#And then decided to add ben as well | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

rayslittlekitten · 9 months

Text

Can I?

A/N: Okay y'all. It's here, it's done. Y'all voted on this a while back and it was a bit challenging as I made the mistake of starting to write it with Will in mind so I had to make adjustments, but I think I figured it out. Thank you so so much to @musings-of-a-rose for taking a look at this for me. You are a doll!

Rating: E (18+ ONLY)

Word Count: 6,033

Pairing: Benny Miller x BFF! F! Reader

Plot: A night of unexpected events occur when you and your best friend innocently test out sex toys you had drunkenly purchased for shits and giggles.

WARNINGS: This is the first fic I am NOT including warning tags because I don't want to spoil anything. There's nothing typically potentially triggering like dark stuff (i.e. CNC) but still I wanted to keep it a mystery going in. SO PLEASE PROCEED WITH CAUTION! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Your friends were supposed to watch the fight with you tonight but they had bailed with some excuse or two except for your best friend. You thought that his brother would at least still be joining as they usually do everything together - like you wouldn’t be surprised if you found out they hold each other’s dicks while the other pisses - but it’s just going to be you and him tonight. Instead of going to the bar like originally planned, you both decided to pick up a case of beer and hang out at your place. It’s cheaper and less crowded.

There’s a rap at your apartment door and you go to open it. As expected, it's your best friend with the supply.

“Hey, Benny! Just in time!”

"Hey, you got a package," Benny says as he hands you the beer. He bends down to pick up the small brown box off the floor by your door. "What did you order?"

"I have no idea what that is," you reply as you make your way over to the kitchen to stick it in the fridge. "I don't remember ordering anything. Where does it say it's from?"

"The return address just says Warehouse, in Ohio," he replies, inspecting the non-descript package and following you further into your apartment after shutting the door behind him.

He hands you the cardboard box before taking his jacket off and making himself at home. You rip open the package and after seeing the contents, you laugh out loud.

"What's so funny?" he asks, walking closer to you.

"This was a drunk purchase. I totally forgot about these!" You reach in to pull out the items and show him your new purchases.

"What are those?" He looks perplexed.

“This one is a vibrator I keep seeing on Instagram, but it's supposed to be like, amazing," you answer.

"How the hell are you supposed to use that?" He takes one of the packages from you and inspects it, looking at the pictures on the box.

"Well, one way you can use it is you insert this side into your pussy and this part is supposed to sit on your clit," you point and explain to him. "It also comes with a detached remote so someone else can control it.

"I don't know if that's a terrible time or a great time."

"The vibration is supposed to be very powerful but quiet," you add. "Supposed to be discreet. They try to sell it by showing women supposedly wearing it in public under their clothes without anyone apparently knowing and their partner has control of it and she's like losing her shit."

"I'm curious now."

"For science!" You declare as you snatch the package from him. You start opening it up and pull the contents out. "Shit, it needs AAA batteries. TV remote!"

You head to the living room and he follows you. You take the batteries out of your TV remote and shove them into the new toy. After turning it on, it buzzes lightly in your hand, moving subtly.

"Let's see how crazy it can get." You start playing with the buttons until it goes up to the highest setting and Ben's eyes get wide as saucers watching it flop around in your palm, practically jumping out of your hand.

"Jesus Christ!" Benny hops back.

"Yeah, now imagine that between your legs."

"I'm not sure I want to. Looks like it would scramble all the sperm inside my balls. Besides, I don't think it was made for my body parts," he points out.

"You just don’t have an imagination," you jab. "Hmm, should we test drive it?" you suggest as you shut it off.

“What do you mean?" he asks curiously.

"See if the hype is real," you answer. "Especially that other one." You point to the other toy that's still in its package.

"That one's supposed to feel like your clit is actually getting sucked on."

"I didn't even know such toys exist," he confesses.

"There are soooo many sex toys out there, you don't even know. Why don't you go get us some cold ones while I figure these out?" you suggest.

"You really wanna do this?” He checks again.

"Yeah, why not? It's not like we have anything else better to do except watch two grown men beat each other up," you state. “Come on, this isn’t any different than the time we accidentally found Will’s porn stash and you got a boner.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t jerk off.”

“You totally did. Not in front of me, but you were not discreet when you snuck off to the bathroom with one of his magazines to ‘take a shit’,” you look at him knowingly.

“Okay, fine,” he shrugs and adjusts his forward-facing cap. “You have a point.” He heads back into the kitchen to grab some beer.

When he comes back with two opened bottles in hand, he finds you reading the manual and reviewing the other toy.

"So how exactly are we testing these?" he asks, settling down next to you on the couch and taking a gulp of his beer.

"Well, I'm not gonna stick it down my pants if that's what you're thinking. Would that be too weird?” You scrunch your nose while looking over at your best friend who looks just as clueless.

"I don't know. That's why I'm asking. It ain't going down my pants. No amount of alcohol is gonna get that to happen."

"Okay, I didn't think this through. I mean, I guess we can just test it on our arms or something," you shrug cluelessly, thinking of the first thing that comes to mind and then going back to the manual.

"How would that work?" Benny asks as he takes the remote sitting next to him, inspecting it.

As you begin to answer, he starts randomly pressing buttons and you shriek, jumping in your seat. Benny also jumps back, spilling some of his beer as he reacts to your sudden outburst.

"What the hell?!" He looks over to you.

You instantly reach for the vibrator that happened to be sitting between your legs, snug against the front of your pants and toss it at him. Benny tries to dodge it like it's a dead cockroach, but it lands on his lap and he immediately launches himself off the couch. The vibrator continues to bounce around the cushion of the couch until Benny finally shuts it off.

"What the hell was that, man?" Benny looks over at you.

"It was between my legs when you turned it on, you ass!"

“Well, what the hell was it doing there? You said you weren't gonna test it that way."

"I wasn't! It just happened to be there while I was reading on how to operate the other one. Why'd you turn it on?" You shoot back.

"I don't know what the hell I'm doing!" He shouts. "This shit is like rocket science! How do you women even use these things?"

"Men use them too," you correct him.

“Well, clearly I never have," he admits and returns to his seat, flicking the vibrator towards you to make room for himself.

"You're such a prude. It's not like I was wearing it," you say, grabbing it away from him.

"I'm not a prude! You freaked out so I freaked out." He takes another gulp of his beer.

"Whatever," you mumble, still feeling a bit flustered and embarrassed by what had happened. You turn your attention back to the other toy.

"Wait, you've never used any sex toys before?" you shift your attention back to him.

"Nope," he shakes his head.

"Not even with a partner?" You raise a brow.

"Well, one time this girl wanted to make things interesting and suggested a dildo, but it wasn't for her," he starts. "She wanted to stick that up my ass and I was not about that. Especially not after what I had for lunch that day."

"Aww, no peggy for Benny?" you exaggerate a pout.

"Hey, you should think twice about who you're poking fun of.” He shows you the remote in his hand and turns it back on, spooking you when the vibrator goes off between you and Benny.

"Okay, you're having too much fun with that." You reach over to grab the remote from him but he moves it away from your reach.

You lean in further, but his long arm prevents you from getting access to it. At this point, you’re practically climbing on top of him.

“You’re right. This is fun,” he laughs.

When you get close, he transfers the remote to his other hand so you shift yourself but lose your balance, landing back on the still-on vibrator. You shriek and Benny laughs at you. He turns the setting to the highest as you try to get away from it in your awkward position.

"Benny! You can't just go from 1 to 100 instant—" You finally roll off of it and give yourself a moment. With your eyes closed and teeth digging hard into your lower plump lip, you try to get yourself together.

“Are- are you okay?” Benny asks as his laugh dwindles. “Did you have an orgasm or something?” he jokes.

“No…” you start. “But maybe I almost did - maybe!”

His laugh finally dies, but a smirk remains on his face.

“Seriously?!” His eyes grow wide, turning his body towards you.

“That toy is no joke,” you point to it still wriggling on the couch. “And now I really wanna know what it can do.”

Benny shuts it off and his eyes shuttle between the toy and you.

“Uh… like, now?” He questions.

You stare at him for a few seconds, contemplating.

“That would be weird, right?” You ask with a squinted eye. “Never mind, forget it—”

“Have at it,” Benny interrupts. “Now I wanna see what this thing can do, too.”

“Really?” You ask with a raised brow, surprised.

“Yeah, like you said, what else is there to do? For science!” He brings up his beer bottle to celebrate it.

“Dork,” you chuckle, snatching the toy.

“Also, maybe I can learn a thing or two from it,” he replies. “Not that I need any help in that department, but I’m always open to learning new things,” he adds.

You roll your eyes.

“Hey, I’m a fighter and a lover. And I’m great at both,” he winks.

“Are you done stroking your own ego?” You look at him, unimpressed.

“I’m sorry. Yes, you can go on to stroke yourself,” he answers, trying to keep a straight face but ends up cracking a smirk.

“You’re so dumb,” you roll your eyes again and try not to crack your own.

“But I gotta be the one in control.” He holds up the remote in his hand.

“Benny-“

“I may never have the opportunity to ever do this again,” he says. “Besides, isn’t it what makes this fun? Someone else controlling it?”

You stare back at him and think about it.

“Okay, fine, but-“ you point a finger at him.

“I promise I won’t go from zero to 100, okay? Scout’s honor.” Benny brings his three middle fingers up.

“You weren’t a boy scout,” you point out.

“Fuck you. I was one for like a month,” he corrects you. “So are we doing this or what?”

“Turn around,” you tell him.

“What? I can’t watch?”

“Not watch me put this on. Turn around,” you repeat.

He rolls his eyes and turns his whole body around so the back of his head is facing you. You keep an eye on him as you wrangle your jeans and slip the toy inside you until it fits snug. Benny takes a sip of his beer as he waits patiently. He hears you fumbling around and finally you tell him he can turn back around.

He turns to face you and he looks confused.

“What?” You ask him.

“You have it on? Under your jeans?”

“Yes. I wasn’t gonna let it all hang out willy-nilly,” you tell him. “If you don’t believe me, turn it—“

Before you can finish your sentence, Benny flips the switch and you seize up. He can’t hear it, but your reaction confirms you have it in. He watches you as you stay still and quiet for a few moments.

“Can I up the speed?” He asks.

“Is this the lowest setting?” You calmly shoot back.

“Uh, yeah I think so.” He looks down at the remote to see if there’s any indication.

“Okay, go up one notch. One!” You glare at him.

“Okay, here we go.” He turns it up and you twitch.

You start shifting around in your seat until you feel the vibrator is in optimal position.

“How many speeds does this thing have again?” You ask out loud, reaching for the instruction manual and scanning it. “TEN?”

“Well, here’s number three,” Benny says as he ups the speed.

“Ben— ohhhhh…” Your scolding got cut short when the vibrator starts to really hit the right spots.

The tip of the dildo part tickles your g-spot as the outer part flickers over your clit. You close your eyes and bite your lower lip, trying to concentrate and keep your composure.

“Shit, shit, shit, shit,” you mumble.

“Uh… how are you doing?” He asks, not sure what else to do.

“I’m… “ you freeze up for a quick second and then relax, letting out a heavy breath. “Jeeeesus,” you hiss.

Benny remains quiet as he watches you slightly gyrate against the couch. You close your legs together and cross your knees, trying to recalibrate yourself for the ideal position. He notices your breathing has gotten heavier.

“Higher?” He asks quietly, afraid to interrupt your flow.

“I’m already slipping all around,” you answer without opening your eyes, almost forgetting you aren’t alone.

“That’s not a no…” he points out.

Your teeth digs even deeper into your lower lip as you contemplate whether you want to chase your impending orgasm or not. You hate that at the current setting, it’s only enough to edge you and need a bit more to get you over the top.

“Okay,” you finally say. “Do it.”

Benny takes it to number four and you yelp instantly.

"Oh my god," you start giggling. "This is fucking crazy!"

Your thighs tightly clamp together and your back arches off the couch. You throw your head back as your jaw drops open, letting out a silent scream. Your hips rock against the vibrator, trying to get to the finish line.

"I'm not gonna lie. This is getting me hard."

You open your eyes and glance over at him to see him palming the front of his jeans and rubbing himself through the denim as he watches you trying not to lose your shit.

“How close are you?" he asks.

You feel your face get really warm all of a sudden. His baby blues pierce your eyes and you're suddenly feeling more vulnerable than you already are, like you just got caught doing something you shouldn't be doing, but at the same time, it’s kinda hot seeing Benny turned on watching you to the point where he’s quasi-touching himself. Noticing your state of shock, he amps up the vibration and you let out an uncontrolled moan.

"Oh, fuck!“

Your hips buck off the couch as your orgasm comes crashing down on you. You continue to moan as you ride the wave and try to catch the next one, grinding down on the couch. You don’t even care how silly you might look to Ben right now. All your focus is what’s going on between your legs. Suddenly the vibrator gets stronger again.

“Ben, stop! It’s too much!” You shriek.

You’re relieved when the torture stops, but it also feels odd as you feel the residual buzzing between your legs.

“So… how was it?” Benny breaks the silence. “Was it all your hopes and dreams?”

You take a moment to yourself to process the experience before answering.

“This shit is… I don’t think I ever want to experience the highest setting on this thing,” you tell him. “This thing is like a torture device. It feels like I pissed myself.”

You turn to look at him as you catch your breath and you’re reminded that Benny’s having his own fun with this, bringing you back down to earth. He scoots a bit closer to you with his hand still over his crotch. This new tension is clearly mutually felt as you both stare at each other, waiting for the other person to say or do something first. Your eyes ping pong between his face and his crotch, which he is still lazily rubbing.

“So uh… what now?” Benny asks, licking his lips. “Round two?” he brings up the remote still in his hand.

“N-no! No, no! Don’t you dare-“ you reach for the remote again, but he pulls it back behind him.

You chase after it, lunging towards him and end up getting right in his face.

“Benny!” You try again, but pause when you catch him staring at you, his face no more than a few inches away from yours.

It may be the post-orgasm bliss or the awkward position you both found yourselves in, but you’ve never noticed how easy on the eyes your best friend is. He swallows hard as his eyes scan your face.

“Can… can I kiss you?" he asks suddenly, leaning in and nudging your nose with his, testing the boundaries.

You lick your dry lips and swallow as you glance down at his mouth, seeing it slowly closing the distance. He ghosts his lips over yours, stopping short of actually putting it on yours, waiting for your permission. You answer his question by closing the gap, slotting your mouth over his.

He kisses back, gently at first, matching your energy. When you slip your tongue into his mouth, he cups your face and returns the gesture. You’re both now devouring each other as he turns his body towards you to get into a more comfortable position, adjusting himself to accommodate the bulge in his jeans.

You both continue to make out with more urgency. Benny’s hands start cautiously exploring your body, placing a hand on your waist at first. It wanders down to your hip and he gives it a squeeze. Your own hands start roaming Benny’s body, touching his hard chest first. His warmth is welcoming, making you twist your body and lean into him. Feeling bold, Benny’s hand wanders to your thigh, his fingers brushing the inside, but far from your wet patch.

