#so i do my two cents to try to share and give back to the amazing writers

[justalonelyslytherin]

Sometime in November of 2022, I started a spreadsheet to document all the awesome fics I was reading on Tumblr, and while I didn't talk about it, I continued doing this in 2023 too.

And I just got around to thinking it might be a good idea to see how many fics/posts I read last year in total. drum roll...

228 individual posts! That includes oneshots as well as chapters of series and the odd masterpost

I knew I read a lot in some months but it still is a lot. At the same time, it's not nearly enough because I know there are so many more amazing fics out, that I want to read and comment on and get a chance to reblog and more keep getting posted!

[ev3rgreenxtrees]

,,Little Bit”

-M.S

Synopsis: Matt agrees to go to a strip club with his friends, to help ‘relieve his stress’. What happens when things take a turn, and Matt actually takes some interest in this horrible fiasco?

Pairing: Switch!Matt X Fem!Stripper!Reader

Warnings: Pure smut. Don’t read if you don’t wanna, no ones forcing you. Unprotected p in v, degradation kink, praise kink, strippers & strip club, choking, oral (m receiving) , cum in pants.

Matt let out a sigh of annoyance as Chris slammed his car door, exiting their ‘shared’ S.U.V. As much as Matt didn’t want to be there, his friends told him it would help him ‘loosen up’, and they were all tired of ‘Tough Guy Matt’.

Matt followed Chris out of the car, almost immediately agreeing upon hearing the blasting music from the club.

“Chris, are you sure this isn’t weird? You’re my brother, I feel awkward going to a strip club with you.” Matt caught up with Chris, who just simply shook his head. “But..” Matt started, and Chris cut him off.

“Look, Matt, we can’t force you to be here, it is completely up to you. No, its not fucking weird, you’re acting like were the ones stripping. Go home if you want to, kid.” Chris sighed, as he continued walking to the door. Matt paused to think about what Chris said, and he eventually agreed.

What was the harm? Plus, he was bound to go to a strip club at least once in his life, so why not just go with people he trusts? He knew Chris was there, and a few of his other closer friends were already waiting inside for the pair, and that is why Chris was trying to make his way to the door quickly.

Matt let out a shaky breath, before jogging back up to Chris, as they both got stopped by the bouncer, for obvious reasons. They were both given the ‘good to go’, and they headed inside, Matt sticking to Chris as close as possible. Loosing Chris would cause him much more anxiety than what he had already built up.

Chris and Matt both walk up to the bar together, where their other friends had been seated. The spot gave them all a clear view of the stage, crowded with loud people, mostly men, seemingly in their mid-twenties, or maybe even early thirties. Him and his friends seemed to be part of the younger people there.

Matt let his eyes wander to the stage. There were only two girls stripping at the moment, one of them was you. The way you walked around the bar, your hands ever so slightly twisting around it, mimicking the exact motions you’d do if you were stroking his cock. The way your back arched, and your legs wrapped seductively around the silver pole, Matt was loosing his mind, just looking at you.

He cursed at himself for letting his mind picture such disgusting images about a woman, let alone one he had never even spoke to before- let alone seen before. Matt’s eyes were glued to your body, almost shamelessly. He felt horrible for thinking such vile thoughts, but you wouldn’t know. There was a very little chance you’d see him staring at you, since there were already so many men doing the same exact thing.

To Matt’s avail, he jinxed it. You looked in his direction before winking. His face immediately flushed crimson red, as his eyes widened. You continued to work your magic on the pole, Matt’s eyes wandering to your ass. Even though the wink was no doubt to him, he tried to play it off like it was for someone else. It would make him feel less guilty about his actions.

His eyes stayed sharp on your ass, pressed tightly against the leather of the material you were wearing. You were wearing such a short leather skirt, with a black lace bra, allowing people to only wonder what you had under the skirt. Every once in a while, your skirt would slightly lift up, giving a few people a view of the black lace panties you had on, that matched the bra you had.

Matt felt himself start to grow hard under his restricting jeans. He felt disgusted with himself. There had to be a bathroom, right? He could just run to the bathroom and back, before anyone even realized he left. They were too drunk and occupied to realize anyways.

Matt quickly stood up from his seat, and snuck into the crowd of people. He honestly hated being there. The place was crowded, loud, overwhelming, and now he was throbbing. He just wanted to go home. He tried staying as close to the walls as he could, assuming the bathroom would be connected to the wall. After walking for what seemed like forever, Matt was about to give up when he accidentally bumped into someone, much shorter than he was.

“Oh, fuck, ‘m sorry,” He mumbled, his voice quickly trailing off when he realized it was you that he bumped into. His eyes were no doubt trailing up and down your perfect body.

“That’s alright, pretty boy. Maybe if you kept your eyes where they belonged, you wouldn’t be running into people, hm?” You tilted your head, your hand finding its way to his chin, lifting it up, to make his eyes meet yours. You let out a small giggle as you realized just how flustered you made the boy. “Are ya lookin’ for somethin’, or just wandering around?” You asked curiously.

“I.. uh…” Matt trailed off, his eyes shamelessly looking down at his own jeans, the bulge clearly visible in his pants. “Bathroom..” He mumbled.

“Oh, baby..” You hummed. “That looks like it hurts so bad… Follow me, I’m sure I can make that pain go away,” You mumble, pressing your hand firmly against his pants, making him jolt under your touch. The way he was reacting let you know this poor boy was touch deprived. It wasn’t often that you would invite people to the back with you, it was usually them initiating first and offering money, which you almost never turned down. But this guy was different. He was hot as fuck, and he seemed to be around your age.

The boy nodded quickly, and you let a smirk cover your face. You took his hand in yours, as you swerved in and out of the large group of people in the crowded building. Matt was tense, and you could tell. It was nothing you couldn’t handle, though.

As you led him into one of the rooms in the back, his eyes widened. The room had LED’s lit red, and a pull out couch that was set up into a bed.

“Lay down for me..” You demanded, but then waited for him to tell you his name.

“M-matt,” The boy stuttered, as he laid down on the creaky bed.

“Okay, Matt. Good boy.” You cooed, looking at the boys flustered state. “Do you want me to fuck you, pretty boy?” You asked, as you got on the bed, beginning to hover over him, wanting to get permission before you do anything more.

“God, yes, please..” The boy whined, looking up at you with wide eyes. You nodded, and you took the opportunity to straddle his lap, your ass going right onto his boner. This caused the boy to let out a loud groan, as he gripped the sheets below him.

You leaned forwards, grinding your hips on the whining boy, placing a gentle kiss to his lips.

“Want me to mark you up, baby?” You offered, and Matt hummed in response. You let a small giggle out, at the fact that Matt wouldn’t even open his mouth, or he’d moan. God, he’s so sensitive.

You moved your lips down to his jawline, placing small kisses there. As you continued to move down to his neck, the kisses became more and more rough; leaving dark marks behind. You continued to move your ass over Matt’s dick, and the boy was still moaning beneath you. You wouldn’t be surprised if he was still a virgin, but you were still slightly surprised that he’s lasted this long already, by the state he was currently in.

“P-ugh, please-“ Matt moaned as his hips bucked up. ‘There you go’, you thought. You pulled his lips away from his neck, which was now basically half purple.

“Please what baby?” You teased, slowly running your hands along his clothed chest.

“I- Please, I need to..” He mumbled. He was so shy, it was so fucking awesome. You could tease him all day.

“Hm?” You hummed, and he whined loudly. You let out a small giggle, deciding you can be done teasing the helpless boy beneath you. “You need to cum, Matt? Is that it? Already?” You pouted, and Matt nodded. “In your pants, baby? Such a naughty boy.. Go ahead.” You permitted, and Matt groaned as his head flew back. He bucked his hips into you, and you began to feel a wet spot through his pants.

“Oh, god,” Matt moaned, as you stood off of him. He was out of breath, his chest heaving with his uneven breaths. “Fuck, you’re amazing.” He huffed.

“What? Never had sex before or something? Wait, please tell me you have-“ you started joking, but you quickly began to worry. Matt being a virgin isn’t an issue to you, nor does it bother you, you just definitely didn’t want to be his first time unless he wanted you to.

“Oh- No! I’m not,” He chuckled awkwardly. “I just.. recently broke up so.. haven’t done anything recently. Thats why i’m here, too. And im usually more of a dominant guy, so, thats why I said you’re amazing.” Matt sighed.

“Oh, ‘m sorry, sweetheart. Breakups suck.” You shook your head. How could someone break up with someone who’s heart was so pure? He was cute, too. You didn’t want to keep the conversation going, in case it would upset or make him uncomfortable. “Ya don’t seem to dominant to me, though, Matty.” You tilted your head and shrugged, placing your hands on the waistband of his pants and boxers, slowly tugging them down.

“I-I usually am-“ Matt faltered, as he lifted his hips off the bed, giving you much easier access to slip his unwanted clothing off.

“Yeah?” You teased, knowing you were clearly the dominant one here. The boy just nodded, and you yanked his pants and boxers all the way off. You stared at Matt’s cock in awe. It wasn’t the biggest you’ve ever seen, but it was pretty big, and girth. But unlike all the other one’s you’ve seen in the past, his was oddly.. pretty.

“W-why’re you looking at it like that.?” Matt asked confused, starting to get insecure.

“It’s pretty,” You chuckled. “and I dunno if I wanna suck it or ride it.” You hummed, and Matt whined.

“Please just ride me- I-I need to feel you,” He pleaded, and your eyes met his.

“Dominant. Huh.” You hummed, standing off of him.

“No- please, I-“ Matt fumbled, his hard cock leaking precum and its tip a throbbing red.

“Calm down, baby.” You chuckled, as your hands slipped to your back, allowing you to unclasp the lace bra you had on.

As Matt watched this action, he calmed down and went quiet. He nodded, and watched your tits spill out of the bra, the second you took it off. You threw it off to the corner, slipping your skirt off as well, leaving you in only your panties.

You crawled back onto the bed, and Matt’s hands immediately flew to your hips. You slipped his shirt off, so it wouldn’t get more sweaty than it had already been. He looked up at you with doe eyes, but then allowing his eyes to trail down your body.

“Jesus Christ, you’re fucking gorgeous,” He huffed, and you let out a small giggle.

“I could say the same for you.” You stated, your hand trailing down to his cock. You slid his tip through your soaked folds, causing you both to let out a small moan.

You sank slowly down onto the boys’ cock, letting out a loud whine as you did so. You slowly started to bounce, Matt grabbing harshly onto your hips.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, you’re so tight-“ He mumbles, his head falling back.

