#made that for my fellow loser enjoyers <3

[woozi]

giving you a warm cookie and a nose boop for simply being you but here’s another cookie and boop for the very serotonin-inducing chan set 😞💗 i hope you’ve been well yza ;-;

[tfw-no-tennis]

hunter x hunter thotz so far

soooo ruth and i started watching hunter x hunter woohoo finally! we’re like 10 or so eps in so i decided to collect some thots below on what i think so far (i havent rlly been spoiled so im interested to look back on this once ive watched more)

first off i love gon sm, hes immediately so endearing...hes just a baby!!!! just a little baby boy!!!! hes just so cute and good, im so not ready for him to get put thru the wringer later on as ive vaguely heard happens

the first few episodes were really fast paced which i enjoyed and thought was for the best. the characters came thru really strongly and i feel like we heard juuuust enough about the setting, premise, and what a hunter is 

i wasnt expecting leorio and kurapika to show up in the FIRST EP lmao that surprised me. i love so much how the three of them like IMMEDIATELY became a family unit in like 3 eps lmaoooo it was like ok here are 2 parents and their son bam. also leorio and kurapika having a showdown on the boat (which didnt end up happening) was a wild ride 

i have like zero fucking idea what a hunter is and the more they attempt to explain the more confused i get. its honestly kind of hilarious how little sense it makes. to be clear this doesnt detract from my enjoyment of the show at all (if anything it adds to it)

oh my god fuckgin hisoka is the worst he hasnt done much but i hate him so much already. good villain writing/design so far, hes so hateable

ruth every time hisoka shows up: WE HATE UR PUSSY BIIIITCH 

the character design in this show is....a lot lmao. ruth and i decided its a cross between soul eater, jojo, and one piece in terms of aesthetic. the designs are certainly unique and so many of them are just so ugly hvbjafdbdskgs it reminds me of that post thats like ‘masterpost of jojo characters who look busted as shit’ lmao

i already love this show a lot tbh like the way its structured so far has been kinda atypical for a shounen, at least in terms of fights - we really havent seen a lot of fighting yet. also nen hasnt shown up yet and its reminding me of stands not becoming a thing in jojo until p3 lmao 

anyways in litrally ep1 i already loved the 3 main characters we saw...leorio is a wild dude, i love him sm, especially as a fellow medical binch who wants MONEY. like, thats literally me. and kurapika is also wild, like damn they rlly just dropped their backstory in ep 1 huh. like we rlly are jumping right into this 

also when leorio said he was a teenager i was like WHAT???? just like evryone else which YEA omfg. i cant believe hes that young lmao. kurapika too

so leorio is one of those 19 yr olds who looks 40 and kurapika is the type of teen who looks like a 12 yr old

and KILLUA i love him sm also....hes an adorable assassin catboy and hes perfect. i love how quickly he and gon hit it off (tiny bfs.....) and how hes just like, this extra as hell 12 yr old with a SKATEBOARD and ASSASSIN SKILLS and then he sees gon and is like guess im gonna fall in love 

i gotta talk abt gon again i just love him. hes so polite and cute and kind and good, i just love him...wht a good protag. his motivation is just wild too, hes like well my dad abandoned me to go off and be a hunter (which he isnt even mad abt, what a nice lad) so im gonna do that to see what the deal is

i love how gon (just like the audience) doesnt really know what a hunter does/is and just goes into the exam totally blind lmao. also the fact that his skills seem to include jumping good, being speedy, having the energy typical of a 12 yr old, being a weather sniffer, being nice, and having good instincts/constitution as a result of having eaten random grass and forest shit growing up...amazing. 

is this gonna turn out to be one of those things where its like, wow theyve been using nen this whole time without realizing! tht would honestly explain a lot lmao 

i really enjoy how like....semi-normal the power levels are rn? while also being all over the place and wack as fucks obvs (like hisoka dissolving that guys arms in his first appearance was A Lot, as well as all the card stuff hes done..). like the part wher that blue guys (evil franky one piece) punches the ground and it leaves a crater and everyones like !!!! wow wtf thats unnatural! that literally threw me off bc that kinda thing is so normal in anime lmaoooo. but i like that thats the starting point bc it leaves a lot of room for power escalation w/out it getting too out of hand 

specifially our protags are starting out pretty low on the Shounen Badass scale - especially gon (and leorio, tho i kinda predict he wont be as fight-y? what with him being premed)

i find it kinda hilarious how killua hasnt done too much (aside from murdering those 2 randos in like half a second) despite being so clearly skilled...like when they have to do the 5v5 fight thing in the tower, i wouldve thought hed be the first up cause hes so badass but nope

actually thats what i find interesting - i was expecting all 5 (or maybe 4, we’re in the middle of leorio’s ‘fight’) of the fights to be physical smackdowns but so far nope, theyve been very cerebral. that bodes well, w/how smart the fights have been, bc i doubt the fights will get stale tht way 

tho they might be kinda frustrating sometimes - there are times when u DO just wanna see a good ole fashioned shounen beatdown yknow. but we do get enough of that now (and im sure we’ll get plenty more) to satisfy (like kurapika decking fake-franky) 

oh also the opening. its so charming and cute and i love the song...its also so hilariously basic and classic - like one of those typical 2000s anime openings where theres stock run cycles of all the main characters and theres a little animation of all the characters fighting together (and that fight doesnt actually happen, its just for the op) 

also love that leorios the only one who doesnt fight in the OP, instead getting saved from death by gon lmao. im curious if he’ll end up fighting at all (i assume a little?) and if he’ll use nen (probably healing type nen?) 

also i already wanna fistfight ging for abandoning his perfect angel son. also leorio is literally gons dad already, they even look alike wow 

that guy hanzo has done basically 0 things so far but i rlly like him already, im curious if thatll change. also sorry for calling u ‘hanzo overwatch!?!?!?!’ upon first viewing my guy 

tonpa is str8 up so annoying pls leave u pathetic loser 

tho it cracked me up when he and Evil Mr Clean were facing off and starting getting all detailed/shaded and i was like o shit is he actually badass. are we abt to see like a nen battle or st. but no....lmaooo

i found it interesting that leorio didnt really admit to wanting to be a dr at first...hes such a good dude, he kinda just let kurapika think that his motives were superficial and greedy when in actuality theyre selfless

also wanting to be rich can be a rlly interesting character motivation and i love when its done right

oh my god i cant believe it took me this long to mention the hilariously edge ED....like holy shit, its so 2000s, the song sounds like its been re-recorded like 40000 times bc of how bad the audio quality is, or something, idk how to describe music but its hilariously specific in tone and its rlly funny to see shots of the main characters smiling while this screamo whatever plays in the bg....wow. 

also s/o to killua for being king of edgy with that ‘tear of blood’ shot

i rlly like how much of the plot, especially the early hunter exam stuff, is moved along simply by gon being a good kind polite boy. 

love the fact that he and leorio and kurapika (and later killua) all team up without even saying anything...i love that, most shounen would have them be like ‘che, i cant team up with anyone, i have to prove myself ALONE or my victory wont be EARNED’ or w/e idk. who knows that might happen later but rn i love how they all effortlessly work together (and how they all contribute - without each other they would have all failed at different points) 

oh man also killuas first appearence was so funny when he drank a bunch of tonpas poisoned drinks and was like [smirks] tch, loser, im immune to poison. get dunked on. [skateboard away] i love him so fuckgin much 

omfg that part where killua looks all shoujo/kawaii and is talking abt how hes gonna kill his family or w/e and gon is just like ^_^? i love they

HOOOOLY FUCK I ALMOST FORGOT, BUT 65% OF THE REASON I MADE THIS POST WAS TO MENTION HISOKAS THEME LMAOOOOO his music being like fuckgin, spanish guitar/traditional mexican type music is sooooo goddamn funny to me for some reason, like the first time it played i was like ok whats going ON with this spanish guitar lmao but then i figured out that its his theme and god thats so funny 

hisoka is also so fuckign jojo like he could so easily be in jojo. he and dio would be the fakest best friends ever and would constantly try to kill each other on the lowdown and shittalk each other constantly in private but be super sweet to each others faces. also they would hatefuck. no im not taking criticism bye 

i rlly love everyones backstories also, and i find it interesting that weve gotten to hear/see at least some of all 4 of the MCs backstories. theyre all compelling and interesting and i cant wait to dive in further 

also calling it now but kurapika is totally gonna get way too absorbed in revenge and get fucked up/disregard their own life (maybe in the style of robin in one piece?) we’ll see but i feel like it aint gonna end well. i could be wrong, i really havent been spoiled at all, thats just my guess 

hbahjfbshjf the ep that was called ‘hisoka x is x sneaky’ was SO funny that reads like a dora the explorer ep title 

also i had no idea the ep titles were formatted like that w/the x’s and thats rlly funny 

ok but the part where leorio - who seems to be pretty bad at fighting - tries to fight hisoka - whose literal first appearence involved him effortlessly dissolving a dudes arms - is so fucking funny. leorio rlly b a premed w/no brain cells....same bro. 