“Can I touch you down there?” He mumbles between kisses while moving his mouth to the side of your face and down your neck.

“Wha-“ You let out a loud sigh when you feel his soft wet tongue on the side of your neck, shivering when he grazes a sensitive spot.

“Can I touch you down there?” Ben repeats, pulling back, his lust-filled eyes looking down into yours.

His fingers barely scrapes your inner thigh, but you feel the jolt of his touch travel up to where the vibrator is still sitting.

“Please?” He squeaks out as his fingers travel up higher and his breathing gets heavier, matching yours.

Even though the vibrator isn’t on, it still brushes against your clit every time you shift and it’s only making you want Benny more, to help you get some relief. Even though you’ve already cum, you are hornier than ever right now.

You simply nod before capturing his mouth again. You moan into his mouth when you feel his hand cupping you, rubbing small slow circles with his fingers. Your hips twitch when he drags his middle finger up and down the thick seam of your pants that’s pressing directly down the center of the outer part of the vibrator which is sitting directly on your clit. He’s barely putting any pressure, but you’re hypersensitive right now and it feels like torture.

Now impatient, you start undoing your pants, trying to quickly get them off. You break the kiss to take a few seconds to focus on ridding your jeans. Benny watches you as he palms himself again, touching himself like he did with you. When you finally get your jeans off, tossing it over the couch, you reach into your underwear to remove the bane of your current existence - the vibrator. Without much effort, the vibrator basically falls out of you. It is drenched in your arousal, a thin sticky string still connects you to it.

It made an audible noise when it slipped out of you, as did Benny. Before you can discard the very used toy, Benny’s hand is back on you, his fingertips teasing the band of your underwear. He keeps dipping further and discovers how slick you really are.

"Jeeeeesus Christ, you weren't kidding. That shit got you so fucking wet," he comments while teasing your opening, slowly dipping his fingertip in, putting light pressure against it but it took no effort to penetrate you.

An audible squelch can be heard when he enters a second finger. You moan, feeling his thick fingers filling you and stroking you inside. He’s definitely reaching places the vibrator couldn’t. He hums watching your face distort when he pushes in further.

Your hand grips his strong forearm, feeling his veins raised and his muscles flexing underneath your palms as he pumps his long fingers in and out of you. The tip of his tongue darts out and licks the corner by his upper lip as he starts curling his fingers up, reaching for that soft spongy spot at the roof of your vagina. Your legs open up wider for him as his fingertips rub your g-spot over and over again. Your senses are heightened watching him watching you with darkened eyes. His thumb starts rubbing your clit as he massages your g-spot and it doesn’t take long for your orgasm to peak. You rock your hips against his fingers as your muscles continually clench and release over his fingers.

"Holy sh-shit," you tremble, feeling the aftershocks.

He pulls his fingers out, dragging them over your clit along the way, making your body twitch at the sensitivity.

“I think I made you cum faster than that toy did,” he jokes.

You crack a half smile but you don’t have the brain power to conjure up a verbal response. After a shared moment, he leans in to give you a quick peck on your lips. As he gets up off the couch, Benny takes his cap off to adjust the position of it, switching it backwards before settling between your legs.

The front of your thin cotton panties are completely drenched through. He can see your outline as the damp fabric clings to your puffy lips.

“Can I taste you?”

His puppy eyes peek up from between your legs. Your brain is mush so you simply nod.

He bunches the top of your underwear in his hand and yanks it up, causing it to brush across your clit. Your hips twitch and as he continues to rub the fabric over you, seeing your reaction to it and drawing out the tease. You moan and gyrate your hips when he puts his mouth between your legs over your underwear. He laps up your juices, licking and sucking as he continues to tug at your panties taut against your dripping cunt, putting pressure on your sensitive nub.

"Ben…" you pant as you push his cap off and run your fingers through his messy dirty blonde hair.

His scruff brushes the insides of your thigh as he continues to eat you out. You gasp when you feel the tip of his tongue breaching your opening, forcing your underwear aside and exposing your core. He puts more pressure with his tongue, slipping in deeper inside you and tasting you. Your hips start rocking against his face, but his tongue can only go so far. He shifts his attention to the swollen bud a little higher, scrunching your panties aside. He circles your clit with the tip before pressing the flat of his tongue and then his mouth over it, hollowing out his cheeks as he sucks hard. Your thighs clamp around his head and his eyes focus on your face as his tongue continues to play your clit like a fiddle. He grips your hips and holds you down.

“F-fuck…” your breathing becomes irregular as your orgasm builds.

With his mouth still attached to you, he slips his finger inside you to try to find that spot again. You thrust against his face when you feel your third release breaching. Benny intensifies his sucking and fingering, feeling you clench around him. You cry out when the dam breaks and you convulse around him. He doesn’t stop until you still. As you’re coming down from your high, body slouched from being spent, he withdraws his fingers and licks them clean.

“So you wanna try that other toy now to see how it compares to the real thing?” He asks as he stands up and wipes his mouth.

He was right about him not needing any help in the bedroom department. You can barely form words right now. Never in a million years would you think your best friend can eat pussy like an expert. Taking from his brother who he regularly competes with, he always strives to be the best in everything he does, but this is on a whole different level. And now he wants to use another toy on you? You don’t think anything can top what he just did to you.

"W-what?" you ask cluelessly, still recovering the most mind blowing oral sex you have ever received.

Your eyes follow him as he reaches for the suction toy to show you. He tries to figure out how to turn it on as he kneels down, returning between your legs.

"You gotta help me out here--"

He's suddenly interrupted when you grab his face and smash your lips against his, tasting yourself. He abandons the toy somewhere and moves up to the couch next to you. You reposition yourself to straddle his lap as you continue to make out. As your hands wander down to the buttons of his jeans, he grabs your ass, squeezing them in his large hands.

When you successfully get his jeans undone, he lifts his hips and helps you pull down his bottoms until he springs free. You look down and reach for his thick cock, warm and soft to the touch. You jerk him as he’s already hard as a rock. Your thumb brushes the underside of his head.

“Fuck,” he hisses.

Now it’s your turn to torture him. You slide off his lap and on to the floor, kneeling between his knees. Once in a comfortable position, you grab his length, licking a trail from the base to the tip, maintaining eye contact the entire time. When you get to the top, you wrap your lips around him, wetting the head a bit before inching down to taste the rest of him. Your tongue swirls around his smooth and salty skin, lubricating him as you bob up and down.

“Shhhhit…” He throws his head back against the couch.

Feeling frisky, you try to deep throat him and he grasps within arms reach whatever he can as he groans. He looks over when a hand grabs something unfamiliar to him. It’s the vibrator and an idea comes to his mind.

“Wait,” he reluctantly stops you.

You pause and see him holding up the vibrator.

“Put this on while you suck me. I think it’ll be fun.”

You look at the vibrator for a moment and then back at him.

“I promise I won’t put it so high,” he reassures you.

“Fine,” you agree and you take it from him and slip it inside you, orienting it the right way. “You try anything and I’ll bite your dick off,” you warn, drawing a small chuckle out of Ben.

You get back into the position you were in before and put your mouth back on him. As you go back to sucking him, you yelp when Benny turns the vibrator on at a low speed. The noise you made sent a delightful vibration down his cock, making it twitch. He turns it up a notch and your hips move against the vibrator. You start moving up and down on him a little faster, stroking the base where your mouth can’t reach. You deepthroat him again until you gag, but you keep on going, sending your spit dripping down his cock and lubing him up.

“You look so fucking hot,” Benny pants.

His breathing is getting more labored. His hips jerk up and he places a hand on the back of your head. He’s not putting any pressure, but he fists your hair. He doesn’t pull on it, just moves with you as you fuck him with your mouth. You start quickening your pace feeling the vibrator getting stronger, trying to match it. Feeling the beginning of an orgasm forming, you rock your hips and suck him harder.

“Fuck, I’m gonna cum,” he warns you.

Not changing your rhythm, you watch him come undone as he pops in your mouth. He thrust into your face as his moans echo in the small space and grasps the remote in his hand, accidentally jumping it up another level, but it’s what you needed to push you over the edge. You grind against the toy as you moan with him still deep inside your mouth. He spills out of the corner of your mouth as his hips slow down.

When he stills, you suck him clean and swallow the load that remained in your mouth. You reach down to pull the vibrator off and toss it onto his lap. Benny jumps in his seat and shuts it off. You wipe the corner of your mouth and chin with the back of your hand as you get up off your knees. He looks back at you with tired eyes as he tries to catch his breath, cock twitching. You squeal when he grabs your wrist and pulls you into his lap, careful with his half hard cock. You straddle his lap and he kisses you, his tongue thrusting into your mouth, tasting a bit of himself. The two of you lazily make out for a bit until Benny pulls back. You lick your lips and smile, looking down at him.

“We should start making this a regular thing, ya know. The toy testing,” Benny suggests, breaking the awkward silence and lightening the mood.

“Well, I do have a dildo I haven’t tried yet,” you half-joke.

He looks back at you with narrow eyes.

“You’re not putting that in my ass,” he states.

“Not what I was thinking,” you chuckle as you shake your head. “I’ve always wanted to know what it felt like to be double penetrated,” you explain.

Benny stares at you with a blank expression, but you see his semi twitch in your peripheral.

“Gi-give me maybe fifteen minutes—“ he finally says, pointing to his softening cock.

“Whoa! Hold it there, cowboy,” you stop him. “Why don’t we just think on that? Besides, I don’t have any condoms or lube for that to happen.”

“Yeah, okay. Sure,” he shrugs. “I-I had a good time, if that’s what you were wonder—“

You silence him with a tender kiss before grabbing the vibrator to remove the batteries and toss them at him.

“I’m gonna clean up. Why don’t you put the fight on? I think It’s starting soon,” you tell him as you dismount him and grab your jeans off the floor while Benny pulls his bottoms back up.

“Look what the guys missed out on. Coulda had an orgy,” you joke.

“If everyone showed up, we’d be at a bar,” he points out, then swishes some beer inside his mouth.

“Fair. Okay, a Miller sandwich then,” you switch it up.

Benny chokes on his beer.

“Kidding!” You chuckle awkwardly. “Kinda. Sorry, you probably don’t wanna think about you and your brother fucking the same person at the same time,” you snort before finally heading to the bathroom.

When you get back, you find Benny putting his phone away and relaxing on the couch like he was before any of the sexy stuff had happened, with the TV on. The awkwardness returns. He hands you your beer as you sit down next to him, settling in. You both quietly watch the fight as it starts, but you steal glances at each other every now and then. At one point, you do a double take.

“Dude, are you smelling your fingers?” You look at him incredulously.

“What? I washed them, but I can still smell you.”

You grimace at him.

“Don’t look at me like that. You smell good,” he shrugs. “It’s actually getting me hard again.”

You watch him adjust himself. The both of you stare each other down, trying to read each other until a knock on your door breaks the trance.

“Who the hell is that?” You ask, but Benny shrugs.

You get up to open the door and find the other Miller brother on the other side.

“Hey, sorry I’m late! I had trouble finding parking. Did the fight start already?”

You look back at him confused.

“Uh… are you gonna let me in?” Will asks. “I brought goodies.” He shows the case of beer and grocery store bag in his hand with a party sized bag of chips peeking out.

“Sorry, I just thought you weren’t coming,” you tell him while letting him in.

“I texted Benny telling him plans changed last minute. Did he not get it?”

“Uh, I-I don’t know. He didn’t tell me anything.” You lead him into the living room where Benny almost looks surprised.

“Did you not tell her I’m coming?” Will asks his brother.

“Oh, sorry, forgot. I was uh, a little preoccupied,” he apologizes.

Will looks at both you and Benny suspiciously.

“It smells… interesting in here,” he comments, his eyebrows furrow with curiosity.

“Oh my gosh, I’m sorry Will. Let me take that from you.” You quickly change the subject, taking the bag and beer out of his hands.

“Wait-” Will starts.

“Get comfy. I’ll bring you back a cold beer,” you tell him before whisking away.

You stick the beer in the fridge and when you remove the party sized tortillas to pour some into a bowl, you notice some unexpected items in the bag. You take them out for a closer inspection and your eyes widen at the bottle of lube and a box of condoms. Maybe he bought these before his initial plans got changed.

You shrug, throw them back into the bag and return to the living room with a bowl of chips, cold beer and the grocery bag of personal items. When you walk into the living room, the brothers turn their attention to you, eyeing you like they’re expecting something other than the beer and chips. You look back at them suspiciously as they’re both very laxed and spread out on the couch on each end, leaving a space for you in between. As you walk over and settle in next to them, their gaze follows you.

“Here Will, I think these are yours,” you hand him a beer and his bag of items.

He takes them from you as he smirks.

“Thanks. So,” Will turns his body towards you. “Benny tells me you’re curious about some DP action.”

You almost drop the bowl of chips in your hands. Will is usually very reserved and diplomatic so you’re a bit shocked at how straight forward he is right now. You glare at your best friend who shrugs helplessly.

“I had to tell him what he missed out on.”

You glower your eyes at Benny, but then put two and two together, your focus now bouncing between the two brothers and realize that no one is probably going to watch this fight tonight.

#benny miller #triple frontier #benny miller fanfiction #benny miller x female reader #benny miller x f! reader #benny miller x reader #benny miller x you #triple frontier fanfiction #bff to lovers

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creepy-friday · 5 months

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Creepypasta x Fem!Proxy

I got a notification via E-Mail that someone left kudos on a fanfiction I forgot about on AO3.I deleted it and decided to rewrite it here.It's not my best work.

Their chatter and the crunching of leaves around the fresh murder in front of you didn't hold the resonating sound of the pen scribbling on your notebook to not fully grasp your attention.

Each word is perfectly put in its right place and with each glance at either the mutilated corpse not too far from you or on the policemen's observations you get closer to the calligraphic and professional sentence you always end every report. Thinking that's enough for today, you placed the notebook back in the backpack you firmly held on your shoulder, the right strap being loose to the mid of your back.

You fade away in their chatter, adding to the crunching of the leaves back in the direction you came from-the woods. You weren't in a particular hurry as today's 'true work' only beggings after two more hours when the manor will 'welcome' a new resident in. The Master dutied you to "welcome them in" as you do to every unfortunate newcomer.

Passing the same route you memorized as the back of your palm, you place your hand on a few oak trees as you pass them, some having so vaguely craved his symbol on them. The oak trees remind you of him as well, his tall and demanding figure only adding to his ghostly white, eerie presence. You were in no place to doubt his wishes, and neither were any of your colleagues-but out of his reach, if that's even possible, you can be curious about his ways of resolve.

The mere thought of a new resident sends shivers down your spine and a pounding headache. To have to deal with another mentally unstable rapist or murderer only adds to the stress of living in his manor.

The crunching on the leaves stops as you grab your bag one more time, ruffling a bit inside of it before pulling your mask out and adjusting it on your face. Not wasting any time you get the notebook out and enter the end point of your destination-an old-fashioned manor that was housing about 15 people. A single push of the enormous marble doors gets them opened, letting the remaining light of the day shine on the dark red material. Closing them back makes you think they're heavier, a deep thud resonating through the silence of the manor before it was accompanied by a pair of footsteps that faded as quickly as they came.

