#((This was long but these were only the highlights))

[azzibuckets]

want you for myself [paige bueckers]

paige bueckers x fem!reader

summary: some cute fluff where paige gets jealous of all the attention her brother is getting from you

a/n: i kinda rushed this so😭 it didn’t turn out the way i wanted

word count: 1.3k

masterlist

Normally, Paige loved how good you were with Drew. How whenever he started talking about school or basketball, you always raptly paid attention, asking questions and making jokes. She loved how gentle you were with him, how when he was being too loud you always managed to bring his energy down to a more appropriate level without yelling at him.

But right now, she couldn’t help but feel annoyed at how focused you were on Drew when you were supposed to be focused on her.

“And Dad bought me three new skins for my birthday! Here, let me show you all of them.” Drew scrambled to find his iPad, and for what seemed like the millionth time, Paige leaned into you, tugging your shirt sleeve at the elbow.

“Can we go now?” she whined. “You said we would watch the wolves game together.”

“Just give me a few more minutes,” you whispered back, not even bothering to look at her. “Let me see Drew’s skins.”

Paige loudly huffed. She was bored out of her mind. “The game’s starting in five minutes, you know,” she urged, widening her eyes to show her eagerness.

“I know, you just said that two minutes ago. You go on up first, I’ll be there in a few,” you said dismissively before enthusiastically throwing yourself into yet another conversation with Drew about Fortnite.

Grumbling under her breath, Paige went up the stairs, making sure to aggressively stomp to get her impatience across. When she reached the top, she turned around, but you didn’t seem to have noticed her attitude at all, eyes totally glued to Drew’s screen.

The Timberwolves vs Mavericks game started, but Paige couldn’t enjoy it without you. Her annoyance grew as she heard you and her little brother’s raucous laughs echoing from the basement. She clenched her jaw, wondering how you were more interested childish things like Fortnite (as if she hadn’t played that game for hours every night the past month) than a basketball game with your very sexy girlfriend.

Paige was able to ignore her frustrations momentarily and get lost in the game, but when Anthony Edwards scored a buzzer-beater three to end the first quarter and she jumped up and down, instinctively going to grab you out of excitement, she realized again that you still hadn’t come up. With a groan, she headed back downstairs.

This time, you and Drew were playing on the Nintendo, both of you fully zoned in on building your Minecraft world. “Hey.” You felt a flick on your head and turned around to see a grumpy Paige. “You just missed Ant’s best moment of the season,” she declared, hoping you’d feel disappointed at having missed the highlight.

But you only said, “Oh, damn,” before turning back to the screen.

Paige sighed and decided to try again. “He shot from full court to put the wolves up at the end of first,” she prodded, hoping you’d get excited. But you merely nodded before turning to Drew and asking if he wanted to switch to creative mode.

Paige switched tactics. “Drew,” she said in a sing-song voice. “I think your screen time is up.”

Drew wrinkled his eyebrow, not tearing his gaze from the TV. “I don’t have a screen time.”

Paige stepped in front of the TV, forcing both of you to finally look at her. “Do either of you want ice cream?” she tried, smiling hopefully. “I’ll drive us to Baskin Robbin’s.”

“I’m still pretty full from lunch,” you said, “but thanks babe.”

“Yeah, me too,” Drew agreed. “Can you move now?”

Paige begrudgingly moved aside, jaw tightened as she grinded her teeth. Returning back upstairs, she watched the rest of the NBA game in a brooding silence. She felt slightly immature for being jealous of the attention her brother was receiving from you, but she’d had a long day and all she wanted was to be in your arms, watching her favorite team play.

During dinner, Paige stayed quiet as you and Drew continued your conversation about whatever new game you’d moved onto playing. You were totally oblivious to her irritation of being neglected, thinking she was just sleepy. Paige perked up after dinner, thinking Drew would fall into a food coma and escape to his room, but instead he insisted on showing you two the clothes he’d bought recently.

“I saved the best for last,” Drew announced after twenty minutes of giving you two a detailed and intricate fashion show. He ran to the bathroom, then quickly reappeared in a neat black tuxedo, with a navy pin stripe tie finished with shiny leather oxfords.

“Oh my god!” you squealed, bending down to squeeze his cheeks. “You look so adorable.”

Drew blushed at the attention as you continued to shower him with praises. Paige’s mouth dropped as she glared at the two of you. “Are you serious?” she complained. “You never react like this when I show you my shopping hauls.”

You raised an eyebrow at your girlfriend. “Maybe that’s because you buy the same grey sweatpants each time.” Drew snickered and gave you a fist bump as Paige fought back a smile, trying to mask it under feigned annoyance.

“You two are unbelievable,” she declared. “I regret letting you guys meet.”

“You’re just mad your girlfriend likes me more than she likes you,” Drew shot back, earning another high five and round of giggles between the two of you.

Paige made a show of getting up from her seat. “Well, I’ll leave you two alone since you guys hate me so bad,” she said dramatically.

It was almost 1 AM when you silently crept up to Paige’s childhood bedroom. You and Drew had stayed up gaming for hours, long after Paige had gone up to finish some homework and study. You expected the blonde to already be fast asleep, but when you opened the door, she was using her phone in bed.

“P?” You whispered, startling her.

“Dude.” Paige fixed you with an unforgiving look after recovering from her shock. “It’s literally one. What were you guys doing that took so long?”

“Sorry,” you said sheepishly, letting the door quietly shut behind you. “We were really getting into it.”

“Yeah, I can tell,” Paige said, rolling her eyes. She plugged a charger into her phone and set it on the bedside table, clearly ready to go to sleep. You shrugged and headed to the bathroom to brush your teeth and get ready for bed. But when you climbed into bed and leaned over to give the blonde a kiss, she dodged it. Ignoring your confused stare, she rolled over, turning her back on you.

“Woah.” You tapped her shoulder. “What’s up with you?”

“What’s up with me?” Paige suddenly shot up straight in bed. “You spent the entire day ignoring me. I’m starting to think you’re only dating me to become friends with my little brother,” she complained.

A small smile slowly worked its way onto your face as realization dawned on you. Paige hadn’t been tired all day. “Aw, Paige,” you teased. “Are you jealous of your 10 year old brother right now?”

Realizing how ridiculous the situation sounded, Paige avoided eye contact with you, instead concentrating on pulling the comforter around her. “No,” she said unconvincingly, her voice tiny.

“I know you’re lying, baby,” you chuckled. You reached over to cup the blonde’s face in your hands, giving her an adoring look. “You’re so cute.”

“Stop it,” Paige blushed, swatting you away. “I’m still mad at you.”

“Hey, I never see your brother!” you defended. “You can’t get mad that I’m excited to see him.”

“I know,” Paige whined. “But you don’t have to totally ignore me.”

You felt a slight pang of guilt as you thought back to how you’d completely forgotten about the Timberwolves game that Paige had been so excited to watch with you. Granted, she was excited about every wolves game, but still. “Paige Madison Bueckers,” you intonated slowly, clasping your hands together. “I am immensely sorry for the pain I have caused you today.” You planted a big and sloppy kiss smack in the middle of her forehead, causing her to groan and wipe away the slobber. “You are the light of my life,” you said solemnly. “The apple of my eye. My favorite person on earth.”

Paige pursed her mouth, trying to prevent the corners of her lips from curving upwards. “And?”

“Never again will I ignore you or miss a wolves game.” You hesitated. “Wait, can I take back that last part? You watch so many of their games it’s hard to keep up-”

Paige’s eyes narrowed and you decided to cut yourself off before you dug a deeper hole. “Nevermind!” you said brightly. “I will never again forget to watch a wolves game with my beautiful, sexy, gorgeous, incredible girlfriend.”

The blonde beamed up at you. “That’s more like it.”

You toyed at the collar of her shirt, letting your fingers brush gently across the soft skin on her neck. Looking up at her through your lashes, you said as seductively as you could, “Now can I kiss you?”

“Fuck yeah,” she muttered, grabbing your hips and pulling you in.

#paige bueckers #paige bueckers x reader #uconn wbb #fluff #blurb

[anisscarletstarlet]

Your text went unanswered for the third night in a row, and it was starting to get to you. You wondered if Anakin had a secret lover that he spent his nights with and that's why you were never able to reach him at such hours. The thought gnawed at your insides, the familiar feeling of jealousy and insecurity creeping into your heart.

You stared at your phone, hoping for a response that never came. You sighed, tossing your phone onto the bed, and burying your face in your hands. Anakin had always been hard to reach, but lately his absences had become more frequent, his excuses more vague.

Deciding that locking yourself up alone in your apartment wasn't helping, you headed out. The chill of the Gotham night air hit you as you stepped outside, the city lights casting long shadows in the alleyways. You walked aimlessly, your mind racing with questions and doubts.

As you turned a corner you heard distant sounds of sirens and hurried footsteps. Gotham was never quiet, especially at night. You glanced up at the rooftops, half-expecting to see a dark figure against the sky. The Batman had become a prominent figure in the city, one that you believed risked hundreds of lives to save a few. 

What you didn’t expect was to see police cars blocking the street, a crowd having gathered, their faces pale with shock. Pushing your way through the crowd, you saw officers cordoning off the area around one of the tall buildings. People whispered all around you, the officers and paramedics’ voices booming as they wheeled a stretcher carrying the now lifeless body of one of the city officials. You felt your stomach churn, bile rising in your throat as you turned to leave, thankful it wasn’t Anakin that was on that stretcher. 

You didn’t get far as an arm reached out and dragged you into an alleyway, a hand covering your mouth as a big body pressed you up against the wall. You struggled, stopping when you looked up only to meet the Batman’s eyes. They looked awfully familiar, but you didn’t have time to dwell on it as you started struggling again. 

“You shouldn’t be here” his voice was deeper than you had expected, raspy and cold. “The killer could be around here” he lowered his hand when you stopped struggling, eyes never leaving yours.

“What’s it to you where I am? Planning on sacrificing my life as well?” you sighed as he loosened his grip on you, yet his hold was firm enough for you to not be able to slip away.

“Just get out of here” his voice was low as he spoke, his face much closer to yours than you remembered it being. The deep voice from earlier dropped, and at this proximity, it didn’t take you long to recognize the man under the mask. 

“Anakin?” you whispered, eyes wide in fear. You were in denial, hoping he’d call you crazy for assuming he was Skywalker, but he didn’t. He simply asked you to leave once again, his hands leaving your body, and that was all the confirmation you needed. “How? Why would you not tell me?”

