#what else would I do during a zoom meeting

[sketches4mysw33theart]

Dead Poets Society: Some Thoughts and Analysis

Essentially a stream of consciousness I had while rewatching the movie today. In chronological order as I was making notes!

✒️ Charlie talks so much with his eyebrows

✒️ Todd is tasked with taking minutes of the meetings, but I don't believe we ever see him actually do so (although it would have been nice if he did)

✒️ Cameron looks so much like a fisherman when he's smoking his pipe

✒️ Cameron's distaste for Charlie (and often for the rest of the boys) is evident super early on (e.g. when they walk out of Mr Keating's first class and Cameron says "do you think he'll test us on that stuff?" And, when he gets shut down, he throws a very angry look at Charlie and the poets. This happens several times, but as far as I remember we never see Cameron retaliate.) From this, while I don't like it, I understand why Cameron did what he did at the end of the movie because I think he felt undermined by the others and he was considered 'useful' and 'smart' for the school

✒️ Also, I do not accept that Cameron's name is Richard Cameron, he's pulling a Zendaya and goes by one name only

✒️ Mr Keating looks so disappointed in Charlie when saying "Thank you, Mr Dalton, you just illustrated the point"

✒️ I think Knox kissing Chris at the party, while somewhat gross, is necessary to show that Carpe Diem isn't always the right thing to do, as is Charlie putting the article in the paper  - i think maybe Chris not ending up with Knox would have hammered this home, especially because she seems perfectly happy with Chet. Of course, Chet's response to what happened at the party isn't fair, but it is definitely what I can see a teenage boy on the high school football team in the 50's doing. Don't choke on the bone, Knoxious!

✒️ Is Charlie trying to get thrown out of school? With the article in the paper stunt, he must have known how serious the repercussions would be, so maybe already he was considering getting out of school because he felt it wasn't the right path for him

✒️ "You made a liar out of me, Neil" - Mr Perry, I hate you

✒️ Did all of the poets, minus Neil and Knox, really squeeze into Keating's car?!

✒️ Neils little face when he comes out of the curtain, and how quick it falls when he sees his father - he's like a little kid showing a finger painting to a parent who insults it, he just wants his Dad to be proud of him

✒️ Mr Keating's face when Neil drives away after the play - I think he had an idea what was coming

✒️ That zoom in on Neil's face when his father's saying "more of this acting business, you can forget that"- he knew, then, that his dad would never change and what he was going to do

✒️ I want the doorknobs in the Perry house, specifically Neil's

✒️ The first time I watched this movie, I was so on edge when Neil was standing in front of the open window, thinking he was going to jump, and when he didn't I was like 'phew', and then the thing happened and my blood sugar spiked way up

✒️ Mr Perry saying 'my poor son' - i don't know, it rubs me up the wrong way, he has a name, he is not simply an extension of you

✒️ Cameron isn't there when the poets tell Todd what happened to Neil

✒️ Knox just clinging to Todd in the snow

✒️ The comparison between the deleted scene of Neil and Todd running lines by the lake when it's sunny and Todd running towards the lake screaming Neil's name 💔

✒️ Charlie not singing during Neil's assembly

✒️ Ave means farewell in literature, and Charlie closing his eyes when it's sang is beautiful

✒️ Charlie carries on smoking when Cameron's coming into the attic meeting - he either knows it's Cameron or doesn't care who tf catches him doing anything bad anymore

✒️ I don't think Cameron ever actually 'believed' in Mr Keating, definitely not to the extent the others did - he never called him captain, for example, except when he realised everyone else in the common room was, and air quotes the word 'captain' in the attic. So, it raises the question why he went along with everyone even so?

✒️ While I do somewhat sympathise with Cameron, that is one of the most satisfying punches in movie history

✒️ I think Todd's parents weren't that different from Neil's, Todd's dad is clearly very authoritarian from the minute or so he's on screen (and the fact that Todd signs the paper) and his Mom says nothing in his defense, but the way Todd mouths 'Mom' breaks my heart

✒️ In what universe does acting = what Neil did? All those theatre kids and their evil, satanic rituals, forcing our kids away from school 🙄 I hate you, Mr Perry and Mr Nolan

✒️ Todd's the last one to stand up when Nolan walks into Keating's classroom

✒️ Mr Nolan complimenting Mr Pritchard's introduction is so ridiculously funny to me considering what Keating made them do to it

✒️ Mr Keating's smile to Todd through the door in the classroom has the same energy as "All my love to you poppet. You're going to be alright."

In conclusion, I adore this film.

Robin Williams, O Captain, My Captain 🫡❤️

[pierregazly]

the bookworm ꨄ george russell smau

george russell x bookworm/writer!reader

the one where george couldn't be prouder to call you his, even if it seems like the whole world hates you just for doing what you love... even if they don't know the whole truth.

georgerussell63

tagged yourusername

liked by yourusername, alex_albon, f1wags, and others

georgerussell63 enjoyed the time off! would never complain about spending time with my best friend, time to get back into things 💪🏎

view all comments

username gotta go check off 'george posts shirtless pics during off szn' on my bingo card

username gotta go check off 'yn cares more about her own hobby than her bf' on my bingo card

username girl you got issues with books? can't read?

alex_albon bad hair day? or are hats your new thing

yourusername tried to convince him to go with the bucket hat, but he claims 'all the kids are wearing caps babe'

username girlypop can't even enjoy a holiday with george without being focused on anything other than him??

username he's literally NECKING her in one of the photos?????? do you want her to koala hold him everywhere???

username future wdc russell george and his future writer wife frfr

username 1/2 of these things are probably true and we both know it's not the second lol

yourusername spoiling me always, my handsome handsome man 💗

georgerussell63 wouldn't have spent the last few weeks with anyone else (even if you kick me in your sleep nightly)

username do you think yourusername pictures george as the main male character in any of the books she reads???

username if i can picture him in fanfiction, im sure she pictures him in everything else???

gisèlerosebooks

liked by yourusername, lilymhe, username, and others

gisèlerosebooks first time being on any device since my trip with my favourite person ended. the love on collided continues to amaze me, and i'm so extremely honoured to continuously receive so much love from not only the reading community, but many of the formula 1 faithful as well. this is NOT the end of the journey, either. for now, let the formula 1 season begin... and maybe find me at a race or two? 🤭

view all comments

gisèlerosebooks oh and to my incredible, amazing, handsome boyfriend, thank you so much for always proofreading my formula 1 terminology and understanding. i promise i'll give you real credit one day.

username god adrien is so charles leclerc coded, he's all i could think about this entire book

lilymhe 🏎🫶🏻

username the fact i literally could've cared less about the lil zoom zoom cars before the dirty air series dropped and now im eager for the new season.... gisèle baby why u do this to me

username miss girl???? how are we supposed to find you at any races when we don't even know what you look like!!!

username jealous of gisèle's bf is!!! his gf is too talented for the world

username not throttled being the book to get me back into reading and now i'm blessed wth a second book??? mother is mothering real hard

username this is the type of book series i'd totally read at the track and imagine an f1 driver as my husband sry

username 10/10 book!!! dying!!!

yourusername has posted a story

liked by georgerussell63, lilymhe, bestfrienduser, and others

replies

georgerussell63 wow we're so lucious and hot

yourusername luscious sweetie

georgerussell63 god i love having a hot, smart, book-writer gf. write a book about me and use that word

yourusername they're all already about you??? (handsome)

username you showed up to a race?????? shocking

gisèlerosebooks has posted a story

liked by georgerussell63, username, username, and others

replies

username omg!!!! where are you!!! dying to meet you omfg

username YOU WERE SERIOUS

georgerussell63 i saw u slip up and post this on the og account loser

georgerussell63 can i have my scooter back ya nerd

gisèlerosebooks no sorry </3 i own it now

georgerussell63 no creds in the books and now my scooter stolen???? you hate the british

gisèlerosebooks my pseudonym is an ODE to you PAL

georgerussell63

tagged yourusername and gisèlerosebooks

liked by yourusername, gisèlerosebooks, lilymhe, and others

georgerussell63 a shame that this weekend didn't go the way we all wanted it to go, i know for a fact we'll be coming out on top soon! i also know yourusername or as most of you seem to prefer (for no valid reason at all) gisèlerosebooks is pretty deep in finishing book 3 and apparently this weekend was super influential??? go me (give me book creds)

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yourusername george!!! lmao!!!

yourusername a heads up next time??? maybe?!?

username 'for no valid reason at all' so SASSY oh boy

username everyone on twitter the other day calling yourusername a freeloader is soooo not doing well rn

lilymhe the secret's out!!!! (shocked, baffled, wild, can i get my books signed now)

username (G)isèle (R)ose... (G)eorge (R)ussell... dare i say... deliberately done

yourusername 🤭

username amazing race this weekend!!! can't wait to see you on top

username no one talking about book 3 almost being done??? or the fact george proofreads all her writing??? so cute

charles_leclerc so collided... is not about me?

georgerussell63 get lost mate

yourusername has posted a story

liked by georgerussell63, alex_albon, username, and others

replies

georgerussell63 you think im a gentleman??? love you

yourusername the BIGGEST gentleman, i love you

username god this is so cute

georgerussell63

tagged yourusername and gisèlerosebooks

liked by yourusername, charles_leclerc, username and others

georgerussell63 that's my little freeloading, best-selling author and future wife!

view all comments

username someone come get this chronically online man rn!!

yourusername can i be your freeloader forever??? spending my own money sucks

georgerussell63 my money's your money always my little freeloader

alex_albon emphasis on the best-selling author and future wife part

georgerussell63 you're right mate

username re-reading dirty air and knowing fully the entire book series is about george makes me so happy omg

username proud to admit i loved yourusername before AND after she was revealed as everyone's fav author (and it's not just a hobby losers)

username george doesn't get book creds until he wins a race again :)

yourusername i love this stipulation!!! georgerussell63 thoughts?

georgerussell63 you hate the british.

i had SO much fun writing this!!! i picked george after going down a george rabbit hole again (of course), so i hope you all love it!! thanks for all the love always.

i'm not necessarily taking requests right now, but if you have suggestions please feel free to send them my way.

[inkskinned]

the body is such a strange and vapid creature. i am eating soup with noodles that i cooked in a microwave. i don't know how microwaves work, only that most of my meals come from her yellow mouth. i put mine on the fridge; i have to stand on tip toes to take the bowl out, balancing it on fingertips.

i have to eat soup because i'm coughing up blood.

when you have been raised wrong, conditions of alarm are offset. which is to say that three weeks ago, i had a panic attack because i thought i saw him the liquor store. i collapsed into a heap, ready to sob into multicolored gin bottles. it was just someone who looked a lot like him, working a shitty 9-5. the poor man. what must it be like, to have someone go pale at your profile.

i spoke too loudly during a zoom meeting, and nobody answered immediately. the shame of that scoured my entire ribcage clean. i hated the experience so much i wrote it down in my notes: a reminder not to be so fucking annoying!

but the conditions of alarm are met at the moment. i am well-and-truly ill, the blood in my hand and on the pavement. at this moment in dr. house episodes i would be swaying, and then i'd collapse delicately and awaken in a crisp hospital bed. instead my dog bites my hand in excitement. now there is blood on his muzzle.

i am diabolically, almost robotically calm about it. i laugh about it, actually. i am feeling positively waifish. i am one nightgown away from holding an oil lamp up and saying milord? are thee turnin' in for the night? new blood is pinkish, almost feminine in her brightness, a tease into the tissue.

i haven't ever cried at a funeral. i didn't know you were actually allowed to. it felt like new blood - a way of making it about me, when my job is to flatter the shadows and stay tucked out of the way. i am always doing something for someone else. i am always earning my keep. i am always loveable, because i will do what it takes to make you able to love me.

here are the personal things i have been worried about in the last three weeks: if the spider i put outside was now able to restart her life. if an hour and a half every day is enough walking for a greyhound. if i drink too much coffee. if all my friends secretly hate me. if i'm a bad friend and i should be sad about it. what happens after this next goalpost? what if i'm deeply and inherently boring?

i cough up blood. my mouth tastes like iron gummies. i am not worried about this. my body is a seahorse. my body is an ocean wave. i can detach from it, be outside of it - just float away.

