#like you do not have to like the show itself but saying boo it sucked bc there’s no costume changes or flashy sets is. a mid take at BEST.

[taketheringtolohac]

being so normal about peoples bad opinions on theater. being so normal.

[dududuuuuudud]

Friendly reminder for u guys!

To Duncney and Gwent fans,

WE DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOUR OPINION. Boo hoo your ship was filled with toxicity which you and your toxic fanbase ignore because they were 'nostalgic'. You guys are probably 10-year-olds who have no sense of what a healthy and non-healthy ship is. Many people cheated on their partners and do you talk about that? No because you guys are attacking two people who genuinely loved each other. ALSO, I would like to state that harassing Gwuncan shippers is not going to get you anywhere. Just because your ship died which everyone knew was going to happen because HOW WOULD THEY SETTLE THEIR RELATIONSHIP OUTSIDE OF THE SHOW. Alright, tell me about Duncney. They are not cutesy wootsie when Courtney abused him every way possible. To top it off, Duncan was happily cheating on Courtney by flirting with Heather as well. AND Courtney happily about to kiss Justin IN FRONT of Duncan. This is a way to prove that Duncan would not work.Read through my rants and you'll get why. Another thing, Trent was creepy and making Gwen so uncomfortable. He was so insecure that he shouldn't be in a relationship at all and work for himself. AND he kissed Heather back as well. Meaning Gwent would not work as well outside of the show. 'But Gwuncan revolved around Courtney.' NO TF IT DID NOT. IN TDAS GWEN HAD TO FIX HER FRIENDSHIP AND DUNCAN IN FACT DID NOT LIKE COURTNEY. HE HAD A BIG EGO AND THAT SEASON ITSELF SHOULDN'T BE COUNTED AS ONE FOR WHAT IT DID TO EVERY CHARACTER. Not the point. Gwuncan DIDN'T revolve around Courtney so with the most disrespect, SHUT UP. Stop hating on a ship when two people GENUINELY LOVE EACH OTHER and DON'T have just a physical attraction. You Duncney and Gwent fans are actually so toxic and parade your opinion which NO ONE ASKS FOR to people who have done nothing but have an opinion. No one gaf about your opinion which has zero to NO facts or evidence to actually prove as a healthy ship. 'Oh it's just a show.' Well if it's just a show why are Gwuncan shippers receiving death threats. I'm making this for people like you to stop because it's really aggravating seeing a Duncney fan or Gwent fan everywhere I go in the community, plastering your opinion. Mind I say again, NO ONE FUCKING CARES.

GROW UP OR LEAVE THE COMMUNITY. Because you guys are the most obnoxious and disrespectful shippers who go out of their way to ruin everything.

~Read my other rants for more my evidence and proof to why these ships suck~

[rebelwhodoesntknow]

Aikatsu-ing again (everyone has to put up with my shit)

So the first real set of Aikatsu Academy performances came out and I have many thoughts!! I’ll talk about the mechanics first and the music next, I think. This may be a stream of consciousness I have no idea. It’s also VERY LONG so it’s under the read more for your sanity.

So the models I would say are pretty decent! I’m not sure if they’re still using the vtuber models with pre-choreographed movements or if they gave them proper Aikatsu style models, but my guess is the former. One thing that really annoyed me was that their mouths were definitely not synced to the lyrics they were singing, which definitely broke the immersion for me a bit. Like come on if you mapped all the other movements surely you could make the mouths at least mimic the vowels they’re singing! I also feel like the camera angles were really trying to compensate for the animation/choreo at points. It did its job, but I just had a feeling if we zoomed the camera out there may be some awkwardness that I don’t think you’d find in other cg performances.

They did have a bit of coord transformation, but I would say it’s very stiff. They did have the sort of sparkly bodies that come to mind when you think of og Aikatsu transformations, but the coords didn’t come on in sequence which kind of sucked. Didn’t really get the photo thing either, doesn’t feel anywhere as connected to the Aikatsu system as the cards did.

The stage itself was…fine, I suppose. I recently rewatched Idol Kiwi’s video on the Aikatsu stages and I think she made a really good point on how the fantastical Aikatsu System leads to endless stage possibilities, and i definitely felt like this one was slightly too grounded. The lack of appeals and coords that didn’t push too many boundaries definitely did not help. BUT THEY GAVE THEM AURAS!! They are extremely simple but at least we know a vestige of the old system was there!! My hope is that they’re trying to portray these girls as absolute novices (like Akari initially) and the aura showing up during the last song is a sign of their progression. Maybe they’ll do appeals soon!!

One thing that was interesting to me was the insistence on doing full song performances. Up until now, Aikatsu performances have usually consisted of a singular verse and chorus (sometimes two choruses), and sometimes a bridge if the chorus is short. So I don’t really get why they decided to lengthen it. Was it to justify the definitely simpler choreography? But if that’s the case, why did they do the full song of Diamond Happy and add a bunch more stuff? Personally, I would have liked a shorter stage if it meant there was more effort put into the animation and choreography or if an appeal was thrown in.

Okay now for songs!! We had the two songs that had already come out, one new song, and a Diamond Happy cover. I think I’ll cover songs and then go into individual vocals.

I don’t have much to say about Full Bloom Helianthe other than it’s good and it sounds like Aikatsu. I will be adding it to my playlist! It’s the same sentiment as Akogare Sky, but Sky sounds a bit more modern. What I’m really interested in is the newer songs.

The Diamond Happy cover was… okay, I say begrudgingly. I miss Ichigo, her voice really brought something to that song that is definitely missing. I also missed her expression on ‘happy’ which was not mirrored in any of the girls. Also, THEY KILLED MY HARMONY IN THE CHORUS! WHERE IS THE LOVELY HARMONIZED CHIKARA—AH-AH!! I really thought the cover was good until that point and that just killed me. They can hit those notes! Why didn’t they… why…. Aaaagh. *head in hands*

Peek-a-boo was kind of fun? Idk about the intro. It gets you sufficiently pumped but it also repeats peek-a-boo like 10 times which is going to be an embarrassment hurdle for me. It might grow on me though. The first thing I thought when I listened to it was ‘oh they’re doing Tristar with this one!’ Because it pretty much sounded like a Tristar Photokatsu song. Kind of cool, but now I wish Tristar were the ones singing it… can’t win them all I suppose. Okay onto vocals! Just a note I am a singer but I am not classically trained, so I’m saying more what I feel than Evidence This Singer Is Good/Bad.

Mieru’s voice has definitely grown on me! I was a little bit nervous that she was too quiet of a voice to really stand out, but I ended up quite liking her in the songs, even though she didn’t seem like the main character in them. Her voice actually fits great in Peek-a-boo, so much so that I almost wished she was a sexy-type idol. I hope we see that mature tone again!

Pairin is still my favorite for having the most amount of sheer power behind her vocals. She feels like the main character to me, which is funny because I’m pretty sure it’s definitely supposed to be resident cute-type Mieru. But I can hear Pairin the most on the songs and she’s really what gives them impact. She sounds more like Ichigo, Akari, and Yume, so my brain pegs that down as the main character. She can definitely play up the pop typing when singing like she did in Diamond Happy, but I like it better when it’s just clean pure vocals from her.

I feel really bad for Meh, because it seems like she’s struggling with singing the most. She’s obviously supposed to be a Sumire-type cool idol (and she sounded great in Tarte Tatin on a livestream) but she doesn’t hit this sort of butter-smooth vocal pocket that Sumire does. She just doesn’t have the same richness in her voice. In fact, I think she has real trouble switching between head, throat, and chest voice, since I hear these little vocal splinterings that I recognize from my own singing endeavors. I think she has potential, it’s just… not being tapped into, and it’s sad!

Anyways yeah those are my thoughts! I at least like that old Aikatsu stuff is still being engaged with in this new time. But I’ll keep on keeping tabs on Aikatsu Academy!

[lunar-years]

https://deadline.com/2024/08/ted-lasso-season-4-deal-near-brett-goldstein-hannah-waddingham-1236049653/ LOOK WHAT YOU DID /J

Article here

PHEW. Okay. I kind of cursed us I think? I’m sorry everyone. :(

now that i've had a few hours to soak this news in uhhhh. I have thoughts! As many of you know, I flip flop all the time on whether i actually *want* more Ted Lasso, but now that it's far closer to happening and we're hearing a bit more about what it might it entail, I'm unfortunately kind of landing firmly back in the "god no keep that away from me" camp. Reasons being:

The show kind of doomed itself when it made s3 because at the beginning of that season I would have SWORN there was going to be a s4, and by the end i was convinced there was absolutely never going to be a s4. They had sooooo many plots going on, and instead of doing the reasonable thing and adjusting the original vision of the show to expand the vast amount of story they'd ended up with for s3 into two enjoyable and well-paced seasons, they decided to instead squeeze it into one very mid, terribly paced season. so now s4 isn't going to make much sense because the show already HAD an ending (even if it was a subpar one)

why on EARTH couldn't they have decided to move ahead with this before everyone's contracts expired 😭 wtf wtf!!!!! this is an absolutely wretched cursed timeline. if i remember correctly everyone was under contract for 4 seasons up until May this year. and they're going to turn around and announce a s4 in AUGUST??? hello???