He didn’t reply, instead looking away and stepping back, ready to leave you alone with your unanswered questions once again. You grabbed his arm, and suddenly it all made sense, the way he’d tense when you saw a headline about The Batman, the way he went quiet when you expressed your disdain for this so-called hero, the way he never answered your calls at certain hours of the night. 

“Stop leaving me to answer the questions all by myself” your voice was shaky, the lump in your throat making it hard for you to push the words out. 

“You figured it out, congratulations. Now get out of here” he turned to you, voice urgent, blue eyes piercing and cold, the black paint around them highlighting the color that once had you in a trance. 

“I don’t understand, why would you not tell me?” 

“Because now that you know, we can’t be together” they were the last words you expected to hear tonight, and they completely froze your body in place, tears slowly making their way down your cheeks. His hand reached up, his gloved thumb wiping away your tears, his voice suddenly soft, “Don’t cry. You hate The Batman for a reason, and I can't risk your life”

You stood still, your hands gripping his wrist as your tears continued to flow. It was only the shrill screams that broke the both of you out of whatever trance had settled over you. He gave you one last glance before leaving you to wonder if you were ever going to talk to him again.

────

ib this, for @t03soup

#ꨄ lanita writes #anakin skywalker #anakin skywalker imagine #anakin skywalker x you #anakin x reader #anakin x you #anakin fanfiction #star wars anakin #star wars #hayden christensen #hayden christensen x reader #x reader #angst #batman

[bokettochild]

thoughts on Fable LU

I know most creators in the LU circle like to make Fable be a nice, gentle person in contrast to Legend- the sweet to his sour if you will, but you know what?

I want Fable to be the most ice queen level sort of screwed up that, when the chain find out Legend has a sister, they THINK she's the sweet one- only to meet her and realize that Legend is the nice one in the family.

I want a Fable that lost her mom and dad because Ganon's servants were hunting her family down for ages, killing off every Hylian Knight as they sought out the hero, hoping to eliminate him before Ganon emerged. I want a Fable that knows her father was betrayed by his best friend and cast into the dark world. I want a Fable that's watched the king make dubious decisions for years and has come to accept them as normalcy. I want a Fable who doesn't hesitate to kill for the good of her kingdom. I want a Fable that's well aware of how dark the world is and grew up with that knowledge.

I want a Fable who has watched her brother tear himself apart for the world they protect, who's seen him go from innocent child to grief-ridden young man; full of guilt and still desperately wanting to save everyone. A princess who contrasts her hero, but not in a way that makes him look cruel, but highlights the humanity of the saltiest hero.

A princess who is cold to outsiders, in contrast to how Legend befriends other kingdoms with ease. A princess who will kill, where her hero shows mercy. A princess who makes the tough decisions, because she won't force others to do so for her. A princess who is dangerous and cold, someone who makes even the heroes doubt which side she stands on.

I want a Princess Fable Hyrule who has set her sights on being strong- not because she wants to be 'great' or because she wants power, or even to go down in history. Not even for Hyrule. (She never got to see Hyrule or know it's people, it makes no sense that she'd love them with anything like someone who actually knows anything about them personally, not like her brother). No, she wants to be powerful for one reason: so her brother can stop forcing himself to be strong.

She called this little boy to help her and watched him make his first kill and sent him on a mission that slowly tore him apart and reforged him into a hero. Like her predecessor, she blames herself for stealing his childhood, except Legend is her brother, and she has no way to give back what he lost. So, instead, she tries to create a place where he no longer has to remain what he became, and maybe can go back to being what he was before; carefree, content, and happy. (He won't, but she wants him to have that option anyway).

She's a wildfire to the court, to her enemies she's a storm, but she's a warm, gentle thing with her baby brother.

She's the scary Zelda to me. I think all of them should be affected by their worlds and experiences, but I feel like she, of all of the princesses, has the best potential to be hardened. After all, she's been through most of the same hell as Legend, only unable to change it. She's been powerless long enough, I want her to be just a bit power hungry in the wake of it.

I want Fable to be scary!

#lu fable #linked universe #linkeduniverse #ketto's brainfarts

[warwickroyals]

↬ Warwick Wives (1/7) | royal wives during the reigns of Louis I & Louis II, 1782 - 1817

W I L H E L M I N A was fifty-six at the time of her husband's enthronement, making her one of Sunderland's oldest queen consorts. Despite this, she was famed for her beauty and sharp wit. She had protruding, restless eyes, with a pleasant demeanour. Her representation was a source of stability during the monarchy's early days.

C H A R L O T T E was less shrewd than her mother-in-law. Undereducated and neglected, she came from an obscure German duchy on the brink of extinction. Charlotte’s desire for an informal and relaxed domestic life greatly influenced the upbringing of royal children throughout the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. She remains the most prolific of Sunderland's queens, giving birth to fifteen children—seven boys and eight girls—over twenty-one years.

A M E L I A is the earliest example of a Sunderlandian consort causing a media sensation. Emily, as she was affectionately called, was beloved by the country and her husband, Louis, then Duke of Woodbine. Her marriage stemmed from Sunderland's new alliance with the United Kingdom. This alliance ultimately outlasted the marriage, for Emily would die at age twenty-seven. Her death complicated Sunderland's succession; she and Louis had one son, five-year-old Prince Frederick, who was also of weak health.

M A R I A - C A R O L I N A was the antithesis of Emily—even their hair colours highlighted this. Where Emily was pleasant and free-spirited, Maria Carolina was moody and introverted; Emily was the daughter of a King, a product of the world's largest imperial empire, Maria Carolina was the daughter of a low-ranking prince from Sweden's waining Holstein-Gottorp dynasty. Where Emily was adored by her husband, Maria Carolina hated. The two cousins had never wanted to marry and Louis, still grieving his first wife, waited two years before consummating the union. Over time, Louis grew hostile toward his wife. Running hot and cold, he alternated between ignoring Maria Carolina and tormenting her mercilessly, sometimes driving her to tears.

"If I were to suffer such maltreatment would have hung myself from the balcony at Chester long ago" - Princess Wilhemina, writing on her sister-in-law's troubles

To escape her husband's bullying, Maria Carolina undertook a wide variety of public duties. Today, several institutions and charities bear the name Queen Mary Caroline. Despite her husband's apathy and her own shyness, Maria Carolina formed a loyal circle of close friends at court. It was only after Maria Carolina died in 1841, that Louis III expressed remorse for her mistreatment. He outlived her for another ten years.

King Louis III and Queen Mary Caroline had no surviving children together. When Louis's only son, Hereditary Prince Frederick, died without issue Sunderland was left without a clear successor, promoting the 1835 Succession Crisis. This crisis would last for twenty-five years and put an immense amount of pressure on the next generation of royal wives.

[TRANSCRIPT]

insp (1) (2)

#warwick.extras #warwick.wives #gif warning #✨ #ts4 #ts4 story #ts4 royal #ts4 storytelling #ts4 edit #ts4 royal legacy #ts4 legacy #ts4 royalty #ts4 monarchy #ts4 screenshots #ts4 historical

[dutiful-wildcraft]

Lies and Alibis

Have this totally unedited and margarita fueled piece of mafia!au nikolai x chubby!reader. More to follow~

It had been a survival tactic really, latching onto the bear of a man in a slick black suit, the gold chain around his neck glittering under the light of the chandelier. She’d done her best, slinking around in corners with a glass of champagne in her hand, trying to play at being casual at this lavish party she’d been sent to in the russian countryside. 

She had had a hell of a time trying to hunt down a suitable partner to go to the party with her. Someone who spoke english fluently enough meet her in the middle with her piss poor russian. She understood well enough, speaking was the problem, her accent clumsy. The little language app on her phone could only do so much. She should have known better really, should have caked on more makeup, wore a wig, something. But she’d realized her error to late as one too many suspicious eyes followed her about the place, one too many familiar faces watching her just out of the periphery of her vision. 

Better to at least attempt to camouflage herself, shifting her expression to one of vague confusion and worry. She’d spotted him through the crowd, big and bulky, with gorgeous brown eyes and a warm booming laugh. Black hair coiffed back neatly, the strands tickling his neck. He looked polite enough. So she feigned eureka. Slipping through the crowd and sliding her arm in his, praying to every god in existence that he would just be tickled to have a woman on his arm. 

–

Nikolai only stiffened a moment, hand shifting slightly toward his belt before dropping entirely as he took in the soft thing now clinging to his arm. She flashed him a sheepish smile, eyes pleading from under long pretty lashes. She certainly didn't belong here, all luxurious curves highlighted under a soft satin dress. He had his own mission to attend to, but one look at her face had him immediately following along with whatever sidequest this young lady was about to be. 

“Privet,  Zaychonok”  He greets, returning her smile with a warm one of his own, patting her hand against his forearm. Her relief is palpable as she scrubs her fingers against the fabric of his forearm. A subtle thanks as she takes a long swig from her glass.  He snags her another as the waiter passes, easing it into her hand smoothly. 

–

She’s beyond grateful that this russian saint, does all of the talking. He’s honestly a great conversationalist from what she can gather. He glosses over her arrival completely and continues casually, holding a glass of amber liquid in his free hand and keeping her hand tucked snuggly in the crook of his arm. She was supposed to be listening out for some sort of smuggling details, weapons, she was told, all she needed was a destination and that would be good enough. Naturally no such destinations are even mentioned, and when she ponders giving up, feigning a visit to the bathroom and shimmying out the door the large russian snakes an arm around her waist, guiding her along beside him as the group moves along. His palm is warm, and she can feel the rough edge of calluses through the thin satin fabric of her dress. 

Nikolai, she would come to learn, was up to as much good as she was. Of course he would be, she was at a fucking fancy dinner party for the god damn russian underground. Everyone here was either a politician or criminal, as if those things were different. It was both a worry and relief as Nikolai kept a firm hand against her side. As the group navigated toward a table, Nikolai pulled out her chair, sliding it close beside his own and taking her hand, guiding her down into seat like a gentleman before taking his seat beside her, unbuttoning his waist coat before settling. He leaned back,  draping an arm around her shoulders, settling an ankle against his knee as his fingers toyed with the strap of her dress. They looked like a regular couple, and she found herself a bit lost in the fantasy of it. Fake or not it had been some time since a man had held her this way, protective and possessive, with such nonchalance that it didn't feel suffocating. She didnt feel lesser next to this stranger, but cared for, watched over, with the underlying current that the man beside her can and most certainly has killed for less noble causes. 

