#they can be fun once they've reached that state though

[c4p7ch4]

[bettsfic]

one of the best decisions i've ever made was to stop arguing.

i'd always been an arguer. i was defensive about everything and mindlessly contrary. it wasn't all my fault; i was (and still am) talked down to and patronized a lot, and when you live your life that way, you become kind of a raw nerve and dedicate a lot of energy to trying to prove yourself. someone even told me once, "it's just fun messing with you. you get so upset."

at 23, i was working in an environment where about a half dozen middle aged conservative men were always telling me what to do and explaining things to me. i either argued with them when they said heinous things or stewed about it for hours or even days. and so my new year's resolution one year was simply: no arguing.

it felt a little like defeat at first, like i was no longer standing up for what i believed in, even though no matter how right i was or how much proof i had for my claims, no one had ever been swayed by anything i told them. part of that was because they had no respect for me and didn't take me seriously; the other part was the simple truth that arguments are almost never productive. when someone says something and you immediately reply with, "you're wrong and here's why," a wall goes up and nothing can go over it.

i couldn't just let these men talk at me though, so i started asking questions. not leading questions, not with an intention to prove a point or walk them into a corner. i genuinely wanted to understand how they came to shape the opinions they held. i realized that understanding and agreeing are two different things, and just because i seek to understand doesn't mean i condone.

a truly fascinating thing happened: these men walked into corners all by themselves. it turns out nobody had ever actually tasked them with speaking their opinions aloud to a neutral audience. no one had ever been sincerely curious about them and their views. sure, their loved ones probably asked, "how are you doing?" all the time as a show of affection, but that's much different than, "what do you think?"

knowing what i know now, i think that's true of everyone. how many people ask you for your opinion and listen to what you have to say without speaking their opinion back to you? without judging you? how many people actively and intentionally try to understand you?

it's been over ten years since my resolution and i think i can count the arguments i've gotten into on one hand. one finger, even. it's amazing what happens when someone tries to rile you up, pick a fight with you, and your only response is, "can you elaborate on that?"

you can work someone into a very open and vulnerable state when you ask questions. they eventually run out of their usual talking points and move into the personal. when i do this, it's not like therapy; i'm not trying to help anyone. and it's not like teaching; i'm not trying to educate anyone. i just want to understand how people reach the conclusions they've come to. even after all these years of asking questions and not arguing, it still amazes me how few people in this world feel understood, and how easy it is to get them to open up when you say, "i want to know what you think."

[in-class-daydreams]

Imagine ex-husband Gojo feeling sick to his stomach when he hears that you've been browsing engagement rings.

Imagine how beside himself he is when he looks over Nanami's shoulder and sees an email confirming a custom ring.

He reluctantly accepts the invite to a small birthday gathering at Nanami's apartment. The promise of "big news" is enough to ruin his day entirely.

"Hey, stranger," you say when you and Satoru reach the door at the same time.

Satoru can hardly think of words to say, much less coherently string them together.

"So, uh," he starts off.

You pause with your hand raised to knock. "Yeah?"

"Um." He wishes the ground would swallow him up. "I didn't know you guys were seeing each other that seriously."

You tilt your head in confusion. "We're not. We're not even official yet. Taking it slow and all that."

"Really? But." Satoru cants his head towards the door. "The news. The ring."

"What are you talking about?" you ask, bewildered. Then it clicks. "Satoru, you think I'm seeing Nanami? You really think he'd break the news to you this way?"

"Oh. I guess not."

"Are you stupid? Genuine question."

"Look, I just saw two people looking for rings at the same time and I panicked okay?"

You reach forward and flick his nipple.

"Oww?!?"

You touch a hand to your aching temple. "I've been helping him look for a ring for someone else, dummy!"

"Who?"

You give him a dry look and knock on the door. It swings open and behind it, in all his glory, is Yu Haibara.

~

Imagine ex-husband Gojo being caught completely off-guard by this development.

"Holy shit," he whispers once you've greeted the hosts and have gone off to the side with your respective drinks. "I didn't even know Haibara was back in Japan."

"He hasn't been for long," you whisper back. "Nanami met him in the U.S. last year while on business. They've been long distance ever since."

"And Nanami never told anyone?"

"He didn't want to tell anyone until he was sure he wasn't going to mess things up again. A decade is a long time to not see someone."

Never mind that you and Satoru have been divorced longer than that.

~

Imagine clapping along with ex-husband Gojo when, of course, Haibara says "yes."

The happy couple comes to give you two a big hug and to thank you for coming. They don't get much time with you, though, because as soon as thanks are exchanged, you're demanding that they relax and mingle with their guests while you tidy up the mess in the kitchen.

You and Suguru make your own fun washing dishes and throwing soap suds at each other. The two of you opt to leave Satoru out of this particular chore, lest Nanami end the night down several plates.

In the living room, Satoru jokes, "Been a long time coming, huh?"

Haibara sighs playfully, patting his fiancé on the thigh. "I'll say."

"So, Nanami! What got you to finally make a move after all these years?" Satoru asks.

Nanami actually blushes. He places a hand over Haibara's newly-adorned one.

"We met in the States again and it felt like fate. I just couldn't bring myself to let him walk away again. If that makes sense," he says.

Satoru's gaze softens behind his blindfold and he glances through the kitchen walkway just in time to see you smack Suguru with a wet dish towel.

"Yeah. Makes total sense."

~

Gojo and Geto, Itadori and Fushiguro, the other duos get sympathy for their tragedy. Nanami and Haibara were doomed in canon, but I refuse to deprive them of each other in my universe.

Thanks for reading!

Click [here] to keep up with ex-husband Gojo and his estranged family | Ask stuff about Sen and the fam [here]

[st-danger]

"Close," Aeon hisses out, and Swiss releases him immediately, laughing at the way Aeon flops back onto the bed, giving up supporting himself on his elbows, chest heaving while he brushes floppy hair off a sweaty forehead. He's in a similar state, worked up and way too sensitive.

"Unholy shit," Aeon breathes, sounding delighted and fucked-out, trying to steady the rise and fall of his chest. "How many are we at now?"

Swiss doesn't know. Too many times, and they're both far too high to remember the count. Their little game of how bad they can make it for each other relies on two things: one, the shared love of an exquisite, particular sort of misery, and two, how much or Mountain's greenhouse stash they can get away with pilfering.

It's something the others don't have the patience for. Not the way they do, at least. They're over the top with it. Unnecessary. It's delicious.

Just for fun, because Swiss loves having fun and why not, he reaches for Aeon's cock, throbbing in time with his heartbeat, and gets a few fingertips on the shaft before Aeon smacks his hand away, a stoned giggle bubbling up from his throat.

"Oh don't you dare," he warns. "Don't even look at it right now."

"Break time," Swiss nods, and rolls over to his nightstand, groping for the next joint. He already feels as though his body is moving through heavy syrup against a wicked current. His own erection, just starting to flag without any stimulation, rubs against the bed and reignites the heat settled low.

He lights the joint, and grabs the old coffee mug turned makeshift ashtray. Beside him, Aeon lays spread on his back, legs wide apart, cock lying heavy and blushing in the cut of his hip. His eyes are glassy and heavy lidded, lips red from the biting and slopping kissing.

"It's gonna take ages to go down," he admits, the corner of his mouth pulling back in a stupid smile, revealing a row of charmingly crooked teeth. Swiss takes a long, indulgent inhale, holds it, and without asking, leans in. Gets his full lips right against Aeon's and breathes out. Their noses bump, and Swiss is achingly aware of every nerve in his body, how bad the want is now.

He really has no idea how many times it's been, how many times they've brought each other close just to back off entirely. The breaks have gotten longer and longer, because they're so needy for it, so sensitive, that Aeon barely has to wiggle a fingertip underneath Swiss’s head before it's throbbing and pearling at the tip again. They've been at it for a while, that's what he knows. They'll be at it for a while longer, too. Until they've worked each other up where even they, with their endless well of patience, are ready to tear their hair out in frustration.

Aeon hums when Swiss pulls away. He can't open his eyes.

"You're so high," Swiss notes, adoring.

"Uh huh," Aeon smiles, reaching blindly with a hand for any bit of Swiss he can land on. He ends up pressing a palm to his chest, giving an absent pinch to the hair he finds there to make Swiss startle. "And I want more."

"Bet you do," Swiss says, and has to fight the urge to stroke himself. Looking at Aeon, seeing how sticky his own cock is- his self control is really something else. He can allow himself a little pat on the back for it.

"Swiss," Aeon mumbles, bringing his hands to his own chest, his nipples. Rubbing. His dick twitches against his stomach.

"Yeah?" Swiss asks, feeling woozy through the drugs and the scene he's looking at.

"Feed it to me," Aeon insists.

Swiss watches in slow motion how his narrow chest rises and falls when he places the joint to his lips. Exhales just as steady.

"Fuck, s'good," he slurs, tongue too thick in his mouth. He won't stop plucking at his nipples and Swiss has to shut his eyes when he takes his hit. Coughs a bit, taps the ash into the mug. "Gonna be all fucked up."

"You already are," Swiss says, kindly placing the joint against Aeon's mouth once more.

"You know, I keep," Aeon tries, and then starts laughing. "I keep forgetting where I am." He abandons his chest to rub at his eyes and Swiss can't help but laugh, too. He takes one final hit, a huge lung full, and has a terrible idea.

"You wanna cum?" he asks.

"Mm. Yes 'n no," Aeon says reasonably. He tries peeling his eyes open, a hand reaching for Swiss’s thigh. Ticklish fingers ghosting over the muscle.

