#you need 21 to max out a full set

[anominous-user]

devs released more info relating to part 2's gacha and equipment changes and the catch is that they're making max-level part two stigmata a whale thing and they added weapon refinements

[paddockbunny]

From List A - 103, 163, 306 with Lando Norris maybe?

Gentle Touch

Summary : You and Lando were best friends, so what is an innocent massage between friends? Rating : 18+ Pairing : Lando Norris x Reader Word Count : ONE SHOT!!!!!! Trigger Warnings : 18+, NSFW, adult language, best friend trope, PinV sex Images : curated from Pintrest & edited by me.

List : A List Prompt : 103 - “Relax”. 163 : “You don’t have to be so shy around me, y’know?” 306 : “Stop. I’m supposed to be making you feel good”

You and Lando had been friends for years. You first met him through Max – who you had gone to school with – while you were dating Max’s other best friend James. It was one of those things where the stars all seemed to align at just the right time. Lando and Max were in the throws of setting up what was now known as Quadrant. A well-timed quip from James about how you spent hours gaming and quote “neglecting you girlfriend-y duties” (aka shagging) meant Lando invited you to join almost instantly. You suspected it was because a girl would bring a good element of diversity (and male subscribers) but you were more than welcome to ditch your shitty retail job for the chance. Subsequently it meant you had been given amazing opportunities and had travelled all over the world thanks to Quadrant. You got to go ATV riding through sand dunes in Abu Dhabi, koala feeding in Australia and partying in too many nightclubs and on too many yachts to even remember where you actually were and when. Safe to say you dumped James pretty quickly after landing the gig. He did nothing but made you decision seem like a betrayal and as though you had chosen Lando and Max over him. Now, with hindsight you probably did choose Lando and Max over James but you thanked your lucky stars that you did.

Landing in Nice airport with the guys was always fun and full of expectation. You had been once before but this year, this weekend was going to be a week unlike any other now Lando had moved here and knew the place like the back of his hand. The Grand Prix was the perfect backdrop to a weekend full of laughs, filming and partying. Well, it should have been. The issues began back in Heathrow airport. You were always the most organised out of all of the boys and so there you stood precisely 3 hours before your departure time, passport in hand and front of the queue when the check in bag drop opened. Except, the words you weren’t expecting to hear “I’m so sorry to have to inform you of this but unfortunately the flight has been over booked” came flowing out of the uniformed girl behind the desk. You gingerly asked what that meant – semi hopeful you had actually been bumped up to first class – to only be met with; “So the aviation team have rebooked you on our next available flight which is at 21 hundred this evening.” Fuck. You explained you were a part of a group and you were needed in Monaco for work as you were working the Grand Prix (a slight exaggeration but she didn’t know that) but it fell on deaf ears. So what else could you do? You had no choice but to agree to it or else you wouldn’t be going to Monaco at all. It irked and annoyed you that you watched the rest of the boys all wave as they ascended through toward security and you had no option other than to sit in the departures check in area and twiddle your thumbs.

After several monotonous, boring hours of trying hard not to look at your phone – or the time – you decided to call Lando and tell him you would be coming in later that the rest of the gang. His phone rang and rang until finally when you thought about giving up he answered. He sounded out of breath. “Sorry, I was in the shower.” Nice image (you wanted to say but a part of you knew that might come across as creepy).  “I thought you would be on the flight?” And then you told him before you were met with a roar of laughter.

“Oh yeah just make fun of me Lando. It’s just my fucking luck!” You exclaimed, not caring who could overhear you. Thing was this wasn’t the first time this had happened. You were cursed. When you flew out to the Miami Grand Prix you were stuck in coach when the boys all got upgraded. When you went to Australia one of your bags went missing and you had to go out and buy a bunch of stuff on your credit card. When you went to Abu Dhabi you were delayed by 12 hours after missing the first plane because of Stop Oil protesters blocking the motorway. You were plagued so Lando really did have the right to laugh.

“Listen, what time does the flight land? Send me your details. I’ll come pick you up instead of you getting a taxi. You can come stay at mine tonight then I’ll drop you off at the hotel tomorrow morning.” This was how Lando treated you. Not different than any of the guys but with more understanding that it was a different world out there for women. He was always making sure you were comfortable and you were protected (that was probably the best way to put it anyway). It was a very endearing quality in him. One that spans from him having sisters and the world full of men he was apart of. It was a quality you actually found rather attractive and made his hotness scale go up in your eyes whenever he did it. “You don���t have to Lando. I’m a big girl.” You joked. “I know you are but I want too.” His voice had gone way down low. You had only heard his voice do that weird hyper masculine thing before when he had been talking to his ex and was giving her the come on. He was probably only doing to you to get a reaction out of you. “Ok. If you insist.” You said light-heartedly back. Not wanting to ruin your day by getting into any form of back and forth with the master of sarcasm.

Thankfully, the day passed quicker than you thought possible. You had copious iced coffees from Café Nero and spoke to a lovely elderly woman who had gotten her time wrong for check in and had come to the airport five hours ahead of her scheduled flight time. 6pm seemed to slam upon you full force and you sailed back up to the check-in desk with as much gusto as you could muster. If you were expecting any complimentary extras like lounge access or a free upgrade you weren’t disappointed when a different woman slid your new boarding pass across the desk like you hadn’t been inconvenienced by the airline she was representing. “Have a nice flight” almost seemed like an insult to you at this point. You thankfully made your way through security quickly so you had some time to check out some of the perfume samples in the duty free, get yourself a new book in WH Smiths (which you probably wouldn’t open at any point at all before you arrived home) and another iced coffee before you were making the long walk to your gate to make sure you actually got on the flight you had waited all day to catch.

“Excuse me Miss.” The business man who had been unfortunate enough to sit beside you nudged you awake “We’re landing.” He added as you wiped the corner of your mouth hoping you had kept over to the left and your window instead of leaning to the right and drooling on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry. I hope I didn’t sore.” You made a light joke knowing fine well you didn’t snore but the guy wasn’t even interested enough in your remark. His face buried in the obnoxiously large copy of the Financial Times - trying to look important and as if he understood any of the shit published on those pages – to even bother looking in your direction again. You settled for the fact that because you were now awake, he couldn’t glare down your V-neck top any longer. You waited until the plane touched down to take your phone off flight mode so it could find service in time for you to text Lando you had arrived. Actually, you needed to warn him. When you boarded the plane you had seen several caps, t-shirts and hoody’s that all reflected their wearer’s support for different teams and their intention of heading to the race this weekend. In fact, you had only escaped because you weren’t with the rest of the boys – or so you were telling yourself so you didn’t have to admit it was because you probably looked rough and no one thought THEE Lando Norris would hang around a girl that looked like you currently did.

Sitting at the back of the plane had its perks. It meant when you finally got off the flying tin can, down numerous walkways and through passport control your baggage was already awaiting you. As you collected it you were glad to see the text from Lando saying he was waiting in the pick up point for you. You had visions of him all but committing suicide by standing in the arrivals hall and being trampled to death by fans (like you had seen on other occasions when you had flown into a city hosting the sporting circus). He didn’t tell you exactly what he had decided to pick you up in but as you made your way out of the airport you giggled to yourself at your suitcase being strapped to the roof of a McLaren.

“This?” You exclaimed loudly. “Hello to you too. It’s nice to see you. I’m doing great thank you very much.” There was his signature sarcasm. You took in the sky blue Fiat Jolly before you – Lando leaning against it as if he were doing his best James Bond impersonation – and rolled your eyes. “In all seriousness, I’m glad you finally got here.” He flung his arms around you and hugged you tightly. Lando hugs were the best hugs. He hugged with all his might and weirdly you felt all stresses, anxiety and frustrations melted away when he would engulf you in his arms.

“It can only happen to me.” You whispered against his shoulder and you could tell he wanted to laugh or make a quick quip about your misfortune but he chose not too. Instead, Lando grabbed your suitcase and placed it into the Jolly as if it didn’t weigh a tone. You were here in Monaco for a week then going to Barcelona for the next race the weekend after so you had to pack for all eventualities and events. This time you hadn’t gone over your 23kg luggage allowance like you did so many times before.

“My Lady…” Lando smirked as he opened the imaginary door to your chariot before getting in himself. You weren’t sure this was particularly safe considering the car had no freaking doors and you had to travel on the French motorways to get from Nice to Monaco but if anyone could get you there a Formula One driver could.

By the time you had gotten to Lando’s apartment you had a second wind in you. Wide awake (blame the coffee) you ended up settling on the sofa across from each other talking as if you had known each other a thousand years. There was nothing Lando didn’t know about you because you had a tendency to over share when you got nervous – and boy were you nervous around him to start off with – but also because you liked talking to him. He was a good listener and he seemed to like doing it too. Tonight however, you took a back seat as you let him air out his frustrations with this season’s McLaren and the goings on within the team. There were several times you wondered if he was breaking confidentiality clauses by having such loose lips but you were happy he felt so at ease with you he could share like this. Momentarily you left to use the restroom. You wondered if he always had two sets of towels out or if that was due to your one night only guest appearance. He had even laid out a spare toothbrush for you – or at least you were hoping it was for you and it wasn’t because Lando secretly had a new lady friend but you shrugged because Max wouldn’t have been able to keep that a secret if he had. You winched at the pain in your neck again as you left the bathroom. You had jerked it this morning while getting your suitcase from the back of the car that had taken you to the airport due to a useless driver not wanting to exit the drivers seat for one stinking minute. It had gradually gotten worse and worse. It was just a pulled muscle or something but every time you moved your head you felt it become increasingly more tense.

You were pawing at it as you returned back to Lando and the sofa. You weren’t one to complain about injuries or feeling ill, you just got on with things, but Lando caught you and instantly knew something was wrong at your furrowed brows.

“I just jerked my neck this morning. I’ve pulled a muscle or something. It’ll be fine. It’ll go away.” You played it down. You were imposing enough by being in his apartment you didn’t want to make a hassle of yourself even more. Lando observed you, his eyes felt like fire on your skin before he arose from his position on the grey couch. “I’ll give you a massage. I’m quite good at it.” He smiled broadly like he was proud of himself. “No don’t be silly, I’ll just take some painkillers and go to sleep. It will be fine tomorrow.” You attempted to shrug it off again. “I’m not asking.” His voice did that same thing it did that morning when you were on the phone to him. It went all commanding and deep. Your eyes widened before they narrowed when you stopped thinking about the tone of his voice and instead the words he had spoken. His words were almost kinky. “I’m not asking” was usually followed up with “I’m telling” and it made your stomach do a little strange twist.