The thought of it made something in her silly little brain purr and she leans against him, relaxing enough to play along just a bit more. For the bit of course. 

So much into the bit that she doesn't catch the conversation happening in her direction. Only blinks a bit owlishly as Nikolai looks at her with amusement. 

“Da, malyshka?” he asks with a chuckle. 

“Da” she chirps without delay, mustering up enough acting skills to at least repeat the simple affirmative with the correct lilt. 

Nikolai looks proud as he slides his fingers along her shoulder, cupping her neck in large palm, thumb petting along the baby hairs of her neck as he pulls her closer to his side in affectionate embrace. However rather than pull away, she stays there, cheek resting against his shoulder as he continues his petting. She feels warm against the man’s arm, safe and borderline sleepy, no longer concerned with the suspicious eyes that had followed her in the beginning of the night. Brave enough to legitimately excuse herself the the ladies room, she murmurs what she thinks is the correct phrase and he eases his arm away enough for her to wriggle out of the nest of his side. 

She’s washing her hands, listening to the soft music play through the corridor before an eerie silence has her freezing. The music stops, and all that can be heard is very angry sounding russian being barked across the music hall. She moves slowly, peering through the gap in the door to find her very saint throwing hands with far too many men to be a fair fight. Her bear sized knight crumpling to the floor when the butt of a rifle connects with his face.

Another man barks orders, pointing his finger across the hall. 

Nikolai was the first. And she was certainly next.

#lies and alibis #im so sorry if this is trash im a lil drunk and the worms were straight moshing gang #nikolai cod #nikolai x reader #nikolai x chubby!reader #call of duty #wildcraft writing

[ayacokeandpepsi]

Sun kissed - chapter 1

Cw: reader is tan, mentions of feeling good about your body, implied that dialogue is in Japanese, reader is from Chicago, fluff

Lemme know if you guys want me to continue this!!

The first time he saw you was at a beach in Okinawa. It was a sunny day, only a few dozen people on the beach at that time. But you, you stood out, not just for your tan skin and semi revealing bikini, but because of a certain aura about you. You were glowing, your hair a little blonde in some areas from being in the sun, your cheeks a bit pink form being sun kissed and your freckles more visible.

You wanted to get away from the usual trashy and dirty beaches of Chicago for once, having never really been able to go on a vacation most of your life.

You usually never travel solo, which is why you decided to meet a friend who lived in Okinawa, but spent most days at the beach just enjoying the sun by yourself, and you didn’t mind.

You had never seen water so clear and blue, the sand so white. The little stands along the shore had coconut drinks and red bean mochi, which you sometimes indulged in while reading a book under your umbrella.

The constant exercise of swimming made you look and feel better, and you were proud of your body.

Just like every other day, you decided to stop by a convenience store to get some coffee/soda before riding a rental bike to the beach.

Your tan lines were so prominent, having many bikinis with different styles. You dipped in the cool saltwater to your mid waist level for a few minutes before going back to your little towel and umbrella, although you must have swam farther away than you thought, having to run down the beach to your little spot.

While you were making your way, you noticed a boy not familiar. He was slim and tall, you could tell by his long limbs. He was less tan than you, probably not being in the sun you thought. His shades blocked his eyes, but framed his sharp features handsomely. He had black hair with an undercut and dark blonde highlights at the tips. He had 3 ear piercings on each of his ears, flattering him well. He was dressed in what looked like expensive chrome hearts swim shorts and a few beaded bracelets.

You looked away quickly, not wanting to be rude as you continued jogging to your umbrella, you could feel his gaze still on you, which you would be lying if you said you weren’t flattered.

The boy was a few hundred feet or so from you, shades by a small umbrella drinking something alcoholic. Another man was next to him, shorter with longer black hair half up in a pony tail. They were both handsome.

You sank to your knees when you got to your umbrella, tucking your hair behind your ear as you leaned over to get your water bottle. You felt the boy trying to watch you thinking you didn’t look, and smiled at him when you made eye contact. He quickly looked away in embarrassment. It was hot, and you were feeling more sexy, so you poured the water above your head and flung your head back, enjoying the non sticky cool water as it went down your body.

You looked back at the boy again to see him with his mouth open, shamelessly staring before looking away before you could see him. You giggled to yourself, as his face grew red.

The boy next to him left to go for a swim, leaving him alone. You suddenly got brave and brought another water and walked up to him, your hips swaying and your wet hair dangling in your face as you moved it out of your face and tipped your head back slightly.

You approached him calmly but nervously. You held out your water to him. “Are you thirsty?” You giggle. He seemed to short circuit, his jaw dropping as he just stared at you. He looked down to your water and then sighed of disappointment/relief. “Oh, water, haha no I’m fine,” you chuckle

“What did you think I meant?” You tease. “Wha-nothing I um yeah,” he awkwardly sputtered out. You kneeled infront of him, digging your knees into the cool sand. He sat up straighter and took off his shades. He really was handsome. “So, do you come here often?” You say, looking out at the water.

“Oh, no not really, I just got the chance to while I’m here, what about you?” He says coolly. “Me? Same, I’ve been coming here almost everyday for the last month, since I’m just visiting.” You say as you look at him, smiling.

“Your Japanese is really good,” he says in English to you. “I didn’t expect you to know English,” you say. “It’s still shit, I’ve been learning so I can talk with the locals here and stuff,” you explain. He might have been already smitten. A foreign girl, with such charisma and confidence, and so sexy, was he dreaming?

“What’s your name?” He questions, giving you a small smile.

#niki smut #enha smut #enhypen smut #enhypen hard thoughts #riki smut #n1k1smut #riki hard thoughts #ni ki hard thoughts #ayacokeandpepsithots #ni ki x reader #riki nishimura x reader

[sunkissed-zegras]

Also 🍀 for the sweet angel azzi

Prompt: staying up late because you wanted to eat with them

BUT, it’s over facetime cuz they’re currently not in the same state.

-🐹

evangeline's 2.5k celebration !! [open!]

─ warnings | nothing but sweet fluff and long distance, nothing too bad

"THE GAME WENT good, were you watching?" azzi's voice echoed through the speaker as she ate her dinner, her phone propped up so you could see her through the facetime call.

the hotel room was dimly lit but you could still make out her beautiful features, and of course your heart was swelling at the sight (even if it was just through a phone).

you smiled, leaning closer to the screen as if it would somehow bring you nearer to her. "of course i was watching! you were amazing out there, az. i could hardly sit still."

azzi laughed, the sound warm and familiar. "thanks, babe. it felt good to be back on the court. how was your day?"

you sighed, shifting in your seat. "it was alright. busy, as usual. but seeing you play was the highlight. i just wish i could be there in person, but you know i have classes and everything."

azzi's eyes softened, and she paused mid-bite to look at you. "i wish you were here too. it's not the same without you cheering me on from the stands but i get it, school is more important. plus, i could feel your support through the screen,"

you smiled, feeling a surge of affection. "i'm glad. i'll always be cheering for you, no matter where i am."

azzi's eyes sparkled with appreciation as she smiled. "that means a lot to me, baby."

there was a moment of silence, both of you lost in your thoughts ─ you were both exhausted but being around each other made you a little more energized. you broke it first. "so, what's the plan for the rest of the night? more celebrating?"

azzi grinned. "just dinner and then probably some sleep. we've got an early practice tomorrow. but enough about me. tell me more about your day."

you hesitated, not wanting to bore her with the mundane details, but her expectant look made you relent. you knew she enjoyed it when you talked, she liked listening to you talk about anything.

"well, let's see. class were the usual grind. but i did have a weird encounter with jasmine — i'll have to tell you about it when you get back, it's a lot. and i've been thinking about some new places we can check out once you're home."

azzi's eyes lit up as she smiled. "i can't wait. we should make a list. somewhere with good food, definitely."

"oh my god, yes. maybe a new hiking trail too? we haven't done that in a while."

"sounds perfect," she said, a contented smile spreading across her face. "i miss you, a lot."

even though it'd only been a couple of days, it was hard for both of you to be apart. you were both so intertwined with each other's schedules, it felt weird to not have each other.

you nodded, feeling a pang of longing. "i miss you too, baby. but you'll be back soon!"

"yes! and then i'll have so much time for you and we can go out to eat then go hiking in the morning so we don't feel bad," azzi smiled finished her meal and set her plate aside. "i should probably get some sleep. but i'll text you first thing tomorrow, okay?"

"okay," you frowned, not wanting to say goodbye just yet. but you knew azzi was exhausted, she deserved some sleep. "get some good sleep. i'll be thinking of you."

"and I'll be dreaming of you," she replied with a wink as you laughed and shook your head in amusement. "i love you," she drew out the love as you continued smiling, feeling giddy.

"i love you too," you copied her voice as she laughed too.

the call ended, and you stared at the blank screen for a moment, the warmth of your connection lingering despite the distance.

↳ make sure to check out my navigation or masterlist if you enjoyed! any interaction is greatly appreciated !

↳ thank you for reading all the way through, as always ♡

#azzi fudd #azzi fudd x reader #uconn wbb #uconn huskies #uconn women’s basketball #wcbb #wcbb x reader #uconn #wbb x reader #wbb smut

[nouies]

lou!! how was it? how are you feeling!!

HIIIIII! omg idk where to begin.

i’ve been spending the last four days with Anitra @allwaswell16 and it’s been absolutely amazing! we got to see lots of cool stuff for the first time together, or for the second time in some cases. sometimes it shows when you’ve known a person online for seven years or so bc it’s so easy when it comes to hang out “in real life” 🥹

so anyway, we had been so lucky with mexico city’s traffic for the first two days (even on friday which was also pay day), but yesterday we got to experience the real chaos (and the scam that has become uber), so we couldn’t get there by the time doors opened and we missed Giant Rocks and the special merch for mexico city (Anitra got us merch anyway and we’re twining), but i was mostly sad abt missing my chance to finally meet An @lemelous (we’re going to meet soon so it’s fine but also it would’ve made my night way better that it already was!)

before the show, we got to trade some friendship bracelets and we got the material for the fan projects!

i got to meet in person my friend Fer @fforever-dreaming alongside with Mery @fuchsiasea (who i’m going to see very soon too!) and her sister. we only had a little time to talk but it was definitely one of the parts i was looking forward the most and a highlight of the night.