As the article mentioned, and expanding on point #2, it is quite likely several og cast regulars are no longer available or only available in a guest star capacity. this sucks. a show that's missing some of the characters is literally FARRRR worse to me then a show that was given an ending and is now over forever. boo. if you're not giving me back jamie tartt again like literally pack it up boys. why are we doing this.

the *only* cast member I could understand (and perhaps even endorse) being lowered from series regular to guest star capacity would be Jason, and that's mostly because I think it's very hard to rectify Ted being a part of the afc richmond / London scene again after they JUST concluded his series-long arc by having him return home very poignantly to his son in Kansas. Like...huh? He just changes his mind and goes back??? lmao*

*The article is under the impression Jason WILL be returning and whilst that confuses me i AM willing to give the show the benefit of the doubt on writing a creative, fun way of making that possible. I am willing to trust them and let them sell me on how Ted Lasso can continue on! but going back to point 3, it's unfortunately all irrelevant to me if other characters are missing. sorry but. no.

as much as i did/do love ted lasso for a vast number of characters, i am too emotionally attached to my favs to where i literally do not think i would enjoy the show anymore if any of them were missing. A roy and keeley plot without jamie visibly in their lives sucks 2 me. A roy plot without jamie OR keeley (because frankly i'm hesitant about the potential of juno returning either) also sucks 2 me. i love the characters together and considering where we left them in s3, it doesn't excite me at all to think about their futures without each other. i'm not asking for rjk to be canon, even, im just asking for them to all be like. IN IT. At the end of the day, the show I love, I love because they were in it.

based on the current specualations...if everyone is in it (with or without ted) i will be tuned in but i feel nervous about it. if phil's really not returning like certain reports are saying, i'm not watching. BUT i will follow along via post episode tumblr gif sets where i can see any of the fun lighthearted roy stuff and keeley stuff and team stuff and ignore the rest of whatever the fucks happening. i will peacefully continue to live on (and contribute to) Ted Lasso Ao3 island.

[mad-c1oud]

“Don’t play the hero all the time.” with Etoiles and Slime if you'd like!!! They truly are blorbos <3

nonnie they really are, you're sooooooooo right

Charlie pov starcicle for a change

(more dialogue prompts here and here!! Thank you sm for this one anon <3)

+++++

“Don’t play the hero all the time.”

Charlie would feel bad for making Étoiles wince with how rough he’s being as he plays nurse, but he can’t find it in himself to calm down. Not after everything that just happened. He’s tired of almost losing this stupid fucking cucumber with a death-is-noble complex. It’s gonna give him grey hairs at this point. Grey slime. Whatever.

Étoiles hisses when Charlie accidentally brushes against an open wound along his arm in his haste to wrap the gouge in his shoulder. Fuck. He presses a warm but angry kiss to the back of his skull in an apology and the fighter hums happily. Idiot. Stupidstupidstupid-

“Then what other part am I going to play? You already have damsel in distress covered.”

Charlie rolls his eyes. “Har har, maybe consider the court jester route then, your jokes are getting better.” Étoiles snorts quietly, drooping forward tiredly. Charlie worries his lip between his teeth as he gently rights the fighter. He has to be exhausted after that fight. Pleased, content, and beyond satisfied with the outcome but tired. There’s a slump to his shoulders that Charlie rarely sees and it’s… it worries him. Étoiles is more than capable of doing what he does best, but Charlie wants to protect him too, he just has no idea how.

“Nothing compared to yours, Charlie,” The fighter probably means for it to come out sarcastically but his tone is sugary sweet and just so full of fondness that it has Charlie pausing where he’s winding gauze around the other’s torso to lean heavily into his back, arms coming up to wind around his waist carefully, mindful of the burns to his chest.

Charlie takes a moment to just breathe with the other, forehead pressed to the nape of his neck as they sit in silence. The stress of the day should be over, washed down the drain of the shower Charlie shoved Étoiles into the moment he won his fight, was out of arms way and in the circle of Charlie’s arms, back at home. Whole. Warm. Safe.

But there’s a lingering anxiety there, knowing this isn’t the last time they’ll be like this, but in all honesty, it’s an annoyingly fair trade. For all the times Charlie has to heal sew-up cuts and ice burns, Étoiles has to turn around and pull arrows out, replace broken bones. Back and forth. Around and around they go.

“You suck. Next time, let me play the plucky sidekick yeah? They always get cool deaths or super awesome heroic moments in the final battle. I need to complete my arc bro, lemme have that.”

Étoiles turns a little when Charlie finishes tucking the gauze into itself, wrappings bandaged limbs around the slime in as tight a hug as he can manage. Charlie tries to not actually melt into the embrace, sinking into the blissful warmth radiating from the star of the show. His star.

This is good. This is worth it all.

“Okay. Next time, Charlie.”

“Cool beans. Now unhand me, we’re not done with your boo-boos, babe.”

Étoiles giggles into Charlie’s hair, warm and happy and loose-limbed and safe. He’s safe. “No, I'm the hero and I won,so I am claiming my prize.”

Oh, this suave motherfuck- “That’s it, I’m going to bury you in the garden and see what happens. Say hi to the worms for me, dick.”

“Nononono Charlie haha please- not the dirt-“

Etoiles isn’t buried alive, but Charlie makes sure to bury him in kisses at least. Serves him right.

[some-pers0n]

Im the prev anon, but yeagh a few stuff: whats with medic and the baboon uteruses also a few critiques of tf2 :0 when I first got into tf2 i noticed some things

Okie pokie.

With Medic and the baboon uteruses, that's a joke that follows up on the things established by Meet the Medic. The heart that Medic replaces Heavy's normal one is a mega baboon heart if I remember correctly. It shows that Medic uses exotic animal organs for his surgeries.

The baboon uterus part is also foreshadowed earlier in the comics. Literally the first moment that Medic is introduced, he mentions it.

And then later on its reinforced.

Until finally...

And then Cheavy dies, blah blah blah..

And then boom. Baboon child.

Okay, so, time to put on my bitchy WoF fan mode. It feels weird to just actually talk and complain about TF2 because, unlike WoF, there isn't really anything that FEELS like missed potential and or just poorly handled. It doesn't jump out at you as much.

However, I will say that the Saxton Hale subplot in the comics did feels...very unimportant. I get it if it was to build-up something for the final comic involving some sort of confrontation between the mercs and Charles Darling along with the Administrator, but it's just. yeah. I don't care for it. Maggie doesn't exactly offer much in terms of character stuff other than being Saxton's girlfriend.

On a similar note, Zhanna. The comics in generally feel like they introduce a lot of ideas, yet don't really follow through on them. Again, this is because we are literally missing the final piece of the puzzle, but Zhanna doesn't exactly. do much. Her role in the story is just as another comedic relief character and a foil to Soldier. Literally we've already got enough foils for Soldier. Merasmus, Demoman, etc. Zhanna doesn't really do anything.

I hate this panel. I don't even know how you can defend it. I'm retconning this to death and back in my fic.

There is no The Funny. It's just the TFC Soldier and Scout talking and then at the very end being like. pedos?? Ermm,, how about NO??? Valve, why would you make the only kinda canonically queer couple in TF2 be pedos. Can you not? Please?

Hmm,, erm.. hmm... The lore itself is generally delivered in a confusing and convoluted manner. Yet again, I feel like that we would've gotten a great and amazing summary and explanation for everything in the final comic, but I need you to understand that I genuinely get migranes from trying to understand and piece together the lore, much more with actually trying to rewrite it and make sense of it. I'm at a point where I feel maniac joy from learning that green is the inverse of purple.

I'm kinda scraping at the bottom of the barrel here. I don't have too many thoughts on the Lore for now. Of the game? I mean, I'm not too into the actual game itself other than watching countless video essays, clip dumps, and generally just enjoying it all. I think that Dustbowl sucks.

OOH!! I randomly just don't like how New Zealand was sentenced to being an underwater desolate place that we barely explored. Boo!! Be like Rapture!! I think it would be so very cool if The Gang explored either what is literally just the underwater utopia city of Atlantis, or Rapture post-civil war. I think there's a lot of potential with New Zealand that's never touched on.

Scratch that, Valve (and the general fandom) is sitting on a literal GOLD MINE when it comes to Australia. Australium mine if you will. You have this futuristic utopian society that's got plenty of potential for weird shit and NOBODY talks about it. I feel like pulling my hair out whenever I think about Australia. It SHOULD be a important part. It should be something that's talked about more. Yet, nothing. Sjdbsmsbwjsbsh,,,

There should've been more Demo comics. Demo gets treated so, so, so bad by Valve man. I wish Demo's character was treated as more than just a silly goober. Like his parents literally abandoning him for a bit before readopting him, him losing his eye, his alcoholism, etc. I get it that it's the funny silly goofy game, but it's also the same silly goofy game that reveals that the Pootis Russian Guy's father was killed for his political views and he himself and his entire family was imprisoned in a gulag.

Clicking my tongue and tapping my desk trying to think of stuff. Hmm,, there's a lot of potential missed with the TFC team. They were introduced pretty late and we only really got two comics of them being threats until they all died. Fred and Cheavy especially I think wayyy too much about. Also Cmedic but eh. I love Fred and I kinda wish he would be there in the final comic. I do think that Cheavy had a good reason for getting mad at Medic, that being that Medic's literally sewing god knows what into him and his fellow coworkers as well and spending their entire budget AND reviving Sniper.

Miss Pauling's SFM design >>>>> her comic one. Her purple and white button shirt VS solid purple block dress.

I dunno what else to complain about. See ya.

[saintcahara]

THE LAST OF US SEASON 1 : A RANT

Content warning : major spoilers. I discovered the TLOU PART 1 game when it had just been released on Steam, finally adapted for PC after years of waiting. It wasn't exactly glorious with all the bugs (like scenery not loading, unexpected freezes or the gameplay on the controller simply impossible to use when I like to lie down in my chair instead of hunching over and looking like a shrimp just to reach my keyboard).

But overall, TLOU is a game that I loved playing, in particular due to the atmosphere which oscillates very neatly between danger and contemplation. Not to mention the relationships between the characters felt extremely organic. It is rare that we achieve this result, something authentic. And then, the graphics are very beautiful, no offense to the snobs who think they are dissidents and proclaim loudly that ghhhh... photorealism is overused... I prefer pixel art... the cartoon style... hmm I'm so subversive … I congratulate you, you've just discovered tastes and colors.