[h0ney-mochi]

Bro reader giving gamer scara some under the desk support ykyk

But imagine if he was in a call with other people so he had to be quiet and the reader has to remind him in a low whisper "be quiet, or unless you want everyone else to hear how much of a slur u are for me" :]

-🌺

Supporting him from under the desk! ♡

Streamer!Scaramouche x reader ;; readers pronouns not mentioned

SMUT/NSFW CONTENT (all characters mentioned here are streamers lol, gamer!scaramouche / streamer!scaramouche, oral sex (m!receiving) / blowjob, semi-public (?) well he is streaming and also in a call, soooo—)

A/n: AAAHHGGGHHHGG.... Agghg!! Nonnie you have me screaming adding fuel to the fire grrr... RAAAHHHHH I cannot speak

Minor writer, dni if uncomfortable!

He was just having a chat, talking with his friends on call while all were streaming a game. They were talking about recent things that have happened, such as some streamers' face reveal, new game drops and Signora's usual fan meetings out in public.

Once that topic was over, Tartaglia mentioned something about his day, how he and Kokomi were once again arguing about Gorou in that creative block game. The conversation carried on, Scara starting to focus on a game that finished loading.

He didn't even hear you coming in the room. Just complete focus on the call, the stream and the game. That was until you appeared in between his legs. Under the desk.

He drinks his water, quickly glances at you and shakes his head. Maybe you're just there to bother him as usual, quoting him 'you're too clingy.' Good to know that he didn't think much of you, not really wondering why were you under the desk of all places. How did it not cross his mind?

Scaramouche turned his head away from the screen to find his water when he noticed you. Almost jumped out of the chair, but he quickly relaxed his surprised reaction, looking back at the bottle. You couldn't help but chuckle, hiding your mouth in your hand.

"..and so she wrote me this thing about 'Give me back my general' and whatever," Childe continues speaking while Scara returns to his stuff. "Did you give him to her?" He asks, glancing at the chat. There's a laugh from Signora, "You think he'd give Gorou back? He wants to annoy her, I doubt he would."

And so they continue speaking about Gorou, the pros and cons of giving him back.

You just stared at him. Waiting for the right moment to do what you wanted. Putting your hands on his thighs, you slowly move them. Scaramouche glares down at you, then continues to speak in their conversation.

Hah.

Once you're sure he's focusing on his things again, you move your hand up, fingers moving in his waistband. There's a stutter in his words, you heard it well. You look up at him with a grin.

Scara doesn't dare to look at you. Maybe you'll leave if he doesn't give you what you want. He keeps on speaking, you hear his friends' laughter. Mouse clicking on whatever is on the screen, you couldn't see it. Didn't matter anyways.

He tries his best to focus on his screen, the conversation, his stream, but when he feels your fingers starting to pull at his pants, he freezes.

There's a moment of silence, only the noise of his keyboard.

"Scara? You there?" Tartaglia speaks through the call, "I really need to know if I should fill her house with chickens."

Scaramouche shakes his head, sighing, "You're seriously going to go easy on her? Is that all you can do? Stupid." Slightly shifting in his seat, his eyes dart to his stream, checking it.

You pulled his pants down in that simple moment. Hands massaging his thighs, looking up at him with that 'innocent' look on your face. He'd usually love it, but not when you're under his desk, during a stream. He's keeping his cool though. Scara knows how to do it — especially with people watching.

Your hands continue to move on his legs, dragging your nails here and there, just touching his thighs.

Meanwhile he's making some progress on his game, commenting on it. The chat is zooming, mentioning the two people in the call as well. Yeah, he can keep his cool. Of course!

No, your touch is not affecting him! Not at all! He's streaming, he's keeping his co-

You pulled his boxers a little down, just enough to take his dick out. Letting your spit fall onto the head, you slowly move your hand down. A sharp inhale comes from above as he curses at Childe for still thinking of plans about ruining Kokomi's house.

Then you put him in your mouth, immediately going down, take more of him. His hand moves away from his mouse in an instant, going to grip your head, hold you in place.

He quickly glares down at you, mouthing a 'don't.' Scara takes his hand away and goes back to play the game, trying hard to ignore you, hoping you got his message and that you're not that dumb!

You did stay still for a second. Then you pulled your head back up, tongue trailing upwards to the tip again. His eyebrows furrow, cursing at the screen. You're seriously, like seriously gonna do this-?

Oh, fuck you.

...

All was going well. Scaramouche was able to keep his cool. Hiding some noises in curses from the game or the call, even in some water breaks. It made you almost impressed that he could get this far without slipping up! And even on stream!

You just sucked him off under the desk, hands on his thighs and eyes looking up at him from time to time, see what's up. Yes, he sometimes sent glares down at you, but overall all was good!

All was good, that is.

"Childe— Wait, where the fuck are you going? Did you forget we're going scarab hunting for you?" Scaramouche groans, tapping the keys, "I can also kick you out and leave you begging in other people's worlds."

"Don't-!" His friends' voice gets higher, "I really need them!" "Then- fuck, then don't be a bitch about it," he quickly speaks, biting his lips at the end.

You could hear more noise from his keyboard and mouse, probably because he was yet in another battle. Didn't stop you from swirling your tongue around the tip though.

His mouth was slightly agape, which is probably why you finally heard a noise very close to a moan. But he quickly spoke after it, eyes darting to the stream's chat, checking if anyone caught that. Seemed like his two friends didn't catch either.

He swallows, focusing back onto the screen. His character running around while his teammate, Childe, also in the call, followed him. Gosh, he shouldn't fuck anything up.

After a few more minutes, it gets worse. Harder. Scara can just feel some of his focus slipping away to the fact that yes, you're still sucking him off. Under his desk. During his stream. Also in a call.

And he's getting close, alright.

He blinks a few times. "You've marked-" He starts speaking, but shuts his eyes, feeling you take whole of him again, "You've marked the spots right? You should- be leading me, no?"

Conversation carries on like that. Is it getting hotter in here? Doubt.

When he feels you tapping on his thigh, he stops for a moment. He goes to take his water again, humming as a response to you, eyes quickly looking at you then back at the bottle.

You pull away from his cock, looking up at him. He exhales, trying to ignore that he is a little annoyed at you leaving. "Scara," you whisper, just enough for him to hear. He taps his fingers on his desk, waiting for your next words. "Be quiet." Is all you say.

You see him roll his eyes, mouthing 'I am.'

"..Unless you want others to hear how much of a slut you are?" You raise an eyebrow, kissing his thigh, "You want that?" His eyes are glued on his friend's character running after scarabs, swallowing again.

He shakes his head before going back to cursing at Childe, because that's the wrong fucking direction.

You smile and go back to wrapping your lips around him. Tongue trailing down his shaft, he's tensing up again, your touch on his thighs almost distracting him.

Scaramouche is back on track, finding the last few things for Childe, while Signora just came back from getting 'a much needed' drink as she said. "So, where are we?" She speaks, the sound of her sitting down.

"Getting stupid scarabs be- fuck, because he can't go into other people's worlds," Scara mumbles, rolling his eyes, "Take him away from me." Her laugh echoes through his headphones as he groans, of course from frustration.

Totally not because you're sucking on him harsher now.

He looks at his stream, reading some of the running messages. Welcoming back Signora, speaking of the awful time scarabs need. Good to know they haven't suspected anything.

Childe is speaking now, sort of annoyed, but with a hint of held back laughter. Trying to defend himself that it's not his fault that he forgot to prefarm for the hot electro man.

"I- fuck, I don't understand, you have two fucking sides," Scaramouche starts, clicking around the screen as you could tell from the noise of his mouse again, "You- you either prefarm way too early, or— fuck- you forget. Why is that, huh?"

"Even my stream is agreeing," Signora chuckles, obvious smirk, "Says a lot. Wait until he starts saying he needs help with the triangle.."

A nervous laugh from the other end, "I actually-" "I swear- shit, I swear to fuck- fucking GOD, Childe, if-" Scara speaks in frustration, yet he stops, swallowing down another incoming noise. "You okay? You sound weird‐" "Yeah, of course I'm okay! I'm annoyed at you, for fucks sake."

His hand moves away from his mouse, hand gripping the desk for a moment. Your words echo in his mind. Be quiet. It's as easy as that!

"Alright, I needed to know before I ask for the boss—" the moment Childe speaks those words, Signora starts laughing. Scaramouche hides his face in his hand, groaning, while the other goes down to grip your hair. His chat is spamming keysmashes and laughing emotes.

Biting down into the skin of his hand, he swears to whoever there is that no one is gonna pick up on the fact that his groans are not from frustration.

Well yeah, it is, but not from the game, his friends, the stream, whatever.

It's from you and your stupid lips around his dick.

Thank you for the idea and thank you for waiting for my response !

Not proofread, so apologies if any mistakes.

© h0ney-mochi 2023 / Please don't copy or repost my work and writings! <3

[fanauthorworkshop]

Applications for the Spring 2024 session are now open!

The Fanauthor Workshop is a biannual Zoom course for writers of fanfiction. My goal is to create a supportive space for fanauthors to receive constructive feedback on fanfiction, original fiction, or creative nonfiction. If desired, I also provide guidance on moving outside of fan spheres to traditional publishing or other creative writing programs such as MFAs.

Participants of the workshop receive

Attendance in an 8-week Zoom course during which you’ll provide feedback to your peers and workshop one piece of your own work, up to 6,000 words.

Access to the Fanauthor Workshop Discord server, an active community where we host weekly accountability meetings, write-ins, and other events and activities.

A one-hour consultation with me to go over your workshop feedback, come up with a plan for revision and/or publication, or anything else you’d like to discuss regarding your writing.

Open enrollment option in future workshops.

When

The workshop meets on Fridays from April 12 through May 31 via Zoom. You can apply for one of two sessions:

Group A: 12pm - 2pm EST

Group B: 6pm - 8pm EST

Cost

The cost is "pay what you think the experience is worth," with a recommended amount of $300. To be as inclusive as possible, I don't want money to be a deterrent for anyone interested in participating.

Payment can be made before, during, or after the workshop, via PayPal or Venmo.

How to apply

Eligibility

Anyone over the age of 18 who considers themselves a participant of fandom and who is familiar with fanfiction may apply. A stable internet connection is also required. Submissions must be written in English.

Application requirements

To apply, you will need:

A brief cover letter discussing your fan history and goals as a (fan)writer (more specific instructions on submittable).

Maximum 1,000 words of your writing, either original work or fanfiction. This may be previously published/posted.

You can apply via submittable. Applications close March 8. There is no fee for applying.

FAQ under the cut.

FAQ

Are there any content restrictions to what I can workshop?

The only restriction is word count (max 6k), with the following caveats:

If you workshop a piece in a form other than prose (for example, a script), your peers may not be able to offer constructive feedback on that aspect of the work. Participants are asked only to have a familiarity with prose.

Content warnings are required for each piece (if applicable), and participants who are uncomfortable reading certain subject matter may abstain from your workshop.

I want to participate in the workshop, but these times/dates don't work for me.

While the workshop is a big part of my life, I have to prioritize my own schedule, and as of right now, these are the only times/dates I can run it.

However, I'm working on developing other workshop models that may be more accessible for people who can't attend the regular spring/fall session. For example, a summer sprint workshop (meeting more often per week for fewer weeks) and/or an asynchronous workshop (written feedback only, no Zoom meeting). More on that later this year or next.

What is the time commitment of the workshop?

As a participant of the workshop, you'll be asked to:

Workshop any piece of your own prose up to 6k words, which will need to be uploaded to the group folder no later than the Sunday prior to your workshop.

Read 2 pieces per week, write a 1-page crit letter for the author, and attend the workshop itself.

What is the timeline of the workshop?

In week 1, we go over the syllabus and do a writing exercise. Weeks 2 through 8 will be a workshop, a discussion of an external reading, or a writing activity. Prior to the start of workshop, you'll be able to sign up for the week you would like to workshop your piece.

