#sixth gen

[extremesocialoutcast]

I think my favorite console generation is the sixth gen.

Hardware limitations were finally being lifted, allowing developers to start conveying what they want to convey.

Games either age great for being so stylized, or age ironically well through their low-poly, yet detailed charm (where they go from looking state-of-the-art, to being written off as "aging poorly" relatively quickly, to now where it passes as an artistic style).

"Security" was an absolute joke, and you could easily bypass it with mods.

Offline experiences were prioritized, with online mostly being an afterthought, if implemented at all. On the plus side, this led to an abundance of games you didn't need an internet connection to fully enjoy.

Console homescreens and UIs were simple and straight-to-the-point, often being accompanied by memorable background ambience (stuff that actually makes you want to stop and listen)

And most importantly, it came at a time when companies haven't completely sold out at the expense of the games they were releasing. The seventh gen of consoles is probably better on a technical level, but it came at a time when certain trends in industry got kicked off (e.g. overreliance on online, especially paid services, plus the modern, unsustainable model of annual release franchises), leading the industry to the depressing state it is today.

If I had an original model Wii (seventh gen console yeah, but it does GameCube), a PS2, and a Dreamcast, and modded all of them, I'd probably be satisfied for a long time.

[redeyeflyguy]

Wonderful Things That May or May Not Be Wonderful!!! The Nintendo GameCube. Nintendo’s fourth major home console released to the masses in 2001 to…well, middling reception at best. Sadly, it struggled compared to its competitors, Microsoft and Sony, who were also packing DVD support, online capabilities and more “mature” and plentiful offerings. Plus, this was the second generation where Nintendo had a rocky relationship with many third party developers but let that not distract from the console’s many good points. One of the greatest controllers of all time, a wireless variant that seems to have an almost eternal battery life, an accessory that allowed people to play GameBoy and GBA games on the big screen, and a slew of great games. Many refinements of past success, some still unsurpassed today like F-Zero GX and Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door. Many experiments that breathed new life to their franchises and sometimes entire genres like Metroid Prime & Resident Evil 4. A few new IPs like Pikmin & Viewtful Joe thrown in for good measure. And that’s just the tip of the six-sided polyhedron. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Super Monkey Ball 2, Luigi’s Mansion, Mario Kart: Double Dash, Super Smash Bros Melee, MARIO GOLF: TOADSTOOL TOUR!!! Oh so many great games! Without a doubt in my mind, the GameCube, for its time and time hereafter is most definitely #wonderful. Plus, it’s cuboid. CUBOID!!!

[arkus-rhapsode]

Why do so many people love the GameCube?

So in my opinion, the best time for gaming was the sixth generation. While it didn't have the console war narratives of the fourth and seventh gens, it was an era that I don't think we'll ever see again. You had four console platforms, one of which would die this gen in the Dreamcast and another being a new hat thrown in the ring with Xbox. You had a roughly equal technological strength across each platform with some exceptions here and there. And finally you had a plethora first party games that many people still talk about to this day.

But despite all that, this gen is mostly marked by being the groundwork of what would come next. With Xbox pioneering online play and expanding it with the 360, the Playstation 2's success leading to botched launch and eventual recovery of the Playstation 3, and Nintendo choosing to no longer compete in terms of power and instead focusing on experiences you could get with their hardware with the Wii. And speaking of Nintendo, that leads me to something I've been thinking about for the past few days. Despite it being the lowest selling Nintendo console pre the Wii U and there being some jawdroppingly amazing games on the switch, there's still a reverence people have for the purple lunchbox. And even a bit of a desire to return to it.

So I ask myself why?

Well the short and most easy answer is quite simple: the kids who grew up playing games on the gamecube and have their tastes shaped by those games are now the ones participating in games media discussion through things like YouTube and IGN. As opposed to the people who grew up with the SNES who were mostly contributing to games discourse at the time. So naturally those influenced by the gamecube then are going to hold a reverence for it now and platform it as that.

But I didn't really think that covered everything. It felt a bit too easy of an answer. And I personally believe that the hand wave nature of "its nostalgia" doesn't really answer anything. Now I want the preface this, I am not a gaming historian. I am not here to impart some grand social analysis on what the gaming landscape of 2004 was like. This is more me as an individual looking into what I think of the generation that I was apart of (yes my first REAL home consoles were the Xbox and GameCube) and how its still so relevant in our current era.

After racking my brain about this for the last few days I think I've come to somewhat of an answer.

The most important thing is the games themselves. Which I think can be broken down into three core aspects.