SO THE SHOW. it’s going to sound cliché but it’s an experience that you have to live it to understand it. that moment when the playlist pre-show suddenly stops and you see the stage is all ready, and then a couple of minutes after the lights go off and you know it’s starting??? priceless! i screamed a lot when Louis came out on stage and i just couldn’t really process it that i was finally seeing him after two long years!!! (which i know it’s a privilege itself bc there’s ppl who haven’t seen him).

when it finally clicked to me that he was there, i noticed the shirt which i LOVED! he looks so beautiful in polo shirts and especially that colour! (i especially loved that it was red bc it’s one of our national colours too).

it felt like it was a song after the other with no breaks. idk how the ppl watching the live-streaming felt but it went too fast! and there were so many emotions in the air! i screamed, i sang, i jumped, i participated in the projects, i teared up a bit during certain parts, I LAUGHED he’s so funny and so grateful for everything, that i just wanted to put him in a pocket and take him with me lol.

i couldn’t tell you which songs i enjoyed the most bc honestly i loved them all. i’m not a person who watches livestreams from fans, and even sometimes the videos i watch them with no audio just to see if i can make gifs from them lol so everything was a surprise for me and i loved it! i didn’t notice we were missing a song until almost at the very end but personally i didn’t need it bc he gave us so much of him already. i definitely wanted to listen to bigger than me bc it was my most listened to song in 2022 and i didn’t want to miss it. but like i said, i loved all the songs, the chats, the projects!!!

a quick parenthesis abt the projects. so originally there were three: sibwawc, walls, and saturdays. what you saw on the videos going around and the kmm project wasn’t talked abt (as far as i know, maybe i’m wrong), but we did it last year (thanks to the chilean fans of course) so i guess everyone knew that part was coming and just did it. like it looked so coordinated but it wasn’t planned (again, as far as i know) before hand. i obviously couldn’t see the rainbow lights from my section bc we were holding the same colour but when i saw the video and i saw that it worked, i loved it. and i guess you’ve seen the video where the crowd screamed “for every question why, you were my because” and it shows the crowd? we formed the mexican flag there. for saturdays i also think the project worked? i haven’t seen videos but if i’m honest i wanted to film that song for my friend who couldn’t be there so i did the project for half the song lol

the fireworks and confetti after silver tongues were so cool! i wasn’t expecting them so i was filming the whole stage and not really zooming on him? so when the fireworks showed up i felt like a child! it was just pure and genuine happiness in that moment.

lately i’ve been enjoying concerts more than when i was younger, idk why, but i scream more and jump more, and just live in the moment. and this concert even if i felt it was too short, it was still one of the best experiences ever!! i love Louis so much and i love my friends! 🫶🏻

#my show #interlouist #answered

[zoropookie]

WHAT YOU WON'T DO FOR LOVE (WYWDFL) — TWO

YOU couldn't be having a worse halloween night. choose your fate with your fellow readers and see if it gets better!

chapter one

soulmate!wanderer x gn!reader

Yeah, let’s do it. At least the debt collectors won’t call anymore. That's only if you do actually die, though.

"I love you, mom," You muttered to yourself begrudgingly, the oppressive tons of the night and your earlier agitation whisked away in the wind by a sudden anxiety. You found yourself moving to the alleyway.

It was a narrow area, littered with debris from front to back. There were discarded newspaper, broken bottles, the occasional piece of unidentifiable trash and...syringes you were too apprehensive to even walk near. You walked through the cracked and uneven pavement to follow the sound of two people speaking from a distance.

You carefully made your way, and as you did, the voice you were hearing became clearer. It wasn’t a dying dog, or a man who was suffering the severe after effects of meth and paying for it. No…it sounded like just a regular guy who was panicking (which admittedly, pissed you off. this was clearly a waste of time). The muffled voices of the conversation were partnered by the irrefutable rustling of movement.

The alley’s walls loomed high above you, making long and distorted outlines in the shadows. They were mingling with the dim light. The steps you took were tentative, each one seeming louder with how quiet the night was.

There was a bend in the alley— the voices becoming clearer. You strained to hear them still, catching snippets of what they were saying that made your heart race even stronger

"You said…this would be easy," a voice hissed with a thicker sound to it, sharp and tense. It was a man's voice. “You said I’d gain a lot doing this.”

"Yeaaah," another voice replied, smoother and more evasive. “That was until I heard you were thinking of ratting me to the cops. Now I have no choice. Makes me look bad.” This voice carried an air of authority, as if its owner was accustomed to being in charge.

“Huh?” You sounded in brief confusion, pressing yourself against the gritty brick texture, trying to steady your breaths. The low glow of a flickering streetlight barely illuminated them as they spoke in the crevice carved out. You peeked expectantly.

“I would never! I swear, I swear.” The man spluttered out, groveling on the floor pathetically. The panic he felt was clearly highlighted by the street lights, his throat sounded completely dry. He wasn’t able to salivate from how high the stress he felt. “Finding out that guy was my soulmate…it clouded my judgement. I’m sorry!”

The silence that followed was long and arduous. The tension thick enough that it lingered around them until the other lips curled a little bit. “I’m kidding.” His smooth voice admitted.

“Wh…what?”

“Yeah. Just wanted to josh you. Happy Pride.” He snickered, shaking his own head in a personal amusement. His lips curved in a leer before he began to laugh softly, some huffs, some chuckles.

“Uh…yeah, thanks.” The other man tensed, looking uneasy as he forced himself to laugh along for the time that he was. You found this encounter really odd, amongst everything, but you couldn’t help but sit there and watch.

“Oh, but seriously,” The chuckles died down in an instant, as he straightened out. The atmosphere plummeted so hard that even you could feel how ominous it was. “You really only have one use to me as of now, and well… you don’t need to be alive for that.”

Without warning, he grabbed the hilt before it fell and plunged his knife deep into his chest. He reeled his arm back at such a high speed that the other couldn’t whine, cry out for help, or protest in time. The blade, a steely glint still remained despite it bloodied.

Your stomach dropped immediately, mouth opened wide. You’re listening to a man gargle blood, struggling to even keep himself alive right now. With each stab he did pierce into the man, you flinched harder every time as the sound reverberated. You were watching someone die, and couldn’t feel your legs.

It was like you couldn’t do anything to keep yourself from watching, either. If that guy was capable of killing a man, then he was capable of killing you too once he figured out that you were watching him like you were watching the fucking Garfield movie.

His eyes were still shielded by the cap he wore, but you knew that his hair was dark from the unruly way it stuck out in the back. He cocked his head to the side, a simple and effortless jolt of his arm twisted the blade in his hand. A last high pitched wheeze escaped his lips before he truly fell limp.

You finally realized the severity of the situation. This wasn’t no Garfield shit, and with that, you slapped a hand to your mouth once the fight or flight kicked in. Oh my god.

You cringed at the slight thump that came afterward, the sight of the man lying on the floor, the other man retching at the sight of the blood after a few seconds. He looked like he had done it multiple times, but even so, the gagging came around like whiplash.

It echoed through the empty streets, an ugly recoil as his gloved hands covered his mouth. He gingerly tried to pull the knife out of the man, simultaneously keeping his food content in his stomach.

Your heart was beating like drums in your ears; you knew you had to do something before he decided to put you on his hit-list next. Taking in deep, juttered breaths you glanced around the small alcove you were in.

Maybe if you hide here, he wouldn’t really notice anything—?

“Enjoy the show?” A piercing, stiff and chilling voice called out. “I know you’re there. Protip; if you don’t want to be heard, maybe don’t gasp on command when you see a little blood.”

You wanted to point him out on his hypocrisy, considering he was the one who almost blew out chunks over it, but you were too scared to even say anything back. Nor did you want to. Your best bet was making it seem like you left, but the longer time you waited, the nearer his footsteps got.

“Come out.”

#zoropookie #wywdfl #scaramouche #scaramouche x reader #genshin scaramouche #genshin #genshin impact #genshin smau #genshin x reader #genshin fanfic #genshin x you #genshin x yn #scaramouche x yn #scaramouche x you #self insert #kunikuzushi #kunikuzushi x reader #wanderer x reader #wanderer x you

[toomanywatchers]

Why I Love Travel Season’s Editing Style:

Okokok- I already made a post stating my love for Travel Season after my first initial watch-through of the first two episodes, but I have more to say. Last night, I could not stop rewatching these episodes. Possibly because I am just over the moon seeing Steven, Andrew, and Adam back in action in a show created 100% by them, and where they are allowed to make it their way- BUT there is another reason I could not stop watching it. All do in part of the editing style.

As a self-taught (and soon to be academically-taught) video editor, my favorite thing when watching digital media is seeing what techniques and styles creators use to convey an overall concept to their videos/shows. Some of the more detail-oriented editing I see in today's climate of internet content comes from Watcher's shows. For instance, Mystery Files with the corkboard graphics. Are You Scared of the hand-drawn art from illustrators Mollie Ong and Rafael Mejia. Dish Granted with the use of circle cutouts and white negative spaces. Weird Wonderful World with its cartoon sound effects and stylistic graphics/music to fit whatever atmosphere the boys are in. Puppet History with the motion graphics being put within the confines of the puppet theatre and just everything that goes into the post-production process of the lore events of that show. I could go on, but I might end up writing a whole novel in the process.

Plus, this is about Travel Season... so let's talk about Travel Season.

I was barely 5 minutes into the first episode when I realized just how different Travel Season stands out against anything Watcher has ever created. The overall vibes of the show are calm, peaceful, comforting, and relaxed. The whole show feels like I am watching an old family home video made in the 90s with a camcorder. This style of content that isn't constantly moving at a fast pace and in your face would not perform well in the YouTube algorithm, and I am glad that Watcher was able to launch their own platform to make shows like Travel Season because gosh, this is the kind of content I miss. Oversaturation and pleasing the algorithm can only go a long way as a creative, trust me.

