroque Works, Big Mom’s kids) you get a wide variety of designs. But there’s only one female Supernova. There’s one female Warlord. CP9 only has one female agent. Only one of the Revolutionary Commanders is a woman. There are very few female background characters in crowd shots, especially among marines. Big Mom might be the only female Emperor, but she’s not young, In fact, when drawing her at age 28, Oda defaults to a much more generic “pretty girl” face before giving her much more striking, memorable features in her 40s

If you look at Oda’s male characters, the ones that are supposed to be hot are often given the same square jawline and the thin-bladed nose that at one point in time was reserved for Robin. Both Coby and Sabo had very distinctive noses before their glowups, while Ace must have had a laser treatment done on his eyebrows sometime between Alabasta and Marineford. 

But the biggest difference on the men has got to be muscle mass. The overgrown noodles of early One Piece are lost to the annals of time. Shanks alone must have gained 30 pounds of pure muscle from the time Luffy got his first bounty to his appearance at Marineford. 

Now, I will acknowledge that there is a difference between the increasing sexualization of female characters and the male power fantasy of giving Zoro bara tiddies post-timeskip. While I do think there are certain male characters specifically designed to be the Hot Dude, what I’m trying to emphasize here is that Oda works with templates for both men and women, and both of those templates have been exaggerated over time. Bigger boobs for women, more muscles for men. And when you’re only slotting for one girl in any given group, and that one girl has to be The Hot One then you’re going to have a lot of ladies that end up looking the same. 

My love for Otohime on this blog is well known, and I want to use her as an example of what Oda can do when he works beyond this template, because it’s really freaking good  

Otohime is neither conventionally attractive nor gonk. She’s dressed in very conservative, traditional clothing and has a narrow waist and small chest. 

There are no sharp edges on Otohime. Not her eyebrows, not her jaw, and most of the time not even her hands, emphasizing her gentle nature. You don’t see it as well in this panel, but Otohime’s head is often drawn wider than her shoulders, emphasizing her frailty. Oda gives her a longer neck to compensate, and the overall effect is a very soft, willowy figure. 

Her headpiece looks like a sunburst. The audience never sees her fins, so Oda gives her a scale patterned kimono-dress-thingy (my knowledge of Japanese clothing is, uh, not good) as a visual reminder that she’s not human. The sash that circles around her head harkens back to Japanese mythology as a symbol of divinity, similar to a halo in Western culture. And fun fact: Otohime is named after a god, just like Neptune, while her goals and ideals are pure enough to be heaven-sent. 

I’m not an artist, but this is a really damn good character design. A lot of Oda’s older female characters are. Dandan, Tsuru, O-Tsuru, Shakky, Kureha, Big Mom, and Nyon are all instantly recognizable and have strong designs, even if a few of them fall into the hourglass figure that Oda often defaults to. It’s just...there aren’t that many of them.

So the question becomes why aren’t there more women, and I think the answer is because, ultimately, One Piece is a series geared at boys. While I wish there were a few more important ladies, I can understand why there aren’t. 

Note, that doesn’t mean I think it’s right or that Oda is obligated to include more women. It’s just one of the facts of the shonen manga industry at this point in time. 

A more important question, I think, is why does every younger woman have to be attractive? And why do the attractive ladies have to wear outfits that are blatant fanservice? This is something I don’t have an answer for. Oda has said on more than one occasion that he writes One Piece with his twelve year old self in mind. It could be that it’s a calculated move to appeal to his audience, in which case it’s certainly worked because said Hot Ladies are constantly used in marketing and merchandising. It’s the Hot Ladies that top the popularity charts (although, to be fair, who’s there for competition?). In the most recent chapter a new Hot Lady was introduced, and the fandom went batshit crazy for her.

Even the fans who are very vocal about how Oda sucks at drawing women. It’s interesting how that works out sometimes.

Or maybe I’m giving Oda too much credit, and he’s just horny. Not having direct access to Oda’s mind, I don’t have an answer. If I had to guess I’d say it’s a little of Column A, a little of Column B, because that’s usually how life is. 

But in a vacuum big tiddies are just a design choice. An exaggerated aesthetic, in a series full of exaggerated aesthetics. It’s when that design choice is paired with in-story comments, actions, and decisions where things really start to get heated. But that’s a whole other ball of wax, and there should be a limit to how much one tumblr post can be expected to hold. I promise I’ll get to the meat of your question next time.

Thank you so much for your patience. I really do think it’s important to start here before diving into everything else, if only because it helps keep my thoughts organized. I hope you’ve found this helpful, and if not, I hope to do better next time. 

[ozzdog12]

2020 Top 7 (and 1)

2020 am I right? We saw an insane amount of games come out and 2 brand new consoles. What a wild and weird year for gaming, and life in general. In case you are relatively new here, and to be honest that would be completely fair considering I don't post very often on Tumblr anymore, every year going on the last 4 years (on here) I have done a Top 7 (& 1) for my favorite videogames of the year. Check out 2019, 2018, & 2017. What’s wild, as I look back on my list of games that I’ve completed and played, only maybe 10 came out this year. 2020 was a huge backlog year. 

Lets get on with the ‘And 1!”

Favorite Game that Didn’t Come out in 2020: Control (PS4)

Control may very well have been my 2019 Game of the Year, had I played it in 2019. I LOVED Control. I wanted to play it in 2019, but initial reports that it was a little rough on base consoles put me off until it was fixed. And Holy smokes what an insanely fun and trippy game once I finally started it. I knew within the first 20 minutes this was going to be the shit when I went down a hall, walked into a room and talked to the “janitor” left out a door behind him and the entire building had shifted. I’ve always liked Remedy games, but from a distance. Max Payne 1&2 and Alan Wake all oozed with weirdness and intrigue, but never enough for me to finish them. I missed out on Quantum Break. The story is Control is just the right amount of mind f*!$ for me and builds a universe I didn’t know I needed. It take some time to piece everything together, then everything just clicks. The game does have a weird difficulty spike when fighting bosses and the checkpoints were too far apart at times, but those were later patched. I spent an insane amount of time within the Federal Bureau of Control building and even more time after that with the Foundation and AWE DLC and it STILL wasn’t enough. I wanted more. Outside of Prey, I can’t think of another game that stuck in my brain more after I’d finished it. Control is absolutely a MUST PLAY title. In a world where everything sort’ve feels similar, Control stands out of the crowd.

Number 7: Astro’s Playroom (PS5)

I never thought in my wildest dreams that a game I had almost zero interest in playing would end up on my list of favorite games this year. Astro’s Playroom is being labeled as a ‘Tech demo’ but that feels like an insult to what it is. It’s a full fledged game and its free! I’ve paid more for less. A charming little platformer that lives and breathes the history of the Playstation. So many cool Easter eggs and references. It certainly centers its gameplay around the DualSense controller and everything it can do, but at its core, its a completely approachable and forgiving 3D platformer. I played it just to see what it was about, next thing i knew I had completed all the levels and wanted to further explore all the nooks and crannies within the game. I wanted to see everything the game had to offer and I had an absolute blast doing so. Makes me kinda wish I’d played the previous game on PSVR (I’d have to have a PSVR too)

Number 6: Spider-Man: Miles Morales (PS5)

Another quality title, albeit a spin-off, from Insomniac to add to their Spider Man universe. Gameplay felt obviously like Spider-Man, but Miles has unique abilities that made the game feel different enough, especially the cloak and stealth. I enjoyed the fact that it was short and concise. The issue with most ‘open-world’ games is that they are entirely too bloated with unnecessary filler content (I’ll get to that in a later game), something I felt the first game suffered from, but I also understand why they are there. However I could’ve use one or two more story missions to help flesh out some characters, but it wasn’t required and didn’t change my opinion one way or the other. My one BIG gripe was with Miles himself. He is an extremely smart young kid, but so incredibly naïve. Peter Parker tells him the one thing he SHOULD NOT do is tell people he is Spider-Man. I get it, that’s part of his growth, but Miles thinks he can just solve his problems by revealing his identity and it almost certainly never works out. 