First, there's something to be said with how these first and second party Nintendo games related to the ones being released on the GBA. Because the GBA is a whole different beast, but to summarize during that type you can see a somewhat clear distinction between the games that were coming out on the GBA by Nintendo vs the games that were coming out on the GameCube by Nintendo. If you were interested in a more traditional Mario (Super Mario Bros Advanced) or Kirby (Nightmare in Dreamland) or Metroid (Metroid Fusion) or Zelda (Oracle of Ages and Seasons) you could find all of those on a GBA. Meanwhile on the GameCube, you got something like Mario Sunshine, the second ever 3D Mario game that took Mario out of the mushroom kingdom and strapped a brand new water contraption to his back. Kirby was doing a driving game mixed with combat In Kirby's Air Ride. Metroid Prime reinvented the way Metroid could be played with an emphasis on exploring and uncovering secrets in a first person POV. And Zelda gave us another 3D Zelda after Ocarina of Time which has an art style that was brand new for the series and involved this massive sea to go out an explore.

You also had spin offs like Pokemon Colosseum, probably the first pokemon game on console with an in-depth story that is basically nothing like what we had on the handheld mainline titles. Pokemon always felt like this "place that could really exist in the real world but with fantastical creatures." Meanwhile Colosseum is JRPG AF. You're first location is a diner made out of an abandoned training the desert then you proceed to a pristine oasis city while you're dressed like a cyberpunk protagonist. Like yeah sure Orre Region is supposed to be based on Arizona, but I sure don't remember it ever looking like this the last time I visited. Then, there was something like Battalion Wars, which took the turn based strategy and sorta anime sorta western cartoony Advanced Wars and instead made an almost G.I. Joe-esque real-time strategy and third person shooter game. Some the GBA could definitely not handle. What about Double Dash? Mario Kart has basically never returned to the "two person, one kart" formula.

I know it probably sounds pretty mundane now that we live in a world with like the switch and sequels to these games, but you have to remember that at the time there really wasn't anything like it. Its probably why things like Wind Waker and Sunshine cause a bit of a love it or hate it divide. They were both a departure and yet so unique. In fact, with the switch now, we don't really get that identity distinction of handheld title vs console title anymore.

As much as the Switch is an absolute juggernaut of a seller with some incredible games. I can't very much say there has been anything really released on it that seems overtly strange or non traditional. Like, we aren't using bongos to play a Donkey Kong game with none of the country games. Switch is practically one of the most orthodox systems there is in terms of the type of franchise entries we got with Mario Odyssey and Breath of the Wild. And please note, that doesn't mean I'm saying these are bad or boring games, they're amazing. Its just that they certainly are what you'd expect out of these types of titles with some innovations.

The second big thing worth noting is also the amount of games that got people introduced to a particular Nintendo franchise of on this system. GameCube is one of those consoles that practically every franchise of Nintendo's got a new entry on. Fire Emblem Path of Radiance was the first Fire Emblem on home console outside of Japan. Along with Custom Robo. Games from the N64 like Wave Rave and 1080 got sequels. And it was the beginning of franchises that are now Nintendo staples like Pikmin and Animal Crossing (Yes I know Animal crossing is technically originally an N64 game and the gamecube is an enhanced version of that). And of course the big one that was Smash Bros Melee. While Smash 64 was by no means unsuccessful, it really is Melee that people think of when they thing of smash. Some of the most iconic stages come from here, it has one of the best opening sequences, and it expanded the roster of fighters that for some (for better or worse) people perceive as Nintendo royalty. Even going as far to make characters like Marth and Roy recognizable despite their games never being brought over.

That's also not including things like Star Fox and F-Zero which had things like story modes with full cutscenes and, in the case of Star Fox, actually taking them out of their vehicle and introducing people to the world who may just not be into that sort of vehicle only gameplay. And characters like Luigi and Wario who basically icons in their own rights, were pushed into staring roles in their own 3D games. And while I know I've focused on first and second party Nintendo games the most in this post, I do want to acknowledge that the GameCube's history third party saw Sega titles on a Nintendo platform for the first time like Sonic and Crazy Taxi. Or Metal Gear which had made its new home on Playstation had their own original entry on gamecube.

Lots of Nintendo discourse these days can be boiled down to a few key points, but biggest one of them all in my opinion is how Nintendo does make a new entry of *insert game here*. Now there are of course multiple factors for this, and the Switch does indeed have entries of some more obscure Nintendo IP, they are still sorta drowned out by this absence of certain franchises many perceive as inseparable to the brand. With many of those going MIA around the gamecube in terms of home releases.

Finally there's number three, the GameCube just had bizarre and new IP that never got a sequel. Like as much as it sounds like I'm looking at the GameCube with rose tinted glasses, its worth remembering that this was a low point for Nintendo in terms of profitability. This pushed them to do things unconviental in the first place. Like investing in a western studio to make Metroid Prime, but it also got them to work with others to make new IP. Chibi Robo was developed by skip and had practically the same Miyamoto-like charm of Mario and Pikmin. Nintendo also published two M-Rated games that they'd own, Eternal Darkness and Geist. Something that we really don't and probably will ever see.

