#normally i try to keep toward realism

[blurred-cat]

allowing myself a shred of optimism as a lil treat

[thisnameisnotspokenfor]

The Game Snippet:

“There,” the star smiled as he slid another flower into her hair, finishing the flower crown of lavandula and bougainvillea, a compromise they’d reached after she’d abruptly shot down his idea of tying her up to give the game more realism. “beautiful, aren’t they?” He’d whispered as his hand gingerly reached forward, gently tucking a braid behind her ear. Her heart was thundering in her ears as she’d struggled to make out his next words. I knew from the first moment I saw them that they’d look rather stunning on you.” “See Corvias?” he grinned in self satisfaction at the crow perched on his shoulder. “What did I tell you?”

He cleared his throat, looking away from her as he muttered under his breath, “... I’ve said too much.”

“Surrender our princess to us now you foul beast!” Kirk demanded as he pointed his wooden sword towards the star’s chest.

“Are you asking or telling me?”

The kids lowered their makeshift swords as they exchanged glances. “Will you give her back if we ask nicely?” Phoebe asked

“Hmm let me think about it,” the star hummed as he tapped his chin with his finger. “Hmm no I don’t think I will.”

“Well then we’re definitely telling you to give her back!” Thatcher affirmed as the other children nodded confidently.

“Why tell when you can take?” The star asked as he gestured to Asha sitting on the fountain next to him. “Come. Retrieve your princess.”

The kids were rightfully hesitant as they once again exchanged glances. “Well there is only one of him and a lot of us.”

“He also looks kinda slow,” Kelsi whispered.

“He probably is,” the star drawled as the children sheepishly quieted, watching as he turned his attention back to Asha.

“So,” he started, leaning against the space on the fountain next to her. “You come here often?”

“Cepheus I live here.” she’d replied, using every ounce of self-control to not seethe or panic.

“In a fountain? I’m very sorry to hear that.”

“Cepheus that’s not what I meant and you know it!” she snapped, as the star pushed himself forward. It was only at that moment did she noticed that all the children had disappeared, where they’d gone so quickly was-

“We warned you!” came Diego’s voice as they reappeared, quickly surrounding the pair on either side of the fountain. “CHARGE!” he screamed.

“AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!” screamed Eda.

“Have mercy on me! Please!,” Cepheus cried, swiftly side-stepping her, before he’d quickly moved out of the way of an incoming Thatcher. He took a few steps back, focusing on the children ahead of him as he lifted his arms in the air, simultaneously catching Diego and Kelsie who’d attempted an overhead attack.

Neither kid said a word as Cepheus set them both back on their feet, evidently too stunned to speak as Daryl began his attack, wildly swinging his wooden sword at the star. “Hey! Hold still!” he protested.

“I’ll try,” Cepheus sniffled, moving out of the way just in time for Thatcher and Daryl’s blades to abruptly clash to both boys’ astonishment.

“Princess,” whispered a soft voice as Asha turned, catching sight of Phoebe and Aelar crawling towards her. “We’re here to rescue you!”

“So the others were-?”

“A distraction!” Phoebe proudly smiled. “Now c’mon we have to go before-,”

“CAW! CAW CAW!” cried Corvias and several other crows as Phoebe covered her ears. Asha wasn’t sure just how long Corvias had been here but her cries were all it took to summon the star who leaped over Daryl and Thatcher, nearly far higher than any normal person should have as he landed next to Asha.

“How..how are you moving like that?” Phoebe exclaimed.

“Vegetables,” the star humorlessly replied. “Now if you’ll excuse me,” his arm wrapped around her waist before quickly pulling her to his chest. “I think I’ll be keeping this princess. Thank you.”

“Oh no, you won’t!” Edda cried as the children regrouped.

“Care for another dancing lesson, Asha?,” he aksed, moving Asha out of the reach of her soon-to-be rescuers and onto the fountain’s edge in one fluid movement.

Had Asha not been so distracted by the star’s smile, then she probably would’ve felt a modicum of pity for her rescuers who hurriedly climbed onto the fountain with them, moving this way and that as the star continued to dodge, using one hand to keep her from their reach, while using the other to every now and then catch and balance the attacking children.

“Thank you,” Diego grumbled as he was safely lowered to the ground.

“You’re welcome,” the star smiled, sweeping Asha off her feet before catching the collar of Thatcher who’d dove from the other side of the fountain towards them. In a split second, he’d lowered Thatcher carefully onto the ground next to Diego and the rest of the very defeated-looking children, before placing Asha back onto her feet.

“Are you alright princess?” he’d asked her, his eyes lingering on her arms that had placed themselves around his shoulder.

A part of her had hated how he’d smiled at that moment, as she’d angrily shook her head, and quickly removed her hands from the star. “Well seeing as how I’m still captured, I’d say no. I am not alright.”

He laughed, evidently oblivious to how her heart had begun to race as she felt his hand rest on her shoulder. It hadn’t been as intimate as how he’d held Amala, nor how he’d held her before they’d come across Silver’s ship. But his warmth was a much softer feeling than the one that currently ate away at her face. She frowned, trying to ignore the strange heaviness welling within her chest as she pressed the back of her hand against her cheeks and forehead. “I think I must be coming down with a fever-,”

“A fever?” the star stopped laughing as he’d looked her over. “Are you sick? Do you need medical attention? Food? Water? Maybe I could-,”

“AAAAAAAAHHHHHH SECRET ATTACK TIME-!” Daryl yelled, charging forward with his sword in one last attempt, as a sudden stream of water quickly emerged from the fountain and splashed him in his face. “Retreat! Retreat! Ahh!” He cried.

“Did you seriously just announce your surprise attack?!” Asha exclaimed as she looked past the concerned star to the still stunned-looking group of children. “Why!?”

“I didn’t expect him to counter it…but he’s too strong.” Daryl sniffed. “He’s even got the fountain on his side…”

Cepheus laughed, the concern in his eyes melting away as he faced the crowd of children. “A valiant effort, my young little knights! But as you can see- ultimately futile.”

“It wasn’t futile!” Diego complained as Daryl wiped some of the water from his face.”It just….didn’t work as intended….or at all, honestly.”

“I don’t understand how he moved like that…” Phoebe whispered.

“He literally caught me mid-air!” Thatcher added, staring at the star in awe.

“He’s definitely not slow either,” Edda pointed out. “I’ve never seen anybody move that fast!”

“Too strong?! Too fast?! You guys aren’t giving up on saving me are you?!” Asha cried.

Edda shrugged, “I dunno, I hear democracy is all the rage nowadays. Maybe we don’t-,”

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence!” Asha snapped as the star barely stifled his laughter.

“Looks like you’ll be here with me for a while,” he commented as he took his seat back on the fountain once more. “Or who knows. Maybe even longer.”

“Longer?” She sputtered.

He nodded. His smile vanished as he leaned forward, staring deeply into her eyes. “Yes. Days. Nights. Weekends. Maybe even until the end of time Asha.”

“No-,” she stammered, quickly looking away.

“Yes.” He grabbed her hand, looking somewhat serious.

She shook her head, “No! Please!” She turned her gaze to the onlooking crowd of adults who’d looked on in amusement. “Please! I need an adult-,”

The star smiled, “I’m an adu-,”

“A responsible one!”

“Never mind,” his expression soured as he released her hand.

“Guys please!” she begged. “You can’t leave me with him-,”

“So how are we supposed to save you then?” Edda frowned.

“Strategy!” Phoebe cried. “We need a new strategy.”

“Alright. But what?” The children huddled together, murmuring in low voices that she was certain the star could still hear.

She’d nearly been about to warn them of this when she’d realized that he’d been distracted. Instead of watching the kids, he’d opted to turn his attention to Mrs. Bellerose’s stand, where Amala and her friends stood, examining the flowers.

“I think they should buy Tiger lillies,” Cepheus muttered to himself. “Don’t you think it would look good on them Corvias?” he asked the crow that had now reappeared next to him.

Truth be told, Asha thought those girls would look good wearing any of Mrs. Bellerose’s flowers, but as Asha caught sight of the less-than-friendly looks the kids were giving the star, she had a feeling that those flowers would be the least of her worries.

Maybe allowing a bunch of competitive kids to fight an equally competitive supernatural entity wasn’t such a good idea. But there’d been nothing against the rules that had said that the princess couldn’t help the knights out right? Surely she could save herself! After all who didn’t love and admire a princess who could save herself?

All she had to do was make her way back to her determined knights, which should be easy, given how distracted the star was by other girls.

Carefully she took one step. Then another, only briefly pausing to ensure that Cepheus’s attention was still primarily focused on the kids.

“You really think that will work against me?” the star asked, sounding less amused and more insulted as she braved another few steps away from him.

Oh no. She hadn’t meant for the star to catch her so soon! Not when she’d just started escaping! But to her relief, Edda had called “It’s worth a shot!”

Oh thank goodness. That had meant he was still distracted she thought as she began putting some respectable distance between herself and the star. Now all she had to do was circle around the stalls and then she’d-

“Asha?” Cepheus’s voice cut through her thoughts like a knife as she halted. Now both ‘dragon’ and knights were staring at her as she stood there, frozen.

“H-hello Cepheus,” she smiled, giving him a small wave.

“Hi Asha!” he smiled as Corvias stared at her.

“...Bye Cepheus.”

“Bye Asha!” he called as Corvias incredulously looked from him to her before fervently hopping. “Oh….OH- WAIT A MINUTE- PRINCESS GET BACK HERE!” Cepheus yelled as he took off after her.

“HELP!” She screamed once again as the star continued to chase after her. “THIS WAS A MISTAKE AAAHHHH-,”

“After them!” cried the children who followed in pursuit.

[come-on-shitty-boys]

// There's A Snake In My Shop! inked 05. //

prev << 05 >> next

*The nature of this series may be not be appropriate for all readers. Content warnings include: vulgarity, heavy swearing, and implications of adult relations.  Due to these themes, this series may not be suitable for readers under the age of 16.  Reader discretion is advised.*

“Well, well, well. Looks like the rumors were true, huh, alley cat?”

Kuroo could hear that damned smirk in his voice and it took everything in him to not growl at that snake that dared to enter his shop.

“Go back to whatever hole you crawled out of,” Kuroo snarled, amber eyes narrowing towards the door.

Daishou Suguru just smiled, raising his hands in surrender, but even the veil of nicety didn’t keep him from stalking towards Kuroo like he was just a piece of prey. “Hey, I’m not here to start shit. I just wanted to see if you had actually done it. Y/N told me that you took them on, but hell, I didn’t believe them. Said, ‘No way Kuroo Tetsurou would ever grow the balls to take an apprentice.’ But here you are! And here Y/N is!”

Kuroo’s eyes snap to you. “You know this piece of shit?”

“I’m pretty sure I told you that and I’m pretty sure that you just told me to shut up,” you say, crossing your arms. 

“I think your exact words were, ‘Keep that snake bastard’s name out of my shop,’” Akaashi offered, turning back to his computer as if this entire encounter were a perfectly normal situation. As if Daishou wasn’t sizing Kuroo up like he was his next meal, as if Kuroo didn’t look like a wolf ready to attack at the first wrong move.

Daishou’s mouth twitched into a smirk as he shifted his weight to lean against the counter next to you. “We met when Suguru was still in law school,” you shrug.

