#But like- that required a whole lot of work that really wouldn't have been necessary if Rick had thought this through

[percabeth4life]

I have never been so unimpressed with Rick's lack of knowledge for timelines

Okay, so Rick says that Seneca Gracchus is captured in the Parthia wars with Rome, specifically the Battle of Carrhae this happens in 50 ish BCE

“Not bad, kid. Ever heard of the Battle of Carrhae? Huge disaster for the Romans. They fought these guys called the Parthians on the eastern border of the empire. Fifteen thousand Romans died. Ten thousand more were taken prisoner.” “And one of the prisoners was my ancestor Seneca Gracchus?” “Exactly,” Mars agreed. “The Parthians put the captured legionnaires to work, since they were pretty good fighters. Except then Parthia got invaded again from the other direction—” “By the Chinese,” Frank guessed. “And the Roman prisoners got captured again.” “Yeah. Kind of embarrassing. Anyway, that’s how a Roman legion got to China." (SON)

Now, it's then said that Xu Fu, a Chinese Alchemist, was the descendent of Seneca Gracchus. Because the only reason they got to China, as Mars said, is through Seneca Gracchus (also known as Sung Guo)

She was telling him stories about heroes, pretending they were all related to Frank: one was Xu Fu, who sailed in search of the elixir of life. The rainbow image had no sound, but Frank remembered his mother’s words: He was your great-great-great-… She would poke Frank’s stomach every time she said great-, dozens of times, until he was giggling uncontrollably.

So Xu Fu is his ancestor, except Xu Fu lived in 200BCE. We know he's directly related due to the whole "he's your great great great-".

Now, this is not CE, this is BCE. Which means that 200 BCE is earlier than 50 BCE.

But this is how the family line is introduced to China to our knowledge! So this doesn't make any sense. Xu Fu can't be Frank's ancestor while Seneca is also his ancestor. Seneca wouldn't have existed when Xu Fu did.

Of course, we can also try to assume that Xu Fu is related to one of Seneca's kids, who get with one of Xu Fu's descendants... but uh-

Now, we do assume that somehow Xu Fu (who has no noted children) did have children, and I have theories on how this could work for the purposes of Rick's timeline. We can then assume those kids had kids who would have kids.

But Chinese families rarely moved from their homelands (though I'm uncertain how firm the stance on that is in the modern day). So Xu Fu's family likely wouldn't leave the coastal area that they'd be from. While Seneca would be originally placed in the North West ish, and any descendants would likely be there as well. Those are pretty far apart.

So it still doesn't really work!

#For the purposes of my writing I did finangle a way for it to work #But like- that required a whole lot of work that really wouldn't have been necessary if Rick had thought this through #He just wanted the line to be Roman and Chinese??? #Which he literally didn't need to the Chinese family line could've just fallen out of contact with the Greek one and met up with a Roman #line of the family #which would've welcomed them in #Like there easy #Could've even had the Roman tie for Frank be new! #His great grandpa getting with a Roman at CJ or smth #Tada #pjo #frank zhang #hoo

[justatalkingface]

I will say, now that we’re (hopefully) nearing the end of this manga, hori really can’t handle all of these characters. I’m not saying MHA would magically be the greatest thing in the world, things wouldn’t feel nearly as muggy and lame as they do right now if we just cut a lot of people. This is supposed to be the final battle, the ultimate showdown, and every three seconds we need to get a quick backstory because there are so many people in this story that they have never been given time to properly be developed. A good example to me is Shoji. He’s a super neat dude with a cool quirk who faces discrimination and was the victim of a horrible hate crime. He seems incredibly sweet and affectionate, and he seems to have some strong (badly written, but still strong) beliefs about hero society. And we get to hear about all those things……in a single chapter during the final arc before we are thrown into a different fight because we have a hamlets worth of characters and we gotta finally use them before it all ends. All of the characters in mha have a unique premise, but most have the depth of the puddle at best, and I feel you could cut a lot of people and very little would be lost. Allow the characters with the most potential to use all that time to actually develop instead of having to ration it out. Its just, ugh. Hori will get these ideas and staple them into a story without thinking if they’re actually necessary or if they’re being used properly.

Yeah. There's a bunch of layers to the character disconnection happening, a lot of which probably could have been avoided if he had an editor willing to make him cut content... but that probably requires too much time on a Jump schedule, and if he had that much time maybe it would have been better anyways.

*shrug*

Hori has been almost compulsively making and ditching characters throughout the entire story, which means there are both a lot of characters around that need to be dealt with, one way or another. Because he keeps forgetting them, or ignoring them, that means their... entire ass story is still sitting out there in the wind, and there's one last major story arc to try and patch them up.

Because he hasn't developed Shoji, and his racism arc, or that wind guy with the attitude problem who was easily strong enough to be in this last battle(s), when they drop them in for a few chapters for 'resolution', even the best effort would seem kind of empty, because it's still going from A to, like, F, all at once.

And... this isn't the best work, clearly, which make it even worse.

To some extent, the fact that it's coming to us week by week makes the whole thing hard to keep track of, when the situation is this big and spread out, and I think if you just read through it in a few sittings, the final arc would make more sense... but all the fundamental problems are not going to be solve by reading it in a better format.

Like... if I was in the position Hori was in? Lots of characters, big end arc coming, need to amp the drama? I just... wouldn't have put them all in? I think just not resolving them would go over better than a bad resolution.

Alternatively, raise the stacks eight-fold, and have SFO hit UA or something, and just kill a lot of people. Makes SFO/AFO seem like a bigger threat, get rid of the surplus characters, help motivate the characters and helps make it clear that the shit is real, now, and help make it seem like things changed after this is all over, because I bet after all of this the status quo will be god once more, even if you think a civil war bringing a country to the edge of implosion would have changed... something.

#ask #bnha critical #mha critical

[hchollym]

If Percy was still on speaking terms with his family I truly believed he’d have convinced the twins to finish school.

I, and I think percy as well, don’t think someone should have to finish school or get more schooling to be successful. But I think it’s incredibly likely most of the wizarding world, especially Britain, does not think the same.

And I absolutely believe Percy would be fully aware of this. So I can see him convincing the twins to just graduate. Explain how it will help with credibility, with getting business partners, with customers, with buying a place for the show. All of it. I think he’d say they could do it all while still dropping out, but it’ll be much harder.

(I think it’s highly unrealistic that they were able to do much so quickly. They’re on a brick of a war, family pretty much shunned my the ministry because of Harry and their association with muggleborns and muggels. And even with Harry’s prize money and their savings, a store that big and the products they make would need much much more. Being dropouts of one of the best schools known to the wizarding word would not work in their favor, as stupid as it is.)

I think it would be hard to convince the twins, but not impossible. Especially when it’s Percy. (I do think they’d give him a hard time, lots of pranks nonstop because of it but they’d listen in the end)

I actually don't think Percy would have been able to talk them into finishing school. 🤷‍♀️

The twins were stubborn, they didn't really respect Percy, and the main reason they left when they did was because of Umbridge (which is fair). I think they were ultimately going to leave no matter what, and if Percy tried to talk them out of it, they would have just considered it nagging and been annoyed.

However, I agree 100% that it's unrealistic that Fred & George's shop was so successful so quickly! That's always something that has driven me crazy. Ignoring their lack of degree or even the financial aspect of it, there's two main issues I see with this:

There is already another joke shop in Diagonal Alley (plus the one in Hogsmeade). That's competition that's already established there and is well-loved (since we know Fred, George, & Lee shopped there). People may initially go to Fred & George's shop, since it's brand new, but it wouldn't take long for business to level out (I find it hard to believe that Fred & George's shop was that much better than the other), because they would be splitting their customer base with another company. It's not even a consistent product either, because really, how many joke products are people in the Wizarding World buying?!

I find it highly unlikely that Fred & George had the necessary knowledge about the legal aspect of starting a business (such as creating an LLC or Corporation, obtaining permits and licenses, getting business insurance, and handling federal tax documents). Yes, they could have hired someone for this, but we have no mention of that, and it would have been an added expense for them. And yes, this whole process could all be much easier in the Wizarding World, but that seems like a cop out to me. For the record, I don't think Fred & George are stupid (they're clearly not), but those requirements would take some specialized knowledge that they wouldn't have learned; you can't just be a natural at it.

Anyway, that turned into more of a rant than I meant it to be, so sorry about that. 🤣 I don't think anyone could have changed the twins mind about leaving school though!

Thanks for the ask! 😊

#ask me #anon ask #percy weasley #percy & fred & george #weasley family dynamic #jkr critical #hp #my thoughts #my opinions

[helly-watermelonsmellinfellon]

As we all know, I really don't like Haruno Sakura for many reasons, but there is one thing I have always been offended on her behalf for... and it's the Chunin Exams. Specifically, the First Exam but typically all of them.

Up until that point in the story, we've been told that Sakura is brilliant. Top Kunoichi despite having none of the physical skills to back it up. Average in Ninjutsu, poor in Genjutsu and Taijutsu. How did she end up on the same team as Sasuke and Naruto if this is the case? She's smart. Yet all we get to see is proof that she's good at memorizing words when put in a certain order.

Memorization is not intelligence. Even a simpleton will remember something if they hear it enough times.

So when the Chunin Exams roll around, we FINALLY get proof that she's smart. The First Exam is designed to be so damn difficult you HAVE TO CHEAT to get answers, and 2 Chunin with all the answers were placed among the group of Genin to help test how well they could cheat their way through.

Sakura did not need to cheat. She took a look at the paper and her nerves vanished because she knew that she could do the work. Work that did not require her to quote some shinobi principle or whatever. Sasuke himself admitted he didn't understand shit on the paper. Top Shinobi of the Year, folks. He didn't know it and obviously Naruto wouldn't know it.

The whole time, up until this moment, we'd been forced to watch Sakura do nothing while Sasuke and Naruto pulled all the weight. She got Tree Walking for having next to no chakra and therefore having no need to struggle to control it when it's barely there are all. That doesn't signify intelligence.

But advanced concepts and mathematics? She got that shit down without anyone's help or the need to cheat. In fact, Ino had to cheat off of her specifically just to get her team the answers they needed.

The sensei for the Konoha 12 are literally watching the whole thing. They saw Sakura breeze through that shit.

WHY DID NO ONE THINK TO APPROACH HER WITH SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO IMPROVE HERSELF OR ANY FIELDS OF EXPERTISE SHE COULD FOCUS ON?!

