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bettyfrommars · 5 months

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I'm on Fire

biker!eddie x fem!artist!reader

Part 17: A creature of love, I can't be tamed

masterlist playlist

18+ONLY, series typical violence, alcohol consumption, unprotected sex with someone other than Eddie and reader, hate-fucking (consensual), oral (m receiving), sexual harassment, biker!steve, biker!billy, protective!eddie, rocker!nancy

word count: 6.4k

songs: I Hate Myself for Loving You by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, Wild Child by W.A.S.P. and Cinnamon Girl by Type O Negative

The second half of your first night back at the Velvet Hammer heats up with Eddie on stage, Charlene on the premises with Billy, and Steve working through his emotions in a moment of carnal desire.

authors note: It has felt so good to get back to writing this story, I missed our biker boys so much. It will probably be another week or two until the next part, but you won't have to wait too long. Thank you for your patience, I love you.

There came the sound of shrill feedback from the stage, and the drummer twisted his stick around his fingers before clapping the high hat. You took your break and met Eddie over by the carpeted hallway. The two of you huddled together, out of view from the front half of the bar, including Charlene and Billy.

“What’s Steve going to do?” You hushed, feeling the familiar anxiety rise inside of you that someone might get hurt again.

“Nothing for now,” Eddie exhaled. You put your hand on his chest, and he held it there. “You let me worry about Steve and Charlene, you have enough to do. I won’t let anything go sideways in here tonight.”

You told him about what you’d just learned from Shana, about Charlene being part owner of the Velvet Hammer, and he gave a slow blink, dragging out a long, ragged breath. “Why does that not surprise me,” you could almost hear the wheels in his brain turning. “She can’t have this place, it’s ours,” he growled, walking you down the hall and clanking open the heavy metal back door to the alley.

“But,” you started. Eddie pulled a pack of smokes out of his front pocket and sparked a flame from his zippo to light the end. “Isn’t it too late for that? It sounds like she already took it?”

You held two fingers like you were making a peace sign for Eddie to pass you a smoke and he raised his eyebrow at you curiously. You gave a nod, answering his unspoken question, and he put a second one between his lips to light it for you before passing it over.

You took a tiny drag and coughed smoke out of your nose at first, but then the second inhale was smoother. Thanks to so many nights at the Hammer, your throat and lungs were sufficiently coated with tar and ready for the challenge.

The other owner of the Hammer was a well known real estate investor and builder named Murray Bauman, and he was a friend of the MC. They’d done several “jobs” for him over the years that were clean by MC standards, but dirty enough to ruin his reputation if they came to light. Murray was also notoriously unfriendly with the Gregson’s, and Eddie wondered how much Charlene had paid, and what kind of scandal she’d dug up on Stephen, to make him give up his share like that.

Eddie tilted his head back, exposing his throat, to take a long, thoughtful drag, looking up at the clear sky that was blinking full of stars. “I wish I could go back in time before I ever met Charlene, and avoid her at all costs.”

“I don’t know,” you looked down and kicked the heel of your shoe against your toe. “She’s awfully determined. I think she would’ve found you anyway. Plus, I don’t think it’s you she wants anymore.”

“I feel responsible though,” Eddie muttered, blowing smoke out through tight lips. “For everything that’s happened to the people around me because of her.”

The sound of Nancy saying something into the mic, followed by the crowd cheering, came muffled through the door, and you really wanted to change the subject, to pull him out of his dark thoughts. “I’d love to see you play tonight,” you told him right before both of your cherries glowed orange at the same time in the dark.

“I don’t have my guitar here,” he stated the obvious, sucking his tongue on the roof on a sharp inhale, angling his head back to blow smoke up while keeping his eyes on you. “But I might sing one or two with her. Just for you.”

“You can sing too?” Your eyes got wide like a little kid watching the twinkling lights on a Christmas tree.

“Hi, baby, have we met?” He scoffed, slipping his bottom lip through his teeth to repress a grin, and then he winked at you and smashed his smoke on the brick wall before throwing it in the dumpster. He caught you by the hips and pulled you flush to him. “I mean, I guess you’ll just have to wait and see.”

—--------

Back on his stool, Steve rolled a toothpick between his lips while he scanned the crowd, and did his best not to look over at Billy and Charlene. He wasn’t sure what was eating at him more; the fact that she had the nerve to show up after everything, or that she was there with Billy.

The crew from Lucifer’s Own were known for doing the dirty deeds no other MC would touch. They ran a high-end escort service on the outskirts of town, and did a lot of blow and opiate smuggling over the border. It was also a front for an underground fighting ring that was dirty and rigged, and sometimes, the fools who participated ended up with broken bones, or had their lights turned out completely.

Billy Hargrove and Steve went way back, and they’d actually been friendly acquaintances for a while back in high school, until Billy had pursued a girl Steve liked at the time just to piss him off. Also, to prove to Steve that he could take whoever he wanted. “Nothing wrong with a little competition, right, Harrington?” Is that what this was? Was Billy escorting Charlene around just to rub it in Steve’s face?

“Yeah, well, you can have her,” Steve mumbled to himself under his breath, thoughts racing so fast that he was starting to talk to himself, head bent to work the end of the toothpick with his fingers. “Good luck with that one, buddy, you’ll need it.”

There was more feedback from the speakers. “Hey there Hawkins, who is ready to rock?” Nancy purred into the microphone, one hand gripping the fretboard of her guitar before she slung the strap around her body. People shouted and cheered, and there were a few high-pitched whistles of encouragement.

The bassist with the band looked like a younger version of Eddie, but with a mane of black hair that was thick with tight curls, and the drummer had a black goatee and long, straight hair way past his shoulders. The backup guitarist looked like he was cut right out of the James Hetfeild playbook.

“We’re gonna start out with a little something familiar to get y’all warmed up,” Nancy said into the mic. “This one is called I Hate Myself for Loving You.”

The crowd roared, pounding their fists on the tables. Nancy said a countdown before she began a slow clap to the beat and the drums kicked in, deep bass vibrating in the walls.

When Steve looked up, he saw Charlene making her way across the room, either for the payphone or the restrooms, and Steve straightened up, wondering if he should say something to her. He went up to the bar and patted Thumper on his broad back, asking him to watch the door for a few minutes. Thumper was three beers and several shots in, but was not yet showing any signs of inebriation. He fisted a handful of his graying beard and told Steve it was no problem.

“Midnight, gettin' uptight, where are you?

You said you'd meet me, now it's quarter to two

I know I'm hangin' but I'm still wantin' you…”

He followed but he hung back, hiding in the crowd until he saw her go into one of the bathrooms. When you and Eddie came out from the alley, you found Steve leaning against the wall that was heavily papered in band flyers, next to the payphone.

Eddie was walking behind you,his hands firm on your hips, moving his legs in time with yours. You both came to a halt at the sight of Steve, and you had to shove off, back to work, but Eddie took your hand to kiss your knuckles before you walked away.

“Everything cool?” Eddie asked his friend, checking around to make sure no chaos had ensued while he’d been outside with you. There was a huge crowd there, packed in like sardines. All of the tables and bar stools were occupied, and plenty of people were taking advantage of the standing room only, blocking most of the walkways.

“I’m not sure yet, man,” Steve put his head back against the wall, Adam’s apple jutting out. “But I’ll let you know.”

“I called Van and told him to get over here with Devlin,” Eddie let him know. “Just in case more of Lucifer’s Own try to cause trouble.”

Steve only nodded, absently, his eyes twitching to the bathroom door every so often. Eddie clapped Steve a few times on the arm before turning to watch the band as he pushed his way through the crowd. Nancy made her fingers into devil horns in the air at him and Eddie returned the gesture, raising his arm high.

“I think of you every night and day

You took my heart and you took my pride away…”

The crowd was stomping their feet to the rhythm and belting out the chorus. Nancy detached the mic from the stand to make her way across the stage.

The second Steve saw the door open, he took long strides across the hallway to keep Charlene from exiting, pushing her back inside the single-person bathroom. She did not protest as he braced the door and locked it behind him, turning to face her with a tight jaw.

“What the fuck are you doing here, Char?”

“What do you think I’m doing here?” She hushed it, dropping her gaze as if suddenly she was afraid to look at him. “I missed you.”

“Jesus Christ, Charlene, you need to stop.” He rubbed his hands down his face, exasperated. “I’m sorry for how I treated you at the hotel, but this needs to end.”

“But what if I don’t want to stop?” She closed in on him, lifting her hands to hold his face, but he blocked the effort, restraining her at the wrists. “What if I want you so bad, it hurts?”

He met her eyes. “You miss me and you thought fucking Billy would be the answer?”

“We’re not fucking, it’s not like that with him. Not like it was with you.” She struggled a little in his grasp just so he would tighten his grip on her.

Steve scoffed. “You mean, not like it was with me and Eddie and your husband and every other dude you’ve spread your legs for in this town?” Steve wasn’t one to judge, not with the amount of pussy he’d run through over the years, but still, showing up with one of his rivals was a low blow.

Charlene slammed forward so that Steve’s back hit the door, her breath hot and urgent on his neck. “No one fills me up like you do. I need your cock to split me open one last time, Stevie, please.”

She sank to her knees, kissing down his chest as she went, and he let her, releasing her wrists so that she could make quick work of unbuttoning his Levi’s. She licked around his balls and nuzzled her face in the hair at the base of his thick shaft, making hungry gasps of need as she did so.

He hissed when the fat head of his cock sank into her mouth. “Juss…just one more time,” he groaned as she lapped him up. She hummed around his length and nodded, looking up at him, agreeing as her lips strained to take the measure of his girth.

“I know you’re angry, Steve,” she flicked her tongue out over the ridge a few times like a poisonous snake about to strike. “I want you to take it out on me.”

He fisted a handful of her hair, tight, so that he controlled the movements of her head, and it made her whimper with pleasure.

—------

The next song Divine Filth sang was an original, a real headbanger that had Nancy growling into the mic and jabbing her devil horn fingers in the air. The bass guitarist’s fingers strummed the keys while the drummer spun his sticks high in the air and caught them. You noticed that a few of the male patrons were choosing to go outside to take a piss, which meant there was another line at the bathrooms again, but you were too busy to go over and check out why.

While Erika was on her break, it was your responsibility to go over and check on Billy, since Jackie was working the other side of the room. Two more of the Coffin Kings had just arrived and Eddie was out in the parking lot having a talk with them, being that it was hard to have a conversation inside with the band playing.

You made your way over to Billy’s table, noticing that Charlene was nowhere to be found. One side of his mouth lifted in a crooked grin while he watched you approach, and you wondered if he knew who you were and who you belonged to. You also wondered if he gave a shit.

As you got closer, you noticed that he had a pronounced scar from his eye to his jaw, and he didn’t have a ton of tattoos like the other boys, but there was the word “mother” above a heart with a dagger through it just under the sleeve of his t-shirt on his bicep and a Lucifer’s Own insignia on his opposite forearm.

He was slouched down a bit in his seat, knees spread wide, voice raised to be heard over the music. “You must be War Machine’s old lady,” he gave you a lift of his chin.

“You are correct,” you said with your best customer service smile.

“Damn,” his hand made a cage around the pack of smokes on the table so he could pull it toward him. His eyes locked onto your face, unwavering. “That son of a bitch always had good taste.”

“If you say so,” you checked over your shoulder, expecting to see Eddie charging over with that dangerous scowl on his face, but he wasn’t inside yet. You cleared your throat. “Can I get you anything else?”

He ordered another beer for himself and a tequila for Charlene, even though you knew she was much more of a wine drinker.

“Just put it on Charlene’s tab,” he said with a wink, alluding to the fact that she was practically your boss now. “But this is for you,” and before you could reach for the 20 dollar bill he had in his hand, he was stuffing it into the waistband of your shorts, fingers grazing your bare skin, watching the discomfort wash over your face as he did so.

You turned on your heel without another word, bee-lining back to the bar, when Eddie stepped through the main door so abruptly, you almost crashed into him.

Devlin and Van moved around the two of you while Eddie put one hand on your lower back and the other cupped the back of your neck. “You okay, baby?” He mumbled, lips grazing the shell of your ear.

You nodded, but then Eddie looked over in the direction you had just come and saw Billy there, flicking the flame on his lighter and watching the interaction between the two of you. You knew what Eddie was looking at by the way his body tensed. “Did Billy say something to you?”

“I had to wait on his table while Erika was on her break,” you were pulling your boyfriend away as you were talking, practically dragging him back to his seat at the bar. “Nothing happened, I’m fine. I just missed you.”

On stage, Nancy lit into a mean guitar solo.

“You sure?” Eddie’s stare was hard.

“Hey,” you grabbed Eddie’s face, making him look at you. “Baby, can’t you see? He wants to start trouble. Just ignore him. Please, for me.”

“Did he touch you?” His jaw muscles bulged and a dark fell over his brown eyes, making them almost black.

“No baby,” you hummed the lie. Eddie had quite a bit of common sense, more so than Steve when it came to affairs of the heart, but you knew that someone would get hurt if you told him about the way Billy had slid that money into your shorts. You had no doubt that Eddie could handle himself, but you didn’t want there to be any more fighting; everyone had already been through enough. Plus, Billy was not the first guy at the Hammer to overstep, and he wouldn’t be the last. Sadly, that was the nature of the work, you’d come to realize.

Eddie took a breath and lowered his forehead to yours, slotting his fingers around your ears so that his thumbs grazed your cheeks. “I’ll be good, sweetheart,” he promised.

Everyone clapped at the end of the song and then you heard Eddie’s name being said over the speakers.

“We’re lucky enough to have the frontman for Corroded Coffin here with us tonight,” Nancy started. “And he said he might get up here for a song or two. What do you say, Munson?”

The crowd went wild at that suggestion, and some even chanted his last name, punching fists into the air. Nancy motioned him on stage with a few scoops of her fingers.

“I guess I’m doing this,” he said, parting your lips with his tongue for a brief but firm kiss before he made his way to the stage. The James Hetfield guy was already taking off his guitar to hand it to Eddie before he could protest, and they clapped hands together in greeting. Your “old man” was adjusting the strap over his shoulder when he looked out over the sea of heads and caught your eye.

“I love you,” Eddie mouthed, taking the pic off of the chain that he had dangling around his neck.

—-------

Five minutes earlier, Steve had Charlene bent over the sink in the bathroom, jeans low on his hips, yanking her head back by the throat as he jackhammered himself inside of her.

“Tighter,” she whined, and his fingers closed in on her windpipe. He’d pushed her thong to the side and was spitting every so often so that he could watch it slide down her slit and mix with the frothing wet mess of her arousal where his cock sank into her. He didn’t need the saliva to lube his brutal pace, but he liked the idea of spitting on her, it helped him work through his hatred.

“God Steve, you’re so fucking good, fuckkk,” she dragged the last word out as hips clapped onto her with rapid, forceful grunts, making her whole body jerk each time he made contact.