OK! Coming clean. You had a thing for Lando from the moment he asked you to be a part of Quadrant. He was funny, fun to be around and a total breath of fresh air to you. He had such a cheeky charm that you couldn’t help but begin to fancy him when you began to work together. Now you could see all of the flirty comments and looks he shot you were just because he knew girls liked to be flattered (and because it made good viewing on the channel). You had a small glimmer of hope when he drunkenly, mistakenly kissed you on the mouth when he missed your cheek after partying hard when he made a podium. The glimmer disappeared only a few weeks later when he went away to Ibiza with Max and the boys (citing a “boys weekend”) and came back in love, with a girlfriend. You weren’t heartbroken like all crappy romance novels would claim you should be. But you were a little dismayed and annoyed with yourself for leaning into thinking he could be more. She was beautiful, quiet, funny and oh yeah, STUNNINGLY FUCKING BEAUTIFUL! If you were so inclined even you would have wanted to date her. She made such a big effort to be your friend too that honestly; you sort of adored her too. After all, you hadn’t gone so far to think of Lando being anything more than a work colleague and friend so you were able to just shrug your little “thing” for him off.  You boxed up his kindness and affection toward you had been anything more than what it was and took everything since at face value (even when he fucked things up and they broke up). So now he had said, “I’m not asking” in that dropped voice tone thing, it certainly peaked your interest.

“Go undress,” He said it before he could catch himself “Uh, I meant, you can go take your top off, your….” He was fumbling and flailing his words. THIS was the Lando you knew so well. You almost laughed.

“If your sure?” You asked but he only nodded, not even looking in your direction. You left the safety of the neutral sitting room to go to the room in which he had shown you too when you arrived. Your suitcase was sitting in the corner with your things placed on top of it. You knew Lando had help decorating. The place was still relatively sparse and lacked any feminine touch. You wondered if his mum or his sisters had been across to see it because if they had they would have at least added a little colour to the white, grey and black he had going on. And as you remembered that you had come into the bedroom for a reason you suddenly got incredibly nervous. You had been almost naked in front of him before at beach clubs, yachts and whatnot but never topless. You rolled your eyes at yourself when you realised he wasn’t actually going to see you topless. You were going to be lying down when he came into the room. He might see a little side boob but some girls had more on display when you guys went clubbing. You pulled your hoody off and chucked it over on the chair in the corner. For the briefest of moments you hesitated before reaching around your back and unclasping your bra. Your heartbeat was whirling so loudly in your ears you momentarily went deaf. You therefore didn’t hear his gentle knock and opening of the door behind you. Scrambling to cover yourself with your arms when you suddenly realised Lando was standing in the room with you. “Fuck…are you trying to give me a heart attack?” You laughed off your shock and embarrassment just like he would have, with sarcasm.

“You don’t have to be so shy around me, y’know?” It was an unexpected line to come from him and yet strangely comforting. You noticed he was clutching a bottle of what looked like baby oil in his hand and yet you didn’t question it – even if you wanted too.

He turned slightly (probably sensing you were a bit nervous to be this exposed in front of him) and you lay down on your stomach on top of the soft white duvet. You tried a few grounding breaths to clear the hammering pounding in your heart but the attempts were all but useless. You tried to block out all of the thoughts that came flooding into your head when you realised how sensual this was about to become and bit on the inside of your lip to hold back your shaky breath when Lando lowered the lights.

“Do you want some spa music?” He jested light-heartedly which thankfully lightened the mood and made you laugh. It was what you needed to regain control of yourself. You felt his knees depress the mattress beside you before manoeuvring so he had a knee either side of your thighs. You almost gulped when you felt his wide muscular skin caress yours. Lando probably not even registering how much of a turn on that was. How in the hell were you about to get through him giving you a massage if you couldn’t even breathe as his skin touched yours?

Lando gently moved your hair out of the way before mentioning something about baby oil that you completely missed due to how loudly your heart was pounding inside your chest making your head go all woozy. In fact, if he had said anything at all you would have missed it because then without warning he poured some of the silky liquid on to the skin of your back. Jesus! You practically sighed out his name as he began spreading it around your flesh without a smidge of hesitation. A groan was stifled in your throat as you felt Lando apply some pressure to the base of your aching neck. His long fingers dug in where they needed too. They ground against the tight knots when he found them and began to melt away the tension.

“Relax” You heard his voice, his words coming out in something of a sigh. As much as you tried too you couldn’t help but pick up on his tone and you wished you hadn’t. You wished you had ignored his order to relax because now all you were thinking about was how non-relaxing the whole thing was because all he was accomplishing was turning you on which only made you try to relax more which was futile.

Then Lando really hit the spot. He located and zoned right in on the painful little niggle that you kept pawing away at all night. You hadn’t even realised he had done it until you let out nothing short of a pornographic sigh at the feeling of utter relief. The noise that emitted from you wasn’t a sound you ever – not even in your wildest dreams – thought you would ever be producing in front of Lando let alone FOR him.

“Does that feel good?” He asked curiously as his fingers and palm kept going, going and going. You hmm mmm’d instead of creating any actual words. Anything you could possibly say in that moment would have probably come out wrong and possibly give away the fact you had something of an unrequited crush on the man. Any words that dared to spill from your lips would give away how utterly turned on you were right now. Which in all honesty, the thought of Lando knowing about your smutty little thoughts about him made you cringe and want to shrivel up and die because you seriously doubted he would feel the same way about you.

As he progressed with the massage you tried to swallow each groan and moan that you could and yet some still eluded you. You had a sneaking suspicion that if you were to turn over unexpectedly Lando would be hovering above you with a giant smile upon his face, loving every second. You were sure he had some kind of power kink. And as you began to melt into the thoughts of Lando having any kind of kinks at all, you suddenly felt it. The first time you weren’t sure if you really had and even on the second time you felt you were mistaken and wrong. But the third, as he practically ground against your butt, you felt it. Lando was hard. You felt the entire length of him (base to tip) as his knees gave out a little and he pressed it up against your sweatpants covered ass. You wanted to gasp but you decided against it. You wanted to feel more of it. You wanted desperately to make sure. You moaned again for good measure so you could see if it would have another effect on him – cruel yes, but so was him suggesting a massage then getting hard in the middle of it without any possible intentions of giving it to you – which it did. Lando let out a swallowed gasp of a groan as if he was trying to cling on to it with his whole life. You said his name softly but he didn’t hear you – or he was ignoring you, which honestly was more like it – and so you said it again but louder.

“Lando…” You breathed. His hands stalled. He hadn’t bargained on you cottoning on. He only responded by uttering your name straight back at you before adding; “It’ll go away in a minute. I haven’t touched someone like this in a long time. I’m sorry.” The fact he was apologising for it made you want to scream. He had nothing to apologise for – not going by the state your own underwear was now in due to his actions – it was totally natural. The only thing you couldn’t understand was why now? Was it just the sheer action of touching someone else like he was suggesting or perhaps (just maybe) Lando actually liked you too? There was only one way to find out. 

So without a shred of warning you flipped over on to your back. Caution was well and truly flung into the wind. His big thick thighs did nothing to stop you if he even had the time to register what you had just done. You weren’t usually the type to be bold like this. You were actually quite reserved and hadn’t ever intentionally flashed anyone before but as Lando’s eyes dipped quickly from yours down toward your boobs you felt a strange confidence grasp hold of you.

“I can help you with it, if you want?” You knew the line felt like you were in some bad porno the second you said it. It sounded weird and completely and utterly unsexy. But really, what else could you have said that would have sounded any better? Lando didn’t react at first – probably too stunned from having his friend semi naked in front of him to register what the hell you had just come out with – but his features softened before your very eyes as he cottoned on to what you were implying.

“Really?” His voice did that high-pitched thing it did when he couldn’t tell if someone was taking him on a ride or not but then there was a small faint recognition of a signature Lando smirk that told you he knew exactly what was going on. So instead of a verbal queue you gave him a physical one. Your hands went to his thighs and as shaky as they were in the seconds before touching his skin – God bless him for wearing shorts – they steadied as soon as they touched him. Slipping up to his waist he didn’t move as your hands danced along the waistband of the cotton comfies he was wearing. Lando made no sign of disapproval as your hands finally made contact with the growing tent that had formed inside his clothes. In fact, he let out a wobbly sigh as you palmed over him. You didn’t know where in the hell your newfound boldness came from but you liked it and were determined to embrace it. You weren’t sure if this was a sudden, unexpected attraction to you that Lando was feeling based on just needing to feel a girls touch or if it had been a closeted attraction that had built to an undeniable crescendo over the past few years but either way, you didn’t care. Your fingertips dipped inside his waistband and you watched as he swallowed. Your name tumbled once again from his lips and you waited on him calling for you to stop but the call never came.

“I’m supposed to be making you feel good…” He croaked as he opened his eyes and looked down at you again. “You are. This does.” Desperately you wanted him to know that you wanted this, you wanted him, more than you could ever express.

Thankfully, Lando took the hint and in an almost blink and you’ll miss it fashion he knocked out his knees so he was lying on top of you, his hand tenderly positioned on your cheek.

“You really want too?” He double-checked for your consent – sexy, you thought – and you nodded at him.

“I’ve wanted too for years, Lando.” You confessed and you could see the moment of realisation hit him before it filled him with cocky confidence. You had hidden your crush for far too long and now you were finally getting exactly what you wanted. The excitement could make your head explode. Your stomach flipped at the thought but he gave you no time to register it because without warning he kissed you. His lips caressed yours with passionate haste. Finally, after all this time you knew what he tasted like. His tongue dipped into your mouth and stroked yours in a testing the water type manner that was just so, well, Lando. You found yourself grabbing the back of his head, winding your fingers into his dark curls as you went, just so he knew how serious you were. The action didn’t go unnoticed by him and you felt the faint smile appear on his mouth as your tongue danced with his. Lando responded by grabbing your thigh and pulling it up around his waist. It was with that action you knew he knew what he was doing as it gave him the perfect angle to grind against your core - giving himself a faint whisper of release - which almost had you gasping straight into his mouth.

The next few actions seemed too quick to even comprehend. They were like some kind of dance sequence. You removed his t-shirt. He removed your sweats and panties (commenting on how wet you were as if he wasn’t expecting it). You pulled down his shorts and boxers, which prompted him to take them off for himself. He reached into the bedroom drawer for a condom and he didn’t hesitate handing it to you to put on him.

“I’ve wanted this since the day we met.” His confession was just that, a confession, and you were his priest. It was the moment you felt fulfilled. You felt like his truth was yours too. You weren’t crazy thinking his glances, his touches and how close he was to you was something more and wasn’t just friendship. And you refused the devil on your shoulder whispering in your ear that he was just telling you what you wanted to hear because he knew you would believe him and he could get his leg over. You believed Lando and even if this only happened once, it was indeed happening, so you were intent on enjoying it. 

With the thought of enjoying this ringing around your head, you finished your task of sheathing him with the protective latex. As soon as you were done he slid himself up and down your sensitive, wet folds and your hands ran up from his chest to his neck so you could raise his eyes to yours. You wanted to look at the perfect green orbs you obsessed over when he finally connected your bodies and pushed into you. Which he did almost immediately. At first it took you a few moments to overcome the stretch. He was bigger than you would have thought. He was average in length but made up for it in girth and seeing as you hadn’t had sex in such a long time that you felt the deep, dull aching sting from being so tight around his cock all over your body.