I like Kakashi, I really do, but he is not a good sensei. I get Sasuke's personal issues requiring constant attention so he's not too much of a flight risk, but the village and their poor handling of traumatized children are why he's a flight risk in the first place. Kakashi sabotaged his other two students in favor of Sasuke. Naruto got shoved off onto someone else, who hated him, and in the end that fool couldn't even do shit. And Sakura? Nothing at all. In the end, Sakura gets the worst end of the stick no matter what.

Even if Sakura didn't make it to the Third Exam, he could have devised a training schedule for her or given her some kind of tips on how to improve. Could have encouraged her to seek out Medical or Cypher or T&I. Things that require understanding of advanced concepts not used in standard shinobi practice. She could have taken that month of time to work on herself and get a head start on anything.

And instead, she's just ignored.

I will hold Sakura accountable for shit things she did and said as a 12-year-old, because being that age doesn't excuse such behavior when she never changes during the whole story.

But how in the hell is a freshly graduated child who doesn't understand what being a ninja really entails, going to know where to go or what to look into for her own career? How is she going to get access to information when she has no connections and lacks the rank necessary to pursue such things on her own?

His job is to teach and guide her. All that shit to Iruka about 'they're my soldiers now' and he did next to nothing to prepare them. He sent them into the Chunin Exams without knowing how to Water Walk. At the very least it could have saved their asses a lot of time and effort.

Except Tree Walking, any skills Sakura manages to obtain have nothing to do with Kakashi. Her sensei. Her team leader. All that shit.

Finally get proof that she's super smart and capable in a certain area, and they just ignored it.

And that's why in my fics, Sakura usually ends up gaining the attention of the Cypher Division after the Chunin Exams. I like variety and I like it when someone actually acknowledges a character's strengths and then tries to help them.

#stuff #ranting as usual

[brazenautomaton]

Spoilers of the Last of Us the show. It's especially true that Joel is right now that they've made Ellie no longer an anomaly but a child who's immunity can be recreated simply since, in the show, they know exactly how to create an Ellie and lose just 1 Firefly but are they willing to sacrifoce one of their own? "Ellie, you may die, but that is a sacrifice that I am willing to make."

I mean it's not gonna be a matter of just losing one Firefly, the timing has to be really specific on when you cut that cord, and while Marlene undoubtedly guessed that Ellie's mom lied about cutting the cord before she was bit, she doesn't know what the exact time elapsed between bite and cut was. you would lose a LOT of Fireflies trying to get the exact perfect timing on that and then you have to wait like 10-15 years for when the immune baby grows up enough to be harvestable, also, you'd have a bunch who weren't immune because you did the cut too early and you'd have to get them bit beforehand too and this would require controlled populations of infected at two separate times and nobody can handle that, they always bust loose and kill everyone

I think the "fuck the fireflies" view is still validated though, the one about them being too incompetent to trust with Ellie, because you always had the feeling in the back of your mind that maybe it isn't fair you're ripping on this because it's just a writing error, lack of research, the writer didn't realize how many other options there were and this forced choice wasn't a choice

but it's ten years later and people have been saying "the Fireflies are fucking incompetent for trying to kill her right away" that entire time, they've changed other details, they've fixed up a couple things, but the behavior of the Fireflies is still exactly the same. If it was a mistake to make it seem like they were killing her when there were a bunch of tests still to do, then the series would have addressed them. Marlene would have said "I took some blood from Ellie -- fucking of course I did, why wouldn't I, we had a bunch of it just in case -- and I got here before you and they ran some tests, we know how it works and we know the cordyceps in her brain is sending out a signal that she's already infected and we know we can't synthesize it from her blood and only the actual fungus structure will do." and maybe there's the fridge logic of "hey how did you keep that blood sample cold enough this whole way" but that's not nearly as big a deal. it would justify why they are ready to kill her immediately because it gave them a bunch of offscreen time to do the work to establish that was the only way.

but they didn't do that. Marlene specifically says their doctor thinks that what's going on is the fungus in her brain is sending out this signal, and he doesn't know. they are killing Ellie on a hunch instead of doing any of the work to see if it's necessary, they're completely incompetent, and it's not a writing error it's a deliberate choice.

#the last of us

[knickynoo]

I have been reading through your bttf posts and they’re super interesting. I read the one about what happened to Lone Pines Marty and all Marty’s being the same. But here’s an interesting take. What if because Lone Pines Marty was raised in a tighter knit family, he wasn’t as emotionally dependent on Doc to get the love and support he needed. So Marty knew Doc and like him but unfortunately in this scenario they aren’t quite as close. So Marty doesn’t drop everything and go to the Lone Pine Mall that night. Doc is sad but continues with his experiment anyway, just to be sure that everything works plus knowing that the Marty he met in 1955 is going to show up so he can’t just leave. Maybe the terrorists show up but after shooting Doc they feel like they got their revenge and leave. So Marty goes over and realizes that Doc kept the letter and is still alive. Obviously Doc knows that the other Marty is still at home so he doesn’t immediately go to the future because he has to help deal with the fallout. But now the Mcfly’s all get a crash course in time travel existing and end up with 2 Marty’s. It’s just an interesting thought experiment

Obligatory "sorry for not getting to this sooner" message. I've been falling behind on my asks and have like 12 backed up, lol.

This really is an interesting take. In reality, Doc would have had to ensure that Marty was at the parking lot so that he'd go back in time and continue the "loop", but we'll just go ahead and shove aside all the issues with paradoxes. *sweeps them off the table*

Oh, I'd LOVE to explore a universe where the laws of time travel are all wonky and somehow permit Twin Pines and Lone Pine Marty to exist in the same space at the same time. Just imagine it! Doc sits up in the parking lot and just immediately has a big ol' can of worms to deal with. He's got two Martys now!

I imagine that Doc would have a big elaborate explanation as to how such a thing would be possible. Perhaps something about the timeline "sealing itself off" after the original time travel escapades of original Marty, allowing for the changes he made to take root and create the new timeline without requiring Lone Pine Marty to then travel back and have the same adventure.

And if Doc had any doubts in the months leading up to his experiment about his ability to get LP Marty to the lot, he hopefully would have prepared for that fallout. Perhaps use George's love of science fiction to broach the subject of time travel in as "casual" a way as possible, using the discussion to drop theories and subtly prepare George for the possibility that he may someday be standing face to face with TWO versions of his youngest son.

Of course, no amount of preparing would help. The McFly crew may quickly accept the reality of time travel (what choice would they have?) but that wouldn't do them much good when with the whole, "Hey, uh...you guys all like Marty, right? Well, here's another one," thing. The McFlys may very well be required to cut contact with people and move somewhere secluded to protect the secrecy of time travel and the fact that they have a WHOLE ENTIRE COPY OF THEIR SON.

And the emotional impact! George and Lorraine having to somehow process that they've gained a "4th" kid in the blink of an eye and he's from a different timeline?? He was raised by them but also not by them? Imagine them getting bits and pieces from TP Marty about what their counterparts were like. And then the Martys! Could they learn to live side by side as "brothers"? Would they hate each other, be jealous, etc? Would LP Marty stay up at night wishing he had gone to the parking lot that night so that none of this would have happened? And if the laws of time travel are as flexible as they seem, would he (or Doc) attempt to travel back in time and do whatever necessary to get LP Marty to the mall the night of the experiment in order to set things right?

The possibilities are endless.

Thanks for the ask!

#back to the future #bttf #marty mcfly #asks

[dannyburke]

mind sharing your full opinion about fallout 76? i love fallout 4 more than anything and tried to play 76 but gave up just because it didn’t strike the same nerve. but I haven’t played it since the first week it came out and haven’t given it another chance since then, so things might’ve changed a whole lot! how do you like it?

SORRY im getting to this so late. not beating the taking a nap allegations.

but anyways, i actually really enjoy fo76! i haven't played it in a hot minute though due to not wanting to pay stupid ass sony for a subscription to play online, but i do think that like... it doesn't necessarily deserve all the hate it gets

i just think that it mechanically improved on basically every gameplay feature from fallout 4. like, the combat feels better to me, the workshop mechanics feel a lot smoother and make more sense AND i feel more compelled to go out and scavenge for random crafting materials than i did in 4; it just feels more like a little adventure. also the survival mechanics with eating/drinking/diseases/etc are engaging without being oppressive to the gameplay. i also think the people working on it were aware of the criticisms against fo4 wrt the big empty map, and they really did a great job making the map in fo76 feel alive imo. i know the whole no npcs thing was wack for several reasons, but there was something exciting about finding a note on one side of the map that referenced a character whose terminal you read on the opposite end, and it wasn't tied to questing or anything, just a little reward for exploration and engaging with the environment.... just a little thing i enjoy.

however i also fully understand people being underwhelmed by it, and my most major criticisms of fo76 are more tied to it being an mmo than with anything else... like you can't actually make choices that have a material difference in the world because you're playing in a world populated by other people who are making different choices from you. the group questing system is beyond bonked for the same reason, requiring differently instanced quest interiors for each person in a group means that you have to redo the same quest x amount of times per person, because completing it with the group lead doesn't complete it for anyone else. i don't care about this being the case in other mmos i've played a la world of warcraft bc the point of reference for the player character is not a game series where You make an oc who is the Main Character with Influential Choices, but it's just the association with prior fallout games that makes it a tough pill to swallow with 76.

BUT ALSO that being said, fo76 is a lot more engaging if you treat everything you do as a character building moment. it's all rp to me. my oc building her cabin, scavenging for supplies, hiding from super mutants and a scorchbeast in a trailer with your friends. i probably wouldn't play it for the mmo mechanics as an mmo enjoyer, but i feel a lot more connected to the character story beats for my oc than i do with fo4 unfortunately. (however i also live in appalachia irl so take that as you will. im mountain pilled)

idk this isn't coherent at all, just spaghetti at the wall type posting, but i just really enjoy the improvements on the engine's mechanics that fo76 has to offer, and i think it's pretty unfortunate how the game's initial shitty marketing clouded the entire release. (but also i will kind of always maintain that it would have been a better single player game. ough)

also anyone who says it's a pay to win game is literally lying to you. besides cosmetic items, nothing in the atom shop is mechanically necessary to progress the game or build a character. and convenience items are not pay to win lol. also you can unlock atoms by doing daily quests, which is the norm in like. every mmo.

#sam.txt

[graphitesblog]

Final thoughts on diablo 4

Necromancer

I played the game until the end with her (I do have a picture of it but my internet is shit so it's not loading in sorry) and I have a very interesting take on it. If it wasn't obvious I went for a blood only build for necromancer and I had an interesting time with it, the first blood ability, hemorrhaging, is a good ability and when used can offer some emergency health globes. My main problem with it is the fact it could use a small buff, early game it's useful if slow but late game it's not terribly used that much besides essence generation. Now it's not to say its a bad thing but it is a little slow and could use a small buff.

