#top-script original content

[top-script]

ok but like

[fabric-shower-curtain]

By complete accident I somehow have the autopsy scar mod on top of the bhaalist tattoo mod, don’t ask me how they’re both on my durge I have no idea how it happened. But it got me thinking how would the origin characters (+halsin) react/barely react to a lover that is heavily scarred and tattooed? (Set in Act 1)

Read more for the full brainrot

Astarion: The first time Astarion saw your body for himself was when he walked past your tent late at night, through the flaps in the entrance he saw all those scars, he couldn’t tell what had you awake this late in the night, especially mostly naked with your back turned. The vampire simply continued on his way to hunt for the night. He dropped it there, until that is, the second night in the clearing you two spent together. He was lying down leaning his head against his arms as his red eyes stared at your naked body. His eyes flowed down every scar that littered your body, he barely seemed to look at the tattoos but that’s what he asked about first “So, can you translate that one?” - he points to the tattoo across your left arm, lifting up the limb you pull your skin to take a proper look at it. It’s been a while since you properly saw it, because just out of sight enough to make it annoying to stare at. When you tell him Astarion seems content with the information. His fingers drift across the tattoo. It’s a tender moment until the elf’s hand floats toward your neck. His ice cold fingers dancing across the lingering puncture wounds on your neck - “But these are by far my favorite mark on you,” You lean into Astarion’s touch releasing a chuckling sigh before calling him the weirdest flirt you have ever seen.

Gale: He really didn’t mean to go to the river at the same time he truly meant to go two hours early when he said he would, but that tome was particularly interesting - the effects of adrenaline on libido, certainly important for a man so restricted by his netherese orb. But now it was two hours past and he definitely had a musk going on. Taking an extra robe and rag Gale went to the nearby river, only you were there too. Illuminated in moonlight you were bare in front of him. Gale cleared his throat loudly, trying to let you know he was there. What he did not expect was for you to whip around and get out of the water to say hello. He tried his best to only look at your face, he did not succeed. Your skin was glowing with a vei of water cascading down in droplets. Gale’s eyes followed one droplet from your hair, down your neck, across your chest until a certain tattoo caught his eye, infernal script. Trying to keep his focus on the tattoo rather than the flesh its on he asked you if it meant what he thought it did. He was right in fact, and you told him the story behind why you got it, quite the nice tale. The wizard relaxed enough to notice another scar across your soldier “Is that from a magic missile?” He asked without thinking. Nodding in confirmation you turned to show your shoulder blade where the other two missiles struck. As you turned around the coldness of the night hit you like a thunder wave, a massive shiver shook your entire body spraying tiny water droplets around. “Gosh you must be freezing,” - Gale wrapped you in his towel-rag before stressfully ushering you back towards the camp. Once you got back to your tent you realized you left your towel and clothes on a nearby rock, you could return the peeping Tom favor.

Halsin: Halsin adores you long before he ever saw your birthday suit, sure he thought about it, quite a lot, but with his focus deep on the shadow-curse he doesn’t have time to do much other than think about out. But the first time he does see you was far from romantic or sensual. A hook horror had slashed your entire back open when you got to close, and Halsin watched it all happen. Before the beast even hit the ground he was rushing over to you, he didn’t think, he just ripped your armor right off of you to get to the wound. You might have been screaming but his ears were ringing too loud to tell one noise from another. Halsin couldn’t even see where scar ended and fresh cut began, your tattoos were doused in enough blood to make them impossible to see against your skin. The bear of an elf’s hand floated above the wound with the same glowing blue light the hook horror’s body was basking in, thank silvanus he was far enough from the sussur tree for his magic to work. Even with his healing a scar in the same place as the monster's claw marks stayed. Halsin’s druidic skills must be faltering, that’s what he determines at least. Until the next day, you’re healed fully up and about getting ready to leave camp for the day. Halsin calls out your name - “I’m sorry I could not heal you fully, I tried best I could but the scar persists” to his confusion you begin laughing. The scar he’s so upset about has been on you for so long now, and you tell him such. His healing left no scar, in fact he healed you so well an old scar was able to show.

Karlach: The first time she saw you naked you were bathing next to each other after a battle. Even with Dammon’s initial upgrade you can’t touch each other, but you swore to find ways to be intimate without touching, just like this. However you neglected to inform her about what lay under your clothes until now, scars covering you head to toe interlaced with tattoos of varying quality. “Hey Soldier! How come you didn’t tell me before stealing my aesthetic!” You didn’t even register this was the first time exposing yourself in such a way, a brief moment of panic before you burst into a smile. “Come here, let me see them” Karlach makes you twirl around, using the faintest touch of her fingers to pull your arms out and see the tattoos wrapping around them. Her eyes continued to trail down your body, after a gasp she jumped back up to your face - “That burn scar looks like mine!” She said before pulling down her trousers to show you the near identically placed scar on her thigh. But Karlach didn’t ask about the obviously fresher stab scars, she continued to smile at her new discovery but lets the two of you properly bathe for once.

Lae’zel: Even when pinning you against a wall the githyanki warrior wasn’t particularly gentle. It’s not like you didn’t know what you were getting yourself into tonight, she had said pretty explicitly she seemed carnal pleasure. Somehow Lae’zel was even more assertive in such a scenario than during your adventures. You couldn’t even take your own armor off, she practically ripped it off of you. Your body is exposed to her in an instant, she doesn’t react, her hands go immediately to unlace your trousers and undergarments. The night is enjoyable even as exhausting as it was. Only much later does Lae’zel ever comment on them, and its in a conversation praising you two’s battle prowess “Each scar is a battle fought, a battle won.” You try not to tell her you have at least two scars from dropping the knife while cooking with Gale. She’s sweet in her own way.

Shadowheart: Shadowheart first saw you naked while healing a particularly cruel wound, goblin had snuck up on you and slashed your torso deep. You stabilized yourself quick enough with a healing potion but the wound persisted. After the battle you wandered your way over to Shadowhearts tent, asking for help. She laid you down atop her bedroll, sliding your shirt off as you let yourself relax into the makeshift bed. And then you caught it, Shadowheart’s eyes widened, shit. But she didn’t say anything; she pressed her warm hands towards your open wound as they lit alight with magic. Radiating from your gash the warm feeling washed over you, your eyes closed softly breathing out in relief. Shadowheart quelled her magic, looking over you for a fat moment. You can feel her eyes wandering over you, up and down your chest, down your stomach and across both your arms. The relief of healing has left you now but you’re still too scared to open your eyes. And then a soft hand traced along your largest scar, her fingers were so light it tickled. “I like your tattoos.” The half-elf’s voice was soft, her eyes focused back on your large scar, “How’d you get that one.” Whether or not you tell the story she’s content, happy to have this extra piece of you in her memory.

Wyll: Poor Wyll just wanted to ask about the plans for tomorrow, but not only did he smack his horns on the skeleton of your tent while entering but you’re also as naked as the day you were born. The man nearly shrieked like he saw a ghost, his entire chest swelled up with his shoulders shooting up and he looked like he just swallowed a frog. Without a word Wyll turned on his heel and left your tent, only after trying to cool his blushing face off did he even process all your markings. Upon the log he sat on he dragged his hand up and down his face trying to process what the hells just happened. And then you exited your tent, completely decent this time. You greeted Wyll and sat beside him wondering what he had barged in about in the first place. But the poor man can’t even look at you. He as calmly as he could gave you the sincerest apology you’ve ever heard. After your acceptance he finally turns to you “So what does that tattoo across your back mean?” You pause for a moment, then explain as best you can. And that conversation continues just like that, he’d ask how you got a certain scar or tattoo and you’d answer him. In return he showed you one particularly nasty scar on his arm from a monster he fought while traversing the sword coast. What may have started as the most embarrassing moment of your partnership ended with you closer than before.

[olderthannetfic]

I thought it would be interesting to see if I could easily determine which ships had the most works updated in 2023.

It turned out to be fairly easy, though a little time consuming. I think these results should be reasonably accurate.

Some points to note:

I did this on my own account, and I have like 2 people muted. So I am capturing the effects of archive-locked works, but my numbers might be off by one or two works due to muting.

Works updated in 2023 is a number that constantly changes as works are deleted or updated again in 2024.

I didn't scrape the entire archive or anything like that, so it's possible I missed a ship that would bump one of these down below 100. I'd take the last few at the bottom there with a grain of salt. But I think we can be reasonably sure the top ones are accurate and that the kinds of numbers that we see at the bottom there (eighteen hundred plus works updated in 2023) are about where the cutoff will be even if we find a ship I missed.

--

As for how I did this, I went to the category tags and the rating tags, filtered for updating in 2023, then excluded ships in the sidebar till I got to 130-150 ships excluded. I also grabbed ships that are big in general from tag search, which you can use to find all relationship canonicals, ordered by frequency.

I combined those lists of ships, cleaned off the works numbers, and generated a list without duplicates. That got me three hundred and something (yes, they were mostly duplicates). I generated the relevant AO3 URLs, opened them in batches with Open Multiple URLs, and copied the works totals into a spreadsheet. Not as tidy as using a script but honestly pretty easy if you know a few spreadsheet formulas to clean up data.

The key here is that if you're only going for pretty good and not accurate beyond a shadow of a doubt, all you need to do is generate a list of likely ships, then check them.

It's possible that there's some much-updated ship that is so evenly spread across these various other tags that it just missed showing up in the sidebar. Hopefully, grabbing more than just the top 100 avoided this problem.

This method also doesn't take into account backdated works. If a whole archive was imported in 2023 but all backdated, there could be some ship that didn't have new works but where AO3 users experience in 2023 was of an influx of content.

I also did this just now, in late March/early April, so some 2023 works have inevitably been deleted or updated again. So the exact work counts don't represent the experience of using AO3 throughout 2023. A fandom active in early 2023 might not have much updating in early 2024, while a fandom active in late 2023 would. This could demote the latter a few places in the rankings since I didn't grab numbers on January 1st.

Even if a person scraped AO3 every day or was monkeying around in the databases, you also have to ask what conceptual answer you're after. Is it works a user could have read at some point during 2023, whether they were deleted by the year's end or not? Is it new-to-AO3 works or only newly-created ones, not including imported archives? Does it matter if the works are fic? If they're in English? What about accidental double-uploads or translations of a single work?

I hope this makes it clear why a definitive ranking is not actually possible.

However, despite these drawbacks, I am confident that the rankings above accurately represent the broad trends on AO3 in 2023. Just don't get too fixated on whether a ship should be at number 73 or number 74.

And, of course, I excluded these from the top 100:

Original Character(s)/Original Character(s) - 20,026

Minor or Background Relationship(s) - 16,187

No Romantic Relationship(s) - 8,052

Original Female Character(s)/Original Male Character(s) - 7,195

Original Male Character/Original Male Character - 6,283

Other Relationship Tags to Be Added - 5,618

Original Female Character(s)/Original Female Character(s) - 3,990

Original Character(s) & Original Character(s) - 3,210

Here's a spreadsheet if you want to see the actual numbers not as a shitty screencap. I left the next few below 100 for context.

