#also this track is the best piece of the score

[a-reader-and-a-writer]

Unable to Stay, Unwilling to Leave

Day 29 with Forced to Choose for @ailesswhumptober's event

#jack's resigned face with the fireworks blazing behind him is burned in my brain #from his expression alone you can tell he knows he's not going to make it but at least she is safe #also this track is the best piece of the score #ailesswhumptober2023 #whumptober #moodboard #forced to choose #jack dawson #rose dewitt bukater #caledon hockley #titanic #leonardo dicaprio #kate winslet #billy zane

[noneorother]

All the music you didn’t hear: The Good Omens soundtrack is lying to you. *Part 1*

The Bonkers Meta Series part 2: Electric Boogaloo.

I so rarely get a chance to misuse my experience in classical music, but here we are. When I realized on my most recent watch-through of the series that the David Arnold score was brilliant, but also really wonky in some parts and I couldn’t put my finger on why, @embracing-the-ineffable suggested I listen to the album soundtrack to compare.

And when I tell you what I found hidden in there, you’re going to need Eccles cakes...

1) The Song is the Clue

So right up top we have this banger. The 12th track on the album is the orchestral backdrop to the scene in the Job minisode where Aziraphale reveals Crowley’s crow/goats. The duration is 2:22 (the only track with multiples on the album), and if you look at the track by itself it doesn’t mean much. But the song just before it is actually from this fucking scene:

You know, the one where there’s a song that’s a clue to a mystery. Except Clue is capitalised, and Aziraphale pronounces it. I’ve seen guesses that this is a reference to the movie Clue, but I would put a lot of money on the fact that we are supposed to read the title of the song currently playing at that moment in the show *as a Clue*, which is super convenient, because the word Clue is capitalized in the track listing. 

Seems like the overlords of Good Omens have a message for us : The song is the Clue. It’s what God wants. Cool cool cool. WHAT SONG?

2) Symmetry in all things 

Before I straight up tell you, we have to go back and look at season 1.

Now I’m far from the first to notice tons of parallels between the story, details and even lines in both seasons. It got me thinking that maybe there are some fun synch-up parallels between the two season’s soundtracks, seeing as they are both 6 episodes long. Here’s the end of S1 and then S2

Oh that’s a bummer, I thought to myself. 

They don’t even add up to the same number, or playtime, and neither of them is exactly 60 tracks. But do you want to hear a secret? S2 is actually missing 3 tracks on the album. And because there are 2 discs in S2 (cute), the numbers of the tracks start over again from 1. Remember how much God likes sevens? Check out where all the weirdness is happening in disc 2 (I’ve added the missing track listings in red to add context):

After checking each track with the show and listening side by side (for reasons that will become clear in another post) I can definitively say that there is something *very weird* going on at the end of episode 4. 

First is track 7, Zombie dressing room, which seems to actually reach over two distinct scenes of the photo evidence in the dressing room and then Shax in hell even though it only has one title.

But *between* these two scenes we get an eerily silent wine date with Aziraphale & Crowley.

There’s really no music or even sound here besides the dialogue and room tone (until after the cheers), and it seems like a very intentionally silent version of a ritz date from season 1.

My best guess is that we are supposed to divide that track into two tracks of 7, before and after the date to get a second track 7. Or maybe the silent one is missing music? The third track number 7 is the weirdest one. It’s this scene here, when Nina parks her bike, and Aziraphale parks the car at the end of S2E4.

If you take a close listen to the music, it’s a jaunty little piece, with an oom-pah base in 3 ⁄ 4 time. The thing is, this music does not exist in any Good Omens album. Please feel free to correct me, but I’ve tried to find any part of any song that this could even be a reprise of, and I Shazammed it to be sure it wasn’t anything else. This song does not exist anywhere except in this scene. (It quickly morphs into a reprise of the original theme once Nina leaves Aziraphale). It’s an invisible song.

So we have 3 tracks at the end of S2E4: a long one, a silent one and an invisible one. Only one of which is numbered 7, but that all fit into that place in the track listing.

Which, when we add the two extras to the original total of fifty-nine we get... sixty-one! Hey wait a minute.

How are we going to get to 62?

3) The real missing track. 

So the real reason we had to go back to the S1 album was because it contains the missing track that God is talking about. Let’s compare the last tracks on each album.

I’ve highlighted the mismatch between the in-show music and the album in S2, which means I had to add A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square back into the S2 album because guess what, it’s not in the S2 album. Even though it plays in the show. 

You want to know how not in the album it is? Amazon had to track it in the show as a season 1 song. They had to give Tori Amos credit for her song on Good Omens in the X-ray bonus features because that’s how not in the album this song is.

So my fellow beings, if the song is the Clue, then It’s what God Wants.

And if God wants a happily ever after with Aziraphale and Crowley on their own side, then by Job, I think Neil is going to give it to her.

-----------

And there's more where that came from! Part 2 coming shortly.

#good omens meta #art director talks good omens #go season 2 #good omens 2 #go2 #good omens prime #good omens season two #go meta #good omens season 2 #go3 #good omens 2 meta #crowley x aziraphale #aziraphale #anthony j crowley #good omens spoilers

[akutasoda]

hello!! platonic dr ratio with a teen!student reader who excels at one particular subject but is bad or average on the others? also lacks social skills

student knowledge

synopsis - when one of his best students start falling behind in other courses

includes - dr ratio - platonic!

warnings - gn!teen!reader, fluff, slight angst + crack, maybe ooc, wc - 1.1k

taglist - @teddirika, @frankiesteinn, @little-miss-chaoss

dr ratio was renowned across the galaxy for many things - a member of the intelligensia guild, a bright scholar or even a professor of sort. his students specifically knew him very well as the esteemed scholar who had no time to spare for idiocy. due to his many degrees, ratio offered a variety of subjects to lecture on and most of the time his students did take more than one, whether it was multiple from him or from various other professors.

a common complaint that ratio received was from students who have had chalk thrown at them or even hit over the head with his codex - should they be unfortunate enough to be sat in the front row. however it couldn't be said that he was a bad teacher as he was quite the opposite, no matter how foreboding he seemed when chalk would be launched across the lecture hall faster than the students could track.

exam season had surfaced yet again and that meant ratio would have to spend time toiling over the mistakes of his students, to which he believed was only due to their incompetence and unwillingness to learn.

he let out another sigh as he pushed another students exam to the side, 67/100, he had yet to be impressed by the results and he had no hopes of that changing until he glanced at the name on the top of his next paper. he perked up slightly, maybe there was hope afterall. he briefly remembered you as the quietest student he had who aat at the back and kept to yourself but you were by far his best student in that subject so he never had any complaints. your test certainly hadn't disappointed him this time.

---✩

dr ratio didn't particularly like to interact with the other professors unless absolutely necessary, mainly because he didn't hang around long after his lectures had finished. however he couldn't help but overhear one talking about you in your recent test - it was only mere curiosity that begged him to listen in. although he started questioning if they were actually talking about you when they began talking about how you had one of the worst scores.

surely they were talking about someone else? if you were his best student surely you wouldn't be doing worse in other mediocre professors classes? maybe it was just an unfortunate day for you and next time you'd do better then everyone he was sure of it.

some may say ratio just held you in high esteem and they would be partially right - it was quite the achievement to gain the attention of the scholar. he had seen something in the way you answered the questions he poised and the fact that you excelled magnificently in all tests for his class reinforced the idea that you were one to watch. ratio didn't play favourites but if he did you would be one.

he had seen you in his lecture later that day and observed that nothing seemed the matter, you sat there in silence and didn't even break it when he hit another student square in the head with a piece of chalk. he was tempted to pull you aside afterwards to ask about your other subject results but he knew that it wasn't his place to say anything - it was your course and he wasn't your teacher - so he let it go.

---✩

as much as he tried to forget what he overheard, he couldn't. something didn't sit right with him at the idea that one of his best students were struggling in another subject (in his opinion a worthless subject). perhaps you were pouring all your effort into his lectures and neglecting the others... maybe if he loosened up your homework you'd pull your grades up in that subject - he could always play it off as your reward for doing so well in the test.

you almost questioned dr ratio when he didn't assign you extra work but you opted to stay quiet and take the rest. admittedly you did feel as though you should pull back in your studies for his class as your other subjects were suffering, naturally or not. perhaps you should use this as an opportunity to bring those grades up...

unfortunately that didn't seem to help. you had a surprise test in the subject and you couldn't help but stare at the mediocre score with a grimace plastered on your face. perhaps you should just stick to getting good grades in ratio's classes.

admittedly it had soured your mood but you didn't think it would be so noticeable until dr ratio asked you to stay behind after his lecture. at first you thought you're grades had also dropped in his class but ratio seemed to diminish those thoughts immediately.