You decided to pay them no mind and to finish your task before the sun could set, ignoring the pair of glowing green eyes that thought they could stalk you from the darkest corner of the room.

"Home so early?" BEN asked with a grin on his face.

The manor has three main floors and many other pairs of stairs, each leading to different parts of the building,but now you were heading to the very last floor, on the very top of it where a room stood out in particular from the others. The last floor was made of a set of 10 inhabitable rooms, in the center of them being one room made out of various shades of red that gave an expensive yet eerie feeling around it. As soon as someone enters the last step and makes their way on the floor, low static begins as the walls start to become suffocating. Each window is shut and hasn't been opened since the day you came here. As you approach the habitated room, the 11th one, the static only grows, but you learned how to combat it, even if the air becomes thicker with each passing secound.

There you stood,in front of The Master of this manor,your rescuer and provider,even with closed doors you felt his gaze piercing your soul,shattering it apart. A different static sound could be heard-the signal that you were free to enter. The room looked as clean as ever, the window behind the tall figure holding no dust particle despite not anyone cleaning it,not even the books on either side of the room had any sign of age on them.

Taking your mask off you reglated your voice and started your statement."I've bought the very few details of Jeffrey's victims."

Silence. Placing the open notebook on the counter you waited for his response,but he didn't even looked at it. Even if his face held no expression,you could feel the tension that beared it.

He finally gave attention to the notebook in front of him for a bare second before returning his head to the clipboard in front of him. A few moments had passed,yet the only thing that was heard was your thumping heart inside your chest.

"Dissmised." you gently bowed your head before you took your notebook back and walked straight out of his office.The familliar creature in front of you turned into something darker as time progressed.

The silence of the manor was disturbed by the chatter of two masculine voices. "Piece of shit Rogers.." a faint click was heard accompanied by some heavy coughs. The man's comment was responded with a few shakes of a pill bottle.

"You still had some?" you could recognize this raspy voice in any nightmare,Masky's or Tim's bickering being present even in your sleep. Most residents prefer to not use their real name if they can avoid it,mostly to show the lack of empathy and to amplify the need to show that we're strangers to each other.

"I gotta look out for myself." his partner and friend that lead him to this manor 3 years ago stated. "We're murderers,Brian." Masky replied,half annoyed that his friend isn't understanding of his stress regarding his 'work'. You decided to ignore your partners,making yourself as small and as silent as possible to ride up the stairs to the silence of your room,appealing to your proxy skills,but to not much succes.

"Where you've been, bitch?" the white masked man barked. "Ditching work for a few notes isn't some lead shit,isn't it?" he continued as he dragged a long puff from his cigar. "Respond motherfucker." he flicked the cigarette down and as he was about to make his way to you Hoodie shaked again his bottle of pills. "You're tired. Get some rest." Masky snatched the pill bottle and walked the other way,adjusting his mask back on.

Should you thank Hoodie? No,what he did wasn't for your sake,but for this manor's moments of silence before the storm. There were a set of unspoken rules,each one of us knowing them the moment we set foot inside this haunting place. Fights were not allowed inside public rooms,all conflict is either in one's intimacy or outside the manor's quarters. Masky's temper almost made this rule impossible to follow but Hoodie's calm demeanor complimented his fiery personality perfectly. Maybe that's why they came together here in the first place.. "How long now?" Hoodie's voice snapped you out of your thoughts. "One month until the police said they will have a lead." after a few moments of silence his silvery voice responded "Son of a bitch." he got up and walked after his partner,no other word being exchanged in return.

We were in a sticky situation at the moment,you were only the voice mail of it. Every now and then you are tasked to go out in town to find out if there is any evidence that could lead to the murderous activity of this manor. Every source of evidence is destroyed by any means,the digital evidence is handled by BEN and the human one is handled by the occupats of this manor. Proxies,such as you and the other three men are put to tougher missions,including getting rid of the bodies from the other's killings.

Recently, Jeff was tasked to get rid of papers in a detective's house but his careless attitude didn't calculate that his wife was home, resulting in his need to get rid of her.

She managed to run but not too far off as she was killed in the place you just attended. Since his job wasn't to get rid of the body,he called in a proxy,not even bothering to hide the evidence. From what you managed to hear,Toby was the only proxy available at the moment and his arrival was late because of the encounter of a creature on his way out the woods,resulting in others finding the body. You only massaged your temples to the tought of him anxiously walking around his room,waiting for The Master's punishment.

A few knocks got your attention, making you open the doors in an instant after giving your clipboard one more look. It held the information of the new resident of this manor, its name being on the very top in bold letters, your thumb holding the clipboard on 'Cody's' family name.

#creepypasta x reader #creepypasta #female proxy reader

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hobiebrownismygod · 6 months

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Researching Characters so you don't have to Part 4: Spider-Noir - How to write him

So this ones probably not gonna be as popular, since not that many people write Spider-Noir, but here's a short analysis anyway! <3

Art above is NOT MINE! Made by @ilikecarpet1 on Twitter and is linked!

His Time Period and how that affects his character:

"The Great Depression plays a significant role in the backstory of Spider-Man Noir, also known as Peter Parker. During this time, Peter's Uncle Ben was murdered for encouraging a strike against the local sweatshops, a reflection of the economic and social struggles of the era. This event spurred Peter to become an investigative journalist, seeking to expose the corruption rampant in New York. The era's atmosphere of desperation and injustice also influenced Spider-Man Noir's darker, more violent vigilante persona compared to other versions of Spider-Man. The Great Depression setting adds a unique, gritty layer to Spider-Man Noir's character and motivations." (Marvelfandom.com - source below)

Spider-Noir was born during the Great Depression and was raised by his aunt and uncle who were both human rights activists. His uncle was murdered and eaten by his universe's version of the Green Goblin. Spider-Noir has an extremely horrific backstory, and the way that you write him should influence that. His trauma actually led to him deciding to become a detective, who's goal was to expose the corrupted companies and individuals running New York.

Note: His backstory is actually fairly similar to Spider-punk's backstory, and both of them fight fascists, nazis and corrupted jerks so fanfictions and headcanons between the two wouldn't be far off!

His main nemesis is Norman Osborne, who basically runs the city and is portrayed in a mafia boss-esque kind of view.

Society during the Great Depression:

The Great Depression was a horrid time for anyone living in the US, during which thousands of people lost their jobs, their savings and worse. Spider-Noir's aunt was actually an activist who helped the homeless and unemployed, and Spider-Noir's family overall really tried to instill the idea of responsibility and the problems of governmental neglection onto him.

How does this affect his views?

He fights directly against the society and the corrupted government, and isn't afraid to use violence. He carries guns, has no moral compass directed away from murder and will often try to fight violence with even more violence. He's a very gritty and morbid version of the original Peter Parker that we have, so don't let ITSV's portrayal of him make you think he's a softie! He's actually a pretty terrifying guy.

Note: I've seen a lot of sources saying that he's socialist as well, so that may add into your writing if you decide to do any! This means that his views will probably be different than the average man from the 1930s, considering socialism has never been that popular in the US, especially back then.

Overall:

If you want to write him accurately, make sure to go really into depth about his trauma and the fact that he has nothing against killing. For Spider-punk, a lot of people bring up the fact that he kills, but only when talking about cops or Norman Osborne. Spider-punk doesn't kill normally. However, for Spider-Noir, its very different, because Spider-Noir has no problem with killing villains like the Vulture, while most spider-people do.

Last thing:

When writing his accent, don't write him with a transatlantic accent, which is what most of the actors and famous people from the 1930s had. This accent is also known as the Katherine Hepburn accent. It was an accent that actors were trained to use because it made them sound more upper-class. However, the average middle-class to lower-class person from the 1930s talks very similar to how they do today, with maybe a slightly more aged vocabulary. So when writing Spider-Noir, don't try to write him all fancy if you want to be accurate to his character. He would sound like the average dude.

Sources under the cut!

Sources:

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dearest-painter · 10 months

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Everyone wants my mom! PT. 1

Summary: Y/N is a widow and the mother of smiles morales, all she has now is her son and his uncle. While she knows smiles and his uncle are getting money for the apartment she isn’t sure how but when she sees someone that looks exactly like her son mysteries and obsession are soon shown.

TW/CW:Yandere behavior, unhealthy behavior, unhealthy relationship,abusive behavior,abusive relationship,GOOGLE TRANSLATE IS USED AS IM A NO SABO KID! IF THERE IS ANYTHING THAT WILL HELP ME GET A MORE ACCURATE TRANSLATION PLEASE SEND IT TO ME!!,Reader is Earth 42!Rio,Reader is unaware that her son is the prowler,Reader needs therapy,very out of character characters,this is a series,Her family is keeping secrets from her,Reader is feels out of place sometimes,reader has anxiety which is based off of me,Reader takes the Role of Earth 42!Rio but can look like however you wanna look like so you don’t need to stick with being Rio just an FYI,A ‘I 💙 your mom’ photo is used because I couldn’t find SHIT for Earth 42 Rio and it works since like almost every spider adult wants her,Rearer knows about the spider society and the multiverse because of Ben Riley/Scarlet spider,people might be out of character,tell me if I need to add more

You love your son, that was very obvious from anyone who saw you knew your son meant the world for you but you knew every child will hide something from their parents. It’s natural for that as kids aren’t forced to tell their parents every little thing but all you wish is for him to be safe. After the death of your husband, Miles and his uncle Aaron became more overprotective of you but you also became a single parents and became the basically only income yet if it weren’t for whatever job Aaron does you and Miles would’ve been in a different place.

Miles joins his uncle at his job which makes you happy as he can have someone to look up, you just needed someone else to help you with Miles. He’s not a bad kid it’s just..you wanna make sure he has someone else to look out for him if you aren’t around. “Mom” You turned to your son smiling. “Sì hijo?” “I’m going with uncle Aaron, just telling you before leaving” you sighed and continued to smile as you hug your son. “Okay…be safe, Te amo” “Te amo mom” Miles hugged back and smiled. He knew you wouldn’t like it if you found out he was the prowler as he gets hurt and gets the money in a bad way.

Everything he does is for you, he promised his father that he’ll protect you and he’ll make sure to do that. You kissed his forehead then hugged him again. “Just be safe..both of you” “of course mama, we’ll be safe” you smiled then let him go as he went to uncle Aaron’s car. You sighed and laid on the couch as you decided to watch some random show as there wasn’t chores needed to do yet so just relaxing is what you want until the window was knocked so you looked up to see Ben Riley. “God fucking damn it Ben!” You got up and opened the window then yanked him in so you could shut the window.

“Ow” “I don’t care! I just laid down! I’m not cooking as I’m to tired!” “I’ll cook” you stared at Ben and he smiled sheepishly but you sighed knowing it’s better then having no food. “Fine…but don’t fucking kill me” Ben chuckled and nodded as he went to the kitchen while you laid back down on the couch. You met Ben awhile ago and learnt about his group named ‘Spider society’ and learnt there are more Spider-Man or women and more universes. It’s very confusing but in easy way..your basically not alone and there is a timeline where Miles has his dad.

It was comforting to have someone at home with you when Miles went to hangout with his uncle as you aren’t left alone with your thoughts but sometimes the occasional ‘Miles is hurt, call him now’ or ‘check the whole house so that no one will get inside’ or ‘what if Miles and Aaron are hurt as well!? You don’t wanna lose your whole family!’ will creep in but usually you’ll find a way to soothe them. “I made tamales” “oh thank god, your tamales actually taste good” “hey I make good food!” “Your other ones need more working on” Ben dramatically gasped while you chuckled and got some tamales…it feels like your husband is still alive with you.

#yandere #please don’t do this #obession #unhealthy #platonic yandere #yandere platonic #yandere x female reader #female reader #fem reader #romantic yandere #yandere spiderverse #yandere spider man across the spider verse #part 1 of many #Everyone wants my mom series #Earth 42 Rio!Reader #E42 Rio!Reader

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dino-boyo-agere · 1 year

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AgeRe YouTube Channel list

Haii!!

I decided to write down my favorite age-regression YouTube channels, as well as some I just really like to watch when I'm tiny!

Some of those channels are sparse in their uploading schedule, diverted their theme away from regression or have stopped uploading all together. Nonetheless, even in those cases, their old videos on/ about AgeRe are still a great watch and I highly recommend checking them out!

!! of course it's all SFW content aswell !!

So, without further ado, here is my list..

.･｡ﾟ×ﾟ☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ×ﾟ｡･*.ﾟ.✧.ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ×ﾟ｡･*.ﾟ☆ﾟ×ﾟ｡･.

Age regression channels:

• ri's space (formerly known as Rileys littlespace)

• Smolbinkie

• AspenSprout

• Babie dani

• Little Moo Moo (i love them so much + their a POC) ╰→ ! they are DDLG aligned, but still make SFW content !

• Vexedbabie

• Princess smol bean

• Natalie's age regression

• milkwebs

• Little kitty space

• Xlittle.plantx

• Small safe space

• cottagebabydol

• Little Disreactions (AgeRe themed/ coded ASMR)

• Blond boy (i think this one's actually ABDL tho?)

• LittleBabysLittleSpace (this one's also ABDL)

Crafting channels:

• NerdEcrafter (always fun when smol)

• North of the Border (great for spookie tiny ones)

• Bobby Duke Arts

• Studson Studio

• Nick Zametti

• Ten Hundred

• I did a thing

• Jazza (also especially kiddo friendly)

• Evan and Katelyn

• Kasey Golden

• Moriah Elizabeth

• Super Rae dizzle

• Maquaroon

• Dollightfull

• HeXtian

• Tyler Tube

Toy and slime review channels:

• ashens (idk why lil me luvs to watch this, u might too)

• Great Big Toy Box

• Next Jen (Main of GBTB)

• Sandaisy

• It's kristiii

Learning channels:

• Mrs. Rachel (recommended by @zack-agere)

• William Osman

• TheBackyardScientist

• Be Smart (recommended by @zack-agere)

• Crash Course Kids

• Free School

• Peekaboo Kidz

• It's AumSum Time

• Clever Kids

• BRIGHT SIDE Series

• Toy Time Town

• SciShow Kids

• BE AMAZED

• KLT (learning with songs, for smol & big kids)

• Danny Go! (rlly like dis one, even has a vid on ASL!!)

• Kids TV123 (learning with songs, for extra tiny ones)

Dino channels:

• The Dinosaur Channel

• Dinosaurs

• Ben G Thomas

Space Channels:

• Future Space

• PBS Space Time

• History of the Universe

• melodysheep (has some really great vids on space!)

Arcade channels:

• Push Time Wins

• Kawaii arcade master

.･｡ﾟ×ﾟ☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ×ﾟ｡･*.ﾟ.✧.ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ×ﾟ｡･*.ﾟ☆ﾟ×ﾟ｡･.

That's all the channels I can think of thus far, I'm more than happy to add your suggestions aswell though! I would actually really appreciate some more recommendations on channels, especially if u have any SFW agere boy channels, aswell as channels that are highly focused on dinosaurs or space!