[yoshida-chiyo]

Enhypen reaction when fans start a dating rumour between you and another idol

pairing: bf!enhypen x fem!reader

genre: fluff, humor

disclaimer: No images or GIFs used in this post belong to me. All credits to respective creators. Contact for credit/removal. Your work is valued.

𖠗 이희승 | Lee Heeseung:

catches you browsing TikTok with another idol and dramatically throws himself onto the couch 😩

sends you a giant "NO" emoji when he sees fan comments suggesting you have a secret handshake with the other idol

insists on being your personal TikTok coach to upstage the other idol's dance moves 😒

𖠗 박종성 | Park Jongseong:

gives you a suspicious look when you mention you and the other idol practiced your lines together, imagining an intense script showdown

threatens to start a fan club for your pet just to distract fans from the dating rumors 😡

develops an over-the-top, imaginary rivalry with the other idol, complete with imaginary wrestling matches

𖠗 심재윤 | Sim Jaeyun:

sends you a selfie with a cardboard cutout of himself and the other idol, captioned "Three's a crowd."

organizes a protest with other Enhypen members, waving signs that say "Justice for Solo Shirt-Wearers!"

seriously considers hiring a fake Dispatch photographer for a surprise expose on your next date 😇

he's so cute in this GIF i wanna cry (⋟﹏⋞)

𖠗 박성훈 | Park Sunghoon:

reacts to fan comments suggesting you and the other idol have matching hairstyles by considering a drastic, ridiculous hair change

suddenly declares himself the president of the "I'm Dating Myself" fan club to throw off dating rumors 😓

proposes a joint reality show with the other idol titled "Love Triangle in the Spotlight," complete with cheesy theme music 😑

𖠗 김선우 | Kim Sunoo:

photoshops himself into all the pictures of you and the other idol, posting them with captions like "Third Wheel Level: Expert."

starts a rumor that he has a secret twin who is dating the other idol, just for the sake of confusion

creates a PowerPoint presentation proving that you and the other idol are actually long-lost siblings separated at birth 😊

𖠗 양정원 | Yang Jungwon:

stages an elaborate "coincidental" meeting with you and the other idol at a convenience store, pretending it's a random encounter

tweets a series of melodramatic poems about the tragic love triangle, complete with overly dramatic readings on V Live 🤧

considers writing a fanfiction where he, you, and the other idol embark on a quest to find the legendary "Friendzone Crystal."

𖠗 西村力 | Nishimura Riki:

expresses his displeasure by creating an elaborate dance routine that symbolizes his emotional turmoil 😣

designs custom t-shirts with slogans like "I'm Just Here for the Snacks" to divert attention away from the dating rumors

convinces Enhypen members to start a viral hashtag campaign like #RikiDeservesBetter, making fans question their shipping choices

Copyright © yukimura-chiyo - All Rights Reserved

Note: Please refrain from reposting my work. If you appreciate it and would like to share, kindly link directly to the original post. Thank you for respecting the effort and creativity put into this content.

ty @666booklover

[snaccpopstudios]

Long time, no see, Tumblr!

Hello Everyone! It’s been a while, and we’re so sorry about the silence on our blog! But we have some big, important updates to share with you all. The entire team has been extremely busy with both personal, real-life responsibilities and with game production! On top of this, we have also had a big change in management and production, so we’ve been getting a handle on that at the same time.

I’ll start this by stating that I’m Tobias (he/him), the new social media and community manager, and I’ll be bringing this update to you all! And, all Patreon links provided (minus the ones near the end) are public posts, so you don’t need to be subscribed to a tier to view them, but you still need to be 18+! Now, this goes a bit back, so get a warm drink and get comfy to read this big post because if you haven’t been on the Twitter or Patreon, you’ve missed quite a lot (which is on us entirely! We’re sorry again!) In September 2023, we released a few screenshots on our Patreon showing off some script revisions for the demo of “Something’s Wrong with Sunny Day Jack.” (read them + the update more in detail here!: https://www.patreon.com/posts/sunny-day-jack-90099502) As stated in that post, “A lot of grammatical errors, run-on sentences, etc.. are also being combed out in favor of: - Content that foreshadows future events in the game - Content that is easier to read - And content that more clearly portrays the rules, lore, and restrictions of the supernatural/horror elements in this world

Additionally, more content in general, will be added. Not a substantial amount, but enough to flesh out scenes and make things make more sense now that the world/game has been almost completely outlined.” This post was met with a lot of confusion, as SDJ fans mentioned that they feared the game was being toned down from its original concept. And while our re-writes do actively remove dialogue that unintentionally may be perceived as dubious consent or pressuring the player into sexual/romantic choices, there are no intentions to remove yandere/horror content! We cleared this all up in another Patreon post; a small QnA (here’s that one, again, more in detail!: https://www.patreon.com/posts/q-yandere-is-to-91034309). 

You may be saying “But Tobias! On the Kickstarter, it said there was soft, dubious consent!” And yes, that is true. However, as stated in the 2nd link provided, Our publisher at the time, Project Enso, originally put that warning up. Sauce (they/them) was not happy with that, but PE properly explained that people who were uncomfortable with the infamous "No Route" hadn't had that warning, and thus felt surprised.

This twitter post was the beginning of Sauce’s quest to remove that warning. (https://x.com/SunnyDayJack/status/1560782320533118976?s=20)

[Disclaimer: PE had nothing to do with the writing of the content. They just had to do what was safest!]

Now, you may have noticed that at the beginning of this post, I mentioned a big change in management. In a post made on Patreon in late October 2023, we got introduced to our new Director, Biscuit (she/her)! She’s previously made devlogs on the Patreon, but she’s since been made the Head of Operations for SnaccPop! These are big and important posts, so I really recommend reading them (as well as the previous posts I’ve linked) in their entirety on the Patreon! - Status Update: New leadership, steps moving forward, future of SnaccPop: https://www.patreon.com/posts/status-update-of-91558879 - Q&A: Project Enso departure, AphroDesia, Deadlines and more: https://www.patreon.com/posts/q-project-enso-91850042

But the main points of these two posts above are, 

Sauce will no longer be taking a management role at SnaccPop anymore. Instead, they will take a much necessary backstep to focus solely on creating art and supporting the studio through their continuous work.

The studio has Biscuit as its front-facing figure, but she will be helped out by Perrie (she/her, our current Voice Acting director), Nana (she/her, our current Art director), and other individuals who are key to keeping the content going smoothly at a decent pace. 

SWWSDJ is no longer being released as a full game in November 2024, and is now having Episodic Releases! (Acts 1, 2, 3, and 4)

The Patreon rewards will remain entirely the same. Sauce, as it has been said before, will keep working with us all the way!

Some of you may be wondering what happened with Project Enso and why we parted ways with them, you can read their parting message here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/official-from-92484578

We want to say thank you to Project Enso for all the great work they did for us, however, we believe this decision is the best next step forward to make Sunny Day Jack as best of a game as it can be.

Now, onto some fun stuff! Speed round!

An AphroDesia Game?! The customer is always right! But that doesn't mean that they're necessarily pleasant to deal with…   Available to our $10+ Patreon supporters, you can play a demo of the upcoming mini dating-sim featuring our beloved cutie-pie, TMon, called “ConciUrges.” Featuring 4 endings, two of which are NSFW!

Bachelor of the Month is back! We’re introducing our new icy, and first plus-sized bachelor for the month of December, Jacob Frost (who’s voice has yet to be revealed, but his look has been!) He’s draped out in front of a cozy fireplace, waiting for you to get to know him for $5+~

Another SDJ Demo? You betcha! We understand that there's been lots and lots of content for Sunny Day Jack, and that includes multiple demos that we've released in the past. However, we want to release one last demo. One that includes our new artstyle and script changes that reflect our ideology much more clearly so there aren't any doubts as we move into the future. The release date is TBD!

WE'RE HIRING!! Are you an 18+ NSFW writer and/or an audio engineer? Then you're the person(s) for us! Apply for the position(s) on the Patreon post or the Twitter post!  THE POSISTION IS ONLY FOR THOSE 18+. PROOF OF AGE WILL BE REQUIRED.

Project: DramaBoy As stated in the above linked posts in #5 (more in detail on the Patreon link!) We’re starting up a new project, Project: DramaBoy! As an explanation to non-paying patrons who may have missed our upload of our first teaser (Impish BF Surprises You on Christmas),  we'll be looking to release (hopefully) weekly NSFW and SFW POV Boyfriend audios! Sometimes they'll include characters you know and love-- such as Jambee or Sunny Day Jack. However-- sometimes, they'll include interesting beta concepts voiced by the same VAs from our mainstay projects! Read all about it and see the SLIVER of the list of BFs we’re planning to bring you at https://www.patreon.com/posts/project-dramaboy-94652067 (available to read for free!)

That's all for this update! We know it's lengthy and long overdue, so thank you for your continued support and for taking the time to read! ^_^

[genericpuff]

How long do you plan making rekindled? I loved Lo at some point, But now I cant get enough of your version!! And I wanted to know how did you come up with the darker back stories for Rekindled?

I have a semi-detailed skeleton of the plot with basically every story beat planned out, but I can't definitively say how long it will be as I haven't actually scripted every single episode out yet.

Not to mention a lot of the time my scripts will change from their original versions, by the time I get to an episode I've planned ahead for I've either thought of new ways to do it or don't like how it's paced so I change it. Case in point, there was a specific scene I had planned for the next episode and then wound up not liking the pacing because it was too fast so I moved it to several episodes away and restructured everything on the fly, took a whole new text document and scrapping sketches to figure shit out LOL I actually do have up until Episode 70ish scripted out in my documents with like, actual notes and dialogue for each episode, but I already have sooo many of those crossed out now because of how much I've had to tweak and change as time has gone on. This is why I plan ahead well in advance though, so that if I do need to make those changes, I can make them long before the episodes are even due to be drawn (and believe me, they get changed during the sketching phases too LOL).

What I can confirm for certain is that the current 'arc' we're in right now is definitely the bulk of the story. And that's not to say there isn't any content afterwards, more like the pacing just gets completely turned on its head in the last 30-40% of it where shit gets N U T S and just can't go back to the same energy that it was in the beginning. Without spoiling, there's a certain 'turning point' in the plot and everything after it isn't quite as long as the stint of story we're in now. This is mostly because the arc we're currently in is still establishing a bunch of stuff like the Underworld Corp, Persephone's schooling, etc. and once that turning point hits, it's basically all character development and focusing on the consequences of everything setup in the first arc.

I guess if I had to illustrate it, the story progression in the end will look something like this?

It's basically just this slow and chill climb that, once it hits that sharp peak, doesn't ever return to normal levels LMAO So I guess enjoy this part of the story while you can because it's the chillest it'll ever be w(°ｏ°)w And boy, I am EXCITED for that peak, but we have a long way to go before we get there. As for how long, well, I'm hoping I'll be able to have Rekindled's story wrapped up in the next 2 years, tops. Just depends on how the update schedule goes, and assuming the plans I have put down for the plotting don't change in any major way. I don't have as much of the latter half of the story actually scripted out yet so for all I know it could wind up being way longer than anticipated, but right now I have a pretty good sense of how the story beats will play out in relation to each other.