"Finish it," Swiss says, holding up the rest of the joint, which is an awfully large amount left, for a ghoul as stoned as Aeon already is. Aeon's brow raises. "You can cum when it's gone."

Aeon pauses, considering.

"That's way too much for me," Aeon says, taking the joint and hitting it. Swiss hands him the mug. He sighs his exhale, and squirms. "S'gonna be too much, Swiss." He blinks stupidly up at him, meeting Swiss’s dopey grin with his own. "Gonna be all fucked up and helpless," he adds, wiggling his eyebrows. The thought is terribly enticing. He doesn't point out the obvious, that Aeon is already to that point.

He waits until Aeon's let his eyes fall shut yet again with the next drag before brushing the back of his hand up the shaft. Aeon chokes, and his cock flexes hard, bobbing up and hitting his belly.

"Oh," Aeon gasps, back arching before he can think about it. "Oh, yeah," he says, frowning and nodding. Swiss repeats and Aeon sucks on the joint, pain and pleasure carving into his features in equal measure. Swiss feels himself slip a little more offline as the hits he'd taken begin their slow creep into the folds of his brain. Mouth a little drier, if somehow that's possible. Balls aching more. He hurts in the best way.

"Fuck," Aeon says, sounding a little hysterical. He sounds happy, and unhinged. Swiss curls thick fingers around him, groaning when he feels Aeon's dick flex in his grip. "Dunno how long I can hold it in."

"Finish the joint," Swiss says sweetly. "Get all fucked up for daddy-"

Aeon howls with laughter.

"Daddy?" he bites out. Swiss grins, unrepentant.

"Finish the joint," he repeats, "and daddy'll make you cum."

Aeon collects himself, knuckles a few tears from his eyes, ashes into the mug much later than he should have. Setting the sheets on fire would be a real downer at the best of times.

"Okay, I'm goin'," Aeon says, and continues to smoke, pushing his hips up rudely unto Swiss’s hand. Looking progressively more and more lost. "What time is it?"

Swiss glances at the clock.

"We've been here two hours," Swiss says, a little stunned.

"No shit," Aeon says, and stubs the rest of the joint out inside the mug. "Well. Does daddy wanna make me squirt yet?"

"You wanna?"

"Yes and no," Aeon repeats and Swiss is grabbing the mug from him before he drops it. Sets it heavy onto the side table, and collapses alongside Aeon, who paws at his chest. He's far gone. Squirming and writhing all on his own. Swiss wants to hold him, choke him. Kiss him breathless and fold him in half. Pull a handful of his floppy hair and get him to whine. Swiss relents, leans forward and catches Aeon's mouth against his own. It's grossly uncoordinated and wet, licking at each other more than kissing, really. While he's distracted, he doesn't notice Aeon sneaking a hand to Swiss’s balls, cupping them. Swiss groans, and then Aeon's tickling the head with clumsy fingers.

"I'll kiss it after you make me cum," Aeon promises, lips brushing Swiss’s while he speaks.

"You can hardly kiss me now," Swiss says.

"Then I'll hold m'mouth open, you can fuck it," he suggests. Doesn't miss a beat. Swiss stares. Aeon holds his gaze steady for a moment, and then the corners of his eyes are wrinkling when he lets out another stoned giggle. "That what daddy wants?"

Swiss begins jerking him off in earnest, and Aeon cries out and clutches at the sheets.

Privately, Swiss considers if he can get away with ruining Aeon's orgasm.

That's something daddy wants.

[howlsofbloodhounds]

killer meeting reapertale chara when he is abandoned by all people he knows?? good stuff, good angst. just the idea of killer missing his chance with color, being discarded by nightmare, by death's door only to call out for help one last time. and this time, someone actually comes to help him, and it's chara.

they've both been abandoned by the gods. and now in killer's darkest hours, reapertale chara holds out a hand to him.

i think it would be interesting if reapertale chara genuinely likes killer, but still mean to him. they like core frisk enough despite core frisk being a pacifist and a person who always helps people - the total opposite of reapertale chara. would be fun if chara tries to guide killer into being their acolyte, because it isn't different from what killer has been doing.

what would killer think about it though? having a support of a godlike being is advantageous to him, but will they abandon him like others before? there would be a period where killer would constantly mistake reapertale chara as his chara. i wonder if that would trigger him into stage 3 and 4 often. i think reapertale chara would appreciate those stages of him best, though they feel it might not be good to break a valuable tool so quickly.

~ crowshipping anon

I do think the Anaomly would be rather mean to Killer too, but probably moreso in the way high school bully, annoying sibling way with a dash of ‘deities not really relating much to mortals,’ although i think that part may be something Chara learns quick not only because they were once mortal before their Corruption, but because they genuinely like Killer and want him to work with them willingly. So theyll put in the effort from the start.

I can definitely see Chara playing up their favoritism with Killer just to upset Flowey for amusement though 💀. Probably also taking every opportunity to ditch him or leave him behind, even though Flowey always just keeps catching up again.

And given that their drawn to Killer due to their shared Anaomly status, Chara would probably be just as curious in Killer as he is in them, and would probably be very curious about his soul, and eventually, possibly even his codes. How they were changed, how that affects Killer, his Stages, if it can be fixed or altered further.

I do feel like Killer would probably attack them in Stage 3, as i feel he would’ve even been willing to do with Nightmare when in this Stage. But unlike Nightmare who’d probably restrain Stage 3 or use his tentacles to force Killer back into a more desirable Stage, Chara may find it both interesting and amusing.

Perhaps they’d redirect that frenzy on to others such as Flowey, as if both making a peace offering and using Killer’s state to both bully the flower and for some amusement. As well as a chance to study killer more, as they know he has also been doing to them.

I get the vibes that this Chara would utilize Killer as both a tool and an attack dog, when it benefits them, but they aren’t exactly doing it to be malicious nor are they cruel. They do their own fair share of work, and attends to killers mortals needs.

They may struggle to find or realize what killers limits are, simply because killers limits are often pushed by others and he’s figured out how to hide signs of “weakness” such as exhaustion and hunger and they themself aren’t exactly mortal, but i feel they’d only be looking for this information just so they know when to stop and not break him.

I feel like if killer starts worrying about being abandoned again he’d probably close off, detach himself from any emotions about this situation—probably start working on autopilot even and maintaining distance. Probably not even reaching out to touch for any type of reality testing/grounding. Not to mention if he’s still struggling to come to terms with whatever may have happened with Nightmare and Color.

Perhaps that’s how the Anomaly starts trying to get closer. Comforting him in Stage 1 after horrible nightmares or whenever he starts missing home and family and friends—consistently comforting him before ST1 can even think about just ending himself again.

I can see Chara making degrading comments about Nightmare and probably eventually Killer’s Chara the more they learn about the two, saying things like how they didn’t “know what they had” and how their treatment of Killer is simply unneeded and there are better ways to go about it, etc.

[zarazmnie-cos]

Threesome with J-line members in trsr!

Imagine yoshi and asahi talking to each other with japanese, while u have no idea abt what they saying.. But u can tell from the tone how they talk and their facial expressions that they are talking dirty and degrading u..🤤 😈

They will even try to teach you sth like "Plz use me puxxy whatever u want" "Call me your own cumslut",..etc in japanese. If u dare to say no, then no dick for u.. they will torturing u by sumata/Intercrural sex(thigh sex) until u beg for them🤤🤤

Can u continue it..?✏️🙏

istg the way it was messing with me for almost two days was no fun bUT HOLY SHIT THIS IS THE SHIT

aight so imagine yoshi and asahi talking in japanese to each other over your already fucked-out state. they've been edging you for hours now, while you just wanted them to fill your pretty pussy up. both of them talked a lot in their native language, of which you understood what you needed; unfortunately that was not what they were talking about.

all this time they just played with your thighs, rubbing their dicks between the plushy skin, stopping their movements once their tip merely touched your soaking entrance. and that's all. you've been a good girl, so why aren't they rewarding you???

"yoshi- please," you almost cried out, giving him the most beautiful puppy eyes you could. you tried to reach his face with your hands but asahi was faster; grabbing your wrists with his free hand, he pinned them to the sheets above your head. "please, please-"

"please what, baby?" yoshi answered with a question and even though it was in japanese, you knew what it means damn well. you heard it many times before, unfortunately for you. "you know what to do, right?"

yes, you knew way too well. but you knew even better that if you're not going to do it, you will simply lose your mind.

"please use me however you want. I wanna be your cumslut~"

the overly sweet tone of your voice both with the pretty pleading eyes and perfect japanese pronunciation was what they wanted. and that was what they got, so it was time for you to get what you craved.

"that's our girl," asahi grinned like stupid, wandering with his hand over your tummy down to your sensitive thighs. feeling the feathery touch of his fingers was already a lot, and you were about to get even more.

if yall found any mistakes, no you didn't; i'm too lzy to edit it on my laptop so the raw phone version it is fellas

[mewguca]

i've heard that rubicon is based off naraka, a sort of buddhist hell-like realm that unlike the christian hell CAN be escaped, although it takes an incomprehensibly long time. so it is possible saint (and other echoes by extension) will earn their freedom someday. i hope they can

Honestly I have no idea... I had dream about that once, though... I was Saint and I helped an echo pass on. I mean, I feel like... theoretically one would be able to escape those bindings eventually, right...?

To me, Rubicon's always felt more like a pseudo-physical representation of some sort of spiritual barrier or state of being that must be overcome (and cannot be) rather than a Real Physical Place that has Actually replaced the Depths or some like. Physical Hell...