Number 5: The Last of Us: Part 2 (PS4)

The Last of Us Part 2 may be the most polarizing game in the history of the medium, but for the absolute wrong reasons. I’m in the minority that I very much enjoyed my experience with TLOU2, quite a bit actually. Its better in every single way over its predecessor, except the overall story. There are plenty of fair criticisms to be had about the story and various things within the game itself, but I thought the gameplay was so tight and crunchy. There were genuine moments of suspense and terror that I felt that no other game has ever given me. The entire hospital section (2nd time) was so susensful, I had to put my controller down to gther myself. Some of my favorite moments in the series I experienced with a character I wasn’t overly fond of. How many games can do that? The Last of Us Part 2 was meant to invoke emotion, not necessarily joy. I think that's what people lost along the way. Say what you will about the direction Naughty Dog has taken over the years, but you would be hard pressed to find a studio that makes games graphically better than they do. Yes, I know about their crunch culture, but this is not a place for that. I will say, the game was a tad bit too long, which is not something it typically say for a single player, narrative driven game. The pacing and the way the story was told wasn’t my favorite, but I respect what it was trying to do, even if it failed in some aspect of that, I finished the game within the week it was released. Something I RARELY ever do. I’m a father and I related with Joel a lot in TLOU, but I also recognized how wrong he was. There is a lesson to be learned. Your actions always have consequences and while he was doing what he thought was the right thing, it wasn’t his choice to make, and in doing so set up a series of events that were entirely avoidable, but again, that’s the point isn’t it?

Number 4: Grindstone (Switch)

I’m counting this as a 2020 game since it just came to the Switch this year ( less than a month ago) but its not the first time I’ve played it. Grindstone was the only reason I kept my Apple Arcade subscription and when I let it lapse, there was a void I just couldn’t fill. I bought Puzzle Quest on Switch but it just wasn't the same. Its THE perfect game for bite sized play, even though in its addictive nature, you’ll clear a few levels and an hour has passed before you know it. It has the perfect amount of depth that most ‘match’ games don't. You have different weapons, items, and outfits w/perks to use and experiment with to keep it fresh. I went months without playing my Switch and when this was announced in August, I couldn’t wait! Sadly, I had to wait 3 months, but since then I have spent so much time on the Switch. It gave me a reason to play it again. The art style and humour is great. The variety of enemies and challenge is just right. I can’t recommend it enough. Seriously, check this game out!

Number 3: Doom Eternal (Xbox One)

I will be the first to tell you, I did not like Doom (2016). I found it extremely boring and trite. I understood what Doom(2016) was doing and it succeeded, maybe too much. Nostalgia is a helluva thing. So in saying that, I was mildly interested in Doom Eternal. Doom Eternal is nothing like 2016 outside of it being a Doom game that connects to the rest of them (& also being a sequel to 2016). The mechanics are drastically different with more platforming (for better or worse). Eternal is challenging, at times very hard, especially early on. Eternal has no respect for its players, in a weirdly good way. It laughs at how you’ve played FPS before this one and WILL MAKE you play it its way, not your way. Yes, you point and shoot, but ammo is scare and you MUST use everything in your arsenal. No more using just 2 guns for the whole game. The enemies are relentless. Sometimes you have to pause and take a breath after a battle because you go a 100 mph for the whole fight. You have to continuously move or you die. There is an enticing rhythm to it. I categorize Eternal as ‘Blood Ballet’. Its a game where when your feeling it, much like a rhythm game, you get in the zone and there is no stopping demons from getting slayed. Surprisingly, unlike most games in the genre, it seemed to get easier (sans one extremely frustrating platforming section late in the game) the longer you played it. Was that a testament that I ‘learned’ the Eternal way or it truly did get easier? I don’t know, but the final Boss(es) were....easy.. I had more problems and deaths within the first 4 hours than I did the final 8-9 hours. The multiplayer was also surprisingly fun. The older I get, the less interested I am in multiplayer, but I found myself coming back for more for a good month or so. 

Number 2: Gears Tactics (Xbox One)

As 2020 comes to a close, I came to a stunning realization. I might be a bigger Gears of War fan than I had previously thought. Don’t get me wrong. I love Gears, but I seem to love Gears more than I thought. I'm way more invested into the lore than I recall. Anyways, Gears Tactics is everything XCOM 2 SHOULD’VE been. Not only does Gears Tactics utilize the Overwatch action, its makes it EXTREMELY important. The story revolves around the father of Kait Diaz, Gabe and a ragtag group of mostly random soldiers to take down Ukkon. Anyone who is remotely interested in the Gears universe will love the story and references. The gameplay is just so damn satisfying. The bosses are very challenging and different. I actually had to change my strategy to finish the final boss. I experimented with a totally different style of class and was rewarded for it. The post game stuff is also aplenty. This game scratched a VERY specific itch for me and I’m itchy to jump back in. I’m glad this came to Xbox One because I’m current computer could not run it.

Number 1: Ghost of Tsushima (PS4)

I have a very odd relationship with massive open world games. I love them, but I get very burnt out on them. They all have a relatively same-y formula and are often populated with bloat. GoT does have some of that but to its advantage, its not very populated, in a good way. One of the things that I really appreciated about GoT and its side quest is most of them felt meaningful. The thing that really stood out to me about GoT is the absolutely satisfying combat. It just feels SO GOOD. It requires timing and patience. There are different fighting styles for different enemies and even the armor you wear is more than just cosmetic. The combat is so fun and satisfying that I was immediately excited when they announced Legends, a multiplayer add on, for free. Its so much fun and is a blast to play with a group of friends. I’m sporadically still playing the Legends mode. I initially wanted to play the game in ‘Kurosawa’ mode but I am glad I didn’t because the game, even on the PS4 is stunning, and on the upgrade on PS5 is jaw-droppingly smooth. I did play the entire game in Japanese with English subtitles. I still don't know what Jin’s English voice sounds like. GoT does a good job a drip feeding you new abilities and things to keep things fresh. I love stealth and once I unlocked it, I spent the majority of every battle taking out as many enemies as I could while in stealth mode. Ghost of Tsushima does a lot of things very well, that the few things it doesn’t can be easily overlooked.

[134340am]

Oohhh thats so interesting to think about - class As fave BTS song. I knew Ojiro is top tier from day 1! I will stick with 134340 for his fave as well! I get Kaminari vibes from Miss Right. Our beloved Spring Day for our equally beloved Shoutoooooooooo (moon and serendipity also suits him). Ddaeng and Daechwita for Bakugo just coz he got that confidence to be confident about himself (he knows he a king for a reason). Black Swan and Anpanman for our cinnamonroll Deku. Idol and Best of Me for Kirishima. Blood, Sweat, and Tears & Intro: Boy meets Evil for Tokoyami because of the drama (he’s a goth and an emo at the same time). Home for Sero. Truth Untold screams Mezo Shoji. Magic Shop and Mikrokosmos for Koda coz i think it comforts him when he’s overwhelmed. Outro: Ego for Aoyama! Watch Sugarman Rikido beat eggwhites to the tune of Ugh! And all the Cyphers in his ult playlist. Iida kun will be Persona but also share sentiments with Mikrokosmos.