also i loved the Cutthroat Kitchen portion of the hunter exam and how not a single contestant was any good at it lmaoooo. do they not have the cooking channel in hxh-verse earth 

ok i love how the main characters are all intuitive in different ways depending on their own skills, like how killua can immediately guess that kurapika has never killed anyone before after they didnt kill evil-franky

kurapika joined killua in the Edgy Corner during that part also. like, they both have legit reasons to be edgy, but the shots of kurapika sitting in the darker tunnel part was kinda funny

also killua, a literal 12 yr old, calling out kurapika for being a murder virgin was pretty hilarious 

ok also i didnt know that madhouse animated hxh which is rlly funny but w/e i love the animation especially the occasional chibi parts and the facial expressions (like killuas ‘i love murder’ catboy expressions) 

oh also when killua murdered those 2 guys and his hand was all vein-y and his nails were pointy, his hands looked like hisokas do...i wonder if thats a legit connection or it hisoka just b getting his nails did 

kurapika talking abt how even seeing a regular spider makes them rlly angry was both very sad and kinda funny. kura u have so many issues god bless 

kurapikas smackdown on evil blue franky was fuckin dope tho. and the red eyes reveal was SPOICY 

rlly love how the individual fights highlights the characters strengths/morals/motivations/whatever....the writing is already really strong tbh 

ugh ok ive ranted enough this is a Lot lmao its so disorganized but w/e 

basically i love this series so far and im rlly curious whatll happen next. also everything seems pretty chill and upbeat so far (relatively) and i know this shit gets dark and im NOT FUCKING READY. 

til next timeeee

[hamausagi]

curse hEYYYYYY idk if ur still doing the ask game but yea !!!!! HEY HEY HEY also u have so many surnames i love that for u <3 !! LMAOOO it's so cute 😭 alSOOOO a fellow battinson enjoyer??? :eyes: HES SO FINE OMFGKAIWKKFKQKDJD

also here's a lil brainrot for each of your simps just for fun bc ur reactions are so cute hehehe >:)

jean ;; she's the type of person to always be concerned abt you but in like the sweetest way possible, like even though she already has a packed schedule she takes time out of her day to leave colourful post-it notes around your house reminding you to take care of yourself :')

sara ;; won't admit it for the life of her but she absolutely LOVES cuddling like when the two of you are sharing a bed you will be like her personal teddy bear... she wraps her arms around your torso and nuzzles into your neck bc she can't meet your eyes HDKAKDKS

itto ;; likes carrying you on his shoulders... he just thinks it's so cool and he would be more than happy to bring you around inazuma like that no matter what everyone says LKDKSFJ and he feels like a knight who gets to protect you the love of his life <3

jett ;; ( i haven't played val in ages sorry if this is bad LSKDKS T_T ) she loves teasing you with her wind powers when you're mad at her. like she'll literally send a breeze to tickle your neck or smth until you can't stop your lips tugging upwards and you end up smiling widely, to which she grins, "there's my pretty girl."

bruce wayne ;; he likes it when u play with his hair :( like idk i know he has the whole emo thing going on but u cannot tell me that this man will not crumble if you, the person he adores most in the world, shows him the slightest bit of affection — his favourite pastime is laying in your lap while your hands thread idly through his messy hair as you talk about your day, he honestly thinks being with you is the greatest thing on earth

AHAHA this turned out so long but i hope u like it !! <3 just a lil mid-week present from me hehe >:) ily curse, take care of yourself !!

I ANSWERED THIS WITH A FUCKING ESSAY MY GOD QUILL I LOVE YOU SO SOSOSOSOS MUCH ODAJKHAKAAAAAAAHHHHHH <33333<333<3<3<3<333333

IMGOINGTOFUCKINGCRY ???????????? THIS WAS A BLESSING TO WAKE UP TO THIS MORNING I HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT THIS ALL DAY. ALL DAY LONG. AAAAAAAHHHHH IM GOING TO SCREAM WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS FOOD HELLO ????

BRO OMFG IM SO GLAD TO HAVE FOUND ANOTHER BATTINSON ENJOYER 😩 i literally wasnt even gonna watch the movie but my irl bsf was like "please come with me i already saw it and i dont wanna look like a loser going in to watch it again alone" and i was like "fine 🙄" AND THEN I FELL IN LOVE AND AFTER WE WATCHED THE JJK MOVIE WE SNUCK INTO THE THEATER TO WATCH IT A SECOND TIME AHAJKHAKJHSDDSFJKBFDG THAT MAN IS SO FINE. FUCKING NO RIGHT. NO RIGHT AT ALL. literally just been rendered immobile all day thinking about running my hands through that stupid man's hair. AND THE WAY U WROTE "the person he adores the most in the world" LITERALLY BANGING MY FISTS ON THE TABLE. WHAT THE FUCK QUILL. IM SHOUTING AND SCREAMING AND YELLING RN.

i cant even talk about how i feel about cuddling with sara AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA SHES SO HEART EMOTE I AM MAKING HEART EYES READING THIS STOPPPPHAHHFJHAJJAL AND ITTO CARRYING ME ON HIS SHOULDERS THERE ARE TEARS IN MY EYES THIS IS SO ADORABLE I DONT EVEN KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH MYSELF FUCK

jett..... oh my god my sweet baby girl....... "there's my pretty girl" DO YOU KNOW THE FUCKING SQUEAL THAT I MADE READING THAT ???????? OH MY GOD. akjhsfdkjshdf IM SO FUCKIGN IN LOVE WITH HER THIS ISNT FAIR THIS IS NOT FAIR AT AAALLLLL

JEAN...... ROROROKROIAJROARJROR BANRKA RBKARBKRBAKRBAKRBBRRKABRBRKRKKRKRAJKBHFKJAHHJKSFHKJFH LITERALLY THE THOUGHT OF HER LEAVING ME NOTES BC SHE CARES...... IM LITERALLY GOING TO START CRYING..... FUCK SHES LITERALLY SO <3333 IM SO IN LOVE

okok enough of me screaming (i need to calm down ohmygod) here is the response to the ask game KJSDFHSDFL

1. First impression:

I LITERALLY THOUGHT U WERE SO FUCKING COOL. LIKE bro u were also one of the first blogs i ever followed bc of ur writing when i first got into genshin last year, i was IN LOVE with how u wrote xiao

2. Truth is:

i'm literally just so happy we're friends ??? LIKE FR IM JUST SO HAPPY I GOT TO MEET U GN LIKE 😭whenever i see u around or see u in my inbox/activity i literally losemymind i get so happy and excited that YOU !! A RLLY COOL PERSON !! WANTS TO TALK TO ME !!

3. How old do you look:

i have not seen u.... butttt u give off 16-17 vibes ^^

4. Have you ever made me laugh:

LITERALLY SO MANY FUCKING TIMES ??? omfg i rmb when we first met u made me smile and laugh literally so much there are too many times to count

5. Have you ever made me mad:

nope !!

6. Best feature:

UR SO FUCKING TALENTED. LIKE. UR SO SO SO GOOD AT WHAT U DO. sometimes i still go back and read that request from your 1k event that i req and i sit there like wow. ur also just such a wonderful person ?? u have SUCH an adorable personality and ur incredibly fun to be around <3 mwuah !!

8. You’re my:

VV GOOD FRIEND WHOM I LOVE AND APPRECIATE VV MUCH

I LOVE U SO MUCH QUILL !!!! I HOPE THAT U FIND MONEY ON THE GROUND AND BOTH SIDES OF UR PILLOW R COLD <333 MWUAH MWUAH MWUAAAAHHH

[bvotw]

An unexpected turn to a goodbye summer party

It was the last Saturday of Summer break and McCall's pack decided that the Summer couldn't be over without a proper celebration. As Melissa was working the night shift, Scott had managed to host a small gathering of friends. But as we know, every high school small gathering ends up in a huge party in which you don't know more than 60% of the people present. That's just how things go.

''So this is how it feels..'' Malia noted. She was sitting in the steps of the front porch and for the first time, she was feeling the effects of a substance purely consumed to the sole purpose of personal enjoyment.

''Yeah it is, isn't it great?'' Isaac responded with a smile. He had just returned to Beacon Hills. He had heard all about the Dread Doctors and Chimaeras and realised that the decision of becoming an Omega hadn't been profitable to anyone. He had lost power, and Scott had needed him more than ever. However, had he really got past the fact that his girlfriend had died in Scott's arms? You know what they had, you always knew Isaac. Stop thinking about it! He would find out. Right now, he was sharing with Malia the wonders some molly can do to werewolves.

''How did you find out about this magic?'' Malia was completely stoned.

''Well, I met a fellow wolf, we exchanged experiences, I ended up learning that molly works wonder on us!'' Isaac laughed and got up to enter Scott's house. '' I must go and find Scott, he has to try this shit'', he shouted as he disappeared in the sea of people who somehow found about the party.