'i don't take interest in my students lives but when one of my best students looks down i have to worry it may affect their scores' he started and you almost hung your head in a small bit of shame 'what's happened?' ratio observed as you wordlessly reached into your bag and dragged out a test.

you shyly handed him the test, practically ashamed of your score. normally ratio would let his ego get the best of him and he would scoff at the low score, but he didn't. instead he scrunched it up and threw it onto his desk, your eyes widened in surprise as you never took dr ratio to do suchh a thing.

'a bad test score shouldn't define your mood. you are a excellent student who just needs to focus their efforts elsewhere for the time being' you were quite shocked as you never took the doctor to be one to dish out compliments 'if push comes to shove is hall intervene and help you get those grades up but i doubt it will come to that'

due to your rather introverted nature you could only muster up a small nod at the compliment, ratio noticed you're slight uncomfortableness and dismissed you.

ratio didn't have favourites, but when someone gains the attention of him he can't help but want to push them to flourish in everything they do.

#—stellaronhvnters. #x reader #x gender neutral reader #honkai star rail x reader #honkai star rail x gender neutral reader #honkai star rail x you #hsr x reader #hsr x gender neutral reader #hsr x you #hsr ratio #honkai star rail ratio #dr ratio x reader #ratio x reader

[genshin-impact-updates]

"Iridescent Arataki Rockin' for Life Tour de Force of Awesomeness" Event: Take Part to Invite "Canine Warrior" Gorou (Geo)

〓Event Duration〓

〓Event Rewards〓

〓Eligibility〓

Adventure Rank 30 or above

And complete the Archon Quest "Ritou Escape Plan"

※ Complete Arataki Itto's Story Quest "Taurus Iracundus Chapter: Act I" and Raiden Shogun's Story Quest "Imperatrix Umbrosa Chapter: Act II" to get the best experience from this event.

〓Event Details〓

● During the event, the following gameplay modes will unlock in sequence: "Xtreme Carnival Ensemble," "Trillion Trinket Trawl," and "A Meeting of Melodies."

● In the "Xtreme Carnival Ensemble" gameplay, Travelers can participate in a music performance. During the performance, different notes will appear on the screen. The amount of points scored will vary depending on the timing of your stroke according to the rhythm.

● In the "Xtreme Carnival Ensemble" gameplay, Travelers can also compose their own tracks, and after completing the arrangement, they can go to "Interaction Platform" to share their own pieces, or obtain share codes of other excellent works.

● In the "Trillion Trinket Trawl" gameplay, collect items based on Dvorak's list, and help him make everything the set needs.

● In the "A Meeting of Melodies" gameplay, Travelers will need to listen to the hummed tunes and fill in the missing notes so that they match the melody of the original hummed tunes.

● Complete the event's various gameplay modes to gain "Iridescence Tour Tickets." Collect a certain number of "Iridescence Tour Tickets" to invite "Canine Warrior" Gorou (Geo) as well as to obtain the "Nightwind Horn," Primogems, Crown of Insight, Character Talent Materials, Mora, and other rewards.

#genshin impact #genshin impact updates #genshin impact news #official #events #one question. where xinyan #actually two question. where's our fontaine rockstar character.

[agi-ppangx]

stranger (hwang hyunjin x gn!reader)

angst, hurt without comfort, break up, reader is in shambles

an: that's definitely not my best work so im really sorry for any mistakes >< nonetheless i hope you'll enjoy it, bc in my head the idea was pretty cool :3 also, the paragraphs written in italic are the memories, i dont know if i made it clear enough😭

“yn, don’t make it even harder,” hyunjin whispered as he glanced at your face. you must’ve looked truly pathetic - the tears were making their way down your red, puffy face and you were sobbing loudly. you couldn’t believe what had just happened - did he really break up with you or was it just a bad dream?

“hyune- baby, please, i-” you stuttered, gasping for air in between sobs.

“i’ve made my decision. goodbye, yn.” with that he closed the door, leaving you on the floor of your apartment. your vision was blurry and you were too weak to even get up. that day you fell asleep on the floor by the entrance, foolishly hoping that hyunjin would come back to you.

you recalled the memory, stepping out of the shower. it was the first time in a week when you decided to take care of yourself after hyunjin broke up with you. it’d been a hard week, but you couldn’t remember much anyway. the only thing you knew was the pain in your chest as if your heart was ripped from your body.

you didn’t bother to put on any clothes or to brush your damp hair since you headed straight to bed. you dropped your tired, achy body on the messy beddings and you shivered. it’d been raining for the past few days and you wondered if the sun had peeked into your bedroom through the curtains and told the clouds to match your mood so you wouldn’t feel lonely. you curled yourself into a ball, placing your hands on your shoulders as the raindrops pattered softly on your window. tap, tap, tap, the rhythm of the rain made your finger move faintly against your shoulder and suddenly the memories flooded your brain.

you felt someone tapping your shoulder and you yelped, blushing instantly as you realised you made too much noise in the library.

“sorry! sorry, i just-” the boy started hesitantly, whisper-yelling the apology. “are going to use that book?” he pointed to the textbook you were holding firmly in your hands. you nodded.

“oh, okay, sorry for bothering you!” he said with a frown and started walking away.

“wait! you can join me if also need it,” you suggested with a shy smile and he stopped in his tracks, turning around to you with a grin.

your hand wandered down your body, stopping at the waist. you squeezed it once, just like hyunjin used to do. a few tears made their way down your face.

“we passed!” hyunjin exclaimed as he ran to you with a piece of paper in his hand. you grinned at him as he stopped right in front of you, proudly showing you his score.

“congrats, hyune! are you going to-” you started but never finished as he suddenly grabbed your waist and picked you up, spinning you around, and you giggled. when he put you down he still firmly held your waist with one hand, squeezing it.

“let’s go and eat something, hm? my treat,” he said and you just smiled, letting him lead the way.

you squeezed your eyes, loud sobs now leaving your body as you remembered how happy you two used to be together. the rain outside intensified, turning into a downpour, and it made you feel even worse. “stop crying” you thought. “show the sun you’re okay so the clouds won’t have to suffer anymore.”

you moved your hand to wipe your wet cheek, but you just rested it there, suddenly remembering how hyunjin used to cradle your face.

“look, i can hold the whole world in my hands,” he whispered, looking you deeply in the eyes as his hands held your cheeks. you blushed and playfully hit him in the arm.

“stop being cheesy,” you whined, dropping your eyes because hyunjin’s gaze was too piercing for you. he giggled at your words and kissed your forehead.

“i just really love you, you know?” he then said and you hid your red face in the crook of his neck, breathing his cologne and relaxing completely as his arms protected you from the outside world. in that moment you felt complete.

a long wail left your body. it hurt, it hurt so much you thought you weren’t going to make it. what was left for you anyway? there was no one who could hug you after a long day, no one who could wait for you with warm dinner, no one who loved you.

you brought your hand to your hair, desperately trying to comb through them as hyunjin used to whenever you felt too overwhelmed. you grazed your nails on your scalp, imitating his movements, but it only increased the pain. you didn’t know how to treat yourself anymore - you gave all of you to hyunjin and as he left he took your heart with him, leaving you with the void that nothing and no one could ever fill again.

you wrapped your arms around your body again, squeezing yourself as hard as you could, but you soon realised only hyunjin could embrace you tightly enough for all the broken parts of you to fall back into place. with the day he left you you became a stranger to yourself.

taglist !

@lynlyndoll @iyenbread @flooo71 @skz-streamer @inniescandy-01 @hannahhbahng @prettymiye0n @ggsez31 @laylasbunbunny @like-a-diamondinthesky @axel-skz @kittymaryam-thebrowniefairy @l3visbby @skzhoes

#skz #stray kids #stray kids headcanons #stray kids imagines #stray kids x reader #skz au #stray kids scenarios #stray kids angst #skz hyunjin #hyunjin x reader #stray kids hyunjin #hyunjin scenarios #hyunjin angst #hwang hyunjin imagines #hyunjin headcanons

[andypantsx3]

TODOROKI SHOUTO : MASTERLIST

please be respectful! do not repost, plagiarize, translate, or otherwise share on other platforms. all my reader characters are fem + afab unless otherwise specified. please see individual fic posts for nsfw ratings and other warnings!

shouto writing tag | universal masterlist

MULTI-CHAPTER

ready or knot (est. 24K) : in progress

Todoroki Shouto is so unsettlingly beautiful, you’re certain he has to be an omega. That is, until a chance encounter with a pushy alpha reveals you were incredibly mistaken—and the surprises don’t stop there. Shouto's suddenly mystifying behavior adds another layer of complexity to an already confusing inter-agency investigation. It would be so much easier to figure things out—and suppress your growing feelings—if only Shouto would stop being so strangely attentive to you...

something in the water (est. 24K) : in progress

As a future marine biologist, you’ve scored big on your final internship: a summer in the tropics, researching the waters off the coast of a lush, sunny island. But what you thought would be all beach days and piña coladas turns out to be the revelation of a lifetime when you haul in a handsome merprince, and discover not everything in these waters is quite as it seems.

fingerprints (38K) : complete

When you’re outed as pro hero Shouto’s soulmate on national television, there are really only two sensible things for you to do: blame someone else and run.

vested interest (19.5K) : complete

You’d just thought Shouto was absent minded, accidentally leaving behind a jacket or a sweater or his vest. You didn’t realize this was a thing. (In which Todoroki Shouto—despite his quirk—has zero chill, and uses his clothes to ward off other men.)

if i could keep cool (20K) : complete

A villain attacks Shouto Todoroki’s apartment and kidnaps what he apparently believes to be Todoroki’s secret lover. The bad news—for both you and the villain in question—is that you’re just there to clean the place. That’s how it starts.