(like how rubicon is a very warped reflection of the world above... almost like a dream; something barely tangible and comprehensible)

I think Saint has crossed the point of no return (or crossed the Rubicon, so to speak) by whatever process made them an echo. Or perhaps they're merely an echo puppeting some kind of genetically malleable vessel. Who knows! Regardless, they've already crossed the point of no return, but they're still trying to cross back... and that doesn't work for obvious reasons

Even if they defeat the Guardians, even if they attack the Void Worm, they cannot brute-force their way into reaching enlightenment...

I should really look into it more, though... I wanna learn more about Buddhism since there's a lot of Buddhist themes and imagery in Rain World, like how ascension is a release from the Cycle (much like the concept of nirvana)

It would be nice, I think

..And there are MANY, MANY ways to interpret Saint and their campaign and many headcanons and alternative interpretations to spin

saint is very fun i like them

[incorrectshantaequotes]

Shantae Headcanons - The Seven Sirens: Definitive Edition

So, you know what I realized recently? I did a headcanon post about the Seven Sirens back before the Spectacular Superstars update when we barely had anything to go off of, did a post comparing my characterization to what official characterization we DID have to go off of now that the Seven Sirens had dialogue, and quietly adjusted my headcanons and characterization to better match canon, I, uh...never made a post about what my NEW headcanons were.

Whoops.

Anyway! I've elected to just go ahead and do that now. I do recommend you read my old headcanon post here, because while I have changed a bunch of things (mainly regarding Water Lily and Octo Siren since those two were the characterizations furthest from what we actually got) a lot of what I said there still applies. Basically, if I don't explicitly retcon it here, assume that whatever headcanon I stated there is still my headcanon now. Now, onto the post!

The Seven Sirens as a Group

This is more for Sirens as a species, but it is relevant for the Seven Sirens here, so here the headcanon goes. Siren have natural longevity as a species - able to outlive humans, which isn't that unusual - but being trapped underwater for centuries while barely aging a day? That IS unusual for most species. So what do Sirens have that those species lack? Simple: they feed off magic. This isn't actually that uncommon in the wilds of Sequin Land; every living thing and even some that aren't have some kind of magic within them, no matter how small, so if you're able to feed off it, it's a plentiful resource. Sirens are simply the only sapient species that does this.

Basically, while Sirens do have their own magic resources, due to a biological quirk it isn't actually enough to sustain their body, with this problem being more pronounced the larger a Siren is. Thankfully, as long as they can feed off some magic (just eating something will give them the magic inside, though if a Siren has some method of extracting magic it's more practical to just eat the magic directly) and make up the difference, they'll be fine. And as a fun bonus, as long as they can sustain themselves, they don't age! Ever. Or at least, they don't age once they reach a certain point in a Siren's lifespan (what would be late twenties-mid thirties in human years), though aging does happen notably slower. And if they manage to get a surplus of magic, that turns into more magical power for their own internal resources! ...though it does mean they have to feed off of more magic to sustain themselves in the future, which is very relevant in regards to a certain Empress.

Anyway, onto ACTUAL headcanons regarding the Seven Sirens - approximately none of them have any sense of personal space. This is partially a species thing; with how BIG some Sirens can be personal space can be a lot less relevant, but it's also just a result of how the Seven Sirens are as a group. Thanks to some of them just being giant, some of them having a habit of getting pulled into their work, or both, usually the best way to get any of their attention is to get right up in their face. Which they won't really react badly to, since they've all grown used to it from living with each other for so long, but this also means they have a tendency to invade everyone else's personal space without really thinking about it. Lobster Siren will just grab you by the wrist or shoulders if she wants to get your attention, and she will teleport to do it, Tubeworm Siren has a tendency to unintentionally loom over whoever she's talking to just to make sure she won't accidentally squish them or that one of her pets won't bite them, Anglerfish Siren will appear directly behind people without warning, the list goes on. The only real exception is Empress Siren, who does know what personal space is from interacting with surface species more and just intentionally violates it to make a point.

I AM still saying that the various boss Sirens (apart from Empress) get redeemed, but I've changed the order around to better fit the new characterizations, which I'll get into in their individual sections.

Lobster Siren

Lobster Siren - along with Empress, naturally - comes from one of several royal lines of Sirens. Technically, there's nothing that distinctly separates them from other Sirens, just that, on account of natural selection and a few other things, their lineage has naturally high magic resources, and since Sirens respect magical power, members of that family were put in charge of several Siren colonies. Of course, that means they have to feed off more magic to sustain themselves, but since members of their line were naturally chosen to be in charge of entire Siren colonies, usually those resources weren't that far out of reach, and they were fine! Usually. Unless, you know, a colony was buried under an entire island, devastating their resources and forcing them to scavenge from the wildlife around them.

You might think that Lobster Siren was on the verge of starving like Empress was, but actually, she managed to get by fairly well! For one, she didn't have nearly the same size of Empress's magical resources, so she had notably less to worry about on the needing magic front. Even with Empress Siren forcing Lobster to hunt Empress's meals alongside her own, she still managed to get enough to sustain herself - though it did help that the other Sirens could be persuaded to share some of their meals with her.

Lobster Siren does know sign language, but as she discovered when she began living on the surface of Siren Island, it's several centuries out of date, and can't really be used as a reliable translation option. This annoys Lobster Siren to no end.

If you're familiar with the Ben 10 series - you know Ripjaws? You know how he can switch between a fish tail and two regular legs? Yeah that same logic applies to both Lobster and Empress Siren and their crustacean halves, though Lobster Siren is the only one of the two to actually make use of it. By default, she tends to have her lower half be crustacean, sort of making her a lobster-centaur of some kind (like how her in-game portraits imply she looks rather than her actual sprites), with this going double if she's feeling particularly anxious and is trying to make herself small and less noticeable. But she'll switch to her more humanoid legs if she wants to get somewhere fast or is feeling particularly excited about something, running everywhere with happy chirps.

Also, last thing - changing Lobster Siren's nickname to Bisque. I may have came up with that nickname for a Lazytown AU as an April Fool's joke, but honestly the name feels way better than the last one and also funnier so I'm going with it. The story for how she got it is basically the same as the one for her old nickname only instead of Vera objecting to Zapple's suggestion on account of it being a stupid pun she objects to it on account of "you can't name her after a lobster dish what is wrong with you." Lobster Siren, who eats lobsters rather frequently, did not see the issue.

Empress Siren

So, you know that thing about how Sirens can grow their magical resources by getting a surplus? And how if they do that they'll need to feed off of more magic to sustain themselves? That's why Empress Siren is a decrepit husk while every other Siren is completely fine by the time Seven Sirens rolls around; in the colony's heyday, Empress Siren was able to acquire QUITE the surplus of magic, along with already having notably high magical resources and thus high magic nourishment requirements to begin with since she came from a royal line. She only saw this as a boon, since she had even more power to fling around, but it became an issue once Siren Island was buried and suddenly she couldn't obtain the resources she needed to sustain herself quite so easily. As a result, she eventually began to rapidly age, as is the natural consequence of what happens when a Siren fails to properly sustain their magical resources, while every other Siren was just fine. She was able to mitigate SOME of the consequences by feeding off magic, but it only slowed it down; if not for Empress Siren actually getting some magic in Seven Sirens, she probably would have died in only a few months.

The reason Empress Siren was so hellbent on getting genie magic in particular was because she actually had a taste of it before - during the battle with Harmony's mother, she managed to land a wound on her that would eventually turn fatal centuries later, when Harmony was born. Due to how potent genie magic is, the little bit Empress managed to get from that was able to keep her going for a lot longer than she really should have. This got Empress thinking, and she had a theory - if she managed to get enough genie magic...then, perhaps, the potency of it would be enough to completely override her species biological need to consume magic and simply let her produce her own, thus allowing her to be young, immortal, and powerful forever. And, for the record - that theory would have been right if she did manage to get all the genie magic she needed.

...she did get ONE benefit from her failed plan, though. Ironically enough, despite Rottytops' involvement being the one thing that kept Empress from ultimate power, the dark magic she'd inadvertently absorbed from her (and also Risky, though she didn't quite realize that until later) was what kept her alive, because it let her learn that dark magic can be used as nourishment. Since natural dark magic didn't really become a thing until after Empress' colony was brought down, she hadn't bothered with it, thinking it a cheap shortcut that others used to try and match her natural superiority, but now that she knew that she could feed on it with no real repercussions...well. It did NOT take her long to use her species' natural talent for summoning magic and twist it into a spell that directly drained the magic out of the life around her. It's unnatural, an abomination against nature, but...it gives her far more magic than if she were to just eat the creatures and absorb their magic that way, and that practicality is far more important to her than silly morals or ethics. And it does keep her young - although she's still a bit older than she'd prefer, much to her annoyance.

Water Lily Siren

Okay, onto the supporting Sirens, starting with Water Lily!

Her backstory and role in the Siren Colony as I described in my old Sirens headcanon post is exactly the same, but her personality is notably different. She's very easygoing and carefree, a "go-with-the-flow" kind of gal - a reflection of her plant half, in a sense, given how they often have to just roll with the punches the environment gives them until they die. Granted, a good amount of that was forced under Empress' roof, burying the constant stress that one wrong word could get her head lobbed off, but as the years went by and Empress Siren became weaker and weaker, that stress gradually went away and her easygoing nature became more genuine again, up until now as she lives on Siren Island with her full self restored.

