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#it feels like its going to be a huge gamble
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i love the genre of art click bait thats literally just "dont draw bad"
also i hate how the clothes? on the right are drawn like just draw her naked at that point
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clueless1995 · 8 months
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god hearing ads for true crime podcasts is bad enough but the ones where they use audio/dramatised audio of people screaming or crying on the phone to emergency services are so fucking evil what is wrong with you people
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gibbearish · 4 months
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btw the way you curb the "worlds most enticing button" urge is to give into it by feeding it red herrings. filter a few boring tags and a few tags for things that are dumb/funny so that the button isnt always as enticing, sometimes its just holding some post abt characters you dont care abt. and sometimes it is a fun surprise and that satisfies the beast enough that the actually upsetting ones arent as enticing either
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hiddenbeks · 5 months
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so many thoughts abt how schewpid the jedi council is in kotor but also not sure if i should write abt any of them before i finish the game because it's entirely possible that i'm still missing some critical information,
#el plays kotor#blease blacklist that tag if u dont wanna see kotor spoiler stuff from me as i play the game#feels silly to warn abt spoilers for such an old game but. i only found out abt [redacted] a couple yrs ago#completely by accident. it didnt ruin my desire to finish the game and see how the story goes#but still. it did change the whole experience. and what if there r others out there who dont know yet. so. KOTOR SPOILERS AHEAD !!!!!#so anyway i was thinking. why would the jedi council send revan to find the star maps. when they strongly suspect that#the search for the maps was what corrupted revan and malak in the first place???#im assuming they want their new totally-not-revan padawan to succeed and stop malak????#and yet?? they didnt think to consider the possibility of revan falling to the dark side Again during this quest????#love how the jedi archivist/historian says the 'those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it' thing#and im just thinking. so true bestie. you should take your own advice maybe. lol. lmao even#like yes they've brainwashed revan but what makes them so confident that amnesiac revan won't go down the same path as before#wouldn't that be more likely even. because. revan does not remember their history.#and since they don't remember their history... they have nothing to learn from... and thus... could repeat their mistakes...#ok wait i just remembered that the historian gives amnesiac revan a lecture abt what revan and malak did#so yes they do get a history lesson to keep in mind and to learn something from.#but its still so...... the council has no way of being certain their master plan will succeed... they are taking a huge gamble here...#and sure capturing revan without wiping their mind was probably not an option to the council#bc revan would have simply refused to cooperate i guess. much easier to mold an empty mind :)#wow wow wow i hate the jedi order actually. yes the sith do these things too and also their color scheme is dark and thus they r Evil#but when the jedi with their light earthy tones do it its ok. because they are servants of the light. guardians of justice or whatev. sigh#also the council repeatedly warns revan abt the dangers of the dark side n how the force is so strong in revan n they need to be careful#and that they are 'willful and headstrong'. qualities that are potentially dangerous for a jedi to have. because Emotion Bad#and still the council just goes 'the warning signs are there but we have elected to ignore them :) surely it will be fine this time :)' ???#i think i need to stop thinking abt this its giving me psychic damage#there Must be something later down the line that makes this decision make sense. they cant be this stupif
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steviebears · 2 years
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That's My Girl
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SYNOPSIS: Being Steve's ex was not easy, especially now that you are with "freak Eddie". Steve regrets how he treated you and wants you back.
GENRE: angst, fluff
"Max, I haven't been to a party since I broke up with Steve. What if I forget how to... I don't know, be human?" The redhead snorts and rolls her eyes at you. You sigh and look back in the mirror, holding two dresses up to yourself.
"Go with the black." she says in reference to the tight black dress you've held up.
"Yeah?"
"Wear it with your leather jacket." She suggests, nodding her head to the coat rack. You nodded and slipped on the dress.
"What if Steve is there?" You ask worryingly, making eye contact through the mirror.
"Just be normal, he'll be normal too." You bit your lip. Would he? He didn't take the breakup very well at first.
-
You stand near the hallway, bored out of your mind. You never realized how much you relied on Steve to be social. He's been sneaking glances at you all night. It turns into genuine staring, and just as you're about to leave from being so uncomfortable, a certain someone burst through the door. Eddie "the freak" Munson. You didn't think this was his scene, in fact you knew it wasn't.
He enters with his arms fully out, stepping in theatrically.
"Well well well, all of Hawkins finest all in one place! I must be so lucky to have been invited." He says making eye contact with one of the cheerleaders who had clearly invited him as a joke. A few people shout out insults that seem to bounce right off of him. He chuckles and starts to walk past, but catches a look at you and hangs behind.
"Y/n? Didn't think this was your scene." he says with a sly look. You had a few classes with Eddie last year, you got along quite well.
"Could say the same about you, Munson." You say, taking a sip from your red solo cup. You look over and catch Steve staring. He looks away quickly, but not quick enough to miss Eddie's gaze. You shut your eyes a sigh. He notices you displeased reaction and takes a gamble.
"You know, I never thought he was the right guy for you." He says, looking at the teen and his great hair.
"Yeah, well. I certainly am not the right girl for him." You take another drink. Your relationship with Steve was great when it started. You had great chemistry and cared about each other. But soon, he became distracted. He missed phone calls, bailed out of dates and seemed disinterested in you overall. All because he never got over Nancy. Once the initial attraction to you wore off all he was left with was his love for Nancy. You weren't stupid, so you realized and dumped him. He was clearly still in denial of it himself, insisting he didn't love her. But you knew it was true.
"If it's any consolation, you've always been my dream girl." He confesses with a chuckle. Your eyes widen and blush creeps its way to your face.
"No way, really?" You questions with an incredulous look. He nodded with a smile.
"Had a huge crush on you last year." He looks relieved but nervous about his sudden confession and he fakes a cough.
"Me too." You return his feeling. He steps closer to you.
"I was going to ask you out, but then you got together with the hair." You pursed your lips and frowned a bit, looking down to your feet.
"how about we get you a drink?" You offer.
"I'd rather share yours." He says, gently taking you cup from your hands and taking a sip. You smile wide.
That was the start of your relationship with Eddie. Soon enough you moved in together and were having the time of your lives together, falling deeper in love with one another each day. He made you feel like the only girl in the world.
-
"When I saw her at that party, I don't know something inside of me just fell into place. And I knew I had to get her back." Steve says with a sigh as Robin hoists herself atop the counter.
"So? Get her back then."
"She's with Eddie now." He whines rubbing his face.
"No shit, Eddie Munson?" He nods and slides down the counter. Robin raises her eyebrows and shakes her head.
"I don't know what to do. Something about her Robin, I just can't let her go. I can't believe how stupid I was." Robin turns to him, curious.
"Stupid?" He nods again.
"Stupid. She gave me everything and I mean, I was still in love with Nancy. And she totally knew it so she dumped me. Didn't realize what I had til' it was gone." Robin gives a sympathetic look to him.
The door rings as two people step in; you and Eddie. You give a smile to robin and a little wave, meanwhile Eddie gives a polite and tight lipped grin to Steve. Steve doesn't miss the way Eddie's grip on your waist tightens when he sees him.
Steve cannot keep his eyes off of you. The way you giggle when Eddie seemingly suggests a stupid movie, the way you hit his shoulder playfully when he teases you. That should be him. He misses you.
Eddie settles behind you with his chin leaning on your forehead, arms wrapped around you while you browse the horror collection. The jealousy hit's Steve's heart hard, and Eddie notices. Eddie looks over to see Steve staring and he doesn't hesitate to send a glare back. Normally Eddie would be very civil with his partner's ex, but after knowing how Steve treated you and made you feel he couldn't play nice, especially not when he looked at you the way he did.
Steve looks away and to Robin who was looking very uncomfortable with the tension, tension you were entirely unaware of. Steve gets frustrated from seeing you looking utterly in love with each other and leaves to the back.
-
You tried to convince Eddie to go to your friend's birthday party but to no avail. As much as he loved you he really didn't feel like listening to the name calling today. You understood, of course, and decided to just go without him. He helped you pick out your outfit (not without him feeling you up) and you drove off, looking forward to seeing the friends you hadn't seen since graduation. You knew Steve would be there but it didnt bother you very much. You were sure he wouldn't say much more than a greeting.
The staring begun again, and Steve couldn't stand to see you without him. So without warning, he pulls you to the side.
"Oh. Hey Steve."
"I can't stand it anymore."You cock your head to the side and raise an eyebrow questioningly.
"Please Y/n, just hear me out. I just need you to hear what I have to say." You rub your arm, feeling on the spot. You nod at him to continue.
"I know I fucked up, trust me I know. But I just don't want to be without you anymore. Just let me show you I love you." He pleads, looking straight into you.
"Steve, stop being ridiculous. I have a boyfriend." You scoff, turning to walk away before you are stopped by Steve blocking your path.
"I know. And I don't-" He sighs and pinches his nosebridge.
"I don't care. Just one night, that's all I ask. Just one night to let me show you how much I love you. I need you in my arms again." His voice breaks to a whisper. You couldn't believe the disrespect Steve just showed your relationship. To think he could ask you to cheat on Eddie and just switch back to him was frankly insulting. So your face morphs to a genuine frown and your eyebrows furrow before your hand swiftly slaps the the side of Steve's face, harder than you meant to.
"Fuck you Steve." You spit, turning around to exit the now silent party. He tries to stop you from leaving, grabbing your arm and telling you,
"It was never Nancy, Y/n. It's always been you." His sudden confession has you feeling feelings you had when you were with Steve. Feelings of always being the second choice. Feeling like your own partner didn't love you. You couldn't help but let the tears of frustration for your younger self spill and you slammed the door in Steve's face.
-
"Hey, princess. How'd it go?" You just sigh and hug him, starting to feel your eyes well up again. Once he heard your sniffling his eyes widened and hugged you tighter, holding your head in his chest.
"What happened baby?" His low voice soothes you. You take a deep breath.
"Steve was there." Eddie leans back, wanting to see your face. His heart hurts at the sight of your red eyes.
"What the hell did he do?" He can't help but start to get heated, his desire to protect you taking over.
"He- I don't know. It doesn't matter, it was stupid." He can tell you're holding back. He doesn't have to say anything more, only looking at you with the softest of looks until you tell him.
"He asked me to cheat on you, with him. Something about showing me his love." Eddie is furious, but more than that, frustrated and sad for you.
"Are you being serious, I swear to fuck I'll-"
"I took care of it." You assure him. He couldn't help but smile. How could he think even for a second you wouldn't?
"I slapped him, harder than I thought and I think I made it pretty clear I wasn't interested." You say with stern tone. He grins wide and proud, pulling you into his arms.
"That's my girl."
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moonstruckme · 4 days
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ok i have a request/idea: gf reader on tour supporting bf rockstar!sirius but she starts to feel homesick being on the road for so long <33333 just feel like sirius would be so comforting and caring
I feel the same babe! Thank you for requesting <3
rockstar!Sirius x fem!reader ♡ 1.4k words
Even after months on tour, you don’t understand why rockstars need to smoke indoors. You’ve found a corner of refuge in the stranger’s house, siphoning fresh air from an open window, but you feel for James, grinning and bearing it while he talks to another band that performed tonight and makes nice with groupies while showing off pictures of his girlfriend back home. 
Part of you is still a bit awestruck that you get to go to these things, another part equally mystified at how routine it’s come to feel. During the first several nights of the tour, you’d been endlessly dazzled by the wealth you were suddenly surrounded with, the vibrancy of the people around you, the novelty of it all. The world had suddenly become so much larger, and everywhere you and the boys went everyone wanted to talk to them, buy you all drinks, invite you to parties and afterparties and after-afterparties. 