Blood Lance needs a buff like a large one, I've tried using it on multiple occasions and could not find a use for it, I don't know if it was the build or something but I couldn't find a use for it it needs a buff

Blood surge is incredibly powerful, one of the best AOE attacks in the game if I do say. Does it need a nerf? I don't think so, from my experience it's been a pretty fair ability that can wipe lower level mobs and deal significant damage to more elite enemies, overall its one of the best abilities.

Bone Lance, now as I was playing the game my blood only build changed because I noticed that when playing the necromancer it's really hard to do so without minions, and bone Lance was apart of that. This shit is stupidly overpowered, one of the best and most deadly skill you could have. If any of the necromancers skills need a nerf this would be it.

Blood wave, underwhelming. It needs a buff but it's underwhelming.

The minions, now as I was playing through the game I noticed while playing with no minions that I was missing something and I noticed pretty quickly when I added them back on that they are required to play necromancer. Now it's not to say it's necessary for the minions but I've encountered on more than one occasion that having minions makes it really easy to control the battle field, without them you get overwhelmed far too often.

Druid

Now I haven't gone that far with druid but I've played enough to garnered an opinion. The druid is... limited in the beta, not to say they aren't strong they can definitely be strong with the right builds it's the fact not everything is available to the druid during the beta. I went with a earth focused build for druid and I noticed right away it's a weird bag that needs a lot of buffs. Some skills that seem strong need a buff while others may need a slight balance work for it. It's weird, the druid isn't bad but their not the best either.

Sorcerer

While playing with the sorcerer I've noted that some of its seemingly powerful spells don't seem terribly strong, in fact they are weak in comparison to others. The flamethrower skill was underwhelming as I expected it to be like the lightning skills to be powerful but it was sub par at best. The arc slash is also good but with how the sorcerers abilities are set I wouldn't be surprised if she received a mixed bag of both nerfs and buffs when the full game comes out.

Rogue

I have to say it but the rogue is the most heavily balanced character in the whole game, I don't think they'll get much in the way of nerfs or buffs in the future. When playing through with them I've noticed that they have a very fair game play style. There's not much else to say their just greatly balanced.

Barbarian

So I didn't go the normal route many chose for the barbarian, I instead went with a bleed build which offered a lot of challenge during the mid game. While looking at their other abilities and how the community has generally played them I can confidently say the barbarian like the sorcerer will probably get both buffs and nerfs when the full game releases. Not to say its a bad thing but considering how hard it is to play barbarian mid game or even early game I say it's safe to say it'll be changed the least with just a few tweaks to it.

I've shared my thoughts and experiences with the game and if you have your own I'd love to hear it

#diablo necromancer #diablo barbarian #diablo 4 beta #diablo 4 #diablo #diablo 4 sorcerer #diablo 4 rogue #diablo 4 druid #diablo 4 necromancer

[perpetual-fool]

-

I've been thinking about the tuning pegs on my viola. I don't like them, in principle. I also don't like all the alternatives, and I'm wondering why I should feel any way about anything.

Practically speaking, I just need to set it up properly. It was cheap. The pegs and peg holes have to have a matching taper for there to be enough friction to hold the strings, but not so much that you can't turn the pegs. That's manual work and it just wasn't done. I sort of half did it, since it's completely non-functional out of the box. Partly I didn't know what I was doing, got scared and stopped when things started looking weird. And in part I had the wrong (poor quality) tools. My peg shaver (looks like a manual pencil sharpener) is for violin pegs, not viola. I ruined a peg last night, being too small, and had to carve a new one out of some scrap wood I had lying around. It's not pretty but I do have one well-fit peg now. It's still not great. Friction pegs just kinda suck. I mean, if they did the job well then surely mechanical tuners wouldn't be anything more than a novelty. I'm inclined to fall for 'just as good' arguments, thinking everything would be magically perfect if I could just figure out the right way to do it. But yeah, no. I did a good job on this, this is just how they are. That one fine turner instruments always have is proof enough.

But I saw this new tuning system that enthralled me for a bit. (Actually that's what got me thinking about this.) There's these tuners by NS Design where you just kind of shove the string in the hole, turn the screw, and that's it. You can even take the string out and just put it back in quickly and easily, it's great. It's a bit big though. I was trying to puzzle out how it worked, but remembered that patents are public. You can just look up the whole thing on a government website. (Aside, their search function is really nice. It's sort of the antitheses of what I've been lamenting about elsewhere at places that just want to sell you shit. Like, the other day I was trying to look up cases for viola bows, specified my results to the "musical instruments" category. And Amazon un-specified it to "all" and gave me a shit ton of results for hunting bow cases, despite actually fucking having actual fucking music bow cases on their stupid fucking website. Anyway;) So, I'm looking at the patent drawings and I'm just not feeling it anymore? It takes up a lot of space. It requires a couple precision parts. It's not 'elegant'. Does it have to be elegant? What would that even entail?

So then, aesthetically, I'm lost. I guess it's like, this object is for making pretty noises. There's this necessary but ugly thing hanging off it that doesn't make pretty noises. And I want some kind of platonic ideal instrument where the strings just float in the air and are tuned by force of will. And having a magic hole for the strings to disappear into is a big step towards that. But it's not just a magic hole, there's levers and screws and mechanical bullshit down that hole. So do I want mechanical elegance? Do I want an efficient mechanism that makes the magic happen with barely a handful of parts? I was mulling over the idea of a 'headless' acoustic (which would be a challenge), and the simplest solution to holding the strings would be a screw. Like, on the non-tuning end, the strings are held by being pinched under a screw. But screws are UGLY and they'd add WEIGHT and then it would require TOOLS to change the strings. And there's just an endless string of impossibly incompatible 'requirements'.

Why am I like this? Is this even 'me', or just bullshit I've been conditioned with? Maybe I should do things 'wrong' on purpose, build shit crudely with the cheapest hardware store parts I can find.

Yeah there's something here. 'Have-to's are imposed by others. Do I really even know myself if I don't know how I feel about things? Why do I even do things? I don't have fun you know. Enjoyment is sparse, petty, and fleeting. Everything sucks and it's an endless struggle to un-suck it. Would I be happy once things are sufficiently un-sucked? Maybe. I do tend to feel pretty okay right after figuring something out. Sure, let's go with that. For now, I will make it my personal quest to un-suck anything within my domain. I'll wake up and think "what can I un-suck today?". I will look at the situation at hand and consider, "how can this be un-sucked?"

And a little more seriously, there's one thing I have that makes me feel a little bit happy. A sharpening stone. A Shapton Glass 500 grit, top of the line, virtually perfect for what it is. I've studied sharpening more than anything else. It took me years to arrive at that conclusion, as expensive as the stone is I've spent that much many times over experimenting, getting stones I thought were the penultimate choice.

So I should obsess, stay focused on one thing until it's done. accept the cost when it gets expensive. (Ya' know, if feasible.)

(I lost track of what my point was.) Is there a meaningful answer to "why should I feel..?" Like, either I just do feel that way, or someone has tricked me. right? Say, if I'm supposed to feel that putting mechanical tuners on the instrument is bad because it makes it too heavy, either I concur based on my own experience and judgment, or I'm being manipulated. So, I'm confused, I've never been able to feel my feelings unadulterated, and I need to find myself?

[lifeonhardmode]

day 21

I got out of bed late, catching up on sleep, but I worked hard all day and did 2 workouts. 100% today. This has not been my strongest week but I'm back on today, and I'm taking some time off this week so I'll have more time to focus. I didn't buy a single thing other than food this week :) My total saved so far is baaarely into the triple digits but at least it's not negative after paying rent last week. If I can save like this week again next week, my personal 4-week calendar will end with 20% saved for trip. Nice. (Except I won't save as much this week because I'm planning to go out for dinner with a friend on Wednesday and probably get a tattoo on Friday. Oops, I suck I break the rules)

I did not talk to Bae. We really need to buy tickets. I wish he were willing to talk to me at a time before he's falling asleep.

Since I'm in my goal weight range now, I rewarded myself by buying a loaf of bread. When I'm trying to lose weight, I mostly only eat beans, salad, veg, and fruit. Because those things are a) super healthy and b) not calorie dense so you don't feel hungry. But grains are much cheaper than lettuce and other veg and fruit. Also tasty. So I get bread this week and I'll continue to stick to 1200 cals. If I lose more, I'll probably reward myself by buying some nuts, wow imagine that. Haven't had any nuts since ... april? When I binged a whole thing of cashews and felt horrible for several days. Yeah. That's why I don't keep grains and nuts around. We shall see how I do.

On my very first life on hard mode challenge, I was making up for days I missed my calorie goal by eating less the next day. This ended with some health consequences and I've decided that it's better to stick to no less than 1200. Though I do 1000 sometimes. So this time, no "making up" for days I messed up on the diet.

For my goal of practicing Spanish, I have a minimum requirement but no maximum, so it doesn't make sense to "make up" days I skipped that either.

For my saving money goal, really the important number is how much did I save/how little did I spend on nonessentials, not so much how many days did I spend money or not.

My exercise goal is to average 30m/day for 21 days, average 20m/day for 5 days. If I do a long yoga one day, I do a shorter run the next day, and vice versa. Since it's a specific goal, it's easy to make up previous days, which I have been doing on the weekends.

Finally, my goal of doing side job is similar to practicing Spanish: there is a minimum but no maximum so it doesn't make sense to make up days.

In conclusion, I can certainly focus and do more time on things like practicing Spanish and side job work, but the only one of these 5 categories where it makes sense to go back and give myself a point retroactively is exercise. Of course I need to be putting in a lot of time at side job, but... I'm kinda thinking I should allow myself to go back and make up as many workouts as I want? So far I'm at 21 days, 17 workouts (B-). Not bad, but wouldn't it be nice to head out for my trip at 100%? Thinking about it. Anyway, onto my scores.

WEEK 3 SCORES:

Side job: 4/7

Workout: 4/7

Saving money: 7/7 (Best week yet.)

Practicing Spanish: 6/7

Diet: 5/7

Overall grade: 26/35, 74%, C

This week, the income I made went to:

Tax: 24%

401k: 5%

Food: 12%

Necessary purchases: 1%

Elective purchases: 0%

Total spent: 13%

SAVED: 58%

TOTAL SO FAR:

Grade: 85%, B

SAVED: 5%

My most painful bill this week: none unless you count credit cards, which I've decided not to.