[smutty one shot follow on: say the word and you know i'll follow]

Deceiving the Duke (30K) : complete

When Camie Utsushimi elopes on the eve of her society debut, scandal threatens to destroy the family’s prospects. It’s up to you, a lady’s maid, to impersonate Camie throughout the Season, long enough that her elder sister can make a match. The only trouble? Lord Shouto Todoroki is also intent on making a match—and that match, quite impossibly, appears to involve you.

in cinders (25K) : complete

You’re just trying to fairy godmother your best friend into a happily ever after. If only the prince would stop hanging around and cooperate. (A Cinderella AU)

when i make you mine (24K) : complete In order to placate your anxious mother, you agree to return to your hometown to participate in a mating run—knowing full well that betas rarely get chased, never mind betas nearly old enough to age out of the practice. You’ve decided to treat it like a vacation, a chance to visit with your childhood friends, the mating run itself a nice relaxing hike. All in all it’s a solid plan—until alpha Todoroki Shouto, your best friend's little brother, steps in and blows it all to pieces.

conspire (13K) : complete

Shouto Todoroki had definitely only asked you out in order to ward off his horde of interested suitors. So why does he keep actually taking you out on suspiciously realistic dates?

subtle (4.5K) : complete

Someone leaves chocolates on your desk. You’re determined to track down the sender, certain it’s a mistake, and Shouto Todoroki makes himself as unhelpful as possible.

demon prince au (various): ongoing

Things seem to going well with the prince of hell you've accidentally taken home. Until a surprise visitor makes an appearance, and Shouto must take action to stake his claim on you.

ONE SHOTS

mr. tokyo beat hottest hero (3.8K)

Shouto finds out he’s hot. He swiftly uses this knowledge against you.

on ice (2.6K)

Your pro hero boyfriend ices you to the counter and has his way with you.

pretty boy (4.1K)

You have strong feelings about Shouto’s scar. Shouto finds them…surprising.

slip (2.5K) - gn!reader

No one knows who the villain Shouto really is, or what he wants with Endeavor. All you know is that you never should have drawn his notice.

just my (blood) type (5.3K)

The real Halloween treat was how sinfully handsome Todoroki Shouto looked in his vampire costume. But that wouldn’t be enough to save him from the petty wrath of one drunk lobster. (In which you suffer deeply, wingwoman a friend, and pick a fight with the hottest boy at UA.)

home, safe, yours (2K) - gn!reader

After a rough day, you take care of your pro hero boyfriend.

happy edgings (1K)

Shouto discovers a new concept and quickly sets about mastering it. You either benefit or suffer, depending on how you look at it.

confetti confessions (2.3K)

A slight misunderstanding at Shouto’s birthday party achieves unexpected results. 

in any universe (1.7K) - gn!reader

Shouto is the prince of an alien species that mates for life—which surely has absolutely nothing to do with you, the little human cadet deployed with the treaty party to his planet.

balm (2.2K) - gn!reader

You help rub down your boyfriend's muscles after a grueling shift. And then, a little more.

damage (1.6K)

When you get hit by a quirk, Shouto gets protective. Idiocy ensues.

peony for your thoughts (2.1K) - gn!reader

Florist AU: You enter Shouto’s flower shop, and leave with a little bit more than you expected.

say the word and you know i’ll follow (3.3K)

While moving in with Shouto, you get caught up reliving the scene of his confession. Quite literally.

[a smutty one shot sequel to if i could keep cool]

DRABBLES + PROMPT FICLETS

a/b/o au (0.5K)

You think Todoroki Shouto is so pretty he has to be an omega. You quickly find out you are very, very wrong.

dragon au drabble series (various lengths)

You accidentally bring home a dragonling one day. He grows up...possessive.

seven minutes in heaven (1K)

Shouto is unfamiliar with a well-known game.

todobakureader domestic fluff (1K)

The sound of muffled arguing in the kitchen wakes you up on Saturday morning.

turn the heat up (0.7K)

On a lazy afternoon, your boyfriend Shouto is up to no good.

priceless (0.8K)

You get weird around all the expensive things in Shouto's apartment. Shouto shows you what's truly priceless to him.

kabedon (1.7K)

Shouto learns what kabedonning is. You benefit.

wrong address (0.6K)

A mistake leads pro hero Shouto to your door. You promptly embarrass yourself.

attention (0.6K)

“You’re going to regret that, sweetheart.”

melt (1K)

“What? Does that feel good?”

drunk shouto (0.7K)

Shouto gets handsy when he's drunk.

pet names (0.3K)

Shouto figures out you like pet names and sets about abusing his newfound power.

marked up (0.7K)

Shouto goes little shit mode. You (and Class A) suffer.

#character: todoroki shouto #andie's writing

[iovetecchou]

funeral grey / akutagawa ryunosuke

prompts... "Don't you dare walk away from me." & "He doesn't fuck you like this, right? Then you don't need him."

contains...! smut. port mafia!reader, posessive!aku, power imbalance, finger sucking, dirty talk, degrading terms (pathetic, whore), choking, rough sex, public sex, brat taming (?), jealousy, biting, creampie

AFAB Reader.

2,057 words.

“Lackluster, as to be expected. Is that really all you got?” Akutagawa spat out from where he stood beside you. You clicked your tongue at his words. Rolling your eyes in frustration before you tried one last time. Giving your all into defeating the lowly enemy that continued to beg for mercy.

This time, your skills were a success. Killing the pathetic man before you in an instant. Your superior, Akutagawa, let out a sound of approval before a fit of coughing crawled up on him. “That was better, but still not good enough.”

You whipped your head in his direction. Eyebrows scrunched up in frustration as you gave him a piece of your mind. “Are you fucking with me, Ryu? Look, you and I both know that was my best attack yet. Drop the tough guy act. It’s just us.”

Akutagawa looked dumbfounded by your bold words for a moment before he composed himself. Removing his pale hand from where it covered his mouth. His dark eyes met yours. “I am your superior above all else. When we are working, you watch the way you talk to me. Know your place, y/n… this is your last warning.”

You hated how much he plagued your mind. And how his words affected you so greatly. You also hated the way his touch was burned into your skin. Or how he was so different with you behind closed doors. But most importantly, you hated yourself; for not hating him at all. 

“Oh, that’s real nice. I’m not dealing with you today, Ryu. Maybe I’ll go see what Chuuya is up to right now. I’m sure he’d praise me for my improvements.” You struck a nerve, and you knew it. The moment those words slipped out, the aura around Akutagawa shifted. You turned on your heel, making quick strides out of the desolate alleyway.

"Don't you dare walk away from me." His voice was laced with venom, coarse words sending a chill down your spine. Causing you to freeze in your tracks. You could feel his presence looming behind you as his footsteps echoed throughout the alley. You jumped ever so slightly as you felt his lips brush up against the shell of your ear.

“Take one more step, and It’ll be the last thing you do. I warned you, y/n but it appears you need to be put in your place.” His breath fanned over your cheek as he spoke. Heat pooling in your core at his actions. Your body always betrayed you when it came to Akutagawa.

“What’s the matter? You were so mouthy just a minute ago, and now you are mute. How pathetic.” Before you could process his words... you were slammed up against the rough alley wall. A wince slipped past your lips as Akutagawa glared down at you. His eyes were as void as ever. Lips pulled into a tight line.

You refused to speak up. You knew that if you did, your voice would fail you. And you weren’t quite ready to swallow your pride. Akutagawa brought a finger up to your chin. His cold digit burned into your skin. His touch always ignited your flesh.

You gazed into his eyes as you scored your bottom lip with your teeth. “Did you forget how to speak? You were blabbering about ‘praise’ from Chuuya only moments ago. Like some… desperate whore. But now you have nothing to say? When I’m standing right in front of you?”