Sirius bears it beautifully, like this was always his destiny—in a lot of ways, you imagine it was—but sometimes when the two of you are alone he’ll confess to still feeling giddy that he and his friends have made it this big. You wonder if it’ll ever feel normal for him, the hugeness of it. You can tell by now that it never will for you. 
You’re still very impressed by the glamor of touring, you still have a good time on these nights out, but lately you’ve started to feel the distance between where you are and your real life. It’s almost as if before you could feel something invisible connecting you to home and, somewhere along on the road, it severed without you noticing. Now it just feels like a phantom limb, and when you try to recall the scent of you and Sirius’ kitchen or mime the way you have to jimmy your key to unlock the front door, you can’t manage it. 
You’re still thinking of the scent of your kitchen when it sidles up next to you. 
“You smell like garlic,” you tell Sirius, not without fondness. 
“God, it’s that potent, is it?” Your boyfriend’s tone speaks to a chagrin entirely unlike him, and he corroborates its falsity by caging you in his arms and touching his cheek to yours. You don’t mind, as he knew you wouldn’t. “I was given a choice, gorgeous, and I took a gamble.” 
“Mm. What was that?” 
“Do you want to get out of here?” 
You turn in his arms, tangling your fingers behind his back so you’re holding him as he is you. People start to give you a bit of berth, as one does for couples at parties, and selfishly you enjoy it. 
Touring is non-stop motion, a blur of people and places and sounds, and you miss the slow, quiet moments you and Sirius used to have more of. You’re with him all the time, but it doesn’t always feel like it. It hardly feels like you’re with yourself. Not his fault, not anyone’s, but not ideal. 
“It’s hardly one,” you say. 
“Which means” —he drops his lips to your eyebrow, speaking loudly to be heard over the music but just soft enough to have goosebumps skittering down your arms— “the fast food places will be closing in an hour. Fancy some grease, my love?” 
You tilt your chin up, pecking him on the lips. Truly, you don’t mind the garlic as much as you suppose you ought to. “Sure, let’s go.” 
Getting to the door is a melee, several people stopping you to try and pull Sirius back into conversation or ask if you’re going to the next party and such-and-such’s place in a couple hours, but when you do make it out the noise deadens and the air tastes clean. 
It’s a pleasant night, just cool enough to raise the hair on your arms and refresh your energy. Somewhere above you, the moon is hidden behind clouds, but still it’s bright enough that it casts a silvery glow in the areas not lit by streetlights. 
You make it a few paces down the block before Sirius is fisting his hand in the material of your shirt, spinning you around to face him. 
“Have I told you how stunning you look tonight?” 
Only thrice between the hotel and when he went on stage. “No.” 
“Liar,” he says lovingly, leaning in to give you a kiss. 
You expect from his mood for it to be hot and indelicate, and you’d hardly have complained, but he closes his lips around yours softly. His hand loosens on your front, coasting upwards to cup your cheek, sweet and savoring. 
“Garlic knots,” he says as he pulls back. 
You’re unjustifiably breathless. “Hm?” 
“That was the choice I had to make. One of Ricky’s friends heated up garlic knots, and I wagered you’d prefer kissing someone who tasted like garlic over someone who tasted like cigarettes.” 
“It’s not just someone.” You grin at him, turning and taking his hand to keep walking. “I’ll always prefer kissing you. I would’ve done it either way, you know.” 
You can hear Sirius’ smile in his voice, your favorite sound. “Yeah, but I chose right, didn’t I?” 
“You did,” you confirm, and he gives your hand a triumphant squeeze. “I have no idea where I’m going, by the way. I don’t know why I took the lead.” 
He hums. “Do you ever think you might have one of those honing instincts? Like, the way bees are to their hive, that’s how you are with fast food. My honeybee,” he says it drawn out and extra saccharine, knowing you’ll hate it, and laughs when you let go of his hand and make to walk away from him. 
Sirius grabs for your hand back, tugging you close enough to get his arm around your shoulders and pulling you into his side. You don’t put up much resistance. 
“You’re spot on, sweetheart,” he says. “I clocked a McDonald’s just a few streets down when we were driving here.” 
A buzz of excitement goes through you. “Why are you so keen on McDonald’s all of a sudden?” Sirius is as happy with fast food as the rest of you, but you know he’s been enjoying the lavish meals the boys’ new manager pays for and having room service sent up at your hotel. “We can always have that at home.” 
“You’ve been talking about milkshakes for a couple of days now,” he says, “and you’re getting quiet. I recognize that mood. I missed home last summer, too.” 
“Really?” This is the boys' first big tour—they’ve already been on a shorter, less grandiose one you hadn’t come along for—but it’s hard for you to picture Sirius ever not enjoying it. He’s not someone who sets down roots, and with the way he talks about where he grew up you’ve never thought of him as getting particularly nostalgic for any sort of place. “I figured you’d feel most at home wherever James and Remus are.” 
“Yeah, but we’d left you behind. I was torn in two, gorgeous.” Sirius’ tone is doing that weird thing where it’s teasing but not. You can hear the sincerity lining his words. He mashes a kiss into the side of your head. “Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t feeling well?” 
“Because.” You take his hand where it’s draped over your shoulder, your fingertips dancing in between his own. “It’s not the sort of mood I’d like to give into if I can help it, and I’d rather be here with you than at home anyways, so it’s pointless. There was nothing you could do, baby.” 
“Well, that’s where you’re wrong.” Sirius gives your fingers a playful squeeze. “You should always assume there’s something I can do, haven’t we been over this? Right now, I can get my girl a milkshake and some fries, and then I was thinking we could go find a park to eat them.” 
That sounds so unbelievably nice. You turn your head to smile at him, and find he’s already looking at you with a similar expression.
“And if more things come up that would make you feel better, I can try to make those happen. How does that sound, lovely girl?” 
You steal a kiss to his cheek, but Sirius doesn’t let you get away with just that, stopping to hold you in place so he can peck you properly on the lips. The neon sign of the McDonalds is close enough now to cast you in its glow. 
“You woo me more every day, do you know that?” 
“Yes, well,” says Sirius, wrapping his arm around you again to lead you the rest of the way, “I do have to prove myself better than home somehow, don’t I?”
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ghouljams · 11 months
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My brain does weird things. Anyways, I think Love would steal Liebling’s seed (assuming she didn’t throw it out) and plant it for her. That just seems like a very Love thing to do.
This is really dubiously canon... Love had sticky fingers and her luck finally runs out, or does it?
You stare at the sprout pushing its way out of the dirt in your little terracotta pot. You spritz it with water, and watch the leaves curl happily. Like fingers.
"Hey Si?" You call over your shoulder. You've made some... well you hesitate to call them bad, but questionable decisions in your life. Usually your luck carries you through, but you think it may be running out on this particular gamble.
Simon hums from the couch, half listening as he sketches the monarch wing you'd found into your journal. You don't know if this is really worth his attention. You don't really know what it is. You sort of... stole it.
"Is it stealing if it was technically trash?" You ask, without really thinking. Simon's sketching stops, and he turns to look over the back of the couch.
"What did you steal?"
"Weird seed the bestie didn't want." You poke one of the leaves, letting it wrap around your finger. That gets Simon's attention. He's quick to get off the couch and over to you, pulling your finger out of the plant's grip.
"Christ Love, is that what you've been nursing all week?" Simon looks over your hand with concern, you nod until he kisses your palm giving it the all clear.
"What is it?" You poke Simon's cheek to get your hand back. He lets you go to pick up the pot and inspect the new growth.
"No clue," he tells you, "did, uh- shit-"
"Lieb."
"Works well enough," Simon pokes at the plant, watching the leaves move, "Did she tell you want it was?" You shake your head. He pinches a leaf between his fingers, inspecting it. "Doesn't look dangerous."
"Then I'll keep watering it." Simon shakes his head but settled the pot back on the windowsill.
"We'll keep an eye on it."
"We?" Simon flashes you half a smile, you return it in full force, "I love when we do stupid stuff together."
-
You don't know how long it's supposed to take flowers to grow, or even how they're supposed to grow, but it feels like this is going really weird.
You stare at the giant flower bud that's blossomed in your little terracotta pot. It sort of reminds you of a cabbage. It feels like a rose when you pet it, the petals under your fingers silky and soft. You don't know quite what to do with it. Simon sets a cup of tea next to your head where you're resting it against the windowsill.
"Looking good Love," You hum at the kiss he presses against the top of your head, "How's the cabbage?"
"She's fine, still overgrown and weird." You sit up, grabbing your mug and letting Simon take over the daily plant inspection.
"Doesn't look deadly yet."
"Yet."
"Yet," he agrees. You both sip your morning cup and stare at your poor decision making skills.
"You haven't put any magic in it to make it big." You confirm for the thousandth time.
"Not a drop, gardener must've dreamt this up." He reminds you, also for the thousandth time.
"Maybe we can enter it in a gardening fair or-"
Simon yanks you away from the bud as the petals quiver and bloom. You're very quickly put behind your very tense partner, forced to look around him at whatever is going on. You've never seen a flower open up that fast, but you think gravity must be doing the lions share of work. The actual rose is huge, far bigger than the bud would've suggested, and heavy enough to finally break the little pot it had been growing in.
Simon is faster than you, grabbing the flower as it's weight causes it to tumble off the windowsill. You tense, your breath caught as you wait for him to do anything, move any muscle.
"What? What is it?" You whisper after too long a moment without a breath.
"I don't-" He mumbles, catching the end of his sentence behind his teeth so he can curse, "Shit."
You peak over his shoulder, hoping you won't see your weird plant smashed to bits. Instead you stare down at a baby. The smallest thing you've ever seen cradled gently in Simon's arms, blinking big brown eyes and white lashes up at both of you. Your heart swells.
"Holy shit," you breath, watching it yawn and wiggle in its rose petal wrap. It's perfect little nose scrunches with the motion and you need a second to adjust to how cute that is. "Did we do that?" You press closer against Simon's back, and reach to stroke your fingers over the downy hair on the baby's head, "I mean she's got your eyes, it's gotta be-"
"I don't know," Simon mumbles.
"Well what are we supposed to-"
"I don't know!" He snaps, and you finally look at him. At the absolutely confusion and concern dripping from his eyes and rolling down his cheeks. You've never seen him cry before, well not like this at least.
"Give her to me," You tell him, sitting back and holding your arms out, he looks unsure. "Please Simon," you soften the ask, pulling a tether so he knows you're sure. He's so careful, if a little clumsy. You have to adjust his hold as he's passing the infant to you and it seems like he's watching the way you shift her in your arms for his own reference later. You hold the baby close against your chest, feeling that strange comfortable purr rise in your throat as she blinks her big eyes closed.
"What the fuck do we do?" Simon whisper yells at you.
"Call Soap right the fuck now and text Lieb that I'm gonna fucking kill her," you coo at the dozing baby in your arms. Simon nod and scrambles to find both your phones.
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evelmiina · 8 months
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Love your work! I wanted to ask what your process is like when it comes to coming up with a design/composition to a piece? Do you have any specific methods you use or it is more improvised:)? Thanks!