Structure of the sessions:

Question of the day

First workshop

Short break

Second workshop

We'll go over my workshop model and the syllabus in week 1.

Do I have to participate in the Zoom meetings (camera and mic on)?

Attending the workshop itself is required, and everyone is asked to offer at least one note of positive feedback on each piece, so mics are necessary. Cameras are preferred but not required.

You can't asynchronously participate, i.e. read the pieces and offer written feedback without attending the sessions.

What are the benefits of being in the Fanauthor Workshop community?

We have an active Discord server open only to those who have participated in the workshop. Once you've completed the workshop, you'll have access to attend weekly accountability meetings, write-ins, and other events we host.

You'll also have an open enrollment option in future workshops, where in lieu of applying again, you can pay a portion of what you intend to pay and secure your seat in the upcoming workshop.

I'll be working on rolling out additional events and benefits throughout the year.

Can workshop participants submit to OFIC Magazine?

Yes! Part of the reason I run the workshop is to inspire and promote the original work of fanwriters. You can follow us on tumblr @oficmag.

Who is running the workshop?

@bettsfic! In short, I lived a dreary cubicle life as a banker until I found fanfiction at 24. I loved it so much that I quit my job to get an MFA in creative writing. I loved the MFA so much that I became a writing teacher. I have some publications, awards, an agent, and 2 million words of fic on ao3. I don't have a book out yet but I'm getting there.

Currently I'm a writing coach and freelance editor. I also have a lowkey writing-related newsletter. And I've been answering writing advice asks on my blog for 10 years.

If you want an idea of the kind of writing activities I create, last summer I worked with @books on a workshop series which includes craft essays and some fun prompts.

If you're interested in my original work, my short story "Not If, When" is a good representation of my writing. For something darker, check out "Shut Up and Kill Me."

What is the workshop like?

Check out G's experience of attending the workshop. And here's some feedback from previous participants.

One final note: I'm working on updating the copy about the workshop on my website and move it over to OFIC's website. This post and Submittable has the most updated information on the workshop. If you have questions about discrepancies (or anything at all), you can shoot me an ask, DM me, or add me on Discord (I'm bettsfic there too). Or you can email me at ekweeks@gmail.com.

[canirove]

Friends, lovers… and an orange | Chapter 12

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Masterlist

“Are you going to eat all that?” Mason chuckled.

“Yep” Adele said as she sat at the table.

“I still can’t believe you woke up early to go for a run after going out last night. What time was it when we came back?”

“Around 3 a.m.”

“And when did you leave?”

“At 7.”

“Addie, did you sleep?” Mason laughed.

“The moment my head touched the pillow I was out” she shrugged. Which was the biggest lie ever.

She had probably managed to sleep for maybe an hour and a half, and the moment there was light coming through the window, she had gotten up and ready to do the one thing that she knew always allowed her to not think about anything: running. So she put on her shoes, chose her favourite playlist, and left the hotel. 

“Lucky you” he sighed. 

“Didn’t you manage to sleep?”

“I did, but it wasn't pleasant. I kept waking up and… urgh” he groaned, checking his phone.

“What is it?” Adele asked, giving her croissant a big bite.

“My agency. I have a meeting in half an hour with them and they are already bothering me about it.”

“Is that the reason why you didn’t sleep well?”

“Yeah. We are organizing everything for the launch of the perfume's campaign, and it is driving me crazy.”

“Oh, the perfume… The one that started it all.”

“The same one” Mason smiled. Though it was his sad smile, the one Adele knew meant that something was going on. 

“Mase, are you ok?” she asked, reaching for his hand.

“I am, yes. Just tired” he said, his thumb caressing her knuckles, the butterflies on her stomach waking up.

“Are you sure? You know you can tell me anything.”

“I know. Thank you, Addie” he smiled. But again, it wasn’t his usual smile. “Anyway, I better go get ready. It’s a zoom meeting and I want to look a bit more presentable.”

“I like the way you look” she said, speaking before thinking.

“Even if my hair is a mess?” Mason laughed.

“Messy hair is the best hair” she shrugged, not daring to look him in the eyes. “Will I see you later?”

“Of course. I want to take you to El Retiro, maybe go on one of those small boats they have?”

“The walk part sounds perfect. The one about the boats… I don’t know if I trust you” Adele teased him.

“I would never let anything happen to you. Ever” Mason said, the way he was looking at her, giving her the impression that there was something else behind those words. “And I better get going. See you later, Miss Turlington” he smiled, lifting her hand and kissing it. They hadn't stopped holding hands since the moment Adele had reached for his.

“See you later, Mr. Mount" she replied.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

“Are you going to tell me what is going on?”

“Uh?”

“Mase, you've been acting super weird the whole day. Did something happen during the meeting?” Adele asked him after their walk. 

“No.”

“Then why do look you so…” she said, gesturing with her hands.

“So?”

“Miserable. You look the same you did before your birthday.”

“It’s nothing.”

“There definitely is something. C´mon, talk to me” Adele said, following him as he walked towards his room.

“It’s nothing” he repeated.

“Mase… Mason” she said, grabbing his arm and making him stop. “Talk to me.”

“It’s… Fine” he sighed. “Come inside.”

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

“I’m ready when you are ready” Adele said, grabbing Mason’s hand and giving it an encouraging squeeze. They had been sitting on his bed in silence for what felt like an eternity, which was only making her feel more and more nervous. What could have happened in that meeting for him to go back to this mood?

“Remember that I told you that the meeting was for the launch of the perfume?”

“Yes.”

“Well, we are going to be throwing a party in Tuscany because that's where we got the inspiration from and where we shot the campaign.”

"I remember your trip there. It was when I was in Paris with my mum.”

“That's the one, yes. This party… this party is gonna be huge, Addie. Big names in fashion will be attending, and also actors, musicians, influencers… Even some football players.”

“That is amazing, isn’t it?”

“It is, yes. But…”

“But?” Adele said, squeezing his hand once again.

“My agency has asked for something. Something related to us.”

“I already told them I will be at the party. What else do they want?”

“Something you aren't going to like, Addie.”

“What do they want, Mason?” she asked.

“They… they want us to walk the red carpet together.”

“No” Adele said, letting go of his hand and standing up. “No, no, no. We agreed I would not walk any red carpet or do anything that involves me having to actually pose in front of a camera.”

“But Addie…”

“I said no. You know how much I hate it.”

“I do. But they are insisting.”

“You mean they are threatening you again. I can’t believe it” she said as she started to pace around the room. “This has to stop, Mason. You can’t keep working with such horrible people.”

“I don’t have another choice.”

“Yes, you do! Sue them and leave them! My dad knows really good lawyers, they could help you.”

“It isn’t that easy” he said, nervously playing with his hands.

“Why not? Whatever those clauses are, I’m sure they will find a way to, I don’t know, annul them? There is this guy I met once in Barcelona who works with football teams and…”

“Adele, no” Mason cut her, also standing up. “Lawyers can’t fix this. And if they can, it will be too late. My career will already be ruined.”

“Because of some clauses on your contract?”

“Because… because… urgh” he said, running a hand through his hair.

“Mase, hey” Adele whispered, caressing his cheek. “You can tell me whatever it is.”

“I can’t. Not this.”

“Why not? Mase, look at me” she said, cupping his face and forcing him to look at her. “Why not?"

“Because if I tell you what they have against me, what they are using to make me do all these things I don’t want to… You won’t be able to look at me the same way. And I can’t lose you, Adele. I can’t” he cried, resting his forehead on hers.

“You won’t lose me, Mason. Whatever it is… I’m not going anywhere. But you have to tell me. You have to let me help you. Because this, keeping this secret, is hurting us both.”

“I know” he sobbed.

“Then tell me. What do they have that is so bad that it could end your career?”

“Addie…”

“Mason, please” she begged him, feeling a tear down her cheek. “Please, tell me what it is. Trust me.”

“Ok…” he sighed. “It’s… They… They have a sex tape.”

[dearshelby]

What type of profile pictures would the Shelby brothers have?

A/N: I was struggling to write a fic, a cockroach entered my house and wrote this to calm down and distract myself lol

Tommy Shelby

• Doesn't have one, or didn't.

• Tommy doesn't have any private social media, he doesn't know how they work or what's even the point of them. The only ones which matter to him are the ones of the Shelby company and he's not the administrator of them.

• (Actually, he has an Instagram Finn made him a long, long time ago, it doesn't have a profile pic, the bio is only his name and the only post is a pic of a horse, he doesn't access it anymore and forgot to tell Finn to deactivate it.)

• However, Ada started to nag him, arguing texting him is like texting a stranger and he should put on a pic. Tommy argued everyone knew his number so a pic was unnecessary, but Ada insisted.

• The problem was, he didn't have any good pictures of him on his phone, he was never the one to take selfies. He only had a bunch of family and documents pictures.

• (He tried to take a selfie once and it turned out terrible. How a man as handsome as him turned out so bad was truly a mystery.)

• So during a family meeting, Ada took a pic of him with his children, he had one on each knee and a small smile on his face. If you get the luck of getting Tommy's private number, the image you'll see it's heartwarming (almost sweet enough to make you underestimate him.)

John Shelby

• John is a show off, everyone knows this.

• He has a Twitter, Tik Tok (his children forced him to create an account, he doesn't actually use it) and an Instagram full of posts which makes people jealous.

• A handsome face (and body 🤭), amazing views, food, travels, cars and a big, beautiful family. Truly enviable.

• Although he's a selfie king and always the one to take pics during family occasions, John doesn't have many posts which expose himself. He's related to the Shelby company after all.

• The only social media you can find a selfie of him is Instagram, the profile pic you can't zoom in or gather any information from.

• The rest of his posts are just showing off his expensive lifestyle.

Arthur Shelby

• Honestly? Another selfie king, but a little different from John. Arthur is good at taking selfies at the most random moments, the ones everyone else will look weird and blurry but he looks good.

• He has way too many pictures of himself on that grandpa angle, in which the phone is almost under his chin and somehow, he still looks decent.

• Differently from his brothers, Arthur has all social medias, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Tik Tok, Tumblr, he's like a curious cat and wants to know what the fuss is about.

• At first, he creates an account and doesn't add any information (even the email he uses it's fake), he spends a few hours checking on whatever the media has to offer and if he doesn't like it, he asks Finn to deactivate the account because he doesn't have the patience to do it himself.

• However, when he likes something, he won't get out so easily, he'll make sure his account is nice and organized. His favorite is Facebook and his profile picture is one of the many selfies he takes with a black and white filter.

• (Also, I'm so sorry but I can see Arthur having a Tumblr blog, compared to Twitter and Tik Tok is much quieter, he can block tags he doesn't like, there's only the content he enjoys on his timeline and there's much more fun people than on facebook.)

Finn Shelby

• Finn went from "sad boy with self esteem issues" to "asshole fuckboy" into "ex-asshole trying to be a nice husband," anyone could accompany his struggle through his Instagram.

• At first his profile pic was a selfie with Polly, then at some overpriced club and now it's a picture of him leaning on his car at some expensive condominium in the countryside.

• It was a long journey until the nice husband phase and Finn still struggles with addiction, his wife and Polly are his biggest supporters and keep his brothers/Michael/anyone at all from mocking him.

• After so long being forgotten, he's finally recovering. He stepped away from the bad side of the family to study law so he can still help anyway.

• In his Instagram you can still find pictures of him in the club, but with friends from college who actually care about him.

• Justice for Finn Shelby, I'm still mad about season 6.