*It had been close to over three years at this point, that day when you met that disheveled 1st year law student in the library, nose not pressed in some boring law textbook, but hands gracefully working over one of the most stunning realism portraits you had ever seen, face smudged in charcoal from one wrong swipe of his brow, pristine collared shirt now coated in the dust, but he hadn’t seemed to care as he just pushed up his sleeves, buffing out edges into seamless blends.

You had stopped, completely absorbed in the way that he worked. That in and of itself was a masterpiece alone, but it was the way he looked up at you, catching your stare that had your face heating in embarrassment. But he hadn’t sneered at you or made you feel like you were some creep for watching him, he just stared back as if he was in a daze, high from the feeling of creating.

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

He’s staring, studying your face, eyes tracing over your features to take everything in, like he’s trying to remember the gentle sweep of your face and the soft curve of your lips. And you must’ve narrowed your eyes at him in confusion because he awkwardly clears his throat, holding out his hand to you. “Daishou Suguru.” But you just stare at him, eyes darting between his charcoal covered fingers and his face, black dust buried under his nails, tucked into the creases of the pads on his fingers. There’s an embarrassed smile on his face as he retreats his hand away from you. “Right. Sorry about that.”

“You’re an art student.” It wasn’t so much a question as it was an observation, so his bright laughter took you by surprise. The way that his head leaned back and his eyes shut in the purest form of joy broke your face into its own smile. 

“I’m in law school,” Daishou paused, taking in the confused look on your face as you eye the portrait in front of him. “I’m apprenticing at a tattoo shop, get a little bit of an extra income to put me through school, you know?”  

“You’re amazing,” you breathe, moving closer to further take in his piece. The faint highlights against the eyelashes in white charcoal, freckles dotting over the nose, the sure swipes of black that faded into the soft greys of the hair. 

He’s grinning up at you, moving his back from the seat next to him, wordlessly inviting you to sit. “Thank you. I’ve always loved realism work. There’s just something really incredible about how this one little stick,” he says, holding up the stump of charcoal, “can recreate reality so beautifully.”

And you can’t help but smile at the man with perfectly swept hair and neatly pressed khaki pants, he would be the picture of business professionalism if it weren’t for the smears of artistry on his hands, just as you can’t help sinking into the chair next to him.

But, oh, that was only the beginning. 

What started as study sessions in the library turned into long evenings in your studio as you both work in quiet company, offering critiques and easy conversation. It was laying on the couch in his apartment as he drew simple flash designs across your arms in Sharpie, whispering soothing words to you as if he were actually giving you a tattoo, an excuse to practice his bedside manner he had said. And then Sharpie tattoos turned into late night dinners in the tattoo shop, bringing him dinner on his long nights of learning his craft. Laughs shared over Lo Mein and egg rolls, the gentle swipe of his thumb over your lip, the thumb that had lingered there a moment longer than it needed to, just to wipe away that drop of sweet and sour. 

Months of longing and strictly platonic cuddle sessions only escalated by one too many shots at a bar to celebrate the end of another semester. Too many shots that had you both stumbling over one another, giggling the entire way back home, arms wrapped around the other as if that would help keep the other from falling. A red light at a crosswalk had you turning in his arms to stare up into those eyes that you had come to know all too well, but it was the way that his hands slid to your waist and the slip of your fingers up his torso, gripping the front of his shirt that had you pulling him down to your level, lips pressed together in breathless wonder, the slightest nip of his teeth to elicit that gasp from your throat. You don’t remember the rest of the walk home, but you do remember the desperation, the need, that reflected your own emotions as clothes were pulled off the minute the door clicked shut behind the two of you. You remember the feeling of his mouth leaving open-mouthed kisses down your neck, trailing down your chest, your stomach –

“Just this once,” you whispered, fingers tangling in his hair. Daishou said nothing. Just humming a response against you, sending shivers up your spine and a sigh from your lips.

Just this once. 

You lost count of how many times you each had whispered those words to the other. They were said every single time and you both believed it. At least for a while. Until his phone buzzed at 11 p.m., begging for him. Until he attached a scandalous pic to his good morning text, an unvoiced invitation.

Daishou now smiles down at you, bumping you with his shoulder. He’s still the picture of that boy you met in college, the perfectly put-together hair, the overly professional outfits, stains of his craft on his skin. Except now he runs his tongue over the twin piercings in his lips when he’s nervous and there’s the faintest hint of a tattoo peeking from his collar, just one of many. But you can still see that snake that curls from his collarbone to his bicep, the tail cuffing around the muscle, a path that your fingers, your mouth, have traced more times than you can count. 

“How are you liking it so far?” He asks, snapping your thoughts back to this damned shop.

You don’t even get the opportunity to answer before Kuroo cuts in, that same lazy stare that made you feel so small that first day only made Daishou smile in amusement, giving you a side-eyed glance.  

“We’re fine,” Kuroo states flatly.

“I’m pretty sure I wasn’t talking to you, alley cat, but thanks for sharing. Y/N,” he says, turning his back to Kuroo to fully face you, physically cutting him from the conversation. “Like I was asking before we were so rudely interrupted, how are you liking your apprenticeship so far?”

“Oh, you mean how do I like being his personal maid? It’s glorious,” you snort as your eyes roll. 

Kuroo’s scoff takes you both out of your conversation, Daishou casting him an annoyed glance. “What, alley cat?” He drawls.

“He’s always in a mood. Just ignore him,” you mutter, nudging Daishou back towards you.

“Listen, pip squeak. If you want to keep this apprenticeship, you better learn to watch your mouth. I’m not going to put up with you telling this fucking snake to ‘just ignore’ me in my own damn shop, got it? And if that’s going to be a problem for you, then you can both get out,” Kuroo hissed, stalking between you and Daishou to stare down at you. 

Daishou let out a low whistle. “Someone’s got his whiskers in a bunch. I’ll get out of your hair, alley cat. I was just stopping by to make sure that you were taking care of my old friend, but it seems that I have overstayed my welcome,” he says slowly, beginning to walk towards the door.

“You weren’t even welcome to begin with.”

“And yet, you always let me in the door. Sounds like you don’t hate me that much.” Daishou’s mouth twitches into a smile. “Later, Kuroo. Oh, and hey! Have you noticed that your sign outside says ‘Kink’? You might want to get that changed before someone thinks you’re running some kind of sex dungeon.”

“Get out!”

Daishou hisses a laugh, sticking out his tongue at his rival. “I’ll see you tonight, Y/N.” 

And then he’s gone, the tension in the air being the only sign that he was ever there in the first place. 

Kuroo slowly turns to look at you. “He’ll see you tonight? You’re hanging out with that snake?” His amber eyes are narrowed to you, not even a twitch of amusement on his features.

You simply raise your brow at him, shooting him an incredulous look. “Why do you care? I’m pretty sure that you were the one who said that we weren’t friends. I can hang out with whoever I want after hours.”

“Well, yeah. But, him?! Are you serious?! He’s the fucking worst!”

There’s a laugh bubbling in your chest. All of his previous annoyance has given away to this dramatic show. If he wasn’t behaving like a teenager throwing a tantrum, maybe you would’ve given a little bit more stake to his words, but how could you when he was dramatically running his hands down his face to truly express the anguish that the mere thought of Daishou was causing him.

And it was that sound, that choking laughter that had Kuroo’s eyes finally finding your face, peering at your between fingers. “And just what are you laughing at?”

“I didn’t know that you could be such a drama queen,” you tease, smirking up at him.

“Excuse you,” he starts, wagging a single finger at you. “I am not a drama queen. I am appropriately dramatic for the situation. He’s a nuisance!”

You simply shake your head, turning towards the stack of worksheets that had been left on the counter. “He’s a good guy. I don’t understand what your problem with him is,” you say, taking a few sheets and feeding them into the 3-hole punch.

“I don’t have the time to get into all of that bullshit right now,” he huffed, checking his watch. “I have a client in 20 minutes. Get that in the binder and you can get out. I don’t need you hovering for the rest of the day.”

Kuroo turns his back to you, beginning to retreat until you interrupt his muttering to himself. “Can I watch?”

“Watch? Watch what?” He’s taken aback, staring at you in confusion.

“Watch you tattoo. If you won’t let me try, then can I at least watch?”

Your mentor is sighing, pushing his fingers through his hair. “Not today, kid. I’ve told you. Get your technique down and then we start talking technical stuff. It’s not going to do you any good if you don’t have a machine in your hand to know what the hell I’m talking about. So, I’ll see you tomorrow and have fun on your date.”

“It’s not a date!” You shout, but he’s already pushed the curtain aside, disappearing from the front of the shop.

“It’s totally a date,” Akaashi mutters, thumbing through his book of crosswords. 

Fuck.

You forgot about him.

{Taglist: @boosyboo9206 @universal-s1ut @zamorazz // never miss an update! send an ask or a dm to be added to the inked taglist!}

[eyesofshan-if]

the demo was so good im dead 😫 the empress has my whole heart 😖💕

i have some questions! (nsfw!)↓ (please, only answer if comfortable)

1. i realized that the commander is viewed as bottom more often than not during the game, is it because they're Shan and consequently seen as submissive in nature?

2. if there ever are nsfw scenes in game, in the situation that the commander/RO preferences clash (top/top or bottom/bottom), could you make it so it's talked about in game? giving the option to compromise (rock, paper, scissors? lmao) or maybe opt out? it's just something that irks me in games, normally the PC has to just go along with what the RO prefers, or cancel the choice (the game treating it as if the PC is "not ready yet to do such things"). i just think it's more natural to talk about it and come to conclusions such as "i don't mind switching", "i never tried *insert preference here*, but i'd like to try it with you", "sorry i really don't enjoy doing it like that, but there's more to sex than just penetration if you want to keep going, or maybe we could just cuddle". (i'm sorry for this long ask, i'm just a fervent defender of how sex is a wide ranged topic and goes beyond missionary and the very heteronormative societal view😓)

3. in one ask you said that Hansol had experimented with fellow soldiers and how he "didn't approve of and didn't like the experience", why is it? also, did he have the "full experience" (gave and received hand/blow jobs, topped, bottomed, etc)? i also asked the second question because Hansol is the one portrayed as very much a top/dom, so in all honesty, would he bottom?

thank you for your hard work! <3

yongsun superiority!!! nsfw under the cut!!

i'm not sure if you mean bottom in a sexual manner (since i don't think there have been any nsfw leaning scenes in the story), but the mc will have to control their emotions more and bite their tongues while in hae due to their status as a slave. however, i don't think i've written them particularly dominant or submissive? so maybe you could let me know where you felt the mc acted that way

IF there are any nsfw scenes in the story, yes i'll have the characters talk about it in game!! i'm all for a healthy dose of realism in nsfw scenes

it was a very messy experience where a few soldiers were drinking after successfully raiding a geurim supply camp, and hansol was peer-encouraged/pressured into gaining some "experience" as a man. he got a handjob, sobered up and realised he was kind of uncomfortable with the whole thing, and quickly left. he doesn't approve of it because he doesn't enjoy treating people as a means to an end for pleasure, in addition to more traditional beliefs that sex should happen within the boundaries of a marriage or at least pre-existing relationship. as for bottoming... well, hansol is a service top who leans more towards domming in that sense, but i can see him being willing to try out bottoming if his partner requested it!!

[power-chords]

There is a book called The Keep by F. Paul Wilson. Was that your starting point?