His other hand came up to your waist. A cold hand slithered under your shirt. Eliciting a sharp breath from you. His lips curved up into a faint smirk at your reaction to his touch. He decided to push further. Ice-cold digits snaking their way under your bra. You let out a small gasp the second his thumb swiped over your nipple.

You bit your lip even fiercer, that familiar metallic taste coating your tongue. Akutagawa's eyes darted down to your lips for a moment. He was amused by your stubbornness, but he was also determined to make you break. His finger that still resided on your chin moved further up. He pressed his nimble fingers to your lips.

“Open. Now.” He ordered. You finally released your lip from your firm bite. “Are you fucking- mfh-!” Akutagawa shoved his lithe digits inside your mouth. Not letting you speak any further as his next orders followed. “Suck.”

Your eyes were blown wide at his demands. Eyebrows knitted in anger from the way he was handling you. And yet... you couldn’t hide the blush that enveloped your cheeks. Or how your thighs rubbed together, which Akutagawa didn’t fail to notice.

The corners of his lips curled up even further as you began to suck on his digits. “How despicable. Keep sucking, whore.” You let out a whine around his fingers from the degrading term. As much as you tried to hide the effect Akutagawa had on you... your body gave you away.

You pushed into your desires, resolve snapping like a thread. As you sucked on Akutagawa's digits with more vigor, he began tweaking your nipple from beneath your bra. He flicked and twisted your nub as he so pleased. His eyes never once parted from your lips. Akutagawa was entranced by the way you lapped at his fingers.

This continued for a few moments more, before Akutagawa retracted his fingers from your mouth. His other hand snaked its way out of your shirt as well. Instead, his hands came down to the front of his slacks. Akutagawa didn't bother to pull his pants all the way down. Just enough to free his semi-hard cock. 

His saliva-coated digits wrapped around his aching length. Giving it a few languid pumps before his voice rattles through your brain once more. "Are you just going to stand there and gape at me? Strip, now." Akutagawa demanded. Shooting yet another icy glare your way. 

You scrambled to free yourself from your clothes. Pulling your pants and panties down with one swift tug before moving to your top. You yanked the offending article of clothing over your head before lastly unclasping your bra. Bearing it all to Akutagawa and any passerby who dared to peek down this alley. But you couldn't bring yourself to care about that last part right now. You were too far gone at this point. 

Akutagawa's dark eyes glazed over your exposed frame before he pressed further into you. Now chest to chest as his gaze locked with your own. He brought his free hand up to hook under your thigh. Pulling it up far enough until it settled beside his waist. 

"Keep this leg up, or I'll leave you in this alley to take matters into your own hands." You nodded at him once. Too focused on the feeling of his cock prodding against your entrance to respond verbally. His grip on your thigh tightened as the tip of his dick pushed past the tight ring of your slick pussy.

He stifled back a moan as a fit of coughing washed over him. You brought your hands up to grip his hips. Pushing up against him in an attempt to have Akutagawa fill up your wet heat. But he wasn't having this, not even for a second. "Oh, and now my whore is trying to take control? Don't even think about trying that again." 

With that, Akutagawa slammed his hips forward. Burying his entire length inside you. "Hah... Ryu-!" You whined out. Gripping onto his sides for dear life as you tried to adjust to the sudden intrusion. You could feel his balls twitching from where they kissed the underside of your pussy. 

"Be quiet." He grunted out through gritted teeth. Snaking his hand up to grasp your throat. Akutagawa held you still with his grip on your neck. Not daring to squeeze down... just yet. He brought his face close to yours. Lips ghosted over one another as you both panted out. Akutagawa tried to regain his composure. He always became slightly overwhelmed each time you two became one. 

“Are you still desperate for Chuuya’s praise? Or is my whore satisfied?” Akutagawa grunted out. The sultry moans that slipped past your lips encouraged him to fuck up into you with more force. You gripped his waist for dear life. In a desperate attempt to ground yourself. "He doesn't fuck you like this, right? Then you don't need him."

Akutagawa’s grip on your throat tightened. Not appreciating your lack of respect in the slightest. “You speak when you are spoken to. Understood, whore? I’ll ask this one last time… are you satisfied?” You clenched fiercely around his throbbing cock from the harsh way he spoke to you. Akutagawa cursed under his breath from the way your needy pussy pulsed around his length.

He was getting close, but he needed to hear you say it. Your eyelids opened slowly, meeting his intimidating gaze once more before you squeaked out, “Y-Yes Ryu! I’m more than pleased! You fuck me so good… I-I only want to be praised by you-!” His eyes widened at your bold confession. Nearly cumming on the spot from how desperate you were for him.

“See? That wasn’t so hard, darling.” You couldn’t control the whine that slipped past your parted lips from his sweet term of endearment. There was that soft side that he reserved for you. You felt so special when he spoke so softly like this to you while he fucked you senseless. The coil within you was mere moments from snapping, and Akutagawa could tell.

“Are you going to cum, darling? How obscene. Getting all worked up from being fucked out in the open like this. Anyone could walk by and see you. But that gets you even more excited, doesn’t it? You really are nothing but a vulgar whore. My filthy little whore.”

That was all it took for the coil within you to snap. Drool seeped past your lips as a choked-out whine of his name slipped out. You gushed all over his cock, pulsing and squeezing around him for dear life as Akutagawa worked you through your high.

He was quick to follow after you. The sight of your eyes rolling back into your head once more and the feeling of your cunt gripping his cock like a vise was all too much. Akutagawa delivered one last thrust into your weeping pussy. Burying himself to the hilt inside you as his first ropes of cum spilled out past his slit.

The grip he had on your throat loosened. Akutagawa nestled his face into the crook of your neck. Biting down on the exposed flesh hard. Stifling his needy whines as he pumped you full of his cum. “Hmn… so good, Ryu. Feels so good…” You babbled out. Feeling completely dazed from your intense orgasm that Akutagawa so graciously granted you.

He pulled away from your neck, covering his mouth with his free hand. Partially to cover up his blush but more importantly to conceal his coughing. A smile tugged at your lips at the rare sight of him being flustered. You moved your hands up to his face, cupping his cheeks. You leaned in further. Placing a lingering kiss on the back of his hand.

Akutagawa’s blush deepened immensely from the indirect kiss. He cleared his throat before slowly dragging his cock out of your spent pussy. You both gasped out in unison at the feeling of being separated. Your arousal and his cum trickled down your thighs, causing you to squeeze them together.

Akutagawa languidly tucked himself back into his slacks. Scrunching up his face in displeasure at the uncomfortable sticky feeling. You let out a small chuckle at his expression. “And what’s so funny? I would tread lightly if I were you right now, y/n.” He snapped his head up in your direction. Giving you a pointed look as he awaited your response.

“Aww… what happened to you calling me darling? I was really starting to get attached to that little nickname.” And... you were back to your usual self. So much for Akutagawa fucking the brat out of you. He invaded your personal space, leaning his face dangerously close to yours before he spoke up once more.

“Watch your tongue, or I’ll fuck you stupid again.”

#bsd smut #bsd x reader #bsd #bsd imagines #bungou stray dogs x reader #bungou stray dogs #bungou stray dogs imagines #bungou stray dogs smut #akutagawa ryuunosuke #akutagawa smut #akutagawa x reader #akutagawa ryunosuke x reader #akutagawa x you #bsd akutagawa #akutagawa bsd #bsd ryunosuke

[markrosewater]

"It varies mechanic to mechanic, but they don’t score any lower as a group against other mechanics. Some, like Monarch, are quite popular."

People are criticizing the helper card mechanics because they are very complex, require specific varied tracking and they are virtually impossible to play with unless you constantly refer to helper card (compared to most cards that you can understand by simply reading its oracle text or reminder text).

The Monarch doesn't have any of those issues. It's an elegant and masterfully designed mechanic. The Monarch is very simple and straightforward, so much so that the oracle text from The Monarch token could fit as reminder text on several monarch cards. That can't be said about Day/Night, The Initiative, Venture in the Dungeon, Rad counters or Tempted by the Ring. I've probably looked at the double sided Tempted by the Ring helper token over 100 times and I can't confidently tell someone exactly how the mechanic works if I don't have the helper token to read from. It's an extremely complex and multifaceted mechanic. I would say more complicated and wordy than 98% of other Magic mechanics.

Can you please make more "outside of the game" helper card style mechanics that are easy to comprehend and intuitive?

The Monarch and Ascend are examples of mechanics like this. More of that please! The more complex mechanics that create outside of the game elements are intimidating (i.e. Venture into the Dungeon, Tempted by the Ring, The Initiative, Day/Night) and in my experience, they slow down the game because players can't understand them easily.

Lastly, I'm offering this feedback as a major Magic enthusiast and long time veteran player who also plays with experienced players regularly. I can't even begin to imagine how daunting these types of mechanics must feel for novice players!