The dumbest thing I did this week: $25 for protein powder.

NEXT WEEK:

Since I'm taking 2 days off, I'd like to put in an extra 20-30 minutes at work the other 3 days. I'm basically spending the whole week at home, which is probably good for productivity but not so good for the loneliness/stir crazy thing. I am going to try to stick to my strict bedtime/waketime/worktime/workout time schedule and see how it goes. If I can stick to it, I'll probably be better rested and score higher next week, but my home chores like dishes and cooking will probably suffer.

[nerdwriting]

The Creative Directors Behind Fate: The Winx Saga Must Not Be K-Pop Fans

Also, they have a pretty wrong idea of the role fashion should play in a show.

There are a few words that will stand out across most reviews of Netflix's Fate: The Winx Saga - drab, boring, flop, flat, unimaginative. Critics and audiences consensus is that the show is not only a mediocre-at-best story, but also an atrocious (and ultimately confusing) choice of adaptation of the color pop and fairy magic cartoon it’s based on, 2004 italian cartoon Winx Club.

Fate has plenty of it's own issues - white washing and erasing characters, cringey dialogue, outdated melodrama, etc. But where it truly, unequivocally fails is as an adaptation. Fate misses everything that was magical and lovable about the original series, in all levels, from bizarre writing choices, - such as never actually developing any sense of friendship between the characters, who are based on a cartoon about…..a group…….of friends -, but it's especially and immediately felt in the art direction and costume design.

Winx Club is set on a fantastical world, Magix, where each of our main characters hail from a different planet, à la Sailor Moon. Alfea, the fairy school they attend, is the most common background: a pastel colored, futuristic high tech-meets-fantasy, art nouveau inspired castle. Alfea sets the tone for the whole visual of the cartoon: bright, colorful, futuristic meets vintage, leaning into the technological positivism of the Y2K style, uniting it with magic, DnD worthy monsters and, of course, fairy wings. Often featured are also the Red Fountain school, where the Specialists train, and especially Cloud Tower, the goth and gothic inspired witch school Alfea has an OxBridge rivalry with (How cool would that be in a live action? I guess we’ll never know…).

On Fate, Alfea is the only school we ever see, and it’s another beige boarding school in not-Britain, somehow set in a magical world where everyone has the exact same technology and even social media that we have on Earth in 2021, no transformations and, most egregiously, no fairy wings.

This lack of visual creativity is pervasive throughout the whole show, and its most heartbreaking iteration is in the characters' wardrobe. The styling has the barest bones of a color scheme, - such as 'Bloom has to only dress in red since fire, duh',- the clothes are ill fitting, bland, dark and very dated. These are supposed to be teenagers who enjoy fashion, and yet they look like varying types of soccer moms from 2010.

The series seems to operate on an old and tired vision that women and girls can’t have depth and have adventures and fight monsters while also caring about fashion, a vision that the original show played a big, big role in challenging in the early 2000's. Fashion and costume design sets as much of the tone of a visual medium as the script does; through clothes we can gauge characters’ backgrounds, passions, and personality.

Winx Club has some of the best examples of this in the cartoon sphere - Bloom’s comfortable and bright style, Stella’s glitzy and bold, Musa’s edgy and cool, Aisha’s sporty and fun, Techna’s neon and tech gear inspired, Flora’s earthy and romantic, they all work as extensions of each character and serve a narrative purpose. And that’s not even mentioning how insulting it feels that in their quest to make Winx “edgier, darker” and fit for an older audience, the creators of Fate somehow decided that was in opposition to caring about style and fashion. Most “girly” shows, including the Winx Club are just as much adventure action shows as the ones geared towards boys, and it’s emphasis in fashion, friendship and color does not detract from that. The original run of the cartoon deals with war, violence, grief, abusive relationships and even genocide; leaning into those plotlines would not require Fate to erase any integral parts of what made Winx so beloved, and the fact that they did shows that the Netflix team completely missed the point of fashion in the original show, and really, the point of fashion and costume design in the world building of any show.

That, however, is not a mistake K-Pop makes very often; (This might seem like a bit of wild swerve in topic, but stay with me here). Unlike it's western counterpart, the Korean pop scene never lost the emphasis on music videos and how the visual medium can complete and potentialize music and performance; the K-Pop culture is very album and concept oriented in a way that has been all but lost in many other pop circuits, and the music video, styling and set design of a ‘comeback era’ is a key point of excitement among fans.

As such, music videos that follow storylines, connected universes, boundary pushing concepts and visual effects are the norm, rather than the exception, and a list could be made of works that are beautiful examples of what a live action Winx adaptation could look like. In fact, and very smoothly, here is a small list of exactly that!

A Small List of K-Pop Music Videos That Are Better Winx Club Live Actions Than Fate: The Winx Saga

3. Red Velvet - Psycho

If it was a darker and more somber look that Fate wanted, there was a way to make it actually appealing. While it still feels a liiitle too grown up and elegant for Winx, (maybe this author is biased, as a full proponent for the Y2K fun) Psycho makes a very compelling argument for a witchy, mysterious, fairy tale-esque show that could look scrumptious and definitely not boring, or even a gorgeous example of what the witches in Cloud Tower could look like. Black and white, dark green, pastel blue and pops of jewel tones make Psycho's color palette. To add interest to the understated colors, the styling is heavy on textures; We see plenty of stonework, intricate embroidery, tassels, lace on lace on lace, feathers, bows, opera gloves and lots of glitter. All of that is offset by bold, dark makeup, leather accents and eerie cinematography. Needle & Thread, Marchesa Notte and Self Portrait lend their hyper feminine and intricately detailed tulle gowns, juxtaposed with the creepiness of the lyrics and the dark backgrounds; their deep berry and green fairy tale looks are built with pieces from Zara to Nina Ricci to Dolce & Gabbana to Alexander McQueen.

Red Velvet’s more edgy styling for 2018's Bad Boy would also not feel out of place on the Trix.

2. IZ*ONE - Fiesta

IZ*ONE kicked off 2020 with sweet and fun Fiesta. The MV features rooms with mismatched décor that go from retro to space opera, rocky faux landscapes that feel other worldly, and visual effects that would look perfect on the back of a transformation sequence. Mirroring the set design, the girls wear various outfits by sustainable up and coming brand Chopova Lowena. Their signature skirts made with discarded and repurposed fabrics give a cool and interesting twist on a schoolgirl look that would look very sweet for a band of school fairies that occasionally go off to save the world. Also, wouldn't those bedazzled headphones look great on Musa's fairy outfit?

1. Aespa - Black Mamba and Next Level

Aespa is what fans call a monster rookie. With only three music videos under their belt, they still have some of the most visually interesting work in the industry right now. Their concept is very tied in with high tech, featuring even AI avatars of each member, packaged in a glitzy, fantastical and futuristic aesthetic, candy pop meets cyberpunk. I think I’ve exhausted ways to say that is exactly what a perfect Winx adaptation should feature.

Their debut smash hit, 2020’s Black Mamba is truly a perfect moodboard for live action Winx. Wearing a sequined and colorful mix and match of Dollskill, Gucci, Didu and Balenciaga to a backdrop that features some alien fairy forest realness, a pyschedelic fever dream, rooms straight out of a Y2K catalog or donning lime green and black techwear inside a metro fighting the "black mamba", Aespa look through and through the part of fashion loving fairies who save the world together, while looking fierce, stylish and, most importantly, interesting.

The styling and the sets jump seamlessly from more casual colorful fits with blouses, shirts and baggy pants to barren, darkly lit backgrounds and fringe-and-glitter heavy pieces necessary to fight giant snakes, in a way so fitting to transformation outfits for magical girls we could cry.

In their third MV, 2021's Next Level, the cyber in their concept is taken up a notch (get it. because Next Level-), set to a futuristic urbanscape intersped with a planet made of crystals and the ocasional alien fauna popping up again. We get treated to Monse, The 2nd Skin Co., Johanna Ortiz and The Attico styled to fairy princess standards, sporty sky racers and a white and sequined group styling that is top ten fairy busy saving the world uniform material, or maybe even a specialist worthy getup.

This particular look from Ningning is so Techna that it almost feels as if it's mocking Netflix.

And doesn’t this Karina trapped inside the "black mamba" in Alexander McQueen feel like a perfect Dark Bloom moment?

These are only a few examples of interesting and creative designs that are in line with what a live action Winx Club should have given us. There are so many more I could list, even among other TV Shows, like Sex Education and even polemic dark Euphoria, that know how to have fun with style and design without losing the depth of their stories. In the end, it's hard to justify why Fate creators even wanted to make an adaptation that didn't even try to capture the heart of its source material, and all we can do is watch one more "Restyling Fate: The Winx Saga" video on Youtube whilst mildly dreading season 2.

#winx #winx club #fate the winx saga #fate: the winx saga #tv #tv/movies #cartoons #k-pop #kpop #red velvet #aespa #iz*one #fashion #costume design #art direction

[dragon-kazansky]

Familiar stranger | Helmut Zemo

Requested by @realremyd

Female Reader!

The moment is eyes had landed on you, so many things happened at once. He zoned out Sam and Bucky, he took a step away from you, his heart seemed to clench in his chest, and all he could think was 'it can't be.'

Right there in front of him was the spitting image of his wife. Well, maybe not exactly, but you did hold such a resemblance to her. It was like she was right there with him again.

You were looking at him. The others too, but it was you he found hard to look away from.

"Who are you?" He asks, needing to know if his mind was playing tricks on him.

"Y/N."

A sigh of relief escaped him. Was he relieved though?

He was obviously making you uncomfortable with the way he was looking at you, so he turned his head away. Yet, your presence felt loud. He would never be able to look at you without seeing her.

It got worse.

In Madripoor you were required to wear a disguise. You were the last to come out in the clothes he had got for you, and once again he was struck by the sight of his wife.

Often they would both dress up and go out for the evening. The outfit he had chosen, though he wasn't sure if this was intentional or not, really made you resemble her all the more.

He couldn't take it.

Zemo avoided all eye contact with you. He focused his attention on the boys, finding it easier that way. Even when he stated your role in this he wouldn't look directly at you.

You wondered if you had done something to offend him, which kind of hurt. You always did your best to get on with anyone you worked with, but obviously that wasn't happening here.

Perhaps it was best to stay out of his way.

Things took a turn: a bounty was placed on your heads because of the death of Selby, all of Madripoor was coming for you, and Sharon popped out of nowhere to rescue you.

Back at her place, you changed into something less flashy. You wanted to tone down the outfit a bit and wear something a little more you.

