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gayerthanevertbh · 1 year

Text

labyrinth

pairings: older!natasha x young!reader

warnings: g!p natasha romanoff, oral sex, cum swallowing, and dirty talk - MINORS DNI.

summary: your sister cheated on her wife, so the broken wife takes an interest in you instead. was everything just a rebound between the two of you? or is there something more?

notes: i want to make this a series but i don’t know yet, i want to hear your opinion on this one shot first before i do anything else. i hope you enjoy reading!

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“Wanda and I agreed that we won’t see anyone until the divorce finalizes,” Natasha said with a sniffle, wiping her tears away from her eyes. Her therapist, Nora, only nods while soothing the woman’s back out of comfort. “S-She will be leaving my house once everything’s done.”

“Do you have a child with Wanda?” Nora asked her quietly; the woman shook her head. It was a relief for Natasha since it would’ve been a lot harder if they ever had a child – and they couldn’t have a child.

They just couldn’t, no matter how much Natasha wanted to.

“No.”

“Everything will be sorted out,” she tells her with a convincing voice, a voice that tells Natasha that everything will be fine when it won’t ever be fine. She soothes again, “You just need a lawyer, okay? Once you do, then we can go to court. Does Wanda have a lawyer?” the other woman nodded. “I see, well I have to give you some phone numbers that you could talk to, they’re the best in this state. Please contact them as soon as you get home.”

“What if I’m still in love with her?” Natasha sobs out, rubbing the back of her hair with so many questions and whys in her head. Why? Why did you cheat on me? Why ME? Why does it have to be like this? Is he better at fucking you? Does he have a lot of money? Why, why, why?

“You could never out-love someone, Natasha.”

Nora was right; she could never just out-love Wanda – how can she? Wanda was her first love, it was merely impossible at this point.

“I wish she never did it,” she mumbles, staring at the ground as more tears streamed down her face. Natasha felt angry, confused, and conflicted. One moment, she wanted to beg for her love and now all she could see was fire and red at the same time; Wanda was flammable, she was toxic for Natasha’s thirst; a venom. She grips her gray buttoned-up shirt and mumbles again with a seething tone, “I wish I could kill her. I wish she could die in a car crash so that I won’t have to think about her again.”

“Let it all out,” Nora said. “Just let it all out, Natasha.”

And she did.

hey tash, can i go to your place real quick? wanda is asking me to get some of her clothes. i think she’s going on a date.

Oh. Yeah, sure. You could stay for a bit if you want, I’m on my way home anyway.

where were you?

I went to see my therapist, Y/n.

i’m sorry, i just wanted to know how you’re doing. my sister is really unforgivable in this situation, I'm sorry you had to go through that tasha.

Can we talk more when I get there? I actually want to give you something :)

yay! what is it?

Just wait in my living room, I’m almost there.

Okay!

As I waited patiently in her living room, I thought about the brighter times when Natasha and Wanda were happy together. This home used to be so full of laughter and happiness that I couldn’t even begin how beautiful this home was. Now, it’s just quiet and lonely; tragic and sorrowful. Her plants at her door area were wilting, and her big living room lamp was broken; I could only see the metal rod was bent. This home is lonely, too lonely and quiet – I felt awkward staying on her couch.

“Been waiting for me?”

I turned around and saw Natasha bringing bags of groceries (she only brought two and they looked light) as she strode into the kitchen area, where she dispatches the things she needed for her refrigerator. I immediately stood up and followed her, giving me an instinct that I should help her out.

“Let me help you, Tash–”

“Go sit back down Y/n,” she said, smiling tightly at me. “I got this, okay? I’ll bring you a glass of apple juice, I can handle this.”

I sat back down and waited for her. Once she was finished, she walked back and sat down beside me, placing two glasses of apple juice on the wooden coffee table that she built for Wanda a few years ago. I could still remember the look on my sister’s face when Natasha gave her this table.

And now, the table looks depressing, as if a flower is wilting.

“I’m happy that you’re here,” she said with a smile; bringing the rim of her glass to her lips. “You know, I was supposed to ask you to come over so we could watch a movie together.”

“I’m glad we’re still close,” I said, holding the glass in both of my hands. “I know Wanda has been… irresponsible with your marriage, but I’m happy that you still choose to talk to me even though I’m her sister.”

“I mean, I’ve known you ever since you were just a little girl,” a chuckle came from Natasha’s lips. “And now you’ve blossomed into this… beautiful girl. Your mother has raised you well.”

“I guess you could say that.”

As we exchanged laughter, we clinked our glasses together and drank from them simultaneously. I was about to stand up when I felt her hand on my knee, suddenly pulling me to sit back down out of instinct.

“Is there anything you need?” I asked Natasha quietly.

She shakes her head. “Not really, I really could use some company right now.”

“How’s your therapy session? Did it go well?”

“Nora was alright,” she answered, leaning against the back of the couch. “I guess it helped a bit. I still want to murder your sister, that’s for sure.”

“I totally understand if you do,” I said. “She has been nothing but an ass lately.”

“She’s more of an ass than me?” quirked Natasha, raising her left eyebrow and looking at me with those damn hooded eyes – I could’ve sworn she was slightly flirting with me. Natasha Romanoff was known to be a jackass, an adult who likes to be an asshole for the laughs and giggles. But lately, she’s been vulnerable; helpless; hazed with anger. I could hardly blame her for being this angry with my older sister, Natasha has done nothing but treat Wanda as if she was the love of her life.

And maybe that’s why I get a little insecure whenever I see them together because I’ve always had a small crush on Natasha (that I still hope she doesn’t have an idea that I do have a crush on her) and maybe that’s a little unfortunate for me since there was no percentage of us being together or having that kind of fling where I could say that woman feels for me the same way I do.

It was merely impossible.

“You could say that.”

Natasha scoots closer to me until both of our thighs touch. After placing her glass back on the table, she yawned as the day began to clear. I try to think of other words to create a conversation with her; nothing comes across my head.

Finally, she asked: “How’s school? When will you be graduating?”

“In a few months,” I answered, fidgeting with my fingers.

“What university will you be going to?”

“Probably in New York so I could stay closer to Pietro.”

“And Wanda? Will she be in New York?”

“No, she’ll be staying here,” I replied. There was a look of relief on Natasha’s face that I can’t distinguish – it’s hard to tell whether she was satisfied with that information or not. I was about to ask why until she said, “I’ll be in New York for a couple of years, you know, to get away from this fucking madness.”

“I understand,” I said. “When will you be moving?”

“Once I finalize my divorce with Wanda, then I will go,” she replied, prompting her elbow on the couch and using her free hand to support her head. She was beautiful like this, natural and calm. It was short, really short. It’s almost as if she was pulling out “revenge hair” as her hair darkens, leaning on a brown color – which suits her perfectly well. Needless to say, she was beautiful; eye-catching.

I nodded deeply and looked away. But I felt her thumb and index finger holding my chin, turning me to look at her again; almost gazing at her. I dug my hands in between my thighs, and almost whimpered when her lips were close to mine.

She was about to kiss me, she was going to kiss me.

“Have you ever been kissed?”

“I-I have,” there was no reason for me to lie there, I simply have been honest with her ever since I walked into this house. There was a slash of disappointment plastered on her face, but immediately went away when she looked down at my gaped mouth. I was breathing hard, almost in an embarrassing way. If she kisses me now, I wouldn’t able to resist. What if I was a rebound? Who cares, I wanted her lips to kiss mine so that I could never–

“Let me kiss you?”

I’m a rebound, I’m a rebound, I’m a rebound–

“Yes.”

She didn’t waste time and pressed her mouth on mine, almost shuddering when both of our lips are being touched. Her lips were warm, and I could tell she was scrunching her eyebrows together. When her hand went behind my back and roughly pulled me closer to her, the spark between us went away. I almost yelped out of shock. But then, something eased on her – like a person telling her that I was a delicate little girl that was fragile, and she kissed me slowly but in a sloppy way.

Natasha pulls away with a string of saliva on both of our lips. “Your lips are so soft,” she murmured.

“I don’t think we should be doing this.”

She shakes her head, and pecked on my bottom lip so gently – I could hardly feel her lips. She used her other hand to stroke my jaw and whispered, “Wanda isn’t here, baby…”

“But you’re still married–” I moaned quietly when her lips were on my neck, kissing my skin with hunger while wrapping both of her arms around my small waist to pull me close on her lap. “Tasha, slow down.”

I wanted to tell her that she was going to use me as her rebound, that none of this was real to her. But I was so lost in her own world that I did not notice her unbuttoning her pants hastily; I had to push her chest away from me.

“You’re not thinking straight,” I said, trying my best to sound normal other than being heartbroken that I might be her rebound. “Y-You can’t be doing this with me, I’m her sister Tasha…”

“So do you want to stop?” she asked, still removing her pants all the way down to her midthighs. I closed my eyes, but she kissed my lips again to make sure I was still breathing. “Breathe baby, breathe. It’s okay, she’s not here–”

“She will go insane if I sleep with you!” I exclaimed.

“But she’s not here,” she whispers, like a smooth talker, as if everything will be alright; I was convinced. Natasha slowly trails her fingers inside my shirt and holds me down, feeling her tight erection on her loose boxers. She kisses my neck once more while her other hand was playing with my left breast, asking: “Have you ever slept with someone?”

“No,” I replied quickly, cursing myself that I’d answered her too fast. But she pulled away with a proud smile while still touching me through my shirt. “I’m scared.”

“Of what?”

“That my parents would know–”

She immediately cuts me off mid-sentence, kissing my lips hard instead.

“No one will find out, okay? We don’t have to sleep together for now.”

“For… now?”

She nodded, inserting her tongue inside of my mouth until we were french kissing on her couch; on her lap. As soon as Natasha was about to remove my shirt, I slightly pulled away with a ragged breath. She squints her eyes, wondering why we stopped, and I did not say anything else but got onto my knees and pulled down her pants to her ankles.

“Baby,” she sighs loudly, her cock growing once more. “Y-You don’t have to do that–”

“I want to,” I assure her, my eyes are looking back up at the woman that has her legs open for me. Natasha could only nod and pulled her dick out of her boxers, her length proudly showing in the scene. She was hard, but not fully hard where her penis stands itself. I could see a bit of juice leaking out from its tip; I wish to lick it and suck her head as hard as I could watch her begging for more. “I’ve never given someone like this before.”

“A blowjob?”

Her cock was big; too big for my mouth. But my cunt clenches for it to be touched, I wanted her to slip her dick inside of me until I was a mess. Pogubi menya svoim rtom, Natasha.

“Y-Yeah…”

“It’s okay,” she coos, bringing her hand in the back of my hair and pulling me closer to her genitalia. “Go slow, okay? Just do what makes you comfortable, don’t use your teeth though.”

