#2 stellar races

[princelancey]

This last race hurts so much cause Lance didn't fuck it up himself (a poorly judged move on Kevin aside - nothing bad came of it) the q2 exit was because of damage, comparing his lap telemetry to Nando's they were on par with less than a tenth in it until the debris damaged his floor.

Then during the race he was on for a good start, had made up a couple places only to get whacked from behind by Hulk and had to nurse a brake issue for the rest of the race. Not that anyone picked up on it cause he was doing such a stellar job until the rain came and well you need your brakes to work in the rain, and it certainly didn't help that Monaco is so hilly, his car became a pinball down into the hairpin.

Basically it's just annoying that people will look at the result and think 'lmao dumb pay driver' when that was not the case at all :/

#lance stroll #Nothing to see here folks just me lamenting over the bad luck Lance had at the weekend #Doesn't help that the team buried any mention of the damage he had near the bottom of a page of text that 90% of people won't read anyways #“contact at the hairpin resulted in a dnf” #Cool whyd he have the contact huh? #Cause the fucking brakes broke assholes #Kind of important information no? #Ugh #I'm just tired of seeing lance suffer through no fault of his own while nando gets podium after podium #When will the luck come his way #He's already had 2 dnfs cause shit failed on his car #2 stellar races #But they get ignored #And Miami was like they forgot he was out there #Wtf was that strategy Lance even called it out during the race and at the end and that is very unlike him on the radio #Anyways I'm in shit place at the moment & I really would like to have some peace with f1 but no #The universe said absolutely get fucked you will be miserable

[robinfrinjs]

I'm sorry but Juju Noda's race was kinda embarrassing

#her fastest lap was 2 seconds slower than anyone else and 5 seconds slower than the top of the field #her qualifying wasn't stellar either and during testing she was way behind as well #also remember when maya weug was faster than her in an F4 car while noda was driving a FR car #I don't get how she qualified for W Series #w series #racing

[theunbearableweightofpedropascal]

Angel

Summary: Coming home from college without a degree has you scrambling to find your place in the world. Charlie just might be your savior.

A/N: I was thinking this would be set around eclipse. This was in the drafts for a while.

Warnings: Besides an age gap (reader in her 20s Charlie in his 40s) there is none.

Word Count: 3.1K

You didn’t expect your life to turn out the way it did, and neither did the people of Forks. If the confused looks you would get on the way into town were anything to go by. You had been a stellar student, assignments were early if not on time, and teachers never had a bad thing to say about you. You graduated and moved on to college like everyone would expect, but college was harder. It wasn’t even the work, it was you. 

For once you had no set path, everyone else just seemed to know what they wanted to do. After 2 years you realized how far behind you felt you decided to take a break. If you didn’t know what you wanted to do you were just wasting time and money. The loneliness set in soon after too. Although you have friends they’re all off doing their things, making their place in the world. 

Your dad helped if only by sending cringe Facebook posts captioned “It’s never too late.” His efforts were much appreciated but it’s not a good feeling when you feel like you are in last place for a race you didn’t even know you were running. Staying holed up in your room won’t help but at least you won’t have to run into anyone you know. You hate feeling like such a disappointment even though your parents assured you that would never be the case.

After a few weeks of licking your wounds, you started looking for jobs. You reach downtown and begin combing through your options. All of which would require you to run into people who would ask too many questions that you do not want to answer. Forks was already limited in what they had and if you wanted to avoid working for the Newton family your choices were much more slim. But you do take note of it just in case. Syphering through your selections you almost want to give up.

Turning the corner you bump smack into another person, you brace yourself for a fall that doesn’t come. Peeking through one eye you make out a badge and ‘C. Swan’. You immediately straighten yourself up after realizing you just bumped into Chief Swan. 

“You alright-”

“I’m so sorry-”

The both of you speak at the same time, a loud silence fills the air as you both stare at each other. Your wide eyes and his furrowed brow. You snap out of it first and bend down to pick up your fallen pamphlets, The Chief crouches down to help you. 

“You don’t have to do that Chief Swan.” He ignores you in favor of picking up the rest, stealing a glance at them before handing them back to you. 

“Charlie’s fine.” He scratches his head before telling you, “Since you’re looking we could use another receptionist down at the station.” Charlie took pity on you, Although he isn’t one for gossip everyone’s been talking about how you came back from university without finishing. He knows what it feels like to be lost especially in a town like Forks. 

“Really?” The prospect of working at the station was much better than any option sitting in your hands. “Is there anything for me to fill out?”

“No just stop by on Monday and I’ll have Helen walk you through everything.” His mouth forms into what you think is a half-smile, and you return it tenfold.

The conversation with Charlie was so refreshing you’re unsure why out of all the people in Forks he was the one to make you feel normal. You realize it’s because he’s the first person to not question or probe why you’re back here. Working at the station doing administration would be perfect. On your way home you mentally comb through your closet for appropriate clothes you can wear to the station for work. The combination list isn’t huge but you could make it work.

……..

Monday morning you awake at 6:00 am to begin getting ready, he never mentioned a time but you imagine how bad you would look strolling in there at 1:00 pm. You decide on black stretchy office pants, a chocolate sweater, and white sneakers that are comfortable enough to do sustainable walking. Grabbing your backpack you pack your essentials and bid your father goodbye before heading off.

On the way in you have enough time to stop for some coffee so you order for yourself and Charlie as a thank you. You make sure to get his black with no sugar, though you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover you can’t imagine he enjoys cremer. The last stretch of your walk toward the station has your heart pounding. You're not even sure what you are nervous about it shouldn’t be that hard since it’s Forks.

The station smells like stale coffee and mothballs, the atmosphere is mostly static but that’s given. Upon walking up to the front desk you see an older redhead who you assume is Helen. You smile as you approach her and she returns one.

“Excuse me, Chief Swan said to come up here for you to train me on administration stuff.” You hope Charlie actually talked to her.

“Of course, he told me about you yesterday dear follow me.” You set down your coffee before being given the grand tour. After a minute you’re back at the front being directed on your daily duties. Most of which is pretending to look busy, Helen prefers solitaire on her computer to get her through the day. On the other hand, you brought a book that remains hidden behind the ancient monitor in front of you. 

You thought about bringing Charlie his coffee but his office lights are off and his doors are locked so he must be out patrolling already. Within 45 minutes you’re given your first task of making more coffee, while the water pours out you see Charlie step into the break room. His eyes look surprised to see you but his face doesn't change, he peers around you toward the coffee maker before he can ask you to tell him. 

“I bought you coffee on the way in, it is at the front desk.” You quickly leave the break room to get it before he can react. On your way back you inform him, “Black, no sugar, no cream.”

“Thank you.” As he takes the cup your hands brush his, and he can feel the increased beating of his heart. It’s the most contact he’s had with a woman. He likes it. Your bright smile gives him that butterfly feeling he hears Bella talk about with her friend.

“No thank you, Sher- Charlie I appreciate the opportunity.” He waves off your thanks as if he does stuff like this all the time. 

“You adjusting OK?” He finds he wants to keep conversation with you despite his nature. You may be surprised but you don’t show it, enjoying this interaction.

“Yes, Helen is nice and I get to just pretend to work all day.” You bump your hip against him before you can think better of it.

Charlie surprises you with a deep chuckle, It’s not a full-blown laugh but it’s more than enough. It’s no secret that Charlie is one of the more attractive men in Forks, but you didn’t think of him like that until now. Not many men could pull off the 70s pornstache, or his grumpy attitude without being a complete ass. Your thoughts are interrupted by Charlie leaning down to speak quietly to you.

“Well let me know if you need more books to keep you busy Bella’s got tons of those romance ones.” He rolls his eyes playfully and nods his head before heading to his office. 

In the wake of his leave, you revel in the way his deep voice felt so close to your ear. However, you don’t dwell on his actions too much because there is no way he was flirting with you. Making your way back to the front desk you see Helen packing up to leave, she informs you she’s taking lunch. 

Charlie lets out an exasperated sigh at the stack of paperwork waiting for him when he unlocks his office. The coffee you brought him goes straight down like a shot, he appreciates the fact that you knew he wouldn’t like the extra bullshit. Throughout his shift, he sneaks peeks at you. He pauses when he sees you talking on the phone, telling himself he’s only checking to make sure you don’t need help. But the way your lips move has him in a trance, he snaps out of it before you can catch him. 

Even though he spent a fair amount of time staring at you he managed to complete over half of his paperwork. He’s overdue for a break and he knows you could use one since you never took a lunch.  

You have been manning the phones even after Helen came back, you know you should’ve taken your 1-hour lunch but you were in a groove. At least until Charlie strolled up beside you to see what you were doing. You could smell Irish Spring wafting off of him with a hint of laundry detergent. 

“You busy?” It was a loaded question on his part but he didn't want to just command you to come with him. 

“Not for the Chief.” You turn your body towards him to prove your words, and in return the corner of his mouth lifts almost like a smile.

“Lunch on me then?” He asks you with his hands balled in his pockets.

“I’ll never turn down a free lunch.” You turn to Helen to check that she’ll be okay, and she gives you a wink nodding her head toward the chief telling you to ‘have fun’. You raise our eyebrows at the implication.

On the way out Charlie gets the door, and his veiny forearm peeks out from his uniform. You wouldn’t say you have a thing for hairy guys but yet again Charlie somehow makes it work. Luckily you could blame the frigid breeze for your flustered expression. You follow his lead to the cruiser and he opens your door for you again. Your bashful expression after thanking him goes straight to his lower stomach, it’s been a while since a woman looked at him so fervently. 

Once he’s in the cruiser a comfortable silence fills the air, and you think of all the things you could bring up with him later in the diner. So far all you’ve come up with are sports and books but honestly, that should be more than enough for Charlie. Orange leaves take up most of the ground, a warning for the upcoming months. The diner is the same as always when you pull up, you open the door before Charlie can hustle his way to where you are. The stern look he gives you only makes your sudden attraction to him worse. 

The bell above the door alerts Cora to your presence. Charlie saddles up right behind you urging you forward with his hand on your middle back. Walking past the patrons, you can feel the questioning stares. But you’re sure Charlie won’t pay them any mind so neither do you. At the booth, Charlie gestures for you to slide in first.

Cora turns to you for your order since she already knows Charlie’s by heart.

“I’ll do a burger and fries with a sprite please.” You smile at Cora as she takes down your order. 

“So,” You turn to Charlie, “What’s been going on in the sports world?” 

Charlie’s side glance is enough to make you laugh. “Steelers are cleaning up, they have a path to the Super Bowl.” He didn’t mean to look at you crazy but it was the first time in a while someone was genuinely interested in his interests. The flutters in his stomach make another appearance. 

“My dad’s a cowboy fan so it’s the same thing every year.” Charlie snorts at that. 

The sound of plates landing in front of you ends your and Charlie’s moment. Looking up your eyes meet Cora’s and you thank her before she leaves again. You and Charlie waste no time digging into your food. With all of your fries and most of your burger gone you throw in the towel, leaning back against the booth.

“You gonna eat that?” Charlie eyes the rest of your burger.

“No, you can have it.” After your acceptance, he finishes it in one quick bite. You wish you didn't find that attractive.

……….

After your first lunch together many were shared, Charlie would always schedule his break around yours to make sure you ate. He also wanted to spend time with you when the opportunity would lend itself. The feeling was mutual, you put in more effort with your work outfits and make-up. Every morning you would stop to get Charlie coffee on the way in, and Helen would always give you sly smiles. You figured she picked up on the undertones of your and Charlie’s interactions, but unlike most people, she kept it to herself.

That didn’t stop others from probing you about your “Diner Dates” with the Chief. When you were collecting produce a few older women came up to you under the guise of concern. They told you getting with a man that age wouldn’t be good for any girl your age, while it was good advice you know it wasn’t given with good intentions. Instead, you pretend to not know what they are talking about effectively outing their ill-informed gossip. Charlie also hadn’t shown any initiative to ask you out on an actual date so you’re unsure where the fuel is coming from. 

The next day at work you decide to pull back seeing as the entire town somehow thinks you both are dating. You took your lunch before Helen, the words of the older ladies on replay in your head. Sure it was the wrong messenger but it was the right message you don’t know what you were thinking. 

It didn’t last a day, Charlie came by the desk deliberately when Helen took her lunch. 

“Hey there’s some discrepancies with the evidence log of Riley’s stuff, can you help me sort through it.” Though he posed it as a question he began to walk toward his office immediately. 

Once you’re in the office he shuts the door behind you before he moves to stand in front of his desk.

“I just uh wanted to check that everything was alright,” He clears his throat before continuing, “That you feel comfortable or if there’s something I’ve done.” After he finishes your face morphs to shock.

“No of course not, I just know there’s been some gossip around town about us dating and figured I’d have lunch by myself.” Charlie’s eyebrows furrow at your admission.

“I haven’t heard anything did someone say something to you?” His voice drops at the thought of anyone badgering you about this. 