Thank you for reading!

I hope this helps some of y'all to find some more people to connect to in our amazing community!!

Love y'all 💞 ~ ฅ⁠|°▿▿▿▿°|ฅ

.ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ×ﾟ｡･».ﾟ°･⁠✧ ↓ DNI ↓ ✧･° ﾟ.«･｡ﾟ×ﾟ｡･*.ﾟ.

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piglet26 · 3 months

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Top Five Reylo Scenes

Before I start I do want to add why Reylo means so much to me. Recently I went through a really deep depression and part of what pulled me out of it was Reylo. I was able to write essays and do analysis about this OTP. Rewatching the films and focusing on theirs scenes helped get my mind off of some pretty deep stuff. I was also able to receive love and connection through the Reylo community. It's meant a lot to me! Also, I know that Tumblr is very supportive to anyone going through a tough time and directing people to self help lines. If you are going through a time that is really dark or challenging I Love You in Reylo.

Now my top three scenes is tough cause I love them all, but if I had to focus on an order to the game I'd say........

5 " You Need a Teacher"

“There’s a history in Star Wars of the attraction between the light and dark…”

Truth be told I'm surprised this scenes ranked as high as it did with me because I do not like that she beat him. The more I thought about it I realized why I did want to rank it. There is something raw and dirty about them here. The look of sheer amazement he gives her after that lightsaber flew to her was everything. The force theme beginning to play. Then when she lit the lightsaber and he was like "oh, you wanna duel? ok, let's duel then." The moment they found the force together with their faces beautifully lit up. It really is great.

There is nothing violent really about their fight, like I don't fear for their lives. Resembling the scene where Kylo Ren said could “take whatever he wants” and “Don’t be afraid, I feel it too” while looking at her lips. The chemistry took me by complete surprise and I shifted in my seat uncertainly watching this the first time. Surely I shouldn’t like a murderer and a villain with Rey, but I couldn’t help it. This very chemistry, though probably amounting to less than ten minutes of actual interaction between each other, leaves the audience with a hungry desire for more.

Reylo and Anidala could be mirrors of each other with Anakin falling to the Dark Side because of his selfish love for Padme and Kylo coming back to the Light because of his selfless love for Rey.

When Kylo is with Rey, he is calmer, and calculating. For Kylo, the seduction is to the Light. However, when Rey first searches out the Force with her feelings, she immediately ends up in the Dark Side, and is unafraid to take what she wants from it. In battle, she is furious, screaming and bent on destruction. As I mentioned above, Anidala and Reylo could be the Force’s attempts at balancing itself. Where Anidala was destined to fail, Reylo is destined to prevail and finally balance the Force.

4 "You'll turn........I'll help you"

“The Abduction,” the song in TFA when the “bridal carry” happens, has a very similar ascending line of notes to a recurring theme in Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet overture.

I love everything about this. The infamous elevator scene. Reylo once again dominates the screen in The Last Jedi, easily rendering Finn’s growing romance with Rose bland and tedious in comparison. Rian Johnson is a Reylo stan so I stan him. This is the first time Rey and Kylo are physically side by side since she tried to kill him in the forest on Star killer Base. It's the most sexually charged body language! They spiffed up for one another. She’s changed her clothes, put on makeup and decided to leave her hair down. His hair is freshly washed with a spritz.

“Ben” She’s using his real name now and like in every scene with her now he's calm. He hates his name, but when she says it he hears her. She's appealing to his true nature, or, what she believes it to be. It's possessive as well. He is HER Ben. The way he tried not to have a reaction to her until she said his name. He's trying to stay blank and not give away what he intends to do, but none the less has a reaction to her.

Rian Johnson basically confirmed that Kylo / Ben wanted to kiss Rey in the elevator scene. It’s canon so I am prepared to fight. Not to mention, Johnson tells us that Adam Driver, as Kylo / Ben, seriously considered kissing Rey in this scene. He is, indeed, staring at her lips in the elevator with the most intense eye contact.

Reylo speaks to me, and many others, on a spiritual level. Like many stories of both maiden and monster, Reylo shows us what it means to be a heroine. A heroine reaches her hand out to monsters and says: you deserve love and compassion, no matter the mistakes you’ve made. We're in a movement where women are tired of "fixing" men and I'm here for it. I honestly think that's why so many woman found it difficult that Reylo is not soft and sweet.

3 ........Ben?"

Adam Driver says Kylo Ren can’t help but harbor admiration for Daisy Ridley’s Rey in the Last Jedi. “I think there’s something familiar there, as well as something to be feared, or something… that he (Kylo) can’t quite place.”

Let me go ahead and say that I'm going to cheat.... I'm including the novelization in this because that mixed with novel is what gives me life. TROS brought such mixed Reylo emotions. We got great stuff! In small doses *eye roll* In the novel. She was glad to see him. Glad to be with him in this moment. It was the greatest gift she could have given him. His heart was full as Rey reached for his face, let her fingers linger against his cheek. And then, wonder of wonders, she leaned forward and kissed him.

The way Rey sits in wonder...... never mind she was borderline dead..... Ben is there, really there and she's just staring in wonder. Ben is looking at her in painful awe and relief. They are both almost child-like in their affection. The way Rey hesitates, after years alone, it takes her a moment to work up the courage for her first kiss. Ben just lets her take her time. The way he waits patiently for her to work up the courage and then the moment the kiss, he pulls her to him like she is the air he breathes for his first kiss. Oh! The smiles. Seriously?! Ben and Rey are happy! There was fireworks, champagne and pussy power! Rey’s hand. Ben gave his very life essence to Rey because his love is that absolute.

And let’s not forget the novelization of TLJ had this quote “They will never have to be alone again”.

Now this is where things get messy as hell. Adam was on the set of Tatooine..... but as they cut that ending. Daisy stated regarding the ending “the crew was shaken in a way I had not seen before. and I thought, ‘my god if this is people’s immediate reaction when the scene isn’t even ready, imagine what it will be like to see it in the movies, with the John Williams soundtrack and all that." When Ben faded into the force...... no one felt anything for a moment then there was just confusion and disappointment. You cannot nor will you ever have me believing that this janky ending was the real deal.

2 "Join Me.......... Please"

“He (Kylo) sensed his and Rey’s destinies were intertwined, but how?......"

The Throne Room Proposal! Kylo premeditated in the purest Sith way regarding the murdering of his Master for his bae. Then he gives Rey a furious speech on killing the past in a bid to win her over and fulfill his dark Queen fantasy. “You come from nothing, you’re nothing—but not to me,” Kylo tells Rey, in one of the most beautifully twisted declarations of love ever uttered in a family blockbuster, before quietly pleading with her to join him like he’s the most desperately lonely person in the universe. The duo’s visions of their future together—Rey sees Kylo turning to the Light, and Kylo witnesses Rey joining him in the Dark. However, upon Snoke’s death, the bond still stands. Kylo offers Rey a place at his side and his hand in marriage, but it is the proposal of an awkward boy, grasping desperately at a relationship he has only begun to understand.

And you can see it in her face, that she’s torn, there is a part of her that wants to take his hand, not to rule the galaxy, that’s not her ambition, but to simply stay with someone who truly understands her as well. But it’s the ‘please’ Adam Driver showed that Julliard education with that one word. Both actors just brough it. You can see how far they've come and yet still so far away from each other.

1 "You're Not Alone.......Neither are You"

“When Rey feels rejected by Luke Skywalker, who also sees parallels between the power in her and the abilities of his estranged nephew, the old Jedi master inadvertently pushes the two towards each other.”

You knew it was coming. In TLJ, Kylo is at his most sympathetic and tempting; Rey at her most understanding. Both are outcasts because of their power, they are both lonely, whispering to each other comfortingly “you’re not alone” and “neither are you.” Kylo sees more in Rey than she does within herself. He also challenges her as an equal. Ben ultimately encourages her to not only expand her mind, but in embrace her womanhood. It is no wonder that Rey goes to him. After experiencing Luke and his failings as a master and failing to find the answer's she's been looking for....... Rey ends up relating to Kylo. Kylo, for once, has put the whole of misery and life lessons into something productive.

When we find them alone in a dark hut, slowly lean towards each other, and very hesitantly touch hands in a scene fraught with romantic tension. Notably, the Force music plays during the scene, signaling their relationship’s importance. A tear crawls down Rey’s face as the two connect and understand each other on a level so deep that it is reminiscent of sex, and causes Luke Skywalker to pull the ultimate Dad move and blow up the hut.

As Rey and Kylo develop their bond we see the force attempting to balance itself. Yin and Yang....... the imagery littered throughout the sequel trilogy is drawn heavily from those belief systems. We see continuous parallel shots with Rey and Ben to represent this duality. Both are presented in contrasting surroundings that represent the duality of the masculine and the feminine. In many shots half of their figure is bathed in light and the other half is bathed in the darkness.

This connection is as spiritual as it is romantic. As Jason Fry explained, romance is merely the analog we have in the living force for this deep spiritual bond.

#reylo #star wars #rey star wars #ben solo #ben solo deserved better #rey skywalker #kylo x rey #kylo ren #ben solo x rey #my otp #otp #star wars reylo #reylo au #reylo prompt #reylo art #disney star wars

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hesalleyes · 1 year

Text

If you're a bit confused about Rusty Quill or what's been happening, hopefully this will be a handy guide.

Hello everyone, especially all newbies to the Rusty Quill family! I thought I'd talk a little bit about the company. There's a lot of information out there, some of which may be contradictory or difficult to find, and so I compiled it into what I think is a decent timeline. I've also included some of my thoughts on what Rusty Quill has been through, and where it's going.

(check the end for associated footnotes!)

A Brief And Mostly Objective Timeline For Rusty Quill Ltd.

Alexander J. Newall wanted to start a company for creatives. His father (presumably) laid down the starting capital and Rusty Quill was founded 29th June 2015. Alex owned 99% of the company, John Newall, 1%. (1)

Alex reached out to a bunch of his improv friends and asked if they would participate in an actual-play podcast. Alex hadn't seen a fully produced actual-play with sound effects and background music and he wanted to fill that niche in the market. James Ross, Bryn Monroe, and Lydia Nicholas all agreed. Tim Meredith was otherwise engaged, but said his brother Ben would be up for it. Rusty Quill Gaming (RQG) was born and started airing episodes in June 2015.

Meanwhile, besides running, editing, producing, directing, and mastering RQG, Alex also worked nights at an extremely boring data entry job James Ross set up for him. James also helped Jonny Sims get that same job (2). At the time, Jonny was playing gigs with his band The Mechanisms, but his passion was for writing. The Mechanisms were a folk band that reimagined classic stories/myths to music with hefty narrative pieces, which has obvious applicability to a podcast company. Because of this fortuitousness, sometime in 2013-14, Alex and Jonny met and found that they were both highly creative people who desperately wanted out of this job. Jonny invited Alex to a Mechanisms show at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Alex loved The Mechs show. He was convinced he must work with Jonny on something. Jonny had a few ideas and pitched what would become The Magnus Archives, though it was first more of a Twilight Zone anthology, which is why the "narrator" had Jonny's name. Alex wanted to add more of a narrative framework and they shaped it together, all five seasons, so that it was cohesive the whole way through. Some things did, organically, pop up later. For instance, Martin started mainly as a foil to Jon, and only became the love interest after a bit of writing.

Around 2018, Patreon funding eventually allowed RQ to build a studio in Rusty Towers that enabled them to record their high-quality audio (3). Before that, they were - at various times - recording in a ‘yurt’ made of blankets and duvets for most of season one (usually at James Ross’ house or Martyn’s hallway, since Alex was - at that point - intermittently homeless due to asbestos problems).(4)

In 2016, RQ set up the Rusty Quill Forums, an official RQ fan-space where fans could interact with each other and RQ members. (5) This early arena for interaction would precipitate the more immediate (and much larger) Discord, Rusty Quill Official. Anil Godigamuwe, Community Manager, was the main force behind running and moderating the forums.

2016 was also the year that Mike Lebeau decided to gather a few people to play games and raise money for charity in what would become the predecessor to Rusty Quill Giving and Gaming. This event involved only Mike, Bryn, Ben, Anil, and Martyn Pratt (Chief Technology Officer). It only lasted twelve hours and they raised £700. (6)

Late 2017, Rusty Quill, in association with Historic Royal Palaces, released Outliers, a historical fiction podcast. Probably the least known of RQ’s podcasts, but very good and well-done. (Yes, this is a plug for Outliers. Go listen! It's great!)

In 2018, the Rusty Quill Official Discord server (RQO) went live and most of the fans from the forums moved there. (7)

February 15, 2019, Stellar Firma, the improv comedy sci-fi show starring Tim and Ben Meredith, began airing.

Mike wanted to explore more of the video side of creating. On January 25, 2020, RQ Streams launched, and soon there was a decent amount of content generated on RQ’s Twitch channel. Video content would gain traction in the form of New Player Challenge (NPC). Many RQ members would stream, including Anil, Autumn, several editors, and Helen Gould (member of Rusty Quill Gaming and later promoted to Head of Inclusion). The streams would get big enough that RQ would eventually hire a few mods specifically for the streams (30). RQ Streams wasn't fiscally sound as a primary source of income, but streaming helped encourage community engagement.

In February 2020, Alex gave an interview to Haggis and Dragons at PodUK. The host asked why, despite their success, Rusty Quill hadn't been present at many events such as PodUK before. Alex responded that the company was dedicated to making sure they took care of their people first, but now that all the finicky backend admin stuff was finished, they could do fun things like conventions. (8)

A month later, COVID-19 shut down the world.

At this point, TMA had been running for four years, and - while relatively successful and critically admired- was still a smallish podcast, especially when measured against engagement levels of other fiction podcasts at the time. Whether COVID, the whim of Tumblr, or a spark that refused dim, the fuse on TMA had been lit. It would jump sharply with the season four finale in Halloween 2019, but when season five premiered on April 2, 2020, TMA was at its second highest peak in popularity , its highest only a month away. It would maintain a high level of engagement until the series finale in March 2021. (9) Whatever the reason, TMA had exploded, and no one could've predicted it.

In July 2020, Hannah Brankin, Chief Operations Officer and spouse of Alex Newall, became a director in the Rusty Quill company. (10)

In August 2020, Autumn Jarvis (longtime fan of RQ) with a history of convention organization came on as Community Assistant. (11) This role promoted her to Head Moderator of the Discord (RQO), coordinating communication between the Discord mods and RQ admin. RQ hired her to help Anil, as at this point, RQO had nearly 8000 members.

The official Rusty Quill Discord server (RQO) went from a reasonable 1000 participants to nearly 14,000 before its shutdown in September 2021. In August 2020 (a few days after Autumn took over), a group raided RQO, proclaiming issues of racism, ableism, and other accusations directed at Rusty Quill, but also at the volunteer mods. It was the only major attack, but from time to time small incursions would occur thereafter. RQO’s many mods (at least 11, at one point) were unpaid. Whether or not that was a good business decision is debatable, but mods were responsible for monitoring content that was Patreon-exclusive, so one might think a Patreon subscription should’ve been included.