Anywho- back to editing. I am going to point out just some of my favorite editing details that were showcased in the first two episodes of Travel Season. Starting off with probably my favorite scene from both episodes:

This small clip highlights many of my favorite details of the post-production of Travel Season. The first detail I brought up in my previous post involves The Brick aka the camera. The concept of The Brick ties in with what Meredith, Watcher's Development Coordinator, said in Pod Watcher episode #23 about physical hobbies. Something that we can create in a physical sense that does not belong to a digital realm ala the internet/social media. The idea of having a functional prop with The Brick can tie a whole show aesthetic together, but in this case, The Brick also aids in the post-production allowing the team to make smooth-flowing transitions. What I mean is sometimes, especially with a show like Travel Season where they cover many different locations/activities in one video, finding a perfect, easy-flowing transition can be difficult. Jump cuts can be useful in certain cases to hit a comedic mark or shock the viewer, but that is not the overall vibe of Travel Season. The pictures taken on The Brick from their work tripe an easily organized B-roll for harder transition points and simple things such as finding Seoul provide space for much-needed voiceovers for context.

Another editing point that is provided in this clip is the audio. Watcher has never missed the mark regarding audio choices and the addition of sound effects in their work. Sometimes people think that when editing, the editor finds a song that fits and slaps it on the timeline, but here showcases the idea of editing for the environment. What really stuck out to me is the jump cut to the location and using an effect like Lowpass on the audio to make the audience feel as though they are truly standing outside of this nightclub-esk restaurant. Then it jumps to the audio back to normal with Steven dancing as Andrew browses then back to Lowpass edit as they introduce this next location. It's just such a subtle touch that had me all giddy because small details as this audio editing elevate the scene to another level. Showing that Watcher was trying to make you feel like you are there with the boys on their travels. A true immersion effect that I just love.

Also to Adam and Annie who were both camera operators, your b-roll is absolutely superb and adds to the overall vibe of Travel Season.

The last point of editing I want to bring up as it's on the top of my head are these moments:

When they use a frame hold and then change the aspect ratio for a transition. I just find it such a charming technique in video editing. Plus I feel like this transition fits in with the whole "taking photos" approach because in a way the changing of the ratio on a frame hold is like taking a snapshot of that frame like a picture.

I just... I just love it, okay?

Honestly, I could go on and on about every little detail of this show and how they decided to overall produce it, but like I said- novel.

Watcher just puts so much love and care into all the shows they make. Even when it comes to the last process of video production which is editing the episodes together. I have not seen many channels put this much thought into the specificity of their videos like Watcher. This is why I gravitate towards them so much they care about the little things in the shows they create.

Moral of the story: I am in love with Travel Season and with Watcher as a whole.

thank you for listening to my ted talk aka my nerdy ramblings

#watcher #watcher entertainment #steven lim #andrew ilnyckyj #adam bianchi #travel season #travel season hype train #me rambling about editing #sorry not sorry

[major-comet]

The Music in RvB: Restoration Kinda Sucks. Here's how I'd fix it.

I gave this as a presentation the other night after my first re-watch of the finale, and it was a major hit so I thought I would share it with other people who think too hard about Halo fanfiction.

Red VS Blue has some truly fantastic music in it's 21 year history, and I think that the music here was pretty weak. Obviously this post has major spoilers for RvB19 / Restoration, so be warned.

So, under the Read More is a typed up and fleshed out version of my powerpoint presentation where I will dive in and not just bitch about the musical choices, but explain how I would fix things. This is...really long, but I hope you all enjoy my thoughts :)

This will be best enjoyed if you listen to the songs I'm talking about as a refresher. For your convenience, I have input links to the songs on Youtube when necessary.

So what's the problem?

Since the development of the finale overlapped with Rooster Teeth getting shut down, it's very likely that they had minimal funds. I personally think this was part of why Burnie/RT was/were [reportedly] so insistent on using stock music for part of the season rather than a whole soundtrack done by Trocadero - I'm not sure they had the money to properly compensate for a full soundtrack. And maybe it was just a stupid / dick move, and had nothing to do with money at all, but that's what I choose to believe if only because it makes me feel slightly better about it.

This means that besides the stock music, the Zero song for that cameo, and Waning Moon (the Barenaked Ladies song), all we have are four re-used songs from earlier RvB - these songs being the Trocadero Grifball theme, I Say Ooh and Round One by Jeff Williams, and Vale Deah by Trocadero. There's also a David Levy composition in there somewhere according to the credits, R U Ready, but I have no idea what it is or where it plays. It's bothering the hell out of me because it does not appear to be a reused piece as far as I can tell - at least not reused from RvB. If anyone has any leads on this please reach out, because it seems crazy that there's one random possibly original David composition mixed in there. I've checked Apple Music and Soundcloud, nothing by that name.

In this very Meta focused film, neither of The Meta's themes play in any shape or form - [When] Your Middle Name is Danger by Trocadero or Plagam Extremam Infligere by Jeff Williams.

Nor do any of the character themes, really. Most of the series' iconic recurring tracks are completely absent. Tex's various themes, Carolina's theme - hell not even Blood Gulch Blues or the iconic intro music.

Were there any highlights?

Of course there were!

Considering I was going into the finale having only been spoiled on Vale Deah, I was pleasantly surprised to hear the Jeff tracks! That was totally unexpected, and really lovely.

Speaking of, I thought the use of Vale Deah was a really lovely touch. Fun fact: that song was used for the end credits of the Season 1 DVD, so it really felt like a sweet full circle moment.

I think that using a Barenaked Ladies song for that very sweet scene of Caboose, Grif, and Simmons reminiscing about Blood Gulch by the fire was a very lovely choice, and quite honestly it was my favorite scene in the whole thing. The BNL have been close to RvB and RT since damn near the beginning, and it was very nice to hear them attached to the finale in that small way.

I should also point out that the composer for the season is Carl Thiel - known for his work on Hot Fuzz and the second and third Spy Kids movies. I think he did a totally fine job. I liked the bugles that were under Sarge's death, but the rest doesn't really stand out much. Perfectly serviceable.

So, now that that's out of the way, let's break down those four returning songs a bit more - shall we?

Grifball Official Theme - Trocadero

This was a really funny choice. It's such a quick bit, but I respect Burnie's dedication to get in one last Grifball joke. Obviously, I would have preferred to hear a different song for something else, but this was totally harmless.

Vale Deah - Trocadero

Lo-fi Hip-hop beats to get divorced to.

God that scene was heartbreaking. I love this song a lot - I think a lot of Trocadero's strongest stuff is the stuff that just feels kind of melancholy. It's something Nico does really well, and I think Vale Deah is one of my favorite examples of that. Like I said above, I think this song was used really well - if I had to pick a different track for that same scene I would probably choose Half Life. While it was written during the Blood Gulch era, it wasn't really used in the show until Seasons 12 and 13 - notably, a version of it plays under Kimball's rally speech to the troops after Doyle's death. I just really like it, tbh. There's absolutely other songs that could work, but I think having it be a BGC-era track served the scene really well.

I Say Ooh - Jeff Williams

My feelings about this are pretty similar to Grifball. It was cute, it was nice to hear, but I wish they had used a different Jeff track somewhere else. Ultimately, it's pretty harmless. It is kind of an odd choice though - I'm pretty sure Jeff didn't write it for RvB. This was a song that he composed that was used in two RT Shorts (live action sketches that RT used to do). I think it would have been nicer to use one of his RvB tracks for the introduction of Niner - could have been a cute spot to use a track like I Am The Best or Forge World or hell, Come on Carolina would have been cute.

Round One - Jeff Williams

...Actually, I have a lot to say about Round One, so let's get everything else out of the way first.

Other Scenes that *should* have had returning tracks before I talk about Round One for a billion years

Sarge's death should have been scored with a version of Rally (Sarge's Speech). My vision is a version of it that's just the string section - familiar, but not enough to be distracting, and absolutely soul crushing if you do recognize it.

The scene with Wash and Dr. Grey in the hospital needed a hint of what Nico so lovingly calls the "Wash Trauma Theme" - which is closely related to the Trocadero Meta theme, fun fact. I think Limited Duty from the scene in Season 16 where Carolina tells Wash about the brain damage could have worked pretty well there.

The scene at the end with Wash and Carolina talking about Doc and the Freelancers really needed something. I think one of the variations of the Shizno trilogy Carwash theme could have worked very well.

Obviously the big scene with Tucker and Sigma on the ship would have really benefited from [When] Your Middle Name is Danger or one of the many themes that incorporates it, but I'd also throw Soul Clef XI into the ring! I think it's so interesting that the work around they came up with for not being able to get Elijah Wood back was to have epsilon!Sigma take on a more Felix-y type of voice. Partly because Felix was an incredibly ambitious villain so he fits it pretty well, but more importantly that was a very smart voice to pick to fuck with Tucker in particular! I think that was really smart, and I think having Felix's theme playing during that scene would have been really cool.

Bolt by Trocadero was never used in the series proper. However it was used in this ten year retrospective that they released alongside Season 10. I highly recommend giving it a watch, because watching it now that it's Over - RvB, RT, all of it - it's honestly kind of heart breaking. They're all filled with this deep optimism about the future of the company, and hindsight is a bitch on this one. They use it in a really sweet sequence at the end where they're showing a bunch of old photos. Anyways I think this should have played in the credits after Vale Deah finished. "We only want to have a good time."

Miscellaneous Trocadero Songs I would have liked to see them find a place for that I haven't already / will not mention elsewhere

Steady Ride (Gunmetal Green) - this is THE Grimmons song ever to me. I love it so much. Also fun fact: as of the interview Burnie did with Nico on the season 10 (I think?) dvd/bluray, this was Burnie's favorite Trocadero track. And you can tell when you watch the DVD cuts of the first 6-ish seasons - it plays all the time.

I like Good Fight a lot, not sure there was a great spot for it? but still would have been nice - It's used a few times as a Wash theme, I believe.

No One is my favorite Trocadero song and I wish it could've been there Somewhere. It was the elevator-music type song that played behind Vic in BG once or twice, I think was in the season 4 credits, and also played during the weapons demonstrations in the Meta VS Carolina Death Battle. I just like it a lot, lol.

Okay let's get back to Round One.

Why they shouldn't have used Round One for the big fight in RvB Restoration

AKA: The actual bulk of the presentation

Okay so we've got some pros and cons to this track. Starting with the Pros;

It's a song from an iconic scene - the 3v1 training room fight from Season 9

Tex and Maine are both in the fight

Was a great "Oh FUCK yeah" moment for the fans

Great track

Cons;

Not really a song for Carolina or the Meta (or y'know. Tucker. He's there too), and only kind of a song for Tex

Honestly the fight makes me think about York more than anyone else, since that's the fight where he gets hurt

Not a cool thematic moment besides just Tex being a badass

Started too late into the fight - it's sad that Carolina got a cool track when she (finally!) showed up, but Tex just got generic music. Show my girl some respect :(

So what would be better?