“It’s not a big deal, and I didn’t want you to feel uncomfo-” He cuts you off with a deadpan stare. 

“Why would I be uncomfortable with people thinking a woman out of my league is dating me?” His definitive words leave you stunned. “It is a big deal, do you remember who it was?”

“No it’s fine Charlie really,” You try to convince him.

“It’s not if means you don’t go to lunch with me.” He gripes.

“I didn’t realize you enjoyed my company that much.” You stare at him until he returns your gaze.

“Well I do.” He assures you.

The both of you stand in front of each other in silence, the smile grows bigger on your face at Charlie’s confession. 

“Does this mean you want to go on a date with me?” You inch your way closer to him, gently tugging his tie. 

“Of course I do, I was working my way up to it.” He swallows hard when he feels you get even closer to him. 

“Yeah?” Your eyes never stray from his as your smile widens. Charlie’s eyes fall to your lips just as quickly as he looks away. You grab his hands placing them on your waist before bringing your lips to his ear. “How about now?” 

Charlie’s hands firmly grip your waist when he feels your warm breath tickle his ear. His pants grow tighter when your perfume invades his nostrils. When you reer back to look at him he wastes no time planting his lips on yours. His mustache tickles underneath your nose but you respond back with the same fervor. You tilt your head to the side to deepen the kiss, Charlie groans at your eagerness. 

Your hands slide up his chest and wrap around his neck to play with the hair on the back of his neck. When his tongue licks your bottom lip you eagerly open your mouth to him, pressing your chest against his. Charlie lets his hands dip to cup your ass through the jeans you’re wearing, earning himself a pretty moan from you. The way his tongue licks into your mouth gives you ideas of what else he would be good at. 

But all good things come to an end, and a knock at the door sends you two flying apart. You immediately focus on fixing yourself so it doesn’t look like you were in a make-out session with your boss. A folder catches your eye and you pick it up hoping to look busy. Helen peeks her head in to let Charlie know Bella is getting dropped off by Edward. Charlie’s eyes roll to the back of his head at the mention of his daughter’s boyfriend, you can’t stop the giggle that pours out of you. 

Helen slips back out and Charlie walks over to the far corner you’ve placed yourself in. “It’s a little backward now but would you let me take you out on a proper date?” 

“I’ll have to check my schedule.” You smile up at him knowing he knows you’re joking.

“How does Saturday at 7 sound?” He bends down to your ear before continuing, “I know a nice Italian place in Port Angeles.” When he pulls back he is glad to see the bashful expression on your face. He’s still got it. 

“It sounds great Charlie.” You get on your tip toes to peck him on the cheek before exiting his office. 

On the way to your desk, you see Edward and Bella sitting in the waiting chairs talking. As you sit down you see Bella’s head snap in your direction, her and Edward's conversation halting. You pretend to do work as usual until Charlie comes out to greet Bella and grunt in Ed’s direction. 

#charlie swan #charlie swan x reader #twilight fic #charlie swan x female reader #twilight

[mitsies]

WRITE THAT DOWN ! ; isagi yoichi

.. in which, he really, really hates studying.

usually, you adore your boyfriend. everything about him is great— his company, his humour, his commentary— you love it all. he’s especially great when he studies with you. an average, straight b student, he’s not usually the most helpful, but he’s dedicated at the least. that, and he makes your textbooks a little more interesting. usually, you love studying with him.

today, however, you have murder on your mind.

“yoichi,” you exhale heavily, shooting a sidelong glare to the boy sitting on the edge of your bed, laptop and notebooks spread out in a messy array across his lap and the comforter, “if you click that pen one more time i’m gonna kill you with it.”

he ceases his pen clicking and looks at you, eyes wide. an amused grin splits his stupid, handsome face and you want to punch him a little less. his entire posture shifts to face you, as if he’s been waiting for an excuse to quit studying as he practically baits you into a conversation with an overly quizzical, “for real?”

“yeah, for real.” he opens his mouth to keep up the conversation but you cut him off. “and get back to studying, idiot.”

you don’t need to be looking at him to see the frown on his face, because you hear it in his voice when he speaks. “but we’ve been studying for so long. i think we should take a break.”

“you mean i’ve been studying. you’ve been sitting back there staring at your laptop for the past hour.”

swiveling the desk chair around, you watch him blanche a little and a ghost of a smile splits your mask of apathy. “in my defense,” he starts, “chemistry is hard.”

“yeah. and you have a test tomorrow. which is why you’re studying.”

he purses his lips. your state is unwavering, and you watch his mind race in real time as he tries his hardest to find an excuse to get out of this. and he practically lights up when he finds it, like someone had just flipped a switch in his head as he proclaims, “but i miss you.”

you blink at him. “i’m like, literally right here.”

he slumps over on the comforter and sends notebook paper flying across the sheets with his dramatics, peeking up at you through a mess of dark hair. blue eyes twinkle with mischief. you feel your resolve crumble. “yeah, yeah, but you’re too busy with your essay and you haven’t been talking to me, babe. and i love talking to you.”

he’s trying to get you to change your mind, you know it. his stupid little game to get you to 1), stop studying and hang out with him, and 2), give up on forcing him to study, was one that you were familiar with. because it was one that he’s won. many times.

you really need to work on your boundaries, because before you know it, you’re letting out a defeated, resigned sigh and closing the lid of your laptop. isagi’s eyes crinkle when he beams at you, you can’t find it in yourself to regret forgoing your essay due in a week.

“isagi yoichi, when i fail my language class and you flunk out of chemistry, you’re the one at fault.”

he’s already up off the bed, leaving a trail of notes with theorems and formulas scrawled on them strewn about. he comes up behind your chair and yanks it, pulling it out to make room for you to stand while simultaneously causing you to fall over in your seat. his smile turns sheepish, “yeah, yeah. sure, babe. but i’m not gonna fail.”

“you can’t even tell me where hydrogen is on the periodic table.”

“what does that have to do with chemistry?”

he offers a hand to help you stand up, and you take it. his palm is warm and familiar, and it fits nearly perfectly in yours. in an instant, his fingers are interlocked with yours and his thumb is brushing against the side of your hand. like he always does, like you love it.

“you’re a lost cause.”

“let’s go to the gas station. i could go for some sour gummy worms right now.”

usually, you adore your boyfriend. you probably won’t, in a week’s time, when you get a less-than-stellar score on your paper. he guides you out of your own home, which at this point he may as well know better than you. it’s late out and the sky is lit only by the pale moon and streetlights hanging like ripe fruit over the empty roads. it’s cold out, and he hadn’t given you time to grab a jacket so he offers you the crewneck he wears. he knows he won’t be getting it back anytime soon.

sometimes, he bothers you. but right now, as he has you by the hand while talking about nothing and everything in the world, you don’t think you could love a person more.

#isagi yoichi x reader #isagi yoichi #blue lock x reader #bllk x reader #blue lock #this is bad sorry i’m in a lecture rn but i hate school so i’m doing this instead

[physalian]

8 Signs your Sequel Needs Work

Sequels, and followup seasons to TV shows, can be very tricky to get right. Most of the time, especially with the onslaught of sequels, remakes, and remake-quels over the past… 15 years? There’s a few stand-outs for sure. I hear Dune Part 2 stuck the landing. Everyone who likes John Wick also likes those sequels. Spiderverse 2 also stuck the landing.

These are less tips and more fundamental pieces of your story that may or may not factor in because every work is different, and this is coming from an audience’s perspective. Maybe some of these will be the flaws you just couldn’t put your finger on before. And, of course, these are all my opinions, for sequels and later seasons that just didn’t work for me.

1. Your vague lore becomes a gimmick

The Force, this mysterious entity that needs no further explanation… is now quantifiable with midichlorians.

In The 100, the little chip that contains the “reincarnation” of the Commanders is now the central plot to their season 6 “invasion of the bodysnatchers” villains.

In The Vampire Diaries, the existence of the “emotion switch” is explicitly disputed as even existing in the earlier seasons, then becomes a very real and physical plot point one can toggle on and off.

I love hard magic systems. I love soft magic systems, too. These two are not evolutions of each other and doing so will ruin your magic system. People fell in love with the hard magic because they liked the rules, the rules made sense, and everything you wrote fit within those rules. Don’t get wacky and suddenly start inventing new rules that break your old ones.

People fell in love with the soft magic because it needed no rules, the magic made sense without overtaking the story or creating plot holes for why it didn’t just save the day. Don’t give your audience everything they never needed to know and impose limitations that didn’t need to be there.

Solving the mystery will never be as satisfying as whatever the reader came up with in their mind. Satisfaction is the death of desire.

2. The established theme becomes un-established

I talked about this point already in this post about theme so the abridged version here: If your story has major themes you’ve set out to explore, like “the dichotomy of good and evil” and you abandon that theme either for a contradictory one, or no theme at all, your sequel will feel less polished and meaningful than its predecessor, because the new story doesn’t have as much (if anything) to say, while the original did.

Jurassic Park is a fantastic, stellar example. First movie is about the folly of human arrogance and the inherent disaster and hubris in thinking one can control forces of nature for superficial gains. The sequels, and then sequel series, never returns to this theme (and also stops remembering that dinosaurs are animals, not generic movie monsters). JP wasn’t just scary because ahhh big scary reptiles. JP was scary because the story is an easily preventable tragedy, and yes the dinosaurs are eating people, but the people only have other people to blame. Dinosaurs are just hungry, frightened animals.

Or, the most obvious example in Pixar’s history: Cars to Cars 2.

3. You focus on the wrong elements based on ‘fan feedback’

We love fans. Fans make us money. Fans do not know what they want out of a sequel. Fans will never know what they want out of a sequel, nor will studios know how to interpret those wants. Ask Star Wars. Heck, ask the last 8 books out of the Percy Jackson universe.

Going back to Cars 2 (and why I loathe the concept of comedic relief characters, truly), Disney saw dollar signs with how popular Mater was, so, logically, they gave fans more Mater. They gave us more car gimmicks, they expanded the lore that no one asked for. They did try to give us new pretty racing venues and new cool characters. The writers really did try, but some random Suit decided a car spy thriller was better and this is what we got.

The elements your sequel focuses on could be points 1 or 2, based on reception. If your audience universally hates a character for legitimate reasons, maybe listen, but if your audience is at war with itself over superficial BS like whether or not she’s a female character, or POC, ignore them and write the character you set out to write. Maybe their arc wasn’t finished yet, and they had a really cool story that never got told.

This could be side-characters, or a specific location/pocket of worldbuilding that really resonated, a romantic subplot, whatever. Point is, careening off your plan without considering the consequences doesn’t usually end well.

4. You don’t focus on the ‘right’ elements

I don’t think anyone out there will happily sit down and enjoy the entirety of Thor: The Dark World.  The only reasons I would watch that movie now are because a couple of the jokes are funny, and the whole bit in the middle with Thor and Loki. Why wasn’t this the whole movie? No one cares about the lore, but people really loved Loki, especially when there wasn’t much about him in the MCU at the time, and taking a villain fresh off his big hit with the first Avengers and throwing him in a reluctant “enemy of my enemy” plot for this entire movie would have been amazing.

Loki also refuses to stay dead because he’s too popular, thus we get a cyclical and frustrating arc where he only has development when the producers demand so they can make maximum profit off his character, but back then, in phase 2 world, the mystery around Loki was what made him so compelling and the drama around those two on screen was really good! They bounced so well off each other, they both had very different strengths and perspectives, both had real grievances to air, and in that movie, they *both* lost their mother. It’s not even that it’s a bad sequel, it’s just a plain bad movie.

The movie exists to keep establishing the Infinity Stones with the red one and I can’t remember what the red one does at this point, but it could have so easily done both. The powers that be should have known their strongest elements were Thor and Loki and their relationship, and run with it.

This isn’t “give into the demands of fans who want more Loki” it’s being smart enough to look at your own work and suss out what you think the most intriguing elements are and which have the most room and potential to grow (and also test audiences and beta readers to tell you the ugly truth). Sequels should feel more like natural continuations of the original story, not shameless cash grabs.

5. You walk back character development for ~drama~

As in, characters who got together at the end of book 1 suddenly start fighting because the “will they/won’t they” was the juiciest dynamic of their relationship and you don’t know how to write a compelling, happy couple. Or a character who overcame their snobbery, cowardice, grizzled nature, or phobia suddenly has it again because, again, that was the most compelling part of their character and you don’t know who they are without it.

To be honest, yeah, the buildup of a relationship does tend to be more entertaining in media, but that’s also because solid, respectful, healthy relationships in media are a rarity. Season 1 of Outlander remains the best, in part because of the rapid growth of the main love interest’s relationship. Every season after, they’re already married, already together, and occasionally dealing with baby shenanigans, and it’s them against the world and, yeah, I got bored.

There’s just so much you can do with a freshly established relationship: Those two are a *team* now. The drama and intrigue no longer comes from them against each other, it’s them together against a new antagonist and their different approaches to solving a problem. They can and should still have distinct personalities and perspectives on whatever story you throw them into.