Zemo couldn't help thinking that you looked much better this way. Though he still saw his wife's face, you looked more like you. You suited you.

Down in the club it was easy to avoid you. Zemo blended into the crowd... kind of, and you stuck to the other side, enjoying your own time here.

You left before all of them.

When the boys left the club and went back upstairs, they found you sleeping on the sofa. You had kicked off your shoes and, obviously, made yourself comfortable.

He couldn't look away.

Zemo sat down near by and looked at you. This was a good chance to look at you without making you uncomfortable.

"How can you look so much like her, yet be so different too?" He whispered the question.

Not really realising what he was doing, he tucks some hair away from your face. You can't possibly be all that comfortable or warm here. Not wanting to overstep any boundaries by carrying you to your room, he gently lifts your head enough to put a cushion under it. He then grabs his coat and drapes it over you gently.

He leaves you to sleep in peace.

You wake up rather slowly. You had been extremely tired when you got back last night. You had enough fun in the club and excused yourself, passing Bucky on the way out.

You sit up. The coat falls from your shoulders and into your lap.

Zemo's coat.

You blink away any tiredness to examine it, running your fingers across the fur. It was soft.

Why did you have his coat?

It dawned on you that he must have out it there himself. No one else would touch it otherwise.

It smells like him.

You look up when you hear someone approaching. It's the man himself. He stops like a deer in headlights when your eyes meet his. Before he can turn around and leave, yoy call out to him.

"Wait!"

He stays standing, looking at you curiously. It still hurts to look at you, but your voice is so much different, it makes him remember who he is looking at.

"Thank you."

He looks at the way you're holding his coat. The way your have a hand resting over the fur collar, clearly finding the feel of it satisfying.

For some reason that pleased him.

"You're welcome."

You smile. It's not her smile. It's your smile. He likes it.

You stand up and hold his coat carefully, taking the utmost care in handling it. You held it out to him when you stopped a little closer to him.

He takes it. His eyes never leave you. This is the longest he has looked at you at any one moment.

You're still smiling.

"I have to ask," you begin, "have I done something to offend you?"

His lips part ever so slightly as be tilts his head a tiny bit.

"Offend me?"

"Yes. This is the most you've looked at me since we met. You don't really talk to me and you seem to avoid me when possible." You gaze down at the floor.

He can hear the disappointment in your voice. He can see the way your hands fidget in front if you.

It seemed to really bother you that he was avoiding you.

"It's nothing you have done."

You look at him with concern.

"Something I've said?" Not that you've spoken to him much.

"No."

"Then, please, tell me how I can fix whatever this is. I would quite like for us to get along while we work together," you were pretty much pleading with him.

He clutches his coat, but you don't seem to notice.

"You remind me of my wife."

The way your head shoots up to look at him tells him he caught your attention. There was no going back now.

"You look so much like her and I can't take it," he whispers. "It is not your fault at all, but I cannot look at the face of someone I loved and failed greatly."

You're at a loss for words.

"But I know you're not her. The way you speak, the way you dress, the way you look when you're sleeping soundly... that's all you."

You stand there quietly.

"If you'll excuse me." He turns on his heel and leaves the room.

Helmut doesn't speak to you at all at the dock. He ignores you further on the plane to Latvia. You find yourself looking at him a lot more, but he doesn't even glance your way.

When you arrive at the safe-house, you immediately seek out a bedroom and try to stay out of everyone's way.

Sam comes to look for you. He can see something has happened and he's concerned it's a problem.

"Y/N? Open up."

You open the door to him.

"What happened?"

"What do you mean?" You ask, trying to sound as casual as possible.

"Between you and Zemo. You're ignoring each other more than usual. If this is going to be a problem, I think we should at least talk about it."

"I think it's best I tap out now. You still need Zemo, right?" You ask, avoiding his eyes.

"Possibly, but not for much longer. Why? What's happened?"

"I think I'm making it difficult for him. He told me, back in Madripoor, that I look a lot like his wife and I think it's hard for him to look at me. I don't want to be the reason the job fails."

Sam wrapped an arm around you and pulled you into his side.

"That's not going to happen. If you want to stay here, I'm sure that's fine, but just know we could really use your help."

"I think I'll stay here. You can call me if you need me."

"Alright, we're not going anywhere just yet, so you'll have to deal with Zemo being around a little longer."

"I know."

Sam gave you a slight squeeze and left you in peace. Zemo was waiting downstairs when he returned. The Baron was kind of disappointed to find that Sam was alone.

You were avoiding him too. He supposed he deserved that.

"How is she?"

"Fine. She'll probably stay in her room for a while. She's decided to stay back for now, so we'll be dealing with the Flag Smahsers without her," Sam explained.

Zemo didn't mean for that to happen.

There was another knock at your door. You called for them to enter, expecting it to be Bucky coming to see you, but it wasn't.

"Oh, Zemo."

He closed the door behind him and walked over to you, but still maintained a comfortable distance between you.

"You're not coming with us?"

"Thought it would be better if I didn't tag along any more. They need you more than me right now," you speak softly, playing with the corner of your pillow next to you.

You hear Zemo sigh gently. The mattress sinks down next to you as he sits down.

"They need you too."

You shrug.

"I didn't mean for you drop out of the mission. I shouldn't have said anything."

"No. I'm glad you did. I feel better knowing the reason why you can't look at me."

"Who's not looking now?"

You look up. His dark gaze is on you. He had been looking at you from the moment he entered the room.

He smiles.

"Won't it be difficult working with me if I'm there? I'm worried I'll jeopardise the whole thing."

He reaches out and he takes your hand.

"No. I did some thinking on the plane. I've spent too much time living in my past already, I won't let you back out of the plan because of my foolishness. I had no idea it would bother you so much that I was avoiding you." He gives your hand a little squeeze.

"I'm surprised too, you know. It kind of bothered me that you wouldn't even talk to me unless absolutely necessary."

"Apologies. I am a fool."

"No, you're not," you chuckle softly.

The smile he gives you sets the butterflies off in your stomach.

"Who is it you see now?" You ask, whispering.

"You. Just you."

You bite your lip shyly and shuffle a little closer.

"Then, I changed my mind. You'll have to put up with me when we go get the bad guys."

Zemo laughs.

"Poor me."

You rest your head against his shoudler. You don't know what it is about him, but there was something there that made you want to know him. If he would let you, you wanted to get closer to him.

Even if his freedom was short lived.

@ajeff855 @moonstuffsteve @sky-writes-stuff @lieutenantn @lostghostgirl94 @friday18eo @yaskna

#tfatws #the falcon and the winter soldier #helmut zemo x reader #helmut zemo #zemo #zemo x reader #marvel #baron helmut zemo

[owl-with-a-pen]

i feel I’m the only one disappointed in brainy’s ending. not because of brainia, I’m happy it happened, but because the writers had him say that being a hero doesn’t matter and the only thing that matters is being her boyfriend. they let him let millions of people die, and let their heaven be ruined. and i feel like nia wouldn’t be so selfish to let that happen either. it feels like they wrote all this drama and forgot to resolve it

It does feel out of character for Brainy to be so dismissive of his own people like that, I agree, and the writers could have certainly fixed that with even just one line of dialogue giving an explanation as to what happened to the Big Brain in his absence.

I think the issue was, we were led to believe that if Brainy didn't go back, the Big Brain would be destroyed and the Coluan species would go along with it. We weren't even really given an explanation as to why exactly Brainy's involvement hinged on this happening.

The sense of duty, purpose and destiny is thrown around a lot for Brainy. He feels like he has an obligation to his people, and if that had been explored a little better, I would have liked the plot to have been that it wasn't so much that the Big Brain would die without him, but that his people expected all Coluans - or at least Coluans such as him - to return without question to give up their existence to keep the Big Brain strong.

It would have been more interesting from a writing and audience standpoint if the issue on the table wasn't that the Big Brain would die if Brainy didn't go back, but rather that Brainy was required to even though technically it wasn't necessary for him to go. If instead the dilemma here was set on an obligation imposed by his people, something that was probably drilled into him through his whole life, something that even the Legion had drilled into him, Brainy then removing himself from that obligation would have been far more freeing. It would have been proper character growth where Brainy made a decision for himself, for love, for his own happiness, something that he's never been able to do before. Not when tied to his family's infamy, and certainly not with the Legion's expectations for him, either.

I honestly do think that that was what the show was trying for, as well. It just... wasn't written properly to show us that.

Brainy's speech is still remarkably in character if we ignore the fact that by not merging, he would essentially be committing his entire species to death. And... that's exactly what the show seemed to want us to do. It was almost jarring, like the show was hoping we'd just shrug our shoulders and leave well enough alone.

In Brainy's speech, he does mention how the future hasn't been written yet, and I think that was the show's half-assed attempt at gesturing awkwardly to the idea that Brainy's choice to stay in the present would change the future to such an extent, somehow, the Big Brain wouldn't be in the same level of danger. Not entirely sure how that works, but if I had to guess, I think that's what the writing wanted us to take away from that dialogue, messy as it was.

Do I think it worked? No. No, it really didn't. And it irks me because, again, if it had been tackled from another angle or we'd just been told, hey, Brainy found a way to keep the Big Brain safe without merging! I would've accepted it. I would have even accepted it if the reason made zero sense, as long as there was a reason!

The writing certainly shot itself in the foot with that one, so I'll probably write something for it myself at some juncture. For the moment, I choose to focus on the positive of that scene. As I say, remove the Big Brain from the equation and Brainy's choice to finally oppose the destiny expected of him, to choose something for himself once in his life, is actually very profound and I do love that message, because he does deserve it. It's just a shame that the writing brought down an otherwise exceptional moment for proper character growth.

#supergirl #brainia #brainiac 5 #my asks #not writing #anon #the show seemed to shoot itself in the foot with a lot of excellent moment for character growth #but this one stung the most #because brainy coming back for nia like that was such a good and beautiful moment #but it was marred by giving us zero explanation for what had been done to avoid the extinction of an entire race

[girl-in-the-tower]

CHAPTER I

Ramshackle Dorm - Birthday Party Venue

Kore: Woah, to think the ghosts would go all out like this just for today! Even though I told them that they didn't have to bother with it, they wouldn't listen, at all... It's... It's kind of embarrassing to be fussed over like this! If it was Grim I would have understood but this, uh...

Ah! And I'm supposed to have a guest over today as well! Hm, I guess some tea should be in order... maybe some cakes as well... I wonder if there's any sugar left...

Ace: Yo!

Kore: Ah, just a moment- Oh, it's just you, Ace.