So it's kind of a wait and see thing, at least until I have every episode scripted out, and even then I won't be 100% sure because things are always being tweaked and fixed and changed on the fly! I'm guessing it won't go much longer than 170 episodes, give or take, but that's a very very VERY rough estimate.

Regardless, Rekindled still has a lot more story to tell, and I'm hoping y'all enjoy the ride with me <3

As for the darker backstories, y'all don't even know yet. Like... I've got stuff planned. Stuff that even Banshriek (my BG assistant) doesn't know about. Stuff that I keep buried very deep in Rekindled's episode documents that won't see the light of day until they have to be ripped out of the deep dark trenches of the characters' own buried secrets, and by that point, the toothpaste will be out of the tube, there will be no going back. So, again... enjoy it while it lasts. Because I don't pull my punches. And maybe even you won't be able to look at me the same way again once the final blow has been dealt.

Sleep well.

:)

[campgender]

i was scrolling your “life is in your home too” tag, which I love btw, and saw a post about how you learned to be a good dom from experienced expert doms by reading how they dom and some of their best scenes, do you think you could point me in the direction of some resources for me to study that too? thanks in advance, if not, thanks anyway!

(post referenced is here - link 1)

first of all tysm for this ask (+ your incredibly kind follow-up), it was a delight to receive + i’ve been wanting an excuse to talk about a lot of this for a while so i very much appreciate the interest!

as always please keep in mind that i am Just Some Fem, nothing is universal including when it comes to D/s & i can only speak to what works for me. i try to focus on starting points rather than specifics but ultimately my advice will always be limited by what i needed to hear & wasn’t told, which may not be what’s helpful for a different person. with that being said, here’s some suggestions!

i’ve posted a previous reading list (link 2) with relevant recs; particularly the practicality + sex writing sections have the kind of thing you’re looking for. specifically, The New Topping Book (2003) is a solid starting point; i definitely have my issues with it (haven’t read it recently enough to recall many specifics but i have the sense of general pervasive racism & ableism) but it did a good job at making me think & i appreciate the supportive tone they were going for

another book added to my tbr since then is Coming to Power (link 3), released by SAMOIS in 1983

other authors whose sex writing has been influential in my life: Sandra Cisneros, Natalie Diaz, Joan Nestle, Judy Grahn

the fic At The End of His Rope by Letterblade (link 4) is genuinely some of my favorite sex writing of all time & accomplishes the incredibly impressive feat of representing a broad array of dom styles & changes over time in the same piece

my “impurity culture” tag (link 5) houses the building blocks of my sexual ethic

i’ve found many of those foundations by poking around the incredible bodies of work original & archived @newsmutproject @woman-loving @gatheringbones

for me, studying sex is the same as studying poetry – reading for craft is a different process than for pleasure (not that there isn’t a great deal of pleasure to be found in such practice, especially for sadists – perhaps that’s why as a child i never resonated with Billy Collins’ “Introduction to Poetry,” like i love tying poems to chairs & beating them idk what to tell you). so, keeping in mind that these are suggestions not requirements, here’s how i read for + work on craft:

there is no such thing as too much journaling. this can take whatever form you prefer – voice memo, discord message to yourself, the noble notes app, your own personal sexy red string corkboard, a vast & stunning array of other approaches i can’t even begin to imagine. i personally have an elaborate web of spreadsheets & google docs lmao. what matters is developing a collection of ideas you want to play with + a practice of continually reflecting on past experiences.

pay attention to structure, not just content. find a scene you think is disjointed and pick at the seams, brainstorm better transitions. then find a scene that flows so smoothly it carries you with it and figure out what makes it work.

rewrite a scene you’re drawn to or affected by to suit your own preferences. i first did this when i couldn’t shake “Interlude 3” (link 6) from my head after reading The New Topping Book; you can read my variation on the theme here (link 7) if you’re interested.

write or think through a scene fantasy you have from negotiation to aftercare. obviously it’s very difficult if not impossible to fully script a scene in advance; the purpose isn’t planning something you’ll later do but rather getting used to coming up with ideas to get from one disparate moment / act to the next.

revisit a scene you’ve read, written, thought about, etc and list the physical & mental acts that are required / expected of the sub (eg, kneeling for 10 minutes; making eye contact; counting to 30, etc). then rework the scene for a sub who has the same interests & goals who cannot do 20% (or 50%, or any) of these acts.

revisit a previous scene and list the places where you think a sub might safeword & why. then rework it with the sub safewording somewhere that isn’t any of these places.

i also recommend keeping in mind that like… for me, reading about ethical sex can often be a very distressing process for the same reason that it’s liberating: because it proves that things i’ve experienced are not the way sex has to be. i’ll tell this story in its fullness one day but the first time i read S/HE by Minnie Bruce Pratt i literally had a flashback to events i’d repressed for years, it was devastating, i’m so grateful for it. hell, in the process of compiling resources for this post i cried twice editing this quote (link 8) because between reading that book the first time & now someone did “respond with scorn or ridicule” when i safeworded. so i would really encourage folks to approach this kind of work with as much grace & comfort for yourself as you can muster or borrow – if it’s really fucking hard, you’re not alone in that, & it’s okay to take your time + pace yourself + seek support.

your + others’ interest is definitely motivating me to actually write posts i’ve been tossing around for months so thank you again & feel free to keep an eye out for more shut-in sex tips in my new “tomorrow sexting will be good again” tag. would love to hear your thoughts on any of this post / these or other books / whatever really lol. wishing you all the best & i hope today is kind to you! 💓

[damn-it-a-hogwarts-legacy-blog]

We're All Friends Here

AO3 Link

Ominis and MC have invited Sebastian for a special kind of visit

Ominis x fem!MC x Sebastian

NSFW—sexual content

MFM threesome between Sebastian and married Ominis/MC, obligatory praise kink featured throughout

Word count: 7,532

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

A few times every year, Sebastian Sallow would receive an invitation from Ominis and his wife, MC, to visit them at their idyllic English country house for a few days. The letters were always written in the beautifully cultivated script Sebastian knew belonged to Ominis and were always signed by both husband and wife. Were a stranger to find one of these invitations, they would think nothing of it: an old friend from school being invited to stay with his two best friends for a week and celebrate being united again. That stranger would be half right.

As was the trio's custom, they had retired to the drawing room for drinks after dinner to celebrate being together once again. Sebastian had been spending nearly every minute of his time researching for a book he was writing on the origins and proliferation of magic. He was set to leave immediately after his visit with his friends for a month-long trip to America to study the oldest known forms of magic on the continent and pore over Ilvermorny's expansive library, and he wanted to spend his last few nights on the continent with his dearest friends. Sebastian always insisted that MC and Ominis tell him they were just as madly in love as they had been in school; an impertinent question from anyone else—but from him, it was a welcome concern. That day in their fifth year, when Ominis and MC had shyly approached Sebastian hand in hand to admit they had ruined the trio's dynamic forever, they had expected him to be upset. Instead, Sebastian had joyfully taken it upon himself to see to their success as a couple. It was one of many reasons why he was now perched on one side of the deep plush couch, pressing MC comfortably between himself and Ominis with more enthusiasm for drinking in her warmth than the brandy he held.

MC's gaze wandered between the two desperate men boxing her in. Sebastian couldn't help but let out a groan, hand scrubbing his face. She was well aware that if he could have his way, he would have relieved MC of her clothing and buried himself in her at that very moment. MC felt Ominis tense further, trying to maintain his composure while his thoughts drifted to hearing MC desperately moan his and Sebastian's names. To say Ominis had been eagerly awaiting this evening was a gross understatement.

MC flashed a wicked little smile as she broke the silence. "Perhaps I should do something for the both of you."

She lifted a leg as she lazily swirled the drink in her hand and laid it delicately across Sebastian's lap. A smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth when she heard his desperate groan; the lap under her calf was positively radiating with heat. MC briefly considered convincing Sebastian to cancel his trip to America and to stay with her and Ominis longer.

"Hmm? What was that, Sebastian?" MC asked coyly.

Sebastian let out a hiss from between his teeth and threw his head back. "You know exactly what," he growled. MC smiled with raised eyebrows. She was certainly no stranger to riling up her husband, but she could wind Sebastian tighter than an eight-day clock—and she thoroughly enjoyed it.

Despite his best attempts, MC felt Ominis' hands begin to explore, tracing their way across her body. His fingertips were normally a soothing comfort, but with every inch they covered, MC grew increasingly restless. Ominis' breathing had become more labored, and his lips parted ever so slightly, trying to hide how much he desperately needed his wife. MC shifted gently, just enough to rub against him in all the right places and make his breath catch in his throat. She could feel him quickly growing hard against her hip. He touched his closed lips to the top of her head, kissing her like he was holding back a tidal wave while a frustrated breath escaped his nose. His kiss lingered just slightly too long, pressing into her hair with unusual force.

Sebastian set down his brandy as delicately as he could manage. Ominis' idiosyncrasies were usually not convenient or easy to deal with, but his enthusiasm for Sebastian to join the couple in bed a few times every year was a welcome exception. Why neither of them seemed at all bothered by each other's presence in bed was beyond MC—but then again, she was perplexed as to why she enjoyed it as much as they seemed to.

Sebastian slid a hand, large and warm, onto the knee resting on his thigh and squeezed gently. His eyes burned bright as he stared her down like a viper sizing up its prey. MC's core immediately sparked. One of MC's hands flew to Sebastian's, and the other slid up into Ominis' soft, perfectly manicured hair. The satisfaction of both men already struggling to hold back from whatever salacious fantasies were on their minds tickled at her lower abdomen.

"Perhaps we should move somewhere with more space for all three of us. Say—the bedroom?" MC hummed casually.

"Oh, thank Merlin, yes," Sebastian blurted. Ominis gave Sebastian a withering look, but he barely noticed. MC handed her drink to Sebastian, who immediately took it and leaned over to set it next to his own. She gave him a smug look. So impatient, yet so willing to do whatever she wanted. Perhaps she should have been more careful not to exploit his weakness for her body, but the way his gaze bore into her chest and legs left her hungry for his touch.

Before MC could open her mouth, Ominis stood and lifted her with deceptive ease. He stood and walked out of the room, Sebastian hot on his heels.

The bedroom in which Sebastian was staying was decorated in a deep purple motif, and the sprawling bed was impossibly soft. He had sunk blissfully into the small mountain of pure white pillows the night before—now it was MC's turn.

MC was set down on the floor, and before she could get away to the bed, Ominis roughly seized her wrist.

"And where are you going, my darling?" Ominis smiled. He pulled her face-first into his chest and listened with amusement to her surprised squeak. Ominis leaned down, tilted her jaw with a single flick of his finger, and pressed soft kisses to her neck to make her groan. From behind her, she felt Sebastian skate his hands firmly down her arms and tug both her hands behind her back. He pressed himself closer, and the hot, firm erection behind his trousers was pinned between his hips and MC's fingers. His hips gyrated once into her hands, and MC felt her composure begin to slip ever so slightly.

He leaned down, and MC felt each kiss pressed firmly to her neck, much less delicately than Ominis, small grunts behind every touch of his lips to the sensitive column of her neck.

"You've been quite a naughty girl, MC," Sebastian muttered in her ear. His voice was low and gruff, a dangerous tone to which she was instantly addicted. "Making both of us wait like this… now you've got me all riled up."