6. It’s the same exact story, just Bigger

I have been sitting on a “how to scale power” post for months now because I’m still not sure on reception but here’s a little bit on what I mean.

Original: Oh no, the big bad guy wants to destroy New York

Sequel: Oh no, the big bad guy wants to destroy the planet

Threequel: Oh no, the big bad guy wants to destroy the galaxy

You knew it wasn’t going to happen the first time, you absolutely know it won’t happen on a bigger scale. Usually, when this happens, plot holes abound. You end up deleting or forgetting about characters’ convenient powers and abilities, deleting or forgetting about established relationships and new ground gained with side characters and entities, and deleting or forgetting about stakes, themes, and actually growing your characters like this isn’t the exact same story, just Bigger.

How many Bond movies are there? Thirty-something? I know some are very, very good and some are not at all good. They’re all Bond movies. People keep watching them because they’re formulaic, but there’s also been seven Bond actors and the movies aren’t one long, continuous, self-referential story about this poor, poor man who has the worst luck in the universe. These sequels aren’t “this but bigger” it’s usually “this, but different”, which is almost always better.

“This, but different now” will demand a different skillset from your hero, different rules to play by, different expectations, and different stakes. It does not just demand your hero learn to punch harder.

Example: Lord Shen from Kung Fu Panda 2 does have more influence than Tai Lung, yes. He’s got a whole city and his backstory is further-reaching, but he’s objectively worse in close combat—so he doesn’t fistfight Po. He has cannons, very dangerous cannons, cannons designed to be so strong that kung fu doesn’t matter. Thus, he’s not necessarily “bigger” he’s just “different” and his whole story demands new perspective.

The differences between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi are numerous, but the latter relies on “but bigger” and the former went in a whole new direction, while still staying faithful to the themes of the original.

7. It undermines the original by awakening a new problem too soon

I’ve already complained about the mere existence of Heroes of Olympus elsewhere because everything Luke fought and died for only bought that world about a month of peace before the gods came and ripped it all away for More Story.

I’ve also complained that the Star Wars Sequels were always going to spit in the face of a character’s six-movie legacy to bring balance to the Force by just going… nah. Ancient prophecy? Only bought us about 30 years of peace.

Whether it’s too soon, or it’s too closely related to the original, your audience is going to feel a little put-off when they realize how inconsequential this sequel makes the original, particularly in TV shows that run too many seasons and can’t keep upping the ante, like Supernatural.

Kung Fu Panda once again because these two movies are amazing. Shen is completely unrelated to Tai Lung. He’s not threatening the Valley of Peace or Shifu or Oogway or anything the heroes fought for in the original. He’s brand new.

My yearning to see these two on screen together to just watch them verbally spat over both being bratty children disappointed by their parents is unquantifiable. This movie is a damn near perfect sequel. Somebody write me fanfic with these two throwing hands over their drastically different perspectives on kung fu.

8. It’s so divorced from the original that it can barely even be called a sequel

Otherwise known as seasons 5 and 6 of Lost. Otherwise known as: This show was on a sci-fi trajectory and something catastrophic happened to cause a dramatic hairpin turn off that path and into pseudo-biblical territory. Why did it all end in a church? I’m not joking, they did actually abandon The Plan while in a mach 1 nosedive.

I also have a post I’ve been sitting on about how to handle faith in fiction, so I’ll say this: The premise of Lost was the trials and escapades of a group of 48 strangers trying to survive and find rescue off a mysterious island with some creepy, sciency shenanigans going on once they discover that the island isn’t actually uninhabited.

Season 6 is about finding “candidates” to replace the island’s Discount Jesus who serves as the ambassador-protector of the island, who is also immortal until he’s not, and the island becomes a kind of purgatory where they all actually did die in the crash and were just waiting to… die again and go to heaven. Spoiler Alert.

This is also otherwise known as: Oh sh*t, Warner Bros wants more Supernatural? But we wrapped it up so nicely with Sam and Adam in the box with Lucifer. I tried to watch one of those YouTube compilations of Cas’ funny moments because I haven’t seen every episode, and the misery on these actors’ faces as the compilation advanced through the seasons, all the joy and wit sucked from their performances, was just tragic.

I get it. Writers can’t control when the Powers That Be demand More Story so they can run their workhorse into the ground until it stops bleeding money, but if you aren’t controlled by said powers, either take it all back to basics, like Cars 3, or just stop.

—

Sometimes taking your established characters and throwing them into a completely unrecognizable story works, but those unrecongizable stories work that much harder to at least keep the characters' development and progression satisfying and familiar. See this post about timeskips that take generational gaps between the original and the sequel, and still deliver on a satisfying continuation.

TLDR: Sequels are hard and it’s never just one detail that makes them difficult to pull off. They will always be compared to their predecessors, always with the expectations to be as good as or surpass the original, when the original had no such competition. There’s also audience expectations for how they think the story, lore, and relationships should progress. Most faults of sequels, in my opinion, lie in straying too far from the fundamentals of the original without understanding why those fundamentals were so important to the original’s success.

#writing advice #writing resources #writing tips #writing tools #writing a book #writing #writeblr #sequels #kung fu panda

[allwaswell16]

[4 pics, 4 quotes, 4 iconic 1D fics]

Iconic Fics by... - YesIsAWorld -

1.

Going into the fourteenth race, Harry qualifies with a stellar time, beating the previous track record by three seconds. Unfortunately, Louis does too, and on the last segment of the track he pulls out a startling lap time, beating Harry by almost eight tenths of a second.

The only positive about starting behind Louis is at least he’ll get to stare at Louis’ ass.

2.

“However many,” Louis faked direction again, “goals we each score, that’s how many times we each get off tonight.”

Harry hated when Louis was a tease. “Yeah, you up for getting me off three times tonight? Think you can handle it?”

3.

“Why?” Harry shook his head. “Why are you here? You’re gorgeous. I can’t imagine you’re hard up for… um…”

“Oh,” that time Louis’ whole face blushed. He put his cup down on the counter and turned around. He put both hands on his sizeable, seemingly-firm, arse. “Because of this,” he squeezed, “everyone wants me to bottom.

4.

Before he realised it, he was just as drunk as Louis and hadn’t even attempted to find his friends. Or his fiance, who, once Nick thought of it, hadn’t made any attempt to find him either. Which was fine, really.

- answers below -

1. Counterbalance

Harry Styles loves two things: teaching ballet and racing motorcycles. Those two worlds collide when his greatest rival on the track, Louis “Tommo” Tomlinson brings his tiny siblings to Harry’s class.

2. Swallow My Words

Senior year is stressful. On top of balancing school work, family, and friends, Harry's lacrosse team is vying to win the state championship, he's not sure where he's going to college yet, and he has a secret boyfriend that no one can know about.

3. Big Dicked Bottoms Make the Rockin’ World Go Round

Harry was tired of the assumptions made about his sexual preferences and he wasn't afraid to (drunkenly) post on Tumblr about it. The last thing he expected was to find his perfect partner.

4. Tell Me It’s The Strongest Shape

Nick and Elgar have it all. They’re famous, successful, and engaged to be married—and sometimes they play with others.

When uni student Louis gets street cast by Elgar for a GQ photoshoot, he's drawn into Nick and Elgar’s complicated relationship.

They've always invited mates into their bed. It doesn’t ever mean anything. Until… it does.

[ @louandhazaf - Happy birthday, Nic! Love you! ]

#happy birthday nic! #yesiaworld #ficrec #iconicfics #trackinghome #trackinghappily #1dficvillage #hltracks #hlcreators #hljournal #1dsource #ficsfor4am #march 1

[aithorin]

Dinner and Dessert - Lady Dimitrescu x Reader - Part 2 (18+)

Synopsis: Hidden within the safety of the kitchens, you’ve been one of the lucky few to escape the notice of Lady Dimitrescu and her daughters while under their employ. Yet when a shortage of staff brings you out of the kitchens, you quickly yet unknowingly catch the attention of Lady Dimitrescu. Things come to a head when you are called to her chambers one night on the order of serving her a private dinner.

NSFW Warning!

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/47663530/chapters/120139672

A/N: Part 2 of 2. Part 1 is here.

Suddenly, she was everywhere, and you didn’t know whether to be overjoyed or sick to your stomach. While the head maid found a replacement by the very next day, relieving you of your serving duties and allowing you to remain in the safety of the kitchens, it was as though everything had changed. And perhaps it had, for she had seen you now, and after your less than stellar first impression, you couldn’t help but feel that she wasn’t too keen to forget it. 

Though you didn’t venture far from the kitchens very often, everytime you did, without fail, Lady Dimitrescu just happened to be passing by. And despite your efforts to remain as invisible as possible, she always seemed to notice you, beckoning you to her side as she spoke in that absolutely enchanting voice, “Ah (y/n), darling, I almost didn’t see you. Walk with me.” 

And well, who were you to refuse? Each time, you’d slowly approach her, nerves forcing you to keep a polite distance as you walked beside her. Yet as she began to engage you in light conversation, you’d gradually drift closer, drawn to the sound of her voice and filled by an unconscious need to drown in it. You hardly even noticed what was happening until it was too late.  It was only when her hand would snake its way down the length of your spine, drawing soft and - dare you say it, teasing circles before finally settling on the small of your back that you’d stiffen in realization. As she continued to guide you down the hall, it would become a struggle to answer even her simplest questions, mind painfully aware of her touch. The heady scent of her perfume that would permeate the air did little to help matters. Your mind would become a cloud of confusion as your thoughts raced to discern her intentions, and just when you’d begin to rationalize everything, you’d feel her hand dip lower to brush against the curve of your ass before sliding back into its original position. The touch would be so quick and so light that sometimes you’d wonder if you’d just imagined it. But then, it would happen again, once, twice, maybe even three times throughout the short period of your walk together, and well, there was no way you’d allow yourself to daydream that much, especially in the presence of the one woman you wanted to make a good impression on. Surely one of them had to be real. And the way you’d stumble out of shock after each one, followed by a rush of heat to your cheeks (from the humiliation of embarrassing yourself in front of your mistress or the touches themselves you didn’t know), well those were certainly real. After each brief touch, your immediate instinct would be to question if Lady Dimitrescu herself was even aware of what she was doing. Yet as soon as the thought entered your mind, you’d harshly scold yourself, shocked at your own audacity to even think your Mistress could be making moves on you when you were no more than a lowly maid, nay glorified dishwasher. It simply couldn’t be possible. In all honesty, the thought that Lady Dimitrescu had any idea of what she was doing was laughable. Each touch was nothing more than a slip of the hand, which certainly wasn’t hard to believe considering her height. She likely couldn’t see the exact location of her hand, hence the fleeting yet frequent touches. It was an explanation that never failed to cement itself as truth in your mind by the time the walks were over. The fact that nothing ever came of the touches only solidified its certainty, for as soon as your paths diverged, her touch would disappear as quickly as it came. She’d leave you behind without a backward glance, offering you no more than a crooning “lovely as always, dear” with a wave of the hand as she left you to stare dumbly at her retreating back. As she turned the corner and disappeared completely, you’d at last be released from your trance of bewilderment and free to resume work. 

However, that by no means meant you were able to do a good job. In the hours that followed after these encounters, such as the one you’d experienced earlier that day, your mind wandered frequently. It’d turn the events of your stroll together over, trying to make sense of the complete oddity of them, for as much as you outwardly accepted your conjured explanations, your subconscious found they left much to be desired, often forcing you to return and comb through the memories. Your mind struggled in vain to attain clarity, yet frustration inevitably led you to give up in utter defeat. From there, you’d turn to thoughts that did make sense, almost all of which focused solely upon the mistress herself. The day, and subsequently your work, slipped away as you fantasized about her, languishing in the memory of the feel of her hand, the lilt of her voice, her golden eyes as they connected with yours. It was often enough to invoke a madness of a completely different sort. 

Coincidentally, it was also enough to make you really bad at your job, and the memories of today's encounter were no exception to this effect. For it was only when the harsh call of your name jolted you back into reality that the soapy plate you’d been washing for god knows how long slipped out of your hand, crashing (yet thankfully not shattering) to the floor with a resounding bang .  

As the plate spun round and round, refusing to settle down, you turned, expecting to be scolded (a common occurrence these days). Instead, you’re met with the sight of the head maid again, which causes a wave of dread and apprehension to cover you from head to toe. This couldn’t be good. You hadn’t talked to her, or for that matter even seen her, since that night. There were scant few reasons that could possibly drive her to voluntarily seek you out, and with it being so close to dinner, you felt confident (hatefully so) in which one it was. 

Before confirming your fears though, the head maid made sure to berate you, evidently nowhere near as rushed as she had been the night she’d first talked to you. Hands on her hips, her lips pursed in displeasure as she harked, “Goodness, child, I’ve been calling your name for five minutes now! Where in the world is your head?”