I'd say both - method and improvisation. To me all pictures are basically shapes organized in a pleasing way. Even when I draw lines I think more about overall shapes together and how I feel about them. There's a lot to consider about design and composition, some pretty smart books on the subject are Marcus Mateu-Mestre: Framed Ink and Hans Bacher: Vision - color and composition for film. I'm still learning all the time and I make mistakes but I think method to making composition comes down to: readability and narrative intention, moving from simplicity to complex. But it's also fun and important to play around and see what works, that's why my process is not always the same and I can show some examples. Here are the sketches and final I did for my Magic card illustration:
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This is my go-to method when I want to rely on tried and true process and I know I won't get lost once I start drawing/painting because I can rely on my steps. I don't always do things this way, but for paid work I want the client to have as clear idea of my intention as possible. The reasoning why 3 worked the best is because it's more dynamic and dimensional than 2, but more readable than 1. It also best showcases how the tower is supposed to be huge, something that was important for the design.
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This on the other hand was personal work and I approached it in more relaxed way just to see where it goes. Still I think what made me want to finish it is I liked the variety of shapes and rhythm of the room, like how the screens lead towards the doorway, lot of rectangles but varied in their size and angle. If it was client work I probably would've been called out in the sketch, because the focal point is this empty wall that makes no sense. I came up with the idea of shadow of a window while making it and in the end it worked, but it was an example how I made a big design problem for myself that I was gambling on to figure out.
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This one had very specifically just one photo reference, but I did the sketch to put down the essentials of what I was seeing in the photo. In the end I referenced dog's face and pose more from the photo so it looks more natural, which was also funnier than my own initial interpretation
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Sometimes the initial comp just doesn't pan out exactly. I did the sketch for this Unicorn fanart and I even drew the interior at some point, but it just Did Not Work for me, I also discarded the idea of medieval dragon in the statue for same reason. So it sat in my folder for a while until I could look at it again and after taking a break, I still liked the statue and the general idea, but decided to make the surroundings easier to look at so that the statue stands out better.
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When I did the sketch for this dragon I wanted it to feel big and heavy, like lifting its head from the ground. But I didn't want to do vertical picture which lead me to painting over digitally and extending the picture, then painting the whole thing traditionally anyway.
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thegoober010 · 3 months
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DATES PART 1
I had this little idea to post head canons of the obey me bros for some reason so... let's do it >:)! So this is gonna be on like date ideas head canons like where they would be taking you!
Gender neutral reader <3!! Btw requests are open!! I would really appreciate some lol.
TW/CW -> none! Just pure fluff :D!!
characters included -> Lucifer, Mammon, Leviathan, Asmodeous
Part 2 will include the other brothers and Part 3 will include the undateables/side-characters (besides Luke obv) <3!
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"Oh baby I am a wreck when I'm without you"
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Lucifer
Lucifer I feel like would be the type to take you out on romantic dinners in fancy restaurants when he has the time. Since he is usually so busy with his duties and trying to please Diavolo (even though he usually is and just wants him to take a damn break for once.) he doesn't really take you out on dates (unless he sees the opportunity to, like when they were trying to find that illegal gambling spot in the carnival and he takes you onto the ferris wheel) but when he does trust me they are the most romantic dates ever. He gives you so much attention and takes you to the most fancy and known places for a good dinner. He tells you to not worry about the price since he will be paying for everything so that you don't waste a dime. He enjoys seeing your wide smile as you dig into the most delicious meals. Of course he does not only take you out on dinners, he also enjoys to take you out on small walks with Cerberus. If you ask very nicely you can even walk him, but he makes sure to help guide you so that you don't get pulled by him and lose control of him.
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Mammon
Mammon really enjoys taking you out on dates, nothing too fancy but also nothing too wild. He would take you on the occasional dinner for the first few but later it would be something more simple like taking you out to the park or to go gamble a bit, you usually help keep him in check if he does start gambling a bit too much, which at first annoys him but after you two leave the casino he appreciates it (because if he continued then he would've probably lost all the money he had just won.) You two also do many movie date nights, usually he chooses the movie but every once in a while you choose. (don't expect him to choose any horror movies btw we all know this mf is a HUGE scaredy-cat, he doesn't mind if you choose a horror movie but don't expect him to be quiet this mf will YELL at every little noise and probably get you both in trouble for being so loud)
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Leviathan
Don't expect much from this otaku! The most fancy thing you'll get is a restaurant in an anime convention. He doesn't really like the idea of very fancy dates, he enjoys being more casual, of course he does want to impress you after all he wants to prove himself worthy of your love, since he's rather insecure he wants to prove himself in different ways but bringing you on a super fancy date is not one of them, he thinks you'd probably be more impressed by his epic gaming skills or something. He probably takes you out to many anime conventions and you two usually have lots of fun cosplaying or just going in casual outfits! But usually Levi makes you both cosplay characters you both relate to or are together! Other types of dates I feel like he'd do are gaming dates or anime binging dates where you both just hang out normally with some take-out or something of that sort with you two, you're both cuddling in bed (he's definitely a little spoon no one can tell me otherwise this mf cannot handle physical touch well so he prefers when you're the big spoon instead of him its more comfortable) and you're both gaming or you're both binge watching some new anime or reading manga together! That's a good enough date for him and hopefully you too!
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Asmodeous
Asmodeous's dates include mainly self-care! He loves taking you out on spa dates or to the sauna! He makes sure to pay for all of it and after that he usually takes you out to shop at the mall, both of you getting everything you want and trying out new clothing! When you two don't leave the house though usually the dates you two do are in his room practicing self-care whether that be some new skincare, make-up looks, resting up, and showering/bathing together, if it's self-care related he'll do it with you, it's your own little dates! He's also very open to new date ideas though he's not all just about self-care he loves shopping dates but also movie dates, or well they're more like show dates? Instead of movies you two usually binge-watch fashion shows or bad reality tv! I feel like he really enjoys bad reality tv usually the romance ones/dating shows
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Arthur Morgan Headcannons
I just wanted to write some headcannons, about Arthur, literally anything, I don't care what it is exactly so that's what you're getting.
Some of the headcannons might be a bit more oriented towards a female reader, but not all, I myself am a woman, so, I'll more than likely put some in.
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Arthur Morgan is a man who will gladly enjoy any person, regardless of size, but let's be real, I think he has a bit of a soft spot for bigger women. Chunky or thicc, he likes 'em
He thinks that with more there, there's more for him to grab and less of a chance that he'll break something when he's with you, whether it's in a bit more intimate situation, or even when he's just giving you a small hug or kiss.
Arthur is extremely observant. He pays attention to the things you like, and he is literally always on top of doing the things you like or buying you whatever will make you smile. 
If he finds out how much you like his voice? Uses it against you, because he doesn’t want to torture you, but he does want to see you riled up. 
You like how warm he is? He’ll always be watching to see when you get cold, and the moment you do he’s right behind you with his arms around your waist. 
Arthur has a SEVERE gambling addiction. You thought his smoking was bad? He plays poker almost every single night that he’s in camp, and sometimes it’s a blessing and others it’s a curse. He can go rounds at a time, winning each one, but as soon as he has one bad round, they all go bad, but he’s never willing to give up until you make him, and by the end of the ordeal he’s lost more money than made. 
He also has a huge ego problem, obviously he’s mentally ill and he’s depressed with who he is as a person, and he doesn’t think very highly of himself, but the moment you manage to boost his ego, that little swagger walk of his that you so dearly love grows more confident. 
Hell, sometimes even you just saying good morning can change his whole mood, and he’ll even be nice to other people in camp when he usually only tolerates them.
Arthur has this thing, that when he leaves camp for a certain amount of time, anything that’ll be longer than a day really, but usually when its about a week of being away. He’ll come back to camp, make a beeline for you, and whisper only loud enough for you to hear “Can you be quiet for me while I fuck you or do I have to take you outta camp?” 
And thus, you are prepared, obviously.
He’s like a dog in heat, mainly because he hadn’t been with anyone in so long and after a while he’d stopped going after working girls. No one had really made his body react like you did, so it never became a problem until he got with you. 
He draws you all the time, obviously he draws, he’s got a whole sketchbook dedicated to it, but he draws you almost any chance he can. Not because he’s some corny “I love you more than life itself” kind of person, which, he is, but because he thinks that out of everyone in camp you are the most fun to draw, your features are just more entertaining and enjoyable to make out with a pencil.
Arthur loves to eat good food, and while Pearson does a decent job it’s not exactly what he would consider gourmet food, so whenever he gets the chance to try new food, or get good food at least, he’ll splurge the money. The only reason he hasn’t gotten completely fat, though he is a little on the chubbier side, which you absolutely love, and think is hot as hell, is because of all the work he does for the gang.
He calls you all kinds of nicknames and pays attention to the ones that get the biggest reaction out of you. 
He’s found that Princess does a particularly great job at getting a rouse out of you, but he’s also found that if he says it in his normal tone it doesn’t have the same effect, he has to lower his voice for it to work the way he wants it too. 
Darlin’ and Sweetheart have about the same effect, although Darlin’ seems to make you feel a little more for him in serious situations. 
Sugar makes you go beet red in the face, and he’s figured out that one is another one he can lower his voice for. 
Honey is one that he thinks you like, but he also thinks you’re a little neutral on it. Sometimes it works, other times you just don’t seem to care that much. You’ll answer to it, but that’s about all.
Good Girl, or My Girl, regardless of tone, but especially when lowered, always gets you messed up and he knows it, which is exactly why he waits until you’re at the fire surrounded by the gang to whisper it in your ear. 
On the other hand, you have only a few nicknames for him.
Cowboy, it’s tried and true, describes him, basically to a Tee, although Outlaw works better. 
Honey, again, a neutral one. 
You are the only person, and I mean, only person he allows to call him Pretty Boy, if anyone else tries it they’re liable to find a knife beneath their neck.
Big Boy will send him skyrocketing, his face will flare so hard his ears will turn red and he’ll start stuttering over his words like a newborn calf stumbling on its legs. 
Good Boy will really get him motivated and usually if you say it to him in public, he has to excuse himself until he gets rid of his problem. 
You hate to admit it, because you know it’s bad for him, but you think that when he smokes cigarettes, he’s at one of his hottest points. When he finds this out, he makes it his goal to smoke more around you.
Occasionally he’ll wait until you wake up and walk out of his tent shirtless and lean against the wooden poles to smoke, and he’ll send a smirk your way, that he knows you like. 
When you start to share his tent together, he does the same thing, however, rather than getting up he just simply leans over you and grabs the smokes, he’ll light a match against the wagon and puff away with his hands behind his head. 
His absolute favorite thing to do is smack you on the ass and run away, he thinks it’s the absolute funniest thing ever to watch you chase him, he’s got longer legs, so it’s easier to stay away from you. 
He also loves it when you wear his hat, however, if you do, he’s going to use it as an excuse to take you to the tent. 
If you get him drunk, first off, I’m sorry, second off, you better have a leash. He’s a lot happier drunk, he likes to sing and talk, and he compliments everyone, but he also likes to stumble around and go adventure, and if you don’t keep a good eye on him he’s liable to mount up on his horse, albeit slowly, and then make his way into the nearest town to cause mayhem.
Do not let him drink with John, because rather than being a fun loving drunk he will start trying to fight John and then the night is ruined for everyone. 
He also gets more handsy when he drinks, he was already handsy before, but now, when he’s drunk and he couldn’t care less about what people thought about him, he was going to touch wherever he wanted on you. 
Your stomach? He’s got his arms around it.
Your ass? Being grabbed any time he’s walking, or stumbling rather, with you. 
Tits? Regardless of gender? They have been honked at least twice. 
He will kiss you, if it’s on the lips or on the neck, that is anyone’s gamble. 
He’ll even talk dirty to you, and not quietly like he would if he was sober, he’ll do it for everyone in camp to hear, and the only way to shut him up is to either kiss him or somehow drag all two hundred and forty pounds of him into his tent. 