No. The starting point really pre­ceded the book. I'd just done a street movie, Thief. A very stylized street movie but nevertheless stylized realism. You can make it wet, you can make it dry, but you're still on "street." And I had a need, a big desire, to do something almost similar to Gabriel Garcia Mar­quez's One Hundred Years of Solitude, where I could deal with something that was non-realistic and create the reality. There is an effect in the film whereby Molasar accrues to himself particles of matter from living organisms. Now what is the logic of that? What does it look like? How does it happen? What's the sound of it? I mean, that's a real turn-on, to fantasize what these things are going to be like. So you're way out there. And you have to be consistent. You're not rendering objective reality, you're mak­ing up reality.

But in this fairy tale we find the Nazi Wehrmacht – men dressed in totemic black uniforms with swastikas – things we can recognize and which set up a response.

Actually only about one-fifth of the film is involved with the Wehrmacht and the character of the Captain played by Jurgen Prochnow. The film revolves around a character called Glaeken Trismegistus, who wakes up after a deep sleep in a transient, merchant-marine setting some place in Greece in 1941. The movie revolves around him and his conflict, which seems to be fated, with a character called Roderick Molasar. The end of the conflict seems to fate him toward destruction. He may destroy Molasar or Molasar may destroy him, but in either case Glaeken Trismegistus must go to the keep.

And in the course of coming to the keep to confront Molasar, he has a ro­mance with Eva, whose father is a Medi­aeval historian named Dr. Cuza, very quick, very smart. At a moment in his­tory when he is powerless – a Socialist Jew in Fascist Romania – Cuza is of­fered the potential to ally himself with immense power. For him it's a deliverance. And as a bonus he also gets rejuvenated. So he's seduced into attaching himself to this power in the keep.

And Molasar comes to life by taking the power, the souls, of the Wehrmacht Nazis.

What happens is that after the second time you've seen him, Molasar changes. And he seems to change after people are killed. After he kills things. It's almost as if he accrues to himself their matter. Not their souls; he doesn't suck their blood. It's a thing unexplained, his transforma­tion is seen visually. He evolves through three different stages in the movie. He gets more and more complete. He starts as a cloud of imploding particles, then he evolves a nervous system, then he evolves a skeleton and musculature, and at the third state he's complete. And then it's a bit ironic when he's complete, because there's a great resemblance to Glaeken Trismegistus.

Is he evil personified?

No. Well, yes he is. Yes, Evil Personi­fied. But what is evil?

Try Satan? Or Lucifer?

Yes, but think about that. Satan in Paradise Lost is the most exciting charac­ter in the book. He's rebellious, he's independent, he doesn't like authority. If you think about it, Satan could almost be played by John Wayne. I mean the Reaganire, independent, individualist spirit. It's all bullshit, but that's the cul­tural myth that the appeal taps into.

Is Glaeken Trismegistus the alter ego of Molasar? Is he the good side?

No, he's not. I tried to find a more surreal logic to the characters; so that there's nothing Satanic about Molasar. He's just sheer power, and the appeal of power, and the worship of power, a be­lief in power, a seduction of power. And Molasar is very, very deceptive. When we first meet him, we too believe that he is absolute salvation. And it's all a con. Now when Glaeken shows up, the first thing he does is seduce Eva Cuza. So my intent in designing those characters was to make then not black-and-white. I put in things that are not normally consid­ered to be good into Glaeken and qualities that are not evil into Molasar.

Why did you choose these names? You wrote the script.

The script was taken from a book, which we've talked about; but I did give Glaeken his last name, which he didn't have in the book. And I couldn't find a better name than Trismegistus.

There's something about Trismegistus that rings a bell.

It's the Greek for "harvest."

[twotimeracewinnerlandonorris]

Lando was starting to get a headache thanks to the party lights. They were blinking rapidly, switching between pink and blue and yellow, and Lando remembered why he normally didn’t like going to clubs. 

But tonight was not for pleasure. Tonight he was on a mission, a mission he had spent the past 9 weeks on. You see, Lando was an agent. You might not know it by looking at his 175 cm, lean body, crowned with an excess of curly, brown hair. A model for Urban Outfitters or a barista at Starbucks? Probably. An agent in an international organization aimed at eradicating drug and tracfficking rings in Europe and South-America? Probably not. 

But here he was. In a nightclub with Marco, his ‘new boss’, waiting for a drop that would happen around midnight. Things were getting a bit rowdy and Marco was getting drunker by the minute, not a good sign. He was also plying Lando with drinks, but thankfully there were undercover agents everywhere, they even had their own man behind the bar, George, ready to fill Lando’s glass with something non-alcoholic every time either he or Marco got another round. 

Lando felt grateful having his colleagues around. Well, almost everyone. No one bugged him as much as the voice he was hearing in his ear right this moment. Carlos Sainz.

“Cabrón, the two people by the bar, east corner, have been watching you for some time. Make sure you take notice”

Lando knew he couldn’t reply without tipping Marco off, so he just rolled his eyes in an ‘I know, stop bothering me’ manner even though he hadn’t noticed the two men. But he wouldn’t be admitting that to anyone. 

He had only been there for a few months but was already getting great results, which in theory was good (ok not only in theory, it was amazing for the team) but Lando, who had been there for years, felt like he was falling back. He wasn’t the favorite anymore and as much as it made him sound like a petulant child, he wanted to be favored.

Lando shook his head, trying to get his thoughts back on the task at hand. It was his first lead undercover mission and he was not going to screw it up by thinking about that spanish git. 

He was about to reap the rewards of these past weeks after infiltrating a drug smuggling ring, making them trust him, and tonight was the big drop. Lando had been tasked with scheduling the drop, a supposed last test before his initiation in the ring.

“James, it’s time”

“James!”

Shit that’s me. 

Lando looked at the man gripping his arm, Marco’s eyes were bloodshot and the grip on Lando’s arm became tighter with every second. 

Lando managed to wrangle out of his grip and told Marco to follow him. They walked two blocks to a hotel, where Lando had reserved a room for the night. He walked towards some sofas in the foyer, telling Marco to relax while he sorted out the key issues. There was only one staff member at the check in desk, someone Lando knew very well. Charles Leclerc, another one in Lando’s team. 

“Good evening sir” the dark haired man greeted him in his Monegasque accent.

“Evening, I have a reservation under the name James Hunt” 

"Ah yes, one moment," Charles said as he turned to face the computer. 

Lando looked back at the couches to make sure Marco wasn’t watching him, before taking his earpiece out and discreetly dropping it in an empty, opaque glass on the counter. Charles kept on looking through the computer, an action that was unnecessary if not for keeping up appearances. 

“Ah yes, here you are. Room 405, the elevators are right over there and I hope you enjoy your stay” 

Lando nodded his head and thanked him, walking back towards Marco to let him know.

As they ascended the hotel, Lando thought about all of the things that could go wrong. Negativity had always been one of his worst traits, or so he had been told. He called it realism but did admit that his raw view on the world sometimes affected his mental health. He didn't have a lot of time to spend on what ifs, as the elevator door opened and soon enough they were walking the corridor on the 4th floor. Lando glanced briefly at room 404, thankful that it was filled with his team that would be listening on to whatever happened in room 405, having bugged it earlier. 

He used the key card to open the door, quickly taking off his jacket, throwing it on a nearby chair. Marco did the same, but not before taking a knife out the pocket of his jacket. Lando stepped back and let out a small gasp, audible enough for Marco to hear. 

"It's protection, I like it more than guns. It can .. how do you say .. wreak more havoc and be more painful. I like that" 

Lando didn't like it one bit, but just nodded and gave a grin, hoping it would seem like he concurred. What he didn't expect though, were the next words that came out of Marco's mouth. 

“Take off your shirt” 

Lando swallowed hard, not knowing how to react. 

“I need to make sure you’re not wired, take off your shirt”

“You still don’t trust me?” 

“Trust is not an option in this line of business. Do it” 

This is fine. You knew this was a possibility which is why the room is wired, not you. Lando started unbuttoning his shirt, throwing it onto the chair next to him. 

“Turn around, 360. Slowly” 

Lando did as he was told, missing having the Spanish cadence in his ear that could’ve talked him down from the panic attack he knew he was stepping into. 

“Good, good” They stood opposite each other, and Lando breathed a sigh of relief.

“Now take off your shoes and pants” 

Lando could feel his hands shaking, and prayed it wasn’t showing. 

“Cretino! No wire on torso does not me no wire at all! I am not stupido, take off your pants!” Marco yelled. 

Lando unbuttoned his pants and slowly pulled them down so they pooled at his feet. 

“All the way off” was his only reaction, which made Lando kick them, and the shoes, to the side.

“360 again”

Lando repeated the actions he had done only minutes earlier, eyes wide and beads of sweat going down from his hairline, over his face and dropping down to his shoulder blades. 

All of a sudden Marco barged towards him, so Lando could only go backwards and suddenly he felt the cold of the wall on his back. 

His breathing was ragged and he could feel the mixture of alcohol and cigarettes emanating from Marco "Where are the others, Marco? I told them to meet us here"

"Oh they’ll come. But not yet, I wanted some time alone .. with you”

“With me? What .. why?” All Lando could think about was his team, why weren't they there yet? 

“I have been very intrigued by you these last weeks James … ” 

Marco grabbed Lando’s dick through his boxers, and he felt like he would throw up any minute, as Marco moved his lips inches from his face. He raised his other hand to his neck, a knife in hand. Marco pressed the knife to Lando’s neck, and he could feel the blade breaking skin.

“... or should I say agent Lando Norris?” 

Many things happened at once. Lando didn’t even have time to react before the door was being kicked down and half a dozen agents made their presence known. Marco was yanked away from Lando, who crumbled to the ground, a devastating sob leaving his lips. 

He didn’t notice anything that was going on around him, and before he knew, a silence had enveloped the surrounding space. Someone gripped his arm, willing him to stand up and Lando followed the lead. He was brought over to the bed and gently pushed down on it, so he was sitting on the edge. As he looked up, his cyan shaded eyes met Carlos’ dark brown ones. He let out another sob, and thought about how pathetic he must look. Stripped down to his boxers, crying in front of the man he was always trying to beat, trying to become. 

Carlos rested his hand on Lando’s shoulder, squeezing it lightly. He hated seeing the younger man like this. Although they had not yet had the chance to get to know each other intimately, mostly because of the Brit’s prickly demeanour, he admired him a lot. He was so young yet so accomplished. 

Carlos pulled him upwards, making him stand up, and led him to the bathroom, rummaging around to find a first aid kit. As he opened the last drawer he found it. He also found feminine products, razors and condoms and lube. 

“Wow, this hotel really thinks about everything” he said, letting out a chuckle at the array of options before him. 

Lando looked into the drawer, eyes widening and a heat forming in his cheeks as he saw the contents. 

Carlos took a sideway glance at the younger man, lips curling at his obvious embarrassment. He grabbed the first aid kit, propping it next to the sink. “Hop on so I can get a better look” 

“What?” Lando was still lost in his embarrassment and hadn’t been listening. The only thing going through his mind at the moment was how close to him Carlos was. 

“Hop on the counter so I can take a better look at your neck, we need to take care of it, no?” 

Lando did as he was told and Carlos situated himself between Lando’s legs. There was still a bit of blood oozing out of the open wound so Carlos put a gauze against it, waiting for the blood to stop. Next he took a damp washcloth, put some soap in it and pressed it against the lesion. It was superficial and wouldn’t need any stitches but Carlos wanted to make sure no dirt or bad bacteria would settle in it. Lastly he bandaged it up, making sure the adhesive was stuck on properly. 