MASTERLIST

[olderthannetfic]

https://www.tumblr.com/olderthannetfic/740550153935667200/httpswwwtumblrcomolderthannetfic740123102285

Yeah, there’s been a lot of wank in DS9 fandom lately about why the fandom likes Bashir so much more than Sisko that tends to blame colorism or that Sisko’s Black identity is much more a part of his character while Bashir doesn’t have strong ties to any non white culture. ….And maybe that’s PART of it, but I think the much bigger part of it is that Bashir is presented as a type of character that female fic-writing shipping fandom goes nuts for and Sisko is not. Bashir is a socially awkward overenthusiastic arrogant nerd who has a ton of homoerotic subtext with multiple other male characters and whose canon het relationships in the show are fleeting and half-assed. Sisko is older and a devoted dad and Responsible Adult who has a long-lasting, well-developed and generally well-liked canon het relationship for over half the show’s run. I think if you had the Bashir character played by a Black man who is very in touch with his Black identity and the Sisko one played by a half-English half-Arab actor who is presented as very culturally Brit, the fandom reaction would still favor the former. (In fact, TNG has something of that type of character played by a black man in the form of Geordi and the nerdy girl shipper fandom also loves him and shipping him with Data, so….)

The analysis also ignores that other kinds of fandom exist, namely the cis dude parts of it, and they tend to favor Sisko over Bashir by a wide margin; in fact Sisko is one of the most popular and Bashir one of the least popular DS9 characters in those corners. And Bashir and Alexander Siddig himself have always had a very heavily female following (to the point of being the original name for TVTropes’ page on female-dominated fandoms), even though it is obviously not just women who watch DS9. During the lockdown in 2020, Siddig was doing these Zoom meetings where he met with fans and I went to a couple of them and was briefly in the unofficial Discord for it, and it was almost entirely women + AFAB trans and non binary people. Barely any cis dudes.

It’s weird how many analyses of fandom, even very serious academic ones (like what that paper the previous ask mentioned sounds like), don’t seem to factor in the obvious factors first, the basic nature of how different kinds of fandom work, *before* concluding it must be racism or some other kind of bigotry above all else.

--

Also, to the extent that Bashir ever went near ladies, it was like... Dax in the pilot or something, and I remember watching that when it premiered and going "Ooh". Even his het options were more fanficbait-y than anything Sisko ever did.

It's not an accident those papers are like that. Cut them no slack.

[dudduk4992]

A beached surfer, part 1

Caleb sighed, looking out onto the beach. It was a perfect day, with not a cloud in the sky, the brilliant yellow sand was teeming with people, talking, sunbaking, playing volleyball, building sandcastles, and splashing in the water. Everywhere he looked, he saw people enjoying the sun.

The hotel next door teamed with tourists, just like it seemed to do every summer when Caleb’s dad sent him here to work at his uncle’s restaurant, “The Seaside Crab”  where Caleb worked during his summers instead of enjoying it like everyone else. It always seemed worse to think about, but when he got there it wasn’t so bad, especially since his uncle actually paid him properly now, and with all the tourism they were reeling in, Caleb could only imagine what his bank account would be looking like. Caleb sighed again,

"Caleb! Stop mucking about and clear some tables!" Caleb heard his big sailor-looking uncle yell from within the confines of the kitchen at the front of the restaurant. Caleb gulped and quickly zoomed around the restaurant, clearing tables one at a time.

As Caleb cleaned up another table, stacking the dishes and wiping at the stains on the table, he resumed his daydreaming position at the large wooden bar, adjacent to a long, tall wall lined with glass windows. As he stared even longer, his eyes stayed in the same position, looking out the window despite hearing the front of the cafe's door jingle.

A shadow shunted his daydreaming; he noticed a tall, blonde, wide figure standing at the bar in his peripheral vision. It took Caleb a moment or two to realise that the stranger was waiting for him. "Could I get an iced tea, two lemons please?" Caleb heard the hunky surfer say in his deep voice. It was none other than the legendary Kanen Ariki. A local legend around Marina Beach. He was the only surfer to catch some huge waves, not to mention his insane popularity. When he wasn’t surfing or partying, he worked as a lifeguard at the beach.

Kanen was Polynesian and only 21, two years older than Caleb- and was fully ripped. Big, buff and covered head to toe in muscle, he had a massive chest with huge, meaty pecs and pink cherry-sized nipples, his thighs and calves enormous, and his abs well defined. His face was wide and handsome with a strong jawline, his eyes bright brown with a cut through his left eyebrow. He had various rings in both ears, as well as a double piercing through his right eyebrow and belly button.

His hair was cut in short curtains and dyed blonde while the roots remained black. The hunk also had some impressive Polynesian tattoos; several bands around his right arm, wrist and leg, as well as some triangles, reaching up to the bottom of his belly button. He wore a blue faded singlet, black board shorts and no shoes.

"I- uh, ohhhh..." Caleb Stuttered, gazing in awe at the surfer, he completely forgot what he was doing as he watched Kanen take a table number and sit down.... right next to where Caleb was cleaning. Was this really happening!? Caleb couldn't believe it!

"Hey man, not to rush you, but my stomach’s telling me it’s time to eat," Kanen said with a laugh, noticing that Caleb was stuck daydreaming for almost ten minutes.

"Oh! sorry!" Caleb yelped. "What can I get you today? we have some specials on, if you’re interested, I can show you what they are..." Caleb trailed off, gazing at the blond hunk's breathtaking abs.

"Uh yeah, I'll just get a club sandwich, extra meat, extra cheese, and double side pickle, please. And two iced teas while you're at it" Kanen says with a wink, his voice filled with that deep swagger many surfers carried.

“Right... right, is there anything else?” Caleb murmured.

“Nope! You’re good to go…” Kanen squinted at Caleb’s name tag. “Caleb.” Kanen looked up with a grin. “Nice to meet you, Caleb.” It took Caleb everything he had not to melt at the surfer hunk’s words.

“That… that should be ready soon sir.” Caleb piped, turning and hurrying over to the counter. As he did, he quickly scribbled the order on a piece of paper. However, what Caleb didn’t realize was that he had scribbled Kanen's order underneath a previous order that had come and gone, a family meal in fact. Caleb blindly handed his uncle the order without noticing and went back to clearing tables and taking more orders, sneaking glancing at Kanen when he could. Ten minutes passed as Caleb continued to work, occasionally glancing up at Kanen while he did.

Caleb eventually began to zone back into his work, prioritizing his tasks, rather than gazing at Kanen. Caleb was in the middle of clearing a recently emptied table when he heard someone approach him from behind. He turned around and found himself staring at Kanen, who stood there with a smile on his face.

"Hey there again." Kanen greeted him. "Sorry to bother you, Caleb- but I was just wondering if you knew when my food would be ready? It’s been nearly fifteen minutes." Kanen said with an innocent smile.

Caleb felt his eyes widen. He hadn't realized how much time had passed since he took Kanen's order. "Oh- uh, lemme go check for you." Caleb said quickly as he rushed off to the counter, where his uncle was busy cooking.

"Hey, Uncle Finn!" Caleb gasped. "A customer asked when his food would be out, he's been waiting for fifteen minutes."

"Well, I sure as hell won't be able to figure out his meal if you don't tell me what it is!" Uncle Finn grunted back as he chopped the head off a fish.

"Uhh... '1 club sandwich, double pickle and extra everything' plus two ice teas... For Kanen Ariki." Caleb said aloud, feeling a little embarrassed by the situation.

Uncle Finn glanced across the orders above his head and frowned. "Son, I dunno what you did wrong but I don't have that order here." He muttered. "I DO have an order for one Kanen Ariki, and it does have that sandwich and those ice teas, but there's more than what you said."

Before Caleb could say a word, his uncle placed a full tray on the bench, and it was indeed not what Kanen had ordered; 2 extra large burgers and sides of chips, a large panini, a regular garden salad, A T-bone steak, 2 plates of fish and chips, A regular lasagna, a basket of garlic bread- and of course, the two ice teas and the club sandwich to top it all off.

"Oh Caleb..." Uncle Finn leaned on the counter and covered his eyes. "How did you mess this up." he looked up with a tired smile. "You truly are one of a kind, lad."

Caleb felt himself grow pale as he realized he had messed up.

"I- I'm so sorry..." Caleb murmured, and the boy felt his face go from pale to beet red.

Uncle Finn chuckled and placed a hand over his shoulder. "Don't worry about it kid. I know you'll do better next time, you always do. Just apologize and tell the guy there was a mixup and give him the things he ordered- bring the rest back to me so I can bin it."

Caleb nodded silently and took the tray of food, turning on one heel and quickly made his way across the restaurant. As he approached Kanen's table, he found Kanen smiling at him, but his smile quickly turned to confusion as Caleb set the tray down on the table.

"Hey bro... I didn't order all of this?" he said, confused.

"No you didn't." Caleb confirmed, avoiding eye contact. "I- uh… there was a mixup in the kitchen... and your order got put down with a previous order- but here."

Caleb picked up the plate with the gigantic club sandwich on top. Uncle Finn had used an entire loaf of bread, sliced through the half, and put all of the fixings inside to create the biggest sandwich both Caleb and Kanen had ever seen in their lives.

"W-woah dude... I said club sandwich, not a surfboard panini!" Kanen practically yelped, grinning from ear to ear. "Guess I'm getting my money's worth!" The tanned surfer laughed, a hand resting on his exposed belly. "Seriously dude... thanks for this... you're awesome!" He said. "But I wanted to ask, what's gonna happen to all of this?"

"Uh, I'll probably have to dump it." Caleb replied. "I can't give it to other customers who ordered the same thing. Health code, you know?"

Kanen looked down at the food with a frown. "You can't throw this all away. There's enough food here for a whole family..." he said, gesturing with his hands at the large amount of food in front of him.

"I know." Caleb felt awful, but he really didn't know what else could be done.

"Here, just leave it with me and I'll eat as much of it as I can." Kanen replied with a shrug.

Caleb blinked. "What?"

"It's either that or the garbage disposal, and I hate it when good food is wasted." Kanen grinned. "So yeah, leave it with me."

"Uh... okay, are you sure?" Caleb murmured, placing it all on the table, including the drinks, before picking the empty tray up.

"Yeah man, no worries, I'll see how much I can polish off. Thanks again!" Kanen smiled.

Caleb nodded and left it at that and hurried back to his uncle to give him the tray. When he got to the counter, Uncle Finn was watching Kanen closely. "So he decided to keep all that food huh? Better than chucking it in the bin I say." Uncle Finn said with a chuckle. "He's got one big ass feed ahead of him!"

"Uhh yeah..." Caleb murmured, still blushing as he glanced back to the surfer boy and his massive meal.

***

Kanen wasn't sure if he would even be able to eat this much food. Here, he had arrived for a simple sandwich, and now he had a family-sized feast on top of that. Kanen worked on his original order first, drilling through the club sandwich at a steady pace. The mix of meat, cheese, pickle and lettuce made an explosion of flavour in his mouth as the young stud savoured every bite of the huge sandwich. He ate slowly, enjoying each and every morsel. As he neared the end of his sandwich, Kanen noted that he felt full, his stomach holding its regular curve after a simple meal like this- but his meal was far from over.

"Wow, that was amazing..." Kanen murmured to himself as he took a long sip from his first iced tea, before sighing and wiping his mouth with a napkin. He already felt kinda stuffed though, he thought looking down at his bulging gut.

But there was no time to waste, the food was there, and it needed to be eaten. After he finished the sandwich, Kanen dug into his burger with gusto. The paddy was juicy and fresh, stuck to a slice of melted cheese and accompanied by fresh crisp lettuce, tangy sauce, onions, bacon and tomato. It tasted incredible as he ate it, savouring every bite. With one burger done, the second followed in no time at all. With both now in his steadily growing belly, the young stud took a moment to finish the rest of his first iced tea, sucking down the sweet peach juice like water after a run.

"*BUARRP!*" Kanen belched and blushed as two customers close by glanced at him, Kanen ran a hand over his developing stomach under his singlet, before working on his two sides of chips, each slice of fried potato cooked to perfection as he drowned them in tomato sauce and tore into them ravenously.

The young surfer felt like he could take on the world, his gut was slowly expanding and so full of good food that it felt like he had swallowed a small soccer ball. He had never eaten this much in one sitting before, but he had to admit that he felt great. His muscles were well-fed, and his mind was clear, he felt good, and he was ready to tackle anything that came his way.