Sure Nintendo has exclusivity to Bayonetta, but that's still mostly a Platinum thing and isn't their IP. And each console has basically introduced a new staple franchise like Wii giving us Xenoblade and the Wii U giving us Splatoon. Not to sound like I am poopooing the switch or anything, but when I think of big brand new Nintendo IP's that were released on Switch, the ones that the most notable is Arms, Snipper Clips, and Astral Chain. I understand now Nintendo is willing to let its IP to second parties so we could get something like Cadence of Hyrule or Fire Emblem Warriors, but we really haven't seen much new Nintendo IP in the seven years its been alive as opposed to the gamecube's. Not helped by the fact there's a bunch of these single entry gamecube IP still stuck on that system.

Stepping away from the software, I wanted to talk about the hardware next. Like I said at the beginning, this generation every system was roughly equal in graphical power. And while gamecube had its limits especially in terms of being able to play DVDs and its proprietary discs, you were more likely than not going to get an equal performance out of most third party games. As opposed to now where I'm pretty sure your Switch would try and fry itself it tried to play something like Elden Ring. Now Im not saying graphics are everything, Nintendo has basically made their thing good games with limited hardware and often avoid the hyper detailed immersion of Sony and Microsoft, but there was a time where you could confidently expect something third party to come to Nintendo and expect it to run as well as the others. Now if something third party comes to a Nintendo system with a version for Xbox and Playstation, its practically a dice role to see if it turns out like another Mortal Kombat 1. At this point in time I almost exclusively own two consoles of any generation, a playstation or xbox to play third party games as well as their own first party offerings, and a Nintendo for their first parties and maybe the occasionally indie title. For the most part if you only had a GameCube as a kid you were only really missing out on the competitions first parties.

And look, I think people's obsession with graphics is kinda nuts. Afterwhile, it doesn't really matter if your horse has realistic testicle physics. But its no secret that Switch being underpowered has limited the potential is games can run at. And while Im not saying it needs to compete with a PS5 in terms of power, having seven years of a system that's only really as strong as a PS3, I can see why people are very much clamoring for an upgrade.

Also on a more minor side, but this is something hardware related I do think there is a bit of a uniqueness in the controller. While the D-pad was stiff and the c stick not really utilized, outside of the wii, this has one of the most unique layouts for the face buttons. with the l and R triggers having a satisfying squeeze. when you hold them down. While the Wii blended motion controls with the nunchuck, its worth noting that it was made with someone more casual in mind. Made to play games by people usually not into games. I think we struck gold with the joy cons as a concept, which can be individual controllers are just combined for a standard controller layout and having the IR pointer built in, with the switch, but it is hard to forget what a gamecube controller feels like compared to its contemporaries. This is one I definitely chalk up to nostalgia.

But yeah, that's kinda what I thought overall. While the Switch is a great system with some stellar games, its pretty hard to deny why the GameCube is so memorable. Everything on it feels different from any other point in Nintendo history. There wasn't even a really unifying mechanic of the wii and its motion controls. Every entry feels like something familiar but also a different. I don't think we'll ever have a moment where Nintendo reinvents a franchise like with Metroid Prime. I don't think we'll ever see Nintendo release a hard M rated game with Eternal Darkness. And we might not even see new entries for some series like custom robo or chibi robo period. Now handheld franchises are basically blended together with the home console, so you'll almost always see mainline pokemon on the TV screen rather than a pokemon game made expressly for handheld and one made expressly home console. I truly is an era that if you grew up with it and even if you didn't, you'll probably never see one like it again, and man what a time was it to be a gamer.

A/N: Hi guys, Arkus here, just wanted to say thanks for reading. I know I usually don't do broad video game or console talk on this blog, but its been an idea rattling around in my head for a while that I wanted to talk about it. While I don't personally consider myself a die hard gamer, know I have other interests outside of gaming, its certainly been something I've been thinking more about since 2022. And I'd be open to doing more essay-like posts like this, after all, I said GameCube was one half of my first real home console experience. I got plenty to say about the OG Xbox as well. So if you liked it please like and have a good day.

[uncanny-tranny]

A big argument against asexuality and aromaticism is the idea that you can be too young to know. I remember people being so put out by the idea of somebody under eighteen identifying as aro or ace, and they made it known how they thought it was bad.

However... I really don't agree with that outlook. I knew something was up with me when my friends were developing a "normal" identity in the eyes of amatonormativity, and I was under eighteen. Mind you, I didn't have words to express how I felt, so I was in a perpetual state of feeling pressure to be "one of the normals." It made my life miserable because I was being dishonest to myself and cloaking who I was behind a layer of shame.

My point is that... when you know, you tend to know. Sure, your identity might change, but is that more important than making sure you are comfortable in yourself? Would you rather feel the way I did at my age hearing about my allo friends? Because it was unbearable, and I don't wish that on anybody.

[pigeon-butch]

[oldlilcheeseblog]

@ask-the-toy-box (Sorry if I did not properly tag the previous post. I'll do better with that from this point on! --- TheFireMermaid)

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[bufferingbabe]

NETFLIX: EVERYTHING NOW

[Trigger warning: the show is centred around the main characters recovery from her ed so that’s mentioned in this post.]