Lando could feel the heat emanating from the older man, his scent surrounding everything, and Lando tried his best to battle his senses. The feel of Carlos’ fingers on his neck and his warm breath so close to his lips elicited an immediate reaction from Lando, and he felt himself get hard. He tried steadying himself, thinking about things that disgusted him. Eating fish was on the top of that list and he closed his eyes, imagining having a whole one in front of him, dead eyes looking at him and then touching the slimy scales. It was working, until he opened his eyes again and saw the dark brown ones staring straight into his, alluring and tender at the same time. 

"Carlos, I know I’ve been a bit of a dick towards you but … thanks for taking care of me, and thinking about me right now"

“I think about you all the time cabrón” 

And then it happened. Their lips crashed together in urgency, their breathing turning rapid and both fully aware of how their hearts raced faster. Carlos was the first one to break the kiss, guilt rising up in him. 

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that. Not after the night you’ve had” Carlos tried to regain control of his breath, but releasing the younger man felt like an ache, and all he wanted was to grab him again, feeling the wild curls between his fingers and the softness of his plump lips on his.

Lando placed a hand on his Carlos’ cheek, his thumb grazing the soft contour of his mouth, and pressed a featherlight kiss on his lips. “I want this, I want you Carlos” 

And that was all the encouragement Carlos needed to kiss him again. 

Lando moved his hand down to Carlos’ bulge, cupping it through his pants, eliciting a groan from the Spaniard who in turn bit the younger man’s bottom lip. 

Lando worked the buttons and pushed the pants down as much as he could, with Carlos doing the rest. They didn’t break their kiss once, which resulted in some bumping of noses and clashing of teeth but neither of them wanted to let each other go. Carlos wrapped Lando’s legs around his middle and hoisted him up, carrying him out of the bathroom. They crashed onto the bed, Carlos on top of Lando which made the Brit lose his breath for just a moment, regaining himself seconds later and letting out a giggle. Carlos’ weight felt really good on top if him. Like a safety blanket. 

Carlos trailed kisses down Lando’s torso, stopping to lightly graze his nipples with his teeth, delighting in the whimper that followed. When his face was at Lando’s groin he kissed the outline of his cock through his boxers, searching his face for any sort of sign that he was unwanted there.

“Is this ok?” he said, as his fingers touched the hem of the smaller man’s boxers. 

Lando croaked out a yes and buckled his hips upwards, urging Carlos to remove the barrier between them. And Carlos was nothing if not compliant. He took Lando’s cock in his hand, stroking it lightly while licking from the balls to the tip. He flicked his tongue over the slit, tasting the precum and getting hard by only the sounds of the gasps coming from the younger man’s mouth. He took his whole length in his mouth, letting the cock rub against the roof of his mouth and using his tongue to put pressure on Lando's cock. He licked underneath the head which resulted in Lando gripping his dark mane, a bit too tight, begging for more contact. 

He let his cock go and put all his attention on the inward of his thighs, licking, kissing and biting all over them. Soon enough he could feel Lando trying to pull him upwards, which he allowed, and their mouth met in a fervent, open mouthed kiss, like it had been years since their last one. All of a sudden Lando rolled both of them around, so he was now on top. The gleam in his eyes and the smile on his swollen lips let Carlos know exactly what was coming, and his breath hitched at the thought. 

Lando was impatient, he knew what he wanted and he went straight for it. He rubbed his erect middle against Carlos’ boxers, delighting in the groans the older man let out, knowing it was all for him, all because of him. 

As soon as Lando took his cock in his mouth, Carlos could feel how close he was to climax. That had never happened to him before, but it seemed like the pure contact of Lando’s skin, the heat they were producing together, was enough to push him over the edge. Carlos thrust his hips and arched his spine instinctively, but was careful not to overwhelm the man at at his lap. He was so close to losing control but yet he wanted more. He needed more. 

“Look at me, Lando, please” Carlos begged, scratching at the back of his neck and then tugging on his hair so their eyes would meet. “I can’t hold back anymore. Please let me fuck you” he said whimpering.  

Lando didn’t need to hear more. He basically ran to the bathroom, remembering the lube and condoms in the bottom drawer. When he returned, Carlos was lying on his side, his arm in a crook, head propped on his hand, eyes inviting Lando to rejoin him. 

Lando suddenly felt nervous, standing naked and exposed in the middle of the room. The man on the bed resembling some sort of a god, with his tanned skin, hairy chest and muscular body. Lando bit his lower lip, folding his arms over his body, looking at the ground.  

He could see Carlos move out of the corner of his eye and soon his body was draped by the older man’s, their arms locking around each other, like joint pieces of a puzzle. 

Lando felt like, as long as Carlos would hold him like this, everything in the world would be just fine. “Do you want to finger me or do you wanna watch me do it?” 

Carlos forgot how to breathe for a moment, his eyes turning dark with lust as he took in the man before him. He looked so angelic, even when he was getting fucked, his face flushed red, curls sticking out in all directions and voluptuous lips swollen and puffy. The image of his dreams.

“I wanna do it”

Lando lay down on his stomach. Carlos put lube on his fingers and gently slid one in, hearing Lando’s breath snag a bit. He noted how Lando took deep breaths, in through the nose and out through the mouth, squeezing his finger with his butt, holding it for a few seconds and then relaxing. Carlos took that as a sign to keep going and so he slid the finger in and out, trying multiple directions and even hooking it to make the sensation greater. Soon enough Lando was begging for more and more, until Carlos had three fingers inside Lando’s tight hole, twisting and turning, brushing up against his prostate, making Lando squirm and grind against the pressure, moaning and gasping, rocking back and forth trying to fuck himself on them. 

Carlos grinned as he kissed the base of Lando’s spine, knowing he was ready. Carlos withdrew his fingers, Lando whimpering at the loss of contact. Carlos rolled the condom on his hard cock, lubed up a bit more as Lando spread out on the bed, face down, his cock firm between his body and the bedding. Carlos laid on top of him, and aligned his erection with Lando’s entrance. As he pushed in he could feel how tight and hot Lando was around his shaft, and the sensation extracted a raspy sound from the Brit, which in turn invoked a fire in Carlos, making him bottom out with more furor than he had anticipated.

He waited a second, hands stroking all over Lando, imploring him to take his whole length. It didn’t take long and soon the younger man was urging him to move, which Carlos complied with. The thrusts started lazily as they tried to find their rhythm. Carlos dug his fingers into Lando's shoulders, trying to get more contact, jolts of electricity going through both of their bodies with every forward motion. 

The thrusts soon turned desperate, as Carlos’ cock pounded the prostate. Lando rubbed his erection against the bed, the added friction helping the pressure build up all over his body. He could feel the familiar prickling sensation threatening to appear, pleasure verging on pain.  “I’m coming” he panted, wanting both of them to experience it together. 

At those words, Carlos’ could feel his groin area tensing up with unbearable pressure and all he could do was keep rocking and pushing, desire for relief overtaking everything else. His thrusts became more rapid, more desperate and Lando crying out, begging for more were the only thing he focused on. 

And then they both felt it. The sweet promise of relief. Carlos could feel intense pleasure shooting through his cock, pulsating inside his lover. A ripple of spasms going through him and he could hear himself cursing in Spanish and needy moans escaping his lips.  

On the opposite end Lando’s whole body tingled, it started behind his ears and engulfed his whole body. His wall muscles contracting around Carlos’ cock, his own twitching and the sweet feeling of release as his fluids hit his belly and bed. An immediate sense of relief washed over him and all he could do was give off a sweet little cry, every part of his body exhausted. He could tell by Carlos’ thundering moan that he had come as well, and it made the sensation even greater. 

They collapsed together, both shuddering and gasping, with no end in sight. They stayed like that for what felt like an eternity, yet when Carlos slid out of Lando, the younger man took the loss personally, sobbing quietly. Carlos left a trail of kisses between his shoulder blades, and on his thighs and ankles before going to the bathroom to get rid of the condom, and to get a damp cloth. When he got back Lando had rolled onto his back, still breathing heavily. There was a big, wet stain right next to him and Carlos felt relief thinking they didn’t have to sleep in that bed tonight. He laid half on top of Lando, twisting their legs together and brushing their lips together.

He washed the cum off of Lando’s belly, throwing the cloth on the floor and snuggling up to the younger man, trying to dodge the wet stain on the bedding. They stayed like that for a while, tenderly caressing each other’s bodies, laying soft kisses on every part they could possibly reach without moving. They were worn out, but in a good way. 

A sudden realisation hit Lando. The room is bugged. Oh shit. 

“Do you think Fernando and the others heard everything? The room, we never removed the bugs” Lando groaned, covering his face with his hands trying to hide the blush spreading across his cheeks. Carlos didn't know if to laugh or cry, the thought of having performed a free sex show for their colleagues a grim thought. But as he looked at the man beside him, all he could think about were his eyes, his birthmarks, his lips and his nose. Nothing else mattered in that moment. 

"I don't know, and right now I don't care. But maybe we should give them an encore, no?"

And once again their lips met, both grinning ear from ear, knowing that a meeting on coworker fraternisation awaited them next Monday and yet, both not giving a damn.

[victorluvsalice]

Hi everyone – welcome to another "I updated the Chill Valicer Save farmhouse a bit" update! Because the trio had money and I had some stuff that I wanted to do to their home – specifically, making the new barn basement area nicer; making the kitchen a little bigger to fit more stuff in it yet AGAIN; and updating the séance room above the kitchen because if the kitchen got wider, that had to get wider as well. How did this all go? Let me take you through it room by room:

-->Kitchen – I did indeed manage to make the kitchen wider! I mentioned last week that my attempt to widen it by making the back porch bigger and then trying to pull the room out toward the greenhouse was stymied by the fact that this would screw up a bunch of stuff upstairs (notably both the séance room and the upstairs hallway, where the stairs are) – but that I thought that if I instead widened it into the gap where the pet obstacle course was, I might be able to pull it off successfully. So that’s what I did –

And it worked pretty well! Had to move a few objects temporarily to keep them from getting dumped into the household inventory (for example, part of the egg collection on the hallway wall outside tried to yeet themselves because I had to place them with MOO), but once I got them out of the way, the widening went off without a hitch. :) So now the kitchen is two tiles wider on the right side! :D How did I fill that space, you ask? Well –

I. I added in more counters and cabinets, natch – which included replacing two of the full-tile wall cabinets with two half-tile ones so I could fit a really nice Cottage Living kitchen shelf (with a cutting board and various large metal kitchen utensils hanging under it) under them beside the oven! What can I say, I thought it looked really great and added a touch of realism. :)

II. I added in some more fun clutter around the oven – the salt and pepper shakers and the Home Chef Hustle spice rack got put upon the new shelf (though I had to use “move objects on” for the spice rack, because for SOME REASON the damn thing doesn’t fit up there normally. It totally fucking SHOULD, I shouldn’t have had to use MOO and then fiddle around with raising and lowering it until I got it onto the shelf in a way that actually looked good, even if it was partially sunken into said shelf, but that is not the world we live in); the big fork and spoon wall decorations that I BELIEVE are base game (may be Dine Out, though) got put over the stove top; and the Horse Ranch and Cottage Living utensil-holder clutter got stuck on the counter beside the fridge, and some Cottage Living canisters underneath the new shelf (so they were all on either side of the stove "within easy reach"). Oh, and I put some canisters of tea by the tea machine in the corner, a cookie jar on the counter near the sink, and made sure Gino the pizza chef was still in a good spot next to the pizza over on the expanded kitchen island. :) It's always nice to clutter up a kitchen and make it feel like it's truly lived in!