“Holy shit, baby, you fill me up so good,” You hummed. Usually, you’d keep your dirty talk to a minimum (not that it stopped your other few customers here and there), but for Matt, you could make an exception.

Matt let out a small whine at the remark, and you knew the boy loves being praised. You could tell by the small almost inaudible noises he’d make after every sweet praise that would roll off of your tongue so sinfully.

His back arched, and he let out a loud groan as you continued your fast-paced bouncing. He let out strings of curses, his eyes finally meeting yours once again.

“P-please-“ Matt groaned, and as much as you wanted to make him beg for it, you didn’t know his boundaries, and you don’t want to push him. He releases inside of you, letting a loud moan loose. You bounce a few more times, before getting off of him.

“What..?” You ask him, as he gives you an odd look.

“You.. Um… You didn’t cum?” Matt furrowed his eyebrows.

“Oh- No! It’s nothing with you, I swear. Most men just.. Don’t care about female pleasure. They just use me for whatever and then want to leave, so that’s what I let them do.” You shrugged, used to the feeling by now.

“No, no, no.” Matt shook his head, standing up besides you. “I am not one of those men. You will not leave this room until you cum. Understood?” Matt grabbed your chin, making your eyes meet his.

His sudden chance in demeanor caught you very off-guard, and it honestly turned you on. How could such a whiny and needy boy turn into this within the matter of seconds? Nonetheless, you nodded, squeezing your thighs together subtly, trying to not let Matt notice.

He pulled your jaw closer, making your lips meet his. The two of you kissed, and you simply allowed Matt dominance, as he pushed you backwards to the bed you were just on moments before.

He pushed you back onto the bed, hovering over your much smaller body. He never broke the kiss once. His hands traveled down your body, gently rubbing along your sides and stomach, your thighs and arms. Everyplace he could touch, he was.

He pulled away from the kiss, flipping you over harshly, causing you to be laying on your stomach. He reached down, and pulled your ass up in the air, causing your hands and knees on the bed, your back perfectly arched,

“Fuck, ma, gonna take my cock like a needy slut? Huh?” He growled, slapping your ass harshly, causing you to let out a yelp in both surprise and a slight twinge of pain.

“Yes- just please, hurry up,” You whined out, causing Matt to chuckle.

“Needy little whore, can’t even wait a few minutes?” Matt tutted, gripping onto the base of his cock, sliding it through your slick folds a few times. Each time, he let his tip linger at your entrance, leaving you to wonder when he was really going to push in.

You so badly wanted to just push yourself backwards, forcing yourself onto his cock, but you know that would only end in a punishment for you. You let out a frustrated groan, and Matt took this opportunity to slam himself into you.

You gasped, and immediately became a moaning mess for him. His pace was much quicker than what you were bouncing on him at, and he was also hitting much deeper and in the right spots at this new angle.

“Fuck! Matt, Matt, Matt!” You chanted his name like a mantra, as he fucked deeper and deeper into you, keeping such a hard grip on your hips, you were sure it would bruise by the morning- or possibly even later tonight.

“Fuck, that’s it. Just keep taking my cock, like the slut you are, hm? Fuck, yeah. You’re taking me so, so well.” Matt mumbled, his hand following your leg, reaching your throbbing clit. He began rubbing in circular motions as he pounded into you at a relentless pace, causing your eyes to roll to the back of your head.

If you were being honest, you hadn’t had your last orgasm since a while ago, which was quite surprising, since ‘this’ was your job. You felt a slightly familiar knot tie in your stomach, this knot continuously getting tighter and tighter by the second, and you tried to warn Matt, knowing it would snap at any moment.

“M-Matt, cum!” You moaned, and without permission, you let yourself loose on Matt’s cock. He quickly pulled out, replacing his cock with his tongue, allowing you to ride out your high.

He had came as he was pulling out, and you pulled quickly away, as his tongue was quickly overstimulating you. He stood up, chuckling as he watched you collapse onto the bed, him doing the same next to me.

“I’m still technically at work, but.. I’d love to do that again sometime.” You shrugged, looking over at a cheesing Matt. “Why’re you smiling like that?” You questioned.

“You said most men don’t make you cum. I did,” Matt grinned, winking at you. “And, hell yeah. I’d fuckin’ love to do that again sometime.”

『 ↳✧･ﾟ Finn yaps❕ ;

me cause im so so so incredibly bad at endings LMAO😭😭 but thank you sm for reading, and SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG TO ACC FINISH I LOST MOTIVATION HALFWAY THRU BUT I RLY LIKED THE IDEA SO I DIDN’T WANNA JUS GIVE UP😭

˗ˏˋ꒰ 🍒 ꒱ I do NOT give permission for my work to be published on any other site, nor to be claimed as your own . However , reblogs , likes , and comments are much appreciated ! 🤍

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ @bernardenjoyer @lovely-calypso

[smartie-chan]

Long rambling incoming in 3,2,1...

I know that I'm not really any kind of big celebrity in the Stobotnik world. The only thing I've got going for myself is the fact that I've been there since the very beginning, with my one 'I'm so proud of this community' Meme getting a like or two every full moon or so. It's also been a hot second since I've written a Stobotnik Fic, and yet, I've never really left the fandom. Far from it.

So boooooy, when that trailer dropped, let's just say, I've been going wild! That being said, I have calmed down a tiny bit and woud like to share my two cents with you all.

Especially since, considering how gay the trailer was, I've noticed people kind of leaning into either of two camps.

Team 1: They might actually make it canon y'all. This is not a drill!!!!

or

Team 2: This is the most intense queerbaiting I've ever seen, but fuck it, take my money!

Now, I will tell you where I'm standing at the end of things, but let's talk facts before I do, shall we?

I know Jim & Lee were having fun on set during Movie 1, but I doubt either of them expected us all to get quite this feral over these two evil man. In fact, I'm not sure what their plans were for Agent Stone in general. I'd love to believe that they saw us freaking the fuck out and decided to make Stone a big part of the sequels because of that. But then I look at the Robotnik Mushroom Planet scene and think: They gave this man an actual stone to hold onto, going so far as to carve Stone's face into said stone, just so he could pretend he wasn't alone and Stone was still with him. Clearly, Robotinik was never willing to admit that he cared, admit that there could be someone who he had allowed to get close, given that there had never been anyone before who had cared enough about HIM, so why should HE make the mistake of caring about someone else either. Cause, you know, it's easier to pretend there's noone than admit that there could be, just to realise that you were wrong actually. And yet. Despite all that he held onto Stone the stone, like his life depended on it. I love that scene because it's hella gay, but I love it even more because it's amazing writing, giving us the payoff for the forshadwed "I won't miss you when you're gone" scene from way back when. They didn't have to do that. And yet they made that choice. Included that moment for a reason. So I'd love to think that even back then, they were very willing to play with the dynamic of them going forward.

Clearly things and plans changed After Movie 1 , after we saw these two and made Stobotnik as big as it is. I'll talk about movie 2 in a hot second, but let's return to the way they promoted 2 first. Cause THAT was CLEARLY queerbaiting ... or was it... ? For you see, they knew what they were doing, they knew how to get us all excited , posting this on Valentine, letting Sonic make a heart, drawing the whole thing in a romantic light, going so far as to include bi-lighting in the trailer. On top of the latte art that was designed to get us queers to show up. I saw that art, freaked out and showed it to all of my friends. One friend, let's call her Barbara, smiled at me, like you smile at somone who still believes in the Easter Bunny and told me she hoped I knew they were playing with me. In fact, she was kind of dissapointed I allowed them to get to me so much. And I KNEW. I knew they were trying to bait me. I'm not stupid. This isn't the first time I've been queerbaited after all. And it won't be the last time, that's for sure. And yet, I didn't care because I loved that they acknowledged us. Loved that they were willing to give us something, even if it wasn't actually real and they were clearly NEVER going to include actual ship latte art of Stone & Robotnik together. Cause that would be gay. Haha. And those two totally weren't gay. Ain't I right? :)) Queer rep has gotten more common and yet, so has queerbaiting. Cause nowadays the chance that something could be actually made canon is way more likely than it was, let's say, 15 years ago. So companies love to use that, love playing into that even more. Like, do I have to remind you all what they were doing for the Deadpool & Wolverine movie marketing ??? Just saying.

As much as I love Lee and as much as we're loosing our marbels every time he as much as winks in our direction, I'll not be using any of his posts as evidence for the points I'm about to make further down. Cause, you know, at the end of the day, he's just one of us as well. Another shipper. A hella supportive shipper who may or may not have had a hand in the way he portrayed Stone, but still. Love you Lee. Thank you for having our back!

So now. Movie 2. And the godforsaken Maid Dress Scene. I hope we are all proud of ourselves. Cause that scene was our doing. I promise you, promise you!!! they didn't have that planned before the fandom happend. They saw us and were like "You can have this. As a treat :3". Personally I didn't freak out as much as the rest of you all, but I'm glad you guys had fun. It was a gift to us after all, so I guess it's fine if we enjoyed it. Jokes aside though, let's get back to what movie 2 did, even though they may or may not have realised it at the time. As in: They made Stobotnik canon. What do you mean by canon, Smartie?????, you might ask. And I'll answer, cause it's simple: I mean canon, as in canon. Yes, that's right. Stobotnik has been canon for a while... or... at least 50% of it. Let's get back to the Latte, shall we? Back then I thought they were making fun of us. Queerbaiting at it's finest. And then the movie happend and Stone confessed his love right then and there for the world to see, basically drawing fanart into Robotnik's caffe for who knows how long and Robotnik? That stupid -3000 IQ genius knew. He fucking knew!! Has always known and was either unwilling to read between the lines or mistook the affection for simple loyalty. Not-Spoiler: It's the later by the way, because we have that deleted scene. That beautiful deleted scene. But let's get back to the art for a second. Because I was basically dying in my seat. And I didn't think people were talking about it enough, cause it was the proof, not that stupid maid outfit that was simply put in as a joke that audiences were supposed to laugh at. But this. This! The whole scene were Stone was lovesick and heartbroken, drawing art of his lost non-lover, the way the life returned to his eyes the second said man returned, on top of literally all of him for the rest of the movie prooved one thing to me: Agent Stone was in love with Dr. Robotnik. It's clear he's never said so out loud, and for a good reason, but he didn't have to. It was so obvious anyone with an IQ lower than 299 could have seen. Just a shame that that one 300 IQ guy couldn't. So now, deleted scene time. Woopwoop. :P Recall how they had planned to make Stone even more in love and heart-eyed - JESUS CHRIST MY GUY - but went for an alternative scene instead? In case you aren't familiar with the scene, it's basically Stone telling Robotnik how he's followed his guide-lines, making the Stone Comic Canon, how he's made sure noone touched his babies, how he's known he'd return, how he's waited for him all this time cause he knew KNEW he'd come back and for a second there Robotnik doesn't know what to say. He looks that man in the eyes and for a split second he wonders, questions, and then... then he's scared. Scared of what that could mean. Scared that he could actually mean something to someone and he panics and decides to use violence to laugh it off, to refelect, to pretend that in that moment, he didn't actually feel something. That Stone didn't make him feel ... vulnerable. Because at that point, he cares too. He's not ready to admit it, at least not without having to joke about it. But he does. He does!! And the thought of it being mutual scares him. Probably more than anything ever has. Because if he allows this, this feeling to settle and bloom, he's got to admit that this, whatever it is, has the power to destroy and hurt him. And he can't do that. Maybe not again. Maybe not ever. Not now. Not now that he's what... 40? and has found peace with the fact that he'll die alone.