He slowed the pace for a few thrusts so that he could spit again, and then he used his thumb to rub the saliva around the pink hole that tightened at his touch. He’d never been with a woman who had every inch of hair removed like her, she looked like some kind of porn star. He wanted to be in her ass one last time, but it felt too tight and warm where he was. He was close.

He let go of her throat and clutched her hips on either side in a way that would bruise, angling to finish himself off.

“You’re such a fucking whore for my cock,” he bit out. He wished she didn’t feel so fucking good. He wished that his disgust for her didn’t also turn him on in a way that made him uncomfortable.

Charlene’s eyes rolled back in her head, orgasm mounting rapidly as he buried himself base deep to a point where the line between pleasure and pain was blurred. She knew this was a farewell reminder, and it made her cry out his name.

“Fuck Steve, I’m cumming,” a few more pumps and she was exploding around his length, legs shaking at the way the wave crashed over her, making her see white.

“Get on your knees,” Steve told her, his hips stuttering. When she was down in front of him, he jerked himself the rest of the way off onto her outstretched tongue, ropes of cum painting her chin and dripping down to her cleavage. He made her lick the rest of him clean, and then she sucked her fingers.

Someone knocked on the bathroom door.

“Yeah, hold your fucking horses,” Steve shouted, pulling his jeans up. He helped Charlene get her bodysuit back on and zipped up. He almost kissed her, but then he remembered who she was.

He checked himself in the mirror and slicked his hair back before letting her know she should wait a minute until after he was gone before she followed him out. She was cleaning the mascara that had leaked down her cheeks, and was about to apply more lipstick, when she caught his eyes on her in the reflection.

“What if I told you I had a gift for you?” Her expression was coy.

Steve sighed. “I don’t want anything from you, Char. This was it, I’m done, I mean it.”

She rolled the red lipstick out of its gold tube. “What if it was something that would change your life?”

He thought about that, wetting his lips. “Listen, we’re never gonna fuck again. I don’t care if you buy me a Ferrari.”

“Well, it’s better than a car,” she huffed a small laugh. “Let’s just call it a…parting gift. A way for me to say sorry for everything I put you and Eddie through.”

Steve crossed his arms over his chest and put his back against the door. “Yeah, well, if this is about to be some grande gesture from you, I’d like to know what the catch is.”

She turned to him, fixing the ends of her hair around her face. “No catch, not this time,” she took a step forward, holding her black clutch in one hand. “Listen, I know it sounds childish and stupid, but I think I…I think I fell in love with you.” She furrowed her brow as if the sentiment didn’t make sense to her, as if she’d never grasped the weight of the words before.

Steve couldn’t help himself, he rolled his eyes and barked a laugh, thoroughly amused.

“I can’t change the past,” she tried to push her chest out, to get her statuesque posture back. “But I can try to make it up to you. To both of you.”

“Yeah?” Steve gave her a bored shrug. “Personally, I think you’re way past the point of redemption.”

“Maybe,” she pressed her lips together and took hold of the door handle. “I guess we’ll see.”

—------

All of your attention was eyes front on Eddie as he leaned over to discuss something with Nancy, lengthening the strap on his guitar as he spoke. You barely noticed someone trying to make their way through the crowd until Steve bumped into your shoulder, making you sway on your feet.

“Oh, shit, sorry,” he caught you and helped you find your balance. “I didn’t see you there.”

Steve looked…disheveled, and his face was flushed, as if he’d just run around the block. There were lines in his hair from raking his fingers through it so many times.

“You good?” You called after him, but all he offered was a “thumbs up” over his shoulder.

It was barely a minute before you caught sight of Charlene coming out of the hallway, following in his wake. She had a pink flush to the pale skin of her throat, almost a perfect handprint impression, and your brain was busy putting the pieces together when Nancy got back on the mic.

“This one is called Wild Child,” Nancy started on the guitar and people in the crowd got crazy again. The Hell’s Belle next to you whistled so loud, it almost blew your eardrum out. You weren’t too familiar with the band W.A.S.P. before Eddie, but you knew the song, and waited eagerly to hear his voice as he leaned in, moving his fingers along the strings.

“I ride, I ride the winds that bring the rain

A creature of love, and I can't be tamed

I want you, 'cause I'm gonna take your love from him

And I'll touch your face and hot burning skin

No, he'll never ever touch you like I do…”

He squeezed his eyes shut as he sang the first bit, hair hanging down his shoulders, muscles flexing under the ink that covered his forearms and hands. When his eyes opened, he found you in the crowd, and your heart swelled at the way he cracked a smile around the words at the sight of you.

“So look in my eyes and burn alive, the truth

I'm a wild child, come and love me

I want you…”

God, he was magic up there. He looked like a natural, holding that guitar in his hands, the way his fingers flew deftly to each note.

And he was all yours.

The chorus came and you sang the words, smiling so hard already, your cheeks hurt. You’d never known your eyes to “sparkle” like a cartoon before, but you felt like that’s what they were doing.

“My heart's in exile, I need you to touch me

'Cause I want what you do

I want you”

Someone grabbed your elbow, and you spun around to see who it was.

Jackie had a full tray in her hand, trying to balance it amidst the moving bodies. “Hey, are you on the floor right now? Don’t mean to be a bitch, but I need you. A table full of jarheads just showed up.”

“Oh shit, right,” you’d honestly forgot where you were for a moment, you’d been so caught up in that Munson Magic. You took another glance at the stage, wanting to catch Eddie’s eye, but he was looking down at his hands, concentrating on where they worked the guitar.

The table in your section that Jackie mentioned had seven guys in their mid-twenties sporting that type of “high and tight” haircut that you saw almost exclusively with members of military or law enforcement, and you took a deep breath, because you never knew what the vibe would be for those types of men who visited the Hammer. Either they’d be extremely polite like they just came from church, or they’d be vile and disrespectful.

“What’ll it be tonight, boys?” You asked, sidling up to their table. “Buy one pitcher of draft and get the next half off.”

They all turned to appraise you, not caring that the way their lewd stares locking on your body and tits made you uncomfortable.

“See, I told you,” the dark haired one said to the one in the red and white striped polo shirt. “The bitches here are super hot.”

You gulped, doing your best to restrain from looking as disgusted as you felt while they talked about you like you weren’t even there.

“How much for you to sit in my lap?” One of them asked.

“How much for you to suck me off?” One of them whispered, and the whole table guffawed into the type of laughter that was not warranted for something that was so not funny.

You checked over your shoulder for Steve, and he appeared to be escorting someone out who’d just been cut off. There was a bench outside, and he always had them wait there while he called a member of their family or a taxi to come pick them up. The guy was having a hard time getting his legs to work, and Steve had to practically carry him out.

You glanced up at the stage when the other song ended, and you could tell Eddie was searching for you, and so you stuck your hand up in the air to catch his attention.

“This one is for my girl,” he pushed hair out of his face and the sentiment made you freeze. A goofy grin stretched across your face and you let out an actual giggle. You were very familiar with the opening notes of Cinnamon Girl by Type O Negative.

“So, a pitcher of beer, then?” You asked, distracted, but in a much better mood than you were a few seconds ago. The guys at the table were too busy being crass to decide what they wanted to drink, so you chose for them. They agreed on the pitcher, and ordered a round of shots.

You kept your attention on Eddie as you made your way across the space, and your heart was in your throat at how proud you were to be his. His voice was deep and powerful, and it seemed like no one could pull their eyes away. The air was a bit humid inside, and you could see a sheen of sweat on his skin already glistening, bangs sticking to his forehead. He’d taken off his Coffin Kings cut and shirt, so he was up there in a ribbed, white tank of the Hanes variety, exposing the wash of dark tattoos over his shoulders and arm muscles that bulged from hours upon hours of manual labor.

“I want to live with a cinnamon girl

I could be happy the rest of my life with her

A dreamer of pictures, I run in the night

You see us together, chase the moonlight…”

At the bar, you considered letting Van and Devlin know that there were some guys there who might start trouble now that Steve was distracted, but then you remembered that you were the bad bitch who stabbed Craig in the balls and brought him to his knees—-you could handle a few young douchebags.

You gave Shana the drink order while Eddie’s deep voice bellowed, “my cinnamon girl, my cinnamon girl…” to the collective swooning of the crowd.

You waited on two other couples, lingering in the middle of the room so that you could see Eddie more clearly, dragging your feet before you had to return to the guys with the matching haircuts.

You took a cleansing breath and squared your shoulders before heading back. You tried not to be bothered by the way the dudes checked you out as you put the drinks down. When you were finished, the guy closest to you, with close-set eyes and a thick neck, ran his hand up the back of your leg.

“Hey,” your stare hardened on him and you stepped away, eyebrows pinching together. “No touching.”

The guys all snickered at that, as if it was so funny that they all knew they weren’t supposed to touch the staff, but they still got away with it.

“No he’s sorry, really,” said the tall, skinny one who hadn’t spoken up yet. His face was unreadable, you couldn’t tell if he was being a shitheel or not. The table fell silent for a beat. “But we would really like to know how much it would cost for handjobs, all around. Is there a group price for you girls?”

More idiotic cackling.

You turned to leave them, to go find Steve, to let him know you needed his assistance, but the one with the blonde hair and Limp Bizkit shirt caught you by the arm, digging his fingers in, and yanked you back so that his other hand could roam the curve of your ass. “Just a little feel, baby, we’ll tip good, I promise.”

You pushed him off and were just about to yell for Steve or Thumper when you saw the guy across the round table get his face smashed into the wood, so hard that blood splattered and you could hear the sick crack of breaking bone.

You were surprised to see Billy there, standing behind the one who was clutching his broken nose and wailing. He was smiling, cigarette bobbing between his lips. “I think you bozo’s should apologize to the lady.”

You hadn’t heard the music stop, didn’t realize that the commotion had drawn most of the attention to you.

In a flash, the guy in the Limp Bizkit shirt was ripped from his seat, and there was Eddie, picking him up by the throat to punch him across the face, sending him flying.

The impact made saliva and possibly a tooth go spitting from his mouth and you screamed at the shock of it.

“Eddie look out!” You shouted. The tall one was about to take a cheap shot at Eddie’s ribs while he sank another punch into the guy’s jaw, but you came down with your serving tray as hard as you could and nailed him.

“Holy shit,” Steve cursed when he stuck his head inside to see what the commotion was. Thumper was nowhere to be found, and Steve figured he was taking a piss. Starting brawls inside the Hammer was not protocol. Bouncers were always encouraged to take everything outside, but now it was too late.

“Get her out of here!” you heard Steve’s voice, he was talking to Devlin, and then you were being pulled back by cautious hands, away from the chaos.

One of the jarheads was just about to break a beer glass over Eddie’s head, but Billy showed up out of nowhere and kicked him in the back, sending the asshole flying right into Steve’s awaiting fist. The guy’s body crashed into a table, shattering glasses, and making the other patrons scatter.

“You better leave this one for me, Harrington,” Billy smiled and wiggled his tongue. “Wouldn’t want to mess up that pretty face of yours.”

Billy was helping them, and that was a twist you hadn’t expected. Perhaps it wasn’t so much for them as for himself, since you could tell Billy had been looking for a fight all night.

Steve got one of the other guys in a choke hold and began to drag him outside. Billy made wide eyes at one of the leftover trouble makers and charged after him, making the guy shriek like he was about to pee his pants before running from the building.

While the one Eddie had been punched was babbling at the foot of unconsciousness on the ground, he took hold of the one with the close-set eyes and the thick neck who had rubbed your leg first.

Eddie had been watching, and quick to cut off before the end of the song to jump down from the stage in a blinding rage.

Devlin held you loosely by the arms, but you shook him off, and stood next to Shana and Erika, continuing to keep your distance for the sake of Eddie and Steve’s peace of mind, and wincing each time one of the other dudes took a hard hit from one of the Coffin Kings.

Eddie took the guy by the shirt and sent a punch into his stomach. Mister Thick Neck doubled over but then Eddie took him by the throat and slammed him into the nearest wall. Eddie had his fist winding back for a punch when Steve shouted his name to get his attention.

The rest of the dickheads had been escorted outside by a few Hell’s Belle’s, while the rest of the crowd kept their distance. You saw Charlene in the far corner, touching up her lipstick in a compact mirror, seemingly unphased by it all.

“Not in here,” Steve pleaded with Eddie, breathlessly. “Like you said.”

Eddie’s eyes were black and cold like that of a shark. His mouth trembled with the urge to actually bite into the guy’s face, to mutilate him with his bare teeth and make him beg for mercy.

Eddie banged the guy's body into the brick wall again, locking him there with his forearm. “Apologize to my girl,” he growled.

The buzz cut guy coughed and struggled, having a hard time breathing. “I don’t know who your girl is, man,” he was only able to squeak out a mild protest under the pressure of Eddie’s grip.

“Your waitress,” Eddie hissed through gritted teeth.

The guy against the wall tried to turn his head to look for you, but Eddie squeezed his face. “You don’t get to look at her,” Eddie fumed. “Just say you’re sorry.”

Multiple desperate “sorry’s” followed, and then Eddie told Steve to get the guy’s wallet to take all of the cash out. A quick count said there was about a hundred bucks.

“That’ll be her tip,” Eddie announced, dragging him by the shirt collar to take him outside with the rest.

They were all told to empty their wallets of their cash, and Steve made a scene of noting the addresses on their driver’s licenses.

“I have a memory like a steel trap,” Steve lied, pointing to his temple, grabbing the guy in the red and white polo by the side of his neck, getting up in his face. “If you so much as walk by this place ever again, or tell the cops about this, you’ll see me in your nightmares. Now, get the fuck out of here before I call your mommies.”

You sank in next to Eddie’s side just outside the main entrance, and he put his arm around you. “Will things ever calm down around here?” You asked with a heavy sigh, watching the broken group scurry and limp away down the street.

Eddie gave a low laugh and hugged you a bit tighter. “God, I hope so, baby.”

Divine Filth started another song, to try and get things back to normal, and most of the crowd returned to their drinks as if there had not been actual bloodshed just five minutes ago.

No one but Shana heard the phone next to the cash register ring over the sound of the music, but after a few seconds, she shrugged by you and Eddie to stick her head out and scan the sidewalk.

"Steve?" She craned her neck to look for him.

"Yeah, that's me," he came from around the back side of the door, flicking his cigarette, knuckles split and bloody again.

"Some guy named Dustin called," she said, merely passing on a message. "He said Suzie just went into labor."

-----

Love love you all for cheering this story on, hope you enjoyed this one. Your thoughts and reblogs are appreciated and cherished.