III. Speaking of the kitchen island, in addition to making it bigger, I moved it in slightly so it wasn’t crowding the dining table (there’s still plenty of room to maneuver between it and the side counters, fortunately). Gotta make sure there's room for everything!

IV. Along those lines, I ended up fiddling with the placement of a lot of things in this room:

a) I scooched the dining table over so it’s more in line with both the center of the new longer kitchen island and the archway in (gotta make sure things aren’t off-kilter!)

b) I adjusted the placement of the windows on either side of the room slightly so they were a bit farther apart (to match the windows that I adjusted upstairs on the séance room to better accommodate the side tables in there -- see below)

c) I adjusted the placement of the side table with the fruit bowl, ghost candy jar, and picnic basket in front of the window and the plant in the corner accordingly (the old “press ALT to freely place items” tip came in handy there)

d) And I swapped the placement of Alice’s “Lady and Tramp” flirty painting with the photographs of Smiler at the food stand during the first sale (the painting is now with the other cute cat-and-dog painting she made a little while back above the pet bowls, while the photographs are now on the wall with the side table and the plant)

V. Speaking of the pet bowls, I bought two more pet feeders in yellow and pink after being unable to line the original two up like I wanted against the wall thanks to the newly-adjusted window, and then thinking “hang on, we have four pets anyway, why not just get more to fill in the gaps?”

VI. And, finally, I bought the trio a popcorn maker, a second ice cream maker, and a dishwasher, because the whole point of making the room bigger was to fit in a couple more small appliances for them to use at their leisure! The popcorn maker is on the kitchen island next to the waffle maker, while the ice cream maker is on the counter next to the sink, above the new dishwasher. I’m not sure if the popcorn maker will stay in the kitchen or end up in Smiler’s inventory, as my primary use for it would be for food sales, but I wanted them to have one just in case! Maybe I should make them have a movie night with popcorn one day. :)

-->Séance Room – Of course, widening the kitchen meant widening the séance room above it – I briefly considered just putting a chunk of roof on the new little “lip,” but I thought it might look weird, and I didn’t want to lose the windows on that side of the room. So I had to rejigger that a bit to make sure the séance table was nice and centered in the middle of the room – which meant adjusting the position of the door into the room (so it opened up with a good view of the séance table) and the windows on either side (so I could then scoot the sideboard over slightly and make sure THAT was properly lined up with the table as well). Which also meant fussing with the fossil display out in the upstairs hallway, as it didn't quite fit properly into its usual spot anymore when I moved the door. I ended up swapping Alice's apple painting that was next to the cat tree with the Island Living shelves containing their little Sulani shell collection that were next to the stairs and the ladder up to the attic so I could move the fossil shelves over closer to the cat tree, then put the Sulani shelves on the other side of the doorway since that felt more “balanced” to me. *shrug* I mean, I think it works!

Anyway, once that was done, I added in more candle chandeliers to the séance room to make sure the space was adequately lit (when we’re not using the sacred candles for “the vibes” anyway) and moved over Victor’s curio cabinet with his unused familiar orbs to line it up better with the table. And then I started redecorating the new, larger space, which... *grimace* Oh, cripes, it took SOOO much time, especially with me trying to figure out what I wanted to do with Alice's crystal collection and how I wanted to display the specter gifts the gang have gotten (like Soul Scraps and Specter Sips) and what other cool knickknacks I wanted to put in there. But, after a looot of fiddling, I FINALLY got the room into a state I like. Or at least that I’m reasonably happy with for now. Going clockwise around the room from the door, we have –

I. Alice’s mediation corner with her stool, the fancy Werewolves moon mirror, and the three pictures she took of one of the gang’s trips into the Magic Realm in the left corner

II. A Paranormal Stuff sideboard between the two windows with the fancy palmistry hand that keeps Guidry away, a Vampires bird skull under glass, and a cute Werewolves multicolored mushroom terrarium on it, with a Vampires Gothic shelf over it with the Werewolves crescent-moon salt lamp and two Specter Sips upon it (one empty, one full – unfortunately the Paranormal Stuff bohemian shelf that was previously there no longer fit above the sideboard when I started fiddling and adding new stuff to display, so I had to change it out)

III. A display wall along the back consisting of two fancy Vampires urns (in the two black-and-white swatches) atop Paranormal Stuff accent tables (in blue and gold) in each corner, then two white fancy display cabinets from Crystal Creations containing the Soul Scraps the gang have collected flanking the spare broom Victor got and the Realm of Magic curio cabinet with Victor’s collected familiar orbs in the center. What can I say – I liked the look of the Crystal Creations cabinets, and they seemed to contain the Soul Scraps the best! (Though I did have to MOO one of the cabinets into place, because FOR SOME REASON the game kept insisting it was intersecting with another object ON A BLANK WALL. *huff* Sims 4 sometimes, I swear...)

IV. The painting Alice did on one of their trips into the Magic Realm on the right-hand wall, next to another sideboard-and-shelf combo mirroring the one on the left-hand wall – the shelf on this side is empty, but the sideboard has the cool Crystal Creations terrarium, one of the Bizarre Idols the gang has picked up, and the Paranormal Stuff mini-cowplant terrarium. I thought they were cute and gave the right vibes!

V. And then in the right-hand corner by the door is the display shelves for the special Werewolves artifacts collection, as before

*nods* I think this all looks good and gives the right vibes for the room. Though you probably noticed something missing from the séance room now – the crystal collection! What did I do with that? Well…

[hurlumerlu]

Okay so, Playboyy episode 1, the bad first :

the acting is so rough in parts. And in some scenes it's fine cause that cannot be easy to play, but in others I'm just like. what the fuck are you doing. As often in those cases I'm left wondering if it's a "we didn't have the money for enough takes" issue, an actors direction issue, or if I'm missing something.

the show flip-flops between visually intriguing and/or visually funny and absolute & total blandness in a way I cannot make sense of.

The good :

Love how deliberately not sexy most of the sex scenes/kinks are. The terrible "cop" outfit ? the cringy flirting ? the standard porn lines in japanese ? incredible. it's funny, it's an interesting change of pace from the usual BL sex scenes and getting rid of the glamour feels relevant in an episode which has for whole thesis that everyone has to contend with sex one way or another

Like i said, the show is really visually fun sometimes. Not beautiful, I wouldn't say beautiful, but I'm enjoying seeing sets that have had a lot of thoughts put into their design. The choice to go for the #aesthetic rather than realism is great imo, especially when you compare how "normally' the playboyys are filmed during their little get together with the lush, absurd environment the rich boys evolve in. it's fully two different worlds and I love that.

speaking of #aesthetics I want to kiss whoever was responsible for costume design on the mouth. Those characters are dressed the way you'd draw them if you wanted them to stand out in a reader's mind. Real manga charadesign vibes. I fucking love it.

Nont (or is it Nant ? why do they have such similar names T-T) was on screen for so little time and still managed to have real impact on me. I'm invested in him, I'm invested in his quest, and his smug "you wouldn't know, you don't have a mother" was so mean - I love him already.

Probably controversial but I really liked the tense music/almost scare chords over Zouey trying to masturbate like. the guy's complicated relationship with his own pleasure is interesting and i. idk, I'm sure it broke immersion for a lot of viewers but it worked on me, I felt real unease both times.

The "could go either way" :

I have no idea how they're going to deal with Zouey's reticence toward sex in the future and I'm a little wary. So far I have no complaints but. you know.

Listen I am fully team playboyy and I don't think we're meant to take their "scamming those poor, fragile men" scene completely at face value given that it's their ass on the line if things go wrong but at the same time i don't trust tvshows to be fair to sex workers so. we'll see. I have hopes though.

Random thoughts :

I went from "Zouey what are you hiding ?" to "oooh noooo sweety" real fast, only to go back to "what the fuck are you hiding" toward the end, so at least the show is commited to keeping me guessing, which I appreciate

wow, Zouey's friends are dicks. also I get hat guy's annoyance at rich client's antics but like. not Zouey's fault, and I'm pretty sure anyone would refuse a blowjob if they had to lie on that coffee table with their hand behind their back for it. that shit looked terribly uncomfy even for someone experienced and you already know Zouey isn't. I know I said I was team playboyys but give that guy a break

how many kinks does First have ? put some back on the shelf honey you can't carry them all.

Nont (Nant ?) recording his investigation seems risky as hell but given the number of time we see the boys filming stuff/recording stuff/watching vids (and to a lesser extent Zouey's painting and all the shots through windows/glassdoors etc) I don't mind. I assume they're going somewhere with it and if they don't it contributes to the Vibes (also known as themes, probably).

I don't even think I've met all the characters in the opening and I've already seen three blowjobs. Not complaining, I'm impressed.

speaking of that, who is that scholarship student with the camo pants and white tank top ? he said like one sentence but I've already imprited on him.

kinda wish i could take an "east asian gay porn 101" class because I know I'm missing stuff ! I can feel it !

OBSESSED with that "play with me" tattoo. it's in such poor taste i could cry of joy.

[curedeity]

A few notes/headcanons about nagisa and honoka in my Watashi Wa Pretty Cure Seed universe bc tbh its a fanfic why shouldnt i just talk abt it randomly. Why should i care about spoiling my plans? (Has no plans)

-Nagisa and Honoka decided to go to college together, and by that i mean they decided they wanted to go to college nearby each other so they could live in the same apartment. It was pretty lucky that they ended up going to the same college so they could room together in the dorms.

-They started dating a few months post canon, and kept it kind of secretive until a few months later when Nagisa came out to her family. They were very accepting, ofc, and invited Honoka over for dinner once a week at least. I think they actually do this thing my mom and my dads mom do where she basically calls my mom all the time. Like, Nagisa's mom likes hearing about how Nagisa is doing from Honoka, and also getting to know her daughter's girlfriend. I think Nagisa's mom is also the one both go to for common sense advice, like how to use the washing machines at the college.

-Honoka is double majoring in physics and chemistry. She runs the colleges science club already, and is getting offered a TA position next semester, along with presenting a research subject to a professor for them to work on. She works at the colleges library right now, though isnt the best at it. She just... cant remember where everything is all the time. Shes excited to switch to a TA job.

-Nagisa is a currently undeclared major in on a sports scholarship (do not talk to me about realism). She can get kind of overwhelmed thinking about majors sometimes, but is leaning towards trying to get a degree in physical therapy. Shes in the colleges lacrosse team, and is one of the best team members, though its a very small team and league. She also considering participqting in boxing. She's actually ended up a bit involved in womens sports advocacy, and is a huge proponet of not just gender segregating sports, but is a bit mystified at how to go about change.

-Both are in their second year of college. During their first semester, they tended to come home every weekend to spend time with their families, but now only come home for breaks and holidays really. Nagisa found it hardest to adjust at first, and had trouble sleeping after arriving at college, but shes gotten used to it as the new normal and settled into life there.