For the girlies, hmm Momo is We are Bulletproof the Eternal. Tsuyu is Zero O clock. Uraraka will be into Fly into my room and Dis-ease. Hagakure will be Boy with Luv. Mina is Fake Love. Jirou is Dionysius.

I cannot disrespect BTS by associating them with Mineta. Sorry not sorry. So interested to know your thoughts on this!

Also headcanon: Shouto’s S/O has gotten into the hobby of screaming Shoutoooooo whenever they see each other for the first time every day (to his dismay). They may see each other by the dorms front door on the way to class and their first words to him are “Shoutooooooooo” in a fake deep voice to mimic his dad but oddly enough he never associates it with his father -just his significant other being a cutie. He definitely blushes whenever they do this.

Also hopefully you wouldn’t be pressured by keeping up with your blog. I honestly think you are a great writer and i enjoy your free style! I hope you can think of Tumblr as a safe space to enjoy and fangirl to our hearts contents!

oooo some of your interpretations are quite similar to mine! 😦 not gonna give anything away since i’ll be posting the piece in the next week or so, but i definitely agree with most of what you have — tokoyami would love bangtan’s darker eras, and queen jirou‘s favourite album in general would probably be MOTS7, with its variety of genres 🧐 etc etc + bakugou would be the biggest rapline supremacist

(may i reluctantly propose… war of hormone for mineta 🧐)

shouto gets startled everytime you pop out behind a pillar with a SHOOOUTOOOOOOO and the other 1A kids start doing it too — but he doesn’t mind! the attention makes him a little embarrassed but he feels loved because he knows everyone’s doing it in good jest :-) you’re right, he defo thinks you’re cute. might do it in return with your name but he’s terrible at hiding… like half his body could be sticking out of a pillar and he thinks he’s doing a great job of staying hidden 😭😭😭 like no bb but A for effort

thank you for your kind words again, anon 🥺��️ i’ve only had this blog for a while but it’s been fun so far! definitely not feeling pressured, but i’ll be sure to come back to this message if i do :-) thank you for checking in and for sending in your thoughts!!! ur brane… it’s Massive

[cherrycourtyard]

journaling

[I wrote this post in August 2020, and rediscovering this draft September 2021 I finished and polished it somewhat]

Over lockdown I’ve attempted to keep a daily journal, and while I haven’t done very well to make it a ‘daily’ thing I think it’s a worthwhile activity. My thoughts feel a lot more in order after journaling, and I find it quite meditative.

When I go back to school I will also need to be able to write essays well; having had little practise over lockdown, I realised keeping a journal would help me write fluently and with a variety of vocabulary. I aimed to write 750 words a day, but any number was better than nothing.

Here are some tips I’ve picked up so far, if you’re looking to start a journaling habit.

Don’t feel the need to reread at any point once you’ve completed an entry. Don’t worry about whether you sound pretentious, cliché, or anything else.

One thing that held me back when trying to journal was the idea that I might reread it in future and be embarrassed. I also felt it had to be of publishing quality, similar to books written in the style of a diary. Promising myself that I wouldn’t reread it in future, even a day later, helped me to eliminate these mental barriers. You may wish to read your diary in future, of course, but if the thought makes you anxious it is freeing to assume you will never look at it again.

I write my journal in a way that feels pretty pretentious, and I enjoy it. Keeping a journal is for you, not for any imaginary audience.

Find a medium comfortable and even pleasant to write with; this can be digital or on paper.

I personally find it painful to write with a ballpoint pen, and currently I use a fountain pen (the Pilot Pluminix - cheap but comfortable for me) which I enjoy. Other possible options are gel pens, fineliners and rollerball pens, all of which require less pressure than a ballpoint. If you prefer, it is fine to use your phone, tablet or computer - if using your phone I recommend doing so in a way that won’t strain or cause you pain later, by resting it on a table or holding it so that your elbow is bent at an angle greater than 90°.

I alternate between digital and paper journaling, depending on what I feel like on a particular day, what I have access to at that time and so on. I also like to listen to music when I journal, so I don’t get bored as easily.

Consider where and when you want to write; you could incorporate it into part of a routine if you wish.

I like to write my entries before going home from a walk somewhere (a park, cafe, library etc), so I have a pocket-sized notebook to write in. (This also has the benefit of having less space to fill, so journaling seems less of an intimidating task). If you want to write digitally, it might be worth using a site or app you can access from any device, like Google Docs, a Tumblr sideblog, Microsoft OneNote, etc. I’ll link the site I use, along with other links, in a reblog.

Establishing a routine, in time and place where you write every day might be helpful, as with any activity; this might be at your desk before lunch, for example. Forgive yourself if you miss this ‘window of opportunity’, and try again later. It can also make it easier to start and end each entry in the same way — for example, I tend to end mine with ‘it is [time] on [date]’ and then sign off with my name.

Take steps to avoid your diary being found, if necessary.

This is easier to do with a digital diary - it is possible to make a Tumblr sideblog private (link to instructions in a reblog), and using a site in-browser that you need to sign in to access will make it harder to find. Password-protecting files on your computer won’t hide them unfortunately. Smaller paper diaries are easier to hide. This can help you write without the worry of someone else seeing it later and getting curious - but if these steps seem excessive or anxiety inducing in themselves there’s no need to follow them.

Set a word, line, page count or time limit if it helps to motivate you. However, anything is better than nothing - and there’s no need to feel bad for writing nothing on a particular day either.

It might be hard to meet the word count or write for the full time at first - over time it will likely get easier as you ease into the habit. Not all the entry has to be important information either - write anything that comes to mind no matter how trivial, describe your surroundings… I like to note what I’ve already done that day (including little details like the kind of tea I’ve drunk, a song I’ve listened to etc ) if I wanted to, and any plans I have for later.

[notafrogblog]

Who wants to read an entire fucking essay I’ve been writing over the last few months it’s about viddy games wooooooo

Video Games's Popularity

16% of entertainment hours in 2018 were spent playing video games, according to a study by The NPD Group, an American market research company (Stych). Video games have become more and more popular as they have become easier and easier to access through consoles, computers, tablets, and phones. Video games and gaming have become some of the most popular topics to watch on youtube, twitch, and other platforms, which is shown by the fact that youtube has a trending section just for video game content. I myself watch video game content whenever I get the chance. Merriam Webster defines video games as "an electronic game in which players control images on a video screen." If you use that definition for video games, it means gaming is a lot more widespread and prevalent than you'd first think. It would be a struggle to find anyone below the age of twenty who's never played a video game in some form. There are thousands of people in online communities who discuss video games and the people who play them, on sites like Reddit, Twitch, YouTube, Tumblr, Instagram, and more. Video game music, posters, clothing, and general merchandise is popular and lucrative for the companies that make and sell the products. People continue to invest their time, money, and energy into playing and enjoying video games. Video games are such a big part of the online community and my life that I decided to take this opportunity to learn more about them.