It goes without saying that after the slap in the face the game gave us, I expected a lot from the TV series. Yes, I'm more than a year late... I don't really like watching series... I get bored quickly... Anyway, according to the notes and scores, it looked pretty good!

So, I watched the whole thing. But I have to admit that I spent half of it scrolling on my phone because i was so bored. Ah…

I found the series to be deadly boring. In fact, I'm convinced the producers relied on the success of the games and crossed their arms behind their heads thinking that its reputation would carry the project. Which, in itself, was the case... There is a terrible lack of effort: Ellie's bite mark is ridiculous 0/10 to the makeup artist since it is one of the key elements of the story, the characters are too distorted in favor of a whole lot of nothing, the pace of the episodes is boring...

In fact, all this stuff pissed me off so much that I started writing about it. Even if I have never done that. That’s saying something. Since I have to start somewhere, let's start with the most obvious.

1. Bella Ramsey as Ellie

I'm sorry, what was that ? Who thought it was good ? There are two things bothering me but not in the way you'd expect.

First off... this isn't Ellie. Don't get me wrong, Bella Ramsey is pretty, but she absolutely does not radiate Ellie energy. I get the looks should NOT get in the way of acting, but... I dunno, i didn't get the vibe. Probably because Bella was almost an adult when filming and Ellie is litteraly a child. That's the issue when you adapt from a video game character, I guess. This is aggravated by the second thing that pissed me off :

Ellie is written to be an absolute cunt. Look, I hear ya booing from your seat, but that doesn't take it away. I think the scenarists looked at some cinematics of the game and went like "Oh alright this girl swears a lot" then called it a day when they made it her personnality. Also, why so rude ? I was flabbergaster when Ellie was almost like "womp womp" after Tessa's death. Just why ? In the game, she felt genuinely sorry and guilty so why would she be t-bagging on Joel at some point. We are not supposed to dislike her. In fact, we're supposed to be annoyed at Joel for being so cold to her. But we'll get to that...

2. Pedro Pacal looks constipated

This will be quick, but Joel looks like he's holding in a huge fart and cannot concentrate on the conversations he's having. What I'm saying is the performance is kinda poor and thus the interactions with Ellie suck. We do not see them bond properly. Sure, the series is trying to show us "warm" moments but they're just awkward. We do not feel the characters bringing themselves to like each other. And that's a huge loss, knowing their relationship is at the centre of the story. The reason we get such a climax at the end.

3. This meme

The kink is the zombie french kissing Tessa. I won't elaborate.

4. The pacing

Alright I'll be real I KNOW you have to compromise when adapting a media to another. TLOU game was made for people to play : this is why there's so many fights, otherwise everyone would be bored. In an episodic show, no need for so many action scenes. Thing is, we got barely any. And they were still boring / poorly done.

Episode 3 is the perfect example, in my opinion.

Now. The idea of showing the every day life of a couple in an apocaliptic world was beautiful. Wonderful. Amazing. Except it was the wrong moment and the wrong characters. Idk, episode 2 just got Joel and Ellie on their quest and then it's immediately put on a hold for a love story ? But we weren't even hooked on yet. That's just confusing if not frustrating as hell. I wanted to see how they were doing, not to wait for another hour.

[ Also, this was absolutely OOC from Bill and I'll be honest to all the show writers. We don't want to watch your fanfiction when adapting a game or cartoon or idk. We do not care. We want the source material. What you will write will probably suck because you think you're better than everyone. ]

The show lacked tension. It was underwhelming. I didn't feel like the characters could die at any moment.

They made weird additions that didn't make much sense since they didn't care to elaborate those enough. Why did we need Kathleen as an antagonist when clearly the other characters she was hunting weren't against her ? The leader of a resistance group ? Why tf would Ellie not say anything when she saw Sam got bit ? Why did we need to add pointless nuance to the cannibals ? They were being cannibals on purpose. Sometimes there's nothing more to it. I don't excuse it, but they wanted to survive and it can make people very ugly.

All of this threw me off a lot and I couldn't connect with the show.

Conclusion

This show is ass and overhyped.

[homo-musical-spider]

“x ANA x” – Badflower

★★★★★★★★ (8/10)

CWs: brief sexual talk, drug use (prescription) and a dependency on it, descriptions of anxiety side effects

I didn't actually like this song when I heard it the first couple of times, usually skipping it when I'd listen to the album, but after taking some time to listen to the lyrics it actually grew on me a lot. I really like the way it describes anxiety and how the song itself feels like a panic attack with how erratic it is. For the longest time, I actually had no idea the song was named after a drug, which makes me feel stupid because it literally says the name of the drug in the song. Why do so many drugs have adjacent to people names

I can't feel my toes or my fingertips

My chest is pounding so fast I can't keep up with it

I'm losing it, fuck, I just wanna quit

And I'm clenching my face and and I'm touching my dick

I need a fix Ana fix and I'm sick of this

Showing people my tricks and my tics

Ana judging me

Judging my fucking sex ANA x ANA x

And I'm faking just to stay in my body

I'm nervous, I can't fucking stand it

I really like how the song starts out with a kind of mumbly tone as the music video shows the lead singer talking to himself in the mirror (which i love the choice to just put him in a monkey costume, it definitely gives off the vibe of mental issues making you feel like others view you as an animal to observe) but the last line of the first part always kinda throws me off for a sec. That line definitely kinda throws off the vibe for a second and doesn't really tie back into anything else

Well if that's what they're giving me

The pills are my necessity now

You won't fix my attitude

'Cause Ana does it better than you

(Ana does it better)

Ana you save my soul

Can you let me have my heart for a minute

This is one the few part of the song that's actually singing and I actually think both parts are very good, the singing and the talking compliment each other really well and make the song kinda chaotic and unpredictable in a good way. Also I had to manually fix the lyrics for “can you let me have my heart for a minute” because the main ones on google say “my heart, fall in it” which didn't sound right so i listened to it again and changed it cuz it definitely did not say “fall in it”.

Yea-hah

(I need you)

If nothing else convinces you to listen to this song, listen to it just to hear this part. This silly little noise. I fucking love this bit. It makes me giggle. Also in the music video after he says this he walks out into an empty stage and the music stops and he's just standing there awkwardly while a guy tells him he sucks and boos him off the stage, all while still wearing the monkey costume.

Ok I'm sick

Not the kind of sick that lands you in the doctor

Not the kind that makes you weak and then heals you stronger

It's a kind of sick that turns your legs into spaghetti

A kind of sick that makes your blood burn and your bones heavy

The kind of sick that makes an atheist pray for Jesus

The kind of sickness that turns your power into weakness

I fucking love this part so much, like actually genuinely I love this part. The monologue explains really well what it's like to suffer not just from anxiety but mental illness over all. Everyone says it makes you “stronger” but nobody I've met feels stronger because of but instead in spite of it. Your problems don't make you stronger, they weaken you. You have to fight to choose to be strong in spite of your issues. I like how it points out how it's not just something you heal from, it's something you have to continue to battle against. I also like how this line makes the song the "says the album name in the song song"

And I'm sick of being sick for this whole fucking place to witness

And I'm living a sick life that most people call privilege

And they're kinda right but I'm still sicker than I can cope with

This is just a continuation of the monologue but I decided to talk about it separately because I really feel this part as someone who grew up feeling like i was too mentally ill to be viewed as normal but not enough to justify therapy. I was always ill enough to be judged for it but not enough for help because I always told myself other people had it worse because other people were in mental wards and harming themselves and always doing so much worse than I thought I was. But I've recently come to realize that in telling myself I didn't need help because “others had it worse” I slowly ended up like those people and falling into those pits in my own ways. I think it can be a dangerous game to feel like you're “privileged” when it comes to your illness because it makes it easy to dismiss how you feel and let it get worse.

Ana you save my soul

Can you let me have my heart for a minute

I suffer for a living

There has to be a limit

You know I love you so

But that's what I've been given

Ana (want you save my soul)

Ana (want you to make me slow down)

Ana (want you save my soul)

Ana (want you to make me slow down)

🕺🕺🕺🕺🕺

It's showtime

I have a lump in my throat

I forgot how to breathe

Only know how to choke

And all these people are waiting

To see the kid with the rage

But I'm afraid he might collapse before he gets to the stage

I need x ANA x

Help me bury my thoughts

And all the pressure I've suffered

To be someone that I'm not

Now, I've never suffered from stage fright (I love attention) but I can relate to this part from a perspective of putting on a presentation towards the world of not fucking losing it when you definitely are undoubtedly losing it. There's a lot of times I've tried to pretend like I'm okay but I'm really bad at that so it always just ends in me imploding mentally and then exploding externally. I used to have really frequent panic attacks when I was in high school because I would get stressed then i wouldn't or wouldn't be allowed to remove myself from the situation then I would eventually explode and freak the fuck out on everyone. I think a lot of people I went to school with thought I was crazy and unstable (I kinda am but shhh)

I'm shaking a lot

(Hey don't fuck up tonight, it's your only shot)

It's really small but I like the use of another voice for the second line as it shows that sometimes people who mean no harm or just want to tell us to do our best don't always realize they are stressing us out further at making it all worse. There were a lot of times growing up people told me I needed to do this to accomplish this and I'd immediately get scared of fucking up I'd entire a mental paralysis and become unable to do anything useful surrounding that thing. That's the fun thing about anxiety and depression, the latter makes me need others to motivate me and the former makes it so if anybody else even perceives me doing anything it implies an expectation and i don't do well with those

Ready or ready or ready or ready or not

It's a party

I just really really like this line delivery, it makes me imagine someone looking into a camera with a grin as it zooms in on their face. It's also just kinda funny given everything else, the sarcasm is strong.