I talk a lot about how different players enjoy different aspects of the game. What I talk far less about is different players struggle with different aspects. Some can’t handle excessive processing; some have issues with sequencing; some don’t understand the nuances of the rules; some aren’t good with memory.

My best guess with you is you internalize (aka work from memory) card abilities most of the time, so cards which exceed your ability to memorize cause you issues.

Because players see the game through the lens of their own experience, the feedback they tend to give is “stop doing thing X” because thing X is the element that they personally struggle with.

The challenge is there are players that don’t struggle with that element of the game and thus enjoy thing X. For example, my biggest note on this blog about dungeons isn’t they’re too hard to process, but there aren’t enough of them.

So, it’s a balance. We need to understand the ways in which people struggle and help accordingly where we can. I agree that we need to be cautious how complex and wordy we are on elements off the card. And we have to be careful how often we use that tool.

Now there is a threshold where enough players struggle, that we have to question if a particular aspect is worth it. I don’t think we’re there yet with external game pieces, but I do loudly hear the note that we have to be better with as-fan of the helper cards showing up. The note that we need to auto-include more helper cards in the prerelease kits is also a strong one.

So yes, I’m aware that outside game pieces come at a real cost for a certain type of player, and it is something we have to keep in mind when designing them. I personally think we could have simplified Tempted by the Ring a bit, for example, but I do think it was right to include in the product.

Thanks for your feedback.

[marshvlovestv]

In honor of me having so much video game music downloaded on my phone that I ran out of storage and had to buy a new phone. My favorite track from each video game OST I have!

Bastion: Brusher Patrol (Such a bizarre clash of styles, I can't help but love this one. Shout-out to the part that sounds like Darren quietly scatting in the background.) (Also special shout-out to Build That Wall, probably my favorite vocal track in any Supergiant game)

Celeste: Scattered and Lost (I am such a normie for this choice but face it this track absolutely slaps.)

Chicory: A Colorful Tale: Song of the Wielders (I love how this song has actual lyrics but I still prefer to sing along with the Simlish version that Pizza and Chicory sing.)

The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood: Illusion (First of all I love how every character in this game has their own theme I go feral for that kind of thing. Kurielle is probably one of the characters who stood out to me the least but by god is her theme gorgeous. I love the vocals and how a later track includes a sneaky reprise.)

Cuphead: Dramatic Fanatic (Tap dancing :D)

There are literally thirty of these so I'm doing a read more

Death's Door: The Grey Crow (A heartbreaking boss fight scored with the appropriate amount of anguish)

Deltarune: Cyber Battle (This melody is so underrated and ya know what, so are the characters associated with it. Sweet Cap'n Cakes forever.)

Elsinore: Donne, The Boat Boy (I love this song because it's associated with Lady Guildenstern, aka the best character in gaming full stop, but it's also just a fun little sea shanty that I think they made up for this game so I love that. Also has a lyrical version.)

Evergate: Police (Okay so the level with the police drones is one of the more frustrating ones in the game but the music is hauntingly beautiful so I give it a pass)

Going Under: trust fall (Marv is easily one of the most hateable video game antagonists of all time but damn if his boss theme doesn't slap)

Hades: Last Words (The rolling and the tolling of the bells bells bells bells bells)

Harmony: The Fall of Reverie: Reverie Ascendant (Lena Raine does these medley tracks so good man)

Hollow Knight: Dung Defender (By far the catchiest song about poop on my entire phone)

Ikenfell: Rose Thorns (So the insanely long final boss fight against Oxley overshadowed Aeldra's boss fight in my memory for a long time, but when I watched another playthrough and bought the OST I realized "Oh her theme bops SO much harder than his ever could")

Inscryption: A Final Duel (A hardcore remix of The Scrybe of Magicks, aka one of the only melodic tracks on the album and therefore the one every YouTube video about Inscryption uses in the background. I prefer the epic version just a bit more because honestly that Magnificus setpiece is the best moment in the game)

Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass: Fun, Sunny Day (A fun and silly track as the title suggests, elevated even more by the context in which it plays in the game. The area music alternates between this and the more somber Rainy Sunday to illustrate that Jimmy mother is bipolar [very cute and silly game])

Omori: Bready Steady Go (Like the absolute dipshit I am I actually completely missed the optional Orange Oasis when I played this game myself. Every Let's Player finds it somehow, though, and when they fight the Unbread Twins I invariably stand up and dance along to the boss music.)

One Step from Eden: Perpetual Motion (It's just a good-ass track y'all)

Ori and the Blind Forest: Conundrum (In a soundtrack of sweeping orchestral pieces, this more subdued version of theme that only plays during one small puzzle section might seem a weird choice. But I've always really liked it)

Ori and the Will of the Wisps: Kwolok's Malaise (Kwolok's leitmotif is perfect for a giant frog and the boss remix takes it to it's logical conclusion)

Paradise Killer: Go! Go! Style (This track makes me feel like I'm having a sugar rush. The whole OST does actually but this one especially)

Pyre: Path to Glory (It's just got a really unique vibe to it. I like it)

Scarlet Hollow: Avery (Chill and really beautiful. Avery themself is kind of a sleeper character at this point but I can't wait for Brandon to remix their theme when they get assimilated into a giant plant monster)

Slay the Princess: The Princess (Okay full disclosure I've only played this game once so I don't have the full context for a lot of the tracks on this OST. Maybe hearing them alongside their respective princesses will make me like them more, but for now the title theme is too iconic to beat.)

Sounds of Sympathy (the OST for the game anthology Essays on Empathy): Zen and the Art of Transhumanism (In the Essays on Empathy documentary, fingerspit talked about how she prefers writing obscenely long tracks so the loop doesn't get annoying. Unfortunately for her my favorite track on this album is only three minutes long. It's a lovely little bop.)

Spiritfarer: Mind Palace (I played Spiritfarer before any of the character updates were released, so I didn't get Daria's mind palace sequences in my game. And I mean, they look very platforming-heavy so I'm okay with that, but god this is a gorgeous piece.)

Transistor: Impossible (I think this is Royce Bracket's boss theme? I don't know when any of the tracks on this OST specifically play in game. Regardless of all that this one gets me pumped.)

Unavowed: One Man's Power (I couldn't find a video of this one, but it's gentle saxophone solo that plays when Logan Brown is introduced. I think it fits is character really well and just sounds really nice)

Undertale: Death by Glamour (Best song for best character, enough said)

Wandersong: Moonscape (God knows this game gave me a lot of great options to pick from, but I settled on this one because it's so uplifting.)

#bastion #celeste #chicory: a colorful tale #the cosmic wheel sisterhood #cuphead #death's door #deltarune #elsinore #evergate #going under #hades game #harmony: the fall of reverie #hollow knight #ikenfell #inscryption #jimmy and the pulsating mass #omori #one step from eden #ori and the blind forest #paradise killer #pyre #scarlet hollow #slay the princess #essays on empathy #spiritfarer #transistor #unavowed #undertale #wandersong

[basilone]

#11 mirror - with the Mota character(s) and OC(s) of your choice with the critical question: "Are there any god-chosen in this Mota universe?"

This is the loveliest question, thank you for sending it! 💙 I had a proper little think about this for a while, and I think this POV perhaps works best of all... Colonel Harding, dealing with his roster of god-chosen and a new arrival. For those of you new to this AU, I think that this piece serves well as a lowkey introduction to the idea. You can find a little more info on this particular AU in the pinned post on my blog or in its relevant tag right here.

mirror

COLONEL NEIL B. HARDING

100TH BOMB GROUP

BURN AFTER READING

His thumb lands heavy on the last word. The order stands out stark in red ink, as if to remind him he needs to commit this paper to the flames at his earliest convenience. So classified that its mere existence in writing should always be a temporary thing, committed to memory and nothing else.

Neil inhales sharply. Some of this list is not a surprise. There’s Cleven, near the top, neatly penciled in as Air-chosen. The two lady pilots – Julie Langdon and Christina Heartfield – both carry Home next to their names. There is Truth-chosen Perrault, whose eyes had carried nothing but a steel trap when he’d met her, and John Brady’s careful Balance right below that. And certainly, there are also the known questionmarks between them. Egan’s name carries it, alongside a note that questions Trickster? as if Neil’s supposed to have the answer to that speculation. Rivers’s questionmark is a concern, no matter how often Cleven’s assurance Lot’s all right, sir is said out loud, and he’s not even going to ask about James Douglass anymore.

Then, there are the new additions. The surprises. The things his predecessor had warned about in a neat little note that carried a few blood spatters at its edges. They keep sending god-chosen our way. Some of them barely remember to take their suppressants, while others are so new to it that they form a liability to the crews. I fear their power is too absolute. Their influence too great.