Ace: Ha? What's that supposed to mean? 'It's just you'? It's super rude to greet your dear guest like this, you know?

Kore: Is that so? But calling you a guest is...

Ace: What's that?

Kore: Hm...

Ace: Well, doesn't matter because my feelings were hurt either way! So I'll help myself to this krumkake to make myself feel better! Let's dig in~

Kore: Hey, that- Aaah, that was meant to be for Grim. He kept complaining all day yesterday that he should have a cake all to himself too since it's a special day so I woke up extra early just to make it for him. Now he's gonna be mad...

Ace: Haa? A whole cake just for that furball? You've got to be kidding me!

Kore: What are you talking about? You know how much he likes krumkake.

Ace: Nah, I doubt there's really anything that guy won't eat... But that's not the point. You're spoiling him too much. He's gotten really fat, you know?

Kore: It's fine. I still make sure he exercises and he looks cute round like that too, so it's not a problem.

Ace: No, I definitely still think there's something wrong here. Mainly with your head.

Kore: Haaaaaaa, you wanna pick a figh-

Ace: Oh, I almost forgot! Here you go!

Kore: ... What's this?

Ace: Isn't it obvious?

Kore: Well... Huh? Wait a minute- That can't-!

Ace: Ta-da! It's a limited edition Griffons varsity jacket that's been all the rage with Magift meatheads like you~

Kore: No way!! This is- This is-

Ace: Cool, righ- Hey!! Don't jump on me like that! You almost knocked me off the chair!

Kore: Sorry, hahaha! I was so happy I just couldn't contain myself! To think that I would be able to actually get my hands onto something so valuable!

Ace: Yeah, we figured you'd like i-

Kore: This season has really been a blessing from above for them, you know? Everybody is in top shape and playing at their best! I heard their new manager actually made them go through this super difficult training regime that has been working wonders for them. Though it's only speculation so far!

Ace: Uh, Kor-

Kore: If you ask me, it's definitely also thanks to those new brooms that they ordered for the team. The wood is apparently from the Valley of Thorns and super-resistant so they go all out without worrying about breaking them. For the moves that the team is pulling, they really need that propulsion time! Even a second helps when you're in a headlock. I remember back in the vs Mandrakes game that they switched brooms in between-

Ace: Heeeeey! You Magift boar woman! Can you hear me?

Kore: Wh-Why are you yelling like that?! I'm right next to you!

Ace: Haaaa, when you start talking about Magift you might as well be in a completely different world... No wonder they all think of you as the Magift Encyclopedia. I bet you have hundreds of useless pieces of information like that stuck in your head.

Kore: You-! Huh? What's this?

Ace: A-Ah! That!

Kore: It's rice pudding- Ah! It's homemade from the Mountains!

Ace: Hm? Ah, ye-yeah... That came with the jacket...

Kore: Eh? They put pudding in jackets when they sell them?!

Ace: O-Obviously! Don't tell me you didn't know? Bwahaha, man, you sure are clueless...

Kore: ... It's my favourite flavour too...

CHAPTER II

Ace: Alright, next to the first question!

Kore: Eh?! Question?! Is this a quiz of some kind?!

Ace: I guess you could think of it like that, so anyway- Your first question as today's birthday girl issssss: "If you were stuck on a deserted island, who would you take with you?" Hm, here it says that you can't pick members of your own dorm, but given that you guys don't even have a dorm, I'm not sure that the restriction applies. Not that it matters since you wouldn't choose Grim anyway, right?

Kore: Huh? Why not?

Ace: You're serious?! You'd pick that furball?! Hey, we're talking about a deserted island here so think carefully! Don't you want to get off it?!

Kore: Well, obviously I would... But...

Ace: But?

Kore: I can do that on my own.

Ace: Huh?

Kore: Survival is all about securing shelter, food and formulating an escape plan. If it's a deserted island I assume there would be some fauna and animals too, so we could feed ourselves through fruit gathering and hunting. It might be hard if we don't have any tools, however, but I think Grim's claws would be sharp enough to cut through the skin and meat fairly easily. I make sure he takes good care of them after all.

Ace: I-I see...

Kore: If there's no drinkable water then we'll have to boil some from the sea in order to deal with the thirst. Grim's flames, when properly utilized, would be able to do such a thing. Not to mention that he could start fires to keep us warm at night and to cook food to sustain us! Also, it could be a great emergency signal if we end up at sea and need rescuing.

Ace: You want to use him as a flare?!

Kore: That sounds so mean! I would only do that as a last resort, however! Grim's pretty sensitive about having his belly scratched so I wouldn't do anything to make him uncomfortable like that!

Ace: Haaaa, I get it, I get it! So you're saying that the furball has his practical uses too. But I can't help but worry about some flaws...

Kore: Flaws?

Ace: No matter how much you feed that glutton, his stomach will never be full, you know! Whatever provisions you managed to gather, he's sure to inhale them with the first occasion!

Kore: Wah- That's a horrible thing to say! There's no way my Grim is so selfish!

Ace: My Grim?! What is he?! Your child?! And he's totally selfish, you know!!

Kore: HAAAAA?! ARE YOU REALLY PICKING A FIGHT WITH ME?!

Ace: Ca-Calm down!! I take it back, ok?! You can bring the furball with you!

Kore: Hmph.

Ace: Seriously, getting this angry over that cat...

Kore: Isn't that normal? Grim is my special person, after all!

Ace: SPECIAL PERSON?!

Kore: The person you care for a lot, like they're part of you, right? Like Cay-senpai said!

Ace: I-I see, so that's...

Kore: Being on a deserted island isn't ideal, but at the end of the day I know I can be ok on my own. Farmwork, housework - those are things that I'm used to from the Mountains. Life isn't so easy back home, but we all make do with what we can - magic or no magic. Even if I'm stuck in a bad situation, I can manage to get through so I don't need anybody else.

Well, that's what I thought before I came to this place anyway...

Ace: ...

Kore: Besides you're wrong about something!

Ace: Huh?

Kore: In order to survive it's not just physical attributes that are important, but mental ones as well. And in that case, Grim has the real trump card!

Ace: He-He does?!

Kore: Mm! You see, Grim, he... has the cutest paws and the fluffiest fur in the world!

Ace: HUH?!

Kore: Mm! Every time I feel like giving up or am reaching the end of the rope, all I'd have to do is give his paw pads a little squeeze or lay on his tummy and my mood would instantly clear up again! In a situation full of despair like that it would make a world of difference, you know?

Ace: SO HE'S THERE JUST FOR MORAL SUPPORT?!

Kore: Well, that too! It's important after all!

Ah, this pudding is really good actually...

CHAPTER III

Ace: Haaaa, I give up... Your boar mind is way too difficult to understand...

Kore: HUH?!

Ace: Anyway, let's get on with our next question and- Ah.

Kore: Hm? What is it? You suddenly stopped in the middle of the sentence. Did the falcon get your tongue, hehe?

Ace: It's a cat, not a falcon! And I only stopped because- uh...

Kore: What?

Ace: "You're offered the chance to pick another dorm, which one would you choose?"

Kore: ...

Ace: I swear, that Headmaster doesn't even think of these questions at all...

Kore: Yeah, there's no way I can answer that...

Ace: I figured. So instead! "Please share your opinions on the dorms!"

Kore: Ah!

Ace: Nice, right? You can definitely count on me when it comes to quick thinking, you know?

Kore: ... I guess.

Ace: You guess?!

Kore: I'll start with Diasomnia then!

Ace: Hey, don't ignore-

Kore: Hm, I'm not really sure about the atmosphere there but- Don't you think that their interior decor is pretty fancy? I haven't seen stuff like that in magazines for quite a while, so I feel like it's definitely something that must have required a lot of work! It's kinda dreary though, what will the windows not letting enough light and the greenery around it could stand to be looked after better, hm...

Ace: So you're only interested in the decor, huh? Alright, what about Ignihyde?

Kore: It's too technological.

Ace: Huh, I guess that you're right. For somebody like you, it would really be a struggle living there...

Kore: ...

It's even more depressing than Diasomnia, so I feel like I would be stuck in a bad mood without enough sunlight, you know? Though I must admit, it really is super clean inside! That's a very important detail! Clean homes are necessary for good health!

Ace: There you go again, sounding like a mom... Next is Pomefiore!

Kore: IT'S SUPER FLASHY!

Ace: I know~?

Kore: No, no, you don't get it! It's so flashy it actually scares me! All that pomp and glamour! The rugs themselves look like something from the fall collection that sold out about twenty years ago and the chandeliers are bound to be at least four times Theo's salary! Walking through those hallways is like stepping on opulence! A continuous loop of flashiness!

Ace: HEY! Get a hold of yourself! Let's go over to- Ah, Scarabia...

Kore: It's so hot there!!

Ace: Oh, yeah, you're super weak to heat so you'd definitely hate it there. Right?

Kore: Mm, hate is... I think that if it was the old me, I would never have even stepped in there. But now I feel like... Yeah! I definitely think that I can give it another try! Scarabia is pretty rich too, but it feels more homely? There's a lot of people gathered around and there are banquets and feasts pretty often too. It's always lively and warm... In a way, I imagine that's what a home would feel like...

Ace: ...

Kore: I can't say the same for Octavinelle however. Hmph!

Ace: Bwahaha, that's true. It really feels like you'd get scammed in there pretty quick.

Kore: Not even that! But building a dorm underwater? I admit the decor is pretty nice and classy, but the atmosphere is too cold! There's a lot of types that I can't get along with at all so it would definitely be a miserable time for me. No, I definitely don't want to set foot there ever again!

Ace: I totally get it~ All that commotion after the exams was enough for me too. Guess the same goes for Savanaclaw too, then?

Kore: ...

Ace: HA?!

Kore: I-I refuse to believe that anybody who loves Magift is a bad person!

Ace: There's that meathead in you talking again! Are you seriously that obsessed with it?! I feel like there's a sickness that applies in this case!!

Kore: He-Hey!! That's way too- I understand that what they did was bad, and I definitely haven't forgiven Kingscholar-senpai yet, but there are definitely good points to them as well! I think!

Ace: So you're not even sure?!

Kore: A-Anyway, as for Heartslaybyul-

Ace: Don't go changing the subject!

Kore: - if I had to pick that would be my favourite.

Ace: Huh?

Kore: I love Scarabia too, a lot, but at the end of the day all that rich atmosphere is scary. I really don't feel like I would belong there at all. I'd stick out like a sore thumb among everybody else - more than usual at the very least. But in Heartslaybyul, even if Rosehearts-senpai is strict, I feel like everybody is sort of content with the oddness. There's not much that stands out about it, but I think that's what makes it so appealing, you know?