It has to be something that makes you think of at least one of the fighters. A track that's good for multiple would be better, but not required.

I think it should start when Tex first shows up, not when her armor changes. that’s a cool moment, but it still means most of the fight is working with Thiel’s score.

It should be something with a note of thematic relevance - for example, the big moment right at the end of the fight is Tex reminding epsilon!Sigma that she's not based on the Director's memories of her failure this time; she's based on the memories of Grif, Caboose, and Simmons. And she Always kicked their asses.

Still needs to be a big "Oh FUCK yeah" moment.

While incorporating Carolina's theme would be nice, I think it's more important to get at least one of the others - but we'll do our best here. I think this is moreso a Tex v meta!Tucker fight in my heart than it is a Carolina fight.

So let's look over a few options, shall we? These are in no particular order.

Spiral - Jeff Williams

This is the song that plays during the Season 9 car chase when Maine gets shot. It incorporates Carolina's theme, because in PFL her theme is never too far behind whenever a Maine/Meta song is playing, which has always been interesting to me. It has all that freaky choral stuff that Jeff loved to use, and generally is just a great track.

Fragments - Jeff Williams

This plays during the Freelancer break-in in Season 10, and it just rocks so hard. Anything from the break-in would be cool because that was the last time Tex, Carolina, and Maine/The Meta were all in the same place, and of course was when The Meta was properly created. I think it was so sad that they used the instrumental of Round One, because the vocals are part of what makes the Jeff era of RvB soundtracks so iconic, and god this song delivers! Also this song has a kickass trumpet solo at the end.

Slingshot (from the Death Battle) - Trocadero

Man this song rules. This of course plays in the Meta VS Carolina Death Battle from Season 14. It's a very different energy from the Jeff picks, but it rocks so fucking much. This is a fight between Carolina and The Meta, and would of course be a callback to a (marginally) more recent - and extremely popular - episode of the show. If you haven't watched the Death Battle in a while you really should, it still kicks just as much ass now as it did back when I was in high school.

Literally any other song from the 3v1 Training Room Fight - Jeff Williams

This includes;

Round One (feat Lamar Hall)

Bullfight (track starts about 01:32)

On Your Knees

I just think the instrumental to Round One is the weakest choice from this fight tbh! Bullfight is my favorite out of the three, because it sounds the most Tex-y. The guitars are very her, and it incorporates part of the Agent Tex motif. And On Your Knees would have had the biggest "Oh FUCK yeah" factor. But honestly even just using the versions of Round One with the vocals would have been way better.

EDIT TO ADD: a quick note - while it’s listed in the credits as Round One/Bullfight, that’s just how the instrumental is packaged on the OST. As far as I could tell in my two watches of it, they never actually make it to the Bullfight part of the track.

A Girl Named Tex - Trocadero

hold on, walk with me on this one.

I had a vision of Tex fighting meta!Tucker set to the "Yellow rose of Texas clad in black, lonely star tattooed upon her back. Double Tex she'll hit you like a truck. Double Tex and she'll mess you up." bit right after I watched 19 the first time and it's been haunting me ever since. (That bit starts at about 02:19)

This is her theme for the first chunk of the show - which just so happens to be the time period Grif, Simmons, and Caboose were primarily reminiscing about. It would have been cool as hell, and I can See the beginning of the fight in my head - the opening strums when caboose is saying his line about how he brought back someone even worse than church, and then the fight starts! I can see it in my mind, it would have been so cool!

I just think there should have been more Blood Gulch era music in here.

100 Tex Battle - Jeff Williams

This doesn't get you any Meta points, but obviously it incorporates little bits of Tex's, and a lot of Carolina's theme. Twisting a Tex vs Carolina fight - obviously, Carolina vs all the Tex bots in Season 10 - into one where they're fighting alongside each other would have been really lovely and a cool full circle moment.

This song is really cool, it's such a good fight. I do think it maybe sounds a bit goofy at points for this fight, but still a cool option.

Okay so now let's go over my top three-ish picks

Ice Fight (or maybe the revelations suite?) - Jeff Williams

Jumping to the end of Season 8, we have a fight that involves Tex vs The Meta! And Wash, Doc, and all the Reds and Blues (barring Donut and Lopez. Hmm. Doesn't that sound familiar.) are there! Ice Fight rules so hard, it's so good.

And it has some of that narrative theming I was looking for! While yes, Tex does technically lose this fight - so does The Meta. And how does she lose it?

By going into the recovery unit.

The main reason I suggest the Suite instead of just Ice Fight is because I think having a touch of Red Vs Blue would have been really nice.

Mental Meta Metal - Jeff Williams

Genuinely my favorite track from season 10. If you let the song play the whole way through, it has Jeff's themes for The Meta, Carolina, and Tex in it. This plays the first time we see Maine in a fight in Season 10, and is also Sigma's first time in the field after we see him pondering Meta-stability in the classroom.

It incorporates elements from both Spiral and Plagam Extremam Infligere, which is kind of Jeff's theme for the Meta that he established back in Season 8. It also plays during the Freelancer Break-in when he's tossing Carolina off the cliff. The Latin on that translates to “to inflict an extreme blow”.

It also has a very strong statement of Carolina's theme, which could have been a great opportunity to bring her in with her theme!

Now, before I go over my final pick, let's go over what we need again;

We need a song with thematic relevance to the fight, that’s from an iconic scene, has a good energy to it, and would give fans a big “OH FUCK YEAH” moment.

Well, isn’t it obvious?

Agent Tex (/ Tex vs Tank / Hell's Angel) - Jeff Williams

The first instance of Jeff Williams’ Tex motif, later used in Hell’s Angel and Tex vs Tank, etc. I would add the opening strum commonly heard in the later iterations, but keep it generally the Agent Tex version which was used in the S8 Warehouse fight, as seen above.

This is like. The RvB scene ever. So many people saw this before they watched the show, and many more never even watched RvB - just this fight, since RT uploaded it separately from the episode because they knew it kicked so much ass. It also helped draw in folks who may have been fans of Monty Oum's other work. Fun fact: This was RT’s outro music for a really long time, too. So it really has history with the company.

Part of why I think this pick would work so well, beyond it just being Tex's theme for the Jeff Williams era, is that it would be so interesting in terms of narrative theming. The Season 8 warehouse fight was Tucker, Grif, Simmons, Sarge, and Caboose against Tex.

This whole sequence was Grif, Simmons, Caboose, Carolina, and Tex against Tucker.

This was one of the other scenes being reminisced about around the fire - you can see it as one of the clips shown during the scene. I think it would have been a really powerful moment, and a fantastic "FUCK YEAH" moment for everyone whose stuck around this long. This track is so good, and I really do think it would have been the perfect choice for this fight.

It's not even my favorite, if I was just choosing favorites I'd have picked Mental Meta Metal or A Girl Named Tex.

What have we learned? Why Were We Here?

Red vs Blue is a show with a lot of really fantastic music in it's book, and a really strong history of musical callbacks - particularly with the Meta's theme and how it's so closely tied to the motif Trocadero liked to use as "Wash Trauma" music. Making a clever callback to a song you've used before can help strengthen the thing you're trying to get across to your audience. I think it's somehing that Restoration really struggles with, which is pretty sad. But I hope you found my deep dive / analysis of what could have been interesting.

I'd really like to dive in and do a long reflection about the series as a whole, but as it stands this is around 3,000 words and if I get started on that, this post will never end.

Thank you for reading all of that! if you enjoyed reading all of this, maybe you'd also enjoy taking the post-mortem survey that @asphodeldreams and I are running! Deadline for submissions is June 30th at 11:59 EST. We ask questions about things like your favorite characters, your favorite songs, when you started watching RvB, and more general thoughts like that. Once the survey is over, we will compile all of that data into something actually Readable (likely with charts and graphs and such) and post it so everyone else can enjoy the peek into the minds and sentiments of RvB fans.

#comet posting #rvb #red vs blue #rvb restoration #rvb19 #rvb finale #rvb music #jeff williams #trocadero #grimmons #rvb 19 #the meta #lavernius tucker #agent texas #tex rvb #tucker rvb #the meta rvb

[petrapalerno]

Submitting to the Alien Barbarian #13

Alien x fem reader, a dom/sub erotic short.

TW/CW: rough consensual sex, primal play, knotting, breeding, aliens, dominance/submission, blood play, spanking, pregnancy, overstimulation, anal play, gagging, violence and murder.

MASTER POST

PREVIOUS

“Beep,” the sound cuts through the fog of sleep.

“Beep.” You shift, but the weight of Drohako's body keeps you pinned to the dirt floor of the cave. Your hulking mate actually fell asleep in the space between your legs, long after you had passed out from his attentions.

“Beep.” The noise is accompanied by a soft orange glow, the light flooding over Drohako’s purple face as it flashes. 

“Hey,” you rasp as you reach down and shake the slumbering giant’s shoulder. 

He blinks rapidly as you rouse him, bringing up a hand to scrub over her face and beard. When he looks up at your face, he gives you a sleepy smile.

“Beep.”

That smile drops as soon as he registers the sound. The amber light only highlights the shadows of his drawn brow, his face becoming deadly serious. 

He scrambles to sitting, leaving you worried. 

“Drohako, what’s going on?” You spin around to face whatever danger now presents itself. You did just kill a man in self defence after all. Surely you’re ready for anything. 

Behind you, the incubation pod flashes and sounds. It’s high-tech facade so out of place in the primitive hunting cave.

"It’s time," your mate grunts.

You thought you were ready for anything... but childbirth? 

“So, what do we do? Are you sure it’s big enough... Wait, how do we get him out?” You feel the blood as it drains from your face...how did you not think this far ahead? The realities of the fact that you need to get whatever is in your womb out and into the shiny metal pod is finally hitting you. 

“Well, we have the pod...” he nods, wringing his hands together.

You wait for him to finish the sentence, to give you the important details on volkroth childbirth that you’re seeking.

“Drahako...” Your voice comes out higher than you expect. 

He turns his gaze to you with wide eyes. Something like fear crosses them, which is a strange emotion for you to see play across his face. It seems something far to fragile for him.

“I don’t know,” he finally admits. 

The words leave your stomach in your throat as your anxiety ramps.

“So neither of us knows what to do?” You squeak, subconsciously holding the tiny swell of your belly. 