Fun to think about, right? Who would say, in the beginning of the sophomore year, pre bite, that Scott McCall, that loser guy that no one really knew, couldn't play lacrosse and whose sexuality was overly debated due to his proximity to Stiles, would be hosting the party of the Summer. How things change. Who would say that Stiles would now be seen as one of the popular kids and would be dating his 5ft 3, strawberry blond, green eyed dream beauty? Life was good. But they knew it wouldn't last. In Beacon Hills, it never lasted. At least, not for long.

''Scott?'' Isaac yelled for the fifth time. ''Dude, are you ok? SCOTT!?''

''Uh..Wha.. Sorry Isaac, I was completely out'' he smiled. He knew Isaac may have not forgiven him yet by the Allison scene, but he truly hoped one day he would. Isaac was a good friend, and a strong member of his pack. ''I was just thinking about how great things have been this Summer and something Deaton said the other day, but I wanna forget about that now, I want to have fun. You said You had a little somethin' for me to try?''

''First, I'm very proud of you, Mama's Boy! Trying molly? A day to remember!'' Isaac mocked him '' But yeah, I gave three tabs to Malia, it worked. I think five or six for you? That's what I take as well.''

''Well fuck it. Look at Stiles and Lydia. They just drank beer, how is that even possible?'', Stiles and Lydia were making out in the kitchen, completely unaware of the circumstances around them. ''Gimme just a moment to save them from lifelong video proof of the effect alcohol can have in you, I'll meet you outside?'' And he left without waiting for an answer, because he knew Isaac would just do what he said.

''So, i just take it like a usual tab? Swallow it with water?'' Scott asked as soon as he was outside, next to Isaac and Malia.

''I fond that it works better that way, yes'' Isaac responded, passing him a bottle of water.

''I find it to work marvellously'' said a very amused Malia, ''Please join me Scotty!''

''Well fuck it then'' Scott mumbled while swallowing the tabs. ''What now?''

''Now you enjoy the night, handsome!'' Malia exclaimed.

Firstly, he thought that it wouldn't work. That his body would just cure the high as it seemed to cure everything physical. But then it hit him. Fuck, every sensation and feeling were increased exponentially. As was his awareness of the scene around him. He wanted to scream, he wanted to dance and he wanted to live.

The party went by like any party does. People danced, people made out in random places, some random guy puked in the sink and basically everyone was having fun. Scott wondered where Stiles and Lydia were, but thinking about the stories Stiles had told him, they wouldn't want to be disturbed. He looked around to try and find someone familiar and saw Malia and Isaac waving and calling him to play Seven Minutes in Heaven with the group they were in and he joined.

''As the host, you should have the honours'', a random girl said. Jennifer? Amber? Who knows. ''C'mon McCall'' Scott spined the bottle and it pointed to Malia.

Nop, nop, I gotta get out of here. I could be there with her in a normal circumstance. With this in my system I just can't control myself. Fuck, what do I do?

''Get up Scott, gimme the best seven minutes of my life'' Malia mocked him

''Yeah sure..'' he said, with the yellowest smile possible.

They entered the room and heard Isaac starting the clock.

''If I weren't Malia right know, what would you do to me, handsome?'' Malia asked, provokingly.

''Difficult question, depends on what ''not Malia'' was up to.'' He said with a smirk

''What if she was up to a little something?'' Malia tried him. She had been trying him for the past two weeks, but his loyalty to Stiles was unbreakable. She didn't want a relationship, but she wanted to experience the lust of an Alpha, she sensed this guy was the big deal. Am I smelling lust from you Scott? Naa.. I'm imagining. Or am I not?

''Well, then I'd give her a little taste, and then find a way to finish what we had started someplace else.'' I'm I really doing this? Could her heartbeat be quicker? Somehow he could sense that her temperature was rising and he knew what it meant. She wants me as well.

''Hmmm, a little taste? I wonder..'' She was interrupted by his lips. Surprisingly soft, yet increasingly intense. She wanted to moan, but she knew there were a dozen people outside and she could live without them knowing everything that was happening.

''Something like this, you know? Something that would make her want more'' He whispered as he was planting soft kisses down her neck and jaw. ''Something that'd leave her needing more'' He was now licking and sucking her ear. ''Something that would make her beg for more'' he breathed against the soft spot behind her ear, as he found it and she moaned softly, but loud enough for Isaac to have listened. He found out he couldn't care less.

''Door is opening in 10.. 9.. 8'' Isaac was doing the countdown.

''Fuck Scott!'' She said as she tried desperately to comb her hair with fingers. How the fuck am I this wet?

'''3.. 2.. 1!'' Isaac exclaimed as he opened the room's door, revealing a very blushed Malia and a grinning Scott. What happened there was left to speculation to everyone but Isaac who despite not knowing the details (and not wanting to) knew something had happened.

''So.. who's next?'' Scott asked, as if nothing had happened. Fuck, I'm getting hard, I have to get out of this game as soon as possible. But we were the first ones to go, everyone will know what we went up to do.

''Since I'm the honorary host, me!'' Isaac spinnd the bottle and it pointed to a shy girl, that seemed pretty annoyed by being there. ''Oh, Sarah, would you give me the pleasure of your company?''

''Talking about pleasure..'' Scott whispered in Malia's ear. He was enjoying teasing her and was closely listening to her heartbeat and catching her emotions to see how far he could go. He started touching her leg, close to the hem of her skirt, but not enough to touch it. Oh my God, I can smell her wetness. Fuck, I can't get hard here.

''Scott, stop..'' Or don't, never stop, just touch me, I beg you.

'''Funny how your mouth says one thing, but I can smell your lust increasing'' He whispered as he brushed her right nipple, that was well obvious through the thin fabric of her crop top and her bikini top. ''You know, I could torture you here for the rest of the game but I have to go and get another keg. I think you have to go check on Lydia as soon as I return with the keg, and I will have to go change my shirt because I will get beer all over it when opening it.'' He winked at her and returned his hand to her leg, drawing light eights with his fingers and feeling goosebumps forming on her skin.

Malia nodded and Scott left to go and get a new keg with Danny. As he was leaving, Isaac's time was up and he seated next to Malia, complaining about what had happened, or more specifically what had not ''I mean, I wasn't expecting to fuck her there, but I was expecting a little action. She wanted Jennifer there with her, how great. What about you and Scott?'' Isaac asked grinning. ''Don't bother lying, I know something happened, and worry not, I won't tell Stiles. Where is Scott btw?''

''He went to get a new keg'' she explained, and saw Scott carrying the new keg inside. Is it just me, or that guy gets hotter by the minute? Brushing the thought, she told Isaac she was going to check on Lydia since she was completely trashed some hours ago, and went upstairs to Scott's bedroom to wait for him. Am I really doing this? Are we really doing this? Fuck, how can someone have this effect on me? How can.. Her thought was interrupted by a blow in her neck, and she caught his scent. As she turned to him, he locked the door and she kissed him. The kiss was not soft as their previous one, but a more urgent one.

Scott broke Malia's kiss and looked at her, only not with the usual sweetness that was so characteristic of his brown eyes. This look was a hungry one, in a sense that nothing had to do with food. Those eyes were full of desire and Malia almost moaned from the sight. Right there, Scott grabbed her arms and spun her around, so that her ass was in contact with his crotch. He started kissing her neck, sucking her ear and licking all of that erogenous zone while Malia stopped worrying about being heard and started letting some moans escape. ''You know Malia.. I don't think that we should wake Stiles and Lydia up. I think you can do better, don't you?''

''Hm hm, I believe I can, but who will assure you I'm enjoying your efforts?'' she smirked at herself. His hands were all over her. All over, except the specific spots she wanted them to be. They would massage her belly but wouldn't touch the waistband of her skirt. They wouldn't also go as high as the bottom of her bikini top. He would touch her arms and her hair and even her legs but she was getting anxious and frustrated. She was getting impatient.

''Oh, but I do. I can hear your increasing heart rate. I can sense how wet you are. I can smell how much you want me. But I also can smell your growing frustration.'' As he was talking, his hands would get closer and closer to where she wanted them, but they would quickly go away again. ''The thing is, and what I can't catch the scent to, how much do you want me? And how?'' He started biting her neck softly, and with each bite Malia would get even more aroused, something she could not believe to be possible at this point.

''I want... I want you to touch me everywhere.'' She managed to say through her heavy breathing. How can he even put me in such state?

''Oh, you mean like this?'' His finger lightly brushed over her nipple that was even more visible than it had been downstairs. As soon as he did, she couldn't control her moan. This made Scott proud of himself. He knew the effect he was having on her and he was enjoying every moment. But he also knew Malia was very short tempered, he had to procede carefully if he didn't want to turn what was to be the hottest sex of his life into a werewolf vs werecoyote fight.

''You know what I mean Scott, Jesus!'' What are you doing? Do I have to beg? How can he make me moan by brushing my nipple? I always thought I couldn't get horny by touching my tits.. ''Touch all of me Scott, please!''