I am in love with this show. I just put it in as something to watch in the background whilst I did some light work and now I’m a day behind on it because I couldn’t. Stop. Watching! (and I couldn’t see the keyboard through my tears 😭).

I don’t even know where to start- it’s been so long since I’ve seen a show and seen myself in so many of the characters and seen people I know in those character as well. In an emotional sense, a situational sense and a physical sense I literally found Cam so jarring just because he reminds me so much of two people i know.

The Script Dialogue ?

🎶 For the first time in forever 🎶 the script, written about gen z, using terms and reference of the youth, didn’t. Feel. Forced. IN ADDITION, they used reference that weren’t just globally relevant but phrases and references that are very British/Londoner gen z!

“Are you not embarrrrassssed? This is emberaasssing” - perfectly used.

I also love how there’s no pressure to announce their sexuality, everyone is just them. I’m straight, so my opinion on this means nothing in comparison but I love that. l can see why coming out is important to many and a needed process to go through but I also know many people would rather not and just love and live and from an ally’s perspective I feel like this perspective of LGBTQ+ stories are so refreshing. The kids are freely figuring themselves out with no judgement, as they should be.

The Music Choices ?

First things first because I need to point this out for people not from London who have or are looking to watch the show. These kids come from rich families- and I mean RICH. They’re not from old money wealth (like Young Royals) but they live in modern detached houses located in zone 1 more or less (that’s already worth like £1M+ range), have cars that I know for a fact definitely don’t abide by ULEZ so they defo pay extra, AND have back gardens??? Mad.

But why is this relevant? To be honest I don’t know how to word this but, the house music at the house parties, the drops of garage, when Cam was in his home and working out and they played Cench, my first thought was “Cam is defo the type of boy to know all the words to all Cench’s songs and then rap the words with vim, as if he’s from ends 😂” (translation: “ends” = “the hood”, think Top Boy).

The music choices accurately depict today UK youth and it’s not just music that fits their lives or their characters progression but instead rounds out the characters. For instance I listen to Pop Smoke despite not being able to relate to a lot of what he’s saying as I’m not from NY or live that lifestyle, but will I scream the lyrics? Yes. And that’s how I feel it is with these characters. The soundtrack was like a dip into their own spotify accounts!

AND WHEN THEY PLAYED “MY HOOD” BY RAY BLK ? I cried. That was my “bus ride to school” song in secondary school.

The Character Development ?

I haven’t routed for and been annoyed / pissed off to high heavens by / cringed for / cried for a bunch of characters in so long. I don’t want to say more about that because the show is very plot character driven and I don’t think I can explain what I mean without spoiling it.

What Got Me About The Show ?

Through the show I came to the conclusion that even when I was mad at the characters I couldn’t be completely mad because I knew where they were coming from and I knew they were struggling but still mad because it didn’t excuse or make it okay that they spread the pain. The only character that hadn’t done that I believe is Mia’s little brother (even though I myself really wanted him to give everyone what for).

As I am not someone with an ED I can’t fully relate and my two cents on this is worth nothing in comparison to those who have had the presence of an ED in their life in some way. But from my perspective I do believe that this show is very educational and brings great awareness to the mental side of it all. It’s very raw and real and unapologetically what it is.

I don’t really know how to end these things and tbf but I love this show and needed to express it especially since no one around me has watched it yet 😭.

[kureeru]

A self portrait with two of my favourite Pokemon for a friend's project 💚

[lunatic-harness]

i think we're already entering the ps2 phase of retro game style nostalgia if the recent ps2 ai filter trend is of any indication. what would different this from its predecessors in cd-3D style and pixel art would probably be people copying the surrounding y2k aesthetics

[extremesocialoutcast]

ADHD is wild

I just sit there doomwatching a bunch of videos on why the games industry sucks now, and then my brain randomly goes "fuck it, I should get a Dreamcast"

Then I spend the rest of yesterday, and most of today, hyperfixating on the Dreamcast.

I don't even know what most of the games I would be playing would be. I just weirdly want a Dreamcast suddenly.

(btw, the gdemu looks really cool)

[thathomestar]

I know generations are centered around consoles, but if play games on PC or a handheld was your first system, then just pick which gen was going on at the time

If you don't play video games then move along

[grenewoden]

robin is smart, it's just that he doesn't have an education. he can and will hold a meaningful conversation about a lot of big and complex topics, it's just that sometimes he relies on the other person to kind of fill in the blanks of his knowledge a bit. marian teaches him to read at some point. she offers him insight into the world of nobility, which he's never experienced from within. if anyone calls him stupid, he doesn't really bother arguing against it, he just tells them to fuck themselves.

[thisbluespirit]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Doctor Who (1963), The Librarians (TV 2014) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Jenkins | Galahad (The Librarians), Sixth Doctor (Doctor Who) Additional Tags: Community: no_true_pair, Crossover, Timey-Wimey, meeting out of order, The Doctor is Merlin, Loss Summary:

Things get complicated when you keep meeting out of order. Jenkins and Merlin - the Doctor - take a moment for brunch.