I know they were leaning into Stobotnik a lot, but they also... kind of didn't, following the natural consequences of the stuff they had set up in the prior movie, allowing Robotnik to go through an actual character arc. It's subtle, and he's still and asshole - always wil be - but that doesn't change the fact that his arc still exists and is actually very well done. Stone doesn't really have that obvious of an arc. Because it's not really much of an arc, we're just learning more about him, fleshing out his character. The only thing we know for certain is, that he adores and loves Robotnik and that he's willing to betray everyone and everything for him. Even if Robotnik never loves him back. He's accepted that, as long as he's alowed a place at his side.

And now, my fellow shippers, movie 3. Or rather, pre-movie 3. And the much discussed question: Are we getting queerbaited? Well, that depends how you define queerbaiting, doesn't it? Is it queerbaiting if it's unrequited love? Cause that's our current standpoint. Stone has found his doctor, nursed him back to health, lived with him, been by his side for months (years) and the only thing that is standing in their way now is: Robotnik's feelings. They have great build-up, put this man on a path, shown us how he's grown and now all that's left is to see, how they'll decide to finish his story. If I look at all that's happend up to this point, from a writing/writer stand-point, I'd say, that it would make sense for Robotnik to admit, that he cares. Cause that has been his arc, his journey. To admit that yes: He doesn't care about humanity, but he does care about Stone. Has for a very long while in fact. Be that platonic, or romantic. Doing literally anything else would not make sense at that point and would actually be an insult to their own work. And their writing has been pretty solid, so I'm confident we will get something. Especially since... I HAVE seen the leaks. Now, storyboards are just that. Something from early development, something that could change. Which is why I'd normally ignore them.... iiiiiiiif it weren't for that one line from the trailer. That one. fucking. line. That made me realise: Holy shit, those mad lads are doing it. They are finishing Robotnik's arc. That's when I understood why Team 1 was loosing their marbels. Because,

SPOILER!!!!! he is going to admi it. He is going to admit it to himself, and he's gonna do something so wild and crazy it scares me more than you understand. The only question is. Will he surive to tell the tale? And if he does, will he be brave enough to share that admission with Stone?

END OF SPOILER

I don't have links to the storyboard. In retrospect, I should have saved them. But what's done is done. Not that I cod delete the knowledge of what I've seen even if I tried. People seem hesitant to tell people all they have seen, cause those of us who have, and know the Sonic 2 story seem to have a good understanding of what and when that spoiler is taking place. And especially what outcome it seems to be leading into. But, if anyone asks, I am willing to share what it was I saw. If you really wanna know. If you are truly sure.

That being said. How do I feel about Stobotnik? I don't think we're getting a kiss. But I think (and hope) we're gonna get a moment. A moment of Robotnik being open, of him sharing that Stone means somethig to him. They even have the potential to include a joke here, of Stone perhaps attempting to hug Robotnik, for him to allow it for 3 seconds or so, only for him to punch Stone and say something along the lines of: "Okay, that's enough." You know, something close to the High Five moment, just THIS TIME they actually do the high five (or hug). You can have the feels and the joke. It's still Robotnik after all. It's what I'm hoping for, actually, cause I don't think Robotnik is ready for THAT admission quite yet. A hug though? That I could see.

I know we still have to fight against being exploited and played with, but that being said, I don't think love confessions have to always be that huge thing, that clashing of tongues and body parts. They can also be soft and quite. A moment of vulnerability and trust. Of openness. In fact, if Robotnik were to allow Stone a hug, it would be even more impactful than a kiss could ever be. He's hugging Gerald in the trailer, so they have shown me that they are not afraid to make this man hug.

It gives me hope. And it - and the leaks - are the reason why I'm Team 1. I think we could actually get canon Stobotnik you all. And I'm so hyped you don't understand. Let's see what Stobotnik marketing they are going to feed us over the next few months. I, for one, am looking forward to it. ^-^

Live long and prosper 🥚🖤🪨

[vixensbrainrotts]

Money, honey - Kokonoi Hajime

Content: imagine

Tropes: Tenjiku! Kokonoi, established relationship, neither Inui siblings exist for sake of convenience (or else there would be immense plot-holes but this is a fanfic so it doesn’t really matter)

Summary: you and Kokonoi having been put in a forced marriage at a young age and being okay with it. Both of you have seen and felt the positive impact you both make not only on your bank accounts but also on each other. yes the relationship you both share is more based on convenience, but he is your husband after all. So when during a Tenjiku meeting he is asked about the single diamond-encrusted ring on his finger, he reveals your existence to them. How convenient is it that you're coming to find him right now, too?

Vixens two cents: hi all! This is something that has been rotting away in my drafts for very, very long time, and since I’m on a streak today (3 posts in a day?!) I’ve decided to give this some daylight too. Let me know what you think of this, and remember that REQUESTS ARE OPEN!!! yes, now enjoy the rich and famous!

"Wait Kokonoi, since when do you wear rings?" Rindou asked during a semi-official meeting where his attendance was only half-required. At that question Kokonoi’s faces into an uncharacteristically warm smile, his eyes softening as he said “I’ve always worn this ring, you must have failed to notice it prior..” his voice drifts off dreamily as he started at the diamond encrusted jewelry. Completely bewildered Rindou started to back away from the Financier, making a straight backwards lunge towards his brother.

“Ran.” Rindou nearly whisper-shouted, his voice cracking unattractively, fierce stare still fixed on the suspicious acting Koko. Slightly annoyed due to being interrupted, Ran sighs and turns to face Rindou “What could you possibly wa-“ “fucking emergency. Kokonoi has lost it. He’s gone. Fucking depleted. Only good for the loony bin.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Ran questioned, excusing himself from the prior conversation before turning back to his brother. “Look, look. Over there. See that? The way he’s staring at that ring, which might I add I have never seen before?!” Rindou points at the male in question, prompting Ran’s eyes to follow the accusatory finger. And lo and behold, Rindou wasn’t lying. Both the expression and the jewelry Kokonoi wore looked awfully foreign, so soft that it made Ran’s skin crawl in disgust. “What the fuck.” Ran mumbled.

Both Haitanis were fixated on Kokonoi, eyes wide as saucers, hectically darting from his hand to his face and back down to the ring… The softness of his face- his normally cold eyes especially- was a spectacle incomparable to anything that they had ever seen. The brothers share a look, both of their mouths hanging open. „We have to clear this shit up.“ Rindou states and Ran nods in silent response, grabbing his brothers arm, tugging the both of them closer to Kokonoi.

„Hey Koko.“ Ran states, voice coming out slightly more strained than he would have liked. „What’s- whats good?“ Kokonoi didn’t spare them a glance when they approached, keeping his eyes transfixed on the ring on his finger. In desperation, the borthers‘s eyes meet once again, clearly helpless in this situation as they tried to figure out what the hell was going on.

„What do you need from me now, hmm?“ Kokonoi‘s voice was still sickly sweet as he spoke, clearly influenced by the glittering gems in the ring. „Well..“ Ran starts again, a little unsure how to phrase the question lingering on his mind. „So that ring…“ Rindou tries this time. „What about it?“ Kokonoi quips.

It takes everything for Ran to choke out the question, and he thinks this might be the most uncomfortable situation he's ever been in.„Does it have any greater significance?“

The Haitani‘s pathetic try at interviewing the financier were interrupted by a smooth, honeylike voice„Haji?“. Crips and clean it cut through the air, ringing uncharacteristically high in comparison to the low huffs and grunts the Tenjiku hideout normally hears from it's members. The brothers barely have time to register the call before they notice the way that Kokonoi‘s head snaps up, his eyes wide and loving upon hearing the noise.

The hand he was previously so enthralled in drops, falling limply at his side as he focuses on the owner of the voice instead. „Yes?“ his voice is meek and soft when he speaks, lacking the sharp, silver-tongued edge it normally has and rather mirroring the call.

Finally, the brothers turn to look at the voice. As if the world had slowed down around them, their heads turned and met sight with something magical. A woman.

She was coming their way, slowly, confidently taking long strides, the long, open Trench-coat flowing smartly behind you, an invisible wind causing it to billow majestically with every step. The rhythmic click click click of your heels against the floor seemed to hypnotize as neither of them could peel their eyes away.

When they realised that you were coming their way, they scrambled to seem put together. Ran hastily pulled a hand over his hair, haphazardly smoothing down any flyaways, and Rindou straightens his uniform gloves and pushes his glasses up on his nose, forcing his eyes to be sleepy (he thinks it looks sexy).

Once you reach the three though, you dont spare either of them a moment of your time, passing them curtly and walking straight on towards Kokonoi. He in response opened his arms invitingly for you, which you took- giving him a quick side hug and a kiss on the cheek before pulling away and straightening yourself.

Both Haitanis clearly deflated at the display of affection and shared a glance. Whilst this answered some questions the brothers had, a million new ones took their place and zoomed around their brains hectically. Ran (still a little hopeful that perhaps you’re just Kokonoi’s long lost sister) opened his mouth, about to ask of your whereabouts and why you’re here (and what your connection to the financier is but he wouldn’t have asked even if he could).

You beat him to it though. “They want us both to be present during the board meeting, which I find ridiculous, but they specifically reached out to my agent to request both of our presences.” Your hands came up to his uniform as you spoke, smoothing out the collar and brushing off non-existent dust.

Kokonoi’s eyes furrowed in confusion and he looked down as you, one arm still wrapped around your wait loosely, keeping you pulled to his side. “What, aren’t you enough? I think I’d anything at all they should be happy it’s you and not me sitting there. Why’d they want both of us?”

The Haitani brothers watched you discuss as if they were watching a tennis match, eyes flipping left and right to follow the leader of the conversation, only to return back to the other to hear the response. They didn’t have the slightest idea what this was about, but they were oddly intrigued by your very adult-sounding problems.