Ace: ... So... what you're saying... Is that we're a shabby dorm full of weirdoes?

Kore: I-I wouldn't go that far...

Ace: But that's the gist of it, isn't it?!

Kore: Ummmmm...

Ace: ... Alright, I get it.

Kore: Huh?

Ace: You know, it just so happens that there's one more thing I have to tell you about.

Kore: One more thing?

Ace: Yup! You see, there's this tradition where the presenter has to give the 'gift of fortune' in order to make sure this ends up being a great birthday! And it just so happens that you're lucky enough to have me here today to deliver the goods~

Kore: Huh? What are you-

[SPLATTER]

Kore: ...

Ace: BWAHAHA, I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU JUST STOOD THERE LIKE THAT!

Kore: ...

Ace: Oh man, the look on your face is hilarious! Oh, let me take a quick picture to show the others too!

Kore: ...

Ace: Ok, so then- He-Hey! Don't- AUGH! MY FOREHEAD!

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland oc #kore hightower #twist oc #twist #twisute oc #twisute #ace trappola #heartslaybyul #birthday event

[mimisempai]

I made a wish and you came true

Summary:

Sylvie asks to see what the prince of Loki looks like. When he shows her she laughs at him. Count on Professor Loki to give her a lecture about his Prince.

🌈 Happy Pride month ! 🌈

To celebrate, 1 day, 1 story.

Be ready for smiles, laugh, fluff, tooth rotthing fluff, positive vibes and a lot of love!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32183185

1731 words - Rating G

In storm-black mountains, I wander alone

Over the glacier I make my way

In the apple garden stands the maiden fair and sings,

"When will you come home?"

Loki had to stop, overwhelmed by emotion.

Sylvie, her eyes devoid of all mockery, said softly, "So there is a would-be-princess somewhere..."

Loki chuckled sadly before replying, "I like metaphors you know, in this instance, it's not a princess, it's a prince, and I don't know if he's waiting for me or hoping to see me again, it's not even really my home, but..."

"...but you'd like to believe it, right?"

Loki could only nod.

"Show me your prince."

"No way," Loki replied, shaking his head.

"Come on, please Loki!" she paused before continuing, "If you show it to me I'll tell you in detail how I enchant people!

Loki couldn't resist, so he turned his hand and there appeared a mini hologram of Mobius.

Sylvie approached and looked at him closely before sitting down again.

Loki made Mobius disappear.

"Don't tell me that that little man with no stature, no class is YOUR prince?!"

Loki wished he had his brother's hammer to blast her with lightning bolts.

"Yes this is my prince! And your impudence has earned you a lecture on the definition of Prince Charming by Professor Loki!"

Sylvie snorted and told the passing maid to bring her a glass of champagne, because finally she was going to need it.

"First of all, you should know that the charming prince doesn't exist only in fairy tales.

In real life, he is not perfect but he has many qualities that are essential to be wonderful. Is Mobius my Prince Charming?" He didn't wait for an answer.

"To find out, I'll show you point by point that he meets all the criteria that make him a prince for me."

Sylvie settled back in her chair to enjoy the show.

"First, the Prince Charming is generous. He is generous in every sense of the word. He doesn't hesitate to invite you to an excellent restaurant and to offer you a gift you've been dreaming of. Ok, ok, I agree, I didn't have time to fully test that point. But that's not all! He is also generous in giving you all the time you need. He is also able to have an attention that will brighten your day. And Mobius devoted an enormous amount of time to me, when nothing required him to."

Loki thought back to the time Mobius had spent with him just before they left for the mission. He had taken the time to show Loki that he wasn't the villain he thought he was. Nothing forced him to.It wasn't necessary for the mission. In a place where everything was about time, Mobius hadn't hesitated to give him time.

Sylvie simply nodded and waved her hand impatiently for Loki to continue his «  lecture."

He took a sip, cleared his throat and continued.

"Second, the Prince Charming committed. He knows what he wants. He gets up every morning knowing exactly where he is going and what he wants to do. He is also resolute, he has goals in life and intends to achieve them. What is touching is that he is not bragging. Humility is his middle name. Quite my Mobius."

Sylvie noted, fondly, the possessive pronoun, but said nothing.

"Even though he pisses me off, because he is narrow-minded about the TVA,  what he thinks is real. Nevertheless, he still manages to impress me because he believes that what he does is his reality and that he does it for a better world, he does it with all his heart. And when he talks about it there is so much candor that even I have a hard time getting him to see the reality of things."

Loki remembered their discussion in the cafeteria.

Loki had asked him completely sincerely, because he wanted to know what made Mobius go on, "I mean, you really believe in all this stuff, don't you?"

Mobius had replied simply, "I don't get hung up on, 'Believe, not believe.' I just accept what is."

Loki had tried to show him the absurdity of a world ruled by the 3 time keepers and Mobius had replied by telling him that his story, Asgard, mystical realm, beyond the stars, Frost Giants was the same thing.

He remembered Mobius' words perfectly, "Actually it's exactly the same thing. Because if you think too hard about where any of us came from, who we truly are, it sounds kinda ridiculous. Existence is chaos. Nothing makes any sense, so we try to make some sense of it. And I'm just lucky that the chaos I emerged into gave me all this... My own glorious purpose."

Loki had chuckled, to hide the fact that he was disturbed by the accuracy of Mobius' argument.

Mobius concluded by saying, determined, "Cause the TVA is my life. And it's real because I believe it's real."

Committed, yes, his prince was. Loki realized that he missed their discussion. Rarely had he met someone who could resist him intellectually.

"Hey! Loki! Are you there? "Sylvie was waving her hand, seeing that he was lost in his thoughts.

Loki regained his composure and moved on to his next point.

"Third, the Prince Charming for me must be smart but not pretentious, yes because there can only be one pretentious and that is me of course. Who wouldn't want a smart, educated man? Mobius is extremely smart! Can you believe that he knows hundreds of languages more than I do because he has been working in the multiverse for so long! And best of all, when I tried to manipulate him on my first consulting assignment, he figured me out. He almost knew right away that I was trying to play for my own side. Okay, it's a little humiliating. But that's the charm of him."

If Loki was honest, that was when he started to fall under Mobius' spell.

He had been so sure that he could get what he wanted from him. He was sure he had hooked the fish and then Mobius had blurted out, "He's lying. Just playing games. There's no one out there."

Loki blushed slightly as he thought about how he had been found out by Mobius at that moment. That's when his interest had been piqued, because Loki couldn't resist a challenge.

"You know Loki, it's almost cute how you have it bad."

"There's nothing funny about that." retorted Loki before resuming, "Fourth, my prince is someone I can lean on. He is a pillar on which you can rest. Imagine, Sylvie, we were working at the same desk and I fell asleep. And on top of that he let me sleep. You know he has this quiet strength. That thing that makes me know that with him I don't have to pretend anymore. But anyway, I was talking about Mobius, not me."

Sylvie moved closer to Loki and said with a smile, "From my point of view it's the same thing."

"What?"

"Nothing, go on."

Loki looked at her strangely before continuing.

"Fifth, my prince is listening. You know I talk a lot and three quarters of the time to say nothing important. But Mobius, even if I tell him something stupid, he listens to me as if it were the most important thing in the world. And most importantly, he really hears me. He can read between my lines and my metaphors, which he also loves. He's much better at getting people to talk than I am. He was able to see and make me say things about myself that no one had heard before. Sometimes I feel like he's the only one who knows who I really am."

Loki had to stop because the scene was still so present in his mind.

"I can't go back, can I? Back to my timeline. I don't enjoy hurting people. I... I don't enjoy it. I do it because I have to, because I've had to."

Mobius' tone, his look, his whole being turned toward Loki when he had said just that, "Okay, explain that to me.

Then Loki told him that he knew he was a villain.

Mobius' simple but straightforward answer was, "That's not how I see it."

"Hey Loki? You okay?" Sylvie had put her hand on his arm, looking concerned.

Loki pulled himself together.

"Yeah I'm fine."

He coughed and continued, "My Prince Mobius has an incredible number of qualities but I've summarized them for you because we don't have enough time. So I'm going to conclude this lesson by telling you that the quality that attracts me most to him is that he's surprising. He surprises me all the time. Which is paradoxical after all, I am supposed to be chaos and he is supposed to be order. But he surprises me. Where everyone else hates me, he is there and sees qualities in me that even I don't see. When everyone wants me gone, he doesn't hesitate to put his own head on the line so that I don't get erased. Mobius is not perfect, but he is perfect for me. Because precisely, he doesn't put me on a pedestal but he doesn't make me feel inferior either. He treats me as an equal."

"Okay, okay, okay, it's fine he's a Prince. But the mustache though..."

Loki looked mischievously at her and leaning in close to her ear, he said softly, "His moustache is very nice when he kisses me."

"Loki!" she moved back and flicked him on the forehead.

He took a sip of champagne and they remained silent for a few moments.

"And you told him all this, well not in so many words of course?"

Loki's smile disappeared.

"Because of you, I didn't have the time. And I hope that all of this won't have ruined this beginning of a relationship.Anyway, I'll tell him when we meet again, or at least I'll try to, as long as he wants to listen to me..."

Sylvie smiled softly, clinked her glass against Loki's and said softly, "You're insufferable to the core, but I sincerely wish you'd have the chance to talk to him. "

Loki nodded, this time he was determined to fight, because for the first time it was his own happiness that depended on it.

_______

The whole serie here : The story of Loki and Mobius

Not beta'd I hope you enjoyed it 🥰

#lokius #loki x mobius #loki #mobius m mobius #moki #wowki #sylvie laufeydottir #developing relationship

[nashibirne]

Where The Wild Roses Grow - An August Walker Story - 2

You can find part 1 on my masterlist

Pairing: August Walker x OFC (Fern)

Summary: Don't screw the crew? This doesn't work for August Walker

Warnings: Smut, Sex, 18+, NSFW, unprotected sex, oral sex (f and m receiving), kinda soft August

Unbeta'ed! English is not my mother tongue, so please be lenient with me

Disclaimer: I don't own August Walker (but he owns me...)

Pics for the header taken from Pinterest.