I’ve given myself a few more minutes before wrapping my hand around her shaft, gasping quietly about how utterly big she was; my fingers could barely wrap around her dick. Natasha threw her head back in the air and moved closer, half of her buttocks were exposed while having pleasure from my hand. I thought about those videos that my friends sent me, a woman jacking a guy off using her hands and mouth. So this gave me an idea and slowly brought my hand up and down on her length, watching her bulbous head carefully – I could see more of her juices coming out.

“Oh yeah,” she slurs as her eyes twitched while closed. “That’s so fuckin’ good, you’re hand is so warm.”

She was throbbing on my hand, and I couldn’t help but examine the way her member looked. The head was pinkish, with a mix of red; her cock was veiny but not in a gross way; it looked like it was reaching over her belly button, which made me wetter from the sight and the feeling of her dick. I slowly leaned closer to her penis and gave the tip a kiss, watching the woman have a reaction to it.

“Feels so good, Y/n… keep going.”

I took a deep breath and swallowed her head, my eyes widening when I could feel her juices dripping on my tongue. I closed my eyes instead and slowly let go of her cock with a loud pop! It made Natasha yell out of sexual frustration. I knew she was impatient – but I had to take my time. I could hear her murmuring, “Keep going, little girl… just keep your mouth on me.”

And I did, but it was a lot more difficult than it seems. The woman had a big dick, there was no denying that, and I tried my best to slurp the tip of her cock but instead; I choked. She averted her eyes from me and asked with a worried voice, “Shit–are you okay? You can stop–”

“Let me adjust,” I breathed out, slowly pumping her cock. Natasha could only nod and rest her head against the couch, watching me intently as I jerked her off. She was warm on my palm; I almost let out a tiny moan from the way it twitches. It just shows that it was begging for my attention, and I had to do something about it.

So I wrapped my mouth around the tip of her dick again and breathed, sinking my mouth further into her length. Natasha threads her fingers through my hair gently and pushes my head deeper into her cock, making me let out gurgling sounds.

“Your mouth is so good,” she whines, raising her hips a little to reach for my throat. “Suck it harder, baby girl. I’m so fuckin’ hard for you…” she shifts onto the couch and unbuttons her cardigan to release the tension inside of her. All she could think about was my mouth and my pussy. She wondered what it would feel like if she slipped her cock inside of me as I scream for mercy; yelling about how big her cock was.

“That’s it,” she coos, her breath hitching. “Lick my cock like that, what an obedient little girl you are.”

If it’s a guilty pleasure to be called a “little girl” by her, then I’d be damn proud to be called that by her. I closed my eyes again and sunk my mouth deeper, licking the underside of her dick repeatedly until I’ve gotten my rhythm. Natasha slowly humps my face as she uses both of her hands to guide my head up and down on her cock, making me create wet and pornographic noises that fill up the room too sweetly. The woman sighs blissfully, as if she couldn’t believe this was happening to her. Once the tip of her cock hit my throat; I gagged.

“Oh god!” she shuts her eyes tightly and keeps my head still while fucking my mouth slowly, her length popping in and out of my mouth. “So close baby, yeah… just suck my cock like that. You’re so good, little baby.”

I sucked her head vigorously while slurping on it, going deeper and deeper until half of her length was in my mouth. I felt her hand holding my neck as she continues to thrust into my mouth at a slow pace, making sure I wasn’t in too much pain. This was what she needed, what she wanted from me. It was this innocent slut that she wanted to take; I wanted to lick it and I wasn’t ashamed of any of it.

Natasha holds my head still and felt her hips twitching, as I hear her say, “I’m gonna cum–Oh fuck, take it!” and I felt two ropes of thick cum in my mouth; closing my eyes tight as she continues to let herself go inside of my mouth, giving everything that she needed. The woman sees stars behind her head and imagines my mouth being my cunt instead – the thrill of excitement burning inside of her passionately; she wanted to fuck me now or she wouldn’t able to live with herself.

“Oh god,” she moans as she spurts more cum on my tongue. “T-That’s it, oh fuck yeah…”

She was in heaven. But deep inside, she was in hell. While calming down from her firing orgasm, she realized that I was the sister of her wife – and she completely fucked up by fucking my mouth and coming on my tongue. Natasha couldn’t help but feel guilty, though the guilt washed away when I suddenly released the tip of her cock with a pop! From my mouth, and pulled myself up as I sat down beside her with some of her cum on the corners of my mouth.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers to me, pulling my face closer as she kisses me deeply; tasting herself. “Fuck, I’m so sorry. I should’ve been more discreet–”

“It’s okay,” I cut her off with a frantic nod while touching her right cheek, which I almost fell apart when she leaned on my touch. “I-I don’t want Wanda to know, I don’t know what I’d do if she knew about this–I’m sorry, I don’t–”

“She won’t know anything about us,” she said, leaning her forehead against mine as she pecked on my lips with her wet mouth, pulling me closer to her once more. Something about her being so comforting is losing the worries that have been boiling inside of me; like a kettle bursting once it’s hot. “It’s only our secret, I promise.”

another note: natasha will be an asshole if this comes out as a series, but she will have a development of course! let me know how you guys feel about this one shot <3

#natasha romanoff x reader #natasha romanoff x you #natasha romanoff fanfic #natasha angst #black widow x reader #black widow x you #tasha bear:(

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immasock · 3 months

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Hi, its me again

I was wondering if you could do a platonic relationship with Luke and what the other characters react to that because they are like not very similar ig (also im sorry if this is too much)

It’s been god knows how long and I don’t really play either game anymore but I’m back and I’m doing all of the requests in my drafts

Also I wasn’t sure if you meant Child!MC or Adult!MC so I went with Child!MC. If you want me to do Adult!MC I will gladly do that tho. This one was fun

Platonic!Luke + Child!MC who aren’t very similar

Pronouns: They/Them

MC and Luke. The best of buddies. How? No one knows. Opposites attract, I guess

Luke has always been very energetic, loud, opinionated, and cheerful. Overall a joy to be around

MC on the other hand. Very much keeps to themselves. Doesn’t really speak up, is kind of a chronic people pleaser, and it’s rare you ever see them smile. Not that they’re upset, they just don’t smile often

Luke and MC are pure opposites, but somehow their friendship works

Lucifer:

Well for starters

He already likes them more

They’re quiet, they don’t cause much trouble, they do as he asks

They’re easy to manage

Plus them not being an angel doesn’t hurt

He was a little surprised that MC and Luke seemed to get along so well, but kids will be kids and honestly, as long as it doesn’t mean more paperwork for him, he doesn’t care

It is a little nice to see MC enjoying themselves tho

Mammon:

I think that Mammon would still attach himself to this MC pretty quickly

They’re a people pleaser and so it’s likely that they would go along with his schemes pretty easily

Plus they’re a great listener and we all know Mams needs someone to listen to him without being an asshole

New friend

Yay

Mammon already acts like an older brother to Luke so I’m sure he wouldn’t mind doing that for MC too

He’s overall just happy that the two of them are getting along and that they have someone to hang out with when he’s off doing something else

Leviathan:

I can’t see him caring all that much to be honest

I think he’d prefer MC over Luke at the beginning, mostly just because they’re not likely to cause a mess in his room

But he ends up adoring both of them of course

In his own way

I can see him being a little jealous at how quickly the two of them clicked

Not because he wants to be besties with Luke or MC

But because it was so fast and came so naturally

He wants a friendship like that

So I think he’d be kinda salty for a while

But eventually he’d get over it once he starts getting closer to the two of them himself

Satan:

This man does not give two shits imma be honest

Don’t get me wrong

He likes MC and all

They’re a great reading buddy

But, the way he sees it, why would he care about two kids being friends?

I mean, it’s interesting to observe

They’re so different, they don’t have anything in common

And yet they’re still close friends

But other than some slight intrigue over the dynamic regardless of the differences between the two, he doesn’t pay much mind to it

Asmodeus:

He’s obsessed

He already thinks MC is the cutest little thing and so when he sees them with Luke, he thinks it’s too cute

They’re just adorable together, yknow?

How could he not

MC is basically the brothers younger sibling

And Asmo knows that MC is very reserved and quiet

So seeing them come out of their shell a little and have fun with Luke?

Melts his heart

I feel like he’d take a bunch of videos to show his brothers cause look how cute this kid is

Beelzebub:

I feel like Beel would be another that was just happy that MC has a friend

He’s really that supportive older brother type that’s just happy you’re happy

Plus MC can help Luke make him treats

He’s not complaining

Beel would be happy that MC has a friend they’re so close to, but otherwise he’s got other things to be doing

It’s not that he doesn’t care, he does

He’s just got practice to go to and food to eat

He’s a busy boy

Belphegore:

Once again

Just like Satan

This man does not give two shits

He likes MCs personality a bit better at the beginning tho

Cause like

He’s already pissed that he’s gotta spend time with a human

So he doesn’t need one that’s always super extroverted and loud and cheerful

He appreciates that if he’s gotta deal with a human, at least this one can chill the fuck out

They would honestly make a decent nap buddy once MC and Belphie start getting closer

Diavolo:

He’s another puppy dog type

He’s really just excited that they’re here and that they’ve made a friend so quickly

After all, he doesn’t want them to feel alone down in the devildom

I feel like he would try to make the two of them have little tea parties with him

Luke and MC look like they’re having fun and he wants to be included too

Barbatos:

Really, he’s got much more important things to be doing

He’s got a castle to run and a prince to watch over

I feel like he would happily schedule the tea parties that Diavolo wants to have with the two of them tho

Him and Simeon give off dads scheduling playdates for their kids vibes

He would absolutely be sure to make you both little treats tho

Simeon:

When I tell you that this man is so hyped

His son has a friend

He could not be happier

He is more than happy to let you both spend all the time you want together

He’s a little confused since you both are drastically different

But who is he to complain?

Luke has a friend

Really just a supportive dad

Solomon:

Look

I love Solomon

He’s my wife

But I feel like he would be the type to view the two of them as some sort of lab rats

Or at least

He would try

Simeon, Lucifer and Barbatos would put a stop to that before it could start

No way in hell are they letting Solomon fuck with these kids

He’s a little shit and I love him dearly

#obey me #obey me shall we date #obey me mc #obey me child mc #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon #obey me leviathan #obey me satan #obey me asmodeus #obey me beelzebub #obey me belphegor #obey me diavolo #obey me barbatos #obey me simeon #obey me solomon

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marsgod · 2 years

Note

hey, hey !

can you make a part 2 of this with ruggie, malleus, idia, jamil and ace pls?

Ofc!!^^

| Info you need! v

Pt. of Crush nonchalantly confessing

Warnings; Minor cussing

“And- Oh, right, I like you a lot, like love? Anyways so THEN this guy just-“

RUGGIE stopped, eyebrows furrowed but it quickly fades into a small, stupid smirk.