She may not have been a motherly figure to Lobster Siren, but "wine aunt" would be very accurate. She loves the little Siren, thinking of her as just the sweetest little thing, pulling her in for hugs often, letting her play with her plants back when they were in the colony, and taking steps to encourage her hidden, more mischievous side when she can. Maybe not a motherly figure, but definitely a positive authority figure in Lobster's life.

Had she been in her right mind when she fought Shantae, Water Lily Siren would have gone easy on her. Still fight her, because not doing so would definitely get her killed, but, well...to be perfectly blunt, she would not mind if Empress Siren died. At all. She has a LOT of spite towards Empress Siren deep, deep down. That applies now, and definitely applies back then, when the logical outcome of Empress Siren dying would have been Lobster Siren taking over as the best candidate. She would have loved for that to happen, and if she'd actually thought about that, she would have gone easy on Shantae, but...the key word is in her right mind.

Lobster may not have been close to magical starvation, but Water Lily Siren was, on top of some good ol' fashioned regular starvation - being big and extremely slow to move on your own do not a good combination make when you're trapped underwater with very little resources to get food remotely. She did get by, but only barely, and even though Lobster tried to help by offering her food, Water Lily would insist on Lobster keeping it for herself, a combination of spite for Empress and adoration for the little Lobster overriding her self-preservation. She doesn't actually eat sapient species; she makes a few jokes about it sometimes, because her humor is just like that, but she was DEAD serious when she said she was going to eat Shantae, she was that desperate for literally any kind of magic, even with Risky's lie about Shantae's magic being a dud. She got a lot better when the ship exploded and she was surrounded by marine wildlife to eat to her heart's content.

Remember what I said about the changed order of redemption? Water Lily's the second now instead of the first. Part of this is due to the change in personality, part of this is because Tubeworm Siren now has notably better intentions on attacking the surface, but regardless, it didn't take her long to realize Lobster Siren was genuinely happy up on the surface, and join her side.

Water Lily Siren has a bad habit of just dipping underwater and coming up hours later eating a raw fish the size of a car. All the Sirens have an issue with this, honestly (though only Tubeworm Siren will come up eating fish as big as Water Lily catches), but Water Lily Siren does it the most often

Coral Siren

I'll be honest there is nothing to retcon and I have no headcanons to add personally. Coral Siren is perfect as she is god bless

Tubeworm Siren

Tubeworm Siren, honestly, is MOSTLY the same as I characterized her before, just with one key difference that does result in a few retcons. As a Royal General, she's loyal to the CROWN...but not necessarily Empress Siren herself. And while that didn't make a difference while the colony was still running, when the Sirens became trapped, and Empress Siren started to wither away...Tubeworm Siren began to have some concerns.

She began trying to coax Empress Siren to step down and let Lobster Siren take the role of leader, as was tradition for Siren colonies when a potential heir became of age to wear the crown while the old leader was still active. She could enter hibernation and rest knowing her kingdom was in good hands rather than starving to death, wouldn't that be a satisfying end? Except Empress Siren, still having her theory and clinging to every bit of power she could, viciously rejected Tubeworm Siren's offer, time and time again. Eventually, Tubeworm stopped asking, respecting her ruler's wishes, but...well. In her mind, it was clear that the Empress' rapidly increasing age was making her go senile, and while she was content to follow the WORD of her wishes, the spirit of it? That was another matter.

Tubeworm Siren began subtly diverting resources from taking care of Empress to taking care of Lobster, making sure to never get caught. She followed the Empress' orders to the extent she deemed reasonable, but never beyond that, sometimes even outright subverting her orders if they seemed especially bad. She tried upping her training with Lobster to bond with her, quickly realized their relationship was very strained now that she was actually paying attention, talked to Water Lily Siren about how to properly interact with Lobster, and ended up scrapping the intense training in favor of a more gentle approach. Lobster was confused at first, but...she did know already that Tubeworm meant well with the training, and now seeing that she'd clearly reevaluated how she was interacting with her and was making an effort to listen to what SHE wanted? Lobster's relationship with Tubeworm Siren improved dramatically, and over the next few centuries, Tubeworm Siren unintentionally turned into a sort of mother figure for Lobster.

So, naturally, considering all of this, when she heard Empress Siren's plan, she nearly rejected it outright and committed treason right then and there. Just five drops of genie magic, enough to make her unstoppable? Absurd. Clearly the delusions of a Siren long past her prime; a less loyal Siren might even suggest she was just trying to cling to the throne as long as possible, the parasite. But, then again...if genie magic really was that potent...who was to say she couldn't give it to someone a bit more deserving of that power? Like, say, Lobster? So, she agreed to the plan, cooking up a scheme to go along with it until the last minute, then shove Empress Siren out of the way and have Lobster Siren take that power instead. Brilliant. Foolproof. Except for the part where Shantae beat her to a pulp and left her out of commission until the dust had already settled, and the fact that they never got five drops of genie magic to begin with. That, she did not account for.

So, when she rallied up the other Sirens and led an attack on the surface, technically one of the reasons was revenge for the presumed death of Empress Siren (and she did actually feel a little bit of rage at the Empress' death, despite it all), but mostly it was to get Lobster Siren, who she'd assumed had been kidnapped, make her a proper Queen, and then rebuild their colony. When Lobster Siren made her appeal, Tubeworm Siren assumed that she was either forced to say that to lead them into a trap, or that she had Stockholm Syndrome, and refused to listen to reason on the matter, no matter who it was.

Still the last to reform, but with a different reason - Tubeworm was sitting in her cage, still fuming a bit from the loss but gradually accepting her fate and the idea that maybe the surface wasn't so bad, before suddenly hearing a commotion somewhere outside it. She looked around, trying to see what it was, and then she saw- Empress Siren. Alive, maybe not in her prime, but certainly healthy, and...she was attacking both the half-genies and her former subjects indiscriminately. Viciously. Gleefully, even. And as Tubeworm Siren saw her former Empress - no, not that title, former Queen - aim a lightning bolt at her niece with a vicious grin, Tubeworm Siren realized that no, Empress Siren hadn't gone senile. She never did. She was always just like this, and it was only when she had other reasons to question her that she saw it. She was always this cruel, petty, and egomaniacal, and up until they were all forcefully sealed away she hadn't done anything about it. No wonder the Sirens so willingly chose the surface, when they remembered this as the alternative. Well, maybe she hadn't done anything about Empress in the past, but she could sure do something now.

Aaaaaaand that was when Tubeworm Siren broke out of her cage and lunged at Empress Siren herself, with the intent of ripping that parasite to shreds. She lost, but that did not stop her from trying to go after the retreating Empress Siren; only with everyone else holding her back for her own safety did she manage to calm down and apologize for her actions, properly joining the side of good.

Dialing it back to significantly lighter stuff - Tubeworm Siren has names for all the various tubeworms that act as her legs and she always has, and always will, smother them with affection like a dog lover and their dogs. At first she refused to allow anyone to nickname them, because Lobster named the heads and she refused to grant anyone else that privilege, but begrudgingly agreed to allow them to be referred to as translations of those names. Their names are Bonk, Pointy, Shiny, and Wall-Eye.

Anglerfish Siren

Anglerfish Siren is another one that's perfect as is I just need to update like two things

Anglerfish Siren is now the first Siren that properly redeemed herself, sort of - when Lobster Siren made her appeal, and Tubeworm made her stance on what she thought was happening clear, the two groups prepared for a fight, with Zapple remarking that a three on five wouldn't be easy...only for Angler to correct her that it was four on four. It was at that point that the two half-genies and Siren looked behind them to see Angler right there, and when questioned, she immediately attempted to gaslight them into thinking she was with them the whole time instead of answering the question. They had to put it off for the fight, but Lobster revealed the full story of how she and Angler were friends later

So remember how I said Anglerfish Siren and Rottytops got along very well? Slight correction: they get along like a house on fire. Angler's tendency for dramatics and her mastery of magic combined with Rotty's pranking abilities and internal philosophy of "go big or go home" make for a vicious combo. They had to be stopped from committing arson together an hour after they first met.

Octo Siren

Alright, last Siren! Woo!

Now, I haven't made any headcanons regarding the Siren's ages, because...well, they live for hundreds of years. There's not really a point, especially if I'm trying to equate it to where they would be if they were human. Anyway, all of this is to say that, BEFORE the Spectacular Superstar update, I saw Octo Siren as around the same age as Tubeworm Siren and Water Lily Siren, i.e. definitively an adult, but NOW I see her as around the same age as Coral, Angler, and Lobster Siren, i.e. young adult. If she was human she'd be around Harmony's age. Anyway

Octo Siren was the royal secretary and, much like Tubeworm Siren, got her position through nepotism, coming from a line of Sirens that served the crown for generations as secretaries. UNLIKE Tubeworm Siren, however, who was basically perfect for her job as General, Octo Siren was...not that. Prone to bouts of narcolepsy, leaving her tasks to her octopus minions more often than not (and unlike Warp Squids, Brain Octos are a lot dumber than you'd think), and generally being unmotivated to do any work at all, Octo Siren is the last person you'd want as a secretary, even if she is actually fairly good at logistics and other secretary duties when she gets around to doing it herself. However, there was one thing that kept her on the job: her crippling lack of self-esteem.

Octo Siren is well-aware of her flaws. She was well-aware of them before she got the job, and her awareness of those flaws were magnified by a hundred when she actually got it. Though she hides it pretty well, there's a LOT of self-consciousness she has to work through, and for a while Octo Siren had a desperate need of approval from just...anyone. ANYONE. Anyone at all, just to reassure her that she did deserve the job and that she worked hard...and to that purpose, she ended up clinging to Empress Siren like glue.