Sebastian's hand snaked around MC's front and plunged below the waistline of her skirt, down between her legs. Two of his fingers pushed their way into her folds, forcing them apart. From beneath her skirt and between his fingers, MC felt cool air kiss her core. She only wished it was Sebastian or Ominis kissing her core instead.

"Already so wet… whatever will we do with you?" Sebastian hummed thoughtfully. He traced affectionate circles over her core, and she mindlessly thrust against the gliding of his fingers. She would have never admitted it to him, but she was certain Sebastian had just set a new record for the speed at which he made her come undone.

"I have some ideas," Ominis chuckled. "Sebastian and I are going to have so much fun with you."

"We certainly are," Sebastian murmured, his lips just barely grazing her ear and sending shivers violently down her spine. "Just the three of us."

Sebastian withdrew his hand, and Ominis picked MC up again to carry her the remaining distance to the bed. As soon as he had placed her in the middle of the sheets, situated demurely on her legs and looking at them through heavily-lidded eyes, the two young men descended upon her again. Passionate kisses were planted on every bare patch of her skin, fueled by intense hunger. She lost track of whose hands wandered gently and groped at her. Not even five minutes in, and they could barely contain themselves—not that MC's self-control was faring much better. MC sighed blissfully, one hand slithering up into Sebastian's hair and the other to the side of Ominis' face.

Ominis dug his fingers into her hips, and his thumbs pressed into the seam created by her abdomen and thighs. From behind, Sebastian nestled close to her, his legs on either side of her and his chest gently pressed against her back. Just like his thighs, his chest practically burned. He rested his chin on her shoulder and yanked her blouse free from her skirt, hiking it up as he palmed up her sides to her breasts, holding each one over the chemise that frustratingly stood between her silken skin and his touch.

"I hope Ominis has been worshipping your perfect body every single day," Sebastian growled, his lips half-pressed to the side of her head, slurring his speech.

"Oh, not to worry—I do," Ominis chuckled. "It's how I know she can't resist it if you massage little circles over her nipples. Just last week, I was able to make her come by doing that—she utterly melted where she was lying for me on the couch."

"Ominis—" a deep crimson bloomed on MC's face, and she was about to reprimand him for so casually sharing details about their private life, even if it was to Sebastian, until she was cut short by Sebastian doing just as Ominis said. His fingertips barely tickled her at first, then his sudden firm touch through the thin layer of fabric drove her forward into his hands as another little moan escaped her lips.

"You like that, don't you? You make me want to suck them until you're whimpering my name and begging for Ominis and I to take turns on you," Sebastian breathed.

Her ears began ringing as Sebastian's warm fingers firmly rubbed each overstimulated little mound, and she gently fell forward to rest the side of her head against Ominis' shoulder as Sebastian pushed her tighter between both of them.

"You're so aroused for us tonight," Ominis smirked. "I knew you wouldn't disappoint—you never do."

MC reached down to fumble dizzily with the button on Ominis' trousers until she released it and pushed the hemline down. She leaned back and looked down to see his manhood standing tall before her, already dripping and yearning for her touch.

"Eager little thing, aren't you?" Ominis' honeyed voice tickled MC's ear. He lifted her chin with one finger and kissed her deeply. His teeth grazed her lower lip, and his tongue snaked its way into her mouth to wrestle hers into submission.

MC wanted desperately to press delicate fingertips to Ominis' tip—to break his focus in playful retaliation for divulging part of their more intimate life to Sebastian. Before she could, however, Sebastian reached down to grab her wrists and pull her hands behind her again.

"My turn," Sebastian smirked. "You're not allowed to turn around, either. You're a smart girl—you always have been—I'm confident you'll have no trouble." He dragged her fingers up to the hem of his trousers and let her figure out how to unbutton them before returning his hands to her chest.

"Perfect little moans," Sebastian growled into the curve of her neck. "Even better than I'd remembered… You're going to be making those sounds for me all night, MC."

"That goes for the both of us," Ominis hissed from the other side of her head. "I can't wait for you to be our plaything for the night."

MC's self-restraint to not cum right then and there at their words was nearly herculean.

Ominis finally let his fingers drift down between her legs. He became frustrated at their resistance while pressed together, placed a hand on either of her knees and suddenly pulled her legs apart. She fell forward with a gasp, caught only by Ominis' chest. Sebastian merely smirked and pressed her between himself and Ominis, making her keen into Ominis' warm shirt. Ominis paid little mind, and his slender fingers dipped into the arousal now dripping from her core. He ran the flat of two fingers up and down her clit, listening to the pitch in her voice rise as she cried out.

"You're so adorable when you're about to cum on my fingers." Ominis' silvery voice landed teasingly on her ears. "You're positively soaked… Perfect for fucking until our names are the only thing you're capable of saying."

MC moaned deliriously and moved her hips in time with Ominis' fingers, heat radiating through her body. He withdrew all too soon, and when she groaned in annoyance, he brought his fingertips to MC's mouth. "Lick them clean—perhaps that will keep your petulance at bay for a while."

Ominis pushed his fingers past her soft lips, and MC enthusiastically obeyed his direction.

With one last exasperated effort, MC's fingers scrabbled their way to success. As she pushed the fabric of Sebastian's trousers aside, he groaned and thrust his hips. "Atta girl… I knew you could do it," he sighed distractedly.

Ominis pulled his fingers out of MC's mouth and moved them down to massage her again, running his wet fingers over his favorite little organ. She turned her rosy face back to gaze at the results of her labor and saw Sebastian pulling off his trousers for better access to the hard, girthy cock she had become so familiar with during his visits. It hung lazily between Sebastian's legs as he stood on his knees to push his trousers down. Memories of that cock stuffed inside her with Sebastian heavily pinning her down flooded back, and she licked her lips. MC was sure she was dripping arousal onto the bed at that very moment, imagining Sebastian on top of her again.

"Already thinking about Sebastian buried inside you, are we? I can’t wait to hear you two." Ominis stroked up her clit as he spoke, and MC saw stars. How Ominis managed to practically read MC's mind and know exactly what to say in the moment was bewildering.

Sebastian smiled and sat back to pull his trousers down his legs and unceremoniously toss them to the floor, exposing his lower half to her as if tempting her with a reminder of what she had not had for months. He crawled towards her, ensuring she had a pleasing view of his length swinging as he moved.

"Mmm, you're awfully overdressed for the occasion, aren't you?" Sebastian murmured into MC's ear.

"I agree," Ominis murmured in her other ear before nipping it. "Just you relax. Sebastian and I will take care of everything."

MC's mind nearly fell apart, and she could only mumble nonsense in reply. One of her hands aimlessly wandered over Ominis' shoulder, the other through Sebastian's soft hair.

Ominis turned MC to rest her back against his chest while he unbuttoned and roughly pulled a dazed MC's blouse off her shoulders. He hoisted her up to allow Sebastian to do the same to her skirt. She was left in an impossibly tiny chemise—one she had chosen specially for the evening—and she turned to eye Sebastian's reaction. His eyes widened reflexively as she coyly looked back at him through half-lidded eyes and a tiny, drunken smile.

Sebastian impatiently watched Ominis take his time with the chemise, almost imperceptibly groaning and growling while sensually dragging light fingertips up MC's sides as she whimpered his name and squirmed. Every movement she made only reminded him of what was waiting underneath.

MC turned to lean her back comfortably against Ominis and stretched out, reaching her hands up and behind her head to wrap her arms around Ominis' neck in a loving gesture. The tiny scrap of fabric glided up her chest and rode up her thighs until it just barely shielded anything above her legs.

Sebastian moved in between her thighs, and her gaze drifted from her husband to her friend with an inebriated smile. She wrapped a leg around his waist to draw him in closer. He hungrily tugged the top of the chemise to the side to get at her collarbone and gently nip it. He could hear Ominis hum in amusement, no doubt impressed at Sebastian's self-control to not just fuck her right then and there.

Sebastian leaned down to her hip where the hem of the little slip of fabric clung to her dewy skin. He took the edge of the chemise between his teeth and drew it upwards.

"Hold her arms up," Sebastian growled, and Ominis gladly obliged him. The fabric skimmed MC's skin as Sebastian tugged it free from her body and flourished as he tossed the bothersome little undergarment next to his trousers on the floor. He leaned back and stared down at MC like a hungry wolf, listening to her whimpering so deliciously as she lay naked and shivering lightly.

"Such a beautiful girl," Sebastian hissed, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. "How I cannot wait for Ominis to hold you down while I fuck you."

MC reached up to Sebastian's face, holding the side of it and stroking his warm, freckled cheek.

Ominis nipped at MC's ear, sending electric jolts down her entire body. He felt around for a nearby pillow and handed it to MC. "Put on a little show for us," he breathed.

MC knew what Ominis meant when he handed the pillow to her, and she blushed furiously.

"I… I've only done this once for you," she murmured to Ominis. "I don't know if I can…"

"Hush," Ominis gently interrupted. "You'll do extremely well pleasuring yourself for Sebastian."

MC sighed, nodded, and turned to face Sebastian, whose eyebrows were raised in great interest. He finally understood when MC slowly placed the pillow on the bed and straddled it. The cool fabric caressed her skin, and she shivered in anticipation.

Taking a deep breath, MC looked up into Sebastian's eyes before she began rocking back and forth on the pillow. She couldn't mask her little groans for long, and soon she was grinding herself into the pillow with a smooth rhythm, her hips rolling seductively as she made eye contact with Sebastian a second time.

"Fuck," Sebastian breathed. "I think MC gets prettier every time I visit."

"She's so obedient, too," Ominis murmured as he moved towards her to knead her bare chest. "She requires barely any convincing at all anymore… Let's hear your little moans again, darling."

MC hummed dutifully and closed her eyes, letting her voice escape her throat. It began as a tiny groan and crescendoed into their names upon her lips.

"Tell me what you're thinking about right now," Ominis hissed. "Since Sebastian has the luxury of seeing your expression."

MC swallowed thickly. "I'm… thinking about you touching me and making me cum—both of you at once. Your hands, your mouths, anything."

"Oh, why didn't you simply ask?" Sebastian smirked. "I think we can help with that, can't we, Ominis?"

Ominis reached a hand out to Sebastian's chest to restrain him before he could lunge for her. "She needs to ask explicitly. It's something we've talked about, haven't we, darling?" The smile he turned toward MC was pure wickedness.

"What? Why? Are you some kind of bizarre perfectionist?" Sebastian scoffed. "The woman wants to be touched, and by Merlin, I intend to do just that."

Ominis looked thoughtful for a moment, then turned to give a similar smile to Sebastian. "I simply like the way MC sounds when she can't get what she wants until she uses her words. Isn't that right, MC?" He paused to feel for her arm and barely graze featherlight fingertips over her skin. She nodded and felt dizzy at his touch. "Thought you could get away with not asking while Sebastian was here, didn't you? Now, be a good little hummingbird and ask Sebastian for exactly what you want."

MC opened her mouth to protest, but when she saw Sebastian's eyebrows raise in interest and wait for her reply, she knew she was not getting out of it.

"Sebastian… Ominis," MC trembled as she did her best to push past any shyness she felt at the two handsome men before her. "Please—touch me… Make me cum."