“Ok?” He whispered against your semi parted lips. You kissed back as he rolled his hips, slipping himself out before back in, while you were distracted. He kept distracting you with his mouth – and his hands, one of which creeping up to your boob and playing with your sensitive peaked nipple – as he slowly began getting into rhythm. It was you that broke the kiss to moan when you finally felt the effects his pace was having upon you. Enjoyment and pre-satisfaction began grabbing you with both hands as Lando groaned into your ear. God, this was what you had deprived yourself of for two years by not acting upon your infatuation with him. You were so stupid in not telling him how you felt.

Lando felt like heaven. He felt like sheer and utter heaven inside of you. There was nothing in the world that felt better than him fucking you like you had never been fucked before. His pace had picked up from the slow, sensual style it started out like in the beginning to a quicker, steady beat that had you clawing your nails into his shoulders while you panted in his ear. You would have been happy enough for him to continue in the position and pace he was already in but a squeal left you as he suddenly, without a shred of warning, lifted your body so you were sat in his lap. Lotus was what you thought this position was called but honestly, your brain had been reduced to Lando shaped pulp that you couldn’t even make a proper assessment.  

“Is this ok?” He asked as he pushed your hair back away from your face. He wanted to look at you while he was inside of you, and that clearly meant connection. Lando wanted to be connected to you. “Yes.” You breathe out on a sigh “more than.” Upon your words Lando’s hands went down to your ass. He squeezed as you smiled. He used his hands position on your butt to help guide you, move you, into a pace that worked for both of you. At first the only thing you could focus on was how deep he felt inside of you still you realised how the other parts of you were grinding against him. Your clit grazed his base with every stroke and you realised he had been thinking about your pleasure the whole time. Lando was better at this whole thing than you ever thought possible.

“Does that feel good?” His brain was working in tandem with yours and you nodded enthusiastically while the sensation began to flood your nerves. Your hands clung on to his shoulders before they wound into his hair. His lips ghosted across the flesh of your neck as he let low, earth moving rumbles erupt through his throat.

His name struggled through your lips as he hit the spot inside you over, over, over and over again. Your mind went blank and you finally understood what women all over the world raved about. The guys you had been with before had never actually found anywhere near the spot and you had spent too long saying, “right there” when you didn’t even know where “there” was. Lando found it. He knew where it was instantly and what more he staked his claim of ownership of it. You came like it the first time you ever had. It felt deeper, more intense and more authentic than you had experienced when you had done it alone, in your room, with your battery-operated friend. His body flushed against yours as he held you against himself. Your thighs twitched and a feeling of sparks tingled all over. From the ends of your fingers to the tips of your toes you felt the orgasm Lando had given you consume your being.

He slowed his pace but he kept moving you; back and forth, back and forth, searching for his own high. You thought of ways you could aid him but you didn’t need too as his own high crashed down upon him fast after yours. His forehead tensed, his body went ridged under your touch and his teeth clenched so tightly you thought they might break. Your name teetered right on the tip of his tongue when he finally let his mouth fall open as he released his milky seed into the condom. His sweaty forehead pressed to yours and in that moment it dawned on you that you never wanted this moment to end. You wanted to stay right here – in the post orgasm high – with Lando for as long as you lived. No one could make you feel better than he did. No guy could live up to him. Lando had ruined you for the whole of mankind.

His hand came upon your cheek as he kissed you deeply after he regained control of his breathing. “How is your neck?” You had totally forgotten all about what lead you into this in the first place. You were drunk, high and having such an outer body experience that you couldn’t feel a thing.

“Ask me when I’m not still thinking about that orgasm.” You joked. It made him smirk widely as if it had been a job well done – as if he had just won the race here in Monaco.

“Do you want another one?” He asked cockily and you burst out laughing at how you almost instantly leaped at the offer - Yes. A million times yes - And it was in that very moment you knew there was no possibility of either of you regretting this. You knew that regardless of what happened between you there was a bond with him that you had never felt with another guy before. Friends to lovers might have been the trope in the book you picked up in the airport. But you didn’t have to read it to experience it. You hoped this was your romance novel come true.       

[strawb3rrystar]

Star's 200 followers special !! - Prompts

See here for the characters I will write for

How to request:

(Prompt(s) - Max 2) (What kind of reader - Fem, Masc, Gender Neutral) (Character) (Any other extra things you want me to add into the fic)

How long will the event run for?

November 1st 2023 - December 31st 2023 is when I'll be accepting requests and will be writing/posting them throughout

*Please note! The crossed out ones are already taken!

Smut prompts:

1. “Your underwear!? Why would you ask me! I, obviously, don’t have them!”

2. "Oh, my love, the things you do to me."

3. “Such a cute Puppy~ begging for cock like the well trained mutt you are."

4. “You look so good like that, my dear. On your knees, my cock down your throat."

5. "The only thing you’ll every be good for is a tight hole for me to stuff full.”

6. “You're drunk on my cock, aren’t you? You want to be stuffed full till all you can think is my cock in your needy little hole, don’t you?"

7. “Look at you. Cumming from just a vibrator, like a needy whore."

8. “Shut up and get against the wall. I’m fucking you right here in this alley, I don’t care who watches."

9. "Get over my lap. Good, I want the others to watch you get punished. I want them to know who you belong to.”

10. “Maybe you shouldn’t have dressed this way if you didn’t want someone to rip these clothes off."

11. “Don’t squirm, sweetheart. You’re my breeding bitch, now."

12. "Go on, swallow my spit. Be a good little slut."

13. "The only way you're getting off is on my thigh. And don’t you dare think of touching yourself."

14. "Two fingers, too much, baby?"

Yandere Prompts:

15. "I need you to eat. Don't make me set up the feeding tube again."

16. "Unless you want to be put in isolation again, I'd suggest you put down the knife. I'll let ____ know you can't assist in the kitchen for a while."

17. "Did you really think that would work? You know I have to put the shock collar back on now."

18. "Just remember, my hands can wrap all the way around your neck if needed."

19. "Why are you shaking, darling? Are you scared of me?"

20. "I'll take the gag off once you stop screaming."

21. "It's okay, I'll kiss all the pain away, my love. You don't have to worry."

22. "They deserved it for talking to you like that."

23. "You look so pretty in a collar, my perfect little darling."

24. "I wasn't following you, my dear. I was just making sure you were alright."

25. "Stalking? No, these cameras are to watch everything. Not just you... that would be silly..."

26. "I don't care if the ropes hurt, I'm not having you escape again."

27. "Why are you screaming? You know, no one will save you."

28. "Your friends? Darling, they've always hated you, believe me."

Fluff Prompts:

29. "Let's watch the sunset. Just you and me."

30. "I got you these flowers. I thought they matched your eyes."

31. "Are you cold? We can cuddle if you want to."

32. "I'm sorry if this isn't the romantic date you were hoping for..." "____, it's perfect."

33. "You look like you're struggling there. Want me to help?" (Dying/doing ur hair)

34. "You're so (Beautiful/Handsome/Amazing/Other compliments), baby."

35. "I hope my hands aren't too sweaty... Ah! Did I say that out loud?"

36. "Come on, we have time for one more kiss."

37. "Can you paint my nails too...?"

38. "Wow... My outfit looks like shit compared to yours."

39. "Jealous? Pfft, I'm not jealous."

40. "You're my (type of royalty), and I'll treat you like it."

41. "Let's get away from these assholes, hang out alone."

42. "I got you another stuffed animal. What? You can never have too many."

Tagging everyone on my taglist and my mutuals so they can see!! @raphaelsqueen @kipxer @mamaemoemu @sleebykei @vixezn @thejudiciousneurotic @spongejuice and @ju1cyfru1t - Not trying to bother any of you, just want to get the word out

[goldenraeofsun]

Day 23: Sleepless Nights

Dean 11:31 Hey sorry to text so soon But did you pick up an ID with my face on it after dinner?

Cas 11:39 No, but the restaurant called me a half hour ago. They found it while closing up, and they had my number on file from when I made the reservation.

Dean 11:42 Thank god

Cas 11:42 My apologies; I was going to leave you a message in the morning, as you mentioned needing to get up early. Also, what do you mean by “so soon”?

Dean 11:44 Dude Its been two hours since our date How soon do you consider too soon?

Cas 11:45 I’ve never given it much thought.

Dean 11:45 Seriously?

Cas 11:48 I text when it feels right. I don’t have a numerically-based system.

Dean 11:50 That’s insane.

Cas 11:51 Well, Dean, what’s your system, then?

Dean 11:52 24 hours minimum 1 week max unless they’re batshit Usually averages out to 3 days

Cas 11:57 What do you mean “batshit”?

Dean 11:57 You know Psychos Nut jobs One sandwich short of a picnic Dudes who say their spirit animal is Elon Musk

Cas 11:58 That’s an impressive array of synonyms, but it doesn’t actually give me much information.

Dean 11:58 Seriously??? Ok then Like, the guy who tried to pressure me into a threesome with his ex cause I’m bi Or the lady who practically drank a whole bottle of wine by herself and yelled at the waiter because he didn’t refill our bread basket

Cas 11:58 I see what you mean.

Dean 11:59 OR that guy who mentioned he was casually into cannibalism??? Who the hell drops that on a first date. Glenn Close wannabes, that’s who

Cas 12:00 I’m astounded you had that many bad first dates.

Dean 12:01 Those are only from this year!

Cas 12:01 That sounds horrendous.

Dean 12:02 Heh. Cannibal guy gave good head, so there’s that. Dude knew his way around some man meat, if you know what I mean

Cas 12:02 Unfortunately, I do. Excuse me while I wait a full week to text you ever again.

Dean 12:03 C’mon, I didn’t even tell you about my worst first date!

Dean 12:14 Cas?

Cas 12:18 Go on.

Dean 12:18 Thank fuck, I thought I actually scared you off

Cas 12:18 Despite appearances, I don’t scare easily.

Dean 12:19 For a nerdy dude in a trench coat, you’re made of pretty stern stuff, I’ll give you that

Cas 12:21 Thank you?

Dean 12:26 Don’t mention it ANYWAY worst first date in the history of first dates: The setting: Los Angeles, California, August 2017 Our hero, the dashingly handsome PA, Dean Winchester, has a date with a slightly less-attractive but still stunning guest star from episode 24 of Dr. Sexy, MD who will die three episodes later from a cerebrovascular infection of her spinal cord.

Cas 12:27 Technically, doctors should only use “Dr” or “MD”, not both. And that diagnosis makes absolutely no sense.

Dean 12:28 Shhh DSM had to let go their medical expert due to budget cuts in the 15th season

Cas 12:28 I cannot believe the abbreviation for that show is DSM.

Dean 12:28 Huh?

Cas 12:31 In the medical community, whenever you hear DSM, they’re almost always referring to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

Dean 12:34 Hahahahaha Maybe I should buy a copy for the set Then they’ll get SOMETHING right

Cas 12:34 I hardly ever call any case hopeless, but in this case, I might make an exception.