Like Leona, this is his preferred way of a confession, it’s simplistic and straight to the point. As much as he’d LOVE to drag things out in a game, Ruggie does actually love you and wants to kiss you.

“Shishi, Love ya too! But yeah, this guy has guts if he thinks…”

IDIA freezes, he catches what you’ve said almost immediately and has stopped breathing, turning redder by the millisecond that his mind is racing.

It doesn’t matter how you confess, time of the day, by letter or making a damn concert, he will short circuit. He wishes you would’ve made it an easier confession, but really, what more could you had wanted?

“Ugh, I- What are you even saying?!… I ‘like’, like you too, I guess..”

Jamil doesn’t stop, doesn’t blink as if something surprised him, not at all because he didn’t notice, he just knows how to control himself after years of practice. What he does do? Clench his fists, but you hardly seem to notice, it’s in private he has to bite back a grin.

Like others, this is how Jamil would prefer to be confessed or confess by, Kalim throws around enough complicated and extravagant crap around for the both of them, Jamil can (gladly) handle a simple and not out of the ordinary conversation confession. Although he still may want to talk, just to clear some things up so there’s no confusion.

“Ah, we can talk about it later, but I love you too..”

ACE perks up immediately in interest, interrupting you before you can properly continue. Very rude of him. He was pink, grinning, and his eyes are bright as he boldly asks you to repeat what you said.

He’s very happy, he doesn’t really care how you confess, you do whatever makes you comfortable kinda deal, but yay! You did it, congrats, you’re going to be repeating said phrase of confession for the next few hours.

“Haha-! I’m sorry, can you repeat that?” He’s not sorry, but it’s appreciated.

MALLEUS smiles, very pleased at the sudden confession (although, far from unwelcome). He’s been awaiting you to say, Malleus tried hard to court you but you never seem to got the meaning of the necklaces and other bejeweled gifts, deeming him as a “good friend”.

He’s ecstatic on the inside, he truly loves you and is so excited that you two are now ‘officially’ dating. Malleus has been dreaming of the first date, second date, all to your wedding and obituary, and now it’s all coming into focus! Sebek has a very different opinion on your type of confession though…

“Hah, you have no idea how truly happy it makes me to actually hear that.”

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tideswept · 4 months

Text

First post of 2024, let's go!

First off! I'll be picking up my goal of 100 books a year again and will post a tracker next, feel free to join in and/or give recommendations as the year progresses. ❤ I'm a voracious but lazy reader, so I don't venture outside of my usual circle of authors as often as I should, which is actually the point of the tracker!

Secondly, I want to show off the podfic @sweet-cynic did of stubborn in the bones and the delicious Padobi/Masterkin @ossidae-passeridae wrote for silly ol' me. 💕

stubborn in the bones (podfic)

surrender | be moved and shaken

Yessss, yesss, look at the pretty, look at it!

Third, and really what you're interested in--State of Fic Updates and Previews!

ACTIVE WIPS:

[Hartwin] a tender gasp of inevitable ache ch2: 3k in, rough outline written out. Guesstimating something like 6k for this one.

Then Merlin pipes up. “God, I thought you two couldn’t get more obnoxious.” Neither of them starts. Kingsman trained them too well for that. But Eggsy’s fingers curl around the stem of his fork before relaxing. Since there’s no data being fed into his glasses, he assumes this is an informal check-in. He places another forkful of tender, exquisite salmon on his tongue, closing his lips around the tines and dragging the fork out without breaking eye contact with Harry. This might be mainly to yank Merlin’s tail, but he can’t deny that Harry watching him make a slaggy spectacle of himself ignites a forbidden, heady thrill. It’s better than the cock of a well-oiled gun—better even than firing off a snazzy one-liner when taking out bad guys.

[Hartwin] always be something sacred ch3: 1.6k in, some thorny things to work out. Might be a split POV chapter, might also end up being 5 chapters total after all, we'll see!

“Opinion on a blockade?” Harry asks, shrugging off his jumper, heading for the hidden armory beneath the staircase. He’d long ago bought and hollowed out the neighboring houses that bracketed his own for security and usage—pressing his palm against the wooden panel reveals a hidden entrance. It’s amazing that Eggsy, despite all his rightful suspicions and cleverness, has never figured this secret out. He would have loved it. There’s no need for Harry to close his eyes and imagine that boy’s delight, he knows the exact grin that Eggsy would flash, his choked, skeptical laughter, his glee. How carefully Harry would have to watch his hands to ensure that Eggsy didn’t pocket anything. Pain digs sharp claws behind his breastbone. He ignores it. Regret can come later, after Eggsy isn’t at the mercy of an unknown enemy.

[Obikin] Untitled -- Alpha!PadObi/Beta!Masterkin: smutty irredeemable oneshot, ahoy!

Obi-Wan groans again. He stumbles onto his sleeping bag and lies there, gritting his teeth. Through their bond, Anakin experiences an echo of the pure need threatening to drag the nineteen-year-old into a feral state. Or that will kill him. Anakin swears in Huttese. If he were better at mind suggestions or at meditation, if he could karking heal, he could help. If he were an alpha, he could superimpose his will and force Obi-Wan to calm down. And if he were an omega… Well. Anakin didn’t successfully see one Padawan through an intergalactic war only to lose his second Padawan to something as ridiculous as this.

[Obikin] Untitled2: another irredeemable smutty oneshot, yay!

“Are you sure that you’re alright, Anakin?” Obi-wan asks for the third time, exasperated to the point where no matter what Anakin claims, he’s going to stop their walk and examine Anakin from head to toe. But instead of lying again, Anakin, who has been making the strangest noises as they pushed through the wildly lush jungle that covers the planet, groans piteously and stops so suddenly that Obi-Wan almost runs into him. “Anakin?” “I’m—kark, don’t make me say it.” Since Anakin stubbornly refuses to face him, Obi-Wan circles around to find Anakin flushed and sweaty, his lips torn from biting down.

[Obikin] Untitled3: probably still irredeemable but not actually smutty! for @sweet-cynic, a bit of a... TMA-SW fusion AU? (featuring Priest-Wan because we could always use more of that.)

The day Obi-Wan Kenobi stumbles over the bedraggled figure curled up tight at a corner of the stairs leading up to the church is already one of exhaustion and fury drowned in alcohol. He is in no charitable mood, but discovering a small child wedged tight against the stonework in the middle of the night, with the chill of an early winter creeping in, horrifies him into action. Are they dead? Obi-Wan wonders, leaning down carefully. Wrapped up in misery and in shapeless, grimy garments, the child is nothing but a genderless mop of blond hair and too-pink ears peeking out from the collar of the jacket they’re wearing, some cast off business jacket for an adult repurposed for warmth against the bitterness of October. He clears his throat. “He—” Blue eyes snap open. Too blue, too bright, there’s not enough light that I should be able to see the color. But Obi-Wan doesn’t pay that thought as much attention as it deserves. “Hello there. That doesn’t seem terribly comfortable." The poor creature—Obi-Wan still cannot pinpoint a gender, the face dark with dirt—shifts away from him, inching to regain space as if they don’t trust him despite the markers of his office, the collar, the coat, the cross weighing heavy on his chest.

NEXT UP:

airline Obikin shenanigans for @virahaus

even more shenanigans set in bones of a miracle for @gretchenzellerbarnes

A coda for all things unsaid

I'm hoping Untitled2 will be finished today, but we'll see. :) After some of these go up I will finally get back to working on fear the crown and the devil is a gentleman. They're long overdue for updates. (Also have my eye on you should see what we do in my head--definitely want to finish that this month.)

And that concludes the State of Fic! ❤ If I have forgotten anyone or any thing or you have a question about a fic not mentioned, please give me a poke.

#berryfic #berrytalk.txt

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thatbigbisexual29 · 4 months

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I know no one probably gives two shits about this but THIS IS MY PERSONAL FAN CAST FOR THE PJO SHOW (specifically who they haven’t cast yet)

Athena - Kerry Washington

I don’t even have to explain myself. She is perfect. The amount of power this woman holds with just a pose? She’d make a perfect Athena. 10/10

Apollo - Yung Gravy

I 👏 DO 👏 NOT 👏 NEED 👏 TO 👏 EXPLAIN 👏 MY 👏 SELF 👏 Like are you kidding me?? I do not care if he can’t act for shit GET THIS MAN AS APOLLO

Aphrodite - Lizzo/Margot Robbie

I blame Barbie for these choices. The only reason I choose two is because idk what’s going on with that Lizzo Lawsuit? So if that plays out nicely then yay Lizzo but if it doesn’t, Margot Robbie. And I know Margot Robbie is a big name but… she’s my Aphrodite 🥺

Artemis - Ashley Johnson

This might not hit for a lot of people, but I think Ashley Johnson would be a FANTASTIC Artemis. She has the gentleness of moonlight but harshness of pitch black night. I could totally see her ruling over a pack of young lesbians idk bout any of you 🤷‍♀️ I also think she pairs up fantastically with Yung Gravy. Perfect ‘polar opposite’ pairing of you ask me.

Atlas - Christopher Judge

So for those who don’t know, this guy voices Kratos from the new God of War games. And holy shit is he perfect for this role. I’ve always personally thought that Atlas was this large man with a deep voice, something to really be feared. AND MOTHER FUCK DOES THIS MAN HAVE BOTH. HE’S LARGE AND HE MAKES HIMSELF IN CHARGE. I’d die if they got him as Atlas.

Hera -Meryl Streep

Ok ok ok ok BIG LEAP I KNOW. But like??? I can’t explain it but she’d make a great Hera in my eyes. Look at her!! Have you seen her in Devil Wears Prada? Like damn. I’ve also loved her since I was little so, based I guess

Blackjack (voice) - Logan Lerman

Fuck me guys I can’t help it. First of all? It would be funny. I don’t have a second reason other than I really like him. And for what the old movie thought it was making? I don’t think he did a bad job as Percy at all. Do I like the movie at all? Absolutely fuck no. But I still respect all the actors because it wasn’t their fault the movie was shit. And again, it would be funny. Also, he says he loves Walker as Percy???? Literally says “I can’t imagine a better fit” like??????? How wholesome is that??? Ok rant over sowwy I just have a lot of thoughts about this man.

Tyson - Jack Dylan Grazer

This funky little nerd needs to play Tyson. I just think he’d be an amazing Tyson, all awkward and jittery. That’s how I always saw him at least. But yes, him as Tyson!

Ok this is all I got for now but please add your opinions on this fan cast! I’m interested to see what everyone thinks 🥰 (if anyone sees this at all)

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mikuni14 · 1 year

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After months of high emotions, obsession, thought-provoking and analysis-provoking series, there has come a time of drought and starvation 👻

I'm watching a few shows right now that give me lukewarm feelings, that I see have potential but don't have that "something" for me (and are confusing, like I ship different characters 😃 that I’m supposed to).