Embarrassment surged through your body at her words. You bowed your head in shame, limp hands clasped loosely at your stomach. When you could offer no more than murmured apologies, the head maid let out an exasperated sigh, deciding to let the subject as well as her arms drop. “Well, no matter. I’ve got your attention now.” She said.

Once those words left her lips, the air shifted, turning somber and serious. She leveled with you, making sure to hold your gaze. The action was enough to cause you to stiffen, eyes widening as a shiver of cold fear rattled down your back. You were certain of what was coming, certain of what she was going to ask you to do, and absolutely certain it was going to end in your doom. The head maid seemed to sense your apprehension, for she paused. Silence prevailed for a few moments as she granted you one last mercy, one last glimpse of freedom. But then, that mercy was shattered. 

“Judging by your expression,” She continued, talking slowly yet sympathetically, “I’m sure you’ve realized why I’ve come. If not, then then I’ll not take the time to spare your feelings, for there’s simply no easy way to put this: the Mistress has requested to dine privately in her chambers tonight, and I’ve been tasked with relaying that you’ll be the one to serve her.”

The Mistress? Dining privately ? That-that was simply unheard of, for it was well-known that the daughters insisted on eating with their mother and, perhaps even more so, that the Mistress’ boundless affection for them kept her obliged to their every wish, not least of which was that one. What reason could she have to forsake them now by dining in her chambers? 

The whole situation filled you with unease and left you eager to have no part of it. Yet you were barely even able to open your mouth to protest before the head maid held a hand up. You stopped short, mouth left gaping and silent, as the head maid admonished, “I’ll have none of that now. There is no way out of this. The Mistress has requested you personally, and I’ll not be the one to disobey a direct order.” 

You could do no more than nod mutely, too overcome with dread. The Mistress specifically asked for you? Whatever in the world could have possibly led her to request you, of all people, to serve her? Had you been naive to think you’d escaped her wrath that first night? Had she just been toying with you this whole time, using your walks as a way to lure you into a sense of false security? Was the Mistress at last going to punish you for your abhorrent behavior that night? You let out an audible gulp of fear at that thought. 

It won’t come to that, you thought. Shaking your head, you steered your mind away from the gruesome images of your maimed body it insisted on conjuring yet still found no reprieve. For even if the Mistress had no underlying motivations for requesting you, there was still the matter of being in her presence alone to deal with. It was hard enough to make it through your five-minute walks without transforming into an infatuated, love-drunk fool. How in the world were you supposed to keep your composure for an entire dinner!? The simple answer: you wouldn’t be able to. One look from her and you’d be reduced to a stuttering, blushing mess. 

However, the head maid was right. You couldn’t ignore a direct order from the Mistress. And so, it was with a heavy heart that you resigned yourself to your fate, knowing that either death or disgrace awaited you. 

The light touch of a hand pulled you from your thoughts, and you looked down to see the head maid guiding your arm onto the nearby serving cart that was stacked high with silver plated dishes. Patting your hand, she let go, offering no more than a simple “off you go.” A sad smile accompanied it, as though the head maid knew it was unlikely you’d live to see the next morning. The image imprinted itself on your mind, heightening your sense of impending doom as you began the trek to the Mistress’ chambers. 

The halls were empty as you traversed down them, nothing but the occasional squeak from the cart and the echo of your footsteps to break the endless void of silence. It was as though everyone had scattered, leaving the castle to hold its breath while it waited for your demise. 

Despite your trepidation, you trudged on and soon arrived at the ornate oak doors that marked the entrance to Lady Dimitrescu’s chambers. They loomed overhead, the intricate carvings taking on a monstrous face that multiplied your fear tenfold. Letting out a shaky breath, you knocked thrice in quick succession, calling out, “I’ve arrived with your meal, your Ladyship.”

A simple enter came floating through the door in Lady Dimitrescu’s soft lilting tones. At once, your fear seemed to dissipate, soothed by the sound of her voice as well as the fact that it was decidedly not angry. A sigh of relief escaped your lips, and with it, the bestial doors settled back into their dormant state. The click of the latch rose through the air followed by the low groan of the aged doors as you stepped across the threshold. 

Plates rattled on the serving cart as you fully entered into the room. Lady Dimitrescu sat at her desk, adorned in a pair of reading glasses. Guided by the warm light of a tabletop lamp, she poured over a set of documents, spread out neatly across the desk’s surface. For many moments, the scribble of her ballpoint pen was the sole sound to fill the air. Sometimes, it was accompanied by the shuffle of papers as she swiveled her head between documents. She didn’t acknowledge you, and with each moment that passed, your uncertainty grew. You shuffled to the side, hugging the wall opposite of her and standing awkwardly as you awaited her command. 

At last, her pen paused, and she looked up for the first time since you’d entered the room. Her burning golden eyes penetrated your gaze to make you feel as though mere inches separated you. You sharply inhaled. Tension snapped into place, drawn taut and thick. And for a singular moment, your deepest desires were laid bare, conveyed only through your eyes. But then, before you could tell if she had seen, it burst. A small, amused smile tugged at the corner of the Mistress’ mouth, causing confusion to bloom up. She peered knowingly over the rim of her glasses, smirk widening at the sight of the baffled furrow of your eyebrow. 

“I just need to finish up a few small details with the ledger.” She said, “You can begin setting up while I do so.”

She lifted one elegant, gloved finger to the left, and your eyes followed, landing on a rectangular table. It was modest in size, able to seat no more than two comfortably at opposite ends. A merlot red table cloth draped along the length of it, falling low enough to brush one’s lap while still leaving the intricate woodwork of the table legs visible. Somehow, in your utter incompetence as a servant, you had missed sight of it completely. 

Your cheeks burned in mortification. Jumping into action, you hurriedly began to set the table, working twice as fast to make up for lost time. Covered dishes flowed freely from the serving cart to the table as you danced around the perimeter of it. Plates and silverware followed quickly after, arranged in the meticulous pattern so-favored by nobles. After that, two candles were inserted into the centerpiece adorned in greenery and freshly picked roses. You struck a match pulled from your apron pocket, delicately shielding it as you went to light the wicks. 

Yet no sooner had you done so than a shadow appeared, engulfing the warm light given off by the fresh flames as it stretched across the length of the table. You craned your neck up to find Lady Dimitrescu looming over you, surveying your work. But then, her gaze snapped to you, burning with mysterious intensity. You stiffened, tension instantly crackling once more through the air. Only this time, it was you to break it. You stood with your eyes wide, unable to blink and unable to breathe as you drowned in the blazing depths of her gaze. Yet when your need for oxygen could no longer be denied, you released the breath you hadn’t known you’d been holding, eyes sliding away from hers as you gasped for air. 

The moment broke and brought with it a wave of unknown embarrassment. Feeling as though you could no longer face her, you scurried around the table, keeping your head bowed, to pull out a chair for Lady Dimitrescu. You could feel her gaze bearing into you, yet you refused to acknowledge it. Your head remained low with your hands clasped in your middle. The silence stretched, becoming long and unbearably heavy. 

Yet at last, the weight of her gaze lifted. The rhythmic clack of her heels followed soon after, shattering the silence completely as well as whatever had just transpired. Your embarrassment melted away and sank through the previous layers of tension, slicing through everything to leave nothing at all. It disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. The moment boiled down, erasing all evidence that anything had ever occurred at all and shifted the atmosphere into one of normalcy by the time the Mistress reached you. 

You curtsied as Lady Dimitrescu settled into her chair. Once seated, you stepped up to the table to begin serving the first course. “Thank you dear” Lady Dimitrescu said, reaching forward to grasp onto your hand that was now within arms reach, “Everything looks lovely.”

As she said this, her hand slid up the length of your arm before descending once more to briefly clasp your hand, giving it one gentle squeeze before dropping completely. Though her touch was fleeting, it seared itself upon your skin. Excitement rippled throughout your body as images of her hands elsewhere, on your hips, on your thighs, everywhere, flashed throughout your mind.  

Cheeks burning, you averted your gaze. “I-I’m glad it’s to your liking, Mistress.” You murmured, “If you require anything of me at all, please don’t hesitate to let me know.” 

“There is one more thing.” Lady Dimitrescu began. Her voice drew your attention, and you watched, transfixed, as one sleek, glove-covered hand passively gestured toward the plate of still steaming food. She continued, “Would you mind terribly, dear? These small utensils make it awfully tedious to eat my meals, and my hands are quite cramped from all the work I’ve had to take care of today. I think you’ll be much better suited to the task tonight.”

Eyes squinting in confusion, you remained silent as you struggled to sort through her words. Yet even after the implications of her request began to sink in, words continued to evade you as confusion gave way to shock, leaving you unable to do more than stare dumbly ahead. Was-was she asking you to feed her? A cursory glance in her direction confirmed that, yes, that was exactly what she wanted you to do. 

Panic settled in quick and heavy. There was no way you could do that. And yet, how could you refuse? The head maid would have your head if you did anything to invoke the Mistress’ ire. But still, the idea of feeding the Mistress was too familiar, too intimate . Merely imagining it had heat flushing throughout your cheeks. You feared your already fragile composure would completely shatter if you were to comply with her wishes, dragging your mind down with it. You’d be reduced to a blabbering, nervous fool, spouting absolute nonsense as you desperately tried to conceal the overwhelming feelings of attraction incited by her proximity. You had to find a way out of this. Now. Before you humiliated yourself beyond repair. 

As though she could sense your hesitation, Lady Dimitrescu interrupted the frenzied flow of your thoughts. “Well?” She prompted, arching a singular eyebrow as if daring you to protest, “You know I don’t like to be kept waiting.”

“Yes, of course Mistress, it’s just…” You stammered, trailing off in a desperate attempt to stall for time. Eyes flitting around the room, you frantically floundered for a way out. The seconds ticked by, and the air grew thick and heavy, urging you to concede defeat as your efforts continued to prove fruitless. But then, a realization hit, for there was a problem. A big problem to be precise: the Mistress currently occupied the only chair in the room. 

And in that problem lied your salvation, for you wouldn’t be able to feed her without a chair of some sort. She was simply too tall. Filled with renewed hope, you continued where you left off. “Chairs!” You blurted, calming marginally afterwards, “There aren’t any other chairs, my lady, so where am I supposed to sit?”

As though she had been waiting for those exact words to escape your lips, Lady Dimitrescu smirked triumphantly at your exclamation, causing your stomach to churn as nerves slithered up your spine. She looked you right in the eye, your confidence withering in the face of her own, before sealing your fate with a wave of her hand. 

“Right here, of course.” Lady Dimitrescu drawled, like it was the most obvious thing in the world, as she gestured at her lap.

You choked on her words, eyes bulging out of your head. Sit on the Mistress’ lap!? It was simultaneously your worst nightmare and wildest fantasy come to life. 

What in the world was the Mistress thinking? There was no denying she was playing some sort of game; you just didn’t know what it was. She was toying with you, much too easily. It was clear that you weren’t even a player in whatever this was. You were just a mere pawn for her to move about the board as she pleased, no more than a slave to her whims. Your unease grew with that realization. How were you supposed to get out of this when she was already two steps ahead of you? 

There was only one answer: defiance. If you couldn’t play the game, then you’d halt its progress altogether, and that meant keeping your distance. But how? What excuse could you possibly give for her to accept such direct insolence? Propriety! Though she’d already thrown most of it out the window, the basis of proprietary was the best option. You could only hope that what meager bits were left would be enough to assuage her. 

Taking a deep breath, your mouth parted to decline her request. Yet before your own voice could be heard, Lady Dimitrescu’s rang strong through the air. “I do hope you weren’t about to object dear, “ She interjected, a clear threat concealed behind her crooning dulcet tones, “I would hate to have to punish you.”

You deflated immediately, all thoughts of protest purged from your mind as you didn’t fancy dying tonight. Or any night really. You’d have to take your chances and play right into her hand. There was no other choice. 

Body slumping in defeat, you mumbled, “O-of course not, Mistress.” 

You shuffled towards her, nerves flaring. Anxiety settled thick and heavy in your stomach, clogging up your throat in the process. Yet as you began to climb into Lady Dimitrescu’s lap, fear quickly gave way to desire as your hand made contact with her dress. The thin material left little to the imagination as your fingers molded perfectly around the curvature of her thigh. Excitement sparked, and your breath hitched, heartbeat thundering in your chest. Images of your hands elsewhere flashed unbidden throughout your mind, fueled by a desperate longing to trace the entire length of her body and commit every valley and ridge to memory. 

Oh, this was going to be so much harder than you thought. 

Settling into her lap, you attempted to distract yourself by focusing on your breathing. Drawing a deep breath, it proved to have the complete opposite effect as the heady scent of Lady Dimitrescu’s perfume flooded your senses. It pulled you in closer, enveloping your mind in a haze that beckoned you to lose yourself in her. And you did. For a moment, she was all you were aware of as you were unable to think beyond how utterly divine she smelled. God, what I’d give to drown in that scent. 