While researching this paper, I found different types of sources than I was expecting. Many articles on video games are outdated, poorly written, or simply didn't contain much information. Most possible sources were game reviews, tabloid-esque gossip, or talked about events occurring recently in the gaming community. These weren't very helpful for the type of topics I wanted to discuss. When I set out to write this, I expected to find more analyses of video games or game genres as a whole, or perhaps more in-depth writing. Although I did find articles that were in-depth, they were often very niche, scholarly, or outdated. Video games as a culture moves indescribably quickly, with new games always being released. The vast amount of content and places to share said content on the internet makes video games so widespread, it's near impossible to categorize and talk about video games a whole, rather than individual games or franchises. I suppose that's why there are so many game reviews. People are always looking for new games to play, new content to view. I did my best to find articles and sources I could use to talk about video games a whole, as a culture, and as a complex and nuanced form of entertainment. Part of my own interest in video games is due to the large variety of games and game content available. I would consider myself fairly knowledgeable about video games, especially after researching this essay. But I don't know much about games as a whole, or why people play them. As much as I love to talk about and watch video games, I don't play them often myself. I wanted to know what made other people love playing video games so much. Both my brothers are very engrossed in their respective games and consoles, and I found myself wondering what compels them to put their time and energy into something that doesn't give me that same satisfaction. Which begs the question, why do people play video games? What keeps them coming back? What makes video games so enjoyable?

I started by looking in the school databases, and on credible sites like the Washington Post and the New York Times. Video games is such a broad topic, but many articles focused on specific games or events. While I researched, I wondered what is so compelling about video games. I had some hypotheses. Video games often have a plot, a list of tasks to complete, or some sort of storyline. I found an article about the stories and plotlines of first-person shooter games, one of the most popular genres of games. In the article, David M. Leeson explains what differs between a multiplayer and a single-player shooter: "Most multiplayer shooters are gameplay-driven: play sessions consist of one or more matches, in which players compete with each other (either individually or as teams) to win the game, either by scoring points or capturing objectives. Most single-player shooters, by contrast, are story-driven: play sessions consist of one or more levels, in which the player is told the story so far and then must overcome a series of obstacles to find out what happens next." Already this provides some insight into what compels people to play video games. Multiplayer shooters, such as Fortnite, some Call of Duty games, Battlefield games, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, depend on other players to keep you interested. Winning a match is the main objective. In single-player games, the goal isn't to win a round, it's to complete the story. In a way, this makes a single-player shooter similar to a book or a movie. The difference between them is that the player takes an active part in moving the plotline forward, which keeps the player interested and motivated to find out what happens next.

A storyline isn't the only thing that can be necessary to keep a player motivated. The gameplay plays a big role in keeping the player interested in continuing the game. Games have two main parts, speed and strategy. Speed-based games rely on fast reflexes, immediate feedback, and quick thinking to be enjoyable. Games like these require you to be in the moment the whole time, ready to react to whatever is thrown at you. Games that are more speed-based include titles such as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and endless runner games such as Temple Run or Subway Surfers. Despite being very different games in style, aesthetic, plot, and goals, these all rely on speed as a main mechanic. Another aspect of games is strategy. Strategy-based games take a slower route, and are more based on planning and thinking before you act. Strategy games often have some sort of back-and-forth mechanic between the player and some sort of other entity, usually a non-player character (npc) or the game itself. This includes games such as battling games such as Pokemon, storyline games like Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing, and many mobile games. Strategy games require the player to think about what they want to do before they do it, and often have multiple storylines or options for how to play the game or what to do when. All games have elements of both strategy and speed, but usually one takes precedence over the other. Each category of game has its pros and cons and its own problems.

There are a few problems with speed-based games that the developers must remedy for the game to be enjoyable. Firstly, games with speed-based mechanics are often very easy to pick up and learn. Many Super Smash Bros. players will mash buttons or spam attacks rather than use combination attacks or the full variety of moves available. Speed-based games must introduce a learning curve for players to learn new skills, become better at the skills they already have, and some sort of challenge that requires those skills to be used. Another problem with speed-based games is the lack of variety. One character with only one set of moves can quickly become boring to play. Most games don't have this problem, with many games having multiple characters. Breath of the Wild, however, only has one playable character, Link. Nintendo keeps BotW from becoming boring by having Link have many weapons and clothing to collect and choose from to use, food items to temporarily boost stats, and a way to upgrade Link's health points as the game grows more difficult. Many endless runner games (i.e. Subway Surfers or Temple Run) lack this attribute, which causes players to become bored of them after playing for a while. While they may include customizable or lots of character choices, the changes are purely cosmetic and don't impact the gameplay.

Strategy games have issues as well, most notably those to do with speed. Strategy games often have a slower pace, and making the pace too slow can cause players to become bored. This was an issue with the role-playing game Final Fantasy VII, a 1997 turn-based rpg by Square Enix. Final Fantasy VII is set to have a remake by Square Enix, the first part of which was released on April 10, 2020. An article I discovered addressed some flaws in the original game as well as what the remake should have to make the game better. The article reads: "Modern releases of Final Fantasy VII include an option to speed up combat by a factor of three, and after turning it on, you quickly learn that you almost never need to turn it off to more carefully manage the flow of battle, such is the monotony of just attacking and healing over and over. This speed boost is greeted by latter-day players as a crucial "quality of life" improvement. It doesn't matter how many oakleaves you've acquired in 22 years; when letting the player essentially skip the gameplay is treated as a godsend, you don't have a very good game." (Vogt) As said in the quote, the ability to speed up gameplay shouldn't be necessary. The gameplay is also described as monotonous. Games must be interesting to keep players motivated to continue playing. Keeping players interested in the game is a big part of video game making.

Game designers and developers must put player enjoyment first when making a game. Even if the ultimate goal is to make money or gain popularity in the community, player enjoyment is what leads to a game's success. If a player isn't having fun playing a game, they won't recommend it to others, or join an online community about it, or even continue playing it. For this reason, I decided to find information about the process of game design and development, where ideas came from, and how enjoyment of the game came into the mix. I found an academic study of a game jam in 2013. A game jam is an event where multiple groups of game makers come together to make games in an allotted time using a given prompt. The study discusses multiple aspects of the game jam, including initial ideas, prototyping, and game development and testing, the latter of which is shown in the quote here: "Participants [in the game jam] removed systems within the game (e.g. attacks requiring combinations of buttons rather than single buttons) or reduced the total number of components used (e.g. fewer game levels or types of enemies). Swapping mechanics occurred when already implemented systems were buggy or dysfunctional or when playtesting (personally or with others) showed them to be overly complex or unintuitive." (Zook) This quote shows how game developers must think about how the players will interact with mechanics, especially mechanics they aren't used to. Mechanics are how you do things in the game, whether it be with certain buttons, an item, movement, interaction with the environment, or a combination of these. Mechanics must be easy to pick up on and learn for beginning players, but difficult to master so as to keep players entertained. The quote shows how initially complex mechanisms such as button combinations or buggy systems can be unintuitive for the players, and therefore need to be fixed. If a player has difficulties with the game's function, it won't be fun to play. Games must be fun if they want to keep players interested.

For this paper, I interviewed one of my friend's younger brothers, an avid player of video games. Ian plays video games for a few hours every day, he says, on xbox, nintendo switch, and mobile devices. In the interview, he says that what he thinks makes video games enjoyable is having fun. Although he plays video games more suited to younger users, there were a few things he had to say about games he disliked. The main things he didn't like about games were the difficulty (too hard, too easy) bad graphics, or he "wasn't as interested as he thought he was." His viewpoint as someone who plays a lot of video games is very useful for the question I'm asking. Difficulty of games is something that is hard to balance for game developers. As discussed earlier, the mechanics must be intuitive so the player can pick up on them easily. However, if the entire game is easy, the player will get bored, just like Ian did.