“Rosenthal, was it?” Neil’s fingers itch for a smoke. Or a drink. He has neither. “Name like that,” he says instead, glancing down at the personnel roster to ensure there has not been a mistake, “I would have assumed Water-chosen.”

The man’s mouth quirks up just a little. “Many do, sir. Certainly surprised my family when I chose another.”

“I was told the god does the choosing.” Sunday school. Shepherd’s preachers. All those damn pamphlets about being chosen by a god that’d been distributed at West Point. “Are you trying to tell me now that you’ve all had a choice in turn, Rosenthal?”

“The god chooses first,” says Rosenthal, voice so void of his god’s influence that Neil almost thinks the roster a fluke, “and we accept the choice, or we do not. Most of us say yes at some point.” His eyes crinkle a little. Soften as he nods at the roster. “That will get longer. More detailed. Anyone taken as POW will be numbed by stronger suppressants. My crew is already building its tolerance, sir.”

Neil’s hand tracks the additions beneath Rosenthal’s name. Lewis, Wisdom-chosen. DeBlasio, Air-chosen. Bailey and Boccuzzi, Fate-chosen. Milburn, Fire-chosen… “Tell your bombardier to speak to Lombardi.” He can feel a headache blossom behind his eyes. “She is Fire-chosen too. Serves as bombardier to Benny DeMarco right now. Only thing he complains about is finding scorch marks on his plane post-mission.”

That earns him a good-natured chuckle. “The scorch marks sure sound familiar.” Rosenthal’s fingers drum out a gentle rhythm on the arms of his chair. “I’ll be sure to let Cliff know about Lombardi. Chances are he will find her before I do. Like often recognizes like, sir.”

Opening. Aim. “There is another chosen like you on this base, Rosenthal.”

“The red-haired mechanic down by the hardstands this morning,” comes the immediate response. Score. “Carries favor so loudly that even her two suppressants cannot contain it in full. Enchanting woman, I am sure”– and Rosenthal’s eyes spark with such good humor that Neil almost smiles back –“most especially when she cursed out loud upon seeing me and then managed to apologize to Pappy for her language in the same breath.”

Neil leans back in his seat. Lights the roster on fire with the tip of his cigar. “You two do not seem alike to me, Rosenthal.”

“I imagine not, sir. Sergeant Mayfair and I believe it is like those funhouse mirrors. It is still the same god, but finding different expression in different people. Needing us for different things.”

“So Mayfair is the flirt”– Neil doesn’t feel bad about saying it, not after that smile she threw him while having forgotten her suppressant a week ago –“and the beacon that warms the heart. Friendly face, always a kind word, helps bring our planes home.” He drops the burning roster into the wastepaper bucket Red gave him. Commits the details to memory best he can. “That, I can understand. That’s love to a man. Keeps them going when the game gets tough. But you? Rosenthal, what on earth is a Love-chosen pilot going to do in a war as hard as this one?”

Robert Rosenthal meets his eyes unflinchingly. “Whatever I can, Colonel Harding.” A slight smile. A minuscule nod. The air behind him seems to flicker, glow, enshrine his brow in fiercest gold the longer Neil stares at him. “For however long I can.”

His voice carries an echo of battle drums.

#masters of the air #rosie rosenthal #neil harding #basilonefic #formvoidseries

[possibilistfanfiction]

world cup goals! footy au? Literally anything though, thank youuuuuu

[shoutout to katie mccabe & also everyone's suits. love this wc]

//

it took four years too long, but finally — finally — you get to watch ava in a world cup. you're, of course, the face of the nation, the captain, all the hopes of a repeat resting on your shoulders. this time, it feels light; it feels like a gift, to have people believe in you — to have people think you deserve their faith. you know, without a doubt, that you will play the best football you possibly can. when you answer ava's facetime just before she gets on the bus — so she can show you how she's opted to wear the team suit, perfectly tailored, a deep navy, without a shirt underneath it, mismatched earrings and an opal drop chain you'd gotten her a few months ago, because you saw it and knew she would love it — and she smiles, you know that you already have the faith of the most important person in the world.

when you watch from the conference room your team has reserved, your opening match not for two days still, but it counts as film studies, really, all things considered — lilith rolls her eyes but is currently curled up on the couch next to you in an oversized hoodie that smells suspiciously like camila's perfume — it fills your chest so immensely you don't know how you keep breathing for a moment. ava jumps the line with a grin, her socks slipping low and one side of her shorts already pulled up and tucked into her compression shorts, and you think you might burst.

the commentators mention her missed world cup last cycle, but they don't have much time to dwell on it because, only a few minutes in, ava brushes hair out of her face and lifts her hand, taking the first corner of the game. lilith rolls her eyes before it even happen, and joy — amusing, overwhelming happiness — fills you when ava hits a perfect olympico, one of her favorite set pieces to goof around with on the training ground. she's laughing, when her team runs over, when she turns to the fans screaming her name, when she holds up her hands in the shape of a heart to the camera.

'god, she's so insufferable,' lilith grumbles.

'are you grumpy because you haven't scored an olympico?'

'we haven't even played yet, beatrice.'

you shrug, reveling in ava's bright play all up and down the left side after the restart, the way she tracks back and holds the ball patiently, the exuberance and fearlessness of some of her overlapping runs. 'worried you won't win the golden boot this time around?'

'just about as worried as you are that you won't win the golden ball.'

ava whiffs — badly — on a cross and just accepts her teammates' good natured teasing, a playful shove to the shoulder as they gather themselves defensively before the goal kick. you wait a beat and then lilith giggles, literally giggles, and you can't help the laughter either.

'i am begging the football gods to show me a replay of that,' she says, already on twitter to see if anyone posted about it.

ava plays the rest of her pre-planned sixty minutes with the same fervor — cheerful, creative, fun. she nets another goal and lends an assist before she's subbed out, gets in two nutmegs, which you know she secretly enjoyed the most. she is a formidable opponent, and you've learned, by now, it's because of how she plays: light, everywhere.

she facetimes you after her presser, just as you're settling into bed. she looks so soft in a team-issued crew neck and tired, content eyes, her hair still damp from her post-game shower.

'did you enjoy that first goal?'

'well, that's one way to kick off your world cup tenure.'

she grins. 'you thought it was sexy.'

'unfortunately, i think just about everything you do is sexy.'

ava pouts. 'come on, bea. an olympico? in my first world cup match ever? please admit you loved it.'

'lilith hated it.'

ava barks a laugh, grins with teeth.

'and, of course, darling. i loved it. i love watching you play.'

she softens, immediately. you've gotten spoiled, getting to play club with her for so many years — there are few nights spent apart, and those are mostly because of national team camps or, a few rare occasions, when one of you has an overnight stay in the hospital following a procedure. you wish you could fall asleep with her now, you wish you could help calm her buzzing energy and that she could keep you warm.

as it is, though, you just lie down and listen to her talk about the ins and outs of the defensive formation they had to break down, the pivot sixes they're going to play against the next team in their group — 'to practice, honestly, for when we play you, which i shouldn't be telling you but whatever, you're so smart anyway. good luck to us.' — and how her lats have been so tight after training but felt better during pt tonight.

'hey,' she says, about to get off the bus, 'i'm going to let you go. you keep closing your eyes for longer and longer. you should get some sleep.'

you hum, fight to keep your eyes open just a little longer. 'i love watching you play.'

her mouth quirks up. 'jogo bonito, right?'

you want to kiss her; you will, just as soon as you can. 'jogo bonito, yes.'

'goodnight, bea.'

'make sure you take your pain meds before bed, and —'

'i know, babe,' she says, soft and gentle. 'i got it. thank you for reminding me.'

'always.'

'i love you,' she says.

'i love you too.'

'i'm gonna dream of you in your suit tonight.' ava laughs, waves, and hangs up.

you toss and turn a few minutes before you admit defeat and google ava silva world cup suit and stare at pictures online for a few minutes, and then put your phone aside on the charging pad and, with quite the image in your mind, fall fast asleep.

#wn #wn fic #avatrice #avatrice fic #footy au #this is just a gratuitous imagining of the two of them in wc suits tbqh which i figured yall wouldnt mind lol #thinking about the netherland's suits.... china's prada suits?? god. what a gift lol

[centrally-unplanned]

As I have been sick over the past week+ (doing better now I think) I have put in *checks save file* over 100 hours into The Last Sovereign, the ero-kingdom-builder-RPGmaker indie game. I am as done as I can be with it pretty much right now - its being released piece-by-piece, from all plot suggestions it is right at its penultimate chapter. I highly recommend it - it's a full-on RPGmaker game and not by someone who is a tech or art wiz breaking that box's confines, so you have to be down for that aesthetic & design style. But if you are the game has one of the most detailed "politics of rulership" games I have ever played in the genre, and done very seriously through the hilarious ero-lens of you dealing with succubus migrant populations, church purity inquisitions, and orc intelligence uplifting experimental breeding pits. This plot concept lets the game be hyper-realist and irreverently funny at the same time, a welcome tone.