Unconsciously, your body began to tilt forward, eager to fulfill that wish. At the same time, Lady Dimitrescu placed a steadying hand across your waist, jolting you back to reality and to the distressing situation at hand. Your back went ramrod straight at her touch, the soft flesh of your abdomen burning beneath her fingertips. The Mistress’ hot breath ghosted across the nape of your neck, causing your own to hitch in response, as her lips came to rest against the shell of your ear. “After you, my dear.” She whispered sensuously, one black gloved hand coming into your peripheral to gesture at the food in front of you.

You fought back a full body shudder, desperate to conceal the effect she had on your body. You nodded, raising trembling hands to grab the fork and knife. You melted before her watchful eye, movements becoming sluggish as you began to slice the prepared steak into thin pieces painfully slow. Your mind drowned in the heat emanating between the press of your bodies, torn between instinct and logic. You couldn’t think. It was all too much. 

Swallowing around the lump in your throat, you stabbed a piece of meat before twisting your body to face Lady Dimitrescu. By this point the tremble in your hands had given way to a noticeable shake, and your breath stuttered as you began to lift the bite towards her mouth. You refused to look her in the eye, certain you would combust under the full intensity of her gaze, so you settled for her lips, coated in her signature red. You watched, pupils blown wide, as they descended toward your outstretched hand, thrown into fantasies of her lips on your skin. The heat of her tongue laving across the curve of your neck, her teeth lightly nipping at the tender flesh. The image had you clenching your legs as a wave of arousal coated your panties. Mortification rushed through you, desperately hoping that the Mistress didn’t feel it.

Your attention flicked back to her just in time to see her wrap her lips around the fork, tongue first. Tugging the bite off achingly slow, her eyes arrested yours, leaving you breathless as you watched utterly transfixed. She smiled around the fork, amused by something unknown to you, and your cunt throbbed in response as more slick gushed out of you. 

Yet you continued to watch, dumbfounded, as she pulled away. Straightening, she gave an appreciative hum that rattled through you before she swallowed, the movement drawing your eyes to her throat as you followed the bite downward to settle on the curvature of her breast. 

“Delicious.” She crooned.

You bit down hard on your lip in an effort to stifle the moan that threatened to escape, yet a choked warble still managed to break free.

Lady Dimitrescu’s eyes snapped to yours, a smirk spreading across her face that left no doubt that she had heard and causing your cheeks to flame. 

This was absolute torture.

Dinner proved to be a painstaking affair, conducted mostly in silence, which somehow made it worse. Without the distraction of conversation, it became impossible to focus on anything except your traitorous body. With every passing moment, it became increasingly difficult to ignore the pressing need growing between your thighs. Your body was hot, too hot, as desire coursed thick and heavy throughout your veins. By now, you’d soaked your undergarments, and you could only hope they were thick enough to prevent any evidence of your state from dripping onto Lady Dimitrescu’s dress.

The Mistress did little to help matters, being the most sensual eater you’d ever heard. She drew out every single bite, swirling her tongue around the fork before enveloping those perfect lips around the food. The movements were enough to have your thighs clenching in want as you imagined it was your cunt she was eating instead. Your fantasies were spurred further by the moans of delight she let out at the meal, each one resonating straight to your cunt. 

It was becoming harder to hide just how affected you were. Your breathing had turned ragged, masked only by the scraping of the cutlery against the plate, yet you didn’t even notice as the thundering beat of your heart pounded in your ears. Unconsciously, you’d taken to shifting your weight ever more frequently, a subconscious attempt to relieve the ache building between your legs. You weren’t sure how much of this you could take.

Turning back to the plate, you prepared for another excruciating bite only to find it empty, a sight you had never thought could inspire such happiness. You wanted to weep in relief. You were finally free. Filled with desperation, all thoughts of propriety were thrown out the window in your haste to leave. Your hands grasped the table as you scrambled to get down, catching on a few stray pieces of silverware that clashed against the plate. Yet you paid it no heed, hardly even registering it at all in your need to get away.

It was only when Lady Dimitrescu’s hand tightened around your waist that you stilled, just barely cognizant enough to recognize the warning in her grip. 

“Ah, ah, ah,” Lady Dimitrescu chided, “Not so fast, pet. We haven’t had dessert yet.”

Your mouth went dry, despair blooming in your stomach, as you realized you’d completely forgotten about dessert. Tears bloomed at the corner of your eyes, on the verge of spilling, out of sheer frustration. You couldn’t take it anymore. If you could just get away , even for a moment, you were sure you’d be able to pull yourself together. Yet that seemed like a fool’s dream with the hand wrapped around your waist. That is, until you spied the forgotten dining cart abandoned on the opposite side of the room, decidedly away from Lady Dimitrescu and her intoxicating scent. 

You cleared your throat. “Of course, my lady,” You said, “I’d never forget. In fact, that’s just what I was going to get. It’s a delicious little tart. I think you’ll love it.”

Beginning to slide out of her lap once more, you were stopped again as her grip became iron, refusing to let you move. “Hmm,” She intoned, “That sounds lovely dear, but I find that I’m not in the mood for a tart tonight. I’m craving something a bit sweeter.”

You shivered, mind running wild at the implications her words carried. She-she couldn’t possibly mean-? Could she? Your thoughts evaporated as you felt the gentle press of feather light kisses ghosting against your jaw. Reveling in the contact, your eyes fluttered closed, a series of sighs escaping you as you leaned into her touch. 

Resting her lips on the shell of your ear, her heated breath brushes your face as she whispers, “I’ve been able to smell your desire all night. Won’t you let Mommy take care of you?”

Nodding in assent, you turned your head, hoping to catch her lips only to find they weren’t there. Your eyes shot open just in time to see her pull away, and it was all you could do to stop yourself from reaching for her. A whine escaped your lips, having been reduced to a needy mess. Yet Lady Dimitrescu remained unswayed.

She looked down at you with devilish eyes. “I want to hear you say it first, pet.” Lady Dimitrescu smirked. “You’ll get nothing from me until you do.”

Deep down, a part of you recoiled in horror. She wanted you to beg ? The prospect was absolutely humiliating. Yet it wasn’t enough to deter you. By this point, you were too far gone, a slave to the flames of desire that had steadily built in you throughout the night. You’d do anything to please her.

“Please, I-,” you whimpered, wide eyes staring up at her in desperation, “I need you, Mommy.”

She grinned in satisfaction. “Good girl.” She crooned as she used one hand to tilt your chin up, her thumb coming to rest against your trembling bottom lip that parted willingly in anticipation. 

Then, without another word, she leaned down, lips slotting perfectly against yours. You melted instantly. After being deprived for so long, your body shuddered in pleasure at the brief contact. Twisting yourself around for better access, hungry hands trailed across Lady Dimitrescu’s curves, seeking to drown in the feel of her. Yet hers remained locked on your waist, maneuvering your body to face her fully. With ease, Lady Dimitrescu lifted you up onto the table, sending various pieces of dinnerware clattering to the floor, yet you hardly even noticed, never once breaking from her lips. 

A whine escaped you as Lady Dimitrescu pulled away, yet it quickly crescendoed into a moan as she moved to press hot, open-mouthed kisses along your neck, causing you to throw your head back in ecstasy. She paused at the crook of your neck, inhaling deeply as she reveled in your scent. “You smell absolutely divine , darling.” She said, sweeping the length of her tongue across your skin. “Let’s have a taste, shall we?”

Sinking her teeth into your neck, you let out a cry of pain as Lady Dimitrescu began to drink from you with vigor. It should have repulsed you. It should have sent you reeling in horror. Yet the pain only seemed to heighten your pleasure as each pull from her mouth beat perfectly in time with your fluttering pussy, drawing deep moans from you. You bucked your hips into her, desperate for any sort of friction to ease the throbbing in your cunt.  

And your lady was nothing if not generous. Her free hand trailed up the length of your skirt, rubbing your thighs in teasing circles before at last beginning to toy with your entrance…your absolutely soaked entrance. 

Pulling away from your neck, she smirked in satisfaction as she held her hand up to the light and saw your juices glisten. “All this for me?” She asked, eyes flitting to your breathless form that watched her in a lustful haze, “My, my, you are quite the needy pet.”

She leaned in, licking the trail of blood slowly seeping from your fresh wound all the way up to the shell of your ear. “You’ve been so good for me tonight, so I’ll excuse it.” She said, her hot breath fanning against the side of your face and sending another shiver through you. “I suppose it’s about time you received your reward anyway.”

With wide eyes and bated breath, you watched as one of her nails elongated into a sharp claw that tore your dress and undergarments in one fell swoop, baring your body to her completely. There was but one moment, as you sat completely naked, that her eyes raked over your form, appreciating it in its entirety, before she was on you, hands slowly sliding up the length of your legs, parting them before disappearing in between them. The next thing you knew, the hot length of her tongue was pressed flat against your center as she experimentally dragged it along the length of your entrance. Rendered so sensitive from her earlier ministrations, the small touch had you bucking into her, desperate for more. Smirking against you, Lady Dimitrescu pushed her tongue into you in a quick thrust, eliciting a moan from you, before moving upwards to take your clit into her mouth, sucking hard against the small bundle of nerves. From there she quickly built a rhythm, going back and forth, expertly manipulating your body beneath her tongue. You could hardly keep up, breath turning ragged as she propelled you toward your orgasm. Your pulsing cunt clenched around nothing, every muscle in your body tightening in anticipation. You were close. You could feel it. 

“I-I’m going to-to-.” You stammered, gasping for breath. 

“That’s it,” Lady Dimitrescu crooned, looking as composed as ever as her eyes peered up over your stomach to lock with your own, “Go on, I want to see you come undone.”

It was all you needed to send you over the edge. White hot pleasure cracked up your spine, and for a moment, you were sure you were going to black out from the sheer force of it. You lost yourself to the rush of endorphins sent careening throughout your body, hardly even noticing the way your legs convulsed uncontrollably against the table as you fought to recover. 

When you finally did, you were met with the sight of Lady Dimitrescu collecting your juices with one long finger, and you watched, transfixed, as she brought it to her mouth, wrapping her lips around the entire length of the digit. Closing her eyes, she let out a hum of contentment as she appreciated the taste. “Absolutely exquisite.” She said, “I send my compliments to the chef.”

At that, she paused momentarily to wink mischievously at you, causing you to avert your gaze as a deep flush spread across your face. She grabbed her handkerchief, dabbing your juices off the corner of her mouth, before turning to settle the full weight of her gaze upon you. “Now then, it’s time for you to run along, darling.” She commanded, “The hour grows late, and we wouldn’t want you missing work in the morning.”

Her words poured over you like a bucket of cold water, rendering you absolutely speechless. She talked as though everything that had just transpired hadn’t happened at all. Your eyes furrowed in confusion until all at once realization hit.

But of course. How could you have been so stupid ? This changed nothing. It was silly to think that this could have meant something to her. Still, it didn’t change the fact that it meant something to you . Her clear dismissal hit you like a punch to the gut, and you desperately fought against the tears threatening to make an appearance. Despite the pain blooming in your chest, you refused to cry. She was your mistress, and you would show her the respect that she deserved.

“O-of course Mistress,” You murmured, sliding to the floor as humiliation and heartache overwhelmed you. Fixing your torn dress as much as you could, you stood and began to brush invisible specks of dirt off your skirt. Unable to bring yourself to meet her eyes, you still upheld formalities, “Is there anything else you require of me before I take my leave?”

“No, that will be all.” She said. Nodding, you turned and began to gather the miscellaneous dishes strewn about the room, piling them high onto the serving cart, before beginning to make your way out of the door. You only stopped when her voice suddenly called out your name. Spinning back around, you met her gaze in the mirror where she had moved to sit at her vanity. “In the morning, be a dear and inform the head maid that I’ll be dining privately much more frequently for the foreseeable future. I find that work will keep me much more busy than usual.”

Her meaning was clear, and if her smirk was anything to go by, she knew you understood. Words stolen from your throat, you could do no more than dumbly nod before spinning around and hightailing it out of there as heat threatened to consume your entire face. Still, as you left her presence, you couldn’t stop the wide smile that emerged and remained for the rest of the night as you lost yourself to the fantasies of future meals with your mistress. 

#lady dimitrescu #lady dimitrescu x reader #resident evil #resident evil village #resident evil 8 #re8 #re village #re8 alcina #re8 lady dimitrescu #lady dimitrescu x y/n #resident evil x reader #castle dimitrescu #reader insert #reader is female #reader #x reader #vampire #mommy k!nk #tall vampire lady #tall vampire mommy

[hive-sight]

Travel 2

Hello again Sentients! This one had to rush to post once again!

The decryption of the Terran language is done! This one had wondered why the decryption had taken so much longer with Sol-3 when compared to many other known planets… Now that it is done, this one can tell you why.

Sol-3 does not house a language. It houses over six thousand separate languages! Magnitudes more than any other known planets. The previous largest number of languages to a single planet was three.