With that thought in mind, Kanen worked on his last side of chips and began eating slowly as he watched the people around him. After a few minutes, Kanen moved on his panini. The crust was crisp and the fillings were warm and delicious. The beef was tender and the cheese gooey, the flavors mixing together perfectly. Even though he already felt overly stuffed, Kanen devoured the panini in only a few bites, pausing to take sips from his second iced tea until both the tea and panini were gone.

Kanen burped again, this time not feeling as embarrassed, largely because of how stuffed the surfer stud felt. His slightly bloated muscle gut had expanded substantially, stretching his singlet even further than before as his underbelly dug into the hem of his boardshorts. Kanen knew he wasn't going to be able to fit into his pants for a while.

Now Kanen sat there, stuffed to bursting, yet content. He stared at the remains of his meal; the salad, Steak, double order of fish and chips, basket of garlic bread, and large lasagna, and wondered if he should just leave it there. But he couldn't bring himself to do it. If he did, then he would feel guilty for wasting such a large amount of food, and besides- something about this whole situation he had ended up in felt... good?

In a way eating all this food made Kanen feel amazing. The very idea of pushing the limits of his stomach, even though he was stuffed to the brim made Kanen's body tingle, and the thought of how big his gut would become made him more excited. Kanen took a deep breath and made his decision, he was going to finish every last piece of this food, and then he was going to enjoy a good long rest.

Eager now, Kanen filled a glass of water and downed it in one gulp before he started with the garden salad and garlic bread; The salad was light and refreshing, while the Garlic bread was hot and gooey and crispy. By the time he was done, the surfer was sweating and moaning, his belly was distended so much that it now jutted off of his body a good few inches. He could feel it stretching his singlet further, his gut pushing against the fabric as it grew. it had even begun to slide up due to the great volume of his gut, revealing a slither of his hairless belly.

Steadily running out of steam, Kanen turned his attention to the large steak. Kanen cut the steak into bite sized pieces and began going to work; the meat was tender and juicy, he found after the first mouthful, the juices running down his chin and dropping onto the singlet straining itself around his enormous gut. The steak was served with a side of fries and salad, both of which the hunk was able to finish off with relative ease. Kanen pulled at his boardshorts, which were unbelievably tight now. Kanen burped again, feeling up his tank of a belly, enjoying the fullness and tightness it caused.

He had no doubt that many of the customers in the restaurant were staring at him, especially the ones who had been here since the start and had seen how much food he had consumed. After finishing off the Steak, Kanen felt his gut throbbing now, his abs and stomach muscles burning tight as his belly begged him to stop eating, and that only made him want to eat more.

Kanen realized that if he was gonna get through the remains of the food, he was gonna need more drinks. By some streak of luck, the waiter boy Caleb passed by to clear a table, although Kanen could see that Caleb was also using this opportunity to stare at the surfer's impressive belly.

"Hey... *URP* Caleb?" Kanen spoke up with a long breath.

Caleb turned right around to face him, his cheeks flushed red. Caleb couldn’t belive how huge he had grown!

"Y-Yeah?" Caleb asked nervously, his eyes darting between Kanen's bulging gut and the huge amount of food that was still piled on the table.

"Do you *HIC* think you could grab me two more of those *BUUARP* iced teas?" Kanen asked, resting his hands on his belly.

"Uh... yeah of course," Caleb replied, his voice shaking as he quickly walked over to the kitchen, returning five minutes later with two bottles of iced tea.

"Thanks," Kanen replied with a shy smile.

"No problem... just let me know if you need anything else," Caleb said,  his face growing redder by the second. "I- need to go clear more tables." Caleb rushed off and Kanen couldn't help but laugh to himself. The poor guy looked so flustered, but he didn't blame him. Kanen could only imagine what a sight his gut must be for everyone else.

The fish and chips were by far the hardest to eat, although the battered Cod and chips were crunchy and tasty, they were both dry, and Kanen found himself gulping down a whole iced tea between the two servings. As he polished off the seafood, Kanen felt his belly grow tighter and tighter, it was beginning to push against his waistband as his gut now took up a good portion of his lap. It seemed like he might have to pull down his board shorts if it continued to get any larger.

Kanen had to stop himself from laughing as he marveled at how big his stomach had gotten, he had never been this big before. "Holy shit..." Kanen muttered, looking down at his stomach, which groaned and growled as it struggled to digest the mass amount of food inside. After another glass of water to wash down his throat, the young surfer made his way to his final course, the lasagna.

As he cut into the lasagna, he was surprised to find that it was still warm; the cheese, mince, sauce and pasta sheets melting as he placed the first forkful into his mouth. Kanen had to stifle back a moan as he ate, the taste was incredible. Even though he felt on the brink of bursting point, Kanen devoured the dish with relish, watching his obscenely huge muscle gut creep forward a bit with each delicious, gooey mouthful.

Part of Kanen knew he had eaten past his limit, and yet somehow he was still pushing on, the engorged stud stuffing himself with every ounce of willpower he had. It felt like an eternity before the plate was empty, his gut bloated and stretched beyond its limits, the weight of his belly pressing on his thighs as he sat there. When he was done, Kanen felt like a new man. His belly was stretched to its maximum capacity, obscenely huge and distended, making him look 9 months pregnant. But Kanen was happy with the blissful fullness that came with eating so much food. The weight of everything he had eaten, the pressure in his gut, the strain of his abs and the heat of digestion made him feel so tired.

"Ahhhhhhh!" Kanen moaned loudly as he threw back his head and let loose another deep, manly belch, the sound echoing throughout the restaurant. He closed his eyes, trying to hold in the next one but failing miserably. "Bwuaaarrrp!" Another loud belch escaped the surfer's lips as he looked at the large stack of empty plates in front of him. Something about it made Kanen feel proud, like he was some sort of gluttonous beast who was being rewarded for his excesses.

And so, Kanen struggled to stand up from his seat, his belly was so heavy and his abs stretched to the absolute limit, his legs felt like jelly as it took the stud a moment to adjust to his newfound weight. His singlet had ridden up so much that it only encompassed half of his overgorged belly. Kanen felt all eyes on him as he swaggered over to the counter slowly, holding his gut in both hands like a newborn as he tried not to burp loudly again.

Up at the counter, Kanen found Caleb waiting; a look of complete awe on his face as he gazed upon the young surfer's huge stomach.

"I believe I... *HIC* have a *BUUARRPP* meal to pay for..." Kanen chuckled, patting his belly proudly.

"Oh my God," Caleb gasped. "I can't believe you ate all that." Caleb began to grin from ear to ear. "That was incredible man... I've never seen someone pack away that much food!"

"Thank you *BWARP* Caleb..." Kanen laughed slowly. "I think I've *HIC* had my fill..." Kanen chuckled, his stomach wobbling slightly as he let out another burp, handing the young waiter his credit card, but Caleb shook his head.

"It’s on the house man." Caleb smiled. "You earned it."

***

Kanen lay sprawled out on the hood of his car as he watched the late afternoon sun dwindle on the horizon, the sky turning orange as the evening approached. The young stud had one arm behind his head, and the other wrapped around his gargantuan gut, releasing satisfied burps as he sighed contently. He felt so full... so fucking full... but so good too. The tightness, the weight, the size of his belly all felt incredible.

Kanen let out a long sigh as he brought his hand from his swollen belly down to hard manhood, stroking himself idly as he basked in the glow of his accomplishment. This had been quite possibly the most fun he'd ever had in his life. Eating so much food had left him completely exhausted and drained, his muscles ached and his mind was fuzzy from all the food he had forced into his system, but despite all that, Kanen wanted to see what other places did with order mix-ups.

This summer was going to be fun with people like Caleb around.

[kid-az]

All Tomorrows: Vanga-Vangog’s Puppeteer headcanons

Conceptually, the Temptor’s were one of the most interesting of the posthumans, with the males being worker drones and the woman immobile flesh trees with much greater intellect and the ability to control these men. They were however killed off by a comet in canon, unable to become sapient like many other extinct posthumans.

Vanga-Vangog would however explore their potential in the form of their descendants, the Puppeteers. These sapient people would further exaggerate the features of their ancestors, the males being what are effectively mindless meat robots controlled by the pheromones of the much larger, sapient, yet now completely immobile females.

I wish to go on a tangent about the possible culture, values, and the state of their world like I did for his other fanmade species, the Clicker’s

-Due to the male drones being mindless and viewed more as extensions of their body than independent, the act of sexual love is foreign in the Puppeteer’s culture, with romantic love being exclusive to unions between woman. These individuals would act as pen lovers, sending eachother messages, specially made robots/designer drones, and the occasional meetup via their equivalent of Zoom.

-Occasional, these romantic pairs would decide to move into their partner’s tower, living alongside them inside the same atrium room. This was a more recent tradition, as their post scarcity society and technology allowed themselves to be moved easier.

-Because of how individuals couldn’t meet up physically due to the obvious, the Puppeteer's never developed any actual table manner’s, often messily devouring meat, vegetables, and many other types of food via overhang conveyer belts. By the end of their meal sessions, they would be covered in chunks of their food and juices, having to be sprayed by their drones via hoses filled with soapy, scented water.

-Inspite of their seemingly draconian biology, (Often by people mistaking the male drones as sapient, which they are not) their post-scarcity government was one of the most democratic among the Second Empire, with every civilian having equal say and rights in politics. These debates were set up in their zoom equivalents.

-Puppeteers, surprisingly enough, do have fashion. During their ancient history, they would often need to wear thick blankets wrapped around them every winter so as to not freeze to death, and this tradition of having drones make blankets carried onto their modern day, even though they live in temperature-regulated towers. These blankets would be made out of fur and wool of non-sapient cousins, their cotton plant equivalent, or silk, and be very thick yet also soft and secure.

-The male drones would also be decorated, early on by dyeing and tattoos, but later more conventional clothing after it was introduced by their posthuman cousins. And no, their fashion wasn’t gender-based, male drones would be given either female, male, or gender neutral clothing by the queens.

-Baby Puppeteer’s would live right beside their mothers early on, being tended to and cared for by her drones while they would converse. For most of their history, this was the only time female puppeteers would physically meet eye-to-eye. These children, once of age, would often have a tower built by their mothers and her friends, and would move into them to spend the rest of their lives.

-Infertile Puppeteer females, due to their inability to birth males to use as extensions of their bodies, had to be well-cared for by the drones of their friends and/or family, and would traditionally be given the task of being soothsayers or recorders of oral tradition, since their was not much else they could do. The development of robotics allowed these infertile individuals more independence and personal freedom.

-They we’re huge, avid consumers of TV media and literature, with them spending much of their times either reading or watching screens, eating food, talking to friends and neighbors on their screen, or watching their drones and robots perform and do silly antics for their enjoyment. (They’d often recreate other posthuman memes with their drones.)

[collecting-stories]

Hey, idk if you're still writing for JJ, but I thought maybe seeing The Joker and The Queen by Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift would be really cool for him!! ❤️

The Joker and the Queen - JJ Maybank

Summary: Reader and JJ spend the afternoon together.

A/N: Sorry this took so long to get out...also this is pretty short, I kind of just wanted to capture like, the chill acoustic vibe of the song with JJ and the reader just like spending time together.

TS Anthology Series

✰ you see the best in me, the joker and the queen ✰

The sun coming in through the open window felt warm against JJ's face and sunburned shoulders. He'd been out longer than he planned to be the day before, surfing with Kie and Pope and not bothering with sunscreen despite the many reminders Kie provided. In a couple more days, when the coconut oil and apple cider vinegar had healed the angry red skin on his shoulders and back he'd have a few more freckles to mark his body. There was a spattering on them on the left shoulder, peeking over his collar, somewhat obscured by the sunburn but you were meticulous in your detailing. 

When you looked up from the canvas you were working on you realized JJ had closed his eyes, chin resting against his hand and his face turned just enough that the sun was shining on it. His hair looked blonder than it had been two months ago but then you'd been FaceTiming him and looking through a phone screen would never do JJ the same justice as sitting across from him. 

"JJ," you called his name gently, watching him nod in confused half-wakefulness before sitting up a little more and opening his eyes, "we can stop." You offered.