''Should I though? Maybe you have to be more specific..'' He brushed the other nipple while sucking on her neck. He decided to give her a bit more, the begging would be left for later. He started taking her crop top and the top of her bikini off, making sure his hands touched her bare skin as little as possible. His kisses, bites and licks were descending on her spine and she was experiencing so many sensations that even the surprisingly cool air in her recently bare nipples was causing a turning on sensation.

''Scott, I've asked you, touch my breasts.'' Why are you making me get frustrated wolf boy? Her hands were on his hair and she closed them slightly to express her feelings.

''Oh, ok. Like this?'' He stopped his mouth work only to talk, but his hands were driven to her breasts as soon as she spoke. He put each palm on each boob and squeezed them, and then with his thumb and index finger, he started lightly pinching each nipple. ''Or like this?''

Malia was completely shocked at the sensation and instinctively started grinding her ass to his crotch. Scott was changing between squeezing and pinching, circling and massaging and she was getting close. And then she felt it. Against her ass, his erection was getting tired of disguising itself, it wanted to be freed. So she intensified her hip movement, until Scott took his right hand out of her right breast, continuing his work on the left and put it on her hip to stop her movement.

''You want to cum, don't you? So why won't you, Malia?'' And as he was speaking, he turned her around and started alternating between licking and sucking one breast and pinching and massaging the other. He could sense she was close. So close.

''Scott, I'm cumming, oh my god, don't stop Scott, I'm gonna..'' Her moans were interrupted by Scott's two fingers that she willingly sucked. And then the wave came, and Malia came hard, sucking on Scott's fingers. Fuck, fuck, fuck I am having this dick inside me, whatever it takes.

''Fuck Malia, you're so hot.'' He stand again, finally appreciating the sight before his eyes. He had seen her naked in some occasions, but never from this perspective. He wanted to taste every bit of this girl and god, the scent of her juices was filling the room and couldn't be ignored for long. ''This, this is what happens when you tell me what you want. But from now on, please be a bit more specific, I had to improvise a bit.'' he teased her.

''I must say you made quite an improvisation, Scotty.'' she said, still a bit out of breath. ''But I feel that you are too dressed up, don't you think?'' the tone of her voice was a mixture of mischief and challenge. She pushed him to his bed and walked towards him only with her skirt on. A vision Scott wouldn't want to get out of his mind in any near future. ''I feel like you are too cloistered to truly enjoy this moment.'' He was sat at the end of his bed, his dominant self completely covered by how surprised he was by what was happening. ''I don't even think this shirt goes with those shorts anyway'' she provoked him, as she took his shirt off. Jesus, I can't do anything more before tasting, touching and observing all this piece of sin.

''Malia..'' they shared a look and she begun touching his abs, licking his chest and teasing his nipples with little bites. Se pushed him backwards so he would be supported by his elbows. ''Malia, fuck...'' he groaned. Then, he made an attempt to stop her and take control yet again, but she was also fast.

''Ah, don't even think about it, you should know I get what I want.'' She confronted him, leaving Scott with an incredulous look on his face. Where did this determination come from? I've only given a blowjob once in my life, he's going to hate it. She started unbuckling his belt and undoing the zipper of his shorts and the reality of the situation took control over her. She had no idea what she was doing, she was going to ruin it for Scott, who had given her one of the best orgasms of her life only by touching her tits. Stop overthinking Malia, carry on, he deserves it. She pulled the waistband of his shorts in a failed attempt to get them off and Scott raised his butt from the bed to help the process. As she was helping him getting rid of them, she had an idea. If he was so eager in getting me frustrated and not giving me what e expected, I'll just do the same.

Scott just watched Malia going through some thinking process and found it adorable. Just suck it Malia.. I'm so hard for you, please suck it, please. But she didn't attend to his plead. Instead, she positioned herself in the cowgirl position, one leg at each of Scott's sides and started kissing him again. She was holding his head, her hands going through his hair as she started grinding her pelvis in his. Her skirt was short and flowy and it positioned itself as if to hid the situation that was driving them both crazy. Scott groaned in her mouth. And put both his hands to her ass.

After some time, Malia left her spot on Scott's lap and went back to the floor and kneeled down in front of him, her face levelled with his crotch. Fuck, I'm so wet that his briefs are soaked. She put her palm against his bulge and he groaned.

''Malia, if you are not comfortable doing anything, you don't have to do it, you know that, right?'' He reassured her, she looked a bit confused and like she had no clue what she would do next.

''But I want to Scott. I want you and I want to get you in my mouth. I'm not really an expert..'' Fuck, what have you done, you ruined it.

'''If you really want to, maybe I can tell you what I want?'' Scott said calmly. ''But I trust you to do you, just go at your own pace.''

Malia touched his dick again, softly brushing it through the fabric and watched his face. Yeah, not bad so far. So she put her hand inside his briefs and felt her first real scare of the night. Scott's dick was bigger than Stiles'. Fuck, if I couldn't get Stiles completely in my mouth, this is going to be a disaster. But she ignored the thought. She pulled it out and started stroking his length while Scott took the briefs off completely, always mantaining eye contact. She then lowered her head, not breaking the eye contact and planted a kiss on his tip. Then she started planting soft kisses down his dick until she reached his balls and licked all the way to the tip again. She decided to take the tip inside her mouth, sucking on it, and got an immense relief when Scott closed his eyes shut. Well, maybe I can do this after all. She started slowly bobbing on his cock, always stroking it with her hand and suctioning on it. As she felt more comfortable, she would take more and more of him in her mouth.

''Maybe spit on it, it'll lubricate and i'll make it easier for you..' he asked while breathing heavily and she did as she was asked. '' Fuck Malia, you're doing so great'' he groaned as he put his left hand on her head. This girl is getting it rough afterwards. He was getting close. So, so close. It was a combination of everything since downstairs, being her helplessness before, while he was touching her and the scent of her surprisingly increasing arousal the main factors. Then he looked at her and realised she was grinding her own leg, stimulating herself and that did it for him. ''I'm going to cum Malia, oh fuck, fuck....''

She wasn't sure if she wanted to swallow his cum, so she instinctively took him out of her mouth and jerked him off, making him release all over her breasts. Shit, do I look like a porn star?

''Someday, you'll explain me what you were worried about... but not now because you might as well be the hottest sight my eye has caught in 17 years.'' Scott returned to his dominant self, now a completely naked one. He pinched her nipple and collected some of his cum with his finger putting it in Malia's mouth, which she sucked. ''If you ever wondered, that's how it tastes, if you want to swallow someday. I'll never ask you to, though.'' Scott helped her to her feet and in a fraction of a second, they had switched places. He went to the bathroom and cleaned himself, giving her another towel ''Clean your tits Malia, I want to watch you doing it'' Jesus, I want to fuck you raw Malia.. too bad birth control doesn't even work on you. '''Don't you think those panties are completely soaked? I mean, they soaked my briefs a while ago..'' as he was speaking, he was getting rid of your skirt and your panties.

''Scott, please. I'm so turned on. I'm so wet for you, I want your touch, please.'' She whimpered. Just eat me out, lick me until there's no more left. Bury your face in my pussy. She didn't want to say these words, but she also knew he would do all in his power to make her do so.

Scott started licking, kissing, biting and sucking every inch of her lower stomach, while pinching her nipples now and then. ''Like this?'' he knew he was driving her insane and he could see her pussy shining with her juices. Control Scott, control. In due time you'll do what you really want to do. So he got closer. Her scent was driving him crazy, and he could feel his dick coming to life yet again.

''C'mon you know what I mean!'' she exclaimed frustrated

''You know what you have to do to get what you want...'' he said, enjoying her frustrated look. He was using all of his power of control to stop him from putting two fingers inside her.

''Fucking eat me out, lick me until there's no more left, bury your handsome face in my pussy and make me cum'' she exclaimed, sick of waiting. WHAT HAVE I JUST SAID, oh my god.

''Oh, say no more, but you could have asked nicer though.'' he grinned at her, before blowing at her belly button and starting to descend his sucking. As he reached her slit, she parted her legs to give him more access and he used his index and middle finger to massage her clit, action which made her moan. Scott started kissing her groin, licking both sides, and the the external folds, never stoping the pinching and the circling around her bud. He then started licking her entrance, entering just a bit with his tongue and then stopped his fingers, moved them to Malia's entrance and inserted his two fingers inside her, curling them and make her moan more frantically. She can't make so much noise.. someone will interrupt us and I'm hard as fuck.. ''Malia, suck on your fingers for me, will ya?''.

Malia couldn't control herself, and when he had started fingering her, her heart almost had stoped. Now Scott had added his tongue work around her clit to his finger game and he was also sucking her bud and giving it light very faint bites. Oh shit, I want to enjoy this for as long as it lasts but I just can't avoid it much longer. How can he do this to me? Did my body have all this places hidden or his simply HIS touch doing the job? ''Scott, I can't hold it much longer, I'm going...to.. cuuum'' Oh shit!