“Something about co-ownership of our shared title in the board. Not sure why they couldn’t just get a different ambassador to act as triangulation if only one of us would come, but I suppose it’s because of some type of marital regulations that have to be followed.” Your left hand ended up resting on his collarbone, and shiny, glittering jewelry that embezzled your hand glinted in the overhead lights. One item in particular caught the eye upon closer inspection.

The ring.

The same ring that Kokonoi wore sat pretty on your left hand, the white-gold band mirroring his perfectly.

The brothers noticed. They noticed and shared a sullen, rather beat moment of eye contact, grieving the things that could have been. Rindou is shameless enough to butt into your important sounding conversation. “Wait hold on so you’re married?”

You both halted your conversation and turned your heads to face him before turning back to each other. “They don’t know?” You ask Hajime with slightly wide eyes, a voice just above a whisper. He looks back at you, eyes just as wide as he shrugs and whispers back: “No I haven’t told them, sorry sweetheart I hadn’t figured that they’d ever meet you.”

You look at him with an incredulous look, nodding slowly. “Right…” moments of awkward staring passed before both of you sighed. „You or me?“ Kokonoi asked you in a brief whisper, and you whispered back: „You, i did it last time.“

Kokonoi groaned, seemingly remembering the aforementioned ‚last time‘. The brothers shared another look, but chose to remain quiet, silently bidding for him to speak. „We’re bound by a contract strictly immersed in the world of business. What brought us together was a marriage of convenience and mutual agreement of such circumstances. Originally, we were arranged to stay solely engaged, but as we prospered together as an item, we both started seeing the benefits that came not only financially, but also in terms of time management and simple, casual things. So, individually we decided to make it a permanent, and we’re please try surprised by each others willingness to bind ourselves to this contract for life.“

Kokonoi’s voice sounded calm, almost rehearsed, but that was probably due to the frequency of how often both of you probably had to explain this. Despite the monotone nature of the words, his voice still sounded sincere, if not almost sweet at times, as he glanced at you every so often, eyes lighting up for a split second.

Something within the brothers stirred, something unbelievable. They for some reason didn’t doubt the nature and seemingly effortless chemistry between the two of you, and they couldn’t lie and say they didn’t see the way you two looked at one another. It was a complete picture, a stark contrast to the usually silver-tongued, quick-witted, highly calculated individual they knew Kokonoi to be.

No, this Kokonoi was unknown to them. This Kokonoi had a stable relationship- a wife. This Kokonoi has stars in his eyes as he watched you confirm what he said, adding details about how the two of you met. This Kokonoi held your waist softly and squeezed once, twice to remind you of the time, and why you were here in the first place. This Kokonoi whispered to you softly underneath his breath, prompting you to nod and give the Haitani‘s both a quick handshake and a goodbye before turning around in Koko‘s arm and allowing him to drag you off towards the exit.

Rindou took off his glasses and said a quick prayer, hoping that perhaps some day he could be hit with the same stroke of luck that Kokonoi had, and Ran watched as the two of you passed Kakucho, who seemed acquainted with you, and nodded as you exchanged a quick few words, presumably excusing your absence.

Both Haitani’s could tell that the debrief session after this would be juicy, and that they had to get to know you closer. Perhaps you could tag along to the next upper echelon meeting Tenjiku was hosting.

[grace-kami]

Gentle touch, soft praises makes a complete mess of him 😏

Carlo and Romeo NSFW is finished! As requested! This is my spiciest artwork yet!🔥

TW: 🍆💦

Send me a DM here or on Twitter for full picture, its more private that way!!

Please read

If you're a minor, don't bother asking. If I don't see your age on your blog, please don't take offense when I ask how old you are. I'm just trying to be safe. Getting banned on Tumblr is a fear of mine.

This is my fourth NSFW project, if you'd like to see my other ones, just let me know! Don't be shy, I'm always happy to share my artwork to anyone who ask politely. No judgement. I'm a nice person, I promise.

If you send me request, it's only fair you follow or reblog me in return. Win-win ya? If I don't respond to request right away, patience please. I'm a busy lady but I always respond when I can.

Do not repost anywhere without permission. Nothing pisses me off more than stolen art. If I see my work posted elsewhere without my permission then I'll have to stop making spicy art. Nothing to steal if there's nothing made.🤷‍♀️

I'm open to respectful constructive criticism, I seek to be a better artist. Making NSFW art is still VERY new to me so feed back is important but you don't have to give feedback if you don't want to.

And lastly, all I ask is respect to me and to everyone. If you don't like my work, save your two cents and keep it to yourself. My confidence is fragile. I work hard on my projects. My blog is for spreading positivity, humor, support and kindness (and a bit of spice🔥). Who has time for drama? Not me, fam.

If you have any question for me or want to chat, my ask box and DMs are always open.🥰

Much love, friends.🫂❤️

[sunflowerofchaos]

Okay enough time has passed for me to throw my two cents into the Bridgerton discourse. Many are displeased with the season and part 2 specifically. I have been trying to piece together what my issues were with it and I hope that someone can find this and maybe find something that clicks as to why the season may have been disappointing.

I am a big polin stan. In fact I started watching for and because of them. Totally believed in the supremacy of their story because of their adorable friendship and the long build up ever since the pilot.

I loved part one. That will be controversial but I truly did. Was the pacing a bit off? Yes it was!

But did it give us the romcom atmosphere, the yearning, the love? Yes definitely! I'll even argue that part one, the going from "friendship to love" is done more beautifully in the show than in the book. People said one kiss is all it takes for Colin but that's really not true in the show. If you take account of the history we have because of season 1 and 2 it doesn't feel that way.

And the funny thing is that despite part one having a bunch of side plots, it worked. It was walking on the edge of being too much but it didn't cross the line.

Not yet anyways... so here are my 6 big errors of part 2

Like everyone I was way too hyped after the carriage scene, which leads to..

Error number 1: The break after the carriage scene set the bar too high. The long break filled with press and interviews further hyping up part 2 after that high consequently did damage to the reception of part 2. I believe that almost anything after the carriage would appear as a let down due to the wait. That's kind of unfair to the show I know, but it also makes sense as we, the audience would have abnormally high expectations that are difficult to please.

Part 2 is flawed and there is no arguing that. The beginning of it felt like a let down due to the split right after the carriage scene aka the climax of part 1 (pun intended) but fine objectively speaking episode 5 and 6 are nice. But then comes error number 2, the fact that we have 2 episodes where their love is clouded by the secret of lady whistledown. I feel like that was problematic to the pacing of part 2 (which is a problem in itself). The tension in episode 5 was necessary but also so much. So much that Colin literally questions her feelings. Then episode 6 instead of lifting that cloud sooner, continues to sour the polin scenes until the very end of the episode. The reveal should have been earlier in episode 6, so they have time to properly heal and be happy. (Seperate errors that I will adress)

Error number 3 is how the wedding fell under the dark cloud of the angst. I was wishing it would be the happy wedding of bridgerton and it was happier than Daphne's or Anthony's (not that we saw the real one) but the queen disrupting the wedding felt like another punch. One more time we were close to seeing their happiness but couldn't. (Something we barely get to see at all)

Then error number 4 (my personal enemy). The pacing of the conflict and healing. The way Colin was hurting was amazingly portrayed by Luke and I even understand how Colin wanted to hurt Pen with the entrapment comment and unlike many I won't hate him for it at all. But one thing where the writing really failed me is how polin shared a number of scenes that could've had a bigger role in their healing but ultimately didn't. I will list the scenes and how EVERYTIME we think they are a step closer to healing, they go back to square one and how that effects the scene where they eventually do "heal".

Exhibit A: The modiste scene. Beautiful confrontation and it really set up the possibility of them talking through it more but then it ends abruptly with Colin shutting down (however I'm inclined to give this one some saving grace because at least they talk)

Exhibit B: The wedding. Colin once again gives us hope that perhaps they're closer to making up but when Colin walked away with Pen and they had a second confrontation where she states that she is lady whistledown, I expected Colin to at least accept that statement and not revert back to being in denial about it afterwards and shutting down again. This could've been the scene where Colin starts to accept them as one. (Not to take away from the letters scene but it would have been a great foundation for it)

Exhibit C: The bedroom scene. Ah my personal nominee. This scene could've been so much more and no I don't mean a sexy scene. This scene could've been thee scene where they talk. It would've felt more powerful to have the talk that they have in Bridgerton house in their bedroom instead. I can't stress how it would've fit perfectly and been book compliant. If they had utilized this scene better, then polin being at Fran's wedding the next day would've have felt more emotional and helped convince us of them gradually solving the conflict. Netflix, that wouldn't even take from your running time. Pen could've confronted him there as she did in the book. Colin could've faced his jealousy right then and there instead of having Cressida point it out for him and still not facing it.

Exhibit D: Bridgerton house. Yes they do talk here and you can see that scene as the one where they settle things prior to the ball, BUT one it is too close to the end and it feels cut short which frankly doesn't seem enough for the viewers to believe that they now have joined hands. This scene was personally not enough for me. I think if you expand the conversation it would be much better or again if you put this dialogue in the bedroom scene it would have been powerful and helped the pacing as the bedroom scene was in the first half of the finale and this one way too close to the ball.

You'll see that every scene post reveal is following the same frustrating pattern of them brushing over the problem. You in turn get your hopes up for it to develop further into forgiveness, then voila Colin shuts down and goes back to square one. That was extremely frustrating for me as a viewer as it happened multiple times, especially since it seems ridiculous to leave the conflict in the air till the last 10 minutes when they have had several opportunities to solve it sooner. Colin's peace at the end comes too suddenly as those previous scenes don't see him gradually make peace with the matter but always shutting down and running. Those scenes could have been used to show the steps of him gradually getting over it, forgiving her and facing himself.

Error number 5. The side plots and overall pacing.. As I said part 1 walked the fine line but part 2 crossed it. What do you mean that we get more scenes of secondary characters than polin getting over their conflict and having some time to see their happiness. That messes with the pacing, making part 2 seem to want to cram up as much plot as possible. You have Francesca's love match, Benedict's exploration, Eloise's general conflict and dynamic with Cressida, Cressida's own story, Violet's arc, lady Danbury and her brother's conflict, the Mondrichs arc, the solicitor, queen etc...

This season was simply TOO ambitious for its own good. It tried to do too much. Suddenly it didn't feel like polin season but rather the season to set everything up for the next season and that really hurts as a polin fan.