Epsilonia-4 houses three individual races, each with its own language. But Sol-3… Sol-3 houses only one sentient race. They have been so divided that language has spread out in a fractal. The closer two of the points on this fractal are, the more syntax they share but at either end of the fractal… the languages may as well be in different Stellar Systems.

Moving on! The decryption has informed the crew that the most spoken of these languages is called, English [Een-gah-lee-sh]. This one has begun calibrating our translator chips to place English as the priority and storing audio of any other languages for review later.

The Terrans, who refer to themselves as “Humans”, also seem to have a vast repository of media stored on a network of interconnected servers referred to as the “internet”. As there is likely a wait of seven Lums before arriving in the Sol System, this one has decided to review some portion of this media labeled as “movies” or “film.”

This one has asked Raxor, the bodyguard of this one’s crew and a member of the Valkorin or Soldier Caste, to review the saved history of Terran Warfare. The Queen will want to be aware of any threat these Terrans can present if she decides that we are to be Sol-3’s introduction to the greater galaxy.

Before signing off, if any among you have questions this one can answer to better inform yourselves about the galaxy at large. Please do not hesitate. This one would not have begun posting if this one were afraid of interaction.

With that, on XD: 4682 C, 3 A, 19 L, or the 8th of May  in the Terran Year of 2030, this is Elysia of Xyloptha, signing off.

#hfy #humans are weird #earth is a deathworld #humans are space orcs #haso #humans are space oddities #HiveSight #alien blog #xenobiology #speculative biology #PoT 003 #Perspective on Terra #aliens #space australia #by the queen #those languages #how does anything get done

[leclsrc]

Pulling away from a kiss, whispering words of love against each other’s lips.

but make it angst with Max >:)

self professed – mv1

genre: angst (warning for infidelity lol), drabble, 1k celebration

31: pulling away from a kiss, whispering words of love against each other’s lips. title from this. cay ur so sick for wanting this btw

His girlfriend is on the paddock today. 

She wasn’t around last week, which is probably the reason why you prefer that race to today’s. On the surface, you have barely anything against her, but underneath she’s a reminder of your guilt and everything toxic you’d been building up over the past few months. You face Max in the garage, both of you in the middle of different conversations. The eye contact is brief. You both know to keep it within yourselves today.

As always, Max’s performance has been stellar, but something bugs him. His gaze is stoic, pace fast when he walks away; on impulse, you follow. It’s not an unusual sight for you two to be together, maybe discussing strategy or points of improvement, but something else charges the air between you today. 

You haven’t slept together—maybe fucked is the better term—in five races, in part due to lack of time, and in part because of your insistence that it was wrong. You had a boyfriend living in the States who called you constantly, and Max—well, his girlfriend is here, anyway. You swallow dryly.

“Max,” you call out. “Let’s talk.”

“In my motorhome,” he says, not turning. You follow curtly, maintaining a professional distance and appearance until you both disappear into the privacy of Max’s room. The blinds are flush against the window, lights dim. You close the door and watch him tug his cap off, throwing his phone onto the bed.

Its movement causes it to glow open, displaying a picture of Max and his girlfriend. On top of it is a notification. I’ll be back in 2 hours tops, love. You wonder if she knows her boyfriend is about to fuck someone else tonight.

“Why do we keep doing this?” You ask. 

“You tell me.” He crosses his arms and shrugs, leaving the conversation open. “You asked to talk.”

“Yeah, because you’re clearly not okay,” you counter. “Not everything has to be about… that.”

“Please. Between us, almost everything is about that.” He nears you.

He’s right. Every time you try to talk, you end up with your legs wrapped around him, or bent over, or pressed against him, moaning his name, purging thoughts of your boyfriend in favor of the pleasure. “About us. About—about waking up in each other’s beds, then cursing ourselves for falling back into it, and then having sex again the same night. We can’t stop this. We’ve tried—we always try. Why keep trying? It never works.”

You step toward him. “We’re bad people, Max.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.”

“So you’d rather just tolerate it than try to change?” You’re almost breathless with frustration. “What, you can’t resist sex so you ju—you keep cheating?!”

“You must be really dense to think I want you just because of the sex.” His voice equals your passion, but not your volume. “Do you actually think I never stop this—whatever this is—because I enjoy the sex that much? Do you? Is that why you keep letting me into your hotel room after you hang up on that little boyfriend of yours?” You gulp. “No. It’s not just about sex. It’s about us. There’s something here, and the more we deny it, the more we hurt each other.”

I know. “We can’t,” you say, a lump forming in your throat. “We can’t. This is always how it has to be.”

You’re almost pressed together in the middle of the room, like there isn’t an abundance of space everywhere else, eyes glued to each other’s. Your chest heaves with stress, guilt, feelings, but they lift temporarily when he dips in to kiss you. You never said you were particularly strong or smart when it came to Max, kissing him back hard.

“I love you,” he says. A whisper, just against your own lips. “I love you.”

“I know.” Your voices are both hushed. “I do, too. But we can’t.” His hand takes yours, squeezes to convey what words can’t; you nod. You understand. With Max, you find you rarely don’t.

“Don’t go.” He says, pleading.

“I won’t.” The lie is sweet and fleeting.

#f1 #leclsrc1000 #max verstappen #max verstappen x reader #max verstappen imagines #max verstappen drabble #max verstappen smut #f1 x reader

[flyingcakeee]

Rewatching Logan's onboard and it's a difficult decision to say what necessarily happened.

It could be Logan just going wide or it could be understeer from how long he rode the curb, something you don't particularly want to do for long unless it's the racing line. It almost looks as if Logan's not able to steer to where he wants to be or he doesn't realize how close the end of the curb is coming so he tried to fix his mistake slowly, both leading to the car catching the grass and sending him into the barriers.

Also, it's reported that Williams does not have a new wing, front or rear (new designs, not new entirely), and so Logan will have to run an old version that was used at other circuits.

Why is that important? Teams tend to mold their cars to fit each circuit and Williams did the same, particularly their wings. However, the wings Logan will have to take will not be particularly suited for the track. Look at this document, it lists updated components and why. You see this document every race because components are always being updated to fit the track. Some tracks are more downforce hungry than others; teams need to find that balance. This is also why you'll see teams run different setups and components in practice sessions (take the Aston's running one car with updated sidepods).

Williams' entire updated components are on the wings, all go increase drag and flow. Suzuka is a circuit which challenges the well roundness of these cars and you'll always see components updated here. For example, Ferrari and Alpine are updating either a front or rear wing, most updates on other cars being for drag, flow, or load.

So, basically, don't expect stellar performance from Logan this weekend. Not only is he going to be less confident following this crash and the whole chassis debacle (yes, there's a reason Albon kept Logan's original chassis), Logan is not going to want to put it in the wall again when the team is so far behind on components that they are reverting to components not meant for the weekend.

Don't forget, 2 other teams are in this same position! Specifically stake who had to take a penalty after a curb completely destroyed Zhou Guanyu's front wing in Australia qualifying, leaving him to a pit lane start due to the fact they had to change the specification of the front wing during Parc Fermé (you cannot change the set up of the car minus a few things such as wing height).

#f1 #formula 1 #logan sargeant #williams racing #japanese gp #japanese gp 2024

[princessphilly]

Soooo

My 40th Birthday is coming soon!!!!

So I decided I wanted to celebrate in a big way! Thus, a lyric blurb challenge.

So there are two ways to do this:

1. Pick out a song lyric and fandom and ask me to write or

2. Pick out a song lyric and fandom and write it yourself and post it!

Eep: edited to add, Please send me an ask with the lyric, fandom, and if you want me to write it or if you’re going to write it.

Please post anything related to this with #princesspbdaychallenge because I will be following that tag

Open fandoms: TGM, hockey (Sidney Crosby, Nate Mac, Jamie Oleksiak, Brandon Tanev, ask me about others), Marvel, CE characters, Seb Stan characters, Henry Cavill characters.

Tagging: @spine-buster @chara-hugs @starshine-hockey-girl @buckets-and-trees @biteofcherry @vonalyn @angryschnauzer @persephonepraxidikechthonios @hangmanapologist @hangmanssunnies @withahappyrefrain @yanna-banana @callsignspark @kreiderrider @gretagerwigsmuse @fineanddandy @syntheticavenger @sunshinexsin @navybrat817 @ginghampearlsnsweettea @himbos-on-ice @hiimana @whoeverineedtobe @hockeynshit @2-fast-2-curious @jobean12-blog @thebookofmags @fenixstar

Click to see lyric prompts:

Love

There is an indentation in the shape of you

Made your mark on me, a golden tattoo

Taylor Swift - Dress

Baby, won't you be my sweetheart

We could share a storybook romance

Mariah Carey - Sweetheart

How do you do it?

Make me feel like I do

How do you do it?

It's better than I ever knew

Incubus - Stellar

Forever my lady

I say just what i mean

Forever and ever

I pray is what i see

Jodeci - Forever My Lady

Walks by me every day

Her and love are the same

The woman that's stolen my heart

And beauty is her name

Dru Hill - Beauty 

When I trust you we'll make love until the morning

Let me tell you all my secrets and I'll whisper 'til the day's done

Fka Twigs - Lights On

Cupid doesn't lie

But you won't know unless you give it a try

Oh baby, true love

won't lie but we won't know unless we give it a try

give it a try

112 - Cupid

At night, I think of you

I want, to be your lady, maybe

Ghost Town DJ’s - My Boo

I don't ask for too many things

Only one thing I really need

That is you baby next to me

Mary J Blige - Give Me You

I wanna be the one who you believe

In your heart is sent from (sent from heaven)

Keyshia Cole - Heaven Sent

Angst

Tell me how does it feel

When your heart grows cold? 

New Order - Blue Monday

Talk to the wind, talk to the sky

Talk to the man with the reasons why

And let me know what you find

Taylor Swift - Come In With The Rain

You can never win or lose

If you don't run the race

The Psychedelic Furs - Love My Way

I didn't know nothing, I was stupid, I was foolish

I was lying to myself

Mariah Carey - We Belong Together

There's something kinda sad about

The way that things have come to be.

Desensitized to everything.

What became of subtlety?

Tool - Stinkfist

(Do I wanna know?)

If this feeling flows both ways?

(Sad to see you go)

Was sort of hoping that you'd stay

Arctic Monkeys - Do I Wanna Know?

Collect the bad habits that you couldn't bear to keep

Fall Out Boy - I'm Like A Lawyer With The Way I'm Always Trying To Get You Off (Me & You)

The sun goes down

I feel the light betray me

Linkin Park - Papercut

See the stone set in your eyes

See the thorn twist in your side

I'll wait for you

U2 - With Or Without You

I come home early expecting your warm embrace

But something is wrong 'cuz its written all over your face

Dru Hill - In My Bed

Platonic

Like a shoebox of photographs

With sepia-toned loving

Jack Johnson -  Better Together

Yea, I've been workin' all week

And I'm tired and I don't wanna sleep

I wanna have fun

It's time for a good time

Alan Jackson - Good Time

Come on, baby, let's get away

Let's save our troubles for another day

Come go with me we've got it made

Let me take you on an escapade

Janet Jackson - Escapade

The grabbing hands grab all they can

All for themselves, after all

(It's a competitive world)

(Everything counts in large amounts)

Depeche Mode - Everything Counts

Wear the grudge like a crown. Desperate to control.

Unable to forgive. And sinking deeper.

Tool - The Grudge

And on I read until the day was gone

And I sat in regret of all the things I've done

For all that I've blessed, and all that I've wronged

In dreams until my death I will wander on

Audioslave - Like A Stone

It's so unreal, didn't look out below

Watch the time go right out the window

Linkin Park - In The End

And so we're told this is the golden age

And gold is the reason for the wars we wage

U2 - New Year’s Day

And the crashes are heaven for a sinner like me

But the arms of the ocean delivered me

Florence and the Machine - Never Let Me Go

And all I dreamed of, it can't get started

Time goes really slow and I need to let it out

Kelela - Bankhead

Smutty

We go deep and we don't get no sleep

'Cause we'll be up all night until the early light

Janet Jackson - Go Deep

I'm hanging on your words

Living on your breath

Feeling with your skin

Will I always be here?

Depeche Mode - In Your Room

You'd be calling out my name

Begging me to play my games

Depeche Mode - Corrupt

Fetish is a pleasure you cannot be faked, woho hoho

But when it feels this good then it just comes natural

Baby, arch your back and point your toes

Miguel - Arch & Point

I'm your pimp, I'm your pope, I'm your pastor babe

Confess your sins to me while you masturbate

Miguel - the valley

I got plans to put my hands in places

I never seen, girl, you know what I mean

Usher - Nice & Slow

Turned on by everything you say

I'm turned on by everything you do

Jodeci - Freek'n You

No rules to this game

Turn me out

Now I'm helpless

And I beg you

Do it again

Kelela - Do It Again

Grab hold of me

Gentle love but touch passionately

I'll give you my blessing

Take me person and objectively

Ex and internally

Sabrina Claudio

Give it to me like you need it, baby

Want you to hear me screaming, heavy breathing

Summer Walker - Girls Need Love

#song lyrics #song lyric challenge #birthday challenge #birthday celebration #princesspbdaychallenge

[harpagornis]

Kizazi Moto review

Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire is an anthology of animated shorts from studios all over Africa, with the theme of afrofuturism and science fantasy (mixing frequently indigenous spiritual beliefs with the tech, and many shorts are actually about gods or spiritual beings). It's a shame that the project is attached to Disney, because this is one of the best anthologies I've seen in a long while.