But it's me, so I am here to whine about some stuff!

The game has, as typical to the genre, "hidden variable" systems for resolving big political plot elements - you talk to people, make dialogue decisions, those get stored as variable counts or binaries, etc. More uniquely it also has a huge economic investment system, where you make choices balancing money-making, military, political, and social investments through cycles that give you more money and impact said political plots. This is all quite complex but it works really well in the beginning, when everything is contained.

Chapter 3 is you and your harem plotting a false flag-style insurrectionist takeover of a kingdom, Yhilin. You made some investments pretty much purely for profit in the last chapter, so you got some opening cash, you have some allies to talk to, decisions around orc recruitment, and a one-off political event. This is all pretty clear - the game even locks some of your money in a vault to make sure you spend it on military supply industries, so you can't screw up by under-provisioning. You know you are gonna invade Yhilin, and you know that you need a good army, good allies, you have a desire to minimize civilian casualties for morality reasons, and a desire to minimize damage to reduce rebuilding costs. Should you save some of your army strength at the expense of more civilian deaths? Whose to say what is better in the long run, but you know what you are choosing. This part works great, it's the best part of the game. The plot is linear, sure, you are gonna win no matter what, but based on your choices the Yhilin you conquer can be quite different.

In future chapters, particularly chapter 5, the scope is drastically wider; you are dealing with *does some head math* 10 countries in your main continent of Arlecent and ~7 nations on other continents, all of which have investments opportunities, political decisions, and hidden variables. Big plot events will occur where 4-5 different variable tracks from different countries will come into play. And the game is not built for this, for a few reasons:

Most importantly, Chapter 3's Yhilin invasion was ordered correctly; you were told you were gonna attack Yhilin first, then made decisions after. Each big political event after that is a surprise; you will have terroristic Incubus Kings attacking via magic portals three kingdoms with no warning, and your multi-track variable scores of each of those countries will impact those events.

The UI is just not built for this. Its RPGMaker, and all the variables are hidden; you can access a ledger list of investments but it doesn't tell you how important each is or anything, just money. I could track one goal in Chapter 3 around a concrete list of options and tasks; that same UI doesn't work here.

All of this would be fine if it was mainly plot, and every option was "equally good", like in some playthroughs Givini does well and Ardoheim does badly, that's cool. But it really isn't; if you know the plot ahead of time, time investments for each event, and so on, you do way better in the game, get bonus equipment and even characters. Hell it's an ero game, you get bonus sex scenes! I skip all those but I'm sure it's important for some of the players out there. So these hidden decisions are high stakes.

So yeah, all that combines to make what should be a "making tradeoffs" political management plot feel way more like a lottery system - and in practice the game is just ludomantically begging you to read a walkthrough. I tried for a long time to play the game sans guide, and as its scope expanded I gave up; I was essentially missing a lot of content because my decisions were suboptimal and I couldn't track all the decision points I ran across to make decisions between them (Also its combat is really hard and easily-missed items can make a huge difference, another guide-pushing factor).

I personally would fix this in the obvious ways; make these variables not hidden, and rewrite the plot to have less "surprises" and more telegraphed decision moments. And then make me actively choose between Ardoheim & Givini with known consequences instead of accidentally doing that (the game does have some decisions like that, its not amateur hour over here; its just out of balance).

But the more important thing to do is imo that UI, and 'conveyance'. Right now all the investment opportunities for example are discovered organically - you talk to a person in Gasm Falls (yeah, that's in the succubus kingdom, how'd you know?), she tells you about a religious order expansion opportunity, and if you wanna spend the coin you go back and talk to her. Again, fine in Chapter 3; but when there are over 50 concurrent investment opportunities across the globe in later chapters, I really can't track this all; I am making decisions somewhat arbitrarily. Instead I would have more structured events; at the end of each cycle you sit down with your harem-ministers in a room and go "here is the list of investments; if you select these 13 here is a loose summary of the bonuses each nation would get, expected revenue, etc." Since RPGs don't typically do that this game doesn't, but it's not a typical RPG right? Its UI needs to evolve with the game.

Which, btw, it is doing! So there are a bunch of political conferences throughout the game's story, and at first it was just talk to people, make dialogue tree decisions, hope you keep it all in your head and make it work. But for the last few one of the mages in your harem would cast a "display spell" making a little magic demiplane with characters who summarize all the information for you. Dealing with potential suitors for the new Queen of Ardoheim? Let's line 'em up and give you a summary of their current odds if you talk to them:

This is great, it's way better! Why aren't there more of these? I am pretty sure it's because, ya know, the creator didn't think of it until recently lol. It's an indie game, being updated live and serially. This is likely feedback in action; the events of Chapter 3 & 4 got too unwieldy, the creator realized that, so in the last few sequences in Chapter 5 improvements were added. But going back and adding these to already-completed sections? Ugh, that can't be a priority in comparison to finishing the damn game.

Which, as I often say, is why I don't judge a game harshly for these issues when it's an indie creator and their small team making their vision. The creator knows this is a problem, but fixing problems is hard! They can't do it all. It's actually very cool to see the game 'evolve' over time as they got new ideas for plot concepts, map design, and structuring political mechanics. That makes the game messier, for sure, but also more interesting; a tradeoff I normally will take.

#The Last Sovereign #Ash RPGMaker Adventures

[myjunkisyuzuruhanyu]

I just hope Shoma has also big fanbase as Yuzuru has, so that even in moments of being underscored or facing challenges, he feels the support and never experiences loneliness. And I want this support to continue even after retirement. Shoma has made significant contributions to this sport and always delivered breathtaking performances. I hope he always feels loved, now and in the future. Of course he does not need anyone's support to feel okay, but I want him to get the appreciation he deserves. I just do not want anyone to forget him and his contributions to figure skating. Today's score made me think about such things.

Shoma has a huge fan base, obviously not as big as Yuzu's (which is basically a once in life occurence and tbh I am not sure that level is desired), and I think and hope that Shoma has long realized that we as his fans love and support him not only for the victories but for who he is. I think already back at IdF he learned that we appreciate him if he's in 1st or last place and NHK's scoring doesn't change that.

Also Shoma survived the disappointments of Worlds 2019, the disaster of IdF19, the disaster that was WTT 2021, he did have his share of unfair judgment over the years even ofc antis would never admit that and he never gave up and he would come back stronger and proof everyone wrong who ever called an end upon him. Shoma may be at a different stage of his career and obviously sooner or later he will quit competing but until then I don't see him going down without a fight. Yes first his NHK comments sounded awful but a day after it sounded like Yuma was actually a motivator to try his best. He also said he wouldn't suddenly quit, so this is all hopeful. Now I just hope judges treat him fairly. Again I am not mad if Shoma's not winning with mistakes or if someone else was clearly better that day but NHK was none of this as he was clearly the best skater at NHK and that's what made me mad and sad.

Shoma also not only has fan support but also the support of his family, his girlfriend Marin, his coach Stephane, his pyhsiotherapist Demi, his friends as Koshiro, Satoko and Keiji and I am damn sure they all tell him how supported he is.

I also think for the future things look bright. He is already the frontliner of The Ice and One Piece on Ice was also very successful, he is invited to many ice shows. I don't think we have to worry for him.

Only time will tell if Shoma's contribution to figure skating will be recognized in the future but it is already while he competes. Yuma just once again confirmed Shoma as the skater he looks up to at NHK. Plenty of junior skaters and younger senior skaters call Shoma among their favorites, some even have copy like costumes of his programs.

Shoma has written his name in the history books of figure skating as 2 time world champion and first to land the quadruple Flip. No one will take away those achievements and NHK scoring also won't take away any of his glory. Yes Shoma may not always come in first place, but that takes nothing away from how special he is to skating.

Inside Skating published some very nice articles on Shoma over the years and each reads not only like praise but also if you track back old articles skaters have admired Shoma from way back when he was just a little junior. This article from today is a recommendation.

He already left his mark in the sport. He's not where he is because of favors and fed politicking as some envious haters say but because his skating is magical - spell binding and ppl inside and outside the skating world appreciate Shoma. I am sure.

#shoma uno #figure skating #pls read the inside skating article it's wonderful #replies #i believe in shoma

[formulatrash]

hi hazel!