''So don't... that's right'' he watched amazed as she came around his fingers, while he was circling her clit with his thumb. Jesus, how am I this hard again? Fucking Malia. While she was still regaining her breath, he raised her from the bed and placed her head in his pillow, kissing her. He supported himself with one arm, and caressed her face with the other. ''What will you have me do?'' he asked provokingly while putting on a condom.

''Fuck me. I beg you to fuck me. I beg you to fuck me so rough I won't be able to walk straight for several hours. I beg you to pound me as hard as you can.'' If this won't work, what will.

''Now this is talking, my dear'' and has he said, he grabbed her ankles and put one on each of his shoulders. Then, he positioned himself at her entrance, looked at Malia, which was with her head up, biting her lip, and entered her seeing how much of him she could take. She gasped and he started thrusting slowly at first, until she took him all, and then he increased his pace, thrusting harder as well. ''You feel so good Malia, fuck''.

With each thrust, Malia found herself wanting more and more. Another orgasm was building up inside her and she started playing with her nipples, much to replicate what Scott was doing before, and the sensation was wonderful. How can he do this so right?  ''Scott, that's so good''

Scott found himself getting too excited and decided to chance tactics. He entered her completely and stoped, hugged her and rolled over, getting her on top. If I let her ride me, I'll come now....fuck, too late.

Malia got the hint and started riding him, going up and down on his length, stoping now and then and circling her hips. They were looking at each other's eyes and the moment got too intense for Scott, so he started sucking on her nipples. ''Scott, I'm cuming, I can't control it this time... it's.. too ... intense'' You please shut my mouth, I'm going to scream.

Somehow he managed to put three fingers in her mouth, which she sucked while groaning. He was feeling her pussy walls clenching around his dick and he knew how he wanted to finish. He took his dick out, picked up a trembling Malia and laid her on her stomach. He spread her butt cheeks to give him access and positioned himself at her vagina. As he entered her, he closed her legs and put his hand behind her, pressing and pinching her clit as he started thrusting. Now that she was used to his size, he could thrust harder, which he did. She was moaning and he let her taste herself, by giving her his fingers to suck. ''Malia, I'm coming...''

''Just don't stop, please... Scott... Fuck Scott...''

Scott groaned as he came and soon after, he felt her coming around him. He gave themselves a moment to catch their breath before getting out of her and removing the condom. He went to clean himself up and she joined him in the bathroom.

''Jesus Scott. I hate you.'' She punched his arm jokingly. ''You can't have sex like this and then don't want to do it again. Like all the time''

''Hmm, why would we only do this once? This was hot.'' He said confused

''Well, mainly because I've dated Stiles.. But I guess we just have to tell him?''

''Malia... he knows you like me. He told me the other day. And he is ok with it. He is not ok, but he is with Lydia now and he knows he can't control your love life anymore'' Scott explained.

''So.. you told him you liked me back?

''Not by those words, I mean, we were playing fuck, marry, kill... But yeah, I told him I was interested.''

''Fuck you.. got your wish?'' she asked, visibly annoyed.

''No.. this was better than I could ever imagine.''

''Idiot, let's go downstairs? The music still on, Isaac is never going to shut up about this, will he?

''No.. I don't think he will'' Scott smiled, this time with all the sweetness in his look, and scratched his head as he took her hand with the other.

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Michael After Midnight: The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy

Ah, October, a month where the internet becomes obsessed with ghosts and goblins in preparation for Halloween. And really, can I fault the people for that? The dark, macabre, and spooky make for great entertainment! Plenty of great scary movies out there for the adults to enjoy to get into the spirit, but what about kids? Well, there’s Goosebumps and all those other shows like it, but what about a dark, macabre cartoon filled with spooky shit?

Enter The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, one of the best Cartoon Network cartoons ever made. Released in August of 2001, it came just in time for that year’s Halloween, and lasted six years, with seven seasons under its belt. During that time, the show endeared itself to audiences with its combination of dark comedy, grossout humor, and just plain weird situations…though weirdness is par for the course when you’re pals with the Grim Reaper, I suppose.

So what is the plot of this cartoon? Well, one day a hamster owned by a stupid boy named Billy was about to die, and the Grim Reaper came to take him. Billy’s cunning, evil best friend Mandy decided to make a bet with the Grim Reaper; they have a game of limbo, and if he wins he gets the hamster… but if THEY win, he has too be their best friend forever. Of course, he loses, and then he becomes the put-upon pal of these two kids as they boss him around and force him to entertain them. Much hilarity (and chaos) ensues.

This show’s greatest asset was its variety. With Grim onboard, any sort of plot could be possible, from sci-fi stories where the gang fought aliens or mutant chickens to more horrifying stores where they fought demons, monsters, and other denizens of the underworld. And sometimes they would do something really weird, like the episode-long dream sequence in which Billy imagines he’s in the Wild West confronting the cowboy Tooth Fairy. This helps most of the episodes feel fresh, because going in you don’t know if you’re gonna get a story about a killer tricycle or an episode-long reference to Suspiria. Speaking of which, the show is pretty clever in its references, slipping in TONS of content for adult fans, from numerous dirty jokes that will fly over kid’s heads to references to movies no kid would see, such as the aforementioned Suspiria or Hellraiser. As there’s not much continuity here, this show is super easy to jump into at any episode and just watch and have a good experience, which is another plus; sometimes it’s nice to have a simple show driven only by its desire to tell jokes rather than tell an overarching story. And thankfully, the jokes here are mostly good, and have as much variety as the episodes themselves. One memorable episode is just an episode-long series of fart jokes, while another episode gets its laughs from giant mutant chickens and cannibalism. It’s THAT kind of show.

Now, none of these situations would be quite as good if the protagonists weren’t entertaining, so how are they? Let’s start with the guy whose name comes first in the title (technically speaking): Grim. Grim, the personification of Death with an inexplicable Jamaican accent, is bizarrely the straight man in this show… well, usually. When he has to deal with Billy, he plays the role with ease, but with Mandy, Grim can sometimes get a bit silly, though rarely to Billy’s level. As he is typically what allows the strange and supernatural hijinks of the show to occur, be it on purpose or inadvertently, he’s easily the coolest main character, and due to his put-upon nature and how sympathetic he ends up being due to the shit Billy and Mandy put him through, he’s also the most likable.

Billy is up next, and he is the stereotypical idiot comic relief character cranked up to 11. He’s stupid to the point it is stated by his principal in one episode that a shovel and two candy bracelets actually scored higher on an IQ test than he did (they got a positive 17; he got -5). Think Ed from fellow Cartoon Network cartoon Ed, Edd n Eddy, only with a bigger nose and voiced by Richard Steven Horvitz of Invader Zim and Psychonauts fame. Unlike Ed, though, the dangerous and supernatural experiences they faced combined with an occasional lack of empathy and his tendency to be a jerk can make Billy a bit of a divisive character; I tend to enjoy him quite a bit, but there are a few episodes where even he tried my patience. Still, overall he’s an enjoyable dope.

Then we have… Mandy. I’m just gonna say it: by the time the show came to an end, Mandy was easily the worst main character, maybe even the worst character on the show period. She’s typically portrayed as the Ultimate Evil, this epic child chess master who always comes out on top and never faces any sort of consequence for what she does. It’s a rare episode that sees her punished for her actions. However, in episodes where she’s not trying to pull off some evil scheme and is just reacting to the madness around her, she’s a solid character. The fact she’s voiced by Grey DeLisle does help things a bit.

As I said, there is very little continuity between episodes, but there is some, mostly in the form of reoccurring characters. In a show like this, the ensemble cast as well as one-shot characters really need to be on point, and boy oh boy are they ever in this show! This show may have one of the best and most enjoyable ensemble casts in a cartoon ever. The big standouts are Hoss Delgado, the buff monster hunter who is basically a combination of Ash Williams and Snake Plissken, with all that badassery that implies; Eris, the sexy and tricky goddess of chaos; Jeff, a gigantic spider (voiced by Maxwell Atoms, the show’s creator) who is Billy’s ‘son’ and just wants his spider-hating father’s love; General Skarr, a character from Evil Con Carne who is a cunning evil man who wants to usurp power and rule the world… or he used to be, now he just wants to tend his garden in peace; and, last but definitely not least, motherfuckin’ Dracula, voiced by Phil LaMarr and based visually on Blackula, who is basically a nonstop fountain of hilarity. Each of these characters is fantastic, funny, and able to fit into a variety of weird situations the show pops out. And this brilliance and hilarity extends to one-shot characters as well, such as the much-loved singing evil meteor and Jack O’Lantern, characters who had one appearance each but easily endeared themselves with fans. If there’s a weak link in any of the ensemble cast, it would probably be Fred Fredburger; while he’s not devoid of funny moments, his schtick was really overplayed and he ended up becoming an unofficial mascot for the series in the ads, which led to overexposure. It leads people to think he had a bigger part in the show than he did, when he had a few episodes and then appeared in a few of the specials.