April 2, 2021, Patreon-exclusive Inexplicables began airing. The show was initially met with a lot of positive feedback and excitement. The RQO channels were full of theorizing and chat, which Alex could be seen reading. While Inexplicables seemed ripe for a sequel, there have been no indications of future content.

In May of 2021, Rusty Quill launched the Rusty Quill Network. Many felt the network wasn’t explained sufficiently, but subsequent clarification from Autumn verified that RQ was not doing any of the following for the new shows that would be included under the network’s umbrella: producing, funding, editing, or creating. Apparently, the RQN was designed to act as a distribution and collective bargaining service. Unfortunately, this aspect was never made explicit to the fans by official RQ channels.

In September of 2021, Autumn was terminated. While Autumn has stated the reason she was terminated, it was on a private server and because RQ has made no official statement regarding the termination, I won’t share that information. RQ did ask if she would like to appeal the decision, but Autumn declined. Later, the mods organized a walkout in protest and quit. Only the mod known as Crunchy remained, and was the last one to close out the server. Later, he would admit that the mods actively decided not to include him in this decision. (12) While there were RQ Streams mods, they, unfortunately, didn’t have as much power as the Discord mods and were unable to assist much (30). RQ released a statement on September 15, 2021 regarding the closing of the Discord and the mod walk-out, and RQO has been dark ever since. (13)

RQ Streams, it’s worth mentioning at this point, had some mods specifically for streams, but also relied on the Discord mods to moderate the chat during streams (30). Ultimately, when the mods walked out, RQ Streams was also forced to stop.

Since the mod walkout, any events run and sponsored by RQ have been modded by volunteers, and usually small enough that it hasn’t become an issue (RQGG21 being modded by some Discord mods, with other Gather events modded mostly by RQ employees) (30).

April 26, 2022, Chapter and Multiverse, the analogous successor to Rusty Quill Gaming run by Maddy Searle, the former lead editor of Stellar Firma, began airing. It would conclude its first season in August. While RQ has indicated that C&M will continue, it has been postponed until 2023. However, Maddy Searle posted a tweet (since deleted) indicating she is no longer employed at Rusty Quill. After claims that Maddy was reprimanded and forced to take down the tweet, RQ would later clarify that they have a 48 hour confidentiality policy regarding things like that, and that's why they requested the removal of the tweet for that time. Maddy hasn't reposted the tweet, or commented publicly on her reasons for doing so.

On June 10, 2022, Mike announced he was leaving Rusty Quill. (14) Although others had also streamed on RQ’s Twitch in the past, he was the primary force driving its relevance and the channel has remained mostly unused since the aforementioned Discord mod walkout, most likely citing lack of moderation as a main concern.

August 2, 2022, the original RQ production Trice Forgotten premiered. Trice Forgotten continues to update.

As per the September 21, 2022 Patreon email, Cry Havoc! and Neon Inkwell, the other RQ original productions, have been postponed to 2023. (29)

With their three original podcasts completed and many future projects postponed, Rusty Quill had reached a quiescent stage. Patreon emails were sparse and while RQ maintained a loyal base, activity around the company had slowed.

Then -

October 10th, 2022 a string of strange letters appeared in a Patreon email. (15) Fandom quickly deduced that it wasn't a mistake, but rather a cipher. A Discord server dedicated to cracking the code sprang up almost immediately and fandom deciphered the cryptic letters in a few hours. This began a mini-ARG leading to the announcement of a Magnus Archives "side-quel": The Magnus Protocol. On a subsequent livestream, Alex confirmed the sequel and announced that the project would be fully funded by a Kickstarter. No money would be taken from Patreon, current or proposed shows, income generated through ads, agreements, merch, RQN residuals, etc. (16)

The Magnus Protocol Kickstarter launched November 22. It was fully funded in less than one minute, and as-of publishing this post is currently at £ 624,268, 4162% of their original goal. Release for the project is expected in October 2023 and is said to follow two British civil servants, Alice and Sam, as they deal with the legacy of the burned-down Magnus Institute of Manchester. Curious, as the Magnus Institute from the original series was very much based in London. (17)

On December 12, 2022, Newt Schottelkotte - marketing director for the Fable and Folly podcast network - released an opinion article on Medium detailing several allegations against Rusty Quill. (18) Schottelkotte submitted the article to several publications that declined to publish it. They decided to self-publish on Medium, which allows for independent publication. In good faith, I won’t presume this was a targeted attack by another network, but rather the opinion of a contingent of industry professionals who tried to represent those allegedly wronged by Rusty Quill as a production company (perhaps taking advantage of the timing of the new Kickstarter to gain traction for their post - but that one can only leave to speculation). The testimonies were anonymous.

December 13, 2022, after a resulting influx of polarizing social media posts, RQ released an official response to the Medium article, refuting most points raised. (19)

Now, before I get into less fact-based territory, and knowing RQ intends to announce a more recent Operations Update in the new year, I feel it's relevant going forward to mention that for all the talk surrounding both sides of the story, the composition of Rusty Quill is not as large as some might think, considering the assumptions of some of the claims. In 2021 the company conducted a voluntary internal census on company makeup and satisfaction. (20) At the time they had 28 employees. 23 responded, and here are a few interesting tidbits they had to say:

91% identify as Neurodivergent

30% identify as non-cisgender; 48% identify as female, 26% as male, and 26% as not exclusively one of those categories

30% are people of color

30% identify as bisexual, 9% pansexual, & 9% queer. 26% identify as heterosexual. These numbers may or may not include the 17% who identify as asexual.

This census doesn’t include individual contractors (which comprises most of their editors and voice actors). In the census, RQ recognized their huge deficit in hiring people of color. RQ maintains a flat pay structure across all departments (including leadership), which - thanks to Patreon funding - stands above the London cost of living rate. (21)

The Less Than Objective Part

Rusty Quill is a small company. The average number of employees for 2022 was 21. (22) This number doesn't reflect possible layoffs/terminations since then. Most of its voice actors and editors are contracted. This is intended partially to allow flexibility on both RQ and the contractors’ part as well as enable RQ to diversify their talent without the contractual obligation of employment (the UK doesn’t recognize ‘at-will’ employment; termination must be for a cause). Meaning that even if the company finds itself in the position of having to terminate employees, it maintains the possibility of working with those same people as contractors to help out RQ financially, but also to allow those employees to find more stable or long term jobs in the interim.

However, holding onto only an essential team of staff (as you find in any small company, but especially in an industry without historical regulation - often relying on a presumed integrity of nebulous industry standards, as opposed to codified protections) employees are often forced to wear many hats. Most often voluntarily, but often to their detriment. This manifested in such things as Autumn transcribing Stellar Firma, without any transcription experience, or the continual mishap of Alex or Hannah responding to delicate situations with off-the-cuff inexpertise (generally sweet and earnest, but not as diplomatic or clear as needed - something that larger companies potentially avoid with dedicated teams regarding media training), but is perhaps most apparent in the early stages of RQG and TMA where Alex, in addition to being a primary player/voice actor, did the majority of the editing and mastering until Lowri Ann Davies joined halfway through RQG. Based exclusively on the runtimes of RQG episodes/specials (not including how long it actually took to edit down recorded footage to what we hear), Alex edited a total of 217 hours of RQG, over 9 whole days, or nearly 83% of the content. (23) Early specials, behind the scenes specials, and Q&As often contain jokes about Alex needing to sleep. This sort of work-life balance should not be necessary for success, but many creatives know that it’s the unfortunate reality for many startups without the resources of a major media network backing them.

And, as evidenced here, despite its exposure and popularity Rusty Quill’s resources were limited from the start. Alex and Hannah, as directors and main shareholders in the company, are solely responsible for the company’s fiscal viability. As such, I think this has led to some decisions where one or both of them have taken over projects or refused to delegate when it would have better served that project or even themselves. But there’s also something to be said for a duty of care, and the difficulty of giving that up.

In such an environment, it’s not surprising that a large part of smaller podcasting companies’ revenue is generated through fan-funding. The grassroots organization of a devoted fanbase can help grow a company without access to other funds or a robust marketing budget. Steady patreon subscriptions can make up for periods of instability in advertising returns, but issues begin to arise when companies encounter something like RQ did: an explosion in popularity that lacked sustainability, and the contingencies and strategies to deal with that. However, it’s a double-edged sword. The importance of Patreon and fan goodwill can help create the mentality that RQ owes the fans something. Nothing in Patreon's TOS requires artists to offer rewards; the idea behind Patreon - at least to me - is that in exchange of supporting someone making art you enjoy, you occasionally get glimpses into the creative process behind that art. This idea has evolved over the years, but I think Patreon has become, to some people, more transactional: I pay you five dollars, you give me one piece of art. This more give-take mentality can lead to feelings of ownership; fans pay for RQ to exist, therefore they should have a say in how RQ conducts its business. Whether RQ views it that way or not.

RQ has begun to diversify their income, however, with the creation of the RQN, where they get fees from providing marketing and distribution services for other podcasts. Although RQ has experienced a drop in Patrons, it has returned to subscription levels similar to those before the meteoric rise of TMA and is hopefully navigating towards finding a balance between delivering what fans want without enabling an unhealthy relationship of catering to what’s profitable instead of what they want and are excited about making. (24)

Fandom and The Illusion of Closeness

There’s no denying that many creatives have an intimate relationship with their audience, especially smaller and/or newer ventures. RQ had, for a long time, quite a close relationship with its fans. It’s still visible in the old forums, where Alex, Mike, and Anil could be seen posting with regularity. There are many images from past RQGGs (even up to RQGG19) where RQ staff and fans casually mingled.

However, there is an issue with something like Discord where the immediacy of contact creates the illusion of intimacy. The ability to ping a creator facilitates the idea that the creator is therefore available and willing to be pinged. It’s not so much an issue when there are 1000 people on a server with only a hundred or so active, and only a fraction of them irregularly contacting creatives. When that number goes up, even proportionally, it results in a huge uptick in forced contact. It’s been theorized that both Jonny Sims and Ben Meredith stepped back from the Discord server because of crossed boundaries. Another staff member had a fan harass them to the point of needing to block said fan and the fan was eventually banned from RQO by the mods.

On the other hand, Community Manager Anil continued to always be available and Alex & Hannah would occasionally hop on and respond when they were active. This apparent ease of access can trick people into believing that they are close to the creators, and the illusion of this perceived relationship can be problematic for both parties.

In these circumstances it’s natural for creators to develop a persona to protect themselves. There’s nothing wrong with this and it is, in fact, a healthy and smart thing to do; the person fans interact with is not, exactly, who that person is. Not to say they’re fake or lying, but that creators deserve a degree of privacy that comes from concealing certain things about themselves that fans aren’t - and shouldn’t be - privy to. Fans’ insistence on access to creators and their secrets can be extremely difficult and exhausting, especially for creators who don’t have a publicity or security team. For instance, Jonny was forced to reveal his past with drug abuse when people incessantly questioned and berated him about his portrayal of drug abuse in "Strung Out," a season five episode of TMA (notably also when the fandom had exploded beyond the comfortable community of its earlier seasons). Fan entitlement to knowledge about creators and access to them can be particularly egregious in this sort of setting where the creators are trying to maintain the intimate community they used to enjoy, one that (at least in the initial stages) they relied on financially, while dealing with a huge influx of new fans. Even Critical Role, arguably the largest podcast in the actual-play genre, has suffered from a similar issue, though the actors in CR have much more experience than RQ.

Rusty Quill is a business and their dealings are of proprietary interest. Like any other entertainment company, they produce a product for consumption but the way they run internally isn’t something consumers are (or should be) privy to - barring gross mistreatment which, despite claims, hasn’t been proven. When Autumn was terminated, RQ didn’t release an official statement on what led to the termination. While many fans wanted to know, RQ has no obligation to reveal internal processes like hiring/firing, especially if details of such could affect an employee’s future employment. Identifying particular employees as responsible for certain policies or potentially upsetting updates could open that employee to threats or harassment (which RQ experienced before).

The Disproportionate Critique of Small Creators

It would be ridiculous to assert that Rusty Quill has never made a mistake - sometimes repeatedly - or a misstep. They’ve issued an apology multiple times for the lack of sensitivity in their content or a miscommunication on their end. Miscommunication was, in fact, a key factor in why the Discord mods left. RQ tried to preemptively combat these issues by hiring Helen Gould as a sensitivity director to ensure their content had been looked over for things that could be harmful. Given their company makeup and the composition of their talent - both writing and on-air - RQ has tried to diversify itself so that their content doesn’t come solely from the perspective of cishet white male. Stellar Firma would be the only show to suffer from this, however, it’s worth mentioning that on the production side Maddy Searle and Katie Seaton seem to have been brought on intentionally to avoid, or at least ameliorate this issue.

There is a pervasive issue with fandom as a whole to apply a more rigorous rubric against smaller and/or indie companies producing entertainment because they’re accessible. It’s easy to see why this phenomenon exists; when a person sees that they can speak to a creator directly, that the creator might respond specifically to those critiques. It can feel as if the consumer has more power in the relationship. Complaining about Disney cutting out a lesbian kiss in Star Wars, for example, will never reach Bob Iger, but if you want to talk to James D’Amato about a choice he made in the most recent Skyjacks episodes, he’s almost certainly going to respond. By feeling more intimately connected to creators, fans can feel empowered to be more aggressive in their criticisms.

A sustainable medium must exist between the two extremes of critique. A small indie company like Rusty Quill cannot be above criticism because of its size or its intention to do better - at some point, it must actually be doing better (which, I believe, it has and is consistently endeavoring to). Conversely, it can’t be upheld to a stricter standard than a larger company purely because its creators are accessible and will directly encounter the critique aimed at them. Rusty Quill has expanded their base of collaborators - which includes having an open pitch form to allow anyone to submit ideas - and made headway on wider and more accurate representation in their shows. There are certainly other shows and companies tackling and portraying difficult issues and diversity with a better outcome than Rusty Quill. That doesn't detract from the efforts RQ is making and shouldn't invite a disproportionate level of critique.

So What Now?

While it is fair to offer critique aimed at Rusty Quill and what it does, I think the benefits of this coming from a large audience diminish due to a few factors: quantity with no control for quality, purity culture, and entitlement. These things could comprise a much much longer essay, but I’ll be brief.

One of the huge benefits RQ got out of early Patreon release on the Discord was a limited quantity of feedback. Alex would show up to ask about the sound quality: if anything seemed off or if we had comments or noticed something. Anil would collect extra content warnings if needed, and some titles even changed when fans pointed out redundancies. Both Alex and (to a much stronger degree) Helen interacted with patrons about Inexplicables, including thoughts and theories. At one point, RQ created a gaming system called Ensemble and elicited feedback from people, encouraging them to play. These comments and critique are very helpful for RQ because of their pointedness. Contrast this to the response to the s5 TMA episode “Strung Out" - or the controversy surrounding a later episode’s perceived insensitivity to current events, necessitating a warning and apology before the usual opening theme (a perception generated before the public launch of the episode, stoked by assumptions and Twitter discourse).