All in all Arthur Morgan is Arthur Morgan and if you make the decision to be his you better be ready to deal with it.
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deke-rivers-1957 · 2 months
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Kid Galahad Review
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In a rare departure from the "Elvis-vehicle" formula, Elvis doesn't have black hair and isn't shoved in our faces with every scene. To be specific we go back to Loving You where, despite being billed as the star, Elvis isn't entirely the focus. This movie was made by United Artists who had a different idea on how to work with Elvis. A formula wasn't entirely perfected, so studios outside of Paramount still felt that Elvis had the range to be more than just a comedic singer.
Unfortunately, compared to the huge success of Blue Hawaii, Kid Galahad seemed to have been swept under the rug and forgotten. Colonel Parker saw this as a sign that the people have spoken and Elvis as a real actor wasn't meant to be. The "failure" of Kid Galahad officially ended any hopes of prioritizing good story telling over soundtracks. Were the doubters correct in saying Elvis flew too close to the sun? Or were the powers that be simply too harsh to pull the plug on Elvis' acting dreams? Let's find out.
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We immediately get our first song. "King of the Whole Wide World" is a pretty jazzy opening song. There's a swinging brass band. As weird as it is to have this play over a truck, we have no reason to believe this isn't an instrumental on the radio. At the same time when we do have a close up of him singing, you can tell the lip-synching isn't that great. I have no idea why a recently discharged soldier wouldn't have any indication of rank. It feels like an afterthought on that front. It's nit-picky but I don't get the concept of including a detail like that and not following through with it.
So we get introduced to Walter Gulick and he's looking for work as we get introduced to Cream Valley, New York. We get introduced to the people of Grogan's Gaelic Gardens. Just in this first interaction, I get personality. I already understand why Dolly is the way she is when she says she's Willy's fiancee. For once an Elvis character being southern is explained in the story. Despite being born in that small town, Walter's parents died when he was young so he had to be raised by family in Kentucky. There's no reason to go into further detail because the story doesn't need it. A perfect balance between establishing a character and moving the story along.
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So we get introduced to Willy Grogan. Just by Gig Young's acting I 100% believe that he's this deadbeat business owner who likes to gamble his money away. Given the history of organized crime's involvement in boxing and in New York period, I totally get why this is included. The mob wants its money and never appreciates someone like him not being able to pay. Naturally when he can't pay for his car, the mob takes it away. This forces Willy to embarrass himself by having to lift a ride from the grocery store's delivery truck.
He meets Walter and immediately assumes that Dolly is having an affair. This introduces the concept of Willy being so insecure about his relationship with her, that he assumes every other man has bad intentions. Walter offers up his "skills" as a boxer until he could meet with the owner of the mechanic's garage. We get more depth on the mob's involvement with Willy's camp. Turns out Willy was a witness to a crime so the boss has his lackeys hang around the camp so Willy doesn't talk. I admit even after multiple watches I don't fully understand everything that was said about this. I won't take points off for this since you still get the idea that the mob's putting Willy in a sticky situation that can't be easily resolved.
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This scene works so well despite not being all that grand or climatic. We have a lot of subtlety here. That's something a lot of movies lack. We don't get a lot of characters trying to explain something the audience already knows. Even when we pan down and see Walter's trainer Lew limping, we don't get this song and dance about why that happened. Everything's explained just by watching the movie and taking in the character's expressions. Meanwhile, we get introduced to Willy's sister who looks so much younger than him. Age gaps in siblings exist but it's still an odd casting choice. Turns out she's infinitively more responsible as she has to keep bailing Willy out of financial trouble.
This is the best acting Elvis can ever do. Basic instinct requires you to duck or in some way react when you see a fist coming at your face. A human being not having that ability or even reacting to the pain of being hit simply wouldn't live long. I have no idea how you can teach someone how to consciously control an automatic response. So to see Walter constantly get hit and not have any reaction or protect his face in anyway is just incredible. We also get some nice comedy that was supposedly ad-libbed where Walter's only priority is his five dollars. The fake blood is obvious but because it's meant to be just quickly wiped off it doesn't take away from the overall quality of the movie.
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Throughout this scene we get the boxers singing "This Is Living". I love this song. It's not because the song is uniquely written but in the context of this movie, it's just so perfectly intertwined with the story. For once Elvis isn't the main singer. The backup artists do most of the work for this scene and it works so well because these boxers have their own group. Walter isn't exactly part of them yet so there's no reason for him to intrude. It isn't until Joey invites him to sing that he joins in when necessary. Moments like this where we let the side characters and even Elvis just be are what make some of his movies better than others. It's letting these characters be people and not plot devices that allow you to feel something for Walter. Heck none of these boxers, including Joey, really do that much in the story. But they don't need to because just by watching Walter interact with them, we get the idea that they mean something to him. They make him feel included and give him a sense of belonging.
This image of Walter looking at Joey is a nice example of non-verbal acting being able to say more. There's a palpable tension until Joey makes a joke that assures Walter no ill will exists. I love that because they could've easily made Joey the cliched rival who gets all salty that he's no longer the best. Joey isn't jealous of Walter at all and if anything is just in awe of his natural power. He's written to be a real person instead of merely a plot device to foil Walter. So many small details like this add up to being a sign the movie had effort put into it.
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So Willy wants to sign Walter to be part of his camp and Lew explains why this is obviously a bad idea. Walter boxing the way he does makes no sense to me. If he had experience boxing in the military, he had to have learned how to block. That's literally the first thing you learn so you don't get hurt. I can understand if this was any other cliched boxing movies where Walter has skill but isn't polished, but that's not the issue. Walter doesn't know how to use the most basic defensive technique. Lew explaining all of this makes perfect sense because any trainer would look at Walter's technique and just groan. Even if Walter has this insane ability to not respond to being hit, that doesn't mean he's immune to head injuries.
A confrontation happens off screen and Walter knocks out a lackey. Turns out he was hitting on Dolly and Walter stepped in. You would think this would lead to a cliched love triangle where Dolly ends up falling in love with Walter. But they don't as there's nothing to suggest she's falling in love or that he has any feelings for her. A nice twist that even the original movie used. Willy is of course jealous that Walter protected Dolly but if anything it speaks to his character that he's also mad at Dolly for not coming to him. Lew and Maynard, the cook, find that one of Otto's lackey's had a gun on him. Turns out Otto had so little trust in Willy, that he's ordered his lackeys to carry weapons. You can clearly put together that if Willy talked, they will kill him.
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We get a nice blink and you'll miss it of Lew holding a poster about an actual boxing match that happened in the 1920s. I love the real life references to boxers and boxing history. It shows that the creative team did their research. People who know about boxing would know about John L. Sullivan and Jack Dempsey. Details like this add color to a movie and shows that effort was put into building this world.
I love the car that Walter and Lew find. Walter feeling this need to spruce it up no matter what it'll take is so wholesome. Lew even being in this garage with Walter and supporting his decision to do this is also wholesome. When has an Elvis movie ever had this much of a focus on his character having actual friends? It rarely happens because of concerns that they'll take the focus away from him. Here giving Walter friends, makes Walter shine even more. A good person doesn't have to be boring and by giving Walter multiple relationships with people it gives him depth.
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When Rose arrives in Cream Valley, Willy shows just how terrible of a person he is. Despite her being a grown woman, Willy treats her like a child. Like she's still so young and green that she couldn't possibly help him. I don't know if it's out of male pride or if he genuinely believes she can't do it. Even when Dolly comes downstairs he doesn't dare introduce her as his fiancee. And the reason why: He didn't think she could handle such a scandalous relationship. By modern standards this would be completely ridiculous as someone Rose's age would likely have learned at least something about sex one way or another. Even the concept of Willy and Dolly living together despite not being married by modern standards is a nothing-burger. But because it's the 1960s Dolly of course is upset as even back then what Willy is doing is a bit much and if anything makes him a hypocrite. He claims to protect his sister from degenerates, yet by those same standards is also one by having relations with Dolly before marriage.
Walter meets Rose and I immediately support this pairing. The soft focus on the close up works so well. Just by watching them interact you buy the love at first sight cliche. Walter looks smitten and you can tell she appreciates him too. This immediately foils how Willy sees Rose. He sees her as if she's still a child and shouldn't dare start dating anyone. Walter however, sees her as a woman. He's attracted to her, but because he respects her as an equal he doesn't force himself on her.
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Everyone's character works so well. Lew is a classic New York tough love type of guy. He doesn't hand Walter things on a silver platter but he still believes in ensuring Walter gets his fair share. Lew makes for a great foil to Willy. Lew has morals and isn't willing to let Walter get hurt because Willy just wants to make a few bucks. He's just so supportive of Walter where at times he looks like a proud mom.
The scene of Walter riding his now repaired Model T demonstrates that. They have to travel to Albany, New York for his first fight and since Willy's car was repossessed they have to take the antique. Lew can just keep to himself but he's so proud of Walter. "Riding the Rainbow" works well in the context of the movie. Walter sings along with the radio and it's such a natural thing to do while you drive long distances.
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I love this face. The fact that Walter is just staring at his opponent with a blank expression is just gold. The promoter calling him lamb eyes is such a fitting nickname. It's like how some animals just don't know they're about to die. That's Walter as he's trying to comprehend the severity of the situation and is failing miserably. I have no idea if Elvis was told to look like that but it ultimately doesn't matter as it's just so fitting. Walter had never been in a professional fight before so naturally that would be overwhelming.
In spite of Walter's terrible defensive abilities, he manages to win. Everyone is stunned by this ability but now there's no doubt about his ability to win. While Muhammed Ali was renowned for the "rope a dope" method, Walter still adds a layer of complexity by not blocking. Walter not being able to register getting hit is an unteachable skill that can lead to him being very successful. And he is as he begins to go on a winning streak. He makes it up to the championship fight slated to take place around Labor Day.
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Walter returns to Cream Valley where it's the 4th of July celebration. Maynard had put Dolly up to supervising his corned beef. Now obviously that's a traditionally Irish product but I admit this is the first time I've heard of people eating it for the 4th of July. If there's any Irish Americans in New York or in general out there let me know if this is a thing. Me personally I would've just went with making it St. Patrick's Day. Even though it's in March, it's not that farfetched to have a warm spring. Plus you give Walter more time to train as opposed to just giving him one summer to take on a fighter who's likely trained for years.
Walter meanwhile starts getting really close with Rose. He serenades her with "Home Is Where The Heart Is" and I love this ballad. You can tell that sparks are starting to fly. We do get a funny moment where Walter gets annoyed about being interrupted. He was about to kiss Rose then just goes "whaaaa" when Lew asks him how they're going to get to the picnic. I just love small moments like this where it doesn't mean anything in the long run, but when put together makes for an entertaining movie.
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This is how you do multiple songs in a short period of time correctly. I don't care that we just had a song not even five minutes ago because both songs adequately fit into the scene. This is a 4th of July picnic so naturally there's going to be music involved. "I Got Lucky" isn't a typical ballad he uses for serenading his girl. What adds to the natural feeling of this scene is if you look closely Walter crosses his eyes near the end of the song and it makes Rose smile and almost start laughing. It wasn't intended to happen, but it wouldn't have mattered if she did laugh. If anything it would give her a nice character moment by laughing along to Walter being cheesy. Couples do things like this all the time and it helps you see these two as real people.