[bluesidez]

GymRat!Miguel Part 2

content warning: mentions of food because big boys gotta eat, there’s a ref photo for an outfit in here that is unfortunately NOT a plus-size girl 😞 (I couldn’t find a big girl wearing an outfit like that for the life of me, but let’s use our imagination), 18+ towards the end so MDNI!

word count: 1.7k (not very drabble-like, ik) kinda proofread

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GymRat!Miguel who wakes up when his 6 am alarm rings, eyes tired and bleary. His roommate is sound asleep, thank god, and Miguel is just staring at the ceiling for a good 10 minutes before he decides to move. He has an 8 am and he needs some type of breakfast before he heads to class.

GymRat!Miguel who uses the college cafeteria to his full advantage. He made sure that his dad’s money went to the highest meal plan. One free meal plan a day and a loaded campus card for everything else. He stacks his plate high with everything the cafeteria is offering today. Sausages, eggs, 2 bananas, a blueberry muffin, and a protein shake he brought from his room.

GymRat!Miguel who made friends with one of the cafeteria ladies, Ms. Beatrice, by the third week of school. She noticed how much he visited the cafeteria and always snuck him an extra treat from the kitchen when she saw him.

“I missed you last Tuesday!” she says, squeezing his shoulder when she walks up to his table. She slides a wrapped egg sandwich across the table. “I was saving some extra cookies for you, but you were nowhere to be found.”

Miguel thanks her, happy to have something light for later, “Ah, I was stuck in the library doing a group project. Sorry about that, Ms. Beatrice.”

“As long as you’re getting your education, I don’t mind,” she says, hands on her hips. “Don’t go out there skipping class now, ok?”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” Miguel says, waving her goodbye. His mom would kill him if that ever happened. Not that he would tell her, she just had a sixth sense for his “fuck-ups.”

GymRat!Miguel who makes it to his class fifteen minutes early to arrange his part of his desk to his liking. Sometimes he feels so embarrassed when he needs to grab something in the middle of class, his ears hyperfocusing on every little noise he makes in quiet, crowded areas. He always makes sure to get out his laptop, a pen, a pencil, a highlighter, a notebook, some white-out, and a water jug. He prefers to be over-prepared.

GymRat!Miguel who’s feeling anxious when the sorority girls pass by his table, giggling and twirling their hair. They attempt to make conversation with him, speaking ill of the professor. He just nods along for the sake of being a gentleman. He thought the professor’s Millennial attempts at Gen Z jokes were kind of funny, albeit very 2010. He didn’t have the heart to tell them he actually enjoyed the lectures.

GymRat!Miguel who’s never been more excited for a lecture to start in his life. He didn’t know many more “wow”’s snd “that’s crazy”’s he had left in him. The noise of the ice hitting their plastic coffee cups as they struggled to get every drop out was starting to grate against his ears. He missed you and your sticker-covered water bottle. He looked over at his jug and smiled when he saw the ‘Game Over’ sticker you gifted him before the last lab. You noticed his joystick keychain and felt that his water bottle was empty.

GymRat!Miguel who declines the girls’ offer to join them on a morning jog after. He liked to work out in solitude and morning jogs with them would mean conversation. He would also have to be extra conscious about what he wore. No older lady walking her dog needed to spot him jogging with shorts that were too short for his own good and a tank top cut so deep that it was like string on his chest.

GymRat!Miguel who decides to head to the library in between class to kill time. He figured he can see if there are any science fiction he can check out to read in his free time. As he walks there, he opens Instagram to scroll. No, he has not been checking the app since this morning to see if you let him in, he’s not a freak. He stops walking when he checks his notifs to see that you accepted his follow request. He wastes no time to click your page again and is bombarded with tons of photos.

GymRat!Miguel who has to close the app immediately when he sees your first photo. It's a picture of you outside of a restaurant in a knitted two-piece. The top is open just a bit to see your chest and the long skirt is low enough to see a part of your stomach peeking through. Your smile is radiant and the caption is something about congratulating someone. You look delectable and Miguel can’t afford to run back to his dorm to let his mind wander over it right now.

GymRat!Miguel who gets another notification as he steps into his dorm room after his last class of the day and sees that you’ve liked and commented on his most recent post. It’s a mirror picture of him flexing his arm after his last work out. His shorts are riding high on his thighs and the curve of his ass is very noticeable. Gabriel had blew up his phone with voice memos of him cackling after he posted it.

“Looking good!! 🫣 Get those gains Miguel! 💪🏾”

Miguel runs a victory lap in his dorm room, thankful that his roommate wouldn’t be back until that night. He’s jumping and punching the air excitedly as if he were a boxer. If he wasn’t fearful of busting his ass, he’d do a backflip. Take that, Gabri.