Fandom as a whole has veered bizarrely into an obsession with purity - if something isn’t perfect, then it shouldn’t exist. RQ will not and cannot get everything right. It’s not a format made for easy editing and revision after the fact. It can be lauded for its achievements and persuaded to do better in a way that isn’t overly aggressive or hyperbolic. People tend to forgive mistakes if they like something and focus on them if they don’t, but it’s better to avoid assigning a moral value to something like representation - the effort and commitment is important. (For clarity - I believe it is moral and ethical to do everything you can to achieve accurate and diverse representation. The morality I reference here is more in regards to labeling something, irredeemably, as bad just because it doesn’t live up to your expectations).

Not to be repetitive, but fans in smaller fandoms often feel a sense of entitlement because of their ease of access to creators. If Alex is right there talking about the Trice Forgotten schedule, why shouldn’t he answer a prod about the continuation of Chapter & Multiverse??? The answer is that he’s updating you on Trice - not Chapter. Fans are not, and shouldn’t be, part of the internal machinations of a company, however close they feel, and why certain things happen or when isn’t always going to be obvious. RQ has varying degrees of success when it comes to updating their fans about timelines or happenings in the company, and while there is definitely room for improvement, overall, it shouldn’t be a requirement or expectation. That is to say - the relentless inundation of tangential comments or questions offers no benefit and can impose an increasing feeling of frustration: for the company, for the fan asking, and for the fans witnessing. Not even mentioning the personel issue. RQ has shown a willingness to acknowledge, apologize, and modify their content when there are complaints made against it. Because RQ has acted this way, it might invite the idea that they should have the same transparency and openness to comment about the way their business runs; of which they have no obligation to do so, and in many instances, definitely should not.

For instance, several people may have been let go from Rusty Quill recently, probably because of financial issues due to the downturn in the UK economy (see RQ’s statement for more specific reasoning). Although it is tempting to be angry or upset about it, businesses make decisions involving structure and the reorganization of employees in their company all the time. For a variety of reasons. Lay-offs or terminations may be needed in order to keep a company afloat. Often these legal reasons and internal processes cannot be disclosed, and barring that the individuals involved may not have consented to their information becoming public - despite audiences wanting to see corporate due diligence. The point is that while it might be comforting to know why things happened, ultimately it isn’t reasonable to expect a company to share those details or any others that have to do with its internal running or function.

Moving Forward

Rusty Quill is in a precarious position. The unexpected juggernaut of The Magnus Archives turned them from a small, emergent company to a well-known name in the podcast community. They were unprepared for it, very few people could be, and nearly three years later they’re still struggling to find a sustainable balance. RQ has had to adjust to the influx of fans, fan opinions, money, and the resulting issues of accountability. And now that TMA is over, they’ve had some time to try to adjust to not having that same monetary inflow. Whatever outward critique can be placed on them for how they’ve handled the transition, the formation of Rusty Quill Network seems to have leveled out their income in a way that will enable them to stay solvent, even if it means occasionally stopping to restructure and reorient. There is no provable model for success.

While some detractors may claim that the Magnus sequel Kickstarter is a huge windfall, it isn't necessarily so. Money made from a Kickstarter must go toward what is promised - hence the use of clearly stated stretch goals. It is against Kickstarter policy to give funds to charity, so the KS money will be used solely for projects relating to TMP. That money is spent and should be treated as thus and not a surge of new money into RQ’s coffers. It’s not a bail out. (25)

RQ has a brand that people trust and they should lean into that reputation, heavily promoting their new shows and focusing on getting those running. RQN seems instrumental in keeping the company afloat and therefore it’s understandable that so much time is spent introducing and promoting the shows taken under that umbrella (that’s part of the incentivizing service they offer RQN shows anyway), But RQ cannot expect the ad revenue from their new shows like they did with TMA and have to adjust accordingly. I hope RQ recognizes that they’re still mostly a small indie company with a surprise hit and allow themselves the restrictions - and responsibilities - of that.

As for fans, I think RQ should capitalize on the good favor they have and reengage the fandom in an appropriate manner. Livestreams are wonderful, but should automatically have slowmode to at least 30 seconds on any stream, 60 on a huge one (like the KS promotion livestream). It not only allows the on-air talent to catch some messages, but it allows the mods to filter easier. How they reestablish a team of mods is theirs to outline, but with better communication and potential benefits (i.e. a patreon subscription) it’s likely folks would be willing.

Secondly, I believe RQ should reinstate the forums. The benefit to something more static like forums (or reddit threads or whatever is similar) is the ease of moderation and the forced expansion of time. Without the instant chat function of Discord, it isn’t as overwhelming to participate in forums or threads. These should be official RQ forums and moderated (which won’t be as difficult as a Discord). As mentioned, compensation is a tricky subject because when you start paying ‘volunteers’ they can claim employment and it opens up RQ to a whole swath of responsibilities. A “Mod Team” shirt or pin, a patreon subscription, maybe some mod-creator meetups could be provided for services rendered.

RQ could possibly look into reopening the Discord, perhaps limiting it to patrons. While that would make it more manageable, it potentially leads to issues involving classism or elitism. It could also exacerbate the earlier issue of fan entitlement. If RQ decides to reopen the Discord, they should do so with a lot of consideration.

I'm a huge fan of Rusty Quill. There are plenty of times I’ve been frustrated or disappointed with them, but at its heart, it tries to accomplish what I think to be a noble and admirable goal. Rusty Quill seeks to create good art with an emphasis on highlighting diverse voices that might not otherwise get a chance to perform. And, from what I’ve seen despite some ups and downs, tries to do their best to create sustainable income for those they bring along as collaborators. The love the team has for storycrafting is obvious and that - along with their community - is where they should focus.

EDIT:

I started this post about three weeks ago, so the Medium article was a big surprise. I won’t dissect the article because that’s not my goal, but I do have a few thoughts.

So, let's address the article on Medium.

Here is the article so you can read it for yourself. https://medium.com/@newtschott/whos-afraid-of-alex-j-newall-ae3a67f3a5e1

Here is Rusty Quill's response: https://rustyquill.com/2022/12/13/public-response-to-an-opinion-piece/

This tumblr post speaks about an inaccurate quote that the article mentions, and I think is relevant: https://www.tumblr.com/dadhuddle/703488191401984000/journalistic-integrity-re-newt-schottelkottes-rq?source=share.

Here is a link to a tumblr post from Harlan Guthrie, creator of the Malevolent podcast, which is part of the RQN. I felt it important to get a point of view of someone involved in the network. https://www.tumblr.com/malevolentcast/703493906802868224/you-probably-already-know-about-this-but-an?source=share

The issues the article raises are very important. If these allegations are true, they need to be addressed. Newt being the marketing director of a rival podcast company and failing to disclose this for several hours casts the entire article in doubt because the conflict of interest is something ethical journalists would've avoided. (26) Newt also favorably compared RQ's practices to Fable and Folly. (27) Newt and the other two editors of the piece also provided their contact information to provide help with "research, job searches, and more" to former/current employees of RQ. (28) Neither of these things are inherently wrong, but Newt's connection to F&F casts them in a different light. This could possibly be construed as encouragement for current RQ employees or network shows to leave RQ for F&F. It's unfortunate, because this conversation needed to happen, especially if the purported issues are factual. Now there is a haze over the veracity of this article because of this lack of disclosure and the conflicts of interest from the author.

There has been some talk stating that podcast networks are not rivals. They can be friendly, they can share actors, they can share spaces. They almost certainly don't share profits. Every show added to a network brings in income for that network. If one of these networks dissolves, then the shows under its umbrella can move to one of the other networks, raising its profits. It's difficult to deny that one podcast network would benefit from the dissolution of another. I would identify that as rivals, even if they're friendly.

I don't believe that Fable and Folly had anything to do with this article. I don't even think Newt intended for them to be involved at all or for people to make that connection. It's the appearance of bias that muddies the waters. Most journalistic codes of ethics tell journalists to avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived. If it seems a journalist has a stake in the outcome of a story, it compromises the neutrality and the authenticity of the piece.

And unfortunately, despite Newt's claims of a background in journalism (unverifiable at the time of posting this blog outside of editorial publications), the necessary practices to lend credence towards these allegations weren't followed.

This post represents my own opinions, based in my involvement in the community. I've tried to provide sources whenever I could, though much of it was lost when the RQ Discord shut down, or mired in the sheer breadth of content. If there's a blatant untruth, please let me know with supporting evidence so I can correct it.

Footnotes:

1. Establishment of the company and ownership as per the foundation documents.

2. Alex & Jonny working the same job James Ross gave them (160 Q&A)

3. Patreon funding builds new studio via Studio tour video: (the video is patron-only, so here is a screencap of Alex stating that Patreon funded the studio)

4. Alex was homeless for a while, retrospective 189.5 (amongst others)

5. Rusty Quill Forums https://rustyquill.proboards.com/board/1/general-board

6. RQ Forums post celebrating the first RQGG

7. Rusty Quill Official Discord goes live, via RQ Forums.

8. Haggis and Dragons interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkYsA50Ts9M&list=FLaf41raWk5sb2VhQcEcPpsg&index=27

(Alex talking about the company stepping back from the public 12:30)

9. Popularity of the term “the magnus archives” from Google Analytics

10. Hannah becomes director, via RQ filing documentation

11. Autumn becomes Community Assistant, via Patreon email

12. Rusty Quill’s official statement about mods walkout.

Announcement - plain text 15-09-21.pdf

13. Crunchy's tweet

14. Mike LeBeau leaves RQ, via his twitter

15. The first Magnus sequel ARG prompt, via Patreon email

16. Oct 24 Pre-Kickstarter Announcement Livestream https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLOj5JKq-QU&t

17. The Magnus Protocol Kickstarter launch livestream https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Xk1hgVY2cc&t

18 Newt Schottelkotte's Medium piece: https://medium.com/@newtschott/whos-afraid-of-alex-j-newall-ae3a67f3a5e1

19 Rusty Quill's response to the Schottelkotte piece: https://rustyquill.com/2022/12/13/public-response-to-an-opinion-piece/

20. Rusty Quill internal census

21 The end of the RQ census summary:

22. Average number of employees at RQ in 2022, via RQ filing documentation

23. RQG editing stats, courtesy of the LOLOMG: A performance review by Oscar Wilde team (the team theorizes that Alex was still mastering during that early gap, but forgot to credit himself) [additional note: LOLOMG was a fan project to celebrate the end of Rusty Quill Gaming] note added 10am - incorrectly attributed, my deepest apologies to Straw and their team

24. Patreon retention stats, via Graphetron

25. Kickstarter use policy

26 The lack of disclosure on the initial posting of the Schottelkotte article.

27 Comparison of Fable and Folly's practices to Rusty Quill's.

28 Contact information for the writer and two editors given to current and ex Rusty Quill employees and network shows.

29 Patreon announcement of Cry Havoc! and Neon Inkwell postponement (I knew I had this lying around somewhere!)

30 Some additional information from Crunchy (thanks Crunchy!). sorry for the awful paint edit job (added 16/12/22 7pm)

#rusty quill #rusty quill drama #the magnus archives #rusty quill network #the magnus protocol #that's like just your opinion man

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a-devious-route · 3 months

Note

Thank you so much for answering my question. The animations like the ones you have in your Ben Barnes gallery catch my eye (that would be the third avatar). The animations of Lee Dong Wook's avatars too. The first one above is beautiful. Have an excellent day <3

Hello again dear anonymous person!

Well, it's nothing fancy, but I made a short video. I recorded the steps to make this kind of animation! I hope it helps you! Unfortunately, my Photoshop is in French. But here are the steps will be available bellow the video :

1) You have to open your avatar (jpg or png) in Photoshop. > I like to use one that is already styled. I just need to add the animation.

2) Create a folder (I named it ANIM) in your layers panel. > This step is optional, but I like to do it to keep everything clean and easy to find.

3) Create your first empty layer in the folder, name it clearly. > I choose 1 because it'll be my animation's first frame.

4) Draw the elements you want in your animation with the pen tool in the color of your choice. > Here I choose the rough shapes of the flowers

5) Create a new layer in your anim folder and draw the second frame of your animation. > In this step I like to keep the old layer visible so I can see where I put my first animation layer. This is optional.

6) Repeat step 5 and create a third layer for the animation. > I like to do 3 to 5 layers, depending on the animation I decided to do, but nothing more to make them really light.

7) When all your layers are done with drawing, hide them all with the little eye in the layer panel.

8) Open the Timeline window. > If it's not already open, you can find it in the "Window" menu of your Photoshop) and make sure you have the "Frames" selected (if you see a timeline, you're not in the right mode, you can easily change it by selecting the 3 little squares at the bottom of the window).

9) You should have an existing frame once you are in the timeline mode. If not, click on "create frame animation".

10) Then click on the little [+] button at the bottom to add a frame near the trash. If you have 3 layers, make sure you have 3 frames

11) Select all 3, then click on the 0s and choose 0.1s (this will control the duration of the frame animation)

12) Select your first frame > then make your layer 1 visible. // Select your second frame > then hide your layer 1 and make your layer 2 visible. // Select your third frame > then hide your layer 2 and make your layer 3 visible.

13) Then you can "save for web" and play your gif to see if you like it!

Again I hope this helps! Enjoy your creation time! May you make a lot of nice things that makes you happy!

#tutorial #short tutorial #animation diy #avatar #gif avatar #a devious route explain #ressources #rpg ressources #a devious route

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daughterofcain-67 · 10 months

Text

🅦hαt 🅞ncє 🅦αs 🅜ínє (pt.2)

(Dean Winchester x Reader)

(Part 1) (Part 3)

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: After a phone call from Jodi, Dean decides to go see you in hopes to make things up to you. You debate on whether or not he should know about his daughter.

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: None other than a mention of some spoilers

The sound of one of Dean’s Black Sabbath cassettes rang through the Impala as he focused on the road. Jodi had been in contact with Y/N? Why didn't Y/N reach out to him? Or even Sam?

That phone call from Jodi was unexpected and Dean still didn't know all of the details of everything. All Dean knew was that Y/N was working at some Walgreen's several towns over from Jodi and now she was living with Jodi after they reconnected while Jodi was on a hunt one weekend.

"Dude, why are you so tense about this?" Dean heard his little brother ask. You know for a guy that's supposed to be the smarter one of the duo, he definitely had his blond moments once in a while. But then again, Dean hadn't had the time to lead on how worked up about you leaving he really was.

"It's just.. when she left it wasn't exactly on the best terms, okay? Let's leave it at that." Dean answered and Sam raised a brow. It was a look from the younger brother that seemed to say 'maybe we shouldn't leave it at that' but Sam knew it was an issue between you and Dean and honestly- the younger hunter wasn't sure he would even know how to help fix things if Dean told him everything.

"Well maybe that's why Jodi called you in the first place. I mean it wasn't a secret to anyone that she cared about you. Maybe Jodi thought that now would be a good time for you to talk about whatever that fight was. I mean it's been a year, and I think that's a long enough time without reaching out."

Dean listened and tightened his jaw. It was a little annoying how much sense Sam made sometimes. It was partly the reason why Sam ended up being the one taking on these trials anyways, and Dean still hated the idea because in his mind it was his job to keep Sam safe - even if they were in their 30's.