"What makes video games enjoyable?" is the question I've tried to answer. So, what does make video games enjoyable? I'd say it's a variety of things. Video games are so complex, and what makes them entertaining is even more complex. There's such a huge variety of video games available to play, on dozens of platforms and consoles, and in many different ways. Expecting to find just one answer for such a broad question would be unjustifiable. So, I've determined a couple things that make video games enjoyable. As Ian said, games should be fun. Fun means different things to each person, so different games will be better for different people. Different difficulties and styles of games will be different for different people. A more casual game style, like mobile games or kid's games, might be more enjoyable for a gamer like Ian. However, strategy based games such as Pokemon, Assassin's Creed, or shooting games such as CS:GO might be more suited to older players. In short, what makes video games enjoyable is the variety of games there are to play. Games are for everyone, and each type of video game has people who enjoy it, and people who don't. There is no one clear answer to this question. Unfortunately, this means that if I want to be more involved in playing video games, I'm going to have to try some games and find out what I like. If you're interested in video games, I suggest you do the same.

Works Cited

Jabr, Ferris. “Can You Really Be Addicted to Video Games?” New York Times, 22 October 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/22/magazine/can-you-really-be-addicted-to-video-games.html. Accessed 2 November 2020.

Leeson, David M. "Northrop Frye and the story structure of the single-player shooter." English Studies in Canada, vol. 37, no. 2, 2011, p. 137+. Gale In Context: High School, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A294194389/SUIC?u=midd34407&sid=SUIC&xid=e5b85bc6. Accessed 18 Oct. 2020.

Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/video%20game. Accessed 5 November 2020.

S., Ian. Personal interview. December 2020.

Stych, Anne. “Americans' favorite forms of entertainment are digital.” bizjournals, 28 March 2019, https://www.bizjournals.com/bizwomen/news/latest-news/2019/03/americans-favorite-forms-of-entertainment-are.html?page=all#:~:text=The%20shift%20to%20digital%20is,research%20by%20The%20NPD%20Group. Accessed 2 November 2020.

Vogt, Ryan. "For all its greatness, Final Fantasy VII wasn't a good game. Let's remember why." Washingtonpost.com, 7 Apr. 2020. Gale In Context: High School, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A619723232/SUIC?u=midd34407&sid=SUIC&xid=0b17c660. Accessed 11 Oct. 2020.

Zook, Alexander and Mark O. Riedl. "Game Conceptualization and Development Processes in the Global Game Jam." School of Interactive Computing, College of Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology, http://www.fdg2013.org/program/workshops/papers/GGJ2013/ggj13_submission_4.pdf. Accessed 11 Oct. 2020.

[galaxy-class]

Star Trek Voyager Chakotay/OC

Hello! This is the first fic I’ve ever written, it’s a 6k Chakotay/OC PWP with some fluff and touch starving sprinkled in here and there. Janeway has an honorable mention in the beginning because I love her, but this isn’t a J/C fic (at least not this time lol). Possible triggers under the cut! 

Possible triggers (If you think of anything to add let me know!): Alcohol consumption, descriptions of male/female sex, themes of dominance and submission (power dynamics between commander and subordinate), mild choking (hand on throat positioning), mild restraining (holding wrists, no ropes/equipment)

A thank you to @marigoldseesstars and @burntheparameters (and other friends not on tumblr so I’m unable to tag them) for encouraging me to post! I hope you guys like it and I welcome feedback good or bad! <3 

Chain of Command (Title is trash because I am trash, thank you!)

Although the Delta Quadrant was full of new experiences and discoveries, the days between each excursion were full of the necessary, albeit mundane, tasks that it takes to run a starship. Duty rosters, shift trades, meetings… Terribly dull, and yet required for the ship to function. Captain Janeway insisted on it. Looking out of some unnamed observation window with a distant gaze, she would lecture crew members who tried to oppose her strict adherence to protocol. “I know, believe me, and I’ve thought long and hard about whether or not it’s wrong for me to impose these rules on this crew, knowing that the institution upholding them is so far away… But these rules help bring us together. They give us purpose and cohesion, and remind us of our principals while we’re so far away from order and reason…” Most people stopped listening the second she got that look in her eye, knowing there isn’t any amount of complaint or protest that could change her mind. And it isn’t too terrible a concept anyway. After all, someone has to be the one to wipe off the com panels when they muck up with the fingerprints of the crew members who insist on using the touch features rather than the voice commands, and someone else has to review the available personnel to cover for Ensign Baytart’s requested personal time off and Tuvok's mandatory fitness training.

Chakotay felt the days growing shorter, while the workload of monotonous tasks crawled on before him. The days of course, where perfectly timed on the ship’s chronometer to ensure maximum efficiency among the crew while allowing for adequate time to rest and relax between shifts. It even took into account the differing night and day cycles each species had grown accustomed to on their home planets and calculated a perfect medium between the variables. What the ship’s computer did not account for however, was Chakotay’s tendency to linger in the small moments between tasks. How he would stop to appreciate the soft thread in a blanket gifted to him by a friend, or steal an extra second to smell the spices mixed in with Neelix’s latest “coffee” blend. And so, his days grew shorter, while the soft glow of the padds laid out on his work station encroached in his peripheral vision, beckoning him to finish up this week's chores. 

Chakotay stood from his chair stretching his arms and looked down at the bottom of his mug, no longer filled with the thick brown liquid Neelix described as “Better than coffee.” He chuckled to himself about what a luxury real coffee had become in this quadrant. ...Duty roster.. Hmm… Why don’t I just go down to each station and see who’s available… Maybe the crew will have some personal insight I could use… His thoughts began to trail off and he found himself wandering towards stellar cartography. 

As the cool metal doors slipped open, light poured in from the hall onto the darkened work stations of a diligent crew, carefully mapping out this new region of space. They had their work cut out for them, creating detailed maps based on Voyager’s data and comparing them to patchwork resources acquired along the way. Slowly adjusting their eyes to the bright light silhouetting Chakotay in the doorway, spines began to stiffen at the sight of their commanding officer. Lieutenant Kelly, who’d recently been promoted to this division, tripped over a few words beginning a report of their progress. “Sir! We didn’t expect- We’re currently running a scan on the left-”

Chakotay put his hand up in protest. “I was only wondering if anyone wanted to spend tomorrow on the bridge, Ensign Baytart requested a day off, and if I have to scroll through any more names on that padd I might just go crazy.” His expression was soft and lighthearted, but the crew shared nervous glances concerning the surprise visit from the ship’s first officer. “At ease” he insisted, and held out hope for a few more seconds that anyone would take up his offer. 

“I’ve never had bridge duty before” someone spoke up from the back of the room.

“Who is that?” He asked, trying to see through the dark. 

“Ensign Salva sir, I have.. some experience with being on the conn, just not Voyager’s bridge… If no one else wants the shift that is.” 

Ensign Bobbi Salva was not tall and commanding, nor did her voice carry well in any way that demanded attention, but she was never one to pass up a new opportunity. What else are star ships for? In fact, she had found herself in stellar cartography on a similar request. Although she was trained as a medical assistant, she found ways into almost every corner of the ship. A recent favourite of hers being the aeroponics bay, where Kes had invited her to learn about cultivating plants after spending time with her in sickbay. “Growing a plant is just like treating a patient” Kes would say to her, “You just have to know what they need, and they can flourish on their own.” She liked Kes, they were similar in size and stature, but very different in personality in a way that complimented each other well. Bobbi had a square face, and curly dark hair which she tried a variety of ways to pull back into the intricate designs that reminded her of all ways her mother would style her beautiful curls. She had high cheekbones, and deep set eyes that sparkled with reflections of scarlet in the dark brown of their center. Sometimes she appeared to have a bluish tint, her father insisted that she was mixed with a Bolian on her cousin’s grandmother’s aunt’s side of the family, but mostly she had olive undertones on lovely brown skin.