Interestingly, Billy & Mandy is probably one of the few shows that really benefited from getting wackier as the show went on. The first season, when the show was Grim & Evil, is, for lack of a better word, a bit grim. The episodes still have comedy, but a lot of them just aren’t as funny as later episodes, and not many of the series mainstays pop up here, aside from Nergal, Eris, and Hoss. That’s not to say there’s nothing memorable here – “Little Rock of Horrors” is in the first season, after all – but the first season just doesn’t stack up quite as well to later ones. Season 2 introduces Jeff and Nigel Planter and has the legendary Halloween special, while season 3 has classics like “Here Thar Be Dwarves” and brings in Grim’s school bully Boogie. They only get better from here, save for season 7, which is easily the least memorable season of them all (though it does have its exceptions, particularly “Wrath of the Spider Queen"). 

 Now, normally this is where I would wrap up, but first, I want to do something a little different. I’m going to list the 25 episodes I think are essential viewing for the best Billy & Mandy experience. I’m not going to review each episode or even detail them, because it would basically be me explaining jokes and how they’re funny. These are just the episodes I think anyone getting in should see. So without further ado…

25. Attack of the Clowns

24. One Crazy Summoner

23. The Loser from the Earth’s Core

22. Toadblatt’s School of Sorcery

21. Wrath of the Spider Queen

20. Home of the Ancients

19. Nursery Crimes

18. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

17. Giant Billy and Mandy All-Out Attack

16. Nigel Planter and the Chamber Pot of Secrets

15. Modern Primitives

14. Prank Call of Cthulhu

13. Duck!

12. The Secret Snake Club

11. Jeffy’s Web

10. Fear and Loathing in Endsville

9. Here Thar Be Dwarves

8. Goodbling and the Hip-hop-opotamus

7. Billy and Mandy Moon the Moon

6. My Fair Mandy

5. Keeper of the Reaper

4. Little Rock of Horrors

3. Wishbones

2. Billy and Mandy’s Jacked-Up Halloween

1. Billy and Mandy Save Christmas

Now this is by no means a definitive list (though I certainly believe the Halloween and Christmas episode are the two best episodes of the show), but I do certainly think that these are some of the funniest, most memorable, and most enjoyable episodes the series produced.

This show is unarguably a classic. Funny, dark, witty, and filled with jokes for people of any ages to enjoy, this is the sort of cartoon that helped Cartoon Network be truly great in the early to mid-2000s, prior to their descent into madness with live action shows. It actually spawned a pretty solid TV movie, an incredibly bizarre crossover with Codename: Kids Next Door, and a failed spinoff movie called Underfist; I’d go into more detail, but honestly, that stuff is worthy of their own reviews, so I’ll save it.

Needless to say though, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy is one of the best cartoons of the 2000s, a real gem and definitely worth watching, especially its holiday specials which are among the best holiday specials, if not THE best (that Christmas episode is a strong contender). I kinda wish this show would get a revival of some kind, because even with the glut of comedy shows we have these days, as long as Maxwell Atoms is at the helm, I can’t see this show failing to stand out in the crowd… no show with such ballsy dark comedy and radar-dodging innuendos could ever be unwelcome.

[thecontentedreader]

Before I start my review I just want to say thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and @penguinteen for welcoming me to the S.T.A.G.S. blog tour! I am so incredibly thankful to have been given this opportunity and to share my thoughts on this book with all of you! They kindly provided me with a physical copy of of the book in exchange for an honest review. 

Book: S.T.A.G.S. | Author: M.A. Bennett | Publisher: Penguin Teen / Delacorte Press | Format: ARC | Pages: 293 | Release Date: Available TODAY! 

Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Greer, a scholarship girl at a prestigious private school, St. Aidan the Great School (known as STAGS), soon realizes that the school is full of snobs and spoilt rich brats, many of whom come from aristocratic families who have attended the institute throughout the centuries. She’s immediately ignored by her classmates. All the teachers are referred to as Friars (even the female ones), but the real driving force behind the school is a group of prefects known as the Medievals, whose leader, Henry de Warlencourt, Greer finds both strangely intriguing as well as attractive. The Medievals are all good-looking, clever and everyone wants to be among their circle of friends. Greer is therefore surprised when she receives an invitation from Henry to spend a long weekend with him and his friends at his family house in the Lake District, especially when she learns that two other “outsiders” have also been invited: Shafeen and Chanel. As the weekend unfolds, Greer comes to the chilling realization that she and two other “losers” were invited only because they were chosen to become prey in a mad game of manhunt.

Review:

This book was so different from anything I’ve ever read. While I found it to be a slower paced book then what I’m used to, it still contained suspense and intrigue that kept me going throughout. Overall, it was a solid read and did end up enjoying it. 

The story follows Greer MacDonald after she receives a scholarship to attend the prestigious and elite English boarding school, St. Aiden the Great School, also known as STAGS. She quickly recognizes that her fellow classmates do not look kindly on ‘outsiders’ or those who are considered ‘lower.’  The school is largely run by the prefects of the school, also known as the Medievals, and it isn’t long before Greer is pulled into their society after being invited for a weekend of “huntin’, shootin’, and fishin’.” It is during this weekend that Greer discovers that not everything is as it seems as STAGS and the reader is taken through a very suspenseful rollercoaster of events. 

First off, let’s talk about the characters in this novel. I was extremely drawn to each one of them, especially Greer. As a main character, she was both brave and naive. I found these to be really enjoyable qualities throughout the length of the novel. As her relationships with both the Medievals and other, shall we say, STAGS outsiders, develop, I found that I was becoming more invested in the story - this is an aspect of the book I truly enjoyed. 

M.A. Bennett does a wonderful job of creating suspense - multiple times I was drawn to think a certain way and it wasn’t long before it was changed due to many twists and turns. Very early on you find that you are hooked - when Greer says she’s a murderer, you’re enticed into finding out more. I also specifically liked that the book was divided into four distinct parts - STAGS, Huntin’, Shootin’ and Fishin. This made it extremely cohesive and also made for twists and turns to come out of left field. 

While this book was a little bit slower in pace than what I’m used to, its suspense kept me going. But if I’m being honest, I would have liked it to have been faster and maybe filled with a bit more action. The book is promoted to have a similar vibe to Pretty Little Liars, but I kind of felt it to be a mix of Gossip Girl and How to Get Away with Murder. Gossip Girl - because of all of its drama, cliques and the higher vs. lower class and How to Get Away with Murder - because of the mystery ... I’ll let you sort out the rest of the link yourself! 

I truly enjoyed reading M.A. Bennett’s debut novel. It was a solid read and I would would recommend it.  More importantly, that ending? It definitely leaves me to think that there will be another one coming our way ... if so, I am definitely intrigued to see how this story continues. 

 Rating:

★★★ (3/5)

Favourite Quote:

“Go on, Go on, Go on,” I said under my breath, using the Force, willing him to outpace them. I was Obi-Wan Kenobi from Star Wars. This isn’t the deer you’re looking for. And as if my Jedi mind trick had worked, the stag outrun the hounds easily.”

About the Author:

M.A. Bennett is half Venetian and was born in Manchester, England, and raised in the Yorkshire Dales. She is a history graduate of Oxford University and the University of Venice, where she specialized in the study of Shakespeare’s plays as a historical source. 

After university she studied art and has since worked as an illustrator, an actress, and a film reviewer. She also designed tour visuals for rock bands, including U2 and the Rolling Stones. She was married on the Grand Canal in Venice and lives in north London with her husband, son and daughter. 

Author’s Links:

Goodreads | Instagram | Twitter | 

Buy the Book:

Amazon | Chapters | Book Depository | Penguin Random House

My Links:

Goodreads | Instagram | Twitter | Blog

Be sure to check out all the other stops on the S.T.A.G.S. blog tour! :) 

January 22nd - Flavia @ Flavia the Bibliophile

January 23rd - Trang @ Bookidote

January 24th - Sabrina @ Hiver et Cafe 

January 25th - Zoe @ Writing Whimsy

January 26th - Ryley @ Ryley Reads 

January 29th - Laurie @ Books and Chinooks

January 30th - Victoria @ The Contented Reader

January 31st - Ashley @ Said the Story 

[it-will-not-last-the-night]

Persona 5 - 3 (4) things

I think I should perhaps stop attaching a heading to everything I write. Hmm.

I think, overall, Persona 5 is a good game and very fun. I did enjoy much of it. However, I do have some major problems with it (3 as I stated above with a fourth which is a lesser concern). These keep it from being a Great Game to me. Now I’ve never played Persona games until Persona 5 so, I hope, the trend is towards fixing these instead of making them worse, but I cannot be sure.