You know I love you so

Ana you saved my soul

Ana (let's pump it up, let's go)

Ana (don't make me lose control)

You know I love you so

Ana you save my soul

Ana (let's pump it up, let's go)

Ana (don't make me lose control)

🕺🕺🕺🕺🕺

Okay the song is over now

But I'm not ready to go

(Ana) So this is the shit that happens

When I stay awake for days at home (Ana)

Hey! Wanna see what happens when I mix Xanax

Blow and a MacBook pro (what the-)

One of the lyric sites I'm on (decided to open one to double check lyrics) labeled this as the interlude and yeah it feels like one not even just in the music tense but in the theater sense. It has a sort of slow down from the chaos of the layered vocals and instead has a nervous mumble like the beginning. I also like the facial expressions in the music video during this part. I'm actually not fully confident on the last line because it's not listed on the lyrics site because of it being background vocals and the lyric coming from the dubious google search lyrics. I've always thought it says “god no” but either really works honestly I think.

Don't make me lose control

Ana (white pills coming up, let's go)

Ana (too late to save my soul)

Ana (chew it up, chew it up, let's go), oh woah

Ana (coming up, coming up, let's go)

Ana you save my soul (my soul)

Suffer for a living, has to be a limit

You know I love you so (you so)

My anxiety traps me like a prison

That's what they're giving me

The drugs are a necessity

(I can't live without you)

You won't fix my attitude

Ana does it better

🕺🕺🕺🕺🕺

Ana you make me slow down

I like how the slow down is actually slowed down. It's cool. Also how the song sounds like it's about to end then it just doesn't.

Joey's gonna hate this

I've legit wondered for years who the hell Joey is, is he their manager? Why does he hate it? Is it because there's so many lyrics? Possibly. Definitely not because of the mental illness though, this band covers too many songs about mental illness for the big guys to care now.

Ana does it better

Ana does it better

Ana does it better

Don't make me lose control

Ana

The effect of the last “Ana” is cool

I really like this song and think it was a good choice for my first song here! Even though it is SO LONG, I actually chose it via my mix playlist on Youtube. I hadn't listened to it in forever but glad I had an excuse to listen again. It's definitely a good song and has an interesting music video, totally worth the watch to see a man run around in a money costume. I think the song is a really good representation of anxiety and the feelings of having to be dependent on substances and assistance to keep it under control. It's one of the songs that's mostly talking that I actually really like and think the format actually benefits it. I think it's interesting how it describes the dependency on xanax like a romantic relationship but in an almost unhealthy undesired way, which is a big contrast to another song I like (that I legit thought was a love song for a long time) maybe I'll cover that song soon >:3

[omenscultie]

Some people on BOtwt are horrible people and don’t have respect for others.

See here’s the thing with people not having respect for one another. If you can’t handle being called out and then shaming someone else who clearly went through something traumatic and then bitch about it? Where does it go?

It’s not your own business. My family is way too toxic to even talk about these issues. Trigger warning or not, this is Twitter. People post to random strangers everyday.

If people find it triggering then don’t look at my posts. And scroll past them.

Secondly

I said what I had to say and stayed silent way too long with this.

If there’s something to be said, then I said it. I didn’t do anything wrong. But people need to stop shaming others since they have their asses up way up in their assholes.

And it’s a topic and it’s been an issue. I can’t even voice my own opinion if I am being shamed for something they find “offensive.”

The shirt, it’s getting more attraction. And yet people find it “offensive” for being too “hentai” or “inappropriate” for kids. It’s meant to be fashionable. Yet, here they are. Trash talking about some fanged anime hot chick (in my opinion is fucking hot and attractive) for literally being quote on quote “uninteresting” just because they don’t like it, then don’t buy it.

If you stayed supportive for Bad Omens, then go for it. Drama is fucking childish. People are bashing their merchandise for something better. Which doesn’t make any fucking sense, nor will it make it different.

If BOtwt is being toxic, then what’s the point of listening to their songs in the first place just to jack off and suck off the album? If it’s not the place for you, then move along.

I don’t know why people are hating on a t-shirt. It’s the most beautiful thing they created. All their merch is. Yet people buy it, don’t like it and rant about it. Which is disappointing in itself.

If you have the time and money to make your own t-shirt the way you ONLY want to, then go buy yourself a machine and do it. Stop the harassments, stop the bullying, stop the fucking side notches of bitching just because you don’t get what you wanted.

They’re trying something new. For the fans. They’ve always had.

It disappoints me more that this toxic environment is getting to a point where “if they don’t have it” then “then I’m not getting it” petition. It’s too fucking immature. Grow up. Enjoy the merch, and move on.

They bust their asses just for the fans to enjoy what they have.

I feel pretty good about what I said. I’ll keep supporting them and listening to their music.

Till then if you bitch about it keep your mouth shut.

It’s not easy for them you know. All the burnout they had was because of the toxic environment that they were getting at their shows. Booing them. Throwing things at Nicholas Ruffilo?? Really?

What a fucking fandom. Some people don’t respect anyone. Yet here they are trash talking about some t-shirt that launches out tomorrow. Which is rude in itself.

This drama is giving me a headache.

[taiblogcomics]

Time Keeps on Skippin', Skippin'

Hey there, catgirls made of living glass. Well, we're nearing the end of this whole affair, and I won't be sorry to see it go. And clearly neither will the creators, given how it's clearly rushing towards a bit of a slapdash conclusion, based on this issue. More or that in a bit, but let's just get into it~

Here's the cover:

Wow. Just wow. Like, I've read stuff with timeskips before. One Piece has a pretty significant timeskip. DC did a whole event around a timeskip, the whole "One Year Later" initiative following Infinite Crisis. You know what you don't normally see? A timeskip announced right on the freaking cover. I mean, I guess "One Year Later" did, but that was a whole thing, almost an event in itself. It wasn't suddenly dropped into an ongoing single storyline. You can tell this is when the writing was on the wall and the series was on the brink of cancellation, coz now we gotta jump ahead 90 days and wrap this shit up quickly~

All righty, since we're skipping ahead three months, do you need a recap? Does it even matter? We're about to get a two-page montage spread anyway. Anyway, we start with Deathlocket doing the narrating, all about summer break. Her mom would over-schedule her so she had tons of activities and classes even during summer, which kinda sucks. That, more than anything, is motivation to go supervillain. The point is, at the end of the three months, she'd be asked what she learned. And she'd reply "I dunno, not much". Very relatable, honestly~

By contrast, these three months she's learned a lot! Here's a two-page splash of a montage of all the learning she did! Arcade and Cammi bond in prison. Nico Minoru learns magic and makes out with Alex Wilder. Hazmat and Anachronism fight Hydra agents, then she admires him being shirtless. Maria Hill throws a hissy and kicks over a table. And that's what she learned this summer! Convenient the comic's ending so we can gloss over these things and just say they happened without actually having to show how they happened.

That's what really bugs me about this timeskip here. Oh, boo-hoo, comic's getting cancelled, we have to rush the conclusion. But, like, not only are we missing the stuff like seeing how Cammi eventually warms up to talking with Arcade (presumably because it's a plot point we need to have happen to make the conclusion work), but also especially the unspoken stuff. So in three months, these characters have neither put their secret plan into action or been caught for having this plan? The Avengers have never found and rescued them in three months? Same problem as Avengers Arena, the time jumping ahead too much and not talking about what happened in between, but even worse because this is three whole months.

We really start with Hazmat and Anachronism on a mission at the mall with Madame Masque, fighting some Hand ninjas. The Hand are basically high-functioning zombies, so it's okay to kill them. Convenient! Madame Masque gets distracted by a dress in the window, and they call her out on shopping while fighting. But they're in Madripoor, where ninjas are endless. That's when Sabertooth and Mystique enter and Madame Masque just disengages the fight and walks off with them as pals, to the kids' bafflement.

The villains talk business, while the kids sit a few feet away and admire the sunset together. The gist of the business is that Zemo wants Sabertooth and friends to make a lot of noise and attract "the appropriate attention". Doesn't matter what they do or where, just when. Sabertooth is pretty ameniable to this. Meanwhile, Hazmat shows how smart she actually is by discussing how even if this current life is fun, it can't last forever. Neverland isn't real and villains are villains. They gotta step up that plan and get back to real life. If they see an opportunity, they gotta take it.

Anachronism, in response, kisses her. This is what he wanted to hear, because he agrees. Madame Masque swings by, saying she's glad all their will-they-won't-they crap is resolved now. You know, all that stuff in the last three months we couldn't show. Anyways, she's also here to say screw Zemo, she's tired of leaving such obviously competent people out of their major plans, so she's inviting them to the big kids' table. You know, if they're interested. Anachronism knows when opportunity is knocking, so he says they're in.

We then cut over to Hank Pym answering his phone. Hank was A) not in the montage with Cap and Maria Hill, and 2) looking very disheveled. On the other end of the phone is Hazmat. Hank once told the Avengers Academy kids they can always call if they need something. She's kind of pushing the limits of that deal, but he agrees to it. Say what you will about Hank Pym, but this is clearly a guy trying to do the right thing right here, and I respect that. Hazmat then rejoins the group, and Madame Masque grouses that even her great grandma can hold it longer, making me have to Google whether helicopters have bathrooms (fun fact: they don't!).

Hazmat and Anachronism return to the base, and Hazmat pulls Deathlocket aside to let her in on the plan. Apparently she still thinks Locket is in the dark on the whole undercover deal, which is another thing they probably should've taken care of in those last three months. But she does know, Chase did manage to tell her before he got hurt. And she told the Young Masters of Evil, who are now right behind Hazmat. Well, fuck. They may be a bunch of teenage goons, but some of them are still pretty heavy hitters. You know, comparatively, at least.

And meanwhile, Anachronism drops by his shared dorm with Cullen Bloodstone. Fortunately, we already know Cullen's on the villains' side, so there won't be any trip-ups trying to recruit him. No, instead we get a genuine character moment, where Anachronism apologises for not being present for his best friend lately. And while he doesn't explicitly say it, he also says sorry for not realising Cullen was gay and in love with him. Mostly he just wants to fix whatever's between them. Unfortunately, what's between them is tentacles, as Cullen's monster powers reach out and wrap him up.