Finally error number six which is by far the most famous error. The lack of happy polin. As I explained episode 5 and 6 while showed some happiness it didn't feel real because of the secret constantly hanging around. They were happy but you as a viewer might have felt more worried and had a more bittersweet feeling. Especially when you see Colin get more and more anxious and insecure during those episodes. Then episode 7 and 8 sees them miserable most of the time. That sucks even though it is necessary it still sucks. Sucks because after all that put together we don't get to see it pay off. 4 episodes of angst and they give you one scene that suddenly heals it, 10 seconds sexy scene and an epilogue scene where they suddenly have a baby. It is simply not enough to balance out the dark vibe of the entirety of part 2. That is why thousands of people are hanging onto the petition to release the deleted scenes. So we can finally see the pay off of the angst and can properly balance out the emotions that came with it and move on.

Not to mention the absolutely wasted confession of Colin Bridgerton.. when he said I love you at the end of episode 8 I was already thinking "with everything that you are, everything you have been and everything you hope to be????!!!" But then he didn't say it and I was confused as to why they would possibly not use THEE love confession??? Since that's Bridgertons thing??? Having incredible confessions... And it's not like it didn't fit in fact it would have fit so well. At this point if you squint you might imagine hearing luke continuing the line for God's sake. That remains a mystery that makes no sense to me.

So by now I don't think anyone got that far and I can't complain because I wrote this for me. To structure my thoughts and make peace with it. And so to sum up these errors: the split, the structure of episode 5/6, the wedding sadness, the way the conflict/healing was handled, the pacing with the side plots and the lack of happiness to counteract the angst. I will revisit part 1 happily and just stop after the mirror lol. I will look forward to seeing polin happy in 2 years I guess.. and I do believe that when season 4 comes out and they're happy and are hanging around we will accept season 3 way more and come to hopefully love it.

[zoeykallus]

heya! I'm not sure if your requests are closed, and by no means do I hope to overwhelm you further with more requests :'D feel free to ignore this especially bc it's more of a negative request aaa

so as context: sometimes I zone out and due to my childhood I will flinch if I see a movement coming at me which at the time I thought was understandable/normal but my bf has already expressed his disappointment every time I flinched or denied physical affection and left me being the one who apologizes for a reflex and I was wondering how the batch (platonically) would react to the reader (preferably female) telling them that story if the reader was the batch's bffs or smth? :'D (plus Cody if that's okay!) I'd be curious to know if they would just try to calm me down or if they would try to encourage me to get that specific thing fixed maybe?

argh I'm so sorry for the long ass text cRIES

again no pressure whatsoever with this waaah

Aloha! 😊

Interesting question. Personally, I think personal space should always be respected, no matter how close we are with someone. In a relationship, most people tend to loving physical contact in many different forms, and I see how this reaction can be surprising or off-putting for some. But with a little empathy and patience, that really shouldn't be a problem for a partner to get used to and accept. If my partner is jumpy with such reflex reactions, I should be able to adjust. There is a reason for this reaction and I think you shouldn't be, or feel pressured to apologize for it. All in all, communication (and an understanding, open mind) is key, as it almost always is. Then there is also the option to try and get that out of your system, so to speak. Therapy might help, it's worth a try or two. After all, it would possibly make things easier for you as well, giving you more comfort in everyday life. Easier said than done, I know. But that's just my two cents. Either way, I'm wishing you all the best 😊 Let's see...

The Bad Batch/Cody x Reader HCs - The Flinch

Warnings: Implied Trauma / Traumatic Reflex Reaction

_________

Ko-Fi (If you feel like giving me some coffee)

_________

>Masterlist<

Hunter

It can happen casually, maybe he doesn't really think about it, just wants your attention for a moment, but you are busy, and your mind is elsewhere. A brief touch on the shoulder, innocent, gentle, without ulterior motives. Still, you flinch and turn around so quickly, startled, that he flinches briefly himself.

Hunter in no way intended to scare you or offend you, he would never do that consciously. Of course, he apologizes, you are close friends, he knows your past that you confided in him.

"I should have known better, I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

He is patient, gentle and forgiving. Hunter tries his best to be sensitive to you and respect your boundaries. He is careful in his interactions with you, considerate.

Echo

The first time it happens, he is so startled by your reaction that he backs away and looks at his hand as if he expects to see it red-hot, or spiked. He blinks a few times, then says, "Sorry, did I scare you?"

Whether you confide in him or not, Echo will never hold it against you. He can understand that your reaction has a background, and he can respect that you don't want to share it with him. This does not change the fact that he will take it into consideration.

He sometimes seems strict and so serious, but he has an antenna for the sensitivities of others. It is in his nature to be considerate.

Wrecker

He is a bit impetuous and very affectionate. Scaring you or triggering a reaction is never his intention, but it can still happen quite a few times. You can speak openly with Wrecker, he is happy to listen to you, he is understanding even if you don't tell him everything.

He will always apologize if it still happens accidentally, and he will never blame you for these reactions. He will rather make sure that others around you respect your personal space as well.

Tech

He is not a particularly physical guy. On the contrary, Tech values his personal space and usually respects that of others around him. In combat, this may not be possible at times, but in general everyday life, Tech tends to keep a polite distance.

If he does trigger that automatic flight or defensive reaction, he apologizes immediately, and you can assume it won't happen again. He himself is not a fan of surprising touches, which is why he doesn't like Wreckers' little nudges at all and usually lets them pass with rolling eyes or critically furrowed brows.

Crosshair

As almost always, his first reaction is a bit grumpy. He doesn't immediately understand what's going on, but he's a good observer and a bright guy. Of course, he notices that you have these reactions more often, even with other people.

Crosshair reads your body language and realizes that this is a learned, habitual reflex reaction. He understands that there is a real, possibly deep-seated reason behind it. Of course, he adapts, even if he doesn't like to admit it, he can be considerate and very understanding.

So you don't have to worry about him. He certainly doesn't respect or appreciate you less than before because of that. In fact, it awakens a certain protective instinct in him.

Cody

At first, he is surprised, but he is neither offended nor annoyed. But he is attentive. As a soldier, he's learned to read body language, to interpret reactions, and even though you might not say anything about it, Cody understands pretty quickly what makes you tick.

You can count on him to pay attention to that in the future. You don't have to apologize to him, you can just be yourself and relax. Cody is always a safe haven.

He also won't let other people maybe cause you problems because of it. Anyone who teases you about it or makes fun of you should be prepared to get in trouble.

[poshmygosh]

Sooo I just watched Challengers and I have so many thoughts!!! Warning: this is a long one..

Honestly, I have seen so many interesting takes on this movie (though I'll mainly be discussing one I've seen a lot that I don't agree with at all) and I figured I'd throw my two cents in there lol.

So first and foremost: Tashi is a vital character to this film, as well as Patrick and Art's relationship as we see it int he future.

I"ve seen so many posts saying that "Patrick and Art should just get together, they're the one's that are really in love" or just overall downplaying the role that Tashi has in the film, I don't know if this is just that thing that some mlm shippers do where they erase the woman in the situation so that can just ship the two men, misogynoir, or something else entirely, but this takes generally doesn't make any sense to me. Obviously Patrick and Art loved each other, even before they met Tashi. They had been best friends for years and their friendship was definitely homoerotic at the LEAST, but the idea that they would have been romantic without her is not true. They had never had any sort of romantic interaction, besides jerking off in a room together in separate beds when they were twelve, until Tashi prompted them too in the hotel. I don't think that would have happened otherwise. Beside the fact I do believe that there was some romantic yearning from both of them at times, they were not in the place to actually explore what that means. Patrick had a girlfriend, Art was clearly not in a place to confront the possibility of a sexual situation between them, and they were headed in two completely different directions in life. Tashi being there with them in that moment in the hotel, with them hanging on to her every word, every command allowed for them to feel comfortable being sexual with each other in that moment. Even if she had left that hotel room and the three of them had never interacted again, the night would have been brushed off as just something they did when they were drunk to hook up with a girl, it wouldn't have amounted to relationship, and even if it had she was still an integral part. She is the catalyst to so much of the tension between them, the sex that they might've shared in that hotel room that night if things had continued, and the sex they share on the tennis court 13 years later.

Another hot take: I do think that Tashi loved both of them at different points of the movie, though she loved tennis most of all.

I've seen some people say that the only real love that exists within the triangle is between Patrick and Art, and that Tashi only loved tennis. While I absolutely agree that tennis was the love of her life, I don't at all think that she never had love for Patrick or Art. One of the reasons why she was so bothered by Art saying that Patrick didn't love her when they were eating together at Stanford, was because she DID love him. She puts up a front, she acts like things don't bother her even when they do (is it clear that this trio need to work on their communication lol?) but she does like to show it. I think that this is also evident when her and Patrick are making out in her dorm later. I think some people think that her trying to giver him pointers on how to play better are her trying to be mean or vindictive but I also think this is a sign of how much she cares bout him. Her dad was her tennis coach, so you can imagine that she grew up in a household where oftentimes the love that was expressed was in conversations about how she played and how she could play better. And she's passionate about the sport and she has so much love for the game. For her, love and tennis are tethered in a way. The fact that she watched his games and was so eager to give him tips and pointers was evidence that she cared imo. And how that quickly turned into a fight between them is her putting up her walls, becoming defensive, most likely because she still has Art's words in the back of her head, and it bothers her.

As for Art, I feel like this could go without saying, but she married him. She married him and had a kid with him, and she didn't have to do that lol. She could've just coached him, we know that she's coached players without having a romantic relationship with them, and she did a pretty damn good job to, so she could've done the same with him. We actually get a really nice scene between them at the diner and we get a small glimpse of them beyond tennis, and you realize what it is that sees in him and why she would be interested in him romantically and not just as a coach to player.

I feel like people misconstrue her disdain and loathing that she has for them as her not loving them. She loves them and at times hates them. She tells Art in the beginning that she would do anything to be able to play again, and yet, here these two are, one who has lost his confidence and motivation for the game, and another whose laziness and carelessness prevent him from reaching his highest potential. Two people who are wasting their greatest privilege and she despises them for it.

Annnnnnd last take (I didn't expect this to be so long): Art is a snake.

Now, don't get me wrong. I love Art. I love all of these characters, and in my head they all quarantined together during covid, found a therapist, learned how to communicate and work through their issues, and are now living happily ever after with Lily, but Art is a snake as are all of them. I've seen some people excuse him trying to break Patrick and Tashi up back at Stanford, for one reason or another, and I'm not really sure why. You can love a character and/or feel sympathetic for them without erasing their wrong doings. You can admit that Art was slimy and manipulative at times and still love him, I promise. None of these characters are real and canonically all of them do pretty awful things in the movie, but you can acknowledge that and love them anyway. I think that if you look at this movie as there being a "bad guy" or a "good guy" you may have missed some things. The movie is messy, and toxic, and petty, and intoxicating, and thrilling because of the characters wrongdoings not in spite of them. And I think that's part of what makes it so fun!