Step by Step is still the best at the moment, although after 4 long (yay!) episodes, the romance........ basically doesn't exist. The work atmosphere is super toxic (there’s already a long list of wrong shit that happens in this company, and now they added working on weekends??? giving time consuming work on Friday afternoon??? and Jeng, instead of asking if Pat is working too much because he has too many responsibilities for one person, he states - out of the kindness of his heart! - that maybe Pat is managing his work poorly???). I know that Jeng means well, and that he sincerely wants to be a good boss, but in my opinion, as a longtime employee, Jeng is not a good boss. In my opinion, Pat has the right reactions to him and they say a lot about the atmosphere at work. If an employee writes a letter of resignation, feels that the boss is not fulfilling his promises, he even feels threatened, and instead of focusing on work, is obsessed with the workplace and employees - all of this says something. So I honestly wish the show would finally focus on romance, because this workplace is simply too tiring and triggering for me. Personally, I like Pat the most, I sympathize with him the most and privately I think that he should look for another job and then be free to flirt with Jeng 😄 Interestingly, I hated Bruce's character in Lovely Writer, but I love him in Step by Step :) (I don't know who cut Pat's hair, but they did him dirty)

La Pluie - ok but Saengtai and Lomfon had the best scenes so far????? I ship them so much 😉 And this again, I mean no communication, gigantic misunderstanding, the poor, clearly stressed cat, ugh. But I like the idea of defying the destiny, it's also funny that the series plays itself and makes fun of Saengtai (knowingly or not), because he suddenly isn't so much against it, because his soulmate is handsome, and the person he’s most comfortable with and has the most in common is Lomfon 😃

Happy Merry Ending - nice drama, interesting trauma story... and again I'm shipping the main character with someone else lol

Love Mate - it's fine

Our Dining Table - it's slow and very domestic, the romance is barely there, but I started this series knowing what to expect, so I like it

I enjoy watching these series, but literally none of them made my heart beat faster 😉 So I actually spent last week rewatching Semantic Error and Unintentional Love Story (and even some scenes from Together with Me, I'm a big fan of MaxTul, and they ALWAYS manage to make my heart beat faster). And for maximum satisfaction, I watch love scenes from Destiny Seeker, like... wooow... these boys know how to do it 😍

#step by step #la pluie #happy merry ending #thai bl #korean bl #bl drama

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imichelle-l-rigby · 6 months

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Reflections: Cillian Murphy’s Limited Edition

Season 3, episode 7

✨ya girl is just trying to sorta keep up✨

———————————————————————

*I am a music prof (predominantly classical vocalist), and I LOVE listening to Cillian’s music choices! That being said, sometimes I won’t like a song simply because of a vocalist (it’s a professional hazard - sorry!) 👩‍🏫

** The following are my own observations/opinions. We may not agree, and that’s ok! That’s what makes music fun! 😊

*** I wouldn’t say I’m well-versed in Cillian’s music preferences, but I do enjoy them (for the most part). I always wind up adding to my own playlists after listening to Cillian’s recommendations.

———————————————————————

🎵“Play that funky music, white boy!” 🎵

🎵Set 1 (Manhattan - Shut the Door)

Manhattan: vocal harmonies are unique! Interesting how the piano chord progression never changes - you’d expect it to change for the chorus or something, but nah 😂

Pictures of You: ok but the way this would be perfect for a road trip! And it’s got a long intro for a pop song!

Everyday, I Don’t: I am looooving the guitar here!!! 😍😍😍😍 the bass line also has some fun contrapuntal/contrary motion with the guitar, and I like it a lot!!!

Shut the Door: at first I thought this sounded like the beginning of COPS (iykyk), but then things took a dramatic turn! 😂😅

🎤Talking Break:

“Tiresome, banal, humdrum, brilliantly tedious factoids”

“Thank you for putting me in the same sentence as Jimi Hendrix”

🎵Set 2 (No Name #3 - This Strange Effect)

No Name: this is quite chill. No thoughts, just floating. 👍

Run of the Mill: the way I love George demos! I am convinced he left his best stuff on the cutting room floor! His voice and acoustic guitar just work together. ❤️

This Strange Effect: 😍 dude I just love music from this era! And the awkward leap in the melody on the word “strange” - great word painting!

🎤Talking Break:

“Thought I’d play it for ye”

Covers! Yay!

🎵Set 3 (Sister Big Stuff - Skinhead Moonstomp)

Sister Big Stuff: ok but how fun is this??? and the cover twist is really cool! This works! 💃

Can I Change My Mind: I like this track a lot, I just have questions regarding production - why does the vocal line almost hide behind the instruments? 🤔

Skinhead Moonstomp: this is totally a “crank up the party” song! And the storyline is so cute! 😂

🎤Talking Break:

It took me a minute to understand the “pyramids” discussion

“Kinda ambient”

🎵Set 4 (Castlefields - Die Bunge)

Castlefields: the “sirens” on the strings remind me of a piece called “Threnody for Hiroshima,” although with a completely different intention! And against that, you have some slow, cool jazz. I really like this. ✨possibly my favorite of the episode✨

Die Bunge: the electronica… solid. 👍

🎤Talking Break:

Ask a reasonable question - ok but this was SO REASONABLE!!! Loved this question!

… I’m putting my money on Yoko for the 1971 “King Kong” debacle. 😬

And I’m totally with Cillian on the covers 👍

🎵Set 5 (Cab It Up - Mestre)

Cab It Up: instrumentally this is quite fun! The spoken vocal part reminds me of b 52.

Mestre Candeia’s Denim Hat: some fun electronica! The rhythms are unexpected and you know I love polyrhythms.

🎤Talking Break:

Irish music! Yay!

Cool explanation!

🎵Set 6 (They Recognized Him)

They Recognized Him: whoaaaa. I’m glad Cillian said this was partly inspired by ‘90s hip hop, because you can hear it once you’re in the know!

🎤Talking Break

An exclusive!

Ooooh a reading! And quite memorable - I would describe it as grotesque in its imagery.

🎵Set 7 (Seem Am I - Why Can’t I Come to You)

Seem Am I: like I’ve said before - I do have a complicated relationship with her voice, but I fully recognize that her timbre is completely intentional. Her lyrics are pretty sophisticated, which I appreciate.

Why Can’t I Come to You: oh how beautiful! Ok I need to listen to more Patty Waters. ❤️ ✨is this a tie for favorite???🤔✨

🎤Talking Break

New music! Woohoo!

🎵Set 8 (Free of the Stolen Boy - Bending Hectic)

Free of the Stolen Boy: I like this, but every time he says “I want to be free,” all I can think of is Queen 😅 his voice reminds me of Johnny Cash.

Bending Hectic: I LOVE THIS! What a great concept - the “bending” is heard with all the bent notes/microtones. And then it’s “hectic” because the style continuously changes, but the bent motif continues throughout - well done! ✨another favorite✨

🎤Talking Break

Yorkshire Man - Scottish music. Ok. This guy sure is interesting!

🎵Set 9 (Life in a Scottish Sittingroom 2 ep 11 - Mam Yinne Wa)

Life in a Scottish Sittingroom: well, at least he’s easy to understand! I was worried I wouldn’t know what he was saying! This is an interesting pick, especially since it’s hard to call this music. There’s music in the background, but I definitely call this a reading. Anyway, it’s quite pastoral.

Riot in Cell Block No 9: wow! That’s a transition, now isn’t it?! 😂 nice early rock

I Asked for Water: and now some blues!! I’m getting the sense that this set is all about “obviously from a specific country” vibes/sounds.

Mam Yinne Wa: well… it’s definitely from somewhere. I just don’t know where - I’ll have to do some research. That being said, this is COOL!! 💃 ✨ANOTHER song tying for favorite??? How many am I up to???✨

🎤Talking Break

I loved this “wedge” of music 😍

🎵Set 10 (The Lonely Sea - You Are Mine)

The Lonely Sea: 😍 I love this, and frankly, I need to listen to more of The Beach Boys! These boys bop, but can also bring some fantastic harmonies!

You Are Mine: 💃💃💃 I love this one, too!!! These vocals are 🔥, but so are the instruments! 💯

🎤Talking Break

That is a shame that we don’t know much about Jay Robinson!!!! 🙀🙀🙀

Beatles moment!!!! 😍😍😍

🎵Set 11 (Julia - This Town)

Julia: the way this song makes me CRY 😭❤️😭❤️ OMG HE LOVED HIS MOM 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 John may have been wacky, but my goodness could he write something heartbreakingly tender (*ahem Now and Then ahem*)

This Town: a solid song. What a groove! 😎

🎤Talking Break

Early 2000s - wow! Nice to know what songs he played on repeat!

“Mind yourselves, now”

🎵Set 12 (Tilth Dawn Rustles - Swell Does The Skull)

Tilth Dawn Rustles: oooh this is good! Atmospheric but also synth and electronic sounds. Although the bubble sounds in the background are a little distracting 😂

Swell Does The Skull: transition was cool, but I am digging this guitar line! A solid, melancholy ending.

———————————————————————

Phew! One more done!

Tag list:

@iammrsrogers @deliciousnutcomputer @mariamoonie @brownskinsugarplum76 @look-at-the-soul @kj-davis @neverroad @teapothollow @thepurplearmyposts @possessedmarshmallow

#cillian murphy #cillian murphy’s limited edition #bbc 6 music

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usergreenpixel · 1 year

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JACOBIN FICTION CONVENTION MEETING 30: CLISSON ET EUGÉNIE (2009)

1. The Introduction

Hello, Citizens, and welcome back to Jacobin Fiction Convention! So, today’s the day we get a rather unexpected author on the scaffold in the spotlight - Napoleon Bonaparte himself! Yes, THAT Napoleon, so you can bet that this is a bit of a unique book.

Turns out in his youth the guy wanted to be an author and wrote the short story we’re about to dissect. Granted, it’s a story he never finished and was apparently extremely embarrassed about it later (I can relate to that), so this is the second reason why this particular review is going to be a unique one. I don’t think we ever had anything unfinished as a topic.

Anyway, you might be asking yourself how exactly I found out about Napoleon’s writing in the first place. For that I have to thank one of the Neighbors, @tairin , who first brought up his writings in conversation long ago. Luckily, the unfinished drafts were published in English in 2009, so translation is available for those who don’t know French. HOORAY!

Unfortunately, the book is a bitch to find online but a website called archive.org came to my rescue like the proverbial cavalry. You do need to make an account there but afterwards it’s possible to borrow this book for 14 days like you would do in a library and read it free of charge. That’s how I read the book, considering the fact that negative reviews of my mutuals made me unwilling to pay money for an ebook or a physical copy.

Is it that bad though? Let’s find out.

This review is dedicated to @tairin , @theravenclawrevolutionary and @michel-feuilly .

Okay, let’s begin!