-mepple and mipple are both still around. Theyve gotten a bit better at shutting up while their in class, but people definitely think Nagisa talks on her "phone" in the weirdest fucking way

-they rarely transform anymore. They havent used Marble Screw or Rainbow Storm in ages. Sometimes theyll still slip up and Honoka will think of herself as Cure White, or Nagisa will think she can jump further than she can.

-Nagisa has worked in the school cafeteria. Sorry maam. Idk if a line in the fic contradicts this bc no it doesnt. I say so now

-Nagisa likes listening to audiobooks and podcasts and will sometimes put one on in the background while she and honoka are cooking or something.

-they have a weekly documentary movie night

-honokas professors keep asking her to study abroad but she doesnt want to. She hasnt told nagisa because shes worried nagisa will think shes holding honoka back, when its honokas choice to stay.

-they are looking for an apartment to move into next year, as the dorms fucking suck.

-honoka has learned how to fix basic appliances after someone on her floor broke their toaster.

-they dont go on dates often, to the surprise of some of their friends given how stupidly in love with each other they are, but every so often theyll go hiking or picnicking specifically just to spend time outside with each other

-people think nagisa is the jock girlfriend until they watch honoka sling nagisa ober her shoulder like she weighs nothing after falling asleep on a sofa in the common room.

[xoteajays]

Good things do happen for Gun-woo and Woo-jin, there are always so many people who care for them. And will always protect these boys.

I'm happy they each made a real friend that they care about. But I will have to side with Jin on this one, I enjoy sleeping. Because I just don't care how close we are as friends, no one should wake me up from my slumber. I like to sleep in. But I'm also so happy they're brothers now.

Gun really made a real friend for the first time in his life, and Jin made a real friend who he can trust for the first time in his life (who isn't the criminals he's normally with). I'm so happy that they're a happy family too. Because my babies deserve to be happy. Especially those two.

If I did write a story the Bloodhounds fandom, even wrote any stories with those to men as face claims.. Anything with them. It's entirely an indulgent reason. So completely self indulgent for me. So that's why.

There's rarely any stories for the Bloodhounds fandom. Not surprising either, because apparently most fandoms I enjoy rarely have stories.

We can revisit this topic after you've watched more of the show since I don't want to spoil anything about the plot, or the characters, or any other details I haven't thought of yet. So I can't say much about this.

But... One thing I'm curious about. I'm not trying to make this political either. But I'm curious on how difficulty the story might have been for the show if they didn't include the pandemic into the plot. At the very same time, that also adds to the realism that loan sharks enjoy taking advantage over desperate people who need money like Woo-jin said.

So that was a thought that I keep having about the show.

~

Remember how we said that we hate the romance genre? Well.. Since Sang-yi's in a romance series. I'm tempted to watch because of him.

~

Because Gunwoo's personality is similar to Orange's. Like when I have created her character, that was the personality that I really envisioned for her. Basically the stereotypical feeling type personalities anyway.

Maybe I should send a video of Gon's dark side? I don't know.

~

That's what I thought. Since the Hyuga family, Kato, and whoever any one else who's with them was a part of Kuryu. So I did imagine Hyuga owning these businesses were more on the illegal side. Especially just because Asian countries have difficult rules about gambling than us. I don't know about Australia, but different rules compared to the West.

Maybe? I don't know. I can't confirm or deny that claim. I do know the women were wearing kimonos but I don't know if that was more of an aesthetic reason to the theme of the building, or if they may have just been adult entertainers like geishas and oirans. So I can't really say.

Ryuko was originally a hired assassin. At least someone who was also working hard to be an assassin by her father, his men, and whoever in the Kuryu who trained her to fight. Not that that would an occupation though. Well.. It could be. But not a typical occupation for her though.

Nameless City people, the Rude Boys, there are rarely any jobs that is gonna hire people like them to work. Obviously there would be lots of secret mineral mines that they've worked in before. Do you know a lot of other jobs they could have besides the mines? Because I'm stuck.

Hiroto's another complicated character... Since I've watched Red Rain two more times before the movie was removed. Masaki was really the brother complaining that men and women can't be friends not Hiroto. Since we were talking about that before. But, despite his appearance though, Hiroto's a caring person in his own way towards other people.

Cobra did have a conversation with the Amamiya brothers with some smile - smirk? - on his face. Cobra should've been friends with them.

Why are there so many attractive men in this franchise?! Ever since it was decided I wanted to write for H&L.. I could figure out which ships I'd want to write because there are just so many of these characters.

Meadows, high buildings, secret spaces that not many people would know of. But that's all I could think of for Rude Boys. So there's not so many ideas. Maybe that's why I always had problems trying to create a character for Rude Boys? Because I have difficult times figuring any of these characters, besides a few of them anyway. I don't know.

Oh my god! Imagine if Rocky's girlfriend is a messy eater so she really has to learn to be more lady like when they're in restaurants. Oh! You.. Okay. So I never you, it was someone else. But yes. Rocky helping his partner bathe, rubbing lotion on their skin, dressing them up with the clothes and jewelry he bought - not in any sexual ways - would be his own way of caring for his partner. Like love through his actions, when he is verbally saying his affections than he's doing these affections.

Bonus if Rocky is willing to buy costume clothing and jewelry for very short women. Because it's always difficult to find sizes that fit them. I might be projecting this one. But still. I'd never have sizes that fit me.

How hasn't Rocky died from a heart attack yet? This man has seen so many women fight, yet he still almost collapses every time they fight.

I think Rocky would only like Hinami because she never gives him this hard time like the other girls do. It's his fault for caring about women.

Rocky might even be like Kaito's brother. Since Rocky would probably consider Kaito as his brother, like Kizzy's his sister. But. Kaito's always siding with Kizzy. Doesn't matter if she's right or wrong, Kaito's siding with her all the time in a silent way. Especially against Koo. Poor Koo.

Between Rocky and Koo, I don't know actually who would truly needs a vacation more. Because they can't take a vacation at the same time. If that happened, the businesses would be in ruins because of anyone else in Rascals. They would have to have their vacations in rotations.

watched episode 3 last and i loved the scene after the spicy pork shop got destroyed, where woo jin goes in for the hug with gun woo and hyeon ju but gun woo is the only one to actually hug him. he just immediately moves in! he’d never reject a woo jin hug! they’re so cute!!!!

also the mr choi backstory was cool. he was such a badass. i have no idea how he survived getting thrown out that window, but rich men make do i suppose.

also i’m still so annoyed by hyeon ju because after her whole backstory (serious medical condition resolved, dead parents, orphan, taken in by someone cool, has a bit of an attitude) is EXACTLY the kind of oc i’d make for a show like this and a canon character that i’d like. gdi why did her actress have to do something so stupid?!!?

pretty much everything i write is self indulgent. if i post it online, i treat it as ‘this is for me, but i’m sharing it with you’.

70 fics on ao3 for a show with two extremely attractive main - and not mention male - leads is So Little. literally nuts. i’ve seen more fics for solo movies with tiny fanbases.

~

i don’t hate romance genre stuff. but i do think it’s boring if there’s nothing else going on. like i tried to watch coffee and vanilla for dori sakurada but it was. completely insufferable. i couldn’t do more than like 1 episode. but then again i watched all of color rush and cherry magic. but again again, it’s taking me forever to get through coffee prince and tale of the nine tailed and what’s wrong with secretary kim.

so i guess i can watch romance if it’s gay and then puddle through it if it’s m/f ahshdkdl

if we’re talking about ‘my demon’ tho. i might be interested. it looks like it’s got a thriller aspect to it (or is at least tagged as such on dramalist).

~

pretty sure daruma is the most likely to bend in towards the illegal side of things. i dont think they care much about following the law. hyuga’s already been in prison once.

i don’t know much about australia’s gambling laws. but there’s a lot of gambling app ads around and there’s slot machines (we call em the ‘pokies’) in a lot of restaurants. so it’s pretty common in australia.

they need to put more details on the h&l wikis. i need the deets! but yea, idk. i’d need to see them again and rewatch the scenes. that’s just something i read in a fic.

i dont think ryuko would go back into that life. i think she’d maybe do a lot of jobs to find out what she likes, or maybe go back to school to study something. not sure.

i’m not sure about nameless either. i don’t think anyone outside of rude territory would hire them long term, but maybe they’d do a lot of odd jobs. if it comes to the actual rude members, maybe they’d be able to do delivery jobs because they’re fast.

hiroto is complicated. he’s just a very hot, mostly quiet, caring guy. has a lil bit of an attitude (snippy with masaki, frustrated about aika putting the seat on his bike). he’s clearly the more serious one of the brothers.

agree that cobra should have eventually been friends with the amamiyas after everything settled down. but i also think because cobra’s actor and hiroto’s actor are pretty close friends, they were probably messing around behind the scenes. like when you’re trying to do a speech at school but your bestie is right there making you laugh.

they’re all so hot! and there’s almost no hiroto content as far as i’ve seen! like okay i understand not having a lot of takeshi content, but nothing for hiroto? look at him!!! everyone go watch some jsb + solo omi music videos and catch some attraction to hiroto! also go watch some generations vids. for reo.

rocky likes to pamper. i know you said not sexually, but consider: rocky buying his gf lingerie that’s in her style. but yes, just. massaging lotion in for her, zipping up dresses, gifting her jewellery and putting it on her. he’s got a quality time/physical touch love language.

he’s so stressed. if we’re ranking who’s giving him the most trouble to who’s giving him the least it’s: kizzy, yui, shizuka, ryuko, hinami, naomi.

hinami is his fav because she’s nice and also she’s usually in the background of fights (because she’s ranged defence with her slingshot), and out of danger for the most part.

kaito’s only here for kizzy. he’s just following around his wife wherever she goes because he loves her. ‘my wife can do whatever she wants actually’ - kaito, probably.

ohgod they could absolutely not leave for vacation at the same time. they obviously can’t leave kizzy in charge, but leaving kaito in charge would mean that actually kizzy’s in charge. and the smg boys are all lil babies. they probably have a calendar so they don’t double book stuff (tho koo would probably give up his own vacation if he and rocky accidentally booked something on the same day).

[pixelbark]

Well, it's the end of March. So time for another development update! It's been a scattered month with a decent chunk of progress made! Now that I've afforded more time for this project, I decided to take a step backwards for a while, strengthen the existing systems, and outright rewrite some others. All with the aim of creating a more robust game for when it releases.

The Procedural Animation Month

The original plan was to have the Skeleton animated procedurally. When picturing the game I always envisioned that they would awkwardly flop around the environment, as a Skeleton probably would. I aim for realism here at Pixelbark, after all. This wasn't initially achievable in the Jam-tier time constraints I initially had but I've decided to finally give it a go.

It's been a lot of fun and I've learned a lot. The procedural animation itself is broken down into three main components: Walking, Looking, and Flailing.

Walking

Nothing groundbreaking here in the grand scheme of things, but it is the first time I've attempted anything like this. The system uses a combination of joints on the Skeletons spine, shoulders, head and neck to give a ragdoll effect, along with IK for the legs and a script that handles foot placement. The environment is generally flat, but it would actually place their footfalls correctly if it were sloped or uneven as the feet are parallel to the ground's normals. At some point, I can see myself revisiting this and making improvements but honestly, I'm pleased with how it's turned out.

Looking

A system has been added where the Skeleton can now look at Objects that they want to interact with, as well as, well, anything else really. It's rudimentary right now but I am excited to expand upon it and allow the Skeleton to start interacting with you directly.