Sebastian wound around her and made for the back of her neck, kissing roughly while hungrily palming her sides to feel her stuttering breaths as she gasped in surprise.

Ominis took his time moving in, sliding around and up to her legs. He leaned down and dragged his lips over the burning skin of the inside of her knee as he deeply breathed in her scent and gently bit her skin. He smiled when he heard her gasp. She watched as each time his teeth left the tiny red marks that faded moments after he left them, and she desperately wished they lingered a while longer as a reminder of his claim on her. He moved up the inside of her thigh, nipping at her as he went. When his progress was blocked by the pillow, he huffed against her skin, a frown on his face before he turned to Sebastian.

"Hold her, will you, Sebastian?"

"Gladly," Sebastian purred. He gently lifted the almost limp MC while Ominis grabbed the pillow and shoved it aside. Sebastian nibbled at her ear, brown eyes burning with desire when she moaned Sebastian’s name. "We'll have plenty of fun, won't we, MC?"

Ominis, satisfied, pushed his way between MC’s legs and dragged his tongue up her core, pulling a loud moan from MC's lips.

"Your pretty clit is just as delicious as ever," Ominis sighed.

MC grabbed one of Sebastian's wrists in a vicious grip and groaned as Ominis leaned down again and drew little circles with his tongue, gently nibbling at her occasionally. His tongue felt firm and so irresistibly warm and silken. It glided effortlessly over her and sent wave after slick wave of arousal to her core. Ominis hungrily lapped it up, sucking at her core to get every last bit he could find.

"S-so close," she whimpered. It wasn't until the words tumbled from her lips that MC realized her mistake by letting Ominis, of all people, know she was about to cum. He immediately stopped and tilted his face up to her, licking his lips with a wry smile.

"What do you think, Sebastian? Do we let her cum now?"

The room was engulfed in a brief, intense silence as the two listened to MC's labored breathing.

"She needs more time," Sebastian replied casually. "We've waited this long—she can certainly survive a bit longer, too." He cupped her jaw and tilted it back to create space for his lips to softly drag up and down her throbbing pulse, audibly breathing into it with sighs like flames. "Merlin knows she's got me unbelievably riled up."

MC groaned at his verdict, but the sound was cut short by Ominis' lips crashing against hers. She felt and tasted herself lingering on part of his lips and tried to kiss it away. His icy blue eyes stared into nothing, half-lidded, as he shrugged off his shirt, revealing the porcelain skin of his lightly toned chest and arms. He finished what MC had started and pulled his trousers off from where they had been resting halfway down his hips.

When he was free of his clothing, Ominis motioned for Sebastian to lay MC down. She looked up at them both, her breathing quickening. She closed her legs shyly at the sight of them intently focusing on her.

"She looks so cute and vulnerable," Sebastian smirked, unbuttoning his shirt with some dramatic flair. "Completely bare… just for us."

"That's my girl," Ominis said proudly. He ran a hand up the side of her thigh and landed at the top of one of her knees pointed in the air. A soft smile formed on his lips. "Hmm, is my precious MC feeling shy? No need for that—we're all friends here. Isn't that right, Sebastian?"

"Of course," Sebastian replied. "No need to be timid… It's just us." A smoldering smile played on his lips as he worked himself out of his shirt.

MC would be lying through her teeth if she said Sebastian wasn't ridiculously handsome—especially when his hands were all over her. It intimidated her just slightly to be in the presence of these two attractive men, their attention focused solely on her.

The two worked together to push MC's legs apart, and Sebastian leered at her while Ominis smiled at the sound of her whimpers. Her core was dripping wet, and her muscles twitched in anticipation.

"Look how unbelievably wet you get for us both. Such a pretty sight," Sebastian cooed. "We'll take good care of you, MC. You have nothing to be nervous about."

Sebastian moved to kiss up MC's side, leaving Ominis to do as he pleased between her legs. Sebastian came to the side of her breast and sucked at the skin, kissing in a slow circle. Ominis lined himself up with MC and stroked her core with his thumb, holding himself in his other hand.

He lowered himself over her and let his tip fall lazily upon her. He worked himself between her warm folds until his shaft was pressed snug against her. He moved his hips forward and back, listening to MC's high-pitched mewls.

"You're doing so well, making those perfect noises," Ominis breathed. "You feel magnificent."

"Don't stop, please," MC begged. Ominis chuckled and ran a thumb across her lips before leaning down to place a single kiss on them. "Only if you promise to be a good little girl for Sebastian, too. Do what he says, and no sneaking in those pretty fingers of yours. Can you do that, my darling?" He slowed to a stop to give MC the chance to speak as best she could through her haze.

"Mmh… Yes, I'll be good," MC gasped, looking over at Sebastian. He was sitting back, an arm propped up on one bent knee and idly stroking himself. He intently watched her with a fire in his eyes, leaning back further to tempt her with the manhood now twitching eagerly between his legs. "I promise."

Ominis hummed in approval and resumed his gentle pace as he leaned forward to take one of her nipples in his mouth. Sebastian moved toward her and joined him in taking the other, and MC felt tears spring to her eyes at the heavenly sight and feeling of them both suckling at her. Her hands snaked up to the backs of both heads, fingers tangling in blond and brown hair. She listened to the absolutely sinful sounds of the two lapping at her. She moaned their names while she gently coaxed them to keep going.

She gasped and arched her back before any self-control could take over and surrendered to her long-awaited orgasm, each twitch sending her chest fluttering up higher against Sebastian and Ominis' mouths. She held them firmly against her to make them ride out her orgasm with her. Deep groans escaped her throat as the cascades of pleasure nearly drowned her.

When she finally returned to the present moment, her hands fell away from their hair and lazily draped on the pillows over her head. Sebastian and Ominis broke away and hovered over her, Sebastian narrating the beautiful scene to Ominis. He stopped when he noticed MC open her eyes and leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"Good, you're back," Sebastian smirked.

"It sounded incredible… but we're only just getting started with you," Ominis added smugly with a brush of his knuckles along her cheek. MC gave a dazed smile and could only nod.

"On your hands and knees." Ominis purred the words near her ear, making it clear it was an order, not a suggestion. "Don't make me wait."

Typically, Ominis was the type to lovingly push her onto her back and make sweet, gentle love to her while professing his affections. He would kiss her neck and clasp her hand, play with her breasts, and run his hands over her sides while telling her how beautiful she was until her walls tightened around him, whimpers on her lips, and he emptied himself inside her with lovely, restrained groans. This rare side of him—the side that desperately fucked her from behind like they were mere animals—made MC's core flood.

Sebastian laid down on his back next to them and roughly pulled MC over him. Surprised, she fell on top of him. His erection pressed hot against her thigh. He quickly brought a leg up between her legs, spreading them apart, and felt her warm, slick core against his thigh. She mindlessly rutted against his leg as best she could, thinking only of her own release. Sebastian and Ominis were intoxicating, and she vaguely wondered if she was losing her mind as she willingly surrendered all higher thought to chasing her orgasm with these two walking aphrodisiacs.

"You certainly recover quickly," Sebastian laughed. "But remember what Ominis said: on your hands and knees, gorgeous. You don't want him getting impatient with you, do you?"

Sebastian smirked, watching her nod shyly and lift herself up, and he slid back until his erection was directly in her line of sight. Sebastian tucked a strand of her hair behind MC's ear and murmured softly.

"I want you to suck my cock while Ominis fucks you. Be nice and gentle, and I might reward you after Ominis is done using your pretty body. Is that clear?"

MC whimpered and nodded.

"I'm almost jealous," Ominis chuckled as he ran his hands over her hips. "So much attention."

Ominis leaned down. His tongue explored her once again, matching every inch to the map in his mind. He couldn't get enough of the way she tasted or the whimpers she made when his tongue glided over parts of her that made her arms nearly buckle.

Sebastian brushed his tip across her soft lips. "Don't forget, princess."

MC licked her lips in anticipation and leaned down to press her lips to the base of Sebastian's eagerly twitching cock. His soft hair tickled her nose pleasantly. He groaned and laid his head back into the pillows, reaching a hand up to rub her neck gently. She ran her tongue up the underside of his shaft and flicked at his tip. Sebastian was sure this woman would give him a heart attack, and he let out a growl of approval.

Ominis leaned back up and gently pressed his tip to her opening. He traced himself around her aching, overstimulated clit, and when he withdrew, a delicate strand of her arousal connected them. MC groaned, the hot breath from a sigh fanning out across Sebastian.

"Fuck… MC, that feels fantastic—even better than last time," Sebastian groaned. His other hand had begun pushing through his hair, and his back arched slightly.

MC only looked up at him with a lustful gaze before slowly taking him into her mouth, sure that she couldn't take any more. Her tongue swirled around him, and he groaned deeply.

"Good girl… just like that," he murmured. "I love watching you take my cock. Ominis obviously has you trained very well."

MC was now getting impatient at Ominis as Sebastian kept urging her on. Ominis was now riling her up for the fun of it. Feeling frustrated, she grabbed hold of Sebastian and dragged her tongue, long and slow, up the underside of his tip.

"Ominis." MC moaned his name louder than she expected. Her voice was strained and needy. "Please… I need you."

Ominis chuckled at her desperation and slid himself gently inside MC, each inch stretching her perfectly. He smiled at the little moans she made as he went. It had always felt like he was made for MC, the way he fit inside her. He leaned forward to press gentle kisses between her shoulder blades. They tickled her skin and made her sigh.

Ominis sheathed himself fully inside MC and listened to her groan. He slid his eyes shut, savoring every little twitch and flutter MC's body made around him as she pulled out every trick she had to make Sebastian moan her name and mindlessly run his fingers through her hair and over her shoulders with pure need.

"You feel just glorious, darling," Ominis groaned. "Sebastian will be lucky if he gets a turn at all."

"You'd better," Sebastian slurred, now barely coherent himself. "If you don’t, I swear—”

Ominis only hummed with amusement, then leaned down to whisper in MC's ear, cupping her jaw with his hand. "You sound so very pretty with Sebastian's cock in your mouth. You take him so well… But you can't cum until I say so, darling. Is that clear?"

MC moaned, closing her eyes and nodding against his hand.

"Good," Ominis smiled, leaning back up. He slowly withdrew himself until just his tip was inside her. When she finally moaned impatiently, he slammed back inside her. Her mouth momentarily lost its grip on Sebastian as she cried out once and pushed against Ominis to bury him inside her as deeply as she could manage. She clenched herself around him, trying to feel every single inch of his warmth inside her.

Sebastian groaned and grabbed the back of her head. "You aren't done, princess," he chuckled. He lined himself up with her mouth again and pushed hard on her head just as Ominis made another thrust.

MC saw stars as the two filled her. Ominis angled himself to hit that little spot MC loved so much while Sebastian grabbed her by the hair on the back of her head and whimpered. It took absolutely everything in MC not to cum as she moaned Ominis' name, muffled by Sebastian.

Ominis was quickly coming undone himself. His hands held her hips in a death grip and pulled them towards himself with each thrust. His grunts slowly turned to whimpers as he leaned forward and did his best to keep teasing MC.

"You're being so very obedient for me. You’re doing so well.”