2. The Summary

The book tells a tragic love story of, well, Clisson and Eugénie. So it’s a romance novel. Also, apparently, a self insert fic with Clisson standing in for Napoleon himself. I have no idea who Eugénie might be though.

People who already know my preferences might remember that romance is my least favorite genre, but I still decided to give the story a chance, so let’s talk about how that decision turned out.

3. The Story

Honestly, it has a lot of romance clichés so the story just wasn’t for me. I didn’t detest it or anything, but I didn’t like it either.

I did, however, appreciate the beginning which shows us Clisson as a talented soldier who is tired of combat and looking for something else in life. It made the narrative just a tad more relatable, in my opinion.

Another point in favor of the story is the fact that Clisson and Eugénie don’t fall in love at first sight and the story takes time for them to develop proper chemistry. I’m not the biggest fan of the “love at first sight” trope so yay for avoiding it!

As for the ending… a bit depressing and anticlimactic but, as someone battling depression, I could relate to Clisson as I had moments where I was close to the headspace he has in the ending. Funny how depression has changed my opinion on some melodramatic moments in media…

4. The Characters

The characters are a bit flat, but not as much as in works of some beginner authors. Since it’s a short story, I’ll only focus on the main characters.

I honestly expected Clisson to be more of a Gary Stu, but I didn’t really get those vibes and could even relate to him towards the end. He has a more gentle, vulnerable side that few people get to see and, at the end of the day, simply craves love and happiness. He is more than just a hero obsessed with war.

Eugénie… I don’t like her and don’t care about her reasoning. I don’t like cheaters. End of story. But I like the fact that she fucked up this way and we didn’t get a blameless perfect love interest. She’s more than that.

Trust me, my first attempts at creating characters were much worse than what we have here.

5. The Setting

I liked some descriptions in the book and, for a short story, Napoleon managed to create settings in a way that’s not bad. Not excellent, but not bad either.

6. The Writing

Personally I don’t really like the writing style, but I tend to have that problem with many works of the past. There’s just too much purple prose for me, but I know that some people appreciate it so hey, you do you.

7. The Conclusion

Overall, maybe I just had really low expectations but… I didn’t hate the story, nor did I like it. Romance genre is just not for me and I’m the absolute last person who should review romance novels.

I went in fully expecting to hate the story, but I don’t. Maybe I just have more patience for beginner authors, maybe I’m just in a good mood. Either way, I can’t quite recommend the book, but I still think it’s an interesting read, if only to get a glimpse into a facet of Napoleon that isn’t talked about much.

On that note, let us finish today’s meeting. Stay tuned for updates, Citizens!

Love,

Citizen Green Pixel

#history #frev #frev art #obscure frev media #jacobin fiction convention #napoleon bonaparte #frev literature #frev media #frev books #clisson et eugenie

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cadybear420 · 5 months

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My Proper Tierlist Ranking of Choices Books (as of late November 2023).

I'm kinda tired of using the tiermaker templates because they're not always up to date lol. So instead I'm just doing it as a basic ass text post. Keep in mind that all of these placements are subject to change.

Feel free to ask me about any of my placements because I love to talk about my Choices opinions!

Diamond Tier: Choices’ Bests. 10 stars. YAAAAASSSS!

The books and series that clearly had the most effort and heart put into them. They’re not all perfect obviously, but they do feel like actual interactive stories, and they’re easily the most enjoyable of the bunch.

OG High School Story

Endless Summer

It Lives Series

A Courtesan of Rome

The Heist: Monaco

Blades of Light and Shadow

Platinum Tier: Exceptional Quality. 9 stars. YES!

They probably didn’t have quite as much meaningful player interaction put into them and/or weren’t quite as enjoyable as any of the Diamond Tier books. But they’re still really high quality and very respectable, and even possible contenders for being moved up to Diamond Tier after I give them a replay.

The Crown and the Flame

The Royal Romance- Book 1 (have yet to play the rest)

Perfect Match

BloodBound

Mother of the Year

Murder at Homecoming

Gold Tier: Memorably Fun. 8 stars. WOOO!

They’re maybe not really the best quality stories, but they were fun to play and had elements that stood out to me. Maybe it was just an absolute wild ride of a story, or maybe it’s a guilty pleasure story. They’re memorable and certainly worth replaying.

LoveHacks

The Haunting of Braidwood Manor

Hero

America’s Most Eligible

Across the Void

Bachelorette Party

The Phantom Agent

Silver Tier: Enjoyable. 7 stars. Yay!

The “vanilla is still a flavor” of the app. The stories that were mostly simple and straight-forward and didn’t greatly wow me, but were still at least fun to play and could be worth a replay. Pretty good as “cozy” stories.

The Freshman Series- Special Date Side Stories (have yet to play the actual main series and the holiday side stories)

Home for the Holidays

High School Story: Class Act (if you pretend it’s not a HSS spinoff)

Open Heart- Book 1 (have yet to play the rest)

Baby Bump- Book 1 (have yet to play the rest)

With Every Heartbeat

Shipwrecked

Crimes of Passion- Book 1 (have yet to play Book 2, and Book 3 is on its way)

The Princess Swap

The Cursed Heart

Immortal Desires

Copper Tier: Decent, Average. 6 stars. Eh.

The “just okay” stories. Far from terrible, but not much about them that really stood out to me. Not much interest in replaying them, unless maybe I need something completely mindless to play.

Nightbound

Distant Shores

Bronze Tier: Unsure, Mixed Feelings, It’s Complicated. 5 stars. Ehhhhh.

I’m mixed on these stories. They aren’t really terrible as there are some things they did right, but there’s also so much that they did wrong. A lot of these could also use a replay for the sake of giving it a second chance.

Rules of Engagement

High School Story: Class Act

The Nanny Affair- Book 1

Laws of Attraction

Wolf Bride

Wake the Dead

Stone Tier: Truly Mid, Lacking in Substance. 4 stars, Meh.

I don’t quite dislike them, but there’s nothing they give to us. They’re just so empty. There’s “vanilla is still a flavor” and then there’s having no flavor at all, and these books just have little to no flavor.

Ms. Match

Slow Burn

The Nanny Affair- Book 2 (and the sum whole of the trilogy tbh)

Roommates With Benefits

Wood Tier: Boring. 3 stars. Bleh.

The absolute snorefests of the app. Not only did they give nothing, but they were terrible at holding my interest and attention. They’re so poorly paced that even if they did have something of value, I completely missed it because I was either completely zoning out and/or I felt actual mental distress trying to follow the story.

Ride or Die

A Very Scandalous Proposal

Rotting Flesh Tier: Annoying. 2 stars. Uuuuggghhhh.

The stories that are legitimately painful to play through. Just downright frustrating and groan-worthy. They aren’t quite the worst, but they only do very little right. And it’s even more tragic because these premises could have been done right. There are ideas for decent stories here, but they’re completely neglected.

Witness

My Two First Loves

The Nanny Affair- Book 3

PooPoo Tier: Literally the Worst. 1 star. AAAARRRRRGGGHHH.

The absolute dogshit stories. The biggest doodoofarts of the entire app. The complete bottom of the barrel. The stories that had me actually verbally raging and close to throwing my phone into the nearest wall. Everything about each of these is doomed from the beginning. Anything that could have been done right or even decently is done terribly.

Surrender

Untameable

First Comes Love

Air Tier: Opinions and Rankings Pending.

Quite simply, the ones I can’t properly judge yet due to not having completed or played

Haven’t even started playing yet: MW, TFS, RCD, VOS, D&D, BSC, TE, PTR, WT, PT, STD, TRM, HC, RT, FA, GNV, TDA, KND

Currently Playing that I haven’t yet completed: GG, KOD, OH trilogy, BaBu series

Currently Playing that’s still releasing to all: TBB, DLS

Currently Replaying: OH 1, AME 1, TH:M

Stories I started playing but then dropped mid-book prior to getting my new phone and have yet to pick up again: SK, QB 1, WT, TUH

Still VIP Only: Alpha, SOD, TCH 2

Coming Soon: Unbridled (UT 2), Guarded, Hot Shot, ID 2, A Taste of Royalty, Unnamed GOC Firefighter Book, The Most Dangerous Game, RWB 2, COP 3

#i'm not tagging all of these books #choices stories you play #choices #choices game #choices stories we play #choices stories we play fandom #cadybear's rankings #cadybear's choices books rankings

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vro0m · 1 year

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vro0m’s rewatch - 154/310

2015 Monaco GP

And it’s already time for the worst GP of the year... yay...

So I don't have the full broadcast for this one and honestly I'm kinda glad because Monaco is so damn fucking long as it is already.

Welp now I have it and I have no excuse not to watch it so here we go. (Spoiler : retrospectively the full broadcast was so worth it)

Lewis is on pole. Nico locked up and messed up his lap, twice in a row. Hill says Lewis has struck back after what happened in Spain and compliments him a lot but Simon calls him out, because if you remember he said he'd been too distracted during the break and Lewis hit back at him (I don't know if it's figuratively with the racing or if he said something about it). Johnny is grinning from ear to ear listening to him trying to justify himself now. Hill says nobody likes to have people commenting on their lifestyle but– Simon cuts him off : does he stand by it though? He maintains he thinks there is something in it, he thinks you can't travel the world and show up at the race at your best jetlagged and all. Simon asks for Brundle's opinion. Brundle says it's not his place to comment on how he lives his life, he seems very relaxed compared to how he feels himself sometimes. Johnny chuckles. Brundle thinks Lewis looks very comfortable and at the top of his game. He says right before his final run, Lewis went "okay guys let's all just calm down." Apparently it wasn't going too well and then he aced it and Nico made a mistake and that's that.

Let's hear from Lewis himself. He says it feels very special and wow the broadcast is shit it's completely lagging. He says it feels like a great achievement and it's gonna be a tough race no doubt (can't hear, can't hear) Natalie says he's only won one and by his own very high standards that's not enough, can he win again? (can't hear) …it isn't enough but he's grateful for the one he does have and he'll work as hard as he can to win a second one today.

Simon says he's read somewhere that Lewis went away to work on a couple of areas he felt he'd been weak over the years on this circuit. He says it shows his attention to details.

Anyway it's Lewis' first Monaco pole! Of course Nico is right behind him. Then it's Seb and Daniel, Kvyat and Raikkonen, Perez and Maldonado, Verstappen and Jenson.

Meanwhile Nico could become the fourth driver in history to win 3 Monaco GPs in a row after Graham Hill, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna.

Oh god… Lewis went to play football?! With fucking Thierry Henry?!

There are famous people there but I don't know who they are so I'm not impressed. Some of them are not in elite-athlete shape so I’m guessing either retirees or not sportsmen.

So yeah, Thierry's team won. Oh they have a lovely talk. It's a looooong one though (like it lasts almost 10 minutes) so I'll just tell you about what interests me the most and post the thing afterwards so you can listen for yourselves.