Dean 12:36 Yeah that checks out But nobody watches DSM for the medicine The other stuffs the compelling bits

Cas 12:37 They'd better not be. It's a gross misrepresentation of the medical system. Firstly, their sterile fields leave much to be desired. I had to pause in the middle of the intubation scene.

Dean 12:42 Hold on You actually watched DSM??

Cas 12:44 Of course. You mentioned you worked on the show when we met. I'd be a poor date if I hadn't watched at least an episode. 

Dean 12:44 Oh my god you did homework for our date tonight??? You're such a nerd

Cas 12:45 Dr. Nerd, MD, actually.

Dean 12:46 Ha! You're still Dr Sexy to me

Dean 12:46 Shit that was the stupidest thing I've ever sent. Forget I wrote that. 

Cas 12:47 I think it's flattering :D

Dean 12:48 Thank fuck

Cas 12:52 It wasn't only to prepare for our date. You obviously care a lot about the show, so if I couldn't stand it, I figured it would be a good indicator of our compatibility. 

Dean 12:55 Holy shit. I never thought about it like that I used to tell people it was a guilty pleasure

Cas 12:56 What changed?

Dean 12:57 I got the job on set and everyone there doesn’t treat it like a dirty little secret Sure they know its stupid and shit, but it’s fun, stupid shit

Cas 1:00 I’m glad you like your job.

Dean 1:00 You don’t?

Cas 1:11 I like the mission of my job. But some days the death, pain, and petty workplace grievances make me question my choice. I chose emergency medicine because I was under the impression it required fewer people skills. I thought I would see more acute cases of broken bones, gunshots, burns, etc. But these days, half of my patients use ER doctors as their primary physicians because they can’t afford regular doctor visits for their chronic conditions. I even have a few “regulars”, which I never anticipated having.

Dean 1:12 Damn That sounds brutal

Cas 1:13 Not to mention my hundred thousand dollars of student loan debt.

Dean 1:13 Jesus Sammy’s in the same boat between undergrad and law school

Cas 1:14 But not you?

Dean 1:20 I never went to college

Cas 1:20 Good.

Dean 1:23 What?

Cas 1:25 It seems you didn’t waste your money or time, as you’re in a profession that makes you happy and supports a lifestyle you’re making work.

Dean 1:25 I guess so. I just never figured you’d be all aboard the high school drop out train

Cas 1:31 Usually no, not unless the person has a clear path ahead of what they would like to do instead. My brother transferred from a prestigious liberal arts college to a trade school for plumbers, and he has had no greater joy explaining to my uptight parents the latest thing he pulled out from a client’s septic tank.

Dean 1:32 He sounds like a riot

Cas 1:33

He also makes a killing. Apparently an equal number of people need doctors as plumbers, to my parents’ great chagrin.

Dean 1:33 I like him already

Cas 1:35 You’ll like him until he short sheets your bed and locks you in the wine cellar during dessert so he gets the whole Black Forest gateau to himself.

Dean 1:36 That’s HILARIOUS

Cas 1:38 I almost wet myself, Dean.

Dean 1:38 And you think that makes it less funny???

Cas 1:43 I should have known older brothers would take each others’ side.

Dean 1:44 Damn right It’s in the big brother handbook

Cas 1:49 Did you terrorize Sam too?

Dean 1:52 No And whatever he tells you about itching powder, a farting donkey, and superglue is totally a lie

Cas 1:53 Never mind. I don’t even want to know.

Dean 1:58 Yeah, nobody came out the winner that time Sammy always gave as good as he got though But you seem like the kind of goody two shoes who wouldn’t get your big brother back like he deserved

Cas 2:03 I was worse as a child. It didn’t help that Gabe had an almost preternatural ability to anticipate retaliation. My choices of pranks were never particularly inventive, so he saw them coming from a mile away.

Dean 2:04 So Gabe is a plumber with a sweet tooth?

Cas 2:05 Yes?

Dean 2:06 You got any other ammo on him?

Cas 2:07 He also has an extensive porn collection of vintage Casa Erotica VHS and goes to some annual pornography convention in Vegas. My parents didn’t cut him off for dropping out of college because they were well aware of his alternative and, in their mind, Gabe chose the lesser of two evils.

Dean 2:11 Holy shit, Cas That’s what you LEAD with

Cas 2:12 Excuse me?

Dean 2:19 Next time you’re at his place, you’re gonna swap out half those VHS for Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood or Nut Cracker or a Nova documentary Just total boner-killers. He won’t see it coming. Heh Literally

Cas 2:20 Truly?

Dean 2:22 I don’t see why he would

Cas 2:23 Thank you. I might actually take your suggestion.

Dean 2:25 Do it! And then tell me how it goes. Sammy’s all the way in Seattle, so we haven’t had a real prank war in too long.

Cas 2:27 Aren’t you a little old for such childish behavior?

Dean 2:30 You’re older than I am!

Cas 2:31 I’m making up for lost time.

Dean 2:32 You’re unbelievable. Alright, Marcia, if you want to play it that way See if I help you when Gabe hides your stethoscope or dyes your white coat pink in retaliation

Cas 2:35 … he dyed it bright yellow, actually.

Dean 2:36 HAHAHAHAH

Cas 2:37 I looked like a YIELD sign.

Dean: 2:39 Please tell me you have pictures

Cas 2:43 I do, actually. IMG_215

Dean 2:44 What’s with the black stripes?

Cas 2:45 I added the stripes for Halloween last year. I was a bumblebee.

Dean 2:46 Damn Not even a sexy bumblebee?

Cas 2:49 Ah, but you can’t see what’s under my doctor’s coat.

Dean 2:50 An even smaller bumblebee costume?

Cas 2:52 No…

Dean 2:53 Don’t do this to me Lingerie?

Cas 2:55 I wore SCRUBS, Dean, because I am a medical professional.

Dean 2:58 You’re such an ass What are you doing this year?

Cas 2:58 I was thinking of wearing my usual coat and scrubs.

Dean 3:01 Booooo

Cas 3:02 What are you going as, then?

Dean 3:05 A cowboy! Tenth year in a row, baby. If it ain’t broke, yadda yadda yadda

Cas 3:06 But, having recently seen a new medical show, I was thinking of adding cowboy boots to my standard getup.

Dean 3:08 No way

Cas 3:08 Do you by chance have a spare pair I could borrow for Halloween?

Dean 3:10 Hell yes I do! But Shit, I have a 5am call time tomorrow Today? Fuck. I think I have to cut his convo short

Cas 3:11 Oh dear My apologies for keeping you so late! :o

Dean 3:14 Not your fault at all dude

Cas 3:15 I never even heard the story of your worst first date!

Dean 3:18 How about I tell you over dinner Friday? 7PM work with you? You chose the place last time, so I’ll pick this one

Cas 3:18 It’s a date :D

[champagnepodiums]

Hi its me, the anon with the sociological analysis, now with an account! And here I have gathered, to present why I think RBR decided to make many unforced errors with the Brazil PR.

Behold: “What were they thinking - dissecting the PR strategy of Red Bull Racing in the aftermath of the 2022 Brasilian Grand Prix” shout out to the other anon for that!

Lets start of simple, why on EARTH did redbull fail to make Max apologize and take some responsibility?! They absolutely should have, people who have never taken a communications class in their LIFE could tell you that. But why. Well....

There are three reasons that RBR in my view did not make Max take responsibility:

Max has been in the midst of a PR crisis since 2020, a PR crisis that reached a fever pitch years later, in 2022. As a result, RBR was eager to make him seem as faultless as possible, as we all saw, he ended up losing a lot of grace when RBR failed to convince us that he was not at least partially culpable in the issues with Checo.

RBR's first driver strategy is a lot more stringent than other teams. Whilst we tend to assume that teams have first drivers even if they do not admit to it, RBR tends to aggressively favor one driver over another when it comes to things like defending them in the press. This is not new, just look at how RBR handled multi 21.

RBR itself was in the midst of a PR crisis, this was around the time that a lot of articles were coming up about Dietrich, lawsuits to do with racism, criticism about red bull not pulling out of russia etc.

Now remember by Brazil a couple of things had happened, namely, the cost cap scandal, awarding full points at the Suzuka GP and what english speaking audiences thought was not a big deal: Checo not getting to speak to press at his home gp. And this series of missteps was off of the back of AD21 and rumors that someone was using illegal floors. As for Max, since 2020 he has had scandals related to use of slurs, defense of poor behavior etc and then one unforeseen thing happened: Lewis was nowhere near the front, and so RBR could not juxtapose him against his new rival.

What these problems did was that they brought a lot of debate around whether or not Max and Redbull were legitimate champions. They had a controversial win in 2021 and then there were few moments where there was racing against Lewis and Mercedes at large and the few times they did, Max did not bring his best performances, especially in Brazil where even the harsher critics of Lewis were baffled by his attitude.

So with all of this in mind RBR needed to achieve something by the end of the year: legitimize themselves and Max, in order to quell concerns that Red Bull itself was a PR nightmare *and* that Max was profitable.

They failed on both counts but we will get there, trust me.

RBR has had a strategy for well over a decade at this point where they prop up their number one driver, and let a driver from another team be set up as this boogeyman rival, against whom the second driver tends to defend. Just look at what claims Horner has made about multi 21 https://www.essentiallysports.com/truth-behind-red-bull-multi-21/ and tell me you do not see the same script from Brazil last year. "The second driver slighted the number one, and the number one just needed to prove a point. The first driver had had a conversation about this with the second. The second driver was provocative in some capacity" Just one problem. Max had already wrapped up the championship. And it had been controversial yet again because of the full points at Suzuka and the Cost Cap Breach.

So why did RBR PR try it? It had worked before in another conflict that had led to a media frenzy. Only F1 is much bigger now on social media than it was before so everything is a bigger deal if it happens now than a decade ago, Max was already champion *and* the rumor that Checo messed up his race in Monaco somehow had not stopped him from becoming champion, and between Mercedes making a tractor, Ferrari having stale strategies, and the F1 grid being as far apart on the timesheet as ever, the season had long been dubbed a boring one with lower stakes. As a result, audiences were very bemused by Max. Because at this point he was now coming across as needlessly cruel and malicious because he stood to gain nothing from not helping Checo especially after several seasons of bad press around his character.

RBR then tried to counter this by having Checo do clean up, hoping that it would create the impression that he was at least partially to blame and therefore taking heat off of Max who was once again being called "fast but not a REAL championship" with more anger about rumours that there was foul play at Monaco further impacting RBR's image. As you may have noticed, RBR PR also has a very "both sides were wrong" approach to PR. And Max himself often defends his behaviour by saying that other people also behave badly. Once again I draw you back to multi 21 https://racingnews365.com/vettel-offers-honest-assessment-of-webber-role-in-multi-21

This strategy by RBR backfired, because as you may recall, RBR boycotted the press at Checo's home GP.