But you see, Cullen's not home right now. No, his "friend" Hellstrom is possessing him and using his powers to attack Anachronism. So this isn't his fault. The rest, though, is defintiely Deathlocket's fault. Hazmat lays out the Young Masters while she and Locket have a more verbal sparring match. And honestly? I don't have a problem with Locket going full villain here. Unlike everyone else in Avengers Arena, she didn't come from a hero background. Her first hero experience was getting kidnapped and made to play Hunger Games. Only natural she has no loyalty to Hazmat and crew.

But you know what would've helped if she had been Hazmat's friend? Hazmat would've taught her how to fight. And thus she goes down rather easily--poetically, in fact, as Hazmat whangs her across the face with her boytoy's shovel. The comic ends with Nico and Alex watching Cullen go full monster shape, while Alex points out Hellstrom's influence. Nico wonders what's even the point while Alex muses about Zemo springing his trap finally. When Nico demands to know what he means, Alex is fine telling her, since she's not the target, she's just the bait. They invited the kids and held them for villainy to bait out the Avengers.

Well, here we are. And you know what? I don't think I hate this issue. Oh, sure, all my criticisms about the timeskip and the handling thereof are completely valid. But you know what? At least it's moving the story forward. That was mostly my complaint about the last couple issues, wasn't it? Everything was mostly setup and wheel-spinning. Well, now we gotta rush to finish up, and at least a fast-paced mediocre comic is more fun to read than a slow-paced one~

Likewise, the whole thing with Deathlocket? Like, normally I'd rant forever about how I hate heroes turning villain, and I do! But the difference here is, Locket was never a hero. She has no previously established character to go back on. Her first experiences in the hero world are being kidnapped to Child Murder Island, and then being mind-controlled as a weapon half the time. Among other reasons, most of the time why I hate heroes turning villain is that A) it doesn't make sense for their character, and 2) it feels disrespectful to their history. But as noted, Locket doesn't have a history to disrespect. A guy can do what he wants with his own OCs!

As for the other point, this totally makes sense. She came from a very rigid homelife, and then her first friend was also controlling, in a more literal way. Now she's finally in control herself, and it's pretty natural she'd fall into a bad crowd after all that. Now do I still think she made the wrong choice? Of course I do. I'm a fan of superheroes. I think people should always do the right thing and not be assholes. But I feel like her making the wrong choice is a natural direction to take the character. And that's what I don't have a problem with~

[writing-on-the-wahl]

Writing Snippet #14

[Sequences of flashing lights may not be suitable for photosensitive viewers]

Civilian woke with a start, the hairs on her arms standing on end.

Something was wrong.

The curtains were closed. That was the first thing she noticed.

Civilian never closed the curtains. Waking up in the morning required the full force of the sun.

She fought to keep her breathing even as she regarded the room through slitted eyes.

“There’s no point pretending you’re still asleep.” The voice was rich, smooth, and utterly terrifying.

Her heart pounded. What kind of robber announced their presence?

Civilian opened her eyes fully, diving for the nightstand. She yanked open the top drawer.

It was empty.

She whirled around as a malicious chuckle sent shivers down her spine.

A shadow detached itself from the corner near the door, slowly spinning a glinting silver barrel on two fingers.

“Did you really think I wouldn’t check the room for weapons?”

How long had he been in her room...

The spinning stopped, and she heard the distinct clink clink of bullets hitting the wood floor as the light above the bed began to flicker.

The figure stepped forward, tossing her gun and the now empty clip on the bed between them. She caught a glimpse of his face as the light continued to flicker on and off.

For a moment her fear receded.

“Hero.”

No need to be afraid of the city’s golden boy.

Then logic kicked in. It was 2 a.m. according to the alarm clock on her nightstand. What was he doing here?

“Hero?”

He smiled, white teeth glinting in the flashing light. “So you know who I am. Good. That will make this much easier.”

Make what easier??

He took a step towards her, and Civilian retreated until her back hit the window.

“What do you want?”

“You run a shooting range with your father on 34th Street.”

The lights flickered out and when they came back on, he was standing even closer, eyes gleaming with an unnatural glow.

She flinched back. “All- all our permits are in order.”

“Yes.” The word was slow, disapproving.

He reached underneath his cape, and Civilian stopped breathing. She pressed back further, the cold of the glass seeping through the thin curtains.

Hero pulled his hand free, and she flinched, expecting a weapon of some sort, but in his hand was a stack of photos?

He extended the photos towards her. When she made no move to retrieve them, he waved them impatiently. Reluctantly, she inched forward, but when she snatched the photos from his hand, a shock ran up her arm and she jumped back, the photos spilling across the floor.

Her arm throbbed, like when she’d hit her elbow against the counter yesterday, only ten times worse.

She glared accusingly at Hero as she rubbed at her arm. He smirked, then pointed to the photos on the ground.

She glanced down, squinting in the still-flickering light. It was starting to give her a headache. Flick. A picture of her behind the counter at the shooting range talking to a customer. Flick. A picture of her in the aisle, debating brands ...with the same customer. Flick. A picture of just the customer, pulling into the parking lot. Flick. The customer standing in a lane, aiming for a target.

Why that customer? He was a regular, came at least once a week. Was always polite. Friendly. She always enjoyed their brief interactions, enjoyed making him smile wide enough that his dimples showed…

She looked closer at the photos. The angles of the photos were eerily familiar, and Civilian sucked in a breath as she realized why.

“You hacked our security cameras.”

Hero raised an eyebrow as he gestured to the lights, which promptly went haywire, flashing so quickly she covered her eyes against the onslaught.

“Stop! I get it! It’s not that hard!” It should have been. She paid through the nose for their high-end security system.

The lights went out completely, and Civilian couldn’t see.

“You want me to stop?”

Hero’s voice came from much too close, and she scrambled backwards, slamming into the window.

“With the flickering lights?” she gasped. “Yes.”

The air crackled with electricity, and her breathing hitched. This was much worse than flickering lights, and Hero knew it.

Her eyes were still filled with flashing orbs of light, and her breathing intensified as she whipped her head from side to side, blind and vulnerable.

Muffled crunching marked Hero’s movements as he stepped across the photos on the ground.

She squeezed her eyes shut as the crunching stopped, meaning he was across the photos, meaning...

“Boo!”

She reared back, head slamming into the glass. He laughed, his hands settling on the glass either side of her, caging her in. Currents flowed around her, prickling her skin but not quite strong enough to hurt.

“What do you want?” The words were barely audible.

Her vision was finally clearing, which was worse because now she could see Hero’s face, his twisted sneer both illuminated and shadowed by the unnatural glow surrounding him.

Hero leaned in. “What do I want?” He smiled, with much too many teeth. “I want you to seduce Supervillain.”

Civilian blinked. What did Supervillain have to do with literally anything?

“I—sorry—what?”

“You. Are going to seduce. Supervillain.” His voice was sharp as a knife’s edge, but she still didn’t understand...

“Uh… um but I don’t even know hi—“

Hero slammed his hands against the window, the curtains only slightly muffling the sound.

“THAT’S HIM!”

He gestured angrily to the pictures on the floor.

Oh.

Oh.

Civilian looked down at the scattered images. Tried to reconcile the messy black hair and timid smile with the vicious Supervillain who turned shadows into living nightmares.

“Yes.” Hero snarled, glowing even more fiercely now. “That’s Supervillain. Every week he drives out of his way to come to your establishment. Why would he bother with guns when his shadows can kill more effectively than any bullet?”

His face was mere inches from hers now, and eyed her knowingly. “He likes you.”

He did?

“And you are going to get close to him, discover his weaknesses, find out exactly how to defeat him.”

No.

That was what she wanted to say.

Whether it was a shy but charming civilian or a deadly supervillain, she wasn’t going to seduce anybody for Hero. As if she even knew how.

But Hero was glaring out of her, and if he could shoot lightning bolts out of his eyes, it would probably look about the same as his expression right now.

And she had no desire to be electrocuted again tonight.

“I—me—am going to fake-date that man—” she pointed to the photos, “—who is really Supervillain?”

“Yes.”

She opened her mouth to respond, but his hands came down on her arms before he leaned in to whisper in her ear. “And in case you are thinking of saying no…”

Volts of power rushed through his hands into her, and she crumpled to the ground, gasping in pain. He grinned down at her. “... refusal would be unwise.”

She couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. But he apparently took her silence for agreement and turned, kicking the photos out of his way.

He paused at the door.

“Remember, Civilian, it’s for the greater good.”

——————————————————

Shoutout to my youngest sister for insisting the supervillain have shadow powers (has she been watching too much S&B? Probably? CAN you watch too much S&B? Definitely not.)

Shoutout to my brother-in-law for vetoing literally every superpower I could think of bc they were “not creepy enough.”

Shoutout to @im-a-wonderling for the beta read/hero creepy-electric-superpower suggestion.

🥰🥰🥰 you guys are the best!

[somethingsupwithdrac]

There is no word from our good friend Jonathan Harker today, which remains concerning, considering where his last message left off. I suppose we can’t do much beyond wait patiently and hope he’s well.

There is, however, the first Poe Daily! I was always That One Kid reading Poe and Shakespeare and shit when I was like ten years old. I was the only little weirdo absolutely stoked to get to the Poe story in our middle school English textbook because OMG you guys this is so good you have no idea and not quite understanding why the rest of the class was not quite so enthusiastic about it or ready to read it out loud. Two of my most prized possessions as a child were a) the hugeass Complete Works of Poe that is still sitting on my bookshelf today, and b) a copy of Annabel Lee in Poe’s script printed on parchment. Which is to say I am so excited about this.

I love The Masque of the Red Death so much. I could do some literary talk about stuff like red as the symbol of both life and death, but instead I’m just going to fangirl about how much my lil goth heart adores this one.