So let's review the individual shorts.

Herderboy

By Uganda's Raymond Malinga, this portrays the story of a boy trying to join a band of herders, which harvest kyber crystals from cyborg cows and are under constant attack by spirits (read dark side hyenas). It's a good start to the anthology; the CGI is bright and makes good use of color, and it has a nice twist at the end.

7/10

Mkhuzi the Spirit Racer

By South Africa's Simangaliso Sibaya and Malcolm Wopé, this one bears a bright and joyous 2D animation. It features a half-human half-something boy who struggles with his Zulu identity, and that all comes crashing down in a race against gentrification. It's a delightful short with beautiful visuals and actual incorporation of cultural themes into the narrative.

9/10

Moremi

By Nigeria’s Shofela Coker, this is a pretty bleak looking CGI short not out of place in Love, Death & Robots. Long ago, soul stealing giants forced a woman to construct magical machines by giving her son's heart to the gods; this is about the summary you're gonna get without getting into heavy spoilers. A delight if you're into mythology as there's quite a few allusions to Nigeria's folklore, but I can see people getting a bit confused and the visuals can be grating at times.

6/10

Surf Sagoma

By South Africa’s Nthato Mokgata and Catherine Green, in a future where sea levels rose and mutant octopi lurk in the depths a boy is peer pressured into surfing in dangerous waters. I have to say, while this has a happy ending it is rather bleak and the CGI visuals are not particularly pleasing.

5/10

First Totem Problems

By South Africa’s Tshepo Moche, we're back to 2D, this time more Disney-esque. If I had to describe this, it'd be like a mixture of the first half of Brother Bear and Coco. It's pretty fun, though a bit lacking in substance and the family feuds can get grating.

7/10

Mukudzei

By Zimbabwe’s Pious Nyenyewa and Tafadzwa Hove, an influencer desecrates Great Zimbabwe, only to be taken to a timeline where it never fell to colonialism and became basically Wakanda. The concept alone is amazing, though the story itself is rather generic.

8/10

Hatima

By South Africa’s Terence Maluleke and Isaac Mogajane, this is by far my favourite of the shorts, it features the tragic conflict between merfolk and humans, with a Black Panther 2 reveal at the end. With stellar 2D animation and allusions to Dogon mythology, as well as a good solid plot where the reveal has just the right amount of foreshadowing without becoming obvious.

10/10

Stardust

By Egypt's Ahmed Teilab, I had the highest expectations for this one, being the only Middle Eastern short in the mix. It's an alright story, I really loved the science fantasy twist on astrology by just being handed a "destiny" in a tube with stars inside. The protagonist naturally choses her own fate over the manufactured ones... though getting there is quite spoilerific.

8/10

You Give My Heart

By South Africa’s Lesego Vorster, this is another return to 2D animation and the second one about influencers amusingly enough. The plot kicks off in a competition in which the human contestants can ascend to godhood. Godhood is very much treated like being an influencer, and amusingly one of the previous contestants was demoted by typing in all caps. Overall pretty fun and the animation is gorgeous, though the characters designs can get a bit ugly.

9/10

Enkai

By  Kenya’s Ng’endo Mukii, the final short is done in a CGI mimicking stop motion, which combined with the stellar coloration and lighting makes for a stunning visual experience. This too deals with the divine, this time the young Enkai seeking to become a creator deity like her mother. There is a big plot twist that I will not spoil, and recontextualises the whole short.

9/10

Conclusion

I give the overall anthology 9/10; barring a few hiccups, these are wonderful stories from Africa's many creative voices. Again, pity Disney has a grasp on this.

#kizazi moto #kizazi moto: generation fire #review #animation #afrofuturism #representation

[fucked-up-beyond-repair]

Can't stop puking

For day 2 of Nov(emeto)ber @monthofsick

TW: emeto, vomiting, Implied object-eating, supernatural elements

----

Neal, being a hopeless werewolf, found himself eating through heaps of garbage beyond what his human body would be able to handle afterwards. Fortunately, his roommate, and mage, Lane, always has the solutions he needs.

Because I think it's cute when werewolves act like oversized dogs.

----

Neal slowly opened his eyes as the harsh sunlight streamed through the curtains. An intense pounding headache immediately hit him, accompanied by a sickly rancid taste lingering in his mouth and an uncomfortable fullness in his stomach.

Lane entered their cramped dorm room with a playful grin. "Good morning sunshine, how are you feeling?"

"Terrible," Neal groaned. As he attempted to sit up, his stomach protested; a sharp pain surged through him, regretting the movement as waves of nausea washed over him.

"I figured as much," Lane chuckled. “Luckily for you, I am such a stellar friend that I went all across the hallway to get you some water." Lane handed him the glass as he invited himself on the bed frame next to Neal.

Neal pressed a hand against his forehead, hoping to alleviate the pain before slowly bringing the water to his lips. Each swallow intensified the nausea as the water joined his already cramped stomach. The gas started to build up, making him burp weakly.

"Why did I have to eat so much?" he complained, feeling so full he was afraid he was going to burst. He couldn’t even recall doing so; in fact, he couldn’t remember anything at all. "Uhm, was I drunk last night?" he asked worriedly, even though he usually avoided alcohol.

Lane scratched his neck, unsure of what to tell him. "Someone complained about raccoons or something making a ruckus behind the cafeteria," he explained, giving Neal an apologetic look. "Turns out, it was you - as a huge golden wolf, rummaging through the trash cans.”

Realization hit in, making Neal turn green. His heart raced; panic settling in at the thought of having his stomach filled with heaps of rotten garbage. "I think I’m going to throw up," Neal grimaced, as a wet burp erupted from him.

"Will probably …" Another lump in his throat cut him off, and he covered his mouth, swallowing hard. "Need a bucket…" he panted through the overwhelming nausea.

"You…" Lane hesitated, turning away briefly trying to hide his amusement. "Kind of ate it…" he sighed, looking at Neal with a hint of hopelessness.

Neal barely registered that implication as his stomach contracted. He hurriedly tried to bend to the side, feeling a gush of watery vomit seep through his hand and falling to the floor.

Without break, his stomach continued to heave painfully, but despite the violent retches, nothing else came up. Desperate for relief, he pushed hard against his bloated stomach, wincing painfully as everything shifted upwards. It felt stuck in his throat, only resulting in a wet belch.

"Stomach not keeping up?" Lane teased, placing a hand gently on Neal's abdomen. Lane quickly frowned at the tightness that pressed into his palm as Neal breathed shallowly.

Lane reached for his pockets; having already predicted that Neal's digestion system would need some help. "Drink this; it should help your stomach dissolve whatever you ate last night," he said, offering Neal a small vial.

"Thanks…" Neal mumbled weakly before carefully taking a sip. However, the thick bitter mixture induced a gag, and was quickly expelled onto Lane's shirt.

Ignoring the mess, Lane gently guided Neal’s hand back to his trembling lips. "Try to keep it down; you will feel better soon."

Neal's nausea grew for each swallow, making it harder to keep the liquid down. The mixture seemed to do its work though, relieving the tightness in Neal's stomach briefly before the nausea became unbearable, feeling the dissolved contents slosh inside him.

"We should probably head to the bathro-" Lane was interrupted as Neal shot upright and reached for the pillow. He hurriedly stripped off the pillowcase, and buried his head into it, desperately hoping it would contain the mess.

Neal closed his eyes tight, feeling everything rush up his throat at once. He lurched forwards with a violent heave as thick chunks of vomit filled the thin fabric.

"That’s good, just let it all out." Neal was somewhat aware that Lane remained next to him despite the mess, rubbing his back as he puked his guts out. His stomach was so incredibly full, bringing up wave after wave of lumpy vomit.

"Why can't it stop" Neal groaned. The stench of rotting garbage filled the room, triggering another round of vomiting. It was more liquid this time, seeping through the pillowcase and onto the bed.

When he finally stopped retching, Neal was left weak and trembling, his entire body drenching in sweat. "You think you are done?" Lane hoped, taking away the makeshift vomit bag after seeing it dripping onto the bed. Neal weakly nodded, still panting as the nauseous feeling persisted.

However, Lane could feel Neal’s back tense up again, and a grimace formed on Lane’s face as he sensed a warm, sticky puddle of vomit soaking through his lap.

"Sorry…" Neal managed to utter before another belch interrupted him, bringing up mostly bile by now. "Sorry about the mess…" he whimpered, feeling utterly drained as he leaned into Lane with exhaustion.

"I’m sure you'll find a way to make it up to me,” Lane murmured, a slight blush tinging his cheeks.

Clearing his throat, he swiftly returned to his usual smirk. "Let's just get you cleaned up for now. Then you can rest in my bed for today."

#emeto #emetophilia #emeto fic #sickfic #vomiting #tw: emeto

[un-pearable]

okay post sonic symphony post recap :D

1st mezzanine sweep (could see both the orchestra + the singers excluding when they went in the audience at one point) + we were right next to the projector (cool!!!!) and some of the speakers (ouch)

orchestral:

setlist (as best i remember, i wasn’t writing it down, PLEASE correct me):

sonic 1

sonic cd

sonic 2

sky sanctuary

sonic mania

“welcome to 3D”

believe in myself/it doesn’t matter medley

chao garden

“three new ones”

rooftop run

aquarium park/planet wisp

frontiers medley w/ stuff from third DLC

i was so excitedly surprised to see the new visuals!!! they did a really great job combining the new origins cutscenes with gameplay and the timing was INCREDIBLE esp for a live show. infinite kudos and honestly i can appreciate them waiting two years to actually do this since the cutscenes really tied to first few medleys together

conductor absolutely CRUSHED IT dude was very understanding that the audience was going to be Losing It consistently and he made it work. so much love to that orchestra they did a stellar job and im so sad they’ll get overshadowed by the vocal parts (which. yeah obviously. but they did SUCH great work and the conductor did a great job directing the audiences applause to them)

felt bad they had to stop between every single medley for applause but such is life . also experiencing live audience reactions for stuff like the chemical plant zone drowning trap and amy being playable in the metal sonic race was amazing

enjoyed the sky sanctuary medley even though it took the place of the sonic 3k music overall, so much kudos to the video team that was SO cool (AND IT HAD THE FRONTIERS ANIMATED SPECIAL!!!!! YEAHHHH WIN FOR KNUCKLES FANS EVERYWHERE)

the believe in myself/it doesn’t matter one’s are always so sweet to me i love how they frame them using the cutscenes from each of their respective stories + the end card 🥺 now do that for everyone else’s themes!!!!!!!!!!

i’m definitely forgetting at least one bit in there but it was so delightful all around, the new arrangements were so fun, unleashed sweeps as always but one guy near me was SUPER passionate about aquarium park im glad he was happy. the frontiers medley ended w/ the new supersonic form and having not watched that trailer this was the BEST possible way to see that new content holy SHIT!!!!!!!!

intermission: that was the single most positive bathroom i’ve ever been in and i mean that in the least weird way possible. everyone was so so so excited and complimentary (ty to the person who liked my pins and whose fiancé liked the tails one. i like it a lot too :]) also kudos to the stunning wave cosplayer i saw she was killing it!!!!! molly whoever you were i hope you enjoyed the second half as much as i did

vocal tracks:

setlist (i actually did write this one down):

i am all of me

what i’m made of

open your heart

knight of the wind

escape from the city

(new!!) superstars intro theme

his world

reach for the stars

fist bump

endless possibility

(fake out ending)

break through it all

undefeatable

live and learn

the fake out of having only the orchestra on stage and then l having i am all of me just START even before johnny + jun got on stage. incredible. we were all so distracted i have to find a clip of the audible chaos when the music started going and everyone clocked it was SHADOW FIRST. anyway so so so funny they only showed cutscenes from shth . no gameplay. gee wonder why

interesting structure too, compared to the order of the OG one in 2021 (which focused more on ramping up to the classics + live n learn at the end) this order bookended some of the less popular songs (reach for the stars and the new superstars theme particularly) with the BIG names

you should have heard how much people lost it when johnny said “you are… what i’m made of” i’m so proud of you sonic symphony audience. we are all sonic heroes appreciators

oh also johnny + everyone’s clumsy attempts to name drop/imply song names in their inbetweens. hilarious. astounding. i’m glad we’re your knight johnny