Anyway, this was sooo much longer than I intended it to be lol, but I had so many thoughts I needed to get them out. I don't even know if this makes any sense but it's late and I'm going to post it anyway. If anyone has their own thoughts please please share! I'm literally obsessed with this movie, so reading people's ideas and opinions about it has been really fun

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Just wanted to say that i shared your post about Miraculous being a cross between magical girl (team) and rom-com genres and the failings of it.

It spawned a fun debate as we tried to think of other shows who tried the same thing but stayed in the mid-zone of both genres. All we ended up with was Teen Titans (as you mentioned) and Inuyasha which don't quite fit the bill as they aren't exactly magic girl shows in the traditional sense before we swerved off to try to find examples of other genres that don't mess well but should.

Anyways, just wanted to thank you for the analysis. It spawned a fun discussion.

Thank you for this lovely ask! It really made me smile. I love knowing that my stuff is getting people talking about storytelling! The main reason that I run this blog is not to dunk on Miraculous, but to talk about writing.

I'm a big fan of the saying that "failure is the greatest teacher," but I also like to point out that it doesn't need to be your failure! Talking about the things a piece of media did wrong and comparing it to media that did those things right is one of the best ways to learn about writing and far more helpful than just looking at good stories as there are thousands of ways to tell a good story.

To give my two cents to your debate (without knowing the fine details) the first two seasons of Digimon have some similar dynamics of romance between various leads, though it's also not a magical girl team show and the romance is certainly not focused on like it is in Teen Titans. One magical girl team show that did a great job of having a romance plot play a big role in a story is - strangely enough - My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.

While it's not really a rom-com (though it could have been and worked just as well), the second season ends with a two-part episode called A Canterlot Wedding and it's very cute. The couple that's established in that special goes on to have several episodes focused on them and their romance.

The reason this worked so well was that the romance was between ponies outside of the core team, so you didn't have to figure out how to make friendship the most important thing while also making romantic love the most important thing. By making both forces important in their own ways, the writers were able to let the couple be extremely close and passionate about each other while also allowing friendship to have a key role.

That's the issue that you have to keep in mind if you want to try to blend the genres: figure out a way to add in a romance without messing up the core team and creating a setup where romance is making friendship take a back seat. You also need to figure out how to deal with someone external to the team warring with the team for narrative importance.

My two cents? Just make some of the magical girls lesbians, bi, pan, or any other sexuality that allows for same-sex attraction. That should allow you to have romance in your team without the nasty complication of trying to make a person external to the team super important. After all, what is a good romance if not a friendship with bonus features? I wouldn't be surprised if there's a story out there that has already done this (not sure if Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus from Sailor Moon count since I don't think that their romance gets a major story line around it, but if it does, then just mirror that!)

And if there's not a magical girl team show that has done this? Then I'm certain that you can find fanfic that has. After all, people tend to ship the characters who get the most screen time together no matter who the canon love interests are supposed to be. That's why shonen anime is dominated by yaoi ships. Those shows rarely develop the hetero love interest the way that magical girl team shows do and so people ship the guys together. Meanwhile, magical girl team shows assume that the audience wants a good romance and so the hetero love interests tend to feel more fleshed out.

[seas-storyarchive]

Demon Mother, Angel Son - Swap Au

Alastor Altruist is in heaven, the Radio Angel. He died during a shoot out that broke out at a marti gras hosted in French Quarter. Just wanting to have some fun, get drunk for a night.. but he died instead.

His mother is in Hell, Mama Lenora, Hell's most powerful Voodoo Queen and former mass murderer. She didn't let her son know about her activities - letting him believe she worked at a butcher's in addition to her cleaning job. As ironic as those two jobs were being paired together, her baby never questioned her and believed her. She had been killed, a few years after her son, as she was murdering some abusive man that she tracked into the bayou - his dog had come to his defense and gave him time to get his gun and kill her.

Lenora finds Charlie's attempts adorable, sticking around the hotel with Husk too - she owns his soul from a game of cards that she beat him in Niffty is her housekeeper and the younger woman seemed happy to move to a bigger place where there were more bugs.

When Charlie goes to Heaven, she meets a red deer angel who was talking to St. Peter and Emily after their song - Sera brushes him off and flies away.

"Oh, hi! My name's princess Charlie Morningstar!"

"Pleasure to meet you, your majesty! Truly a pleasure! My name is Alastor Altruist, the Radio Angel! Welcome to Heaven." Alastor shakes her hand, and then looks to Vaggie. "Ah, you have a companion! The more the merrier! Hello to you as well, Miss..?"

"Um, Vaggie.." Vaggie hesitantly shook his hand.

"So, Alastor, what is heaven like? We're trying to get sinners redeemed, and we'd love to know about it." Charlie said.

Alastor smiles, wistfully. He took a breath, and his accent suddenly changes, "it's fine, miss. Splend'd, even. But, in truth, Ah miss mah Maman." He pulls out a locket and then shows them the picture.

"Hey, it's Lenora!" Charlie was excited. "You're Lenora's son! Oh my gosh!" She grabbed Alastor and shook him. "Your mother is at our rehabilitation hotel! Look!" She let got of Alastor to show him a group picture of the hotel inhabitants, including his mother.

"Maman's really there? Gettin' rehabilitated, misses?" Alastor asked, looking up from the photo to the women with hope in his eyes.

"Uh, yeah. It's .. progress." Vaggie said, making avague hand gesture.

"Alastor, this could be the proof we need!" Emily said, excitedly.

"Proof, for what?" Charlie asked, her and Vaggie now curious.

"To open a line to Heaven." Alastor answered excitedly.

Emily was equally as excited. "Alastor and I have been trying to get Sera to agree to let him broadcast from Heaven to Hell and let those in both places at the very least share something. Maybe some of the sinners remember Alastor, his voice might bring them some bit of comfort."

Charlie nodded, "okay. Well, I'm not entirely sure how that would work, but let's give it a try."

At the trial, Alastor is taking notes in Sera and Emily's box. And then he joins in, letting them see his view - only to get Adam in his face.

"Wait! My mother has agreed to make a change! They say she's making progress, this whole thing can't be deranged!"

"Oh look! The mama's boy spoke! Look here, you spineless like dope, Mama's not coming here! She's better off staying down there!"

"See here, first man. From what I hear, you didn't always have a plan! Sloppy, amatuerish. You say we came from your loins? Pfft! Then, my your angels pray I don't toss you a few pity coins!" He then tosses a few cent pieces from his time alive at Adam (which hit the floor).

"You old timey, little bitch! Southern fuckin' hick! Go back to your box, radio dying cock!" Adam tried to grab Alastor, but he jumped out out of the box and fluttered down.

"I concur, that Adam and his angels do whatever and remain in the sky! Why should they," he points to the orb, "not get a second chance, why must they die? Why can't they stay? My suspicion is that some pray! Some may even pray to powers on high! Why must it be this way? Seraphim, what have you to say?" He lands in front of Vaggie, Emily and Charlie, between Lute and Adam - who was lowering himself down - his wings spread out as far as they can to protect them.

Skip ahead, to after the meeting.

"Princess Morningstar! Princess, wait! Please!" Alastor was rushing to Charlie, with an old timey radio in his hands.

"Oh, Alastor!" Charlie looked at the radio. "Um, what's that?"

"A radio, well my personal one. I want you to give it to my mother. Hopefully it will pick up my broadcasts from up here."

Charlie took it, smiling. "Of course, Alastor. Thanks. And.. I'm sorry about-"

"Non, princess." Alastor said, waving his hand to quiet her. "The outcome of everything? Is not your fault. Those on the ninth cloud are a bit slow to come down, yeah?"

Charlie nodded. "Yeah. Oh! Um, can I take a picture if you for your mother?"

"Of course!" Alastor smiled at her, before looking to St. Peter. "Oi! St. Petey! Wanna take a picture?"

Peter laughed at his question. "No thanks, I spent enough time away from my post. Thanks though."

Alastor rolled his eyes, before he fixed his hair and then said, "alright, ready when you are."

When Lenora recieved the radio, and saw the picture, she cried. Her baby, in heaven! A successful man!

Hearing her son over the radio, for the first time in almost a hundred years, it made Lenora cry.

"This song, a very old timey one if I may say, goes out to my dear mother. I hope you are safe, Maman, and that you can hear me. Sleep well."

Their favorite song, that she would dance to during sadder and happier times. He remembered. Her boy remembered.

"Don' worrah, mon petite cher. Maman's gonna be better." Lenora said to the radio, summoning Husk's contract. "Startin' tonight, I'ma do anything I can to get to you, bebe." She ripped the contract in half. "Trus' me."

[punkitt-is-here]

Hey, I repair desktops and laptops for my day job and just wanted to throw my two cents in because it's the Internet. Also you're cool and I like trying to help cool people.

It really sounds like the bearings for the fan are failing. Especially if it still sounds rough after cleaning. If you're trying to clean the laptop fan with air, please hold the fan in place so it doesn't free spin. Free spinning past it's rated rpm will actually cause damage to the fan (and if fast enough backwards, it can cause a reverse current back into your motherboard, that's extremely rare nower days, but if you had an air compressor, it's possible)

It looks like you're using a Lenovo laptop (maybe one of the Legion ones?) If you need to do a fan replacement, it's either extremely easy and just popping off the bottom casing and replacing the fan, or it's a little more involved and you might need to take the heatsink off too. That's a good time to replace your thermal paste if you haven't done it in a couple years.

If it is a Lenovo laptop, their support site actually gives you the exact model number for each of their parts, but other major brands have pretty easily replaceable parts just by searching for the name of the laptop model + part.

If another deep clean doesn't work out and this all sounds like way too much, I do recommend getting it into a shop at some point. Fan failure can cook a gpu or processor and with laptops, they're pretty much impossible to replace as individual components. Which means replacing the whole motherboard, and that can get very expensive. If this is the model I think it is, this does share a heat pipe between both cpu and gpu to both fans, so you're more likely to just get a lot of thermal throttling and shut downs before it cooks itself, but better safe than sorry.

Feel free to shoot any questions if you'd like more help and sorry about the essay in your ask box. Best of luck!