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@whatwedontdointheshadows @miarosso @seventhlevelofhell @corrodedcoffincumslut @lofaewrites @goldyghoul @chloe-6123 @kelsiegrin @chelebelletx @stylesxmunson @kurdtbean@dandelionnfluff @clincallyonline17 @tlclick73 @eddiemunson95 @sidthedollface2 @hideoutside @truffleshuffle12 @tenthmoon @texasblues@emilyslutface@mmunson86@onegirlmanytales@laylaloves-ed@dashingdeb16@eddiiiieeee @ick90 @dashingdeb16 @polyestermonster @trixyvixx @atomickaratel8dy @kiyastrf94 @allthingsjoeq @eddiesxangel @razzieth @corrodeddeadlydoll @erinekc @angietherose @sllooney @writinginthetwilight @moonbeamsandmayhem @brianamunson92 @joannamuns9n @bellalillyrose @alba8688 @chevelle724

#I'm on Fire #Eddie munson fic #Eddie Munson series #biker!eddie #biker!steve #Stranger Things fic #Steve Harrington smut #biker au #90's au #Nancy Wheeler #Eddie munson x reader #Eddie Munson fanfic #Spotify #protective!eddie #jealous!eddie

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sugahyeon · 2 months

Text

All my heart goes to the admins

Unpaid artwork is theft.

Unpaid acting work is exploitation.

Some devs were barely paid, same for builders. Eggs' admins weren't paid for their rp job.

Translations? Unpaid.

Background checks? Never done.

People got fired for being burned out or not available due to personal issues. They were FIRED, from a VOLUNTEER post that was UNPAID for not being ''available enough'' (which doesn't seem to be a very defined criteria)

Lea got paid 169€.

The minimum wage in France is (very roughly) 1200€.

A plastic figurine isn't compensation for all of that unpaid work.

It's a nice gift, at most, and here, it mostly feels like a joke.

The admins are the backbone of the server, from lore planning, translations, roleplay, builds, devs, art, clips and art gathering, designs...

Without them, the QSMP literally wouldn't be able to function.

That's the number of french admins on the mc server. There's only one left now.

Let's remember how the french ccs kept getting forgotten about. And now, let's realize that Lea said that multiple times, they had to quickly add stuff about the french because the others had forgotten.

It happened often enough to be noticed by the viewers.

It happened even more behind the scenes.

To say that i feel sick is an understatement.

Pay your artists.

Pay your employees.

Not allowing them to speak to each other only reveals how wrong you know you are: if there was nothing to hide, you wouldn't be scared to let them talk.

(oh and also: not allowing ANONYMOUS people to express themselves about ABUSERS? That's fucked. Support Shelby and all the victims, always.)

#and this is in NO way sending hate to Quackity #it isn't confirmed yet whether he was aware of these issues or not so i won't form an opinion yet #the admins are amazing and i'm genuinely baffled to see that their work goes unpaid #and unrecognized #qsmp #qsmp neg #twitter neg #neg #tw swearing

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txttletale · 11 months

Note

Hi Im a begginer marxist. I've read a few of his books and agree with his points, but there's something I don't quite understand yet as he hasn't addressed it all that much in the ones I've read so far which is: why do communists support wage equality? Although I definitely agree that every worker deserves the full product of ther labor, don't different jobs produce diferent amounts of value in the same period of time? And with supply and demand, wouldn't more necessary jobs still be paid more?

so the answer to this one is kinda just 'they don't, really'. communists are generally (in principle) opposed to the wage-form entirely. the marxist definition of a wage is 'the price of the commodity called labour-power'. that is:

Their commodity, labour-power, the workers exchange for the commodity of the capitalist, for money, and, moreover, this exchange takes place at a certain ratio. [...] The exchange value of a commodity estimated in money is called its price. Wages therefore are only a special name for the price of labour-power.

— Karl Marx, Wage Labour & Capital

alright, let's back up a bit. what does any of that mean? well, labour-power is a marxist concept that distinguishes 'labour' (that is, work, which is qualitative--work is done for a particular purpose, you labour to achieve something) vs. labour-power (that is, potential labour which is sold and therefore quantified--enumerated in hours or in finished products, the purpose of which is to receive compensation). unlike labour, labour-power is a commodity--which is to say, as well as a use value (it fulfils some kind of need or desire) it has an exchange value (it is exchanged for other commodities).

so 'wages' are the price of labour-power. what exists here to 'oppose', exactly? well, it's the very act of buying and selling labour-power, because labour-power is worth more than its price! that is, unlike every other sort of commodity, it is productive--when you purchase labour-power, that labour-power generates for you more value than you paid for it (e.g., when a starbucks barista is paid $10 an hour for a five-hour shift, they produce far more than $50 in profit by making and selling coffee). this is the fundamental economic engine of capitalist exploitation

however, the answer to this exploitation is not so much that 'workers deserve the full product of their labour', as you put it. one of the fundamental injustices of capitalism is that for the eight hours (or more!) of the day that one spends labouring, you have no control over your life or your work. you are selling this time of your life to somebody else--they have quite literally bought these hours from you. you are not spending them doing what you are doing, but spending them making money so that you can survive--you're alienated from the actual actions you take and product you produce, which become fungible and irrelevant.

in a communist (i.e. classless society), this sale of labour would no longer take place. you would not work to make money (that is, at a price, which is to say, for a wage)--your life would be your own and you would work to accomplish that which you are working towards. builders would not build houses so that they could get paid, but so that there would be houses for people to live in.

"alright, but that's pretty far-off, right?" yep! the abolition of the wage is not by any means a short-term or immediate goal. so do revolutionary socialist states in a transitional economy support total wage equality? nope. and it's not because of any bourgeois guff about some jobs being 'more important' than others--it's certainly not because of 'supply and demand', which is not a natural law but simply a law of the functioning of a labour market.

to understand why not every job would be compensated equally under socialism, let's take a look at how prices emerge. sure, every commodity's price is influenced by supply and demand. the more people are competing to buy it, the more necessary it is that each buyer outbids the others and so the higher the price. likewise, the more people are competing to sell it, the more necessary it is that each seller finds a means of of undercutting the other and so the lower the price.

but hold on--higher in relation to what? lower in relation to what? if supply & demand led to a potato costing $600, you'd probably say 'that's a fucking ridiculously high price for a potato'--but why? 'high' and 'low' are relative terms--supply and demand can drive prices 'up' or 'down' but they must be driven 'from' something. and that's simple--the basic price of a commodity is the cost of producing it. you expect a potato to be significantly less than $600 because it costs significantly less than that to grow one (1) potato.

what does that mean for wages (remember, they're just the price of labour-power)? the cost of producing labour-power (the potential to work) is, to be blunt, the cost of keeping the worker in question alive, able to have and raise children, and in a condition to work. now that last point is quite important--because there are some jobs that can be done by anybody with a warm body, and there are others that can only be done with years and years of training. you can get anyone off the street and get them to wait tables, even if they'll obviously not be as good as somebody who's done the job for a long time. you can't do the same with nuclear physicists or plumbers.

so--even in absence of the capitalist labour market (the competition betwen employers to buy labour and the competition between workers to sell it) the cost of producing labour-power is going to vary across jobs. it costs more to produce an hour of a doctor's labour than it does a waiter's, not because the doctor is more worthy or important a profession, but because that hour of labour is prefigured by years of medical school.

tldr: under communism, there will be no wages. under socialism, wages will vary according to their cost of production (and not according to prestige, or supply and demand) so long as some sort of exchange-economy is still maintained.

#ask #marxism

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cloudwhisper23 · 11 days

Text

Say hello to the draft that I was working on but will now be reworking bc it's supposed to fit the prompt "Meet-cute" but cannot bc reasons

(This is a Grumbo fic btw)

Mumbo would never admit to himself that he was addicted to the cookies from the shop down the road. Even after friends constantly teased him about how much he went to the shop specifically to buy chocolate chip cookies from the same shop, he refused to admit it. Even after the owner knew him well and didn’t even have to ask his order or tell him the price for the cookies, Mumbo did not claim to be addicted to the cookies.

But then, the shop closed. Mumbo was suddenly without cookies as the store owner moved away for the sake of family. Mumbo couldn’t be mad about that. He did however, have a problem now.

On more than one occasion, Mumbo tried to bake cookies. Really, he became quite good at it. It was all about taking things in measure, just like the redstone he did for his work. But they just weren’t the same as the cookies from the old shop.

Naturally, when he received his next commission, he was more than a little distracted. He needed to get his mind off the disappointment and need for those cookies, so he accepted the deal without thinking.

Now, looking at what it entailed, Mumbo was more than a little nervous. It was a building project, and he’d need to work closely with a builder. Grian.

Mumbo had heard of the builder before. The man was good, finding ways to make any build even more magnificent by adjusting a few small details on the outside. It should have been an honor to work with him.

But Grian didn’t care for redstone. He broke it deliberately wherever he went, or so people said. All clues pointed to Grian hating redstone even, considering it worthless.

Mumbo fiddled with his pen. Even if Grian didn’t want to work with a redstoner, he was unfortunately stuck with Mumbo. Even if Mumbo dreaded meeting the man, he still had to meet up with Grian in order to organize the space to fit all the requirements for both of them to get paid.

This was going to end poorly.

Grian was running late. He had to meet up with the redstone guy in less than an hour, but he needed to pick up the cookies for the build-swap competition later, so he ran to Scar’s bakery first. The poor man tried to strike up a conversation with Grian, who gritted his teeth as he paid and practically ran out of there.

Just to run into a well-dressed man on the street. Who happened to be carrying a thermos of tea with the lid off.

“Oh, I am so sorry,” Grian said as the man set the thermos on the ground to shed his drenched suit jacket.

“Just a bit of misfortune, mate. I doubt you meant it.” The man sighed. “It is just my luck though.”

“Can I pay you back somehow? Help you out?”

“Nah. I just needed to make a good first impression, but that’s out the window now.”

“Sorry…”

“Nothing can be done about it, I’m afraid.” The man shot him a weary smile.

“Can I offer you a cookie?” Grian asked weakly, hoping to somehow salvage the encounter a little bit.

The man’s mustache twitched slightly, and Grian had to hide a small smile. He was a very attractive man, even if he thought he was suddenly underdressed. “I suppose I could take a cookie…”

The man chewed slowly, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. “Hm. Where did you get these?”

“…Goodtimes Baked Goods,” Grian replied. He still wasn’t quite sure what to make of the man.

He nodded to himself. “Well, I appreciate the cookie. I must be on my way now. Goodbye, erm…”

“Grian.”

“Gr… Grian?” The man stumbled over his words. “Goodness me! Well, this is certainly awkward.”

Grian blinked. “Awkward?”

“Yes, well, you see, my name is, erm. I’m Mumbo Jumbo.”

Grian stared. This was the guy he was supposed to be collaborating with? Well, there were worse things, he supposed. “So you do redstone.”

“Yeah.” Mumbo Jumbo scratched his neck sheepishly. “And you’re a builder.”

“We’re meant to be meeting up in 20 minutes.”

“Yeah.”

#cloud writes #I'll fix it #trying to complete all the March prompts so I can throw it together for an Ao3 fic #grumbo #waffle duo #unfinished draft

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fenharel-enaste · 1 year

Text

My captain || Elendil x fem!Reader

Rating: +18 (smut)

Summary: Elendil catches you doing inappropriate things in his bed and now you're in trouble...

Warnings: Plot what plot, Soft Dom!Elendil, unprotected sex (don't do this pls), p in v sex, masturbation, oral sex, dirty talk, light choking, Elendil being a tease, reader has a voice and praise kink. Let me know if I left anything out :)

Word count: 5k

It’s also on AO3!

You say goodbye to Eärien, who hurries out the door with a big smile on her face. You had been her instructor for the past year, helping her prepare her project to join the Builder's Guild as an apprentice. And her efforts had finally paid off. You received the news that she’d been accepted that morning when you arrived at her house to give your regular classes. Your chest is filled with pride, she’s a brilliant student and truly deserving of her new position. However, as you are left alone in the room, you feel a certain uneasiness. Despite your joy for her, you can't help but think of Elendil, her father.

You were speechless the first time you saw him. A tall, handsome man dressed in the uniform of the Sea Guard, with eyes as blue as the ocean and a deep baritone voice that made you shiver every time you heard it. If he happened to be at home when you were finished with Eärien, he used to invite you to spend some more time there and have a drink in his company. And you always gladly accepted. As the days went by, you realised that you were always looking forward to going to his house in the hope of seeing him there. But now that you won't have any more sessions with his daughter, you don't think it is likely that you’ll see him anytime soon. And you wouldn't dare asking to see him again without an excuse.

You wander around the house for a while, sadly reminiscing about those mornings with Elendil, and you realise that you’ve unconsciously reached his bedroom door; it was open. You stare at it. You had only come in from time to time to let him know you were done for the day, if he was at home. He was usually at his desk, reading and filling in that morning's reports. He looked so attractive, working so intently, his calloused hands holding his pen as he runs his piercing eyes over his books. But the room is empty that day. Your gaze then moves to his bed and, before you know it, you're imagining him sleeping right there with his torso exposed...and....

You blush and try to push your thoughts away. It would be better if you just stopped having them for good. It’d probably be less painful in the long run. However, you can sense his smell in the room, a soft scent of the sea that you can never quite get out of your head. Without being able to control it, the previous image in your mind transforms into that of the captain above you, both of you completely naked on that bed and you receiving his thrusts as he kisses you hungrily.

A faint moan escapes your lips at the thought and you begin to feel wetness between your legs and heat in your belly. It's not like you hadn’t experienced it before, you definitely had; sometimes even in front of him. And you were forced to hide your arousal until you were safe in the privacy of your room back home, where you gave free rein to your imagination until you extinguished the heat in your core.

There was no one else in that house at the moment, though. Elendil and Isildur didn’t usually come back until a few hours later, and Eärien had just left to her first meeting with the Guild. You could take the risk. You could satisfy your desire right there; it would be quick. You don't need much time, that’s for sure.

Just this time, you think. It’s be the last time you’ll be there anyway.

Without wasting precious time, you lie down on the captain's bed. Your arousal is increased by the thought of where you were lying and what you were about to do. You hastily lift up your dress and slip your hand under your already wet underwear. And you begin to sigh and moan as you gently caress your clit. You imagine him with his head between your legs, his facial hair rough against your thighs and sex. His hands tightly gripping your thighs and holding them still as he sucks on your clit, circling it with his warm tongue and slipping it between your wet folds. You’re so immersed in your fantasy, that you don't notice the of the volume of your groans increasing.

“Oh fuck, my lord... please, fuck me...”

You know you’re close, as you feel your climax approaching. But your movements are suddenly interrupted when you hear someone clearing their throat. And you know exactly who it is.

Oh no.

You don't dare open your eyes or move, or even breathe. Several seconds pass, but they feel like agonizing hours, until you dare to open your eyes. And there he is, Elendil looking down at his feet with a blushed face.

“Oh stars!” you rush to stand up immediately, jumping out of the bed as if your life was at stake. "Forgive me, my lord. I- I don't know what I was thinking, I'm truly sorry!” you implore him, adjusting your dress with a burning face and unable to look at him. Elendil closes the door and walks over to his desk slowly to lean on it with his arms crossed. He then finally rises his gaze.

“I think you do know what you were doing, actually, my lady,” he answers, staring at her intensely. "You seemed to be enjoying yourself...quite vocally I’m afraid."