"Yeah, I guess you have a point." Dean finally replied but his gaze was still fixed on the road ahead of him to get to Jodi's.

"You asked him to come here?" You asked Jodi with a bit of an upset tone. You weren't prepared to see Dean, and a part of you didn't want to after what happened when you left. He wanted you gone and you wanted to stay away.

"Y/N you need to be real about this. It's been a year and you need to talk this out. Plus, don't you think Dean has a right to know about his daughter? He's already lost three months with her." The sheriff pointed out as she sat next to Y/C/N and watched her play while she was on her tummy.

"Dean was the one that said he never should have brought me along. And even then maybe he shouldn't know about Y/C/N. Not because I don't want him to - but because both of the boys have enough on their plates almost constantly. He couldn't handle having a baby around even he wanted her. It'll only add on to his stress and that's honestly the last thing he needs." You sat down with Jodi and your daughter.

"That's a little unfair though, isn't it? He deserves at least a chance. Having a kid causes stress to anyone whether they're a hunter or not. It's hard being a parent and it can be challenging and its frustrating. Trust me, I would know. But on the flip side, having a child brings so much joy. Their smiles give you a reason to go on. They'll make you laugh, make you cry, make you feel proud. I'm sure you've felt some of those things already as a new mom." You nodded as Jodi spoke and looked at your daughter.

"Don't you think Dean deserves the chance to feel all of those things too? Don't you think Y/C/N deserves to have a father in her life?"

You continued to listen and you started to think. You remembered a time when Dean would talk about walking away from hunting and how he tried that with Lisa and Ben. You remembered how he would think it would be impossible to retire and have that fabled 'Apple Pie' life again. Then you started thinking about your daughter. You knew she would be better off if she had two parents. At least you hoped that would be the case anyways.

You watched as Y/C/N lifted her legs a little and tried her best to get on all fours so she could crawl or at least sit up. She had that same exact look of determination that Dean gets on his face. You knew Dean would raise her up with Rock and Roll and Scooby Doo, and you knew she would be all for it.

"We'll just have to see how he even feels about all of it. Who knows what kind of chaos both the boys are going through. If Dean thinks he can handle having a baby around amongst all of everything then we can talk about it." You said after a few moments with your thoughts.

"How long do you think it will take for them to get here?" You glanced over at Jodi as she started getting up and she walked over to the coat rack to get her jacket.

"Well, I gave him the call last night around midnight our time. I wouldn't be surprised if he and Sam were on the way right after the call. So maybe they'll be here sometime this afternoon or this evening if they don't stop." Jodi replied as she finished putting on her jacket and got ready to go to the station.

Your heart nearly flipped at the idea of Dean being that eager to see you again. But you had to force yourself to remember the fight so you wouldn't get too excited. You couldn't afford to have your heart so eagerly on your sleeve for Dean Winchester again.

"I see. Well, can you think of anything you would want for dinner tonight? I was thinking about going to the store and picking up some groceries anyway." You tried to change the subject and Jodi just smiled and chuckled.

"Make whatever you'd like. But don't forget the pie for the boys." She said, knowing Dean would eat most of the pie rather than Sam.

The evening came and after you fed your daughter and gave her a bath, you put her to bed in her crib in your room and she was fast asleep. Now you were in the kitchen making dinner for that night since Jodi was on her way back.

'What do I say? How would I even bring her up? Maybe it can just wait a while. Maybe he wouldn't warm up to the idea of kids after all.' Your mind was going a mile a minute as you started making some pasta. It was something simple and low energy to make and you were grilling some chicken with it.

But the more you allowed yourself to over think about it all, the more you gave yourself a headache. Your stomach was churning with the wave of anxiety because it's been so long since you've seen the Winchesters. A part of you wondered if you should even be feeling this way.

After all, if Sam said you shouldn't have been brought along and if they thought you had been such a hindrance to them, then why should you even consider the hope of hunting with them again? You were a mom now and you were with Jodi so now you had help. You didn't need the boys - even if you desperately wanted to be with them again. Especially Dean.

You heard the door open and you assumed it was Jodi based off the laughter that you hear but you also hear more than just her footsteps. You hear two other sets of footsteps followed by an all to familiar voice.

"You should've seen the time when Sam was bringing some groceries to the bunker. He slipped and fell and the milk dropped on the stairs and practically exploded everywhere." Dean laughed and you assume the brothers were telling embarrassing stories about one another to catch Jodi up on their shenanigans.

"I swear I had a bruise on my back for like a month. And its not easy going down stairs with bags blocking your view of where you step." Sam said and rubbed the back of his neck, a little embarrassed to say the least. "Plus you should've seen Dean with the pie prank."

"A pie prank? What did you do, Sam?" Jodi asked with a chuckle as she took off her jacket and placed it on the coat hanger.

"It wasn't a prank, it was the work of Lucifer." Dean said with so much annoyance in his tone.

"It was more like a work of art, really," Sam said with a smile before speaking again, "Dean wanted a pie one night. Nothing too out of the ordinary about that because it's Dean. Well I got him some pie and while the rest of dinner was being cooked, I mixed some hot peppers in with the pie filling."

Jodi laughed and Sam joined in when he reminisced on the prank he played on his older brother, "He went through three bottles of water. I swear he has almost no spice tolerance."

"Not when its ghost peppers like what you mixed in the filling." Dean remarked but he cracked a grin nonetheless. It was a memorable moment for sure and it was some joy for Sam in the downtime of their constant hunting and world saving.

"Oh you boys. Even with all of the jobs you've got it's nice to know you two still have fun with each other once in a while." Jodi smiled as she started walking into the kitchen. She motioned for the boys to follow her and so they did.

"Smells good in here, Y/N. Whatcha makin'?" You heard Jodi ask and when you looked over you smiled at Jodi.

"Some chicken alfredo." You answered and that was when you saw Dean walking through the door with his brother.

You swore that your heart stopped that you saw Dean and both of you instantly locked eyes. He was just as handsome as the day you left. He was really there with his brother. What were you supposed to say to him first? But you knew that you needed to say something to both of them.

"Hey, guys. Make yourself at home." You said and turned around so you could break your gaze from Dean and focus on the meal so nothing could burn.

Jodi and Sam looked at each other and Jodi watched as Sam gave Dean a little nudge to go talk to you. Then, Jodi and Sam went to the living room so they could talk.

Dean looked over and he saw that the other two left, then he looked back at you. He gulped a little before he started to walk over. It was odd. Dean has faced monsters, demons, angels, and yet he was hesitating on a simple interaction. Then again, you held a special spot in his heart and the fact that he pushed you away was holding him back. You had to still be angry with him right?

"Y/N, I.. You look great." He said and you could tell that he was struggling with where to start.

"Thanks. You haven't changed much." You replied and focused on the stovetop. You heard the way Dean sighed before he carefully reached out and took a careful hold of one of your hands and took the utensil form you. Then he turned the burner down.

He looked down at you and you refused to meet his gaze at first. But he gave your hand a soft squeeze before he started speaking.

"Y/N, I think you know why I'm here. I wouldn't put it past Jodi to let you know I was coming." He said and you shrugged slightly before you slowly lifted your gaze up at him and you took your hand away from him.

"I knew you were coming. I didn't really ask why you would travel all this way." You answered and crossed your arms a little, trying so hard to stay guarded.

"You haven't thought at all about the last night we spent at that hotel when we fought? Haven't thought about the argument? Because I have and if I could take everything back then I would. And you aren't exactly making things easy by being stand offish." Dean said.

"Dean, you can't just come over one night and expect everything to be fine and dandy just because you feel bad about what happened. What you said really hurt that night. Your problem is that you just don't think before you open your damn mouth. I know I wasn't there for a lot in the beginning and when Cass first came onto the scene. I know I came into your lives a little late but I turned out to be a pretty damn good hunter. Me caring about you didn't make it to where I was in the way. It made it to where Sam wasn't the only one looking out for you when Cass wasn't around. You were the one that messed up. And boy, you messed up big time."

"Don't you think I know that? You're right, I don't always think before I speak. And I regretted what happened everything I said the second after I let it slip. And I regretted it ever since you walked out of that door, alright? But ever since I got the call from Jodi that you were with her, I knew I had to see you again to at lease apologize even if you wouldn't listen."

"Then show me that you regretted it. Show me how badly you wish you could have taken everything back." You dared as you looked at Dean. Dean didn't hesitate this time around and he backed you up against the counter.

He lifted his hand and cupped your cheek and started to lean closer and closer until...

You suddenly hear your daughter crying upstairs. You saw a change in Dean's eyes as he backed up from you a little. You thought your mind was racing before: it was nothing compared to this moment. What could possibly be going on in Dean's mind now?

"Y/N? Is there something you need to tell me?"

Thank you guys for reading!

Feel free to let me know what you think! The feedback really helps a lot! Planning for a part three soon! Hope you enjoyed!

Tag list:

@chriszgirl92 @wildernessflora

#jensen ackles #dean imagine #dean winchester #supernatural #supernatural imagine #supernatural x reader #dean x reader #dean winchester imagine

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terrak0 · 5 days

Text

TWDG fanfic recommendations

Just a little list of some of my favorite fics in the walking dead fandom. Feel free to add on any other fics! Most of these are by mutuals and are on Ao3

What-Ifs of Telltale’s The Walking Dead by @thecrusadercomrade as well as The Long Road Home

@bourbonificould’s What-If series

Dawn of The Walking Dead by @juno-box

Waking the Dead and its sequel Sunflower by coffeelyd. It’s an AU in a modern setting where Lee adopts Clementine and the motions of life they go through together. The first fic is based off S1, while the sequel is based off S4

Silence, a fic where Lilly misses during her attempt to shoot Ben outside the RV, but not without leaving lasting damage

Light of Day, a S2 rewrite by lottiematthewsgirl and woodlandkestrel. Hasn’t been updated in a few years but I think it’s pretty well written

You can’t eat a walnut (unless you crack a few shells) by anonymous. AU where Joan decides to use Javi as an example and hang him in the square instead of David

Going Down by dogstarlite. In which Kenny is the one who takes a fall in the alleyway.

Down a Different Path by JazzGirl123. Clementine runs into Javi and his family in the woods instead of the cabin group

Be still, my indelible friend by frillshark. Douglee content my beloved

The Journalist by SidekickKep, S1 from Carley’s POV

All that remains series by ahsoka. Featuring Lee and Christa being super competent in S2

Crystal Eyes Universe by EWBANH. This was THEE twdg fic series for me back in the day

#twdg

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romanceclub-lovers · 5 months

Text

Veronica. G author of "Dracula a Love story" answers a few questions from players.

💭 Vacation again?

No, there are personal circumstances and this is not a vacation.

💭 We are waiting and getting upset

I know, and therefore, I think few people are as bitter about the delays of history as I am .

💭 At least explain what's the matter.

Sorry, but no details. Whatever the motive, there will definitely be those who feel sorry and those who say “ha, that’s my reason too.” I don't want either one or the other. How to talk about what has not been fully completed. Maybe I’ll share when it’s all over.

💭 When will you continue writing dls? Why do you have time to answer questions and maintain social media. Write some posts, but not write the story itself? Do you think it's disrespectful to your audience who love your story?

Is there a difference for you - to write a complex, voluminous research paper for work/study or to answer a friend in a chat? These are completely different types of writing. In the first you concentrate and give your all, in the second you relax. I go to the page with my personal time, and communication with the audience lifts my spirits and inspires me.

💭 How did you start your journey as an author of stories at the Romance Club ? Should we expect another story from you?

I started like everyone else with a resume and a test assignment. I can't say anything about the new story.

💭 What is Anton’s fate after the departure of our friends and what about the fallow deer? I hope someone called the vet for them.

Of course, the fallow deer were cured. Anton also recovered, but his wife nags him that he lost such a job.

💭 Will there be an unhappy ending to the story?

Yes, as in all stories

💭 There is an opinion that the past and the present time are written by different people. Is someone really helping you, or are these players’ sick fantasies?

Maybe different parts of me.

💭Why do we get only an affair with Septentrion? Does this act as a spoiler or did you see him as a “demi-LI”?

This is my personal whim. Well, I like him, what can I do?

💭 Was the thread with Mehmed something you thought about when developing the story or did you decide to introduce it later?

Initially, Mehmed was not intended as a LI. But then I saw the potential in it and I became interested in developing it

💭 Many incidents and plot remains open. Will all this fit into 7 episodes?

The plot will be revealed, don’t worry. If it doesn't fit, we'll add series.

💭Mehmed's new appearance looks exactly like Ben Barnes. is this on purpose?

No, it's an accident. I only learned that he and Mehmed are similar from readers’ comments.

💭I love Mehmed very much, will there be more scenes with him?

Of course there will be more scenes

💭How would you describe the love of Laia and Vlad?

In one word, this is space.

💭I would like to know if we will see more of Zara and Dimitris, the development of their relationship?

We'll see

💭Will there be other characters from the past?

No.

💭Will there be an ending with Mehmed in the present?

There will be an ending (He's an endgame)

💭Are there any books by you? Is there a book planned on DLS or is its publication unlikely?

There are no books by me, I’m new to writing. Will they be - we'll wait and see.

Credit Art: @ratanslily

💭I would like to ask a question about the scene of Mehmed’s harassment in the first season, this is a topic that everyone is very curious about. As we know, Mehmed occupies a very important place in history for the Turks and keeps him alive in the hearts of every Turk without exception. That's why the Turkish side of the fandom enjoyed your story from the very beginning. But to be honest, this scene left us all disappointed... Even though Mehmed has had good character development so far, most people (including me, unfortunately) can't forget this scene from season one. As I already said, game aside, he is already one of the great glorious people in our history. I hope you have not misunderstood me, but we have been waiting for years for an explanation from both you and the management on this issue. I write this with all sincerity; Can you at least talk about this issue and explain?

Our short story is not a history book, but a fairy tale. Any fairy tale must have villains, otherwise the plot will not work. We had a wise and kind Sultan Murad, but someone had to do bad things. According to historical facts, Mehmed, during his first reign, was indeed an unprepared, too young ruler and made mistakes. That's why I chose him for a negative role. And I am very sorry that by doing this I offended some of the Turkish players. The image of Mehmed from the game has no relation to the historical Sultan, just as Cardinal Richelieu from the novels of Alexandre Dumas does not resemble the historical Richelieu - wise and respected in France .

Source note: TG PKR

#romance club #dracula a love story #rc #rc dls

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padfootagain · 8 months

Text

Something Good (XVII)

Chapter 17 : Somewhere in My Youth or Childhood

Hello! Here is a new chapter for my Ben Barnes series!

THIS IS IT PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THEY ARE FINALLY GETTING THEIR SHIT TOGETHER!!!!!!! I’m so excited, I hope you like this chapter so much! Tell me what you think!

****

Pairing: Ben Barnes x Reader

Warnings: Fluff, Slow burn, professor AU.