"Salva… Aren’t you usually working in sick bay? I wasn't aware of any personnel changes in that area of the ship" Chakotay started. 

"Well actually sir, it's a funny story really, me and Kes were in the aeroponics bay discussing-" 

"Sir, I apologize for interrupting, but if there is nothing further we do have a few more things to get done." said Lieutenant Kelly, who was admittedly happy that Salva had found something else to do. As interesting as Bobbi found it, stellar cartography was not her strong point. 

"Of course" Chakotay responded, "Salva if you'll come with me we can go over the details of the assignment. As you were Lieutenant." With that Bobbi followed Chakotay into the hall, leaving behind her curiosity for star maps and replacing it with apprehension about serving on the bridge. 

"Sick bay, aeroponics, stellar cartography, is there anywhere besides the bridge you haven't been Ensign?" Chakotay chuckled. 

Bobbi was struck with the sudden realization that, not only was she talking to the second highest in command on the ship, but she had neglected to inform him or anyone else about her incursions. 

"I, well, only went to sections that I was invited to observe or help by other crew members, I never meant to break protocol.." 

"That's alright, I was just curious." Chakotay let out a sigh. He knew most of the crew respected him, and he trusted them. In the Marquis however, things were different. Sure, he was their captain and they followed his command like any good crew would, but there was rarely tension between him and his subordinates solely on the basis of rank. Starfleet vessels are polished and prideful, and senior officers are revered for their accomplishments. Marquis ships are built on trust and bonds between crew members fighting for a cause they believe in, and sometimes respect in senior officers is only granted because they can hit harder than you can in a bar fight. A bit far off from the Starfleet sparkle of an extra pip. 

Tired from his daily tasks and determined to have a sense of normalcy, he started again, “Are you looking to explore another career option? We could always use extra hands in engineering.” said Chakotay.

Bobbi let out a breath and relaxed her shoulders, realising how tense she had been. Chakotay’s warm voice and reassurance took away some of the stress she was carrying around while trying to maintain an aura of professionalism. “Actually I love sick bay. I’ve never felt more right than when I found medicine, I had changed my area of study so many times before…” A small smile escaped her lips, thinking of how many nights she spent worrying she would never find a place to fit in, now feeling so at home with a medical tricorder in her hands. “But as much as I love it, I’m still so curious about everything else. I want to see it, be a part of it for a small time. And seeing the other divisions in action reminds me just how much I love what I do.” she laughed, and looked up at Chakotay to see that he was smiling too. She never noticed before, how his face seemed to light up when he smiled, and caught herself holding her breath again. 

He stopped in the hall outside of his room. “I’m glad to hear you’ve found your calling. It’s a rare gift to know where you fit in. But I’m happy you’ll be joining me on the bridge, even if it’s just one shift. How about I make us some tea and we’ll go over the details of your assignment?” 

…Glad I’ll be joining him on the bridge.. ‘Joining me’ he said… Wait, his quarters? The First Officer’s quarters? Ensign Salva felt her cheeks flush, and the little slice of Bolian blue in her veins sparkled through, turning her subtle blush into a beautiful, almost purple crimson. 

He was nearly caught off guard, watching her face. She’s almost glowing, I wonder what... oh I should have realised that would make her uncomfortable… “Of course we can go in the dining hall if you prefer, I just have to get the padds, I’m sorry if-”

“No no it’s alright, I could use some tea.” She looked up at him again, settling her gaze on the part in his lips forming  what was going to be the next word in his apology, turning her glance quickly back towards the doors to his room. He smiled and welcomed her in.  

Chakotay’s room was softly lit, and sprinkled with things that had been given to him by the people he cared about. A lovely red and orange throw blanket from his grandmother, a crystal set of whisky tumblers from an old pilot he used to know, little pieces of the people who’d helped shape him. 

“Tea first, then work.” He gestured towards the couch for her to sit, and walked over to the replicator for two cups of yerba mate. A red, earthy tea, made from the leaves of a South American holly tree. One of his favourite blends that he didn’t often indulge in, because he didn’t want to spoil it. Tonight it felt appropriate. 

“Bridge duty on Voyager? Maybe I need something stronger than tea.” She could feel herself smiling nervously. Why did I say that? He’s going to think I’m not up for the challenge… 

Thinking for a second, tilting his head ever so slightly, “You know what you’re right. Let me get something… Here it is, warm vanilla brandy from a group of Bajorins that helped us restock on a very cold, very long night with the Marquis. It compliments the tea perfectly.” Adding the brandy to the tea, he joined her on the couch. ...What I wouldn’t give to see that lovely color in her face again… We’re supposed to be discussing bridge duty, I think…

As he sat down next to her she crossed her legs up onto the couch and held the tea in her lap, feeling the warm mug in her hands, letting the steam from the mixture of herbs and brandy curl up around her and closing her eyes for a second. Has he always been so welcoming and kind? Is he always this easy to be around? We’re supposed to be discussing bridge duty, I think… 

He put his arm on the back of the couch, and rested his cheek against his fist “Where are you from?” he wondered. 

“From?” she blinked 

Chakotay smiled and put his hand down in his lap, mirroring her posture and feeling the warmth in the mug he was holding. “Yes, before Starfleet, did you live on Earth?” 

“Oh no, I mean I’ve been there plenty of times, but my dad worked in one of the schools on Mars, he’s a teacher there for kindergarteners.” Bobbi laughed and looked up as if she was watching a memory play on the ceiling, “He used to tell stories to his kids about me being in Starfleet, he was always so proud of me. I wonder what he told them when…” She stopped and looked down, it wasn’t a happy memory any more, not knowing if he had given up hope that her ship would be found, not knowing if she had given up hope that they would make it back either. 

“Hey, I’m sorry.” Chakotay reached his hand out to put his palm on her knee. “We’ll make it back, I have to believe that. I’m sure your father misses you a great deal.” He let out a small smile, “Honestly I would miss you too, you seem like that type of person, who sticks with someone when you’ve gone.” He didn’t even notice that he had moved closer to her.

He may not have noticed his movement, but she was acutely aware of his hand on her leg, and the distance closing between them. She noticed that she leaned into his touch, and she noticed that she was hanging onto every word in that soothing deep tone of his. “I.. thank you sir.” Bobbi felt her cheeks flush again, and cast her eyes down at his hand. Am I flirting with the first officer? Is… Is the first officer flirting with me? She felt the brandy warming her stomach and a prickle at the tips of her fingers. Oh, this is real alcohol she thought for a second. It had been a while since she had the comfort of a genuine drink, and synthehol just doesn’t have that same feeling. 

He paused for a second at the sight of her. That wonderful color, shading the edges of her cheeks and the tips of her ears, stole the words he was trying to formulate. Chakotay didn’t usually like being called “sir,” he always thought it sounded a little pretentious, and while he understood and respected the purpose of formality on a ship, sometimes he just wanted a regular conversation. So then, why did it sound so good when she said it? He was fighting a smile pulling at the corner of his mouth, and felt that same warmth in his veins from the brandy that he hadn’t felt in some time. 