You had prayed that he hadn’t heard. And your prayers had definitely not been answered. Shit, you are so ashamed. “Forgive me, sir, that was extremely stupid and inappropriate, I should not-” You dare to look up at him for the first time and you notice he’s smirking slightly - he wasn't angry? He looked as if he found the situation amusing even. You stare at him, not understanding at all his reaction.

“Come here,” he says with that sweet smile still on his face. You hesitate at first, but you take a deep breath and move slowly towards the desk until stand in front of him. Valar, he's so tall... You can't help but look down timidly, he’s too close and you feel embarrassingly intimidated by the depth of his blue eyes. But he tells you to look at him, and you finally do it timidly. Elendil moves even closer to you, and you feel your legs weaken as he gently lifts your chin with one hand and caresses your cheek with the other.

“Look at you... I should have known that little game of yours calling me your captain was hiding something else,” he mutters with that deep voice of his. It’s true, you’ve been “jokingly” calling him that for a while now, hiding the fact that, if it were up to you, you’d do anything he asked of you. So you hid your wettest fantasy behind an innocent joke.

You can't take your eyes off his, and you catch a glimpse of him glancing briefly at your lips. For the-, is he going to...? Your heart is pounding so hard you feel it could burst out of your chest at any moment. Then the captain slowly brings his lips to yours and kisses them softly. You feel your cheeks burning as you brush his lips. After several chaste kisses, he holds your face with both hands and begins to intensify his kiss, his tongue brushing your lips, which you instinctively open, welcoming it in. You caress his tongue with yours and you feel your head spinning. He tastes even better than you could have ever imagined, and you still can't believe that what's happening was real.

You have to put your hands on his chest and hold on to him so you don't fall. He notices that you still feel a little insecure, so he interrupts the kiss to look into your eyes.

“Are you alright?” he asks you with concern.

“No... I mean, yes! It’s just...” You don't know how to explain that you've been dreaming of him kissing you like that from the very first moment you saw him. How you've suffered in silence thinking you could never be reciprocated. Someone like him could have any woman he wanted and it was stupid to think he'd ever notice you. And yet here he is. His lips inches from yours, looking at you like no one has ever looked at you before and brushing a strand of hair away from your face. Your skin prickled as he tucked it behind your ear.

You wanted him...

“I need you,” you whisper, plucking up your courage. Elendil then gives you a breathtaking smile and kisses you once again, this time more intensely than before. You kiss him back, and now it is you who slips your tongue into the captain's mouth, which catches him by surprise and you hear him let out a soft moan that goes straight to your belly.

Elendil lowers his hands to the back of your thighs and lifts you off the floor without any difficulty. He sits you on his desk and lifts your dress up to your hips so he can stand between your legs. He pulls his lips away from yours and proceeds to trace a line of kisses from your mouth, down your jaw, to your neck, where he stops to bite and suck on your skin as he lifts a hand to caress one of your breasts over your dress.

You are at his mercy and all you can do is clutch at his strong arms, breathing heavily and moving your hips towards him involuntarily. Noticing this, the captain reaches to the back of your waist and pulls you tight against him, so that you can feel his cock harden at the contact.

"Eager, aren't we?" he says almost in a whisper against your mouth just before he bites your lower lip.

"Oh fuck..." That rubbing against you brings you to your breaking point, you need to feel him.

This time, it is you who breaks the kiss to remove the top of his clothes, for which you have some difficulty, as he's wearing more layers than you thought. After amusing himself by letting you get frustrated and suffer a little, Elendil laughs sweetly and helps you remove what’s left of it. You should feel insulted by his little jibe, but the sound of his beautiful laughter touches your heart and you can't help but laugh with him.

Your heart skips a beat as you admire the man before you. He looked like he was made by the Valar themselves. You can't resist caressing and kissing his chest, leaving a trail of little bites in your wake. Meanwhile, Elendil undoes your dress and slides it over your shoulders until it falls to your waist. He pauses momentarily to admire your now bare body and makes a lustful sound somewhere between a sigh and a growl. He slightly lifts you from the table to remove your dress completely and tosses it to the floor. He does the same with your already soaked underwear. You can feel him becoming less and less gentle with his movements, more impatient, which increases the wetness between your legs.

Now you find yourself completely naked before him. You can feel his hands all over you. Warm, strong, rough hands running down your body as he hungrily kisses your mouth. One hand moves lower and lower, and your heart races with anticipation. He starts by caressing and gripping your inner thighs, and then slowly moves his hand back up, until he places it right where he found yours moments before, pleasuring yourself. You blush, feeling vulnerable in the presence of your captain gently stroking your clit in circles.

“You didn’t seem so shy before, begging me to fuck you...” he teases in your ear. You start moaning with the movements of his dexterous fingers on your most sensitive area.

“Sir...please, my lord...” you beg him.

“That’s it, tell me what you want,” Elendil orders without letting you look away from his eyes.

“I want to please you, sir. I-I need to touch you.” He almost melts at your pleading words.

“Stars, you’re such a good girl, you want to please your captain?” he asks as he continues to rub you mercilessly, bringing one finger to your entrance and teasing you with it.

“Yes! Please, please, please, I’m begging you!” Tears of pleasure begin to form in your eyes.

“Yes, what?” he asks with his authoritative, stern voice as he grabs you by your hair and pulls, forcing you to look up at him.

“Yes, sir.”

Elendil pulls away from you and you see him bringing his hands to his trousers and untying them. You unconsciously stop breathing when he releases his member. You feel your heart race with anticipation and you unconsciously rub your thighs together to feel the friction that you need. You admire his perfect body, now completely naked, as Elendil makes his way to the desk chair. You drool over the line of body hair that runs from his navel down to... you notice that Elendil is staring at you with a smirk on his face, clearly amused by your reaction, as if he could read your sinful thoughts.

"Come here, sweetheart," the captain says as he sits down and spreads his legs to make room for you. You get down from the table and kneel nervously between his legs. He then leans forward and, stroking your cheek, kisses you tenderly once more and whispers soothing words inches from your lips. He keeps his hand on your face as he leans back and brings his other hand to his length. You watch him massaging it slowly, letting out a soft sigh of pleasure. It is surely the most erotic image you’ve ever seen. His closed eyes, his furrowed brow, his chest heaving with his deep breaths and his cock in his hand as he slowly moves it up and down. It is large... and you can also see some veins marked on it and precum beginning to come out of it. You lick your lips at the sight. The need to have him in your mouth increases by the second.

Elendil slides his hand from your cheek down to your chin, brushing your lower lip with his thumb. Instinctively, you open your lips to lick it briefly, and he slips it into your mouth. You moan in response and suck on it, running your tongue along it as you stare lustfully into his eyes. The wetness of your mouth and your intense gaze make Elendil groan. He takes his thumb out of your mouth with a pop and bring his hand to your hair to grab it and pull it gently as he guides your head towards his cock.

You stop yourself inches away from his cock and take it in your hand. You rub it at a slow rhythm for a few seconds, like you've seen him do before, and bring your mouth closer to run your tongue over the tip, which makes him let out a moan as his cock twitches. You then suck hard on his tip and then you repeat this by taking his cock further into your mouth. You repeat the process again and again, slowly, running your tongue over it as you suck it hard, taking it closer and closer to the end of your throat. He tastes even better than you had secretly imagined too many times.

Elendil grips your hair even tighter and helps you keep up the rhythm, making you bob your head faster and faster. “That’s it, love, you’re doing it very well. Making me feel so good.” He thinks you’re ready now. Suddenly, without taking his cock out of your mouth, the captain stands up and cups your face with his free hand.

"Stick out your tongue as far as you can." He orders, and you obey without a second thought. He holds your head in both hands and, without warning, begins to move his hips against your mouth over and over again, at a pace far faster than you could possibly keep up with.

"Such an obedient girl, you like following my orders, don't you?" You try to answer him, but his cock is deep in your throat and you find it impossible to form words; all that comes out of you are incoherent sounds. You choke on his cock several times until tears begin to form in your eyes. But he continues his brutal assault, fucking your throat and filling the room with unholy sounds. You start to feel your fluids sliding down your thighs. Being at his mercy, watching your captain use you in this way, turns you on more than any fantasy you've ever had.

"I asked you a question..." he says holding his cock deep in your throat for a few seconds, cutting off your breath. "Do you like following my orders?" he repeats in an authoritative tone and pulls his cock completely out of your mouth to allow you to speak.

"Yes, my lord. I'm yours. I'll do anything you wish me to," you reply almost breathlessly. Seeing from above that face with flushed cheeks and lips and tears streaming from eyes full of pleading and desperation pushes Elendil over the edge.

"Stand up," he commands. And when you're standing before him, Elendil gestures towards the bed. "On all fours." You feel a tightness in your abdomen in anticipation of what's going to happen next. You crawl onto the bed and hold the position you've been told. A few seconds later, you feel Elendil position himself behind you, running his warm hands over your waist and hips, squeezing your buttock with one hand as he strokes your soaking wet folds with the other. He slides two fingers into you without any difficulty and feels your walls clenching him when he begins to move his digits.

"I was meaning to prepare you a little more for me but.... I see you're desperate enough for my cock already." He smiles to himself. You start moaning at his touch and have to struggle to keep yourself from collapsing onto the mattress.

"Let's resume what you were doing when I found you before... fingers deep inside you..." he emphasizes this by pushing his fingers even deeper and caressing your sweet spot. "And what was that you were saying?" You can barely think or remember anything at this point. You can only moan as you feel his calloused fingers teasing you and your fluids dripping down your thighs, probably reaching the mattress. Suddenly, you hear a loud smack accompanied by a stinging pain in your right buttock, which leaves the area still burning for a few seconds afterwards.

“Answer me!” There it is again. That stern, demanding voice that makes your legs weaken. His fingers begin to punish your pussy even more severely.

Please... That’s the only thought on your mind.

“Please, please, my lord, I’m begging you, I-I need your cock, pleaaaase!” you say with tears of desperation in your eyes. Elendil seems satisfied with your response, as he pulls his fingers out of you and you soon feel the tip of his cock teasing your entrance for a few seconds before feeling it finally pushing in, slowly. All at once. All the way in. It is... thick, but your already soaking wet walls allow it to slide in more easily. You feel so full of that man you have to restrain yourself from moaning too loudly.

Your pussy feels so warm, wet and tight, Elendil lets out a deep sigh of pleasure and begins to move his hips, slowly at first, letting you get used to him. However, not even a minute has passed when his movements begin to build momentum until his hips are slapping hard against you and his hands gripping you tightly.

His cock feels too good inside you and it's a crime you can't watch him fucking you from that position. You turn your head to look back and get a better view, but he grabs your arms and pulls you towards him before you can do so, pressing your back against his chest and bringing his right hand to your neck to gently pull your head towards his. The captain's lips are now mere inches from your ear and you can feel his breath against it, giving you goosebumps all over your body. His other hand caresses your breasts, squeezing them gently, and he plays with your already erect, sensitive nipples, running his fingers over them and tugging gently. His touch makes you throw your head back and rest it on Elendil's shoulder. You gasp in pleasure as he continues ramming you with his cock.

His right hand then squeezes your neck, not hard enough to completely cut off your breath, but enough to let you know who’s in charge of the situation.

“This is what you wanted, didn’t you? All this time you’ve been so desperate for me to fill you with my cock that you couldn’t help but pleasuring yourself in your captain’s bed,” he mutters in your ear. That voice and those words made your clit throb, making you move your hips against his cock to join in his movements. He gives a final tug on your nipples and moves his hand down to your pussy to massage your swollen clit at a frantic pace.

“That was extremely inappropriate, my lady. Maybe I should punish you keeping you here for me to use whenever I please. But I suspect that’s something you would want, am I wrong?”

You whimper at his words. You can only think of the heat building up in your belly. You are so close. Elendil squeezes your neck even tighter. “Am. I. Wrong?” he repeats, pulling you closer against him.

“No! No, my lord, I- let me serve you, please. I only want to please you.” Any shyness you may have felt before vanishes and your soft whimpers turn into loud moans.

His authoritative deep voice in your ear, his dirty words, his hands on your neck and clit and his cock pounding your sweet spot over and over again is too much to bear. The pent-up pressure in your belly is finally released and intense waves of pleasure ripple through your body as his cock continues to assault your pussy mercilessly, further lengthening your orgasm. Your cries fill the room and it feels like it would never end. After who knows how long, your orgasm fades gradually as Elendil's thrusting slows down.

You feel numb after your orgasm and shivers run through your sensitive body as you feel Elendil's beard brush across your neck, peppering kisses all the way down to your shoulder.

"You did it very well, princess." he whispers in your ear. He lifts your body to release his member and helps you roll over to lie on your back.

You reach up to caress his face, but he takes your hands in his and places them above your head. "We have not finished yet, love," he says with a smirk on his face, almost brushing your lips, and kisses you as he positions himself between your legs and enters you once again. The fluids from your previous orgasm allow him to reach deep inside you effortlessly. You moan into his mouth as he fills you again, and you kiss him deeply in return. You could never get enough of his taste and scent.

The moment you feel Elendil's hand release yours, you wrap them around his body, one caressing and gripping on his back, feeling him flex his muscles, as you gently grasp his hair with the other, pulling him closer to you in a plea to keep his mouth on yours. So you groan in frustration when he pulls away from you. But that frustration is replaced by anticipation as you watch him lift your legs and position them so that they are bent against his torso and he leans forward, pushing your legs until your knees are almost touching your shoulders.

He then resumes the rocking of his hips and, with this new angle, you feel him reach even deeper and rub even more intensely your already over-stimulated spot. Even with the first thrusts, you can’t help but moaning loudly, making clear your enjoyment of the new position. "There it is. That's where you need it don't you?" Elendil smiles to himself thinking about how bad he's going to wreck you. With no warning, he quickens the pace of his movements and begins to brutally ram into you.

You already know the sight of the captain fucking you relentlessly, with his lust-filled gaze locked on yours and beads of sweat running down his body would be something impossible to forget. You feel your second orgasm rapidly approaching, and all you can think about is his cock mercilessly rubbing your most sensitive spot once more. The room is filled with wet slapping sounds of his hips and balls against you, accompanied by your desperate cries.

Elendil feels your walls clenching around him. "That's it, sweetheart, give me another one," he encourages in that baritone voice of his as he brings a hand to your belly and presses lightly, making his cock rub even harder against your front wall.

And that was it for you.

Your climax arrives more abruptly and violently than the last one. You cling tightly to the captain's arms as you ride your orgasm for what seems like an eternity. Elendil is relentless with his pounding, pushing you past any pleasure you’ve felt before. And it's not until the last waves of pleasure fade away that you notice the tears streaming down your face, it was undoubtedly the most powerful orgasm you've ever had.

Elendil smiles proudly at the mess he's made of you. "That's my good girl. Taking my orders so obediently.” He can feel your legs trembling. The image of your lovely flushed face, your eyes watering with pleasure, your messy hair. He’s very, very close. "Do you want me to cum, princess?"

Fuck, yes. You need to be filled with him. Immediately.