So the young couple start walking and talk about Walter's upcoming fight. Despite having different opinions about it, Rose understands why Walter is doing it. We don't get this cliche disagreement induced breakup where we don't see her again until the climax. I like that. It shows that this couple is fully supportive of each other even if they don't agree on decisions being made. Walter isn't doing this as his permanent job. As much as he's friends with the people in Willy's camp, Walter is using boxing as a means to get what he really wants. Walter doesn't need to learn some type of lesson and I'm glad the movie doesn't want to add drama about them not agreeing about his decision to box.
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Walter is an underrated feminist icon. Because feminism is about treating women as equals. Walter doesn't ignore Rose's opinions. Even if they don't agree about him fighting against Sugar Boy, he completely understands why she feels that way. He isn't using her as a tool to spite Willy. Walter wants to get married because she wants to get married. It's a mutual decision made by two fully consenting adults. "WE DECIDED TO GET MARRIED" is the most important line in their relationship. Rose doesn't have a big role but at the same time she doesn't need to. She represents why Walter's nickname is Galahad. Walter is a gentleman who respects women as an equal. This is a relationship based on a young couple's mutual feelings of attraction. She is another piece of the puzzle that makes up Walter's forever home. That's something he's always wanted and is why he came back to Cream Valley. We have a high amount of respect for Walter because he's aware of his exploitation and isn't going to let Willy disrespect him or Rose. Naturally Willy is furious but Dolly comes to Walter's defense. After all, Walter at least has the guts to maintain his commitment to his relationship which she's obviously referencing to something Willy doesn't have.
Things get even worse for Willy as the pressure against him mounts. The Chamber of Commerce for Cream Valley and Otto's mob have differing beliefs on who should win. For the Chamber of Commerce, of course they want Walter to win. It's a middle of nowhere town nobody wants to call home, Walter winning would be a big boost to their economy. This is where the exploitation really starts. Walter's body is being sold because people are now going to Willy's camp and paying just to watch Walter train. Otto's mob is equally exploitive but in a different way. Otto had recently "adopted" Sugar Boy so they're now sponsoring him. Naturally Otto would want Sugar Boy to win and for Willy to encourage Walter to take a dive. With Willy in all of this debt to them, he doesn't have a lot of options.
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Willy and Dolly's relationship is completely on the rocks. Despite the image above, Dolly is furious. The cliche breakup I mentioned earlier still doesn't exist here. It's a cliche when the drama happens out of nowhere and doesn't reflect the actual character's emotions. Dolly here has been getting frustrated with Willy since before the movie started. Despite stating exactly why she's upset numerous times before this incident, Willy somehow completely misses the point. While Dolly was upset about him gambling his money away, his lack of commitment in her eyes is much much worse.
Watching Walter and Rose get it together despite not being a couple for even a year, was the last straw. There's a difference between waiting to get married because you don't have the money for a wedding and waiting to get married because you have no desire to get married. If you're someone's fiancee for years and have heard nothing about starting any wedding plans, that's a red flag. She shouldn't be expected to wait multiple years for Willy to get it together. He's stringing her along and for all she knows he could never want to marry her. That's a horrible thing to do to someone who is committed to a potential marriage. So she finally leaves Willy and sends him to rock bottom.
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The backstory behind "A Whistling Tune" is interesting. Originally it was supposed to be used for Follow That Dream. For one reason or another it was dropped and instead was used here. I'm glad that choice was made. You can argue the songs don't add anything to the movie, but I would highly disagree. The songs' meanings are SUBTLE. Watching Walter and Rose simply be together as they walk to the church is meaningful. You need scenes like this to show that this is a couple that is content with the small things. You are allowing them to exist as people and not as a means to an end because it's an Elvis film and he always gets the girl. Good writing means allowing a couple to have chemistry exist outside of "they're together because the script says so". We need to see why they should be together because otherwise they're not people and therefore un-relatable.
This couple talking with Father Higgins is just incredible. We find out that they've been together for months. So many people complain that they've only known each other for a few days. NO THAT'S NOT THE CASE! Walter's been training over the course of months because if you actually pay attention, it was 4th of July and they wanted his fight against Sugar Boy to be during the Labor Day weekend (for non-Americans that's the 1st Monday of September). They've known each other even before that, but the background is a terrible determination of how time has past. But ultimately, Father Higgins priority was that the young couple was committed to a marriage. They make a great foil to Dolly and Willy's relationship. Walter and Rose know what they want and are willing to support the other if they want something different. That's the type of beautiful, healthy relationship that I wish a lot of people have.
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The pressure on Walter mounts as everyone is watching him train. Joey comes back from Boston and I love their relationship. Despite not doing that much, watching them interact gives them both depth. Joey could've easily been a throwaway character that we never see again after he left for Boston. Him coming back was a great move on the writers. It reflects how Walter is more than just a potential cash cow to the town. He's actually well respected even amongst other boxers at the camp. Dare I say these people are his family. Just watching Walter light up when he sees Joey come back is enough to say that these two are good friends.
I love the representation of different cultures. This is supposed to be New York which is the melting pot of America. Ellis Island had only been closed for less than 10 years so it makes perfect sense to have a multi-cultural community. All of the cultures represented in this movie accurately reflect the real life boxing world. Boxing was really a form of exploitation of impoverished minorities. I'll skip the history lesson, but in the US Irish immigrants were in fact considered to be a minority because of their religion. So as a way to make money they would put their bodies at risk by boxing as even with the rules in place, boxers can still get hurt and even die. It was a risk they took because they knew if they were good enough, people would sponsor them. It's a sad reality that still exists and I'm glad that the movie doesn't shy away from how exploitive it can be by Walter outright saying he wants to quit once he wins. I also appreciate how in spite of the ill will that would've very much still existed amongst older generations of immigrants, everyone gets along. Mr. Lieberman and Father Higgins do get in a back and forth regarding the top boxers in their day, but nothing comes from it. They might not agree but they get along because they both love the sport and want to support Walter.
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Lew and Maynard talk about Willy's relationship with Dolly. I'm not entirely sure on what to make of Willy going to Lieberman's to try to get her back. She left in the first place because he wouldn't stop gambling and showed no commitment to getting married even after a few years. Maybe there's a part of his character that I missed, but it doesn't really make sense for him to want her back knowing he hasn't changed his mind about marriage. It's nice to see though that we have side characters being allowed to talk without Elvis even being in the room. It's moments like this that make it feel like a real movie in place of an Elvis vehicle.
Maynard leaves the room as Otto and his men come in. Since Lew is responsible for patching up Walter during a fight, they pay him $500 to not show up. Given the amount of money at stake, Otto wants to see Walter lose by being too injured to fight because he was slated to be a favorite. Despite knowing what would happen to him if he refuses, Lew outright says "No!" and rejects the money. Lew is a king for this. He knew by being in the business for so long, that saying no to a mob boss will lead to consequences but he did he anyway. He got his hands broken by some of Otto's lackeys, but to him it didn't matter. Money isn't worth Walter being in an unnecessary amount of pain to Lew. But being injured himself is worth it if it means that plan doesn't go through.
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This scene had a King Creole level of tension. The whole fight scene makes you feel like someone might die. It's so incredible to see a fight scene break out and an Elvis character isn't immediately involved. Willy and Lew have a relationship that's lasted for years and we get to see that Willy has a heart. Lew isn't just an employee who didn't fall in line. Lew is his friend who very much risked his life to make sure Walter didn't get hurt anymore than necessary. Seeing him still try to fight despite the horrific injuries to his hands is incredible. It shows that even though he's badly injured, he isn't going to cower in fear.
Seeing Walter come rushing down to save Willy and Lew doesn't necessarily add anything to his character. We already know that even if Willy is treating him like a lamb being fed to wolves, Walter will still stand up for him. So why is this so important? Because it shows that Willy is finally able to swallow his pride about Walter marrying his sister. Willy sees for himself that Walter doesn't have ill will towards him. He didn't help to specifically prove himself, but because it was the right thing to do. Seeing Walter look down at a bloody Willy makes him realize that Walter is good enough. He could've been petty about their argument but he wasn't. And that's what made Willy realize he was wrong. Such a beautiful character moment that didn't have to be verbalized.
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We get more development on Willy's plot and while it still doesn't justify him being so overprotective, it at least gives him some depth. It keeps him from being completely irredeemable as a person. Seeing him and the people in Walter's camp emphasize that it's not worth killing himself just to win is beautiful. I love this example of non-toxic masculinity. Walter isn't responsible for making sure people win their bets. All Walter's responsible for is doing his best. The money is nice and is a motivation for Walter, but that doesn't mean he should try to go beyond what he's capable of. It's a good lesson to teach young boys as we still sadly live in a world where men feel pressured to put everything on their shoulders.
We get to see Sugar Boy and despite his involvement with Otto I don't hate him. Sugar Boy is antagonist but he's not at all a villain. He's just as much of a victim of boxing's exploitive nature as Walter is. The sad reality is that unlike Walter, Sugar Boy not being fluent in English would make escaping it even more difficult. I can't fault Sugar Boy for taking this path as we don't even know how aware he is of Otto's plan. So when Otto's lackey shows up to try to "make Walter bleed" Willy shows his true colors by making sure it failed. He took out the saboteur and had some of Otto's men apprehended. With it being a public event, Otto would be trapped from making a scene. That's what makes Willy redeemable. When given the opportunity to do the right thing he does it.
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With Walter none the wiser he walks into surprisingly non-segregated crowd. This wasn't the only one either and given that segregated crowds were still practiced when this movie came out in some parts of the country, it's very refreshing to see. We get a name drop of Elvis' boxing trainer, Mushy Callahan who was a very famous Jewish boxer. I love how they don't parade him around for the movie yet still feel the need to honor him. The ensuing fight is intense but the fake blood here is a bit of a distraction. It doesn't completely kill the immersion though since Elvis is sweating up a storm. In fact he's so over zealous that Mushy had to drag him away from Sugar Boy after the bell rang. It was an ad-lib on Elvis' part that if anything works beautifully with how a competitive fight would be. It's so lovely to see everyone Walter has gotten to know be here to support him. You don't care about logistics of whether he should've won a fight because you understand the emotion behind him winning. When he does win, and everyone erupts into cheers and applause, it feels real. You feel that there's a connection between him and the rest of Cream Valley's residents outside of just money. They bet on him because they believed in him.
The ending goes by too fast for my liking. While Otto's lackeys get caught, we have no idea what happens to Otto himself. If they had simply shown him try to leave but get caught by the security guard, we can at least put it together that he'll be punished. Also since Sugar Boy lost, you feel bad because you have no idea what Otto might do to him if he did get away with it. Dolly coming back to Willy is strange as Willy has shown me nothing to suggest he changed his mind about marriage. I get that he did go over to Lieberman's to try to win Dolly back, but I feel like it could've been done better. Walter doesn't even get to talk to Rose. He just kisses her as we get a reprise of "I got Lucky" before fading to black. Given the run time, I think you can afford another 5 minutes if not less to wrap things up.
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My criticisms can be written off as nit-picky and simply be a matter of creative differences. That's how good this movie is. If we were to rate movies independently of other movies that came out and the economic situation of Elvis fans, I have no idea how the higher ups can look at this movie's "lack of success" as a failure. I can go on forever about this, but Colonel Parker and the higher ups in Hollywood were wrong to consider this a failure when compared to Blue Hawaii. This isn't a copy and paste version of every other boxing movie out there. It isn't even a copy and paste version of the original Kid Galahad made in 1937. Are there similarities? Yes but there are enough differences that to me makes it above a generic movie.