“I really appreciate you making me feel so... welcome.” She said, unsure if she should change the subject or push it further. She reached over and placed her cup on the coffee table, and watched as he mirrored her movement, setting his down as well. “I couldn’t have been your first choice for Baytart’s replacement, but I appreciate the opportunity, sir.” she finished, deciding to turn the conversation back to work. Even still, she couldn’t help but wonder where it might have gone instead. I’ve got to be reading too much into this… There’s no way he’s... I just need to get my thoughts together for a second… 

There it is again, ‘Sir’... It felt like honey coming off her lips. The way she said it, like she didn’t need to say it, like she had an inside joke and it was a challenge. “Honestly” Chakotay responded, trying not to linger too long on the thought, “I had no idea who I was going to pick. I spent so long looking at names on a screen, I just had to see someone face to face instead.” This time he did notice that his hand was still on her knee and he had, in fact, moved closer to her. He noticed too that she’d shifted positions and now the other leg was down on the floor, pushing her very slightly closer to him. Before he realised what he was saying, he started saying it. “I’m glad it was you that decided to say something, and that you came with me tonight. That subtle blue is so beautiful in your skin, has anyone ever mentioned that before?” His voice grew quieter and deeper, his eyes trailed across the line of her jaw. 

Oh… This wasn’t her over thinking anything, she realised. And now that she had figured it out, she wasn’t letting it go. Now it was a challenge, if it wasn’t before. Her eyelids lowered and she chose her words carefully, curious how far he was willing to take this conversation without her making it too easy. “Is that so? No, I don’t think I’ve been told that before.” Bobbi could still feel the heat in her face, and was finding it more and more difficult to take her focus off his lips, his shoulders, the feeling of his hand still on her leg, until she felt herself reach down and softly lace her fingers onto the spaces between his. It was almost jarring, how incredible it felt, the softness and warmth of his hand, all from a very small touch that she didn’t realise she needed until it was so obvious that she needed it. 

Chakotay could tell she was playing at something and could see the twitch of excitement on her face, even though she answered him so sparingly. …’Is that so’ Oh, I think you know it is, and I would love to see what else you know… But the feeling of her hand on his brought him out of his trance. He looked down at her delicate fingers fitting perfectly between his, knowing how good it felt to be touched. “Ensign… Bobbi. This wasn’t my intention with bringing you here. If you’re not comfortable, I would never impose…” He tilted his head back up to meet her gaze, “What I mean to say is that I don’t want to cross any boundaries you might have.” 

“Commander, I could say the same to you. But I think, if it’s alright, that I would like to stay for a little while.” She held his stare intently while she spoke, to be sure he would not miss-hear her words. No, commander, I do think I will stay here with you… I think that’s exactly what I want to do. Again, her eyes found his lips, and she moved closer to his seat, sliding his hand with hers further up to the soft middle of her thigh. His fingers tightened their grip just slightly, like he couldn’t help it, like he had to feel more of her, and she nearly lost all of her focus at once. Not yet, she thought, I want to see what you do. You’re the commander, after all, so make a decision. Make a command. Dizzy with the thoughts of what he might do, she waited, giving him no more before he would respond. 

Commander… Say it again… “Then stay.” He placed his hand gently on her cheek, using his thumb to feel the curves of her face before pulling her to him until their foreheads met. “I’m going to kiss you.” It wasn’t a question, his voice was deep and quiet, and full of desire. 

“Then do it.” She whispered. He smelled sweet like the vanilla brandy mixed with the faintest trace of eucalyptus, and his hand felt strong on her face. She could barely contain her composure, waiting for his lips to meet hers. 

Her words felt like another challenge, and without hesitation he pressed his lips onto hers and felt her whole body melt into him. His hand slid up her thigh to around her waist, pulling her deeper into him, and he moved the other hand to the base of her neck where he could feel her draw in a breath between each kiss. She let out a moan that he could feel with the hand on her throat, and he pushed her back gently, stopping her in the middle of her ecstasy. Lifting a thumb to her chin, he pulled down and parted her lips with his hand, and drew his face in close again, just barely brushing the surface of her mouth with his own. “I like that sound, does this feel good?” While he asked, his other hand trailed along the inside of her thigh, making her gasp. “No, I asked you a question. Does that feel good?” His fingers tightened their grip on her leg. 

“Yes.” She whispered again. How could it not feel good? Please... The strength of his hands, his lips, his tongue, he was intoxicating, and she didn’t want him to stop. 

“Good.” His lips were still brushing hers, he felt her trying to move forward and pushed her back again. “You want more?” 

“Yes.”

“Yes what? You weren’t so shy before calling me ‘sir’ and ‘commander’. I even thought you liked it.”

Her eyes turned sharp and hungry, and she waited just a little while, testing his patience until she felt another squeez on her thigh. He wanted to hear her say it. 

“Yes, sir. I want more.” 

This time it was him that let out a moan as he pulled her back. He wanted more too, her skin, her warmth, he wanted to feel every part of her, and more than that, he wanted to make her feel good and watch her move and gasp with every new touch. She smelled like clove and she was soft, so soft he didn’t want to hurt her by gripping her too tight, but everytime he strengthened his grip he felt her lean further into it, deepening her intensity. He stopped her again, this time putting distance between them. “Stand up.” Chakotay ordered. He looked up at her and smiled with that warm inviting smile as she stood. “Good girl. I want you to take off your uniform, I want to look at you, will you do that?” 

“Yes sir.” She turned away from him, and when he started to speak out in protest she silenced him with a look. He was driving her wild with anticipation and now it was her turn. Very slowly she began to undo her clothes, leaving the back open for a few seconds before carefully pulling off one shoulder, then the other, and sliding out each arm purposefully, drawing the fabric down the length of her arms and past her hands, but holding up the front to keep herself covered. Then she slowly turned to face Chakotay. His expression was  intense, his lips parted at the sight of her and his hand was drawn up in his lap as if he was going to start pleasuring himself to her, but he stayed very still instead, watching her movements intently. She nearly forgot what she was doing when she saw him looking at her like that, like she was the most amazing thing he had ever seen. 

He waited patiently, saying nothing. She continued with her game, pulling the fabric slowly off each leg while holding the bulk of it in front of her with the other arm. Chakotay leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, eagerly watching her every move. Once the final items of clothing were removed, and she stood in front of him with only the drape of an empty uniform left to cover her, she took a step closer to him and left the last of the fabric to fall on the ground around her. He sat entranced in her shape only briefly before reaching up to grab her hand, pulling her into his lap. 

Her hands rested on his chest, and she straddled his lap. She was surprised at how comfortable he was physically, and how easy it was to follow his direction. It felt natural, like a game they were playing that they both knew the rules to, and she was fixated on his every next move. His hands began to move up her thighs, onto her hips, up her waist, and up the sides of her breasts to her shoulders. She held her breath, he wasn’t really touching her, not completely. Still dancing around the edges, making her wait, making her want him. One hand curled around the nape of her neck, and the other slid back down to her hips as she let out the breath she was holding in. 

“Look at you, you look stunning.” Both of his hands moved to her breasts and his feather light touch cupped them and brushed his thumbs over her nipples. She lifted her head back and groaned, reaching a hand down to touch herself, but Chakotay grabbed her wrist and stopped her. “No, not yet.” He was still softly stroking her hard nipple with his thumb while holding her wrist away from herself. 

“Please?” She let out a whimper. 

“Please what?” He said. 

“Please, I want yo-” She groaned again, interrupting her words and her thoughts with the feeling his hands were providing. 

He chuckled at her reaction to his touch and felt her squirm in his lap. “Please what?” he said again, and gently squeezed her breast in his hand, shifting his grip to use his index finger to tease her instead of his thumb. 

“Please, I want you to fuck me.” 

“Is that how you refer to me?” His hand moved up from her breast to her neck, with his index finger resting on the line of her jaw putting a small amount of pressure on her throat, just enough to notice. His other hand let go of her wrist daring her to try again, and moved to undo his own uniform. “You were doing so well before. If that’s really what you want then you’ll have to ask me the right way.” 