From below, Sebastian arched his back and groaned. MC swirled her tongue all around him, flicking at his tip. Each time Ominis plunged himself into her, she was pushed further onto Sebastian.

"Don't you dare stop," Sebastian snarled. "You're so pretty when you're choking on my cock like that. Take my cum like a well-behaved little slut. Yes, that's it… Oh, fuck, that mouth of yours is just so perfect—"

The first wave of cum hit the back of her throat and nearly made her choke, but she dutifully swallowed the sticky substance. Sebastian's cum was slightly sweet, and she sucked at his tip, trying to get every last creamy drop she could. Each burst after felt as if it came quicker than the previous as Sebastian fell apart and whimpered her name. His fingers weakly stroked her hair as he watched her swallow his cum.

"Fuck… that was incredible. I'm so proud of you, MC. You did so well. And look—you barely let any spill. Such a good princess…" Sebastian leaned back and surrendered to the pleasant buzz as he softened, tingling at the sensation of MC licking him clean.

Ominis continued thrusting, clearly enjoying the sounds of his best friend fucking his wife's mouth.

"Sebastian's cum must have tasted quite good for you to swallow it all like that," Ominis purred. "Such an insatiable little minx. Ask nicely, and perhaps I'll let you cum for me, too, darling."

"Ominis," MC whimpered as she freed Sebastian from her mouth and licked at the cum he left on her lips. "Please… I need to cum."

"And why is that, my little hummingbird?," Ominis sighed. He was only dimly aware of his hands aimlessly feathering over every inch of her skin within his reach.

"Mmf… I'm already so close… I need to feel you pulsing inside me while you claim me. Please, Ominis—"

Ominis groaned at her words and thrust harder. "Then cum for me… I want to feel you tighten and writhe on my cock. I want to hear you moan. Mmm, so good… sing your sweet little songs to me."

Sebastian perked up at their exchange and observed the two. A little smile formed on his face. He reached out, ran his hands up and down MC's arms, and began to murmur to MC, careful to be sure Ominis could hear him too.

"And just think—I'll be next. How does it feel knowing you get to do it all over again a second time? Lucky girl, I'm going to make you cum just like this and listen to you moan my name as I take you. Doesn't that sound like fun?"

MC groaned. Their sweet, seductive words completely and utterly conquered her. Her body wound up tight, her eye squeezed shut, and she was suddenly gasping as her walls fluttered around Ominis. Each breath drawn was immediately pushed back out by the pulses of euphoria that shook her entire body. Sebastian sighed, her sounds making him slightly re-stiffen.

From behind, she felt Ominis lose his rhythm. His elegant strokes became short and desperate, and his breaths grew ragged as he doubled over, his hands on her hips the only thing that kept him from collapsing onto her. She felt him spill into her, warm and pleasant. She held him tightly, eager to get every last drop she could.

When their climaxes finally subsided, Ominis sighed and kissed the side of MC’s head as he caught his breath.

Ominis gently guided MC off Sebastian and onto her back as he leaned over her, planting little kisses along her cheek and neck. Sebastian lay on his side next to them, head propped up on one hand as he traced little shapes into her shoulder. MC, still dazed, reached a hand out to clasp Sebastian's, the other hand winding up into Ominis' hair. A contented sigh escaped her lips.

"She's absolutely divine like that," Sebastian murmured.

Ominis recognized the hunger in his voice and smiled. He turned his head toward his best friend, and MC matched his expression almost perfectly as she, too, looked over at him.

"Did I hear you correctly when you said a minute ago you would be making me cum, your name on my lips rather than my husband's?" MC hissed.

"Yes, I thought I heard that, too. Is that right, Sebastian? Do you intend to lay claim to my wife right in front of me?" Ominis closed in on Sebastian until Sebastian could not avoid Ominis' bright blue eyes.

Sebastian's gut dropped. Their tone had been sharper than he had anticipated. He stammered madly, trying to save himself from whatever line he feared he had crossed. "Oh, er, well, I suppose only if the both of you are all right with it, I—"

Ominis cut him off with a small, airy laugh. "Sebastian, how many times have we done this now? Surely you know we're only teasing you."

Sebastian sat up and ran a hand through his hair, the shadow of a smile at the corners of his lips. "The both of you, I swear—"

MC squeezed Sebastian's hand and smirked. "It sounds as if we need to invite you over more often. You ought to know by now that we both adore whatever you like to do in bed with us."

"I think Ominis' sick sense of humor is rubbing off on you, MC,” Sebastian reproached. "But… if it meant getting to visit more often, I wouldn't object."

Sebastian finally drew himself up and nudged Ominis' shoulder. "May I?"

Ominis nodded gracefully and, in a fluid motion, rolled off MC and settled beside her. The warmth of his afterglow painted his cheeks a pink hue and weighed heavy in his eyelids. A smile danced across his lips as he heard Sebastian take his place over MC and let out a ragged sigh.

“Warm her up a bit, first,” Ominis hissed. “Tell her how eager you are. Don’t start until I tell you.”

“Gladly,” Sebastian replied with a chuckle.

Sebastian leaned over MC as she quivered, and he lay a gentle hand on the side of her head, the other hand sliding down to pull one of her knees up and over his waist, giving him better access to massage her clit with the palm of his warm hand.

"I've been waiting all night to lay claim to you, too," Sebastian murmured in her ear. "You might be married to Ominis, but tonight you're our girl."

Sebastian leaned back up and, puffing out his chest ever so slightly, took hold of himself, already getting hard again. He began slowly pleasuring himself as MC watched him closely.

“I’ll hold her still,” Ominis smirked. He slithered up behind MC and, in one motion, grabbed hold of her forearms resting above her head and pushed them into the bed. “Now you may start.”

Sebastian plunged into her without a second thought. MC whimpered at how, even after Ominis, Sebastian stretched her. She felt every one of his eager little twitches inside her.

"F-fuck… so tight," Sebastian groaned. He was already losing his breath.

Sebastian immediately set a relentless pace, pushing himself deep enough to delicately touch her clit with his hips at every thrust. MC arched her back, and Sebastian slid an arm around and underneath her.

"All mine," Sebastian growled. "Now, say my name. I want to hear your desperate little cries. Tell me how much you need my cock right after you've taken Ominis. How much you need both my cum and his.”

Sebastian leaned up and rolled his spine in waves as he kept thrusting into her. Each time his hips met hers he gyrated, teasing that delicious little spot inside her. Merlin, where did he learn to move like that? Sebastian let his fingers drift between their hips and looked down admiringly as his thumb drew tight little circles to pleasure her.

“Oh—Sebastian,” MC gasped. “Make me cum. I want to be taken by both of you—to be filled by both of you…”

Ominis carefully set his knee on her wrists and let his hands run up MC's sides until his thumbs each rested on a nipple.

"I think we should demonstrate to Sebastian what you did for me last week," Ominis cooed. "Give him your best little climax, won't you? I want you whimpering his name."

Ominis began massaging circles into her, occasionally tweaking and teasing with fingers. The attention the two heaped onto her became too much. The mewls MC let out were divine.

"Please, Sebastian," MC whined. "I'm so, so close. Let me feel you cum inside me. Please, take me and fill me, I—"

Through a thick haze of lust, Sebastian looked down in time to see MC squeeze her eyes shut and let out the most beautiful moans he had ever heard her make. Her walls clenched around him, and he nearly collapsed over her as his thrusts lost all rhythm and coordination. He mindlessly fucked into her as he hit his peak and spilled into her. His warm cum coated her insides as she gripped his hips hard enough to bruise, pulling him as close as humanly possible with each burst of overwhelming bliss.

"That's it," Sebastian snarled through clenched teeth. "Oh—Merlin—you're so beautiful when you cum for us."

Ominis leaned down to kiss his wife as his hands retreated. Sebastian huffed a small laugh and pulled out, collapsing back onto his arms as he finished catching his breath.

"Am I correct in assuming you both enjoyed yourselves? It sounds like it was heavenly," Ominis glided to MC's side and felt around for her arm to gently rub it.

MC pulled Ominis in and tenderly kissed him. "Simply incredible," she slurred.

Sebastian closed his eyes and chuckled. "Still can't believe you two enjoy this kind of debauchery. Absolutely shameless, the both of you… not that I'm complaining, of course."

"You are just as guilty, Mr. Sallow," MC laughed. "But I do feel a bit bad… Ominis, you only got off once tonight." MC stroked the side of Ominis' face and watched him lean into her hand with a little smile on his lips.

"It's quite all right, trust me," Ominis replied. "It simply means that you two can make it up to me tomorrow."

"I think MC and I can arrange something like that," Sebastian replied with a cheeky grin. "We have all week to make it up to you."

[jbaileyfansite]

EXCLUSIVE: Following his acclaimed role in the Showtime series Fellow Travelers, Jonathan Bailey may have found his follow-up, and it’s a big splash. Sources tell Deadline that he is in early talks to star in Universal and Amblin Entertainment’s new Jurassic World movie. Scarlett Johansson is also in talks to star. Gareth Edwards will direct. The studio recently dated the pic to bow on July 2, 2025 and moved fast to find a director, with Edwards spending all of last week meeting with execs. After impressing producers Steven Spielberg and Frank Marshall, who helped launch the franchise in the ’90s, an offer soon followed. Pre-production is expected to ramp up once a deal is sealed. The new movie will be a fresh take, with Jurassic World cast members Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard not expected to return, nor the original trilogy’s thespians Jeff Goldblum, Laura Dern and Sam Neill. David Koepp penned the script. The film will be will be executive produced by Spielberg through Amblin, and Marshall and Patrick Crowley will produce through Kennedy-Marshall. EVP Production Development Sara Scott and Creative Executive of Production Development Jacqueline Garell will oversee the project for the studio. Bailey has strong ties with Universal as he is set to appear in its anticipated Wicked adaptation. The studio is high on the project after making it the big reveal during its CinemaCon presentation, and sources they were high on his performance following the shoot. On top of Wicked, Bailey is also coming off Fellow Travelers. The limited series also starred Matt Bomer and earned Bailey a Critics Choice Award for his work, making him a frontrunner in the Emmy race. Bailey is repped by CAA, Anonymous Content and Conway van Gelder Grant Ltd.

Source

[top-script]

me

[lakemojave]

Mojave's Top Ten Games of 2023 (3 of which actually came out this year)

I figured I should make a list like this at some point, but I didn't actually play many new games this year. Well, I played tons of games for the first time and loved so many of them, but few of them were new releases. At my current stage as a game critic, I'm playing a lot of catchup, trying to get context for current games, playing the classics and the seminal franchises of the medium. I do not have a game of the year pick. Even though I was behind the curve, I still wanna talk about the experiences that moved me this year.

Honorable mentions:

Baldur's Gate 3 (2023): One of the densest, fleshed out, satisfying narrative RPGs the gaming industry has seen in years. Immersive, well written and charming, no two people can have the same experience with this game because of how much variance and player choice is accounted for in the gameplay and script alike. It's for that reason it's not on the list though--not only have I not finished it, I'm also not doing it singleplayer, and am missing out on much of that juicy story content in favor of me and my group's meta-narrative.