Lewis says Thierry has been doing it for years but for him it's the first time (the video has a bug I think?) then he says he never played in front of people and Thierry says neither did he and they laugh.

"The guys were really happy to be around you," Thierry Henry tells him, "at the end of the day you ARE, you know, a living legend, like they're saying."

I like his calm voice and demeanour, it's attractive. Lewis denies it but Thierry doesn't care, he insists : "Yes you are! You know, you're gonna play it down obviously because you're humble."

(Look at him babygirling I’d say he finds Thierry as attractive as I do)

A bit later he says : "I always explain to people that when I do something to win, I see, if I can say, myself in Lewis because he wants to win everything. Everything that he does." Lewis says he thinks they share the same mentality, when you go out there it's do or die. "I hate losing. Do you hate losing?" he asks. Thierry scoffs. He says he doesn't understand people telling people they should be good losers. They agree that they don't know what that is, (although of course Lewis has shown us he knows, since then. Or maybe he's learnt since then. Idk.) Lewis says he thinks people like that will never be champions. (Yeah. He definitely learnt. There's a difference between not caring about losing and losing with composure, if you know what I mean. That might not be the best way to word it but you get it, I trust that you do.)

They must have recorded right after the Spanish GP because Lewis talks about getting a lot from what happened "yesterday". He feels like because he had to gain some places back he was more successful than maybe if he'd won the race. He calls it a challenge of composure. (But that's literally what I was saying about being a good loser. The same word even, lmao. Lewis you do get it you dumbass (affectionate)). He talks about the moment when Bono told him not to try and catch Nico at the end because he wouldn't be able to. He's proud of overcoming all that and not getting flustered. He then says he knows he needs to be better prepared than ever, he says the previous year he wasn't prepared the best he could for Monaco. "I've had a good car for the last two years and I haven't capitalised on it," he adds. (Bro you won the title, is Monaco really that important that you would say you didn't capitalise on it?) He thinks third time's lucky.

Thierry asks how you find the right balance with a teammate. He says it's not easy as a footballer to be an individual in the collective. Lewis says he doesn't get paid to lift the other one up. On the one hand you want the other guy to be second for the team, but at the same time sometimes you want "the Ferrari guy or someone to take points away from that guy". "You wanna be a team player, but also you wanna win."

He's gotten older though (he says 'a lot' but he's 30 at this point so I refuse that) and now he thinks there's an opportunity to be a leader. (Oh that’s truly… Actually I've been thinking this season we’re seeing more and more of the current Lewis in him and that's another thing he did actually emulate right? He definitely did become that leader in the end.) When he was younger he only thought about "me me me" and wanting to win and nowadays he thinks if he wants to earn the place to be a team leader for all these people, there's a way he needs to conduct himself. Even though he wants to win, he also needs to make sure the team gets a 1-2.

Thierry says it's like the guy on the bench, he might need to replace you for the end of the game or because you're injured, and you need him to win for the team so you give him advice and lift him up but if you give too much, you might become the guy on the bench, and you might find out that once that guy plays he's not looking at you anymore. That's where he sees a similarity between them in that sense. People don't get it, how you need to be nice but not let him take over. He jokes : "I will help you. But you will never play."

Lewis says the thing with F1 is that everything is recorded, from your heart rate to the vibrations. So you don't even need to tell the guy, he can just go in the backroom and look at it. "All of your talents are on display." He says the difference in your heart and in your ability can still come through even though it's diminished because of that. (I never thought of that part, actually. I didn't know they had such easy access to their teammate’s data. I guess it depends on the team and all that as well but yeah it makes it that much more difficult to navigate. It's kinda crazy to think that eventually Lewis developed in such a way that even with that data his teammates aren't able to emulate him? Or maybe they didn't have as much access anymore after that brocedes fiasco? I wonder.)

I still wrote most of it down in the end because pretty much all of it was interesting lol. Thierry says "see you soon on the field". He adds he won't see him on the track because it's too dangerous for him. "I'm soft." They laugh.

Back on the track it's another footballer. Fucking Cristiano Ronaldo. Meh. We see super models greeting Lewis in the garage, I think it's Gigi Hadid? Idk. Idc. They're with Spinz. While Johnny says he does think Lewis took control of his life and the whole management thing had a role in that too, we see Lewis joking around with the models, handing them his steering wheel then his very heavy bling necklace. Johnny says he feels comfortable with everything that's going on around him which is funny because it's true of his life and of the models lol. "Something he hasn't had for many many years," he continues, "he's always been open on that fact." And it gives him ultimate confidence on track. (I like Johnny Herbert I have to say, I feel like he's often right and doesn't take any of it too seriously.)

There's a segment about Jules winning Marussia points here in 2014 and it makes me incredibly sad to hear these people talk about him. They all sound so proud. Max Chilton, his teammate at the time, says he got goosebumps just talking about it.

It's time for Lewis to get in the car, the models have to go. Oh, Nick is there! They hug.

I also read that Mercedes announced that they renewed Lewis' contract for an additional 3 years ahead of the weekend! Somehow I don't think they mentioned it during the broadcast but maybe I just missed it idk.

Formation lap.

They're racing!

It's a tight start, Lewis is ahead but just about. Behind him, Nico is level with Seb and there's a Red Bull, Daniel I imagine, trying to get in-between them but locking up as he tries not to collide with the Ferrari. The cars fall into place, it's actually Kvyat who almost made contact, he got ahead of Ricciardo. Yellow flags in sector two. Yeah someone is in the barriers and reversing. It's Hulkenberg. As he tries to go away again he runs in the debris of his own car. The marshals jump the barrier to take them away. His front wing is gone. Massa is dead last and saying on the radio it's finished. What happened to him? Ohhh on the replay we see Hulkenberg was actually SENT into the barriers by Alonso… Hulkenberg pits, and Massa pits and they're both getting new front wings. And Max and Maldonado make contact. Verstappen is trying to race wheel to wheel in Monaco. Which isn't a thing. Unfortunately. But tbh good on him for trying. Alonso gets a 5 second time penalty for the collision with Hulkenberg. Max and Maldonado are indeed wheel to wheel and it made me inhale through my teeth, it's scary scary. I mean. It would be scary with any drivers but it's Max and Maldonado. On paper, terrible pairing for wheel to wheel racing on a tight street circuit. Verstappen takes P8. Ted says Maldonado has a brake by wire failure so things are gonna get worse for him. Yeah, they retire him.

It's lap 10. Lewis, 3.1 in the lead, is told to manage his front left brake. Behind him it's of course Nico, then Seb, then Kvyat and Daniel, Raikkonen, Perez, Verstappen, Jenson and Alonso is currently P10. Lewis is having issues with brake balance and temperature. It's affecting the strategy, Ted says, as they're telling him he's not making a gap to Seb quick enough now. It's so early in the race to be struggling, I'm worried.

Lap 20. Lewis is 3.9 ahead now. The order behind him is obviously unchanged. He's told the brakes are coming under control and he can reduce lift and coast. Nico is told it's important to reduce the gap to Lewis in case there's a Safety Car. A bit later, they tell him prime warm up looks better than they thought so Vettel is a threat to the undercut, hence he has to push. He's not getting closer to Lewis though. Lewis complained he lost time in traffic but now it's Rosberg and Seb caught in it and it's helping him a lot.

It's lap 30. Lewis is 8.6 ahead and the pit stops are ongoing. After the top 3 it's now Daniel, Raikkonen, Perez, Jenson, Kvyat, Alonso and Nasr. Verstappen is just exiting the pit lane after a 31.0 wheel change in a 52.821 pit stop. His race is ruined. Seb pits. Daniel pits. Nico pits to cover Seb. Raikkonen pits. Nico is still ahead but it was close.

Lap 40 (sigh). Lewis still hasn't stopped and he's 8.2 ahead. Why aren't they pitting him. He's losing time. Behind Seb is now Kvyat, Raikkonen is P5, then Daniel, Perez, Jenson, Alonso and Nasr. Nico just set the fastest lap… Alonso just went straight on in a run off area. He's out.

Lap 50. The Monaco gp is always so testing for whatever is wrong with my brain wiring istg. It makes me wanna bite things really hard. Anyway, Lewis is, guess what, still ahead, by 10.8 seconds. So there was no reason to worry about Nico earlier. But he clearly must have stopped and I missed it because otherwise it wouldn't be possible. I mean this race is fucking boring and I can't focus so no surprise. Anyway. They keep showing us "battle for P2" between Seb and Nico but Seb is over 1.5 seconds behind so they're really grasping at straws there in reality.

Lap 60. Lewis is a healthy 15 seconds in the lead. Bla bla bla. Please make it end. Max tries to overtake Grosjean in the hairpin and can't make it. That's another risky pairing. He's told to push the engine. Oh. Guess what? They crashed. It's actually a quite heavy one… One of them changed direction and Max's front left hit his rear right. That suspension is shredded and Max goes straight into the barriers at high speed. It must have hurt… Grosjean is able to leave the scene. All the RBR mechanics have horrified looks on their face. Can we hear him over radio? He's moving. Virtual Safety Car. From his on-board we see him hand his steering wheel to the marshals. "You OK Max?" – "I'm OK." He's struggling to climb out of his car though, maybe because it's embedded in the tepco barrier. He's up and out. Safety Car. Max is being checked upon by marshals. Ooof the replay is scary, that must have been a serious amount of Gs. On the radio Grosjean asks if he has damage. "He's a (beep) that Verstappen. That was stupid." Plenty of Safety Car pit stops. Wow. We see Verstappen's car hooked on a crane and the marshals are reaaaally struggling to extract it from the barriers. It's quite shocking how deep into it it went. Lewis pits???????????? He had to wait a bit to avoid an unsafe release.

Oh shit. Nico is ahead. Lewis and Seb are side by side behind the Safety Car. Now what. Lewis is P3. No, come on. If Nico wins I quit. Not really but that would be infuriating. How did they fuck up that much, Lewis will be furious. Ted says Lewis on the radio said "I've lost this race, haven't I?" but Bono answered not if they lose tyre temp and he'd be fast behind on supersofts but that would work IF WE WERE ON A FUCKING TRACK ON WHICH YOU CAN FUCKING OVERTAKE FOR FUCKS SAKE

Ooooh this is so frustrating.

Lewis asks "what's happening guys?" and Bono says they're reviewing a video? What's that about? Is it about P2? Because we just saw a replay of him leaving the pits and he was clearly behind Seb if that's what he's on about. Seb on his radio says he was in front. Yes you were. He's told they can see from the TV and it was clear. Brundle keeps talking over the radio message to say the same thing just shut the fuck up man. We know.