WOAH this is super helpful, thank you so much! We gave it a deep clean and i will admit oops we did not hold the fan in place while we cleaned a lot of it. never gave it more than a couple short bursts of air but it seemed like everything was where it was supposed to be. it currently works and nothing seems to be heating up at all, it just sounds like a helicopter starting up but it goes away. no clue what's goin on yet. air IS coming out the vents and we cleaned a LOT of dust and hair out of it, so it seems to be....faring well aside from the occasional noise. id love more help at some point if possible because google is a bitch trying to figure out exactly how to work this stuff.

[exiledelle]

UNDERTALE YELLOW MERCILESS ROUTE SPOILERS

ive seen a couple people here and there be upset over how the route ends, but i want to give my two cents on why i actually really like it

(btw this is not at all me saying people HAVE to enjoy it, or arent allowed to dislike it, just sharing my own take on it)

if youve clicked the read more im going to assume youve played through the merciless route and seen its ending, or dont care about spoilers for it

otherwise what the heck are you doing here

but basically, what ive seen people get upset over a lot, is the fact that clover kills asgore and flowey instantly, takes the human souls, and then just waltzes out of the underground and beyond the players reach (which is my personal take on why resetting goes back to floweys control, and clover forgetting, instead of to when clover unlocks the save ability, is its not clover or flowey resetting, but us. the player IS a distinctly separate entity in ut/dr after all)

but honestly?? what else COULD have happened?? asgore couldnt handle frisk at level ONE. he didnt stand even a FRACTION of a chance against an lv 20 clover, who might i add, has a giant laser beam, a degree of soul magic not even frisk obtains. you COULD argue chara uses soul magic to "kill" our save file at the end of undertales merciless route though, i could see that, but still, clovers laser is a much more direct and obvious show of it. (and just to be safe, before anyone tries to say humans dont have magic, no, thats literally the entire premise of the setting is humans used magic to create the barrier, its just less present in humans than it is in monsters, who are made of the stuff)

and undertale yellows merciless route goes the route of deciding that undertales version already said everything there is to say on the meta aspects and the whole "you can so you need to" mindset, so instead it just calls it what it is: its a power trip. its mindless slaughter for the sake of getting stronger, whether its the player demanding a different ending (like deltarunes coldhearted route(im not calling it snowgrave, but this is entirely personal preference)), or again just wanting to see whatll happen. but either way its to feel strong.

and what happens at the end of that power trip? youve reached level 20. youve surpassed floweys control. you have as much power as you could ever hope to achieve. so, realistically:

whats stopping you from just killing asgore and leaving.

nothing. so you do.

and it leaves you wondering: was the power trip worth it. was the pain and suffering you caused worth it to get such a blatantly, not just non-canon, but ANTI-CANON ending? (EDIT: and i mean this in a positive way, its the same kind of self-reflection over your actions that undertale pulls, just communicated in a more indirect way)

and it being so anti-canon is part of why its such a haunting ending for me.

there really wasnt any other possible way for it to end. lv 20 itself and the way undertale and deltarune characterize that increase in power, in retrospect it feels obvious that it would be anti-canon in a prequel. monster souls are weaker than human souls, even at lv 1. so against a human whos lv 20, and who got there by constantly persisting and trying over and over to get past whatever obstacle is in front of them, and refuses to give up on their conquest, theres nothing anyone can do, and that alone rips the canon of undertale into shreds.

even SANS realizes theres nothing that can actually stop you, not even him, so the best he can hope for is that he puts up enough of a fight to make the player give up and/or reset, same reason his final attack is a turn that never ends.

and having to face that by helplessly watching clover blast an asgore-shaped hole in the story is TERRIFYING to me, in a way i really love the yellow team for doing. idk if its actually intentional or if im reading too much into it, but either way,

[star-gazer101]

Pet Names

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

Pairing: Idia Shroud x Reader

Characters: Idia Shroud and Ortho Shroud

Warnings: GN reader, Slight OOC, Uses of the nickname ‘Darling’ despite gender-neutral reader

AN: Just a fun side story, before anything serious happens.

-

Today was just an typically ordinary day. 

An ordinary day to do nothing but laze about in Idia’s dorm.

Ortho paused his current playthrough of farming dancing blobs to gaze at the “potential couple” doing their own thing.

His brother was currently raiding online with his online companion Crimson Muscle, while you were busy playing on a handheld console. You had said something about wanting to help solve puzzles with a “Gentleman traveler and his apprentice” before the new game comes out sometime this year.

Maybe he should be more concerned about his brother’s personality rubbing off on you than the other way around.

On the other hand, you both were now comfortable enough to do whatever, he guess?

Perhaps you missed a step after skipping the confession?  He really doesn’t know.

What exactly comes next?

Please don’t let it be another session of feeding his brother peeled apple slices when he last got sick…

Thankfully, you broke the silence. “Hey, Idia?”

Idia only grunted in response, his eyes fully fixated on his game. However, he was listening.

“I know we’ve been friends for quite a while, well, more than that, but…I was wondering…Would you…Would you be okay with taking our relationship to the next level?”

That…Was so sudden! You really do have no shame! Idia is choking on his drink and everything!

Better calm him down before it gets worse!

“S-sorry if that was too sudden Player 1,” You apologized as you patted his back. “I should’ve waited until you were done drinking.”

“Yeah, you should have!” Idia gasped. “What’s with the sudden sneak attack? Are you trying to send me to an early grave?!”

“Maybe?” You gave a teasing smile and then awkwardly giggled when he glared. “It’s just that…I’ve seen things where the best of friends use special names for each other. Not that I’m against our current nicknames: Player 1 and Player 2. I just want something a little more…intimate y’know?” 

At this Idia groaned as he quietly muttered things like “typical normie stuff”, but the pink in his hair never faded. “I knew I should have never let you watch late-night shojo anime…Too many unrealistic expectations…”

“He’s just shy,” Ortho whispered on the other side, finally giving his two cents on the topic, causing you to giggle.

“We don’t have to, if it’s too much.”

“I-I never said that! And Ortho, stop enabling them!”

“No promises, big bro!”

“You are so cute when you’re flustered, Idia~”

You two were going to be the death of him!

-

It only had been half an hour and Idia has crossed out pages worth of random names. Most of them were just you messing around and coming up with the cringiest of nicknames that even made Ortho flinch with how sugary sweet some of the names were.

Seriously, how can anyone call their friend ‘Schmoopsy Poo’ and keep a straight face?

“I’m sorry, Prefect, but I can’t agree with any of these. And what’s the deal with ‘Smashy-smashy Eggman’? That doesn’t make any sense!”

“Sorry. Had a favorite movie back from my world on the brain and just couldn’t help but quote it at least once while I’m here. I’ll tell you all about it after we’re done with all of this.”

Idia sighed. “How about something simple? What kind of name would you want to go by?”

You paused mid-scribble as you pondered on what he suggested. It took about a few minutes before your face burned an alarming red.

‘Quite the reaction there, Prefect. Mind sharing with the rest of us?’

“Well…There is one that I kinda want to try…”

“Oh? What is it, big sib?”

“Idia…Do you remember that one horror game with the little girl and her black cat?”

Ortho had an idea where this was going, but let you continue much to his brother’s embarrassment.

“I…would like to be called one of those names of endearment that the cat called her. I would like to be called ‘darling’ and for you to be called ‘dearest’. Is that okay with you?”

“D-d-darling…D-d-dearest…”

…

“Idia?”

“Brother, are you okay?”

-

“Again, sorry for overheating your brother, Ortho. Didn’t mean to overdue it this time.”

“Don’t worry about it, big sib. He lasted longer than his previous record which is 10% less.”

“That’s quite an achievement. Is there anything I can do?”

“Don’t worry about it too much. I’ll just put some gamer stuff under his nose and he’ll be back up. For now, just head on back to Ramshackle.”

“Alright…thanks again Ortho, for humoring me.”

With you finally out of the room, the younger Shroud could only shake his head as he stared at how pathetic his brother was being. All of that because of a simple pet name…

“They wanted me to call them darling…and me dearest…how cringworthy can they get…how lame..”

“Idia, I can’t take you seriously with that dumb look on your face.”

Only in the Ignihyde dorm would that count as progress. Best of luck to you, Prefect.

[lumisails]

I need to give my two cents about the whole Max' matter. I have been trying to find a coherent way to share my thoughts for days and I think I've got it.

I'd also like to point out a few scenes which are very relevant to both Max' background and the fact she understands how this world works and what the show is trying to show us by telling this story.

This is gonna be a long post with quotes and I'm sorry if I'm not as eloquent as some of the brilliant minds in this fandom but here we go.

First of all, obviously, the scene in 3x03 where she tells her story to Anne. She talks about watching from outside. And yes, it is a very sad story and also a story which was unfortunately, the story of many slave children back then. But I think it's important to point out something here. To quote: "When I was very small, I would sneak out of the slave quarters at night to the main house. I would stand outside the window to the parlor. I would stand amongst the heat and the bugs and the filth on my toes to see inside."

Ever since she was a child, Max has been observing. We know the rest of this speech and how she points out that her sister had safety, warmth, a home and how it tells us what Max' ultimate goal is - peace, ambitions aside. But I think it's also important to note that it tells us she has always been an observer and that is one of the things that makes her one of the best players in the game. Does the show try to frame her as "good" or "bad" because of that? No. As it doesn't with any other character. It doesn't try to tell us a tragic backstory just to we empathize with her. She has a tragic backstory because she was a slave child. The difference between her and Madi is that she has been observing how society works from a young age and has always been trying to find a way to fit herself in it, while Madi has been taught to reject it from a young age. But their origin is the same.

But of course, the show is written to make us see the ugly side of the empire. How it takes and oppresses, so it's much easier for empathize with Madi than Max, but had Madi been raised the same way that Max has instead of living isolated, would she still carry the same idealism? Or would she be more like Max? Had Max been raised isolated from the world with only people like her, would she still want to insert herself in that society? Or would she be a part of the cause?

Madi and Max tell the same story from two completely different sides and points of view but when you put this show under black and white lenses, good and evil and whatnot, it's much easier to see Max as a bad person and Madi as good.

But they are both people.

Anyway. Carrying on, we have Max' conversation with Jack in 4x06. We have been watching her be a player this whole time and we know how smart she is. But this is the moment she says it clearly.

"You cannot fight civilization from the outside in."

This is the moment the show also slaps all of us as an audience on the face. You cannot, indeed. Flint's cause is a lost one. We all know that as an audience, there's no way not to know that when we're talking about a semi-historical show, which is supposed to be a prequel to Treasure Island. Had the British Empire fallen in Treasure Island? No.

So, when Max says that, she is simply stating the truth. Not being a villain who's going against Flint's cause. Not being a selfish person who only cares about her own survival, but simply stating facts. And Jack recognizes that. He does so so much that even if he is absolutely mad at Max in this moment, he stops fighting her, calms himself down and does what she says. Despite what that could do with his relationship and alliance to Flint too, because he knows she is right.