Black Mesa (2020): The remake of the first half life is sharp, smooth, and immersive, combining what was visually and narratively compelling about Half Life 2 back into the original story. It has some of my favorite setpieces of the entire half life catalogue now, which is saying a lot. It's off the list in favor of the original.

Dead Space (2023): A triumphant return to the horrors of the Ishimura incident, with insidious twists to the game design and story that disrupt a fan's familiarity with the game world time again. It scared the fuck out of me so many times, but the bittersweet feeling I get thinking about the fate of the Dead Space franchise means RE4 gets its spot.

10. Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals (2023)

The long awaited sequel to 2016's Oxenfree caught me by surprise after playing the first game just before it. Playing the original teen horror, I'm struck by how grating some of the dialogue can be, how sophomoric and cheap it can feel without drinking deep of the content. What makes this version of teen horror so compelling, though, is that through sympathetic participation with Alex, you catch yourself from griping at the young characters for making foolish choices, which is very effective.

What's stunning about this sequel is that in the 7 year gap between games, it's not just the team and the audience that has matured, it's the writing all around. Your character, Riley, is in her early 30s, returning to her hometown and feeling very existential as she peers into the past, the future, and the unknown in between time and space. The world of Camena and Edwards Island is expanded on those lines, the thematic focus becomes resonant and emotionally devastating, and the dynamic with young characters, familiar or not, demonstrates how strong this second chapter to the oxenfree story really is.

9. Resident Evil 4 (2023)

Look. I love a horror game. 2005's Resident Evil 4 may be among the best of them, and it may be timeless in its own right, and it may be foundational to so many other games I love today, but god damn is this remake fun. With sharper visuals and atmosphere than the original, intricate new resource systems like knife durability and parries, and some updated character work, it's safe to say this is a categorically different game than the original. Plenty of material was cut from the main game, like the IT fight or the laser hallway, which found their way into the DRASTICALLY improved Separate Ways expansions, starring Ada Wong. It's not my favorite Resident Evil, and it's far from the scariest, but it's the one with Leon's spin kick, and there's nothing more satisfying than that.

I do maintain a lot of early gripes I had with the remake. When Resident Evil 8: Village came out in 2021, it borrowed a lot of mechanical, narrative, and aesthetic tropes from RE4, updating them to a new game in the wake of the remakes of RE2 and 3. Those remakes were truly transformational masterpieces, blending all of Resident Evil's best aspects to create new, distinct experiences. RE4, the original, didn't really need much updating, it's been ported to hell and back already and is so ubiquitous that there was no real need to bring it back into the zeitgeist. Nothing can really be gained by this remake except for a victory lap for Capcom.

Cynicism aside, FUCK YEAH, TWO CAKES!

8. Mass Effect (2006)

I should say that the version of Mass Effect I'm playing is not the one that came out in 2006. The Legendary edition does a bit of graphical and mechanical tweaks to update some of the dated aspects. That's kind of a shame, because the dated aspects are what's so fascinating about Mass Effect. Between Baldur's Gate 3, Disco Elysium, and now the early Fallout games, I find myself taken by classic CRPG design, which accommodates such a wide variety of player choice. Mass Effect doesn't have too much choice in it--the progression and ending are pretty much fixed from the beginning, you basically choose what flavor of the script that you want.

In that way, I like Mass Effect as a transitional piece--an attempt to bring the aspects of early CRPGS into the modern, console games market, with all the budget EA would give them. The writing and design are...satisfactory. The shooting could be more robust, the characters could have more personality, and to the series' credit those things do come about in Mass Effect 2 (which I'm sure I'll gush about when I finish it).

It's the presentation I love here. Mass Effect has maybe one of my favorite sci fi settings I've ever seen. A vast array of alien civilizations, a rich history filled with interesting lore, a competent portrayal of intergalactic politics, all delivered by characters that are deep and interesting. The voicework is also some of the best I've ever seen, and although there are many standouts, Jennifer Hale's Shepard is just tremendous. Actually playing Mass Effect may be a slog, completionist play might require some of the worst loot grinding I've ever seen, but that is all secondary to the way I was captivated by Mass Effect's version of the final frontier.

7. Half Life (1998)

I did a whole ass 5 hour video essay about Half Life, and I don't wanna belabor how much I like this game and series too much more. I loved Half life 2 and the portal games for years, but it was only for that project that I actually got around to playing this. It's a real bonafide classic, containing so many tropes of modern immersive action games WAY ahead of their time. The setting of Black Mesa is deep and engaging, the environmental storytelling is strong, and the voicework is natural and believable (for the most part.) Sometimes as a game critic I have to give some allowances to an older game for some of its jank and some of its rough edges, let myself see the thing just for what it is without all my modern hangups. I don't have to do that with Half Life like I do for other games. There's parts of it that are rough, like the Interloper and On a Rail chapters, but Half Life feels just as good to play now as it did 25 years ago.

6. Dredge (2023)

There's an old tumblr post that proposes a fishing game that's secretly a horror game. That post imagines a game that starts out normal and comfortable, but as the game goes on the player would catch stranger species of fish, soon finding monsters lurking in the deep and hidden secrets. It got a lot of peoples' imaginations going and engaged a lot of fan artists and even more comments riffing on this idea.

Dredge is that game. I was so gleefully surprised to see this game go through every single one of those steps in the first region alone. The game has a strong atmosphere and great art, leading to some real weird and nasty fish to catch and fill out the weird and spooky encyclopedia. Fishing at night gives you different and weirder fish, but it also raises your panic meter, which can cause hallucinations and open you up to monster attacks. It's a pretty ambiently scary game for the most part, and I almost chalked it up to being more horror themed than actual horror, until this one lagoon where a giant tentacle suddenly shot up at me out of a sudden drop in the ocean floor. I fuckin yelped, actually screamed in a way only two other games have gotten me to do this year.

5. Alien: Isolation (2014)

I have never, in my life, felt more powerless in a game than when I played Alien: Isolation. I'm used to games like Resident Evil, where you have a toolset for survival that is limited, but allows you to give actual pushback towards the zombies trying to get you. I played Amnesia: The Dark Descent this year too, the opposite of this dynamic, where you have NO means of resistance whatsoever, and the binary outcomes of monster encounters of that game completely broke my immersion.

Alien: Isolation actually gives you myriad crafted tools to overcome your obstacles, from human scavengers to androids to the xenomorph herself. Yet, the impossible speed and predatory senses of the monster means that one slip up means instant death, and the death animations are pretty brutal. Through cunning and cautious play, you can slip past the Alien enough times to where you get a flamethrower, which will repel her in a pinch. However, her AI is advanced to the point where she will learn your habits between deaths, look for you in lockers if you hide in them a lot, resist certain tricks like noisemaker bombs or flares. It's in keeping with how the 1979 movie presents her: a perfect killing machine. In fact, its the way so much of the Sevastopol resembles the aesthetic of that early film that not only helps the atmosphere, but makes the alien's power more believable. Immersive and terrifying, Alien: Isolation is a horror triumph.

4. Undertale (2015)

Yeah that's not actually a joke. I really did only play Undertale this year, and I was really actually completely blind going into it. Of all the games I'm happy I got to experience fresh, it was this one. Undertale seems tropey in its game design, story beats, and writing style 8 years later, but that's because so much of its design has been cannibalized by indie developers going after this aesthetic. As a bullet hell, it's...fine. As a meta commentary on retro RPGs and on the act of violence in video games in general, it's incredible. It legitimately gave me immense joy to reach the end and have my stubborn insistence on pacifism challenged even further, and then rewarded in the best possible way. I got to experience it on stream, too, with some friends who had played it previously and one who did not, and we all did the common thing and did funny voices for everybody. It's created some real cherished memories for me, memories that wouldn't have hit as hard if I did not wait to play Undertale.

3. Metal Gear Solid (1998)

Now here's a game I truly thought I'd never get around to. I'm a big fan of the Metal Gear series and when I learned that konami was releasing the master collection pack of the first 3 games, I was fuckin' stoked. If there's one other game that dictated the trajectory of storytelling and presentation of modern games like Half Life did, it's this one.

Having played the first two metal gears, the 2D ones from the late 80s, I was struck by how much of the basic design beats of Metal Gear come directly from the early titles. Seeing them translated into 3D is just incredible--all the prototypical stealth design transcribed so seamlessly into a much more legible visual language to me. The shooting may feel like ass and the bosses may have healthbars the size of Alaska, but the moment to moment sneaking in this game is so intricate and thorough that you really do feel like a tactical master as you go about it.

None of that touches on what's most memorable about Metal Gear Solid, and that's the presentational aspects. The animations and models might be worse than Half Life's, but the writing and voice acting is just world class. David Hayter as Snake, Cam Clarke as Liquid, Christopher Randolph as Otacon, and Patrick Zimmerman as Ocelot (hell even an early Jennifer Hale role) are astounding performances, even today. The cutscenes and dialogue are certainly oversaturated and long, but goddamn if I don't like watching and listening to them. I love this damn game.

2. Bloodborne (2015)

Bloodborne has been more of a myth and less of a game for me. I played some bits at a friend's house in 2017 and never owned a PS4 so I never thought playing it would be possible for me. I obsessively watched lore videos and playthroughs which got me into Dark Souls 3, then Sekiro, then Elden Ring, which has fueled much of my activity on twitch and as a game critic in general. It was only this year that that same friend lent me her PS4 and I played Bloodborne 3 whole times until I 100% the game in a matter of months. The experience was so meaningful to me that I ended up scrapping my first bloodborne video and starting from scratch, this time with Bloodborne Kart dev Lilith Walther as a guest.

I have never been more immersed in a game world than I have been in Bloodborne's. Yharnam is not only such a dense and intricate city, it is drop dead gorgeous in such a grotesque and macabre way. Many words and many writers have already described the surreal hypergothic smokescreen shrouding the insidious cosmic beings steering the terror and bloodshed from out of sight, so I won't repeat them here. You don't forget the sights and sounds of Bloodborne--they linger in your imagination, the visual language shapes your own ability to conceive of images and ideas in horror fiction, twisting the familiar into stranger shapes and forms.

Plus it just feels so fucking good to play. I like From Software titles and their style of combat, and I like how fast combat works in Sekiro and Elden Ring, but neither of those games accommodate brutality like Bloodborne does. You're meant to attack recklessly, cravenly, no blocking, just press the attack again and again until you're drenched in the gore and blood of your foes. You feel like one among the beasts--after all, what difference is there between a predator and the man that hunts them?

1. Signalis (2022)

I have not stopped thinking about Signalis since I played it the first time. The game is like a fucking honeypot for me. It's got Resident Evil style tank controls as an option, with similar combat and inventory management, themes and presentation similar to Silent Hill, and a sci fi flourish akin to Dead Space. So what, it's every great horror game jammed into one retro style amalgamation? Sounds like a great time for me!

That's just the surface, the hook of it all. While the game certainly uses this familiarity to pull you in and make you comfortable and excited for its own terrors, there's a creeping feeling of unease as you continue to revel in the horror and gore that's taken over these halls. Your character, Elster, is a special ops android in a fictional fascist regime, who has abandoned her post to search for her human partner, whose identity eludes her as she slips into delusion. After reaching the depths of the first area, where the space mine turns into a hall of flesh and viscera, the very walls pulsing and dripping, the world suddenly resets, and you find yourself back in the very first zone, now covered in the same blood and gore. The characters cry out in pain at you, begging you to stop, to turn back, to stop prolonging their hell with your own pursuit of an ending. A chalkboard in a classroom with a pretty frivolous note early on now reads "YOU'VE BEEN HERE BEFORE."