"Yes! Yes, please!" You plead with what little strength you have left after your intense orgasm.

"Tell me where," he says almost in a whisper.

"Inside me, please. I'm yours to use, my lord." His cock is throbbing at that point as he keeps fucking your pussy and his movements begin to become more erratic. Not many seconds have passed before he reaches his breaking point and lets out several deep groans. His jerky thrusts grow sloppier, but they remain strong and deep as he spills his cum deep inside you. Fuck, the sounds he was making as he came are music to your ears.

Once his orgasm fades, he smiles contentedly, releases your legs from his torso so that you can rest them on either side of his waist, and leans over you to tenderly kiss your flushed cheeks and lips. It is then that he realises that you are trembling.

"Are you alright? Was I too hard?" he asks looking at you with concern in his eyes.

"No! It’s been... wow." How could you find the words to tell a man like that that he's given you the best fucking of your life? "It's been perfect, I assure you," you say with a wide, satisfied smile. He smiles back at you and lovingly brushes your nose with his. He then withdraws his member from you carefully and lifts you up to help you clean yourself.

Elendil lies down on the bed and puts his arms around you, letting you rest your head on him. You lie like that for a while, silently enjoying each other's company. He runs his fingers through your hair and you bury your face in his neck, enjoying his scent as you caress his beard with your hand.

"Truth to be said, I'm relieved, actually," Elendil confesses after a few minutes. You look up and find his deep blue eyes staring at you sweetly. You feel your heart skip a beat. You still can't believe you were in bed with him... nor what you had done just minutes before.

“Why?” you ask unable to take your eyes off his.

“I wouldn’t dare to make an approach to you. I know you love your job and have grown fond of my daughter. And I was afraid I might accidentally take advantage of you. I did not want you to fear for your position. Or worse, for yourself, because of me”.

“Well, I wouldn’t mind if you took advantage, actually,” you blurt out of nowhere and blush at the realization of what you’ve just said. He looks at you with an expression of both confusion and amusement on his face.

"I mean..." you sigh deeply, steeling yourself for what you are about to say. "What I said earlier... that I enjoyed following your orders. I meant it.” Elendil laughs softly and you can sense some lust back in his eyes.

“In that case...” he says with a smirk. “You did well with Eärien. Maybe you should instruct Isildur now. My troublesome boy surely could get use of your lessons. Then, you’d have to come very often.” You giggle at his words. And then reality suddenly hits you.

“Speaking of them... I think I should leave now. They could come back at any moment and I don’t really want to know how they’d react if they see me like this... with their father,” you say as you sit up, looking for your clothes on the floor.

“Oh, do not worry about that,” he responds pulling you back down beside him. “You know Eärien has her first meeting with the Guild today and Isildur... he’s with those friends of his and I know him well enough to know that he won’t be here any time soon. Besides...” He takes your face in his hand and caresses your lips with his thumb. “I have yet to see how you ride your captain.”

All concern disappears immediately at his words and you can’t help but giggling. "Of course, my captain." And you kiss him deeply with a smile on your face.

#elendil x reader #elendil #elendil fanfic #elendilf #the rings of power #elendil smut #x reader

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askagamedev · 11 months

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You mentioned before that most game writers are full-time salaried employees. What conditions allow developers to hire game writers full-time as opposed to film companies?

I believe that, historically, it's probably because of where the two industries came from. Hollywood workers (actors, directors, writers, camera operators, set builders, costumers, etc.) have a long history of having union contracts with studios to work and get paid on a per-project basis likely since that's how business was done via the film industry's ancestor, the theater. They've been doing per-project work for over a hundred years and that's become the norm. Game development evolved from software development, which has existed without a strong union presence or a per-project basis. This pushed the software companies to hire their workers full-time and provide them benefits and perks as a means of attracting and retaining them. Industry overall pay structures are quite different from each other.

This is, of course, my own conjecture. I am no labor historian, so I wouldn't be able to say definitively or point to any primary sources.

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#film vs games #gaming history #working in the game industry #compensation

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dragonsfromthemoon · 2 years

Text

Jon Snow’s tax policy

But Tolkien doesn’t ask the question: What was Aragorn’s tax policy? Did he maintain a standing army? What did he do in times of flood and famine? — GRRM. [Source]

In light of George R. R. Martin’s questions, I would like to analyse and discuss how he works out the theme of rulership and tax policy on his own work. For that, I will focus on Jon Snow as Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch.

Stannis snorted. "You spend your words as if every one were a golden dragon. I wonder, how much gold do you have laid by?" "Gold?" Are those the dragons the red woman means to wake? Dragons made of gold? "Such taxes as we collect are paid in kind, Your Grace. The Watch is rich in turnips but poor in coin." (Jon I, ADWD)

Here we have Jon introducing the tax policy practiced by the Night’s Watch to Stannis Baratheon. It is one that takes inconsideration the resources of the institution: they are rich in turnips, but not in coin.

A quick research on Google explains with a little more detail the tax paid-in-kind.

Given what the the Night’s Watch has available, it makes sense to adopt this kind of tax policy. However, the tax-in-kind is not sustainable in the long term for a few factors: 1. The Night’s Watch is hosting Stannis Baratheon and his men. It comes to a great cost, because these men demand resources (food, proper clothing, weapons).

"Your Grace," said Jon, with chilly courtesy, "I have housed your men and fed them, at dire cost to our winter stores. I have clothed them so they would not freeze."Stannis was not appeased. "Aye, you've shared your salt pork and porridge, and you've thrown us some black rags to keep us warm. Rags the wildlings would have taken off your corpses if I had not come north." Jon ignored that. "I have given you fodder for your horses, and once the stair is done I will lend you builders to restore the Nightfort. I have even agreed to allow you to settle wildlings on the Gift, which was given to the Night's Watch in perpetuity." (Jon I, ADWD)

2. The Night’s Watch has structural issues: buildings that demand repair. This all require gold and manpower to fix.

My command, Jon Snow reflected ruefully, as much a ruin as it is a stronghold. The Lord Commander's Tower was a shell, the Common Hall a pile of blackened timbers, and Hardin's Tower looked as if the next gust of wind would knock it over … though it had looked that way for years. (Jon I, ADWD)

"We have ceded you the Nightfort." "Rats and ruins. It is a niggard's gift that costs the giver nothing. Your own man Yarwyck says it will be half a year before the castle can be made fit for habitation." "The other forts are no better." "I know that. It makes no matter. They are all we have. There are nineteen forts along the Wall, and you have men in only three of them. I mean to have every one of them garrisoned again before the year is out." (Jon I, ADWD)

The men of the Night's Watch were brave enough, but they were far too few for the task that confronted them. (Jon II, ADWD)

Glass, Jon mused, might be of use here. Castle Black needs its own glass gardens, like the ones at Winterfell. We could grow vegetables even in the deep of winter. The best glass came from Myr, but a good clear pane was worth its weight in spice, and green and yellow glass would not work as well. What we need is gold. With enough coin, we could buy 'prentice glassblowers and glaziers in Myr, bring them north, offer them their freedom for teaching their art to some of our recruits. That would be the way to go about it. If we had the gold. Which we do not. (Jon VII, ADWD)

3. Jon has allowed the Free Folk to cross the Wall and has been trying to integrate them. As such, now the Free Folk is also his responsibility. He has to keep them clothed, fed and sheltered. This also demands more coin and resources.

4. As the hard winter approach with the threat of the Others, food has become scarce in the Night’s Watch. One solution to try remedy that is buying more food. Once again, though, that requires coin.

Jon had just been thinking that all the meat in the world surrounded them. You know nothing, Jon Snow. "How so? This seems a deal of food to me." "It was a long summer. The harvests were bountiful, the lords generous. We had enough laid by to see us through three years of winter. Four, with a bit of scrimping. Now, though, if we must go on feeding all these king's men and queen's men and wildlings … Mole's Town alone has a thousand useless mouths, and still they come. Three more turned up yesterday at the gates, a dozen the day before. It cannot go on. Settling them on the Gift, that's well and good, but it is too late to plant crops. We'll be down to turnips and pease porridge before the year is out. After that we'll be drinking the blood of our own horses." (Jon IV, ADWD)

"If we had sufficient coin, we could buy food from the south and bring it in by ship," the Lord Steward said. We could, thought Jon, if we had the gold, and someone willing to sell us food. Both of those were lacking. Our best hope may be the Eyrie. The Vale of Arryn was famously fertile and had gone untouched during the fighting. Jon wondered how Lady Catelyn's sister would feel about feeding Ned Stark's bastard. As a boy, he often felt as if the lady grudged him every bite. (Jon IV, ADWD)

Given the circumstances and the Night’s Watch dire need for coin, what is Jon’s solution? He approaches Tycho Nestoris, from the Iron Bank of Braavos, and strikes a deal with him. A loan, so he can feed his men until spring.

Tycho bowed his head. "We who serve the Iron Bank face death full as often as you who serve the Iron Throne." Is that whom I serve? Jon Snow was no longer certain. "I can provide you with horses, provisions, guides, whatever is required to get you as far as Deepwood Motte. From there you will need to make your own way to Stannis." And you may well find his head upon a spike. "There will be a price." "Price," screamed Mormont's raven. "Price, price." [...] "We need a loan as well. Gold enough to keep us fed till spring. To buy food and hire ships to bring it to us." "Spring?" Tycho sighed. "It is not possible, my lord." [...] It took the better part of an hour before the impossible became possible, and another hour before they could agree on terms. The flagon of mulled wine that Satin delivered helped them settle the more nettlesome points. By the time Jon Snow signed the parchment the Braavosi drew up, both of them were half-drunk and quite unhappy. Jon thought that a good sign. (Jon IX, ADWD)

Jon then reflects that he would rather have a debt than let his men starve in winter.

Tycho Nestoris had left behind a copy of their agreement. Jon read it over thrice. That was simple, he reflected. Simpler than I dared hope. Simpler than it should have been.It gave him an uneasy feeling. Braavosi coin would allow the Night's Watch to buy food from the south when their own stores ran short, food enough to see them through the winter, however long it might prove to be. A long hard winter will leave the Watch so deep in debt that we will never climb out, Jon reminded himself, but when the choice is debt or death, best borrow. (Jon IX, ADWD)

Jon takes hard decisions. Winter approaches, with all it entails. As Lord Commander, he need to be sensible when allocating the resources availble and defining his priorities. He concludes it is better to have a debt than let the Watch go hungry. That’s how GRRM works out the theme of tax policy and rulership in Jon’s narrative.

#a song of ice and fire #asoiaf #jon snow #canonjonsnow

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echantedtoon · 6 months

Text

Demon Bride Ch11 Interluding

(UPDATE And WARNINGS: For this fic demons can walk in sunlight, although some are nocturnal, and some are actually very sensitive to sunlight, tho not enough to where it'll k.o. them....Except for one demon. Let's see if anyone can guess who that particular demon is. Mentioning of death in this chapter.)

The lonely home sitting in the middle of poverty was woefully empty. Painfully even as the years had passed down. It hadn't been lived in since the fateful day it was built by painful hands by the first builder whom passed away shortly after. Leaving it woefully empty and looming in the town until the fateful hands of one man.

One man whom shall meet a dire and grim fate.

The man was one many would rather not bother. Angry. Kept to himself. And very much not one to be bothered. Many in the village said he was cursed. Others say he was just born with anger. Others just simply thought he'd rather be left alone. Until one day the man met a young woman from the village and fell deeply in love with her. A piece of him he needed and married when she accepted. The man's life turned to one of anger to happiness...

To eventual sorrow.

The man's wife fell ill one day expecting their first born child. No money in this poverty would be enough to get them through this. So the angry man turned from one of anger to one of desperation. And a desperate man was a dangerous man. And a dangerous man would do dangerous things for the ones he loved. The man robbed for his family. Killed for his family. For a medicine they would not need.

In the end the man was put to death for his crimes. Leaving his wife and child behind.

The man's child would grow to follow in his father's sorrowful footsteps. Living in that empty home with the sorrowful mother, until he found his own piece of his missing heart with his own wife, and soon after they too expected their own child. But not everything was as bright as they would like it to be. When his wife fell ill not soon after their child was born. A powerful illness that no cheap medicine would fix. But the son was smarter than his own father. Bargaining with a richer family for money for medicine with the promise to pay them back one day.

Unfortunately misfortune would still follow. Even with the stronger medicines paid for, the wife would give in to her illness, leaving the world behind. Her husband followed her into the afterlife soon after gaining the sickness his wife gained. Leaving the world behind along with their child with the sorrowful mother. Nothing left but pain and misfortune in that lonely house in poverty, raising her grandchild to the best of her old ways. A looming debt demanding to be paid back one way or another less fate drag them down the same unfortunate hole the rest of the family followed.

In turn warnings were giving from on generation to one other. To not seek the same things the previous generations had done.

"Remember, Y/n. You mustn't ever allow yourself to worry about anyone else until you're stable in life. Do not marry. Do not worry about anyone else including myself. Do not worry about anyone else until you are in a place stable enough to do so. Do I make myself clear?"

" But Grandmother, I already take care of you."

"That's because I am old and brittle, but I don't want you to. I'm not in death's grasp yet. You must work hard to pay back what you must fix before you let yourself worry about anyone else. And you must pay it back in a honest and fair way. Do not attempt to cheat your way out, and don't do anything dishonorable to fix it either! It will only bring misfortune and back luck to you as it did your parents."

"And Grandfather?"

"DO NOT MENTION HIM!! DO NOT EVEN SPEAK HIS NAME!! HE STARTED ALL THIS MISFORTUNE IN OUR LIVES AND IT WILL END WITH YOU!! I SHALL NOT HAVE HIM OR HIS NAME AROUND ANYMORE!! HIS FAMILY NAME WILL BE FORGOTTEN AND NEVER SPOKEN AGAIN!!"

"Grandmother...I do not even know our family name. How will I know how to not say it if I don't even know what our family name is?"

"Hmph. It's better that you never know it and have it die with me. ....But just so you know to avoid it in the future, I will tell you it once. Just once. Only this one time. Just so you can avoid it in the future in case someone comes looking for you. But only if you promise to never use that disgraceful name!"

"I promise, Grandmother."

"Alright then. Are family's name is...Or should I say was-"

Ta....ma.....yo-

"Wake up! Miss Y/n, wake up!'' You were jostled awake by a pair of hands shaking you awake and was met with the slightly annoyed face of Eri who frowned at you.

"W-What-" You blinked a bit dazed up at the she-demon who rolled her eyes. "W-What happened? *yawn*"

"I'm finished looking over my lords, so I was sent by Lord Kyogai to assist you again but when I arrived you were fast asleep." A third hand pointed to the bucket of water your leg still sat in. "The water's gone warm, so I'll have to fetch more cold water. Please lift your leg so I can get rid of this."

"Huh?..O-Oh. S-Sorry. I must've fallen asleep waiting for someone to come back.*yyyawwwnn* H-How is everyone?"