Since f1 is going to miami next week, I remember there was this conversation about the tarmac there and was wondering if they changed it for this year? I vaguely remember that you’ve talked about this before.

thanks!

thank you for asking, buckle in for what we can politely term 'autistic person gets to talk about their collection of mediocre rocks'

so for anyone who missed the fannydangle around this last year: prior to the inaugural Miami Grand Prix one of the things being hyped as the best and most innovative ever was the tarmac that had been used to surface the track. in all fairness, I don't think anyone was being an ass about this, it was just a miscalculation caused by thinking Florida had Special Rocks in a way that it turns out it doesn't.

to talk about this first we've got to talk about Florida, which is a dangly bit of the bottom of the southeastern United States. It's basically a peninsula where most of the rest was worn away and it's sitting on top of a chunky piece of bedrock but the majority of the surface is limestone.

limestone is a soft, crumbly rock that you can score with a fingernail. when it's super wet it might as well be feta cheese so as you can imagine for a swampy, coastal state, Florida's is either very mushy (and in the ocean) or a sort of hardier breed of what was left that didn't wash away.

limestone (or what's called limerock in Florida) is used in some road asphalt because it's cheap and coarse and works well for layering. however, it isn't normally used in circuit asphalt; racetracks get much hotter and are subject to much more lateral force from high-downforce cars and slick tyres.

(it's partly why FE doesn't use slicks; even so, the cars have torn up road surfaces a few times when it's really hot but in theory not having slicks means they're putting less strain through the normal tarmac)

a motorsport track needs a high PSV (polished stone value) aggregate; something that can withstand the abrasion of the cars going over it without turning into a perfectly smooth ice rink. limestone also has the potential to generate friable particles, which can make the surface deteriorate worse (basically breaking down into dust) which means it doesn't maintain its macro roughness and won't shred up the Pirellis in a way that makes racing interesting.

the Florida limerock, however, has an unusually high percentage of silica in its make up. silica is hard and the asphalt specialists that made the aggregate, R3, thought that there being so much of it in the limerock would mean they could use a higher percentage of it, compared to granite.

the process of laying the asphalt is multiple layering, with monitoring for surface smoothness and micro and macro roughness at each stage. the idea is that there must not be any bumps or depressions or changes in the surface, so the asphalt is perfectly smooth but is then roughened up by being pressure washed. Miami had this, unfortunately the pressure washer machinery also broke part of the track, which caused some Concern early in the weekend and a load of emergency repairs but in principle the track was otherwise sound.

spoiler: this did not entirely work out. whether someone did the maths wrong or whether this was just not something it was possible to predict, the surface was disastrous. it was polishing and breaking up, the worst possible combination because you end up with a layer of dust and marbles on top of something intensely smooth, so not only do you have no grip on the smoothness, you're essentially on pebble rollerskates.

as a result there was absolutely no grip for anyone during the Miami weekend, which was one of several things people found annoying about the track.

good news: since then the whole thing got resurfaced, with presumably more standard race track tarmac going down. Miami is hot - the track temperature was one of the hottest of the year - so the surface will always be an issue to some degree but fingers crossed what's been put down now (the entire track has been totally re-paved) will give a little bit more grip.

#f1 asks

[mielmoto]

@dcviated asked:

What are honey's music tastes like?

...which I'm finally answering as it combines neatly with this question, asked by anonymous: what is a genre of music your muse won't listen to?

So, first and foremost, I present:

Which is still a fledgling at best, but the process of me trying to figure out a good response to this question is simply going and listening to a TON of music and laying there, thinking to myself, would Honey like this song?

Honey likes music that has a lot going on. That can mean folktronica / epic fantasy-style scores, organ-heavy metal tracks, or whimsical jazz-infused tunes the like of which you'd find on a katamari soundtrack. Dance/Electronic stuff tends to dominate, but she's almost certainly something of a K-pop / J-pop girlie as well. Enjoys following idols, and can get into the groove of almost anything that's up-tempo and jammin' enough.

When it comes to songs with lyrics, that "tempo" note is nearly a rule. She'd tell you there are exceptions in every category, and she hesitates to completely brush aside any genre at large, but she generally doesn't listen to a lot of straight folk music, nor country, singer-songwriter-y, and even more classic jazz fare because sleepy, languid vocals don't do it for her. Doesn't go in for much classic rock, either, though there are more than a few exceptions she's heard in time.

That said, when it comes to purely instrumental tracks, her taste opens up again. Lo-fi hip hop beats, wandering piano tracks, anything that has a good melody and steady rhythm to it can find its way into her circulation— and she has a great fondness for orchestral or otherwise instrumental pieces which make her feel like she's in her own little romantic drama, or perhaps in a light-hearted, brightly-hued video game. See the Cosmic Cove Galaxy track above, and Balamb Garden. Honey loves singing along to songs when she's casually going about a task or riding/walking somewhere, but if she's really focused on her work or some-such, she prefers instrumental stuff.

Some harder, edgier tunes can sneak in from time to time, (i.e. the referenced metal dabblings), but it's also worth nothing that most of the music she listens to is playful. It might be light and chipper and whimsical, or punchy and exciting (like OTONABLUE), or even sort of gentle and sweet as in Farewell by Erikson Jayanto; but in sum... it mostly matches her, and the sort of personality she exudes— her brand is consistent.

**(note: the music just has to SOUND bright and fun. the lyrics/subject of the song may actually be much darker, but if it's sung in the right key and vibe? lyrics are secondary baby!)

#answered. #isms. #music. #♥ 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 (musings) #Spotify

[spinningbuster98]

Sonic the Hedgehog CD Part 1: Sonic CD is sponsored by Marty McFly

Oh boy, now we’re getting into some spicy territory!

My history with CD is...complicated

Unlike the other Classic titles, while I was exposed to this one at around that same time thanks to the Sonic Gems Collection, I never played it quite as much due to...reasons that will become quite clear in future parts. It’s only with the release of the Whitehead version years ago that I truly dived into this game

So let’s start with the best and most obvious parts

Firstly: the opening and closing cinematics are literally some of my favorite pieces of animation ever. (Well the uncompressed versions anyway, ‘cause the Sega CD was what it was). Not just because they’re animated beautifully but because they feature what is, to me, the gold standard of Sonic’s body language.

This Sonic is quick, adventurous and fun loving when he’s zooming around, but dead serious and determined once he notices Eggman’s effect on Little Planet

But most of all: he’s cool. He’s effortlessly cool in the way he runs around and toys with badniks, while at the same time still retaining a cutesy side to him to remind you that this is still a light hearted and fun loving cartoon character

While I’m not one of those people who thinks that Sonic should never talk (specifically Classic), there is a case to be made on how in just a few minutes’ worth of animation CD is able to tell us literally everything there is to know about Sonic’s character without having him utter a single word while the Storybook games had to devote hours long narratives to get the point across. It also further lampshades just how backwards Sega’s recent handling of Classic as a character has been, focusing completely on his cutesy side while completely neglecting his cooler one, or at least downplaying it, while one of the main reasons for the switch to Modern was because they feared that Classic was being perceived as too cute by fans at the time, but whatever that’s a topic for another time

From a graphical standpoint...yeah this game is above and beyond the best of the classics, both in general spritework (though bosses in Sonic 3 actually look better, but that might just be due to that game having actual bosses that look more imposing in general), color variation, level of detail and artstyle, which is without even mentioning the way that the game manages to tell a simple yet subtle narrative through its backgrounds but I’ll focus on that at a later time

But personally I’ve...actually never been head over heels for these graphics unlike everyone else, mostly due to a personal thing, since Sonic game move so quickly it’s usually hard for me to really focus on background details and whatnot, which isn’t helped by the one thing you’ll be looking at the most, Sonic’s sprite, pretty much being ripped straight from Sonic 1 and looking so out of place compared to the rest of the game. But again: it’s not a knock against the game, it’s just me

Musically I...think it’s good, it’s certainly the most varied and smartly utilised soundtrack in the Classic games (or even in the whole series) due to how each track ties very well to the feel of not only each Zone but also each era, but personally? When it comes to Sonic music I tend to prefer more upbeat, fast paced tracks. CD’s OST is much slower and usually pretty calming and atmospheric, which works very well for what it’s trying to accomplish, it’s just not what I personally prefer to hear in a Sonic game (and yeah I’m talking about the JPN score, it’s been ages since I’ve listened to the US tracks)

On the other hand however I like all of the vocal tracks

Sonic Boom was the first I was introduced to and it still sounds great, but over time I also gained a lot of appreciation for You can do anything. The lyrics are really cheesy and are bordering on nonesense half the time, but I like the energy it has

My absolute favorite however is Cosmic Eternity. I really wish more people would talk about this one because this is, and I’m not kidding here, one of my favorite Sonic songs in general. Right up there with the likes of Open your Heart, Live and Learn and What I’m Made of. It’s just so upbeat and uplifting, it fits both this game’s happier aspects and Sonic’s character like a glove, the latter more in the sense that it sounds like something that Sonic would sing someone to cheer them up

#youtube #sonic the hedgehog #sonic the hedgehog cd #my gameplay