Is this a perfect film? No but it very well could be in other people's eyes. This movie can very easily be the perfect movie and is a great example of how a movie doesn't have to be Citizen Kane or The Godfather level big to be good. It's also a great example of how a smaller level story doesn't mean shallow. Therefore, I'm giving Kid Galahad my highest rating so far of 9.5/10. I highly recommend watching this movie. It doesn't matter if you're an Elvis fan or not, it's just such a nice story. Simply saying it's a movie about an army vet becoming a boxer and finding love, doesn't do it justice. There's so much depth to even the side characters that you can feel the care put into this movie. A real treat if you want the best of both worlds when movie watching.
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AN: Thank you @arrolyn1114 for requesting this movie. If anyone wants to request a movie I haven't already reviewed feel free to send them in.
Tagging: @smokeymountainboy, @peaceloveelvis, @mercsandmonsters, @vintagepresley, @eapep, @tacozebra051, @hooked-on-elvis, @dragonkingsdaughter, @i-r-i-n-a-a, @presleyenterprise, @m5t1ld5, @huhhhhsthings, @tupelomiss, @atleastpleasetelephone, @sissylittlefeather, @sfull12345, @jhoneybees, @mitsyscoolplayhouse, @sillybookmarks and @alienelvisobsession.
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the-travelling-witch · 8 months
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𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐋 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐋
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summary: mammon might have been assigned to watch over you as the exchange student, but in return, you were assigned to watch over his gambling behaviour; a certain casino owner takes issue with that and personally sees to it that mammon's spending inhibition is thoroughly distracted
pairing: valefar (my oc) x gn!reader
warnings: manipulative behaviour, ngl you might not like val after this but trust me and trust the process jshsh
obey me! masterlist || valefar masterlist
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It wasn’t a well kept secret that Mammon had taken a liking to you rather quickly. Give and take a week into your stay in the Devildom, belongings of the Avatar of Greed, like his tooth brush, cologne or charger, had taken up residence in your room, the demon himself spending every possible moment glued to your side as well. Because it was what Lucifer told him to do, of course.
Naturally, it didn’t take long for him to drag you to his favourite places around the Devildom, namely casinos. And the one he frequented most often was the infamous ‘Lion’s Share’ Casino, with its sleek and aureate exterior.
It definitely didn’t feel like the sleazy, underground places some might imagine when thinking of a casino, but rather like a luxurious establishment in Vegas. Every time you passed the impressive lion statues framing the entrance, your shoes clicked on the polished floors and you craned your neck to marvel at the dazzling chandeliers, you thought you entered another world yet again. 
As expected, Mammon was some kind of VIP around there, possibly because of his ridiculous spending habits, so the bouncers hardly glanced at either of you as you followed him through the heavy double-winged doors.
“Alright, human! Ready to be ma lucky charm again?” Mammon grinned as he ushered you in the direction of the poker tables. “A got paid real good for the last modellin’ gig, so A need ya to do yer thin’ and make me win big.”
“Remember not to go overboard, yeah? Or Lucifer is going to have both our heads,” you sighed as you flicked his biceps with your fingers. “I’m here to make sure you don’t gamble yourself into even more debt, did you forget that?”
“Yeah yeah, whatever, ya killjoy,” he nudged you before dragging you along by the wrist, just as enthusiastically as before. Perhaps because he knew you’d indulge him just a little anyway. “Now, get comfortable and watch me get a royal flush.”
Unbeknownst to the excited demon and the human rolling their eyes, someone was watching them from the highest floor overseeing the casino, amber gaze fixed on the pair taking their places at the poker table. Mammon, of course, was already well known to the observer, having been a faithful patron since the casino had taken off, but the human was a recent addition to his trips.
Obviously, he already knew the basics about them; that they were Diavolo’s precious exchange student and were currently living with those brothers. But he had also tracked how Mammon’s willingness to high-stake gambles sunk whenever they were with the Avatar of Greed.
As the owner of the Casino, Valefar simply couldn’t have that.
“I think it’s time to show our esteemed guest the exclusive VIP rooms,” he said as he swirled the amber liquid in his glass and one of his men bowed before leaving to go fetch the human. 
The hair in the back of your neck raised before you even saw the bouncer approach your table but when his black suit came into view, you could almost taste the trouble in the air. You were about to alert Mammon, though you had made sure he didn’t cheat, when the huge demon tapped your shoulder instead and gestured for you to follow him.
“Is there a problem?” Mammon asked, game momentarily forgotten as he tugged you behind him. “If ya wanna talk to the human, ya gotta hafta talk to me too, ya know.”
“No,” the bouncer’s gruff voice scratched the air, “only the human. Boss’s orders.”
“A-Ah from the boss, ya say?” Your companion’s tone changed as he rubbed his neck. “Well, he knows not ta try anythin’ funny if he doesn’t want Lucifer and Diavolo breathin’ down his neck. Don’t keep the man waitin’ then.”
And with that, Mammon stepped to the side and ushered you to follow the security demon, not so discreetly ignoring the unimpressed glare you sent him. You were well aware he was indebted to the casino, so of course he’d fold like a house of cards the second its boss requested something of him, if only to not make his situation worse.
A very silent elevator ride later, you entered a dimly lit lounge area void of any customers. The long side of the room was entirely made of glass, making you guess it was the black one-way window front visible from the casino area. There, in a lounge chair, sat a demon, his arms resting on the sides of the chair as if he owned the place. You almost didn’t see him in his black suit against the dark background if the ice clinking in his glass didn’t give him away.
“Good evening, how are you enjoying your time at the Lion’s Share so far?” Elegantly, like a large cat, the man lifted himself out of his seat, leaving his drink on a table and straightening out his suit. As he rounded the table to approach you, he smoothly pulled one of his leather gloves off before holding out his hand to you. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. My name is Valefar, the owner of this humble casino.”
Startled by his bright amber eyes sparkling down on you, you shook his hand as if in trance and stammered your name. You didn’t know what you had expected when the casino boss was mentioned but probably not to be greeted by a tall, handsome man, with flawless tan skin and black hair swept back lazily. Golden piercings gleamed in the ambient light as he cocked his head to the side while studying you before revealing a fanged smile.
“I’ve heard much about you already,” Valefar said, voice velvety as he guided you to take a seat with a hand lightly gracing the dip of your back. “Only positive, of course. You’ll forgive me for wanting to meet you in person, won’t you?”
“Oh uhm- Sure, though I’m not sure I’m all that great,” you nervously laughed as he sat down opposite of you. 
“I’d beg to differ,” Valefar chuckled. “You know, I have an eye for all things valuable and you managed to pique my interest, so there has to be more to you than you give yourself credit for. Care for a drink?”
You were happy he switched the topic himself because your cheeks felt like they were set ablaze. “Only water for me please.”
“Not a fan of demonus, huh? I personally think you’re missing out but suit yourself.” As one of the staff set your respective drinks down in front of you, he whispered something to his boss, whose lips curved up at corners with a glance out of the window. Seemingly out of nowhere, he pulled a deck of cards as his attention landed back on you. “I noticed you seem to linger around the poker table whenever you’re here. Up for a friendly game?”
You halted. He’d been paying close enough attention to you to notice that? 
“It’s mostly Mammon who plays,” you said quietly. Thinking of your impulsive companion, you remembered your agreement with Lucifer, as much as you wanted to spend a bit more time with your new acquaintance. “Speaking of, I think I shouldn’t take up anymore of your precious time and return to the table.”
“Oh please,” Valefar’s voice soothed your troubles, “He is in great hands and I’d be more than happy to enjoy your company for a while longer. But if the feeling isn’t mutual, you’re free to return any time, of course.”
“If that’s so…” you contemplated for a few seconds, a little reluctant to leave this tranquil atmosphere. Besides, Valefar had been nothing but nice to you, where was the harm in staying a little longer? “Perhaps, it wouldn’t be so bad…”
“Splendid,” the demon beamed as he shuffled the cards. “I trust you know the rules?”
After playing a few rounds you were surprised to find the overall results to be tipped in your favour, winning slightly more often than losing. Maybe Satan had been right when he told you people favoured by Mammon found themselves to be more lucky?
“Wow,” Valefar chuckled as you dropped your cards on the table, winning another round. “You’re pretty skilled. I guess it’s my luck you’ve not taken up gambling at my casino in earnest.”
“I think I’m just lucky today,” you showed him a shy smile. “Playing cards is one thing but actually betting on it is entirely different.”
“You’re right, of course,” Valefar agreed. “But the rush you can get from winning big is entirely different as well. Not only knowing that you’ve won, but also seeing the look on the loser's face when you get your hands on what they wanted too. It’s quite the feeling.”
“Spoken like a true demon,” you laughed as you allowed yourself to let your gaze sweep over his well-built body again. Whoever tailored those suits for him knew what they were doing. 
“I can’t help myself, it’s in my nature after all,” he laughed easily. “You know, for a greed demon, claiming something that another demon also desires makes having it even sweeter. Places like this just encourage that feeling, that need.”
You swallowed at the husky tone his voice had taken on. Paired with the way his eyes were nearly blazing, resembling pools of molten gold as he looked at you, you had a feeling he wasn’t necessarily talking about money. 
“What do you mean with ‘places like this’?” Your voice came out thick as you tried to control the pounding of your heart, the parlour below long since forgotten.
“It’s a casino, sweetheart,” Valefar whispered, leaning forward in his seat a little. It was enough to have you unconsciously mirror him. “Sin is in the name.”
There wasn’t much you could say in return, only looking back at him with wide eyes and slightly parted lips. Asmo had once told you demons resonated with places that encouraged their own sin and where else but a casino would greed reign supreme?
Valefar pulled you out of your thoughts with a contemplative hum. “Normally I don’t gamble while working but I feel like spicing up the night a little. What do you say we add some stakes to our little game?”
“Stakes?” You blinked at him, a little surprised. “I don’t have money or anything of worth on me though.”
“Oh no no, I wasn’t talking about money. I understand of course that your funds as an exchange student are rather… tight,” he smiled that charming smile of his. “So, won’t you at least hear my proposal? You could be passing up the opportunity of a lifetime after all.”
Somewhere, in the far part of your brain, a quiet voice warned you not to accept. This was a demon you were dealing with, there was no way he wouldn’t propose something that wasn’t beneficial to him. But there was no harm in hearing him out, right?
“Alright,” you acquiesced, your mind clouded by his heavy gaze on you and his cologne invading your senses, “let’s hear it then.”
“If you win,” his lips curled up at the corners, “I will consider all of Mammon’s debt to be paid.”
You choked on air at his statement. All of Mammon’s debt? You didn’t even dare imagine how many zeroes that number had attached and that fact alone made you pause. A greed demon like Valefar would not willingly give up a sum of that magnitude, so you shuddered to think about his next answer. “And if you win?”
“If I win,” he drawled, pausing either for dramatic effect or just to make you squirm in your seat a little (or perhaps both), “then you will spend an evening with me.”
“Spend an evening?” You were glad you hadn’t taken a sip of water after your little coughing fit or you might have done a spit take.
“Oh please, little lamb, where are your thoughts?” Valefar chuckled and the sound, as beautiful as it was, didn’t calm your nerves. “I was talking about dinner. We eat, we drink, we talk and see where the evening goes. Perhaps we can even consider what you had in mind.”
“I know what dinner is, thank you, I was just surprised,” you said before clearing your throat. Was he about to risk that much Grimm for a chance to take you out, basically?
“Excellent, so what do you say? Sounds fair, doesn’t it? Do we have a deal?” The way he tilted his head looked as innocent as it was deadly and when you didn’t outright refuse him, his smile revealed his sharp fangs. He knew he had won. “Come on, you can really only win here. Chances as favourable as these don’t come often.”