Flailing

A combination of hinge joints and rigid bodies on the arms make for some good flailing. Add some baked animation when the Skeleton is walking to swing the body around and you have, if I can be so bold as to say, a very realistic and correct-looking Skeleton.

It's been a lot of work to get all this done since I was learning as I went. But I think given the nature of the game the end result has paid off!

But that's not the only thing ongoing this month. Let's talk about the new Interaction system.

New Interaction System (v3)

Those that have been following for a while know that I've had a bit of a struggle with the interaction system, whereby the Skeleton will interact with objects around them. The thing about this is, I need to get it right, it's the core of the entire game. It needs to be done in a way where it's robust and also allows the designer (also me) to add new objects quickly and easily. This has been a challenge, but I think I'm finally getting somewhere with it.

Here's a look at V2 in action, so you can see what I'm getting at with some of this:

See how the Skeleton "snaps" into the sitting animation? Feedback so far has been that it's fine but to me, it's a little too jarring. I want this lil' guy to feel as real as I can make 'em.

I've been trying to meet the following objectives with it:

The skeleton should seamlessly transition smoothly into the interaction

Remove unnecessary downtime. There were arbitrary wait times before and after each interaction. This was essentially being done to try and hide away some jank.

Animations should all be procedural where feasible to keep up with the ultra-realistic wobbly vibes.

This is still very much a work in progress but I have pushed the interaction system further towards these goals now, please excuse his weird jaw and rough placeholder animation.

Not too shabby I think! Still needs a little more work but I'm much happier living with this than the way it was before!

What's next?

Moving into April I want to finish this interaction system once and for all. I am also going to revisit the Behaviour Tree that Skeleton uses so that I can tweak the AI a lot, I want multistage interactions to be possible and this is going to require a bit of a rework over the existing AI tree that is in place.

After that maybe I can actually start making the game part of the game...

See you next thing!

❤️ Amy

My Littlest What Now?

Never heard of My Littlest Skeleton? Not to worry! Allow me to explain:

My Littlest Skeleton is a cosy and relaxing simulator where you care for your very own little Skeleton chum! Pull your unique Skeleton back from the depths of the Nether Region. Then help them fulfil their needs and keep their furnishings in top shape as they will degrade over time! The happier your Skeleton becomes, the greater the rewards! So make sure you take good care of them, because, after all, there is a Skeleton in all of us!

For frequent updates and to chat with me directly; I'm dotted around on the internet and always available!

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If you want to receive end-of-month updates, a free game, and a discount code for MLS when it launches, sign up for the newsletter!

[emmybooknook]

The Rule of Three by Eric Walters, a novel.

This book is different from others that I’ve read in that it is a more action-style survival book. Most survival books I’ve read have that natural air of mystery around them. Like in the “No Easy Way Out” trilogy by Dayna Lorentz, the apocalypse setting was caused by a virus that leads to panic in the mall. While in this book the apocalypse scenario is caused by a “computer/electricity outage.” I put it in quotes because the use of generators has been used to supply energy and cars that don’t rely on computers are still active. I can see why the author took this approach to tell his story because other high-action events occur that don’t necessarily surround total apocalypse scenarios.

One thing I want to touch on that made me kind of dislike the book was the lack of commas. Don’t get me wrong I am not the perfect writer. I am just some 20-something writing these little book reports in my spare time. I am by no means a professional. So, take my criticism with a grain of salt.

I am a big fan of an oxford comma and I like having a comma to note a natural breathing point or pause in the sentence. Some of the author’s sentences lack these and require a stop and reread of the sentence to get the desired meaning. It’s not a huge hassle but can break the natural flow of the book.

Anyway, into the meat of the book.  MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD

This book is definitely interesting in its own right just maybe not for me. I prefer books with a more total apocalypse vibe and ones that play on the mystery surrounding such a situation. But that doesn’t mean this book doesn’t have its own fuel of mystery fire. Herb, one of the main set of characters in the book, is ex-military and has a lot of training in de-escalating situations and negotiations. Some of which I find kind of convenient to the story, but not too convenient. There are still some surprises to be had.

Something that was kind of unintentionally nostalgic for me was the realism of the power outage. Back in middle school, my grade did a S.T.E.M project about this exact scenario for some reason. I don’t remember what caused them to make us do this because I don’t think the other grades had to do it. Anyway, we were separated into different groups to tackle different aspects of the new day-to-day life. I did like how the book touched on some of these, from dealing with sewage to lack of refrigeration. 

I love the start of the book. Weirdly, something I enjoy about apocalypse books is the sudden halt to normal life. It’s such a weird vibe. I like how Adam is a regular high school kid that is then thrown into this mess. I also like how close he is to the reality of the situation sometimes. It lets us see the opposing forces of “striving to be an adult” versus “I would like to keep my innocence and youth.” It’s something that every teenager must go through at some point, just usually not to this extent. It’s a fine balance that the author does well to achieve.

SIGNIFICANT SPOILERS

These events don’t necessarily “change the course of history” for the book but are significant plot points. Continue at your own risk.

Herb can be kind of badass

There are two high-action events where Herb comes in real handy. The first is towards the beginning of the book when they are trying to buy chlorine tablets for the eventual water crisis due to lack of electricity. Adam, our main character, is one of the few people with an old enough car that can still run, this is a positive and a negative. It’s a negative because it draws the attention of people desperate enough to start fights with others in order to get home. Herb handles this nicely. He shows his pistol to get the men to back off but also de-escalates the situation by leveling with them.

The second is towards the middle of the book when they are trying to move farm supplies from a friend’s farm to the neighborhood where they can be better protected. Their convoy of supplies is interrupted by some people trying to protect their own neighborhood. A discussion of “cow tax” quickly escalates into life and death negotiations. Herb manages to stand up for himself and persuades the men to let them go. (Actually, he lies and says that he’s part of a raid party that is stealing the cows and he is willing to kill the men if they don’t step off.) It’s funny he pulls the ‘call an ambulance but not for me’ meme.

My favorite Herb quote “We have to be like a duck … calm on the surface but paddling like crazy where nobody can see it”

Brett is an oddball

Brett is a rookie cop and is a part of the neighborhood. There is a scene where they are collecting abandoned cars from the highway for parts and fuel storage and Brett takes this time to have some fun and smash some car windows and headlights. Adam is put off by this. It’s understandable because of how Brett talks about it, like he almost doesn’t respect authority. This point is brought up in later conversations between Herb and Adam. It makes me wonder if there is betrayal further into the story.

There is still more to this story. The book ends with this battle against a “rival compound”, but there are still unanswered questions. What made all the power go out? Will Herb ever disclose his government work? Will the power come back on? What issues will continue to arise as life tries to go on without power? I’d like to know where this story goes so, I might be getting the second book.

Recommend for people who like an action-style book. 8/10

[lurking96]

honestly, when i started bnha a couple years ago, i had such high hopes for the story and narrative, specifically addressing their world's view of good and bad, heroes and villains as purely black or white. I had hoped that it would eventually address the existence of toxic corporate powers that enable abusers, and that the systems in place to help people don't always acheive what they're supposed to, despite any good intentions.

I had also hoped for Bkg and Endeavour to get some comeuppance. Nothing made me more upset to see Shouto team up with Endeavour, and to see Touya painted as villain, specifically through Shouto's eyes. If there's anyone that understands the rage and sadness that Touya is fuelled by, it'd be his baby brother who ended up in the same position as he did. And I wished there was Izuku's perspective on the Touya reveal more, because seeing your abuser lorded as a good person and given an elevated position is something I feel like they related too.

Also I feel like Horikoshi enjoys/likes putting characters through traumatic events without fully thinking through the consequences that would influence their behaviour after the act. (Yes this is me stating the bakugou-todoroki friendship is actual bullshit. iida, todoroki and uraraka are izuku's real friends, i take no criticism.)

I have an au bouncing around my head with no AfO, where touya, tenko and izuku are all legally dead. ( touya's accident, tenko's quirk activation and izuku possibly listening to bkg's advice) but in reallity they're all alive and acting as informants/vigilantes for the underground. i may write it eventually but i digress.

tl;dr bnha narrative took a turn for the most disappointing and honestly kind of alarming with its rhetoric/sympathizing tone towards abusers. (hawks should have dropped endeavour like a sack of bricks, and i will stay mad about the fact that he didnt) and i am very disappointed.

The thing is. With his worldbuilding Hori had all the pieces there. He had established a society of Heroes and Villains. Where you have some Heroes only be into it for money and glory. Where you have tragic villains only being labeled as evil because they used their quirk. Where bad things can happen but those get ignored thanks to the quirk status of the people involved. He did not show us a Utopia but a somewhat working dystopia. Their society had cracks and it was shown from the start that it is all just a facade. Endeavor was set up as this person that is only in it to be number one. The privileged person in a position of power. He would do anything to reach the top. When they talked about quirk marriage this was not seen as a joking manner. This was serious. But then for whatever reason he decided to give Endeavor a redemption. And as part of it he decided to make him sympathetic by changing up how things were. Rei did not get hit by him. She simply tripped. Feels kinda like a retcon. It is not the worst redemption arc. But that does not make it great. Or needed. It´s a world filled with superpowers. A bit of a fantasy world you could say. And fantasy is not meant to be realistic. Yes. While there is some realism to make it well. Certain things can happen. The good guy can survive and get a happy ending. And the bad guy can land in prison striped of their power and influence. And yes. I am also not a fan of the friendship between Todoroki and Bakugou. Bakugou who repeatedly shows that he does not really want that. And Todoroki trying to befriend that guy that tells others to die, makes people flinch, is in it for the number 1 position and so on. I do not think he would normally befriend him. Probably would call him out from time to time. Shoto can be aloof but he can also run his mouth and call people out like with the chief of police in Hosu. So far even when the bad stuff comes out there do not seem any consequences attached. Yes. Right now there is a war going on so I can understand keeping Endeavor as heavy hitter around. But afterwards? Do they want to build their society on the atrocities of the past. Do they just want to keep going like nothing changed? Again it´s fantasy. It´s allowed to challenge the status quo and bring change. But if the message is that the status quo is fine then it is a rather bleak message.

[takerfoxx]

The Owl House, Season 2, Episode 20, "Clouds on the Horizon," First Impressions!

In this season’s penultimate episode, I have two things to lead off with.

First of all, “Crikey!”

Second of all, kinda pissed off right now.

Well, with that click-bait lead-in out of the way (I’ll explain later), in our second to last “normal” episode (thank you, that one unnamed Disney exec. Thank you so much for gutting one of your best shows. Really appreciate it, bud!), here we have something that serves more to accelerate things toward our big climax rather than to sit alone as its own story, but there is still a lot to dissect and talk about.

So let’s start with the main focus here today: the Blights.

Odalia

Ah, the snobby narcissistic parent, a tried and true character type. I mean, every show directed toward kids needs a hate-sink, right? And as awful as he is, Big Bads like Belos are often too cool and too unrealistic to properly hate. So we add in a side-villain that is more just infuriating.

Odalia is that. I always pegged her as a Mr. Northwest type, and this only hammers it home, from her valuing the family name over the actual members of her family to her abusive control over her children (that necklace has a lot of parallels to that bell Mr. Northwest used to control Pacifica, just sayin’) to her treating her marriage to Alador like a business deal rather than a relationship. Like, what is going on? They were childhood friends! Surely there had to have been an actual relationship at some point. But here we have Odalia straight up threatening to change their “deal” and firing Alador instead of divorcing him!