1) The Cheating/Female Agency in general: Does Persona 5 have some great female characters? Yes, yes it does. I mean Ann, Makoto, Haru and Futaba (to name the most important) are truly enjoyable. They are interesting and actually are for the most part strong characters. Which is why the ability of the protagonist to essentially cheat on them (and more) with little to no repercussion hurts so much. It makes it almost impossible for me to respect them as much when I know that, according to the game, even if my character is blatantly caught cheating on them with no remorse he can still pursue a relationship with them and suffers a comedic scene as his only punishment, with no lasting harm to the trust between parties. This does three things which truly upsets me; firstly it portrays that, apparently, cheating on your significant other is not a substantial breach of trust (instead your comedic punishment almost seems to imply it is ‘cool’). Secondly it reduces the likeability and agency of the female characters by portraying them as, apparently, gullible enough to somehow believe no cheating is going on even when it is blatantly happening in front of them. Thirdly it feels horrible that the game seems to still, despite its hard work, at the end of the day take the position that the girls are effectively all into the protagonist at the expense of their dignity. I am not a fan of many ‘harems’, they are difficult to do well, and when I see them in Persona I fear they are there to appeal to base interests, not to make any kind of statement about the fact that genuine polyamory is as valid as any other relationship so long as all parties are consenting. Honestly, Persona 5 could simply of excised the capacity for cheating or, rather, made it that cheating always results in the extreme destruction of your relationships. Not just with the involved parties, but with all your friends. When I was watching the cutscene (on youtube since I’d never be willing to stomach doing it in my playthrough) my first thought was “In a setting in which Ryuji knows the protagonist has cheated on Ann and treated her like trash, how would they possibly go on as friends?”. The protagonist cheating, being willing to lie like that, should have MAJOR negative repercussions for all his close relationships. Sae, for example, should be pretty furious at someone who treats her little sister like trash.

2) The protagonist as Gary-Stu: This can be averted by a player intentionally choosing to sabotage themselves at points, which is fine, but at the same time the game can sometimes become infuriating to me with how I, the protagonist, am some sort  of perfect entity who never makes mistakes and always solves everyone else’s mistakes. I honestly would have enjoyed a game where the different Phantom Thieves help each other through their issues more than a game in which I, the protagonist, am seemingly just the appointed perfect being who knows all. To be honest I think I would have prefered a more scripted protagonist, with set narrative and personality, than an avater self-insert who at times bordered on too perfect for my tastes. A Fire Emblem-esque system by which I could rank up the relationships of my fellow Phantom Thieves also would have been enjoyable, helping to create the idea that the Phantom Thieves are a group and not simple a collection of individuals who all care about the protagonist.

3) Abuse is okay if its a ‘loser’ male: Imagine Futaba being physically beat up for doing something stupid. Imagine Shiho came back as a wet-blanket-ish female character and virtually 90% of all dialogue directed at her was just ‘pssh, what a loser’ to some or other effect. None of this happens, thank goodness, but the game does think its a-okay for it to happen to Ryuji and Mishima, even though BOTH HAVE BEEN PHYSICALLY BEATEN AS CHILDREN. The game’s seemingly cruel delight in torturing Ryuji and Mishima baffles me. Particularly since neither of them are as bad as the game wants us to believe. This part confuses me; if the game wanted me to enjoy Mishima and Ryuji’s near constant suffering why did it go out of its way to make them so pitiable and good-hearted? If their purpose was for me to laugh at their pain then I’d need them to be pretty horrible people to justify it but, instead, most of the time the two are surprisingly good-hearted and kind, particularly Ryuji who is willing to sacrifice himself for us within minutes of our first meeting. I found the game’s treatment of these two characters deeply unsettling. Worst, though, was perhaps how the game kept seeming to give some indication it could do better...but then just didn’t. Now for myself a thing which is good...but then lets me down is always much worse than a thing which is just plain bad (worse here  meaning my experience of it, not objectively, its still better than a plain bad thing objectively). This happened a lot with Ryuji. A small example to demonstrate; after our first journey into a Palace with Ann she texts the protagonist a thank you, I of course responded with ‘you should thank Ryuji too’ since I am accustomed to games like this making it that the ‘idiot’ character never recieves any gratitutde for anything. BUT to my immense surprise Ann shoots back with an immediate “I already did”. I was so impressed and happy. Not only did the game subvert my normal expectations of anime tropes by having Ann thank Ryuji, but the game also recognized that seeing as Ann and Ryuji new each other at that point better than either knew my protagonist character it would make sense for her to thank him first. That was good, gave me hope that the Ann/Ryuji friendship would be the first ‘Girl scolds idiot boy a lot but I am meant to think they are friends’ relationship I’ve ever seen in media I like. But then...then...as if determined to destroy this good will Persona 5 proceeded to muck things up. So after we finally destroy Kamoshida’s Palace and everything we are texted again by Ann to thank us. This time though, when we remind her to thank Ryuji, her honest answer is “I forgot”, as if us remininding her is the only reason she’s going to do it. It is particularly hard to swallow if, like me, you had Ryuji as the one to knock of Kamoshida’s Treasure. The fact that Ryuji tripped and almost died also makes it hard to imagine Ann can somehow forget to thank him. And this applies for Morganna too, she never thanks him either. And it really just gets worse from there. Abuse is not okay. Beating Ryuji up physically is horrible.

4) This is the obvious one which many people have said better than me but I still would like it enough to put it down here; why no relationships other than male/female are possible?

That being said it was still a fun and good game. I only hope that if the series continues these issues are not present in later versions. I’d enjoy a redone version of P5 which removes them as well, but I do not think that is a realistic expectation at all.

[luisabook-blog]

Dancing With The Stars Period Nine Week One Results: Who Went House?

It's clear that during Season nine of Dancing with the Stars, which begins on Sept. 21, the use of Twitter and Fb by the display's dancers has currently enhanced the way its 20 million fans get their info. There were a number of followers that were shocked by the reports when they had been damaged in the media, and now that it has been announced that her response will be showing on the news show, it is certain that followers will be tuning in to watch what he has to say about the tale.

Dancing with the Stars Drop 2009 7 days one arrived to a final near with the elimination of a second couple. Len called the 3 partners still awaiting their fates "a great bouquet", which I believed was corny but nonetheless sweet. Kelly Osbourne and Louie van Amstel had been proclaimed safe, leaving Kathy Eire and Macy Gray to duke it out. Following that terrible music and waiting around, Macy and partner Jonathan Roberts had been eradicated from DWTS period 9. Sigh. Okay, that's good.

Aaron Carter Kid

It began, curiously enough, when entertainer Donny Osmond's son Don Jr. "tweeted" congratulations to his Father, noting that "You and Kym [Johnson] are going to win this season. You've received my vote each 7 days! Adore ya!" Oops.

By joining Dancing with the Stars, Delay has gotten 1 up on Rod Blagojevich, who unsuccessful to join the reality Television circuit when he was rejected for I'm A Celeb.Get Me Out Of Here! Apart from Tom Hold off, the Dancing with the Stars new solid has its usual mix of expertise and B-checklist star energy. NFL star Michael Irvin and partner Anna Demidova had been aaron carter and hilary duff next up on DWTS with their Samba. Michael's truly experienced a difficult time with the judging panels this period. The factor I value about Michael is his performer's heart: He seems to have enjoyable every week, even when he's nailed by Len, Carrie Ann and Bruno. That said, it believed their Samba lacked a little. It appeared sluggish and just not exactly what I'm used to seeing for the style of dance. Bruno said "sometimes you danced this like a tank" and proceeded to beat him down. Ouch. Carrie Ann said "I certainly believe you have rhythm but you're dancing as well small". Len said "it's a hard dance for a large guy" and "I'm afraid it was a bit disappointing". Oof. Michael Irvin and Anna Demidova's Dancing with the Stars Drop 2009 7 days three scores: five, four, 5 = 14.

Aaron Carter Boyfriend

And Joanna Krupa (who)? Let's just say the reason she is still in the leading five is simply because of Derek Hough. Anybody who is fortunate sufficient to get him as a companion is going to adhere around for awhile. He is, by far, the best dancer on the display (as nicely as Mark Ballas). Derek has some of the best choreography and should really be a fantastic teacher because he goes a long way on each show. There has been much speculation and many media reports surrounding alleged quotes from singer Aaron Carter on the famous King of Pop, Michael Jackson. When a noted interview made headlines over alleged estimates from Carter, the singer quickly denied that he experienced at any time stated any of the things that he was becoming quoted as stating. According to a new update made by the singer by way of Twitter, Aaron Carter will reportedly be featured on E! News today in an job interview in which he will be talking about the Michael Jackson tale. Tom Bergeron rehashed final evening's motion and current judges' standings. And then. the men's component of tonight's DWTS 7 days 1 season 9 elimination started: Louie Vito and companion Chelsie Hightower and click for source and companion Karina Smirnoff were proclaimed secure to dance once more. I'm not truly shocked; they're each cute younger thangs, following all.