As a result this created a new debate that unlike the past, perhaps RBR and Max deliberately harmed Checo, and did not value him. Remember that rumors about teammates being undervalued is nothing new, those are rumors that circulate practically every season and not just with RBR.

They tried to neutralize the situation by having Max not take responsibility, because its what they always do. And in this situation they had hoped that fans would view it as an oopsie moment by Max, but unfortunately for them this was the straw that broke the donkey's back. Because in Brazil Max broke an unspoken rule about sportsmanship which is to be gracious. For all the infighting between teammates in F1, in recent years its become even more taboo than it once was to be unable to be gracious to your competitors.

Its been said here before I think, but insofar as having a reputation that makes money, none of these f1 drivers are likely to ever be able to reach the heights of Hamilton especially not in terms of endorsements and level of celebrity. But there is money to be made off of image. And what RBR hoped they could PR Max into was instead achieved by Leclerc. One paragraph before I return to this and wrap this essay up haha.

RBR PR was unwilling to push him to be a little less abrasive, and they ended up paying the price for it. One of the biggest examples of this is that people who call Lewis "crymilton" and say that he does not focus enough on racing were the ones pulling up clips of him giving Bottas his spot when he failed to overtake in the midst of a championship. So much of Max's PR had been built around how different he is from Lewis, just for people to see Brazil and go "maybe he should be a little bit more like that sometimes". When you see people who liked you for NOT being like a rival turning around and using that rival as the example of how you should behave, you are in a PR crisis.

Leclerc on the other hand had a smarter approach. People view him as someone who wants to win, but when him and Carlos Sainz are in conflict or people are debating team orders, people are not accusing Charles of malice. That is not accidental. He will let you interview him and he will talk about how much he respects other drivers, he will be very self deprecating after incidents and importantly he will do his best to avoid getting into what the press says about him. You add those to his social media approach and it gives you this charming boy next door vibe because he does enough to give off the impression that he values sportsmanship. Remember that whilst Max is demonstrably dishonest about not caring about being liked and all of that, he still refuses to ever engage with anything but winning or how he should have won, and in the past RBR could do whataboutisms or people were forgiving of him. And in part it is because of how RBR does its PR.

RBR PR and people who had been forgiving of Max thus far also did so under the assumption that Max was going to grow out of his abrasiveness. They thought that especially now that he was a winner, he would behave in a more traditionally sportsman way. Yet, seemingly from nowhere he just would not? So RBR tried to organize around how he would not cooperate because ultimately what can they do to Max? They do not have a driver to replace him, and they have already signed him for a contract. And before any of that security, they had already been highly defensive of him and did not make him apologize for behavior in the past.

Its just that they entered 2022 not realising that it is not 2013. People are not looking to pundits to tell them what to think so no matter how locked in you are with Will Buxton or Martin Brundle or whoever else, with the advent of social media, people are interacting more. So now you have people pulling up old clips, mentioning past issues, reminding each other of every trangression he has not apologised for.

And that led to them making unforced errors, because they used the old approach of how controlling traditional media narratives means controlling audience narratives. And more than that, they failed what was arguably the only goal outside of winning the season: legitimizing themselves. Already the season has begun with cost cap debates and ad21 debates, exactly what they hoped to avoid.

Additionally there has been a "what do you expect from Max" narrative brewing from the Heineken ad, from past criticism that was directed at both him and RBR about selling products in Russia. In the past people would simply point to a history of teams and drivers having controversial sponsors and brand deals including present day, alas for those teams and drivers it would either go "I give them the benefit of the doubt" or "I am disappointed but not surprised, this is how it is in f1" but for him its already been "Oh you know he doesn't care."

Ultimately, they had to bring back Daniel despite a whole mess around him leaving in the past, because the old strategies just do not work anymore and they do not have better ones. A

Sorry for the long read, but if any of you have questions, just ask!

OKAY HI

firstly, I want to say your blog bio about thinking everything that deep is A++++ because I do too so I'm glad for the company!! Also I want to express my appreciation because you explain things so well and it's just like "OH HOW DID I NEVER THINK OF THAT"

I hadn't even thought about how they essentially used the Multi 21 PR framework but the way I gasped when I read that article you linked.

The comparison to Charles Leclerc is SOOO good too -- I agree that he does PR the way RBR was hoping Max would. There's so much to unpack what you've written, I think I've read it like 4 times now and every time I find something new to think about but I'm forcing myself to respond so other people can read it too HAHAH.

I think the questions I'm thinking most about are -- how do you think RBR will try to utilize Daniel for PR and do you think it will work? And do you think RBR will continue to try and legitimize themselves and Max or do you think that will happen anyways if they have a dominant season?

Thank you again for writing these, they're such a joy to read!!

[russilton]

I need to rant for a sec, so apologies if this gets long.

I am tired of seeing George get hate every single race weekend.

If he doesn't acknowledge Lewis, he gets hate for it and isn't a good teammate, and if he does he's only doing for the PR. The agenda from some Lewis fans is downright toxic.

I am sick and tired of seeing homophobic abuse in his comments, and I'm so annoyed that the team literally does nothing to stop it. It wouldn't take much to post something and set a precedent that those type of comments will not be tolerated. I so wanted George to be a Merc driver, but now I want him far away from that team.

Eventually it starts to roll off you anon. It shouldn’t, but it does. You start to get used to seeing it, remembering he’s not looking at it and you just have to try your best not to look too.

Yeah it sucks, as a queer fan, it really, really sucks seeing my driver receive homophobic abuse every week, knowing it’s indirectly pointed at you, and that the team does nothing. If the team did something it wouldn’t fix it either, if anything it would just put a bigger target on him. So it continues.

But I’ll be honest with you, they did it to Lewis, and I got used to it with Lewis in 2020 when I started watching. None of that makes it okay, for either of them, but that’s unfortunately how it is most weeks, so I don’t look. I was making art for Lewis in 21 on a different account, and I got sent slurs, threatening DM’s, and had smug max fans declare “he’s only doing it for PR” at every turn in my mentions. Every official comment section was full of vitriol.

The point is- I’ve been here before, internet hate never goes away it just changes shapes. The numbness is how I get through, because anger just became exhausting.

George would have caught this abuse at any big team he went to. Any of them. Merc ferrari redbull mclaren aston- it would have been someone. He got it at Williams when people weren’t ignoring them. This is the shitty, ugly part of sports. One day George will be mercs main driver and people will blink and pretend it never happened at all. At least at Merc he’s living his dream with his family, even if that dream isn’t going smoothly.

You’re allowed to get mad and frustrated but if you let it wear your down too much you’re doing exactly what those shitty fans want. They want to make you so upset you leave, that’s how they win. I’m not letting anyone push me out of this sport because god so many people would want to. I’m staying, doing what I damn well want, and shouting at the top of my lungs for my guys.

[piercethespence]

introducing you guys to all my ocs using this picrew :3 (most of this info isnt set in stone im just making it up as i go along)

in order:

jasper/jaz (he/they), 5’10”, human, olivers boyfriend, 20?, sketches and plays guitar, more introverted, black american cis bisexual man, cryptidcore/grunge

oliver/ollie (he/pup), 5’8”, zombie, about 230 yrs old human years but like 22 zombie years, maybe a dog therian?, has known jules for forever, reads graphic novels and some novels, has adhd, white european? gay transmasculine man, jaspers boyfriend

juliette/jules (she/they/vamp), 5’7”, vampire, about 235 human years but 21 in vampire years, psych major?, maybe cat/nightfury otherkin?, ashers gf, romantic goth, korean, pansexual transfemme, autistic

asher/ash (he/him), 6’1”, human, metalhead, 23, white cishet man, jules’ boyfriend, plays electric guitar and drums, is the drummer in max’s punk band that doesnt have a name yet

max/maxine (she/her/claw), 5’6”, werewolf, 20, scene queen, lillians gf, mixed (black and white) cis lesbian, singer in an unnamed band, sketches and sculpts, wolf ears and tail pop out when she’s energetic or emotional, has only gone full werewolf once, has a toxic ex, plays acoustic guitar and writes sapphic songs for lily

lillian/lily (they/she), 5’4”, mermaid, 19, art major, fairy core, maxs gf, latina/irish unlabeled genderqueer girl, paints with gouache/watercolor, sculpts, and take photos of max while shes singing, chubby

*needs a name* (they/them), 5’4” elf, 18?, white/latine enby bisexual

*needs a name* (they/he), 6’1”, 23, human, native american, unlabeled maybe aroace? man? two-spirit? who knows, maybe a witch too, passionate protester

[abhorrenttheorizer]

Jesus help me.

I'm not into kiddie shit. I don't like kids media. I never cared for the cartoons I used to watch when I was younger. I'm not "kidcore" or "plushcore" or "liminal-space-of-a-playground-core" or whatever-core.

I am a proud, dubiously respectable 20-going-on-21 year old adult.

But... A few weeks ago I stepped onto Twitter one day and saw a resurgence of the greatest thing that ever happened to 4-year-old me.

And now I've been silently obsessing over this stupid piss-colored rat and his stupid technicolor ensemble ever since. And I decided to half-sorta-kinda make some designs for a possible AU/parody "reboot", because my body functions on embarrassment and embarrassment alone.

We're going full cringe, gamers. This is my domain.

Join me, friends, on my pilgrimage to 0 followers because I keep posting stupid shit instead of things of substance.

I am going on a downward spiral to Hell and I'm dragging all of you down with me. (this is a very long post with extra autistic rambling, courtesy of yours truly)

You guys remember the show "Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!"?

Well. I do. And if you (reader) do too, we're already kissing (no allo).

For those of you who aren't in the loop with Twitter's community bullshit, basically for Year of the Rabbit, some furry artists managed to dig up... Widget, as their primary source material, because she's a rabbit. And I'm half parts giddy and half parts pissed for multiple reasons.

For starters (somewhat unrelated), the HBO Max rendition of Scooby Doo, "Velma" came out sometime in 2023 (I can't exactly remember the date). It was essentially a SUPARR GRITTY EDGY ADULT REBOOT

In short, it horribly butchered the source material and in its attempt to be a SUPARR GRITTY EDGY ADULT REBOOT, basically became an insulting mockery of the show it was based off of or "reviving".

And I thought to myself... What if I did that? What if I ruined my own childhood by taking this crown jewel of 2006 and also turning it into a SUPARR GRITTY EDGY ADULT REBOOT?

In the parodical sense, of course.

Basically a reimagining of Wubbzy and friends in a late 2010s setting, possibly 2016, when the characters are a little older and having to slog through the parts of life that aren't particularly suitable for a preschooler's cartoon.

I wanted to keep the art style somewhat true to the source material, but my cartooning skills are extremely rusty and I don't know how to give things the "Generic Adult Cartoon" look, so the art style ended up looking like the horrible out-of-wedlock spawn of Winnie the Pooh and Adventure Time.

Hopefully I didn't unintentionally ruin their designs because I had to give most of them stupid emo 2012 furry hair swoops. Their "redesigns" just looked incomplete without them.