The request to paint him for a synchronous art class that you were taking over the summer wasn't all that unusual. Half your portfolio was portraits of your boyfriend. Sleeping, surfing, partying, you'd even drawn him eating cereal once when you were trying to practice sketching in motion. You had already sketched out the painting on your canvas, posing wasn't necessary (or possible because you knew JJ to have little patience for sitting still) but you'd asked him to sit just long enough that you could work on coloring. You wanted to get everything just right. You had hundreds of sketches of JJ (or at least that's what it felt like) but you couldn't seem to get any of them perfect. There was always something missing.

"I'm good," he promised, tired eyes blinking slowly as he spoke. The sun felt so warm, he knew he was dozing off but he was trying desperately not to. He wanted to sit still and do this for you. Every time you asked to sketch him, he barely lasted ten minutes before he was fidgeting. And he knew it was irritating because everyone always said so (not you, but Kie and Pope and Sarah and John B and Cleo...everyone). You were so talented and sometimes when he saw your art he couldn't believe that you were wasting your time on someone like him. It was a self-deprecating thought but he had plenty of them all the time. 

"We can take a break?" You offered, dipping your brush into the pinkish beige that you'd mixed for his sunburn shoulders. 

"No it's okay," he yawned around the word okay, meeting your eyes when he heard you laugh in response, "I'm just kinda tired."

"We can do something else?" 

He shook his head and then brushed his hair out of his face, "isn't this due thursday night?" He knew it was, or at least part of it. He'd been in the room on Monday night during your last zoom class and had listened to the professor give out the homework for Tuesday through Thursday. You'd been laying on the couch with him, camera off and mic muted, and he'd been tired and close to sleep then but he was sure he'd heard your professor say that part of this was due Thursday. 

"I've got another day," you promised, leaving your painting to come over to JJ. The sun felt warm on your back and shoulders as you stood in front of JJ's chair, leaning down and taking his face in your hands, "we can just chill, if you want?" 

He looked ready to protest but thought better of it, "can we go to the beach?" He asked, tilting his head up to look at you, eyes half-closed. 

"You think you can stay awake that long?" You laughed, kissing him before pulling away. 

"Totally," he promised, though you knew it was doubtful that he would even last through you insisting on putting sunscreen on him. 

[zmzebra-writes]

Title: The Wrong Amagi Wedding Chapters: 3/? (start, previous) Genre: Comedy Summary: After being invited to their father's second marriage, Rinne and Hiiro find themselves having to temporarily return to the village. Not wanting their friends to be alone, the rest of Crazy:B and Alkaloid join them on their journey back, but these "city folks" might not be the only ones learning something new during this visit.

In this chapter.... The hike towards the village continues! Follow Alkakurei as they traverses the trees and rivers, meet old friends, and take their first steps into the village.

CW for vulgar jokes. Nothing cruel, just a tad dirty.

They were about half-way to the village when Rinne decided to stop for lunch. He had been pointing out edible plants for Niki to snack on, but everyone else wanted to eat a proper meal. It was around lunchtime anyways.

“On the other side of the river,” called out Rinne, “There’s a good space for us to have a picnic. Is everyone confident in their balancing abilities?”

Everyone made noises of agreement, but Aira and Mayoi looked unsure. 

“What do you mean by that, Rinne?” asked Aira.

Rinne held up two fingers. “If you don’t want to get wet, there are only two ways to cross the river to the village: balancing on an old fallen log or balancing on some high river rocks.”

Rinne gave a sly grin. “Unless you want me to test how far I can throw you, Aira-chan~...”

Aira squeaked and rapidly rejected the idea. 

“Kyahaha! Don’t worry, it’s not that bad,” reassured Rinne, “The water isn’t that deep or strong at this part of the river. If you’re nervous, you can walk on through.”

“Really?”

“Yeah! You’ll just freeze your nuts off instead!”

Aira’s face scrunched up. “...I think I’ll take the log.”

Rinne whistled and skipped ahead. “Rotting log it is!”

“Huh?? What do you mean rotting??”

Mayoi looked sick as he watched Aira chase after Rinne. “... I think I’ll just let the river take my balls.”

Tatsumi gave a look of concern. “But your balls are so lovely, Mayoi. It would be a loss for the world.”

“Tatsumi?!” shrieked Mayoi.

Tatsumi giggled. “Kidding~! Just a joke.”

“You are disgusting, Kazehaya,” said HiMERU as he pushed himself ahead of everyone.

“Aw, HiMERU, your balls are cute too~...” 

HiMERU turned around to murder Tatsumi for uttering such slander.

“Can we please stop talking about balls?!!” yelled Kohaku, thoroughly done with his seniors.

“Yeah! Don’t worry, Mayoi,” said Hiiro, aiming to be a beacon of comfort today, “You’ll still have your balls after crossing the river! It’s just cold.”

“Not helping, Hiiro!” There was no refuge for Kohaku.

“Hey are you guys done talking about your balls or are we going to cross this log?” yelled back Rinne, “Aira’s too much of a pussy to go first so Kohaku you need to get over here and hold his hand.”

“Brother, can’t I hold hands with Aira?” asked Hiiro.

“Nah, there’s only so much this old log can handle at a time, but you can go first and help them off the log.”

“On it!” Hiiro zoomed forward, crossing the log with light, deft steps. He leapt off, and started waving from the opposite bank.

“Come on, Aira! It’s perfectly safe!”

Aira still felt nervous, but Kohaku came up from behind and grabbed his hand. 

“Don’t worry, Love-han. I’ll be right behind and keep you from falling,” said Kohaku. 

Aira smiled.

“OK now chop chop, loverboys, get moving,” said Rinne, “We still have a lot more people to get through.”

Kohaku glared at Rinne, but let Aira lead him to the log bridge. Slowly, but surely, they made it to the other side where Hiiro helped them down.

Next was Niki, then HiMERU, and lastly Tatsumi, until only Rinne and Mayoi remained.

“Alright, Mayo-chan~, you’re up.”

Mayoi began to fidget. “... I really think I should just take the river.”

Rinne swooped down and lifted up Mayoi in a single, quick movement. Mayoi squeaked. 

“Come on, scaredy cat. If this ol’ log can hold up a fatass like Niki, it can hold up your flat ass. Unless you want to see if it can handle both our weights at once when I carry you across…”

Rinne held Mayoi so he was barely standing on the log before letting go. Mayoi quickly and gracefully crossed the log in one fell swoop. 

“Now that wasn’t so hard, was it?” Rinne followed behind on the log at a relaxed pace. 

Niki greeted him on the landing. “So lunchtime? You have the cooler, right?”

“Am I only a piece of meat to you, Niki?”

“Nyahaha, of course not, Rinne. You contain many different types of foods. Now open up!”

Rinne grumbled, but unzipped his bag. “A ‘please’ would be nice…”

He looked up at Kohaku. “Do you still have that messenger bag of snacks, Kohaku?”

Kohaku huffed at the obvious as the bag rested in front of him. 

“Are you an idiot, Rinne?” he said as he opened the bag, “Obviously I still have the— huh?”

Kohaku took off the bag and shook out a pile of trash. Only a few of them still contained food or drink. “Where did it… Niki!”

Niki carefully slinked out of sight. Kohaku dropped his luggage to increase his speed as he moved in for the kill. The rest of the group began setting up for lunch as Niki ran for his life.

A few minutes later, a sudden thud and shriek from Niki and Kohaku had Rinne dropping the sandwiches he was taking out of his bag and swiping his knife. Both Amagis hopped to action, running towards the sound of the shouts. 

Niki was sitting on the ground behind Kohaku who stood on the defense. In front of them stood a large beast in the shadows of the trees. Its massive flat face was only rivaled by the size of its soaring humpback. Smoke appeared to surround the beast, hiding its features as it breathed heavily. 

“Rinne, what is that thing?” asked Kohaku, unsure of whether his fists would be enough to take the monster down. 

“Stay still, Kohaku,” said Rinne as he creeped closer to the beast with a hand out to tell Hiiro to pause, “We don’t want to set it off.”

A low rumbling came from the beast as it scraped the ground with its wide hoof. 

“Easy, fella, easy,” said Rinne. He had a bet on what this mystery animal was, but he needed to take a risk to let everything end peacefully, “Don’t you recognize me?”

The beast huffed as more smoke billowed through the trees. Hiiro and Kohaku tensed up. Rinne was now only a foot away from the being. He held out a hand for it to sniff, his knife stored secretly in his back pocket. 

“I know it’s been years, but do you remember? The apple from that time.”

The beast stilled. The ever growing smoke began to thin to everyone’s relief. The beast moved into the light to press its face into Rinne’s outstretched hand.

Niki and Kohaku looked shocked at the sight of the now clearly visible strange creature. 

Hiiro’s eyes lit up in recognition and he tensed up to attack. “Volcano bison! You returned to destroy us!”

“Calm down, Hiiro,” replied Rinne as he patted Volcano Bison, “I’m friends with it. I think Volcano Bison was just curious.”

“Rinne, what the hell is that?” asked Kohaku with a slightly horrified look. The beast appeared to break several laws of existence with its large eyes and what appeared to be smoke coming from the peak on its back.

“It’s just Volcano Bison, Kohaku. It’s not that complicated.”

“It is Incredibly complicated, Rinne! Niki, back me up here.”

Kohaku turned to look at Niki who was ignoring the conversation in favor of observing the newly revealed creature. “Hmmm… I wonder how it would taste… Since it’s friends with Rinne, we probably won’t be allowed to eat it, but still…”

Kohaku’s face dropped for a moment until he recovered with a face palm. “Right. I don’t know what I expected.”

Rinne moved to the side to introduce his new friends to Volcano Bison. “That over there is Hiiro, my younger brother who I told you about. The pink shorty is Kohaku, and the guy on the ground is Niki, my wife.”

This caught Niki’s attention. “I’m not your wife, Rinne!”

“Can we not argue in front of my friends, Niki?”

Volcano Bison let out a low rumble (that Kohaku pretended he did not jump at) before appearing to bow its head. In a way. It didn’t particularly seem to have a visible neck or bendable knees which made it rather unsettling to watch.

“Any friend of my brother is a friend of mine,” said Hiiro with a smile.

“We were about to stop for lunch, if you would like to join us, Volcano Bison,” offered Rinne. He had packed a few apples for this exact possibility.

Volcano Bison smiled with its eyes and nodded.

“Follow us then!” 

Niki used Kohaku (against his will) to stand up, and together they watched the beast gallump after the two brothers. 

“Please tell me you think this is weird too, Niki,” begged Kohaku.

“Maybe a little, but this is a big world we live in Kohaku,” responded Niki before following after them.

Kohaku stared at their disappearing backs. He huffed. 

“HiMERU and Love-han wouldn’t treat me this way,” he said before walking back to the picnic site.

Thankfully for Kohaku, the rest of the group seemed correctly shocked by the beast joining them for lunch. The apple Rinne passed to it appeared to somehow be eaten in one gulp like a :3-faced toucan. Kohaku and Aira pretended they weren’t hiding behind HiMERU and Tatsumi as Volcano Bison stared directly at them. Mayoi also hid behind Tatsumi, but he didn’t try to hide it. It made for a very surreal picnic.

Later, as they were cleaning up, Rinne passed it another fruit before speaking quietly to it. “If anything happens in the village, I want you to cause a diversion and get as many of them out as fast as possible. I’ll call you if I need you.”

Volcano Bison nodded.

Rinne smiled and patted his old friend on the back. “Thanks.”

The Amagis waved goodbye as Volcano Bison disappeared back into the woods in a cloud of smoke. Kohaku, HiMERU, and Aira wondered if some of those road trips snacks had been laced with something.

The rest of the hike to the village was quiet until: “Oh be careful of the twine there,” warned Rinne as HiMERU paused his gait. On the ground was a thin piece of string tied across the path.

“Thank you for the warning, Amagi,” said HiMERU as he and the rest of the party carefully stepped over it.

“No problem,” waved off Rinne.

“What would have happened if the trap went off?” asked Aira.