Ironically, Empress Siren treated Octo Siren more like a niece than her actual niece. It wasn't a good thing by any stretch of the imagination - Empress Siren only cared about Octo Siren to the extent she liked having someone around who was so eager to please - but Octo Siren did have the best relationship with Empress Siren both while the colony was active and while they were trapped below, and because of that, Empress Siren actually put her in charge the few times she had to go out on her own. It was a position Octo Siren both held in adulation and one she got vehemently defensive about.

Octo Siren is still the fourth Siren to be redeemed, but like with Tubeworm, it's for different reasons. She was the most emotionally devastated by Empress Siren's presumed death, and the one who fought most viciously for vengeance on her behalf, but WITH Empress Siren's death, she ended up latching onto Tubeworm Siren as the next best authority figure in her life, and unlike Empress, Tubeworm actually cared for Octo Siren as a person, even if she didn't quite know WHY Octo so desperately wanted to please her now. The amount of positive attention was overwhelming - and, honestly, was making her reconsider just how healthy her relationship with Empress Siren was - and also made her near impossible to budge from Tubeworm Siren's side without outside interference. So, Zapple, Coral, and Anglerfish Siren collaborated to kidnap Octo Siren so she could see reason.

Octo Siren immediately argued that kidnapping her did not make a good defense for their argument that they didn't do the same with Lobster, but they weren't releasing her anytime soon, so she just sat there fuming. But, then, the thing was, besides the kidnapping, everything else was...surprisingly nice? A lot nicer than the constant stress of the Siren colony or, to some extent, even Tubeworm Siren's little camp on the island. The turning point for her came when she got so bored she ended up deciding to file Zapple's taxes - it was Zapple's house she was trapped in, after all - only to stop short, find herself struggling to even start, and for the half-genie to come down and, rather than reprimand her, actually give Octo some advice on how to deal with her issues. It was then Octo Siren understood that, while they may have kidnapped her, they certainly didn't kidnap Lobster.

Octo Siren's magic allows her to float slightly in the air. Comes in handy when traversing on land, but mostly she just uses it to sleep in the weirdest places imaginable

Octo Siren's nickname is now Doll. Similar reason to her old nickname - she may have an understanding with Zapple, but she was NOT having her name be a fish pun, so she just chose a name that felt right.

During one of Shantae's visits to Siren Island Octo Siren just drops this conversation onto her:

Octo Siren: By the way, sorry for flirting with you the first time we met - I didn't know you and her were together. Wouldn't have said anything if I knew. Happy for you two, though! Shantae: Uh...thank you? But firstly - we weren't together then, that happened a bit after the Half-Genie Festival. Secondly, when? Octo Siren: When what? Shantae: When did you flirt with me? I do NOT remember that at all. Octo Siren: I mean, I'd think it'd be pretty obvious. Shantae: It really isn't. Octo Siren: I literally introduced myself by saying "Hey, baby!". Rottytops: Wow. Shantae: That's a completely neutral introduction though? I still don't see where the flirting is! Like, at the time, all I thought was that it sounded like something Rotty would- Shantae: Shantae: Oh my god. Octo Siren: Wow. Shantae: Ohhhhh my god... Octo Siren, turning to Rottytops: So, how did you get through her thick skull? Rottytops: Trial and error. Octo Siren, nodding: That makes sense. Shantae: WILL YOU TWO STOP-

[classificationhell]

How would Adam treat a little? What if it was his little one?

Adam, whether he likes it or not, is a Beta Caregiver, so Littles are kind of his personal weakness. He does have a heart underneath that exterior. Yeah, he doesn't see Sinners as even remotely the same as Winners even though they are literally human souls, and he is a staunch misogynist, but he didn't exactly have an example to follow, he just happened to be the first dickhead to have the thought that men should be the head of household. However, that also means he was the provider, the one making sure there was a means to eat and kept the family protected. Clearly he became more lax and chased flights of fancy in heaven where he didn't have to work for anything, but anybody will stagnate or worse deteriorate morally, emotionally, and intellectually if there is no real push for them to be better and heaven is the pinnacle of that. Every need met and catered to and Winners don't need to worry about falling no matter what? You bet your ass prolonged exposure to this setting would fuck even the best person up to the worst parts of their character, and Adam is literally the oldest soul in heaven.

I'm guessing for the first while he'd be alone and would be told about his second wife's betrayal (if he didn't already know, there's this whole thing about Cain being the son of the serpent if you wanna know more Google it but this combined with the fact Lucifer implied he also had sex with Eve leads me to believe it could've somehow happened while they were alive, buuuut there's a whole other tangent there because they state Adam was the first human soul but then does that mean Abel didn't get into heaven or was his soul waiting for Adam do Cain and Abel even exist in the universe?!) [[For the purpose of this AU, they exist, and Abel just waited for his father at the gate because he didn't want to go in without anyone he knew there. However, for whatever reason, they've grown apart and don't see each other anymore.]]

Ehehe, sorry about that massive tangent above. This is the first Adam ask, and there's kinda some groundwork to cover for this to even make sense for a lot of people. Anyhow, back on track after his second wife's betrayal he would be in no hurry to get anybody to try and fill in any sort of spot as someone he genuinely cares about and needs him and all that. Hence, he becomes something of a playboy. Also, being the first human soul in heaven and finding out about the secondary gender and designation system he wouldn't properly understand it, all he knows is that he's a fucking Beta cuck and by the time reassigning treatment for it comes along there's already too many people here for him to just go in discreetly so he's stuck using artificial hormones and things he can get under the table through two or three parties before reaching him so nobody would ever know. Over half of his "I'm the original dick" bullshit is literally just this front he puts up to keep the facade that he's an Alpha. He even uses injections to give himself a fake rut at the same time a normal cycle would happen. His avoidance of connection leads him to staying away from places where he might bump into Littles leaving him to joining a band that plays at the strip and bar joints (it's probably tamer than hell but you're really telling me there's no one in heaven who's a good soul but just horny or likes the occasional drink? Like I get that those who indulge in excess are guilty of the sin(s or a combination) of Gluttony, Lust, and /or Greed but like once their up there you're telling me it's all ice cream shops and petting zoos and singing? Especially in this version? I mean, at what point does fun become hedonistic or overindulgence? Can you have no sex except vanilla behind closed bedroom doors? Boy, if I got redeemed, I'd be clawing my way back down extermination or no if you're telling me BDSM is outlawed. XD I am lowkey tired while writing this, so sorry for the obscene amount of tangents, cursing, and odd tone) just so he can avoid them. When Lute comes, he has someone to project his needs of caring for someone onto even though Lute is an Alpha Neutral. (90 percent of the exorcists are Alphas actually and it simultaneously passes him off, because why the fuck isn't he an Alpha, and gives him a power rush since he commands them easily and they're eating out of the palm of his fucking hand.) Granted he's not the best at it, but he's trying and also Lute is a bit much for even him at times, plus she's the only one who will correct him whenever he's wrong or about to do or say something completely stupid so he kinda hates that even if it is very rare.

Anyway, by present day he's so far pushed back his actual instinctual needs to care for someone that the very first Little, Sinner or Winner, that touches him his Caregiver is going to bond with and he's going to be stuck with them. If they're a Sinner he's sneaking them into heaven and hiding them away and at first he fucking sucks but he can't stand to see them crying especially when regressed so he gets better pretty quickly. If they're a Winner he's better to them but still somewhat resentful they're harshing his whole unattached Alpha male stud vibe he had going on. It'd be a learn to be better type story. If Lucifer found out he might be very concerned because he knows the kind of man Adam has become and he wouldn't trust the man with a goldfish, let alone a Little. (But that's a story for another time)

Anyway hope that all made sense and wasnt offensive or anything somehow I'm literally falling asleep typing.

TLDR: Adam wouldn't go within ten feet of a Little if he could help it, but when he has one of his own more and more of the man he used to be is awakened and he becomes a better Caregiver if not person overall.

[pepperwebsblog]

Love Letter 8

Here's the plain English version of the love letters from my fic (Love Letters)

Dearest, Please don’t be mad at me for this, but I have somehow found myself back in Purgatory.  I know, I know what you're thinking, but it wasn’t my fault! I got kidnapped! Two of those one-eyed workers came to me and took me away to this boat and I wasn’t given a choice, I had to! They were very rude. Okay well I might have willingly gone with them when they said 'follow me' but what was a guy to do? So, yeah, I'm back in purgatory. This time it's different though! There's loads more people, new people! I'm on a team and we are called the Racoons. My new team members are pretty great, I am having a lot of fun. Today we bandied together with Team Crows and played battleships. I think you'd be proud of me, I stayed up all night the night before to research tactics and today we won! I annihilated them! It was a lot of fun destroying the other team. Oh! Also! Baghera and Cellbit showed up! They've been missing for a month but they appeared and chainsawed me to death so that was fun. They are now completely unhinged and didn’t seem to know their children were alive…..very strange. Im not sure what tomorrow holds, the big eyeball in the sky said there can only be one winner. I will try my best but if not I guess I'm dead. But not really though because I think I go back to Quesadilla Island at some point….. Anyway, if this is the last you hear from me, you know I care for you more than words can say, I hope you are well, Yours, Bad

And here's how it translated into the flowery version:

My Dearest, Pray, do not harbor resentment towards me, for circumstances beyond my control have ensnared me once more within the confines of Purgatory. Indeed, I beseech thee to withhold judgment, for I am blameless in this latest predicament. Kidnapped, I was, by two ruffianly workers with singular eyes, who, in their discourtesy, conveyed me to a vessel against my volition. True, I confess a certain willingness to heed their command when they bid me 'follow,' but what choice remained for a gentleman in such straits? Thus, I have returned to Purgatory's embrace, yet this sojourn differs from the former. A plethora of new souls populates this realm, and I have aligned myself with a collective known as the Racoons. These comrades of mine, have proven most amiable, and merriment abounds in our camaraderie. In a recent engagement, we formed an alliance with Team Crows, engaging in naval warfare of the utmost intensity. I dedicated myself to rigorous research in the eve preceding, and our concerted efforts were rewarded with triumph. The satisfaction derived from vanquishing our adversaries was unparalleled. In a twist of fate, Baghera and Cellbit, absent for a month, resurfaced! However, their reunion with me was orchestrated in a most unconventional manner – a veritable chainsawing, which, despite its morbidity, bore an air of amusement. Their descent into madness is apparent but curiously, they appeared oblivious to the state of their offspring being alive, a matter of peculiar note. Tomorrow remains shrouded in uncertainty, as the celestial orb in the sky intones that only one victor shall emerge. I will exert myself to the utmost of my abilities, though the spectre of mortality looms large. Yet, should I succumb, fret not, for whispers of a return to Quesadilla Island in some ethereal juncture have reached my ears….. Should this be the final communiqué you receive from me, let it be known that my regard for thee exceeds the bounds of linguistic expression. I entreat that you remain in good health and spirits. Yours Devotedly, Bad

[its-crisps]

old man yaoi

(new pinned post dropping rn lol)

what's up my name Definitely isnt chips, nobody look me in the eyes here, nobody squint too hard at the fine print or the man behind the curtain.

im making the call now that this blog is 18+ exclusively, not because you can expect explicit content, but because 1. i yearn a NORMAL amount and 2. who knows. maybe this Will become the chips porn blog down the line! there will be ample warning if that happens.

all i really wanted to do with this post was state the above & also drop some not-too-identifying fun facts about my blorbos for this blog :] putting them below the cut though bc i love yall

stone & lectern are from the same source material. sand is just There. still have no idea what compelled me to reach new levels of crackshippery.

obligatory disclaimer that None of them are from minecraft in any way, the block names are just convenient as hell. i may even start color-coding them in posts for funsies but we'll see

some of yall know who stone & lectern are if u squint, but because of that sand has been put in fucking witness protection

they Are all actually old men. i know what an old man is. i promise. take my hand

in canon, stone is the platonic ideal of a normal guy & the other two are Something adjacent to gods. sometimes i choose to ignore this because i like to play with my touys (it is so extremely funny to me to level the playing field by making them All normal guys (or at least. humans) and seeing how that changes the dynamic)

i think it's a fair assessment to make that they've all died at least once. some more than others

im really normal about all of them :]

(will probably add more stuff later im just tired rn ✌️)

[0junemeatcleaver0]

Dom!Armand x Marius

Armand slapping Marius around and having fun

Armand/Marius Rating: E Featuring: A lot of emotion, Marius being weird about bottoming, Armand determined to get his pound of flesh, Daniel being fed up, and the three S's (slapping, spitting, sobbing). The dove isn't dead, but it is in rehab.

𝔾𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕥𝕠 𝕊𝕖𝕖𝕕

He'd begun gardening at some point.

It started with absentmindedly pulling up weeds in the low stone bed of iris and grew into a yard of robust rose bushes, blossoms fat and fragrant.

He feels a bit like a silly old woman. Like he should invest in an obscene amount of cats to populate his quarters with.

He's not ready to begin painting again. Not yet. And so he must fill his time somehow, as he waits.

It's all he can do; Bide his time.

There's been a tentative peace between himself and his fledgling for a while now, but they are both aware of just how shaky the ground they're on is. Not a great place to build a solid foundation.

Still yet, Marius had begged (much to his shame) Armand to come back to him. To truly come back. To be his ungrateful pupil once more.

"Things are too different for all of that now, Marius." Armand had sighed. Still, Marius pressed the issue until Armand promised to think on it. _______________________ Think on it he did, and Marius isn't too pleased about the conclusion his fledgling has reached.

"Never."

"I need recompense. How else am I to know you're truly sorry? I need something more substantial than just your tears for once." _______________________ They go back and forth for a solid week.

Armand had said his piece and Marius shut him down. But his words haunted him. Armand had a point. How was he to believe Marius this time? How else is the boy to know how serious Marius is about this?

The negotiations are more detailed and heated than any law they've passed in Court. They tried to have a mediator, but once Marius began to patiently explain what is and is not proper for an upstanding Roman male to do, Daniel had rolled his eyes and walked out of the room without a word.

He didn't return. Armand spent the rest of that evening's discussion glaring at Marius. _______________________ It's touch and go, but they finally find a state of compromise.

"Stop scowling, would you?"

"The mere prospect is so demeaning."

"It's meant to be, sweet Master." ________________________ The rules are quite simple.

Armand is in charge. Marius can set neither tone nor pace. He's only allowed to use his 'safe word' to stop the proceedings, nothing more.

"What is this 'safe word'? Would 'stop' not suffice?"

"Not with you? How often do you say the wrong thing in the heat of the moment? The safe word makes you have to think about your words and if you really want to say them."

They've not begun and Marius already wants to set the chateau on fire and use the Cloud Gift to flee the scene.

Marius is not to be anally penetrated. He will not be moved on that. He is to lay on his back and take whatever it is Armand is willing to give him.

"You understand it won't all be pleasant, right?" Armand checked.

"I had assumed you'd make me pay with a pound of flesh and not copious orgasms, yes."

There was a guarded look in Armand's eyes, as though he didn't expect to be able to lead Marius this far into his plan.

But still yet, Marius follows him all the way through to the end. __________________________ He's on his back, nude and spread out like the Vitruvian Man.

He would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous. His cock lays soft against the bed of tight, golden curls of his pubis and he worries vaguely that he might not even be able to get hard for Armand, injections or no.

Armand is still dressed, having only removed his jacket and shoes. He stands at the foot of the bed regarding Marius with an unreadable expression.

Get on with it, Marius thinks, grateful for the mental barrier between them--that he can still use his thoughts to work through his nerves without it causing more strife.

A moment more and Armand is finally reaching for the pearl buttons on his shirt, working them through the holes at a mortal's pace.

Marius wonders to himself how he'd allowed himself to be talked into this situation. _______________________ He'd been trimming the roses alone in the garden when Armand appeared. He'd stepped out from behind a large yew and just stared at Marius for a long moment before asking, "Did you grow all this?"

"I did." Marius snipped a dead rose from the bush with perhaps too much force.

"Hmm." Armand looked around at the garden, verdant and fertile. "You always did need something to nurture." _______________________ "Is this quite necessary?" Marius sighs, watching Armand.

His fledgling his straddling his hips with his back to him, chest pressed to the mattress between Marius's spread legs as he reaches back to work himself open with two fingers.

"Are you supposed to be questioning me?" Armand huffs, muffled against the duvet.

He's not. It would be easier to look away, to close his eyes until Armand is ready for him. But he cannot--eyes hopelessly honed in on where fingers disappear into his tight little body over and over again, deeper each time. Much to his chagrin, Marius's cock begins to rapidly swell at the sight.

He was so warm, once upon a time. Marius can remember with perfect clarity the night Amadeo returned from a brothel--the third in a series--and begged Marius to do this to him. When Vincenzo brought the olive oil up to the bedroom for them, he knew better than to ask questions. Amadeo had been stifling in his warmth when Marius slipped a finger in--and so thankful for Marius stroking over the oil-slicked velvet of his insides.

"Do you remember?" Armand breathes, voice small, "The first time you did this for me?"

"I do." Marius can't help the bittersweet smile that curls his lips. _____________________ "I don't need your patronizing, thank you." He felt wary in that moment, so tired. Court was running fine--practically on its own at this point, well oiled machine that it'd become. He came to the garden for alone time.

And yes, to have something to nurture.

"I'm not patronizing you." Armand sounded almost hurt, and so Marius turned to look at him over his shoulder.

He appeared to have shrunken between now and when he'd first shown himself--looks smaller and somehow lost, as though he doesn't spend three months of his year at the chateau and just mysteriously woke up there. His arms were crossed over his chest as he looked up at Marius through his lashes.

His fledgling is cunning, he knew this. He could never be fully certain when he's being vulnerable or when he's being manipulative. Still, he errs on the side of caution.

"Yes." He agrees. "I do best when I have something in my care." _______________________ "Gods," Marius chokes out under his breath. Armand sinks slowly down onto him, hands braced against his chest. His own hands itch to reach out and touch him--grasp Armand by the hips, help force him down onto his cock.

Instead he balls his fists into the duvet and focuses on breathing.

The first time in millennia that his member has been a true erogenous zone--the first time he's been able to have Armand in this way. It should be--in Marius's opinion--an occasion celebrated with candlelight and satin sheets and slow touches that coax his love to climax again and again until he's begging for the pleasure to stop.

Instead, he's helpless of his own (begrudging) volition, looking up into the grinning face of a beautiful imp. Armand has impaled himself fully on Marius's cock but is refusing to move. Opting instead to spit into his own palm to begin stroking himself off.

Despite how his body is reacting to the sight, Marius is plainly miserable. _____________________ "The roses are beautiful," he continued cautiously, "But I think I'd like to take care of something much more...rewarding."

"You could have done that a long time ago."