Summary: Coming out of a divorce and trying to get used to being a single mom, while teaching your classes at University, you thought your life could not get more complicated than it already is. But when you are asked to take care of the theatre club with the colleague that you really can’t get along with, you realize that everything can still get ten times more complicated in your life. And when you start actually liking Professor Barnes, the troubles only grow exponentially…

Word Count: 3342

Masterlist for the series – Ben Barnes’ Masterlist – Main Masterlist

There was so much to do for the theatre club, still. So much to do and so little time.

Booking up the theatre so you could work on stage was a brilliant idea, and you were grateful to Ben for thinking about this. It helped tremendously settle the songs, write the scenes, imagine the placement of the actors.

Still… Something Good remained a tough song to stage. You didn’t have enough time to finish planning the scene with the students, but Ben and you agreed to spend a part of the afternoon working on this, just the two of you. So, at the end of the afternoon, you stayed a little longer, asking your mother to watch over your daughter for you while you and Ben worked on the song.

You had decided with the whole group to add the song at the beginning of the relationship between Satine and Christian. Before the real troubles hit them both, while their love was still a secret. It was a hopeful tune, after all. One of love, and there was no reason to change that fact. Still, the staging, the intention, the movements of the actors… it was still a struggle, as Ben and you stood there at the edge of the stage, staring blankly at the empty space.

“Alright… then maybe we can have the two characters coming in from this side…”

“It won’t do…”

“I know.”

You looked at Ben, who was remaining perfectly calm while you were losing your patience bit by bit.

There ought to be a way to play this scene and to make it look good. You simply had to find it…

“I think we should have a very simple choreography for this,” Ben said, looking around the empty stage. “Maybe they shouldn’t even dance before the second half of the song.”

You looked around as well, imagining the staging, with full set and costume, lights, music…

“What if they’re on opposite sides of the stage,” you suggest. “When the song begins they’re staring at each other, and then they slowly come closer and closer in the first half.”

Slowly, Ben nodded his head.

“And then they meet at the centre,” he went on.

“They can start dancing together during the instrumental part.”

But Ben shook his head.

“What if they barely danced at all. Maybe just turned.”

“Turned?”

“Yeah, like…”

But Ben wasn’t sure how to explain his idea.

“Like they both walk in a circle, and follow each other so they keep the same distance.”

“Chasing each other, almost… it fits,” you nodded, thinking hard. “They could come closer and closer during the second part.”

You walked to the centre of the stage, in an attempt to imagine the position of the actors, play out the scene in your head…

This should be highly romantic. A song you had added with your entire little company to showcase this love between Christian and Satine…

“There could be other people on stage like… dancing during the party. And the lights could go down all around the couple, so the others would disappear, until there’s no one left but Christian and Satine. Like… they love each other so much… there’s nobody else in the world for a moment…”

You were lost in thought, you seemed almost dizzy, staring at an empty spot before you. And Ben didn’t know why but he was so fond of you at this moment. You looked… breathtaking… maybe it came from the dreamy expression painted upon your features….

He wished you could look at him like that. Because you were right, that would be how he would feel with you. Like everything else could disappear. Like the whole world was gone, for as long as you would stare at him and pretend you loved him, even if for just a minute…

He struggled to swallow, tried to clear his throat, but it had tightened so quickly, he had barely noticed before it was already too late.

Ironic. The same way he had fallen head over heels for you…

“And then, they could walk in a circle, like you said. Turning, turning…”

You imitated the movement, walking across the empty stage.

“… and coming closer. Should they kiss?”

“Everyone is on stage, the scene is set during a party, they can’t be openly affectionate,” Ben answered, trying to shake some sense back into his brain. “Maybe they could touch hands instead.”

You seemed to consider it for a second.

“But then they could walk back where they were before, the lights could go up again, as if it was just some kind of… dream… you know what I mean?”

Ben nodded.

“A moment just between them, that no one notices.”

“Just by looking at each other.”

“And that we would translate through the song.”

Ben smiled.

“It could work.”

But you still seemed bothered, Ben could see it in the mild frown digging a line between your brows.

“Could we walk around the stage to decide on the placements?” you asked Ben, turning to him with this same adorable frown he adored, the one brought by focus and thinking too hard.

His smile was soft, charming, when you turned to him. Your heart skipped a beat at the sight. He looked dishevelled after a long day at work, but you liked it. You liked the way his hair was messier than usual, the way his glasses were a little lopsided, the way his white shirt was crinkled…

You forced yourself to look only at his eyes again, but they were so dark, so intense, so magnetic… it didn’t help at all…

“Of course,” he nodded, voice warm and soft and terribly charming even if he didn’t do it on purpose.

He walked to the right side of the stage while you took position on the left. You tried walking around for a few minutes, trying to decide on a distance to stop, one to dance to, and finally the closest the characters would stand by each other.

It was hard to imagine it all without music though, and you tried again using your phone to listen to the tune while you moved.

“Too fast, too fast,” Ben shook his head as you walked towards him. “You need to cross the stage and get in position throughout the first part, before the instrumental section kicks in.”

He gestured you to start all over again, and you did. After a few tries, you found the right rhythm, and tried to walk with Ben.

“How do they touch hands? Like this?”

You brushed your fingers against his without any warning, and your shy touch was enough to make him blush, to make his heart stumble in his chest, to make him forget his damn name…

“Huh… yes,” he nodded, clearing his throat, trying to hide his reaction but he couldn’t imagine to be discreet. “And maybe they could properly hold hands when they’re standing very close.”

“Both hands?”

“Yes… maybe?”

“Okay, sounds good.”

“And then we can decide with the rest of the club if they should kiss or not.”

“Okay, perfect!”

“Do you want us to rehearse the whole song? Like… fully playing it as it should go?”

“Yes, that sounds like a good idea, let’s do that.”

You walked back into position, starting the song again, but Ben stopped you as you took your first step.

“You’re not even singing!” he complained, playfulness making him smile. “Come on!”

He saw you shying away, but it didn’t matter. He loved listening to your voice. He would not let you get away with this.

“Alright,” you grumbled, clearly unhappy, but he merely shot you a grin.

“Come on, I’ll sing too.”

That was a pretty good argument, given his pretty voice.

Fair enough…

You started the song over again, from the beginning.

Slow movements walking across the empty stage. Ben was staring at you, his gaze intense, never letting go for a second, as if he was afraid you would disappear.

But then again, you were staring at him the same way. Moving to the rhythm of the music, in slow movements, made it all even more intense like… like it was all real…

You were singing without noticing, words passing your lips, but each syllable seemed to slow down time, make you more focused on Ben’s dark eyes, on his slightly parted lips, on the light shining against his glasses, on his dishevelled hair, on his beard that called for your fingers…

The universe was shrinking, shrinking, shrinking down while you sang.

Perhaps I had a wicked childhood

Perhaps I had a miserable youth

But somewhere in my wicked, miserable past

There must have been a moment of truth

You noticed the way Ben closed his fists, opened them again, flexed both his hands, as if he were nervous, as if he couldn’t quite breathe anymore, as if he felt the same as you did now…

… hanging by a thread. Struggling to keep the air inside your lungs, your heart beating so damn fast, and lost… lost in his damn dark eyes, so dark under the velvety light of the theatre, so dark you could only fall into them, so dark you couldn’t see where they would end…

Still, your feet advanced, just like his, in perfect rhythm to the song and to his movements, but you barely noticed. You barely noticed when you kept on singing too.

And your voice… Jesus, the soft, tender sound was driving Ben absolutely mad. He wished you could never stop. He wished he could keep on listening to your voice forever, no matter what you would say or sing or whisper, it wouldn’t matter, for as long as you kept going…

His heart was beating so damn fast, how was that even humanly possible?

For here you are, standing there, loving me

Whether or not, you should

And as you spoke the words, your throat tightened, your heart sank because they reminded you that your feelings were crazy. Ridiculous, almost. If it hadn’t hurt so much, you would have taken it all as a twisted joke. It was too painful to be a joke, though.

You were a mess. You struggled. You were a mother. You had so many responsibilities, so many things to do, and in all of that, how could you manage any time for yourself? It wasn’t fair, but it was the truth. And Ben? Why would Ben ever love someone like you? Perfect opposites. Bantering friends. Tender words. And these dark eyes that looked at you with such patience, such warmth… You hoped, despite all odds and all reason, that his gaze meant more, so much more.

You were too uncertain of yourself to see it. To see that Ben looked at you as if you had hung the stars in the sky yourself, as if you were the very essence of beautiful things, as if you were everything he had ever wanted. Because you were. You were so much more than that, even. And he was too uncertain of himself to tell you, but now more than ever, as you walked towards him, your singing voice barely audible at all but still there, still hanging in the air, while you stared at him with these beautiful eyes of yours he saw every night in his dreams… now more than ever, he couldn’t deny that he loved you. That he loved you so much, it was crazy, it was ridiculous. And he couldn’t help it.

So somewhere in my youth, or childhood

I must have done something good

Just a few more steps to take. You smiled, all shy, and he reciprocated the gesture, although his was brighter, a little less hesitant. He wanted to come closer, to skip the song and the music and to reach out for your hand, to reach for your cheek, to reach for your lips…

He took a deep breath instead, raspy and uncertain, but it did ground him enough to keep his feet on track.

Nothing comes from nothing, nothing ever could

So somewhere in my youth, or childhood

I must have done something good

You were standing in position now, and you both stopped. The short instrumental part started playing, both of you silent. You forced your feet to move, and Ben followed your movements, walking in a circle with you, slowly getting closer, and closer, the circle shrinking, and shrinking, and shrinking, until you were in arm’s range. Until you were close enough to smell his perfume, something of oud and citrus and midnight talks on the phone. Until you were close enough Ben could feel your breath across the side of his neck.

You had both slowed down your pace down to a full stop. You weren’t supposed to be standing so close, but you both felt so attracted towards the other, like two magnets struggling against impossible forces. And who were you to fight this type of law, anyway? It would have been as unnatural as fighting gravity.

When he started singing, he reached to brush his knuckles against yours. Soft, delicate touch. A breeze in summer. Barely there at all.

Your heart stumbled into your chest, crashed against your ribcage.

You were still staring into his eyes, but now up close, where you could see perfectly their darkness through his glasses, the small crinkles at their corners, the beauty spot under his right eye…

When he brushed his fingers to yours again, you held them back, before they could escape.

For here you are, standing there, loving me

Whether or not you should

And you shouldn’t. As he sang the words, they sounded a little too raw on his tongue, a little too bloodied, as if they were already stained by the sorrow they announced.

Because you shouldn’t. Ben didn’t think you felt the same, and he shouldn’t wish for these feelings upon you, because every ounce of reason in his mind screamed that it was a terrible idea. He was a mess. He struggled. You were a mother, and he couldn’t let you down. What if he did? What if he couldn’t be enough, just like he wasn’t enough for Julia? What if you left? What if he gave you and Sally everything, and you took it all away? But then again, why would you ever love someone like him, anyway? You deserved so much better than his bruised self. Besides, you were perfect opposites. Silly friends. Soft smiles. And these beautiful, tempting lips of yours, he couldn’t help the way his gaze fell onto them now that you were so close. Because he wanted to kiss them. Wanted to run his thumb along their curve to feel the tender skin. Wanted to know how it felt, how you tasted…

He was so out of breath, he barely noticed when you spoke again, only the movement of your mouth made him aware that you were singing the next verse.

So somewhere in my youth, or childhood

I must have done something good

Your lips remained parted, you moved your fingers to hold properly on his, and the tender gesture made him look up at your eyes again. He enlaced your fingers together as he whispered the next words, more than he sang them. And when you joined him, you were both so lost into each other’s gaze, there seemed to be nothing else in the entire world but your two bodies.

Your eyes. Your warmth. You…

Nothing comes from nothing

Nothing ever could

You missed the beginning of your verse, but you didn’t care. Your heart was beating so fast, you could barely hear the music anymore over its crazy rhythm.

So somewhere in my youth

He smiled, a crooked one, just for a second, as he noticed that you had skipped a couple of words. It was tender though. So tender…

God, he loved you so much… if it hadn’t been so painful, he could have laughed at himself for falling so hard. A stupid teenage boy all over again…

When he spoke his verse, he raised his hand to your cheek. Your skin so warm… it was burning his fingers and palm. So soft, he was certain none of this could be real…

Or childhood

You closed your eyes under his soft touch, all delicate and feathery, as if he was scared you’d run away, as if he feared to hurt you somehow. As if you were the most precious thing in the world…

You spoke with your eyes still closed, leaning into his touch without noticing, your skin on fire under his fingers.

I must have done something

He let go of your hand, and your eyes snapped open, thinking he would push you away, that the dream would be over…

But he merely reached up to your other cheek instead, holding your face in both his hands, leaning closer, dangerously so. Your hands reached up to hold onto his arms, in search for any kind of support. You could feel his warm breath fanning over your lips…

Your legs were shaking.

You both whispered the last lyrics, neither of you could summon anything more than a murmur.

Something good

You had barely spoken your last syllable that he was leaning closer, impossibly closer, until his lips brushed against yours, the feeling making you both gasp and close your eyes.

How many times had you dreamt about this?

How many times had he hoped you would let him do this?

But his lips had barely touched yours, just the ghost of a caress, before he pulled away. Not much, just enough to look into your eyes as you lifted your eyelids once more.

A silent question. A frightened one, yet tainted with desire.

Do you want this as much as I do?

Your response was a smile, a gentle pull on his sleeve to draw him closer again, a lean upwards towards his lips.

His hands held your face a little more firmly to guide you to him, and this time when he leaned down, he didn’t stop.

His kiss was a little shy still at first, hesitant. But then your lips moved against his, and the remnants of worry and rationality fainted away from his mind. When your hand moved from his forearm to his hair, he pressed his lips harder against yours, more passionately, and he let go of the last bit of control he had left.

One of his hands settled on your waist, drawing you closer, and you leaned in without a second thought. How could you not, when he was kissing you with so much passion, it almost tasted like desperation, until none of you could breathe and yet you kept on kissing, and kissing, and kissing despite your shallow breaths, because you couldn’t get enough, and neither could he…

How could he pull away? How could he stop kissing you when your lips moved perfectly over his, when you tasted so good on his tongue, when you pulled just a little on his hair, when your scent was so intoxicating…

You were kissing, and kissing, and kissing… despite all reason, despite all odds.

And it felt so right.

When you pulled away just for a second to look at him, knowing you would dive back in, his eyes had darkened. And he looked at you like he couldn’t get enough. Like you were everything to him. Like he…

No one had ever kissed you like that…

You hoped he could read the same thing in your gaze, because you felt the same. And he did. The grin that tugged at his lips was the final proof.

When you kissed him again, the gesture was a little more unhurried, a little more certain. Like he took his time now. As if he was reassured.

He still tasted the same though. Like coffee, like the chocolate biscuits you had eaten together, like he couldn’t get enough of you, like tenderness and desire, like…

…like love.

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#ben barnes #ben barnes x reader #ben barnes x you #ben barnes x y/n #ben barnes fanfiction #ben barnes fic #ben barnes fanfic #ben barnes series #series #fanfiction #fanfic #writing

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