“A bunch of arrows would get set off and kill MERUMERU instantly,” said Rinne as he glanced around the trees.

Aira went pale, but now was Hiiro’s time to shine: “That’s not true! That trap only lets the village know that someone is walking down the path towards us,” he explained.

Rinne booed him. “Why’d you have to ruin the joke so quickly, Hiiro? Let your little girlfriend hop around worried for a bit first.”

“But the arrow traps aren’t on this path, brother!” said Hiiro, “I don’t want to lie to Aira.”

Aira frowned, but Tatsumi patted him on the back in reassurance. “Don’t worry, Aira. If any arrows come towards you, I’ll protect you from the arrows with my life.”

“Tattsun?!” 

“HiMERU will help Kazehaya if the event occurs,” said HiMERU as he walked towards the front again.

Rinne hit HiMERU on the back. “That’s the spirit, MERUMERU. Glad to see you getting along with Tatsumi.”

HiMERU frowned as Tatsumi smiled.

Rinne looked up at a tree and smiled as his eye caught a glint of metal in the light. “Hey, Hiiro, do you want to do the honors in letting everyone know we’re here?”

Hiiro lit up as he rushed over to climb up a nearby tree and pull on a similar looking piece of string.

“Hey, Rinne?” asked Kohaku, “So what’s the difference between that trap and the one your brother is setting off?”

Rinne turned back to look at Kohaku. “Hm? The one Hiiro is setting off is the hidden village doorbell so that no one thinks a sneak attack is happening. That one MERU was going to set off is the stupid loser doorbell because only the ones not in the know or not paying attention set it off. I think Hiiro set it off once and no one let him live it down for a month.”

“I see,” replied Kohaku, thinking of his own family’s secrets.

Hiiro climbed back down the tree. “Hey guys, what are we talking about?”

Kohaku looked at Hiiro’s bright eyes and decided to spare him. “Oh we were just talking about the different traps on this path.”

“Yeah! We got a lot of them around here to do all sorts of things,” said Hiiro, “My brother is well versed in a lot of them since he set most of them off when we were kids.”

“Oh really?” said Kohaku with a cat’s grin. 

Rinne sped up his walking to race ahead. “Wow! Look at how close we are to the village. We should be hitting the village border any second—”

The more observant of the group spotted a blur racing towards them. “Rinne, look out!” called out Kohaku as he realized the attacker’s target. Rinne braced himself as he stood alone on the forest path, the rest of the group farther behind.

“I was wondering when you were going to show up,” said Rinne through gritted teeth.

The attacker dove for Rinne, starting a brief brawl as the two fought using moves Kohaku had never seen before. Kohaku and Hiiro raced towards Rinne, but they were too late, and soon Rinne was taken down by what appeared to be a large woman with short red hair in blue and tan clothing. 

“Hiiro,” she said flatly, and that was all the warning they got before she attacked once more.

This time, however, Kohaku was close enough to lend his aid. The two of them worked hard to down this strange opponent, but somehow Kohaku kept finding all his moves to kill swiftly disarmed. It was worse than fighting Madara, who had a tendency to enjoy preventing Kohaku from actually connecting any hits over fighting back. In the end, Kohaku and Hiiro found themselves both hanging upside down, one in each hand, as the woman wrangled the two teenagers at once.

The rest of the party caught up and stared in horror as they found themselves helpless against their surprise opponent. 

Aira looked at Hiiro’s serious eyes, but found himself confused by his friend’s smile.

Why was he…?

“Haha! You got me again, father!” laughed Hiiro as he swung himself in the woman’s grasp.

“FATHER?!?” yelled the rest of the party.

“You must be the friends Rinne spoke of,” the woman said, continuing to hold Kohaku and Hiiro by their ankles, “He spoke very highly of all of you.”

A distant voice called out ahead from where the woman came from. “Leader! Leader!” an out of breath voice cried out, “You are supposed to be resting!”

Rinne groaned from where he lay on the ground. “Even while sick, you are still causing trouble, old man,” he grumbled to himself.

Rinne sat up and leveled his father with a flat stare as the villager came closer to them. “Can you put down Kohaku and Hiiro, father? Kohaku’s hair is going to turn red from all his blood rushing down and you’ll confuse him for another Amagi.”

The elder Amagi let go of her opponents. Hiiro tumbled down quietly while Kohaku yelped before both landed softly, used to breaking their falls. Aira rushed forward to their sides and grabbed their wrists. He dragged them both back to stand behind Tatsumi. Kohaku glared while Hiiro smiled. His father cocked her head at the sight, but paid them little mind.

“Hey,” called out Rinne, pulling her attention back to him, “Aren’t duel greetings reserved for martial arts students?”

“You will always be my student, and there will always be more to learn. I needed to see if your skills have rusted in your absence,” she stated.

“Just admit you wanted to take a swing at me and Hiiro after all this time,” said Rinne as he glared upwards at his father.

She pointedly looked away from Rinne towards the oncoming aide. The woman huffed as she bent her head forward in deference. “Sir, I apologize for cutting your reunion short with your sons, but you must spend more time saving your strength for the wedding.”

“It is traditional for the monarch to greet guests to the village before they arrive, Ayasato,” she said.

“It is traditional with a team of bodyguards present, sir,” the aide emphasized, “We had a welcoming team prepared to meet them in your absence led by your wife to be.”

“I deemed them unnecessary. As the only main branch Amagi remaining in the village, I deemed it necessary for myself to be the one to greet these outsiders.”

Ayasato’s face remained blank to avoid showing her true feelings on the matter, but Rinne frowned at his father’s intentional dig.

“Now are we going to stand here all day or shall we return to the village?” their father asked, “We’ve prepared a big dinner for you all tonight, and we have much to explain to you about the rules during your stay here.”

Ayasato bowed. “Lead the way, sir.”

The senior Amagi began walking back towards the village. Ayasato leaned down and offered a hand to Rinne. “It’s good to have you back, sir.”

He ignored it and stood up on his own. “Keep the fake praise to yourself.”

Ayasato frowned, but nodded before she turned to the rest of the party. “Everyone, follow us and I will inform everyone of our basic rules as we walk to the village center.”

With no other path, but forward, the idols followed them deeper into the forest.

[slushimart]

If someone were to ask me “What ship in EOA do you think would most likely be canon.” I will always respond with “Elena and Naomi.” While yes, this is Disney we’re talking about, they would never allow them to be canon, but if EOA was on a different network like CN or Nickelodeon, they would be canon.

Its the way they interact in the series that makes them the perfect couple. Elena has showed she doesn’t really have much of an interest in romance with men. Hell when Mateo tried to make a move, she visibly CRINGED and was very weirded out. (srry eleteo shippers i luv yall dw) But when it came to Naomi, she was clearly comfortable with her since the day they met. Like dude they are so comfortable with each other they changed in the same room without a care. I will never shut up about that, its funny and cute. Right off the bat, Elena refers to Naomi as her best friend, and Naomi knows damn well she is. Also, even though Elena sees Naomi every day, the second she came over to sleep over, Elena sprints over to her, gives Naomi a giant bear hug, and says “this is gonna be the best day ever.” Elena has a picture frame of JUST Naomi and her on her table, Naomi carries around a locket with a matching photo of her and Elena. Their arguments were like that of an old married couple lets be real here. And of course, the finale, oh dear lord the finale…Elena during her coronation casually walking up to Naomi, not even batting an eye towards Gabe and Mateo, who are waiting for her to pick either one of them as first dance. GRABS NAOMI’S HANDS, the camera zooms in on their hands, and mainly focuses on Elena’s ring!!?? (in media that kind of camera panning holds meaning.) and says to Naomi: “Will you be MY chancellor?” NOT “Will you be the kingdom’s chancellor?” NO NO NO. “WILL YOU BE MYYYYYYY CHANCELLOR.” That was very much coded as a proposal just saying.

In the eyes of the queer community, they can see Elena and Naomi’s relationship, and see that there is clearly something more to them that meets the eye. And I explicitly say “the queer community” because factually, queer people are most likely to notice another person of homosexuality, or a paring that displays clear homosexual tendencies, which is a stated fact. The community is able to see specific patterns, and behaviours in characters and people that would label them as queer. Not as much as a heterosexual persons.

In conclusion, Elena and Naomi have something else going on, and are secretly smoochin behind the scenes. I rest my case.

[sonkitty]

Crowley S2 Hair Post #2 Redone

(For reference: The Sideburns Scheme)

Crowley, Good Omens 2, Episode 1, The Arrival, meeting with Shax in the street

Sideburns Check

The sideburns are longer than they were at the park.

Initially, the scene starts with Crowley parked in his car, suggesting he had been it for some time. Additionally, the street looks isolated. There are no humans around, even if it otherwise looks like it would be a human space, based on the nearby windows. We don't see him look in the mirror in the car, but we can see it quite early in the scene as available to him, if need be.

Once Crowley gets out of the car, we can only see him from a distance. One could take a decent guess the sideburns are longer and then save a screenshot and zoom in to be sure. Let's do that:

Eventually, Shax shows up, and we get a closer view to confirm the sideburns are longer.

Though the sideburns are longer than they were at the park, they are not as long as we will later see when he encounters Gabriel.

The left sideburn is not as full in hair than the right. It also appears to be shorter.

...

Brighter Red Streak Check

From the more distant view of the car, I can't tell.

Once Crowley turns around to address Shax, it can be seen. It is above Crowley's left eye again. I have placed white rectangles around where I see the streak in the image above. I also slightly brightened the part of the image that shows his right sideburn.

...

Hairstyle Changes

Even though I can't keep track of every style and subtle change, here's a comparison shot between the previous scene and this one:

Crowley has more visibly separated curls pushing inward at the top instead of a dip that pushes slightly outward above his right eye.

His hair looks darker too. That tends to happen when he is near or in his car and isolated. I like to think of that as an effect from him being a demon in his own demon space.

...

Earthly Objects

(For reference: Earthly Objects)

When discarding the mail, Crowley makes sure the tip of his shoe touches the side of the sidewalk. In fact, right before he throws the mail away, he actually shifts position to make a pocket with the legs themselves.

He uses a pants pocket to get his phone, so I'm on alert to look all the more closely at the details happening on screen.

His tie strands notably extended when he exited and later will enter his car:

As you may recall, I mentioned in the last post these are his Tied Hands. I don't know what they're up to, sadly. I just know to look for these types of things. On exiting the car, the part that stands out to me is when they align specifically with his right hand. For entering the car, it looks like one of the clasps above a tassel hits the car. The clasps are the thumb joints. They tend to rest on the vest most of the time, of course, but when they are up to more than usual, they like to swing around and strike the jacket with a particular interest in a lapel edge for retying or whatever else a given job might require of them. Hitting the car? I never even noticed until drafting this post.

When preparing to answer the phone, I noticed he positioned his shoes perpendicular to each other. That's an interesting choice. He positioned his arm along the side of the car, and it's not going to match the reflection in his phone or the cut after that of him actually being by the car.

Pockets use lighting as clues, and the lighting here wants it known that the Bentley has a reflective surface.

In fact, I can actually see Crowley's reflection in that surface at times if I look closely enough. Even though I can find Crowley's reflection in the car, I can't find Shax's. The car itself will transform during the story. It's not very obvious that Crowley's plants are in his car, but they are there. From the initial more distant view of the scene as Crowley throws away mail, the sunlight is hitting the upper area to the camera's left.

While Earthly Objects is heavily based on touching, it has common dialogue points for Hello, names, numbers, and questions (I think).

On the zoomed view of the phone, there is at least Shax's name and five visible digits touching the phone. Beyond that, I can't figure out if the numbers of the time help for any points, his visible reflection, or even both since technically the time numbers are in his head in the reflection. The reflection has his shoulder visibly touching the car instead of his left arm aligned by it. The reflected touch is at least on the door panel and window frame—two thresholds, then I'm not sure if it's on the window pane too. Window panes are earthly objects.

On the cut of actually answering the phone, his left arm is spread over the roof, so his posture has changed yet again. The left jacket sleeve is open enough for a black hole that is yet another pocket, so I'm on alert yet again. The window is now slightly open at the top.