If I go on I'm gonna spoil the whole game, but that part there is the essence of Signalis to me. Many games will challenge your own enthusiasm for playing, question the time you spend in the game rather than like, going outside or something. Few games will actively blame you for prolonging the suffering of the game's inhabitants and creating a self contained digital hell. Few games will ask you "why do you want terror?" in the way that Signalis does.

Signalis is a triumph of horror game design. The imagery is horrifically cryptic, the worldbuilding is dense, the monster design and soundscapes are creepy and effective, the gameplay feels desperate and every bullet fired feels like a scream for help. Signalis is my favorite game I played this year, hands down.

[mangle-my-mind]

Pictures from the MoMI Todd Haynes Retrospective

@silverfactory and I went to the Museum of the Moving Image for a (you guessed it) Velvet Goldmine screening, which was fantastic as always. The screening was part of a Todd Haynes retrospective series, but they also have a small exhibit dedicated to his image books, drawings, and production material from some of his films. Here are a few pictures I took while we were there!

The Velvet Goldmine section. At the top is one of the image books for the film. Todd Haynes puts together these books for all of his films with visual inspiration for the project. @silverfactory and I were SO disappointed we couldn't flip through the book, but it was super neat seeing it in person!

The initial concept for the film (what kind of a title is Star Star lol) and some art to go along with it. I didn't know how skilled Todd Haynes is in visual art like this - all the drawings throughout the exhibit are his!

Script and storyboard moments - The Kiss, Arthur's room, Young Jack Fairy scenes

Some more Todd Haynes art, including his ideas for promotional film content

The script for Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story, and a doll in one of the original Karen costumes!

A concept description and storyboard for I'm Not There

An original People magazine featuring Mary Kay Letourneau and a prop People magazine from May December

[twinki3zs]

A few years ago, I read a Luca fanfiction on Wattpad titled Sink Or Swim, and let me just say, it's officially the 2nd Luca movie in my eyes. It is honestly one of the best fanfics I've ever read.

In my opinion, most fan fiction I've read doesn't feel like the show and/or movie. What I mean is it doesn't give me the same vibe, when I read it I don't picture it as something that could happen, but something that they wish could happen.

Of course, I know that the idea of a fan fiction isn't that everything should be 100% accurate, and I get that, but most of the time, everything just feels so out of character to the point where the only resemblance I see between the fanfic and the show and/or movie are the characters.

But even then, sometimes the characters just don't seem like themselves. I can understand if you're new to a Fandom or if the fanfic is supposed to be an AU where the characters are supposed to act differently, but if not, I just find it a little hard to read.

I'm not trying to make anyone who does this feel bad at all, but when I find a fanfic with a few or all the characters acting differently I just find it a little hard to believe or imagine it happening.

When I first read Sink Or Swim, it truly felt like I was reading the script for a second movie. It is so beautifully written, full of life and creativity, so much so that I couldn't stop at the first chapter.

The plot is so creative and original, truly the perfect hook. The plot is, (and I quote)

"After a whole school year, Luca and Giulia are finally returning to Portorroso. During those nine months, Luca had developed a super-huge-enormous secret, and he's written about it dozens of times in his daily journal. He takes it home, determined to hide the contents from everyone–especially Alberto. But Alberto is stubborn, and as soon as he suspects something is fishy, he won't let up.

Wanna know the worst part?

They're sharing a bedroom."

Really makes you want to read, doesn't it?

I love how the fanfic follows the same principles as any book and/or movie. The sequence of events lines up perfectly with each other and you can understand how and why something is happening.

It has so much feeling and you can really visualize it happening. Leah made sure to keep the same dynamic that the characters have in the movie, everything they say and do actually feels like some they’d say and do.

I love how she made it feel like you’re reading a movie and the different point of views make for perfect dramatic irony. This story is wholesome, heartwarming, funny, sad, delightful, and most importantly, Luberto 😌.

I don’t think I’ll ever find a Luca fan fiction that can top Sink or Swim.

@toffee-to-be you’ve created a masterpiece.

[demiaroacejolynekujo]

This post contains some spoilers from The Amazing Digital Circus. This post also contains critiques in regard to Vivziepop, Helluva Boss, and Hazbin Hotel. Vivziepop stans (as in the people who defend her work and her as a person) are not allowed to interact with me. Any Vivziepop fan who sends me asks (especially Anon asks) will be deleted. Any fans who DM me will have their message deleted and will be blocked. Finally, anyone who screenshots this post and makes a post tagging me in it to defending Vivziepop will be blocked.

I'm not trying to get people to harass Vivziepop and harass anyone who is a fan of her. And I'm not trying to stop people from supporting Vivziepop and not trying to make people feel bad about supporting her either. Watch whatever you want. Take this post with a grain of salt. And if you get somewhat upset with the criticisms I have for Vivziepop, then that's your problem.

Vivziepop antis and critical fans are allowed to interact.

Earlier today, I watched The Amazing Digital Circus, and these are my final thoughts.

Honestly, the pilot was really good, and I'm looking forward to it finally becoming a full-fledged series. And I'm looking forward to it expanding the Lore as well. I'm curious as to how Pomni got trapped there in the first place and other stuff like the void and the exit door thing.

What I appreciate it is that it didn't need copious amounts of swearing, unlike other comedy web series like Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss. There were swears, but they were more spread out and brief on top of the swears being censored.

Even though Gooseworx has worked with Vivziepop in the past, I find TADC to be leagues better than HH and HB. I've seen a video about the drama surrounding Gooseworx, but from what I've seen,the stuff they have done is much more tame than the shit Vivziepop has pulled.

I hope to see more Amazing Digital Circus content to come out in the future. I'm interested as to see where the series will go. Unlike Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss, it didn't feel like I was watching something that felt like it was created by an edgy middle schooler. The female characters had much more personality than the ones from HH and HB, despite it being just a pilot.

Another thing to point out is that the cast of TADC had a lot of fresh faces to the voice acting industry, unlike Hazbin and Helluva Boss, where Vivziepop relied on casting big name actors in order to garner more attention to her work. And I'm going to be fully honest, I find it really sus at the fact that the OG cast of HH couldn't return because they didn't unionize in order to get their roles back. A lot of them were fully new to the industry, too, which is the sad part. I wish that Vivziepop wouldn't rely on hiring big-name actors in her work and would hire people who are very new to the voice acting scene who are desperate to land a role as some of them rely on voice acting as their main source of income.

To end this post, I just want to point out that I'm not blaming Vivziepop for the fact that the original cast of Hazbin Hotel didn't get their roles back. But at the same time, that whole situation feels questionable to me. Until I hear the full story about it, then I'll decide if she should be held accountable or not. However, the whole hiring big actors thing has been a critique of mine for a while on top of the use of the r slur in Helluva Boss (even though it was only said once and was almost again, it shouldn't have been used at all as it's an ableist slur and I'm a disabled person who has been called the r slur many times in the past). I'm fully aware that HB takes place in hell, but using hell as a way to excuse the use of the r slur is ableist. It's still ableist to call someone the r slur regardless of the setting and the context. The r slur should never be used as a way to call someone stupid. I'm not sure if Vivziepop wrote the script herself, but whoever is in charge of the script should be careful of the type of language they use in the show. I'm fully aware that both Helluva Boss and Hazbin Hotel are adult shows, but it doesn't mean it's an excuse to normalize offensive and bigoted language. It doesn't help that the shows poorly portray women (like how Millie is just reduced to being Moxxie's wife and likes killing) even though the creator of both shows is a woman.

I'm just gonna stop here for now. I'm going to go back to waiting for more Amazing Digital Circus content to come out.

[laf-outloud]

Okay.. those are much better numbers for Walker! (Though, it helps that the Chicago series were doing repeats last night.)

That should put Walker at the top of the CW ratings this week for original scripted content (and possibly other primetime content).

[slarpg]

SUPER LESBIAN ANIMAL RPG v1.1 IS HERE! This is the most substantial patch since launch. On top of the usual bug fixes, we have new area maps, the new Additional Guidance mode, and most importantly... Melody now has a pet cat!! Look at him

As always, Steam users should get the patch automatically, while itch users can redownload the game from the store page. Common technical questions are also addressed in our FAQ page.

To try and manage expectations here, while this update contains more than the usual bug fixes, I don't currently have any plans to add a huge amount of content to the game. Right now I think it's already long enough, and the game's structure (with a definitive ending and no postgame) isn't conducive to adding DLC. And also, you know, what's there already took almost eight years of my life to make, and that kinda takes a lot out of you. But these additions felt like they would meaningfully improve the experience of what's already there.

Full changelog below!

v1.1 Changelog

"New content":

Additional Guidance mode can now be toggled on or off from the start of the game or via the in-game Options menu! When enabled, this will occasionally offer more direct hints on what to do next in a few specific parts of the game for more story-focused players - particularly a few puzzle segments, as well as helping you find the side content late in the game.

Ultimately, the total number of hints added across the game is low. Exploration, dungeon puzzles, and returning to previously-visited areas with new tools are core pillars of SLARPG's design, and I don't want to hold the player's hand every step of the way. But these specific bits have been parts where some players just gave up and messaged me (usually at like 3am), or posted a cry for help in the #SLARPG tag on Twitter. Which isn't optimal! So now an extra nudge in the right direction exists in-game, should you ever need it.

New area maps have been added for the Amber Woods, Sapphire Coast, and Uncanny Valley! They can be acquired from Park Ranger Taylor, the beach souvenir shop (first accessible in Act III), and Rafael, respectively.

And finally, as was originally intended, Melody now has... a pet cat in her house!! He is truly the most important part of this patch, and the most important thing that will ever be patched into the game.

Other tweaks:

Unrevealed enemies should no longer have their health bars displayed when using multi-target attacks.

The menu (and, by extension, the options menu) can now be accessed during the Prologue.

Fixed the Bestiary entries for the Loot Scooter and Helper Jelly not properly unlocking in the Sapphire Coast.

The animation for Megalith from the Geomancer Spellbook now plays for each individual enemy that's caught in its area of effect. (A compatibility issue was found with the script that made AoE attacks only play one animation, and this was the only skill in the game that needed said script.)

Originally the columns in the last "puzzle" room of the Flurry Mountains had no collision because that room is just a joke and I didn't want people to get stuck in a maze that exists purely for a gag but they now have collision so that I stop receiving bug reports about it

Added new line when entering the Fortune Teller's shop late in Act IV (or Act V) saying that he can help locate uncompleted major side quests at that point in the story. (He will now also point you in the direction of Fawna's side quest if you haven't completed it.)

A backup method of acquiring the missable Spellbook in Act III has been added late in Act IV. (You can still only get it once.)

The Crypt boss can no longer be defeated in a way that makes a certain unique status ailment remain after the battle.

There's now an additional warning at save points past the point of no return.

Other minor fixes.

Enjoy the update, everyone!