“Fine,” you agreed despite your gut feeling telling you otherwise.
“It’s a deal then,” Valefar concluded and held out his hand for you to take. With one glance out of the window revealing Mammon to be dangerously low on chips, you shook it…
…and shortly thereafter lost. By a landslide. 
“Oh dear, looks like the cards were in my favour this round,” the demon grinned, not a hint of remorse in sight. “I guess this concludes our little game… unless you feel like going double or nothing?”
Really, you should have seen this coming, you scolded yourself. Of course you hadn’t managed to win on dumb luck alone, not against someone like Valefar, who probably knew exactly how to play his cards right, literally. This was the exact reason people always warned you not to deal with the devil. After all, the house always won. 
“No, I think we should leave it at this. I know when I’ve lost,” you sighed, much to the amusement of the man in front of you. “Say, Valefar, why are you doing this? You could’ve asked for anything else.”
“Have you considered that I don’t want anything else?” His gaze was heavy on you, burning like coals when you met it and your blood seemingly heating up in return. Suddenly, you felt a strong sympathy for the lamb trapped by the lion.
“But.. why me? I mean,” you gestured to him and to your surroundings, “you could’ve asked anyone.”
“Do you really think I’d be satisfied with just ‘anyone’?” Valefar raised a perfectly-groomed eyebrow and mirrored your gesture. If it wasn’ t so obvious what he was implying, you would’ve kicked yourself for assuming someone would think this highly of you. Instead, your heart nearly jumped out of your throat. Then, however, he sighed and it dropped to your gut. “Well, if you really feel going on a single date with me is that repulsive, it cannot be helped–”
“No!” You surprised yourself with the steadiness and conviction in your voice, clearing your throat as you leaned back again. “No, that wasn’t what I was trying to say. I just didn’t think I was that interesting.” 
“Sweetheart, I told you I have an eye for that sort of thing,” he winked with one corner of his lips lifted as mirth danced in his bright eyes. Watching him comb through his dark hair with his fingers and leaving it slightly tousled, you thought you might actually have won your little bet. No way going out with someone like him could be considered a loss. Then, your gaze fell on his golden watch and something in your brain stirred.
“Oh shit!” Scrambling for your DDD, adrenaline shot through your veins when you saw the time. Lucifer was going to have your head for real. “I’m really sorry, but I have to go. I’d love to talk more–”
“-- but you’re being expected at home, I’d assume,” Valefar easily guessed. Rising from his seat, he offered his hand to you and promptly linked your arms when you gingerly took it, his warmth enveloping you even through the thick material of his suit. “Let me escort you to the door. It’s the least I can do after keeping you to myself for so long.”
When you stepped out of the elevator, you were already met with Mammon, who was arguing with one of the bouncers, tapping his foot impatiently. The Avatar of Greed didn’t notice you approaching, still guided by the casino owner, until said demon spoke up.
“Mammon, my friend, what a pleasure to see you tonight,” Valefar’s smooth voice passed the entrance area. Despite his friendly tone, Mammon tensed up at the sound. “I hear you’ve been wracking up quite the bill again, hm? Not to worry though, if you win big next time, it’ll be easy enough to settle.”
“Val, buddy–” At Mammon’s shaky voice you found it hard to believe he was the actual Avatar of Sin in this situation; the roles might as well be reversed at this point. “It’s nice ta see y– HEY WHY’RE YA SO CLOSE TO THE HUMAN? Ya need ta back up!”
“Hm? Oh this?” Valefar asked innocently, slightly lifting your still intertwined arms for emphasis. “Ah, I thought I might as well practise and get comfortable with this for when our actual date rolls around, isn’t that right sweetheart?”
You did not get the chance to respond.
“Date?! SWEETHEART?!” You weren’t sure what was more likely, Mammon popping a vein or him hitting something incredibly expensive as he flusteredly gestured with his hands. “Just what do ya think yer playin’ at here?”
“I’m not playing at anything,” the demon by your side appeased. “Asking someone out isn’t forbidden, is it? It’s not like you asked them out, did you?”
“Ah, n-no– A didn’t–”
“Well, then I don’t see where the problem is,” Valefar smiled his gorgeous smile as Mammon’s face fell. The former didn’t seem to pay him much attention though as he turned to you instead. “Again, it was a pleasure to finally meet you and I’m looking forward to learning more about you when it’s just the two of us. Don’t worry about the details, I’ll let you know when the  date is set. For now, please make sure to have a safe trip home.”
As he uncurled his arm from yours, his gloved hand lingered on yours and he gave it a fond squeeze. It distracted you from his other hand reaching up to gently caress the side of your face, his eyes tracing the movement of his thumb over your cheekbone. There wasn’t much time for you to savour the feeling or think about what to say, merely able to hastily wish him a good night as Mammon already dragged you out of the casino and onto the streets of the Devildom, bickering with you the entire way back to the House of Lamentation.
Back in the privacy of his room, Valefar stretched and cracked his neck both ways before letting out a sigh. Pouring himself another drink, he bid his assistant in as they knocked. “So, what’s the result?”
“Mammon lost double the amount compared to when the human was with him,” the shorter demon responded as Valefar took the report detailing his favourite customer’s spending and humming in contentment at the numbers. “Sir, if I may ask, was it really necessary to go this far? Distracting them is one thing but taking them out–”
“Hm? Oh that,” the demon nonchalantly acknowledged as he flicked some lint off his black suit. “The casino can run one night without me. But if I choose a time where Mammon normally comes in, we can get him alone again and you know what that means.
“Besides,the little lamb doesn’t gamble,” Valefar added, swirling the liquid in his glass. “So even if their little heart were to break, we’re not losing out on profit. On the contrary, the chances that they stay away from the Lion’s Share rise significantly, leaving the Avatar of Greed with no one to control his spending.”
On top of that, he hadn’t been lying when he said getting his hands on something someone else coveted always felt more exhilarating than simply winning the jackpot himself. Recalling the look on the other demon’s face, Valefar couldn’t hold back the grin splitting his lips.  
“The house wins.”
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ecoamerica · 2 months
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youtube
Watch the 2024 American Climate Leadership Awards for High School Students now: https://youtu.be/5C-bb9PoRLc
The recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by student climate leaders! Join Aishah-Nyeta Brown & Jerome Foster II and be inspired by student climate leaders as we recognize the High School Student finalists. Watch now to find out which student received the $25,000 grand prize and top recognition!
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whitedemon-ladydeath · 5 months
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Preparing, Cooking and Curing Venison
ok so I'm from rural Iowa, right. and Hunting is a big, big thing. I have a very vivid memory of a hunter hanging a deer upside down in his backyard to bleed it dry
and while rereading the first few chapters and reading the "few hours" in terms of curing the meat, it had me a bit 🤨. even tho I had never hunted myself, it did trigger an alarm in my head so I went deep diving. never in my life did I think I'd be looking into curing meat and here we are
there's several ways to cure meat but the most traditional is dry curing with salt. I see 'traditional' I see 'old school'. This is like medieval times so it seemed the most logical and ideal form of curing
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1) eating raw venison is a Risk. no one who is actually versed in hunting and eating game is going to risk getting sick when they're already starving. Diarrhea and loss of fluids is a huge risk factor
2) Feyre said she alloted a "few hours" to curing meat. it needs a MINIMUM of 24 hours to 5 DAYS in order to properly cure. as stated above, would people be willing to pay for a "few hours of curing" when 1) curing meat was a common practice 2) with it being a common practice are people really going to gamble with a "few hours" of curing with the risks of illness from unproperly preserved meat 3) it needs a ton of salt in order to do cure. Salt was a luxury for a lot of medieval folks. it probably cost them a decent sum to be able to aquire
while venison is "easy" to cook, it can be tricky as it can easily get overcooked and very tough. As we can see, it's roasted. roasting is predominantly done in an oven or a crockpot. considering it's medieval times, I'm gonna guess an oven. Ovens were very rare and very expensive in the home and community ovens are more likely to be used.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say they cooked it over a fire. it's a few minutes to prevent over-cooking. it's not a typical food that would be cooked in a more lavish lifestyle and since Feyre could not cook, I'm going to wager that it took a little bit of trial and error for one of the sisters to learn how
"but Atlas!" you say. "Its just fantasy. Who CARES if it's not accurate!"
don't care
she could have done the research needed for hunting if her main character is gonna be flouncing around as a "huntress"
I feel like this is just further elaboration of SJM speed running the beginning of acotar to get to Bigger Plot Points tbh. she makes being a Huntress™️ Feyres whole ass theme that Jumpstarts the series. She cannot cook. She cures the meat. her sisters and father get labeled as Lazy. so who cooks?
a little bit of consistency pls
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gacha-incels · 4 months
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exact example of why the so called “generous gacha” (oxymoron) games still get players addicted to gambling. The special animation that plays when a consumer acquires the highest-grade rarity character or equipment has been studied and perfected. It is to give the player a huge, and very short, high grade dopamine rush. The player will always chase this feeling, some will get more addicted than others of course but every single one of these games relies on this. Why do you think after nearly a decade the game Fate/Grand Order will update summoning animations for “extra special” characters but has not updated the basic fighting animations of already released characters in years?
Just “dispensing” a character will not give this type of rush, so consumers like in the first screenshot will still chase that high. This has the possibility to affect their entire life if they get completely addicted. Gacha games (and it’s the exact same for western games’ “loot boxes”) are always hostile to their userbase due to how the games themselves function. It doesn’t matter if it’s the most generous gacha game in the world. In fact I find this attitude much more dangerous than someone playing one of these gamblers while understanding that they are exploitive by nature. You can see the strange way the “generous gacha” gamers react to the game exploiting them when they see the monthly sensortower estimated revenue. Limbus Company fans were extremely happy upon seeing the game’s $800k earnings recently-it was able to earn this much by implementing the game’s most predatory banner that also added a nostalgia-bait “announcer” to the gacha for the first time. If you play these gacha/lootbox games the least you can do is not fight over which one is the “most generous”. Not only is it absurd but also extremely embarrassing to see people go to bat so hard for a game that is quite literally exploiting its playerbase. It seems even worse for franchises that did not include gacha in their previous installments- they are introducing fans who want to see more content to the most exploitive type of game. Typically most Japanese gachas are like this (FGO, Fire Emblem Heroes, etc) but Limbus Company falls under this category as well.
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hey, congrats on 1.3k! can you write drunk sex with daniel ricciardo and prompts 101 and 104?
101 - "This feels dirty," "That's because it is,"
104 - "I've never wanted to fuck someone as badly as I want to fuck you right now,"
warnings - smut
we had a good day in Baku so happy danny it is
this is me predicting the vagas race chaos before its even on the calendar
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"No, Daniel, absolutely not," you stopped in your tracks, looking up at the man in front of you who'd already bounded up the steps and was standing, basking in the golden light pouring out of the gilded building in front of him. He was already half-drunk on champagne and glory, that signature grin spreading wide across his face.
"Come on!" he was already pulling at your arms, forcing you to stumble up the steps.
"I am not letting you gamble away your money!" You huffed. You'd be fired if you weren't already about to be. Because sneaking away with the winner of the first-ever Las Vagas Grand Prix because he 'had something cool he wanted to show you' was definitely wise.
"Y/N, I know your job is to make sure I behave in the paddock-"
"And do you?"