Marius turned away so as not to let Armand see him flinch. What was it about this child that always brought his every reaction up from his depths, shattering the stoic surface? He'd read the story Armand recounted to David and while he had exaggerated some, Marius knew--remembered--how truthful he'd been in his reporting on all the times Marius had cried, wept, killed, or begged when it came to Amadeo.

He didn't think his pride would ever recover.

How much lower can a man sink? ________________________ Armand comes with a sinful noise, taking a moment to allow the mist of pleasure to clear his head.

He rears back and slaps Marius across the face. ________________________ "Impossible." Marius denied weakly, thumbing a rosebud open. "You would have never rejoined me. Not after the Coven had their hooks in you."

"Yes I would." Armand's voice was hard. He sounded nearly like a man. It made Marius shudder slightly under his cloak. "I would have dropped everything to be with you again."

Silence for a moment. And then, softer:

"I would have done anything for you. Can you say the same?" ________________________ The first slap was the hardest, but the second is the worst. Armand slaps him with his right hand, leaving a faint red hand print across Marius's cheek as well as a mix of lube and come.

It is, to put it plainly, humiliating.

"Thank me for my efforts in correcting you and I might give you a reward." Marius nearly throws him off then--Armand pitching his register up a bit, filling his voice with breath so that he is suddenly Amadeo--sweet angel, little devil, complete terror--straddling his lap, threatening to slap him again.

"Thank you...Armand." Marius grits out between his teeth. The sheets beneath his fingers begin to rip, gripping tighter the more enraged he becomes.

"You're welcome, sweet Master." Armand breathes, still playing at his game.

He begins grinding his hips in slow, torturous circles. ____________________ "I would." He admitted softly. "Now."

He had been desperate for Armand for quite some time. Thought the moment had come at Maharet's Sonoma compound until he saw Daniel. There were so many things they could have said--he could have said--to each other but once the dust had settled and they were both alive...it had been too easy to fall back into the status quo.

There are no excuses. He knows that. But there are reasons.

He refuses to examine them, because he knows the root cause. Knows it's something his Roman pride could not possibly survive.

He's a coward.

"Oh? Would you?"

Marius nodded. It was true. There weren't many things he wouldn't do to have Armand back in his life, the way things had been in Venice.

"Then let me fuck you."

It was stated so plainly, so bluntly, that it took Marius a moment to process it.

"I have never--"

"But you could."

"I cannot."

"The Empire was a long time ago, Marius. You won't lose your social standing for letting your boy fuck you."

He didn't admit he'd find it to be too degrading. They both knew he was thinking it. ____________________ "Does that feel good, Master?" Armand asks, voice sickly-sweet.

Marius nods because--loathe as he is to admit it--it does. He feels wonderful, so tight around him. Armand should have used three fingers to prepare himself but Marius suspects this was probably part of his plan--to be this maddeningly snug around Marius cock.

"I can't hear you, dear Master." Armand lifts his hips and dives back down, earning a grunt from Marius. "Does it feel good?"

"Yes, Armand." His voice is brittle with rage and pleasure, a curious combination. "Thank you."

"Very good, Master." Armand smirks. "You learn quickly!" _____________________ Armand shut down emotionally for two days after the confrontation in the garden. Marius knew that if he wanted the conversation to continue, he'd need to get creative.

He was pleased by how he'd caught his fledgling on the back foot--having enlisted the help of Daniel who invited him to his rooms, agreed to act as a mediator.

It hadn't lasted long. Old habits died hard and so even now, decades later, when faced with a stressful situation Daniel would still pace the floor as he rapidly smoked cigarette after cigarette just to have some place to put his restless energy.

"There are things I simply cannot give you." Marius tried to patiently explain. "Things I do not have to give."

"Everyone has an ass cherry." Daniel had mumbled, much to Marius's confusion.

"What my dear fledgling is trying to say," Armand glares at Marius, "Is that there is nothing demeaning about bottoming."

"It's different for Roman men."

"Which you haven't been for millennia!" Daniel crows.

"And so it is fine to demean me?" Armand accuses.

"That is not at all what I--"

"Careful, Master." Armand's tone is pure ice. "There are more demeaning things in this world than simply taking a dick." ______________________ "You're not to come," Armand huffs, bouncing hard in Marius's lap, "Not until I allow you."

"I'm well aware." Marius hisses through clinched teeth.

It's a directive that's becoming harder and harder to follow. Armand's riding him like a rented mule, his cock swaying as he bounces--having gotten hard again at some point. He keeps making noises Marius hasn't heard in centuries and he wants nothing more than to flip the boy onto his back and plow into him until he's throwing those noises against the walls loud enough for the whole court to hear them.

"Please?" It sneaks out of his mouth before he can stop it and he rushes to correct course. "Please come for me, beloved. Let me see you take your pleasure."

Armand reaches forward, pressing his thumb under Marius's parted lips until he drops his jaw lower, opening his mouth. ______________________ "Please." It was soft, broken down by longing. "What else? What else would you need to me to prove I am serious? There is nothing under the heavens that I desire more than having you at my side. I am begging you." ______________________ Armand spits a mouthful of blood into his face. Marius is completely unprepared for this, the blood splattering his skin, getting into his mouth. When it hits his tongue he's reminded of Amadeo's turning--

--his blood in his mouth, again and again, nothing more precious than to have his child inside of him like this, to know that at the end of the night he would be at his side until the end of time, knowing that Marius is forever inside of him and Amadeo forever inside of Marius, who needs sex when you can walk through eternity with your lover's life force locked forever inside of you, how happy they will be until the world turns to dust beneath their feet--

--Armand slaps his jaw shut.

Marius blinks his eyes open with a gasp, unable to tell what of the veil of red over his eyes is Armand's blood and what is his own tears. It all blends together as he half-growls half-sobs, "Stop this, now."

Armand continues bouncing merrily, driving his hips down hard.

"Stop, I said!"

Armand doesn't, just continues fucking himself hard onto Marius, humming Bartok under his breath.

"Venice!"

All movement stops. Everything is strangely silent past the ringing in Marius's ears--when did that start, he wonders. His heart is hammering harder than it's done in a millennia as he fights to get his useless breath back.

Armand is petting at his face with slightly shaking hands and Marius realizes he's sobbing like a babe. Like an idiot. He's not even certain why, it's just a flood of emotion pouring out of him.

"It's okay, Master." Armand soothes. He's dropped the pretense, is using his normal tone of voice now. "It's okay. I'm here now. And I'm not going anywhere."

[from-dre]

The Value of Experience

I once knew a girl in high school who I admired very much. Her grades were consistently at the top of the class. She had a style all her own. Her bedroom walls were covered in magazine clippings and collages she'd spent long hours on. She didn't mind falling off a skateboard and scraping her elbow. Her creativity just shimmered through everything she did, no matter how small. She seemed like the model student. More so, the model friend. Then she started trying different things. Introducing different chemicals into her already-brilliant psyche. She figured that she may as well now, while she was still young and able. That—in her words—she'd like to have all these things "under her belt." It confused me. She already seemed perfect. Why the need to experiment if you've been blessed with so much? Stranger yet, her grades never suffered. They didn't dip once. Throughout all the psychedelics, pills, and whatnot—, she remained on top of her class. This confused me even more.

Long story short: she transferred schools and I never saw her again. I'd often think back to her free spirit and nonchalant attitude toward drugs and try to see the soundness therein. Her premise was probably that the more experiences one has, the more they'll have to draw from, hence, the more reliable their conclusions will be.

But I don't need to stick a needle in my arm and shoot up heroin to know it's bad for you. There are studies available. I've skimmed a few.

All sarcasm aside—there actually are people in this world who won't respect an iota of your opinion if you haven't done each and everything you're describing on a firsthand basis, multiple times over. Though, nobody reaches the top of the Empire State Building and needs proof that jumping toward the street below will be the worst—and last—mistake they'll ever make.

It's common sense. It's engrained into our DNA. Rationale; it's there to be used, often.

So why this elitist obsession with having as many things under one's belt as possible? They claim "enlightenment" as these would-be’s ingest handfuls of brightly technicolored capsules and listen to music so new that it hasn't even been assigned a sub-genre yet. These "brave" culture warriors teeter the edge which divides our mainstream from the scary wilderness beyond. They self-appoint themselves the true curators of cool but only because there is nobody else who cares enough to make such a huge production out of whatever the current flavor-of-the-week happens to be. Everyone else is gone. They've moved on. They grew brains and with them created goals, outlined plans, and just started taking those who chose to stay behind at their words.

"Oh..., too many counteractive drugs in your body will shut down your central nervous system?"

So I’ve heard.

"Oh..., you smoked three packs a day for twenty-some years and now you're bummed out by your test results?"

Hmm...

"Oh..., going through withdrawals really isn’t fun?"

Wow.

Opposite a posteriori, a priori knowledge is independent of experience.

If a privileged upper-middle class teenager who's been lucky enough to grow up in an environment where the realities of drugs could be observed through both those that litter the streets of his downtown and the internet at large, still needs further empirical evidence to fully commit to a conclusion, then I would venture to say that he is probably welcoming of all the misery he's plunging himself toward.

There are certain things in life that I don't need to experience on my own skin in order to label them a certain way. A priori knowledge. Anyone who sees this as whimpering away with fear is a masochist and can be my guest when it comes to trying "that new gasoline stuff.” My only guess is that people are forever trying to one-up each other. “You've tried the pink powder? Well I've tried the blue.” And so on and so forth. I don't admire this type of thinking. It gets you killed or at the very least, makes you extremely regretful. The one I admire is the third person looking at the two arguing with a look of bewilderment that shouts out: “Why?!”