10 laps to go. He needs this SC in but they have to repair the barriers… lapped cars can overtake. Brundle is pissed because that's optional and they don't need to do it. Honestly fuck off. (I'm sorry I'm really pissed off by this race.) Yeah that's a lot of lapped cars but still. What's the use keeping them lapped that's just traffic for the midfield. Be real. Bono : "Lewis can you let us know who was ahead when you crossed Safety Car Line Two?" – "Nico was ahead. I was alongside Sebastian." No you weren't love I thought we'd left the bad faith with McLaren come on. Seb is complaining : "This is like sending swimmers to swim with weights on their legs, this makes no sense. We need at least two, three laps at better pace to get a bit of temperature, I mean this is a joke."

Safety car coming in at the end of lap 70. That'll leave them 8 laps. Fucking hell.

Here we go. Lewis is all over Seb's rear, he needs to get ahead quickly so Nico can't get away but if he rushes he'll crash. I'm losing my fucking mind. He can't make it. Nico is already over 2 seconds ahead. You can tell he's pissed from the way he drives. Don't fuck it up though… DRS is enabled. Daniel overtook 2 cars since the restart and is up in P4 but very honestly who cares right now.

5 laps to go… Nico sets the fastest lap. He says it's impossible to pass. I need you to try though, like last race, don't give up. And Daniel sets the fastest lap, he's right behind Lewis, so I guess he became relevant in this race after all. He's under investigation for pushing Raikkonen wide though.

3 laps to go. Bono : "Strat mode five and you have strat mode two available." – "Please stop talking to me, please." He's losing on Seb, getting closer to Daniel, I'm so very very angry at this race how did they fuck up THAT BAD. No further action for Daniel. Come on Lewis. Fight back please.

It's the final lap. I can't believe what I've seen. And Daniel is told if he can't overtake Lewis he'll have to give his position back to Kvyat.

It's the end of the race.

And so Nico fucking wins fucking Monaco fucking again. Seb is P2 and Lewis is P3. Ricciardo did give the place back to Kvyat.

Bono : "Sorry about that Lewis, mate. Just going to have to have a word with the pit wall."

I have no words.

Lewis stopped by the side of the track?! He's gone again. What was that.

Ted tells Niki it seems like the team has lost Lewis the GP. "Yes, clear." Why on earth did they pit him? "I don't know. Confusion… in the overhead… I will say… a lot of people talking. And, wrong decision." Ted is adding fuel to the fire saying the Ferrari weren't even about to pit, there was no threat and the gap wasn't big enough. "Full agree." He says he was listening to the talks and there was too much confusion. Ted asks, if he's the boss now, how does he handle it and how does he handle Lewis, who's gonna be "absolutely spitting blood." Niki says he honestly feels really sorry and even apologised to his engineers. It's unacceptable. He asked Toto to analyse it properly and see what the mistake was.

Rosberg is out of the car, Seb is out of the car, Lewis' car isn't even there.

Ted is with Toto now. He tells him Niki said it was unacceptable. "You've lost Lewis the grand prix. Why?" Toto says they did, they made a mistake, they thought the gap was a different one than it actually was, then Lewis called in that the tyres temp dropped and he had no grip. "A complete misjudgement." (As he talks Lewis finally arrives and straight up runs over the P3 sign.) Toto says he's just so sorry, "we just screwed it up for him". Ted says he's already apologised on the radio, what is he gonna say to him? He says there's nothing else to do but to apologise, and apologise, and apologise. (You know what else there is to do, actually? find out what happened and make sure it never ever EVER happens again, but we already know that it did.)

Lewis slowly, methodically, gets out of his car, while Nico is beaming on the side. Lewis is walking very slowly to them. Seb offers his hand first.

Lewis shakes it but barely looks at him. Seb whispers in his ear as he sets down his helmet (while I make the gif I hear "[something] won this race", possibly you should or would have won this race).

Nico did not make one gesture in his direction, he's still smiling on his side. They head up the short flight of stairs to the Monaco royalty. He's just so happy and expansive about it honestly it infuriates me. Like I get it, he's happy, he's won Monaco three times in a row but fuck that.

But Lewis is good so he walks up the stairs, taps Nico's shoulder and shakes his hand.

(See now the whole conversation with Thierry Henry just. Yeah I don’t need to spell it out, you get it.) Charlene pats his shoulder amicably after kissing his cheeks.

He barely lifts his trophy to the crowd without a smile and sets it down.

Seb says something to him again.

He looks down during the anthem. Nico's satisfied grin as Lewis wipes his face istg. I know it's not his fault but he's so grating right now. Also Lewis' face… if I was from his side of the garage I would be shitting myself. The crowd is chanting his name though. He gives them a thumbs up but it doesn't cheer him up.

They hand them champagne. Nico grabs his bottle and runs off with it. Lewis walks away with his.

Some official stops him in his tracks though as he's truly walking away.

The interviews begin. Will he even talk to Brundle?

Nico says he's very happy but he also knows it was just a lot of luck today. "Lewis drove brilliantly and would have also deserved the win for sure. But that's the way it is in racing." Lewis is back, we see him sitting down behind Nico with his head bowed still. Honestly… this is such long moments after a race like that it must suck so bad. Brundle asks Nico if he has an explanation as to why Lewis was brought in and not him, he says he doesn't. You don't know the decisions being made as you're in the car. The restart on cold hard tyres was very hard but it worked out.

In his interview Seb smiles as he says it was pretty close but he's confident he was ahead of Lewis out of the pits. He's happy to be on the podium again and he feels like they were closer in the race than they were in quali.

Yeah Lewis does NOT want to talk. Brundle says he thinks he speaks for millions of people when he says he's sorry for him. Behind him, the whole royal family starts clapping for him.

The whole crowd starts cheering for him. "Yeah that was not… the easiest of races. But you know the team has done amazing all year long and we win and we lose together so uh…”

“You know I'm just grateful for the job that I did and congratulations to Nico and Sebastian."

… He's matured a lot, hasn't he? It makes me genuinely emotional. Remember the first seasons? He's grown so much. Also it's remarkable how he actually doesn't get very angry but rather sad. I'm pissed af as you can tell. He's just disappointed.

Brundle asks if he can tell them why he was pitted. He takes a big breath in. "I'm sure we'll sit down afterwards and try and think of ways we can improve."

How bad do you feel now, Brundle asks. You've lost a Monaco grand prix it's been taken away from you. What's going through your mind? "... Uh… come back to win the next one."

A couple of people in the crowd yell "yeah!" and people start clapping, including the Royal family again.

I just realised Nico's ears are absolutely not the same size.

I read that in the post race press conference Lewis said the stop was made after he complained of his tyres, and he thought both Nico and Seb had already stopped. He was asked if he'd have full confidence in the team's strategy after that and said yes.

Max got a 5 place grid penalty for the next race after his crash with Grosjean. He also got 2 penalty points. Oh wait lol. Until now I was like yeah okay, fair. But then I read that he claimed Grosjean brake tested him. Bro stfu. We all saw what happened. Grosjean did not slow down. Verstappen was criticised by Massa, who said he deserved the penalty. He said he did nothing wrong and pointed Massa to his own accident with Perez in Canada 2014. Bold move child. Sit down and drink your milk.

Let's check out the postrace content now that I have it.

They sent Ted to talk to Nick. He says they're all gutted, he did such a good job. He's massively proud of what he's done yesterday and today. He seems emotional. He says he doesn't know and he doesn't want to comment on it. Ted explains what Mercedes said the mistake was due. He talks about Senna who crashed and went straight to his apartment. Nick says you can see Lewis' emotions right away. He's obviously hurting right now, but he's gonna remain positive. He says he'll make sure to give him as much support as he can, he knows he's there for him and hopefully they can pick him up and get him ready for the next one. Ted says this race kinda means more to him than others, "100%" Nick answers. Monaco is very special for everyone.

From the commentators cabin, Crofty says he can see just above Mercedes garage, in the offices, Paddy Lowe, Toto Wolff, Bono and James Vowles. They've been talking for 15 minutes, basically since the end of the race.

We get to hear what Lewis says in the press conference. He's not okay. He says he can't express how he feels so he won't attempt to.

He says he saw a screen and it looked like the team was out so he thought Nico had pitted. He couldn't see the guys behind him so he thought they were pitting. The team told him to stay out so he said the tyres are gonna drop in temperature, assuming the guys behind would be on options, while he was on hards, so they told him to pit. So he went in with full confidence that the others had done the same.

Natalie bravely went to interview him as well. Let's see how that went. Oh fucking hell. Natalie starts by asking if sorry is enough from the team. He says yes with a small smile but it sounds like he's about to break.

She asks how he gets over this, because none of them can imagine how frustrated he is, and angry. He says he'll refocus tomorrow, enjoy his evening, and try to win the next race. "As simple as that?" – "It's all I can do."

She said they talked before about him wanting to be a leader in the team, is that just another big challenge he has to overcome in that respect? "Um… Yeah, I guess so." – "So you can actually be that reflective and you can actually say to yourself 'you know what I can be the bigger man here, I can grow, I can learn from this'?" He says it's very difficult at the moment, "but you know I'll…" He interrupts himself, looks down and shakes his head.

"I'm world champion so I need to behave like one and I'd like to be the team leader and I think today I showed my pace, I showed what I can do here in Monaco and… So… I feel content in my heart that I did everything I could." (The cameraperson is struggling real hard and just zooooomed on his cheekbone freckle lol) Natalie asks if he's spoken to the key strategist. He says no but it was a collective decision between all of them (he says “us”).

Then Toto is with Ted. He says they had a problem with the maths. They thought they could afford a stop to protect against Seb. But Ted cuts him off out of sheer disbelief. "But Ferrari weren't out in the pitlane!" he exclaims in a hushed voice. "You weren't protecting from anything! They weren't out, they weren't gonna make a stop!" Toto says they were 10 seconds behind them so they could have made a pit stop when Lewis was in. There was plenty of time to do a stop. But he says at the end of the day there's no excuse, because they got the maths wrong. He seems furious. The calculations for the gap were giving them a bigger gap than what they had. "Full stop". He says the margin mistake was 3.5 seconds. Now the question is whether they should have made the call with a 3.5 seconds gap or not.

Ted is back with the others and he's not convinced by his talk with Toto. He says first of all even if Ferrari had pitted someone, the Merc (aka Nico) would still have had track position. "What circuit did they think they were at?!" he bursts out. "Track position is key!" Then he adds even if Seb had been on the quicker tyre at the end, he wouldn't have been able to get past just like Lewis wasn't able to. He's very right. The issue here isn't the gap miscalculation.

Ted, although he says himself he might be a bit dramatic, wonders how Lewis can ever again trust a call from his pit wall after that. Simon says twitter is weaving conspiracy theories. Brundle says what they've got to remember is the million calls they've made that were spot-on. But Ted maintains it will stay in Lewis’ head though.