"Lord Kaigaku is completely fine. Not a single bruise. And Lord Kyogai will be completely healed by the end of today, so you should not worry about either of them, Mistress." You didn't respond at first just tiredly staring at nothing in particular, making her raise a brow at you. "Miss Y/n? Are you alright?"

"Huh? Oh. Sorry again. Y-Yes. I'm alright. Just had a strange dream."

"What was it about?"

"Just-....an old memory of my grandmother when I was younger."...You shook your head before looking back to her. "But it was just a dream. I'll be fine. Where's Kyogai?"

Taking it as you were too tired right now, Eri went ahead and used two of her hands to carefully lift your numb leg, wincing a bit at the faint pain throbbing from under it. "Oh. Well it sounds like a nice dream then. Sometimes I dream of the times I've spent with my fiancé. Lord Kyogai is overseeing Lord Kaigaku's stay with us at the moment. It'd be best to not bother him at this time however. He seems very irritated at the sudden arrival of Lower Moon Two."

"Oh. I take it that they don't get along well?"

"On the contrary! Lords Kaigaku and Kyogai get along better than most of the other Lords do with each other. Mostly because Lord Kaigaku's often in this area. It's because of that, Lord Kyogai was generous enough to allow him shelter here as well. He is the second most often lord we see around here."

" Oh...So they're not related to each other?"

Eri blinked, bucket in her hands. "I- ..No. Not that I know of. Why do you assume that?"

"Well they have similar features. Like their hair and eyes. And they both have those strange stripe markings on their faces."

She shook her head. "They may share some similarities, but I assure you they're indeed not family. Otherwise Lord Kyogai would've treated him with more kindness." She then turned to the door. "It's getting late in the day. So I'll bring you some dinner before you sleep. You'll be needing the nourishment for your recovery."

"Thanks, Eri." Oh. So that's why you must've been so tired and fell asleep just now. "I mean it. You're very kind to me."

She smiled. "Well you've been a good patient. Can't say I can complain. I'll be back soon. Please wait here one moment."

***************************************************************************************

There was a warmth as steam rose from the pool of lukewarm water. The rich scent of bath salts and flowers floated around his body calming the nerves and relaxing the muscles, although it did not detour his bitterness at the situation he found himself in.

"Stupid humans."

The tiles of the bath room were cooler than the water, almost cold as he sat upon them out and away from the fifthteen foot pool of water. It was a contrast to the wooden walls around the room, painted trees and other nature scenery. heh. Kyogai always was weak for the arts including paintings he guessed. He wouldn't complain about how he wanted to decorate his home, but he did think it was highly unneeded, especially just for a bath. For now he'd allow himself to relax (somewhat-) and rethink over the situation at hand.

He had found the human. That's Good. The human was hurt. That's Bad. The human wouldn't be able to escape him again. That's good. The human was still in here where she didn't belong. That was bad. But he could still right the wrong. That's good.

But now the only question was how he was going to do that. He would already be in trouble regardless. He knew that Kyogai was a perfectionist which was both his strength and downfall. No doubt he would've probably already told one of the higher ups about his mess up, and depending on who it was, his punishment would vary. He wasn't afraid of course because even if Kyogai told one of the Upper Moons, only two out of the six of them would actually give him a harsh punishment and everyone knew it.

Gyutaro and Daki could careless, same with Upper Moons Five, Four, and Two. No. It was Upper Moons Three and One that he was worried about. If it was Akaza, then he could expect a long lecture and forced manual labor until he couldn't feel his fingers anymore, and Akaza would stand right there behind him making sure he did it, and if he didn't, then Akaza would kick his legs from under him and make him do it all over again. He hated Akaza for that. If it was Kokushibo-...A shiver went down his spine. His sensai wouldn't allow him to rest until he thought he worked hard enough and would put him under the most intense training of his life. Kokushibo wasn't known for his kindness if he messed up during forced training. Last time it happened, he could barely feel any of his limbs and slept almost a week straight. And if it was the Master-

Kaigaku stopped. Looking long distantly horrified off at nothing before shivering harder and shaking his head.

He'd rather not think about that right now. He doubted the Master would know, otherwise he would've been punished immediately. The Master doesn't take these things lightly at all. But he could lighten whatever punishment he would get if he fixed it. He'd been thinking on how exactly he'd go about doing that as well. In his mind he had one of two options. The first one was to simply just dump her where she came from. Right outside the Eastern tree line. She can go right back to wherever she came from and he'd be done with her. It'd be the simplest solution really considering she couldn't fight back, but that had a problem with that first plan. Like it or not, she really was unable to walk according to the earful he got from Kyogai's healer scolding him (lightly) for picking up the human when she was obviously hurt and still healing from her dreadful encounter. So if she was kicked back out, she couldn't walk and would most likely get hurt worse or possibly die. He'd be in bigger trouble if he caused a death and news got out, especially to other humans. It'd drive away fresh blood from their lands if humans were afraid they'd be killed. Then how would they get their supply if the humans were too scared to even come near the Master's lands? Even with Douma's wide spread charm bringing them in, it'd be incredibly difficult if they were driven away by fear. So this incident shouldn't get out of hand anymore than it already was. So now he had two options. Either he waited for whoever this 'doctor' Kyogai summoned to heal her and she actually healed to kick her out AND have the possibility of her detouring others from coming by telling them her story...Or...

Or there was the obvious choice.

Douma could easily take her off his hands. Yes. It was a mighty fine solution if he did say so himself. Douma adored surrounding himself in humans. He saw them the same way a human saw a puppy, as pets to entertain himself with. He would be happy to take the human on his hands and add her to his cult. It wasn't the worst option for the human. There was food, water, shelter, and plenty of chores to do to keep her entertained. And Douma would charm her eventually sooner or later. He did that with every human who took refuge in one of the many settlements he runs. He was ....scarily good at running them and taking care of humans. He hated to admit it, but Upper Moon Two was good at what he did. It was why his jobs were so important and why the Master gave him that comfy position despite the fact that he also hated Douma's presence. It wasn't exactly a well known secret at this point that the Master thought of Douma. And he himself disliked Douma as much as the next person, but-...

The human couldn't be let free. Too much was at stake for him. He already realized that by now. The safest bet for everyone would be to deliver her to Douma as soon as she was ready to travel despite what Kyogai thought. He never was a very patient person however, so it would be a challenge. But in the meantime he would worry about doing his job to avoid anymore trouble. At the moment he was busying himself cleaning off his sword. It would need to be cleaned of all that blood and grime from the last two days and then carefully polished to keep it in pristine condition. The cloth he used was gently but firmly glided along the blade showing his reflection as he frowned at it.

"Disgusting pigs."

BUM! BUM! BUM!

He paused. But not because of the sounds of the drums that echoed through the halls, but because of the sudden looming presence behind him, and the reflection of the other demon in his sword's blade. He gave one look to the red and blue eyes narrowed back in the reflection before continuing to clean the long blade without a care in the world.

"Took you long enough. I was starting to wonder when we were going to talk."

"I had some work that needed to be finished. You're sorry ass could wait." Kyogai scoffed behind him and crossed his arms. "And you have the audacity to walk in here without a notice again. I think I was being more than generous for not kicking you out once I caught wind of you! You should be out doing your job instead of stalking a helpless woman! In fact, you shouldn't have let her come in here to begin with! If you had just scared her out none of this would have happened in the first place!"

"You don't think I know that by now!", Kaigaku spat shooting him back an equally dirty look. "I've already heard that twice from you! And I plan on fixing it once she's able to travel! And what are you talking to me about audacity!? I could've been in nude and you barged on in on me!"

"It's MY house. I can go where I please! For your information, you don't need to be bothered with her anymore. I'm going to be taking her off your hands and making sure nothing else goes wrong. So as soon as you recover, get out of my house and do your dam job!!"

"She's mine anyways you know!! She gave me her dow-"

"IT WASN'T A DOWRY!!," he taller demon yelled at him, leaning over to point a hand at his face, "Didn't you hear her explain that!? She came in here by accident and she thought you wanted to be repaid! That's NOT a dowry because she wasn't even sent here as a sacrifice! So stop trying to claim something that's not!"

He scoffed. "And I suppose you know the laws around that?"

"I'm. The. Record Keeper!! I write all the laws as well as all the records and important files the Master sends me! Do you really think I don't know the laws that I wrote down myself!?" Kaigaku shut up and Kyogai hummed with a nod. "That's what I thought, and this is also why I'm taking over care for her."

"AND YOU THINK I CAN'T HANDLE A HUMAN!?"

"Considering that under your 'care', she was both chased down and harmed? YES! And you can't deny she's safer here than if she was traveling with you."

"And what's your plan on taking care of her I wonder?"

"I'm going to stay here until she recovers, and until mating season is over. I'll escort her personally to the edge of the forest. She should be safe after that."

"That sounds like a stupid plan! What if she tells others of what happened!?"

"Where she comes from humans don't even believe we actually exist." That caught Kaigaku by surprise because he blinked. "It would seem humans on the eastern side of the mountain haven't heard from us in so long that they stopped believing in our existence all together. ...Hmm. I should inform my findings to the Master. It would be good to inform him of this."

"Oh yes. And how are you supposed to explain to him how you know that when no one's allowed on that side of the mountain!? You couldn't tell him without getting in trouble for revealing you were harboring a human from that sound of the mountain in your home."

At this Kyogai stared directly at him. "The Master has already been informed of her."

Silence.

He was expecting that of Kaigaku. Because instantly the younger demon's face dropped to a blank stare as he just stared at Kyogai who now smiled lightly. The silence was so thick he could cut it with a knife until he spoke again.

"...You didn't dare-"

"I did."

"When?''

"Two days ago. I needed the Master's permission for Enmu to come here-''

"ENMU!?" AAAAAnndd that horrified look was back. "THE PERVERT WHO STREAKED NUDE ON THE TRAIN ONCE!?"

Kyogai cringed instantly but nodded. "Yes. I do not like it anymore than you or anyone else involved, but he is the only one I know who actually knows human medical treatments. He's agreed to come here and look her over. The Master's already given his permission."

That horrified look never left Kaigaku as he continued to stare at him. Totally. Petrified. Horrified. Chilled to the bone.

"...W-When-"

"He'll be arriving five days from today. Until then I'm having Eri look after her and keeping Miss Y/n safe in here."

"...Y/n?"

"That's her name. Maybe you should use it. It'd be rude to call her 'Human' while she stays with us."

.....His eyes glazed over in terror for a moment. "...I'm so dead."

"Not really. I never told them it was your fault she was here. Only that a lost human ended up hurt on my doorsteps. So you shouldn't be in any harm's way....But consider this going forward, Kaigaku." Kaigaku's flinched and his eyes widened as Kyogai leaned over until their faces were inches apart. A hardened snarl on his features. "If you do anything to jeapordize the safety of anyone here including Y/n because of your stubborn pride, then I will not hesitate to tell the Master exactly why she was harmed in the first place. So I suggest you think about what you do next very carefully. Do I make myself clear to you?"

Kaigaku. Gulped.

"Good boy."

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payenapwof · 9 months

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Reefwings

Please check out the official Instagram

Tail fin traits ▪︎ Coral horns traits ▪︎ Other traits

Physical description

Reefwings are rather small dragons. Most of their scales are quite soft, making their body more vulnerable than other dragons'. They possess stronger scales along the neck, and on their articulations, sometimes in the middle of the tail. They have got a pair of normal wings, and a second pair above, closer to the spine. The second pair is way smaller, they are barely considered wings. They're used for steering while swimming. They have a large fin at the end of the tail which comes in various shapes (See: tail fins traits). They occasionally posess smaller fins on the elbows (See: other traits). Their horns are shaped like coral. They have these horns along the neck as well, and sometimes a few on the tail. They have palmed wings and short claws. Their short canines are very pointy and curvy, so that they can open shells easily with them.

Reefwings can be of any color, but only pastel or pale tones, including white. They can have stains, spots, large stripes. Their eyes are any color.

Physical aptitudes

Reefwings are very fast swimmers. They can not see in the dark, so they avoid deep and dark waters. They are able to emit a sort of clicking, creaky sound, comparable to a dolphin and cricket, that can be heard easily underwater.

They can spit boiling water at their adversary, although this capacity is highly limited in use, as it requires a lot of water. Their throat and esophagus are entirely resistant to the temperature. They enjoy drinking tea that would burn another dragon's entire neck.

They can stay in and out of the water as long as they want, though they prefer to sleep in water, on algae and seaweed litter.

Society

Governement

Reefwings are under a monarchy. The tribe is led by the Queen, currently Queen Catfish, who has absolute power. She has a council with a dragon to represent each of these: culture, food and ressources, military forces. The Queen makes the final decision, but can ask the three dragons to vote for different options.

Princesses challenge the Queen and their sisters and cousins to a swimming race to earn the throne. They can only do so once they are adult. The Queen can also decide to simply step down. The race lasts the whole day, and dragons stop working to feast and partake in games for the duration of the events.

Currency

Reefwings' currency are pearls. They have a huge oyster rearing to provide those. All harvested pearls go to the queen. The pearls are then redistributed to workers accordingly to their job. Doctors earn the most, followed by hunters and builders. Military forces make the least, but food and shelter are provided by the queen.

Jewelry

Reefwings love to make jewelry with seashells and pearls. You can tella dragon is rich if they are wearing several pearl necklaces and jewelry. Most dragons only have seashells, if not nothing.

It is tradition for a reefwing to craft a necklace with a scallop and other various shells, and give it to their partner as a sort of proposal. The other, if they accept, is to craft one in return. Dragons often wear their dead companions' Scallop necklaces as well as theirs.

Towns

Reefwings build houses out of coral, algae and rocks. Their houses are therefore alive, and habitats for fauna. Underwater writing is done on slate tablets, and they communicate through a sign language called Claw Language.

There are several parks where fauna and flora thrive. These environments are very important to reefwings, who like to gather here or roam and wander alone.

Each town has a common nursery, which is very heavily guarded. The egg can only be retrieved once the hatching day approches, however, you may visit your egg right after midday, for a few hours.

Young dragonnets are also kept in another space in the nursery, while their parents work. Keepers are paid by the parents.

All dragonnets in age go to school, where they learn about the Island and its history and dangers, as well as other activities they may choose, such as arts, sports, etc.... Obligatory subjects are history, geography, basic survival, and flora and fauna identifying. They learn a job directly with worker dragons.

#wings of fire #wof #wof fantribe #wings of fire fantribe #reefwing #reefwings #reefwingsinfo #my art #fhaul info #PayeNappeule art

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puffkins2000 · 10 months

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Get to know you - Sims Style

Thank you @bioniczombie for the tag! :D What’s your favorite Sims death? Absolutely, without a doubt: Death By Flies. I don't even know why, it was just so fun to watch in TS2. I don't kill Sims as much anymore, just because I have my favourites that I don't want to die--but every now and then, I still do. Honestly, if I don't like the Sim, I just delete them instead.