[the-firebird69]

It is clearing up and Punta Gorda a little there's gonna be less rain for hours and it will drain out and it will rain and drain out and it really needs that there's a bunch of **** floating and it's all over the damn place and it will seep into that layer which is really only about two foot down and it'll soften and it will go downwards and it has to. This place is stinky and smelly all the time and it really needs this rinsing. It won't take long but it'll take a day and it will make a big impact on it. Do have some news.

--- We have to feed our son Yes in a moment only have a couple announcements one of them is the dam at the front of the harbor Charlotte Harbor is beginning to weaken and he's seen these kind of things before. not with this horse manure but similar stuff and if you have a through and it meets dissimilar material it starts to undermine it so goes down to sand and at the sand and horse manure transition it goes faster along the sand and the sand actually eats it away fast so it starts to blow that out underneath then it collapses and we're experiencing that even though it is not sand it's more compacted in layers and the three foot high section that is three foot at the top is now about two foot wide two foot down well it's three foot down to two foot and it's getting wider at that level of and it makes an odd shape like the WWF almost and it will continue to erode until it's three foot by 3 foot square above a three foot wide by one foot deep triangle once it reaches that it will begin to expand at the bottom of the three foot in a in a pyramid type configuration and the side will collapse above it. Also it is a well known fact that this area stinks all the time and for years and people knew it and knew why they're all dying they've been exposed to the radiation and they're sicker than hell. Essence not huge but he feels OK and he's going to eat something we have one or two more announcements

we have one or two more announcements

- I do hear it I need to announce it we have 50 people that have to go here 100 or so a lot more than that we just have a huge collect we need them out of here we have a big glut of them here

-- The ship is inland and it is the black ship it is up north and it is a huge menace OK and it's bad and it is going slowly towards the storm and it is pulling up behind it and people are kinda making fun of him because they can see it so clearly and he's saying OK and stuff but really he's an idiot and he is going to go down for being stupid in a moment there are armies that are moving up there and that are going to intercept him there are armies down here fighting the clones and now they're fighting Trump which is usually the norm and the clones don't like Trump and Trump doesn't like them.

-- We have some news that this is following the Revolutionary War somehow there's a lot of crap around that then and it's not very pleasant but that's how it was it is important to note that there are certain events that are taking place and we are going over what those are of course they are very important and they are also pertinent to what's happening here so you must understand we are in a state of war was practically everyone and we want people to know that that's happening we need to get going on a lot of things we have a lot of ideas but this is important to note.

-- We're getting a lot of movement around town and basically they're saying they're responding to the clones and basically they are but they have other stupid things they wanna do we're starting to hear from the pseudo empire that they're upset and inner rage and all this other **** about all sorts of stuff what we're saying and what we're posting what we say is we've been putting this out there the whole time because you're an **** and you're a **** and jerk to our kid and you fired him from your company for no reason and put his life in jeopardy and we're going after you this isn't a free for all you can't do anything you want to him we're gonna mess you up if you didn't listen and now you're gonna get hit and that's how it is so we're gonna publish

Thor Freya Olympus Hera and many more

[my-name-is-jefferooni]

I LOVE IDW Issue 65 (SPOILERS!! SPOILERS SPOILERS!!!!!!)

Out of all the people in this entire world to knock over that table... It was Espio. I literally cannot be happier.

SO! I just finished reading the newest IDW issue, and I kinda wanna address something that I've heard a few people point out ever since Evan Stanley took over as the head writer. This is not meant to criticize anyone or favor anybody over anyone else. I'm just stating my thoughts on this "Controversy."

Essentially what I've heard from a few people, is that they've noticed that Evan is taking a slower approach in terms of story for the comic. Compared to Ian Flinn, who managed to get the Metal Virus saga done in like 18 issues, Evan's writing style is far slower in terms of pacing, given how we haven't really reached much of an ending to the current arc. I guess there was that little mini "Imposter Syndrome" arc that started after the mini series, and that wrapped itself up pretty quickly. But other than that and a couple big events that happened after the Virus, things have been moving kinda slow.

People tend to see this as a bad thing, especially since Ian Flynn would've previously wrapped up all of this in a matter of like. 20 issues probably. idk actually I don't work in the comic industry yet. But to me? I see this as an amazing thing!

I do have to agree that the pacing is relatively slower than how it was with Ian behind the wheel, and it's especially noticeable with the more recent issues where we have 2 stories in one and they're always split apart. To me, that last part can be solved by just. Not doing it...? Like, I think it would be easier for the reader if the full story was in one issue instead of 2, but in terms of the plot, it makes sense. Everything is kinda just happened all at once, so it would make more sense from an in-universe standpoint to mash them all together like Evan's been doing. So even though it's just me kinda nit-picking, that's my only gripe.

As for the slow pacing, I actually really enjoy it! We now get a chance to read more dialogue, see the characters do things, watch them just be with each other... Take the very quick scene from issue 65 where Knuckles and Vector are discussing the missing artifacts. Just... Just look at how Knuckles and Vector talk to each other. They're very easygoing, very understanding of each other, but at the same time they're also very different attitude-wise. Vector doesn't even flinch at Knuckles's little outburst, and that's how you can tell that the two have known each other for a long time and are very safe with each other.

And just. Just look at the first like 2 pages. These 4 are a family unit and you cannot change my mind.

I honestly just adore seeing characters take a break on-screen and use that time to talk to each other. I enjoy seeing like 3-page scenes like these where the characters just hang out with each other. Bits like these are how you really dig into the personalities and insecurities of the character's you've learned to love, and it allows for the reader to really resonate with them on a personal level. You think Sonic the Hedgehog is gonna be all buddy-buddy with Eggman on the battlefield? You think Knuckles is gonna have fun and laugh with Sonic while the two are constantly fighting against robots??

I mean. Probably. But my point is that when you have fast-paced writing like Ian's, you don't really get much of that time or space for any additional character growth/development. You don't get to see them in their day-to-day lives. You don't get to see what kind of drinks Vector likes, or what kind of artifact Knuckles treasures the most, or what the dynamic looks like between certain characters.

You don't get lines like these from Eggman with that kinda writing!

"I take whatever I want, whenever I want. I don't personally keep track of every little thing I procure in my conquests.

But why would I make the effort to hire the Babylon Rogues when I could just send my robots?

I don't know about it. I don't care about it! Now get out, you MORONS!"

See? This is why I love Evan's writing. She does such a great job establishing and building upon character beats and dynamics, and ties it all together with the pretty big bow known as her expert worldbuilding!

[learninggames40]

Creative Ideas to Keep Kids Engaged While Traveling!

We all can't wait to go on vacation every once in a while. Traveling and exploring new places is always exciting and allows you to escape from the routine for a bit. However, even though a family vacation sounds amazing, there's a lot of prep that goes into ensuring it's a smooth one. At the end of the day, kids can get fidgety and impatient while on a long journey. Parents are constantly looking for new ways to keep them entertained while traveling, ways that will also help them a little bit educationally. A little bit of mindless entertainment like video games and phone videos are alright, but if the journey is long, you'll need something more effective like education games. We've come up with a list of some fun kids learning games that you can consider. Check it out.

Board Games

Before you think that this is a bad idea since all the pieces will fall down in a moving car, we're talking about magnetic board games! There are many magnetic board games that come in travel sizes. Some traditional and classic ones and some new ones. You can find checkers, chess, monopoly, and other learning games that will keep the kids busy throughout the journey. These games have an entertainment and intellectual factor that stimulates the mind along with ensuring that they have a fun time.

Learning Apps

You could download a number of learning apps on your phone that will engage the kids. Apps like SKIDOS have over 40 learning games that span across categories like math, logic, language, and creative skills. The math learning game introduce various math concepts to them in amusing ways, and the logical reasoning games compel them to think out of the box and tap into their analytical skills. There are also games that unlock their creativity and even teach them about personal development like hygiene and essential life skills.

Memory Games

There are some fantastic memory games that will stimulate kids' minds while traveling. One is an alphabet game where one player starts by saying a word with the letter A, the second player will continue by repeating the first word and adding a new word with the letter B. The game continues with players repeating the string of words and adding a new word at the end. So, everyone has to pay attention and remember the words and the order to stay in the game. It's a great game to keep the kids alert and improve their vocabulary.

Number Games

If you want your kids to practice their multiplication tables, you can do so through fun travel math learning games. One such game is the multiplication game where you can pick a number whose multiplication table is going to be used. Next, you've got to pick a code word. Let's say the number is 4 and the code word is 'bingo'. Now, every player starts calling out numbers consecutively starting from 1 and when you reach a multiple of 4, you've got to say 'bingo' instead of the number.

So it will be 1,2,3,bingo,5,6,7,bingo, and so on. This game is amazing for kids to remember their math and have some fun with everyone else in the car. After every few rounds, you could change the number and code word to make the game more interesting and challenging.

Number Plate Game

If you're traveling by car, here's another interesting game that you can play to improve your child's general knowledge. It's simple; all you've got to do is make the child look at all the vehicles passing by and name the state on the number plate. They'll learn the abbreviation and the name of the different states in the country. This will improve their general knowledge and give you a little peace of mind while driving!

Kids learning games are essential while traveling, especially if the journey is long. It's a great time to teach them about various things as well as practice some of the concepts they've learned in school. Visually, they can learn about nature and animals while on a road trip, and through technology and learning apps, they can learn some other fascinating concepts. There are many other learning games that you can find or even make up on your own. Just remember to make it engaging, entertaining, and educational!