Taglist: (let me know if you want to be added or removed)

@lunedelorient @inlovewithhisblueeyes @willkatfanfromasia @hell1129-blog @mis-lil-red @agniavateira @kebabgirl67 @omgkatinka @legendarywizarddetective @summersong69 @taebfada @xxxkatxo @madbaddic7ed @artandotherdelights

~~~~

Fern

"Morning, Fern." August and Peter greet me in unison on this Thursday morning before they go straight to Pete's office where a potential client's already waiting for them. 

I've always hated my name. It's so old fashioned and boring, it's a name for an old spinster, not for a woman my age. I would use my second name if it wasn't even worse. Prudence. I mean, come on...you have to admit that's dreadful. But if you'd known my parents you wouldn't be surprised.

When I was born my mother was already 45 years old, my father even 49. After 20 years of trying in vain they'd given up on hoping for a child but then my mum got pregnant with me. They were very religious, god-fearing people and when they finally held me in their arms it was a miracle, a blessing, God's gift to them and they always treated me accordingly, like a precious treasure they had to hide from the bad world outside. They loved me dearly but this love was so overpowering it almost stifled me. I never went to school, my mum home-schooled me, which was okay, I didn't miss anything but then again, you can't miss something you don't know I guess.

I was a shy child and so in some way I was glad that I didn't have to interact with other kids. I only had one good friend. Her name was Kayla and she and her parents lived next door. Her family couldn't have been more different from mine, her dad was a dentist, mine was a carpenter, her mum was a teacher, mine was a housewife, she had three older brothers, I was an only child, their house was bright and modern, always open for everyone, ours was a dark victorian building, very cosy and beautifully furnished but with a forbidding appearance on the outside, so besides Kayla we hardly ever had any visitors and my parents liked it that way.

When I went to college it was really hard for them and one hell of a fright for me. I went through a culture shock and it was quite the ride but luckily I had Kayla by my side. She could have gone to better colleges but she decided we'd go to Virginia together to visit the William & Mary. We had a great time there and I had a lot to catch up on and that's what I did. Parties, alcohol, sex...it was a whole new world for me but thanks to Kayla I didn't get lost, she made me find a balance between celebrating and studying and I will always be grateful for her patience with me. She's still my best friend, my only friend actually and we're in close contact although she's a district attorney in Texas now and I'm in London.

But I don't want to bore you with my past. I guess you want to know more about my life here and now. Well, it's not that interesting either. As I said I hardly do anything more than work, eat and sleep but I've started to take piano lessons and I really like it. It goes better than I had expected, my teacher is a very friendly elderly woman called Mary. Boooo….still boring, you say? We'll there's something about those lessons that's not so boring. I...oh wait, there comes August. Gotta get back to work.

"We did it, Fern." A big, smug grin appears on his handsome face. "They signed the contract. We're gonna celebrate this, when Pete's back."

"Congratulations. That's a big deal."

"It is. A real big fish. If they recommend us in their line of business other deals are gonna follow, this could be our final break-through."

"Does this mean I get a salary rise?" I ask with a smirk.

"Sure. The three of us worked very hard for this. You will have your fair share. " 

"What?" I ask with a seductive smile. "Just like that? No negotiations?"

August pulls me close with a mischievous grin. "You want to negotiate, pretty?" He whispers in my ear, sliding his hands under my skirt.

"I'd love to. Where did Pete go and how long will he be gone?" I wrap my arms around his neck.

"I told him to get some champagne and oysters."

"I hate oysters." I pout.

"Forget the oysters, we have 20 minutes." 

He hooks his thumbs into the sides of my silken panties and pulls them down slowly so I can step out of them. He tries to lift me up but I wriggle out of his hands.

"Let me reward you for your success and earn my salary rise properly." I give him a sexy smile and drop to my knees. August raises his eyebrows and nods in approval.

"Yeah, use that pretty mouth of yours."

I open his fly and get out his half-hard dick. After a few strokes he's fully erect and his size and girth never seize to amaze me. August Walker has the most beautiful cock I've ever seen. Just looking at it makes me wet and my pussy throb. I start to lick the tip slowly, teasing him and I love the way he moans and grabs me by my hair to make me take him in my mouth. I obey and wrap my lips around his shaft, popping my head up and down. I suck him off like I know he loves it, taking him as deep as possible. His breath goes short now and he's gasping and panting, his head leaning against the wall, his eyes are closed. I know he's not gonna cum, he never comes first, always makes sure to satisfy me before he reaches his high and so I'm not surprised when he suddenly pulls out and gets on his knees too.

He kisses me, which is unusual but he seems to love to taste himself on my tongue. He makes me lay down on my back and then he fucks me missionary style. He doesn't do it often, he prefers doggy or railing me pressed against a wall but when he does it's fantastic. He fucks me deep and slow, rolling his hips in a smooth rhythm and I look him right in his ocean blue eyes. He hits my g-spot with every thrust and he makes me cum within minutes. After I'm done with my orgasm he sits back on his heels. "Now finish what you've started." He growls and I continue sucking him off eagerly. Now I'm the one who tastes herself on him. He grabs my hair, holds my head in place and mouthfucks me hard but not too deep. He respects my boundaries and I don't like deep throat, I tried it, but it's not my thing and he knows that. "Fuck...Fern…" He cries out my name when he comes in my mouth and I swallow every drop of his spunk, I even lick his dick clean and I know he loves the sight of me kneeling in front of him, my tongue running over his tip and shaft. He lets out a long sigh before he gets up and stuffs his dick back into his pants. With a grin he grabs my panties and throws them at me. I catch them laughing.

"You're really the best boss a woman can wish for." I give him a smirk and he chuckles. "You can stop buttering me up. You've already earned your reward."

"I'm not doing this for the money." I wiggle my eyebrows and wink at him before I go to the bathroom to freshen up.

August

Wow, this was one of the best fucks in a while. I love it when she sucks my dick. Seeing her mouth stuffed with my thick cock is such an enormous turn-on for me. She takes me so well, her lips feel so tight around my shaft and her kitten-like tongue teasing me is just the best. Only thing better is fucking her ass but that doesn't happen too often. It requires time that we usually don't have and she has to be in the right mood for a hot round of butt sex. Sorry if I sound like a sex maniac but to be honest there's not much more in my life besides fucking and working and a few hours of sleep at night. It's just Walker & Brooks SecTec and Fern. That's what my life circles around and it's good the way it is. Honest work and casual sex, a good combination if you ask me.

When Peter is back we have a glass of champagne and some oysters. Fern enjoys some sushi Pete bought for her because he somehow knew she hates oysters. We're all in a great mood and we decide that we finish work for the day and just have a good time and a nice chat before we go home.

I take another oyster and make a little show of lapping up the meat from the shell, using more tongue than necessary. I give Fern a lewd smile and she bites her lip in a way that makes my dick twitch. Pete just smirks, raises his glass and speaks a toast. "Here's to the future. May it be successful and may it make us fucking millionaires." He giggles quite girlish, he's already drunk after just three glasses. I guess he usually doesn't drink anything but energy drinks and coffee.

"Cheers." Fern beams all over her face and I repeat her words. "Cheers."

I glance at her. Her cheeks are rosy and her eyes sparkle, she looks so sexy right now I want her again. I know it's just been an hour that I filled her with my cum but I just can't stop thinking about eating her out. I place my hand on her thigh and start stroking it under the table. She doesn't react but I know she likes it. When I let my fingers wander higher she gets up with a jolt. "Excuse me. I'll be right back." She leaves the room and I manage to wait 60 seconds before I excuse myself too. Peter rolls his eyes, knowing exactly what I'm up to but he doesn't say a word. I go straight to the ladies room where Fern is washing her hands. She's surprised to see me and before she can say a word I crash my lips on hers, kissing her feverishly. I lift her up and put her down on the edge of the sink before I get down on my knees.

"August, what are you doing, Peter's waiting for us…"

"Forget Peter, I wanna lick your pussy."

And that's what I do, I pull her panties aside and run my tongue through her wet folds slowly before I start kissing, licking and sucking her clit.

Fern stifles an aroused moan and whispers my name softly.

"God, August...we shouldn't be doing this…"

"Want me to stop?" I look up at her with a devilish grin.

"God, no…"

And so I continue to eat her out, to enjoy her smell, the taste of her flowing juices, the sound of her moans and the little shriek when she comes for the second time today. She's shaking and my dick is throbbing in my pants. 

I get up and she looks at me with a fake-annoyed frown. "Boss, you're gonna be the death of me. Two times a day? Really?"

"It's the oysters." I grin. "They're known for being an aphrodisiac."

"What about you." She touches my boner that's visible in my pants.

"Don't worry. When I get home I'm gonna jerk off in the shower thinking of you. Of your sexy tits, your hot ass and your tight pussy."

She hits me on my arm. "You're such an idiot. Let's get back and try to pretend nothing's happened." She laughs light-heartedly and I love the sound of it.

"You go first. I follow in two minutes. Have to wait for my boner to soften."

Five minutes later we're back with Peter in the middle of a conversation about how well everything's going at the moment. Peter mentions that he's planning to buy a Porsche soon and Fern makes him promise to take her on a ride. 

"I'm gonna order it as soon as the money from the museum is on our account." He smiles in anticipation. We have updated their security system a week ago and are expecting the incoming payment every day.

"Oh, speaking of the museum. They send you those free tickets for the Caravaggio exhibition. You're not planning to go, are you?"

"No." Peter and me say in unison. We're both not very much into art. "Do you wanna go? You can have my ticket of course." I say to Fern with a generous look on my face.

"Yeah, thanks. Actually I need both tickets."

"Both? For you and who? A suitor?" Peter asks in a teasing tone, giving her a wink.

Fern blushes a little and I wonder what's going on, she never blushes.

"Well...yeah. Something like that. I'm going on a date on Saturday."

I can't believe my ears. Did she really say she has a date? Just like this? A fucking date? I try to pull myself together and not to show my surprise but I feel the tiny frown that appears between my raised eyebrows though the rest of my face remains blank.

"A date?" I try to sound as casual as possible.

"Yeah, you may have heard of it. Two people meet and go out together to get to know each other better." Fern chuckles.

"I know what a date is." I snap.

Fern rolls her eyes. "Fine."

Peter eventually asks the question that's running around on my mind but won't come out of my mouth. "And who's the lucky guy?"

"His name is Lucas."

"Where did you meet him?" I have my face and my voice under control again.

"Oh, he takes piano lessons too but with a different teacher. We met waiting for our lessons and so we got into conversation and last week he asked me out."

"Sounds good, take my ticket and have some fun with a decent lad." Pete says, giving me a quick glance. I know he doesn't think it's a good idea that I fuck Fern, he thinks I'm going to hurt her but I don't care. It's none of his business.

"Yeah. Enjoy your date." I nod but the mood's ruined and after another fifteen minutes we decide to call it a day and go home.

~~~~

tbc

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