Nico says yes it's a weird one to celebrate because not all of the team is excited. Indeed on the team photo I felt like there weren't as many people as usual. Of course Lewis himself wasn't there. Johnny asks if it matters, with a mischievous smile. Nico says he's learnt to take it. Sometimes the sport isn't nice to you and sometimes it is, he knows he's been incredibly lucky today, and he'll take it. Hill says Lewis will get over it, right? They're all racing drivers, they know how it is. Nico says it's not the first time and won't be the last, but he's sure today ranks as one of the worst moments for him. Losing in such a way really isn't good, especially since he's done such a good job this weekend. (He's actually being remarkably gracious about this I have to say. Very fair.) He says he has a lot of empathy for him but also a lot of space to just be happy.

#f1 #lewis hamilton #vro0m's race reviews #2015 #2015 monaco gp

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blazingdarkness · 1 year

Text

blazer goes to see a horror movie in theaters on purpose for the first time

I saw M3gan tonight! I really liked it! And then I rambled extensively about it in my discord nook! And now I’m throwing all that on tumblr with very little editing because I feel like I should say more things on here!

spoilers, natch.

I guess my main opinion of m3gan is like I went into it being like 'either they're going to do basically this set of things with the premise, or they're going to try to do those things and blunder them, or they're not going to do them and it'll be a ton of wasted potential (or secret fourth option they're going to do something crazy innovative I guess)' and I was right! they pretty much did the things I expected and did not blunder them there should be a black or outline-only star emoji so that you can combine them with regular stars to do ratings along with a half-filled one I will use moons instead

aesthetics 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗 so on the one hand they did the thing I was excited for, which was the combination of creepy doll imagery with robot stuff, and it worked really well!! a lot of stuff like a doll moving unnaturally and jerking around and stuff is just straightforwardly transferable to an android, and I thought it was great. half a moon taken off for the fact that m3gan was honestly like not that uncanny valley before the last like, ~15m or so, and I'm not sure whether she was supposed to be; I just honestly thought she was really cute and pretty. maybe I just watch too many doll customizing videos, or maybe that was in fact supposed to be the impression

spooks 🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑 I feel like the hypothetical version of this which was not a horror movie is maybe better than what we got, but I'm not sure and I'm biased by not being a spooks person. I did have to peek through my fingers a couple times, but the amount of runtime spent on spooks was like, barely any and at no point did I want to walk out or anything, which I'd thought would maybe happen. for the most part the spooks were very silly and a little schlocky (affectionate). I'm definitely glad I looked up a content warnings thing like 30s before the movie started that rated the movie according to various criteria; knowing exactly how many people are going to die was very helpful for me

(a friend here asked whether there were jumpscares)

jumpscares 🌕🌗🌑🌑🌑 there were a small handful of them. one scene really heavily built up a jumpscare for like 45s only for the actual jumpscare to be very minor and not very scary if you really really hate jumpscares it might be too many; there are some, but they're like ~well-telegraphed and the actual thing is usually not that scary I only-one-really hate jumpscares ((would-not-play-fnaf level)) and I was pretty okay with them

social commentary 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑 it didn't blow my mind or really change any of my opinions but neither was it inept or annoyingly preachy. it was pretty obviously doing a thing with technology as a replacement for parenthood that maybe I would have stronger opinions about if I were ever going to be a parent, and I would say it executed on that decently well

more (including concrete ending spoilers) below

lsoh 🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑 it should have been lsoh. m3gan kills the head of the company and another employee and nearly kills another two and it's very clear they aren't going to market. they kill the one dollbody and yay, the day is saved! ((except oooOOOooo maybe it isn't, because she hooked into the alexalike and that still exists oooOOOooo)) but she shoulda been bigger than hula-hoops goshdarnit. explicitly. in those words

ai x-risk 🌗🌑🌑🌑🌑 it's doing a lot with 'technology sure is a spook, innit' (again, without coming across as too preachy), but [points at previous rating category]

characters 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕 I thought gemma and cady were really compelling and interesting people making reasonable mistakes and having problems that made sense for them. I really liked cady's anger issues and the one big tantrum she had; it felt really human. gemma as a neurodivergent person who was thrust into being her niece's guardian was great; she was making a lot of mistakes but you weren't for the most part going 'oh my god gemma no wtf'. I really liked the two main coworkers and I'm glad they didn't die

acting 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕 pretty fantastic stuff! lot of subtlety going on; lots of good goofs when goofs were called for

explorations of personhood 🌕🌗🌑🌑🌑 so if there was one thing that I hoped it was going to delve into that it instead blundered, it was this one, but I guess I'll call it more of an inaccuracy (in the chess sense) than a proper blunder? maybe?? hm. I would pretty solidly call m3gan a person, in terms of things we see her character doing, and there's definitely a ton of gemma like - I can't imagine that I'm supposed to have any other takeaway than that gemma is being cruelly dismissive of her. like it's not subtle, but then it doesn't go anywhere?? m3gan just keeps murdering people, so she's the bad guy and we gotta kill her I think it would be a better movie if like - hm okay let's dig into some concrete examples here

• m3gan asks about death, so she can better comfort cady about her parents, and also asks whether she'll someday die; gemma completely dismisses her and never answers • gemma repeatedly "m3gan, turn off"s her in order to avoid having conversations and answering reasonable questions • we get like, lingering contemplative shots of m3gan in response to these that clearly don't imply her questions as just being manipulative

so there's a major lack of resolution here. I probably would have thrown some lines into the climax about this, maybe after m3gan declares herself to be her own primary user it's really easy to shut down with a 'cool motive still murder'! it wouldn't have to take that long!

and like it's clear with the setup that this sort of ties into gemma not being socially competent in a parenting role and therefore throwing herself into what she's good at (robot toy stuff) to try and supplement her skills (but doing so in a way that prevents her from doing any attempted parenting) and it just would have been cool to see her grapple with the opportunity to have had two daughters; it feels like some balls were dropped here this is the part that most makes me want to glowf it in order to fix the potential

motifs / setup and payoff / cheer factor 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑 yfip apparently I really don't like integer ratings that aren't 5 or 0. anyways • the coaster was definitely set up as a motif and like, it had some payoff but ehn I think I need just a little more of it. ((there was a thing where cady keeps putting glasses right on the table even though there's a coaster right there and gemma asks her to put it on one, and it's supposed to be like 'man, this kid Just had her parents die and you care about coasters??'. and then later during a particularly heavy conversation cady doesn't use one and gemma doesn't say anything and it's Growth. (and then also later gemma is fighting m3gan and smashessplashes her with a glass of water on that same table))) idk I guess I gained some appreciation for it typing this up and it's not like I fucking hate subtlety ((although I do fucking hate subtlety <3)) but I just want like, a hint more out of it • bruce. I love bruce and I cheered when his two chekhov's guns fired in the climax

viewing experience 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕 eels and I were the only people in the theater and it was great. kind of sad because I thought this was a good movie! more people should see it! but personally convenient (edit: apparently my mom thinks this is because of the specific theater (and it being at 5:30 on a wednesday) and probably not too reflective of this movie's success)

fuck 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕 this pg13 movie's One use of fuck was pretty good

the thing with the therapist and bakugan 🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑 needs more followthrough. man the therapist was such a dick to start with, and then came back to say a decently sensible thing later and that seemed to be pretty much it?? also like. the thing with gemma's collectibles was very a way (in a way that I thought was very good), but also like, what of it? :think: I think the way I would have done it is - so what happens is that gemma has a bunch of collectible toys and cady wants to play with them, and gemma is like 'they're collectibles, not for playing with' and then a super judgey therapist comes to observe the two of them, and after some snotty and pointed comments on the part of the therapist gemma busts open her in-box bakugan, with a knife, clearly very uncomfortably and desperately and for the approval of this therapist and also like, just trying to be a good guardian and then there's some stuff about like, clearly the toy Does Something Cool but because of pressure from the therapist gemma and cady just kind of roll it around like a regular ball, and gemma is clearly just trying really hard the whole time to be chill it was really good! but what of it!! I think the thing I want is like, if somewhere near the end gemma talks to cady about her collection, and cady shows an interest not just in them as toys but as pieces of history and design and they bond about it; I think there was some good groundwork laid for that although admittedly I'm not sure where you'd piece it in

also like. I was very :packpackkillkill: (in a way intended by the movie) that like. ms therapist you would not be acting like this if gemma collected rare vases or some shit! just because they're shaped like toys doesn't mean she's being evil by having her niece wait one (1) day until she can get some actual toys for her. jeegus.

gorls. gedner. 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕 ran into some pronoun ambiguity trouble typing the initial therapist paragraph and realized just how female-dense this movie is. I don't think it passes the reverse bechdel test. the following ranking is really subjective but I think you have to go out to the . . . fiiifth to maybe eighth most important character before you hit a guy? depending on how you count it? but it feels very natural, like I said I only just noticed it. and none of it was sexualized or arbitrary or hashtag girlboss or pandering. and yet it's obviously not a Girl Movie even though I would say that dealing with being female is probably pretty central, nearly as much so as parenthood and technology and stuff, although I have Not Yet Unpacked That

sfx and visual design 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕 it's really good!! I've updated now and I think m3gan looks exactly as uncanny valley as she's supposed to, and she absolutely looks like a real physical android; there has to have been a ton of practical effects and I would totally watch a 20m video going into behind-the-scenes technical stuff to see the exact mix of puppetry and pingpongball acting and raw cgi. her costumes are also gorgeous and there are a lot of really little things that work super well. in particular I want to call out her charging station, which is just a spot she sits at on a window seat in cady's room that has a few light strips running across it; it works perfectly to convey what it is and give her a place to watch over cady while she sleeps and to look pensive or to creepily look out the window or whatever. it's just really subtle mostly-beneath-notice design where the competence shines through in how little you need to think about it

goofs 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑 it was pretty funny! one article I saw calls it a creepy comedy rather than a funny horror and that seems decently accurate to me; I was at times guffawing and all of them were on purpose instead of at-but-not-with the movie

miscellaneous 🌗🌗🌗🌗🌗 • the singing voice for m3gan was reallyreally pretty; I liked it a lot • I would totally watch this movie again and hopeintend to own it on dvd • there's so much on my glowfic plate but I'm making eyes and filing it away for later. bigger-than-hulahoops delilah!m3gan and the one unit who's an ancora alt coming to you in 2025 • oh another thing I really liked was the way all the robot stuff gave them an in to use a bunch of haunting imagery. like I touched on this in the aesthetics section but there was also a really cool thing where she hooked into gemma's alexalike and had the lights flickering along with her freakouts and stuff it was great

#m3gan spoilers #m3gan #blazer topposts #long post

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daja-the-hypnokitten · 11 months

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Jukebox reviews part 51! For context, see my post “A Project” under this same tag. If you want to see a full list of his EMCSA stories, they can be found here, sorted alphabetically.And if you want to see some of his drabbles, check out his blog at @jukeboxemcsa

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