"No," he had such a shameless grin you couldn't even be annoyed with him. That was the problem with Daniel, he was a menace, but everyone adored him. And you couldn't blame them, between the mop of curls, honey-brown eyes and that infectious smile it was easy to let him get his own way. That and he was fast, clever and knew just how to slip away from you to go and disturb everyone else. If he wasn't such a laugh, and if he wasn't so kind and if he wasn't the reason you loved your job as much as you did, maybe you'd be more bothered about all the trouble you'd been in as PR manager for McLaren.
"So loosen up here, it's Vagas baby!" Before you could protest again he had you inside the casino. You'd never seen a lobby like it, just packed with row after row of slot machines, poker tables and roulette wheels. The noise of cash flow was overwhelming, loud music pumping over the speakers and there was an air of desperation in the place that reminded you of nightclubs.
Neither of you were dressed well enough to be let into the casino, which you'd never been so pleased about. The thing with F1 after-parties was that you rarely got the opportunity to dress in anything other than your team polo and a nice pair of jeans or a skirt. Similarly for Daniel, he'd treated his race suit for polo and dark jeans. You wouldn't be surprised if people were swarming you for attention soon, and you could already see the headlines forming. Daniel Ricciardo Wins Vagas Race and Loses His Winnings in Casino with Irresponsible Team Member.
But that didn't stop him from dragging you to the bar, and after four rounds of tequila shots that had you licking salt off his hand and biting the lime he was feeding you like it was a lifeline, you were too drunk to care. Daniel stopped with the shots after you complained you'd be sick if you drank more. Your thoughts were hazy and at first, you thought he'd presented you with a glass of coke. The familiar tang of the aftertaste was enough to tell you that you were wrong. He'd moved straight onto cocktails, Long Island Iced Teas to be exact.
"Come with me," he was grinning, pulling on your hand again and laughing as he leant too heavily on the reception desk, batted his eyelids at the starstruck girl who was working there and produced a keycard.
"A hotel room?" Even in your hazy thoughts, you knew he couldn't be that dumb. The pair of you and the rest of the McLaren team was housed in a huge hotel just further along the strip. Daniel shook his head and swiped the keycard to call an elevator.
"I wanna show you something," he murmured, his hand on the small of your back as he guided you into the lift and pressed the button for the top floor. He was swaying a little in the elevator, and you tried to raise your eyebrow at him but you were pretty sure you ended up just pulling a ridiculous face because he burst into raucous laughter. He leant back against the side of the moving box, his head making contact with the mirror behind him and eyes fluttering shut. Something in the back of your mind was begging you to bite his neck, to kiss it, to lick along his Adam's apple that gently moved as he swallowed.
"It's nice to be back on top," he seemed to speak to himself, but you congratulated him again anyway. It had been a spectacular drive after all.
When the elevator doors pinged, he led you out into a fairly deserted corridor that made your heart rate pick up a little. If you weren't so drunk you would have been frightened. as he led you up a small set of steps and out through a heavy fire door.
The night air of the dessert was pleasantly warm, a gentle wind stirring through the rooftop due to the dizzying height. You weren't even close to the building's edge and you could see the glittering lights of the Las Vagas strip stretching out below you. You were about to turn to Daniel and tell him how pretty it was, but the look on his face stopped you in your tracks. He had a devilish grin and his eyes were shining. It was the look he gave your right before he went and did or said something immature that would get you in trouble later.
You opened your mouth to question him, but he was already bowling toward you. Your alcohol-soaked system was slow to react, and he'd picked you up before you realised it. You squealed, high pitched and playfully thumped his back, but you trusted him. Or you thought you did. You felt yourself in free fall, his strong arms still wrapped around you and for a second you thought he'd done something totally stupid like throw the pair of you off the balcony. Before you could scream, however, you were engulfed in a colossal splash and cold water soaked through your clothes in seconds.
The shock of the water had you gasping, but once you'd managed to come up to the surface and settle you realised that you were in the middle of a rooftop swimming pool. Daniel popped up beside you.
"It's cool, right?"
"Yeah," before you could say anything else, his childish streak was back and he was tackling you into the water. It was a quick struggle, the both of you drunk and silly and not really wanting to hurt the other. This time when you came up to breathe you were in his arms, your sodden chest pressed against his.
You didn't give yourself a second to rethink before you pulled him into a kiss.
Daniel responded immediately, groaning into your mouth as if he'd waited years for you to do that. His hands were resting on the backs of your thighs, begging for you to jump and wrap yourself around his waist, which was surprisingly easy when aided by the water.
The kiss deepened as he moaned freely again, licking his way into your mouth and easily dominating your tongue. He was relentless and you could feel every fibre of your being sparking under his touch, keening for more as his hands roamed your sides.
"I've never wanted to fuck someone as badly as I want to fuck you right now," he pulled away, panting. Even drunk, there was a level of sincerity as he scanned your face. The low glow of the pool lights made his eyes seem almost black.
"Then fuck me," you responded like it was really that simple. Like there was nothing else between you that you had to think or worry about. Like he wasn't your work partner, your responsibility. You didn't care about any of that though, because his mouth was on yours again and his hands were burning on your sides and your entire brain was clouded by your want for him. The only thing you knew was something you remembered a friend telling you one, it's terrible in water, it stings.
"Not here," he was attacking your neck with kisses and soft bites as you turned your head to speak. His hands were on your waist, pulling you down to let you feel how hard he was through the sodden jeans. He shook his head against the swell of your breasts.
"Can't wait anymore,"
With that he was lifting you out of the pool, following quickly as you took a second to be grateful for the luxury of the smooth stone slabs surrounding the pool. He was peeling off his soaked layers, you following suit and the second you'd managed to struggle out of your jeans he was there, your ankle in his hand as he crawled over you, his fingers trailing up your leg in a way that made you shiver.
He made contact with you, bare and exposed for him and you couldn't stop the loud cry as he started to move experimentally, testing out what made you tick. He caught you in an aggressive kiss and you felt everything start to blur together. It all felt so good, so so good, he was everything you wanted, all-consuming in that moment. Daniel was the only thing that mattered, Daniel and how good he was making you feel by doing barely anything at all. Daniel and that tightening, white heat within you.
You were whining, pleading, clawing at him to stop. You didn't care about anything other than the overwhelming need to feel him inside you right then, and he was more than happy to oblige. You were so turned on he met little resistance, and the way you moaned as he filled and stretched you was downright pornographic. He pressed his head into the crook of your neck, forcing himself to slow down and control his breathing as he began to move, thrusting slowly and deeply into you with heavy grunts.
"God, you feel so good," he praised, one hand tangled in your chlorine-coated hair and the other gripping onto your hip for dear life. You could hear the faraway rumble of parties in the distance, and much closer, the murmur of resistents in the floors below you. The fire door to the rooftop creaking made the pair of you jump, then collapse into giggles as you realised it was just the wind.
That was enough to spur Daniel into moving things along, beginning to pick up the pace of his movements, causing you to wrap your legs around his narrow waist as he built up to a bruising rhythm that had you squirming beneath him. You were kissing with full open mouths, him grunting and panting directly into yours, sharing the air between your lungs. Wet skin was slapping and there was a delicious ache in your shoulder blades as Daniel pressed you hard into the floor.
"This feels dirty," you managed between pants, your body clenching around him as you did so, because even the admission that you were having insanely hot, dirty sex with Daniel fucking Ricciardo was enough to have you tumbling towards the edge of bliss.
"That's because it is, love," the way he called you 'love' in that obscene accent of his was enough. You screamed out into the night, not a care in the world for you might hear, as you clenched around him and your body spasmed out of control. Wave after wave of pleasure rolled over you as your vision whited out, Daniel making you cum so hard that when you finally managed to open your eyes again there were tiny dancing white spots in your vision. You'd been so far gone in your own bliss you hadn't even felt Daniel's hips stutter to a stop or feel his teeth biting down hard into your soft shoulder.
He was grinning down at you when you finally were able to focus your gaze. Those eyes had softened, but he still had a wicked grin and you knew you weren't done.
"Fancy heading back to the party?"
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raptorsgust · 8 months
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hello! so i was lucky enough to snag a ticket to the tgcf donghua s2 fan screening right here in singapore, so here's a short report on the happenings! under the read more as there will be spoilers including those from the novel
arrived at around 1:20pm and it already looked like a full house! lots of people queueing at the photobooths and stuff, LOTS of cosplayers, mainly hualian and beefleaf. after a while i asked an usher about the merch booth but it was already closed due to the long queue, so i just went to find my seat which was near the back (in front of a bunch of cosplayers haha)
the hall had at least eight screens but none were positioned in a way where i didn't have to turn/crane my neck lol i can still feel the strain
the screening itself started at about 10 minutes past 2pm! we first had some voice actor greetings first, both of shi qingxuan's voice actors seemed to have received the loudest cheers from my pov! all of them ended their greeting with 天官赐福,百无禁忌
there was also a quick announcement of another tgcf collab cafe in 2024! sg just keeps winning and winning
after that we finally started the screening with a recap of s1 starting from the cart scene all through the banyue arc. xie lian's lines were all newly voiced by his new voice actor deng youxi, and he sounded alright to me! (note: not 100% sure that he did replace jgt's voicing but that's what i remember, correct me if im wrong!)
more than an hour of s1 later, we smoothly transitioned into the first episode of s2, and the following are some highlights and points:
s2 is still based on the unrevised novel as far as i can tell
everyone loves shi qingxuan!!
ghost city is very extravagant and fun! lots of quirky ghosts, there's joss paper flying around everywhere
xl's 不举 was omitted even though it's already rated m18 lol
the part where hc teaches xl to shake the dice has a lot of hand touching and cute reactions from the ghosts and sqx and lqq
a LOT of teasing leading up to the reveal of hc's true form, they'd show part of his face, his hand, his boots, and when he stepped out from behind the curtain and xl laid eyes on him for the first time there were shoujo bubbles
also A LOT OF SCREAMING FROM THE AUDIENCE tbh it was already loud enough throughout the gambling scene it was just hilarious
frankly i couldn't see hc clearly cuz, bad seat, but we all know how he looks like anyway
idk if it's just mE but the audio of the entire screening had its pitch raised, all the songs were a key higher, everyone sounded higher-pitched...... to ward people from secretly recording it?
feels bad for fulgur cuz it feels like most of the audience didn't care about him? half of them left their seats for the photobooths during his q&a segment
quiz time was interesting......
for "what is hc's weapon?" the host accepted the answer E-Ming, as in the person who answered said cAPITAL LETTER OF THE ALPHABET E which i would personally not accept as correct but o wells
the last question was "what did hc give to xl at the end of s1?" and the lucky person who answered very precisely said "his ashes in the form of a ring" and the host went aRe YoU sUrE and tried to make us recall an oBjEcT and i think we were all second-guessing ourselves there lmao please get a host who did their homework next time
pretty sure that was a huge spoiler for donghua-only fans tho HAHA
after the event was over i hung around texting friends and then tried to see if the merch booth was available but all the nice merch was sold out, and frankly just thinking of trying the queues at the photobooths was mentally draining so i just left haha
overall it was a great experience! watching and reacting together with so many other fans is truly a rare experience and despite going solo i had fun!
excellent door gifts too, the acrylic stand is of great quality and is now set up and sitting on my mxtx shelf~
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ecoamerica · 2 months
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Watch the American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 now: https://youtu.be/bWiW4Rp8vF0?feature=shared
The American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 broadcast recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by active climate leaders. Watch to find out which finalist received the $50,000 grand prize! Hosted by Vanessa Hauc and featuring Bill McKibben and Katharine Hayhoe!
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