And oh yeah, she knew the truth about the Day of Unity. She was fully prepared to aid in genocide in exchange for her family. No, wait, it wasn’t to spare her family, it was to give them power and station in Belos’s promised new world. It was completely out of greed.

Well, you know what they say!

That having been said, if I do have one criticism for this episode, I would have appreciate just a short moment of pain and regret from her family after she split on them instead of them seemingly not caring. I know she’s a terrible person that they’re better off without, but she was still their wife and mother, and those sorts of feelings are complicated. Like, I criticized the She-Ra finale a bit for how Shadow Weaver’s exit was handled, and I stand by a lot of what I said, but I did like how upset and confused Adora and Catra were because of it. It’s just an extra layer of emotional realism that could have made the moment feel more impactful.

Anyway…

Alador

There’s been a lot of talk about Alador and how he fits in as a Bad Parent. His initial introduction as being someone who is clearly fed up with Odalia’s bullshit and would rather be pursuing his interests endeared him to a lot of people, but that doesn’t change the fact that he was neglectful and dismissive to his kids’ needs, and he was complicit in Odalia’s abuse. Yes, the reveal that she was threatening them to keep him in line adds a new layer, but that doesn’t automatically give him a pass.

But while he has screwed up, he at least is now trying, and he definitely isn’t as bad as Odalia. Finally realizing how much he has failed (in part thanks to a cute little pep talk with King), Alador is now doing the right thing, even if it costs him everything. And, hey, might be quite a bit overdue, but I’m getting the feeling that he was Odalia’s first abuse victim, so him standing up to her for his children’s sake is a huge step toward his personal redemption. And also toward everyone not dying.

So hey, good on you, buddy!

Now you gotta just deal with the fact that you’re now on the side same as Darius. Oh please, let them interact! I want to see this pettiness play out!

Amity

Our little Mittens is all grown up!

For years she’s had to mold herself to meet her parents’ expectations. For years she’s put her own wants, own needs, and even own identity aside just to be Odalia’s perfect little daughter. For years she’s allowed herself to continue the toxic cycle, becoming an arrogant bully to squelch her insecurities, and never allowing herself to just be the good person she wanted to be.

Luz changed all of that. Luz showed her compassion, acceptance, and love. Luz held her accountable for her mistakes, but also didn’t reject her for them. Luz showed her that she was someone worth loving, and that she could be a better person.

We’ve seen her steadily work on that, seen her turn away from her toxic behaviors and relationships, seen her work to make amends for her poor treatment of others, seen her confront her own insecurities, and come out the better for it. Her relationship with Luz has lifted her up and helped them both, well, help each other change for the better.

And now she finally confronts the source of all that toxicity, the source of all those insecurities, the source of all of that unhappiness.

Her own mother, Odalia.

In a way it was a coming out moment for her. Perhaps not in the traditional sense, as not even Odalia fucks with homophobia, but for her to finally stand up for herself and say no more. And in doing so, she finally got the full support of her father, whom she takes after the most.

Again, I would’ve liked to have seen more inner turmoil. I know they were in a rather harrowing situation and didn’t have time to really process things, but I do hope that Amity, Alador, and even the twins are given the space to process being betrayed by Odalia.

Eda

I’ve wanted to give Eda a hug many times these last few episodes.

Eda’s only weakness has ever been those that she loves. Nothing else has ever gotten her down. Even with her own impending petrification, her only thought was taking care of her kids. And now she is willing to make yet another massive sacrifice: her own ability to use wild magic.

Or will she?

I mean, she obviously believes that to be the case. But I’m willing to bet that she gets an out, whether it be because defeating Belos renders the sigils powerless, or maybe she’ll just detach that arm completely, breaking the sigil’s hold over her. I mean, her detachable body parts have kind of been forgotten lately only to suddenly come back. I wonder if that is the case…

King

Poor dude. My guy just learned that he’s basically a god, and people are still treating him like a little guy, even the other kids. I mean, they’re not wrong, but it can’t be great for his self-esteem.

However, he still has his own part to play. I’m better that he’s going to start talking to the Collector through that bond they now have, maybe even convince him to turn away from Belos. The Collector seems to be pure chaotic neutral rather than actively malicious. I mean, he gets a kick out of evil, don’t get me wrong, and he certainly has no reservations about participating in what amounts to mass genocide for funsies (and as a way to escape whatever prison he’s in), but he strikes me as being more amoral rather than “evil,” if you get my meaning.

So what I’m saying is that he strikes me as someone who can be convinced to make a turn. Let’s see if our little Titan is the one to do it.

Luz

An egg.

Well, I didn’t see that coming. It’s a nice sentiment, though we still have to wait to see what it ultimately ends up being. Bat, cat, otter, or snake are still the popular choices.

Also, while I did catch “Luz” suddenly using Hunter’s flash step and wondered where she had learned that from, and while I was confused about Hunter blowing a raspberry at Kikimora, I somehow didn’t put it together that they had switched places until it got revealed. I wonder why they specifically made that switch, though. Or rather, I wonder why Luz wanted it to happen. She wanted to be captured and taken to Belos. But what can she do? What’s her game?

A couple of minor notes before we move on to the main event. Firstly, you know those rather strikingly designed wild witches that got captured for a couple frames?

Yeah, those guys. I’ve heard it speculated that this might be a cameo of the creative crew, but as it turns out, they’re actually K-Pop artists that one particular storyboard artist is a fan of and wanted to include, which is really sweet and dorky. So hey, K-Pop is canon to the Boiling Isles!

They're everywhere...

Second, Kikimora mentioned Belos having eyes everywhere. People have taken this to mean that there’s a traitor in the CATS’ ranks, which very well could be, but may I offer up an alternative theory?

Maybe when one of your enemies controls plants, don’t take one of her plants as a trophy? Just sayin’.

Well, okay, now that we’ve gotten all of that out of the way, let’s talk about the real reason people are talking about this episode.

Guys, gals, and nonbinary pals. We got ‘em.

Yeah. This was quite lovely.

So why am I pissed off about it?

Well, the reason is quite simple. See, I planned to watch this episode during my dinner break on Saturday evening, and made sure to unfollow the Owl House subreddit to avoid spoilers. And yet someone still saw fit to post the screenshot with no spoiler tag to a completely unrelated subreddit that I also follow, and someone else uploaded the clip to youtube almost immediately, and since I watch a lot of Owl House videos the almighty algorithm saw fit to throw it up on my feed! So I got spoiled twice.

Damn it! Like, when I got spoiled for the Catradora kiss, at least I couldn’t be mad because the season got dumped all at once so when I finally got around to it the episode had been around for several days! But the same day? Guys, please, don’t do that!

Well, whatever. The kiss itself was still wonderful, and you can tell that they put most of the animation budget into this moment (as they should have). I needn’t tell you what a huge moment this is for kids’ television, to have this plainly depicted and be seen. I’ve watched adult lesbian women start crying because of this moment, because they didn’t have something like this growing up, but kids who are like them will. They’ll be able to see themselves on screen, to realize that what they feel is okay and normal, and that they don’t have to hide from themselves.

There’s been a lot of speculation of whether or not Lumity is the reason that the show got gutted, like what happened to Steven Universe. If so, then there still is clearly a lot of work to do. But Korra finally cracked the door open and many shows since have been steadily pushing it wider and wider. Things are getting better. Voices are being heard. And while there continues to be resistance, the momentum is against them, and I for one am so eager to see what new shows come walking in through that door.

[serpentarii]

A   { R E } I N T R O D U C T I O N ; by @serpentarii 

hi hi, i’m pris, they/she, eighteen, intp, and this is the third time i’m introducing myself because it’s been almost a year since my last reintro. i write primarily fantasy with a lot of folkloric influences, but that could change who knows. i’m also a member of the wtw network ! 

i didn’t feel like bombarding people with a bunch of wip intros, so below the cut i’ve given a brief synopsis for each of my projects as well as some info on where they’re sitting at. 

P R O J E C T S 

starborne ; epic dark fantasy . adventure . romance . tragedy . adult 

as the newly accoladed knight imperial, ser vauquelin is tasked with accompanying his liege on a sacred quest through the holy angelan empire to the inferni-ravaged darkwood. but when an imposter wearing prince imperial luciano’s face threatens his claim to the throne, it falls to vauquelin to hunt down the pretender. 

{ introduction } . { tag }

status ; redrafting . this is my oldest and main wip, and it was sitting at around 40k before i decided to scrap it all and start a new draft 0. i intend it to be a trilogy, as it’s the most dense out of all my wips, and my final wc goal for it is about 90-95k. a lot of the content i’ve made for it on this blog is now out of date since i’ve updated the worldbuilding doc, so i’ll try to make up for those eventually, but i’m mostly focusing on finishing the draft rn. 

mordlust ; gaslamp fantasy . swan maiden retelling . young adult 

aleksander fox has found his fortune when he sells the enchanted feather cloak of a cigne, a legendary race able to transfigure themselves into swans. the assassin voir vératre receives her most difficult mission yet when tasked with claiming the life of the helemar, leader of the faith and object of their worship. whispers of a war begin to brew and the swan queen searches for her missing son as an infection known as the dornenheit spreads throughout the lands. 

{ introduction } . { tag }

status ; reoutlining . i originally started this as a nano project for 2020 and tried to rush through a lot of it. the first draft was very bad, it was just 10k of a world and characters i knew nothing about. it’s also gone through a couple title changes, but the outline is putting it back on track towards a more swan maiden meets sleeping beauty type beat. this one should be getting reintroed the soonest. 

the tale of ryuurei ; magical realism . coming of age . young adult 

autumn island, built on the left horn of a dead dragon god, will know it’s first summer in over a decade. with it comes a girl half-mad with grief, ruining any chance sakuma shizu had at a normal senior year. but the island is sinking, residents have begun to fear the nighttime, and shizu seems to be the only one in the know. everyone has their secrets, but how long can shizu keep his before they grow an extra mouth? 

{ introduction } . { tag }

status ; on-hold . i got a good amount written of this for janowrimo and camp nano, however the structure is what’s really throwing me off. trying to juggle all these plot threads and characters in roughly 20k, what was i thinking. it’s not that i don’t know what to do with this project, just that it’s not currently my top priority. v sorry :( 

a hymn for serpents ; heroic high fantasy . adventure . romance . new adult 

accused of using witchcraft to awaken the serpent prince from his eternal rest, maude liebreich is set to be executed. her life is vouched for and spared only under the promise that she is able to restore him to slumber. kept under watch as the new head of the once-lost seventh great order, maude works to discover not only the true nature of the serpent prince’s return but of her own birth. 

{ introduction } . { tag }

status ; planning . y’all i’m actually super excited for this project. it’s also the only other series i’m working on, which i only have rough ideas for. ahfs will probably stay in the planning/practice prose stage for a while longer because i don’t want to hit a block later down in the road or worldbuild myself into a corner. this is also like,,,,,,,the only wip with multiple female leads. 

{ carrd } . { projects } . { creations } . { twitter } . { wattpad }  

T A G L I S T 

{ send an ask to be +/- } 

@lascalaveras | @cheshawrites | @veneritia | @amaradesantis | @lyingfig | @sourrcandy | @basilelestrange | @ikilledmyocs | @kazino | @larkmonteverdi | @wavemakermommy | @vitrichor