Aaron Carter Candy

Samantha Harris then launched a section that includes associates of "the Losers Club": The stars who were initial during their respective seasons to leave Dancing with the Stars. Kenny Mayne was his usual strange self, and was joined by fellow Losers Club associates Jeffrey Ross and Penn Gillette, who seemed keen to welcome the newest member of the group. Mard Dacascos and Lacey Schwimmer, Chuck Liddell and Anna Trebunskaya, and Donny Osmond and Kym Johnson were saved from becoming a member of that unique small DWTS sect. The last two elements of the evening were "relay dances," in which 4 pairs of couples at a time competed, with the judges naming first through fourth location winners and awarding factors in accordance to placement. In the salsa relay, it was Donny Osmond, Ashley Hamilton ,Louie Vito and Chuck Lidell. Osmond received the greatest from the judges.

Aaron Carter Party

Hamilton's father, George Hamilton was a contestant on the second period of "DWTS". He came in fifth location. I experienced the chance to inquire Ashley Hamilton about his casting on this period's show. Grammy Successful singer/songwriter Joss Stone took to the phase with her solitary Free Me when the Dancing with the Stars results display ongoing. I don't know about you, but when I look at Joss Stone and her pretty encounter and girly hair, and then listen to her sing, I'm usually stunned by the cacophony between the sight and the audio. Her voice is beautiful, I believe, but just not what I at any time anticipate. Anyway, she was joined by a pair of pro dancers performing their thang on the ballroom floor. It seemed like an elaborate bedroom dance, if you want my viewpoint. Do you want to remain in-the-know? Then sign up to get my posts individually sent to your in-box. Just click on SUBSCRIBE, and you'll stay up-to-the-minute with your favorite actuality shows and stars. Of course, your E-mail will never be shared with anybody else.

[kansascityhappenings]

These are the ‘Ten Commandments’ of fantasy football etiquette

Ricky Williams was a former rushing champion, All-Pro and fantasy football stud.

Ricky Williams was a third-string running back who washed out of the NFL after just two seasons and never belonged on a fantasy football roster.

Both of these statements are true.

Several years ago, a friend invited me to play in his fantasy football league. I knew about half of the other owners. One that I didn’t know pulled what I still consider one of the dirtiest stunts I’ve seen in a league.

You see, it was about this time that the Ricky Williams of the Miami Dolphins was just coming off an 1,800-yard rushing season and was the consensus first overall pick for fantasy owners.

Ricky Williams #34 of the Miami Dolphins runs the ball during their game against the Oakland Raiders at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on November 28, 2010 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

This overlapped with the brief NFL career of Ricky Williams of the Indianapolis Colts, who had only touched the ball 12 times the previous season.

Not long after our draft, I saw I had a trade offer, sending me Ricky Williams for LaDainian Tomlinson. Tomlinson of course was my first-rounder that year, but Williams was the no-doubt prize.

At least that’s what I would’ve thought if I hadn’t seen the (RB-IND) next to his name.

I checked around with other league members who ran into similar issues, getting offers of the “other” Ricky Williams for the likes of Marshall Faulk, Shaun Alexander, Tiki Barber, etc.

If it was my league where I was commissioner, I would’ve kicked him out there.

It’s fine to try and get an edge on your competition, but playing fantasy sports in such a cutthroat way shouldn’t be tolerated.

I’ve never run into anything quite so serious in my years of playing fantasy sports since then, but it’s still had me thinking about my “Ten Commandments” for fantasy etiquette.

No. 1: Make your trades in good faith.

This really shouldn’t come as a surprise with everything I wrote above. Most of us play in leagues with our friends.

If you wouldn’t cheat them in real life, why are you doing it here?

If you learn one of your players is out for the year with an injury, don’t try to catch someone off guard with a trade before they can hear the news. And, if you’ve been negotiating a trade with someone through text message and have actually agreed to a deal, don’t back out if you have second thoughts.

No. 2: The best trades benefit both teams.

This, to me, should be more obvious than how it seems.

A lot of fantasy owners mistakenly think the objective is to get a dollar for a dime on every single deal. That’s the wrong way to look at it.

Running back Ricky Williams #35 of the Indianapolis Colts is tackled by line backer Ryan Nece #56 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on October 6, 2003 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The Colts defeated the Buccaneers 38-35 in overtime. (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/Getty Images)

Invariably, through injury or under-performance, there are going to be clear winners and losers in some trades. But, if you’re continuously leaving your partner holding the bag, no one will want to trade with you ever.

If your opponent is satisfied with your trade, whether it’s of the “present value for future value” or “need for need” variety, you’ve made an ally and an enjoyable contest.  Which leads nicely into…

No. 3: A truly fair deal should “hurt” in some way.

What I mean by this is if you put together a trade offer, and it doesn’t make you pause for at least a second to ask whether you’ve given up too much or whether this could backfire, you’ve probably made an imbalanced trade.

Certainly, if someone sends you an offer that you feel is in your favor, take it — just don’t be the person sending the terrible offers in your league.

I can promise you if you’re among friends, they talk about that person, and if you don’t hear any talk, you ARE that person.

No. 4: Your trade needs to make sense for your trade partner.

It’s a similar concept, but player value is different to league owners depending upon situations.

If you’re trying to trade for an opponent’s starting running back and offer Carson Wentz when he’s already got Patrick Mahomes in a league where you only start one quarterback, don’t be too surprised when that trade gets shot down faster than a Tyreek Hill sprint to the end zone.

Not only are you removing a starter from that opponent’s lineup, you’re not giving up one to supplant it.

You’re forcing roster inefficiency onto a fellow owner, essentially providing the equivalent of the expensive wedding china that sits in a cabinet and never gets used.

The only way for your opponent at this point to extract value is to make a second trade, when it’s already hard enough to make just one.

No. 5: If you’re trying to acquire a star, you need to be prepared to make a strong offer.

You don’t see star-for-star trades happen very often in fantasy football; more often, it’s something along the lines of making a trade to improve at one position while taking a slight downgrade at another.

This isn’t nearly as easy with the upper echelon of players because of the opportunity cost involved. It goes along with my “hurt” point from before.

Players like Saquon Barkley, Alvin Kamara and Christian McCaffrey are such super talents that the downgrade your opponent would get from trading them away needs to be offset significantly.

You’d best be prepared to offer the 2nd, 3rd, and even 4th best players in such a deal, and no, you can’t trade a 4 and two 3s for a 10.

No. 6: Don’t be upset at league members who don’t want to make trades early in the season.

You’re fresh off of drafting, which in theory is the time when everyone likes their teams the most.

It’ll take about a month for the dust to settle and for everyone to truly get a grip on their rosters’ strengths and weaknesses. It’s also around this time that where a player got drafted starts to wear off, and you’re judging more by the on-field results.

No. 7: Barring strong evidence of two owners colluding, don’t veto a trade.

I personally prefer leagues without vetoes, or at most, one where the sole veto power lies with a commissioner trusted to behave ethically by the rest of the league.

The only time it’s OK to block a trade is if you’ve got clear evidence of one owner not acting in the best interest of their team.

It doesn’t matter if you, as a non-involved party, don’t think the trade was fair; the two owners who made the deal certainly think it was. And if you block a deal because you think it makes one team too good, that’s cowardly. You should’ve tried to make the better deal yourself.

No. 8: Don’t pester another owner about a trade offer.

Remember what I said earlier about having allies in your league? This is a good way to lose them.

I’m not talking about texting someone that you’ve made them an offer. I’m referring to a constant barrage of trade offers after your initial offer has been rejected.

It’s fine to ask for some clarification and to find out if a deal can be made. From there, you can make a counter-offer. If it’s accepted, great!

If they counter with an offer, you can keep your negotiation window open. If it’s rejected, don’t try to revise the deal any more and simply move on.

You’re more likely to aggravate another player (and possibly, a friend) by trying to force the deal. And, if someone flatly tells you they’re not interested in trading, just like in real life, accept that no means no.

No. 9: Respond to trade offers in a reasonable amount of time.

This is sort of the inverse of Rule 8. If someone lets you know they’ve made you an offer, at least acknowledge it.

Take your time to think it over if you need to, make a counter if you want to, but if you aren’t interested, please say no in a timely fashion.

I can appreciate gamesmanship, but running out the clock on an offer that could keep someone from trying to make another move is more underhanded than you need to be.

No. 10: Don’t be the person who never trades.

Please don’t take this to mean that I think you need to accept every offer sent your way, but the worst leagues I’ve been a part of are the ones where nothing ever happens after the draft besides making waiver claims.

Of course if you’re in a league, you want to win, but the reason we all get involved in this hobby is because it’s fun. To cut off a third of the ways to improve your team seems not just silly, but boring.

I hope you run away to victory in your fantasy leagues this year, but it won’t be with Ricky Williams — or the other Ricky Williams.

Just remember these guidelines for handling yourself as an owner, and you should be set.

from FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports https://fox4kc.com/2019/09/13/these-are-the-ten-commandments-of-fantasy-football-etiquette/

from Kansas City Happenings https://kansascityhappenings.wordpress.com/2019/09/14/these-are-the-ten-commandments-of-fantasy-football-etiquette/