GymRat!Miguel who decides to go back to your account, running on the hype of that one compliment from you. He stares at that first photo again, still mesmerized as if he didn’t see it earlier. He gives a like and starts typing.

“Wow…”

No, that’s corny.

“Loving the blue…”

Is he a frat guy?

“You look stunning”

Was that too much? He decides to add on a heart eyes emoji, afraid he might be coming on too strong.

GymRat!Miguel who goes a little further down your page. There’s a photo of you in a crochet cover up, your swimsuit peaking through the material. He groans as he slides to the next picture and the top of your cover up is off and it’s just a view of your back with your bikini string wrapped around it. Your lower half is in the water and if he can imagine it just enough, he can feel himself right behind you, taking in the view of your ass against him.

He’s hard. Again.

He decides to just let everything hang while he has the dorm to himself. His boxers are to his ankles as he sits on the bed, back against the wall. He keeps staring at your swimsuit pictures. Your breasts pushed together while you lean over the boat. Your hips swaying in a clip of you dancing with your friends. Your stomach on display as you lay in the sand, ready for him to squeeze.

He grit his teeth as he played the clips over and over again, his hand moving fast to bring him his relief. He closed his eyes and imagined he was there, watching you swaying before him. He would join you, grab your hips and let you guide him in the dance. He felt faint as he let go, voice shouting and white splattered across his shirt and fist.

He breathes fast, trying to calm down. He decides to like the photo dump and comment some aimless beach emojis under the post. It was the least he could do after using it to get off. How embarrassing.

GymRat!Miguel who jumps when his phone dings again. He was prepping to go to the gym when your response comes flying to his phone. His heart picks up when he sees you replied to his comment.

“That is so sweet of you to say! 🥺 Thank you 🥰”

He doesn’t know if you took it as a friendly gesture or a sign that he wanted you. Either way, he’s over the moon. There’s a pep in his step as he blasts Super Shy in his ears on the way to the gym. He had a new motivation to push harder in his sets.

GymRat!Miguel who tacks on 10 extra pounds during his arm workout. The guys in the gym are eyeing him in wonder and horror as he uses the 70lb weights for tricep extensions. He thinks of seeing you in lab later that week and decides to do some hip thrusts.

He can never be over-prepared.

GymRat!Miguel who decides to take a picture at the end of his work out to post on his story. He’s sweating, hair dripping towards the ends, his chest glistening. The angle is awkward as he moves the camera below him and flexes an arm for the picture. The story was meant for one girl and one girl only, so he didn’t really care how silly it looked to others.

GymRat!Miguel who almost fist pumps on the walk home when you like his story and leave a reply. He checks the private messages, grin on his face before he even reads what you have to say.

“Looks like you had a nice workout. I might have to join you next time and get some tips 🤔”

Miguel swiped the app up and texted Gabriel:

“Don’t ever question my game again”

"? Wtf are you talking about"

Miguel opened up his messages with you again and replied to text him whenever and he’d be happy to help.

GymRat!Miguel who winds down for the night, scrolling on his phone before he closes his eyes. Of course you posted a story and of course he pressed it within record speed.

It was a photo of you laying down all bundled up with a cute ‘good night’ gif moving across the bottom. You had on a spaghetti strap tank top and if your blanket wasn’t in the way, he’s sure he would see more than that.

You looked soft, adorable, kissable.

He liked the story and responded back a “good night” and closed his phone. He wanted you to visit him in his dreams once more.

dividers by: @gigittamic 🩵

a/n: tumblr mobile kept deleting full paragraphs of my draft. not happy about that because I kept losing my flow. 😒 it happened like THREE TIMES 😭

Thanks for reading! Like, comment, reblog, and tell me how you feel! 🩵

Wanna be added to the taglist for GymRat!Miguel? Comment and let me know. 🤗 (PLEASE HAVE YOUR AGE IN YOUR BIO. This series has been and will get even more NSFW!)

taglist: @ghost-lantern 🫶🏾🥺

[lost-in-lamentation]

kissed off guard.

what better way to surprise your lover than a gentle kiss?

content: catching the brothers off guard with a quick little kiss. (all brothers × gen!reader).

fluff + a little bit crack. suggestive for asmo + lucifer, nothing explicit.

belphegor; right as he wakes up.

it's not uncommon for you to be the one who wakes the youngest in the mornings. belphegor has had centuries of practice of sleeping through his brothers yelling voices, so who else better to wake him up than you? you decide to test how quickly you can wake him up, and there's no faster technique than a kiss. waiting for his eyes to flutter open, you call belphegor's name softly, watching for the moment he pushes himself off the bed. still groggy, he blinks slowly at you, eyes remaining half closed. at least, until you press a light peck on his nose. the avatar of sloth shoots out of bed in record speed, one hand pressed to his mouth and the other clutching at his chest.

"what was that?!" belphegor shouts at you, backing into a wall.

you shrug nonchalantly, a smile tugging at the corners of your mouth as you turn on your heel and head out the room. "just wanted to try something out."