We can check his watch to see he made Shax wait or an hour before answering his phone. There are other possible explanations. The phone could be wrong, or the watch could be wrong. He might have left for an hour and come back. It could be a different draft of the story. The game doesn't much care since it's more concerned with touch continuity than clock continuity. The sun doesn't look like it's gone down all the way into night, then up yet. The clothes are similar enough. He's in the same area, touching the same general thing with slight differences.

The index finger touches its reflection when he answers the phone.

Still, since it's a game and I'm playing it with a theory about him managing his space with sideburns, I like to think he made Shax wait for an hour, especially since he's going to kick her out, intentionally or not. The amount of sunlight on the camera's left, for the more distant view, increases by the time he leaves. I don't know enough about sunlight and angles to be sure, but my unsteady guess would be that the amount of sunlight should increase over the span of the hour he made Shax wait.

I'm intrigued by whatever his left hand is up to on the window pane here as he prepares to turn around:

~Start excerpt with slight edits from main post~

After Crowley answers the phone, he turns around when he would presumably not be touching his car but at least fully intending to touch it, which seems to suffice for the story. Shortly after, he is leaning against the roof again.

By taking this action, he is allowing Shax closer to the space around the car, so that she can talk to him.

For the shots we are allowed to see him from the front, he is touching the roof, door panel, and sometimes we see the window pane is included the lean as well.

Before he asks, "Is that all?", he stops touching those parts of the car entirely and cannot be seen touching any other part.

Shax disappears from the scene.

By removing the touch from the car, the home base kicked her out. The forced exit seems unintentional.

~End excerpt with slight edits from main post~

...

Story Commentary

Again looking to this timeline rundown post, this scene is quite possibly out of order.

The phone and watch time indicate a morning, given the amount of sunlight. The bookshop clock from earlier scenes indicated an afternoon.

The scene doesn't look as easily out of order as the last one because the presented story showed us Gabriel is already on Earth and even in the bookshop. He is brought up within the conversation between Crowley and Shax. That suits a flow of a story being told.

I'm not paying as close attention to the clock hands because such things are just plain too difficult to me, so I'm very grateful to the person who made that post.

I'm intrigued at the extra breeze given with Shax's arrival. While no humans or animals are visibly around, plants are. The plants are shown to be affected by the breeze. The lacking humans and animals are part of my theory that this area is a special supernatural zone that Crowley himself manages.

This scene is one of the few times I can catch the red in Crowley's jacket that's part of its collar on the back.

During the dialogue, Crowley says, "Trust me."

Shax replies, "Righto."

Back in season 1, Ligur made a comment about a "funny old world" it would be if demons went around trusting each other. This part is mentioned in the actual Good Omens book, but as a reflected thought instead of stated dialogue.

Still, this part here in GO2 has a "funny old world" bit happening with Shax easily agreeing to just plain trust Crowley, at least for this bit of information. She's rather cute and almost innocent here compared to how antagonistic she gets later.

When first trying to figure out how the sideburns worked, this scene was one of the biggest challenges for me because of the chronology. The sideburns look short in the park and long here with a significant difference being Gabriel is on Earth and in the bookshop now.

But it doesn't add up with other things later when it becomes more evident they respond to character presence within a given space when Crowley is actually in that space. Shax was in the park. Shax is in the street. They changed around the same character with a difference in that presented chronology of the distant arrival of another character.

That's how it seems at first.

However, another difference was the space itself. The park is not Crowley's home. The car is. The car is one of the most important pieces of the puzzle because it is a home that can move. It can leave a static space and switch from being an occupied home to being a car. Again, I have no explanation of what those Tied Hands were up to, but one of the joints thought it worth the effort of touching the car before Crowley re-entered his home, just this once. Crowley didn't drive away by the end of the scene, but we'll see him driving soon enough.

Attending to mail is part of maintaining one's home, so that could be yet another factor to Crowley managing his own space while having longer sideburns.

The mail itself might be important due to it being more obvious in the framing when the camera pans up toward the end of the scene. I don't have any guesses I would be comfortable with making on what important mail Crowley could have received though, myself.

[immortal-raine]

NEW OP CHARACTER (OC)

Out of the 7 years I’ve been consuming OP I haven’t made made an Oc until now hehe

She’s still in daft so bear with me, tbh she doesn’t have a name yet maybe Mylo? Nova?Lmao idk

Gonna have to zoom in, to really soak in the plot jk jk I’m info dumping here: (but if you don’t wanna read a lot, the images is a recap more or less)

- Born In Water 7, This Kid Worked as a Apprentice Shipwright at Galley-La Co.

- Got Caught in a Annual Aqua Laguna at like 14 ish

- Ended Up Stranded On a Random Island, Built a Boat to Get Back Home; Without a Log Pose, Map, Or Navigation Skills, She Just Ended Up Drifting From Place to Place. Kinda Became A Adventure on It’s Own

- Found and Ate A Devil Fruit called smth like…

[ Sheep Sheep Fruit Model: Komahitsuji]?

- Now Can’t Swim, She Decided to Stay on Island And Just Live as a Sheep, Eat, Sleep, Shit and Repeat living the dream y’know

- Months Pass And A Ship With A handful Of Pirates Show Up, Izo Being Apart This. Believing A Sheep Native to Wano Somehow Got Out Of Country, Decided to Bring it Along. Izo Using Snack Sack To Get it Aboard The Ship, And Her Being Have Sleep And Delirious, She Follows.

- Not Fully Aware During The Trip Back To The Main Ship, She Wakes Up in Front of Whitebeard Confused, But Keeps up The Sheep Act really what do you expect, they make awesome food, she can chill all day, and be on the sea without worry, it’s a solid deal

- After Week She Just Decides To stop The Act, Playing With Stephan And Kotatsu Was Fun But Getting Treated Like Them, Not So Much

- Huge Shock For Everyone But They Got Over it, Got Adopted By Whitebeard, And Became a Official Member Of Whitebeard Pirates

- Starts Working as a Apprentice Shipwright Again, Under 6th Division Blamenco!

- Working in The 6th Division Means She’s Not Always On The Main Ship, But When She is She’s Following Izo around, Izo Being The one Who Brought Her is Kinda Responsible of Making Sure She’s Alright

- Besides Izo, She’s Learning a Few Things From Haruta, Ranting to Namur, Listening to Stories from Whitebeard, Gushing about UTA to Thatch, and Bothering Marco because everyone likes to do that once in a while

- Getting Away From Work Is Where Whitey Bay Comes In, Jump Ship With Her and Be MIA until She’s Found Out and Called Back

Ace Joining (Kidnapped) 2 years after her:

(Gonna have to zoom in man)

- Met 2 Months into his assassination attempts they met randomly, when Whitey Bay dropped her off.

Ace and Her Was Cool After The Assassination Attempts, They Would Talk When She’d Get Back From Where She Working

After The Paramount War:

- Too Young To Participate In The War, She Was Left To morn Whitebeard and Her Brother’s Lives

- She Took Care Of Stephan For A Bit Until She Decided To Work For The Revs

- Learned protocols And Tactics For a Year

- There She Loved Meeting Ivankov because who wouldn’t? And Learning under Inazuma Was Fun Reminded Her of Learning Things From Haruta

- Met Sabo and Talked about Ace and Moments She Spent With Him

- After Being Deployed In A Mission With Sabo, Koala, Hack, And a Handful Of Revs, She Both Respected And Feared Sabo

- Koala Unintentionally Saved Her From Talking With Sabo Once And Became Her Saving Grace Ever Since

- She Was Deployed Under Morgans as a Spy to Keep Tabs On Him and Anything Else Note Worthy

- Shockingly Met Deuce, Told Him The Truth because she’s conditioned to tell her older bothers the truth He Didn’t Care Much, So He Became A Silent Accomplice

- Another Year Pass And Strawhat Pirates Make Their Debut Into The New World, While Working For The Revs She also Helps Deuce Write Reports On The StrawHats Newest Exploits

Now That that’s Over With, Here’s All Her Art (Still Drafting)

Sketches:

With Color:

Thanks for coming to my rant fest, or just looking at the art, I appreciate it, okay bye :D

[lunarriviera]

on the importance of beta screaming

i would like to say a little bit here in this chili’s tonight about the vital, indispensible role of beta enthusiasm.

because yeah we all know we get tied in knots in our prose, write sex scenes with impossible numbers of hands, dangle modifiers, repeat words, commit horrifying typos like “he licks with his tounge.” i have several useless graduate degrees so yes i can fix all those things for you or offer revision suggestions. as well, i am a north american who lived in the uk and divorced a londoner, so i can also britpick or yankpick your fic. then, it’s important to have at least one beta who can check you if you’re writing about a culture other than your own. finally, i usually will only beta for fic with whose canon i am intimately familiar.

those things are helpful, even essential. but there is something else a beta reader not only can do, but has to do, and that is scream.

look it’s hard out here for a pimp okay. we are in our little offices or bedrooms or hunched on the bathroom floor with the phone just trying to write our little stories. we made a tiny gay man and we gave him problems, and now we are going to make it YOUR problem. and then we will all thrash around and yell happily together, for we love this tiny gay man.

but until someone picks that fic out of the tag and clicks on it and reads it and starts keysmashing in the comment box, you’re all alone. just you, in your head, in your room, while you’re walking around the park, while you’re shampooing your hair, while you’re cleaning the cat’s litter pan—it’s just you. (and, sure, also the imaginary friends who spout riveting or hilarious dialogue in your head. them too.)

and when you’re all alone with just your words and your little people, a terrible and completely unique kind of loneliness can sink in. were they the right words? were they funny, pretty, tragic, joyful, smart? do they truly convey the depth of your feeling? and above all else: can they compel someone else to feel what you felt? because you’ve read that fic that made you scream into a pillow at 2 am. and you wonder: can i do that for someone else? can i feel my feelings so strongly and so well that they reach out of the screen and haul someone else in along with them?

and in the hours, days, weeks of waiting for someone to reach back through the pixels for you, a beta steps in to fill that space. this, she will let you know, is good. this is REALLY good. this is so good she’s gonna dword. she has no chill. she is about to mclose it. how dare you. she thought you were friends. now you’re in a fight. elmo in flames dot gif., screaming girl dot png., spongebob burying himself dot webp.

this is not an OPTIONAL feature of a beta reader. this is not just a nice thing that it’s nice to have. this might be the ESSENTIAL function of a beta. her hand is over your head and it’s briefly sheltering you from the pouring rain. hey listen! she says, and she cups your face in her hands: SCREAMING CRYING THROWING UP. and you, wherever you are in the world, even if you’re 24 hours away from her on the globe, you put your palms to your cheeks to feel the warm blush of happiness and relief. someone else is out there, picking up what you’re throwing down. and you did not fuck it up. it’s actually entirely possible that you nailed it.

without her, you wouldn’t know. and in fact in a small fandom, without her, there wouldn’t BE that much of a fandom. so you and your beta get to be a part of that little group of people who keep a set of stories, a family of characters, alive. that’s fun too. (plus you get to backchannel about all the horribly Wrong Opinions everyone else has. this both saves you from making an ass of yourself on social media, and will make you guffaw during a zoom meeting if you’re not careful.)

so get you a beta reader who’s a screamer. i said what i said. don’t settle for someone who can be nitpicky about the past perfect but who never says anything positive; people will remember and come to read the fic that’s stunning and strange and new even if you forget to use “had.”

i aim for about 50/50 between praise and suggestions (the same proportions i use as a professor), but if i’m honest it winds up being more like 80/20 for fanfic. that’s okay. if i’m gonna err, i’d rather err on the side of encouragement.

we get so little of that, either as writers or just in the world. we get so little hand-holding and shoulder rubs and affectionate hollering. so when you beta, think about letting loose a little. think about, sure, exaggerating for effect. you know how sweet it feels when someone gets all exuberant all over your drafts—so maybe allcaps a little bit, as a treat. it feels pretty great. you’ll see.

(oh and ps: save a life. leave an ao3 comment.)