The description of the Red Death as a very scary, very fatal disease is great, and the mental image of victims just bleeding everywhere and there being absolutely nothing anyone could do is very effective nightmare fuel.

Prospero. Oh, Prospero, you ill-fated and terrible, terrible person. It is very typical aristocrat shit to look around at all the peasants dying and be like “sucks to be those guys, time to hole up in an abbey and have a party ‘til all of this blows over, lol!” Gathering yourself and a thousand other members of your court in a building with no way in or out once you welded yourselves in was certainly A Choice. Definitely no chance of this proving a terrible idea later. Y’all just sit there with your massive supply of provisions and let the peasants die while you distract yourselves with wine and music. It’s fine.

The rooms! The descriptions of the rooms for the ball have always been one of my favourite parts because they’re just so ‘eccentric rich guy’. Twisty maze of colour-coordinated rooms! Symbolic meaning of colour choices! Hella goth final room with a ticking clock, red windows, and black walls that I was never allowed to emulate for my own personal childhood bedroom, mom. (In retrospect, black walls in a bedroom the size of a walk-in closet would have been a terrible idea, actually.)  Love that in designing these suites they really went with ‘no normal lights for you, we’re just going to stick a brazier of fire back here, it’ll do some funky shit’, like the 19th century equivalent of a rave light show. (The red light in the black room sounds incredible, your aristocrat buddies are just cowards. ‘oh no, the black room full of red light doesn’t pass my vibe check, boo hoo’.)

The clock. The clock is almost a character itself and the idea of it being this inescapable, ominous thing that just cuts through all of the merriment and reminds the gathered rich folk that time is still passing. Reading about that sound, and how it somehow managed to echo through all the rooms at once despite the fact that was in the most distant one, I’ve always imagined a sound almost more like a heavy church bell than a normal clock chime. I don’t know why, that’s just where my brain has always gone. Quite effectively creepy and ominous.

The tastes of the duke were peculiar. He had a fine eye for colors and effects. He disregarded the decora of mere fashion. His plans were bold and fiery, and his conceptions glowed with barbaric lustre.

The Duke: avant-garde fashionista.

He had directed, in great part, the moveable embellishments of the seven chambers, upon occasion of this great fête, and it was his own guiding taste which had given character to the costumes of the masqueraders.

Also: theatre director

I’ve always imagined this whole section, with the descriptions of the masquerade and the costumes as a sort of Mardi Gras/Carnivale from hell tbh. The usual over-the-top, exaggerated glittery and flashy costumes and sets but with a sort of nightmare funhouse mirror effect over all, and almost a physical sort of energizing presence driving all of these wildly-costumed aristocrats dancing through the rooms with the lights flickering over them.

And then. Into the wild revels intrudes the clock and the stranger, interrupting the ‘dreams’ and their carefree partying. This stranger, who dared exceed even Prospero’s most outlandish and bizarre imaginings and brought into the masquerade the costume of a Red Death victim. (Apparently there are limits to what even the most callous and reckless of aristocrats will tolerate, and that line is somewhere around ‘dressing up like a victim of the plague you’re all pretending isn’t still ravaging the population outside these walls’.)

i LOVE THIS PART SO MUCH. The anger and offense, slowly giving way to horror and fear as the Prince demands to know which of his group did this, and the realization that all of them are accounted for, and whoever this is, they aren’t anyone he let in the abbey, so who are they and how the hell did they get in to a sealed building? The slow, inexorable march of the masked figure through the rooms toward the prince, spreading silence and paralyzing fear like a plague, and the moment when, confronted by the figure, the prince drops dead. Then the last, shocking revelation-there isn’t anyone under the cloak. The Red Death itself came for those who thought that they might use their wealth and privilege to escape the inevitable clutches of death. That final image of all of the bodies lying in heaps, still wrapped in all of their bizarre masquerade finery, with blood seeping out to pool and soak into the formerly merry halls and the fires flickering and dying as the clock chimes its final hour is one of the most incredibly powerful and striking things I have ever read.

(You’ve got to love a story of doomed aristocrats arrogantly thinking they can buy their way out of dying like poors, lol. Sorry my dudes, but no.)

[keiarchived]

Endurance Training

scummy!Dabi, Overhaul, Hawks x Reader

warnings: dubcon, double penetration (triple?), shibari bondage, mind break, breath play, a lot of cum and dirty dirty dirty, impact play, name calling, uuhh a gangbang?, mention of vore

words: 1.4k

Note: Head empty, also thank you boo @bluecookies02​ for beta reading for me <3

Have they lied to you? Maybe. This isn’t exactly part of the League’s so-called program for newcomers, you weren’t supposed to be tied up and hung from the ceiling like a rag doll for Dabi and Hawks to do whatever they want, fuck you however they wish. They called it endurance training, ‘who knows — maybe one day you’d end up ‘kidnapped’ by some hero and they would risk it all and fuck the truth out of you, spilling those juicy secrets you have on the League. Always better be safe than sorry right?’ Said the winged hero, if you could call him that.

“C’mon doll, don’t just give chicken little attention. Cock aren’t gonna suck itself.” If only Dabi knows how hard it is to keep track of everything that’s going on with that hazy mind of yours, perhaps he would’ve been more... considerate but that’s simply off the table. Dabi doesn’t care nor does he want to know how it feels like to be in your situation, fucked out like the little slut that you are and yet they’re still missing one person. Hawks’ too busy fucking you open to response to his partner in crime, simply grunting like a dog in heat before telling Dabi to go fuck himself. A low growl echoed around them as a pair of hands guided your head towards a pierced cock, pushing himself past those lips and into that warm spongy mouth of yours without much a warning. “Fuck... that’s it, you can take more than that couldn’t you? Just a little... more!” Dabi shoved himself down the rest of your throat before giving you the time to react, muffled sounds of gagging and choking are like music to his ears. “Don’t you dare to fucking throw up on my cock, you bitch.” As if you had any choice in this matter before a slap was landed across your cheek, it stings — it really did but the pleasure has long outweighed pain a long time ago.

“You really is a pain slut huh.” Keigo said from the other end of your body, still buried balls deep inside you before he suddenly thrust way too deep all of the sudden. Pressing hard against your cervix with his swollen cock, “Guess we don’t need to worry endurance to pain then.” The winged hero muses mockingly, a not so heroic smirk stretched across his lips. With every thrust the self-proclaimed hero gives you, Dabi’s cock sinks further into your throat and it continued for a while longer before Dabi pulled out just before you passed out from the lack of oxygen reaching your lungs.

“Shall we see how long you can hold your breath, doll?” Not very long, as expected Dabi isn’t patient enough to wait for you to answer before shoving his cock back down your throat, squeezing your cheeks until these lips plucker.

Chisaki is well known for his timing, always knows how to make an entrance by being at least half an hour later than the original meeting time. A heavy huff heard as the door swing open, only to reveal the tall dark hair masked man.

“Whatever this is, it better be worth my time.” Chikasa sighed through the door before freezing, brows knitted tightly together, disgust is clearly written over his face as he stares at the way you swallows around Dabi’s cock whilst the red pigeon of a man ruts into you. “What’s the meaning of this?” He asked, clearly baffled and unamused at the sight presented before him. Couldn’t they have save whatever this is for later?

“Oh good, you’re here.” Dabi said between his groans, hand tangled between your hair without a single sign of stopping. “Didn’t think you’d make it so we started early, don’t mind do you?” If anything Chisaki is glad they started with him, how could anyone bear the thought of sharing a fuck toy between them? Not that he intends to find out, just the thought of all those unknown bacteria and gems lingering is enough to make his skin itch. “That does not answer my question.”

However, before Chisaki’s question could be answered by either one of them; small weak muffled whines spilt from your stretched lips. Still stuffed with Dabi’s cock, “Shit, sorry sorry.” He snickered mockingly at you and the mess you’ve become, cheeks covered in a deeper shade of red than before — maybe he shouldn’t have pushed you this far. “C’mon, really? What else does it look like? Just called you in for a gangbang? No way.” Hawks’ wit made itself known, responding to the taller man’s question whilst his partner in crime is all too busy admiring the droll and slick tickling down your chin.

They both did a pretty good job at breaking you within the time given until there is nothing but babbles that leave those pretty swollen lips. “Why don’t you go ahead and tell him, doll? What we’re all doing here, doing to you.” It’s almost unfair how smooth and unaffected Dabi’s voice is as he whispers against the shell of your ear, cradling those red cheeks in his equally warm large hand. “C’mon doll, you know I don’t have the patience.” Dabi warns, digging crescent moons into your skin until those lips pluckers with a pop. You could just barely hear the devilish smirk plastered across his face, mind foggy and hazy from this forbidden pleasure that you didn’t know existed. Sex is supposed to be done with someone you love right? Or maybe you’re just too naive for your own good.

“End-Endurance training...” Those words slurred the second it left your mouth, swallowing thickly and breathlessly on those stray saliva as you glanced towards Chisaki with unfocused nodded eyes. Earning an expression of mere disgust, despite having his own question answered; Chisaki is still baffled as to the reason why he was called here. Did Dabi and Hawks think they could persuade him into joining this madness? What’s better than to have a professional show these armatures how it is done?

Consider yourself lucky that Chisaki is slightly agitated by this two duo, otherwise, you might end up on ao operating table instead whilst he breaks you mentally and physically before building you back up like a doll. What convinced him to say yes is still a mystery but you know better than to question any of their intentions when you’re at their mercy.

“Consider this a favour you owe me, now where do we begin?”

Your body still feels weightless as those fibres bites into your skin, leaving beautiful scarlet marks peeks from under the ropes. Chisaki, Dabi and Hawks have shifted you in more positions than you have ever known, the only consistent thing is how each of your holes is stuffed with their cock. Limbs bonded behind your back as they use you however they see fit, “Fuck me, dove. You’re literally dripping.” Hawk taunts, honey blonde eyes glued to the way your lips stretch beautifully around his cock. Head popping till your nose is tickled by those stray musky pobes, needless to say, he is quite please with how you’re coming along. No need for any further instructions and you know right away what he wants from you, the same goes with Dabi who’s now beneath you and Chisaki towering over you as he refuses to get any more dust on him than he already had.