And that is also a result of all of her observing! The thing she has been doing ever since she was a kid. Max calculates everything. But that comes from a need of protection too. She was vulnerable once! Look at where that took her. She didn't have a whole society of people like her isolated in an island to protect her. She has fended for herself for God knows how long, and she has observed. Learned ways that even a woman like her could survive in this society. It's not because Max knows how to navigate in it that it means it will never be good to her. It hasn't been good to her at all. She had to keep slicing parts of herself to survive. What we get is an illusion that she has not been affected by this as much as the other characters, but she has. It's in every nuance of Jessica's brilliant acting.

And finally, we have Idelle's speech in 4x08.

"Cause despite the world reminding her every day of her life that she's undeserving of being given anything by it, that she was unworthy of what little she'd managed to take from it… despite all of that, she never believed a word of it. That woman has been fighting the whole goddamn world since the day she was born."

Again, the show reminds us of where she comes from. And Max may not be a historical character but she is in a way still. (tw for SA) Many slave owners took their slaves and had children with them. And what became of these children? They were also bought and sold, like many others. As Max herself points out that it happened to her.

Max was not a real person, but she's realistic enough. And like any other realistic character in this show, she is filled with flaws and good qualities, but at the end of the day, her flaws and actions were shaped by how the world has treated her since the day she was born. It's how Black Sails frames everyone's stories. This is why we get so many episodes showing Flint's. This is a story about stories and above all, we cannot ignore that it's also trying to tell us how each of these characters backgrounds' shape them. And we cannot forget this is also a story about stories of people that could have existed. Whether Max' triumph in the end is a good or a bad one, it's up to every watcher to decide. But we cannot deny that it is an important story to be told for what she represents.

Just as important as Madi's.

[rationaliity]

CALICO — VOICELINES

interactive voices

first meeting : hi ! i’m calico, and this is tabby, we’re members of the planetary protection division. if ever you need us, feel free to shoot either one of us a text, we’ll do our best to help out !

greeting : is something wrong ? you look like you’re deep in thought. if something’s troubling you, you can tell me. i’ll listen, i promise.

parting : oh, hey ! i’m glad you look less stressed out now. did you figure it out ? ah, i’m happy for you ! busy days are even better when they’re finally done and you get to take a nap. 

about self: tabby : tabby : just because i’m a new addition to the cosmos, doesn’t mean that you, or anyone else, can try to pull one over on me. i’m a lot smarter than people give me credit for ! i have all of calico’s brains and none of her fear of confrontation. i say what i want when i want it. 

about self: memory loss : there’s a lot of things that i’m supposed to remember, but a lot of it eludes me to this day. a lot of doctors have given their two cents about it, including people that i’m sure  you know, but in the end, no one can truly know why so much is missing within me. unless they were on that dead planet with me, of course.

chat: planetary protection division : the ipc sends us out when a world has gone through a crisis and may not have the ability to pick itself back up. we collaborate with a lot of the ipc, including the strategic investment department and the intelligentsia guild. whatever we need to help a world, if we don’t have it, the other factions do.

chat: ipc : the ipc is filled with interesting members ! topaz and i are relatively close, and i’ve met aventurine a few times. now, that doctor.. i’ve met him more times than i can count, and every time has been… enlightening, to say the least.

tabby: enlightening ? you’re too busy ogling him to pay attention to what he’s saying.

hobbies : getting a cat nap in when i can is the only way i can keep up my strength, after all, i wanna be at peak performance in case anything happens. sleeping is so nice, you can go anywhere and be anyone in your dreams ~ 

tabby : i like collecting keychains ! i have a dozen probably from different planets that we’ve visted. i don’t have anything ot even put them on, i just have a bunch of them. 

annoyances : those times where you swear you have an hour left to nap but then your alarm rings.. the worst ever. 

something to share : the easiest way of taking care of yourself is to go about everything one step at a time. can’t get out of bed ? just wiggle your toes, or stretch. you’ll get there.

knowledge : the human body is beautifully resilient. you can go through hell and return still standing on your own feet. there’s nothing you can’t do if you put your mind to it. 

about dr. ratio : ah, the doctor within the intelligentsia guild, a man of knowledge.. as elusive as he is, uhm, interesting.

tabby : and by ‘interesting’ you mean ‘handsome’. you can just say what you mean, calico.

about aventurine : i’ve never been in his shoes, so i don’t know what he’s gone through personally. i feel as though my amnesia makes me lucky comparatively. i don’t have to remember what i’ve been through.

about topaz : her love for anything cute and fluffy is adorable. one time, i bought her a fuzzy keychain from a planet i visited, and i swear i saw her tear up.

about raun mei : she is.. beautiful, from a distance. i can’t bring myself to approach her. life.. is more than an experiment. 

eidolon activation : the parts of me that i’ll never understand, why do you slumber ? 

character ascension : move forward, even if you can’t feel your feet. 

max level reached : we’re here because of the tireless work of other people. my accomplishments are not my own.

trace activation : a new skill ! perhaps i have earned a well deserve nap. what do you say, tabby ? 

added to team with dr. ratio : ah, d-doctor..! you’re here too ?

tabby : leave this to us, doctor. you can just stand there and look pretty. 

added to team with aventurine : we’ve gone through harder trials than this, i’m sure. i will protect you.

added to team with topaz : what a pleasant surprise, topaz ~ once we’re done here, i’ll take you out to eat.

added to team with raun mei : tabby : we’re here, miss, a testament to life itself. 

combat voices

battle begins : weakness break : i’m a tough cookie..!

battle begins : danger alert : stand behind me ! 

turn begins : i can take a punch or two.

turn idling : decisions…are hard..

basic atk : calico and tabby do not have any basic atk voiceovers

enhanced basic atk:  calico and tabby do not have any enhanced basic atk voiceovers.

skill 1 : we will not let you get hurt.

skill 2 : tabby : focus ! we can take this ! 

hit by light attack : i couldn’t even feel it !

hit by heavy attack : ow.. that’s going to bruise..

ultimate: activate : i will not fail you !

ultimate: unleash : my scars.. i carry them with the strength inside of me..!

talent 1 : hah, try again !

talent 2 : tabby : you’re weak !

downed : everything.. has lead me to this point.. 

return to battle : thank you, i will never forget this kindness. 

health recovery : i feel much better now !

technique : let me lead the way. 

battle won : another win, we’re on a roll today ! 

treasure opening 1 : we got lucky this time !

treasure opening 2 : tabby : does this count as stealing ? 

precious treasure opening : what nice stuff ! do you want to split ?

successful puzzle-solving 1 : hah ! i knew i was smart ! 

successful puzzle-solving 2 : tabby : are you going to go tell him ?

enemy target found : we’re stronger, i can tell. 

returning to town : can we go take a nap now ? i’m sleepy..

-> introduction | gallery | lightcone

[ravenwitch45]

Why in Helluva Boss and Hazbin Hotel Stolitz seems to be the ONLY relationship with power imbalance that is not faring well?

Ozzie and Fizz - We don't even know if they have a romantic relationship, but they just work. They even can communicate with glances and both feel secure with their respective positions while openly showing they at least respect and at some point care for each other.

Charlie and Vaggie - The girls are very loving towards each other, Vaggie does her best wanting to support and protect her girlfriend and Charlie does her best to listen to Vaggie (even though she not always seems to do so) and let her feel she appreciates her.

And now Bee and Tex - They seem to be open with and trust each other, both being able to communicate properly when needed as they share interest in both partying and making sure the ones around them are ok.

Literally the only unbalanced relationship that that is as bad (in this case worst) than Stolitz are Valentino and Angel Dust, which doesn't count since we know they don't care for each other, it's just sex business. But like.... bruh.

Okay I'm skipping a few asks but I just want to get this done. I have seen this take go around since Queen Bee came out so I guess now is the time I give my two cents on it. In my humble opionion the short answer is trauma but long answer. Well let me cover all the other relationships you mention and tell you that it's far from a one to one comparison.

Bee and Tex, and Asmodeus and Fizz have the same very big thing to consider. That one is literally one of THE deadly sins, only Lucifer could rival there power and that's up for debate. Either way pratically noone can tell these guys what to do, who to date or how to feel. That is not a luxury Stolas and Blitz have. They have never had any protection from the system that is harmful to both of them, while Bee and Ozz are pratically above that system, and thus can protect their partners from it.

Charlie and Vaggie are a bit closer despite Charlie also being above the Goetias. But the one difference lies mainly in Charlie (We don't know much about Vaggie, sorry queen) Charlie, has left her toxic home life, she is still scarred from it, we know she is but she has left it and she is healing and trying her best. There aren't really any pressures weighing on them aside from the Hotel which is something they do together. Any problems they face are external to their relationship, not internal.

Stolas and Blitz on the other hand, man these two are pratically being crushed by the pressure on them.

Stolas is literally going through a divorce out of an abusive relationship while wanting to keep his daughter happy, AND fix his situation with Blitz which he was trying to do before, you know he was fucking kidnapped. So he's going through a divorce that is actively getting held back by the other side, managing parenting a child during that while also trying to fix his mistakes. Not to mention the truckload of trauma he must have from both Paimon and Stella.

Also let's be honest, noone fucking taught him how to manage a ACTUAL romantic relationship. He's like 36 and was locked in aforementioned abusive marriage for most of that. He's learning, and that's messy more often then not. Some first real partners are able to teach you and help you well enough, but Blitz has his own baggage, and he doesn't even recognize the relationship as anything other then sexual so he doesn't see the need even.

Blitz has, so many problems emotionally but also just, he doesn't recognize what he and Stolas have as a relationship. You cannot work on something you do not know is there after all. He has had awful expirience with love making him very closed off and filled with unhealthy coping mechanisms. Not to mention all the buisness that just, isn't related to Stolas.

You can have a lot going on but still have a relationship, but again, Blitz doesn't see it as one. He gets the book, that is all that he agknowledges that matters so far. Cause admitting that Stolas matters to him, that he wants him, that he wants to have a loving relationship with him specifically. Is terrifying to him.

Honestly I get the comparison on a surface level. Royal and lower class demon, I get the concept. But these are VERY different characters at the end of the day, so they are going to have different problems.

Blitz has had too many bad relationships, while Stolas has had none good, so these traumas and traits clash. I still ship them wholeheartedly, don't get me wrong but what I mean to say is that with the surrounding circumstances, there past experiences, these problems honestly make a lot of sense if you think about it specifically.

I Ship all these ships mind you, just throwing in my two cents as previously mentioned.