═  ˎˊ˗

beelzebub; while sharing food.

beelzebub sharing his food with you is the highest honour. on the other hand, you sharing your food with beelzebub is a given. if you don't give him some, he'll most likely steal some (by accident, he swears) anyway. you've never minded, and most of the time, you'll order extra so that you can have enough for yourself even with the gluttony demon helping himself to your meal. this time, you made sure beelzebub didn't see you grab a popsicle for yourself, hoping to set him up for a little surprise. when the demon returns to your side, his gaze flickers between yours and the popsicle. of course, he says yes to the bite that you offer him, waving the popsicle in front of your face until he takes the bait. just when he gets close enough to you, you steal the popsicle away, instead placing your lips where his are.

beelzebub stares at you a good moment, cheeks reddening before he pulls back and snaps his head to the side to avoid looking at you. "er... sorry... i didn't think you'd move it..."

"it's okay, beel. besides, you still technically got a taste, right?" you purr, taking delight in the way his face flushes.

═  ˎˊ˗

asmodeus; in the bath.

it's rather hard to catch someone like asmodeus off guard. you figure that he has a sixth sense when it comes to anyone within 6 feet who wants to give him attention. so, your last resort is to catch him in his most vulnerable state; while he's taking a bath. it's an idea that takes multiple tries. some days, you wait and listen outside his private bathroom, hoping to hear the light snores that accompany the demon when he's tired enough to fall asleep in the tub. the day that it happens, you're silently cracking the door open, thankful that the door doesn't creak as it allows you space to enter. as if you had experience in pulling pranks that required you to be quiet (which you do, thanks to satan), you crawl over to the bath, peering over the edge just enough to see asmodeus' resting form. you inhale once, gathering your courage, before leaning over and pressing a chaste kiss on his shoulder.

asmodeus splashes himself awake at the sensation, soaking you in the process. "you-! MC!"

"got nothing to say for once, hm?" your teasing lilt almost has him fuming, but there's another desire that's threatening to take over first.

═  ˎˊ˗

satan; after stealing his book.

during one of your regular cat café outings with satan, you decide to have a little fun with the blonde. satan, as smooth as ever, was always one step ahead of you when it came to flirting. he was just too in tune with everything that you were; it was both your favourite and your least favourite thing about him. it takes a while for you to set the whole situation up. everytime satan turns to pet a cat or take a sip of his drink, you shift closer to him, all the way until you sit shoulder to shoulder. the demon only gives you a curious glance, but returns to his reading in no time. you focus back onto your book as well, waiting for when satan becomes immersed enough in the story that he doesn't notice your hand creeping towards the spine of his book. in a flash, you snatch the book away from him, and as he turns to give you a glare, you place a gentle kiss right on his cheek.

"oi, w-what's the deal?" satan stares at you, hand hovering right over where you kissed him.

you hold his book in front of him, smiling like you didn't do anything. "oh, just felt like it."

═  ˎˊ˗

leviathan; when he wins a game.

you watch leviathan's screen with much anticipation. he had been playing an all night tournament and was close to the end, which meant you could give him his little surprise soon. you spent the night in his room by accident, falling asleep in his tub while he mashed the buttons on his controller. of course, when you wake up in the morning, he's still going for it, eyes red from staring at the screen, but no less focused than before. the good thing about leviathan being distracted by games means you can do almost anything without him noticing. so when you see the end of his game marathon approaching, you crawl out of the tub and set yourself behind him, waiting for the screen to light up in victory. as soon as it does, leviathan whips around to wake you and tell you the good news, but you're faster. you're kneeling behind him already, and when his face is within reach, you cup his cheek with one hand and brush his bangs away with another, kissing him softly on his forehead.

leviathan stutters incoherently, trembling hands dropping his controller before he releases an unfortunately high pitched squeal. "g-give me a warning!! like a two- no- three month warning before doing that!"

"sorry, i just wanted to surprise you," you say as you stifle a laugh, trying to peel leviathan's hands away from his face.

═  ˎˊ˗

mammon; after getting into his car.

a midnight car ride is one of your favourite ways to wind down after a long day, and mammon knows it. he can already sense the exhaustion that drips off you, and your first man is always ready to offer the passenger seat to you once he's done all of his errands. tonight, mammon has some extra work to do for lucifer, but he hands you the keys to his car and tells you to wait for him there while he finishes up. as you get into the car, you decide to pull a sneak attack on him later, which leads to you leaning the seat back and tucking yourself into your hoodie as you wait. with the amount of times you had already fallen asleep in mammon's car, it was almost easier to just fall asleep instead of pretending. but you keep yourself awake, and you're glad you did when you hear mammon open the driver's door and mutter to himself about how you had gone and fallen asleep before the ride. you feel him hover above you as he tries to buckle you in, but before he can finish, you wrap your arms around his neck and tug him close, kissing him on the underside of his jaw.

mammon blinks at you, dumbfounded, before placing his hands on your shoulders and pushing himself away. "you- you're a jerk! why'd ya do that?!"

you brush his hands off, returning your seat to the right position and putting your seatbelt on. "i could just tell the great mammon needed some affection."