Alpha CC or Maxis Match? Mostly Maxis Match, but I do have alpha content because I liked it enough. I like semi-realism; not too cartoony, but not TOO realistic. Do you cheat your sims weight? Usually no, unless it's for a character's purpose. I actually didn't know the weight could change in TS3, until I realized my one Sim was gaining weight and while on her third pregnancy. I was doing a generational challenge at the time, so absolutely no cheating was allowed. Let's just say.... her weight could never be altered, lol. Do you move objects? Like... using moo? If so, yes. If not... I mean, like redecorating? Because also yes. Do you move objects? Oh--too many to name. XD I was thinking about doing a mod post, after seeing one yesterday.... and unfortunately losing it. x__x; There were some I would have liked to have had.

First Expansion/Game Pack/Stuff Pack? Well... I'm not sure how to answer this one, as the Sims 1 pack I got had two EPs that came with it, then I got the other 3 as a bundle as well. Do you pronounce live mode like aLIVE or LIVing? As aLIVE, as that made sense to me in my head. The other way just sounds so wrong. Who’s your favorite sim that you’ve made?

Oh---this is GOING to be tough. So from TS2 (( because I don't think he translated as amazingly to TS3, but still okay enough )) is always going to be Timothy Blake. My other favourite Sims are always going to be my pirate couple: they were my favourites in TS2 and I've made them TWICE in TS3--and this current version of them in my absolute favourite pairing. I don't really have any currently in TS4. I should try to make my pirate pair in TS4. Have you made a simself? Uh, yes--for my friend for her HG Challenge. She made one of herself and her kitty, so I made one of myself. And she KILLED me. XD I'm so offended, but her Simself at least paid her respects to me, and I do apparently haunt the house, so... it's all good, lol.

Which is your favorite EA hair color? I'm not entirely sure. I've downloaded some hair colours as well, so I can' be 100% sure if I'm liking an EA one or another, but: red. If you haven't noticed, I put red hair on almost every Sim. XD

Favorite EA hair? I think it's either one from Supernatural or a Store hair, but I've used it on my female Sims a lot, because it's cute and elegant at the same time. Also the pointy one from Into The Future--the one with the braids. Favorite life stage? Young Adult Are you a builder or are you in it for the gameplay? Well, I'm certainly NOT a builder, despite what you've seen. I'm more of a re-constructer. XD I like the gameplay, but, if I'm being honest, I love the CAS part more. I like fashion and designing things.

Are you a CC creator? ...yes? I don't have much, but I'm proud of what I have done. I wish I could do more, such as modding or at least getting my WIPs to work properly.

Do you have any Simblr friends or a Sim Squad? I have very few friends in the Simblr/Sims community.

Do you have any sims merch? No, but it would be cool to see some stuff at Hot Topic or BoxLunch. Do you have a Youtube for sims? I wanted to, and I sort of have a few Sims vids up, but I really hate the sound of my voice, and I'm an introvert and even when doing private vids (( not for public-viewing, I should mention )) for my best friend when we exchange Christmas and birthday gifts, I'm usually the one NOT talking, lol. My friend chats away about everything, and I'm just "**unwraps gift carefully while being completely silent*". It took about fifty takes for me to do one Tik Tok dealing with my personal unexplained stories. How has your “Sims style” changed throughout your years of playing? When it was TS2, I downloaded everything I saw that I liked. I tried not to do that in the beginning of playing TS3; only downloading some makeup, then it became shoes... then clothing.... and it just spiral after that. Now I really go for EA-only converted things (( build and buy-wise )) or something that is REALLY cute or truer to EA-lore (( or edited EA items )). CAS is another story. I have found clothing in my CAS that doesn't look good on Sims/is broken and I eventually take those out when I get the chance. I also realized I don't like non-Simlish words on my shirts, but I can't really do too much with those unfortunately. Who’s your favorite CC creator? This is going to be hard, because there are just too many: @mspoodle1 was probably the first one I ever followed on Tumblr because I liked her CC so much. I also really love @twinsimming, @pixelfrogslegs, @aroundthesims, @bioniczombie, @aisquaredchoco, @nectar-cellar, @simtanico, @aprilrainsimblr, @phoebejaysims, @ilvansims3conversion, @auroraeternal, @kotajose, @ninaaposts, @nightospheresims, and waaaaay too many more. How long have you had Simblr? I don't know... maybe 2013 or 2014? I made it to show off my Sims screenies to a coworker of mine who also played TS3.

How do you edit your pictures? Photoshop What expansion/gamepack is your favorite? I can't really choose with Sims 1--so I'll skip that. For Sims 2: Apartment Life or Bon Voyage. For Sims 3: Supernatural AND World Adventures. For Sims 4: I have very few expansions that I haven't tried everything out JUST yet (( just installed Jungle Adventures and I'm super excited to try it out!! I'm also seeing a pattern here, lol )), but the demo I did of Snowy Escape? LOVED. I don't know who to tag, but I'm just going to pick of a couple of Simmers I didn't mention at all: @ameriko-steelie, @bellakenobi, @camoflaage, @mainlyjustthesims, @deniisu-sims, and @polaesims

#Sims Tag Thing #FunFunFun

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popculturebuffet · 5 months

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Monthly Muppet Madness: Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas (Comission for Emma Fici)

Happy holidays all you happy muppets and welcome back to monthly muppets, my monthly look at all things muppet related. It's christmas time again and for this year it's something near and dear to my heart we haven't covered yet and when I asked my co-pilot emma to do this one her response was a resounding "Wait we hadn't done this one yet?" Friends grab your washtubs, your glam rock glasses and your christmas branches, it's time for the Tail of Emmet Otter's Jugbband Christmas.

Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas is a 1977 special done for the CBC and aired on HBO the next year here in the states. The special came about because.. the CBC asked?

I did my due dillegence but coudln't find anything on why the CBC comissioned this special. I mean you don't need much justification to ask Jim Henson do to a heartwarming holiday special. Because muppets is how this feature got started, it's a very good reason for doing something. I just expected more than that from a special this high quality and well loved. I DID find more on how this got maid though thanks to this wonderful oral history.

So we can dig right in.

At the time this show was greenlit most of the crew worked in London, leaving the Henson Workshop to Don Sahlin, a longtime builder for the crew who created the Rowlf the Dog Puppet and did most of the puppetry and set design for this film, so props to him. So to make Don's Muppet's come alive, Jim enlisted a small but powerhouse crew: himself, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, David Gohelz, Richard Hunt and Charlie Ozeker, basically a whos who of muppet stars likely because they could do it fast, do it well and could do it big.

See something I never knew about Emmet Otter is that it's a vital step in the evolution of the muppets: it was the first one Jim did on a full set, building a whole ass river for characters to move down for the boating segments, a full on world. IT was the first without humans, something I didn't even scan as the story works fine as is. And it premired techniques not using a raised stage, something vital for the muppet movie. It was a brilliant way to test new techniques too: since the story's small scale, it made it easy to tech this sort of thing out. It could be difficult with beams in the way of their heads, but the results paid off with a special that looks seamless but clearly took a lot of tech wizardry Another all important addition to the Muppets was

Yes Paul Williams, music icon and muppet god. Williams had guested on the muppet show, but going into it was already a fan of Jim's work from Ed Sullivan and Seasame Street, with the latter being a reliable source of entertainment for a traveling musician it turns out: no matter where you were you could guarantee something pretty neat as almost everywhere carried it.

With WIlliams becoming fast friends with the muppet crew, Jim naturally asked him to do this special.. though Williams suspects he had ulterior motives.. granted this being jim henson those motives were entirely still pure and good because Jim Henson was our own personal jesus and I miss him dearly. Anyway quoth williams from the SYFY article

" I think what he was actually doing was giving it a test ride to see how we worked together. Because what was major on his plate at that time was The Muppet Movie coming up. It was a huge gamble, and I think one of the things he was wondering is if I would be the right guy for The Muppet Movie. "

I entirely buy it, as while Jims likely didn't doubt williams was good: At this point in his career he'd written three #1 hits for the carpenters including "We've Only Just Begun" andthe classic "Old Fashioned Love Song" for Three Dog Night, which jim personally loved. On top of that he'd already done the music for Phantom of the Paradise, a horror rock opera whose soundtrack i've listened into infinity and whose review also got pushed back to next year as my schedule continues to spiral just a tad.

Point is Williams was proven and likely had the job.. Jim was just nervous. The Muppet Movie was a big gamble and something he'd wanted since he started doing puppetry, the cumulation of his life's work. He HAD to double check. It's also likely why he took the big swings technically HERE: it was a smaller project he could do it on to see if the even bigger, riskier ideas of the muppet movie could be pulled off. He was testing everyone.. including himself. He's Jim henson: he's nothing if not fair. He had to see if he could pull it off on this scale, that he really had it. I get that impulse in creating something: that you have something you want to do and WORRY you can't do it so you test yourself or , in the worst cases, simply say your not capable and never make it. Thankfully jim wasn't that kind of guy and could easily past his own task.

And sountrack wise, he hired Paul Williams, so Williams passed the test with flying colors and became a mainstay for the muppets, soundtracking both the muppet movie and last year's christmas review, A Muppet Christmas Carol, which now lives rent free in my head. Passing it wasn't effortless, but Williams rose to the occasion, to quoth the man again.

"It's funny because I've never had songs write themselves as quickly as these songs wrote themselves. And some of the titles are [from] the book. With Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas, you have this remarkable tale that has such depth. I think it's written in such a way that the titles, and the story, led me to what we would now call Americana, and it's not what I did. I think probably as close as I got to that style is one of the songs that Jim mentioned when we met. He said "I just loved you from the time I heard "Old Fashioned Love Song." And though "Old Fashioned Love Song" was really kind of rinky-dink, old-fashioned, there was something about that song and the simplicity of my melody that he lit up around it.

So, I went to the script [for inspiration], and I think that the script is a wonderful fairy tale with a great spiritual lesson in it. Ma Otter and Emmet take a chance, and they basically destroy their means of earning a living with the washtub and hocking the toolkit. As brave and as wonderful as they are, and as much as we're rooting for them, the fact is that they are outperformed by a hard rock group, The Riverbottom Nightmare Band. But from that, there's that wonderful opportunity to write two songs that, put together, make one song, but also have a message like "Our World" and "Brothers." It was a marvelous opportunity for a songwriter. "

So with a genius musical soundtrack, marvelous new puppetry and a lot of heart.. how does the special stack up now a days? Join me under the cut and i'll tell ya.

Our World:

The story of Emmet Otter is simple, but effective: Emmet and his mother Ma Otter, puppeted by Frank Oz and played by stage actress Marilyn Sokol, and her son Emmet, played by Jerry Nelson make not even enough to really get by doing odd jobs on the river, Ma doing the wash for various people and Emmet doing odd jobs. As we see on the scene of both jobs, the two get stiffed with Mrs. Fox faking a singe mark to try and get a refund and an old lady offering Emmet and his friends 50 cents to repaint her fence neglecting to metnion her fence is also half dead. The two barely get buy and while Emmet looks forward to Christmas, Ma is less jolly about it: they can't afford much to eat let alone presents. It's a well done message: sometimes Christmas isn't something EVERYONE can afford and some struggle to just live, let alone provide gifts.

Not helping is the passing of Pa Otter, sir not apperaing in this film, who wasted money on Snake Oil, but no one wanted to oil a snake. The two seeing possible presents for each other at a music store, a piano for ma and a pearl trim guitar for Emmet, the two are talked into entering a music contest by their respective friends, emmet's variety of jug band buds whose names I don't remember and aren't really important and Hetty, ma's only friend. The catch is to even have a chance of winning.. they'd need to hock something from the other person, a weird, sad, all too probable take on Gift of the Magi: Emmet needs to turn his mom's washtub into a bass, the greatest instrument and Ma Otter needs a dress. Why Emmet's friends can't find an old washtub or use one of THEIR mother's washtubs and why Ma specifically needs a fancy dressy to compete..

So our heroes decide to take after pa and take a chance on something big, with enough left over to replace the thing they just.. outright stole to give their family member something better. MAYBE.

This could easily be more messed up, I mean their stealing to give each other presents.. but it's their desperate situation that makes this premise work: The two are barely getting jobs as is, and simply wanted their loved one to have a good christmas. It's better to gamble on a dream that may not come true, than to simply sit in abject misery, and the gamble still makes sense as neither knows abotu the other and thus isn't risking all their money. I bet both ma and emmet would do their hardest to make up the extra income. It's all worth it for what they assume will be a happy christmas. After all..

The two are geninely talented too: Emmet's band performs the in-universe standard Bar-B-Que , a fun and lively number we'll unpack later, and when someone else performs it and they don't want to be accused of copying at the talent contest, the main trope talent contests have but one that works here, the two make something up on the fly, Brothers. Likewise Mom blows THEM out of the water with the touching and thoughtful Our World.

Problem is... their good.. but they simply aren't as good as the best people there. And the best people there are

A bunch of punks seen earlier in the special causing havok every so often with really neat designs, including a fish that was .. tricky to puppet. David Goetz was entirely in black box gear to appear invisible.. and sitting on top of a forklift. so if someone move it.. his arm would've snapped off. You needed to know this because Muppet Performers go damn hard, but probably shouldn't of been at that level of risk.

I'll get into WHY this performance is so damn great later, but I like this plot point as not only is their consequence to hte gamble the otters look.. despite being huge jerks.. the river bottom band.. is talented. They won their win legitly: Their musically talented, have a nice theatricality and the stinger to it is that they likely didn't spend MUCH more: Only Chuck, their leader has a special outfit for the concert, and at most they fancied up their guitars.. or stole them. Did anyone check paul williams? Is Paul okay? I think they might've mugged Paul Williams.

It's a hard truth: you can be really great for what you have.. but if someone can outspend you while also having just as much talent, or simply has more people to pool resoruces and mug paul williams. I mean their just four beavers and a middle aged beaver, they can't mug paul williams. He's paul williams. It takes at LEAST a snake and some weird fish to beat paul williams. Everyone knows that. The River Bottom Nightmare Band (Technically the nightmare but I prefer the longer name), are just.. good. It's a trope i've only seen so often, most recently with Glitz and Glam's number Klown Bitch from helluva boss, but it's one i like: it's easy to have the jerk antagonist in a picture win or come damn close simply because they bought their way to victory, bribed or whatever and are untalented.. it's a harder truth that sometimes, assholes be talented. And sexy as both the twins and the river bottom nightmare band show.

At any rate our heroes loose, and loose big, having nothing left but each other.. though I also like that there's no recrimination, no blame.. they both get what they did, that their kinda screwed.. but it wasn't done out of greed.. but out of love for one another. If they can't hold onto that, what DO they have left? So they combine their two songs into one beautiful melody of togetherness, a sweet song trying to welcome all.

Naturally though they still get a happy ending as a bullfrog what been in this story on and off, including being a contest judget, who runs the local inn hears their duet and offers them to be his house band. So our heroes win.. simply by being good people, and said risk paid off as he already saw they could perform profesionally. They never go hungry again.