Going through the main-ish characters (incomplete) and how I've bastardized them to fit the SUPARR GRITTY EDGY ADULT REBOOT theme (very much not to sizing scale):

I've changed around some of the species choices for the characters to make them a little more "interesting" in my opinion. This will play into some of their behaviors, because I fucking love talking animal characters acting like the animals they were based off of.

Very one dimensional descriptions because I'm still finding my footing with this, and I just need to get this off my chest.

Wubbzy is a hybrid of a Mongolian gerbil and a sand cat. He's 14 now.

Basically the standard angsty teen struggling to maintain his chipper attitude in an environment that's more unnecessarily meanspirited and meaningless because he's stuck in a gritty "deep" adult cartoon and "life just suuucks, maaan".

Daizy is a Maltese breed dog (im not hybridizing her because her source design is crowded enough).

A year older than Wubbzy, she is one of those kids who "lives under a rock" per-se. Somehow is able to keep the same cheerful demeanor since she was a kid, but is frequently bullied and mocked for her naivety and her lack of knowledge on memes and other teenage trends.

And now for these three bozos. Once upon a time, they were silly kids that loved playing outdoor games and so on. Now they're juul hitting, offensive meme posting, band playing, devil's lettuce smoking (alleged) delinquents. They're all the same age as Daizy (so 15).

Huggy is a least weasel, and she's just at the beginning of her streetcore phase.

The mastermind behind the meme pages run by the three, and she's the reason why all of them are addicted to monster drinks, anime, "edgy" memes, and every flavor of e-cigarrette there is.

Buggy is a European hare, and is the patron saint of "band kids".

Super obsessed with anime and vidya, is one of the 1st trumpets in his band class and uses that opportunity to play every dead meme imaginable, and has dubiously been featured several times on r/iamverysmart.

Earl is the hybrid of a Syrian hamster and a Bengal tiger.

One of those dudes that's super into sports, cars, men's fashion, and fitness. Was the first to introduce the three to cringe anime gymbro memes. A Certified Good Boi, but is cursed to have the fashion sense of a fuckboy for the rest of his life.

And of course, we can't forget about these old, saggy losers (affectionate)

Firstly, to get this off my chest, it's one of my biggest pet peeves when people choose to... "yassify" characters, but they refuse to do it in a way that actually fits the character. I've seen my fair share of fat Widget and curvy Widget, but why do none of these cowards ever draw her buff? Did they even watch the show? Widget's a fucking carpenter and mechanical engineer for fucks sake. She's shitting out heavy, complicated robotics and automation like every half hour. SHE BUILDS ALL HER FUCKING INVENTIONS BY HAND. She could LITERALLY crush everyone around her like rotten grapes if she wanted to, and yet I NEVER see anyone make her the barrel-chested, steel-pecced, iron-fisted Valkyrie she was meant to be. Anyway...

These two (hypothetically) will have the most adult oriented themes and issues, amplified even moreso because as of "2016" they'd be in their mid 30s. Neither change very much because it's extremely likely that in the source show, they're already post-college adults.

(these two were/are my favorite characters too, so of course i have to put them through the most suffering lol)

Widget, Millennial Scum #2 (1982 baby), is a hybrid of a black-tailed jackrabbit and a greater bilby.

Unluckily had her workshop closed down for unlicensed manufacturing as well as a specific "accident" she'd prefer not to mention. Now struggles to regain where her career was dropped off by working as a designer and manufacturer for some unspecified corporation. Throughout her struggles, she somehow manages to stay hopeful and determined that she'll return to her love of freelance engineering.

Walden, Millennial Scum #1 (1981 baby), is a hybrid of a Malayan sun bear and a thylacoleo (carnifex). Goes through the most suffering because he was/is my absolute favorite ;-)

After a false accusation from some disgruntled out-of-town interns/coworkers, his credentials were compromised and he was put on a watchlist after rumors began to circulate that he owned and operated a meth lab. Was basically barred from having an in-person occupation, or really any occupation that isn't anonymous. On top of that, he believes he's "hit the wall" prematurely, thinking he's too old, too controversial, and too out-of-touch to live an exciting and fulfilling life anymore.

These aren't finalized and I don't even know why I'm speaking like this when I'm regarding basically a crackfic, but uhhhh that was all from me

See you guys later when my brain starts hemorrhaging again teehee bye

[astronomyforastrologers]

2024 - A Year of Possibilities ~ 01 Dec 2023

2024 - A Year of Possibilities ~ 01 Dec 2023, Philip Sedgwick

Now that we’re in the final month of the Gregorian Year, it’s that time when Father Time and the holidays pile on with emotional interrogatives like: “How’d you do this last year? Any gold stars or meritorious awards to report? Why not proudly post your completed tasks list on social media?”

Maybe some new earbuds should be on your gift list to assist in blocking out nagging voices, both internal and external. It remains important to remember that the Sun inches toward solar maximum. This means more and more blasts of titillating solar intensity impact Earth as is happening today. The need to chill, have time for repose and connecting with nature top the list of soul-restorative processes during these energetic times.

Even with solar max approaching, 2024 offers heaps of potential. Consider that Jupiter and Uranus conjoin in Taurus on 21 April. All bets are off and all possibilities are on the table. Better to approach this transit with unassuming innocence. Uranus tends to show up presenting circumstances, conditions and opportunities that you’ve not been able to preconceive or imagine. Remaining open to anything certainly enhances the transit.

On 25 May, Jupiter bounds into Gemini. From then until June 2025, Jupiter engages, amplifies and embellishes galactic insight from quite an extensive collection of black holes in Gemini and Sagittarius, as well as aligning with the Great Attractor and Galactic Center. Innovative thought, inspirations, cosmic solutions to mundane problems abound and are free downloads for receptive humans.

Speaking of the Galactic Center, for all intents and purposes, Neptune in Pisces squares the galactic core for the entirety of next year. Inspiration, revelation and the not previously imagined being imagined are all part of provocative imaginings. The possibilities of new psychological and spiritual doctrines dropping from the heavens are endless. So too, with inventions, gizmos and an app to deal with all the apps and QR codes life forces upon a traveler.

Saturn’s transit in Pisces adds soothing balm to all emotional conditions. This is a softer placement for the massively ringed one. From this position he tends to empathize and assures that despite sensitivities, reactions and responses progress continues to unfold with determination and far-reaching vision.

And there’s another biggie too. Later in the year (19 November) Pluto leaves Capricorn behind and commits to obsessing over all things Aquarius uninterrupted for nearly two decades. Finally a shift away from pure plutocracy and all its manifestations into something a bit more comfortable for all of humankind. Bottom lines slowly migrate from “will it make any money?” to “what contributive difference is this going to make in the world?"

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus... now appearing in the form of transits that challenge sensibilities, stir status quo, and incite a soul to reach for and travel toward fulfillment of the incarnation in progress.

More soon to address capitalizing on Capricorn transits ahead!

While one might need astrological input and there’s so little time during year-end festivities, how about a discounted half-hour session to get you through and into next year? If you’d like to get a 30 minute session for $99.99 (save $34!), reach out by e-mail and we’ll get you set up. This offer lasts only until the solstice.

Of course you can also schedule a full session, or arrange a series of sessions. The links below lead to the ordering pages for consultations, the Galactic Report, the Galactic Trilogy and more!

One Stop Shopping Order Form Astrological Texts

[freyayuki]

Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia Dare to Defy Nyx I Shinryu Quest

The final Dare to Defy event, Dare to Defy -The Battles’ End-, just started in the Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia (DFFOO) mobile game. This is a global original event that features 21 Shinryu (level 300) or higher quests.

Sadly, the reason why this is the final or last Dare to Defy event is because DFFOO just announced that it will discontinue or end its service on February 29, 2024.

The end of service announcement news came as a shock. I talk more about that in another post, but I really wish the news wasn’t true. Wish the game wasn’t ending at all.

Dare to Defy -The Battles’ End- Information

According to the in-game news:

This final challenge features up to 21 quests and contains the bosses featured in Shinryu difficulty (or higher) quests from past story chapters and events as well as new Shinryu bosses, and requires Perfect clears with character restrictions!

Dare to Defy -The Battles’ End- is divided into 3 sets of 7 quests - Dare to Defy Astraeus, Dare to Defy Nyx, and Dare to Defy Eos.

But the character restrictions applies across all the quests. This means that if you use a char on 1 Dare to Defy quest, then you can’t use them anymore on the other fights in this event.

You can’t bring a friend support to these fights. Each quest needs to be Perfected (meaning get the score and all the other mission requirements on the same run) in order to get all the rewards.

All the chars are boosted in this event so each quest starts with the force gauge already charged to 50%.

Dare to Defy Nyx I Shinryu Quest

Cleared the Dare to Defy Nyx I Shinryu quest with Tifa Lockhart from Final Fantasy VII (#ad), Bartz Klauser from Final Fantasy V, and Jack Garland from Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin with Bahamut as my summon.

My Calls were Cid Raines's from Final Fantasy XIII, Raijin's from Final Fantasy VIII, and Lunafreya Nox Fleuret's from Final Fantasy XV.

Tifa and Bartz are as fully built and maxed out as they can possibly be. Jack Garland is fully built and maxed out too except he unfortunately doesn’t have access to the Force Board feature. This also means he doesn’t have access to the Force Echoes feature.

Bartz, Tifa, and Jack Garland are currently equipped with Level 5 of 5 Ultima Weapons.

Jack Garland, Tifa, and Bartz have 3 Crystal passives as well as the additional stats from the Yellow Crystal Room (for Tifa and Bartz) and the Blue Crystal Room (for Jack Garland).

Haven't fully completed the Yellow Crystal Room yet though so Tifa and Bartz don't have all the stats and passives from there.

Anyway, when the fight started, just had everyone setup their buffs and such while waiting for my force gauge to be fully charged.

The force gauge of the enemies hit 100% first so they got to go into their force time first.

Once my force gauge was fully charged, activated Jack Garland's FR. This canceled the force time of the enemies.

Then had Tifa and Bartz use their Force Echoes.

Afterwards, went into Tifa's Burst+ mode. By then have 8 turns of force time left, the HP damage bonus was at 587%, and the enemies were down to 82% and 78% HP.

By the time Tifa was about to cast Final Heaven, her finishing Burst+ move, have 2 turns of force time left, the HP damage bonus was at 999%, and the enemies were down to 38% and 44% HP.

Summoned Bahamut soon afterwards. Just had my chars use their skills and refresh their buffs and such while waiting for my force gauge to charge back to 100% again.

Soon, there was only one enemy left and he was down to 4% HP.

One of the enemies managed to deal some HP damage to Bartz and Jack. IIRC, made use of Lunafreya's regular Call to get them both back to full health.

Anyway, by the time my force gauge was finally fully charged again, the last enemy was down to 3% HP. Had Jack Garland activate his FR.

Tifa got the next turn. Had her spam her Battle Cry skill. This has instant turn rate so she kept on moving.

Soon, the last boss was down to 1% HP. It was Tifa who dealt the killing blow, ending the battle on turn 13.