“I can figure this out,” he says with some renewed confidence as he approaches the pod. 

“That would be amazing, because I don’t know what’s going on here,” you tell him as a nervous little laugh escapes your lips.

Lifting the white orb from its stone perch, he flips it over as if checking for some hidden access point. 

“So, have you ever seen one of these in action?” Your mutter as it dawns on you that technology isn’t your mate’s strong suit. 

He looks at you incredulously.

“I am not some gelded nursery attendant,” he scoffs, offended. 

“Gelded? You know what? We’ll double back to that later. I assumed that if you stole the pod, you at least know how it works.” You sigh with exasperation. 

He frowns and offers the blinking mystery to you.

“I needed to make sure no one would take you from me... Your safety eclipsed all my other worries... Including this.” 

Your matehood has him flustered in ways that aren’t very helpful, but it does make your heart ache all the same. You want to soothe the harshness of your last comment when you say what comes out of your mouth next. 

“You did your best, and we can figure anything out together—can’t we?” You place my hands on the pod as he passes it to you. 

But as your hands touch the incubator, something inside whirls. 

“I’m going to let go. I think your prolixity is causing this reaction.” He says as he allows you to accept the full weight of the orb. Drohako steps behind you, his arms shooting protectively over your stomach. 

The whirling piece of tech changes shape. The panels of its exterior shifting until it’s no longer round. Pass through portions appear on either side of the main sphere.

What you hold in your hands now almost appears to be a metal chastity belt in shape.

Two leg holes have materialized from the sides while the bulk of the pod remains between the openings. 

“Do I step in?” You wonder aloud.

“I will try it first to make sure it won’t hurt you.” Drohako tells you nobly as he reaches around you, but you bat his hand away.

“No, no. I think it’s okay. The brochure for spawning season made it seem like this would be a piece of cake, right?. And I don’t think those big gams of yours would fit,” You tell him, knowing full well that the opening as provided would have a hard time making it over his claves. 

“I will be right here,” he whispers in your ear as you lift your foot into the leg hole. 

Although your stance is wide, your legs fit perfectly into the pod pants opening. 

As your body acclimates to the feeling of metal contacting your skin, you recline back onto his chest, trying to get a good view of what might be going on between your legs. 

“I wonder if we need to press some hidden button—“

Your words are cut short as spoken instructions emanate from between your thighs. 

“Subject with matching DNA docked.” the pod blinks three times before continuing. “Subject, be advised that you will feel a small pinch as the cocktail of pain and relaxation meds are administered.”

Pain meds, that’s a good sign right?

You can’t help but tense as you wait for the needle. At first you're stupidly curious where the injection might be administered, but then I realize that if the pod is strapped between your legs, it’s only got one place it can go.

“Do you think it will hurt?” the words rush out as you ask your mate, your chest tightening.

“I hope it does not,” he tells you as he moves his hands up to your chest, cupping your breasts in a way that could feel sexual, but one you only find only comforting in this moment. 

“No matter what, I am here, mate.” 

You turn your head, maybe to kiss him, or maybe just to reassure yourself that he’s really there when you first feel it. 

Something cool, but slick, as if it’s already lubricated, is nudging gently at your entrance. Inadvertently, you clench your interior muscles and the probe pauses. 

“Remain calm.” The pod’s robotic voice barks. Drohako’s hands squeeze gently again. 

“Calm mate,” he whispers into your ear before sucking your earlobe between his lips. The tingling of the nerves there shoots straight to your core, and has you pushing down onto the probe without intending to. 

You don’t know if it should feel good, and you feel a little ashamed when a moan slips out of your mouth when the smooth rod slips deeper. 

“Calm, perfect, and willing to bear my young,” his voice groans behind you, and you feel the bulge under his loincloth hardening against your back. 

Should I feel bad about being turned on by this?

The way Drohako is tugging at your nipples now tells me he doesn’t care—so why should you?

You can ignore the fear if I focus on the pleasure, at least. Orgasmic childbirth is like a hippie human thing too, right? You try to pull up memories from old station satellite transmissions of earth documentaries—but there’s no room in your mind to ignore what’s happening between your legs currently. 

The probe vibrates slowly, testing your depth. It slides a few inches deeper before stuttering and withdrawing. The metal shaft repeats these actions twice before going deeper each time. 

All the while, Drohako is kneading your breasts, running his tongue up and down the column of my neck in what you suppose the barbarian version of comfort is.

Your pussy is drenching itself over the cool metallic rod, as you can only assume it calibrates itself inside you. 

You’re lost to the sensations until the probe bottoms out at your cervix. 

Drohako is muttering something filthy in your ear when you feel something that’s definitely less of a pinch and more of a jab. 

White flashes before your eyes and your muscles bunch as your back arches, stupidly attempting to get away from something that’s strapped to your body.

“Mate?” Drohako asks as he holds you tight. 

You shut my eyes, the sharp pain only lasting a few seconds before shifting into something else entirely. 

“Oh!” You bellow as stabbing feeling ebbs into a dull ache. You gasp again as that sensation morphs into a throbbing release.

“Are you alright?” His gruff voice behind you questions.

“I..I...” You can’t make the words come out right as the blood is drawn from your brain down to your sex. 

There’s not a single iota of pain left when your pussy first spasms, as if whatever injection they’ve given you has induced one of the most intense and instantaneous orgasms of your entire life. 

You’re a trembling mess as you desperately clutch his forearms. Pleasure waves surge through you, overwhelming and unstoppable.

“Mate?” Drohako holds you ever tighter as he begs you for a reply.

The only response you can give him is a primal growl emanating from deep within your throat. Through the crashing nebulas of ecstasy, you can barely feel the probe as it presses deeper. 

Childbirth should hurt, shouldn’t it? Your mind wanders as your surroundings become unclear. 

You clench your legs shut as tightly as possible, trying to hold on as your body is lifted higher. 

You enter a state of blissful transcendence as your orgasm overwhelms you. Every nerve in your body explodes with sparking joy and your mind drifts blindly into euphoria. With each pleasurable contraction, your clit bobs with increasing intensity.

This shouldn’t feel good. You try to make sense of the confusion, your mind working overtime to find a rational explanation.

Even through your haze, you hear what sounds like suction. “...don’t worry, I have you...” Drohako sounds far away. You reach up, hoping to find him. Your searching fingers bury into the coarseness of his beard. It’s something ground you, and you hold on for dear life. 

The only thing you can perceive for minutes is the feeling of his facial hair. You’re probably clinging to it tightly, but you refuse to give up your hold on your one hold on reality. Your psyche refuses to free itself entirely from the world. 

“... mate?” his voice sounds like it’s down some long hallway.

You lose your grip on him, and with your grip goes your last shred of conciousness.

***

You jolt back, a sizzle running down your spine.

“... I’m here...” he says, the voice getting closer. “Breath for me,” his voice suddenly booming. 

Like a good submissive, you follow his command. Drawing a breath through your nostrils, feeling your chest expand. 

His hands are still on you, rising as your lungs fill with air. 

“I’m okay,” You croak. You’re conscious, but whatever has just happened has left your bones feeling as though they’ve been replaced with jelly. 

“I think you had a seizure,” He whispers in your ear, laying you down onto a familiar soft fur. 

The feeling returns to your limbs as they connect to the hair covered surface beneath you. Your wet thighs pressing together.

“No, not that,” you groan, attempting to push yourself up to your elbows. You feel…fine, surprisingly. There’s no lingering pain, and you're left feeling delightfully used.

When you look down, all you see is your swollen mound. 

“Where’s the pod?” 

“Safe,” he says, checking you over. He opens your thighs and looks at your pussy before looking up again to you. 

“Was it painful?” He asks, a slight lilt to his tone, as if he almost doesn’t want to know.

“Only for a moment, after that I…well, I came.” No point in hiding it.

“Is that normal for human child birth?” He looks amused.

“Decidedly not.”

“Well, we’ll consider it an improvement, then.” He looks at you as you open your mouth to ask the question he already knows you want the answer to. “Our child is safe, resting now in the pod.”

He tenderly supports you by placing one hand under your rump and cradling you with the other under your shoulder. He guides you back over to the rocky outcropping on the cave wall, where the pod had initially been placed. 

Your child sits comfortably, nestled in a cozy nest of furs. As you gaze at the purple jelly bean-sized fetus, you notice it suspended in a liquid that looks uncannily like molten lava, a stark contrast to anything you could ever conceive as coming from your own body.

“Bizarre,” you mouth, reaching your hand up to the thing that was nestled inside you just moments ago. “What should we call him?” You ask, craning your neck back up to the face of your alien. 

He raises his eyes flash with some realization. “What’s your name, mate?” 

The ease with which you accepted ‘mate’ in place of your own name shows a longing for submission that surpasses your need for individuality. Belonging to Drohako is almost more important than some silly little detail. 

“What’s my name?” you ask curiously. The letters of it swirl into place inside your mind. “Isn’t it curious how nothing else seems to hold any importance as long as I’m in your possession?” With a smile, you reach out and place your hand on the window of the pod, relishing in the comforting warmth that spreads through your fingers.

“What should I call you?” he asks, almost as if he’s granting you permission to be something beyond his. “You, my mate, are the pillar of strength that sustains our bloodline. Our son must know your name to praise his lineage.” 

Through your submission to an alien barbarian, you’ve tapped into a strength as mighty as a volkroth—a warrior, a mother. 

You smile, searching his expectant face.

“My name is—”

Authors Note

Somehow this 'short' morphed into 20,000 words of smut. Thanks for joining me on this fun romp. I hope you enjoyed it, I know I did.

XOXO,

PETRA PALERNO

#monster fucker #monster romance #monster smut #monster lover #smut #terato #monsterfuqqer #aliens #alien romance #alien #Petra palerno #STTABshort #i love aliens #monster fuqqer #alien x human #alien x reader

[cb-works13]

Reminiscing on Gravity Falls: S1E1

@gravity-falls-daily, thank you for creating the opportunity to throw all of us back in time to one of the best cartoons to ever air.

Gravity Falls was the show that just… cosmically aligned with me in a way that I don’t think ever could be replicated again. I was 10 when the show came out. Not only did I get to grow up alongside with the twins, but I got to see one of the most remarkable and inspiring cartoons of my life.