She watched as he unfastened his uniform and took the length of his cock into his hand, touching himself like he wouldn’t allow her to do, and she was breathless again. He pulled her face close to his with the hand around her neck, and continued to stroke the length of his shaft underneath her. She whimpered thinking about how good he would feel inside of her. He could feel the tension in her legs, and he knew she could only go so much longer before it would become too much. “Go on, say it.” He said between stolen kisses on her open mouth. 

“Please sir, I want you to fuck me.” 

Chakotay took his hand from himself and reached up to her pussy, feeling the wetness between her lips, sliding his fingers up onto her clit and massaging it slowly. She groaned deeply at his touch and her hips began to sway in motion with his fingers. “There, that wasn’t so hard. I want to hear you moan.” He worked his fingers faster on her clit and felt her body reacting in waves to the feeling. 

It felt so good, that’s really the best way to describe it. It felt so good and she felt herself move along with him, her muscles tensing and releasing with his changes in speed and pressure. “Mm it feels so good, don’t sto-” she moaned again, louder this time. And just as she was about to direct him not to, he stopped and pulled his hand away, back to himself. “You’re not done yet.” Bringing her up to that edge, watching her body, her face, he loved every second of it. With one hand still around her throat, he pushed her off his lap so they were both standing and kissed her deeply, letting his other hand explore her curves. 

“Wait.” It was her turn again. She pushed him away for a second and he waited to listen to her demands. “Let me take off your uniform.” He smiled as she moved her hands over the fabric, as slowly as she did for herself she unfastened his shirt and slid it off his broad shoulders, then moved to his undershirt, giving him light kisses on the stomach and chest as she pulled it up over his head. His pants, which were already partially undone, were the easiest to remove. She found herself laughing with him as he tried to step out of them after they pooled around his ankles, falling back onto the couch and taking her with him. Their laughter moved their bodies on one another in a way that brought her closer to him, and she could feel his warm skin against hers. She layed on top of him for a second, feeling him breathe, listening to his heart beat, and feeling his arms coil around her again.

His hands began to explore, and he felt her shifting on top of him. She sat up looking at him, and his hands slid back up to cup her breasts then back down again so his thumbs were resting on her sex. He began to rub her clit with his thumbs, watching her move to the feeling and moan. He reached for his cock with one hand, and pulled it up to slide between her pussy lips, not letting her have it inside her just yet, rubbing the tip against her clit and letting her wetness cover it’s length. She moaned, the most beautiful sound in the world, and grinded her hips back and forth over the length of his cock. She tried to reach down again to touch herself and intensify the feeling, but he pulled her wrist and sat up slightly, bringing both hands behind her back. “Not yet.” he whispered. He kissed up her neck, brushing his lips against her as he moved and she lifted her head back to feel his mouth and tongue on her skin. 

“You feel so good Bobbi.” Chakotay let out a moan, and wrapped both arms around her, pulling her around underneath him. His hips slid between her legs and he paused for another second, putting his hand back around her neck drawing her focus up at him. “Tell me what you want.”

She could barely form the words now, her head still spinning from the feeling of grinding on top of him. “I want to feel you inside of me, I want you to fuck me.” 

“Is that what you want?” 

“Yes, sir.” 

Her words were ringing in his ears …’yes, sir’... and he thrusted the length of his cock deep inside of her wet pussy, watching her face change as she gasped when he filled her. She moaned into his thrusts, and floated her hands up his arms onto his shoulders where she dug in her nails to his back. He felt her nails pierce his skin and thrusted deeper, and her hips matched his rhythm pushing herself harder onto him. His grip on her throat tightened slightly, and he pulled himself up to watch her body move and quiver. Her moans became louder and surrounded him, and he slowed his pace, carefully feeling every inch coming in and out of her. 

Her sex was like velvet, soft and hot around his cock, he moaned at the feeling of her legs beginning to shake. He came to a stop still inside of her and watched her hips squirm around him. Slowly pulling out, he took his hand off her neck and moved it back onto her clit, rubbing slow circles with the pads of his fingers. Waves of pleasure were washing over her as she moaned again. “Turn over.” he said, still rubbing her clit. She groaned and pushed her hips into his hand. He leaned down to kiss her, and said in a low voice in her ear, “You’re not listening, I said turn over.” taking his hand away sharply, and stroking himself instead again. She sat up to turn over, and he stopped her abruptly, thrusting his fingers inside of her pulling them towards her g-spot. “What do you say?” 

Her head was dizzy again, but she knew the words this time. “Yes sir.” she moaned. 

“Good girl.” Chakotay kissed her again. 

She turned over with one knee on the couch and the other leg extended down to the floor, not bothering to hold herself up, she let her back arch and her arms slide forwards above her head. His hands trailed her spine and the curve of her hips before he thrusted into her again. She let out a cry from the pleasure, the change in position reaching new parts of herself. He filled her again and again, grabbing her hips to thrust harder and deeper, listening to her cries and moans change with his changes. “Fuck” she moaned again, “Oh fuck” her body was starting to tense and quiver, and he responded thrusting faster. “Please, you feel so good” she mumbled into the cushion between gasps. 

It felt so good to be inside of her, but hearing her say it brought him over the edge. He started to moan, thrusting harder and deeper, and bent down over her to pull her further into him, reaching a hand around to massage her clit while she quivered and begged. He spoke into her ear again in that low commanding voice “Tell me again, the right way.” 

“You feel so good inside of me sir, please don’t stop” She barely made the sentence out before she started shaking again with waves of pleasure. 

Chakotay felt her orgasam around his cock from the tightening pulses, and slowed his pace to match her body. “Do you want me to keep going?” He asked gently, knowing she might not tolerate more. 

She lazily nodded her head, and mumbled into the cushion again “mhm.” 

He chuckled at her response, and paused inside of her. “Turn over again.” She did so without hesitation. “That’s not right, what do you say?” 

“Yes sir.” She smiled up at him, like she had almost gotten away with it. 

In that moment she had the most beautiful smile in the world. He couldn't help but kiss her again, and again, and trailed down her chest, and breasts, and stomach, kissing her all the way until his mouth found her sex. She gasped again, as he slowly dragged his tongue over her clit, moving softly and carefully. She tasted like heaven, and she squirmed as his tongue began to flick faster. He thrusted his fingers inside of her, and started to suck on her clit, looking up as her body moved and swayed with his actions. Her hands curled into his hair, pulling his face down into her pussy. He reached down with his other hand and stroked himself again, before sitting up and putting the length of his cock back inside of her. 

She let out another gasp, and he began to thrust rhythmically with her hips pushing into him. He stayed with his body pressed against hers this time, feeling her every movement. Her moans became more intense, and he moved faster letting out moans of his own from the feeling of her body pressed up against him. “I’m going to come.” no longer able to resist the feeling, he managed the words between thrusts. 

“I want you to cum inside me.” She responded, feeling the length of him and hearing his moans, knowing it was her turn again. 

He had no time to correct her with their little game, he could feel his orgasam pulsing in her as he thrusted deeply one last time, feeling the waves flow through him, and cumming inside of her. She could feel the heat from the cum running down onto her thighs, and the pulses in his cock as he remained still. They breathed deeply together, being still, feeling each other's breath, dizzy from the orgasams, and happy.

A small laugh escaped Bobbi as she felt the weight of Chakotay laying ontop of her, and he started to laugh too. Before they knew it they were both laughing together, a mess on the couch. She sat up with him and curled into his arms. It still felt so good to be touched, by someone, by anyone. They were all alone together in this quadrant, and neither of them knew exactly how much they needed it, that is right up until they knew how much they needed it.