Got the score and all the other mission requirements, which also got me the Perfect.

Conclusion

So, what about you? Which chars did you use to complete this Dare to Defy Shinryu quest? Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions by leaving a comment below or by reblogging or replying to this post.

Notes:

screenshots are from my Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia game account

[f1-birb]

There a was only about 3 laps where Lando had a theoretical window to pit and it was extremely marginal - like within a second. If he had done, the pit stop would have had to be completely perfect and even then, George would have just turned up his speed and closed the gap while Lando was in the pits. Everyone was going at least two seconds slower than they were capable of if not more. To be safe they would have had to have had around 26-27seconds gap which they never had at any point. It was not worth the risk of Lando coming out behind George and maybe even Max and not being able to get past. McLaren did exactly the right thing. People need to understand it is not as simple as “oh 21/22s gap, we’re good to pit now”. Lando had more chance of hustling Carlos into an unlikely mistake than McLaren didn’t making that pitstop work out.

that was the thing, it was so so marginal, and I get the whole "they would've come out ahead so nothing to lose" but you know damn well both Ferrari and Merc would've been watching Lando like a hawk to make sure that gap never came to a truly and easily feasible pit window

yes George was on mediums, as were Max and Lewis, so would've needed to manage tyres more if they wanted, what turned into technically, a no stop but they would've had full advantage when it came to the difficulty in overtaking

and tbh, I keep track of pit stop data, McLaren have not been setting the world on fire with them so far this season the way they had them nailed last year so I wouldn't have trusted it to be pulled off as perfectly as it would've needed to be if they did try it

[lbibliophile-sw]

Whumptober 2023 Masterpost

@whumptober-archive

And that's another year done! 31+ prompts, across 31 fills, in 31 days.

Badges:

Participant | Completionist | Secret achievement ('reluctant whumper' fill)

Statistics:

Characters The first year it's all been in the same fandom. Mostly clone-centric, but also a handful of Sith/Falling plotlines (including an AU I've had in the works for months).

Fox took the brunt as usual (15 fills, sorry Fox), with a few less common characters (Kix, Ima-Gun Di, Wolffe) or group/meta.

Format This year's fills were all written rather than art, totalling almost 6000 words across 17 drabbles, 8 ficlets (av 360w , max 660w), and 7 poems.

I also trialled a new system of posting drabbles as their own work on AO3, and was reminded that means finding 31 sets of tags...

Fills:

Day 1: Safety Net | Breaking Habits (A03) | drabble | Rex Day 2: “They don't care about you.” | Trust Fall (A03) | drabble | OC Day 3: “Make it stop.” | Good Commanders Follow Orders (A03) | ficlet: 430w | Fox & Zontal (OC) Day 4: Shock | Out of Clear Sky (A03) | ficlet: 660w | Fox Day 5: Pinned Down | Deal with the Devil (and the Devil is Winning) (A03) | ficlet: 415w | Fox & Palpatine

Day 6: “Do or die, you’ll never make me; Because the world will never take my heart.” | Raise Your Glass (A03) | poem: 190w | Clones Day 7: Radio Silence | “Can you hear me?” | On Mute | poem: 80 words | Fox [OC] Day 8: Outnumbered, “It’s all for nothing.” | Supernova (A03) | ficlet: 380w | Ima-Gun Di Day 9: Polaroid | Memories Caught in Amber (A03) | drabble | Rex Day 10: “You said you'd never leave.” | Missing You at My Side (A03) | drabble | Fives & Echo

Day 11: “All the lights going dark and my hope’s destroyed.” | The Tragedy of War (A03) | poem: 200w | Obi-wan Day 12: Red | Bloodgilt (A03) | drabble | Fox Day 14: “Feed me poison, fill me ‘till I drown.” | Fuel to his Addiction (A03) | drabble | Darth Vader Day 15: Suppressed Suffering | Business as Usual (A03) | drabble | Fox

Day 16: “Don’t go where I can’t follow.” | Guiding Lights (A03) | drabble | Fox & CG Day 17: “Leave me alone.” | RE: For Approval (A03) | drabble | Fox Day 18: “I tend to deflect when I’m feeling threatened.” | Need to Know Basis (A03) | drabble sequence: 600w | Fox Day 19: “I’ll take one final step, all you have to do is make me.” | Not Your Success Story (A03) | drabble | Dooku Day 20: “People don’t change people, time does.”, Found Family | Alternate Love Language (A03) | ficlet: 290w | Fox & batch

Day 21 : “See the chains around my feet.” | Until the Music Stops (A03) | drabble | Fox & Palpatine Day 24: “I’ve got a head full of chemicals; mouth full of ridicule.” | You Didn't Kill Him | poem: 80w | Darth Vader Day 25: “They’re not breathing!” | Forever Unanswered (A03) | poem: 120w | Fives & Fox Day 26: Working To Exhaustion | Decisions (A03) | drabble | Fox

Day 27: Scars | Markings (A03) | drabble | Wolffe Day 28: “You'll have to go through me.” | Mix & Match Clones (A03) | drabble | Clones Day 29: Troubled Past Resurfacing | Safety Briefing (A03) | drabble | Fox & Rex Day 30: “Not much longer...” | The Nightmare (A03) | drabble | Cody Day 31: Emptiness | Standard Procedure (A03) | ficlet: 490w | CG

Alt 2: Aftermath of Failure | Out of Time (AO3) | drabble | Kix Alt 5: Body Modification | Vader’s Miracle | poem: 45w | Vader Alt 15: Reluctant Whumper | Would Not, Could Not | poem: 60w | Vader & Obi-wan

[rapifessor]

Pokéchronology, Volume I: Yellow

Day 12

We're nearing the end of the first volume of Pokéchronology. I beat not just one, but two gyms today: the final two. Which just leaves the Elite Four, the Champion, and whatever postgame Pokémon Yellow has to offer. Depending on the level of grinding required, that could only be two or three more days.

I've been looking at what it will take to complete the Pokédex as well. Between my copy of Yellow and Crystal, it should be possible to obtain every Generation I Pokémon in both versions. However, due to some complexities, I can't do that while maintaining my save files on both. There are certain Pokémon that you can miss out on depending on your decisions in-game, which means I'd have to create new saves to get Pokémon I would otherwise miss. I don't particularly want to do that, so I'm looking into some alternatives.

With that preamble out of the way, I'll go over what happened today. Spoilers ahoy, obvs.

Sea Route 21

This is the final route before I complete the tour around Kanto and start revisiting areas to clean up and get ready for Victory Road. I've used my Thunderbolt TM on Holy now so I kept them in front to deal with most of the Water types I was being spammed with on the way up the route. I tried to give Mycoboss some action as well, since they were going to be my weapon against Sabrina's gym.

There's nothing really of note here, though I do have to give a shoutout to the guy who just has six Magikarp on his team. He's the only trainer outside of presumably the Elite Four and the Champion who has six Pokémon, and they're all just fucking Magikarp. What a chad.

The route ends back at Pallet Town, and I do a little battling in the patch of grass at the very end. There doesn't seem to be anything new in there though, just some Pidgey. I drop by my house to heal and get my items sorted. Maxed out the item storage again, so I tried to clean it up a bit but for some reason you can't get rid of items like the S.S. Ticket which are literally useless now. That was annoying, but I'll have to make do, I guess. I withdraw a couple of TMs that I can buy at the Celadon Department Store anyway so I can sell them.

After that I do a quick restock in Celadon, buying a bunch of Lemonades and selling those TMs before I have Pear Fly me to Saffron City.

Fighting Dojo

Before challenging the gym I just have one thing I need to do, which is challenge the Fighting Dojo. I could have done this much earlier as the trainers inside only have their Pokémon at level 30 or so, but I figured I would deal with it when I challenged Sabrina. Holy plows through essentially the whole dojo with raw Special, and earns me a Hitmonchan, who I name Star Plat. If you're looking for a strong Fighting type, Hitmonchan isn't a bad way to go since they learn Fire, Ice, and Thunder Punch, which gives them great type coverage and their stats are arguably better than Hitmonlee. Hitmonlee has higher Attack, but most of the moves they learn don't have 100% accuracy, which REALLY sucks.

I don't really have a need for a Fighting type on my team though, and getting Star Plat. up to speed would take some time anyway. So I won't be using them, and I head straight for Saffron Gym instead.

Saffron Gym

It's basically just a teleporter maze like the Silph Building was, though much less complex thanks to its single floor and nine rooms. The trainers here have a variety of Pokémon, but as you'd expect they're mostly Psychic types. I brought out Miles to deal with the occasional Ghost type and Prinzessin for the few Poison types that I encountered.

Now, Sabrina's fight is kind of gimmicky. She has three Pokémon, all level 50: Abra, Kadabra, and Alakazam. My strategy here was to tank up Mycoboss with a full set of X Specials, because the Abra line has extremely high Special and I can't rely on not being explicitly weak to Psychic to tank attacks. This would enable Mycoboss, with their high Attack stat, to decimate Sabrina's team with Leech Life.

That didn't stop Sabrina from throwing a wrench into my plans though. The only move her Abra seems to know is Flash, which isn't very threatening but it does reduce your accuracy. No matter, I still manage to land the Leech Life and take out Abra with one attack.

Sabrina's other Pokémon aren't much different. Mycoboss took substantial damage at one point during the battle, but easily healed it back. I pretty much just spammed Leech Life until it managed to connect, because all of her Pokémon faint to a single hit. Yeah, the Abra line's HP and Defense stats are literally fucking garbage. The textbook definition of a glass cannon. That's why a move with only 20 Base Power, albeit 2x effective and on a 'mon with a pretty good Attack stat, is able to OHKO them.

So I got the TM for Psywave and beat another gym. But why stop there? I could go straight to the final gym from there, and it didn't take long to beat Sabrina so I might as well.

Viridian Gym

Here it is, the final gym. Humorously, one of the least threatening. The trainers here use a lot of different Pokémon though, not most of which are Ground type. There were a lot of Fighting types actually. But because they have low Special and Holy is a decent Special attacker, they all pretty much get wiped out by Ice Beam or Surf.

By the way, this gym has a sort of maze thing going on too, where you have to take a specific route to get to the end. Beyond that there isn't much really to say, you can pick up a Revive here I guess but otherwise it's pretty standard without much of a gimmick to it. I will say the layout is fairly interesting, and the trainers themselves to physically block you from taking certain routes.

On to Giovanni. He's back once again, stronger than ever. Well, as strong as a trainer whose team is mostly Ground type can be, anyway. That said, he opens the battle with a level 50 Dugtrio, who's faster than Holy and OHKO's them with Fissure. Figures, the ONE TIME I actually get hit with a 30% accuracy OHKO move, it's on Holy who I was going to use to sweep most of Giovanni's team. So much for that, I guess.

Good thing I have two Water types on my team. Out goes Ominous, who drains most of Dugtrio's HP in one Bubble Beam. They survive to get in a cheeky Sand Attack before Ominous finishes them off with a Bite. The next Pokémon is Persian, who I figure Prinzessin is the best match for. They do some pretty heavy damage though, and of course Persian knows Slash so Prinzessin takes a ton of damage and I can't keep her in for a second turn.