Also Kermit was here. Yeah Kermit opens and closes the show and apparently in previous versions narrated it. It'd be nothing more than just a neat cameo.. if it wasn't also the reason this special was in limbo for a decade, with only one early dvd release. The reason is understandable: Kermit got bought by disney, Emmet Otter belongs to the jim Henson company, so it was a rights issue kerfuffle, with some versions removing kermit to still at least air the special. Eventually shit was worked out and as of last year you can stream the special on peacock and at the time of this article can also stream it on Amazon Prime, which I used. No adds and such.

Paul Williams Baby:

I really could end it there: Pauls work on The Muppet Movie, Muppet Christmas Carol and Phantom of the Paradise all speaks for itself, Emmet Otter is no exception. But it's not my job to let work speak for itself, so here we go.

The special opens with The Bathing Suit Your Grandma Otter Wore, a goofy song about one of the Otter family's grandma. While the jokes are mostly "Gee Grandma Otter sure was fat wasn't she" it dosen't come off as fat shaming, more some playful joking... or alternatively.

But either way it's meant with a goofy tone and comes off like the sort of joke Grandma Otter herself told, more a fond rememberance by sharing her humor. Or it was just the 70's and this was still okay, but I just.. can't detect any malice from this. Trust me i've seen out and out fat shaming jokes plenty. This.. just isn't it. THIS is fat shaming.

youtube

The one bathing suit your grandma otter wore is just goofy. It's too goofy to get really mad at. Like the actual goofy. He may destroy yoru house but only someone without a soul or donald duck who has suffered enough at his hands to get an exemption can truly get mad at goofy.

Where The River Meets the Sea.. wasn't in the original version of this review because i'm stupid, but is now. i'ts a beauitful song I feel deeply ashamed having missed and was williams taking a song MENTIONED in the book and expanding it.

There Ain't No Hole in the washtub is the thing I remembered most after catching this special on Cartoon Network once as a kid outside of one number we'll get to towards the end. A fast paced, fun country number with some really nice pattering from Nelson and Sokol. IT's just pure country fun.

Bar-b-que: another fun fast paced country number. And look I won't lie these first three songs are pretty simple but it dosen't make them any less fun and I get what Henson and Williams were going for: a sort of theme park version of the country, but without getting offensive. Hence a quick country song about a mess of barbeque is just.. fun, wholesome and really makes me want some ribs. Soon... soon.

Our World is a genuinely sweet song by Ma Otter, with a good message about being welcoming to all and not letting hate in. Sokol sings the hell out of it and i'ts why the first few songs sorta. It's a touching calll for peace and unity.. which given in the years sense this special we've gotten so much war on christmas nonsense and calls to stop letting everyone into the holidays, is a really nice thing to here

The Jugbands song, Brothers is also really nice. it has a fast tempo like Ain't No Hole and Barbeque, but takes it up a peg, while having a really ncie message about found family comparing themselves to "long lost brothers"... a sentiment certainly shared by most of the henson crew.

River Bottom Nightmare Band. Oh baby this song. It stands out in part because it's diffrent from the folk stylings of the rest of the tracks, being a glam rock number which Williams was already skilled at thanks to phantom of the paradise. He takes it up a notch here, just having the rive rbottom nightmare band be card carying villians talking about how they don't brush their teeth so their toothaches make them mean and grass dosen't grow whereever they standddddd

It's the standout track on an already stellar lineup.

The final track though comes close and is a work of musical genius: Williams had to build Our World and Brothers to function well on their own.. and PERFECTLY together. While Mash Ups aren't exactly uncommon nowadays, it's not Williams tweaking with two unrelated songs.. he built TWO diffrent songs, complete and still damn good and made it so they interlocked perfectly. That my friends takes talents and what makes this my second favorite track of the special: a heartfelt song of unity, warmth and peace to close out a special that's kind wholesome and wonderful.

Our WOrld:

So yeah.. Emmet Otter's is great. Even beyond the heartwarming and sadly still all too relevant story that manages to sneak in an aseop about poverty, it's a heartwarming tale tha thas a lot of technical mastery packed into a simple, moving tale. It also has sexy glamorck bear monsters who apparently pissed off the mayhem, so it has that. It's a wonderful, well done, simple special that touches the heart. It's worth a watch if you haven't seen it.

Now before we go , something I haven't done in a while as I haven't been covering as many films muppet wise: i'ts time to bring back ye old letterboxd ranking list!

As you can see Emmett Otter shot right up there to #3 and it's well done technical work and warm soundtrack earn it that place. It was a joy to see this again and to cover it and I hope if you haven't seen the special you will and if you have you enjoyed this look at it. Thanks for reading.

Next Time: We can finally do one of these with confidence as next time we go to a land down under to visit australian human and muppet do Sammy J and Randy as they stake out on Bin Night.

#emmet otter #emmet otter's jugband christmas #paul williams #the muppets #jim henson #christmas #holidays #xmas #river bottom nightmare band #Youtube

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sparkly-scales · 1 year

Text

Copper Pipes Albert x Female Builder

AN: Thank you for taking the time to read this mess. It’s pretty much just porn. Albert/Female Builder

I ride my horse into town square, the gentle thumping of her hooves making a loud beat with every step she takes. The usually quiet town of Portia is lively and loud tonight. The Winter festival was about to start. It's always a big celebration that consists of a massive hot pot, gifts, games, and lots of drinking. The party usually lasts well into the early morning hours. And right now it was about 9:00.

“There you are! Geeze Ellie, what took you so long!”

I stop my horse in front of Emily and get out of the saddle. “I was finishing up this Commission for Albert. He needed these pipes for….something? Now that I think about it, he didn’t really specify what he needed them for. Oh well, it’s not really any of my business anyways.”

“Do you ever stop working?” Asked Emily.”

“On occasion.” I say as I fish around in my saddle bag for the pipes. I get them out, taking a moment to inspect them one last time. “Look at these. They’re damn near perfect.” I say, holding them out for Emily to see.

“Yep, they look great.” Said Emily.

“Yeah yeah, I know you don’t care too much about this kinda stuff. I look over at the other side of peach plaza and spot Albert hanging around Gust and Ginger. Oh, there he is! Let me hand these off to him and I’ll meet back up with you in a second.

“Hurry back! I have so much to tell you about last night!”

My ears perk up. “What happened last night?”

“Let's just say, I heard a certain civil corps member hooking up with Nora.” Said Emily.

“Oh my god, it’s Arlo isn’t it?” I ask.

“I’m not telling you until you get back.” Says Emily.

“Ughhh fine, I’ll make this as quick as possible. I’ve gotta know!” Eager to hear her gossip, I push through the small crowd and quickly make my way over to Albert. He spots me headed towards him and flashes a warm smile my way.

“If it isn’t my favorite builder!” He says.

“Yep it’s me! With your commission!“ I say, holding up the pipes.

“Oh wow, I wasn’t expecting you to have those done just yet. Those look fantastic! Exclaimed Albert. Amazing work as always. Er, I don’t really have a place to put these though.”

“You could put them in your shop. I suggest. It's not too far from here.”

“Yeah, I suppose I could do that. Mind giving me a ride?”

“Sure thing, just let me go tell Emily I’ll be a bit longer.”

It doesn’t take me long to find her again. She’s chatting with Antoine over by the playground equipment, probably telling him what she plans on telling me. I tap her on the shoulder and let her know I’m gonna take Albert to his shop real quick.

“Okay but seriously, hurry back!”

“Trust me babe, you’re gonna wanna hear this.” Says Antoine.

“I know, I know! Don’t tease me, damn it!!” I quickly find my horse and lead it over to Albert. We get on and I get her into a gallop. Within five minutes we’re outside of “A&G construction.”

Albert hops off and extends his hand to me. “Come on into the shop and I’ll get you paid.” He says. He helps me off my horse and we go inside. He places the pipes down behind his desk and starts rummaging through its drawers.

“Let’s see, it was $600 gols right?” He asks.

“Actually, it’s only $300.” I say, looking around the shop.

“Only $300? Huh, I thought it was more than that. “That’s alright, I’ll pay out $600. Consider the other $300 a tip.”

I was flattered but it was a rule of mine to never accept a tip over $100. It was a rule my father had that just kinda got passed down to me. I shake my head. “That's very generous but I can’t accept that, just pay me the $300 and we’re good.”

“Nope, you’re getting $600 whether you like it or not.” Albert Says as he tries to hand me the money. I playfully step to the side to keep him from putting it in my hand.

“I’m only going to take it if it’s $300!” I say.

“Why!?”

“I don’t know! Just pay me the $300!”

“No! Accept the tip!” Says Albert, pushing the money towards me. I step around him.

“I can’t! It’s…company policy!” I say. Technically I wasn’t wrong.

“I call bullshit!” Says Albert.

He playfully grabs me by the waist, holding me against him. He tries to force the money into my jacket pocket but I wriggle out of his grip and run across the shop.

“You’re not leaving here without this!” Says Albert. I hear the lock on the front door click. He stands in front of it giving me a triumphant smirk.

“Oh you underestimate me!” I exclaim. I charge towards him and he grabs me again. We wrestle for a bit, laughing the entire time until he manages to pull us both down onto the floor. I landed right on top of him.

“Oh crap, are you okay?!” I ask through another fit of laughter.

“Yes I’m fine. You know this wouldn’t have happened if you would have just taken the extra money.” Says Albert.

“Yeah but this was kinda fun. By the way, I'm still not taking it.

He rolls his eyes at me. “Fine. Just $300 then.”

“Thank you. It’s been a pleasure doing business with you. I say. You ready to go back?”

“I don’t know, I’m kind of enjoying this. It’s been a while since I’ve had a pretty girl sitting on top of me.”

My face turns bright red. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Oh, did I say that out loud? My apologies.” He says.

I'm caught off guard. First of all, I don’t get called pretty. People know me for my work, not my looks. Guys never really look in my direction. Being called pretty is a first and I can’t conceal how I feel about it. My face probably looks like a tomato right now. I try to look away but his hand cups my chin and pulls me towards him. I find the courage to look down and the look he’s giving me is…different. It’s not playful, it’s not his usual sly expression.

It’s Desire. Want. Lust.

I feel his hand reach around my back and pull me closer to him. I can feel his warmth, I can smell his expensive cologne, I can feel his heart drumming against his chest even with his jacket on. There’s something between us. A spark of some kind that I didn’t even know we had. I would consider us good friends but I never could have imagined we had this kind of connection. It feels almost electric. At that moment something ignites in me and I have the sudden urge to lean in even closer and kiss him. But before I can do that he pulls me in and his lips crash against mine.

Incredible is the only way I can describe this moment. The kiss grows deeper with each passing second, his tongue manages to slip between my lips and dances around with my own. His hands find their way to the back of my head and with a swift movement he releases my hair from the band I had it tied in. His fingers work to undo my braid and a waterfall of soft brown tresses now envelopes us.

“I want you.” He murmurs between kisses.

“Then take me.” I say.

He begins to kiss me even harder, all while unbuttoning my jacket. I help him get it off along with my shirt and bra. He tosses the garments to the side leaving me there with my chest fully exposed. He takes a second to admire my breasts, then he gets back to work. He carefully rolls me onto my back so that he’s now on top. His kisses start to trail downwards as he begins to work on getting my pants off. A moment later I’m fully bare. His lips trace over my neck and collar bone, as he nips and pecs at my exposed flesh.

He makes his way down further and further until he’s in between my legs, spreading them to reveal my womanhood. He dives in and begins to lick and suck at my clit. The feeling is intense and I can feel the pleasure building up inside of me with each and every stroke his tongue makes. I grab fistfulls of his hair to keep him in the right spot. I feel as though I’m about to explode! But suddenly he stops. I let out a disapproving groan.

“Why must you tease me like that?” I ask.

He gets on top of me and leans down close to my ear. “Because I want to fuck you now.” He growls.

Hearing him say that sends a shiver down my spine and I can feel myself turning red again. Words that I never thought I’d hear come out of his mouth are now playing on repeat in my head. “You gonna take your clothes off then?”

“Oh right, I should probably do that, yeah? He starts to strip down, a bit clumsily but he manages. And oh my god, he’s absolutely gorgeous. He’s not buff but damn, he's well sculpted. And from what I can see, he’s nicely endowed. He repositions himself and leans down close to my ear again. “Okay, now I’m going to fuck you.” He growls.

He slowly guides himself inside of me. It stings a little because it’s been a while since I’ve had sex. But once that feeling passes, it’s incredible! The shop is echoing with the sounds of our moans, grunts, and our bodies pounding against one another. For being labeled as Portia’s most unsuccessful ladies man he sure knew what the hell he was doing. I can see him smirking down at me as a loud moan escapes my lips.

“That feel good love?” He asks.

“ Yes! God yes!” I manage to say.

He leans his head down, capturing one of my breasts in his mouth and I gasp at the sudden sensation.

“F-fuck Albert. If you keep it up I’m gonna cum.” I say in rasped breaths.

He releases my breast for a moment. “Don’t be shy, cum for me darling! I wanna hear you scream my name!” He says.

His mouth cups my breast again and everything that has been building up inside of me begins to release.

“Albert! Oh god Albert!!! Albert!!” I cry out as I reach the peek of my orgasm. God that felt amazing!

His pace starts to get erratic as he thrusts harder into me.

“I’m gonna cum!” He growls as he tightly grips my hips. “Fuck Ellie, I’m gonna cum!”

He thrusts into me a few more times before climaxing himself. He falls into a heap on top of me, trying to catch his breath. He looks wild. His once perfectly styled hair is out of place and he’s glimmering with sweat. He looks so sexy at this moment. I wanna see him like this more often.

“You wanna head back now?” I ask.

“Yeah we probably should.” Said Albert. But afterwards you wanna hang out at my place? Maybe spend the night? I have another commission I’d like to discuss with you.”

“You wanna discuss a commission with me or do you wanna fuck me again?” I ask.

“A little bit of column a, little bit of column b.” He says as he gets up from on top of me.

We get ourselves dressed and fix ourselves back up the best we can. Some of Alberts hair is still out of place and my lipstick is a little smudged but other than that it’s not super obvious. I'm certain no one will put two and two together.

The hot pot is just getting started when we ride into Peach plaza. “Come find me when you're ready to go.” He says as we dismount. “The sooner we get out of here the sooner we can discuss that commission.” He whispers in my ear. “And the sooner I can fuck you again.”

“Ellie! There you are! Come on, you gotta hear the story!”

“I’ll see you later Ellie.” He says, winking at me as he walks back towards Gust and Ginger.

Emily looks at me and then Albert but doesn’t say anything. “So, you’re not gonna believe what I heard last night. Nora and Arlo snuck into McDonalds stables and……

AN: Again, thank you for reading. I hope you guys enjoyed it, that was my first R rated scene. Plz leave god revoiws an prepz don’t flam mah story!!!!!! (I’m sorry, the my immortals reference was uncalled for.)

#My Time At Portia #fanfic #albert #female builder #mtap #rated e #itsporn #I'msorry

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