^ re: prev i NEED a recording of that it was glorious. if anyone has one hmu

literally two minutes before the second half started i was telling my beloved friend i dragged along that all i needed to be happy was for them to have kept knight of the wind and it was the FOURTH SONG . WIN FOR JAY. 3 of my top fives within the first twenty mins of act 2. incredible

obviously escape from the city floored everyone. i think that got the most people singing but we were all already exhausted vocally it was very funny hearing what lines people mumbled. but it DID have the most call and response, with the biggest songs they would really just shut off the mics and let the audience sing a lot of lines it was so so fun

johnny took his leave from the stage (and complimented + thanked dave vives and also the fandom), said goodnight, and sometime around now tomoya ohtani was brought on (he deserved more applause and did eventually get it)

superstars theme was cool!!!! but right after city escape was funny bc . no one knows it. you go from most singable theme imaginable to everyone sitting as upright as possible and the half that wasn’t already recording to whip out their phones to capture it especially as they introduce it as “the first time this song has EVER played on this side of the ocean” lmao. hope you liked it london i’m glad you took us down a peg

his worrrrrrlddddd we all love it. we were all so tired. also we kept fumbling the lines bc we all like the zebra head version and rappings hard. i get it. video team did a fun job remixing the visuals for sonic + shadow + silver focus sections though it was really cool

reach for the stars really had people peetering out over the length partly bc we were all exhausted vocally and partly bc it’s sadly less iconic

i could not take fistbump seriously bc they had our beloved ian jr front and center for the whole video. it was glorious. they started w gadget for the opening bit and then bam ian jr everywhere. amazing . got a whole games worth of cutscenes with his beautiful face you did your creator (who was IN THE AUDIENCE) proud

good break before endless possibility though

possibilities are endless. ‘nuff said

jk the video was STUNNING and a lot of it was the opening cutscene which remains some of the best sonic animation ever to this day. and this song REALLY showcased how well the orchestra worked simultaneously with the band it was glorious . the use of the werehog transformation scene in time with:

mwa. stunning choice. and once again damn the band’s vocalist (dave vives) CRUSHED IT. johnny gave him a shout out for being a worthy successor at the shows he can’t attend and it was so so so deserved y’all are in for a treat

around here my ears + voice started genuinely feeling weird. the sacrifices we make for an absolutely wild experience (it’s all fine now though dw <3)

at this point they thanked everyone for coming + the band walked off stage and they turned all the lights off for a joke. me knowing they wouldn’t leave w/o live and learn was skeptical <- totally forgot they had a whole other guest star who hadn’t done his signature contribution yet

“one more” chanting ensued and my bro says he thinks they definitely had someone planted to say that but like. they did way more than one more. no way that was an intentional phrase

the band returned!!!! KELLIN QUINN KILLED IT

it’s dead. it’s dead and gone . my hearing and also the ability to play sonic music it’s been forever changed . hearing those incredible songs from frontiers + a full live orchestra backing up the astounding vocals (HOW) was incredible. this is when i could feel the literal balcony shaking . my vocal chords are going to kill me tomorrow

obligatory “just one more” was undefeatable and ngl im so glad they did it second, the hype up with break through it all made it even better despite them going the opposite in the game . should have used the cooler going supersonic clip from the trailers rather in game though . no one is immune to undefeatable + the extending music video was crazy good

ANOTHER “one last one” in which johnny was called back on stage, pretended to not know what people were asking for/what he was supposed to sing, got the ENTIRE crowd yelling the name of the song, and then and he + kellin absolutely crushed live and learn

it’s live and learn. it’s the perfect end note ft. quinn’s unparalleled vocals. what more do you need

they showed the really funny still shot of shadow overlaid on the moon for the last shot of the video and i know it’s the actual ending but it lingered for like 15 seconds and i couldn’t stop laughing . they showed all the dialogue captions leading up to him dying so i though they were going to show him falling to earth but nah. stock render brain store ass pose

still COOL AS HELL!!!!!!! they had us congratulate EVERYONE and all the individual band members and the orchestra and im so so so happy with how it went . one million thanks to these wonderful people they did a great job

a couple literally got engaged in the lobby. one group started belting sonic underground on like the third floor of the stairway. it was incredible. the oscar’s could never top this ty dolby theaterrr

absolutely incredible all around . special shout out to: the people lowkey cosplaying while still in formalwear (woman in a beautiful white dress wearing a rouge hairpiece i salute you. guy in blue suit and guy in orange suit you’re amazing. woman in the fanciest amy rose dress i’ve ever seen im in love). the people with awesome t-shirts i am among your ranks we love a fandom with cool shirt designs. people in full on cosplay i am so so happy for all the diversity in characters i saw. the line for merch that stretched all the way back into the theater at the end: what was the theater staff doing that was bonkers. the people handing out stickers that i missed i Will be stalking your online stores. all the people in normal formal wear carrying their plushies? amazing. the world is beautiful. goodnight everyone

#text✨ #sonic symphony #sonic #i am. exhausted. didn’t get home for another three hours AND i had to eat. i can sleep now i’m glad i typed this up. 100% i’ll remember #smthn later but i like documenting it :] #hope so had someone posts a high quality slime tutorial soon i want to check some stuff #didn’t record much but i DID get the countdowns bc it was so fun hearing everyone’s attention get grabbed #i was in fact singing 99% of the time despite telling myself not to . the wonders of live music ina community full of love <3 #. and now for me to reckon with the fact that this is my first propert concert #long post #<- sorry

[temiree]

Painted commission for RarySnowlion, featuring the Riverfolk, a major race in Stellar Empires, a sci-fi RPG that they're planning to publish in the future! They're a loose association of powerful mercantile families. Most of their business is legal. Most of it.

He requested this to have a cyberpunk/Blade Runner sort of vibe. I hope I did it justice! More details on the Riverfolk below.

"The Riverfolk resemble large otters. They’re typically about six feet in length, which includes about two feet of tail. They are able to stand upright and have fully functional hands. Riverfolk have a base movement rate of 2 on land or while swimming, and can hold their breath for up to 10 minutes.The Riverfolk originally haled from a large river on the southern continent of Homeworld. Controlling the main waterway, the Riverfolk became masters of commerce. When the Riverfolk first met the Myr’Shon, each recognized the financial skill of the other. They’ve had a mutually respectful rivalry ever since.Family units are important to most Riverfolk.

They are social creatures, and respect bonds of blood. Riverfolk families are huge, extended affairs. In the stellar age, family units can number into the millions. The five largest families of Riverfolk emerged into dominance, and are known as the Five Houses.  Each is governed by a family council of elders.  Each of the Five Houses is a law unto itself, and the legitimacy of each is universally recognized.

The Five Houses are unique in permitting and encouraging dual-citizenship.  Many members of the Five Houses are also members of the Red Code, the Ephesian Confederacy, or a Myr’Shon clan.The laws of the Five Houses are more libertine than those of other governments. Most other goverments have restrictions on drugs, prostitution, or armaments. The Five Houses do not.

Technically, even slavery remains legal in the Five Houses, though as a practical matter it is rarely practiced.Riverfolk also have a tradition of exploration which dates back to the age of the gods and derived from their spirituality. The Riverfolk revered The River, which became a representation of the spiritual connection between all things. Many Riverfolk are eager to take up careers as Spacers or Rifters because of their heritage. When Riverfolk do leave home, they carry some token of their home with them. Riverfolk telergic adepts dedicated to the River are reputed to be excellent navigators with a reputation for never getting lost."

#otter #mustelid #anthro #anthropomorphic #furry #painting #colored #art #realistic #detailed #underwater #base #scifi #cyberpunk #digital art #my art #commission #sci fi #race #RPG #Blade Runner #RarySnowlion #smirk #smirking #intimidating #mob boss #bodyguard

[theresattrpgforthat]

I run a D&D club that is constantly getting new members, and we’ve recently hit a budget of some kind. I wanna buy some non-D&D RPGs for the club as

a) I don’t wanna support Wizards of the Coast,

b) D&D is REALLY complicated if you don’t have any pre-existing TTRPG knowledge whatsoever,

c) I wanna diversify the Club’s RPG portfolio and give an opportunity to turn it into a TTRPG club rather than just a D&D Club, and

d) I wanna give people who aren’t able to find a group the ability to easily start their own groups, as each of our groups has 9 players each minimum and I don’t think our GMs can take further weight.

In any case, the main issue I’m encountering is finding TTRPGs that aren’t just easy to play if you know nothing about RPGs, but easy to RUN if you know nothing about RPGs either. I also want at least 1 fantasy option so people who are attracted to D&D for the fantasy element can still access that. You have any recommendations?

THEME: First Time GMs

Alright, so I did some very intentional things here, in the hopes of making this helpful. Most of the games on this list are games I’ve played myself, so I know something about how they run. (There’s 1+1/2 games I haven’t played on this list but I have read the rules).

I also made sure all of the links were to physical copies of the books, because I find being able to flip through a book and read a physical copy of it helps me learn better, and I assume it’s easier to share a physical book with a club than it is to share a PDF. That being said, if you can get a PDF copy when you order the physical copy, I highly recommend doing so.

AGON, by John Harper.

John Harper has a reputation for good games - but more than that, they also make games that are easily contained within one-session chunks. 

As Greek heroes, the players will go to various islands in a search for glory, as the players attempt to win enough favour from the Gods in order to be able to return home. Each island can be run over the course of a session, with a structure of suggested signs and events for each island. 

There’s enough room for an adventurous GM to stray from the script (or even write their own islands) but for first-time GMs there’s a lot of tools to set you up for success. Not only that, there seems to be a big love for Greek Mythology out there, so this game shouldn’t be a hard sell! The best part is that this is the parent of the PARAGON family of games, so if it's a hit, you can go on to introduce games like Endeavour (Star Trek), Ruins of DOOM (dungeon-crawling), and Starbones (Pirates!)

Pugmire and Monarchies of Mau, by Sandy Pug Games.

This game uses a ruleset that’s basically a slimmed-down version of 5E, so it’s great for folks who don’t want to stray too far from D&D. It’s a fantasy setting with the twist that all of the players are Dogs or Cats: and (personal highlight), animal breeds that have inherent strengths and weaknesses feel much less racist than D&D races. 

There’s magic, relics, and inherently opposed groups in these games, such as the Cult of Labo Tor, a group of rats that descended from the same rats used laboratories, and thus consider their true role to be of experimenters and scientists. There’s also plenty of adventures, expansions, and supplements available for GMs, such as The Great Cat Conspiracy, an adventure in the Pugmire Rulebook, with pre-designed adversaries, lore, and tips and tricks for the new GM. 

Visigoths vs. Mall Goths, by Lucian Kahn.

This is a neatly-packaged rpg about teens in malls with playbooks and a list of pre-written adventures. What I think makes this stellar for new GM’s is all of the tools it gives you - the playbooks have all of the character choices laid out for you, so it’s easy for players to get a grasp of who they’re playing. There’s a map of the mall, so the table can look at the different locations for both inspiration and planning. 

On the GM’s side, there’s information about each of the stores in the mall, including the store clerks, who they know and like, and whether or not they are romance-able. The adventures have handouts and key NPCs so the GM knows who to focus on, while containing roll tables so that the outcome isn’t the same every time. Finally, there’s a track that will progress every time the players move on to a new scene, and because the mall has a closing time, everyone knows when to start wrapping things up and bring the adventure to an end. 

Best of all, you can’t leave the mall - so even if the players start to deviate a little bit, they can’t go completely off the map!

Mausritter, by Losing Games. 

This is a little game with a focus on dungeon delving, but as mice. The link above is for the physical box set, which includes cards to help the table with bookkeeping, a toolbox of resources to help the Game Master create mouse-scale adventures, and an adventure module called Honey in the Rafters. 

Mausritter is cute, but don’t let this game fool you - as mice, the characters will find themselves greatly outclassed by most things they go up against. It will take creativity and resourcefulness to get out of the dangers they find themselves falling into. For game-masters that want to challenge their players, while keeping character creation and management simple, this game is rules-lite with a lot of potential.

ARC: Doom Tabletop RPG, by Momatoes.

Rules light, tension heavy, that’s ARC. This game is designed with first-time game-masters in mind. ARC has a really interesting system called a Doomsday Clock, that will tick down towards a doom that the Heroes will want to prevent. It has the ability to run for one session or a short campaign, and it provides a step-by-step breakdown for the game master in helping them construct the story for the rest of the players. I love step-by step layouts like this, because they provide a concrete place to start and bring the GM through each step of the Clock.

The character creation is also broken down into steps, with easy-to-read text that helps players sort out their stats and skills, while also helping them answer some questions about their character’s personality along the way. This game can also happen in any setting, so you could run a fantasy campaign and a science-fiction game using the same rules! For GM’s that are worried about memorizing a lot of lore, this looks like a game that only needs as much lore as you need for the moments you’re experiencing in play - although if you want oodles of lore, I don’t see much stopping you either.

#dnd #tabletop games #first timers #indie ttrpgs #asks #game recommendations