With regard to the very first episode, I remember sitting on my living room couch with my sister and watching it a day or so after airing (we preferred recording shows and watching them later to skip commercials). Up until then, 99.99% of the content I had seen was episodic and self-contained; my family liked the Disney Channel sitcoms like Good Luck Charlie, The Suite Life of Zach and Cody, Shake it Up, that one Jonas Brothers show… you get the idea. I loved Phineas and Ferb and Tom and Jerry cartoons. All very low lore and low story (not to say they were bad, this is just to highlight the fact that I hadn’t seen any show with a coherent plot that ran through the entire show).

Sitting down to watch the first episode, I expected to see a fun, 21 minute long adventure with kids who have some wacky shenanigans due to the craaazy town they were sent to!

That vending machine door closed, and my jaw dropped. I was immediately hooked.

I don’t think I was prepared for the four years that followed it, bur 10 year old me and thousands of others experienced the cannon event that shaped their lives for the foreseeable future.

#gravity falls #gfdaily #S1E01 #dipper pines #mabel pines

[wonder-worker]

Margaret of Anjou’s visit to Coventry [in 1456], which was part of her dower and that of her son, Edward of Lancaster, was much more elaborate. It essentially reasserted Lancastrian power. The presence of Henry and the infant Edward was recognised in the pageantry. The ceremonial route between the Bablake gate and the commercial centre was short, skirting the area controlled by the cathedral priory, but it made up for its brevity with no fewer than fourteen pageants. Since Coventry had an established cycle of mystery plays, there were presumably enough local resources and experience to mount an impressive display; but one John Wetherby was summoned from Leicester to compose verses and stage the scenes. As at Margaret’s coronation the iconography was elaborate, though it built upon earlier developments.

Starting at Bablake gate, next to the Trinity Guild church of St. Michael, Bablake, the party was welcomed with a Tree of Jesse, set up on the gate itself, with the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah explaining the symbolism. Outside St. Michael’s church the party was greeted by Edward the Confessor and St. John the Evangelist; and proceeding to Smithford Street, they found on the conduit the four Cardinal Virtues—Righteousness (Justice?), Prudence, Temperance, and Fortitude. In Cross Cheaping wine flowed freely, as in London, and angels stood on the cross, censing Margaret as she passed. Beyond the cross was pitched a series of pageants, each displaying one of the Nine Worthies, who offered to serve Margaret. Finally, the queen was shown a pageant of her patron saint, Margaret, slaying the dragon [which 'turned out to be strictly an intercessor on the queen's behalf', as Helen Maurer points out].

The meanings here are complex and have been variously interpreted. An initial reading of the programme found a message of messianic kingship: the Jesse tree equating royal genealogy with that of Christ had been used at the welcome for Henry VI on his return from Paris in 1432. A more recent, feminist view is that the symbolism is essentially Marian, and to be associated with Margaret both as queen and mother of the heir rather than Henry himself. The theme is shared sovereignty, with Margaret equal to her husband and son. Ideal kingship was symbolised by the presence of Edward the Confessor, but Margaret was the person to whom the speeches were specifically addressed and she, not Henry, was seen as the saviour of the house of Lancaster. This reading tips the balance too far the other way: the tableau of Edward the Confessor and St. John was a direct reference to the legend of the Ring and the Pilgrim, one of Henry III’s favourite stories, which was illustrated in Westminster Abbey, several of his houses, and in manuscript. It symbolised royal largesse, and its message at Coventry would certainly have encompassed the reigning king. Again, the presence of allegorical figures, first used for Henry, seems to acknowledge his presence. Yet, while the message of the Coventry pageants was directed at contemporary events it emphasised Margaret’s motherhood and duties as queen; and it was expressed as a traditional spiritual journey from the Old Testament, via the incarnation represented by the cross, to the final triumph over evil, with the help of the Virgin, allegory, and the Worthies. The only true thematic innovation was the commentary by the prophets.

[...] The messages of the pageants firmly reminded the royal women of their place as mothers and mediators, honoured but subordinate. Yet, if passive, these young women were not without significance. It is clear from the pageantry of 1392 and 1426 in London and 1456 in Coventry that when a crisis needed to be resolved, the queen (or regent’s wife) was accorded extra recognition. Her duty as mediator—or the good aspect of a misdirected man—suddenly became more than a pious wish. At Coventry, Margaret of Anjou was even presented as the rock upon which the monarchy rested. [However,] a crisis had to be sensed in order to provoke such emphasis [...]."

-Nicola Coldstream, "Roles of Women in Late Medieval Civic Pageantry," "Reassessing the Roles of Women as 'Makers' of Medieval Art and Culture"

#historicwomendaily #margaret of anjou #my post #henry vi #yeah I don't necessarily agree with Laynesmith's interpretation (that it was essentially Marian with an emphasis on shared sovereignty) #which she herself says is 'admittedly very speculative' #as this book points out that interpretation tips the balance too far on the other side and has a somewhat selective reading #It's also important to remember that this interpretation was not really reflected across wider Lancastrian propaganda at the time #which isn't really talked about - let alone emphasized - as much by historians but remained focused on the King #For example: look at the pro-Lancastrian poem 'The Ship of State' which hails Henry VI as a 'noble shyp made of good tree' #and emphasizes how he was widely supported and defended by many great Lancastrian lords and the crown prince #but not Margaret who was entirely absent #also look at the book 'Knyghthode and Bataile' (presented to Henry) and Fortescue's various pro-Lancastrian texts in the 1460s #even the recording of that Yorkist trial which was iirc reported in the 1459 attainder #all of these were entirely conventional and highlighted the presence and importance of the King. Margaret was not emphasized. #so either the Lancastrians were impossibly inconsistent about what message they actually wanted to convey about the role of their own queen #or the Coventry pageants were not actually meant to emphasize Margaret in the lieu of Laynesmith's interpretation #and would not have been viewed in such a manner by contemporaries #I think we should also keep in mind that we don't really know what Henry VI's condition was like at the time of MoA's entry to Coventry #we know he had been injured in St. Albans and had only just recovered from his second illness #this is especially important to consider since we know he had also arrived at Coventry before Margaret but much more discreetly #and was not welcomed by any pageants that we know of. This is VERY unusual and can be best explained if we consider the fact that he #may have simply not been in the right state (be it physical or state of mind) for it at the time #in which case the pageants for Margaret should be viewed as more of a improvisation/cover-up/temporary measure to bolster prestige #or Henry may have deliberately taken a more discreet role to emphasize the position of his heir - especially important after the long wait #imo I think Kipling's interpretation (ie: that they addressed Margaret but really referenced the prince & heir) makes a lot more sense: #'Coventry [...] regarded Margaret's entry as a kind of triumph-by-proxy: the Queen entered the city but Coventry received its Prince' #though I think he tends to view Margaret as more of a cipher (and has a very questionable view of Henry VI) which I also don't agree with. #The pageants very much DID focus on and reference her but they most prominently emphasized her 'motherhood and duties as queen' #ie: I think Kipling and Laynesmith tip too far on opposite sides and I think this interpretation takes the most realistic middle ground

[tswwwit]

do they ever just…make out. like lay there for half an hour and just do it for the hell of it. or are they like hmm but we COULD be fucking let’s do that

Of course they do! It just wouldn't be very interesting to read.

#answers #It can be assumed that they do other things and that not every day is a sleep curse or an interdimensional confrontation or a smut #But since these are stories I'm only gonna write the highlights as it were #I'm guessing someone is going 'I would read these makeouts'' #But realistically an exhaustive play-by-play of half an hour to an hour of them kissing would be fluffy for a while #But by paragraph five your eyes would start glazing over and you'd be skimming the text #My brain would have already long congealed from trying to come up with non-awkward synonyms for touchin' and smoochin' #Thus it does not get written #In fic though: Catch Bill initiating an extra-long makeout sesh when he's *supposed* to be like. In a meeting or something #But it turned out to be boring and he hates the people in it so he beckons Dipper over and they just kiss the whole time #It's something Dipper would go along with because A: stopping Evil from happening even if indirectly And B: Kissing Bill's very nice #SUPER obnoxious for anyone who thought they might get Bill Cipher's assist on their criminal interdimensional plans (A bonus for BIll)

[kittlyns]

I had yet another long, strenuous day yesterday and didn't finish work until super late and then I couldn't fall asleep until well past 2am cuz I was in so much pain from standing literally all day

#what made it worse was the client I spent most of my day with was a brand new client. and she booked super last minute #so I wasnt mentally prepared for doing a 5 hour color. and her natural hair was already pretty light so I had to foil foil foil. go back. #pull out first couple foils. foil foil foil. go back. pull out the next few. #over and over and over. #and her hair was so fucking long. and so fucking thick. #and after the first hour she wouldn't talk. like I like my silence so I don't fight it much #but every now and then I would try to engage with her. I'd say something and she would straight up ignore me. no acknowledgment. #which makes me feel anxious cuz it's like jesus... does she hate me?? did I piss her off somehow? #even when I finished her hair (it looked fucking amazing no lie. one of my best highlights yet.) she had next to no reaction to it #she was like 'it looks fine. I mean good. it's good.' completely deadpan #I laughed it off and was like yeah it's been a long day girl! but it looks amazinggg on you!! #no response. deep inhale. alright. #whatever tho. #when I did finally get off work I stopped @ bojangles cuz I was lightheaded and hadn't eaten since morning #and when I tell you I almost broke down into tears cuz there were so many people crowding the goddamn pickup area. #and so many bizarre conversations going on. genuinely felt like I was in some form of hell #like my feet hurt. my back hurts. I'm tired. I didn't get the validation I like to have over a 5 hour transformative color. #I'm hungry and there are two elderly women blocking the pickup counter. one is hard of hearing so she keeps yelling HUH??? #and the other only speaks in soft baby whispers. that goes as well as you can imagine. #there's a man behind me grilling an employee abt whether or not he goes to church. he starts witnessing to him #and the employee says 'I've never thought about it like that before' no less than 4 times. #there's a child in front of me playing tiktoks @ full volume. and this is all happening simultaneously. #I really considered just leaving without my food but I knew I needed to eat and didnt have anything at home so I stuck it out #was it worth it? no. bojangles honestly sucks these days but what's a girl gonna do. #got home and tried to pass out but nope. tossed and turned all night. #put on hot n cold patches to try to soothe the pain a little. didn't work cuz one pain would be eased a bit and another pain would take over #blahhhhhh #and now. I get to do it all over again! yippeeeeeee!!!!!!!!