═  ˎˊ˗

lucifer; in the middle of a meeting.

it's not your fault for being so distracted. it's definitely lucifer's for being so dedicated to his work that he can't give you the time of day. so, you can't blame yourself for always shooting him a glance, even if he's already tried to reprimand you for not being focused. you groan internally everytime you look at the clock; you were fairly certain that this meeting didn't need to be two hours long anyways. by the time the meeting is at the ending remarks, you don't even realize it, having stared off into space for at least the last half hour. as you blink yourself back into reality, you make out the figures of lucifer and diavolo talking to each other about the budgeting for RAD classes, which you should be involved in, but can't bring yourself to join. instead, you decide to get lucifer's attention, beckoning him over with a wave. lucifer raises an eyebrow at you, but another wave of your hand has the avatar of pride walking over to you. you stand up to meet him, waiting for lucifer to stop in front of you before you pull him in, sealing your lips with his. lucifer's eyes widen in shock before promptly closing in bliss. for a second, he forgets where he is, until he hears diavolo laughing heartily from across the room. he quickly pulls away from you, straightening his uniform.

"... MC, please save these sorts of things for another occasion and not the meetings," lucifer says, voice cracking at the end of his sentence.

you send a wink towards diavolo, having to stop yourself from laughing at lucifer's expression. "that's lucifer speak for 'later tonight.'"

a/n: if you saw this while it was unfinished... no you didn't 😭😭😭

[blueiight]

ldpdl, ethnicity, and the false monolith of blackness

there's this false tendency to think amc louis being made black is pandering, or a means of removing louis from his oh-so-detailed /sarcasm/ background in the books. i also find that people tend to not even understand what show louis's ethnic background is, despite rolin jones the showrunner and even the fictional louis both coalescing around this multigenerational explanation of the gens de couleur in new orleans, and how jim crow disempowered them.

I came around to his ethnicity a sort of interesting way which is through Lestat. [ … ] I was like lets give him a legitimate a third attempt at figuring how to be with somebody for the rest of his life and how to not repeat your mistakes. [ … ] I started from there so it had to be someone with some money cause he had to be with his own folks and I thought he wanted someone who could fight back and who could be a challenge and would force him to restrain himself. And nobody at AMC was interested in 7 seasons of the regretful plantation owner, so we made Louis come from a lineage that did have a plantation and did own slaves.

rolin jones in the s1 post-finale episode of the podcast names how he came to this understanding of louis's character. lestat, after failing to make a bride of his mother, and a concubine of nicki, was seeking for someone of a similar background, or the most approximate equivalent. he would not have been interested in louis if louis was an anglophone baptist black man descended from upper-south arrivals into new orleans, nor would he have been interested in louis if louis was a poor black creole honestly s1 does not give a good reading of claudia's ethnic bg in new orleans, but since she cannot understand french, we can presume shes either a poor creole removed from her cultural background with her vampiric adoption narrative in mind, or was also of an anglophone baptist black background like claudia was. louis coming from this fallen sort of gentry, the free gens de couleur, similar to that of the tvl lestat who came from this barren aristocracy dating back to the crusades, was key to lestat's long-term goals with louis.

Capital accrued from plantations of sugar and the blood of men who looked like my great grandfather but did not have his standing. But then decades of Jim Crow and the electrified light of a new century had vanquished any idea of a free man of color. - AMC IWTV 1x01

louis was of the first generations of the gens de couleur to be born, raised into, and face the institutional and personal ramifications of being viewed as black in america. this fuels much of the character's rage as he moves through storyville, trying to continue the similar modality of exploitation to the contrary of pretty baby with brooke shields, majority of the brothel circuit was statistically black girls + women being sexually pawned off to white men but ultimately failing to do so bc of the anglophone white american class that now rules over him. [tom anderson, alderman fenwick, finn o’shea starting out as louis’s subordinate then ending w/ him entering whiteness by having a sporting house throwing torches at louis’s brothel in s1e3]

By 1850, the free population of color, beset by the hostility of white supremacy, was economically diminished and residentially segregated. The Americanization of Louisiana, and in particular New Orleans, was completed before the state became the sixth to secede from the Union in 1861 in the struggle over the perpetuation of slavery. [link] The Democratic redeemers who came to power in 1877 lost no time in redefining the Negro's "place" in Louisiana life. They immediately restored the color line in the New Orleans public schools and offered silent support to de facto segregation practices in places of public accommodation. With the assistance of two landmark decisions by the United States Supreme Court, the redeemers soon dismantled the egalitarian legal apparatus put together piece by piece under the Radicals. Finally in 1890 they began to write their "final solution" into Louisiana law with a series of "separate but equal" statutes. Soon New Orleans Negroes were again segregated in virtually every public pursuit. [link]