“Think we’ve fucked open a new pussy.” Dabi snickered, there’s almost zero to none resistance whenever he buckles his hips into that ring ‘tight’ muscle. Creamed and gushing much like your cunt, “I’m surprised you two even managed to find something as lavish as this one.” Chisaki pointed it out, the low expectations he has for Dabi and Hawks are obvious. Hips moving lazily against yours, just barely grazing that sensitive spot you needed to unwind, again. Tipping up your cum and tear-stained face between his gloved fingers with brows narrowed, as much as he would like to find the appeal of the state you’re in; he simply couldn’t especially when those semi-transparent stains belong to someone else. This was merely a one-time thing, maybe next time Chisaki will have you as his own instead. A muttered curse and grunts each spilt over their lips when yet another orgasm race through your body, painting all possible entrance with white.

“Perhaps... perhaps you can be useful after all.” Chisaki muse breathlessly.

[momowho34]

Time for another naruto au post that so long and complicated it might aswell be a fic in and of itself. Why am I like this :,) Naruto au where Itachi runs away from the village with Sasuke in tow and doesn’t leave him behind. Also Itachi is a little older then a teenager because it makes more sense. Buckle up this is a long one.

Itachi refuses to kill his family and runs to warn them but when he gets there everybody’s dead except for Sasuke, (who witnessed the whole thiNG OOPSY-) so he takes him and runs for their lives.

Itachi joins the akatsuki but uhhhhh now there’s a four year old tagging along and Itachi’s too scary for anybody to mention it.

Imagine the fluff and angst potential with the akatsuki oooooof there’s so much omg

At first they all think it’s super annoying but within like two days they would all gladly die for this kid. Seriously they were pretty sure their hearts were made of stone at this point but apparently not.

Kisame is surprisingly really good with kids, partly because he appears fairly calm on the outside without being too standoffish so Sasuke likes him best. Also Kisame could happily play peek-a-boo for the rest of his life he likes the small things

Kakazu is awful with kids but sasuke likes him anyway and he hates it (not really) Hidan.... really doesn’t know what to do. He’s never cared about another person in his life, okay? He kind of wants to kill the small child but he knows Itachi would steal his fucking knee caps and bury him at the bottom of the ocean so he doesn’t even mention it ever

Sasori is the mom when Itachi isn’t around. They would all feed him candy until he fucking died if Sasori didn’t stop that. Sasori is also the one to go “oh my GOD Deidara you can’t dare him to climb that mountain he could fall and hit his head no I don’t care about that deidaRA HE IS SEVEN YEARS OLD ITACHI IS GOING TO KILL YOU WHEN HE GETS HOME MARK MY WORDS—“

Tobi likes to blame all of his mistakes on Sasuke as a joke. Also they all teach Sasuke bits of their fighting styles so he becomes even more formidable and all of them are kind of freaked out by how quickly he masters their techniques

When he’s too young to tag along on missions he has to stay with Konan and Pain. He really values Konan because she’s really the only one of them who treats him like a person instead of a stupid child that needs protection.

“He costs too much,” Kakazu says. “He shouldn’t be here, what about how much it costs for him to stay with us” all while consistently finding room in the budget to get the kid anything and everything even though he’s fairly low maintenance to take care of

When Itachi arrives, everybody tries to disregard the rumors paired with Sasuke being there. Because of Itachi’s overall demeanor and Sasuke’s refusal to talk about it, they assume that he killed his family but didn’t kill his little brother for some reason

...And then Sasuke starts having nightmares. Like loud, screaming and crying in the middle of the night nightmares. Every time it happens, Itachi wakes up, calm and collected, and holds him until he falls asleep again. They all start having doubts about Itachi really killing his family.

Itachi doesn’t really hold a grudge against Konoha, but he didn’t see the whole family die like Sasuke did. Sasuke wants revenge, and he’s dead set on it.

Okay yeah but what abt the actual plot and stuff??? Don’t worry I’m there.

So a while later after that during Naruto’s three year journey (which he still takes with Jiraiya because he needs training to fight Orochimaru who is still a big threat btw) he meets this weird black haired kid staying at the same hotel he is.

Turns out they’ve both got caretakers who are absent (Jiraiya’s at a brothel somewhere and Kisame and Itachi are off killing some guy) which sucks so they bond over that and compare abilities and beat the shit out of eachother a little and develop a mini rival complex all of that but then

“Wow you’re so cool! You fight just like a ninja! You should come back with me!” Naruto laughs one day. Sasuke asks “Back to where?” And Naruto’s like “back to the leaf village of course! I’m a leaf village ninja, I’m out here training with my sensei! I forgot that I left my headband in the room, I can show it to you.” But Sasuke just gets really pale and runs off and Naruto doesn’t see him for the rest of the trip.

He thought he’d never see him again but then Sasuke gets separated from the Akatsuki members reeeaaaallly far away from their base and Konoha. As he’s trying to figure out what to do, a certain ninja crew happens to be in town. Naruto is like “omfg I know this kid!!!!!!!! Hey Sasuke!!!!! Hey Sasukeeeee!!!!!”

Sasuke is like o-o but then he starts to consider his options. If anybody figures out about his sharingan, he’s straight up fucked. His eyes are gone, he probably gets murdered. Naruto is like “what r u doing here????” And sasuke spins a fairly convincing story

He’s like “oh yeah and I know my way around this place so I can help you out could I maybe seek asylum in your village maybe??? I could be helpful” just so he can head in the general direction of Konoha and hopefully get closer to his base along the way.

So Kakashi begrudgingly agrees and Sasuke tries not to burn alive because he’s in the general proximity of leaf soldiers that he fucking hates and he will not grow attached to any of them at all no siree, not at all, no way!

Sasuke begins to grow close to them, of course. Sai and Sasuke do goth shenanigans and he fights with Naruto and tries to get Sakura to leave him alone (what is up with her why is she being so weird?)

Oh bonus angst: Tobi used to talk in his sleep sometimes, and at some point Sasuke drops “those who break the rules are scum, but those who leave their friends behind are worse then scum” casually and Kakashi almost has a full blown panic attack.

This is when he first realizes something is seriously up with this kid; and his first name sounds... familiar. His suspicions are just suspicions until they run into Orochimaru. Now Orochimaru could just out Sasuke as akatsuki, instead he plays with his feelings a little bit. He keeps saying things like “how does it feel to fight on the same side as your enemies for once?” And “have you forgotten already?” They defeat him without Sasuke revealing his sharingan but the jig is up in Kakashi’s mind.

Kakashi doesn’t quite connect the dots; but he’s almost there. Whoever this kid is, they’re coming back to the village for sure. It’s the safest thing to do. Meanwhile the Akatsuki are freaking out. Itachi is unhinged and almost grieving, they have no idea where Sasuke could be. The team is out in full force; including Tobi

And you know, Obito doesn’t care. He shouldn’t care, nothing matters in this false reality. It just doesn’t. Tobi might have given a shit about Sasuke, but Tobi isn’t real. He’s just a front, Tobi doesn’t exist. So why is he looking so hard for this stupid kid that he shouldn’t give a shit about? Obito convinces himself it’s just a front, it’s just part of Tobi’s act, but it’s not. What’s happening to him? Why is starting to feel things now, so deep into the plan?

Annnnnndddd that’s as far as I got with it lmao. That’s still pretty fucking far tho

[deviantartdramanow]

Proof over Trigonal's b.s lies

Ok, getting abit fed up this loser is talking out her buttcrack so here, I did some digging and found these: https://deviantartdramanow.tumblr.com/post/690254207509544960/proof-triagonal-is-a-creep-and-was-banned-from THIS comment thread in particular. We dont see no 'it's kid friendly and platonic' excuse here do we? https://www.deviantart.com/comments/18/2617047/4886760940 https://archive.ph/LN9jX (archived it, so you aint getting out of hiding this one or the others) https://www.deviantart.com/comments/18/2612773/4879845792 https://archive.ph/HYzuo (This was already archived lmfao, seems we aint the only ones keeping tabs on your ass) Again, where is the 'kid friendly and platonic' statement dear? Also date? You know what that means right? Or are you stupid? Nah you just in denial and lying out your ass as per usual. You seem very keen on requesting 'date fics' with this kid too. Sus. https://archive.ph/mc93s Also this juicer tid bit, WITH UNHIDDEN COMMENTS. (tried to cover her tracks it seems lmao.) https://www.deviantart.com/comments/1/872067015/4905954617 Also the 'little brother' excuse while also saying you want to go on dates with them? I myself have brothers from other mothers I see as kin, but do you see me fucking going 'i want to make date fics uwu' with them? FUCK NO. No we just goof off and send memes around, we dont fantasize about going on weird double dates and being determined to get a fic made of said fantasy like you do Triangle head. Also yes they are over 18, but still point stands, if you see someone as kin, dont make yourself look like a cringe anime incest fan, it's how you get the FBI called on you hella fast, especially since this kid was underage it appears from the comments of the others. Cuz guess what? Incest AND pedophilia are illegal clown. =D

Tri lying ass off about her banning here:

Of course she runs to Tall AGAIN and cries she was ‘tricked’ https://youtube.com/shorts/PVg8twXOMn0?feature=share And on the Reddit post, she bawls and says a different story. https://www.reddit.com/r/polls/comments/vn5m9l/comment/ie5b13r/ Here’s the uncensored thread right here gang (Feel free reddit lurkers to send it into the chat to show what a lying bitch she is.) https://www.deviantart.com/comments/1/920457771/4993534621 https://archive.ph/gs0aT How can you BE TRICKED when the user did NOT edit their comment where they said “I am blocking you for awhile.” here’s the post itself: I’m going to block you WHEN (not if, but WHEN) you reply (because you cannot resist). HOWEVER, it’s just a mute—I will unblock you sometime in the next few days or so (likely with my next upload). I’ve done this before—just tired of seeing your messages in my feed (you repeat the same things causing me to repeat the same things; it’s tiresome and I’m wanting to wind down from the day). HOW pray tell is that 'tricking’ you Triagonal? They were flat out honest with you about the block, the only one shown 'editing’ their comments was libra, not this user. No I aint defending them, but at the end of the day, you block evaded, DEAL WITH IT. Why not wait out the time when they would unblock you? Why tf send libra (your alt, quit lying it aint your friend.) in right after the block happened? Also dont give us that BULLSHIT excuse of “That was a curious friend boo hoo.” Yea no, not all friends have their noses up their friends asses and follow their chats around, try again ya fucking liar. You block evaded so suck our collective asses you lying pos. Also you ban evaded with the square name too, so why should we fucking believe you? Cope that you are banned, end of story. ---- So with all that being shown, let's see the loser lie her ass off at this one, or make another fake will to gain pity points. She did let slip to a few who now hate her how this blog and the forum regulars 'effects' her. Good, throw your guts up in fear that others know your dirty fucking secrets you pile of trash. Stay away from kids and sane people and go check into a mental ward, you really need help, otherwise you'll hurt an unknowing kid who's going to grow up to despise what you did to them mentally.

[revengeisourlullaby]

If I Never Knew You Pt.2

Pt. 1   Pt. 2    Pt.3   Pt.4   Pt.5   Pt.6

Warnings: 18+, eventual smut, arranged marriage plot, kinda royal au, some fighting, secret relationship, angst.

a/n: Here is part 2! I might upload part three tonight. I’m so excited to see where this goes. It seems that the first part is doing pretty good so I might upload them faster. As always requests/asks are open! Just give me little time to get to them. Enjoy! 

Word count: 1.8K

Walking through the town, you felt an inordinate wave of liberation flow through not only you but also through Loki. It felt as if the weight of the world released itself from your shoulders. Confidence and strength soaring through the air. Loki lost his stiffness, his typical carefree nature restored once you became more grounded. 

“See, not so bad, right?”

Shaking your head, a cynical chuckle escaped your throat

“For you maybe. All these eyes on us is kinda gross.”

“It’s only because the most attractive prince has finally decided to show his face.”

You looked at Loki, amusement absent from your face. He laughed, a belly laugh almost. It was a free sound you had yet to hear from him and when you did your face painted your emotions before you had the chance to process them yourself. 

“You’re ridiculous.”

“Yes, but you, my dear, tolerate it. So who's really at a loss in this situation?”  

“Well, it’s not me.”

“It couldn’t be me Y/N.”

“Looks like we’re both losers then Loki.”

You were approaching the main entrance of the palace and began to wonder if Loki was considering bringing you inside.

“We lost when we fell in love with each other Y/N. Listening to the heart is the most foolish thing one can do and yet here we are. Charging full speed with our eyes closed hoping we don’t trip over anything.”

Guiding you up the steps of the massive golden structure Loki called ‘home’ your nerves struck up again. 

“Seems to make sense that if we’re going full speed, might as well exploit our courtship in the place where you will eventually be spending all your time in. And with all things considered, sneaking you in is...counterproductive, to say the least.”

Exhaling, you brought yourself together and walked in front of Loki. His hand rested on your lower back escorting you inside. Grabbing fabric in your fists, you hiked your dress up a bit making sure you didn’t step on it. Walking through the main threshold, you realized you were worrying for nothing. The halls were massive, the ceiling stretching higher than you ever imagined.

 It would be a miracle if you were to run across someone you knew in a place so vast.

 You looked around in shock at everything you were being hidden from. The thought of it hopefully being yours to share with Loki in freedom and not in constraint was illuminating. One day to not only be openly in love with him but to call him your husband. Your partner for life was the solace you needed. Everything looked new to you because you had only ever seen the hallways in the dead of night to share evening visits with Loki, being as slick as one could, and it always working in your favor.

“Wow, it looks so different here with the sun shining through. Always felt like a runaway sneaking through the backways and balconies to get to your quarters.”

“And now you get to walk there like every other person in this place. Quite fancy isn’t it.”

“Okay, I didn’t ask for the smart mouth, you ass.” 

“Comfortable, are we?” 

“With you? Always.”

Finally, you two had walked up to Loki’s quarters. Opening the doors he welcomed you in and you welcomed yourself to his bed. Flopping down on the edge of it, the edge of your dress flying up and you went down. Hearing the door shut, you lifted your head up to face Loki at the door, only thing was he wasn’t there. Furrowing your brow you sat up on your elbows and by the time you looked behind you, it was too late. 

“Boo.”

Your body reacted before you could control your response. Your stomach fell to your ass, eyes widening and a sharp inhale all followed one another before you finally shook off the anxiety and realized that Loki had popped up behind you. 

“You asshole! What if I screamed, huh?”

Loki laughed falling over on the bed, your reaction to him obviously something of hilarity to him. You rolled your eyes and pushed his shoulder in and began to pout. He caught his breath and calmed down enough so he could respond back to you. 

“You’re only screaming for one thing and unfortunately, darling, the sun’s still out. So, someone will have to wait, considering they’re so concerned about being caught.”

Loki raised his eyebrow and your mouth was agape. You squinted your eyes and an idea popped in your head. Rolling over on your knee you placed yourself on top of Loki's lap, resting your hands on his chest stealing his smirk for this moment in time.

“I can control myself...you on the other hand, once you start you can't stop.”

To emphasize your point, you rolled your hips into his and brought your body down to level his. Reaching his ear you whispered

“If you can find containment within yourself, a prize will await you this evening.”

You moved from his ear and hovered in front of his face, your lips ghosting one another. You pulled back a little bit to stare into his eyes. They were hypnotic no matter how many times you saw them. Loki’s hand trailed up your backside squeezing the mound of your ass before continuing up your back. His hand finding refuge at the nape of your neck. He pulled you back to his face, a gentleness about the entire interaction, and kissed you. 

There was a different kind of spark in this kiss, it felt electric, coursing through your veins and settling in your brain as a memory you’d never forget. Losing yourself in the thrill of it all, your hips began moving against his. Your building arousal creating a fog between you. The more you ground into the god below you, the more apparent his bulge was. Flipping you on your back Loki now held the reins of the situation. 

“Now, don’t tempt me Y/N. You have a habit of teasing and where does it always leave you?”

“At your mercy.”

“Clever girl. So if you like to save this accolade you mentioned for later, mind your manners, my love.”

He leaned down to kiss you as to punctuate his words, ending the discussion with the pull of your lips between his teeth. Hissing through the pleasure you couldn’t help but roll your hips up towards him, now being the one desperately craving friction. Testing the waters, you wanted to see how far you could push Loki to his limits. Your hand found the scruff of his neck and scrunched his hair. Sucking a breath in between his teeth, he pulled back a light laugh following. 

“I’m aware of what you’re attempting to do Y/N, and I think it would be fair for you to know that it’s a feeble attempt. Reason being, now you’re the one left in ardor.”

Loki pulled off of you but made sure to drive his point home by sliding down your body and resting between your thighs before fully standing up. You lied on the bed in slight agony of your current predicament. You sighed and brought yourself up on your elbows. Looking ahead of you, you saw Loki sitting in the massive throne chair that was in his room. It was gothic in nature yet still regal with the back of the chair rising well up behind him and the arms of it embellished with Asgardian design. 

His position in the chair was more than purposeful. His legs were spread wide, his arm resting on the arm of the throne and his hand propping up his head to look not only at you but out on the balcony. The late evening sun illuminating his eyes, bringing a whole new meaning to golden hour. He looked breathtaking and it was as if you were falling in love with him all over again.

The lust you were previously feeling was now amplified but also accompanied with adoration for your lover. You raised yourself from up off the bed and waltzed over to him. A fire behind your eyes and in your presence but you had yet to act on it. Coming in front of him, you kneeled in front of him and looked up. Two could play at this game. Your hands slid up his legs, paying special attention to his thighs and feather lightly rubbed on this. His eyes were boring through yours and you felt small under his gaze. 

The silence between you was telling, that if you were to continue with your actions there would be no waiting until later. You wanted to enjoy the silence between the two of you, so you turned your back to him now sitting on your behind, and crossed your legs. You leaned your head back so it fell in between his legs, but before fully getting settled you reached for the two books resting on the side table in front of the chair and placed them in your lap. You wiggled your hips and settled into a comfortable position. 

Resting your head back, you craned it further attempting to look at Loki. He rolled his eyes knowing exactly what you were asking for. 

“You know, if I knew how often you’d beg for these I would have never indulged in your initial request.”

“You and I both know this is enjoyable for both parties.”

Loki huffed, a silent agreement without saying explicitly that you were right. Loki began to rub your temples. You closed your eyes enjoying the sensation and the loving intent of his actions. You finally felt calm and safe compared to the rest of the day which was riddled with anxiety and panic and the nagging fear of all the ‘what ifs’ you came up with. You had exhausted yourself and this simple action put you at ease. You opened your eyes for a moment and glanced down at the books in your lap trying to decipher which one was Loki’s. 

Catching a glimpse on the side you realized the one on the bottom was Loki’s current project at hand. Grabbing it, you twisted your arm behind you and slid the book into Loki’s lap knowing that sooner or later you would end up dozing off and you figured that getting this out the way would make it easier for both of you. 

“You are truly something else.”

“And you love me for it Loki.” 

“Can’t argue that one.”

A small smile painted your face before it fell back into its relaxed state and you began to drift off. Every little thing that had happened today made you feel that you were a few steps closer to getting what you so desired with Loki.