Maybe Mycoboss can take a hit. Well, yes, they can, but there's no way they're outspeeding Persian, so keeping them in seems like a bad move as well. I decide that Miles is my best bet, aiming for raw Special and Speed stats. Fortunately, Persian decides not to do anything meaningful on the turn I bring out Miles, so he gets to knock it out with a single Psychic.

Up next is Giovanni's own Nidoqueen, who again decides to do something useless as I nearly OHKO her with another Psychic. I have Miles use Confusion to finish the job. Nidoking is very similar. Which just leaves Rhydon. They miss their Rock Slide, leaving Miles to clean them up and win me the battle.

It was a decently fun fight, although it might just have been because I didn't get to use Holy thanks to some RNG bullshit. Either way, I'm glad Giovanni put up a bit more of a fight than Blaine and Sabrina. He gives me the TM for that silly move Fissure, and with all eight gym badges in hand, I close things out for the day.

One thing I haven't done yet is play at the Rocket Game Corner. I'm not sure it'll be of much use to me, but I know there are a couple of TMs you can only obtain from there. I'll probably give it a go just to see what it's all about, though I'm not expecting much besides a very basic die roll of a gambling minigame.

Then it's off to Victory Road, where I intend to train before I make my move for the championship.

[russilton]

I'm beginning to remember why I took a huge step back from F1 socials. Mercedes fans either downright dismissing George's achievements or saying that GR needs to ruin his race to help Lewis? They just don't seem to register that GR has to run his own race and that Lewis is in charge of his own too? Now only Lewis has pressure. Like George doesn't either. Seems like Lewis fans just want a pushover of a teammate for him, and not one that challenges him, and works with him to figure out what the team needs to fix the car.

A lot of people only got into F1 in 2020, at the height of his dominance, in a legend of a car with a teammate who didn’t challenge him often. It’s easy to dismiss a driver in another team getting past yours as the car. It’s harder with one in the same car as yours, see the strife of certain Ferrari fans, and it’s not aided by pundits that will talk entirely out of their ass because it’s controversial to compare drivers of different teams, and easy to pit teammates against one another.

It isn’t a bad thing to only get into f1 during quarantine, I MYSELF only joined this basket case of a sport at the beginning of that season. But it has bred a lot of fans who want Lewis to win without working for it because watching him have to pull out all his skills is new and can be anxiety inducing. But is a detriment to Lewis, frankly. Lewis is talented, Lewis driving at his full skill level is so hot it’s burning.

A talented teammate not only pushes him it HELPS him. Merc have two insanely skilled drivers developing their car TOGETHER, and by both of them being talented it means they can support each other, rather than what started to happen at the beginning of 21 where Val lost his footing and confidence, and Lewis didn’t have help holding off max. It’s easy to turn on people you don’t like when facing a crisis of confidence in your team, especially when the fact is “that’s just how it is sometimes” isn’t very comforting, and you can get a little by pinning any difference in strategy as “preferential”. Drivers choose their set ups, not each others, and the tow is a Merc staple but some act like they are the last act of the end times.

I can’t make people like George, he’s everyone’s east target. But I do, and I take it as a compliment to Lewis that the driver he has helped guide and is proud of, is doing well. George doing well doesn’t hurt Lewis more than Lewis doing well hurts George. Win as a team lose as a team.

And again, this is why you need to curate the shit out of your experience. I don’t follow people who don’t like both Lewis and George, or at least aren’t RESPECTFUL about George. I don’t look at social media comments. And I don’t touch F1 twitter with a 10ft pole.

[rummyinfo]

Point Rummy Rules - How To Play Points Rummy

What is Points Rummy?

Points Rummy is a single-deal game and players play for points. Points rummy is a popular variant of the traditional rummy card game, played with a standard deck of 52 cards. The entertaining rummy game is typically played between 2 to 6 players, and the objective is to score the least number of points. In Points rummy, players play for a pre-decided monetary value, and each game is played for one round only. At the end of the game, the winner takes the entire pot of money. The chip value can be pre-decided and the winner wins all the chips/cash at the end of the game, i.e. on the declaration of a valid show. Thus the winning comprises the sum total of points of all the opponents multiplied by the pre-determined value of the points in rupees minus the rake. Thus, Winnings = (Sum of all points that opponents get) X (Rupee value of the point) – Rake.

Points Rummy Rules for Joker

Only one deal is done for each points rummy game in the rummy universe.

Value of points is pre-fixed at the start of the game.

An amount equivalent to 80 points is brought in by each player.

Thus, the maximum required amount that the player gets to the table would be three times the point value for that game. For e.g. if players decide Rs.1 as the pre-set value of a point, the amount to get to the table would be 80 (max point) x Rs.1 x 3 times = Rs. 240.

If the cash balance available in the player’s account is less than the maximum required, i.e. 3 times the point value, then the player will sit on the game table with the closest possible point multiple i.e. either 2x or 1x times the Point value with x being the point value.

Players who wish to drop out of the game before they play their turn (draw their first card) tend to go out as First Drop, which will be 20 points.

Players who play their first turn or number of turns (draw and discard) and wish to drop out of the game at a stage earlier than the game show is called by any player and are referred to as Middle Drop. Here, the player will get 40 points.

Players who fail to meld any card when a show is called are referred to as Full Count. In this case, such a player will get 80 points.

First-Hand Show: The declaration of a show when made by any player during the first round of turn’ after the beginning of the game is called ‘First Hand Show’. For this, the player receives 40 Points.

In First-Hand Show, actual points of melds or 80 points, whichever is lower, will be calculated for players who have played their first turn. Point calculations for players who have not yet played their first turn will be, actual calculated points of melds or 40 points whichever is lower.

For a 13 Card game, a total of 9 jokers are used, they are, 2 Printed Jokers and 7 wild Card Jokers. For a 21 Card game, a total of 15 jokers are used, 2 Printed Jokers and 7 wild Card Jokers, 6 Value card jokers.

Players need to make 2 Life or Sequence:

One mandatory Pure Life (Straight sequence without any Joker) else it will be considered full count.

One more mandatory Life with or without a Joker card.

Other than the two mandatory sequences, the other cards can be melded into sequences or sets of 3 or 4 or 5 cards. Another additional Pure Life can be made but is not mandatory.

The player who calls for a valid show gets 0 points; other players get points that are a total of the deadwood/idle (not used in valid runs or sets) cards that they hold.

The penalty for leaving the table is a Full Count, which is 80 points. The equivalent of 80 points in Rupees (as predetermined) will be deducted.

Auto Play will commence play in case you are disconnected during the gameplay. The amount of turns autoplay will be applicable is defined under How to Play rummy --> "Auto Play Rules".

The winning player gets Reward Amount = Total Points of all Losing Players X Points Value – Rake.

At multiple stages during an ongoing rummy game, all players playing the game get the option to quit from the next deal/round. On selecting the 'Do not deal next game' check box, the game will not be dealt for the next round by default. Thus, the player can safely quit a table without incurring a penalty.

[castirongame]

Character creation

There are no set classes in Cast Iron, so creating a character really just comes down to selecting your Stats/Skills, talent, and equipment.

Before going into character creation, try to envision a basic concept of who you’ll be playing. Are they a stalwart swordsman or a cunning rogue? A humble sage or a shrewd diplomat? A skilled surgeon or a street performer? Your concept should help inform you as to where you should prioritize your Stats and Skills.

Step 1: Selecting Your Stats

Stats are representative of your character’s physical and mental potential, separate from any sort of precise training or formal tutelage. However-many points you’ve invested in a Stat determines how many ten sided dice you roll during checks that use said Stat, with more dice allowing for a higher number of potential Triumphs. 

Example: Greg’s character needs to lift a box full of delicious, nutritious potatoes, and he has 3 points in his Strength Stat. Greg rolls 3 eight sided dice, which come up as a 2, a 6, and a 8, meaning Greg’s character gets one Triumph, enough to lift the moderately heavy box. Also, because Greg rolled a 8 on one of the dice, he may roll an additional dice for his check, which comes up as a 4, netting him no extra successes.

During character creation, you have 21 points to split up among your seven Stats, with each attribute starting at a 1 and maxing out at 10.

Step 2: Calculating Your Stamina and Wounds Threshold

Calculating your Stamina and Wounds requires some simple math. See the Stamina and Wounds section for more details.

As a rule of thumb, creatures of a smaller size tend to have lower Stamina and Wounds Threshold, and creatures of a larger size tend to have more. GMs should see the Size Categories section for more details.

Part 3: Selecting Your Skills

Skills represent training and expertise in a given subject, whether that be swordsmanship to scholarly pursuits. However many points you’ve invested in a Skill allows you to Bump up the resulting numbers on your dice during a check that involves said Skill, meaning even low or average rolls can potentially become Triumphs. While higher Stats allow for a higher number of possible Triumphs, higher Skills allow for more consistent success. 

Skills are rated on a scale of 0-10, with most starting characters having a rating of 4 or higher in important Skills. You have 21 points to spend on an assortment of skills, with each skill capping at 10 points. Consider your character’s life experience or profession (if they have one) when selecting these.

Example: Going back to Greg’s character and the box of potatoes; let’s say Greg’s character has quite a bit of experience carrying heavy loads, and knows proper positioning and lifting technique, represented by a 4 in their Athletics Skill. The numbers Greg rolled in the prior example could be bumped up using the character’s Skill. Greg puts 2 points of Athletics into the 6 he rolled, turning it into a non-natural 8, with 2 point of Athletics left over, not enough to turn the 2 he rolled into a third Triumph. 

While certain Skills are commonly used alongside particular Stat, you can offer your GM creative combinations to work in your favor, so long as you can explain the rationale behind such a combo. For instance, while the Lore skill is commonly used alongside the Intelligence Stat, and the Entertain Skill is commonly used alongside the Charisma Stat, taking part in a public debate may involve using uncommon combinations like Intelligence(Entertainment) or Charisma(Lore).

See Stats & Skills for a listing and description of the available Skills.

Part 4: Selecting Your talent

Talents are abilities that can help to specialize your character into a particular role in the party by giving them an additional boost to a particular Stat(Skill) combo. See the talents section for more details.

Part 5: Selecting Your Equipment

Your equipment is the weapons, armor, and miscellaneous items you'll be using to overcome adversity. Though it may seem heroic to charge into battle naked as the day you were born and with nothing but your fists to fight with, this is an inadvisable strategy in most situations, so be sure to pick up equipment that'll be of use to your character.

During character creation, you may select sixteen pieces of equipment (items, armor, weapons, etc).

(It’s recommended that you take common clothing, a bedroll, a coin pouch, and a backpack as four of your ten items)

What's next?

If you've done these five steps, you should be ready to start your adventure, at least from a purely mechanical standpoint. take some time to flush out your character's backstory, relationships, and goals.